Narakari rider's snuggery

[Cavy's Girl]

Lol, that's crazy Yama!! I adore David Garrett, I just happened to find him through Escala, and Bond!! I actually rode a low level freestyle to this exact song, so most of the actual test bit is based off of the actual events, except I was way faster than my music, the arena I had practiced in was just enough bigger to make my ending awkward lol!! But it fit my anglo gelding to a t and his trot really is that big!! But you know maybe great minds think alike lol!! <3 I also love E.S. Posthumous (not sure I spelled that right, and 2 steps to hell, which I was trying my best to find a song from them to fit my story, you know Narakari, hell beast, 2 steps to hell, lol!!)

[mi ainsel]

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Gerudo Valley
(The Legend of Zelda Orchestral Score)

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The competition atmosphere was buzzing with life, bright colours and loud noises assaulting the ears of the competitors and visitors from every direction. There were Narakari of every size and colouration dotted around and accompanied by their riders, some of whom looked distinctly nonhuman.
Mara frowned and bit her lip with disappointingly dull teeth, her fingers ghosting to her ears by habit. To anyone else it probably seemed a nervous tick; the way her fingertips brushed at air for a split second before settling below that point, on rounded and distinctly human ears. The Sylph had not been happy to ask the Fae for today's glamour, hating the vaguely unfamiliar feeling it gave her in her own body, but she was not one to let something like discrimination from the human public get in the way of her Narakari's potential victory here... Despite the fact this was a competition for tricorns from hell with many nonhumans entering, her resemblance to the often far-from-benign Fae was enough to unsettle most humans like a cat amongst pigeons, no matter how much she stressed her true race. Nervously adjusting the silver braces on her hands, she headed off in search of Vanadís' horsebox, since the shifter who owned the stables where she was kept had offered to bring her down on their own way over.

Several faces in the crowd looked familiar to her, though with the frequency she browsed the Narakari sales it was hardly surprising. More than a few of the Narakaris' hell marks were recognisable as well, which made her feel equal parts more relieved and more nervous. Some of them she was distinctly aware of being dressage champions from previous competitions. Others were simply the Narakari of people she knew, however vaguely. She couldn't help but wonder how many of the others here were first timers like her. Well, first timers at a big competition anyway.

Reaching the horsebox, Vanadís waited for her, the antithesis of patience. The striking amber champagne mare was making life as hard as possible for everyone around her as usual, feigning fury, all flailing hooves and screams, and then dropping back to gaze sheepishly at them when anyone went to try and calm her down, as if saying 'just playing with you!'. Mara shook her head at the mare with a smirk, slipping inside the box to give her a calming pat on the neck before looking around for the shifter she knew to be about somewhere. Indeed, blue-haired Folkvangr leant against the nearby wall of the trailer, talking to a teenage girl with a red fringe. She recognised her as the vampire Enyo, rider of a blind albino mare who Vanadís was particularly protective of. The vampire sighed heavily at something the other had said and walked off as Mara approached, Folkvangr turning to look at her with brilliant amber eyes currently all too similar to her own. Inwardly she cursed the rather boring glamour that had made them so, much preferring her usual reflective silver.
"Sylphie. I barely recognised you." They smiled curiously, the leopard ears of their hybrid shift form pricking up. It just served as a reminder of her own paranoia and made her annoyed, though not nearly as much as the dreaded nickname.
"Ugh! I hate that nickname, and keep your voice down will you?!" Mara spat, but without any true malice in her words, rolling her eyes and fighting back the urge to petulantly stamp her foot at the shifter's words.
Folkvangr's face did not change at all, but she got the distinct feeling they were concerned. It was always hard to tell the emotions of the alien shifter without them being in their true form, even from their facial expressions. Their species communicated emotion through colour changes and body language impossible for humans, after all.
"You are still so caught up in the thought the humans hate you. They have no problem with me, Mara, and I am from a different planet. Nor do they hate their Narakari, born from their hell itself. Something as close to home as a spirit of the air should have nothing to fear from them."

Still frowning even though she recognised the truth behind their words, Mara strode past Folkvangr to take her tack from where it hung on a peg in the 'tack room' behind them, catching sight of a amazonian woman with the antlers of a deer making her way through the crowd with a smooth-stepping seal brown as she did so. They were immediately recognisable as the forest spirit Isí, a friend of Folkvangr, leading their magnificent dressage stallion Ciardha. Many of the crowd were turning to look at the deer girl and the beautiful dark horse in amazement. Mara gulped. Folkvangr and Ciardha were a formidable team.
She spun around to face the blue-haired other again, tone rising in disbelief.
"Just how many of us came down for this? You, Enyo, me, Isí; how'd you even get them all here?"
Folkvangr shifted their stance against the wall, a vaguely bemused smile on their face. "I'm not competing today, I lent Ciardha to Isí since her Tomcat's no dressage horse and Konton isn't in good form. Neither is Sága but Enyo won't hear it. Got to have some riders left to represent us. Plus, you're just panicking now. Calm down." They explained, catching Isí's eye to wave her over.
Taking that as a cue to leave, Mara grabbed Vanadís' tack and headed back to her mare, trying to quell the shaking in her hands. Despite the fact she was wearing her braces, it would still be very easy to accidentally dislocate her hypermobile joints and potentially ruin her chances of being able to ride. She'd have to be extra careful if she wanted nothing to go wrong.

