#beginning of season 2 roy > any other roy

[walnutmistjamie]

Smile (1/?)

[daydreamgoddess14]

Complaints Procedure

MASTERLIST

Roy Kent x F!Reader

Literally just 1.5k of pure filth. Sorry, not sorry?! 😅Taken from this prompt.

Inspired by this image:

~~~~~

You knew to avoid the locker room immediately before and after matches. The less than stellar performance of the team during the season had seemingly made everyone angry - even Sam was down. Jamie Tartt continued to annoy and degrade everyone who so much as glanced at him, and the so-called Captain looked about ready to throw in the towel. Getting rid of George Cartrick may have been a wise decision, but his replacement was certainly unorthodox. You had your work cut out for you in HR, it was like babysitting 2 year olds - they all still bit, kicked, and scratched. Seeing you always gave them the initiative to put complaints in, complaints that you had to be seen to legitimately deal with, even if dealing with it meant sitting the idiots involved down and giving them a telling off. You had never told off Roy Kent, though. The man terrified and turned you on in equal measure.

Just the low timbre of his voice made your heart pound and flooded your body with want. Training was long over, so you figured you were safe to take some paperwork down to Ted Lasso's office. Your heels clicked on the concrete as you made your way through the maze of rooms. Wage slips for the folks in the ticket office, holiday forms for the staff in the medical and treatment areas, and the weekly update on player relations that Ted had asked you to draft. Who was fighting with who, who had you had to threaten with suspension, and who you'd just had to give an arse kicking to. As you turn to leave Ted’s office, Roy is coming back in from the showers. With just a towel gripped in his hand. You look literally anywhere else. The ceiling tiles become particularly interesting. 

"Oi, what you doing in here?"

"Just dropping some paperwork off, no need to be rude."

"Sorry, just… thought I was alone, that's all." You drag your eyes from the ceiling to his, drawing an invisible line across his nose so you do not look any lower. "See something you like?" He teases, as if he knows it's taking all your will to not look at his chest or the towel. 

"Definitely not. I'm done now, I'll leave you to it." 

 

You're sure you must hold your breath on the walk from the locker room to your office because as soon as you shut the door, it all comes out in a whoooosh. As good-looking as he is, you can't stand his arrogance, dominance, and anger issues. You knew it was nothing new in football or in work at all, really. You'd seen every layer of the food chain, and it was always the top of the tree who thought they were gods gift. You knew he could be kind and thoughtful. You'd seen it for yourself with the younger, less experienced players and with fans too. It was definitely a certain calibre of person who set him off - the Jamie Tartts and George Cartricks of the world. You're still leaning against your office door when you feel and hear it knock. When it begins to open against your back, you have to jump out of the way so it can swing open. Fully clothed, Roy is on the other side. 

"Do I scare you?" He asked, frowning. 

"Course you don't scare me, I'm not a sodding child." You roll your eyes. "Did you need something?" 

"I might need to put in a complaint." You arch an eyebrow at him, 

"Really? Go on?" He took a step closer to you, so you take a step back. 

"I saw the way you looked at me downstairs -" you scoffed, 

"I did not look at you at all. I actively didn't look at you," you start, angry until you see the smirk. "Oh fuck off, did you come up here just for a laugh? I've got enough to deal with picking up 

after Jamie Tartt since he can't stop making everyone miserable." He holds up his hands in surrender. 

"Alright, alright, just a joke," he laughs a little. "You wanted to look though." 

"You are just like the other idiots. So full of your own self importance, you all think everyone wants you." He narrows his eyes and takes another step towards you.

"At the risk of sounding like any of those pricks, tell me you don't?"

"What makes you think-"

"Humour me." He looks at you like he might devour you at any moment, his eyes dark with just a hint of mirth. He knows what you think about when you see him. You feel your breath quicken, and the urge to press your thighs together is desperate, but you don't want to give him the satisfaction of being right. Before he can catch you in a lie, he forces you to take one final step back against your desk and leans down to capture your mouth in a messy, obscene kiss. 

