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infiniteanalemma · 5 months

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So, I'm working on the Astarion piece. I'm pretty pleased with how it's shaping up so far, but I'll maybe make a post about that another time. Instead, I want to talk about two programs I've tried while working on it. (I seem to be on a "trying new things kick.") Both were recommended to me: Magic Poser (a 3D model pose reference app) and PhotoPea (a free alternative to Photoshop).

I have good things to say about both of them, and also some not so good things. I'll put the long explanation under a cut, but for those who just want to see the tl;dr recs:

Magic Poser gets 4.5/5 stars -- it's good, and I'd recommend it, with some caveats.

PhotoPea gets 3/5 stars -- which really sucks to say, because I really liked it a lot on it's good points. Again, that's with some caveats, but I'll get into that more in the longer bit.

First, Magic Poser. It's an app that lets you pose a pretty detailed 3D model, with a light, and it includes some pre-made poses for a quick start. Overall, I like it. It's fairly easy to use, and it's got a lot of control over the pose and model movement. You can even fine-tune the finger positions. It's meant to be used on a smartphone, which is sort of eh, but it is convenient. Best of all, it has a free download. It's pretty helpful, and I'd recommend it.

That said, I do think you need some prior knowledge to get the most out of it. Which ... brings me to some of its downsides.

Obviously, as a 3D model, you don't get an entirely accurate representation of the human body. Even the best 3D model is still somewhat abstracted and simplified, and the "movement" of the muscles is just computer-generated distortion. The model's joints and muscles don't bend or twist quite like actual muscles, and definitely don't account for gravity or the way fleshy bits sag when not flexed. There's no collision mechanics, so you can't see how the body acts when it encounters a surface. Instead, the model clips through the surface -- including other parts of the body and the floor.

Although they did a pretty good job of limiting the amount of joint rotation and flexion, and having attached body parts move with the joints in realistic ways, you can still maneuver the model into some rather strange and unrealistic positions. It's a good and above all convenient approximation of how the body works, but do you kind of need some anatomical knowledge or you might end up with something ... uncanny without knowing why it looks uncanny. I'd also say it helps if you have some knowledge of how to use 3D software, but there is a tutorial video that sort of explains how to move things around. As a reference, it's best used in addition to photos of real people. That's pretty true of any sort of 3D thing, honestly, not just Magic Poser.

In regards to Magic Poser itself, the free version is pretty good but obviously it has its limitations. (Most of those limitations are ... well, by design, so that you buy the paid versions.) The free version only has a male model, with a single body type -- the "generic, athletic dude". You can move the single light in the scene and brighten/dim it, but you can't add more lights, and it's limited to "area" lighting. (Think "sunlight on a cloudy day": there's a general shadow direction, but everything more or less lit the same amount.) You can't create dramatic lighting or lights from multiple directions. There also aren't many free "props" -- mostly just basic shapes like cubes or cylinders. The paid versions have a more extensive library, both in poses and other objects. The paid versions also allow you to use other models -- male and female, with weight sliders (skinny, fat and muscular) and different model types. You can add hair or weapons, furniture, etc. The "Pro" version is relatively cheap, a $9.99 one-time payment that gets you a lot of stuff and also lets you import (but not export) models into the scene. You can also try the Pro version for free for 7 days. The "Master" version, which allows you to access all the stuff, is subscription, though, at just shy of $15 a month.

And, on the one hand, I have to admit that this makes business sense. They have to make money somehow. I just find it a little annoying. I personally hate subscription-based software and avoid it wherever I can. That's a me thing, though, so others may find it worth it. Of course, I'm also somewhat biased in this regard. I've downloaded Blender (a 3D modeling software that's both free and open-source) and can do everything Magic Poser can do and lots more. I also have MakeHuman, which is also free and open source, and creates customizable human models to your liking -- both in body and face, including skin textures, weight, muscles and even some limited hair options. (That said, I do some ... grievances with MakeHuman too, mostly nit-picky ones. Still, it's free and also imports into Blender with a plugin.)

Of course, if all you want is a quick, visual reference, Magic Poser is a lot easier to learn and use than either Blender or MakeHuman, and you don't have to create your own models. Magic Poser is also run on your phone. That's nice if you're doing a sketch or drawing on paper, away from your PC/laptop. So, the free version is definitely worth a download. If you can afford it, the Pro version might be worth it too. I'd skip the Master version personally, but again, I don't like subscription software -- especially when there are free alternatives.

