#New Teen Patti Live

[eddiexmunsonlover]

Chapter 1

(Eddie Munson x PlusSize!Fem!Reader)

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WC: 2.8k Warnings: MDNI. Explicit language used. Parental alcohol abuse, toxic family relationships, and bullying mentioned. Author's Note: This first chapter is on the shorter side as it is mainly set-up, and provides a lot of information on Reader's background and friendships with other main characters.

Sunday, September 15th, 1985

The warm September air engulfs your face, blowing through your hair as the familiar streets of Hawkins pass by. Sitting in the passenger seat, head leaning against the door frame, and Led Zeppelin playing on a cassette tape as your mom drives the route home. Your new, and old home. It still didn’t feel quite real that you were back here, not so soon, and not to stay. Though you weren’t born there, Hawkins has always been the place you think of when you hear ‘home’. It wasn’t just the town or the trailer you’d lived in, but the people here that you held the fondest memories of in your heart and formed the deepest bonds you’ve ever had with anyone.

You were born in Virginia, and lived there until you were 8 years old. Until Dad’s drinking led him to lose yet another job, leaving your mother at a loss for what to do. She was smart and skilled, but didn’t make nearly enough money to support the family at the time. Her sister, Aunt Patty, encouraged your family to move out to where she lived in Hawkins, Indiana. Maybe a big move and change of pace was just what your family needed, she suggested. So, the summer before the start of 4th grade in 1976, your family made the move to the Forest Hills Trailer Park in Hawkins, Indiana. Your uncle helped your dad get a job with him doing construction, while your mother managed to find a decent paying receptionist job. 

Your home life wasn’t great. Your parent’s relationship was tumultuous at best, largely due to your father’s drinking problems. You and your mother at times were the best of friends, other times she made you feel like you were never good enough to meet her standards, whether it was with your weight, your grades, or how you dressed. Your school life had never been great either, and that didn’t change in Hawkins. You occasionally dealt with bullies that liked to make fat jokes, but it wasn’t all bad, you also formed some good, solid friendships too. 

Meanwhile, the issues at home and with your parents’ marriage only intensified after the move. After 6 years in Hawkins, your mom had finally had enough of your dad’s bullshit, kicking him out and planning to divorce him. A couple days later, he landed in Jail for a DUI, his 3rd one to be specific. A week after that, 3 months into your 10th grade year in late 1982, a UHAUL was packed up with all your belongings, moving your mom and you back to Virginia to stay with family. 

While the events of your home and school life were sometimes painful, you were grateful that they led you to seek out music for comfort and coping. Music is the love of your life, and what you always turn to when life and your thoughts feel like it’s just too much to bear. It started with the classics that your family raised you on, from Patsy Cline to Jimi Hendrix to Lynyrd Skynyrd to Johnny Cash. You loved all kinds of music, expanding your taste and catalog to a huge variety throughout the years, even beginning to work odd jobs in your early teens to fund your musical exploration. Music wasn’t just a way for you to escape, but became a way to express yourself as well. You learned how to play guitar and bass, and began songwriting as well as a means of emotional release and self-expression. It was the only thing that kept you sane through your life transitions, especially during the years living in Hawkins when problems at home intensified. Music, and him… Eddie Munson.

*Oh, all of my love, all of my love

Oh, all of my love to you…*

Your chest tightened as your thoughts inevitably went to him, how could they not? You tried your best to steer your mind away from him during the move back to Hawkins, but it was pointless. Eddie had been your best friend all those years you lived here, some of the hardest years of your life. Honestly, he was the best friend you’ve ever had. You liked to think you were the same for him, at least then. Your trailer was right across the street from Eddie’s Uncle Wayne’s trailer, Eddie oftentimes staying with Wayne for weeks or months at a time whenever Al Munson disappeared on a bender, some crime scheme, or his stints in jail. Though, you didn’t end up meeting Eddie until a few months after you moved and started 4th grade at Hawkins Elementary. 

A soft smile creeps across your face as you remember 5th grade Eddie, coming to your rescue when you tripped in the hallway at school, other students standing around and laughing at you. Your 9 year old self was mortified, so embarrassed, until Eddie appeared and told them all where they could shove it, effectively clearing the halls of students and helping you up. From then on, anytime he was at Wayne’s you two would hang out; playing make believe in the woods next to the trailer park, Eddie teaching you how to play DnD, sharing books, music, and watching scary movies. You two bonded over your pain caused by your family and Hawkins’ residents who’d branded you as outcasts. You both harbored a lot of pain and anger, sharing a love for metal music as the perfect cathartic release for those emotions. You’d become so close over the years. You often missed him during the times you didn’t get to see him as much, like whenever his Dad returned home and he wasn’t at Wayne’s as much, or when he moved on to middle and high school, being a grade ahead of you. Your friendship remained strong during those times regardless. 

But all of that is in the past. He was your best friend… though in your heart he still is, and always will be.

*I get a little bit lonely, just a little, just a little

Just a little bit lonely, just a little bit lonely*

You sigh as the song comes to an end and the sign for Forest Hills Trailer Park came into view. You hold your breath as your mother turns onto your road, Uncle Wayne’s trailer and yours coming into view. You don’t know why you feel anxious, Eddie would have graduated in ‘84, and likely gotten the hell out of Hawkins as soon as he could. Probably out in LA trying to make a name for himself in the music industry. You shook the thoughts from your head, noting the unfamiliar van in Wayne’s driveway as your mother pulled into your own across the street.

She sighs as she puts the car into park next to yours, a black ‘81 Chevy C10 truck that your father so generously gifted you upon hearing of your return to Hawkins. It’s the LEAST he could do. Your mother looked at you with a small smile, “Home sweet home”. You return her smile before both exiting her station wagon and begin unloading the last of your belongings. Your mom and you had already been back in Hawkins for a few days, staying with your Aunt Patty while coming to the trailer everyday to deep clean before moving back in. You could only assume your Dad had hit a rough patch when you heard he was being evicted from the trailer, missing a few rent payments. Around the same time back in Virginia as you were starting your senior year, your mom got laid off from her job. An old coworker from Hawkins then just so happened to tell her about an open position at her new job in Indianapolis, one that paid more than either of your Mom’s old jobs in Hawkins or Virginia. When she heard about your dad, it was decided, circumstances aligning perfectly. Upend your life and move back to Hawkins, again. You can’t say you were really upset about it, Hawkins has been home for you since that fateful day in 4th grade.

~

Eddie groaned in frustration. Searching his vest pockets, under his blanket, on any flat surface in his room for his goddamn cigarettes, patience quickly wearing thin. He huffed, looking along the floor of his room, around dirty and clean clothes thrown about until he saw the familiar package peeking out from under his bed. “There you areeee” a cheeky smile adorning his face as he grabbed it from the floor, swiftly removing a cigarette and putting it between his lips. He sat down on a chair he had propped next to the open window in his room as he lit the cigarette, taking a puff before looking out his window. Eyes landing on what appeared to be new neighbors moving into the trailer across the street. Your trailer. Wayne had told him about your dad, a small voice of hope in the back of his head wondered if you’d come back. A voice he’d quickly squashed. It’s been nearly 3 years since you’d left, and though he knew better than to think the thoughts of you would ever stop popping into his head, that certainly didn’t stop him from trying to keep them at bay.

Taking another puff from his cigarette, his attention was captured by the girl he saw across the street. Her back to him as she looks into the trunk of the station wagon in the driveway. He unashamedly lets his eyes take her in. Short, thick, curvy. Black shorts, cropped tank top, hair up in a messy bun. She didn’t look like most of the girls in Hawkins or in the magazines… and he liked, no, loved that. He couldn’t help but notice how much her body resembled yours, or atleast how he’d imagined it’d look now after the few years. He watched as she started to squat to lift a tv console out of the trunk. Being the gentleman his Uncle Wayne raised him to be, he was about to sprint over; introduce himself and help her, knowing how damn heavy those fuckers could be. Just as the thought passed his mind, she lifts it almost effortlessly, his eyes practically bulging from his head. He wasn’t expecting that to turn him on so much, but goddamn. He admires the thick arms and legs exerting that strength, unable to not notice the pronounced curve of her ass as she climbed the steps into the trailer. 

Before he could pop a semi, a burning sensation on his thigh grabs his attention. The cherry from his cigarette falling into his lap as he drooled over his new neighbor like a virgin.

“Shit, Jesus H. Christ!” he grimaces, stomping out the cherry just as the telephone begins to ring. Groaning, he rose to his feet, nearly tripping over the clothes on his floor as he stomps down the hall. 

“Yeah, what?” he answered unceremoniously, greeted by Jeff’s voice reminding Eddie to pick him up on his way to band practice at Gareth’s. 

“Yeah yeah, I’m on my way” Eddie hung up the phone, dramatically exhaling as he turned back to his room to grab his sweetheart, and his van keys off the counter before leaving the trailer. He glanced across the street as he descended the porch steps, hoping to catch another glimpse of the new neighbor only to be disappointed as the trailer door was closed, with no one outside. 

