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[pagesfromthevoid]

Future Fest | b. f.

Bob Floyd x teacher!reader

High school recruitment isn’t usually on the short list of things to do during the day, but it is today.

Word Count: 2.7k

Warnings: None

Author's Note: I don't even know what possessed me but here I am. Also, the feral things the students say in this are actual quotes from my actual students. First installment of the Top Gun x Teacher Universe

Masterlist | Talk to Me! | Coffee?

She really needs to learn how to say “no” when people ask her to do things at work.

It’s a bad habit –a combination of the incessant need to be liked by everyone and genuinely caring about what the students would want–that she just can’t seem to break. 

Today, it’s Future Fest. The very first event of the year where any student sixteen and older can ditch their regularly scheduled classes and come down to the gym to talk to different college representatives, explore career choices, and interact with military recruiters. About 75% of those students are there to actually get an idea about what they want to do after high school –that other 25% are there to get out of class.

Not that she blames them, of course. She probably would have done the same thing if this had been a thing when she was in school. 

The college and career counselor at the school had asked her to help out, since most of her students had signed up to go anyway (and unfortunately for those who didn’t, they got to go anyway because of her). It’s all hands on deck when it comes to these sorts of events, just to ensure that things go smoothly and none of the kids act like fools. Plus, she’s getting paid for “covering” a class three periods in a row –not a lot, but it’s certainly better than nothing. 

Her task is to just walk the aisles and keep an eye on things. Talk to some of the representatives, thank them for coming to the school, encourage kids to talk to them too. It’s easy enough, and she jokes with many of the representatives that she’s getting her steps in today.

“Miss!” One of her students practically screams, running up to her and grabbing her arm. A gaggle of sophomore girls are trailing behind, carrying pamphlets for the Navy. “Have you seen the military guys?”

She peers over the heads of the students, towards the back of the gym, where the recruiters are. She can sort of make out their faces, but she’s not truly all that interested.

“I haven’t made my way over there yet,” she offers, pulling her arm free from the girl. “Why?”

“They’re hot.”

“You know, normal teenagers don’t tell their teachers when they find people hot,” she points out, rolling her eyes.

She’s suddenly surrounded by teenage girls, and she wishes for a moment that the kids didn’t like her half as much as they did. Boundaries are important, and teenagers have no idea how they work. They tell her things she truly does not want or need to know –though it’s a double edged sword. For all the weird, practically feral comments they make, they tell her things that are important to know. How their lives at home are, if they need help, if they’re struggling. She reminds them that she loves them, but they need to remember they’re not friends.

“Yeah but we’re not normal and you’re our mom, so like…it’s fine.”

They call her the school mom, which is…better than being their friend, she supposes.

The girls are insisting she go and talk to the recruiters, or at least look at them, so she throws her hands up and heads over. But she tells the girls they have to talk to three college representatives if she does that –they agree quickly and hurry off, though they’re watching to make sure she actually goes over there.

Rolling her eyes, she holds her hands behind her back and strolls down the aisle until she sees the banner for the Navy –then below it, a sign advertising the United States Navy Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor Program. She thinks that’s a mouthful, though also knows the program is highly sought after by many of the students at the school. Being the closest high school to the naval air base will do that, though.

As she approaches, she can hear two of her students talking to the recruiters –one tall, blonde and holding a helmet that’s labelled “Hangman.” He’s confident, and he’s cute (she’ll give him that much), but she doesn’t particularly like how he’s talking to the boys in front of him. Beside him is another pilot, she assumes, since she’s wearing her flight suit and the helmet in front of her says “Phoenix.” She’s trying to cut in, but Hangman seems to be more interested in bragging than anything else. She catches the tail end of their conversation, something about their call signs and what they are. 

Beside Phoenix, however, is someone who looks too sweet to be in the military. He’s talking to a junior, showing him something on a tablet that looks like blueprints. But he’s smiling ear to ear, seemingly enjoying whatever he’s talking about. His glasses are slipping down the bridge of his nose, but he’s too caught up talking to the student to notice. 

He, she thinks, is cute. And he’s nice to the students, which is important to her.

She steps around the student, standing to the side as she waits for them to finish up. From this angle, she catches the name on his tag –Floyd –and makes a mental note. However, it’s Hangman who finishes up first, and approaches with an award-winning (and cocky) smile.

“Well hello there,” he offers, extending his hand. “Lieutenant Jake Seresin, at your service.”

She takes his hand politely, shaking it, and introducing herself. “Nice to meet you, lieutenant. I was just stopping over to thank you guys for coming out. It means so much to the school.”

His colleague Phoenix, extends her hand next, smiling as well. “Lieutenant Natasha Trace. It’s not a problem –we love coming out and doing stuff like this.”

“So you’re all pilots?” She asks, motioning towards their helmets. 

“Me and Phoenix are –Bob over there is a Weapons System Officer,” Lieutenant Seresin explains, though he’s smirking some as Natasha –Phoenix –elbows Bob to get his attention. 

Bob looks up, as if suddenly realizing she’s not a student and she’s an adult, and he turns a bit pink in the ears as he sets down his tablet.

“I’m sorry about that, ma’am,” he offers, then extends his hand to her. “Lieutenant Robert Floyd, though most people just call me Bob.”

She takes his hand and offers a real smile –not that she wasn’t smiling properly to his colleagues, but Bob seems sweet and it's hard not to offer him a proper one. She reintroduces herself one more time.

“It’s a pleasure –like I was saying, I just wanted to thank you guys for coming out and doing this. Future Fest is our big thing and the kids really love it. Having you guys join us is a big deal.”

“Oh, I love doing stuff like this,” Bob offers, and the smile on his face just hasn’t gone away.

She’s a bit distracted, caught up in just how genuinely interested he seems to be in the whole thing. Most people aren’t terribly excited to spend their day talking to high schoolers –but Bob actually seems to mean it. And she appreciates that, because she’s someone who also enjoys working with the students (though it would be a shame if she didn’t, given she’s a teacher). It helps that he’s got the prettiest blue eyes she’s ever seen, and he’s got some sort of accent that she can’t place but it’s nice to hear. 

Was it weird to flirt at school? She vaguely remembers her mom saying they used to flirt with the firemen when they came to her school, so it can’t be terribly inappropriate. It’s not like she’s doing anything lewd –she’s just talking. And smiling. 

“So what does a Weapons System Officer do, Lieutenant Floyd?” She asks, both because she’s interested and because she wants to keep hearing him talk. 

“Here we go,” Hangman says, rolling his eyes but Phoenix elbows him as they turn their attention to a student who approaches.

Bob beams at the chance to explain, taking up the tablet again and holding it out to her. “So WSO’s –that’s what I do –are responsible for manning the weapon systems of the F/A-18F Super Hornet strike fighter from that jet's aft seat. That’s just the back,” he explains, pointing to where he must be stationed when he’s in the plane. “Depending on the mission, when designated as the mission commander, I’m the one responsible for all phases of the assigned mission, especially if there are multiple aircraft involved.”

“So you’re in charge?” She asks, leaning against the table and zooming in on the inside of the plane. Though truthfully, she has no idea what she’s looking at. It’s just a lot of buttons and numbers she doesn’t quite understand. She’s certain, however, if she asked, he would explain it step by step to her.

“Like I said, it depends on the mission,” he offers, pulling the tablet back in front of him to show her something else. 

She must be staring, because from a few feet away, she hears her name being called, a handful of giggles and then,

“Ooh, miss! Get it!”

She blushes. Bob blushes. Hangman and Phoenix are paying attention suddenly and laughing.

“Savannah Johnson, you absolute menace,” she scolds, standing up straight. She turns to Bob, smiling sheepishly. “I’m sorry about that, Lieutenant Floyd. You’ll have to excuse me; I need to go remind the kids that they can’t be unhinged in mixed company.”

“Only in mixed company?” He jokes, but the blush has spread from his cheeks down his neck.

“I keep a running list of all the things they say in class all year,” she offers with a laugh, and she’s very aware that she’s being watched now but can’t help it.

“I’d love to see it,” he says and she really can’t help it now as she picks up a business card with his name on it.

“This your cell phone or your work phone?” She asks, holding it up in front of him. 

Bob swallows hard and shakes his head, but takes the card from her and a pen from his shirt pocket. He scribbles his number on the back and hands it back to her, almost timidly.

“I’ll send you a few when I go to lunch; then you can decide if you want the whole list.”

“Sounds great, miss.”

She turns on her heel to walk away, feeling the heat rising to her cheeks, as her students practically scream at her. She shoos them away, telling them they need to act better if they’re in public. 

The bell rings for lunch, and she’s waiting for the students to exit the gym, when he approaches her this time. She turns and smiles when she sees Bob, standing just a few inches taller than her, with a shy grin on his face. 

“Sorry to bother you, miss. I was just…,” He hesitates but she just smiles, waiting. “I was just wondering if you would like to have lunch with me? Phoenix and Hangman went off campus, but I brought my lunch.”

She bites her lip and nods some. “That sounds nice, actually. I usually eat in my classroom, if you want to go up there with me.”

She’d have to tell her velcro kids they need to go elsewhere today, but they would understand. Or they’d sit outside the door –either way. Bob nods and they make easy conversation as she leads him through the hallways of the school. She explains little things that he asks about –murals, artwork on display, awards. Everything he asks is tinged with actual interest and it makes her heart pound. 

There’s four or five kids sitting outside her door when they get upstairs, and they all look up at her in confusion as she opens the door. Bob waves at them politely.

“Sorry guys –I have a guest today,” she explains, though she still motions them inside. “Grab a snack and off you go.”

They huff and puff but grab whatever they need from a drawer at the front of the room, then leave with a flurry of goodbyes and thank you’s. Bob watches them for a moment before taking a seat at a desk. She leaves the door open –if anything because she doesn’t need anyone assuming the worst (and the kids will). Then she grabs her lunch from the mini fridge in the corner, setting it on a desk in front of him and turning it around.

“I haven’t sat in one of these in a long time,” he chuckles, taking out his very neatly organized meal. It makes her thrown together lunch look kind of sad, honestly. “I can’t imagine sitting here every day again.”

“They hate them, but I’m hoping I get some grant money to get something better next year.”

“It’s a shame you have to get grants just to have decent things in the classroom.”

“Well, all that military spending does make a dent in the education fund,” she teases, and she’s grinning at him playfully as she does it.

“Ouch,” he puts his hand over his heart, wincing some at the jab. “I don’t know what to say outside of I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault,” she reassures him, taking out her phone and opening her notes app. “Okay, you ready to hear some of the feral things high schoolers say when they’re way too comfortable with you?”

