#ashley hutchings

[victusinveritas]

Steeleye Span - The Original Lineup

Gay and Terry Woods, Ashley Hutchings, Maddy Prior and Tim Hart

[swallow-wind]

Fairport Convention yayyyyy

[swallow-wind]

<- Thanks very much, looking forward to watching it!

Richard & Linda Thompson - Dublin Stadium, Dublin, Ireland, November 10, 1979

By the grace of a kind benefactor, I'll be catching the very sold out Richard Thompson show in Boulder next week — can't wait! Richard is 75 years old now, but he still delivers the goods onstage time and time again. The guy has got to be among the most consistently great artists of the last several decades; throw a dart anywhere in his career and you'll find amazing stuff, pouring down like silver.

Like 1979! You might not think of that as a high point; Richard's never had much good to say about Sunnyvista — and yeah, it is probably the worst of his LPs with Linda. But it's still classic. And this rough-and-ready audience tape from a Dublin gig crackles nicely, whether on the heart-stopping harmonies of "Strange Affair" or the rollicking "You're Gonna Need Somebody." And check out the very revved-up version of "Civilisation" (which merges into a convincing surf-rock-meets-britfolk coda). Sounds kinda like Richard had been listening to Armed Forces in the van!

"More of that punk stuff please!" some wiseacre in the audience shouts after they wrap "Civilisation" up. Richard and co., naturally, give him the opposite — an astonishing 11-minute "Night Comes In," with an incredible extended instrumental section in the middle, Thompson moving into sublime, ecstatic zones. Richard, if you're reading this, I'm officially requesting "Night Comes In" at the show next week ...

[hallmark-movie-fanatics]

Christmas Con 2023: See Photos of All the Celebrities Who Were There to Celebrate (People Exclusive) - Part 1

Current and former Hallmark Stars at Christmas-Con 2023 in New Jersey on December 8, 9, and 10.

Here's the LINK

[movies-to-add-to-your-tbw]

Title: The Outcasts

Rating: PG-13

Director: Peter Hutchings

Cast: Victoria Justice, Eden Sher, Ashley Rickards, Avan Jogia, Peyton List, Claudia Lee, Frank Whaley, Ted McGinley, Katie Chang, Will Peltz, Anthony Atamanuik, Noah Robbins, David W. Thompson, Nick Bailey, Brock Yurich, Jazmyn Richardson

Release year: 2017

Genres: comedy

Blurb: After falling victim to a humiliating prank by the high school queen bee, best friends and world-class geeks Mindy and Jodi decide to get their revenge by uniting the outcasts of the school against her and her circle of friends.

[radiantrookie]

VA's in both Red vs Blue and RWBY

Lindsay Jones:

RWBY:

Ruby Rose

Red vs Blue:

Vanessa Kimball

Chain Girl

Female Simmons

Apovos

Arryn Zech:

RWBY:

Blake Belladonna

Red vs Blue:

Dr Emily Grey

Barbara Dunkelman:

RWBY:

Yang Xiao Long

Red vs Blue:

Katie Jensen

Caboose's mental image of Donut (Season 14)

Bonus: Mama Boomstick (Death battle)

Miles Luna:

RWBY:

Jaune Arc

Red vs Blue:

Felix (Isaac Gates)

Johnson MacGruff

Hutch

Cronut

Sigma (Restoration)

Lavernius Tucker (Save the Date PSA and Season 12 Teaser Trailer)

Franklin Delano Donut (Season 11: S.O.S.)

