#wtf 50s hollywood

[alishaaxo]

GUYS DANNY ELFMAN IS FACING SA LAWSUITS…

I GUESS HE REALLY MEANT IT WHEN HE SAID “I LOVE LITTLE GIRLS”

IT WASNT SATIRE ON HOLLYWOOD, IT WAS THE TRUTH 😭😭

[socgf]

the outsiders bts tea from rob lowe's book: part 1 (casting)

okay i am reading rob lowe's autobiography and taking notes on anything the outsiders related! this first part is some personal background as well as the casting for the outsiders.

i know some of this is already common knowledge about their audition process but i thought rob had some interesting insights/ways of describing it so thought i would share. 😁 also i am recording every word he says about matt dillon because that's my man

ch 1-8: early life and acting idrc

at 15 rob gets a role in a tv sitcom, "a new kind of family” - this is when he first starts being seen as a teen idol, he's only 15 and getting fan mail from men in jail asking to see him shirtless :( and girls chase him around and basically jump him, they steal his shoelaces (?) he writes a lot about how he hates this ear piercing scream of teenage girls

he moves to santa monica and becomes friends with the LA actors crowd, mostly through his high school - he’s friends with the sheens and penns, robert downey jr, emilio estevez

charlie sheen is a freak and sometimes wears a bulletproof vest to school and is a huge conspiracy theorist but we knew he was a weirdo

but the tv show flops and he has trouble landing acting gigs for a while, he feels like a has been at 17, thinks of doing something else with his life, is ready to go into usc

in december 1982, he’s told he can audition for the outsiders - it’s basically his last chance

ch 9: the audition process part 1

LA auditions: tom cruise, emilio estevez, tommy howell

every male actor in hollywood between ages of 15 and 30 were being asked to audition

coppola didnt even know the outsiders existed until one middle school liked the book so much that they petitioned it to be made into a movie and he was like okay

rob says s.e. wrote the outsiders set in the 50s? maybe a writing mistake but i think that’s so funny if he actually thought it was in the 50s this whole time

rob sees emilio at the soundstage for the audition among 25 other actors, the audition is nothing like he's seen before, emilio is wearing a ‘ridiculous looking pompadour’ and rob asks him wtf is going on, emilio is like “hey what can i say it’s francis” - his dad genuinely almost died of a heart attack working for coppola on apocalypse now

side note the filming process of apocalypse now is absolutely INSANE - sickness everywhere, a tapeworm coming out of martin’s driver’s mouth at one point, playboy bunnies were just written into the film etc

everyone is leaving the auditions miserable except for this one guy who comes out all happy, telling rob and emilio that francis sent all the actors away except for him - rob describes him as friendly and funny but having a robotic, bloodless, focused intensity (tom cruise btw)

francis keeps switching everyone’s parts and having them read each others parts in front of the other actors

tom reads for sodapop randy darry and dally!

rob reads for sodapop and randy

emilio reads for sodapop and darry

the auditions have this insane setup of a table with a small light and 4 chairs in the middle of a dark room, everyone who’s not in the scene is circling around watching- he describes it like a boxing match

he says tom looks like he wants to bash his brains in and steal his role from him

1st lineup: dennis quaid as darryl, scot bayo as sodapop, tommy howell as ponyboy

tommy is so lowkey he doesn’t seem like he’s trying, but also seems very real and authentic, he looks like a baby

tommy is stonefaced and cool the entire time he’s watching others, they can’t believe he’s only 15

mickey rourke comes in and rob says he looks dirty and homeless lol francis worships him

2nd lineup: rob and tommy play their respective roles with john laughlin as darry

robs entire career lowkey rests on the soda crying monologue, he’s only able to cry because he sees tommy’s eyes water for him (aw)

francis gets mad at some of the actors for pronouncing soc as sock LOLLLL

the role of sodapop is most coveted after ponyboy, it’s supposed to be huge, romantic, with the big breakdown scene at the end - he will bring this back later i assume with how he was upset about it being cut

NYC auditions: matt dillon, ralph macchio

they fly to new york for the next round of auditions

on the flight together rob tommy emilio and tom are ‘working a cute stewardess for alcohol’ lol and become friends - this is like the LA squad

the new york actors make up the other group which is kinda fighting for roles against this LA group, they’re tough, intense, serious

the actors stay at the plaza hotel and they’re told they need to share rooms

as soon as tom hears this he calls his agent and rob literally does an impression of him “uh paul? they’re making us share 😠” he is certain this is not right and wants this fixed asap, he’s already a diva

the boys go out to times square and get super drunk

next morning is what rob calls the east coast vs. west coast acting brawl (screentest time)

rob’s impressions of the other actors below:

matt dillon

matt is already a huge teen idol, he’s pretty intimidated by him

he’s reading the part of dallas - “and by reading i mean reading, he’s holding the entire script with his eyes locked on the text” - idk what he means by this i thought this is what they’re supposed to do.. whatever

after a while he puts it down and is paraphrasing completely, adlibbing, making up dialogue while the other actors try to keep up with him

he can’t tell if francis told him to freestyle it or not - if so, he’s got the part locked in and if he didn’t, then matt dillon has “dangling, clanking, scary big elephant balls”

ralph macchio

he recognizes ralph because they were competing for a part in ‘eight is enough’

describes him as a tiny kid, bro is 21

he says it’s clear he’s the front runner for johnny

ralph says him and matt have only been reading for their respective parts and have been doing so for days (together btw) (it’s clear the dally-johnny dynamic is very important to francis)

this is very interesting to me!!! how everyone else was so in between parts and matt and ralph were just. locked in from the start. and paired.

tom comes in and is asked to do sodapop, he is nailing the breakdown and rob’s like ‘i’m done that’s it’ - he is a force to be reckoned with

then tom stops in the middle of the scene!! and says “this just isn’t working for me i’m sorry”, francis lets him try again but it doesn’t hit so that’s how he loses the role basically

rob does the scene and crushes it

that’s all for chapter 9, no one is casted yet. the only greaser not mentioned at auditions at this point is patrick, i assume he will get to that + diane lane + others in the next part though, and it’ll also cover the dynamic between the cast once they already get the roles

pt 2 coming soon hopefully some more juicy stuff 😋

[terezipyropescrocs]

saw the barbie movie and am finally free to be a Hater on main without being accused of criticizing something without having watched it- anyway here is a non-exhaustive list of my Thoughts

this movie could have been nothing but fun dance numbers :(

i will say.........i like the costumes and barbieland set design. comparatively the way the real world is shot is so drab and visually uninteresting imo which. i don't feel is great given how much time we spend in it and that barbie ends up living there

the fact that barbies are supposedly affected by the people playing with them but they all act like..... That. just how shallow do they think kids imaginations are? why is there only one "weird" barbie???

admittedly i've never been to LA so maybe i'm completely off-base here but am i expected to believe that ken is automatically respected and admired (but not ogled! with no undertones of violence!) just for existing while my man is constantly dressed like he walked straight from a pride parade

on that note there was a lot of queer subtext/references but it was all very... wink wink nudge nudge in a way that honestly felt a little, idk, uncomfortable to me? but nothing overtly inclusive or even that subversive really

like with the construction workers scene i honestly can't tell if this was meant to be a trans positive moment or just a joke about them being dolls but if so it's like. you have these sexist catcallers but they support trans identities...? literally just as incoherent as everything else going on in this movie

why is barbie simply allowed to walk right into a school cafeteria

gloria and her daughter's relationship and the conflict between them was... very ill defined aside from the apparently all consuming and ever present suffocation of Womanhood™ like wtf is with sasha's line about hating women being the one thing everyone agrees on???? it's the kind of pseudo-pithy cynicism-laced quote that i would expect from a bitter 50s housewife or aging hollywood star, not a teenage girl who, idk, overuses buzzwords?

actually come to think of it pretty much all the female relationships in this movie are very surface-level and hinge almost exclusively on their shared gender identity and not much else!

