#hiking pants review

[amputeeoutdoors]

TearWild Tactical Pants Review - Rated on Comfort, Ease of Use & Craftsm...

[outdoorovernights]

Pudolla Men's Hiking Cargo Pants Review

Have you ever wondered how a pair of pants could redefine your outdoor adventures? Enter the “Pudolla Men’s Hiking Cargo Pants with 7 Pockets Lightweight Travel Fishing Pants Waterproof for Men Outdoor Work.�� As you lace up your boots for your next great escape into nature’s embrace, these are not just pants—they are your faithful companion, ready to stand by you through blustering winds and…

[elizabethrobertajones]

summer scions!! I absolutely love the new portraits for all their smug happy expressions. Except Y'shtola, who is not going to deign to give a camera a proper saucy look because that's silly. Urianger is smirking twice as hard on her behalf.

Glam review under the cut!

I unlocked Alphinaud first of the twins and didn't know Alisaie had a little necktie yet, so I'm deducting a point from my first impression because the sheer delight that he had a silly little necktie of some sort no matter the situation delighted me so thoroughly. Since they're still engaging in matchy twin dressing to some degree, I have to assume they either like it and won't admit it after digging in so hard, or Ameliance sent them off with cute outfits and matching backpacks, and they still don't really shop for themselves.

He's got the practical watch/compass gloves which are good for a technically proficient Sage and probably the most practical gear he's ever worn except for when he was poncho Alphy, but wearing ankle-length jeans seem like the least weather-appropriate choice of the Scions if we assume their average skin coverage is a good weathervane for the temperature in Tural. I chalk it up to teenage awkwardness.

8/10 unless he and Alisaie chose their outfits themselves, in which case it's a 9/10

I think Alisaie is the only Scion to keep a single piece of their default gear, and those are her usual gloves. She's colour-matched around it.

Because of the gloves and boots, she looks the most ready for hardcore hiking, somehow, and her matching Alphinaud with a cute button down shirt with rolled up sleeves along with that particular choice of baggier shorts (when she normally wears more form fitting shorts) do give me the closest to butch vibes it's probably likely to get for main characters. So I'm giving her an extra point I stole from Alphinaud for the lesbian vibes.

9/10 or 10/10 if she made these choices all by herself.

Everything about this cracks me up, from his portrait above to the image of him tanking open shirted once he pulls mobs.

Believe it or not, he's getting an additional point for those shoes simply because the competition in practicality in tanking is G'raha.

I had a moment of excitement when I thought the necklace was pink because that's always a cute Ryne/Minfillia thing fanartists give him with ribbons and such, but once I got zoomed in on him it was red, so I guess he's just been shopping. Although, the turquoise shorts are her eye colour and the actual large diamond shapes are secretly Mothercrystal coded in those colours, which just cracks me up that you can pick out one of the worse days of his life (Urianger's grand Warrior of Darkness plan) in his Chill Summer Beach Vibes look.

Douchebag beach bro shell bracelet as well, which really makes me double down on him and Urianger spending way too much on tourist bait along the stalls in the Famous Turali Market. The hat and sunglasses are giving him one of the Most tourist-y looks thematically reflecting how a lot of the Scion guys were just here to hang out, narratively or literally. Maybe he's trying not to get such an intense tan again, which is the only reason he's not entirely topless.

11/10 I could not stop laughing when I got him and Urianger to 100 and Beheld The Brilliance in the same moment.

Please note the raised sunglasses in Urianger's portrait, which are not the model his character uses.

I am delighted that I had been incorporating that island watch into my healer glams on both the logic you need to know your clock positionals but also they're largely the smarty pants jobs (WHM being vibes only aside - it gets its own glams :P). And here's Urianger and Alphinaud both using watches.

Now, I had a moment of being vaguely disappointed he had trousers not a skirt or something else swishy and androgynous, but then I did realise that I, a nonbinary weirdo who relates to Urianger since he made me nonbinary, have actually gone to a couple of garden parties dressed in some variation of this exact outfit of light trousers and a nice button up. Plus, the earrings are in both ears, so no "Google, which ear is the gay one?", these are just straight up cute femme dangly earrings with his favourite little dudes on.

More importantly, the colours he's repping are those of Lopporit Radio. He probably tunes in every night for his broadcasts :')

Mirrored sunglasses for the guy notorious for keeping thoughts and plans close to his chest and choosing deliberately to be enigmatic even when it serves zero purpose except for I guess gender affirming care. (The gender is Weird Bitch.)

I can't tell how I feel about those dad sandals. I suppose it depends if he's wearing them like a fashion model (brand new and clean with perfect pedicured feet) or if those are REALLY dad at the beach-like and, since I'm not a foot person, this for me is only a choice between "not off-putting" and "AURGH".

9/10 the proximity to Thancred hauls him up several points of misgivings I had, and the lopporit shout outs are killing me :')

I unlocked Y'shtola last and holy fuck I am a lesbian. I don't even recognise where those boots come from, so either a really expensive glam or something I just have not stumbled on. She has toe rings I think? And painted nails? I have no idea if the garter (?) is part of the boots glam or a custom thing as result of not recognising the boots and how much of them is normal. I feel like they customised a lot on her anyway - the back of her top has purple beads that match her staff (not dyable on the real piece)

and I think the necklace has to be part of the top instead of a separate necklace piece with the way it hangs, AND the bracelets are a glove piece with the original summer glam, but I assume they're layered with the false nails, also in the glove slot. All in all it's giving the sort of effort which is starting to creep up to what I'd expect from the modding community not the game. I mean, not THAT good but getting close. Baby steps towards what fandom can make :P

She really is god's favourite meow meow.

Anyway I can't really judge this fairly because it's really hot and I love her so I'm just going to give it 100/10 and move on. :)

how did I get a picture where Estinien looks like he's stooping to get in the frame...

The fact he has Azure Dragoon Blue Top and then Violently Nidhogg Fuchsia shorts is the colour theory that absolutely killed me. When he lights up during his burst and starts glowing pink all over his shorts are like. Taking him over like the eye once did I think.

love a guy who can embrace his past trauma and dress to match all that has passed before and all that he intends to do now (kill something large and tasty, grill it on the beach, fall asleep with a beer in hand until the waves come in and wake him up).

I gave him that wooden bracelet in the glam he has on my desktop screen so once again I'm feeling weirdly vindicated.

Other details: no ponytail despite the warm weather because he's got enough ventilation. The fact there's cactaurs on his shirt when he's on record for eating them is amazing. We should imagine he's wearing his jobstone like that pendant (since he's one of the only guys with a confirmed jobstone despite being the Guy Without A Job notoriously that one time.)

Unlike Thancred's hat and sunglasses combo, which seems fun and boisterous somehow, he seems the most walled off of all the sunglasses wearers even though he's not the most mysterious. The visor really helps make it a sort of wall. Maybe just because his terse upfront personality and somehow despite his clothes horse habits THIS amount of whimsy seems the most out of character at first glance, but he DOES look uncomfortable to me.

Somehow I find everything about this outfit excellent for his character but also like maybe he was forced into it, everyone cornering him and telling him the Scion Beach Party was a mandatory work event and he was not allowed to beg off of it and he did put some work in expressing himself but also is going to go find a much quieter corner to lurk in for the day, when not competing with Thancred (can't grill, loves it) for the barbeque (Estinien can grill, would only do it because the threat of Thancred doing it wrong is too high).

confused 7/10 mostly because I think Krile is blackmailing him and not because I don't love everything about this.

Here's how G'reenha Tia can still win -

Anyway here's the deducted point for tanking in flip flops (PERFECTLY acceptable BLM gear btw but he's Mr Versatile.)

(I joke but the main character of my novels is a flip-flop wearing menace who could and would tank in them)

Between the padlock and key necklace and the woven bracelet right after we all went feral over the Thavnarian bracelets for couples thing so recently (and Corvos is just across the water!) he's absolutely dripping cutie pie love interest coding yet again.

