#i'm from tennessee/georgia

[wolflover33100aj]

My Barnaby plushie is now in Georgia, he is on his way to Tennessee!

[tacticalhimbo]

HURRICANE HELENE RELIEF

Since I'm incredibly anxious and very much annoyed, I'm compiling this post as a sort of master list of relief organizations and individual fundraisers for those in the path of Hurricane Helene.

Many of the links I post on this won't be individuals, but I encourage those within the path to add their links to this post in reblogs! Likewise, if you have any organizations / volunteer / grassroots efforts y'all would like to share, please do so!

LAST EDITED: 9/29/2024 - MAKE SURE TO CHECK REBLOGS FOR UPDATES!

My list is particularly focused on widely accessible resources, as well as Florida specific resources since... I'm from Florida.

(INTER)NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS

American Red Cross - The American Red Cross is on the ground helping people as Hurricane Helene approaches land as a very dangerous storm. Helene may produce winds over 150 mph, a massive 20-foot-high storm surge and as much as a foot of rain. Prolonged power outages and tornadoes may occur. The effects will be felt hundreds of miles inland including in Georgia and the Carolinas.

FEMA Disaster Assistance Improvement Program - The Disaster Assistance Improvement Program’s (DAIP) mission is to provide disaster survivors with information, support, services, and a means to access and apply for disaster assistance through joint data-sharing efforts between federal, tribal, state, local, and private sector partners.

Roll Mobility - An application that equips wheelchair users with reliable information about the accessibility of restaurants, public spaces, businesses, trails, and parking areas. Good information to have on hand, especially for those evacuating from their home areas.

Warmline Directory - Providing extensive yet accessible resources that empower individuals to find the mental health and wellness resources they need through a directory containing accurate and in-depth information. For those unfamiliar: Unlike a crisis line, a warm line operator is unlikely to call the police or have someone locked up if they talk about suicidal or self-harming thoughts or behaviors. A good resource for individuals in mental distress due to natural disaster circumstances.

Food Not Bombs - Recovers food that would have been discarded and share it as a way of protesting war and poverty. They also reduce food waste and meet the direct need of communities by collecting discarded food, preparing vegan meals that they share with the hungry while providing literature about the need to change our society. Food Not Bombs also provides food to protesters and striking workers and organizes food relief after natural and political crisis.

Partnership for Inclusive Disaster Strategies - The Partnership for Inclusive Disaster Strategies (The Partnership) is the only U.S. disability-led, 501(c)(3) organization that prioritizes equity, access, disability rights, disability justice, and full inclusion of people with disabilities, older adults, and people with access and functional needs before, during and after disasters and emergencies.

FLORIDA

Volunteer Florida Disaster Fund - The Florida Disaster Fund is the State of Florida’s official private fund established to assist Florida’s communities as they respond to and recover during times of emergency or disaster. In partnership with the public sector, private sector and other non-governmental organizations, the Florida Disaster Fund supports response and recovery activities.

State and Local Level Referrals - When a disaster occurs, local governments often work together with community leaders and organizations to provide on-the-ground emergency management. Curated by FEMA. (Has 52 Organizations Listed)

GEORGIA

State and Local Level Referrals - When a disaster occurs, local governments often work together with community leaders and organizations to provide on-the-ground emergency management. Curated by FEMA. (Has 60 Organizations Listed)

TENNESSEE

State and Local Level Referrals - When a disaster occurs, local governments often work together with community leaders and organizations to provide on-the-ground emergency management. Curated by FEMA. (Has 49 Organizations Listed)

NORTH CAROLINA

State and Local Level Referrals - When a disaster occurs, local governments often work together with community leaders and organizations to provide on-the-ground emergency management. Curated by FEMA. (Has 45 Organizations Listed)

Beloved Asheville - A community-led coalition dedicated to providing home, healthy, equity, and opportunity for all.

Triangle NC - This links to another post I've made, but Triangle Mutual Aid is organizing supply drop offs as well as financial support.

SOUTH CAROLINA

State and Local Level Referrals - When a disaster occurs, local governments often work together with community leaders and organizations to provide on-the-ground emergency management. Curated by FEMA. (Has 44 Organizations Listed)

INDIVIDUAL FUNDRAISERS

Support a Resilient Family Seeking a New Home - LINK ; Tumblr @junpei-iori-ace-defective (Close Friend of the Affected) | Fundraiser Text Below:

My name is Adam. I'm not the best at this; I never thought I'd have to do this, but my family and I lost our home on September 26th due to the hurricane Helene here in Florida. No one in our area thought it would get bad, but we didn't have any rain. All of a sudden, the water rose, and by midnight, our home was flooded with three feet of water. I had to carry our pets to the neighbors and my disabled wife through five feet of water. Then, my elderly disabled mother and grandmother through the water. We lost all of our clothes and many of our belongings, and our landlord will be having us move out. We have nowhere to go, so today I'm asking for help from the kindness of the world. Anything can help. If I can get enough to get us into a new home, it would be a blessing. Thank you all, and God bless.

Help Rebuild Lives After Devastating Flash Flood - LINK ; Tumblr @undeadnecromancer (Close Friend of the Affected) | Fundraiser Text Below:

On September 27, after being trapped in a flash flood for 5 hours, my father, Jeffrey Fuller, and sister, Kayla Fuller, left with their lives ❤️ but lost everything else. My father had set his life up to be simple and enjoyable. He didn't have a lot extra, but he had everything he needed, and now all of that is gone. Unfortunately, he did not have flood insurance, and the older you get, the harder it is to bounce back from something like this. For a man who has always shown up for everyone he loves, he needs us to show up now. Please help my father rebuild.

If you have seen the video circulating around from Jeffrey Fuller where it looks like a river is going through his house and he ends it with a “Love you all,” you have seen what has brought on this devastation.

Hurricane Helene Aftermath Help - LINK ; Tumblr @moonenjoyer (Affected Individual) | Fundraiser Text Below:

Man I hate to do this but I'm in Valdosta, one of the cities hit the worse by Hurricane Helene. It's BAD here. In particular, there's no estimate of when we'll get power back. Word on the street is it could be a week or longer.

I work from home and going without power that long, I won't be making any money. Meanwhile my groceries are all spoiled in a fridge with no power and my car is on E. All the gas stations are down atm and when they're back up I KNOW gas prices are going to be crazy high because of all of this. In fact, EVERYTHING is going to be more expensive for a while because of this.

If you have anything to spare to help me with gas and groceries and just surviving this, I'd really appreciate it. If not, a reblog/share would mean a lot. Thank you ❤️

Save Nate and Amanda's First Home - Urgent Hurricane Needs - LINK ; Tumblr @luckyfirerabbit (Affected Individual) | Fundraiser Text Below:

Hi. I'm Porter Henderson. This isn't about me, though. You’re going to see a lot of fundraisers with Hurricane Helene. This might be a little different.

You see, I’m writing this on behalf of my landlords and friends, Nate and Amanda. The home we share with an additional disabled man in Lithonia, Georgia had some repairs that they couldn't afford, made much worse by the hurricane. They'd been limping along like everyone dealing with inflation and underemployment, but the situation has become urgent, and they need and deserve help.

Nate and Amanda have been my friends for over a decade, and when they heard I was no longer able to work and in a bad situation, they offered me a place in their first home. I told them I wasn’t sure what or when I would be able to pay. They told me that if I ever won my disability case I could start paying rent then.

You see, I'm trying so hard to save this home because they’ve tried so hard to save me.

I was so grateful to move in, and they treated me like family. When I lost the ability to drive, they made sure I got to my doctor’s appointments, and still do. When I can’t afford food, they take me to food banks, and what I can’t find there they’ll help me get at the store. They meet all the needs they could reasonably meet, and then a couple more.

I’ve lived here for three years now, and they’ve never stopped assuring me that I am wanted, even if I can’t contribute to the household on a daily basis. They have never let me go without if there was any other way. They have helped friends and strangers every time they have seen a need. They are unfailingly honest, incredibly trustworthy, and extremely hardworking people.

They've never had much, but they've shared everything they have.

Now, though, the hurricane turned a seem in our roof into a gushing waterfall, and finally into a large hole in Nate and Amanda's bedroom ceiling.

We tarped the leaking roof from the inside to channel out as much water as we could, but with a literal hurricane outside, there’s only so much that you can do.

The three of us who couldn’t get into the attic pushed our chronically ill bodies past their limits, dragging furniture away from walls, hauling totes as fast as we could with our canes, shoving empty containers into the corner as we kicked the debris out, and researching strategies for how to deal with the nightmare. Later we would wade through flooding water to dump out rain and tie down loose trash cans, shine lights and relay directions from the attic to outside, as we all attempted to get the water venting outside the house.

To make matters worse, the HVAC needs to be replaced. It’s a seventeen year old system, with a huge crack in the (inaccessible) drain pan and a bad motherboard. Some friends pooled money with Nate and Amanda to get a couple of window air conditioners for the summer. With medications that make three of us sensitive to heat, it’s been a rough summer, but we got through.

Unfortunately, winter is a few weeks away, and it’s going to be a little less than seventeen thousand for a new system to be installed.

What makes it an emergency however, is that without the drying and air movement of the AC, trying to dehumidify everything is going to be even harder, giving us a greater chance of mold. If mold takes hold, I'm not sure if we can save the house.

This fundraiser is for the $2,500 hurricane deductible that we're almost certainly going to be charged by the homeowner's policy and the $17,000 for the HVAC, plus estimated fees for the platform.

Not included in the total are any cleaning supplies, or a tiny storage unit and rental truck if we need one to store all of their bedroom furniture while the roof is redone. (We won't know about any of that until we get the estimate from insurance/roofing.) The claim has already been filed.

The air conditioning is a pre-existing problem, and I've found no way for it to be covered by any charity, government program, or private programs in the state. The ones that my social worker knew about didn't apply (I applied anyway) and I let her know about two more that I found. The religious groups I've reached out to in my area don't work in anything but clothing, children's furniture, and durable medical goods.

