Welcome to Hickstead, home to both Seven Oak Stables, and Blue Acre - two rival stables. Both offer opportunities for their clients to reach the highest level of excellence. Each stable differs from the other, so choose wisely and never forget, loyalty is everything... Meanwhile as the stables battle it out, there's trouble brewing at the university. Be careful, if you don't pick a side you may get caught in the cross-fire...
This is an chilled out rpg with a super friendly and relaxed atmosphere! Remember to sign up with your characters full name in all caps and don't forget to do your claims! Thank you and Welcome, we've been established since 10th March 2009 but unfortunately have had to close guest view of our boards due to multiple sites ripping off our hard work, such a shame! Come chat to us in Discord before joining if you like!.
He didn't expect her to answer, he probably wouldn't have, depending on his mood - politeness to females did tend to war a little if he was feeling up to conversation. She might not have even heard him, Tobias hadn't exactly shouted across to her, not really interested in some kind of small talk. His fault for having opened his damn grumpy mouth. She at least looked up, and the professional in him looked her over once, cataloguing the woman in one fell swoop - from the tattoos to the posture, he deemed her a troublemaker and not someone he'd be interested in.
Toby didn't flinch as she popped the last knuckle back in, most people probably would have, but he'd seen worse in the army - ten times worse. "No. Though I can understand why you ask, most people don't have hands as messed up as mine." He shrugged slightly, annoyed at himself for having asked in the first place. It was none of his business if she was, and he wasn't one to hold hands and cry about shit. "Why do you?" It was a little blunt, because he didn't really want to be asking but for some reason he was.
It took him a while to settle into it. Toby had never been very good at change, which might seem odd for someone that had been in the army - things changed - but realistically, the army was all about order, structure and routine. He had copied that over to his life now, his routine, and it worked for him. Structure, it was how he ruled his life. Some would think it rigid and unnatural, but he didn't seem any problem with it - the only times that it became an issue was now. The bag didn't feel quite right, he couldn't quite get into his usual rhythm, his punches felt off. His frown deepened as he tried to push through it, trying to shake off the feeling that things were off. It was difficult, but he pursued it all the same, wanting... no needing, to find that space in his head where everything went quiet, everything just went white and shut off - concentrating and thinking of nothing but the feel of the bag under his knuckles, the sweat down his back, the burn of his muscles as he worked.
He had just nudged into a sweet spot when the person who had taken his usual spot made a noise, disrupting his quiet place and interrupting his workout. He let out a noise of frustration, a small grunt as his swing went a little wide and glanced off the bag instead of a direct hit. Fuck sake. He paused, not bothering to start up straight away again. He took a moment to take a swig from his water and wipe the sweat from his face before he bothered to look over at why the girl had interrupted his workout. His frown moved a little, if only slightly, to see her popping knuckles back into place. Interesting choice of workout given the state of her hands already - unless she'd just manage to do that to herself. He wasn't sure from where he stood, but it didn't all look recent. "Are you self harming?" He asked, surprising himself. He didn't always bother to speak out to other people, he wasn't looking to make friends or anything, he had his life and he liked how it was, but occasionally his mouth opened and shit came about before he thought twice about the consequences.
Toby was not in the best of moods - which you probably wouldn't even notice unless you knew him well. He generally wore a serious expression most of the time, if anyone had a proverbial cloud permanently fixed above his head, it was Tobias. He hadn't always been like this... well, honestly yes he had. He did laugh, and smile, but those were few and far between miracles and it had to be something good to get him going. His buddies in the army had done the trick, and he'd had it good with them. Now he'd been discharged for temporarily leave, and though he'd signed up as a police officer and gotten through the questionnaires and then the fitness and medical tests; he would have contested it if he didn't, but he didn't know what else to do with himself without the army.
He had made his new routine, and he was set in it. Some people thought it might be a bit obsessive, or that it might boarder on OCD considering how far some of his routine went. He woke up at the same time every day, he would have the same breakfast, come to the gym at the same time. It only worked whilst he was on the day shift at work, he knew he would have to change once he was changed onto other shifts. For now, he stuck with what he knew, it helped to keep him settled. But so far, his alarm hadn't gone off on time as his phone hadn't charged properly overnight, he'd woken almost at the right time but was still late. His eggs had gone off and breakfast had been plain toast - not really enough. the traffic to the gym had been awful, and now as he'd turned up, his usual punch bag was taken. He scowled at the tattoo'd woman who was at his usual spot and reluctantly took himself to the punch bag on her left to warm up.
