#beef nola

[nolafoodporn]

Beautiful braised beef croquettes in a peppery pimenton aioli garnished with pickled chilies @plates.nola 🌶️

🎁 From the kitchen

[icleanedthisplate]

Beef Debris, Deviled Farm Eggs (Shared All). Justine. New Orleans, Louisiana. 1.21.2023.

NOTE TO SELF: I love anything topped with eggs and bathing in au jus.

Currently ranked 11th of 26 January meals.

[galvanizedfriend]

I'm curious on your opinions about the TO pregnancy storyline; tbh I was never a fan of the Wattpad ultra powerful baby trope and just couldn't enjoy Hope's character. While I understand it was so Klaus could have unconditional love, I feel like his "redemption" could've taken other avenues. What do you think it would've been like had Hope, and likely Hayley, not been included?

Thanks! I hope you're well <3

WATTPAD ULTRA POWERFUL BABY TROPE! 🗣️🗣️🗣️ That is the best definition I have ever seen!! I've been asked this a few times, nonnie, and despite the fact I have written over 1M words of baby fic based on the TO pregnancy plot, I hdo hate that storyline 😂 If I had been the one behind the show, I would've never gone down that road. I still remember my disappointment when I was watching the backdoor pilot in TVD S4! I was so excited about the spin off and could not fucking believe they'd made a baby the whole premise for the show. I was literally cursing at my TV. I cannot deal with pregnant vampires.

And I agree, I think there was a plethora of better options for them to explore. It was great that they decided to introduce more werewolf lore into the story, but I don't get why they did that through Hayley when Klaus was *right there*. Klaus spent a thousand years trying to break his curse only to never speak about being a werewolf ever again. We never see his wolf form, we never see how he relates to that side of him. Being a half-werewolf is the thing that defined Klaus' entire existence from when he was a child, and it never gets explored. The connections to the bayou packs should've always been his. If they wanted to go down the fatherhood avenue, on the other hand, then they should've looked no further than Marcel! It was such a better story all along, because Marcel was found family. He was someone Klaus rescued and raised and loved like a son despite the fact he wasn't his blood, he taught Marcel everything, and there's so much in that to unpack when it comes to the Mikaelsons and Klaus in particular. He mourned Marcel's death, losing him left a mark in Klaus that guided his actions for a hundred years, and then he goes back to Nola to find out he'd not only survived but had taken over the city. Hayley's pregnancy ends up totally overshadowing what should've been the big point of the season and Marcel is relegated to a glorified extra after. And then there were the Mikaelson sibligns themselves - the whole point of having the show to begin with! I thought it was great they brought Kol and Finn back, but they should've actually used them, made them the heart of the season, rather than a side plot. Finn had so much potential to be an antagonist better than aunt Dahlia or the Guerreras or the Hollow, lasting multiple seasons just like the Mikaelsons themselves did in TVD. Kol had so much beef with Elijah and it never got addressed. Why???? And lastly, the missed crossover opportunities. I honestly don't get the point of doing a spin off if you're just going to pretend you're not connected to the parent show anymore. The only decent crossover they ever made were the combined episodes in TVD S7/TO S3 when Stefan goes to Nola and they made it a two-show event. They should've done so much more of that. Things that happened in Mystic Falls could've affected Nola and vice versa. More characters could've crossed over for longer arcs, and I don't just mean Caroline, although I would've obviously loved that. Bonnie in Nola would've been amazing! Kol could've been back in TVD for a little while. There was so much they could've done by involving the characters in both shows that would've enriched the storytelling, but they decided not to because they were too scared people would get attached and then they wouldn't know how to break things apart again. lol Cowards.

So yeah, I think the baby plot was lazy, unimaginative, sappy and borderline stupid in a show about vampires who *already* have all the family they could ever need in order to generate enough dramatic storylines to feed the plot. Klaus deciding in all but five minutes that he wanted to be a daddy, and with Hayley of all people, who had been the one to turn all his hybrids on him to force him to kill them so she could deliver a sacrifice in exchange for a useless piece of information (congrats, your parents are dead!), was so OOC for him I can't even. At the very least it should've taken him a while to contend with the idea. And the worst part is that after all of that, he never becomes a good father lol He basically abandons his daughter and then commits a totally unncessary suicide at the end because I guess he'd rather die than be a single parent 🤷‍♀️ What kind of redemption is that?

I don't think Klaus needed redemption, btw. I don't think there was redemption for him. That was never the point of Klaus for me. Yes, there is more to him than a psychotic bloodthirsty murderer with anger issues and by giving him his own show we get to explore all this other facets and his past and his relationships and where some of his behavior stems from (or we should have been able to explore that, at least), but I don't think he needed to become *good* or to *prove himself worthy* in order for his character arc to be complete. This is a man who has been commiting terrible crimes against humanity for a thousand years with little to no remorse. The fact he loves his own daughter does not redeem him. It wasn't a redemption, and it shouldn't have been seen as such.

Plus, not every character needs (or wants!) redemption!!!

Anyway, thanks for your question, nonnie, and sorry about the TED talk 😂 Now let me go back to writing my baby fic 🥲

[milfzatannaz]

Whats the difference between Cajuns & Creole? My grandaddys from new orleans and he's white so I just assumed he would be considered white but someone said cajun a term for white louisianans but idk

Oh lawd. That question is perhaps the biggest can of worms in the entirety of south Louisiana history.