If additional costs emerge, or anything ends up being less expensive, I will update and adjust the goal accordingly as soon as I find out.

Please help these genuinely good people. The smallest donation helps. So does sharing.

Thank you in advance.

[infamouslydorky]

I'm about to put this senator in public view for his opinions

Hey bud, it's not antisemitism to want to stop Isreal from using illegal weapons like white phosphorus on Lebanon. It's not antisemitism to call the country out for killing journalists and medical personnel, like the red cross, for trying to report and help the people of Gaza. It's not antisemitism to acknowledge that the IDF is actively destroying family lines of Palestinians, which very much qualifies as genocide. It's not antisemitism to call Isreal out for striking Beruit, a highly civilian populated city, and destroying apartment buildings with bombs designed to obliterate bunkers. It's not antisemitism to point out that Isreal has sabotaged beepers, used only by emergency personnel like doctors, and rigged them to explode upon beeping.

It IS antisemitism to blame Jewish people specifically for the actions of Isreal BECAUSE they are Jewish. Isreal, as a nation, does not speak for every Jewish person and neither does Netanyahu. Isreal never shared the land with Palestinians as much as Isreal forced Palestinians out of their homelands beginning in 1948. Now, historically, Jewish diaspora is and was very much a real thing, as consequence of a largely antisemitic western society, which forced the migration of Jewish people and displacing them from their original homes until they were once again driven out of any given country until after WW2, and westerners decided to shove all the Jewish people in what is now called Isreal. Fun fact: originally, the UN wanted to put displaced Jewish people in Uganda.

In more precise words, this is another form of colonization that capitalized on the suffering of misplaced peoples that lived in a society that largely scapegoated them for their problems instead of treating them like people and now the country of Isreal is doing the exact same thing to Palestinians.

What remains in the United State's interest in keeping support of Isreal is an easy access base of operations for resources like oil as well as military influence in the region. It is neo-colonialism in a claiming antisemitism trenchcoat.

So, no, it is not antisemitism to hold Isreal accountable for their actions.

It is, however, Islamophobic and racist to continue to state that Hamas beheaded babies with no evidence of such claims.

Also, a devastating hurricane destroyed massive amounts of the state of Florida as well as states like Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama, North Carolina, and Tennessee with another two potentially on the way and no amount of support from the federal government because FEMA has no money but we sure as hell see it shipped off in the billions to kill innocent civilians for the military industrial complex, I tell ya hwat 🙃

[kawaiijohn]

Good morning. Where do I even start today- trying to keep up with disaster relief is tough since a lot of my normal sources are without power or incredibly focused on doing the actual recovery.

I guess I'll start with one of the sources I get a lot of breaking news from and what he said yesterday:

Ryan Hall is a YouTube weatherman with an incredible team that delivers free weather broadcasting through his YouTube lives during major events. He's from east Kentucky and is very invested in Appalachia weather recovery and awareness. The man's a local and he's part of the reason I'm even aware of the risks heavy rains can bring in this region of the states.

And this post from the national weather service office in Greenville - Spartanburg SC, that serves a wide area around it;

"this is one (forecast) we wanted to get wrong. this is the worst event in our office's history."

This thread concludes: media was sent to Florida and so a lot of people don't quite know what's going on in appalachia- if you can I suggest reading this person's entire thread, which is too long for me to type or try to post on here and keep it readable, so try the second link under here for an unrolled thread that'll be easier for screen readers;

Minor update from yesterday's post: the governor of Tennessee finally fucking declared a state of emergency after his shitty day of prayer and fasting announcement. It took him like six hours to get off his ass and do it.

The power is still majorly out as of this morning in a vast area of the states. As you can see, a majority is in Appalachia, central Georgia, and the Florida big bend. Florida, I know for a fact, has tons of electrical technicians working to restore power and cell service.

This map really highlights the state divide from eastern Tennessee/Kentucky and the Carolinas too.

Despite the doom and gloom, a few things are starting to get better.

Quite a few dams managed to hold, and some roads in west NC are more passable, but there are so many people reporting that it was taking them upwards of seven hours to get out of Asheville, which is a major city.

Below has a few pics and statements about the state of roads late last night/early today.

The end of this tweet says "this is an absolute mega disaster for Western NC on the order of hurricane Katrina."

With how long the recovery might actually take, I'm certainly hoping it's handled better. One of the responses on this thread mentions no military presence/help as of 20 hours ago, but this has since changed with the national guard finally deploying in some areas.

Overall, fooding hit historical levels in a lot of states, with Atlanta GA even declaring a flash flood emergency at one point, which is the highest risk level of a flash flood warning - it means "get out and get up high NOW"

Rescue and recovery operations are on the way.

Local groups, storm chasers, and organizations are on the way. The national guard is deploying and helicopters are coming from volunteers and the military alike in the most affected areas.

Chris Hall, a storm chaser who works with a lot of organizations, has been driving around doing things like setting up starlink access in Asheville and helping serve hot food with a Florida based disaster recovery group since Friday.

Hell he even posted this, which if you know the waffle house index, is a little neat to see- for context, fema will look at waffle house closures in areas hit by natural disasters to gage preliminarily relief need.

Waffle houses are infamous for never closing. So for a limited menu to be served, it means this spot in GA was still hit pretty hard.

If you want to and can, here is one place with local donation resources for west NC

And different organizations and weather community types to help that are boots on the ground type volunteers with a bit more of a national focus;

If you are good at adding alt text or doing text description for screen readers, please help me with these posts. It is incredibly hard to do those sorts of things on mobile due to my own limitations.

Please be safe.

[cowgirlcherrie]

georgia canned peaches — ⋆｡°✩ 🐎 cowboy! ellie

pairing: cowboy! hitwoman! ellie x black! fem! reader. wc: 5.0K

synopsis: on the run was Tennessee’s peach, who trades a life of discomfort for security with a Texan stranger

warnings: 18+, MDNI! mommy issues, slight religious trauma if you squint, heavy touching, ellie has an accent, mentions of death and loneliness, heavily inspired by Bones and All ( minus the c*nnibalism and gore), dom! ellie, domestic! ellie, heavy use of petnames (peach, sweetness, sugar, doll), stranger danger lowkk…, mostly angst with a dash of fluff, mentions of weapons, killing, black feminine coded reader, running away, taking care of injuries, injured ellie (so mention of blood, bleeding),

━━━ ♪ peach & georgia by kevin abstract

a/n: heyy everyone!! here's a quick lengthy one-shot for cowboy-ish Ellie! if you enjoy it babis my ask button is open and I'm always accepting requests if you want headcanons, etc, but enjoy!! ⊹˚. ♡⊹˚. ♡

✧˖°.

Mama didn’t raise no bitch! Or a conniving little thief either. 

You tested that theory. Your hands became sticky with anything remotely flashy. Perhaps that was how you found out how to survive on your own. Times like this you wondered where you would be if your mama had just been a perfect Mary Sue. Made dinner, taught you how to wash your clothes and braid your hair, tucked you in at night, and just maybe taught you how to be better than a man. But now you were alone, in the hot Texan heat, and it felt like a smack to the face. Similar to her handprint the night she let you loose and hissed that you are on your own. You didn’t wanna cover the bills anymore or hear her bullcrap about how it was Adam and Eve — not Eve and Eve. You grew tired, and so did your feet that seemed to get you as far as you were now. Perhaps it wasn’t smart to smash your piggy bank taking the $500 dollars you spent bussing tables to go and a messenger duffle that could fit 3 heads. No plan either, which was significantly negligent, but your sticky fingers got you farther than you ever could, and they made sure you were fed. 

That would explain why you were stealing in a gas station grocery. Crouched by the nonperishables stuffing anything and everything into the duffle bag. Georgia peaches, check. Canned pineapple, check. Dried beans and nuts, double-check. You weren’t exactly careful, but the place loomed with unfamiliar faces who certainly were too full of themselves to stop you. So you kept going, a first aid kit for the bruises that were forming on your knees and sewing material to fix the rip in your jacket. Well not your jacket, but your dad's jacket. Brown thick cotton over your shoulders to cover the long dress you were in, it was a smart decision. The jacket kept you warm on the desert nights, and it made home in your hands during the day. The little pockets are perfect for stuffing loads of crap you don’t need. With the crack of another can hitting the floor, it paralleled a shiny brown boot. Drenched in leather and gold detailing as it smacked the tile. Left foot – right foot – left again. Your eyes followed the trail of feet, ignoring the can that rolled away from you as a hand reached down to pick it up. A roughened, bloody, feminine freckled hand. Now the mystery girl was looming over your figure, in an authoritative stance, as if her ego had been bigger than her height itself. But she was also bleeding. Her right arm clenched to her hip as blood seeped between her fingers. 

“Yers’ drop somethin’ peach?” The accent sent a shiver up your spine. It was thick and unfamiliar but maybe the word peach, at the end masked her roughness. You now made eye contact with the girl, green eyes looming into yours as you shakily took the can of peaches.

“M’sorry that was my bad,” you mumbled taking the peaches back and tucking them into your chest. You couldn’t slip it back into your bag now, next thing you know she would yell THIEF! and drag you by your collar to the front counter. But the woman was in such poor shape to do so, her freckled face wincing ever so slightly with every movement her body made. She was a cowgirl, you’ve heard all about them in the papers but didn’t take them for the real deal. Her hat told you all you need to know, brown to match her thick belt and blue bell bottoms. Oh, she was the real deal.

“Could ya be a doll n’ grab me a kit” The woman groaned out, pushing her body weight in front of you. Her standing position contrasted yours that was crouched down, at eye level with the material. “You’s a real catch ya know? Put the peaches back in. I know you were stealin’” This made you freeze. Fuck!Fuck!Fuck! Your brain shouted you were screwed.

