#and roach is in tennessee because in this one roach is from tennessee

[youredyingthatsallthereis]

"bug? you still there?"

roach jolted awake, nodding before he remembered ghost couldn't see him. "mhm," he hummed, hoping the affirmative was loud enough that ghost would hear.

"thought i lost ya there for a second," ghost teased. "gettin' sleepy on me again?"

just a little, but im fine, roach typed into their chat.

"hm," ghost mused into his mic. roach blinked and refocused on the stream; ghost was playing stardew valley for him again. they were quiet for a moment as ghost made quick work of harvesting some rice and jogging over to the barn his livestock were in. "if you're tired i can just cut it here, its not a big deal."

no no no, its fine! roach typed quickly. i like listening to you talk.

it was far from the first time he'd said it, but every time he said it now it felt...heavier, somehow. like there was more...something in it.

it had been a few months of this; they took turns streaming games for each other as a way to chat and hang out and over the course of their time doing it roach had found himself feeling more and more...something for ghost. he'd never had such a strong feeling about anyone before, nothing even close; he'd never felt so happy and calm and content to just listen to someone before.

ghosts accent was unique to his american ears, something he wasnt used to but that he enjoyed enormously. something lilting and calm and just distinctly ghost that made him smile every time the call connected and ghost said "hey bug." the gentle inflection, the sweet nickname, all of it just very...as much as roach felt flutters in his stomach admitting it (even in his own mind), it was just theirs.

presently ghost chuckled at the freely given compliment. "i love that you like to listen to me."

they always did it like this; a voice call for roach to listen to ghost when he streamed, and a video stream with chat when roach played survival horror for ghost. roach relied on sign and expressions/body language to convey his moods/reactions, and while ghost was still trying to pick up on some of the ASL roach frequently used (like 'why' and 'do not want') he hoped that ghost appreciated being able to see him.

ghost had told him early on that video calls made him feel a little awkward and that's why he just preferred voice, and even though he couldn't talk back roach was happy to do it this way. their way. more than anything he wanted ghost to feel comfortable and was ever grateful that he got to listen to him at all.

he smiled and cuddled his blåhaj closer, propping himself up against the wall behind his bed to try and stay awake. something about listening to ghost narrate what he was doing while he walked around his farm or the caves or even just stood and fished, wanting to get every single type of fish possible, made him feel so content and calm and frankly, safe. he felt embarrassed to even have the thought, but sometimes when he closed his eyes while ghost was talking he wondered if that was what it would feel like to have ghost really sitting next to him, talking to him close while he played maybe on a switch or on his laptop. he wondered if ghost would want them to sit close enough to be touching softly, maybe their legs pressed up against each otherwhile roach sleepily enjoyed his narrations.

"do you think i should bother with more chickens? or maybe more ducks? i like having the extra mayo for sale," ghost was musing out loud.

"hmmm," roach hummed thoughtfully. i'd go for a few more ducks as long as the hay to feed them isnt too expensive, he typed into their chat. they're cute and i love how you named them all after sanrio characters. you could call the next one tuxedo sam.

"true, kuromi the void duck was the last one i got, and that was a while ago," ghost considered. "and that big blue penguin is damn cute."

roach smiled. he loved ghost's fixation on sanrio characters, finding it as endearing as he was realizing he found just about everything else about ghost.

"are you sure you're not too tired?" ghost asked one more time. "its almost the end of the in game day and my save isn't going anywhere."

roach bit his lip. one more day? he asked. then i should probably go to sleep; its almost 1am here.

ghost chuckled over the call. "alright," he agreed. "one more day."

[bihanspookies]

YEEHAW XMEN OC

Warnings: depictions of child death (first paragraph)

Gemma Woods

Name: Gemma Jolene Woods

Age: 22

Birthday: February 6th

Birthplace: Nashville, Tennessee

Race: Half white (father) half Dominican (mother)

Powers: Crystallokinesis, ability to manipulate crystalline material.

Hair: Indigo with several strands dyed plum. Very curly and shoulder length

Eyes: Violet

Distinguishing Features: Dimples, small gap in her teeth, round glasses, upturned nose

Height: 5’4

Build: pear shaped

Scars: none

Piercings: one on each lobe

Tattoos: none

Makeup: eyeliner (likes to do fun colors such as blue, green, yellow), lipgloss, mascara.

Clothes: baggy shirts and pants, cardigans, boots, sneakers, t-shirts, knee length dresses, overalls

Languages: English, Spanish and some French.

Personality: Artsy kid, reserved, keeps to herself, quiet. Feels most comfortable when doing art, with other art kids or with Eli (@chadillacboseman).

Likes: Painting (watercolors and oil pastels), pottery, sketching, video games (Nintendo), cats, clowns (and clown makeup), certain insects, instrumental music, her cat Stitches

Dislikes: Math, roaches, large social gatherings, being taken advantage of, not being listened to

History: Born as a premature twin to Adam (a human) and Jolie (a mutant), the new parents joyous time was cut short when a few hours after their babies were born, a nurse came to tragically inform them that Gemma’s sibling had died. Confused, they asked how that could possibly happen, that they were fine earlier in the day. They explained to them that it looked as if their baby had been layered with crystal, the material unfortunately covering the nose and mouth and crushing several bones. It was then that Gemma’s parents realized that she had inherited the x-gene from her mother, something that prior to her, had been dormant for nearly 3 generations.

Since the incident, Gemma is given a shot everyday to suppress her powers until her parents deemed her old enough (10) to start learning how to properly maintain them.

In elementary school she meets Elijah ‘Eli’ Hardin, another mutant with the power of technopathy and who would end up becoming the best friend she always needed. They stuck by each other through thick and thin; Eli being her protector and hero and Gemma being his rock, keeping him grounded.

Throughout high school, Gemma would notice that Eli was starting to become distant with her, hanging around other mutants and beginning to spend less and less time with her. In junior year he disappears completely, causing Gemma to go to his house only to be met with his alcoholic foster parent. He tells her that he doesn’t know his whereabouts and after following a list of dead end clues, she concluded that he was gone.

Now alone once again, Gemma was desperate for a friend which unfortunately landed her in the middle of a prank orchestrated by a group of popular kids. Knowing that Eli wasn’t by her side anymore, they took full advantage of it, humiliating Gemma in front of a crowd as a petty revenge for the times Eli defended her. The prank backfired however, causing Gemma to panic and lose control of her powers. She accidentally set off an attack of crystal and sent them flying into the crowd, severely injuring those around her.

It’s later when Charles Xavier approached Gemma and her family, promising a safe haven for her and a way to properly get a hold of herself at the School For Gifted Youngsters and where she remains currently.

Fun Facts

— She’s a vegetarian!

— She likes to practice her clown painting on Eli, along with other types of makeup and also paints his nails.

— While she’s grateful for being in Xavier’s school, she fears for the time she has to put her powers to use because she doesn’t like having the responsibility of other people’s lives in her hands.

— Her favorite painting is a watercolor by Winslow Homer, “Two Boys Watching Schooners” because it reminds her of her and Eli. Some other favorites include “Flower Garden and Bungalow, Bermuda” (Winslow Homer), “Picking Wildflowers” (Rhonda Holmes Nicholls), and “Red Canna” (Georgia O’Keeffe).

— Her cat is named after Stitches from Animal Crossing.

— For one Halloween she dressed as Jamie Lloyd’s clown from Halloween 4.

— Her style is almost reminiscent of the 80’s and Beverly Marsh (young) from IT (2019).

[miilkybnn]

I know these have been requested already but I adore your 09 and cowboy Ghost/Roach/Soap art and would love to see more!! Also, do you have any cowboy/gunslinger headcanons for the three??

I, too, adore ’09 GhostRoachSoap AND cowboy/ranch life GhostRoachSoap so you absolutely WILL see more of them, I promise!!

As for ideas/hc for the cowboy au, it’s a lot more “ranch life” based than gunslingers so if you are into that, keep reading below the line!

