#appalachian myth

[intheholler]

what do you think of all of the people being scared of appalachia? i don't know if this is recent or not, but currently i've been seeing a ton of shit online like "never go to the appalachian mountains, it's so dangerous", and i just don't understand it. my family's lived in appalachia for forever, and none of us have experienced anything paranormal or endangering to us. you're one of my favorite blogs on here and i'd just like to hear your thoughts on it

first off, it means a lot that i'm one of your favorite blogs and im really happy i can contribute something to your experience here :') thanks so much for being here <333

but ok so.

my thoughts on it are many. it's been bothering me a long time and i've been meaning to get it off my chest. this will be long and probably ranty, so it won't hurt my feelings if anyone skims lol

lemme preface this little diatribe by saying the obvious: folklore is an integral part of any culture. the mythos of a place/people is tied directly to their histories and unique experiences and struggles and they are enriching. this is true of appalachia too.

oral folk traditions especially are incredibly historically appalachian.

i mentioned in a post i made yesterday about murder ballads, how the purpose of these was to warn kids away from doing dumb shit and getting lost in the hollers--falling down cliffs n mineshafts and shit at night. gettin got by wildlife.

it spooked us safe. they served a purpose, and once you got old enough to realize they're as real as the tooth fairy, they just become enjoyable and nostalgic. because they're you're culture.

probably every mountain kid has stories about haints n boogers that were told to them by their grandparents, and they grow up to tell them to their own kids, and so on. some of it stuck with me because i grew up with the folklore.

by that i mean, i'm a whole 31 year old woman and i still avoid looking out a dark window at night cause it gives me the shivers. i still get spooked when i hear a big cat yowling in the woods. but the difference is i know there's not really haints out there crying--it's just a product of my childhood. ghost stories are fun.

the problem comes in when someone outside the culture gets their hands on appalachian oral folk traditions. then, it becomes a familiar problem: outsiders cherry picking appalachia and harming us with the mess they make rifling through it all.

it's all about the surface level and the visuals. they all love a good aesthetic blog, run by some local from out west or some shit who's never stepped foot here.

but as soon as the spooky photo filters come off and the real life marginalized person is left standing there just out of frame, we go back to being disgusting examples of what not to be. decrepit churches n buildings are aesthetic and quirky until they stop being on a pinterest board, and then they just become damning images of an impoverished region who deserves to be laughed at.

now, not to holler 'splain you--this is more for anyone not from here who might read this: it's been a systemic issue for decades; there were literal government campaigns to demonize us to the rest of the nation so they could garner support to cut into our mountains and exploit our labor and resources.

well, they were fuckin successful, and we have been falsely made out to be this homogenous nightmare of a place--"welfare exploiting" maga country who deserves everything we get, and nothing we don't.

by going so far as to take appalachian folklore that we tell each other and picking out the "aesthetic" stuff--the haints and general paranormal--they are pruning what they like from our culture--the safe things, like ghost stories--for their own aesthetic use.

but not only that, they are using it to demonize us… yet again.

'appalachia is scary. it's full of things that will kill you. don't look out the window at night cause a booger will get you.' only they don't call them boogers cause they ain't even from here. ask them what a haint is and they'll ask if u mispelled 'haunt.'

it gets even worse when you consider that so much of it has roots in native american culture, and how that continues to be exploited and misrepresented.

i'm not even innocent of that. a while back i had to check myself because i made a comment on here about ~spooky appalachia~ ignorant to the fact that what i was commenting on was actually a deeply important cultural and spiritual element to local indigenous tribes. my comments were harmful by my failure to educate myself and know better, thereby saying things carelessly.

my point being--i'm from the area. i should have known better.

when outsiders start saying the kind of shit they say about what they think they hear in the woods without even knowing where such an idea comes from, they're disrespecting a displaced, abused and exploited people, harming real cultures just for clicks without even knowing. that's on top of the damage they're doing to greater appalachia.

it's fuckin gross.

i think my favorite one i ever seen was this middle aged white lady going through her pristine mcmansion somewhere in suburbia, pulling the million curtains and locking the million doors, going "nighttime routine in appalachia!! 🤪🤪"

i could be wrong about this particular person--i didn't check their other tiktoks because im sick of them accounts and tired of giving them the benefit of the doubt--but it immediately came off as a transplant because:

1) mcmansion, 2) i dont know nobody here that locks their shit down like that (not locking up could even be argued as a part of my local culture, a reflection of our deep sense of community and trust in our neighbors).

and then the comments was all like "i don't know how you guys live there" and it actually broke my heart and pissed me off because even if--especially if--you're one of us, why the fuck are you harming us for likes? why are you turning people against us in a brand new way?

and to the transplants that do this--why?

you're not even from here, you moved here to this place you hate and made it worse just so your front porch would have a nice view, and are now benefiting socially from perpetuating bullshit about us?

you buy up all the land, land we often had no choice but to sell in the first place to survive instead of passing it on to our families, land we originally took from the indigenous peoples your content comes from.

you overdevelop it and turn it unrecognizable to make it more like the comfortable cities you come from. you gut a mountain town of its local businesses and cultures, you price people out of their homes...

...and then once you settle in all cozy like, you go tell everyone else how scary it is? how you can't trust the hills? like it's a cool paranormal bravery badge to wear? fuck off entirely.

so idk, in short my personal thoughts are: i personally enjoy a little myth as a treat, because the folklore is a part of the gothic, a part of our culture and a part of my childhood. i don't (intentionally) wield it as a weapon or use it as a pedestal to get the weird brand of attention that people like them are after.

and those who do this can get got by them haints for all i care.

