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whimsicallyenchantedrose · 4 months ago

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The Role of Daddy Charming--A birthday gift for @jrob64

The Role of Daddy Charming

Rating: PG

Relationship: Daddy Charming and Captain Swan

Summary: 4x2 “deleted scene”. David Nolan had played many roles in his life, but by far the one he's found most important was that of “dad”. The fact that he hadn’t been able to be there for Emma throughout the first 28 years of her life was one of his greatest regrets, so when he noticed the infamous Captain Hook’s interest in his daughter–and even more concerning, her returning that interest–he was determined to intervene. That is, of course, until she was trapped behind an ice wall, and David saw just how deeply and sincerely Killian Jones truly loved her.

Also posted here: ao3

Tagging a few people who may be interested (Let me know if you want to be added or taken off the list): @sailormew4 @annaamell @flslp87 @emmateo26 @bethacaciakay

@ultraluckycatnd @effulgent-mind @ilovemesomekillianjones @brooke-to-broch

@missgymgirl @galadriel26 @the-lady-of-misthaven @charmingturkeysandwich

@jennjenn615 @laschatzi @kimmy46 @snowbellewells @iamanneenigma

@daxx04 @nickillian @gillie @britishguyslover @ginnyjinxedandhanshotritafirst

@kmomof4 @linda8084 @golfgirld @captain-swan-coffee @searchingwardrobes

@hollyethecurious @laughswaytoomuch @allyourdarlingswans @winterbaby89 @facesiousbutton82

@therooksshiningknight @lfh1226-linda @tiganasummertree @jrob64 @anmylica

@booksteaandtoomuchtv @i-will-sing-no-requiem @bluewildcatfanatic @laianely

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

It's finally done! I'm sorry your birthday gift is 11 days late @jrob64, but I hope you've at least enjoyed the little snippets I posted on discord as I wrote this! Happy belated birthday!

And without further ado....

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Throughout his life, David Nolan had played many roles. He’d been a son, a brother, a shepherd, a prince, a vet tech, a sheriff’s deputy, but by far, the roles he took most seriously were his roles as husband and father.

If there’s one thing he’d known all his life, it was that he wanted to be a better father than he’d had. He wanted to be present in his children’s lives. He’d vowed never to abandon them.

And so it was the greatest regret of his life that he’d done just that mere minutes after his daughter was born.

Granted, he was forced into the action; it was necessary to protect Emma and give her her best chance. Still, the shame and heartbreak of that decision had haunted him for the past twenty-nine years.

Surprisingly, during the first curse he’d felt it still, even if he hadn’t known what it was. More often than he cared to recall, he’d had vague dreams of the black knights, of the wardrobe, of being ripped from someone vitally important to him. The gloom and near despair of those dreams hung over him like a thundercloud. He’d woken feeling–knowing–that he wasn’t enough, that he’d failed at the most important task of his life.

Once he’d regained his memories and once he realized Emma was back in his life, he’d vowed to make up for lost time, to be the father she’d always needed, to protect her at all costs.

And so it was, when he sat at his kitchen table silently sipping his coffee and staring sightlessly out the window on the morning after the incident at the ice wall, he felt relief…but also helplessness. He’d almost lost her. Again.

Snow came up behind him, wrapped an arm around his shoulder and kissed his cheek before taking a seat next to him.

“That’s quite the bleak look on your face,” she whispered. Elsa was, after all, presumably still asleep behind the curtain they’d draped in front of the sofa to give her a bit of privacy. “Yesterday really shook you up, didn’t it?”

He blew out a long breath. “She came this close to freezing to death on my watch, Snow.”

She took his hand and squeezed it. “But she didn’t. From all I’ve heard, you were magnificent. Took charge and found a way to save her.”

He chuckled humorlessly. “I was terrified, but Killian…Killian was, if anything, even worse. Never seen a man so completely panicked.”

“He loves her,” she said simply, a radiant smile on her face. “I wouldn’t have believed it when we first met him in the Enchanted Forest, but he’s a good man, and he truly loves her.”

“Yeah, I’m starting to get that impression,” David agreed. “Did you know I gave him that ‘What are your intentions with my daughter?’ speech yesterday before…well…everything?”

“Really? What did he say?”

“First he gave me hell for being old-fashioned, and then he told me he wouldn’t risk his life for someone he considered loot. And if there was still any doubt in my mind before the ice wall incident, his reaction removed it. Whatever else I could say about him, I know he loves her.”

Snow sipped her coffee. “Maybe you should tell him that. Give him your blessing, if you will.”

David grimaced. He may be–grudgingly–willing to admit it to his wife in the privacy of their own kitchen, but admitting it to Hook’s face…well, he wasn’t sure. “Yeah, maybe when I see him again,” he hedged.

“Perfect,” Snow said. “You’ll probably have the opportunity any minute, whenever Emma and Hook get up.”

“What?!”

“He stayed the night with her,” Snow said with a grin. “You didn’t know?”

As if to confirm Snow’s statements, Emma and Killian emerged together from the loft. David felt his innate protective dad instincts flared to life. If Hook had taken advantage of Emma in her vulnerable post-nearly-freezing-to-death state…

“Remember what we just talked about. He loves her,” Snow murmured only loud enough for him to hear.

David let out a long breath. She was right. Reacting badly now would likely only make things worse. “Fine,” he murmured back.

“Morning!” Snow called sunnily to the couple entering the kitchen, as well as Elsa who had just emerged from behind her curtain. “Anyone want breakfast?”

“Thanks, but I’ve got to get to the station,” Emma said, “I’m sure the phones were blowing up last night with calls about the ice wall.”

“I also must decline,” Killian said, scratching behind his ear. “I should…get back to Granny’s.”

“See you later for lunch?” Emma asked, looking up at Hook with an open–and what David thought was rather nauseatingly besotted–look. At his answer in the affirmative, she headed out.

Snow nudged David, and he rolled his eyes. No time like the present, he supposed. “Let me give you a lift back to town, Hook,” he said, “I’m headed that direction anyway.”

Hook gave him a wary look, and for a moment, David hoped he was about to decline the offer.

No such luck.

“I’d appreciate it, mate.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The first minute of their drive was passed in silence. Killian side-eyed David uncomfortably, wondering when the questions–or probably more precisely, the accusations–would start.

His first inclination was to rile the man up further with sly grins and insinuations about what went on in the Charming’s loft the night before–after all his dashing rapscallion persona was a clock he’d worn as a shield for more years than he could count–but he quickly dismissed it.

This was Swan’s father. If he truly wished to have a relationship with her–and he did; he wished for a relationship lasting roughly in the neighborhood of forever–it wouldn’t do to antagonize her father. There was also the fact that he genuinely liked the man, and so…

“You know nothing…untoward…happened last night,” Killian said.

David glanced at him before turning back to the road with a grimace. “Didn’t ask. Don’t want to know.”

“Nevertheless,” Killian continued, “Your daughter and I certainly have more respect for you and Snow than to…engage in certain activities…underneath your very nose, not to mention the fact that her lad slept not ten feet from us.”

“Like I said, I didn’t ask,” David repeated, although Killian noted the way the other man’s face relaxed slightly at the reassurance.

“She was still cold,” Killian continued, somehow feeling the need to continue his justification. “She asked for me to hold her, and I couldn’t refuse. After coming so bloody close to losing her…”

David pulled into a parking spot in front of Granny’s but didn’t yet kill the engine. The look he gave Killian this time was sympathetic, understanding. “Almost losing the woman you love does things to a man.”

“Aye,” Killian agreed. “It was the same feeling of dread, of helplessness, as when the Crocodile crushed Milah’s heart in front of me. If it had happened again….”

David placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. “It didn’t,” he said firmly. “I’ve been trying to remind myself of that all day. It didn’t. You didn’t lose your love and I didn’t lose my daughter.”

There was a long silence, in which Killian wondered if he ought to simply exit the vehicle. He’d just reached for the door handle to do so when David spoke again, this time looking determinedly out the front window, rather than at him.

“There is….something I wanted to talk to you about.”

“Aye?”

“That conversation we started to have yesterday, right before everything went to hell…” he continued, “look, I think I was wrong to ever question your intentions.”

“There’s no need to–” Killian began.

“I think there is,” David replied, finally turning toward to him. “It’s been obvious for a while that you love Emma, and it’s not a love that’s going away anytime soon.”

“It’s not a love that’s going away ever,” Killian said firmly.

“Yeah, I’m inclined to believe that” David said. “Anyway, if there ever had been any question about your feelings and intentions, yesterday got rid of them. I saw how willing you were to do anything to save her. I supposed what I’m trying to say is…I apologize for ever doubting you.”

Killian’s eyes widened. Of all the things he’d expected the prince to say to him “I apologize” was rather far down on the list. “Apology accepted, although it is wholly unnecessary. As someone who does truly love her, I’m pleased she has a father who cares enough to be a touch over-protective.”

David gave a quick, decisive nod. “I won’t be old fashioned enough to give you my blessing,” he said, “but…I won’t oppose your relationship.”

“That means a great deal to me,” Killian said, “and I know it would mean a lot to Swan as well.”

“Yeah, well,” David said, “just so we’re clear, if you ever hurt her, I’ll run you through with my sword.”

Killian nodded. “Mate, if I ever hurt her, I’d let you do it with my own.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Later that night, Emma was vegging on the couch when her dad finally made it home. After tossing his jacket onto the coat rack, he joined her, gave her a quick hug and kissed the top of her head. She was slowly but surely getting used to this casual affection from her parents, and it always gave her such a warm, fuzzy, loved feeling.

“Crazy day, huh?” he asked wryly.

Emma chuckled. “I guess that depends on what you’re comparing it to. For Storybrooke it was ho hum.”

It had certainly been a busy day. As she’d expected, they’d had more calls than she could count about the ice wall and the snow monster–or whatever it had been–that had crashed through the town yesterday. While she and her dad had both been working, they’d been so busy with calls and patrols, they’d barely had a chance to exchange a word all day.

“I guess you’re right about that,” David laughed. “Any day that doesn’t involve a new villain, monster or crisis is a win around here.”

They lapsed into silence for several moments before Emma spoke again, “Killian told me about your conversation this morning.”

David gave her a wary look. “Before you say anything, I do know you’re a grown woman who can make her own decisions.”

She grinned. “That’s what Killian said at lunch when I started ranting about you treating me like a teenager. Nothing happened last night, by the way.”

“I know. Killian told me.”

“Dad,” she said, and her heart turned over at the joy on his face at her use of the word. “I just….I just want to thank you for, you know, caring and doing whatever you had to to save me.”

“No thanks necessary,” he said. “You’re my daughter. I’m always, always going to do everything in my power to help you, no matter the situation.”

She felt the tears come to her eyes. “I think I’m finally starting to realize that. Sorry it’s taken so long. It’s just…I’m not used to having a dad, someone in my corner no matter what.”

Pain came into his eyes at that, and Emma realized how her words had come across. “I’m not blaming you,” she said quickly. “I know you did what you had to to give me my best chance.”

“Still,” David said, “I wish more than anything that I’d been able to be the father you needed and deserved from the beginning.”

“I wish that too,” she murmured, almost under her breath, “but the past is the past. You’re here now, and that means everything.”

“And I always will be,” David vowed with a decisive nod.

They lapsed into another silence, broken only by a few soft whimpers from baby Neal as Mary Margaret worked to put him down for the night–or at least as much of the night as he was willing to sleep at any one stretch.

“You know, I wasn’t the only one working frantically to save you last night,” David said slowly.

Emma felt her heart stutter and then soar as she thought of the man to whom her father was referring. “I know. Killian told me he’d been worried about me too.”

David blew out a long breath. “Worried is an understatement. He was absolutely frantic. Emma, that man loves you.”

Emma felt the butterflies, that swooping half-excited, half-terrified feeling one gets when she falls head over heels. She would have to be blind not to see that Killian had fallen in love with her, and she had the sneaking suspicion that somewhere along the way she’d fallen in love with him as well. Was she ready to admit it? She wasn’t sure. That level of vulnerability was scary as hell.

“Yeah, maybe so,” she hedged, trying to make her voice as even as possible, “and I…I…appreciate it.”

David gave her a long look. “Emma, I know it’s hard for you to trust. I know it’s hard for you to let yourself believe, and I will have your back one hundred percent whatever you do, but for what it’s worth, I’d give him a chance if I were you.”

“So does that mean you think he’s good enough for me?” Emma teased, uncomfortably aware of the momentous nature of the topic at hand and feeling the need to lighten the mood..

David chuckled. “You’re my daughter. No one’s good enough for you, but I suppose if you have to be with someone, he’ll do.”

#captain swan fanfiction #daddy charming fanfiction #ouat fanfiction #4x2 deleted scene #my fanfiction #fandom friends' birthday gifts

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brokehorrorfan · 10 months ago

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The Abandoned will be released on Blu-ray on April 9 via Unearthed Films. The 2006 horror film was originally released as part of the original After Dark Horrorfest.

Nacho Cerdá directs from a script he co-wrote with Richard Stanley (Color Out of Space) and Karim Hussain. Anastasia Hille, Carlos Reig, Valentin Ganev, and Karel Roden star.

Special features are listed below.

Special features:

Interview with director/co-writer Nacho Cerdà

Interview with co-writer Richard Stanley

Interview with co-writer Karim Hussain

The Making of The Abandoned featurette

In the Den of The Abandoned featurette

Nacho Cerda: Facing Death featurette

The Little Secrets of Nacho Cerda featurette

When Buck Meets Cerda: A Dialogue Between Friends featurette

Deleted & extended scenes

Alternate sequences

Outtakes

Photo gallery

Trailers

Storyboard collection (BD-ROM)

In 1966, somewhere in Russia, a wounded woman drives a truck to an isolated farm with two babies. 40 years later, film producer Marie Jones leaves her daughter in California and travels back to her home land in the wilderness of Russia. Marie is one of the children and had received a phone call from the notary public Andrei Misharin, who told her where the farm of her family is located. Marie arrives at the abandoned house and meets the stranger Nicolai, who tells her that he had also received a call from Misharin and he is her twin brother. Weird things happen in the house and Marie and Nicolai are haunted by zombie-like ghosts of themselves. Further, they find that they are trapped in the house and cannot leave the place.

Pre-order The Abandoned.

#the abandoned #richard stanley #after dark horrorfest #horror #anastasia hille #unearthed films #dvd #gift #00s horror #2000s horror #nacho cerda #karim hussain #color out of space

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ro-presents-under-the-nola-stars · 1 year ago

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Welcome to the directory for the side stories that take place in the universe of this fic. Side stories written will not be chronological, and they will include moments in Jasira's childhood, her family's lives, JJ's childhood and life as well as moments between JJ and Jasira that would be considered delete scenes, so to speak.

