#Shye plays DAI

[magic-multicolored-miracle]

I love the storyline of the Jaws of Hakkon DLC, but the Frostback Basin leaves something to be desired. Namely, easier navigation.

[dughole]

radiohead’s complicity in israeli-occupied palestine

my feelings on radiohead are complicated these days, as i’m sure they are for many. i'm using this post as a method of sorting out my own thoughts & to provide sources.

for me, the bottom line is this: radiohead is both a brand & a musical group. the brand of radiohead has always had deep roots in the israeli colonial project - they have played many, many shows there throughout their career. their breakout single - creep, was intially only a hit in israel (x, x) & the personal choices of some of radiohead's members remain just as involved. jonny greenwood met his future wife - the israeli artist, antivaxxer & vehement zionist (x) sharona katan - at a show radiohead played in israel in 1993 (x). jonny consistently collaborated with zionist musician shye ben tzur & his projects continue to tour in tel aviv as recently as last september. as for jonny himself - his only statement in regards to the war on gaza has been in mourning for the israeli concert goers on october 10th - w no such empathy spared to the 100,000 palestinians dead, injured, or missing. as for thom, while he’s thrown a few bitchfits (x) through the years abt criticism of radiohead’s shows in israel, he has imo - only paid lipservice to the criticism, saying “playing in a country isn’t the same as endorsing its government” going against the pleas of his peers & coworkers in the music industry. as well as the pro-palestine activism undertaken by his long term friend micheal stipe (x & x). (note: stipe stood by radiohead’s performance in israel in 2017, but his current political choices suggest his understanding of the situation has evolved). even his own son - noah yorke, a fellow working musician, has voiced his opposition to the genocide in gaza via instagram stories. as for the other members, rhythm guitarist ed o'brien has called for a ceasefire, as well as making a few tweets about "solidarity with palestinians & israeli peacemakers". while bassist colin greenwood reportedly refused to accept letters of dialogue from the fan-run organization radiohead fans for palestine. drummer phillip selway's commentary is similarly brief but defensive, saying radiohead's 2017 tel aviv concert "felt right"

to me, this paints a picture of a band who's members stances on israel range from abhorrent to simply not enough. & as a brand, their particular combination of action & inaction amounts to a fundamentally zionist perspective. you cannot separate radiohead as artists from radiohead as a brand name.

i've loved radiohead since i was 14. i was brought into it by another longtime fan. i cried & danced when i saw them live back in 2017 - it was, & remains, a moment that allowed me to live through the hardest parts of my life. i felt for the longest time, that radiohead's music & political positions encouraged my empathy - my questioning of conservative political authority. & while all celebrities are failures in some sense - it is still heartbreaking to know how wrong i was.

i don't think it's possible to disconnect the decade of connection & love i have for their music - I won't ask that of myself or anyone else. & the idea of scrubbing one's taste of the "morally impure" is useless effort & an inappropriate simplification of both art & our conceptions of what makes someone "bad". but i can say with certainty - i will not be giving them any more of my money, whether that be streaming their music or buying their merch - & i encourage you to do the same. silence is complicity - this is beyond silence.

in the words of nina simone - "an artist's duty, as far as i'm concerned, is to reflect the times. how can you be an artist and not reflect the times? that to me is the definition of an artist."

[not---meat]

Paradise: Chapter 12: Falling To Pieces

Pairing: Javier Peña x McKenzie Martel

Rating: A - Adult

Warnings: Angst, domestic violence, domestic abuse

Summary: Javier takes Kenzi home.

Note: I apologize in advance for any historical inaccuracies. We are in the mid to late 90's now woooo. Officially after the events of season 3 of Narcos!

MASTERLIST --- PARADISE MASTERLIST

Steam rose from the coffee cup between her hands. A mind so troubled, it drifted away from her, wandering off into the depths of her being as shye waited for him to speak. To say something. Anything. McKenzie knew the peril that he was facing. She had seen it on his face the moment he saw her. The way that he reacted when she winced away from his touch.

They sat in silence for a while, his eyes scanning over her, taking in the bruises, taking in the split in her lip and her tear stained cheek.

"I don't understand, Kenz." He whispered, "How did you let it go this far?"

The emotion in his voice told the story of the heartbreak he felt. Seeing her this way was hurting him and she knew it. She knew that, if she were a better person, she shouldn't have called. At the end of the day, though, he was still her person. Her Cradle to Grave. There was nobody else that she could call.

"Kenz…" He spoke again, reaching out to her, touching her hand and trying to grab her attention. "Kenz, it's okay. I've got you."

Slowly, ever slowly, her eyes flickered to him, flickered about his face. Somehow Javier still looked the same. Somehow he had left and come back the same as she remembered. Yet there was something different in the way that he spoke to her. Something deeper, more compassionate. More caring. As if his words had more meaning to them.

Tears rolled from her eyes and she looked out the window of the diner once again. There was nothing that she could say, no explanation to be made.

"I love her." McKenzie spoke, her voice soft, broken and cracking, "I love her and… I - I thought she loved me."

Deep brown eyes filled with emotion stared over at her, meeting hers when they flickered back into his direction. Javier didn't say another word. A sigh passed his lips as he pulled out his wallet and left money on the table. He stood from his spot and walked over to her, offering her his hand.

"Come on, hermosa, let's take you home." Javier spoke, taking her hand into his. She stood, looking up at him with wide eyes. "To the ranch. Not to her. I won't let her hurt you again, Kenz. Never again. I made a promise to be there and I'm going to be there."

Kenzi opened her mouth to argue but Javier stopped her, shaking his head. He led her back to the truck, helping her into the passenger seat.

There was silence when they sat in the truck together. The both of them recalling the emotions, the memory of the last time she was sat beside him. The rain feeling too familiar to the both of them as it pinged off the cab of the truck.

Like a brutal reminder of the past. A horrific scene that brought them back to when she walked away from him.

Please don't leave me like this.

You don't have to love me back.

White knuckles folded around the steering wheel, hardly moving as he drove down the road. The radio played a song that Kenzi didn't recognize. Something about being broken. Kind of perfect. Not a word was spoken, letting the soft guitar ring out between them. Javier seemed to know the song, his grip on the steering wheel relaxing slightly as he tapped along to the beat of the gentle tune.

Kenzi just stayed quiet, occasionally glancing his way as he drove down the pavement road leading to the ranch. It was Javier who spoke first, ending the silence between them with a barely audible, low whisper that was almost drowned out by the sound of the rain pinging against the cab of the truck.

"I'm sorry."

He didn't look at her, his gaze still fixed ahead of him as he leaned back in his seat.

"This is my fault. I shouldn't… Fuck. I shouldn't have left. I should have fought for you." Javier breathed, finally looking over at her, sadness reflecting in his big, brown eyes. "I'm sorry, Kenz. I'm so fucking sorry."

Words escaped her. Instead of saying a word, Kenzi just closed her eyes. She leaned against the seat and breathed out. The throbbing in her eye had gotten worse.

She just wanted to sleep. She just wanted to forget. The events of the night having taken their toll, McKenzie just wanted to curl up and let her dreams take over.

Noticing her silence, Javier let out a sigh. He unlocked the truck doors and slid out, shutting the door behind him. As Kenzi pulled off her seatbelt and moved to open the door, Javier was already there, opening the door for her, offering her his hand to help her out of the truck. Doing the things he had always done before but now they seemed like they meant more. Like he meant more.

It almost felt as though his touch had gotten more tender, as if the reasoning behind his actions meant more than they did before. Or maybe McKenzie was reading too deeply into it. At the end of the day his actions hadn't changed. Javier had always opened the door for her. He had always taken her hand and helped her out of the truck. This wasn't a new thing and yet, for reasons unknown to Kenzi, it felt like it meant more now. More loving. More tender. It wasn't just a friendly touch anymore. It was something more.

