#heated shoe liners

[muhammad-hamza-o7]

Aline Insoles vs Powerstep: Which Heated Shoe Liners Offer More Relief

Heated insoles have been very useful in providing comfort and giving a gamer change during the cold weather and Aline Insoles and Powerstep have tried to fill the gap by providing heated shoe liners that help keep your feet warm. The problem arises when choosing between the two brands as one wonders which one is more comfortable. In this article, we’ll dive deeper into the features, pros, and cons of Aline Insoles and Powerstep heated liners.

Product Overview

Aline Insoles are intended to provide support to the feet while delivering gentle heat during winter. These are useful for individuals working outside for extended periods, such as hikers, sportsmen, or people suffering from peripheral vascular disease. On the other hand, Powerstep is a household name in the arch support insole market, and their heated shoe liners are as good as their other products, providing heat and support for normal daily use. Each of the products has its advantages, but which of them is better in terms of general comfort?

Heating Technology

Aline Insoles have proprietary technology that enables the insoles to heat up uniformly throughout the footbed. They usually have controlled rechargeable batteries which enable the user to change the heat levels according to their preferences. Powerstep heated liners, on the other hand, concentrate on providing warmth to the arches and the heel, which is ideal for people who suffer pain in such areas of the feet. Both brands provide settings that allow the user to adjust the temperature to suit their needs, although those with different preferences might find Aline’s wider coverage more agreeable.

Comfort and Fit 

Aline Insoles are built for a variety of shoes and contain a flexible structure that enhances comfort while morphing into the shape of a foot. Its design increases the overall comfort of a foot, especially for people suffering from pain and those who require prolonged relief. Powerstep insoles do provide comfort, but they are personally more rigid and offer support. This firmer feel could prove beneficial for flat-footed individuals or those in need of additional support, though it may be hard for people who prefer softer insoles to adjust. 

Materials and Durability 

Aline Insoles' material is greatly more flexible than that of competitors. Having tried notable brands, Powerstep stands out the most with its EVA foam linings with synthetic materials that are both highly resilient. Both Powerstep and Sterns offer long-term durability, but the unique heating element integration in Aline guarantees heating for several years.

Finding Relief from Foot Pain

If you suffer from foot-related problems such as pain in the arch, bunions, or even plantar fasciitis, the Aline insoles guarantee relief. The warmth that these insoles provide helps increase circulation and lowers inflammation which is ideal for people experiencing chronic issues in their feet. Additionally, Powerstep insoles provide considerable levels of pain relief. However, Powerstep’s weakness is customization, as their insoles are best suited for those who require arch support. Their insoles are suitable for flat-foot individuals or those who need additional support to prevent fatigue and discomfort from walking all day.

Flexibility and Convenience

Aline Insoles or Powerstep heated liners can be used without any struggle. However, Aline stands out when it comes to user-friendliness. Aline Insoles possess a simple on/off switch and they also allow users to change the provided heat. Powerstep heated liners similarly hit the mark for ease of use but their controls are slightly more elaborate. Nonetheless, both brands are user-friendly, but Aline is gentler towards those who desire uncomplicated usability.

Battery Life

In the case of heated insoles, battery life is undoubtedly one of the most important features, and Aline Insoles seems to have an edge over Powerstep. Aline’s insoles can be charged for up to 8 hours, meaning that your feet will stay warm for the entire day. In the case of Powerstep heated liners, they are only able to provide warmth for roughly 4 to 6 hours. The extended battery life of Aline Insoles does make them more appealing to individuals who tend to be outdoors for extended periods. 

Price Comparison

Most of the time, it comes down to the pricing when one has to select between two competitive products. The more esteemed and respected Aline brand, with its remarkable features and better battery uses, is more expensive than Powerstep heated liners. Those users who prioritize better value and excess warmth along with foot support do not mind spending more. On the other hand, Powerstep can deliver a good and reliable product at a lower price, making it the go-to option for buyers who are looking to save money.

Intended Consumers

Aline Insoles are suitable for outdoor lovers, professional sports artists, and people suffering from chronic foot ailments. Such individuals usually have poor circulation coupled with cold feet and need full coverage of heated relief. Powerstep heated liners excel at assisting patients who need relief for the arch and heel regions of their feet. Hence, if you have plantar fasciitis or require more arch support, Powerstep will best suit your needs. 

Treatment and Upkeep 

Aline Insoles like Powerstep heated liners need to be taken care of regularly for unimpeded functioning. Also, Aline insoles have rechargeable batteries that can be removed and covers that can be washed, greatly simplifying the upkeep process. Powerstep heated liners are integrated with vital components of the covers and as such, require careful handling. Both brands recommend that batteries are fully charged before each use to ensure longevity and improved efficiency.

Analyzing Customer Opinions And Evaluations 

A product’s customer review significantly arguably determines the success of its sales, and both Aline Insoles and Powerstep have positive reviews from users. Users note a reduction in foot pain as Aline soles users praise the effective heating technology and comfort that has been greatly noted. Powerstep heated liners are especially noted for their support and deep heating, although some users state there is a need for improvements in the battery life. Overall, both brands have positive reviews from users which raises the question of which brand is in greater preference than the other. 

A Comparison Between The Two Products - Which Is The Better Choice

In the end, whether someone decides to go for Aline Insoles or Powerstep heated shoe liners is dependent on particular needs. For people who need a lot of warmth for the entire day as well as comfort, Aline Insosles might be the better option as they also note that reduction in pain. In cases where budget is an issue and focused arch support is all that is needed, then Powerstep might be the perfect fit. 

Make sure to consider heat-molded insoles and other options when planning on getting heated insoles for customized comfort and warmth.

[honeyed-hedonist]

Pairings: Aged Up!Damian Wayne x Reader Word Count: 3.1k Summary: You're always just a phone call away for Damian, so he calls when he needs you. And tonight? He really fucking needs you. Warnings: SMUT--MINORS DNI. unprotected sex, creampie, degradation, size kink if you squint, face slapping (once), oral (male & female receiving), orgasm control (kind of???), basically just 3k words of Dami tearing you apart in the best way. A/N: Hello again! Posting another old fic on mine. I still blame @heli0s-writes for sending me on a Damian Wayne spiral. I will never recover from this and it's all her fault. Enjoy :3

IF YOU LIKE THIS STORY, PLEASE REBLOG IT.

It’s late. It’s always late when he calls you—3am and you’re answering the phone, the pitch of his voice deepened and gruff with need. A need that only you can satiate. “Come over, darling.” You’re out the door before you end the call, hailing a cab to the manor, pulse racing because you know what’s coming.

The path you walk when you reach the gate is so familiar, you could do it with your eyes closed, feet carrying you to the front door. There’s no need to knock or ring the bell, the second your shoes hit the porch Damian swings it wide open, the cowl stripped off, blackened liner still smeared around those beautiful green eyes. He’s looking at you like he wants to tear you apart, but you’ve always had an affinity for pretty, dangerous things. 

A step closer and you catch the way the warm light of the entryway bounces off of the thin gold chain hanging around his neck. It sparkles, and your mind conjures up the image of it swinging above your face when you’re folded in half on his bed. It makes you clench, taking another step while your eyes make the slow trek downward, his bare chest and rippling stomach that cuts to narrow, defined hips has your mouth watering. You know what they feel like against your tongue, beneath your fingers.

There’s no need for words, his calloused hand closing around your wrist to tug you inside, the heavy door shutting with a definitive click that reverberates off the walls and arched ceilings of Wayne Manor. He’s already hard, you can feel it when his arm snakes its way around your waist to pull you even closer. And then he’s crouching down, sweeping his other hand behind your knees to lift you into his arms.

You’re trapped in the heat of his gaze, the salty, earthy smell of his skin--still damp with sweat from his night spent in triple-weave kevlar. Fingers dance up the back of his neck, tangling into that silky, black hair, and his chest vibrates with something akin to a growl. It sends your pulse rushing between your legs, desire warm and heavy in your belly as he walks you up the stairs towards the master suite. 

The second you’re past the threshold, you reach for his face, wanting to feel his hot mouth on yours, but he doesn’t budge, the corner of his lips quirking in an amused smile at the whine that comes tumbling out of your throat when you try, and fail, to kiss him. “Patience, beloved.” Damian is gentle when he sets you down on the lush, thickly weaved rug that spreads out from beneath his bed, forefinger and thumb coming up to pinch your chin. His nose brushes yours when he speaks again, breath hot and sweet as it fans out across your face. “Be good.”

You watch with baited breath as he settles himself on the edge of the mattress, thighs spread open, palms flat against his knees, his posture perfectly straight. He looks like a king on his throne, and you’re prepared to bow at his feet. “You’re very overdressed, don’t you agree? Perhaps you should remedy that.” The tone of his voice leaves no room for argument, your hands falling to the hem of your sleep shirt, tugging it hastily over your head. Your shorts are your next target, swiftly yanking them down your legs. Shoes, socks, and bra all join the pile of your discarded clothes after that, and Damian hums his approval. “Much better.” 

Lifting one of his hands, he points to the space between his feet. “Come.” There’s no hesitation from you, moving immediately with a step forward, but then he scoffs, eyebrows drawn down in admonishment. “Really, pet? Is that how you’re meant to approach me? As my equal?” His words make you short circuit, brain muddled with the fog of submission, because you will always submit to him--it’s not even a question at this point. He’s in charge, he owns you, and he knows it.

Dropping to your hands and knees, you crawl towards him slowly, eyes trained on his face, trying to read him--but Damian has mastered the art of impassiveness. His calves brush against your shoulders as you wedge yourself between his legs, the only sign of his pleasure is the tent in the front of his joggers and the rumbling in his chest. It’s enough--has you salivating from your place on the floor, eagerly awaiting instruction.

He leans forward, strong hand circling your throat, fingers tightening until he can feel the ripple of your swallow. “Have you missed me?” He asks, but you know better than to open your mouth, choosing instead to nod your head. Damian hums thoughtfully, free hand stroking at his slightly stubbled chin. “Hmm, I’m not sure I’m convinced. Why don’t you show me?”

“Yes, sir.” You answer, and he relents, releasing your throat to lean back on the bed, propped up with his arms extended so he can watch you--he’s always watching you--calculating, observing, learning. Damian Wayne knows all of the ways to take you apart, and all of the ways to put you back together again, but now he’s testing you, wants to see just how much you’ve learned since you began spending nights in his bed.

Shaking fingers dip beneath the waistband of his sweats, tugging them down his thighs until the heavy weight of his cock springs free, slapping against the hard plane of his stomach with a dense thud. You moan, how can you not? He’s impressively large, perfectly curved towards his bellybutton, nestled in coarse, dark hair, thick and throbbing just for you. His head is shining with pre, glistening in the orange glow from the roaring fire in the hearth nearby. Your eyes meet, faux innocence batting up at him from beneath your lashes. But Damian knows better, knows how filthy you are, and he’s losing his patience.

You let your hand circle the base, tongue dragging a hot, wet line beneath his length until your lips close around the tip, precum tangy against your tastebuds. You moan again, eyes rolling back. The musk of his night perusing the city is still fresh on his skin, and he always tastes so god damn good like this. Dirty. Natural. It spurs you onward, his tip popping into the back of your throat as you take him all the way down. He reaches out after that, fingers gentle against the skin of your neck, his cock seated so fully inside the wet heat of your mouth that he can feel himself beneath your esophagus when you swallow. It makes him grunt, satisfied with your efforts.

It’s all the encouragement you need to move again, cheeks hollowed as you suck him off. The only sounds in the room are your labored breaths and the nasty, wet squelch of your mouth on his cock. Damian’s eyes are blown black, watching you like a predator tracking its prey, hand shooting out to curl into the hair at the crown of your head and shove you down until your nose is pressing against his taut abdomen. He holds you there, testing your limits, keeping you still, voice strained with his pleasure when he speaks. “Swallow.” He commands, and you oblige, whimpering while your thighs shift in an attempt to alleviate the ache in your cunt. 

“What’s wrong, pet? Do you want to cum?” Damian smirks at the desperate look in your eyes before he answers his own question. “Too bad.” He mocks your arousal, knowing all you really want right now is for him to fuck a hole right through you, but he needed to feel your warm, wet mouth first.  And Damian will never apologize for having his needs met, because he always reciprocates in kind. Especially with you.

He volleys with you back and forth, letting you have control before ultimately usurping you to fuck your face. When he’s satisfied, your cheeks are hot, the remnants of the mascara that you carelessly forgot to wash off is smeared down your face, and your chin is covered in your own spit as he yanks you free from his cock by your hair. “Tch--look at you, such a mess.” Damian’s free hand breaks the string of spittle connecting your mouth to the tip of his dick and smears it across your face. He’s not gentle, and you don’t want him to be, moaning open-mouthed when his palm cracks across your cheek. “Get up.”

Your actions are instantaneous, done without pause or thought, rising to your feet with his hand still fisted in your hair. He stands, too, spinning you both around until your calves hit the mattress and he shoves you backwards. You fall gracelessly onto his comforter, and he gives you no reprieve, no chance to catch your breath before he’s peeling your thighs apart to inspect your slit. Your panties are an encumbrance, one that has him growling as his long, dextrous fingers tear the fabric clean off, ripping them away to toss on the floor. 

He wastes no time, hands framing your pussy to peel your lips apart, leaning forward, he takes a deep inhale, the tip of his nose bumping against your throbbing clit. It makes you jolt, body bowing off of the bed, but his eyes cut to yours and you still immediately, knowing that he’ll stop if you don’t behave. “You have the most beautiful cunt, and she’s all mine.” Damian hums, mostly to himself, pink tongue slipping out of his mouth to circle your clit slowly. Your hands fist his expensive bedding, knuckles bone-white as he begins to work you over with his mouth.

He’s an expert at many things--knows over a hundred ways to kill a man with his bare hands--and can get you to gush against his mouth in a matter of minutes. Damian plays your body like a fine-tuned instrument, hits all the right notes to make you see stars. He curls those long, rough fingers of his against the velvet walls of your pussy, free hand applying pressure at your belly, while his plump lips suction against your pulsing clit. Barely two minutes in and you’re already hurtling towards bliss, whining and whimpering and writhing--all for him. 

