Post by ross on Jul 9, 2012 5:55:54 GMT -6
GRADY ROSS THACKER
Shine a light through an open door
Full Name>> Grady Ross Thacker
Nicknames>> Grade, G, 'Ady', Ross, Trick, Thacker, Tack
Age>> November 11th 1980; 31
Staff or Student>> Staff; Endurance instructor & Horse trainer
House>> N/A
Gender>> Male
Sexuality>> Heterosexual
Play By>> Channing Tatum
Alias>> Iduna
Turn away 'cause I need you more
Personality>>
Grady is a complex man. He is a strong person, both in body and mind that tends to seem guarded and reserved. Part of that is true: Grady isn't the kind of guy that merrily approaches people and starts to chitchat for the fun of it. Generally, he is polite and kindly when spoken to, though. Talkative may not apply, but he's no silent wallflower either.
He knows who he is; good points and bad points, and tries to be the best he can be. Although friendly may look a bit out of sorts, it does apply to Grady, as do kind, caring and loyal... To those who are more than fleeting acquaintances. It takes a while for him to really warm up to people, to start joking with 'em and trusting them, although it depends on the circumstances and the setting as much as it does on the other person. Although he always looks fairly relaxed and calm, Grady is pretty observant - and most of the time, easy to get movin'. He likes being active, be it making long walks, training his horse or swimming a mile.
Easy-going and stable as he may seem, Grady has plenty of shadowed sides to his personality. He has a temper that, while restrained most of the time, sometimes slips free, and the fact that sudden touch is not a good time - usually, he either freezes or lashes out on instinct before taking a good look who snuck up on him. Some of his nightmares keep him awake big parts of the night, and without his morning coffee Grady tends to be an old grumpy man rather than who most people see during the day. He's tough and resilient, not easy to intimidate or discourage if he sets his mind on something.
It's not something Grady particularly enjoys, but sometimes instinct still rules. He tries not to let it, though. Most of the time it's no problem, though, and he's a smart man, a courageous (or according to his good friends; a brave, fearless and impulsive) side that does what is necessary, can both give and take orders and is quite neat (not that he has much stuff to be messy with). Once he has set his sights on something, he is stubborn enough to see it through. Focus is something that comes easily to him, as is patience.
Though no genius by far, common sense can be just as valuable, and Grady is a man with a keen eye for practical solutions. The more pressure there is on him, the better he seems to think on his feet and act. Granted, he makes his mistakes, but usually he only mulls them over after the situation is solved, trying to solve them before figuring out what went wrong.
Likes>>
+ Privacy
+ The beach
+ Long (trail) rides
+ Triumph
+ Freedom
+ Holidays
+ Night out with friends
+ Confident women
+ Adrenaline
Dislikes>>
- Rudeness
- Babysitting
- Feeling useless
- Slow traffic
- Black-and-white thinking
- Greasy food
- Anchovies
- Being snuck up on
- Being touched
Fears>>
-- Getting badly hurt
-- Accidentally hurting people
-- Some of his nightmares
Hopes>>
++ To one day be known for his skills or achievements (preferably due to his results in competitions or the likes of that)
++ To lose a few of his bad habits
++ To grow old happily and healthily
Secrets>>
-- The stuff he can't talk about
-- The contents of his nightmares
-- How he really, really doesn't like rats
It’s the way I’m feeling I just can’t deny
Appearance>> Grady stands at 6'1" with an athletic, muscular build. His hair is usually pretty short, kept like that both out of habit and for comfort. Most of the time he sports a warm tan, which only accentuates the freckles - most on his shoulders and back rather than his face. Depending on the light, his eyes are either light blue or light green.
He generally dresses in either jeans or cargo pants, with a simply shirt or hanley on top. As long as it's comfortable he's mostly satisfied, not really worrying about a sense of fashion or being stylish. He has an actual nice suit, but he doesn't wear it often - he doesn't often have a reason to.
Markings>> Grady has no piercings or tattoos; his only distinguishing features are freckles mainly on his shoulders and back, as well as a faint scar of a bullet graze on the left side of his neck and two gunshot scars on his left shoulder; one roughly an inch below his collar bone, the other right next to the shoulder joint. Other than that only standard childhood scars from knees skinned once too often and such.
But I’ve gotta let it go
Medical History>> Broken collarbone at age 12, cracked knuckles broken nose and an assortment of bruises in his late teens, shot three times - twice in the left shoulder, one grazing his neck.