the fact that all of the barbies were brainwashed to the point where they couldn't even remember their own achievements from ken mansplaining the patriarchy to them.......... and the fact that this is """explained""" with a fucked up and insensitive smallpox joke......... i am mad enough to spit tacks actually

pretty much the only thing i could think of during gloria's big feminist speech and subsequent appeals to the brainwashed barbies is that nothing she's saying actually applies to any of the dolls' experiences "You have to be their mommies but not remind them of their mommy." they don't have parents gloria

the use of push by matchbox twenty in the context of the movie sure is a Choice, seeing as the singer based it off a relationship where he was being emotionally abused by his girlfriend but had the lyrics widely misinterpreted as misogynistic.... anyway.

the way that all of the kens (and even allan) resort to violence and all of the barbies defeat them using manipulation and ~feminine wiles~.. thanks i hate it

i did like how the kens seemed to overcome their differences through singing and holding hands. also fellas is it toxic masculinity to want your girlfriend To see the man behind the tan / And fight for me?

confused by ken's "kenough" revelation from talking to barbie because he.... literally just sang all of that? I’m just Ken / And I’m enough / And I’m great at doing stuff / So, hey, check me out / Yeah, I’m just Ken is that all supposed to be just bravado? it's the same message but he needed barbie to articulate it to him for it to sink in. hm.

feel like barbie's motives for wanting to live in the real world could have been explored better because tbh... the pitch wasn't great!

like her arc is genuinely: experience insecurity for the first time ever because someone else was projecting it onto her > get over said insecurity (that till this point she had never struggled with) because that same person made a speech > gynecologist

not that gloria, the woc who all of barbie's issues represent and originated from gets any kind of satisfying resolution of her own other than pitching "everyday barbie"

the fact that barbie gaining an expanded range of emotions, many of which are negative, indicates that she is no longer a barbie and has to live in the real world to be fufilled- even though all of the insecurities barbie gained from entering a world that doesn't value her and not having a specific career, ken already HAD. men are automatically more human by default ig!!!

people saying that whole point of the ending is that barbieland is a mirror to the real world and the kens will only gain equality when women do as if it's not explicitly stated that the kens have LESS power and influence then women under the patriarchy... but that's fine because the barbies are nicer then men in the real world and kens have to earn their rights because we don't want to reward bad behavior and they need to prove their competence first /s

saw some other butches mention this but the fact that sasha dresses increasingly feminine to represent her character growth and overcoming internalized misogyny is an unfortunate trope

there was absolutely nothing that made me go "oh!!!" as a fan of the animated barbie movies + life in the dreamhouse, or someone who has the most basic understanding of barbie lore (they have one version of midge, skipper, and allan, but no chelsea, teresa, nikki, RAQUELLE, etc.?)

"stereotypical barbie" Her Name Is Barbara Millicent Roberts

[alittlefrenchtree]

I've finally rewatch Dune at home!

I had seen it 6 or 7 times during the two months following its release and always in theater so it was kind of a new first time for me and of course I have thoughts.

I'm mad at the Warner again. Having seen the movie in a regular at home screen I can't believe someone WHO IS SUPPOSED TO WORK WITH AND KNOW MOVIES thought it was a good idea to release it on streaming platform the way it has been done. Like wtf bro ??! I'm not even kidding when I say 50% of the power of the movie is lost if you don't properly see it on a theater. To think people may have watched it for the first time on a laptop with a shitty sound system or Shai-Hulud forbid on a FREAKING phone, I want to die a little. The stupid Warner deserved way more than a Legendary hoodie on SNL. The stupid Warner deserved to be burned.

That being said, I love this movie so much. It's 2+ hours of a treat and for every second there is either something interesting to see or to listen to or something beautiful to look at or all of the above. Every frame is so good, every casting choice is so good, every edit decision is so good, every sound is so good. Be blessed, cher Denis Villeneuve, be blessed.

Last but not least, I NEED ALIA INFORMATIONS. I'M BEGGING UNIVERSE, PLEASE. Can't believe we are flooded with useless informations the second a man and a woman start breathing the same air in a room BUT NO ONE IN WHOLE FREAKING HOLLYWOOD CAN LEAK A THING ABOUT ALIA. Damn.

[nessa007]

ppl who said Ryan was "too old" are about to be proved wrong by that box office $$$$$ he's about to rake in. he's hilarious and perfect for this role. and also gorgeous??? A TRUE BEAUTY KEN. "I saw a ken face down in the mud and texted Greta a pic with I must tell this man's tale" xD also there's never a person (until RECENTLY) saying the female actors aren't cast old enough (I'm not taking about Margo). The viral moment a little while ago was when Emmy Rossum was cast as Tom Holland's mom (and it's only because it's Tom hype it was noticed, I love him but still this has been happening since cinema has existed) she's only ten years older than him. That just happened in a Jessica Chastain movie like two years ago and no one said anything. My neices were watching a utube soap and I kid you not the "mom" was the SAME AGE. It's every movie; every show. I'm so happy Halle was cast as Ariel - appropriate age!!! I understand productions cast older teens/young adults rather than kids because then they can cut corners with union rights/demands like kids needing more breaks and parents on sets and like... basic human decency. also shows like R!verdale have teens sleeping together every weeek and sexy shots yada yada that actual teens WOULD NOT be permitted to do in filming (thank god they have intimacy coordinators now FINALLY). I forget who pointed it out, but you never see a news woman with grey hair. On a man it's distinguished on a woman it's ugly or she's a crone. I'll watch movies where they cast a 30 something woman and make her 50 by graying her hair. Like wtf? Anytime I'm watching a high school scene with a friend I say "none of those people are high schoolers". I'm an actor who's repeatedly told I AM LUCKY MY FACE LOOKS YOUNGER THAN I AM. This is going to last me about what 3 years? 2? I was just basically let go from a gig because FB feedback on photos were I looked "too old" for a character and it was because our boss was casting TEENAGERS illegally so yeah, of course I'm going to look about 80 years old (at 31) next to a 13 year old. She said "we're going to cast you as older roles" yeah we NEVER get requests for those. I wonder why. Okay, sorry for the rant... These reasons are why I'm so happy for Ryan. Prove the haters wrong and hopefully more light is shed on this too old/too young/ageism issue as a whole. Perfect moments and the movie hasn't even come out: THE JUST KEN SONG I DIDN'T KNOW WOULD HAPPEN JUST DROPPED?!

He thought of the KEN underwear!!

he's not afraid to poke fun at himself, wear pink a whole movie and funny outfits and dye his hair - so many "action movie" macho men actors would NEVER. this is the same guy from Blade Runner, Drive, The Gray Man (lol for their shoutout to his Ken)

the tassel shaking, "I'll need clicky pen", the changing scenery and outfits montage, rock paper scissors, crossing his fingers when he asks barbie if he can come over xD EVERY MOMENT IS PERFECT.

yeah, sadly ageism is always gonna be a thing with hollywood and especially for women.

i don’t care how old ryan is, he is PERFECT in this role and that’s just judging from the few clips and trailers released. i love seeing all the early reviews saying this will be the role he is remembered for and he steals every scene he’s in 👏👏👏 i’m so excited to see the movie, especially for ryan !!!

[lindszeppelin]

I do think it's very interesting that he said he has "so much love and care" for Vanessa when questioned about her in this newest interview, but, once again, when asked about Kaia, he says basically nothing about her—his actual girlfriend. I get that he wants his privacy, but it just seems strange to me. Why now keep this relationship so locked down when the previous one with V was so openly shared by the both of them? And even back then, he liked his privacy, so...what changed? What do you think changed?

Also, it's not like Kaia hasn't also shared her past relationships with the public. So what the fuck is up with those two? It's a little bit funny when I try to wrap my head around it from the confusion alone lol. I don't think the relationship is 100% fake PR bullshit, but I also don't think it's 100% real. For me, it is somewhere in the middle: 50% real, 50% bullshit (heavy on the bullshit).