Your hands now moved slower reaching for the kit in front of you, and you suddenly realized how overly close the woman was to you. Almost blocking your field of vision from anything to your left. You ignored her statement, as you shakily lifted the first aid kit to her hands. 

“Peach…you are a delight, but now you listen,” The woman didn’t take the kit, “A camera has been pointed at ya for the past 5, and now you got Tina’ at counter watchin’ ya. You are gonna live up to bein’ delightful and pay for this one thing” The woman was scrounging in her pocket and you took the moment of silence to think to yourself, you had barely any money. $500 was something you needed to make stretch.

“What?”

“I don’ take you for a fool, I’m Ellie, and I mean no harm.” Ellie took off her hat placing it over the left side of her chest at her heart, giving you a simple nod before putting the dusted brown hat back on her head. Ellie this time put a stained $10 bill on top of the first aid kit that had been suspended in the air by your hand. This action made you stand up – eye level with this time. Noticed the girl has a height to her, her figure looming over you as you stood.

“Give me the bag [what?] your bag sweetness! we don’t got all day, dammit I’m hurt” Ellie stated bluntly. There was no more time for jokes or stealing any more Georgia canned peaches. There were better things to worry about. Like the fact that you can go to jail for stealing and Ellie who was bleeding out in front of you. You slid your brown bag off your shoulder handing it to Ellie who swung it over her left shoulder. 

“Go see Tina with ‘er blonde hair, act sweet, say your visitin’ family. If they ask, say the Williams Ranch, she’ll give you no hard time” Ellie started as she was giving you instructions, “When ya finish, keep the change, meet me at my car I’ll be outside. You get your bag – I fix my wound, and you get the fuck outta town.” Ellie finished. This time her look was stern, and aggressive as if she was testing you. Testing your loyalty, your honesty, your act. She wanted to see how you worked under pressure, she wanted you to suffocate from fear. All you could do is nod, swallowing harshly, as Ellie turned her body walking down the Isle to your left.

You took the initiative to make your way to ‘Tina’. Ellie was right, the blonde had been suspicious of you. Asked you all the questions that Ellie said she would, but she backed off once you mentioned the Williams Ranch. Handing you the exact change of 0.50 cents and a hospitable smile, saying “Have a great day.” Tina’s defensiveness changed with one simple title. This made you wonder how much authority Ellie had over the place, questions flooding through your brain as you pushed the door and walked out, being met with the setting sun.

The sun was getting low, and there wouldn’t be a motel for another mile out. Sure you could do the walk but you weren’t guaranteed anything. A whistle brought you out of your trance, belonging to Ellie who this time had a toothpick between her cushioned pink lips, as her body leaned against a ran down red car, with muddied wheels. You jogged over this time seeing that your bag was missing from her shoulders rather this time in the passenger seat of her car. 

“Here you go, what you asked.” You pushed the first aid kit into her hands like you’d done back in the store. Ellie mumbled a thank you, as she nibbled on the toothpick. This time, taking the kit and putting it on the hood of the car. 

“Yous’ as quiet as a mouse, but orders ya take well…Peach could you help me patch up, I ensure you a place to stay and food in return – all comfort no lies…” It took you time to think about it. What did people call this…southern hospitality? She was sweet to you despite not really knowing you but the situation was still tit for tat. You do for me, I do for you. Wax on, Wax off. You weren’t gonna say no to a place to crash, where you didn’t have to worry about the faucet being broken or water barely coming out because the bill wasn’t paid. You were certain her bills were paid. 

“Yes, please…uh thank you!” You exclaimed as you began to dig through the box, taking out a bottle of water from your coat pocket, also stolen using it as a hand wash and something to clean the area, temporarily where the wound is. “doncha thank me just yet, you’re just getting started, peach.”

 Ellie was surprisingly still gentle with you, taking her time to crouch into the backseat of the car, while you sat next to her with the kit on the center console. Ellie took her time to untuck the white button-down shirt, as her hands shakily fiddled with the buttons. Due time, her snail speed started to irritate you making you smack her hands away doing it yourself. The exchange was silent, but you preferred it to keep the awkwardness at bay. Ellie shook off her white button down, leaving her in a white tank top — Ellie this time took the initiative to roll the tank top up to right below her boobs allowing you to wince at the large gash on her hip.

“Holy Sh—”

“I wouldn’t say that—”

“Not my first Rodeo” Ellie continued as you poured water on the wound making Ellie grit her teeth. Tilting her head back as whimpers left her mouth at the sudden coldness. All of it was hard to do when you’re in the back of a car trying to patch up a borderline dead woman. But before you could ask any questions, Ellie took the initiative to do it herself. 

“W-Where you headed, whats yer’ story?” Ellie grimaced through the pain as she held her head against the headrest, pants escaping her lips at an alarming rate. “God���I’m sorry,” You hesitated, you couldn’t even answer one simple question, your hands shaking at the blood that was covering your hands as it just wasn’t slowing down.

“Jeez– I hope a lil’ blood don’t scare you peach, I woulda done it myself baby,” Ellie hissed, trying to stay moderately sweet as she was now gripping onto the door handle, her right hand finding its way to your thigh, squeezing for the endless support. That’s when you noticed her tattoo, a death’s-head hawkmoth, and vines. Beautiful, yet chaotic, she had a story. Ellie squeezed again your thigh again making you look back at her. “Eyes up here baby [sorry] where [shit] ya’ from?” You couldn’t lie, the rifle at the back of her car taunting you. If she wanted to kill you she certainly would have done it by now. She wasn’t a threat, and she proved that in the store.

“I’m from Tennessee, I’ve been traveling on foot. I’m runnin’ away” You confessed as Ellie nodded her head in response, Your accent was slight, barely noticeable making more sense in Ellie’s head at why you struck her as different. Your beautiful brown skin glowing under the setting sun, you were a beauty to her. “Figured, how old?” Ellie questioned as you continued to stay frozen, eyes on her face to continue the conversation. “21” Ellie nodded again. 

“Thought so, 22” Ellie responded. There it was again, the tit for tat. 

“You seem like a good girl, far away from home aren’t cha. What’s wrong with yer family? Perhaps your mama?” Ellie tilted her head watching as your face transitioned from bliss and tranquility to fear and panic. She knew she struck a nerve, your mama was the problem. She didn’t wanna pressure you, hell it didn’t matter now. You were on your own, like a scared little lamb that has been deterred from its family. Possibly you were the black sheep, different from the rest. Ellie, once again, didn’t wanna pressure you. 

“You look like you need someone to take care of ya, don’t worry Peach I’ll take care of you” Ellie whispered, her voice all velvety like icing a chocolate cake. Smooth and sweet with care and caress. Ellie was unlike others you’ve met. Or any ex-lover you had. This time you weren’t afraid to let her in or take care of you. Hell you wanted that, you’ve been craving it for all years of your life while you had to do it for others. Maybe it was time someone exchanged the favor. The good karma bell rang in your ears, as a smile tugged at your lips.

“Make sure you cared for, if you let me” Ellie whispered some more, her hands this time traveling to your waist, giving a gentle squeeze, to which you could only hum in response. She was a charmer and knew all the right words to get you sunken in with her. Mama always said to not trust strangers, but why didn’t she feel like one? Her scent was intoxicating all you wanted to do was lean down and sink your pointed fangs into her shoulder, hearing her cry of satisfaction while she continued to call you Peach. Peach…Peach…Peach. You liked that name, no one called you that but considering that's what she handed you when you first spoke, it didn’t run as a surprise. 

Ellie squeezed, “Words, sweetness?”

“Yes” you squeaked, which probably sounded oddly sexual now that you thought about it. Unholy thoughts plague your brain at the sight of the Texas beauty in front of you. Realizing your task still was unfinished you got back to work. Hands working fast as you took your time, threading the suture thread through the needle as it came in contact with the flesh that was Ellie’s loose and separated skin.

Ellie wincing as you dug the needle in, and back out with an exhale. It was a semi-shitty stitching job, but you were able to tightly close the wound and stop the bleeding. Ellie didn’t speak, considering she’d risk completely yelling every curse word and potentially scaring you off, she settled on biting the hem of her tank top instead. Thick black lashes coated with tears at the sudden pain and blood crust. You were gentle though, Ellie caressing your waist as you put down a gauze pad, followed by wrapping it with the gauze roll and securing it with the adhesive tape. Patting to let her know that you were finished. 

“Yer’ such a good girl you know?” Ellie cooed as her hands found their way up to your braids, bringing your head down so she can give a chaste kiss to your head. Right…Right… Southern Hospitality. The feeling almost made you cry. Praise, followed up with affection? Like nothing you have felt before – hell you only thought they did that in movies. Ellie, however, was like a movie. Purley a fever dream, you were scared to fall asleep, what if you imagined the whole thing? You were enjoying your runaway escapades too much for it all to be fake. 

“Let’s get the show on the road,” Ellie gave a smile, making her way out of the back, suggesting that you do the same. So much for not trusting strangers.

✧˖°.

Father, Forgive me for I have sinned… it was blurry 

As we forgive our trespassers…still blurry

Trespassers…clear

You were a trespasser, is what you were getting from Ellie’s narration. Over the 30-minute car ride to her Farmhouse, Ellie explained to you the whole ordeal. Her cowboy hat was on your head as you listened to her tell narration of the cowboys' sealant for the townspeople. Why Tina, at the gas station tried to make you a friend. This Texan desert, farmland was constructed with the passage that cowboys and cowboy decedents protect the townspeople from narcs and trespassers, which in this case you could have been either. Debunked neither. It was one of those towns that people suggest you pass, hell probably inquire why it's still on the fucking map.