 

The shock of it makes you gasp, giving him access to deepen the kiss. Your hands grip at his shoulders to keep him close, trying to get him even closer if it's possible. He leans you back against your desk, the edge of it digging into the back of your thighs while his hands are trying to touch as much of you as possible. By leaning back on the desk, he can kiss along your jawline. It would be impossible now to make out that you don't want him, your greedy hands roam up his arms and into his hair and the sighs and moans he's pulling from you with just a kiss are insane. The length of his body presses against the length of yours and you feel him hard against your hip. Feeling how much he wants you only makes you need him more. Your hand brushes across the front of his jeans, making him jerk to meet it. He breaks the kiss and watches you breathlessly as you move to undo the button in the waistband. You can tell he's about to ask if you're sure, so you place a soft kiss to his lips,

"I want you to fuck me," you tell him quietly. There is still just a hint of hesitation in your voice, but it's more a fear that he'll reject you than anything else. 

"Fucking hell." He sighs into you. He grips your hips and turns you to face the desk, you rest on your forearms. He has your skirt rucked up around your waist in no time at all and nudges your feet a little further apart. You don't have the time or inclination to feel embarrassed or to consider something more meaningful. The singular thought in your mind is having him inside you. You hear the tear of a condom wrapper and feel him at your core. His hand cups you first, wanting to check that you're ready. "You're so fucking wet," he mutters almost proudly. He gives your hip a little squeeze of warning and pushes inside you. 

"God, Roy yesss," you hiss as he fills you completely. Fully seated, he pauses just a minute to reach down and sweep your hair to one side so he can kiss your neck, "please, Roy-" you push back against him, desperate for more. He takes the hint and pounds into you over and over. He’s hitting exactly where you need him with each thrust, and it's enough to have you believing in some sort of deity. You can feel the pressure building and you're so close to the edge it's overwhelming. "I'm so close, please daddy-" the words tumble from you, unfiltered and unexpectedly - that is a brand new one for you, and when you feel his pace slow just slightly, you're terrified that you've repelled him. He moans low in his chest and redoubles his efforts, unyielding, until you come hard, crying out his name. 

"Say it again," he whispers against your ear, his body draped over your back. His hand reaches around to rub circles over your clit and you're so sensitive that the payback is almost immediate and you can feel another orgasm building. 

"Fuck, make me come again daddy," you beg. He does exactly that within seconds of you asking, his own release coming at the same time. He holds your hips while your legs shake, his forehead resting on the center of your back. He slips out of you and disposes of the condom before turning you gently to rest you back against the desk. You keep your head down, chin to chest, mortified at what's just happened until his nose nudges against yours and he kisses you softly. 

"Holy fucking shit, I should threaten to complain again, that was insane," he breathes, still holding your hips and trying to get you to look up at him. 

"I shouldn’t ha-"

"No, don't do that. You're definitely going to say it again," he chuckles against you, "I fucking promise you'll say it again." 

 

FIN

[sillygooseassociation]

Merry Sexy Christmas

Request: yk how keeley and roy have sexy christmas, maybe y/n gets some inspo from keeley and surprises a ‘tired from work’ ted with sexy red lingerie and his mood automatically changes

Description: Inspired by Keeley, you decide to give Ted an early Christmas present ahead of Henry's arrival.

Warning(s): porn with almost no plot, smut, oral (f receiving), ted can't get over nipples, ted lasso loves eating out

Pairing: Ted Lasso x reader

Word Count: 2k

A/N: okay so this was supposed to be short, hence being written in blurb format with no capitalization and more casual sentences. but then i was really horny and accidentally wrote 2 thousand words. so i'm not changing the format, you gotta deal with my unedited blurb mistakes but please enjoy horny holiday ted

-

you and keeley were out for girls' night, both of you a drink or two in before she remembers that she forgot to go shopping that day for sexy christmas, "oh shit, i need to run to the shop before they close! will you come with?" you agree because duh, keeley is your best friend, you're not even sure what kind of shop you're going to, but of course you'll go with her.

