#wild camping georgia

[jenonthetrail]

[awfcspencer]

Long Live || leah williamson x reader

prompt: The journey of the Euros, Leah's ACL, and then returning.

warnings: mentions of injury, some instances of angst

“I said remember this moment. In the back of my mind. The time we stood with our shaking hands. The crowds in the stands went wild.”

All summer you had watched Leah and her England national teammates endlessly work for this opportunity, a chance to play in a Euro final and hopefully win the Euros on home soil. The tournament had begun swimmingly, solid wins against Austria, Norway, and Northern Ireland, ending the group perfect, with zero goals conceded. It was the perfect triumph heading into quarterfinals with Spain, a worthy competitor that brought a different style of play into the tournament. This would be the first time the England side would be thoroughly tested and you could only hope for the vital win. 

The Spain match was certainly the most stressful thus far, it had you pacing back and forth praying to some sort of God to allow a miracle to happen and England to move forward. A goal slotted in the back of the net by Ester González sent you into a full-blown panic, but luckily Ella equalized near the end of regulation time to take the game to extra-time. A danger of a strike from Georgia sealed the 2-1 win for England to send them into the semifinals with Sweden.

Throughout the tournament, you were allotted minimal time with your girlfriend, between training and media duties, you had to rely on text messages and late-night facetime calls for communication. You even kept those to a minimum so that Leah’s main focus could be on leading England to a Euros final, especially because she was captaining the team. You vividly remember the night she had called you to let you know the news and your heart beamed for your lover every time she stepped on the pitch with the armband. The inability to not actually spend nearly enough time with Leah had been unfortunate for you, but you knew what this meant to her and you would do it every day over again if it meant that she could play to her very best. Later on you would find out that Leah had kept a very detailed journal of her days on camp, sharing every single memory and thought with you after the come down of the tournament when she returned home.

You could also tell just how the sport of women’s football was growing at each game, thousands of fans attended the matches, breaking records at each stadium. You even spotted several little girls and boys wearing your girlfriend’s kit, imaging one day your own kids wearing their mother’s number on their back. You swelled with pride at every match, seeing Leah’s passion for the game and her ability to lead her team, she and her team were finally getting the recognition they had worked so hard for and starting a new wave of young women playing football.

The next opponent, Sweden, brought one of the most historic goals with Alessia finding the back of the net with her backheel. A 4-0 win that sent England into the finals to face a powerful Germany team. You were overjoyed with happiness while you spent half the summer supporting your girlfriend at various stadiums across England and her dreams were so close you could taste it. At every single game, Leah would look up at her section and you would meet her with flashing eyes and a dimpled smile, you were always there and Leah loved every minute of it.

“I’m so proud of you baby! Onto the finals!” You congratulated her as she made long strides towards the section where you sat, hugging you desperately close. You mostly kept the interaction brief and short to allow her to visit with the several family members that had continuously showed up to support Leah.

She kept you close though, basking in your presence with an arm laced around your waist as she conversed with the people around you. You also spent some time congratulating different members of the England squad who you had come to know through Leah, ushering them well wishes and good luck’s as they passed by.

The Germany game brought you endless nervousness and stress, you desperately wanted your girlfriend to win, you saw all the hard work her and all her teammates had poured in and you wanted nothing more than them to be rewarding with a historic win. The first half ended goalless as you held close to Amanda, she had been by your side all tournament long and you both knew how desperately bad England and Leah wanted this win. Ella came on as a substitute and gave England the lead 1-0, but not long after, Germany unfortunately equalized, sending the match into extra time tied 1-1. 

You hadn’t been able to sit the whole match, anxiously swaying back and forth as you watched. The next goal felt like it happened in slow motion, a corner kick by Lauren that bounced off of Lucy and luckily entered the patch of Chloe who nearly sealed the Euros win with an incredible goal. An all-around effort of time wasting and the final whistle blew, ‘England are European champions’ rang throughout a nearly sold-out Wembley stadium as the crowd erupted in cheers. 

 You jumped up and down while embracing several of Leah’s various family members into hugs, cheering amongst yourselves as you celebrated. England had done it and you were ecstatic for your girlfriend. Once finished with mandatory media duties and celebrating with her teammates, she made her way towards you.

“You’ve earned this love, Leah Williamson European champion!” You exclaimed with tears in your eyes as the confetti fell. “I am so, so proud of you. I’m speechless right now, just so happy baby. You did it!”

“I couldn’t have done it without your support.” She happily expressed, lifting you up while swinging you around as your fingers threaded through her hair, a wide smile cemented on your faces. You met her lips with a bruising kiss, thinking back to all the lonely nights in bed without your lover, remembering all the sacrifices she had made to make it to this moment made this moment all the more sweeter. Your childhood neighbor turned best friend and then eventually lover from Milton Keynes had led her country to a European championship and you couldn’t be happier.

To this day, watching her raise the trophy with her team had been one of your favorite memories, also the copious amount of partying and celebrating that ensued after the finals into the early hours of the next morning. 

“You held your head like a hero.”

April 19th will always be a date forever engrained into your mind. A matchup between Manchester United and Arsenal at Leighs Sports Village where Arsenal looked to avenge a 2-3 loss to the Manchester side at the Emirates in the beginning half of the season, fighting to stay in the top of the WSL standings.

You’d woken up early this matchday, looking at the alarm clock that read a few minutes after 8 A.M. in red numbers. Stretching out your limbs and rolling over to your lover who lied in a deep sleep, her chest rising and falling slowly. She looked peaceful and you decided you would let her rest a little longer, knowing that waking a sleeping Leah too early resulted in a grumpy Leah, and you undeniably knew that Leah would snooze her alarm a few times before actually getting up anyways. 

You took the time to properly make Leah a sufficient breakfast that included necessary carbs and protein to fuel the athlete, knowing the defender’s usual ham sandwich pregame meal would not be efficient enough for her to play to her best potential no matter how many times you had told her. You’d checked her kit bag twice to make sure she had everything she needed and even added a little post-it note that told her how much you loved her and wished her a good game, placing it in her left boot so she could find it right before the match.

“Good morning super star, ready for today?” You asked the blonde when she came shuffling into the kitchen a half an hour later, rubbing her tired eyes and still dressed in her pajamas. Meeting her upon her entrance in a warm embrace before you ushered her towards the kitchen table to eat her meal while you finished up making yourself a coffee. Manchester United always gave a valent effort, especially when they played against the Arsenal red, but you had little to no doubt that Leah and her squad could pull out an important win.

“Ready as ever, I feel good,” she told you in between bites. “You’ll be there right? I need my good luck charm in attendance.”

“Of course I will baby, wouldn’t miss it for the world.” You told her as you joined her at the table, a large grin plastered across the defender’s face. “But you really need to hurry, you have to leave in 20 minutes.”

“20 minutes?” the blonde questioned, glancing down at her watch to check the time which indicated she indeed need to put a pep in her step. “Where has the time gone? Thank you for breakfast baby.” Leah said placing her dishes in the sink and meeting you back at the table to pepper soft kisses on the side of your cheek.

“Leah, you hit the snooze button 4 times this morning and have the audacity to be shocked you’re running late? Honestly woman you surprise me every day.” You teased towards her as she ran to get dressed and do in her hair in the bedroom while you finished your breakfast at the table, mindlessly scrolling on your phone.

Several minutes later she waltzed out in the Arsenal sweatsuit combo with her sudoku book in hand and her iPad in the other. She met you at the door where you held her fully packed kit bag up for her as she sent you a thankful smile when you placed the bag on her shoulder. You carefully tucked a loose strand of her blonde hair behind her ear that had fallen out of her ponytail, secretly chuckling to yourself at the endless hours you told Leah how much she would regret getting a fringe after the photoshoot was over. 

“Love you baby, play well today. Score a goal for me, yeah?” You whispered in her ear, throwing your arms around her neck, hugging her close before pulling her in for a passionate kiss, only forcing yourself to separate when you remembered Leah needed to be leaving or she would miss the bus. 

Leah opened the door before turning back towards you, “Just one more hug before I leave? Please?” your girlfriend begged and who were you to deny her, pulling her in for another warm, tight embrace.

“Now go Williamson or you’re going to be late.” You told her, practically having to shove the blonde out the door and closing it quickly behind you to avoid her forming some sort of wild excuse for another hug or kiss. You quickly finished up cleaning the last reminiscent of breakfast before getting ready for the match yourself, throwing on your ‘Williamson 6’ kit and getting into your car to drive to the stadium. 

------

The stadium was rambunctious, fans filling nearly every inch, excited to watch the next 90 minutes of football between two talented sides. You watched during warmups as Leah carefully scanned the crowd for her section of family and friends, sending her a wave and a smile when your eyes finally met hers as she returned the actions. Soon enough, warmups had ended, and the match was set to begin and you were on the edge of your seat, knees bobbing up and down until the whistle blew. Leah had already sent you a text that she found your little not, accompanying the message with a smile selfie holding the post-it.