~

You sigh, dropping the last box of your belongings on your stripped bed, glancing around at your bare bedroom, deciding on where to start. You rummage through one of your boxes, finding your radio and setting it on your dresser. You press play on the cassette you’d titled Chill Mix #3, smiling as All Along the Watchtower by Jimi Hendrix began playing. You decide to start on the biggest feat, unpacking and putting away all your clothes. You let your mind focus on your task and the sound of the music as you move, singing along to each passing song. It was only a matter of time before thoughts and images of him slipped through the barrier, being back in the exact place that held so many memories of him and your friendship. It made your stomach turn and a lump form in your throat. You attempt to cough it away, forcing yourself to think of your other friends here in Hawkins you were excited to see again. The toothy, goofy smile of one of your youngster friends, Dustin Henderson popped into your head, effectively putting a smile on your face.

You’d known Dustin, Mike, Lucas, and Will for a couple years now. First meeting Will through his mother Joyce, who was good friends with your mom. It’d started sometime when you were in middle school, going over to Joyce’s to hang out with Jonathan and Will while your moms’ went out to shop and vent about their relationship issues. The other boys showing up a handful of those times turned into Dustin’s mom and Lucas’s parents asking you to babysit in the summer months, which often turned into babysitting all the boys at the same time.

The boys and Erica came to view you as an older sister figure, and them, your sometimes annoying but loveable younger siblings. The same quickly became true for the newer member of the party Max, over your visit to Hawkins this summer. Taking a liking to you as the ‘cool’ older girl the boys often spoke of and hung out with. Though you were flattered but dismissive of the ‘cool’ label, you learned quickly that like you, Max didn’t give a damn about societal ideals of ‘cool’ and what or who a young woman should be. They were freshman this year at Hawkins High, one of the few positives you looked forward to starting your senior year here.

As you move on to hanging up your posters and decorations, you think about your other, newer friends, Steve and Robin. To be fair, Robin wasn’t exactly a new friend, you’d met her in school when previously living in Hawkins, but were never more than casual, friendly acquaintances. Steve, on the other hand, you never expected to become friends with before this past summer. You’d visited Hawkins every summer since you’d moved back to Virginia; staying with your Aunt Patty, babysitting, spending time with the kids, your cousins and your Dad.

When you came to visit this summer in May, you’d picked up a job working at Scoops Ahoy with Robin and Steve. Your once casual friendship with Robin blossomed into a close one, both taking pleasure in teasing Steve day after day, watching him fail in his attempts to pick up girls after his break-up with Nancy and declining position in the social hierarchy of Hawkins. You were surprised to witness the change in Steve’s character from the Steve you knew of through middle and early high school, into someone actually likable. When Robin confessed her sexual identity to you two, it marked a milestone in you three’s friendship, along with the events of the mall fire that happened soon after. You three were nearly inseparable for the remainder of the summer after, until August rolled around and it was time for you to go back to Virginia. Robin was the first friend you called when you learned about your return back to Hawkins. Thrilled to go through her Senior year with you, considering Steve graduated this past May.

A few hours after you’d started and the sky now dark outside, you sigh loudly laying back on your bed as you finally finished putting away and organizing all your belongings. Looking around your room, you feel a wave of comfort hit you. Your room has always been your safe space, and it just feels… looks so right here in this room, compared to your room of the past 3 years in Virginia. Even with all the new decorations and posters you’d acquired since you last lived in this room years ago. You feel a sense of hope overtake your thoughts. Maybe this year things will finally work out and go right for you, feel right for you, for the first time in years. You let those thoughts linger as you walk out into the kitchen, deciding to make a sandwich for dinner. Feeling the exhaustion from the last week of moving weigh on your body, you kiss your mother goodnight, and take a relaxing shower before crawling into bed. You let the songs playing on the local ‘soft rock’ radio station lull you as exhaustion overtakes you. As you fall asleep, you cling onto that hopeful, comforting feeling before your first day back at Hawkins High tomorrow.

[jgroffdaily]

The New Yorker Interview

Jonathan Groff Rolls Merrily Back

The actor reflects on his journey in reverse: from his latest Tony nomination to his arrival in New York, waiting tables and dreaming of Broadway.

By Michael Schulman, Photograph by Thea Traff

June 2, 2024

Excerpts:

One of the problems with “Merrily” is its protagonist, Franklin Shepard, whom we first meet as a slick, philandering forty-year-old Hollywood producer. It takes two acts to arrive at the charismatic musician he once was, with a lot of mistakes in between. Putting effect before cause gives each scene a painful irony—but how do you get an audience to care about a guy who’s off-putting for so long? “Merrily” is back on Broadway, in a production directed by Maria Friedman, and it’s finally a hit. One big reason is its Frank, played by Jonathan Groff, whose natural warmth shines through even in the character’s older, sleazier incarnation. When this revival opened Off Broadway, in 2022, The New Yorker’s Helen Shaw wrote, “Groff’s silky tenor and angelic face elevate a part that can sometimes be contemptible—for the first time, I could see Frank as both the dreamer who believes in greatness and the glib charmer who believes every lie he tells.”

Groff, thirty-nine, is now nominated for a Tony Award, alongside Friedman and his co-stars Daniel Radcliffe and Lindsay Mendez. He was previously nominated in 2016, for “Hamilton,” in the scene-stealing part of King George III, and in 2007, for the indie-rock musical “Spring Awakening,” as the rebellious schoolboy Melchior Gabor—his breakout role, opposite Lea Michele. Groff had come to New York three years earlier, as a stagestruck, closeted nineteen-year-old from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, where he grew up among Mennonites and was obsessed with the original cast recording of “Annie Get Your Gun.” “Merrily,” with its themes of aging, idealism, and the vicissitudes of show business, has had Groff thinking about his own path toward stardom. “Doing this show on Broadway at this time, moving to New York twenty years ago, I’ve now lived the time frame of the show,” he told me recently.

We were talking at a bakery north of Washington Square Park. Groff had glided in on a bicycle. As we spoke, he frequently welled up with tears—he’s a crier—but regained his composure by focussing on a pair of googly eyes affixed to the wall behind me. For our conversation, which has been edited and condensed, I had an experiment in mind.

Let’s start with the extremely recent past. Three days ago, you went to the Met Gala. How was your night?

The big headline for me was Lea Michele was pregnant, and I sat next to her at the table, holding her giant train thing while she peed. She took it off, and I was holding that and her purse. I saw Zac Posen, who was at our table, help Kim Kardashian up the little tiny stairs, and I said to him, “Wow, that was such a sweet moment of the gay helping the diva.” I was relating to him, like with me and Lea. It’s a zoo of famous people. I was going to go to the after-parties, but my body was just, like, “No.” I hit a wall from the shows and the epicness of the week, with the Tony nominations. So I was home by eleven-forty-five, and in bed by midnight.

The Broadway production of “Merrily” opened last fall. You told Jimmy Fallon that Meryl Streep came to your dressing room, where you have a bar named BARbra, and she took a video of you and sent it to Barbra Streisand. Who else has been there?

The first thing that comes to me is sitting in BARbra in October or November, drinking whiskey with Sutton Foster. I came to New York as a teen-ager and saw her six times in “Thoroughly Modern Millie”—now she’s in BARbra, dropping in for, like, an hour and a half after the show, and it’s so full circle. Who else? Patti LuPone was there—another big one for me. Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Martin McDonagh. Glenn Close sent back a bottle of champagne to be chilled in BARbra, which we drank together.

This show, like every Sondheim show, is very dense. Over the course of three hundred-plus performances, are there certain moments that have suddenly hit you a different way, or that you realize have a double meaning?

Double, triple, quadruple, infinity. I’m still having revelations, which really makes me believe that it’s a true work of art. Maria [Friedman] talks about how, with Sondheim’s writing, he “leaves space,” which is why it’s always new. He always needed to work with a collaborator, and she talked about the actor being an essential collaborator. She said the lyric he wrote in “Sunday in the Park with George”—“Anything you do, / let it come from you, / then it will be new”—is Sondheim’s directive to the actor.

The Tuesday after the Tony nominations, I got to the theatre, screamed with Lindsay [Mendez], screamed with Dan [Radcliffe]. [He chokes up.] Then I was singing “Growing Up”—“So old friends, don’t you see we can have it all?”—which has meant so many different things to me in the run of the show. At yesterday’s matinée, Dan and I were sitting on the roof singing “Our Time”: “Up to us, pal, to show ’em.” We’ve done it a million times. We look at each other, and Dan just fucking loses it crying. He had to look away from me. We talked about it afterward, like, “What the fuck was that?” I don’t know. Something just happened.

When you started the show, in 2022, at New York Theatre Workshop, were there kinks in your performance that you’ve since figured out?

I remember feeling shocked at being disliked for so long in the first half of the first act. It was very clear from the energy of the audience that they loved Mary in the opening scene—immediately, they’re on her side. I’m out here as a gay guy, playing this straight, two-timing Hollywood producer who’s cheating on his wife. I’m already having to feel confident in a way that I don’t in my everyday life, this sort of swagger. And the audience hates me. I remember feeling scared and self-conscious. Maria, in that preview process, really helped with that, because she talked about the value of when it’s real, and you’re not playing ugly just to be ugly. The one line that I really struggled with was “I’m just acting like it all matters so people can’t see how much I hate my life and how much I wish the whole goddam thing was over.” That is a really confronting thing to say.