If not, then you are more than welcome to skip over this :}

Disclaimer: Most of my ideas are a bit scattered so I apologize for the messy layout, I’ll try my best to keep it coherent. Also, this is not all of them I don’t want this to be overly long

Background:

The AU takes place in Roach’s family ranch where all three members have been discharged from duty.

In this AU, because I like happiness, there is no war over the horizon and is simply a group of people living their lives out on the rolling plains of either Texas or Tennessee— I’m leaning more towards Texas just because I know more about the agriculture of the Texas plains.

In this AU, the 141 & Co simply live their lives from either being retired/discharged/etc. While everyone is involved (except for Shepherd, eat shit and die Shepherd), they all do their own thing but primary attention is mainly on GhostRoachSoap

Roach (+ extended background):

Roach and his other 5 siblings have the ranch under their and their parent’s name. He and two of his siblings, the youngest and the second oldest, are more active in taking care of the ranch's needs now that their parents are well into their ages. The other three help ever so often with more minor things but they have their own families to tend to and his parents don't actually live in the ranch anymore (again, due to age) and live closer to the city.

Roach, however, is the main caretaker for the ranch. He spends the most time on the land and is often alone, that was until Ghost and Soap came

Headcanons;

His accent left when he joined the army. Came back tenfold after a week on the ranch.

Has a collection of cowboy hats and each one serves a purpose (although his favorite is his very worn-out Cattleman that he leaves by the front door to take on his way out)

Expert horse rider. I'm not saying you would see this man at the Rodeo, but he’s had his fair share of bucking broncos, and not ONCE has he been bucked off.

Though there are horses on the ranch, his horse is Estella— a Chestnut American Quarter Horse with three white socks (forelegs + right hind leg) and a star + stripe. She loves to chew on people’s clothes if they turn their backs on her.

Has slept in the barn before (multiple times) and regrets it every time (wouldn’t recommend it, very lumpy and you WILL wake up with straw in places you don’t want it to be)

LOVES cattle work, and hates paperwork 💀 (he lets Ghost, and his two other siblings take care of it) due to this, he is good at reading the animals and knowing when something is wrong!

Are good friends with the vet! (It’s his ex 💀) (They broke amicably though so it’s okay!!) (“So, like, when I kiss you??…. it’s gross” “OH thank God, I thought it was only me")

Gets SOOO distracted when Soap is picking the hay bales. Bff short circuits for a good minute before Ella gets miffed at him and throws her head back

Cows > sheep (will make an exception for baby lambs tho)

Soap:

Along with Ghost, realistically both would not actually retire in some rural Texas town but because I can, let's say they decided to retire to some rural Texas town.

Soap is the most recent member to the farm and took to it like a duck to water. (We'll ignore the times he forgot to lock the chicken coop). He was on active duty but after a close call that was too close to comfort, he decided that maybe it was time to retire. Price is the one that mentioned the ranch to him, although at the time he did not know it was a ranch.

All Price told him was “if you are looking for something a little different, take a look here" and looking he went.

Headcanons:

Not on the friendliest terms with the cattle dogs but boy do they LOVE him (they’ve tried to herd him multiple times and have succeeded) (he cusses both Ghost and Roach out for watching and letting it happen)

Loves the nitty gritty work. Hay bales? Check. Cleaning the stables? On it. Shearing the sheep? The Clippers are all warmed up already. If there’s a job that involves getting his hands dirty, he is the first in line

Sheep > cows

His horse is a Buckskin American Quarter Horse that he very proudly named Buck. This name came after Roach told him the color of his coat but was reinforced when Soap tried riding him and was almost bucked off. They became the best of pals after that, and Buck occasionally tries to nibble Soap’s mohawk for fun.

His favorite chore is feeding the animals! He loves watching them all flock to their food and munch away. He doesn't find it much of a chore as it fills him with such joy to see all the creatures he cares for flourish.

Gagged the first, second, and third time he saw a sheep give birth. Man has seen a soldier’s leg come clean off from a bomb and recovered in less than 5 minutes but BIRTH? Get the bucket ready.

Ghost:

Discharged after a mission had gone wrong, Ghost had no idea where to go. With no family to go back to and no friends to crash with, civilian life was looking very bleak until Price came to him with a plane ticket and an address to some rural town in Texas.

Ranch life was… different for Ghost. It wasn’t bad per say, and he can’t really find much to complain about, but it was just different. It is... steadier? softer? he's not too sure but at least it lets him sleep easier at night.

It took him and Roach a while to find a rhythm. It wasn’t easy and it was very awkward at first but eventually they were able to settle on something unique for them that worked out.

Headcanons:

Sheep > cows

He likes to roam around with the LGDs. He greatly respects their jobs and has grown a soft spot for them. He knows he’s not supposed to distract them, but he just can’t help himself and always gives them a good belly rub.

Became good friends with the farrier. Farrier does most of the talking but Ghost will join in here and there. He really likes learning about the Farrier's different methods and likes to watch him work on the horses. (Lowkey thinking about making Jackson the farrier bc why not)

One of my favorite personal hc's about Ghost is that he is shit at naming things so yeah, he named his horse, Horse. Roach almost took his horse privileges away because of it but anyway, his horse is not an AQH like Roach/Soap but is instead one of the two draft horses the ranch has! His horse is Blue Roan Clydesdale with a very splotchy coat that loves peppermints and loves napping her days away (she’s had three kids alright she deserves it)

Genuinely enjoys doing the ranch paperwork. Sure, he has to ask Roach here and there where some of the stuff is at but honestly? Could spend hours reading and organizing the books and such. He's very interested in the topics discussed.

Earliest riser. His favorite time of the day is just before the sun peaks over the horizon where everything is blue and foggy, where condensation sits on his skin, when the crickets are still chirping, and when the mourning doves are softly cooing. Roach wakes up soon after him.

[fixfoxnox]

What state do you imagine Roach from? I’m projecting, and like to think of him from Texas. And of COURSE he has at least one Buc-ee’s T-shirt, and will jump anyone who disses it.

This is such a fun question cause my answer is never 100% cause I change my mind so much.

So when I write Roach in his home state I draw a lot from my own experiences living in Arkansas. So I think I've mentioned that some of the memories that Roach has from his first life in SiTO were based on like actual locations around where I live.

For example, when Roach is remembering being thrown into the river by his dad and talks about the bridge and the highway above it and the graffiti and stuff, that is an actual place in Arkansas that I used to swim when I was younger (unlike Roach I almost drowned there then my dad saved me so).

So in terms of like how I write where he lives, I would place him as from Arkansas. I've also said I just think it would be funny for the 141 to witness him doing the hog call lmaooo

However in terms of where I have actually placed him being from, most of the time when I think of where he lives in aus like the cryptid ghost au or ultranationalist Roach au I usually place him in Tennessee.

I don't have much of a reason for this, I just like to think of him somewhere near the smoky mountains for funsies. But even better would be to have him near/in the Appalachian mountains because I think it would freak the 141 the fuck out.

So yeah, generally the location I describe as similar to Arkansas cause that's what I know, but in terms of where I actually think he would be, I usually place him somewhere in Tennessee/ the Appalachian mountains.

[manthakinz]

4, 17, 36, and 48 !! 💖

4. What's a rare fear that you have?

I can't think of anything rare, but I'm horribly afraid of cockroaches! I hate them soooo much. I'm not much of a bug person, but I can admire many of them and don't mind if certain ones are near me. But if a roach (or anything that looks similar to one) is near me, I am OUT OF THERE. Even just seeing a picture of them creeps me out 😖

17. Do you want any tattoos? If so, where, what, and why?

I'm not the greatest in dealing with pain, so I doubt I'll ever go through with getting any, but the thought has crossed my mind. I'd love to get some from pieces of media that I hold close to my heart (Toy Story, Monsters, Inc., The Aristocats, The Lion King, for example). I'd also love to have something to incorporate koi fish and my zodiac sign. Not that I believe in that sort of thing, but I think it's fun. I'd also love to get something to do with Webkinz, Beanie Babies, and Build-A-Bear since they're things that I collect and love dearly. Basically, my dream would be to become a childish canvas to show off the things I love. Where I'd put them though is irrelevant since I'm such a wimp and may never get even one, lol.