Watching Leah play the sport she loved was something you would never take for granted, especially after this game.

It all happened so fast, one second Leah was on her feet and the next, she wasn’t. It was normal for Leah to play aggressively, using her body in ways to excel her game, not wanting to potentially give up anything to the opposition. It was a move she had done countless of times in training and on the pitch, so you expected her to bounce back up quickly and continue on. But she didn’t get up.

Looking down as your girlfriend lay face down on the pitch pounding her hand on the pitch in pain broke your heart in indescribable ways. Each second that passed that Leah did not get up sent a dagger farther and farther into your chest, wanting nothing more than to run onto the pitch and console your girlfriend. You were sure you hadn’t let out a single breath since she went down and it felt like every Arsenal fan, player, and coach also held their breath, they’d seen the injury with Beth, and then with Viv, and now they might have just witnessed another, the dreaded three letter word. The stadium fell eerily silent, everyone unsure of what to say or do next while the medics attended to your wincing lover, and it cut directly right through you.

You found yourself murmuring, “Get up Leah. Please, just get up baby. Please be okay,” as you watched from your seat, heartbroken with shaking legs and red rimmed eyes. 

The images of your tear-stained girlfriend limping off the pitch haunted your eyes every time you closed them as you tried to regain your composure throughout the rest of the first half. You wanted to run back towards the changing rooms and demand someone to tell you what was going on, but it would do no good, Leah was with exactly who she needed to be with in this moment but that didn’t necessarily make you feel any better. Sat in the stands you thought about the next leg of the Champion League that she could possibly miss, or the World Cup that was set to happen in the summer, but you forced those thoughts out of your mind, reframing your brain into thinking that Leah would be okay, and it was a minor injury, nothing to worry or fret over. She would be okay, she had to be okay.

An Arsenal staff member had come and found you not long after the halftime whistle blew, he didn’t say much, just a request to follow him. He led you through the underbelly of the stadium and into the physio room where you saw the most gut-wrenching sight. Your girlfriend lied on the cushioned physio table as various trainers examined her knee, her baby blue no longer shed tears and her agonizing demeanor that she showed on the pitch was gone. Instead she lied in a catatonic state while everything happened around her, until she saw you enter.

You step forward towards her, meeting her at her side at the table, still unsure of what the diagnosis was. Your hands interlaced with hers immediately, brushing your thumb back and forth over your lover’s knuckles. She tilted her face to you and uttered the most gut-wrenching letters.

 “ACL.” She said monotoned with a tightened jaw and thin lips. You knew she would still need a scan to properly confirm the diagnosis but the instant flash of pain that quickly subsided and the pop of the knee that she described to you after undoubtedly pointed to the tore muscle. 

“Oh baby.” Your heart raced wildly. “I’m so sorry.” Releasing a shaky breath that you weren’t aware you were holding in. You don’t really know what to do, you open your mouth to say something, anything, but nothing comes out.

“Oh love, I wish I could take away all the pain from you.” You told her in a whispered hush just loud enough for her to hear. They were the only words that felt right in the situation as the trainers around the two of you talked among themselves on how to proceed next. 

Leah wanted to leave as soon as the physios allowed her to, you assisted in getting her to your car that you had driven to the stadium while the Arsenal staff collected her belongings and brought them to you. You sent them a quick thanks and drove home as quickly as you could. This was all new uncharted territory, Leah had never been injured for a potential prolonged time like an ACL injury would have her sidelined and not being an athlete yourself, you couldn’t exactly understand what was going on in your lover’s mind.

The days before her scan were hard, Leah still didn’t say much, keeping to herself in your shared bed a majority of the time, but each night when she believed you were asleep, she would cry with sobs that wracked through her body and sent overwhelming pain and hurt through yours. 

A doctor’s appointment and an MRI scan that you accompanied Leah to confirmed the dreaded injury. The medical team discussed the next steps to Leah and yourself about surgery and rehab treatments and after what left like hours, you were finally able to take Leah home. 

In bed later that night, Leah worked tirelessly trying to type up a statement to say to her social media to let her fans know what was going on, but with each sentence she typed, she would quickly delete it, leaving her with a blank note once again. The two of you hadn’t really talked about the extent of the injury and what it means for the two of you just yet, again, it was all uncharted territory, and you didn’t want to say the wrong thing and make her more upset than she already was. She’d finally come up with the right words she was looking for and sent out the message, promptly closing her phone and setting it on the bedside table after. 

You set down the book that you had been reading right before bed and turned to your girlfriend’s sad eyes.

“Oh my sweet, sweet Leah.” You cooed, pulling her into your arms, gently tilting her chin to look into her eyes before saying, “You know you don’t have to do this alone, because I care about you, okay? And I will be here every step of the way.”

“Please, just hold me.” She cried, and that is what you did, clutching onto her body with a strong hold, rubbing circles into her back as she sobbed into your arms until she eventually tired herself out and fell asleep. 

“Of all the years that we stood there on the sidelines. Wishing for right now.”

Driving Leah to the hospital on the day of her operation was when the injury really felt real, up to this point the whole situation had felt like a bad dream, hoping to wake up and Leah would be perfectly fine, but that never happened. You tried your best to keep spirits high in the operation room and distract Leah the best you could by remembering to grab her sudoku book before leaving the house and making Leah pose in her oversized hospital gown for a picture. You told her every positive affirmation you could possibly think of as they wheeled her out of the room, clutching her hand until the last very second she wasn’t in reach, and then you waited, waited for what felt like years.

You’d already taken the time to text Beth and Viv separately to discuss in what ways you could best aid Leah during this journey, talking about what worked and what didn’t work. Several of the Arsenal girls had sent their well wishes to you for Leah, knowing by now she was already in surgery, you sent them a quick thank you message and promised to text as soon as she was out. You also already had the house set up to assist in rehab, purchasing the ice machine that Beth had raved about and miscellaneous things that you had bought online after reading about the best rehab techniques for ACL injuries. 

Leah’s rehab was filled with the highest highs and the lowest of lows, but nonetheless, you were right by her side through every step, even when she didn’t want you to be. The first few weeks right after surgery were probably the worst part of her rehab and you could tell the toll it was taking on the defender as she would lash out at you over the simplest of things, quickly apologizing after she realized her negative outburst. 

Leah had to physically relearn how to walk and relearn how to use the weak muscle and she felt herself doubting her body’s ability to measure up to what she was before the injury. She spent long days at the Arsenal facility, focusing on her rehab to the point where it was all she thought about, every move she made was to increase her ability to get back on the pitch.

You tried to coax Leah into confiding in you for how she was feeling but most nights it turned into an argument where Leah claimed she didn’t want to talk about it and that she was fine. You knew how badly she wanted to just play football, especially when she had to resort to watching the Champions league matches from the couch with her knee propped up with a few pillows.

“You don’t have to be so stoic all the time Leah, crying isn’t a sign of weakness, you know. You can’t just keep it all bottled up. You have to let it all out of you, otherwise you’ll just explode.” You told her as you watched the match, watching as Leah’s lip trembled a bit as she watched what was supposed to be her on the pitch.

“I’ll never be that me again, it wasn’t supposed to be like this. I don’t know who I am anymore without football.” She said, her eyes never left the television but you could tell the tears threatened to fall.

“You’re still you Leah, the same Leah who leads Arsenal’s defense, the same Leah who led England to a European championship, you just have a new ACL love.” Leah curled more into you, placing her head in your lap while you ran your fingers through her blonde hair. 

“I am so very in love with you, thank you for everything, I know I haven’t been the best girlfriend recently but you are my everything.”

“Oh Leah, my sweet, sweet Leah, you are nothing but perfect, sure the journey has not been ideal but I’ve loved you since the moment I first laid my eyes on you and an ACL injury doesn’t change anything about how I feel about you. I just need you to let me in, talk to me about what is going on in that pretty little head of yours, okay?” You bent your head down to place a soft kiss on her cheek, and you felt Leah give a small nod in your lap.

Watching the World Cup from your shared home also felt like a punch to heart, knowing that if this injury hadn’t occurred, Leah would be there and you would too. The Australian times meant waking up early, most days you were up before the sun, but Leah woke up every match day and watched as her team continued to win throughout the major tournament. When England made the finals, you knew Leah needed to be there and she knew too, next thing you knew you were on the long flight over. The loss in the finals was hard but there was so much to be proud of and you knew the England girls found comfort in having Leah in attendance. 

The second half of Leah’s rehab was much better, especially after the conversation you had as Leah now let you in, told you how she was feeling through every high and low of recovery. Once Leah was able to get back into the gym and very light football trainings, her spirits were lifted dramatically, she was closing in on her return to the pitch.

Throughout recovery, Leah did several media outings, finally getting the time to attend the events and let herself really enjoy having a break from football, trying to look at the positives in the situation. You accompanied her to nearly all the events and took the time to thoroughly enjoy just being a couple, relinquishing in the time allotted allowed to just be with Leah.