so when the two of you arrive in front of her favorite lingerie boutique, you're incredibly confused, "um, what exactly are we shopping for keels?" she giggles as she pulls you into the shop, "sexy christmas, y/n. come on, help me choose what to get." having come with beard and ted to richmond when they were signed on, the american in you was incredibly confused, was this a british tradition you some how hadn't heard of your past two christmases here?

"sexy huh?"walking over to a table of thongs, keeley just laughs at your reaction, picking up some pairs to inspect them as she answers your question, "sexy christmas, it's mine and roy's tradition. we both dress sexily and surprise each other, celebrating the holiday by basically having sex all over the house." she turns to you with a smirk, "you should try it with the gaffer."

you chuckle lightly, a blush covering your cheeks, sure you and keeley talk about your sex lives but out of respect for ted who is also friends with keeley, you don't often share explicit details. you especially don't tell her about any special foreplay ted is into, however, it is hard to ignore the fact that the shop has plenty of red lacy garments for the season and that is ted's favorite color on you. you shake away the thought, it wouldn't work, "no, henry is coming for christmas, you know that. there's no way to do that."

keeley shrugs as she walks over to the bralettes, "yeah, but doesn't he get here on christmas eve? that means you have all of tomorrow until you pick him up the next day. seems like plenty of time to me." she was right, it was only the evening of the 22nd, sure ted was having breakfast with beard tomorrow to bookend the year, but you had the rest of the day. you simply hum in response as you begin to look more at the items in the store, keeley sending a knowing smirk your way.

an hour later, you and keeley exit the shop, hugging each other and wishing happy holidays, though you would be seeing each other on boxing day at the team holiday get-together. you smile to yourself as you walk home to the flat you share with ted, thinking about how you would surprise him the next day. you giggle to yourself at the fact that what you purchased is so small that you can fit it in your purse to sneak it past ted. you get home and give him a kiss before hurrying to the bedroom, hiding your purchase in your dresser before changing into one of ted's shirts and joining him on the couch to watch a christmas film.

the next day, you wake up to ted leaving a light kiss on your forehead, the man whispering "i love you" before coaxing you back to sleep. once you hear the front door shut though, you fight against sleep, getting out of bed and starting your day. you and ted didn't keep a messy house by any means, but there were things to be done before henry arrived the next day. and while ted planned on you two tackling your to-do list together once he got home from breakfast, you had different plans for him that would hopefully keep him busy.

you complete the to-do list, putting fresh sheets on henry's bed, though no one has slept in it since you changed them after his last visit. you switch out some of the coffee table books you had out for some coloring books and board games, then finishing the wrapping of henry's gifts so you wouldn't have to worry about that after he goes to bed on christmas eve. when ted texts to ask if you want him to bring you a coffee home, you thank him but decline, then hurrying to your bathroom to change before he arrived home.

hearing the key in the door, you rush to stand in between your bed and the bedroom door, adjusting your hair once more, "honey?" "in here!" you hear ted approaching the room, smiling as he of course takes in the work you did as he heads towards you, "darlin', did you get a head start on the list? you didn't have to do that, i was happy to do that now…" ted trails off as he opens the door seeing you stand only a few feet in front of him, looking as gorgeous as ever.

his adam's apple bobs as he takes you in, a red bralette with white fur adorned across your chest, the see-through material allowing him to see not an outline of your nipple but the entire thing, your peaks pressing against the material, seeming to beg for freedom. his gaze traces down your figure, seeing possibly the shortest mini skirt he's ever seen if it could even be considered that. sure, it flares out like a skirt, but the material is maybe five inches long, and with its high rise position on your hips, he's sure it's covering absolutely nothing.