For once, Vanadís stood patiently whilst she was brushed down and her mane carefully braided. Mara thanked whatever deity was up there for this brief respite from the mare's antics, pulling her jacket on and balancing her helmet under one arm as she made sure to tighten the silver braces now worn over her stark white gloves.
By the time Vana was tacked up and the both of them ready, she'd already heard both Enyo and Isí's names called. The amber champagne seemed to sense her nerves, snorting and beginning to prance like she was about to bolt. Taking a firmer grip on her bridle and knowing her own name would soon join those already called, Mara began to make her way towards the warm-up area.
As she passed Folkvangr the shifter gave her a grin and a mock salute, followed by a gesture that she knew was intended to mimic taking a glamour down. Though she shot a glare back, she was beginning to wonder herself.

Walking past the entry tent, she handed in her CD in return for her entry number and vaulted easily into the saddle before entering the warm up area. Softly humming the song she had chosen to herself, she walked Vana in a couple of circles before kicking her into a smooth trot and then to a canter. Though she had been acting up earlier the mare was now the epitome of collectedness, seamlessly acting on every command. Her head was up, ears pricked and tails almost still. For the first time, Mara allowed herself to feel excited about the competition ahead of them. They had been practicing this routine for months and this was the first time anyone other that Folkvangr would see it. It was certainly ambitious, that was for sure, but now she had confidence they could pull it off.

The loudspeaker crackled, the announcer's voice ringing out over the crowd.
"Number #14, Mara Silviya and Vanadís, please report to the arena." She froze, suddenly afraid, and felt Vana shift uncomfortably beneath her, crystal hooves clattering against the paving stones of the path. This was it.
The arena itself was simple but daunting, pristine white fences and perfectly smooth sand, almost exactly like the ones used at the bigger events. Folkvangr was just visible in the packed stands, but only because of their midnight blue hair. They smiled reassuringly, and Mara smiled tightly back.
Walking Vanadís around the outside of the arena, she let her into a trot for the final side and then slowed as the bell sounded and they entered the main arena and stopped square in the centre. She bit her lip nervously; a flicking motion dispelling her glamour to Folkvangr's approving nod and then she was ready. The fact that no-one in the crowd had even seemed to notice the change filled her with a little confidence, just enough to put her hand out to signal her music after one final comforting pat for Vana. Lowering her head, she grinned wickedly and whispered to her Narakari. "Let's do this, pretty girl."

The music started slow but quickly built (at this point she knew it well enough to conduct the orchestra in her sleep, if she'd known how to conduct an orchestra, that was) and she urged Vana immediately into a smooth working trot, taking her around to the short side of the arena as she began to collect, then moving her hands forward and squeezing her legs to get the mare to change her stride as they crossed the diagonal. From the sounds of cameras clicking in the audience, she knew Vana had delivered; when they had been training her extended trot had looked almost like her hooves weren't touching the ground. She couldn't help but relax slightly, confident that
the mare knew what she was doing.
The music was about to get slower again, which meant it was time to be a little more showy. Slowing to a loose-reined walk, she continued the the other end of the arena, picking up the reins in order to turn in a circle before trotting again, this time Mara collected further, bending the mare slightly to her inside leg. Taking the cue, Vanadís launched into a piaffe with great enthusiasm, lifting her white stockinged legs high without letting her steps carry her forward before continuing on with the next part of the routine.
This was all going far too well for Mara's uneasy mind, but the music dropped, and they seamlessly moved into a canter, with her moving her inside leg forward to perform two flying lead changes as they crossed the diagonal again.
Tempi changes were Ciardha's speciality, and while she and Vana were not quite at the one-tempi point yet, they had managed to get their three-tempi changes to a point where they were viable to be used in the routine, almost appearing to skip across the ground. Concentrating on hitting the right points, only the trace of the music in her head and the sound of Vanadís' hoofbeats were audible to her now, as she carefully guided the Narakari into the corner where she had planned the canter pirouette.

It was the corner on the side closest to the stands, and as they moved out of the pirouette the flash of a camera bulb (which weren't even allowed why on earth was this person using flash photography?!) startled Vanadís and the mare tensed, lunging forward a step like she was going to make a break for it. The unexpected movement yanked hard at Mara's left wrist and she gasped at the flash of pain immediately recognisable to her as having dislocated something. Still, they were in the middle of something and she'd dealt with it many times before thanks to her hypermobility, so pushing the pain to the back of her mind, she cantered Vana to the other end of the arena to cover up the mare's attempt at bolting, adding in another lead change.
There was only one more big move left, but it had been the most difficult to learn and the likelihood of managing it with a dislocated wrist was slim to none. At the same time it was a big points scorer and the routine wouldn't be anything special without it.
Letting their extended trot carry them to the long side of the arena, she slipped her right hand off the reins and clicked the other wrist back into place, ignoring the pain it caused. Immediately afterwards, she guided the mare in a circle, shifting her grip on the reins and bending the Narakari around her leg as they reached the centreline. Vanadís knew what was coming, and despite the less-than-ideal grip on the reins, the champagne smoothly transitioned with the building music into a half-pass back to the rail, then with little urging, back in the opposite direction to the other side of the arena. Mara let out a silent sigh of relief, the rest of the routine so instinctual it was as if it happened by clockwork, and without any further stress on her injured wrist.
As their slow piaffe came to a square halt, so the music ended, perfectly on cue.