Ellie confessed that she was also a trespasser, just like you. Taken in by her late found father Joel who showed her how to run the rodeo. How Millers Ranch, became Williams Ranch. It was impressive, your eyes gleaming with admiration. Then it hit you, why she had the shotgun she did bounties on narcs, drug smugglers, the whole ordeal. People who came in to steal, wreak havoc, and destroy the peace. She was the town's grim reaper. She was the one who knocks. You felt faint, as the realization knocked into you like a brick. Nothing was truly sweet about her, that accent was to mask how with one click she’ll hunt like they were rabbits. You were trapped in her cage.

Upon arriving at her farmhouse which was large enough for more than one, it made you sad to see. She was alone, by herself. No wonder it was easy for her to drag you into her company, human interaction seemed obsolete out here. A dim light shown from what you assumed to be the horse stable, that was rather quiet as the nightfall had put you at ease. You held your jacket to your body tighter at the sudden gust of wind, hearing the weeds brush against each other — almost screaming in the wind. You held tightly onto your bag while Ellie limped past you, with the white button-down rested over one shoulder. Fiddling with the keys in her pocket. 

“Shoes off at the door, watch your step,” Ellie spoke up as she opened the door, you were hit with the sudden aroma, it smelled like fresh wood, pine, and just a hint of freshly baked cookies. It was how you pictured going to visit your grandmothers to be. Warm and welcoming. Complying with her wishes, you took your boots off, leaving you in mix-matched socks with funky designs that you have bought out of quirkiness. Ellie found this amusing. White ones to contrast your colors, the two of you had a lot of differences. But for the lack of similarities came an understanding. A mutual grounding between the two of you. A grey area. Ellie was behind you this time, taking her hat off your head, hooking it onto the wall, your thick jacket as well, and placing it on the hook beneath it. 

“Welcome, home” 

Now that made your stomach curl, you didn’t know what home is, besides yourself and your belongings. Attaching your home to people, not places. It was a wave of worry and fear that hit you. Your feet stuck as it felt like someone took a hammer and nailed your feed to the wooden floors. It was lively and well-decorated for someone that lived alone. Breaking free from your sinking feet you started to observe the living space. There was art, tones of it, stumbling across a photo in the bookcase of a much younger Ellie and an older man with salt and pepper hair who you had presumed to be Joel. The name fit his face well, A small smile creeping up to your face at the closeness of the two. Ellie seemed happy – carefree now that you look at her, that happiness seemed sucked away from her life, she didn’t smile quite like that anymore. Not until you cracked jokes in her car and made her laugh.

“Ya thirsty peach?” Ellie questioned her voice coming out muffled as her figure was far away in the kitchen area, hearing as the refrigerator closed. “I’m good, thank you though.” You put the photo back where you found it, following the trail of her voice. She was very trusting for a stranger, you were already infatuated with the woman, yearning for more. Yearning for her to give you a taste or perhaps a touch. Now you were sitting on her marble countertop, placed there by Ellie as she moved quickly around the kitchen pouring herself a glass of water from the glass pitcher, drowning it all in one go. She wiped the falling water around her mouth with the back of her arm eyeing you in the process, Ellie laughed. You knew her for a short amount of time, but long enough to know that laughter from her was rare – take it as a compliment, you thought. 

Ellie made her way over to you, her hands now on your knees, moving them further apart as she pushed her body in between her legs. Her arms resting on the counter space behind you,  trapping you in her arms.

“Mama didn’t teach you no good...to trust strangers? Oh…Babygirl you’re dangerous” Ellie scolded, laughing as you give the girl a doe-eyed look – your hands finding a  home on her arms. Wrapping your hands around her biceps, as your thumb move up, down, and in a circle. 

“I figured if you were gonna kill me, you already would have done so.” You mumbled as Ellie’s face got a lot closer to yours now. You can see the freckles that decorated her cheeks, her hydrated pink lips from the water she just had, the slit in her eyebrow, and her eyes. The piercing green forest that was her eyes, but it was beautiful, reminded you of the trees that you had seen when you walked. The storm that was your life, before Ellie became your superhero, the knight in shining armor. She saved you, and you owed her big time.

“Bingo! I know you smart peach, and that’s why imma tell you once, listen t’me real good.” Ellie specified, bringing one arm up to grip your chin gently, not allowing you to look anywhere else but herself. Ellie seemed possessive, maybe she lost too many people or her lack of social interaction but she didn’t want to let you go, and you could tell. She needed you just as much as you needed her, a packaged deal.

“You don’ trust nobody that ain’t me.” Ellie began, “Someone’s overly nice to ya’ you tell me. Mean? You fuckin’ tell me. Both don’t fly with me baby, if it ain't from me” Ellie finished, letting go of your jaw to which you nodded. Ellie was a fuckin’ force to be reckoned with, It was like digging into a mystery box, you were unsure of the flavors and layers she had to herself. Hell, she could be manipulating you and you wouldn’t even notice. Hospitality for comfort or comfort for hospitality, it all looked the same.

“Ay Ay, captain!” You playfully military saluted the girl, making Ellie roll her eyes at your statement, you were exceptionally fun. Which Ellie didn’t have anymore...fun. If you classify a night at Typsy Bison as fun then so be it. “You hungry? I can run you a shower before you eat – it’s leftovers if that's alright with yourself?” Ellie questioned and that’s when it hit you, you’ve been traveling afoot all day, and the thought of even having a meal slipped your mind, but you were famished, stomach lightly growling at the mention of the word food.

“I could use food, yeah — as long as there’s no cheese.” You challenge making Ellie back away this time as she took out a glass plate, a fork, and a knife. “No cheese sugar, but something to get you settled – I always have dessert peach if you want that instead?” Now you felt like a kid in a candy store. Dessert was a rarity and boy did it sound delightful right now. Ellie smiled as she watched the way your eyes gleamed at the mention of dessert.

“Got a sweet tooth huh?” Ellie smiled, making you laugh in return. You did have a sweet tooth, anything sweet was enough to bring a smile to your face. That’s why you had a love for canned peaches. The taste reminded you of peach pie that you would get at the diner as you worked a closing shift. Sitting at a booth as you devoured a piece of peach pie, it was heated, like a warm hug in the winter. You cried every time you had a piece. It reminded you of all the good things in life – like how good your mother could be. 

“I hope you have pie” you pleaded, making Ellie nod her head. “You aren’t pressin’ yer luck! I got an apple pie from a good friend of mine, I think you’ll love it – not too sweet, but fillin’” Ellie smirks in satisfaction as she placed one hand on her hip. 

“Let’s run’ya a shower” 

✧˖°.

How were you supposed to explain to Ellie why you were crying? Pajamas that you stored in your bag resting on your body as the matching white tank top and light blue shorts attached to your frame — you just had the best shower you’ve ever had in a while. Not only was the water hot, but it didn’t cut out every five minutes, and the faucet wasn’t leaking, everything was comfortable, perfect. Ellie herself took the time you were in the shower to clean up herself, now in different clothing —  a white t-shirt and plaid pajama pants that clung to her body nicely. The two of you sitting at the dining table as Ellie watched you eat the warmed pie, a tear fell from your eye with swiftness. Ellie’s gentle gaze transitioned into confusion and eventually fear as she watched you cry. 

“Oh god, wait!... I’m sorry” you laughed in between sniffles, taking the back of your hand to rub your face.

“Jeez, I thought I did somethin’ sugar” Ellie exaggerated holding her hand over her heart as if someone pierced an arrow through it. Now it was your turn to reveal your story, like how you cried every time you ate pie, specifically with peaches. It made Ellie give a small grin. Feeling as though she did something right in her life where she wasn’t playing god,  It was wholesome that’s for sure. The redhead found it odd, but it was a sweet moment and she understood it. Ellie’s smile fell when she noticed the clock behind your head striking 10:30pm making her frown. The good times she was having at the moment were coming to an end, for both her and yourself. 

“You go’n watch the tv til your tired, I have some business to take care of before tomorrow” Ellie didn’t wanna scare you, her business was taking the grey cloth, as she wiped down her guns and reloaded them for tomorrow. She didn’t want to give you the wrong impression.  

“Can you watch it with me?” You inquired, ignoring the part where she said she had business. 

“I’m cleaning guns.”

“So? You don’t scare me cowgirl” You wiggled your eyebrows as Ellie snatched the empty plate from your hands, placing it in the sink as she let the sponge soap up to wash the plate clean with hot water.

“Fine. I see you jump – I’m goin’ to another room, I don’t mix business with pleasure” Ellie confessed as she was less focused on you this time. You chose this time to leave the dining area, entering the living room as you hit the squared television's 'ON' button. It was small and run down, similar to the one at your moms before you left. You pulled at the antenna to catch a signal. The static glitching before on came Looney Tunes. You enjoyed the show finding amusement in the animals chasing each other and the crescendo of the music at all the right moments, it was comical and amusing. You spread your body out on the couch, laying on your side as you watched the television in silence, laughing every few minutes at something that you found funny. Ellie walked into the room with a black box and 3 guns in her hand. The redhead gently settled down the weaponry, being careful not to startle you, as she slipped into the seat on the far left — your legs now found a home in her lap, Ellie gently sending a rub at your legs. If someone walked right in, they would assume the two of you were probably married for some years now. 

“This okay?” Ellie whispered as you mumbled a “yes” while your focus was still not on her. Ellie could see that you were getting tired, the way your eyes were low, and your breathing slowed down. You were at peace with yourself and with Ellie, this was one of the times when the silence was okay, a mutual serenity, and understanding — everyone was mindful of each other and it was pure love and bliss.

Ellie eyed your figure as your eyes fluttered shut, this time you were sleeping, fully this time letting yourself melt into the softness of the couch as Ellie reached over to her left to grab the blanket and drape it over your sleeping figure. This was also the time she finally got started on cleaning her guns, knowing that you were relaxed and cared for. Ellie wasn’t sure what she was doing, She felt vulnerable and that was rare, but she was doing what she said she would. Taking care of you, like you were taking care of her. You saved her life, and she saved yours, tit for tat.