YES THANK YOU. You hit this one out of the park. He said lovely things about Vanessa that he had love for her and cared about her and her privacy. Where Kaia is concerned? The man said nothing and continues to say nothing lol. He has more love for his ex than he does for his current gf. Girl now wtf lol. Austin has been private with Vanessa while being open and in obvious love with her. That's how a man should treat a women in this industry that he loves. Not hide her away and pretend to the world that she doesn't exist, because that shows people that you don't give a fuck about her. And clearly he has shown through his lack of words and lack of action that he cares little for her in terms of love, and a long-term partner with potential. I'll tell you what, Aus has never done something like "i hang out with my dog Darla a lot" in place of talking about hanging with Vanessa because he had that respect for her.

At the beginning of a hollywood relationship for them to not talk about eachother, sure that makes sense because it's new. ie Callum and Dua. But Jesus Christ on a bike, after 2 fucking years he still doesn't know how old that dog is and he doesn't show any kind of affection towards Kaia like...hang up the pipe dream y'all shippers! Men who love their woman do not play like this.

[itsawritblr]

Thoughts on the Beetlejuice 2 movie?

Honestly . . . .

*deep breath*

Michael Keaton said that Beetlejuice was "lightning in a bottle." They had no idea WTF they were doing and whether anyone would like it. All the cast members were fairly unknown then; there were no Movie Stars as the main characters. Tim Burton was still on the Hollywood fringe. So everybody involved was pretty unselfconscious about it. Beetlejuice was sort of the equivalent of, "Hey, guys, let's make a goofy scary movie with a bunch of cheap-ass stop-motion, it'll be a fuckin' hoot!"

I remember hearing about it at the time. All the Entertainment Industry was saying, "Burton's next film sounds absolutely ridiculous. It's had three rewrites already."

They were stunned when it became massive hit.

This time Warner Bros, Burton & Co. know Beej has a huge fandom. So they're making the film with that in mind. And, in my humble opinion, when you self-consciously make something to please people you get clunky and messy.

Michael Keaton, bless his heart and I love the guy, is too old. He's 72. I have a lot of doubts whether he can capture the manic energy of Beej again. I mean, he basically created the character, but still, I've seen Keaton in recent roles and I definitely notice he's way older. The little bit I saw of him as Batman in The Flash made me cringe a bit.

I don't know the sequel's plot, but if they have Beej going after Lydia's daughter Imma gonna be pissed. I only Ship Beej + Lyds. I'd love Beej trying to win back older Lydia, and her, now a woman who is/was evidently married (maybe), and who has a kid, fighting against temptation. What 50+ year old woman wouldn't want to leave dull middle-age and hook up with a poltergeist?

The moment I saw this

I really ground my teeth. It made me think of the old Robot Chicken skit of Beej married with a kid, still going to see Lydia. But Beej married????? NO no no nono.

If Beej is Lydia's kid's father . . . they're going to have to fill me in on all the backstory about THAT.

I don't trust the screenwriters to have gotten it right. I don't trust Tim Burton. His last several movies have all been shit (I enjoy Dumbo in spite of its many, crappy flaws). It's like Burton comes up with great ideas and then fucks up their execution. I haven't seen Wednesday so maybe I'm wrong, maybe he's bounced back. But I'm worried he Greenlit the Beej project because he thought, "We're getting too old, we need to do this now, before either Keaton or me dies," so he accepted a less than polished screenplay.

I want to be proven wrong. I want to walk out of Beetlejuice 2 laughing and yelling, "IT WAS FANTASTIC!" I'd love that.

I don't believe for a second I will.

What do you think, Anon?

Also, it better not have any references to that wet turd of a musical. I doubt it will. Both Michael Keaton and Tim Burton kept their distance from it. I wouldn't be surprised if one of the reasons Burton decided to greenlight the sequel was to return Beetlejuice to its original canon. He and Keaton, who basically invented Beej, had no involvement whatsoever with the musical; that was all Warner Brothers' baby.

[backonmybullship]

Stop making everything about race, wtf is wrong with you. If you are POC you don't really care much about race. I'm from Chile/dark skin (black)/whatever you want to call me, and you pressing for this non existing narrative on the show, is so immature.

The rookie has so much portrayal of all individuals in a very truthful matter, so what if most of the castmates/characters are white/white passing? News flash, majority of Americans are white or look white. But I guess you already knew that, bc I'm going to take a wild guess and say you are American— since you care much about race and built in this out dated narratives because you just love being the whining centre of attention.

Vete a tocar grama/sal a tu patio y mira el sol o mejor aun crece un poco. Se te ve la cara verde de lo envidioso que sos. Haznos un favor a todos y pon otra cosa en la tele. Tienes derecho a opinar del show sin embargo no puedo poner calumnias, de 'hechos' que no son factuales. Estos personajes son mas que sus colores de piel, y si vos no puedes verlos mas de ahi pues ya el problema es tuyo. Para de ser racista. Por que si vos sos racista con un grupo de personas, pues igual sos para todos.

En fin. Bloquead@ estas.

Buenas noches racista!

Actually 50% of Los Angeles is Latino and that means that more of LA is black or Asian or native or anything else that's not white

Hollywood which is an industry I also work in as a crew member is still ridiculously dominated by white men. Especially the writers and directors. That's why shows like Abbott Elementary are such a big deal I've met Quinta and also the head writer Brittany while out on the picket line and thanked them for doing what they do and how they're changing this entire industry so yeah LA is majority non-white but somehow Hollywood isn't and you can tell how privileged and white by what they write.

My favorite part is that you wrote some of it in Spanish like I can't translate that.

I'm glad you got to vent. I've been on this website so long that anon messages like this literally do not phase me whatsoever. I'm going to answer you and then I'm going to continue to do what I do, I'm not going to change.

Imagine if people had some angry person like you in their inbox and then were so insecure that they changed for some rando on the internet? Nobody changes because you vented in their inbox, sorry that's not how that works. Like I wonder what your ideal outcome is for this I would like to know what you actually want to come from all of this?

Sorry you're having a bad day.

[peppermintbuttlemon]

stalkers stay d e l u s i o n a l

https://x.com/sickboyangelboy/status/1784179096395608329?s=46

I looked him up he’s a 50 year old man??

See the problem here is hot girls finding mid guys hot. This MUST STOP. How come all women in Hollywood have to be hot but all the men are allowed to be mid/straight up ugly af??? wtf?? This gives real life normal men HOPE and worse yet AUDACITY to feel entitled to beautiful women.

Bring back only gorgeous men in Hollywood! 🪧

[project1939]

100+ Films of 1952 

Film number 107: The Jungle 

Release date: August 1st, 1952 

Studio: Lippert Pictures 

Genre: Adventure 

Director: William Berke, Ellis Dungan 

Producer: T. R. Sundaram, William Berke, Ellis Dungan, Robert L. Lippert 

Actors: Rod Cameron, Cesar Romero, Marie Windsor 

Running Time: 73 minutes 

Plot Summary: An Indian princess returns home to help her people when entire villages are being wiped out by stampeding elephants. A famous white hunter tasked with shooting them comes back with a harrowing tale- the elephants aren’t the real problem- it's... Wooley Mammoths? 

My Rating (out of five stars): *½. Whew, this was bad. Like seriously, it's one of the worst films out of the 107 that I’ve watched! Everything was a mess- the threadbare plot, the acting, the special effects, the music... I’m sure at least 50% of the movie consisted of people just walking... and walking... and walking... 

The Good:

It was shot entirely on location in India. For a low budget film, that was pretty amazing. The views of cities, palaces, and jungles were beautiful and fascinating to take in.  

Much of the cast consisted of actual Indian actors and extras.

Marie Windsor in jodhpurs. Yummy. 

The Bad:

Brownface! The three leads were all Westerners (two whites and one Latino), and two of them were slathered in brown makeup to supposedly make them look like Indians.

The thin thin plot. The actual story was basically a 30-minute drama padded out to more than twice that length. It had more filler than an aging Hollywood actor. 

The structure and pacing. It felt like a rough draft, it was so disjointed and abrupt- “We need exposition! Now let's have some ‘exotic’ culture stuff! Now let’s have an animal fight scene! Now a love triangle! Now another animal fight scene!” Etc etc etc. 