Unspoken words that, had they been revealed long ago, could have changed the trajectory that their lives had taken and yet now they just hurt. Broken hearts. Broken friendships. Yet Javier was still there, still keeping up his promise. Kenzi still called him even though she knew she had no rights to do so. Javier still showed even though he knew he had no rights to still love her.

But he did. He still loved her and she still loved him.

Not that it mattered anymore. Not that any of it mattered anymore. Too much had happened now and Kenzi wasn't in the right state of mind to let anything else happen. She hadn't spoken. She didn't know what to say.

Wordlessly, Javier led Kenzi into the house. He led her through the front door and helped pull her jacket off of her. He hung it up to dry and held her hand as she stepped out of her shoes. Kenzi watched him, noticing the small things he did. Noticing the way he made sure that her shoes were set to the side to dry, that the shoelaces were undone so they didn't crust up and dry in the tied position that they were in. She noticed how gentle his touch was when he led her throughout the house, walking past Chucho without a sound, knowing that a conversation with him could happen later.

Javier led her to his bedroom and let her sit on the edge of the bed. He kneeled in front of her and helped her out of her soaked jeans, tossing them into the hamper. Not a word was spoken between them. Not a sound made. He did everything she needed him to do, even helping her get into some of his pajamas.

All Kenzi could do was watch, tears slowly rolling down her cheeks. How was it that she deserved him? After all that he had done, after all that she had done, after all of the bitter words and hatred passed between the two of them. How was it that he still cared for her?

Almost as if he had read her mind, Javier took her hand in his. He reached forward and ever gently wiped her tears with her thumb, smearing the wetness across her cheek and being careful not to allow the salty tear to touch the cut over the bone.

"I care about you, McKenzie. Nothing has changed. You're still the person I care about the most." Javier whispered to her, squeezing her hand gently. "You need to sleep, Kenz. Get comfortable, okay?"

He stood from the bed, glancing back at her before leaving the room. All Kenzi did was stare, her eyes flickering around his bedroom. Frames pictures of his life scattered about the walls and the surfaces, almost all of them including her. Smiling faces and shimmering eyes. Life was simpler then. Easier. Out of them all, though, one stood out the most.

Without even thinking about it, Kenzi stood and walked to his dresser, picking up the picture that she didn't even know existed. It was of them, of course, sitting in Chuchos livingroom.

A box of pizza in front of them, his arm around her, her head on his shoulder, with Javier looking up as Kenzi sat with her eyes closed.

"That was the night after grad." Javiers voice rang through the doorway, a glass of water in his hand. "We had just gotten back from the grad party. Your date had ditched you so I spent the night with you listening to music. You were drunk and falling asleep. I had to carry you to bed."

Kenzi nodded slowly, setting the picture frame back down where she found it. "I barely remember that night."

"I know."

"I didn't know this picture was taken."

Javier chuckled, the hint of a smile on his lips, "I know that, too. You were falling asleep. Chucho took it. We got some old films processed and… well there it is." Javier handed her the glass of water and an ibuprofen, "For your head. I don't doubt its going to hurt and swell tomorrow. I can take you to the clinic tomorrow."

Kenzi took the pill and popped it in her mouth, she used the water to wash it down and handed him the empty glass. "Thanks. I should… probably go home tomorrow, though. I don't want to make things worse than they already are."

Javier frowned slightly, clearing his throat. "Why don't you sleep on it, Kenz. We can talk about it tomorrow. Do you… need anything else?"

"No. No I should be alright, thank you." McKenzie offered him a small smile before making her way back over to the bed. She sat down on the edge of it, wrapping her arms around herself as she stared up at Javier. "Are you sure you're okay with me sleeping in here? I… I don't mind sleeping on the couch."

Javi pursed his lips slightly, shaking his head. He walked over to her and lifted her chin with his finger. "You get sleep. You need sleep. You've never slept on the couch here and tonight is not the day that you will start. You sleep in the bed. No arguments."

McKenzie stared up at him for a minute, eyes flickering about his face as she took in his words. "Okay." She whispered, "Okay. Just… Get rest. Get good rest."

Javier smiled softly, gently booping her nose before pulling away. He walked over to the door and leaned against the doorway for a moment, looking in at McKenzie as she slid onto the bed and pulled the blanket over herself.

"Cradle to Grave, Kenz." He murmured, flicking of the light, "No matter what."

NEXT CHAPTER

[gnatlistens]

30-day song challenge! (PART 2)

 heyohello welcome to pt 2! creds to @/eggtaurus on instagram

DAY 1: a song that represents you

jealousy, jealousy -- olivia rodrigo i can't think of one omg. song that describes an aspect of me the most i guess (but i wouldn't want people to know me as this ..)

DAY 2: a song to play at a party

everybody talks -- neon trees omg. depends on the party but i think people would be the most accepting of this one, but any from my neon playlist would work (my playlists describing vibes are finally put to use!!)

DAY 3: a song title with the name of a food

豆浆油条 -- jj lin the first one i thought of LMAOOO. it's means bean paste and fried pastry, english title: perfect match

DAY 4: an old song

amore che nasce -- piero piccioni (1967) i had to dig through to find an app that sorts my music by release date. anyways this is the oldest one i could find. i'm NOT putting running up that hill even if it kills me. i might as well list an old-ass classical piece like mozart

DAY 5: a song that makes you feel nostalgic

piano -- ariana grande i feel like i've listened to this a lot but i did not,, basically all the songs in my being sentimental playlist though

DAY 6: a song about love

色香水 -- yoh kamiyama

any romance soundtrack would fit lmaoo but this was the first one off my ♡! ? playlist! title means: colour perfume

DAY 7: a song from the year you were born

童話 -- michael wong

i'm spending so much more time on this challenge than the previous one UGH. anyways slay !! a classic

DAY 8: a song title w/ the name of a person

jenny (i wanna ruin our friendship) -- studio killers

i know another jenny song omg why is that name so popular. also that one beatles song

DAY 9: a song that cheers you up

passcode -- jannine weigel

love the vibes

DAY 10: a song you never get tired of

notgonnalie -- shye

immediate answer would have been sparkle, but i used that already. ugh this is getting hard

DAY 11: a song you used to like but now hate

dynamite -- BTS

umm i don't keep track of songs i hate. maybe bts songs bc of the fandom but i didn't particularly like them, they were just decent

DAY 12: a song you want to play at your wedding

promise of the world -- chieko baisho

howl's moving castle theme would work too but i want to appreciate this :) i imagine this would be played at howl and sophie's wedding HAHHAS

DAY 13: a song you discovered this year

hasta los dientes -- camila cabello, maria becerra

doing a song released this year instead, i did discovered alr

DAY 14: the last song you've listened to

room at the table -- charlie lim

i'll do this after i'm done with the rest of the days edit: okay a song i thought of while searching for songs!! it didn't make into any of the days but i just listened to it! yes it's that ndp song :D

DAY 15: a song with a title you like 

don't miss me -- claire rosinkraz

honestly i think i just like the cover (her blowing bubblegum) which makes me like the title

DAY 16: a song for running away from home

carrying you (from laputa) -- joe hisaishi

kind of about running away from home LOL. original song is called innocent though

DAY 17: a song title with an acronym

IDGAF -- boywithuke ft. blackbear

UM the first one i thought of was YMCA.. but this one is better

DAY 18: a song title with 1 word

phonecase -- shye

easy one FINALLY

DAY 19: a song that sounds better w/ headphones

still trying -- shye

honestly all shye songs are better with headphones bc the vocals hit harder

DAY 20: a song for stargazing

stargazing -- kygo, justin jesso

LMAO i said mirror was good for stargazing yesterday. anyways what about a song called stargazing !!  it's quite sad though

DAY 21: a song for the beach

summer on you -- PRETTYMUCH

hmm i think hype songs would be better? depends on the mood, if it's chilling on the beach any stream cafe/lofi, if i want to hang out w friends i'll choose this!!

