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one day you'll leave this world behind so live a life you will remember...

INTRODUCING

( tommy martinez, cis male, he / him ) was that RAFAEL ‘RAFA’ JIMÉNEZ coming out of the marina ? the TWENTY-SEVEN YEAR OLD is currently a NATURE PHOTOGRAPHER / GARDEN NURSURY EMPLOYEE who is LIVING IN town. despite their TRANSIENT TENDENCIES, they’re also pretty AMIABLE. i heard THE NIGHTS BY AVICII is on a constant loop in their head. ( ollie, they/them, 22, est )

THE HIGHLIGHTS

a nomadic nature photographer and blogger who crisscrosses the united states in his car, often living out of it for months on end ; occasionally he settles in a town for a few months if it proves of some interest to him, grand haven is one of such towns ; a great love of plants was instilled in him by his grandmother and father and he currently works in the greenhouse a few miles outside town ( a common temporary profession he often picks up in the summers he settles more permanently ) ; a laidback and down to earth individual who has a way of making everyone feel like a friend ; intent on living a life he will remember — life is short, live it to the FULLEST.

THE STORY

— rafa was born in venezuela, unplanned but not unwanted — at least by his father. he was raised in caracas mostly by his grandmother, his father around when possible though it was difficult at times considering his position at the central university of venezuela. they were decently well off, and rafa certainly had no shortage of love given to him. absent mothers do not always mean absent family. and it was in these times that his love of plants first began, with his grandmother’s greenhouse and the sprawling caracas botanical garden that she’d once help tend to.

— they stayed until he was nine, when he and his father left for reasons he could not wholly grasp ( the election of hugo chávez, the 2002 venezuelan coup d’état attempt ) ; all rafa knew what they moved and life changed drastically. they ended up in austin as his father was lucky enough to land a teaching position at the university of texas - austin as a botany professor. it was a difficult transition for rafa ( even then he’d been laidback and an adaptable child ), but a new country and a largely unfamiliar language proved to be a lot. it was then that his resilience began to shape, slowly forming himself the mold he needed to.

— life steadied after that, the climbing of a latter from immigrants to citizens, slowly building a new life in austin. he attended school, graduated high school as salutatorian. he had saved and saved and saved from his own small jobs to buy his first real camera when he was sixteen, and soon he was taking photos of everything — self teaching the theories of light and shadow and contrast and framing. the art teacher at his high school took notice of his talents and taught him some basics. and he continued to quietly pursue the art in extracurriculars and electives carefully shoved in between his other required classes. after graduation, he enrolled at the university of austin studying marketing, photography, and public relations. that was close enough to rafa’s passion ( it was something tangentially to do with his love of photography anyway ), but theoretically a steady enough job market. he managed to sneak in a few botany classes as well, though he tried to keep quite the fact that the professor was occasionally his father.

— upon graduation, an internship with dell in their austin office turned into a full time position. and that was life for a long time. pretty good as far as job stability went. he didn’t mind his job but it hardly was his dream either. so rafa resigned himself to the capitalist life of mediocrity.

( death & car accident cw )

— however, a little over two years into working for dell in their pr department ( and not really loving it ) everything changed. for better in some ways, for worse in others. it’s a drunk hit and run that leaves his father fatally wounded. he passes away from his injuries in the ambulance.

( end cw )

— rafa’s once steady world had been turned upside down once again. he and his father had had their differences, sure, but they had been close, the only family he’d had especially after the earlier passing of his grandmother. and it took this shock and this loss to realize this so-so path he was following no longer was appealing — his father had been all about opportunities, not just financially but for living an overall better life ; and he had told him as much every time rafa came over for dinner and had only mundane things to say about work. he hadn’t seen much of the world, hadn’t done much, and it all crashed down on him as he stood at his father’s grave wondering what the hell he was going to do. life was short, uncertain, with an unpredictable end and he may as well embrace that.