Okay, on to PhotoPea.

I really hate giving it such a mid score, because there's a lot about it I really love. First of all, it does practically everything Photoshop does, and does it for free. That's incredible, full stop. If for no other reason, I'd want to give it five stars just for that. It also recognizes and exports into a variety of file formats, including PSD (Photoshop) files, so you can work on it in multiple programs and it saves the layers. The versatility is honestly quite impressive; it's capable of a LOT, and does stuff all in one application that I used to have to switch between multiple programs to do.

The UI is ... a little meh, though, although a lot is also being asked of it. There are a lot of tools, which can be a little intimidating, and the set up is a little confusing. It takes a little experimenting and exploring to figure out where the thing you need is at. A lot of the tool buttons have multiple options, so you have to use either keyboard shortcuts or the dropdown list to access things, and if it's not fullscreen, it bunches up even more options. For example, when not fullscreen, the brush/pencil tool and eraser get lumped under the same button. Some of the icons also look similar - I was constantly clicking on the spot healing brush when I mean to click the eraser, especially when I had the brush tool selected (which "hides" the eraser, because they're in the same toolset). That's ... kinda annoying, but not a dealbreaker -- maybe half a star off for me. The UI has some room for improvement, but it's not too bad.

But ... here's where it starts losing points with me quite rapidly. PhotoPea is a browser tool, which is ... okay, but I found it a little laggy, especially after I started adding multiple layers. I live in a rural area, so my internet connection is meh at best. You can use PhotoPea offline, assuming you already have it open. Still, I have like a dozen tabs (at least) open at any given time, and that means lag when using browser apps. PhotoPea does have a downloadable version ... which isn't available to Firefox users. That's not great, but okay, I could avoid that. I used one of the browsers that it accepts (I think it's Microsoft Edge, Google, Opera and ... I think Safari?). I downloaded the app, opened it up and ... it loaded ads into the app! Advertisements! In my art program?! (It also gated the "magic wand" selector behind a once-per-time limit that could be skipped by ... watching an ad. Maybe other things too, but that was one I encountered.) Ding another half star off.

Ads in an app like this is an insane choice, for a number of reasons. First of all, an art program is not a good avenue for advertisements. If you're paying attention to your work like you should be, you're not going to be looking at the ads. At best, they're going to be ignored. Most people are going to be like me and simply ... move the window partially to the side so the ad is hidden off-screen. However, beyond just annoyance, the issue is that bright, moving, eye-catching ads are a distraction from the reason you're using the software in the first place. It's hard to work when there's something competing for your attention right by what you're supposed to be focused on. I've got Attention Deficit Disorder -- I can't constantly have something flashing and moving in my line of sight and stay on task! I have to minimize distractions if I want to get anything done. I don't need a built-in distraction!

Again, I get wanting to make money, especially for an otherwise free software. This, though, is NOT the way to do it. If there must be ads, put them somewhere they don't interfere with the work. Maybe after saving, or when first opening the program. I can even see gating some tools like magic wand behind a reasonably short time-limit that's skippable with a short ad. I don't like it, but I understand that. Constant, circulating ads on the side of your workspace, though, is not understandable for someone who needs to focus.

Even more damning -- and the thing that made me close PhotoPea altogether and load up in another program -- is that the ads caused the program to lag. A whole star off for that alone. (I'd have taken two off, but I'll get to that in a bit.) The whole reason I downloaded the app was so I wouldn't have lag. Instead, it made the lag worse. You should get more stability in a downloaded version, not less! This quickly made the program unworkable for me because it caused my tool to lag for a split second every time it changed the ad. Not only did this cause my lines to jitter and skip when I tried to draw, but it completely destroyed the responsiveness of the tool. That, in turn, ensured I couldn't enter a flow state by making every stroke frustrating, aggravating me instead of allowing me to work smoothly.

At first, I was stubborn. I wanted to finish the picture before I said definitively whether I thought it was a good program. Unfortunately, I was only about 15 layers in (including color swatches, perspective grid, grey background and mask layers) when the lag got so bad and frustrating to use that I rage quit and went back to my old drawing program so I could work without frustration. The jittery, stuttery strokes didn't start out too bad, but got worse and worse the more memory the program started to use.