[this-vs-that]

Source for the Mothman photo, source for the Jersey Devil photo

This question was sent to our inbox. If you’d like for us to post a This or That poll for you, send the 2 things you want to see against each other to our inbox and we’ll let the people decide which one they prefer. Everything will be anonymous.

[wiillatree]

ok underland chronicles fans how do we feel about the moon eyed people

[tngolfplayer]

The Wendigo

The Wendigo is a mythical creature that is said to inhabit the forests of the Algonquian people of North America. It is typically described as a tall, thin creature with a deer-like head and antlers. The Wendigo is said to be incredibly strong and fast, and it is often associated with cannibalism.

The Wendigo legend is thought to have originated in the Algonquian tribes of the Great Lakes region, but it has since spread to other parts of North America, including the Southeast. There are many different variations of the Wendigo legend, but they all share some common elements.

One common belief is that the Wendigo is created when a human is driven to cannibalism by hunger or greed. The Wendigo is said to be a manifestation of the person's darkest desires, and it is driven by an insatiable hunger.

Another common belief is that the Wendigo is a spirit that inhabits the forest. It is said to be a trickster spirit that lures people into the woods and then kills them.

The Wendigo is a feared creature among many Native American tribes, and it is often used as a cautionary tale about the dangers of greed and selfishness. The Wendigo legend is also a reminder of the importance of community and sharing.

There are no confirmed sightings of the Wendigo in the Southeast US, but the legend persists. Some people believe that the Wendigo is a real creature, while others believe that it is a myth. However, the Wendigo legend continues to be a part of the cultural heritage of many Native American tribes in the Southeast.

Here are some additional details about the Wendigo legend:

The Wendigo is said to be able to mimic human voices, which it uses to lure its victims.

The Wendigo's breath is said to be so cold that it can freeze a person to death.

The Wendigo is said to be immune to fire and bullets.

The only way to kill a Wendigo is to destroy its heart.

The Wendigo is a powerful and terrifying creature, and its legend continues to fascinate and frighten people today.

[twacn]

Ooo i might finish 3 books in one day. How exciting

[bbuzz28]

Yeah okay, religious trauma Fiddleford-I see you; I even agree with you, but have you considered the fact that the Appalachian Mountains run through Tennessee?

That while his time in Gravity Falls was intensified tenfold with all manner of myth and monster, that it wasn't necessarily the first time he encountered the supernatural? ( and no, I don't mean when his cousin Thistlebert's grandmother was abducted by aliens)

Why do I see a hundred "oh he scolds Ford for saying 'by the devil' " posts, but I never see Fiddleford scolding Ford for responding to the voices calling his name out in the forest? Or for whistling outside?

Where is a post about the time Fiddleford explained in detail why it was dangerous to leave a trail back to the Shack to the twins (or Stanley if its Mystery Trio) before Ford could even get a word in?

How he never stares into the trees for too long lest he sees something he doesn’t want to? How he makes sure the curtains and blinds are closed precisely at sundown every night during his time living in the Shack.

Old Man McGucket having a moment of clarity as he tears Robbie and the gang a new one for painting rocks or carving their initials into trees?

All I am saying is that we have options, people.

[pnchinbeez]

For Halloween the miniatures tell scary stories. it starts off with the romans making up stories using mythological creatures but the cowboys (especially jed he supposedly spent alot of time in the appalachian area in real life) start telling stories of cryptids they've encountered skin walkers, Bigfoot, la Lorona. Things of that sort and the romans just think those are their myths, until jed and octavius are hanging out and octavius asks about how they made up those stories and jed just like, "we uh we didnt?" And octavius is mildly horrified

[lilydalexf]

🌲👽 X-Files Survival/Wilderness Fic Recs

Here are some very good X-Files survival or wilderness fics. Because @thatsaprettycoolposter and @pookie-mulder asked! This list does not include post-colonization fics, which are also all survival fics of a sort. Enjoy!

Alligator Moon by jordan big monster in swamp attacks FBI agents

Antidote by Rachel Howard and Karen Rasch Strange doings in a tiny western town bring Mulder and Scully out to investigate. Once there, they uncover a deadly experiment that may cost both of them their lives.

Backtracking by Kel and Scetti What do Charlie Scully, the Alien Bounty Hunter, and Jesse "the Body" Ventura all have in common? Last April you could have found all three of them in Minnesota.

By the Wind Grieved by Karen Rasch Months have passed and Mulder is back. But things are not as they once were. He doesn’t know who he is or what Scully and he are to each other. Together they must reclaim the past before their enemies take away their future.

A Cabin in the Woods by @leiascully Mulder and Scully, on the run, stay for a while in a cabin in the mountains in Montana. A series of interlacing vignettes.

a cabin in the woods by @monikafilefan Being stuck in this rustic cabin, clearly left to age among the wilderness had Scully feeling wild herself, and it felt as if their bodies danced to an ancient song among the elements.

Camping by Amperage and Livengoo Fox Mulder and Dana Scully have survived abductions, serial killers, mutants and aliens but the Partner Cooperation Program Wilderness Encounter may finally do them in. After poison ivy and catfish, who wouldn’t long for a nice, safe killer mutant?

A Change of Seasons by Jo-Ann Lassiter A search for a mythical beast in the woods of Pennsylvania takes an alarming turn for the worse when Mulder's minor in ury escalates into a life-threatening disease.

Changing Tides by QofMush Who says change is all bad?

Circumnavigation by Suzanne Schramm Sometimes you don't know where you're going until you get there.