Cajun and Creole and distinct ethnic groups that can, and do, often intersect. This is because the definitions of what constitute Cajun or Creole are fluid and varied. You can be creole simply because your family has multiple lines of European ancestry going back before the Louisiana purchase. Cajuns hail from Canada originally, and settled here. Obviously both groups would’ve intermarried starting in the 18th century.

It gets dicey because these constructs don’t really fit the modern definition. I’m a black Creole, meaning the culture I hail from is highly localized to New Orleans and surrounding areas like New Iberia and Opelousas. My family is very much like LDPDL’s shown onscreen in IWTV tv. We’re light skinned, Catholic, and my grandparents are deeply connected to the city and its history. So yeah we have European mixed in but we also fit the definition of Creole simply by the community we’re a part of. I descend from Homer Plessy and his cohort of very light skinned “octoroons” (pls don’t ever call someone that) who, because of the one drop rule, were always seen as nonwhite by virtue of being mixed somewhere in their family line. The 7th ward in New Orleans is very interesting and historically relevant.

Cajuns are a separate group and while Cajuns can and do live in NOLA, they’re mostly concentrated in Acadiana. Thats where I go to school. As far as whiteness goes, it really depends on the context. There are black Cajuns. However, acadiana was established to distinguish white Cajuns from the black ethnic groups in south Louisiana, so there was a historical effort to ascribe to white supremacist ideals while maintaining a distinct culture. It’s really complicated. You can get a whole degree in it lol.

In my personal experience, a vast majority of Cajuns around here are indeed white and want the privilege of whiteness while eating their cultural foods and speaking their specific dialect. Cajuns in this part of the state do beef with creoles, partly because of generations of animosity and also plain run of the mill Republican antiblackness and intolerance. The more rural the Cajun the more they’ll insult my ancestors bc we make gumbo differently.

Idk if this was helpful, this is just colored by my own personal experience. I’m actually Cajun too, through my white dad. I just am not connected to those roots bc they treated my black mom poorly and I was raised by Creoles. Creole doesn’t really mean black, but if you’re in New Orleans most creoles you’ll encounter identify as black. Like I said, it’s a whollleeeeeee can of worms.

Creoles and Cajuns beef daily and fight over recipes and it confuses everyone. All I can say is the groups are have seperate histories with significant overlap.

[murfpersonalblog]

Operation Matador: Wolf Killer Lestat

@blueiight FACTS! Lestat represents everything both he & Louis claimed they hated, but secretly admired/envied. Lestat lives for the aesthetic--he grew up just as slovenly and broke as any peasant, in the marquis' crumbling chateau, embarrassed about his brothers' rough manners throwing bones to the dogs at the dinner table & such.

For all Lestat's talk about being the rugged hunter, the Wolf Killer, the first chance he got he booked it to Paris to act the dandy Lelio. He HATED his family, and he admired/envied the lifestyles of the rich & fabulous. Part of why dandies act so flamboyant is because they're putting on airs--an emulation/exaggeration of what they thought the nobility/genteel acted like. The bourgeoisie/nouveau riche/lower & middle class all wanted to be JUST like the aristocratic elite--and the Reign of Terror showed how they became the monsters they were trying to kill. "I wanted to murder the man; I wanted to BE the man." Vicious cycles.

@likethemodel you keep doing this to me--STOP. 😵💫The Wolf Killer's red velvet cloak and the Bull Killer's red flag/cape, DANG.

Lestat got the prized wolf fur cloak, and matadors are awarded the bull's ears (orejas) and tail (rabo) if they perform exceptionally well during the fight. Lestat's family ate the wolf meat, and after bullfights the bulls are sent to the slaughterhouse and sold as beef. THE PARALLELS commemorating BLOODY victory.

@dirhwangdaseul And what's BANANAS is that Lestat is just as controversial as bullfighting itself. Their violence is not all/inherently bad, it's just whether one chooses to see it in a good/bad/neutral light. IWTV (i.e.: Louis & Claudia) is focused on making Lestat look bad. For Louis/Claudia, the "villain sequence" in Ep5 highlights how Lestat (dressed as The Killer (matador in Spanish)) is just like Akasha said in QotD: "so perfectly what is wrong with all things male." But that's not the WHOLE story, that's not ALL of what Lestat is, even though YES, when AR first wrote about him she was speaking from a place of pain & grief & anger about her own life. A decade later, AR had switched gears and gave Lestat his own perspective, as there's 2 sides to every story. In TVL he's FAR more sympathetic, and we see The Killer in a far more nuanced light, described best by Gabrielle (a la a mother's love).

Lestat LOVES Louis & Claudia. But by Ep5 things had gotten so dang BAD that he succumbed to his worst impulses ("my father's temper"), taking upon himself "the burden of murder or madness to be free of this place." Just like the tragedy of Louis was that he was weak/cowardly; Lestat's tragedy is that he's strong/impulsive--he's always been "stronger than anyone else." He's Hercules, killing his wife & children in a fit of madness thinking they were a pack of lions. But the beast was INSIDE Lestat all along. It's classic Gothic Horror.

