damn how are so many texas girls fat🥵 tempted to move cus it sounds like a fa’s heaven at this point

it’s the food and 100°+ heat during the summers :3 nothing better to do than sit inside and eatttt

The Scottish winter scuppered plans for a second domestic series of Men in Kilts.

Sam Heughan revealed he had hoped to make a follow-up to the 2021 Starz TV show and Clanlands book which was set in Scotland.

But the 43-year-old Outlander star has revealed the follow-up, which was filmed in New Zealand, was moved down under due to a combination of short days and the schedule of his and co-star Graham McTavish, 63.

He said: “We initially looked at options in Scotland, doing another season of the show exploring the north of Scotland, Shetland, its ties to Scandinavia, Ireland etc.

“I am very much interested in the Viking influence (growing up in Galloway near Whithorn and the Viking settlement there).

“My initial idea was to do ‘Men in Kilts - in boats!’, have us in Viking longship, speed boats, kayaks, swimming/scuba, however challenges with our schedules meant our window for filming would fall in the winter months, not ideal for daylight in the UK.”

Mr McTavish added: “We’d really enjoyed the first experience and hopefully will do another. We did New Zealand because I live there and New Zealand has a very strong connection with Scotland.

“One in five have Scottish ancestry, and it’s a mirror of Scotland in many ways - the people, the landscape, you can see why the Scots settled so easily.”

And the pair are set to reunite for a third chapter.

Mr McTavish added: “Our sights are set on North America particularly the eastern seaboard, from Nova Scotia down through Maine, New York, Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, places with a strong connection to Scotland.

"There are bears and moose. I’m sure Sam is drawing up a list.”

It is unclear when SH and GMcT were selected and interviewed by the Scottish Sun to reveal their plans 🤔 Whether there are any projects underway at commitment level for a third chapter.

In fact, excavations showed a Norse trading settlement around the Galloway coast. SH was born in New Galloway, which is 34.7 miles (about 55 km) from the Viking settlement of Whithorn; I don't think he went very far to play every day when he was a kid. I don't remember him being interested in Viking Ages, maybe he likes watching Vikings: Valhalla drama series 🤷‍♀️

Filming has never been easy, but filming in the middle of a Scottish winter, in the Shetland islands, during the dark British winters, means that the goal was not clearly defined, unless his idea was to go to Lerwick to the Up Helly Aa parade with torches marching a Viking longship through Lerwick, during the "Shetland Fire Festival", and the idea didn't work. Lerwick Up Helly Aa is a superb spectacle, a celebration of Shetland's history, from the Norse sagas.

But there is something interesting that SH always forgets to mention: in winter 2021 he had a motorcycle accident 🏍️ which would also have prevented him from filming. So the hours of darkness and his demanding schedule led him to an unforeseen change of location for MiK2: he tries to tell a different story and that doesn't convince. He went to New Zealand to have fun and to recover physically from the motorbike accident. MiK2 was filmed when the country was on “Red alert level” 🚩 of the Omicron virus new variant and was closed to foreigners.

There is no doubt they really enjoyed the New Zealand experience because GMcT lives there, and GMcT confirmed that Sam's trip to New Zealand was a "well-deserved" holiday. However the strong connection to Scotland was not present and indeed the mirror of Scotland in New Zealand was not shown in MiK2. A trip dedicated to enjoying adventure adrenaline activities, it was a fantastic holiday.

If he misses Scotland and is looking forward to seeing it on screen with Men in Kilts: why a Roadtrip in North America, why not take up the original idea of doing it in Shetland? Or it will continue with an American romance novel construction about Scotland.

So what is the goal of MiK3, or are these two trying to turn MiK3 into something more than a business? 🤷‍♀️ while SH makes a list?

@dlansing53 His mishap was in Scotland, after a training. On that occasion, he didn't mention anything and tried to cover it up. The accident was mentioned months later in an interview in the U.S. he confirmed that he fractured his knee and tore his MCL, as you can seen in the New Zealand’s photos he received stitches and has a large scar on his left leg after the mishap.

Here at Pharos Athletic Club with Pieter Vodden (He’s not in the picture) trainer in the U.S. he’s not his physio. This photo is from before his trip to New Zealand 🇳🇿

@ajrajraj In Britain Motorcycle is a Motorbike or "Bike" 🏍️ and motorcyclists are called "bikers". When SH says "bike" he fell off a motorbike, not a bicycle. The mishap occurred when he was supposedly on his way home from the gym. SH doesn't go to the gym on a bicycle, he goes on a motorbike 🏍️

After his trip to New Zealand 🇳🇿 He mentioned his accident on the GMA show it was posted by @imahalfemptykindofgirl I reblogged her post

and days later he confirmed it in a talk in Men's Journal. if you are interested you can see both published on my blog.

@ajrajraj On 14 December 2021, on Twitter (X) SH posted that he had been in an accident "on a bike". In a conversation with Charles Thorp of Men's Journal, in the article SH says: he was on a bike, not on a bicycle. If you have the interview where he clarifies that he was on a bicycle, I would like to know more about it, because his injuries did not correspond to this situation.

He limps to the gym to pose for a photo to his fans. He plays stupid games and wins stupid prizes.

☆ WVBA At A Camping Trip☆

hehehe this is gonna be so fun, also none of them got proper sleep unless stated otherwise because im evil like that

Glass Joe

- harassed by mosquitos & any other bug devious enough to bite him, covered in bug bites

- burnt his marshmellow while trying to melt it over the campfire, settled for a croisssant instead

- couldnt get any sleep, at all, only physically present at some point

- fed a moose and accidentally caused kaiser to get attacked by said moose (when you feed a moose it will attack whoever doesnt have food/doesnt give it any)

- tried to go swimming in a lake and got scared by a fish

Von Kaiser

- gathered some bug repelling herbs & used them to not end up looking like he has 3 trained assasins aiming at him (bear hugger approved)

- gathering mushrooms & other fruit, knows whats not edible & whats not

- brought a shotgun to go hunting, Joe thought he was gonna murder him

- "put the gun down please i have loved ones at least let me say goodbye to them im so sorry for whatever i did PLEASE"

- "Joe why would i shoot you"

- his insomnia is kicking his ass

Disco Kid

- spiders really like to bite him for some brilliant reason, nobody knows if they were non poisonous or not, either way hes still thriving look at him go!!

- climbing trees to collect fruit with kaiser

- tried to go kayaking, fell into the water instead

- trying his hardest to befriend a random fox, disco please stop it probably has 20 diseases & cares about you only for the food

- fell face first into poison ivy :(

- tried to chop down a tree and almost got crushed to death

- traumatized but also thriving

King Hippo

- hes a natural bug repeller, by that i mean he enjoys eating bugs

- traumatized everyone by eating a living spider in front of their eyes

- only person who actually got proper sleep

- rolled down a hill at some point and knocked over disco kid, kaiser and joe like a bowling ball, aran yelled out strike before also rolling down a hill and hitting a tree trunk head first (ouch)

Piston Hondo

- bit by a few mosquitos but nothing that serious thankfully (other than an entire colony of ants biting him when he got stuck in a log)

- best person to go kayaking with, going at it like hes going to war

- collected flowers and made a flower crown & gave it to bear hugger as a thank you

- holding spiders in his hand like theyre nothing & info dumping about them

- Just happy to be here

- climbing trees to also help kaiser, trying his best not to not fall on anyone

- fell asleep in a log at some point, waa super traumatized when he woke up because what the fuck why is he in a log get him out of there

Don Flamenco

- not bitten at all but chased by a scorpion

- hes too diva for nature

- got scolded for using perfume that harms the ozone layer by bear hugger for 3 hours straight, had to stink for a while because of that

- stepped in poison ivy, got treated insantly thankfully or he would have cried for a hour straight

- traumatized, depressed, mentally scarred, not flourishing, not in his lane, un-moisturized, not hydrated

- also couldnt get any sleep, went straight to sleep after getting home and showering (and drying his hair, he doesnt wanna wake up looking like a hedgehog)

- never doing that again, fuck you

Bear Hugger

- got bitten by every kind of bug out there but hes still alive

- flourishing, in his lane, moisturized, happy, mentally healed, hydrated, thriving

- stepped on poison ivy but pretending nothing happened

- chopping down trees (he then plants another because deforestation is not very cash money)

- went hunting & almost shot Aran Ryan because he put branches on his head pretending to be a deer

- "BEAR!! ITS ME DONT SHOOT ME IM NOT A DEER!!"

- "why would you do that?? especially when you know that i was going for deer" he proceeded to scold him for half a hour and how he could have injured himself

- went gathering with kaiser & bull

- did kayaking with disco kid, theyre a really good team somehow

- gathered wood for the campfire

Aran Ryan

- got bit like a thousand times, but its ok because he also bit them back

- hit his head on a tree trunk while he was rolling down a hill at full speed, passed out for a while after that and woke up on a kayak out in a pond, had to swim all the way back thanks to don flamenco getting pissed off at him

- climbing trees & throwing stuff down at whoever walks under him, airstrike bitch

- touched the wood under the campfire after it got put out expecting it to be cold, got his hand burnt instead

- "ooh this piece of wood is shaped like a gun"

- "wait for it to cool off"

- "im sure its not THAT hot" cue irish screech in pain

- went hunting & laughed like a psychopath whenever something got shot

- did kayaking & got thrown off the kayak by Mr Sandman when he got too loud

Soda Popinski

- his legs are covered in mosquito bites, hes literally their favorite capri sun

- Just swam a lot & ate berries

- tried to make up a scary story to tell during the night and failed miserably at it

- "And she.. sneezed out a worm!! Ooohh!!!"

