#music directory list

[katz-chow]

part 1 | part 3

ghost distribution system where you’re now sat on the tail gate of his truck, awaiting him to finish changing your tires as you eat the food that he made you. which is terrific by the way.

he has insisted that you sat inside to avoid the bugs and the chilly wind, but you said you didn’t mind. he replied he did and grumbled something you didn’t quite hear and went to make you put on his much bigger jacket.

so you sat there, a bowl of soup in your hands as you watched the sunset, your music blasting from the small speaker in his car, windows rolled down. you watch him change all your tires as the sky got darker.

“do you always do this?” you asked him as you slurp your soup from the bowl. his jacket now taken off from you and merely draped over your shoulders, your body warm from the soup.

he hummed in replied, a silent question for you to repeat yourself. he sets down the last tire on the stack just outside his garage and walked over to you, wiping his hands on a rag. “what do you mean?”

“you know…stalk people’s cars, out cryptic notes on their dash…take them home and i guess now what? kill me?” you ask him, the last part jokingly as you chew on the spoon you’re using.

he gives you a side glance as he huffs a laugh, looking away from you and thus, ignoring your little comment.

“hey! look at me when i talk to you!” you tell him as you hit his shoulder playfully. the sun was starting to set, streaks of orange and yellow and red filled the sky.

he turned to look at you, just like you had commanded him. he’ll always listen, you know. “did you know i actually really like sunsets?”

even with his balaclava on, you can see the crunch of his eyes as he gives you a soft smile. his twinkle, and not just from the sun. you smile at him. “i didn’t. what i also didn’t know was that you can cook.”

“i’m guessing that you’re saying it’s good?”

“very…i don’t think i could live without it.”

ghost nodded slowly and looks back at the sky. “this is the first time someone’s been at my house.”

you raised your eyebrows in shock as you leaned and tilted your head towards him, trying to catch a glimpse of his eyes to search for the truth. “you’re kidding.”

the weight of his pick-up shifted as he leaned back into it, shifting his weight onto the metal. he shakes his head and uses his heel to kick at the pavement underneath. “would you like to come back?”

you giggled and leaned back yourself, your palms keeping you. “dunno…will you cook?”

“always”

“tomorrow?”

“forever? i can change your tires again…”

master list | letter box | main directory

stop by the letter box!

[rebouks]

Keeping Lag to a Minimum...

I was chatting about a few things I do to combat lag over on discord and realised I do quite a bit of maintenance to reduce lag/load times. I decided to write em all down and before I knew it, I had a big ol' list. Here's hoping it helps!

Save/File Tips:

Clear your caches (located in the same spot as your mod folder fyi) I usually delete the onlinethumbnailcache, avatarcache and localthumbcache caches every time I exit the game, the main one to delete regularly is the localthumbcache file, they're just temporary files but it can get pretty big after a while.. if you're having any mod issues, particularly ui ones, it's always worth deleting that to see if it helps.

Remove any saves you're not using from your saves folder, and keep an eye on save file sizes. In my experience, any saves over around 30-40mb start to get a bit laggy. Things that bump this size up are the amount of townies in game and the amount of lots/objects in the world.

Regarding the above point, I regularly bulldoze lots I don't need anymore, just to save the game from having to cope with extra shit to load in the background and reduce save file bloat.

Similarly, I delete a lot of unnecessary townies. Also, try to keep the amount of outfits on townies to a minimum, ain't no townie need four swimsuit outfits, the game will thank you..

If you have cheats enabled you can usually shift-click/delete object on things like random coffee cups or stray cupcakes sims foolishly drop around the world (or eat em.. whatever tickles ur pickle) just get rid!

Whilst we're keeping objects in game to a minimum.. I try to clear sims inventories now and then, including townies. You can do this via mccc even if you're not currently playing that household by heading to MC Cleaner -> Sell Sim Inventory/Sell Household Inventory. RANDOM LUMPS OF CLAY BEGONE!

Think of a save file like a lot.. the more objects in it, the laggier it gets! Try your best to remove anything or anyone unnecessary where you can.

Hit "Save As" instead of "Save" now and then - the more you overwrite a save, the more chance it has of going wonky, treat your game to a fresh one now and then and remove the old one from your saves folder (maybe don't delete it right away in case you wanna roll back, keep it somewhere safe).

If you can (although ik it can be a pain) set up a new/fresh save, you'd be surprised how bogged down old ones can get! For legacy players, it's usually best to do this whenever you have a small family to save yourself some pain, since you can just save the household and take em to a new save (you will lose sims inventories/household inventories/relationships with sims outside the household tho so beware! Pictures/other collectables can be saved to a lot however, and you can always cheat back relationship bits etc.. bit of a last resort but new saves are shiny and fast!)

Make sure your Screenshots/Video folders are empty - move em somewhere else, it works, trust me. If you have a lot of custom music installed try n' clear some of those out too.. the smaller that Sims 4 directory is, the better.

Delete any last exceptions/last crashes (same spot as your mod folder again) you don't need em unless you're planning to upload em somewhere for help.

Settings Etc:

If you get a bad lag spike, opening the main menu and/or saving can randomly stop this. If it doesn't, try exiting the game, clearing your localthumbcache and restarting.

Clearing all notifications from the game panel can also help.

If you can, close all other apps and background apps you don't need whilst playing, ts4 is super memory hungry so it can definitely help.

The GraphicsRules Override file by Simp4Sims can reduce lag/latency and make your game look a little better in the process!

Srslysims Simulation Lag Fix mod can help reduce lag too (if you've altered the game speed via mccc tho, don't use this unless you plan on resetting it to default).

If you aren't keen on, or barely use a pack, consider disabling it.

Not ideal, especially for those of us taking screenshots, but lowering the graphics settings whilst playing definitely helps.

If you use re/g-shade, consider switching it off whilst playing and only turn it on for screenshots.

A clean and tidy pc/laptop runs better in general. Remove anything you're not using/don't need anymore to free up space, remove temp files, clean up your folders now and again etc etc.. especially that dreaded mod folder, speaking of...

Managing Mods:

SORT OUT YOUR MODS FOLDER FOR THE LOVE OF GOD.. skdsjdjs it doesn't have to be immaculate but at the very least try n' clear it out now n' then. Also try to separate your script mods/overrides from the rest, patch days don't need to be so stressful ;-;

Personally, I don't merge my mods; if something breaks it's much harder to pinpoint! It makes it easier to find/delete specific mods too.. and let's face it, there's usually one or two items in that set you could do without lmaooo.. also, don't think it helps much tbh! Yeah you could say the game doesn't have to work as hard to load merged files but that's debatable, it's still the same amount of items/polys at the end of the day ¯\(°_o)/¯

If you like merging files and/or see results from doing so, you can merge stuff you definitely know you're never getting rid of, especially CAS/BB stuff.. but steer clear of merging gameplay/script mods! If a merged file seems to be the culprit when using the 50/50 method, try unmerging it and 50/50ing it again! You might not need to get rid of everything if something's borked.

Bulk Rename Utility can be used to remove all spaces and special characters from your mod files, the game doesn't particularly like loading those so it'll thank you.

The Sims 4 Mod Manager is a great way to sort through your mods, you can easily see, move and delete files from here (not great for build/buy, poses etc as thumbnails are usually missing, but great for CAS stuff). An extra hint with this that I've noticed is that if any of my mods get renamed with [D1] at the beginning after looking through them via the mod manager, it means it's a duplicate file so you can get rid.

I also use the Sims 4 Tray Importer to help me sort through mods. Simply save a sim/lot with any cc you don't want and find it in the importer, you can then go through all the cc in the cc tab and delete/sort it (I also use this to sort cc if a bunch has the wrong tags etc, makes it easier to find in my folders by saving em to a lot or w/e - it also spots duplicates which is handy).

It's a ballache, but the 50/50 method is tried and tested if you're having issues.

I like to keep an abandoned cc folder tucked away somewhere, that way you can remove mods willy nilly without stressing about losing them. If you change your mind, you can always grab it back!

[grandline-fics]

Immune To Your Charms

DESCRIPTION: Soulmates are incapable of harming the other in any way. Normally that would be a good thing but not when you're meant to be enemies.

WARNINGS: It's Doflamingo so he's his own warning. Don't read if he's not someone you enjoy reading fics about. Talk/threat of violence but nothing too explicit. Enemies to Lovers. Soulmate! AU

CHARACTERS: Doflamingo

WORDS: 3,989

A/N: Was working on this on and off since the last chapter and inbetween requests and the Valentines Event. Been feeling rough between a mix of things the last couple of days and decided to get this finished to cheer myself up. As always thank you everyone for your support with everything I post, not just this fic. I appreciate it so much and I hope you enjoy everything this chapter brings.

*REQUESTS ARE OPEN*

DIRECTORY | PROMPT LIST | KO-FI

Chapter One | Chapter Two | Chapter Three | Chapter Four | Chapter Five | Chapter Six | Chapter Seven | Chapter Eight | Chapter Nine | Chapter Ten | Chapter Eleven | Chapter Twelve | Chapter Thirteen | Chapter Fourteen(here) | Chapter Fifteen | Chapter Sixteen(coming soon)

——————

“So all this time you could have been playing and you chose not to?” You paused in your soft playing to look over at Doflamingo as he sat at his desk, sorting through the last of the day’s paperwork he needed to attend to. “There’s a literal room dedicated to and filled with instruments. You could have been playing from the first day you woke up.”

“I could have, yes.” You agreed carefully, glancing at the instrument you’d lowered onto you lap when he spoke. “But I didn’t.” Vergo’s short visit was yesterday but since then you’d kept the violin close by when he revealed it was waiting in your quarters. It hadn’t surprised you that morning when you’d stepped out of your room to begin your lazy paced walk to Doflamingo’s office that you were hoisted over the Warlord’s shoulder. That was the norm now, what did surprise you though was that when you saw his free hand twitch and saw you violin case appear in his hand.

You made no comment about it, you didn’t need to. By bringing it with him, it was clear Doflamingo wanted to hear you play and after not getting to for so long you weren’t going to deny yourself from doing something you loved. So while he worked, you played whatever you felt like while making sure to keep the volume respectable enough. 

“Why didn’t you?” Doflamingo pressed, unsatisfied with your answer. He watched you adjust the violin against your shoulder once more to start playing again and he clicked his tongue, truly only a little disgruntled at your continued independence and complete lack of regard for fulfilling his curiosities or wishes. Your attitude didn’t fill him with the original insult and anger as it had done. He’d grown accustomed to it now that in the time you were sick and spent more of your time sleeping that he found himself missing your spirited and combative nature.

Now it was more of a game, and this was your move. Not giving up, Doflamingo waited until you started playing again before acting. As the music filled the room once more he sat back in his seat and curled his fingers. The feather-tipped pen on his desk sprang into the air and twirled silently, swaying to the music you were creating. Doflamingo’s grin grew as the feather drew closer to you, while you were blissfully unaware. 

Then with another twitch of his finger, the soft edge of the pale pink feather skimmed suddenly against your cheek. Instantly you jumped, your hand jerking and causing a sharp shriek of the bow against the strings to ring out, drowning out the sound of Doflamingo’s laughter. Sharply you snapped your head over your shoulder. You glared at the feather as it wiggled tauntingly in front of you but not touching. Your gaze flickered behind the pen to glower at Doflamingo. “Was that necessary?”

“It’s your own fault.” Doflamingo grinned with an unapologetic shrug, arching his fingers again to  make the feather close the distance with you again and this time it rapidly moved against your neck. With a small huff and reflexive laugh you swatted at the irritating little object. Knowing you wouldn’t be playing anymore, you set the violin aside and shuffled further down the sofa to try and get away from it only to see it lazily pursue you. “Answer my question.”

“Do the people of Dressrosa know they’re being ruled by a complete child?” You asked playfully, while managing to knock the pen of its course momentarily with your violin bow. “I did answer your question. It’s not my fault it wasn’t interesting enough for you, your Lordship.”

“King, not Lord.” Doflamingo corrected, rising from his seat and approaching slowly. When you shifted away from the still assaulting feather once more your back hit against the armrest of the sofa, stopping any further movement. With an effortless and silent jump, Doflamingo cleared the back of the sofa and perched himself on the cushions, plucking the feather out of the air and poising it over your face, tickling your nose. “C’mon your reluctance tells me there’s an actual answer you’re not saying.”

“Your persistence tells me that you’re so bored you’re just looking for any sort of distraction. Even a stupid question is enough.” You responded, lifting a finger to push the pen out of your face. You took in his face as he continued to stare you down, waiting. Finally you sighed. “I didn’t look to play in the beginning because I didn’t own them. They weren’t mine to play.”

“You still sick because you’re not making sense?”

“I like what’s mine, I’ve had this violin for years. I didn’t want to just play any random one I came across.” You said with a small shrug. “It might not entirely make sense but that’s the answer.”

“But they were there to be used. Whatever your reasons, you still should have just taken whichever one you wanted.” Doflamingo told you with his usual relaxed grin. “You see something you want, you take. That’s the only right way to live in this world.”

“Maybe for a King who doesn’t have to lift a finger-at least not in the traditional sense- to get anything he wants.” You explained, reaching up to flick your finger against the tuft of pale pink of the feather he had been using to pester you. “Sometimes it’s more rewarding to get something through earning it or it being given willingly.”

“Such a naive thought.” Doflamingo chuckled, It wasn’t the first time he’d heard this kind of thought or viewpoint and wasn’t surprised to hear it voiced from you. Especially given how your Marine file indicated nothing of a wealthy or noble upbringing. As rational as you were, you still most likely were raised in a  quaint little island somewhere, comfortable enough but still from a working family that foolishly believed in the power and good that a hard day’s work would bring. In a way it was endearing. “Such a shame you haven’t been brought around to my way of thinking yet.”

“Now who’s being naive?” You asked with a light smirk. “Maybe you should come around to my thinking for a change? Might do you some good to entertain another viewpoint for a change.”