“Hold on to spinning around. Confetti falls to the ground. May these memories break our fall.”

With every month that passed since Leah’s injury, you knew she was getting closer and closer to stepping back on the pitch. She had now joined in on full training and was looking very solid. You thought back to all the tribulations Leah had overcame to get to this very moment, all the nights she sobbed in your arms and wished everything had gone down differently, all the days she spent cooped up inside doing her various stretches and rewatching her previous matches. 

All of the members of the Arsenal physio staff had worked diligently to get Leah ready to return, they had done well in their efforts when Beth and Viv returned and you were sure they knew when Leah was ready, on account that Leah herself was ready to return. 

You sat on the couch after returning home from work, searching through the television channels to find something on that was worthwhile that wasn’t some trashy reality show. A click of your front door and your girlfriend practically ran into the living room, jumping on top of you on the couch, screaming words you couldn’t exactly catch because she was speaking so quickly. 

“Lee slow down. What happened?” You asked, pushing the heavy blonde off of you and throwing her to the side of the couch, chucking a small pillow at her as she made a loud huff when you forced her off you.

“It’s happening baby. They said I can come on during the Reading game, most likely in the second half” the blonde exclaimed from the top of her lungs, standing nearly bouncing off the couch with energy.

“This is everything you’ve been working towards baby, all your hard work has paid off. I’m so proud of you baby. You’ve earned this moment.” 

You couldn’t help but jump up and down at the news, you were really the only person who was able to see every up and down of Leah’s rehab journey and you had stuck by her side every step of the way. 

The League Cup against Reading couldn’t have been better, the Arsenal were up 4-0 when Leah came off the bench in the final half hour to replace Jen. The crowd roared like never before when Leah began warming up and erupted when she was finally subbed on.

To make the moment even sweeter, Leah went on to provide an assist to Beth near the 80th minute to make it 5-0. You held your breath each time she moved on the pitch, the images of her injury replayed in your mind over and over, but each time Leah moved and dribbled around, she proved that she was fit to come back and be an even better player than before. The game ended with a win and you couldn’t help but run towards the pitch as soon as the final whistle blew and Leah found you immediately. 

You give in to the magnetic pull between the two of you, wrapping your arms around the back of her waist and pulling her against you, your lips crashing into hers. Your heads twist and tilt and readjust clumsily. You breath hard against her sweaty, salty skin as she drags her fingers down your jaw and off the end of your chin over and over, trying to pull you impossibly closer. 

“Oh my Leah, you’ve really outdone yourself. I am so deeply proud of you.” You told her once the two of you separated, wiping the small tears that feel from her eyes. 

It was nearly almost an exact year from the date the Leah tore her ACL that she made her return to Wembley for the England squad and you couldn’t be pleased with your lover. 

“If you have children someday. When they point to the pictures. Please tell them my name.”

Several years down the road, you were sat with your wife and two daughters at the kitchen table looking over various scrapbooks and photo collections just reminiscing.

“When did mama get hurt?” Your eldest daughter, Emily, asked, pointing to a photo that you had taken of Leah in her oversized hospital gown right before her ACL surgery. 

“I hurt my knee in a match and I had to get surgery to fix it.” Your wife told her.

“Was it scary?”

“It was a little bit scary, but I had mommy by my side and all your aunts at Arsenal to help me through it.” She explained, wrapping her arm around your waist and pulling you closer to her chair and giving you a small kiss on the cheek.

“This is the picture when mommy was able to play again.  She was out for nearly 9 months.” You told her, shifting the photobook to the next page that had all the pictures you’d taken during the Reading match. 

“9 months? That is like a million years.” Your youngest daughter piped in. 

“It sort of felt like a million years some days.” Leah said looking down at her watch, “Okay girls, bedtime, remember we have to wake up early for Emily’s match.” 

You gave each of your daughters a tight hug and kiss while wishing them a good night’s sleep and making sure to tell Leah no funny business, she had a habit of letting the girl’s convince her into reading more than one bedtime story.

While Leah put the girls to bed, you made sure to pack Emily’s kit bag, packing tiny ham sandwiches cut into triangles into the bag, a habit that your wife instilled in your daughter before each match. When Leah returned to the kitchen, she pulled the post-it notes from the junk drawer and began writing a note to Emily, wishing her good luck and telling her how much the two of you loved her, a habit you had done with Leah before her games. 

-----

Kinda hate how this turned out but it is finished nonetheless

[todayontumblr]

Friday, August 25.

A tribute to the state of Georgia, USA.

Georgia, Georgia, Georgia. And what a fine state it is. For reasons unbeknownst to us, we found ourselves compelled to celebrate every last one of its 59,425 square miles when we awoke from nourishing slumber this morning and pulled the duvet from over our faces. As we drew back our collective curtains, we found our faces struck by magnificent morning light; a light all too reminiscent of those rich hues you only find down in that most famous of American states.

It's a state as beautiful as the name suggests, and with an embarrassment of riches to explore and enjoy: Stone Mountain Park, the cities of Atlanta, Athens, and Savannah, wild horses roaming Cumberland Island, its famous southern hospitality, its iconic peaches, The Varsity—the world's largest drive-in restaurant, Anna Ruby Falls, having your fingerprints taken, the World of Coca-Cola museum, the Blue Ridge Mountains. Ah, #georgia. There really is no place quite like it—it's not so much a state as a state of mind. 

So if you find yourself in need of a holiday, whether a week's vacation, city break, or a few days hiking and camping in the best the natural world has to offer, you could do a lot worse than head down to the state of Georgia, USA. Don't forget to get a cute pic while you're there.

Say cheese x

[reminiscingtonight]

Closure

Leah Williamson x Reader

Word Count: 1.5k

A/N: Something soft I wrote last night. Posting early because we gotta celebrate that Arsenal win somehow, right?

[WOSO Masterlist]

She looks beautiful. Despite everything that’s happened, she still looks beautiful.

You’re sitting at the same table, no doubt because Keira wants her two best friends by her side on such a special day, but still, you can’t help but wish she sat you anywhere else but here. All night Leah’s been looking your way, not hiding the sadness and longing whenever your eyes meet. You try to distract yourself with Georgia’s random musings, but even she can’t compete with the magnetic call of Leah’s gaze.

“You should talk to her.”

You’re quick to shake your head. You took it as a win that the blonde hadn’t followed the two of you to the open bar. “She doesn’t want to talk to me, trust me.”

Georgia sighs, picking at the napkin in front of her. “The two of you are obviously still torn up about the whole break up. Just go talk to each other and make up.”

“I’m pretty sure Kei and Luce would rather we not. They don’t need us causing a scene on their special day.”

It was a long time coming, Keira and Lucy’s wedding. You had months to prepare yourself for the inevitable run in you were going to have with Leah, but it still didn’t help when you finally laid eyes upon the blonde.

The two of you had been together for what seemed like forever. You met for the first time during a youth camp eons ago, relationship building as the years passed by. By the time you signed your first senior contract with Arsenal, Leah had already asked and taken you out on a couple dates.

Leah bled red and white, a gooner through and through, it was almost fitting that you were the exact same. The two of you stayed together through all the ups and downs of both your club and national careers. When you won the Euros, you were sure nothing could beat that feeling. 

And then Barcelona reached out.

You were elated. Leah… not so much.

Looking back at it now, the month between winning the Euros and the start of the new season was marred with countless arguments and fights.

Leah didn’t want you to leave. “We have a life here together. You can’t just throw it away.”

“I’m not throwing anything away, Leah. It’s Barcelona. It’s… it’s a dream. One that I want to take with you by my side.”

Breaking up was the last thing you wanted.

Somewhere it gets lost in translation. 

“If you go, that’s it.” The words are spoken in the quiet of your bedroom, Leah staring at the ceiling, biting back her tears.

You have to fight the urge to hold her. To tell her what you know she wants to hear. “I love you. I will always love you. Please don’t make me choose between my career and you.”

In the end she makes the decision for you.

The night you fly out, you press a shaky kiss against the side of her head. “I love you. I’ll call you when I land.”

Leah doesn’t pick up.

A day later she deletes all traces of you from her social media accounts.

The box full of your things arrives midway through the next week.

It’s an abrupt end to a story you never thought you’d have to close.

You try calling the first couple weeks. Each time your calls go straight to voicemail, but you tell her about your time in the city, the girls you play with, how much you miss her. 

The one time your call goes through, Leah interrupts you before you have a chance to say anything. “I wish you never loved me. And that I never loved you.”

She hangs up before you can answer.

It feels like a dagger to the heart when you catch a story of Leah at a party, wrapped around another woman. Tabloids run wild the next couple days, pictures of Leah locking lips with the mysterious girl splashed all throughout the internet.

Injuries prevent you from attending the next couple of camps. The only time you end up putting on the England jersey is the one time Leah’s out with one of her own. 

It almost seems as if karma’s mocking you for leaving your home for the unknown. 