🏀 HOOPS

PG-13 on account of gun violence with a minor victim.

featuring... joaquin “breezy” boudreaux

Whilst practicing his dribbling and handles at one of the community basketball courts, a 12 year old Joaquin Boudreaux attracts the attention of a group of older guys who are one person short of a pick up game. After being the primary reason for his team's victory, Joaquin is singled out for a one on one game by a humiliated Lionel Harris, a 22 year old gangbanger with an anger problem, desperate to redeem his ego. When Lionel loses the one on one game, humiliation turns to rage and consequences turn near fatal for Joaquin.

📞 GIRL ADVICE

PG on account of language

featuring... jarelle "kutty" boudreaux and jennifer "jj" jareau

After developing feelings for one of his classmates, Jasira's little brother -- Jarelle, wants to get advice on how to get her to like him back. Having gotten bad advice from his friends and not wanting to ask his family, Jarelle calls his sister's new "girlfriend" one day to get advice from her.

👩🏼‍❤️‍👩🏾LITTLE BAMA GIRL

PG-13 on account of homophobia/queerphobia, usage of slurs, discussion of conversion therapy, emotional child neglect by both mother and father, allusions to ill addressed/untreated post-partum depression, v strained/unpleasant mother/child relationship (felt disdain of child by mother) and passive racism

featuring.. jennifer “jj” jareau, sandy jareau, richard jareau, roslyn jareau, charlotte king

Jennifer Jareau had always been different than other little girls, and those differences had always worried her mother. She did her best to correct her when need be, but Sandy feared she couldn't change her nature. Damned if she didn't try, though. This is a short not just about the moment that led to Sandy Jareau snapping and sending a seven year old to a special church camp, but about all the little moments since Jennifer was born that pushed her to that decision.

🌅 THE LAST DAY IN THE LIFE OF JAVAUGHN BOUDREAUX [not yet published]

R on account of language, violence, brief sexual encounters and murder

featuring.. javaughn boudreaux, jasira boudreaux, lisa jones, sandra owens and bryce wallace

Today was a normal day for Javaughn. Until it wasn’t. Experience everything Javaughn did before his life was cut tragically short.

👩🏾‍🍼 HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER [not yet published]

VARIOUS RATINGS

featuring… jarelle “big j” boudreaux, chavette turner, tina morris, denise coleman, lena jacobs, linda thomas, ashton ford, pamela jones, aurelie baptiste, lisa jones, joy pitts, gloria johnson

The various stories of how Jarelle met the mothers of his children

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halestrom · 1 year ago

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Is it (almost) WIP Wednesday already!?

State of the WIPS Not much has changed!! This is a busy fucking month, and also super hot so its hard for me to focus, but hopefully I can get some work done in august.

I Won’t Say I’m In Love (McLorne) : 53146

Slowburn (Firefigher Rodney) : 29,413

Dark and Stormy: 13,350

Angsty John (post canon): 43946

Indiana Jones (Indy is John's dad, Daniel is his adopted brother, just go with it): 10183

This week's ✨WIP Wednesday Theme✨ is:

Talk is cheap, but I'm broke! By which I mean, let's talk about our WIPs!

To get you started, some emoji askbox prompts:

💡 What gave you the idea for this one?

😄 What part are you most excited to write?

😧 What are you worried about with this fic?

🏎 Has writing this one been fast or slow?

✏️ Have you deleted any scenes or strayed from your initial plan?

👤 What’s the POV?

#️⃣ What will the AO3 tags for this be when you post it?

📓 Share an out-of-context sentence or fragment from your fic notes

🃏 Wildcard, dealer's choice: share a snippet, a thought, a concern, a feeling, anything you like!

Or just, you know, talk about your WIPs!

#ask meme #ask away

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yestolerancepro · 2 months ago

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Tolerance Ability not In Ability A Producers Commentary 25th Anniversary Edition

Part 4 – Accessibility, Social Life and Relationships

My commentary of Tolerance continues and we are looking at the part of the film that deals with accessibility, social life and relationships.

14 minutes 29 seconds Robert goes into town to try and get a birthday card for Julie, but finds some of the shops and cash machines inaccessible. Does anybody know what the drum and bass music is here? Please let me know, so I can add it to the soundtrack playlist

Deleted scene

The next deleted scene is unnumbered in the script, but it would have seen Robert go into a bank to get some money for Julie's birthday present. In the final film, we only see Robert struggling to get some money from nearby cash machines. You can read about banking issues when you have a disability in another blog which is coming soon called Breaking the Bank

Robert wheels into the bank and we immediately see he has a problem with the height of the counters; he has to reach up to put his cheque book in the trough; the counter woman looks at Robert as if he has done something wrong. An assistant taps him on the shoulder and Robert turns with a start:

ASSISTANT: Can I help you?

ROBERT: Why, what have I done wrong?

ASSISTANT: Nothing, but I thought you might like to conduct your business over there.

She points to a table where it is easy for Robert to see exactly what he is doing.

ROBERT: But I only want some money from my account.

ASSISTANT: I can sort it out, so you can see what you’re getting.

ROBERT: OK

The Shooting Schedule says that if the bank scene had gone ahead it would have been recorded on Wednesday 18th August

17 minutes 05 seconds Mrs Jones gets what she deserves as her car breaks down. If you look in the background, you see Jeremy Walker making a sly cameo as Julie’s taxi driver. Well deserved too, as it was Jeremy’s idea to make Tolerance in the first place.

17 minutes 29 seconds

Odeon Cinema sequence it was part of the UCI Cinema chain when we shot the Tolerance film it become an Odeon Cinema in 2006.

Matthew my Brother tells me that that branch of the Odeon Cinema will be shutting soon because of a new shopping development being built as part of the Kingsgate shopping centre.

The pub which also featured in the film and where we had the wrap party The Ropewalk is now also closed for business. according to the camra guide the pub was closed on the 3rd of March 2020 and became closed in the long term on the 3rd of March 2022 its future uncertain.

The last of our film spoofs - this time to An Officer and a Gentleman. David remembers this scene vividly as he quotes it both in his introduction for Tolerance and in an interview he gave me later for the films publicity material.

I don’t know if you knew this but there was a bit of controversy on the making of the Tolerance film in hiring non disabled actors to play disabled roles if you remember we made all the cast and Crew for the duration of the shoot use a wheelchair 24/7 how did you find the experience?

I wasn’t aware of the controversy, but expressed my own reservations to Richard (the director) when we first talked about me playing the role. There’s a dream sequence in the film that required my character to walk, so ultimately I felt that was sufficient justification And David again mentioned the Officer and a Gentleman sequence for the introduction to The Tolerance film

‘I played Rob - a wheelchair user - even though I’m not a wheelchair user myself. At the heart of the film is a drive to see the person not the disability, so maybe it shouldn’t matter who plays the character - but it’s certainly worth thinking through.’

In fact, Rob needs to walk in the film (no spoilers!), and that was the principal driver behind using an actor who was not a wheelchair user.

You can judge for yourselves whether that decision was justified. Perhaps the producers would not make the same choice today. Perhaps the story would be re-shaped to enable the casting of actors with disabilities.

Watching the film again recently Gemma Blagbourgh remembered that her and Helen Batty had to Iron David’s officer suit quite a few times to give the pristine look that you saw in the finished film the flowers that Rob gave his girlfriend Julie proved a a bit of a problem too as Ben Brown remembers oh those flowers that came from one of the films sponsors who owned a flower shop called The flower basket and they were great looked really nice but they kept at my house as I recall over night and we had to water them quite a few times to stop the poor things from dying ha ha

The picture bellow Helen and Charlotte giving each other a hug if you look carefully u can see those dying flowers that Robert gives Julie in the Officer and a Gentleman dream sequence on one of the seats of the bus

Talking about Gemma she was the second member of Tolerance to appear in the film, Gemma appears as the cinema manager. I had the day off that day but the rest of the cast and crew had to get up at 5.30am to shoot the cinema scenes. Gemma said about her Tolerance experience afterwards:

‘Yes I really enjoyed the whole experience of working on Tolerance. The only thing I didn’t like were the early mornings; the earliest being half past five in the morning when I had to film my scenes. It was long hours, but I wanted to show people with a disability that you can work and you can work in positions of authority.’

Deleted scene

Scene 26: (Internal) Cinema Auditorium

The last scene left on the cutting room floor was a short scene that takes place after the montage where we see Robert get the job at the cinema.

I have a feeling that this scene was cut because it didn’t really add much to the overall film. Robert is making a reference to Rocky Balboa’s girlfriend, Adrian, played by Talia Shire in the film series.

Robert and Julie are sat at the very front of the auditorium and are straining to see the screen.

ROBERT punches the air: ADRIAN!!!!

JULIE looks across at him: Who’s Adrian?

ROBERT: Nothing, nobody, just thinking.

JULIE: Well think on this. If you get this job, you can devise a way we can sit in the middle of the cinema and see properly.

Julie laughs at him and grabs his hand.

So Robert gets the job at the cinema and we see a montage of shots of him enjoying his new role to the music of the The Professionals theme music. I like the scene but I would have used the classic Pearl and Dean Cinema Music.

21 minutes 41 seconds Ropewalk scenes. These were all shot on the last day of shooting, so if we all look the worst for wear, you know why. Quite a bit of footage from the Wrap Party was used to form the film end credits

Rob Martin took 3 photos of the last day Some other photos from that last day have recently been unearthed by Tolerance member, Helen Batty, and I have included a few in this blog. Thank you Helen for letting me share these.

*Party scene at the end. If you looking for me in that scene, you will have a job finding me. Blink and you miss me! In addition, there are also a couple of errors with people’s credits; Helen Rees, for example, is incorrectly credited as Helen Briggs.

It goes without saying that I would like to say thank you to all the members of the Tolerance cast and crew, and to all those companies that provided us with donations big and small that made up our £8000 budget.

** The introduction for the film was published on Tumblr website on 6 April, 2018 ahead of the films re-launch on the same day. https://yestolerancepro.tumblr.com/

If you have read this and want to help the Tolerance Project, please follow us on Facebook for up-dated information:or to give a donation please click on the above link to our gofundme page

https://gofund.me/5cf25de4

Or on Twitter @TolerancePro

Notes

Thank you to David Smith and Gemma Blagbourgh for the interviews The Cast and Crew of the original Tolerance film for allowing me to use the behind the scenes photos Rob Martin for taking the photos in the first place and finally Ruth Sharpe for the editing duties.

Also thanks to Gemma Blagbourgh and Matthew Brown for helping me fill in some of the blanks

Like part 3 of the making of blog Part 4 has had quite a bit of new material added to it the making of the Officer and a Gentleman spoof was originally detailed in a Tolerance Project extra piece which has been deleted from our Tumblr page so I have included that material in this new version of the blog as well an extra photo which also came from the Tolerance Extra blog and a load of Screengrabs from the Tolerance film are also new to this version of the blog .

If you have read this and want to help the Tolerance Project, please follow us on Facebook for up-dated information:or to give a donation please click on the above link to our gofundme page

Also Thank you to Doctor who magazine for letting me nick there Fact of fiction format ha ha

Photo captions

Screengrabs from the Tolerance film thanks to Ian Medley

1 Robert (David Smith trying to get his money out of an ATM

2 Jeremy Walker making his cameo apperance in the Tolerance film as Julies Clare Abbot Taxi Driver if it wasn't for Jeremy we wouldn't be making the Tolerance film in the first place thanks Jeremy

3 David Smith Doing his best Richard Gere Impression for the Officer and a Gentlemen spoof

4 The Ropewalk Pub Huddersfield

5 Gemma Blagbourgh playing the Cinema manager

6 and 7 Robert in his dream job working for the UCI cinema

Behind the Scenes photos with thanks to Rob Martin and Helen Batty

1 Paul Lockwood Soundman with Claire Abbot and David Smith

2 Paul Lockwood Soundman 2 with Richard Hellawell Claire Abbot and David Smith

3 4 and 5

The Wrap party

Charlotte Helen Batty and Micheal Weaver Claire Abbot Ropewalk Kevin Spencer Playing pool with Laura Brown Jonathan Lyndley and Richard Hellawell

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searchingwardrobes · 5 years ago

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Self-Promo Sunday: Brother

I’ll be taking my entire needtobreathe series down from Ao3, starting with this deleted scene from 5x15, The Brothers Jones. It was one of those episodes that I was excited about but fell short of my expectations. There were some great moments, don’t get me wrong, but I wanted better for Emma’s one chance to get to know Liam. This deleted scene was a way for me to fix that.

Summary: Liam Jones overhears Emma’s conversation with Regina at the Underworld diner, then he and Emma have a heart to heart talk about the man they both love. From my series where every fic was a deleted scene based on a needtobreathe song.

Rating: G

Words in this chapter: just a ficlet at a bit less than 1,500 words

On Ao3 until Sunday 12/29/19

Tagging the usuals: @kmomof4 @snowbellewells @xhookswenchx @distant-rose @welllpthisishappening @bethacaciakay @teamhook @let-it-raines @whimsicallyenchantedrose @jennjenn615 @delirious-latenight-laughs @optomisticgirl @spartanguard @profdanglaisstuff @tiganasummertree @resident-of-storybrooke @snidgetsafan @thislassishooked @stahlop @branlovestowrite @hollyethecurious @shireness-says @scientificapricot @winterbaby89 @wellhellotragic

Ramblers in the wilderness we can’t find what we need We get a little restless from the searching Get a little worn down in between Like a bull chasing the matador is the man left to his own schemes Everybody needs someone beside em’ shining like a lighthouse from the sea

Brother let me be your shelter Never leave you all alone I can be the one you call When you’re low Brother let me be your fortress When the night winds are driving on Be the one to light the way Bring you home

“Does my brother really see me that way?”

Emma turned to see the self-righteous prick himself staring her down with his arms crossed. Regina’s eyes rose in silent sympathy as she hurried away with a mumbled good luck. Emma gave Liam Jones no quarter – matching his glare with one of her own. Yet as she searched the blue eyes that were a lighter shade than she was used to, but still so oddly similar, she saw the tiniest flicker of concern. And fear. His eyes darted as they searched hers.

“Does he? Think I walk on water?”

Emma leaned back against the bar with a shrug. “You heard him back at the house. It never once occurred to him that you might be here due to your own choices.”

Liam shook his head as his arms fell to his sides. “I never meant for him to think I was perfect. I’m far from it, believe me.”

Emma cocked her head to the side as she regarded him, then she dropped her chin as a wry laugh escaped her lips.

“I fail to see what’s so funny.”

That only made Emma chuckle more. Killian had always said Liam lacked a sense of humor. She finally decided to put the poor man out of his misery as she looked back up into his eyes. “It’s just I came down here to rescue Killian. That was it. I never thought I’d face my own ghosts. Yet here I am standing right in front of my second one.”