Now, here's a sort of catch, and why I didn't score PhotoPea any lower than a 3. After cooling off a bit, I went back and sort of poked at the program to see if there was anything I could do about the ads. I didn't find any setting to turn them off, but I did find you can still effectively negate the ads -- IF you turn off your internet connection. (Doing that doesn't remove the ads, by the way, it just freezes them so they don't load a new one. Essentially, it goes from video ads to an image ad.) I don't like having to do that, because I use the internet to look up references as I work. Technically I could do that on my phone, but that's an extra hassle. Again, Attention Deficit. If I pick up my phone to look something up, the chance of my getting distracted goes up exponentially.

All that to say that I was able to find workarounds to the problems, but the annoyances grated. What PhotoPea does, it does well, but you can't need to fight a program to make it usable and still call it good. Added up, it was enough to knock what should be a great program down to an "okay, I guess, if you don't already have a decent art program" tier.

That makes me sad, because I genuinely liked using PhotoPea -- when it worked. Unfortunately, the ads and lag broke me. The frustration of having to undo and redo my lines every second wasn't worth the other benefits, and setting up all the workarounds was more work than just using what I already had. For people with reliable internet, a good adblocker and a decent computer, the browser option may be the way to go if you need a different art program.

#ia personal #about art #my art #software review #my recs #ia rambles about...

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perfectcollectiontalesaarikaknow · 5 months

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ALS IAS Coaching in Meerut

ALS IAS Meerut stands as the preeminent IAS Coaching institute in Meerut, offering unparalleled guidance to students embarking on their journey towards success in the IAS exams. Known as a hub of IAS preparation, ALS IAS CoachingMeerut boasts of top-notch facilities and resources for aspiring civil servants. Fostering a sense of enigmatic complexity and linguistic dynamism, ALS IAS Institute…

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#ALS IAS Coaching in Meerut reviews #als ias coaching meerut details

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give-me-stuff-to-watch · 9 months

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Watching Stuff Day 25 - 7/31/2023 - Current Streak: 25

Instead of watching something today, I read something instead. I read a short story called X-Division by Kaleb I.A. which is currently free on Saturday A.M.

I haven't read any of the other stories featured alongside it yet. The whole thing and Saturday A.M. seem pretty interesting so I'll probably check out the rest of it later on my own time. I'm only reviewing X-Division though because it was my main reason for checking it out since I've been a fan of Kaleb I.A.'s youtube channel for a long time now and I heard about it when he plugged it in a recent video.

I think the strongest aspect of the story is its characterization. It does a great job of establishing the two main characters, Kenny and Mira, and their dynamic with each other. For shorter stories like these, I think it's important to get the audience intrigued by and invested in the characters since a much shorter length makes it harder to get people invested in the plot, so I really appreciated the work with that.

That being said, I do think the plot was good too in this case. I think the twist it had worked pretty well, and I found the lore and background for the spirits to be pretty interesting. It seems like a solid foundation to build upon if the author wanted to continue using this world and these characters.

My only real critique is that some parts of the writing feel like they don't convey what's happening as well as it could.

For example:

This section initially confused me, because it seemed to imply that Kenny came to those conclusions about the cashier based on the mannerisms he was observing. It wasn't until after I re-read and thought about it a bit that I realized it was actually about him getting info off of his phone about the cashier, which makes a lot more sense. Maybe this was just a me problem though, and others understood it on the first try.

Overall, it was a really enjoyable read, and I'm interested to see if the author has any more plans for these characters and their world.

#x-division #x division #kaleb ia #kaleb i.a.#saturday a.m.#saturday am #summer of manga #summer of manga 2023 #review

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adamwatchesmovies · 10 months

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Prophecy of Eve (2014)

You’ve never heard of Prophecy of Eve and the odds are good you will never see it either. If you do, however, you’re in for the kind of catastrophe that rarely gets released. Appallingly acted, unconvincingly choreographed, incompetently written, poorly shot, clumsily recorded and flawed from the moment it was conceived, this film would be laughed off of YouTube.

As a child, Eve (Ia Villatuya) witnessed her parents’ murder at the hands of demons living among us. Growing up on the streets alone, she has evaded everyone, even the members of the mysterious ‘Order’ - a secret organization that trained her parents to fight the forces of evil. A prophecy claims Eve will cause the world to fall to darkness if she becomes corrupted by those demonic forces. Years pass, then, Eve re-emerges as a leather-clad swordswoman and everyone scrambles to win her over.

