Ask the State of Tennessee~!

[Yup. One of those ask blogs. You know the drill! Got a question only Tennessee can answer? We'll see if we can get him to impart some words of wisdom.]

[askthevolunteerstate]

Read More

[ask-the-austrians--closed]

"M-maybe," Jozsef started, though paused, "Maybe call soon… ask for the ticket." He wasn’t sure if that would actually make much of a difference, but he hoped Liam could get a seat with them at least. Liam gave a shrug, waiting to speak after he’d finished his bite of moon pie.

Read More

[askthevolunteerstate]

"Why?" he repeated stupidly as if it never even occurred to him there should be a reason behind their antagonism. Andrew sat back in his chair to seriously ponder this, taking a swig of his beer thoughtfully before finally mustering an answer. "Mostly 'cause we're bored an' got nothin' better t' do," he admitted without seeming to think that was an odd reason to pick a fight with his own flesh and blood. He glanced over at Liam. "That's how it works fer y'all's teams, right?"

[askthevolunteerstate]

Andrew, it's been awhile.

Sure has been. Ya excited ‘bout fall startin’ up?

[asktheolddominion]

The many colors of the leaves are beautiful in the Blue Ridge. I am ready for that much of fall. 

I’m guessing you’re excited for fall?

[askthevolunteerstate]

Yep. I got all kinds'a festivals in th' fall. It's th' best time'a th' year far as I'm concerned. Ya got any special plans?

[askthevolunteerstate]

Read More

[ask-the-austrians--closed]

Jozsef fumbled but caught the moon pie, nodding at the suggestion. The teen was still a little put off from the previous interaction, though tried to push past that. He liked the cola there even if it was super sweet, as were all their sweets, so he was willing to try this combo. It was nice to have something to get his mind off what just happened anyway, so he took a soda and popped the tab.

Read More

[askthevolunteerstate]

"I'm gonna punch another one'a Bama's teeth out this year," Andrew said adamantly, already fired up over their strange sibling rivalry. If his team couldn't beat Chris on the field, maybe he could beat his brother behind the bleachers. He hesitated a moment before looking over at Jozsef. "Me an' Bama are real close," he clarified. "Ya might wanna look away when we fight, though. I'll try t' warn ya 'fore all hell breaks loose."

[askthevolunteerstate]

Andrew, it's been awhile.

Sure has been. Ya excited 'bout fall startin' up?

[askthevolunteerstate]

Read More

[ask-the-austrians--closed]

Liam knew what Andrew was thinking already—there was no reason Liam didn’t see his fellow states when in America he was doing triple the miles just to see friends. At the order to sit and get comfortable, Liam tossed his bag on the floor by the couch and took a seat, looking at Jozsef who awkwardly sat on the other side of the couch and took his shoes off again, blushing red. It surprised him to think Burgenland would befriend such a tough, harsh guy like Andrew. He seemed so shy… But then again, Andrew was a quiet guy too. He smiled, looking to Jozsef, “So, how’s America for you?”

Read More

[askthevolunteerstate]

"Didn' have any trouble on th' plane ride, did ya?" Andrew asked politely. "Yer here jus' in time fer college football." Arguably it was the most volatile time of the year for the states when Tennessee annually came close to declaring war on Florida, Georgia and Alabama. Thus, he thought it was the most exciting time to have visitors to join in on the fun. "I figured Jozsef should see American football this weekend. Ya wanna see th' game with us?"

[askthevolunteerstate]

"I found ‘im," he explained with his usual degree of helpfulness as he eyed scary Tyrol carefully for any hint of greater mental instability. "He wasn’ doin’ nothin’ so I decided we should hang out. Now we’re friends." Andrew’s eyes swiveled to Jozsef as Liam laughed at his own joke. "Wait, there’s only nine of ya? Is it a really big country or somethin’?" That might explain why the states barely knew each other—sometimes it was difficult traveling thousands of miles across country!

[ask-the-austrians--closed]

The handshake was a little off, but it was only out of good manners and uncertainty of their relationship that they did that. Liam was honestly glad they were speaking in English, since outside of a family reunion he honestly might have spoke to Jozsef in the formal fashion. Friends… Andrew saying that was rather nice to hear, boosting Jozsef considerably. Before Liam could ask about Andrew ‘finding’ Joszef (as in where in the world was Andrew at the time—literally), Burgenland spoke up to answer Andrew.

Read More

[askthevolunteerstate]

"Oh. Sounds rough," he said in a flat voice which sounded more like he was telling them to suck it up. His very unsympathetic expression only made his disapproval more difficult to ignore. The Tennessean put a pin in that issue for now and decided to refocus his priorities on being a good host. "Welp, I guess that means y'all got some catchin' up t' do while yer both here," he said as he went to the kitchen. "I'll get some drinks. Go on an' get comfortable, Liam. Jo, it's alright t' take off yer shoes again."

Nobody was going anywhere, after all.

[askthevolunteerstate]

Read More

[ask-the-austrians--closed]

In his confusion over Jozsef being there, Liam realized he hadn’t spoken at all and instead waited for Andrew to continue the conversation—woops. “Oh, no, no, I know him,” Liam smiled at his friend, looking to Jozsef, “Jozsef is my uh, cousin? Yes, I think that’s what we agreed on.”