People might say that this is one of the fundamental flaws of “Merrily We Roll Along”—that you’re confronted with this cynical, smarmy Frank in the first act, and you don’t really understand him until the show’s over. I can imagine going into this not knowing if that’s a solvable problem, because it hadn’t been for decades.

Well, Maria wanted us to find the truth. She really believed that these characters weren’t archetypes, that there’s humanity in the writing from beginning to end. I found it after that first week or two of previews, not being so afraid. The line that made me want to do the show was “I’ve made only one mistake in my life, but I’ve made it over and over and over. That was saying yes when I meant no.” I’ve done that a lot in my life, and there was something that felt like the closeted version of myself. George Furth and Stephen Sondheim—I can only imagine being gay at the time that they were gay. Even though Frank is straight, there’s so much repression that feels very familiar to me.

Except that you felt it at the beginning of your life and not the middle, as Frank does.

Yes and no. I still feel it. I’m still trying every day not to go back. I’m obviously out of the closet, so that’s a huge relief, but I’m always going to be reckoning with the Republican upbringing that I had. I’m always negotiating whatever homophobia I’ve got. It’s all in there, still. What we see as ugliness in the top of the show, to stand and say, “I want to fucking kill myself, I hate my life,” and not overdramatize it but try to find it in the most pure, truthful place—it’s still, every night, a meditation to go there.

Let’s wind back. In 2021, you played Agent Smith in “The Matrix Resurrections.” Any good stories about Keanu Reeves?

Getting to play Agent Smith really unlocked rage inside of me that I didn’t know was there. That’s helped me so much with “Merrily,” particularly in the first act. Learning the kung fu was, like, months of fight training. They called me the Savage, because I was so into it. We were shooting a big fight sequence with Keanu, and, after the first few takes, I remember Lana [Wachowski] at the monitor, like, “Jonathan, come over here. Who is that?” I was, like, “I don’t know.” And she was, like, “And what is that?” I said, “Gay rage?”

I’d never shot a gun before. I shot Keanu and thought I had peed my pants, because I had this hot feeling. You know when you pee yourself and it’s warm? It lasted about ten minutes and then it went away. I sat next to Keanu and said, “Keanu, I just had extreme heat from my groin for, like, ten minutes.” And he was, like, “You opened up your root chakra.”

You turned thirty that year [Hamilton]? How was that?

I remember it vividly. We were at the Public Theatre. There was a fire in the East Village, and the show was cancelled that night. I got a cupcake at the deli around the corner from my apartment, on Sixteenth Street, and ate it by myself. I can be a bit of a loner, so that was a happy birthday for me.

(On Looking being cancelled)

But, in 2015, Michael Lombardo was our executive at HBO, and I was crying into my salad at some restaurant in West Hollywood, trying to convince him to keep the show going, right before getting on the plane to come do “Hamilton” Off Broadway.

I loved Raúl Castillo, who played your love interest Richie on the show. I interviewed him around then, and he told me that, since he’s straight, you all had to teach him some of the mechanics of what gay people do.

Oh, yeah! God, I love him so much. I officiated his wedding in July.

Let’s go back to 2013, when “Frozen” came out. You voiced the iceman Kristoff and the reindeer Sven. How did that film change your life?

It’s funny—I remember recording some of “Frozen” in San Francisco. I would be teaching Raúl, like, how to lick my asshole while jerking me off—not teaching him, but sharing the ins and outs of gay intimacy—and then going into the recording studio on a Saturday and being Kristoff and Sven in a Disney movie.

When they showed me “Let It Go” for the first time, I was, like, Oh, my God, this will help millions of people come out of the closet. This is the gayest thing I’ve seen in my life! That was the thing about “Frozen”: I don’t think anyone who worked on it thought it was going to be a juggernaut. It’s so weird to think of this now, but when it came out it felt quite alternative, because there was no villain, really, and the love was between two women. Now there are, like, tissues with Elsa on it.

Now we’re moving backward to “Spring Awakening.” By the time it moved to Broadway, in 2006, you were the twenty-one-year-old lead of the coolest musical in town. What was your actual life like?

I was so not cool. The show was cool, and the music was cool. I had people dropping me off joints at the theatre. And I remember fully understanding the stark difference between who I was playing onstage and who I was in real life, which was an extreme theatre nerd who wanted to be in the ensemble of “Thoroughly Modern Millie” and never would have imagined playing Melchior. It’s his gravitas. And trying to tap into that side of myself, which was a side I’d never experienced before.

Tell me about your audition.

I went to the open call and knew who Michael Mayer was, because he had directed “Thoroughly Modern Millie.” But it was “Spring Awakening” and I was, like, There’s a beating scene? This is so intense! They called me in for Melchior, then had me sing “Hey Jude” in a falsetto, and Michael was, like, “That was your falsetto?” And I laughed at him sort of making fun of me. Tom Hulce, who was our producer, told me years later that he moved my head shot from the “No” pile into the “Yes” pile because I had laughed at Michael in the audition, and he thought, This kid has the ability to let Michael roll off his back. We should bring him back in the next month or two.

It was, like, ten people up for Melchior. They brought me in first, because they thought they would just see me and cut me. But I had worked so hard on the audition material. I remember calling my dad the night before the final callback and saying to him, “I know I can’t be this character all the way yet, but I—”[He tears up again.] I really got to get my shit together! Why does this keep happening to me?

Because we’ve gone on an emotional journey.

I guess so, in reverse! Fuck me. [Pauses.] I knew that I had it inside, if they would just give me the chance. That’s all I was trying to say, but I guess I can’t stop crying while I’m saying it.

In 2005, you made your Broadway début, as an understudy in “In My Life.” Now, this was the weirdest musical I’ve ever seen. As I recall, there were dancing skeletons in a song about how everyone has a skeleton in their closet, a giant lemon that came from the sky at the end, and a girl on a scooter who turns out to be a ghost. And it was written by the guy who wrote “You Light Up My Life,” who then came to a dark end.

And his son!

Yes, his son killed his girlfriend. What the hell was going on with that show? Did you ever go on?

I went on for the ensemble members. I was so excited! I was in my first Broadway show, at the Music Box Theatre, walking in where it says “Stage Door.” And you couldn’t give away tickets to see the show. People were coming to laugh at the show from the audience.

Like “Springtime for Hitler”?

Exactly. And the cast had to do the show, even though people were laughing at them, which is devastating for the actors. But we formed a little family. It’s the plight of the actor. You’re just out there, like Sally Bowles in “Cabaret.” I was twenty years old, so I was lit.

Had you been waiting tables?

Yeah. The whole year before that, I was at the Chelsea Grill, in Hell’s Kitchen. The day I got to New York—October 21, 2004—I moved to Fifty-first Street and Ninth Avenue, before it was super gay, and I walked down Ninth and got a job waiting tables. A week later, I waited on Tom Viola, who runs the charity Broadway Cares, and became a bucket collector. I’d watch the second act of shows and then collect the money at the end. I went to hundreds of auditions, trying to get my Equity card. That, to me, was “Opening Doors,” from “Merrily”—that moment of sheer will and ambition and ignorance.

We’ve now reached our finale, which is 2004. Can you tell me about the decision to move to New York?

My mom was a gym teacher and my dad is a horse trainer, and they didn’t really understand anything about the performing world. But my dad grew up on a dairy farm, and he was supposed to take over and become a Mennonite preacher, which is what my grandfather was. My dad didn’t like cows—he liked horse racing, so he sort of rebelled and did his own thing. My mom always says that nurse, secretary, or teacher were the options for women in a small town at that time, but her passion was sports, so she ended up being a coach.

So they understood the power of fanning the flame of passion. When I was a kid and into acting, they drove me to play practice. They drove me to community theatre. My senior year of high school, my mom drove me to New York to audition for this bus-and-truck tour of “The Sound of Music.” I got that tour, and deferred my admission to Carnegie Mellon. I made ten thousand dollars after a year on the road, and I learned so much from getting to act every day. I wanted to take my ten thousand and move to New York, and my parents were super supportive: “If you feel like you need to go to college, you can always go to college. But take a gamble and move to the city.” I’d worked at this theatre in Lancaster called the Fulton Opera House, where I’d met this girl who wanted to move to New York, so she became my roommate.

To me, “Merrily We Roll Along” is about how difficult it is to stay in touch with the person you were as adulthood knocks you sideways and forward. When you think about nineteen-year-old Jonathan coming to New York, do you feel like you’re the same person? What’s changed?

[He bursts into tears.] I can’t tell why I cry! When we were about to start rehearsal for “Merrily,” I would listen to “Our Time,” and I couldn’t sing it without crying. And, when I think about that version of myself—I think it’s because that person who brings you here does diminish. Maybe it’s the grief for that person. The whole reason that I’m here now is because of that person, but that person no longer exists.

But that person is still in there, somewhere. That voice is so quiet now, but it’s still driving my choices. You have to make choices. You get older, that pure inspiration dies, but it doesn’t have to go all the way away. I think that’s the whole point of the show, why it goes backward. Maria says that Sondheim put all of his regret into it, so that we could have less regret for ourselves. And perhaps the reason it ends with these people, with these versions of ourselves that we remember when we see it, is that it’s an invitation to remember and honor that person.