- "so creative, never make a story again"

- ate a piece of wood, delicious!!

Bald Bull

- got bit a few times but not that much

- picked flowers & gathered berries

- helped bear hugger make the campfire

- tried to hunt but he didnt have the heart to shoot such a majestic looking animal, bear hugger did though, got traumatized

- "they might look good but they also taste good"

- "yeah" And he has the 1000 yard stare during dinner

- couldnt sleep well after what he saw during that hunting trip (i hc him to be afraid of blood & not be able to handle it well) he sometimes has nightmares about it, pretending to be okay even though he knows hes not going to be able to sleep for a few days after that

- he started out all happy & got traumatized midway through

- Just sat on a hill & enjoyed the wind during his spare time

Super Macho Man

- harassed by mosquitos

- also too diva for nature

- tried to climb a tree and fell on his ass

- cannot fish to save his life

- had a "swordfight" with soda popinski (by that i mean they just fought each other with sticks)

- making up really weird stories during the night & telling them in front of the campfire, really good at making it sound like bad improv comedy, thinks its fooling everyone

Mr Sandman

- got bit by everything BUT mosquitos

- making sure no one gets shot during the hunting trip

- cooking fish over the campfire

- picking flowers, explaining literally every detail about his favorites

- tried to catch a fish with his bare hands

15 Questions:

tagged by @thehiddenbaroness, @oftwodarkmoons, and @daughter-rhaenyra thank you all!!

1. Are you named after anyone?

Allegedly named after my mom's favorite author, but my first and middle combo was basically the default name for girls in my class growing up. It was her second choice of a name which is disappointing considering her first choice was awesome. Instead I am literally Trendy McTrendName for the year I was born.

2. When was the last time you cried?

I don't really cry unless I have gone through something life altering or am very, very drunk. As such I'm guessing the last time was last St. Patrick's Day, as it likely will be again tomorrow.

3. Do you have kids?

No, never wanted them

4. What sports do you play/have you played?

Competitive swimming was my entire life from elementary school on until I had to dial it back and eventually quit in college (too many injuries). I also did a fair amount of skiiing/snowshoeing/hiking/kayaking/etc growing up. In my 20's I got very into distance running but had to quit in 2019 because of (new and different!) injuries. These days I mostly do running (though less than before) and weights. Since the TikTok brigade took over my gym post-pandemic, I have been trying to somehow build a home gym in my 800 sq ft apartment and at this point I am only a stationary bike away from being free of them forever.

5. Do you use sarcasm?

You could say so, yes

6. What’s the first thing you notice about people?

Honestly I am usually trying so hard not to make eye contact with people that I don't see much of anything. I suppose the honest answer is that I can tell if their body language is genuine or fake. And to really answer it, eyes and also arms. I love that my husband can pick me up like it's nothing what can I say ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

7. What’s your eye color?

Very, very dark brown.

8. Scary movies or happy endings?

I am pretty indifferent to scary movies though I do enjoy them from time to time. I do like happy endings mostly because I hate loose ends. It's okay if they're bittersweet though.

9. Any talents?

Cooking and baking. They're my primary hobbies for a reason.

10. Where were you born?

The most beautiful state in the Union.

11. What are your hobbies?

Cooking (I try to do a new recipe once a week), baking, fitness, trivia leagues, word puzzles, garbage television, this godforsaken website.

12. Do you have any pets?

yep <3

they are 10 and 11 this year and it's absolutely killing me. I need them to live forever.

13. How tall are you?

5'6''

14. Favorite subject in school?

I loved English and US history a lot, but biology was always my favorite. In college it was biological anthro and archaeology.

15. Dream job?

My first thought was wine critic but I realized I would need to get better at describing wine as things other than "good" or "okay" (It would take a lot for me to call a wine bad. I drank exclusively Two Buck Chuck for years).

I think some sort of hotel or restaurant critic would be my dream. Letting me sample pretentious things while being professionally judgmental really would be ideal for me.

Please consider yourself tagged if you would like to fill this out!!

the parent trap

CHAPTER FOUR: riposte

The boys come to blows. (With words and stitching.)

The boys come to blows. (With words and stitching.)

⁂

The news of the Pine vs. Maple poker match sweeps through the camp like wildfire.

When Roman walks into breakfast that morning, his back is patted, his hand is high-fived, and his hair is ruffled by the seeming legions of boys who had lost their poker matches against the scourge of the Pine cabin. 

His batch of heroism in dispensing back Maple, Sequoia, and Catalpa’s belongings back to them has made any semblance of popularity he’d had before positively skyrocket.

It’s a bit overwhelming, to be quite honest, but it’s also nice. 

Boys jockey to sit beside or across from him at breakfast; they fetch him the finest of Walden’s breakfast offerings; they ask him to tell the story of how he’d won the poker match and how he got so good at poker anyway.

However, once the people who wandered over to compliment him who weren’t at the cabin the night before, laid eyes on his face, then did a double take between the Pine and Maple tables (Remus, Roman notes with some mixture of amusement and slight guilt from his cabinmates stealing his clothes, looks a bit grumpy from not having slept too much before).

But once the information that the poker showdown was between the inexplicably identical boys is chucked into the rumor mill? If Roman was sick of talking about how he has no idea of how they looked so alike before…

“Wait,” any person who comes to this new realization says, “are you…?”

“No,” Roman says sharply. “I’ve never met him before camp.” 

“Are you cousins?” asks a young, wide-eyed delegate from the Elm cabin asks during morning announcements.

“I don’t have any American cousins.” Roman sighs, returning his attention to Marvin Sr.

Even a fifteen-year-old boy from Cypress asks as Maple moves toward the lake for morning activities—usually, the over-fourteens don’t bother with the under-thirteens, Asher tells him in an undertone, so this news spreading so wide is a big deal.

“I think it’s just a freak coincidence,” Roman says, trying his very best to come across cool.

“Huh,” the fifteen-year-old grunts, then, “Well, I heard it was a good game, anyway. We’ll let you know if we need a child prodigy to empty out Hickory, huh?”

Roman’s eyebrows jump up his forehead; Hickory was one of the two oldest cabins, home to the seventeen- and eighteen-year-olds usually in their last year of camp unless they decided to apply to be a counselor.

“Er, yeah!” Roman says. “Let me know. Whenever.”

“Hickory!” Asher hisses into Roman’s ear as the fifteen-year-old makes their way back to their own kayak.

“I know!”

⁂

The pool at Camp Walden was a highly prized activity location.

The older campers—trusted earlier to take their schedules in their own hands—tended to lounge around the pool most days, splashing around in the shallows or napping on the benches or hogging the diving boards to do fancy dives and cannonballs and backflips.

But today? Today is Pine’s time to shine.

It’s a glorious day to be in the cool pool; the sun beats down on them from the perfect blue sky with no option to hide behind any sort of cloud. There’s not even the little wispy ones gathering up above—perfectly clear.

Perfectly hot. 

And perfect for swimming.

Remus has an excellent time cavorting with the rest of his cabin, yelling and shouting and getting into splash fights and getting scolded by the lifeguard on duty. 

They play mermaids—Remus’s tail is lime green and he has superpowers—and flip their hair into their best imitations of George Washington.

They dive down to see who can touch the bottom of the pool and come back quickest, who can hold their breath the longest, who can throw pennies into the pool the best and who can collect the most scattered change.

They clamber onto each other’s shoulders and play Chicken and have splash fights and they wrestle each other into the water.

It’s perfect.

Right up until Maple Cabin strolls by with his dorky clone.

“Ugh,” Remus mutters, and he pulls himself up out of the water.

“Hey, James!” He shouts. “Come back for a repeat performance, have you?”

“Repeat performance?” James says, baffled, but it’s too late; Remus has already taken two large steps back, and he begins to sprint.

“CANNONBALL!” Remus bellows, and he launches himself into the pool, curling into as tight a ball as he can, per the Remus Parker Cannonball Protocol. 

It perfect, he can tell from the instant he hits the water, hearing the starts of James’s screech even as he gets more deeply submerged in the water; he surfaces and beholds.

James is just about as soaked as he is, gaping at Parker.

“You—!”

Words seem to fail him; James dips his foot in the pool, kicks a might splash in Remus’s direction, and then storms off with his wet shoes and socks, leaving little trails of chlorinated water as he goes.

Remus snickers as he dives deeper into the water.

⁂

Okay, so, Remus is technically keeping his promise to his Pa. He isn’t exploding anything, which was the main thing.

….he is enacting some destruction.

Just a little. Just a little destruction—!

Remus ducks his head and refocuses on his work, haphazardly tugging needle and thread.

He’s not pissed about jumping in the lake naked; he wouldn’t have dished it out if he couldn’t take it, after all. It was actually pretty fun, if he’s being honest; Remus can see why adults are so keen on skinny dipping now.