“I don’t know,” he laughs, leaning back in the seat. “It can’t be that bad, right?”

She gives him a look of warning, then scrolls down…and down…and down…

“That is…a long list,” he comments, peering over the top of her phone. He almost sounds concerned.

“Oh, it is,” she promises, then stops to find her favorite so far. “‘Laws are temporary but friends are forever.’”

Bob chuckles through a bite of his sandwich. “That’s not so bad.”

She puts her finger up. “‘His parents are getting divorced. I hope neither of them want him.’”

“Oh my god.”

“‘I’m going to be a legal pot dealer after college.’”

“What does that even mean?”

“He wants to be a pharmacist,” she explains with a laugh. “I’m just happy he isn’t dropping out.”

“Okay, that’s fair,” he concedes, motioning for her to continue.

“‘I learned the other day that my dad looks up goth girl ASMR online.’”

She pauses and looks at Bob, who's trying not to choke on his sandwich. Setting her phone down, she leans back and opens up her bag of grapes with a laugh. For a few minutes, that’s it —they’re eating and laughing. When they stop laughing, she reads another and they laugh again. This goes on for most of the lunch period, up until her alarm goes off to warn her she has three minutes before the bell rings. 

“Oh shit,” she says, quickly packing up her things. “I have to actually teach now. I didn’t realize what time it was —,”

Bob quickly stands and packs his own stuff up, then flips the desk around with ease for her. She stares for a moment, watching how his arms flex as he lifts the desk without issue. Oh dear. 

“I don’t want to be too forward,” he says as students are trying to trickle in. He quickly shuts the door, looking down at her. “But I…I would really like to take you out on a date, if you’d let me.”

Kids are peering through the little window, knocking on the door. She waves them off a bit, looking up at him with a soft smile. 

“I would really like that.”

He nods, opening the door now. Kids are pushing through to get settled in, but he’s awkwardly standing in the doorway with a boyish grin and a blush. She pushes him gently out the door, but follows him out as she waits at the door for stragglers. 

“I’ll text you after school.”

“I look forward to it.”

She waves him off, smiling dreamily as she watches him walk off. He turns and walks backwards for a moment, waving at her before finally disappearing out the hallway doors. 

When she shuts the door and returns to her classroom, her students are staring at her with wide eyes. 

And then the chaos ensues.

—————

Part Two

[alwayssassydreamer]

Just My Type

A/N: next installment for my song prompt challenge

If I'm just being honest I'd rather be alone with you tonight You're just my type Yeah you play nice But you've got a little bit of death in your eyes

Warnings: none

Characters: Ace x GnReader

The night was quiet, the kind of stillness that only the sea could hold. Soft waves lapped at the side of the ship, and the gentle sway felt like a lullaby for everyone else who was asleep below deck. But not you. Not Ace.

You leaned against the railing, letting the wind play with your hair as you stared into the black horizon. You didn’t need to look over to know he was there, leaning back on his arms a few feet away, his expression somewhere between guarded and curious. Even when he was smiling, you had noticed that Ace had a certain darkness in his eyes, a little flicker of something lost, something hidden. It was like a part of him was forever out of reach — but damn if it didn’t make you want to try.

Eventually, he looked over, catching your gaze, and there it was again, that glint in his eyes — intense and wild, yet somehow quiet, like a storm just waiting to break. You should’ve been wary. You knew he was dangerous in his own way, not just because he was a pirate, but because he could make you forget all the reasons you shouldn’t let yourself get close.

“You’ve got that look again,” he murmured, his voice a low, teasing drawl.

“Oh?” you asked, a smirk playing on your lips as you turned to him, feigning innocence. “And what look would that be?”

He chuckled, tilting his head slightly, his eyes narrowing as he studied you. “Like you’re trying to figure me out.”

You shrugged, leaning back against the railing.

“Maybe I am. You’re a mystery, Portgas D. Ace,” you said, your tone light but truthful. “You’ve got this… spark, but there’s something darker too. Something that keeps you holding back.”

Ace looked away, his jaw tightening slightly, and for a second, you thought you might have pushed him too far. But then he let out a soft breath, his shoulders relaxing as he looked back at you, that faint, almost challenging smirk returning.

“And what if I said the same about you? I see it in your eyes too, you know. You play nice, but there’s something… dangerous about you. You've got a little bit of death in your eyes”

The air between you seemed to thicken, and you felt a rush of heat, but not from the cool night air. His words, the way he looked at you, as if he saw right through all your defenses — it left you feeling exposed, caught.

“So what if there is?” you challenged softly, your voice barely above a whisper.

He took a step closer, close enough that you could see every detail of his face, the faint lines of his freckles, the intensity in his gaze.

“I like it,” he said simply, his voice low, rough. “I’m not looking for easy or safe.”

You felt a thrill run down your spine, a nervous, electric thrill that only he could stir in you. It would be so easy to step back, to keep your guard up — but then, here in the dark, with him looking at you like that, you didn’t want to.

“And if I’m being honest,” you murmured, your voice barely audible, “I’d rather be alone with you tonight.”

His smirk softened into something more genuine, almost vulnerable, and he reached up to brush a strand over hair behind your ear, his hand lingering, his touch warm against your skin.

“Then stay,” he whispered, his voice carrying a rawness that left you breathless.

You didn’t answer with words. Instead, you leaned in, letting your lips brush against his in a kiss that was slow, hesitant at first, but then grew deeper, more intense. His hand found its way to your waist, pulling you closer, and for a moment, it was like nothing else in the world existed — just you, Ace, and the unspoken promises held in the way he touched you.

When you finally pulled back, his forehead rested against yours, his breath mingling with yours in the cool night air. His eyes were dark, intense, but softened by something vulnerable, something he usually kept buried.

“You’re just my type,” he whispered, a soft smile tugging at the corner of his lips. “A little dangerous, a little wild. And maybe, just maybe, exactly what I need.”

You let out a soft laugh, your hand finding his, your fingers intertwining.

“Then let’s see where this goes,” you replied, your heart pounding in your chest.

And as you stayed there, wrapped in each other’s warmth, you knew that this was the beginning of something beautifully reckless, a dangerous pull that neither of you could resist — even if it meant a little bit of death in your eyes.

[lazyneonrabbitt]

Metalhead

Daryl Dixon x Reader

You had dragged Daryl along to something you liked last month, so now it was his turn.

To anyone around, including yourself it was clear you stood out from the crowd.

Inbetween the mass of black on black, spiked everything and the odd masked figures in red boiler suits your bright blue jeans and simple bright teeshirt.

Daryl had come along to your weekend event last month, so now it was your turn to join him to a concert.

"What's with the masks?" You were settled against Daryl's side, not entirely sure what to make of the group before you.

"Really, ya haven't paid any attention when I showed ya who we're seein' tonight?" Daryl, all decked out in his usual looks of heavy boots, black trousers with chains hanging off the belt loops and a black shirt that hugged his form ever so perfectly. It was printed with the picture of a blonde woman that you didn't recognise.

"Hey, Dixon!" A man's voice had you both turn and look behind you, where a bearded guy in a beanie walked up with two women in super gothy outfits, their makeup extreme but flawless.

You had never met Daryl's friends before and in all honesty you felt intimidated by them.

"Oh my god you brought your girl, finally!" One of the women gestured excitedly and hopped over to introduce herself, perfectly manicured hand outstretched for you to take. "Hi! I'm Viv, that's Sammy and Jesus." You shook everyone's hands and introduced yourself as well before Daryl did his rounds and gave everyone the biggest bear hugs. "Hey, hun." "How's the apartment lookin'?" "Tell yer mom I'm sorry fer not comin' over ta cook with 'er."

It was weird to see Daryl be so social. Normally he'd be the quiet one when you went out together, but now he was all smiles and talk.

"Gotta rep the guesting band, I see." The Jesus guy tugged on Daryl's shirt, staring at the print, while one of the girls chimed in. "You gotta know by now Dee's got the biggest crush on her." The three laughed as Daryl dismissed the comments, all while you stood by and listened to their banter. Who did Daryl have a crush on? What?

"Here, in case Daryl forgot to give you some." Sammy extended her hand to you and handed you a clear plastic baggie with two foam earplugs in them.

"Ah, crap.." Daryl rubbed the back of his neck and smiled nervously as he accepted a packet himself too. "Yer a lifesaver, Sam. Thanks."

You waited close to the front of the line for some more hours, having ordered food with a large group of people that all seemed to become friends at that moment.

Once the doors to the venue opened up you followed Daryl like a lost puppy, stuck to his arm in fear of getting lost in the sea of the dark clad people.

"Come on, Dixon, get your ass in gear!"

"Yeah, man. Barricade's gonna be full at this rate." His friend had already moved further along as you and Daryl put your stuff in a locker. "Go ahead. Takin' it easy with this one." Daryl's hand found your hair and ruffled it softly, much to your annoyance. But you appriciated his concern for you and was willing to not go full out.

You followed along with the stream of people and ended at the bar off to the side of the venue.

"One beer, and one--" Daryl gave you a look, and saw you just looking around the place, taking everything in. "And a Redbull, please."

By the time you had your drinks and the crowd had all settled in, the local opening band had started their first song. Daryl's beer was gone fast, kindly waiting for you to finish your overpriced can before slowly easing you into the crowd.

Every tine you stood still for a moment you took a peek at the stage, seeing the band perform the songs was something entirely different than hearing come from Daryl's huge sound installation at home.

Daryl was keeping a close eye on you the whole time, not caring much for the small band on stage. He was enjoying how curious you were. Less how easy it was to lose you in the crowd if he wasn't holding your hand.

"Yer havin' fun?" Daryl stood behind you with his hands loosely on your hips, you had found a spot closer where you could see the stage nicely.

You gave him a nod, resting your head against his shoulder as he pressed a kiss to your hair. "Good, gotta lemme know when's gettin' too rowdy for ya, 'kay?"

"Promise, Dee." You turned to give him a quick kiss, laughing at how the previously considered scary people were all chanting along to the pop songs the speakers played between bands.

You were checking a few messages while you waited and hadn't noticed Daryl taking out his phone too until it was in front of you and his chin was resting on your shoulder. You looked up to see yourself on his screen, he was taking a selfie with you. Next to you he stuck out his tongue as he pressed the capture button and held it as he went to smooch your cheek.

He watched the short looping video back and added a caption before sending it off.

'Girlie's first metal gig!' He addded under it with a little black heart emoji.

