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deke-rivers-1957 · 6 months ago

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King Creole Review

There's a lot of history with this movie. Based on the Harold Robbins book A Stone for Danny Fisher, Hal Wallis bought the rights to make a movie with the intent on casting James Dean in 1955. However, with the death of James Dean in that same year, this movie was initially canceled. It wasn't until Hal heard of the successful off-Broadway version in 1957 that Elvis was considered for the lead role. Production was very troubled due to Elvis getting his draft notice a month before filming began. To avoid losing money that was already invested, Elvis had to get a 60 day deferment.

With Elvis officially able to film, the plot had to be retooled to fit Elvis' southern roots including changing the setting to New Orleans as well as making him a singer instead of a Jewish boxer. This movie has the luxury of being filmed in New Orleans' French Quarter with the Fisher family living right on the infamous Bourbon Street. Given the nature of the original story, famous director Micheal Curtiz was selected in addition to well experienced cast. Once filming was completed, Elvis was officially inducted into the army only two weeks later. Considered by fans as the most cinematic Elvis movie, does it deserve the title as the best Elvis movie or is this movie overrated and a complete rush job to cash in on Elvis astronomical rise to fame? Let's find out.

We are immediately greeted by pure New Orleans aesthetics with various black street vendors singing about their wares. I know it's not on the official soundtrack so I'm lumping it in with "Crawfish" as it marks the first time we ever get a duet in an Elvis movie. When I think about that song, I actually don't think about Elvis. I think about Kitty White and all of the vendors vocals. I was impressed that we emphasize the history of New Orleans by focusing on the French Quarter as that's the oldest neighborhood in the city. I couldn't think of a better way to start the film off.

Danny and his family are introduced and we're told that both Danny as well as his sister Mimi have to work. Ever since their mother died, Mr. Fisher couldn't keep a job to save his life. You can tell this is a dated movie because programs that would've at least slightly helped this family wouldn't exist until the 1960s. Heck food stamps wouldn't even exist until 1964. While there were programs meant for unemployment and dependent children, it's obvious that they don't qualify for that. Even if they did, the apartment they live in is all they can afford. It's a very bad place to be in so of course you understand why Danny wants to graduate and start working full time.

Before going to school, Danny works a couple hours at a nightclub as a bus boy. We see based on the sign outside as Danny walks in that it's interestingly enough called the Gilded Cage. The name as we'll find out is more than fitting. Some men are completely drunk and one of them wants to dance with a woman named Ronnie. The interaction makes you feel very uncomfortable because you know that while Danny can just keep his head down to avoid trouble, the situation was getting wildly out of hand. So to avoid having to listen to Ronnie getting beat, he decides to sing. It's incredible how right off the bat, this movie doesn't hesitate to build off the gritty nature Jailhouse Rock tried to develop.

"Steadfast, Loyal And True" feels like a moment of irony. Danny is being made fun of for going to school. Ironically it also represents Danny's innocence. It still doesn't stop the man from hitting Ronnie again and we see Danny directly get himself involved so the situation doesn't continue to escalate. He makes sure that Ronnie is safe on his way back to school. Yet when he does get in trouble for getting into a fight, the teacher decides to fail him. The principal goes along with it as if there was no other alternative and he has no authority to overrule her judgement since they didn't even hear Danny's side yet. Danny wouldn't have gotten into that fight, if he didn't get Ronnie out of there. And now he's being punished by a system that's meant to keep kids off the streets. Had Danny been allowed to graduate, none of this would've happened. But because it didn't, we are seeing Danny come to a point in life where he's questioning if doing the right thing is worth it anymore.

Deciding to quit school, Danny runs into Shark's gang. Shark gets mad because Danny punched his brother. We get introduced to his two lackeys, Sal and Dummy. Naturally there's a lot wrong with a man being called Dummy when he's very clearly mute (or at the very least has severe issues with speaking), but this is 1958. People with disabilities were treated poorly on a regular basis to the point of it being normalized. While Shark wants to get even for what Danny did to his brother, Danny doesn't mess around by immediately pinning Shark against the wall. Having a certain amount of respect, Shark offers to let Danny in with the gang about a possible job. Danny still wanting to have a good moral standing of course says no and heads home.

As soon as he gets home, everyone's disappointed to hear that he wouldn't graduate. Somehow Mr. Fisher makes an agreement with the principal that Danny can graduate after one semester if he can get the job at the pharmacy. That's right his dad's a pharmacist and you really start to question what on earth he did with his life if they fell on hard times that fast. I know that they lived in the French Quarter for 3 years because he went into a depressive state and couldn't work, but you seriously have to question on how someone can go to medical school to get a pharmaceutical degree and not have any kind of nest egg saved up. Even back in the 1950s, people in the medical field would've been comfortably well off. But regardless, I get why you have this since you need to have Danny make it very clear why he's so aggressive. Mr. Fisher has no backbone or self respect that even when he gets punched in the face, he didn't do anything about it.

To prove his point that he'll never end up spineless like his father, Danny decides to join Shark's gang. While he doesn't actually steal anything, he does sing "Lover Doll" to distract the crowd. I have no idea why the entire store gets distracted by this but it works. I also have no idea why a nickel and dime store would have anything expensive like watches or jewelry but at that point you just have to say "whatever". So to avoid suspicion, Danny hangs around the counter where he meets Nellie. For some reason, she says that she knew he was in on it, but doesn't do anything about it. I admit this whole scene is just weird but we have so much movie left that you kind of forget about this. I'm also just realizing that if Nellie is just now meeting Danny for the first time, yet we see that she's in walking distance from her house, she's older than Danny. The Fisher's lived in that apartment for 3 years and that school looks small enough where everybody knows everybody. For all we know she could be Mimi's age.

Meanwhile we get a very blatant case of ageism in the workforce. Mr. Fisher goes to the pharmacy for a job and if it wasn't for the head pharmacist's boss saying if he's qualified he should get the job, he wouldn't have gotten the job. Mr. Primont outright says that he wanted a younger man to Mr. Fisher's face. Throughout the movie we see that Mr. Primont only wants a younger man so he can train them to do it his way. It's pretty progressive to not pull any punches when showing this. They do not hesitate to make it clear that Mr. Fisher is being discriminated because of his age as opposed to a genuine display of incompetence. In fact, Mr. Primont's boss makes it a point to say that Mr. Fisher shouldn't be judged by his age or by the quality of his suit but his competence and that they've gone through a lot of younger pharmacists that couldn't cut it. So Mr. Primont begrudgingly hires him.