But stealing his clothes? That was a surprisingly low blow from his stuck-up prick evil clone. 

So if his evil clone and his cabinmates didn’t want him wearing clothes? Fine. Then they couldn’t either.

Remus mutters to himself and occasionally cackles as he keeps working, with a needle and thread snuck out from the evil clone’s supplies.

⁂

“Thanks for covering for me,” Roman mutters to Monroe as he slips into line at the mess hall.

“No prob,” Monroe says, casual. “Do anything fun?”

Roman considers it.

“It has the potential for fun,” he says, his hand straying to the scrap piece of sandpaper in his pocket. “I dunno if we’ll see the results, but he’ll certainly experience them.”

“That’s what I like to hear!” Monroe declares, pounding Roman on the back. 

Roman manages not to drop his tray, laughs weekly, and quickly reaches to pick out the best segment of lasagna that’s left for him to eat. 

He gets together his dinner—lasagna, garlic bread, caesar salad—and moves to the table, avoiding the eyes of their counselor.

Not that his counselor is likely to care much anyway. It kind of seems like this crop of counselors are more concerned with recreating their own camp days rather than actually guiding the children through camp.

That serves Roman just fine.

“What’d you even do, anyway?” Asher whispers to him.

Roman looks back and forth to ensure they haven’t been heard.

“Sanded down his shoes,” he says quietly. “So now he’ll slip and fall anywhere he goes.”

Asher snorts, quickly burying any laughter into drinking his Gatorade. 

“Dunno if I’ve ever heard that one before!”

“It’s not very common,” Roman says. “A small revenge, I know, I’ll have to plot for him splashing me today…”

“Ugh, yes,” Asher says, too loud, and Roman shushes him.

“Later!”

“Later,” Asher says. “Yeah, duh, later. Uh—so what did you think about the, uh… tennis matches today?”

“I don’t know much about tennis,” Roman says. “I know about the fashion at Wimbledon, mostly. Erm,” he says, because Asher’s giving him an odd look, “why don’t you tell me about it?”

And so Roman is treated to a long tirade about the finer points of tennis: the game rules, the set rules, the point system, the famous players that Asher is pulling for (Roman only knows about Venus and Serena Williams, who Dad had loudly rooted for during the Battle of the Sexes earlier this year, Asher’s listing off all men) and the finer points of rackets.

Roman had had no idea that Asher was so passionate about tennis, but it’s certainly good cover for the fact that Roman came into dinner late. They’d probably think he was busy researching tennis trivia.

But then Asher falls quiet; Roman blinks, before he turns.

Remus Parker, returned from dumping his plates to be washed, is standing before Maple table, surveying them all with a wild, disconcerting grin on his face.

He looks… very pleased, Roman can’t help but note. Why does he look so pleased?

“Nice duds, Monroe,” he says mildly.

Monroe blinks; he’s wearing a Camp Walden branded t-shirt, one that all of them had gotten upon entry at camp.

“...thanks,”

“Nice duds for all of you,” Remus says. 

“What are you getting at, Parker,” Asher snaps.

“Oh, nothing, nothing,” Remus says. “It’s just that you all have such nice clothes, and I’ve recently found that I’m missing some of mine.”

Roman stares at his plate.

“What’s that to use?” Monroe says. “So you managed to misplace your clothes, why should we care?”

“Oh, but you should care,” Remus says. “So easy to misplace clothes at camp. Lose them. Get messy.”

An uncomfortable pall settles over the table. 

“Better check on your clothes,” Remus Parker says, and he cackles as he leaves the Maple table.

Everyone exchanges nervous looks.

⁂

Maple falls silent at the sight before them.

The cabin is in chaos.

Everyone’s trunks are torn open, their belongings flung about absolutely scattershot; mostly just clothes. Clothes hanging from the bunk beds, clothes stuffed into their cubby boxes, clothes tossed up onto the ceiling fan and under beds and over blankets and just everywhere. T-shirts, shorts, jeans, shoes—it’s nuts.

Roman, frowning, reaches forward and picks up the most forefront item—a plaid blanket that he thinks belongs to Monroe.

He shakes it out. And, like a war banner, a message is emblazoned upon it.

REMUS WUZ HERE, it reads in block letters (shoddy stitching, Roman notices absently) above a jagged… something?

“Is that a spider?” Monroe says.

“A kraken?” Asher offers uncertainly.

“It’s an octopus, I think?” Roman says uncertainly, tilting the shirt to the side. 

There’s a thoughtful pause.

“...Why an octopus, though?”

“No idea,” Roman says. “Why a spider, or a kraken?”

Monroe scoffs, shaking his head. “There’s something seriously wrong with that kid.”

“I’m not disagreeing with you,” Roman says and readies his needle, thread, and scissors. “All right, if he got to your clothes, drop ‘em here! No one picks on Maple!”

A cheer goes up from his cabin mates.

“We’ve got this!” Roman cries back.

It’s a good deal less cinematic when the answering cry is a load of what is essentially laundry is dropped onto his bunk.

“While I’m fixing this,” Roman says, ideas turning slowly in his mind, “Let’s talk revenge.”

previous chapter | masterpost | next chapter

23, 39 and 45 🌞

Thank you, darling, dor the questions🌼

23. Can you do a headstand (not using the wall)?

I'll say it here: I'm not a sports person! I used to be able to do it (using a wall and with a terrible technique) when I was in middle school, because teachers of course obliged me to do certain things.

Now I can't at all. I love long walks, I love kayaking, I love to lazily swim and spend time in water. And that's about it.

I haven't ridden a bike in so long. I never run.

I used to horse ride when I was younger and I wish I could get back to it. I used to do gym exercises at home but even though I felt good afterwards, I found it so boring that I eventually stopped.

Now I'd like to start doing yoga and maybe I'll start to ride a bixe again in the future.

What can I say? I'm almost hyperactive mentally, but I don't like too much physical effort (unless it's sexual, that's a whole another story). I don't even care about muscles and stuff; I used to, but now I'm happy about my softness and I actually like to have people help lift heavy things or take things for me when they're too high and I can't reach them.

39. Been caught doing something you weren't supposed to?

I have several times. But there's this particular event that still makes me ashamed to this day.

I was in middle school and I was out with a few friends one summer afternoon. We were children and children sometimes write on rides, swings etc. their crushes' names with markers. Right?

We we're doing that and some old man saw us and threatened to call the police. We didn't give him too nuch weight and we went on doing other games.

Well, he did call the local police.

He was right, of course, but calling the police might have been a little too much, I think that he could have made us a speach about why it was wrong to do certain things.

Our parents were never told of course. The police just told us not to do it again and that was it.

45. Do you like to travel by plane?

I haven't in so long, but I do!

I prefer other transports, like car or train, but the plane is good!

50 shades of privacy invasion

15 Questions 15 Mutuals Tag

Thanks for the tag, @sync-eqm!

Tagging... Anyone that sees this? Still don't have a gen tag list...

Are you named after anyone? My parents say no; my brother likes to say I'm named after a girl he liked at school XD My middle name is hereditary though - my Mum and maternal grandmother have/had the same. I think I may be after another female relative back the chain, but I'm not sure.

When was the last time you cried? What level of tears here? Because I had a medium sprinkle on Wed... Work was a bitch, the blood tide rose, I was exhausted and couldn't cook. I asked the Gent for validation that I wasn't a terrible person, and his response made me cry in relief. Last time full out sobbing? I had a dream about my dad that messed me up to the point of waking the housemate up to sob on her shoulder.

Do you have kids? Not biologically.

Do you use sarcasm a lot? I try not to. I know a lot of people who have trouble picking it up, so it's unfair to use it around them.

What’s the first thing you notice about people? Their hair

What’s your eye colour? Not to sound *~❁special❁~*, but I'm told the colour is 'sea green' - nominally they're blue, but they hue shift towards green sometimes.

Scary movies or happy endings? Neither; bittersweet/ tragic endings

Any special talents? Pretty good sense of direction, pretty good sense of time, apparently I make an excellent cup of tea.

Where were you born? SW UK

What are your hobbies? Vidya games, TTRPG, writing, '''media consumption''', making graphics, travel

Have you any pets? Nope. Unless plants count? Fuck it, I'm telling you about my plants. * Bird of Paradise - I've had this since it was a wee babby. It's 17y/o now, sadly never flowered, but lives quite happily in its massive white pot and occasionally causes problems by being Huge and In The Bloody Way. * 'Alo Vera - I had a small Aloe and tried to pot it on but it died. So Sister In Law gave me one of hers. I water it when I remember and in the meantime it pretends to be a triffid. * Blueberry Bush - Mum got this for my birthday 2 years ago. It was brilliant the first year, but I went on holiday during the really hot weather last year and it didn't give many berries. Fresh bluebs for breakfast is amazing though. * Winter Heather - This came from someone my Mum works with. No one wanted the poor thing so I took it in. It's very pretty. * Strawbs - It was like 50p last year. I thought it wouldn't survive but I got a few berries off it. Last summer was not kind to it either. It's still got greenery so hopefully it'll fruit again this year. * Dianthus - Another one bought last summer, because I said Fuck It, I Want Flowers. The petunia didn't last, but surprisingly the dianthus is still growing well. * Sammy the Littlest Cactus III - A tiny cactus I bought 5 years ago for my office. It's doing really well, but it needs potting on and I'm a bit afraid to... because guess what happened to Sammy I and II? * Spiky mcWTF - A zebra plant I adopted when its person left our company. I'm surprised it survived because it got left in the office during lockdown and was over-watered by the Boss. Also needs potting out... * Amarilys - technically this one is the Housemate's but it lives on my desk and I look after it. Very pretty. Hopefully it flowers this year, it might need some plant feed though.