The crowd around you cheered and hollered all of a sudden, making you look up and seeing the first members of the next band come onto the stage, waving and getting ready to perform.

You watched the stage didn't notice how giddy Daryl had gotten behind you. Most of the band had gotten onto the stage and an eery tune started playing that had part of the crowd whistle and cheer.

"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN."

Suddenly a loud, distorted voice called out from the speakers.

"I AM NOW PROUD TO INTRODUCE TO YOU,"

More howls and whistles surrounded you as the eery tune continued.

"THE ONLY,"

"IN THIS MOMENT"

Spots beamed to the centre of the stage as a gorgeous woman appeared as the band's instruments joined the tune, starting the song.

Behind you you felt Daryl's body jerk against yours as he raised a fist and joined the crowd in cheer.

His body stayed pressed againts yours with his arms around you, hands resting on your hips and stomach as he swayed you along the tunes of the first song.

As the band played on the crowd got more rowdy, jumping around and bumping into each other making you stagger in Daryl's grip.

Daryl kept being your shield as the crowd's shoves got worse. "Ya wanna move?" He tapped your arm and pointed off to the side where you could suddenly see a wide open space inbetween the few people that separated you from it.

Over the intro tune of the song a large hole had formed in the crowd, a few people in the middle bouncing around as the lyrics went on.

With your lack of answering, Daryl just kept up holding onto you and kept his gaze between you and the pit.

The second the woman's voice went from a distorted speaking to a loud growled singing the crowd surged into the large open space, almost taking you and Daryl with them.

You didn't know where to look. The gorgeous frontwoman on the stage before you, or the massive swarm of people throwing themselves around next to you.

You peeked behind you at Daryl, who was staring, mesmerized by the woman leading the band. One arm stayed around you to ward off the thrashing crowd while the other one was raised above you in cheer.

The crowd bounced in unison making you want to join in, softly bopping to the beat on the balls of your feet. You knew nothing of the song so you went along with the crowd, much to Daryl's enjoyment as he joined in as well. You blended with the crowd now, barely noticing you were slowly moving around the floor agsin in the moving sea of people.

It was only when the band's set ended that you realised you had moved a lot closer and further off to the centre of the crowd.

Daryl had his face buried in the crook of your neck the second the band was off the stage, nuzzling against your skin and squeezing your soft thighs. "Yer havin' fun. S'good." His mumbling tone was barely audible over the waiting time music and the crowd's chatter. But you recognized the tone, he was getting high on your enjoyment. You could already tell that of the next band didn't interest him enough you'd be dragged into the nearest bathroom stall to show you just how much he loved seeing you enjoy yourself.

You found it cute how a big grump like Daryl got off on something as soft as seeing his girlfriend happy.

The intermission was a nice time to mellow out a bit before the headliner got on stage and quickly check your messages. This time it was your turn to send out a snapchat to your friends, showing them you were still alive and breathing.

A selfie of you in the dim lights with Daryl nuzzling your hair, and a simple text that read "having fun!".

While you sent away your snap and went to respond to a pauzed conversation from earlier the stagelights moved as the headliners entred the stage.

You scrambled to put your phone away with how wild the crowd got all of a sudden.

Almost immediately after the members got on stage a guitar rhytm set in and thr crowd moved around you, so much it made Daryl move along and before you knew it there was another empty space in the crowd.

Right next to where you stood at the edge of it.

The drums kicked in, joining the guitars and right next to you there were people running in circles in the open space.

Daryl had let go of you for a moment to look into the pit and right at that moment the song started in full blast. Daryl's arm got grabbed by someone passing by and got yanked into the whirlpool of people. "Sorry!" You heard him yell, leaving you on your own off to the side against his will.

"Daryl?!" You called in shock and backed up when a guy ran too close past you, stepping into another person's side.

"Ah, I'm sorry.." Your fun was gone in an instant and the guy saw it, carefully patting your arm and offering to shield you from the rowdyness of the pit. A careful nod was all you needed to share before going back to watch the band play and glance to your side whenever Daryl passed by.

You listened to the song and followed Daryl's movements, watching him throw himself around with a wide smile on his face.

With the song nearing its end the pool mellowed out and Daryl came back to you, panting and smiling, placing a soft kiss to your cheek before grabbing you in both his arms and pulling you into the still active pit, making you let out a yelp.

He moved along with the stream of people that ran in circles again and stepped back into the crowd after making two rounds, ending up almost at the centre front of the crowd.

Daryl's plan worked, snow standing close enough to his friends at the barricade. He whistled and saw Viv turn and reach out her hand to you.

"Grab, I'l follow." Daryl took the hand you didn't reach out with and you were pulled to the front with ease, quickly being squeezed between the two girls on the front row.

The view from your new spot was amazing, no heads blocking half of the stage, no shoulders moving just an inch to blind you entirely or needing to stand on your tiptoes to see.

You watched all the members perform up close, unable to resist the urge to photograph them all. It took you a moment before you noticed you recognised the song they were playing. Daryl had played it foe you, all those years back when he first got into this music.

You had heard it so often you could even hum along to the words, nodding to the rhythm. The girls beside you caught on quickly, smiling and nudging you to guide you along, showing you the 'proper barricade etiquette' as they called it.

Viv had your hand in hers, raising them together as the song ended and howled out in cheer along Sammy at your other side. Behind you Daryl, and beside him Jesus joined as well, Daryl's chest pressed against your back.

The music was loud, the crowd wild but the energy was one you never thought you'd welcome, there on your spot at the barricade of a heavy metal show.

Once the last song of the night ended you felt the cool air return around your body with the crowd leaving the hall.

"Think you swayed her?" Jesus asked Daryl. The two walked just a few steps behind you, watching you chatting happily with the two other girls beside you when you three suddenly made a turn towards the merchandise stand.

The men watched you all point out different things on the wall. "Course I did. 'S a lil' rebel, tha' one. She jus' gotta figure tha' out 'erself."

Jesus and Daryl caught up with you all, Daryl snaking his arms around your waist as he got to you. "Did ya find somethin', hun?" His chin rested on your head, taking a look at the wall for himself too as you waited for the person in front of you to finish their purchase.

"That one's pretty!" You pointed at one of thr shirts off to the side, having Daryl steer you towards the available salesperson.

"Girlie wants tha' second one op there." Daryl pointed at the shirt you liked, and moved on to some others as well. "Tour shirt in ..two XL, an' I'll take tha' last one down there."

The guy gathered all Daryl's choices and gave him the total, which Daryl happily paid before you joined your friends again off to the side.

"Always spending money, how much did you get this time?" Jesus crossed his arms as he raised a brow at Daryl, who showed him the bag with the three shirts. "Ain't much at all. Where's the girls?" Daryl looked around to find you and the others but you were nowhere to be found.

"They kidnapped her to the bathroom, probably lockers too." Jesus held out his pack of cigarettes in offer. "Smoke? I'll text them we're outside."

Daryl nodded and accepted the smokes, following his friend outside and smiling at you making new friends.

At the bathroom sink you were splashing water in your face to fully cool down and waited for the other two before heading back.

"They're outside already." The informafion came at the locker where you had left your jacket and bag, where you had told yourself earlier to try and have fun and not to worry so much.

With your jacket on and bag slung over your shoulder you left the venue to meet back up with the boys.

Daryl welcomed you by pulling you into his side. "Ya calmed down after all tha'?" His sweet smile leaked some smoke before blowing the remainder out over your head.

"Hmhm! I had more fun than I thought." You nuzzled his jacket and looked back at the friend around you. "It was really nice to meet you guys, too."

It was true, you did enjoy the event and were sure you'd be joining Daryl more often now.

With a last round of goodbyes you and Daryl left to catch the last train home, spending your late night moments almost falling asleep against him.

"C'mon. Yer takin' a shower with me 'fore we go sleep. Yer gross." Right, Daryl's after show routines, you almost forgot.

It was clear to him you were extremely tires so he made sure to treat you like a queen as he cleaned you up and dried you off, carrying you to bed and laying down with you, holding you close.

[manicpixieyandere]

Tech Magick's Biggest Gift:

Minecraft

Witchcraft is all about intention, THAT is the most important thing. The tools we use are just conduits for that intention. While we are sure we all love the witchy aesthetic and proper traditional tools, that is not always viable. Some witches are in the closet, others may not be able to afford all the tools (it adds up rather quickly). So we came up with a clever way to practice witchcraft to our heart's content!

Altars

First let's create our space! Altars are something that can be hard to have IRL. They take up a lot of space and cost money to decorate. So why not do it in Minecraft?

In item frames go ahead and place an item that represents each element. Feel free to get creative with it! Luckily Minecraft added candles so you can use those instead of torches! You can even color the candles for color magick (before hand we just used Minecraft Education Edition and used their colored touches). Make sure to also have a bell for cleansing. For cleansing ingredients you may also want a cauldron with a fire under it.

Ingredients

Luckily Minecraft has a LOT of ingredients! There's amethyst, quartz, lavender. All very basic ingredients. And the ingredients you don't have you can make!

Simple rename an item that looks similar with an anvil! For example this emerald is now a jade. You can also install mods to expand your item options.

Spells

To make a spell jar grab a chest and throw them in! Feel free to label the chest with a sign so you can keep track.

You could also throw the ingredients into a cauldron if it's more of a stove spell.

Sigil spells are also possible! You can make pixel art of the sigil. Unfortunately these end up needing to be quite big, not easy to fit in a virtual house.

You can also use a book and quill! You can use the book as a book of shadows. Or you could write a petition and burn it.

Familiars! Contrary to popular belief a familiar does NOT have to be a living thing! It can be an object or really anything. So why not may it also be a piece of code?

You can also do tarot in Minecraft. This requires some knowledge on redstone. You can take pieces of paper and name them as cards from a tarot deck. Then put them in a redstone randomizer and boom, shuffled deck. We suck at redstone so we've never actually built this one.

Conclusion

There's probably SO much more you could do here, but these are just a few of our ideas! I hope it was able to kick start some people's imaginations and also help those in the broom closet or on a budget!

[thelittlestoflives]

The Cook and the Chronicler

just another lil instalment in my sanji x chronicler!reader series!! in which the rest of the crew finds out about the two of them hehe

tell me what you guys think!! the love you've shown for my other two silly fics has brought me more joy than you know

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧

sanji x strawhat!reader

no warnings unless you don't like swearing lolll, couple uses of YN, just self indulgent fluff

wc: 2k

“I don’t get it,” the swordsman grunted as the two of you sparred on deck. 