(Also yes I know the lock and key thing is very funny because we were introduced to him learning he was a fancy key to a big door.)

Gains a point back because the other green g'raha thing is I'm pretty sure people use this shirt glam because it kinda looks like it has weed on it.

Don't quote me on that, vibes only.

Anyway he came colour coordinated (with his original eye colour and hair colour not the bright Allagan dalamud red dye that goes with his normal outfit) so so precise and neat, like he's going to some sort of formal event, and even with flip flops he really does seem incredibly put together like the twins or Y'shtola, just for full outfit cohesiveness.

As someone who would hold G'raha's hand on the romantic gondola vibe, 10/10.

3 out of 10 and a huge cringe if you would not. He's got to stop Striving.

Hey it's the star of the show!! Adorable hairstyle out, cute plot-important earring on, and wearing her exact character colours but adorable beach wear :)

I love that she looks kind of like she went to the girls for advice and got the top from Y'shtola and the shorts from Alisaie, and she probably was very serious and stressed about getting this right even though there's no rules and no one's judging her -

oops.

Anyway the ballet shoes are adorable and go with all the cute picto spins and twirls :)

I think the strict colour scheme does speak to the slight lack of fleshing out she got so far in the story (we don't really have any real character reason that picto in particular spoke to her and this glam isn't one of the many fun takes people had on how to dress to meet that brief ). I don't think DT did more than just repeat that she's serious and sweet and trying really hard to get out of her shell and be more fun and creative and also she's been practicing dodging really hard she shouts mid-Trust combat (bless her). But ALSO getting out of the shell is really hard and she only found out everything and got some closure in the final level 100 quests so there wasn't really much to do with her after that.

This is like her First Non-Plot-Critical Whimsy Moment and losing the hood or any cat ears entirely (and there are perfectly functional cat ears to wear in game) is a good step considering we know she wears it precisely because she needed a sort of advance PR campaign to make her look cute and approachable before she opened her mouth and started bringing down the vibe (serious scary children are SO funny though and i love that for her). Having the same top as Y'shtola is a good thing for trying to make her less childish and have her trying to show that now as she takes this huge step out from the background. I mean, it still has a slight sense of her costuming herself and pushing herself out of comfort zones as she always does, but it's 100% in character so I adore it.

1000/10 because Krile is great and there's so much going on here and it's so fun when a character's whole personality is a costume and then they're like aurgh wait do I even want that??

[w2soneshots]

Wife material -W2S

words: 0.8k+

warnings: smut, unprotected sex, cowgirl, established relationship.

summary: you and your soon to be husband spend a romantic night together before you tie the knot.

notes: hello loves! I haven’t been getting any Harry requests recently (send em in) so I thought I’d just write a smut😭. I hope you enjoy!!❤️‍🔥🫶🏼

In a week's time I'm going to be marrying my best friend, the love of my life. Me and Harry have been together for over seven years. He proposed last year and we've been planning our small and intimate wedding for six months.

It's been quite stressful getting everything sorted, from the dress, to the venue, food, the guests and everything else that comes along with weddings. We're only having around forty people so that takes the weight off a little bit.

I spent all of my day running around London to get the last few things done. When I returned home I opened the front door to see that the lights were dimmed and that there was a trail of rose petals leading to the kitchen. I was surprised to say the least. Me and Harry aren't a really romantic, soppy couple so things like this never really happen.

I dropped the bags in my hands and followed the red petals. Harry stood by our dining table with a sheepish smile. I walked up to him and I wrapped my arms around his neck. He instinctively placed his hands on my waist. I pecked him quickly on the lips as I pulled away to look at him.

"All this for me?" I smiled. "You deserve it. You've been so busy I thought it'd be nice to spend some time together. So I made dinner." He looked slightly embarrassed. "Ugh, I love you." I kissed him once more and then moved away to look at the food.

I sat down. "My favourite." I smiled as he sat opposite me. We started eating and he asked me about my day. I told him all about the nightmare I had trying to pick up the bridesmaids dresses along with my review of the new restaurant that just opened down the street, which is where I stopped off for lunch. He listened with an amused look on his face.

After eating dinner I was quick to offer to do the dishes. Harry protested for a few minutes before he gave up, but he still helped. As I placed the last dish on the drying rack I felt a pair of strong arms wrap around my torso.

Harry peppered soft kisses along my shoulder. I leaned back into him, humming happily. His grip tightened slightly. We stood there in a comfortable silence for a few moments before I turned around in his arms.

I stared up at him. His hands moved down to the back of my thighs, he lifted me onto the counter in one swift motion. My fingers gently raked through his hair. "Mmm." He hummed quietly, then pulled me into a strong kiss. We weren't rushing anything, it was slow and passionate.

After a few minutes Harry lifted me again and walked us both into our bedroom. He placed me down on the bed, quickly crawling on top of me. My hands moved down to the hem of his shirt, pulling it over his head. He quickly did the same with my tank top, leaving me in just a small, lacy bra.

He glanced down at my exposed torso. "Can't wait to marry you. 'm so lucky." He whispered. I smiled, pulling him back into the kiss. I hummed as his hand grabbed my breast, gently massaging it. "Pants, take them off." I breathed into his mouth.

Harry quickly moved off of me, leaning against the headboard, so he could shuffle his sweatpants and boxers off in one go, I did the same. Once I was finished and completely naked -other than my bra- I hiked my leg over Harry's lap and straddled his legs.

He placed a hand on the back of my neck to pull me into him, connecting our lips once again. His other hand traveled down to my dripping cunt. He swiped a finger through my folds making me gasp, he quickly slipped his tongue into my mouth. Then he began circling my clit, I let out a quiet whine.

I shifted my hips. "Harry..." I trailed off. "You ready love?" He asked, voice low. "Mhm." I managed to mumble. He removed his hand for a second while he lined his painfully hard cock up with my entrance. A deep groan escaped his lips and his eyes momentarily shut as I slowly sank down.

"Christ- y/n..." he placed his hands on my hips, gripping tightly. I began moving and he helped to keep a steady rhythm. He buried his head into the crook of my neck. I threw my head back and gripped his hair tight as his dick perfectly touched my g-spot.

"Fuck, Harry- I'm close!" I moaned. Tears streamed down my face. "So am I. Come baby, come on my cock." He muttered. For the first time ever we came at the exact same time. It felt unbelievable. We both breathed heavily as we caught our breaths, my head fell to his chest. "That was-" Harry mumbled into my hair. "yeah, that was..." words couldn't even describe the feeling.

[mvltisstuff]

Hi! Could I please request a 911 fic, please? Reader is Buck and Maddie’s little sister and is dating Eddie. She goes for a hike and falls, maybe just like a broken leg and concussion... but she has to call 911 and is freaking out a little and Maddie does her best to calm her down til the 118 gets there. Then lots of fluff with the guys. Maybe they show up at her apartment the next day to help her out with things and binge some tv with her. Thank you in advance!

sos - e.d

summary: request

eddie diaz x buckley!reader

a/n: tysm for the request, hope you enjoy 💗

y/n thought it was common sense to not disturb the wildlife in the trail. there were signs everywhere, you had to be blind to miss them. blind or stupid, at least. she also knew that the group of teenage girls had ignored the sign, trying to run after the deer and scare them away.

it was her one day off. it wasn’t a huge day to go to the hiking paths, so she went when it wasn’t busy. however, the mob of juveniles came across like they were the only people to exist, shoving anyone and anything out of their way. y/n had fallen victim in their path of destruction. she had been firmly distracted on the panicked deer, being able to outrun their pictures and harassment.

stupidly, her food stumbled on a pit, twisting her ankle as she fell down the rocky hill. she felt the massive rock jab her head, leaving a pitchy ringing in her ears. the fall had turned her leg in ways that it shouldn’t turn. finally, after what felt like minutes of falling, she landed on her back on the dusty floor of the woods. she lay there panting for a few moments, hoping someone would have seen her fall, but there wasn’t anyone but the excited shouting of the girls. she basically had no other choice but to fish her phone out of her pocket. she was so discombobulated and facing pain that she could only manage to type the three numbers.