The acting. Rod Cameron as Bentley was the worst offender- he was as wooden as a pile of lumber. Even Marie Windsor was pretty stilted, and she was the reason I wanted to watch the film in the first place. She’s been very good in every other thing I've seen her in. The horrible dialogue here did not do her any favors, I'm sure. 

The special effects. Looking for a laugh? Watch the special effects in this movie!  

The sepia colored film. Instead of black and white, this was filmed in sepia. It just looked muddy, bland, and washed out. 

The use of animals. The animals were transparently there to pad out the run time and add some action unrelated to the plot. We saw boars, bears, leopards, tigers, monkeys, elephants, scorpions, several varieties of snakes... Most of the time they were fighting humans or fighting each other. Instead of being excited by it, I just felt concerned about how humane it all was. 

The non-diegetic music was distracting and monotonous. It tried to be some kind of Hollywood fusion of Eastern and Western, but it only succeeded in being annoying. 

The mind-numbing amount of walking scenes. I might need to check my fitbit to see if anything registered on it! It was just plodding and boring. 

I didn't care about any of the characters. They were all cardboard cutouts that we learned precious little about. 

The utter ridiculousness of the premise. Wooley Mammoths deep in the Indian jungle? Yeah, that tracks. 

Again with the horrible exploitative Lippert movie posters! “10,000 square miles of dangers and a woman was the greatest danger of all!” WTF?! Princess Sita was probably the least dangerous person on the screen! And what about those huge murderous monstrous Mammoths?? 

[dramaintherain]

I've been watching dramas for a decade and a half and it's not about the quality of just netlix dramas ( although most of them look very nice but have the substance of a paper back and the writing quality of a 12 yo writing fanfic for the first time) because like you said there isn't that many of them compared to everything but how they influenced the kdrama industry just like they influenced hollywood (there are multiple articles and industry writers/actors talking about netflix and streaming by extension because companies tried to follow them and the irrevocable damage it has done to how hollywood functions not just for the quality of the art but the livelihood of writers and actors they went from big writers rooms and residuals and recurring spots to mini rooms where they do a huge amount of free work basically no residuals and actors getting paid dust here's one https://www.vulture(dot)com/2023/06/streaming-industry-netflix-max-disney-hulu-apple-tv-prime-video-peacock-paramount.html). No one is saying kdramas were perfect there were a lot of bad shows like there always are, a lot of misogynistic writing a lot of exploitation and there still is, here's how netflix is treating korean labor ( https://www.latimes(dot)com/world-nation/story/2023-08-07/south-korea-actors-netflix-pay-dispute-union). But netflix has changed the game and unlike hollywood which it started disrupting a long time ago it's relatively newer to kdramas, much shorter shows regardless of the story being told ( the actual main leads of song of bandits complained how the show got cut in half after being filmed just... because) and networks are popping out 12 ep shows like clockwork when it should be based on what the story is, 12, 16, 20? Like some of the greatest kdramas of all time weren't 20+ like six flying dragons, reply 1988, cruel city, chief kim, prison playbook, we used to get 20 ep shows and 16 and 12 and for sageuks 30 and 50, now 20 is extinct and the only show doing it is my dearest and it's the biggest rating hit, it should always be a variety, a huge number of shows getting filmed and shelved because networks have cut their slots, westernized shows masquerading as kdramas, shows getting multiple seasons when the story really doesn't call for it. Of course there are still great shows but that's not because of netflix it's in spite of them and just like Hollywood are barely starting to recover due to labor standing up for themselves with the strikes, Korea is gonna take a few years before it looks around and says wtf has happened to us, we had a model that while not perfect, worked and now... It's capitalism through and through and tech bros f*cking up another industry for money.

I have been watching k-dramas for eight years now, and the same critique of "shiny coat of painting but terrible story writing" can be applied to various dramas broadcast outside netflix so I really do not see where this thought is coming from other than narrow nostalgia.

At the same time it is nothing but ludicrous to blame the woes of Hollywood on streaming services as if there were no major issues already. Since the late 1970's-1980's western cinema became monopolised and dependent on blockbuster films based on intellectual property.

Today we are witnessing the zenith of this circumstance as the majority of films available at cinemas are nothing more than reboots or sequels, particularly the super hero gene. This has also spilled over into television series as now there are countless, fast food like shows of a certain Mickey Mouse brand that has accumulated a great deal of intellectual property when it comes to comic book characters.

I am not arguing that streaming services are less exploitative or that they have not taken opportunity of local labour laws and so on with the objective of profiting: that is how they function, just like television networks. The shift towards pre-produced k-dramas is a positive one nonetheless as it is less taxing on those involved in producing k-dramas. "Some of the greatest k-dramas of all time" were shot live and under excruciating conditions for labourers, and this model is and remains unsustainable.

It's a shame "Song of the Bandits" had several of its episodes cut during editing but this is something that happens under any production, be it from a television network or a streaming service. And that often happens because there are doubts whether a show will be successful or not. But none of this suggests that k-dramas are being "westernised" -- these shows reflect South Korean culture and history.

South Korea already has a plethora of national streaming services like TVING which is already planning to expand to the American market in a year so I do not understand why all these changes are being exclusively blamed on one streaming service when this is part of one big wave across the world and television networks are also having their share of the pie. You are effectively romanticising the exploitation of South Korean workers for your own personal consumption while deriding any changes that contribute to lessening their payload: think about that.

[peridotsarelongterm]

DeForest Kelley, Steve Canyon, “Operation Jettison” (1958)

I have to imagine the conversation between the producer and casting director here went something like this:

Producer: Ok, we need a really, really good-looking guy to dress up in a hypermasculine costume and look incredibly hot while being barely visible because of terrible lighting. You know anyone like that?

Casting: *Turns off The Law and Jake Wade and cracks knuckles* Boy, do I. 😏

[cry-bastion]

GALLICO THE GREAT in The Mad Magician (1954)

“Gallico the Great, magician extraordinary!” That’s funny, isn’t it? Gallico the clown, Gallico the stupid fool! There’s one trick you’ve never seen, Ross, that no magician has ever dared to try. But I can’t do it alone, you’ve got to help me. In fact, you’ll be the star!

[sharonfieldstone]

Full Comedy Actors Roundtable | Dan Levy, Kenan Thompson, Kumail Nanjiani, Ramy Youssef, Ricky Gervais

[eugene-my-love]

[romanoffsbish]

A Chance Encounter: Unwanted Attention

Scarlett Johansson x Fem!Reader

Scarlett Johansson x John Doe (Ex)

Jess Valdez(GN!OC) x Fem!Reader (Ex)

Battle of the Exes (Previous)

Warnings: Alcoholism, Biphobic Title, Heavy Grief, Messy Tabloids, Messy Ex.

Smut: Quickie—Thigh riding(R), Teasing.

The following morning you woke up with your head aching, and your phone nonstop pinging. Scarlett stayed the night, holding you close, and leaving you in the dark so that you'd sleep. The sheets beside you were crumpled, but still warm, your tired eyes flitted over to the clock, panic began to fill you as the time read 10am. Angie always woke up at 8am, and you're more than certain Scarlett is tending to her for you.

—————————————————————

Checking your phone next your eyes roam over the hundreds of notifications, something your used to as a social media manager, but never have you experienced it on your personal cell.

-50+ missed calls-

~ Y/N/N, long time no see, but wtf is this? *link* ~

•Jesus, Y/N, I know Jess messed up, but to move on so publicly before the signed paper's were even dry is messed up. My precious granddaughter deserves better than that!•

*Y/N, I'm sorry, I didn't mean for this to happen... Please call me back*

*I tried to stop it... They wouldn't listen, I did it when I was drunk and incredibly angry.*

You ignored Jess's pleas, and instead opened the text from one of your nosy neighbors, clicking the link and gasping at the site.