— he decided what he was going to do was quit his job he wasn’t truly happy in and take his father’s car and just drive. some endings are simply beginnings, and this was very much an opportunity. what was meant to be one summer to help deal with his grief stretched into half a year, a year, two years... and then he wasn’t stopping. grief undeniably changes people, but rafa was hellbent on it not changing him for the worse ( good, bad — the truth is most things simply just are ). and somewhere between snapping photos, honing his craft, talking to people from all corners, rafa had found his place in simply not being anywhere. so this continued on, growing into a life, a love, a haphazard self-career of photography and traveling and being a nomad. he sold their house back in austin ( his last physical tie ), began to blog, to share his point of view with the world through photos and words and video.

— low budget and simple changes to his father’s suv turned it into a microcamper : a place to sleep, a tiny fridge, a water brick, storage for what little he owned. it was a setup and process refined with time. he stayed a few months in some places, often falling back on his other love of plants, working in local nurseys and greenhouses — learning the beauty of plants sprouting from seeds, life but in a different form. things simply shifted into perspective. for years, this settled into a gentle ebb and flow, travelling where he wished or travelling to where there was work to be found.

— grand haven was only supposed to be another few day pit stop in his unpredictable and never-ending journey, a stop for taking photos and also to get that rattling noise in his car taken care of, but something about the town charmed him. maybe it was the friendliness of the people, maybe it was the lake knocking right at its doorstep, maybe it simply was a feeling that he should stay ; whatever it was, rafa didn’t end up driving out of town. it wouldn’t be the first time he settled for a little while in his nomadic times — there had been a few others where he spent summers in towns that had a certain pull to them, a beauty he wanted to capture in his lens.

— he eventually moved into a two bedroom apartment ( a sublet with a roommate — wanted connection !! ) the decision to at least spend the summer in grand haven. so he is “living in” town, but it’s still temporary, y’know ?? that was back near the mid-may and this was partially informed by a chance run-in at the local cafe where he was bemoaning the condition of one of their plants and happened to fall into conversation with the local greenhouse owner. they were looking for workers for the summer, and given rafa’s patchwork of experience, extensive knowledge of nursey plants, and friendly personality, he was practically hired on the spot. that was near the beginning of may, and now... well he’s just vibing and taking things as they come.

MISC

— timeline wise, rafa is coming up on three years of living on the road.

— he works at a greenhouse about three miles north of town center. if i can name it i’m gunna call it zehr’s. ( approximately the location of bosche’s irl, just a lil closer to town and also a real nursery and not a shrubbery )

— his ( shared ) apartment, even though small by the building standards, feels like a mansion to him after the small space of his car. he hasn’t added much in way of decoration to his own room ( after all, he has plans to move on eventually and he doesn’t believe in buying what you don’t absolutely need ). so it’s a simple and minimalistic place : a small bed in the corner he made out of pallet boards and he put the mattress from his car on top of, salvaged table and chairs he rescued from the curb on garbage day. his main décor is ( surprise ) plants. on every counterspace, the floor, hanging in the bathroom — technically they’re not necessities, but to rafa they are. they add life to the place.

— it probably comes as no surprise that rafa doesn’t own all that much : just the necessities and not much more. he leaves light footprints wherever he goes and not much else.

— he wouldn’t consider himself a chef, but rafa is decent at cooking, especially at simple but tasty fare. he’s efficient and eats rather healthy food, produce often purchased from farmers markets he passes. he isn’t exactly a vegetarian, but he doesn’t consume very much meat mostly because during his travels meat was too difficult to keep in his small fridge and cook with his camp stove. out of habit, he still stays away from most meat products even when he is a little more settled in an apartment with a stove, but he won’t turn down food with meat if others make it and don’t expect others to omit meat just because of him. he doesn’t want to be a hassle, especially if he’s staying in a friend’s home. also chicken broth in soups... it just hits different than vegetable broth.

— he often rides his bike places. a bike isn’t something he keeps during his full nomadic, living out of a car stretches as it’s too inconvenient to keep and store, but when he settles down, he often purchases ( or borrows ) a decent used bike from someone. it is then returned or sold again when he leaves the town months later. so it’s no uncommon to see him biking to work with his backpack with lunch and his camera or down to the shore. he doesn’t drive unless it’s too far — also helps cut down on unnecessary gas costs.

— rafa loves adventure. he loves being in nature and above most things, he loves not having a plan. framework is good ( you still want to be safe ) but as far as what fills in the spaces in between, the better the experience and the memories, in his opinion. he isn’t one to push or force people into something they truly don’t want to do, but that isn’t the same as encouraging people to leave their comfort zone which is something he likes to do.