What sports do you play/have played? I used to swim competitively and I also use to kayak. I still enjoy sea swimming in the summer and medium hikes. But I never was and am not still very sporty.

How tall are you? Allegedly Average at 5'4" / 1.63m

Favourite subject in school? Geography.

Dream job? IDK. I used to say I wanted to be a librarian or a coder. Working as a H&S assistant was really fulfilling. Now... Travel writer?

Kakadu's Wetlands and Waterfalls: Tours for Nature Lovers

Kakadu's wetlands are a wonder of nature. From the waterfalls to the wetlands, there is something for everyone.

There are many experience tours in Kakadu you can go on that will help you learn more about this beautiful place and its wildlife. If you've ever wanted to visit Kakadu's wetlands, then read on!

Where to start?

Kakadu is a large national park and there are many places to visit. It's best to plan ahead, so you can make the most of your visit.

How do I get there? The closest airport is Darwin, followed by Katherine and Tennant Creek. There are regular flights from Darwin and Katherine into Jabiru, where you can hire a car or bus service for the rest of your journey.

What should I see? Kakadu has something for everyone, whether it's nature trails through ancient rainforests or swimming with crocodiles at one of its many waterfalls!

The Green Tree Frogs of the Kakadu National Park

The green tree frogs of the Kakadu National Park are a common sight in the wetlands and waterfalls. They can also be found in billabongs, which are small pools of water surrounded by vegetation.

The green tree frogs of the Kakadu National Park are small and green, making them hard to see unless you know where to look! If you're lucky enough to spot one, don't worry: they won't hurt you.

Yellow Water Billabong

Yellow Water Billabong is a must-see on your trip to Kakadu. It's a great place to see wildlife, including birds and crocodiles. The billabong is named for the yellow water lilies that grow in the water, which makes it easy to spot from afar.

Yellow Water Billabong is located just north of Kakadu National Park and can be accessed by car or by boat tour with your guide or even by yourself if you're feeling adventurous!

Katherine River

You'll be cruising along the Katherine River, which is the longest river in the Northern Territory. The Katherine River is also a popular destination for canoeing and kayaking, so you'll have plenty of time to enjoy the scenery around you. 

If you're interested in fishing or bird-watching while on tours Kakadu, there are many nearby spots that offer these activities as well.

Wangi Falls

Wangi Falls is a great place to swim. The water is safe and clear, but it's also a bit cold, so don't expect to feel like you're on vacation in the Caribbean or anything!

You can swim under one of the falls or jump into one of two pools at the bottom of both falls. If you want something more exciting than just jumping off rocks into water, try swimming downriver from your tour group's boat and back toward them--it'll take some time but will be worth it when everyone sees how brave you were!

Conclusion

Kakadu is one of the most beautiful places on Earth and it's easy to see why. The lush wetlands, waterfalls and incredible wildlife will leave you in awe. If you're looking for tours Kakadu, we’re sure that your travel would be more adventurous. 

Source URL: https://sites.google.com/view/tours-kakadu-for-nature-lovers/

Hare Trigger : ep209

Autumn: I’m stuffed. I think I ate too much breakfast.

Beri: Let’s go for a swim.

Autumn: Swim on a full stomach?

Beri: Yes, silly. We’re not going to drown. We’re going to disprove some old wives tales.

Autumn: A last act of defiance before actually becoming a wife?

Beri: Hahaha, exactly. Come on Cheyenne, the girls are going swimming!

Cheyenne’s long curvy figure is stretched out and her arm is bridging the gap between our two lounge chairs as we hold hands in our slumber. I can feel her give me a quick squeeze on my finger to let me know that she’s going to let my hand go so she can join the girls for a swim.

I open my eyes to the sight of the three girls posing on the beach for a selfie. Cheyenne in her red bikini, Autumn in her white bikini, and Beri in her blue bikini. It’s pure pornography for the mid thirties males in attendance. Three curvy American women in the prime of their lives, arms and legs tangled together like supermodels in a Peter Lindbergh photo, toes and butt cheeks covered in Sardinian beach sand.

Floody: Would you look at that? God Bless America.

Henrik: Haha. Vive la France!

Floody: Henrik, you’re such eurotrash. That looks like an American flag.

Henrik: French flag dude. We’re in the med!

Me: Bah! Vive la Bikini.

Henrik: Yes! Vive la Bikini.

Floody: I’ll drink to that.

Henrik: You’ll drink to anything, mate.

Me: So true!

The Mediterranean being a sea, not an ocean, means that unless the Mistral winds are blowing the water is supernaturally calm, especially here in the channel between Corsica and Sardinia. There’s a swim platform a solid 75 meters offshore and the girls are floating casually toward it like a little flotilla of flesh. It’s a good long swim, but they spend most of the journey across laying on their backs, half floating, half swimming, laughing and giggling all the while.

The diffused light under the umbrella is intoxicating and with the girls safely on the swim platform I begin to drift off toward a light nap. I begin to dream about predator drones flown by lop eared bunnies. Unfortunately a species that typically avoids conflict, the US military’s bunny pilot experiment fails miserably. Just as I’m beginning to contemplate the finer details for employing a herbivore for armed conflict, a commotion wakes me.

It’s Cheyenne. She’s standing on the swim platform waving our arms to get our attention.

“Send a kayak!” I hear faintly.

Floody: What is she saying?

Me: It sounds like she’s saying “Send a kayak.”

I shout back in reply “Is everyone okay?”

Cheyenne yells across the bay “Autumn isn’t feeling well and she needs a ride back to shore.”

Floody is alarmed. His pregnant damsel is in distress and she’s 75 meters offshore. We returned the pedal boats, but Floody and Henrik quickly convince the kid at the rental counter that we need one for just five minutes. The rental agent is initially hesitant, but when Floody explains the situation, the kid acquiesces. And it’s a good thing he did too, because I was beginning to imagine his Italian blood being spilled in the name of commerce as I watch Floody steam across the gap like a dreadnought to rescue his lady.

Thanks, @niuniente for the tag! here we go! :3

1. Are you named after anyone?

Yes? It’s been awhile since my mom explained, but apparently both my sister @chelseyjohnsonconceptdesign and I were named after characters from a tv show if I remember correctly..? I don’t often associate with my real name unless for legal reasons, but I really began to like my name more after finding out the meaning of it during college.

2. When was the last time you cried?

Oh gods I don’t really remember. Probably when finding out Dad had hit his head on concrete and had to have major surgery (he’s fine now and doing great but was still scary waking up to a phone call early on that Monday morning a week before Halloween).

3. Do you have kids?

Nope, and I don’t plan on having any anytime soon.

4. Do you use sarcasm a lot?

Not really unless I feel humorous I suppose? Not much of a sarcastic person and I generally don’t get a lot of jokes unless they are funny to me. I can try and do puns, but only when I’m in the mood I guess.

6. What's your eye color?

Blue/green grey? It changes with the seasons.

7. Scary movies or happy endings?

Happy endings though I don’t mind a good scare or plot twist :3

8. Any special talents?

Other than art and playing an instrument/reading music, I can wiggle my ear and have a freckle in one my eyes if that counts? Oh and being a twin of course.

9. Where were you born?

Mississippi, USA

10. What are your hobbies?

Drawing, sculpting, sewing, making stuff out of nothing...but if not that I love reading, writing, kayaking, swimming, and hiking when I’m able to.

11. Have you any pets?

Nope. Can’t have any due to contract with landlord at our current rental home. I used to have lots of pets growing up though and still miss them even after they’ve passed. Fun fact: Used to have not only cats, dogs, and fish but also hedgehog, horse, rabbit, chickens, pigs, and a deer. Tis why I enjoy pet sitting so much when the opportunity arises.

12. What sports do you play/have played?

Oh gosh. I wasn’t big into doing sports minus marching band (yes I consider it a sport). But I did play softball and soccer when I was little.

13. How tall are you?

5′7″ or 170.18 cm

14. Favorite subject in school?

I loved art classes, but if not that definitely band, music, and biology.

15. Dream job? I want to be successful doing art for a living, but if not that definitely doing something positive in the world to make it a better place.

