#paisley tonk

[disposableunderground]

Colonel Josh and Paisley Tonk playing at the Acme Pie Shop festival in Arlington, VA, August 26, 2023

[jules-has-notes]

Aca Top 10: Bro Country — VoicePlay music video

Like any genre of music, country contains a lot of different styles and subjects. When Chris Rupp stopped in to visit the VoicePlay guys shortly after he retired from Home Free, they welcomed him with a selection of the more lighthearted offerings country music had provided in recent years. Between odes to simple pleasures like having a drink with friends, or going for a drive with your crush, or even the ability find confidence behind a keyboard, these tunes are sure to get your toes tapping in your cowboy boots.

Details:

title: Aca Top 10 – Bro Country (feat. Chris Rupp)

original songs / performers: "Truck Yeah" by Tim McGraw; [0:27] "She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy" by Kenny Chesney; [0:43] "Online" by Brad Paisley; [1:00] "Dirt Road Anthem" by Jason Aldean; [1:21] "Corn Star" by Craig Morgan; [1:42] "Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off" by Joe Nichols; [2:05] "Red Solo Cup" by Toby Keith; [2:27] "Cruise" by Florida Georgia Line; [2:36] "Honky Tonk Badonkadonk" by Trace Adkins; [3:00] "Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy)" by Big & Rich

written by: "Truck Yeah" by Chris Lucas, Preston Brust, Chris Janson, & Danny Myrick; "She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy" by Jim Collins & Paul Overstreet; "Online" by Chris DuBois, Kelley Lovelace, & Brad Paisley; "Dirt Road Anthem" by Brantley Gilbert & Colt Ford; "Corn Star" by Jeffrey Steele, Shane Minor & Craig Morgan; "Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off" by Gary Hannan & John Wiggins; "Red Solo Cup" by Brett Beavers, Jim Beavers, Brad Warren, & Brett Warren; "Cruise" by Florida Georgia Line, Joey Moi, Chase Rice, & Jesse Rice; "Honky Tonk Badonkadonk" by Dallas Davidson, Randy Houser, & Jamey Johnson; "Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy)" by William Kenneth "Big Kenny" Alphin & John Rich

arranged by: Layne Stein & Geoff Castellucci

release date: 5 July 2016

My favorite bits:

the sneaky visting rooster on the back of the couch

Chris whipping his head toward Earl during the first transition

the extra sign with a Farmers Only profile for HatGuy5112016 during "Online"

visually calling out Chris's "white boy rap!" as though they hadn't recently released an entire video of themselves rapping

the excellent harmonies in "Corn Star"

Geoff trying (and giving up on) the cup game as percussion while Layne takes the lead on "Red Solo Cup"

Earl picking up a beer can after Eli pilfers his big drink

that funky breakdown in "Save a Horse"

Layne refusing to flex his muscles at the end

"We broke a couch." Boys and their roughhousing. R.I.P., yellow love seat. You served them well.

Oh, hey, there's Tony… whoops…aw, buddy.

Trivia:

Earl once again created the title-and-artist signs that Layne holds up, as well as the dating profile and the ears of corn.

The guys trail off and glare at Chris for starting to sing "Cruise" because that's the song Home Free performed on their first episode of The Sing-Off, when VoicePlay ended up in danger of elimination.

"Honky Tonk Badonkadonk" was also included in Home Free's "Butts Remix" medley, which Layne had helped Chris and Adam arrange.

They filmed this video a little over a month in advance to accommodate everyone's schedules, and to bank some material in advance of Layne's upcoming paternity leave. (Geoff and Chris weren't very sneaky about hiding their collaboration, though.)

One viewer's comment under the video caught Geoff's eye. It was basically true, no matter which way you parse it, since the three founding members had been singing together for over 20 years at that point. Their commitment to each other and the group predated any of their romantic relationships. But they do all have spouses, as well.

[newcountryradio]

New Country 27e jaargang  #T1248 (S807) (C48) van 30 September 2024  (wk 40) uitzending op Smelne fm & Crossroads Country Radio

Album van de week: Midland -  Barely Blue                 

Classic album:  Vince Gill – The Key               1998

Hits of the Year : 2007

Maandfavoriet : Ella Langley & Riley Green – You Look Like You Love Me     

Maandartiest : Patty Loveless      

Kris Kristofferson - Sunday morning coming down (harmony vocal steve earl)

Patty Loveless –    I Try to Think About Elvis        *maandartiest

Keith Urban – Days Go By    #1 20 jaar.

Bailey Zimmernan – Religiously   2023

Chase Rice – Hey God It’s Me Again

Cody Johnson /Carrie Underwood – I’m Gonna Love You

Brad Paisley – Truck Still Works   new

49 Winchester – Make It Count

Luke Combs - Ain't No Love In Oklahoma #1

Midland – Barely Blue     Album vd week

Midland – Better Than A Memory  *Album vd week

K. D Lang - Honky Tonk Angels Medley In the Evening (When the Sun Goes Down) You Nearly Lose Your Mind -Entertainer 1989

Garth Brooks – More Than A Memory

Marty Stuart – Tempted.

Merle Haggard –   That’s The way Love Goes  

Ella Langley & Riley Green – You Look Like You Love Me .  . favoriet 

NEEDTOBREATHE – Fall On Me  (feat Carly Pearce)  .  sofi

Vince Gill – If You Ever Have Forever In Your Mind   (classic album) 1998

Vince Gill  - Kindly Keep it Country   classic album

Randall Bramblett - Will I Ever See the Day

The Wild Feathers - Stereo

Kris Kristofferson - Me and Bobby McGee (harmony vocal jackson brown)

Kris Kristofferson - Why me (harmony vocals vince gill & alison krauss)

Kris Kristofferson - Please don't tell me how the story ends (3 in 1) 

Midland – Lone Star State Of Mind  Album vd week

Miranda Lamber- Santa Fe

Post Malone - Never Love You Again w/ Sierra Ferrell    #1 album.

Billy Strings – Seven Weeks in County

Maddie & Tae - Heart They Didn't Break.

Texas Hill – Down in Old Flames

The Dirt Cats - Get the Hell Outta Way of My Truck Truck song

Patty Loveless – My Kind Of Woman, My Kind Of Man

Sierra Ferrell - Wish You Well         juweeltje

Keith Urban – Laughin’ All the Way To Drank     vw

Midland - Old Fashioned Feeling      Album vd week

Benjamin Tod - One Last Time (feat. Sierra Ferrell)

Ole 60 - Thoughts of You

Brooks & Dunn – Play Something Country  w/ Lainey Wilson . new

Willie Nelson – Our Song

Mark Blomsteel – Ended Where we Started   Dutch corner

Common Linnets – When I Call Your Name.

Brad Paisley – She’s Everything #5

Kenny Chesney - Don’t Blink  #4 2006

Rodney Atkins—Watching You    #3

Kenny Chesney - Never Wanted Nothing More  #2 2007

Taylor Swift - Our Song          #1 2007

[beautifuljellyfishnightmare]

"I'm Gonna Miss Her!" GH Covers Brad Paisley Post Malone #Acoustic #Coun...

          LIMITED TIME LEFT!!!

       “That’s All I Got To Sell !!!”

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            “3 Chords & The Truth!”  

        “The Truth Shall Set You Free!!!”

From “3 Chords & The Truth!”  Honky Tonk Americana & Classic Acoustic Country Music, Talk & Laugh, Broken Family Therapy in Story & Song!  

     Including The Behavioral Science behind:   the actual First Law Of Nature, The Purpose & Meaning Of Life on Earth, The Secret To Happiness, Health & Longevity via Harmony with Mother Nature & Spirituality!  

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3 Chords & The Truth! 

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ADVANCED PSYCHOTHERAPY FOR ADVANCED BRAIN FUNCTION!!!

“All Questions Answered!”