“Dami, please!” You want your release. Want to cum all over his handsome face. He can feel it in the way your cunt grips his fingers, fluttering in time with the expert swipes of his tongue. He knows it’s only a few more licks until you’re careening into your orgasm. His eyes meet yours between the valley of your breasts, glittering with mirth as you cry out, begging shamelessly for him to let you cum. And then, like the menace he is, Damian releases your clit with a wet pop, effectively slamming you into a brick wall, your orgasm slipping right through your fingers with a pained cry.

Tears of desperation brim in your eyes and he tuts, rising to his feet, forearm wiping your glistening arousal from his lips and chin. “Do you have no shame? Begging like a common whore.” He’s on you in a flash, joggers discarded, fully naked as his hand once again finds your throat and he snarls above you. “Your orgasms belong to me, beloved. I decide when you deserve to cum, and tonight, you’ll be coming all over my cock. Do I make myself clear?” 

He expects an answer, but you’re transfixed, completely mystified by his overpowering, eclipsing presence above you. Damian makes you feel small. It fogs your brain, makes it hard to do anything other than mewl, thighs parting to accommodate his hips as he settles above you.  “Tch--useless little thing. All you’re good for is being my tight hole to fuck, isn’t that right, pet?” You nod, helpless and desperate beneath him, every nerve ending in your body thrumming like live wires. It’s a fact that he captializes on, slapping the mushroomed tip of his dick against your drenched slit, the wet sound that reaches his ears making him moan.

There isn’t a sound on Earth prettier than hearing Damian Wayne moan for you, your mouth falling open as you gaze up at him in awe. It’s the perfect opportunity for him to sluice the middle fingers of his left hand over your tongue. Ever the obedient pet, your lips close automatically, suckling as those same fingers push so far back they make you choke. Through your bleary eyes, you can see the sadistic smile that graces Damian’s face. It’s dangerous, and it sends a fresh rush of arousal leaking from your cunt. 

It’s almost like he can smell it, and he probably can, his irises disappearing until all that’s left are the whites of his eyes as he inhales deeply. There’s no warning, no preparation, just his gaze rolling back to meet yours when he snaps his hips forward with perfect aim, his cock stretching you open and filling you in a way only he can. It makes you scream, your back beginning to arch, but Damian is right there, pulling his fingers from your mouth to grip your throat and pin you back down against the mattress.

His pace is unforgiving. It’s brutal and deep, carving his way into your body with harsh thrusts that have the headboard knocking flecks of plaster off the walls until they cascade down like rain onto the comforter. “You. Belong. To me.” He spits it through gritted teeth, and it’s not something you’ll ever deny. Your relationship may be unconventional, but you wouldn’t trade it. Any time spent with Dami, to you, is a gift, especially if it means he’ll fuck you absolutely boneless in order to reassert his control on those nights when he feels like the world around him is spiraling. 

You take it all--every thrust, the gnashing of his teeth into the juncture of your neck and shoulder, the suffocating grip around your throat, the drizzle of spit that falls onto your waiting tongue when he pries your jaw open. Anything Damian dishes out, you take without complaint, because while he craves control, you crave subjugation--the metaphorical yin to his yang.

Your voice is hoarse when you try to speak, breath stuttering with every powerful roll of Damian’s hips, barely heard over the lewd sounds of being fucked open. Each strike of his cock inside of you hits that spongy mound of tissue, dragging his silky, hot length against it with each withdrawal. It has you climbing right back towards your inevitable peek, the only question is-- will he let you finish this time?

“Dami--m’gonna--please, m’so close, baby.” You wheeze, and he smiles, teeth blindingly white even though the haze of your oxygen deprivation. You find some reprieve from the deliciously pleasurable pain when he finally peels his fingers back from your throat, hands sliding to your shins to fold them up and into your chest. His pace never lessens, he never slips out, following the bending of your body, the new angle allowing an even deeper stroke inside your gummy walls. It has you keening, hands clawing at his chest, his gold chain bouncing against the backs of your palms.

“Very well, I think you’ve earned it.” Reaching between your bent legs, Damian’s thumb slices through the lips of your cunt that are spread wide around his cock to seek out your clit. He’s precise, circling the aching bud in a way that makes you choke, throat vibrating with a squeal. You’re close again, rapidly approaching your release, so fast you can barely keep up, the pressure in your belly building to an unbearable tightness. This time, when you meet his eyes, the malice is gone, replaced with what you can only describe as devotion. “Go on, make a mess on my cock, cum for me.”

That’s all it takes, his permission coupled with the expert swirl of his thumb and the perfect drag of his cock have you seeing stars, bursting with a cry of his name. You scream, back arching up, chest to chest with him as he cradles you close. “I know, beloved, I know. Let it all out.” He coos, still thrusting wildly through the resistance as your pussy tries to shove him out with each fluttering pulse. Damian can feel your cum weeping out around him, it wets his thighs, dribbles down the seam of his sack, drips down onto the mattress. It makes him groan, balls tightening as he reaches the point where he can no longer stave off his own release. 

With a low moan of your name he pumps into you once, twice--the third sending the first spray of his cum deep in your womb. You can feel the pulse of his length as he bottoms out with a grunt, forehead pressing against yours, breath hot against your mouth. Jet after jet of semen coats your insides, filling you up so full it almost hurts. You whimper out, and Damian shushes you, cupping your face to plant a soft kiss against your lips. “Shh,” he murmurs. “You did so well for me, my darling. Such a good girl. I’m so proud of you.”

All you can manage is a hum, Damian’s fingers carding through your sweat-slicked hair as he peppers soft kisses over your cheeks, the tip of your nose, your forehead. This has got to be your favorite part, because while he knows how to completely wreck you, he’s also right there to pick up the pieces and stitch you right back together again. 

He carries you into the bathroom, runs a bath for the both of you, coddles and keeps you close until the pair of you are falling into his freshly stripped bed beneath the sheets. His arm is slung snugly around your waist, his lips on the back of your neck as you settle in preparation of sleep. “I’d like you to move your things into the manor.” His voice is soft, there’s a hesitation there that is so uncharacteristic it nearly shocks you back from exhaustion. But again, all you’re able to offer him is a hum of acknowledgement, wiggling further into the warmth of his body, heavy eyelids closing as your consciousness wanes and you drift. 

You’ll tackle this moving in business when you’ve got a clear head and a full belly, but the prospect of taking the next step in your relationship with Damian brings you the most pleasant, peaceful sleep you’ve had in years.

[writtenbymoonflower]

can i please request any of the marauders (dealers choice) with a shy quiet reader who’s just a little lonely, and doesn’t quite understand why he (the marauder) wants to be her friend but he just follows her like a lost puppy! if not totally cool- also it can be romantic i don’t mind but i just love the way you write the boys they’re so perfect

definitely did not use this request as an opportunity for MAJOR projection... of course not. Not sure if he's as openly needy as you were wanting, but I hope this is okay! Thanks for requesting hunny! shy!reader x flirty friend!Sirius Black

cw: drinking, smoking, kinda mean friends

1.4k words

Much to your dismay, your drink didn’t look any more interesting than the last twenty times you stared into it. Still, it was better than letting your eyes roam around the party and looking as lost as you felt. The friends you had come with ran off about thirty minutes ago, pulling attractive strangers onto the floor to dance. You were sat on the microfiber settee, swirling your drink and playing with the frays on your jeans. The jeans that your friends had stuffed you into, claiming they ‘make your ass look fantastic.’

Unfortunately, the effort was for naught, because you had been sitting down the whole night. The whole room was a mix of sounds, loud laughter, cups toppling over, the thump of the music from the stereo. You scanned the room, trying to see if there was anyone you recognized, you didn’t have to even look over for someone to call your name. 

“Y/N, love! I didn’t know you were here!” You looked up to see Sirius Black bounding towards you, not having any time to process before you were being hauled up into a hug. He was holding you far too tight to be socially acceptable, considering how you didn’t really know each other that well.

You had met at a party similar to this, one of your friends had a thing going on with someone in their group. Since then, it seemed like anytime he clapped eyes on you, he pulled you onto his arm. 

“Hi, Sirius.” You said quietly, still having the air squeezed out of you by the tattooed boy. He smelled like strong, clean cologne, tinged with musk, hair product, and makeup. It wasn't bad, actually kind of nice. He pulled back, but didn’t let go of you. You noticed he was far too pretty to be fair, smokey and sparkly liner rimming his eyes, high cheekbones topped with glitter that shimmered in the colorful lights, and dark, glossy lipstick, slightly smudged and blotted from his cup. He always looked his best at parties, but he took your breath away extra tonight, maybe because you hadn’t had enough to drink, too scared to run out and go up yourself for a refill. 

“What’re you doing, sitting here all by yourself, you goose.” He playfully scolded, finally letting his arms drop from around you. 

“My friends ran off, I was trying to get drunk.” You laughed pitifully. He was looking at you with enough intensity to make your ears burn. He peered between the two of you to look at your cup of beer. 

“Oh you poor thing, you’re never gonna get drunk enough on that. Come with me, let me fix you up.” He grabbed your free hand and dragged you over to the drinks table, you felt bad pulling him away from the people he came with.

“Aren’t your friends gonna worry? I don’t wanna steal you” You said, setting your red cup down to pick at your nails. 

“Let them worry. Besides, I’d let you steal me any day, dollface.” He winked at you, making heat rush through your body. “Anyway, let me make you a drink.” He picked up a bottle of red juice. “The key is, stay away from things that taste nasty.” He acted like he was teaching a class. “If you want to be drunk, you have to not suffer while you’re drinking.” He poured the fruit punch into another red cup, before grabbing a bottle of tequila and pouring a hefty amount in with it. He swirled the drink before handing it to you. 

“Thank you.” You said, looking at your shoes.

“Anytime.” He smirked at you. You hid your face in your drink, taking a tentative sip. It tasted mostly like fruit punch, with a tinge of warmth as it went down your throat. 

“This is dangerous.” You laughed nervously. “It’s really good, thank you.” You were smiling so shyly and sweetly at him he thought he could cry. 

“No need to thank me.” He shook his head like you were being silly. You looked over to see his usual tribe, smiling and laughing. Your heart burned, wishing you had a group like that. You liked the friends you had come with, but they treated you more like a pity project than anything else, it was embarrassing. Sirius was probably doing the same with you. 

“Well, don’t let me keep you. I’m gonna go outside for a smoke.” You started to turn on your heel towards the patio. 

“They’ll be okay, I promise. Let me keep you at least.” He pleaded. “I could use a smoke too.” He caught up to walk beside you. 

“Only if you want to.” You said, barely looking at him. 

“Can’t think of anythin’ I’d rather do.” You didn’t miss the way his eyes roved appreciatively over your form, making you want to hide and show off to him all at once. He held the door open for you, both of you sighing as the cool air hit your overheated bodies. 

“Thank you.” You muttered again.

“Lose the pleasantries, babydoll. It’s just me.” He shook his head like you were being silly while he pulled out a pack of cigs, handing one to you before sticking another in his painted mouth. 

“I don’t wanna take your stuff.” You said, ashamedly. You were already causing him enough trouble, pulling him from his friends, making him babysit and play bartender, now stealing his substances. You were quickly working your way to mooch status.

He spoke around the unlit stick in his mouth. “You’re not taking, I’m giving. Now c’mere.” He pulled you by your arm, wrapping his hand around your baggy jacket. He grabbed the cigarette from your hand. “Open,” He said, unusually quiet. You scrunched your eyebrows in confusion, making him laugh. “Open your mouth, silly.” 

“Oh,” You said, complying with his odd request. He placed the cigarette on your lips, letting you close your mouth around the filter. You thought your heart jumped into your throat as he stepped closer, cupping his hand around the side and flicking his lighter on, lighting the end of your cig for you. You could feel your pants turn to ash on the spot. 

“There you go.” He whispered, stepping away to light his own. Your brain short circuited, struggling to process the last few seconds. You took a drag of your cigarette before taking it out of your mouth. 

“Thank you.” You looked at your shoes again. 

“Bad girl, what did I just tell you?” He laughed loudly. You took a deep breath. 

“You don’t have to do this, you know.” You whispered, cheeks flaming. He blew smoke out of his nose, face pinched in confusion. “Babysit me, I mean. I know you just feel bad cus’ I was sitting by myself.” You picked at the lint on your coat. He looked offended, making you want to pass out on the spot. 

“I’m gonna let you in on a secret.” He said, hushedly. “It seems you don’t realize it, but I’m mean.” You must’ve looked as confused as you felt, because he kept going. “I’m not really very nice, I don’t do things for the sake of others, not like it seems you think I do. So, I’m not doing this for your sake, I’m doing this for mine.” He smirked at you, his sharp canines glinting in the moonlight. 

“I don’t believe that.” You looked him in the eye for the first time that night. 

“And I don’t believe that anyone would pass up the opportunity to be with you, but here we are.” He smiled at you. “Now, if you’ll let me, I would like to spend my time with the person I really want to see. My other friends will be fine, trust me. They’re probably thanking their lucky stars I’m finally leaving them alone, actually.” He wrapped his hand around your wrist, pulling you into his side and swinging an arm over your shoulders. 

“Okay.” You said, looking at your shoes again, voice barely louder than a mouse. He shook his head again. 

“You’re so fucking cute, you’re gonna be the death of me.” He chuckled, leaning over to press a kiss to your cheek. You let your fingers swipe the area gently. 

They came away with his pretty burgundy lipstick staining them.

[porcelainseashore]

Ghosts from the Past (1)

Series Masterlist

Pairing: Agent! Leon Kennedy x Dancer! Informant! Fem! Reader

Summary: 7 years after leaving behind everything you’ve known, you’re suddenly thrust into facing a ghost from your past, Leon. Navigating where you stand with him brings up old memories, painful truths and countless questions. At the same time, you have to deal with a bunch of strange occurrences at your dance company. Set after Resident Evil 4 Remake.

Warnings: 18+ Swearing, Recreational Drug Use, Alcohol, Eventual Smut, No (Y/N), Canon-Typical Horror and Violence, Blood, Injury, Torture, Infection, Medical Experiments, Psychological Trauma, Nightmares

Content: Post-Resident Evil 4, Exes to Lovers, Partners to Lovers, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Lack of Communication, Romance, Fluff

Author's Note: This fic takes place after Part 1 Teenage Headache Dreams so feel free to give that a read first. Note that I might get a little creative with RE lore and chapter updates could be longer than before, so please bear with me. Thank you to all those who gave feedback and followed me on this journey so far! 🫶

AO3 Link

Chapter 1: The Invitation

7 years.