he clears his throat as his vision rises, though he seems to choke on his spit when he sees your nipples again before meeting your eyes, "w-what's this, sweetheart?" you take a step closer, even the slightest movement showing ted that the bralette had truly no support as your breasts bounced with even one step, "merry sexy christmas, ted." trying to be a gentleman, he forces himself to look into your eyes, though all he truly wants is to seal his mouth on yours as he throws you onto the bed. "but it's only the 23rd."

you take another couple steps until your standing directly in front of him, practically feeling the heat radiating off of the tented area of his pants, "well i thought we could celebrate a little early." you grab his hands, bringing them up to cup your breasts, "that all right with you, teddy?" as his name rolls of your tongue, your hands guide his thumbs so they run over your nipples, bringing a small moan from you which causes ted to groan, "fuckin' hell, baby."

unable to hold back anymore, ted dips his head down to meet you in a kiss, his tongue sliding across your lips to gain entry, skipping past the foreplay he typically loves. while he hates to move his hands, he guides them down to your ass, confirming his suspicion that your skirt covered nothing, his fingers pressed into your skin. you wrap your arms around his neck, pulling him even closer as he kneads the skin of your ass while moving you back toward the bed. you lay down as ted begins to shed his clothing, watching you intently.

ted's eyes darken as your legs widen, revealing that with the mesh material of the skirt, your wetness had seeped through to coat your inner thighs. stripped down to nothing, ted practically growls as he settles in between your legs, less than a foot from where you need him most, "holy hell sweetness, you have all this just from that? i would have thought i made you come at least three times from how wet you are."

you whine at ted's words though your whine quickly turns into a gasp as his mouth lands on your thigh, his tongue tracing over your juices before he bites the sensitive skin. he moves to the other leg and repeats his movements, sure to leave two matching marks, "can never get over how good you taste, my love. jus' perfect." you wiggle your hips against the mattress, causing ted to lowly chuckle, "i know sugar, i know." he answers every prayer you've ever made when he drags down the skirt, moving quickly so that he can remove it entirely before placing himself right back in between your legs.

while ted's erection had been struggling, untouched, this entire time, he was absolutely positive he was going to explode as he watched your core convulse around nothing, begging for something to fill it. "you jus' torture me honey, i know you don't mean to, but hell if i could do this every minute of every hour, i would never leave this spot." you whine at his words, yes you want him to never leave that place in between your legs but right now, you really just need him to touch you. you fist at the sheets as you let out shaky breaths, "p-please, teddy."

ted places a kiss on your inner thigh, "i got you honey, i always got you." ted licks a long stripe from bottom to top of your opening, going just short enough that he doesn't touch your clit. a low low moan leaves your lips from finally feeling his mouth on you but also from him avoiding your sensitive bud. before you can beg, a single finger is slipped between your lips, not nearly enough for you to feel filled, but better than nothing. your pussy attempts to tighten around his middle finger as it circles around your hole, but the single digit isn't enough.

"more, pl-please." ted looks up at you through his eyelashes, practically drooling at the sight of you with your head thrown back, your neck on display as your hard nipples press against their confinement. ted obliges your request, though rather than doing so slowly, he removes his pointer finger almost all the way before shoving all three middle fingers in rather than just two. you moan loudly at the action, your back arching off the bed as you cry out his name, your core tightening around his fingers, "there you go baby, i said i got you."

though he hadn't been going for long, you already felt your climax approaching, something you attempted to tell ted, though you're sure he already knew, "t-teddy…" "i know baby, i know." his lips suddenly latch onto your clit, sucking on the swollen bundle of nerves, his teeth grating against the skin. you let out a strangled groan at this, noticing the feeling growing in your lower belly. on instinct, you wrap your thighs around ted's head, pulling him closer. he moves his fingers in the 'come here' motion, perfectly hitting your g-spot as he practically makes out with your clit, the combined effort bringing you to your peak.

