looking for people from Louisiana

I've been in louisiana for a while now, what do you want to know?

You could just read Confederacy of Dunces. That's a pretty good description of people from there.

hahaha, oh my. Well, I just need some help with landscape descriptions, and also with southern accents, which words are most accented, how would you write them out phonetically, etc etc.

My character ends up working as a strong man in a really creepy old fashioned roadside attraction show, the kind that has mis-treated animals, snake charmers, clowns, all that disturbing stuff.

The owner of the organization is Colonial James Pickerton, who performed as a child wrestling crocodiles in his Daddy's show, then took it over himself as a grown man. The Colonial is kind of like en evil Colonial Sanders, only substitute the chicken for crocodile meat (or something)he needs to have a very heavy and authentic accent. I need a location to put this wacked out thing, somewhat isolated, but on a well travelled path or highway. It needs to make sense in terms of making money and keeping the show going, but it has to be removed enough to stay out of the eye of authorities and/or humanitarians.

Any ideas?

I've lived in louisiana all my life. (Check my profile... location: asshole of america)

As for some location for your freak sideshow, I don't know.... Thibodeaux sounds good and is in southern la, but it's not really a that poor of a location anymore, from what I understand. Tullulah is in the northeast and is pretty poor. They've got some controversial race-relation things going on, too, but I don't know if that'll be in your story.

Kenner is a good place. It's right outside of New Orleans and is a relatively small town, but the location is perfect for voodoo-ey or freakish things, I guess.

As for the accent and landscape descriptions, well it depends where you're at. I'm in central LA and most people here either have a general southern accent or a marksville (stereotypical louisiana) accent. I hear "Sha baby" a lot (pronounce shah beeeybay), but that's usually in reference to... you know, a baby. And a lot of people with the stereotypical accent add "yeah" (pronounced yeh) behind sentences, making them a question even if they're just stating something.

The landscape I've seen around new orleans is, of course, wet. Lots of water, there ARE swamps, but I've never really ventured that deep into those areas. I've got some pictures from a camp on a lake somewhere around here if that'll help.

And if anything, you can always call one of us to get a gauge on the accent.

Wow, thanks so much, very useful stuff! I usually don't like to set my stories in places I'm unfamiliar with, but there's nowhere in Canada that's warm enough to put on an all season freak show, haha. I really appreciate your help. And hey, if you ever need to set anything in northern Canada, I'm the girl to ask.

Thanks! I'll keep Canada in mind.

You're pretty safe placing things near New Orleans. I freaking love that place. It's like my second home. <3

you have to set your story in tullulah.

Yeah, I'm really leaning towards Tallulah. I was reading up on its history, all the lynching controversy, etc. Seems like a good place to put a freak show...

Is there anything else I should know?

Yeah. We don't all go to school/work in a pirogue.

Although that would probably help your story out if you assumed we did.

instead of 'snake charmer' it would be 'snake chormer'. instead of 'farm' it's 'form'. that's how the ones who came over after hurricane katrina spoke.

Yeah, we tend to swallow our words as we say them.... or sometimes add a vowel where there wouldn't normally be one, elongating the word.

"snake chormer" - snayke chorumer
"form" - forum

Good stuff, good stuff, Thanks so much guys.

I grew up on the bayou in the heart of cajun culture. If you want, we could have a phone conversation and you ask me whatever you'd like.

Fiendishness.