#HEALTH

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[queerpyracy]

FIRST: rachel holst does the adobe & teardrops blog as well as the rainbow rodeo newsletter & zine. look into the black opry also, there are plenty of black queer country/folk/americana artists & there is a lot of collaboration between them and other queer country/folk/americana musicians

my personal list:

adeem the artist (especially the new album, white trash revelry)

paisley fields (stay away from my man is a good old fashioned honky tonk jam about gay on gay violence)

jake blount (the new faith is an afrofuturist album using roots music to explore life after climate collapse, HIGHLY recommend)

sarah shook & the disarmers (especially the album sidelong, ESPECIALLY the songs fuck up & dwight yoakam)

lavender country (everything but especially cryin' these cocksucking tears. patrick haggerty sadly passed in 2022 and we lost a real one. he self-described as a screaming marxist bitch)

flamy grant (okay so. bible belt baby is Technically a christian album that i was tricked into listening to. but listen. what did you drag me into is an instant classic)

mercy bell (especially who said we were friends. i can't hear the lyric "mea culpa/here's a gulpa/my drink in your face" and NOT recommend it)

amythyst kiah (if you haven't heard black myself by now what even are you doing. go listen to it)

do you want to speedrun a depressive episode as a queer woman who fears you may have too much in common with your father? listen to i drink by mary gauthier now

karen & the sorrows (there is a lot to recommend karen pittelman and the work she has done for queer country artists but i'm a useless lesbian so i'm submitting for consideration a photo of the red dress from the mv for guaranteed broken heart that i think about a normal amount:

discovering the queer country scene has honestly been so healing because most queer musicians i've seen recommended for years i just couldn't really connect with because it wasn't the sort of music i listened to or had investment in and with queer country it's like. yes. this is the language i speak in. this is Fuck You, I Belong Here Too, not just as a queer person in the country but as a rural person among (sub)urban queers, and saying it with a laugh. when will my hometown take pride in me, goddamn it

[lifewithaview]

Julianne Hough in Dolly Parton's Heartstrings (2019) Jolene

E1

Emily (Kimberly Williams-Paisley) befriends attractive young bartender/singer-songwriter Jolene (Julianne Hough) at a local honky-tonk bar and hires Jolene as her son’s guitar teacher. But with her own marriage to Aaron (Dallas Roberts) stuck in a rut and Jolene’s revelation that she doesn't shy away from dating married men, Emily becomes increasingly insecure.

[oldturk15]

A Ride Mister?

Lonesome highway blues, itchy eyes . . . aching head, steel guitar honky-tonk AM, . . . an all night run. Interstate 80 west, open full moon road, the creative life blood, soother of my soul. She was sitting on a bench at the last rest stop before Wyoming emptiness in her paisley gypsy hippie dress, blond dreadlocks hanging free to a waist slender and taut. Her eyes betrayed longing sadness…

[ledenews]

Gage Joseph: Standing Tall on the Stage of Life

Over the past five years, he’s matured from being a cute little kid with an impressive voice to a handsome young man with an incredible voice. And along the way, he's added a fiddler for duo shows, and his very own band. Yeah, that's right, Gage Joseph has become a bit of a big deal. His dream, of course, was to earn his high school diploma and then run off to the honky tonks of Nashville once he and his mates were finally finished with all that growing-up stuff. Well, Gage was graduated from Shadyside High School last year, but his grand plan has changed. Instead of running off to Tennessee, the young man has started the nursing program at Belmont College. That’s because the 19-year-old Joseph now plans to follow his mother, Heather, into the local health care industry while continuing to chase his dreams in the entertainment business on the stages of the Upper Ohio Valley. It can happen. It has happened. And if anyone can make it happen again, it just might be that young man with that impressive, incredible voice. Gage is always proud to sing the National Anthem for local organizations, including the Wheeling Police Department and Chief Shawn Schwertfeger. What country singer made you want to be a country singer? It was definitely a mixture of Brad Paisley and Chris Young. I love the bluesy voice and feel to the music along with the guitar playing and chicken picking that is found in the Paisley era.   I’m really trying to focus on improving my guitar skills, and I hope one day I can play lead guitar with confidence. What made you realize that moving to Nashville after high school was not the best move for you at this stage in your life? When I realized that the local community college was a great option for me to be able to pursue my musical dreams and afford to pay out of pocket for my education. I don’t want the weight of student loan debt.  If all goes as planned, I’ll graduate at 20 as an LPN.  If I want to move out of the area after, I’ll be in a better place financially. Joseph goes to college four days per week, and then he performs the other three evenings. What three songs do people always want to hear you perform? Hands down the number one song is “Devil Went Down to Georgia.” With Wyatt Kidd in the band, people want to hear that fiddle.  As of recently, people have been liking Zach Bryan’s “Something in the Orange,” as well. And it’s always a safe bet to expect a Chris Stapleton song to be requested during an event.  I try to have a wide variety of music to help everyone in attendance have the best experience I can offer. How do you like to perform the most – as a solo act, as a duo, or with your band? I don’t have a favorite, and it is more important that you have the right size group for the gig. I’ve had people tell me they prefer band shows for the energy, and I’ve had people say they like solo and duo shows cause they can hear the individual instruments and voice.  Good thing is I play both. Gage is only 19 years old and that means he's still not allowed to purchase a beer in the venues where he performs. What video game that you played as a kid do you still play today … and why? MLB the show is probably the one I’m on the most. That or Madden. Growing up, I was a two-sport athlete so sports have always been a part of my day-to-day. I cannot live life without them. Read the full article

[caitlin1996]

top five genres: pop, contemporary country, soundtrack, honky tonk (wounded), alternative

listening time: 25,057

top song and its (number of listening times):

love song - YUNGBLUD [45 plays]

top five artists:

Elvis Presley

YUNGBLUD

Brad Paisley

Scotty McCreery

McFly

top 5 songs:

love song - YUNGBLUD [45 plays]

I Got Lucky - Elvis Presley [41 plays]

it's quiet in beverly hills - YUNGBLUD [37 plays]

Love Me - Elvis Presley [37 plays]

Trouble - Austin Butler [36 plays]

tag your mutuals or reblog with your own page if you cone across this post. have fun!

@h-a-j-i-m-e-ru @whatstruthgottodowithit

Reblog/tag game !!

Share your spotify wrapped

number of explored genres:

top five genres:

listening time:

top song and its (number of) listening time(s):

top five artists:

top 5 songs:

and finally, your very own spotify listening personality:

tag your mutuals or reblog with your own page if you cone across this post. have fun!

[remu5lup1n]

remadora headcanon｡o°✥✤✣ 　

i spent hours picking the flowers out for our wedding. you outshone them immediately

- when remus and tonks get married, as we know it’s a small small wedding. as in, it’s just them two

- they tie the knot outside remus’ cottage in yorkshire (which is no longer derelict after the pair did it up, and tonks added her touch - punk rock cds intertwined with remus’ novels on the bookshelves, odd pairs of black tights strewn about, and posters on (nearly) every wall

- the cottage is on a roadside, a roadside no one ever uses, quite quiet. if you walk for a minute or so you come across large birch trees. behind that is the cottage. because of circumstances, there was no time for a proper wedding, so tonks made an aisle out of flowers she got from the surrounding fields. an aisle right in front of the house

- her dress was white (thinking of her mother and how she’d probably want her to be slightly in some way traditional, although this made her wonder, as her mother was anything but traditional) with an almost shirt like collar, black, that low cut to her bust. below the cleavage of the dress, 3 hot pink buttons

- the hot pink and the black collar and the SHOES, black lace up heel boots, coming to about her ankle. this was tonks touch. her makeup was plain, her hair morphed to a hot dark pink to match the buttons. her nails a turquoise green

- remus wore a tweed brown suit, soft to touch, with a blue and white paisley shirt and a dark brown bow tie which made him appear fresh looking yet homely, which was remus all over

- remus brought his vinyl player outside, with much effort and not a lot of help from tonks, who laughed at him heaving the thing from the door like a schoolgirl. he found it quite funny too, but he couldn’t let her know that

- whilst remus moved the record player, tonks made a flower crown out of the same white, orange and pink flowers she’d combined to make the aisle. she placed it on her head and grinned to herself

- he put on his favourite jazz record. tonks ran to stand at the end of the small aisle. remus stood at the opposite end

“nympha-“ tonks raised an eyebrow

remus corrected himself. “my darling tonks.. will you be mine, to have and to hold, for now and forever?”

tonks nodded estatically.

“yes.” she squealed. “remus. my love. will you.. will you do the same? forever?”

“of course.” was his response

- and with that, tonks excitement she’d tried to hold together to keep herself formal for this event tipped over the edge and she ran, faster than she had for her life away from any death eater on missions for the order, down the aisle like a bolt and into remus’ arms, who nearly toppled over, but used his strength to remain upright and embrace her like he hadn’t seen her in years

- they kissed then, for a long time. and the sun came even further out from behind a cloud and shone on them. the flowers shook gently in the little breeze there was as if shaking with excitement for them, or dancing to the jazz music that was softly humming, dancing and swaying like wedding guests at a reception they couldn’t have, and would never have

[country365]

Song of the day: “Welcome to the Future”

Written by: Chris DuBois, Brad Paisley

Performed by: Brad Paisley

Guest starring: Charlie Nagatani and the Cannonballs (video only)

Released: July 13th, 2009

What better way to start the new year than with a song celebrating the future becoming the present?