Ellie in this moment craved nothing more than your lips on hers, perhaps your teeth to graze her flesh, biting…hard into her – wanting to connect and morph bodies. She craved for your love and your intimacy, she wanted you to love her bones and all. Ellie wanted you to love her past, her insecurities, her mistakes, and her wrongs. You were too good for her, she knew it, but there was nothing a sweet peach like you couldn’t fix. 

[after-the-end-times]

THE HOPE OF IT ALL

G 💙 750 words 💙 '92 US Election 💙 on AO3

💙❤️💙❤️💙❤️💙❤️💙❤️💙❤️💙

As the 1992 election results started to roll in, The Party were glued to the tv in Steve and Eddie's apartment.

It had been a long time since they'd had a Democrat come this close to winning the Presidency. They all lived for too long under Reagan and then George H W Bush and now they were all watching to see if Bill Clinton could keep Bush from getting a second term.

"Do we really think he's gonna-"

"Shhhh!," Dustin cuts Robin off, "What did I say about jinxing this! No. Predicting!"

Robin mimed zipping her lips closed while she pulled her foot onto the couch. She gave a quick kick that sent him flailing onto the floor.

"Hey! I'm trying to win you an election here and that's how you act! Hmph! And not even a thank you for my effort!"

Robin pointed at her zipped together lips and shrugged faux sadly.

"Ok!," Steve stood up, stopping the inevitable slap fight, "I'm making more popcorn. Who needs another pop?"

Everyone raised their hands as Steve stepped gingerly through and around everyone sprawled on the living room floor. Eddie met his eyes and got up to follow him into the kitchen.

While they hoped it'd be a shut out (Clinton's popularity amongst both Dems and some Republicans was pretty high) they wouldn't know for sure until all the polls closed and the numbers came in.

And until then, they tried not to let the worry gnaw through their stomachs.

They were silent as Steve unwrapped bags of popcorn to put in the microwave and Eddie grabbed cans from the fridge.

Eddie lined the pops up on the bar top between the kitchen and living room and spoke through the opening, "Hey Will, can you hand these out?"

He waited to see Will and El standing to grab them before he turned back to Steve. He stepped up to Steve's back and wrapped his arms around him.

"Don't tell Dustin I said so," he said lowly against Steve's shoulder, "but Clinton's gonna win."

He drags his mouth along Steve's shoulder and mutters into hair, "He's gotta win. We can't do four more years of Bush. Four more years of him not caring about people, our friends, dying."

Steve emptied the last popcorn bag into a bowl and turned in Eddie's arms and hugged him close.

"We're not jinxing," he whispered back, "we're hoping. How can we get change without hope?"

They held each other a few more minutes until Robin came in. She passed the bowls of popcorn across the counter to Lucas and turned back to Steve and Eddie.

She wrapped her arms around herself and stared at the ceiling above their heads, "We're gonna get this. It's gonna happen. And things are gonna get better. They have to. I just can't get this churning dread out of my stomach. Cause what if-"

Before she could put that thought out there, they pulled her into their hug and held her tight. She knew that no matter what happened, they'd have each other, but it was still terrifying. That what-if.

With one last deep breath and hard look between the three, they smoothed their expressions to hide their anxiety and rejoined the kids.

Except. It was finally 8:30 and hope was on the rise. As were the shouts and, yes, predictions getting yelled around the living room.

Because the midwest was going blue. State by state: Michigan, Ohio, and then their new home, Illinois. Blue!

Even southern states were going blue, which none of them could believe. First Georgia and then Tennessee!

Some states were still going to Bush, of course. Big ones like Florida and Texas.

Steve handed $5 over to Eddie when their home state of Indiana stayed red.

But then at 9.30, the tentative hope everyone held tightly to their chests exploded into cheers and whoops when California and Pennsylvania went to Clinton.

"WE WON!", the kids screamed while they jumped up and down.

Steve and Eddie kissed hard and pulled each other into a tight hug.

Robin jumped on top of them from the couch, "I told you! I told you we'd win! Ha!"

The phone on the wall immediately started ringing. Steve pulled away and pushed his way through the wall of bodies to reach it.

Through the space between the kids' heads, Eddie saw Steve answer the phone grinning so hard his eyes did that scrunchy thing he loved so much.

In the instant, he was filled with so much love.

For Steve.

For his friends, here and gone.

For Wayne, who he needed to call if that wasn't him on the phone already.

And even, honestly, surprisingly for all his fellow citizens who came together to bring them this hope and possibility of a better future.

~fin~

[casapazzo]

How to help western NC

Hurricane Helene wrought an astounding amount of damage from Florida to Tennessee, but especially in western North Carolina. (If you want to know why, this is a good explainer: https://slate.com/technology/2024/10/hurricane-helene-destruction-north-carolina-florida-georgia-climate-change.html)

If you'd like to help, Blue Ridge Public Radio has an extensive list of local organizations working in the area: https://www.bpr.org/bpr-news/2024-09-28/list-ways-to-donate-and-help-flood-victims-in-western-north-carolina-after-hurricane-helene

I'm cutting and pasting a few options here, but see the link for the full list.

Hope Mill, Inc - Helicopters Dropping Relief

Pilots are landing in areas of the mountains where road access is still cut off and/or where emergency crews have not yet reached with food and water.

The funds are being used to purchase water and critical supplies by a business based in the Charlotte region. Helicopters are primarily staging and departing out of Hickory, N.C.

BPR has confirmed the GoFundMe listed below is being managed by those directly involved in relief (the effort is also linked to the relief effort supported by Cletus McFarland, a helicopter pilot and YouTuber.).

A group of independent pilots with helicopters have been dropping off donated water, food, and supplies throughout the region for several days. GoFundMe: Support Hope Mill Inc's Hurricane Relief

Hearts With Hands (Swannanoa/Asheville)

A local-based organization that has been supplying food and essentials to Buncombe County shelters.

The group asks that you do not deliver supplies unannounced to their Swannanoa warehouse (they had to evacuate and are restoring services).

The request is for financial donations online. https://www.heartswithhands.org/

Manna FoodBank in Asheville

The organization’s warehouse was prepped prior to the storm.

There are many ways to get involved, volunteer, and donate - including online. Go here to give money to the Manna FoodBank online.

Foothills Food Hub

Working to source water and shelf-stable goods to distribute in McDowell County.

Requesting monetary donations, which can be made online here.

Community Housing Coalition of Madison County

The group will be helping fund emergency home repairs for Helene victims in Madison County.

The request is for online donations. Go here for more information or to donate.

[pearlsongfromstuff]

I don't make these kind of posts on my blog I usually repost my fandoms and silly little stuff like that, but this is personal. If you are thankful that Hurricane Helene has destroyed towns in the south because they're red states, get the FUCK off my blog this instant and NEVER come back. Westerners and Northern States always preach for treating humans with love and respect UNTIL it's the south, the "red states", the "red necks", the "Trumpies" or whatever you want to call us. I can assure you, we are not all Trumpies. I was born in Florida and have lived in NC for 8 long years, and I am as "Democratic" as they come (for some issues, but this isn't about politics.)

If you keep saying "oh, you didn't evacuate, I feel no sympathy," do you know how hard it is to evacuate?! Id love to see you pack your supplies, your family, your elderly, your pets and whatever else you want to bring with you, into a car and go down a crowded highway to an evacuation spot, which everyone is trying to get to. And don't even THINK of trying to get anything? Most things are closed, the gas pumps are out and everyone is STRESSED. Evacuation is NOT EASY and the southern governments barely HELP. But this is the only solution, otherwise, you're swept away by the water just like our towns.

And speaking of the government, let's talk about them. Specifically state governments. The infrastructure of the south is SHIT. My mother's classroom's ceiling (she's a teacher) is falling apart because barely any funding is coming in. The most funding the school was getting was from a LIQUOR STORE, but they paused funding because they were helping fund our new fire station. And after it was built, they haven't continued funding. My father's school's ceiling (also a teacher) ALSO COLLAPSED the first week they got back from summer break. One of our bridges fell apart and that was BEFORE the hurricane. Luckily, my town wasn't hit, it was southeast, away from the storm, but it floods when there's a full moon, let alone a storm. The funding and infrastructure is SHIT. We were DOOMED before the storm even hit.

To the people of Boone and Asheville and all the other small towns and cities of Western NC, if you could read this, maybe never will, but it you do, thank you and please keep holding on. The Appalachian Mountains were the only thing keeping the storm from hitting where I am, in college, 3 hours away from home. To the every victim of this storm, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee and every other state, I'm so sorry you are not being saved faster, I'm sorry the state has abandoned you and I'm so sorry that everyone blames you for your situation. Please keep working through, you'll have to rebuild, you've lost so much, but never lose hope. Remember what you still have in the end of this, your family, your friends, your pets, and your life. Please keep strong, like we southerns always do in these situations. I hope that whatever religion you worship, your deity is watching over you... And to the atheists, keep being strong in yourself!

I remember Dorian knocking out our power for weeks, and me and my family being stuck in the humidity while we were getting no support. I bet everyone said that we "should have evacuated" too, but we physically couldn't, not in our condition. I just hope that people will get their heads out of their asses and help their fellow man, like they preach all the time. It pisses me right the fuck off. Keep your blue and red states bullshit out of natural disasters.

[reality-detective]

TOP 100 US RIOTED CITIES!