@blueiight ALL OF THIS, yup! NGL I think Lestat's endless wealth made him an acceptable relic--his privilege saved him from being treated just like Paul. (Like, Paul acting up in public was only tolerated because of the money Louis kept pumping into the neighborhood (the church donations, those storefronts, etc), that made the DPDLs so respected.) There's a lot being telegraphed by Mr Bouillabaisse de Lioncourt partially because he's SO old that he's out of touch with modernity (I NEED to know if he was asleep before NOLA Rolin, PLEASE 🙏); partially because he's foreign and "there's things you don't get about America, Lestat;" and partially because he's white and he has no clue about the rich nuances of black culture until Louis educates him. (And even then Lestat insists he knows best--one-upping Jelly Roll Morton to create the Wolverine Blues (a la white people claiming blues/jazz/rock & roll Monsieur le Rockstar); whitesplaining about the race riots; etc...). And it's beyond hysterical that Louis was like "he ain't white, he's French," like SIR. 🤦 You of all people should be well-read enough about your own city, Mr. Heads on a Pike in Jackson Square, to know French Whites were the big bad wolves of NOLA's history--not to mention French imperialism across Africa & the Caribbean & Asia. 💀 (He's so lost in the sauce, bless his heart.) But Louis doesn't REALLY know Lestat, is the kicker.

@demonicdomarmand Soooooo multilayered. It's 100% satire @blueiight, agreed. Like, there's the IRL history of Mardi Gras flouting social/class hierarchies (turning everything upside down a la the Saturnalia); how Lestat plays into queer history through gender & drag; the Louis vs Antoinette of it all with the let them eat cake and French history; then they wrap it all up in a direct nod to vamps/demons accused of stealing/killing kids.

DIABOLICAL, AMC, please keep going.

@nalyra-dreaming Show of the Decade! <3 IWTV has the best allegorical handling of vampirism I've ever seen, but folks wanna complain about raceswaps & Claudia's age & them not being on a plantation anymore, like HUH?

@greedydemands I'm not LOL. Just living online and talking to all y'all teaches me more than I ever got in school.

@thebarnburn LOL I'm a student, just proctoring--DR. CAROL CUTSHALL is out here with TENURE. 🍎 It's a effing crime the Emmy's snubbed IWTV--if we don't get some roses come S2 the fix is in, officially, cuz their attention to detail has been downright disgusting.

[throne-for-queens]

This Super Bowl decision must be part of some psyop, 'cause there’s no way Kendrick went from being "what the culture's feeling" to having people actually pissed off in just a few months.

But how Lil Wayne was treated after the beef was disgusting. He once shared how he was at a party and everyone, except one person, ignored him. And now he gets this? Maybe this might serve as a lesson because "If you lie down with dogs, you might get up with fleas". And he still has at least two associated with his name, brand, label, and story.

There's a thin line between love and hate, and people only love you as long as it benefits their hate. Most of the people who praised Kendrick for the beef were mostly cheering because they hated Drake, not Wayne. All this resurfaced love for Wayne is performative at best because Wayne has a concert happening in Nola and 50% of the seats are empty; so why isn't this outrage generating more ticket sales? Wayne receiving heat for a beef that had nothing to do with him is also extremely performative. No one hates Wayne, they just turn down anyone who is adjacent to Drake. Furthermore, no one promised Wayne a guaranteed spot at the Superbowl, he wanted and assumed that he'd get it. His own city when given the opportunity did not pick him, and whether or not you think it's Jay z or someone else making these choices, Nola did not pick him.

[lordrethandus]

Daily Writing Challenge November 2023 Day 1

Party / Chills ( @daily-writing-challenge @corohveldha )

World: Final Fantasy 14

Theme: Clannad - Her and the Sea

Coroh was running ragged.

She had been up since the late afternoon of yesterday making miracle after miracle in the Heartwood Kitchen. The occasional taste-tester would come downstairs every now and then, enthralled by the aromas wafting through the rest of the estate, but she refused any and all help. The free company had been through the wringer these past few moons, both the people living and fighting under this roof and the building itself; cooking for them was the least she could do.

A plump dodo was drained and de-feathered, powdered with spices and drenched in sauces, and now it sat glistening in one of the many ovens at her disposal– the savory flesh would remain crispy but the meat underneath would be so tender it would slide right off the bone. The freshly hunted boar was too large for any one oven, forcing Coroh to roast the heavy beast over a bonfire outside and bring it down into the kitchen to marinate in her coveted honey glaze, piece by succulent piece. Juicy blood sausages hissed and sizzled on their racks, made fresh by hand from Shroud boar, butterbeef, and aldgoat. Ala Mhigan gumbo sat bubbling in a heavy iron pot on the stove, with soft carrots, savory beef, and hearty red popotoes swirling in the mesmerizing brown broth. She even made a crisp salad from island cabbages she bought fresh from the Gridanian markets– with thick Black Shroud mushrooms roasted over an open flame and covered in tinfoil to keep their savory texture and warmth. Well over a dozen pies of ogre pumpkin, sweet popoto, rolanberry, and honey lemon sat cooling on the bar countertops, far and away out of reach of any mischievous children and curious Lalafell alike.

Coroh was finishing up the drinks for the party, mixing fruits of all flavors with crushed ice and salted glasses. They didn’t have much for wine after the rebuilding of the estate, but they had plenty of vodka– with a bottle of cactuar tequila they would surely use for a drinking contest later. She only had a bell or two before they started shuffling in– and her time spent toiling in this place would be displayed for all to see. Make no mistake, she intended to assert her culinary dominance. She was already the greatest culinarian in Heartwood but it was never enough; she needed to be the greatest culinarian. Period.

She blinked as she stared at the pot of gumbo, suddenly missing her babies. Her firstborn Nolas was difficult to spend quality time with since she was nocturnal and he wasn’t, but her daughter Avanta was active for almost as long as she was. She wanted to hold them, to hug them, to kiss them. She wanted to make them feel happy and safe, especially with the chaos they’ve all been through just a few weeks ago. 