Why does that make me cry? Is it grief? Is it joy? I don’t know, but I’m so grateful for that purity and that optimism. The first month that I was here, feeling so lost and confused, I pulled the Bible that my Mennonite grandmother gave me off the bookshelf. She gave me that Bible before I left town. I was alone in the apartment thinking, What the fuck am I doing in New York? Or not even “what the fuck”—I didn’t swear until “Spring Awakening,” and when I would sing “Totally Fucked” I would get beet red. And I remember putting the Bible down and thinking, This is not the answer. This is not making me feel good. And then running to Central Park and standing in front of the Bethesda Fountain. I was nineteen, and I was, like, This feels better—but, like, What? Who am I? What am I doing here? I know I want to act, but I’m so scared. And gay. But it was something—some voice, some passion, some inspiration. Some something brought me here.

[omegaremix]

Omega Radio for May 1, 2013; #16.

Brian Eno “Third Uncle”

Patti Smith “So You Want To Be (A Rock And Roll Star)”

Iggy Pop “Nightclubbing”

David Byrne & Brian Eno “Strange Overtones”

Parts & Labor “Fake Rain”

Throbbing Gristle “Her Arm Was Her Leg” (live)

M.I.A. “Paper Planes”

Martin Rev “Mari”

NON "Warm Leatherette"

Normal, The "Warm Leatherette"

Kraftwerk “The Robots”

Suckdog “Oh, Mighty Pidgeons”

FFH “Worth Doing”

Einsturzende Neubauten “Styropor”

Foetus “Today I Started Slogging Again”

Sleater-Kinney “Get Up”

Mika Miko “Dear Teen Magazine”

Ms. Les “And Now We Know”

Swell Maps “Midgets / Submarines”

Slits, The “I Heard It Through The Grapevine”

X-Ray Spex “Warrior In Woolworth’s”

Enharjharna “Starka Band”

Pailhead “Ballad”

Crass “Shaved Women”

New Bomb Turks “Dragstrip Riot”

Subhumans UK “The Day The Country Died”

Deluxe industrial, punk, indie, hipster, and marquee sounds.

[rattycattyfanfic]

(you drive me) crazy

for @mirroredmemoriez's prompt!

1.) Lynn or Amanda reacting to one another’s music tastes! Can keep it broad and just have it as looking at a genre or pick a specific song. Setting wise it can be anywhere, such as oh I’ve bought this CD and sliding the disc in the car.

a shocking 1,521 words! no real warnings except mentions of mandy brain. can kinda sit in bark like a god verse? but doesn't have to.

if anyone would like to submit some simple easy prompts that i can deal with in 500-700 words ideally (although im finding these are spiralling out of control!) my inbox is open :)

One thing Lynn hadn’t anticipated about Amanda, but finds herself continually pleasantly surprised by, is all the strange little commonalities they share. Amanda’s music taste is not particularly vast or varied, but her taste for the alternative overlaps with the soundtrack of Lynn’s own youth in a nostalgic way. 

She remembers the first time, back when they were new and slightly tense – the relief of a common ground in the form of a familiar song playing faintly on the radio. The Cramps, she thinks it had been, but she couldn’t for the life of her name the song. She had simply known that she’d worn it out in her late teens, and that this strange girl was now in her living room bobbing her head along to the same song, oblivious. “I used to love this one,” Lynn had said, breaking the comfortable quiet and hating herself for it. But then Amanda had looked back, up, at her with this odd expression, something akin to surprise or respect, and it had felt easy. She’d smirked, said something snarky, a bit rude, and Lynn had laughed, and it had been a rare easy moment for them amidst all the turmoil.

It’s nice. Unexpected, but nice. Lynn welcomes the throwbacks to her undergrad days, and the insight that the day’s music choice provides into Amanda’s strange head. Her thoughts are still a mystery to Lynn some days, but the music – it helps shine a light on whatever Amanda is thinking that day.

Sometimes, she finds the girl in an oddly energetic mood, spinning Bikini Kill or Blondie whilst she busies herself with household tasks. Often she’ll be bent over some gadget in the backyard, taking the thing apart and putting it back together – the VHS player, or the old bike in the garage that hasn’t been used in years, or some other currently unidentifiable pile of scrap metal and electronics. Lynn can’t even be mad about it. Amanda always puts them back together in perfect, or better, working condition, and so she’s content to hang in the doorway, watching curiously until Mandy perks her head up and notices. 

“Was it too loud?” she says, with grease on her cheeks and a look somewhere between defiant and owlish. 

And Lynn says, will always say, “No,” and then usually, “I love this album. What are you working on?” Amanda grins and launches into an explanation that goes straight over Lynn’s head, however similar metal and electronics and flesh and nerves might be. She furrows her brow and nods attentively, and thinks that she loves Amanda like this, almost childishly excited and hyper-focused to the bright tones of Eat to the Beat.

Similarly, Lynn can tell when it’s a bad day. She knows that when she hears Fiona Apple, Hole, even the rare occasion of Patti Smith whining from Amanda’s oversized headphones, she needs to tread a little more carefully, treat Amanda with a little extra care. That brain of hers is still a mystery to her, especially days like this when she doubts even Amanda can make sense of her tangled thoughts.

She gets this, though, the appeal of quietly enraged vocals, angsty guitars and pianos, fast or slow but equally intense either way. She remembers listening to Revenge as a teenager and how it had spoken to her, soothed emotions she hadn’t even realised she’d had, and she thinks she gets it a little bit. So she sits down on the back porch next to Amanda wordlessly, and lays her head on the girl’s shoulder to catch the odd angsty refrain leaking out of the headphones. She says nothing about the edgy look in those dark eyes, or the raw pink of her sharp cheeks and wrists from where she’d scratched and rubbed restlessly. Lynn sits silently with her, until Amanda lets out a shuddering breath and relaxes just an ounce. 

Today she unplugs her headphones and allows Lynn to listen with her fully. She leans against her shoulder heavily, allows the tenderness of backrubs or fingers combing through her hair. Other days, the headphones stay on and Lynn remains a voyeur, held at arm’s length, the vulnerability of unplugging simply too much for Amanda to bear. Either way, Lynn tucks these shared moments away inside herself and thanks whatever god there is for the safe catharsis of rageful nineties singers. 

Amanda is not a good driver. This is the main, overarching reason Lynn will give if asked why she always prefers to be in the driver’s seat of her own car. She can drive, legally, and does so without accident, but she is not good at it, and Lynn spends most rides with Amanda holding onto her fucking seat wondering if this was part of her torture repertoire when working under John. But then, she supposes, her victims would’ve been unconscious during transportation, and so all the swearing and sharp veers must be either unintentional or for the sheer thrill of it. 

That is the reason Lynn will give for not getting in Amanda’s car if she can help it. The reason she will not give, is that Amanda’s baseline – and her favourite driving music – is largely completely fucking unlistenable industrial metal. Nine Inch Nails, Nitzer Ebb, and Ministry take pride of place in the driving fast and badly playlist. It all sounds like construction site noise to Lynn, and only adds to the distressing experience of being driven around by someone she has to remind herself is criminally insane. 

Her car is in the shop, though, and they need groceries. And so, Lynn is white knuckling the seat of Amanda’s beaten up shitbox while KMFDM screeches through tinny speakers. She thinks there’s probably never been such an intense fucking drive to the grocery store in all of history.

She’s about to say something bitchy, maybe ask her to turn it off or down at the very least, but when she looks over, she snorts. Amanda has her sunglasses on and is nodding to the beat, tapping her fingers rapidly against the steering wheel, looking fully in the zone whilst she swears at another driver for daring to obey the highway code. “I can’t believe you like this shit, Mandy,” she says instead with an exasperated laugh, and gets a bright grin in response. 

“It’s fun,” Amanda defends lightly, and glances back at the road, veering around another corner way too fast. “It’s fast. I like it!” 

Lynn rolls her eyes. “‘Kill motherfuckin’ Depeche Mode?’ That’s fun?” She doesn’t see the appeal, honestly, but it fits Mandy she supposes. Erratic, brash, angry in a gleeful way. It fits her perfectly. She’ll grin and bear it, maybe even learn to love it like she had Mandy, despite all the ways she had infuriated her at first. 

Amanda opens her mouth as if she’s about to respond, but the song fades out and into the next, and she turns a soft pink instead. She reaches out awkwardly towards the dashboard to skip the song, but Lynn is fast too. Lynn knows her 00s pop music – put it down to having a young daughter and nothing else, nothing else. She grabs the girl’s slender wrist and stops her in her tracks, and the song continues. A grin spreads across Lynn’s face, and Amanda groans.

“Lynn–” 

The unmistakable intro to Toxic plays out through the speakers at the same volume as the heavy industrial stuff, and there’s no hiding from it. Amanda goes a deeper shade of pink, as if this is somehow the most embarrassing thing Lynn has learnt about her to date. 

It must be her growing sadistic streak, but Lynn can’t help but dig a little. She holds Mandy’s wrist still, hovering inches away from the skip button. “I would never have pegged you for a closet Britney fangirl, baby,” she teases, and delights in the way Amanda flushes and splutters. 

