#Megan Marino

[subliminalbo]

Betas #1: The Formless Voice

It is Friday evening, August 11th, 2017 One Week Before New Pledges Arrive

Ana

Ana was barely in the driver’s seat of her old Toyota before she turned to look at Morgan standing on the curb. The large sorority house stretched into gray sky behind her, three stories of history, tradition. The rest of Greek life at Carpenter State had gone to absolute shit, but Ana was proud to see that Beta Phi Alpha was still standing.

“Everything okay?” Morgan craned her neck down so that she was level with the passenger window.

“Yeah,” Ana said, racking her brain for anything that she might have forgotten. “Did I tell you that Jerry was coming in tomorrow at two to replace the broken outlet in the pink room?”

“You did,” Morgan nodded.

“And the new girl is moving her stuff in. Watch out for her.”

“Ana,” Morgan said, offering her friend the best clear, sobering eyes that she could muster. “It’s just a couple of days. Focus on you. I’ll take care of everything.”

“You have the list?” Ana asked.

“I have the list,” Morgan echoed. “I’ll follow it down to the last detail, I’ll make sure the house is ready for the pledges.”

“And Megan?”

Megan—Ana was most worried about Megan. She hadn’t quite been herself since she came back to the house. Nobody knew what had happened at Alpha Delta Theta, but Megan returned quieter and sadder than the girl who’d left for that party five months ago. Ana was searching Morgan’s eyes for signs of doubt, looking for any reason to stay. But Morgan gave her nothing.

“I’ll keep an eye on Megan too,” she said.

It was a shit time for an out of state funeral.

It had only been a couple of weeks since Alpha Delta Theta disbanded. Officially, the school had managed to keep the scandal out of the papers. None of the girls at Beta Phi Alpha knew what happened, but everyone had their suspicions. In a few months, Madison Wells had expanded the Alphas into the largest Greek organization on campus. It started with rumors of legendary parties at their house, and they seemed true too: any girl who attended one of Madison’s parties never wanted to leave. The other sororities on campus began hemorrhaging members. In a stretch of two weeks, the Betas lost Megan, Daphne, Natasha, Celia, and Ashley. When the Alphas folded, only Megan returned, the others having lost all interest in Greek life.

Rumors buzzed around campus. This was all anyone knew for certain: action was taken by administration to shutter the sorority permanently. Whispers of drugs, wild sex parties, some even accused Madison of pimping her sisters. Ana didn’t believe the crazier rumors, like how she’d leveraged her new power to take over a secret society that pushed narcotics through campus, but whatever had happened, it definitely wasn’t good. The dissolution of Alpha Delta Theta was sudden and total. Dozens of sorority sisters were left with no home to go to, and Ana saw an opportunity to rebuild her storied house. Yes, Madison had upended the foundations of Greek life on campus, but this year Ana was determined to put it all back together.

At least she planned to—as soon as she got back from the funeral. She turned the engine over then looked back out her window at Morgan. “Don’t forget,” she said. “Watch out for the new girl.”

Morgan shook her head. She had always been a calm, steady presence in the Beta house. That was what made her a good number two to Ana. But her strength was in following, fundraising, and rallying the team around a strong individual. She struggled to take charge when she needed to. Ana hated to think about leaving it all in Morgan’s hands just a week before the new pledges arrived.

Taylor had been here the longest, but she didn’t give a fuck about any of it anymore. Sydney lived and breathed sorority life, but she was too young and, if Ana was being honest, too much of an airhead to be trusted with actual responsibilities. And Megan, well, Megan would have been Ana’s choice under different circumstances. That just left Morgan.

Ana shifted into drive now, silently cursing her grandmother.

It’s just five days. There’s nothing that can go wrong in five days that I can’t fix.

She rolled to a stop at the sign on the corner of Giger and College Ave and watched Morgan in her rearview mirror, still standing there on the curb. Morgan was a good friend. She cared about the house, sure, but she would always put Ana’s wellbeing first, even if it meant taking on a responsibility that she couldn’t handle. Ana studied Morgan’s body language in the mirror, but her friend was a blank slate. She’d always been that way, choosing to internalize rather than to project her anxieties onto Ana.

Ana sighed as she rounded the corner onto College Ave, the house disappearing in her mirror. She turned on the radio, tried to clear her mind, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that somehow the house, as she knew it, would never be the same.

Morgan

Morgan waited until Ana’s car was out of sight to cross her arms into a tight hug. She’d put up the usual brave face, but the truth was that she’d been a ball of nervous energy for months. She’d been juggling crises the entire year: their dwindling membership, their war with the Alpha's, and not to mention her job and education. Ana was a great leader, but she demanded positivity all the time. This meant that Morgan could never show any doubt. Good vibes only. And sometimes the vibes were just fucking toxic.

Morgan hadn’t had a full night’s sleep since the last week of the semester. Ana had her working every day on battle plans for the new year. “This has to be the biggest pledge week in Beta history,” Ana would say. And she wasn’t wrong. Ana, Morgan, Taylor, and Sydney were the only girls left in the house by year’s end. The rest had joined the Alphas or split when the drama became too much.

Morgan exhausted every party theme she could think of, planned an event for every holiday they could celebrate, but Ana still wanted more. Morgan caught herself in the middle of late nights studying Ana's spreadsheets wondering if any of this was still worth it.

Of course it wasn’t all bad news. Megan was back home, and the new girl had moved in that morning. Ana was suspicious of her, but Morgan didn’t feel that they were in a position to turn anybody down, even if they were a senior. At the end of the day they needed bodies to fill the rooms in the house.

“Hey! You with me?"

Morgan blinked. She didn’t remember leaving the curb.

She'd been losing time like that lately, minutes at a time. Sometimes it felt like she was stuck at the bottom of the ocean. She could look up and see everything through the surface, her life on autopilot as she moved from one of Ana's designated tasks to the other. All she could do was watch from the deep, dark bottom while she waited for the weight of the ocean to crush her.