It’s Georgia’s soft nudge that has you breaking out of your thoughts. You realize with a start that Leah’s making her way towards the two of you.

“Hi.” She sounds breathless. A little nervous. Your heart still flutters at the sound of her voice.

“I’m just gonna…” Georgia makes a jerking motion with her hand, quickly departing before you can stop her.

You’re left staring after your friend, silently cursing her out in your head.

Neither of you say anything as Leah gingerly takes a seat next to you. You can feel her staring at the side of your head, but you keep your eyes down, focused on the drink in your hand.

“I think it’s stupid, but I can’t stop thinking that it should be us out there right now.”

All at once your muscles feel stiff. There’s unshed tears pricking your eyes, because truth is, you can’t help but think the same. 

The two of you had been together for close to a decade. Your friends always joked that the two of you would be the first to get married, but you and Leah were happy where you were, still feeling a bit too young to tie the knot. The two of you had talked about it, agreeing to wait until later, until you had a firmer grip on life, on your football careers.

But here you are now, a little past your mid-twenties, alone, wishing more than anything you could go back to those early days. Those days when you still had Leah and could call her yours.

You chance a look up, but Leah’s looking off into the distance, staring wistfully at Keira and Lucy who are in the middle of their first dance.

“Our best friends are getting married, and I should be happy for them, but all I can think about is how that should’ve been us. That should’ve been us standing up there, saying our vows. That should’ve been us slipping on those rings, following through on forever.”

When she finally looks back at you, you can see the watery sheen in her eyes. 

“Leah,” you whisper, hand darting forward to wipe at a tear before it can make its way down her cheek. Leah all but leans into your hand, eyes slipping closed at the familiar feeling.

“Do you regret this? Us?”

It breaks your heart a bit to hear the vulnerability in her voice. Leah’s quiet, expression a bit pained, as if you hold all the power in fixing or shattering her heart.

Your hand slips from her cheek, and Leah’s face turns panicked for a moment. At least until it drops to her collar. You avoid her eyes as you fix up the crookedness of her jacket.

“I’ve done a lot of things that I regret. But loving you,” you pause, finally lifting your eyes to meet Leah’s. “Loving you is something I’ll never regret doing.”

And it’s the truth. All the fights, all the arguments, you’ll never regret a single moment you’ve ever had with her. Because through all the bad, you still had the good. You still had the memories of Leah chasing you around the house, tackling you onto the bed with a giggle. You still had the memories of Leah cuddled up next to you, pointing out all the trashy things about the rom-com you’re watching, though she stays because she knows they’re your favorite type of film. You still had the memories of nervously padding up and down the halls, of Leah screaming and jumping into your arms when the two of you get your first senior call ups, when Leah gets asked to be captain, when the two of you make the Euros roster.

You have the firsts and lasts, though you didn’t know the lasts would be the lasts when they happened, but every moment you’ve had with Leah is special in their own ways. You would never regret a single moment of calling her yours.

“I hear Barcelona’s nice this time of year.”

The question is there. Silent and hidden, but there.

You nod, not able to stop the soft smile on your face. Leah’s looking a little bashful right now, hand brushing against yours, not quite daring to hold them quite yet.

When you walk back to your table, a new drink in tow, you do so with your arms brushing each other’s, pinkies gently hooked in the space between. Nothing can be fixed with just a couple words, but for the first time since you left home, your heart feels full, knowing that there’s still a chance. The book hasn’t fully closed yet, and you’d do whatever it takes to keep it that way.

[shelyue99]

During my time at OCS one of the officer candidates caught my attention. Lewis Nixon was the son of privilege and wealth. Born September 30, 1918, Nixon was the grandson of the last man to design a battleship as an individual. Educated at Yale and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, "Nix" was far more educated than most of the members of the class. A world traveler, he returned to the family-run Nixon Nitration Works, a converted industry that manufactured cellulose nitrate to be used in tubing for pens, pencils, sheets for playing cards, and covers for eyeglass frames. Nixon entered military service at Fort Dix, New Jersey, and completed basic training at Camp Croft. Nixon was a hard drinker, a free spirit who enjoyed the wild life and partied with the best of them.

On the surface no two individuals were more diametrically opposed in temperament than Nixon and I. I was a confirmed teetotaler and never swore. I preferred a quiet evening in the barracks to the nightlife of Columbus, Georgia, or neighboring Phenix City, Alabama. Despite the differences in lifestyle, I sensed we shared mutual feelings and ways of looking at life. I could understand him and help him understand me, as well as understand himself. Our friendship evolved naturally, and he soon became my closest friend.

Lewis Nixon was the finest combat officer with whom I served under fire. He was utterly dependable and totally fearless.

/

My friend Nixon died in January 1995, and Grace asked me to give the eulogy at his funeral, which I did. Also in attendance were Clarence Hester and Bob Brewer. In my remarks, I made a point of quoting Grace, whose love and care had kept Nix alive for many years. In her many letters and Christmas cards, Grace's message was always the same: “Lewis is so brave; he never complains; he always has a smile for me whenever I come into his room—and that just makes it all worthwhile.”

Seven years later, Grace Nixon joined us in Los Angeles for the presentation of the Emmy for Best Documentary.

—How Dick Winters introduced Nix and described about the eulogy in his memoir Beyond Band of Brothers.

[theborzoiarebackintown]

Georgia is coming back from grandpa camp today!!! The house is so quiet without her it’s wild.

[socially-awkward-skeleton]

OC Interview: Kit Cross

Tagged by @incognito-insomniac​ to put these together for the babes. I'm doing them all separately because it's quite long.

Tagging: @direwombat @noetikat @roofgeese @confidentandgood @natesofrellis @funkypoacher @strangefable @perhapsrampancy @adelaidedrubman @sstewyhosseini @strafethesesinners @derelictheretic @marivenah @lethal-justice @purplehairsecretlair and anyone else who wants to give this a go (no pressure as always)

Wheaty pushed the microphone in front of her face. “Go on Dep, your audience awaits."

Kit stared at him with an ever deepening scowl. “Do we really have to do this? I got Peggies to deal with.”

“It’s a morale boost. People wanna know about the hero of Hope County.”

“Fine. But don’t ever call me that again.”

Name?

“Kit.”

“Full name?”

“Well damn, if anyone’s heard the radio calls with John they already know my real name.”

“Just -”

“Kathleen Cross. I prefer Kit though.”

Are you single?

She sighed, the answer was complicated...”Yeah.”

Are you happy?

“We’re fighting a doomsday cult. What do you think?”

Are you angry?

She cocked an eyebrow. Was this even worth her time at this point?

“Seriously?”

Wheaty placed his hand over the microphone. “Come on, work with me.”

“Well I have WRATH carved into my chest for all to see, so yeah, I guess so."

Are your parents still married?

“Yep.”

Birth place?

“Fort Benning, Georgia.”

“Wait, why don’t you have an accent?”

“We moved when I was six months old.”

Hair color?

“Red.”

Eye color?

“Blue.”

Birthday?

“November 14, 1986.”

Mood?

“Annoyed.”

“Generally or just right now?”

[Dead Air]

Gender?

“Female.”

Summer or winter?

“Summer. At least then I can go camping comfortably.”

Morning or afternoon?

“Morning. Got the whole day ahead of me then.”

=EIGHT THINGS ABOUT YOUR LOVE LIFE=

Are you in love?

“No.”

Do you believe in love at first sight?

“About as much as I believe in guardian angels.”

Who ended your last relationship?

“Me.”

“Why?”

[Dead Air]

Have you ever broken someone’s heart?

“Absolutely.” Her eyes fell to the floor, she wasn’t going to add any further detail.

Are you afraid of commitments?

“No. If I was, I wouldn’t be putting my neck on the line every day, now would I?”

Have you hugged someone within the last week?

“No.”

Have you ever had a secret admirer?

“Lord help them if I did.”

“What about John?”

She scoffed, “He was hardly secretive about it. Wouldn’t call it admiration either, more like obsession.”

Have you ever broken your own heart?

“More often than I care to think about.” She dragged her cross pendant across her chain back and forth.

=SIX CHOICES=

Love or lust?

“Love.”

Lemonade or iced tea?

“Iced tea.”

Cats or dogs?

“Cats.” A small grin tugged at her lips.

A few best friends or many regular friends?

“A few best friends. To be honest, the less social interaction the better.”

Wild night out or romantic night in?

“Night in. Not necessarily romantic though. I’m not one for partying.”

Day or night?

“Night. The stars and the moon have always been my preference.”

=FOUR HAVE YOU EVERS=

Been caught sneaking out?

“Nope.”

Fallen down/up the stairs?

“Nope.”

Wanted something/someone so badly it hurt?

“Every goddamn day.”

Wanted to disappear?

“That’s why I moved here. Guess that blew up in my face.”

=FOUR PREFERENCES=

Smile or eyes?

”Eyes.”

Shorter or taller?

She paused, biting her lower lip. “Taller.”

Intelligence or attraction?