Liam’s brow furrowed in confusion. It was funny, Emma didn’t see all that much resemblance between him and Killian, but they knit their brows in the exact same way. “I’m afraid I don’t understand.”

“Do you have any idea what it’s like to love someone while standing in the shadow of ghosts?” Emma’s breathe shuddered slightly as she inhaled. She had never spoken of this to anyone; not even Killian. “He spent centuries avenging Milah. It’s only natural that I wondered if I measured up to her memory. But then I met her, and I could clearly see . . . she moved on. He moved on. He didn’t seem disappointed that he didn’t get to see her again.”

Emma bit her lip and glanced aside for a moment, gathering her courage before continuing. “Then there’s you. He’s told me so many stories, and in all of them, he paints you as the hero. He speaks of you more than Milah, honestly. He became a pirate because of your death. Did he tell you that?”

Liam’s eyes widened slightly and the he blinked rapidly. “No, he didn’t. I never . . . I didn’t want . . . “ He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “All the choices I made, everything I did, was for him.”

Emma’s mouth quirked up in a half smile. “That’s funny. I said the same thing when I was the Dark One. I justified everything with that same argument. Even murder.”

A flash of something passed across Liam’s face, and his skin became a mottled combination of red blush and pale skin. His adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed. Emma’s eyes narrowed as she took it all in. “You know,” she continued, “I once told your brother that he and I understood each other. It seems that’s true for both Jones brothers.”

Liam’s face closed off at her words. “I just want him to be happy.”

“If that’s really true, then maybe you should think of what he could have if he comes home with me. Instead of worrying so much about clinging to that pedestal he’s put you on.”

Emma swallowed the threat of tears as she pushed past him and headed for the door. Right before she reached it, Liam grasped her elbow and turned her back around.

“I’m thinking of the hundreds of years of painful existence Killian has endured. I want him to have peace. Don’t you?”

Emma jerked her arm out of his grip just as the emotions she’s been struggling to keep at bay rose to the surface. “Didn’t you want him to have a home? Friends? A family? Because all of that is waiting for him back in Storybrooke. Do you think my parents, our friends, my son followed me down here just for moral support? No. They came because they want him home, too. We have a house waiting for us to fill up with a future – mine and his. He’s the one who picked out the damn thing, and if you have your way, he’ll never live in it.”

Emma struggled to keep her voice from rising and blinked to keep the tears back. Her vision blurred, but she thought she saw surprise on Liam’s face.

“He picked out a house for the two of you?” A look crossed his face, a nostalgic one, and Emma suddenly remembered one of Killian’s stories about his brother. Days at sea where the two of them would dream of a house to live in and a mother to love them. “What does it look like?”

“You’ve seen it,” Emma whispered. “You’ve been in it.”

“The house here? But the baby things – Killian said . . . I assumed it was the house you wanted with your parents.”

The tears spilled down Emma’s cheeks now, but she let them come. “I let Killian believe that. I let my parents believe that. But that house – and everything in it – are my dreams that died right along with Killian.”

Liam glanced down at Emma’s waist. “You’re . . . I mean, is that why you’re so desperate to bring him back?”

Emma shook her head, understanding immediately what he was alluding to. She dashed at her tears with the back of her hand. “No. I almost wish it were. Because I want it. So badly.”

“All I’m hearing is what you want,” Liam countered stubbornly.

Emma sighed in frustration and turned to go. Just as her hand reached for the doorknob, Liam’s voice stopped her.

“He was always small for his age. Did he ever tell you that?”

Emma turned back around. “No, he didn’t.” She gave a small but genuine laugh. “Doesn’t surprise me. He’s kind of cocky about his manhood, you know.”

Liam chuckled too, but then turned quickly serious. “I took lashings that were meant for him. Stepped in when he got himself in over his head.”

“But he’s not the weak one anymore, Liam.”

He ran a hand wearily down his face. “I never meant for him to feel that way. Like he was less than. The navy was far easier for him than me, you know. He was always so bright; a quick learner.”

Emma hugged her arms around her chest and smiled. “You’re telling me. You should have seen him when he discovered the internet. And don’t even get me started on the History Channel. Drives me and Henry crazy.”

Liam smiled back. “When he sets his mind on something, there’s no stopping him.”

Emma nodded. “When he’s in, he’s all in.”

“Loyal -“

“ – to a fault.”

“He loves with all that he is.”

The tears clogged Emma’s throat as she nodded agreement. “Yes. Yes he does.”

They both fell silent, regarding one another in an unspoken battle of wills. Emma saw something in those eyes that was so familiar, but not because of the man’s DNA. She smiled and turned to go, but not before giving Liam Jones a parting word.

“Like I said. You and I? We understand each other.”

Face down in the desert now there’s a cage locked around my heart I found a way to drop the keys where my failures were Now my hands can’t reach that far I ain’t made for a rivalry, I could never take the world alone I know that in my weakness I am stronger It’s your love that brings me home

Brother let me be your shelter I’ll never leave you all alone I can be the one you call When you’re low Brother let me be your fortress When the night winds are driving on Be the one to light the way Bring you home

#cs ff #indirectly anyway #brothers jones deleted scene #5x15 deleted scene #liam jones #brothers jones #self promo sunday

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be-ready-when-i-say-go · 2 years ago

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Magnolia Blues--Chapter 1: Meetings

Esmeralda 'Jo' Jones is new in town, but has already been building big dreams for herself. Eddie Munson knows that the path in his life leads him to just west of 'Nowhere Fast' as he's no stranger to the circumstances and how they don't always work out for some people. When Jo and Eddie meet, it seems like a spark that may or may not catch. But the slowest loves are the ones that mean and hurt the worst.

Black OC X Eddie Munson.

NOTE: All canonical deaths still stand. The gore is NOT described as the main focus in the romance.

Chapter 2-- Butterflies and Strawberries | Chapter 3--The Vortex Meets a Magnolia | Chapter 4--Action Vs. Reaction | Chapter 5--Sights Ahead: When Clouds Meet The Ground | Chapter 6--Psychic: Damage and Healing (Final Part)

Bonus: Deleted Scenes (Fluff, fluff, and fluff)

Being new somewhere isn’t a bad thing. It’s not even quite a good thing either, in the reality of the larger context. Being new somewhere is not a natural part of life. One could be new to a job, new to a country, new to a state. Newness is simply a part of existence. And yet, as Jo steps through the doors of Hawkins High there is an inexplicable and instantaneous feeling that being new in this town would come with its own price. Heads turn. People’s voices drop. She is new and there is no escaping it.

The pop of her gum echoes and Jo hikes the strap of her bag higher up on her shoulder before turning on her heel to find the office. Lucas watches her go. “If you get lost, I can help!” he hollers.

“Thanks,” Jo shouts back over her shoulder.

It feels silly. The freshman is offering to show her around, but her parents had become friends with Sinclair's parents and Jo had by default become acquaintances with Lucas and Erica. She wouldn’t call them friends, but being of the few black people in the small town, being close and sticky together was a necessity. Granted most of the summer, Jo helped unpack. Occasionally she went downtown. Most of it was hollow. From what she gathered the mall was the reason for the emptiness. But even in the time since she’d moved into two the mall was still under repairs from the fire. In the weeks leading up to the move, Jo had done her best to keep up on Hawkins, Indiana. Occasionally it made headlines--government cover ups, mall fires. It raised her eyebrows but not her parents. Not that she could fault them--the move was to help put her father closer to the new operations center for the distribution center he worked for. It was all someone else’s fault. It was Big Brother, or The Man, or a faulty government taking advantage of a small town.

The office door shuts behind Jo and she shakes her wrist to bring the assortment of bangles down back to their proper position.

“Good morning,” the secretary greets warmly.

“Morning,” Jo returns. “I’m Esmeralda Jones. My parents enrolled me in July. I just need my final schedule.” The sound of her full first name is weird against her ears. No one, not even her parents, called her Esmeralda--save her being in some sort of trouble. She was and is always Jo.

The slender woman in the tweed suit nods. “Of course, of course.” She shuffles some papers on the desk and then unearths a half sheet of paper. “Looks like History is your first class of the day. On the bottom here,” the lady points to the swirled handwriting, “that’s your locker number and combination. It’s in the two hundred hall. Do you want some help finding it?”

Jo shakes her head. “No, I think I can find my way. Thanks though, ma’am. It’s much appreciated.” Jo gives a brief smile and then turns back to the door. The curls--looser than her normal texture thanks to the rod set- lift just a little with the action. Her mother wasn’t fond of Jo’s attempt to replicate a jerry curl on her own, but there wasn’t much to be done about it now.

Jo continues on down the hall and though she does spy Lucas with some of his friends and she thinks she hears him calling for him, she doesn’t stop. She waltzes herself down to her locker number, tries the combination and drops off the spare binders she brought. She slips her schedule into the front of one, beneath the clear plastic so she knows she won’t lose it and then shuffles down to the classroom.

All the while, she feels every stare burning into the back of her neck. Being new, she thinks, will surely prove to be interesting.

Inside the classroom, she settles in the back, leaving a one desk gap. The body that fills the seat on the opposite side of the gap barely risks a glance at her. His head stays buried in his book, the curls acting as a barrier or maybe even a signal to stay away. His fingers tap something out, like a drumline, on the desk as he scans the depths of the pages. Jo slips the bag from her shoulder and takes in the brown curls and silver rings.

“Leather and denim--making a statement, aren’t you?” Jo teases. The warning, she does not heed, mostly because she can’t avoid the obvious counter signal to stand out to be seen.

“Too obvious I know. I scream, look at me. I scream desperate for attention, right?” A soft smile grazes his face as he laughs at his own depreciation. “Eddie,” the boy offers, extending out his hand.

“Jo,” she returns, shaking the extended hand.

Eddie scoffs. “And if you are going to have judgments about my dress, I think your taste in bracelets is blinding to say the least.”

“Say the most then.”

“You too scream look at me. You, too, scream I am desperate for attention.”

“It’s called teenage rebellion.”

Eddie laughs. “And what exactly are you rebelling against? Because from where I’m sitting I think I could mistake you for every girl trying to copy Madonna right now.”

“At least give me Janet Jackson,” Jo huffs in return.

“Fine, since you’re yanking on my leg, I’ll give you Janet Jackson. You look like every girl trying to copy Janet Jackson, Jo.”

“Much appreciated, Eddie.” They only hold the grins for a moment longer before Job starts to dig for a pen in her bag and Eddie slowly gravitates back to the manual in front of him. But he watches, only for a second or so at a time, at the way she slips down into the chair. The way she watches the board like it’s the most interesting thing in the galaxy around them. But Eddie can’t let himself fully admit his intrigue. But he’s pleasantly surprised and he will admit that.

#eddie munson #eddie munson x black female character #eddie munson fic #eddie munson fanfic #eddie munson x black!oc #stranger things #h writes #steve harrington #nancy wheeler #robin buckley #dustin henderson #lucas sinclair #erica sinclair #max mayfield #eddie munson fluff #eddie munson angst

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howardhawkshollywoodannex · 2 years ago

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Ali Baba Bunny premiered Feb 9, 1957, and was directed by Chuck Jones. A scene where Hassan, the dimwitted guard, slices Daffy's hat in half with his sword was deleted for CBS tv. Note the brand name on the sword is Bosko, the name of Warner Brothers' first animated recurring character.

#ali baba bunny #daffy duck #bugs bunny

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tenaflyviper · 3 years ago

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Many people still don't understand the real reasons why the 2016 Ghostbusters reboot was met with backlash (which, admittedly, some people took way too far, though likely wouldn't have if Sony didn't react the way they did). I want to try to express how I viewed it as a woman that grew up in a culture that was absolutely obsessed with this franchise, who loves it dearly, and who also loves to see badass female characters.

It was not "just because they were women". Ignoring the truly disturbing legal and ethical circus that went on behind the scenes for a moment (for real--Sony is shady as fuck), we know now that Sony actively deleted legitimate criticism left by women on the trailer in order to help sell a narrative of "sexism". I was there watching it unfold, including seeing my own comments magically disappear, and screencapping reactions from others over their deleted comments--some of which had been top comments with hundreds of likes.

This reaction by Sony was a PR disaster. They could not have possibly handled it worse than they did. Instead of accepting or even considering the possibility that they hadn't made a perfect, flawless cash cow, they blamed the film's failure on the very people they originally marketed it to in the first place (the general attitude taken during this debacle was pretty sexist, since they were kind of implying that only men liked Ghostbusters). They pretty much invited a shitstorm onto themselves, and--most unfortunately--onto the actresses. Protip: Don't attack the people you're trying to get to see your movie, because they can sink it just as easily. You're also likely to draw out the worst kind of people who get involved solely for their own sick amusement (such as the racist degenerates that harassed Leslie Jones).

(As a side note, I think the attacks on James Rolfe showed us the fear of an industry that knows it no longer monopolizes the power of influence. "Regular" people can now become wildly popular and influential without any industry assistance, and thus without being controlled by either the almighty dollar, or threatening their future in entertainment. They tried so hard to bury a genuinely chill, down-to-earth guy under a mountain of libel simply because they otherwise had no real power to hurt him)

If the reboot had been new male characters handled the same way, that would have been met with equal disdain (oh wait...that actually happened. Remember the alleged film they were going to make starring Channing Tatum following the 2016 film? That was met with overwhelming negative feedback as well. Funny how the media conveniently ignored that).

No...the 2016 script was written with complete disregard for what the previous films established. FFS, the trailer referred to the original crew as "four scientists". Winston was an ex-marine--not a scientist. That was probably one of the two biggest complaints when the trailer came out. The other was that the ghosts looked like refugees from Disney's Haunted Mansion. Let's compare the 2016 electrocuted ghost to the Scoleri brothers:

Who's more memorable? (Sorry--couldn't find a gif of the other guy).

And how about the library ghost?

The 2016 ghost is flashier and more polished (and throws up just for the sake of being gross), but she looks like one of those "transforming portraits" you see around Halloween. All of the 2016 ghosts lacked exaggeration, and were too saturated in color, which worked heavily against them. When Ghostbusters II featured more human ghosts, they didn't make them all the same color of neon blue. The costuming is more natural as well (I liked this scene, as it was brought on by a joke, but ended up being a very somber moment).

The 2016 ghosts are overall too deliberate. Too much gloss; too much shine. They look more like they're wearing premade costumes from Spirit Halloween than actual period clothing.

What was meant to be Ghostbusters 3 was taken away from Ivan Reitman, and handed off to a complete and utter putz. Paul Feig's first draft of the script (which came out in the Sony leak) was unfocused, and absolutely ridiculous (two words: "alien ghosts"). He also didn't know how to handle darker material. It's like if a writer for Kim Possible tried to do an episode of The Venture Bros.