———

“You’re serious?” You asked the doctor with a small, hopeful smile. You’d paused your breakfast with Doflamingo when the doctor knocked on the door. “No more infection? None at all?”

“Completely cleared.” The doctor reconfirmed with their own pleased smile. You let out a sigh of relief. You were only recently getting back into eating proper meals and while your energy levels weren’t what they had been before you’d gotten sick you had felt an improvement; albeit a small one. “It’s still our recommendation that you take things easy for another week or so. Nothing strenuous just yet…” You arched an eyebrow when the doctor’s gaze briefly flickered to your bed. Quickly the doctor cleared their throat and bowed low, mostly in an attempt to hide the blush on his face. “W-well if there’s nothing else needed of me. I’ll be going.“

“Sure.” You said with an amused smiled. “Oh and thank the other doctors for me. It can’t have been easy tending to me for so long.”

“Oh not at all!” The doctor dismissed you with a smile, not used to gratitude. “You were a model patient.”

“I know I was.” You grinned before jerking your head to the man sitting opposite you. “I was talking about him. Sorry he was such a murderous pain in the ass for you all.”

“Don’t apologise on my behalf.” Doflamingo piped up, finally joining the conversation. His grin stretched when you turned to look at him incredulously.

“Okay, apologise yourself.” You challenged, facing him fully. “Own up to your shameful behaviour. Let the self-improvement begin.”

“Not going to happen.” Doflamingo laughed, only to tilt his head when you suddenly kicked his leg, not that it was possible for you to hurt him. It was more of a surprise. 

“Well at least thank him for saving me.” You instructed firmly, reaching for your mug to take a sip. As you peered at Doflamingo from over the rim of the cup you added in an all too sweet tone. “Surely you’re brave enough to stomach offering that small amount of praise.” 

Doflamingo’s jaw twitched slightly at your challenge. He wouldn’t deny the fact that your full all-clear had pleased him and you were becoming more and more like your usual self prior to being sick. Still the fact you were demanding him to be nice to someone who was doing the very thing he ordered him and his colleagues to do. Where was his thanks? Under your unwavering stare and his now restless need to get the still hovering doctor out of your room so he could continue with his meal and day in relative peace. “Yes, yes fine. You all did a satisfactory job, pass on my acknowledgement to the others and get back to work.”

“You’re far, far too kind my King! Thank you.” The doctor praised before quickly making the final steps to the door and leaving hurriedly. When the door clicked closed you let out a short scoff. 

“So heartfelt Doffy, I think you made his whole year with your sincere gratitude.”

“He and his colleagues are all alive.” Doflamingo laughed. “That’s the clearest sign of my sincere gratitude to them and they’re thankful for that every day.”

“Such a calm and loving working environment you’ve created.” You said with a gentle sarcasm as you finished your drink and stood from your seat. “They’re truly blessed to have you ruling them. Speaking of rule, what’s your plan for today?”

“Nothing urgent. Diamanté wants to discuss the next big Coliseum tournament that I’ll have to make an appearance for the opening and closing ceremonies.” Doflamingo stood and walked with you towards your door. “Also have to oversee some weapons shipments at the docks. Why, wishing to join me?”

“Listen to Diamanté ramble on and on for god knows how long?” You asked turning to look at him with a scowl as your fingers curled around the handle but not opening the just yet. “Tempting but I’ll pass.”

“And the docks?” Doflamingo grinned, he’d already anticipated your response to being in the same room as his elite officer. The only one you disliked being around more was Trebol. 

“Maybe, I mean it’ll depend on how long Diamanté keeps y-” 

Abruptly the door opened from the other side and you turned. The edge of the thick door rammed against your cheek. You let out a shocked gasp at the impact but quickly met the panic-stricken face of the servant as they realised what had happened. Behind you you felt the temperature drop as the icy, murderous rage of Doflamingo. Roughly you shoved the servant out of the partly opened doorframe and back into the corridor, ordering them to go before you spun to slam the door closed. You used your body to block the handles and stared hard at Doflamingo as his bloodlust rolled off his shoulders in waves. It had all happened in a couple of seconds, it had been an accident, simply bad timing but all you could think about now was stopping the carnage. He was all but towering over you now, his hand moving to reach behind your back to grab the handle so he could hunt any and all servants in his path until he got to the right one. “Move.”

Defiant as always you pushed his arm away and adjusted your back against the sturdy double doors behind you. Had you not been his soulmate you wouldn’t have even been able to stand in his way or be able to easily move his hand. Then again, this whole thing wouldn’t have been happening if you weren’t his soulmate. He would have killed you long ago at the island he came across you at. Roughly Doflamingo grabbed your upper arm to pull you away and move to open the door but again you negated his strength by throwing your weight back to slam the door closed once more and grip his wrist of the hand on your arm. “Just take a breath and calm down.”

“I’m going to tear them to pieces.” Doflamingo growled down at you, his teeth bared and free hand ready to reach for the door. “Now. Move.”

“You’re overreacting!” You snapped, refusing to budge and you tightened your grip on his wrist when you saw the vein on his head throb harder. “I’m fine!” Even at your insistence he wasn’t listening, with his anger was at an all-time high. When he made another determined move to get you out of his way so he could slaughter mindlessly you grabbed the front of his shirt and yanked him down. Before he could make his move, you made yours and kissed him. You’d originally done so because it was the only thing left you could think to distract him, to give the servant at risk enough time to get out of the vicinity. 

The second your lips connected with his though, it pulled you back to the night you’d both kissed for the first time. The same all consuming feeling came over you both again, lips moving together in a progressively powerful and fiery kiss. Pulling your hand away from his wrist you threaded your fingers into the hair at the back of his head at the same time his hands gripped your hips. Instead of trying to move you away from the door, he stepped forward pressing you against it. Feeling his body against yours you could feel the agitated tension coiled in his muscles slowly begin to lessen as his aggression turned to hunger. You felt it too, same as last time the pull and craving for Doflamingo was instantaneous, for only a second you considered that if anything the feeling was stronger. But still there was that equal hesitance to give in any further into the temptation clawing closer and closer to the surface of both yours and Doflamingo’s restraint. You pulled back slowly from the dizzying kiss and took a breath. 

“Calmed down yet?” You asked, voice soft and slightly dazed. Your fingers in his hair dropped to the back of his neck, moving them slightly to relax the knot of tension still there. Doflamingo felt his eyes begin to close at the action. Just as he’d seen your fingers move masterfully when you played the violin they moved against his tight knot, coaxing it to unwind.

“Stop trying to control me. I’m the King of this place remember?” He forced out with a deep breath, forcing his eyes to open and look properly at your face. Silently he searched for where you’d been hit. With the sound of the impact there had to be a mark…somewhere. “Where hurts?”

“Nowhere. I told you I’m fine.” You explained softly and it was the truth. The only reason you’d gasped was because you were more startled than anything but the door hitting your face hadn’t hurt. There wasn’t even so much as a stinging or dull ache. You said nothing when Doflamingo’s hand lifted from your hip to curl under your jaw and angle your face. He leant in closer and inspected you closely. It was just as you’d said, no mark. No nothing. His eyes flickered to your lips and this close once more your calm breath fanned lightly over his face, pulling him towards you once more. Just before he could make a decision on whether to kiss you again or pull back he heard Diamanté’s voice calling for him through the corridors. “You should go before he disturbs the whole Palace.”

Doflamingo straightened and dropped his hands from you at the same time you did the same and finally stepped to the side to let him go. 

“You know there’s nothing to stop me finding that servant. Right?”

“I know.” You nodded gently, you weren’t an idiot. You knew it was a possibility every day that Doflamingo could kill anyone he wished-not including yourself-and no force in the world could still his hand completely. “At least now if you do, you’ll do it with a clear head and hopefully won’t kill others at random on the way.” From outside you heard Diamanté call again and you rolled your eyes, gesturing to the unblocked door. “Of you go. Kingly duties await.”

———

Doflamingo worked through the day, letting Diamanté talk for a little longer than he normally entertained. He even went with the elite officer to the Coliseum to watch a couple of the matches, needing something to distract him from the still persistent feeling of your lips against his. Even hours later it felt like you were still there, consuming his thoughts of the tempting softness and warmth. When not even a string of bloody brawls was enough to completely take his mind off of things he moved on to the docks, deciding to get the work done. 

Once again he spent a little longer than normal overseeing the weapons being packaged and loaded onto their vessels and sent off to their destinations. It brought him a small amount of enjoyment to see his underlings become paranoid messes, trying to work out why he was observing them so closely and trying to impress him with their diligent hard work. For some though, their attempts at impressing him only brought about clumsy fumbles from their nervousness. Just enough to amuse him, not enough to infuriate him or get them punished.

Finally when the sun began to hang low, casting Dressrosa’s sky into a soft amber he journeyed back to the Palace. As he walked through the corridors he heard the sound of footsteps approach. Looking ahead he watched as a servant turned the corner and into his line of sight. When the servant saw him, their eyes widened and they froze. This wasn’t the usual everyday apprehension that the servants held around him. This was terror. At first he wondered what would be the reason but then it came to him. This was the servant that had caused the incident this morning. Slowly his grin stretched into one of cruel calculation. 

The servant was a trembling wreck, sweat already breaking out along their hairline as they stood rooted completely in place without him even needing to force them to stay. With lazy strides, Doflamingo drew closer to their whimpering form as they awaited their punishment that he silently contemplated handing out as he closed the distance. Quickly he lashed his hand out and then settled it on their shoulder, a deep rumbling chuckle building in his chest as they flinched and blinked in shock when no attack came. Doflamingo leaned in towards the shaking servant. “Since there was no harm done, it seems only fair I let you off with a warning.” He explained smoothly, his words causing only more confusion and panic to shape their expression. “Be warned this is only a one time thing. You step out of line again-in any way I will take great enjoyment in slowly torturing you until you’ll end up thanking me when I eventually kill you. Understand?”

Rapidly the servant nodded, able to have that much self-preservation to pull together enough strength and focus to respond to their King. Doflamingo grinned and squeezed the servant’s shoulder, just enough to make him let out a pained yelp but not enough to cause permanent damage. Lifted his hand and allowed the servant the freedom to finally scurry off but when he was only a couple steps away he tensed his fingers, halting them from going any further. Slowly Doflamingo approached the man again. “You’re probably smart enough to have come to this realisation already but just incase it needs saying…” he began, speaking low and dangerous. Commanding the servant’s complete but frightened attention. “You are never to go near them again. Accident or not your actions need some sort of consequences. Wherever they go, see to it you are always in the opposite direction. Otherwise we’ll count that as the ‘stepping out of line’ thing we talked about.” 

Suddenly Doflamingo rose and continued on his way, deciding to forgo the family dinner in the dining room. Instead he stopped another servant and told them he’d be eating in his own quarters. Stepping inside he shut the door and settled down in his sofa, kicking his legs up onto the cushions and stretching out. With a small groan he tilted his head back and rubbed his temples while letting his eyes close. At the sound of the door opening without being knocked first he let out a scoff. There was only one person brave enough. You. Keeping his eyes shut he listened to you enter and close the door. “Not like you to come to my room.”

“You always barge into my room.” You spoke simply coming to a stop at the back of the sofa. Lazily you folded your arms and looked down at him. “Thought I’d return the favour.”

“That all?”

“Well I was curious about the lack of screams of pain.” You admitted with a small smile that he returned even though he couldn’t see your expression. “Came to investigate. So what did you do with him?”

“Nothing. He’s still alive.” Doflamingo informed you before letting out a small, dark laugh. “Until he messes up again anyway.”

“Wasn’t expecting that. So what made you practice restraint this time?” As you asked you stepped around the sofa and perched on the edge of the cushions, taking the small amount of space available near Doflamingo’s side. Wordlessly Doflamingo shifted slightly, unconsciously making a more comfortable space for you to sit. In doing so his hand settled on your leg but you made no comment about it, instead you were more interested in the answer for Doflamingo’s rare moment of leniency for the servant.

“Didn’t feel like it, too tired.” 

“Liar.” You accused with a smirk. Leaning down you pressed a soft kiss against his lips. This one wasn’t as intense or passionate as the one you’d shared that morning but it still served its purpose in conveying the gratitude you had for Doflamingo’s unspoken reason that he had spared the servant’s life because of you. Pulling back you felt Doflamingo’s stare finally settle on your face when his eyes opened.

“What was that for?”

“Consider it a reward entertaining my viewpoint instead of just doing it your way.” You explained with a playful smile tugging at your lips. From the door to Doflamingo’s quarters a small knock sounded and the servant from the other side called, inquiring if he was ready for his dinner. “I’ll leave you be to eat in peace.”

When you moved to stand you were stopped by Doflamingo’s hand twitching on your leg. Wordlessly you gave Doflamingo a questioning stare. “You came all this way to barge into my room. You may as well make the most of it and stay for dinner.”

Normally your only shared meals together were the breakfasts in your room. But after everything that happened today shifting things yet again, you were losing track of what ‘normal’ meant between you both anymore. There wasn’t much point in refusing his offer tonight after two kisses-both of them being something you initiated- so you nodded and gave him a mostly playful look. “Just dinner, though.”   

“Of course but just remind yourself of that.” Doflamingo chuckled, shifting to sit up. Before he got off the sofa and answered the door for the patiently waiting servant he couldn’t help but whisper in your ear. “Those kisses were all your doing. Not that I minded though.”

