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Welcome to the character blog for Beyond the Arc.

How easy it is to sit there and laugh at the whining that comes from the world of professional athletics. Overpaid babies whine about foul calls and how the media just doesn't get it. But what happens behind the scenes? What happens when all you can do is all you know to do? What happens when people who have no choice but to play on the same team end up forming a family?

Luke Gadling; Staring Point Guard for the Salt Lake Raptors. The son of privilege; born to the rock legend Marc Gadling, he spent his life with tutors and private schools, using his uncanny intellect and endless hours on tour buses to hone his academic skills. But there was one thing he always wanted to do more than go to school and by the time he was ten years old, the scouts were starting to take note of his singular passion for a simple game. But all of the gifts Luke was granted couldn't change the fact that he's small for the professional game and that his early entrance to college only hurt his standing with professional coaches because they didn't want to scout a kid so young. All the gifts in the world won't change his temper, his fears, or bring his father back from the dead. (twitter: @doogiegadling)

Kevin Edwards; backup small forward for the Salt Lake Raptors. He never expected to make it this far. He expected to finish his education and go to grad school where he'd get his degree in English and teach, just like his parents hoped. But the call of the professional game was too strong and, taking a risk after winning the NCAA championship, he entered the draft and found himself uprooted from life in Tennessee and living in Salt Lake. Arriving at the same time as Luke Gadling, the two rookies formed a bond that keeps Kevin's head above water as he faces the hardest road he's ever traveled.

Eric Jeffries; starting power forward, Salt Lake Raptors. Eric met Luke for the first time when the puny point guard was assigned to the team the next age group up because his skill set was too much for the junior leagues. The only one on the team to not make fun of Luke for his size and two to five year age gap, Eric and Luke quickly became best friends. But where Luke was the son of wealth, Eric came from the other side of Austin. But the age and class gap only opened their eyes to each other; Luke's fathers became father figures to Eric and when Marc died, the boys mourned together. Attending rival high schools and rival colleges, the young men were drafted at the same time but to rival teams until a trade brought Eric to Salt Lake where he, Luke, and Kevin formed a crucial bond that would eventually define the rest of their adult lives.

Stephen Peterson: Luke Gadling's shooting coach. He never expected to be a father, but once he met Luke, Stephen never looked back. Marc Gadling's partner for the last few years of his life, Stephen found himself supporting Luke through the death of his father but he could not stay to usher him into adulthood. He remains - a father, a shooting coach, a friend, but there is a chasm that cannot be crossed. In the end, he was not there like he could have been and it haunts father and son.

Sasha Martin; Singer/Songwriter. Her world was music and Marc, and eventually, Luke. Rescued from the streets by Marc Gadling, Sasha left behind a world of teenage prostitution and runaway drama to work for Marc's band doing odd jobs that eventually involved babysitting the precocious Luke. As time went on following Marc's death, Luke and Sasha bonded through her haunting melodies that defined a life she hadn't deemed worth living. When Luke is sent to Salt Lake to play, Sasha faces her own tough tests to come to terms with the city she left behind.

RPG: sixwordstories and openveinwriting


Please note: (1) Icons used to represent characters, teams, etc. are exactly that, representations. The actors, musicians, etc. who are represented are not affiliated with this journal, these blogs, or me in any way - save for serving as muses. (2) Bands, actors, musicians, or other public figures mentioned in these blogs are not connected in any way to this journal or the stories I write.

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