Later that night Danny runs into Ronnie again but also finally meets his boss, Maxie Fields. Maxie being the jealous type, thought she was cheating on him with Danny. She tries to make it clear that things were innocent as she heard him sing and Danny of course goes along with it. After all, any decent human being who already saw someone like Ronnie getting abused would do what it takes to make sure it doesn't happen again. Calling his bluff, Maxie wants Danny to sing right on stage. I genuinely think "Trouble" has one of the most natural build ups in an Elvis movie. It's a character defining song as you get the idea that Danny is singing it directly to Maxie. The black jazz musicians also showcases the sense of scale where people of color aren't just used as window dressing to fill in the shot. If Danny was asked to sing a capella or with the Blue Moon Boys cameoing as his back up band, it wouldn't work. It would feel like an Elvis song. But because we did get black jazz musicians to reflect the New Orleans setting, this is no longer an Elvis song but Danny's. And he makes his point loud and clear.

He gets introduced to Charlie LeGrand who owns the King Creole and offers Danny a job. In an act of foreshadowing, Maxie comes in and says that even if Danny leaves he'll always get what he wants. Knowing that Danny can sing, Maxie of course would want him too. Danny leaves the club as he doesn't want to make a rash decision and we see more of Shark's gang as well as a blatant case of ableism. Shark doesn't want to give Dummy (which I'm not calling him for the rest of this review) his equal share of the money made from their theft and that he should be thankful to be getting anything. But that's where we get Danny making the decision to step up and take the money out of Shark's hand so he can give it to the man. This is where Danny shines as a character since we see that even when he does something wrong, he still has some morality to him. While he did participate in the larceny, he also made sure that the money was distributed fairly even though he knew this would put him in Shark's bad graces. There will be times when he very easily could've made a bad moral decision if it benefited him, but instead tried to keep kind.

Danny picks up Nellie after work and we get another instance of him making a bad decision but still keep kind. When he takes her to the motel, he pays the man at the front desk to get a room. Obviously his intention was to bed her, but Nellie starts getting nervous. Once he sees that she while she does like him, she isn't ready for that type of relationship he backs off. Even though he just paid for the room and there's even images of a deleted shot of them in the room, they leave. This is when we see Danny realize that despite his reputation of being a hoodlum, he really doesn't act like one.

When Ronnie shows up, even when he kisses her, I don't take it as him actually being interested. He just thinks he is because he thinks this is the type of girl that he deserves. A good girl like Nellie would just be wishful thinking since he was only minutes if not seconds away from bringing her down with him. Of course, Danny still has his moments of morality as he's willing to stick up for his father. After checking in on him at the pharmacy, he sees Mr. Fisher getting berated by Mr. Primont. While he doesn't reveal that he's Mr. Fisher's son, he does stick up for him by saying that his father saved his life after getting a bad prescription. Sure it's a lie, but he needs Mr. Primont to see that even though Mr. Fisher isn't a young man, he's competent. All he needs to do now is to get a spine.

Once he talks with Mr. LeGrand, Danny invites him to dinner so he can try to convince Mr. Fisher to let Danny work. Then we get a weird scene where he expresses interest in Mimi. If we're assuming she's in her 20s that's fine, but Mr. LeGrand looks way older than 40. I know people back then didn't put that much thought in preventing wrinkles, but it visually looks weird to have this man want to date a woman young enough to be his daughter. I don't hate it though since if Danny makes his club a success and Mr. LeGrand marries Mimi, she'll be able to stop working. Since we don't know exactly what she does, we can assume that she's really only working so they don't starve as opposed to genuinely being interested in it.

Despite his father's wishes, Danny has his first show at the King Creole. But first we're treated to Forty Nina in Hollywood's tribute to Josephine Baker. It's so on the nose that not only is she French, but her song is literally called "Banana" and she has that same strip tease outfit with bananas on it. I highly recommend looking up Josephine's story as she did a lot more than just work as an erotic dancer. My personal favorite factoid was that she was a prominent black figure who aided the French Resistance during WWII. Anyway, Danny has his first performance at the King Creole. At first the crowd sits on their hands, but after "Dixieland Rock" it's hard not to get the club buzzing.

With Danny being a success, he tries to take things a little further with Nellie. He goes on a ferry ride with her so he can show her the old house his family used to live in. You really get the idea that this house is his motivation to work so hard. He wants to be a success so one day he can buy that house back. And this to me also confirms that whatever feelings he has for Ronnie aren't that serious. He never opens up to her about this the way he does with Nellie. If anything this is a tieback to the mindset people had where good girls are for serious relationships. Bad girls were for fooling around and with how they parallel Nellie and Ronnie it's obvious that both represent the two paths Danny can take. At his second show he sings "Young Dreams" and I love how it fits into what we've seen about Danny so far. The songs really add to the narrative as they reflect Danny's emotional state.

After getting an update on his father and seeing that nothing changed about Mr. Primont, he runs into Shark again. No harsh words this time, but a way to get Danny in with Maxie. Shark proposes that if Danny comes with him, he'll help Danny take care of Primont. This goes about as well as you think as Maxie turns Danny off with every sentence he utters. The way he has Ronnie show off her legs makes him feel uncomfortable and I get why. The objectification of her when she clearly hates it, is enough to make anyone feel gross. Even if he did have feelings for her, watching her do this knowing it's because Maxie is baiting him makes him feel sick inside. Leaving the apartment with no deal made, Danny sings "New Orleans" and I just love how with every song, the atmosphere around him seems to get darker. That indicates that while things might look good, we're actually being led to something more sinister.

That something sinister very quickly comes as Danny leaves ahead of his next show to call the plot off with Shark. As angry as he was with Mr. Primont, he knew that he couldn't go through with it. He realized that if this success lasts, he can get his father out of this trouble on his own. Things go from bad to worse when we see that instead of Mr. Primont, Mr. Fisher goes to take the money to the bank. Even though they saw that it was Mr. Fisher, they still go through with it. They were already in too deep to quit and knowing Maxie and Danny, this is exactly what they need to get Danny under his thumb. Danny meanwhile just runs away feeling guilty about it. Mimi sends Nellie to get Danny and bring him to the hospital where they find out there's a lot of pressure in his brain. To save his life, a specialized surgeon will have to be brought in and it's very expensive. I'm well aware that insurance exists and it would've covered a good portion of it since this was a life or death situation, but even then the bill for his eventual recovery would still be a lot more than what they can afford.