Rolling Stone Magazine’s Jody Rosen described “Welcome to the Future” as a shot of arena-rock-flavored optimism. The up-tempo song celebrates the wealth of technological and social developments that have occurred just within the lifetime of Paisley, born in 1972, and DuBois, born in 1970.

Paisley told Country Weekly Magazine that he was inspired to write the song after hearing the announcement that Barack Obama would become President of the United States, and realizing that the first president in his children’s lives would be an African American. He performed the song live at the White House on July 21st, 2009, as part of the White House Music Series.

The music video for “Welcome to the Future” includes a guest appearance by the Japanese country band Charlie Nagatani and the Cannonballs, who themselves have played at the iconic Grand Ole Opry 29 times. The band’s contribution was filmed at Good Time Charlie, a honky-tonk bar in Kumamoto, Japan that Charlie Nagatani opened in 1976. Nagatani also started the first country music festival in Japan, Country Gold, which celebrated its 30th anniversary in October of 2019. The festival has featured performances by local bands as well as American country stars, and in recent years has drawn crowds of more than 30,000 people.

Lyrics beneath the cut.

Lyrics

When I was ten years old I ’member thinkin’ how cool it would be When we were goin’ on an eight-hour drive If I could just watch TV And I’d’a given anything To have my own Pac-Man game at home I used to have to get a ride down to the arcade Now I’ve got it on my phone

Heyyyy-ay, Glory, glory, hallelujah Welcome to the future

My grandpa was in World War Two He fought against the Japanese He wrote a hundred letters to my grandma Mailed ’em from his base in the Philippines I wish they could see this now The world they saved has changed, you know ’Cause I was on a video chat this morning With a company in Tokyo

Heyyyy-ay, Every day’s a revolution Welcome to the future

Heyyyy-ay, Look around, it’s all so clear Heyyyy-ay, Wherever we were goin’, well, we’re here Heyyyy-ay, So many things I never thought I’d see Happening right in front of me

I had a friend in school Running back on the football team They burned a cross in his front yard For asking out the homecoming queen I thought about him today And everybody who’s seen what he’s seen From a woman on a bus To a man with a dream

Heyyyy-ay, Wake up Martin Luther Welcome to the future

Heyyyy-ay, Glory, glory, hallelujah Welcome to the future

[adenei]

The Mixtape Mishap - Chapter 6

New Year’s Festivities

The girls made their way down the stairs, with Hermione trailing a bit behind. She hoped that if Ginny and Fleur made the grand entrance first, she could slip into the room unnoticed because everyone’s focus would be on them. As Fleur and Ginny entered the room, she heard all the boys stop the mild chatter she had just heard. They were no doubt gaping at how beautiful Fleur looked with her silky long blonde hair against a modest shimmery deep blue dress. 

“Uh, Ginny, if we’d known that’s the dress you’d picked out with Fleur, we most certainly would not have gotten that,” Bill said tersely.

“Yeah, it’s a good thing Mum didn’t let you invite Dean,” she heard Fred agree. Hermione wished she could see the look on Harry’s face right now.

“Well, I think you look spectacular,” Hermione heard what sounded like Tonks’ voice. 

Oh good! Tonks is here, another person to talk to while I avoid Ron. Hermione was taking a few more deep breaths before finally making her way in when she saw Harry turn quickly around the corner and almost run into her.

“There you are!” he whispered. “Ginny just sent me after you. Why are you waiting here?”

“I- I don’t know. I thought those two could distract the attention and I could just slip in, but apparently not,” she hissed back at him. Hermione noticed Harry was wearing a light green button down shirt that brought out his eyes, with a black paisley tie and grey trousers. 

“Well, the longer you wait, the more obvious your solitary entrance is going to be,” Harry commented as Hermione self consciously tugged at her short skirt of the dress once more.

“Who’s out there anyways,” she couldn’t help but keep stalling.

Harry gave her a look, but indulged her question anyway. “Everyone. Oh, Tonks is here, too. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley went upstairs for the night. I guess they trust Bill to keep an eye on things.”

“I see.”

“C’mon Hermione, just go. It won’t be a big deal if you don’t make it one,” Harry pushed.

It really shouldn’t be a big deal, but something kept Hermione rooted to the spot. Obviously, Harry hadn’t gotten the job done because Ginny rounded the corner next.

“Hermione, why are you still here?” she said half quietly. “Come on! You have to see what Fred and George have done! It’s amazing!”

“It is pretty impressive,” Harry agreed. He turned to Ginny and whispered, although loud enough for Hermione to hear, “I think she’s scared, if you ask me,” as he smirked in her direction.

Hermione instantly became annoyed at his criticism. I am absolutely not scared, she thought to herself, ignoring the fact that she still hadn’t moved in what had probably been a good five minutes.

“Scared?” she heard Ginny say. “Aren’t you a Gryffindor? Maybe the sorting hat should have put you in Ravenclaw if you can’t walk into a party,” Ginny rolled her eyes playfully. Hermione knew she was goading her on, but still didn’t like it. 

“Oh, honestly!” Hermione said annoyedly as she clambered down the remaining stairs and walked into the room. She turned back to them and said, “Are you happy now?”

Harry laughed as Ginny said, “Quite. It’s about time you joined the fun!” as she gestured into the completely transformed sitting room.

The twins had completely outdone themselves on the decorations. There was an entire wall of silver and gold holographic balloons in all shapes and sizes; the center housed four rose gold balloons that said ‘NYE 1997.’ There were also more silver and gold balloons hovering all throughout the ceiling for more decoration. Hermione noticed the furniture had been moved around and even transfigured to take on more of an ‘elegant party’ vibe, and two tables were set up. One table had various snacks and finger foods that Mrs. Weasley must have prepared for them, and the other table had champagne bottles and flutes on one side for a midnight toast, no doubt, and several black and silver cylindrical objects that Hermione wasn’t sure of. Aside from the glowing ambiance the balloons on the ceiling seemed to give off, nothing looked particularly out of the ordinary yet, though she was sure Fred and George must have some tricks up their sleeves if they were testing out a new line of products tonight. Hopefully it’s not in party games, Hermione thought.

A cat call whistle broke Hermione out of her admiration of the decor as she heard George say, “Damn, Fleur, I think you may have some competition on the most attractive female, here this evening. No offense, Tonks!”

Tonks laughed as she said, “None taken,” though it was hard to hear over Ginny who shouted, “Hey!”

“Sisters don’t count, and you should not be dressed like that,” Fred said teasingly, even though he was probably serious.

The twins didn’t notice Bill’s glare at their remark about Fleur, but she took it in stride as she commented, “I ‘ave no issue not being ze most attractive one ‘ere for once. “Hermione does not know of her own beauty.”

Hermione blushed profusely at Fleur’s words, and noticed Bill whisper something into Fleur’s ear as she melted into him. Hermione stood there awkwardly trying to avoid everyone’s gaze by looking around the room. That was a mistake, though because she froze when her eyes accidentally landed directly on Ron, who was staring directly at her, eyes slightly wide and mouth open. Hermione had to force herself to not physically gasp at the sight of him, looking more attractive than she thought was even possible. He was dressed in a light grey shirt, a tie that matched her dress perfectly in color, and black trousers. 

She forced herself to look away from him and direct the conversation away from herself. “So, while this does look spectacular, I can’t say it’s anything magical or out of the ordinary from muggle decorations in general. Except for that balloon wall. I’ve never quite seen some of those shapes, let alone numbers,” Hermione commented.

Thankfully, Fred took the bait of her remarks, and didn’t address the obvious looks Ron and Hermione had just given each. “Ah, but Hermione, don’t you know by now that George and I always have tricks up our sleeves? I’m disappointed that you don’t believe in us!”

“Yes, all of our products will speak for themselves in due time. Though, now that you mention it, we should tell you if you’d like to spike the cupcakes over there, one of our newest inventions are ‘shot shots’. All you have to do is pick a flavor, and inject it into the cupcake!” George demonstrated his description while everyone looked on in curiosity.

“Happy now that we’ve revealed something? Now, what say we begin the festivities with some muggle music?” Fred flicked his wand and ‘Shake it Off’ began playing through the wireless.

“What? How?” Hermione was speechless. How were they able to play that music?

George laughed as he said, “A little help from Lee. He figured out how to hack the muggle wireless system and was able to pick out all the upbeat songs and put it through a wireless channel.”