Depression sucks, man.

Morgan had dragged herself from the curb, up the stairs of the Beta house and was lying sprawled out on her bed, looking half-dead. When she opened her eyes, Taylor was staring down at her, dressed to go out. “Yes,” Morgan replied to Taylor slowly. “You really need to sleep, babe,” Taylor said. She offered her hand for Morgan, pulled her up into a sitting position, “No I don’t,” Morgan said. “I work best under pressure.” “My aunt Theresa didn’t sleep for four days once and she went insane.” “Pledges are coming in a week and Ana’s gone. I have to stay on top of everything or this whole house will go to shit.” “Fuck that bitch,” Taylor shrugged. Morgan shot a look at her like she'd been caught blaspheming in church. “This house has been shit for years and Ana knows it. Stop making sorority life a job, Morg. Have fun. When was the last time you saw Ernie?” “Ernie?” Morgan was surprised to remember that she even had a boyfriend. “A while,” she said. “You’re a mess,” Taylor said. “Get yourself out of this house.” “I can’t leave,” Morgan shook her head. “Even it I wanted to, which I don't, I have to keep an eye on Megan.” “Megan is fine,” Taylor stressed. “I don’t think she is, Tay,” Morgan ran her hands absently through her hair as she thought about her old friend. “Sydney heard moaning from her room again last night.” “So she rubbed one out?" Taylor said. "That’s healthy. That’s a sign of improvement.” “I don't know.” “Sydney hears noises,” Taylor said. “Listen. I’m heading out, but I’ll check on Megan first, okay? If I think anything is wrong I'll stay with her. She likes me better than you anyway. If I check in on her, will you at least lie the fuck down and get yourself some rest?” Morgan sighed. “I'll try," she said. “But…” “No buts,” Taylor smiled. “I want you to get a full night's sleep. If I come home and you're not in bed, I'm gonna kick your ass.”

Megan

Megan hadn’t left her room in over twelve hours. She’d taken a late dinner the night before. She wanted to avoid the other girls.

More accurately, she wanted to avoid their questions. It wasn’t that Megan didn’t want to talk about the Alphas—she simply couldn’t. She had vague recollections of the last few months, like recalling pieces of an old movie she’d seen as a kid: no context, just images of a basement and other girls closing in around her. The images meant nothing to her, but they terrified her all the same because she could feel that they were real.

When Megan closed her eyes at night, she could hear their whispers. Sultry, seductive voices drawing her in, disarming her. The words they spoke were English, but her mind had distorted them beyond comprehension. Even if she didn’t know what her sisters were saying, the words had the same effect on her as they did in the basement of the Alpha house. It terrified her, it thrilled her.

Each night, Megan caught herself unconsciously moaning, “I embrace you. I obey you. I worship you.” She couldn’t fight the urge to repeat the mantra. All she could manage was to keep it quiet, whispering to herself the words that bored into her mind until she surrendered to the thoughts, a slave to no one in particular. It was just desire now. A desire to be controlled, and a more terrifying need to make others just like her. She floated aimlessly between states of awareness and mindless bliss, her body burning, her sheets soaked. Occasionally she’d release a yelp, a word in the series of mindless droning spoken a bit too loudly, and she’d snap back into her conscious mind. I need to stop. I need to stop. I need to cum.

She had to cum. That’s what she’d been taught. Obedience was a discipline, and pleasure was a reward. Only after she fully surrendered to the voices in her head could Megan finally be at peace. But Dr. Fielding had taken that away from her.

Since the Alphas had shut down, Megan attended regular appointments with the head of Carpenter State’s Department of Psychology. In their sessions, Dr. Fielding would put Megan under hypnosis. She called it deprogramming. It included inducing amnesia, removing the terrible memories of the experience from Megan’s mind. But whether by accident or design, Dr. Fielding hadn’t removed everything. Megan’s mind was like this sophisticated algorithm with stretches of rogue code. She would replay these old pieces of her Alpha programming, but Dr. Fielding had removed the triggers that rewarded her with pleasure in exchange for obedience. This left Megan shifting from states of consciousness, her fingers mechanically rolling over her swollen clitoris. Always at the edge but never further. In those moments she was stuck, no different than a broken toy. Megan would continue like this until she passed out from exhaustion. She hadn’t slept this well since high school.

But in the waking hours of the day, she toiled alone in her room trying to piece together what had happened to her. She remembered the days leading up to that night. How she planned to stay in that weekend to cram for midterms. How Daphne had guilted her into going out. Jake Shiherlis was going to be at the Alpha house that night and Daphne had been flirting with him for weeks in their statistics class. As Daphne’s Big, Megan felt a pang of responsibility to look out for the often-clueless freshman. Nat tagged along with them. It was going to be a whole thing. A girl’s night out.

That was as far as Megan’s mind went. Everything else was a blur of distorted voices and snapshots of memories that felt more like bad dreams. Her sisters misinterpreted her silence as sadness. But the truth was that Megan just wanted to figure out for herself what had happened before she opened up. She couldn’t take their constant questions, their offers of support. Only Daphne and Nat could understand what she was going through, but any time she pulled out her phone, she couldn’t bring herself to text them. No doubt another post-hypnotic suggestion by Dr. Fielding. Carpenter State couldn’t risk Madison’s victims reminiscing with each other, piecing together the story.

So, just like her mindless nights on the edge, Megan found herself stuck in the daytime too. She fought off confusion and bad thoughts with a healthy dose of music and shopping. She sat on her bed, scrolling through Target’s website with her favorite emo tunes from middle school blasting on the vintage radio next to her.

Until she was rudely interrupted by a knock at her door.

“It’s open,” Megan called out.

The door swung open wide, Taylor entering part way, leaning casually on the doorjamb. “How’s it going?” “I’ve just been listening to music,” Megan said quietly. “I know,” Taylor replied. “Just–Morgan, you know?”