Enter the surgeon courtesy of Maxie Fields who is willing to pay for everything. Naturally Mr. Fisher lives and we get the most vulnerable acting in any Elvis movie. Danny reminds us all that he's only 19. While men were expected to be mature by then, from a modern perspective you get the idea that this is a boy. Danny age wise might be an adult, but experience wise and emotionally speaking he's still a boy. He very much does his best to act like an adult, but this was his breaking point. I wouldn't be surprised if he actually fainted because of how stressful it was to wait all those hours. Thankfully he's able to go to another show and sing "Hard Headed woman". It's amazing how light everything is now reflecting how Danny thinks everything will be ok. We're treated to the titular song, "King Creole" and Danny's on top of the world.

That is until Shark shows up. Knowing Danny's in debt to him, Maxie asks for him to be sent to the apartment. That's when we see the trap being laid up when Ronnie is shown in an attractive dress and Maxie's dead asleep. She even makes it clear that her job is to seduce Danny so Maxie can then present him with a bill for using her "services". Every scene with Ronnie is sad since it's obvious that she's being abused. This clearly isn't a situation where she can go to the police. She does fight back against Maxie, so fear isn't the reason behind her silence. Maxie wouldn't be doing this without fear of being punished if he genuinely thought the police would do anything.

Danny of course empathizes with her since she was once a singer like him and tries to give her some affection in spite of it being a trap. And of course, Maxie wakes up in time to see Danny. While Danny does evade the bill trap, Maxie succeeds in trapping him via blackmail. I mean if it was just "sign with me or I'll tell your dad about your involvement with the robbery" Danny himself made it clear that he doesn't care about it. However, Maxie ups the ante by saying "sign with me or Charlie's place'll be filled with stink bombs. Maybe even real bombs. Anything can be made into an accident after all". That's right we got a threat of terrorist attack if Danny doesn't sign. Even if it is a bluff, you don't mess around with innocent lives like that. The meme above summarizes my thoughts on the matter since no rational human being would be able to make a good decision in that situation either.

We return to the dark scenery as Danny makes his final appearance at the King Creole. "Don't Ask Me Why" indeed. I don't think Danny telling anyone now would be any good. All it would do is drag them all down. Can you imagine having to look your sister in the eye as she chews you out for betraying everyone? Insanity. And yet Danny does this because he doesn't want anyone else getting hurt.

This includes Nellie. He breaks things off with her but can't tell her why. You just feel bad because as much as it's a self sabotage, you can't really blame him for doing this. Things continue to get worse as his mute friend writes a note saying Mr. Fisher is talking with Maxie. While he doesn't know the situation, he at least tries to support Danny's career by pleading for Maxie to let him stay. He's worried that the loss of Danny would result in LeGrand's club closing. That would mean his daughter's future would be in danger too. After seeing Shark come in, Mr. Fisher says that he's going to go to the police. That's when Maxie let it slip that Danny was in on the robbery.

The outcome is when things officially get out of hand. The look on Mr. Fisher's face when he found out Danny would sink so low. He's so angry that he doesn't even say anything. He basically disowns Danny for this. With the agreement being broken, Danny has nothing to lose. He attacks Maxie with such a ferocity, that you think he could actually kill Maxie if he didn't get hit in the head with a chair. Interesting fact, that chair was real. It was simply made of balsa wood so it wouldn't be as painful. Walter Matthau who played Maxie once said in an interview that during a practice shot, Elvis actually vomited after being hit because he just had lunch. And when you hear the sound of him hitting Danny with the chair, it sounds so real that you forget you're watching a movie.

Danny of course recovers long enough to take out Maxie so he and Ronnie can escape. Maxie meanwhile, notifies Shark and his gang to attack Danny. Knowing that he's being followed, Danny tries to hide long enough for him to knock one of them out. Biding his time until Shark appears, the two scuffle with a knife. In a scene where you genuinely worry that Danny might die in this fight, the tension is through the roof. It gets so serious that while Danny does succeed in not dying but letting Shark stab himself in the chest by accident, the damage was done. Danny had been stabbed himself in the arm.

The cinematography of Danny trying to get back home is so beautiful. You know things are looking bad with how he stumbles just getting up the stairs. I was in total shock to see blood running down Danny's arm after Mr. Fisher turned him away. Based on the blood flow being that heavy that you see it already dripping down to his hand, you just know a major vein was severed. With the adrenaline waning, Danny starts to faint from blood loss. This is when you know if it wasn't clear earlier that this movie has teeth. It's not afraid to show someone die and also isn't afraid to show Danny almost die too. But this is when we get to see his fate turn around where as bad as things are, him choosing to be kind is being rewarded. Because we clearly saw that he wasn't completely uneducated, Danny's mute friend communicated to Ronnie that Danny was in trouble. If he didn't do that, Danny would've bled to death right in that alley because she wouldn't have known to look for him.

I don't fault Ronnie at all for not taking Danny to the hospital. While it was a big risk to not address his wounds as you have no idea how long Danny would last after passing out, going to the hospital would've made him an easy target for Maxie. Maxie already had one doctor in his back pocket, so he would've been untouchable and "made it look like an accident" when he would kill Danny. In Ronnie's mind, going to her hideaway was her best shot at saving him and giving them both enough time to recover. Danny was in no position to function so quickly after losing blood. We even get a cinematic shot that once they make it to her hiding place, he's sweating bullets and is so dizzy that he can't even see straight before passing out again.

After waking up, Danny realizes that Ronnie saved his life. They fool around for a while and at this point you just know that she's going to die. Every scene where she's talking about Maxie's abusive nature, you know that this story isn't going to end well. So I don't mind at all to have what feels like a moment of peace here because it serves a purpose. Ronnie and Danny would never get together even if she did live. She just wanted to know what it was like to have someone give her genuine affection. Even though Danny does feel conflicted, I don't think it's because he genuinely feels attracted to Ronnie. It's because he feels bad that she was in that situation and wants to comfort her.