Could fans have wanted to see women ghostbusters? Absolutely!!! Had the reboot filmmakers done what the IDW comics did and had Janine take up ghostbusting duties, fans would have flocked to see it. Folks not familiar with the animated The Real Ghostbusters series are likely not aware that Janine became a full-fledged ghostbuster in that series. She had her own uniform. She had action figures.

(Every ghostbuster in this line had a scared reaction. Peter's did pretty much the same thing as Janine's)

(This skirted figure was from later in the series, after Q5 demanded the writers make Janine more "soft and motherly" and "less abrasive". This greatly saddened little me, as I looked up to season 1 and 2 Janine for being confident, capable, and able to put the fear of god in the boys when she had to)

I'm not posting a photo of the other figure. We don't talk about black-eyed alien Janine here.

The IDW comics also brought in an older Kylie Griffin from the short-lived Extreme Ghostbusters cartoon, as well as added new characters, like Melanie Ortiz.

Do you have any idea how happy people would have been to have a movie with Janine and Kylie kicking ghost butt???

For the record, the comics also crossed over with the reboot characters, and those storylines were very enjoyable, because the characters were written like people, and not negative female stereotypes that feminists had been criticizing in films for decades.

I like Patty. She actually gets to be really cool in the comics.

I'll lastly try to explain one other thing: Imagine if Mr. Rogers had been replaced by Carol Channing without any warning. Even if you love Carol Channing, you'd be upset at the loss of Mr. Rogers, right? Everyone loved Mr. Rogers. Well, people also love Ray Stantz, Egon Spengler, Winston Zeddemore, and Peter Venkman, and the way they formed a perfectly balanced team. These men and the way they interact with each other is the driving force that made Ghostbusters a cultural phenomenon. To not have them present in some way is to lose the very heart and soul of the franchise.

Ghostbusters: Afterlife is effectively passing the torch from the original crew to a new one. People already love and relate to Phoebe, and I could easily see there being more films with her continuing her grandfather's legacy (kinda like how future Witcher games will have Ciri instead of Geralt). Further appearances from the original boys would no longer be necessary, because the torch has been passed. To continue a story requires some level of transference, even if you're presenting new characters. Remember: While people began to appreciate it decades later, audiences initially hated Halloween III: Season of the Witch for having nothing to do with Michael Myers, and that mofo didn't even talk or use a proton gun.

Okay, I'm done now.

EDIT: If you enjoyed the 2016 film, there is nothing wrong with that. Critics, audiences...the only thing that matters is that it makes you happy. I actually liked Day of the Dead 2: Contagium, and that film is widely considered half a step above watching your dog take a shit.

#TL;DR #I loved Kim Possible btw #Just putting that out there

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ramblingthoughtsofayoungadult · 4 years ago

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Nev, Max, Help!-Nate Jacobs Oneshot

Requested: Yes

Warnings: aggressiveness and rudeness from Nate and a brief panic attack scene

A/N: The reader is gender neutral since the requester did not specify what they wanted and I did not want to disrespect the storyline from the show. Also, it’s a long one.

For once, Amy Winehouse’s low, melancholy voice did nothing to soothe my nerves as I typed what I was looking for in the designated box. “Love is a Losing Game” was definitely not the best song for the mood but I loved her voice so much; it was like a really messed up security blanket for me. My thumbs shook as I kept typing and quickly deleting my words.

Someone to have fun with.

No, that’ll bring every single creep to my profile.

Someone to watch Netflix with.

Ew, no, they won’t want to go anywhere or do anything.

Someone to discuss Maya Angelou with...

This could go one of two ways: attract a sensitive, nice person or the ultimate softboi who was really just an f-boy in a sensible cardigan.

Okay, Y/N, just add to it.

...and have adventures, great conversations, and watch the best movies.

That seemed broad enough and, potentially, weeded out all the weirdos. Patti Stanger would approve of this. I took such a deep breath that I could feel the oxygen in my feet as I pressed the green check mark. An adorable buffering sign appeared before being quickly replaced by a CONGRATULATIONS, Y/N/N, ON COMPLETING YOUR PROFILE.

The air came out of me slowly, like a balloon, and I tried to make myself relax as I swiped through different matches. One person was too short, the other too tall, another had way too many pictures with reptiles in his profile, and one’s bio simply read: DM and you’ll find out.

Serial killer much?

“That’s part of your problem, Y/N,” Jules had chastised me a few day prior.

“What do you mean by ‘part’?” I’d replied.

“Well, for one, you barely leave the house anymore unless I drag you out,” Jules argued.

“I’m busy,” I’d defended.

“Rewatching Breaking Bad for the eighth time does not count as being busy. Plus, you’re so picky.”

“Am not!”

“You said you’d only do DiCaprio in his Great Gatsby days,” Rue had added.

“Did you see him in that suit?”

Jules then shrugged. “All I’m saying is if you aren’t careful, you will end up all alone.”

“That’s not true, Y/N might get cats.”

That conversation had haunted me since and had driven me to making a dating profile after the required Saturday night family dinner. While my parents and brother were downstairs watching a movie, I was holed up in my room, cringing and regretting accepting any chat requests.

Half an hour on the app caused the images of various male genitalia to be burned into my mind. I would need my brain soaked in holy water for it to be erased. I huffed and kept scrolling, vainly hoping and wishing for a decent guy to pop up on my radar.

Maybe Jules and Rue were wrong. Maybe I had all the right in the world to be picky, I thought harshly to myself.

I dropped my phone on my nightstand and flopped against my pillows as Me and Mr. Jones began playing. I sighed and felt myself being lulled into the comforting abyss Amy created.

Ding!

I jumped out and glared at the source of the noise. Another chat request, another picture to ruin my young brain?

“Be positive, Y/N, this might be good,” I stated as I grabbed the phone.

Tyler wants to chat!

I frowned and opened up the app, only to be met with the most sculpted six-pack I had ever seen. My heart began banging against my chest and my thumbs fumbled for a moment to answer the chat request.

Whoosh.

My stomach dropped as I stared at my first chat to Tyler: Shg.ismtle

I’m. Going. To. Die. Alone.

I quickly typed: Please ignore that, I’m so sorry!

Seconds later, my phone dinged.

Tyler: Really? I thought you were trying to send me a secret code and I liked that we were that cool already.

This was not real, this could not be happening. Tyler had to be a bot, that was why he didn’t show his face in his profile. Bots were supposed to have a hard time recognizing and creating faces, right?

But, on the off chance Tyler was real, it would have been rude to leave the conversation so abruptly?

Y/N: Who knows? Maybe it was a secret code and I’m just testing you.

Tyler: Ok, let me guess what it means.

Tyler: Hi?

Y/N: Haha, you really thought I’d use such a simple code as a first message?

Tyler: It’s my bad for underestimating u. I should have known u were smarter since you read Maya Angelou.

Y/N: U a fan?

Tyler: “You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.”

He knows Angelou? He could have Googled a quote though. Still, it’s a good quote to use if he had Googled it.

Y/N: Nice, but, doesn’t get u out of the guessing game.

As Tyler helplessly guessed wrong for several minutes, I couldn’t stop myself from smiling. I used to think online dating was a last resort or a breeding ground for predators. But, maybe there were decent people looking for something (or someone) meaningful after all.

Tyler: I give up, you’re really good.

Y/N: Thx. But, I can tell you what I meant to say.

Tyler: The suspense is srsly kiilling me.

Y/N: I meant 2 say hey.

Tyler: I guessed that!

Y/N: No, u guessed ‘hi’, there’s a difference.

Tyler: C’mon, barely.

For the rest of the night, Tyler and I chatted. He told me that he plays baseball at a school across town and he doesn’t like anyone around there. He liked John Mulaney stand-up, lemon bars, going to the gym, hanging out with his friends, and reading good books. He was an only child and his parents tended to spoil him. I told him about my friends and how I liked being on the swim team at my school as well as the different YouTubers and books I enjoyed. When I finally fell asleep, I dreamed of talking to him.

On Monday, Jules and Rue were hanging out outside the school as other people either headed to class or relaxed on the lawn. I could not stop my feet from bouncing as I walked up to them.

“...and that is why Sailor Mercury is the most underrated character of the whole show,” Jules affrimed.

Rue seemed halfway interested as her head nodded slowly underneath the hood of her burgundy hoodie. “Cool, all I asked was who’s your favorite but, cool.”

Jules rolled her eyes playfully and straightened up when she saw me. “Hey, Y/N, nice shirt.”

“Thanks.” I wore a sky blue tie dye shirt with ripped jeans and white Converse.

Rue leaned forward and squinted at me. “You’re not wearing black, something’s wrong.”

“Nothing’s wrong, she’s obviously been influenced by me!” Jules teased as she wrapped a slim arm around my shoulders.

“Yeah, you can only hang out with this literal rainbow human so long before she starts influencing your outfit choices.”

We started heading inside, which was really just Jules and me dragging Rue into the building.

“But I don’t wanna be here. It’s so stupid that I have to wait six more months before I can legally decide where I spend my time,” Rue muttered.

“It’s fine, you have us!” Jules insisted.

“Yup!” I agreed.

“Hey, Y/N, Rue, Jules!” Cassie greeted as she sidled up next to me.

We all greeted her.

“Have a good weekend?” Rue asked.

“Yeah, there was this great party that Nick Davis threw. I swear, everyone there was on acid.” Cassie stopped herself and bit her bottom lip. “Sorry---”

Rue shook her head. “It’s fine.”

“How were yours?” Cassie asked as we continued to our lockers.

“Fine,” Jules said.

Rue shrugged in response.

I opened my mouth to reply when my phone beeped and I wrestled it out of my pocket.

Tyler: Is it 2 late 4 a good morning text?

I smiled.

“You’re so cheesy,” I muttered under my breath.

“Who’s that?” Cassie asked, peeking over my shoulder.

I jumped and cradled my phone to my chest like it was my child. “No one.”

Jules pulled open her locker and cocked a bleached eyebrow. “‘No one’ does not cause huge smiles like that!” She jabbed a sparkly-manicured finger at me.

“Yeah, show us,” Rue said. “We are your friends.”

“It’s nothing,” I insisted as I weaved around them.

I pushed myself against my locker and managed to open it with my free hand. Rue was on one side of me and Cassie was on the other.

“Is it a boy?” Cassie sang.

“Or a girl?” Rue questioned.

“It’s none of your business,” I gritted out as I grabbed my necessary books.

As I shuffled the books in my arms, Jules came from behind and slipped my phone away from me. I gasped, whirled around, and watched as Rue tried to look at the phone while Cassie playfully blocked me.

“Guys, this is not cool! This is such a serious invasion of privacy,” I argued as I tried to move around Cassie.

“We’re besties, there’s no such thing as privacy!” Jules retorted.

“Wow, Y/N, these are so----” Jules cut Rue off.

“Adorable!” Jules squealed and turned to face me.

Cassie took the opportunity to glance at my phone and she smiled. “Aw, this Tyler guy sounds so sweet.”

I snatched my phone from Jules. “Well, now you know. Can we please go to class now?”

As the other girls grabbed their things from their lockers, I got out my phone to reply to Tyler.

Y/N: It’s never too late...until noon technically.

Somehow, I started wandering away from the girls until I ran into someone. I tried to jump away, but they grabbed me by the forearms.

“I am so sorry, I should have looked where I was going---” I stopped speaking when I recognized Nate’s direct gaze on me. I was pretty tall but I always felt like he could throw me into the lockers if he wanted to.

“Watch it, Y/N,” he muttered.

“Nate, let go of them,” Maddy chided, her hand resting against one of his arms.

She seemed to have the magic touch because he relaxed and I joined my friends. As the couple continued down the hallway, I couldn’t help but admire them. In a very messed up way, they worked. Kat had told me only a little about what Nate would do whenever Maddy upset him and I felt so bad for her, angry at him, and then conflicted. Nate just had to have that stereotypical amazing all-American look.

“You okay, Y/N?” Cassie asked.

“Yeah, is it weird that I can still feel his eyes on me even when he’s not looking?” I asked.

“No, his need for dominance permeates everyone’s sense of autonomy,” Rue assured.

“Nice,” Jules said.

“And scary accurate,” Cassie added.

Jule looped her arm with mine and steered us in the direction of our first classes. “Anyway, if he tries anything, I’m sure Tyler would gladly kick his butt for you.”

Throughout the day, Tyler and I chatted and I even had to get creative with responding. In English, I kept my head down during quiet reading time and made sure my phone was positioned just right in my lap. During geometry, I told Mrs. Packer that I was having some digestive issues and spent most of the class outside the bathroom, texting Tyler. At lunch, I could barely focus on my friends’ conversation.

“Hello, Earth to Y/N?” Lexi waved her hand in front of my face and I blinked.

“Sorry, I was----”

“Texting her boooyfriiiend,” Jules sang.

“He’s not my boyfriend, we’re just talking.” I started poking at my sandwich. “What did I miss?”

“Oh, nothing, just the fact that I nearly blew up the school during chem,” Cassie said.

“Magnesium chloride isn’t an explosive,” Lexi argued.

“Well, the tube overflowed and everyone was freaking out,” Cassie argued.

“Yeah, because magnesium chloride can have bad side effects,” Lexi continued.

“I wonder what would happen if the school exploded and we weren’t all here? Would they have to give us our diplomas?” I thought outloud.

“Ooh, and I could go to fashion school early!” Jules cheered.

“I’d be happy not coming here anymore,” Rue admitted.

It was quiet for a moment as we all ate but that quiet was broken when Maddy yelled.

“WHO ARE YOU TEXTING?”

I couldn’t help myself but look. Maddy was standing behind Nate, who was sitting with his teammates at the center table. Bebe and Kat flanked Maddy a little behind. Everyone stared at them. Nate’s jaw tightened.

“Maddy, calm down,” his relaxed, controlled voice nearly echoed in the silent cafeteria.

“DON’T TELL ME TO CALM DOWN! YOU’VE BEEN ON YOUR PHONE ALL DAY!” she snapped.

“Maddy---”

“ARE YOU TEXTING OTHER GIRLS?” Maddy shouted.

“Can we talk about this somewhere else?” Nate asked.

Maddy sighed. “Are you gonna let me see your phone?”

“Maddy, we need to talk.”

“Don’t talk to me again.”

Before Nate could respond, Maddy dumped the contents of her lunch tray over his head and threw the tray aside. Kat and Bebe followed her as she strutted out of the cafeteria amid the shocked gasps.

“I’m gonna go check on her,” Cassie whispered.

We all nodded and she quietly exited the room. As I stared at Nate, the supposed king of the school, drenched in soggy salad and fat-free milk, I wondered why he could never stay broken up with Maddy. Their relationship was not just toxic, it was volatile. Their breakups were always public and outrageous, but they always ended up back together. No one questioned it either. I never understood why people could continue to choose relationship they knew was bad over pursuing something new. I told Tyler as much that night.