7 years since you last saw him. 

But he hasn’t stopped haunting you.

You were stumbling your way through the sweaty crowd in one of the nightclubs you usually patronized. The thumping electronic beats resounded in your ears, as throngs of people writhed and shook to the music, raising their open palmed hands towards the DJ, like they were praying to some demigod. The room was bathed in a swathe of dark red light, and you were parting it like a sea of blood.

Dark kohl liner accentuated your eyes and your lips were the color of bruised plum, smudged slightly due to the humidity of the place. Your body was slick with perspiration, glittering under the lights, and it was barely covered by pieces of lace and a leather harness. A random guy pulled up next to you, whispering lewd nothings in your ear as you shoved him aside nonchalantly.

You were drugged up, high out of your mind, but everyone else was anyway, so why did you even care? Something instinctual told you to get to the middle, no matter what. So here you were, pushing your way through unapologetically, like you were on some unspoken mission.

And there he was. In the center. Blonde hair, blue eyes, t-shirt and jeans, just like you remembered him, as if time had not passed at all. As if it was only yesterday.

He stared at you intensely, wearing a scowl on his face, unspeaking. You noticed how tired he looked, like he just wanted to end it right there and then. So tired.

Maybe it was like those indigenous myths you had read about in class when you were young. The saying was that if one faces death, death has no choice but to grant them a final dance. Were you now in the shoes of death, frozen to the spot, watching him so he could cross over to the other side? Except, he wasn’t dancing. He remained there, completely still, eyeing you emotionlessly.

“Leon…” you mouthed, as your voice was drowned out by the blaring sound system.

The next moment, he disappeared into thin air like a shadowed specter, a faded memory of what you once had. 

Suddenly, everything around you erupted in flames, the bright light dazzling you and the scorching heat against your skin causing you to shrink away in fear. Your lungs felt like they were suffocating as you coughed vehemently due to the thick smoke that enveloped you. What the hell was all of this?

As you attempted to make a run for the exit, you noticed piles of bloodied-up bodies lying on the floor, surrounding you in a tight circle. Tripping over them, your eyes widened in shock as you began to recognize who they belonged to. There lay your parents, Leon’s parents, Kayla and the rest of the cheerleaders… the count went on as you frantically tried to shuffle yourself backwards, away from the source of terror, until you heard a deafening screech tearing through your eardrums.

BRRRNNGGG!!!

The sound of your alarm clock jolted you from your sleep. Hitting the ‘off’ button in response, you cursed out loud as your body shuddered uncontrollably. Your blanket and sheets were wet and clammy with puddles of your sweat. Trying to calm yourself, you took a quick gulp of water from the glass sitting on your bedside table and started to slow your breathing down.

Why were these dreams getting more and more frequent? You’d see Leon each time and then everything would turn to shit. There was just so much carnage and destruction back there, it nearly felt real.

You turned accusingly towards the framed photo of you and Leon back when you had posed together for your college graduation, still standing upright on your bedside table. Gripping it tightly till your knuckles were white, you opened one of the table drawers and chucked it inside, watching it clatter into the darkness as you shut the drawer back roughly.

Fuck, Leon! Why? You cried out internally, begging him to stop with the nightmares. Cradling your head in your hands, you broke out into sobs, whilst at the same time chiding yourself for not moving on from him all these years.

Bzzzt bzzzt. The burner phone on your desk interrupted your thoughts abruptly.

You sighed, picking yourself up from the bed and groggily trudging towards it. Flipping the phone open, you were greeted by yet another cryptic text from your handler.

The Chancery. Cocktail event. Tonight 7pm.

Right. Not like she would give you any more information on what this was about. As an informant, you were on a need-to-know basis and had to be happy with whatever scraps you got.

Your mind took a trip down memory lane of how you even landed in such a position in the first place. Ever since that fateful day where you decided to leave and never turn back, you used up whatever savings you had and ran all the way from the Midwest of America to the capital of Germany. There, you naturally fell into the arms of the renowned Silje Völker dance company, who had welcomed you so warmly you even forgot about her peculiar, icy demeanor back when she had scouted you from the dance showcase.

You thought moving to another country and making a new life there would help ease the pain of losing Leon, but you were wrong. Still, it couldn’t be worse than remaining in the place where the catastrophe happened and everything reminded you of him.

Then, about a year ago, some men in black suits handed you their card, reaching out with a proposition. Work for the US government as an informant. We need people like you, they said. There was something fishy going on with Silje, a wealthy, eccentric heiress, and artistic director of the dance company you were part of. She even owned the theater where your training and performances were conducted, and that venue was now under suspicion. As you had worked your way up to become one of her principal dancers, you were now in a prime position to gather the information they needed.

They were just so convincing. It reminded you of what Leon had said when he was younger. About wanting to protect the innocent and make a difference in the world. With that, you didn’t even think; you just said yes. 

Yes. To honor the memory of the boy you loved. Yes. If only you could have just said that one word to him, and to whatever he wanted. Yes.

So now you sought to betray the woman whom you saw as your surrogate mother. Your mother who had helped you find your way in a foreign country, where you were all alone, afraid and distraught. The one who nurtured you into the woman you were standing here today - bold, cunning and adaptable. It felt like life was playing a cruel trick on you. One you could not win.

After rushing through your daily routine, you gathered your things, slipping off an elegant, black cocktail dress from your hanger and stuffing it into your day bag, before heading out to the theater where you normally spent your waking hours training.

You greeted Silje, or Frau Völker - as she preferred to be called by the other dancers, except you and a select few - on the way in. Silje was a tall and wiry lady, with an aristocratic air about her. She consistently wore her platinum white hair in a tight bun, which pulled tautly against the skin along her jawline. For as long as you’ve known her, she never once took off her pitch black sunglasses, whether outdoors or indoors. Her dull-colored clothes covered her arms and legs fully and expensive leather gloves lined her hands at all times. Despite her fragile figure, she commanded authority and projected an intimidating presence.

As you entered the dance studio, she stopped you, gesturing to the dress peeking out of your bag. “Going somewhere special tonight?” 

Nothing could remain hidden from her astute gaze for long.

“Oh, just an international exchange at the embassy,” you lied through a perfect smile.

“How patriotic,” she crooned. You had gotten used to her dark humor and sarcasm by now, so you didn’t pay much attention to it as you shrugged in response.

“Well, enough chit-chat. We have a lot of work to do.” She clapped her hands twice to raise the awareness of the rest of the dance company. “Let’s go through the second part of the Rite, shall we?”

“You-” She pointed a bony finger in your direction. “Need to make those jumps lighter.”

You nodded, acknowledging her criticism that she dished out to you in front of everyone.

“Be in the air, not tied to the ground, my dear.” 

As she flashed over a wide, toothy grin, for a split second you were sure that you saw razor sharp fangs emerging from them. However, they were gone the moment you looked back again.

━━━━━━━━━━━

That evening, you exited out of Friedrichstraße station, one of the main shopping districts in central Berlin. The bustling streets were brightly lit against the darkening sky, as you darted in and out of the swarm of human traffic to get to the embassy. Your heels clacked along the pavement as you made a right, hurrying towards a closed off street, which was heavily fortified with barriers and fencing. 

From afar, you could make out the five-storey, gabled building with beige stone slabs, and the American flag hanging over its front entrance. One of the guards checked in with you, jotting down some notes against your name on his clipboard as he ushered you indoors. 

Dropping off your winter coat and day bag at the makeshift cloakroom, you slipped a couple of spare coins into the tip jar and headed up to the function room. Lively chatter and background music spilled out from its open doors into the corridor you were in. 

You checked yourself anxiously in a reflective surface nearby to make any last minute adjustments. Since your handler hadn’t revealed much of why you had been requested, you wanted to make sure you looked the part and fit in, in case you needed to do some sweet talking with, what you might guess, the elite members of society.

Your hands were trembling ever so slightly as you smoothened out imaginary creases in your shimmery, black satin dress which clung snugly to your body, emphasizing your curves. It had a low, backless design that teased just the right amount of bare skin without raising a scandal. Despite that, you were still debating whether it was too little or too much. In fact, the length of the dress reached so close to the floor, it was a wonder you hadn’t had an accident while walking around in it yet. Maybe you should alter the hem of it in the near future.

The sound of the hallway clock chiming at 7 sharp disrupted your inner monologue, as you realized you should adhere to your punctuality. Making the final touches to your loose, tousled bun and swabbing your lips with a light layer of rouge stain, you finally broke away and entered the function room.

Drinks and canapés lined the long, white banquet tables to the side, while men in snazzy suits and women in fine threads gathered around in their cliques, conversing with each other. It felt like you had gone back in time and were thrown into some 70s gala party, where you didn’t know a single soul. 

A waiter stopped in front of you carrying a tray of bubbly champagne in tall flute glasses. “Madame?” He offered you one from his delicate hand.

You nodded gratefully, taking it before situating yourself at a corner of the room, sipping your drink slowly. Glancing at your watch, you observed that 15 minutes had passed since the supposed meeting time of 7pm. Scanning the room proved fruitless as you didn’t find anything of note.

Where was your handler, Bergmann? What was this party for? You wondered.

At some point, you felt a shadow loom over you from your left shoulder, but you didn’t have a chance to react until it spoke.

“Talk about seeing a ghost from the past.”

Your ears perked up at the voice that you would recognize anywhere, except it sounded deeper and gruffer this time.

No, it couldn’t be… 

Alarm bells started to ring in your head, as you tried to convince yourself that this was one of your nightmares again. Maybe you had fallen asleep on the U-Bahn and now you were lucid dreaming. 

You pinched your arm, not daring to look in the direction of the source of the voice. This was just a dream. 

“Yeah, that’s not gonna help.” 

Or not.

Your breath hitched as you turned sharply to your left, coming face-to-face with a pair of electric blue eyes set in a hollow stare, the dark circles under them giving away his fatigue. His chiseled face was marred by a cut he was nursing on his bottom lip, and his mop of blonde hair was almost like how you remembered it, but longer at the bangs and lighter in color as if it had been bleached in the sun. He was also suited up, black this time, but you could tell he had grown bulkier and more muscular underneath.

How was this possible? What was going on?

You couldn’t even begin to comprehend the scene in front of you, as everything around the room began to spin and your vision blurred. There was the sound of a glass breaking, and the last thing you were conscious of was a strong set of arms wrapping around you, followed by a yell, “Give her some air!”

Then darkness came to claim you.

━━━━━━━━━━━

There was something wet on your face and what felt like a cold breeze, causing a shiver to run through your spine. Then, you sensed a light tapping against your cheek.

“Hey, hey. Wake up.”

Your eyes fluttered open and you were met again with those vivid blue eyes. As you came to, you realized that you were out on one of the balconies, your head propped up by his suit jacket while you lay on the ground. 

He held out a glass of water in his hand. “Here.”

You pushed yourself up on your elbows until you came into a sitting position, before taking it from him gingerly. Your body was still shaking as you drank from the glass and at this, he took his jacket and placed it over your shoulders to cover you.

“Thanks,” you managed weakly.

“Don’t mention it,” he replied, while carefully helping you to your feet.

There was a moment of silence as both of you eyed each other without a word. However, it seemed as if he wasn’t surprised to see you, which was weird.

“Leon,” you stuttered. “How-”

The balcony door slid open.

“Ah, there you are!” A young man with a communication earpiece, whom you assumed was one of the staff members, called out.

He glanced between the two of you knowingly. ���I see you’ve gotten acquainted.”

“Bergmann will see you now.” He signaled towards the elevators past the crowd.

Leon gave him a quick nod. “We’ll talk later,” he whispered in your ear as you followed the man leading you towards the top floor of the building.

Passing by an unassuming door on the fifth level, he rapped it thrice and you heard the distinct tone of Bergmann informing you to come in. He pushed the door and held it open for both of you before he left.

A woman in her late 40s with curly, auburn ringlets and donning a light gray pantsuit greeted you and Leon.

“Kirsten Bergmann,” she introduced herself while shaking Leon’s hand.

“Leon Kennedy.”

“Of course,” she smirked. “USSTRATCOM’s golden boy.”

You were confused, but started to piece together bits of the conversation. Leon had been alive and working for the government this whole time?

“So you’ve met my informant.” Bergmann motioned at you. “She seems to have a flair for making a spectacle of herself recently.” She frowned disapprovingly, referring to the incident that happened earlier that evening. 

You bowed your head in embarrassment, but Leon appeared completely indifferent.

“Anyway, Hunnigan will be joining us on comms shortly.”

With that, she turned to one of the screens in the room which had been switched on and was showing a connecting symbol. A few seconds later, a bespectacled lady with her hair neatly tied back appeared on it.

“Hunnigan here. Shall we get to it?”

Bergmann took the lead on the discussion. 

“My informant will be an invaluable asset to Agent Kennedy’s mission. She has nestled herself deep within the target company and gained the trust of Ms Silje Völker, who has started to, on her own accord, disclose further information in confidentiality to my informant. All the intel has been fed back to HQ.”

Pressing a button, Bergmann brought up a blueprint map of the theater on another screen, except this had additional markings on it in your own handwriting.

“As you can see, exploration of the target site has shown multiple hidden passageways, false doors and even additional depths absent in the original plans. A copy of this has already been forwarded to all of you.”

This time, Bergmann turned to face you, folding her arms as she continued.

“In addition, my informant has secured various key connections that will prove the validity of our findings and help Agent Kennedy gain a foothold on getting access into the target site easily.”

“We are certain this is the base of operations,” she added, almost triumphantly. 

“And I shouldn’t have to remind you how this case needs to be handled with the utmost discretion,” she warned, gazing strictly at Leon and Hunnigan. 

“We have to ensure that US-German relations remain solid and the last thing we want is for this thing to blow up in the public. Much less in the capital.”

“Understood,” came Hunnigan’s unwavering reply. “I’m sure Leon will be able to manage that.”