I'm sure if anything goes down from all the people who have crossed over our borders, the Military will have everything under control swiftly. You may want to avoid these cities if anything goes down, and for your safety, please stay away from the military if you see them. This list was pulled and organized from a NY Times recent article listing the top 100 prior-rioted cities, for quick reference. They are 👇

(THOSE WITH * ARE TOP 25 CITIES JUST ISSUED BY THE WHITE HOUSE ON 2/9/24):

Alabama

Huntsville

Mobile

Alaska

Arizona

* Phoenix

Arkansas

Bentonville

Conway

Little Rock

California

Beverly Hills

Fontana

La Mesa

* Los Angeles

* Oakland

Sacramento

* San Diego

* San Francisco

San Jose

San Luis Obispo

Santa Ana

Santa Rosa

Vallejo

Walnut Creek

Colorado

Colorado Springs

* Denver

Connecticut

Delaware

Florida

Fort Lauderdale

Jacksonville

Lakeland

* Miami

Orlando

West Palm Beach

Georgia

* Atlanta

Athens

Hawaii

Idaho

Illinois

Aurora

Bloomington

Rockford

Indiana

Fort Wayne

Hammond

Indianapolis

Lafayette

Iowa

Des Moines

Iowa City

Waterloo

Kansas

Wichita

Kentucky

Louisville

Louisiana

* New Orleans

Maine

Maryland

Massachusetts

* Boston

Michigan

* Detroit

Grand Rapids

Kalamazoo

Lansing

Minnesota

Duluth

Minneapolis

* St. Paul

Mississippi

Missouri

Ferguson

Kansas City

St. Louis

Montana

Nebraska

Lincoln

Omaha

Nevada

Las Vegas

Reno

New Hampshire

New Jersey

New Mexico

Albuquerque

New York

Albany

* Buffalo

* New York City

North Carolina

Ashville

Charlotte

Raleigh

Wilmington

North Dakota

Fargo

Ohio

Cincinnati

Cleveland

Columbus

Dayton

Springfield

Toledo

Oklahoma

Oklahoma City

Tulsa

Oregon

Eugene

Portland

Salem

Pennsylvania

Erie

* Philadelphia

Pittsburgh

Rhode Island

Providence

South Carolina

Charleston

Columbia

South Dakota

Sioux Falls

Tennessee

Chattanooga

Murfreesboro

Nashville

Texas

* Arlington

Austin

* Dallas

* El Paso

Fort Worth

* Houston

Lewisville

* San Antonio

Utah

* Salt Lake City

Vermont

Virginia

Fredericksburg

Richmond

Virginia Beach

Washington

Bellevue

* Seattle

Spokane

West Virginia

Wisconsin

Green Bay

Madison

Milwaukee

Wyoming

[fandomgeeknerd]

ok i'm done i did it here it is ( i got done with this last night but i knew it wouldn't get any traction if i posted it last night)

and now i will list off every book on this list so you guys can know

list under cut cus listing 50 books is long af

the west: the night before christmas in nevada by sue carabine, The Twelve Days of Christmas in Oregon by Susan Blackaby, 'Twas the Night Before Christmas in Washington illustrated by Jo Parry, The Twelve Days of Christmas in Arizona by Jennifer J. Stewart, 'Twas the Night Before Christmas in New Mexico illustrated by Jo Parry, 12 little elves visit colorado by trish madson, santa's sleigh is on it's way to wyoming by eric james, 12 Little Elves Visit Montana by trish madson, The Night Before Christmas in Idaho by sue carabine, Santa Is Coming to Utah by Steve Smallman, santa's sleigh is on it's way to alaska by eric james, Hawaiian Christmas Day by Beth Greenway and you already know cali's book.

the south: Santa Is Coming to Tulsa by Steve Smallman, 'Twas the Night Before Christmas in Arkansas illustrated by Jo Parry, Christmas Stories from Mississippi by Wyatt Waters,I Saw Santa in Alabama by JD Green, The Twelve Days of Christmas in Georgia by Susan Rosson Spain, the Charleston 12 Days of Christmas by Vickie Trippe, The North Carolina Night Before Christmas by E. J. Sullivan, The Twelve Days of Christmas in Tennessee by Alice Faye Duncan, An Old Kentucky Christmas by pat lucas, 'Twas the Night Before Christmas in West Virginia illustrated by Jo Parry, Santa's Visit to Maryland by Lynn Roxy Gambrill, I Saw Santa in Virginia by JD Green, Santa's Sleigh Is on Its Way to Delaware by Eric James, The Twelve Days of Christmas in Washington, D.C. by Candice Ransom, you guys already know what tex, loui and flo's books are.

the midwest: 'Twas the Night Before Christmas in North Dakota illustrated by Jo Parry, Santa Is Coming to South Dakota by Steve Smallman, 12 Little Elves Visit Nebraska by trish madson, 'Twas the Night Before Christmas in Kansas City illustrated by Jo Parry, The Twelve Days of Christmas in Missouri by Ann Ingalls, Santa Is Coming to Iowa by Steve Smallman, A Minnesota Christmas by Ryan Jacobson, The Twelve Days of Christmas in Wisconsin by Erin Eitter Kono, The Twelve Days of Christmas in Illinois by Gina Bellisario, The Twelve Days of Christmas in Indiana by Donna Griffin, 'Twas the Night Before Christmas in Ohio illustrated by Jo Parry, A Michigan Night Before Christmas by Norma Lewis.

the northeast: Pennsylvania Dutch Night Before Christmas by Chet Williamson, The Twelve Days of Christmas in New Jersey by Margaret Woollatt, Santa Is Coming to Connecticut by Steve Smallman, 'Twas the Night Before Christmas in Rhode Island illustrated by Jo Parry, Santa Is Coming to Massachusetts by Steve Smallman, now maine has two books one is The Lobsters' Night Before Christmas by Christina Laurie and the second one is One Maine Christmas Eve by Douglas Coffin, 'Twas the Night Before Christmas in Vermont illustrated by Jo Parry, and lastly Santa's Sleigh Is on Its Way to New Hampshire by Eric James and you guys already know ny's book.

ok now enjoy this post bye

[lungfuls]

i just made a little table for states by cost of living & median income rankings; here's the list of 50 states from "most affordable" (lower col relative to income) to "least affordable" (higher col relative to income) with their index (difference between col & income rankings) beside them

illinois -23

nebraska -20

minnesota -17

iowa -15

kansas -15

georgia -14

texas -11

utah -11

virginia -9

colorado -8

missouri -7

new jersey -7

oklahoma -6

maryland -5

new hampshire -5

wisconsin -5

connecticut -4

south dakota -4

wyoming -4

pennsylvania -3

michigan -2

north dakota -2

delaware -1

indiana -1

washington -1

alabama 0

massachusetts 0

mississippi 0

tennessee 0

rhode island +1

california +2

arkansas +5

nevada +5

arizona +6

hawai'i +6

vermont +6

west virginia +6

alaska +7

ohio +7

new york +10

idaho +11

louisiana +11

oregon +11

kentucky +12

north carolina +13

florida +15

new mexico +16

montana +17

south carolina +17

maine +19

some of these are affected by nearby major cities paying quite well while people employed in the rest of the state will tend to make less (i'm thinking of maryland, in particular.. they are ranked #1 in income and that's 100% because of dc commuters; that said, i do think that excluding dc, maryland would still be middling here), but for the most part, i think this should be a pretty accurate picture of how much it costs to live in each state

data is recent: https://worldpopulationreview.com/state-rankings/cost-of-living-index-by-state https://worldpopulationreview.com/state-rankings/median-household-income-by-state

[louis--wifey]

WTTT Incorrect Quotes but they are all from What We Do In The Shadows

~~~~

California: Have you gone soft, my sweet syrup pie?

New York: No, my sweet syrup pie, I'm gone hard.

~~~~

Texas: I have the power of a thousand cowboys running through my veins right now.

~~~~

Georgia, to Tennessee, Kentucky, and South Carolina: Ah this is the life, hanging out with my three favorite gerbils.

~~~~

Massachusetts: Are you dead?! My love!

Maryland, sits up abruptly: *harmonica sounds while he talks* I think I swallowed a harmonica.

~~~~

CDC: This is science.

Florida: But this is a turtle.

~~~~

Nevada: BAZINGAAAA!!!!

Nevada: Bazinga in the war cry on Sheldon.

~~~~

New Jersey: I love this little slut.

Rhode Island: And I love you, my little whore.

~~~~

New Mexico: You're not in love. You may think you are, you dumb fuck, but you're not.

Colorado: How do you know?

~~~~

Connecticut, to New York: You really are the most devious bastard in Nhew Yhork Citayyy.

~~~~

Arizona: This is how we speak in Tucson Arizonia.

~~~~

Pennsylvania: I cut loose to Pennsylvania because it sounded like Transylvania. And we all know that sounds cool.

~~~~

Georgia, panicked: South Carolina, there's a fucking ghost on the front lawn!

South Carolina: What-

~~~~

Texas, talking to Washington, California and New York: What is the word for what you guys are? It's-

California: Polyamorous?

Texas: I was thinking filthy hippies.

~~~~

Louisiana, the first time he met Florida: He’s my best friend. He’s my pal. He’s my homeboy, my rotten soldier. He’s my sweet cheese, my good time boy.

~~~~

California: Gay is in. Gay is hot. I want some gay. Gay it's gonna be.

~~~~

Gov: What do you have to say for yourself?

Florida: I don't know, whoops?

California: That was a shit response.

Louisiana, trying to help him: I'm sure what he meant to say is that surely there's an explanation somehow, right?

Florida: I guess I just do fucked up shit now. That's just who I am.

~~~~

Washington: A bird flew into my room and I have been trying to befriend it.

[later]

California: Why don't you go talk to your bird friend?

Washington: Matthew and I are not speaking at the moment.

~~~~

Florida: *Just back from clubbing with Gov* We have fun here don't we?

