#Embrace The Crazy Podcast

[rafedarling]

𝐩𝐨𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐧

pairing: actor!rafe cameron x actress!reader

summary: after a few months of marriage, actors rafe and you decide to give your fans an intimate glimpse into your lives through a podcast. during the episode, you both share details about your relationship, clear up rumors, and reflect on how their lives have changed since getting married. as you and rafe casually chat about your future, subtle hints about starting a family emerge, creating anticipation about an exciting new chapter in your lives. your love, chemistry, and heartfelt moments shine through, making their bond unmistakable.

warning(s): english is not my native language. fluff, sweet moments, hints of pregnancy(?), intimate and emotional conversation.

au: like, reblog, comment and feedback are much appreciated. taglist | tagging: @rubixgsworld @rafeyslamb @bisexualcvnt @tracymbcm @maybankslover @stuffyownswrld @mileyraes @enjoymyloves @akobx @noobmazter69 @xoxohoneymoongirl @wearemadeofstardust0 @saviorcomplexrry @littlelamy

The camera’s red recording light blinked on, signaling the start of something you and Rafe had talked about for weeks. It was your first podcast together—an idea that had sprung up during a quiet evening at home, when both of you had been reflecting on how much your fans adored seeing you two together off-screen. You were both actors, co-stars in several hit films, but it was your real-life relationship that captivated audiences the most. Everyone wanted to know what married life was like for two of Hollywood’s biggest stars.

“Alright, we’re live,” Rafe said, his voice warm and easy as he leaned back in his chair, one arm resting behind you. He always had this effortless charm, and being in front of the camera—whether for work or something personal like this—seemed second nature to him.

You smiled at the camera, tucking a loose strand of hair behind your ear. “Hey, guys! Welcome to the first episode of In the Limelight with me and my amazing husband, Rafe.” You threw him a playful look, and he grinned in return.

“Yep, we’re finally doing this,” Rafe added, his tone light and casual. “We’ve been talking about starting this podcast for a while now, and after a few months of marriage—and a ton of fan questions—we thought, why not let you all in on what’s really going on with us?”

You both exchanged a glance, silently acknowledging the curiosity that had been swirling around your relationship since the moment your engagement was announced, followed by your wedding and now, of course, the inevitable rumors that always followed celebrity couples.

“So,” you began, pulling out your phone where you had saved some of the fan-submitted questions. “Let’s jump right in. First question is a classic: ‘How’s married life treating you two?’”

Rafe chuckled, reaching over to take your hand. “I’ll take this one,” he said, squeezing your fingers gently. “Honestly? It’s been amazing. I mean, I know everyone says the first year is the hardest, but for us, it’s been pretty smooth. I think it helps that we were friends for so long before we got married.”

You nodded, agreeing wholeheartedly. “Yeah, I think the fact that we already knew each other so well made the transition easier. We already knew what it was like to work together, to spend crazy hours on set, and to deal with the ups and downs of Hollywood life. But marriage… it’s brought a whole new level of closeness.”

Rafe smiled at you, that sweet, loving look that always made your heart skip a beat. “It’s the little things, you know?” he continued, his voice softening. “Like coming home after a long day of filming and just… being together. We don’t need to do anything fancy. It’s those quiet moments—cooking dinner, binge-watching movies on the couch—that make everything feel right.”

You laughed softly, resting your head on his shoulder for a moment. “Yeah, we’ve definitely embraced the whole ‘stay-at-home’ vibe. It’s funny because people probably think our lives are all red carpets and glamorous events, but the reality is… we love just being home.”

Rafe kissed the top of your head, his arm wrapping around you a bit tighter. “Exactly. It’s about finding peace in the chaos.”

You looked back at the camera, your smile widening. “So, to answer that question—married life has been pretty perfect so far.”

Rafe leaned in toward the mic, lowering his voice as if sharing a secret with the audience. “Well, except for the fact that Y/N snores.”

Your eyes widened in playful shock as you turned to him, smacking his arm lightly. “I do not snore!”

He laughed, raising his hands in defense. “Okay, maybe not ‘snore,’ but you definitely make these cute little noises when you sleep.”

“Nice save,” you teased, rolling your eyes at him. But there was no denying the warmth that filled you when Rafe brought up these intimate, everyday moments. It reminded you of how special your bond truly was.

The questions kept coming in, most of them light and fun. You and Rafe shared stories about working on set together, how you navigated hectic filming schedules, and how you always made time for each other no matter how busy life got.

But then came the question that made both of you pause, even though you’d expected it.

“Alright, here’s one we’ve seen floating around a lot lately,” you said, glancing at Rafe before reading it aloud. “‘There’s been a lot of talk on social media lately about Y/N being pregnant. Can you guys confirm or deny?’”

Rafe let out a small chuckle, running a hand through his hair. “Ah, the baby question. We knew it was coming.”

You smiled softly, feeling the weight of the question settle between you. It wasn’t a complete surprise—rumors had been swirling for weeks now, especially after a few public appearances where you’d been wearing looser outfits. It seemed like everyone was waiting for the announcement, but you and Rafe hadn’t decided if you were ready to share that part of your lives just yet.

“For now,” you began, choosing your words carefully, “we’re just enjoying being married and taking things one step at a time. But…”

Rafe interjected, his voice gentle but firm. “But, yeah, we’ve definitely talked about the future. And when the time is right, we’ll be more than ready for that next chapter.”

You turned to him, catching the way his eyes softened when he talked about the future. It wasn’t the first time you’d had this conversation—late-night talks in bed, lying side by side, imagining what it would be like to have a family. It was something you both wanted deeply, and while you weren’t officially sharing any news, you both knew it was only a matter of time before that dream became a reality.

The fans were sharp—they’d probably pick up on the subtle hints you were dropping. And honestly, you were okay with that. There was a certain excitement in knowing that your fans were part of this journey with you, even if they didn’t know all the details yet.

Rafe glanced at you, his thumb gently brushing over your knuckles. “We’ve got some pretty big plans for the future,” he said, his voice taking on that playful, teasing tone again. “But we’ll let you guys know when the time comes.”

You laughed softly, leaning against his shoulder with a smile, savoring the moment. The warmth between you two was palpable, even through the screen, and you knew that your fans would feel it, too.

“Yeah,” you added, “we’ll keep you guys posted. But for now, we’re just really happy with where we are.”

Rafe’s hand never left yours, and the way he looked at you, with so much love and tenderness, made your heart flutter. There was no rush—you both knew that when the time was right, everything would fall into place. For now, though, the peace and joy of simply being together were enough.

“And,” Rafe chimed in, a mischievous glint in his eye, “in the meantime, we’ve got plenty of other exciting things going on to keep us busy.”

You gave him a playful nudge. “Oh, you mean like actually doing the dishes? Because that would be pretty exciting.”

Rafe laughed, shaking his head. “Okay, fine, I’ll step up my dishwashing game. But I was talking more about the new projects we’re working on.”

You nodded, turning back to the camera. “Right! So, we do have some big news on the professional front. Rafe just signed on to do this incredible action film, and I’m working on a drama that’s been in the works for a while now.”

Rafe leaned in, clearly proud. “Yeah, Y/N’s got a lead role in a movie that’s going to blow people away. Trust me, I’ve read the script—it’s phenomenal. I’m already jealous of her co-star.”

You laughed at his fake pout, knowing exactly what he meant. “It’s just work, babe,” you teased, raising an eyebrow.

“I know, I know,” he said, his voice softening. “But it’s hard not to be a little protective, you know? I’m lucky enough to have you as my wife, so I can’t help it.”

Your heart swelled at his words, and you couldn’t resist leaning over to kiss his cheek. “You’re the sweetest. But I promise, no one compares to you.”

He smiled, that signature Rafe grin that made your knees weak even after all this time. “I’m holding you to that.”

As the conversation flowed, you both eased into talking about your careers and the delicate balance of being in the same industry while maintaining a strong, healthy relationship.

“Honestly,” Rafe said, his voice thoughtful, “the biggest challenge has been time. We’re both so busy, and sometimes it’s hard to line up our schedules. But we’ve learned to prioritize our time together. Like, when we’re both home, it’s our time. No work, no distractions—just us.”

You nodded in agreement. “Yeah, that’s been the key. It’s easy to get caught up in the whirlwind of our careers, but at the end of the day, we’re each other’s biggest supporters. We make it work because we want to.”

Rafe’s hand slid from yours to rest on your knee, a gesture that felt grounding, reassuring. “And we’ve also learned how to compromise. Sometimes that means I’m on set a little longer, and other times, she’s off filming for weeks at a time. But we always find a way to make it work.”

You smiled, thinking about how true that was. There were days when the distance felt hard—especially during long shoots in different countries—but no matter where you were, you always found time to talk, to check in, and to remind each other of what really mattered.

“That’s another question we got a lot,” you said, glancing at your phone. “How do we handle being apart for so long during filming?”

Rafe leaned forward, his eyes serious but soft. “It’s not easy, but it helps that we trust each other completely. I know that no matter where she is or what she’s doing, we’re solid. And we make the most of the time we do have together.”

“Exactly,” you added. “We also try to visit each other on set whenever possible. Even if it’s just for a weekend, those little moments make a huge difference.”

Rafe’s expression turned playful again. “And FaceTime helps. A lot.”

You laughed, nodding in agreement. “Definitely. Technology is a lifesaver.”

The two of you continued to chat about the nuances of your life together—how you balanced fame with privacy, how you navigated the ups and downs of being in the public eye, and how, at the end of the day, your relationship was built on love, trust, and a shared sense of humor.

“So,” Rafe said, glancing at the clock on the wall, “before we wrap up, we have time for one more question.”

You scanned through the remaining questions, your eyes landing on one that made your heart skip a beat. You could feel the weight of it as you read aloud, “‘What’s next for the Camerons? Any big plans for the future?’”

There was a beat of silence between you, a kind of unspoken understanding that hung in the air. You knew what the fans were really asking. They wanted to know about the next chapter in your lives—the one that, while not confirmed, was slowly taking shape in your hearts and minds.

Rafe looked at you, his gaze soft and filled with something deeper, something that made you feel completely seen. He cleared his throat, his hand still resting on your knee. “Well… without giving too much away… we’ve definitely been thinking about the future. And we’re really excited about what’s coming next.”

You smiled, feeling a warmth spread through you as you nodded. “Yeah, we have some big things planned. But we’re taking our time and making sure that when the moment’s right, we’re ready.”

Rafe’s eyes flickered with a knowing look, one that only you could interpret. “Let’s just say… the next chapter might be a little more family-oriented.”

Your heart fluttered at his words, and you couldn’t help but smile wider. The hints were subtle, but you knew your fans would pick up on them. And maybe that was okay. You and Rafe were on the verge of something new, something exciting. And while you weren’t ready to make any big announcements just yet, the thought of it—of starting a family together—was something that filled you both with a sense of joy and anticipation.