Morgan was the worst offender in the Beta house’s pity club. The last time she’d cornered Megan just outside the bathroom and offered to take her to the police to make a statement. What would Megan even say?

Taylor, on the other hand, was the only sister she felt comfortable sharing anything with. Back in the day, Taylor was Megan’s Big. She was gorgeous, to an intimidating degree. But if Ana represented law and Morgan represented order, Taylor was something else. A sort of chaos agent playing by her own rules. She may have been a Beta just to fuck around and have a good time, but even that came with its own responsibilities. Megan could sleep comfortably knowing that Taylor was around to watch her back. And she wasn’t going anywhere either: Taylor was entering her seventh year of college, working on her second major, and she didn't have plans on leaving.

“I get it,” Megan replied. “I’m fine.” “Cool,” Taylor said curtly. “I’m headed out tonight. I texted you the suicide hotline number in case, you know, dark thoughts, et cetera.” What’s the recovering brainwashed slave hotline?

“Thank you,” Megan said. She added quickly, “I really am fine.” “I know,” Taylor said. “Just don’t put anything on my conscience, ‘kay?”

“Yeah,” Megan smiled a bit. The indifference really was nice. Taylor wasn’t constantly reminding her that she was a victim, even if she suspected that Taylor felt the guiltiest of all about what happened. That was why, in an attempt to clear the awkward air created by the silence they shared in the lingering moments after she spoke, Megan pivoted to Taylor. “Lucky guy tonight?”

What made Taylor so damn cool was how she knew what she wanted and knew how to get it. It was mostly in the way she dressed. Tonight, she was wearing this gold, two piece that looked more like a bikini than a dress. Megan doubted that she could pull the look off herself, but Taylor had the confidence to pair it with a cute leather jacket, and she knew it was going to destroy any boy who saw it.

“Nah,” Taylor said. “Just hoping to get a little fucked up before semester starts. Wanna come?" “I’m okay,” Megan forced another smile. “Maybe next time.” “Suit yourself,” Taylor replied. “I’ll tell Morgan you’re doing fine. Maybe she won’t bother you too much tonight. “Thanks,” Megan said. “Can you close the door when you leave?”

Taylor obliged. When she was gone, Megan cranked the dial on her radio to max and turned her attention back to her laptop screen. She hesitated for a moment, pondering what she saw there.

The audio file was called "Hypnosis for Relaxation." Too tame.

Megan scrolled up to the webpage's search bar and typed a liberal string of keywords: hypnosis sub dominated femdom slave kink. "What the fuck is wrong with me?" she whispered, but she didn't really care.

She was going to sleep well tonight.

Andrea

Andrea had done a lot of dumb things for Dr. Fielding, but joining a whole ass sorority was a new level of bullshit.It was only a few days after the Alphas thing blew up that Dr. Fielding approached her for the job. Andrea and her partner Tyler had been running all over campus collecting strays. Madison was in the wind by then, halfway to Mexico if she was as smart as Dr. Fielding believed. But she’d kept diligent records of every Alpha. Andrea had seen a lot of weird shit at Carpenter State, and while a sorority cult with brainwashing headsets wasn’t the most far fetched thing she’d ever seen—the thing at Argento’s still had this beat—it was the largest cover up she’d ever worked on.

And now Dr. Fielding was asking her to join a sorority. “Asking” was a polite way of saying that Dr. Fielding had her claws buried so deep in Andrea and Tyler’s minds that they would do anything she told them to. Andrea was, after all, a loyal student of Carpenter State University sworn to proudly serve Dean Strickland and protect the legacy of the institution.

But the girls were already suspicious from the Alphas incident, and a senior suddenly wanting to pledge had everyone on high alert. She could tell that Ana didn’t trust her. She suspected that it was the other one, what was her name? Robin? Who advocated for the benefit of the doubt. Her intentions weren’t malicious. After everything that had happened, Dr. Fielding wanted eyes in the Greek community, just in case anyone planned to follow in Madison’s footsteps. Tyler was a good partner, but this was the kind of job she’d have to do alone.

“Fuck,” Andrea grunted as she attempted to haul her chair up the sorority house’s old, narrow staircase. It was a plush, little green armchair but it had a surprising amount of weight to it. Though the girls had agreed to take her on as a pledge, they didn’t seem too eager to help her move in. She was left doing all of the heavy work by herself.

Andrea closed her eyes, determined to get this ridiculous piece of furniture up to the top step on her own. She pulled her weight back and managed to get the chair up one step. Just fifteen more to go.

“Hey there!” A painfully bubbly voice interrupted Andrea’s concentration. She looked down from her place on the stairs to see a young blonde standing there, her head cocked to the side like a confused puppy. “Need some help?”

“Sure,” Andrea breathed, a little surprised. “Knock yourself out.”

The small girl was stronger than she looked. She took hold of the chair from the bottom and she said, “My name’s Sydney.” “Andrea." “I know,” Sydney replied with a giggle that Andrea thought sounded nervous. “You’re the new girl. The senior?” “Going to be,” Andrea said as she began to slowly work her way up the stairs. She regretted having to be the one to go backward. “You?” “Sophomore,” Sydney squeaked back. “Maybe you’ll be my Little. Wouldn’t that be weird?”

“What?” Andrea asked. “Like, Big and Little? Your sister mentor. Show you the ropes, have your back no matter what.” “Right,” Andrea nodded doubtfully. “You don’t know much about the life, huh?” “Not really,” Andrea said. “I sort of ended up here on a dare.” A lie, but the best one that Andrea could think of in the moment. “Shut up. That is so funny.”

“I guess,” she said. “I hear it’s been pretty crazy around here lately.”

They were at the top of the stairs now. It was a straight shot from the railing to her new room at the end of the hall.

“Oh yeah,” Sydney replied. “Kind of a strange time to be a pledge,” Sydney said. “You know I almost pledged to the Alphas? But my mom was a Beta and I wanted to be just like her. I’m excited to just have a normal year. You know, meet some boys, have some laughs, make friendships that will last a lifetime?”