Y/N: It’s like those dogs that get killed by electric fences because they keep walking into them.

Tyler: U have a good point, but, that couple’s relationship is more complicated than u think.

Y/N: Probably, but, it doesn’t look that way. They hurt each other a lot.

Tyler: How do u know?

Y/N: Bc I’ve seen it. I don’t mean 2 b judgy, but, I could never be in a relationship like that.

Tyler: Well, I don’t think anyone would b if they knew it would b bad.

Y/N: Good point. But, why would they get back together so much?

Tyler: Idk them, but, it could b bc it’s familiar and it’s what they know.

Y/N: Still, it’s messed up.

Tyler: Yeah, but I don’t wanna talk abt them anymore.

Y/N: K, what do u wanna talk abt?

A few seconds later, Tyler sent me a picture so graphically beautiful that I was convinced I passed out.

The next day, I showed Rue and Jules the picture during break time.

“Holy crap!” Jules took my phone and leaned into it for closer inspection.

“Tyler is packing,” Rue agreed.

Jules slid my phone back to me. “You haven’t replied to him?” “No, and he hasn’t talked to me at all today.”

“He’s probably expecting a reply that’s similar to what he sent,” Rue said.

My face warmed up. “I can’t send him nudes,” I hissed.

“Why not? It’s like the greeting cards of our generation,” Jules stated.

“Really? You’d send your grandparents a greeting card of your naked body?” I replied sarcastically.

“Relax, if you’re uncomfortable, we can help you,” Jules assured.

“We can?” Rue asked.

“We can.” Jules gave her a look and Rue relaxed.

“It’s still weird, but, I guess you guys can come over after school.”

“Sweet! Your mom still bakes cookies for you after school, right?” Jules asked.

I nodded.

“She might stop once she learns her darling favorite older child is sending nudes,” Rue snorted as she spoke.

I recoiled in my seat, taking a second to bask in the sun’s warmth. “Don’t remind me.”

After swim practice, once my teammates left the locker room, I eyed my naked form in the mirror. I had nothing to be ashamed of, really, thanks to all the swimming, but, I just felt weird being naked in front of people. There was something so vulnerable about it, like, being on display in a museum or lying on a cold surgery table. But, online dating was supposed to get me out of my comfort zone and I’d found someone who’d made me feel comfortable enough to do it. With this resolve, I changed into a hoodie and some sweatpants and left the school. It was dusk and I typically walked home after practice since it wasn’t far. Plus, I’d told Jules and Rue to just go to my house after school.

The late breeze rippled past me and I dug my hands into my pants’ pockets as I started walking towards the parking lot. There was barely anyone around, except stoners hotboxing their cars, some couples making out, and dance team members and football players getting out of practice.

I kept my head down as I maneuvered around the few cars and people around. It felt like someone could spot what I was about to do once I got home and it was nervewracking. All I had to do was get home, let Jules make me look even better, take these pictures, and never thinking of it again.

“Something on your mind, Y/N?” Nate called.

I froze and snapped my head up to look at him. He was leaning against his truck, looking like a model for Ford in only a tshirt and jeans. Ford should hire him.

“No, not really,” I said.

I started to side step the truck, eyeing the sidewalk that was only a few yards away as though it was a lifeline.

“Get in,” Nate ordered.

I paused and looked at him. “Excuse me?”

“I see you walking home all the time, let me do you a favor, one athlete to another.” Nate was about halfway in the driver’s seat of the car and all I could do was stare.

“We’ve...never really talked before,” I stated.

“We can talk during the drive.”

I stepped back and my eyes flittered around, like the best decision would hit me in the face. Then, I saw Maddy across the lot. She was standing with a couple of dance team girls, including Cassie. She stared me down as though daring me to do it. I glanced from her to Nate, who started the engine loudly.

I quickly climbed into the passenger’s seat and stared into Maddy’s reflection in the rearview mirror as he pulled out of the parking lot.

“How do you know where I live?” I asked.

“You forgot that I gave you a ride before?” Nate asked.

“When?”

“After Cassie’s sweet sixteen. You blacked out, your friends were panicking, and I offered to take you home. For some reason, you remembered your address,” Nate recalled.

“Oh, thanks?”

“Sure.”

We pulled up to my house a few minutes later, Lil Wayne bragging about his conquests filling the quiet. I hopped out of the truck and grabbed my bag.

“Thanks for the ride, this one, I mean, I owe you,” I said.

“Yeah, see you around, Y/N.”

I closed the door and headed inside.

“I’m home!” I called.

My mom poked her head out from the kitchen. “Y/N, how was school and practice?”

“Fine.”

“Was that Nate Jacobs outside?”

I hesitated.

How did she know what Nate’s truck looked like? “Yeah, he gave me a ride today.”

“Aw, isn’t that sweet? Rue and Jules are waiting for you in your room. They took the cookies with them.”

I nodded and went to my room. As soon as I walked in, they bombarded me with questions.

“Why did Nate give you a ride?” Rue asked.

“What did you guys talk about?” Jules inquired.

“Don’t you hate him?”

“He’s kind of a dick, but, unfortunately, super good looking.”

“Did Maddy see?”

“Do you think she’s gonna kill you?”

“Guys, I don’t know but I do know that if you do not take amazing pictures of me with no clothes on soon, I will delete my entire profile,” I interrupted.

They both nodded.

“But, we will ask for details later,” Jules insisted.

“Okay, but, please give me a cookie, I’ll need it to get through this.”

Rue extended the plate towards me and I bit into the melty goodness as Jules began doing my makeup. It was simple, only bringing out my best features. I made them both turn around as I undressed. Once I had, Jules encouraged me.

“You look amazing, I would be shocked if he didn’t jizz in his pants,” Jules said.

“Lower your voice, Y/B/N can only play Five Nights at Freddy’s so loud,” I hissed.

Jules held her hands up and Rue direct me to lay on the bed, my phone held up in front of her.

“Okay, look sexy,” Rue said.

I tried to smolder, but, by their expressions, I did not achieve it.

“No, like, pout your lips, like, you just heard that TheOdd1sOut is not uploading for a month,” Jules directed.

“And give the camera bedroom eyes, you know, as though it’s Tyler.”

“Okay.” After a few pictures, I slowly got the hang of it and even started posing a little naturally.

“Oh my gosh, Tyra is shook!” Jules cheered.

“Yeah, these are pretty good if I do say so myself.” Rue handed me my phone and I flipped through the pictures.

She was a talented photogrpaher and I joked that maybe she should go professional.

“Yeah, I’m sure I’d have a nice clientele.”

I laughed as I changed back into my hoodie and sweatpants. “Okay, help me pick one to send.”

Jules took my phone and she and Rue began scrolling.

“No, the lighting’s off in this one,” Jules muttered.

“No, it’s never off in any of these,” Rue argued.

“I’m not shading your talent, I’m just trying to find the best thing for Y/N to send Tyler.”

After a little more bickering, we all agreed on the picture and I sent it to Tyler.

“Should I follow it up with something?” I asked.

“Maybe say ‘Wrong person’? Guys want what other guys want,” Jules suggested.

“Or say ‘Sorry for the late reply’,” Rue added.

“I’ll go with Rue’s, sorry, Jules.”

Jules shrugged.

I sent everything off and my friends and I watched as Tyler typed a response.

Tyler: It was worth the wait ;).

We squealed so loud that my mom yelled for us to keep it down. We apologized as we descended into a fit of giggles. Through it all, I could not help but feel so bouncy and light all over. Was I...falling for this total stranger?

“What do you think he looks like?” Jules asked during lunch later that week.

I shrugged. “It’s different every day, if that makes sense.”

“I guess that’s the nice thing about interacting with someone who doesn’t show their face,” Jules thought outloud.

“How do you see him now?” Lexi asked.

I sighed. “Right now, I think he’s tall, six feet at least. He’s got a mix of blonde and brown hair like a surfer because it’s lightened from all the time he’s spent in the sun. He has green eyes, freckles, and he dresses well.”

“Sounds amazing,” Jules said as she rest her chin in her hand.

Rue nodded slowly. “You’re not nervous or anything?”

“No, this is so cheesy, but, I feel like I know him, you know? He’s so easy to talk to and has so much to say.”

“Y/N’s blushing,” Jules teased. “Do you love him?”

“I really, really, really, like him.”

“Do you think you’ll meet soon?” Lexi asked.

I shrugged. “I don’t know, neither of us has brought it up.”

“Well, it just matters that you’re comfortable, okay?” Rue said.

“Okay.”

If I was honest, I did not know if I wanted to meet Tyler. I knew that I liked him more than I liked anyone before, but, there was something strange about breaking this wall the internet provided us. It was freer to talk on the internet than it was in person. What if I said something stupid in front of him? What if he thought that I looked different in person? What if he looked different in person?

I managed to keep these thoughts at bay for the rest of the day until I got home. Post-dinner had been officially declared Talk to Tyler Time. None of my family knew what I was doing besides blasting Amy Winehouse in my room for about an hour. My laugh nearly overpowered her high note in “Best Friends, Right?”. I had to blink away my happy tears as I replied to him.

Y/N: That did not happen! Tyler: Yes it did! Do u want 2 c the scar????

Y/N: No, I think I’m good.

I wiped away my tears and settled under the covers. I wondered if his friends would agree that Tyler gets into some weird situations as well. Just as I started typing, Tyler beat me.

Tyler: I want 2 meet u.

The speed that I launched my phone away from me almost shocked me more than the text.

Almost.

My heartbeat thrummed in my ears. This was it, I knew I couldn’t avoid him much longer, but, I felt like I couldn’t move. All I could do was stare at my phone like it was the most offensive object in the world. Slowly, I regained mobility and grabbed my phone. I took a deep breath.

“Take a chance, Y/L/N,” I whispered.

Y/N: When and where?

“You’re meeting him tonight?” Jules squealed the next day.

I hushed her as people in the hallway paused to look at us. “Not so loud.” “But this is so exciting. Please let me help you decide what to wear,” Jules pleaded with a pout.

“Sure,” I said.

Jules hugged me. “This is going to be so fun. I won’t go crazy with glitter since this is the first time you’re meeting this guy.”

“Thanks?”

“Do your parents know?” Rue asked.

“No,” I replied as I slowly pulled away from Jules. “They’re coming Senior Night tonight, though. and I’m going to meet him at Mercy Park an hour before it ends.”

“Are you sure you even want to do this? I know that Jules and I tease you about your love life, but, this is risky,” Rue said.

“You weren’t saying that when you were helping me with those pictures the other day,” I shot back.

“That was different. You’re...you’re actually meeting him now and he could be a psychopath or a sociopath or, just, a creepy old guy who likes to look at teenagers!” Rue insisted.

“Rue, relax, everything’s going to be fine.”

“You don’t know that!” She turned on her heel and hurried into the bathroom with Jules and I on her tail.

When we entered, Rue was leaning against the wall, panting and staring up at the ceiling. Jules and I approached her slowly as the girls who were in the bathroom quickly filed out.

“Rue, slow down your breathing,” I said slowly.

“I...I can’t. You-you could get hurt or something and-and I would know about it an-and I-I couldn’t live with that!” Tears burst from her eyes as Rue began pacing and Jules and I were close but gave her room.

“Rue, Y/N is going to be okay, we both know what time she’ll be at the park. If anything happens, we’ll know the area she could be in,” Jules assured her.

Rue shook her head and stopped in her tracks. Then, she looked between us helplessly before bowing her head and sobbing. Jules and I carefully hugged her and let her cry.

“I’m sorry that I’m scared and I care about you and I don’t want you to get hurt,” Rue mumbled into my shirt.

“It’s okay, I appreciate it. I really want to meet Tyler, though, and, I promise I will let you know if something happens, okay?”

Rue nodded and sniffled.

It took Jules about an hour to make me look amazing. I had no idea my hair could be so fluffy and put together until she was done with it. She used eyeliner to make eyes look bigger and rounder and added sparkly lip gloss to make my lips look plumper. After she contoured and highlighted the best places she deemed that her work was done. My outfit, a fitted forest green long-sleeve shirt and fitted black pants with Jadons, was also approved by her.

“Tell me everything later!” she insisted.

Rue couldn’t join us since she had “prior commitments” but I texted her that I would let her know when I head to the park and when I leave. My nerves didn’t let me focus on the soccer game my parents insisted I joined them and my brother at. I couldn’t care less that the forward on one team got a yellow card or that the goalie on the other team made illegal blocks. I was practically buzzing with excitement and fear so much that I had to give my pretzel to Y/B/N. Finally, the third quarter arrived and I told my parents that I would meet them at home since I’d promised Lexi that I would help her with some homework.

Lexi wouldn’t mind being used for a lie this one time; it was an emergency.

I tried to practice some calming deep breaths as I walked over to the park. The dark night sky provided a little bit of comfort to my walk. I wondered how different Tyler would look from the picture in my mind. I wondered if he thought I would look any different. Maybe (hopefully) it wouldn’t matter to either of us.

Finally, I reached the park. It was empty, save for the oak trees scattered throughout the lush green scenery that seemed mysterious under the mooonlight. A few benches and wooden tables were around as well, but, Tyler and I had agreed to meet at the fountain which was further in the park. The breathing exercises had to have helped because I felt much more relaxed and I hoped that everything would go all right.

When I got to the fountain, there was a tall person facing it. All I could make out were dark clothes and broad shoulders. I took another deep breath and kept walking.

“This is a nice spot, you have good taste,” I commented.

“I could say the same for you.” I stopped in my tracks as Nate slowly turned to face me. His face was unreadable but his eyes stayed on me.

“What? Wh-where’s Tyler?” I asked, my voice already hoarse.

Nate glanced down at his shoes. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know how else to talk to you.”

I shook my head. “No.” My vision got blurry but I could tell that Nate was looking up at me now.

“Just let me explain,” he requested softly.

He took a step towards me and I took two steps back .

“I don’t wanna hear it. This....this is some sick joke to you or something?”

“No, never, Y/N, just listen to me.”

“I don’t want to!” The tears rolled down my cheeks and I swiped at them so hard that I thought I scratched myself. At least I could feel something because my heart felt numb. “You catfished me!”

“I just wanted to talk to you, I really do like you, Y/N. Tyler and I are the same, just different names,” Nate insisted, coming closer.

For some reason, I didn’t move. I didn’t know if it was from emotional exhaustion or stress, but, I let him approach me. I kept shaking my head.

“No,” I hiccuped.

“I wanted to meet you tonight because I was tired of lying. I want to figure this, us, out,” Nate said.

I sniffed. “Us?”

At that moment, I could actually see his face and Nate seemed so hopeful. There was a slight smile on his lips and his eyes seemed light for once. Maybe he wanted there to be an “us”. Maybe, despite all logic, he wanted to talk to me seriously and could not do it offline because of his reputation. Maybe, he was over the on-again-off-again situation with Maddy. Maybe, this was my chance, our chance.