“You’re gonna have to narrow that down for me,” you say through panting breaths, Zoro never was one for taking it easy on you. “I’m sure there’s lots you don’t get.”

He barked out a laugh, narrowing his eyes and sweeping your feet out from under you. You landed with a soft oof. 

“You and that damn chef. That’s what I don’t get.” 

You lay on your back trying to catch your breath. “What’s to get?”

He shrugged. “Dunno. He’s just so annoying I don’t know how you can stand to spend time with him.”

You sat up with a small groan and looked at your crewmate with a frown. “Who says I spend time with him?”

Zoro rolled his eyes but held out his hand to help you, which you gratefully accepted, taking a sip of water once you were standing. 

“Oh, come off it, Chronicler. Do you think I’m stupid?” And upon seeing the smirk on your face followed up with: “Don’t answer that, you little shit.” 

You crossed your arms and looked up at him. “I don’t know what you mean.” 

At this stage, you and Sanji didn’t exactly have a label for what you were. Sure, you spent most (all) of your nights curled up beside him and sure, your eyes always looked for him no matter the situation you and your crew found yourselves in, but like… It wasn’t anything of concern for anyone else.

“It’s not like I care or anything,” Zoro countered, copying your stance. “But we’ve all noticed that curly brows is less…” 

“Flamboyantly flirty?” You offer.

“Irritating, annoying, insufferable, enough that I could gouge my other eye out. But not by much.”

It was true that Sanji had become a more subdued version of himself. No longer did he feel any desire to flirt shamelessly with Robin, Nami, or any beautiful women they came across on various islands. That’s because he had you. Why on earth would his attentions divert anywhere else?

Zoro raised an eyebrow. “For someone who never shuts up, you’ve gone very quiet.” 

“Well, ever thought maybe you’ve just gone soft and you actually might like the guy?”

He snorted. “No.” 

You roll your eyes. “Whatever. Don’t see what business of yours it is anyway.”

He had a complete shit-eating grin on his face. “Struck a nerve, have I?”

“Shut up!”

“You’re in love with the waiter!”

You glare at him, but all witty comebacks die on your tongue. After all, he wasn’t wrong. You stuck your tongue out at him and flipped him off which he scoffed at, and made your way to the bathroom to wash your sweaty, post-training body. 

Before you could step out of the bathroom, however, your way was blocked by an arm. “So, were you ever gonna tell me or did I have to find out from Usopp?!” Nami looked at you half-glaring, half-smirking.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” you feign innocence, drying your hair with your towel.

“Hey! I thought we were friends!” She actually looked kind of hurt, and a pang of guilt jolted you. “I wish you came to me at the start!”

“Nami, you know I adore you, right?” 

She nods.

“And if I had come to you and said I was seeing Sanji, would you or would you not have tried to talk me out of it?”

She paused, thinking. “Okay, yeah. I probably would’ve. So?!”

“What do you mean ‘so’?!” 

Nami sighed. “Fair enough, I guess. But… Urgh, why him? Of all people! I love him like I love all of the crew but… Him? And besides, I thought you said you had sworn off of romance!”

You at least had the decency to look bashful. “Yeah, I did say that. Trust me, I didn’t plan for this. We just... I dunno, we see each other. Like, really see each other.”

“Ugh.” She pinched her nose and sighed. “Well, if nothing else, you both do seem happier. And he’s not as… Sanji-esque anymore, so I suppose that’s something.”

“See!” You said brightly, hugging her despite her protests that your hair was too wet. “Only good things can come of this, right? Now, if you excuse me, I think I need to have a little word with Usopp…”

“He’s up on deck with Chopper. Don’t go easy on him,” she grins, everything forgiven. “He’s telling everyone.”

Hair still wet, you march above deck to have a word with Mr Shit-Stirrer himself.

“Usopp!” You yell. There’s the sound of feet scrambling. “You can’t hide, you know.”

He steps out looking shameful. “Oh, hi YN. I wasn’t hiding at all, I promise! If I wanted to hide you’d never find me.”

Chopper came out behind him, looking confused. “Then why did you say ‘quick, I gotta hide’?”

Usopp laughed nervously. “That doesn’t sound like something I’d say.”

“But, you did! Is it because you’re telling everyone you saw Sanji and-” 

Usopp swiftly pushes Chopper away, much to the little reindeer’s dismay.

You groan and cross your arms. “What are you telling everyone?”

He crossed his arms defiantly too. “Nothing.”

“Usopp…” You warn.

“I’m not telling anyone anything that isn’t true!”

Chopper came back over and hid behind your legs. “He says he saw you two kissing in the kitchen last night,” he giggled. 

Your face flushed red. “Did he now? Thank you, Chopper.” You pat his head and he looks gleefully at Usopp who is glaring daggers at him.

He probably did see you kissing in the kitchen last night. It had been a few months since the two of you had started having your little midnight rendezvous, and you were definitely being less careful. It was kind of impressive how the others had only now started to notice.

“Well, I did!” Usopp protests.

“And you had to tell everyone?!” You hiss.

He cowers at your tone, beginning to look guilty. “I’m sorry YN! Forgive me!” 

“We’ll see,” you say before heading back to the girls’ quarters. You can hear Chopper and Usopp bickering behind you.

You enter the room with a sigh, leaning against the door. Robin sits on her bed reading a book.

“YN?” She asks with concern. “What’s wrong? Is it because Usopp is telling everyone about you and Sanji?” 

You bang your head against the door. “So he told you too then?”

She shakes her head. “No. I’ve known for a while.”

You gape at her. “Uh… What?”

“I heard you creeping out at night and saw Sanji bringing you back to bed one morning. Plus, he’s been slightly, hmm, less…”

“Less Sanji, so I’ve heard,” you sigh again. 

“Why does it matter if everyone knows?” she asks as she closes her book.

You sit down on your bed and face her. “It doesn’t. I don’t know. It just felt very… Special. Secret. It only belonged to us, and now it belongs to everyone.”

She nodded thoughtfully. “I see. So it feels less sacred now? Like you’re sharing it with everyone else?”

“I guess so.” 

“Have you spoken to him about it?”

You shake your head.

“Well, I suggest you go to the kitchen and talk about it with him. He might make you feel better.” 

“You’re right, as usual,” you stand up and check yourself in the mirror. “I can’t believe you’ve known this whole time and didn’t say a word.” 

She smiles slyly. “You’d be amazed at the things I know and don’t tell.” 

“You’re scary, I love that.” 

For whatever reason, you were nervous on that walk to the kitchen. You could hear the sound of knives chopping and Sanji humming to himself as you stood at the door, trying to build the courage to enter. With a breath, you push the door open.

The blonde chef turned around, ready to yell at Luffy for trying to come in before dinner was ready, his face softening exponentially as he saw it was you.

“Mon amour!” he said in a hushed voice, moving towards you to press a kiss to your head. His sleeves were rolled up at the elbow and he looked the way he did when he got lost in his cooking. 

“Hey, Sanj,” you greet him, nerves dissipating as you look up into his face.

“Come, you have to try this!” He grabbed your hand and pulled you to the stove, lifting a spoon up to your mouth. As always, it was delicious and you made sure he knew.

His face brightened so much you thought he might burst. “So, sweetheart, what’s on your mind?” He asks, brushing your hair off your face. He could read you so well now.

“Well… Usopp saw us in the kitchen last night and told everyone so now they all know about us,” you say, inwardly cringing. “And I don’t know how I feel about it.”

Sanji’s face fell slightly. “I see. Are you…” He cleared his throat. “Embarrassed? Of… Me?” 

Your face twisted into one of horror. “Oh god, no! No! Not at all!” You reach up to hold his face, looking into his eyes. “I could never be embarrassed of you. Don’t be silly, Sanj!” 

You could’ve cried at the look of relief on his face.

“I don’t know how I feel about it because it was so special and uniquely ours, and now it’s some bit of gossip. I just feel like… What we have is so… It transcends anything, and it feels a disservice for it to be spoken about by anyone else.” You’re still holding his face gently, rubbing small circles with your thumb, his hands settled on your waist.

His face blossomed into a lovesick expression, and he looked like he might swoon. “I never tire of hearing how you feel about me,” he murmurs. “It blows me away every time.” His hands creep from your waist to your back as he peppers your face with kisses. “You really feel so strongly for me that the thought of others knowing hurts you. Mon cherie, I will never understand why you chose me, but will forever be grateful.” 

All your concerns floated away like dandelions in the wind. Why would you ever be worried that others knowing would take away from what you had with this man? 

“Let them know,” he proclaimed softly into your hair as he pressed another kiss. “Let them all know! Let every damn pirate crew know of the Strawhat Cook and Chronicler. Let them sing songs about our love for generations to come. In fact, I want everyone in this shitty world to know!” He picked you up and twirled you around as you laughed. He raised his voice. “Hear that, everyone? Me and YN are together!”

He put you down and put his fingers under your chin, tilting your face up to his.

“My darling YN… No one else matters to me, but you. That said,” he kissed your nose softly. “God, I’m glad everyone knows you’re mine.”

His lips meet yours in a passionate kiss, hot and desperate. His mouth was greedy, time slowed down around you both, as it always did. Your hands tangled in his hair and he groaned into your mouth,

“Sanjiiii, I’m hungry!” Came a whine behind the two of you as you both whipped around. “Oh, hey YN. Anyway, when’s dinner? I think I’m going to die of hunger.”

“GET OUT!” Sanji yelled, reaching behind him and throwing an empty pot in Luffy’s direction. “It’s ready when it’s ready!” 

Luffy pouts and leaves the room. You and Sanji turn to look at each other, faces flushed both from the kiss and being caught. Then you both burst into laughter, and once again he pulled you to him.

“I love you, Sanj,” you whisper.

His eyes well with tears of joy, your sweet, lovesick cook.

“I love you more, darling YN.”

[dancy-nrew]

Happy Secret Samol @humanmorph !!! Yo ho ho a pirates life for you!

Id in alt text and also below the cut for legibility

Image one: An Alise Breka book cover. The illustration (meant to resemble an oil painting) features Leap and Figure A back to back, Figure A closer to the camera and Leap behind them. Leap is in a tie dye hoodie, Figure A has a dramatic collar welded to their round torso. Each are holding a sword and fending off attacks on all sides. Laser beams zip across the screen. The title of the book is “High Seas and Distant Stars” and is written on a yellow band across the top of the page. There is a simplified drawing of palisade as a logo for Palisade Publishing. There is a barcode across the bottom left.