DAY 22: a song about friendships

you've got a friend in me -- randy newman

i'm sorry

DAY 23: a song for breakups

you broke me first -- tate mcrae

iconic. first song from tate that got me invested

DAY 24: a song by one of your favorite artists

pretty please -- dua lipa

brb after random number generating my top 20 artists i got 14: dua lipa

DAY 25: a song you sent to someone

itim -- shye

yeah i remember this one clearly. they didn't give a shit. well i do!! shye is now one of my top artists, this was one of the songs that got me hooked

DAY 26: a cover of a song

perfect / style -- jonah baker

mashup time!! mashups >> covers

DAY 27: a song about being angry 

GO TO HELL -- clinton kane

a recent one i just added to my playlists !! memorably angry

DAY 28: a song to play while running

rumours -- jake miller

neon playlist saves the day again

DAY 29: a song to play during a date

a journey (a dream of flight) -- joe hisaishi

♡! ? playlist again. time to link it since i keep using that

DAY 30: a song you want to share

vultures -- evanturetime, linying, charlie lim

WOOO LAST ONE!! evanturetime is really good and criminally underrated

i tried not to use wdw this time HAHSH uh i'm kind of running out of good recs for songs .. watch me recommend a whole album 😭😭  had to stop myself from including another kimi no na wa soundtrack. i also need to cut down on shye omg i keep going back to the same few artists

[yamamiya]

minji - Looking for mice

clio

Evangeline

Shye - WONDERFUL DAY

[keeps-ache]

to care means to fix them

[no text below]

[kidfoundonstreets]

last post

DAY 3!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ashe pov lets watch him have the worst time of his life NOT THE MUSIC PLAYING RIGHT AFTER. GN. cleepy claire again ashe the worst thing you can do right now is be alone i think.,,,,,,,, these hallucinations are gonna fuck you bad

pain and agony in the world

so true charlotte honestly lime?? get a life and a grip she’d definitely see you venting and go “well at least-” that sums it up. she wont understand anybody and she wont ever be understood if shes like this all the time the world is cruel because and unfair and it was to you but its your mindset thats keeping it that way. i guess same could be said for all the haters in some sort of way as well becaquse their entire existence is to keep up their hate of humanity thats why they relieve their deaths every single day

i understand her and i feel bvad for her story she deserves so much more she really does but . gaghhhg i relaly hope one day she snaps out of it UGH SHYE IS SUCH A GOOD CHARACTER i dont wanna be too harsh on her since yea. she doesnt even know love or anything she couldve been she had no choice it was all so stupid but the cage symbolism of her still being in it.. i love “ah nothing” *proceeds to think about it* i wonder if ashe’s having a nightmare right now. probably not though since they said to give it a rest

im shocked he didnt reread all of the books more

EVERYBODY STFU SHE SINGS THATS LITERALLY SO CUTE ashe is the embodiment of the meme “the thoughts are getting louder” with the crying laughing emoji HRELP THE TYABLES HAVE TURNED SIRIUS IS THE ONE SHOCKED AT CLAIRE NOT KNOWING

AJKFGKRE OLHY HSITR THATS ADIRABLOE IS THIS THE DOODLES MENTIONED BEFORE.. I AM SO IN LOVENJKEWNHFWKEJLJR3IO2 SIRIUS LOOKS SO NAGY HELPP bro she somehow drew the hairs and collars better than i ever could CAT CA T C A T CAT CXA TC A T 

SIRIUS PRETTY PINK FLUFIFEST MOST SDPEICALIST PRICNESS INT HREW HOLE WRODLD NOOOOOOOOOO

oh my god..................................................................... that is not him at all im wheezing

TOP TIER ME AND THE SIBLINGS (REAL) WHY DOES SIRIUS LOOK LIKE A MII.. JFKSDHFKJAESHRQWIEURH332 I KEEP LAUGHING AT THISHEKEWFEW

IM TAKING SO MANY SCRENESHOTS BUT HE REALLY JUST DID THAT THATS SO MEAN THEY ARE ALL EMPTY SOIL AROUND EACH OTHER WHETHER SIRIUS LIKES IT OR NOT!1!!!! and then they were siblings.......... (one suffering) wilardo screentime gogogogogogogoogog

[earlgreymon]

flying birds & floating petals; a koukari playlist for lovers who questioned about the reflecting wings and fallen cherry blossom on the river. (youtube / spotify)

01. must have been the wind - alec benjamin we can talk about the noise when you're ready 02. venus - sleeping at last astronomy in reverse, it was me who was discovered 03. hesitate - steve moakler excuse me while i fall for you 04. you can - david archuleta show me the good thing comes to those who wait 05. livewire - oh wonder so hold me, when i'm wasting the light 06. (they long to be) close to you - chord overstreet that is why all the boys in town follow you all around—just like me, they long to be close to you 07. take care of yourself - maisie peters you don't get a medal for the last one awake, so rest your eyes and give your baggage to me 08. bright - echosmith did you and jupiter conspire to get me? i think you and the moon and neptune got it right cause now I'm shining bright 09. love u - shye take it slow, you don't gotta tell me. i just wanna know if you need me to call you maybe—it's alright if you don't bonus tracks: there are many ways to say i love you - sylvan esso you'll find many ways to say 'i love you', you'll find many ways to understand what love is

part 1 of lovers in japan series track-by-track commentaries;

since the beginning of june, i've been curating some songs that i think can be associated with my favourite pairs on my twitter. as the digiweek is coming and one of the prompt is "music" i was thinking to wrap them all into a playlist for each pair.

but... i end up having five playlists, and i don't think i want to put them all on digiweek because i actually have another fic entry for day 3. so i'm gonna save one for digiweek, another for a specific otp week (take a guess!), and the others for... well, day-to-day post like this.

you will find the playlist on my lovers in japan series. the name was taken from coldplay's song. please note that my playlists will not be arranged chronologically, so you will see the 'storyline' is kinda messy. i arranged them according to how i think the order of the songs will sound good in the listeners' ears, and trust me when i said i have listened to these playlists a million times to make sure that they do sound good.

please also note the songs may have different interpretations, and i know there's gonna be people who disagree with my song choices. as i'm also not that good at translating songs, this is just my take and 1) i can be wrong; 2) you may have a different take.

for this koukari playlist itself, the title and the subtitle are inspired from @skuag's koukari headcanon. ngl i'm so in love with sku's line about koushiro and hikari questioning things around them, and i put the line into this. i hope you don't mind! :D

onto the real commentaries now!

01. must have been the wind - alec benjamin

when i first heard the song, i thought it was about an attempt to save a girl from an abusive relationship/domestic violence. but generally, this song is also about being a friend to someone who isn't ready to talk about his/her own feelings, and that's how i think the dynamic between koushiro and hikari is. they will both be loyal and helpful no matter what to each other ("promise I'm not playing tricks on you, you're always welcome to come in. you could stay here for an hour or two if you ever need a friend").

the whole song mostly told about the girl refusing to talk, but in the last part of the song, it is also implied that the singer won't push her. koushiro and hikari are both very patient, so this song is perfect. another trivia is that this song is about two persons living in the same buildings and koushiro lives in the same apartment with hikari in da:2020 :D

02. venus - sleeping at last

this is just a general, sweet love song with a hint of scientific touch with astronomical metaphors. also, on the line "astronomy in reverse, it was me who was discovered" that i quoted above, i think it can also be interpreted how koushiro is always passionate about finding things, but then love comes and finds him instead.

03. hesitate - steve moakler

"i've always been the kind to contemplate but you like the kind that don't hesitate, so excuse me while i fall for you." yes. this line is just perfect for koushiro who is very polite and easy to get nervous, and i bet he's very nervous to start a new page full of love. also, i thought the first line when the singer says "the human heart is a scary part in fact" is koushiro-ish because it sounds somewhat biological, iykwim.

04. you can - david archuleta

i (maybe even most of us) often associate koushiro as someone who have no room for romance. even if he does, he will be very careful about it; talk about someone who is very conventional and believe in one true love/soulmate. so that's why when someone as wonderful as hikari comes in picture, he must be thinking this is worth the wait. 'cause if anyone can make him falls in love, she can.