Coming Back by Karen Rasch Mulder gets a call from Mrs. Scully, who fears for Dana's safety. Following her instructions, he tracks his partner to a cabin in the mountains where he finds that she does indeed need his help. Memories of her time away have come back with a vengeance. (Sequel: The Calm After The Storm)

Dark Water by Suzanne Schramm Prehistoric insects. Mothmen. Now it’s a publicity-shy tribe of murderers. Just another nice trip to the forest with Mulder.

Falling Snow by Snark Mulder, Scully and a mysterious woman from Mulder's past crash in the snowy landscape of the Colorado winter.

Frozen by @dashakay The end of a case, and a stay in a log cabin during a blizzard, lead Scully to take the biggest risk of her life.

Last Chance Falls by @slippinmickeys A man. A women. A forest. A hit squad. An adventure.

The Lost by Wintersong Mulder and Scully are trapped in the remote wilderness and the art of surviving was not what they expected.

Old Growth Forest by Andrea Mulder and Scully investigate the disappearances of homeless people in Madison, Wisconsin and seemingly end up suffering the same fate.

A Path of Salt by Analise Mulder ditches Scully yet again to help an old friend in the Park Service. But Scully has never been one to sit and wait.

Tam Lin by Pequod When your local young men disappear, only to turn up dead a year later, sometimes it helps to have friends in high places. Myth and murder combine in a remote Scottish village, and Mulder and Scully investigate. The Fairy Queen is out to revenge the loss of her most prized knight, Tam Lin. Mulder believes but Scully’s not so sure, until Mulder takes a walk in the woods.

Tempest by Missy Pennington Mulder and Scully survive a plane crash to find themselves injured and stranded in the Appalachian wilderness. (Sequels: Distance, Wild Places, and Escape Me Never)

Untitled by @o6666666 Prompt: Mulder takes Scully camping and they make love for the second time ever under the stars.

Waiting in Motion by mountainphile After leaving the hot spring (in "Miraculous Manifestation"), Scully and Mulder take an unexpected detour on the way home. Dark secrets emerge when they seek shelter in a raging storm...and an intriguing X-file rears its head... (Sequel: Signs of Life)

Way Through the Woods by Pellinor and Rebecca Rusnak Three months ago, someone noticed something unusual about Scully. Now, in a desperate attempt to stave off the inevitable, Mulder has disappeared, and Scully’s only chance of finding him include an unlikely ally and an untrustworthy informant. As they make their way through the woods, can Mulder and Scully find each other, or is the future lost?

[intheholler]

re: hurricane helene hey, y'all. so... immense survivor's guilt, subsequent depression and an overall helpless malaise has made my presence on tumblr here weaker during this horrific time. but there's nothing like some good ol appalachian rage to light a fire under the proverbial ass so i'm back to push back on some of the bullshit i keep seeing get spread about what's happening in the aftermath of hurricane helene, and in western north carolina especially. 

appalachia has always been low hanging fruit for the rest of the nation, and now that disaster has struck and we are even more vulnerable than we have been in a long, long time, bad actors are using us as a way to further their political bullshit and conspiracies.

please use some of the cited-information below the cut to push back on and educate any family members, friends or otherwise when you see them spreading misinformation. now is your chance to help appalachia, no matter where you are in the united states. myths, rumors and other flavors of horseshit regarding hurricane helene debunked under the cut. please reblog.

Let me just get my heart out of the way before we get into the nitty gritty, cause I got things to say. #1: "Why should we help these people? They get these storms there all the time. They didn't move away or do anything to prepare for this, and now it's our responsibility?"

These storms are not at all commonplace. For much of this area, especially WNC, this level of flooding and damage--spanning an area the size of Belgium between NC and TN--is largely unprecedented. Growing up, we get told our mountains protect us, that they shield us from the really bad, and that's because historically, they have. Hurricanes blow through, and they bring with them hella wind and rain, but nothing like this.

We do not have the infrastructure for this, physical or otherwise. So many of our homes, businesses and everything in between have been standing for more than a century, unkept and brittle. Dams are breaking or near breaking because they are not meant to hold this kind of water. Our roads tend to follow creeks and rivers and thereby have been completely washed out. Keep in mind that in the individual hollers, and in most of these small mountain towns, we only got one road. You go up holler one way, and you don't come out the other side of it; you leave the way you came because it's the only path to take.

We are not built for this. We were not ready for this. We could not have prepared for this. And even if by some miracle we all received some premonition about this disaster, telling us to "just move" is NEVER the answer to vulnerable people living in volatile environments, especially ones as impoverished as Appalachia. Fuck you.

#2 "Appalachians are lazy and just want handouts, anyway."

First off--which one is it? Are we poor, pitiful fodder for concern trolls who deserve more than we're getting, or are we lazy, needy, greedy people who deserve to rot? Can't have both.

Second off--we been hearing that about us since the dawn of time. Wasn't true then, ain't true now.

Appalachia has been verifiably exploited as long as there have been people to exploit, but that is a topic long since discussed here.

We don't WANT anything. We NEED it. Alongside the aid coming in through donations, official search and rescue and organized volunteer services, much of the boots on the ground are Appalachians themselves!! We take care of our own, and it's always been that way.

They got people on foot hiking up into the hollers to bring supplies to cut-off communities. They got pack mules passing otherwise impassable roads where no car nor other vehicle can tread to get lifesaving necessities to the hollers. Look around, and you'll find countless stories. Just in my personal circle alone, I got a sister bringing supplies up by foot, and her hiking group is moving through so much toxic mud that the soles of their fucking boots are melting. I got a brother in law taking chainsaws to downed trees to clear the path for supply deliveries. I got another sister meeting friends of mine at the state line to collect donations and distribute them by hand to counties all over WNC. We can do this, but we can't do it alone.