Hopefully the Starlight Celebration will be far more peaceful and relaxing.

[kaialawson]

hello everyone! i'm linny (he/him, 26, est) and i'll be playing kaia here, as well as @teddysmusings! i'm a little tardy to the party, but i'm here and i'm super excited to get to get to know everyone and their muses. underneath the cut you'll find all of kaia's background information, stats, and some connection ideas! if you're interested in plotting, just drop a like and i'll shoot you a message!

B A S I C S 

full name: kaia lawson. nicknames: tbd. gender:  cis woman. pronouns:  she/her. sexuality:  pansexual. age:  28 date of birth:  june 1st, 1995. zodiac sign:  gemini. birthplace: the bronx, new york. current location: jongno, seoul, south korea. residence:  high rise penthouse. occupation:  former singer-songwriter / current vocal coach. languages spoken: english, korean.

A P P E A R A N C E

faceclaim:  ryan destiny height:  5’5. build:  lean and toned. eyes:  brown. hair:  naturally dark brunette. piercings:  standard earlobe piercings.  tattoos:  a cherry blossom branch running along her forearm and wrist. other distinguishing features:  smile. style:  trendy, appears to be casual but is usually found wearing designer.

P E R S O N A L I T Y

traits:  (+) intelligent, honest, determined, dedicated , loyal. (-) picky, temperamental, bitter, easily angered , unforgiving.  mental health:  anxiety; medicated. depression; medicated physical health:  good. likes:  music, video games, spicy foods, bratz dolls, live concerts, wine, smoking marijuana.  dislikes:  being antagonized, people who don't respect boundaries, avocados, crowded spaces, groups of people that take up the whole sidewalk, being forced to introduce herself, being in the spotlight, being lied to, being told what to do, mint chocolate chip ice cream.  fears:  losing her autonomy.  phobias:  snakes. hobbies:  singing, teaching other people how to sing, crocheting, reading. skills: crocheting, singing, songwriting, jumping rope / double dutch, computer savvy. quirks:  cracking her knuckles when irritated, avoiding eye contact when feeling shy or nervous, rolling her eyes.

F A V O R I T E S

ice cream flavour:  cookies & cream.  time of the day / night:  late night.  weather:  summer weather.  breakfast food:  waffles, cereal, yogurt.  dinner food:  jerk chicken, beef patties, pasta, rice. colours:  lots of darker, muted colors.  music: nola adé, adele, fka twigs, kehlani, lady gaga, solange, yebba, paramore, hozier, ed sheeran, nirvana, beyoncé, megan thee stallion, sza, samara joy, flo milli, kendrick lamar. 

M I S C E L A N E O U S

a cherished item:  her maternal grandmother's locket. first love ( celeb crush ):  rider strong, circa boy meets world / ciara usual mood:  neutral. 1 thing they want to do / experience before they die:  visit her father's grave. 

B I O

childhood & adolescence: kaia grew up with a single mother in the bronx. her father, whom her mother didn't really speak about often, passed away just months before she was born. from a young age, it was quite difficult for her to deal with the fact that she grew up without a dad. she absolutely adored her mother, but being teased by other children for not having both parents in her life caused her a lot of inner turmoil. it didn't help that she was a rather awkward looking child - as most people go through their ugly duckling stages. despite being a shy, introverted girl, kaia had a very short tempered fuse - a trait that she inherited from her mother. her peers assumed that her quiet demeanor would make her an easy target for bullying, but she quickly proved them wrong after getting into a scuffle here and there; scuffles where she primarily came out on top.

her mother, tired of being called to her school for her fighting bullies, decided that she needed to redirect her short fuse into another avenue; which was when she introduced a ten year old kaia to music. her mother was an amateur musician in her youth, but retired and laid her music dreams to rest when she got pregnant with kaia. it became quite obvious that the music gene was passed onto her, because she took to it like a fish takes to water and fell in love with the art of music.

by the time she was fifteen years old, kaia had somehow landed herself a record deal and was placed in the lineup of america's next big girl group - KYC; the acronym standing for kaia, yolanda and carrie. three young girls with big voices. they took the country, and the world, by storm and became pop-r&b sensations by the time kaia was eighteen years old. and if she were being honest, she couldn't deny the fact that she loved it. she loved the fame and fortune that came along with being a singer, and she knew that the feeling would never die down or go away.

early & mid twenties: KYC lasted for five years before the trio decided to part ways in order to pursue their own artistic avenues. yolanda became a producer and did behind the scenes work. carrie became an actress. and kaia? she continued on the music path, debuting as a soloist and pushing her fame to the next level. awards, accolades and other accomplishments began swarming in, and for quite some time she loved it. she loved performing, giving her all to music and pleasing her fans as well as the general public. that is until she began to realize what a toll it was taking on her mental health and psyche. always being followed, never having a moment to herself, always having to live up to everyone's expectations. it was tiring and mentally draining. by the time she was twenty five and released her fifth solo album (her label had been working her like a dog, pushing her to release something at least once a year), she was done. she didn't want the fame anymore. she had experienced it, basked in it, and was over it. ten years of being in the spotlight was more than enough for her. she released her sixth album, her farewell album, on her twenty sixth birthday and hasn't looked back since.

current day: kaia has been living in south korea for two years now. after moving to the country for a change of scenery and to be closer to her cousin, tasha, kaia's been happier, healthier and calmer. gone are her anxiety attacks and worries of public scrutiny. while she still does get a little attention here and there, as well as occasionally being photographed or asked for a selfie or autograph by fans who recognize her, she's living a rather quiet and unassuming life in south korea. she's landed a job as the head vocal coach at canvas labs and enjoys her work there. although she can be a bit of a hard ass and very tough on the idols when it comes to their vocal training, it's only because she takes singing very seriously and wants them to be the best that they can be - and she doesn't want their poor vocal skills to reflect badly on her.