“Need to have both to make it work.”

Hook-up or relationship?

“Relationship.”

=FAMILY=

Do you and your family get along?

She clenched her jaw, and cracked her neck. “Next question.”

“Oh come on.”

“Next question.”

Would you say you have a “messed up life”?

“Do I have to bring up the WRATH on my chest again?”

Have you ever run away from home?

“Was tempted to once. Never went through with it though.”

Have you ever gotten kicked out?

“In a way.”

=FRIENDS=

Do you secretly hate one of your friends?

“I’m not close enough with anyone to call them friends or to hate them.”

Do you consider all of your friends good friends?

“What did I just say?”

“Sorry.”

Who is your best friend?

“Don’t have one. I mean I guess if I had to say the closest thing to a friend I have is in Joey.”

Who knows everything about you?

“No one. I’d prefer to keep it that way.”

[isay]

Almost there.

Slovenia, represented by Raven. Not from Ru Paul’s Drag Race. Camp, dramatic and see through body suit, very much drag Queen vibes.

Croatia, another of the strong favourites. It’s the Croatian metal version of My Lovely Horse, with added lace. The crowd go wild!

Nutsa from Georgia, serving Arianna’s big sister looks and giving it the big Eastern Europe drama and ethno Bond opening credits feels with the staging.

Et maintenant, l’ultimate la belle France. Slimane, wearing another of tonight’s all white outfits and surrounded by dry ice, he’s very intense but…Gallic shrug. Meh.

And finally Austria, Kaleen. Her hips don’t lie, even if the song is basically Rhythm is a Dancer remixed.

[chapstickman]

“I just came from r/196” ask game

Saw another post. I think I should invite y'all to one of our longstanding traditions. Answer the questions then tag 10 (or more) people. I'll go first.

Name? Jarrod

Pronouns and gender? they/he, guy???

Sexuality? Pansecual

Country? USA MERICA FUCK YEAH🦅🦅🦅🦅🦅🦅🦅🦅🦅🦅🦅🦅🦅🦅🦅🦅🦅🦅🦅🦅🦅🦅

Top 5 fandoms? hazbin/helluva, fnaf, team four trees two, i forgor the rest

What is your Most forbidden snack? fabuloso also chapstick

Would you pet a bug? scared scared scared of bugs. dont like them. scary scary.

Share a weird fact/story about yourself with the class. i love fixing things, no matter what it is. my silly little brain just latches onto it like a puzzle, which it kinda is. i can already fix most electronic devices, or alteast know how to (FUCK apple and their stupid fucking anti repair policy. thats actual fucking bullshit. i dont want to have to pay for a 200 dollar course and license to fix your shitty god damn phones. mac books and ipads are aight. but FUCK apple as a company. all this does is protect their silly little fucking income from their stupid ass fucking phones breaking all the fucking time. all it does is make it so that people who do fix phones for a living fucking cant, and no devices to fix means no food on the fucking table for them or their families. they're toying with peoples livelihoods for a bit of fucking profit.) if i dont know how to fix it (cars, microwaves, tvs, literally anything that could break) i want to learn

What does the color blue taste like? mmm yumby

What is the most beautiful thing you've ever seen? the ocean. it goes on forever. it doesnt stop. i didnt realize that until i saw it in person. it stopped me dead in my tracks.

What is the stupidest thing you've ever done? ive got this protein bar. in 2020 (my second year of marching band, freshman year) i was eating a box of them on the way to marching band camp. i lost one. this was in july. i found it on the ground still sealed in january of the following year. i still have it. im going to eat it my senior year at the end of the year band dinner. i have not done it yet. im going into my senior year. im going to do it. it will kill me. i will not regret it.

Stupidest thing you've seen/heard someone else do/say? a pastor for a church i used to attend (unfortunately hes my uncle) blamed crime and evil on transgender people

Hyperfixation song? long list. Starman David Bowie, banana man tally hall, mr white keys cherry poppin daddies, play that funky music wild cherry, cant take my eyes off you frankie valli, sh-boom the ink spots, the devil went down to georgia the charlie daniels band

Is there any meaning behind your profile picture and/or username? I've been asked several times where "Chapstick Man!" comes from. It comes from TF2. I named a rocket launcher "chapstick gun" with the description "ngl chapstick taste kinda good" and then i thought the joke was funny and it stuck. my name is now Chapstick Man on like everything. i have not been sued yet. Im too cool to be sued.

Dream career as a child? also electronics repair technician (i am answering these out of order)

Dream career as an adult? still kinda a child ig. but i want to be an electronics repair technician, running my own little computer/electronics repair shop. i already know how to do it, i just need a building and to be 18 (i turn 18 in december) and people to come and give me their stuff to fix. i love fixing things.

Thoughts on cilantro? its aight ig

Have you ever been banned from a location and if so, why? I havent. but i plan to be. i am going to be silly and they cannot prevent it.

What is your cursed food combination? I did my burgers in ketchup if i want ketchup, i did my biscuits in gravy for biscuits and gravy

Trans rights? are epic!!!!!!

@everyone im lazy

[signalwatch]

President's Day: James Carter - the 39th President of the United States

Former President James "Jimmy" Carter is on my mind these days as he is, at age 98, entering hospice care.  

Perhaps now more famous and liked for his post-Presidential career than his time during office - a period during which I would not envy anyone who was in the White House - Carter may not be with us much longer, so now seems like an opportune time to remind all of us who Jimmy Carter is other than a nice old man who spends a lot of time volunteering for Habitat for Humanity.

Carter was born and raised in Plains, Georgia, where his family had a peanut farm.  He would leave to go to college, finishing as a Naval Academy graduate, which led to his military service aboard submarines in both the Pacific and Atlantic fleets.  Clearly he had something going on upstairs as he was selected to study reactor technology as nuclear submarines came online.  Yes.  He's a nuclear engineer.  

Even as a kid, I remember hearing Carter was "a peanut farmer", which was true.  With his father's passing, Carter returned to Georgia in the mid-1950's to take over the family business, which had diminished significantly.  Carter and family wound up living in public housing. which he grew into a considerable agricultural supply enterprise, while also becoming involved in the local community.  By 1963, Carter - with the navigation and support of his wife, Rosalyn - ran for office as a State Senator, uncovering local corruption of party politics along the way.

It should be noted that Carter's platform was pro-desegregation, and much of his political stance of his early career was based on his support of the Civil Rights movement.  However, his 1970 run for the Governor's office was marred by appeals to segregationists - who he essentially betrayed during his inaugural speech, seeking an end to segregation.  Pretty wild.  

As governor, he focused on the Civil Rights movement, educational equity, and opportunities and care for a wide array of Georgians. 

Carter served one term before running for President in 1976, partnering with Walter Mondale as a running mate and narrowly defeating Gerald Ford, the Gerald Ford of presidential candidates.  

During his governorship, Carter had not played ball well with party hardliners, and arriving in DC, he didn't particularly endear himself to the legislature, refusing horse-trading for political actions and pushing back against the Ted Kennedy-led wing of the Democratic party.  What I personally remember was that Carter took a lot of blame for an economy he inherited from Ford, which had a 9% unemployment rate and inflation that we're only seeing again lately.  His efforts at economic recovery were knee-capped by the 1970's energy crisis, which wound up as a key part of Carter's legacy (he pushed comprehensive energy strategies that got some traction).

Carter established the Department of Education, Head Start, and fought for better healthcare coverage 0 perhaps including universal coverage - a fight that continues on to this day.

Carter was a Cold War-era president, but his focus wound up on creating a peace between Egypt and Israel, and I grew up knowing what the Camp David Accords were, and what part the US played in Mid-East peace, which was a factor for the US constantly through the early 2000's.  If you want to understand how long and how f'd up the US's history has been with Afghanistan and why every time we start talking about Afghanistan a lot of us grind our molars, Carter was in office when the Soviet Union invaded the country, which would go on for years.  We, of course, provided weapons and support, all of which had a very long tail as we chose perhaps the not-best allies in the region.

And, of course, Carter was at the wheel during the Iran Hostage Crisis, which is one of my earliest TV News Memories (along with Reagan being elected, Reagan being shot and Pope John Paul II's attempted assassination, which I frown upon).  

It's worth noting that during the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant incident, nuclear engineer/ President Jimmy Carter walked right into the plant during the emergency to be briefed in a way it's impossible to see any prior or subsequent president participating.  

The first Presidential Election I can recall was the 1980 election and I remember sitting on the floor while my parents explained that they'd both voted that day and for different candidates.  I found this mind-boggling, but also somehow comforting - but which also set me up to really not get how insane people are about their candidates of choice.  Everyone simmer down out there.

Carter was roundly defeated by Ronald Reagan, and retreated to Georgia.  

I don't recall hearing much about him until 1994 when he went to North Korea on behalf of Clinton.  According to the internet, this went way crazier than I remembered, with Carter trying to outline a treaty without Clinton's consent.  Huh.  You do you, Jimmy.