05. livewire - oh wonder

livewire. electricity. koushiro. yes. however, this song is actually more from hikari's side. the first line, "i've been depending on the overgrown" is like her depending too much on taichi. "i've been pretending all my shots are blown, cover my heart up never let it show"—again, with the issue of concealing her feelings. "oh so heavy the water, falling down down deep down" ...well, somehow it fits the dark ocean, eh?

06. (they long to be) close to you - chord overstreet

so i really want to put this song no matter what because it's a simple, sweet, innocent love song—and gee, koukari is such an unproblematic pair! however, the carpenter's version has this line where it says "that is why all the girls in town follow you all around" and i think it's better to reverse the situation because... well, hikari is more popular than koushiro, right? the song can also be used for takari with the "so they sprinkled moon dust in your hair of gold and starlight in your eyes of blue" but the innocence is just screaming koukari for me.

07. take care of yourself - maisie peters

i think this is the most important song on this playlist. the whole song itself is like things that hikari wants to say to koushiro. i remember @seventeenlovesthree once said that koushiro is very lacking sleep, and we know it's because he keeps working and researching. we even see in tri how he couldn't take better care of himself, with messy workstations, fashion 101 with takeru, and that horrendous dark circles. and when someone told him to just take a rest, he would refuse—saying that the world was in danger and it's more important to save it.

please also highlight these two important lines, which can also be good for yourself:

"you don't get a medal for the last one awake"

"and i hate how you're going through hell when you've never let anyone else, so cut off a little slack and roll all your cavalry back"

08. bright - echosmith

similar to venus, this is just a simple love song with a dash of moon and planets in the refrain. also, remember that koushiro's first kanji in his name is hikari, which also means light (bright)!

09. love u - shye

this is similar to must have been the wind, except it's more of hikari's point of view. koushiro is someone who's also struggling to reveal what he feels, but hikari won't ever push him and wait until he's ready. also, i've mentioned before in my headcanon that hikari texts koushiro more often, but once he gets busy, she will not disturb him and just patiently wait until the morning follows. this song is the perfect description.

bonus track: there are many ways to say i love you - sylvan esso

at this stage, you may probably know the general theme of this playlist is koushiro and hikari loving each other very subtly. i often said that they are not the type of couple who says 'i love you' blatantly, and this song is a conclusion on how they profess their love to each other!

[angst-fairygodmother]

prompt 53 with diego!!!

A/N: Welcome to Shye’s Fic Casino! Step right up and spin the Angst-o-matic. Spin three “I can’t”s to win! (Grand prize is a brooding boyfriend trying to break up with you for your own good but fuck that because he doesn’t get to make decisions for you. Usual terms and conditions apply.) I wasn’t certain on this, but I went with #53 on the most recent list I had reblogged when I got this message. Please let me know if I got it wrong. Word Count: 1873 Content Warning: Violence, blood/injury

It wasn’t often that you regretted dating your boyfriend. He was sweet, surprisingly funny when he wanted to be, and always there for you when it really mattered. Which is why you weren’t scared, not really. But as the three men backed you into the corner of the alley out the back of your store, you were…nervous, just nervous.

“Listen, fellas,” you said, hands up, palms held outward in as placating a gesture as possible. “Let’s not do anything rash…”

“Shut up!” one of them growled, taking a menacing step forward and swinging the bat in his hand toward you.

You flinched with a yelp and stumbled another step backward, feeling the press of the dumpster against your back.

“I’ll let you into the store, you can have whatever’s in the till…”

“You think this is about money?” the second snapped.

“Um, yes?” you couldn’t help the incredulity in your tone even as they menaced you.

Rather than responding, the third, who had managed to creep up beside you, took a swing. Unable to dodge all the way in time, you felt his fist connect with your ribs, stinging as the barbed wire wrapped around his gloved hand bit into you. You caught the bat between your hands as the first man swung it again, twisting it and wrenching it from the grip of the first man, the training Diego had given you kicking in to help you defend yourself.

“If we wanted money, we wouldn’t be at your stupid little place,” the man speaking threw a series of quick jabs your direction, putting you on guard and off balance so that wire-hands could get in another good hit to the soft flesh of your stomach.

“You’re that vigilante shithead’s little pet,” wire-hands hissed. “And our boss is getting sick of his crap.”

You swung the baseball bat back at him, missing, but hitting the original wielder, catching him with a hit to his collarbone and causing him to stumble back with a yell, only he kept going back further than you thought he should have, the flickering light from your shop’s backdoor glinting off something shining protruding out of his shoulder.

You couldn’t keep the smile off your face, knowing what that flash of light meant. Still, you weren’t going to rest on your laurels or play the damsel in distress. And wire-hands seemed to have taken up a vendetta against you. He ducked under your second swing of the bat and swung at your knee. You dodged, but he had been planning for that and got his third hit to your core.

You wheezed from the impact, the breath knocked from your lungs and you couldn’t seem to get it back. After that, things happened in a blur and before you knew it, Diego was slipping one of your arms over your shoulders to lead you back inside, the three men on the ground and well taken-out.

“Patch will be by to get these assholes shortly,” he growled, kicking the door open in front of you. “Are you alright?”

You nodded, trying to hide your wince and keep him from fretting over you too much. “Yeah, I think I managed to avoid the worst of their swings, thanks to your tutelage.”

He stopped moving, looking around the room for something, and you took the opportunity to nuzzle your face into the side of his neck.

“I would have been really screwed if you hadn’t showed up,” you mumbled. Almost immediately, you felt him stiffen under your touch and regretted your words.

“I heard them. They came after you because of me, Y/N,” he said tersely, shifting you into one of the high-backed stools behind the curio shop’s counter and moving back.

“Diego…” you sighed, reaching out for him even as you felt him pulling away.

“No, Y/N. I put you in danger…if something had…” you watched his face darken at the very thought and saw him turn, knew he was going to leave.

“Diego Hargreeves, don’t you dare.” You threatened, trying to keep your voice steady even as the tears formed in your eyes.

He didn’t say anything, as he started pacing, each pass drawing him closer to the door, shoulders hunched. He hesitated at the sound of his name from your lips and you took the opportunity to lunge out of your chair to seize his hand. As you moved, you felt sharp pain shoot through you and you cried out, nearly collapsing. Diego’s arms shot out on instinct to catch you, cradling him close as he guided you back to the chair.

“I thought you said you were fine?” he snapped, concern coming out as anger.

“I…didn’t want you to worry,” you admitted, voice barely more than a whimper.

He grabbed the first aid kit from the back room, and you took a moment to wonder how he knew where it was. Then he was kneeling in front of you, warm, calloused hands trembling slightly as they pushed you back so you were sitting up straight.

Spots of blood seeped through your sweater, staining the soft green material dark. His eyes seemed to focus on it, your stomach and left side obviously marred, and he swallowed thickly.

“It’s not as bad as it looks, I’m sure,” you whispered, fingertips curling against his jaw to pull his face back up to meet yours.

“A-a-are you h-hurt any…where…else?” he stammered, and you frowned.

His speech impediment hadn’t been severe in years, mostly now only coming out when he was extremely upset. It being as bad as it was right now worried you. He must have been more scared than he showed by the fact that you had gotten hurt. You wanted to pull him in close, to hold him and reassure him that you were fine, so long as he was by your side.

“No,” you said confidently. “It was just a couple of punches in the gut. You tried your best to keep your tone casual so that he would calm down.

“I should take a look…” he said hesitantly, already moving his gaze back down to your middle.

He saw now that some of the spots where the bleeding was worst had tears in your sweater, and in the skin beneath. An icy hand clenched around his heart and shame made his face grow hot. Here you were, practically in ribbons and you were reassuring him. It should be the other way around, or better yet, this should never have happened.

He prodded gently at one of the worst spots and you winced, sucking a pained and startled breath through your teeth. There were sweater fibers in the wound, and the now fluttering material made it difficult to get a good look at anything.

“You need to take off your shirt.” He said apologetically.