The tension was released as the sound of camera shutters became once again apparent over her thoughts and Mara slumped forward in the saddle, hugging Vanadís' neck with a triumphant giggle. The mare snorted and flicked her tails, seeming just as proud as her rider.
Holding her injured wrist close to her chest, she one-handedly guided Vana to the exit and out of the way of the next rider before giving her a celebratory rub, grinning ear to ear and quietly praising the prancing Narakari as she looked around at the excited crowd and Folkvangr's thumbs up, the spectators seemingly unconcerned by her Sylph appearance.
"Vana, we did it!"

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[VampireMessageNinja]

Woooow. You guys are amazing! *rubs aching head* Oh god, I feel useless. Can't get any decent art done lately...

[Dizzy socks]

All of these entries are just amazing, so much effort <3.
I'm still working on mine, hoping to finish, but I have so many exams coming up, I'm not sure if it's going to be possible.

And Simarrah, I've brought our discussion here, because it's more appropriate for the Snuggery. If you would like a foal between Dardanus and Rowena, I'm fine with that? <3. Equally, if you'd like them to be mates, please PM me c:.

[mi ainsel]

Thank you guys<3 I have been working on that story for the last week Instead of revising sssh XD I'm so tired it probably doesn't make sense but finally finished *dies*

[ruberiot]

Name: Aelius

Name Meaning: The word "Aelius" is derived from the Roman family name which was possibly derived from the Greek word 'ηλιος (helios) meaning "sun". So, his name means "sun."

Nicknames: Ae, Ally

Age: 4 years old

Gender: Stallion

Height: 15.2hh (approximately 157 centimeters)

Genetics: ee/aa/nCr/DD

Coat Color: Dunalino

Date of Adoption: Friday April 3, 2015

Official Description:

He seems to have much power and a great endurance. Oh and he's a bit proud: I
hope that won't be a problem for you.

Personality: Obviously, Aelius is proud and powerful, as stated above. He's also very strong-willed and can be
stubborn, but for the most part he's rather obedient. But don't let those few traits deter you; Aelius is actually a very huge sweetheart who will be a very loyal friend to whoever wishes to get to know him better.

Offspring: None yet

Favorite treat: Aelius absolutely loves peanut butter, as the first "human food" he tasted was peanut butter. He loves creamy peanut butter the best, but he's always willing to eat crunchy too!

Quirk(s): Aelius tends to squint when he's deep in thought or mad. No matter how hard he tries to not do this, it always ends up happening and he can't help but squint.

Discipline: Barrel racing and endurance racing

Artwork: Coming soon, I must upload it to a website first as I drew it on paper.

Likes: The sunrise, feeling the wind in his mane, racing, peanut butter, the smell of lilacs, birdsong

Dislikes: Thunderstorms, whips, pain, the thought of being left entirely alone, the smell of rubber, the cold, snow, darkness with no light whatsoever

[Ruby-Skylark]

*sigh* I've been working on my contest art, but I'm just not in a good headspace right now, so I probably won't get my entry finished
Sorry, I really wanted to enter, but I haven't been able to write for weeks, and my art is only half finished so...yeah, it's just not a happening thing right now...sorry

[Yamaneko]

-snip-
But you know maybe great minds think alike lol!! <3 I also love E.S. Posthumous (not sure I spelled that right, and 2 steps to hell, which I was trying my best to find a song from them to fit my story, you know Narakari, hell beast, 2 steps to hell, lol!!)

Absolutely! ^^
Do you mean Two Steps From Hell? That would be really funny because I recently bought my second album from them.


The dressage comp is now closed for entries/edits. Please just give me some time to take a closer look at the entries. I'll judge this comp asap.

@jojen: Your slot has been added (as well as you post has been added to the 2nd archive list).

[Cavy's Girl]

lol, oops yes!!! <3 Two Steps From Hell I'm a dork! I have full Pandora stations devoted to all of them! I love music like that, was actually on a Nightwish kick for awhile too, some of their instrumentals are amazing! <3 <3 <3 And of course Hans Zimmer, and Ramin Djawadi, and Bear McCreary, I swear I could go on with my love for music forever!!...who could forget Andrew Lloyd Webber!!! <3

[Yamaneko]

Let me see...
David Garret - Check! (Holy cow I love this guy <3)
Two Steps From Hell - So much check!
Hans Zimmer - Check!
Ramin Djawadi - Check!
Bear McCreary - Check and totally try not fangirling now because of the amazing Black Sails soundtrack...
All on my current playlist.
(Not to forget bands like AC/DC other soundtracks and Alice Cooper <3)

I usually listen to the mentioned artists above when I draw catch Narakari for you.