As the podcast came to a close, you both thanked your fans for tuning in and promised there would be more episodes to come. Rafe leaned over to turn off the camera, and when the red light finally dimmed, he looked at you with that same loving expression he always had.

“You ready for that next chapter?” he asked, his voice soft, but full of warmth.

You smiled, leaning into him, feeling completely at peace. “With you? Always.”

Rafe kissed your forehead, his arms wrapping around you as you sat there in the quiet of your home studio. The future was bright, and whatever came next, you knew you’d face it together—hand in hand, just like always.

[allaboutthemoonlight]

How to Maximize Your Productivity Living with Limited Time

Hello, friends! Today's post is a little longer, but it's something I felt I needed to share.

We all have different commitments—school, work, hobbies, etc.—and in today's fast-paced world, our schedules are overflowing, leaving little room for us to breathe. It's easy to feel overwhelmed and struggle with the constant juggle of work and obligations, leaving many of us feeling perpetually busy and struggling to find balance in our lives.

So, this week, I wanted to talk about time management and productivity, specifically task management systems that will help you efficiently plan out your life and find time for absolutely everything.

Over the last two months, I've experimented with a plethora of different productivity and task management systems and want to share five strategies that will help you maximize your productivity and have time for all the things you love.

Embrace slow productivity

This is probably my favorite tip I’ve ever encountered and felt compelled to share.

After listing to a podcast hosted by Jordan Harbinger and Cal Newport where they talked about shifting mindsets concerning the work we’re doing, my outlook on productivity has changed.

Slow productivity is founded on the idea of “resourcing your work so it garners a sense of fulfillment rather than leaving you feeling overwhelmed”. To really embrace slow productivity is means not over-loading your plate

That can be difficult because we’ve been conditioned to believe that beibusy and doing more is a sign of progress; however, it’s important to understand that doing less things =/ accomplishing less goals. In fact doing fewer things often makes our work more sustainable, allowing us to work at a natural pace and pay more attention to quality instead of quantity.

This is probably my favorite tip I've ever encountered and felt compelled to share. After listening to a podcast hosted by Jordan Harbinger and Cal Newport where they talked about shifting mindsets concerning the work we're doing, my outlook on productivity has changed.

Slow productivity is founded on the idea of "resourcing your work so it garners a sense of fulfillment rather than leaving you feeling overwhelmed." To really embrace slow productivity means not overloading your plate.

That can be difficult because we've been conditioned to believe that being busy and doing more is a sign of progress. However, it's important to understand that doing fewer things does not equal accomplishing fewer goals. In fact, doing fewer things often makes our work more sustainable, allowing us to work at a natural pace and pay more attention to quality instead of quantity.

Here are some steps to help you embrace slow productivity:

Prioritization: Identify the most important tasks or goals and focus on them first. Emphasize quality over quantity and aim to produce meaningful results rather than simply checking items off a list.

Break Tasks into Smaller Steps: Break down larger tasks into smaller, more manageable steps. Personally, this has helped make tasks feel less overwhelming and helped me maintain focus and momentum.

Set Realistic Expectations: Setting realistic expectations is crucial. Understand the time you have and what you can accomplish within it to avoid overcommitting, particularly to tasks that don't align with your priorities.

Finding a planning system that work for you

Effectively managing your time requires a solid organizational framework. The planning system you choose plays a crucial role in maximizing your productivity. This means finding the right digital or tactile analog tool that works for you.

Digital Tools: There is a crazy amount of digital planning tools available that comprise different features such as to-do lists, task and project managers, and progress trackers. I’m slightly biased here, but apps like Notion, TickTick, obsidian, Trello, or Asana are good for organizing tasks, setting deadlines, and tracking progress on a project. Additionally, using a calendar app such as Google Calendar, outlook or, Fantastical can you schedule your time effectively and avoid overcommitting.

Pen and Paper: If you’re someone who prefers the simplicity and tactile experience of traditional pen and paper planners, processes such as bullet journaling or simply using a journal to keep note of all your commitments offers a flexible system for organizing tasks, events, and notes in a customizable format. One perk about using pen and paper is that it offers a level of permanence that can’t be found in digital tools. Once you write something down (depending on the tool you write with) it’s permanent.

Hybrid Approach: You can also combine both of these methods to create an experience that works for you. For example, you can use a digital calendar while also keeping a bullet journal as a task manger or place to reflect.

Personally, I find that the hybrid approach works best for me.

Time blocking

Time blocking works because it provides a structured approach to managing your time effectively.

Time blocking is the process of dividing your day into blocks of time dedicated to specific tasks or activities—allowing you to minimize distractions and maintain focus on the task at hand.

Here’s what I’ve found to be the best way to implement time blocking:

Identify Priorities: Start by identifying your most important tasks and goals for the day or week. These are the activities that align with your overall objectives, values, and contribute to meaningful progress.

Choose Time Slots: Next, choose specific time slots in your schedule for each task or activity. It’s crucial to be realistic about the amount of time needed for each task, and consider factors such as your peak productivity hours and natural energy levels.

Time blocking may seem antithetical to flexibility. However, regular review and adjustment is a good way to make modifications in response to changing priorities or interruptions.

<3 Luna

[gauloiseblue]

Ruined Date

He should've turned on the TV this morning.

He never knew he'd ever need any information from the weather podcast.

If he had listened to the podcast, maybe you and him wouldn't be here—in the bus station—needing to take shelter from the raging storm. He scolded himself for letting you get drenched and shivering because of the strong wind. The rain itself wasn't any less cruel to both of you. The harmless drops of rain have changed its form into bullets of water against his skin, thanks to the help of the strong wind.

The date he had planned consisted of him taking you to a nice dinner, then he'll take you to a stargazing spot up above the city. There's a small spot on the cliff near this city that could offer the city view, the faraway ocean, and the starry night all in one spot. He had thought this'd be the perfect date until the first drop of rain fell on the nape of his neck when you and him were halfway through the path to the cliff.

The bus will arrive in 12 minutes, and the storm hasn't shown any sign of stopping. He had you curled in his arm, seeking warmth from his body. Even with the infamous Jotaro's coat and his strong arms wrapped on your body, you can't help but feel colder as the rain begins to soak through the fabric of his coat to your outfit.

Now you understand why everyone said the weather in Japan is really unpredictable.

The stars were visible when the two of you two finished the dinner. But when you and him arrived at the entrance of the stargazing spot, the sky had been covered by dark clouds. You had a bad feeling about it, yet you shook it off and thought maybe the clouds were only passing by. You were wrong.

The sounds of rain hitting the asphalt fill the void of the absence of Jotaro's voice. You knew he's blaming himself right now but you too took part in this--you did receive a warning from yourself, but you chose to ignore it.

You loosen up his embrace and reaching out to touch the side of his face, your voice is barely heard, but you know he had heard you,

"I'm fine.. Don't worry about me." He answers with a heavy sigh,

"It's not your fault, y'know." You stroke his cheekbone, assuring him, "we can't control the weather."

"But I could've known better to not take you to somewhere far from the city."

You snorted, cracking a small smile on your lips. To be honest, when he murmurs to you about the place he'd take you after dinner, you can't help but feel your heart swell with affection. He, Jotaro Kujo, has planned and is willing to take you to somewhere romantic had you thrown away your cautiousness. You didn't even worry about how your feet would be sore after the walk to the cliff, the mosquito bites, hell, you didn't even think about the danger of walking in the forest at night at all.

He noticed you tighten your hug around his bulky chest, repressing a giggle that bubbles in your throat.

"What's so funny?"

"No, it's just.." You suppress your incoming laughter, "I had imagined us in every possible cheesy scenario in my head, especially when we're dancing in the rain."

But not now, not when you and him are in the middle of a storm, with icy cold drops of rain constantly touching your skin.

You were too occupied with your thoughts and swelled heart that you didn't realize Jotaro had closed the distance between you and him, he tilted your head up until your lips and his are touching—

There's a sudden blinding light coming from the road, the roaring engine startled you as your eyes winced for a better vision to see what's behind those lights.

"Ah, the bus is finally here." Jotaro informed you before pulling you towards the bus. The tall vehicle is slowing down, slowly approaching both of you. The automatic door is sliding open, welcoming both of you to come aboard. You both gladly accept the welcome and hop into the bus.

"Welcome, passengers! Crazy weather eh?" The driver of the bus greeted me.

"Yes, it was rather.. Unexpected." You replied, Jotaro agreed by tugging down his completely soaked hat.

"Glad I came to rescue." He laughs a bit, closing the automatic door and starts to drive away from the deserted bus station.

There's no one inside the bus except you, him, and the driver—unsurprisingly, since no one wants to go out in the middle of the storm.

You took a seat near the window as you freed yourself from his drenched coat, trying to warm yourself by rubbing both of your palms together. You could feel a warmth building up on your palms.

"Need help?" Jotaro asked

"Oh, no, no. I can do it myself."

"Yare yare, gimme your hands."

"But-"

Before you could reply to him, he already pulled both of your hands and gently placed them onto his palms. You felt a pair of invisible hands landing on your freezing palms, radiating a heat which instantly melts away the cold feeling on your fingertips.

You let out a content sigh, both of Jotaro's and Star Platinum's hands have washed away all the cold from the rain off your hands. Even though you can't see the invisible stand he had told you about, you can feel Star's hands rub on your palms, up to your wrists, until they disappear and move to cup your face, your cheek instantly lit up as you feel a pair of invisible lips had landed on yours.

"Feeling better?"

He commands Star to retreat after giving you a chaste kiss and focuses on you fully by caressing the high point of your cheeks, gently wipes away the remaining drops of rain on your face.

"Yes, better."

The smile on your lips is so wide that you thought your face would split into two. To have Jotaro showing the gentle side of him is truly a rare moment for you to experience, and you always want to cherish this moment. He had told you to be patient with him in a relationship.

So you did.

And you're grateful you did.

You leaned your head onto his broad shoulder happily. He had wrapped his hand carefully around your shoulders and provided a comfortable cushion for you to rest upon.

The comfort he gives distracts you from a light dust of red on his cheek. He pulled down his hat and muttered out his signature catchphrase.

Kujo's residence is about 20 minutes away from your current place, but you didn't mind spending the rest of the time in comfortable silence as weariness began to seep into your body. You rested your eyes close and let your other senses take over the available slot left by your sight. The sound of the rain against the window of the bus constantly fills your sense of hearing, every turn and stop the bus makes barely noticeable to you, but you are aware of some arrival and departure from the bus passengers during the trip.