After this, Carter started appearing before cameras again, and now he was "Telling It Like It Is" Jimmy Carter.  This isn't to say he was a crazy old man - he sounded 10x more lucid and well-considered than anyone in office who had to worry about optics, etc...  and it occurred to me that he was probably an incredibly smart man that usually had a hard time compromising and communicating, and he might make a far better elder statesman than he had a president.

For the past two decades, Carter has fought off brain cancer while also participating in community work like Habitat for Humanity, speaking with current presidents as an advisor and generally being a decent moral touchstone for some Americans.  As a President who was in office during a period of complicated history coming home to roost, in many ways, he was just the guy in the chair when a multitude of things occurred that had been problems set in motion by prior office holders, but that's the job.  It's always the job.  Carter in particular seemed to take it on the chin for not being a magical being who could fix all the ills that beset the nation in the wake of WWII's post-history, the Cold War, US interventionism (which he built upon), and an economy prior administrations hadn't wrangled particularly well.  

Again, that's the job.  No idea why people want it.

As Carter enters his final days or weeks, he has a mixed legacy as a politician.  Like all people, he's complicated and contradictory and occasionally compromised.  But I'd argue he's used his last few decades showing us what ex-Presidents are capable of if they seek to show the world a level of decency and betterment for others through service.

https://ift.tt/nFkmgM6

from The Signal Watch https://ift.tt/ujVBdse

[auroralightsthesky]

hi sweetie!! ahhhhh i'm so happy that you've opened up ships :) could i get one for BoB and The Pacific please?

I'm 5'5, skinny, very pale, freckly with reddish brown hair and big brown eyes. Gryffindor, ENTP 3w4. I'm getting my masters degree in engineering and I love space facts, stargazing, and science in general. I fly planes, do archery, and write songs. I also like to read about WWII history, travel, and I also help out at the Camp Toccoa site on the weekends because my uncle runs it. I'm kind of an animal whisperer of sorts lol and I have a dog that I love more than life :) I tend to be bubbly, playful, ambitious, funny and a go-getter. On a bad day I can be overthinking and self-conscious.

Thanks!! I'm really excited about these!!

OOoooh honey this one's a bit tricky, but I will do my best.....now let's see, you would probably best be shipped with.......

Eddie Jones from The Pacific!!!!

You and Eddie love nature

Literally anything in nature

Especially all the weird plants and animals

Eddie loves to take you to some pretty wild parts, both at home and all over the world

You guys have been to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida multiple times

And even got to go to Space Camp

You've seen the shuttles launch

But the place you always remember was a wildlife sanctuary in Brazil

You guys got to interact with a colony of Spix Macaws, which by the way are a seriously endangered species but are slowly rebuilding their population

You named three of them Rio, Blu and Jewel after the birds from the movie

Eddie swore up and down that you were Eliza Thornberry by the way that the birds came to you

The pictures you guys took at the rainforest were LEGENDARY!!!

When you guys got back to the states, you extensively explored the state of Georgia

You both hiked up Curahee, three miles up and three miles down without getting tired

You guys also explored the Chattahoochee Trail

And when you got to the waterfall, you weren't expecting to receive what Eddie gave you

It was a ring with a turquoise stone

And he asked you to marry him

Because he doesn't want to miss a moment with you

I hope this came out ok hon, this is my first time doing ships for the fandom. If you want one for BOB I'll be happy to do a separate one for that 🥰🥰🥰🥰🤗🤗🤗🤗

[thechanelmuse]

So there’s these Jews...

in my family tree. Chile...

This is one of the wildest shits I’ve come across.

In the midst of chattel enslaved people classified as negroes or mulattoes building the United States from scratch and generating the country’s longstanding economy through forced free labor, Simon (an Ashkenazi Jew) 

and Philipena (a Sephardic Jew) 

scurried their asses to the "Golden Land of America” for opportunities, to escape persecution and whatever other shit was going on in Europe. That same ol’ raggedy ass, worn out line still used today. Anyway. They made their way to Ellis Island before it closed down, settled in New Jersey for a hot moment before moving to South Carolina because Philipena peeped Simon getting involved with Russian anarchists. His comfort zone. 

Now why SC? There were Jews there like in other southern states, but high in number for Sephardic Jews like Philipena (my guess since she picked it). Simon opened a business called Simon Brown’s Sons, making shoes and boots; helped to establish a Sabbath school in Augusta, Georgia that he would send his kids too; owned $7,600 in real estate (about $160,000 in 2022 dollars); and was a “farmer” aka he owned enslaved negroes and mulattoes who labored the land that would eventually amass to 5,000 acres after enslavement. Did I mention he enlisted in the Confederate Army but was later captured by the Union after stomping with Robert E. Lee? 

Don’t take this as the Union being the “good guys.” Their hands been dirty and bloody too. After all they’re the ones who created the Devil’s Punchbowl concentration camp in Mississippi to starve and curb the population of over 20,000 negro and mulatto women and children who were then classified under the federal status, U.S. Freedmen, which the descendants (Black Americans) are still under today. Oh wait. Rewind. Did I mention that Phillipena shielded their house from being torched by Union soldiers during the Civil War by waving a masonic flag from the porch? Yes, bitch. Them people. The commanding officer spotted the sign and rerouted. 

Simon’s ass is in three books, including The Jewish Confederates by Robert N. Rosen, Dark Hours: South Carolina Soldiers, Sailors, and Citizens Held in Captivity during the War of Southern Independence, 1861-1865 by Randolph W. Kirkland, Jr and a Virginia Encyclopedia about his capture at The Battle of the Weldon Railroad. 

Him and them sons of his were featured in a number of newspapers (I’ve counted 20 so far) after some shit popped off. It’s featured in the book, Carnival of Blood - Dueling, Lynching and Murder in SC 1880 -1920 by John Hammond Moore. 

So what happened? 

John Gribben, an Irish immigrant in his 40s who was the town marshal, wasn’t fond of Jews. He would post letters about his feelings and pry open and search through Simon’s deliveries. Looking for what? Liquor. On Aug 28, 1894, John pried into the clothes package of Simon’s 22-year-old son, Solomon. Simon pulled up on John, accusing him of persecution before they got to loudly arguing. Simon’s three sons rolled up leading John to tell them he would beat all their asses. 

Twenty-year-old Isadore stepped up beating John’s ass “against the wall of Geo. A Still’s store,” per one of the news articles. How would John get out of this one? Pistols were drawn and them crackas had a whole shootout like they were in a western. John caught one to the left shoulder and another near the heart, entering the left lung. Mothafucka staggered and died in the store he got his ass beat on the wall of. Solomon caught a head shot, one in the chest and one directly to the heart. Signed sealed and delivered to their makers. Au revoir.

That trial was a damn riot. Not a literal riot just wild. Simon’s son, Herman, was on trial for being the one whose gun delivered the kill shots to John with Simon and Isadore listed as the accessaries. A news article about the trial delves into and I quote “the influential Brown family” history. So you know how that trial went. Acquitted. That wouldn’t be their last case like this one involving the damn South Carolina Supreme Court. I don’t even have the energy to read it. More shenanigans. 

Did I mention that that side of family tree ends up dipping into the Rothschild tree? Them people. I just…

So how does my 3rd grandmother end up in the picture after emancipation bringing forth a child by one of them sons? It wasn’t by choice. You catch my drift...

[chaoticrebels]

Name: Daryl Dixon

Nickname: Daryl

Alias: The Archer

Birthday: January 6

Age: 40+

Sexuality: Demisexual, Demiromantic. {Bi}

Location: North Georgia

Species: Human

Powers: None

Occupation: Hunter, Tracker

Height: 5'10"

Weight: 158 lbs

Eye Color: Blue

Hair color: Brunette

Piercings: None

Tattoos: Several

Scars: A Few

Faceclaim: Norman Reedus

Biography

Daryl and Merle lived within the mountains of North Georgia, in a stereotypical redneck house under the watch of their neglectful parents; their father being an abusive alcoholic along with their mother being both that and a chain-smoker. Daryl claims to have grown up alongside several degenerates and was taught hunting and camping by his father, whom he personally viewed as a 'dumb-ass'. Daryl also claims to have never set foot out of Georgia.

By the time Daryl was old enough to ride a bicycle, the brother's lost their mother to a house fire that had been caused by a cigarette when she was asleep (or possibly drunk in bed). Merle was at least twelve years old when their mother died, as he was in juvenile detention at the time. At one point after their mother's death roughly before he reached the age of 12, Daryl found himself lost in the woods for 9 full days where he lived off of wild berries and utilized poison oak as substitute for toilet paper. Merle was again in juvenile detention (so he was no older than nineteen years old). When Daryl managed to find his way home, his father had not noticed his absence, thus he walked in through the back door and made himself a sandwich.