—————————————————————

Scarlett Johansson—Hollywood's Sweetheart: Went from Home Wrecked to Home Wrecker

Hollywood's Golden Girl: Scarlett Johansson, recently divorced from John Doe after finding he'd cheated on her with his assistant the entirety of her pregnancy, has found herself amidst a slurry of similar claims with a young online mogul—Y/N Y/L/N, who works behind the scenes of many internet brands.

Y/N Y/L/N, legally known as Valdez, is in the middle of a heartbreaking divorce herself, and it seems Scarlett couldn't wait to sink her teeth into the mess that was this young girls heart. It had appeared that Y/N, and Jess Valdez—her spouse, were headed towards a possible reconciliation until the actress shoved herself into the mix. Allegedly preying upon Y/N in her most vulnerable of times after the loss of her precious son—Joshua Valdez.

(Please enjoy this photo of my Josh ❤️)

The Valdez's lost their precious boy October 14th, 2019, in a tragic accident at his school. He died not to long after a fatal blow to his head, and it left the entire family, and their local community distraught. The tragic loss led to a mountain of problems for the couple to face, leading into their prolonged separation, and subsequent divorce.

Jess was heartbroken to say the least upon finding the divorce papers on their desk one morning, and to then see their wife moving on with another so quickly after had only made it that much harder to bare. Jess has made it clear that they're not absolutely innocent, and that they've made their share of mistakes, but none they deemed worthy of such occurrences.

Scarlett and Y/N have been seen out in public, engaging in what appears to be picture perfect familial outings, and Jess fears it's confusing their shared daughter to partake. Jess came to us at the Cosmopolitan with the first access into this heartbreaking story, with the pleas that all those involved in this story will come to their senses, and fulfill their roles.

—

Scarlett Johansson's ex John Doe has shared his statement as well:

Last updated: December 20, 2021–8:03AM; more updates to come.

—————————————————————

Your heart rapidly pounded in your chest, reverberating off your ribs and traveling to every which place one can feel such a thing. The article was making you feel nauseous, the many intimate photos taken of you, and your current lover not even the worst of them, as some of them included the faces of the kids, the innocent little babies who are being mixed up into a fight that was only ever one sided.

Jess not only humiliated you through this article of misinformation, but they used the memory and image of your late son to do it.

Did they think this would win you over?

That their pathetic attempts at showcasing their heartbreak, the one they themselves caused with years of created distance, and the bouts of home wrecking they themselves partook in. As if anything they said was true.

Your body wracked with sobs, bitterness gnawing at your very being for ever giving them the chance at redemption, for believing that the love you once shared was strong enough to repair the initial friendship for the sake of your daughters peace.

Soft giggles just outside the door thankfully caught your attention, you dropped your phone, then skillfully wiped away the fallen tears just in time for your daughters bright form to come barreling in and into your bed.

"Mama!! Scarlett and I made you breakfast! She told me you were tired so we let you sleep in, and then she helped me make you waffles because they're your favorite—right mama?"

Scarlett saw the tear tracks, coupled with the upside down phone and her heart broke seeing that you'd seen one of the many articles she'd wanted to shield you from ever viewing.

"Oh angel, you're just so good to mama, thank you so much."

"Scarlett too!"

"Yes, Scarlett too, she's very good to mama. Thanks honey." You coo, hand gently running down your daughters back, while your sad eyes looked up to your lover, hopeful that she understands just how sorry you were.

Angie tightened her arms around your neck, nuzzling deep into your hold like she did every morning while Scarlett took the spot just before you, settling the tray to the side while trying to silently reassure you that it would all be okay, her hand gently taking your own, and stroking her thumb over the thin layer of skin.

"Angel, do you think you can do mama a favor?"

"Anything!" She mumbles into your shirt, and a ghost of a smile forms on your face at the tickling sensation.

"Can you go get your shower? We're going out today, and I can't have you stinking." You playfully request, feeling as she gasped against your shirt before pushing back from you.

"Mama! I do not stink!"

You giggled as she playfully crawled off of you and to both of your surprise she settled into Scarlett's lap, and the blonde was quick to accept the affection.

"Mama's being a meanie.."

"Oh sweet girl, I'm sorry your mama's being a meanie... I think you smell perfectly fine."

"Scarlett's my new favorite now!" She squeals, then turns to glare at you, causing you to nearly choke over the forkful of waffles.

"Go get your shower stinky." You tease, sticking your tongue out for good measure.

She huffs, but runs out of the room like the obedient little one she is, and as soon as the waters running so are your tears, and Scarlett scoots closer to pull you into her chest.

"It's going to be okay Y/N, I scheduled an interview for tomorrow night on Jimmy Fallon to sort all of this out, I'll clear your name honey; John released a statement on his socials, and in it he stuck up for us. Jess is going to look like a fool after this for hurting you, I promised you I'd protect you, and I clearly failed you here."

Your stomach twisted as she kept on talking, the blame she placed upon herself as if she'd had the control over Jess's impulsive nature.

"Scarlett, th-this isn't your fault, and I'm the one who should be sorry... They tarnished your name, your reputation, and they fucking took pictures of us and spread them, ones with the kids in them. I know how important that anonymity is to you, and I failed to see them. I'm so sorry... Please don't leave..."

"Oh pretty girl, my name has been tarnished many times, it's not hard to repair it when you learn from your mistakes, or in situations like this bring the actual truth to the forefront. As for the kids, it's just as if paparazzi got the shots, you're not the one who took them. Please, don't be silly, I'm not leaving, Jess thinking this would make me do so is hilarious, with all these games they play I'm still not sure they even understand what they lost with you. Four months with you and I know not to do anything to jeopardize this, this has been better than any relationship I've ever been in prior. You're innocent here, and that's final, actually neither of us should be sorry, only Jess."

"Th-they used Josh's image... They gave them a photo of him for some sympathy card, our fucking son as a pawn in their twisted game..."

"Not that I'm saying forgive them honey, but do remember that grief is truly a sick monster, somewhere in their broken mind they believed what they said. That I somehow preyed upon you, and please believe me when I say those magazines can be pretty manipulative too."

"It changes nothing Scar, they did this to hurt me, lied to a journal to manipulate me into forgiving them for the sake of repairing our irreparably broken family. To hurt you, when all you've done is show me the kindness they always failed to. You didn't take advantage of my grief, you swooped in and helped me to process it, you're ten times the partner they ever were, and I'll be damned to let them treat you so poorly."

"What are you doing honey?"

"Public statement time I guess, going to defend you, and myself before I get work emails from companies dropping me."

Scarlett sadly smiled your way, then both your attentions turned to the door, your daughter hurried over to you and cupped your face in her tiny hands.

"Mama, why are you crying? Did Scarlett be mean to you?" She asks, turning to glare her way in case, but you quickly reassure her.

"Oh no angel, just some grown up business made mama sad is all..."

"I'm sorry mama... Can you braid my hair?"

"I can do it." Scarlett offers, Angie's smile widens, and you sigh appreciatively at the help offered.

"The Black Widow braid?!" She squeals, and Scarlett returns her enthusiasm, guiding her over to your vanity to get to work while you formulate your Instagram post.

—————————————————————

—————————————————————

*Can you answer the phone so we can talk? Can I please talk to Angie...? I'm so sorry...*

"Mama! Look, isn't my braid pretty?"

You look up from your phone to see your daughter perched upon Scarlett's hip, with her hair in a beautiful french braid to resemble the one Natasha wore in Endgame.

"It is so pretty baby, come here mama's beautiful angel."

You're quick to catch her in your arms as she jumps down from Scar's hold, squeezing her tightly before whispering something silly into her ear just to hear her sweet giggles.

"Hey, Deda want's to talk to you, do you want to call them right now?"

"Yes please!"

Though you refuse to talk to them, but you won't hold Jess's actions against your own daughter. After you handed her the phone you leave them to have their conversation. Making your way to the bathroom to get ready for the day you failed to notice Scarlett sneaking her way inside with you. She happily observed as you undressed, your sleep shorts and sports bra discarded, and once you were left in only your panties you felt her eyes on you.

