#indoor gadget

[pureconancommentary]

I'm going to say it now, since it's confirmed that the glass was cut: Conan was awake the entire time, and cutting glass makes that scraping nails on chalkboard sound. He should absolutely have heard it well before there was an axe raised above the bed. It's a stealthy, unconventional entry into what's normally a locked room... but only when no one is in the room to hear it.

[teddy-bear-naps-and-random-snaps]

[remaxx111]

Breathe Easy with Remaxx Smart Air Purifiers - The Ultimate Solution for Clean Indoor Air.

Remaxx offers a range of high-quality smart air purifiers that provide efficient and effective air cleaning solutions for your home or office. With advanced features such as HEPA filtration, smart controls, and real-time air quality monitoring, Remaxx air purifiers ensure that you breathe easy and stay healthy. Our sleek and stylish designs complement any decor, making them an ideal addition to any room. Say goodbye to indoor air pollution with Remaxx air purifiers.

[abeycostore]

ANNKE 2MP IP Camera Smart Home Indoor WiFi Wireless Surveillance Camera Automatic Tracking CCTV Security Baby Pet Monitor . . To watch our full range Visit Website: www.abeyco.com . . #camera #security #securitycamera #cameras #indoor #indoorhome #homeapplianaces #smartgadgets #gadgets #gadget #smartgadget #cameraforkids #cameraforchildren https://www.instagram.com/p/CojyqCcr6La/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[jigyasallc]

Contrary to popular opinion, toys aren’t just tools for play and enjoyment. Since most parents believe this falsehood, they always limit the time their kids play with toys. In reality, toys contribute immensely to learning and developing children’s creativity. Every parent would love to see his children learn as they grow. You can make learning less boring to your kids by introducing educational toys. Here is a guide for picking educational toys for your children.

[dcxdpdabbles]

Passion for Fashion Part 2

Danny glances around the room, initially supposed to be the living room, but Dan had quickly turned it into a studio. He had fabrics stacked everywhere, random clothes designs pinned to the walls, and various-sized mannequins scattered about with half-finished projects.

"It looks like Joann Craft's store exploded in here" he grumbles side-stepping into a half-finished gown dress and ducking under rows of fabric swatches that Dan just has to hang across the whole house by color because they help him visualize.

Or some nonsense like that.

Frankly, Danny was starting to suspect Dan had developed a new ghost Obsession now that grief no longer blinded him, and he knew Clockwork made it deliberately fashion design.

He is a bit unsettled that Dan's tunnel vision mirrors his parent's obsession with ghost hunting. Is it a ghost Obsession thing or a Fenton thing? Even Jazz can't get sucked into her physiology studies, so he had to remind her to sleep and eat. Eventually, Danny will find his own tunnel vision obsession. He just knows it.

Ducking two more times to avoid the shades of blue and green, Danny follows the barely visible pathway to where Dan is likely working on the first suit for the competition's first catwalk.

The first round of the competition was a mere selection round, where contestants were all brought into a large room and given a sketchbook, pencils, colors pencils, and reference books. After the surprise judge gave them the theme of household pets, they were to design two male and female outfits within an hour. Dan had entered the testing room like a man sent to the front lines.

Danny hadn't been needed for that round, so he explored Gotham, stopping to eat the famous Batburger. The food was far tastier than Nasty Burger, and he felt like he was betraying his city by how much he savored the Joker fries.

He did notice the way everyone was staring at him, much to his shame, just as he was licking his fingers clean. He scrambled to leave as a few teens whispered, gesturing to him.

He had been in Casper High to know that usually meant insults, so when a pretty blond girl stood up and started for him, he made haste to get out of there as quickly as possible.

He met up with Dan- with a carryout bag because he wasn't a monster- and found the other had blown the competition out of the water. His designs were first in the selection round, and Dan's head got three sizes bigger that day.

It's strange how used to living here he's gotten. It's been a month and a half, and yes, people still stare at him a lot, but it's not like Danny isn't used to being called a freak, so he ignores them all. Dan tried to stay inside the house as much as possible, rarely leaving his fabrics, but Danny felt restless being indoors all the time.

Amity Park is a small city, with most of it being open space and grass he felt strange being surrounded by a loud, crowded city like Gotham. He often wandered about trying to find something new and fun, though that was hard to do once the sun started setting.

He found being outside at night was a terrible idea the first time a trio of men attempted to shove him into a van.

Thankfully, Danny had been bored enough he recreated some of his parents' gadgets, and the three men had been stunned by his Fenton Tazzer wristband before they had opened the van door. Then there was that time a group of toddlers tried to mug him. He had been trying to find a park or something when seven kids- couldn't be older than twelve- all creeped out of the shadows holding knives and bats and demanded he gave them his wallet.

Danny hadn't meant to, but it was so bizarre he had bursted out laughing. He was so used to ghosts that the sight of little kids trying to be threatening was so historical that he couldn't stop laughing. He also forgot to breathe for a second since coming to this world. His body needed less sleep, less food, and got less tired, which was a plus on their wallets.

Danny laughed so hard he fell to his knees, shaking with jest.

The kids scattered at once, a few shouting, "Joker venom!" he was left chuckling to himself. After that, he got up and went home, the occasional snicker slipping from his lips.

Dan had thought it was hilarious, too.

Despite the time they have been here and Danny's many outings, they haven't really interacted with anyone else. Danny had never been one to have positive memories with socializing, and Dan frankly disliked humans too much to want to be around them.

With nothing to do but wander during the day and practice his model walk, Danny quickly got into the habit of tinkering with various machinery. At first, he needed to rebuild his parent's weapons and ghost gear- something he had been able to do since he was seven- then he shifted to building whatever popped into his head.

From robotic prosthetics to a TV projector, Danny filled the hours with some eclectic in his hands. Otherwise, he looked around Gotham and took pictures of the architect because it was Sam's entire aesthetic. How could he not try to capture this place for her?

Dan had been researching through the house internet- thank the ancients the house came with the service- and found various styles he liked experimenting with. Due to his ghost abilities, he worked faster than the sewing machines and was dishing out whole outfits in matters of days instead of the months they usually take.

He has even been walking around in whatever Dan chose to make for him since he thought it would get him used to being seen in something not his usual style. He can't afford to lose the fashion show simply because he got awkward. That would ruin his plans to help Batman and get home.

His wardrobe now varied from what Dan called "eboy", "skater" "K-pop" "casual chic" "haute" and "streetwear". Personally, Danny preferred the streetwear since it was more often than not baggy.

He had a lot of people staring at him when he walked around in Dan's clothes. Danny hopes he doesn't look as dumb as he feels.

"Danny, come try this on!" Dan shouts, snapping Danny out of his thoughts. He gestured to a black and navy blue three-piece suit that took Danny's breath away.

"Wow, Dan, it's gorgeous."

"Duh, I made it brat." He gestures to the vest, which Danny can see painfully embroidered swirls of black, purple, and a few white strips. It did not take him long to recognize the Magellanic cloud resting on the right side while the left is a mirror design in black, carefully blending into the blue. The pants, jacket, and shoes were a nearly jet-black cloth that somehow looked like a liquid even when standing still, but what tied it all together was the black cape draping over the right shoulder. It was pinned in place by a metal piece shaped like a Sirius Star. "The first round is space theme, and lucky for us, I was obsessed with NASA as a kid."

"No, but honestly, can I keep this afterward?" Danny asks, reaching out to rub his hands on the fabric. "Wow this is soft"

"It's satin, of course; it's soft," Dan snorts. "And sure, if we win, it's yours. I don't care what happens to the clothes after I make them."

"How long did this take you to make?" Danny asks, turning it around and sporting more accurately placed constellations of the satellite galaxy. It was like a picture made of fabric, curling from the right to the back of the vest. He'll have to take the jacket off at some point to show that part off.

"Three days. Without sleep."

"That's insane Dan"

"No, you know what's insane? This place has different beauty standards. It's all about the goth and emo kids here. A few Victorian lads, too. Or frankly, a straight-up twink is hot."

"What?" Danny's brain buffers "That can't be right. I was bullied and so were my friends for looking like that."

"Trust me, the ideal body kept coming up as I researched fashion trends and ideas. Nerds are in here. "

"W-what do I do with knowledge?"

Dan's eyes flashed a dangerous green. "You put it to use on the walkway. This suit is designed to show you off, and the best part? It's your natural body; no need to highlight beefed-up muscles or a wide chest like Dash."

"Oh my ancients....Am I hotter than Dash? Then the top A-lister?"

Dan grins. "We got this competition in the bag."

Across Gotham, Tim is scrolling through GothamLive- the favorite plate form of all Gotham, beating even Twitter- and he's surprised to see it covered by the target of their latest mission. He's back at the cave running coms since he got dosed in fear toxin on the last big fight. It was not too bad but Bruce didn't want him doing anything too adrenaline-inducing for a least a month.

He would argue, but even he knew his hands still sometimes shook when he trained. So he was on comm duty listening in to all his family as they moved about Gotham.

It was a quiet night with only three muggings and one car thief so far, but Bruce wanted everyone connected just in case.

Tim figured he could check in on the meta twins and found Danny everywhere on Gotham's online platform.

People have been spotting him strut around Gotham looking drop-dead gorgeous, and everyone near their age group who was attracted to men was losing their minds over Danny Fenton.

Tim found a few of him in skater clothes and felt his face get slightly warmer. Okay, they are right. Danny certainly paints a pretty picture, but that's worrying.

A pretty meta? He could be snatched up by the worst of Gotham soon.

Tim will have to get close to keep an eye on him. You know, for the target's safety.

Dan is his identical twin, which means there are two beautiful boys out there. Tim thinks, checking over the twin's house location. It's thankfully on the outskirts of Gotham, where it's not exactly safe, but it sure as hell isn't Crime Alley. They should be okay as long as no one finds their home.

He choked on his coffee when a picture of Danny dressed like a K-pop star casually lodging on a chair drinking a coffee appears on his dash. Yeah, he can see how the guy ended up in modeling if he could make poses like that naturally.

"Red Robbin to everyone, we may want to keep an eye on the Fenton's. Don't want them taken by traffickers."

"Danny Fenton already fought off a kidnapping:" Jason responds in seconds with a slight sneer. His elder brother has always hated traffickers and rapists the most. " Some idiots tried to escape me by going into the Outskirts and saw Danny. They took their chance only to be taken out by the guy's tazer disguised as a bracelet."

He sends the family a photo of the incident, and Danny's unimpressed look at the three screaming men makes Tim's lips twitch. Maybe Gotham wasn't so different from Santa Prisca. Only someone used to danger so often found would be kidnapers annoying, and that island wasn't exactly the safest place to be.

Their mother died to get them out, after all.

"That's not all. He's also fought off three different gangs, none of the big players but enough to raise some brows," Babs adds, displaying a gang of Crime Alley kids running from a laughing Danny, a group of men and women wearing the red scorpion marks running from a laughing Danny and a second group of kids- slightly older but not older than Danny- all backing away from the ice Danny had encased himself in. "The first two he tricked into thinking Joker was about, and the last one he just froze himself until they got tired of shooting and went away."

"What about the other one?" Bruce asks.

"He doesn't leave the house, but he's been very active online. Mostly, he's looking up fashion articles or trends. Recently, his search is nothing but "What are twinks, and why are they hot?". I can't tell if that's a culture difference or if Dan is just weird."