——————————————-

TAG LIST (If I’ve missed anyone or if you want to be added just let me know) @3v37773, @tsaaps , @i-am-all-love-puns-and-lazy , @sanemisnonexistenteyebrow , @fiery-captain-spider-santa, @kabloswrld , @atanukileaf , @ane5e , @stuckinthewrongworld , @deathsmajestysworld , @cloudysunset04 , @chillerkiller , @extremely-ashtridic , @decayingpizza , @liesatemyocean , @ace-for-ace , @nerium-lil , @destynelseclipsa , @dreamcastgirl99 , @my-name-is-heartache , @iamn1ya ,  @yunho-leeknow , @hinata7346 , @h0oouwlss , @missrandomdreamer , @sleepykittycx , @ddawn111 , @jaygrl22 , @sylum , @acehyacinth , @resident-cryptid , @treelogirl , @maellem , @its-a-dam-blue-brick , @thulhu , @appalost , @dindjarins1ut , @irumawife , @laidenbreecatchall , @redwolfxx , @jevoislesbrasdemer , @schanwow , @pao198391 , @glitchtricks94 , @nina-ya , @48daisies , @sagyunaro , @artemis162534 , @thecraftywriter , @rorozorolover , @yagirlsmuchelle , @engenemoazen

[fluentmoviequoter]

A Very Handsome Boy

I used @avada-kedavra-bitch-187 's idea based on 4x05 "A.C.H"! I hope you like this!!

Pairing: Tim Bradford x fem!reader

Summary: While you're at a party, your friends mistake a cop for a stripper. He has a way you can make it up to him.

Warnings: some stripper jokes but it's clean, fluff! spoilers for 4x05

Word Count: 1.6k+ words

Masterlist Directory | Tim Bradford Masterlist | Request Info/Fandom List

You’ve been smiling since you walked into the party. Your friends, and the friends of friends of friends that have been invited through the grapevine, have definitely become the life of the party. The music is up and easy to dance to, plenty of food and drinks are prepared in the kitchen, and the people around you having a good time, which makes it even easier for you to have a good time.

“There you are!” your friend yells over the bass thumping through the speakers. “I thought you left.”

“Why would I leave?” you ask, raising your voice to match hers. “This is the best time I’ll have this month!”

“Now that we took the aux cord from Wade,” she agrees, laughing. “I don’t think I could take another millennial girl song.”

You laugh with her, prepared to make another joke about her boyfriend’s odd taste in music. Before you can speak, someone knocks loudly on the front door while, in a bedroom, your friend is yelled for.

“I’ll get the door,” you offer.

“I hope it’s the pizza!” Wade yells from the kitchen. “I’m starving!”

“Eat your chimichangas!” your friend jokes as she walks down the hall.

You roll your eyes fondly and approach the front door. As you open it, you’re surprised to see an attractive man in a police officer uniform standing on the stoop.

“Who called a stripper?!” a girl behind you yells excitedly.

“Oh, no,” the man before you interjects. “I’m-“

“Coming inside!” another partygoer finishes.

Several girls around you pull him inside, and though you can see his head shaking, you can’t make out what he’s saying. As you step between two people you don’t recognize to get closer to him, your eyes widen because his uniform looks too real.

You push closer to him, trying to tell everyone to back up, but they’re too busy looking at him and yelling over the music to hear you.

“Guys, stop!” you yell.

This time, they listen, but your demand is punctuated by a loud rip. You close your eyes and exhale before you look up at the police officer. His uniform has been ripped across one of his sleeves and the chest, and you don’t know whether to laugh or cry while apologizing profusely.

“He’s not a stripper!” you add as a handful of dollar bills are thrown toward him.

“Just…” the man begins, clearly annoyed and tired. “Just turn the music down.”

Someone runs to the speaker and turns the dial to an acceptable level. A couple girls apologize as they pass the police officer, but you step closer with your hands interlaced tightly.

“I am so sorry,” you begin. “There’s no excuse, but I’ll pay for the damages to your uniform, and I-“

He waves his hand gently to stop you before gesturing toward the door. You nod and follow him quietly out of the front door. You apologize again when it closes behind you and the party sounds are muffled.

“It’s fine,” he interrupts. “I’m Tim Bradford, by the way.”

You introduce yourself without giving him time to speak before you offer to pay for his uniform again.

“Actually,” he begins slowly. “There is another way you could repay me.”

You furrow your brows at his vague suggestion, and he glances toward the door when the music grows louder again.

“I’ll turn it down,” you promise.

“I was going to ask you out,” Tim corrects.

Halfway to the door, you stop. Turning slowly, you’re surprised Tim's eyes are on yours.

“If you don’t want to, I understand,” he adds. Tim has had his eyes on you since he opened the door, and despite the ripped uniform and the teasing he is guaranteed to get from his fellow officers, he’s glad he took this call. If only to meet you.

“I- I’d like that,” you answer softly.

Tim extends his phone to you and watches as you put your name and number in his contacts. Your phone buzzes in your pocket when he texts you his name, and you hold it before your stomach as you step backward toward the door.

“I’ll call you when my shift ends,” Tim says. “Keep the music down so I can wait until then, would you?”

“You got it, officer.”

Tim shakes his head before he returns to his shop. As he pulls away, you inspect the picture you took without him knowing. The ripped uniform may be bad for him, but it’ll make a great story for you, even if he doesn’t call later.

“So that’s what you look like in a shirt that doesn’t tearaway,” you joke when you open the door.

“The other one wasn’t tearaway,” Tim replies. “That’s for amateurs.”

“I really am sorry about that.”

“I’m not. Luckily, I did manage to hide the shirt and the story from everyone except my watch commander.”

Tim smiles, and you match his grin as you say, “I’m glad you can laugh about it.”

“You’ve been laughing about it since it happened.”

“I have not!” you argue. “I saved you, remember?”

“Yeah, that was really brave,” Tim agrees sarcastically. “It’s not the worst call I’ll ever be dispatched to.”

“If it was, I’d be offended.”

You follow Tim to his truck to get a late dinner, and as you talk and laugh together, you know that, without a doubt, going to that party and letting it get so loud is the best thing you’ve ever done.

A few weeks later, Tim invites you to visit him at the station and you happily agree. You’ve loved almost every moment of your relationship with Tim, and even when things aren’t as easy to love, he is.

“You must be Tim’s guest,” a woman says as you enter the Mid-Wilshire station. “I’m his best friend, Angela Lopez.”

“Right, I’ve heard about you,” you reply before introducing yourself.

“So, how did you meet my favorite no-nonsense cop and convince him to have company at work?”

“She was at the party on Halloween,” Tim answers. “Hi,” he says to you.

“Wait, you met her on a call?” another officer asks.

“These are our rookies, Jackson, Lucy, and Nolan,” Angela fills in for you. “They’re also the nosiest cops you’ll ever meet.”

“Wasn’t the party a noise disturbance?” Nolan inquires.

“It was,” Tim says. “She opened the door and then I was being pulled inside.”

“Some of my friends thought he was a stripper,” you explain further.

Jackson’s eyes widen as he slaps his hand over his mouth to keep himself from laughing.

Tim glares at Jackson as he adds, “Ripped my uniform and everything. At least they tipped well.”

“They ripped your uniform?” Lucy repeats.

You nod and pull your phone from your pocket to find the picture. After you show it to Lucy, she begins laughing so hard that she has to walk away and find somewhere to sit so she doesn’t fall. Every time her laughter slows, she sees Tim and starts anew again.

“I have so many questions,” Nolan says.

Angela and Jackson hold your phone to evaluate Tim’s stripper look. His eyes are on you, however.

“Save ‘em,” Jackson tells Nolan without looking up. “No one will ever mistake you for a stripper.”

“What does that mean?” Tim asks, turning his shoulders to face you.

“You’re really handsome,” you answer, smiling at him. "I'm sure it happens to very handsome boys all the time."

Tim shakes his head, but you can tell he’s hiding a smile. You’ve been smiling since you met him, and if he had to get his uniform ripped to see your smile, Tim would do it a hundred more times.

[vaadazen-codes]

How To Get Started Making Visual Novels

Wanna make a visual novel? Or maybe you've seen games like Our Life, Blooming Panic, Doki Doki Literature Club, etc. and wanna make something like that? Good news, here's a very basic beginners guide on how to get started in renpy and what you need to know going in! Before you start, I highly recommend looking at my last post about writing a script for renpy just to make it easier on you!

LONG POST AHEAD

Obviously, our first step is downloading it from their website

thankfully, its right on the home page of their site. Follow basica program installation steps and run the program. I highly recommend pinning it to your task bar to make it easier to access.

From there, you're met with the renpy app, it's a little daunting at first but let's talk about what all these buttons are for.

Projects

This part is simple, it just lists the current projects in the chosen directory. You probably won't have any in there of your own. You should still see Tutorial and The Question!

Both of those default projects are super helpful in their own ways, i highly recommend testing out the tutorial and playing around with it just to get comfortable with some of the basics.

Create New Project

The first step to actually making your game into a game!

You'll be met with a prompt letting you know that the project is being made in English and that you can change it. You can click Continue.

From here, you'll be asked to input a project name! Put in your games title, or even a placeholder title since this Information can be changed later! (this is also the title the folder will be in your file browser, be sure to name it something you won't overlook)

Now we get to choose our resolution!

If you have no idea what to choose, go for 1920x1080! This is the standard size for most computer monitors and laptops, but it will still display with moderately decent quality on 4k monitors too!

You can choose 3840x2160 as well. This is 2x the measurements of the default, with the same ration. These dimensions are considered 4k. Keep in mind, your image files will be bigger and can cause the game to have a larger size to download.

Now we get to choose our color scheme!

Renpy has some simple default options with the 'light mode' colors being the bottom two rows, and the 'dark mode' colors being the toop two rows.

You can pick anything here, but I like to choose something that matches my projects vibes/colors better. Mostly because depending on how in depth you go with the ui, it minimizes the amount of changes I need to make later.

Click continue and give it a minute. Note: If it says "not responding" wait a moment without clicking anything. It can sometimes freeze briefly during the process.

Now we should be back at our home screen, with our new project showing. Let's talk about allll that stuff on the right now.

Open Directory

This just opens that particular folder in your local file explorer!

game - is all the game files, so your folders for images, audio, saves, and your game files like your script, screens, and more.

base - this is the folder that the game folder is inside of. You can also find the errors and log txt files in here.

images - takes you to your main images folder. This is where you wanna put all of your NON gui images, like your sprites, backgrounds, and CGs. You can create folders inside of this and still call them in the script later. EX: a folder for backgrounds , a folder for sprites for character a, a seperate folder for spirtes for character b, etc.

audio - Takes you to the default audio folder. This is empty, but you can put all your music and sound effects here!

gui - brings up the folder containing all of the default renpy gui. It's a good place to start/ reference for sizes if you want to hand draw your UI pieces like your text box!

Edit File

Simple enough, this is just where you can open your code files in whatever text/code editor you have installed.

Script.rpy - where all of your story and characters live. This is the file you'll spend most of your time in at first

Options.rpy - Contains mostly simple information, like project name and version. There aren't a ton of things in here you need to look at. There is also some lines of code that help 'archive' certain files by file type so that they can't be seen by players digging in code however. Fun if you want to hide some images in there for later or if you just dont want someone seeing how messy your files are. We've all been there

Gui.rpy - where all of the easy customization happens. Here you can change font colors, hover colors, fonts, font sizes, and then the alignment and placement of all of your text! Like your dialogue and names, the height of text buttons, etc. It more or less sets the defaults for a lot of these unless you choose to change them later.

Screens.rpy - undeniably my favorite, this is where all of the UI is laid out for the different screens in your game, like the main menu, game menu, quick menu, choice menu, etc. You can add custom screens too if you want, but I always make my own seperate file for these.

Open Project - this just opens all of those files at once in the code editor. Super handy if you make extra files like I do for certain things.

Actions

last but not least, our actions.

Navigate Script - This feature is underrated in my honest opinion, it's super handy for help debugging! In renpy you can comment with # before a line. However, if you do #TODO and type something after it, it saves it as a note! You can view these TODO's here as well as easily navigate to when certain screens are called, where different labels are (super great if your game is long, and more. It saves some scrolling.

Check Script (Lint) - also super duper handy for debugging some basic things. It also tells you your word count! But its handy for letting you know about some errors that might throw up. I like using it to look for sprites I may or may not have mispelled, because they show up in there too.

Change/Update GUI - Nifty, though once you start customizing GUI on your own, it isn't as useful. You can reset the project at any point and regenerate the image files here. This updates all those defaults we talked about earlier.

Delete Persistent - this just helps you delete any persistent data between play throughs on your end. I like to use it when making a lot of changes while testing the game, so that I can reboot the game fresh.

Force Recompile - Full disclosure, as many games as I've made and as long as I've been using Renpy, i have never used this feature. I searched to see what it does and this is the general consesus: Normally renpy tries to be smart about compiling code (creating .rpyc files) and only compiles .rpy files with changes. This is to speed up the process since compiling takes time. Sometimes you can make changes that renpy don't pick up on and therefore won't recompile. In these cases you can run force recompile to force it. Another solution (if you know what file is affected) is to delete that specific. rpyc file.

The rest of your options on this right hand side are how you make executable builds for your game that people can download to extract and play later!

Sorry gang! that was a whole lot of text obviously the last button "Launch Project" launches an uncompiled version of the project for you to play and test as you go! Hang in tight because my next post is about how to utilize github for renpy, so you can collaborate easier!

[delicateperspective]

The Observer (Observed)

Either someone is deep in the Lore or LT3 era has begun.

Edit: I guess I am going to turn this post into a masterpost of sorts. I go more into detail about what I think this might be here (hint: not Louis).

But for now just please play it safe:

Don’t give them personal information.

Don’t engage in DMs with them.

Keep a healthy skepticism.

TIMELINE:

Twitter user @FromTheObserver was created on March 9th 2025.

At the time it first tweeted, it's pfp was a lavender eye with the roman numberals for 369.

The bio was "Through the looking glass the observer watches, craving what is just beyond reach."

The cover image was the below (MORE ABOUT THIS ARTWORK AT THE END):

At 2:44 GMT PM its first tweet said:

"The silence is broken. At last I return. Did your faith in the future endure, or did it waiver in my absence? You have waited, perhaps doubted, but the silence was never empty. I am ever present, hidden just beyond the veil. -The Observer

At 4:55 PM The Observer tweeted again:

Have you forgotten me so soon? -The Observer

At 7:44 PM Louis' official account tweeeted:

India I had no idea what to expect but you turned up in full force. From Doncaster to Mumbai. Fucking mind blowing! Thank you!