Tagging whoever wants to do this! <3

The great adventures of y/n, Tommy, Jack masterlist

an: this started out as just adventures of y/n, Tommy, Jack however it was then another part was requested so i’ve decided to make it a series based on vlogs from tommy/jack/tubbo (tubbo isnt in the part one but is in part two onwards unless stated otherwise) i’m so happy you like my work :D i will try to get updates done pretty regularly as i want to try and have it so when they upload a vlog i can write asap continuing the series !!

part 1: lost in tesco and afternoon fishing

part 2: another day another adventure

part 3: minecraft cave irl

part 4: highest we’ve ever been

part 5: training for the military

part 6: swimming with the boys

part 7: a rollercoaster of emotions

part 8: racing across the sea

part 9: the water olympics

part 10: we built a boat

part 11: using tanks to battle

part 12: i have a (paintball) gun

part 13: trampolines and chaos

part 14: tommy won’t go home

part 15: relaxing with goats

part 16: craziest obstacle course in the sky

part 18: our application for ninja warrior

part 19: shooting shit with a bazooka

part 20: stranded in the ocean with tommy and ranboo

part 21: still stuck in the ocean but tubbos here now

part 22: exploring the city

bonus-

these are not based on vlogs but some cool ideas anons have sent in !! :]

ep 1: kayaking aka becoming masters of the river

ep 2: butterflies everywhere (tubbo&y/n)

ep 3: how friendships are made

ep 4: we’re making history (tubbo&y/n)

ep 5: welcome home ranboo

ep 6: the best mcc team

ep 7: trying to escape

ep 8 : hanging out with pogboy

ep 9: Goodbye boo

alternative endings - read bold text underneath!

this does not mean the series is anywhere near the end i plan on continuing the series as vlogs come out !

E1 - possible ending song (A)

E2 - things are looking up

E3 - just come home

E4 - it was never meant to be (A)

ok let’s talk SUNSCREEN

SO the UV filters available in the US can at this point be considered truly terrible. One of the main reasons you’re supposed to reapply sunscreen every two hours is that many of the filters we use are destroyed by the very UV radiation they are designed to block. Killed in the line of duty, thank you for your sacrifice, etc. Counterpoint: sunscreen is gross and reapplying it every two hours is the worst. I am not doing that. Fortunately, Europe and Japan/Korea have been much quicker to approve newly developed more stable UV filters for use and at this point they have some really good ones. They also have much better UVA protection, both because of the better filters available and better labeling regulations.

A quick simplified summary: UVB causes sunburns, is directly absorbed by DNA strands which causes the mutations that lead to skin cancer, SPF measures protection against this only. UVA does more generic damage, creates free radicals associated with aging, wrinkles, collagen loss, pigmentation, etc. etc., but can also contribute to immunosuppression and therefore skin cancer. It’s more complex than this obviously but that’s not really the point of this post.

My sunscreen criteria: I hate wearing sunscreen. However, Accutane + sun = an extremely bad time. My ideal sunscreen is something that doesn’t feel disgusting to wear so I will wear it regularly in the first place (i.e. dry-touch), something I ideally don’t have to reapply super often under normal daily use (i.e. photostable UV filters, water-resistant when necessary), and has maximum protection. As long as I’m wearing it, I also want as much UVA protection as I can find, without compromising the former criteria.

Note: The sunscreens I tried are almost all chemical UV filters and several are loaded with alcohol, so if that upsets your skin then proceed with caution/ask me for a specific rec!

Note 2: All of these are SPF50+ (the highest rating allowed in the EU (meaning they tested at at least SPF60) unless otherwise specified *cough*Supergoop*cough*)

Best Face: Kao Biore UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence (x)

Best feel, best protection, best price point. This gets recommended everywhere for a reason. Bit of a silicone feel on the face. No white cast. Smells like alcohol at first. Really, really quality daily face sunscreen. Water resistant. Caveat that because of the alcohol I would make sure to throw a layer of moisturizer on beforehand to make sure I’m not totally drying myself out.

Also make sure you get the name exactly right, there’s a blah blah Watery Gel that’s totally different consistency, totally different filters, etc. etc. It has to be Watery Essence.

Best Body: Eucerin Sun Sensitive Protect Dry Touch Sun Gel-Cream (x)

This was a sleeper hit, so shout-out to Eucerin for the greatest body sunscreen I’ve ever tried. This stuff is SO protective and dries SO. DAMN. DRY. Zero grease somehow, feels like nothing. It’s even water resistant. I tried a couple LRP body sunscreens but they honestly aren’t worth mentioning. Eucerin or bust babey!

More Face Sunscreens:

I’ve also tried all top five sunscreens from this Stylevana listicle of Asian face SPF (x). The thing about face sunscreens that they’ve started doing is loading them up with silicones and acrylate polymers, which leaves a silicone-y feel on your skin like a makeup primer. As far as I can tell from poking through various patents, these polymers are doing a few things in the formula: a) emulsifying/stabilizing the newer/bigger UV filter molecules, and creating an occlusive layer over the UV filter molecules on the skin to a) improve water resistance and b) reduce eye stingy-ness. At first I thought I wanted to avoid these seemingly unnecessary additives but considering their function, these are all features I want/need in a face sunscreen so we’re living with them.

1. Shiseido - Anessa Perfect UV Sunscreen Skincare Milk: really good, sliiight white cast but absolutely no streaks, more like a foundation just a hair too light for my skin tone. However I can’t imagine buying this because #2 on the list is better and 1/3 the price. Medium silicone feel. Something I’d probably only break out for when I went to an outdoor summer wedding.

2. Kao - Biore UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence: I have already sung its praises.

3. MISSHA - All Around Safe Block Essence Sun Milk: closest to a US milky/greasy sunscreen experience here, though very fluid and still absorbs nicely. No silicone feel. Not a bad choice but nothing special.

4. Canmake - Mermaid Skin Gel UV: probably second favorite after Biore. Similar, bit less of a silicone feel. I’ve gotten red a couple times using this though, possibly because less silicone feel = no layer of protection against sweat/physically rubbing off? I bet this would be perfect under makeup though, it’s super light.

5. COSRX - Aloe Soothing Sun Cream: SO moisturizing, almost a dewy feel that sits on your skin and never dries. I wanted to love her, but unfortunately she is so loaded with the aforementioned polymers that when you reapply/put the appropriate amount on to begin with, it completely gums up and pills and you lose all protection. Also definitely not water resistant. Probably my top pick for a winter daily face sunscreen that I wouldn’t ever be worrying about reapplying though.

Other Contenders:

La Roche-Posay Anthelios Invisible Fluid (x) and Bioderma Photoderm Max Milk (x)

These two bad boys have the highest rated UVA protection currently on the market, 46 PPD for La Roche-Posay and 42 PPD for Bioderma. The LRP is extremely watery (technically alcohol-y) and comes in a teeny bottle(though same size as a lot of these I guess) but it is The Best UVA protection money can buy. The texture is really nice too, and feels super water resistant. If I’m outside sweating or on the water in the summer, this is going on my face. I've also seen it on sale multiple times since I’ve started researching sunscreens (because it’s extremely popular) so you can definitely find it in the $0.30/mL-or-less tier if you keep an eye out.

This Bioderma is cheaper and also extremely protective (thanks Helena @bronyraurmp3 for the rec!) but unfortunately it stung both my and Mr T’s eyes like a BITCH. Extremely unpleasant experiences for both of us. TBH if I’m out in midday sun, swimming or kayaking or something, I’m gonna be wearing a long-sleeved UPF rashguard to protect my arms and upper body and not worrying too much about whatever cheap greasy sunscreen I put on my legs. This Bioderma stuff would be going on my neck, ears, and hands though bc it’s super water resistant.

Eucerin Sun Sensitive Protect Mattifying Fluid : bit of a white cast, really slippy texture going on and nice dry touch texture when it dried down, but drying down took foreeever. Probably really nice if you’re sensitive and pale.

Eucerin Sun Oil Control Gel-Cream Dry Touch : VERY matte and dry-touch, would have loved it if I hadn’t gotten burned using it (doesn’t have all the newest most stable UV filters). Approaching the expensive end of things too, but would be a lovely option if you really prioritize non-greasiness and don’t need the premium protection? Mr T really liked using it on his bald head lol.

Supergoop Unseen Sunscreen SPF40 (US): This is recommended many places but it has to be a joke that people are actually paying Shiseido Anessa prices for old American UV filter selection, only SPF 40, and no UVA rating to speak of, right??? (ok they do have a PA+++ rating meaning a PPD of 8-16, so. this is acceptable.) I did not test this one but damn wtf. The texture is probably nice though and it looks perfectly sheer in the photos on their website, so maybe as a last resort for darker skintones that show a white cast with everything else? At that price tho... you do you but damn.

Jigott Snail UV Sun Block : This had good reviews on Yesstyle but it sucked. White streaks, bad.

La Roche-Posay Anthelios Ultra-Light Tinted Mineral Sunscreen SPF60 (US): Another in the outdoor-wedding only price range. There’s a tinted and a non-tinted mineral version and I ended up mixing them together to get a shade that looked pretty good on me, but needing two bottles for that puts it in the extremely ridiculous price category. Really slippy nice texture that takes a bit to dry but dries down perfectly matte. I guess the person who wants to shell out for a high end all-mineral tinted sunscreen exists somewhere out there but I would bet there are many nice cheaper mineral options out there that I haven’t tried.

And that’s it! For EU sunscreens, I was able to order them on caretobeauty.com, and Japanese/Korean ones from yesstyle.com or stylevana.com, though I had to go to eBay for the Biore and Anessa. I ordered some Biore from a seller on Amazon but they shipped from Japan and I think they got taken by customs because the last known location on the tracking info is Chicago, so finding a seller in the US that has already imported them seems like a good idea (vendor lullabellabeauty on eBay worked great for me, fwiw, I will definitely order my Biore from there in the future).

