#see this photo brings up questions about how jenkins has aged

[ghostlyarchaeologist]

The Librarians S02E03 And What Lies Beneath the Stones.

[lilacmoon83]

Finding You Always

Also on Fanfiction.net and A03

Chapter 206: The Brightest Star in the Sky

The young man sighed, as he trekked after his determined cousin. They were about the same age, but decidedly had very different interests. As always though, he tagged along to make sure she didn't get into too much trouble at these conventions.

His cousin Nora loved anything considered weird, paranormal, or of a conspiracy nature. So seven years ago, when that crazy storm had happened in Seattle, his cousin had been enthralled from that moment and ever since she had been exploring every single aspect of that day.

She did have a point. Even he, like most, suspected that the official story the Feds fed the public about that day was garbage. But he, like most, didn't really know what to do about it so they moved on with their lives. But not Nora and she had gotten into some trouble early on in her days of spelunking in the woods of Maine and into fights at the conventions. So here he was again, tagging along to another conspiracy convention in Misty Falls, Maine and bored out of his mind.

"If you don't want to be here, JJ...then you can leave. I'll be fine," Nora told him. He rolled his eyes.

"It's just...some of these guys are in this for the cash grab now. I mean...what new or real information have they come up with in the last seven years?" JJ questioned. She sighed.

"You don't get it...there are no definitive answers, because the government is hiding the whole thing. But you've heard the stories. Weird things happen in these woods," Nora said.

"Maybe that's because this convention brings the weirdos out of the woodwork," he quipped.

"So...are you still on the fairy tale kick or do you think it's aliens?" he asked.

"If you're going to make fun of me, you can take a hike," she answered. He sighed.

"I'm sorry...but you have to admit, most of the theories are pretty insane," he mentioned.

"You saw the videos...how do you explain all that?" she asked.

"I don't know...but fairy tales? Really?" he questioned.

"Whatever...you just wait until I prove you wrong," she insisted, as they arrived at the convention tables, where they were conducting a live podcast.

"And if you're just joining us, I have made contact with a source that has a possible lead on the man known as David Nolan. Now, if you remember, David Nolan is the detective from Seattle that curiously had his wife and son stolen from him by a man, who was known on the dark web as the Collector. His wife had amnesia and was diagnosed by a shady doctor with dissociative identity disorder. The woman had an alter and yes, you're remembering correctly. Her alter was none other than Snow White," the podcaster said.

"This couple was splashed all over the tabloids for weeks and their romance became an obsession; an obsession that the Internet still hasn't let go of. Especially when this same couple showed up on that fateful day in Seattle and things happened around them that can only be described as magic, no matter what the official government story tries to tell us," he continued.

"But then they disappeared, without a trace, like they never existed. But if the rumors on the dark web are anything to go by...then they are somewhere hidden in these very back woods of Maine, possibly in a hidden realm or maybe even beneath the surface of the earth if you believe the hallow earth theorists," he added.

"But no matter how much they try to dissuade us from seeking the truth, we will not stop until we expose what really happened that day and just who these mysterious people really are. Join us again tomorrow, as we make our annual hike into the woods of Maine in search for answers," he said, concluding his podcast. JJ rolled his eyes, as Nora got in line to get an autograph from the man who had made a living with podcasts and books on this subject.

"I'm gonna go check us in at the Inn and if it's booked again like last year, we're leaving, cause I'm not sleeping in a tent again," he complained, as he started off that way when screams from the diner nearby attracted all the attention. And if he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he would have never believed it.

The diner exploded in flames, with any of the poor people inside, obviously perishing instantly. He stood, fear stricken, as two flaming figures strode toward them.

"You…" one said, as the flames faded mostly.

"You will drive us to a place called Boston," Arthur demanded.

"Uh...here, take the car," JJ said, but Gawain growled and grabbed Nora by the arm.

"The King has requested that you drive us and you will do so unless you'd like me to melt the skin off her body," Gawain threatened. JJ nodded, as he led them back to his car. Suddenly, all the conspiracy had just gotten very real…

~*~

David stood behind his boss with a few other agents, as she made a statement to the press and delivered the profile, stating that they believed their perpetrator to be a highly educated professor with access to multiple Universities campuses.

"Major Donovan...are you really accusing someone in the educational community of perpetuating these crimes?" one reporter questioned.

"As uncomfortable as it is...I'm afraid so. The chemical compound alone suggests that this person is at least a scientist and someone highly intelligent. But the location of the crimes is very suspicious as well. Only an educator would have the kind of access that to the multiple institutions that these crimes occurred," Patricia answered.

"They're cannot be that many that fit your profile. Does that mean you've narrowed the suspect pool?" another asked.

"Yes...we are getting close and we are doing everything in our power to make sure the last victim is this person's final victim," the Major answered, as she stepped away, effectively ending the impromptu press conference. But one person, without a press pass, slipped through and ran up behind them.

"Agent Nolan is it?" he asked. David sighed and turned to him. He hated reporters.

"Make it quick...I really do want to catch this guy," he said impatiently.

"No one else has seemed to put it together, but rumors in the alternative community have suggested that you are the same person as the Detective Nolan from strange events that occurred seven years ago in Seattle," the man interjected.

"I'm sorry...what media outlet are you with?" Patricia asked.

"I'm an independent researcher for the people, Major," he answered.

"Ah...so one of those nuts on the Internet. Got it...if you'll excuse us, we have work to do," she said, dismissing him.

"I've done some digging. Your wife, Margaret Nolan, she's a teacher, right?" he called and David stopped in his tracks.

"Look...I don't know who you are, but I've never lived in Seattle and I'll let you go right now if you go without another word. But you mention my wife again or even think about going near her...then we'll arrest you for harassment," David warned. The man smirked.

"Fine...but pictures don't lie, detective. Oh, I'm sorry...it's agent now," he said, as he tossed the newspaper to him and walked away. David sighed and followed his boss back into their workplace. He was about to look at the paper out of curiosity, but tossed it on his desk when Agent Harding called them into the conference room.

"Hey...I think I might have narrowed it down now," she said, as they both went into the conference room.

"Really?" David asked.

"Well...we caught a break. Our perp has been careful up until now, but after the last student death at Boston University, they put even more cameras," Danielle replied.

"Wait...are you saying you got something on camera?" David asked.

"Well, nothing incriminating, but I went through and cross referenced everyone that was signed into the lab at Boston University on both nights of each murder that occurred there," she replied.

"Nice work...how many are we down to?" Patricia asked.

"Eight...so still not great, but way better than the thirty-two suspects we had it down to this morning," she replied.

"Okay...well eight is workable. Let's see them one by one," Patricia said, as she nodded to Trevor and he put the slide show up on the screen. And David's heart nearly stopped, as he recognized the photo of the sixth man on the screen. As the slide flipped to the seventh one, he called out.

"Hold it...go back!" he said, as he stared a the image of Dr. Ian Jenkins.

"David? Do you know him?" Patricia asked, as his mind was racing a mile a minute and he remembered what, at the time, had been a fairly innocuous conversation with his wife.

~*~

They had taken the kids out for pizza after the game so Bobby could eat with his teammates. They were so glad he finally seemed to be fitting in. Middle school had been an awkward time for him and he had always said he felt different than other kids and had trouble relating to them, but he was never really sure why. Snow and David were fond of telling him that it was because he was special, but they weren't sure that helped much. At his age, being special was definitely not easy. It wasn't easy to be normal at his age, so being extraordinary or special came with its own struggles. But his teammates really seemed to take to him. They both just hoped there was more to it than the fact that Bobby was winning games for them.

After pizza, they had stopped for ice cream and she was currently sharing a pint with her husband on the couch. In his lap no less, but that was nothing out of the ordinary for them.

"You're a little quiet...lost in the chocolate goodness?" he teased, as she looked him.

"No...it's kind of silly I think," she replied.

"Your feelings are never silly to me," he reminded, as she put her spoon in the ice cream and set it aside on the table.

"Well...my new boss, Dr. Jenkins...he's nice and all and I kind of feel bad for him. He's socially awkward...but I kind of got a weird vibe from him today," she said.

"Did he come onto you?" he asked.

"No...why would you think that?" she asked. He rolled his eyes.

"Because you're beautiful and I saw the way he was looking at you. I may have acted like I was absorbed in the game, but trust me, I always notice everything when it comes to you, especially when other men look at you," he replied. She caressed his face.

"You're the only man I want," she reminded him.

"I know...that's why I don't gouge their eyes out when I see one looking at you. That's serious self control...you should be proud," he joked, as she nudged him playfully.

"But seriously...was he making you uncomfortable?" he asked.

"No...not really. He just was weirdly insistent that I should enroll in his night classes and get my doctorate," she replied.

"Do you want to get your doctorate?" he asked.

"No...I'm happy where I am. Besides, spending my evenings away from you and the kids would only make me miserable," she replied.

"Then he should accept that and if he gets out of hand, I want you to let me know right away," he stressed. She shrugged.

"I don't think it's like that. I think he's just lonely and is trying to be a friend," she said.

"Maybe...but remember, I'm a cop. I see this kind of thing go bad way too often and it scares the hell out of me that you could be on the receiving end of someone that doesn't like to hear the word no," he lamented. But she stroked his face.

"I'll be fine. Like I said, he's just awkward and hasn't crossed any lines. I'll be friendly, but keep a professional distance," she promised, as she kissed him.

"Good...because I don't think I have to tell you what it would do to me if something happened to you," he said, as she caressed his face again.

"I know...it's the same for me when it comes to you. I love you," she said.

"I love you too," he replied, as their lips met again.

~*~

"David?" Patricia questioned, as she noticed his fear stricken face.

"I know him…" he uttered.

"How?" Danielle asked.

"He works at the same school Margaret and Bobby are at. He's the head of the science department," David answered, as Trevor pulled up his information.

"Dr. Ian Jenkins, five PHD's and moved to the United States from Great Britain a few years ago," Danielle said, as dread knotted in David's stomach and he ran out of the room and to the stairwell.

"Pull up everything you can get on him, from his time here and his home country. I have a feeling this is our guy," she said, as she followed him.

~*~

Mount Olympus practically shook apart to rubble, as Seth unleashed his rage at what was going on in the United Realms at the moment. There was a heavy ice storm plaguing several Kingdoms and a lightning storm over Storybrooke. If that wasn't enough, there were also several cyclones raging in the waterways, creating violent hurricane-like winds. He had told Mephisto not to bother returning unless it was with the Charmings in chains.

"I'm going to torture you all...and burn everything and everyone you love!" Seth raged, as his eyes bled yellow with evil and he glared down at the United Realms. In his mighty rage, he blasted Snow and David's castle in Misthaven and then Winter and Charming's near the toll bridge, torching them both. He knew they were likely empty by now, as these storms were clearly a distraction. He glared at the reserve and then the mysterious area near Bald Mountain. Even in all his immense power, he was unable to get through the shields protecting these areas and it made him livid in a way he had never been.

"I must find a way through…" he growled, as he disappeared and reappeared in Nephilim. He needed to consult Madam Mim's oldest spell books. There had to be something in one of them to combat the power of these truest loves. He had little faith in Mephisto's new charges and thus, he knew it was very likely that Winter and Charming's good halves would soon return. Which meant he needed a way to obliterate them and their entire bloodline…

~*~

Thanks to their abundance of beans, multiple portals opened with people pouring through them. Due to the nature of the barrier, created by the combined light and dark powers of Winter, Charming, and Rumpelstiltskin, it made the barrier around the Bald Mountain area nearly impenetrable, even by the mighty Seth. Another perk of the magic woven into the barrier was that anyone that walked into the refuge of the mountain through a portal had their real memories returned. Emotions were running high, especially, as many people were reunited with loved ones thought to be dead, including Abigail with her father.

"That should be mostly everyone that we could get," Leo said, as he arrived with Frankie and Joe, having retrieved them and most of the people of Storybrooke.

"Yes and it shouldn't be too crowded, thanks to the magical extensions," Regina agreed, as they arrived back from the Maritime Kingdom.

"Where is Eva...this is taking too long…" Charming said, as he paced a hole in the floor. Thankfully, a portal opened, as she and Paul arrived back from the Land Without Color and its people.

"I'm here Daddy…" she called, as he hugged her tightly and cradled her head.

"I'm okay, Daddy," she assured and then pulled back.

"I hope everyone is mostly here though. He destroyed your castle in Misthaven and the one by the Toll Bridge," she reported.

"We're safe...that's what matters most, sweetie," Winter said. He nodded.

"She's right, angel...we can rebuild when all this is over," Charming assured.

"So what now? As usual, you've built a resistance and led us all here. But Seth is worse than I ever was...so you two better have a plan," the Evil Queen asked said, as she stood beside her other half.

"Emma will bring our other halves back, along with Summer and Bobby. Until then...we ready ourselves for the battle to come," Winter declared.

"She's right...because this one is going to make the Final Battle look like a casual afternoon sparring match," Charming said.

"We've lost Fandral too...that was not a blow we needed," Elsa mentioned.

"We must hope that his friends got our message and were able to rescue them," Hermes implored and they could only hope she was right.

"Let's hope the barrier holds long enough, because Seth will do everything he can to get through that barrier," Winter whispered to her husband and he pulled her into his arms.

"It will...and Emma will be back soon," he promised.

~*~

"...and that was how we ended up in the All World River," Fandral said, as he got choked up again.

"And I almost lost the best thing that ever happened to me," he said, as he clutched her hand and Rose rested her head on his shoulder. She was cuddled against him in a large chair, as they had opted to share and no one bothered to tell them they could have their own. At the moment, he could bare to let her out of his sight or even let go of her. He was too afraid that she would disappear.

"By Odin's beard...there is really a serum that can separate a person from their good half and their bad half?" Lady Sif asked. They nodded.

"There is...it was originally created by Dr. Jekyll to separate himself from Hyde," Fandral asked.

"They are the ones in the story when you were cursed to be bear? This Jekyll is the one that tried to keep you apart, yes?" Thor asked. Rose nodded.

"He did...he separated from Hyde, but it turned out that he was the real monster all along and Hyde, though he has done some terrible things, he retained a goodness in him. He helped reunite us...despite his feelings for me," she explained.

"And your friends? Their dark halves...they don't seem all that dark," Valkyrie observed.

"They're not...they have done dark things in the name of revenge, but ultimately, like Snow and David, they still love each other and their family. They're just a little more willing to go to dark places to protect them, whereas Snow and David do so from a place of light," Fandral tried to explain.

"And your friends good halves are cursed again?" Sif asked, trying to understand.

"Yes...to protect their youngest. Seth fears his powers, which I have feeling he hasn't even begun to come into. But their eldest has gone after them in hopes of waking them up and bringing them home. The final battle with Seth draws near," Fandral answered.