“Why Diego Hargreeves, are you trying to get me naked?” you teased, voice high and light and almost normal.

He chuckled, unable to resist your charms even if he’d tried.

“You know me baby, I can’t ever resist you,” he countered. “Even when you’re bruised and bloody.”

“Hey, if I can put up with it after your boxing matches and vigilante prowls, you can deal with it now.” You smiled, glad that you had found the thing that put him back to his regular self.                

“I’m serious though, Y/N. I need to take a look at those wounds.”

Gingerly, you guided the sweater up, Diego quickly coming to your aid as the movement jostled you suddenly and you gave a short shout of pain.

He hissed at the sight of you, the skin around the wounds already inflamed and puffy, discoloring quickly as bruises settled into your ribs. Your sweater was tossed to the side as he began to root around in the first aid kit. Eventually he found everything he needed and set about methodically cleaning and dressing each rending of flesh.

“You should keep an eye on these, keep them clean and dry,” he said, trying to remain detached so that he could remain steady for you. “They could get infected pretty easily, especially since they were caused by some old barbed wire.”

“Hmm…” you nodded sagely, a small smirk that he didn’t see forming on your face. “Maybe you should come stay with me then for a few days, to make sure I’m…properly taken care of.”

His gaze rose to meet yours, something sparking behind it.

“I mean, unless you’re still planning on running away and leaving me so helpless and alone.” You pouted dramatically at him, lower lip jutted out and eyelashes fluttering.

He swallowed thickly at the tone of your voice as he leaned in to kiss you. The press and pressure of his movements, lips harsh and almost demanding, spoke of desperation, of fear that he could have lost you. You reached up cautiously to run your fingers through his short hair, thumb tracing along the thick scar-line above his ear. His hands gripped your hips, pulling you closer so you almost slid off the chair, but careful that he did not disturb your injuries. You parted your lips for him easily, moaning as his tongue began to dance across every centimeter it could reach.

“Ahem,” someone said, clearing their throat pointedly.

The pair of you sprang apart, Diego turning around sheepishly to look at her while you gave Patch what you hoped was a charming smile.

“Everything alright Eudora?” he asked.

She rolled her eyes. “You called me.” You thought you heard her mutter something about wondering if pigs could suddenly fly since he had decided not to take matters completely into his own hands for once. “I need to take statements from both of you.”

“Right, of course,” you said.

The three of you stayed there, looking expectedly at each other. All of you were puzzled and slightly concerned at the behavior of the other two. None of you spoke.

“Independent statements,” Patch said, finally breaking the silence. “That means alone?” She looked pointedly at Diego, telling him to go away for now, using her eyes alone.

Finally, he seemed to take the hint, though not as quickly as she would have liked. You watched him deflate at the thought of leaving your side when you weren’t ‘alright’ and gave his hand a gentle, reassuring squeeze.

“I’ll be fine Diego. And the sooner we do this, the sooner you can take me home, okay?”

He gave your hand an answering squeeze and sighed. “I suppose you’re right.”

Reluctantly, he released his hold on you and crossed to the other side of the store where, as long as you kept your voices low, he wouldn’t be able to hear you and Patch.

“Do you want a blanket or a jacket or something?” she asked. “I’m sure Diego was doing an excellent job of keeping you warm, but you might catch a chill now.”

There was nothing in her tone other than friendly teasing, but still you found yourself blushing and apologizing for the state of yourself and the one she found the two of you in.

“It’s fine, Y/N. I’m glad Diego found someone, and that you’re alright. Now, can you tell me what happened in the alley?”

[elliethesuperfruitlover]

1, 18, 44, 82 & 83

Hi girl, I love you, hope your day is amazing 💖💫

Heyyy, love you too :). I hope your day is good too xx.

1. I can’t have pets as is, however I really love snakes. (copied from shye)

18. Do you sing in the shower? fuck no, i hate my voice LMAO.

44. Are you a competitive person? yes. it’s a sometimes thing, like sometimes I won’t assert myself in situations, or things like that (observing, and from anxiety) but in the right situations, I fucking flourish from being competitive. I can be a complete and utter bitch when it comes to being competitive, I swear. but it’s fun to win sometimes.

82. What’s something you’ve always wanted to try but haven’t yet? sushi, boba, the vaccine (yall better hurry the fuck up, I AM WAITING), and raw honey comb.

83. If you could learn to do anything right now, what would it be? play violin. I like how it sounds, and my brain goes very brr when I hear it. I’ve always wanted to learn some type of instrument.

Ask List

[magic-multicolored-miracle]

Knight-Captain Rylen, when you talk to him after taking Griffin's Keep and explore all the "investigate" options, mentions dumping a bucket of water on something in three different topics/for three different problems.

Someone get this man out of command and into the local Fire Brigade! That's clearly what he wants to be doing.

[radioheadconfessionspt2-blog]

Shye can play my flute any day

.

[gnatlistens]

shye's live gig @majulah block party: my experience!

this was such a great show!! exams are finally over so I can do a write-up 😋

setlist performed (30/7/22)

i’m fine, no

phonecase

i’ll be honest (w Dru Chen)

days to morning glory

how r u sleeping (feat. Charlie Lim)

hi, hello (unreleased)

notgonnalie

999

corduroy (encore)

this was my first ever live concert/show/gig! it was an amazing experience and the energy was SO HIGH. I sang (or shouted?) along, and based on the videos I recorded, I was a lot more in tune than I expected 🤨🤨. but I also ruined the recordings because all I could hear was my voice LMAO

kicking things off with i'm fine, no and phonecase! at the chorus of phonecase, the crowd sang along so loudly 🤩

up next were I'll be honest and days to morning glory. I'm surprised I knew the words to I'll be honest without actively searching up lyrics, and it was only released a day ago! I could sing along to dtmg although I haven't looked at the lyrics once, and I obviously misheard a few HAHSHA. after the concert, I looked up the the lyrics and they are really meaningful! I definitely like it more now :)

to my surprise, Charlie Lim sang how r u sleeping with shye!! he had to look at the lyrics so it might have been unexpected for him too LOL, but he KILLED IT! I'll be expecting an official recording now 😌

also I'm not surprised Charlie Lim likes this song, I saw that how r u sleeping was playing on indiego (the radio channel), and he's the music director HAHSHA. now that I mention it, I should start listening to indiego,, just that scrobbling to lastfm is going to be a problem 

shye performed an unreleased song next, titled hi, hello! she mentioned that it's going to be part of her next EP (or album, I forgot), and I can't wait

notgonnalie was so fun to hear live! the lyrics "feeling like I wanna cry, feeling like I wanna scream" fit the vibe exactly.

999 was supposed to be the ending track, but we all requested for corduroy as an encore :D

shye didn't prepare for it at all and played the track from spotify HAHSHA. I'm so glad she did and i got to hear it live! also someone gave her shades 🕶 they were so cute!! she signed them afterwards too

shye got a birthday cake from the organisers/her mum (I don't really know :p), so the last song we sang for her was happy birthday 🥰

after the event, she gave all the fans some of the cake and met us to take photos! she moved everyone away from the loudspeakers which was so thoughtful 💟 

overall this was an amazing event and I'm definitely going to her next gig! (if it's not during my exam period). it felt different to listen to her songs in such a hyped-up environment, usually they are quite soft and comforting. it's really cool that they can be enjoyed both ways

i'm glad that this smaller-scale gig was my first, I know what to prepare next time! I'll definitely give shye something 

[momscookingthebooks]

Chapter Reveal

Title: Payback

Series: Vigilante Justice #1

Author: Kristin Harte

Publication Date: January 25, 2018

#ChapterReveal #Payback #NewRelease #VigilanteJustice #KristinHarte 

Add to Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36549869-payback

Synopsis:

In Justice, Colorado, the Kennards run everything, including the only big business in the area. Their sawmill employs most of the town, and the Kennard brothers live up to a long family history of keeping their neighbors and coworkers safe—until a motorcycle club comes to town and starts causing trouble. Big trouble. The kind that ends in funerals. The kind no law enforcement can help them with.  He carries the burden of protecting an entire town Being the oldest Kennard brother, I’ve got a centuries-old promise to uphold—run the family business to give the townspeople jobs and the sort of security they can only find in Justice. When a motorcycle club blows that plan apart, I’ll do anything to make them aware that they picked the wrong town to target. As a former Green Beret, I know just how to sabotage an enemy. The only weakness in my armor is my obsession with a five-foot-nothing blonde who unknowingly holds my heart in her hands. My attraction to her could cost me my life, but I’d sacrifice it all to save hers.  She owes a debt that could cost her life I’ve spent three years hiding out in Justice and paying off a debt to the Soul Suckers, one they’ve decided to collect whether I’m ready to pay or not. When danger lands on my doorstep, one man jumps in to help. Alder Kennard—former Special Forces soldier and current object of all my fantasies. But the Soul Suckers won’t let a debt go unpaid, and with the price on my head rising every day, it’s only a matter of time until they come back for me. Alder would put his life on the line to save mine, which is something I simply can’t afford.  Everyone has a debt to pay, and the only currency I have left is my body. So when the time comes, I’ll trade my life for his.

Purchase Links:

iBooks: smarturl.it/PaybackKH

Amazon: smarturl.it/PaybackKHarte

Kobo: http://bit.ly/2Dtul6N

Nook: http://bit.ly/2mXwvjK 

Chapter 1

“We’ve got a problem, boss.”

If I hadn’t already been in a foul mood, those words would have gotten me there.

“What is it now?”

“Motorcycle gang up on Widow’s Ridge.” Camden Reese—born and bred in Justice, friend of my youngest brothers, and former Marine sergeant���launched into a speech about his team running into some bikers up by the Hansen property. We’d recently signed a contract with Miss Hansen to harvest eighty acres of dead Ponderosa pine on that hill, so anything getting in our way was definitely a problem. A big one.

As Camden laid out the events of the altercation, I checked over the satellite images of the area on my desk, making notes and marking locations. A star on the house to the west where the elderly Miss Hansen still lived, another to the east on the patch of earth where a trailer sat, all alone. The only two residences up that long, rough stretch of road leading to a drop-off on the far west side.

That rocky piece of land sat just outside the city limits, so things like road maintenance were all but forgotten unless the two residents brought them to my attention. No biker would intentionally ride up such a rutted, gravel road without a reason—too hard on their bike and their face if they were trailing someone else.

“He tried to call out Finn, but I squashed that shit,” Camden said, securing every bit of my attention for the moment. Finn—my second youngest brother, one of a set of twins, and the only Kennard ever to spend time in prison. He was also a recovering addict, and I had vowed to my dad that I’d keep him in recovery and not let him backslide. That had been ten years ago, and I still worried about keeping that vow every fucking day.

“What the fuck was Finn doing on a job?” My brother didn’t work for me except for the occasional project, and I knew for a fact he hadn’t been assigned to the Hansen job.

“He’d driven with me to check in on Miss Hansen. We never made it out there, though, because we ran into the bikers on the way up. One guy said some shit about Finn’s drug days, how they missed him over at the strip club in Rock Falls.”

Jesus. “You get a name?”

“Patch on his vest said Spark.”

“Spark.” I sat back, balancing my chair on two legs. “As in plug?”

Camden blinked, a cocky smile breaking across his face. “Yeah, like plug. I didn’t see the other guy’s name.”

“So Spark knows Finn from what…ten, twelve years ago? He look familiar to you?”

Cam shook his head. “Never seen him in town.”

That caught my attention. Justice was a small town planted squarely between two slightly larger towns, all in the middle of fucking nowhere. People didn’t happen into Justice—they came here for a reason.

And if that reason was named Finn Kennard, Spark and his friend needed to be dealt with and quick. “How’d my brother handle the run-in?”

“Finn ignored the bullshit from Spark. I wasn’t as restrained.”

Not surprising. Cam always did have a bit of a temper. “If the sheriff gets called again on you—”

Camden waved me off. “I knocked his legs out from under him and put him on the ground.

Didn’t even leave a mark, I don’t think. But I made my point.”

“And what point was that?” Not that I needed to ask.

“That Kennard Mills would be harvesting the lumber on that side of the hill, and their club had better not have any business up there. They drove off after Spark picked himself up out of the dirt, the other guy saying something about bigger fish.” Camden frowned. “I recognized the other guy.”

“Local?” I couldn’t think of anyone in Justice who rode with an MC, but I might have missed someone. Three hundred plus people were a lot to keep track of.

“No. He came into the truck stop one night when Leah and I were there for dinner.” He blew out a breath and shifted his weight. An almost unconscious gesture, but one that stood out. Normally almost confident to a fault, Cam suddenly seemed nervous, which meant I wouldn’t like what he had to say.

“Yeah?” I prodded, wondering how a night out with his wife would piss me off.

“Leah noticed something was up when she went to the restroom and came to get me. The asshole had Shye cornered in a back hallway and wasn’t letting her pass.”

The snap of the pencil I’d been holding breaking in two might as well have been a gunshot. “And you let him walk away?”

“I had Leah and Shye looking on. I had to.”

Picturing perfect little Shye—at least ten years my junior and so damn sweet, every one of her smiles would give you a toothache—watching as I kicked the shit of some asshole was about as unappealing as a thought could get. I probably would’ve wanted to do the same as Camden and let the guy walk with a warning if I’d been there. I wouldn’t have, but I’d have wanted to.

Because I wanted her, and the idea of Shye being scared of me made my gut sink like a rock. I needed to stop thinking about Shye Anderson. An impossibility as of late, which directly correlated to why my mood had been so foul all day.

I sighed, rubbing my forehead and sitting deeper into my chair, bringing all four legs back to the floor. “All right. So they rode off after you knocked Spark to the ground. Any indication they’d keep hassling you or come back for Finn?”

He shrugged. “Not really, though you never know with these types of guys.”

Lawless, clan-like, arrogant. Yeah. You never knew a damn thing with them. “Did you recognize the club logo?”

“Definitely the Soul Suckers.”

Of course. I’d heard they’d added a clubhouse not too far over the county line to the west. I probably wouldn’t have thought twice if I’d seen their bikes on the highway through town or heading toward the new restaurant on Main Street. I would now, though.

“Might be time to set the club straight on what they can and can’t do as they ride through Justice. I’ll talk to Deacon, see if he knows anyone. Head back to the ridge, and get the Hansen site plot worked out so we can start cruising and marking trees. This might be our last big harvest before the rains come, and I want to take advantage of the summer weather while we have it.”

“We’ll get it done.”

“Good. And if you see Bishop on the mill floor, have him call me.”

Camden nodded, then left without another word, leaving me to stew over this new mess.

Fucking messes all over the place lately, it seemed.  

I looked over my satellite images again, tracing roads and logging paths I’d known my whole life. Acres of Widow’s Ridge pine forest stared back at me, a mottled brown and green landscape. Half the trees stood dead or dying, a sign of the mountain beetle infestation that had nearly bankrupted my late father and destroyed Kennard Mills. But the bug that had nearly killed us had instead left us flush with jobs and cash. The droughts hadn’t stopped this mill, the industry collapse hadn’t either, and the fucking plague of beetles killing the forests around us had actually been a boon instead of a death knell. Everyone in Justice had enjoyed the bonuses beating our sales plans every month brought, and no fucking bikers would make us end that streak. I had a town to employ.

But Justice, Colorado was more than a town to me—it was my responsibility.

The place my ancestors had set down roots. Where they tended to each and every resident over the years, giving families time to grow good, strong roots. Kennard men had run Justice like a homestead for nearly two centuries with the mill as the central business fueling everything else, and I’d live up to the legacy set before me as the oldest living Kennard. That meant making sure people had jobs, food, shelter, and that they felt safe.

Another thing bikers wouldn’t be taking away from us, even though it seemed as if they were trying just that.