you let out a scream of his name as you reach your high, ted moving his head at lightning speed to catch any juices that escape your core as his fingers work you through your orgasm, "so perfect for me baby, always such a good girl for me". after a minute or so, ted stops his movements, pulling his fingers out of your core, to which you whine. he chuckles at your response, bringing his hand up to suck the juices off of each of his fingers individually. he sits up, shimmying up your body, until he is straddling your hips, his angry head laying on your stomach just below the bottom of your bralette.

ted smiles at his view, your breasts bouncing as you breathe heavily, attempting to catch your breath with a dazed expression on your face, practically fucked out from only your first orgasm of the day. ted leans down, giving you a sweet kiss before pulling away slightly, his mustache tickling your upper lip, "merry sexy december 23rd, sweetness."

[goldfish-or-smthing]

The Updated Tedependent Masterpost

Disclaimer: Same as last time! I have no problem with people who ship other things, don't ship anything, or ship Tedependent but don't want/expect it to be canon! This is just a theory... (a TED LASSO theory 😎)

Quick notes:

original post here!

Some of this stuff is new, some of it is old, some of it is my observations, and some of it is from other people... I was just getting annoyed at the old post missing stuff and wanted to have all the Tedependent evidence in one place

I’ll be updating this post if new evidence comes along 😊

PART 1 - The Evidence

Car park/similarities with Michelle

In 1x05 when Ted tells Michelle he’s ready to get divorced, he talks about how their relationship began —at school, in a parking lot. Not only did Ted and Trent visit a school on the day they began to get to know each other, but their last scene of season 2 takes place in the Richmond parking lot, which draws even more parallels between their relationship and that of Ted and Michelle. This post also illustrates some connections between the scene between Michelle and Ted and the one between Ted and Trent at the end of 3x02.

Ted’s focus on Trent

From the very first time he calls on Trent in the press room, we see Ted act differently towards Trent than the other reporters. He makes jokes with him, and Trent responds in turn. Ted also makes Trent’s daughter biscuits, which we never see him do for any other reporter and which also implies that not only has he interacted with Trent outside of work but he’s also met his daughter too, something that he doesn’t appear to do with other journalists.

Parallels between Roy/Keely and Ted/Trent

This is a list within a list! The parallels are: - Roy and Keeley have their first big romantic moment in the Richmond parking lot, which is also where Ted and Trent's last scene of season 2 is set (and connects to the Michelle parking lot speech too). - When Roy first invites Keeley on a date, they do a sort of press room roleplay thing. Not only are they just generally mirroring Ted and Trent, but Keeley literally introduces herself as "Keeley Jones, The Independent Woman", announcing herself in the exact same way that Trent usually does, even down to her joking newspaper name, which is literally.... The Independent Woman... It couldn't really be any more on the nose. - The first scene where we see Roy and Keeley begin to fall for each other is at the end of 1x03, after Roy headbutts Colin in the club and threatens everyone to stop bullying Nate, and we get Keeley and Roy nodding at each other in acknowledgement. As this is happening, Trent is reading out his article about Ted, which could be considered the first time we see Trent beginning to fall for Ted. - Roy and Keeley also have Phoebe, who's almost their pseudo-daughter in some scenes, similar to how Trent has a daughter.

Twelfth Night

In 2x07, at around 31 mins in, we get a scene with Trent going up to Ted in the pub to ask for a quote. At the beginning of this scene, right before Trent shows up, Mae says to Ted "If music be the food of love, play on, give me excess of it", which is the opening line to Shakespeare's romantic comedy Twelfth Night. In Twelfth Night, this line is said by Orsino, who is lamenting about a woman named Olivia, whom he loves but who doesn't love him back (I take this to be Ted and Michelle). Orsino then moves on and falls in love with Caesario, a man who is actually a woman called Viola disguised as a man. To cut a long story short, the relationship between Orsino and Viola/Caesario is considered to be a homosexual love story. Bear in mind that lines in this show are rarely said for no reason, and that this line serves no other purpose (and frankly seems a little out of place) than to hint at a romance between Ted and Trent.