"How you feeling honey?" She gently asks, strong arms wrapping around you from behind, chin settling atop your bare shoulder, and you looked up to see her eyes full of genuine concern, glazed over by traces of lust.

"A bit heartbroken but I've said my peace, and now I just wish to live out our Christmas break as planned together."

Scarlett pulled back with an obvious smirk, her hand on your hip was used to spin you around, and your squeals of surprise were muffled by her lips pressing firmly against yours. Planning to tease you she moves her lips against yours with ferocity, gripping your hips she holds you steady while placing her thigh beneath your thinly layered center, barely pulling back she whispers: "I'll make it better honey..." then with her tight hold on your hips she rolls your warm cunt against her bare thigh.

Her tongue slips into your mouth as you gasp at the dizzying feeling, she continues to swallow your moans while sliding you across her soft skin to build you up steadily. Never really stopping her ministrations, even when your lips struggle to keep up with her own. With a quick flex of her thigh she is rewarded with your strangled moans, and a slick drenched thigh.

"Fucking hell honey, you're so hot when you fall apart for me..."

She leans back in, continuing to kiss you softly, leaning your body back against the counter, her soft fingers trailing down from your hip to her own thigh, collecting your sticky arousal from her leg she then pulls back, lifting her fingers up into her mouth and moaning as your taste rolls across her tastebuds.

She slowly opens her blown out eyes to see you staring back at her through a glazed over set. Teasingly she bites her lip, leaning in for a bruising kiss that ends all too suddenly leading you to whimper as you chased her lips, she winks at you as she completely pulls back from your body and gives you a final look over.

"Sounds perfect to me love, now how about you take that shower so that we can dirty girl..." She muses, slipping out of the bathroom door just as fast as you came, chuckling maniacally as she leaves you a panting mess, surrounded by billows of steam, and mind foggy with need.

—

When you reenter your room you find Scarlett holding a distraught Angie, then without a word she holds your phone up to you.

*Checking myself into rehab for my drinking... I told Angie that I'll be gone for awhile and that I'm sorry; I wanted to do the same for you but I know it won't mean much to you now. I promise to return to you a better coparent, I'll love you forever Y/N, even if you're no longer mine. I understand now just how much my actions truly led us to ruin...*

It's true what they say—when it rains, it pours. You hurriedly exit the room to call them, but it's to no avail as it goes straight to voicemail. Another set of attempts ends the same, and you realize you're now alone—and it fucking hurts. Which pisses you off even more because after everything they shouldn't have a hold on you. It's just that, no matter how bad it's gotten, with the missed weekends, and even now with this media fiasco you never truly felt alone.

Knowing that if you'd called in need they'd have shown up, but now that's not the case. They made a unilateral decision to abandon you, leaving you with your daughter without so much as a timeframe, and in a mess they made. To face the unforgiving world after dropping such a bombshell on your unsuspecting lives, but still, you feel a sort of happiness knowing that they are taking care of themselves for your daughter's sake.

No amount of distance, tragedy or separation could ever make you stop loving them either. They were your first love; the whirlwind college romance that followed you into your young adulthood, giving you the life you believed you could only ever dream of, but sadly that love didn't stand the test of time.

Playing the blame game as you will, in the end it gets you nowhere, so like it always goes, it's up to you to extend this final olive branch, they were always too prideful to do it themselves. Their current openness in going into rehab is a shocking feat, so if they won't answer the phone, you'll send them off with a cryptic post.

You remain in the hallways for a moments time, long enough to see your post receiving interactions; seeing that they liked the post is truly bittersweet, knowing that they're still on your side, but is also unable to face you truly pains you. That they'd been suffering all this time with such a devastating form of coping, and left you in the dark is enough to almost make you mad again, but you're too tired.

As you trudge your way upstairs your previous motivations for a fun day in the city are gone. Every step proves harder than the last, and the idea of a nap begins to consume your mind. Entering the room you notice Angie had the same idea because her soft snores are the first thing you hear.

"Can we just order takeout, and watch Christmas movies?"

Scarlett smiles up at you at the sound of your tired voice, pulling her gaze from staring at your daughters peaceful face that's lying against her chest, and your heart honestly skips a beat at the sight of your two favorite girls bonding so well.

You settle down beside her in the bed, guiding her face to yours by the way of your fingers on her chin; leaning your forehead to hers for some much needed comfort.

"How about you take over for our resident cuddle bug, and I'll pick up food on my way back here with the kids?"

Scarlett's fingers leave your daughters back in favor of cupping your cheek, slowly shifting to settle behind your neck to pull you forward and into her for a sweet kiss.

"Sounds perfect..." You whisper against her lips, then use gentle hands to move your napping daughter over to your own lap, settling into the mattress as the bed shifts without Scarlett's weight, and your eyes slowly close as your daughters warmth works to comfort you.

——

"Y/N! Are you sure you got the kids?"

"Yes Scar, now hurry along so that you can come right back..."

"So clingy.." She teases, but her soft eyes betray her, and her lips gently pressing to yours seals the deal that she's on the same page here.

Scarlett walks out the door with shouted goodbyes, and you settle the household in preparation of her incoming live interview. Carson was playing in his jumper, the girls were upstairs listening to music, and you were preparing tonight's dinner when your phone ringing pulled your attention.

"Hello?"

"Y/N, it's Papa Valdez."

"Hey Henry, how can I help you?"

"Well, I'd like to apologize for my comments, I'd failed to realize Jess had started it, and as you know they've ended up in a six month program at New York's finest rehab center. They'd really kept all of us in the dark here..."

Carson's soft grunts travel into the kitchen, warning you of an incoming meltdown if you don't get to him shortly, so you move to end this already awkward phone call.

"Yeah, they sure did Henry. Look, I don't mean to be rude, but I'm currently tending to three kids and have no time for a long winded conversation, I could call you back later if that's what you need."

Henry's booming voice was quick to shush you, so you held the phone to your shoulder with your ear and began to make him a bottle, listening as best you could to the elder mans ramblings while also throwing the slow bake casserole on.

"Oh, no honey, I'll be quick here. I just wanted to apologize, and in doing so offer up mine, and Luisa's services. Jess was so worried about leaving you alone when I checked them in yesterday, but I reassured them you'd be fine. So, would us having Angie every third weekend of the month be okay?"

"Of course, Angie would really love that, thank you so much."

"You're always going to be family Y/N, this is just what you do for family, I'll be in touch later about Jess's rehab program."

"Thanks again Henry, I'll talk to you later."

As you hang up the phone you lift the tired baby out of his seat, his face rubbing against your shoulder in a pleading manner. Settling yourself into the recliner you click the tv onto the right channel, and get Carson comfortable, holding the bottle up for him to grab onto, but his tired eyes brimming with tears tells you he's beyond the point of self-service.

Once he latches onto the nipple you lightly brush some hair from his face, and begin to trace your fingers over the bridge of his nose to help him on his journey into nap time. Within the five minutes it takes for Jimmy to get through his introductions Carson's passed out, the loud pop of his lips relinquishing their hold on the bottle evidence of that, and your eyes shift to the screen at the sound of your lovers name.

"Scarlett Johansson! Long time no see my dearest friend." The host greets as Scarlett takes her space up besides his desk.

"Hey Jimmy, it sure has been awhile, and honestly I wish to have been here under better circumstances." She smoothly eases into the topic of the night.

"Yeah, I see that you're already off the market, that seems to have shocked the world a bit."

"To be fair here I was never really on it, I was freshly divorced, and had been in the bitter phase where I was ready to swear off love. Then I met Y/N, and turns out Riley had already been smitten with her, and then Carson had all but claimed her as his own at the park. I learned fairly quickly that it's incredibly hard not to fall for the woman, she's a charmer."

"This alleged controversy has labeled you a home wrecker, and I'd love to help you to dispel this if at all possible."

"Y/N and I bonded over a shared story of failed marriages, her story isn't mine to tell, but for rumors sake it's important to know she was completely single. Legally, emotionally, and physically she'd been on her own for six months by the time we had met. The honest truth is it was just a chance encounter that turned into something incredibly magical."