“9-1-1, what is your emergency?” the voice of y/n’s older sister came through the phone, making y/n’s heart race in relief.

“maddie! oh, jesus,” she groans. “so, funny story, i just fell on my hike and i bashed my head on a rock, and then my leg did a weird thing and now it hurts like a bitch so i don’t r-“

“y/n?” she could tell the panicked voice of her sister. “wha- ok, first, tell me what trail you’re on.”

“i’m on the northeast trail at brush canyon,” y/n informs, despite the throbbing ache in her skull.

“alright, i’m sending units to you now, but stay on the phone with me?”

“i will. god, those girls were just running like maniacs an-“

“hey, hey, calm down, y/n. you’re going to be fine, just don’t get too riled up, yeah? police and rescue are 3 minutes away from your location now.”

“thank you, maddie,” y/n says into the phone, starting to calm down and grow more tired.

“of course, that’s why i’m here. the police should pull up in a minute, i love you,”

“i love you too, maddie,” maddie hangs up the phone, leaving her to buck and eddie now. they came to check the safety of the trail after hearing about the pits, and the concerns of people tripping and tumbling down the hills. when buck saw his little sister on the ground, his heart stopped.

“y/n?” he shouted, sliding down the hill and next to y/n’s body.

“heyyy, buck,” she says, being given pain medicine by chimney. “oh, i fell by the way.”

“eddie!” he yells, calling for her boyfriend as he walks down to see her too.

“what the hell happened?” he asks, completely alarmed by her state on the ground. “hey, are you ok?”

“splendid. not the best hike, but i’ll just leave a bad review. and someone tell those bitches to stop running after the deer!”

“alright, she’s fine,��� buck laughs, getting his sisters personality back as they lift her onto the stretcher. bobby allows buck and eddie to travel with her to the hospital, as her eyes close in the back.

“i’m not sleeping, i’m just resting my eyes.”

“y/n, you probably should sleep,” buck tells her.

“yeah, baby, you hit your head pretty good,” eddie adds. he smiles at y/n’s scrunched eyebrows and shut eyes as she just continues to fall asleep one minutes later.

the doctors had confirmed that she did fracture her patella, and would be limited in movement for a few weeks. she had a light concussion from the impact on her head, but she’d heal perfectly fine. it wasn’t really anything to worry about.

she returned back to her apartment with maddie, helping her carry her things back in with the crutches. “thanks, maddie.”

“don’t thank me, just please be careful now,” she begs. “i don’t want you to push yourself like evan did and get all worked up.”

“i’m fine, maddie, i swear.”

“ok,” she concludes. “i have to go to work, but if you need anything in the world, call me or buck or eddie and i’m sure someone will help you. are you sure you don’t need anything?”

“maddie, get out of my apartment and go to work. i am fine!”

“alright, i love you. i’ll see you soon,” she says, shutting the door behind her as y/n sits on the couch, leaning her new crutches against it. she finally gets settled watching some old random reruns from tlc, getting invested in it when she realizes that she has to eat something with her new medicine. she tries to figure out something, when she hears an abrupt knock on her door. she limps over with her crutches, revealing a grinning buck and eddie by her door with a bag of food.

“we come with food!” buck smiles. “your favorite! cheesecake factory!”

“you guys did not have to do this,” she says, letting them come in and placing a kiss on eddie’s lips.

“well, we wanted you to have anything you need,” eddie tells her.

“i appreciate, i really do.”

“good, so what do you need done?” eddie asks. y/n thinks about what she could get away with, and manages to make them clean her entire kitchen. they did it willingly, so it’s nothing but a win for her.

“perfect! now, come eat with me and watch this show i found,” she beams, crutching over to the couch and placing the bag of food in front of her on the coffee table.

“what are we watching?” buck asks, starting to crack open his takeout box.

“i’m not really sure, some guy making cakes in new jersey,” she presses the volume as the voice of the man comes through the speakers. she sits back with her plate of food, looking at her two favorite boys in the world.

[lunitawrites]

Untouched - a Lucien Flores one shot

pairing: Lucien Flores x f!reader

summary: Lucien wants to come in your panties.

warnings: dom/sub dynamics, controlling, smacking, cum, there is a lot of cum, and saliva, spitting, male masturbation, orgasm denial, i think that's it, but lmk if I missed any

a/n: idk what possessed me, or actually yes, those fucking videos, anyways enjoy Lucien being a menace, the story is only loosely following the plot of uninvited, they are in a party, but that's it. it is really not edited or reviewed, sorry.

word count: 1.4k

The wall is pressed cold against your back as Lucien hikes up your dress above your hips. Your are dripping wet thanks to the hours of teasing under the table. The slow patterns he drew on your legs, getting closer and closer to your center, but never quite reaching where you needed him the most.

"What a mess you've made," he growls, inspecting your panties, slowly caressing between your legs over the wet fabric.

"Lucien," you sigh and reach for the front of his pants where his arousal is evident. "Just fuck me already, I can't take it anymore!" you whimper with pleading eyes.

"You will take whatever I give you," he says and brushes your hand away "don't act up or I will just send you back to the dinner table, with your panties ruined, unsatisfied."

You know it supposed to be your punishment, but the thought of it makes you even more turned on, your cheeks are on fire and you feel yourself gushing more, soaking your panties and Lucien's fingers through the fabric. He feels it too and his mouth curls into a devilish grin.

He slowly reaches for his belt, undoing his pants and taking his cock out. It's fully erect and already leaking with precum, you gulp at the sight of it, wanting to have it in your mouth, licking away the salty liquid from his tip.

"Can I touch you?" you almost moan "Please?" you add for good measure.

"No, baby, you won't touch me this time," he says and slides your panties down, so they are hanging on your thighs. He nudges your legs apart with his knee so the fabric of your underwear is cutting into the flesh of your thighs.

"Stay like this," he says in a hushed voice. You nod and place your hands on the wall behind you, afraid if you don't, you would touch something you are not supposed to.

He slowly starts stroking himself with one hand and reaching for your chin with the other. Your eye are fixed on his fingers as they are gliding on the soft velvet skin of his shaft. It should be your fingers.

"Look at me," he says and grabs your chin forcing your gaze to find his. He opens your mouth with two fingers reaching for the saliva at the back of yor throat. You gag a little and feel you saliva pooling in the corners of your mouth. He wiggles his fingers a little, activating your gag reflex again and now you can feel the saliva dripping from your mouth. You can only assume that he adjusts his position so it falls directly on his cock, but you can't see as his fingers are forcing your head to stay in place.

"Mmm, good girl," he says and starts to stroke himself a little faster judging from the wet sounds, but you still can't look.

He leans a little closer, so his tip is rubbing against your clit every times his hand moves up and down on his length.

You moan and it comes out muffled by the fingers still in your mouth. You already feel at the edge of your orgasm, just by his tip grazing over your sensitive bundle of nerves over and over again.

"Shh" he hushes you and removes his fingers from your mouth. "We don't want everyone to hear what a slut you are, do we?" he asks and his palm lands on your cheek with a wet smack. Your mouth opens in pleasure, but you don't dare to make another sound.

He slaps another time, now more on your mouth, leaving a tingling feeling on your lips. "Well I guess you being a good girl did not last for long," he says and takes a step back so his cock is not touching your clit anymore.

"Lucien, please..." you whisper, but know that it won't be any help. He just shakes his head with an evil smirk.

"Tits out, baby," he growls, stroking himself almost frantically at this point.

You do as you are told reaching for the top of your dress, dragging the fabric below your breasts. Your nipples hardening more from the touch of cold air. You place your hands back to the wall, now fully exposed to him, totally at his mercy. Panties still on display for him, your glistening cunt visible under the dress bunched up on your waist, breasts out.