“I don’t know how that got on the playlist, Lynn – fuck – Lynn, skip it,” she stammers. 

“No, I like it,” Lynn says smugly, and sits back, entwining their fingers together and effectively stopping her from skipping it lest she crash them both into a ditch. “And so do you, apparently – keep that hand on the wheel.”

Amanda groans, but stops fighting. She squeezes Lynn’s hand hard, digs her nails in a little viciously, but keeps her other hand on the wheel and lets the bubbly pop keep playing. Even as she flushes, loudly proclaims her embarrassment, Lynn can see her knee subtly bouncing to the beat. She looks one second from whispering the lyrics to herself.

One last dig, for the fun of it. Lynn feels high on the silliness of the moment, a bubble of unfamiliar giggliness in her throat. “Do you know the dance moves too?”

“Oh my god!” Amanda exclaims, throwing her head back. She steps on the pedal in exasperation and the car surges forward. She really shouldn’t be allowed to drive. A minute later, when she finally manages to swallow down the worst of her humiliation, Amanda mumbles, barely audible above the autotune. “...Yes.”

Lynn laughs out loud.

[henrysglock]

Henry is 7 — Unloved Boys, Killer Parents, and Non-Linear Time.

I'm not sure how many of us out there are up to date on our "media that features Captain Midnight" lore, but tonight I want to talk about Jeffty is Five, a short story by Harlan Ellison, as it relates to Henry Creel circa 1952.

Jeffty Kinzer and his best friend, Donny, were five. They were huge comic book fans, especially of Captain Midnight. But then Jeffty was five, and Donny was seven. After that, Jeffty was five and Donny was fourteen. You see where I'm going with this, no? Jeffty is perpetually five years old.

Because of his peculiarity, his parents resent him.

Jeffty's mother, Leona, specifically, dislikes him most...to the point she wishes he'd died as a baby.

Jeffty, for his part, is a good kid, despite the barely-hidden dislike he's shown. He has a secret hideout under the porch of his house, where he draws, reads comics, and listens to radio shows.

There's something strange about Jeffty, though (aside from the not-aging, and specifically linked to his not-aging). He can bring new pieces of the past into the future. Discontinued radio shows have new episodes, discontinued comics have new issues, and new merch is made for shows that no longer exist.

Specifically, Ellison writes about Jeffty bringing a brand-new Captain Midnight Secret Decoder Code-O-Graph into the future:

Donny talks about how living these new-past experiences via Jeffty thins the membrane between worlds, between Past and Present.

There's a problem, though. Exposing Jeffty to the Present eats away at him. In an attempt to hurry Jeffty away from the Present, Donny sends him off by himself to get tickets for the movie they're meant to see. Along the way, Jeffty gets roughed up by some older teens. Instead of taking him to a hospital, Donny takes him home to his parents.

Spotting the chance to take back a normal life and live in the present...Leona kills Jeffty in the family bathtub, playing present-day rock music over the radio.

Now, something I was struggling to answer in my big Time Loop Post was the question of "What happened in 1952, when Henry was 7?"

Jeffty, Joseph and Joseph, Henry and Henry: Changelings

Jeffty's now-grown friend, Donny, misses the way things were in the '50s, when he and Jeffty were little. He'd like things to go back to the way they were...

...and he gets that through Jeffty's time-bending powers.

Jeffty has a hideaway spot in his family home where he hides away from his resentful, fearful mother to draw, read comics, and listen to the radio:

Jeffty, whose mother wishes he'd died as a baby because he's precluding her from having a "normal" life...

And who killed him in a bathtub.

Another detail to add—Patty asks Henry if he isn't a little old to be as obsessed as he is with Captain Midnight, as if being a fan is something for little kids.

I'd like, then, to put this is all in concert with:

The Creel-Carmichael parallels per Changeling (1980), wherein Joseph, a disabled boy who's resented by his father, Richard, is locked away in his attic. Richard drowns Joseph in a bathtub at age 6, and replaces him with a "normal" boy. This "normal" boy is mostly convinced he's the real Joseph Carmichael until the end of the movie.

2. Em's Doppleganger TFS Henry theory (which suggests that at some point Henry was replaged with a dopple-gorgon who almost believes he's the real Henry Creel). 3. Em's post about Before I Wake (wherein a little boy drowns in a bathtub and is replaced by a new boy with strange abilities). 4. (A post I have yet to make, regarding) Parallels between ST and the show Servant, wherein a new mother accidentally kills her newborn son, Jericho, by forgetting him in a locked car during a heatwave. She's given a hyperrealistic baby-doll as a replacement in order to cope, which their nanny Leanne magically transforms into a real baby boy. ST5's code name is Jericho, and other parallel to the series include (but are not limited to): psychic powers, spiders, stalker cults, murderous yet somehow well-meaning nannies, and giant cracks opening up in the earth (psionically).

Thus, my hypothesis: I wonder if we aren't dealing with a matryoshka-doll-meets-Fringe type situation, wherein Henry died/was killed at age 7, was replaced by or swapped for another boy (like Peter Bishop...staring directly at Peter Owens/Peter Ballard) via the 1979/1952 incident, and then was swapped again with a doppleganger via the 1956 gate.

[thelilreddragon]

Episode 4 Predictions (I don’t watch teaser trailers):

1. Rio and Agatha eyefuck eachother

2. Fire challenge

3. We find out how Alice’s mom died

4. Teen says something stupid to Agatha and Rio threatens tf out of him.

5. Sharon shall live on as a guide.

6. I will scream and kick my feet excitedly, bc Patti LaPone will belt her heart out

7. New version of Witches Ballad

[blacklegsanjiii]

•°♤°• What would happen if 01234ji all escaped Germa? Zeff would have 5 eggplants and if would be very funny of how would that go. But 0124ji are very overprotective of Sanji. They are guilty for their actions and want to redeem themselves so doing that they would want to protect Sanji. I'd have a feeling Yonji would be Sanji's fav bro bc Yonji is younger than Sanji & Sanji has that older sibling instinct. (Can be ASLXSANJI God AU of regular).

That's great, but they all need food names. Also yeah, imagine they feel guilty and then their brother is a god. Wild.

Zeff pinning Sanji to the deck of the Orbit only to have four tiny bodies hanging on him as the ship starts sinking. So now he and five rainbow haired brats are stuck on a rock so he gives them the food and goes and sits on his side. The he eats his leg. Then they get rescued. So Zeff and the kids are recovering and the blond is the worst of them for some reason. Zeff decides he's going to be called eggplant. I feel like Reiju would nectarine, ichiji would be chili, niji blueberry and yonji would be called floret like broccoli. So he recovers and they start work on the Baratie and Zeff suddenly has five children. Which is five more than he had like four months ago. It'll be fine.

Sanji and Ichiji cook, Reiju is the hostess, Yonji and Niji wait. They've cultivated a weird little family for themselves, even if the four stick to the blond like glue and apologize for things randomly. Eggplant doesn't like hats and toys with his hair a lot, one of the others will catch his hand and hold it. The boys share a room and one morning a group of teens come say Sanji is sick and shaking the geezer who is trying to calm them down, so they go check and yeah. Reiju is pointing and saying they never get sick and Zeff knows that's the truth, in the entire time they've been together they don't get sick, so eggplant having a fever and Sanji is shivering and sweating and yeah, he's sick. So he gives the kids shift to stay with him and they continue on as normal. As normal as his kids are. Floret uses his winch hands to whip assholes around the Baratie, Chili will use his laser eyes to destroy ships, Nectarine has eaten a whole poison fish on a dare, blueberry will electrocute dickbags who speak ill of his sister and the eggplant when he goes to help wait. Either way the eggplant is sick so he has the kids take shifts to take care of him.

Sanji is better after a few days and is even more drawn to the water than he was before. The brats could swim for hours, but him especially. His siblings ask him what's going on because he shouldn't be staring at the sun like he is and he's like 'I'm the Ocean, I know where the All Blue is' as his siblings ask what the fuck that means Sanji explains his past lives, his spouses-plural which piss his siblings, Zeff, Patty and Carne off- and Ichiji is like 'well, we're not gods, but you're not like us so it's fine' which is the conclusion the brats come to. It's not fine. Zeff is cursing up a storm and demanding what the fuck happened to his brat?

Then Luffy shows up and everything happens and he leaves and no one knows Luffy is the sun god and Luffy doesn't mention they're married or anything. So they all pay attention to the news and everything going on with their brother. Up until Marineford. Where Fire Fist is a god-the god of stars and Luffy is there with him and that clown is livestreaming it to the whole world. None of the crew is there and Fire Fist is screaming that the Elders are lucky so far it's just him who has unlocked his godly form. Then there is nothing after Marineford for two years. Then it turns out they're all alive and then after Wano the Strawhats, Ace, and Sabo show up at Baratie because uh...they need to meet Sanji's family properly but also uhhh, Zeff is probably going to kill Sanji's spouses if his siblings don't get to them first.