Of course you have Maxie eventually find them. As confusing as that is, we just have to assume he had people follow her since it would've been very suspicious to have her disappear that long. She did say after that Danny was in and out of consciousness for the past 2 days. You know ahead of time that they couldn't just stay in that shack forever. Maxie with full intent on killing both of them brings a gun and starts to shoot at them. Danny's kindness is once again rewarded in a way as if his mute friend didn't warn him the best he could about Maxie, both him and Ronnie would've died. He even goes as far as to go up to Maxie to try wrestling the gun away. While he did try Ronnie gets shot in the process, but thanks to Danny's friend getting into the scuffle, Maxie fatally shoots himself by accident. Danny might have been saved but it was too late for Ronnie as she dies in his arms happy to know that at least for one brief moment she was loved again.

After Ronnie's tragic demise and Maxie's downfall, Danny is free to go back to the King Creole. Even though we don't know how much time passes, we don't need to for us to figure out that things have gotten better. Normally I would criticize something like that being resolved in a way that the audience doesn't get to see, but that isn't the case in this movie. Danny breaking things off with Nellie so he can keep her safe from Maxie is a justifiable action that she would easily understand. Her agreeing to wait for Danny to recover from the traumatic events shows that she's a level-headed woman. As for his father, Mr. Fisher almost had his son die. That's enough to erase anything that he didn't agree with. Unless he's inhumanly unreasonable, I don't think Danny explaining that if didn't sign with Maxie, actual acts of terrorism would've been committed would result in Mr. Fisher saying that he could've done anything different. Any normal human being would understand that this was a horrible situation that Danny had no way of preventing without completely throwing away his core values.

The bittersweet ending is very well balanced. Danny singing Ronnie's song "As Long As I Have You" makes for a nice tribute. I appreciate that the movie doesn't just time skip to Danny singing a musical number about how great everything is. It would be a severe case of emotional whiplash and would have gone against what the tone of the movie was. Danny went through a traumatic event most people can't even fathom happening. He should be allowed to grieve while also getting closure. Singing Ronnie's song on stage does both as it's making it so her song is heard and never forgotten. That being said, I wish we got to see what happened with Danny's mute friend. Knowing that he was only working for Maxie because he had nowhere else together really makes you wonder what will happen to him now that Maxie's gone. Either way, seeing Danny squint through the dark room as his father steps into the light is so beautiful. It shows that all was forgiven and his father finally approves of what Danny wants to do in life. Danny can finally have peace now that he has a support system who loves him.

This is the most emotionally complex Elvis movie I've seen that perfectly executed its vision. I have been waiting a full year since my Wild In The Country review to talk about why I didn't like Glenn's character arc. Danny is what Glenn tried to be. Danny is that troubled youth who makes bad decisions because there is no good decision to be made. There wasn't a single path Danny could take that didn't involve suffering. Even as far back as Danny sticking up for Ronnie wasn't an obvious choice to make. Sure not getting involved would've meant Danny wouldn't get into it with Maxie, it also would've meant that Ronnie would continue to be abused without ever getting a bone thrown to her. It wasn't until later on that he realized Maxie had an insane amount of power. Based on how Maxie operated, you already know that he's got the entire bureaucracy and law enforcement of New Orleans in his back pocket. Shark's gang being able to do as they please without a significant fear of getting caught under Maxie's command shows how Danny going to the authorities for help is completely off the table.

I know I had some complaints about some scenes not really making sense, but those are so easy to fix that I'm giving this movie my first 10/10. Those plot holes don't take away from the emotional impact of what we saw. The amount of songs felt natural as you can't have Danny working at night clubs without having him sing. The character interactions were perfect as you understand exactly what their motives are and have their actions reflect that. Shark looking like he's 35 doesn't matter either since the movie already introduced him as being an older brother of a boy Danny went to school with. Shark said he smokes and since we know smoking can cause premature wrinkling, I'll give him the benefit that he isn't more than 10 years older than Danny. I highly recommend watching it, but surprisingly to some as the last Elvis movie you watch for the first time. To me having it be first would give you an insanely high expectation for an Elvis movie. This movie best serves as leaving it for last as it perfectly captures why fans always talk about what could've been.

AN: Happy Birthday Elvis and RIP! Also shout out to @vintagepresley for writing a companion review of the book. I usually don't talk about the book when talking about the movie so it's nice to have the opinion of someone who read it. I can't wait for it to come out.

Tagging: @codalysssssworld, @presleysweetheart, @smokeymountainboy, @arrolyn1114, @peaceloveelvis,

@mercsandmonsters, @eapep, @atleastpleasetelephone, @without-him, @lucy114505,

@blighted-star, @rjmartin11, @elvisbdoll, @dragonkingsdaughter, @ifyouloveweedletsgosmoke,

@ilovequeen978, @fuzzymusic94, @halieghhh, @tacozebra051, @hooked-on-elvis,

@lola-1013, @father-of-2cats, @southcarolinawoman, @elvisflowerchild, @elviscinema,

@i-r-i-n-a-a, @jadeeloveselviss, @xanatenshi, and @thelonelyheart.

#king creole #danny fisher #elvis film review #1958 #tw abuse #tw alcohol #tw violence

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i-just-give-you-the-vidya-songs · 3 months ago

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The song is "Asteroids" from the game 'Lego Island 2: The Brickster's Revenge', a 2001 action adventure game developed by Silicon Dreams Studio and published by Lego Software. Released on Playstation and Windows.

youtube

Gameboy Color and Gameboy Advance version released as well developed by Crawfish Interactive.

-Submission by anonymous

#video game music #video games #active vote #audio poll #music poll #poll #Youtube

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andreal831 · 1 year ago

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Honestly, if I had to be honest, I could never get myself to like Hayley even after all she went through. Like I believe in karma and the very fact that she tried to build a family with Klaus after they both mutually destroyed Tyler's life - and they could never end up being the proper family they wanted with Hope in the end. Same could also be said about her betraying the hybrids yet going to NOLA where the Crescent Pack - cursed to be wolves every day except for one night - with members that have either betrayed her or got killed fighting battles not theirs for the sake of "loyalty" (I will also mention the Crescent Curse meant they were isolated from the werewolf grapevine outside of NOLA, so Hayley arrived with a blank slate). We - or I - still don't even have outright confirmation that she knew Oliver was the one who killed Eve, her only surviving relative. So even if it wasn't just Tyler, karma was always at Hayley's heel when her actions led to something horrific that she had to pay for.