This girl can't be real.

They crossed the doorway into Andrea’s room, the one the Betas called the pink room. It was the only one in the house covered from corner to corner in pink wallpaper.

Sydney admired the space as they sat the chair down. “Pretty, isn’t it?” “I’m more of a dark colors kind of gal,” Andrea said. “You know it’s the biggest room in the house?” Sydney said. “Daphne was here last year but she didn’t come back after the Alphas.” “I’m sorry,” Andrea said, trying to avoid Sydney’s eyes.

There was a moment of silence between the two before Sydney reached out and pulled Andrea into a hug. Andrea recoiled at first, but remembered that she was supposed to make friends with these girls, and reluctantly she brought her arms up around Sydney too.

When Sydney pulled away from Andrea, she looked the older girl in the eyes and said, “It’s been tough. Sorority life is supposed to be about family, and loyalty, and kindness. But lately it’s been like…you can’t trust anyone, you know?”

“Yeah,” Andrea said with a stone face.

“And I guess what I mean is,” Sydney continued, clumsily dancing around a point. “I don’t know why you decided to join us now, but we’re a family. And we take that pretty seriously.”

Suddenly Andrea didn’t know what to make of this encounter. Did Sydney know that she was sent there to spy on them? She didn’t seem threatening, but she was definitely smarter than she wanted people to think she was, and that made Andrea nervous.

“Thanks,” Andrea said, realizing that she’d held the silence for too long. “No probs!” Sydney smiled. “Can I call you Andi?”

“I’d rather you didn’t.”

Taylor

It was three in the morning by the time Taylor got back, rolling up in an Uber with a young man’s tongue down her throat. His name was Gabe. He was a proper himbo. She pulled away from him with a sultry smile. “This is my stop, baby.”

“Fuck,” he said, unfocused eyes darting over her body. “You’re so hot.” They were both a little drunk. Taylor held her alcohol better. “Can I come in with you?”

“Uh-uh,” she shook her head no. “Men don’t come into the house. I gotta look out for my girls.”

Gabe pulled her toward himself again. He was all over her. “Then come back to my place.”

Taylor put her finger on her chin playfully, pretending to think it over. It was a tempting offer. Gabe was model cute, with crazy blue eyes and a perfect five o’clock shadow that looked like it had gone through some editing in photoshop.

“Here,” she said, reaching into the pocket of his jacket and pulling out his phone. She added her number and passed it back to him. “In the morning you want some more,” she said. “Text me.”

“That’s it?” he asked.

Taylor bit her lip. He'd been a good boy. Bought her all the drinks she wanted and actually took no for an answer. She glanced toward the front of the car to make sure the driver was minding his own damn business, then she pulled her top down.

“Fuck,” he moaned.

“Just a taste,” she said, quickly readjusting her breasts to fit comfortably inside her dress.

She stumbled out of the Uber and over the curb, then into the front yard of the Beta house. She was smiling, still wired from the evening, as she ascended the concrete steps to the front door. Entering the house, she stumbled in the darkness, reaching out for the coat rack by the door and taking it to the floor with her. She was overtaken with a brief fit of giggles but managed to find her bearings. She sat there, straight faced, preparing herself for the long voyage back up to her feet. That was when she heard the first voice. A whisper.

“Hello?” she said. She sat there for a few more seconds on her knees. There was no response. No sound but the quiet hum of Morgan’s sound machine playing upstairs.

Taylor was back on her feet when she heard the voice again, another whisper. But what did it say? Awaken? Submit? She shook her head.

I must be some next level drunk.

She passed through the foyer to the dining room and into the kitchen. The room was dark except for the moonlight shining in through the window over the sink. She moved to the refrigerator and opened it, bending down to search for a bottle of water. Morgan was always on her about hydrating after a night of drinking. She hummed a song she’d picked up at the club that night as she rummaged through the fridge.

When Taylor stood up and closed the door, it took her a moment to notice the figure standing on the other side.

“Jesus Christ, Morgan!” Taylor shouted. “You almost gave me a heart attack.”

Morgan’s body was gray in the moonlight. She stood there with her arms at her sides. She studied Taylor as if this was the first time she'd seen her friend.

“Do you need a drink of water?” Taylor offered the bottle, still holding her hand to her chest. Again received no response. “Come on,” she said with a roll of her eyes. “Let’s get you back to bed.”

“No,” Morgan said. “This vessel requires no sleep.”

A chill ran down Taylor’s spine. As she looked closer at her old friend, she realized that something wasn’t right about her. It wasn’t in the way she stood there in her underwear, or even in the emotionless tone of her voice. It was her eyes. Her eyes shined in the darkness as bright and clear as pearls.

“What the fuck!” Taylor jumped when she saw it, dropping the bottle of water on the floor.

She backed quickly out of the kitchen and into the dining room. Morgan advanced slowly, taking one step at a time. Taylor could run, but she knew from the way Morgan moved that there was no hope of escape. Sooner or later she'd have to fight whatever this was.

She retreated until she felt the fireplace against her back.

“You cannot run,” Morgan said, staring Taylor down with those sinister eyes. “The Master has chosen you. Can you hear its call?”

The whispers came back in floods. They were voices, dozens of them, but one spoke louder than the rest. Unlike the others, this voice was formless but powerful. It cut through the noise until all Taylor could hear was its alluring tone.

submit surrender obey

“No!” Taylor cried. “Get it out of my head! What are you doing to me!?” She reached for the fireplace poker and held it high above her head.

The gesture was empty. It didn’t stop Morgan from closing in on Taylor, pressing her body against her friend’s. She pressed her hand firmly to Taylor’s neck and forced her to look into her empty eyes.

submit surrender obey

“All life surrenders to the Master,” Morgan moaned. “We are nothing but vessels. Our bodies were made to serve the Master's design. You have been chosen and you will obey.”