— he is big on sustainable living and being environmentally conscious, but he also recognizes that the life he leads... it wasn’t just because he wanted to leave a small footprint. it was many different factors and he also realizes it’s very unpractical for most of the world. but that being said, he often encourages smaller changes in others, and much of his photography is environmentally focused on plants and nature and often on the effects of humanity on nature.

— as mentioned above, his photography focuses a lot on the natural beauty of the world and the blur between nature and manmade things. he loves to photograph abandoned building and crumbling infrastructure half-taken back by nature. he’s also a talented plant photographer ( probably no surprise there ). he’s not much for photographing people, though sometimes he’ll take casual shots just on his phone or his smaller camera. his blog is somewhat of a diary, often mostly photos with descriptions and updates on his life. he also has a youtube channel, but less of a youtuber style and more to share his own videos of nature and such — aesthetic video shorts. occasionally his face shows up in the videos, but usually not ; the natural beauty ought to speak for itself. his big break was being featured in outside magazine when he was twenty-six. since then his blog and youtube channel have gained more traction and he received more freelance work than before.

— his sources of income are sporadic. the jobs at greenhouses he picks up in summers, the income from his photography, the small amount of savings he amassed before turning his back on conventional jobs, and of course his father’s life insurance policy ( while hardly a king’s ransom —a few hundred thousand— is certainly enough especially with his lifestyle ). he has also shot photo ads for jeep, mazda, and subaru. he gets by because his expenses aren’t particularly high, especially when he’s living out of his car. somewhere he knows that this isn’t something he can do forever, but he can’t imagine doing anything else. perhaps in that way, he’s stubborn.

— he has definitely listened to hollow coves’ wanderlust ep a million times while driving...

— rafa isn’t tech stupid. he needs to know his stuff for his photography, to maintain his blog, and to edit his photos, and owns an android smartphone and a laptop. however, he isn’t big on tech as a source of entertainment ( eg. watching movies, using social media outside instagram to post some photos, etc ). he likes to read a lot ( that’s what he’ll do if the weather is real bad ), but otherwise you can probably find him out and about with his camera by the lake, on trails, and everywhere outside his shifts at the greenhouse. he also has a guitar that he can play — doesn’t sing nearly as much, but his voice isn’t bad.

— venezuelan spanish is his first language. though he’d begun learning english at a young age, it wasn’t until their move to texas that he was forced into fluency in order to survive. he remains bilingual to date.

— i did take plenty of inspiration from nathaniel wise who is a photographer who has lived out of his suv for two years and counting while traveling across the united states. you can see a video of his old set up that i imagine very similar to rafa’s here. his vlogs are also sprinkled with aesthetic, artsy nature shots and non-narrated stretches that are the inspiration for rafa’s videos as well.

— tommy martinez is not straight and therefore no muse with his face ever should be either. rafa is bi and has known since he was quite young. he doesn’t view it as a huge part of his identity tbh — it’s just a simple fact as straight forward as that.

PERSONALITY

— if rafa was a plant, he’d probably be a dandelion — incredibly resilient, insanely adaptable, considered pretty by some and just downright annoying to others, springing up anywhere and everywhere ( even where he shouldn’t ). he rolls with the punches, takes mistakes as things to learn from, often is a rather positive person, and doesn’t let much get under his skin. his approach to much of life is with an incredibly down to earth and practical attitude : it takes that kind of personality to successfully live out of a car for years and to be perfectly content doing it. that laidback and adaptable attitude doesn’t make him much of a planner, however, often down for anything at least once and preferring to “wing it” and assuming that no matter what happens, he’ll be able to figure some way out of it without too much hardship. this has been true for the most part, though there have been a few sticky situations — but nothing drastic enough to change rafa’s attitude.

— he has no shortage of friendliness and often radiates enthusiastic, open energy. he has an uncanny way of making everyone feel like his friend, even just after a short conversation — and it’s genuine, not a manipulative ploy. in that manner, he has no shortage of connections and friends scattered all over which has helped him in his travels immensely. often, he’s an open book, not because he trusts everyone, but because he doesn’t have much to hide. his secrets are mundane and harmless ; his life is unconventional and he’s willing to share it through stories, through photos, through videos, through his blog which probably gets a little too sporadically undated. people are often drawn to him : a fun and laidback but mysterious figure that adventure just seems to radiate off of.