“Perfect,” Bergmann replied, looking rather satisfied with herself. “My informant will work closely with you on this. There are sights to see, people to meet, and she will accompany you-”

“With all due respect, I don’t need a babysitter.” Leon suddenly piped up from the middle of the room.

You watched in astonishment, your jaw falling ajar, as he insulted you in front of your colleagues. His harsh words stung you inside. It seemed as if he hated you, and wanted nothing to do with you. But why?

“I am more than capable of finishing this myself,” he continued firmly.

Bergmann’s brows furrowed and her nostrils flared, as she looked at Leon like she was about to reprimand a child. “I assure you, she-”

“Take her off the case,” he demanded.

“Agent Kennedy!” Bergmann raised her voice. “That’s not your decision to make.”

From the intercoms, Hunnigan concurred, “I’m sorry, Leon. It’s been endorsed by the higher ups.”

“This is fucking bullshit.” He smacked his hand on a nearby table in defeat.

A tiny smile appeared on Bergmann’s face and you knew she had a trick up her sleeve. “Besides, Agent, how good is your German?”

He glared at her pointedly. “Good enough.”

She laughed mockingly and proceeded to speak with him in German, using a mixture of complex and colloquial sentences, which you noted that Leon was having a fair amount of difficulty processing. Then she turned to you, indicating that you should answer, and you complied with her order obediently.

“She’s fluent, even passable as a native.” Bergmann remarked smugly. “You, on the other hand, won’t last a day with that grasp of the language.”

Leon didn’t respond, but instead resorted to shooting daggers at her.

“Well, now that part’s over and done with, let’s move on to the logistics.” Bergmann stated simply, as if the previous altercation had never occurred.

She pushed forward, briefing you and Leon on the capacity in which you two should work together, how to approach comms, backstories and the like, including the next steps required in the task ahead.

At the end, she requested you to step outside and wait for Leon on the ground floor, as she relayed further details to him that you were not privy to. You had grown accustomed to this sort of treatment, even if you didn’t like secrets being withheld from you. So you waited patiently on one of those stiff, high-back wooden chairs in the lobby, for the man you thought had been a ghost all this while to find you.

How did he survive? Why didn’t he say anything? Was he still upset about the past? Is that why he had treated you with such venom at the meeting? You had a million questions running through your head. Nothing made sense. Maybe the only reason why you weren’t having a mental breakdown at the moment was because you knew you had a job to do.

“Something on your mind?”

You whipped around, startled by the unexpected intrusion. It was Leon, regarding you with curiosity despite the constant scowl on his face.

You sighed, catching your breath and lowering your hands that had been clutched at your chest. “Wanna start talking?”

“Not here,” he replied. “Somewhere less open.” He glanced around before adding, “More rowdy.”

You nodded, understanding that he wanted a place without prying ears. “There’s a grimy bar that’s always packed to the brim in Neukölln. No one will give a shit there.”

He scoffed. “Sounds like my type of bar.”

Pointing at his attire, you commented, “You gotta get out of that suit though. Not unless you want to attract some attention.”

He leaned against the wall, allowing his bangs to fall over his eyes as he folded his arms and smirked at you. “Suits me.”

[littlestsnicket]

Lost Scenes Thursday! Get to know your favourite authors better. Show five scenes from either abandoned fics where you regret they will never see the light of day, or five scenes from WIPs where you are impatient to see them out there. Long, short, one-liner... it's all good reading. Tag five other authors where you are curious.

this is a fun ask, lets see if i can come up with five. (spoilers: i did! some snickety and witchery snippets below the cut)

abandoned drabble

Jaskier is moping and it shouldn’t bother Geralt. It’s just… irritating, the way Jaskier can be loud even in complete silence. This is really for Geralt’s benefit. 

“Jaskier,” Geralt says, and tosses a stick at the bard before he’s quite looked up. He catches it easily anyway. His expression shifts through anger to comical outrage anyway. 

“What’s that for?”

“Sparring.”

“Geralt, you do realize traveling unarmed is a deliberate choice on my part?”

“That’s a stick,” Geralt says flatly, and Jaskier frowns for a moment and then laughs

2. bit i cut from "in which ciri acquires an emotional support bard" because it didn't fit structurally/i didn't want to delve too too deep into any of the non-Ciri relationships and this would have needed a whole separate subplot to work

“You don’t have to forgive him.”

Yennefer didn’t respond.

“You’re not completely at fault, I don’t care what either of you think about this.”

Yennefer looked furious for a moment before she schooled her features into something calm and diplomatic. “You didn’t have to forgive him either.”

“Yes, I did,” Jaskier hissed, “because he was so obviously, painfully sorry, and then he apologized with actual fucking words, which last I checked he has absolutely not done for you. He has, in fact, seemed to be denying that he’s behaved unfairly in any way.”

Jaskier drew a deep breath and deflated a bit, “Sorry, I’m not mad… at you.”

Yennefer made a sobbing noise that she would have repressed if she could and found herself suddenly enveloped in a tight hug.

3. tiny bit from the klaus&lemony fic i have temporarily given up on, not sure if this will end up in the final draft

Klaus listened silently as Mr. Snicket awkwardly shuffled about in his seat for a long while before he peered over the top of his book.

“Mr. Snicket, your book is upside down,” Klaus said flatly. 

“Yes, I suppose it is.” Mr. Snicket closed the book and set it in his lap rather than flipping it the right way around. He peered back at Klaus over the cover of <title>, his expression somewhat expectant. Slowly, Klaus lowered the book, getting a good look at Mr. Snicket.

Mr. Snicket was wearing his customary button down shirt and slacks. In concession to the summer heat and the casual attire appropriate for one’s home, he had forgone a tie and was wearing a set of house shoes with no socks leaving his ankles exposed.

4. manic pixie dream jaskier (the jaskier/valdo fic i was possessed to write :D )

Valdo doesn’t say much of anything, just hums agreeably when Julian pauses in his stream-of-conscious observations. Valdo’s too distracted by the lingering tingle the touch of Julian’s palm had left against his own and the musical staccato of Julian’s voice to process much of what he’s saying. Julian makes some rambling but incisive comments about the band that Valdo would be hard pressed to recall the specifics of, but his full attention latches back onto Julian’s words as he begins to speculate in discomfiting detail about which of the locals at the next table would be most willing and mutually satisfactorily to get into bed with. 

“The one with the coppery hair must be a blacksmith’s apprentice. Look at the muscles in his neck...” Julian moves to stand and Valdo catches him by the wrist. He blushes—red and splotchy feeling, nothing like the soft flush that had entranced Valdo last term. He curls in on himself in pre-emptive shame, but Julian pauses, looking at Valdo inquisitively.

Valdo doesn’t move when Julian carefully disentangles his wrist from Valdo’s fingers or when Julian turns around on the bench to lean into the space between Valdo and the table, not quite touching him. He feels pinned in place like the exotic beetles he had seen through the door in one of the biology labs. 

Julian’s smile is sharp and nearly predatory, but not unkind. Valdo thinks he might have an aneurysm when Julian’s hand cups the side of Valdo’s neck. He lets Julian kiss him, too wrongfooted to do much of anything in return.

[and that is where i ran out of transcribing focus, the rest of the scene is in my notebook :/ ]

5. abandoned jacques&lemony fic from so long ago i don't even remember writing it, but i kinda like it. who knows, maybe this will get wrapped into the disastrous snicket siblings fic i want to write

I have always loved my brother and would drain the oceans of the world if it would keep him alive and reasonably whole, but he had a particular way—which I believe only younger siblings can achieve—of driving me up a wall. Currently, he was seated across from me, frowning slightly, his gaze fixed on the entryway of the restaurant as his fingers tapped noiselessly against the white tablecloth. I was confident, though unlike my brother I was no expert on the subject, that it was a pattern of tapping that would elicit a tune from the treble keys and bass buttons of an accordion. I wished he would sit still.

Lemony’s particular fidgeting reminded me of something I very much did not want to think about. Long enough ago that we were a great deal happier and my brother did not yet have a permanent crease of worry between his brows, we had made a regular practice of sitting at tables that were a great deal larger but otherwise very similar to this one with a number of other people. Lemony and Beatrice would play a game. It would start with Lemony tapping his fingers against the table as he was doing now. Beatrice would proceed to guess what he was playing. Inevitably, Lemony would inform her that she was wrong and Beatrice would continue to guess increasingly implausible pieces of music until she decided to accuse Lemony of cheating, and then Lemony would say something along the lines of “How dare you besmirch my honor. You don’t even know how to play the accordion,” and they would argue while Jerome looked distressed and Bertrand watched them fondly, occasionally making an interjection. To the untrained eye, these interjections seemed to be the sort of thing one would say to de-escalate a conflict, but I was certain Bertrand had been egging them on.

Eventually I would say something along the lines of, “everyone is staring, we shouldn’t be drawing so much attention to ourselves,” to which Lemony would respond very pointedly, “You don’t care about that.” And I would glare at him, and he would raise an eyebrow as if to say, “any argument you make will only serve to make me more certain of my suspicions.”

At least he was too polite to voice his suspicions aloud. If I was lucky, Beatrice and Bertrand would have begun to talk about something else and Jerome would begin to relax.

Mostly to derail my train of thought as safely as possible, I asked my brother, “What do you think?”

I had been telling him about my latest mission—to ensure that the remnants of the headquarters at 667 Dark Avenue did not fall into the wrong hands without revealing our organization’s interest in the location. I had hoped to discuss the matter with my brother has he, despite his insistence to the contrary, provided excellent insight into the mind and likely actions of one Esme Squalor, but I suspect he had not been listening.

Lemony schooled his expression into that of an insolent child, “You should tell him how you feel.”

“Tell who how I feel about what?” I responded cautiously.

Lemony ignored me, clearly believing I knew what he was talking about. He may have been right to do so.

“In person. Not in a letter he might not receive. He’d be pleased to see you.”

“That’s something, coming from you.”

This was a cruel thing to say, and I wished to take it back. I expected my brother to argue—explain that his circumstances had been more complex, or, possibly, simply walk away without a word as I was certain he was still angry with me about the role I played in making those circumstances more complex, which I was not sorry for as I would rather see my brother miserable than dead and I, still, even with the benefit of hindsight, could see no better alternative. Instead he let his gaze drift back to the entryway of the restaurant. I wondered if he was anxious or waiting for something specific or both.

“I give myself very good advice, but I very seldom follow it,” he quoted. I didn’t know what to make of that. I knew the book about the girl who fell through a hole in the ground and found a world that was whimsical and strange had upset him a great deal as a small child.

[eggcompany]

Blue Sugar Part 3

I'm not sorry

It started with Billy fixing the angle. He stepped back, hands in front of him like he was scared the camera was going to fall. He looked nice, his hair freshly washed and liner around his eyes. He was wearing a pair of showier jeans, ones that clung to his hips and ass. His red silky shirt was unbuttoned down to his naval, showing off his shaved chest, before it tucked under the waistband of the jeans. He cleared his throat and nervously waved at the camera. 

The angle was good, an even look at the bed. It clearly showed the messily made bed, the ashtray on the bedside, the posters on the walls. The sound was good, the microphone picking up the knock at the door. It was muffled but they could hear the two boys' voices. 

‘I came from work, my dogs are barking!’

‘You brought pot to work?’

‘When do I not have some on me? It’s an essential to existence, man.’

Eddie walked in flopping down on Billy’s bed, shoes slipped off as he leaned back against the headboard. He was wearing a plain black t-shirt and tight black jeans, layers of necklaces hanging from his neck and rings adorning his fingers. His hair fanned out around him, his headband doing little to tame it. Billy followed him, shutting his bedroom door before leaning against it. 

They stayed like that for a long pause, Billy leaning against his door, bare chest rising with each of his measured breaths. His eyes locked onto Eddie’s as the brunette held the joint between his fingers, black lighter sending glittering light across his face for a second. 

Billy was drawn in when Eddie exhaled, the smoke leaving his lips was just too much for him. He just needed to get a little closer. Eddie hummed and wiggled his shoulders, getting comfortable. He smiled up at Billy who climbed onto the bed beside him. 

Eddie handed the joint over, watching Billy take a hit. He didn’t hide the way his eyes roamed across the other boy’s bare chest. Didn’t even pretend like he wasn’t purposefully touching Billy’s hand when they passed. 

It was quiet as they smoked, the boys sitting next to each other on the bed, smoke making the air foggier by the second until there was barely a hit left. Eddie took a long inhale, sitting up to reach the ashtray that was behind Billy. He leaned over the blonde, faces inches apart, and exhaled. 

Billy couldn’t help the gasp that slipped past his lips, the way his hands gripped the blankets. It was the hottest thing he’d ever been a part of. Eddie stayed hovering over him, one arm caging Billy in where his hand landed beside his hip. 

“C’mon” Eddie breathed and it was like a breath had been breathed into the room. Billy leaned up, just enough to let their lips press together. It was careful, almost coy, their lips just pressing together, closed mouthed. Billy kept his hands to himself, gripping the bedding below him, struggling not to grab and pull until they were tangled together again. But he wanted, needed, it to be different this time. 

Eddie finally pulled back, those brown eyes staring down at Billy like he was something special, like he was something worth caring about. It made Billy get that tight feeling in his throat. 

“Did you actually wanna smoke or did you wanna… ya know, again?” Eddie asked carefully, one of his hands coming to cradle Billy’s jaw. Billy couldn’t help but turn into it, the soft gesture feeding into the starving part of his brain. The rough calluses of Eddie’s hand on his freshly shaved face made him feel all tingly, the cool of his rings acting like a balm. He knew he was blushing, the heat radiating from his face obvious. 

“Do you?” Billy asked, finally looking back up at the other’s eyes. He couldn’t stand it. Couldn’t stand seeing the… the adoration, the affection, the hundred other confusing things that those brown eyes held. Not when it was all for him, all directed at him.

“Of course I do, baby. I just don’t want you to run away again. Don’t wanna scare you or anything.” Eddie answered leaning down to nuzzle against the blonde curls that laid against Billy’s temple. He pulled back, giving Billy space enough to pull away if he wanted to. He didn’t. 

Instead of pulling away or shoving Eddie away, Billy chased after him. Flame renewed, he leaned up chasing after the warm feeling of being kissed. He sat up, hands on either side of Eddie’s head as their tongues slipped together. 