"They are not trained," Damian says, an undertone of curiosity in his voice. "But they can defend themselves well and truly know their craft. Dan's designs for my animal theme challenge were exquisite. I will be commissioning the black German Shepherd suit he made. Ace and I will look divine at the next gala."

"I kind of want the bird dress," Steph cuts in with a chirp. "I know it's not purple, but it looked cool in concept. What bird breed did he pick for it?"

"It was the Lovebird," Damian answers. "Somehow his design was both elegant and accurate without seemingly childish as the bird it was based on."

Tim wonders if Damian may start to develop an interest in fashion or if he just appreciates drawings as an artist. "So should we be worried?"

"No. Fenton has unwillingly gathered too much attention online. People will notice if he disappears. Traffickers don't go for people that are easy to recognize." Jason sighs. "For now, they're safe, but not if Danny keeps wandering around like an easy target in those tailor outfits. He looks rich, even if it's only lower first class. That will attract a lot more muggings."

"Someone will have to get close to them-"

"I can do it!" Tim shouts, cutting off Bruce, then shrinks into his chair in mortification as the family chat dies. Trying to sound less eager, he hastily adds, "You know, since I'm benched. Light work to befriend the Fentons."

"Smooth Tim." Cass laughs over the coms with his other siblings snickering in the background, and sinks into his chair.

After a moment, Bruce sighs, "Alright, Tim, you can befriend one of them, but not until your turn to judge goes by. I don't want people claiming a conflict of interest there."

Hell yeah! Tim got the job!

"Of course, Bruce."

"And no flirting."

"Spoilsport"

[jgracie]

APRIL SHOWERS BRING MAY FLOWERS

masterlist | rules

❝ Hiii how are you?I love your blog,can i please request Leo x fem!reader where she is a daughter of Demeter(no one writes for my mother😭)and she gives him flowers?Like it’s the first time that someone gives him flowers and he so in love with reader?Thank you so much and have a great day🌸🌸🌸 ❞ — anon

in which honeysuckles, orange blossoms and white carnations barely scratch the surface of your love for leo

pairing leo valdez x demeter!reader

warnings none:)

an the demeter cabin has their own personal garden in this. they have one in any of my fics mentioning actually just because i said so LOL also i lowkey hate this idk why sorry in advance

Ever since you were young, you’ve loved the transition between April and May. Days spent indoors as you yearned for a moment in your mother’s domain, the heavy rain reflecting your mood and dampening your spirits, turned into ones where you’d devote your time to harvesting crops and admiring the beautiful flowers, carefully snipping them as different combinations for bouquets flooded your mind

You should be happy right now, since it’s the first week of May. Flowers have begun to bloom and blossom all around you, and your siblings organised a spring festival in celebration. You love everything about spring. However, there was someone you loved more

You and Leo only started dating a few months ago, after about a year of pining, and at first your relationship couldn’t be better. Leo’s so, very sweet and incredibly doting, always checking on you and making gadgets to help with your gardening before you even thought about needing them. However, recently, you couldn’t help but notice how you saw him less and less

In the beginning, he just wouldn’t show up for breakfast, or show up late on the days he did grace you with his presence, and you didn’t think much of it, knowing how busy he tended to get with his machinery. As time progressed, he started skipping dinner too, and capture the flag, and then you stopped seeing him altogether

You thought leaving him alone would fix it - not wanting to come off as overbearing - but now you began to wonder about what this meant for your relationship. Was he doing it on purpose so he could see you less? Had you done something wrong to make him feel this way? Sure, you teased him from time to time, but that was very minimal, and you always made sure he was aware you didn’t mean any harm

Whatever you did, you wanted to set things right. So, in the first week of May, instead of preparing for the spring festival with your brothers and sisters, you made Leo a gift. You weren’t going to force him to forgive you, of course, but the idea of hurting him was really weighing on your heart so you decided to show him you loved him in the best way you knew: flowers. You walked around the gardens outside your cabin, delicately picking out the flowers you were going to put in your bouquet for Leo. Once you’d done that, you picked some fresh fruits for him, hoping he was sustaining himself well

You waded through the forest with a basket of fruits in one hand and a bouquet wrapped with the best tulle and ribbons your cabin could offer in the other. Your heart was just about ready to beat out of your chest, partially due to excitement, partially due to worry

Once you got to Leo’s humble abode (because we all know this boy probs sleeps there more than he sleeps in his cabin don’t play w me rn), you took a deep breath, then knocked on the door

“Come in!” Leo yelled. Carefully, you opened the door and made your way inside, your nose scrunching at the smell of gasoline and Gods know what else. Leo’s back was facing you, but just seeing the mop of curls on his head made your heart flutter. You really missed your boyfriend

“Hey Leo,” you greeted him, absentmindedly playing with the vines that were beginning to grow out of your head - a sign of your nervousness. At the sound of your voice, Leo smiled and decided to finally take a break from all the tinkering he was doing. The vines that tangled with your hair slowly began to disappear as you took in his expression

He patted his lap, and you went to sit there without any hesitation, your body desperately craving his touch. Leo nuzzled into the crook of your neck, taking in the smell of fresh flowers that clung to you, “missed you, amor,” he mumbled, suddenly feeling awfully sleepy. You ran your fingers through his curls, detangling them as you wallowed in the silence that hung between you

“I missed you too,” you said after a little bit, unable to stay quiet anymore, “I’m glad you’re not mad at me.”

At the last bit, Leo looked up, his brows knitted together in clear confusion, “why would I be mad at you? You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

The vines started growing again, “well… I rarely ever see you anymore, you’re always here. I thought maybe you did that on purpose because you didn’t wanna see me,” instantly, Leo knew he messed up. He was so busy spending time with his machines that he forgot about you - his lovely, sweet forest fairy

Tenderly rubbing your arm, Leo said, “I’m sorry I made you feel that way, baby. I could never be mad at you, really! You could blow up this whole place and I still wouldn’t be mad,” he got quiet around the end, distractedly fiddling with your fingers

You pulled your hands away from his and cradled his face, taking his appearance in. He was still your Leo, but you could tell he was exhausted. Bags hung under his sleepy eyes, making you want nothing more than to take him to bed, to tell him that it’s okay to take a break and that no one was going to get upset at him if he took a second to think about himself

At that moment, with your palms on his face and your soul in his heart, you remembered the gift you’d prepared for him, which you’d left on a nearby table earlier. Hopping off of Leo’s lap (and startling him in the process), you picked up the bouquet and basket and presented them to him

“I got you these! Fresh from our gardens,” maybe it was the fact that he hadn’t seen you in a while, or the fact that your shy smile seemed to be blinding him, or the fact that no one had ever thought of getting him a bouquet of flowers before, but as Leo took your presents in, he felt tears prick his eyes 

You, being the observant, kind-hearted girl you are, noticed this, “hey, what’s wrong?” You asked, making your way over to him and handing him his gift, which he gratefully accepted and took a second to admire as he blinked his tears away. Leo has always been in love with you, but at that moment, his heart was about to burst with it all. He couldn’t believe he willingly cooped himself up in bunker nine, knowing full well who awaited him outside of it - his daylight

“Nothing’s wrong, amor, I just really really missed you, and I don’t think anyone’s ever even thought of getting me a pretty bouquet of flowers, let alone gone through with it,” at this, you felt your heart break. You knew of the struggles Leo went through, having been a shoulder for him to lean on when he thought he was stuck being an extra wheel forever: always the best man, never the groom, but hearing him voice these thoughts made it even worse

“Well… you deserve them. You're the best boyfriend a girl could ever ask for, Leo, don’t doubt that for a single second,” you said, an unwavering confidence in your voice

After that day, Leo always kept a flower in bunker nine, right in front of where he worked, so you’d always be with him. He also invested in a clock so he’d actually be able to tell when one day ended and the other began, never wanting to leave you by your lonesome again

[sirfrogsworth]

Frogman's Camera Buying Guide

A few weeks ago someone asked if I could recommend an interchangeable lens camera (ILC) to supplement their smartphone photos and hopefully get better pictures of important things like vacations and pets.

I decided to go very extra with my response and due to that... I'm still not finished with it.

I'm worried I am letting this person down because they did not ask for a giant post explaining every detail about cameras in the history of forever.

So I am going to do a camera recommendation post without as much explanation and hopefully I can finish the giant post at some point in the near future.

If you want to take better pictures you are probably going to need a camera with a decent sized sensor, a fast lens, a tripod, and a flash.

The bigger sensor gives you more dynamic range so you can capture brighter and darker things in the photo.

A fast lens has a giant hole in the front that lets in a ton of light. That hole is called the aperture and the bigger it is, the better your photos in dark environments will be. So you will want something that does f/1.8 or f/1.4 (lower f-stop number = bigger hole = more light). This can also help you get a lot of cool background blur.

A tripod will help get you longer exposures without any blur from camera shake. Especially good for landscape photos.

And a flash is for taking photos of pets and other moving subjects when you are indoors and don't have a lot of light. A flash is an absolute game changer for indoor photos.

HOWEVER, never point it directly at your subject.

Point it at a large white ceiling or wall. The flash happens so fast that it freezes motion. It is how I got all of my indoor photos of Otis.

Here he was playing and being rambunctious and he is not blurry.

I used no special settings. I just stuck on a flash and pointed it at the ceiling and suddenly sheep are sticking to things.

Oh, and one other huge benefit of using a flash... you can take much better photos of pets with dark fur. So if you have a cute little void in your home, a flash can help you capture detail in their fur.

Just lift the shadow slider in your image editor and that beautiful fur will reveal itself.

If you get an ETTL or TTL flash, it will output the correct amount of light automatically. You can literally just put your camera in automatic mode, aim the flash at the ceiling, and press the shutter button.

Before I talk about recommendations I want to make one thing very clear.

GETTING A GIANT CAMERA WILL NOT AUTOMATICALLY GIVE YOU BETTER PHOTOS.

Aside from my flash aimed at the ceiling trick, a big boy camera is not a magic solution for better photos. In some cases, you might actually get *worse* photos than your smartphone. You need to learn the basic fundamentals of photography and you also need to learn some basic photo editing skills.

Smartphones employ powerful algorithms and computational processes to make every photo you take look as good as possible.

ILCs say, "Here is your RAW data, you figure out the rest."

You don't have to become an expert, but if you watch this free 6 hour photography course, that will ensure you have the knowledge needed to improve your photos.

Okay, let's get into the nitty gritty of buying a nice new old ILC.

If you are on a tight budget and cannot afford a fancy mirrorless camera, I would highly suggest a used DSLR. You can get them for very reasonable prices. And unlike just about every other modern technological gadget, cameras and lenses are built to last for decades. So I have no qualms about recommending used photography gear.

However, I do highly recommend using either KEH or MPB, as they have a long trial period and decent customer service. If something goes awry with your used gear, KEH has a 180 day warranty and MPB has a 6 month warranty. So there is much less of a risk than eBay or Facebook Marketplace. You pay a bit of overhead, but the piece of mind is worth it.

Before I start my recommendations I want to quickly explain the difference between APS-C and Full Frame camera bodies. (For brevity's sake I am going to omit Micro Four Thirds bodies as they are not typically geared toward beginner photography.)