"I'm so happy to hear that Scarlett, finding love amidst immense adversary is definitely a blessing. Now, our time is running out, but I'm here to ask you a final question."

Scarlett nodded in silent agreement, her faith at an all time high with her long time friend.

"Do you have any understanding on as to why Jess took such a drastic approach here? Do we think that it could be tied into why they were seen checking into a rehabilitation center this morning?" Jimmy asks, though he hides it well you can still see his visible discomfort with the scripted question.

Scarlett's facade nearly crumbles as well, but as the A-list actress that she is she manages to pull it together, offering as passive an answer as one can give to the question at hand.

"Well Jimmy , I can't speak for Jess as it's truly not my place to do so, but I can offer my loose thoughts. Grief is never cut and dry, it's messy, it's painful, and in this case it's everlasting. The aforementioned party was going through a lot, and I hold no malicious judgement on how they handled themselves here. My only role in this situation is to protect Y/N from the world I chose to live in, and that she got thrown into. Hopefully everyone will respect the privacy we'd been able to maintain up until this point, and furthermore that the media will leave the children out of it."

"Beautifully said Scarlett, always the classiest, thank you for joining us tonight."

"Thank you again for having me Jimmy, and allowing me this opportunity to clear this up." She concludes with a perfected smile, and a wave to the off stage camera before the screen fades into infomercials that you quickly mute.

"Your mommy's a saint."  You sigh out to the unknowing infant, placing a kiss to his chubby cheek as you shift his slumped body into his playpen then moving to make yourself useful.

——

Intentions mean nothing in the grand scheme of things when you're faced with the brutal consequences of another's actions anyways. Your posts calmed the bulk of Scarlett's fans, her interview calming the rest, but to your clear misfortune the media found you fascinating even after a months time.

The photos of you alone at the park on days where solitude was what you craved would be blasted across the different media outlets with varying claims, usually about how "sad" you were, when you were honestly anything but. Sure, you had your moments of sorrow, how could you not with the way the world had been treating you, and with your ex's predicament. Deep down though you were happy, your daughter was doing well, you had a girlfriend who doted over you, and her kids were slowly becoming extensions of you.

You quickly learned that nowhere was off limits to them, your daughters gymnastics class, your midnight runs to Taco Bell, it was as if they slept in an RV at the end of your street.

Going grocery shopping, something you'd always done with no problem has turned into a fashion runway with the photo shoot to boot. Every crease of your face as you surveyed the pasta sauces you potentially wanted was posted to the internet and intensely analyzed for false evidence of make believe problems.

Nothing either of you said, or did could seem to quell the tabloids, and their absurd claims, stories of all sorts being thrown together rather baselessly.

"Y/N Y/L/N—Abandoned? Manipulated? Insight into her truly tragic story. "

"Jess Valdez, Estranged Spouse of Y/N Y/L/N spotted checking into rehab—Abandoning the child that remains?"

"What Really Happened? An Insider Reveals to TMZ the Downfall of Y/N and Jess Valdez!"

"Will Y/N and Scarlett Johansson last?—Scarlett's Long History of Dating Men."

"Trouble in Paradise? Scarlett Johansson spotted getting lunch with Chris Evans."

The invasive, and absolutely offensive articles had honestly become the least of your worries. The whispers at your joint daughters school amongst the PTA moms was what really got to you, because their innocent kids were caught in the cross fire, and without ill intent they would put you on blast in the classrooms.

"Miss Y/N, you're not a bad mama, Angie even told me so. The TV's just silly..."

"Miss Y/N, what's a slut? My mom callded you that last night when she was on the phone."

"Miss Y/N, I think you should break up with the Black Widow, my dada says you aren't good enough for her."

Your sanity personified was merely a thread of mucked up floss. The only solace you found was in your lover, and your collective brood... The kids worked extra hard most days just to make you crack a smile, and Scarlett held you in her arms most nights as you sobbed, much like tonight.

"Honey, I think it's best you take some time off from the school aiding, this isn't healthy..." She gently suggests, heart absolutely breaking with every tear of yours that soaks through her shirt.

"I-I can't do that to them, they don't know any better, and so many of them depend on me... Like Julie, she needs me there to fend off the bullies, Joshua always did, so it's only fair I do. Then there's the Spencer twins, their mom is barely making ends meet as it is on her own, I help to keep them fed, and I also tutor them. Nathaniel, the sweetest kid alive, I let him talk my ear off every lunchtime because I know he struggles to make friends, and that his dad also has struggled to connect with him ever since Lily died last year. They all need me..."

"Oh sweetheart, you never told me just how much you actually do, but of course you do. You have such a big heart, it's one of your greatest assets, but right now it's a hinderance. There's absolutely no reason you have to keep breaking yourself to do it all. Take the next month off, I promise I'll take over for you."

"No, Scar you can't do that, it's not fair for—."

Scarlett presses her lips to yours in a silent request for you to give in, and for a brief moment you do, sighing against her lips, and allowing her the access to explore your mouth while her hands do a bit of their own exploring. When she has you where she wants you she finally pulls back, knowing she has the silence needed to convince you to take care of yourself.

"It's more than fair honey, you desperately deserve a break, and I have no current projects. So I'll take care of everyone, honestly my ear is open to any kid in need, they're so much better than adults anyways. Leave me a detailed list of everyone with their specific needs and I'll tend to them just as you do."

"I-I don't know Scar, it's a long list and I don't want you to resent me with the hefty workload that comes with volunteering as me."

"There's no reason you can't have this moment to breathe, because the last thing these kids need is to see their favorite person eventually crumbling in front of them. This isn't me asking you Y/N, this is me telling you as someone who cares about you beyond measurable reason that you need to step back. Please just think about it..."

You know she's right, so you chose to give up the fight, mumbling a quiet 'ok, I'll do it' before further melting into her and accepting exhaustions sweet embrace.

——

After a long three months your story was finally old news, as some five other celebrity couples found themselves amidst horrible breakup's—a bit of Spring cleaning if you will; April showers brings May flowers the current mantra holding an entirely new meaning. Though you did hurt for them you couldn't help but to thank them within the same breath.

To many's total shock you'd yet to return to the aide position, and Scarlett hadn't minded, she was quite enjoying the break from Hollywood roles. Now that you could breathe again you were focused on finding a nice balance between your work, your relationship, and apparently you were meant to rebuild your broken family through rehab facilitated counseling that you'd obviously been reluctant to partake in.

Had it not been for your daughter you'd have said no, but Angie had been so excited to see her Deda that you found yourself feeling a bit excited for her yourself. Watching their tearful reunion brought tears to your eyes as well, and reaffirmed your decision to give it one last go. Jess had looked ready to hug you too, but after clearly battling within themselves they sided with a loose handshake that you met with an awkward smile before joining them in a session that was meant to establish goals / set clear boundaries for their release in three months.

•Monthly family events with partners also incorporated, IE: Bowling, Park, etc.•

•Never bring a fight to the internet again, and leave Angie unscathed by any arguments.•

•No showing up unannounced—No canceling last minute on your nights—No calling whenever you want.•

•Consistency, and a reevaluation of the current verbal custody agreement.•

•Learn to accept each other's future partners.•

Once a rough outline was set in place the man dismissed the both of you, but Jess was antsy when they saw you heading for the door.

"Y/N..."

Without a word you turned to them, allowing them the chance to say their peace so that you could leave, your daughter already gone as the family counselor took her to the front desk to pick a lollipop from the selection of dum-dums.

"I just wanted to say I'm sorry.. I never in a million years thought we'd be where we are now, in this clinical setting, fighting to just be able to get along again. Nor that I'd have been stupid enough to run you off and into another's arms. Every decision I made led to catastrophe, and I hate so much that I allowed myself to treat you so poorly, you never deserved that. Truly, you were the woman of my dreams and I took you, and our family for granted..."