He nods approvingly and you can see as he collects saliva in his mouth, ready to spit on you. The warm liquid first landing on your left breast and after a second he soaks your right too. You can feel it dripping down on the peak of your nipples, sending shivers through your whole body.

He steps closer again, landing a few wet smacks on each of your tits. You moan silently, you think you might just cum at this point, basically untouched. But before it can happen you can feel his hand grabbing at your throat forcing you too look at him again.

"Eyes on me while I cum in your panties," he says and growls as his orgasm reaches him, aiming his ropes of cum directly to the inside of your lace underwear.

His breath is hot on your face as he holds you close by your neck. You moan with him as if you could cum too, but both of you know that it is not in the cards for you tonight. Your only purpose is his pleasure, you are only there to accommodate his needs, but nothing else.

As he finished filling you underwear with cum he adjust your dress. First he places it back over your tits, smoothing the material over your nipples. You are so sensitive, you gasp at the feeling of it.

Then he puts your underwear back, you almost mewl at the feeling of his cum touching your soaked center.

He straightens the dress on the curve of your hips too he squats down to access more of it. He stills for a moment and leans closer to your left thigh. He runs his finger over your soft skin and collects a drop of cum. He inspects it on his fingers and stands up to show it to you too. You open your mouth and show your tongue to him, eager to taste whatever it is he wants to give you. But he laughs dryly and puts his finger in his mouth instead, sucking on it for a few seconds while humming contentedly.

He pats your pussy and takes your hand in his, starting to lead you back to the dinner table.

"No touching," he says " I will know!" he adds with a lopsided smile on his face.

As you approach the table you see that the dinner transformed into more of a party now. The guests reaching for the drink more than the food, the music louder than when you left. You are sure nobody noticed your little disappearance, so you just slide back at your place trying to join in the conversation. Lucien does the same on your side, the only evidence of your little intermezzo is the rosy color of his cheeks.

You almost moan as you take your seat, your folds making full contact with his cum now. You are still so aroused. He adjust the gold chain on his neck sending you a knowing look from the corner of his eyes.

[thekeithmeister]

Being Trans In Southern Nature

Being a nature freak in the south as a well-passing trans man is a surreal experience. I live in north Georgia in a blue county in the suburbs. But as often as I can, I drive out into the middle of nowhere for hiking, camping, paddle boarding, or other outdoor activities. The drive there, in and of itself, is bizarre. Inside my car I’m blasting “This Is Me” from The Greatest Showman. But outside I’m driving by confederate flags, Trump signs, the Don’t Tread On Me flag, a sea of American Flags, and Christian billboards that literally say “you’re going to hell” with pictures of fire.

I often think if I ever get a flat tire on one of these trips, and anyone ever figures out I’m trans, I’d be hanged or shot. But I haven’t been clocked in years, so I push those kinds of thoughts to the back of my mind. I turn off the country back roads and onto the gravel drive leading up to a nature preserve. Pulling into the dirt parking lot there’s about a dozen other cars. Many have Trump bumper stickers. There’s no bathroom, so no concern about me being beat up for taking a piss. I always go in the woods anyway on these kinds of trips.

A full bladder is a concern for any trans person. But for this kind of trip I always take major precautions. They start back at home. After I eat breakfast and drink my coffee, I wait a full hour before leaving. I pee at least twice. I make damned sure my bladder is completely empty and there’s no chance any liquid is on it’s way there before getting into my car. I just described the kind of place I have to travel through to get to a good hiking trail. And I ain’t stopping. Not for anything. I’d rather pee my pants.

So when I pull into the lot I have my gear with me. A small backpack containing my rolled up hammock, a bottle of water, protein bars, toilet paper and my taser. When hiking, I drink barely enough to fuel my body. And if I do it just right, I don’t have to pee even if I’m out in the park the entire day. I don’t risk it. And if there really is just no choice, I’m going to go way off trail to do it. And I mean not just out of sight of the trail, but so far off the path someone would have to be crazy to come out there and spot me. Those are the kind of precautions I take.

But I just pulled into the parking lot and my dangerous bladder is empty. So no concerns at the moment. Backpack on, I start walking up to the trail head. There’s a sign there with a map of the trails on it. A blonde woman in a bright yellow shirt immediately approaches me.

“Excuse me!” she says. “Can you tell me if this is an easy trail?”

I’m used to this. Every time I go out hiking, people approach me. Everyone is friendly. Everyone smiles. And I think I must have a very approachable face. Or maybe I look experienced. Whatever the reason, complete strangers come up to me many times during any hike.

This is my first time on this trail, but I researched it beforehand, so I can answer her.

“Some of it,” I said. I turn and point at the map. “Make sure to take a right at the first fork. The entire eastern loop is easy. See, it’s marked green. You want to avoid the western loop as that goes straight up the mountain.” I pointed to the red part.

The woman nodded, “I see. And are there a lot of people on this trail?”

“From what I’ve read no. That’s why I came today. The reviews say you see hardly any body.”

“Thank you! You’ve been a great help! You seem like a really nice young man. Enjoy your hike!”

“You too!”

We part ways. I enter the trail head to begin my hike and I wonder the same exact thing I always wonder when I have these encounters. Would that nice lady turn mean and ugly and hate me if she knew I was trans? I think it every single time. There’s no way not to. I drove through Trump land to get here. I know what conservatives think of me. Or at least the idea of me. It’s not hidden. It’s not a secret. Trump has been president for 20 days at the time I’m writing this, and he has already signed 4 anti-trans specific executive orders. He is planning on discharging 15,000 trans military service members, possibly dishonorably and without their benefits. He’s planning on making it illegal for trans people to play sports. And he also wants to make it illegal for us to use a bathroom in a federal facility. He’s trying to make healthcare illegal for trans people under 19 years of age, threatening to throw parents and doctors in jail. And I watched as Trump signed these executive orders in front of a huge, cheering, smiling, clapping, crowd of conservatives.

They hate me. They want me to die. But when they meet me in real life, they all smile. They approach me. Ask me questions. Thank me for helping them. Many, especially older white men, seem to want to give me guidance, like a father figure. When I run into them on the trail, they are quick to tell me, “the river flooded that way so be careful,” or “the fishing is great at this pond! Bring your pole next time!”

I have never met an unfriendly person while hiking or camping. And I cannot help but wonder… what if they knew? What would those smiles turn into?

I choose the most difficult route on purpose to try and get out into nature alone. I want the peace and quiet it gives me. I don’t want to hear anything other than the birds, the wind, and the branches moving together. If I’m working hard enough, then my own blood pumping in my ears. For the first hour this is what I get. And I’m immeasurably happy. It’s early February and it’s 60 degrees on a sunny day. There are no leaves or greenery yet, but I’m smelling the warmth from the earth mix with the cool air. The pine trees give me plenty of green to be happy with.

But soon, as is always the case, the peace is interrupted. I hear voices from the trail ahead break the quiet. They’re loud. And there are many. Anxiety immediately kicks in. A prick of fear I can never quite control. It sounds like a group of men. And raised as a girl, I knew from a woman’s perspective just how dangerous this could turn out to be. Even having been transitioned and living as a man for the past 8 years, that was embedded in me. Possibly forever. But also having lived as a trans man for so long, my fear shifts from the possibility of being raped to being beat up instead. But again… that would only happen if someone clocked me. And that hadn’t happened in years.

I breathe in and calm myself down. I’m aware of the weight of my taser in my back pocket. I reach back and flip off it’s lid. But I leave it hidden for now. I’ve never needed it, and likely never would. After all, I have never met an unfriendly person while hiking or camping.

As the voices draw nearer, I suddenly hear a woman laugh. My fear immediately vanishes. This was a mixed group of hikers. I keep going and crest the ridge. I can see them now. There’s five, three men, and two women. And one person was black and another Asian. I breathed a huge sigh of relief. I always found it interesting just how many other minorities I ran into in the middle of nowhere in the North Georgia Mountains. And how many foreigners for that matter. During this hike, I had run into two separate Germans. Where were they staying? And out of all the places in America they could visit, they chose this tiny trail? But that seemed to be the case almost anywhere I went.