"And I thought our lives were insane," Valkyrie quipped. Fandral sighed.

"We must get back to the children…" Fandral said.

"They are safe...I know our friends would make sure of that," Rose assured him. He nodded.

"If you are sure of that, perhaps it is wise to remain here until the right time to make your entrance," Thor suggested.

"That is a good idea. We just have no idea how to know when the right time will be," Fandral said. Thor exchanged a glance with Valkyrie and she rolled her eyes.

"If anyone has any kind of tech that can see across realms, it's probably one of them. It's one hell of a long shot though," she mentioned.

"We should try...I'll make the call," he said, as he stood up.

"So...he doesn't look so good. I feel badly for asking for his help," Fandral said, but Sif shook her head.

"No...this is exactly what he needs. It's been two years here too since the snap and he's been drowning himself in his own sorrows," Sif replied.

"She's right...you seem to be someone that's able to do what none of us can and that's pull him out of his misery. He feels he has no purpose now so do not feel bad about giving him one," Valkyrie admonished. Fandral nodded and Rose kissed his cheek.

"So...who is he calling?" Fandral asked curiously.

"Someone with a really big brain," Valkyrie answered.

~*~

Margaret arrived back in her classroom and started gathering her things to go home for the day. As she put things away in her bag, she felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up and jumped when she saw Dr. Jenkins standing in the doorway.

"Oh...Dr. Jenkins, you startled me," she said, with a quiver in her voice. The way he was looking at her made her very uncomfortable and warning bells started going off in her head.

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry...I don't mean to. I just wanted to thank you again for all your help. Today was quite successful, thanks to you. We made quite a team," he mentioned. She swallowed thickly and grabbed her bag in order to make a quick escape. Unfortunately, the contents of the bag went spilling to the floor instead.

"Oh dear...let me help you," he said, as he started picking her things up.

"That's okay…" she said, as she quickly stuffed things into her bag and stood up.

"I...I need to go. Bobby's waiting for me," she said, as she walked past him and fear seized her when he grabbed her arm.

"Margaret please...I think it is important that we talk," he said.

"Doctor…" she started to say.

"Margaret...please hear me out," he pleaded. He wasn't giving her much choice though, as he did not let go of her arm.

"I've never met anyone like you. Brilliant and beautiful, with a kind soul. I don't connect with many people, but I felt an instant connection with you. Can you not see that we belong together?" he asked.

"Doctor...I'm married. Happily married and very much in love with my husband. Please...let go," she pleaded, as she was now on the verge of tears. But that only made him squeeze her arm harder.

"I'm afraid I cannot do that...and you'll soon see that you belong with me," Jenkins he said in a matter of fact tone. She tore away from him, but he grabbed her and pulled her back.

"Help me!" she cried out, as he put a hand over her mouth. She bit his hand and he cried out. He backhanded her across the face and she went spilling to the floor.

"This is not how I wanted to do this, Margaret...but you leave me no choice," he said, as he pinned her on her back. She cried and screamed, but the school was mostly empty by now and those that were still around were in the gym.

"Shh...stop your struggle," he chided, as he put the scarf she was wearing around her neck between her teeth, as tears streamed down her face. She couldn't believe his strength. He didn't look all that strong, but his grip was like a vice and her struggling didn't faze him at all. She winced away in disgust, as he caressed her face.

"The moment I met you...I knew I had to have you," he leered and she tried kneeing him, but he held her knees down.

"You are so fiery...it's exhilarating, but this will help calm you," he said, as he pulled a syringe out of his jacket pocket.

"A simple muscle relaxer. You'll remain awake...but unable to fight me," he said. Her eyes widened and she continued to struggle. Just as she thought the worst was about to happen, she saw the doctor be literally peeled off her and thrown...across the room. Her son stood there, looking at his arm in surprise, wondering how he had even done such a thing, but decided that was a question for later, as he helped his mother up and into a chair.

"Mom…" he said, as he helped her pull the scarf away from her mouth and her arms flew around him.

"It's okay Mom…" he soothed, as he looked back at the doctor and put his hand up.

"You stay away...you stay the hell away from my mom!" Bobby hissed, as Jenkins started toward them.

"You won't stand in my way once I make a guinea pig out of you for my new drug. You're strong...maybe you'll be the first one to survive it. Either way, you won't be able to stop me from taking what I want," he said.

"Drug?" Margaret asked, as she saw the syringe with a red liquid in it.

"You're...you're the one my husband is looking for. You...you killed all those students and homeless people," she realized. He smirked at her with admiration.

"As usual...you are stunningly brilliant, Margaret. Such is wasted on your muscle brained husband. He's supposed to be an FBI agent and you figured it out before he did," he said smugly.

"Don't be so sure...I know my dad and he's probably already onto you," Bobby warned, as he guarded his mother.

"You don't want to tangle with me, brat. I don't mean to harm your lovely mother...I just need to show her why she belongs with me," he said.

"You're really are psycho if you think I'll let you touch her or that she belongs with you, because trust me, she belongs with my dad," Bobby growled.

"We shall see…" Jenkins said, as he kept walking toward them, causing Bobby to charge the man and they went tumbling to the floor.

"BOBBY!" Margaret cried, as she looked for something to use as a weapon.

Jenkins managed to get his hands around the boy's throat and started choking him, until he felt the incredible pain of being beamed with a chair across his back and rolled off, howling in pain. Margaret quickly helped her son up and looked him over.

"How dare you try to hurt my son!" she growled, all traces of her usual kindness gone.

"You are making this very difficult on yourself, Margaret. I do not want to hurt your boy...but I will if you do not come with me right now," Jenkins said.

"Go to hell," Bobby growled.

"I'm already there, young one...I'm already there without her to complete me," he claimed.

"You are sick…" Margaret spat, as he got up and she had no idea how. She had hit him with a metal chair, after all. He started toward them and Bobby punched him, before taking his mother's hand and leading her to the door. They were startled when they opened it and found a blonde woman there with a few other people. The woman smiled at them, like she was relieved, and put her hands up.

"It's okay...I'm a cop," she assured and they sighed in relief. But Margaret cried out, as Jekyll grabbed her and put his arm around her neck in a headlock, before dragging her back.

"Don't move...or I strangle her," he warned, as she gasped for air.

"Stop it!" Bobby cried.

"If I cannot have you, sweet Margaret...then no one will…" he hissed in her ear, before sniffing her hair.

"Let us leave...and she'll keep breathing," he said.

"You have four guns aimed at you four-eyed psycho so you're not going anywhere with her," Emma growled. But he smirked and pulled her tightly against him.

"But none of you will risk firing on me as long as I have her...she too precious…" he hissed, as he looked at her with a lustful stare. Suddenly, one of the windows in the classroom shattered in surprise and Jenkind looked that way, only in time to see a fist connect with his face, busting his glasses. He stumbled to the floor and Margaret sighed in relief, as her husband caught her before she went crashing to the floor with him.

"Oh David…" she cried, as her arms flew around his neck.

"It's okay now, my darling…" he promised, as he held her tightly. Emma smiled at them. Thankfully, some things never changed and that one thing was the love between her parents. It still shined as passionately and brightly like the brightest star in the sky.

"Hands up where we can see them," Nick warned, as he leveled his gun at the doctor. Jenkins smirked and jabbed the needle into Bobby's leg.

"Oww…" he cried out, as time seemed to stop.

"What...what did you just do?" David cried. The evil doctor looked at him with a smug smile.

"You know what I have done, agent Nolan...the same that I have done to all my other test subjects. I doubt the boy has but a few moments to live," Jenkins said.

"You son of a bitch!" Emma cried, as she felt tears fill her eyes and she tackled him to the ground, before cuffing him.

"Bobby…" Margaret said, as their son began to convulse.

"Oh God...no...no...no...I can't lose our baby," she cried, as she fell apart and they held their son.

"This is agent Martinez, I need an ambulance at North Star High School immediately. We have a student that was injected unwillingly with a dangerous substance!" Angela said into her phone. Bobby convulsed, as his parents held him and cried over him. Suddenly, the ground beneath them all began to shake.

"An earthquake? In Massachusetts?" Nick asked in confusion. But Emma and Killian exchanged a glance.

"Yeah...not an earthquake," she told them and their eyes widened.

"Are you saying the kid is doing this?" Nick hissed.

"That drug...it might have just awakened his powers," Emma said.

"But there is no magic," Killian reminded her.

"Yes there is...my parents have half the chalice hidden in their rings," she reminded him.

"Then...he might survive this," Killian said hopefully.

"It's possible…" she said, as the rest of the windows shattered and wind whipped around all of them.

"If my brother doesn't kill us all with the elements first," Emma said, as the paramedics arrived and were unsure as to what they were seeing. Her brother's magic was fighting the drug and he had a better chance than anyone else of surviving. But if he destroyed everything around him in the process, it was going to be something they would have a hard time explaining…

~*~

Summer arrived home that evening and was surprised to find the house seemingly empty.

"Mom?" she called.

"Hmm...they must still be at school," she muttered, as she dropped her bag in her room and went to the kitchen for a bottle of water. It was strange that her mother hadn't texted her that they would be this late though and she opened the fridge to grab an apple. She heard the doorbell ring at that time and went to answer it, finding a package on the doorstep. It was a little strange since there didn't seem to be a delivery truck. She shrugged and took it inside, surprised that it was addressed to her and her brother.

"That's weird...we didn't order anything," she said, but shrugged again and opened the box. Inside was a large, leather bound book with the title emblazoned in gold.

"Once Upon a Time," she read.

"Fairy tales?" she wondered, as she opened the book and was suddenly seized with a river of memories running through her.

"Oh my God!" she cried out, as it all came back to her. She put the book down and dug through the box, extracting the Dark One dagger from it.

"I need to find Mom, Dad, and Bobby," she uttered, as she grabbed her bag. She stuffed the book into it, as she heard a noise.

"Hello?" she called, but received silence. A chill ran down her spine and she clutched the dagger.

"Daddy?" she called, but somehow knew he wasn't there.

"Afraid not, young one…" a voice said and she turned to find a man that she recognized as King Arthur.

"My my...you have grown up. You were so very small the last time I saw you," Arthur said.

"As fair as your mother," Gawain said.

"You stay away from me, jerk face," she growled.

"And with the same mouth too," he quipped.

"Believe it or not...I do not want to hurt you, little one. Just give me the dagger and we will be on our way," Arthur said, as she clutched it and backed away. She ran from them, as their arms became alive with fiery chains. She screamed, as Gawain sliced through the kitchen table and she ran out the backdoor, before colliding with a young man she didn't recognize.

"I'm sorry…" he said, as he helped her up.

"Who are you?" she asked, as Arthur and Gawain tore their way through the house.

"Uh...later," he said, as he led her back to his car. Just a few moments ago, he had the opportunity to run away, but something had told him not to and now he knew why.

~*~

A Few Moments Ago

"You're welcome crazies!" he called, as the two weirdos that had forced them to drive them four hours to Boston got out in front of a nice house in a very nice suburb.

"JJ...what are you waiting for? Floor it!" Nora urged. He snorted.

"So everything you've been going on about for seven years is probably true and now you want to run?" he asked.

"Away from those psychos...yeah!" she answered. But he heard a scream from inside the house and got out of the car.

"Someone is in trouble...stay here!" he told her, as he ran around the back of the house. He may have been dragged into this conspiracy stuff unwillingly, but now that the danger was real and people needed help, that's where he shined. He wanted to help real people from real danger and he wasn't about to run away from that, even if what the danger he was facing seemed wildly unreal.

JJ took the girl's hand and they ran to his car. Nora was still in the back seat and he opened the passenger door for her.

"Get in," he said, but Summer hesitated and looked back at the house.

"I need to find my parents," she replied.

"Fine, but it's not safe here and I assure you that we're better than those freaks," he said. She nodded and got in. He ran to the driver's side.

"Where to?" he asked.

"North Star High...I'll tell you how to get there, just go," she urged, as he peeled away, leaving Arthur and Gawain behind…

~*~

Training was in full swing at the refuge, as Leo sparred his Uncle James and his wife was firing icicles at Regina, who was using fire to extinguish them, just as Eva ran into the training room.

"Honey...what is it?" Winter asked.

"Something is happening in Boston...it's all over the news," she said, as Rumple magicked a television into the room and they turned to one of the national news stations.

"And if you're just joining us, Boston is experiencing a strange series of weather events. No one is sure how or why, but the source of the earthquake appears to be a local school, North Star High," the reporter droned on.

"North Star High?" Leo asked.

"We looked it up. Your Mom teaches there under the name Margaret Nolan and Bobby is a freshman there," Paul replied.

"But...that doesn't make any sense. Why would Bobby unleash his powers?" Elsa asked.

"And how even? They're in the Land Without Magic," Leo added.

"Mom and Dad have their half of chalice, even if they don't know it," she reminded him.

"Which means something must be happening and Bobby might not be able to control his powers. It's the only way he'd ever use them out there," Regina surmised.

"Exactly...but this could be the catalyst we need. Emma should be there by now and she'll bring them home," Rumple stated.

"Except that we know Seth sent Arthur and Gawain after them and if people see those two and what they can do? There is no putting this one back in the bottle," James said. Aphrodite nodded.

"Snow and David will know what to do...we have to have faith. I'm assuming that package has been delivered?" the Goddess asked the Dark One.

"Young Summer should have it by now and with any luck she's awake so it's only a matter of time until the rest are," he replied.

"Let's hope you're right, because Seth has access to every magic book in Rose Red's library and if he finds a way through our barrier prematurely...then it's over," the Evil Queen warned.

"Then I guess it's time for you to take a page from the Charming manual as I have, Your Majesty. We must have hope," he said. She looked at him in disgust.

"Hope...that damn word. It always comes down to hope and that insipid princess and her idiot husband," the Queen complained, receiving many glares, most notably from the twins.

"I'm sorry...I love you both, but your mother and father are a menace," she complained.

"No...they're heroes and they'll be back soon to help us fight. With the United Realms joining together, all our armies, all our magic...Seth will go down and we need to be ready," Regina said. Robin smiled at her and put his arms around her.

"And we will be, because we're all heroes, especially you now," he said, as she smiled back at him.

"And if we can't put this back in the bottle? Even if we do defeat Seth...what if the whole world becomes aware of our existence?" Leo asked.

"Yeah...because something tells me that Seth might decide he wants to rule more than just the United Realms," Eva added.

"I'm afraid you're right...Seth may decide he wants to conquer the world. But we'll save it and then we may have to face an entirely new world where we are no longer hidden," Aphrodite told them.