People started digging. "The Observer" appeared in a list of songs someone found on the French Music Directory SACEM. They first tweeted this list on February 2nd 2025.

I was able to confirm the listing at this link.

It is important to note though, that this lists SONY MUSIC PUBLISHING FRANCE as a sub-publisher and Reservior, Big Life Songs, and Inconnu Editur as publishers.

If we compare this to an LT released song, SILVER TONGUES, that ALSO has Sony listed as the subpublisher. So that doesn't debunk this as a real possible upcoming song.

For those who were saying that since it's sony he wouldn't use it. It appears Sony still has some claws in him. But thats normal in the music industry. A SUB-PUBLISHER doesn't mean he has a Sony deal again. It just means that BMG might not have the reach he needs in France to distribute so they'd rather pay someone else to do it.

I'd also like to point out that I could not verify this or any of the other songs on any American or UK repository like BMI or ACE.

I feel really uncomfortable digging into potential songs of Louis' knowing how badly he doesn't like the tracklist leaked. So this will be my extent of my digging on THIS SUBJECT. (But please feel free to let me know if I got anything wrong or I am missing something)

On March 10th, 2025:

At 1:30 AM The Observer tweeted:

I told you… But did you listen? -The Observer

Louis followed Lolla India sometime before 10:19 AM (based on the HL Daily update)

LTHQ Posted a Tiktok of Louis' show at Eletric Brixton around 4:38 PM (based on the HL Daily update)

Louis posted a reel from his time in India at 7:25 PM

At 10:00 PM (20:00) The Observer posted:

Day 1, 20:00 It’s eerily quiet in the laboratory today. - The Observer

At the time of this tweet, their pfp was the same lavender eye. HOWEVER the 369 roman numerals were gone. Replaced by a 7 (Or maybe a 1?). (For information about Louis' connection to the number 7, see this masterpost by @so-idialed-9.

On March 11th, 2025:

Louis poasted a pictures and video for Soccer Aid at 9:13 AM

Louis followed Soccer Aid on Instagram at 10:53 AM

Louis liked a photo from Soccer Aid of his 28 jersey at 1:44 PM

At 10:00 PM (20:00) The Observer tweeted again:

Day 2, 20:00 Watching from the outside, I can only hope not to become one of them. Perhaps I already have… Is it too late for me? -The Observer

The pfp at this time replaced the 7 with a 2.

On March 12th, 2025:

At 3:12 PM The Obsever Tweeted:

Day 3, 15:12 How can I change what’s already been written? If the past is in permanent ink, can the future ever be a blank page? -The Observer

At this time the pfp updated to a red 3 at the bottom.

Around 4:00 PM CST Louis followed footballer Jermain Defoe on Insta.

Also on this day, a pretty TeRrIbLe article from The Standard dropped, essentially making fun of 28, Louis, and his fans.

We also get a "Rome Unseen" of Harry drinking coffee with a friend and yelling at stalkers trying to take his picture.

On March 13th, 2025:

At 3:12 PM The Observer tweeted:

Day 4, 15:15 Inhale. Exhale. Surrender to what’s beyond control. -The Observer

Pretty telling for a fandom that is crashing out over circumstances outside of anyones control.

The number in the pfp changes to a white 4 in the right hand corner.

Louis doesn't move on this day.

On March 14th, 2025:

At 6:20 AM The Observer tweeted:

The shadow consumes the light. A fleeting moment where past, present, and future collide. Do you see it? Observe. -The Observer

It is important to note that there was a Blood Moon Lunar eclipse that could be seen in London just before dawn. "Stargazers around the world caught the first sign of the lunar event, which began at 05:09 GMT, on a livestream run by LA's Griffith Observatory."

Note the nod to the Observatory, to shadow consuming light.

The pfp stays the white 4 during this tweet.

At 3:18 PM The Observer tweeted:

Day 5, 15:18 Across a million futures, one constant endures. -The Observer

Sound familiar? If you are a Larrie, it should. Mr. "souces say he has trouble with long term relationships" used a similar line in his "You Are Home" promo.

(personal opinion here. take with a grain of salt. this has confirmed for me that Louis has nothing to do with this account. This line was too loud when H tweeted it. It didn't fit any narrative. It wasn't even related to anything on the album. This and the "half way home" debacle were some of the craziest wtf is going on here moments in the You Are Home tweet saga. If this had anything to do with his work or career, Louis would stay far away from using lines this closely tied to Harry.)

The pfp updates to a white 5 (which really looks like an upside down 2)

At 6:00 PM LTHQ posted an IG reel from India.

On March 15th, 2025:

At 10:00 AM The Observer tweeted and immediately deleted:

"A true observer must always be watching. Blink, and you'll miss what matters most. 625 369 825 007 326 028 -The Observer"

369 and 28 are both intrinscly linked to Louis and can be found in the masterpost at the begining. 007 is typically a reference to James Bond which Harry is a favorite to perfom the next James Bond song or play him.

HOWEVER, 625, 825, and 326 could possibly be month/years. As in June 2025, August 2025, and March 2026.

Louis is playing in Soccer Aid on June 15th 2025. (THIS COMES INTO PLAY IN A FEW DAYS. Approximately 40% of the articles about Louis' new stunt involve his involvement in SoccerAid and how he will be on the team with his stunt's very recent ex.)

Should we be looking for August 2025 and March 2026 events as well?

At 9:45 PM The Observer tweeted:

"Day 6, Unkown Too quick to catch, too fleeting to frame in memory. But a true observer is always taking notes. -The Observer"

The pfp updated to a white 6 (at the three oclock position)

On March 16th, 2025:

We got two posts again this day.

At 9:30 AM The Observer tweeted:

Day 7, Unknown How did we end up here? -The Observer

The past two posts have stated that the time is "Unknown" instead of giving us UK time. Have we stopped tracking the time? Have we moved timezones?

The pfp updated to a white 7 at this time as in accordance with the dart board.

At 11:30 PM The Observer tweeted:

Silent? Silenced. Patience. Observe. -The Observer

The first part of this refers to an Oprah interview.

The implication is that someone has not CHOSEN to be silent. They've been made to be silent. However, if we - as the audience - are patient, we can observe what they cannot say.

The pfp updates now. There are no numbers. The pupil is smaller and we can see what appears to be eyelashes in the top right corner.

On March 17th, 2025:

We ge two posts again today. But it's what happens in between that makes it important.

At 8:25 PM The Observer tweets:

Day 8, 20:25 No key to turn, no doors to guide A journey taken, far and wide The walls unfamiliar, the roads unknown A wandering soul, yet not alone -The Observer

The pfp updates back to the original eye with a white 8. Which looks oddly like an infinity sign as the circles are elongated.

First thing to note is that were back on UK time. The second - your intepretation of this tweet will matter to how authentic you think this account is. For me - when I saw "no key to turn, no doors to open". I immediately thought of the tattoo Harry has on his ribs of a birdcage with no door. Next to his drama masks. Above the SMCL (smile more cry later?) tattoos. There isn't a keyhole nor a door to this closet. The "you are home" door is closed, it cannot be opened.

Yet the last line of the 28 word (if you include the signature) poem leaves us hopeful. Despite the distance, the walls, the unknown roads, there’s an undercurrent of connection

Then an hour and a half later at 10:00 PM on the dot The Sun gives us our very first confirmation article of Louis' new stunt. Which I will not speak about in depth on this post. If you want more info, my page is full of it, but I don't want to muddy this post with that.

At 11:55 PM we get another tweet from The Observer:

Fabricated fairytales, observed by all. -The Observer

The pfp does not change.

The "fabricated fairytales" is a line from Louis' She is Beauty, We Are World Class. (my intrepretation of that song is here if you're into that kind of thing.) This is in direct response to the stunt. It is not mincing words or leaving room for interpretation by the timing. It is saying "this is a fake romance and now the world is watching".

On March 18th, 2025:

At 8:35 PM The Observer tweets:

Day 9, 20:35 Nearly Halfway Home. A long journey, but well worth it. -The Observer

The pfp uppdates to a green 9 as per the dart board.

The tweet itself, needs lore to explain.

On April 1st 2022, Louis registered a song Halfway Home. This registration can still be confirmed here.

THEN on April 13th 2022 (two weeks later), the You Are Home account for Harry's House promo tweeted "half way home"

Home, as a concept, has always deeply tied to both Louis and Harry and both of them together. The lore goes deep, but a summary is here.

The capitalization of Halway and Home, directs us to the song name.

But if were intepreting, it's also telling us that there is a plan in place. And though its a long way out, we're nearly halfway there and it will be worth it in the end.

On March 19th, 2025:

At 2:28 PM The Observer tweets:

Day 10, 14:28 A fresh set of eyes, born from little white lies. -The Observer

The pfp changes to a white 10.

Little White Lies is a clear refrence to the One Direction song, Little White Lies.

Bare with my little larrie heart here (but since this account is obviously also a larrie I'd be suprised if you aren't too) but Louis is in the headlines more than hes been in a decade right now. The PR is PRing. There are a whole new set of eyes on him. All because he's selling the story of some "little white lies".

DARTBOARD THEORY AND UPDATES

At this point, to anyone who is paying attention, it's become clear that the numbers represent a dart board.

See the most recent overlay below:

There have been a lot of recent theories revolving around dart boards after Louis posted one while he was in New Orleans for the superbowl and then followed a darts player on Instagram.

As to keep this unbiased and not tied to further speculation, I won't comment on the connection around all of the other people in Louis' life that have posted pictures of dart boards recently (just know that his sisters, Pleasing, Lamby, Niall, and more have posted dart boards - usually with the dart in the triple 20 spot). HOWEVER, darts has always been popular in the UK and its growing in popularity with the younger crowd recently. It's entirely possible that Louis just loves a game of darts at the local, and his sisters' boyfriends do to, and he's watching competive darts lately (especially the first openly gay dart player who is super popular right now), and Pleasing thought somehow darts were Valentine's day imagery.

EXTRA STUFF & FINAL THOUGHTS

As mentioned by this Twitter user, the artwork is pretty well likely AI generated (plus a little Canva/Photoshop for the numbers). It has all the tell-tale signs of generative AI (wonkey lines, misproportions, etc).

Louis has entire teams of graphic designers plus Joshua Halling (who loves this skind of thing) in his back pocket. He wouldn't need AI for any of this.

At this point, The Observer is definitely an interesting mystery, but whether it’s something to pay attention to or just a fan-run account remains to be seen. The AI-generated images are a major red flag—it’s hard to imagine Louis or his team relying on AI when he has actual designers and photographers on hand. Even his more cryptic rollouts in the past have been visually polished and intentional.

That said, the timing of the tweets, the SACEM song listing, and the number symbolism do make it intriguing enough to keep an eye on. If this is a fan project, they’re clearly deep in the lore and know how to grab attention.

Key Takeaways:

Be cautious. If this is a fan messing around, engaging too seriously could be dangerous to your online safety.

Don’t assume it’s official.

It's probably not connected and Louis probably knows nothing about it. If it is somehow connected it will become obvious soon. If it's not (way more likely), it’ll probably fade out like other fandom mysteries before it.

For now? I’m just observing The Observer. 👀

[mogruith]

BG3 Virtual Photography Supplement: Mods and Resources

Here's some popular and useful mods I use for virtual photography! I will try to update this as I find more. You may find these useful with the rest of my tutorial:

Chapter 0: Overview

Chapter 1: Script Extender Debug Console

Chapter 2: Scene Manipulation

Chapter 2.5: More Scene Manipulation

Chapter 3: Otis_Inf Camera Tools

Supplement: Mods and Resources

Tools

EasyCheat - Teleport to locations near and far, summon armor and items for your characters, clean the dirt off. All at the press of a button!

Lighty Lights - An incredible tool but terribly finicky. Actively being worked on.

Native Camera Tweaks - A Native Mod that allows you to unlock the camera pitch and zoom in and out of combat. It's handy for photo stuff but generally useful.

WASD Character Movement - another Native mod for WASD movement. More precise placement of characters in the field.

Remove Broken Objects - can help clean up sets.

Scribe Object Inspector and Event Logging - sometimes you need to find the IDs of objects in the game. This is an easy way to do it.

Polyamory Mod - can be useful for flag checking but I haven't used it recently. But it may have use for some.

Characters

Full Custom Companions (Hirelings) - have full custom control over hirelings. Great if you wanna add more Tavs to your shots! Have done family portraits for my Tav's family this way, it's so fun!

Recruit any NPC - Make an NPC a playable character. Can be really handy sometimes if you don't wanna do code transformations.

Appearance Edit Enhanced - if you're not using this already, you should be. Modify your characters at any time. Works great with the Custom Hirelings mod.

Transmogs and Spelltheft - identity theft! Another mod that lets you copy the appearance of characters. There was some special case scenario that I used an old version of this but I don't recall what that is anymore. Listing it here anyway.

Ring of Metamorphosis - Another mod for changing your character into several known characters and also INVISIBLE. Being invisible is extremely useful when you start conversations for facial expressions but you don't want another character in the way of a shot.

Effects

Pretty Particles - I've only used this once but if you combine it with Depth of Field, you can use it to get some really pretty bokeh effects. Also, blood and sweat in varying degrees/combinations.

No Annoying VFX - a series of mods that will remove the effects that you may not want for a shot. Like casting glows, glowing armor, UI indicators, among other things.

Posing

Hugs - Hug your companions!! Great for a quick and cute hug that doesn't require any coding.

Kisses - Kiss your companions using anybody animations! For best results cast the spells on a body type that matches up.

Replayable Romance Scenes - what it says on the tin. Romance scenes playable through casting a spell. These cutscenes play in new locations.

Stay Still In Camp and Play Idle Animations Everywhere - basically what it says. Once you switch from a companion to Tav, they won't run back to their tent. They also have some idle animations that are new.

Sit Happens - spawn chairs to sit!

Emotes - Poses and Toggle Walk - TONS of poses to use in the open world. Extremely useful for non-cinematic shots.