Jen Brown:

RWBY:

Pyrrha Nikos

Lisa Lavender

Red vs Blue:

Agent Carolina

Malcom's Mom

Samantha Ireland:

RWBY:

Nora Valkyrie

Red vs Blue:

CT (Connie)

Burnie Burns:

RWBY:

Taiyang Xiao Long

Red vs Blue:

Leonard Church (Alpha/Epsilon)

Lopez the Heavy

VIC

The Warthog

Red Zealot

Yellow Church

Omega AI

Theta AI

Lorenzo

Shannon McCormick:

RWBY:

Ozpin

Red vs Blue:

Agent Washington (David)

Lopez 2.0 (Dos.O)

Agent Iowa (Mike)

Kathleen Zuelch:

RWBY:

Glynda Goodwitch

Red vs Blue:

Agent Texas (Tex/Allison)

Joel Heyman:

RWBY:

Bartholomew Oobleck

Red vs Blue:

Michael J Caboose

Gray G. Haddock:

RWBY:

Roman Torchwick

Red vs Blue:

Locus (Samuel Ortez)

Donald Doyle

Ryan Haywood:

RWBY:

Peter Port

Red vs Blue:

John Elizabeth Andersmith

Marlowe

Diesel (Originally)

Kerry Shawcross:

RWBY:

Neptune Vasilias

Floyd the Geist

Pyke Rite

Red vs Blue:

Charles Palomo

Agent Utah

Agent Georgia

Michael Jones:

RWBY:

Sun Wukong

Red vs Blue:

Chain Guy

B.B. Ghanoush

Ashley Burns:

RWBY:

Coco Adel

Red vs Blue:

Female Lopez

Female Church

Elizabeth Maxwell:

RWBY:

Winter Schnee

Little Weiss'

Red vs Blue:

Agent Ohio (Vera)

Anna Hullum:

RWBY:

Raven Branwen

Red vs Blue:

Female Sarge

Dylan Andrews (Restoration)

Shane Newville:

RWBY:

Russel Thrush

Atlesian Knight-130

Red vs Blue:

Freckles

Gavin Free:

RWBY:

Scarlet David

Red vs Blue:

Jones

Pounder McJones

Maggie Tominey:

RWBY:

Melanie Malachite

Miltia Malachite

Red vs Blue:

Female Donut

Jessica Nigiri:

RWBY:

Cinder Fall

Red vs Blue:

Simmons's Pink Lieutenant

Katie Newville:

RWBY:

Emerald Sustrai

Red vs Blue:

Cyclops/CC

Bonus:

Jen Taylor:

RWBY:

Salem

Halo:

Cortana

Edit: Thanks to @joltning for telling me about Agent Utah and Agent Georgia

[tearyeyedonce-gentlesoul]

glossary (WIP)

i didn't know there was a word limit on tumblr until i made this, so i unfortunately had to remove links that would lead to specific tags and help with organizing on here. also note that this post might be remade in the future

electricpuke/rocklandgame characters: abel, adam, adam whesker, akihiko kojima, akira kojima, alchemy willow, alice (electricpuke), alice carroll, amaterasu, amy, ana (rockland), ana (viral), annabelle winter, arcadian, aria king, ashley kinley, ashton kinley, athena dianoia, audrey, august dixie, avery greyson, ami, axel, baal, cain zeitgeist, callum willow, cassiel, charlie willow, chase knox, chase valentine, christopher “chris” king, circe, damien morningstar, dante stryker, dominick torrero, dylan, edison tekker, elizabeth bathory, elise, enoch, eve, faereighn, farz murphy (electricpuke), foal, freya, gabriel, gabriel lily, grace quinn, hades, hammerclaw, heidi, horus, hunter, itsuki mori, jack buchanan, jason buchanan, jason carmine (rook), jiyun, john, kali, karasu, kaz tyagi, kenny, kiku kojima, kiyoshi, kurt, lachesis chronis, lady yuzu, leo taylor, lilith, lincoln, logan, loki marshall, lucifer morningstar, macey, marco jennings, marcus de la cruz, max, meredith, mia, michael fitzroy, michael volkov, mio, molly, morgan, morgan le fey, munchie, naoki “nathan” donovan, nicolas flamel, olivia, oswalt morrison, peyton, quinton willow, rai, raizer, raja, ramiel, raphael, raphael sivori, reiko nakamura, richter (hotelpsycho), rory stryker, rose martinez, rosey, roy mcnamara, ruby red graves, sally, samael volkov, sanae, sano kojima, sejun, sergio marino, sergio morrison, shane, shiro suzuki, sparrow, sun-mi yeon (scarlet), sydney dixie, teagan buchanan, the engineer, the REAL vincent metzger, thor, tobias reeves, trace, trevor mcloughlin, tsubaki, tyler, uriel metzger, valak, vencil cartier, veni (electricpuke), verak, vincent castillo (electricpuke), vincent metzger, vlad, xander rosario, yeon seong-mi (emily yeon), zero (dollmaker), zero (empire), zeus