36. Do you daydream? What about?

I daydream all of the time! I normally daydream about my OCs and my best friend's OCs. We write back and forth with them. It's kind of like roleplaying, but we're much more descriptive and it's our own characters. We've been doing it since we were in middle school and I love daydreaming about our characters because they're such a huge part of my life. I also just daydream about characters from shows if I'm hooked on it at the time. I also imagine different scenarios in my life. The regular stuff, I guess, haha.

48. Do you have a beloved stuffed animal?

I do! When I was little, I had a plush Simba. But as kids will do sometimes, I renamed him Zack. I also have a plush otter I got from the Tennessee Aquarium when I was in 3rd grade. Her name is Ollie (short for Olivia). She recently gained a brother named Otto because just this year I came across a listing online of the exact plush she is but in much nicer condition. I snagged him up and they are now inseparable! I have tons of other stuffed toys because I'm a sucker for toys in general, especially plush ones, but those are the ones that I hold the dearest to my heart ❤️

Send me a question, please!

[drafty-castle]

Some sort of giant-ass beetle flew into our bedroom just now. My wife started screaming her head off. Told me to “get it! get it!”

So I finish up in the bathroom to find she’s huddled half naked in the hallway, wild-eyed and hugging herself, and cries, “It touched me!”

To which my smart ass replies, “It touched you? I guess we’ll have to euthanize. You’ve got the cooties and I’m afraid it’s terminal.”

She was not impressed. More so when I flushed the beetle, though.

Thing is, bugs of all sorts are always my “job”. By her logic, because I’m more masc than her I’m automatically the “man of the house”. And because she’s more fem and an affirmed chicken, she won’t deal with bugs whatsoever, just scream until I handle the situation.

This, from a woman who used to own her own apartment cleaning business and cleaned out some of the worst projects in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

If you know, you know.

She took me on one (1) job and I near about woke the dead with my screams when she opened the fridge and an entire fucking army of roaches came poring out like a scene from MiB. Didn’t make her flinch, she already had the RAID out and ready to deploy, while I literally ran from the building and locked my happy ass in the car.

But no, because I identify as agender and wear trousers more often than her, obviously bugs should be my responsibility. >.>

Honey, I think you need to deconstruct some of your gender indoctrination.

[fixfoxnox]

Taking the opportunity to do this instead of writing on Something In The Orange (don't worry its still being done) but yeah here are my headcanons for the boy (outside of the au of course) (Reboot universe)

Gary "Roach" Sanderson Headcanons (NSFW included, read at your own risk)

2 older brothers, no sisters. The youngest of his family which made him virtually the baby of the household

Southern American, I'm thinking somewhere in the Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi area (my brain leans towards Tennessee)

Dirty blonde hair. Was like pure blonde when he was super little but slowly because darker as he aged.

Brown eyes, he mastered puppy dog eyes at like 5 and literally had his older brothers wrapped around his fingers

Didn't really do any sports as a child, but his family was super outdoorsy so he knew how to set traps, use a gun, and essentially survive in the wilderness by age 14

I love love love the idea of Roach himself being from a full military family. Like both of his parents are military and both of his brothers went into the military when they were old enough so he naturally followed their lead

Absolute ace with any weapon anyone put in his hands during basic training.

Earned a reputation as a scrappy little creeper (affectionately) early on in his first squad because of how easily he could sneak around and his ability to use any small nook or cranny to his advantage

Speaking of, absolute short king this guy. Like 5'8/5'9 (so essentially just short compared to the 141)

Has literally the worst luck. Like genuinely he and lady luck have actual beef because its insane how much bad shit will just randomly happen to him.

Its his bad luck that earns him the name Roach

After one two many near death experiences where he got out of it with like no scratches, only of his teammates jokingly called him a Cockroach and the name stuck.

His team is on a joint op with the 141 which is how he catches Price's attention.

Lets just say there's a moment of "we need someone to crawl through this tiny ass hole and face down like 15 guys on their own to let us into the room:m"

And just everyone on his team turns slowly to look at him. He is, naturally, already taking off his bulky helmet and is just like "yeah yeah I'm going"

The 141 for sure underestimate him at first. Then he gets in the room and all they hear is muffled screaming and gunshots for a few minutes before Roach is calmly opening the door for them like nothing happens

Price, naturally, is immediately like "okay new child alert" and is already texting Laswell to get this kid on his team

He's Price's third favorite (behind Farah and Gaz of course)

Absolutely seduces Ghost without meaning to

Like genuinely is just doing his thing and Ghost is tripping over himself in the background

At one point he just like does a brutal takedown move on this guys and stands up to give Ghost a grin and a thumbs up and the man almost passes out

For sure becomes fast friends with Soap. Like these two are hella chaotic and while Roach is more cryptid like than Soap is, they get along super well

It makes Ghost gay panic even more

Deffo lies to the team about things Americans do because he thinks its hilarious. Gaz is really the only one who believes him

"Oh wait you guys don't have like mandatory eagle sanctuaries at your schools?"

"No we don't have electric kettles in the US Gaz, we don't have enough voltage in our outlets for it"

"Oh yeah, water from the sink a few tea bags and you set that in the sun to heat up. That's how you make tea dude."

Okay that last one is true for his family but when he see's the odd looks everyone in the group gives him he plays it off

Probably had a Barrack Bunny phase ngl

Like they meet up with one of his early squads at one point and let's just say he is getting flirted with an insane amount with lots of "I'd love to have you in my bunk again Sanderson 😏"

Drives Ghost actually insane and he's close to murdering several Americans by the time the team leave

Actually the most oblivious little shit on the planet so it isn't until either Soap days something or Ghost just finally gives in and kisses him that he realizes that Ghost has a thing for him

Is immediately here for it though, like lays on the flirting thick once he knows/the two are together

Doesn't really have much of an accent until he starts talking to someone back home (or someone like Graves) and immediately his voice switches into Yeehaw mode (me too Roach)

Uses southernisms on the daily though, especially likes using them around Mr. "Speak English" (Ghost)

Together he and Soap make up an evil combo made to have everyone else of the team deeply confused at what the fuck the two are saying

I feel like Roach speaks fluent Spanish, but if he ever meets Alejandro and Rudy he 100% doesn't say anything at first so that he can have his moment to just drop it into a random conversation with the two so he can see their faces

Used to work in a squad that way under Shepherds command and got bad vibes from his time so he transferred out as quick as he could. Still has burn scars on his arms and chest though from a case of "Accidental" friendly fire (literally)

Absolutely dresses like a feral little gremlin when he's not on duty. Like ratty baggy pants, shirts with holes all in it (fashionable holes tho), and the rattiest hoodie and boots he can find. Maybe throws on a beanie or bucket hat if he's feeling spicy

Makes for quite a sight when he's standing next to "designer down to my socks" Ghost and holding his hand

Adding some Ghost/Roach/Soap vibes here too

He definitely looks insane when he's holding both of their hands and they both look super well put together while he looks like he literally just rolled out of hell most of the time

His hair is absolutely untameable, something that both Ghost and Soap learn after like two hours of trying to slick down a cow lick he has one morning

His favorite form of affection is cuddles and cheek kisses

Has a high sex drive and is always up for anything

Everyone for sure thinks that Soap and Ghost dominate him in the bedroom

Cut to the bedroom where he has one of them tied to a chair across the room and another one tied to the bed while he rides one and teases the other

Will let them take control when he's feeling lazy, but is still super demanding

"Clothes. Off. Both of you"

"If you don't fuck me now I'll just go handle this myself and leave you here."

Literally these two are whipped for this man

Post mission sex. Every time. Like its part of their routine

If he's not feeling it, he likes to watch Ghost and Soap and direct the two as they go at it.