“Brilliant!” Ginny said as she tugged on Hermione’s arm. “There’s so much room to dance!” Ginny didn’t hesitate to start dancing as Tonks and Fleur joined them and the boys began distracting themselves with food. Despite giving into the music and dancing with the other girls, Hermione couldn’t help but feel like she was being watched. 

A few songs in, Ginny pulled Hermione close and said, “You know he’s been watching you this whole time, right?”

Hermione, who’d deliberately kept her back to the boys, nodded and said, “Yeah, I had a feeling,” as a small smile crept on her lips.

“You know Harry hasn’t taken his eyes off you either, right?” Tonks nudged Ginny, whose face immediately flushed red. Hermione gave her a knowing look.

The girls took a break to eat some of the food that was laid out. The sweets were exceptionally good when the ‘shot shots’ were added, Hermione noted. After they’d refueled and rested for a few songs, the girls went back to dancing some more. This pattern continued for the next couple hours, where they’d take breaks and eat snacks or drink Butterbeer when they didn’t like a particular song. Then, someone would undoubtedly drag the rest of them back to the clearing in the middle of the room when another good beat came on. Fred, George and Bill even joined in a couple times, and they all laughed at Fred and George’s ridiculous dance moves. Hermione continued to enjoy the distraction, as she still wasn’t sure what she’d say to Ron when the time came, so delaying the inevitable was the next best option. 

The latest song that was playing ended, and ‘Bad Blood’ began playing on the radio as Ginny squealed. “Ooh, I love this one!” The girls had moved slightly in their circle, and Hermione was now able to see Ron sitting with Harry. She noticed him straighten a bit and wondered if he heard the words and associated them with the title of the mixed CD she’d made. She hadn’t included the song in there, and couldn’t remember why. Probably for the better. After it ended, Hermione excused herself to use the loo.

Harry nudged Ron. “Now’s your chance.”

“What are you on about?” Ron asked.

“Go up there and wait for her to come out of the bathroom and finally talk to her. Unless you’d rather approach her down here where everyone can hear you.” Harry wondered if he had to spell out every tiny detail. 

“And if she ignores me?” 

“I swear if I have to watch you two eye each other and dance around whatever the hell is going on, I’m going to hurl,” Ginny appeared out of nowhere with her witty mark.

“Oi! No one asked you,” Ron retorted. 

“I didn’t need to be asked. I’m stealing Harry so now you have no excuse. Now go, or I’ll tell the twins you’ll volunteer for free to be their test subject on any and all new products for the next five years,” Ginny said as she held out her hand to Harry, evidently forcing him onto their makeshift dance floor.

Ron sniggered at the thought of Harry getting roped into dancing as he trudged up the stairs. He knew enough not to test Ginny’s bluffing, even though he still wasn’t sure what he was going to say to her. He’d been at a loss for words ever since she emerged from the stairway. That dress was enough to do him in right then and there. He leaned against the opposite wall waiting for her to emerge. He fiddled with the paper in his pocket, hoping it’d be enough to win her over this time. 

He heard the bathroom door open and he looked up to see a startled Hermione staring back at him. “Could we talk?” he asked her before he wimped out.

“Oh! Er, I- I don’t know,” Hermione said as her cheeks flushed red. She pretended to listen downstairs, “I really like the song playing right now…” she lied. 

“Just hear me out, yeah?” he pleaded with her, blocking her way downstairs for a brief moment. “I’m sorry I didn’t take you seriously that day in Herbology when you talked about Slughorn’s party. And I’m sorry I let my jealousy get the best of me. I fucked up, alright?” He dug the paper out of his pocket. “Just- promise me you’ll go read this, and if- if you want to talk or anything after, I’ll be in my room for the next fifteen minutes. If I don’t see you, I’ll just assume it’s a pass and I’ll see you downstairs later.” She took the paper from him and stared at it as Ron turned to continue up the stairs to room. He turned back briefly to say, “By the way, you look amazing tonight,” as his ears turned the deepest shade of red. He turned and continued on his way.

Hermione stood there for a moment before slipping into Ginny’s room to see what it said. 

XO

Sugar, We’re Goin’ Down Swingin’

Am I more than you bargained for yet?

I’ve been dying to tell you anything you want to hear

Nobody Puts Baby in a Corner

I keep my jealousy close

‘Cause it’s all mine

And if you say this makes you happy

Then I’m not the only one lying

I’ve got a Dark Alley and a Bad Idea that Says You Should Shut Your Mouth

I’m hopelessly hopeful

You’re just hopeless enough

Sophomore Slump or Comeback of the Year

So give in or just give up

Are we growing up or just going down

I Slept with Someone in Fall Out Boy and All I got Was this Stupid Song Written About Me

I found the cure to growing older

And you’re the only place that feels like home

A Little Less Sixteen Candles, A Little More “Touch Me” **

I confess, I messed up

Dropping I’m sorries like you’re still around

And I know you dressed up

“Hey kid, you’ll never live this down”

And you’re just the girl all the boys want to dance with 

And I’m just the boy who’s had too many chances

I'm sleeping on your folks' porch again, dreaming

She said, she said, she said, "Why don't you just drop dead?"

I don't blame you for being you

But you can't blame me for hating it

So, say, what are you waiting for, kiss her, kiss her

I set my clocks early 'cause I know I'm always late

Write me off, give up on me

'Cause darling, what did you expect?

I'm just off, a lost cause

A long shot, don't even take this bet

You can make all the moves, you can aim all the spotlights

Get all the sighs and the moans just right

I'm sleeping on your folks' porch again, dreaming

She said, she said, she said, "Why don't you just drop dead?"

**Listen to this one on Ginny’s walkie thing. It’s the Fall Out Boy Album. #11

Please give me a chance to make this right..

Hermione couldn’t believe it. Ron must have taken the time to turn the tables and do the same thing for her. She was trying to figure out when he would have even gotten Ginny’s walkman to do this. I must have been in the shower. How sneaky of her! She thought as she pulled her own walkman out of her bag. Hermione picked it up to listen to the song Ron had requested of her, even though all the lyrics were already written on the paper.

She paused. Come to think of it, they listened to all the albums she had brought, plus both of Ginny’s. Maybe he used Harry’s mix? Of course he’d include where to find it, given the cheat sheet she’d written for Harry. You know, in case he needed Ginny’s for reference. Hermione carefully picked up the headphones and placed them over her ears, turning on the device. She skipped to #11 and read along with the lyrics while she listened to the song. When it had concluded, Hermione immediately turned off the walkman and placed the headphones over it. The song resonated with her in a way she knew wouldn’t have if she’d just simply read what was on the page. She knew exactly what she needed to do next.

***

Ron made his way up the stairs and entered his room. He was sure Fred and George would probably kill him if he got his clothes overly wrinkled, but he didn’t really care. He wasn’t expecting to just leave her with the paper, but when all was said and done, he figured that she deserved the same privacy he had with hers.

Something Harry had said gave him the idea. I know she’s bloody brilliant, but try and meet her on her level. So that’s exactly what Ron did with Harry’s CD and Ginny’s borrowed player. Harry had gone down to borrow it anyways, but didn’t question when Ron asked to use it for a while. It helped pass his time as he worked through the songs, hoping to find some that had some lyrics that fit what he wanted to say. 

It really was genius to use someone else’s words to express their own. And what was even better, was that Harry had a whole song on his that applied to how he felt about her and their whole situation, even if the title was a bit questionable. Ron sat on his bed, leaning forward so his arms rested on his legs as he stared at the clock. Ten minutes for fate to decide. 

What was I thinking? Giving her a deadline. Will she really know what I meant by asking her to give me a chance? And what if she does show up? Of course I didn’t think that far ahead. But that’d mean he’d be optimistic when he wasn’t sure if he actually felt that way. Time was dragging, yet flying, at the same time. At some point he realized there were five minutes left.

With three minutes left, Ron was ready to give up. He stood and walked towards the door, stepping out of the room and shutting the door behind him. When he looked up he was surprised to see an out of breath Hermione.

“Where were you going? Ginny’s clock said I still had three minutes.” Hermione bit her bottom lip, “At least I don’t think I’m late..” 

“Wha- No, I just didn’t think - You actually came!” Ron stammered.

“Of course I came! Unless, that’s not what you wanted?” Hermione hesitated.

“No! I mean- oh sod it!” Ron said as he reached out, grabbing Hermione by the waist and pulling her into him as his lips crashed down on hers. 

