I can suspend my disbelief for a lot of things when I’m reading.
Ridiculously attractive firefighters? Absolutely! A slow burn that somehow takes 37 chapters? Sure! Two people finding themselves alone in a hotel room and- well, you know where this is going!
But tell me someone stepped outside in El Paso and was immediately hit by the humidity and you’ve lost me. And thanks to one post I recently came across on X, I know I’m not alone.
Fanfiction Writers Keep Getting El Paso Weather Wrong
If you’re not familiar with fanfiction, or fanfic, it’s pretty much exactly what it sounds like. Fans take characters from their favorite shows, movies or books and write their own stories about them.
Sometimes they’re sweet. Sometimes they’re dramatic. And sometimes they’re definitely not something you’d want to read at work! No judgment here. I read my fair share.
That brings us to ABC’s 9-1-1, a drama about first responders in Los Angeles that includes firefighter Eddie Diaz, who in the show is from El Paso.
Recently, I came across a post on X with one request for people writing 9-1-1 fanfic: Please stop making El Paso humid!
The post points out that El Paso is in the Chihuahuan Desert, so while we absolutely get some humid days, that’s not our normal climate.
We’re known for dry heat, sunny days and summer temperatures that make touching your steering wheel feel like a terrible decision.
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El Paso Is Not Your Stereotypical Texas City
Texas is HUGE, and El Paso doesn’t look or feel like every other Texas city.
We don’t have the same climate as Austin or Houston. We have mountains running right through the city. We’re on Mountain Time while much of Texas is on Central Time. Mexico isn’t some far-off destination; Juárez is literally our neighbor.
And yes, it gets cold here!
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You can give us snow, triple-digit heat, dust storms and those gorgeous desert sunsets. Just maybe don’t have your character battling Houston-level humidity on an average El Paso afternoon.
Nobody expects a fanfic writer to become an expert on the Chihuahuan Desert. But sometimes those little details are what make a setting feel real.
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One Wrong El Paso Detail Can Ruin the Fantasy
Anyone who loves getting lost in a good story knows the feeling. You’re completely invested. The tension is building. You’ve waited 25 chapters for this moment.
Then you read: “The humid El Paso air clung to his skin…”
HUMID?! In EL PASO?!
And suddenly I’m not thinking about the attractive firefighter anymore. I’m thinking about desert climate.
Fantasy ruined!
That’s why I completely understand the frustration behind that X post. Those tiny details matter, especially when your reader actually calls that place home.
So, fanfic writers, please keep writing about El Paso. Give us romance. Give us drama. Give us whatever happens after you’ve clicked that little “Explicit” rating.
Just remember one thing. It’s a dry heat.
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