#3 "It's a conspiracy/It's not that widespread outside of Asheville because we don't see pictures of anywhere else."

It's happening. It's fucking happening.

You don't see pictures because many of us don't have reliable cell service right now, let alone wifi. Hell, even in perfect weather there's a joke that you better have a friend with a cell phone from each provider when you go out because only one of you is getting service at any given time in any given place. There is no way to document this from the inside for many folks at this point in time, and there is NO WAY IN from the outside.

As I mentioned--you got one road leading up the holler. That road is now gone. No one is making it up the mountain to take pictures of these horrific scenes, y'all. If they're going up the mountain its to care for their neighbors, to bring supplies to individuals and entire communities so isolated by the devastation that the only way they can be reached is on foot (or hoof!).

Which also brings me to my next counterargument: "Nothing is being done to help."

#4 "Volunteers are being turned away/Donations are being confiscated."

Volunteers are being DISCOURAGED from coming in out of state, but they're not being told to leave with a malicious intent. And they are not even being forcibly denied. They can still come, but it's really not a good idea. As I mentioned, these roads wasn't meant to take this kind of damage. They are falling apart, and all this extra traffic coming in on these streets barely hanging on is making them worse and making it harder for organized relief and rescue operations to actually get in there. People are getting stuck and taking away time and resources that could be going to survivors. Outsiders with good intentions are eating up the scarce gas and using up even scarcer water. Some of these places, like Black Mountain, physically do not have enough hands to manage and distribute the amount of donations being brought in in, so they're getting rerouted. Donations are not fucking being confiscated.

#5 "They aren't letting people be rescued/They're closing the airspace off."

The airspace is OPEN, with some temporary restrictions in place by the FAA for civilians and volunteers. Civilians can still access airspace in coordination with officials and emergency responders. What they ain't allowing is people just flying in willy nilly. What they ain't letting in is unauthorized air traffic that is clogging up airspace which otherwise needs to be used by official aircraft to bring in donations/S&R groups. Airspace is still accessible in the area, but it's not safe to just have everyone with a big heart trying to search and rescue, especially with no training, organization or proper skills. What they ain't letting happen is people trying to take trucks up obliterated roads that can't be traveled, no matter how confident you are in your vehicle. Christ, y'all. The point isn't to add more bodies to the count!

#6 "National Guardsmen are being told not to go."

The National Guard HAS been deployed.

And in numbers, too. What you're hearing is rumor of people asking to be deployed and being told no, because that's not how it works. That's not how any of this works. People can't just rush in unorganized. There is a system. There has always been a system.

#7 "But I saw TikToks of people coming to help and locals shouting them out of town!"

Oh, honey. No, what you saw was people doing what they LOVE to do in Appalachia: take poverty tours. Record how we live. Post their poverty (and now disaster) porn with thoughts and prayers and oh those poor creatures to get likes. That's been happening to us since before TikTok. Before the internet.

During FDR's administration, photographers from the Farm Security Administration went down to collect poverty porn and turn it into Hollow Folk, a collection of photographs which was then used by eugenicists and corporations alike to dehumanize us further so we could be exploited and relocated with the favor of the nation behind them.

We're done with it. We been done with it. And now, in this time of crisis where people are DEAD, you're clogging up our roads, taking up our gas, AND shoving cameras in our face. Y'all ain't from here and now more than ever y'all kinds need to get the FUCK out.

✨ FEMA ✨

FEMA deserves its own section, because holy shit. I'm mad that I'm about to defend the man in any capacity but it needs to be done. So, I'm gonna preface this by saying, largely, fuck FEMA. There are many valid complaints against FEMA and their inefficiency, but right now is not the time to use them as a tool of misinformation against Appalachia. We got enough problems without pouring the salt of government conspiracies into these raw, gaping wounds that barely even have bandaids applied to them right now.

SO. Let's get into it.

#8 "This is all planned and by design/Don't evacuate, because FEMA is just gonna take your land and mineral rights!"

If they wanted the fucking lithium or anything else for that matter, they would just enact Eminent Domain. They don't need elaborate schemes and """weather control""" to take it. They can just literally... do it. Did we all fail civics in middle school?

(And this is purely anecdotal so I have no proof of this, but a friend of mine told me a few days ago people were actually being told NOT to evacuate in Lake Lure because they didn't anticipate the flooding to be this bad.)

What y'all SHOULD be worried about are these companies and their "disaster investors" who swoop in like fucking vultures and try to get people to sell their land before FEMA has a chance to assist them. These companies prey on the vulnerable, offering them quick cash for their land and for far less than they'd get if they held out for FEMA's relief instead.

#9. "But... but FEMA is only giving out a piddly $750 in relief!"

Yes, they are giving out $750. INITIALLY. This $750 is initial relief money for immediate needs. Medicine, food, supplies. It is NOT all that's being allocated to folks. From FEMA's website:

This is a type of assistance that you may be approved for soon after you apply, called Serious Needs Assistance. It is an upfront, flexible payment to help cover essential items like food, water, baby formula, breastfeeding supplies, medication and other emergency supplies. There are other forms of assistance that you may qualify for to receive and Serious Needs Assistance is an initial payment you may receive while FEMA assesses your eligibility for additional funds. As your application continues to be reviewed, you may still receive additional forms of assistance for other needs such as support for temporary housing, personal property and home repair costs.

A service being offered in the meantime, for example, is for temporary housing and you can still currently apply for it!

Long-term disaster relief funds are not being released immediately. That does not mean they do not exist.

Here is what FEMA has already allocated for North Carolina alone.

Please note I said "allocated" but not "paid out." Which brings me to my next point.

#10 "FEMA is giving their relief money to undocumented immigrants!"