C O N N E C T I O N S

ex ( multiple ): kaia has had a few significant others in her life; some of them she parted with on friendly terms, others not so friendly.

fwb ( multiple ): self explanatory.

true friends ( multiple ): people that are actually friends with kaia because of who she is, not who she used to be.

music mentee: this person is interested in picking up a few music lessons and vocal coaching, and kaia can't help but give them a helping hand.

best friend / platonic soulmate: self explanatory.

gaming buddy ( multiple ): self explanatory.

sense of calm: one of the few people that can calm kaia down when her short fuse explodes.

sibling figure: kaia has taken this person under their wing as a younger sibling of sorts. she dotes on them, fusses over them and overall just babies them.

instigator: this person loves to push kaia's buttons until she bites back, because they love seeing how feisty she gets.

note: if you can't find anything to your liking here, we can always brainstorm!

[jkwontravels]

Seoul, Korea

My plan was to follow the lead of my friends who have been persistently asking to go to Korea for years. A part of me wanted to spend my vacation days exploring a different country so I dodged their request for some time. Even when we booked our flights, I read over the cancellation policy in case I wanted to back out last minute. But after my last relationship, I’m deeply grateful for friends who love my culture so much that they planned their birthday around Korea, making it a non-negotiable trip. 

Leading up to it, “Beef” on Netflix dropped and for the first time, I felt seen. It portrayed cultural nuances that influence my everyday thoughts and behaviors but were hard to justify in a way that resonated with others. Small things like what it means to be a praise team leader to bigger cultural norms like living life indebted to your parents are concepts I didn’t know how to explain to my non-Korean friends. But seeing my life and all the intentional pieces of my experience portrayed on TV made me long for this trip even more.

If Nola was where I learned to love myself again, Korea was where I was loved. The native part of me that I couldn’t quite explain was fully embraced by my friends who got to experience this part of my identity with me. My Western-side was validated by my extended family who connected with me more deeply than I ever had with my immediate family in America. Whether I’m Korean, Korean-American, or American, all of it mattered because being a blended mixture of all three is the reason I am who I am. Rarely am I afraid to talk about being Korean, but this trip has made me proud. 

Collectively, this year has been a healing journey, one trip at a time.

[bitch-butter]

i know that anon was asking your opinion on leitch which i'd like to +1 and add that he also strikes me as incredibly rude and heady with delusions of power and importance. the way he bosses around not just the whf506 staff but also the other actors and guest stars is uncute. he is also a bitch to people in the comments which blows my mind because why! he is a cringe middle aged white dad whom you can tell is always smizing for the camera which generally would be fine (and lbr not uncommon among bob cast) if he weren't also genuinely unlikable. he also gives very creepy vibes toward women. would you actually have been remiss not to stress how beautiful lucie is when she did the zoom with shane a couple yrs ago matt? would you? we all have eyes did it need to be said and in that way? quickly

uh YEAH

this asshole seems rude as fuck to everyone in such a way that I'm Shocked he continues to get people who pay to interact with him. I heard a rumor a while ago that there's beef with him and the larger cast bc of just Him Doing Him and that made So much sense bc to my recollection he and his Pod Partner were in nola for the symposium but he wasn't actually up there with everyone else. what is the truth here.

that zoom with lucie truly did ruin my life it was So uncomfortable i had to sit next to a window so i could smoke inside it made me so stressed.

[nepokisses]

laura   harrier.     she/her.     cis   woman.      ›spotted   at   the   met   steps   ,   alana   davis   ,   most   likely   listening   to   heaven   by   nola   adé   with   their   airpods   pro   .   the   twenty   seven   year   old   gained   quite   a   reputation   ,   known   to   be   -introverted   yet   +humble   to   anyone   who   knows   them   .   you'll   easily   spot   them   when   you   hear   about   a   pair   of   boxing   gloves   ,   late   nights   spent   at   the   local   gym   ,   her   maternal   grandmother's   locket   ,   a   newly   crafted   tiara   ,   followed   by   rihanna   nude   perfume   .   latest   nepoupdates   article   talks   about   newly   crowned   princess   discovered   to   have   a   police   record   due   to   assault   charges   pressed   against   her   in   her   early   20s   ,   but   i   guess   any   reputation   is   good   reputation   .   (   tj   ,   21   ,   they/them   ,   est   .   )

B A S I C S 

full name: alana davis. nicknames: lana. gender:  cis woman. pronouns:  she/her. sexuality:  pansexual. age:  27. date of birth:  september 1st, 1995. zodiac sign:  virgo. birthplace: the bronx, new york. current location: the bronx, new york. residence:  her childhood home - she refuses to move out of the home she grew up in. occupation:  former amateur boxer/ current princess. languages spoken: english, a little spanish.

A P P E A R A N C E

faceclaim:  laura harrier. height:  5’9. build:  toned. eyes:  brown. hair:  naturally dark brunette. piercings:  standard earlobe piercings.  tattoos:  a cherry blossom branch running along her forearm and wrist. other distinguishing features:  smile. style:  casual for the most part, unless she's going to an event or somewhere special. 

