diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 065d026c..6904f5e5 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -40,3 +40,4 @@ htmlcov/
 pip-wheel-metadata/
 src/21CMMC.egg-info/
 devel/*.out
+.vscode/
diff --git a/src/py21cmmc/likelihood.py b/src/py21cmmc/likelihood.py
index e8bf0718..7249e142 100644
--- a/src/py21cmmc/likelihood.py
+++ b/src/py21cmmc/likelihood.py
@@ -918,15 +918,14 @@ def initialize_clik_and_class(self, name=None):
                 my_l_max_EE = max(my_clik_EE.get_lmax())
             else:
                 raise AttributeError(
-                    "I did not understand name %s"(name)
-                    + "please choose between"
-                    + "Planck_lensing, Planck_highl_TTTEEE, Planck_lowl_EE"
+                    f"I did not understand name {name}. Please choose between"
+                    "Planck_lensing, Planck_highl_TTTEEE, Planck_lowl_EE"
                 )
         except AttributeError:
             raise AttributeError(
                 "The path to the .clik file for the likelihood "
-                "%s was not found where indicated:\n%s\n" % (name, my_path)
-                + " Note that the default path to search for it is"
+                f"{name} was not found where indicated: {my_path}\n"
+                " Note that the default path to search for it is"
                 " one directory above the path['clik'] field. You"
                 " can change this behaviour in all the "
                 "Planck_something.data, to reflect your local configuration, "
diff --git a/tests/test_zeus.py b/tests/test_zeus.py
index 7411d13a..ac548083 100644
--- a/tests/test_zeus.py
+++ b/tests/test_zeus.py
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ def test_zeus():
 
     core = p21mc.CoreCoevalModule(
         redshift=[7, 8, 9],
-        user_params=dict(HII_DIM=50, BOX_LEN=125.0),
+        user_params={"HII_DIM": 50, "BOX_LEN": 125.0},
         regenerate=False,
         change_seed_every_iter=False,
     )
@@ -32,10 +32,10 @@ def test_zeus():
         likelihood,
         datadir="data",
         model_name=model_name,
-        params=dict(
-            HII_EFF_FACTOR=[30.0, 10.0, 50.0, 3.0],
-            ION_Tvir_MIN=[4.7, 4, 6, 0.1],
-        ),
+        params={
+            "HII_EFF_FACTOR": [30.0, 10.0, 50.0, 3.0],
+            "ION_Tvir_MIN": [4.7, 4, 6, 0.1],
+        },
         reuse_burnin=False,
         continue_sampling=False,
         use_zeus=True,