APS-C has a "crop" sensor. It is a bit smaller than full frame and does not perform as well in low light (more noise). However these bodies are cheaper and can still produce great photos. You can see above the sensor is still significantly larger than a smartphone. APS-C adds a 1.5x zoom to all lenses. This can be annoying in small spaces but advantageous for outdoor photography like wildlife and sports. You can use full frame lenses on a crop sensor body (within the same brand). APS-C lenses are usually cheaper but of lower quality.

Full frame has a larger sensor that will give you less noise in low light. It is also much easier to get background blur. Full frame also allows you to work in more cramped spaces. You *cannot* use APS-C lenses on a full frame body. However, the lenses meant for full frame cameras tend to be better quality in general.

If you can save up a little more and get a full frame body, I would recommend it. These bodies used to be geared more toward professional use, but since mirrorless cameras became popular, used full frame DSLRs have become much more accessible to those on a budget. Full frame cameras make it easier to get better results in challenging circumstances. And challenging conditions are really the main area where ILCs still kick a smartphone's ass.

For tight budgets I would recommend the following...

Canon or Nikon APS-C DSLR camera body

50mm f/1.8 lens (Nifty Fifty)

18-55mm APS-C lens (good for landscapes and portraits)

Yongnuo ETTL Flash

There are lenses called "superzooms" which can go from (as an example) 18-200mm or 70-300mm and other crazy focal lengths. That sounds fantastic and very versatile... but these are usually utter shite. You may be tempted to get one of these lenses hoping it can do everything you need, but there are no free lunches in lens land. Unless you are spending many thousands of dollars, the wider the focal range, the worse the lens will be.

When you stick to the 18-55mm range, you can be assured the images will be decent. And if you find yourself really needing a telephoto lens, you can save up and add it to your collection later on. The 18-55 will give you wide angle for landscapes all the way to slightly telephoto for portraits and moderately close wildlife. This lens cannot be used indoors or at night without a flash. Which is why I recommend the Nifty Fifty for that purpose. $100 for a moderately sharp low light lens is a no brainer.

Also, stick to Canon, Nikon, Sigma, or Tamron lenses. You can try exotic 3rd party lens brands when you know more what you are doing. And always make sure the lens has autofocus before buying.

It's hard to give you exact recommendations as used items are not reliably in stock. So I'm going to show you an example of the above, but I am not necessarily saying you should buy this *exact* combination. You might be able to get something similar with Nikon as well.

Canon 60D APS-C DSLR

50mm f/1.8 lens

Canon 18-55mm APS-C lens (EF-S mount)

Yongnuo TTL Flash

(I wouldn't recommend getting a used flash, as the Yongnuo is already a great price and you can't know if someone used the flash 100,000 times or 20 times.)

Altogether that is about $500. You can start with the 60D and the 50mm Nifty Fifty for $330 and add on the other two items later on.

My recommended full frame setup...

Full frame Canon or Nikon DSLR body

50mm f/1.8 lens (same as before)

24-70mm full frame zoom lens (full frame equivalent to 18-55mm)

ETTL Yongnuo flash (same as before)

And an example from KEH might be...

Canon 6D Full Frame DSLR

Canon 50mm f/1.8 Lens

Sigma 24-70mm Full Frame Zoom lens (EF mount)

Yonguo ETTL Flash

And that would be about $800 total.

Again, you can start with just the camera and 50mm lens and add the other items later. So invest $500 initially and go from there.

And just to give a Nikon example as well...

Nikon D600 Full Frame DSLR

Nikon 50mm f/1.8 Lens

Tamron 24-70mm

Yonguo ETTL Flash (Nikon version)

I highly recommend researching any camera body and lens before purchase. I can vouch for the items above, but you should definitely check out some YouTube videos before buying.

All of the stuff on KEH and MBP is marked down in price for aesthetic reasons. They do test everything to make sure it is functional. If you care if the camera or lens looks pristine, it will cost a little extra. But if you don't mind if it is beat to hell, you can save some money. Ugly or not, you will get the same photos out of the gear. As I said, photography stuff is built to last for a long time. Almost all repairs are due to user damage and not defects. And usually defects manifest when the product is brand new.

Oh, I forgot about the tripod!

Amazon's $35 tripod is surprisingly decent. It even got a good review on a very picky tripod review site. I recommend starting with this and then upgrading when you know more what you need out of a tripod.

Amazon 60 inch Tripod

I worry I'm leaving out a lot of important information, but hopefully I can expand in the other post I am working on.

That said, if anyone is thinking of buying a camera and you are not sure about the items you selected, please feel free to message me and I will help you assess your choices. Please make sure you include a budget range when asking for buying advice.

I hope that helps. I will try to finish the more in depth post soon. And it will include tips for how to get better photos from your smartphone if you cannot afford an ILC at the moment.

Further resources...

Recipe for Landscape Photos Froggie's Encyclopedia of Lens Terms

[mashirodayo]

@infidgetweek Day 1: Sun/Moon (... with a twist??)

INHALES... the Infidget obsession came back in time for this!1!!1! I must be psychic heh, also this is my first time participating in something like this, I hope I'm doing it right..!

Okay, so this one has a silly story behind it (that I definitely did not come up with at 3am!!!!)

As a couple with polar opposite lifestyles, it's difficult to spend quality time with each other. Gadget works during the day as Chief Engineer of the Restoration, leaving Infinite behind indoors where he completely avoids social interaction and prevents others from seeing his face (Gadget is an exception, of course). However, in the evening, Infinite goes out on strolls where he can hide in the darkness while Gadget stays comfy at home recuperating from work stress.

Can't Infinite just stay at home cuddling with Gadget to solve the quality time issue, you ask? Well, my friend, this jackas— err, jackal has a routine he makes in the evening that I will not elaborate any further LOL (it's.... more or less tied to a personal AU comic I have... you can stay tuned to find out)

The "solution" they came up with, with the lack of quality time, was giving each other keepsakes. Since this was a sudden idea by Infinite (inspired from a couple exchanging gifts that he saw in one of his routines), neither of them had enough time nor specialized knowledge (they're dumbasses in love HAHAHSHA) about gift giving. Ultimately, they gave each other accessories that match with the ones they use daily.

Gadget receives a red scarf while Infinite gets a pair of tinted glasses. With this, they can truly match now. HOW CUTE—

Okay, but here's the thing. The twist. The silly thing that my one brain cell formulated. Apparently, the keepsakes hindered them a lot and despite that, they still wore it for a week until finally deciding it's foolish to continue attempting it...

I mean, who wears tinted glasses during nighttime and especially under the darkness... and since Gadget's work is mostly physical, the scarf makes it hotter and harder to breathe. They were persistent enough to run into accidents (quite literally for Infinite). It's not illustrated above, but Gadget definitely passed out from exhaustion.

Maybe next time they could be expert enough in love languages to give the appropriate gifts...

Bonuses yippeee

[veryinnovative]

microfic based on that one tiktok: the hero's partner always calling at the worst possible time and the villain watching their partner struggle from a random rooftop but make it jeggy. microfic. 1392 words. sfw

A midnight lullaby sung by the city sounds—the gentle rattle of stray cars' exhaust pipes, the fading lights of a slowly dying city life, and the vibrant, flashing neon signs hanging lopsided in front of small, tucked-away corner stores. As the night wears on, the last few indoor lights gradually come to a dim, leaving the rooftops of high-rise apartment complexes and office buildings bathed in the slanted glow of slowly winking starlight. 

“Technically, he is on a work trip,” Sirius quips beside him, snorting as he hands over the binoculars, only for James to snatch them with a sudden burst of impatience he seldom displays around anyone else.

The gadget—some stolen thing looted from one of the upper-form security corporations they make a habit of robbing—is blessed with impeccable optical zoom and night vision, giving James a quite defined view of his loving husband, the very one who is hunched over a bomb he and Sirius planted nearly an hour ago, set to detonate in just a couple of minutes.

“His dedication to his job is one of my favorite things about him,” James supplies with a lazy grin, almost swooning when he makes out the annoyed frown creasing the skin between Regulus’ brows.

When the timer reads four minutes, Sirius clears his throat. “Bomb defusing has never been his strongest suit, you know that right?”

“Oh, I know.” That’s no surprise to either of them, given James knows his lover inside out. Though, he doesn’t consider it a flaw but simply an endearing quirk.

“You know,” Sirius deadpans, sporting a look of disapproval that eerily resembles Regulus’ when he’s slightly annoyed. “You know and yet you still let him, I don’t know, try and defuse a bomb that’s set to take the building down?”

“When have you ever doubted Regulus?”

“Well, it’s a bomb. It’s not unusual for me to doubt him when we’re talking explosives.”

“Are you saying my husband is incapable?”

That earns him a punch to the shoulders that’s sure to leave a bruise. “No, I just know my little brother well enough. He’s a little shit at times, but even shittier when it comes to things that blow up, James.”

Maybe. “Would you say he needs a hand, Pads?”

Sirius’ eyebrows fly up at the suggestion, almost blending into his hairline. “Excuse me, what?” He blinks, once, twice, “What do you mean need a hand? You out of all people reached your limit of stupid fucking ideas today, and that’s coming from me.”

In lieu of an explanation, James fishes out the burner phone, which results in much more indignant sputtering and Sirius trying to swat it out of his hands. There’s a lot of “Don’t you dare,” and “Are you out of your fucking mind?!” together with “You’re fucking kidding me—” when Sirius doesn’t quite succeed in disarming him.

“James,” he warns. The name barely comes out, reduced to more of a garble with James having him in a one-arm headlock.

“Sssh,” he hushes as he dials in Regulus’ number.

“Seriously, you’re insane,” Sirius grits out.

“Since when are you against a little bit of fun?

“Fine,” he sharply acquiesces. “Your funeral, but you better fucking keep me out of this.”

There’s peace to be made with that, especially with how Sirius has worked hard to keep this part of his life an ongoing secret from Regulus for a better ten-something years.

Through the binoculars, James can see Regulus with both the cables and a phone he retrieves from his chest pocket, grimace deepening when the device brightens up due to the caller screen. It’s no more than a couple of seconds when he’s greeted by an undoubtedly angelic voice—“James?”

“Hi, baby,” James answers, making sure to sound far more innocent than his current predicament would define him, voice entirely bereft of any hints of evil. “You sound a little bit out of breath, are you okay?”

Three minutes. The great act of fumbling ensues—one in which Regulus has to figure out how to tuck the phone between his shoulder and ear, compose his breathing, and still maintain hawk-sharp focus on the complicated criss-cross mesh of wires that James purposefully left behind in a convoluted tangle. He has to bite down on his tongue when Regulus clears his throat and tries to sound as unruffled as humanly possible in his position, “Fine. Just had to… Run…”

“You and running?”

“I missed the last train.”

“Poor you.” It drawls out, making it all the more pitying, a sure cause for guilt that’s unmistakably bubbling up inside of Regulus. “Waiting on the next one then? I can keep you company if you’d like. I know how much you hate public transport.”

“That’s fine,” Regulus hurriedly answers, now worrying his bottom lip between his teeth. “My battery is running very low so we shouldn’t.”

It’s a tempting look this one: the vein protruding against the thin of his skin, that look of concentration. If Sirius hadn’t been there… “Well, you better get to your hotel quickly then,” James murmurs. “I miss you. You’ve been gone for three days now and we haven’t been able to call during the nights before bed. Can I see your face really quick?”

“No!” Regulus almost shouts into the receiver.