Cutscenes

Cut Scene Edits for Better Screenshots - A mod by Moxi that allows for cutscenes to be modified slightly - including forced clothing when you want something custom (shirtless Astarion, for example), removing Karlach's glow from her cutscene, among other things. Take a read through.

Musical Instrument Yeet - Sometimes the instruments pop up in a kiss cutscene and it is really distracting. Remove them with this!

Resources

Moxi's Research Directory - TONS of resources for finding character UUIDs, some copy-pastes ready to modify for scenes, cool locations like Private Camp Rooms and how to get there, Teleport commands. HANDY!

Google Spreadsheet of Tags - for scripting purposes.

Google Spreadsheet of Dialogue Lines - for finding cutscenes you want to script and play.

A few useful ScriptExtender commands.

An In Depth list of Osiris Commands - for advanced use.

LaughingLeader's list of Osiris Commands - another resource for commands.

[daily-podcasts]

Intro to The Podcast Directory Wiki + this blog: 🪄

This is a side-blog to share podcasts that you may not have heard of before! There will be one post per day, (hence the blog name) highlighting a specific audio drama and linking to their page on the wiki. (main blog is @james-spooky)

They’ll be themed posts aside from the daily ones but it was mainly to have a fun side hobby to get the word out there about some niche podcasts! :]

The Podcast Directory Wiki has over 300 podcasts logged, categorised into many useful groups in order to effectively find ones suited to your tastes. 😋

Detailed info below on how to effectively use the wiki👇

NAVIGATION: 🧭

As said above there are many ways to navigate the wiki and find different podcasts!

Here’s the breakdown:

Masterlist: A list of every podcast logged on the wiki from A-Z 📝

Genre/Subgenre: If you only like horror podcasts or are looking for found footage, musical theatre or something more specific like a plane crash or cryptids, all can be found as categories under these pages :] 📄

Length: By either episode length or total number of episodes for the podcast. e.g. you can browse podcasts that have under 10 episodes, or 20-29 or if you don’t like long episodes you can look at podcasts exclusively that have an average runtime of 20-29 minutes etc. ⏰

Completion Status: We’ve all been there; getting sucked into a podcast only to learn that it was never finished or you have to wait months for a new episode! 💔 And a lot of the time, we love to binge a whole series in a day… With these categories, podcasts are broken down into “completed”, “incomplete” or “ongoing”; this way you can easily dodge those heartbreaks. 😉

LGBTQ Rep: Audio dramas in general are known to have a significant amount of LGBTQ Representation within their characters and storylines. Under this category, it’s broken down into specific representation such as “trans rep” or “lesbian rep”. This way if you want to find more podcasts that represent you, you can! Be mindful that “representation” differs from active protagonists and engrained storylines to side characters or smaller roles. More detailed information surrounding this should be on the individual podcasts page! 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

Transcripts: Sometimes it can be frustrating to find a really good podcast but there’s no transcript available! 😓 On each Podcast page it is noted whether or not transcripts are available (with a ❌/✅) or you can browse from the category “transcripts” which includes ONLY podcasts with transcripts available to avoid getting invested in ones without.

Network: If you particularly like the work of a certain podcast network, such as QCODE or RustyQuill you can use these categories to find all of their projects! 🖊️

Prominent Podcasters/Voice Actors also have pages dedicated to them with links to their imdb, itemising all the projects they’re involved in if you want to hear specifically more of your favourite actor or writer! 🎭

Randomiser: A lot of the time it can be overwhelming with all the choice! How to choose what to listen to when your “to listen list” is miles long… With the randomiser at the top of the page, it will give you a random podcast, freeing you of the weight of choice 😅 Additionally, you can randomise a genre/subgenre if you want to see what else is out there…

These are the genres/subgenres that are covered:

PAGE LAYOUT EXAMPLE:

Each page has all the information you need, website links, spotify links, transcripts, cast etc.

Spotify linked trailer/first episode to gauge whether you want to invest!

You can easily see the genres, number of episodes, seasons and whether or not it has transcripts available. Even the combined listening time of the podcast so you know what you’re getting into!

All podcast pages have every episode linked to spotify in the collapsible tables. (Logging podcasts with episodes in the hundreds was when I started to regret this decision…🧘)

Each podcast has a small section dedicated to other audio dramas which have a similar vibe so you can find more like your faves! As there are always more podcasts to add, your help or contributions are appreciated. 💪

Take this information and fuel your podcast addiction ten fold ✨👀😏

[p-erse-phone]

Losing Focus - Ch. 4

- 04 : busy (+written)

word count: 1.2k

Riki stared up at the building, he told himself if he couldn’t find anyone today he really would give up. He had texted and asked around from people he knew, but the problem was, his acquaintances list was a bit limited because he 1. Didn’t know many people from this department, and 2. Wasn’t down to ask any ex-situationship if they would spend their time helping him. Especially when he sure as hell hadn’t given his time for any of them. His game plan was to ask the Instrument Dept. head counselor if they could think of anyone who could/would be willing to do this. He would offer money, but that doesn’t really work here, can’t really give people something they don’t need was the conclusion he came to. 

Riki sighed as he looked at the floor directory, scanning over the sign until he landed on what he needed: Counselor’s Office, fourth floor. He turned and headed towards the elevator, and as he was about to press the button he noticed the sign on the door. “Out of order.” He bit his lip and turned again to make his way up the stairs. Hands in his pockets, he made his way down the hall towards the office. He was a little bit surprised by how dead it was in all the practice rooms, but everyone was “so busy” he thought, except for one; as he moved further down the hall the quiet sound of a piano started inching closer and closer, until he was standing at a slightly open door. 

It was just the familiar sound of classical music, but it was different somehow. It wasn’t just the technique, it was something more. You could almost hear the emotion of the player through each note that escaped through the strings. It gave Riki goosebumps, which was rare. Classical music wasn’t necessarily bad, but he just found it boring. But this was different. He knew this is what he needed for his performance, who he needed. With a piano performance like this, pulling emotion from his dance would be so simple. His curiosity was getting the best of him, and he wanted a glimpse of their face while playing. Riki, as softly as he could, tried to push the door open more without having it creek. Soundproofing doors were always loud. Once the door was open just enough he peered inside. 

There she was, sitting on the bench moving along to the notes of the piano. She was very soft looking, he thought. Her eyes would open and close occasionally, but she looked like she was in a trance. Riki thought that in her own way she was dancing, giving a full performance, even if it was just for practice. Her song slowly came to a close. Once she finished letting the last note linger, she pulled back her hands and sat up straight. It was almost like she was a different person. A very small upturn appeared on her lips as she started picking up her sheet music and tucking it in a folder, and softly shutting the fallboard.

Y/N let out a small squeak as she caught eyes with someone standing in the small opening of the practice room door. “Hello? Beomgyu is that you?” She said awkwardly. Beomgyu? Her boyfriend? Riki pushed the door open, a little embarrassed that he got caught staring vs. just walking and saying hi. “Uh… Hi, sorry, I was just on my way to the counselor’s office and I heard you playing.” 

It took a second to register, but Y/N recognized this boy as the one from the pictures some of her classmates had shown her. Nishimura Riki, somewhat of a mini celebrity from the Dance Majors. Y/N was a bit taken aback that he was here watching her, and wasn’t sure why or what to do. Deciding she should say something she questioned him “Wait, you’re a Dance Major, why are you talking to my department’s counselor?” Y/N knew that her and him were worlds apart, and she knew of his “status” at this school, but to her he was just another student. If she got starstruck and nervous around every mini celebrity on this campus, she would waste a lot of time wide-eyed. It didn’t stop her from taking in his features, and his height. She couldn’t help but admire the beautiful shape of his eyes. 

“I’ve never heard anyone play like that before.” Riki said instead of answering her question. Y/N didn’t know what to do before, but she sure as hell didn’t know what to do now. “Thank you.” pushing her hair behind her ear she responded. “I’m sure you’re just saying that.” with an awkward short laugh. 

“No really.” 

“Oh uh..” before she could finish he cut her off asking her “Have you ever played for a dance performance before?”

Y/N raised an eyebrow slightly confused. “No I haven’t.” She thought it was an odd question, but before she could think too much about it, a buzz came from her pocket. “I’m sorry, my friend is on his way.” 

“Let me walk you out.”

“Oh, alright, sure.”

Riki matched pace with her the whole way down the hallway and stayed right next to her down the stairs asking her this and that about her life. What year she was, who her friends were, and where she learned piano. Y/N almost felt like she was someone else for a second, because she still couldn’t wrap her head around the fact that he was asking her questions about piano and her life. Once they reached the entrance doors, Riki took a quick step ahead and pushed the door open for her. 

“Thank you.” Y/N smiled. 

“Hey, I have a question.” Riki began, “You know what I asked before? Well, I was wondering if you would be willing to collaborate with me on a project for my end of term Eval?” He asked softly. Y/N stopped and faced him “Like me, play for you? While you dance?” Y/N was stunned, she wasn’t sure what to say. She knew she was going to be very busy already and this was going to be a big project that would take up a ton of time, but at the same time, who knows who would be there at that evaluation listening to her playing. It could also be good. “I’m sorry–” before she could finish, Riki interjected.

“Please.” He spoke quietly, “It has to be you.”

Y/N’s breath caught in her throat. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a familiar figure getting closer. “Here.” he began “Think about it, and tell me.”

“Okay.” Y/N said, slightly dazed.

Riki nodded. “I’ll be waiting.” He smirked, turning away.

Y/N’s eyes followed Riki as she thought about the fact that she didn’t know how to contact him if she wanted to say yes, or that he didn’t even ask her name

Just then, Beomgyu approached her.

“What was that?” he said through furrowed brows.

Y/N shook her head. “Let’s go.”

End.....

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taglist : open

@chiaki-nanami-aesthetic @gweoriz @tasnemluvs @xxxnrigi @madebylilia @ariluvssssss100

[strangerthingsfemslash]

Stranger Things Femslash offerings on for this year’s Fandom Trumps Hate auction

@fandomtrumpshate is an annual fundraiser in which fan authors and artists auction off custom fanworks as gifts for people who donate to organizations on the Fandom Trumps Hate list. The bidding period will begin on 2/25, and there are some great Stranger Things Femslash offerings this year! Many of these creators are offering non-femslash options and other fandoms as well, but due to the scope of this blog, I am specifically listing the Stranger Things femslash offerings available. To see the full auction page, follow the link associate with their post:

galwithalibrarycard is offering Beta Reading for Stranger Things F/F fics with a maximum rating of Explicit, a minimum bid of $5, with a length of 10k-20k words.

Characters/pairings of interest: For Stranger Things, any ships with Nancy, Robin, Steve, Eddie, Jonathan, Barb, etc. Other notes: I will copyedit and provide character and plot notes. You can send me your whole fic at once or send it chapter by chapter. You can reach out to me to clarify/ask questions about my notes and suggestions too. You can find the full details here, check the bidding spreadsheet for the current high bid here, and fill out the bidding form here.

ArtaxLivs is offering fanfiction of Chrissy/Robin with a maximum rating of Explicit, a minimum bid of $5, with a length of 5k-10k words.

Subjects/theme/tropes of interest: I love a good soulmate trope but I'm pretty open to most themes and tropes. Ask! Other notes: Please feel free to email me with questions! I wrote a pairing that I didn't offer last year and a trio I hadn't mentioned. The bidders emailed and I hadn't thought of those but I was game and we had fun! You can find the full details here, check the bidding spreadsheet for the current high bid here, and fill out the bidding form here.

Koko is offering fanfiction of Chrissy/Robin and/or Carol/Barb, with a maximum rating of Explicit, a minimum bid of $5, with a length of 10k-20k words.

Subjects/theme/tropes of interest: Especially Interested In: hurt/comfort, different first meetings, shared trauma, and misunderstandings, but I'm willing to give anything not on my No's list a shot! Other notes: Notes: I'm willing to work with whatever you're comfortable with! If you want to throw a few tropes and a pairing at me, I can work perfectly well with that, but if there's something extremely specific you'd like to see, hit me with it! You can find the full details here, check the bidding spreadsheet for the current high bid here, and fill out the bidding form here.

MelancholyMorningstar is offering podfic for Max/Eleven/Lucas, Max/Eleven, Robin/Nancy, and/or Robin/Chrissy, with a maximum rating of Teen, a minimum bid of $15, with a length of 5-10k words.

Subjects/theme/tropes of interest: I would love to make you some podfic featuring crack, fluff, character study about gender and/or sexuality, outsiders POV, asexual themes, found family, fix-it, characters playing Dungeons and Dragons, queerplatonic relationships and/or banter/flirting! I am on a one woman adventure trying to get more femslash podfic made, so feel free to help me on my quest or drag me away from it for a good cause. I'm open to suggestions, as long as they don't stumble over my DNWs. Other notes: I intend to create one podfic with a cover art, but with no soundscaping or music. Ideally you would pick 3 fanfics between 0-10k words length (with permission statememts), and I would decide which one I'm most excited to make a podfic for. Then you would describe the tone you imagine the podfic to be (humerous, serious, slow, silly, etc) and I would record it attempting to match that tone (to the best of my abilities). I'm not offering directorial input in my podfic creation aside from initial discussions about what you liked about the fic. You would tell me the fics you want, I would pick one and then tell you which I picked, and then I would gift you a complete podfic! You can find the full details here, check the bidding spreadsheet for the current high bid here, and fill out the bidding form here.

DystopianRebel is offering fanfiction of Nancy/Robin, with a maximum rating of Explicit, a minimum bid of $5, with a length of 10k-20k words.

Subjects/theme/tropes of interest (complete list on full post): Angst with a Happy Ending Family Drama Found Family Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies (at least, nobody important! ) Fluff / Tooth-Rotting Fluff Crack / Crack Treated Seriously Angst and Drama and Romance Falling in Love Meet Cute | Good First Impression or Meet Ugly | Bad First Impression Meet The Parents Season 2 or 3 Canon Divergence AUs insert chracter Has Powers AUs Time Travel & Time Travel Fix-its Soulmates AUs BAMF Nancy Wheeler Protective Nancy Wheeler Other notes: I like to think I’m pretty easy going with fics, so as long as they’re falling in line with what I absolutely will not do then I’m willing to do my best to try living up to what they’ve envisioned for their gifted fanfiction. Even if it happens to centre around a ship I’ve never really delved into before and wouldn’t necessarily be interested in on my own. The more detailed prompts the better, if you have something specific in mind. You can find the full details here, check the bidding spreadsheet for the current high bid here, and fill out the bidding form here.