An annoying, robotic song interrupted my thoughts. The words “Bishop Kennard”—name of my closest brother who also happened to be my VP of sales and marketing—flashed on the screen of my phone as it played that stupid song again. I swiped to answer and brought the device to my ear.

“Bishop.”

“Camden said you wanted me,” he said, not bothering with a greeting.

“We’ve got trouble on Widow’s Ridge.”

“I heard. Finn all right?” Because, as the second oldest Kennard brother, our family would be the first thing on Bishop’s mind. As it should be.

“Camden thinks so. Let’s run by the bar tonight and be sure, though. And I’ll need you to check in on Miss Hansen—make sure she’s okay out there.”

“Sounds good. I’ll call as soon as we hang up. Anything else?”

“Sell some fucking lumber, Bishop.”

“On it, boss. I’ll be ready to go at six.”

I tossed the phone back onto my desk, the maps snagging my attention again.

One spot in particular, actually, and not the one belonging to Miss Hansen. I ran a finger over the east side of the hill, circling the little trailer on a barren, flat piece of rock. Just outside the city limits, it technically sat beyond my protective net, but Shye Anderson lived in that trailer. New girl in town at only three years since she moved to the area, waitress at the truck stop over in Rock Falls, and the only woman I’d ever met who could drive me mad with frustration and desire all at once.

I’d been ultra-aware of Shye since I first met her. Slightly obsessed, really. The girl captivated me; stole all my attention with her sweet little smile and never let me go. It didn’t hurt that she looked like a damn angel—long, blond hair and big, dark eyes, a tiny little body that I wanted to get my hands on more than anything else. Sweet as honey, that one, but she lived up to her name. She blushed and stuttered around me, avoided my eyes when I tried to catch her gaze. If I pushed too much, she ran, so I held back. Made myself available but waited for her to come to me.

Which is how I ended up eating at the truck stop five nights a week—all on Shye’s shifts. I’d had to up my workouts to keep from getting soft on all the grease and baked goods, but seeing that smile every night was worth it. The coffee—man, that was a harder pill to swallow. How a restaurant could have such bad coffee—especially one based out of a truck stop—was beyond me. I drank cup after cup of the foul brew so she’d come to my table more often to pour me refills. Without the coffee, I didn’t get much time with Shye, so I suffered.

And when I worked? I sent my guys in there. Shye had no family in Justice, so I made sure everyone understood they were to treat her as they would a Kennard. Making my men see her as mine kept them watchful around her. Hell, I paid Bishop to eat his lunches there so he could keep an eye on her, and everyone on my team headed that way at least once a day if I had to go out of town. They mocked me relentlessly for chasing her around like a damned puppy, but I didn’t give a shit. I needed to know she was happy and safe. That she had everything she needed…even if she wasn’t ready to willingly take things from me yet. We’d get there. Three years I’d waited for her to come around, and she would. Eventually. I just had to figure out the right plan.

As I pondered honey-blond hair, sugary smiles, and how many times I could use the excuse of working on the ridge to stop and see her at her place, my phone rang again—Camden, this time.  

I swiped to answer and hit the button for speakerphone. “If you tell me we have another problem, I’m going to toss a grenade in your truck.”

“So I shouldn’t tell you we’ve got a fire on the mountain?”

Motherfucker. The trouble with harvesting the blue-stained wood left behind by the mountain beetle infestation was the trees needed to cure standing for a number of years. But dead trees meant dry trees, and with the droughts of the past few years and the mild winters we’d had, that meant trouble. Big, dry, tinder-type trouble. A single lightning bolt could ignite an inferno, while a forest fire could destroy the whole damn town.

And apparently, we had one to deal with.

“Where?” I grabbed my keys and pressed the mill-floor alarm to get the team’s attention.

“Eastern slope. Just past the Hansen property.”

My steps stumbled, then sped. “That’s by Shye’s place.”

An engine roared in the background. “I’m already on my way there. Two minutes out.”

She could be hurt in two minutes. Dead. Jesus fuck, I was too far away. “Drive faster.”

I hung up and stormed down onto the mill floor. My team stood ready, looking at me expectantly, ready to fight the fires we knew could ruin everything we’d all built here.

“Fire just east of the Hansen site. Let’s get two water trucks up the eastern side of the ridge and send one up to the west side to be safe.” I met the eyes of Gage Shepherd, former Navy SEAL like Bishop and current heavy machinery engineer of Kennard Mills. “It’s close to Shye’s place.”

Without another word, Gage began issuing orders to the team. He understood the severity of the situation from every angle—the loss of our product, the potential for destruction in the town, and the possibility that the woman I had my eye on could be in danger. He’d get shit done for me.

As Gage loaded the water trucks with oxygen tanks and medical equipment—something that made my gut churn—his dog Rex trotted after him, looking as if he was headed for a joyride instead of into a fire. Wouldn’t be the first time he’d been on site at a fire, though. Gage never went anywhere without Rex.

While Gage made sure the team knew where to go and what to do, I raced to my truck. My heart pounded as I started the engine and peeled out of my spot, heading for the ridge where smoke was beginning to turn the sky black above the tree line. Fuck, if Shye was up there, if she was hurt—

I didn’t get to finish my thought because my phone rang right as I turned onto the highway heading toward the mountain. Camden again.

“Tell me good news.”

“She’s not here,” Camden said, sounding slightly out of breath. “It’s her trailer on fire, though.”

“The water trucks are on the way.”

“Don’t think they’ll do any good for her, to be honest, but we need them for the tree line. It’s so dry up here, a single spark could set the whole mountain on fire.”

Confirming my earlier thoughts. Fuck. I yanked the wheel sideways, making a sharp turn onto the road that would take me up to Shye’s place, looking over all the dead, brown pine on the hillside as I flew over the rutted, gravelly road. “Gage had the team rolling out right behind me. I’m four minutes out, though.”

“Want me to call the fire department in Rock Falls?”

Wouldn’t do any good at that point, which was why Kennard Mills had as many water hauling trucks as we did. “No use, though you’d better call the sheriff.”

“That useless piece of shit? What for?”

Useless wasn’t the term I’d use—corrupt sounded better for the county sheriff we were forced to deal with. I didn’t have time to correct Camden, though. “He’ll throw a tantrum if he’s not informed. Knowing him, he won’t come out to investigate anyway. Just make the call.”

“Yeah, got it…hang on.” Voices yelled in the background, and the sound of Camden moving fast created static on the line.

“Cam?”

“We’ve got a problem.”

That phrase spoken about my girl’s place made me want to growl my frustration to the universe. “What fucking problem?”

“There are motorcycle tracks in the dirt around her property. Lots of them.”

Rage unlike anything I’d felt exploded in my chest. “Call the sheriff and put the word out—anyone sees a fucking Soul Sucker in Justice, I want to know about it.”

I hung up and threw my phone across the bench seat before taking the switchback turn way faster than I should have. Not that the worry burning in my gut had anything to do with me—Shye owned that ache.

Shye may not have known it, but she was mine. I’d do whatever it took to protect her.

And if this fucking motorcycle club had threatened my girl?

I’d gut them and leave their bodies for the predators.

About the Author:

Kristin Harte started off as a chemistry major in college but somehow ended up writing romances featuring ex-military heroes and the women who knock them to their knees…literally and figuratively. She likes drinking in the shade, snuggling under a warm blanket on a cold evening, and researching how to blow things up. Her children know nothing of what she writes, and her husband just hopes he’s not at their Chicago-ish home the day the government shows up to confront Kristin about her Google search history. When not writing good men doing bad things, Kristin can be found writing paranormal romance as Ellis Leigh or co-writing naughty novellas as London Hale.

Author Links:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/kristin_harte

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pg/authorkristinharte

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17304863.Kristin_Harte

Web: http://www.kristinharte.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kristin_harte/

[writefasttalkevenfaster]

Shye, your reblogs singlehandedly always make my day fjdjjdd lmao.