gatobob characters: ashe, anthony shore, beg, celia lede, centicat, chamomile, chastity, chet ichpujani, cry, demon, derek aeron, derek goffard, dragon, evander hutch, farz murphy (gatobob), farzen, fox, gideon bautista, harold, jack, jaqueline, jesse, jedka (facility), komodo, lawrence oleander, lich, lily talor, machete, marten trell, mason armbruster, mason heiral, mona winters, raid, raven, ren hana, richard, roadkill girl, samantha, scream, sid, stan, strade, tom, veni (gatobob), vincent castillo (gatobob)

other notable characters: a.e.d, ellen klein, izm, lucien rire, rodchester williams, shaun

known aliases/blogs:

arioddsandends, askparasitegods, bonesandcentipedes, doctor-dollmaker, electricpuke, fuckbyknifepoint, nagakira, nurseharlot, rocklandgames, runawayoutlaw, scarletaegis, scarletmarionette, trentboyett

gatoafterdark, gatoanswers, gatobob, gatoplays-sos, gatxbxb, gurobob, gurpbob, serpulalacrymans

eras (label for creator universes): altinr, arcane, boyfriend to death, crazy au, dark circus au, devil's night carnival, dollmaker, empire, facility, foxtail, human!au, huntress, inferno, mark of belial, nightclub, of gods and monsters, rockland, route 66, self insert, superjail, the artist, the carnival game, the commander, the doctor, the hunt, the misfits, the price of flesh, the puppetmaster, the serial killer, this is not romance, till death do us part, viral, welcome home, yanaki, you kill me every time, zeitgeist

[constant-little-leaguers]

The Popularity Little League is arranged into three factions, with one victor from each faction competing at the end for the title of Most Popular Don't Starve Underdog. The current polls are as follows:

ROUND 1

CHESTER vs PACKIM BAGGIMS HUTCH vs RO BIN LUCY vs ROWLING STAGEHAND vs J1-M1 MOCKINGBIRDS vs BERNIE & ASHLEY WOBY vs GLOMMER

ROUND 2

CHESTER vs HUTCH LUCY vs J1-M1 BERNIE & ASHLEY vs WOBY

FINAL ROUND

CHESTER vs LUCY vs WOBY

[lacnunga]

Ashley Hutchings' 'I'll go list for a sailor' is an earworm just for the 'my thimble and my needle to the winds I'll throw' line

[diceriadelluntore]

Storia Di Musica #297 - Richard And Linda Thompson, I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight, 1974

Nel 1972, quando abbandona i leggendari Fairport Convention, gruppo cardine della rivoluzione del folk sulla via della sua elettrificazione, ha poco più che venti anni. E già allora era unanimemente considerato un talento prodigio e cristallino. Abbandona un gruppo popolarissimo e autore di dischi capolavoro per seguire la sua visione di musica, una nuova via britannica al folk, che mescoli insieme il rock'n'roll con le cantate popolari dei secoli precedenti, strumenti ad arco con la sua fidata chitarra elettrica, dulcimer e fisarmoniche. Nello stesso anno pubblica il primo tentativo, Richard Thompson Starring As Henry The Human Fly, dove è aiutato da un pezzo dei Fairport (la voce inarrivabile di Sandy Denny e il basso-guida di Ashley Hutchings) dove sperimenta questo mix che è ancora acerbo, come la sua voce (nei Fairport non era il cantante principale) ma che ha le prime canzoni gioiello (The Angels Took My Racehorse Away, che stilla britishness in ogni nota) e le prime grandiosi ballate (The Poor Ditching Boy o l'altrettanto bella The Old Changing Way). Tra le coriste c'è una giovane cantante, con pochissima esperienza, Linda Peters: diventerà in pochi mesi la moglia di Richard e tutto è pronto per il primo disco da duo. Le premesse tuttavia non sono rosee per questo lavoro. Il precedente fu un mezzo fiasco commerciale e solo i buoni rapporti di Thompson con il boss della Island, Chris Blackwell, permisero la pubblicazione del lavoro. Che infatti fu registrato in pochissime sedute ai Sound Techniques studio nel quartiere di Chelsea a Londra, con l'aiuto dell'ingegnere del suono e comproprietario John Wood, per si dice un paio di migliaia di sterline per un paio di settimane nel Maggio 1973. Forse anche per questo il disco, che ha una sua aura tutta particolare, è dark e malinconico, ma di un fascino incredibile, che all'epoca fu del tutto ignorato (tanto che il disco fu pubblicato fuori dalla Gran Bretagna soltanto nel 1983, in uno dei picchi di fama di Richard e Linda) e da allora è considerato uno dei capolavori del folk rock britannico.