Hermione was stunned at first, with one hand resting on the arm Ron used to pull her close, and the other resting against his chest. After she’d recovered from the initial shock, realizing that Ron was indeed kissing her, she eagerly returned the kiss. Hermione’s hands traveled up and wrapped around his neck of their own accord as Ron broke the kiss, for what Hermione hoped would be a brief moment.

“Is- is this okay?” he asked her breathily.

“More than,” Hermione said through a wide smile.

Ron returned her smile with his own signature lopsided grin as she leaned in for more. After Ron was convinced he’d given Hermione her own proper first snog, he broke away. “As brilliant as this is, we should probably head back down before Harry or Ginny come to check up on us.”

Hermione pouted. “I suppose you're right. What should we tell them?”

“Hmm, not sure. What do you think?” Ron knew she already had a plan forming.

“I think we should mess with them,” Hermione said with a devious smile.

“Oh? What did you have in mind?” Ron raised his eyebrow as Hermione quietly whispered her plan to him.

Oh, this is going to be good, he thought.

[newcountryradio]

New Country 27e jaargang  #T1246 (S805) (C46) van 16 September 2024  (wk 38) uitzending op Smelne fm & Crossroads Country Radio

Album van de week: Miranda Lambert – Postcards From Texas            Classic album:  LeAnn- Rimes – Blue             1995

Hits of the Year : 2005

Maandfavoriet : Ella Langley & Riley Green – You Look Like You Love Me     

Maandartiest : Patty Loveless      

Patty Loveless –   Lonely Too Long       *maandartiest

Joe Diffie -  Third Rock From The Sun  t#1 30 jaar.

Terry Clark - Girls Lie Too

Luke Combs – Love You Anyway

Sunny Sweeny - Backhanded Compliment

Post Malone /Dwight Yoakam – I Don’t Know How To say Goodbye (bbbb)

Jenna Paulette - Chasin' Whiskey

Riley Green – Don’t Mind If I Do

Chris Young -. Young Love & Saturday Nights #1

Miranda Lambert  - Armadillo   Album vd week

Miranda Lambert – Looking Back On Luckenbach *Album vd week

Hank williams jr - Born To Boogie -Entertainer 1987

Brad Paisley – Mud On The Tyres  2005

Bellamy Brothers – Let Your Love Flow.

Merle Haggard –   You Take Me for Granted

Ella Langley & Riley Green – You Look Like You Love Me .  . favoriet 

Thomas Rhett – It Goes Like This   .  sofi

LeAnn Rimes – Blue    classic album 1996

Leann Rimes – One way Ticket (because I can )     classic album

J. P. Harris – Beautiful World  .

Joe Nichols – Brokenheartsville       (3 in 1) 

Joe Nichols - Tequilla Makes Her Clothes Fall  Off

Joe Nichols - Gimmie That Girl

Miranda Lambert  Santa Fe  Album vd week

George Strait – Honky Tonk Hall of Fame

Post Malone - Wrong Ones  ft Tim McGraw      #1 album.

James House – This Is Me Missing You  .

Tammy Neilson – Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain

Bryan Scar - Jackson.

Wynonna – I Saw the Light.

Old Dominion. Beer Can in a Truck Bed   Truck

Patty Loveless – You Don’t even Know Who I Am     maandartiest

James House - - The Ending      juweeltje

Colby Acuff – Hello Rain      vw

Miranda Lambert – Wranglers Album vd week

Luke Combs - Take Me Out to the Ballgame  49-20

Toby Keith - Who's Your Daddy 16- 11

Willie Nelson – Nothing I Can Do About It Now  #1 1989

Change Of Key – I Just Know       Dutch corner

Eric Devries -  Hit the Road Running

Craig Morgan – That’s What I Love Aboud Sunday        #5 2005

Keith Urban – Making Memories Of Us       #4

Rascal Flatts – Bless The Broken Road       #3

Keith Urban – Better Life   #2 2005

Toby Keith – As Good as I Once was        #1 2005

[potterroleplay]

Directory Updated - October 31, 2020

View the full directory here. To be added to the directory, view the post linked here.

This directory is large and likely to contain errors. Please notify us of any mistakes, either in this update post or in the directory itself, and we will do our best to correct them.

* denotes a multimuse blog ^ denotes a canon divergent muse ~ denotes a genderbent muse

ADDITIONS - CANON CHARACTERS

Founders Era:

Helga Hufflepuff - @perceptionx*

Fantastic Beasts Era:

Credence Barebone - @chaotiicgoods*

Nagini - @chaotiicgoods*

Newt Scamander - @theshymagizoologist 

Marauders Era:

Alice Longbottom - @thewrongsorts*

Remus Lupin - @betterdcyz*, @perceptionx*

James Potter - @thewrongsorts*

Andromeda Tonks - @perceptionx*

Golden Trio Era:

Katie Bell - @perceptionx*

Lavender Brown - @mayhemxmugglesxmagic*^, @perceptionx*

Fleur Delacour - @thewrongsorts*

Gregory Goyle - @mayhemxmugglesxmagic*^

Hermione Granger - @chaotiicgoods*

Draco Malfoy - @chaotiicgoods*, @mayhemxmugglesxmagic*^

Pansy Parkinson - @mayhemxmugglesxmagic*^

Harry Potter - @mayhemxmugglesxmagic*^

Charlie Weasley - @perceptionx*, @thewrongsorts*

Ginny Weasley - @mayhemxmugglesxmagic*^

Next Gen Era:

Rose Granger-Weasley - @perceptionx*

Dominique Weasley - @perceptionx*

ADDITIONS - ORIGINAL CHARACTERS

Riddle Era:

Manon Durandt - @thewrongsorts*

Marauders Era:

Jolene Delacrouix - @mayhemxmugglesxmagic*

Golden Trio Era:

Charis Rosier - @thewrongsorts*

Imogen Selwyn - @iselwyn 

Next Gen Era:

Paisley Brown-Thomas - @mayhemxmugglesxmagic*

Verse Dependent Era:

Hurley Corben - @squibbed 

CHANGES

digitaloxymoron is now @rosahales*

REMOVALS

@evolviing - 3+ months of inactivity

@foxymuses - indefinite hiatus

@herroic - 3+ months of inactivity

[rwbyremnants]

NOTE: Sorry about the cliffhanger, but it shouldn't really be a spoiler that Weiss is going to survive; don't worry I won't do this fandom rotten like that. See you soon!

=Chapter 19

The apartment above the gentleman's clothing store was comfortable enough from an objective standpoint. Homey. However, Weiss was never going to be comfortable there. Even after this ordeal was over, it would always remind her of having to watch as her girlfriend suffered. She hoped she never had to see the threadbare old oriental rug, the crystal chandelier, the upright honky tonk piano in the corner, ever again.

“She's going to be fine,” Blake reassured her, even though she still looked nearly as shaken as she had in Mountain Glenn. “They said the arm was just dislocated. Popped right back into the socket. She'll have to go easy on it for a little while, let those muscles heal that were stretched and torn, but it's better than a break.”

“Mmmm.”

“Come on, speak up,” she half-snorted. “It's not like you to be this quiet.”

“I'm just… worried.” Drawing her knees up into the old armchair with its paisley upholstery, she glanced over at the other Dragon in her matching seat. “I thought no one would get hurt this way, and…”

The girl's amber eyes focused on the rug. “Life's hard sometimes. But… I kinda know what you mean. Now I feel stupid for thinking this way, but I always believed Yang was invincible. So strong and brave, and kind, and larger than life…”

“Yeah! And here we are waiting for her to recover from just falling off her motorcycle. It sounds ridiculous, but it isn't.”

“I have to admit, I really didn't understand why my mother was so upset about this when I heard the announcement. But now, I get it.”

The two girls lapsed into silence for a time, gazing at the rug and trying to sort through their own emotions. Weiss mostly felt relief, but the entire incident had shaken her on a deep level in much the same way it had Blake. Was that going to be the rest of her life now? Continually finding herself and perilous situations, fighting for her life? It boggled her poor, sheltered mind. But deeper down… she knew she would do it all again for Yang. In a heartbeat.

Their silent vigil was only interrupted when Watts came in from the bedroom door, still ringing his hands in a towel. Salem stood and approached him immediately. Weiss was a little surprised that she hadn't taken off that cloak of hers in all that time waiting, but she had more important concerns at the moment.

“It's going to be fine,” he told them in an inpatient voice. “I've set her arm and bandaged her other wounds. There's going to be a lot of bruising but as far as I can tell, no internal bleeding or other fractures. If she starts experiencing any other symptoms, bring her straight back and we'll re-evaluate when the time comes.”

The High Dragon bowed her hooded head. “It seems we owe you a debt.”