Image two and three: Mockup of the inside of the book. Text reads:

The pirate captain, devastatingly handsome — or devastating and handsome, if you put the question to the unlucky sailors across many planet’s seas — lounged about the deck of the ship. A foul wind had blown through the port in the night, and showed no signs of letting up anytime soon. Disadvantageous, and perhaps more terribly, incredibly dull. Exeter Leap had faced down gods and kings and only laughed in their faces; to be trapped here by a measly turn in the weather made his plating itch.

They’d been here a week already, despite no small effort to leave. Unloading, his first mate insisted, takes time if they want it done properly. Leap had insisted he’d never done anything properly in his life and didn’t plan on starting now, but Figure A had tilted their head in that way they had and explained that properly meant more money, which, he supposed, was hard to argue with. Especially considering their other delay. The Bluebird had taken substantial cannon fire in their last battle, and was desperately in need of repairs, as well as the more tedious maintenance work that went into keeping a ship of its size and purpose in fit fighting shape.

So the minutes ticked into hours ticked into days, and here they are, still.

“I’m not a man meant to stay still,” he complains, staring out over the roiling waves.

”Still: up to and including the present or the time mentioned, or still: not moving or making a sound?”

Leap jumps, but only slightly. A pirate can never be too surprised, but he hadn’t realized he had company, lost in thoughts as turbulent as the sea. The familiar red and gold form of his friend leaning next to him is a welcome sight. “Oh- Uh. Both. Either. Not still here, or still physically.”

Figure A nods in easy understanding. They’re better at patience, at being in one place, but Leap thinks they have something restless about them, too. They lean forward as if they have something more to say but then-! A shout! The familiar blistering heat of a laser beam sipping past inches from his face! A scorch mark across metal! Leaps springs into action as

FREE READING PREVIEW LIMIT REACHED

FULL BOOK DOWNLOAD: 45 GLINT

INSTALLMENT PAYMENTS AVAILABLE !

WHOLE BOOK IN 4 ACTS, EASY PAYMENTS OF 15 GLINT EACH!

EXTRAS AND BEHIND THE SCENES CONTENT (AN INTERVIEW WITH THE CAPTAIN HIMSELF!) 25 GLINT!

Image four: A series of sketches of Leap and Figure A.

First sketch; Leap has his arms crossed saying “Thats not how any of that happened!” as he looks over Figure A’s shoulder as they read the book. They laugh and say “I think it’s fun!

Second sketch; Figure A points at the cover and says “Look at my cool collar” as Leap leans forward to look at it and says “it is pretty sick…”

Third sketch: Leap welding a big metal pirate coat-like collar onto Figure A’s torso as they giggle

Fourth Sketch; Leap grins and asks “How’s that?” Figure A says “Thank yo-“ but bonks their face into the collar as they turn their head

Fifth sketch; very small at the bottom of the page. Leap has a hand over his mouth. Figure A’s head slumps forward as they sigh.

[gallavich-annise]

Galladrabbles: Time

Thanks to @thepupperino for this week's prompt for @galladrabbles

Continuing my space station story... (Last installment here)

---

Hacking the door is easy enough for Mickey, but there are 38 doors, three locked bulkheads and two deck hatches between the mess hall and the hull breach. 

It takes time. 

Time enough for them to get caught. Security are onto them before they make it through the first deck hatch. 

First it's just a voice on the comm, but they know bodies will follow. 

"Godammit, Milkovich, what the fuck do you think you're doing?!" 

Mickey grimaces at the voice. Ian looks worried. But Mickey knew this would happen. 

"You know what I'm doing, Arthur... You gonna help or hinder?"

[enmansiflooring]

🌿🌸 Spring is here! DIY Your Garden with WPC Decking 🌸🌿

Welcome the new season by transforming your garden with WPC decking! 🌞✨ It’s the perfect time for a DIY project—easy to install, durable, and designed to elevate your outdoor space effortlessly.

✅ Simple installation—perfect for DIY lovers 🛠️

✅ Weather-resistant & ideal for spring refresh 🌦️

✅ Natural wood look with low maintenance 🍃

Whether for a patio, terrace, or backyard, WPC decking helps you create a beautiful, cozy outdoor retreat in no time. Enjoy the fresh air and sunshine in a space designed by YOU! ☀️🏡

[demifiendrsa]

Valve has released a 20th anniversary update for Half-Life 2.

Half-Life 2 with Episode 1 & 2 are free to own on Steam until November 18, 2024 10AM PT / 1PM ET.

Overview

BRAND NEW INTERVIEWS WITH THE HALF-LIFE 2 DEV TEAM!

Our Half-Life 1 25th anniversary documentary went so well that we invited Secret Tape back to make another one—this time focusing on Half-Life 2. And it's about a lot more than just the making of a game. Running out of money. Getting hacked, and an early version being leaked online. Being sued by our publisher. Trying to build Steam. It's all in there!

THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY UPDATE FOR HALF-LIFE 2 INCLUDES:

EPISODE ONE AND TWO EXPANSIONS IN THE BOX

Half-Life 2 now includes the complete Episode One and Episode Two expansions along with the base game. They’re accessible from the main menu, and you will automatically advance to the next expansion after completing each one.

HALF-LIFE 2 DEVELOPER COMMENTARY

When we shipped "Lost Coast" a year after Half-Life 2, we included an interactive developer commentary mode to offer interested players a deep dive into the new technology that inspired the demo. We did it again for every Half-Life and Portal game afterwards, but Half-Life 2 itself never had commentary... until now. We got the original HL2 team back together to record brand new commentary tracks for the whole game.

STEAM WORKSHOP SUPPORT

Browse, install, and play user-created content for Half-Life 2 without ever leaving the game. Look for it in the Extras menu!

STEAM GAME RECORDING

Preserve your precious memories of City 17 with the help of Steam! Take a look at the Game Recording timeline in your Steam Overlay for event markers that commemorate big and surprising moments in your playthrough.

UPDATED GAME CONTENT

Every map in Half-Life 2 has been looked over by Valve level designers to fix longstanding bugs, restore content and features lost to time, and improve the quality of a few things like lightmap resolution and fog:

Fixed pops, holes in the world, fading-out and disappearing objects across the game.

Rebalanced the lighting across Half-Life 2 to account for playing with HDR on or off, using the original release as reference.

Cleaner, smoother horizon lines thanks to new radial fog!

Added higher-resolution lightmaps across the game!

Removed green glow from the G-Man model’s eyes in the opening of the game, and restored the reflective glint as seen in the original release.

Fixed missing grass sprites and blacked-out models throughout the game!

UPDATED GRAPHICS SETTINGS

Choose either the original launch day blood and fire effects, or those created for the episodes, when playing the Half-Life 2 base game!

Play with only the highest detail models in High Quality mode!

Get smoother lightmap shadows at Very High shader detail, thanks to new bicubic lightmap filtering!

GAMEPAD, INPUT, AND STEAM DECK UPDATES

Gamepad controls have been updated to match the Half-Life 1 anniversary update.

Aim Assistance has gotten an overhaul making it feel better to use, and there are more configuration options available. Aim Assistance can be enabled separately for gamepad or mouse/keyboard input. The amount of assistance can be tuned up and down, and it’s no longer tied to a skill setting. Want to play on Hard with high aim assist, or Easy with it off? Knock yourself out.

The Steam Deck main menu has been updated with all of today’s additions including the Episodes, Workshop, and new input configuration. The Steam Deck version of the main menu will also appear when you play Half-Life 2 on a PC running Big Picture Mode.

LONG-LOST LOOKS INTO HALF-LIFE 2'S DEVELOPMENT

WATCH OLD VIDEOS FROM THE EARLY DAYS OF HALF-LIFE 2

We rescued these old demos from the hard drives of ancient computers scattered around the office, and are offering them up as high quality videos:

E3 2003

The demo that revealed Half-Life 2 and the Source engine to the world. This was previously only available as shakycam recorded from our E3 booth, now available as direct capture.

E3 2002

We built this demo to bring to E3 a year earlier, and then decided at the last minute we weren’t ready to show the game. 20 years later, we’re okay with you seeing this stuff.

SIGGRAPH 2000

Also known as the “Free TVs” demo, this was shown at the SIGGRAPH computer graphics conference, hot on the heels of the release of the original Half-Life. This is the highest quality video we’ve still got from this era of Half-Life 2’s development.

RE-RAISING THE BAR

A NEW EDITION OF RAISING THE BAR IS COMING BACK INTO PRINT IN 2025, EXPANDED TO INCLUDE THE HALF-LIFE 2 EPISODES

Nearly two decades since it first went out of print, Raising the Bar is set to return with an expanded second edition—offering a comprehensive look into the creation of the Half-Life 2. Originally published in 2004, this book captured the story of Half-Life 2's development but missed the episodic content that followed.

This new edition concludes the Half-Life 2 development story, with never-before-seen concept art from Episode One and Episode Two, along with ideas and experiments for the third episode that never came to be.

---

Looking for something to read right now? The Final Hours of Half-Life 2 was written twenty years ago by Geoff Keighley after spending time in Valve's offices during... you guessed it.

---

BUG FIXES AND CHANGE NOTES

Content

Added 3.5 hours of Developer Commentary by members of the Half-Life 2 team.

Half-Life 2: Episode One and Episode Two are now playable from the Half-Life 2 main menu.

Half-Life 2: Lost Coast has been added to the Extras menu.

Added Steam Workshop support. Play entire campaigns or replace weapons, enemies, UI, and more with content created by the community.

Added custom Steam Game Recording gameplay events and phases throughout the game.

Rendering and Graphics

Fixed issues causing props or entire maps to be fully bright or fully dark depending on settings.

Added bicubic filtering for lightmaps to produce smoother shadows. It can be enabled by setting Shader Detail to Very High.

Fixed missing grass detail sprites in many maps.

Added settings to enable Classic Effects that were originally in Half-Life 2. These effects can also be enabled using r_classic_blood or r_classic_fire.

Added support for radial fog.

Specular reflectivity has been adjusted throughout Half-Life 2 to better match the original release.

Updated models for the Crossbow and RPG weapons to support ultrawide displays.

Fixed camera clipping into vehicles at high FOV settings.

Fixed lambda cache indicators and other decals vanishing when backtracking through map transitions.

Setting Model Detail to High will now always display the highest detail version of a model and never swap for a lower level-of-detail.

Set Antialiasing to 4x MSAA by default.

Fixed teeth shader rendering fully white on some GPUs.

UI and Options

The UI now scales to support higher resolutions.