You felt yourself dozing off for a moment before a soft nudge on your shoulder slowly lifted the fog of your unconsciousness away. You groggily return to your sense of sight and look around just to find the bus is stopping at your destination, luckily the storm has subdued into drizzle. You groan softly, your mind instantly prioritizes you to get a nice, hot shower after you arrive at Jotaro's house. The unpleasant feeling of the wet clothes that stick onto your skin is uncomfortable whenever you move around. Not mentioning his damp coat on your shoulders. Jotaro noticed your discomfort, thus he took your hand and guided you out from the bus after paying the transportation fee. You politely bid the driver a good night and receive a smile in return.

"Be safe on your way home!"

"Thank you sir." You waved him goodbye.

His smiles widened as he waved to the both of you before closing the automatic door. The big vehicle is driven away, leaving the two of you alone in the bus station.

Jotaro placed his hand on your cheek to draw your attention, and you turned your face to him. The corner of his lips curled in amusement.

"You're so friendly to everyone, were you forgetting about me?"

"Um, no i didn't—" You blushed at his words, you just realize you've been watching the bus as it went further away from the bus station you're currently in.

Chuckle erupted from his throat, he once again took your hand and dragged you out from the shelter.

"Come on, we should get home."

You nod to him, you begin to match his wide steps but it's a struggle to keep your pace equal to his.

An unspoken compassion from him starts to become noticeable as his steps are slowing down. You felt you were instantly taken back to the very first time he held your hand back in your adolescence. The butterfly wings flutter on the inside of your stomach as you're overwhelmed by his form of affection, not that you complained.

The small gesture he had tried to show you held a lot of meanings. Jotaro Kujo wasn't a man of affection, but alas you were quite the opposite. At first, he's very hesitant about being in a relationship, afraid that he'd somehow accidentally hurt you. It took a lot of convincing and encouragement for him to gradually learn how to show his emotions up until the point he even lets you see him when he's emotionally vulnerable. You were glad you're able to receive his love at his own pace.

—

The street grew quieter as both of you walked into the passageway where his home is located. The rain stopped about a minute ago, but the sky hasn't cleared out from Cumulonimbus clouds.

"We're here." He stated.

You looked up, realizing you've been distracted by your thoughts till the Gate of Kujo's residence went unnoticed by you until now.

"Oh, yeah, great." You awkwardly replied, he must've noticed you've been dazed out the whole time.

The sound of metal groans from the gate's hinge was produced when he pushed the gate open. He steps aside, gesturing to you to enter his home first. You gladly step inside.

His house never ceased to amaze you. The traditional Japanese garden, with stone pathways that lead you to the wooden-old style house, looks exquisite.

Jotaro walked in right after you, he locked his gate before approaching the small box of switches. The flick of switch immediately turned on the tōrō that embellished alongside the pathway. Illuminating the path to his house.

You watched them in awe as the second flick of switch made the lamps under the canopy above you light up dimly.

"How long are you gonna stand there?" He called you out, instantly snapped you out from your thoughts. 

Damn, even if this was the hundredth time of you visiting his house, you're still nervous about going in. Not because of the intimidating presence of a huge house, but rather about what'd happen afterwards when the two of you are alone inside his room.

"Coming!" You jog towards him, he snorts at your clumsy steps.

The slide door squeaked against the strong push of his hand, the dim hallways greets you and him as both of you went inside. He sat on the small stair at the entrance of the house to free his soaked feet from the wet shoes. You imitate him as you pull your feet out from your flat shoes, cringed at the squishy sounds made by the foam parts of your shoes.

"Jojo, would you mind if I take a bath first?" You asked, insecure about the possible odor being produced by your feet if you don't wash it immediately.

"Sure, I'll lend you my clothes."

Wait.. Your brain is still processing his offer.

Your cheek bursts into a dark shade of red when realization hits you. You will be wearing his clothes as a change, but there's no possibility that he owned a pair of bras.

And women's underwear.

"Uh, i just— i just remember—" You stuttered, unable to assemble the question you wanted to ask, "do you— by any chance could lend me, you know,"

"Lend what?"

"Uh, that thing." His brows furrowed deeper as the thing you asked from him isn't clear enough. You groaned, he didn't get the message,

"... A spare underwear." The last part of your word came out as a whisper.

"Oh."

His response was so flat, you cursed your awkwardness that makes a fool out of you by exaggerating the matter.

But your request did make a part of him twitch, but it wasn't anywhere on his hand.

"Right," He pulled down his hat to conceal half of his face, "it's not a woman's underwear, but I do have spares, if you like."

"Thank you." You shut the conversation off.

Awkward silence follows afterward.

Jotaro began to walk inside his house without words. Soft thud of footsteps have joined the sound of the night. A loud croak of a frog and buzzing sounds from moth wings filled the night as both of you walked through the veranda of his house.

Just like a navigator implanted in his head, he walks around his house on autopilot. The both of you passed the empty living room, the kitchen, the tea room, until he stopped in front of a room you're familiar with.

The shōji slides open, revealing Jotaro's spacious room inside. The tatami feels nice under your feet when you step inside. You follow your feet as they carry you to the electrical switch of this room's lamp. The warm light is flooding the room instantly.

Jotaro closed the shōji with a loud slam. Surprisingly, you're used to how unaware he'd handle things around him at full strength. Sometimes you think he can't control the extra power he got from Star Platinum yet, but you know he won't admit it.

He disappeared to the cubicle of his wardrobe and came back with a pile of fresh clothes as he offered them to you.

"Here, take it."

"Thank you." You extended your hands to grab the clothes from him.

"Go on and take a shower." He reached for his hat, taking it off and tossing it to the nearest table. "I'll be in the kitchen. Tea?"

"Yes please." You lit up at his offer. A hot beverage after a nice shower sounds very pleasant.

"Alright."

You stand still as you watch the shōji slide open and closed once again. The silhouette of him appears on the semi translucent glass, until it disappears around the corner.

You quickly took a step towards the bathroom.

The fluorescent light filled the room as you turned the switch on. The bright white porcelains dominated your vision. You quickly stored your changes in the usual place and discarded your wet clothes from your body. Your skin felt moist after your body naturally let any liquid seep through the barrier of your skin. You frowned at the sight of your wrinkled fingertips and your reflection in the mirror. Your hair is matted because of the drying rainwater. It's gonna take a long time to smoothen your tousled hair.

You step into the shower room, closing the glass door behind and turn on the warm shower. It didn't take a long time before the cold water turned into warm water on your hand, the steam from the water instantly relaxed your muscles as you stood closer to the pouring water and let them wash away the remaining coldness of the rain. You sigh contently  when the temperature of the room has risen up to the point where it feels like you just curled up inside a blanket in the middle of cold night. When the cold is gone, you begin to scrub away the impurity off your skin with soap.

Great, now I'll smell exactly like Jotaro, you thought to yourself as you poured an appropriate amount of shampoo onto your head, the smell of him quickly invaded your nostrils as soon as you rub the shampoo on your hair. Bubbles quickly form on your head as you gently massage your scalp. His shampoo does feel a little too drying for your hair, but it's better than just washing your hair with only water.

The faint sound of the bedroom's door slid open indicating that he's back. You quickly wash up yourself before turning off the faucet, not wanting to keep him waiting for his turn. You step out from the foggy shower cubicle and pull the towel from the hanger. The towel is now wrapped around your body after you use it to wipe yourself dry. The temperature outside the shower room does feel a little colder.

This would be the first time you fully dressed in his clothes.

You take a look at yourself in the mirror again, tidying your hair a bit before fetching the pile of clothes inside the hanging cabinet on the wall.

The grey underwear he gave you is bigger than your size, not to mention the unusual bagginess around the crotch. You blushed at the thought of something usually nestled inside this brief. It did feel uncomfortable, but other than that, the shirt and his shorts felt comfortable on your skin. The smell of wooden wardrobe clinged on the shirt he had given you, a hint of his cologne bursts out everytime the fabric brushes on your skin. Oh, you definitely smell like Jotaro right now.

Your nipples are visible under the clothes, you cringed when you feel them peaked because of the coldness of the room. You shook your head as you draped your towel on your shoulders, covering the visible part of your nipples.

You unlocked the bathroom door, walked out with the dirty clothes in your hand.

"Jotaro, it's your turn." You call him out.

Your eyes instantly spotted him on the small spot in the center of the room. He had placed a portable short-legged table in front of him with two cups of tea settled on the table. The rain did a favor to you, the rainwater that wet his clothes made his shirt clings onto the skin underneath. Which exhibit the outline of his forearms and torso.

He took a sip of his tea before setting it down on the table. He gets up and grabs a new towel before entering the bathroom and closing the door behind.

You gently knock on them, "Jojo, could you hand me your dirty clothes? I'll wash them."

He grunts as an answer, the sound of rustling shirt and rattling belt clasps follow afterwards.

The door is opened for the second time, this time with a hand sticking out with a bundle of clothes in the grip.

"Here." He handed you his laundry. You let him place them down on top of your hand,

"You're welcome." You giggled as you took it and headed out to the laundering room, feeling a blush creep on your cheek.

The washing machine that belongs in this household is quite similar to yours. The only difference is it's a lot bigger and elegant compared to what you have in your house. You separate the whites and begin to do the chores.

On your way back to his room after finished laundering the dirty clothes was awfully quiet. You looked up to the sky from the veranda and spotted a dim moonlight behind the clouds. The storm has passed, leaving the sky overcast with just a thin layer of clouds.

You slide the room's door open, surprised when you see him currently sitting beside the table with a small towel resting on his head. He already changed into comfortable pants and only pants. Exhibiting his ungodly muscles of his torso and after-shower skin that looks soft if you touch them. 

You shook your urge to run your fingers onto his moist skin off as you tried to distract yourself from the view in front of you. The fact that he took a bath in less than 5 minutes is questionable. Did he mistake rinsing his body as taking a bath?

"Um, you're done already?"

He looked up from the magazine in his hand as if it's not obvious enough.

".. Let me dry your hair then."

You waited for him to reply, but he often gave you silent answers. You closed the door behind you and fetched the hairdryer inside the bottom of the desk drawer.

The sound of a buzzing hair dryer fills the room as you're working on his hair. You kneeled to have a better view to his head, gently run your fingers into his hair while drying his hair delicately.

He relaxed at your touch and leans closer to you, closing his eyes. His hair quickly dried out with the help of an expensive hair dryer his mom gave him, sadly it has never been in use except when you're around. You pull him towards you as you wrap your hands around his neck, placing a kiss on his forehead.

He chuckled, "What's up with the kiss?"

"Nothing, I just want to do it." You place another kiss on his cheek.

"You could just tell me if you want more." He twisted his body to face you and reached out to cup your face, pulling you towards him. Both of your lips almost come in contact.

You blushed furiously as his forearm brushed on your clothed breast.

It's not like Jotaro had never seen or touched you bare body, but the awareness from not wearing a bra when you both weren't in some sexual activity feels so wrong, it's like you were committing a crime though it's actually not a big deal. 