But I think the reason why I dislike her is for Hope's sake. Yes, Hayley protected her and put her first first - but I think she was still selfish about it. We hear nothing about the years Hope was growing up on the road, like was she always stuck in a safehouse or did she interact with normal people. And on that note, we never got a clear reason why Hayley just packed up and left and didn't bring any Crescent members - who have the abilities of a hybrid (which is a joke when they got slaughtered easily) - even if Mary vouched for them. That doesn't make sense unless what I mentioned above about the Crescents being isolated comes into play and Hayley was worried about hypothetical pack members learning about what she's done before coming to NOLA and didn't want to chance anything (another thing, Tyler was still living while Hayley was looking for pack venom, so his possible influence with North America packs would have been an interesting hindrance to see).

So, if I'm not being clear, for going to a new state with virtually no one knowing her past misdeeds and those who did either being dead (I believe Jackson knew via truth ritual) or indisposed (the Mikaelsons), Hayley had to have struggled getting help because of being in relations with the Mikaelsons, the mother of Klaus's daughter, and an old friend-turned-enemy they stupidly left alive knowing he knew enough information to have packs turning her away. And how does this relate to Hope? Because if Hayley and Klaus have zero love in the werewolf community and know the truth, why would they trust Hope? I imagine the open invitation from the community by just being werewolf-affiliated or having the curse doesn't fall on Hope because her parents' treatment with werewolves...and that's if you had decent writing and proper consequences at work.

Also, in a previous ask, you said sending Hope to Salvatore made no sense..but it actually does if you wanna wager that the School Pack being made up of werewolves that either had no idea of their werewolf curse until triggered or lost their pack early in life would have no idea who Hope was or what her family is to werewolf current history, so like Hayley and the Crescents, Hope has a clean break at gaining the trust of werewolves who don't have anything to affiliate her with. And sending Hope to Salvatore also makes sense if you wanna also add in the fact perhaps certain Crescents may have felt bitter towards Hayley and it could have gone down to Hope. It probably did get better with time if Hope left to eat crawfish with them, but there's probably some distance given everything that happened. And then following how Hope used Henry - a fellow Crescent - by helping him become a hybrid and didn't do what was necessary like break the sirebond or help him gain control, and when that wasn't enough, kidnapping Hayley - the only parent in her life - just to get Klaus's attention, which led to the mess in S5...

Then, yes, I can't have it in myself care about Hayley. Just, she's a mom who's gonna do whatever it takes to do right by Hope but there's so many underlying things that sabotage her efforts. I get Hayley wanted to give her child a mom that always forgives her, but she dealt with Klaus's BS for years - so she should have doubled down on this behavior as soon as it was evidentiary. And furthering back, she's only acting out - and using people, as Mikaelsons do - because of Klaus. Klaus Mikaelson, who we watched for 3 seasons have several people reassure his relationship with Hope was solid and he could be a good dad only to foil it when Hope got a glimpse of the man everyone hated - and the one to even inspire Hope to love him to begin with was Hayley, so she looks like an idiot because Hope's 7 years of wanting his attention is technically on her because she encouraged this when Hope only had her to rely on. If Hayley's only redeeming quality was being a good mom to Hope, she would have: said "screw The Hollow", got Rebekah to track Klaus down, got on the first plane and dragged him back to Hope to explain himself because as bad as her child being possessed by her evil ancestors is, making her child feel unloved and unwanted (the very things Hayley promised her she wouldn't feel on the day she was born) was even worse and should have taken more precedence.

And if I had to warrant it, this is what got Hayley killed: If not staying by the Mikaelsons side and fighting for them, it's by half-assing things with Hope so badly - not being truthful about the real world, not preparing her for the consequences of Klaus's and her actions, kicking Klaus's ass in gear sooner - that the kid had to act like a Mikaelson, running her own childhood, and Hayley's head got put on the cutting board as a result.

(I'm so sorry, this came out harsher than I intended - I edited a lot but still came out this way. I care for Hope, but have responsibility where it lies, but if I had to blame anyone for orchestrating how Hope of S5 came to be, I blame Hayley - and Freya because I think she might have been undermining her parenting behind her back.)

Hi love, I know this is an old ask. Sorry, I'm just now responding. I know we discussed it a little already but I wanted to make sure I responded fully!

I personally don't believe in karma, especially in the context of TVDU. If anyone had karma coming for them, Hayley honestly wouldn't be high on the list. We are dealing with people who have been serial killers for decades/centuries/millennium. Yes, Hayley did some truly terrible things, but she learned and grew. I don't blame Tyler for his hatred to Hayley and Klaus and even how he went after them. But if we are saying that Hayley's karma is why she couldn't have a proper family in the end, why did Damon get one? Why did Caroline? Why did Kol get to get married to Davina? Or Rebekah and Marcel? They have all done equally (mostly worse) than Hayley. Why didn't Bonnie get her happy ending? Or Jenna? Or Cami? Or Eve? Karma can't play a role in TVDU because we are dealing with terrible people as the 'heroes' where the innocents are sacrificed as plot devices.

I think the only reason Hayley didn't bring anyone with her when she ran was because she had to get out of there quickly. She also never wanted her pack to sacrifice their lives for her. Jackson had just been killed because of his attachment to her. She wasn't going to risk anyone else for her. I wish the show would have gone more into the pack politics because I can't believe Oliver was the only pack member who had issues with Hayley's relationships with the Mikaelsons. This also could have played a part in it. She knew she would spend the next few years of her life doing anything to get the Mikaelsons back. This probably wouldn't be super popular with the pack.

The pack wouldn't have cared about her past. Let's be honest, they were not the most noble pack. They were ready to turn on each other and any one else for power. I don't think they would have cared that she got 12 random wolves killed to find them when they were willing to kill each other over moon rings.

We don't know what was happening during the time jump, but we can assume they didn't have much interaction with the outside world. This is something we know Hayley feels badly about since she argues with Klaus about keeping her isolated in New Orleans. Hayley understands what it is to grow up alone and never wanted that for Hope. But even more than that, she wants Hope safe. If we look at Maslow's hierarchy of needs, the first two bases of the pyramid are physiological needs (food and shelter) and safety. These come before social needs. I wish we could have seen more of this time and seen the conflicts she may have run into while trying to bring the Mikaelsons back. As you said, Tyler could have played a role or even just Hayley's reputation with the Mikaelsons.