Launching the game in Steam Big Picture mode will now use the gamepad-friendly UI previously available on Steam Deck. You can also launch this mode with the "-gamepadui" launch option.

The High Dynamic Range setting has been moved to the main Video settings page.

Commentary mode can now be enabled on the New Game screen.

Fixed display of greyscale art for locked achievement icons to match their behavior in steam.

Improved legibility of gamepad button icons.

Button hints will now prefer to display standard face buttons and trigger icons only. This behavior can be disabled with the "sc_prefer_basic_origin_hints" convar.

Replaced instances of system fonts like Verdana throughout the UI with a new font, GorDIN.

Added a new font renderer that provides more consistent rendering between platforms.

Fixed edges of certain font characters being cut off with antialiasing enabled.

Fixed scrollbars and button animations using inverted colors.

Removed the non-functional "Use 'bloom' effect when available" setting.

Added Rich Presence info while playing Half-Life 2.

Input

Updated the default Steam Input configuration.

Added a Gamepad settings menu.

Added the ability to select a weapon selection UI style while using a gamepad.

Added settings for separate Aim-Assist modes for mouse/keyboard and gamepad. The new Aim-Assist "Enhanced" mode now attempts to track enemies and snap-to-target while driving vehicles.

If using toggle crouch, pressing sprint will now make the player stand.

Legacy joystick settings have been removed from the Mouse settings menu.

Gameplay

Reduced chances of birds getting stuck in the world.

Fixed Combine crouching behavior during door assault scene.

Fixed Combine not firing in some cases during the finale.

Game sounds and music now pause while the game is paused.

Fix crash that can occur if the player gets too far ahead of the helicopter in canals.

Fixed Dr. Breen not looking at the camera in certain broadcasts.

Fixed smooth friction sounds not playing.

General Map Updates

Full HDR lighting and tonemapping pass across every map in Half-Life 2 and Half-Life 2: Deathmatch.

Increased lightmap resolution in most maps.

Adjusted rendering distances across the game so details and objects remain visible much further away.

Removed Far-Z clip plane from most maps.

Increased window and door fade distances.

Improved lighting and world detail inconsistencies during many map transitions.

Tuned fog and skyboxes for every map with water on the horizon for better horizon blending.

Replaced instances of simple reflective water with fully reflective water in nearly every map.

Fixed many instances of floating props across the game.

Sewed up holes, aligned textures, and fixed seams on many displacements throughout the game.

Swapped some distant trees out for higher detail models.

Enabled shadows on many static props that were missing them.

Added glow sprites to all lights that were missing them.

Fixed lightmapping for many large static prop structures.

Added simple rooftop geometry to background buildings that were missing them.

Added background displacement geometry to areas which are now exposed by removed the clipping plane.

Specific Map Updates

The introduction sequence has been adjusted to closely match the original sequence, including fixing specular highlights on the G-Man's eyes.

Fixed various texture seams on train station wall

All fences now properly cast shadows.

Fixed issues with level transitions setting fog values improperly.

Removed emissive value from base of lighting prop which was glowing in strange places.

Fixed a bug with Eli's idle animations during the teleport sequence.

Fixed lightmapping of train cars in Red Letter Day and Route Kanal.

Fixed a rendering bug in Route Kanal where world geometry would pop in and out of view when looking down the tracks.

Aligned pipe and canal wall textures in a few areas to reduce seams and misalignment in Route Kanal.

Added and adjusted canal wall brushes where level geometry was conspicuously missing.

Adjusted brightness and falloff of ambient lights in darker sections of the canals.

Added small grates as dim light sources of ambient light in a few places in the canals.

Fixed an issue where the splash for Manhack Matt's jump into the water would be out of sync.

Fixed a bug where the large brick smokestacks were popping in and out depending on the player's position in Water Hazard.

Added missing cables to utility poles in various canal maps.

Fixed lighting and shadows on the dock and electric tower outside of Black Mesa East.

Added displacements and water plane to 3D skybox near the dam entrance to replace simple brush cliff face.

Fixed the lighting on the rocks and props in and around the Ravenholm graveyard.

Fixed players being able to trap themselves in the graveyard by closing the gate after Gregori would open it.

Added radial fog to all coast maps in the Highway 17 chapter.

Removed area portals from many of the smaller structures along Highway 17.

Fixed a crash that would occur if you parked the buggy in certain areas before entering the bridge level.

Fixed a bug where Vortigaunts could fall through the world.

Added simple 3D skybox representation of the next map visible from the top of the lighthouse in Sandtraps.

Fixed lighting issues during the basement flare sequence in Nova Prospekt.

Added additional geometry to various windows throughout the levels to cast more detailed shadows in Nova Prospekt.

Fixed a bug in teleport sequence in Entanglement ending too early leaving Gordon and Alyx standing around while the teleporter reached its destination.

Fixed the catwalk explosion detonating at the wrong time in Anticitizen One.

Fixed the building dome having no polygons on the outstide in Follow Freeman.

Fixed the ship visibly flying through the building dome in Follow Freeman.

Fixed Barney being left behind during a level transition or nagging the player too early to "roll a grenade" in Follow Freeman.

Improved resolution of portal render texture during finale.

Added soundscape to all menu background maps

Darkened parts of the skyboxes that fall behind Half-Life 2 logo to help with text legibility.

Added geometry to menu background maps for Ultrawide support.

Added smoke to the Ravenholm and Follow Freeman background maps.

Fixed a bug where you could hear the player's bones break in the Citadel menu background map.

Half-Life 2: Deathmatch Fixes

Fixed player model selection in the options menu.

Fixed slam not being able to be detonated if you were too close to a wall

Fixed view bob with the SMG equipped.

Fixed using the Gravity Gun to yo-yo grenades, sometimes causing the server to disconnect or crash.

Fixed missing sound effects for the Gravity Gun.

Fixed characters playing a missing animation when switching weapons while jumping and moving.

Fix weapons being invisible when being given another weapon of the same class.

Half-Life 2: Deathmatch Maps

Increased player spawn point count in many maps.

Fixed prop placement in maps that would allow players to escape the world.

Fixed floating props in dm_runoff.

Fixed the area portal on the blast door in dm_runoff causing the world to no longer render when the door was shut.

Added geometry to many maps where the player could see outside of bounds.

Fixed several areas where the player could see out of the world.

Moved the blue barrels in dm_resistance that you could pick up with the Gravity Gun through the chainlink doors.

Other

Improved quality of the Valve intro movie when launching the game.

Fixed playback of the the post-credits movie at the end of Episode One and the intro movie at the start of Episode Two.

The achievements for Episode One and Two have been added to Half-Life 2. When launching the game it will attempt to read data from installed standalone Episodes to re-grant those duplicated achievements.

Hammer: Show detail sprite preview on non-displacement surfaces.

Hammer: Fixed bug where orphaned entities added additional data on each map load.

Hammer: Fixed the ability to render cubemaps.

Hammer: Increased many limits for BSP data. Models 1024 -> 2048, Brushes 8192 -> 16384, TexInfo 12288 -> 16384, TexData 2048 -> 8096, DispInfo 2048 -> 8096.

Added save_transition_music convar that allows streaming music to continue to play in between level transitions.

Localization files updated.

Miscellaneous security fixes.

Notes

The previous version of the game has been archived to a publicly visible Beta branch named "steam_legacy", with the description "Pre-20th Anniversary Build." If a mod or feature is behaving in an unexpected way, you may need to run this archived build until the issue is resolved in the default build.

With the Episodes and Lost Coast now contained within Half-Life 2 itself, we'll be reducing the visibility of the standalone versions on the Steam Store. The old standalone applications will remain available to ensure community projects that rely on them still function properly but they will now appear within the Tools menu on your Steam Library.

WALLPAPERS

Celebrate 20 years of Half-life 2 by decorating your desktop and mobile phone.

HALF-LIFE 2 SOUNDTRACKS

[lullabyalikpoptarot]

J-Hope's Love Reading

Disclaimer: No facts, just my interpretation, all alleged.

Time to get to my bias now for this week's love reading installment. So, looks like there is someone in the picture, is it the Queen of Pentacles that keeps popping up? I don't see her energy. I do see the Queen of Swords, which could be that person, but that could be his energy.

We start with the House 12, this is like my favorite card, or one of them in this deck. He could have met his soul mate, now we can have many ones, so this person may be their fs or not, who knows, but there is a special connection here, a soul connection, or contract between the two. They are both here to help one another transcend and grow spiritually. They may be here to teach other a lesson in this lifetime.

Now, with this QOS energy, this could be him, as someone who is very observant, open-minded, diplomatic and listens very well, but this could be his partner as well that has this energy, or both. Now, with the hedonist card, he enjoys lavishing his partner, probably buys lots of gifts for them, takes them to fancy, nice places, his Taurus, forget if it his moon or venus he has that in, but it is showing here. I say he enjoys being in a relationship and enjoys the perks and adventures of it.

Now, with this Addict card, this is interesting. There could be some resistance he may face dating this person, or there could be some addictive tendencies for this person that he tries to resist. Now, with the 2 of wands, there is strong chemistry between the two, they enjoy the company of one another, and they definitely seem to have fun in the bedroom, just saying. My spirit guides got no shame in sharing these details lol I see a strong physical connection, but I am also seeing a strong emotional connection, a strong bond between the two overall. I love seeing these two cards together.

Once again, seeing something about resistance and challenges that may come their way, makes sense. But he seems protective of this person, and I don't see him letting anyone get in their way. It's interesting to see this KOS and 4 of Swords. I see him not being too bothered though. He seems pretty logical and smart about things and doesn't get too emotional about things, so obstacles won't affect him too much. He can seem pretty chill and not let things get too him too much. I say he feels really relaxed overall. I don't see him being an overly emotional boyfriend. I see him being pretty strategic and planning things a lot. I can see him planning things for the relationship and the dates.

Not surprised he got the 6 of Pentacles in this one deck, he is all about giving and putting effort into his relationships, but he does feel it should be equal and balanced, like he may not want you to do the exact things that he does for his partner, but he would like a nice exchange, like he offers you this, but you would need to offer him something as well, he would like to be appreciated. That sounds reasonable to me.

Now, with this peace card, he likes to find peace in a bond. For a relationship to be comfortable for him and maybe this person to bring him some peace. I don't see him wanting too much drama or an overly emotional partner. They would need to be as reasonable and rational as him and he may have found a person like that. I don't seem him wanting too much conflict. He would want both to understand one another, be open, and honest and to work things out in a diplomatic and calm way. Now, the reason the card may have come out in reversed is because there could be some resistance/obstacles to this relationship as I seen through this spread, so it may be hard for him to find the peace he truly wants.