Linda ha una voce sorprendente e si lega magnificamente, in una sorta di incrocio fuoco e ghiacco, con quella ruvida e bassa di Richard. I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight esce nell'Aprile del 1974, dopo quasi un anno dalle sessioni con Wood. le canzoni che lo compongono sono meravigliosamente dolenti, disegnando i contorni di una umanità stanca e disillusa, sofferente, quasi senza speranza. Si passa da ballate elettriche che sanguinano sofferenza come la spettacolare Calvary Cross, o l'altrettanto dolente When I Get To The Border, elegia di chi sta scappando dal brutto del mondo (A one way ticket's in my hand\Heading for the chosen land\My troubles will all turn to sand\When I get to the border). Sono canzone che parlano di alcool, come Down Where The Drunkards Roll, rifugio per lo stordimento. In Linda Thompson, Richard ha trovato una collaboratrice eccezionale e una cantante di livello mondiale; Linda possedeva una voce chiara e ricca come quella di Sandy Denny, ma con una forza che poteva facilmente sostenere il materiale spesso pesante di Richard, e si dimostrò capace di affrontare qualsiasi cosa le venisse presentata, dal country di Withered And Died fino alla parata di personaggi da circo di The Great Valerio, dal sapore brechtiano con una parte finale strumentale che ha il sapore di una composizione di Erik Satie. Thompson se nella canzone più dark del disco, The End Of The Rainbow è più desolatante che mai quando canta: Life seems so rosy in the cradle,\But I'll be a friend I'll tell you what's in store\There's nothing at the end of the rainbow\There's nothing to grow up for anymore, regala una speranza nella title track, cantata da entrambi, con il famoso riff rock'n'roll dei bei tempi e gli ottoni della CWS Manchester Band, all'epoca la più grande brass band del paese, perchè ci si può divertire con poco ogni tanto: Meet me at the station, don't be late\I need to spend some money and it just won't wait\Take me to the dance and hold me tight\I want to see the bright lights tonight.

Come accennato il disco venne quasi del tutto ignorato, tanto che l'anno successivo, nel 1975, Hokey Pokey è un disco decisamente più leggero e scanzonato, e la coppia tra alti e bassi continua a scrivere, a suonare e a fare concerti, riuscendo a garantirsi un certo seguito. Ma è il momento della riscoperta di questo capolavoro che è particolare: fu infatti ristampato appena dopo il loro nuovo capolavoro, Shoot Out The Light (1982), che anche nel titolo chiude un cerchio relazionale, dato che è l'ultimo come marito e moglie; è decisamente il più rock dei loro lavori, e racconta quasi come un film di Bergman la fine della loro storia d'amore, con l'aiuto decisivo in cabina di registrazione di Joe Boyd, grande talent scout e produttore dei Fairport Convention. In esso una canzone di Linda, drammatica nella sua bellezza, Walking On The Wire, dice:

Too many steps to take Too many spells to break Too many nights awake With no one else This grindstone's wearing me And your claws are tearing me Don't use me endlessly It's too long It's too long to myself.