This is false, and you can verify this for yourself. Cash payouts to undocumented immigrants isn't even a thing, dude. They haven't even paid out to citizens in their entirety yet. From the FEMA page "Questions and Answers for Undocumented Immigrants Regarding FEMA Assistance:"

This is in regards to STATE, LOCAL AND VOLUNTEER AGENCIES. Not through FEMA or any other federal programs. This is probably what people are hearing about, and not even bothering to look into it before running off to tell lies.

And in this, as you can see--undocumented immigrants who CAN receive assistance are not receiving cash. They are not just getting money handed over to them to spend on whatever your racist, xenophobic uncle thinks they are. FEMA is required by law to report on the use of their funds each month by the 5th day. Historically, it looks like it takes about a week for them to be posted. Keep an eye on this page to see for yourself in coming days that FEMA is not giving out money from their funds to immigrants.

#11 "But FEMA has appointees from Biden!!! How can we trust that this is the truth?!"

Please use critical thinking skills. Please, we beg. Yes, there are appointed FEMA officials from this administration, but there are also appointed officials from Trump's time in office. What sense does it make that during Trump's administration, FEMA employees were Good And Pure, and suddenly, just because they are active under Biden's administration, they are suddenly Evil And Corrupt? This is clear bias and has no solid footing.

Besides, the President doesn't even have any sway over FEMA funding like this. That is ALL congress.

H.R. 9747 "Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025," which provides relief funding (among other things) for the 2025 fiscal year, was ACTIVELY VOTED AGAINST by Republicans, including Matt Gaetz and Marjorie Taylor Greene--two people spreading the bullshit the loudest. UGH. Okay. In exasperated conclusion: Please, please, PLEASE leave Appalachia alone and let us get back on our feet without having to constantly dodge dumbass conspiracy theories. We are heartbroken and grieving and would really appreciate a brief reprieve from being the nation's fucking punching bag. Help us, don't hurt us.

[oolhan]

Everlark: The Classics #6

When the Moon Fell in Love with the Sun by Mejhiren

Published: 2012 Chapters: 15 | Discontinued/Abandoned/Perpetually waiting for an update

Hey, hey! Another entry for my small fic rec series after such a long time. It's been a while so please indulge with fairytale!everlark. Covering my eyes as I write this because I did not do the fic any justice with my amateur mood boarding skills. But bear with me as I gush about my all time favorite everlark fic of all. Okay, so when the moon follows the whimsical tale of victor Peeta Mellark bringing Katniss to his fairytale-like mansion after winning the 74th games. It is heavily inspired by the Norwegian folktale East of the Sun & West of the Moon, a myth on personifying animals and nature. Hear me out! Look at me [proceeds to cup both cheeks in my hands] It sounds incredibly foreign for those not used to reading fanfics but I assure you, this is beyond want. This fic is a need. The world-building of this story brings out the playfulness of Peeta and Katniss, something they were deprived of from canon, especially K. Peeta personified the warmth, hope, innocence, and all things that Katniss needed, especially the cooking. The metaphors of sun!peeta and moon!katniss, of geese and does, the red ribbons, foxes and little prince, the braids, the Appalachian themes, genealogies, even Katniss' obliviousness to Peeta's feelings is hauntingly entertaining--just read it. Although I must say it is quite a long book since it's nearing 400k words in just 14 chapters, I promise you when you're hooked you'll yearn for more.

The vibrancy of its themes is colorful and alive even if the setting is on a cold winter season. Also the writing structure??? God. It's immaculate. It's illegally sublime. The immense joy when I experienced reading this for the first time transformed my insanity. Would 100% sell my soul in exchange for the complete version of this. It's basically a 400k word love poem. That's it.

[booksandbroomstyx]

My Favorite Podcasts

I wanted to share my favorite pagan/witchy/occult/paranormal podcasts. Some of these I've listened to for years and others I've only just started listening to more recently. Here's the list (and in no certain order): --Circle Talk (geared toward those seeking to understand British Traditional Wicca - the podcast is hosted by Alexandrian Wiccans; I'm Gardnerian, so they're basically Craft siblings.) --Glitch Bottle Podcast (explores deep topics in occultism) --Magic in the United States --New World Witchery (explores United States-based Craft practices - these hosts also run another podcast called Myth-taken, which does a deep-dive of every Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode -- another person favorite!) --Styx and Bones (great for learning about Hellenism and Greek mythology) --What Magic Is This? (explores various occult and new age practices) --WitchLit Podcast (explores various books and literature related to witchcraft and paganism, and also does author interviews) Miscellaneous Old Gods of Appalachia - this is a horror anthology podcast based on Appalachian lore and geography and it is AMAZING.

[theresattrpgforthat]

Hello,

I apologize in advance if you've already answered something like this but my cursory look didn't show anything. I am looking for a game system that has an emphasis on the feeling of a wild west movie while still retaining general fantasy elements from DND. The wild spaces are slowly becoming tamed, increasing technological/magical advancement are pushing disparate communities together, and of course cocky assholes with guns (or a magical equivalent).

Thanks in advance

Theme: Wild West Fantasy

Hello friend, you might want to check out my Fantasy Westerns rec post, to see if anything there fits what you’re looking for. I especially recommend checking out the rec for We Deal In Lead and Clink. For the rest of this post, I try to span a very broad range, so I don't expect everything to stick - but perhaps one or two do!

Inevitable, by Soul Muppet Publishing.

Knights and wizards have defended the Kingdom of Myth for centuries. These lands have known peace and prosperity, but soon the kingdom shall be destroyed. The Prophets have declared that your city shall burn and Myth will fall. All those who follow your King shall die. It is INEVITABLE.