Essentially he's the tiny dom of their dreams so-

Okay back to not NSFW briefly to say

Himbo

Thats it

Okay im curious what everybody's Roach is like, so reblog/comment what your Roach is like

Here's mine: Roach

[thesehauntedhills]

FELON GHOSTS AT THE END OF THE LINE

Now, for those you don't know me, let me tell you, "IMMA CHICKEN". I believe in the Holy Ghost and that leads me to believe in other Ghosts. Satan is a copycat master of deception, ya know. So, two places that I will not visit because after hearing of family and friends accounts of their visits to these places, I won't go. The two places are both in East Tennessee. One right here in Greene County, The Old Greene County Gaol. The old jail is located behind the Greene County Courthouse. The other place I will not go is located in Morgan County in the tiny town of Petros. Yep, that's it the former Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary. I've heard accounts from reputable, professional people of their visit to the former Prison and they share tales of being on the Ghost Walk tour and "something got on" them. Scared enough to go wait in the car for the others! Here follows is some information about the Prison . . . . and the Convicted Ghosts who demand their acquittal

Brushy State Penitentiary. Operating from 1896 to 2009, the penitentiary was known as the Alcatraz of the South. Brushy State once housed James Earl Ray, the man who assassinated Martin Luther King Jr. The vacant prison is surrounded by a rock wall.

The penitentiary stands in a notch in the Cumberland Mountains, hemmed in on three sides by the forbidding Frozen Head Wilderness. Over the years a surprising number of convicts escaped from the prison and headed into the hills -- but NONE ever made a successful escape . Hundreds of its inmates died anyway, worked to death in the prison's slave-labor coal mines or simply murdered by each other. The penitentiary produced so many dead bodies -- no one knows how many -- that it had its own morgue and crematorium.

I would say that Brushy has seen more than her fair share of death. She has seen some of the most brutal deaths that one could have imagined. She has seen the worst human behaviors, she has seen pure hate and sadly pure evil. That kind of evil will forever leave a negative “impression” on an environment. That kind of horror, trauma, negative energy, sadness, hate, bad and evil can crawl into every wall, corner, crook and cranny. We then must throw in the natural environment. Paranormal researchers have found that certain natural properties such as water, limestone and other stones can energize spirits. Well, Brushy Mountain has all of those in abundance all around them. There have been many ghost hunting teams to do investigations inside the prison since it’s closing in 2009 and the evidence that has come out of there has been extremely convincing. From one ghost who supposedly smokes a cigarette if you leave one as a gift to one who is named Jack Jett a prisoner who was murdered while talking on the phone

Today, the walls of the prison have been reopened, revamped. For one hundred bucks you can go on a ghost walk through the pentinuary.

A former Inmate recalled one night when a convict was stabbed to death, then was skinned, gutted, and flushed down a cell toilet, piece by piece, to hide the evidence. In the morning, all that was left was a garbage bag of human bones. "There was some bad, bad boys in here," said the former inmate. Prisoners who failed to mine their daily quota of coal, or who otherwise angered the guards, were tied to the exercise yard whipping post. The former inmate added that his granduncle was one of them, whipped so hard through his prison uniform that the cloth embedded into his flesh. Others were banished to The Hole, a lightless cellblock where each inmate was given two buckets: one for water and one for a bathroom. "You'd try to make a mark on one bucket so they wouldn't get switched around," he explained. "One guy was locked down in there 29 days. He put his head through the wall to kill himself."

Brushy Mountain State housed some of Tennessee’s worst criminals. The violence inside the prison was a problem that the prison guards had a horrible problem controlling. It was said in that at one point they averaged one murder a week. On Feb. 8th, 1982, a hostage situation occurred fueled by racism, two black inmates were killed by white prisoners. The white prisoners sawed through their bars, using a gun that had been smuggled inside took four guards hostage. They then went upstairs to where the black prisoners were housed and started shooting them as they went down the line. The prisoners then surrendered to the guards quietly. Nearly 100 executions also took place at Brushy State by electrocution, "Old Sparky".

All I'm saying is, "I believe" . I believe that many ghosts found the end of the line in this life here, but it never really ended . . . . .

Thanks for reading! SpOoKy !

As always drop a comment, share a story. Have you been brave enough to take the ghost walk? Please tell us about your experience!

Might ought to head to Morgan County mmmmm hmmmmm!

The former inmate now works as a tour guide in the prison like any good prison tour guide, is a nonstop monologue of horror tales. "People think a lot of these stories are made up, but I've seen things," he said. He recounted one time that a prisoner was beaten dead in the gymnasium bathroom. Another convict was deliberately crushed to death on the exercise yard weight bench. A third was burned alive in his own cell by a molotov cocktail tossed through the bars. Even the non-fatal stories are unsettling. He added that his prison blanket turned black from roach poop, and that one time it was so cold that it froze to the wall of his cell. "It'd get colder than a wooly-wooly bugger in here," he said. It's true: the unheated prison is closed to tourists from December through March because it's so cold.

~~banjo~~

@thesehauntedhills

🦋░T░h░e░s░e░🦋 ░H░a░u░n░t░e░d░ ░H░i░l░l░s░

[morgan--reads]

2019 Honorable Mentions

These are books that didn’t make my top 10 list for the year but that I can’t get out of my head. 

The Soul of an Octopus - Sy Montgomery 

This book caused me to re-evaluate eating seafood and has forever changed the way I think about octopuses. Easy, emotional, and informative. 

The Weird - ed. Ann and Jeff VanderMeer

Because of the size and the varying quality of the stories, I find this a difficult sell. However, taking the time to marinate in the volume was one of my favorite reading experiences of the year and many of the stories continue to haunt me. 

The Winter Prince - Elizabeth Wein

I’m a sucker for Arthurian retellings and this one was powerfully original and compelling. Grounded in history and psychological realism, I wouldn’t call it a pleasant read, but it’s one that stuck with me. 

Grunt - Mary Roach

I bring this book up at parties all the time. It’s accessible, thoughtful, and relevant to anyone with an interest in the military, whether positive or negative. 

Fun Home - Alison Bechdel 

I live fairly far away from my parents and I don’t always feel adequate at maintaining a meaningful relationship with them. This memoir told me that, first, it could be worse and, second, that I can make it better. It’s a sad read, but not only sad. 

Peter Pan - J.M. Barrie

A weird, absolutely absorbing little book. The movie and play are such cultural touchstones but the book is much stranger and darker in tone than either. 

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe - Benjamin Alire Sáenz

YA still has some excellent writing to offer and this tender coming-of-age love story is a perfect example. 

Exit Stage Left: the Snagglepuss Chronicles - Mark Russell and Mike Feehan

Snagglepuss as legendary Southern playwright Tennessee Williams, played not as a joke but a serious consideration of Cold War era censorship and morality. It’s unforgettable not only because it’s so weird and audacious but also because it’s done so very well. 

[iwritestuffsometimes]

Cockroaches (Roughest draft) part 3

The blackness left me and I was in a corn field. For a few precious seconds, I thought I had just passed out during my morning chores and had a very real, very long, horrific nightmare. I thought everything would be perfect and normal again and I could forget about shiny beings and horrible men who control them. Glancing up, my heart sank as I realized this wasn’t my family owned garden. I sat up and saw a house that was collapsed on one side, smoke was rising from a hole cut into the ceiling.

“G’mornin sunshine!” a voice said behind me.

“NO!” I screeched, forming my hands into tight fists. I spun around, thoroughly expecting to see The Traitor coming to take me back.

“Woah. Kay. So, not a good morning then. I was just being polite. Don’t birth a cow.” He held his hands up defensively. I squinted my eyes at him. I could very well be imagining him. “What? Do I have food on my face?” He frowned and ran one hand across his mouth; the other held two dead rabbits. He looked like a completely average twenty-year- old. He wasn’t buff but wasn’t skinny either. He wore a ratty Star Wars baseball cap, a flannel shirt, jeans, and dirty canvas tennis shoes. His eyebrows were blond.

“Who are you? Where am I? Why am I here? How did I get here?” I needed answers.

