“is ‘sweet home alabama’ a movie genre? because it should be. romantic comedies though, i think that if i had to pin it down that’s the genre i’m most likely to pick for a movie night or actually spend money to go to a theatre and watch. i am a sucker for a good coming of age flick though, those are always funny and a little sad.”
FAVORITE PIZZA TOPPINGS?
“i genuinely can’t think of any pizza topping i don’t like—— wait, i lied. i don’t like olives. but if i’m choosing the pizza we’re gonna go a lil’ out of the box because i love love love chicken spinach alfredo pizza. there was this great pizza place in memphis- garibaldi’s- that made the best chicken spinach alfredo pizza. honestly, there wasn’t anything on that whole menu that wasn’t perfection but that was always my go to.”
“—— this one had me thinkin’ a little bit because i haven’t actually had many bad dates.” bad boyfriend? for sure. bad dates? not so much. “i think probably the worst date i’ve had wasn’t even that bad as far as dates could go. it was while i was in college- we went out to dinner and had this whole evening planned but he left early because he had some stuff to deal with and i ended up footing the bill. definitely could have gone worse.”
Wandering around the town, nail doohickey in hand spotting some potential disasters and some cha-ching— mantra set at never hurt to lend a hand where hand was needed…cash being the best show of good deeds being done and all, check would do too. “Looks like you or Meemaw’s bout to take a nose dive into that there ceement with that porch lookin’ like that. Twenty bones and I’ll save your ass from a doc’s call and a RIP situation.”
he’d been walking up the steps of said porch of his apartment- watching very carefully where he stepped- when the voice had him looking over his shoulder. the first thing danny noticed was the nail gun and, “oh thank god, finally— i’ve been telling mr. heflin for weeks now that these steps needed to be fixed, i can’t believe he actually got someone out here.” of course, it took a moment for the rest of the words to register- twenty bones- and danny fixed the other with a Look. “so wait— my landlord didn’t call you out to fix these steps?” typical. of course not. he was going to have to pay for it if he wanted it to get done any time this century. a huff of exasperation left him and he tilted his head slightly, “wouldja take ten bucks and a loaf of banana bread?”
YOU WAKE UP TOMORROW WITH $20 MILLION IN THE BANK. FIRST THING YOU DO?
“oh, part of me thinks i should say somethin’ real sweet and noble like ‘first thing i’d do is donate so much of it to a great charity’- which i would but, i know me it would not be the first thing i did. first thing i would do? there’s a lil’ house on the outskirts of town that i’ve been in love with since i was a little kid. it looks like something out of a fairy tale— no, oh my god, you know what it looks like? it looks kinda like miss honey’s house in matilda. and i’ve always pictured myself buying it and having this pretty lil’ garden and a cute little front gate and just. the whole thing. that’s what i’d do first. i’d buy that.”
DO YOU HAVE A PARTY TRICK?
“i’m real bendy- back bends, hooking my ankle over the back of my head, the splits- those are definitely some tricks that i’ve pulled out at a party or two.”
“well, the best thing is the sense of community— talk about a safety net. no matter what i need in this town, i know exactly: where i can get it, who makes it or provides the service, how their kids are enjoying soccer or doing in school, how their mama’s doing and all those little personal things that make small town living great. whenever something bad happens, you can really see it— the whole town comes together however they can. plus i can’t go to walmart without running into at least three people i know personally. and the worst, well... it’s the flip side of that same coin. everybody knows everybody and is in everybody’s business. word travels fast in a small town— you can’t so much as cough in church without everyone and their mom knowing what you did. it makes keepin’... personal things personal almost impossible.”
ONE ITEM OF CLOTHING IN YOUR CLOSET YOU CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT?
“i have a pair of these really classy black heeled booties that are honestly like, my go- to shoes. they go with everything. i can dress them up, i can dress them down, i can wear them in the summer or the winter like, they are the sisterhood of the traveling pants of shoes. and, i’ve had them since i was nineteen and they still look practically brand new. magic. i would die if i lost them.”
SOUTHERN COMFORT FOOD, YES OR NO?
“uh, yes? who says no to southern comfort food? do y’all not like comfort? enjoy your sadness and your salad, honey, i’m gonna go to town on these greens, mac and cheese and fried chicken. i know how to find a gym.”