"As hard as it may be, it can be done. There was a time on the Earth in the realm where Fandral comes from that believed magic, Gods, and heroes were mere fantasy, very recently, in fact. But that is no longer the case there and may no longer be the case here much longer. But I am certain of one thing," Hermes said.

"What's that?" Leo asked. She and Aphrodite smiled.

"Your parents will lead us through it all. Your family is a beacon of hope to everyone in the United Realms and I know that the same will be true for the whole world if such comes to be," Aphrodite declared. The twins exchanged a glance and nodded. They weren't sure they liked the idea of their family being so exposed to the world, but they knew she was right. Their parents would somehow lead them through it all with their love shining like the brightest guiding star in the sky...

[greenapricot]

morseverse fandom meme thing

I couldn’t bring myself to do the voice thing (it’s too much like talking on the phone which my introvert heart is very much against) so here are text answers to the questions.

Tagged by: @jameshathaways​ URL: greenapricot, you can call me Pri for short. Age: Likely older than most everyone else (I didn’t even properly get into online fandom until I was 26 and that was 15 years ago). Where are you from? The northeastern US.

How did you get into Endeavour/Morseverse? How long ago? Have you watched any Lewis or Inspector Morse and/or read any of the Inspector Morse books? If you’ve watched multiple Morse shows, do you have a favorite?:

My first Morseverse show was Lewis, which I started watching on the recommendation of my chiropractor’s wife (who has impeccable taste), sometime in 2011 (I think after s5 aired in the UK, based on the earliest Lewis fic tag in my pinboard). I quickly devoured all the episodes up to that point and then watched series 6-9 as they aired.

At the end of series 7, when it looked like Lewis wasn’t going to continue, I started watching Endeavour. I watched the whole first series as it aired, but I was in full-on Lewis withdrawal and felt like Endeavour was just kind of okay (mostly just because it wasn’t Lewis). But I liked it enough to watch series 2 when that came out, realized it was an excellent show in its own right, and have been anxiously awaiting each new episode ever since.

I’ve also watched some Inspector Morse here and there but I’ve not gotten as into it as the other two. It suffers a bit from the time period in which it was filmed imo.

Lewis is definitely my favorite Morseverse show, though I think Endeavour is objectively a better show.

And this got super long so I’m sticking the rest under here:

What’s your favorite episode, or one of your faves, and why? Do you have a favorite quote from it? It has to be Fugue and Canticle (I am on board for all the angst and I can’t decide).

Not a quote, but the entire scene on the rooftop at the end of Fugue is just so fantastic. The acting, the dialogue, the roofscape of Oxford behind them (oh how I long to take photos from that roof). It just may be the most beautiful scene in all of television. I also really love the atmospheric shots of Morse walking around in Canticle in the hot sun, looking overheated and a bit sunburnt, and the play of light in the trees. So gorgeous. There seem to be more and more of those lovely atmospheric shots as the show goes on and I’m so there for them.

Favorite relationship(s) on the show? Romantic or not, canon or not. Most favorite, Thursday and Morse (but that seems like kind of a cop out because of course it’s my favorite, it’s the focus of the show). So, less obvious favorite, Morse and Dorothea Frazil. I am very invested in their friendship. Very. I want more of her and more of the two of them together, especially like in Harvest when she gets him into the plant as Snappy Jenkins.

Favorite character? An under-appreciated/under-utilized character you love? Favorite character: Morse. Obvious, maybe, but he ticks all my buttons: too smart for his own good, awkward, complete lack of self-preservation, feels so deeply he totally can’t deal, smart ass, prone to melancholy especially accompanied by drinking and listening to moody music (see also James Hathaway my most favorite Morseverse character).

Underappreciated: I think Dorothea Frazil is plenty appreciated by fandom, but I would dearly love more of her in the show.

If you could hang out with a character for a day, who would you pick? I probably have the most in common with Dorothea Frazil and Max DeBryn, we can drink whisky and grumble about the state of the world.

Say the following episode titles: Arcadia, Canticle, Lazaretto, Cartouche, Icarus. Not doing the voice thing, but I don’t say any of these any differently from any of the voice posts I’ve listened to from native English speakers. So, there is that.

Cheese and pickle: yes or no? Discuss. I was going to say yes to this, I am a fan of both cheese and pickles, but from listening to posts by Brits it seems that pickle is something like a chutney not like a dill pickle, so I think I’m going to have to go with no. (Though, I would be down with cheddar cheese and proper crunchy fresh dill pickles on sourdough.)

Fic recs, blog recs, favorite fandom friends, best thing about Morseverse fandom, mustache opinions or anything else you want to share! Quick and dirty fic recs in the form of my pinboard tags for Endeavour and Lewis.

Morseverse fandom is lovely because everyone in it is lovely. I’ve never been in a fandom so free of wank. It’s just lovely. So, lovely I’ll say lovely again. I assume this is because it is relatively small, but, though I’d like more fic I think that loveliness is worth it. My first thought when I saw the mustache was to wonder if it’s there because Shaun Evans is too damn attractive and keeps getting more so and they were trying to tone it down a bit. I am not a fan of mustaches in general and my feelings about the Morsetache are the same. Except that Shaun Evans is so attractive he almost pulls it off anyway. I hope it goes the way of John’s mustache in Sherlock.

Who are you tagging? I think pretty much everyone who wants to do this has been tagged, but if you haven’t been and you want to do it consider this me tagging you.

[aion-rsa]

Nobody is an Action Movie That Questions ‘Toxic Masculinity’

https://ift.tt/39f1Es8

Hutch Mansell (Bob Odenkirk) is (as his film title suggests) a Nobody. He’s a schlub who gets up for the same soul-deadening routine each day: he drinking his coffee, forgets to take the garbage out, and sits at his boring desk job. He then comes home to kids who barely tolerate him and a wife who literally makes a barrier of pillows between them in their bed. When he fails to protect their house against a home invasion–even though he clearly could have–the sense of disappointment from his family is palpable.

But the incident awakens something long dormant in Hutch: a set of skills and a primal anger that served him well in a former life and career defined by violence. Hutch has to give that repressed rage an outlet, which unfortunately brings him into the sights of a deadly Russian crime boss, even as it reawakens his soul and reconnects him with his wife and family.

Directed by Ilya Naishuller (who helmed the equally explosive Hardcore Henry in 2015), Nobody also stars Christopher Lloyd, RZA, and Connie Nielsen as Hutch’s wife Becca, a successful career woman on her own terms, and who probably no longer needs her seemingly insubstantial husband all that much. Yet what Becca does or doesn’t know about Hutch’s past is one of the more intriguing questions that this action-packed film raises.

The Danish-born Nielsen’s first major English-language role was in 1997’s The Devil’s Advocate, and since then she’s appeared in films like Rushmore, Gladiator, One Hour Photo, The Ice Harvest and many more. A new audience embraced her more recently thanks to the role of Queen Hippolyta, the mother of Diana of Themyscira in Wonder Woman, Justice League, Wonder Woman 1984, and the just-released Zack Snyder’s Justice League, which sees her role beefed up considerably from the 2017 theatrical version.

Meanwhile, she and the great Odenkirk play off each other exceedingly well in Nobody, a fact that came up during our Zoom chat with the actress.

Den of Geek: Right at the beginning of this film, there’s a home invasion and Bob’s character, Hutch, doesn’t do anything to protect his family. Did that feel very relatable, this idea that your spouse may not have your back in a situation like that?

Connie Nielsen: I loved that scene. I loved how in the aftermath of that scene you had the neighbor literally representing toxic masculinity: “Oh if it was me, I would have taken him out.” And then you have the kid, our child, our teenage boy, so impressionable, and totally buying into this idea of masculinity: “Yeah. We could have taken him, Dad. We could have taken him.” And it’s just like that’s exactly what we’re trying to say to everybody. Stop putting that stuff on men to be that guy, stop saying that a guy has to be all of these different things because it’s not healthy.

What you then have is basically–you start a film about action movies and about action, and about those tropes within an action movie, but then it actually starts questioning what the idea of masculinity behind all of that is. I just loved the irony of that and that importance of that too, because it does make it so relatable.

How does the relationship between Hutch and Becca play into that?

One of the things I said from the beginning was, “Let’s not make Hutch feel intimidated by his wife. Let’s instead underline the fact that he’s the one who’s depressed. He is not threatened by her success. It’s that he feels like he is nobody. He feels that he has no importance. Everybody’s going to be fine if he just freaking wasn’t there, she would be able to continue taking care of the kids and the money and everything else.” It’s this feeling that he has, that he doesn’t matter, and that he’s not important.

And that is such a brilliant way of framing the midlife crisis of this guy, and also the crisis of the relationship where the power balance is out of whack and they can’t reach each other, they can’t figure out how to be a team until they’re forced to become a team.

It’s also rare in the action genre that the relationship is also age appropriate. There’s not this 25-year gap between the husband and wife.

That has always been a pet peeve of mine, even when I was a kid in this business. When I’m watching a movie and I’m seeing a girl who’s 24 playing the mother of four kids. I’m like, “What?” It’s just so dumb. There are so many women out there who get really offended as they watch these kinds of movies. So it’s just also dumb of producers and directors to cast without being age appropriate, because women get mad, they get irritated.

What other little details do you think you contributed or discussed with the director in terms of just making these characters more vivid on the set?

First of all, one of the things that was most important was when we were talking about my character’s success, that it was believable within the context, and that we didn’t make it a takedown of successful women–if it was problematic, it was not her problem, but his problem. I think that also we really talked about making her behavior understandable. There’s a second home invasion where it becomes pretty hard for her to not pose questions, so how do we play that? For me, the most important thing was to come up with a balanced behavior that also posed questions in hindsight as to, well, who is she really, what’s her background story, how is she dealing with all this, and is there something else there?

It’s a little ambiguous how much she knows about Hutch’s past. She’s never overly shocked by anything that Hutch does when the full scope of his character comes out. And that goes back to the idea that you sometimes really don’t know the person you’re married to.

That also goes for the moviegoers, they may not really know who the character of Becca is either. That’s part of what we also had a lot of fun talking about on set–what are the things that you don’t know about her?

What kind of set did Ilya run? Was there an openness for ideas and improvisational type of things?

I think so. I think especially when we were doing scenes that were about the emotional relationship, it was just really about making it come alive and truthful, that it was profound and that was meaningful emotionally, that we didn’t make it a small moment, but a big moment.

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This is the first time you ever worked with Bob.

Yeah. It is, and we never met before.

What is that like when you have to meet and immediately create a relationship between these two characters?

It’s odd, it’s so bizarre and strange. The first day on set when we were doing hair and makeup tests and so on, I was taken to this hangar and there’s box of sand on the floor with a green backdrop and a photographer in front of it. And it’s, “Oh, we’re about to do your family pictures,” and then, “Oh, and this is Bob.” Then you basically sit down and you just immediately move into pictures of our honeymoon and all of these different vacations that we’ve had back in the days when we were happy. I basically just met this man. It’s awkward, but that’s also acting, right? You’re just bringing your own experience and leaning into it as if you know this person.

Did you see the director’s previous film, Hardcore Henry?

I did not see Hardcore Henry, but it was very clear from the beginning that Ilya has this particularly cool way of marrying both music and action and image. So I just felt very comfortable that our producers believed that he was going to bring that same thing to Nobody.

When you look at the way action is done in movies today, on one hand you have the stylized stuff that we see in this movie, and then there’s the way Patty Jenkins shoots the Wonder Woman films, which has this majestic painterly quality. Does this seem like an interesting time for the genre?

I think so. I think that it has just changed so vastly from back in the day with films like Rambo. I think that a lot of these movies used to have a very jingoistic quality to them, and that instead, action has mutated. I think maybe that Taiwan, Korea, Japan, and China brought progress to the genre and really updated it and brought in fantasy elements that were really exciting. Superhero movies have definitely updated those concepts as well. So I do think that action movies continue to evolve. The John Wick trilogy is just such a great example of something that just evolved into this whole world, this John Wick world, which was so cool.

What are your thoughts on Zack Snyder’s Justice League arriving? Did you do any additional shooting for it?

I did my work with Zack on set. I did not have to go back for any reshoots. When Zack was going to start the project back up, he had the courtesy and the kindness to call everybody and ask if we were willing to support him in this. I think every single person immediately just said, “Of course.” I know that we’re all super excited that he’s bringing this vision forward to everybody. And I know that he does not consider this as another Justice League, he considers this a standalone movie in its own right.

Are you signed for Wonder Woman 3?

I know that there’s a storyline that involves the Amazons, that’s really all I can say.

Nobody arrives in theaters on Friday, March 26.

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The post Nobody is an Action Movie That Questions ‘Toxic Masculinity’ appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/3spdCGW

[kingswell-media]

Umbrella Academy Season 2 -Trailer Review

- SPOILERS -

Source - https://images.app.goo.gl/eQvXNz1DjpfvQ4Wr8

Same weird family and a similar plot to season one. Gerard ways (Yes, that My chemical romance Gerard) Umbrella Academy hits us with a brand-new season on Friday and I am sure that just like me, you are more eager than ever to start binging it. So, before we delve into the mysteries of the new trailer, I feel it is best to discuss the ending of the last season. For your sake though I’ll keep it short.

At the end of season one, we saw that Vanya (aka number seven) after rediscovering her powers, had succeeded in destroying the world. Except for this time unlike the future number saw and lived. The Academy survived the apocalypse, by travelling back in time. But as we saw in the trailer it caused a few repercussions. (See Netflix's official re-cap here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxA3_0T51hM)

Now that this very short recap has been established season two has offered us some interesting questions, mainly the questions I want to get to the bottom of is what’s this seasons plot focuses (other than the end of the world) and who is still “dead” in this season. I’m using this term lightly because the academy is travelling back in time, leading me to have a strong hunch that they’ll recounter younger versions of people who we saw die in the previous season (I.e. Reginald Hargreeves, Pogo and possibly cha cha?).

So, what have we got from the trailer and what am I purely speculating as to what may occur? What we know for sure is that the academy is sent back in time, with five ending up in Dallas, Texas. Who discovers that the end of the world has followed them. As an aged Hazel tells him that it is November 25th, 1963 and five discovers once again that they have a set amount of days (ten to be exact) to stop the apocalypse.

Due to the period and clips in the trailer, I am led to believe that it isn’t because of the moon this time. A more likely scenario being the end of the world in the form of a more nuclear explosion.

What we can also gather from the trailer, is that by having successfully gone back in time it appears that the academy has been separated (a possible side effect the five could have been referring too). Meaning that a few of them have started up their own lives, this could be after assuming that they were the only one to survive from the time jump. Or perhaps they are simply using these new lives as a cover until they find their siblings.