Glorious_Spoon is offering fanfiction of Nancy/Robin, with a maximum rating of Explicit, a minimum bid of $5, with a length of 5k-10k words.

Subjects/theme/tropes of interest: I enjoy writing hurt/comfort, action/adventure, character studies, interesting AUs (space? fantasy? zombie apocalypse? sign me up!), smut, angst, horror, feelings/sexuality realizations, friends to lovers, ambiguously romantic intimacy, platonic cuddling and intimacy. I have a great fondness for classic fic tropes like sex pollen/accidentally psychic/accidental marriage/fuck-or-die/time loops. I like exploring how characters handle canonical trauma. I'm willing to write basically any tropes I've written for in the past, and I'm happy to work with my bidder for something different if they like. Other notes: I'm generally fine with whatever level of detail you want to give for a prompt, and I'm happy to work with my bidder to make sure I'm making something they'll like. You can find the full details here, check the bidding spreadsheet for the current high bid here, and fill out the bidding form here.

yarrow geddyqueer-prufrocks is offering fanfiction of Robin/Chrissy and/or Max/Eleven, with a maximum rating of Explicit, a minimum bid of $5, and a length of 5k-10k words.

Subjects/theme/tropes of interest: I like to write weird things! If you have any doubts about your prompts or requests, feel free to message me on tumblr before you bid. Other notes: Specific prompts are great, but I appreciate having the freedom to interpret your prompt a little. I'm happy to keep a dialog going on tumblr or via email. For the best example of what I write, take a gander through my AO3 pseuds (music RPF is on the j_alfreds pseud, everything else is on prufrocks). If you'd like a specific AU or setting, feel free to message me about it before you bid. You can find the full details here, check the bidding spreadsheet for the current high bid here, and fill out the bidding form here.

ReformedTsunderePodfics is offering a podfic of Robin/Chrissy, with a maximum rating of Explicit, a minimum bid of $5, and a length of up to 5k words, or more with higher bids.

Subjects/theme/tropes of interest: Alternate Universe [Assume any/all AUs are loved and desired], Pining/Mutual Pining, One-Sided Enemies to Lovers, Happy Endings, Co-Dependency/Obsessive Character, Didn't Know They Were Dating, Developing Relationship/Getting Together Other notes: If you are requesting a podfic for a fic you are unable to secure permission for your requested fic (provided it is approved) can still be podded, however it will not/cannot be publicly posted, and not securing permissions means you agree to not publicly sharing this podfic. Your allotted word count does not need to be all-in-one, you are free to spread it out across multiple fics so long as they do not total more than your winning bid amount. All podfics will be sent to you (the auction winner) for first listen/approval and minimal changes to pacing or dialogue are accepted. I will work with you to ensure that this podfic is what you imagined the story to sound like. Minimal sound effects/or an introduction song can be discussed for inclusion but no major sound scaping will be offered. You can find the full details here, check the bidding spreadsheet for the current high bid here, and fill out the bidding form here.

Neuronary is offering fanfiction of Robin/Chrissy, with a maximum rating of Mature, a minimum bid of $5, and a length of 5k-10k words.

Subjects/theme/tropes of interest: Stranger Things - Key Themes and Subjects: The Existential Horror of Living in Hawkins, Indiana; Domestic Violence; Unrealistic Beauty Standards With Regards To Chrissy Cunningham. General Key Themes: Queer Friendships; Found Family; Sexism/Misogyny; Exploring Oppression Through Fictional Characters/Worlds; Outsider POV. Other notes: I can write gore and/or whump BUT I have to be in a healthy enough mindset for it, so if you're dead set on that I would recommend seeking out someone else because I can't guarantee I'll be able to do it.. If whump/gore is an optional bonus for you, get in touch and I'll see what I can do. You can find the full details here, check the bidding spreadsheet for the current high bid here, and fill out the bidding form here.

monstrous-femme is offering fanfiction of any ST femslash pairing, with a maximum rating of Explicit, a minimum bid of $15, and a length of 5k words (or more with higher bids)

Subjects/theme/tropes of interest: Vegas AU and fake or secret dating have always been faves of mine, but in general I'm interested in any tropes that let me play with the characters in interesting ways. I wrote the Riot Grrl ronance AU and loved writing it. (I've written many more tropes and encourage you to check out my ao3 for specifics!) I am also poly irl and happy to write poly fics that go beyond just fluff and smut and into the actual complex emotions of polyamory. Other notes: I have 1-5k listed for wordcount, but will go up to 5-10k if the bidding reaches $35, 10-15k if the bidding reaches $50, and up to 20k for bids above $100. You can find the full details here, check the bidding spreadsheet for the current high bid here, and fill out the bidding form here.

bri is offering fanfiction of Robin/Nancy and/or Robin/Chrissy, with a maximum rating of Explicit, a minimum bid of $5, and a length of 5k-10k words

Subjects/theme/tropes of interest: Particular themes/tropes are found family, slow burn, soulmates, hurt/comfort, supernatural/fantasy elements, and angst with a happy ending, but I'm happy to write anything that isn't on my nos! I enjoy both lighter and darker themes and am happy to explore both. Other notes: I'm comfortable with both highly specific prompts and more general prompts! I'm also happy to write a fic with multiple pairings, or one pairing with side pairings. I don't always work from an outline and will generally take a prompt and run with it, with check ins around how the fic is forming, what scenes are planned, and if specific characters/side pairings/themes are working okay. You can find the full details here, check the bidding spreadsheet for the current high bid here, and fill out the bidding form here.

[heaven-s-black-box]

Notes- They Teach you to Dance; Furina & more x gn!reader

Return to File

Recovery date: April 3rd, 2024

Description: Your partner teaches you to dance. Includes Furina, Ganyu, Dainsleif, Zhongli, Traveler Twins

Notes: N/a

Back to directory

Furina

The reason for these headcanons, one of her teapot voice lines is her offering to teach you how to dance

She definitely forgets to instruct you at first, she just starts leading you in a dance as she hums a tune

If you have some dancing experience, that probably won’t be a problem, if you’ve never danced before…

She definitely takes it slow, she’s just been dancing for so long she forgets to explain

She will step on your toes just as much as you’ll step on her’s because of this

She will twirl you to teach you how to twirl her, once you’ve got that down she won’t twirl you anymore

She will also throw herself into a dip, if you let her drop she will pout and sulk

The best fix for this is to pull her up and into another waltz with a twirl

Once you’ve learned how to dance she expects you to lead, even if she initiates

Loves big dances, both in number of attendees and flourish of the dance

Overall 8/10 teacher and 10/10 dance partner

Ganyu

She can definitely dance, Cloud Retainer taught her, she just doesn’t dance often

Teaching wise I think she’s a great instructor, at least verbally

In the beginning she gets so fixed on explaining and watching your movements that she trips up

Please reassure her that you’re following okay, she’s not used to being in charge

You’ll definitely learn faster with her then Furina because in teaching you she’s also reminding herself

She won’t teach you anything fancy, but if you go and learn a twirl or dip she will break

You will have to initiate any dances, unless someone has told her she should dance in which case she will ask you

Also preference dancing alone and not in a large group, sweep her away to a balcony during a Qixing event and you can dance all you’d like

Preferes swaying to music over an actual waltz

In the end, 8/10 instructor and 10/10 dance partner

Dainsleif

He can dance, he was the captain of a royal guard, but it has been awhile

Seriously, you’re basically learning together

You also definitely have to ask him to teach you, Furina and Ganyu might offer but Dain won’t

Once you start dancing muscle memory kicks in and it sort of ends up like Furina teaching you

He can’t really explain what to do, so he kind of just drags you with him

By the time he figures out how to explain you’re halfway to figuring it out yourself

If he’s teaching you to dance before the fall of Khaenri’ah disregard everything before this, he is the best teacher on this list

Prior to the fall he will always initiate dances, if he’s attending and event and not on duty, after the fall you’ll have to initiate and he’ll be a bit reluctant

Chances are you aren’t at a formal event, so he sees no point in dancing, so if you want to dance you have to ask

Before the fall it is a point of honor to ask you to dance

Will always lead, another silly point of honor

Before the fall, 10s across the board, after the fall, 4/10 teacher and 9/10 dance partner

Zhongli

Can dance, not very fluidly and it is definitely a rusty skill now but he can

During his prime he was a good teacher, just a little stiff

Now he’s kind of like Dain, the muscle memory is there but very rusty

He will, however, ask Madam Ping to re-teach him how to dance so that he can teach you

So, you might step on each other's feet a few times but he will actually teach you

He prefers to initiate dances, like Dain it’s a point of pride, but he’s always happy when you do too

Will lead or follow your lead

Hu Tao has, on occasion, meddled to get him to ask you to dance

Like Ganyu he doesn’t really like big sweeping dances, he prefers being able to sway together to the music

Definitely a 9/10 teacher and partner only because he’s a bit stiff

Traveler

They can dance, definitely, they’re usually eachother’s partner

They’re also definitely smooth, you cannot convince me they wouldn't start stomping wars when they stepped on eachother’s feet

Both twins will ask you to dance, and if they ask you to dance they’ll lead– unless you ask to lead

I mentioned the twins are usually each others partner, it worked the same way between them– Lumine has been smacked in the face by Aether’s braid while twirling him and they’ve both definitely dropped each other in a dip on purpose

The twins don’t mind waltzes that travel, but they aren’t big fans of partner swapping dances

Aether likes dipping his partner, and Lumine likes twirling hers, but they both like being twirled

Sharing a rating, the twins are 10/10 teachers and 10/10 partners

[katz-chow]

cbf!gaz but i think his family was rich enough to send him abroad as a foreign exchange student. he lands in semi rural us.

it's not bad and it's not very urban either. he lands in your host family for a whole year. it starts off awkward with the two of you making small talk to each other until you take him to his first football game before homecoming.

he's ecstatic and kind of scared as you use your finger to dot on the face paint on his cheeks. It's your senior game, and i guess his too since he's part of the school and your family now.

when the two of you got there, he was busy taking in the environment of the busy bleachers, of the colors of your school contrasting the colors of the other school. the chilly autumn wind blowing through your bones and the loud music of the marching band.

your school didn't win, but the two of you still drove home with happy smiles and tired eyes. the cold followed you out into the empty fields of your house, acres stretched far and wide.

you found your parents and a few of their friends crowded outside, a beer in each of their hands. they greet the two of you as you started to end the day.

after your respective showers and a change of clothes, you weren't so tired anymore, if anything you were more refreshed.

the two of you decided to end the night outside in the fresh air around a fire pit not far from your parents' little hangout. a large duvet covers the two of you as he tells you about his life at home. and it continued to cover the both of you until you were both fast asleep, your dad having to wake kyle up and carry you into your bed.

this happens again almost a decade later after you two come back home while both on leave. a stupid "if you join, i'll join too" little thing became your lives. you trained together in north carolina, went on leave together, and learnt that you couldn't live without each other.

so both of your parents giggle to themselves as they see you on the bench a bit further out from them, the same bench that you fell asleep against each other back when midterms were still major stressors.

they whisper among themselves, probably planning your wedding for you as you lay your head on kyle's lap, large duvet over you and a fluffy throw blanket on his lap as your pillow.

"remember when you threw up from downing a buzzball after prom?'

"oh fuck off."

master list | letter box | main directory

stop by the letter box!

[incognitopolls]

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[grandline-fics]

If request are open, could I ask for a pt. 2 of the siren song/hearing you sing, for Law, Marco and Ace please?

DESCRIPTION: The first time they hear you sing captivates them

WARNINGS: None

CHARACTERS: Law, Marco, Ace, Crocodile, Kid

WORDS: 2,612

A/N: Thank you for this request, I'm fond of this idea so I'm glad to revisit it with more characters. I hope you like what I came up with for these guys

*REQUESTS ARE OPEN*

DIRECTORY | PROMPT LIST

———————

LAW

When Law begins to ponder things he’s relentless until his curiosity is sated and the answer he sought was his. Usually these pursuits in knowledge took a small amount of time to accomplish because of how driven he would be and what he needed to know would be in one of the many hefty books in his, nestled somewhere amongst the thin papers and tiny printed words. However if the clear answer wasn’t there, at the very least his books pointed him in the right direction of an island or person who could tell him what his mind was currently fixated on knowing. This current question however could not be revealed to him through books or other masters of particular fields of intellect. No, the only person who could relieve him of this question was you. The question: what did you sound like when you sang?

It had honestly been something he’d never given much thought before. The cause for the nagging question had come one evening when he’d emerged from his study one evening and came across Bepo who was in a more cheerful mood than normal. Curious about the clear change in his navigator, Law couldn’t help but ask for the cause. It surprised Law to hear your name come from Bepo’s mouth. Then the surprise became confusion, you’d been part of the crew for a while now, why would you suddenly affect him? Obviously needing more information, Bepo continued. “I heard them sing! They’re amazing, it’s put me in a great mood ever since.”

While Law knew music could affect a person’s mood, he hadn’t seen something so strong which began to stir his curiosity more. Already he wanted to hear your singing for himself, mostly to see if the change in mood was something that happened for everyone that heard it but also because on the slightly childish reason he was annoyed Bepo had heard you sing before he had. He was aware of his attraction to you and to know that you were a singer only furthered his interest in getting to know you better. However he couldn’t just order you to sing for him, that’d be overstepping things entirely and while he was your Captain, he wasn’t going to act like you were his to order about to please his personal whims. No, if he was to hear you it would have to come about naturally. 