P E R S O N A L I T Y

traits:  (+) humble, honest, determined, dedicated , loyal. (-) shy, temperamental, bitter, easily angered , unforgiving.  mental health:  anger management issues, bipolar disorder; medicated.  physical health:  great, very healthy physically. likes:  boxing, video games, sports, art, spicy foods, bratz dolls, live concerts, mma, wine, smoking marijuana.  dislikes:  being antagonized, people who don't respect boundaries, avocados, crowded spaces, groups of people that take up the whole sidewalk, being forced to introduce herself, being in the spotlight, being lied to, being told what to do, mint chocolate chip ice cream.  fears:  losing her autonomy.  phobias:  snakes. hobbies:  boxing, teaching other people how to box, crocheting, reading. skills: crocheting, fighting / boxing, jumping rope / double dutch, computer savvy. quirks:  cracking her knuckles when irritated, avoiding eye contact when feeling shy or nervous, rolling her eyes.

F A V O R I T E S

ice cream flavour:  cookies & cream.  time of the day / night:  late night.  weather:  summer weather.  breakfast food:  waffles, cereal, yogurt.  dinner food:  jerk chicken, beef patties, pasta, rice. colours:  lots of darker, muted colors.  music: nola adé, adele, fka twigs, kehlani, lady gaga, solange, yebba, paramore, hozier, ed sheeran, nirvana, beyoncé, megan thee stallion, sza, samara joy, flo milli, kendrick lamar. 

M I S C E L A N E O U S

a cherished item:  her maternal grandmother's locket, the first pair of boxing gloves her mother bought for her. first love ( celeb crush ):  rider strong, circa boy meets world / ciara usual mood:  neutral. 1 thing they want to do / experience before they die:  have one professional boxing match.  character inspo: rosalie hale ( twilight ), raven ( teen titans ), bonnie bennett ( the vampire diaries ).

B A C K G R O U N D

childhood & adolescence: alana grew up with a single mother in the bronx. her father, whom her mother didn't really speak about often, was never in the picture for her. from a young age, it was quite difficult for her to deal with the fact that she grew up without a dad. she absolutely adored her mother, but being teased by other children for not having both parents in her life caused her a lot of inner turmoil. it didn't help that she was a rather awkward looking child - as most people go through their ugly duckling stages. despite being a shy, introverted girl, alana had a very short tempered fuse - a trait that she inherited from her mother. her peers assumed that her quiet demeanor would make her an easy target for bullying, but she quickly proved them wrong after getting into a scuffle here and there; scuffles where she primarily came out on top. her mother, tired of being called to her school for her fighting bullies, decided that she needed to redirect her short fuse into another avenue; which was when she introduced a ten year old alana to boxing. her mother was an amateur female boxer in her youth, but retired and laid her boxing dreams to rest when she got pregnant with alana. it became quite obvious that the boxing gene was passed onto her, because she took to it like a fish takes to water and fell in love with the sport. throughout middle and high school, alana kept up with her boxing. it became a dream of hers to enter the professional world of boxing. in her mind, she had the perfect path set up for herself. she would graduate, focusing on training full time and eventually open up her own gym dedicated to boxing. as much as she loved the sport, being in the public eye as a famous boxer wasn't something that she was interested in. she just wanted to box without being known by the world.

early & mid twenties: boxing had become a huge part of her life by that point. training for hours everyday, competing in amateur fights here and there. she was saving up money to buy a local gym in her neighborhood when a sudden tragedy struck. her mother passed away not too soon before alana's twenty sixth birthday. it was due to health complications that she didn't share with alana - which broke alana's heart. she was devastated that her mother didn't share her health issues with her, and was angry towards her mother for quite a while after her death for that reason, but months in therapy has helped her start to move past that and let the anger go. all the money she had been saving up to buy the gym had to go towards her mother's funeral arrangements and all other loose ends that needed to be tied up; setting alana back at square one all over again.

current day: alana always thought that she was just a normal girl from the bronx. it came as a hell of a shock to her when she was contacted by her father's side of the family to let her know that not only was her father, and by association herself, royalty, but he was the king of the small european country he resided in - making her a princess. she couldn't believe that her life had turned into some fucked up version of the princess diaries. at first she didn't believe them - but after doing some research of her own and going through old papers that her mother kept stashed and hidden away from her, she learned that it was true.

then her life was flipped upside down once more. suddenly she had security following her around at all times, complete strangers vying for her attention. the royal family and consults are trying to control every aspect of her life - she can't box anymore, she can't do this, she can't do that. it's stifling and overwhelming for her. she never wanted this; she was content with her life, for the most part. now it was a complete circus. the one thing that she's held onto is her childhood home. she refuses to move out, although she knows eventually she might have to give in to her new family's wishes and move into a safer, more secure home. but until then, she's fine with having security roaming around her childhood home, as long as she gets to keep one piece of her old life for now.

C O N N E C T I O N S

ex ( multiple ): alana has had a few significant others in her life; some of them she parted with on friendly terms, others not so friendly.

fwb ( multiple ): self explanatory.

users ( multiple ): people that want to be close to alana due to her status and title.

true friends ( multiple ): people that are actually friends with alana because of who she is, not what she is.

boxing mentee: she's not supposed to be boxing anymore, but this person is interested in picking up a few boxing techniques and moves, and lana can't help but give them a helping hand.

best friend / platonic soulmate: self explanatory.

childhood friend: one of the few kids that didn't try to tease of bully her growing up.

gaming buddy ( multiple ): self explanatory.

sense of calm: one of the few people that can calm alana down when her short fuse explodes.

brother / male presenting sibling ( on father's side ): will be sending this wc into the main, but if you're interesting lmk! we can discuss it.

instigator: this person loves to push alana's buttons until she bites back, because they love seeing how feisty she gets.