Another clue from the trailer is that we’re getting new cast members! Yes, during the trailer, it was revealed we would see new cast members tagging along with the cast. These are Yusuf Gatewood (as Raymond), Ritu Arya (as Lili) and Marin Ireland (as Sissy) all three are paired off with children from the academy, meaning that they will likely help to fuel the character’s individual stories. Before they all ultimately come together to stop this new end of the world. So, what exactly are these individual stories?

Source - https://images.app.goo.gl/kiLgPbu31HKQgtCW9

Ben and Klaus

It is safe to say that Klaus seems to be leading the most interesting life thus far, having started up his own cult. Whilst the ghost of Ben is still tagging along with him. This is the dynamic that I am most interested in, as it has so many possibilities that it can lead to.

Klaus could continue to further develop his powers and borrowing bens from time to time. It might also mean that Klaus could bring Ben back from the dead. This would be interesting to see as I am curious to see how Ben would adjust to his second chance. But again, purely speculation, I would settle for at least more back story on his death.

Vanya

Sooo, the last time that we had heard of Vanya she was trying to destroy the world. However, now she appears more stable or is it only a temporary fix? In the last season, the academy had doubts about bringing them with her, as they said that they were taking the bomb with them. So, does newcomer sissy have a role to play in helping Vanya keep her powers at bay or is she another Harold Jenkins?

Diego

Now Diego like Klaus appears to be leading an interesting life in a mental asylum… What we do know however is that he does escape with newbie Lila. So, my question is why he was locked up in the first place and how far do they get in trying to escape. Not to mention the ominous scene of him dressed up in a tight-fitting Umbrella Academy uniform. My current theory on this is that it was a hallucination or dream of his past at the academy.

Luther

Luther’s story, at current state in my mind, does not appear to have much information as to what his role is in the story. All we can see in the trailer is that he listened to Al’s advice and has entered the ring as a fighter. But like many people, I assume that they are mostly thinking about how Alison and Luther’s previous flirtation will adapt in this season. Or is there still anything there? It was left somewhat on the rocks last season after Luther made the decision to lock Vanya up (upsetting the family) and not to mention that he had lost his V-card (something Alison seemed most surprised about).

Alison

She can talk again! I can imagine being separated from her family at the beginning, will have caused a lot of communication issues for her. However, it seems to have worked out. As Alison appears to have taken up a new love interest with newbie Raymond (Yusuf Gatewood). So as stated above, where will this leave her and Luther?

Her main character focuses this season appears to be fighting for civil rights, sadly a very current and real topic that we are still fighting for across the world during this 2020 pandemic. Something I would like to see also; is how will she react knowing that her daughter in the future is now dead. Will she be able to go back or rather, find a new path to save them?

Number five

So similarly, to last season five appears to be fighting the commission (who have a new look) once again to prevent the end of the world. What is interesting is that five has the most story that we are currently able to piece together.

Back in season one, whilst working for the commission. He abandoned his post to assassinate JFK (leaving someone else to do it for him), using the opportunity to instead find a way home. Which had the defect of him being stuck looking like a boy, with the mind of a fifty-year-old.

With that, we can expect that his story is tied to discovering who assassinated JFK in his place and how they are likely the possible key to the end of the world. Not to mention, as predicted above it is very likely that the main plot due it being set in 1963 and oriented around an apocalypse. We can expect to see it being heavily focused on the Cold War.

A leaked photo also showed him with a mannequin nuclear family, could we expect him to do an Indian Jones and hide in the fridge from an impending explosion?

Now comes the interesting section. In the last season, we said goodbye to a lot of characters, either all together or perhaps temporarily. Here is a list of the characters who we know are deceased and the one who is unaccounted for in the season two trailer.

Source - https://images.app.goo.gl/vC9zrVEj6EnjMXr68

Unaccounted for in the trailer

Agnes - Is she off bird watching away from the chaos, or does Hazels ageing and her absence indicate her death?

Died in the apocalypse

Cha-cha – Last seen trying to escape by calling the commission

Detective Chuck Beaman – Last seen receiving the evidence that would have cleared Diego’s name of murdering path (Spoilers to the list)

Sgt. Dale Cheddar – Last seen eating a sandwich in his office

Patrick – Was not shown on screen

Claire – Was not shown on screen

Murdered

Detective Eudora patch - Shot by Cha-cha

Leonard/ Harold Jenkins - Stabbed (numerous times – like a lot…) by Vanya

Pogo - Impaled on a deer head by Vanya

Grace – The first time she was switched off by Diego. The second time she was assumed dead after the academy collapsed from Vanya’s rage

The Handler - Shot in the head by Hazel

Suicide

Sir Reginald Hargreeves – As a way of bringing the academy back together

General death

Mystery Lady/ former wife of Sir Reginald Hargreeves? – Left to die (Being her wish) on a different planet as others escaped

It is very unlikely that we will see a lot of this cast return, however, they could also reappear as younger incarnations or as a flashback. But the ones we know we will see younger incarnations of are Sir Reginald Hargreeves and pogo. Which leaves an open door on a possible return or mention of Grace? (Which is unlikely due to her being built specifically to combat number sevens bad temper)

A few questions I want to find out about Hargreeves, is how will Hargreeves react to seeing older versions of children he has not yet bought? Or is this why he buys them in the first place? And will the children learn of their father’s alien origin?

When thinking about these younger versions of characters from the past it leads me to believe that it will allow some deceased characters to come back mainly Cha-cha. How will she react to an older Hazel? Will she try to murder a younger Hazel for portraying her? There are so many possibilities that time travelling back on a storyline can offer and ruin for a franchise, so let us hope that they get it right.

I should also mention that all of this is purely my speculation from reading articles and making my own assumptions. As the series is technically very loosely based on the comic books you could cheat and figure out what the series takes from the comic books and make your own assumptions. So how do I think season 2 will end?

In terms of the main story, I currently believe that the children after encountering a younger Hargreeves will get him to help them. Either by being less of a dick to Vanya, meaning that the events of the first and second season would be re-written (essentially end gaming them).

That they come together to figure out a way of stopping the new threat, whilst also keeping past events in places whilst. Either way, they will likely create a whole timeline for season three that will follow seasons one and two or completely rewrite them.

To summarise stories focusing on timelines are complex and I could be all wrong. Just be warned that you have until Friday before season two is released, so be ready to binge read and watch the comics and the series of Umbrella Academy or just the one!

See the trailer bellow:

https://youtu.be/Me0eoCwLj-A

Note - Since writing the opening scene to season 2 has become available, if you would like to watch then please visit the link bellow

Season two opening scene - 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcdqpPzlTkM

[charliejrogers]

If Beale Street Could Talk

At the end of the movie, a film that sees it primary couple struggle so much against the not-so-differently-than-today racist society of the 1960s just to be together, our narrator, the female protagonist Tish (KiKi Layne) tells us that she and her lover, Fonny (Stephan James) are no longer young. Their faces tell a different story. I, writing now at the ripe, young age of 25, am at a turning point in my consumption of media. I can’t help but noticing that the characters I often see portrayed on film are either right around my own age or (usually) a few years younger. And, fuck, do they look young.

The movie chronicles the story of Tish and Fonny’s courtship, and their subsequent time apart as Fonny spends time in jail on a rape accusation while Tish is at home working like hell to prove his innocence. She’s also carrying his baby.

It’s a movie that tries to show its audience about the lived experience of Black people in America, but it’s often more tell than show. It’s in this way I found it odd that this was created by the same director who created one of my all-time favorite movies, Moonlight. I guess it would be hard to argue that Moonlight was a subtle movie, but it wasn’t full of big speeches or extensive dialogue explaining the experience of its protagonist. It merely presented the life of Chiron, and allowed audiences to infer from everything the way society viewed him and treated him.

This film is a little more on the nose in telling the audience “look at the things we have to do because of racism.” There’s a scene between Fonny and Tish’s father where the latter works hard to convince the other to turn to crime to afford Fonny’s lawyer’s fees that feels a little heavy-handed. There’s another that chronicles the difficulty of Fonny’s white lawyer faces from his bosses for taking on this case. And then there’s an explanation from Tish at the end about the nature of plea bargains and how they unfairly affect black men. Jenkins intercuts this particular narration, as well as others throughout the film, with historical images and black-and-white photos from the days of slavery or Jim Crow, creating a visual link between the treatment of Black people in the 60s (and by extension now) and the treatment of Black people during the times of slavery. The conclusion? Not too different.

But my feeling towards the film's inconsistent writing is exemplified in an unnecessary scene with Dave Franco as a Jewish hippie landlord over-explaining the film’s message that race shouldn’t matter; love matters.

But even without this scene, the film's inclusion of narration is an unfortunate choice, as it robs the film of some nuance and intellect. It’s as if the director and studio felt that without this narration, the audience might interpret the film incorrectly, not understand that what they were seeing was the result of injustice. One key scene sticks out in my mind to highlight how the movie is hampered by narration. Midway through the film, Tish starts working at a department store in the perfume department in order to make extra money. As part of her job, she is to offer samples of perfume. Customers can elect to have Tish spray their own arm with perfume, or instead bring Tish’s perfumed-arm to their own nose. Tish narrates how black men will always smell their own arm, but white men are creepy and treat the opportunity to smell Tish like getting a chance with an "exotic" Louisiana whore. It’s a powerful scene. One that’s upsettingly truthful and hard to watch, but cheapened by the fact that we are told exactly what Tish is thinking. We don’t need to be told! We can see it in her face!

The reason I focus on this so much is because, even looking at this film alone without the knowledge that the masterpiece Moonlight exists, the film can do an incredible at “showing” injustice without telling. My favorite sequence in the film sees Tish’s mother Sharon, played incredibly and confidently by Regina King in her Oscar-winning performance, fly to Puerto Rico in order to track down the woman who has accused Fonny of rape. The sequence is set to a noir-like jazz score, and has Sharon trying on a new wig like a private eye putting on a disguise. The movie primes us through these choices to expect some big investigation, a big reveal of truth. There’s even a dinner conversation with a guarded Pedro Pascal filled with half-truths and half-answers all about some femme fatale that seems right out of a noir classic. But Sharon when Sharon finally does get to meet with the woman, she doesn’t get the answer she wants. We don’t see that Fonny’s accuser suddenly renounces her mistaken accusation and all is forgiven. We see the horrible consequences of rape, what it does to the women who are its victims, and the unfair burdens we place on women to seek justice on their perpetrators. We see these things; they aren’t explained.

Again I harp on this distinction because I really wanted to like this movie more as it has so much going for it. I loved the realism the movie brings, its aversion to presenting easy answers to difficult questions. I love the performances by its leads, and their natural chemistry. I love exploring the dynamics of Tish’s family. I love the score, I love the cinematography. But it’s the writing where I feel ultimately the film fails to match the incredible highs of its predecessor.

Though to an extent, this really doesn’t matter. The movie does such a good job of creating these characters, making you care about them, feeling their excitement for life, feeling their youth, that their story will always be heartbreaking and will always succeed in highlighting the tale's injustice. And I, the 25-year-old white guy, sit there and realize that this story is not a one-off experience, and that it happens to so many of my Black peers. Despite what Tish says, they are young. Not that this story would somehow be "less bad" were they older, but the tragedy is certainly heightened seeing Fonny locked up at age 22 while Tish is only 19. The way their relationship is beautifully developed as they celebrate their youth and future, makes the eventual injustice all the more difficult to watch.

*** (Three stars out of four)

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Cooking with Fannibals: Paratext, Textual Poaching and Hannibal fandom

In the current television environment, the perception of television contents for fans is not confined to the specific scene of the show. Owing to varieties of activities, it gradually reshaped and formed into a virtual community where fans could express their ideas, communicate with different members and even make contributions to.  Sandvoss (2005) notes that ‘the study of fans and fandoms has formed one of the most proliferating areas of media and cultural studies in recent decades’. Due to the remarkably growing of fandom, fans participate with TV producers and showrunners more and more often by utilizing social media as platforms. They tend to be more creative and active by writing fan-fictions, producing parody, fan-act and creating memes, gifs. According to a report by Macklem (2013), it points out that two thirds of producers will take fan’s ideas into consideration, but only 9% have taken these suggestions into the show. On the other hand, Jenkins (1992) also states ‘fans lack direct access to the means of commercial cultural production and have only the most limited resources with which to influence the entertainment industry’s decisions.’ It is true to a certain extent that creators of show have aware of the importance of interacting with their fans. While others consider producers are still dominant to the show and decide where the show’s major direction is head to. Hence, this essay focuses on whether fandom has the power to influence the show. If so, to that extent? Firstly, a case study from NBC’s Hannibal will be described. Subsequently, two concepts named paratext and textual poaching which relate to the case study will be discussed. Moreover, a critical analysis of the case study will be given by applying the two core concepts as tools. To conclude, since the conflict between fans and producers is almost in every media fandom, reflection around whether it can find a balance between these two will be considered.

Pearson (2010) suggested that “the digital revolution has had a profound impact upon fandom, particularly as it blurs the lines between producers and consumers, creates relationships between powerful corporations and individual fans”. It could be considered that the 2013 TV show Hannibal is a perfect example to present the relationship between producers and fandom. The story of Hannibal Lecter was introduced in 1981 thriller novel Red Dragon by Thomas Harris, and developed in the following 3 books Silence of the Lamb (1988), Hannibal (1999) and Hannibal Rising (2006). This series of suspense novels attracted movie maker’s attention then turned into 5 movies which are Manhunter (1986), Silence of the Lambs (1991), Hannibal (2001), Red Dragon(2002) and Hannibal Rising (2007). It is generally recognized that the movie silence of the lamb has culturally, historically and aesthetically significance and won Academy Awards in Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Director, and Adapted Screenplay. While after a long period of time there was no adaptations of the Hannibal Lecter franchise due to the critics about the subsequent movies until in 2013 the American broadcast network NBC considered to ask Bryan Fuller to make a television series in order to reinterpret the Hannibal universe. The show tells a story about a FBI special agent Will Graham and a forensic psychiatrist Hannibal Lecter which set up before the Red Dragon events, took on new, unexplored adventures and referring to the original books at the same time (Andersen, 2016).  The show has gain huge popularity among internet fandoms within two months and seems to reach the same enthusiasm which reserved for three current TV shows Supernatural, Doctor Who and Sherlock. It is evident that the success of the show not only rely on the elaborate production by the staff of the show, but also the way that creators interact with fans proactively. Therefore, paratext and textual poaching are two aspects to look into the relationship between producers and fans.