Prophecy of Eve is a laughable attempt to create a new version of Kate Beckinsale’s Selene from the Underworld series but with a microscopic budget. Everything about the film screams "bargain bin". The fight scenes are obviously either excerpts from a karate class or students from the same dojo in costumes. Even if the moves were impressive, you wouldn’t be able to tell - the camerawork is so wobbly. To compensate, the editor repeats actions 2-3 times, often in slow-motion. At least it’s easy to tell what just happened. You’ll need every bit of clarity to untangle the mess of a story the non-actors are struggling to make their way through. You’ll be watching, trying in vain to remember all of the identical-looking characters (none of which have any personality) when director, producer, editor, production designer, art director, set decorator and costume designer Ron Santiano introduces someone new. You swear you’ve been watching the film for at least half and hour but if they’re still setting up the plot, the lack of talent must be bending time itself. It makes the movie simultaneously predictable and so novel you’ve got no idea where it’s headed.

Not one of the actors in Prophecy of Eve has a chance of ever breaking into the big league because the performances are on the same level as a kindergarten play. In their defense, there’s laughable dialogue aplenty and the special effects seem to be barely trying. Just about everything is bad, which means you’ll never run out of things to criticize or make fun of should you decide to seek out the film. A word of warning, however. Prophecy of Eve does the one thing no movie can afford to do: skip out on the audio quality. Much of the dialogue sounds like it was recorded by a mike at the end of a cardboard tube. This makes it even harder to piece together who’s who and what’s going on because you’ll only catch about half of what people are saying. You’ll be laughing or groaning so hard on top of what you can hear that subtitles are a necessity.

You can’t make a movie like Prophecy of Eve by accident. These people thought they had the hottest, sexiest thing ever on their hands. What they didn’t realize is that they had just soiled their pants out of excitement on their way to the stage. This film tries so hard to be awesome it spirals around and becomes so lame you’ll wonder if you didn’t stumble upon the wrong movie by accident. And that ending. It’ll have you screaming in frustration at the top of your lungs at the sheer audacity on display. I could never recommend it to anyone. Even as a bad movie, you could do better. I must admit that as I sat through its meagre running time, I had a lot of laughs. I almost want to see a sequel... but not really. (May 15, 2020)

#Prophecy of eve #movies #films #movie reviews #film reviews #ronsantiano #underworld #ia villatuya #michelle o'neil #nicole maxali #roberto divina #2014 movies #2014 films

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greenglow0 · 1 year

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sandythereadingcafe · 2 years

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REVIEW TOUR

SABRE (RBMC: Ankeny IA) by Kristine Allen at The Reading Cafe:

‘enchanting and engaging; seductive and intense’

http://www.thereadingcafe.com/sabre-rbmc-ankeny-ia-6-by-kristine-allen-review-tour/

#books #reviews #book tours #Sabre #RBMC: Ankeny IA #Kristine Allen #The Reading Cafe

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ezichiny · 2 years

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Han: Her Ruthless Mistake (Ruthless Triad, #4) by Theodora Taylor

Han: Her Ruthless Mistake by Theodora Taylor My rating: 4 of 5 stars Format: Kindle Edition, 338 pages Published: June 24th 2021 Blurb: This ruthless crimelord’s kindness comes with a price. Possession. Complete and utter. JAZZ: I’m a determined dreamer–at least I used to be. I put all my dreams on hold and withdrew every penny from my savings account to pay the debt my ailing father owes to a…

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#audiobook #Authors of Color #Interracial romance #max ia romance #part of a series #POC #review books #romance

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fluentmoviequoter · 27 days

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Rook Book

Requested Here!

Pairing: Tim Bradford x fem!metro!reader

Summary: When you return to the Mid-Wilshire station for a Metro inspection, you don't expect to run into your former TO, Tim Bradford.

Warnings: fluff, brief angst, incorrect police procedures

Word Count: 2.4k+ words

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

“Boot, let’s go!” Tim urges. “You can talk to your friends later.”

“Good morning to you, too, Officer Bradford,” Lucy replies. “How’d you-“

“Shop.”

“I just-“

“Shop.”