“Calm down, there, Red.” He nodded at the dilapidated house. “I’m hungry. I aint about to stand out here and explain the ways of the world to you on an empty stomach,” he started toward the shelter. I followed. “Name’s East by the way.” He tossed over his shoulder. I could see little red curls contrasting with the black of his cap. “Watch your step.” He said as he pulled the screen door off its hinges and leaned it against the wall. I frowned in question but he never explained. “Hey Toby! I brought fresh meat.” He yelled into the house. “And something to eat too.” He winked at me and smiled at his joke. “Well hello there.” A scruffy looking man appeared from around a corner. “You’re just in time for lunch.” He had a strong southern drawl. His teeth were slightly yellowed, his eyes were the brightest green I’d ever seen, and he too, wore a cap with red hair peeking from the bottom. “Made ham and corn.” He nodded towards the fire made in the middle of what used to be a living room and handed my companion and I plates as we sat down around it. “So, who are you?” He asked between bites of meat.

“Uh. My names Dustin.” I swallowed a chunk of slightly rotted corn. Compared to the slop I was forced to eat before, this was heaven.

“Dustin?” James snorted. “That’s a stupid name for a lady.” I frowned at him like I hadn’t heard it a million times before. “So, Dustin, how’d you end up inside the Raid Can?”

“Raid Can?” I asked around a mouthful of ham.

“Ya know. Raid. Poison.” He took the rabbits from East and began cutting the skin open. “Get it?” I frowned and shook my head. He jerked on the fur of one of the rabbits and it ripped away from the meat with a wet sound. “Roaches are the only critters who can build up a tolerance of that junk, see?” They tried to use their Raid Can to exterminate ev’ry body. ‘Cept it didn’t work as well as it was supposed to- just like Raid never really worked the way it was supposed to. It didn’t work on us.”

“Us?” I was hoping he wasn’t being too literal; that we weren’t the last three people on Earth.

“Fire crotches.” He nodded. “My theory is there’s something in our DNA that makes us impervious to their little apocalypse. Like roaches.” He smiled at his brilliant metaphor.

“My Gosh.” My head spun. “Youre telling me the only people who weren’t killed are redheads? That my whole family is gone and I’m not because I have a gene mutation that makes my hair a cool color? That I’m a cockroach? I call bull.” I spat. No way this dude is serious. No.

“Well, its not Red.” East cut in. “Theres a camp just a few miles from here- the only other people we know for sure survived- every single one is a GRITS.”

“GRITS?” I shook my head in confusion. This is too much, this is crazy. I Just want my family back.

“Gingers Raised In The South.” East smirked. “Came up with that one myself before they fell outta the sky.” He waved his hands like a conductor at a symphony. “Freaking aliens man. No one ever really expects aliens. Everybody was all ‘nah that only happens in holos.’” He scoffed. “Yeah, well, a little off dontcha think?”

I shook my head to clear it. “Whatever. How did I get here? Where the heck is here anyway?”

“Well I think this is Andover, Tennessee.” Toby frowned. “We haven’t exactly kept up with names of places. Its not exactly priority number one these days.” He started skinning the second rabbit. “Now you’re here cause Easton here, isn’t too good at takin’ orders from his older brother. I told him not to go lookin’ for trouble but he just aint a listener.” East rolled his eyes. “I was just looking to poke a few holes in that Raid Can, ya know? Just wanted to cause as much damage as possible inside that hunk of plastic. You were a happy accident. I was gonna try and vaporize as many of those shiny suckers as I could. You were there. I didn’t know they still had prisoners.”

“That was you? How did you make the Unvers disappear?”

“Unvers? That’s what you call them?” He looked at me like I was crazy. I didn’t answer. Instead, I raised eyebrow in annoyance. He sighed. “I got a hold of an old 2010 version of a stungun. Modified it. It’s a bit more lethal now.” He smirked. “I can’t believe you didn’t see me. I mean, I guess that explains why you ran the wrong way when I pulled the whole ‘come with me if you wanna live’ line. … I just figured you really hated vintage movie quotes… Or had a death wish or something.” He shrugged.

I frowned. Wait a second… “You hit me! What the heck dude?!” I screamed. “You bust into an alien base and decide to knock out the prisoner? Genius! Spectacular!” I stood up to leave. If this guy has no problem knocking me out, maybe being here isn’t exactly the greatest idea. “Thanks for the food. I’m gonna go now. Find somebody who wont hit a defenseless and scared captive of an alien race.”

“You really don’t have a clue do you?” Toby pulled me back down roughly. “You don’t know a thing. You’ve been living with them for God knows how long and you still dont know what goes on.” I clenched my jaw. “That scar on your shoulder; do you have an inklin of an idea what that’s for?” I blinked at him. “Yeah, I thought as much.” He nodded to his brother.

Easton pulled open his shirt, showing a scar that matched my own, running the base of his neck to his left shoulder blade. “They use the torture as a smoke screen; theres a tracker under that scar. I broke it. You’re welcome.” I reddened and chewed my lip. We finished our food in silence and then “We’re heading to the camp after dinner, we heard theyre thinking about a plot to get at that human leader, you comin?” East asked.

“Absolutely.” I handed my plate to Toby who dumped the bones out the window. “Do you think we could stop somewhere first?” I asked quietly, the men frowned. “Just to Heffron Drive. I have something I wanna see.” I said to the dirty carpet to hide the tears forming.

[suckitsurveys]

Name a product you buy mostly because it has a cool package. I don’t think there’s something like that, really. I think cool packaging is just a bonus. Are you purposely hiding something from someone? No. What’s the most intimate thing you’ve discussed with a stranger? I don’t know.  What flavor cake do you like for your birthday? This year (a couple days ago) I had pumpkin pie. But I also like cheesecake and carrot cake.  Is your house usually too warm or too cold in the Winter? It’s comfortable. 

Have you ever been in love with someone much older or younger than you? No.  Are there any songs that make you feel angry inside when you hear them? Probably. When was the last time you sat on the ground, outside w/nothing under you? Somewhat recently.  Would you rather have someone ask to kiss you, or just kiss you? I mean, if it were a first date situation, ask me. My husband doesn’t ask me but it’s always consensual.  What the most recent thing to needed an Rx med for? It’s been a while.  Have you ever had a job you loved? I do kinda like my job now. What, if anything, do you substitute for fries? Nothing. Fries always.  Have you ever been in a building that was on fire? Yes. A very very mild one.  Are you in an argument with anyone right now? Eh. What do you wish they would change or bring back on FB? I don’t care.  Would you change your partner’s hair color if you could? Nope. Do you like “are we alike” surveys? Not really. Have you ever written a poem for someone? Uh huh. What is a place you’ve vacationed at and would like to go back to? The Wilderness resort in the Wisconsin Dells.  Do you eat samples at the grocery store? I have. Have you been best friends with someone of a different race? Yeah. Who’s the last person who cussed you out in anger? My fucking brother in law. Have you friended your parents on FB? My dad. He literally does nothing on it lol. What do you absolutely have to have to make your birthday feel special? Sushi!!!!! What’s the last tourist area you visited? The Dells.  Where do you go out to eat for a special occasion? Depends what the occasion is and what we’re in the mood for.   When was the last time you went to a post office? A couple years ago. Is there an item you are saving up to buy right now? A new mattress. Are you psychic in any way? No. Do you prefer a laptop or desk top? Which are you on now? I prefer a desk top tbh. I am on my laptop at home right now.  you find $20, spend it before midnight or it disappears, how do u spend it? Sushi. Do you like wallpaper? Sure. Mice or roaches? Mice. Did you give or get any Valentines this year? Yes. Have you ever been in a submarine? In a museum. what is the last lie someone told you, or you suspect they told you? I don’t recall. have you ever received a gift and truly did not know what it was? Yeah. What’s your homepage? Google. What was the last birthday gift you gave? Somethin for my sister.  Do you have dessert after breakfast? No. Is there anyone who’s grave you visit? My mother’s, sometimes. She was cremated, but her family bought her a plot, so her urn is buried in Tennessee. Would you rather drive during the day or night? Either. Is there a thing you enjoy doing, but quit because you are not good at it? I don’t know.