Casablanca

At the beginning of the same scene, when Trent sees Ted, he says "Of all the pub joints!". This is a reference to the line "Of all the gin joints in the world, she walks into mine" from Casablanca. As well as this, episode 8 of season 3 is titled “We’ll Never Have Paris”, another reference to Casablanca (although so far some of the suspected titles have been slightly different from the actual title). Casablanca is, of course, an incredibly famous (perhaps the most famous?) romance movie, and it’s interesting to me that not only does it get referenced in a scene between Ted and Trent but it comes up again in season 3.

Also to note: Raja Casablanca is the name of the football club Edwin Akufo invites Sam to join in season 2. Because of this, some people have speculated that the episode title’s reference to Casablanca is actually meant to link back to Sam. I find this unlikely though, as the episode preceding it is titled “Ola’s”, which is the name of Sam’s restaurant, so it would be unlikely to have two Sam-centric episodes in a row.

Trent’s Date

On the same scene of season 2 (we got a LOT from that scene...), we see Trent leaving someone at the door. Many people have speculated that this is his partner or someone he’s dating, which is very likely when you consider Trent’s not-very-platonic tone and way of touching the man. An interesting detail about the man Trent was dating is that he has a moustache, much like someone else we know… 🤨🤨

Higgins

In 2x05 Higgins describes to Rebecca how the first time he met his wife, he embarrassed himself by spilling beer all over himself, and the first time Ted and Trent interact, Ted also embarrasses himself by spitting water everywhere.

Similarities between Trent and Rebecca

There are quite a few similarities between Trent and Rebecca- they’re both very icy to Ted in the beginning, are won over through food (Rebecca through the biscuits, Trent over spicy Indian food), are almost the exact same age according to the pilot script, have strangely similar hair, and the only people Ted makes biscuits for on the show are Rebecca and Trent’s daughter. As well as this, in 1x03 Ted says to Trent “Watch your back, Gay Talese there’s a new iconic profile about to be typed up by one Trent Crimm” then in 1x09 Ted says to Rebecca “Watch your back, Kate Moss there’s a new bad girl on the British modelling scene”.  I believe this is a way of twisting the expectation that Rebecca and Ted are going to end up together to have Ted end up with someone similar, but not who people expect.

Final scene of season 2

Ted’s final scene in the whole of season 2 is him with Trent, which is especially interesting as this scene is sandwiched between scenes about the other major romances on the show (the scenes go Rebecca and Sam, then Ted and Trent, then Roy and Keeley). The significance of Ted’s last scene of the whole of season 2 being with Trent can’t really be overstated. Ted Lasso is a show that loves its parallels, and it would’ve been satisfying to have both season 1 and 2 end with Ted and Rebecca having a debrief about the season in her office, but season 2 instead breaks this expectation by having the scene between Ted and Trent after this.

Trailer/last episode release dates

The trailer for season 3 was released on Valentine’s Day, which was likely a deliberate choice hinting that this season will include more romance. As well as this, the last episode airs the day before pride month, which, although less likely to be deliberate, is also an… interesting coincidence.

The Trent trailer

In the run-up to season 3, Apple TV released a sort of trailer/teaser thing on their website featuring Trent narrating the events of early season 1. This is a very strange video- it was released shortly before season 3 but doesn’t contain any new footage apart from Trent’s voiceover and a couple of shots of Trent’s desk, so it’s not really a trailer. It’s also not a summary- it doesn’t contain any information about season 2, or even the events of season 1. It’s also not spoiler-free though- it includes many shots from late season 2 that give away the plot and even has Trent sign off as “Trent Crimm, independent”. So what on earth was this video made for? And why is it displayed on the website with this photo, of all things, as the icon?