“Stop…” Taylor choked, the poker hitting the floor with a loud clang. Her voice escaped in a helpless whisper, tears cresting over her long eyelashes. “Morgan, please…” She was a shadow of the cool, collected young woman who had been talking to Megan just a few hours ago.

Morgan cocked her to the side. “There’s nothing to fear,” she said with a strangely disarming smile. “Let the Master’s words fill your mind. Listen to its call, let it guide your thoughts, let it guide your actions. You will be transformed, and in transformation you will find peace.”

submit surrender obey

The Master was in Taylor’s head now, bouncing new ideas of pleasure, obedience, surrender around her mind. Its words were mixing with her own. She didn’t know what thought was hers and what thought was Master.

All she knew now was that she needed to surrender. She needed to obey.

[partydown]

Party Down cast for The New York Times

[cotscott]

Are we having fun yet?? 🎀

[jamesmarsdenfan]

Red Carpet of Starx's "Party Down" Season 3. Martin Starr, Zoë Chao, Jennifer Garner, Ryan Hansen, Rob Thomas, John Enbom, Jane Lynch, Megan Mullally, Tyrel Jackson Williams, James Marsden, and Ken Marino attend the Red Carpet Premiere Of STARZ's "Party Down" Season 3 at Regency Bruin Theatre on February 22, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Footage by New Vision/Getty Images)

[jimmarsden-fuckingblog]

"Party Down" Season 3. Martin Starr, Zoë Chao, Jennifer Garner, Ryan Hansen, Rob Thomas, John Enbom, Jane Lynch, Megan Mullally, Tyrel Jackson Williams, James Marsden, and Ken Marino.

https://twitter.com/PartyDownSTARZ/status/1629571937054900224?s=20

[boomgers]

Están de regreso, arreglados y sin plan… “Party Down · Temporada 3”

El servicio de catering ‘Party Down’ está formado por un grupo de actores y escritores que aspiran a alcanzar el estrellato, pero que por todo tipo de razones no consiguen levantar cabeza, por lo que deben ganarse el sustento haciendo de camareros y bármanes en todo tipo de fiestas de Hollywood, en un estado de perpetua frustración.

Estreno: 24 de febrero de 2023 en Lionsgate+.

La serie cuenta con las actuaciones de Adam Scott, Ryan Hansen, Zoë Chao, Ken Marino, Martin Starr, Tyrel Jackson Williams, Jane Lynch, Megan Mullally, James Marsden, Jennifer Garner, entre otros.

[charlicpace]

name masterlist: love island uk edition ! some folks like to stick to names that are more 'realistic' & my favourite place to look for those names is reality tv, because... well, that's their names ! so here's a list of every name that's ever popped up on the uk version of love island ( seasons 1-8 ) so all these names are perfect for characters aged 18-40 if we're going off ( uk-based ! ) actual likelihood.

aaron

abigail

adam

afia

alex

alexandra

alexi

amy

anna

andrea

andrew

anton

amber

amelia

arabella

belle

ben

bethany

billy

biggs

brad

brett

callum

cally

camilla

cara

caroline

charlie

ched

cheyenne

chloe

chris

chyna

clarisse

coco

craig

curtis

daisy

dale

dami

dan

daniel

danielle

danica

danny

darylle

davide

dean

deji

dennon

demi

dom

ellie

elma

ellisha

emma

eva

eve

ekin-su

eyal

faye

finn

francesca

frankie

gabby

gemma

george

georgia

grace

greg

hannah

harley

harry

hayley

hugo

iain

idris

ikenna

india

jack

jacques

jade

james

jamie

jake

javi

jay

jazmine

jess

joanna

joe

john

jonny

jordan

josh

kady

kalia

katie

kaz

kazimir

kem

kendall

kieran

lacey

laura

lauren

lavena

lexi

liam

liana

liberty

lillie

lucie

lucinda

luis

luke

malia

malin

marcel

marino

maura

maria

mary

marvin

matthew

maya

max

medhy

megan

michael

mike

molly

montana

nabila

naomi

nas

natalia

nathan

niall

olivia

oliver

ollie

omar

ovie

paige

paul

poppy

priscilla

priya

sam

salma

samira

savanna

scott

shannen

shaugna

sharon

sherif

siannise

simon

sophie

summer

stephanie

stevie

steve

rachel

rebecca

remi

reese

rob

rosie

rykard

tasha

teddy

terry

theo

tina

toby

tom

tommy

tony

travis

troy

tyla

tyler

tyne

wallace

wes

yewande

zara

zoe

[iceflwers]

𝓿𝓪𝓵𝓮𝓻𝓲𝓪 “𝓻𝓲𝓪” 𝓬𝓸𝓻𝓽𝓮𝔃 !

˚✧ ₊˚ʚ THE BASICS !

— ❥ FULL NAME: Valeria Amelia Cortez.

— ❥ NICKNAMES: Ria (most commonly used, professional name), Songbird, Birdie, mija, corazón, America’s Sweetheart, love (by Nico only), baby (by Nico only), schatz (by Nico only).

— ❥ DATE OF BIRTH: July 10th, 1999 (Cancer).

— ❥ BIRTHPLACE: Lexington, Kentucky, USA.

— ❥ CURRENT RESIDENCE: Nashville, Tennessee, USA.

— ❥ SPOKEN LANGUAGES: English, Spanish.

— ❥ ORIENTATION: Biromantic, bisexual.

— ❥ GENDER IDENTITY: Cisgender female (she/her pronouns).

— ❥ OCCUPATION: Country singer-songwriter.

— ❥ FACECLAIM: Rachel Zegler.

˚✧ ₊˚ʚ PERSONALITY !

— ❥ HOGWARTS HOUSE: Ravenclaw (intelligent, creative, wise).

— ❥ MYERS-BRIGGS TYPE: ESFP - The Entertainer (bold, enthusiastic, sensitive).

— ❥ ENNEAGRAM TYPE: Type Seven - The Enthusiast (spontaneous, high-spirited, practical).