“No?” James asks, trying very hard to come across as hurt, even as a grin is currently cleaving his face in half to the point his jaw hurts.

Clock is ticking.

“No—I mean—I miss you too.” Oh, rambling, Regulus is rambling and if that just isn’t the most adorable thing on earth—“It’s just—My battery is really running low, James. Can we call later? I need Google Maps to figure out where I’m going after this train.”

And because James is just downright terrible, “I don’t know, love, almost sounds like you’re hiding something from me.”

“What?” Regulus falters, cursing under his breath when he zaps one of his fingers trying to wedge them between the wires. “What—What would I possibly hide from you?”

One and a half minute. James has to hurry. Too bad, it’s just so much fun.

“A nice gift, maybe? Bunch of flowers? A box of super fancy chocolates you never let me eat in one sitting?”

Utterly exasperated, Regulus accedes, “Sure, yes. I’ll bring you all of them, okay?”

And because he loves pushing his lucky so, “Call me lovebug before you hang up?”

“James —”  

Sixty seconds

“You don’t love me anymore?”

Fifty-five seconds. Regulus looks like he is seconds away from jamming a knife into the bomb. “Darling,” he starts, almost breathless. James’ jaws hurt from how much he’s smiling. “Lovebug, I love you so much, but I really—Really need to hang up. Please, I promise I’ll call back in a bit.”

“How much do you love me?”

“So much. I miss you a lot. I hate my job. I want nothing more than to come home and crawl into your arms. In fact, I’m considering finally quitting.”

“You’ve been saying that for the past years, yet you won’t.”

“After tonight, I just might. I love you, James. Please, I’m out of time, my battery is running empty.”

God, James is a man besotten. If not for Sirius jabbing in his side, insistently pointing at the timer and urging him to finally interfere, nothing else would’ve pulled him from the daydream that is Regulus Potter-Black

Six seconds.

“Baby?” 

Five seconds.

“James, for the love of—”

Four seconds.

“It’s the green wire.”

Three.

The last thing James sees is Regulus’ eyes blowing wide before he lowers the binoculars and drops the phone onto the ground, smashing it into the concrete beneath his heel.

Two. 

One…

“He’s going to kill you.”

No eardrum-shattering explosion echoes from a few rooftops away after Sirius points out the obvious. For good measure, James destroys the remote detonator as well. “Nonsense, I just helped him defuse a bomb.”

Sirius pulls the mask down his face again, voice muffled by the thick fabric when he speaks, “When he finds out you’re the one who planted it, you’re a dead, dead man.”

James shrugs, carding back his curls to pull down his mask as well. “Well, he’s been trying for the past five years. It’s only fair to level the playing fields for a change.”

notable mention <3: @wordsofwilderness @pretentiouswreckingball @shimshimshirrie

[beatinginavoid]

KineticLife

There was something about new technology that many people seemed unable to resist. Whether it was the latest phone, watch, television, sound system, or any number of devices, they simply drew people in.

Some technology appealed to certain people more than others. It all depended on one’s likes and interests after all.

The newest commercially available gadget that had gotten you all giddy really didn’t look like anything special. It was a tiny device, about the size of a fingernail, and was powered by kinetic motion. It had the ability to wirelessly connect to any of your devices that supported it.

The one downside to this gadget was that it needed minor surgery to install.

For this special piece of hardware had to be placed inside the body to work. More specifically, it was carefully attached to the apex of the heart, where the muscle walls were thickest for safety and maximum grip.

You had just left the hospital after having the procedure done. Your chest felt weird from the local anaesthetic, though getting to see the operation had been worth it. The ultrasound they used to monitor and help locate the apex had been amazing to watch. There, on full view on the screen, was your heart – the hard-working muscle that pumped your lifeblood around inside you. The one organ that drew your attention time and time again.

You could see both atria and ventricles clearly, the valves visibly opening and closing between them, allowing the flow of blood currently invisible on the screen. You couldn’t help but stare, admiring the way your strong little pump rhythmically contracted. The movement flowed elegantly, if not a little violently in its raw intensity. It picked up speed, reacting to the touch of fear and the overwhelming anticipation.

Trying to stay calm in that environment, while indulging in the gift of actually seeing your heart in action in real time, had taken all of your willpower. You wanted the operation to go as smoothly as possible after all.

And it had. You couldn’t wait to get home and try it!

The moment your front door shut behind you, you raced over to your computer and jiggled the mouse to wake it up. The necessary program was already installed and you opened it almost feverishly. KineticLife popped up and you navigated to the Sync option. A quick scan was performed and the window asked if you would like to connect to the following devices: your phone, tablet, laptop, KineticLife implant.

Without hesitation you click on the last option and wait impatiently for the connection to be made. It prompted for a device number and, having the slip of paper ready, you carefully input the sequence. Number confirmed. Connection successful. The program became full screen and finished loading.

So many options! How could you choose which one to try first?

Best to start small, with the basics, and work your way up from there.

…it was a good thing that you and your neighbours had quite a bit of space between houses, otherwise this wouldn’t be nearly as fun. Your speakers were far superior to your headphones.

You select the Audio option and can’t help but gawk at all of the things you can pick from. Basic, keep it basic. You chose Stethoscope and were presented with a variety of auscultation points. This program was thorough. You turned the speaker volume right down and clicked Tricuspid.

A few seconds passed in silence and you slowly began to turn the volume up. A faint thumping could barely be heard and your mouth opened in a little ‘o’. You turned the volume higher, higher, higher, until the sound was booming, bouncing around the indoor space.

BA-THUMP, BA-THUMP, BA-THUMP, BA-THUMP, BA-THUMP, BA-THUMP 

It was glorious! The sound was so crisp and clear. The valves sounded so clean, working beautifully. You poked the program and opted to Show Heart Rate. Numbers immediately appeared in a corner. 89.

You raised an eyebrow and started doing some squats. Your heart quickly sped up and you almost lost yourself in the drumming of the speakers. You stopped at twenty squats and looked at the rate.

BDMPBDMPBDMPBDMPBDMPBDMPBDMPBDMPBDMPBDMPBDMPBDMP

142.

It felt, and sounded, so amazing. You sat down in front of the monitor and let your breathing regulate. Every beat rang through the room, the pace slowing as your cardiac muscle recovered. You watched as the numbers dropped in time with the pounding. KineticLife made you grin widely.

You selected the Visual option, leaving the stethoscope and heart rate options running. Just like the Audio, the Visual section had quite a number of things to choose from.

KineticLife used a mixture of detecting electrical current and state-of-the-art sonar and echolocation technology that bounced off the pericardium to create high-quality images like an MRI. You had seen an ultrasound earlier that day, so you clicked on MRI then Sagittal.

Within seconds a side view, from the immediate left of your heart, emerged on the screen. The monitor was now filled, top to bottom, with a view from just above the right and left atrium, to just below the apex where the implant now lived, a small, dark square. You clicked and dragged your mouse, now enjoying a three-quarter top-down view so that all four chambers were visible.

The cardiac muscle walls and valves were dark, highly visible and contrasted wonderfully against the flow of blood that appeared milky on the screen.

You watch your heart pump, blood rushing in and out of the organ in rhythmic bursts. Each squeeze of the atria, each contraction of the ventricles was perfectly aligned with a ba-thump from the speakers. It was the most beautifully synchronised song and dance you had ever had the pleasure to witness. The rate was sitting at a nice and steady 78.

Twenty squats later you sat back down, enthralled by the fast undulations and whooshing blood.

Bdmpbdmpbdmpbdmpbdmpbdmpbdmpbdmpbdmpb-dmpb-dmpb-dmpb-dmpb-dmpb-dmpbathumpbathumpbathumpbathumpbathumpbathumpba-thumpba-thumpba-thumpba-thumpba-thumpba-thumpba-thump..ba-thump..ba-thump..ba-thump..ba-thump..ba-thump..ba-thump…ba-thump…ba-thump…ba-thump…ba-thump…ba-thump…ba-thump…

From 138 down to 81. What a true marvel of nature’s mechanical engineering capabilities. Far better, cleaner, and more efficient than any man-made motor.

You stared, transfixed, as each part moved in sequence. The left and right atrium, full of blood, squeezed, opened up a valve each, and sent the fluid rushing into the ventricles. The valves snapped shut behind the gush of blood. BA.

The ventricles then contracted, as if a hand had wrapped around them and tightened its grip. The valves to the aorta and the lungs blew open as the blood was pumped through, delivering a new precious load around the body. They too snapped shut after the whoosh of blood. THUMP.

The cycle repeated, the pump working non-stop, each action happening again and again, a cycle lasting less than a second before the next one came along.

You grabbed the mouse and dragged it around again slowly, admiring your heart from every angle in a dream come true. You eyed every twitch and pulse of your cardiac muscle, thrilled at the detail the tiny implanted device afforded you.

And there were still so many options to play with! You were going to be there for a while. At least you had a great soundtrack.

Ba-thump…ba-thump…ba-thump…ba-thump…ba-thump…ba-thump…

-----

I want tech like this. omg. Imagine how much it would cost! -cries in poorness-

Let me 👀 my 🫀

What would YOU do with KineticLife? What settings/options would you want it to have?

[momos-servants]

Zukka modern Day AU except they’re DILFS

It was "Bring Your Parent to School" day, and Zuko found himself dreading it. Not because of his daughter, Izumi, of course, but because he couldn't bear the judgmental glances from other parents and children. Yet, Izumi's pleading puppy eyes persuaded him to attend, so now he faced the daunting task of explaining a legal case to a group of fifth graders. Being a lawyer loses its spark with the kids when they realized he spends most of his day with his head in the books.

Zuko's day began to brighten when he noticed a father and his ecstatic son touring the classroom. He observed how the younger father eagerly listened to his son and gently reminded him to use his indoor voice. Comparing his own suit to the father's casual attire—a light sweater vest with a collar—Zuko realized he should have opted for a simpler outfit that day.

Zuko wondered about the other man's occupation. Maybe he was a business owner, a baker, or perhaps a stay-at-home father! Zuko could see that, definitely. Clueless about what to expect, he was in for a surprising revelation.

The cute man turned out to be a mechanical engineer, bringing an array of gadgets and tools for the kids to explore. Instantly, all the children, including Zuko's daughter Izumi, were drawn to him. Zuko couldn't shake a hint of jealousy as Sokka effortlessly stole the spotlight. Zuko stayed up late last night crafting an entire mock trial and fake props & costumes for the kids!

It’s too bad that the jealousy didn’t last long, because Sokka found him afterwards and rambled to him about how much he enjoyed the mock trail. Of course Sokka also has a passion in law. Of course he could ramble on and on about Zuko’s work. And of course Zuko accept to meet up for coffee later.

[orime-stories]

Day 6 - Halcyon

Solution Nine was the most incredible place T'nali had ever been.

More colours than she'd ever seen before — a bunch of them now layered through her hair and emblazoned across the new clothes she'd picked up as soon as being given free run of the place.

There were shops that sold candy that made your belly glow. And she still wanted one of those things everyone had on their heads that made them go absolutely berserk.

But more than anything in the whole world, she wanted one of those purple bikes.

They lit up. They zipped across the ground. They could fly.

They'd let her test drive one round an indoor track and she needed one of her own. But only residents could sign up for one of their fancy payment plans. And even if she hadn't just blown almost every last gil she had on clothes and gadgets, she still wouldn't have had anywhere near enough for what they were demanding.