I don’t have the answers to those questions. But what I can say is that this video gives off very rom-com journalist falls for main character vibes. And seems to exist for no other reason than to have Trent wax lyrical about Ted for 3 minutes.

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

In their last scene of season 2, Trent tells Ted that he doesn't know how to ride a bike, which seems to me to be a very deliberate hint that at some point in the series we’ll get him learning to ride. We know episode 6 is set in Amsterdam, aka the bike capital of the world, and during this episode the song Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head plays, which also plays during a bicycle riding scene in the movie Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. As well as this, Paul Newman and Robert Redford, who play the titular characters of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, are referenced in 3x03 and 3x04, respectively, so it would make a lot of sense for episode 6 to have a romantic bike riding scene referencing the film, definitely with Trent in and most likely with Ted there too. On top of this, the film has a lot of queer subtext, which makes it all the more interesting that it’s referenced in season 3 and most likely referenced in a scene between Ted and Trent. Thanks to @crimmcast for bringing this connection to my attention!

11:11 wishes

At the beginning of 3x02, Ted states that 11:11 is his wishing time, and then at exactly 11:11 in the episode, Ted says "Trent Crimm is writing a book about us". While I don't think Ted wished for Trent to write a book about the club since he already knew that was happening, I think that between this and Trent being in the scene where Ted first talks about his 11:11 wishing tradition, Ted’s wishes and Trent are somehow connected. Thanks to this post for pointing this out!

"Goodnight Sport"

Ted says this to Trent at the end of 3x02, and it's significant for a few reasons. Firstly, Ted gives other members of the Diamond Dogs nicknames such as "sweetheart", so this cements Trent's place as part of the group. Secondly, in the scene preceding this, they talk about how sport is an excellent metaphor, after Roy uses it as a metaphor for his relationship with Keeley. This means that, having just used sport as a metaphor for relationships and love, Ted then chooses to apply this word to Trent. Thirdly is the connection to The Great Gatsby, in which Gatsby frequently refers to Nick as “old sport”, with the relationship between Gatsby and Nick often considered to be queer coded.

La Cage aux Folles

Shortly after the first episode of season 3 aired, Apple Music released the playlist, which included all the songs in order in season 3. The final song on the playlist was I am what I am, which is the last song of Act 1 of La Cage aux Folles. La Cage is a musical about a gay couple who run a nightclub, and this song is about Albin refusing to hide his sexuality and go back into the closet. It’s the final song of the show, so if this season follows the precedent set by the previous two and closes with the same character it started with, this song will play over a scene with Ted in it. Apple has recently removed all the songs from the Ted Lasso Season 3 playlist from episodes we have yet to see, which indicates that the playlist probably includes spoilers, which this song, if it’s used as expected, definitely counts as. I’ve seen some people express worries that I am what I am will be misused and that the writers/showrunners may not understand the significance of the song to the queer community and end up using it to express Ted’s acceptance of his mental health or something similar. I severely doubt this- I don’t think a show like Ted Lasso, which so carefully puts in lines that hint at things that happen several seasons later (think the way Roy’s anger at Trent was laid out from the start of season 1), would be so blind as to overlook the cultural significance of the final song used in probably the entire show.

The songs get more romantic after Amsterdam

The songs get considerably more romantic after the Amsterdam episode, and although this could technically be for other couples on the show, it’s a CONSIDERABLE increase—over half the songs post-Amsterdam are romantic, which leads me to believe that Ted either gets into a relationship or things ramp up romantically during/after Amsterdam. Technically, this piece of evidence isn't specifically for Tedependent, but more for Ted having some sort of relationship in S3.