His brother was the only inspirational figure that he had growing up, Merle raised him to share his views on society as well as how to be tough like a grown man; However, he too was often absent from Daryl's life, partly due to the fact that he was frequently in juvenile institutions, which lead to Daryl having to frequently fend for himself. It is later revealed that both Daryl and Merle were physically and mentally abused by their father (as evidenced by Daryl's back showing multiple visible scars). Their father's abuse caused Merle to abandon the family subsequently joining the military. Merle claimed to never known of Daryl's inflicted abuse, however Daryl did not believe him.

In the following years, Daryl stated that he was a drifter, constantly following Merle and doing whatever he said and thus viewed himself as 'nobody, nothing some redneck asshole... even bigger asshole for a brother'. He was presumably taught by Merle in how to use weapons and firearms given his military background, during this time he acquired a vast set of survival skills and thus he became a skilled hunter, tracker and combatant like his brother. He also became a skilled motorcyclist as proven by his knowledge of mechanics and being able to construct his own working bike out of spare parts.

Daryl claims to have suffered from a near death experience where at one night he and Merle resided in his brother's drug supplier's house where the trio were watching TV and by noon they were drunk whilst Merle became intoxicated. After a discussion turned violent the dealer punched Merle leading Daryl to savagely beat the man resulting in the dealer threatening to kill him with a gun where a large argument ensued which ended with the dealer punching Daryl in the gut causing him to vomit leading Merle and the dealer to laugh the incident off.

[chris-bernthal]

About

in character information

name: Dr. Christopher Bernthal

age: 43 (May 28)

gender & preferred pronouns: CisM, He/Him

faceclaim: Jake Johnson

how long have they been in fairvale: Was a Prescott resident for roughly one year prior to the outbreak (February 2018 - 2 years, 3 months as of June 2020)

occupation/position within the community: Council / Medical Staff

History

tw: mention of gun violence, broken bone, parental death

Born on a farm just south of Lansing, Michigan, Chris loved animals from an early age. He understood they weren’t pets, they were there to work or become a product, but he still loved and cared for them. His parents had hoped he’d take over the farm, but Chris had slightly different plans.

He stayed in state for college, attending MSU for a biology degree and, four years later, using that to segue into earning a doctorate in Veterinary Medicine. He studied abroad, as did most students in his program - Chris selecting Opwall Guyana. The life of roughing it, pitching camp nightly, navigating rough terrain, collecting data of all manner of wildlife.. it was thrilling for the young man. But he didn’t see himself operating in the wilds - his heart was for farm animals. The ones he’d love growing up.

In his early thirties by the time he’d completed his doctorate, Chris tried to stay close to his family farm. His brother inherited the land once their mother joined their father, and Chris hung around to be the fun uncle and provide free care for the animals.

An old schoolmate reached out, mentioning a planned community down south looking for a livestock veterinarian. With his family’s blessing, Chris relocated from Michigan to Georgia.

He loved Prescott, the small, planned community. It felt like a family dynamic, but expanded to a larger scale. It hurt to see his neighbors sick,hurt, lost, and suffering as the outbreak spread. While others fled, he stayed - throwing in to help the town stabilize.

When whispers began to spread that Kit and his pals were their own toxic virus in the town - newly christened Fairvale - Chris helped put a stop to it. It was meant to be a blood-free ousting; but of course, given the choice between outside the walls and within them, it shouldn’t have been a surprise that they fought to stay inside.

In the fight that ensued, Chris was shot in the leg, cracking his tibia and leaving him nearly bed-ridden for the two months since. Medical supplies were hard to come by, his cast barely counting as one. He insisted on staying at the medical center, feeling he could help in some small way there while convalescing. When people offered him a position on the newly formed council? Some inner paternal feelings toward his home led him to accept.

As of June, he’s finally allowed to make use of the cane that’s been waiting as patiently as he had all these many weeks. He’ll likely always have pain there, and a noticeable limp, but the doctor is determined not to allow that to stop him.

entry interview here.

Wanted Connections:

Other Prescott residents for neighbor/friends/etc

Fairvale residents who helped oust Kit alongside Chris

More To Come

[deputygonebye]

@wingsandarrow asked: ❝i didn’t ask for your help. ❞

Help Starters!

Akin to an untamed dog, something wild and scared, afraid to be touched but fearless in just about everything else, Daryl wasn't alone in his adventure into the woods. Even if he so wanted to be, resisted and fought until the battle turned into a stalemate. The others at their camp wouldn't allow it - Shane one of the many who voiced the opinion, public and almost on the cusp of sounding controlling. A demand rather than a suggestion, an order rather than an offer of kindness, despite having been part of the group for weeks by then, the survivors of Atlanta were weary still of Daryl. Daryl and his brother; born from the darkness of familial tragedy, the burn of alcohol and cigarette smoke. Shane didn't trust either of them to be by themselves, not totally. Uncertain, watching from a distance like a hawk, desperate to discover just who they were, those brothers. Worried for what they would do, what they could do, unease was rather held for Merle than the youngest Dixon. Innocent within the eyes - a storm of blue and gray - Daryl didn't seem the type to carelessly hurt others. Defend himself when provoked with bared teeth, surely, but unable to completely dissolve his loyal inclination, a sense of pride held for the others at camp. Daryl's true colors had shined more than once beneath Georgia's unforgiving sun.

His steps mimicking Daryl's own, Shane frowned at the words shared between them. A truthful reminder - roughened tenor that felt like a warning call - an honest statement. Daryl hadn't asked, but so did Shane follow him anyway. Listened as the birds made their calls, wisely stepped over tree roots that had become exposed on the forest floor. Carried his shotgun in firm grip; loaded and ready to be used.

"Oh, I know you didn't. But I really don't give a damn, and I'm gonna give it to you anyways." Shane replied, a cocksure smirk daring to present itself upon his lips. "You know the rules, Daryl. Nobody goes off into the woods alone. Don't matter if it's just for huntin' or checkin' traps."

Shane reminded, matching the pace of Daryl's shadow, following him as they wandered farther and farther, between trees and shrub, lush greens and rich browns. "Wouldn't be in this mess if you hadn't scared the girls so bad yesterday. What you did to Lori, shootin' that buck so close to her. You could've hurt her, Daryl. Look, you and I both know you're a hell of a shot, but you can't just go around camp flingin' arrows left and right. This ain't Rawhide, and you ain't no Eastwood. You gotta think. We can't be reckless. We can't be makin' dumb mistakes or takin' chances like that, good shot or not. You gotta calm down - only reason why I'm out with you, really. Besides makin' sure you come back alive, the ladies wanted me to have a talk with you. They're a little worried about you, man. You and that brother of yours. Daryl, you boys gotta take things easy. We can't lose you two - we all need each other to survive now. Life ain't what it used to be."

[whitepolaris]

it's Always Bigfoot Season in the South

Like most other states in the Union, Georgia is no stranger to Bigfoot sightings. In fact, encounters with the legendary creature, also known as Sasquatch or Kecleh-Kudleh (Cherokee for "hairy savage"), are so common that the state boasts three different Bigfoot research organizations that have compiled at least fifty confirmed sightings over the years.

Despite all the reports, no one has ever been able to prove conclusively that Bigfoot actually exists in Georgia-or anywhere else, for that matter. Why not? For starters, researchers believe that the creature is nocturnal; inhabits only the most rural, forested areas; and is intelligent enough to evade its only real stalker: humans. Assuming Bigfoot is a mammal, its sense of smell and hearing would be highly developed, enabling it to discern and evade intruders long before they s potted it. Some experts even believe that Bigfoot is psychic!

Although evidence remain thin, more and more Georgians may eventually get a close-up view of their hairy neighbor. According to John Butler, who has devoted countless hours to investigating Bigfoot in the South, as the human population continued to encroach on the beast's territory, sightings are going to become more frequent. Although a good many Bigfoot sightings still hail from Georgia's remote reaches, this could explain why an increasing number are coming from counties like Gwinnett and Cherokee that have quickly growing metropolitan areas.

For every actual sightings of Bigfoot in Georgia, there are several more reports of wild howls heard at night from the edges of the beasts' shrinking domain. Could it be that Bigfoot is in anguish over his disappearing territory? And is this peaceful, even shy, beast going to become violent and start attacking humans as his food supplies dwindle? Is Bigfoot predator or prey? Judge for yourself in the accounts that follow.

One of the most famous Georgia Bigfoot encounters makes a convincing claim for the beast as predator. In the summer of 1985, the Texas National Guard was conducting maneuvers outside Dahlonega, in the mountains of northern Georgia, when a cobra attack helicopter crashed four miles from Camp Darby, an Army Ranger training facility. A squad of four MPs and their supervisor were quickly dispatched to the crash site in the mountains, where their job was to secure the area until the investigation team could arrive.

The scene was gruesome: The helicopter had hit the ground at high speed and burned, killing the entire crew, and the area smelled of burned flesh. The squad established camp at six p.m. near the wreck. Around ten p.m., Private First Class David K., who was not on patrol at the time, was woken up by a terrible howl. The rest of the men were standing nearby, pale as ghosts, with their .45s out.