Maybe she could take one for another test drive and drive it right out of the whole city. Those stupid soldier things would probably have something to say about that, but they'd have to catch her first. And she was pretty sure she could take them anyway.

But this place was so cool — what if they didn't let her back in?

She probably shouldn't risk pissing everyone off that badly. Yet.

For the Final Fantasy XIV Writing Challenge 2024

Other Entries: Steer / Horizon / Tempest / Reticent / Stamp / Halcyon

[shinsorokiri]

The Rockstar and The Farmer

Sam x Reader

Genre: fluff

Word Count: 3.8k

Warnings: language, spoilers for Sam’s 8 heart event, friendly Sebastian slander

A/N: Okay, so, I said a while ago that the wildest thing happened to me while played Stardew Valley, and it inspired me to write this. It’ll be two parts for sure, maybe three??? Depending on how I feel lol. But I LOVE Sam and this was pretty fun to write, hopefully, the second part will be out tomorrow/later this week. 

part 1 [2] [3?]

You opened your eyes, hearing your rooster scream as your own personal alarm clock. You lay in bed for a moment, reaching out and petting your pup, laying right next to you on your full-sized bed. The morning sun is shining in through your window and warming you up through the glass. These mid-summer mornings on your farm reassure you that you made the right choice in taking it over. You smile to yourself, sitting up and stretching out before getting up and beginning to get dressed for the day. You hear the pitter-patter of your dog’s feet as you prepare yourself a light breakfast, knowing you only need to supervise your crops since the newest gadget you’d made to water them. Honestly, those sprinklers are lifesavers.

You eat what you made, quickly slipping some additional food to your pet, and placing your dishes in the sink. You grab your gardening gloves and throw your bag across your shoulder, ready to go check your crops and animals. You throw open your door, looking down at your dog running out, only for you to hear a soft grunt. You look up to be met with the big eyes of Sam. His hand is up in a knocking position, telling you he was about to make his presence known before you opened the door. And the way he’s regaining his footing tells you your dog bumped into him while running out of the door. You giggle. “Hey, Sam.”

“Hi, farmer… guess what? My band is playing a show tonight. In Zuzu City,” he says, recovering quickly from the awkward start of this interaction, and quickly becoming excited again. “Sam, that’s great!” you say, and he nods, smiling. “Yeah! And you’re invited!” he wiggles his arms above his head in a dancing motion, causing you to laugh. If you were paying closer attention, you would have noticed the blush dusting his cheeks and the fond smile that formed on his face. After all, he did just hear his favorite sound. “Meet me at the bus stop around 12:00 this afternoon to leave for the show. You better be there!” he says, starting to walk backward off of your porch and pointing at you, a smile still on his face. You smile and nod. “Wouldn’t miss it for the world, rockstar,” you tease, slightly, and see his expression get even brighter somehow before running off in the direction of Marnie’s ranch. He must be telling everyone in town about it.

Knowing that he got up early just to come let you know about his show makes your heart beat faster, but since he’s telling everyone, you were probably just a stop in the road. Nothing to dwell on… right? Your pup’s noises bring you out of your daydream, noticing them at their empty water bowl. “Okay, okay! I’m coming!” you say, stepping out onto the porch and reaching to your right to grab your watering can, only to notice it isn’t there. You glance behind you, spotting it next to your house plants, recalling that yesterday was watering day for your indoor plants. You walk in, your door closing behind you. As much as you love your grandfather’s old cabin, Robin was right, it’s definitely janky in some aspects. One of these aspects being that your front door will NOT stay open no matter how much you will it to. You grab the can and take a moment to check over your plants inside, making sure none mysteriously began wilting throughout the night, when you hear a knock at your door. Your eyebrows furrow, wondering who else would need to talk to you at this hour. You open your door only to see the mother of the person who just visited you. “Good morning, Jodi,” you smile at her and she grins back, clutching her side and letting out a large huff of air. You notice she has to catch her breath before she speaks, and because of it, she places her hand in front of her mouth, chuckling a bit. Probably an attempt to cover it up. “…hi, (Y/n)!” A pant. “Whew… that was quite a workout, walking all the way up here,” she says and you nod. “It can be a lot, especially first thing in the morning.”

She nods, standing up straight and taking another breath before speaking again. “Anyway… I came by to ask if you wanted to have dinner with us tonight! With Sam’s show and his birthday in two days, I figured it would be nice to have a fancy family dinner and since you two are so close, I figured he’d enjoy having you there too,” she says, and you grin. “Will Seb and Abi be there too?”

“Oh, maybe, you know them, never giving a solid answer to anything. But, you don’t have to if you don’t want to, don’t feel obligated I know it’ll be a hectic day. If you do decide to come, though, could you please bring a largemouth bass with you?”

“The lake one? Not to be confused with the smaller variety of the same fish found in rivers?” you say, making a bad fishing joke. Like, really bad. Like, that might not even classify as a joke and could just be a thing that you said, bad. Willy is rubbing off on you. But luckily, bad jokes (if you can call it that) are Jodi’s favorite. She laughs, nodding. “That’s right. One of those big, slimy fish from the lake. I need one for the casserole I’m making,” she explains and you nod. “That is absolutely doable, Jodi.”

“Okay! Well… it’ll be at our house around 7:00 pm tonight… don’t forget the largemouth bass! Okay! Bye!”

With that, she starts her trek back to her house. You quickly run to your well, filling your watering can and rushing to fill up the water bowl. You have to go to the lake and fast. If you want to look good for Sam- er… good for the band, you have to set aside some time for you to get ready, and now you need to catch this fish. Luckily, you know exactly what type of bait this type of slimy guy likes, so it shouldn’t take too long. But still. You want to look nice and maybe not smell like a body of water. You do the time math in your head and quickly run around your farm, checking everything and making sure your animals look happy and healthy. As soon as you’re done, you run off to the lake. You silently curse at yourself, realizing you forgot to check the psychic on the TV, meaning you had no idea whether the spirits are happy or upset today. Would you have luck? Who knows. Well, someone knows... just not you. You wave and smile at Linus, who returns the wave with a grin, before settling next to the lake and putting bait on your rod. You toss it out and wait. While waiting, your thoughts wander off to Sam.

You couldn’t deny the feelings you’ve formed for him in your time here. He was constantly inviting you to things with him, Seb, and Abigail throughout your first month, and he would make sure to talk to you at least once every day. Not to mention he would send you memes and jokes all the time. The two of you are, in fact, very close. Some could even consider the two of you best friends. And you were fine with that until about a week and a half ago when you went to visit him in the morning. You figured you’d stop by and say hello and let him know you were heading up to the mines. It’s good to have someone know where you’re going, and you would get to talk to your bestie. Win-win, you know? Since you had such a great relationship with Jodi, you’re allowed to just let yourself inside their house, so you walk through the door, careful to kick your boots off as to not dirty Jodi’s floor. You know how hard she works on that. You sigh, knowing that you’re about to drip on the floors (which she assures isn’t an issue, it’s just the mud from your boots she worries about) and you walk through the empty living room to the kitchen. “G’morning, Jodi,” you say, and she glances behind her, smiling at you. “Good morning, (Y/n).”

“(Y/N)!” Vincent yells your name, running towards you from the hallway into the kitchen. You laugh and crouch down, grabbing him from under his armpits and lifting him up, spinning him around. He lets out a little giggle and you smile up at him. “Hey there, big guy, did you sleep okay?” you ask, placing him back down and he nods. “I had a dream, and you were in it! You, me, Sam, and Jas were all adventuring into the scary barred gate we saw that one time and you were protecting us from the monster!” he starts recounting his dream when you hear a chuckle coming from the hallway. You glance up from Vincent and your eyes land on Sam. He’d just woken up, so his hair wasn’t all styled and you could see how unruly his mullet actually was. But with the morning sun shining on him from the back and the front thanks to the wonderful placement of the windows in his lovely household. It literally made him glow. His green eyes were lit up, even though you could see the exhaustion in them. And has his smile always been that pretty? Or is the sun playing tricks on you? And you could swear there was a light blush on his face. Was that always there? You blink a couple times, realizing you’d been staring, and turn your eyes back to Vincent. “Sounds like you had fun in your dream, huh Vince?” he says, and you notice that not only is his voice deeper in the morning, but you could hear a bit of his Zuzu City accent coming through. And honestly, you wouldn’t be upset if you heard him talk like that every morning. Vincent nods, and Jodi places a plate of eggs on the table, causing him to jump up into his seat and eat his breakfast before going off to play with Jas. You turn your attention back to Sam, and grin, giving him a small wave. “Morning.”

“G’morning. The spirits must be happy today if you decided to visit us first thing,” he says, his hand reaching up to rub the back of his neck. You feel your neck to your ears start heating up, but you give a small laugh. “Well, you know me, your good luck charm.” You proceeded to walk with him to his room and talk a bit before letting him know where you were heading. You could swear you saw his smile falter, but you were probably just imagining things. He made you pinky promise to come knock on his window after you were out (knowing that you stay in the mines decently late), and then you left. But ever since that day, you’d noticed just how… beautiful Sam actually was. And how much you enjoyed being around him and hearing him play his guitar, and sing his songs, and all his cute little quirks and how his city accent sometimes comes out when he’s drunk or too excited or angry or tired and- YANK!

You’re pulled out of your thoughts when you get a bite. You start reeling the fish in, a short but fierce battle before pulling it out of the water. To your surprise and delight, it’s a largemouth bass. And not only that, it’s a GREAT quality largemouth bass. You immediately toss it in your cooler and start to walk back to your farm. You check the time and walk faster. It’s 10AM, giving you about two hours to get ready and head to the bus station. That’s more than ideal, and you feel the excitement start to seep into you as you hurry home. It takes you about an hour and forty-five minutes to get all ready, making sure you look great. And you do. You double-check your animals and crops before hurrying to the bus station. You walk up to the bus, watching as Shane walks on. Sam, who is right next to the bus with Sebastian on Abigail on either side of him, looks around at everyone with his eyes narrowed and jaw set. He looks nervous. Like he’s searching for someone, and then his eyes meet yours. You can see him physically relax and a small smile stretches across his features. “Hi (Y/n). Thanks for coming,” he says as you approach him. You don’t notice the knowing glance that Sebastian and Abigail share before they slowly walk onto the bus and give you two some privacy. “I told you I wouldn’t miss it for the world, Sam, you don’t need to thank me. I’m always gonna be Goblin Destroyer’s number one fan.” You swear the look he gives you makes your heart skip. The fondness in his eyes causes you to smile and look down, too flustered to continue looking into his eyes. You both hear a loud noise, and he turns his head, seeing Pam give him a thumbs up. “Well, our gear’s loaded already. Looks like everything’s set,” he says, grabbing your hands and beginning to bounce up in down in excitement. You giggle and bounce with him as he glances around, using his “loud voice” to grab everyone’s attention. “Alright everyone… let’s get on the bus!”