[dollarbin]

Dollar Bin #6:

Steeleye Span's Rocket Cottage

You are absolutely encouraged to judge this record by its cover.

Is Rocket Cottage a colossal joke thrown together by some tanked up Brits while on their hollibobs? Yes.

Is it the horrifying end of a great band? For sure.

Even so, does listening to the record today replicate being blasted into deep space while within a thatched cottage? Hell yes!

For any of you who confuse Steeleye Span with Steely Dan: don't worry, we are not spending this blog Reelin in the Years with these guys and their nonsense.

Instead, we are focusing on these nutjobs.

Here's the backstory: around 1968 Ashley Hutchings of Fairport Convention went a bit insane and suggested they invent an entirely new genre of music that married west coast folk rock, a la The Byrds, with medieval British song. If that sounds like a popsicle slathered in mayo, please know that the result was the previously mentioned Liege and Lief, and if you ever find that in the Dollar Bin repair immediately to the nearest cloister for grateful meditation and thanksgiving.

Next Hutchings went even more insane and insisted that the band no longer Rock. Fairport's seventeen Daves replied, "Sorry Mate, but you've clearly gone and left your trousers in the bog. No more bangers and mash for thee."

And so Hutchings assembled Steeleye Span instead and ordered them Not To Rock. Thus the mayo fell off the popsicle and latched itself onto your pancakes, but once again the results were awesome. Here's some proof from the first Steeleye record, which is entitled, incomprehensibly, Hark! The Village Wait.

Fast forward 8 years. The band's membership had changed more often than you can say I've done forgot me pants in the loo and they kept up the typical blinding 70's pace of a record a year at all costs. Some of the resulting records are worth your dollar and then some (Below the Salt) and some feature David Bowie and still are not worth a buck unless you are me (Now We Are Six).

The band's heart through it all was Maddy Prior. She's often credited with "Step Dancing" on the gatefold but don't be fooled. She's another Dollar Bin goddess, this one always sporting a very goofy grin.

Prior doesn't have Ronstadt's looks or power, nor does she ache and glide like Emmylou. But she brings pathos and sincerity to every proceeding.

And then came Rocket Cottage.

Athen's failed Sicilian Expedition in 415 BCE took an ax to classical Greek culture. It was bad. But according to Rob Young in his mostly lovely book Electric Eden, Rocket Cottage was worse. Forget Dylan going electric; according to Young, Steeleye Span going disco effectively took an ax to all of Civilization.

Yes, Rocket Cottage features wacka chicka disco guitar work. You know what I'm talking about. I get Young's point: medieval balladers likely did not plug in their wah wah pedals and choke down the strings of their stratocasters while singing Tam Lin. But today in the Dollar Bin we are defending Steeleye against Young's wrath. Life as you know it will not come to an end if you listen to Rocket Cottage. You might even like it!

Let's start with the song that should supply the soundtrack to Owen Wilson bowling 300 in slow-motion midway through an upcoming Wes Anderson picture.

Rocket Cottage bombed, making it a hard find in a dollar bin these days. 1976's biggest hits had titles like Wham Bam Shang-A-Lang and (Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty (no, I did not make those titles up) so it's no wonder that Steeleye's ancient British ballads couldn't compete no matter how many wacka chickas they mixed in.

But screw the marketplace. I love tracks like Orfeo in large part because I understand very little of what is going on. Who are these faerie and what exactly is happening in their hall? No clue. Why does the whole thing fade into an unrelated violin reel? Beats me. Orfeo is mixtape ready and too weird to pass by.

The album is consistently strong though Side 1. Lords and Ladies of London Town ride about in a coach and six with nothing but claret wine. Later, 12 witches assemble. The whole thing swings. Sure, when the boys sing The Bosnian Hornpipes without Prior you wonder whether they intended to sound silly. Rest easy and take another look at the cover: no one was taking this very seriously.

Let's talk about those boys for a moment. Check out the back cover.