You say that Hayley had no love from the wolves, but that isn't true. Hayley was still very respected with the packs that she ran with when she was young. We see this in season 3 when she and Klaus run into them. It would have been nice to see Hayley go back to them during the time jump and reconnect with her werewolf side as well as having Hope around other wolves. The Crescent Pack also still respects Hayley which is why she can come back after five years and still rebuild leading up to season 5.

Yes, Hayley got 12 wolves killed. But this is not going to destroy her relationship with the packs even if they all know. She isn't the only wolf to do this. We see Tyler get wolves killed when he sides with the MF Gang. Or the fact that when we are first introduced to wolves, Jules and her pack are willing to throw Tyler under the bus in order to get the moonstone. The wolves have zero loyalty to other wolves and have wavering loyalty to their own packs. It's no wonder Hayley behaved the way she did.

Now, the pack trusting Hope is interesting. I haven't watched Legacies but I've seen enough edits to know Hope does go back to NOLA and interact with the wolves. And they don't trust her. I think she even beheads one of them (and we are supposed to think it's badass or something??). Hope basically has to tell them that they shouldn't want a monarchy or even a hierarchy of alphas. But to your point, most of the Crescent fighting was generational because of this hierarchy. Hope didn't need to earn their respect because they operated as a monarchy -- which is the problem with monarchies.

I still hold that sending Hope to the Salvator School made no sense. You point out that it gives her a fresh start with the wolves, but when she was there initially, I don't think they even knew she was a wolf. She was Hope Marshall, a normal, average witch. In the few episodes I watched of Legacies, she doesn't seem to be forming any connections with the wolves. We never see any sign that the Crescents feel bitter towards Hope or Hayley until Hope turns one of them into a hybrid. Which is something that could have been prevented if Hope had been raised in New Orleans and learned about the faction issues. She would have had a better understanding of the Crescent Wolves. It also would have set her up better if she did want to be Alpha one day.

Hayley was a young mom put into an impossible situation. It was only made worse by every other member of Hope's family. You are placing the blame of Hope's behavior because of Klaus' neglect on Hayley. Kids misbehave. It's inevitable. Especially ones with werewolf tempers and absentee fathers. If you agree that sending Hope to the Salvator School was the right option, we really should be blaming Alaric for not being more aware or even Caroline who was at the school in season 5. If anything, I blame Hayley for sending Hope to the school. She would have never let Hope behave the way Alaric did. As soon as she heard, she went straight to the school and pulled Hope home. She made sure Hope knew it was wrong, but still felt supported and loved. Hayley also immediately began attempting to clean up her 15 year old's mess, as any good mom would do.

Hayley also never encouraged Klaus to stay away. She constantly wrote to him and even sent Caroline after him to make him listen. She is not his keeper. It was his choice to stay away. It was not her job to make a deadbeat dad be a parent. She tried to make Hope feel her father's love through stories and reinforcing always and forever, but she couldn't jeopardize Hope's safety. But to your statement, she can't win. Her telling Hope Klaus loved her only served to encourage Hope to fight for a relationship with her dad. But if she had poisoned Hope against Klaus so that Hope wouldn't even care that he abandoned her, that would be problematic too. Hayley didn't even know why Klaus stopped talking to Hope. He just disappeared one day. And when Klaus wants to stay gone, he does. But no, sorry, Hope's emotions were not more important than her life. Which is why every single Mikaelsons agreed to separate in order to protect Hope's safety.

You put the entirety of the Mikaelson burden on Hayley. Hayley was an excellent mother and gave Hope a chance to be a child. Klaus is the reason Hope felt unloved. Klaus is the reason Hope kidnapped Hayley and Hayley ended up dead. He couldn't cope with being a father and abandoned Hope, leaving Hayley to be a single mother with only the support of Freya. If anyone is to blame for season 5, it is Klaus. Which is the theme of the show. The Mikaelsons are their own undoing and anyone who gets caught up with them pays the price.

Sure, Hayley could have raised Hope to be a warrior. Trapped her in a house and raised her to train and fight and be ready for all of Klaus' enemies. But how would she be any different than Mikael? Mikael wanted to raise warriors so he neglected and abused his children. Or how Klaus 'raised' Marcel. All of these children grew up to resent their upbringing. Hayley wasn't going to do that. Hope deserved a childhood. Every child does. Children should not pay the price for their parents. This is shown in season 4 when Hayley stops Freya from torturing Keelin. We see numerous times that Klaus supports this. He also wants to protect Hope's innocents. Which is why he gets mad at Freya for helping with the Chambre in season 5 or when Freya tries to help suppress her wolf side. At the end of the day, Klaus and Hayley are Hope's parents and they are on the same page. They wanted their child to have the life they didn't.

And all of this would have worked out great had Klaus not abandoned Hope. If Klaus had stayed in contact with Hope and continued to try and find a solution for the Hollow, Hope could have had a safe and happy childhood. At the end of the day, Klaus was the problem and Hayley was just working with what she had to give her daughter the best possible life. Something Hope appreciated and loved Hayley for.

Thanks for the ask!

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cacaocheri · 2 months ago

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Can I please hear more about the underground villain group? Pre or post Director D Takeover™️ whatever you decide

yes of course!

I hope it's okay that I ramble about all the other miscellaneous worldbuilding I've done as well 🙏 I think it gives a lot of context to the underground villain group and why it started to form!

more under the cut bc I low key rambled a ton 🫡

so, poptropica! a world composed of many different islands, each island with their own highly specific culture. a lot of reinterpreting poptropica for me was trying to figure out how these islands managed to develop so differently from each other while still interacting in modern day (I will also say I am aware of the graphic novels and have read them, but personally I think the graphic novels interpretation of how the islands function is different from the game, so I won't be using it. I'm very game biased. and also I don't want to work with the time travel mechanics)

essentially what ive decided is that poptropicans have an innate fear of the ocean! thalassophobia if you will. they kind of have the inverse of our fears, where they LOVE heights (no fall damage!) but are scared of the ocean. they'll go skydiving recreationally but it takes a REAL adrenaline junkie to go surfing.

this fear is further supported by another headcanon I have for poptropicans: they need a lot more oxygen than we do, meaning they can't hold their breath for very long! I think this really tanks their survivability in water and makes them drown a looottt easier.