They pulled apart, Billy huffing for breath, and Eddie laid back against the headboard. He looked smug, and Billy couldn’t resist the way his body felt drawn to the other man, like a magnet pulling him in. 

“Wasn’t scared” Billy whined as he climbed into Eddie's lap, straddling him, hands braced on his shoulders. Eddie smiled, eyes roaming over Billy’s face as his hands raised up to hold Billy’s jaw. Billy couldn’t keep looking into those brown eyes, looking down at Eddie’s necklaces, all his stupid jewelry. He tried to ignore the way those rough hands gently cradled his face before one rose up to play with his hair. 

“Sure you weren’t. Promise you won’t run off before morning? Wanna be able to cuddle after, you get all cute when you’re getting fucked.” Eddie said easily, hands roaming down Billy’s body, slipping under the red fabric of his shirt to rub up and down his sides. He ran both hands back up, calluses rubbing across the blonde’s nipples, till he could place soft kisses to the underside of Billy’s jaw.  

Billy gasped and arched into those hands, whining as soft kisses tickled at the skin of his neck. He loved the way Eddie touched him, loved the feeling of him, strength contained and gentled for his sake, it made him feel hungry and overfed all the same. 

Eddie leaned up, abandoning his path down Billy’s neck, catching his lips, pressing them together. Billy moaned into it, unable to hold his sounds back as their tongues slipped together. He shoved at Eddie’s shirt, yanking it up by the fistfulls, not wanting to pull away enough to actually pull it off. 

Eddie’s hands were slower, steadier, as they pulled Billy’s shirt free from where it was tucked in and unbuttoned the two actually done buttons. He ran his hands across Billy’s back, shoving their chests together. Billy’s hips rolled down, desperate for more. Even trying to hold back, he couldn’t help but search for the stiff heat that was pressing into his ass. 

“Fuck please?” Billy begged when he finally pulled away, leaning his head against Eddie’s shoulder, hands wound in his shirt. He was breathless, desperate, wanton, he just wanted to get naked. And Eddie to be naked. 

Eddie huffed a laugh and pushed Billy onto his back, looking over him with hungry eyes. Eddie kept his eyes down on Billy, pinning him down, as he pulled his shirt off. 

Billy wanted to reach up, wanted to run his hands across the miles of pale skin that was revealed. He wanted to memorize every scar, every mark, every single inch. He wanted to touch the muscles on Eddie’s arms, down to his chest, he wanted to know how soft the hairs were that peaked over the top of his jeans. He barely noticed that he’d sat up a bit, or that his own shirt had been shoved off his shoulders. 

“These horrid things too.” Eddie said and roughly undid Billy’s belt, yanking his jeans down his legs. Billy kicked himself off the bed, stumbling before hurrying to get the pants off. Eddie watched him as he removed his own pants, delighted at the fact Billy hadn’t been wearing underwear. 

Billy finally kicked away his own jeans, finding Eddie’s jeans being flung away too. He looked up,eyes going fuzzy for a moment before he swallowed. He felt a bit suffocated, breathing in tightly as he tried to take in everything he was seeing. 

Eddie was laying back against the headboard, naked down to his jewelry which he was slipping off, laying on the bedside in a neat pile. He pulled his last ring off with his teeth, eyes staring at Billy’s as his free hand stroked his cock. 

Billy stared at him, Eddie looked so much different than him he was so slim, long muscles, such pale skin and his cock was such a pretty pink color. Especially as his long fingers wrapped around it, slowly giving himself loose strokes. 

“Do you wanna touch me?” Eddie asked, voice low in the quiet of Billy’s bedroom. His voice sounded different, it wasn’t the same voice that had been goofing around earlier that day or the gentle one that whispered in Billy’s ear. It was darker, edged with something that made him wanna behave. He felt dizzy, drunk on whatever Eddie was giving him. 

Billy just nodded, eyes stuck on watching the slow drag of Eddie’s hand on his own cock. He felt like life was rolling in slow motion, like he could be stupid with Eddie. Like he could be a puppy around him. 

He looked back up at Eddie’s face and watched him pull his hand away, reaching his hands out to pull Billy closer. 

“Cmon baby, you can touch me. I’m going to touch you. It’s only fair.” Eddie explained, the low voice shaking something loose in Billy’s head. Digging into his head and making everything gummy. 

He sat forward, running his hands over Billy’s chest and arms. It made Billy sigh, relaxing as Eddie pet him, running down the outsides of his thighs up to his shoulders. 

“Good boy, so pretty” Eddie whispered as he took in the beauty that was standing in front of him. He sounded reverent, like he was worshipping something ethereal. 

Billy swallowed and crawled back into Eddie’s lap, moving so their cocks rubbed together. They both let out moans, Eddie grabbing Billy's jaw to smash their lips together, all tongue and teeth. Billy couldn’t keep his hips still, finally getting some relief as their cocks slid against each other. 

“Fuck, fuck, please, please Eddie” Billy begged when they pulled apart, his mind being taken over completely by the fuzzy feeling. Eddie wrapped his hand around their cocks, the mix of their precum making the slide easy as he started an easy rhythm. His hand just fit around them both, his own cock a bit longer than Billy’s own. 

Billy whined, a high creaking complaint as he wrapped his arms around Eddie, pulling them close as he shoved his face into the other boy’s neck. He felt his throat get tight as the pleasure washed over him, as Eddie’s free arm wrapped around him. He loved being held, loved being so close, loved the way Eddie’s breath was hot against his shoulder, loved the feeling of his own cock rubbing against another. He loved being in bed with another guy. And that made him hiccup a sob. 

“Fuck me, just just…please Eddie” Billy begged, tears pricking his eyes. He couldn’t hold on forever, he needed to get to the good part before he cracked too far. 

Eddie pulled his hand back, shushing him gently as he ran his hands up and down his bare back. Billy breathed lower, muscles relaxing back a bit. 

“Okay, alright, I’m gonna fuck you, baby. Lube?” Eddie asked and Billy sniffed and pointed at the bedside table where a brand new tube of lube was hidden. He hadn’t known what to get, if guys needed different stuff and he hadn’t seen what Eddie had at his place. 

He didn’t move, just leaning over with Eddie as he reached over to get the white tube. Eddie huffed a laugh and gave Billy a squeeze. 

“You get this at the pharmacy?” Eddie asked as he looked over the tube. It wasn’t something he’d pick and not something he’d find at the sex shop. Billy felt newly aflame as he nodded. He had taken it from the pharmacy. He thought it was better than getting the wrong stuff from the porn store. Eddie just turned to kiss his shoulder reassuringly. 

“It’s alright, it’ll work just fine. Comfy, baby?” Eddie asked as he opened the lube, finding a bit had already been used. Eddie hummed darkly at that before spreading a generous amount onto his fingers. He reached down with his clean hand to grab and knead at the blonde’s ass. Billy jumped a bit but settled back down, keeping his face hidden, 

“Yeah… I’m ok” Billy answered weakly and gasped, body jumping away from the cold wet fingers that found his hole. He couldn’t help the moan that ripped through him when two fingers slipped into him. He held on tighter to Eddie’s shoulders, mouth hung open as he tried to breathe. It felt good, so much better than anything else. Those fingers could reach much better than anything else. 

“There you go, doing so well, baby. You’re so excited, huh? You want it that bad?” Eddie asked, as he steadily started thrusting his fingers in and out, noting the way Billy’s cock twitched. The blonde just let out a sob as his thighs shook with his pleasure. 

“Ye-yeah, need it. Want it so bad.” Billy agreed. He’d tried pushing his own fingers into himself, jerking off just seeming not enough anymore. But nothing compared to the hand that was fucking into him, laying against another sturdy body, experiencing it like this. Nit when Eddie kept fucking talking. 

“That’s okay. You can be eager, baby. Opening up so easy for me, look at you.” Eddie praised as he mouthed against Billy’s neck, his finger sliding in and out faster and faster. He let his teeth catch on the muscles that bulged under Billy’s skin, leaving marks. 

The blonde whined and rolled his hips with the rhythm of Eddie's hand, cocking them so those fingers rubbed against his good spot. It was so easy for Eddie to hit it, the soft little spot fitting perfectly under his fingers. 

“Oh fuck! Ah, right there!” Billy cried out tears washed down his face, the lightning striking him. He cried out in pleasure as Eddie focused on the spot, rubbing across it, tapping on it. Billy couldn’t tell if he was crying from the pure pleasure that was wrecking him, the relief of finally getting more of Eddie, or because his head was finally letting go. 

“Yeah, there you go babydoll. So fucking pretty, my pretty baby. Starved for it aren’t you?” Eddie said as he slipped another finger in, his own voice getting rougher, lower. He let his clean hand run up and down Billy’s body, squeezing his ass up to grope the muscles of his back, back down to pet the outside of his thigh. 

“Yeah, yeah I am” Billy whimpered, finally letting headspace catch up to him, going stupid in Eddie’s arms. He felt himself relax, shame and embarrassment slip away to make more room to feel good. 

“Ready? You want my cock now?” Eddie asked and nearly laughed as the blonde nodded enthusiastically. He pulled his hand back, wiping the lube off on his own discarded shirt. He grabbed Billy’s hips, maneuvering his body till the blonde was kneeling over his cock. 

Billy looked between their bodies up to Eddie, eyes wide and scared. His blush flushed away, paling at the thought. He could feel the heat radiating off Eddie’s body, phantom heat pushing against his body. The brunette shushed him, peppering kisses down his neck. 

“Sh sh sh, take it easy. As slow as you need, baby” Eddie said and soothed over Billy’s sides, rough hands running across his ribs making him breathe. 

He looked back at Eddie, big blue eyes glittering with nerves before he was being pulled into a soft kiss. It was gentle but Eddie pulled his hips down, one hand pushing down steadily as their tongues tangled. 

The tip just pushing inside Billy’s body, he gasped, hands scrambling for Eddie's body as he tensed up. His thighs trembled trying to pull away but he tried to relax which only made it slip in further, painfully forcing itself in against his clenching muscles as he scrambled to pull away. 

“Can’t- Ow! Fuck ow!” Billy cried out as his legs slid against the bedding, slipping down more only to tense up harder. Something hurt deep inside him, something burning and stabbing. He dug his nails into Eddie's shoulders, desperate for something to make it stop. 

Eddie shushed him, moving them so Billy was back in his lap, their cocks brushing together once again. He shushed the blonde and pet his trembling back. Billy caught his breath, the pain washing away once he relaxed again. He rubbed at his nose

“It’s okay, it’s alright baby. It’s okay. You’re not used to it yet is all. You tried, it’s okay. You just need practice. We can try again later. You want my help, baby? Want me to take care of it?” Eddie asked and pulled back to kiss Billy’s tearful cheeks and nose. He wasn’t judgmental or disappointed. He didn’t sound like everyone else when Billy couldn’t perform how they wanted. He sounded… soft. He sounded like it was okay, like he didn’t care if Billy failed. It made Billy feel foggier in his head. 

Billy nodded, sniffing as more tears rolled down his cheeks. 

“Yeah, need- need help. Please, Eddie” Billy begged, needing it to be the good part already. He wanted Eddie to take over, to take charge. 

He was shushed and they were rolling over, Billy being pressed into the bed on his back, locking his ankles together around Eddie's waist. It felt so much better already, having Eddie’s eyes looking down on him, having the comfort of his bed below him. 

“There you go, pretty baby. Perfect” Eddie praised as he situated himself on his knees, shoving so Billy’s hips were basically still in his lap. Billy pulled him down once they were situated, dragging their bodies together tightly, arms wrapping around pale shoulders till he could bury his face in Eddie's neck. 

Eddie hummed, taking a moment to press a long passionate kiss to Billy’s lips. It calmed the blonde, making him slow down and feel. 

Eddie pulled back and looked at Billy for a moment, eyes asking him a silent question. Billy nodded and Eddied used one hand to position himself at Billy’s entrance. The warmth that pressed against him was enough to have Billy whining, head nodding as his eyes closed. 

“Relax baby doll, breathe” Eddie said as his hips shoved forward slowly. 

Billy's mouth hung open, his eyes wide but fogged over. It was a feeling he could never get used to. Being full of actual cock. It wasn’t like the toy, it was warm and soft and fit like a puzzle piece inside of him, it wasn’t like fingers, it gave him an even stretch all the way through him, it made him feel like there was space ready for it, like his body was created to be filled. He couldn’t help the way his orgasm came rushing towards him, how he had to come to his senses and hold out till Eddie finished. 

“Fuck~ that’s so good baby. So fucking tight Billy, so fucking wet too, what a good boy.” Eddie groaned out as he started an even rhythm that was getting faster each thrust. Billy was so easy to fuck, his body wanton for a hard cock. Especially when Billy clammed up around him. The blonde’s legs locking around Eddie’s back, his arms wrapped around the brunette's neck. Billy was curling up around him, getting closer than close.

“Please” was all Billy could muster as he felt squeezed. He felt foggy, dizzy with pleasure as he was stretched open. Eddie smiled and leaned down, pressing their lips together, pulling back to thrust back in rougher. Billy cried out, sobs wracking through him as he forced himself not to cum, to at least try and be good. He buried his face in Eddie’s neck, pathetic whines clawing out from his throat. His cock was throbbing where it was trapped between his bodies, getting more than enough friction to make it hard to hold still. 

Eddie was losing it, his rhythm growing offbeat as he got closer. He was groaning between praises, always getting loose-lipped when he was turned on. Billy couldn’t even respond, mind just taking the praise and getting drunk on it. 

Billy held on tighter, his nails curling and digging into Eddie’s back, scratching red lines down his shoulder blades. The blonde let out louder cries, his orgasm being barely held at bay. He just wanted Eddie to cum.

“Please! Please Eddie please ple-ease” Billy sobbed out, thighs shaking with effort as Eddie fucked into him quickly. He couldn’t help as he tensed up, struggling against his own pleasure. 

“There you go, cum for me. I know you wanna cum. I wanna see, show me, fuck, show me baby, show me that pretty fucking face” Eddie growled out, his free hand roughly grabbing his chin forcing the blonde’s tear covered face to look at him. Eddie loved the wrecked look on Billy’s face, the splotchy redness on his cheeks, his soaked face, the way his hair was sticking to his skin, caught in the mess. It was gross and so pretty, to him. 