Where in name of Ringo are Tim Hart's clothes? Is Rick Kemp's shirt unzipped all the way? How many times a day does Peter Knight comb that stash? What boy band did Nigel take a pass on?

And then there's Robert Johnson. No, not that Robert Johnson. The one in Steeleye did not meet the devil and lay down the foundation for much of what we continue to consider as popular music, all without ever being photographed. That's the other Robert Johnson. At some point Steeleye's Robert Johnson called himself Bob instead, and who can blame him? If my name was Joni Mitchell I'd change it too.

But being named Bob Johnson didn't help all that much seeing as there was already another Bob Johnson who is arguably the best record producer of all time. Poor Robert/Bob Johnson couldn't catch a break.

But Robert/Bob brought the wah wah peddle to Steeleye, then bailed on them to make a concept record called The King of Elfland's Daughter which features - I kid you not - Saruman on lead vocals, then he went back to school and became a psychotherapist and sired a son named Barnaby. I'd say he did all right!

We can't wrap this up without addressing the problem that is Side 2. Fighting For Strangers sounds like the band is mucking about in a medieval root cellar and Sligo Maid could ably serve as the B-Side to the disco version of Beethoven's 5th.

But nothing compares with the last track, The Drunkard. The title describes the song's recording session, or at least I hope so. If they weren't drunk while they recorded it, and even drunker when they decided to put it on the record, then everything we hold to be self-evident needs reassessment. Prior does what she can to salvage things at the end but it still sounds like Stephen Stills crashed their cottage.

The band fell apart Athenian style after this record and never made anything exciting together again. That's not surprising when the final track sounds like their Rocket Cottage has lost control, reentered Earth's atmosphere and splashdown is expected in your horror struck face in T minus 10, 9, 8 seconds.

But so what! I'll feel forever smug that I found my copy at Amoeba for $3 while everyone else was buying T.Swift records for $45 a pop. Drop the needle on Side 1 again. The Dollar Bin is hurtling toward space and Steeleye Span is at the helm.

[swallow-wind]

It is very funny to me how accurate the drawings on the What We Did On Our Holidays album cover are... like

They nailed it.

[doomandgloomfromthetomb]

Fairport Convention - Royal Festival Hall, London, England, September 24, 1969

We listened to Dave Swarbrick with Martin Carthy in 1968 last week ... now let's listen to Swarb about a year later with Fairport Convention. His first gig as a Fairporter, actually! This Royal Festival Hall show was the band's return to the stage after the tragic accident that took the life of their original drummer Martin Lamble in the spring of 1969.

Amazingly, FC rallied and reconvened and managed to create a lasting masterpiece — Liege & Lief, which makes up most of the Royal Festival Hall setlist. A historic occasion, for sure; unfortunately the only surviving document is a fairly awful-sounding audience tape. But the general excitement (and sheer volume!) of the evening comes across if you can deal with the lo-fi vibes, from the rousing opening of "Come All Ye" to the radical rough-n-tumble turnarounds of "Tam Lin." A good start for this era of Fairport — but close to the end, too. Sandy Denny and Ashley Hutchings would quit the band before the year ended.

Swarb says: Did we feel like we were making history? Sometimes, just a little; the sound that was being produced was so exciting for me. To hear a song that I knew from folk clubs take on such power was exhilarating. Nothing like it existed.

A footnote — the openers for the Royal Festival Hall show were John & Beverly Martyn and none other than Nick Drake. "[Nick] had a certain charisma, but did not attempt to ingratiate himself with listener in any way," Richard Thompson remembered years later. "His need to tinker between songs was even more acute than John Martyn's, because every song he played seemed to require a different tuning. He never spoke to the audience; he played and sang exquisitely, but the crowd got restless and were less inclined to pay attention." Makes sense! Still — I'd like to hear a tape, no matter how lo-fi ...

[deadpuppetboi]

William is a busy man.

Busier than people credit him for.

He stays late into the night at work just to make sure everything is up to date. He drives far to a marketplace to get specific foods all of his children like. He helps the community with donations and stops arguments before they get ugly.

He's an honest single father who often treats other kids like his own.