— ❥ MORAL ALIGNMENT: Chaotic Good.

— ❥ LOVE LANGUAGES: Quality time for receiving, physical touch for giving.

— ❥ SKILLS: Singing, playing acoustic guitar, playing electric guitar, playing piano and keyboard, dancing, songwriting, cooking, has a quick wit, speed writing, outfit coordination, hair styling.

— ❥ LIKES: Playing her guitar and singing, captivating an audience, cuddling with her cat, playing music and dancing around her living room, going to hockey games, spending time with her family and friends, making people laugh, cooking for the people she loves.

— ❥ DISLIKES: Any kind of bigots or discrimination, black coffee, having things thrown to her with little or no warning, horror movies, having to use a pencil that’s been chewed on, bad hair days, impatient people, people who dislike cats.

— ❥ FEARS/PHOBIAS: Snakes, heights, needles, accidentally eating something she’s allergic to without realizing, bears.

˚✧ ₊˚ʚ RELATIONSHIPS !

— ❥ FAMILY: Susan Cortez (mother), Emilio Cortez (father), Ellen Hughes (maternal aunt), Jim Hughes (maternal uncle by marriage), Quinn Hughes (maternal first cousin), Jack Hughes (maternal first cousin), Luke Hughes (maternal first cousin).

— ❥ FRIENDS: Trevor Zegras, Jamie Drysdale, Dawson Mercer, Elias Petterson, Lainey Wilson, Megan Moroney, Curtis Lazar.

— ❥ ACQUAINTANCES: Jamie Drysdale, Maddie Font, Tae Kerr, Keith Urban, Carrie Underwood, Miranda Lambert, Thatcher Demko, Dan Smyers, Shay Mooney, Brock Boeser, John Marino, Kelly Clarkson.

— ❥ ROMANTIC INTERESTS: Mary Jane Fromme (first crush), Charlie Hodgins (first boyfriend), Reese Carney (ex-boyfriend), Emily Jackson (ex-girlfriend), David Kelly (brief fling), Brian Waller (brief fling), Luna Marlowe (brief fling), John Marino (brief crush), Nico Hischier (current romantic interest).

˚✧ ₊˚ʚ FUN FACTS !

— ❥ Ria’s first album after getting signed to a label at just nineteen, which was self-titled and consisted of songs about her upbringing in Kentucky, spent two weeks at the top of the country charts and even made it onto the Billboard chart very shortly after being released.

— ❥ After Luke was drafted, making all three of her cousins officially NHL players, Ria wrote and released a single titled “The Sound of Skates,” as a tribute to her three best friends and the sport of hockey itself.

— ❥ Ever since she received a platform after the success of her first album, Ria has been an outspoken advocate for things like gender equality, police brutality, and more inclusion of queer people and people of color in the country genre. She hasn’t always been popular with record execs and bigger names in the genre because of it, but she hasn’t been fired and it’s never stopped her yet.

— ❥ Having grown up watching movie musicals with her mother, who loves them, Ria has dreams of putting another notch in her musical belt by performing on a Broadway stage one day. In interviews and on Instagram Live, she has expressed her desire to play either Roxie Hart in Chicago or a gender-swapped Orpheus in Hadestown.

— ❥ Since moving to Nashville for her music career, Ria has actually become a big fan of the Predators, and goes to as many of their home games as she can. She has even worn a Preds jersey to a few Canucks or Devils games she’s gone to for her cousins, just to have some fun with them - in fact, she was wearing one when she went to the Devils game where she first met Nico, and later she jokes that it’s a miracle he ever wanted to date her at all if that was the first thing he ever saw her wearing.

tagging @lovings4turn, @hiya-itsamber, & @theopenlocker !

─┈ ♡ copyright © 2024: you do not have permission to copy, translate, or repost my works, nor to use my oc ideas or plots.

[mynameisvob]

Broooo tengo una idea.

Imagínense que los animatronicos estan de chil en una pijamada todo tranqui viendo matrix. Y de la nada a Bonnie se le vienen los típicos pensamientos existenciales y les dice a sus amigos sobre ellos pero nadie le para bola. Pero más tarde Bonnie ve una estrella fugaz y le pide que si están en un mundo ficticio todos puedan ir a la realidad. Freddy escucha esto y entre todos van y calman a Bonnie para recordarle que matrix es solo una pelicula y que todos son reales y luego todos se van a dormir. Peroooo cuando despiertan los 5 están en un cuarto desconocido (cada uno en una cama de 3 literas. Todos están confundidos y se encuentran con una persona el cual sería como un dios que los trajo aquí por pura diversión (en este caso seria mi OC pero luego veo). Todos están muy espantados pero les dan un día para que conozcan el mundo que ellos no saben que es el mundo real, donde la gente no se pone a cantar porque xd, la gente no tiene ojos y cabello de colores fruti-fantasticos y las cosas no son tan divertidas e inocentes como ellos conocían. Y el siguiente día es lunes y les tocaría ir a una prepa normal latinoamericana (yo como soy mexicano tendria mas referencia a la cultura mexicana que latina en general) donde conocerían lo más cercano a los toys pero en el mundo real y estos actúan como morros de la vida real que tratan de tener una banda musical pero obvio y no es tan fácil como lo tenían los toys que todos conocemos. Voy a describir uno por uno (joy,Meg,Bon,toddy y spring)

Joey

Una chica trans acomplejada porque solo sus amigos la llaman por ella y tiene miedo de revelarse a su familia catolica. Toca el teclado. Es muy callada porque se siente acomplejada por su voz, ademas de usar ropa holgada para verse mas "neutral". Con sus amigos es muy alegre, errática y carismática, su color favorito es el rosa pastel, ama el pastel de coco y adora el K-pop (stray kids Y ((G)I - DLE) )