Please remember to send emojis to everyone who reblogs the meme. They can be answered directly by your character, or by you OOC talking about your character, however you wish!
🏠 Best thing about living in Beaumont? Worst?
🎒 How did you do in school?
🔧 Do you like your job?
🍎 Your favorite/least favorite fruit?
🍺 Loud nights out or quiet nights in?
👒 One item of clothing in your closet you can’t live without?
🌎 A place you’re dying to travel to?
💰 You wake up tomorrow with $20 million in the bank. First thing you do?
🎵 Your favorite country artist?
🍁 Your favorite season and why?
🚗 Plane, train, or car for travel?
💝 Current relationship status?
🐕 Cats or dogs?
🎈Your favorite spot to spend downtime in Beaumont?
🍗 Southern comfort food, yes or no?
💔 Worst date you’ve ever been on?
🎉 Do you have a party trick?
🎬 Favorite genre of movie?
📱 Would you ever want to be famous on the internet?
🌼 Three things you want to achieve in your lifetime?
🍕 Favorite pizza toppings?
DANIEL “DANNY” GRAY is a 23 year old from BEAUMONT, living in Beaumont for the past 18 YEARS, MOVED AWAY FOR COLLEGE & MOVED BACK ABOUT 9 MONTHS AGO. HE is a FIFTH GRADE TEACHER AT BEAUMONT ELEMENTARY and in his downtime loves CREATING CONTENT/ MAKEUP TUTORIALS FOR HIS YOUTUBE CHANNEL and BAKING. He looks an awful lot like TROYE SIVAN.
TW: gaslighting, manipulation, general gross ex boyfriends
so first things first: danny is a local boiy. his family has been in beaumont for generations and they’ll probably end up staying there for generations more. his dad was a high school government/history teacher and a football coach and his mom taught third grade, both who retired within the last few years. danny’s the youngest of four and was a bit of a surprise baby, coming along after his older siblings were all teenagers/preteens. because of the large age gap between them, he isn’t really that close with his siblings but there’s definite love and acceptance in abundance in that family.
danny came out to his family at fourteen as gay though it really came as no surprise to any of them— danny was a bit of a walking gay cliché. the world was the danny show growing up- there are heaps of home videos of little danny wearing his sister’s beauty queen tiaras and his mama’s high heels singing dolly parton and leann rimes into the handle of the vacuum cleaner and countless other expressions of his inner diva. there was never a second where danny doubted that his family still loved and accepted him regardless of who he was attracted to.
danny started a youtube channel when he was fourteen just as a fun thing to do where he would talk about being a young gay man in the middle of small town tennessee, his friends, high school, family and everything in between. it wasn’t until he started to express himself with make up and fashion- creating make up tutorials and sewing tutorials ( classic thrift store finds that were turned into something more Glamorous ) that his channel started to gain more traction. it’s not huge but he’s got a solid following and he’s kept his channel going through college and now as an adult.
when he was fifteen, danny tried out for the beaumont high school cheerleading squad and was on it until he graduated. he’d taken gymnastics when he was younger- a way for him to channel so much of that excess energy he had- and flourished as a tumbler and had the full body strength and control that made him an asset no matter what position of a stunt he was in. most of the time he was a back- the control system of the stunt- but he also spent time as a flyer due to his smaller stature.
his reputation of being a walking cliche only became more apparent when he started dating the quarterback- a cheerleader and the quarterback, how many times have we heard this story? jackson- or, as danny affectionately called him, jj- was everything that a first love was supposed to be and it was the sort relationship that gets written about in teenage romance novels. even their parents were convinced this was a Forever Thing.
however whenever those college acceptance letters came in, life had a different plan. long distance wasn’t feasible and there was a mutual respect of the other and wanting them to be able to go off and experience everything that college had to offer without the ball and chain of a boyfriend waiting several states away.
danny left to attend college at the university of mephis, initially pursuing a degree in fashion design. the demands of the course though paired with a dip in his mental health- being away from home for the first time in a place where he knew no one, still getting over the break up with jackson- had him changing majors at the end of his freshman year to elementary education.