Gov: I've never been more stressed in my life.

~~~~

Texas: *cough* Told you so.

California: *cough**cough* uh, no you fucking didn't.

[ameliafuckinjones]

I was thinking about @genesisclub idea for America's children, where instead of having 50 state children, America has regions instead, and I've been playing around with the idea. I looked at the US regions wiki page, and it sort of gave me a clue on how many children there would be exactly and which region a child would represent. The regions are broken up into two or three divisions, so some regions will have two or three children representing it:

Region 1 - Northeast:

New England (Division 1): Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont

Middle Atlantic (Division 2): New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania

Region 2 - Midwest:

East North Central (Division 3): Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin

West North Central (Division 4): Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota

Region 3 - South:

South Atlantic (Division 5): Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Washington DC, and West Virginia

East South Central (Division 6): Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, and Tennessee

West South Central (Division 7): Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas

Region 4 - West:

Mountain (Division 8): Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming

Pacific (Division 9): Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington

That's 9 subregions in total, which I believe @genesisclub was referencing in the op. I don't think they were born in this exact order, I just think it would probably be a neat way for America (and the government) to determine who represents what, and I think America and the regions intuitively know who they're supposed to represent. As to when exactly they were born? I'm still figuring that out, but I do enjoy the thought of them being born after the Revolution!!

Edit: Thinking maybe the regions are born when the last state from that region finally enters the Union or becomes a US territory. Or maybe when the first state from that region becomes a state or a US territory. For example, New England was probably born in 1788 when Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire became states.

[metalgear-f-15e-tfr]

*buys one postcard for $5.99 because it's a 1970s picture of a local landmark that no longer exists from my hometown*

eBay: "oh so you like postcards? You collect post cards now? Here's a postcard of a random hotel in Tennessee. I'm sending you a push notification for an auction that closes in 21 days selling a post card for a defunct campsite in an ex-rural part of Georgia. Here's a postcard that is currently bidding for more than the worth of your car. Oh you're searching for retro video games? (which you have purchased far more of from us) Nah you must have mistyped, here's some postcards, postcard boy."

[aliypop]

Anyway You Want Me: Chapter 1

(Rewrite)

Word Count: 3,015

Writers Note: I abandoned this fic, but I'm rewriting it now that I've expanded on Cecelia and Elvis, This is an au idea as stated last time! Well let us try this again

Warning: None so far except for language and historic language

Pairing: POC OC x Elvis

Plot: In 1953, in Memphis Tennessee, Cecelia and her mother Denise Valmos move to Shelby County as Her mother Calpurnia's Nashville home is going through renovations, but when asked to keep a low profile by her mother, Cecelia makes friends with the quirkiest, shy, yet charming kid in class, at least Friends is what she'd call them.

Chapter 1 Chapter 2

Taglist

@darkmoviesquotespizza

@sissylittlefeather

@richardslady121

@thegettingbyp2

@presleyenterprise

@sissylittlefeather

@dkayfixates

@rjmartin11

@thetaoofzoe

@your-nanas-house

@zayurir

@60svintage

@sillybookmarks

@leapresley

Memphis May 1953

The spring winds of Memphis blew as a pink Chevrolet Bel Air was parked in the parking lot of Humes High School. A place where this one particular student knew she wouldn't belong. Getting her books from the back seat, she dusted off her skirt, looked at her watch, and took a deep breath. Until she realized she was almost late for her first day of school, and she couldn't be late, at least not as the new kid in town!

 The hustle and bustle of everyone was different from when she lived in Georgia, where everything was a bit slow-paced. And with a mix of a few faces that looked like hers. But here it seemed she was the only face that. Well, looked like hers, and the glares she was getting had explained that very clearly. Her saddle shoes kept walking down the hallway until she finally found her homeroom. The glares and stares were harsh, but she continued inside until all eyes were on her. Whispers all around the classroom, some of the students pointing and laughing at her, 

"I think she got on the wrong bus..." 

                 "Whys her hair all like that?"

"Must have stolen that dress..." 

"Class..."

"Class..."

"CLASS!" The room was silent, 

"Class, I want everyone to meet Cecelia Shanel Valmos. She's our new student, Welcome..." 

"Thank you. You know a fun fact about myself is I like comics and-"

"Now attendance." 

Cecelia sat in the back of the Class, where a few students had glanced at her as if she carried the fleas. It was starting to get as bad as when they had driven here to Memphis.

 Tapping her fingers, Cecelia could tell this would be a stressful time. And she couldn't wait to move to Nashville with her glammy, her grandmother.

As the bell rang, Cecelia went to her arithmetic class. Her least favorite subject. But very well needed. At least, it was what Midge told her, looking over the checks she'd signed for Valmos Music and Sound. Taking her seat in the back, Cecelia had begun to read her Batman comic book. Other students filled the room, talking and chattering as she flipped the page on the Joker's crazy antics. 

"You're late..."

"S-S-Sorry, I ain't mean to be late, I just..."

" Lost track of time, Mr. Presley." The teacher sighed, following his gaze as his eyes landed on the tawny-skinned girl with dark brown hair curled up in a tall style. 

"Take your seat, Mr. Presley..."

Sitting next to Cecelia was a kid who had to be about her age. She couldn't tell, and she didn't want to ask. She figured, at this point, her breathing would cause a problem. But something about him was different, after all. He had blondish brown hair and fading black roots. And he smelled like shoe polish. He also had rolled-up jeans and loafers with pink socks, the same color as hers. 

"Is that the 3-D edition..."

"Yeah, it is..." Cecelia kept reading,

"I-I've been tryin to find that one for weeks." 

"Found it at a comic shop in Chattanooga." she huffed. She wasn't annoyed that he was talking to her, just while she was reading her comics. 

"Am I botherin you, doll..."

"A little, and I'm not your-" Cecelia looked up, seeing eyes bluer than James Dean's and a cute but crooked smile that seemed so shy yet so sweet.

"Are you okay? You're starin'?"

 "Sorry, I'm new here, and it's stressful, and I don't have any friends and-" 

"Mind if I be your friend..."

"I wouldn't mind that at all ah..."

"Elvis Presley... But u-uh, most everyone calls me, well no one calls me anything cept for Red West, who calls me E..."

"Well, I'll call you Pres." She smiled, "I'm Cecelia Valmos, by the way." she winked at him as he blushed a little, 

"I'll call you Cece..." he tried to wink back at her, but his hair got in his eyes. Cecelia giggled a bit, "I like it." she grinned. Elvis could feel his heart beat faster, trying to push the emotions aside as he looked into her hazel eyes. Finally, he might not have been so alone in the world. 

"So, favorite superhero..."

"Easy, Jay Garrick," she smirked, "What about you?"

"Captain Marvel Jr." he grinned, "Sometimes I imagine myself as him."

"Flying to the rock of eternity ..." Cecelia smiled back at him,

"Yeah."

"I used to think I was the Flash until I bumped into a wall." she snorted a bit when she laughed, and she could hear the teacher clearing her throat. Cecelia mouthed sorry as she went back to take her notes. 

"Do you understand any of that..."

"Nope..." Cecelia laughed, "But I do know. That, that answer should be 35." Elvis laughed as he changed it,

"You're a lifesaver." He blushed, his accent thick, but Cecelia found it cute, 

The bell rang again as they got up and went to their next class. Elvis and Cecelia were walking side by side, still talking. It was beginning to feel like she had known this kid since childhood, which was nicer than what she had been recently feeling.

"I love the color pink. " Elvis smiled,

"My car is pink!"

"No way!"

"It's a Bel Air." she winked, 

" You're too cool for me, Cece." He joked as Cecelia nudged him, 

"Honestly, I'm just me." she shrugged,

"Again, too cool for me, "He nudged her back as she laughed with him. 

"Say, would you care to eat lunch with me?

"Yeah, sure, I ain't got much but-"

"You can have some of my lunch." 

"Cece, I couldn't."

"I usually don't eat it all." 

"You sure?"

"Positive." 

Sitting alone at the table was Cecelia and Elvis, who were enjoying their lunch together. It was nice to know that he wasn't afraid to go against the normal and politically correct, but instead eat with someone who wouldn't bully him.

"So, how was your first day here so far."

"Eh, crappy..." she sighed, 

"The bullies stop eventually." He sighed as Cecelia looked over at him,

"Easy for you to say, I got called a teacher's pet 'cause I knew all the answers in my history class... Not my fault some of us read for fun." she mumbled to herself, "Or in my typing class, I typed over several words a minute. And yet I'm wrong... Well, excuse me for writing songs when I'm bored!" she began to get angry as Elvis looked at her. 

"At least you've passed your typing lessons on the first day." He joked, "I got a C in that, which ain't bad..."

"But it's not good, Pres." she looked at him. 

"Well, maybe you could tutor me." 

"To type? Sure." she smiled, splitting her candy bar with him. The two cheered each other with their Pepsi-Cola bottles.  

When the day was over, Cecelia went to her car as she saw Elvis walk to his car,

 "Nice 41 Lincoln!" she waved as she was next to her pink beauty. It suited her well. He thought to himself as she got in, 

"See you tomorrow, right?"

"Yeah!"

Dinner was on the table, and Cecelia was doing her homework as her mother was on the phone with the electric company. This move was a headache, especially with her mother having an album on the way and getting settled into a temporary house and Cecelia adjusting to her new school for only a month. It could drive a single mother completely insane. 

"Guess what! I made a friend today, and he's really nice and-"

"Cecelia, I'm on hold with the heating and air..." 

"Right..." She continued to do her homework. She knew things were going to be different. They always had been since her father left, and her mother devoted her life to her music. And her half of the label and studio. Cecelia = sighed as she blushed, thinking about Elvis and his eyes and how she couldn't wait to see him again. 

"Mama!" Elvis nearly ran into his family apartment like a whirlwind. It had been a while since Gladys had seen him so happy after school, like a puppy waiting for a treat. 