GENDER: Male AGE: Nineteen D.O.B: 5th September SEXUALITY: Closet Bi - believes he's straight STATUS: Crushing PLAY-BY: Xavier Serrano HEIGHT: 5ft10 HAIR: Black EYES: Brown
"I TAKE THE PUNCH, STILL STANDING, YOU AIN'T"
TATTOOS: None SCARS: Numerous from his time in the army DRINK: Yes SMOKE: Occasionally DRIVE: Yes GLASSES: Nope HOME: Hickstead, England BORN AND RAISED: Hickstead, England
"KNOCKED ME DOWN YET, COME AT ME YOU"
quite a serious kid for nineteen, see's the world in black and white and is very strict on his beliefs, stubborn, firm, will stand strong in what he thinks is right regardless of what others say, stands up for what he believes in, hard headed, can be a bit of a bully, tough, will give as good as he gets, not always good at taking a joke, not easy to sway, loyal to those he trusts, proud, a little egotistical and arrogant, can be a bit high and mighty, blunt, funny without meaning to be, sarcastic, sharp edged, quite rigid and not good at relaxing, uptight, usually on edge and ready to go at a moments notice, very observant and can be rude, impatient, has a short fuse with people and a bit of a temper, unforgiving, doesn't allow room for errors or apologies, surprisingly good instructor but hard on whoever he's teaching.
LIKES: rules and knowing where the line is , reading - mostly classics , fishing - finds it the easiest way to switch off , rugby; more playing it than watching , dogs , the army and what is stands for , being challenged; will stand forward and face it , people being upfront about what they want , sweet pancakes - quite good at making them , sitting and watching the ocean - having fish and chips is a bonus - finds water settling but doesn't like being in it , intelligent conversation , politics DISLIKES: small spaces; claustrophobic , going to the movies - makes him feel claustrophobic as above , being disobeyed , letting his father down , the fact that his brother didn't join the army , riddles/puzzles - finds them unnecessarily complicated and frustrating , girls being over the top or not behaving as they should , things he doesn't understand , doctors; thinks they err too much on the negative side , fairy tales; thinks they're bullshit , guessing games - just spit it out , open water - can't swim STRENGTHS: Tri-lingual; speaks French, German and in the process of learning some Arabic , physically and mentally very strong , good at follow orders - 'bows' to authority and not one to break rules , will work himself to the bone for the right cause WEAKNESSES: relaxing - a bit uptight and always on edge , stuck in his morals; closed minded and not good at accepting others opinions , puzzles/riddles or anything in that problem solving kind of area - doesn't have the patience for them , strict on other people the way his parents were to him FEARS: Claustrophobic , open water; can't swim , being hurt too badly to return to the army for active duty , having attraction for men SECRETS: had a crush on a guy in the army but is hugely in denial of being attracted to guys. , is not as horrible as he seems, has a soft side underneath it
"CAN'T HANDLE IT, GIVE ME BLOOD AND SWEAT,"
STATUS IN SOCIETY: Middle Class OCCUPATION: Solider on leave, police officer EXPERTISE: Hand-to-hand combat , shooting , making perfect pancakes , fishing and all things bait WEALTH: Moderate PROUDEST MOMENT: There isn't much he would attribute to being proud of, but perhaps his squad's successful venture to retrieve a few of their captured soldiers would be his best. They were successful and managed to extract all the remaining squad members that had been kidnapped. MOST EMBARRASSING MOMENT: Getting humiliated by his father who was acting as his drill sergeant for a while. He was a little behind the others but his father made sure to make one hell of an example out of him, to the point where the other recruits tried to bring it up later - and he fucked them up for it. He never fell behind again.
"I'VE GOT NO REGRETS, PUT IT TO THE LIMIT"
FATHER(S): Sol Patrick Grant - fifty-one - former soldier, drill sergeant MOTHER(S): Georgia Francis Grant - fourty-eight - French teacher STEP-PARENT(S): None OTHER HALF: Sort of crushing on Eryx Damon Grigoris Vassiades SIBLINGS: Cameron Bernard Grant - 21 - Student Mia Heather Grant - 17 - Student CHILDREN: None
Tobias was brought up in quite a strict family. His father was a military man through and through, having been a part of the army since he was old enough to enlist, his own field career was ended in his early 30's when he was shot in combat, the bullet lodging in his spine and sending him home in a wheelchair with limited functionality below the waist. He returned to the army as a drill sergeant, working new recruits to within an inch of their lives. Tobias grew up in essentially a one parent house hold; with his father living away at the place he called home, it was down to his mother at first to raise the young child. He already had an older brother, two years his senior, and when his father returned home from leave during active duty, a younger sister following on nine months later. Toby knew only of his father as the guy away at war for the first eleven years of his life. His parents married young, falling in love when his father was stationed in France. She moved home with him to England and they were married within a couple of months, with Tobias' brother on the way soon after.
