#honestly its hard to tell when your north or south if there aren't mountains or swamps or the ocean

[kyistell]

This was just a random idea I had. In my brain Central Jersey is the Jersey that shows the most, problem is is since CJ is so...let's go with disconnected, with the rest of the country he gets overwhelmed, and sure North could just switch in and South could do the same if they all wanted to scare the others with a southern accent that has the slang of the California coast, but watching a place that doesn't exist (it totally does btw) is way funnier.

Besides, by now all the other states that aren't the OG13 think that New Jersey has brown-looks red in certain light-eyes and it would scare the devil out of 'em if they see the red eyes that North actually has (and considering it's HIS body, it is far to tempting).

Also is it obvious that I love the idea that it's the Jersey's and not just Jersey, like I live here, if it's one singular state then I'm from Pennsylvania (I may have been born there but I sure as heaven ain't from there). Jersey would be three different states if we wanted to be associated with the rest of the country more than we already are, that and we may not agree on things but we don't HATE each other, we leave that for the rest of the country (plus let's be real, central wouldn't exist and then what would north and south argue about?)

Anyway as a proud Centralian looking at the news of the rest of the country is overwhelming, I just want to go skating, to the arcade, and continue lovin our favorite Devil, and down the shore when it's nice (and no, down don't mean literally down, though normally we are going down).

[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