Everyone starts loading on, and you can’t help but notice Sam doesn’t let go of you to let you get on by yourself. And next thing you know, the two of you are seated next to each other. The two of you just talk for a while, when you notice his leg start bouncing and he’s drying his hands off on his cargo pants. “Sam? You okay?” He gulps. “…I’m starting to get really nervous,” he admits, looking at you with a frightened expression. “Hey, you’re gonna do great! I’ve heard you rehearse so many times and I know how talented you are, okay? And nerves are just misplaced excitement when it comes to things like this. You just care so much, it makes sense that you just wanna do your best,” you assure him, and he gives you a small smile. You reach over and grasp his hand in yours, giving it a little squeeze. “And I’ll be in the front row, so if you start feeling like this at any time during the performance, just pretend it’s us in your room.” He smiles down at your hands and squeezes back. “…Thank you, (Y/n).” He doesn’t let go of your hand for the rest of the trip until the bus slows to a stop and Pam announces to everyone that the bus has arrived. The show was an early one, and they were the opening act of sorts. Of course, you would be staying for the other band's full performance, though. He glances at you, giving you a small grin. “Okay, here we are… wish me luck!”

Everyone gets off the bus, and you go over to Jodi and Vince, talking with them for a while. You also approach Shane, Emily, Penny, Maru, Elliott, and Leah before Seb, Abi, and Sam walk onstage. You hear the crowd clap and Sam jumps in surprise at how many people there are. You see him glancing around the crowd, before clearing his throat and speaking into the microphone in front of him. “Hi everyone. We’re from Pelican Town… er… and we’re called Goblin Destroyer!” More cheers, including yourself. Sam smiles and glances down at you before continuing. “This first song is about farming, mining, and chopping wood.” With that, Abigail starts counting them in with her drumsticks before they start playing. You’ve heard the lyrics a million times now, but you can’t help but smile and jump around with the melody the whole time. You do for every single one of their songs. Their set finally finishes, and the crowd cheers for them. Sam hypes up the main act for a while and lets the crowd know that their demos are for sale before they leave the stage, and come down to meet everyone else. Everyone crowds around them, yelling their praises. “Woooh! That was great!”

“Nice work, guys!”

“I really loved that heavy breakdown at the end.”

“Thanks, everyone,” Sam says, and then smiles at you, “But you really should be thanking (Y/n)! Without their help, we’d never have decided what kind of music to make in the first place!”

Penny turns to look at you with a pleasant expression on her face. “So you’re like an honorary member of the band then?”

“Damn right they are!” Sam exclaims, pulling you into a side hug. You have to pretend like you don’t want to be swallowed up by his arms right then and there, but luckily the main act begins playing and you all start vibing to their sound.  Though you can’t help but notice that for the rest of the performance, Sam’s arm barely ever leaves your waist.

By the end, everyone starts piling back in the bus again, and you take your seat next to Sam. He’s practically buzzing after his performance, and you can’t help but stare at him for a bit. He looks good. And, yeah, okay, he always looks good but he looks GOOD right now. You can practically feel the happiness exuding from him, and it shows. Not to mention he’s still a little sweaty from performing, and his hair has lost a little bit of its sticking up with gel style. To others, it probably looked like he needed a shower but to you? He looked absolutely breathtaking. “What are ya staring at, farmer?” His voice has a teasing tone to it, and you quickly look away. You clear your throat and glance back at him, only to see a smug smirk on his face. Seems like performing brought his confidence back at least. You awkwardly point toward his head and mutter out, “Your hair is a little messed up…” in a pathetic attempt to make it seem like you weren’t staring at your best friend because he looked hot as hell. He glances upwards, chuckling and running his hand through his hair. “I’ll fix it later… you did like the show… right?”

“Of course I did!” you reassure him, and he smiles. “Good. You know… I wasn’t lying when I said you were a huge help...” he brings his hand to the back of his neck and you grin at him. “All I did was suggest what type of music you should play,” you insist, and he shakes his head. “And help me with lyrics, and help me with song ideas, and sat in my room with me and helped me figure out what sounded good and what didn’t, and-”

“Okay. Okay, maybe I did help a lot.”

“You did,” he assures, gently knocking his shoulder into yours. A smile breaks out on your face and you glance over at him. “Seriously though, thanks for coming. Guess you really are my good luck charm,” he jokes and you smirk. “Obviously, who else would be?”

“Sebastian.”

“Um, excuse me? The forlorn wizard who is too scared to ask out his childhood crush,” how hypocritical of you to say, “and laments in the rain while petting frogs would be a better good luck charm? You know, I play wizard in The Solorian Chronicles, too, Seb always just beat me to it, and every time he’s the wizard I can’t help but notice he isn’t a very good good luck charm for you,” you huff, and Sam starts laughing. Hard. “Woah, woah, woah, calm down there mage. You’re right, it’s not him, it’s definitely you. We should really do something about getting them together, though, now that you mention it.” You nod and make an approving noise. “Fuck yeah I’m your good luck charm.” Cue more giggles from Sam, making a smile break out on your face. Little did you know, this whole time the two of have been talking, Jodi has been observing you. She’s not blind, especially when it comes to her son. She can tell that there’s something more than a best friend relationship between the two of you, and maybe, just maybe, she also is holding on to that idea because she’s also good friends with you. While, yes, she did just want you to come over for dinner tonight, she really was hoping tonight would be the night that you turned from her little boy’s best friend into his partner. She can tell that it’s getting consistently harder for him to pretend that he doesn’t like you romantically. He’s lucky you were too busy playing with Vincent to see the lovesick look he had on his face when looking at you the morning that Vince’s yells and giggling woke him up earlier than usual. She knew at that moment that the chance of you becoming her in-law was a high probability. Okay, maybe she’s getting a bit carried away here, but she can tell that there’s something going on there. Especially when she notices Sam not so subtly throw his arm around your shoulder and instead of responding negatively, you just lean into him further and lay your head on his shoulder. Jodi could practically die right then and there.

The two of you remained that way for the rest of the bus ride, formulating a plan to get Seb and Abigail together. “We could maybe do something tonight if they come over for dinner,” you suggest, and Sam raises his eyebrow. “I didn’t realize mom invited them over for dinner,” he says and you cock your head to the side. “Well, she invited me, so I just assumed she would invite them too, since... y’know… Goblin Destroyer and all…” you say, and Sam shrugs. “They didn’t mention anything to me, and neither did mom… but that’s fine! We don’t need to do it tonight… you said she invited you though, yeah?” he asks, his voice sounding a little nervous. You nod, “Yeah… yeah she came over shortly after you this morning. When we get back I’m gonna go grab the fish she asked me to get and then head over to your place and help her prepare.”

“Cool… cool, that’s great! I didn’t realize we’d be spending all day together, but… hey, I’m not complaining,” he says and you smile. “Me either.” Conveniently, you feel the bus come to a stop, signifying you’re back in Pelican Town. Sam reluctantly takes his arm off of you, and you can’t help but notice it seems a little colder without it there. “Seb, Abigail, and I are gonna unload our gear, so I’ll see you in like… an hour? Or so?” You nod. 

“Yeah, see you then.”

[louisupdates]

The Habit He Can’t Break, 1/4

IQ 123 | Gordon Masson | 9.11.2023

Usually, when an act completes a world tour, they come off the road for an extended period to rest, record new material, and then typically two or three years later, the wheels are set in motion for an album, released, promo, and tour dates.

Louis Tomlinson did not get that memo.

His first solo tour ran late due to the pandemic restrictions, meaning that by the time it concluded in September 2022, his second album, Faith in the Future, was scheduled to drop and tickets for the associated tour were ready to go on sale.

“This tour went on sale late October or November - basically a year in advance,” explains agent, Holly Rowland, who represents Tomlinson alongside Alex Hardee, internationally, while Wasserman Music colleagues, Marty Diamond and Ash Mowry-Lewis do likewise for North America. 

Despite that quick turnaround between tours, Rowland reports that ticket sales for the current tour are going very well indeed. “The first leg went through Scandinavia before doing the Baltics and Eastern Europe – Romania, Bulgaria, and Greece – places that most people, especially arena-level acts, don’t really go. And the second leg, which is more mainland Europe, started 2 October.”

The tour is big. Very big for just a second outing in his own name. 

Between May and July this year, Tomlinson played 39 dates in the US and Canada across a mix of amphitheaters, arenas, pavilions, and stadiums. In August, he returned to Europe, where he currently is in the midst of another 39 dates in arenas across the continent and the UK, which will take him to 18 November. Then, in early 2024, the Faith in the Future tour goes to Australia for two outdoor dates in Melbourne and Brisbane, before he takes the show to the country’s biggest indoor venue, the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney.

And, as IQ went to press, Louis Tomlinson released dates for a return to Latin America in May 2024 for a mix of indoor and outdoor shows, including stadia, across Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Panama, Paraguay, Puerto Rico, and Uruguay.

“We’re going to Australia and part of Asia early next year,” states artist manager Matt Vines of London-based Seven 7 Management. We then go into Latin America in May and June. And then we’ll handpick a selection of festivals next summer, before we draw the line on the campaign at the end of the summer.”

Rowland comments, “The tour before obviously was a Covid tour where the dates had to be chopped and changed. The positive aspect of that was that we were able to upgrade venues where that made sense. But it was really nice to start from scratch on this tour to make sure the routing was all going in the right direction.”

Back to You

Playing a major role in shifting that ticketing inventory is a network of promoters also enjoying Tomlinsons rising star.

“On this tour, it’s mainly Live Nation – we use a lot of the One Direction promoter,” explains Rowland. “But for Greece, we used Honeycomb Live, Charmenko did Romania, 8 Days A Week promoted the three shows in the Baltics, All Things Live did Finland, Fource are doing Orague, it’s Gadget in Switzerland, Atelier in Luxembourg, and when we get to the UK, it’s SJM, and MCD in Ireland.”

With a total of 39 European dates, Rowland split the outing into separate legs, scheduling a break after Scandinavia, the Balkans, Baltics, and Athens, Greece, and another after mainland Europe, ending in Zürich, Switzerland. 

“It’s a perfect ratio, if I do say so myself,” she laughs. “It was right to split it up – 39 dates is a long, long tour, especially with the American tour throughout the summer being 11 weeks! We made sure to schedule days off, for everyone to recharge their batteries.”

In Spain, Nacho Córdoba at Live Nation promoted Tomlinson’s shows in Bilbao, Madrid, and Barcelona, and reports sell-outs at each of the arenas involved. 

“When Louis was last here, it was three days before the pandemic shut everything down in Spain. In fact, I think he played the final show before the market closed because of Covid.,” says Córdoba.

“Last year, Louis organized his Away From Home Festival in Fuengirola, and that also sold out, so we know he has a big following in Spain, and we also know that Spanish fans are super loyal. So, on this tour we sold out 7,000 tickets at Bilbao Arena Miribilla, 13,600 tickets at Wizink in Madrid, and 11,200 at Palau St Jordi in Barcelona.”

Already looking forward to Tomlinson “and his fantastic team” returning on the next tour, Córdoba believes it will be important to see what happens with the next album – and Tomlinson’s expectations – before making any plans. 

“The most important thing is to keep the fans happy and keep the momentum building with Louis,” he states. “I am a big fan of the arenas, because the atmosphere at his shows was incredible. So, rather than look at going bigger, it might be a case of looking at other arenas in other markets. Whatever he does, we cannot wait to have Louis back in Spain.”

Stefan Wyss at Gadget abc Entertainment in Switzerland promoted Tomlinson when he visited Zurich’s Hallenstadion on 23 October and explains that he previously played the city’s Halle 622 venue on the first tour.