I wiped my face again, mentally cringing at how upset Jules would be for my ruining her masterpiece.

“Yeah, us.” Nate stepped closer to me, gently wrapped his arms around my waist, and pulled me into his chest.

Gradually, my muscles relaxed and I relished in the feeling of his strong upper body and his warmth. Then, I began to feel pressure on my waist and gasped as it intensified.

“Nate, you’re...squeezing...too hard,” I rasped out.

And he started laughing, no, cackling. As he laughed, his grip tightened and I continued gasping and clawing at everything I could.

“Nate...stop!”

But he kept laughing and squeezing. When he finally released me, I looked up and saw nothing behind his eyes. Everything in me told me to run, but, I knew he could have easily caught up to me.

“I really thought you were smarter than that, Y/N. C’mon, you couldn’t honestly think that I would do all this to be with you,” he sneered.

“So why do it then?” I asked, my voice so small that I could have kicked myself for it.

Nate sighed and folded his arms. “Because you made it so easy and, to ask for a favor.”

“What? That makes no sense,” I argued. “I told you I owed you one that day you gave me a ride!”

“Yeah, well, I needed to make sure that you were available when I needed you.”

“Whatever, screw you,” I hissed as I pivoted on my heel.

“Too late for you, you’re already screwed.” Nate pulled out a folder from inside his jacket pocket. “Remember those special pictures you sent to Tyler? Well, they count as distribution of child pornography, which has a hefty fine and sentence.”

My mouth opened and closed several times before I faced him and responded. “But...but you held them, doesn’t that count towards possession? And, you’re extorting me!”

Nate glowered at me and stormed over. “Heresay, no solid evidence for your case. Plus, I’m a Jacobs, so, who are you kidding?”

I felt so sick to my stomach that I could have thrown up, fainted, or cried at that moment. This was not real, this could not be real.

“What do you want?” I asked.

“Like I said, just be available when I need you.”

“Fine.”

“Sorry, what was that?” He gripped my chin his hand and forced me to look up at him.

“Okay,” I said softly.

“Hmm.” His eyes scanned my face before he released me. “And if I ever hear you judging my relationship with Maddy again, these pictures are going to be the least of your concern.”

I nodded weakly, regretting every single thing I ever told him. Nate Jacobs was truly the devil. He wandered off into the night like a centurion leaving a victorious battle. It seemed like he always won.

I managed not to start crying until I was on the empty sidewalk. No, I sobbed so bad that my throat went dry.

How could I have been so stupid? I should have known it was him that day Maddy yelled at him for texting all day.

Stupid, stupid, stupid!

My sobs continued as I grabbed my phone and texted Rue.

Y/N: U were right.

#euphoria imagine #nate jacobs imagine

412 notes · View notes

dweemeister · 3 years ago

Photo

Oklahoma! (1955)

Composer Richard Rodgers was in search of a new songwriting partner in the early 1940s. His previous partner, the lyricist Lorenz Hart, was devolving into an alcoholism that would soon claim his life. Wanting to transform Lynn Riggs’ rustic play Green Grow the Lilacs into a musical, Rodgers would find a new lyricist in Oscar Hammerstein II, who had not been involved in any Broadway successes for some time. Rodgers and Hammerstein’s 1943 adaptation of Rigg’s play was Oklahoma! and – despite widespread predictions that Broadway audiences would only flock to modern, urbane works – it became the longest-running Broadway musical for another dozen or so years. It began one of the most fruitful, important, and accomplished musical theater partnerships in the medium’s history.

Interest in a cinematic treatment from Hollywood’s major studios for the first Rodgers and Hammerstein musical came almost immediately after the initial reviews for Oklahoma!, but the rights went not to a movie studio, but a film equipment start-up known as the Magna Theatre Corporation. Magna’s owners intended Oklahoma! as a test for the Todd-AO widescreen process (a rival to Cinerama), but more on that and the film’s unique distribution history – which involves RKO and 20th Century Fox – later. Most importantly, the lack of studio executives to appease meant that Rodgers and Hammerstein could have full control over the film’s structure and musical/narrative changes for this adaptation. Directed by Fred Zinnemann (1952’s High Noon, 1953’s From Here to Eternity) – an unorthodox choice, given his expertise for morally complex dramas and no musical experience – 1955’s Oklahoma! is a harbinger for the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical films to come, and an inextricable part of the duo��s legacy.

Somewhere in the Oklahoman countryside, amid corn as high as an elephant’s eye, is the clean-cut cowboy Curly McLain (Gordon MacRae). Curly is en route to the farmstead of his crush, Laurey Williams (Shirley Jones in her cinematic debut), and Laurey’s aunt, Aunt Eller (Charlotte Greenwood). There, Curly invites Laurey to the box social scheduled for later that evening. Annoyed that it took him this long to ask her out, Laurey decides instead to go the box social with the Williams’ antisocial and intimidating farmhand, Jud Fry (Rod Steiger). Elsewhere at the train station, another cowboy, Will Parker (Gene Nelson) might be singing about how much he was entranced by Kansas City, but he is searching for his sweetheart, Ado Annie (Gloria Grahame) – herself entranced by traveling salesman Ali Hakim (Eddie Albert in brownface).

No members of the original Broadway cast reprised their roles for this film, which also stars Barbara Lawrence and character actors James Whitmore, Jay C. Flippen, and Roy Barcroft.

As Curly, MacRae is like a Broadway stage version of the characters Gene Autry or Roy Rogers might have played in another decade. MacRae, who started his career as a Broadway and radio singer, had just run down the end of his contract with Warner Bros. (signed in 1947) when he appeared in Oklahoma!. At Warners, he starred in a number of musicals including Look for the Silver Lining (1949) and opposite Doris Day in On Moonlight Bay (1951), but he had only starred in a film adaptation of stage musical once before. MacRae, despite a long hiatus from the Broadway stage, is a natural here: charming and exuding a natural chemistry with co-star Shirley Jones. This exterior, however, is not without malice – as seen in the scene where Curly tries to influence Jud to commit self-harm. Cut from the same baritone cloth like contemporary Howard Keel (Frank Butler in 1950’s Annie Get Your Gun, Adam Pontipee in 1954’s Seven Brides for Seven Brothers), MacRae never achieved the popularity that other stage-to-screen musical stars of the ‘30s and ‘40s did (and, of course, Julie Andrews much later on).

The film’s surprise package for audiences in 1955 was in Shirley Jones. Jones, rather than subjecting herself to a vetting process by a director, casting director, or studio executives, was hand-picked by Rodgers and Hammerstein. Stunned by her 1953 audition for the premiere of South Pacific but wanting more experience for the then-nineteen-year-old, the songwriting duo kept Jones in mind for future productions and signed her on a contract (Jones was the first and only singer to be contracted to Rodgers and Hammerstein). With a few years of Broadway productions under her belt, Jones still came to Oklahoma! lacking an understanding on how to tailor sharper emotions to a film camera. With Fred Zinnemann’s assistance, she navigates Laurey’s light romantic comedy scenes and tumultuous friendship (if one can call it that) with Jud maturely – one could scarcely believe this is her cinematic debut. For Laurey, she accentuates the character’s naïveté, especially in respect to how she acts around men and romantic idealizations, without feeling grating or overacting (a common problem when approaching characters without much life experience) the part. Jones’ excellence in Oklahoma! would land her the lead in Carousel (1956), with other Hollywood hits in Elmer Gantry (1960) and The Music Man (1962) to follow.

As their artistic collaboration progressed, Rodgers and Hammerstein did not shy away from asking heavier questions in their musicals. Their first two projects, Oklahoma! and the musical film State Fair (1945) are relatively airy, flighty compared to their successors – the darkness of morality in Carousel, the racist beliefs of the lead character in South Pacific. Foreshadowing that later drama in successive musicals is the misanthropic (not just misogynistic) character of Jud Fry. Played by Rod Steiger, Jud is a villain without any redeeming qualities in the original musical. Steiger’s Jud remains a reprehensible character, but Steiger – as have most other actors who have played Jud in on stage in the decades since – positions Jud as more of a loner whose social ineptitude results in an unchecked covetousness over Laurey. To some reading that last sentence, that distinction between portrayals of Jud may not make any meaningful difference in one’s negative opinions about the character and his actions. Yet, Steiger’s portrayal of Jud – as sloppy, maladjusted, knowing little else about life other than farm work – is nevertheless a refinement on the character Rodgers and Hammerstein originally did not give much thought to.

Zinnemann’s dramatic tendencies needed moderation, as they sometimes threated to overshadow the musical features. Although, to Zinnemann’s credit, as a dramatist first, he imbues Oklahoma! with a dramatic fervor that came to define all Rodgers and Hammerstein musical film versions after it – something that one never received from the somewhat assembly line-like musical from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) and Fox. Oklahoma! was Zinnemann’s first widescreen film, as well as the first time he shot in color. The emotional intensity of his earlier movies would be antithetical to the sweeping rural cinematography that he and cinematographer Robert Surtees (1959’s Ben-Hur, 1971’s The Last Picture Show) and Floyd Crosby (1931’s Tabu: A Story of the South Seas, 1960’s House of Usher) needed to capture. Zinnemann, Surtees, and Crosby offer sumptuous images of the Arizona countryside (Oklahoma’s oil wells proved too plentiful and distracting for the production) and the inviting blue sky that overhangs the cornfields sweeping across the land. With widescreen cameras rather new around 1955, the cameras wisely stay further back in interior scenes (shot at MGM’s studios in Culver City, California) with numerous people, directing our gaze centrally with brilliant blocking from the actors. The staging nevertheless feels like a stagebound musical during some interior scenes, like a lower-budget MGM musical with a trivial plot.

The widescreen cinematography, of course, was purposefully a showcase – see the shots of Gene Nelson spinning his rope directly towards the camera in “Kansas City” and the shot of an overly-excited auctioneer hammering their gavel and having the gavel nearly break the camera in another. Magna Theatre Corporation intended Oklahoma! to be a demonstration of their new Todd-AO 70mm process, in hopes of competing against Cinerama (which used three synchronized projectors at once on a curved screen). Because some theaters could not support the widescreen prints, two different versions of Oklahoma! exist: one in Todd-AO and another in CinemaScope (the latter a 20th Century Fox invention). This review is based on the Todd-AO print – which I recommend over the CinemaScope print – that currently is streaming on Disney+. Another note about the Todd-AO print: the first two films shot on Todd-AO 70mm – Oklahoma! and Around the World in Eighty Days (1956) – were shot in 30 frames per second (FPS) rather than the standard twenty-four. Thus, the Todd-AO print will appear slightly smoother in motion than most all other films, including modern ones.

Why 30 FPS for film screenings in 1955? Higher frames per second result in less noticeable light flickering and more dynamic colors (these effects for movies shot at higher FPS rates only apply to films shot on film stock, not digital). However, film projectors with a Todd-AO print would run hotter, requiring simultaneous cooling of the film while it ran through the projector. All subsequent films shot on Todd-AO reverted to the standard twenty-four frames per second.

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Diehard musical fans often consider Fred Zinnemann’s Oklahoma! the most faithful – narratively, musically – of all the Rodgers and Hammerstein film adaptations. Deleted from Oklahoma! are two songs: Ali Hakim’s chauvinistic “It’s a Scandal, It’s a Outrage! [sic]” and Jud’s brooding “Lonely Room”. The former has among the least musical interest in the entire musical, but “Lonely Room” might have been a helpful source of characterization of Steiger’s Jud (the limited vocal range required for the song would suit Steiger). Otherwise, some of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s most iconic songs are present, starting with “Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’”. Sung solo by MacRae on horseback (as opposed to being sung completely offstage in the original stage version), it serves the same purpose as the title song from The Sound of Music (1965) does. It establishes Curly’s character (mostly), and establishing the vast environs where the film takes place. The atmospheric opening shot of the camera moving through the corn and opening up into a grassy landscape might seem corny inane, but what a visual message it sends for one of the early widescreen American movies. Curly’s solo leads into “The Surrey with the Fringe on Top”, as he attempts to woo Laurey into accompanying him to the box social. A brief visual aside to allow viewers who do not know what a surrey looks like is a touch that a stage musical cannot provide, but this song – along with my choice of the best song in the musical, “People Will Say We’re in Love” (which gives MacRae and Jones a lovely duet with the production’s most romantic melodies) – exemplifies the rapport between MacRae and Jones and their two characters.

There remains charm aplenty across the musical score. Gene Nelson’s rendition of “Kansas City” is by no means essential to the plot of Oklahoma!, but it is a diverting number with some fancy footwork by not only Nelson (essentially the film’s comic relief and using a perfect, non-jarring voice for such a role), but Charlotte Greenwood and the scene’s extras as well. And then, arriving late, there is also the lively title song, delivered by MacRae with a similar energy as he employs for “Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’”. “Oklahoma” became the official state song for Oklahoma in 1953, replacing a lesser-known song, “Oklahoma – A Toast”. Credit must also go to the extras and chorus for spearheading the song for its second half, as well as Robert Russell Bennett for his gorgeous (and definitive) vocal arrangement.

As its theatrical release drew near, details of the distribution of Oklahoma! would depend on which print a theater received. If a movie theater screened the Todd-AO 70mm print, Magna handled the distribution; if they showed the anamorphic CinemaScope 35mm print, the responsibility fell to RKO. RKO – the studio that gave audiences King Kong (1933), Citizen Kane (1942), and distributed all Disney movies until Rob Roy: The Highland Rogue (1954) – had fallen into turmoil by the mid-1950s and, by decade’s end, would be the first of the Big Five Hollywood studios to cease operations. The studio’s tyrannical owner, the eccentric Howard Hughes, disemboweled the studio from the inside out, and is a story for another day. Due to Hughes’ mismanagement, RKO withdrew from distribution and, in their place, came 20th Century Fox. Todd-AO and Fox shared theatrical and home media rights until Fox’s purchase by Disney in 2019; Todd-AO and Disney retain the split-ownership arrangement over Oklahoma!.

Though Oklahoma! is not usually part of most cinephiles’ and musical nerds’ pantheons of great Hollywood musicals, its contributions to the subsequent Rodgers and Hammerstein film adaptations are unmistakable. The duo’s closeness to numerous parts of the film’s production, the stunning widescreen cinematography, and the casting of actors with proven musical ability are hallmarks to be replicated, even in lesser adaptation such as South Pacific (1958) and Flower Drum Song (1961). For Rodgers and Hammerstein, they were so pleased from working with Fox that they continued to provide the rights to their musicals for all of their works’ adaptations with the exception of Flower Drum Song (which went to Universal). Like their work on Broadway, their best music and best movie adaptations of their musicals was yet to arrive. Oklahoma! marks a solid, healthy start to that run of adaptations, a hallmark of mid-century American moviemaking.