His years growing up were fairly uneventful. He made friends at his local school, though spent a fair bit of time with his brother with only a couple of years between them. He enjoyed sport, and found he particularly enjoyed Rugby for the physical aspect of it, enjoying throwing people down into the dirt, and even more he enjoyed the feeling of winning. His mother was firm and relatively strict, but he felt he was fair enough. It didn't notice that much that whilst his friends were allowed much more freedom to roam, he had to knuckle down and complete his homework after school, and his weekends were filled with strictly timetabled activities. It didn't bother him, but his brother pushed back - frequently staying out past curfew and trying to stay out at his friends; his mother always went out to drag him home.
With the arrival of his sister and her aging, Tobias doted on her. At first he wasn't sure about being the middle child, but Mia soon learned how to wrap her older brothers around her little finger. When his father's field career ended and he was sent home shattered, things changed. His father was used to regimented life, it was how he grew up and it was his army world - he brought that home with him. Toby's teenage years were a tough regime. Whilst his brother suffered under the strictness, Toby thrived; he liked routine, he liked having clear boundaries and he liked feeling fit and strong. His father wanted his children to follow him to the army, particularly when he returned to help train new young recruits, and Tobias had every intention of making him proud. His brother did not. A huge argument between his father and his older brother broke out, and Cameron left the family home.
It rocked Tobias' world a little, but more so that he thought his brother was wrong. There was no reason why they shouldn't go to the army, it was what he had been conditioned to do and he saw no other future for himself. As soon as he reached the age, he signed up straight away. He loved the army, much like home he preferred the structure, he liked having rules and he bulldozed his way to the top of his troop. He made friends along the way but he didn't let them get too close, he knew that it was likely some of them wouldn't make it home, and it cruelly compartmentalised them to save himself the fear. He thought himself at the top of his game, and that nothing could touch him, often putting other people into line when they toed the edge. He found himself having the occasional wandering thought about some of his male companions, but his father had always impressed upon him finding a beautiful young woman to marry and continue the family line, and that it wasn't right to like men, so he squashed the feelings deep down, getting angry whenever they resurfaced.
At nineteen, the army forced him to take leave. He was good, but having not taken a break since he joined at sixteen they forced him to return home for a breather. Feeling lost at the time to himself, he enrolled as police officer at Hickstead to continue his plight to help his country and keep it safe.
PETS
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THE STORY SO FAR
credit for this application goes to xxx.alix.xxx of caution 2.0
full name • Tobias Cody Grant nicknames • Toby, Grant age • nineteen birthday • 5th September occupation • Solider on leave, police officer gender • male sexuality • straight but bi-curious
the appearance
face claim• Xavier Serrano
identifying features• The typical tall, dark and handsome - thick brows are quite a feature of his along with his dark eyes and dark hair, he's ridiculously tall and quite well built.
the personality
likes • rules and knowing where the line is , reading - mostly classics , fishing - finds it the easiest way to switch off , rugby; more playing it than watching , dogs , the army and what is stands for , being challenged; will stand forward and face it , people being upfront about what they want , sweet pancakes - quite good at making them , sitting and watching the ocean - having fish and chips is a bonus - finds water settling but doesn't like being in it , intelligent conversation , politics dislikes • small spaces; claustrophobic , going to the movies - makes him feel claustrophobic as above , being disobeyed , letting his father down , the fact that his brother didn't join the army , riddles/puzzles - finds them unnecessarily complicated and frustrating , girls being over the top or not behaving as they should , things he doesn't understand , doctors; thinks they err too much on the negative side , fairy tales; thinks they're bullshit , guessing games - just spit it out , open water - can't swim strengths • Tri-lingual; speaks French, German and in the process of learning some Arabic , physically and mentally very strong , good at follow orders - 'bows' to authority and not one to break rules , will work himself to the bone for the right cause weaknesses • relaxing - a bit uptight and always on edge , stuck in his morals; closed minded and not good at accepting others opinions , puzzles/riddles or anything in that problem solving kind of area - doesn't have the patience for them , strict on other people the way his parents were to him dreams • returning to active duty , marrying a nice, proper girl and having a family like his father did fears • Claustrophobic , open water; can't swim , being hurt too badly to return to the army for active duty , having attraction for men overall personality • quite a serious kid for nineteen, see's the world in black and white and is very strict on his beliefs, stubborn, firm, will stand strong in what he thinks is right regardless of what others say, stands up for what he believes in, hard headed, can be a bit of a bully, tough, will give as good as he gets, not always good at taking a joke, not easy to sway, loyal to those he trusts, proud, a little egotistical and arrogant, can be a bit high and mighty, blunt, funny without meaning to be, sarcastic, sharp edged, quite rigid and not good at relaxing, uptight, usually on edge and ready to go at a moments notice, very observant and can be rude, impatient, has a short fuse with people and a bit of a temper, unforgiving, doesn't allow room for errors or apologies, surprisingly good instructor but hard on whoever he's teaching.