Recalling the debut solo outing, Wyss tells IQ, “At first, we announced a mid-size theatre club show, 1,800-capacity, but it sold out instantly. Then we moved it to Halle 62, which is 3-500-cap and that also sold out immediately, so it was a really big success. 

“They’ve invested a lot in the production of this current tour, and it’s doing really strong numbers, so that’s why we decided to go to the arena this time around, where we set a mid-size capacity of 7,000, which is good for a small market like Switzerland, especially because he’s coming back just one year later and playing a much bigger show.”

Wyss adds, “He’s kept the ticket prices reasonable – and he never wants to do any gold circle or VIP tickets. I think that’s why he’s so close to his fans, because it’s not about maximising profits. Another reason for his success is that in addition to attracting a mainstream audience, he’s also getting the music lovers because he’s just a very good songwriter and has brilliant songs.”

Wyss also notes that with many young fans typically arriving the day before the concert, the responsibility to look after them is extended. “We set up toilets, we have security overnight, we give water away. It’s part of the organization that we will take care of the fans.”

Fresh from announcing 12 dates across Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Peru, Paraguay, Panama, Puerto Rico, and Uruguay, promoter Fabiano Lima De Queiroz at Move Concerts reports that Tomlinson will visit a mix of arenas, as well as stadiums in Santiago, São Paulo, and Buenos Aires, during his May tour.

“Our first tour with Louis was supposed to be in 2020 and we’d booked half arenas everywhere – 5,000–6,000 capacities,” he informs IQ. “Louis was one of those acts who connected very well with the fans during the pandemic, so when we shifted the dates, first to 2021, and then to 2022, we ended up selling out and having to upgrade in certain metropolitan markets.”

2/4, 3/4, 4/4

[dailytomlinson]

Faith In The Future Tour (Behind The Scenes) for IQ

Full interview with Matt Vines, tour promoters, agents and more people involved in the making of the tour under the cut:

Usually, when an act completes a world tour they come off the road for an extended period to rest, record new material, and then typically two or three years later the wheels are set in motion for an album release, promo, and tour dates. Louis Tomlinson did not get that memo. His first solo tour ran late due to the pandemic restrictions, meaning that by the time it concluded in September 2022, his second album, Faith In The Future, was scheduled to drop and tickets for the associated tour were ready to go on sale. 

“This tour went on sale last October or November ‒ basically a year in advance,” explains agent Holly Rowland, who represents Tomlinson, alongside Alex Hardee, internationally, while Wasserman Music colleagues Marty Diamond and Ash Mowry-Lewis do likewise for North America.

Despite that quick turnaround between tours, Rowland reports that ticket sales for the current tour are going very well indeed. “The first leg went through Scandinavia before doing the Baltics and Eastern Europe ‒ Romania, Bulgaria, and Greece ‒ places that most people, especially arena-level acts, don’t really go. And the second leg, which is more mainland Europe, started on 2 October.”

The tour is big. Very big for just a second outing in his own name.

Between May and July this year, Tomlinson played 39 dates in the US and Canada across a mix of amphitheaters, arenas, pavilions, and stadiums. In August, he returned to Europe, where he is currently in the midst of another 39 dates in arenas across the continent and the UK, which will take him to 18 November. Then, in early 2024, the Faith In The Future tour goes to Australia for two outdoor dates in Melbourne and Brisbane, before he takes the show to the country’s biggest indoor venue, the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney. 

And, as IQ went to press, Tomlinson released dates for a return to Latin America in May 2024 for a mix of indoor and outdoor shows, including stadia, across Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Panama, Paraguay, Puerto Rico, and Uruguay. 

“We’re going to Australia and part of Asia early next year,” states artist manager Matt Vines of London-based Seven 7 Management. “We then go into Latin America in May and June. And then we’ll handpick a selection of festivals next summer, before we draw the line on the campaign at the end of the summer.”

Rowland comments, “The tour before obviously was Covid tour where the date had to be chopped and changed. The positive aspect of that was that we were able to upgrade venues where that made sense. But it was really nice to start from scratch on this tour to make sure the routing was all going in the right direction.” She reports, “We’ve done nearly 16,000 tickets in Amsterdam, and 14,000 in Paris, which I think just underlines his credibility as an artist and his growing reputation among fans.”

Playing a major role in shifting that ticketing inventory is a network of promoters also enjoying Tomlinson’s rising star.

“On this tour, it’s mainly Live Nation ‒ we use a lot of the One Direction promoter,” explains Rowland. “But for Greece, we used Honeycomb Live, Charmenko did Romania, 8 Days A Week promoted the three shows in the Baltics, All Things Live did Finland, Fource are doing Prague, it’s Gadget in Switzerland, Atelier in Luxembourg, and when we get to the UK, it’s SJM, and MCD in Ireland.”

With a total of 39 European dates, Rowland split the outing into separate legs, scheduling a  break after Scandinavia, the Balkans, Baltics and Athens, Greece and another after mainland Europe ending in Zurich, Switzerland. 

“It's a perfect ratio, if I do say so myself,” she laughs. “It was right to split it up ‒ 39 dates in a long, long tour, especially with the American tour throughout the summer being 11 weeks! We made sure to schedule days off, for everyone to recharge their batteries.”

In Spain, Nacho Córdoba at Live Nation promoted Tomlinson’s shows in Bilbao, Madrid, and Barcelona and reports sell-outs at each of the arenas involved. 

“When Louis was last here, it was three days before the pandemic shut everything down in Spain. In fact, I think he played the final show before the market closed because of Covid,” says Córdoba. 

“Last year, Louis organised his Away From Home festival in Fuengirola, and that also sold out, so we know he has a big following in Spain, and we also know that Spanish fans are super loyal. So, on this tour we sold out 7,000 tickets at Bilbao Arena Miribilla, 13,600 tickets at WiZink in Madrid, and 11,200 at Palau St Jordi in Barcelona.”

Already looking forward to Tomlinson “and his fantastic team” returning on the next tour, Córdoba believes it will be important to see what happens with the next album ‒ and Tomlinson’s expectations ‒ before making any plans.

“The most important thing is to keep the fans happy and keep the momentum building with Louis,” he states. “I am a big fan of the arenas, because the atmosphere at his shows was incredible. So, rather than look at going bigger, it might be a case of looking at other arenas in other markets. Whatever he does, we cannot wait to have Louis back in Spain.”

Stefan Wyss at Gadget abc Entertainment in Switzerland promoted Tomlinson when he visited Zurich’s Hallenstadion on 23 October and explains that he previously played the city’s Halle 622 venue on the first tour.

Recalling that debut solo outing, Wyss tells IQ, “At first, we announced a mid-size theatre club show, 1,800-capacity, but it sold out instantly. Then we moved it to Halle 622, which it 3,500-cap, and that also sold out immediately, so it was a really big success.

“They’ve invested a lot in the production of this current tour, and it’s doing really strong numbers, so that’s why we decided to go to the arena this time around, where we set a mid-size capacity of 7,000, which is good for a small market like Switzerland, especially because he’s coming back just one year later and playing a much bigger show.”

Wyss adds, “He’s kept the ticket prices reasonable ‒ and he never wants to do any gold circle or VIP tickets. I think that’s why he’s so close to his fans, because it’s not about maximising profits. Another reason for his success is that in addition to attracting a mainstream audience, he’s also getting music lovers because he’s just a very good songwriter and has brilliant songs.”

Wyss also notes that with many young fans typically arriving the day before the concert, the responsibility to look after them is extended. “We set up toilets, we have security overnight, we give water away. It’s part of the organization that we will take care of the fans.”

Fresh from announcing 12 dates across Argentina, Brazil (x 3), Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Pery, Paraguay, Panama, Puerto Rico, and Uruguay, promoter Fabiano Lime de Queiroz at Move Concerts reports that Tomlinson will visit a mix of arenas, as well as stadiums in Santiago, São Paulo, and Buenos Aires during his May tour.

“Our first tour with Louis was supposed to be in 2020 and we’d booked half arenas everywhere ‒ 5,000-6,000 capacities,” he informs IQ. “Louis was one of those acts who connected very well with the fans during the pandemic, so when we shifted dates, first to 2021, and then to 2022, we ended up selling out and having to upgrade in certain metropolitan markets.”

“In Santiago, for instance, we’d sold out two full arenas of 13,000 cap, but then the government declared that for mass gatherings the numbers needed to be limited to 10,000 people.”

Rather than let fans down, Move added a third date, which again ended up selling out. “I remember being on a night plane from Miami, while Matt Vines was flying in from Dallas, and we were both using the aircraft wi-fi to negotiate via text for that third show,” says Queiroz. “It was an interesting way to confirm putting the third date on sale, just three days before the actual show!” 

He adds, “We’re taking a big bet on this tour when it comes to the number of cities and the capacities of the venues, but we’re hoping for the best and we’ve gone out strong. We feel that the artist is in a good moment and that the latest album has just created more interest, so we’re looking forward to when he arrives in May.”

Further north, Ocesa will prompte three dates in Mexico, including a stadium show at the F1 circuit, Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, deepening Tomlinson’s footprint in that crucial North America market. 

Meanwhile, in Tomlinson’s homeland, Jack Downling at SJM is promoting seven UK dates in November at arenas in Sheffield, Manchester, Glasgow, Brighton, Cardiff, London, and Birmingham, which will round out the European leg of the tour.

“SJM has done every show Louis has been involved with, including all the One Direction arena and stadium shows,” notes Dowling, adding that on the first tour, the London show was originally pencilled in as a Roundhouse, then two Roundhouse shows, before finally being upgraded to Wembley Arena.

“This time, The O2 arena show in London will be sold out, while all the others have passed the expectations of where we wanted to be on this tour. In fact, when the UK dates were announced, it ranked as the fourth most engaged tour on social media in SJM’s history ‒ his fans are just nuts.”

But Downling also reports that the fanbase for Tomlinson is expanding. “The demographics are pulling not just from pop but also from indie rock now.”

Downling adds, “Louis really looks after his fans. On the last tour they did a deal with Greggs {bakery chain} to give free food to the people waiting in line, as some of them camped out for days in advance.”

Ensuring his fans are looked after properly is the number-one priority in Tomlinson’s live career. 

Noting that Tomlinson’s audience comprises mainly young women and girls, Rowland reveals that, at the artists’s insistence, a safety team has been added to the tour to ensure everyone that attends his shows is looked after. “Thry manage all the safety within the shows for the fans,” she explains. “They came in for the Wembley show last year and have been with us ever since ‒ they’ve been beneficial to the running of the tour.”

“When he played in South America, some of his fans were camping outside for a month. So we have a responsibility to look after them. Coming to a show should be a safe space, it’s where they find joy, and we have a responsibility to protect that.”

Manager Vines comments, “One issue we came up against almost all last year was crushing and fans passing out. We adopted a system where we could communicate with fans, who could hold up a mobile phone with a flashing red-and-white sign if they were in trouble but then we’d see them all popping up.”

“I don’t know whether some of that was a hangover of the pandemic where fans just weren’t used to being in venues. But we experienced a number of situations where hydration and temperatures in venues became an issue. I know Billie Eilish went through similar issues.”

With Tomlinson determined to meet a duty of care towards his fans, Vines says that the team now sends a “considerable advance package” to promoters ahead of their tour dates. “Our safety team goes into venues in the morning and basically ensures that a number of different things are in place ‒ making sure that water is given to the fans, where the water comes from, and at what points in the show it happens.”