That was the goal - make it as vague as possible. I spent too long of a time reading poker rules until I gave up...I will never be a poker master, mostly because I can't play :p

Spencer Reid / Poker Face

Summary: Playing strip poker with Reid - that’s it that’s the fic

Warnings: M, some nudity, sexual situations, mostly teasing, a very distracted spencer, this was written by someone who knows nothing about poker, please be gentle

Word Count: 1,662

A/N: shout out to @bucky-of-the-opera​ for inspiring this idea

Keep reading

[thekingofgear]

Jonny’s 2016 Tour Pedalboard

For Radiohead's 2016 tour, Jonny's guitar pedalboard was very similar to that which he used for the band's 2012 tour. It's rare for Jonny to add or switch out more than a few of pedals between tours, and last year's was no exception. Jonny changed three aspects of his guitar pedalboard, leaving the rest identical to the previous tour.

A photo of Jonny at Radiohead’s 2016 gig in Lyon, 2016.06.01 (photo by noise_jam).

Jonny’s 2016 Tour Guitar Pedalboard Signal Order:

Guitar ->

BOSS LS2 The first LS2 is in “A Bypass” mode, used as a send and return for Jonny’s Laptop.

BOSS LS2 The second LS2 is in “A<->B” mode, used two select between two inputs: either his guitar (via the output of the first LS2) or his Korg Kaoss Pad KP1. The KP1 is fed from the front of house mixing board.

EHX Freeze

EHX Small Stone V4

Demeter “The Tremulator”

DOD440 Envelope Filter

Digitech Whammy WH4

BOSS LS2 The third LS2 is in “A<->B” mode, used to select between two outputs:

Output A: (”Clean Channel”)

BOSS OD3

Boss RE20

BOSS RV5

Akai Headrush E2

-> VOX AC30TBX 

Output B: (”Distorted Channel”)

Marshall Shredmaster

BOSS FV300

BOSS TU3

-> Fender Eighty Five

A closeup of Jonny’s pedalboard from the prior image.

The most significant change to Jonny’s guitar setup was the addition of a new BOSS RV-5 reverb pedal in place of his BOSS RV-3. We hear the RV-5 used prominently on live performances Decks Dark and Identikit. The distinctive "pops" of its 'Spring' algorithm are audible on performances of both tracks.

Jonny used spring reverb during the outro section on the studio version of Decks Dark, and the RV5 allows him to replicate it nicely (although there seems to be a gate effect applied to the spring reverb on the album which is absent in live performance). During that section, Jonny interjects bursts of reverberated noise between repetitions of the two-note riff. To create bursts of noise while keeping the main riff dry, Jonny turns on the RV5, strums muted strings, then quickly turns it off before playing the riff. This is possible because the RV5 has "trails", meaning that it continues to decay audibly after being deactivated.

Jonny did not use spring reverb for his guitar on the album recording of Identikit, but live it is used for the duration of the first section. On the recording, Jonny plays two parallel guitar parts, panned hard left and hard right, both of which have only a natural sounding reverb. However, bursts of reverberant noise – very similar to those heard during the outro of Decks Dark – can be heard on the recording of Identikit, panned to the center starting at 0:02. They’re heard in pairs, initially sounding on beats 3 and 6 of each measure, where the second burst has a darker sound. It is certainly a measure-long loop. Like on performances of Decks Dark, Jonny tries to replicate the album version’s reverberant noises by strumming muted strings with his RV5 set for a spring reverb. Unlike on Decks Dark, Jonny doesn’t turn off the RV5 between bursts of noise.

You can hear Jonny’s use of the RV5 on Decks Dark in this video, and you can see him quickly turning his RV5 on and off. You can hear Jonny’s use of the RV5 on Identikit clearly in this video (note that you can also see him tap in a dotted-eight note tempo on his RE-20 – similarly to Present Tense, the delay is set for a single repeat, and is used to create a more complex guitar part rather than to create ambience).

Jonny’s BOSS RV5 is visible in this screenshot from the band’s The Numbers music video. Like the BOSS OD3 next to it, Jonny did not use the RV5 for the song, instead opting for a totally clean guitar sound. However, he does seem to have used it (in addition to his BOSS RE20) for the Present Tense music video recorded later that same day. Jonny seems to use only his RE20 for full-band performances of Present Tense.

Prior to switching to the RV5, Jonny had used the RV-3 for all of his guitar reverb in live performance since at least 1997. He primarily (if not exclusively) used its plate setting. Starting with Hail To Thief, Jonny began to prefer using only a little “natural”-sounding reverb, and in live performance the large venues played by the band usually supplied sufficient ambience for his needs. The RV3 wasn’t included in Jonny’s reduced setup for the 2010 Radiohead for Haiti show, but he did use it again for shows in 2011 and 2012. By 2014, Jonny had begun using a BOSS RV-5 with his ondes Martenot, for performances of There Will Be Blood and for his shows with the London Contemporary Orchestra.

Jonny playing his 80′s student model ondes Martenot during a performance with the London Contemporary Orchestra at Yotaspace, Moscow, 2015.10.15. The BOSS RV5 is visible on the table in front of the Martenot.

The second change to Jonny’s signal order was the replacement of his BOSS TU12H with a BOSS TU3. While Ed and Thom both started using BOSS TU2 and TU3 tuners over a decade ago, Jonny kept on using BOSS TU12H tuners. Likely he preferred the mechanical display to the fully digital display of the BOSS TU2/3. As with his BOSS RV5, Jonny first started using a BOSS TU3 for 2014-2015 performances with the London Contemporary Orchestra. He also used a TU3 for his 2014 Alchemy performance with Shye Ben Tzur, and subsequently as part of his setup for the recording of Junun and for further performances with Shye Ben Tzur and the Rajasthan Express.

Jonny with his pedals in a photo posted on DeadAirSpace. Hiss BOSS TU3 is visible just to the left of center, although the shade cover which he is using obscures it slightly.

A photo of Jonny during the recording of Junun (instagram). His BOSS TU3 is visible at the bottom left of the image.

The third change to Jonny’s pedalboard was the removal of his second volume pedal. Placed last in his "clean" signal order, the second volume pedal was not used to vary his playing volume, but instead to create volume effects on the song Feral. How the band played Feral developed over the course of the 2012 tour, and Jonny started using this volume pedal less as he came to favor a percussive attack and began to use a version of his Max/MSP “Stutter” patch for percussive glitch effects (check out the Fuji Rock performance). Since Feral was played infrequently on the 2016 tour, it makes sense that he would eschew the pedal altogether.

The 2012 tour saw Jonny add the second volume pedal to his pedalboard – a "floater" kept to the right of his board. Jonny's primary volume pedal, a part of his setup since the early 90's, is placed after his Marshall Shredmaster and is only used to control the volume of his "distorted" signal chain. For his "clean" signal chain, Jonny usually relied on playing dynamics for any variations in volume (the Shredmaster distorts and compresses the input signal so much that playing dynamics have nearly no effect at all).

On 2012 performances of Feral, Jonny used the second volume pedal for fast volume swells, smoothing out the attack of his notes for a more synth-like sound closer to the album version (he also used his EHX Small Stone and Digitech Whammy to help make his tone synth-like). It was also used on Feral to abruptly mute his signal chain (including his delays) for glitchy effects. Jonny’s use of his second volume pedal most noticeable on the 2012 Austin City Limits performance of Feral (note that for the 2011 Glastonbury, Roseland ballroom, and From The Basement performances of Feral, Jonny had only his primary volume pedal likely wired his pedalboard differently to accommodate the use of only a single amp).

Jonny’s pedalboard at the 2012 Austin City Limits “recording” performance.

For the 2016 tour, Jonny is using a Boss FV300 as his primary volume pedal. However, Jonny has several models of volume pedal and frequently alternates between them, even during the same tour. On the 2012 tour, he seemed to prefer to smooth sweep of the Ernie Ball VP Jr for his primary volume pedal, and the faster sweep of the Boss FV300 for his secondary volume pedal.