But you shall defy fate. Myth will not end while you bear arms. You will fail, but as long as there are still stories, they will sing of you!

Inevitable is a Arthurian Western roleplaying game for 2-6 players and a GM, where your party of disastrously sad cowboy knights fail to stop the apocalypse. This 284 page book contains all the rules, character creation and the setting for your campaign, thoroughly and evocatively detailing The Barren, the lands surrounding the Kingdom of Myth.

This game might be way you’re looking for: it describes itself as a fantasy kingdom, with western aesthetics. There are wizards, prophets, and rune-carved revolvers. Your reputation in the kingdom is important; it determines how well you can face challenges, and roll pools of d6 on a table of staggered success. If you want a taste before you buy, there’s a Quickstart with some evocative set pieces, a quick overview of the rules, and a quick adventure to run through with a list of pre-generated characters.

Far West, by Adamant Entertainment.

Imagine a fantasy setting that shatters the tropes of Medieval Europe. Imagine a collision of Spaghetti Westerns and Chinese Wuxia by way of Steampunk. Imagine a world where gunslingers and kung fu masters face off against Steam Barons and the August Throne. Imagine fantastic machines powered by the furies comprising the fabric of the universe. Imagine an endless frontier where wandering heroes fight for righteous causes while secret societies engage in shadow wars. Imagine…

This game is a combination of Wild Western tropes and Wuxia fantasy. Your characters are wandering heroes, defending the small and helpless against the strong and powerful. I look at this game and I think of movies like The Magnificent Seven. Mechanically, it’s its own system, but it draws heavily from Fate, using positive and negative aspects to boost rolls and spark complications.This game relies on some tropes that require entire table buy-in: I’m not sure how many assumptions the game makes about the cultures it takes inspiration from.

Holler: An Appalachian Apocalypse (Savage Worlds), by Pinnacle Entertainment.

In Holler, the mysterious “Big Boys” own the mines, mills, and logging operations. They rule over every aspect of their workers’ lives—subjecting them to extraordinary dangers on the job and crushing oppression outside of it. The Big Boys have transformed the land of the Holler—rivers bubble with strange chemicals, strip-mined mountains crumble into valleys, and the air is choked with a toxic fog known as the Blight. The flora and fauna of the Holler grow more monstrous by the day. Demons of every description lurk in the forests. Mutant cryptids haunt villages with their strange cries and appetites. Vengeful haints leer from abandoned shacks and lonely cliffs. No one is coming to save the people of Holler.

The goal of the resistance is to build a coalition, to bring together diverse factions—humble workers, roustabouts, mountain men, dirt track racers, cultists, and even strange creatures of myth and legend to raze the works of the Big Boys and drive them from the Holler forever. Holler draws deeply on Appalachian history, mythic folklore, and culture to create a dark fantasy world of apocalypse and vengeance.

This sounds a little more grim and gritty, with cryptids, toxic fog and demons lurking in the forest. It uses the Savage Worlds system, so you’ll have to pick up the codebook to play with it, but the setting is very very fleshed out. This is a little less Wild West and a little more Appalachia, and the setting is a bit more on the horror side than most of the other games on this list, but there’s certainly a lot of wildness out there for you to fight!

TROUPE, by TheOriginalCockatrice.

A game about travel, discovery, and outsiderness, a combination of the best of Old-School and Story Games. Complete with 6 Jobs, including the Ghelf, the Hedge, and the Ogra, and includes a system for holistically coming up with a character from scratch.

The designer describes this game as an exploration of the road; the odd and unknown of the wild, what it means to belong, and what it means to be on the outside. You’re not heroes - you’re entertainers, jokers, healers and bards. There isn’t exactly magic, but there is myth and legend. This is a great game for folks who want plenty of challenges that exist outside of combat. Each character playbook comes with a balance of mechanical elements and descriptive options, and you’ll be rolling 2d6 plus your stat in order to determine success.

I’m not sure how much of a Western this is, but the designer actually hacked this game for BXLLET, a game about gunslingers in the apocalypse, in the zine Bxllet Clip, so it might be worth checking out!

Shotguns & Sorcery, by Full Moon Enterprises.

Welcome to Dragon City, a grim, gritty metropolis ruled over by the Dragon Emperor, with legions of zombies scratching at the city walls by night.

Whether in the streets of Goblintown or the prestigious halls of the Academy of Arcane Apprenticeship, people try to scrape by, make a living, and survive from one day to the next. You, however, are looking for something more than simple survival. And in this city, if you don’t make your own adventure, another adventure is sure to find you.

Shotguns & Sorcery is a fantasy noir game complete with Dragon City Intrigues, roving hoards of undead, and unexplored mountains rife with magical creatures. You’ll see magical staffs alongside light pistols, bows alongside submachine guns, and greatswords alongside canteens, playing cards and a camp stove. The game uses the Cypher System, with an additional character option alongside the three-part character sentence: your race. This includes the signature hafling, elf, dwarf etc.

Games I’ve Recommended in the Past

Knights of the Road, by bordercholly.

[lavender-laney]

writeblr introduction!

About Me

Hi, I'm Laney! I'd love to become more active in the writing community and find some writer friends so here goes :)

Born and raised in the heart of Appalachia, wild and wonderful West Virginia, I am an English undergrad with a journalism minor. I've been a professional journalist since 2022, but I've always had a passion for creative writing and editing.

Some of my other interests include evolutionary biology, Appalachian traditions and folklore, and multimedia art techniques. I have a lovely spaniel named Percy, a tarantula named Heather, and two geckos named Buffy and Ducky <3

About My Writing

Although I'm still trying to find my niche and what I enjoy writing, I'm currently working in the genres of literary fiction, fantasy, and gothic horror. I'm especially inspired by mythology and folklore and finding magic and significance in the mundane.