"You do realize your face is turning red, do you?" He finally closed the distance between your lips with a kiss. He turned his body fully facing yours. Your knees weaken and you fall onto your back with him on top of you as the result of intense kisses he poured onto your lips.

You deepen the kiss to suppress the noises caused by his wandering hands roaming on your skin. He slowly descends his body on top of yours, making you gasped for air between the kisses. 

The shorts you wore easily slide off from your legs, leaving the bottom part of your body covered only with baggy underwear. His hands quickly found the hem of the brief before he finally removed the last fabric on your leg, the chilling air instantly licked your hot core. He pulled away from the kiss and smirked as he saw a darker spot on the grey underwear you wore.

"You're staining my brief,"

"Oh my god, I'm sorry." You replied as you covered your face, feeling the embarrassment skyrocketed in your head as he pulled them off you completely. It didn't take a second before the brief was thrown somewhere on the floor.

"Not that I mind." You let out a low moan when he shifted and kissed the back of your ear. It's not only embarrassment that has peaked so high inside you, it also drags your sensitivity up beyond the ceiling. As the result, you wetted yourself more.

His hand found the hem of your shirt, he pulled the shirt over your head along with your drenched hair towel and tossed them somewhere in the room.

You instantly hug yourself in an attempt to cover your bare chest. It didn't take a second before he yanked both of your hands off your chest, keeping your breast open for his eyes to feast.

The tent on his pants grew abnormally bigger as you wriggle under him. You weren't ready, at least for now. He always took time to prepare himself and he'd never been this bold before. This is beyond confidence. Did something aroused him? What was the cause? Or did something triggered him until he's—

Oh

His scalp. You had accidentally teased him by running your fingers into his hair, where his erogenous zone is hidden under his thick mane.

Of course it's more than that. He had planned this since Ms. Holly is currently in America with her husband, he would never pass the chance to spend time with you alone. The evidence is showing through the absence of the underwear he should've been wearing. Besides, the outline of his cock inside his pants looks way too obvious.

A spark of courage started a fire inside you. He had missed you, and you were just the same. You ignore the fluttering wings of butterflies inside your stomach as you move your hands in the second after he lets go of them and runs your fingers into his hair, digs your nail down onto his scalp. He groans at the sudden stimulation he receives. 

From many experiences, you both already know each other's erogenous zone. The second-most sensitive part of his body—the first one was his cock, obviously—is his scalp.

"Jotaro," You pull his head down until your lips meet again, you wrap your legs around his waist and start grinding on his hard bulge. 

You were right, there's no underwear beneath those shorts.

You silently thanked his decision. The cotton fabric of his shorts against your arousal almost feel zero in layers and it pleasures you but leaves you impatient at the same time. You moaned as you feel the outline of his cock better when you grind harder.

"Now you're staining my shorts." He hisses between his heavy breath,

"Take them off then..!" You gasped in protest

"Yare yare, use your own hand, woman." He grunted as he rose up and let you do the job. You quickly got to work on pulling the elastic band of the short down to free his swollen member from the tight shorts, even though the view of his fully erected cock is tempting to be left untouched. You are forced to drag your eyes to meet him, silently asking for permission to satisfy him with your mouth. He shook his head. Today, he's skipping it. 

The sight of him kicking off his shorts is truly arousing. He's impatient, and so were you. You're familiar with this calm before storm period, where the tension in the atmosphere is so thick as if you're trapped inside a hardened gelatine.

Heavy breaths fill the lack of conversation between you and him as both of you share the same stare with the same intensity. You were filled with anticipation, hoping he'd ravish you and suffocate you as he pours his passion into you.

But of course, Jotaro won't let you get what you want—yet. He lowers his body for a bit before starting teasing your fold by dragging his hard tip up and down. You moaned as it stimulated you, but it wasn't enough.

"Jotaro!" You begged, "Don't tease me!"

"Impatient, aren't you?" He whispered beside your ear, positioning himself as he adjusted your legs around his waist. You pant heavily as you felt the long waited tip finally touched the entrance of your arousal.

You inhale harshly as his tip penetrated your core and slowly slid in easily into your lubricated wall.

"Fuck.. You were already this aroused." He curses as your wall massages the head of his cock. Sending him a sweet spark of pleasure.

It's barely in and he already made you into a moaning mess. His head had ducked down as his plump lips tugged your nipple lightly, and later he'd soothe your aching tip with his tongue. Both of his hands soon join the fun, they cup both of your mound and squeeze them gently. He likes to feel the softness of your breasts under his rough palms.

You moan when you feel his member is slowly sinking further and rubbing itself around the right spot on your wall. He lets out a quivered breath as he stops for a second to pull himself backward and shoves them inside. Your back begins to arch in pleasure as he repeats the process, in, out, in, then out again. Your wall was slowly adjusted to his size and you were starting to feel good.

"Jotaro, faster—!" You urged him, clinging into the new formed pleasure that slowly built inside your core.

Jotaro peels his hand away from your chest and goes to the south. Your eyes instantly open when you feel his fingers slip into your labia and slowly circulate around your sensitive bud. You opened your mouth to protest but he shut it by shoving his tongue in the second after you opened your mouth—which only resulted in you drowning deeper into pleasure.

This is unfair, you want to make him feel good as much as you did too.

You cupped his face as you gladly welcomed his thick, wet muscle into your mouth while he pumped himself into you.

"Let me please you, (Y/N)." He heaved softly between the kiss, "You've done so much for my pleasure."

Behind your blurry vision, you could see his determined stares. His brows were knitted together as he solely focuses himself on you.

Hot breath blew against the curve of your neck. He's sucking on a certain spot on your neck, adding a new pleasure you already had to bear from the constant stimulation in your lower region.

In that very moment, your senses are heightened by twofold. You could hear his harsh breathing, the wet sound of skin against skin, your own heartbeats, but you couldn't hear the sound that has escaped your mouth as clear as the other sound. The wave of pleasures keeps coming, sweeping you away from the shore and drowning you until you're unable to take control over your body.

Your clit has begun to numb from the constant rub his fingers are giving. The numbing sensation crawls its way to your legs, until it reaches your toes. You're clinging into his arms, completely at his mercy.

"Fuck, (Y/N)." He curses as he draws a shaky breath, he's undeniably starting to succumb into his own need for release. Wildly thrust himself into you.

"I— I'm close—" You gasped. Unable to form any decent word longer than that.

His only response was sweet nothings like 'you're doing good', 'cum for me', which comes out as a whisper. If your senses weren't heightened, you might be unable to catch them. With the remaining logical sense in your brain, you're aware Jotaro wasn't entirely conscious when he said those things.

You were so close to your release, it was so close but you still couldn't reach it. You bucked your hip faster to be in the same rhythm with his. Both of your body are covered in sweat, you could see the sweat has made a few strands of his hair stick onto his forehead, forming a few fat buds of sweat before they're rolling down on his face.

It only took one tilt of your body to make him graze into the right spot that instantly blacked out your eyes as you see nothing but stars. Within a few thrust, your body goes into convulsions as intense pleasure washes over you, triggering your brain to release large amounts of dopamine. You cried out his name as you finally reached the sweet orgasm he had intended to give you. Now it was his turn.

He increases his pace and fills the room with the loud sound of skin slapping besides your heavy breath and his small, almost unnoticeable moans. He's frustrated. He's already close halfway through the intercourse, but he's holding it back so you could reach it before him. With a desperate grunt but freed from duty to make you feel good, he lets his body guide him toward his own desire. He wants to buck his hip harder, it was there, so close to him to reach. With the help of your cum, he just had to thrust into you faster, and faster and—

His body spasms as he finally meets the orgasm he had been chasing. He arches his back as he feels his cock spill his hot cums into you.

He instantly feels light headed and collapses on top of you. You tighten your hug around his neck, kissing his cheek sweetly. You both stayed in that position for a while, enjoying the afterglow in each other's embrace.

You could feel the thick liquid of his release seeping into your core deeper, but he's spilling the rest out when he moves to remove his member from you. 

A satisfied sigh leaves your lips, feeling the familiar sense of sleepiness begin to sink into your sore body. 

"Don't sleep yet." He said as he stroked your cheek.

You smile. "I know", you softly replied. Sleeping on the floor without a futon will make your back stiff in the morning, he usually said. 

He smiles back at you—so gentle that it would make you squeal if sleep wasn't your main priority right now.

He got up before gathering the scattered clothes on the floor and left you to bring back his folded futon. 

He unfurled the futon beside you and told you to move onto the simple bedding—which took every energy you had left to drag your body to climb upon the fresh spread futon.

He cleans himself with tissues before putting his brief back on. You watched him change comfortably with your heavy lidded eyes.

Your eyes were finally closing. You almost fell into deep slumber if it's not because there's a sudden cold touch on your skin. You open your eyes before realizing you had fallen asleep for quite a while. You didn't remember Jotaro had left your side and came back with a cardigan and wet towel in his hand.

"Jotaro.." You call him quietly,

"Shh, (Y/N). You can go back to sleep." Jotaro hushes you as he cleans the stain on your inner thighs. He's really pampering you today.

"Come here, I want to cuddle you." You murmur, barely conscious as you pat the empty space besides you.

He chuckled softly before he kissed your forehead and joined you on the futon. You curled your body against him as he wraps you with a cardigan and pulls the thick blanket over your body and his. You then found yourself inside his arms before you slipped into unconsciousness, feeling a sense of protection as his steady breath lulls you back into slumber.

It wasn't a ruined date after all.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Markos Moulitsas (kos) at Daily Kos:

In the wake of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s exit from his failed independent bid for president, Republicans were giddy at his endorsement, and that (re)endorsement of former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard a few days later. In their minds, it was but the beginning of a flood of Democratic defections to Donald Trump. That never happened. But Republicans sure are defecting to the Democratic ticket!  It’s hard to understate just how excited conservatives were. 

"We now have a trio of Power Rangers who can swoop right into the middle of the rival party and convince traditional Democrats that it's OK to leave a party that left them,” a senior Trump adviser told conservative outlet Just the News, founded by former Washington Examiner editor John Solomon, back on Aug. 24. The quote was so ridiculous, that this “senior Trump adviser” was too embarrassed to put his name on it. The third “Power Ranger” is Elon Musk, who is an independent.  "I think that the Trump people should package Tulsi Gabbard and Robert F Kennedy Jr, together, and they would—as joint former Democrat witnesses about the corruption of the system—be devastating,” said former House Speaker Newt Gingrich on the “John Solomon Reports” podcast, apparently with a straight face. 