[fixfoxnox]

please, i beg for jackson behind the scenes

i laugh at the thought of jackson begging roach for gaz's number and failing

Some more Jackson because he 😌

Is an absolute shit flirt, but thinks he's the God of flirting

When he does, eventually, finally, get Gaz's number, he definitely opens up with some bullshit like

"Are you from Tennessee? Cause you're the only Ten I see"

Luckily for Jackson, Roach is with Gaz when he gets this text and is able to very quickly explain to Gaz that his friend is an absolute dummy and is trying to flirt with him terribly

Really its primarily because of Roach's meddling that the two are able to get together

Jackson listens to dad rock, I don't make the rules (except I do)

Okay some more like bts that is actually fully attached to SiTO chapters because if I don't I'll only rant about Gaz and Jackson being in love

Roach was buried under the house for way longer than it appears in Chapter 1. He was under all of that stuff passed out for at least an hour.

During that time, Jackson and the Team were digging through the rubble trying to find him. Eventually the entire team give up, Griggs wants to call the search off and call it on Roach, Jackson doesn't let them

For like the last 20-15 minutes that Roach is under the house it is only Jackson looking for him. Jackson is desperately digging through this rubble, his hands bleeding and cracking from glass and dust but he doesn't stop

He's never mentioned any of this to Roach. He's also never mentioned to Roach that the reason he was able to find him is because he could hear him muttering Ghost's name.

Jackson has heard Roach say Ghost's name in his sleep more times than he would ever admit to Roach. He knows that his friend thinks that his sleep talking in his nightmares was mostly under control.

It was really bad during Roach's first few months back in the military. Jackson would purposefully set them up at a good distance from their other teammates so that Roach's nightmares wouldn't wake anyone up.

Again, Roach doesn't know any of this.

Jackson embroidered some of the bugs on Roach's scarf. He wasn't going to initially, instead he was going to let his grandmother do the entire thing. She encouraged him to do some himself while he was sitting in the hospital bed.

Gets very vivid and painful phantom pains from his missing leg. Particularly after nightmares that he has about the incident. He's managed to get them under control fairly well now that his nightmares have faded again, but occasionally they'll hit him hard when a loud noise pops or he's working out in the gym.

Attacked a doctor when he woke up in the hospital. He woke up still in fight mode and just immediately swung on the first person he saw that he didn't recognize

He was actually offered a choice after losing his leg. Either he could be rushed through for a prosthetic, go through some physical training, then return to the military or he could take the honorable discharge.

He considered his options for an entire week before deciding on taking the discharge.

He was, naturally, extremely nervous about the choice because the Military felt like all he'd known and he had truly thought that going back would make him happy

But he was supported by his parents and all of his siblings.

They pooled the money together to help him afford to open his gym and get him on his feet.

To, briefly return to Gaz/Jackson

When Jackson finally gets Gaz's number and the two get to talking, I just know these two send an abhorrent number of gym selfies back and forth to one another.

Jackson sends the first one and Gaz nearly drops his phone when he see's it and he goes so red that Roach, sitting next to him, assumes for a brief moment that his friend has just sent Gaz a dick pick

One last Gaz/Jackson thing

Roach 100% will send Jackson just random pictures that he takes of Gaz around the base.

This initially started before Jackson had Gaz's phone number and it typically went:

*picture of Gaz*

"SANDERSON IM LITERALLY SO IN LOVE WITH HIM THE NUMBER PLEASE"

*picture of Gaz*

"How does it feel to get to look at something so pretty every day 😭 I wish that was me"

*picture of Gaz*

"Thats it, I'm coming back to the military for this man"

However after they start dating it turns into:

*picture of Gaz*

"Saved to my Private collection for when he's not here 🥵"

*picture of Gaz*

"I would die and kill for him, please tell him that"

*picture of gaz*

"Can you get one zoomed in on his ass please I'll owe you forever 🙏"

[jdmainman123]

And once again the hills are too tall and I'm really impressed with you 3/4 you built every landmark site and all miniature stuff it shows how you guys quit and this site

I seen the Jacksonville Greyhound bus station I seen the AT&t building

MORE IMPORTANTLY FOR YOU TO BUILD BEACH AFTER BEACH is something you guys are going to have to deal with yourselves just because I'm here doesn't mean you can get on to my beach do you know my beach is like center stage front row seats

But more importantly what do I say to my brother I knew this was going to happen I know what the minute I saw it what do I say to my brother once again

And due to the streets being filled with n****** I think they're falling in love with me again AND WHY I'M HERE BECAUSE THE FIRST VICTIM WAS A WHITE HAIR WHITE SKIN BOY AND IT HAD THE ENTIRE CITY TURNED AGAINST HIM FOR THE WORD DAUGHTER

So your sites are your streets here are two common with other sunlight cities 3/4 and more important you're talking to me 24/7 as I'm walking so I won't remember my way around AND AND AGAIN THERE'S TOO MANY N****** HERE TO BE FOR ME TO BE INVOLVED WITH A LITTLE GIRL WHEN YOU GUYS JUST WANT TO SEE ME HURT

And this is what happened with your dead n***** daughter family they hated white hair white skin boys and this is the results of it

The problem is that the Alabama I see Tennessee I see sunlight City now it's not that hard for you guys to recreate all the beaches like the inner city THE PROBLEM IS YOU GUYS CONTINUE TO BRING UP I SWITCH SATELLITES I WAS NEVER ON A HOLE WITH WATER IN IT

And I think a little boy's life is worth more

And then a bunch of f****** rogue f****** black hair white sons from desert City Latin and family wanted to hurt only one white hair white skin boys and if fist fight face to face

You know for this inside wink AND WE'RE LOOKING AT WHITE SKIN BLACK HAIR AND AN ENTIRE ARMY FULL OF BLACK SKIN BOYS AND HOW THE WORLD MANAGED TO SEPARATE ITSELF FROM YOU GUYS WE SHOULD BE VERY THANKFUL MORE IMPORTANTLY MORE ANY ACT then just calling inside a baby killing Pacific you guys are still hooked on the satellite trick men are good

And again satellite make a roaches blog they're starting to go too far and use too many things like we all own a beach now yeah I get that but the problem is what do I say to my brother

These men are too gone that's what I'm trying to tell you these men have no Street sense and they have no repairing

And if you're good having n****** chase me all around the streets and I'm good with the results you guys are going to have to suffer one dead daughter because they ran away from you the other family and you continue to build 3/4 site after 3/4 site

And you keep grabbing my f****** eyes just to make sure I don't know where I'm at but it's very obvious we're in another small building City

And just for you not letting the kids grow up I think it's is torture enough

IN THE HILLS THE HILLS ARE VERY HIGH AND TOO MUCH FOR ME TO WALK I'M GOING TO HAVE TO SEARCH A LITTLE BIT AND FIND A GOOD PLACE TO HANG OUT IN FRONT OF A LIQUOR STORE

But to have me here with this playbook of me not allowed to run around the city and find a place this place what happens is Newark and LAX to 4th brought me to the opposite airport with blood and s*** everywhere the problem is with these this place

You guys may have cleaned up with the buildings are all abandoned and disgusting and gross

And once again there's nowhere to sit or f****** lay down

And then you got your dream black mass Justice and dead daughter is declared cuz you built the city with the sunlight and anybody who chooses to go outside will bleed AND YOU NEED A 16 AND 24 AND 36 BEDROOM HOUSES TO OBTAIN THIS POWER OF AUTHORITY AND DO THESE THINGS

Not just some failed f****** n***** looking for another loophole 24/7 you guys talk to me looking for another loophole AND AGAIN WE CAN'T HELP NOTICE THAT YOU GUYS HAVE MY PHONE AND MY TABLET AND YOU GUYS JUST WANT ME HERE TO REPEAT THIS STUPID F****** STATEMENT AND MIND YOU WHY 3/4 BLACK MATCH JUSTICE WAS CALLED BECAUSE OF THE GOOGLE VOICE LISTENERS THERE'S NOTHING MORE WE CAN UNDERSTAND THAN A F****** LOSE F****** CITY OF BOYS