“You don't.” His shrewd eyes slid over to Weiss and softened very slightly. “The debt has been paid in advance. And speaking of which, if you'll excuse me…”

“Wait,” Weiss protested before he could leave. “Can I- well, what I mean is, can we see her?”

Almost as if against his better judgement, he flashed her a tight smile. “She'll be out in a moment.” Then he did vanish into the confines of his “examination room”.

“I’m going to take my leave,” Salem said, and almost immediately, Sienna was up and opening the door for her. “I trust you and the Duchess to ensure she makes it home safely?”

“Of course, High Dragon,” Kali said with a slight bow of her head. “Don’t worry.”

“I never do with you around.” Then she smirked at Weiss. “And maybe the same goes for you. Take care of my apprentice.”

Once the woman and her driver had left, Weiss gulped and approached Blake’s mother. “What is that supposed to mean? Should I be worried?”

“No, it’s a good sign. She sees how much of your heart is focused on her warlord - how loyal you are. Of course, she may try to exploit that in the future, but… for now, it keeps you from being mistrusted.” Kali looked very slightly apologetic about casting the situation in that light, but was smiling all the same.

“Oh. Well… I appreciate you being honest with me.”

“Anytime, sweetie.” Then she craned her head. “Blake? Would you mind going in and seeing what’s taking Yang so long?”

Blake only had time to stand before the door opened on its own. Yang looked battered and worn down, but she was in decent spirits; she smiled the instant she saw Weiss, for instance. The smile was a little lopsided due to a puffy bruise on her cheek, and the bandages around her head made her hair look quite odd, indeed. Still, she was whole, and awake, and alive.

“Anybody get the license plate of that Mack truck that ran me down?”

Weiss flew to her side and slid her arms as gently around her love's middle as she could manage. All her heart wanted to squeeze, but her mind knew that would cause more agony than comfort.

“I'm sorry,” she whispered earnestly. “You… this was supposed to be safer!”

“It was safer for you,” she chuckled in a raspy voice. “‘Cept you wound up jumping down a hole anyway. Are you crazy?”

“Crazy for you.”

The simple line got Yang melting like a stick of butter in a bonfire. She pressed a kiss into Weiss's head through her hair. “Thanks. Still don't think you should have done it, but… thank you.”

“Let's go before Watts decides you need to pay for his services, after all,” Kali said with a slight smile.

“Right. Lead the way, Mrs. B.”

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

Given that Yang's Harley was now being repaired by whomever Salem used for such things, Kali offered to drive Yang home in her car. She and Weiss took the back seat. Blake went straight home on her motorcycle, though it was quite obvious that she wanted to tag along and help.

“Oh boy,” Weiss muttered nervously as they pulled up in front of Raven's house. “Here we go again…”

“Here we go? What do you mean? Oh, right - I think you did mention before that she threatened you with gunfire the last time you stopped by.” Kali paused their conversation to get out and open the rear door on Yang's side of the car. “Can you push while I pull?”

“I'm not a sack of potatoes,” Yang protested, even as the two were doing as Kali had suggested.

“Don't worry about Raven. I know how to handle her. And I promise, I won't let anything bad happen to you, Weiss.”

Sighing as she got out of the car herself and took up Yang's hand, she whispered, “Thank you. I just hope you're right.”

This time, the first knock at the door was actually answered. A minute or so later, it was yanked open to reveal the pale, evil-eyed woman who had last threatened Weiss with a mortal wound if she didn't vacate the premises immediately. She was dressed in overalls and a long-sleeved red shirt, one of the overall straps unbuttoned and dangling down toward her waist.

“What?”

“Now now, Raven, is that any way to greet an old friend?” Kali was trying for a cheerful tone, but it came across almost business-like.

“If I see one, I'll greet them differently.”

“Droll.” Her head nodded sideways toward Yang, who was curiously silent and staring down at the ratty old welcome mat beneath her boots. “Your daughter got a little banged up today. I would think she would have called you to let you know about it, but then again, you don't seem to know how to pick up the phone.”

Even while the murderous red pools were narrowing at Kali, Yang spoke up in a very subdued voice. “Thanks for the lift, girls. I can take it from here.”

“Oh?” Weiss said. “But I thought we… could…”

Just that one sentence fragment was enough to get Raven's attention on her. “Didn't I warn you never to come back here?”

“Raven Branwen,” Kali snapped. “You're even more of a bitch than the last time we spoke.”

“Yes, I am.” She strode forward until their noses and chests were nearly touching. “I'll shoot you too if you don't clear out of here.”

“Enough. We care about Yang more than you do, by the looks of it. And you're really going to turn us out of your home? Before we've even had the chance to come in?”

“She's already been in once,” she hissed sharply, and Weiss felt her cheeks bloom with redness.

“She was doing your job! Making sure your daughter was okay! Or don't you care about that anymore?”

Hackles raised end hands curling into fists, Raven took another step forward until their noses actually were touching now. “Get out.”

“That isn't going to work on me like it does on unsuspecting childre-”

Everything happened so fast that Weiss couldn't follow all of the movements with her eyes. One moment, the two women were staring each other down - the next, Raven was holding Kali up against the wall, face grinding into the door frame and arm pulled up into the middle of her back. Both a gun and a dagger were lying on the porch between their four feet.

“Ah!” Kali gasped in pain.

“You knew you weren't welcome here,” Raven snarled, sounding almost deadly calm if not for the clear pulse of anger in every other word. “Thought I made that crystal clear. If you ever come back again, I won't be so ni-”

But Kali wasn't quite finished. The heel of her shoe came down hard on Raven's toes, which were only protected by mere stockings at the moment. As she howled with pain, Kali whirled, gripped the lapels of her grimy overalls and tossed her through the open door into the living room.

“RAVEN!” Yang gasped, sprinting inside to crouch over her mother's form. Kali calmly picked up the two weapons and slipped them into her clothes - Weiss couldn't tell how she did that, either, or where they wound up.

“You got a lotta nerve,” Raven snapped as she began to sit up - only for Kali's boot to push down into her stomach and keep her still. “Hey!”

“No, you've had your turn, you overgrown brat. Now you will listen.” Her eyes closed for a moment, and her finger and thumb pinched at the bridge of her nose. “This is somehow actually worse than the rumble we were supposed to have today…”

Raven's tone was now extremely put upon. “I don't care. Whatever it is you have to say to me, save it. I don't want to hear-”

“You have a beautiful, strong, caring, capable daughter who only wants to have fun with her friends and enjoy a few dates. Who tries to do the right thing when she can. And you couldn't care less. It's reprehensible. I know… that I smother my own daughter a little bit, embarrass her sometimes, but it's far better than letting her believe for even a second that I don't love her. Maybe you are capable of doing that for Yang, or maybe you're not. But you could at least try pretending a little bit harder for her sake.”

“Why? What's the point?” Though she was shouting up at Kali, Weiss couldn't help noticing that her eyes never strayed toward Yang once during that conversation. As if by doing so, she could make believe she wasn't there. “Life is cruel, and the world is cold. It doesn't care what you want or who you love! You should know that better than anyone, right?”

Kali's face became a mask, almost as rigid and foreboding as the one Raven had worn the last time Weiss was in that living room. “That wasn't my fault. I couldn't change my entire plan for the future simply because your feelings got hurt!”

“What…?” Yang breathed in mild surprise, looking between the two of them.

“And I can't change my plan simply because you've decided you're somehow my mother now, Belladonna. I've made my life, and I've made my decisions, and I'm going to stick to them. The same way you did. So you can either get the hell out of my house and leave me alone, let me try to patch up my stupid daughter, or we can keep fighting about this. But I promise you those are our only two options in this situation. Keep coming back and rattling my cage, and I really will kill you.”

“You will not,” she sighed in annoyance, even while both Yang and Weiss were flinching from the threat. “Stop that. We both know you're a giant kitten and those threats aren't fooling anyone.”

“They're fooling me!” Weiss hissed.

“You don't know me as well as you think you do,” Raven said in a bored tone of voice. “Just stop embarrassing both of us and leave.”

The two women spent a good ten seconds glaring at each other from their different vantage points: Kali still standing on top of her, Raven still barely propped up on her elbows. The former's voice was a little softer when she said, “We both made our choices, Raven. Just because you want to believe mine was so much worse doesn't mean I was the only one who chose wrong.”

“Fine. I'll give you that. Now go.”

“No.”

“Haven't you been listening? I said I'm going to kill you if you don't leave me the hell alone!”