Also sea monsters exist. Bc I said so. Shout out to skullduggery for making this headcanon possible

AAAAAANYWAY! so poptropicans are scared of the ocean! AND there are sea monsters if you travel far enough! this essentially tanks ANY motivation for sea travel (unless you are really desperate), meaning poptropicans are isolated on their own islands for a pretty long time, developing their independent societies! (I've also decided that poptropicans have all the resources they need to industrialize on all their respective islands, because I get to control the geographical make up of these islands. makes it easier) this makes it possible for islands like wild west and astroknights and lunar colony to exist at the same time.

Of course some islands interacted (either through exploration or war, looking at you spy island), but they never developed any sort of inter-island processes until the invention of airplanes or blimps, so it was all very sparse

but anyway! imagine it's like that for a while, you're just on your island and don't really hear news of the other islands. you never really bother to go past island borders bc youre more concentrated on the development of your own society!

and then you get attacked

villages burning, towns plundered. all the resources and money just taken.

And it's happening on EVERY SINGLE poptropica island. a ruthless pirate is traveling everywhere and robbing every island for what they're worth.

And this pirate is captain crimson! Canonically, she does not have any sort of significant role in poptropica, but when I was looking into random poptropica pirate designs I noticed she showed up a LOT so I decided to make her plot relevant.

She is the very first poptropica villain! And she has a brutal reign over all of poptropica because literally no one has the naval technology to defeat her (no one goes into the ocean! why would they have the boats for that!!!) she's literally unstoppable until her eventual death 😭

(also a little side tangent that I'm putting here bc I don't really know where else to put it but captain crimson is a HUGE inspiration for modern villains. Captain crawfish tries to pay homage to her when he starts terrorizing the islands again and then the red baron copies the red aesthetic and eye patch from her)

anyway the islands see captain crimson's reign of terror. and they decide they CANNOT have something like this happen again, so they create the adventurer's league as a way to protect all of poptropica! Cryptids, counterfeit, spy island, virus hunter, and super power island are kind of the main players here. I imagine they were the islands that were impacted the most from her little plundering spree and decided they needed to whip into shape PRONTO

and then uhhh eventually airplanes and blimps get invented and suddenly poptropicans can actually visit every island without the fear of drowning or getting attacked by a sea monster or pirate! and oh my GOSH do they globalize quickly. imagine if there was essentially no interaction between countries until like the 1900s and then suddenly there's just an INSANE boom in technology and globalization. oh my gosh poptropica is developing so so quickly.

and the adventurer's league oversees all the interaction between islands! it makes sure no one does anything crazy like colonize other islands or whatever (looking at you spy island). I imagine it kind of functions like a cross between the UN and star fleet from star trek.

not every island wants to be a part of the adventurer's league though! mainly astroknights, vampire's curse, and 24 carrot

so the adventurers league has been around for a while! and they've been pretty good at maintaining the peace

until. villains start popping up.

and at first they assume it's a one off thing, kind of the consequences of globalization, you give people access to a lot of power and technology, and some are gonna use it for evil. that's fine. this is what the league is for

But then more villains start popping up. And their schemes and evil plans are like WAY too high quality to be anything close to self funded. These villains are receiving a sponsor. And the adventurers league has no idea why.

I imagine villains like Black Widow, Dr Hare, and Ring Master Raven are all products of this underground villains league. They are members of society who have fallen through the cracks and were purposely scouted out by the villain's league! They were vulnerable individuals.

Which is whyyyy the adventurer's league focuses on restorative justice more than anything else! There's a whole process for redeeming villains, we aren't just going to kill them (LOOKS AT SPY ISLAND). But yes the restorative justice in poptropica is actually really important because the red baron used to be a villain, and now she works in the adventurer's league alongside Amelia!

I will also say the villains org has only really been around for 20 years, meanwhile the adventurers league is like a good 100. So yes a very recent development. And it's kind of scary how much traction they've been able to get

This also wasn't really included in the Director D lore drop, but he's also a pawn of sorts for the villains org! After he kills the "leader," he realizes there are way more higher ups (shareholders, sponsors) that he needs to follow the orders of. They tell him what the mission goals are, and he carries out the orders as he sees fit. But yeah I'm sure he's tearing his hair out right now as he realizes he's just another cog in the machine.

Who is the founder of the villains org though... what are their motives....... who's to say...... Tbh I don't really want to reveal this information JUST yet in case I ever do anything with it (though I imagine it wouldn't be THAT hard to deduce). And also it's fun to have a Big Imposing Figure in the background of everything. But yeah the villain's org has been doing a lot to sneak its way into everyday life until the rest of poptropica realizes it's too late and can't untangle itself from its claws.

But uhhh anyway TLDR for the villains league: there was once a ruthless pirate named Captain Crimson that terrorized all of poptropica before it globalized and she was considered the first villain ever! She's the main point of inspiration for a lot of modern villains, mainly captain crawfish and the red baron

Additionally, the villains that I know for sure are a part of the villains org are Black Widow, Dr Hare, Ringmaster Raven, the red baron (formerly), and Director D (against his will). Binary Bard is a loose canon and the guys on super power island are low key hormonal teenagers that were given extremely destructive powers for the first time, i can't imagine much of that was pre meditated. Captain Crawfish and El Mustachio Grande I'd have to think about some more, as well as Gretchen Grimlock and Samuel Brains.

#ask #I HOPE THIS WAS COMPREHENSIVE ENOUGH!! THERES KIND OF A LOT OF PUZZLE PIECES EVERYWHERE 😭#poptropica has so much going onnn and it doesnt help that im reinterpreting so much of it so i really am making up stuff from scratch #but yeah i am going crazy with the world building #if you have any more questions lmk its actually really fun answering these questions HDJWHWHDHAH #poptropica

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soup-mother · 6 months ago

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every yankee who interacts with my giant freshwater crayfish post has to be punished unfortunately. I'm sorry that you think everything is a crawfish but actually i am talking about giant freshwater crayfish. and now u must die 😔

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eye-of-the-phoenix · 1 year ago

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I want to like CRY so much

I just finished replaying it and I have so many opinions, as always. This game is unique for me in that I WANT to like it so badly but it just doesn't quite work. However, I stubbornly replay it and ponder what it could have been because I wish I liked it more. I especially feel this way because I live in New Orleans and its just so CLOSE to being good!

More thoughts under the cut.