“[I]t shows you that today's Democratic Party is leaving these people behind. Today's Democratic Party is so radical, so dangerous, so progressive, that there are millions of Democrats who are leaving that party every day," said Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley to Just the News. "We're seeing thousands of them that are coming our way.”  Yeah, no they’re not. In fact, their endorsements only serve to remind voters of how weird and creepy Republicans are.  Kennedy was funded by right-wing donors in order to take votes from the Democratic ticket, and was so batshit crazy that he repelled weirded-out Democrats and ended up taking votes from the Republican ticket. He would’ve stayed in if any Democrats were actually interested in what he was selling. 

[...] Musk, long lost to the fever swamps of the right, isn’t attracting any Democrats anytime soon. On Sunday, Musk tweeted “interesting observation” at an incel posting that women and “low T men” shouldn’t be allowed to vote. “Only high T alpha males and aneurotypical people (hey autists!) are actually free to parse new information with an objective ‘is this true?’ filter,” the weirdo wrote. “This is why a Republic of high status males is best for decision making. Democratic, but a democracy only for those who are free to think.”  Not really the sort of thing any campaign should be associating with, even if this is the sort of material Sen. JD Vance might embrace. Gabbard hasn’t damaged Trump by association this past week simply because she hasn’t said anything publicly. She’s supposedly helping Trump with debate prep, playing the role of Vice President Kamala Harris. But nothing in her history suggests she’ll attract traditional Democrats. She lost the plot a long time ago. 

Kamala Harris has oodles of GOP endorsements, such as Adam Kinzinger. Donald Trump, on the other hand, has very few Democrats endorsing him.

[bad268]

JM CORREA AND HOW NICELY THIS MAN IS BUILT

I CANNOT

FLUFF W HIM AND MAYBE STUDENT READER ON A RACE WEEKEND IN THE PADDOCK!!!

Racing Hearts and Scholarly Pursuits (Juan Manuel Correa X Reader)

Fandom: RPF/Formula 2/3

Requested: Clearly (ILY AND I TRIED JMC I REALLY DID I WATCHED SO MANY PODCASTS AND SHIT SO I HOPE ITS NOT SHIT <3)

Warnings: Mentions of Spa 2019 crash/recovery, mentions of Ariel Castro and his crimes (Kidnapping, homicide, rape, child endangerment, disregard for human life, etc.) (I’m a criminal justice major so I did this essay based on an actual essay I did)

Pronouns: I/me

W.C. 1749

Summary: Master's student Y/n visits JM at one of the most important races of the year: Spa.

As always, my requests are OPEN

MASTERLIST // HITLIST

~~(^Google/F2 2023 announcement)

Schooling has always been a main concern for me, and I made that clear in any relationship I was in. My friends knew that when I had assignments due, there was no going out, and I would be almost entirely focused on my work. When I met JM and eventually got into a relationship with him, I told him the same thing, and he was very supportive of it. He also made it clear that he would be traveling a lot because he was back on the Formula 2 grid, and I fully supported him. 

Recently, my summer classes have been busy, but I knew I wanted to support JM in Belgium. I met him while he was in recovery in Miami, and he told me about his crash at Spa. It was still a difficult place to be, so I knew that I wanted to be there, regardless of my schooling.

Being on the F2 paddock was a shock. I hadn’t been there before, or to a race in general, but the people there were crazy. There were photographers, journalists, celebrities, and fans everywhere, and they were all pushing for any attention they could get. As soon as I got through the gate, they were at my throat, trying to ask questions about who I was, get pictures of me, and overall just pushing to get a reaction out of me. 

I ducked into the first building I could find, and thankfully, it was the Van Amersfoort motorhome. I walked into the first room that was open, which happened to be someone’s driver’s room, so I could call JM. After a couple of rings, he picks up.

“Hey, are you at the gates?” He greets.

“Nope,’ I laugh, “I somehow made it to Van Amersfoort while running from the press. I’m in someone’s driver’s room, I think.”

“How far did you walk in the building before going into the room?” He asked, already heading out of the meeting room he was sitting in.

“I went straight and the door was open,” I explained, looking around the small room before laughing, “I actually like this room. This would be a good place to work on my essay.”

“Well, if you’re in the room I think you’re in, you can stay in there all you want,” he chuckled as he abruptly hung up the phone. Before I could complain or send him a not-so-kindly-worded message, he walked through the door. He immediately wrapped his arms around my shoulders as he pulled me into a tight embrace. “Ironically, you found my driver’s room.”

“No wonder I felt so comfortable in here,” I laughed as I wrapped my arms around his torso and leaned back just enough to place a small kiss on his jaw. “I missed you. How are you feeling today?”

“Overwhelmed,” he sighed, moving us over to sit on the couch. I moved to sit next to him, but he immediately pulled me into his lap. He dropped his arms to be around my waist as mine moved up to play with his hair, and he laid his head on my shoulder before continuing. “Everything is just so hectic. It feels like there are more interviews this week, the debrief could’ve gone better, and I just think everything is happening at the same time.”

“It’s okay to feel overwhelmed,” I started. “This is a big race for you. This is technically the first time you’re racing in an F2 car at this track since the accident. It’s okay to say that you need a break, too. Is it possible to talk to PR about the amount of interviews?”

“I can check, but I don’t think they’ll let me miss them,” JM sighed again, hiding his face in my neck. He took a few deep breaths, and I did not say anything, just letting him let calm down in his own way as I rubbed up and down his back. “What if I just hide in here for a while? Would they get mad?”

“Probably not mad, but wouldn’t this be the first place they check?” I chuckled at his question. “You can help me with my essay if you want, and if anyone says anything, I’ll say you were proofreading it.”

“Sounds good to me,” He smiled, placing a kiss on my cheek before loosening his arms, so I could grab my laptop from my bag. “What is your essay on anyway?”

“I could choose any case study to report on. I just need to relate it to topics from class. You know Ariel Castro?” I explained, turning to see recognition shine in his eyes as he nodded slowly. “So I’m doing it on his case. I wasn’t allowed to mention the sexual crimes, but I could talk about the kidnapping, homicide, child endangerment, and disregard for human life charges. I also can talk about how he tried to use the defense of consent in court.”

“I wish I understood what you are talking about,” he chuckled, looking over my shoulder at the document on the screen. “It’s already three pages. How long is this supposed to be?”

“First of all, it’s just an outline, so it’s only one page,” I pointed out as I showed him the title page and reference page. “Secondly, five to eight which is not too bad.”

“Not too bad? Five to eight? How do you find the words to talk about this stuff for five to eight pages? That seems like a lot.”

“It’s really not,” I laughed at his confusion. “All of my undergrad papers had to be three to five pages, so five to eight for a master’s level course is nothing. I just need more examples, analysis, and connections. A couple of my classes last semester had minimums of ten pages.” He sat in shock for a second before shaking his head in disbelief.

“Beauty and brains? How are you so talented?” He teased, “I don’t get how you do it.”

“Beauty and ballsy? How are you so talented?” I joked back, “I don’t get how you do it.”

“I was trying to compliment you, and you decided to make it weird,” He chuckled, moving to tickle my sides. We both broke out in laughs until there was a knock at the door. We took a minute to catch our breaths before JM responded, “Yeah?”

“You disappeared,” the person laughed as he entered the room, “Oh, you have a person on your lap, okay. My bad, but Leo and Mathieu want to go over the strategy for quali.”

“Like now or…?” JM asked, and the person answered with a nod. JM sighed before giving me a tight hug, “Alright, I guess that’s my cue.”

“Go do your job,” I scoffed, Pulling his arms from my waist and moving to stand up and put my laptop aside. “You can hide from the media another time.”

“That’s what you were doing?” The person laughed in disbelief. “That explains why Berthil was looking for you.”

“I just needed a break,” JM chuckled quietly to himself, “And I wasn’t hiding.”

“Yeah, sure. Whatever helps you sleep at night,” I joked, reaching to grab his arm, pull him up, and push him toward the door. “Now, go to the meeting. I’ll just be in here probably and will meet you after.”

“Alright, alright I’m going! Also,” JM said just as he was about to leave the room, pulling the person back through the door, “Richard, this is Y/n, my significant other. Y/n/n, this is Richard, my teammate. Now you know each other. I love you! I’ll be back later.” With that, they left. All the while, Richard was laughing about them being late as they walked away from JM’s driver’s room.

~~

The sprint and feature races went surprisingly well. Despite qualifying P14 JM was able to climb into the points for both races thanks to some well-timed pitstops and safety cars, ending in P6 in the sprint and P8 in the feature. Almost the entire grid planned to go out to dinner and then party at a nearby club after, but that was never our type of scene. Plus, we had a pos-race ritual per se.

“I cannot believe you've done this,” I gasped, looking away from the screen to JM who was chuckling beside me after his character threw a blue shell at me. “Can I win? Just once against you? That’s all I’m asking!”

“It’s not my fault you ran off the map during the first lap,” He wheezed out as his character crossed the finish line ahead of mine. “This always happens when we play Rainbow Road. Why do you always pick it?”

“I like the colors!” I explained, aggressively setting my controller to the side as someone knocked at the door. I answered it, seeing as it was room service. I took the food before thanking them, closing the door, and returning to the couch. “Can we turn this off? I don’t want to see your guy dancing on the screen anymore.”

“You’re just jealous. I get it,” he teased as he stood up to turn off the Nintendo Switch and change the channel to a random movie, which ended up being Star Trek: Into Darkness. “Oh, no. We are changing this.”

“No!” I protested, grabbing the remote immediately. “I love this movie!”

“You don’t love this movie,” he pressed, grabbing onto my biceps to cage me into his chest, “you love Benedict Cumberbatch!”

“How can I not?” I admitted with a joking edge to it as I pretended to struggle against his arms. “Hot, smart, and British? What’s not to love?”

“You have a hot, smart, Ecuadorian/American boyfriend right here!” He whined with a pout as he pointed at himself, keeping one arm tight around my torso. “What’s not to love?”

“Hot, yes. Ecuadorian/American, yes. But smart? Debatable,” I replied. His jaw dropped, causing his arm to loosen which allowed me to make my escape. I put a small distance between us as JM laughed in disbelief.

“You just say that 'cause I’m not in college, Mx. Master’s Student,” He teased as he pulled me into his side. I didn’t get the chance to settle into his side as he fell back onto the couch, dragging me down with him.