Lucy sighs before walking away from Tim. She’s used to his grumpiness by now, but she can tell by his attitude that there will be a few Tim Tests today. The war bags are already in the trunk, so Lucy isn’t sure what the rush is.

✯✯✯✯✯

“It’s been a while,” Wade says as he shakes your hand.

“Too long,” you reply with a smile. “When my captain mentioned this, I knew I had to take the assignment.”

“So, what does Metro want with a station review? Isn’t that usually IA’s thing?”

“Typically, yes. I think my role here is best described as a scout. Cap wants some new blood and we’ve got a couple of Metro openings. We need the best, and for some reason, I get to choose them.”

“You’ve already chosen one, I’m sure.”

Wade smiles as you furrow your brows. He shakes his head and reaches for something on his desk.

“Who?” you ask.

“If you don’t know, I’m not telling you.”

Someone knocks on the door, and you turn around as Smitty steps inside.

“I thought you quit,” he says when he sees you.

“I think I know who I won’t be choosing,” you tell Wade.

He tosses you a set of keys and waves. You leave his office and glance around. The station hasn’t changed much since the last time you were there, but you’re sure the people have. As you walk through the bullpen, you see someone you recognize.

“Bradford?” you call.

Tim freezes at the sound of your voice. He hasn’t seen you in years, yet hearing his last name come out of your mouth takes him back to when he was a rookie. Walking several steps ahead of him, Lucy stops and turns at the call of Bradford’s name. She’s expecting to be held up for a minute or two, but when she sees Tim turn slowly toward you, she knows that it’s more than that.

“Hey,” Tim says.

When he sees your smile, he relaxes and steps toward you. You don’t miss his initial reaction, though, and it makes your smile grow.

“I did not think you’d still be here,” you begin. “Maybe I should’ve done a better job.”

Tim nods, and Lucy rushes to his side. She smiles and extends her hand toward you before she speaks.

“Hi, I’m Lucy, uh, Officer Chen. How do you know Officer Bradford?” she asks.

“Nice to meet you,” you reply before telling her your name. “And you are?”

“Oh, I’m Tim’s rookie.”

“You’re a TO?” you ask incredulously as you turn to look at Tim. “Seriously?”

“Lucy,” Tim begins, “this is my TO.”

Lucy’s jaw drops and you chuckle. Wade calls your name, and you look over your shoulder at him. After he beckons you to return to his office, you turn back to Tim.

“I’ll see you around,” you say.

“Why?” he inquires.

“Metro’s recruiting.”

Tim watches you go and doesn’t move until you’re out of his sight. His shoulders are tense, but there’s a small smile on his face that Lucy hasn’t seen before.

“You never mentioned her!” Lucy exclaims.

“Because she was my TO, not yours,” Tim argues.

“She doesn’t seem that much older than you.”

“I’m not that much older than you.”

Lucy raises her brows but remains silent this time.

“Our ages don’t matter. Aren’t you supposed to be in the shop?” Tim argues.

“Aren’t you?”

Tim tilts his head to the side, and Lucy decides this isn’t a battle worth fighting. She’ll ask about you later, anyway. After Lucy walks away, Tim glances towards Wade’s office once more. He remembers every moment he spent with you, and the memories are making it hard to focus.

“You drive,” Tim tells Lucy as he enters the garage area.

“Are you serious?”

“Am I ever unserious?”

Lucy nods and takes the keys from him. As she climbs into the driver’s seat, she realizes why he doesn’t want to drive. He can’t, for some reason.

“You had a crush on your TO,” she accuses quietly.

“Do you want me to quiz you on everything in the rook book?” Tim replies. “Because if you keep this up, that’s what you have to look forward to.”

“You don’t have one.”

“No, because I actually know everything in it. Now, you can pick. Be quiet and drive or I start asking questions about cavity search procedures.”

“I will be quiet and drive,” Lucy decides. “For now.”

Tim takes a deep breath as he remembers the rook book you kept with you when he was a boot. Every memory he has of you is good, and now he’s concerned that Lucy is right. Not that he did have a crush on you, he knows he did, but that he still does.

✯✯✯✯✯

“Bradford,” Wade calls over the radio. “I need you and Chen to return to the station.”

“Copy that,” Tim responds.

“What do you think that’s about?” Lucy asks.

“The Metro inspection.”

“I didn’t know about a Metro inspection.”