the history
father • Sol Patrick Grant - fifty-one - former soldier, drill sergeant mother • Georgia Francis Grant - fourty-eight - French teacher siblings • Cameron Bernard Grant - twenty-one - student Mia Heather Grant - seventeen - student important people • none hometown • Hickstead, England overall history • Tobias was brought up in quite a strict family. His father was a military man through and through, having been a part of the army since he was old enough to enlist, his own field career was ended in his early 30's when he was shot in combat, the bullet lodging in his spine and sending him home in a wheelchair with limited functionality below the waist. He returned to the army as a drill sergeant, working new recruits to within an inch of their lives. Tobias grew up in essentially a one parent house hold; with his father living away at the place he called home, it was down to his mother at first to raise the young child. He already had an older brother, two years his senior, and when his father returned home from leave during active duty, a younger sister following on nine months later. Toby knew only of his father as the guy away at war for the first eleven years of his life. His parents married young, falling in love when his father was stationed in France. She moved home with him to England and they were married within a couple of months, with Tobias' brother on the way soon after.
His years growing up were fairly uneventful. He made friends at his local school, though spent a fair bit of time with his brother with only a couple of years between them. He enjoyed sport, and found he particularly enjoyed Rugby for the physical aspect of it, enjoying throwing people down into the dirt, and even more he enjoyed the feeling of winning. His mother was firm and relatively strict, but he felt he was fair enough. It didn't notice that much that whilst his friends were allowed much more freedom to roam, he had to knuckle down and complete his homework after school, and his weekends were filled with strictly timetabled activities. It didn't bother him, but his brother pushed back - frequently staying out past curfew and trying to stay out at his friends; his mother always went out to drag him home.
With the arrival of his sister and her aging, Tobias doted on her. At first he wasn't sure about being the middle child, but Mia soon learned how to wrap her older brothers around her little finger. When his father's field career ended and he was sent home shattered, things changed. His father was used to regimented life, it was how he grew up and it was his army world - he brought that home with him. Toby's teenage years were a tough regime. Whilst his brother suffered under the strictness, Toby thrived; he liked routine, he liked having clear boundaries and he liked feeling fit and strong. His father wanted his children to follow him to the army, particularly when he returned to help train new young recruits, and Tobias had every intention of making him proud. His brother did not. A huge argument between his father and his older brother broke out, and Cameron left the family home.
It rocked Tobias' world a little, but more so that he thought his brother was wrong. There was no reason why they shouldn't go to the army, it was what he had been conditioned to do and he saw no other future for himself. As soon as he reached the age, he signed up straight away. He loved the army, much like home he preferred the structure, he liked having rules and he bulldozed his way to the top of his troop. He made friends along the way but he didn't let them get too close, he knew that it was likely some of them wouldn't make it home, and it cruelly compartmentalised them to save himself the fear. He thought himself at the top of his game, and that nothing could touch him, often putting other people into line when they toed the edge. He found himself having the occasional wandering thought about some of his male companions, but his father had always impressed upon him finding a beautiful young woman to marry and continue the family line, and that it wasn't right to like men, so he squashed the feelings deep down, getting angry whenever they resurfaced.
At nineteen, the army forced him to take leave. He was good, but having not taken a break since he joined at sixteen they forced him to return home for a breather. Feeling lost at the time to himself, he enrolled as police officer at Hickstead to continue his plight to help his country and keep it safe.
the role player
alias • The Champion age • meh other characters • don't make me count them, I just locked them away