“No it’s not that,” I chuckled quietly at his antics. “It’s because I saw you text Clem the wrong “there.” You can’t recover from that.”

~~~~~

© BAD268 2023. DO NOT REPOST WITHOUT PERMISSION.

[lemonandlime22]

Super random Twst hc

A/N: wrote this while coming down from either a sugar high or just that random 3am burst of energy you get type high. Also idk how to explain the weight thing exactly its very comforting for me just to have someone lay on top of you or rly anything heavy like that. Same with the thunderstorm, I grew up absolutely loving them and I still do

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lilia loves true crime. Has a podcast with Cater about it.

Maybe Rook too

Deuce seems like the type of person that if an animal picked them (like just came up to them first or just spent the most time with them, etc) he would burst into tears and become extremely emotionally attached to them

and yes it has happened multiple times with the hedgehogs.

Malleus listens to asmr, like those really sappy relationship roleplay ones. Not just when he's going to sleep but rly any time of the day

same tho.

Leona unknowingly likes it when Cheka is napping with him. I think he's the type to like it when something heavy is on them, it's reassuring in a way, or maybe just grounding. Anyway, Cheka sleeps on his chest when he visits and Leona's taking a nap

same again.

Vil's responsible enough to go to actual therapy after his overblot. He's not ashamed of it one bit, and even lightly pushes for the other overblot-es to go as well, but he stops if they ask him to but still gives them the number(s) of credible and trustworthy therapists.

Riddle and Jamil would probably be the most willing out of them all, Jamil would have most likely already been considering it, while Riddle would do it cause he believes it's what he should do, but neither of them rly likes to talk about it/ about going.

Leona wouldn't want to go/just go for a little while, purely cause it was Vil who was suggesting it. But those two are p similar in that they both are p smart and self-aware, so sooner or later he'll push aside his pride and go. Doesn't care if anyone knows or not.

Azul would have to be dragged to go to therapy, not cause he doesn't think he doesn't need it but cause he's too ashamed and embraced to tell anyone about his overblot.

Idia might have to be dragged kicking and screaming by Ortho to go. (not sure tho, haven't finished book 6).

Fuck if I know about Malleus.

Jack prob names all his cacti. Would rather die then tell anyone bout that tho.

Cater has taught Trey how to make some spicy food.

Kalim is the #1 name remember-er, cause obv he has over 30 siblings. Doesn't mean he won't go threw like 45 other names before he gets to yours tho.

When Floyd was little he tried to eat his own tail, and sometimes still does when he's rrreeeeaaalllyyy board.

Jade gave him the idea. He also has convinced Floyd to eat many other things, like rocks, glass, paper, metal, etc. He could hand him literally almost anything and he'll eat it with little to no question.

Silver has prob woken up cuddling a bear or some crazy shit like that, and just went back to sleep like it's nothing.

Rook seems like he likes to do wood carvings and make his own arrows.

Azul, Ace, Jamil, and Leona all seem like they love thunderstorms

Azul prob used to watch them just below the surface of the water.

Ace and his big brother probably played a lot of different card games when the power went out, so he associates them with good memories.

Jamil and Leona might have both liked the because similar to the weight on the chest thing, it's calming and grounding, and a p comforting. Also might be a way to help relieve stress or smth

same once again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[morlock-holmes]

So, a narrative that has gotten hold in left-wing circles is that of "dangerous misinformation".

The sort of underlying assumption is that is that there is a problem with too much credulity in this country. The paranoid style of politics is based on being too credulous, and getting information from sources that aren't reliable, and then acting on that unreliable information.

The solution, then, is to put out more reliable information, and teach skepticism so that people might begin to better suss out which sources of information are reliable and which are not.

I don't think that's a bad goal, obviously such skills are useful and necessary, but it does feel like it misses a dynamic which seems to me to characterize paranoid politics.

I've been listening to the Knowledge Fight podcast about Alex Jones, and particular their breakdowns of the depositions that members of his company gave during the Sandy Hook defamation cases.

And what I heard from them, in justifying their actions, was something that, yes from a certain standpoint you could call it credulity, but it seems to me more like a radical skepticism.

When asked whether or not something like "Sandy Hook Elementary was not an operating school at a given date" was a fact which is either true, or false, there was a LOT of hemming and hawing, and the answer basically boiled down to,

"No."

The reasoning is essentially this. The media is so corrupt, and so heavily captured by special interests and hostile interests, that using it to find out any facts at all is essentially impossible.

We live in a world so thoroughly saturated with misinformation that the usual standards you'd think of to determine what is true and what is false are completely impossible to put into practice.

Sure, you might find a piece of evidence saying that Sandy Hook was operating at such and such a date, but how could you ever possibly be sure that evidence wasn't planted or manufactured?

I believe it was Paul Joseph Watson who pretty much said that out loud.

Instead, we have to rely on a different heuristic.

If a news story implies a result that we wouldn't like, then it is likely to be false, and more specifically, it was probably planted to generate that result.

The InfoWars people were very open that their first reaction to the Sandy Hook story was that the Democrats were going to use it as an excuse to enact gun legislation, and that this was the reason that they really started to try to push the story that it hadn't happened.

In terms of real world facts it's crazy to think that Sandy Hook happened because of the Democrats, but it's not completely insane to start looking for evidence against something you dislike.

What makes for crazy is that these are people who fundamentally don't believe that it's possible to find evidence.

You don't look for evidence (At least, not in the sense you or I would understand), you look for "anomalies" to use their word.

Here I'm extrapolating, but essentially this mindset seems to involve a thinking like this.

"Because there is no way to actually acquire evidence of truth or falsity, anybody who insists too much on the truth of their beliefs is suspicious. Why would they be so insistent when we all know that all beliefs are essentially impossible to objectively verify? It certainly can't be because they have evidence, that can't exist anymore in the modern world.

"So they must have some other reason. And the best way to figure out that other reason is to figure out what they would gain if their story happened to be accepted as true by the public.

"Once you understand what motivates their story, you need to go searching for anomalies which would reveal the truth of the matter, which is that they have no objective or factual reason to be so insistent"

The InfoWars position is, in some sense, credulous because they absolutely cannot differentiate between a good source and a bad source, but the more I listen to them talk the more convinced I am that they have embraced such a radical skepticism that they don't actually believe that it's possible to differentiate between sources.

[femmefatalevibe]

hi i think u give great advice so here i am in my hour of need

basically… i feel chronically lonely and romantically starved. i’m almost 21 and have never been in a serious relationship and really have not dated much. a while ago, i had a sexual relationship w someone for a couple of months in which i tried to convince myself he cared about me and dumped him feeling disgusted w myself for being so sexually vulnerable w someone who didn’t seriously care about me.

at the beginning of the new year, i really turned my life around (partly thx to blogs like yours <3) and am now the healthiest and happiest i have ever been (regular exercise, academic discipline, healthy eating etc).

even though i feel really fulfilled in my personal life, i still crave a deep romantic connection. i feel crazy waiting/searching for someone who makes me feel like a lana song. i’m just a deeply romantic person who is going insane in modern adult dating. i would rather be shot than be on dating apps or engage in casual sex but i also feel like thats my only option to try and find love (and not be celibate for another 6 months fml).

anyway, this feels very vulnerable to write out but i really value your perspective and am sure others feel the same. thanks!!!!

Hi love! Thank you for trusting me with this vulnerable part of your life and identity. Know that you're not alone: Modern dating is a hellscape for the hopeless romantic types (I'm way too cynical for this – almost 25 and have no desire to be in a "real" romantic relationship lol). For those who crave romantic/sexual connection but have an aversion to dating apps and casual sex, here's my best advice:

Leverage other outlets to satisfy your needs for emotional and sexual connection:

Invest in your friendships to get that emotional intimacy you crave. Platonic relationships can offer as much depth on an emotional and intellectual level as a romantic partner. Plus, you are more likely to have multiple friends vs. multiple partners, which allows you to engage in different types of conversations, learn about a diverse array of subjects, try out more activities, and appreciate different senses of humor/personalities along the way.

Embrace your single era to further explore your sexuality on your own terms. Try out different toys, entertain yourself with erotic novels, films, and podcasts, invest in hot lingerie or sensual perfumes/beauty and skin products, and educate yourself with books like Come As You Are, She Comes First, Yes Means Yes! and essays on female sexuality. The Quinn app is also a great example of ethical porn made by women, for women. Give yourself some alone time to get real with yourself about your likes, dislikes, fantasies, and hard nos. These self-love practices will allow you confidently and clearly ask for what you want once you find a lover you deem worthy of sharing these intimate experiences with you.

Take time for self-reflection and discover your "ideal type." Create a partner compatibility blueprint and non-negotiables checklist:

Being truly single provides you the time and space to truly get to know yourself. Give yourself the gift of introspection – consider your current lifestyle, interests, habits, values, daily routine, and any ways you plan on changing or evolving these aspects of your life over the next few years. Consider the qualities you like about yourself and those you admire in others (friends, family, coworkers, fellow students, mentors, etc.).

Complete a self-intake to reveal the qualities that would demonstrate compatibility in a partner. Clarify the personality traits, values, and lifestyle habits you look for in a partner. Then, consider your physical type and any other more surface-level qualities you look for in a partner (e.g. a certain level of education, upbringing, languages spoken, profession, morning or night person, any dietary or fitness habits, etc.) to construct your ideal type(s). While you may not ultimately end up with a partner that 100% fits into one of these personas, knowing what you're looking for helps you know what you don't and streamline your vetting process

Use this information to create a "non-negotiables" list to help you easily detect whether someone will be compatible with you from early conversations or, at the latest, after 1-2 dates. These qualities will be very personal due to our own beliefs, lifestyle, and goals – know if something like someone being a smoker, having certain family obligations, dietary restrictions, or having certain political/religious beliefs would be a dealbreaker for you.

Consider dating as a networking tool. Live your life and allow potential partners to enter your purview organically:

Do not make dating into a mission-based, isolated pursuit. Reframe dating as an organic evolution of your social life, leisure activities, and time used to explore your interests. Go out to bars, lounges, coffee shops, and parks. Join activities, social clubs, and interest-based meetup activities (book clubs, sports clubs like a tennis club, and art gallery memberships are great options as well). Take classes based on your interests – like a cooking class, language class, art class, writing class, coding class, etc. and be open to mingling. Having a shared interest is the first step to lifestyle compatibility with a partner.

Be open to accepting invitations to group dinners, hangouts, dinner parties, cocktail events/happy hours, beach days, etc. These social outings are a great way to connect with friends of friends that you probably wouldn't meet out in the wild but are more trustworthy (and are more likely to share compatible attitudes or lifestyle habits) due to your mutual connections.

[always-rolling-my-eyes]

13 fave Killatrav moments so far?