Writing tag: #my writing

Current WIPs

Choking on Sea Salt

wip intro, chapter 1, chapter 2 part one, chapter 2 part two

tag: #choking on sea salt

In the same vein as the Southern Gothic subgenre, this novel is inspired by the idea of Coastal Gothic. In a remote coastal town, a young journalist finds herself unraveling the town's foggy history and ever-growing mysteries -- why are there so few women, why is it forbidden to walk along the beaches or sail in the waters, and what is the haunting song whistling through her windows each night?

Acrylic Body

wip intro

tag: #acrylic body

Upon the passing of an eccentric and reclusive painter, his artwork is left without a keeper and lies abandoned for years. Eventually, his home is demolished and his paintings are sold at auction. Through the eyes of one of his paintings, we view the lives of those whose hands she is passed through.

Feathers and Wax

tag: #lysandra

Ovid's Metamorphoses detailed the devotion of Persephone's handmaidens, and their transformation into winged sirens to pursue the goddess. This retells Persephone's myth from the perspective of Lysandra, a nymph-turned-siren who would travel to the ends of the Earth for her maiden.

I'd love to find some other writeblrs to follow so feel free to comment if you think our interests may align! + feel free to reach out to me if you ever want to chat about writing

<3

[snowbairdweek]

Snowbaird Week Prompts

We have a little over a month before Snowbaird Week! Keep reading (or check the images) for some more information about each of the day's prompts:

Day 1 - Academia:

The created work must involve a school, a place of learning, or similar. This can include canonverse AUs where Lucy Gray goes to the Academy or university in the Capitol, or it can be non-canon modern AUs where they are both students at high school or university. It can even be crossover AUs where Lucy Gray and Coryo are Hogwarts students. All of these fall under the Academia umbrella.

Day 2 - Myths / Folklore:

Mythology and folklore from any culture! For example, this includes retellings of Greek myths, European creatures such as the fae and selkies, or the Korean kumiho. We would love to see inclusions of Appalachian folklore such as the Brown Mountain lights and the Bell Witch! This is probably one category that artists can really go wild. We can’t wait to see what you’ll create!

Day 3 - Canon Divergence:

Basically what it says on the tin. Maybe your work imagines that Coryo stayed in District 12, or that Lucy Gray never left the Capitol. The two of them escape into the woods and find District 13. It could even be earlier, changing something that happens during the Games. It could be much later – perhaps Lucy Gray is captured by the Capitol years later. To be clear, the works for this day’s theme all must be canonverse to fit the prompt.

Day 4 - Free Day:

Free Day is for all works that do not fit with any of the themes for Snowbaird Week. Please do not post any works for Ballads/Musicals, Fortune/Fate, or Non-Canon Modern AU on this day.

Day 5 - Ballads / Musicals:

Remember, “ballads” can also refer to poems. At the simplest definition, a ballad is a narrative poem or song; Annabel Lee by Edgar Allan Poe is a ballad, and of course a number of songs from TBOSAS are ballads! For musicals, any musical is fair game! Phantom of the Opera, West Side Story, Chicago, Hairspray, Moulin Rouge, etc. You can create an AU, a work inspired by (incorporating the themes, tropes, or characterisations of a musical), crossovers, etc. We do not allow songfics.

Day 6 - Fortune / Fate:

This is the most vague prompt (Sorry folks!). Other ways to describe this prompt could be: luck, soulmates, ‘written in the stars’, chance, prosperity, wealth, destiny. Have fun with it!

Day 7 - Non-Canon Modern AU:

This is your coffee shop AU, rival coworkers AU, flower shop AU, Target/Assassin AU and so on. Anything that’s not school-related (that would place it in Academia) but modern AU can be posted on our final day of Snowbaird Week.

**We’d also like to note that we do not accept any AI-generated content, whether images, text, or otherwise.**

Hopefully that explains everything! Let us know if you have any other questions!

[madameadelina]

Alright. I caved. Here's how ya' girl fell into the lores of the Appalachian territories, and almost ended up becoming a motherfucking missing-persons case.

For my lovely ladies: @themonotonysyndrome @silly-lovestruck-em (Em, I'm expecting hot cocoa for my troubles. 👀

I have many stories. This is one of them. Part 1/?

So, let me start by giving you the slightest bit of context. My uncle had owned a cabin a bit north.

I had personally never been, only my parents, who had only been once before. And since this I've been at least 10 times. This wasn't super long ago, it was actually in 2022, and a bitch just wanted to get out of her house.

Spirits, though complex 'beings', solely look for one thing alike. Primarily individuals who experience fear, anxiety, anger, and despair. Even something simply as having trauma could lure them to you. Think of it this way, they feed off of negative energy. It's a constant rotunda of negative feelings and emotions. Their main key point is they target those who are vulnerable.

I'm not exactly sure how to explain this, but the constant feeling of being watched never went away. It was always gnawing at me, and if my general anxiety before wasn't enough, it completely sent my brain on a haywire goose chase. I've always been a dramatic little shit, but it felt so real. And if I can be completely honest, at some points I felt like I was going fucking insane. Being hyper-aware 24/7 drains the life outta you.

This is a bit of a personal tidbit: When I get stressed out, or something feels wrong, red splotches are most common on my neck, arms, and legs. It's my telltale sign that my brain has officially tricked itself into believing the worst has happened, and shits hit the fan. At least, that what I thought all of it was caused by. Now, on some level, I like to use the reaction to tell if there's any danger encompassing an area, or what my body interprets as dangerous before my head registers it.