“I can tell you’re about to burst, so you can ask one question before we get back to the station,” Tim offers.

“Ooh! Wait, just one? How am I supposed to choose? Because I want to know about what kind of TO she was, but I also need to ask if she knows that you liked her.”

“Choose one.”

Lucy taps her fingers on the steering wheel for a moment before smiling. “Did she test you like you test me?”

“Are you asking if she had a version of Tim Tests?”

“Yes.”

Tim nods as he answers, “Yeah. She gave me tests. It’s one of the reasons I started doing Tim Tests. Practical knowledge and experience are important, but she’s the one who taught me that.”

“That’s so cute! You based your teaching style on your teacher crush.”

“Chen,” Tim warns.

“Okay, okay. Then did she quiz you on the rook book, too?”

Lucy knows she is pressing her luck with asking another question. Tim doesn’t answer, and as she nears the station, expects he’ll make her do pushups later.

“Yeah, she did. Always had a copy of the rook book with her. Sometimes, she’d read it while I drove around and would only talk to me to ask me questions.”

Lucy smiles to herself, now completely convinced that Tim had a crush on you. The way he talks about you and remembers you, though, makes her think those feelings may still be alive. Once the shop is parked at the station, Lucy decides to get to the bottom of Tim’s relationship with you, and if there isn’t one, she needs to make something happen.

✯✯✯✯✯

“Bradford, thanks for coming back so quickly,” Wade says. “Head into my office. Chen, I’ve got an assignment for you.”

“Yes, sir,” Lucy replies.

“There’s a Metro inspection happening today, and I need you to take the Metro officer around, show her everything she needs to see, make introductions, whatever she asks.”

“Yes, sir.”

Lucy tries to hide her smile because she suspects that you are the Metro officer she’s about to spend a bunch of time with. Maybe you’ll be more open than Tim. When you approach her with a smile, Lucy knows that her investigation of your relationships will be more fun than your inspection of the station.

“Officer Chen, sorry to pull you from patrol, but Sergeant Grey said you were one of the best,” you greet.

“No problem,” Lucy says. “And you can call me Lucy if you want.”

“Okay, Lucy, I would love a tour of Mid-Wilshire station. It’s been a long time since I was here, so walk me through like it’s my first time.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Lucy turns and leads you toward the front desk, to start the tour as she would with a visitor.

“Lucy?” you ask. “What’s Tim like as a TO?”

“He’s great. I mean, he’s grumpy and has a ton of Tim Tests, but I like riding with him.”

“Tim Tests,” you murmur under your breath. “Cute.”

Lucy smiles at your reaction before she begins the tour. You don’t mention Tim again for a while, and Lucy thinks that you are too focused on your inspection to think about him. As you near the bullpen at the end of the tour, Tim is exiting Wade’s office.

“You abducted my boot for a personalized tour?” Tim asks you.

“Lucy mentioned Tim Tests,” you say, changing the subject. “Don’t tell me copied my rook book move, too.”

Tim rubs his thumb across his jaw before answering, “I didn’t.”

“He told me that you used to carry a rook book around and would ask him questions,” Lucy interjects. “I’m really glad he didn’t take that idea.”

You look at Tim with a smile as you ask, “That’s all you told her?”

Lucy looks back and forth between you and Tim, but neither of you seems to remember she’s there.

“The rook book wasn’t a rook book,” Tim says after a moment. “It was just a book that she put the cover on. Those days that she didn’t want to talk to me, she’d just read through our shift and ask me random questions to make it look like she was doing her job.”

“Yeah. Because I’m the one who had trouble doing my job,” you reply with a laugh.

Tim shakes his head, and Lucy suddenly feels the urge to interrupt before he says something out of line.

“How’s the inspection going?” he asks instead.

“How’d your meeting go?” you counter. “Because the inspection is just a cover and we both know it.”

“Cover for what?” Lucy asks.

“She’s recruiting for Metro,” Tim explains. “Looking for the best talent in our station to move to a new team.”

“We’ve got three openings,” you remind him. “Just think about it, okay?”

Tim looks toward Lucy, but you give him a knowing nod. Lucy feels lost like a kid listening to her parents talk about something she hasn’t experienced yet.

“Thanks for the tour, Officer Chen,” you say. “Maybe I’ll see you around.”