That was another easy and smooth one, which I expected from Hobi. Fun and light read here.

[alwayssassydreamer]

Figure You Out

A/N: new installment for my song prompt challenge

I could love you with my eyes closed Kiss you with a blindfold Figure you out

Warnings none

Characters: Beckman x GnReader

The sun had long since dipped below the horizon, and the quiet lull of the ocean was the only sound breaking the silence on the deck of the Red Force. You were leaning back against the railing, watching the stars glint like diamonds against the inky blackness of the sky when you heard footsteps approaching. Familiar, steady, with a slight, lazy drag to them — unmistakably Benn Beckman.

You didn’t turn, knowing he’d come to stand beside you without a word. And he did, hands slipping into his pockets as he stared out over the waves, a lit cigarette balanced between his lips. He took a slow drag, the end glowing briefly before dimming.

There was a comfortable silence between you, and even though he hadn’t spoken, his presence was enough to make you feel a calm only he seemed capable of bringing. But you’d never admit that aloud, and, luckily, neither would he.

Minutes drifted by, with only the whisper of the wind between you before he finally broke the silence.

“You know, if I were blindfolded, I’d still find my way to you.”

The corner of your mouth quirked up, even though you tried to hide it. “Is that so?” you asked, your voice a quiet challenge. “Pretty bold words for a man who doesn’t even say half of what he feels.”

He let out a low chuckle, amused by your teasing.

“Half the time, I don’t need to say anything,” he said, tilting his head to give you that familiar, easy-going smirk. “I don’t need to see you to know you.”

You felt a blush rising on your cheeks and glanced away. Beckman had always been able to unnerve you with his simple confidence, his quiet ease around you — as if no matter what, he always knew exactly who you were.

“Bet you’d get it wrong,” you shot back, half-heartedly, trying to cover up how much his words had gotten to you. “You’d mistake someone else for me in seconds.”

He raised an eyebrow, turning to face you fully now, his gaze soft but intense. “Not a chance.”

You swallowed, feeling your pulse quicken. Something about the way he looked at you right now — even in the dim light — told you he wasn’t lying.

Slowly, he reached out and cupped your face, his thumb tracing a gentle line along your cheek. His eyes softened even further, almost as if he was trying to memorize every feature, every detail.

“I could love you with my eyes closed,” he murmured, his voice rough, “kiss you with a blindfold, and still figure you out.”

Your breath hitched at the intimacy in his words, a sense of vulnerability that Beckman didn’t often show. You felt yourself leaning into his touch, closing your eyes as if to test his claim. And without another word, his lips found yours in a gentle, tender kiss — one that made you realize that, yes, he’d know you anywhere, no matter what.

[antisocialbunnysims]

Hello! How are you dear? (I hope I can call you like that by the way🙃) I have a problem with some of your lots, your high school and your animal shelter, for some reason part of the walls disappear, I can build again without problem but I just wanna why this happens😊

(The walls are in full)

And also in the boat house (I don't know if is call like that sorry) in the second floor I have blue flashing I don't have my pc right now and I don't remember what object was.I am new in this so I hope the answer is not that obvious

Ps:I have all the CC that come with the lots and use clean installer

Ps 2:sorry if I am annoying or something, I really hope my English is ok

you're not annoying! i'm sorry for the confusion, do you have numenor's no cutaway walls? They are a custom wall that never gets minimized when you put the walls down, I use them a lot in my builds. I mention on the posts that you need them but its easy to miss because they don't come packaged with the lot, you have to be sure you install them separately!

they are a little trickier to install compared to normal cc because you have to install them a specific way. Numenor has a little utility called the Scriptorium that makes it much easier to install custom walls, stairs and fireplaces so I suggest using it to install the walls. If you play ultimate collection you might have a little trouble with the scriptorium installer, but I found some comments with tips for how to make it work in the modthesims thread!

On page 26 and 27 of the thread on modthesims people discuss some different techniques to get it to install correctly with ultimate collection:

one comment says: "For anyone having trouble using Scriptorium with the Ultimate Collection, it seems the simplest fix is to move the files to the Mansions and Gardens folder (SP9) of Fun With Pets instead of the Base folder in Double Deluxe.

In other words, first copying the Scriptorium folders from ’[Wherever you installed TS2]\The Sims 2 Ultimate Collection\Double Deluxe\Base\TSData\Res\Catalog\Scripts’ as well as the Scriptorium lights folder from ’…\The Sims 2 Ultimate Collection\Double Deluxe\Base\TSData\Res\Lights’. Then paste those folders into (for scripts) ’…\The Sims 2 Ultimate Collection\Fun with Pets\SP9\TSData\Res\Catalog\Scripts’ and (for lights) ’…\The Sims 2 Ultimate Collection\Fun with Pets\SP9\TSData\Res\Lights’

Make sure you paste it into the ‘SP9’ subfolder, not one of the others in 'Fun With Pets’.

You can make new shortcuts in your downloads folder if you like, or just remember to place any further ones in SP9 and not DD Base. I’d guess that the creators have moved on from this project and any updating would be unlikely, so this is the easiest workaround I’ve tried." --------------- and on the next page there is a tip for installing scriptorium for the sims 2 Legacy Collection: "Scriptorium typically wants the most recent pack's folders to use, which in UC's case is SP9--but we don't have that on Legacy. You're going to pop that series of folders and corresponding scripts into Base instead. (Filepath should look similar to C:\Program Files\EA Games\The Sims 2 Legacy\Base\TSData\Res\Catalog\Scripts)

Those folders and txt files want to go into this Scripts folder, but Scriptorium also dumps a few shortcut files--typically there to live in your downloads folder. For us, these are broken. Right click on each one, and change the "Target" and "Start In" boxes to where that file goes. (For instance, for me each one for Decks/Foundations goes to "C:\Program Files\EA Games\The Sims 2 Legacy\Base\TSData\Res\Catalog\Scripts\Scriptorium_Decks-Foundations-Pools"). You will need to do this separately for each shortcut and its corresponding folder.

From here, things should work. Download a Scriptorium-dependent file, and drag it to the corresponding shortcut. It should plop that into the folder and write a corresponding script as it normally would. Check it in game, and there you go." ----------

I hope that this helps and you can install the custom walls easily if you choose too! You might not run into problems either, some people find that the normal scriptorium install from the modthesims post works fine in ultimate collection. But hopefully if you have any problems those comments can help! as for the flashing blue in the houseboat, dang i'm sorry i don't know what it could be! I tested the lot in a cc free neighborhood and I didn't have any blue flashing. Only thing I can think of is that the bed is I believe from the sims 2 store asian fusion set, so in case that didn't package properly with the lot be sure you have the sims 2 store objects which you can download from garden of shadows. hope this helps! <3

[solitaireships]

Ship of Theseus

Happy birthday to my lovely Viktor! I'd been working on this fic for a little bit, but since his birthday's today, I figured this was the perfect time for me to share my first fic with him (and with any Cyberpunk f/os lol). I've mentioned before that Rue's one of the few people out there with no cyberware, so this fic is about her considering that and her body image. I know it's kinda unclear if Vik has cyberware or not himself, but considering there's an option to question why another ripperdoc has no cyberware, I figured that's a sign that you probably would've been able to ask Vik about why he has none if he was supposed to be completely organic. This was a kind of Healing fic moment for me, so I hope you all like it

Tating: Teen

Words: 1991 words

Divider by sister-lucifer

Content warnings: discussion of body image issues, discussion of mental illness, discussion of cybernetic implants

“If you ever wanted to get some chrome, you could just tell me. I could get you set up with whatever you wanted,” Viktor says one day while he and Rue are at the clinic. Quiet days at the morgue give her plenty of time to visit with her boyfriend, and in the moments where he’s not installing new cyberware, they’ll enjoy each other’s company. 

Rue looks up from what she had been reading, looking to where Viktor sits next to her, fiddling with his exoglove. The sharp blades and tools on it are neatly maintained, always kept in perfect condition for his work. A kind of work that Rue has never had an interest in beyond seeing what he can do for others.

“Yeah? What brought this on?” she asks.

“I was just thinking,” he says with a shrug, not looking away from his glove as he cleans it. “If you ever wanted any cyberware, I’ve got plenty of top shelf stuff. I wouldn’t mind giving you something nice for spending time with me.”

“You know I’m not interested in that kind of thing,” Rue replies. 

It’s always made her stand out in Night City. The majority of the population has at least some cyberware, be it new optics, some mantis blades in their arms, or subdermal armor to make the usually dangerous streets of the city a little more survivable. It’s not as if she’s the only person not interested in cyberware— there’s a group of them that meets for coffee sometimes, to share in some of the struggles that come from not wanting to deck themselves out with whatever new technology they can get their hands on. Technically Rue’s still an oddity there— her mom had made her get EMP threading done when she was a kid, with gold wiring threaded along her cheeks. But she knows most people think she’s odd for wanting to stay as organic as she can, keeping her body as it is instead of getting some upgrades.

Viktor’s never made Rue feel bad for not wanting cyberware, though. It’s a surprise that a ripperdoc of all people doesn’t seem to mind, but not an unwelcome one. He’s been kind about the decision, never questioning it beyond once when they were first getting to know each other, and even that was a question more out of genuine curiosity than disapproval. It’s not as if he has much cyberware either— he has some optics to help with his job, but everything else is external things like his exoglove he can take on and off. 

But now, he’s asking questions. And Rue's not sure how she feels about that.

“I know you’re not. And I’m not saying that you should get any, just letting you know if you ever want cyberware, I’d take care of it for free,” Viktor says.

“That doesn’t seem like a very good business model,” Rue says, hoping that taking on a more joking tone can help shift the conversation away from her getting any implants.

“It’s not, but I think I can make an exception for my girl,” he replies, glancing back over his shoulder as he says it. There’s an easy smile on his face, warmth in his eyes that she can see even through the dark tint of his sunglasses.

“I’m your girl, huh?” she asks with a grin of her own. She makes her way over to Viktor from her seat, standing beside him and resting one hand on his shoulder.

“Uh-huh. And what kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn’t give my girlfriend nice things?”

“Hmm. Well, you’re very sweet.”

“I try.” Viktor pauses before speaking again. He fiddles with his exoglove, glancing up at her out of the corner of his eyes. “And would it be sweet for me to ask you if the only reason you don’t want cyberware is it could malfunction? Or would that be overstepping?”