Billy screamed, not able to hold back at the pure lust that hung heavy in those brown eyes. He sobbed between cries as he spilled over their stomachs. The strength of his orgasm making his eyes suddenly feel too heavy to keep open. 

He was floating, dumb and messy. His eyes all unfocused, mouth hanging open, body tensed up, leaving little room for Eddie to move as he came inside Billy. He couldn’t even say anything, only whining as the thick warmth of Eddie’s spend filled him. He just laid there, limbs slowly falling away and landing on the bed. He just couldn’t keep his eyes open. 

Eddie caught his breath, holding himself over Billy’s unconscious body, till he finally leaned back on his haunches. Eddie watched his own cum gush out of Billy when he pulled out. Billy groaned, one hand reaching down to catch some of it, but Eddie shushed him and laid his wandering hand on his stomach. 

“I’ll be back in a second, baby, hold still.” Eddie said in a quiet, gentle way, that wormed its way to Billy’s brain, making him relax against the bed. He laid still, waiting for Eddie. 

Eddie cleaned him up, a wet cloth in his hand. Billy slowly came back, watching Eddie with tired blue eyes. It was only when Eddie laid back down with Billy, cuddling him close and pressing their lips together in slow, loving kisses that Billy’s eyes rolled back to the closet, to the blinking red light. 

Billy wrapped the blanket over his head as the sounds finally silenced from the TV. He felt sick to his stomach. That was a private, intimate, moment. And everyone had just watched it. 

He hated it. 

He stood up, dressed in his boxers with the blanket around his shoulders, and walked out. Grabbing his boots and jacket on the way out, not bothering with getting dressed as he climbed into the camaro. He caught Karen’s eyes as he peeled out of the driveway, tears running down his face in the worst way. At least she looked a little sorry.

[angelcakesimmer]

💜Lilac Goddess💜

CC Links:

General:

Poses - (Close-Up) https://www.patreon.com/posts/close-up-84393112 / (Full-Body) https://www.patreon.com/posts/sexy-poses-78936921

Skin Color - https://modthesims.info/m/10299955

Presets - (Lips) https://www.patreon.com/posts/41082639 / (Eyes) https://www.patreon.com/posts/31896348 / (Nose) https://www.patreon.com/posts/78704428?pr=true / (Ears) https://www.patreon.com/posts/september-set-of-56805736 /

Hair Base - https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1ST8-9P0swUlHhieXqSsUw30viCmMuJFS

Hair Color Overlay - https://www.patreon.com/posts/universal-hair-89612058

Skin Details:

Base - https://www.patreon.com/posts/set-of-genetics-78001784

Lashes - https://www.patreon.com/posts/3d-lashes-ver-6-53587923

Freckles - https://www.patreon.com/posts/69575802

Face Highlight - https://www.patreon.com/posts/makeup-set-71489302

Graphic Lip - https://www.patreon.com/posts/set-of-genetics-74024295

Tattoo - https://www.patreon.com/posts/prosperity-by-94639620

Sclera Overlay - https://www.patreon.com/posts/di-eye-diy-eye-34678649

Head:

Hair - (#74) https://www.patreon.com/posts/kotehoks-hairs-84995218

Contacts - Might be an inactive creator; Arimuhura Silver Wings' Eyes

Eyebrows - https://www.patreon.com/posts/makeup-set-71489302?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator

Eyeshadow - https://www.patreon.com/posts/up-in-flames-cc-66806211

Eyeliner - https://www.patreon.com/posts/issy-eyeliner-1-81301953

Cheeks (Star Highlight) - https://www.patreon.com/posts/cosmic-glow-face-83665672

Lips - Same link as Eyeshadow (Heat Lips)

Accessories - (Graphic Liner) https://www.patreon.com/posts/halloween-makeup-92048739 / (Septum) https://blahberry-pancake.tumblr.com/post/186838339938/download-simsdom-aster-spike-new / (Earrings) https://blahberry-pancake.tumblr.com/post/187370732679/download-necklace-earrings-new / (Necklace) https://www.patreon.com/posts/76980848

Body:

Dress - https://www.patreon.com/posts/ruffle-gown-65833432?epik=dj0yJnU9YmxiZ3pXU3d3WGFhdnlBeVVnZm5fbmtGX3pVbWpFQmomcD0wJm49SHBvTFVhbUhyMk9OQ0RBdXFUd1g3QSZ0PUFBQUFBR1hhZENv

Shoes - https://www.patreon.com/posts/mmsims-daydream-55908037

Accessories - (Nails) https://www.simsfinds.com/downloads/301296/af-nails-n021-sims4 / (Fishnets) https://www.patreon.com/posts/peach-amelia-53579451?epik=dj0yJnU9bi1XbEpBcnU3M1hMV2NEcW5jSHdUSDNMSkZLMnR2UWQmcD0wJm49UjJrUjVZUzRST1pNQ3g3VTNZaV91USZ0PUFBQUFBR1hhZFpj / (Undershirt) https://simpliciaty.blogspot.com/2019/07/sheer-set.html / (Neck Chains) https://www.patreon.com/posts/hc23-andromeda-91932343 /

Thank you for sticking around 💜

[converse77]

The Latest Converse Drops You Can’t Miss: A Sneakerhead's Guide

Sneakerheads, gather round! Converse is dropping absolute fire this season, and trust us, you won't want to miss these fresh kicks. Everyone always waits with bated breath for the new Converse drops and the 2025 season is not about to disappoint. Converse All Stars are that iconic sneaker that speaks of youth culture so without ado, let's dive into the hottest drops that are making waves in the sneaker scene!

Game-Changing Basketball Vibes

Starting strong with the All Star BB Shift CX Gingerbread, Converse is serving up some serious heat for basketball enthusiasts. This isn't your average court shoe – it's a statement piece that's turning heads with its bold wave-like patterns inspired by gingerbread designs. Perfect for those who want to bring some holiday spirit to their game while keeping their performance on point.

Platform Paradise

The sneaker game is reaching new heights – literally! The Chuck Taylor All Star Lift Platform Puffed Up collection is absolutely smashing it this season. The grey variant is particularly fab, offering a fresh take on the classic silhouette with its puffed-up design and elevated sole. It's the perfect blend of street style and sophistication that Converse has absolutely nailed.

Cosy Season Essential: Chuck 70 Luxe Plush

When Converse said "let's make comfort look cool," they weren't messing about. The Chuck 70 Luxe Plush is basically like wearing a hug on your feet. With its plush materials and bold design, it's the perfect sneaker for those chilly days when you want to look proper stylish while staying cosy.

Platform Revolution

Ladies, the Chuck Taylor All Star Puff Lift Cosy Platform is here to elevate your sneaker game – quite literally! This brilliant creation combines the comfort you'd expect from your favourite pair of Chucks with a trendy platform sole that adds just the right amount of attitude to any outfit.

Festive Favourites

Getting into the holiday spirit, Converse has dropped the Chuck 70 X-Mas Gingerbread & Knit Sock in both green and red variants. These playful men and womens Converse high tops are spreading Christmas cheer with their festive patterns and colours. They're basically Christmas jumpers for your feet, and we're here for it!

Future Forward

The Run Star Hike Platform Puffed Up is what happens when Converse decides to push the boundaries of sneaker design. This bold silhouette combines futuristic aesthetics with practical comfort, creating a shoe that's perfect for the fashion-forward crowd who aren't afraid to stand out.

The Classic, Reimagined

Rounding off the collection is the black variant of the Chuck Taylor All Star Lift Platform Puffed Up. It's everything we love about classic Chucks, but with a modern twist that makes it feel fresh and current. The puffed-up design and platform sole give it that extra oomph while maintaining the timeless Converse DNA.

Collaborations That Wow

Converse has always been at the forefront of exciting collaborations, and this season is no exception. From teaming up with iconic designers to partnering with streetwear giants, the latest collabs are pure fire. Highlights include:

Converse x Patta: A 20th anniversary celebration featuring Chuck 70s with all-over Patta logos in Natural Ivory/Insignia Blue and Black/Jolly Green colorways.

Converse x A Ma Maniére: Premium leather Chuck 70s in Sail and Light Mauve with quilted liners, marking AMM's first Converse collab.

Converse x thisisneverthat: 90s-inspired One Star Pros featuring vintage suede canvas and cracked leather star logos with a Korean streetwear twist.

Why they’re must-haves: These collaborations are limited edition, so once they’re gone, they’re gone. Plus, they’re a brilliant way to add a unique touch to your collection.

Customise Your Chucks

Why settle for off-the-shelf when you can create something truly your own? Converse’s customisation platform lets you design your dream pair. From choosing colours and patterns to adding personal text or graphics, the options are endless. This season, they’ve added even more customisation features, including new prints and materials.

Why it’s a must-have: Custom kicks are a surefire way to stand out. They’re perfect for expressing your individuality or even gifting someone a pair that’s one of a kind.

Why Converse is Still the Ultimate Sneaker

These latest drops from Converse prove once again why the brand remains a vital part of youth culture. They've managed to take their classic designs and give them contemporary updates that speak to today's generation while staying true to their roots. Whether you're after something for the court, the streets, or the festive season, Converse has got you sorted with these brilliant new releases.

So, whether you’re a long-time fan or a newcomer looking to buy converse shoes for the first time, now’s the time to dive in. With so many incredible drops this season, there’s a Converse for everyone. Don’t sleep on these — because once they’re gone, you’ll be kicking yourself (pun intended).

[arizkhan]

What to Look for When Shopping for Tennis Shoes in Dubai

Tennis is a fast-paced, high-impact sport that requires players to be light on their feet, agile, and quick. One of the most important pieces of equipment for any tennis player is a good pair of tennis shoes. Whether you're a beginner or a seasoned pro, choosing the right tennis shoes can make a world of difference in your performance and comfort on the court.

If you're shopping for tennis shoes Dubai, you'll want to consider factors such as the type of court you play on, the weather conditions, and your specific playing style. Dubai’s hot climate and world-class tennis facilities make it a unique place to buy tennis shoes, and there are plenty of top-tier brands available. Here's a guide to help you choose the perfect tennis shoes when shopping in Dubai.

1. Consider the Type of Court You Play On

The type of court you play on will significantly impact the kind of tennis shoes you need. Different surfaces require different types of grip and support, and Dubai has a variety of court surfaces, including hard courts, clay courts, and grass courts. Here’s what to look for based on your court type:

Hard Courts

Hard courts are the most common type of tennis court in Dubai, and they require shoes with durable soles that provide excellent cushioning. Hard court shoes typically have a rubber outsole with a herringbone pattern to give you traction while offering stability and support for lateral movements. Look for shoes that have extra padding around the heel and midsole for comfort during high-impact movements.

Recommended Features for Hard Courts:

Durable rubber outsoles

Good cushioning (especially in the heel and forefoot)

Lateral support for quick side-to-side movements

Clay Courts

While clay courts aren’t as common in Dubai, you may still find some in certain clubs or resorts. Clay court shoes have a unique sole design, often with a spiral tread pattern that prevents the shoe from digging into the surface. These shoes are designed to provide better slide control, allowing you to slide into your shots without losing balance.

Recommended Features for Clay Courts:

A sole with a spiral tread pattern

Lighter weight for more movement flexibility

Good breathability to help with heat buildup in Dubai’s climate

Grass Courts

Grass courts are rare in Dubai but can still be found in high-end resorts or for recreational play. Grass court shoes typically have narrow studs on the outsole to help provide traction on the slippery surface. These shoes are less common, but if you plan to play on grass courts, you’ll need specialized footwear.

Recommended Features for Grass Courts:

Outsole with narrow, conical studs

Lightweight and flexible design

Increased ankle support for quick changes in direction

2. Take Dubai's Hot Climate into Account

Dubai’s hot and dry climate can be tough on your footwear. If you plan to play outdoors in the sun, it’s important to choose tennis shoes that provide excellent breathability and ventilation. Look for shoes made from lightweight, mesh or breathable fabrics to keep your feet cool and dry during long sessions.

Important Features for Dubai's Climate:

Breathable materials (such as mesh uppers)

Ventilation holes in the shoe to allow airflow

Moisture-wicking liners to keep your feet dry and prevent blisters

3. Comfort and Fit: Make Sure They’re Right for Your Feet

A comfortable, well-fitting tennis shoe is essential for preventing injuries and improving performance. When shopping for tennis shoes in Dubai, be sure to check for the following:

Proper Fit

A tennis shoe that’s too tight or too loose can lead to discomfort, pain, or blisters. Ideally, your shoes should have a snug fit in the heel area to prevent slipping, with enough room in the toe box to allow your toes to move freely. Pay attention to your arch type as well. Some brands offer shoes designed for players with flat feet or high arches.

Cushioning and Support

Cushioning is essential to absorb the shock from running, jumping, and quick movements on the court. Shoes with EVA or PU foam midsole cushioning help with shock absorption and overall comfort. You should also look for arch support and heel cushioning to reduce stress on your feet, ankles, and knees.

Stability

Look for tennis shoes that offer lateral stability. A solid, stable shoe will help you make sharp movements with confidence, preventing ankle twists and providing solid grip during sideways movement. Many tennis shoes come with reinforced sidewalls or extra straps for additional support.

4. Durability

Dubai’s intense heat can wear out shoes faster, especially when playing outdoors on hard surfaces. For longevity, focus on shoes with durable outsoles made from high-quality rubber compounds. Many brands now feature extra-durable rubber outsoles, especially for players who play frequently on hard courts.

Key Durability Features:

High-quality rubber outsoles that resist wear

Reinforced toe caps to prevent toe drag damage

Durable stitching and extra padding around the shoe’s interior

5. Brand Reputation: Choose Trusted Brands

Dubai offers a wide range of options when it comes to tennis shoes, with both international and local brands available. Here are a few top brands to consider when shopping for tennis shoes in Dubai:

Nike

Nike is a global favorite for tennis shoes, known for their innovative technology, stylish designs, and excellent performance. The Nike Zoom series is well-regarded for offering lightweight, high-cushioning shoes that are great for both hard and clay courts.

Asics

Asics is a top choice for players who prioritize comfort and stability. Their Gel technology provides excellent shock absorption, and their shoes are often praised for their breathable uppers and comfortable fit.