Before David K. could ask what that sound was, another howl came from the direction of the wreckage. The supervisor approached the sound. As the MPs moved forward, they heard metal being thrown and dragged around at the crash site. When they were about thirty feet away, one MP turned on his flashlight, and David K. recalls," What I saw scared the bejesus out of me: Three creatures were there among the wreckage, and they were not bears!" The closet one-standing on two legs, just ten feet away-was holding a piece of metal from the helicopter; the beast was at least seven feet tall and covered in hair, except for its face, which looked like a chimp's. The one just behind him, who looked eight feet tall, was dragged parts of the pilot's body from the wreckage. The soldiers briefly glimpsed a third one about forty feet away as it fled.

The MPs opened fire, but at sunrise they saw that they had not hit any of the creatures.

After milling over the experience for nearly fifteen years, David K. concluded that these hairy beasts had not been out to kill anyone: "They had merely sniffed out a food source and were protecting it from other predators."

A decade later, two Bigfoot creatures surprised another unit of soldiers, but these beasts seemed almost playful! The encounter took place in December 1995, in a remote area in Tattnall County, near Fort Stewart. Much of this sprawling territory consists of swamps and piney woods-the perfect habitat for Bigfoot-and this is where Sergeant R. B, along with two other infantry squad leaders and two privates, got the surprise of his life.

After wading chest-deep through a swamp fo4r several hundred feet, R. B. heard something following them. When the men tried to get a glimpse of it, it veered away and seemed to go around them.

In an effort to confuse whoever was trailing them, R. B. and two of his men halted while the two others continued on. Five minutes later, R. B.'s group followed. But their pursuer was not fooled and started weaving in and out of the two groups in a figure eight.

The unit decided to establish a patrol base. R. B. and another sergeant made a plan to reconnoiter their objective, return in a couple of hours, and then a second pair would start out. "This is when it got really scare," R. B. recalled. Soon after they set out, they heard the beast trailing them again. They crossed an open area, then dropped to the ground to observe the rear. After five minutes, they heard the beast howl: It apparently knew the game was over, and as it screamed again, the soldiers heard what sounded like a huge rotten tree falling. "That was the last we heard-and the last I wanted to hear," recalled R. B.

Georgia's Floyd County has also had its fair share of Bigfoot sightings over the years. From the early 1980s through the 1990s, an apelike creature prowled the county late at night, flinging small stones at people. But although a few people were struck, it didn't seem that the beast was trying to hit anyone on purpose. After throwing the rocks, it would quickly run away on all fours, leaving behind three-toed prints. At other times, the creature made bird sounds and jumped up and down on porches, almost as if it were playing. In 2002, one rural Floyd County family reported hearing an animal growling outside their window at night for several weeks. Though they never saw it up close, neighbors said they saw something tall, dark, and hairy lurking nearby.

Georgia has even been the locale of choice for a rare albino Bigfoot. In the summer of 1972, Harold Eidsons was driving west of Camilla when he spotted a large animal crossing the road three hundred feet ahead. Knowing that one of Georgia's most dangerous encounters is of the bovine kind, Eidsons slowed down. However, as his headlights illuminated the creature, he saw that it wasn't a cow: It was walking upright, and was extremely tall and snow white in color. As he watched, the albino Bigfoot ambled slowly across the road and into a swamp. Eidsons and his father later inspected the scene by daylight and found that the animal had left a trail through the bushes.

Another sighting occurred in the early 1990s, in rural Lanier County, near Banks Lake National Wildlife Refuge. A young man returned home pale and shaking after dropping his girlfriend and said he had just encountered the most bizarre creature he'd ever seen. He managed to calm down enough to explain that as he was coming around a curve, a gigantic hairy creature had leaped onto the road in front of his van. He had thought he was going to hit it, but the animal took a few more giant leaps and was quickly out of sight, leaving behind a musky stench. Incredibly, the young man had managed to take a quick photo. The blurry snapshot later revealed what looked like an extremely tall and burly prehistoric man or ape covered in very dark, think matted hair, but with patches of bare skin on the face and chest.

Besides frightening drivers half to death, Bigfoot is also known for shattering the rural idylls of the state's sportsmen and campers. One of the more memorable sightings took place in densely forested ridges of White County in 1993. It was late spring, and four buddies had decided to take advantage of the area's fantastic trout fishing. They drove for a while alongside a creek before parking. Two of the friends decided to fish near the truck, while the other two hiked a way down an old roadbed.

As they reached the trail's end, they were startled by a heavy thud behind them. Turning around, they found a thick, ten-foot-long log lying in the roadway. Standing fifteen feet away was the thrower of the log: a "horrifying creature" at least nine feet tall and covered in long, shaggy black hair. It had a humanlike face, but dark reddish brown eyes that looked like an ape's.

The young man ran back to the truck, shouting, "Let's go! Let's go now!" They sputtered out an explanation to their two friends, who wanted to go back to see the beast for themselves. "Hell, no!" exclaimed one of the men. "I ain't going back up there!" With that, the guys scrambled into the truck and roared off as quickly as they could. Needless to say, they never went fishing down that way again.

Another encounter with fishermen had even experts convinced that Bigfoot really does exist. In July 1999, two middle-aged brothers, Joe and John, went on a fishing expedition to High Shoals on Wolf Creek in rural Carroll County. After parking on Hutcheson Ferry road, they toted their equipment down a creekside trail to a favorite spot. An hour of fishing yielded no catch, so they were wading up the shoals when they heard a large splash. At first they thought a rock had tumbled off the hillside, but then they quickly spotted a hulking black-and-brown creature with long arms, splashing about in the water no more than a hundred feet away. The brothers estimated that the animal was six or seven feet tall and weighed three hundred to four hundred pound. It had broad shoulders, a narrow waist, thick dark fur, and no neck. Although it never fazed at the men directly, it must have caught their scent, because it abruptly leaped out of the knee-deep water and darted up the steep terrain. After the brothers reported the incident to one of Georgia's Bigfoot organizations, an investigator on the case, Curt Nelson, wrote, "This is one of those investigations where I came away knowing that Sasquatch is real."

In September 13, 2000, Columbus Ledger-Inquirer, reported Tim Chitwood recounted another bizarre Bigfoot encounter involving campers. According to Tim, on August 30 of that year, two men-one about eighteen, the other in his forties-were camping Rood Creek Park on the Chattahoochee River, about fifty miles south of Columbus. Their dog, a yellow Labrador retriever, had wandered away from the camp and returned making odd noises-crying or screaming instead of barking. The younger man went to investigate and heard what sounded like a very big animal stomping through the woods toward him. The creature got close enough for the six-foot-tall man to see that it was at least two feet taller than he was.

The young man fired several rounds at the beast, but the animal seemed unaffected by the bullets. After sprinting back to the car, he grabbed the other man and the dog and hightailed it out of there. They didn't dare stop until they came to a convenience store in Fort Mitchell, Alabama. There, the men-later described by other patrons in the store as "petrified"-breathlessly recounted their story. They called 911, but when they were asked to return to the campsite with an officer, they firmly refused and instead made tracks for their home back in Arkansas. A customer who went to their deserted campsite to check out the scene found that they had left all their camping equipment behind.

Giddyap, Bigfoot!

In June 1974, when I was eighteen years old, I was working for a horse ranch in rural Douglas County, training a Black Arabian stud. It was getting dark, but the moon was full as I rode down Timber Ridge Road, a dirt road bordered by piney woods. After we crossed a wooden bridge, the horse started acting up and I heard a rustling sound from the woods, followed by a loud scream. Suddenly a creature leaped out and grabbed the saddle and back of the horse. The animal was about eight feet tall, massive, standing up right but a little crouched. Sitting on the horse, I was practically eye-to-eye with it. It had piercing green eyes, yellow teeth-with several missing-and very humanlike features, but thick and scary looking. The hair around his face was long and wiry looking, and colored black or brown. It had hands, not paws, which were huge and had hair on them and long nails. I immediately let go of the reins or jumped off the saddle onto the horse's neck. The horse bolted and ran, and I didn't slow down or look back. When I got back to the ranch, I saw that the leather of the special endurance saddle was torn and had deep scratches or gouges in it where the creature had grabbed and pulled at it. -Pete L.

Bigfoot's Sweet Tooth

I install glass for a living, and around noon one October day in 1999, I reached a job site in the mountains of Gilmer County, near the Cohutta National Forest. Looking around I was startled to see two Bigfoot creatures standing on the balcony of an abandoned log cabin. One was copper-colored and nearly eight feet tall, while the other, which seemed older, was gray and only about seven feet tall. The huge animals calmly walked down a path and disappeared. I then cautiously went into the cabin, where I found a bed made out of old curtains and trash. Before I left, I put candy bar on the balcony. When I checked out the cabin the next day, I found the wrapper inside, near the bedding. The chocolate was all gone, and part of the wrapper had been eaten! -Phillip A.