“And I said that Young Schnee and I are going to help your daughter get set up in her room! End of discussion! So you can either start warming up some chicken noodle soup for her, or you can lie there in the middle of the floor like a complete imbecile and prove to me what a waste of human skin you have become!”

For a long, highly tense moment, the two older women simply stared at each other as if doing so could make the other one burst into flames. Then Raven turned aside to glare at nothing. It seemed that she was conceding defeat. Without another word, Kali reached down to help Yang to her feet, and the three of them made their way down the hall.

“'Young Schnee'?”

“Shush,” Kali murmured, though she did smile very slightly. “Just trying to mention you so she knew it was a package deal and wouldn’t try to run you off. Again.”

“You guys shouldn’t be messing with her so much,” Yang whispered as they entered her room. Weiss wanted to stop and look around everywhere, to absorb the inner sanctum of the girl who meant so much to her, but she was pretty distracted by their circumstances. “She's kind of a dangerous woman. And not in the fun way.”

“Then maybe you shouldn't live with her,” Weiss said as they settled Yang on the bed. It was a pretty simple twin bed, the sheets a plain pale blue color.

“Where else am I going to go? Qrow and Ruby's? They hate me.” Weiss flinched, privately thinking Yang was at least wrong about Ruby, but there was no time to bring it up. “And your parents sure as hell don't want me around. Face it, I'm stuck with my square of a mom who sometimes points guns at my friends.”

Kali sighed as she began to pull off Yang's boots. It seemed she had shifted into Mom Mode without consciously meaning to do so. “She wasn't like this when we knew each other. Close, but not quite this… unpleasant.”

“Yeah. She, uh… never talks about you. Even when I bring you up in conversation.”

“Fabulous.”

Both the shortness of the answer and the deadpan tone with which Kali delivered it gave Weiss concern. But she decided there was something she needed to know a lot more urgently then she needed to console Blake's mother.

“What really happened between you two? And don't just say that she left the Dragons and that's the only reason you had a falling out. I can't believe that.”

“It’s a long story you wouldn’t enjoy,” she laughed. “Maybe I should start cleaning up in here; I can’t believe what a sty you let this become!”

Weiss’s hand clamped onto her arm before she could stand. “I don’t mind long stories. Do you, Yang?”

“Nope,” Yang said, though she looked less than enthused about hearing the rest of the tale. “Go for it.”

The woman was silent for a long few seconds, hazel eyes staring at the curtained window above Yang's battered old dresser. At first, Weiss started to think that she was never going to reply at all. It turned out she was simply choosing her words carefully before she began.

“Maybe we were never truly friends in the first place. At least, not in the way most girls are. But we were both Dragons, in a time when the Dragons was a very different gang. We used to have men, you know. Doesn't that sound crazy now?” She chuckled quietly, even while Weiss let out a quiet gasp of shock. “And we were always by each other's sides. Even though we had our respective boyfriends, I could tell that her interest in me was not strictly platonic. She always was a real bearcat. And sure, Boston Marriages existed back then, but as I said… the Dragons were very young, and hadn't established themselves as a safe place for ladies to love ladies quite yet. So she wound up with the Founder, and I with my big burly grizzly.”

“Wait, wait…” Weiss sat forward on the bed, her brow furrowing. “Was ‘the Founder’ some kind of nickname? Or was Yang’s father really one of the first Dragons?”

To her surprise, it was Yang who answered, “Nah. My dad was the first Dragon. I mean, he and his friends at the time were, and Raven and Kali. The name of the gang is from our family name, Xiao Long. Didn't… I tell you that?”

“No!” she gasped, completely caught off guard. But at least Yang looked authentically surprised that the subject has never come up before. Then again, they didn’t spend a lot of time discussing her Chinese heritage.

“It's true,” Mrs. Belladonna went on, hands folded on her lap. “Really quite revolutionary for the time: before Taiyang made this new gang of his, women could only hope to be the girlfriends of gangsters. 'Molls’ as some would put it. He saw how strong Raven and I were, and a few other women, and thought there was no reason there shouldn't be a co-ed version of the Huntsmen. We could all watch each other’s backs, not just the men with us in supporting roles. I suppose it worked for a little while, but eventually, most of the men went back to their old organization. And the Dragons became the den of lesbian iniquity that it is today.”

Despite the wry tone with which the last line was spoken, Weiss felt like she had a lot more to think about. This whole time she had never once questioned how the Dragons began. Even being one of them now! But it actually made a lot of sense: most girls she knew had no interest in such activities, and would much rather go to the beauty parlor or split a malted at the diner. Prepare for motherhood and wifehood. Even the average “liberated” woman who had found a new sense of solitary purpose after joining the workforce during World War II didn't go quite so far as to assume that men were irrelevant.

That was unique to the Dragons, as far as she could tell. It was kind of a shame that the only place women were equal to men was organized crime.

“It happened gradually,” Kali went on, oblivious to Weiss's internal monologue. “Raven would make disparaging remarks about my Ghira, but never tolerate the same about her beau. I could tell she wanted to have both of us all to herself. And I don't think she even realized that's what she was doing; please don't think I'm trying to paint her as being manipulative, or a two-timer. But eventually, we both had enough of the constant arguments and she left the Dragons at the same time her husband did.

“They were never really happy. We kept in touch for a little while after that, but around the time Taiyang ‘replaced’ her with Summer Rose, she pulled away. Stopped coming around Junior's, stopped answering my calls… my letters. Shut everyone out. I know she felt deeply betrayed by the two people she had cared about the most, even if it was an unreasonable feeling. Sometimes we just can't help how we feel. But knowing the reason why I lost my best friend didn't make it hurt less.”

By now, neither of the two girls had much to say. This was all new information to Weiss for sure, but Yang even seemed surprised by some details. As if she had known all the facts without ever being exposed to the emotional footnotes.

“Mrs. B… I'm sorry,” Yang breathed softly as she could, seeming to shrink in on herself as she leaned against the wall. “My mom is a real piece of work, alright, but I never knew… well, I'm real sorry.”

Kali's smile was still bittersweet as she stared at the dirty carpeting. “She's the parent, not you. So thanks, but the apology isn't necessary.”

“Well, I think this sounds ridiculous,” Weiss snapped, arms folding in front of her chest. “She should have… I don't know, talked to you? Tried to have a conversation in which you both understood each other a little better? It's completely unacceptable!”

“What would we have said that we didn’t already say? Raven was determined to see herself as the victim of two cold-hearted people who just…” In a rare moment without her shields up, Kali had to clear her throat to rid it of that trembling quality that signalled tears might come soon. “We wanted to love her in different ways than she wanted to be loved. Things were said that we might not ever be able to take back. But it’s all in the past. My only concern now is that Raven isn’t… isn’t taking out her frustrations with the world on her own daughter.”

There was a loud clank from the doorway. They all turned to look, but though footsteps could be heard throughout the hallway, all they could see was a TV tray with a bowl of soup sitting on the floor. A little had sloshed onto the packet of saltines when she set it down hastily.

“Oh…” Kali covered her mouth with her hand, looking legitimately ashamed of herself. “Oh dear.”

Weiss picked up the tray and looked for Raven, but didn’t see her. Then she returned to the bed, gazing down at the soup. “Chicken noodle.” It was still hot, too, steam rising gently from the pale yellow liquid.

“This is my fault. I shouldn’t have been talking about her in her own home. I’m sorry, girls.”

While Yang was struggling with what to say, Weiss set the tray down. “I need to use the ladies’ room. Can one of you point the way?”

“Sure,” the current Dragon said numbly, her fingers just barely touching the handle of the spoon. She looked both fascinated by it and detached, as if not really sure that it was real. That anything was real. “End of the hall, opposite the way you came in. Can’t, uh, can’t miss it.”

“Thank you.”

On her way back from the bathroom, Weiss felt a little nosy. All she could think about was Kali’s story, and Raven’s reaction to overhearing the bit she did. What was her home life really like? It seemed to be as bad as Weiss’s - just in different ways. A little curiosity never seemed to hurt Nancy Drew…

The hallway closet only held linens and some assorted things like a seldom-used vacuum cleaner, some broken pieces of a chair. The master bedroom was even more spartan than Yang’s; at least Yang had a school pennant and a radio. This room literally had nothing but furniture, including an unmade bed. Her own mother had always told her that an unmade bed was the sign of madness… but then again, that had been before she went a little mad herself.

She was about to rejoin her fellow Dragons when she heard a brief crash of glass from the living room. Barely glancing into the room at where Kali was rubbing up and down Yang’s back, comforting her as they both faced away from the door, she continued on to investigate.