Babolat

Babolat’s Propulse line is designed for aggressive players who need excellent grip, cushioning, and support for their lateral movements. Their shoes are lightweight yet provide enough durability for frequent use on hard courts.

6. Budget and Value for Money

While it’s tempting to opt for the latest model or trend, you should always keep your budget in mind when shopping for tennis shoes in Dubai. Prices can vary significantly depending on the brand, design, and technology features. Consider how often you’ll play and how much you’re willing to invest in your footwear. In Dubai, you can find both premium options and affordable alternatives that still offer great quality and performance.

Conclusion

Shopping for tennis shoes in Dubai requires thoughtful consideration of factors like court type, climate, comfort, durability, and brand reputation. With so many options available, it’s crucial to select a pair that suits your playing style, foot type, and the conditions you’ll be playing in. Whether you’re looking for a lightweight, breathable shoe for outdoor courts or a durable, cushioned option for long-term use, Dubai offers a wide range of choices to help you play your best.

[travelnepalwithme]

What to Pack for an Everest Trek?

Trekking in the Everest region is a thrilling adventure, but it’s also very challenging. Having the right gear makes a big difference. Here’s a simple guide to packing for the journey.

Warm Clothing

The weather in the mountains is cold and windy, so warm clothes are a must:

Base Layers: Thermal tops and pants keep the body warm.

Middle Layers: Fleece jackets or sweaters add extra heat.

Outer Layers: Waterproof jackets and pants protect against rain and wind.

Down Jacket: A thick, insulated jacket is necessary for freezing nights.

Accessories: Gloves, hats, scarves, and thick socks are essential to stay cozy.

Good Footwear

Comfortable shoes are very important for trekking:

Trekking Boots: Strong, waterproof boots with good ankle support help on rocky trails.

Camp Shoes: Lightweight shoes or sandals are great for relaxing at tea houses.

Essential Gear

Packing smart can make the trek easier:

Daypack: A small backpack for carrying snacks, water, and other items during the hike.

Water Bottles: Reusable bottles to carry clean drinking water. Purification tablets are also useful.

Trekking Poles: These reduce strain on knees and improve balance.

Sleeping Supplies

Tea houses provide beds, but it’s good to pack:

Sleeping Bag: A warm sleeping bag for chilly nights.

Liner: Optional, for extra warmth and hygiene.

Personal Items

In the mountains, everyday items are important:

Toiletries: Toothbrush, toothpaste, small soap, and shampoo.

Wet Wipes: Useful when showers aren’t available.

Sunscreen: Protects the skin from the strong sun.

First Aid Kit: Bandages, pain medicine, and any personal medications.

Technology

Staying prepared and capturing memories is part of the fun:

Camera or Phone: To take photos of the beautiful views.

Power Bank: Keeps devices charged when electricity is scarce.

Headlamp: Handy for walking or reading at night.

Permits and Cash

A trek in the Everest region requires:

Permits: TIMS card and Sagarmatha National Park Permit.

Cash: Tea houses don’t accept cards, so carrying enough money is important.

Snacks and Extras

Food is available on the trail, but bringing extras is helpful:

Snacks: Energy bars and nuts for quick boosts during long walks.

Key Advice

Pack only what’s necessary. The trek is long, and carrying too much weight makes it harder. Always check the weather and prepare for sudden changes. With the right gear, the trek can be safe and enjoyable!

[degibusdesigns]

Check out this listing I just added to my Poshmark closet: Altra Lone Peak 3.0 NeoShell Trail Running Shoes 9.5.

[muhammad-hamza-o7]

Aline Insoles vs. Anodyne Shoes: Which One Has The Warmest Winter Boot Liners?

In winter, we cover ourselves to every extent possible during the chilly months of snow. From covering pathways to working outdoors, even the most mundane of tasks suckers us into a cold dungeon full of icy chills. The addition of the warmest boot liners can make the experience much warmer. It ensures your feet are warm no matter what's on the way. Anodyne Shoes and Aline Insoles are two contrasting brands, both known for their advanced foot support and insulation technology. In this article, we will be analyzing their differences, and benefits as well as which one provides the most warmth for winter footwear.

comfort during the winter season for foot care

To put it bluntly, the colder it gets, the more difficult it is for our feet, and ensuring that we devote some effort towards keeping them cozy is a must if we're trying to avoid frostbite or other untoward health consequences. Boot liners help maintain a reasonable temperature in your body. Aline Insoles are focused on performance-driven arch support and guarantee stability and circulation. At the same time, Anodyne Shoes focuses on a diabetic-friendly shoe line that boasts an extra cushioned sole. Both options provide extra warmth, but their approach is significantly different.

insulation technology

The insulation materials used in boot liners determine their effectiveness. Aline Applies a layer of energy-return foam in combination with heat-retaining materials to maintain foot warmth. Anodyne Shoes, on the other hand, incorporate moisture-wicking fabrics and fleece linings to prevent dampness. These two options not only help warm up the feet, but Aline Insoles further enhances the warming attitude by adapting to the foot pressures, which cold conditions require.

shock absorption benefits

Walking on icy or uneven surfaces during winter requires superior shock absorption to prevent foot strain. Aline Thermoplastic Shock shock-absorbing insoles are created with patented technology that absorbs impacts and reduces pressure points, which makes them ideal for long winter walks. Anodyne Shoes also have good cushioning abilities, but their focus is on medical-grade support for sensitive feet; for outdoor activities that require dynamic shock absorption, I found Aline Power responsive to the needs of the customer.

supporting arches during winter months  

Having proper arch support is important to keep the feet stable in cold conditions. Aline Insoles have a contour design that supports the alignment of the foot’s position, minimizing muscle strain and exhaustion. Anodyne Shoes give light arch support which is ideal for flat-footed individuals or those with some medical issues. Winter sports enthusiasts and outdoor manual workers may have a preference for Aline Insoles due to the greater supportive structure and favorable functional properties.

controlling moisture

In the winter months, excessive sweat from the feet can create problems, especially with keeping moisture within the boots. Aline Insoles consist of moisture-absorbing materials that dry out the feet but still keep them warm. Anodyne Shoes use soft, porous textile materials, though they give preference towards softness rather than efficient moisture control. For winter hiking or work, Aline Insoles is the best option for controlling foot moisture without having too much water and too little temperature.

Weightless Sense

Boot liners should keep your feet warm while making sure your footwear is not bulky. Aline Insoles have been made with strong yet light materials which makes them not cumbersome while worn inside the boots. Anodyne Shoes are comfortable, but with the extra padding and structure, they do feel heavier. For those wanting to achieve a comfortable middle ground in insulation and weight, Aline Insoles will be more helpful for active winter outdoors.

Flexibility in Various Types of Footwear

Boot liners should be adaptable for different shoe styles. Aline Insoles fit work boots, hiking shoes, and even winter casuals. Anodyne Shoes are made as an all-sole pair of shoes, which is their design limitation. If you prefer warm, interchangeable solutions, Aline Insoles will provide better options because foot protection can be changed with several pairs of shoes.  

Prevention of Fatigue in Feet

Prolonged standing and walking in cold weather can lead to foot fatigue. The contour of Aline Insoles alleviates discomfort caused by extended periods of standing. Anodyne Shoes provide soft, cushioned shoes, but this type of footwear lacks the rigid contours for extended wear. Winter footwear for some people has to be very warm, and Aline Insoles help to keep feet warm while reducing fatigue.  

Value for Money

Cost is a deciding factor in the options presented by Aline Insoles or Anodyne shoes. Aline Insoles provides the most value at a lower cost as compared to Anodyne’s. For those looking for better value for winter footwear, Aline Insoles are perfect as they retain the additional support and warmth needed without the expense.

final thoughts

Anodyne Shoes and Aline Insoles both offer great protection for feet in winter but for different purposes. For high-quality and lightweight boot liners, Aline Insoles is the better option. They are the best during outdoor activities because they superbly insulate, absorb shock, and control moisture. Anodyne Shoes are best for individuals who require extra cushioning due to medical conditions. Those looking for intermediate warmth and pampering support are best served with Aline Insoles utilizing heat molded insoles technology.

[tourmyholidayholiday]

Chopta in Winter: Must-Have Gear and Essentials for a Safe Trip

A trip to Chopta in winter is like stepping into a snowy paradise. Known as the "Mini Switzerland of India," Chopta transforms into a breathtaking winter wonderland between December and February, drawing adventure enthusiasts and nature lovers. However, the freezing temperatures and snow-covered terrain present unique challenges. To make your winter trip to Chopta Tour Packages both safe and enjoyable, it’s essential to pack the right gear and prepare for the harsh weather conditions.

Here’s a comprehensive guide to the must-have gear and essentials you’ll need for your winter adventure in Chopta.

1. Layered Clothing for the Cold

Winter temperatures in Chopta often drop below zero, especially at night. Dressing in layers is key to staying warm while maintaining flexibility for activities like trekking.

Base Layer: Start with thermal underwear (tops and bottoms) made of moisture-wicking material like merino wool or polyester. This will keep sweat away from your body, ensuring you stay dry and warm.

Mid Layer: A fleece or wool sweater serves as an insulating layer to trap body heat. If you tend to feel colder, consider a down jacket for extra warmth.

Outer Layer: Your final layer should be a waterproof and windproof jacket. This will protect you from snow, cold winds, and any moisture that could seep in during activities like trekking.

Winter Trekking Pants: Opt for pants that are water-resistant and insulated, with enough flexibility for movement. Avoid jeans or cotton clothing, as they get wet easily and lose insulation when damp.

2. Proper Footwear

The terrain in Chopta can be slippery and icy in winter, making sturdy footwear essential. Comfortable feet will make or break your experience, especially if you're trekking to Tungnath or Chandrashila.

Waterproof Trekking Boots: Invest in a pair of waterproof trekking boots with a solid grip. Ensure that they have good ankle support to prevent injuries on uneven terrain.

Insulated Socks: Woolen socks are your best bet for keeping your feet warm. It’s advisable to carry extra pairs of socks, especially thermals, to change into if your feet get wet.

Gaiters: These are essential if you plan to trek in deep snow. Gaiters fit over your boots and lower legs to prevent snow from entering your shoes, keeping your feet dry.

3. Head and Hand Protection

A significant amount of heat is lost through the head and extremities, so it's crucial to cover up well in Chopta's freezing conditions.

Woolen or Fleece Beanie: A snug-fitting hat or beanie will keep your head warm. For extra coverage, choose one that also covers your ears.

Gloves: Go for waterproof, insulated gloves that offer dexterity. Consider wearing a thin liner glove underneath for added warmth and the ability to use your hands without removing the main glove.

Neck Gaiter or Scarf: A neck gaiter or woolen scarf will protect your neck and face from the biting cold winds, particularly at higher altitudes like Chandrashila Peak.

4. Essential Trekking Gear

Chopta is renowned for its snow trekking, especially the popular trails leading to Tungnath Temple and Chandrashila Peak. For these treks, some additional gear is required to ensure safety and comfort in the snow.

Trekking Poles: These are incredibly useful for maintaining balance, especially on icy or uneven paths. They also help reduce strain on your knees during steep climbs or descents.

Crampons or Microspikes: In snow-covered areas, crampons or microspikes can be attached to your boots to provide extra grip, preventing slips and falls on icy patches.

Headlamp: Winter days are shorter, and if you're trekking early in the morning or in the late afternoon, a headlamp is essential for visibility. Make sure to carry extra batteries as cold weather can drain power faster.

Backpack with Rain Cover: Choose a comfortable, water-resistant backpack with enough space for snacks, water, and extra layers. A built-in or separate rain cover is essential to protect your belongings from snow or unexpected rainfall.

5. Camping Essentials

If you're planning to snow camp in Chopta, staying warm and safe in the extreme conditions is a priority. Ensure you have the right equipment for a comfortable night outdoors.

Four-Season Tent: Winter camping in Chopta requires a four-season tent designed to withstand snow and cold. These tents are made to handle the weight of snow and provide better insulation against the cold winds.

Sleeping Bag (Sub-Zero Rated): Opt for a sleeping bag with a temperature rating suitable for sub-zero temperatures. A mummy-style sleeping bag that hugs the body is ideal for conserving heat.

Sleeping Pad: A good-quality insulated sleeping pad is crucial to prevent the cold from seeping up from the ground. It adds an extra layer of warmth between you and the frozen ground.

Portable Stove and Fuel: If you're camping, you'll need a portable stove to prepare hot meals and boil water. Make sure the fuel you carry is suitable for high-altitude conditions.

6. Hydration and Nutrition Essentials

Though it may not feel like it in the cold, staying hydrated is vital during winter treks, especially at high altitudes where dehydration can contribute to altitude sickness.

Hydration Bladder or Water Bottle: Carry an insulated water bottle to prevent your water from freezing. For longer treks, a hydration bladder with an insulated sleeve can be useful, but ensure the tube doesn’t freeze in extreme cold.

Energy Bars and Snacks: Pack high-energy, lightweight snacks like energy bars, nuts, and dry fruits to keep your energy levels up during treks. In the cold, your body burns more calories, so having quick bites on hand is essential.

7. Altitude and Safety Considerations

Chopta is located at a high altitude, and the treks to Tungnath and Chandrashila take you even higher. At these altitudes, the cold weather can intensify altitude sickness and other health concerns, so being prepared is essential.

First-Aid Kit: Always carry a basic first-aid kit that includes band-aids, antiseptic cream, pain relievers, and any personal medications you may need. Include blister care supplies if you're trekking.

Sunscreen and Lip Balm: It might be winter, but the high-altitude sun combined with snow glare can cause sunburn. Carry sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher and a moisturizing lip balm to protect against chapped lips.

Altitude Sickness Medication: Chopta and Chandrashila are located at elevations that may cause altitude sickness. Carry appropriate medication like Diamox to prevent or treat symptoms, and make sure to ascend slowly and stay hydrated.

8. Additional Essentials

Thermos: A thermos filled with hot water, tea, or coffee can be a lifesaver in the cold, providing warmth and hydration on the go.

Hand Warmers: These small packets can be placed inside your gloves or boots for extra warmth during freezing conditions.