If you have specific questions about any of these, or if you have any recs you think I should try, hmu! You will be shocked I’m sure to hear I have a whole sunscreen database at this point.

The Secret

Rafael Barba x Reader. 

CW: language, some suggestive language, some angst, tooth rotting fluff.

Prompts filled: “Hey if your inspired could you do prompt 26. "Do you think they can hear us through the tent?” “Yes we can.” With Barba and a new detective? Maybe the squad went on a camping trip? If you don’t have time then no worries!” @bre160997 plus “Hi, hun! If it's okay, could I request prompt 12 + 29 from the Lyric Starters? Maybe a fight with Barba in front of the SUV or something, I'm really just craving for angst from @i-t-s-a-n-d-y & finally, from @thefanficfaerie Dr. Who Challenge: “Then you stole me. And I stole you… What made you think I had any intention of ever giving you back.”

WC: 2118

--

“Did you hear? We are going to do some team building exercise this weekend?” Amanda groaned as you entered the locker room.

“What? No. I was going through a case file all afternoon with Barba.” You replied, as you gathered your belongings.

“Barba and Y/N sitting in a tree… k-i-s-s-i-n-g.” Amanda sang, which garnered a glare from you.

“Oh stop it!” You threw your jacket at Amanda who caught it. “It’s not like that.”

Amanda cocked her brow at you. You sighed, defeated. “Okay, it’s like that. But please don’t say anything to Olivia. Barba and I haven’t made it official. He keeps stalling. And there is a ton of disclosure paperwork that needs to be completed.”

“I’m aware – you forget Sonny and I…” Amanda wiggled her left hand at you. You rolled your eyes.

“I know – but it’s different. You and Carisi had a long history together. You each had rank. I’m the newbie.”

“And Barba is the hand that rocks the cradle.” Amanda snickered. “Why do you think he keeps stalling? It’s been six months.”

You grabbed your jacket from Amanda. “So what exactly is this team building exercise?” You asked, ignoring her question. 

Truth be told, you were terrified as to why Rafael kept stalling.

--

“What the hell is this place?” You wondered out loud, as you stepped out of the SUV.

“Welcome to Bear Mountain!” Sonny replied, slapping his hand on your back. He walked past you and you watched as the rest of the team climbed out of the car.

“Fresh mountain air, private trails, a clean creek. We’re going to have ourselves a true mountain adventure and take to the wildness.” Oliva replied.

A woman with wild hair and a hippie dippy dress approached. She had a wide , friendly smile. “Are you the police group from NYC? SVU?”

Olivia nodded.

“Welcome, welcome! I’m Teres, and I am the owner of these grounds. “ Teres clapped her hands and the bangle bracelets she wore clinked together.

Sonny raised his brow and Amanda jabbed him in the ribs.

“These grounds are actually behind my family’s orchard and farm. We have tents set up for you all, but there is also a micro-cabin with a fully functioning bathroom and shower. While it seems like you have left the world behind, we are 10 minutes from the local grocer, diner, deli and pizza place. Barton’s Orchard is also a 15 minute drive. Tymor Park is 2 miles down the road. There you will find a swimming pool, more hiking trails, a lake for boating, volleyball courts and more.” Teres continued. “Is everyone here?”

Olivia looked around. “We’re waiting for one more.”

You turned to Liv. “Who else is coming?”

“Barba.” Olivia replied. “Thank you for having us, Teres.”

Amanda looked over at you and winked.

--

“The purpose of this weekend is to bring the team together. Now that we have Kat…” Olivia announced, smiling at the young detective. “And Y/N.” She smiled at you. “Carisi is our new ADA and Barba is our new Bureau Chief. Things at the one-six have shaken up. I thought this would be a nice way to get away from the hum-drum of the city and do some old-school bonding.”

At that moment, the rumble of a car approaching the grounds filled the air. You watched as Rafael got out of the cab. He was way over dressed naturally - this did not surprise you. He seemed awkward and out of place. He frowned looking around before his eyes met Liv’s and he smiled brightly. He walked over and said hello. You tried to say hi but he brushed you off and immediately you hated the weekend and wanted to go home.

Your whole life you lived by the motto that you don’t shit where you eat. You didn’t do workplace romances. Then you transferred to Manhattan SVU and had a random hook-up with one very sexy Cuban man after your first hard case who just happened to be the Bureau Chief. But after that one incident, in which you both swore could never happen again, you both couldn’t keep your hands off each other.

But it was a secret. Months and months passed. Now it was six months in. You kept wanting to tell Olivia – but Rafael kept saying it was not the right time. More and more, it felt like the guilt of the relationship was taking its toll. You finally caved one night to your partner, Amanda, spilling every last drop.

Amanda took the information in stride and promised she would keep it all under confidence. That said, she did enjoy occasionally ribbing you from time to time about it.

Night quickly approached. The whole time Rafael dodged you as best as he could. You pulled out your phone and wondered if you could fake an emergency to escape. The campsite claimed there was wi-fi but the connection was shitty.

“Hey.”

You looked up at Fin, who crouched next to you. “Hey.” You replied dejectedly while you nibbled at a s’more.

“You okay? You’ve been quiet all day. Not like you.” Fin replied. You sighed, watching Sonny and Amanda across the campsite with Rafael, laughing over God knows what.

“Yeah. Just tired. Camping isn’t my thing.” You replied. “I need to be in actual civilization.”

“I get that. I don’t do nature either.”

“I think… I am going to head to bed.” You replied standing. You stretched out your hand. “Want the rest of my s’more?”

“Nah, I’m good.” Fin replied. “Maybe Barba wants it. He’s always hungry.” He laughed and jutted his head towards the direction where Barba was.

You hummed and gave Fin a smile before heading to your tent. The ground was cold and hard. Sleep was futile.

It was one weekend. You could do this.

--

The next morning, breakfast was being had and Olivia was busy going over some of the bonding activities everyone was going to partake in. You decided to take your coffee to go, walking up a trail.

“Y/N, you shouldn’t go by yourself. Barba, why don’t you accompany her?” Amanda replied, with a wink to you. “Unless you want to go kayaking with us.”

You shot a look at Amanda. “I don’t need a babysitter.”

“Nonsense – everyone should be in pairs. You never know what could happen.” Olivia replied. “Besides this is about team morale and building.”

“Great.” You gritted. Rafael looked at you and gave you a small, forced smile.

“After you, detective. Lead the way.” Rafael replied.

The walk up the trail towards Tymor Park was mostly quiet between you. After you were far enough from the campsite, you whipped around and stepped in front of Rafael, causing him to take a step back.

“I was trying to get away from you!” You hissed.

“Look, Y/N, I don’t know why you are so upset with me.” Rafael began. “I told you I wasn’t ready to disclose.”

“When will you be ready? Why don’t you respect me or our relationship?” You replied, sitting on a rock.

“That’s not true – you know I respect you. It is just complicated.”

“No, it’s not. You are making it complicated.” You watched as a white butterfly flitted by.

Rafael sighed and sat on a rock next to you. “I thought we wouldn't last a month. But then we did, and then another month, and I'm still not sure how this happened.”

Rafael pulled your chin to face him. You jutted your chin out from his grasp. ““It feels like you don’t care.” You scoffed. You stood and crossed your arms. “Well?” You asked, exasperated when Rafael didn’t immediately respond. Your eyes began to shimmer with tears that threatened to fall.

You looked over your shoulder as you began to march in the opposite direction. “I’m going back to the campsite. If you want to follow me, that is your prerogative.”

---

Rafael used the opportunity to think about what he wanted to do as he followed you back to campsite. Truth was that he did like you – a lot. He might even dare to say his feelings bordered on love. But ever since Yelina had broken his heart so many years ago, he was reticent about any kind of relationship. Certainly his line of work didn’t allow for romance and he used that to his advantage.

Then you came along. And turned his whole world upside down.. 

You were the newest detective after Kat Tamin. You were like a breath of much needed fresh air. You weren’t jaded like the other detectives and thought outside the box. When other detectives offered stereotypical analysis, you had a way of providing another vantage point that might not have been otherwise stated.

You were also thirteen years his junior.

Rafael worried that disclosing the relationship would make him come across some kind of old man pervert. And instead of telling you and leaning on you, he decided to push you away because it was easier to avoid than deal with feelings he wasn’t used to.

When you had gotten back to the campsite, you stormed off to where Fin and Sonny were, joining them in a card game. Your eyes met Rafael’s and you glared at him before turning to Sonny and laughing at what he said.

Rafael felt his heart sink a bit. And then he gathered what resolve he had and vowed to make things right with you. He didn’t want to risk losing you.

---

After a day of more bonding activities, you all sat around the campfire. Sonny strummed his guitar – a hobby of his – as he lead everyone through a round of Wagon Wheel.

Picking me a bouquet of dogwood flowers

And I'm a-hopin' for Raleigh, I can see my baby tonight

So rock me momma like a wagon wheel…

Finally, everyone decided to hit the sack and call it a night. You were settling into your sleeping bag, when you heard the zipper to your tent open. You turned on your flashlight and directed it to the tent opening.

“Who the fu—”

Rafael poked his head in. “Can we talk?” The light shone directly into his eyes, nearly blinding him. He blocked the light with his hand.

You sighed. “I’m going to bed. Make it quick.”