[revisitingstoneybrook]

#86 Mary Anne and Camp BSC: Chapter 9

Ugh, sorry again for the delay in posts! I’ll make sure to stay on top of this so I can actually get to some NEW books soon!

In this chapter, it’s the return of Jackie the Walking Disaster, so get ready to be beaten over the head with examples of how clumsy he is.

Now we get an(other) entry from Kristy in her handwriting this time about the cookout. Though...when did Stoneybrook Academy (SA) become SMS? Weird. Inconsistency #3! Oh, and the BSC girls should be quaking with fear because look who's joining Camp BSC now...Jackie Rodowsky! Turns out his family had been on vacation, so now he was going to come to camp. So get ready for endless, over-the-top examples that he's a Walking Disaster. While Karen's brattiness goes unnoticed. Favoritism!

And why are Archie and Shea not coming? Shea’s older (I forget if he’s 9 or 10), so I guess that makes sense he may be too old. Archie’s 4, he’s the same age as Andrew and Jamie, so he isn’t too young. Jackie kind of overshadows his brothers anyway.

Jackie shows up at Camp BSC just in time for the cookout and right off the bat, he drops the napkins in the dirt. Whoops. The kids clear a space for the campfire, and they bring out the food: Turkey hot dogs, baked beans, coleslaw and s'mores. Mary Anne says they got turkey hot dogs because Dawn refuses to eat beef or pork. Sure thing, Your Highness! She adds the kids won't know the difference between turkey and beef hot dogs but I call bullshit because there's a definite taste difference! 

While the kids roast hot dogs, Ricky pesters Logan, asking if he knows any ghost stories. Logan says he doesn't believe in ghosts and Ricky looks at Logan as if he just told him there's no Santa Claus. And since we're talking about ghost stories, Karen joins in and tells the group that ghosts are everywhere and there's even ghosts that eat hot dogs! Ooooh spooky. Are there ghosts that eat loudmouth, obnoxious bratty kids too? I sure hope there are.

Logan tells Karen in a very nice way she's being a pain in the ass. “He'd encountered Karen's world-class imagination before!” ARGH. This double-standard pisses me off. Karen isn't annoying and bratty...she's funny and has a wild imagination! Don’t these girls ever get sick of Morbidda Destiny or Ben Brewer?

Oh, and Jackie's turning his hot dog into a black, burnt mess and as he eats it, he spills his baked beans. Because, you know, he's a WALKING DISASTER! We get it, Nola Thacker! The kid's clumsy! Kristy reassures the kids that there will be ghost stories, because they're a real camp that has cookouts and you tell ghost stories at cookouts. It's sad she had to stick that last part in there because her stepsister and her friends have put a damper on everything.

Nicky says Pow should have come because he'll eat up all the food that everyone's spilled, leading into a discussion about everyone's dogs. Which means when Shannon says something, we have to reiterate that it's Shannon Kilbourne saying it, not Shannon the dog. Because dogs are known to talk, so we have to distinguish. And this is the first time I’m hearing of Shannon being at the camp - hi, Shannon!

They go into the barn for ghost stories, and Karen tries to frighten everyone with the mention of the...Barn Ghost. Logan, who's prepared for this, tells her that the Barn Ghost only comes out after midnight and can't follow you home because it's just the ghost of a barn mouse. Thank you, Logan.

Logan attempts to tell the story of the guy with the yellow ribbon around his neck but Charlotte, of all people, finishes the sentence up “and when he untied it, his head fell off,” and asks for something good and scary. Are we sure this is Charlotte Johanssen, and not another Charlotte? Because she's as big of a scaredy cat as Mary Anne is!

Mallory then tells a bloody and morbid ghost story with everyone dying. The sitters aren't too amused but the kids love it. The ghostie forgot to mention it was about a family of eight kids and all but the eldest died at the hands of an evil ghost. The eldest then sold the bodies to Sweeney Todd and with the money, got a nose job and some dibble sparkly sweatshirts.

Karen then tells one of her stories. Let me guess - is it Morbidda Destiny or Ben Brewer? Oh, it's the one about the cave full of vampire bats. I guess she made this one up on the spot. Mary Anne even tries telling one about a ghostly cat, which she says kind of happened to Dawn once. Um...wasn't it Mallory and the Ghost Cat? 

Geez, even the ghosties hate Mallory! Now Dawn's stealing her mysteries! Inconsistency #4 in this book!

Kristy then manages to scare the shit out of everyone (including Karen) with the story of a ghost that hated cookouts and haunted them. She says the ghost spotted a group of kids go into a barn and then Logan jumps out and scares everyone. Take that, Karen! I guess they were afraid because the book says the campers cried out “Eeeeeeehhhh,” which I guess is supposed to be shrieking.

Oh, and when roasting marshmallows, Jackie burns his to a crisp and adds that into a s'more. Because, you know, he's a WALKING DISASTER, DAMMIT.

[pipelinelaserraygun]

DAMN these deep state open border policies, 🇺🇸 that leave American Beulah vulnerable.

🕎✝️🛐 Father God, BEEF up security detail for your 🪖 Ground Troops.

There may be terror cells on the ground in NOLA, STILL.

What is surprising is that this is a heightened level of terror, and yet it apparently 🏈 ISN'T heightened ENOUGH, to postpone the football game!