PROS:

I actually think they did a great job with the setting. It's raining so hard that the power goes out and the streets are too flooded for cabs? There are weird creatures and bugs around every corner, some of which are messing with your belongings? The best food is from some sketchy stand served by some random Shorty person? Accurate, welcome to New Orleans. I can even forgive Bess for eating crawfish with the shells on with a spoon.

The characters are also good. Lamont is completely underutilized to where I'd never believe he was the culprit, but I can imagine running into all of these people throughout my day and it makes sense that they would all also interact with each other off-screen.

The core mystery is really interesting. It's the classic Nancy-gets-sucked-in-to-a-case-on-vacation scenario, but she really does stumble into the situation by accident in this one and has a personal stake because she gets attacked by the skeleton man. The progression is believable as she starts to unravel the skull mystery and discovers that Bruno's death was actually kind of suspicious.

My favorite ND trope, secret room/hideout/study revealed midgame, with a lot of things to look at and click on, is present.

CONS

The music is kind of a miss. It's not bad, but it should have been so much better. It has this boring CLK old-timey feel and they kind of missed the mark in my opinion. I think a more upbeat track with some brass, maybe something bluesy, maybe something modern would have added more variety.

The puzzles. THE PUZZLES ARE SO TEDIOUS. I hate that we find this book Bruno wrote and it's just a walkthrough to getting a bunch of eyeballs through various boring puzzles for the sake of padding the game. I use a walkthrough for like half of this game every time because I don't find the puzzles fun. My least favorites are the sneeze contraption because there is ZERO confirmation as to whether you're on the right track when you do it, and the tombstone pun puzzle because walking back and forth around the cemetery is SO TEDIOUS and it has zero replay value.

Bruno's house doesn't make sense because it's fairly spacious and kept up on the bottom story and the top floor that we can access is just two horrible moldy rooms. Bruno, you dropped dead from breathing in black mold in your own house, not a heart attack. Trust me when I say I know it's humid and wet here, but there's just no reason for the upstairs to be that uninhabitable indoors.

On a related note, I wish there was more to explore, and no, the cemetery doesn't count. There should be more rooms for Nancy to snoop through (where is Henry sleeping?) and like one more place for Bess to go. Or more things to do and click on in Zeke's aside from just looking at that one box a million times. Or the option to poke around Renee's table when she's away. NOT nearly enough snooping for me.

It's so dark. It's too dark. It could have been like 10% lighter or had a partial daytime element so that I could actually see what I was doing even a tiny bit.

#nancy drew #legend of the crystal skull #in the future this might just be a game i watch on youtube so i don't have to actually do any of these puzzles ever again

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seadem-on · 11 months ago

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Actually I miss wilderness. I just want to walk near a lake or a river or wander in the mountains and just see other forms of life that aren’t human.

I just saw that post about the crawfish that turned blue after molting and. I just need to interact more with nature.

#Personal

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4rainynite · 2 years ago

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FANEXPO PT 2

In my previous post FANEXPO PT 1 I mentioned all the exciting stuff I say at the convention now it's time for the exciting part - I got to see Tara Strong and Dante Basco!

I went to FANEXPO with my cousin to see the amazing Tara Strong, we arrived super late due to traffic, but we didn't miss much!

Tara was so awesome while doing the voices and answering the fans' questions.

When it was my turn to ask her a question I asked how Timmy, Bubbles, and Raven would interact with each other? Her boyfriend suggested them getting pizza in New Orleans during Mardi Gras and I began listing all the food we offer here in New Orleans like crawfish, shrimp, jambalaya - Tara asked if there were any veggie options since she is a vegetarian/vegan and I was so nervous/excited to meet her I forgot she doesn't eat meat- then I told her beignets and king cake are vegetarian/vegan and voiced Bubbles, Timmy, and Raven flawlessly!

Turns out Bubble's would eat beignets since they begin with a 'B', Timmy would get king cake because he can put it in his theme song, and Raven would just get a pizza (We do have some good pizza joints in New Orleans).

After Tara's event it was time for Dante's show and he was so cool and laid back. A lot of his questions were about Avatar: The last Airbender, his acting career, and his favorite fandoms. He talked about at one convention how he ordered pizza for everyone (guess it was pizza day). One question was about his role as Rufio in Hook and how he had so much respect for Steven Spielberg, Dustin Hoffman, and the late Robin Williams was beyond heartwarming. My question for him were would Prince Zuko react to Jake Long 'Dragon(ing) Up'? Dante said the two would be friends and that meant the world to me!

there were so many voice actors I really wanted to meet, but sadly my job denied me the rest of the weekend off to enjoy the convention!

The moment had come for me to get autograph and photo. I apologized to her because I felt horrible for mentioning Timmy, Bubbles, and Raven eating seafood pizza while she's vegan. Tara laughed it off and told me she found it funny, so I felt better after that. When, it was time for the photo of Tara said she loved my nails - I was dressed as a fusion of Dipper and Mabel from Gravity Falls so I painted my nails and used a nail stamp with the evil eye/ eyeballs motifs on it to resemble Bill Cipher, so we ended up doing a heart hand/ claws combo!

I really enjoyed my (brief) time at FANEXPO I was even lucky to find some goodies from Bumbleberry Hollows, LoganArchChicago, and the expo itself. I got so many compliments on my Mabel and Dipper fusion cosplay, purse, and pins and I got to see two of my favorite voice actors, it was a good night!

Videos: Tara Strong, Tara Strong pt 2, Dante Basco, & Dante Basco pt 2.

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crawdadshouston · 3 months ago

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Crawfish Boil Catering: The Best Way to Enjoy Authentic Southern Flavor

Crawfish boil catering has become a popular choice for events, parties, and family gatherings across the country. Whether you're hosting a small get-together or a large-scale event, crawfish catering offers a unique and delicious dining experience that guests will love. If you're in Houston and craving that authentic Southern flavor, crawfish catering Houston is the perfect option for your next event.

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Houston, Texas, is a city known for its love of good food, and crawfish is no exception. If you're planning an event in the Houston area, there are many crawfish catering Houston options available. But how do you choose the best service for your needs?

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Have Fun: The best part of a crawfish boil is the communal experience. Encourage guests to chat, share stories, and enjoy the food together. The laid-back atmosphere is perfect for bonding and creating lasting memories.

Conclusion

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When choosing your crawfish boil catering service, remember to prioritize experience, menu variety, and local sourcing to ensure a memorable event. With the right caterer, your crawfish boil will be a hit, and your guests will be talking about it long after the last bite!

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