Rafael climbed into the tent and settled next to you. You set the flashlight between you, causing an eerie glow. Rafael took your hands in his and pressed kisses along your knuckles.

“Hermosa, you deserve to know the truth. What I feel for you…” Rafael sighed, shaking his head. You felt your heart thud in your chest and your stomach churned. You thought perhaps he was going to break your heart for good.

You interrupted him and began to speak, your voice shaking. “Please spare me the humiliation…”

“No! If I ever made you feel like I don’t love you. That was my fault and I’m a bad liar.” Rafael replied.

“You love me?” You asked, your voice hopeful.

“I do.” Rafael replied. He pressed a chaste kiss to your lips. “Then you stole me. And I stole you… What made you think I had any intention of ever giving you back.”

“I love you too Rafael.” You replied. You climbed over to his lap, knocking over the flashlight. You leaned over and pressed your lips against his. Rafael groaned, and opened his mouth, returning your kiss. He stretched out his leg and pulled you into his lap. His hands ran up and down your thighs, squeezing your ass as you hungrily kissed each other. His tongue danced with yours and you ground yourself against him. You could feel his cock harden. You moaned loudly as he lowered his mouth to the slope of your neck sucking on a sweet spot, causing you to grind further down. “Oh Rafael!”

Rafael slapped his hand over your mouth. “Sshhh.”

“Do you think they can hear us through the tent?” You asked.

“Yes we can.” A voice that sounded a lot like Olivia’s called out. “And here I thought we would have to worry about Rollins and Carisi.”

You and Rafael burst into laughter. “Well, I was going to suggest disclosing in the morning, but I think we were found out.” Rafael replied.

“Good. Now that they all know…come here.” You replied – your voice was filled with want. You wrapped your hand around Rafael’s neck once more and pulled him down on top of you.

FIN.

Tags: @madpanda75 @tropes-and-tales @delia26 @mgarner1227 @beardedmccoy @youreverycolor @neely1177 @the-baby-bookworm @mrsrafaelbarba @skittle479 @ottosuricato @delia26 @sass-and-suspenders @mommakat32 @dreila03 @beccabarba @garturbo @lovebennycolon @imjustreallynosy @sweetsummertime99 @whyissvuruiningmylovelife @annabelleb49 @scarletsoldierrr @cesarofangirl78 @redlipstickandplaid @redlipstickandblacktea @zoeykaytesmom @differentshadesofgray @misssirenlove @esparza-army @bananas-pajamas @mishaissocoolike @thefanficfaerie @theenchantedgalleryofstories @catnip987 @choppedgalaxynerd @pieceofshittytitty @ktiz90 @evee87 @itsjustmyfantasyroom @blk0912 @choppedgalaxynerd @detective-giggles@rampantmuses @jazzyjoi @caked-crusader- anyone else, just ask! xo

Survey #392

“l.a. is where stars come to die”

Do you think there’s anything you did better when you were younger? I think I was a better writer, honestly. Like I've developed in some areas, like being less over-dramatic, but I just think my creativity in wording and such has dulled down. Who was the craziest teacher you’ve ever had? I've never had a "crazy" teacher, honestly. What’s the last thing you got paid to do? Take pictures. What’s the most romantic thing you’ve ever done for someone else? How should I know? Ask either Jason or Sara. Have you ever wanted to model? No. Have you ever seen someone have a seizure? I THINK my sister? Teddy had seizures in his old age, too. What’s your favorite car? I don't have one, really. Do you know any HTML or CSS? If yes, how much? I know veeeeery little basics. LIke, I can change the color of shit and that's about it lmao. Do you tend to care about the lives of celebrities? Why or why not? Only celebrities I really really care about, like Mark. What do you think of the scene style? #aesthetic and I will ALWAYS be envious of the hair. Have you ever told an extremely inappropriate joke? Oh god, I remember one. What is the highest you have been up, other than in an airplane? On a certain faire ride, I wanna say. Is there any hope of you ever seeing your favorite band in concert? Ozzy does want to do another tour at some point, but he's fighting Parkinson's currently, so it's not guaranteed it will happen. Mom and I planned on going to his last one that was scheduled, but the diagnosis cancelled it. :( What is your favorite non-green vegetable? Uhhhhh I guess potatoes. What is your favorite non-traditional fruit? I don't think I've even had a non-traditional fruit. Just basic stuff. Have you ever had Swedish Fish? Yeah, I'm not a fan. What is your favorite origami shape? Birds, I guess. Do you usually take the stairs or the elevator? I pretty much always take an elevator if one's available because my legs can barely handle stairs at all. It's agonizing for me. Do you need a key card to get into the building you live in? No. What was the last takeout food you had? I had a burger from McDonald's a few days ago. Do you take the pickle off your burgers? No, I love pickles on burgers. Do you share a bed with anyone? Just my cat. If you’ve read or watched Harry Potter, which book/movie is your favorite? I haven't. What’s the last app you downloaded on your phone? I re-installed DragonVale. What do you know the most about? Meerkats, Markiplier, and Silent Hill, probably. What TV shows can you not stand? What's that stupid show on Adult Swim, Rooster Teeth or something like that? That shit was so dumb. Have you ever tasted your own tears? I mean not intentionally. Sometimes tears just fall down a spot where it happens. Are your legs hairy? I can almost guarantee to you that I probably have the hairiest legs of any woman you've ever met. Do you like Cheese-Itz? I love them! We don't really buy them though because both Mom and I can destroy a box of them. Have you ever built a sandcastle? I have. Did you ever watch Barney as a child? Yeah, I loved Barney, but not as much as my older sister. She literally "married" him, haha. Have you ever had a pet rabbit? No, but my older sis did as a kid. That poor thing died and Ashley didn't know for THREE DAYS. Mom took it out earlier and I guess she wanted to see how long it took Ash to notice? She didn't take great care of it, so. Are you wearing anything of any sentimental value? Describe? Yes, my friendship ring with Sara. To you, what is especially distracting? Tapping noises. When was the last time you did some major cleaning? MAJOR cleaning? Good question. How do you feel about people who neglect their pets? It sickens me. Have you ever contemplated cheating on anyone? Nope. When are you likely to lie? Probably when I don't want to seriously hurt someone. What is a personality type that you do not like? I hate people who think they know everything, are unwilling to acknowledge their flaws and work on them, feel they're better than others, are closed-minded, sexist, bigoted, racist... What is a personality type that you DO like? I am drawn to people who are empathetic and try to understand and consider more than just themselves, are caring and genuine, philosophical and think deeply, are calm, friendly, good listeners, and have a light sense of humor. Which of your friends is the least like you? In what way? I actually don't know. MAYBE Mini with her being extremely conservative to a frustrating degree and overwhelmingly religious. We diverge pretty strongly in beliefs that are important to me. How about the most like you? In what way? Sara! We have incredibly similar interests and morals, and we both are wild over animals. When was the last time you felt under-appreciated? I'm gonna be completely transparent here, even though it's uncomfortable to admit. I was very unhappy with the literally two interactions a poem I was really proud of got on dA. Like it was one I was trying to get published prior to just posting it there, so it was really disappointing to feel so overlooked when you worked hard on something you felt came out great. Does anyone take advantage of you or take you for granted? No. Are you taking anyone for granted? I sure as hell hope no one feels like I do. I definitely try to appreciate those I have to the utmost. What is one selfish thing that you do? I prioritize my alone time probably too much. How about something selfless? I'm pretty much always willing to listen to people's hardships and comfort them even if my own mental health is in poor condition. What do you like to do on your favorite holiday? Just be with family and really focus on how lucky I am to have them. What helps you fall asleep? I guess really paying attention to slowing my breathing, but that doesn't always work. It takes me at LEAST half an hour to fall asleep, so I struggle no matter what. Is there anyone you wish you were still friends with now? Megan. I really, really miss her. What is a fear you want to overcome? SOCIAL ANXIETY. UGH. What is something you do not like about yourself, with good reason? I'm lazy. What do you usually cry about? PTSD. Do you like pizza better on the second day? No. What do you like on your pancakes? Butter and normal syrup. Have you ever made up your own emoticon? I don't think so. How do you generally meet people? Online in one way or another. Have you ever seen a Broadway show in New York? No. Are you listening to music right now? Yeah, "God Hates Your Outfit" by Jeffree Star lmao. Look, it's catchy. Can anyone in your immediate family play the guitar? No. Have you ever wished to be an internet celebrity? How about a ‘real’ one? No. Like I've actually *loosely* considered trying to be a let's player with my love of games, but I don't even want to *risk* popularity; not that I think I'd get to that point, but still, I don't like the chance. Have you ever been kayaking? No. Do you still live with your parents? Yes. Do you believe you will never get over someone? I think Jason will always occupy at the very least a small corner of my mind. I just deal with loss so poorly in general, but that... that breakup was something. What do you order at Burger King? I don't like BK. Have you ever lived by yourself? No. Pretty sure I never could with my depression. What brand cell phone do you have? It's just a Tracfone, lol. Did you ever have a ‘security blanket’ when you were younger? Yes, my stuffed moose. What is your lucky charm? I don’t have one. Have you ever been in a wedding? Yeah, I was a bridesmaid in my sister's. Do you believe in yourself? ehhhhhh What time does your dad usually wake up in the morning? I don't live with him, so I can't say for sure. He's a mailman though, so he gets up early, I know. Who was the last person/people you were in a car with? Mom. What movie do you plan on watching next? I've been meaning to watch Jacob's Ladder for like... over a year, lmao. It served as an inspirational work for Silent Hill, and I know its reputation is brilliant, so I really want to see it. I just... don't really watch movies unless I'm in the theater. When something really scares you, what’s your immediate reaction? Gasp or go "what the fuck" or something along those lines. I can almost promise a curse word is coming out of my mouth, lol. Using song lyrics, say something to your most recent ex: I don't wanna get emotional digging through the songs that remind me of her, so pass, lol. You can only watch 4 TV shows for the rest of your life. What are they? Meerkat Manor, That '70s Show, maybe Pokemon even if I don't watch it anymore (it could be like a comfort show if I'm limited to four), aaaaand I think Ginga Densetsu Weed. Do you think it’s possible for a rap song to make you cry? ... Yes??? There are a couple that have for me. Does the idea of having a baby at your age scare you? I'm not having kids, sooo I don't have to worry about this. What band has the power to make you cry by splitting up? None. I'd be really upset if some did, but I wouldn't cry. Who is your favourite famous person who isn’t a singer, actor, or athlete? Well, I WOULD say Mark, but considering he's officially an actor now... guess not, haha. Uhhhh. Put him aside and I guess maybe Bindi Irwin. I'm not sure.

