thra·wart [thrah-wert] –adjective Scot.
1. obstinate or intractable.
2. twisted or crooked.
Also, thra·ward [thrah-werd]
[Origin: 1425–75; late ME (Scots), alter. of fraward, froward, perh. under influence of thraw, thrawn

Once a week, two young folks from the mountains of south east Kentucky hike down to bring you the continuing story of, well, themselves. And who are these intrepid young hillbillies, you ask?

Oscar Mochrie: Oscar has the sharpened cheeks, crooked nose and sapling muscles of one who was taught to fight by example, of someone who would throw you across an old dirt road and gladly spit in your mud-spackled face. Zie was raised by zir Cherokee grandfather (known affectionately as “Pappy” to all those younger than he) until he died of Black Lung, and then his mother’s brother, Daniel. Zir beloved uncle died of the same towards the end of zir junior year in high school; zie immediately dropped out to spend a couple years haunting the alleys of “more liberal” Lexington, but returned at age 19, with a surer step and the unheard of declaration that “Wearing a skirt doesn’t make me gay, you douche bag. It’s not that simple. Now get away from me before you regret it.” Zie currently lives with zir aunt Beth (who may not be all that accepting in herself, but respects her dead husband’s memory enough to pretend) in a duplex a few miles north of Cawood. Zie holds down a job at the local Piggly Wiggly, where zir indeterminately dark hair sparkles red under the fluorescent lights, and zie routinely endures being called a “lazy good-fer-nuthin’ half breed” by his boss, though zie is in fact a quarter/three-quarter split (roughly).

Jimmy Harris: Strapping in the way that only a nineteen year old can be, Jimmy has been nuthin’ but Appalachian on both sides since the Scots-Irish first laid eyes on a mountain. As a result, he speaks with a charmingly rustic accent, complete with colorful colloquialisms, that would probably do well at selling tractors or horse feed. However, he never made it far enough away from Three Point for that, and works five days a week for a small logging company based in nearby Coalgood, Kentucky. He met Oscar Mochrie at Evarts High School, when he was merely a lowly freshman and Oscar-the-junior was already beating the boys off with a a stick (sadly, that is not a metaphor). They immediate became fast friends, and remained so through the many upheavals in Oscar’s young life. He lives in his ancestral cabin with his dog, Chinook, waiting uncomfortably for the far-off day in the future when his older brother will return from a long stay in La Grange.

Harlan: (Not just a badly named plot device; more coming soon.)

Supporting Characters:

Chinook: A beagle-German-Shepherd-what-the-fuck mutt. Good natured, loving, defensive as all hell. Irresistible to pretty much anyone with a soul, she always seems to bring Oscar out from his wavering depression.

Miz Blondie: Franchise owner of the local Piggly Wiggly and Oscar’s boss in that capacity. Bitter, and blond.

Harlan County, Kentucky: (coming soon)

The Story So Far

Chapter One – posted May 1, 2008

Chapter Two, part one – posted May 8, 2008

Chapter Two, part two – posted May 22, 2008

Chapter Two, part three – posted May 29, 2008

Chapter Three, part one – posted June 5, 2008