— commitments are something rafa struggles immensely with. that probably is no surprise for a man who has so little tying him to one place. that isn’t to say he’s inconsiderate : he likes to punctual, if he says he’ll do something he’ll do it — his reluctance to long term commitments doesn’t equate to unreliability. but his roots are not buried deep, they are shallow and spread far and wide. romantic relationships especially prove difficult and therefore are something he hasn’t sought out for a long time. he doesn’t like to lead people on and is ( what he thinks is ) always clear in his intentions. but sometimes things happen, sometimes people think they can change you, think that this time they can make you stay. ( it’s not that you’re not enough, he’d say, it’s just that i’m not meant to stay ). but mostly, he tries to avoid romantic endeavors. it’s not that he’s afraid of love ; he’s afraid of being stuck.

— his friendships are incredibly strong, though, and he often keeps in touch with people he’s met all over. postcards here, random texts here, showing up at people’s doors nine months later... rafa is a free spirit and it shows, and his friends are people who understand that — who let it happen and aren’t intent on trying to tie him down. he hates feeling trapped and when he does, that’s when he leaves. people have tried the you’re getting older, you should more serious life choices talk on him ; so far no one’s been successful.

— yet rafa often feels like he’s yearning for something, but exactly what remains to be seen. perhaps that’s why he’s never truly settled down, cross-crossing the americas over and over and over again in hopes that maybe someday he’ll simply chance upon whatever he’s looking for. whether he roams so much because he lacks reasons to stay or because something continues to call him on — he tries not to dwell too hard on it. he wouldn’t say he’s lost, though, simply unsure of where he’s headed but as someone who breathes the ‘journey not the destination’ mantra, he’s perfectly content in that.

APPEARANCE

— 6′2″ 185 lbs ( 1.88 m 84 kg ), a modestly athletic build. rafa is a physical person between all the biking and hiking he does and the work in the greenhouse.

— light brown skin, often quite tanned, dark black curly hair that falls to the nape of his neck when unbound ( often tied back into a ponytail/bun, especially when he’s working in the greenhouse ; other times left loose to to it’s own thing ). often looks a little scruffy when it comes to facial hair, occasionally semi-clean shaven when he remembers --- sporting a fair amount of scruff more likely than not.

— needs glasses for distance but often is wearing contacts save for when he’s in his apartment / relaxing for the night.

— mannerisms : relaxed, relaxed, relaxed. rafa is rarely tense and presents an image of ease even when he truly isn’t. there’s sometimes perpetually friendly about his face and demeanor even when it’s in his neutral facial expression and it’s no surprise he’s someone people approach for questions and conversation frequently. quick to smile and laugh. surprisingly not jittery when he sits : incredibly steady — sometimes referred to as a reassuring presence.

— style : simple, earthy, a nearly completely thrifted wardrobe. he doesn’t own too much in way of clothes. simple t-shirts, slim cut pants that are still easy to move in, plenty of athletic shorts, a modest collection of flannels. his clothes trend towards the earth tones : browns, yellows, muted reds, and forest greens — natural looking things. semi-battered sneakers or boots if it’s cold / rainy.

— jewelry : corded twine or leather bracelets and necklaces if he wears anything at all. rarely metals.

— tattoos : a simple black line art design of a twisting vine around his left bicep ( a discounted tattoo from a friend who was still apprenticed at a shop ).

— scars : nothing super prominent, plenty of small marks from various minor life incidents.

— PINTEREST BOARD

CONNECTIONS

ngl, rafa’s backstory definitely lends itself to more chem-based present day connections. he has been like.... cross-crossing the united states for almost three years if you wanted to brainstorm maybe a former connection in a different city though !! otherwise the world is our oyster. let’s talk things out !!

TAKEN CONNECTIONS

OOC

hello everyone !! i’m ollie ( 22, est, they / them ). rafa is super super new, but he’s been living in my head for a little while now and i hope you love him as much as i do !!

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