Much like the one who came up to him on this very day.

She was a complete mess, dreads all messy, tears down her cheeks, her eyes puffy, snot running, and her chest puffing up and down in agony.

Ashley Flores was in despair and William didn't waste any time letting her in the Diner to offer her a place to stay for a while. Offering her food and water to calm herself before she was able to talk clearly. The teenager sat nearby in the office, drying her tears as the older man draped her shoulders with a blanket.

It took a few minutes, William telling the poor thing to take all the time she needed before she could explain to him what happened.

Ashley gave a small nod as she continued to cry, taking her glasses off and placing them on the table. William eyed the dirty glasses before his eyes trailed over to the teen, her sniffles quieted down enough for her to talk.

“I-I’m sorry t-to come in l-l-like this, Mr. Afton. I’m sorry.” She collected the snot down her chin and folded the napkin before drying her eyes once again.

“Hey, now, don't say that, “the man sat down next to her, one hand softly patting her back and the other drying her tears.

“You don't have to apologize for anything. Nothing at all. Remember what I told you way back when?”

Ashley looked down, embarrassed that she had suddenly forgotten what he has said. William quickly spoke up before she could cry about being forgetful.

“I said: You can come to the Diner at any time for little to no reason at all!” He smiled a kind smile, his face having a slight twitch of worry but care.

“I take no offense to you coming early or late. It's not killing me for you to ask me to stay over, much less in my home. You’re welcome anywhere at any time, with no consequences to be made or seen!”

Ashley sniffled another round of snot up her nose before she nodded. She understood but that didn't mean she didn't feel any worse knowing she went out of her way to cry in here of all places.

“Tell me, why are you crying? You don't have to go too deep into detail, just tell me the gist of it.”

The teenager grabbed another napkin to dry her tears before she told her story. She fought not to break down again, stuttering out the story the best way she could.

A tale as old as time, once again, Xavier, her younger brother had made the daring attempt of having another argument with his older sister. Once more, he made himself the victim of not doing his chores because ‘he had a bad day at school’.

An excuse William fought not to roll his eyes over since Michael had used that same excuse many times before.

Ashley continued, saying that the argument turned physical, both siblings fighting tooth and nail to see who was right. Hair was pulled, clothes were ripped, nails scraped skin, and cruel words were spouted out like a waterfall.

Xavier had won in his argument, screaming out the same cruel words (specifically one) to his older sister over and over again. Ashley, distraught over the argument, of course, cried and left their house in a hutch. He still didn't stop, not even when she turned the corner she could still hear him calling her that insufferable word over and over again.

And now she was here, crying even harder over remembering the events. William patted her back again, shushing her as she grabbed even more napkins for her tears. She apologized again for making the mess of used napkins but William dismissed them.

“Don’t you worry about that, cry all you want, you’re not hurting anybody with them. What matters more is that you’re safe, alright? Nothing can hurt you, call you that, or anything else. Okay?”

The girl held her breath, tears gathering at the corners of her eyes. William brushed those tears away with his thumbs, his caring smile washing away the sadness from within.

“Okay.”

“That’s great, Ashley, just great.”

William’s smile widened with the response, patting Ashley’s head as he got up to go to the other side of the room. The girl was too busy once again to notice the man look out of his office door, checking his watch, it was approximately two hours past closing time.

“Ashley, tell me, when does your mother come back from her night shift.”

“At-uh-six in the morning. Why?”

William gave a sigh of relief, a soft chuckle escaping his lips as he closed the office door.

“Nothing, just a random question. We don't want your mother to worry about you getting home late, huh?”

“I don't want to go home, “Ashley muttered under her breath, yet William heard it crystal clear.

William gave a long and sinister smile, locking the door as he did so.

“I know you don't, Ashley, I know.”

[blogger360ncislarules]

Things are looking UP in 2024 on UPtv!

The channel will premiere new movies on Sunday nights in 2024 and the Hudson and Rex series (that was exclusive to UP's streamer, UP Faith & Family), will air Thursdays on the network.

See all of the details below via UPtv...