2025 marks this devotional's 20th Anniversary. It was born from a passionate desire to get out MORE information, concerning those affected by Hurricane Katrina.

Batman launched this social media Ministry platform, 🦇 unsure 🎯 if it was going to draw an audience, at all.

WITHIN 3 minutes of 🚀 its launch on Facebook, a Man from Sri Lanka wrote back to share his appreciation. 🗾 I couldn't even point to a map, to 🆔 where is Sri Lanka was.

Flash FORWARD to last night where I got a WhatsApp call from a group of three pastors living in Sumatra, ☎️ who called me at 2:00 a.m... They were looking for a different Church leader, but God had other plans. We prayed, and among the topics discussed was that, just like Katrina, 2025 is a 20th Anniversary, *of the Indonesian tsunami.

🪡🧵 The common thread? I remain unconvinced that we need to bulldoze past serious existential threats!

When death is knocking on the door, this is the wrong time to be running around like a chicken with your head cut 📴.

Why does the chicken cross the road?

The devil WON'T expend resources, when you aren't making a difference, but the moment you start to advance the causes of Jesus Christ, attacks on you will increase.

[milfzatannaz]

one day I’ll get a follower from Nola and we’d have to beef depending on what HS they went to

[mrm0rale]

I’m kinda upset about this whole Super Bowl fiasco. I love Wayne, and I get why he was upset, but let’s be fuckin for real, the Super Bowl has been to Nola TEN TIMES and not once was Wayne chosen to perform, so what was the big deal this time? He said something, then Nicki ass crashed out, and all of Wayne’s fans are coming for Kendrick, and Wayne got the nerve to ask what he did..It’s ridiculous, honestly

1 person congratulated that man. 1

If it were Drake, none of them mfs would’ve said shit. I hate to say it but this community is not a fuckin community sometimes. The rap beef was cool when Kendrick was calling out a pedo, but this is just on some disappointing shit now. Young Money gang getting on my nerves, and I hate that that’s including Wayne now. He was my Nola rap representative :( I refuse to claim Gates 😭

[cryptid-killjoy]

Annabel Lee Van Helsing - Witch at Halloween Town High - FC: Jenna Ortega

Connections & Background

Pets -Persephone the Frankenweenie poodle - resurrected

Victor Frankenstein - The daughter of a girl he knew back in school when he first lost Zero, Elsa Van Helsing. It was during the era of calling him Sparky after using the lightning to bring him back. It always sort of bothered Victor Zero was the nickname that stuck since Jack Skellington gave it to him and there's bad blood there. But, what matters in this story is Annabel's mother was around when he lost Sparky. Things never did work out long term between him and that lady. It wasn't meant to be. It was a long story involving things that did not go according to plan. That said it was still Victor's honor to bring Persephone back when time came. The mother was the only person who understood his pain when he first lost Zero. He didn't want her daughter to feel it either. Thus Persephone the poodle was resurrected.

Zero - Obviously, he loves the dog. The girl comes with the territory.

Elsa Van Helsing - Her mother, who knew Dr. Frankenstein. Father deceased. Hence why she couldn't handle one more death for her daughter and reached out to Victor about the poodle. (FC: Eva Green)

HISTORY OF THE NAME VAN HELSING - and why Thomas Laveau is a minor connection: Van Helsing is a well known name for a monster hunter. This is also a well known name of a hunter who became a monster. The Mr. Van Helsing has similarities to Thomas and back in the day would have walked in the same circles Thomas did in his hunter days. But, just like Thomas he learned not all supernaturals were monsters. Elsa Van Helsing was who adapted this road for him. Thomas and Elsa may not know each other personally, but he'd know the name. He'd know the man. He should be able to understand instantly who she is if he hears her last name or the child's. She still goes by Mrs. Van Helsing or even Widow Van Helsing to this day.

So, what's Annabel's story other than being the daughter of a girl cool enough to like someone as strange and unusual as Victor back in the day? She doesn't really have one yet. But, this does make her accustomed to the bizzare. She's not put off by darker things. She's trying to grow up and in high school now. Her mother moved her to Halloween Town after her powers got out of her control and decided a magic school would be best after all.

Her family moved from Nola when the politics got scary. It's how they're alive and kicking today nor trapped in Feral. They miss Nola since most her childhood was there. Her mother Elsa still recalls it fondly. Forced to abandon ship Elsa Van Helsing started life anew in a little town a ways away called New Holland. It was a small farm town, boring in it's way. But, Annabel was the sort of personality that could entertain herself. What was most important was they were safe from the coven wars in Nola.

Power Specialty

Mummification - Can dry out and preserve bodies with her mind. It has no practical outlet so far in her life other than trying to control it enough to make beef jerky instantly. So, she'll usually have some in her pockets and try to share. Other than that she blow Chip's mind in the taxidermy world. All that work and she'll just think it to make it happen. Although, it can be a little scary as someone wouldn't have to be dead first to start the process. She has done it out of anger as most kids do with their magic learning to control. Vertigo Inducement - She can cause a person to feel flush, disorientation, vertigo, confusion, or even unconsciousness if she goes far enough. It's derivative of the other power by controlling it to a much lesser degree.

Hobbies

She'll seem like one of those crochet girls, but it's a little different. Collecting her poodle's hair after it's been groomed and using it to make fabric on a loom. She'll make anything from poodle wool socks to beanies and blankets.

Enjoys watching ferret legging. It might be her favorite sport.

Paints with unusual mediums like pigments made from her own blood on treated hides.