If this doesn't make sense, what I'm trying to say, is my body recognizes danger before my brain does, and it's been proven to be both a blessing and a curse for me. Knowing that now, I take it as a cautionary sign to proceed with all eyes and all ears.

I just want to clarify, there are many de-bunked myths about the mountains in general. It's a beautiful space, who's reputation is unfortunately forever tainted by media and reports. But hey, my stay only proved that they live up to reputation, though it may be a bit exaggerated for the sake of the camera and outsider viewership. It's fortunately not as intense as it's portrayed to be.

If you follow up on TikTok with the lore at least a bit, you know that there are very odd rules for the nighttime. I hadn't believed them. However, it all felt a bit more real when my family told both me and my brother the same thing. I'd like to believe that they thought they were doing me a favor, after all, getting too curious is never a safe thing. It's an all or nothing deal. There are a few key points, and there are a few that I truly believed saved my life at times. A few of those rules being: If you hear something, you didn't. If you see something, you didn't.

Acknowledging a spirits presence automatically draws them closer to you, giving them somewhat of an invite. In a way, you're giving them power.

Another few of these are just considered to be common safety, but it didn't help with festering fear. Especially the ones to abide by at night. Such as: don't look into the distance too hard, close your blinds, shut your windows.

The 'rules', though simple, would make anyone's skin crawl, mine included. Feeding into my fear wasn't necessarily healthy, but I did some research that wasn't just on TikTok. From my perspective, it felt good to know I wasn't genuinely someone who had extreme potential of becoming a psychiatric patient.

Spirits aren't all inherently bad, and they're manifestation creatures. Those lines can get blurred very easily, and they walk a fine line.

Now, with that information, I can tell you about one of the several times I believe I encountered a mimic.

This is at this point about a week and a half into our stay, and nothing has well and truly triggered me yet. During the daytime, it's presumed to be relatively safe for pedestrians or tourists to take their tours around various trails and lakes.

So, I had indirectly asked my brother to stay by my side, and I'm sure at some point he recognized my fears and decided to oblige. Which now, I'm very grateful for. Out of the two of us, I've always carried the overthinking, and he's carried the rationality. So I knew he could help me keep my brain straight, because most of the time my parent's believed I was lying.

If you haven't read up on the basics of a mimic, I gotchu. Essentially, A mimic spirit is basically a supernatural entity that imitates the appearance, voice, or mannerisms of people, animals, or even other spirits. For what intentions? Well, it varies. I believe mine was trying to hurt me.

I'll stop yappin' and just set the fuckin' scene for you.

At this point, it's completely dark outside, me and my family are all sort of scattered on the back porch. My uncles' backyard was minimally sized, and facing the house was dense woodland territory. There is a small fire going, and my senses were extremely sensitive at this point. The adults were talking, and my brother had just went inside to use the restroom because he was already ready to call it a night. If memory serves me correctly, it was about maybe 11:00pm?

Unfortunately I'm someone who experiences dissociation often, it I can explain it as sort of being just… stuck. Time moves, people talk, and I react automatically, but all feeling is sort of lost? The best way I can explain it, is I get disconnected. Upon other research, I've found out this is something that most likely made me prone.

It's been about 10 minutes since my brother and mother went inside, and I actually hadn't paid much attention too it? Idk, it was odd to me too.

This is the part that'll make me seem like I'm in need of medication and a white padded room, but you'll just need to trust my word on this.

As I've said, about ten minutes at this point, and I'm just mindlessly staring into a fire like it's the most entertaining thing I've ever seen. All of a sudden, my right ear begins ringing. It caught me off guard a bit, but I didn't see it as unusual. About fifteen seconds after, I hear my name being called, and it was my mother. Followed by a 'hello'.

Except, the call wasn't from the house or the porch. It was coming from the fence line.

I can't express this enough, but my entire body froze. Fight or flight mode is something everyone has enabled, but my 'fight' sense? I'd rather call it freeze. I turned my head towards the fence area, and there was of course, nothing there. It then immediately clicked in my mind to remember what I'd learned, and not call back out to it.

But the thing is, rather than leaving, I gaslit myself into believing I was literally just hearing things. I think it was just my way of acting like I wasn't afraid, and it's a natural defense mechanism to danger.

So now I'm sitting, my heartrate is spiked, I know for a fact my entire body is covered in hives, and I seriously contemplated just jumping into the fire because at least then I'd have a better fucking chance at surviving than running back up to the house.

After my heartbeat slowed down a bit, consoling myself with the idea I was just imagining whack ass shit, I heard it again. This time, I heard it in both ears, and it was loud. Not eardrum-bursting loud, but loud. and it was very quick.

It was different this time. It was so fucking eerie and terrifying in all ways there are because it sounded like my mother, but.. younger? More of a light voice. But of course, I recognized it.

Whatever it was had said, "Scared. Why." I felt myself stop breathing, and thank god, my legs moved before anything else could, and I could've qualified for the Olympics with the way I ran I swear to every and all gods there are.

I had reached the door, and immediately hurled myself over the sink and threw up. It wasn't pretty at all. I tend to vomit from anxiety, so it wasn't a shock, but it felt like more than that. It kinda felt like I was releasing something from my body, but it wouldn't leave? Long story short, I was hurling for two minutes straight, and thankfully no one was there to see it.

After that, my memory goes foggy. I think I grabbed water, and cried a little bit, and I definitely couldn't sleep. That's my first encounter with one, and it's the tip of the iceberg.

I still have nightmares about it, but it's only once every month now. It used to be awful.

I've kinda eased up to it though.