UPtv PREMIERE JANUARY AND FEBRUARY 2024 TITLES

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Hudson & Rex — Premieres Thursday, January 4 at 8 p.m ET

Hudson & Rex features dedicated Detective Charlie Hudson and his extraordinary German Shepherd partner Rex as they resolve complex cases each week with the help of Dr. Sarah Truong, techie Jesse Mills and Superintendent Joe Donovan in the seaside metropolis of St. John’s, Newfoundland.

Stars: John Reardon, Myko Nguyen

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Love at the Ranch — Premieres Sunday, January 7 at 7 p.m ET

Sparks fly between a big-city reporter and a ranch owner as she researches the life of a romance novelist.

Stars: Laura Mitchell, Jon Cor

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The Love Map — Premieres Sunday, January 14 at 7 p.m ET

A journalist on the verge of launching a dating app is tasked with writing a map of the most romantic places in Florida. The only problem is that she has to team up with a tour guide whose tastes are diametrically opposed to hers.

Stars: Ashley Bratcher, Reed Favero

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A Slice of Chicago Romance — Premieres Sunday, January 21 at 7 p.m ET

In Evanstown, a suburb of Chicago, two pizza places have competed for the town's business for years but when a new pizza chain moves into town, the new bosses struggle to continue the rivalry after they begin to fall for one another.

Stars: Megan Elizabeth Barker, Tyler Courtad

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For the Love of Chocolate — Premieres Sunday, January 28 at 7 p.m ET

Preparing for the annual Masters of Chocolate Festival, Aria's plans get rattled when she loses her partner shortly before the competition. However, a dashing single father soon steps in to help Aria find the winning ingredient.

Stars: Rhiannon Fish, Jesse Hutch

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Baked with a Kiss — Premieres Sunday, February 4 at 7 p.m ET

Peyton Hilliard's pastry shop, Peyton's Pastries, has a reputation for making dreams come true. With names like Best Day Ever, Big Promotion, and Bun in the Oven, her desserts often deliver on what they promise. Folks say if you go to Peyton's shop and tell her your problems or your dreams, she always has the best advice and the perfect treat to make things right. Archer Brooks is one of Peyton's most difficult clients, but she can't afford to offend him, because he runs one of the largest event planning companies in town. To try and get on his good side, Peyton gives him a pie she tells him she baked "just for him." This one is called Sweet Success, but in the craziness of the moment, Peyton accidentally gives Archer her special, souped up True Love pie instead. Peyton is totally confused when a very different Archer walks through her bakery door the next day. He's so kind and complimentary. It's only when Archer asks for another slice of her delicious honey lavender pie that Peyton realizes her mistake. Meanwhile, Peyton has been vying, along with several other bakeries in town, to provide pastries for the Starlight Ball, a massive gala attended by the city's elite. Archer is on the planning committee and tells Peyton that she's pretty much in for the gig. This is exactly what Peyton hoped for, but she can't help but wonder if this great opportunity and her newfound relationship with Archer will succeed.

Stars: Ansley Gordon, Jonathan Stoddard

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Love by Design — Premieres Sunday, February 11 at 7 p.m ET

Broken-hearted, out-of-work Brooke Yeardley makes her 30th birthday wish on the vision board she made as a hopeful teen. Miraculously her wishes start coming true - from launching her own design business to meeting the man on her vision board - but while life has a way of working out, Brooke learns that it doesn't always work out the way that you expect.

Stars: Jackie Moore, Joey Lawrence

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Romance in Hawaii — Premieres Sunday, February 18 at 7 p.m ET

Leah, a successful but dissatisfied executive, discovers the missing passion from her life when she starts taking hula dance lessons from handsome local Ikaika.

Stars: Kelley Jackle, Cedric Jonathan

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The Soulmate Search — Premieres Sunday, February 25 at 7 p.m ET

When Lindsay gets the chance to sign up to the notoriously exclusive dating service Eternity, she clashes with Will, her first date. They mutually agree this dating service has been a complete bust and make a deal to get their money back.

Stars: Alexandra Harris, Jonathan Stoddard