[somerabbitholes]

Hey! Hope you're doing well<3

Could you recommend books that read like the song Ribs by Lorde? A classic coming of age novel minus the cliche tropes, that works on the literary level as well? (Not that I'm opposed to said tropes if the characters are well written)

Thank you so much and have a great day!

i thought about this a lot, and realised two things. one, i haven't in fact read that many teen and/or coming of age books, and even fewer that operate in the space that ribs does, which is the second thing.

to your question, then, i've gone with the inexplicable ways in which the song has become associated with a few books (that, in my defense, aren't completely off the mark).

who they was by gabriel krauze: an inner city story narrated in the first person, and it touches on a lot of things: crime, living on the margins, youth, the transcience of youth, also its elusiveness

just kids by patti smith: it's a memoir of patti and robert mapplethorpe being young and in new york, trying to figure out how they want to make their art; the book is partly ribs, partly the city (the 1975), party supercut

a little life by hanya yanagihara: please check trigger warnings before you venture into this; but nothing makes me feel the distance that growing old quite the way this book does

[reddie-ao3feed]

between heaven and hell

read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/EvX7GKt by manes_manibus Richie and Eddie meet at a party... and they keep meeting there again and again........ and again. Words: 7082, Chapters: 1/6, Language: English Fandoms: IT - Stephen King, IT (Movies - Muschietti) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death Categories: M/M, F/M Characters: Richie Tozier, Eddie Kaspbrak, Bill Denbrough, Stanley Uris, Mike Hanlon, Ben Hanscom, Beverly Marsh, Patricia Blum Uris, Patty Uris Relationships: Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier, Ben Hanscom/Beverly Marsh, Patricia Blum Uris/Stanley Uris Additional Tags: Time Loop, Happy Death Day AU, I don't know what I'm doing, everything is unplanned sorry in advance, original characters to fill voids, Richie is a helpless romantic as always, Eddie is through with it all, Suicidal Thoughts, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Suicide Attempt, Character Death, They die, SO MANY TIMES, dear god save us all, they live in new york, or california, you can use your imagination I guess, they're in a big city that's all I know, Don't Ask read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/EvX7GKt

[teen-patti-master-2024]

Teen Patti Game: A Comprehensive Guide to India’s Favorite Card Game

Introduction to Teen Patti

Teen Patti, also known as “Indian Poker,” is one of the most popular card games in South Asia. It has captivated millions with its simplicity, thrill, and competitive edge. Derived from the British card game "Three Card Brag," Teen Patti has evolved into a cultural staple in Indian households during festivals, weddings, and social gatherings. With the advent of digital platforms, it has also gained immense traction in the online gaming industry.

This article dives deep into the mechanics of the Teen Patti game, its online version, and the emerging popularity of Teen Patti Master, an app revolutionizing how enthusiasts enjoy this beloved game.

How to Play Teen Patti

Teen Patti is typically played with a standard 52-card deck, excluding jokers. It can accommodate 3 to 6 players, making it a perfect choice for small to medium-sized groups.

Basic Rules

Objective: The goal is to have the best three-card hand or to be the last player remaining after all other players fold.

Rank of Hands:

Trail (Set): Three cards of the same rank (e.g., 3 Aces).

Pure Sequence (Straight Flush): Three consecutive cards of the same suit.

Sequence (Straight): Three consecutive cards not of the same suit.

Color (Flush): Three cards of the same suit, not in sequence.

Pair (Two of a Kind): Two cards of the same rank.

High Card: The highest card in the hand if no other combinations are formed.

Ante: Each player places an initial bet to form the pot.

Gameplay: Players take turns either placing bets (chaal) or folding. Bluffing and strategy play a significant role in keeping opponents guessing.

The Digital Evolution: Online Teen Patti

With the rise of mobile gaming, Teen Patti has transitioned from living rooms to digital platforms. Online Teen Patti apps offer numerous advantages:

Convenience: Play anytime, anywhere.

Variety: Access to multiple game modes such as Joker, AK47, and Muflis.

Real-time Multiplayer: Compete against players from around the globe.

Free Chips and Bonuses: Many platforms offer daily rewards to keep the excitement alive.

What is Teen Patti Master?

Teen Patti Master is a standout app in the Teen Patti gaming landscape. Known for its user-friendly interface and exciting gameplay, it has quickly become a favorite among Teen Patti enthusiasts.

Features of Teen Patti Master

Realistic Gameplay: Experience Teen Patti with intuitive controls and immersive graphics.

Multiple Variants: Play classic Teen Patti or try variations like Joker, Hukam, and Best of Four.

Secure Transactions: Built-in secure payment gateways ensure safe deposits and withdrawals.

Live Chat: Interact with fellow players and make new friends.

Daily Rewards: Enjoy free chips, bonuses, and promotional offers to keep the game engaging.

Referral Program: Earn rewards by inviting friends to join the app.

Teen Patti Tips for Beginners

Understand Hand Rankings: Memorize the hand rankings to make better decisions during the game.

Start Small: Begin with low bets to minimize risks as you learn the game.

Observe Opponents: Pay attention to betting patterns to identify bluffs.

Know When to Fold: Avoid the temptation to chase losses with weak hands.

Practice Makes Perfect: Use free Teen Patti apps to hone your skills.

SEO-Friendly Keywords for Teen Patti

To improve your article's visibility and ranking on search engines, incorporate these keywords:

Teen Patti game

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Why Play Teen Patti Online?

Social Connectivity: Online platforms allow you to connect with friends and family.

Skill Development: Improve strategic thinking, decision-making, and risk assessment.

Safe Entertainment: Enjoy gaming in a secure and regulated environment.

Conclusion

Teen Patti continues to be a game of skill, strategy, and luck that transcends generations. Whether you play at home or online, its charm lies in its simplicity and ability to bring people together. Platforms like Teen Patti Master have elevated the game, making it accessible to a global audience while retaining its cultural essence.

Dive into the world of Teen Patti and explore Teen Patti Master for an exhilarating gaming experience. Start your journey today and become a Teen Patti champion!

[qnewsau]

Agatha All Along delivers the MCU’s first lesbian kiss

New Post has been published on https://qnews.com.au/agatha-all-along-finale-gives-us-the-mcus-first-lesbian-kiss/

Agatha All Along delivers the MCU’s first lesbian kiss

Disney+ series Agatha All Along, already the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s gayest project ever, has delivered the MCU’s first lesbian kiss in its big finale.

Kathryn Hahn plays the titular anti-hero Agatha, Heartstopper‘s Joe Locke as the ‘Teen’ and Aubrey Plaza is Agatha’s nemesis Rio Vidal. Patti LuPone (!) also played a witch earlier in the season.

Previously, Joe Locke’s mysterious ‘Teen’ was revealed to be powerful, queer comic book character Billy Kaplan/Wiccan. Meanwhile, the sexual tension between Agatha and Rio (who is literally Death) was off the charts all season long.

Agatha All Along concluded with a two-part finale on Disney+ this week.

In it, Agatha makes a deal with her nemesis – and ex-lover – Rio. If she can convince Billy to surrender to Rio then she has to leave Agatha alone for good.

Agatha fails to keep up her end of the bargain, and Rio attacks her. But Billy then comes to the rescue, infusing the powerless Agatha with his magic, resulting in the two women going head-to-head.

Ultimately, Agatha chooses to sacrifice herself to save Billy, and does so in an extended, passionate kiss with Rio. We love to see it.

Agatha All Along is streaming on Disney+ now.

Agatha and Rio kiss in 'AGATHA ALL ALONG' pic.twitter.com/5ECvhv23Uq

— Marvel Updates (@marvel_updat3s) October 31, 2024

WE GOT #AGATHARIO KISS BUT AT WHAT COST #AgathaAllAlong pic.twitter.com/OcI6WmbnUY

— Trost|Agatha Spoilers (@VagitarianTrost) October 31, 2024

AGATHARIO KISSED AND THIS SCENE IS SIMULTANEOUSLY THE BEST AND WORST THING THAT HAS EVER HAPPENED TO ME #AgathaAllAlong pic.twitter.com/MOsZDCJZxF

— berry (@sckberry) October 31, 2024

agatha closes her eyes but rio is in disbelief so it takes her another beat to close hers and hold agatha's face but she's so overwhelmed her hands eventually just drop and she sinks into the kiss before she goes back to hold her wrists to make sure the moment doesn't end- pic.twitter.com/ApEVdqiPeV

— m (@lezzie0lsen) October 31, 2024

Thinking about how Agatha could have enticed Rio to blast her again and draw her into a fight to get her power, but decided to spend her final living act kissing Rio and dying in her embrace. A soft and calm death. Unlike her whole life. I’m not okay #AgathaAllAlong pic.twitter.com/O0Qu885EUl

— The Kilted Menace (@fb_iona) October 31, 2024

if you genuinely believe agatha ONLY kissed rio as a way of killing herself then u might be delusional bc????? hello the PASSION?????? im dead on the floor rn pic.twitter.com/qygcn0mhik

— lily | agathario’s no1 defender (@agatharioluvr) October 31, 2024

For the latest LGBTIQA+ Sister Girl and Brother Boy news, entertainment, community stories in Australia, visit qnews.com.au. Check out our latest magazines or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

[buckysgrace]

hello i hope ur well! i just recently read ch 2 of the broken hearts club and i have to say i am so looking forward to this story it is so fun and i love it so far!! i like the twist that r is the one "at fault" here and will have to win back steve when he eventually inconveniently finds out, and that r walks that fine line between a character who needs growth though working from a place that's understandable, especially as a young(er) adult who hasn't really experienced outside of high school yet! patty i dislike with such viciousness, a very excellent villain plucked straight out of every high schooler's worst nightmare, i said this in my reblog as well, i simply can't wait to enact acts of violence against her, and i'm rooting for r to find some new friends STAT!