Paratext has been examined since 20th century and now is widespread in media industry. There are many different definitions of paratext, for example, Genette (2001) suggests an explanation for Paratext that it is materials such as author’s name, preface, the title, introduction, illustrations or even audience which accompany the text in a published work. It also indicates that it is “more than a boundary or a sealed border, the paratext is, rather, a threshold." It is reasonable believed that paratext could not stand on its own, but became a significant element in a triangular relationship between Text, Audience and Industry. In addition, Gray (2010) mentions that the theory of ‘The Big Three of media practice’ and as well points out that “Industry and audiences create vast amounts of paratexts. Audience also consume vast amounts of paratexts.” Next, during the history of participatory culture, it is interesting to see that the producers and fans were in a state of conflict. Backing to the 18th century, media sees “readers” as passive consumers who need to be informed by the “producers” of knowledge and communications media. De Certeau (1984) comments that “this legend is necessary for the system that distinguishes and privileges ‘producers’, in contrast with those who do not produce.” In addition, Jenkins (1992) further asserts that “fans must beg with the networks to keep their favorite shows on the air, must lobby producers to provide desired plot developments or protect the integrity of favourite characters. Within the cultural economy, fans are peasants, not proprietors”. For example, under the public pressure, Arthur Conan Doyle was forced to write The Adventure of the Empty House in order to bring Sherlock Holmes back to life. It is generally agreed that the fans were too obsessed to this character to let the character go, then strongly requested the author to continue his writing about this genius detective. When the digital age comes, due to the rapid development of internet, fans seem to be more interactive with shows than in the past and even negotiated with showrunners. Fans are capable of reinventing media text by making fan films, parody, memes, gifs, writing fan fictions on tumblr and tweets as characters. Nevertheless, several initial studies seemed to against this concept. Recently, fans request more and more often and seems to take control of where the direction of the show is about to go, therefore, TV Writers and showrunners increasingly ‘mute’ the fans. For instance, House of Cards issues an entire season all at once, when the first episode out in the air the last is finished in advance. The showrunner Beau Willimon says despite the fact that he engages with fans online frequently, he hardly reads the increasingly ubiquitous recaps or articles on social media, he wishes it is a process of exploration (Grant, 2014). In this situation, a new approach of delivering story has emerged and gradually take power back to producers’ hands. Furthermore, although the show has successfully renewed for three seasons, NBC confirmed that it will no longer pick up fourth season of the series based on the Thomas Harris novels. As a result, fans were not satisfied about the decision, they ‘slam over’ the network but it seems that the ending is destined. Hence, where does the power lie, audience or producer?

Besides, there are several cases that producers and fans achieved a balance or even cooperated each other and receive mutual benefit. The controversy TV series which present how producers deal with the relationship between showrunners and fandom is NBC’s Hannibal. Differ from other shows, staff of Hannibal including producers and actors all have created strong connections with fandom. Bryan Fuller, as the creator of the show, has a personal Twitter account where he tweets and retweets all things relevant to Hannibal. For example, he often posts behind the scenes photos, sketches or concept design from the set.

Furthermore, Bryan often retweets fans about their fan-art, text and photo. From the perspective of paratext, it is actually a significant way to show their fans that producers are paying attention to fan’s works and contributions to the show. On the other hand, it is also an encouragement to the fans that the showrunners approved and appreciated the participation of the fandom. What is more, Bryan responds to almost every fan tweets regardless of whether the question is important, entertaining or not. As a matter of fact, by the participation and presence of Bryan on twitter. It seems that he creates a proximity to the fandom, in other words bond to his fans personally. 

Also, it could advertise the show due to the fact that his actively participation with fandom potentially motivate fans themselves to be more engaged with the show. Then, social media could help to bring up the popularity and raise the curiosity of people who haven’t seen it. Apart from twitter, Hannibal is quite stand out from other fandoms, which it has an official Tumblr site to present the show in a different way. It allows fans to create longer texts including quotes from the show, GIF sets and behind scene photos. Although, it may seem lack of direct contact between producers and fans, “the heavy reblogging of fan-produced content creates a back-and-forth sharing of information” (Segal, 2014).

In fact, this show has a special symbol—flower crown. It first appears on the characters on the show that Photoshops by fans. It seems quite irony due to the fact that the tone of the show is dark and serious. And the Hannibal fandom took it a bit further, it can be seen that the fans, even the producers were wearing the flower crown which made by fans themselves on the comic con as well as on panels. Answering an audience Q-A while putting on a flower may appear incomprehensible to most of people, but it also symbolic of how well the Hannibal producers are treating their fandom and value their input(Baker-Whitelaw,2013).

Secondly, shipping is an important element within a fandom. Fans often tweets, making fan art and video about the ship “Hannigram” (Hannibal Lecter/ Will Graham). Fuller, as an openly gay man, didn’t try to deny the implies of the ‘ship’ but to face it and respond to fans. Even more impressively, Fuller and one of the main actors Hugh Dancy fielded the question about ‘slash fan fiction’ with much more understanding than many showrunners who have been attending Comic Cons for a long time. When one of the fans asked about the meaning of the relationship of ‘Hannigram’ pairing, Fuller comments “it brings up an interesting question about ‘what is love’. And love between two characters doesn’t necessarily have to be sexual to still be love. It can still be valid; it can still be powerful” (Segal,2014). Unlike Sherlock, one of the popular shows which taken over the internet, the creator Steven Moffat seems often spoke of his antipathy towards the pairing of ‘Johnlock’ (Sherlock Holmes/ John Watson). The writer seems to have resented the fan’s contribution, and even spent the first episode of forth season that pictured an image of a group of obsessed followers, such as nerd and overweighed woman sit around and investigate how Sherlock managed to survive in the end of season two in order to mocking online shipping phenomenon. However, the executive producer of Fox’s Sleepy Hollow, Mark Goffman seems to struggle with whether he should cater to fans and give them some Easter eggs for them to talk about or just keep the show progress rather than ‘bring one of the character back to life’ just because fans like the character(Segal,2014).

Lastly, it is known that food is the essential part of the show. Therefore, a most unique and surprising production Feeding Hannibal: A Connoisseur’s Cookbookhas made by Janice Poon, the cook of the show itself. It is a collection of easy-to follow recipes inspired by the show and created by its food stylist. It not only has recipes but also the origin illustrations of the food, behind the scene photos of stars and crew on the set of Hannibal. It could be observed that paratext from industry and audience offers a physical connection to the show. As a result, it seems not very surprising that the fans were respond positively and post pictures or tweet about it. On the amazon site, there is 94% of reviews have 5 stars, customers comment the book “a must own for fans of the show and people who like cooking something a bit unique and stylish” (Borders, 2016).  

Then, textual poaching is another approach that fans engage with the show. Rayner (2008) argues that audiences are not passive consumers but instead active interpreters. The result can be presented in three fields. The first one is memes, GIF sets and fan-arts which posted on Tumblr.  For instance, as it shows below, one of the fan-arts remix Hannibal and Adventure Time, and the two main characters were portrayed similar to the animation of Adventure Time.

When the Hannibal fandom took over social media, people make memes about this appearance. Using facial expressions of celebrities to match the text which created a dramatic communication with other people. Likewise, when fans began to worry about whether the show has the possibility to be cancelled, since this genre of television show seems rarely to be renewed for second season. A large quantities of memes were emerged on the internet, showing their anxieties about the decision of NBC and express their feelings to the TV network that they would like to see more stories about the character. 

Next, fan videos were made on YouTube as soon as the show started. For example, the series of crack videos (2013) edited scenes from Hannibal with other famous shows quotes, conversations or songs which are quite hilarious. Not only the crack videos bring happiness to the fandom, but also some quality parodies stand out of these fan videos.

For instance, a parody called ‘If Hannibal were a bad chef’ (2015) made by professional production team CollegeHumor. It teases about the food presentation scenes and characters reactions about it by replace the elegant meal into obvious human organs or body parts. Accordingly, this video got more than 1000,000 viewers and 26,000 likes. The amount of positive reviews informs us whether it is a good or bad production.

Branston (2010) mentions that paratexts give audiences expectations about what they are going to be seeing and then frame their experiences in consuming that film or show. Since sometimes audience find out that in some scenes when Hannibal almost loudly implied cannibalism to Jack Crawford the head of Behavioral Science Unit at the FBI but he still couldn’t ‘figure it out’. Moreover, Reynolds, a folk singer made a fan song Become the Beast (2015) which inspired by NBC’s Hannibal in order to “explores the close, complex ‘bromance’ Hannibal has with Will Graham and Will’s descent into Hannibal’s dark world” says by Reynolds. The lyrics is actually a true portrayal of the relationship between Will and Hannibal. For instance, some sentences “Does it terrify you or do you feel alive?" “We are the lions, in a world of lambs” is perfectly the spirit of NBC's Hannibal.

However, at the beginning of 20th century, when the book about Hannibal first showed up, the only way that author connects to his reader was paper material, people tend to write letters for author as communication. As the time passes, movies that based on the novel provides much more paratext among audience, text and industry. For example, trailers were announced to audience in order to give them a glance of how the movie is about. It gives the audience basically what the story is about, where could they watch and who to watch them with.

 Reflection

Although I get touch with foreign movies in a young age, China’s domestic features and politics didn’t quite allow audience to think individually and participate with the showrunners. It treated us as ‘mass audience’ and I hardly have any chance to engage with media texts, let alone make contributions to the show itself. In my country, fans were portrayed as a group of young teenagers who obsesses with fine-looking appearance actors and concentrate on digging out any information about the actors. My engagement with the Hannibal TV show, along with other concepts such as participatory culture and paratext, while growing up gave me impressions of what western media system works with audience and further established the problem between producers and fandom. Yet, this extent of communication seems difficult for my country to accomplish within a short period of time.  Personally, even while engaging with texts such as Hannibal, I was able to point out things I knew will seems not be able to do especially when I get older. I did not been participate in the media text that I was passionate about and not figure out early enough the way producers respond to fans could potentially motivated them to engage with show more creative and active, or even affect the atmosphere around the show. Through my study of media and research for this essay, I have come to understand the importance of practice of paratext and textual poaching and have made a conscious effort to reshape my perception towards to media text, especially begin to reassess the relationship between individual fans and showrunners, because I understand that the success of a show is when quality social media fans and producers converge.

 Conclusion

Even though the rapid development of fandom or the rejection that producers won’t let fans control where the show is head to, the power stills not simply lie on either side audience or author. Hannibal is one of the texts that transformed the concept of cannibalism into food appreciation and psychological thriller which more appealing to more audience thus engaging its fans. These textual poaching cannot be easily recognized as benefit or useless, since some of them have quality content and entertainment at the same time. As a matter of fact, whether it is a contribution or a teaser for the show, it appears to be what showrunners would like to see, people engaging with the show, advertising it on different platforms and eventually would raise the viewers and popularity. Therefore, they could even gain mutual benefit from the project. However, with its addressing of genre and social issues such as the sensitive concept of cannibalism, sexuality and the influence on children, it not only spread information to its audience but also influence people’s outlook who watched the show. Overall, it seems hard for showrunners to find a balance between pleasure the fans and will not make the show deviate from the original script. It largely requires a talent and open-minded creator who understands what’s fans desire but also have ideas about their own show, and the quality fandom which positively engaging with it. Hence, the power of decision didn’t centralize in producers’ hands or fandoms, on the contrary, they cooperate and complete each other. Although Hannibal make a good example about how fandom could actually live peacefully with showrunners, the conflict between two of them is still intense in recent years, it may need time for them to adjust and try to find a way to get along with each other.

Reference:

Andersen, M., 2016. Hannibal's Tasty Paradox. [online] 16:9 filmtidsskrift. Available from: http://www.16-9.dk/2016/01/hannibals-tasty-paradox/ [Accessed 19 Apr. 2017].

Anon, 2013. Hannibal Crackvid #1. [video] Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Lwr4X4_DCY [Accessed 10 Mar. 2017].

Anon, 2015. If Hannibal Were A Bad Chef. [video] Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkGjLch1L2g [Accessed 20 Mar. 2017].

Borders, M., 2016. FEEDING HANNIBAL: A CONNOISSEUR’S COOKBOOK Review. [online] Birth.Movies.Death. Available from: http://birthmoviesdeath.com/2016/10/18/feeding-hannibal-a-connoisseurs-cookbook-review [Accessed 14 May 2017].

Bourdaa, M., 2016. Contemporary participative TV audiences: Identity, authorship and advertising practices between fandom. Master. University of Bordeaux Montaigne, France.

Branston, G. and Stafford, R., 2010. The media student's book. 5th ed. London: Routledge, pp.382-388.

Genette, G., 2001. Paratexts. 1st ed. Cambridge [u.a.]: Cambridge Univ. Press, p.1.

 Grant, D., 2014. TV Writers and Showrunners Increasingly ‘Mute’ the Fans. [online] Observer. Available from: http://observer.com/2014/11/tv-writers-and-showrunners-increasingly-mute-the-fans/ [Accessed 5 Apr. 2017].

Jenkins, H., 1992. Textual poachers: Television Fandom and Participatory Culture.London: Routledge.

Kresnicka, S., 2016. Why Understanding Fans is the New Superpower (Guest Column). [online] Variety. Available from: http://variety.com/2016/tv/columns/understanding-fans-superpower-troika-1201743513/ [Accessed 31 Mar. 2017].

Lang, N. and Covucci, D., 2013. "Hannibal" showrunners cater to fandom at Comic-Con | The Daily Dot. [online] The Daily Dot. Available from: https://www.dailydot.com/parsec/fandom/hannibal-comic-con-flower-crown-slash/ [Accessed 30 Apr. 2017].

Macklem, L., 2013. We’re on This Road Together: The Changing Fan/ Producer Relationship in Television as Demonstrated by Supernatural. Master. The University of Western Ontario.

McCracken, A., 2015. Branding Hannibal: When Quality TV Viewers and Social Media Fans Converge. [Blog] Antenna Responses to Media and Culture. Available from: http://blog.commarts.wisc.edu/2015/08/24/branding-hannibal-when-quality-tv-viewers-and-social-media-fans-converge/ [Accessed 22 Apr. 2017].

 Reynolds, K., 2015. Become the Beast - A Hannibal Fan Song. [online] Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmVzeriU5m0 [Accessed 2 Apr. 2017].

 Sandvoss, C., 2005. One-Dimensional Fan: Toward an Aesthetic of Fan Texts. American Behavioral Scientist, 48 (7), 822-839.

 Segal, J., 2014. Hannibal Fandom. [online] Fannibals: TV Fandom & Paratexts. Available from: https://jessicasegalfnms.wordpress.com/hannibal-fandom/ [Accessed 25 Apr. 2017].

 Wall, P. and Rayner, P., 2008. AS Media Studies. 3rd ed. London:Routledge, pp.145-148.