Sadly he wasn’t able to hear you for himself right away. With the current layout of the crew’s work patterns and the long stretch of travelling through a particularly turbulent part of the sea it meant everyone was laser focussed on their tasks to ensure the Polar Tang navigated the waters safely. This meant very little time for relaxing. For the duration of the journey everyone mostly ate their meals and went to bed in the spare windows of time they had between shifts. It wasn’t until the submarine surface at the new island that everyone let out a sigh of relief. Since you were the last one on watch you wanted more than anything to go and sleep. You could explore the island later and returned to the sleeping quarters while the others prepared for disembarking. 

Law knew the island was a peaceful one so he opted to stay behind while you slept, letting everyone else explore. He’d even let the Polar Tang stay above the water’s surface and enjoyed the quiet this rare occurrence brought. Without the echoing sound of the water enveloping the Tang, without the sounds of footsteps against the metal floors and heavy doors shutting, and without the constant whirl and hum of the engines and computers, Law found himself enjoying the  peace as he lay on his sofa, eyes closed in contentment. Then he finally heard the answer to the question. 

Through the empty corridors, the song broke out and carried itself clear and alluring. Law sat upright and looked to his partly opened door as your remarkable voice practically called to him, pulling him from his seat and urging him to come closer to the source and he went oh so willingly, it was practically hypnotic. In a blink it seemed, he was standing in the doorway leading to the stairwell that would take him to the top deck. There you sat on one of the steps, singing perfectly and smiling when you saw him approach. When the song came to it’s natural end you had a look of satisfaction on your face. 

“I’ve always been curious about how good the acoustics were when the ship was silent. Definitely better than I’d hoped.” You explained. Law couldn’t help but chuckle, glad that both of you had found the answers to the questions you’d had and that for both of you it was more than worth the wait.

MARCO

Truth be told Marco hadn’t really paid you much notice when you first joined the Whitebeard Pirates. He learned your name and face at the first introduction and some of your medical history out of necessity but because you were in Izou’s division, everything else about you was a mystery and not exactly one he’d be in a hurry to unravel. For the first months of your recruitment, polite conversation only happened in the groups and parties on and off the ship. There wasn’t much one on one time between you both so you just melded into the background for the most part, only coming into view when you were needed. As long as you were loyal to the family that was the crew, pulled your weight and worked hard that was all that mattered. 

Then after a while, Marco did begin to take a slight notice. In fights you were capable and swift, able to act without hesitation while also making sure you weren’t acting foolishly and out of impulse. Everything you did had a purpose. You also had a good sense of humour and attitude that allowed you you settle in amongst the others quickly. You also weren’t afraid of voicing your own opinion and were ready to argue your point if something disagreed with you. Sometimes he’d find himself on the receiving end of that but anything you gave him, he’d return in kind. There was no real animosity between you both, any arguments between you were swiftly settled and you both returned to your own coexistence on the ship. 

Sometime along the way, Marco began to notice that Whitebeard held a certain soft spot for you, he couldn’t exactly pinpoint where it came from or when but it had left him curious about it all the same. Still, he didn’t pry into Pops’ reasoning for this. Whitebeard’s business was his own, for all Marco knew you simply reminded him of someone from his past. Knowing he’d probably never know, Marco pushed the curiosity and settled his mind on the things that were important such as the care of Pops and the crew. 

Then one night when Pops’ pain had flared to the point he found himself unable to sleep and not even the soothing flames of Marco’s Devil Fruit could remove the ailment entirely, Whitebeard asked for you. It wasn’t long before the nurse that had been sent to get you reappeared with you following close behind. With a kind smile, you approached his enormous bed and sat on the edge with enough room to ensure there was space for Pops to remain undisturbed. 

“Rough night Pops?” You asked with a knowing look. 

“Could say that, or maybe I just wanted my children to fuss over me a little more.” Whitebeard grinned, always trying to reassure and keep things light. Despite his words, he dismissed the nurses until it was just you and Marco in the room with him. 

“So what will I start with tonight?” You asked gently. “Your favourite one from home?”

“Yeah, always like that one.” Whitebeard nodded, letting his eyes close so he could focus on Marco’s flames while you began to sing. 

Marco’s eyes widened at the sound of your voice, so strong and yet so sweet, pulling his focus from Pops’ face to look fully at you. You controlled your singing expertly, the sound just as reassuring and soothing to Pops, the song one he’d known since a boy, comforting him as an extra salve to his discomfort. Another form of healing and just as powerful as the Phoenix who continued to look at you in awe, with fresh eyes and he couldn’t help but think it was such a shame he’d allowed you to fall into the background for so long. Perhaps if he’d given you more notice sooner, he’d have been there the night Whitebeard had heard your singing while you were perched up in the Crow’s Nest and understood his soft spot for you from the beginning. 

When you finished your song, Marco uttered out a single word. “Beautiful.” You whirled your head around to finally meet his stare, eyes widened and lips parted in surprise. Cursing inwardly Marco cleared his throat and quickly looked away from the force of your eyes that he now found just has much power over him as your singing did. “The song.” He added, trying to recover his brief slip, not wanting to make you uncomfortable around him. “Pops is sleeping now. You can go back to bed if you want.” 

Slowly you looked away from Marco and you smiled to see Pops’ chest rising and falling steadily, already fast asleep and thankfully looking more peaceful than he had been. Still you remained where you sat and shook your head. “Nah, I’ll stay. He might wake up again.” You explained before looking back to Marco smiling at him, trying not to seem too eager. “You got a favourite song Doc?”

“A few…” Marco admitted with a relaxed smile, glad you had decided to stay.

ACE

It took a lot to get Ace angry; unwarranted and unnecessary violence to innocent civilians who couldn’t defend themselves was one thing, disrespect to Whitebeard was another. When someone somehow managed to combine both things at once? He was beyond furious. His hands shook as he stared at the townspeople trying to help each other whether with medical aid or helping to clean up what was ruined and find what was still salvageable. Ace ground his teeth together and balled his hands into tight fists, flames rippling over his arms in growing fury. “I’ll fucking kill them.” He snarled, beginning to step forward.

“Woah, woah there hothead.” You quickly darted in front of him and stopped his advance towards the ruined town centre. “Take a breath and calm yourself.” 

“Calm?” Ace demanded looking at you in anger. “This is Pops’ territory and someone’s attacked it. Look behind you! We have to get those bastards back it and these people!” Only a small group of you had been sent out to the island to investigate reports of an unallied ship sailing close. By the time you’d arrived, they’d already docked and begun to wreck havoc. None of you could let this stand. It startled Ace to see you weren’t taking it seriously, instead you were fixing your anger on him. 

“Take your own advice, Ace and look behind you.” You snapped harshly. “These people are terrified. We need to support them first, they’ve had enough of seeing violent pirates for one day. Pops’ people are the priority.”

“But-” Ace’s mind began to clear slightly from the angered haze that had settled over his eyes when he glanced behind you to look at the civilians. He took a slow breath and sighed. “I just want to make them pay.”

“Those nobodies aren’t getting away, we destroyed their ship the second we docked. They’re trapped here and the others will track them down in no time. Come on, let’s do what we can here first. These people need to see friendly faces.”

Ace hated how you were right. Taking another breath he calmed himself of his outward fury and nodded, signalling you to start walking towards the town. By the time the both of you came into their line of sight, you saw their initial panic fall away to relief. The older members of the town recognising you immediately and hurrying over. From them you learned that those who attacked hadn’t realised the island was Whitebeard’s territory until the sound of your ship approaching reached them. When they learned of their mistake they fled into the forest and mountains nearby. While you were glad it hadn’t been intended to be a declaration of war against Whitebeard, their attack would not be forgiven and their fates were sealed. 

Still though, you and Ace kept your minds firmly on the people, first aiding their cleaning of the mess made. Your calm personality and Ace’s naturally charming nature swiftly allowed the civilians to relax and fall into conversation with you, leading those that had been hiding with the children to come out. Immediately the children flocked to you and Ace in excitement, knowing they were safe. You grinned to see the youngsters ultimately decide in unison that Ace was the perfect target to climb on and a laugh broke from your lips to see four children were hanging onto his outstretched arms for dear life while their legs dangled in the air. 

You were happy to see that the children had managed to distract Ace from his earlier anger just as much as he had served to erase the fear these people held. Already you could feel the shift in energy and just as you’d finished the cleaning, the others in your group appeared triumphant with the news that the pirates that had attacked had been swiftly dealt with. Now in the need to celebrate, food was prepared and furniture was assembled to create an impromptu party to celebrate and turn the bad day into a good one. 

When the food was served you took pity on the children who still excitedly clung and pulled Ace who while was having fun, wanted nothing more than to eat and enjoy the meals he could smell. The others in his group, his family cruelly taunted him by declaring how good their food tasted. You laughed and rolled your eyes, taking pity on him faster than the others. You approached one of the townspeople who you’d helped locate his missing guitar and sat beside him, asking him to play a song you knew. Immediately his face broke out into a grin, he played the quick and cheerful song and you started to sing. 

Like a flick of a switch all of the children and Ace’s heads snapped towards you, immediately fixated with the sound. Some of the adults had even started to dance to the song. In all the time Ace had known you, flirted with you, adventured with you, how had he not known you sang? Even more, how had he never know you sang so beautifully? Even with him now free from the swarm of children who’d demanded his attention he was following them to where you were seated and singing, unable to look away and completely lost in the power of your voice. There was nowhere else he could possibly find himself wanting to go.

From their spot at the table, the remaining members of Whitebeard’s pirates in the group grinned at Ace’s expression and utter captivation in you. Slowly they shook their head at how their Division Commander was obviously smitten with you. They were already aware of his feelings for you and that was before he’d heard you sing. He was powerless against you.

------------------------------------------------

TAG LIST (If I've missed anyone or if you want to be added just let me know) @3v37773 , @tsaaps , @i-am-all-love-puns-and-lazy , @sanemisnonexistenteyebrow , @fiery-captain-spider-santa @kabloswrld , @atanukileaf , @chaotic-on-main

[fluentmoviequoter]

The Memories Get to Kickin' In

Requested Here!

Pairing: Tim Bradford x fem!singer!reader (former cop)

Summary: Tim gets roped into going to a concert. He doesn't expect to have his heart broken during the first song, or to apologize to his ex-fiancée.

Warnings: r's stage name is OFCR, angst, breakups, lots of feelings, vulnerable Tim, fluff, Nyla and Angela, I changed the lyrics to 'Nobody Gets Me' by SZA and made up an album title/additional songs

Word Count: 3.2k+ words

Masterlist Directory | Tim Bradford Masterlist | Request Rules/Info

“Where’s your boot?” Angela asks Nolan.

He looks around quickly, frowning as he answers, “Uh, I know exactly where she is. Do you need her?”

“Yes, we do,” Nyla replies. “So maybe we should find her.”

“Who?” Lucy inquires.

“Celina,” Nolan says.

“Oh, she’s in the bullpen. She got a call or something right after roll call.”

Nolan, Angela, and Nyla follow Lucy to the bullpen. Celina paces back and forth with her phone outside the roll call room. She rubs her thumb against her lip before she slows to type.

“What are you doing?” Lucy asks as they approach her.

Celina startles but doesn’t look up from the screen as she answers, “I’m trying to get concert tickets.”

“This is not the time or place, Juarez,” Nolan chides.

“Wait, Nolan,” Nyla commands, raising her hand toward him. “We have lives outside of police work. What concert?”

“Uh, OFCR,” Celina answers carefully, flitting her eyes quickly between Nyla and her phone.

“Wait, tickets are on sale again?!” Angela exclaims, pulling her phone from her pocket.

“Second presale,” Celina explains. “If you’re on her email list, there’s a code to get in but there’s a waitlist and the site keeps reloading.”

“What’s the limit?” Lucy asks. “I’ll send you money right now to get me a ticket.”

“Five, I think,” Celina answers. “If I ever get through, I’ll get tickets for all of us.”

“Officer?” Nolan repeats.

“Yeah, but it’s o-f-c-r,” Lucy explains. “Bailey listens to her music; you’ve probably heard it.”

“This is the second sale for the LA show, but we couldn’t get tickets the first time,” Angela adds. “They sold out in like 90 seconds.”

“You guys talking about OFCR?” Aaron interjects.

“Yeah, we’re trying to get tickets,” Celina responds.

Aaron unlocks his phone and says, “I got it.”

“Don’t tell me you have a guy for concert tickets, five minutes,” Nyla deadpans.

“No. Well, I do, but I also know OFCR, we’ve been friends for years. How many tickets am I asking for?”

“Can I bring Bailey?” Nolan requests.

“Of course.”

“Then, six- seven if you want to go, Aaron,” Angela says.

“What is going on over here?” Tim demands.

“Eight it is,” Lucy announces with a smile. “Tim, you’re going to a concert with us.”

“Wasn’t a question, Bradford,” Nyla says before he can oppose.

“Alright,” Aaron says. “VIP tickets will be emailed within the hour. I’ll forward them to everybody.”

“VIP?” Celina repeats. “Aaron, you are the best!”

“Me, pssh,” he responds playfully.

“Can we get to work now?” Tim asks.

“Yes, yes,” Lucy answers.

“Bailey is going to be so excited,” Celina tells Nolan as they walk toward the shop.

“Thorsen, wait up,” Tim calls. He approaches Aaron and drops his voice to ask, “Wanna use my ticket for a date or something?”

“No, you’re going. I’m not getting on Nyla’s bad side again.”

“I don’t even know her music, Aaron. Or when the concert is, what if I have plans?”

“Start with Streets of LA, it’s the album she’s touring right now, and if you do, change them.”

“Nyla can’t protect you forever, Thorsen.”

“Yes, I can!” Nyla yells from her desk.

Tim hesitates but presses play on the album Thorsen mentioned. He flexes his fingers under the wrap protecting his knuckles, preparing to hit the heavy bag to clear his mind. When OFCR starts singing, however, Tim freezes. At first, Tim thinks maybe it's because the voice is impressive, but as he listens to the words and finds himself relating to them a bit too much, he turns the music off.