You say bye to Tim before walking past him. His fingers flex at his side as you pass, close enough to touch. Tim closes his eyes for a moment before turning to Lucy.

“Let’s go. Patrol isn’t over yet,” he says.

“Are you sure you don’t want to grab a book first?” she responds. “I know, shop. I’m going.”

✯✯✯✯✯

After the day of your inspection, Lucy doesn’t hear your name again. Tim returns to his high-stress tests, driving, and random procedural questions. You clearly made an impact on Tim just by being near him, and as Lucy’s rookie exam gets closer, she wonders if Tim pushed you away.

“Can I ask a question?” Lucy asks.

“Depends. Is it about the exam? Because that’s all you should be concerned about,” Tim says.

“No. Well, sort of. Did your TO help you study?”

“Are we talking about my experience as a rookie or about my TO?”

“Your TO,” Lucy answers softly.

“Fine. Ask away.”

“Why hasn’t she been back?”

“She has a job. Metro is busy, so she doesn’t have a lot of time to make personal visits.”

“Did she offer you one of the positions?”

“She did.”

“And you didn’t take it? Why not?”

“Because you’re still a rookie. I have to get you through this.”

“You could’ve handed me off, that happens all the time. Did you say no because of her?”

“I didn’t say no, Chen. I said not yet.”

“Metro positions don’t open every day! You can’t throw away your career to drive me around for a few more months!”

“Lucy!” Tim yells. “Drop it.”

Lucy sits back and presses her lips together to stay quiet. Tim’s cell phone rings, and he glances at it before raising it to his ear.

“Hello?” Tim answers.

Lucy looks over in shock. Tim has never answered a personal call in the time they’ve been riding together. Whoever is on the other end speaks for a moment, and Tim listens intently.

“Got it… Yep, see you then.”

Tim ends the call and drops his phone to continue driving.

“Who was that?” Lucy asks.

Tim looks over but doesn’t answer. He says, “Read your rook book,” and keeps driving.

✯✯✯✯✯

“Officer Bradford,” you call as he and Lucy enter the station.

Tim leaves Lucy and walks to you. He stops beside Wade’s office and waits for you to begin. You told him on the phone to come straight to the station when his shift ended and he’s ready to know why. Nolan and Jackson enter behind Lucy and silence as they watch Tim talk to you.

“Who is that?” Nolan whispers.

“Tim’s TO,” Lucy answers.

“My captain wanted to call you, but I thought it would be better to tell you in person,” you begin. “You passed the Metro test, and your spot is waiting for you.”

Tim smiles, glad he has his back to the rookies. “Thank you.”

“I didn’t do anything I haven’t done before.”

“Which is?”

“See potential in you.”

Tim nods and thanks you again. You look over his shoulder and the rookies look away quickly, but they’re less than stealthy and it is obvious they’re trying to listen in.

“Has Lucy been asking about me?” you ask.

“Nonstop. Don’t look so happy about it, though.”

“What kind of questions?”

“Mostly if I had a crush on you.”

“We both know you did,” you say.

Tim doesn’t argue, and your smile grows.

“I know you told her about my tests and the rookie book, but what else does she know?”

“Nothing.”

“That’s interesting. Because I don’t know any more than that and I’ve known you a whole lot longer.” You glance down at your Metro uniform before adding, “Oh, and my captain also said that Metro officers are allowed to have interpersonal relationships as long as they don’t interfere with work.”

Tim looks up quickly with wide eyes. You stifle a laugh, and he rolls his eyes.

“So… are you ready to admit you had a crush on me?” you ask.

“Something like that.”

You wave at Lucy and step away from Tim. He reaches an arm out to stop you, but you only wink at him before you continue walking.

“Are you going to do something this time?” Wade asks as he exits his office.

“We’ll see,” Tim answers. “Lucy has to pass the rookie exam first.”

“It looks like she just got herself a tutor.”

Tim turns and finds you and Lucy talking excitedly. You smile at him, and Tim feels like a boot again.

“This is gonna be fun,” Wade and Lucy say simultaneously.

Neither you nor Tim hear them, too busy looking at one another.

> part 2: Rook Book to Remember Me By

#tim bradford x reader #tim bradford x fem!reader #hanna writes✯#tim bradford x you #tim bradford imagine #tim bradford fic #tim bradford the rookie #tim bradford #the rookie abc #requests #fem!reader

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