 Williams, J., 2015. RESEARCHING DIGITAL FANDOM. [Blog] FANDOM, SUB-CULTURES AND CULT MEDIA STUDIES. Available from: https://jackpressfandom.wordpress.com/ [Accessed 5 Apr. 2017].

 Williams, R., 2015. Cooking with Hannibal: Food, Fandom & Participation | In Media Res. [online] Mediacommons.futureofthebook.org. Available from: http://mediacommons.futureofthebook.org/imr/2015/09/23/cooking-hannibal-food-fandom-participation [Accessed 7 Apr. 2017].

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Who Wrote Genesis?

Bible / Bible Study / Topical Studies / Who Wrote Genesis?

Hope Bolinger | Crosswalk.com Contributing Writer

Monday, August 10, 2020

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Most of the authorship of Scripture goes uncontested. We can, with a high percentage of certainty say that John wrote the Gospel of John and that Joshua wrote the Book of Joshua. But what about the first book of the Bible? Who wrote Genesis?

The majority of biblical scholars have attributed the authorship of Genesis to Moses, but this has not gone without contest, especially from documentary hypothesis theorists. 

Genesis, or otherwise known as Bereshith, means “in the beginning.” In other words, this book talks about the beginning of the world, the beginning of God’s nation of Israel, and the beginning of the story of salvation for all mankind.

In this article, we’ll dive into who documented the beginning events of the world, the age of the Book of Genesis, and whether we can trust this book or not. 

Who Wrote Genesis?

As stated before, most scholars attribute the authorship of Genesis – and the other first four books of the Old Testament known as the Pentateuch – to Moses. But how do we know this? How do we know that Moses, and not a series of authors as proposed in the JEDP theory linked above, wrote this book?

First, as this Answers in Genesis article explains, we have documentary witnesses. This means we have verses in the Bible that attribute the authorship to him such as Numbers 33:1-2. 

Second, as mentioned in the Answers in Genesis article, not only does the Pentateuch confirm Moses’ authorship, but the rest of the Bible, including the New Testament does as well. This means thousands of years of Jewish tradition would have upheld this position.

For a group that revered Scriptures so much and paid meticulous attention to the text when copying it, if Moses had not written the books, the Jewish people likely would not have held to such a strong tradition by saying he did. Furthermore, we have testimony from Jesus himself that Moses wrote these books. 

But this does bring forth the question: how would Moses know all of these things? How would he know about the events of Genesis and other events that happened hundreds (even thousands) of years before his time?

First, we cannot discount supernatural revelation. Scripture was divinely inspired.

Second, we also have evidence throughout Scripture, writes Don Stewart, of tradition being passed down – from specific prayers of Abraham to the bones of Joseph. Their culture worked quite differently than ours. They remembered details better, had a stronger oral tradition, had longer attention spans. Not to mention the events of Genesis ended about 300 years before Moses came into existence. Because of the strong oral tradition and duty of the Jewish people to preserve their roots, not much could have changed in the accounts throughout that time. 

What Happens in Genesis?

It’s, of course, difficult to summarize all the events that happen in Genesis. After all, the book takes up 50 whole chapters in the Bible, so we’ll briefly summarize some of the major events that take place in the book.

Genesis follows humanity through creation and humanity’s descent into sin (Genesis 3). From there, we have the well-known story of the Great Flood, and the birth of the Israelite nation through Abraham. 

We follow Abraham’s generations through Joseph and how Israel ended up in Egypt due to a massive famine.

From there, and after hundreds of years of slavery, we pick up the story in Exodus. 

Photo credit: Flickr/faungg's photos

How Old Is Genesis?

This question means the date of the manuscript, not of when the events inside the book took place. After all, we don’t want to dive into the New Earth vs. Old Earth debate.

Of course, this question in itself can raise a number of disputes because people have not reached an agreement as to when Moses lived on earth. But most scholars place the compilation of the book somewhere between 1445 BC or 1290 BC.

Again, this entirely depends on which Pharaoh was in place when the ten plagues swept Egypt, and scholars have not solidly placed the contender for the throne. 

In either case, we know the book is about 3,000 plus years old. 

Is Genesis Trustworthy?

Of all the documents in the Bible, should we hold Genesis as the most suspect? After all, depending on when Genesis 1 occurred, even by conservative estimates, this would mean that Moses wrote down the events thousands of years after they occurred. 

Surely translation errors must have seeped in. And if they did not, that would have taken a great deal of divine intervention.

So how can we trust Genesis?

We can answer this question in a number of ways.

First, we can analyze extra-biblical texts such as the works of the historian Josephus. Many of his writings confirm the events in Genesis, writes Dr. Lisle for the Biblical Science Institute. Considering he wrote these books thousands of years after the events, this bolsters the support for the veracity of Genesis. 

Second, as mentioned in the Biblical Science Institute article, we can also find archaeological evidence that confirms the events that happen in the Pentateuch, such as the walls of Jericho. 

There also appears to be evidence (Genesis 5:1) that Moses had used other documents to compile his book, such as the genealogies. This indicates that Scripture may not have been passed down solely via oral tradition. The Israelites were proud of their history and made sure to spend meticulous efforts on getting every detail right. 

In fact, we have several accounts listed in Genesis. This was essentially a divine research project and history book. 

Is Genesis Literal or Mythological?

Because we have more support for a written tradition of Genesis, does this mean we take everything in the book at face-value? Do we have any mythological areas to combat, especially in Genesis 1-11?

To answer this question, we need to go to 2 Timothy 3:16. The verse states that all Scripture is God-breathed, and this includes earlier sections of Genesis.

So did God create the world in a literal six days or a symbolic six days? What about the cases where Genesis appears to be borrowing from Ancient world mythology? 

We could devote entire books to these questions, but after perusing this article from Apologetics.com, which I highly suggest reading, I would love to once again mention that Jesus did assert the authority found in Genesis. Along with other documentation mentioned in the book, such as the account of Terah, the account of Noah, etc. we also have other Scripture supporting these events as true and literal. 

Photo credit: ©Getty Images/Nastco

Favorite Verses in Genesis 

Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” 

Genesis 1:27 “So God created human beings in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.”

Genesis 1:31 “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning – the sixth day.”

Genesis 12:3 “I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”

What’s the Verdict?

Many modern scholars like to attack the authorship of Genesis. They may point out the faultiness of oral tradition or try to assert that multiple authors compiled the manuscript over centuries, borrowing from mythology of other religions.

But because we have extra-biblical support for the authorship of Genesis and because various authors throughout the Bible do attribute the Pentateuch to Moses, we can assume Moses wrote Genesis.

Genesis has sparked a great deal of debate among scientists and scholars, ranging from the literal vs. figurative days of creation to the genealogical lines. 

Nevertheless, we can know that the book is God-breathed, and like many concepts in Scripture, although we may not fully understand all of it, we know enough about the book to see how it fits into God’s greater plan for humanity and salvation. 

Photo credit: ©Sparrowstock

Hope Bolinger is a literary agent at C.Y.L.E. and a graduate of Taylor University's professional writing program. More than 600 of her works have been featured in various publications ranging from Writer's Digest to Keys for Kids. She has worked for various publishing companies, magazines, newspapers, and literary agencies and has edited the work of authors such as Jerry B. Jenkins and Michelle Medlock Adams. Her column "Hope's Hacks," tips and tricks to avoid writer's block, reaches 6,000+ readers weekly and is featured monthly on Cyle Young's blog. Her modern-day Daniel, Blaze, (Illuminate YA) Den (releasing July 2020), Dear Hero (releasing September 2020), and Dear Henchman (releasing 2021)  Find out more about her here.

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BLOG POST #3

Sullivan Chapter 8: Media fandom and audience subcultures (189-212). Navar-Gill, A. (2018). Fandom as symbolic patronage: Expanding understanding of fan relationships with industry through the Veronica Mars Kickstarter campaign.Popular Communication, 16(3), 211-224.

Week 9 revolved around the themes and ideas of media fandom, audience subcultures and symbolic patronage. Sullivan’s Chapter 8 discussed many different aspects of “fandom” as well as the stereotypes associated with fandoms. Sullivan cited Jenkins and stated that “The difference between watching a [television] series and becoming a fan lies in the intensity of their emotional and intellectual involvement.” (Sullivan, p. 198).

“Fandoms are associated with the cultural tastes of subordinated formations of the people, particularly those disempowered by any combination of gender, age, class and race”. Meanwhile “... fans are deeply engaged in their favorite media texts. Fans often reinterpret media content and create their own cultural productions in response”. This idea of a fandom community ties into the concept we learned called poaching.“Poaching”, which was forged by Michel de Certeau and later expanded upon by Henry Jenkins is basically the act of taking something that isn’t necessarily yours. For example, at conventions like Fan Expo, fans come and create costumes or merchandise of pre-existing characters from the show/video game/whatever they’re a fan of, (which they don’t own).  In lecture, we discussed that a form of poaching could be fan fiction. (Fan fiction is when fans write spinoff-like stories based on the original material/content). De Certeau also argues that audiences are not passive consumers, they are active interpreters. (Which can be related to Stuart Hall’s encoding/decoding model of communication). Poaching offers consumers the opportunity to create their own material based on their interpretations of the work, they can also interject their own imagination and personal touches which can also form a type of escape from reality into these fandom communities they’ve created. “Fans who outwardly and proudly claim their affirmation with their favourite popular culture texts, particularly when those media are generally considered to be ‘fluff’ or mindless distractions from reality, may be challenging the status quo through their activities” (Sullivan, p.196) The basis of Navar-Gill’s article discusses the relationship between fans and media industries, categorizing fans into either “affirmational fans” or “transformational fans”. This theory involved a kickstarter campaign that was made to help fund a follow-up film to the cult classic series of Veronica Mars. The campaign raised 5.7 million dollars from fans of the show that were interested in seeing the follow-up film. Seeing as the fans took on the role of financing the movie (which was typically the role of an executive producer) it was called into question what kind of role the fans would get in the making of this film since they were the ones sponsoring it.

“...while ‘audience power’ and the boundaries of participation in participatory culture are still contested concepts, symbolic patronage provides one measured example of a way in which audiences now have a greater ability to influence production and industry decision- making” (Navar-Gil, p. 223) This brings me to one of the ideas discussed this week; “patronage”. Patronage is like a sponsorship, funding or support that someone or some organization can receive or give to another organization/person.  “Patronage situates artistic work in hierarchies of quality and taste; the ability to gain a patron or patrons legitimates an artist.” Also in the article, the author stated that; “Though Veronica Mars Kickstarter backers provided start-up capital for the production of the film, as is often the case in patronage, the symbolic and cultural function of their support was more significant than the financial one.”She also said that; “…when corporate producers are seen as interfering with the vision of a creator who is strongly backed by symbolic fan patrons, they lose credibility in the eyes of the audience, which can be damaging to their brand. “ (Navar-Gill, p. 222) The author wanted to investigate how big of a role patronage concepts played in a role of the production of this kick-starter-founded film. This was where she conducted a series of interviews with some of the fans who sponsored this campaign. Professor Good discussed this in class but the jist of it can be summarized in this quote from the article: “Drawing on a series of interviews with Kickstarter backers who supported the Veronica Mars movie, I argue that the experiences and perspectives of Veronica Mars fans during the Kickstarter campaign demonstrate that these fans had a relationship with text and industry that cannot be cleanly understood as either celebratory or lovingly subversive [affirmational or transformational]” (Navar-Gil, p. 212)

Fandom’s aren’t always defined as either transformational or affirmational, sometimes they can engage in a combination of both of these through different fan communities. Depending on how fans treat media industries as well as original media texts dictates whether they are considered affirmational fans or transformational fans. Affirmational fans – “celebrate the text as is and accept industry guidelines for textual interpretation and participation.” In other words, they don’t challenge the creative decisions put in place by the producers or writers of said media texts. They discuss elements of the texts while still remaining firmly within the creators established storyline. Transformational fans – “tend to twist and reimagine the text in non-sanctioned ways through creative work, asserting a kind of moral ownership over the text.” So, these types of fans would challenge the original work and would twist and rewrite the text for their pleasure. An example of transformational fans would be fanfiction authors.

One audience example that I would like to expand upon for this week would be a fandom convention like Fan Expo. Fan Expo is a Canadian fan convention where fans gather to appreciate their favourite shows, comic books, movies…etc.

https://www.fanexpocanada.com/en/home.html

This is a good example of some of the themes we touched upon this week because Fan Expo is literally made up of fandoms and fans, affirmational and transformational. It’s a convention for the most die-hard fans of certain media we see how big of a power this convention has solely because of the fans which could be connected to symbolic patronage in the sense that this convention is so popular and financially stable because of these fandoms/fans.

Sullivan Chapter 9: Online, interactive audiences in a digital media world (213-238). Wasike, B. (2013). Framing news in 140 Characters: How social media editors frame the news and interact with audiences via Twitter. Global Media Journal - Canadian Edition, 6(1), 5-23. Week 10, we discussed interactive audiences in our digital media world in Sullivan’s Chapter 9, as well as how social media editors frame the news and interact with audiences via Twitter in Wasike’s article. As discussed in lecture, we use Twitter as one of the most popular microblogging sites, its prime for audience interaction and it’s “prowess as an adept news breaking tool”, this is important when discussing audience interactions in this digital media world. In Wasike’s article, there was a mention of SMEs. SME’s are “the faces of the media agencies in the digital world, best positioned to control how news flows into the social media sphere.” (p.8). Sullivan discusses the online, interactive, digital media world. “... media audiences today have come to expect the ability to provide instant feedback to media producers and to other audiences. In this type of interactive media environment, where do media producers end and the audience begin? Is it even appropriate to speak of the “audience” as a distinct entity anymore?” (Sullivan). These days, with all the user-generated, we see and acknowledge the audiences power.

One audience experience that truly combines the power an audience has with audience interactions on Twitter would be the example that Professor Good touched on in class about Twitter attacking Trump for refusing to visit the cemetery to honor the US soldiers that died in France, because it was raining. The audience on Twitter “pelted” Trump with pictures of Obama trekking through the rain to visit that same cemetery. As quoted from the Huffington Post article about this: ”As many as 1,800 American soldiers killed in the World War I battle of Belleau Wood are buried in the French cemetery. But Trump ditched his planned visit and stayed in his hotel room because of unspecified “scheduling and logistical difficulties caused by the weather,” according to a White House statement. Instead, a delegation led by Chief of Staff John Kelly traveled to the cemetery 50 miles outside of Paris by car. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron were among the world leaders who made the trip.”