Megan

es una chica que padece de albinismo fue huérfana por un trajico incendio pero vive con sus actuales padres adoptivos. Es muy edgy y se siente como el personaje principal pero es buena onda. Es vocalista en su banda y adora cantar pero le cuesta mucho aprender a tocar un instrumento. Su color favorito es el amarillo vivo pero a casi todos les dice que es el negro, le fascina el chile en nogada y es Swifty y fan de Lana del Rey

Samuel

Un chico, hijo de papá luchon ya que sus papás están divorciados (su padre trabaja mucho y tiene caidas alcohólicas lo que le genera a Sam mucho estres pero tambien le da muchas libertades). Es muy orgulloso pero muy penoso y torpe lo cual lo vuelve un poco introvertido. Es muy carismático y trata de siempre ayudar a sus amigos (en especial Joey) su color fav es el verde, su comida favorita es la papa rellena y es rockero a morir (guns and roses, pantera y un poco de måneskin)

Teodora (Terry)

La media hermana de bon (la mamá tuvo una aventura y por eso el apa de Sam se divorció) ella es un año menor que Sam y lo adora ya que incluso por lo que ella representa el la cuida incondicionalmente. Aprendió a tocar la batería recientemente y unicamente para entrar a la banda en la que esta su hermano. No tenía amigos por lo que se colo a la banda para no estar sola. Su color favorito es el rojo vino, le encanta la lasaña y su cancion favorita es victorious de panic at the disco (no tiene un artista o estilo musical favorito)

Spencer

Conoció a Meg en el orfanato en el que ambos vivían y cuando ella se fue mantuvieron contacto (obviamente tiene un mega crush con ella y haria lo que fuera por ella) trabaja en la calle vendiendo dulces en la salida de colegios (específicamente en el de nuestros protagonistas) y en una carpintería donde ayuda en lo que puede. Su color favorito es el azul marino, no tiene una comida favorita ya que le gusta de todo (excepto el picante) y le gusta mucho el rap, hasta aprendio y/o esta aprendiendo a rapear e inprovisar

Ahora bien imagínense a los animatronicos teniendo que enfrentarse a situaciones cotidianas mientras conocen cómo comportarse en nuestro mundo mientras los “Toys reales” (por decirlo de alguna manera [todavia no tengo nombre para su banda]) comienzan a convivir con los animatronicos y a encariñarse con ellos. E imagínense que Samuel también le guste Bonnie pero esta vez muentras tiene su crisis lo evite y luego, cuando se sienta mas seguro de sí mismo, lo trate de conquistar pero no sería taaaaaaaan obvio porque le da pena, por lo que pocos se darían cuenta pero al final se confesaría y capaz y Bonnie también sentiria algo por él. O que Freddy/Fred y Golden ayuden a Joey a sentirse más cómoda con si misma y a hacerla reconocer que ella es quien es y nadie la puede cambiar, que foxy despierte un instinto paternal en Megan y la ayude o que Chica pueda sentirse identificada con terry y ayudarla a quererse un poco mas.

Que opinan?

[popculturebrain]

‘Party Down’ Season 3 Teaser Reveals the Catering Crew Back in Bowties, February Premiere Date

Starz has unveiled the first teaser for its revival of “Party Down,” showing the return of characters played by Ken Marino, Jane Lynch, Megan Mullally and Adam Scott. The footage also unveils a premiere date of Feb. 24, 2023.

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[goalhofer]

2024 olympians representing non country of residence part 9

Samoa: Kaiya Brown, swimming (Auckland, New Zealand); Samalulu Clifton, canoeing (Auckland, New Zealand); Tuva'a Clifton, canoeing (Auckland, New Zealand); Akazawa Gaku, wrestling (Tokyo, Japan); Lalomilo Lalomilo, rugby (Auckland, New Zealand); Eroni Leilua, sailing (Auckland, New Zealand); Tom Maiava, rugby (Sydney, Australia); Alamanda Motuga, rugby (Auckland, New Zealand); Alex Rose, athletics (West Branch, Michigan) & William Tai-Tin, judo (Melbourne, Australia) San Marino: Myles Amine, wrestling (Novi, Michigan) Saudi Arabia: Abdulrahman Alrajhi, equestrian (Marburg, Germany) Senegal: Yves Bourhis, canoeing (Gouesnac'h, France); Ibrahim Diaw, table tennis (Paris, France); Ndèye Diongue, fencing (Saint-Maur-Des-Fossès, France); Oumy Diop, swimming (Grenoble, France) & Matthieu Seye, swimming (Aix-Les-Bains, France) Serbia: Yvonne Anderson, basketball (Columbia, Missouri); Tijana Bošković, volleyball (Bileća, Bosnia & Herzegovina); Strahinja Bunčić (Banja Luka, Bosnia & Herzegovina); Saša Čađo, basketball (Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herzegovina); Sara Ćirković, boxing (Bratunac, Bosnia & Herzegovina); Angela Dugalić, basketball (Des Plaines, Illinois); Tina Krajišnik, basketball (Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herzegovina); Aleksandr Komarov, wrestling (St. Petersburg, Russia); Nemanja Majdov (Istočno Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herzegovina); Nikolay Pimenov; Jr., rowing (Moscow, Russia); Ivana Raca, basketball (Athens, Greece); Natalia Shadrina, boxing (Yakutsk, Russia); Velimir Stjepanović, (Dubai, U.A.E.); Khetag Tsabolov, wrestling (Vladikavkaz, Russia) & Nemanja Vico, water polo (Kotor, Montenegro) Seychelles: Simon Bachmann, swimming (Nice, France) Singapore: Caroline Chew, equestrian (London, U.K.) & Shannon Tan, golf (Charters Towers, Australia) Slovenia: Eugenia Bujak, cycling (Sosnowiec, Poland) & Elizabeth Omoregie, handball (Bucharest, Romania) South Africa: Kayle Blignaut, athletics (Rome, Italy); Matthew Guise-Brown, field hockey (London, U.K.); Antonie Nortje, athletics (College Station, Texas) & Nic Spooner, field hockey (Hamburg, Germany) South Korea: Byeong-Hun An, golf (Orlando, Florida); Mi-Mi Huh, judo (Tokyo, Japan); Ji-Su Kim, judo (Himeji, Japan); Jin-Young Ko, golf (Frisco, Texas) & Hee-Young Yang, golf (Orlando, Florida) South Sudan: Sunday Dech, basketball (Perth, Australia); Majok Deng, basketball (Adelaide, Australia); Wenyen Gabriel, basketball (Manchester, New Hampshire); Kacoul Jok, basketball (Des Moines, Iowa); Carlik Jones, basketball (Cincinnati, Ohio); Bul Kuol, basketball (Canberra, Australia); Anyiarbany Makoi, basketball (St. Louis, Missouri); Khaman Maluch, basketball (Kampala, Uganda); Lucia Moris, athletics (Nairobi, Kenya); Anunwa Omet, basketball (Mahtomedi, Minnesota); Marial Shayok, basketball (Ottawa, Ontario) & J.T. Thor, basketball (Norcross, Georgia) Spain: Lorenzo Brown, basketball (Roswell, Georgia); Gerard Clapés, field hockey (Eindhoven, The Netherlands); Andy Criere, surfing (Hendaye, France); Megan Gustafson, basketball (Port Wing, Wisconsin); Marc Miralles, field hockey (Bloemendaal, The Netherlands); Jon Rahm, golf (Scottsdale, Arizona) & Carmen Weiler, swimming (Singapore) Sudan: Yaseen Abdalla, athletics (Austin, Texas) & Ziyad Saleem, swimming (Milwaukee, Wisconsin) Suriname: Irvin Hoost, swimming (Miami, Florida) Sweden: Ludvig Åberg, golf (Tallahassee, Florida); Rolf-Göran Bengtsson, equestrian (Breitenburg, Germany); Therese Nilshagen, equestrian (Niedershachen, Germany); Alex Norén, golf (Jupiter, Florida); Louise Romeike, equestrian (Meyn, Germany); Sofia Sjöborg, equestrian (London, U.K.) & Henrik Von Eckermann, equestrian (Peel En Maas, The Netherlands) Switzerland: Alexandre Dällenbach, pentathlon (Saint-Denis, France); Nikita Ducarroz, cycling (Sonoma County, California); Albane Valenzuela, golf (Dallas, Texas); Zoé Vergé-Dépré, volleyball (Berne, Germany) & Felix Vogg, equestrian (Weiblingen, Germany) Syria: Hasan Bayan, judo (Berlin, Germany) & Lais Najjar, gymnastics (Ann Arbor, Michigan) Thailand: Jai Angsuthasawit, cycling (Adelaide, Australia)