I start passing the group of hikers, and as always, I’m stopped.

“Hi! Nice weather isn’t it?” The lead hiker says.

“Yes it is!” I reply.

“Are we close to the top of the mountain?” One of the women asks me.

“Yes,” I said. “It’s not far. You’re almost there.”

“You hear that honey?” She calls back to a man huffing and puffing as he comes up at the rear. “We’re almost there!”

“Uuugh!” He groans. The woman turns back to me. “Are there really good views at the top?”

“Kinda,” I said. “You have to look through the trees, but it is a good view.”

“Oh great, thank you!”

We part ways. I once again have the same exact thought. All of them were so nice. But how nice would they have been if they’d known?

At the top of the mountain I stop. It had been a tough hike. Steep the entire way. I go off trail a decent distance so no one would see me, find me, or bother me. I set up my hammock where I can be alone. Rocking myself in it, I look out to the view. I can see across two sloping peaks in the distance and it’s really beautiful. But I can’t enjoy it as much as usual. Nature always heals me and puts my mind right. But I’d found out just the day before that the Georgia Legislature had introduced a bill to strip away healthcare from transgender people. It would ban all gender affirming care, even for adults, from anything government or state related.

I was on a private insurance plan from my job, but I didn’t know if my nurse practitioner, who’d been treating me for over 5 years, accepted any government or state funding. If her practice relied on that kind of money, I would be in a lot of trouble. She likely wouldn’t be able to treat me anymore, or risk losing all her funding. Or worse. If treating trans people was illegal, she could potentially be arrested for helping me.

It had taken me years to find someone competent when it came to transgender health. I wouldn’t be able to find someone else. Or rather, I could, but it would likely take years again. And I might be in a situation where I’d be forced to drive out of state. But even then… Trump was targeting blue states, and trying to force them to stop offering healthcare too. So going to a blue state might not have even helped.

I lay in my hammock, wondering what on earth it was I could do. My best friend the day prior had suggested flying to Canada once a year just to get my medication and then coming home. That was a very expensive solution… but one I might have no choice but to consider. Could they even prescribe me a whole years worth of testosterone at a time? I didn’t think so. But maybe I could have it shipped from Canada? How expensive would that be?

I heard a mom shouting at her giggling kids coming up the path just out of sight. They wouldn’t be able to see me where I had set up. So I was free to lay in my hammock and try to fathom what kind of lives this family likely had. How wonderful it must’ve been to not have to worry about where you could legally take a leak, or how you would legally get your medications. That mom didn’t worry about her doctor being thrown in jail. Or if she and her husband would be thrown in jail for getting her kids the proper care they needed. That little family… had no idea that absolute and ruthless hell trans families had to go through.

I wait until I hear them leave. Then wait several minutes more. Then I pack up my hammock and other things and continue down the trail. I’m blissfully alone for another hour or so. But soon I hear voices again. This time it’s a couple: a man and a woman. As they start to approach I assess them. The husband is wearing a shirt with a huge American flag across the front and the Punisher logo on top of that.

I immediately tense up. I knew well enough that the far right wore the Punisher logo. It meant the same exact thing to me as a confederate flag, don’t tread on me flag, christian cross, American flag, or anything else of the like. All of those symbols were the same. And all of them sent the same message. The woman smiles at me as they approach.

“Hi! Have you seen the pond yet?”

“Yes, it’s just up ahead.”

The man doesn’t speak or smile. He barely looks at me. The woman thanks me and they move on.

If they knew, they absolutely would have killed me. I think.

I run into only one other person on the hike, a Korean photographer. We were both lost at the time we met, and his English was difficult to understand. But I made out that he was looking for the trail to the parking lot. I pointed and told him the way I thought it was, but that this was my first time on the trail and wasn’t sure. I didn’t know if he fully understood me. So I just pointed down the trail. After we parted way, I wondered again,

What if he knew? I knew nothing at all about Korean culture. Did they hate trans people too? Or was that just in America?

I wandered for some time, trying to find the right path back. I had 2 hours of daylight left so wasn’t too concerned and my compass said I was heading west, the direction I knew the parking lot was in. So I knew even if I didn’t recognize this part of the trail, I was heading the right way. I stopped by a little stream. Tired, I sat down on the small wooden bridge going across it. Letting my legs dangle over it’s edge and feeling my blood pound in my feet, I took out a protein bar and a bag of apple slices. As I ate my snack, I looked out to the scenery. It was so peaceful and quiet. So quiet in fact that I could close my eyes and listen to the leaves move through the gentle breeze. It was my absolute favorite sound in the entire world. The day was perfect. And it was exactly why I drove so far out of the suburbs to hike in a place like this.

I just wished…

I wished that…

I wished…

[mediumgayitalian]

fic rec friday 5

hi!! welcome to fic rec friday. every week, i pick five fics i have bookmarked and rec them with a little review. check them out!

You and I were Fireworks by percyspandapillowpet

“Eleven fifty-eight,” he said, and when he tilted his head back up, his eyes were sparkling. “There’s still enough time to go see the fireworks,” Nico realized aloud. “Do you want to…” Will shook his head, expression unchanging. “Nah. Fireworks are overrated. I’d rather stay here with you.”

look one thing this author can nail is SWEET. also will with his seltzer made me smile idk why but it did. im just a huge fan of slice of life stories and this is such a cute one!!

2. Love Wins by percysandapillowpet

“I’ll be right there!” he shouted, and the knocking stopped. On a count of three, he managed to push the duvet off his arms and legs and let his feet fall to the floor. He glanced down at what he was wearing—a black t-shirt and flannel pants, that would have to do—and walked over to the door. “What do you want, Solace?” he asked, pulling it open. Will was all smiles and sunshine. “Did you hear?” Nico narrowed his eyes. “Hear what? If this is some big event, then no, because I’ve been asleep like a normal person.” Will might as well have been jumping up and down, he looked so excited. “Nico, they did it! The Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage for the entire country! This morning!”

i read this fic in 2017 actually. and i REMEMBER how huge 2015 was; i'm canadian but it was massive. i was 12/13ish so i was in percy jackson back then too, and i remember reading DOZENS of fics that came out right after. this was so huge and this fic captures that :)

3. I Think You're My Best Friend by percyspandapillowpet

“You know what always makes cleaning more fun?” Will asked, sweeping a pile of dust and dirt into the center of the room. “What?” Nico replied, trying to hold back a smile. He found himself doing that a lot these days, too. Will set his broom down against one of the cots that lined the wall. “Music!”

this one made me melt bc personally....if someone called me their favourite i would never ever recover. never ever. and i love short & sweet fics about specific interactions/moments!! and this author nails that!!

4. Darkness by percyspandapillowpet

“So,” Will says, slightly awkwardly, making Nico realize that he forgot to respond to whatever he last said. “Um, you wanted something to take your mind off things?” He pulls back from the hug just enough to see his face, holding him at arms length. “I’ve, uh, got an idea.” He’s not used to Will looking so unsure of himself. He’s always acting so overly cocky. Kiss me, Nico thinks. “What?” he asks. Will smiles, then, his confidence restored. “Let’s go for a hike.”

sweet kisses in nature....the big three boys truly know how it's done bc the way i would SWOON and crumble. also i love it when nico is so so bad at like talking to people lol. hes so real.

5. Past, Present, Future by percyspandapillowpet

“We’ll help her, okay?” Will continues. “We’ll do the best that we can. You and I both know what this feels like. We need to give her support and take care of her for a while.” He nods again, glancing at her sleeping form in the cot. She looks a little less pained, and a little more peaceful. Nico is already dreading how she might react when she wakes again. “We’ll take care of her,” he repeats.

first of all proposal fics get me literally every time. second of all i do love fics where ppl explore what theyre future might look like!!! what they might be when theyre older!! theyre so careful with each other u know.

thank you for joining me this friday!! happy reading!!