Hello! I’m doing well, thank you!! I hope you’re doing fine as well ❤️❤️

I’m so glad you’re enjoying it! I’m very excited for what’s to come heheh. And yes yes definitely wanted to try to do something different??? It’ll be a lot of drama and angst but so worth it 👀

But yes! Reader is very young and mature and will have to grow on her own, as well as realizing the truth about her friendships and such! It’ll be a lot of fun to explore hehe

And reader does need new friends!! Patty is definitely going to be that very intense but toxic relationship I think most people had in their teens/young adult life?? Someone that felt like you just could not live without but then once the tide cleared you were just like… what was I doing?

Thank you so much for this by the way!! I really appreciate it ❤️❤️❤️

[ryttu3k]

Whitlams? Whitlams!

Interesting venue. Kind of kitsch in a fun way. Food was very overpriced for what it was (the vegan version of the falafel burger was… a falafel patty smeared in hommus and wrapped in lettuce) and my disabled ass did not realise it was a standing venue only, so the barstool I had dragged in to the back of the room meant that while I could at least sit, I couldn't see shit.

Eh. I've seen them a bunch, and it's the sound that's the most important part <3

Early stuff featured Scott Owen from The Living End on the double bass. Gotta have the double bass for stuff from the first two albums, y'know? Setlist as below, there was a lot of singing along in general, but will mark with an asterisk for the ones that were genuinely singalong territory because that was just fun:

Gough *

End Of Your World

Where Is She?

Met My Match

1995

Winter Lovin'

The Ballad Of Lester Walker

Following My Own Tracks *

I Make Hamburgers * ("MORE SAUCE!")

No Aphrodisiac *

Fall For You (introduced with, "Let's do something from this century!")

In The Last Life

Charlie No. 2 * (singalong here was very sweet, I think Tim toned down his own mic to showcase the audience a bit more? Like it was almost the audience singing it with Tim accompanying)

Melbourne *

Charlie No. 3

Royal In The Afternoon *

I Will Not Go Quietly *

Laugh In Their Faces

Blow Up The Pokies

Up Against The Wall (an interesting note on the passage of time - when it came out in 1997, it had the lyric, "She was one in a million / so there's five more just in New South Wales." There are now eight million people in NSW!)

I Get High (with Jak performing Stevie's parts)

Happy Days

You Sound Like Louis Burdett * (extremely enthusiastic!! Definitely not alone in this being my favourite!)

Then, for the encore:

You Don't Even Know My Name

I'm Different

Thank You *

Album count: Introducing (6), Undeniably (7), Eternal Nightcap (7), Love This City (2), Torch The Moon (3), none from Little Cloud, Sancho (1). So very heavily from the first three albums, aside from Thank You and Blow Up The Pokies, Fall For You, I Will Not Go Quietly, and Royal in the Afternoon, and In The Last Life.

Actually quite amusing looking at the different crowd demographics when you consider my last concert, which was… Måneskin. To be expected when one band has an average age of about 23 and the other has an average age of about 57, haha. I'm an oldie when it comes to Måneskin fans, but a lot of the crowd tonight were more like… youngish boomers, older millennials, but pretty solidly gen Xers who were teens and young adults for when those first three albums came out between 1993 and 1997. (The Måneskin members weren't even born yet!) I got into them a bit after the Love This City release when I was 13, so I was actually on the younger side.

There was a dude there wearing a black velvet shirt, bright blue corduroy flares, and a white belt. Fab outfit tbh.

Got a tour shirt. Expensive but it has my favourite lyrics from my favourite song on it (from Louis Burdett - "Banana chairs out on the concrete / telling stories to the stars"), and also they've been one of my favourite bands for... shit, coming up on twenty-five years now, and I still don't have any merch. I kinda had to.

So, really good, aside from the overpriced food and the whole 'can't see shit' part!

[jezabatlovesbats]

My Summer Camp Island Fan Campers

I’m a fan of this show who’s been one since it first came out on CN.

Tasha García Ramírez is an 11-year-old ocelot. She is an artist who loves drawing things that she sees in nature. She can’t go anywhere without a sketchbook and likes drawing, painting and photographing all the pretty things she sees. She has the quirkiest brain of the camper crew (what I like to call Oscar and Hedgehog’s little group of friends) and likes to use her creativity to help them. She is also sweet, adventurous and tries her best at every new thing she tries. She shows determination in the face of boldness and is resourceful, too. Tasha most likes drawing the things she sees in nature, like flowers, trees and bushes. 

Tasha lives in Connecticut and is Colombian-American. She was invited to Summer Camp Island because she was revealed to be a forest sprite. She doesn’t really have a problem with the strange phenomena on the island because she’s spent her whole life witnessing weird things happen (but not in the magical way). She’s always ready to lend a helping hand. She can be seen hanging out with Oscar, Hedgehog and Max the most. Tasha’s cabin flag has a paint pallet with a paintbrush on it.

Jack McCattle is an 11-year-old bovine, and his younger sister Patty is 6. Jack is friendly and honest towards other campers. He’s adventurous and loves all things having to do with the outdoors, nature and animals. Patty is energetic and talkative, and she loves mice and flowers. She’s the type of person who would go outside to play in the rain. If kids ever want to hang out at the siblings’ cabin, he warns them about her and her millions of questions.

Their family lives on a farm in Tennessee, and each member has to do their part. Patty is a magical creature called a chatterbox, which means she’s part of a group of box-like creatures who can magically never run out of things to say. When she got an invitation to Summer Camp Island, her and Jack’s parents agreed to let her go, but on one condition: Jack had to go along with her so that he could look after her. The two of them share a cabin, and their cabin flag has a sprouting plant on it. The siblings are good friends with Tasha, who painted a still life of daisies for their cabin, Oliver, whom Jack helps out on the piano patch, and Katie, who they watch TV with.

Katelynn “Katie” Burrow is a 12-year-old mole and my camper sona. She is an aspiring musician and dancer, but she’s a bit shy, so she’s doing it off the stage as of right now. She’s not comfortable around other people, and without knowing it, she can act a little rude towards them. She doesn’t like hearing people talk negatively about things; she can’t handle criticism very well. Most of the time, you can find Katie chilling out and doing as she pleases. She can dance basic tarantella, as that’s personally her favorite dance, and she hopes she can one day combine it with her top favorite genre of music, which is electronic and techno. Her parents let her learn the synthesizer.

Katie flew all the way to the camp from Louisiana. Although she lives in a populous, busy town near New Orleans, Katie was always a pretty lazy mole. She came to camp because she is a river siren. She would stay inside the house she lived in round the clock with no one to talk to but her big sister Carolina (who is 17). While Carolina was generally a nice person, Katie was very introverted. When Katie’s parents received her invite to Summer Camp Island one fateful day, they suggested Katie go there even though she told them she didn’t want to. They believed one way or another, she had to get out there, but what they didn’t know was that it wasn’t the camp they thought it would be. Jack is the person Katie considers her only “true friend” in the camp. Prior to the events of “Popular Banana Split,” the two even created a comic out of pure boredom. It’s called Spectresail, and it’s about a teen pangolin who lives on a boat and goes on adventures in a ghostly world. (Little do they know that Max reads it.) Jack helped Katie open up more. Her cabin flag has a double eighth note with wings on it.

Skipper “Skippy” Lewis is a 10-year-old arctic fox. He loves anything having to do with chemistry, experiments, robotics, mechanics and inventing. He’s both a young scientist and a social butterfly. He’s the brains of the group and a logical thinker. He takes both science and friendship VERY seriously. Skippy is usually found experimenting or reading in his cabin or observing the aliens, yetis, monsters and other curiosa around the camp. He also enjoys creating gadgets and being with his friends.

Skippy is from Ontario, Canada and lives in a town halfway between Ottawa and Toronto. He had been interested in science experiments and inventions since he was six years old and was glad his parents were there to support him. Unfortunately, he lost his dad in the navy. He was invited to Summer Camp Island because he’s an elf. When he arrived on Summer Camp Island, he couldn’t wait to meet all the other campers and maybe help them out in some way. Because of his helpful motives, he and Tasha easily became good friends. Skippy was considering studying the magical phenomena of the island and taking it home to show the world for science, but the creatures on the island didn’t want him to because they didn’t want the world to know about their plan to save it yet. Eventually, Skippy learned to appreciate magic, and he helps the elves invent new things. He and Hedgehog are friends and self-proclaimed professional lab partners. His cabin flag has a vial with a green liquid inside of it, with a few bubbles over its top. 