Rue’s quiet for a moment. She doesn’t usually like talking about why she doesn’t have any real chrome. She’ll normally just say that she’s seen the way cyberware can be flawed, how an artificial heart can stop beating properly or visual glitches can get a person in an accident. More than a few people have come into the morgue from accidental deaths as their implants glitched, turning against them, and she heard countless horror stories growing up from her mom about technical errors that can slip through the cracks. Framing it as a practical concern, a simple worry about her safety is easier for people to understand. 

And it's even easier to talk about it with the others, the ones who have their own reasons for not getting any upgrades. But even then she leaves most of the other parts out. Some of her thinking is too personal, too hard to share with people that she doesn’t completely trust. 

But she does trust Viktor. They’ve been dating for a couple of months now, and being with him has become easy. He’s kind, and understanding, and even just being around him is usually enough to ease her anxieties. 

“That’s sweet of you too,” Rue says. She sighs, taking a step away from Viktor. She hopes it’ll be easier to say what she’s worried about out loud if there’s more physical distance between them. “It’s more than just glitches or things going wrong. Or, I guess not just things going wrong with the cyberware. I’m worried there’s something wrong with me.”

Viktor frowns, putting down his tools as he follows where Rue goes with his eyes. “What are you talking about?”

“I… I’m worried that if I ever got cyberware, I’d end up getting cyberpsychosis,” she admits. It’s a fear that’s hung over her for years now, as long as she can remember from the first time she saw a cyberpsycho reported on the news. 

No one knows what causes cyberpsychosis, at least not really. But she’s managed to gather enough from looking for similarities between people with it. They usually have a lot of chrome installed, and they usually have some kind of history of mental illness. And she worries that her own problems would make it so that if she got cyberware, she would snap and lose herself. 

“Ah.” Viktor pauses again, as if mulling over what to say next. It’s strange to see— it always felt like he knew the perfect words to say. “We don’t know what causes cyberpsychosis, but I guess that’s part of what makes the possibility it could happen so scary.”

“Exactly. Like I just… I don’t know. We can guess what might cause it, right? Because it seems like most of the time if someone gets cyberpsychosis, they already had some kind of bad thing going on mentally. And I think that everything I’ve got going on would make it more likely that I get it too,” Rue explains. “Especially… especially since I don’t really like my body. I think if I changed it, if I replaced it all with body parts that aren’t really mine, that are— are mass produced, I think it might break me. Because then what I’m seeing in the mirror isn’t really me, it’s… it’s something else. And I don’t know what the limit would be.”

“Meaning…?” Viktor prompts.

“You know about the ship of Theseus?” she asks.

He nods. “Vaguely.”

“It’s this thought experiment thing. The Greek hero Theseus has this ship. And overtime, the boards of the ship started to rot. They’d replace the rotted boards with new ones, but that brings the question. If you replace all the rotted boards with new ones, is it the same ship? And if it’s not the same ship, when does that happen? How many boards have to get replaced before it becomes a new ship? What’s the line in between them if they’re different?”

Viktor’s quiet for a moment, considering. Then he says, “And you’re the ship in this metaphor?”

“Yeah. If I replaced parts of me with chrome, would my body stop being my body? What would be the point where that happens?” Rue says. She sighs, pacing as she talks. “And I know, with the whole thought experiment thing, there’s no right answer. Like, everyone’s going to say something different— maybe it’s not the same ship, maybe it is the same ship. But I don’t know. I don’t know what the line would be for me, or if there even is one. But I just… ugh. I don’t think I want to find out what it’d be for me. I already don’t feel like my body’s right, so I don’t want to find out what would happen if I changed it. Especially since it's not like I can just go back and get back my 'ganic parts if I do get some cyberware and then realize I made a mistake.”

When she comes to a stop, she’s closer to Viktor again. He looks at her thoughtfully, as though thinking. 

Then he says, “Makes sense. If I had all that on my mind, I wouldn’t want to get any chrome either.”

It’s a relief to hear his understanding, and to know he means it. She knows she never had anything to worry about, at least not really. If there’s one person she knows she can always trust, it’s him. But hearing him say that he gets it, for him to respond without judgement and only with empathy is reassuring. For a moment, Rue can feel alright about herself. Like she’s not scared over nothing, mind working itself into overdrive while everyone else thinks she’s just being overdramatic. 

“I won’t ask you if you want any cyberware again,” Viktor promises, rolling his chair towards her.

“Thank you,” Rue says. “I didn’t mind you asking.”

“I know. But I’m not going to press you about it anymore. And for what it’s worth, I think all your ‘ganic parts are perfect,” he says, pulling her by the hand closer to him so he can press a kiss to her knuckles. 

“I wouldn’t say that,” Rue admits with a sheepish laugh. As sweet as Viktor always is about her appearance, it’s hard for her to take compliments about her body and actually believe they’re true. 

“I’m a doctor, Rue.” Viktor closes the distance between the two of them, still sitting, but wrapping his arms around her in a hug. As he rubs a hand against the small of her back, he looks up at her. “I’m a good judge on this.”

For as much as Rue struggles to believe that someone could find anything about her body appealing, it’s easier to think that maybe it could be true with Viktor looking up at her like this. It’s hard to see his eyes through his sunglasses, but she can feel the sheer adoration he has for her with every touch, each one conveying his care for her. Feeling this loved is strange for Rue, but still she can’t help but want more of it.

She tangles her fingers in Viktor’s hair, looking down at him with a smile on her face. “Thank you. I’m… I’m really lucky to have you, Vik.”

He smiles, holding her tight. “Just like I’m lucky that you’re even willing to give an old timer like me any attention.”

“You’re not that old,” Rue replies. 

“The bald spot you keep drifting closer to touching seems like a good counter argument to that.”

“People can start balding at any age.”

“Uh-huh,” Viktor says, clearly unconvinced by her argument. “But I love you, baby. Every part of you. Don’t forget that.”

“I love you too,” she says, leaning down to press a quick kiss to the top of his head. And she hopes that will be enough to keep her mind from wandering to anything she dislikes about her body. Because if Viktor says he likes it, surely there has to be something to appreciate there.

[screenmobile]

Do You Need Planning for a Patio? 

So, you're thinking about adding a patio? Maybe you've been eyeing that open backyard space, imagining a cozy seating area for morning coffee or a full-blown outdoor entertainment hub. Sounds great—but do you need planning for it?

The short answer: it depends. The long answer? Well, that’s what we’re getting into.

What Kind of Patio Are You Thinking About?

First things first—what does "patio" mean to you?

A simple slab of concrete with a few chairs?

A screened-in outdoor space with bug protection?

A fully covered, weatherproof area with fans, heaters, and maybe even a built-in grill?

Each of these setups comes with different considerations, and that’s where planning (or permits) may come into play.

Do You Need a Permit for Your Patio?

South Bend has zoning laws and building codes that determine whether you need a permit for your project. Generally, here’s how it breaks down:

No permit needed: If you're installing a ground-level patio made of pavers, bricks, or concrete (as long as it doesn’t affect drainage).

Permit might be required: If your patio includes permanent structures, like a roof, walls, or electrical work.

Definitely need a permit: If you're building a patio that’s attached to your house, significantly elevated, or includes plumbing and electrical installations.

Why Does This Matter?

If you skip the permitting process when it’s required, you could run into problems down the road. Unpermitted work might affect your home’s resale value or create headaches if a city inspector gets involved.

Not sure what applies to your situation? It’s always a good idea to check with your local building department.

What Do You Want From Your Patio?

Now, let’s talk function. A patio isn't just about laying down some stone and calling it a day. It should fit your lifestyle. So ask yourself:

How do you plan to use it? Will it be a quiet space for relaxation, a gathering spot for family, or something else?

Do you want it enclosed? A screened-in patio keeps bugs away, but it’s more of an investment.

What’s the weather like in South Bend? A shaded or covered patio can make a big difference in comfort, especially in summer.

How much maintenance do you want? Pavers and wood decks need more upkeep than stamped concrete or composite materials.

Are you planning to live in your home long-term, or are you thinking about resale value? A well-designed patio can boost property appeal, especially for homebuyers looking for extra living space.

Choosing the Right Materials

The materials you pick determine not just the look but also the longevity of your patio. Here’s a quick rundown:

Concrete: Affordable, durable, and can be stamped for a decorative finish.

Pavers: Flexible, aesthetically pleasing, and easy to repair, but installation can be pricey.

Natural stone: Elegant and timeless, but one of the most expensive choices.

Brick: Classic look with good durability, but it requires occasional maintenance.

Wood or composite decking: More common for decks than patios, but a great choice if you want a raised look.

No matter what you choose, make sure it complements your home’s style.

What About a Screened-In Patio?

A screened-in patio is like an outdoor room—a game changer for people who love fresh air but hate mosquitoes. It also extends the usability of your space, letting you enjoy it even when the weather isn’t perfect.

But here’s the thing: if you’re adding screens, a roof, or enclosing your patio, you’ll probably need a permit.

Bonus Perks of a Screened Patio

Keeps out bugs and debris

Adds privacy

Protects furniture from the elements

Can be customized with fans, lighting, and even heating for year-round comfort

For families with kids or pets, a screened-in space is especially handy. No more chasing the dog down the street when it bolts after a squirrel!

DIY vs. Hiring a Pro: What’s the Right Move?

If you're a DIY enthusiast, you might be tempted to build your patio yourself. And for basic ground-level patios, that’s totally doable. But when it comes to more complex builds—especially those requiring permits, electrical work, or roofing—it’s usually best to bring in a pro.

Why?

Time-saving: A professional team can complete the project faster and more efficiently.

Quality: Proper grading, drainage, and installation ensure your patio lasts.

Code compliance: No worries about whether your project meets local regulations.

Final Thoughts

At the end of the day, planning your patio isn’t just about paperwork—it’s about making sure you end up with a space you’ll actually use and enjoy. A little thought up front can save you from headaches later.

So whether you’re dreaming of a simple backyard hangout spot or a fully enclosed sunroom, take a step back and ask yourself:

Do I need a permit? Check with your local building department.

What will I use the patio for? Plan with your lifestyle in mind.

What materials work best? Choose for durability and aesthetics.

Should I DIY or hire a pro? Be realistic about your skills and time.

And if you’re considering a screened-in patio, reach out to Screenmobile of South Bend—they’ll help you design a space that fits your home, style, and budget.

Because let’s be honest—who doesn’t want an outdoor space that’s both beautiful and functional?