[pompadourpink]

bonjour maman! i was wondering if you could share some insights on the word « bas. » i feel like no definition makes sense for the way people use it? for example, « IG bas » or « à la bas » idk i just don’t get all the uses i just hear it and pretend i know what everyone’s on about. thank you!!!

Hello,

I'm not sure what those examples are referring to (haven't heard them) but typically you have:

bas (n.m.) - bottom, stockings, pants (bas de survêtement)

bas (adj) - low, downcast, grave (music), inferior, mundane, despicable

bas (adv) - quietly/softly, low (voice)

parler tout bas - speaking softly

à bas + n ! - down with --

bas les pattes ! - hands off

chapeau bas ! - hats off

de haut en bas - from top to bottom

en bas (de): at the bottom (of)

va voir là-bas si j'y suis ! - take a hike

avoir des hauts et des bas - having ups and downs

avoir le moral au plus bad - being depressed

être au plus bas - hitting rock bottom

tirer (someone) vers le bas - dragging down

tomber bien bas - sinking low

en ce bas monde - in this old world

le bas peuple - lower class

de bas étage - mediocre

un coup bas - a hit below the belt

bas de gamme - low quality

Bas-Rhin, Basses-Pyrénées... (places)

là-bas - over there

faire main basse sur - stealing (formal)

To not mix up with: bah - meh

Hope this helps! x

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[dweemeister]

2024 Movie Odyssey Award for Best Picture

Here now are my ten Best Picture winners for the last calendar year. A reminder that films that count towards the Movie Odyssey are movies that I saw in their entirety for the first time over that calendar year. Rewatches don't count.

In other words, these are my top ten "new-to-me" films from my 2024 viewings. I name all ten as "Best Pictures" in alphabetical order. I don't rank them. Any links in the titles take you to my write-ups... regrettably, there are only two:

Adam's Rib (1949; dir. George Cukor)

George Cukor's legal comedy comes with the tagline: "It's the hilarious answer to who wears the pants!" Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn were long-unmarried romantic partners, and their professional partnership included nine films from 1942-1967. Here, he plays a prosecutor; she plays a defense attorney. While in court, Hepburn will claim that a woman’s (Judy Holliday) attempted murder of her adulterous husband is justified. Despite that crazy premise, Adam’s Rib sizzles: this is an ideal movie to watch if you want to know what the comedic and romantic chemistry between Tracy and Hepburn was like.

Awaara (1951, India; dir. Raj Kapoor)

In only his third feature film, Raj Kapoor directed himself, Nargis, and Rithviraj Kapoor (Raj’s father) in a gorgeously made Bollywood movie unafraid of asking questions of class, crime, capitalism/socialism, and personal redemption. The title, which can be translated to “tramp”, is only the first of several aspects in this film reflective of Raj Kapoor’s admiration of Charlie Chaplin’s silent films – humor, pathos, and social consciousness colliding, poetically, into a deeply human work. One of the few ‘50s Bollywood movies to achieve widespread popularity beyond India's borders: it's a touchstone in the former USSR nations, the Balkans, and China. You can watch it here.

The Big Heat (1953; dir. Fritz Lang)

One of two films noir here, this one by German director Fritz Lang (whose film M, from 1931, heavily influenced the creation of noir). Homicide Det. Dave Bannion (Glenn Ford) is investigating the death of a fellow cop when he receives word from “upstairs” to stop. He suspects a conspiracy, and turns in his badge (but not his .38) to get to the bottom of it. How far will he go? The Big Heat benefits from a cavalcade of excellent supporting actors – including Lee Marvin and especially Gloria Grahame. Don’t read reviews or other pieces before viewing this film: The Big Heat contains one of the most vicious moments in film history – unforgettable to anyone who sees it, not just to noiristas.

Detour (1945; dir. Edgar G. Ulmer)

Film noir #2 among this year’s Best Pictures. Edgar G. Ulmer’s Detour was made by “Poverty Row” studio PRC (derisively nicknamed “Pretty Rotten Crap”) and does so much with so little. Unemployed piano player Al Roberts (Tom Neal) is the unreliable narrator recounting how his life was destroyed after hitch-hiking cross-country to reunite with his girlfriend (Claudia Drake) and his encounter with maybe the meanest woman in film noir history, Vera (Ann Savage; what a surname). Detour’s tawdry, yet brilliant, filmmaking and unreliable narration subconsciously creates its own internal logic. This 68-minute film has the tone and rhythm of a nightmare. In the public domain. Best watched in the dead of night, half-asleep. Did you watch or dream this movie?

Dinner at Eight (1933; dir. George Cukor)

Ten years ago? George Cukor’s Dinner at Eight (Cukor again!) doesn’t make this list. I’ve taken a while to come around to comedies of manners. Based on the play of the same name with an adapted screenplay by Herman J. Mankiewicz, Dinner at Eight sees a socialite (Billie Burke, Glinda in The Wizard of Oz) organize a dinner party for all her friends. Also starring Marie Dressler, John Barrymore (whose fallen silent film actor character is alarmingly prescient), Wallace Beery, Lionel Barrymore, and especially a fantastic Jean Harlow, this is a racy, elegantly-costumed witty comedy of high society figures deceiving themselves about their stations in life.

Flow (2024, Latvia/Belgium/France; dir. Gints Zilbalodis)

One of two animated features this year. In only his second feature, Latvian director Gints Zilbalodis delivers a dialogue-free animated feature that follows a black cat and their companions in a boat while they navigate the world, which has been destroyed by water. Made with free software Blender, this is a remarkable production that, like Detour, succeeds beyond its paucity of resources. Zilbalodis – who also was co-producer, co-writer, co-composer, cinematographer, editor, and art director – will tell you not to sweat plot details. This is a movie that is about how one learns to trust and work with others – something that Zilbalodis, usually a one-man show, learned himself while making Flow.

One Way Passage (1932; dir. Tay Garnett)

Along with Dinner at Eight, this is one of two pre-Code films among the Best Picture winners. Tay Garnett’s romantic drama stars two major figures from the pre-Code era: William Powell and Kay Francis. On a monthlong ferry from Hong Kong to San Francisco, Francis plays a terminally ill woman (not that you could tell she was terminally ill) who falls for a murderer (Powell) who has escaped authorities and is bound to be hung. Despite what might appear to be a morbid premise, One Way Passage has a romantic delicateness to it, mixing light comedy with unsentimental gestures for a most curious concoction. Fantastic ending.

Son of the White Mare (1981, Hungary; dir. Marcell Jankovics)

As some of you may know, one of my cinematic blind spots that I am most aware is a blind spot and would like most to address is Eastern bloc animation. Marcell Jankovics’ Son of the White Mare is a mythological movie that takes elements of the creation myths of the ancient nomads of the Eurasian steppe. Our main character is Treeshaker, the third human son of a mare, who has superhuman strength. He later meets his two similarly strong older brothers, Stonecrumbler and Ironrubber. Our trio journey to defeat three dragons spreading evil across the world. Jankovics’ film may be standard folklore, but its visual splendor – bright and bold colors, representational character animation – has never been imitated.

​A Special Day (1977, Italy; dir. Ettore Scola)

No other Italian actors could fit the idea of glamor as much as Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni. And in Ettore Scola's Una giornata particolare, the two inhabit roles far away from their public and on-screen personas. On the day of Hitler's arrival in Rome on May 3, 1938 to citywide celebrations, a housewife (Loren) and a recently-sacked radio announcer (Mastroianni) have a chance encounter. With everyone else in the apartment complex away to watch the pomp and circumstance, the two discuss their lives, their disappointments, and the expectations hoisted upon them by others. Both actors tap into their wartime experiences to deliver performances among the best of their careers.