Brianna Overwood is a 9-year-old sloth. Brianna is a very cheerful and polite friend of Pepper’s, and her motto is that any friend of Pepper’s is a friend of hers. This means that if Pepper rolls with the camper crew, Brianna wants to meet them too. She’s also an athlete, and she’s passionate about sports and health. She likes sports such as swimming, roller skating, gymnastics, tennis and yoga, but she is particularly good at swimming. She likes giving people hugs and coaching them towards happiness, helping them be the best they can be.

Brianna and Pepper live in Napsville, Vermont and have been best friends since they were both six years old. Brianna was invited to the island because she is, in fact, a mermaid. Pepper’s parents were the ones dropping them off at camp, and they’re also pretty good friends with Brianna’s parents. She also helped Pepper get used to all of the strange magical stuff. Brianna only sees Pepper as a best friend, and he sees her as a very good friend. There isn’t anything more to that. She gets along very well with all of Pepper’s friends. Her cabin flag has a cupcake with pink frosting on it.

[nepokisses]

laura   harrier.     she/her.     cis   woman.      ›spotted   at   the   met   steps   ,   alana   davis   ,   most   likely   listening   to   heaven   by   nola   adé   with   their   airpods   pro   .   the   twenty   seven   year   old   gained   quite   a   reputation   ,   known   to   be   -introverted   yet   +humble   to   anyone   who   knows   them   .   you'll   easily   spot   them   when   you   hear   about   a   pair   of   boxing   gloves   ,   late   nights   spent   at   the   local   gym   ,   her   maternal   grandmother's   locket   ,   a   newly   crafted   tiara   ,   followed   by   rihanna   nude   perfume   .   latest   nepoupdates   article   talks   about   newly   crowned   princess   discovered   to   have   a   police   record   due   to   assault   charges   pressed   against   her   in   her   early   20s   ,   but   i   guess   any   reputation   is   good   reputation   .   (   tj   ,   21   ,   they/them   ,   est   .   )

B A S I C S 

full name: alana davis. nicknames: lana. gender:  cis woman. pronouns:  she/her. sexuality:  pansexual. age:  27. date of birth:  september 1st, 1995. zodiac sign:  virgo. birthplace: the bronx, new york. current location: the bronx, new york. residence:  her childhood home - she refuses to move out of the home she grew up in. occupation:  former amateur boxer/ current princess. languages spoken: english, a little spanish.

A P P E A R A N C E

faceclaim:  laura harrier. height:  5’9. build:  toned. eyes:  brown. hair:  naturally dark brunette. piercings:  standard earlobe piercings.  tattoos:  a cherry blossom branch running along her forearm and wrist. other distinguishing features:  smile. style:  casual for the most part, unless she's going to an event or somewhere special. 

P E R S O N A L I T Y

traits:  (+) humble, honest, determined, dedicated , loyal. (-) shy, temperamental, bitter, easily angered , unforgiving.  mental health:  anger management issues, bipolar disorder; medicated.  physical health:  great, very healthy physically. likes:  boxing, video games, sports, art, spicy foods, bratz dolls, live concerts, mma, wine, smoking marijuana.  dislikes:  being antagonized, people who don't respect boundaries, avocados, crowded spaces, groups of people that take up the whole sidewalk, being forced to introduce herself, being in the spotlight, being lied to, being told what to do, mint chocolate chip ice cream.  fears:  losing her autonomy.  phobias:  snakes. hobbies:  boxing, teaching other people how to box, crocheting, reading. skills: crocheting, fighting / boxing, jumping rope / double dutch, computer savvy. quirks:  cracking her knuckles when irritated, avoiding eye contact when feeling shy or nervous, rolling her eyes.

F A V O R I T E S

ice cream flavour:  cookies & cream.  time of the day / night:  late night.  weather:  summer weather.  breakfast food:  waffles, cereal, yogurt.  dinner food:  jerk chicken, beef patties, pasta, rice. colours:  lots of darker, muted colors.  music: nola adé, adele, fka twigs, kehlani, lady gaga, solange, yebba, paramore, hozier, ed sheeran, nirvana, beyoncé, megan thee stallion, sza, samara joy, flo milli, kendrick lamar. 

M I S C E L A N E O U S

a cherished item:  her maternal grandmother's locket, the first pair of boxing gloves her mother bought for her. first love ( celeb crush ):  rider strong, circa boy meets world / ciara usual mood:  neutral. 1 thing they want to do / experience before they die:  have one professional boxing match.  character inspo: rosalie hale ( twilight ), raven ( teen titans ), bonnie bennett ( the vampire diaries ).

B A C K G R O U N D

childhood & adolescence: alana grew up with a single mother in the bronx. her father, whom her mother didn't really speak about often, was never in the picture for her. from a young age, it was quite difficult for her to deal with the fact that she grew up without a dad. she absolutely adored her mother, but being teased by other children for not having both parents in her life caused her a lot of inner turmoil. it didn't help that she was a rather awkward looking child - as most people go through their ugly duckling stages. despite being a shy, introverted girl, alana had a very short tempered fuse - a trait that she inherited from her mother. her peers assumed that her quiet demeanor would make her an easy target for bullying, but she quickly proved them wrong after getting into a scuffle here and there; scuffles where she primarily came out on top. her mother, tired of being called to her school for her fighting bullies, decided that she needed to redirect her short fuse into another avenue; which was when she introduced a ten year old alana to boxing. her mother was an amateur female boxer in her youth, but retired and laid her boxing dreams to rest when she got pregnant with alana. it became quite obvious that the boxing gene was passed onto her, because she took to it like a fish takes to water and fell in love with the sport. throughout middle and high school, alana kept up with her boxing. it became a dream of hers to enter the professional world of boxing. in her mind, she had the perfect path set up for herself. she would graduate, focusing on training full time and eventually open up her own gym dedicated to boxing. as much as she loved the sport, being in the public eye as a famous boxer wasn't something that she was interested in. she just wanted to box without being known by the world.

early & mid twenties: boxing had become a huge part of her life by that point. training for hours everyday, competing in amateur fights here and there. she was saving up money to buy a local gym in her neighborhood when a sudden tragedy struck. her mother passed away not too soon before alana's twenty sixth birthday. it was due to health complications that she didn't share with alana - which broke alana's heart. she was devastated that her mother didn't share her health issues with her, and was angry towards her mother for quite a while after her death for that reason, but months in therapy has helped her start to move past that and let the anger go. all the money she had been saving up to buy the gym had to go towards her mother's funeral arrangements and all other loose ends that needed to be tied up; setting alana back at square one all over again.

current day: alana always thought that she was just a normal girl from the bronx. it came as a hell of a shock to her when she was contacted by her father's side of the family to let her know that not only was her father, and by association herself, royalty, but he was the king of the small european country he resided in - making her a princess. she couldn't believe that her life had turned into some fucked up version of the princess diaries. at first she didn't believe them - but after doing some research of her own and going through old papers that her mother kept stashed and hidden away from her, she learned that it was true.

then her life was flipped upside down once more. suddenly she had security following her around at all times, complete strangers vying for her attention. the royal family and consults are trying to control every aspect of her life - she can't box anymore, she can't do this, she can't do that. it's stifling and overwhelming for her. she never wanted this; she was content with her life, for the most part. now it was a complete circus. the one thing that she's held onto is her childhood home. she refuses to move out, although she knows eventually she might have to give in to her new family's wishes and move into a safer, more secure home. but until then, she's fine with having security roaming around her childhood home, as long as she gets to keep one piece of her old life for now.

C O N N E C T I O N S

ex ( multiple ): alana has had a few significant others in her life; some of them she parted with on friendly terms, others not so friendly.

fwb ( multiple ): self explanatory.

users ( multiple ): people that want to be close to alana due to her status and title.

true friends ( multiple ): people that are actually friends with alana because of who she is, not what she is.

boxing mentee: she's not supposed to be boxing anymore, but this person is interested in picking up a few boxing techniques and moves, and lana can't help but give them a helping hand.

best friend / platonic soulmate: self explanatory.

childhood friend: one of the few kids that didn't try to tease of bully her growing up.

gaming buddy ( multiple ): self explanatory.

sense of calm: one of the few people that can calm alana down when her short fuse explodes.

brother / male presenting sibling ( on father's side ): will be sending this wc into the main, but if you're interesting lmk! we can discuss it.

instigator: this person loves to push alana's buttons until she bites back, because they love seeing how feisty she gets.

[reddie-ao3feed]

between heaven and hell

read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/lCfy2ks by manes_manibus Richie and Eddie meet at a party... and they keep meeting there again and again........ and again. Words: 7079, Chapters: 1/6, Language: English Fandoms: IT - Stephen King, IT (Movies - Muschietti) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death Categories: M/M Characters: Richie Tozier, Eddie Kaspbrak, Bill Denbrough, Stanley Uris, Mike Hanlon, Ben Hanscom, Beverly Marsh, Patricia Blum Uris, Patty Uris Relationships: Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier Additional Tags: Time Loop, Happy Death Day AU, I don't know what I'm doing, everything is unplanned sorry in advance, original characters to fill voids, Richie is a helpless romantic as always, Eddie is through with it all, Suicidal Thoughts, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Suicide Attempt, Character Death, They die, SO MANY TIMES, dear god save us all, they live in new york, or california, you can use your imagination I guess, they're in a big city that's all I know, Don't Ask read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/lCfy2ks