My rating: 7.5/10

^ Based on my personal imdb rating. My interpretation of that ratings system can be found in the “Ratings system” page on my blog (as of July 1, 2020, tumblr is not permitting certain posts with links to appear on tag pages, so I cannot provide the URL).

For more of my reviews tagged “My Movie Odyssey”, check out the tag of the same name on my blog.

#Oklahoma!#Rodgers and Hammerstein #Fred Zinnemann #Gordon MacRae #Shirley Jones #Gene Nelson #Gloria Grahame #Charlotte Greenwood #Rod Steiger #James Whitmore #Richard Rodgers #Eddie Albert #Oscar Hammerstein II #Robert Surtees #Floyd Crosby #My Movie Odyssey

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brokehorrorfan · 3 years ago

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Labyrinth will be released on 4K Ultra HD (with Blu-ray and Digital) on August 17 via Sony Pictures. The limited edition Digibook includes 28 pages of artwork, photographs, and early script pages from the Henson archives.

Celebrating its 35th anniversary, the 1986 fantasy musical is directed by Jim Henson (The Dark Crystal, The Great Muppet Caper) and written by Terry Jones (Monty Python and the Holy Grail). David Bowie and Jennifer Connelly star. George Lucas (Star Wars) executive produces.

Labyrinth is presented in 4K (from the existing restoration) with Dolby Vision HDR. It features Dolby Atmos, 5.1, and the original theatrical 2-channel surround audio options.

Special features - including never-before-seen delete scenes - are listed below, where you can also get a look at the Digibook.

4K Ultra HD special features:

Over 25 minutes of never-before-seen deleted and alternate scenes with new commentary by actor/puppeteer Brian Henson (new)

Sarah’s Screen Tests - Original screen tests featuring Molly Ringwald, Trini Alvarado, Tracey Gold, Claudia Wells, Jill Schoelen, Maddie Corman and Danielle von Zerneck (new)

Blu-ray special features:

Audio commentary by conceptual designer Brian Froud

The Storytellers (picture-in-picture)

Labyrinth Anniversary Q&A

The Henson Legacy featurette

Remembering The Goblin King featurette

Inside The Labyrinth featurette

Kingdom of Characters featurette

The Quest for Goblin City featurette

Theatrical trailers

A 16-year-old girl (Jennifer Connelly) is given 13 hours to solve a dangerous and wonderful labyrinth and rescue her baby brother when her wish for him to be taken away is granted by the Goblin King (David Bowie).

Pre-order Labyrinth from Amazon.

#labyrinth #jim henson #jim henson's labyrinth #david bowie #jennifer connelly #terry jones #4k ultra hd #dvd #gift #frank oz #brian henson #80s movies #1980s movies #george lucas #the dark crystal

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shewhoworshipscarlin · 4 years ago

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Hattie McDaniel

Hattie McDaniel (June 10, 1893 – October 26, 1952) was an American actress, singer-songwriter, and comedian. She won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as "Mammy” in Gone with the Wind (1939), becoming the first African American to win an Oscar.

In addition to acting in many films, McDaniel recorded 16 blues sides between 1926–1929 (10 were issued) and was a radio performer and television star; she was the first black woman to sing on radio in the United States. She appeared in over 300 films, although she received screen credits for only 83.

Encountering racism and racial segregation throughout her career, McDaniel was unable to attend the premiere of Gone with the Wind in Atlanta because it was held at a whites-only theater, and at the Oscars ceremony in Los Angeles she sat at a segregated table at the side of the room; the Ambassador Hotel where the ceremony was held was for whites only, but allowed McDaniel in as a favor. When she died in 1952, her final wish--to be buried in Hollywood Cemetery--was denied because the graveyard was restricted to whites only.

McDaniel has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Hollywood: one at 6933 Hollywood Boulevard for her contributions to radio; and one at 1719 Vine Street for acting in motion pictures. She was inducted into the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame in 1975, and in 2006 she became the first black Oscar winner honored with a U.S. postage stamp. In 2010, she was inducted into the Colorado Women's Hall of Fame.

McDaniel, the youngest of 13 children, was born in Denver in 1893 to formerly-enslaved parents in Wichita, Kansas. Her mother, Susan Holbert (1850–1920), was a singer of gospel music, and her father, Henry McDaniel (1845–1922), fought in the Civil War with the 122nd United States Colored Troops. In 1900, the family moved to Colorado, living first in Fort Collins and then in Denver, where Hattie attended Denver East High School (1908-1910) and in 1908 entered a contest sponsored by the Women’s Christian Temperance Union, reciting "Convict Joe", later claiming she had won first place. Her brother, Sam McDaniel (1886–1962), played the butler in the 1948 Three Stooges' short film Heavenly Daze. Her sister Etta McDaniel was also an actress.

McDaniel was a songwriter as well as a performer. She honed her songwriting skills while working with her brother Otis McDaniel's carnival company, a minstrel show. McDaniel and her sister Etta Goff launched an all-female minstrel show in 1914 called the McDaniel Sisters Company. After the death of her brother Otis in 1916, the troupe began to lose money, and Hattie did not get her next big break until 1920. From 1920 to 1925, she appeared with Professor George Morrison's Melody Hounds, a black touring ensemble. In the mid-1920s, she embarked on a radio career, singing with the Melody Hounds on station KOA in Denver. From 1926 to 1929, she recorded many of her songs for Okeh Records and Paramount Records in Chicago. McDaniel recorded seven sessions: one in the summer of 1926 on the rare Kansas City label Meritt; four sessions in Chicago for Okeh from late 1926 to late 1927 (of the 10 sides recorded, only four were issued), and two sessions in Chicago for Paramount in March 1929.

After the stock market crashed in 1929, McDaniel could only find work as a washroom attendant at Sam Pick's Club Madrid near Milwaukee. Despite the owner's reluctance to let her perform, she was eventually allowed to take the stage and soon became a regular performer.

In 1931, McDaniel moved to Los Angeles to join her brother Sam, and sisters Etta and Orlena. When she could not get film work, she took jobs as a maid or cook. Sam was working on a KNX radio program, The Optimistic Do-Nut Hour, and was able to get his sister a spot. She performed on radio as "Hi-Hat Hattie", a bossy maid who often "forgets her place". Her show became popular, but her salary was so low that she had to keep working as a maid. She made her first film appearance in The Golden West (1932), in which she played a maid. Her second appearance came in the highly successful Mae West film I'm No Angel (1933), in which she played one of the black maids with whom West camped it up backstage. She received several other uncredited film roles in the early 1930s, often singing in choruses. In 1934, McDaniel joined the Screen Actors Guild. She began to attract attention and landed larger film roles, which began to win her screen credits. Fox Film Corporation put her under contract to appear in The Little Colonel (1935), with Shirley Temple, Bill "Bojangles" Robinson and Lionel Barrymore.

Judge Priest (1934), directed by John Ford and starring Will Rogers, was the first film in which she played a major role. She had a leading part in the film and demonstrated her singing talent, including a duet with Rogers. McDaniel and Rogers became friends during filming. In 1935, McDaniel had prominent roles, as a slovenly maid in Alice Adams (RKO Pictures); a comic part as Jean Harlow's maid and traveling companion in China Seas (MGM) (McDaniels's first film with Clark Gable); and as the maid Isabella in Murder by Television, with Béla Lugosi. She appeared in the 1938 film Vivacious Lady, starring James Stewart and Ginger Rogers. McDaniel had a featured role as Queenie in the 1936 film Show Boat (Universal Pictures), starring Allan Jones and Irene Dunne, in which she sang a verse of Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man with Dunne, Helen Morgan, Paul Robeson, and a black chorus. She and Robeson sang "I Still Suits Me", written for the film by Kern and Hammerstein. After Show Boat, she had major roles in MGM's Saratoga (1937), starring Jean Harlow and Clark Gable; The Shopworn Angel (1938), with Margaret Sullavan; and The Mad Miss Manton (1938), starring Barbara Stanwyck and Henry Fonda. She had a minor role in the Carole Lombard–Frederic March film Nothing Sacred (1937), in which she played the wife of a shoeshine man (Troy Brown) masquerading as a sultan.

McDaniel was a friend of many of Hollywood's most popular stars, including Joan Crawford, Tallulah Bankhead, Bette Davis, Shirley Temple, Henry Fonda, Ronald Reagan, Olivia de Havilland, and Clark Gable. She starred with de Havilland and Gable in Gone with the Wind (1939). Around this time, she was criticized by members of the black community for the roles she accepted and for pursuing roles aggressively rather than rocking the Hollywood boat. For example, in The Little Colonel (1935), she played one of the black servants longing to return to the Old South, but her portrayal of Malena in RKO Pictures's Alice Adams angered white Southern audiences, because she stole several scenes from the film's white star, Katharine Hepburn. McDaniel ultimately became best known for playing a sassy, opinionated maid.

The competition to win the part of Mammy in Gone with the Wind was almost as fierce as that for Scarlett O'Hara. First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt wrote to film producer David O. Selznick to ask that her own maid, Elizabeth McDuffie, be given the part. McDaniel did not think she would be chosen because she had earned her reputation as a comic actress. One source claimed that Clark Gable recommended that the role be given to McDaniel; in any case, she went to her audition dressed in an authentic maid's uniform and won the part.

Upon hearing of the planned film adaptation, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) fought hard to require the film's producer and director to delete racial epithets from the movie (in particular the offensive slur "nigger") and to alter scenes that might be incendiary and that, in their view, were historically inaccurate. Of particular concern was a scene from the novel in which black men attack Scarlett O'Hara, after which the Ku Klux Klan, with its long history of provoking terror on black communities, is presented as a savior. Throughout the South, black men were being lynched based upon false allegations they had harmed white women. That attack scene was altered, and some offensive language was modified, but another epithet, "darkie", remained in the film, and the film's message with respect to slavery remained essentially the same. Consistent with the book, the film's screenplay also referred to poor whites as "white trash", and it ascribed these words equally to characters black and white.

Loew's Grand Theater on Peachtree Street in Atlanta, Georgia was selected by the studio as the site for the Friday, December 15, 1939 premiere of Gone with the Wind. Studio head David O. Selznick asked that McDaniel be permitted to attend, but MGM advised him not to, because of Georgia's segregation laws. Clark Gable threatened to boycott the Atlanta premiere unless McDaniel were allowed to attend, but McDaniel convinced him to attend anyway.

Most of Atlanta's 300,000 citizens crowded the route of the seven-mile motorcade that carried the film's other stars and executives from the airport to the Georgian Terrace Hotel, where they stayed. While Jim Crow laws kept McDaniel from the Atlanta premiere, she did attend the film's Hollywood debut on December 28, 1939. Upon Selznick's insistence, her picture was also featured prominently in the program.

For her performance as the house slave who repeatedly scolds her owner's daughter, Scarlett O'Hara (Vivien Leigh), and scoffs at Rhett Butler (Clark Gable), McDaniel won the 1939 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, the first black actor to have been nominated and win an Oscar. "I loved Mammy," McDaniel said when speaking to the white press about the character. "I think I understood her because my own grandmother worked on a plantation not unlike Tara." Her role in Gone with the Wind had alarmed some whites in the South; there were complaints that in the film she had been too "familiar" with her white owners. At least one writer pointed out that McDaniel's character did not significantly depart from Mammy's persona in Margaret Mitchell's novel, and that in both the film and the book, the much younger Scarlett speaks to Mammy in ways that would be deemed inappropriate for a Southern teenager of that era to speak to a much older white person, and that neither the book nor the film hints of the existence of Mammy's own children (dead or alive), her own family (dead or alive), a real name, or her desires to have anything other than a life at Tara, serving on a slave plantation. Moreover, while Mammy scolds the younger Scarlett, she never crosses Mrs. O'Hara, the more senior white woman in the household. Some critics felt that McDaniel not only accepted the roles but also in her statements to the press acquiesced in Hollywood's stereotypes, providing fuel for critics of those who were fighting for black civil rights. Later, when McDaniel tried to take her "Mammy" character on a road show, black audiences did not prove receptive.

While many black people were happy over McDaniel's personal victory, they also viewed it as bittersweet. They believed Gone With the Wind celebrated the slave system and condemned the forces that destroyed it. For them, the unique accolade McDaniel had won suggested that only those who did not protest Hollywood's systemic use of racial stereotypes could find work and success there.

The Twelfth Academy Awards took place at the Coconut Grove Restaurant of the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. It was preceded by a banquet in the same room. Louella Parsons, an American gossip columnist, wrote about Oscar night, February 29, 1940:

Hattie McDaniel earned that gold Oscar by her fine performance of 'Mammy' in Gone with the Wind. If you had seen her face when she walked up to the platform and took the gold trophy, you would have had the choke in your voice that all of us had when Hattie, hair trimmed with gardenias, face alight, and dress up to the queen's taste, accepted the honor in one of the finest speeches ever given on the Academy floor.

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, fellow members of the motion picture industry and honored guests: This is one of the happiest moments of my life, and I want to thank each one of you who had a part in selecting me for one of their awards, for your kindness. It has made me feel very, very humble; and I shall always hold it as a beacon for anything that I may be able to do in the future. I sincerely hope I shall always be a credit to my race and to the motion picture industry. My heart is too full to tell you just how I feel, and may I say thank you and God bless you.

McDaniel received a plaque-style Oscar, approximately 5.5 inches by 6 inches, the type awarded to all Best Supporting Actors and Actresses at that time. She and her escort were required to sit at a segregated table for two at the far wall of the room; her white agent, William Meiklejohn, sat at the same table. The hotel had a strict no-blacks policy, but allowed McDaniel in as a favor. The discrimination continued after the award ceremony as well as her white co-stars went to a "no-blacks" club, where McDaniel was also denied entry. Another black woman did not win an Oscar again for 50 years, with Whoopi Goldberg winning Best Supporting Actress for her role in Ghost. Weeks prior to McDaniel winning her Oscar, there was even more controversy. David Selznick, the producer of Gone With the Wind, omitted the faces of all the black actors on the posters advertising the movie in the South. None of the black cast members were allowed to attend the premiere for the movie.

Gone with the Wind won eight Academy Awards. It was later named by the American Film Institute (AFI) as number four among the top 100 American films of all time in the 1998 ranking and number six in the 2007 ranking.

In the Warner Bros. film In This Our Life (1942), starring Bette Davis and directed by John Huston, McDaniel once again played a domestic, but one who confronts racial issues when her son, a law student, is wrongly accused of manslaughter. McDaniel was in the same studio's Thank Your Lucky Stars (1943), with Humphrey Bogart and Bette Davis. In its review of the film, Time wrote that McDaniel was comic relief in an otherwise "grim study," writing, "Hattie McDaniel, whose bubbling, blaring good humor more than redeems the roaring bad taste of a Harlem number called Ice Cold Katie". McDaniel continued to play maids during the war years for Warners in The Male Animal (1942) and United Artists' Since You Went Away (1944), but her feistiness was toned down to reflect the era's somber news. She also played the maid in Song of the South (1946) for Disney.