20 Days in Mariupol (2023, Ukraine; dir. Mstyslav Chernov)

“It's painful to watch. But it must be painful to watch.” So narrates director Mstyslav Chernov. Produced by the Associated Press and PBS for the latter’s Frontline, 20 Days in Mariupol is a war documentary that captures the twenty days that Chernov and his fellow AP photojournalists spent in Mariupol at the beginning of Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine before their dangerous escape. With spare narration from Chernov (that I think I could’ve done without), we see moments unfold that became some of the most infamous images of the conflict in those early weeks – all involving the suffering and deaths of civilians (including children). Essential journalism, harrowing filmmaking. Available on Frontline’s YouTube.

[suzilight]

Women Who Hike - crotch zipper?

Gnara Go There Pants

"Gnara Go There Pants are comfortable, multi-functional, all-season hiking bottoms with a unique addition: the patented GoFly™ zipper technology. In addition to the familiar zipper fly used to take your bottoms on and off, a second GoFly™ zipper starts below the first fly and extends around to the back of the pant, allowing you to unzip and pee comfortably and safely without removing clothing."

Lots of good reviews. ??? $168.00

[shamera]

Back from the island! Yeah we spent three days at the convention, but the rest of the time was spent hiking and exploring beaches.

Attempting to find the hidden waterfall, year two-- has also failed, lol. That may have been the most frustrating thing to me during the trip, because I hadn't expected the reviews on the trail saying 'hardest part is walking on the beach' to be actually impossible for me. The majority of the beach was covered in stones half the size of my feet, who knows how deep, and going up and down in elevation along the shoreline about 5-8 feet every few steps. They slipped, they slid, and I needed two people to help me get past a lot of the parts. I gave it a valiant go until I realised that the next landmark on the trail was not 'around the next bend' of the beach, but rather around SEVERAL more bends of the beach. Realising that along with the fact that I'd have to walk back as well when my ankle was already protesting made me give up.

It did not help that I mis-stepped on that ankle thrice the previous day (the last day of the convention) wandering up and down the stairs of artist alley for several hours trying to figure out what last minute stuff to buy.

Sadly, there was a net amount of zero cdrama stuff there, and the only manhwa related item I could find was a singular ORV pin in the entire place. 😭😭😭 No S-Class merch for me (and honestly, I had no hopes on finding anything Lotus Casebook but my fingers were crossed) .

Went in a Rex Lapis kigurumi on Saturday (with plush! and a lot of previously bought merch, meaning earrings, lanyard, etc etc) and as Shinobu Kocho the next day, and my biggest complaint was... why was the heat turned up so high??? Despite it being a cool 8C outside, it was easily 27C indoors. Good for people in bikinis, I guess? But yeegads I was dressed for a winter con.

Bumped into a Scaramouche cosplayer by accident on Sunday and barely mumbled an apology before I ran over to meet a friend, but then I later saw her with a part of her hat broken later on and now I am RACKED WITH GUILT like did I contribute to that hfdjksa

...and then it snowed heavily on the day we came back, lol. I literally only brought one pair of pants with me, since I mostly wear dresses and skirts, so I was really glad I left that for the last day and then bundled up in both the one sweater and coat I brought.

(Underdressed? Nooo. I run hot, so I'm usually sweltering in the malls even in the midst of winter. It's why face masks are torture for me in the middle of summer, and I prefer not to go out, especially when the sun is trying to microwave me.)

[moccahobi]

2023 Review

Oh boy... this review will likely be short! I spent a lot of time writing but much less time posting. Generally, it is interesting to look back and see how much I did and how little I posted. I became quite unorganized this year as well. I didn't properly maintain my organizational systems. Which I guess is something that I will want to refresh soon!

Now! Let's get into this review!

Fandom(s): BTS

Total Fics:

Posted: 10

Worked On: ~13

Total Words:

Posted: 22.6k

Written: 63.2k

 ~SHIP/CHARACTER BREAKDOWN~ 

Ships (if applicable) (per series):      

NamSeok (Namjoon x Hoseok)

Sope (Yoongi x Hoseok)

Yoonkook (Yoongi x Jungkook)

 Character Frequency (per series):     

Seokjin: 2

Namjoon: 2

Hoseok: 2

Yoongi: 2

Jimin: 1

Taehyung: 1

Jungkook: 2

Character POVs: 

Seokjin: 0

Namjoon: 1

Hoseok: 1

Yoongi: 2

Jimin: 0

Taehyung: 2

Jungkook: 2

Reader: 3

Did you seem to have a preference for any particular member/ship/pov? Why?

I def love my Hoseok ships it appears! Given only one of my mxm fics were wholly written this year (quite tragic truly).

 ~SPECIFICS~ 

Best and Worst Title? 

Best: The Creamed Pie (thank you @sailoryooons for helping me with that innuendo!)

Worst: TT I love them all honestly... it's a first

 Best and Worst first line?

Best: "Hello." (Hello, Goodbye)

Worst: Sweat dripped down Namjoon’s back, the sun bearing down on Hoseok and him as they hiked higher and higher. (Dancing in the Rain)

 Best and Worst ending line? 

Best: "One fateful rainy summer day, Hoseok and Namjoon walked out to dance around in their quiet haven. The ring sat patiently in Namjoon’s pants pocket, soon to be sitting happily on Hoseok’s ring finger. " (Dancing in the Rain 3)

Best: "Goodbye" (Hello, Goodbye)

Worst: At the mention of home, she looked away distantly before sighing and smiling at Taehyung, “Sure!” (AFBTTYA 17)

 ~GENERAL QUESTIONS~ 

Looking back, did you write more fics than you thought you would this year, less than, or about what was expected? 

I wrote less than I hoped I would but as the year progressed, I think I wrote as much as I thought I would.

I actually barely achieved any of my 2022 goals. I finished AFBTTYA but didn't finish posting it. Didn't finish Defrosting Ivy, Golden Ramyeon, or Life on Pause. I didn't take part in a collab/project (tried to but then realized I wouldn't finish in time). That being said, I do feel like I worked towards healing my relationship with writing more and I did read more! Which I am so proud of.

Any reasons why? 

I'm a super optimistic person with goal setting so I am not surprised that I set my hopes high. In fact, with goals I often use reach goals rather than SMART/attainable goals. I also think that this understandably ignores all my academic writing. I took a hiatus my final semester because I was doing so much writing with my ulnar nerve inflammation, was super burnt out from school, and needed to reduce what I was doing. All valid things. I probably wrote at least to 100k words if I included my academic writing.

What pairing/genre/fandom/trope did you write that you would never have predicted last year? 

Succubus au!

How was it? 

I loved it so much. I think that if I have energy/plan to write more oneshots, I might try to include more traditionally sexy things (or at least sexy here) and make them very ace. It's super fun.

 What’s your favorite story this year? 

Well... I want to say DIA 3... but since I finished it this year rather than write/posted the whole thing, Imma say The Creamed Pie!

Not the most popular, but the one that makes you the happiest. Why? 

Either DIA for finishing it or The Creamed Pie!

Okay, your readers’ most popular story? 

Story most underappreciated by the universe? 

Story that could have been better? 

Sexiest story? 

The Creamed Pie lol

Saddest story? 

Hello, Goodbye

Fluffiest story?

The Creamed Pie

Most fun story (in content)?

The Creamed Pie

Hardest story to write? 

AFBTTYA (getting back into writing it was hard!)

Easiest/most fun story to write? 

Hello, Goodbye

What story took the longest? 

AFBTTYA (4 years!)

Did you take any writing risks this year? What did you learn from them?

I don't think I took risks persay. More so, I think I tried to be more protective and be less impulsive. The biggest example of this is trying to give my writing space between finishing and posting (and finishing something before posting which is why my posted word count is so small in comparison to my written word count).

365 days feels like a super long time... but honestly, I don't know if I will feel the impacts of all I've worked on until later in 2024. Writing and less posting really does mean that a lot of what I sowed will not be reaped for later. I think I'd like a faster turn around though.