Sit-Inside vs. Sit-On-Top Kayaks – 4 Reasons One is Better

Both hardshell and inflatable kayaks can be categorized into two different styles:

Sit-on-top kayak (SOT) and

Sit-in kayak (SIT)

The two designs differ drastically from one another, and each suits a different purpose.

The differences between sit-on-top vs. sit-in kayaks

The most apparent distinction between sit-inside and sit-on-top inflatable kayaks (& hardshell models) is that SIKs have an enclosed cockpit that positions the paddler inside the boat at or below the water level. In contrast, SOT kayakers sit on top of the kayak above the water’s surface.

This fundamental divergence of design affects every aspect of their use and purpose.

The sit-on-top model is the most popular design among beginners and recreational kayakers because it does not make the paddler feel like they are trapped inside of the kayak’s cockpit if they capsize.

If they do tip over for some reason, they are far easier to reen

The sit-inside model is more prevalent among intermediate and advanced paddlers because its design provides a significantly lower center of gravity, resulting in enhanced secondary stability during specific activities (which I’ll talk about later).

The cockpit of a SIK kayak is surrounded by a rim for attaching a spray skirt to keep water out.

They have similarities as well

Even though there are some significant differences between the two styles, their main parts are similar:

The top of the kayak is called the deck, where you’ll often have bungees or deck lines.

The bottom is the hull.

The front is the bow.

The back is the stern.

Both types of kayaks have:

A seat (or seats in case of tandem kayaks).

Foot support like simple footwells or adjustable foot pedals (which are more comfortable on a full day of paddling).

Top of the line kayaks will additionally have a built-in backrest to make paddling for hours more comfortable.

The pros and cons of sit-inside & sit-on-top kayaks

Sit-Inside kayak pros

The most significant advantage of a sit-inside kayak is that its center of gravity is lower than that of a sit-on-top kayak, which provides better secondary stability. This enables you to lean the boat on its side edge for more efficient turning and stay upright in rough seas. There is a trade-off, though, which I’ll get to in the cons section.

Because sit-inside kayaks have a lower center of gravity, they can be made much narrower than a sit-on-top model. Being slimmer and longer means they are faster and easier to paddle than SOT kayaks, making them well suited for longer trips.

The lower profile also means that sit-inside kayaks are affected by wind to a lesser extent.

The enclosed cockpit provides protection from the sun or rough water.

A spray skirt can easily be attached to the cockpit coaming for full protection from rain, snow, or frigid water during winter paddling. A well-sealed high-quality spray skirt can also be a safety feature because it will keep water out of the cockpit in case you flip (providing you can roll back and correct your white water kayak).

Sitting inside a cockpit lets you place your legs against the side of the kayak & the underside of the deck. Your body effectively becomes one with the kayak’s body to enhance your control of the kayak, making it more maneuverable.

You will find there’s room inside the kayak to store your equipment and keep them dry. Water can’t get in through self-draining scupper holes found on SOK kayaks. Some sit-in kayaks even have integrated watertight storage compartments.

Due to the narrower beam of SIK kayaks, you can use a shorter paddle. This makes the boat easier to propel forward because the moment arm will be tighter. (The moment arm is the distance from your centerline to the part of the paddle entering the water. The shorter it is, the easier it is to paddle.)

Sit-Inside Kayak Cons

The single biggest con against sit-inside kayaks concerns floatation and ease of rescue, as the cockpit can take in a lot of water in case you capsize.

Touring kayaks have 1 or 2 integrated bulkheads to circumvent this. But “what is a bulkhead”, you ask? A kayak bulkhead is a built-in compartment, which traps air inside of the kayak. The bulkhead limits how much water can get into the boat and acts as a floatation chamber to keep it afloat if you swamp. Additionally, bulkheads have a hatch so that you can use them to dry-store supplies as well.

Most recreational SIT kayaks will not have a bulkhead, but the better ones have a single one behind the seat.

If you are alone, flipping a swamped kayak back is very difficult, and so is getting the water out of it. Paddling a kayak filled with water is close to impossible unless it has bulkheads that stayed dry. For this reason, beginners using a SIK kayaks should paddle close to shore, so they can swim out and empty their kayak if they capsize.

If you plan on going out on open water, you need a touring kayak with bulkheads, and first, learn how to correct your capsized kayak and get back into it. Coastal paddling is a treat, but you have to prepare to stay safe.

You can only carry items that fit through the cockpit and other hatches. Tieing larger items on deck degrades performance and your balance.

Remember the increased secondary stability of SIK kayaks due to their lower center of gravity? Well, here is the flip side. The low sitting position causes them to have less primary stability.

Sit-On-Top Kayak Pros

They have a wider beam, giving them an advantage in initial stability. This makes them easier to use and more stable than sit-in kayaks.

They are easy to get in and out of. You can safely jump into the water for a swim and climb back whenever you wish.

If a SOT kayak flips over, it doesn’t swamp (fill up) since it doesn’t have a cockpit. You can quickly flip it back over and climb back on.

Any water left on the deck will drain away through self-bailing drain holes.

The design is convenient when launching, as well as for landing. You can lower yourself onto the kayak’s seat and swing your legs on if you launch from knee-deep water. This makes SOK kayaks the choice for people with mobility issues.

There is no cockpit to fit into, which means they are better for larger people.

A SOT has more generous storage space; you can bungee anything on the deck, which is essential on multi-day camping trips.

And because everything is on the deck, access to your gear is more comfortable. You won’t have to struggle and reach deep into your cockpit to get your things. This is especially important for fishermen, who need space to store their gear and freedom of movement to use their equipment. All fishing kayaks are of the sit-on-top variety.

Sit-on-top kayaks are cheaper than their sit-inside counterparts.

Stand-up paddleboarding is becoming more popular each year. Hawaiians have been using it for years as a means to keep fit when the waves are not adequate for surfing. By using a paddleboard surfers were able to enjoy the water and obtain some exercise simultaneously. In the last several years millions of people have begun to enjoy paddle boarding while standing (SUP). People now engage in stand-up paddling to enjoy the water, spend time with friends, and improve their fitness level.

SUP board can provide you with a very good overall workout. You will make use of balance and strength in order to remain upright and propel yourself in the water. The level of intensity you will experience will be variable and be dependent on your venue. If you are paddling in the ocean and there are a lot of waves and an ocean current, your workout will be intense. If you are simply drifting in relatively placid waters, it will not be so hard-core.

pull ups are hard I’m gonna be completely honest w you

I work out my upper back and shoulders bc that’s what I use most for rowing as well as core so I don’t tip over 😭 I also do like 140 toe ups a day so my calves and thighs aren’t tired after like 10 mins of rowing

bc of the core workout and need to not flip over I have to brace on both sides of the kayak with my legs and having them flexed constantly hurts after awhile so lots of stretches and calf workouts but do not let that fool you,, I literally do nothing all day I am incredibly unmotivated unless it comes to kayaking and swimming -coconut oil anon

They are!!! But they look so easy 😭 (same with push ups i can do some now but it took me so long before i could do a single (proper) one 💀)

Idk what toe ups are and google had loads of different results but they all look.... only mildly fun but omg 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 good for you tho😌😌 (that always sounds so sarcastic help but i mean like omg i could never lol but it‘s good for you that you have the discipline ykwim?😭😭 i like working out but not if i have to move a lot if that makes sense? i hate cardio and shit where i have to move my whole body or multiple body parts) especially if it helps with rowing and everything it obviously makes sense

Bazwuqj same tho. yesterday was the first time i worked out in... i don‘t even know how long. But skdjdj i didn‘t know kayaking was so stressful 💀 but i bet it‘s more than worth it if you‘re actually good at it and have enough strength it sounds so cool and i love everything with water and nature 🌿✨🌊 (sorry the emojis just looked pretty 😭)