Read More

[askthevolunteerstate]

Andrew was more than a little skeptical of the business-like manner in which the two "cousins" shook hands. Something about the chill between them felt a little off, but it wasn't exactly his place to critique their weird family. Europeans were strange, but the creepy forced smile Liam wore was even more unnerving. Andrew felt a small chill go down his spine as he answered, wondering if there was a sinister plot being hatched beneath that grin. Did he do something to anger Liam?

"I found 'im," he explained with his usual degree of helpfulness as he eyed scary Tyrol carefully for any hint of greater mental instability. "He wasn' doin' nothin' so I decided we should hang out. Now we're friends." Andrew's eyes swiveled to Jozsef as Liam laughed at his own joke. "Wait, there's only nine of ya? Is it a really big country or somethin'?" That might explain why the states barely knew each other--sometimes it was difficult traveling thousands of miles across country!

[askthevolunteerstate]

Read More

[ask-the-austrians--closed]

 The moment Jozsef turned to inquire about the person at the door, he knew the mood had shifted. What had been a peaceful afternoon was now tense and very much interrupted, and he could feel it cutting into the air with each slap of Andrew’s foot.

Read More

[askthevolunteerstate]

American states weren't universally friendly and there were some internal rivalries which could turn nasty fast, but they were usually at least familiar with one another... aside from a handful of very unpopular states. This mood didn't feel happy nor hostile and in no way resembled how Tennessee expected states under the same union to behave. Overall, it was very uncomfortable. Awkwardly, Andrew tried to unsteadily steer the meeting forward when neither European spoke. "Uh... this is Jozsef. He's an Austiran," he explained. "Jo, this is Liam. He's... also an Austrian." After another short pause to let this information sink in he continued. "Yer both Austrian states so I'm sure y'all have a lot in common."

He hoped they had a lot in common.

Hopefully good things in common.

[ask-the-austrians--closed]

Tennessee was actually rather pleasant in mid September. Liam was enjoying his trip to Andrew’s—a trip he actually planned for next week with Andrew but, well, here he was. Liam missed him a lot, and it was hard to wait to go see him, but he tried to take his time driving through (also trying not to get lost. He had to check the map a lot, and his GPS was always blaring directions at him.)

It was late afternoon when he arrived, seeing as he wouldn’t have gotten up any earlier than late morning. He parked, got his bag out of the back seat, and shoved his phone in his pocket. He rang the doorbell, not wanting to just walk in when he hadn’t given prior notice.

Little did he know that Andrew had company already, with someone whom Liam was familiar with. A bright blue eyed boy looked up from the television, looking back toward the door with a nervous expression. “Were… were you expecting someone?” Jozsef turned to Andrew. Maybe it was just the mail?

[askthevolunteerstate]

TENNESSEE WHERE ARE YOOOOUU????

If yer still havin’ trouble gettin’ here, I’ve found google maps usually does a pretty good job pointin’ ya in th’ general direction.

[asphodelsia-deactivated20230424]

[gouchercollege]

If Every State Had an Official Dessert, What Would It Be? (Montana Gets S’mores.)

This is obviously very, very important to read. 

[askthevolunteerstate]

Tennessee Banana pudding Many states—perhaps all the states—wanted banana pudding as their state sweet. The layered concoction of sliced bananas, vanilla pudding, vanilla wafers, and whipped cream is an honest-to-God American treasure. And Tennessee is the state that has developed a festival worthy of banana pudding’s charms: The National Banana Pudding Festival and Cook-Off has been running for five years in Hickman County, Tennessee. In addition to naming “the best maker of banana pudding in the United States,” the festival crowns a Miss Banana Pudding, a ritual of retrograde sexism that is forgivable only because it’s done for the greater glory of banana pudding.

[askthevolunteerstate]

I'm going to tell Kentucky you stole his outfit.

'Tucky's outfit...? This ain't some "fashionista" thing, is it?

[askthevolunteerstate]

Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam and Tennessee First Lady Crissy Haslam Ice Bucket Challenge

Haslam said he and his wife were challenged on video by Carianne and Chris Meystrik, members of Cedar Springs Presbyterian Church, which they and the Haslams attend. Carianne Meystrik has been battling ALS for 17 years.

Source

Could this also be in response to Mark "Coonrippy" Brown who was defeated in the GOP primary by Haslam despite his heart warming pro-raccoon platform? See Coonrippy's ice bucket challenge here.

Donate to MDA's Ice Bucket Challenge campaign to fight ALS here.

[askthevolunteerstate]

More drawing practice stuff. To work on face shapes, I decided to line up my TN with some of the muses he interacts with most often.

(See the captions for their names and blogs they are from)

[askthevolunteerstate]

Third Avatar I've made.

I can't seem to draw Andrew consistently even though the design stays the same. ; u ;

[askthevolunteerstate]

Lost Civil War Diary Makes Its Way Back To Nashville - Nashville Public Radio

It belonged to Randal McGavock, a storied Civil War soldier who served as Nashville's mayor for a one-year term in 1824.

"Historians love McGavock, and not just for his striking red hair. He was a very thoughtful and observant writer and his diary, housed at the Tennessee State Library and Archives is a real window to a time much different than ours. Except the portion of his diary devoted to the Civil War has long been missing.

Until now."

Picture and Quote Source