What was your most productive days/day of the week/month, etc in terms of writing?

Well *adjusts collar* It appears that July was my most productive month for writing!

Name one thing you improved on this year in relation to writing. Either an actual technical writing thing, or even a mental approach to writing change. 

I think that I've taken to really focusing on the process of writing more which is nice. I don't know how much this will continue in 2024 since I also took a long hiatus but I would love to continue to focus on the process of writing and less on the posting aspect.

Name one thing you’d like to improve on in the future? 

Range. Esp since I enjoy writing for two groups with OCs, readers, and member pairings. I enjoy intentionally including range... and since I really only posted 4 units (two series and two one shots) that range wasn't really the focus.

What are your fic writing goals for next year? 

Finish writing Defrosting Ivy

Edit Defrosting Ivy

Start posting Defrosting Ivy

Finish posting AFBTTYA

Write a main pairing for each member of BTS

Write 3 Got7 pieces

Start working on another series (after DI)

 And finally, fics that you wrote in 2023:

Dancing in the Rain [Part 3]

The Creamed Pie

AFBTTYA 22

AFBTTYA 21

AFBTTYA 20

Hello, Goodbye

AFBTTYA 19

AFBTTYA 18

AFBTTYA 17

AFBTTYA 16

[hikinglove]

Hiking Gaiters: Your Essential Guide to Trail Protection

When venturing into the wilderness, your gear can make or break the experience. Among the unsung heroes of outdoor equipment are hiking gaiters—simple yet effective tools designed to shield your legs and boots from the elements. Whether you’re trudging through muddy trails, crossing snowy ridges, or navigating prickly underbrush, gaiters offer a layer of defense that keeps you comfortable and focused on the journey ahead. This guide explores why gaiters matter, how to choose the right pair, and tips for making the most of them on your next hike.

Why Hiking Gaiters Matter

Hiking gaiters serve a practical purpose: they protect your lower legs and footwear from debris, moisture, and abrasions. Imagine hiking through a wet forest after a rainstorm—without gaiters, your boots could quickly become soaked, and your pants might snag on thorns or get caked in mud. Gaiters act as a barrier, keeping water, dirt, and small rocks out of your shoes while safeguarding your legs from scratches. They’re especially valuable in rugged environments where unpredictable conditions test your endurance.

Beyond protection, gaiters can extend the life of your footwear. By preventing grit from sneaking into your boots, they reduce wear on the interior and help maintain traction on slippery surfaces. For those tackling multi-day treks, such as the challenging routes outlined in surviving the Gates of the Arctic backpacking adventure, gaiters can be a game-changer, ensuring your gear holds up in remote wilderness.

Types of Hiking Gaiters

Not all gaiters are created equal—they vary in design based on the terrain and weather you’ll encounter. Low gaiters, or trail gaiters, sit just above the ankle and are ideal for dry, dusty paths or light rain. They’re lightweight and breathable, perfect for summer hikes or casual outings like those at Minnewaska State Park Preserve trails. Mid-calf gaiters offer more coverage, making them suited for wetter conditions or moderate snow—think muddy spring hikes or early-season mountain trails.

For extreme environments, high gaiters reach up to or past the knee. These are built for deep snow, icy slopes, or thorny bushwhacking, often featuring waterproof technology to keep you dry in harsh weather. Mountaineers and winter hikers rely on these for their durability and insulation, especially in places like Patagonia’s O Circuit, where conditions can shift rapidly.

Key Features to Look For

Choosing the right gaiters hinges on understanding their features. Material is a top consideration—nylon and polyester blends are common for their durability and water resistance, while Gore-Tex or similar breathable fabrics enhance comfort in humid climates. Look for reinforced areas around the ankles and heels, as these spots take the most abuse on rocky trails.

Fit matters too. Adjustable straps—underfoot, around the calf, and at the top—ensure a snug seal against debris. Some gaiters use zippers, Velcro, or hooks for easy on-and-off access, while others include boot clips to anchor them securely. For wet conditions, prioritize models with sealed seams, a feature highlighted in reviews of men’s weatherproof outdoor pants, which share similar design principles.

Weather and Terrain Considerations

Your hiking environment dictates the gaiters you need. In arid regions, low gaiters suffice to block sand and pebbles. Wet climates, like those around Joffre Lake in British Columbia, call for mid or high gaiters with waterproof linings to fend off soggy trails and stream crossings. Snowy or icy terrain demands high gaiters paired with insulated boots—check out resources on winter hiking gear for complementary advice.

Consider the trail’s difficulty too. Smooth paths need less coverage, but rugged routes with loose rocks or dense vegetation benefit from sturdier options. For a deeper dive into essential trail gear, including how gaiters pair with boots and pants, explore our dedicated guide—it’s packed with insights for any season.

How to Wear and Maintain Gaiters

Wearing gaiters correctly maximizes their effectiveness. Start by slipping them over your boots before lacing up, ensuring the underfoot strap sits flat beneath your sole. Secure the top closure tightly to prevent gaps, then adjust the front and side fasteners. On the trail, check periodically for slippage, especially during steep climbs or descents.

Maintenance is straightforward but crucial. After each hike, shake off dirt and rinse with water to remove mud or salt. For stubborn stains, use a mild soap and soft brush, then air-dry away from direct heat. Proper care, as noted in tips for cleaning outdoor apparel, keeps gaiters functional for years.

Final Tips for Gaiter Success

Gaiters shine when paired with the right mindset and preparation. Test them on short hikes to fine-tune the fit before tackling longer trips. Layer them with moisture-wicking socks and sturdy boots for all-day comfort—resources like choosing hiking footwear can guide your selections. And don’t overlook weight; ultralight gaiters are a blessing on extended treks where every ounce counts.

Ultimately, hiking gaiters are about freedom—freedom to explore without worrying about soggy socks or scratched shins. Whether you’re a weekend wanderer or a seasoned thru-hiker, they’re a small investment with a big payoff. So, gear up, hit the trail, and let gaiters carry you through the wild in confidence.

[outdoorovernights]

Review: Columbia Men's Silver Ridge Convertible Pants

Have you ever wished for a pair of pants that effortlessly transitions with you from a hike in the morning to a casual afternoon out? The “Columbia Men’s Silver Ridge Convertible Pants” might just be what you’re looking for. What Makes Columbia’s Convertible Pants Stand Out? Choosing the right outdoor gear can sometimes feel like navigating a labyrinth of fancy words and bold promises. Yet, what…

[eddeearts]

Thinkims about Glava…

Lava/Magma/heat powered superhero

Whose legs don’t really work for reasons I haven’t truly settled on, other than that it was a development in her adult life.

Her powers allow her to turn into lava and her suit offers containment that allowed her to walk. However, this means to walk she needs her suit and her legs to be literal lava. So in daily life she’s mostly wheelchair bound. I think she does have like, support braces/external legs that she can walk with, but it’s not practical either.

She’s the kind of hero they only send out for big jobs, since to make the most of her abilities she’s melting and moving large amounts of rock and concrete and whatever. Bug property damage. Not to mention the ridiculous temperatures and fire hazard.

She is/was a geologist before getting her powers (likely at the same time she lost use of her legs). But now she can rarely go on expositions and hikes and shit, which she used to love, field work and collection were he fav part of the trade. But now she’s stuck doing the “office work” part of it. Going over footage and samples, sorting data and making spread sheets, reviewing and editing and publishing studies and papers.

She can’t really practice martial arts anymore either. Another thing she loves lost along with her legs.

I feel so bad for her but disabled rep is important 😭😭😭😭

Also thinking about superhero name, Glava is most likely a portmanteau of Girl and Lava. I was like 12/13 ok??? And now it’s kinda stuck as her name and I feel the need for a good in world explanation and it really can’t be “girl lava”. Fuck. Why. Holding 13yo me like the they’re the “who knocked over my pant” cat “you😡”