The first thing she noticed was a mess of broken glass below a wide stain of brown, just next to the TV. Some kind of liquor, by the smell of it. Then she saw Raven slumped in an armchair, eyes glaring at the stain as if daring it to speak out against her.

Then she noticed Weiss standing there and shot to her feet, wrapping her hand around her neck. This time, she was sure she was about to die.

[giannimaldonado]

Album Of The Day: Satan Is Watching

When most people born after a certain period of time think of the genre that is “country”, and what it has morphed into in the context of this day and age, a lot of unpleasant images spring to mind. Pretty boy, clean cut, poser rednecks who’ve never seen a farm outside of their music videos, trying to pretend to be another “honest Joe” when they couldn’t be any further from such a thing, making trashy, twangy glam rock mixed with watered down trap music/EDM for white southerners who might have interesting views on those of different races, rolling around in million dollar sports cars while adopting the moniker of “working class”...is probably what your mind immediately begins to conjure up in that brain of yours.

I honestly can’t say that I blame you. Country, or, at least, MAINSTREAM country, has lost its way completely. Luke Bryan, Brad Paisley, Tim McGraw, and Blake Shelton polluted this once proud, grassroots, amazing genre with pandering, trite garbage aimed at making money off of dumb hicks in the bodies of frat boys whose trucks cost more than your own damn house.  Gone are the days when country music was filled to the brim talent, creativity, passion, and heart. Now, this “jock country” has taken its place, having thoroughly fucked country up the ass a few too many times that it has lost its way. For good, perhaps.

Underground country’s usually no better. There’s some exceptions (we’ll get to those soon), but for the most part, it, too, has gone off the rails and destroyed itself completely. It’s often just indie folk or what have you with even more acoustic guitars, though perhaps with more twang, whiny vocals that are trying (and failing) to recreate a stereotypical southern accent, a reliance on cheap gimmicks, sarcasm, and irony to carry their trash because the excrement can’t do that itself, and a musical quality that tries SO hard to imitate the great Mr. Cash, but is little more than a cheap, pale imitation that folks who wear WAY too much flannel and wire rimmed glasses will eat up like it’s the second coming of Joy Division.

No matter how you look at it, country has been thoroughly gentrified for the most part, just like many genres that were previously for a much different variety of people. Like trap music, or blues, or hardcore punk, or black metal. All of the original meaning is gone, driven out by money hungry label executives, clueless and ignorant listeners, and musicians hellbent on half-assing their way to fame and fortune.

It’s a crying shame, it really is.

But fret not, dear reader! There is still a soft, seedy underbelly of the country genre that has taken the long dead (yet forever revered and loved) sound of “outlaw shit”, as Mr. Jennings would put it so eloquently, to its most logical extreme. One that would make Nelson, Cash, Haggard, Coe, and others that might’ve been at the top of their “underground”, “anti-mainstream” game seem rather...accessible. These aforementioned artists and their peers are still greats who, in their primes, were powerhouses that made some of the greatest works the genre would ever produce. But when compared to this particular sound...they just don’t hold up as well. The rawness, the grassroots nature, the down-to-Earth (and sometimes below the Earth) attitude, the simplicity, the honesty, the bluntness, the intimacy, the melancholy...all of it gets turned way up to eleven. It’s dark, it’s mischievous, it’s harsh, it’s gritty, it’s angry, it’s bitter, it’s darkly humorous, it’s lonesome, it’s ornery, and it’s damn sure pretty fucking mean.

Call it whatever you want. “Southern gothic”, “dark country”, “death country”, “gothic country”. It doesn’t matter what name you apply to it. All that matters is that it’s country. Real fucking country. Country meant for the guttersnipes, punks, street urchins, hobos, peasants, and forlorn drifters. This ain’t pretty boy music. This isn’t nice, Christian contemporary that you can play at your local uptight establishment. These aren’t harmless tunes your the posers can get drunk and go mudding to. This is country as it was meant to be. The eptiome of the term “outlaw shit”.

There’s a plethora of wonderful bands in this scene. Sons Of Perdition, Sixteen Horsepower, whatever project Jay Munly’s got going on this time around, The Dead South, the early days of The Devil Makes Three, The Builders And The Butchers, Wovenhand, Ghoultown, Coffinshakers, The Pine Box Boys, and, of course, everyone’s favorite descendant of the Williams family tree. The third one, that is.

But all of those fall short of that truly, truly, TRULY horrific honky-tonk, old-time, folksy, backwoods atmosphere that this duo produces. One that hails from the isolated, empty thickets that lie out in rural Wisconsin. A mentally disturbed pair of “prophets of the country doom”, as they have decided to label themselves. A fine example of those who have gone completely mad, completely sad, and doing so makes them feel very glad. They revel in their craziness, and while no album sounds the same, each one is marred by a couple of recurring themes: humanity is worthy of being sent straight to the fiery depths, these boys are depressed beyond your wildest comprehension, a rebellion against both God and Satan, and a desire to document the lifestyle of society’s forgotten ones, hated ones, and feared ones.

Let me introduce you to Those Poor Bastards.

Fitting name for a couple of enigmatic, largely unknown, extremely obscure pair of men known simply as Lonesome Wyatt (impassioned orations and guitar-based melodies) and The Minister (everything else).

The Minister is completely anonymous, with no one having even seen his face, while all that’s known about Lonesome Wyatt is that he’s from Wisconsin, (probably) lives alone, and is likely of an unsound state of mind.

Why is that all important? Well, go listen to their albums, and then you’ll find out why these little intricacies are vital to the dynamic duo’s imagery, music, and cult status.

While all of their material is quite good in my opinion, today we’re going to look at my favorite album from them, and possibly my favorite album from any country artists EVER! Everyone, please proceed to throw on “Satan Is Watching.”

What you’ll first be met with Lonesome Wyatt letting out a loud, wild, manic screech that almost doesn’t sound...human. It’s not even a word. Just an unhinged howl like Lonesome Wyatt’s been possessed by some sort of demon from the pits of Hell, having taken over the “doomsday preacher boy” to spread the wicked gospel. A hell of a start to an album of any kind, let alone a country album. It’s bold, but it lets you know right off the bat that they aren’t fucking around. This is going to be a rough ride from start to finish, and you’ll be left quaking in your seat once Those Poor Bastards has pierced your mind, heart, and soul with their fiendishly unholy sound. A truly nihilistic piece of art about how this world is foul and wretched, and deserves to burn to a cinder.

But that’s just the first song.

Things only manage to get worse from there. Everything from songs about how Lonesome Wyatt’s a degenerate who revels in just how much filth and squalor he lives in, to songs (well, more like suspiciously suicidal rants) about how life is fucked and there’s just no point in living it anymore, to various “take that!” pieces towards lovers who have wronged him in times that have long since passed, presumably. Typical topics for country artists, but contorted and warped to the point where they sound like miniature horror stories being yelled and hollered by a crazy, top-hat wearing yokel than the struggles and strife that are endured by the common man/downtrodden fellow. Hell, there’s even a Johnny Cash cover! A twisted, perverted, scummy, bone-chilling, haunting, eerie take on the previously wholesome, innocent love song The Man In Black made for June. I can’t exactly look at it the same way, what with these mysterious hooligans having thoroughly butchered it.

Instrumentation is minimalist and simple. Nothing too fancy or technical here. It’s quite self-explanatory. Despite how evil it is, the rhythms are still toe-tappingly catchy. The drums, being pounded upon by the fiery hands of The Minister, provide anything from a nice, plodding beat you can stomp your feet to, all the way to a rowdy raucous of a banger that’ll have you doing some sort of line dance with the living dead. Lonesome Wyatt beats upon his acoustic guitar like it owes him money. Not even really playing it. Just smashing the strings until weird, disgruntled, odd noises come out of it. He also seems to thoroughly shatter his ability to talk without a sore throat, pushing his voice to its very limits. The bass compliments everything very well, providing a creepy, fuzzy, dirge-like texture in the background to keep the menacing tone alive and well.

All in all, while this may not “experimental”, “avant-garde”, or even “progressive”, this is certainly an album that’ll give you the heebie-jeebies, and for a country album, it is most certainly “out there”. It takes the usual country tropes, and either turns them into something out of a David Lynch movie, or subverts/plays with them to fuck with the audience and make them contort their face with confusion...and excitement. A spooky bit of acoustic noise that’ll restore your faith in country music, and remind you that there is still a small resemblance of a spark left within the dying genre.

Please, I highly recommend you check this out.

This has been another installment of “Esoteric Warfare”, and remember...

NOISE, NOT MUSIC!