Criminal History>> Grady has had a few run-ins with the law, most of them 'small stuff'; vandalism (graffiti, mainly), disorderly conduct and once (when he was drunk), urinating in public.
Full History>> Grady was born as the first child of Brady Thacker and his wife, Louise Thacker née Monroe. His father, being the army himself. had to spend large stretches of time abroad, so after hauling after him wherever she could for four years, Louise decided she and her son (and future child, as she was pregnant again) needed a more permanent place to call home, so they bought a big ol' farm. Grady loved it there; they had two dogs, a bunch of cats and kittens, most of them (half)wild, and some other farm animals - two goats, sheep, two cows, chickens and a mule. It was only after Cody, Grady's six year younger brother was born that Louise returned to the saddle, introducing horses to the boys. So weeks after the sports horse had come to their farm, a Connemara gelding followed for Grady. His mother taught him to ride, and when his father was bck, they used to go for long trails around the farm, either both on a horse, or his father just walking. Those were the days and rides Grady liked most.
As long as his grades remained decent in school, he was allowed to train and play as much as he wanted. When they thought he was old, wise and skilled enough, his mother slowly introduced Grady to competitions at the still tender age of ten. He was moderately successful in his dressage, but seemed to lack the incentive to make it work.
That changed when he was fourteen. Having outgrown the Connemara, a German Riding Pony made its appearance. The mare was a tough cookie, but Grady seemed to relish that. The two made a somewhat violent, but successful match. Grady started show jumping after school, and not long after that, jumping every fence and obstacle he could, also on trail rides. He quickly grew to like eventing competitions, although the trail rides with either his father or the whole family remained the highlight of the week(end) or month.
But while the horse riding went well, at school not so much. His grades deteriorated, as did his behavior. He got into fights, got drunk with friends a few time, and was brought home three times by a police car. His father, by now teaching at a military academy, sent him off to boarding school for the last year, which seemed to indeed straighten him out. When he could, he rode a horse, but it wasn't as often as he liked - while he could ride at school, he had to juggle a newfound girlfriend to keep content and buddies to hang out with.
After high school he went to college to study equine management skills, but dropped after the year was over. It wasn't quite what he liked. Instead, he opted to follow in his father footsteps: he joined the army. After three years he tried out and got selected for the Special Forces. The training was hard, but between his pigheadedness, determination and occasional encouraging words he made it through it.
The next five years were spent traveling the globe and doing (mostly) good work, and R&R at home, which usually meant getting back in the saddle on the now thriving farm his mother still runs. He tended to do whatever was necessary - driving, dressage, show jumping, the occasional cross country training, and his personal favorite, endurance rides. That period ended with what seemed a simple mission, but a (in his opinion) lunatic with a rifle and grudge against soldiers complicated that. With a spray of bullets, to be exact.
Grady was one of three to get injured there. Each of them recovered in time, but between his father's influence and his own reasons (among which a shoulder joint that was none too happy about the way it had been treated) he went for a discharge, settling in back home for a year to fully recover and get the feel for horses back and take his place in competitions again, before he started looking for a new, actual job. That took him another six months, but then he applied for a job as endurance instructor at an equestrian academy, for which he's still almost anxiously awaiting approval (or disapproval).
We found love in a hopeless place
Pet Name>> Tex
Registered Name>> Tessaro
Age>> 9
Species>> Canine
Breed>> Belgian Malinois
Registry>> Belgian Malinois
Personality>> Tex is a dog that prefers some action to take place - preferably not his own. Everything between running along with you, to lounging in the sun and watching you is fine with him. He's a very well-trained dog, although he only accepts one or two people as his boss and ignores/observes the rest. Some old habits die hard, though, such as sniffing luggage or backpacks for drugs or explosives. His preferred pastime still seems to be cuddling with his owner, though, staying close and enjoying the company. Even if around horses or other dogs, Tex tends to stick close to people rather than frolick with his fellow canines.
History>> Tex was bred for the purpose of becoming a MWD, a military working dog, and was raised and trained as such. He went overseas twice with success, and got lightly injured the third time. The vets fixed him, but as the dog now was half blind, a home was needed for him. A letter from his handler to an old mate ensured a good home; one that both Tex and his new owner, Grady Thacker, seemed to agree on. Since then, the dog went everywhere Grady went.
Appearance>>HERE