The twitter universe was outraged by this that they responded with hundreds of photos of former president Obama attending various events in the rain in order to make Trump feel incompetent. Many of the photos had captions praising Obama and slamming Trump, for example – user @Erik_Wells tweeted a collage of photos of Obama standing/speaking at events in the rain and captioned it: “A real leader supports our fallen men and women in uniform in the rain, snow, sun, day, night, at home or overseas. True leaders do this because it is not about them, but those who paid the ultimate sacrifice. Shame on you @realDonaldTrump. Thank you! @BarackObama”. This was an excellent example of how audiences used their power to convey a message across a larger sphere – seeing as this trend went on and people in different countries participated in criticizing Trump and commending Obama. We see first-hand how audiences and human interest can have a great impact on the economy and how that is all conveyed through technology (Twitter, to be exact).

https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/entry/twitter-pelts-trump-with-photos-of-%20barack-obama-in-the-rain_us_5be76113e4b0769d24cdebb7

Sullivan Chapter 10: Conclusion: Audience agency in new contexts (239-249). Athique, A. (2018). The dynamics and potentials of big data for audience research. Media, Culture and Society, 40(1), 59-74.

Our final week (and the final chapter we read of Sullivan’s) was all about audience agency, as well as Athique’s article on big data and its relation to audience research. “as objects of media influence, as quantified constructions of institutions, as active users, and as subcultures and media producers. By now it should be clear that the definition of the term ‘audience’ has been contested throughout its history” (Sullivan, p.239) Sullivan discussers “audience shifts”. As audiences go from mobile platform experiences to transmedia experiences (transmedia, referring to the “-the coordinated use of multiple media platforms (or technologies) to craft a narrative. Unlike traditional storytelling in a single medium like television, film, or books, transmedia narratives open up the possibility for audience participation and dialogue with media producers.”) and finally transitioning into amateur “prosumer”/ ”produser” content where the audiences create and produce their own content for each other’s consumption. This chapter offers a collection of the ideas and theories from the previous chapters and how we take those theories when looking at every-changing audience studies in the 21stcentury.

“Thanks to the expansion of media texts and technological platforms, the independence of the audience from content providers is greater than ever before.

In the 21st century, audiences can access media whenever and wherever they desire, provided that they have broadband Internet access (Sullivan, p. 243)

Moving on to Athique’s article which dealt with themes of big data for audience research… Athique states:  “The numerological dimension of big data arises from the analysis of numerical trends in those inputs [e.g., social media use] in order to make inferences about the future [e.g., future audience behaviour]” (p. 62).

Acknowledging the fact that being able to see and interact with what people view/click on/watch is beneficial to collecting accurate data – is it an invasion of privacy? Yes. Throughout reading this article, one audience example I couldn’t help but think of was this idea that websites such as Facebook, Instagram, YouTube… etc create ads for YOU specifically based on what you say near your phone or what you search on your internet. I have heard countless stories of this happening, it has even happened to me once or twice. I could be talking to my friend about wanting to adopt a dog at an animal shelter and the next thing I know, I start seeing animal shelter ad’s coming up on my social media. When I noticed this started happening, I had discussed it with others only to find that they had noticed the same thing. They would speak about something and then the next day, there would be ads on their social media accounts about that topic. I found an article on Global News where they discussed this notion.

“You didn’t Google search it, or even write about it in a text. While the tech giants claim they don’t do it, the suspicion that your cellphone and smart devices eavesdrop on you has become common online chatter, prompting countless tweets and a lengthy Reddit thread.” (retrieved from globalnews.ca). This is a good example of how media uses their audiences to collect big data, whether it’s an invasion of privacy or not – it’s smart and it’s only going to get smarter.

https://globalnews.ca/news/4039276/smart-devices-facebook-listening/

[demitgibbs]

‘Love, Simon’ Star Natasha Rothwell is Here to School the World

Oh, sure, actress Natasha Rothwell’s scene-stealing drama teacher in out director Greg Berlanti’s groundbreaking gay teen rom-com Love, Simon is bitter – and therefore, funny as all hell – about overseeing amateur teens in a student production of Cabaret. Hey, she had an oh-so-prestigious part in The Lion King musical! (As, um, an extra.)

But Ms. Albright is a dogged ally for life, demonstrating heartfelt compassion for her LGBTQ students when Simon and his queer schoolmate, Ethan, are bullied in the lunchroom. Enter Ms. Albright, who breaks up the fight in true Ms. Albright fashion: “That’s mine now,” she scolds, confiscating the bullies’ speaker. “I’m’ma sell it, get my tubes tied.”

Rothwell knows the teacher life well: She was a high school teacher in the Bronx for four years. Queer students confided in her, some even came out to her. Now, the 37-year-old actress and former SNL writer returns for a third season of actress-writer Issa Rae’s terrific HBO comedy Insecure, as Issa’s freewheeling, zero-fucks friend Kelli. And no details on her role just yet – she couldn’t reveal any during our recent interview, sorry – but Rothwell is also set to star in director Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman sequel.

Plenty to chat about until then, though, including the importance of LGBTQ inclusion in her projects and her reaction to the criticism Love, Simon received for not being progressive enough.

Why do you think the women on Insecure have resonated with the queer community?

I think what attracts the queer community to Insecure is authenticity and seeing a group of women being celebrated on television for being their authentic selves. The courage that it takes for marginalized groups like the LGBTQIA community to be authentic – it’s so difficult and so brave and so admirable to do so that when you see a group of people doing that on screen I can understand why that resonates with the queer community. I feel that way when I see other marginalized groups of people on TV shown as full-fledged characters. I’m like, “Yes, yes, yes!”

It should be noted how effortlessly LGBTQIA just rolled off your tongue. You didn’t stumble over a single letter.

(Laughs) I think having been a part of Love, Simon and doing press for that I was like, “I’m gonna get this! They’re not gonna get me on camera or on tape!” Because I’m an ally through and through, and they better know I know what I’m talking about. (Laughs)

So, Kelli: Surely her unapologetic boldness – I mean, in season two, she got fingered at a diner – resonates with the community.

(Laughs) She was living her best life. She’s not gonna apologize for it. Until I got into my 30s, I felt like I was apologizing for being a woman, for being black. The beauty of playing Kelli is I get to have a character match how I now feel, and I get to play a woman who’s never known any different. Like, I imagine this is Kelli from the crib; when she was an infant, till now, she’s only ever known this version of herself. I love playing someone who doesn’t experience doubt in the way I do.

Do you write Kelli?

We all write Kelli. We’ll do internal table reads of the script and I’ll sit down and get to see what the other room was working on, and I’m like, “Oh shit, I’m getting fingered? OK!” It’s a real team effort to develop her and all the characters.

You’ve cited Lily Tomlin as an influence. How did she influence your comedic voice?

Female comedians that weren’t trapped by femininity is what resonated with me most. She was such a chameleon, subverting expectations. She plays a little girl (Edith Ann) and she’s sitting in this giant, oversized chair and having this monologue, and she’s so playful and inventive and completely embodies the POV of a small child, and using her body to tell a story. I just remember watching that and being obsessed.

You’re writing a rom-com called Bridal Recall for Paramount Pictures, and you also have a development deal with HBO to write and produce and star in your own project. Will the queer community have a place in those projects?

If I have a say. To me, I don’t think talking about inclusion and diversity is enough. We have to do it in actuality and in action. One of the brilliant things about Issa’s writers’ room? It’s not all black. We have representation from all over the spectrum. We have different sexualities represented, different ethnicities represented, and we can tell a nuanced story that way. So, I have every intention of making my writers’ room reflect the nuance that I want to tell in those stories, that I feel make worthwhile stories.

What did it mean to you to be a part of Love, Simon?

It meant everything. When I read the script and the book, I was just honored that I could participate in a project that really felt bigger than myself. The response has been insane and continues to be. People are discovering the movie even still and are responding to it in a really visceral way. I imagine it being that way for young people of color watching Black Panther for the first time. To me, that’s powerful to see your story represented and it’s not – it’s a love story first and a coming out story second.

It’s one of the things where it’s just, I want more of this. I want more people to see themselves represented in this very specific, common way that straight white people have had the privilege of. So, I want to see more of those stories being told, because I’m a child of the ’80s. John Hughes is my jam, and I loved Pretty in Pink and Sixteen Candles. So, to see this story get that treatment was a magical thing. I will be forever grateful to Greg Berlanti for thinking that I could play Ms. Albright. He’s such a wonderful man and encouraged me and brought me to tears. He pulled me aside after I finished shooting and he was just like, “I have the same feeling about you I did when I directed Melissa McCarthy.” And I was like, “You just said a lot in that sentence!” And then I burst into tears. (Laughs)

Do gay fans recognize you as Ms. Albright on the street?

I don’t get “Hey, Ms. Albright!” I live in West Hollywood and the LGBTQIA community is en masse here and I love it. So, I’ll get recognized from Love, Simon and as Kelli, sometimes at the same time. It’s a great community, and I feel so welcomed and thankful for it.

In an episode during season two of Insecure, you and Issa call out Molly for being revolted by a male suitor because he has sexual history with another man. The episode acknowledges a glaring double-standard between men and women, and also hypermasculinity in black versus white communities. What part did you play in bringing that storyline to light?

We all talked about our experiences and something that would give us pause before entering into a relationship, or something that we wouldn’t even stop and think twice about. It varied by gender, by sexuality, by age. What boiled up to the top was the hypertoxic masculinity of communities of color, especially the black community. So, we really loved to present that specific part of the show to our audience because it caused conversation around the topic. One of the things that I love about our show is we don’t present answers – we present questions. We want people to have these conversations in a public way.

Recently, a massive Twitterstorm ignited when GQ featured the straight male cast in a photo spread that some deemed “gay.” One of the featured actors, Sarunas Jackson, called out the homophobic tone of the comments. I’m thinking, we’ve already been here.

We’ve already been here, we already did this, guys. We’ve already evolved. Let’s just move on. But this just goes to show that continued conversation and continued moments for educating yourself are helpful. One of the more palpable things that I think that photo spread did was spark that conversation again, so people can really, once and for all, understand their own toxic masculinity. I was shocked by the number of women jumping on board. I’m like, you were indoctrinated to think that way, and we have to unlearn some things in order to be the progressive, thoughtful, inclusive people that I know we are capable of being.

You responded to people who don’t feel represented by Insecure by telling them, well, then you tell your story, because no one story can encompass all of our stories. Love, Simon received similar criticism for featuring a white man in its lead role, versus someone of color. Would you respond to that criticism in the same way?

Absolutely. I think I would be remiss to say, “We did it guys. Let’s pack it up! We fixed it! We fixed inclusion in Hollywood!” I think that would be a gross mistake to be made. I don’t look at Insecure and even see myself represented all the time and I write on the show, because this is a story. This is Issa and her girlfriend in Inglewood, California. But what it requires is more art to be made to reflect those things that aren’t being shown. Let’s tell those stories because, if there’s anything I’ve learned when really resonating with audiences lately, it’s a hunger for diversity.

from Hotspots! Magazine https://hotspotsmagazine.com/2018/09/20/love-simon-star-natasha-rothwell-is-here-to-school-the-world/ from Hot Spots Magazine https://hotspotsmagazine.tumblr.com/post/178281727110

[cynthiajayusa]

‘Love, Simon’ Star Natasha Rothwell is Here to School the World

Oh, sure, actress Natasha Rothwell’s scene-stealing drama teacher in out director Greg Berlanti’s groundbreaking gay teen rom-com Love, Simon is bitter – and therefore, funny as all hell – about overseeing amateur teens in a student production of Cabaret. Hey, she had an oh-so-prestigious part in The Lion King musical! (As, um, an extra.)

But Ms. Albright is a dogged ally for life, demonstrating heartfelt compassion for her LGBTQ students when Simon and his queer schoolmate, Ethan, are bullied in the lunchroom. Enter Ms. Albright, who breaks up the fight in true Ms. Albright fashion: “That’s mine now,” she scolds, confiscating the bullies’ speaker. “I’m’ma sell it, get my tubes tied.”

Rothwell knows the teacher life well: She was a high school teacher in the Bronx for four years. Queer students confided in her, some even came out to her. Now, the 37-year-old actress and former SNL writer returns for a third season of actress-writer Issa Rae’s terrific HBO comedy Insecure, as Issa’s freewheeling, zero-fucks friend Kelli. And no details on her role just yet – she couldn’t reveal any during our recent interview, sorry – but Rothwell is also set to star in director Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman sequel.

Plenty to chat about until then, though, including the importance of LGBTQ inclusion in her projects and her reaction to the criticism Love, Simon received for not being progressive enough.

Why do you think the women on Insecure have resonated with the queer community? 

I think what attracts the queer community to Insecure is authenticity and seeing a group of women being celebrated on television for being their authentic selves. The courage that it takes for marginalized groups like the LGBTQIA community to be authentic – it’s so difficult and so brave and so admirable to do so that when you see a group of people doing that on screen I can understand why that resonates with the queer community. I feel that way when I see other marginalized groups of people on TV shown as full-fledged characters. I’m like, “Yes, yes, yes!”

It should be noted how effortlessly LGBTQIA just rolled off your tongue. You didn’t stumble over a single letter. 

(Laughs) I think having been a part of Love, Simon and doing press for that I was like, “I’m gonna get this! They’re not gonna get me on camera or on tape!” Because I’m an ally through and through, and they better know I know what I’m talking about. (Laughs)

So, Kelli: Surely her unapologetic boldness – I mean, in season two, she got fingered at a diner – resonates with the community. 

(Laughs) She was living her best life. She’s not gonna apologize for it. Until I got into my 30s, I felt like I was apologizing for being a woman, for being black. The beauty of playing Kelli is I get to have a character match how I now feel, and I get to play a woman who’s never known any different. Like, I imagine this is Kelli from the crib; when she was an infant, till now, she’s only ever known this version of herself. I love playing someone who doesn’t experience doubt in the way I do.

Do you write Kelli? 

We all write Kelli. We’ll do internal table reads of the script and I’ll sit down and get to see what the other room was working on, and I’m like, “Oh shit, I’m getting fingered? OK!” It’s a real team effort to develop her and all the characters.

You’ve cited Lily Tomlin as an influence. How did she influence your comedic voice? 

Female comedians that weren’t trapped by femininity is what resonated with me most. She was such a chameleon, subverting expectations. She plays a little girl (Edith Ann) and she’s sitting in this giant, oversized chair and having this monologue, and she’s so playful and inventive and completely embodies the POV of a small child, and using her body to tell a story. I just remember watching that and being obsessed.

You’re writing a rom-com called Bridal Recall for Paramount Pictures, and you also have a development deal with HBO to write and produce and star in your own project. Will the queer community have a place in those projects? 