Power Bank: Cold temperatures drain battery life faster, so carry a power bank to keep your phone, camera, or headlamp charged.

Final Thoughts: Prepare for an Epic Winter Adventure

Winter in Chopta is a magical experience, but it also requires careful planning and the right gear. Whether you’re trekking to Tungnath Temple, summiting Chopta Chandrashila Trek , or camping under a starry, snow-filled sky, ensuring you’re well-prepared will make your trip both safe and enjoyable. With the right clothing, trekking gear, and winter essentials, you’ll be able to fully immerse yourself in the beauty of Chopta’s snow-covered hills while staying warm, comfortable, and safe.

[newscanada]

Comprehensive Guide to Canada Cycling Gear

When it comes to cycling in Canada, having the right gear is essential. Whether you're a seasoned cyclist or just getting started, the correct equipment can make all the difference. From clothing that can handle the unpredictable Canadian weather to the latest technology in cycling accessories, we've got you covered. In this guide, we'll explore the best cycling gear available in Canada, ensuring you are prepared for every ride, no matter the season.

Essential Clothing for Canadian Cyclists

Layering for All Seasons

Canada's climate varies drastically, with temperatures ranging from sweltering summer heat to bone-chilling winter cold. Proper layering is crucial for maintaining comfort and safety on the road.

Base Layers: Start with moisture-wicking base layers that keep sweat away from your skin. Merino wool is an excellent choice for its natural moisture-wicking properties and thermal regulation, keeping you warm in the cold and cool in the heat.

Insulating Layers: An insulating layer, such as a fleece or synthetic jacket, helps trap heat during colder months. Look for materials that offer breathability to prevent overheating during intense rides.

Outer Layers: A windproof and waterproof outer layer is essential for protection against the elements. Look for jackets and pants made from Gore-Tex or similar materials that offer both protection and breathability.

Weather-Appropriate Clothing

Summer Cycling Gear: Lightweight, breathable fabrics are key in the summer. Opt for jerseys and shorts made from high-tech fabrics that wick moisture and provide UV protection. Don’t forget a pair of lightweight gloves to protect your hands and enhance grip.

Winter Cycling Gear: Winter cycling requires specialized gear. Insulated and waterproof gloves, thermal bib tights, and shoe covers are crucial. For extreme cold, consider a balaclava or a thermal helmet liner to protect your head and neck.

Rain Gear: In regions where rain is frequent, waterproof jackets, pants, and shoe covers are indispensable. Look for gear with reflective elements for enhanced visibility during gloomy weather.

Cycling Accessories: Must-Haves for Canadian Riders

Helmets and Safety Gear

Safety should always come first. A high-quality helmet is non-negotiable. Look for helmets that offer MIPS (Multi-directional Impact Protection System) technology, which provides better protection against rotational forces during a crash.

Reflective Gear: Visibility is crucial, especially during early morning or evening rides. Invest in reflective vests, ankle straps, and even helmets with integrated lights.

Cycling Glasses: Protect your eyes from the sun, wind, and debris with a good pair of cycling glasses. Look for lenses with UV protection and interchangeable lenses for different lighting conditions.

Bike Maintenance Tools

Regular maintenance ensures your bike runs smoothly and safely. A basic toolkit should include:

Multi-Tool: A compact multi-tool with various Allen keys, screwdrivers, and a chain breaker is essential for on-the-go repairs.

Tire Repair Kit: A patch kit, tire levers, and a portable pump will help you fix flats quickly.

Lubricants: Keep your chain and moving parts well-lubricated to prevent rust and wear. Choose lubricants that suit the weather conditions, such as wet lube for rainy days and dry lube for dry, dusty conditions.

Cycling Technology

GPS Devices: A GPS device helps you navigate new routes and track your progress. Look for devices with long battery life and robust, weatherproof designs.

Heart Rate Monitors: Monitor your performance and ensure you're training effectively with a heart rate monitor. Some models integrate with GPS devices and smartphones for comprehensive data tracking.

Smartphone Mounts: Keep your phone accessible for navigation and communication with a sturdy handlebar mount. Ensure it’s weatherproof and offers a secure grip even on rough terrain.

Choosing the Right Bike for Canadian Roads

Road Bikes

For those who love speed and efficiency on paved roads, road bikes are the top choice. Look for lightweight frames, typically made from carbon fiber or aluminum, and narrow tires for reduced rolling resistance.

Canadian Brands to Consider: Companies like Argon 18 and Cervélo offer high-quality road bikes designed with the Canadian cyclist in mind.

Mountain Bikes

Mountain biking in Canada’s rugged terrains demands bikes that are both durable and capable of handling tough trails. Look for bikes with full suspension to absorb shocks and wider tires for better grip on loose surfaces.

Key Features: Hydraulic disc brakes for superior stopping power and dropper posts for quick seat height adjustments are essential for serious mountain bikers.

Hybrid Bikes

For those who ride a mix of city streets and light trails, hybrid bikes offer the versatility needed. They combine features of both road and mountain bikes, providing a comfortable riding position and moderate durability.

Ideal for: Commuters and casual riders who want a single bike that can handle various terrains.

Fat Bikes

If you plan to ride through snowy or sandy conditions, fat bikes with oversized tires offer unbeatable traction. These bikes are perfect for winter cycling in Canada’s snowy landscapes.

Benefits: Increased stability and the ability to ride in conditions where other bikes would struggle.

Top Canadian Brands in Cycling Gear

Supporting local brands not only ensures you get gear suited for Canada’s unique climate but also helps the local economy. Some of the top Canadian cycling gear brands include:

Louis Garneau: Known for their high-quality apparel, helmets, and accessories, Louis Garneau is a staple in Canadian cycling.

Devinci: This Quebec-based brand offers a range of bikes, from road to mountain, known for their durability and innovative design.

Sugoi: Specializing in performance apparel, Sugoi provides everything from base layers to outerwear designed for Canadian conditions.

Tips for Buying Cycling Gear in Canada

Shopping Online vs. In-Store

While online shopping offers convenience and often better prices, visiting a local bike shop allows you to try on gear and get expert advice. Many Canadian retailers offer both options, so you can choose what suits you best.

Sales and Discounts

Keep an eye out for end-of-season sales, especially in spring and fall. Many retailers offer significant discounts on last season’s gear, allowing you to get high-quality products at a fraction of the price.

Warranty and Customer Support

Invest in gear from brands that offer robust warranties and excellent customer support. This ensures you can get replacements or repairs if needed, protecting your investment in the long run.

Conclusion: Gear Up for Canadian Cycling Adventures

Whether you're braving the winter snow or enjoying a sunny summer ride, having the right cycling gear makes all the difference. By investing in high-quality, weather-appropriate clothing, safety gear, and a reliable bike, you can ensure that every ride is a success. With the vast landscapes Canada offers, there's no limit to where your bike can take you.

[odessabydaydream]

The One Where They're Trapped

Alexander exasperatedly sighs. “Well, great. Now what do we do?”

“I’m not quite sure. Getting stuck in the gym isn’t my exact definition of a perfect evening." Camellia slides down the frosted tiles of the school auditorium. 

“Do we shout for one of the teachers?”

“It’s late; they probably already left. I’m not going to say I’m upset with you for spoiling my plans, but I am a little, maybe insanely upset with you.” 

“You’re saying that as if it’s my fault we got trapped in here.” 

Camellia glances upwards, mouth agape and eyebrows furrowed.

“I promise you I didn't jam the door; you aren't the only one with things to do." He reaches into his pocket. "Would £10 compensation help?”

“Ah, no. You’re alright.” 

Silence begins to linger within the air, yet by no means uncomfortably. Alexander lowers himself and plants beside Camellia. 

"So, what were your plans? I’m sorry I foiled the rest of your day.” His tone is sarcastic, but sincerity lays underneath.

“Amber and I wanted to go thrifting; pop into Café Bouilloire Green for refreshments. We like having a wonder around town. There’s a lot of hidden gems!”

Alexander freezes before exclaiming, “Wait! You could ask Amber to help us out of here, no?”

“You’re right!” She swiftly lifts her phone and begins dialling.

“Hello?”

…

Call declined.

“Oh. Oh, that’s not good.”

“What? What’s the issue?”  “I don't think you got us stuck. She locked us in here.” “Why would she do that?” “She knew we were in here! You know how she talks about us."

Embarrassment lingers between the two. They’ve become the subject of frequent teasing at the hands of Amber and other friends due to how they interact. Their conversations flow naturally—too naturally, but they bicker like they're married. On multiple occasions, they've been caught staring at each other, yet neither quite recognises the romantic tension that arises when they’re together. 

Time passes between frequent bantering, playing with the gym equipment, and raiding the kitchen. Night quickly draws in, and so does the unsettling nature of being cold and alone. 

“Alex, would you say you’re scared?”

“Why would I be scared? I’m a beefcake.” 

Camellia giggles. “No, I mean, like, it's getting cold; we have no source of heat. Or anywhere to sleep for that matter.”

“Mmm. Good point. But I’m far ahead of you.” Alexander reaches out his hand to a perched Camellia. She hesitantly places her fingers on top of his own and rises to her feet.

They wander across the echoing room, shoe clicking filling the void, eventually reaching a closed-off closet filled to the brim with assortments of pillows, towels, and beanbag chairs. 

“Now, I understand It’s not ideal, but I’m not really sure what other options we have here.” Alexander throws himself atop the pile, patting beside him, inviting Camellia to join him. She proceeds, falling face first into a bedazzled pillow.

“Honestly, surprisingly cozy. Thank you for doing this.” 

“You are most welcome.”

Camellia rolls onto her side, facing Alex. “I’ve never noticed how thoughtful you genuinely are. I’m sorry I underestimated you in that regard,” she admits. Alexander shifts onto his back, breaking eye contact. 

“I-“ he swallows. “I appreciate that.” 

“Hey, why’d you turn away? I liked looking into your eyes. They have funny squiggly lines in them.” 

Alexander internally panics. Sure, he can throw out cheeky one-liners for the fun of it, but receiving genuine compliments is uncharted water.

“Do you think this is why we’re constantly made fun of?” He blurts out.

“Huh?" She processes his question, contemplation painted on her face. "I fear we're so dead if we tell the others.”

Alexander rolls back over, facing Camellia. Snickering bounces off the compact walls of the closet.

“Take me, God! I’ve committed a blasphemous crime against my friends! Banish me and lock me away!" She squeals out. 

“If you take her, then we go down together!” Alexander instinctively hugs Camellia’s neck. Upon realising what he’s done, he begins to remove his arms. Camellia intervenes, disclosing, “No, no. Put them back.” 

He complies with hesitancy. 

“It's cold, isn't it?” she beams.

“If we mention this to anyone, we are for sure dead.” 

“We’ll be fine.” 

[littlesole]

Chilly Weather Calls for Cozy Feet: Best Winter Shoes for Babies

As winter settles in and temperatures drop, keeping your baby's feet warm and comfortable becomes a top priority. Choosing the right pair of baby winter shoes not only ensures that tiny toes stay cozy but also helps prevent slips and falls on icy or snowy surfaces. In this blog, we’ll explore the best winter shoes for babies that combine style, warmth, and functionality to keep your little one snug throughout the chilly season.

Why Baby Winter Shoes Are Essential

Baby winter shoes are designed to protect tiny feet from harsh weather conditions while providing warmth and comfort. Unlike adults, babies have less natural insulation, making them more susceptible to the cold. High-quality winter shoes offer:

Warmth: Insulated materials keep feet warm in low temperatures.

Waterproofing: Prevents moisture from seeping in, keeping feet dry.

Traction: Non-slip soles reduce the risk of slipping on ice or snow.

Comfort: Soft, flexible designs ensure comfort and ease of movement.

Key Features to Look For

When shopping for baby winter shoes, consider these essential features:

1. Insulation and Warmth

Look for shoes with thermal linings or insulated materials like fleece or faux fur. These materials trap heat and keep your baby’s feet warm, even in freezing temperatures.

2. Waterproofing

Choose shoes made from waterproof materials or with sealed seams to keep moisture out. This is particularly important for snowy or slushy conditions to ensure your baby’s feet stay dry.

3. Traction and Grip

Opt for shoes with rubber or textured soles to provide better grip on slippery surfaces. This helps prevent slips and falls, which are common in winter weather.

4. Ease of Use

Shoes with Velcro straps, bungee laces, or easy pull-on designs make dressing and undressing simple.

5. Fit and Comfort

Ensure the shoes fit well with enough room for growth. Avoid shoes that are too tight, as they can cause discomfort and restrict movement.

DIY Winter Shoe Hacks for Babies

Explore inventive and practical DIY solutions to boost the performance of your baby’s winter shoes. These creative hacks will help you enhance their warmth, fit, and durability without having to buy new shoes.

One effective hack is to add extra insulation to improve warmth. You can easily create your own insulating liners using materials like felt or foam. Simply cut the material to fit inside the shoe and place it under the existing insole. This additional layer will help keep your baby’s feet cozy and protected from the cold.

Another useful DIY tip is to customize the shoe fit with adjustable inserts. If your baby’s shoes are slightly too big, you can make or purchase adjustable insoles to fill the extra space. This helps to ensure a snug fit, preventing the shoes from slipping off and offering better support for little feet.

Homemade waterproofing solutions are also a great way to keep your baby’s feet dry during wet and snowy conditions. A simple method involves applying a thin layer of beeswax to the outer surface of the shoes. Gently rub the wax over the shoes and then use a hairdryer to heat it, allowing the wax to penetrate the material and create a water-resistant barrier.

Additionally, consider using a mixture of vinegar and water to clean and refresh the shoes. This natural solution helps to remove stains and odors, ensuring that the shoes remain in good condition throughout the winter season.

These DIY winter shoe hacks are not only budget-friendly but also allow you to tailor your baby’s footwear to meet their specific needs. By implementing these creative solutions, you can keep your little one’s feet warm, dry, and comfortable, making winter outings more enjoyable for both you and your baby.

Conclusion

Selecting the right baby winter shoes is essential for keeping your little one warm, dry, and safe during the colder months. By focusing on key features such as insulation, waterproofing, and traction, you can find the perfect pair to suit your baby’s needs. With the right winter shoes, you can enjoy cozy winter outings and create lasting memories while keeping tiny toes snug and protected.