that was the start of an upswing for danny- he felt comfortable and happy in his new major, a new focus on what he wanted to do with his life, friends and a community in memphis and, the icing on the cake, a new boyfriend. jonathan was charming and made danny feel like the most important person in the world. that first year was everything he wanted it to be but not long after they moved in together things started to change.
jonathan started spending more time out with his friends, making a point to mention that danny was not included, staying out all night and coming home smelling like other people. any time that danny tried to confront him about this, jonathan would turn it around on danny, putting the blame on him and manipulating him into thinking it was all in his head or that it was his fault- that he wasn’t doing enough to keep his boyfriend loyal. the relationship wasn’t healthy and danny was so deeply entrenched in the lies that jonathan told him, wanting only to believe what he was being told ( that he was just being crazy, that nothing was really going on ) that he allowed himself to even be swept up in an engagement that would be broken by jonathan a few months before graduation.
the broken off engagement, though would be MUCH better in the long run, destroyed danny. it was with the help of awesome friends who helped move him out of the apartment and let him couch surf and constantly supported him until graduation that he kept his head above water. the second the graduated, he packed up his car and drove home, needing a fresh start in a place that was familiar.
he started teaching fifth at beaumont elementary in august and at first, he’d honestly been apprehensive. he’d always wanted to teach younger kids- first through third grade- ‘before they discover talking back’. the last few months teaching though have been life changing and he loves his job- his principal and other teachers are wonderful and his kids are Everything.
A COUPLE OF JUST LIL TIDBITS ABOUT DANNY
CHARACTER INSPIRATION: jonathan van ness & tan france (queer eye), eric ‘bitty’ bittle (omgcp), felix dawkins (orphan black)
danny still wears makeup every day and takes great pride in his appearance. basically, he vain as fuck. when he first started experimenting with make up and clothing, it was definitely in some way to be very Out with who he was— think like those classic scene neon colors in eyeshadows and bright pink lips. and oh yeah, he definitely had the chucks in ever color. as he’s gotten older, his sense has definitely grown and now he looks back at those pictures and cringes.
he’s still very active!! he goes to the gym for the treadmill and machines sometimes but most of his physical activity is walking around the high school track with his mama on nights- she does it to keep herself fit and he does it to keep her company. he keeps toying with the idea of teaching tumbling or cheer classes on week nights/weekends but it hasn’t become a real thing as of yet.
he has a bright yellow ‘68 volkswagen beetle that is his baby.
baking is a stress reliever for him so friends be prepared for gifts of cookies, pies and banana bread.
he’s super social!! he’ll talk to anyone and he’ll talk your ear off. honestly, don’t be afraid to tell him to shut up because you’ll be lucky if you can get a word in edgewise.
danny loves to dance- he doesn’t care if you’re a guy or a gal, he’ll still spin you across the floor and have one helluva time doing it.
even though danny is very effeminate in his day to day, he’s still a country boy. he loves fishing, shooting ( not a big hunter, just never really enjoyed killing animals for sport ) and camping- though, let’s be real, no one prefers sleeping in a tent over a camper. he doesn’t like to get dirty and messy but he absolutely can and will have a blast doing so.
church had always been a big part of danny’s life growing up and even after coming out, he still went every time the doors were open with his family. his attendance dropped off during college but since coming home, he’s back in the pew every sunday.
A COUPLE POSSIBLE CONNECTIONS ( FOR THOSE OF YOU BRAVE ENOUGH TO GET THIS FAR)
HIGH SCHOOL CONNECTIONS;; small town means that everyone and their mom knows you. was your character a few years older or younger or graduated the same time? maybe they were friends, enemies, rivals, acquaintances, teammates, or math class buddies? maybe they went to school with one of danny’s siblings or were even a friend who dealt with annoying lil brother danny being in everything? i’m up for anything you can come up with on this!
SCHOOL PARENTS;; maybe your character has a kid or younger sibling in danny’s class!
NEIGHBORS;; danny lives in a lil apartment complex in town so!! anyone who also happens to be living in an apartment hmu and say howdy neighbor!
FELLOW TEACHERS;; listen danny needs friends to go out for drinks at the catfish on fridays after school. happy hour margaritas anyone?
HONESTLY ANYTHING ELSE YALL CAN COME UP WITH I’M HERE FOR IT!