If I have a say. To me, I don’t think talking about inclusion and diversity is enough. We have to do it in actuality and in action. One of the brilliant things about Issa’s writers’ room? It’s not all black. We have representation from all over the spectrum. We have different sexualities represented, different ethnicities represented, and we can tell a nuanced story that way. So, I have every intention of making my writers’ room reflect the nuance that I want to tell in those stories, that I feel make worthwhile stories.

What did it mean to you to be a part of Love, Simon? 

It meant everything. When I read the script and the book, I was just honored that I could participate in a project that really felt bigger than myself. The response has been insane and continues to be. People are discovering the movie even still and are responding to it in a really visceral way. I imagine it being that way for young people of color watching Black Panther for the first time. To me, that’s powerful to see your story represented and it’s not – it’s a love story first and a coming out story second.

It’s one of the things where it’s just, I want more of this. I want more people to see themselves represented in this very specific, common way that straight white people have had the privilege of. So, I want to see more of those stories being told, because I’m a child of the ’80s. John Hughes is my jam, and I loved Pretty in Pink and Sixteen Candles. So, to see this story get that treatment was a magical thing. I will be forever grateful to Greg Berlanti for thinking that I could play Ms. Albright. He’s such a wonderful man and encouraged me and brought me to tears. He pulled me aside after I finished shooting and he was just like, “I have the same feeling about you I did when I directed Melissa McCarthy.” And I was like, “You just said a lot in that sentence!” And then I burst into tears. (Laughs)

Do gay fans recognize you as Ms. Albright on the street? 

I don’t get “Hey, Ms. Albright!” I live in West Hollywood and the LGBTQIA community is en masse here and I love it. So, I’ll get recognized from Love, Simon and as Kelli, sometimes at the same time. It’s a great community, and I feel so welcomed and thankful for it.

In an episode during season two of Insecure, you and Issa call out Molly for being revolted by a male suitor because he has sexual history with another man. The episode acknowledges a glaring double-standard between men and women, and also hypermasculinity in black versus white communities. What part did you play in bringing that storyline to light? 

We all talked about our experiences and something that would give us pause before entering into a relationship, or something that we wouldn’t even stop and think twice about. It varied by gender, by sexuality, by age. What boiled up to the top was the hypertoxic masculinity of communities of color, especially the black community. So, we really loved to present that specific part of the show to our audience because it caused conversation around the topic. One of the things that I love about our show is we don’t present answers – we present questions. We want people to have these conversations in a public way.

Recently, a massive Twitterstorm ignited when GQ featured the straight male cast in a photo spread that some deemed “gay.” One of the featured actors, Sarunas Jackson, called out the homophobic tone of the comments. I’m thinking, we’ve already been here. 

We’ve already been here, we already did this, guys. We’ve already evolved. Let’s just move on. But this just goes to show that continued conversation and continued moments for educating yourself are helpful. One of the more palpable things that I think that photo spread did was spark that conversation again, so people can really, once and for all, understand their own toxic masculinity. I was shocked by the number of women jumping on board. I’m like, you were indoctrinated to think that way, and we have to unlearn some things in order to be the progressive, thoughtful, inclusive people that I know we are capable of being.

You responded to people who don’t feel represented by Insecure by telling them, well, then you tell your story, because no one story can encompass all of our stories. Love, Simon received similar criticism for featuring a white man in its lead role, versus someone of color. Would you respond to that criticism in the same way? 

Absolutely. I think I would be remiss to say, “We did it guys. Let’s pack it up! We fixed it! We fixed inclusion in Hollywood!” I think that would be a gross mistake to be made. I don’t look at Insecure and even see myself represented all the time and I write on the show, because this is a story. This is Issa and her girlfriend in Inglewood, California. But what it requires is more art to be made to reflect those things that aren’t being shown. Let’s tell those stories because, if there’s anything I’ve learned when really resonating with audiences lately, it’s a hunger for diversity.

source https://hotspotsmagazine.com/2018/09/20/love-simon-star-natasha-rothwell-is-here-to-school-the-world/ from Hot Spots Magazine https://hotspotsmagazin.blogspot.com/2018/09/love-simon-star-natasha-rothwell-is.html

[hotspotsmagazine]

‘Love, Simon’ Star Natasha Rothwell is Here to School the World

Oh, sure, actress Natasha Rothwell’s scene-stealing drama teacher in out director Greg Berlanti’s groundbreaking gay teen rom-com Love, Simon is bitter – and therefore, funny as all hell – about overseeing amateur teens in a student production of Cabaret. Hey, she had an oh-so-prestigious part in The Lion King musical! (As, um, an extra.)

But Ms. Albright is a dogged ally for life, demonstrating heartfelt compassion for her LGBTQ students when Simon and his queer schoolmate, Ethan, are bullied in the lunchroom. Enter Ms. Albright, who breaks up the fight in true Ms. Albright fashion: “That’s mine now,” she scolds, confiscating the bullies’ speaker. “I’m’ma sell it, get my tubes tied.”

Rothwell knows the teacher life well: She was a high school teacher in the Bronx for four years. Queer students confided in her, some even came out to her. Now, the 37-year-old actress and former SNL writer returns for a third season of actress-writer Issa Rae’s terrific HBO comedy Insecure, as Issa’s freewheeling, zero-fucks friend Kelli. And no details on her role just yet – she couldn’t reveal any during our recent interview, sorry – but Rothwell is also set to star in director Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman sequel.

Plenty to chat about until then, though, including the importance of LGBTQ inclusion in her projects and her reaction to the criticism Love, Simon received for not being progressive enough.

Why do you think the women on Insecure have resonated with the queer community? 

I think what attracts the queer community to Insecure is authenticity and seeing a group of women being celebrated on television for being their authentic selves. The courage that it takes for marginalized groups like the LGBTQIA community to be authentic – it’s so difficult and so brave and so admirable to do so that when you see a group of people doing that on screen I can understand why that resonates with the queer community. I feel that way when I see other marginalized groups of people on TV shown as full-fledged characters. I’m like, “Yes, yes, yes!”

It should be noted how effortlessly LGBTQIA just rolled off your tongue. You didn’t stumble over a single letter. 

(Laughs) I think having been a part of Love, Simon and doing press for that I was like, “I’m gonna get this! They’re not gonna get me on camera or on tape!” Because I’m an ally through and through, and they better know I know what I’m talking about. (Laughs)

So, Kelli: Surely her unapologetic boldness – I mean, in season two, she got fingered at a diner – resonates with the community. 

(Laughs) She was living her best life. She’s not gonna apologize for it. Until I got into my 30s, I felt like I was apologizing for being a woman, for being black. The beauty of playing Kelli is I get to have a character match how I now feel, and I get to play a woman who’s never known any different. Like, I imagine this is Kelli from the crib; when she was an infant, till now, she’s only ever known this version of herself. I love playing someone who doesn’t experience doubt in the way I do.

Do you write Kelli? 

We all write Kelli. We’ll do internal table reads of the script and I’ll sit down and get to see what the other room was working on, and I’m like, “Oh shit, I’m getting fingered? OK!” It’s a real team effort to develop her and all the characters.

You’ve cited Lily Tomlin as an influence. How did she influence your comedic voice? 

Female comedians that weren’t trapped by femininity is what resonated with me most. She was such a chameleon, subverting expectations. She plays a little girl (Edith Ann) and she’s sitting in this giant, oversized chair and having this monologue, and she’s so playful and inventive and completely embodies the POV of a small child, and using her body to tell a story. I just remember watching that and being obsessed.

You’re writing a rom-com called Bridal Recall for Paramount Pictures, and you also have a development deal with HBO to write and produce and star in your own project. Will the queer community have a place in those projects? 

If I have a say. To me, I don’t think talking about inclusion and diversity is enough. We have to do it in actuality and in action. One of the brilliant things about Issa’s writers’ room? It’s not all black. We have representation from all over the spectrum. We have different sexualities represented, different ethnicities represented, and we can tell a nuanced story that way. So, I have every intention of making my writers’ room reflect the nuance that I want to tell in those stories, that I feel make worthwhile stories.

What did it mean to you to be a part of Love, Simon? 

It meant everything. When I read the script and the book, I was just honored that I could participate in a project that really felt bigger than myself. The response has been insane and continues to be. People are discovering the movie even still and are responding to it in a really visceral way. I imagine it being that way for young people of color watching Black Panther for the first time. To me, that’s powerful to see your story represented and it’s not – it’s a love story first and a coming out story second.

It’s one of the things where it’s just, I want more of this. I want more people to see themselves represented in this very specific, common way that straight white people have had the privilege of. So, I want to see more of those stories being told, because I’m a child of the ’80s. John Hughes is my jam, and I loved Pretty in Pink and Sixteen Candles. So, to see this story get that treatment was a magical thing. I will be forever grateful to Greg Berlanti for thinking that I could play Ms. Albright. He’s such a wonderful man and encouraged me and brought me to tears. He pulled me aside after I finished shooting and he was just like, “I have the same feeling about you I did when I directed Melissa McCarthy.” And I was like, “You just said a lot in that sentence!” And then I burst into tears. (Laughs)

Do gay fans recognize you as Ms. Albright on the street? 

I don’t get “Hey, Ms. Albright!” I live in West Hollywood and the LGBTQIA community is en masse here and I love it. So, I’ll get recognized from Love, Simon and as Kelli, sometimes at the same time. It’s a great community, and I feel so welcomed and thankful for it.

In an episode during season two of Insecure, you and Issa call out Molly for being revolted by a male suitor because he has sexual history with another man. The episode acknowledges a glaring double-standard between men and women, and also hypermasculinity in black versus white communities. What part did you play in bringing that storyline to light? 

We all talked about our experiences and something that would give us pause before entering into a relationship, or something that we wouldn’t even stop and think twice about. It varied by gender, by sexuality, by age. What boiled up to the top was the hypertoxic masculinity of communities of color, especially the black community. So, we really loved to present that specific part of the show to our audience because it caused conversation around the topic. One of the things that I love about our show is we don’t present answers – we present questions. We want people to have these conversations in a public way.

Recently, a massive Twitterstorm ignited when GQ featured the straight male cast in a photo spread that some deemed “gay.” One of the featured actors, Sarunas Jackson, called out the homophobic tone of the comments. I’m thinking, we’ve already been here. 

We’ve already been here, we already did this, guys. We’ve already evolved. Let’s just move on. But this just goes to show that continued conversation and continued moments for educating yourself are helpful. One of the more palpable things that I think that photo spread did was spark that conversation again, so people can really, once and for all, understand their own toxic masculinity. I was shocked by the number of women jumping on board. I’m like, you were indoctrinated to think that way, and we have to unlearn some things in order to be the progressive, thoughtful, inclusive people that I know we are capable of being.

You responded to people who don’t feel represented by Insecure by telling them, well, then you tell your story, because no one story can encompass all of our stories. Love, Simon received similar criticism for featuring a white man in its lead role, versus someone of color. Would you respond to that criticism in the same way? 

Absolutely. I think I would be remiss to say, “We did it guys. Let’s pack it up! We fixed it! We fixed inclusion in Hollywood!” I think that would be a gross mistake to be made. I don’t look at Insecure and even see myself represented all the time and I write on the show, because this is a story. This is Issa and her girlfriend in Inglewood, California. But what it requires is more art to be made to reflect those things that aren’t being shown. Let’s tell those stories because, if there’s anything I’ve learned when really resonating with audiences lately, it’s a hunger for diversity.

from Hotspots! Magazine https://hotspotsmagazine.com/2018/09/20/love-simon-star-natasha-rothwell-is-here-to-school-the-world/

[yahoo-shutdown-corner-blog]

Eagles' Malcolm Jenkins puts it in black and white: 'You aren't listening'

Malcolm Jenkins has said a lot over the last year. The Philadelphia Eagles safety has given interviews in the team’s locker room, in the halls of the U.S. Capitol, on a riser in an empty department store in the Mall of America in the days before Super Bowl LII, explaining again and again what he’d like to see change when it comes to inconsistencies in the criminal justice system and what he’s done to help bring those changes to bear.

Apparently, he’s had enough talking.

‘You aren’t listening’

On Wednesday, when media flooded the Eagles’ facility to get their thoughts on the team being uninvited from the White House by President Donald Trump, Jenkins was ready.

The 30-year-old two-time Super Bowl champion had several large poster boards pre-written, and held them up one at a time, as reporters tried to ask him questions.

He did not respond to any of them verbally.

Instead of speaking, Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins used a series of hand-written signs to send a message on Wednesday. (Mike Garafolo/Twitter)

“You aren’t listening,” one of them said in huge letters.

‘Are you not going to say anything today?’

Some reporters sounded annoyed with Jenkins, with one asking, “What aren’t we listening to?” when he held up the “you aren’t listening” sign and another asking “how are you going to take steps this offseason?” toward social  justice, which shows that reporter doesn’t know much about Jenkins, or at minimum hasn’t googled him.

All the while, Jenkins kept holding up his signs, which featured different facts:

“Nearly 200,000 juveniles enter the adult criminal justice system each year, most for non-violent crimes”;

“Colin Kaepernick gave $1 million to charity”;

“Chris Long gave his entire year’s salary to educational initiatives”;

“Devin McCourty, Duron Harmon, Matt Slater and Johnson Bademosi lobbied [in Massachusetts] to raise the age from 7 to 12 entering the criminal justice system”

And there were several others.

Instead of speaking, Malcolm Jenkins holds up signs at his locker to get his message across. pic.twitter.com/mg9JdhFgYZ

— Sheil Kapadia (@SheilKapadia) June 6, 2018

On Tuesday, Jenkins posted a lengthy message on social media, also spelling out some of the actions he and other NFL players have taken to try to better their communities and asking for everyone to show empathy.

Despite repeated declarations that their protests – Jenkins raised his right fist during the anthem in the early part of last season – have nothing to do with the military, some continue to push forward with the lie that players are being disrespectful of servicemen and women.

The evidence has been there for months

Jenkins and other players continue to be criticized in some circles for “not doing anything,” despite a great deal of evidence to the contrary, evidence that Jenkins spelled out in black and white.

On Monday night, Fox News used photos of several Eagles players kneeling in prayer during a story about Trump’s decision to revoke the club’s invitation to celebrate its Super Bowl LII win at the White House; the fact is, no Philadelphia player kneeled during the anthem during the regular season or playoffs last year.

One of the players shown, Zach Ertz, took to Twitter to express his anger, writing in part, “Praying with my teammates before games…is being used for your propaganda?! Just sad.”

The network aired an apology on Tuesday night.

More from Yahoo Sports: • MLB draft pick explains Obama assassination tweet • Terez Paylor: As Trump wages war on NFL, players grow tired of ‘lies’ • ‘Damn cameras’: LeBron didn’t know clip went viral • Perkins warns Warriors: I’m not the ‘problem’ they want