And on the crushing phenomena, he reports, “We’ve worked out how many fans it’s safe to have without a secondary barrier. So we instruct promoters to have certain barriers in place to relieve that pressure and avoid crushing.”

He adds, “I get detailed incident reports after each show, which lets myself and my management team know exactly what happened, and so far on this tour, we haven’t had any issues with crushing or hydration, which is fantastic.”

Production manager Craig Sherwood is impressed by the way the tour has pivoted to protect the ‘Louies’. “The welfare officers are vital for the young girls who are aged from, I guess, 14 upwards. They can get dehydrated and malnourished pretty quickly if they are camping out for days, so it’s important that we look out for their wellbeing,” says Sherwood.

Citing the extremes that the Louies will put themselves through in an effort to secure themselves prime positions at the front of the stage, Sherwood recalls, “The first show on our US tour was in February, and it was freezing, but we found out that girls had been camping out on the pavement for five days. It’s crazy, as we know these young girls are coming from all over the world to see Louis.”

However, Tomlinson’s connection with those fans is evident in the level of merchandise sales at each show. “It’s a huge part of our business,” says Vines. “In America, we averaged about $36 a head, and it’s not much shy of that in Europe ‒ we’ve set a few national records in terms of spend per head. But we spend a lot of time on merch plans, and we do venue-specific drops and give it a lot of care and attention, as it’s a really important element of Louis’ business.”

Making sure that the Faith In The Future tour delivers Tomlinson to his growing legion of fans, PM Sherwoord’s long association with artist manager Vines made him the obvious choice when the artist first began his solo career.

“I remember doing a lot of promo dates around the UK and US before we started touring properly,” says Sherwood of his work with Tomlinson. “In fact, one of the first shows I remember doing with Louis was in Madrid when he played in a stadium, and I could see it was a taste of things to come.”

The partnership between Sherwood and Vines is crucial.

“In terms of the show growing, our biggest challenge is keeping costs down, because we’re extremely cautious on ticket pricing,” says Vines. “We don’t do dynamic pricing, we don’t do platinium ticketing, we don’t do paid VIPs, we don’t increase ticket prices on aisle seats ‒ all those tricks that everyone does that most fans don’t know about: we don’t do any of those.”

“So, when it comes to the production side of things, we need to be incredibly careful. But I’ve been working with Craig for a decade, and he knows the importance of trying to keep costs as low as possible. For instance, we’ll run the show virtually a number of times so Louis can watch it with the show designer, Tom Taylor, make comments and tweak things. Then we’ll go into pre-production. But we try to do as much in virtual reality as possible before we take it into the physical world.”

Sherwood states, “Basically, we started out with two or three trucks, but now we’re up to nine, and things seem to be getting bigger day by day.”

Thankfully, Sherwood has amassed a vastly experienced crew over the years, allowing them to handle even the most unexpected scenarios. “I’ve been touring since the dawn of time, but the core crew I work with now have been together since about 2010, and I trust them implicitly, so I leave it up to them who they hire, as long as they think I’m going to like them, and they’ll get along with everyone. So far, it has worked well,” Sherwood reports.

And that veteran crew has dealt with some terrifying weather extremes on the current tour, including a show at Red Rocks in Colorado where the audience were subjected to a freak storm with golf ball-sized hailstones injuring dozens of people.

Elsewhere, the crew has had to act quickly when the threat of high winds in Nashville caused problems on that outdoor run. “We didn’t want the video screens blowing about above the heads of the band, so it must have been amusing for the audience to see us taking them down,” Sherwood reports.

Indoors in Europe, the environment has been more controllable. The production itself involves an A-stage set 180 degrees across the barricades, although Sherwood says that on occasion a catwalk is also used by the performers.

“It’s a great lighting show and fantastic for audio, as we have a phenomenal front-of-house sound engineer ‒ John Delf from Edge Studios ‒ who makes life very easy for the rest of us,” says Sherwood. He also namechecks Barrie Pitt (monitor engineer), Oli Crump (audio system designer), Tom Taylor (lighting designer), Sam Kenyon (lighting technical director), and Torin Arnold (stage manager), while he praises Solo-Tech for supplying the sound, and Colour Sound Experiment (CSE) for taking charge of lighting video, and rigging equipment.

Indeed, CSE has ten personnel out with the Faith In The Future tour. “We have eight screens on the road ‒ six on stage plus two IMAGS that we use wherever appropriate,” the company’s Haydn Cruickshank tells IQ.

“We need to tweak the rigging on a daily basis, as we move to different venues, but other than that it’s a fairly smooth process thanks to Craig Sherwood. He is old-school and planned and worked on the production very far in advance, which is a great scenario for all involved. Craig is definitely one of our favourite production managers to work with.”

Garry Lewis at bussing contractors Beat The Street is also a fan of PM Sherwood.

“Craig split the European tour into different runs. So, from Hamburg to Zurich, we had two super high-decker 12-berth buses for the tour party and two 16-berth double-deckers for the crew,” says Lewis. “After the show in Athens, we still have the two super high-deckers, as Louis loves them ‒ he prefers to spend time on the bus, rather than in hotels ‒ but we also have two 12-berth super high-deckers for the crew, as well as another crew 16-berth double-decker.”

Lewis continues, “We’ve worked with Craig for a good few years, and we have a great relationship with him. He plans everything way in advance, so it means it’s all very straightforward for us with no issues. So, we use single drivers for each bus, except on the longer runs or when our drivers are scheduled for prolonged breaks, and then we’ll fly in extra drivers as needed.”

With the production travelling to Australia in early 2024, before shifting to Latin America, Andy Lovell at Freight Minds is gearing up to become involved with Tomlinson once again.

“We did the Central and South America dates on the tour last year, and onto Mexico,” says Lovell. “It was very challenging back then as we were still coming back from Covid, and various systems and infrastructure were in pieces. But it all went well in the end, as we kept an eye on things and worked on it every day to make sure we had solutions to everything that was thrown our way.” 

Lovell continues, “Things on this tour kick in early next year for us. Historically, Australian services were quite reliable, as we could use any number of airlines. But post-pandemic, the number of long-haul flights still aren’t as frequent as they were. As a result, the production is being reverse engineered with the budget being worked out before we can see what we can afford to take as freight, and then we try to plan accordingly.”

“Similarly, in Central and South America there are still just a fraction of the flights operating, compared to pre-Covid, so that makes it very challenging. If there aren’t the flights to handle the gear, then you have to start looking at chartering aircraft, or alter your schedule, and that can become very expensive, very fast.”

With everyone working on the artist’s behalf to make sure the tour remains on track, being able to call on such experienced production experts is paying off on a daily basis.

Sherwood notes, “There are a few back-to-back shows over long distances that occasionally mean we don’t arrive at the next venue until 11am, rather than 6am. But we’ve never failed anywhere to open the doors on time, so we know we’re capable of getting things done, even if we have a late start at mid-day.”

Such dilemmas are not lost on agent Rowland. “It’s not so much the routing, it’s more like the timings, because Louis does have two support acts, so the show starts at 7 o’clock, and then when we’re done, we need to load out to get to the next show in good time for loading in the next morning and soundchecks, etc.”

Nonetheless, Sherwood admits that he loves the trickier venues and schedules. “Because I’m a dinosaur, I relish anything that makes things difficult or awkward for us on the production side of things,” he says. “I think everyone on the crew looks forward to challenges and finding the solutions to problems.”

Having amassed millions of fans through his association with One Direction, Tomlinson very much has a ‘pay it forward’ attitude to music and is building a reputation as a champion for emerging talent, wherever he performs. 

“He’s a great advocate for alternative music,” says manager Vines. “Louis realises that he’s in an incredibly privileged position in terms of what he can create in terms of awareness. He loves alternative music and indie music, and he understands how hard it is for that music to be heard. But we have this amazing platform where we can put these bands in front of these audiences as a showcase that allows them to build these authentic new audiences. It’s a hude part of his love of music, wanting to help younger bands.”

Rowland agrees. “He took an act called Andrew Cushin ‒ a very new artist ‒ on the road in America with him as his support, and he’s doing the same for Europe. Louis is a fan and is championing his career.”

Indeed, Tomlinson’s A&R skills have knock-on effects for his agent, too. “He asked me to confirm the Australian band Pacific Avenue as support for his Australian tour last year. The music was great and they didn’t have an agent, so now I’m representing them!” says Rowland.

As the European tour speeds toward its conclusion, agent Rowland is enjoying every minute of it.

“It’s incredible ‒ they’ve really stepped things up,” she says, fresh from seeing the show in Athens and Paris. “They’ve got 6 hanging LED screens on the stage, and the whole production just looks polished and professional.”

And Rowland is especially excited about next year’s Latin America dates, which will deliver her first stadium shows as an agent.

“The return to Latin America is going to be huge ‒ Louis is playing arenas and stadiums in South America and Mexico: 15 shows in 11 countries,” she says.

Vines is similarly enthused. Harking back to the Covid situation, when a show would go on sale, sell out, be postponed, and then rescheduled in a bigger venue, Vines says, “For example, in Chile, originally the show was scheduled at a 5,000-cap, half-capacity arena in Santiago. And what we ended up doing was three nights at 10,000-cap in that same venue.”

Vines contends that Tomlinson’s work ethic is outstanding. “He loves his fans, and he loves performing for them, it’s as simple as that,” he says. “He just loves being on the road and seeing how the songs connect live. In fact, the second album was very much written with the tour and live shows in mind ‒ ‘This song could work live,’ ‘This one will open the set,’ ‘This is the one we can do for the encore.’”

Another element to Tomlinson’s psyche has been his decision to visit places off the usual tour circuit. 

“Louis has a real desire to perform to fans in markets that are often overlooked,” says Rowland. 

Manager Vines explains that while the Covid-delayed first tour allowed them to upgrade venues pretty much everywhere, “On this tour, we’re a bit more competent on venue sizes, but we still speculate a little bit in different territories. In Europe, for example, we’ve gone into the Baltics and a number of different places to test the markets there, while in America, we are looking at A and B markets but also tertiary markets as well ‒ we go to places where people just don’t tour in America, just to see what the reaction is. That was something that very much interested Louis ‒ to play in front of people who don’t normally have gigs in their town. So there’s been a lot of experimentation on this tour in terms of where we go and what room to play.”

That concept is something that Vines has employed before. “I manage a band called Hurts who were pretty much overlooked by the British radio system and we have spent 15 years building a business outside of the UK. And that was built on going to play at those places where people didn’t normally go. They built to multiple arena level in Russia, for instance.”

“If you can build fanbases in lots of different places, you have festivals that you can play every summer, as well as youring those places. It allows you to have more consistency over a number of years, by having more opportunities.”

Such a strategy found a convert in Tomlinson. Vines tells IQ, “Louis also is extremely fan-focused in everything that he does. He comes at it from a perspective of ‘I want to take the show to them,’ meaning he’s always more willing to take the risky option to try something out.”

And the results? “It’s a combination,” concludes Vines. “There have been a couple of places where we now understand why tours don’t go there. But there are more places where it’s worked incredibly well. For example, we enjoyed incredibly good sales in Budapest. And overall, it’s allowing us to get a clearer idea, globally, of where the demand it, which will help us when we go into the next tour cycle.”