"Elvis!"

"Pa! You'll never believe what I made in school today." he grinned as Vernon was about to guess. "A friend. Well, I think she's a friend. We shared a sandwich together, and I think she's giving me one of her comics to read-" 

Gladys chuckled. Vernon perked up. Some special girl, if he was going on and on about her like this, the last girl he did that with was Dixie, or was it another girl?. Meanwhile, to Gladys, it sounded like he had a crush on this mystery schoolgirl. 

"So I assume you'll be staying up in class more."Gladys scolded him playfully.

"And paying attention." Vernon glanced at him as Elvis blushed and nodded, 

"Of course." He rubbed the back of his head, Gladys laughing as Vernon shook his head.

The next day, all the students were back in homeroom, and Cecelia was in the back, dreaming away about her new friend and what they'd talk about that day. Would it be comics or music? Maybe books? Or after-graduation goals? But those thoughts were crushed until a group of girls came behind her and pulled her hair. Cecelia only sighed as she tried to ignore them. It wasn't like she didn't get a note in her locker that said Stay away. Well, words she'd rather not repeat. Yes, this would be a tough couple of months. She just had to make it to, 

"Oh No..." 

Her eyes caught on to several kids running with scissors in their hands. 

"Come here, fairy!" one kid shouted,

"Long-haired freak!"

"Oh, please don't let it be..."

"PRES!" Cecelia shouted, standing up, eyes on her as she grabbed her books, "Ent and I have to go use the girl's room... really, uh, quickly." storming out of the classroom, Cecelia quickly tried to follow the rest of the kids. They had Elvis cornered, with no room to escape, and there was fear in his eyes as if he'd been on death row. 

"Maybe we'll cut off those flashy clothes next." It was no secret Elvis craved the fashion of Beale Street, but it wasn't a secret that everyone else at his school hated it, let alone hated him. He could feel the blades get close to his hair, and he closed his eyes and prayed until he heard a voice say. 

"LEAVE HIM ALONE!" 

Elvis looked at the crowd as he saw Red West behind him and Cecelia beside him. 

"Or what!"

"You'll answer to my fist..." Cecelia glared at one of the boys. What was she thinking was the main thing Red and Elvis were thinking. 

"Your fist aint gonna do nothing cause you're just a nig-"

POW!

The students scurried, dropping everything they had to torture Elvis. Shaking her wrist, she looked back at the two guys and sighed. She probably made it worse, and the principal would call her mother, and then there'd be a commotion about it all. 

"Where'd you learn to throw a punch like that."

"My mother taught me." Cecelia shrugged, looking at Red,

"Some mother..." Red nodded until they both saw Elvis shaking like a leaf. 

"El!" Cecelia ran over, "Are you okay? Do you need to go home? Do you wanna stay at my home..." she offered, but Elvis stood up, shook it off, and tried to laugh even though he wanted to cry and scream and yell,

 "Cece, Red, I'm fine..." 

"E, yer tremblin." 

"Like a leaf, Pres..."

"I SAID I'M FINE!" He shouted. He didn't mean to. He was having a rough day and an anxiety attack.

 Cecelia approached him, "We're just worried, is all..."

"At least let us walk you to class." Red offered as Elvis nodded. Cecelia's hand brushed against his. He blushed a little. Was Cecelia flirting with him?

"So then Superman catches him in the water!" Cecelia said as the three were walking down the hallway,

"You're spoilin' it, Cece." Elvis groaned, 

"Well, I have a TV in my room. If y'all ever wanna come by and watch it." her southern accent escaped her as Elvis had a slightly brighter blush on his cheeks. 

"Or we could go to the drive-in!" Cecelia then said as Elvis's eyes wide. He's only been a third wheel to the drive-in, mooching off his friend's french fries and whatnot. And if he did bring a girl. Then he was either making out with her, or he was super into the movie.

"I think I'd leave that up to you two," Red said as Elvis had short-circuited. Walking to their English Class, Elvis had taken in the charm of Cecelia. She was a big ball of mystery who was protective, loyal, and stood up for him after only knowing him for a day. Cecelia was kind enough to share her sandwich with him. And she was pretty to look at in her pink gingham dress. But this wasn't how you thought about a friend. Besides, he was Elvis, the weird kid with a guitar and his head in the clouds, dreaming.

"Since it's Friday, what'cha got planned for the weekend?" 

"Well, work, but I'm off at 3 p.m."

"Well, I'm still new in town, so... maybe you could show me around Beale Street or comic shops you like to go to. Or record stores." She began to ramble on as he laughed, her stomach doing small butterflies at the sound of it,

"We can do all of that," he bumped her shoulder as she bumped his back. 

"That would be great," Cecelia smiled, "Oh! You'll need my number. So you can call." Things were looking up for Elvis. He had gotten her number. And he got to hang out with her. It wasn't a date, but it sure enough was something. Besides, he spent his weekends playing football, fixing his car, or on Beale Street. Now, he wouldn't have to be alone doing it.

When school was out for the day, Cecelia rushed to her car with a now-popped tire. Kids were so cruel, but that still didn't stop Cecelia. Going to the back of her car, she rolled the spare tire until she remembered that Midge had taken the tire kit with her. Elvis walked out with Red West, talking to him about his weekend plans, and then he saw Cecelia, who looked like a pinup girl in a calendar posing with a tire, "A little help here..." She sighed, watching some of her peers walk by, 

"Could you help me here... And they walked off." Cecelia huffed until she saw Elvis, 

"Not bother you, but..."

"I caught a flat last week." Popping open his trunk, he took out the jack. "How'd this happen."

"Those bullies you were talkin about..." she gritted her teeth,

"Don't let 'em get to ya, Cece. Which ain't easy to do," he sighed as he fixed her tire, "Just breathe and imagine the good Lord pickin' 'em off one by one." Cecelia laughed hard as Elvis laughed with her,

 "Morbid, but it helps." Cecelia grinned, "Say, call me when you get home so I know you're safe, okay."

"Cece, I'll be fine." Those hazel eyes pierced his soul in a glare, 

"Okay, okay, I will."

"Good, you better, or I'll find out where you live. And I'll!"

"You'll what." He smirked. His face was close to hers and she blushed a little.

"Bug ya! to death," she smirked,

"You could never bug me, Val." He winked,

"Cece the phones for you," Denise said as Cecelia raced down the stairs, 

"Thank you, Mother." she winked, taking the phone as she took a deep breath, 

"Cecelia speaking,"

"It's me, Elvis. We're still on for tomorrow. Right? " 

"You bet we are!" Cecelia grinned, "Do you wanna meet at your job or a restaurant or-"

"My job is fine." Elvis said, "You can park your car in the front, and we'll take mine." 

"Sounds good. " she smiled, trying not to sound so giddy, "Oh, and El!" she said as if she forgot something, 

"Yeah, Cece?"

"I may have bought several volumes of Captain Marvel Jr."

"You gotta let me read 'em!" 

"Why do you think I bought 'em..." 

"Cece, you're the best." he grinned. 

"No, El, you're the best, " she smiled. If only he knew how much he was starting to mean to her, 

"Say, bring the comics. There's a diner in Beale Street we could read 'em at."

"Deal." 

"Cece, time to get off the phone."

"Let me guess your mama."

"Mhmm."

"Elvis Aron Presley!

"Let me guess yours?"

"Yeah," 

"Well, Good night, El,"

"Night, Cece."

"So who was that," Denise asked as Cecelia smiled widely, her dimples on display,

 "Elvis Presley, he's a friend from school. And he's showing me around town tomorrow." Denise only laughed a little at her daughter's reaction. She was happy to see that something made her smile since they moved to Memphis. "And is this Elvis cute..." Denise asked as Cecelia blushed a bit, embarrassed, 

"Mother!" her brown cheeks turning red, "We're just friends!"

"For now... After all, you and Anthony Rodgers were friends..."

"That was a poor judgment. Besides, Anthony's an actor." 

"Who pretended to love me to get to you." Her mother was right, but she knew that Elvis was different. Besides, he didn't know her secret. And she didn't plan for him to find out anytime soon either, 

"He's not like that."

"What's he like then."

"I don't fully know yet, but he's not that." Cecelia sighed,

"Just be careful tomorrow."

"I will, and you have fun getting Daddy to do the electrical work for the studio," Cecelia mentioned as she walked up the stairs. 

 Neither party could hardly fall asleep from the excitement of seeing the other. Elvis tossed and turned in his bed. And Cecelia was counting sheep and talking to her posters as she swooned. This wasn't a date, right? Right?"

[intheholler]

I'm from the very far south in the Appalachian mountains, in Georgia. My town was real rural when i was young, then blew up when folks started moving to atlanta in hordes. My dad's family is between Asheville and Charlotte, and they're who I spent most of my childhood with. I can relate to the Appalachian identity crisis. I've got friends from out west who say I'm not appalachian (and send me ARC maps like it's a "gotcha" when my county is on the map 🙃) while my appalachian friends in Tennessee and West Virginia say I am. I don't claim to be bc I'm scared people will say I'm not. I'm always in limbo lmfao

this is gonna be long because im upset for you and i hated feeling the way you are.

okay, for starters, why do your western friends give a shit? and what kind of "friends" go out of their way to try this hard to invalidate your entire identity? honestly, who cares what they say, they ain't even from here and the people who are from here are telling you otherwise. listen to those ones.

also, what are they even talking about? north georgia is literally the mountains. i'm from a county that is nearly on the border between nc and georgia. western nc is as appalachian as it comes (minus the coal ofc). they gonna try and tell me im not too? what do they know

i drove to atl all the time either for airport or concert purposes and it looks like appalachia the whole way down. sounds like it, eats like it, feels like it. it gets a bit flatter but that's what happens in a piedmont.

if it makes you feel any better, here is where i lived in SC:

not only in the piedmont but at the edge of it. so i absolutely get the identity crisis. but like i mentioned, the culture is practically identical and the dialect is literally the same there.

this is all to say cultural bleed happens, and you live right up on it. you have kin there. you spent time there. just because you aren't surrounded by mountain peaks doesn't mean you aren't a part of its soul. and the soul is really what matters.

i also get the heavy feeling of trying to prove to yourself that you are what you say you are, but try not to. say you're from appalachia because you are. and if anyone gets ugly about it, just show them this Very Official certificate.

congrats, you're a card carrying appalachian now <3