“I’m not going to that concert, Thorsen,” he grumbles as he shuffles his usual playlist and strikes the bag.

Tim asks Wade to be given desk duty the day of the concert so he doesn’t have to hear the others gushing about OFCR all day.

“No,” Wade answers immediately. “You have a job to do. Besides, the girl can sing.”

“It’s not about whether she has talent, it’s that I’d prefer to do my job without hearing speculation about what color her shoes will be.”

“Luna thinks blue,” Wade says with a smile.

“Oh, come on.”

“Have a good day, Bradford.”

When Tim finally gets home, he sighs and sags against the front door. However, someone knocks on the door before he can think about what he wants for dinner. He opens it and sees Angela and Nyla standing in matching shirts bearing the letters OFCR in a font that looks like painted roads.

“Let’s go,” Nyla demands.

“Maybe you should change first, actually,” Angela interjects. “Do you want help picking an outfit?”

“I am not your child, Lopez,” Tim snaps.

“Then stop acting like one, Timothy. You have two minutes to change, spray cologne, whatever it is you do.”

Tim considers arguing briefly, then nods and disappears down the hall. He dresses quickly, feeds Kojo and ensures he has water, then follows Nyla and Angela to the car.

“It’s a limo,” he realizes aloud.

“Oh, yeah, when Hollywood said they were great friends, he meant it,” Nyla muses.

“Apparently Lincoln helped her get in with a label and a producer buddy of his, and since she and Aaron are pretty close in age, he introduced them. They hit it off and have been friends ever since,” Angela adds.

“Is that why you listen to her music? Because of Thorsen?” Tim inquires.

“No,” Nyla says. “We listen to her music because it’s good.”

“And she sings about things we can relate to. She seems pretty amazing.”

“So did Charles Manson,” Tim grumbles as the driver pulls away from the curb.

From their VIP seats, they have a clear view of the stage without any screaming fans blocking the stage. Lucy records one of the songs performed by the opening act while Bailey, Nyla, Angela, and Celina talk about which songs they are most excited to hear OFCR perform.

“Nobody Gets Me is probably my favorite,” Bailey says.

“Oh, yes!” Celina agrees.

“So good,” Angela adds.

Aaron returns with a bag of OFCR merchandise and smiles. “Showtime.”

The lights dim, and the crowd silences. Tim watches, growing restless as he sits between Angela and Nyla like they think he’ll run. At the sound of OFCR’s voice, however, he’s frozen just as he had been in the gym, yet he still doesn’t understand why.

“Los Angeles!” you call into the microphone, looking out into the dark arena. “I need you to sing this first song with me.” The crowd roars, and you smile as you continue, “It’s about my ex-fiancé. He will not talk to me, so we’re gonna sing this for him. You ready, LA?”

The lights come up, and you stand in the oversized flower display the set designer built specially for this performance. It’s an inverted version of the last bouquet your ex got you, and it means nearly as much as the song.

“Took a long vacation, no uniform, just sandy. You kissed me, now we silent, Los Angeles was ours to rule then. So tired, screamin’, ‘What now?’ Love me, but I’m anythin’. Hurry now, baby, kiss me ‘fore the memories get to kickin’ in. It’s too late, I don’t wanna lose what’s left of you,” you sing, standing from the flower petals as the sold-out arena screams the lyrics with you.

Tim watches you from the VIP section to your right with no discernable expression. His breaths are uneven, but he can’t look away as his chest tightens, feeling as if his heart will rupture from the pressure. He suddenly understands why he related so much to the song he heard. Like this one, it was about him.

Angela and Nyla stand with Lucy to sing together. Tim only watches you, listening to every word you’re saying and wondering if knowing you felt this way would have changed what he did. What he’s still doing.

“How am I supposed to tell ya? I don’t wanna see you with anyone but me, Nobody gets me like you. How am I supposed to let you go? Only like myself when I’m with you. Nobody gets me, you do,” you sing with the crowd.

When you step away from the inverted bouquet, which Tim recognized the moment you became visible, Tim watches you. His lips pick up at the corner at the sight of you, but he knows.

“Took me out to ballpark, you proposed, I went on patrol, you was feelin’ guilty, so you left me, now I’m stuck dealin’ with a deadbeat,” you sing.

If Tim had any doubt left, that would have eliminated it. You’re not OFCR, the singer his friends love, you’re you, Tim Bradford’s ex-fiancée. The woman he would do anything for; the woman he left because he thought it was what was best for you. The woman he thinks about every night and the woman he now realizes isn’t a better police officer without him.

“If I’m real, I deserve less. If I was you, I wouldn’t take me back.”

At that line, Tim stands and pushes his way past Angela. He exits the arena, and though he can still hear you singing inside, it’s muffled, and Tim can breathe.

Aaron rushes out behind him and raises his arms as he asks, “What’s wrong?”

“It’s stuffy in there,” Tim lies.

“Sure,” Aaron agrees slowly. “Is that all?”

Tim narrows his eyes and says, “Yes.”

“Okay. Because I know her. But I’m guessing I don’t know her like you do.”

“You don’t know anything, Thorsen. Leave it alone.”

Aaron remains silent for a moment, then asks, “If you did something similar to the guy in the song, maybe listening to it can help you find a way to fix it.”

“Not everything can be fixed, Aaron. There won’t always be a rich friend ready to get you things you couldn’t get otherwise, there isn’t always a second chance, and people fall out of love. It’s the real world.”

“Despite what you think about me, I know the real world too well. And it has taught me that when it comes to doing the right thing, there are second chances, even if they aren’t exactly what you want them to be. Sometimes an apology doesn’t take things back to how they used to be, but it’s something. Come back whenever you’re ready.”

Tim doesn’t acknowledge Aaron, but deep down, he knows that he is right. If he can get through the concert, listen to your songs, maybe he can unblock your number and send you a text to apologize. And then you can both move on with your lives.

“I see your sign,” you call with a smile as Tim returns to his seat. “I’m going to sing it later, I promise. What I want to do right now, though, is tell you guys that half of the proceeds from our merchandise sales tonight are going back to Los Angeles. I’m sure some of you know that I was a police officer here for a while, and I still love LA, despite all the scars it gave me. So, what you buy tonight is helping this city. There are also some LA-specific items, which I already see some of you wearing, and 100% of those sales are going directly to the LA Police and Fire departments. So, thank you for all of your support, and let’s sing another song.”

At the end of the concert, Aaron tells the others that there’s a back exit they can use to bypass the crowds. As they follow him down a hallway, Angela, Nyla, Lucy, Bailey, and Celina talk about how amazing the show was and how great your second outfit looked on you.

“Did you decide to do something?” Aaron asks Tim under his breath.

Tim nods, and then Nolan asks everyone if their favorite song has changed after hearing so many live.

“Aaron!” you exclaim as you walk into the hallway from your dressing room. You hug him and say, “Thank you so much for coming.”

“Thanks for hooking us up,” Aaron replies. “You were amazing, as always.”

“You dad tell you to say that?” you joke. You realize that his friends are staring at you and wave as you say, “Hi. Thank you so much for coming, I hope you enjoyed it.”

“Enjoyed?” Angela repeats. “This was the best day of my life, and I have kids.”

“Agreed,” Nyla adds quickly.

“You are incredibly talented,” Celina compliments. “All of your music is so heartfelt and meaningful but also sounds great.”

“You’re all being way too nice to me,” you interrupt with a laugh. “And I am terrible at accepting compliments, so please stop. Are you all cops?”

“We are,” Nolan replies. “Mid-Wilshire.”

“I know it well.”

“I bet,” Aaron murmurs.

When you glance at him with your brows pinched, he cuts his eyes toward Tim, who is standing against the wall on the other side of the hall. Your eyes meet Tim’s, and you immediately look away.

“Hi,” you whisper, keeping your eyes down.

“Hey,” he replies softly.

“Well, guys,” Aaron says, clapping his hands together. “Let’s go. Tim, I’ll send a car for you.”

“Thorsen,” Tim warns.

“Can’t hear you,” Nyla interrupts. “We’re going. He’ll send a car.”

Angela nods at Tim, then pats his arm as she passes. Though Aaron is the only one who has an idea of what is happening between you and Tim, his friends can tell that he isn’t himself.

“I didn’t know you knew Aaron,” you say once you’re alone.

“Yeah, they, uh- they made me come,” Tim explains.

You scoff and say, “No one can make you do anything, Tim.”

“I didn’t know it was you. Didn’t know you were OFCR.”

“That I believe. Look, I’m sorry this is awkward, but you don’t have to stay, you can catch up to your friends and-“

“I’m sorry,” Tim interrupts. You look up at him, your expression shocked and confused but soft. It takes every bit of willpower Tim has not to reach out to you.

“Don’t,” you plead.

“I thought I was doing what was best for you,” he continues. “I thought breaking off the engagement would make you be a better cop, give you less to lose.”

“I lost you anyway,” you remind him, your voice breaking. You shake your head and look away from Tim as you add, “Tim, that hurt worse than anything else I’ve ever dealt with.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Stop apologizing. There- it’s over, and now you know who I am and that I wrote a bunch of songs about you because… because nobody gets me anymore and I couldn’t even talk to you about it.”

Tim remains silent momentarily, but then he pushes off the wall to be a few inches closer to you. “Why’d you leave the force?”

“Are you serious? How was I supposed to go to work every day knowing I would see you? The week after you left made me question everything. I couldn’t stand not knowing what would happen each day, and the idea of seeing you with someone else was more than I could handle. There wasn’t any reason to keep serving when I couldn’t even take care of myself.”

“I never intended for it to be like that.”

“But it was.”

You look at Tim with tears in your eyes, and he takes a step closer.

“I didn’t want to,” he admits. “You were… I thought I was a distraction, that if you weren’t worried about me and us that you’d be able to protect yourself and do your job.”

You nod, trying to understand.

“In the song, you said you deserve less. You don’t really believe that do you?” Tim inquires.

“I don’t know what I believe anymore. You hurt me Tim, and there are days where I don’t think I’ll ever get past it.”

“Can I say anything to make this better?”

“Are you happy?”

“I haven’t been happy since we left the Dodgers game and you had a ring on your finger,” Tim confesses.

“Why didn’t you just talk to me then? Why did you walk out of my life and then make sure I couldn’t get back in? I know you blocked me on everything because after I left I tried to talk to you.”

“I don’t know. At the time, it seemed like a clean break would be better for you.”

“All this talk about what’s best for me, but you never once stopped to ask yourself what I might want? I have never been happier than I was with you, and there is only one you.”

“I-“

“You should go. Aaron’s driver is probably waiting for you.”

You turn and walk to your dressing room, and Tim watches you go. He doesn’t reach out to you, doesn’t say your name or ask you to wait, he just lets you go again.

In your dressing room, you drop your head into your hands and let your tears fall. You expected the show to bring back some unpleasant feelings but seeing Tim Bradford brings back everything you’ve buried over the years, and the hurt feels fresh.

Someone knocks on your door, and you call, “Just a minute.”

“No,” Tim replies from the other side. “This can’t wait.”

You open the door slowly, and Tim doesn’t let you speak before he says, “You deserved more. I thought it was best for you, but I realize that I was wrong. Listening to you sing about what I put you through… broke my heart. I can’t leave you again with you thinking that I deserve more than you or that I don’t care about what I did. I’ve loved you since before I first told you.”

“Tim, please don’t do this,” you plead.

“Do you really believe that nobody gets you like I do?”

You tell yourself not to answer, but you nod regardless.

“Then let me show you I still do. One more chance, and if you want to walk away, I’ll let you.”

“We can’t just pick up where we left off, Tim, it doesn’t work like that.”

Tim raises his hand toward you, palm up, and you step toward him. When his hand meets your jaw, you sigh and pinch your eyes closed, pushing fresh tears down your cheeks.

“I’m sorry,” he whispers.

You smile and admit, “I never stopped loving you, either.”

“May I?”

“Kiss me.”

“Let the memories in,” Tim tells you. “We can do this, but not if we forget where we – I – messed up, we don’t stand a chance.”

“Tim, if you don’t kiss me, I’m going to start singing about how much I cried when I recorded these songs.”

Tim drops his hand from your face, but before you ask what’s wrong, he pulls a chain from under his shirt. It has your engagement ring band on it, and you lay your hand on his chest.

“And I thought I was sentimental,” you murmur.

“I have a lot to make up for,” Tim says before he brushes his lips against yours.

“Maybe we should just start over,” you suggest, wrapping your arms over his shoulders. “I could use a new muse to sing about.”

“As long as you don’t tell Aaron he was right.”

“I’m not done with my tour yet,” you remind him, pulling back.

Tim catches your arms before they fall to your sides and holds you close. “I’ll wait,” he promises. “As long as it takes.”

“I love you, Tim Bradford,” you murmur.

“You move fast,” he jokes before you shut him up with another kiss.

[cerulity]

Physical media seems to be making a resurgence. While I won't use full-on CDs, I'm finding it much more fruitful to use localised content instead of streaming services. I have an entire folder of BPM-sorted music that I will just go through. Today I learnt Bash to make a really simple shuffler.

This is all that's needed to shuffle a playlist. A playlist is a file that just has a list of file names.

I think Linux's environment is perfect for this. For one, Bash supports wildcards, so you can do "directory/*" to add all files in that directory to the playlist. The cat command also allows you to pass multiple files, so you can merge multiple playlists together just by passing them as arguments. Symbolic (or even hard) links mean you can have a directory of files for a collection without taking up any extra space because of duplicates. Lastly, a more cosmetic feature, unlike Windows, which discerns file types based on extension, Linux (and Linux programs) discern file types based on content, so you don't even need an extension on your files for this to work.

Other than that, I think this solution is also good all-around because you control everything. You aren't limited to what the streaming service provides. You can support the artists on Bandcamp to get .flac files, which are generally the highest quality kinds of files you can get, it doesn't need any internet, and it's completely free (barring audio acquisition). I might work on a local audio player for mobile. One probably already exists, but I'd like to take a stab at it.