My answers might be kind of vague but this is what I came up with, not really in a specific order:

1. His reaction to “karma is the guy on the Chiefs”

2. The original friendship bracelet story on his podcast

3. Wall Street Journal profile / interview

4. “A lot of people care about Taylor, for good reason”

5. Any interaction he has with Jason’s daughters

6. When he hosted SNL

7. The kiss after Buenos Aires night 2 (really that entire night and just showing up for her and being so unabashedly loving and supportive)

8. His Pfizer commercial

9. That old clip of him dancing to Love Story before he even met Taylor

10. His general embracement of Swifties and the crazy aspects of Taylor’s life / career

11. The appreciation and admiration he has for his brother / the story of why he chose his jersey #

12. Whenever he does something impressive during a football game

13. The way he talks about / treats / respects his coach and teammates

[rd-lancaster]

Kind of had some kind of epiphany today. PLEASE READ!!

I listening to Britney Broski’s recent podcast episode. It’s called The Broski Report- The Demented Psychology of Being a Fangirl.

First of all, let me say, Britney is so freaking smart and such an intellectual. I used to think of her as just this funny person but if you really take the time to listen to her and get to know, you’ll understand there is so much more to her as a person. You may not always agree with her opinions and I can’t say I always do (majority I do), but I can wholeheartedly say I respect the heck out of her and those opinions because she has clearly thought them out and there is logical and passion behind them. So with that being said, go watch her content please especially those podcast episodes.

Secondly, she was discussing the “girlboss” characters we see the majority of the time now in our media, specifically movies. She talked about the quirky women we see in these movies today. She drew evidence from Disney movies such as Tangled (where it all began), then Moana, Encanto, etc. And LET ME BE CLEAR, she wasn’t trashing these movies. It was just evidence in her discussion.

But it really got me thinking: We see those types of women in movies and books everywhere. The typical girlboss woman and nothing ever gets to her. Nothing bothers her. (And/or) The quirky, clumsy woman who doesn’t really fit and “is different from other girls”. Very much the stereotype of “Manic Pixie Dream” girl. It’s what writers, film makers, creators, etc. pump out on a daily basis. And I have to agree with Britney, I’m tired of it now.

I want so desperately to see a woman in a book or film that I can somewhat relate to on a deeper level instead of fragments in a surface level connection. Then I realized: “You have kind of fallen into this as a writer yourself. You are writing the stereotypical girlboss woman. If you don’t like that, it needs to change because it’s hypocritical.”

And I’m not saying there is anything wrong with a girlboss, quirky woman. If that’s who you are, that’s awesome and I’m sure there is more to you than just that typical girlboss we see in movies and books. But it’s not me and I do think that “girl bosses” can still be written in a way that shows that powerful nature but still maintains that emotional side and keeps true to her femininity. Femininity is powerful and so beautiful. It often only gets studied in a surface level setting but if you really dive into it, there are so many layers to a woman and her feminine side that make her this gift and give her talents that no one else can have. I think we try to snuff that side of ourselves out sometimes so we can look/feel more powerful (and that is just my opinion) when in reality, we should embrace it more. Woman is power itself.

So with all that being said in this crazy ramble that I won’t go back and edit and make flow better: I’m going to be starting somewhat fresh with the Heartbeats in the Crossfire story. It’s missing so many elements that I think it needs to be better so everyone will be seeing new REWRITTEN chapters hopefully soon.

Thanks everyone!! 🫶🏼💕 and the comments/DMS are always open to discussion and opinions. This is a safe space where everyone is entitled to believe what they want to believe and share it with me and others!! I’d love to hear it.

[dontmeantobepoliticalbut]

BY MATT LEWIS

In case you missed her, Marjorie Taylor Greene is back. It didn’t take long either.

After backing establishment Republican Kevin McCarthy’s bid to become Speaker in January, she is now safely ensconced in the committees that her loyalty earned, which means the old MTG has returned with a vengeance—in all her QAnon-adjacent glory.

It started with the silly balloon stunt before the State of the Union, picked up when Rep. Greene wore a white fur-trim coat to the event and heckled President Joe Biden (whom she calls a “coward”), and continued Thursday in a classified briefing about the Chinese spy balloon.

It sounds like the hearing was off the hook. “When she got to ask questions,” one fellow member of Congress said, “she was yelling out saying ‘bullshit,’ and, you know, ‘I don’t believe you… Just screaming and yelling, irrational in my estimation,” the lawmaker continued.

“I chewed them out just like the American people would’ve,” Greene told The Hill. “I tore ’em to pieces.”

Look Marge, I wanted to shoot down the balloon sooner, too, but there’s such a thing as decorum. I mean, WTF, MTG?

But that’s not even the end of her return-to-crazy week. During an entirely different Oversight Committee hearing, Greene told former Twitter executives: “I’m so glad that you’re censored now, and I’m so glad you’ve lost your jobs.” A kinder, gentler, MTG, this was not.

I’ve always been skeptical that Greene’s support of McCarthy meant she was trying to do a heel-face turn from Tonya Harding to Nancy Kerrigan, but there was a reason to believe she might at least try. After all, Greene’s support for McCarthy coincided with a larger rebranding effort that included her explaining away her penchant for QAnon conspiracy theories as (absurdly) something in her very distant past.

The fantasy that she had matured wasn’t just an MTG creation; it was pushed by her more mainstream Republican colleagues in the House, too. “She realizes she’s got to go toward the McCarthy side to be successful—if she hangs out with the bomb-throwers all the time, she’s not going to be able to get much done,” said Rep. Kasey Carpenter of Georgia.

“I will tell you she has matured,” Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas said last month on ABC’s This Week. “I think she realizes she doesn’t know everything. And she wants to learn and become I think more of a team player.”

Today, those words sound even more absurd than when he first uttered them.

No, I don’t think that Greene, now sitting on prestigious committees, will embrace the awesome responsibility of leadership à la Thomas Becket. But it’s worth asking whether her support for McCarthy was always a strategic one-off, or whether she simply fell off the rebranding wagon.

I think it’s the former.

For one thing, Greene clearly believes in what she is doing right now.

You can hear it in her rhetoric—“I chewed them out just like the American people would’ve,” Greene said, referring to the administration officials who briefed her on the balloon.

She sees herself as the hero of her own story and as a Paraclete for the American public.

And why not? Everywhere she goes (from her very conservative Georgia district, to Sean Hannity’s show on Fox News, to Steve Bannon’s War Room podcast), Greene hears MAGA Republicans praise her for voicing their concerns and saying the things that other people are afraid to say.

Yes, the spy balloon was eventually popped, but the conspiracy bubble in which Greene floats appears to be shatterproof.

It’s also possible that she is overcompensating in an attempt to get back in the far right’s good graces.

Remember when Rep. Andy Biggs accused her of “crossing the Rubicon,” and Nick Fuentes and Laura Loomer attacked her? She also reportedly had a bathroom fight with Rep. Lauren Boebert, and Rep. Matt Gaetz mocked her theory about “Jewish space lasers” starting wildfires.

If peer pressure isn’t enough to get her to return to the madness caucus, perhaps she fears losing some of her market share.

When infamous bank robber Willie Sutton was asked why he robs banks, legend has it that he responded, “Because that’s where the money is.” Likewise, Greene’s brand—her unique selling proposition—requires her to keep her fans (and small-dollar donors) happy.

If politics is about “dancing with the one who brung ya” to “climb the greasy pole,” then MTG is once again dancing her ass off on that pole.

Now, maybe she can afford to dip her toes into a leadership battle and occasionally side with the establishment. That not only earns her rewards, it also garners her attention and ups her eccentricity factor. But let’s be honest: MTG is a rock star, and rock stars do dumb things like throwing TVs out of hotel windows. If she starts behaving like, you know, a normal politician, her star value goes out the window, too.

MTG, in my mind, is a combination of a true believer who guzzles the Kool-Aid and a savvy political operator who realizes that going straight is going nowhere. Maybe someday it will be in her best interest to reinvent herself as a normie. But if that day ever comes, I’m not sure she could even stick to it.

You can take the girl out of Q, but you can’t take Q out of the girl.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Matthew Chapman at Raw Story:

Minnesota Republican Senate candidate Royce White is not apologizing after proclaiming Republicans are "losers" if they try to win votes from suburban women.

White, a former NBA player known for his embrace of conspiracy theories, was recently called out by MSNBC's Ja'han Jones for proclaiming on his "Please Call Me Crazy" podcast that Republicans who seek the votes of suburban women are "delusional" people who are “living in a cucked mentality.” "Cucked" is short for "cuckolded," a crude term commonly used by the far-right to deride people they perceive as weak and emasculated. Taking to X on Monday, White quoted Jones' article, "Senate candidate Royce White says suburban women voters are for suckers," and doubled down on all of it. "This headline is a prime example of yellow journalism… They think you’re stupid and yes the GOP better go to the inner cities and go after new voters to win this election," wrote White. "This isn’t rocket science! If suburban women understand inflation to be important, this isn’t even a contest. Only a cuck would say that’s demeaning, only a loser would dance around that reality. Hence, cucks and losers!"

Enjoy being shellacked at the polls by Amy Klobuchar, Mr. Royce White. #MNSen

See Also:

NBC News: Senate candidate Royce White says suburban women voters are for suckers

[penny-hartzs]

As someone that has grown up a swiftie nearish KC (grown up cheering for the chiefs), I NEVER would have put Travis and Taylor together, mostly bc of their previous dating history. But, as someone that followed Travis casually since 2014 (💀I’ve always thought he was cute) and also saw the deterioration of his long term relationship, it makes more sense. The most likely reason they ended was bc they weren’t good enough friends. Travis has always had a specific sense of humor, and I totally see Taylor’s corny self (affectionate) being one of the very few age appropriate, successful and beautiful women that genuinely thinks he is funny. but I’m going to need swifties to STOP bashing his ex bc it’s giving racist. Use your malice towards her against Joe bc learning YLM was written 2 years ago pisses me off.

I have to say, I'm enjoying getting anon messages so much it's giving me flashbacks to when i was actually active here and not treating my tumblr like a yearbook. Thank you for sending me this message ❤️

I knew nothing about Travis before Taylor, apart from watching his snl episode (and also thinking he's cute so no shame here) but everything i discover about him seems endearing and goofy and fun. I'm a genuine fan of his podcast with his brother and the way he seems to be embracing his newfound fame because of taylor is such a different approach from everything we've seen from her exes. And Taylor seems to have an amazing time with him so I'm definitely rooting for them

I had no idea his ex girlfriend is receiving racist messages but sadly it doesn't surprise me 💀 i hope she has great people around her to balance out the craziness.

And tbh i don't think any person should be receiving actual hate apart from John Mayer. It's one thing to discuss these things and another to send messages to the people involved and to be nasty.

[bergens-adventure-tours]

Week 10: April 17th – 23rd, 2023 // Change of Directions 

It’s crazy to think how quickly things can change in such short period of time, and how many wonderful opportunities are waiting for you when you least expect them.  This week was one of embracing going with the flow, and really listening to what my heart n soul need right now.  Being on my own has brought about a lot of time to sit with myself and reflect on a lot of things.  One of the key things I’ve come to acknowledge is the realization that I’m heading into a period where I’m craving more community and solid connection.  I realize this comes at a funny time, as I’ve just begun my solo trip, but I’ve also come to acknowledge that I had been spending so much of the previous year on my own.  Don’t get me wrong – 2022 was an amazing year, filled with some of my absolute favourite memories, incredible first experiences, many lessons and brought me a lot of lifelong friends; but I never found any roots in community.  I don’t think that’s a bad thing, nor do I think that was what I was needing this past year.  But, as I move into this next chapter of my life, and after experiencing a handful of strong, connected communities here in Australia, it’s reminded me of some things I’ve been missing since graduating from BCIT.