Again, you said nothing, because if you allowed yourself to respond you don't think you'd stop. The words you want to say would be fueled by unresolved pain that you yourself need to handle. They're in rehab, taking the steps to be better, and you're not going to tear them down. Instead, you offer them a sad smile, then begin to dig through your bag in search of something.

Eventually you find the envelope, ignoring their perplexed expression, and watching as they open it up. The contents spill onto the table, their breath hitches at the collection of items, then there body wracks with sobs at your gesture. A shaky hand holds the family photo close to their heart while the other opens up the folded paper to see a drawing Angie recently made of your family—Josh as an angel hovering above the three of you with a wide smile, and the bittersweet spacing between your bodies a clear reminder of the new normal.

"Thank you..." They whisper out, finger gently tracing over the laminated Squirtle Pokémon card, then shifting their broken gaze over to face you, and smiling sadly.

"I'm really proud of you Jess." You manage to force out over the lump in your throat, then you step out of the suffocating room, wiping your tears away before setting off to find your daughter.

As you rounded the corner a tiny body was quick to collide with yours.

"Mama!! Look! I got a bubblegum lollipop, then he said since I was so polite that I could get one for everyone at home. I got you a root-beer since it's your favorite, Ri-Ri a cotton candy, cherry for Scar, and I even got Carson one too. Is it time to go home yet?"

"You're so sweet, thank you, and yes—it's time to go home angel."

—

Upon entering Scarlett's house it was oddly quiet, then you heard a loud set of squeals, turning to the left to see the perpetrators bright green eyes on you, and hands clapping wildly.

"Ma-ma-ma..."

The innocent babbles warmed your heart, and you immediately moved to take the infant from his high chair, snuggling him close and placing kisses to the entirety of his chubby face. You failed to see the way your daughters face had dropped, but Scarlett could see the obvious meltdown arising. With quick hands she caught the teddy bear before it could startle the infant, and it was then that you caught on to the drastic mood drop.

"Angelina Marguerite Valdez! We don't throw things at the baby! Why did you do that?!"

"You're my mama! Not his!" She seethes, and your body freezes at the obvious anger, flashbacks of your fights with Jess plaguing your mind.

Carson immediately begins to wail at the heightened atmosphere, and your focused in on getting him to stop his crying, everything all of a sudden becoming overwhelming.

"Do you not want me anymore?" She whimpers in question, successful in shattering your heart, but before you could even respond she was up the stairs and a door was being slammed.

Scarlett stops you from running after her by embracing you and Carson in her strong arms.

"Hey, hey, honey calm down... Give her a few minutes to have her feelings, then go up there and help her through this. This was bound to happen sooner or later my sweets." Scarlett says, placing a kiss to your forehead, gently swaying your conjoined bodies until the babies settled in your hold.

After a painfully long twenty minutes you make your way up to your daughter, her loud sniffles seeping through the cracked door, and you peek in to see Riley sat in her bed holding her close. The blonde carbon copy of her mother notices you, her stare was hardened, but her tiny hand ushered you into the room.

"Angel..."

Angie's head lifts up from Riley's shoulder, eyes rimmed red, and lip uncontrollably trembling as she reaches out to you with a cry of your title, "Mama?"

"I'm here angel, mama's right here..." You coo, lifting her off of Riley's lap, her tiny body clings to you desperately, and you tighten your hold.

Riley lightly slaps your leg as she exits, and though she's mad at you it makes your heart happy to know just how protective of your daughter she is.

"Mama... I'm sowwy.." She cries, her lisp prominent in her saddened state, and your stomach twists with guilt as she just cries.

"Angel, it's okay... Can you please tell mama what really made you that mad?" You ask while taking a seat on her bed, honestly confused at her earlier outburst, because she's never been jealous of the kids at school who slip out a 'mama' every once in awhile.

"I'm scared." She says, body trembling like crazy in your hold.

"Scared of what my little love?"

"Josh's gone, now is Deda, and I just don't wanna lose you too. You're my mama..."

"Josh will always be in your heart my girl. Deda's not gone baby, they're just sick and getting help. Mama's not going anywhere! There's nothing to be scared of honey..."

"Is Carson my new brother then?"

"Well, not exactly, but maybe one day he could be... Would you want that? Is that okay?"

You and Scarlett are going on eight months now, and though neither of you are rushing to the altar it's definitely been a topic of delirious late night discussions. More so a topic of your own dreams, and if one was to ask Scarlett she'd confirm it's all she's really thought about since your first 'I love you's' were uttered.

"What if I forget him mama? What if I let Carson be my new brother and forget Josh?!"

Angie's sudden question brings you back to the moment, making you realize the real reason behind her outbursts, and your heart aches at the obvious guilt consuming your daughter.

"Oh you silly girl... I promise you'll never forget him, I'll make sure Josh's memory lasts on in you heart forever."

"Promise?" She whispers, pinky lifted in anticipation, "Promise!" you repeat, linking your pinky with her own and sealing it with a kiss, then proceeding to drop a plethora of kisses to her face until her cries fade into giggles, or more like pleads for you to stop.

"All better then?" You ask, and she nods against your shoulder before gasping.

"Wait, mama, if Carson's maybe going to be my brother, does that mean Riley will finally be my sister? Ooh. Will Scarlett be my mommy?"

"Slow down angel... I can't say yes to that yet, but I do hope the answer will be yes one day."

"Me too!" She shrieks, then hugs you tightly, and you cradle her tightly as you lift both of you up to head down for dinner.

Scarlett scurries down the stairs once she hears the door creaking open, she'd only even been up there to grab her phone off the charging dock in your room, but once she heard you ask if she'd be okay with Carson as her brother she felt drawn to find out the answers to the questions that resided in her heart.

As you entered the kitchen you settled Angie down, and the first thing she did was run over to hug Scarlett's legs while she was stood at the stove.

"Oh, careful there little one." Scarlett coos with a wide smile, effortlessly pulling your far too big girl up and settling her onto her hip.

The adorable interaction made you even more sure that she was it for you, and unbeknownst to you it was having the same effect on her.

—

That night you and Scarlett decided to read the kids a bedtime story together in Riley's room. Riley was on the top bunk, Angie on the bottom, and Carson was sat in your lap. Scarlett was acting out the silly story as you read it out, putting her training to good use, and the girls were absolutely eating it up.

The sounds of their giggles spurring on the one's of the toddlers in your lap. In the end the story was long forgotten when Scarlett had attempted a somersault in the tiny space in the name of show business, and you were laughing so hard you found yourself gasping for air.

Once the laughter died down, and Scarlett was confirmed okay you guys got around to tucking the girls in.

"Goodnight Mama... Goodnight Mommy."

Scarlett gasped, but quickly overcame the moment with a shakily whispered goodnight, while her hand sought out your own.

Following up with Carson you cradled him close as he only wanted you to, and Scarlett's smooth voice sang out a medley of lullabies until the one year old finally slumped within your hold. The both of you kissed his cheek at the same time, locking eyes as you do, then as you pulled away you shared a tender kiss right before settling him down for the night. 

"Goodnight Mama," she whispers once your backs hit the mattress, "Goodnight Mommy," you whisper in return, somehow nuzzling your face deeper into her neck.

——

Scarlett hurriedly entered the strikingly white building, heart slamming against her rib cage as what she's doing here finally becomes real, her whole body stilling at the sight of the person sat at the table waiting for her arrival.

"I'd wondered when you'd finally visit me, figured you had to wait until the press died down, but wowza it's been a minute..."

Scarlett rolls her eyes as she moves across the room, hesitantly taking the seat across from your ex, and sending over a pointed glare so they know she means business to which they smirk and throw their hands up in mock surrender. 

"Listen, I'm just pulling your chain here, what is it can I do for you Scarlett?"

Scarlett's hands reflexively wrung out a few times as she prepared herself to say what she came here to, Jess's cocky facade falling as they deduce what's coming, skin crawling with an unhappy anticipation, and their stomach drops once she finally says her truth.

"I want to marry Y/N, and I've come here in the hopes of receiving your blessing."

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7,193 Words

4/5

I went crazy with this one my dudes.

❤️ Kaitlyn 🤪