That can't be satellite makers in a girls can't be satellite makers but listen to everything we say outside and to make it infinity and be forced around these cities to talk to your dead n***** daughter family without satellite I'm going to warn you what happened 5 years of seeing 500 million of your men after it's all said and done AND IT COME BACK TO THIS TINY BUILDING CITIES LISTEN I'M HAPPY YOU GUYS GOT YOUR FIRST TRADE RIDE TO RUSSIA GOT KICKED OUT OF THE BEACH WHEN I LEFT BUT THIS CITY IS A MIRROR AND A DEMONSTRATION IF THIS IS YOUR NUMBER ONE SITE THEN YOU DESERVE WHATEVER YOU WHATEVER CAME TO YOU

Architecture doesn't lie but you guys are continuing to talk like you have a big city a big downtown and you guys are ignoring all the facts just to push a lie on a satellite

I already told you your daughter is dead because your satellite program here has went completely boring and completely tired

It just feels like I'm a black skin man walking around the streets calling myself an accident at this point in time line and I want these girls eyes removed for this action cuz I know it's that dead n***** daughter watching me and me to force to go around and call everything an accident and feel bad for myself for me to look like I'm fearing once again first drop of blood for him to look like he's fearing

Then again I'm tired of dealing with your f****** suicide if I haven't noticed the 15 f****** years that n***** doesn't have a f****** daughter because he's too f****** stupid four f****** cities my major cities and your n****** can't learn one f****** command stay the f*** away from me

And for us to have acknowledged the genocide and it taking place all blackskin cities full of men to replace the white skin boy

Then I don't f****** know I already told you the world would have came to White hair white skin men and all black skin boys and white skinned girls

I just don't know why you're dead n***** daughter's family can't let the f****** truth go we reach the truth or we can all live with it but you're f****** dead n***** daughter family 3/4 wants to continue hearing me talk I threw it I threw it

And I can't stand you dumb f****** n****** you guys are just little kids at the end of the day I'm tired of talking to a satellite maker who depends on another family and does nothing but sit home and talks to little f****** kids

[officialfand0mtrash]

my giant-ass kinlist

Character, Source

anything else not necessarily canon

astrick (*) means literally me

not really looking for canonmates, however if you wanna talk that’d be ok!

note that the amount of info is not relating to how major the kin is to me, they’re just the ones with more non-canon memories. most of my “literally me” kins are either the kins i just feel the absolute most in touch with and closest to, and are also mostly the ones i identified as first.

sometimes i started talking in first person

Juniper Branch*, Warrior Cats (Dawn of the Clans)

Raven Pelt came out to me as identifying as a molly after our kits were born, because she was afraid I’d leave her if she told me earlier

Jerboa Jump, Tennessee Tuxedo & His Tales

heckin enemies to friends to lovers relationship with Tennessee himself

i mean it probably wasn’t that great looking back two angry smartass sarcastic people in a relationship doesn’t sound good but… Tennessee’s great i think he made me a better person through it

is mainly for coping.

Taptap*, Underdog

Riff & I were fucking. dating? maybe. it was the 60s.

i was still around in his gang in the other episodes, just around, y'know, robbing banks.

Underdog was my brother but he’d never admit it.

Thistlewhistle*, My Little Pony (Generation 3)

i was a transman

Starcatcher was also male!!

in fact not everyone was female,,

on Butterfly Island all our names were spelled as one word. but its. not like we ever spelled our names anyway.

Shifty*, Cauliflower Cabby

Boston and I were fucking. But we weren’t dating. It was illegal, he only wanted my body, and he didn’t care about me enough to.

Boston considered his title of Boston Bully, New Yorkie Public Enemy Number One very highly. He was afraid that showing sexual interest in a man would destroy his title. Though I’d always secretly thought that, since it was illegal, it would only boost him.

I never even wanted to be in Boston’s gang. I had maybe borrowed alot money from him years back and he wanted me to pay him back by robbing banks. After I’d made it up he threatened to shoot me if I left.

is mainly for coping.

Tubby*, The Beagles

Stringer & I were dating, and I wish I could say Scotty was the only one who knew. No, Scotty was the only one who’d take us to manage, I’m amazed his agency didn’t fire him over taking the Gays as clients. I suppose I’m glad he didn’t, we wouldn’t’ve done half the shit we did if it weren’t for him.

Our band’s name isn’t because we’re beagles… well, I’m a bagle/chihuahua mix but no way in hell does Stringer have any beagle in him. We called ourselves the Beagles cuz we really like the Beatles

we also really like Elvis (have you heard the bass in Heartbreak Hotel?)

I came from Jersey and am Jewish by race, I’ve never practiced the religion.

Fernsong*, Warrior Cats (Vision of Shadows)

stop shipping me with Ivypool she’s mates with Blossomfall!!

i’m a transtom and i’m so glad i’m not a tortie!!

i would’ve loved to have kits and a mate but everyone in Thunderclan is too old for me or just can’t tolerate me and im ://!!

i didn’t know and still don’t know if i want a tom as a mate or a molly…

Tigerheart, Warrior Cats (Power of Three)

No I never became Shadowclan’s leader. When I died my mother, Tawnystar, was leader, and my sister Dawnpelt was her deputy.

I also didn’t have children with Dovewing. In fact, I was never romantically interested in her. She was beautiful, she was a wonderful molly…. but she was born the day I became a warrior, and I refuse to mate with someone that’s a good 15 moons younger than me.

In fact, my mate was only about 9 moons younger than me. His name was Bumblestripe.

After Darktail took over Shadowclan and Tawnystar, Rowanclaw, Dawnpelt and I took shelter in Thunderclan is when I became mates with him. And I never left. He was too loyal to Thunderclan and I already felt like an outcast in Shadowclan, sharing my name with Tigerstar (What was my mother thinking?) and I’m very glad I did.

Roach*, Warrior Cats (Vision of Shadows)

Darktail gave me so much trauma for what he did i hate it so much i hate him so much. i’ll snap his neck if i ever find him again. (but maybe if you’re from a different canon and apologized for the shit you did, maybe i wouldn’t,,)

i stayed in Shadowclan after he was killed and became mates with Rain. i like to think… that i really helped him with not only the trauma of losing an eye, but helping him get used to only having one… and he helped me to trust cats, and other…. trust-related issues i had.

Percy, Warrior Cats (Firestar’s Destiny)

Duke, Thomas the Tank Engine

Smudger and I were.. dating? Married? I'm not sure, but we were romantically involved with eachother.

Windstar, Warrior Cats (Dawn of the Clans)

Yarrowleaf, Warrior Cats (Vision of Shadows)

i was a transmolly and a lesbian.

i was mates with Sleekwhisker and damn what a mate she was…

Yew Tail, Warrior Cats (Dawn of the Clans)

I had horrible, horrible paranoia… I thought… I thought that one day, that all the cats in Starclan would get upset with us and make the moon fall and kill us all. And I would pray every night and stay up for hours to make sure it didn’t. I think the tradition of holding vigils may have come from me.

[togachipblog]

So Good Chips

As a teenager, I spent a lot of time with my Dad.  At the end of many high school days, I went to his CPA office to help him out and we spent a lot of time together in his car.  My Dad's favorite singers were Andy Williams, Eddie Arnold and Perry Como.  I was really into the Beatles and to put it mildly, neither of us favored the other's favorites.  At his office, my Dad only played instrumentals (ala MUSAK background/elevator music) and sometime a Beatles tune would come on, and not realizing it was the Beatles, my Dad would say "Now, that's a nice tune."   We did finally find common ground.  The singer who bridged our generation gap was Neil Diamond.  Read all about Neil's career at his official web-site.  http://www.neildiamond.com/.  In 2017, Diamond celebrated the golden anniversary of his show business career.  At the 2017 Grammy Awards held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, the highlight was when host  James Korden did Carpool Karaoke with Faith Hill, Tim McGraw, John Legend, Jennifer Lopez, Keith Urban and the legendary Neil Diamond.  Neil has endured for over half a century with a prolific catalogue.  His biggest all-time hit is Sweet Caroline.   At the end of each chorus, "Good times never seemed so good" the entire audience sang "So good. So good. So good.  Enjoy the performance here.