And this week may have brought me the opportunities and connections for exactly what I’m looking for, in ways I was not expecting.

--

Some of you may remember I mentioned getting new runners back in week 8 to finally get back into running again, but you’ll probably notice I have yet to mention going on a run… well guys, be proud because I finally did it!  I woke up Monday morning feeling oddly energetic and with a lot of bounce in my step, and I knew, if I didn’t take advantage of this right away it was going to be a while before I got it back again… so I laced up my runners and hit the road!  At this point, I don’t think I’d run in at least 4, maybe even 5 years, but it felt SO good.  I came back to my camp spot at the beach and immediately jumped into the ocean to cool off.

I spent the rest of the day getting through a fair bit of driving until the last bit of energy wore off and found a nice spot next to a Salt Lake in the Coorong National Park.  I took my time reading in the sun, cooking some dinner, listening to podcasts, answering messages, and working on last weeks blog.

--

Tuesday was a very productive and relaxing day!  I decided to stay put and spend my day reading lots, finishing up last week’s blog post, some yoga, and applying to a bunch of guiding jobs in the Northern Territory.

As a little aside – the past week I’ve been looking a lot into visa work and trying to sort out what I want to do, and when I should do it.  With having spent a decent amount of money in my first couple months in just getting to Australia, getting the van sorted, and honestly just on other experiences, I’ve been feeling the pressure of the bank account dwindling.  Initially my game plan was to spent the next few months exploring the interior then wrapping down the west coast and finding some farm work mid-winter (July for Australia).  While I could’ve probably made this work pretty easily with my current savings, the more I looked into options for my visa, the more I started to lean towards guiding jobs in the Northern Territory.  After a lot more reflecting on the types of experiences I’m wanting right now, the more it was making sense to look for work during my time in the interior.

--

The next morning, I started with a quick back workout and went for a 4.5km run along part of the salt lake + trails.   At this point, it’s been a while since I’d had a shower, so I found a sweet free one at a gas station on route towards Adelaide.  I ended up staying the night in Port Elliot and spent the evening looking into more stuff for my trip through the interior, applied to more jobs, and read.

--

Thursday was a really fun day for me! I woke up wanting to do some touristy things, so I got myself dressed up for the first time in a while, made the last 2-hour drive to Adelaide, and wandered around the city!  I checked out the Art Gallery of South Australia and the South Australian Museum; Both were really cool and free to enter for anyone. They were also right next to the Adelaide University, which is a beautiful little campus right in the heart of the city… it had me thinking about how I’ve been wanting to go back to school again, and wondering what it might be like to study here in Australia in the future…

I spent the afternoon on a little video sharing my partnership with Last Object!  They’re a really cool brand creating alternatives to replace single-use products like cotton swabs, menstrual pads, face wipes, and tissues!  Check out their website https://lastobject.com and use the code LastPlanet for 10% off any order.

Today was also the theatre release date of Bob Brown’s documentary ‘The Giants.’ It was such a beautiful and inspirational film covering the political and environmental history of conservation in Australia’s old growth forests, and direction it’s heading today. I unfortunately don’t think it’s available outside of Australia at the moment, but I highly recommend checking out Bob Brown’s foundation. https://bobbrown.org.au  There are a lot of parallels between what is happening in Australia and Canada’s logging industry, the governments [in]actions, and the lack of conservation for these important biomes.

I also got an exciting email today to schedule an interview the next morning for a Trainee Guiding Job in Alice Springs!

--

Friday ultimately decided the next phase of my trip… The interview in the morning went so well that they contacted me later that same day saying they were going to skip second interviews for narrowing down candidates and offered me the job! So in 11 days I will be starting my training as a tour guide in Alice Springs!  It’s going to be a pretty interesting and exciting experience in a lot of ways, and I’m really looking forward to it.  I spent the whole day camped outside of a park in Adelaide, sorting out the plans for the next phase, finding a climbing group in Alice to join, answering messages, looking into living options, etc.

--

Saturday was the epitome of “going with the flow” and I could NOT be more stoked for the plans that got presented to me!  Part of the reason I’d been taking so much time to get to Adelaide the past week was largely because I was waiting for my aussie driver’s licence to arrive at Clae’s (Sam’s cousins) place for me to pick up.  Coincidentally the licence arrived the night before, and today was the last day for me to pick it up from Clae (if I wanted to meet him), before he was leaving on a week-long trip with a group of friends+his family.  Turns out it was a climbing trip in the Grampians they were leaving for that night, and they invited me to join them!  Because I had spent the whole day prior mostly being anxious about the interview, and whether or not I was making the right decision, I had a full day of chores to work through but knew this was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up.  I went into overdrive mode and checked everything off the list from groceries, to laundry, to cleaning out fridge, to buying a new camera lens off marketplace, to going into town to pick up a few items (including my own climbing harness + helmet), to finding a free shower at the beach!  It was a jam packed day with lots of running around, but I managed to time everything PERFECTLY and met up with Clae, his partner Harriet, and one of their friends to begin the 5-hour drive to the Grampians.  It was a long day, as we didn’t leave until 6pm, but I couldn’t be more stoked about the week to come!!

It felt kind of funny knowing that I basically backtracked the distance I just took over a week to travel, in a single night…

--

But boy was it so worth it.  Our first day in the Grampians was so good!  We’re a group of 8, and everyone is so incredibly sweet, supportive and just immediately so welcoming.  We started the day with a quick drive and 30min hike into our first sport climb location: the Ravines.  It was a beautiful spot in between two cliff faces, and we had the whole place to ourselves for the majority of the time.  It had been a while since I did any sport climbing, so my arms felt pretty dead pretty quickly (not helping that I started on a hard 19 lol), but it felt so good to get out with a group and watch everyone else.  We went back to the camp for lunch and for Clae + Harriet to put their 1.5-year-old down for a nap, before heading out to a different spot for some evening bouldering.  I had been feeling pretty low energy after that morning, but found a second wind after a quick hike and some really fun boulder projects.   We had the most beautiful sunset and I got to use my new lens for the first time up at the boulders – earning me the nickname ‘JC,’ inspired by famous photographer and videographer “Jimmy Chin” (have got a long way to go before reaching his level, but a nickname I’m happily welcoming lol).   Ended the week with dinner around a camp fire and some really amazing new friends. <3

--

This week started with me wondering how I was going to access community while on the road, and ended with me landing a job guiding in some beautiful and historically important locations, 7 new friends, and my first big climbing trip finally under my belt!  Learn to say ‘yes’ more to life, and the adventures will never fail to amaze you.

Stay passionate and curious, Hunter♡

04/24/2023

[vclkyries]

the move to LA had been hard in a lot of ways - missing lily though - that was the hardest. the two had finally found their way into a good thing, they were in a good place. grey had found the constant flying back and forth beyond exhausting though, and when her manager finally sat her down and explained how many more opportunities she would have if she just stayed there, it had been impossible to say no. she had nearly begged her girlfriend to come with her, the idea of not having access to her every day was heart wrenching, but lily was dedicated to her schooling - not that grey could blame her, but that didn’t mean it didn’t sting. at first they were making it work, but the distance became too much and while they were still speaking mostly every day, they didn’t see each other much and they had agreed to split up until they could be together again. grey hadn’t taken the break up well, she was drinking more, having a hard time focusing on work. the trouble hadn’t started until her manager forced her to start a tiktok for the podcast, her audience wanted to see more of her. then came the collabs, having other influencers featured in her tiktoks or on the podcast. that’s when she had met emily, and immediately their fans had started pushing for the two to be together. she wasn’t sure how much of it lily had or hadn’t seen, but if she had, grey knew it had to be driving her crazy. not that anything had been going on between the two - or at least - that’s what grey had thought. until tonight. until emily had confessed all the things she had been feeling, until she kissed grey before the blonde even had a moment to respond. it felt wrong at first - somebody’s lips on hers that weren’t lily’s, but then - then it felt good. to be wanted, to have somebody here. she was weak, falling to putty in the other girl’s embrace. she was lost in the moment, allowing her body to relax from the tense posture she had taken on. it wasn’t until she felt emily jump back that she realized someone was in her apartment - only took a moment longer for her to remember that only one person had a key. she spun around, eyes wide and beginning to tear up before she even laid them on lily. @devilmcnt​

[papirouge]

What’s your take on femininity coaches and these classes online? I used to not care but since this tra craze, I think it’s toxic. Femininity imo is inherent in all women for being born as a girl. To say that it isn’t gives power to tras who then follow these femininity guides then go “see I’m a woman now. So I can have access to your spaces” I think a woman is 100% feminine when she’s muscular from working outside all today and when she’s inside all day on the computer or home making. Because she’s a woman. But then these feminist classes come up, and it all seems to shallow like it’s just an aesthetic. There’s also how I’ve seen black coaches tell us that our natural hair isn’t feminine enough. That we need to be lighter and more delicate….

Honestly I don't feel threatened the slightest by men getting trained by feminitity coach because being feminine ≠ being female.

You can teach feminitity but femaleness is a innate immutable trait

There's this whole debate on whether feminine traits are natural/more developed in women but since they are mostly positive, is that a bad thing to see men trying to fashion them? Why would I be mad at them for trying to be more compassionate, soft spoken and less aggressive? ¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯ Society as a whole would win with men embracing their feminitity imo

Problem is when those men to entertain actually toxic "feminine" traits (which for the most part hand-outs of patriarchy such as waxing, make up, etc.) and then pull out a grotesque caricatural image of feminitity. That's why I hate drag culture.

That being said, being feminine shouldn't be a pass to access female space.

There's need to be a whole conversation about feminitity and Black women. So much to be said. For centuries, our (natural) features have been deemed unfeminine, manish or worse, animalesque.... We have so much to unlearn and then learn. There's a reason so many black women are pulling off the flashy make up, hairstyle/colors, crazy nails, etc. That's bc they internalized the idea that their natural self was unattractive/manly so they feel compeled to overcompensate with hyper feminity (which ends looking like straight up costume)....

Educating ourselves about loving our hair and stop pulling out copium excuses with pRotEctIve HaIrStYles. Colorism (and featurism) are HUGE topics that I wish I could cover more but not on Tumblr.... If you have time, i highly recommend Chrissie's channel. She's Black American podcaster who's been tackling the issue of Black feminitity and she's been such a breath of fresh air. She's so eloquent and is making so many good points !! I really recommend you watching her playlists about colorism, natural hair (she's adamant that wigs and lace culture do reek of self hate which is something so many Black bloggers are too delusional to admit) and the whole concept of "corrective promotion of Black women" (she coined)