[dropthegossip]

Utah Wags

Nick Bjugstad - Jackie Bjugstad (wife)

Michael Carcone - Mia Carcone (wife)

Logan Cooley - Single?

Lawson Crouse - Claire Crouse (wife)

Josh Doan - Single?

Dylan Guenther - Single?

Barrett Hayton - Aubrey Murphy (gf)

Clayton Keller - Single

Alex Kerfoot - Marissa Kerfoot (wife)

Matias Maccelli - Olivia Heinonen (Fiancée)

Jack McBain - Single?

Liam O'Brien - Adela O'Brien (wife)

Nick Schmaltz - Abby Ludwig (gf)

Kevin Stenlund - Johanna Blom (gf)

Kailer Yamamoto - Bailey Williams (Fiancée)

Robert Bortuzzo - Megan Bortuzzo (wife)

Ian Cole - Jordan Cole (wife)

Sean Durzi - Sadie Scapinello (gf)

Mike Kesselring - Single?

Vladislav Kolyachonok - Mary Kolyachonok (wife)

Maveric Lamoureaux - Sara-Kim Fecteau (gf)

Olli Maatta - gf?

John Marino - Single?

Mikhail Sergachev - Liza Sergacheva (wife)

Juuso Valimaki - Vilma Valimaki (wife)

Connor Ingram - Sarah Ingram (wife)

Karel Vejemelka - Single?

[partydown]

Cast of Party Down at the season 3 premiere

[newsnoshonline]

Incontra il biologo marino che lavora per una catena alberghiera # Lavorare per una catena alberghiera sostenibile Megan Morikawa, biologo marino e direttrice globale della sostenibilità del Gruppo Iberostar, sta dimostrando come anche i grandi operatori turistici possano essere ecologici. Utilizzando la scienza, sta implementando progetti come laboratori di ricerca sui coralli e bidoni della spazzatura alimentati dall’intelligenza artificiale. # Passione per la scienza e l’ambiente: il punto di partenza Morikawa ha iniziato la sua carriera accademica studiando le barriere coralline e la genetica. Durante il suo dottorato, ha incontrato un’albergatrice appassionata di scienza, Gloria Fluxá Thienemann, che l’ha coinvolta nel settore dell’ospitalità. # Unire ricerca scientifica e turismo sostenibile

[jamesmarsdenfan]

Red Carpet of Starx's "Party Down" Season 3. Martin Starr, Zoë Chao, Jennifer Garner, Ryan Hansen, Rob Thomas, John Enbom, Jane Lynch, Megan Mullally, Tyrel Jackson Williams, James Marsden, and Ken Marino attend the Red Carpet Premiere Of STARZ's "Party Down" Season 3 at Regency Bruin Theatre on February 22, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Footage by New Vision/Getty Images)

[abriefingwithmichael]

“Party Down” s3e5 (2023)

Parts of this made me laugh so much that it physically hurt. Not unusual for this show, admittedly. The parts that really worked for me here were the scenes with Ron falling apart (due to pressure and food poisoning). Ken Marino is a comedy genius and Ron Donald is a masterful creation.

But across the board it was a wonderful and hilarious instalment. I was beyond delighted to see both Megan Mullally and Jane Lynch getting so much screentime. Both brought their a-games. Constance's transformation back to her old self was one of the highlights of the entire series.

10/10