So Good Potato Chip Company was a long-time manufacturer and marketer of potato chips , popcorn, cheese curls and and other related products in the St. Louis, MO. area.  So Good was  based in south St. Louis County.  The company began in 1934 and So Good Potato Chips were a staple in St. Louis for many years - in cans, and later in bags featuring Sally Sogood on the label.  See the photos.  Note how the last tin uses the term "Saratoga"  The original generic name of potato chips was "Saratoga Chips." 

An article entitled "The Energy Crunch" by Elaine Viets in the December 5, 1976 edition of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch describes how oils affect taste and the type of potato impacts color and is presented in part here because one of the sources is the President of So Good Potato Chips:

potato chips are "30 to 40 per cent oil."  The oil gives chips their flavor, [Potato Chip /Snack Food Association Vice President Larry} Burch said.  "If you cut down on oil, you cut down on flavor.  There's no such thing as a dietetic potato chip."  

Corn, peanut, soybean and palm oil are all used in potato chips.  Burch says that different areas prefer different oils.  Dayton, O. likes potato chips freid in peanut oil.  Chicagoans want them done in con oil.  

"If chips fried in another oil are introduced in a market dominated by say, corn oil, the new chips won't sell well," he said.  "People buy what they are used to."  Local chip men say St. Louisans are not too particular about their oil.  Chip color is another matter.

Eastern chip eaters like dark chips.  Westerners want them fishbelly white and Midwesterners, in a spirit of moderation,prefer golden yellow potato chips.  

St. Louisans keep changing their minds.  This information comes from Elmer Leeker, president of So Good Potato Chip Co., 4190 Hoffmeister Avenue.  So Good converts 10,000,000 pounds of potatoes into chips every year.

The chips are as pale as possible - that how St. Louis likes them.  "At one time, St. Louisans wanted dark chips," Leeker said.  "Then they liked them golden yellow.  Now they'll buy anything light."

It's the sugar in the potato that turns the chips dark brown.  It carbonizes when the chip hits the hot oil.  Potato growers developed special low-sugar potatoes for chipping, and while they were at it, they made the potatoes a nice, uniform oval that sliced into chips without much waste.  The low-sugar chipping potatoes aren't from Idaho, but Minnesota and north Dakota.  

Leeker says some light-chip fanatics still question the brown ring near the chip's edge.  "That's a sugar ring, and we can't do much about it - potatoes need some sugar," he explained.    

See the photos (black and white and color) of the So Good Potato Chip. Co.  The back of one of the photos contains the following handwritten note:

Chippers Graham, the Caldwells and Lloyd Brooks are gust of Bill Peche at the New So Good Plant in St. Louis during the Mid central meeting (of the Potato Chip Institute of America).  

In 1945, So Good entered into a licensing franchise agreement with Frito-Lay, Inc. to manufacture, package and sell corn chips under certain Frito-Lay trademarks.  Until the termination of this agreement in 1973, So Good also marketed other food chip products in its own package utilizing its own trademarks.  So Good later formed a subsidiary, So Good South, Inc. in Lithonia, GA that operated a non-union plant.  

Unfortunately, the company's history did not live up to its So Good name. Frito-Lay successfully sued Frito-Lay for marketing corn chip products in a package that violated So Good's agreement not to do so in a similar package.  

So Good was owned by A. Elmer Leeker.  On February 10, 1976, his son David W. Leeker, who worked for his father at the potato chip company, was tragically killed.  Peter W. Busch, the 20-year old son of beer baron August A. Busch, Jr., was charged with manslaughter in the shooting death of his friend David at the 281-acre Busch family estate.  Peter shot David once in the face with Peter's .357 magnum revolver.  

So Good's St. Louis plant closed Sept. 30, 1988 throwing 58 people out of work.  Subsequently, the subsidiary's Georgia plant which had about 80 employees also closed. Both the St. Louis company and it's Georgia subsidiary filed for bankruptcy in 1988.   Both companies later dissolved.  

Thanks to the Missouri History Museum and Kirwin Roach at the St. Louis Public Library for his help in researching the history of So Good.  

For years, legend was that Caroline in Sweet Caroline was about Caroline Kennedy.  However, in 2014, Neil Diamond set the record straight.  

I was writing a song in Memphis, Tennessee, for a session. I needed a three-syllable name," Diamond said during an appearance on "Today." "The song was about my wife at the time — her name was Marsha — and I couldn't get a 'Marsha' rhyme."

Read more about the song at

http://www.today.com/popculture/neil-diamond-reveals-sweet-caroline-secret-today-1D80228037

Enjoy Neil Diamond's Madison Square Garden 2008 performance of Sweet Caroline.

The Toga Chip Guy

[sfjazz]

SFJAZZ Poetry Festival artists to ‘speak truth to power’

http://www.sfchronicle.com/books/article/SFJazz-Poetry-Festival-artists-to-speak-truth-11052786.php

By Evan Karp

April 5, 2017 Updated: April 5, 2017 1:02pm

For the fifth annual SFJazz Poetry Festival, Genny Lim has curated more than four nights of interdisciplinary performances. She’s used the opportunity to invest in the melding of music and poetry as a regional phenomenon.

“Most of the artists are poets who have performed a lot with music,” Lim said by phone. “I’m trying to carve a niche for jazz poetry by bringing in artists who work not just for this gig, but who have worked and who work well with musicians.”

Born in San Francisco, Lim grew up between North Beach and Chinatown. As a child, she was exposed to many influences. She speaks of her father, who worked as a janitor at the Fairmont, bringing home records by the likes of Ernie Heckscher and Pérez Prado; one of her older siblings spent a lot of time at the Blackhawk jazz club, which Lim, as an adolescent hearing the stories, romanticized. Her mother, from the villages of Toisan in southern China, would often comfort her by humming the Chinese-opera-inspired wooden fish songs.

“They sounded just like the rural Southern blues, like Lead Belly and Howlin’ Wolf,” she said. “The whole mnemonic, oral tradition really heavily influenced and shaped the poetry that I do today.”

Lim takes over for the inaugural SFJazz Poet Laureate Ishmael Reed, whom Lim has known for 40 years and considers a mentor: They met when Reed selected one of Lim’s early poems for publication in his pioneering Yardbird magazine and, years later, in 1982, she received the American Book Award, bestowed by Reed’s Before Columbus Foundation, for co-editing “Island: Poetry and History of Chinese Immigrants on Angel Island 1910-1940.”

“Poetry Matters” is the theme Lim chose for this year’s festival. “You can see the backlash from our regime, making all these huge cuts across the board against the arts,” she said. “Writers and artists are getting hassled at the borders now, so that shows how powerful writing is. The pen is mightier than the sword, as they say, and it’s true, because we plant word bombs and word seeds in people’s minds; the deterrent to that is to cut off our pipeline access to federal and state dollars.

“All of these people who fought so hard for civil rights have become pushed aside, and we are basically losing our human rights,” she said. “They are basically destroying the Constitution piece by piece, day by day, and so this is something that I really wanted artists and poets and musicians to address in their work. If we’re going to be relevant as an art form, we’ve got to speak truth to power.”

Each night has a different theme: Thursday is the poet laureate kickoff, with Reed and Lim joined by Tennessee Reed, Alejandro Murguía and Janice Mirikitani. Friday is “Peace Matters,” with Rico Pabon and musical guests Jennifer Barone and Daniel Heffez of the Word Party, and Palestinian poet Mo Sati with oud player Claude Palmer. Saturday is “Black Lives Matter,” with Marc Bamuthi Joseph, Lewis Jordan and Avoctja. The festival concludes on Sunday with “We Insist! Max Roach’s Freedom Now Suite,” featuring a performance by devorah major and Destiny Mohammed, and Lim collaborating with Anthony Brown and the Asian American Orchestra.

For a full festival schedule and more information, go to www.sfjazz.org.

Evan Karp is the creator of Quiet Lightning and Litseen.com. Twitter: @quiet_lightning

SFJazz Poetry Festival. 8 p.m. Thursday-Sunday, April 6-9. $15. SFJazz, 201 Franklin St., S.F. (866) 920-5299. sfjazz.org.