She made her last film appearances in Mickey (1948) and Family Honeymoon (1949), where that same year, she appeared on the live CBS television program The Ed Wynn Show. She remained active on radio and television in her final years, becoming the first black actor to star in her own radio show with the comedy series Beulah. She also starred in the television version of the show, replacing Ethel Waters after the first season. (Waters had apparently expressed concerns over stereotypes in the role.) Beulah was a hit, however, and earned McDaniel $2,000 per week; however, the show was controversial. In 1951, the United States Army ceased broadcasting Beulah in Asia because troops complained that the show perpetuated negative stereotypes of black men as shiftless and lazy and interfered with the ability of black troops to perform their mission. After filming a handful of episodes, however, McDaniel learned she had breast cancer. By the spring of 1952, she was too ill to work and was replaced by Louise Beavers.

As her fame grew, McDaniel faced growing criticism from some members of the black community. Groups such as the NAACP complained that Hollywood stereotypes not only restricted black actors to servant roles but often portrayed them as lazy, dim-witted, satisfied with lowly positions, or violent. In addition to addressing the studios, they called upon actors, and especially leading black actors, to pressure studios to offer more substantive roles and at least not pander to stereotypes. They also argued that these portrayals were unfair as well as inaccurate and that, coupled with segregation and other forms of discrimination, such stereotypes were making it difficult for all black people, not only actors, to overcome racism and succeed in the entertainment industry. Some attacked McDaniel for being an "Uncle Tom"—a person willing to advance personally by perpetuating racial stereotypes or being an agreeable agent of offensive racial restrictions. McDaniel characterized these challenges as class-based biases against domestics, a claim that white columnists seemed to accept. And she reportedly said, "Why should I complain about making $700 a week playing a maid? If I didn't, I'd be making $7 a week being one."

McDaniel may also have been criticized because, unlike many other black entertainers, she was not associated with civil rights protests and was largely absent from efforts to establish a commercial base for independent black films. She did not join the Negro Actors Guild of America until 1947, late in her career. McDaniel hired one of the few white agents who would represent black actors at the time, William Meiklejohn, to advance her career. Evidence suggests her avoidance of political controversy was deliberate. When columnist Hedda Hopper sent her Richard Nixon placards and asked McDaniel to distribute them, McDaniel declined, replying she had long ago decided to stay out of politics. "Beulah is everybody's friend," she said. Since she was earning a living honestly, she added, she should not be criticized for accepting such work as was offered. Her critics, especially Walter White of the NAACP, claimed that she and other actors who agreed to portray stereotypes were not a neutral force but rather willing agents of black oppression.

McDaniel and other black actresses and actors feared that their roles would evaporate if the NAACP and other Hollywood critics complained too loudly. She blamed these critics for hindering her career and sought the help of allies of doubtful reputation. After speaking with McDaniel, Hedda Hopper even claimed that McDaniel's career troubles were not the result of racism but had been caused by McDaniel's "own people".

In August 1950, McDaniel suffered a heart ailment and entered Temple Hospital in semi-critical condition. She was released in October to recuperate at home, and she was cited by United Press on January 3, 1951, as showing "slight improvement in her recovery from a mild stroke."

McDaniel died of breast cancer at age 59 on October 26, 1952, in the hospital on the grounds of the Motion Picture House in Woodland Hills, California. She was survived by her brother Sam McDaniel. Thousands of mourners turned out to celebrate her life and achievements. In her will, McDaniel wrote,

"I desire a white casket and a white shroud; white gardenias in my hair and in my hands, together with a white gardenia blanket and a pillow of red roses. I also wish to be buried in the Hollywood Cemetery".

Hollywood Cemetery, on Santa Monica Boulevard in Hollywood, is the resting place of movie stars such as Douglas Fairbanks and Rudolph Valentino. Its owner at the time, Jules Roth, refused to allow her to be buried there, because, at the time of McDaniel's death, the cemetery practiced racial segregation and would not accept the remains of black people for burial. Her second choice was Rosedale Cemetery (now known as Angelus-Rosedale Cemetery), where she lies today.

In 1999, Tyler Cassidy, the new owner of the Hollywood Cemetery (renamed the Hollywood Forever Cemetery), offered to have McDaniel re-interred there. Her family did not wish to disturb her remains and declined the offer. Instead, Hollywood Forever Cemetery built a large cenotaph on the lawn overlooking its lake. It is one of Hollywood's most popular tourist attractions.

McDaniel's last will and testament of December 1951 bequeathed her Oscar to Howard University, where she had been honored by the students with a luncheon after she had won her Oscar. At the time of her death, McDaniel would have had few options. Very few white institutions in that day preserved black history. Historically, black colleges had been where such artifacts were placed. Despite evidence McDaniel had earned an excellent income as an actress, her final estate was less than $10,000. The IRS claimed the estate owed more than $11,000 in taxes. In the end, the probate court ordered all of her property, including her Oscar, sold to pay off creditors. Years later, the Oscar turned up where McDaniel wanted it to be: Howard University, where, according to reports, it was displayed in a glass case in the university's drama department.

The whereabouts of McDaniel's Oscar are currently unknown. In 1992, Jet magazine reported that Howard University could not find it and alleged that it had disappeared during protests in the 1960s. In 1998, Howard University stated that it could find no written record of the Oscar having arrived at Howard. In 2007, an article in The Huffington Post repeated rumors that the Oscar had been cast into the Potomac River by angry civil rights protesters in the 1960s. The assertion reappeared in The Huffington Post under the same byline in 2009.

In 2010, Mo'Nique, the winner of the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in Precious, wearing a blue dress and gardenias in her hair, as McDaniel had at the ceremony in 1940, in her acceptance speech thanked McDaniel "for enduring all that she had to so that I would not have to". Her speech revived interest in the whereabouts of McDaniel's Oscar.

In November 2011, W. B. Carter, of the George Washington University Law School, published the results of her year-and-a-half-long investigation into the Oscar's fate. Carter rejected claims that students had stolen the Oscar (and thrown it in the Potomac River) as wild speculation or fabrication that traded on long-perpetuated stereotypes of blacks. She questioned the sourcing of The Huffington Post stories. Instead, she argued that the Oscar had likely been returned to Howard University's Channing Pollack Theater Collection between the spring of 1971 and the summer of 1973 or had possibly been boxed and stored in the drama department at that time. The reason for its removal, she argued, was not civil rights unrest but rather efforts to make room for a new generation of black performers. If neither the Oscar nor any paper trail of its ultimate destiny can be found at Howard today, she suggested, inadequate storage or record-keeping in a time of financial constraints and national turbulence may be blamed. She also suggested that a new generation of caretakers may have failed to realize the historic significance of the award.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hattie_McDaniel

#hattie mcdaniel #actress #black history month #oscar

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princess-of-the-worlds · 4 years ago

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Torchwood and the (Mis)treatment of its Characters of Color

Let’s be honest; despite its decent track record with queer characters, Torchwood has a problem with how it treats its characters of colors, and I say this as a South Asian, bisexual fan of the show.

For the purposes of this post, I will only be looking at the Torchwood television series (so spoilers for Seasons 1 and 2, Children of Earth, and Miracle Day), and not as Big Finish Torchwood releases since I do not believe myself to be well-versed enough in them to be able to make an accurate post. And also, as much as I love Big Finish for eveything they’re doing, on-screen POC representation is very different from audio POC representation. (And for the purposes of this post, I will not be addressing the mistreatment of Martha Jones, which really, if you think about it, stems from Doctor Who and not Torchwood.)

TLDR; Torchwood has neglected or mistreated its characters of color, given them little or no background, and brutally killed them off, often for shock value.

Let’s start with Suzie Costello.

Suzie Costello, played by Indira Varma who is a British actress of Indian descent, was promoted alongside the regular cast members in publicity material before “Everything Changes” aired, giving the impression that she would be sticking around for a while or would be a main character. Instead, she was unceremoniously killed off at the end of the first episode and only pops up once more in “They Keep Killing Suzie.” At no point was Suzie acknowledged as a woman of color or given much more background beyond her tumultuous, most likely abusive, relationship with her father.

Next, we get to Toshiko Sato, left as the only person of color on the team after Suzie’s death.

Wonderful, gorgeous, caring Tosh who, for all intents and purposes, is essentially a walking stereotype. She’s an Asian (Japanese specifically) technology genius who is unlucky at love. Need I say more? (Check out this Teen Vogue article if you’re wondering why that’s a bad thing, or, honestly, just quickly search Google.) And all three of the Tosh-heavy episodes (”Greeks Bearing Gifts,” “To the Last Man,” and “Adam”) feature her being unlucky in love (Mary betraying her, Tommy dying, and Adam manipulating her). Plus, there’s everything with Owen where she pines after him for years only for him to finally recognize that before he dies, and then he, well, dies; that plot arc only ends in death and sadness.

Additionally, we only have limited background for Tosh in comparison to Jack and Gwen (who I guess you could kind of say are the main characters) but even in comparison to Ianto (for whom more background was revealed only because he became a more prominent character in COE.) We know she was born in London, moved to Japan as a child, and at some point moved back before growing up in the United Kingdom. She had a younger brother (mentioned in a deleted scene in “Captain Jack Harkness”) and a grandfather who worked at Bletchley Park (mentioned in “Greeks Bearing Gifts” and “Captain Jack Harkness.”) She also very much loved her family, or at least her mother, enough to commit treason for her, despite her mother only being seen in “End of Days” and “Fragments.” But that’s about it.

There was so much more Torchwood could have done with Tosh. We could have seen more about her family or her education. We certainly could have seen more about her bisexuality; everything that happened with Mary was not a satisfying resolution. Instead, she was killed off alongside Owen in “Exit Wounds.” Torchwood used the death of a woman of color for shock value, and no matter how effective or emotional that was, it was not excusable. There was so much story left to be told with Toshiko Sato.

Tosh’s death brought the racial diversity in Torchwood down to zilch.

Next, we have Lisa Hallett.

Now, Lisa Hallett...what do we actually know about her? She worked at Torchwood One, dated Ianto Jones, and loved him enough to maybe fight cyberprogramming for him - this part might be subjective to your own interpretation of “Cyberwoman.” We don’t know anything about her, really, apart from how she is defined and described for a white male main character, which...is problematic enough. I mean, would it have been too much to ask the writers for maybe some further description? I mean, I don’t know. Maybe where exactly she worked in Torchwood London? How she joined? How she met Ianto? If she had any family, any other friends? Why she loved Torchwood and worked there? Heck, a flashback scene featuring a non-cyberized Lisa and Ianto would have been brilliant. Is that too much to have asked of the Torchwood writers? I don’t know.

Then there’s the entire fact that Lisa was turned into a Cyberwoman. Now, I have many problems with how Doctor Who and Torchwood uses its Cybermen, especially regarding its continuous brutalization of black and brown bodies for emotional and shock value (Lisa, Danny Pink, and Bill Potts are only some examples.) It sends a very, very nasty message to these shows’ viewers of color, especially if they’re younger and more impressionable. Plus, the depiction of Lisa in “Cyberwoman” was uncomfortable and unnecessarily sexualized, but this is a whole different essay. But in the end, Lisa Hallett was pumped with bullets many, many times, and her death only added to the emotional pain of a white man.

Now, we come to more minor characters.

Beth Halloran was a human who did not know her true identity as an alien sleeper agent. She had a very interesting and action-packed story arc in “Sleeper” before ending up dead at the hands of Torchwood. She had an emotional struggle between her human identity and her truth as an alien sleeper and chose to help save the world, intentionally ending up dead at the hands of Torchwood. That being said, she was still another character of color who Torchwood had bothered fleshing out who ended up dead.

Next, there’s Dr. Rupesh Patanjali.

Introduced in COE, he’s a medical doctor who catches Jack and Ianto working on a case and ends up piquing their interest after he makes some shit up. Spoiler alert: he’s an MI-5 plant. We see Gwen attempt to conduct orientation and recruitment with him. He has a fun setup to be a potential new Torchwood member and inside spy, but instead, he lures Jack to the hospital where Jack’s implanted with a bomb. And despite doing his job as requested and doing it rather well, Rupesh Patanjali is shot dead by Agent Johnson that very episode, just like Beth.

Then we have Lois Habiba, arguably the most interesting and fun character introduced in COE.

She’s a naive newcomer, almost like Gwen, but during her first week working in the Home Office, she finds herself committing treason, conspiring against her boss Frobisher, and helping save the world from an alien invasion. She’s smart, resourceful, and principled, very much like Ianto. Like with a lot of the characters on this list, we know next-to-nothing about her background, which is odd considering her rather major role in COE. And despite being seemingly set up to become a member of Torchwood, we never see her again.

Finally, we come to Miracle Day and its two new characters of color, Rex Matheson and Dr. Vera Juarez. I won’t be getting into too much detail here, especially since MD has its own problems.

Ah, Rex.

Torchwood finally has a man of color for a main character who seems like he could be an interesting foil to Jack (a high-ranking CIA agent with a high bullshit meter), and what do they do...they kill him in his first scene. Oh, and they make him “lightly” homophobic, because that’s always fun. And then he ends up immortal in some kind of bullshit plot hole...I have enough to say there.

Vera, however, was quite interesting. Again, little to no background besides the basic (from San Antonio, had an ex-husband, is a surgeon), but she was still a Latina medical doctor. She had morals and was very stubborn and determined to save people, which is why she insisted into helping Torchwood sneak into the overflow camp. And what did she get for that? She ended up brutually shot in front of her lover Rex, which traumatized them both, and then literally burnt alive. Thrown on top of that? In a quite meta move really, the death of another woman of color was used to incite outrage around the country, and the world, and expose the wrongdoings of the United States government regarding the Miracle. Good stuff? Either way, it came at the cost of the death of one strong woman of color and the further trauma of another man of color.

Plus, there’s everything about how unnecessarily violent and graphic some of the deaths of these characters of color. To put it into perspective, think about how Owen or Ianto or Esther died. (I’m not trying to reduce the values of their deaths; I’m just trying to get you to think about it.)

So yeah, that’s all I have to say about that. Torchwood, you could have done better with your characters of color. (And thank you if you stuck all this way with me.)

TLDR; Torchwood has neglected or mistreated its characters of color, given them little or no background, and brutally killed them off, often for shock value.

#torchwood #characters of color #torchwood meta #suzie costello #toshiko sato #lisa hallett #beth halloran #rupesh patanjali #rex matheson #vera juarez #children of earth #miracle day #nik wrote a literal essay

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