The infamous James Lance interview

These are some quotes from an interview James Lance did after season 2 had just finished airing. I try not to read too much into what actors say in interviews as it can easily be misinterpreted, but his insistence that there’s “something there” in the way Trent looks at Ted as well as that there is something about Trent, to do with Ted, that is yet to be revealed in season 3 is certainly intriguing. He also refuses to answer whether Trent is gay or not. I feel like this is most likely because if viewers knew about Trent’s sexuality, the Colin outing storyline would not be as compelling, as knowing for sure that Trent is gay would essentially rule out him outing Colin.

Season 3 is far more queer than the previous seasons

Season 3 is considerably more queer than the seasons before it, and not just because of the Colin storyline. Concepts like changing your name being integrated into episodes (although I hate Zava and have a lot of opinions about the Zoreaux/Van Damme storyline), Zava’s line about gender being a construct, and even Ted correcting Rebecca about West Ham in the first episode (which, although Ted is technically correcting her on using they/them as a plural pronoun and not singular, is still very queer coded) all make this season have a lot more queer undertones. As well as this, Ted has had multiple… suspicious lines this season. His comment in episode one about the “muscular thighs” of rugby players, telling Beard/Roy to “just KISS”- Ted this season so far has been far more overtly queer coded than in previous seasons.

Height as a metaphor for masculinity

This point isn’t entirely about Ted and Trent themselves, but rather an interesting thought I had about the season’s portrayal of height so far. We’ve had both Ted and Trent comment on other men’s heights—"He’s tall" and "You’re tall" respectively—as well as Nate, whose masculinity was constantly undermined throughout his time at Richmond seen struggling to reach the believe poster. Both Beard and Roy laugh at Nate’s struggles, two men who are confident in their own masculinity, but Ted and Trent do not, as men who, in Ted’s words, have had “guys underestimating me my entire life”. Neither Ted nor Trent are particularly short, and their comments about other men’s heights seem a little out of place, but they are both unconventionally masculine, and the men they direct these comments to are the opposite—Zava in particular, as a successful football player, is masculine in the most typical sense. Taking these lines as nods to Ted and Trent’s unconventional masculinity also makes them queer coded, with non-typical presentations of masculinity often synonymous with queer men.

Unconventional families

A big theme in the whole show is family, particularly found family, but this season doubles down on that with the idea of unconventional families coming up a few times in the first few episodes. Ted tells Michelle that "I love our family, no matter what it looks like", and there's also Higgins' joke about the boy and his father, which elicits a few responses about different unconventional families (gay, sperm donor). As well as this, in this interview, Jason talks about Ted finding “another way to go about living this life” and the idea of moving away from the nuclear family structure, which is all very interesting. 🤔🤔

The House in the Cerulean Sea

As I said earlier, I try not to reference things the actors/creators of the show say or do on social media too much because there’s often a big scope for misinterpreting or reading too much into things. That being said, when Jason Sudeikis likes a tweet comparing Ted Lasso to my favourite book ever, I can’t not say something about it! Because wow was that a moment. Embarrassingly, I somehow never noticed the connections between two of my favourite pieces of media until I thought more about it after seeing this tweet, but WOW, are there connections. I’ll try to give as spoiler-free a synopsis as I can… Linus Baker, the main character, is trapped in a morally dubious job that he tells himself is important and something he enjoys, until he gets sent to observe and report on an orphanage run by Arthur Parnassus, who’s very Ted-coded and shows Linus kindness that he’s never encountered before, making him think more about who he is and what he’s doing with his life. If the Trent connections aren’t already blaringly obvious, consider the way Linus starts the story as an observer and over time slowly becomes a part of the narrative. I’ll stop there because I don’t want to get carried away and give spoilers, but the whole book is SO Ted Lasso coded! (Not just in the relationship between Linus and Arthur, but literally the whole book) I really encourage everyone to read it. Also, um… did I mention? It’s basically a slow-burn queer love story between Linus and Arthur.

The Kinks

In 3x02, we get Trent entering the clubhouse to the tune of A Well Respected Man by The Kinks. Later in the show, around episode 11, Strangers plays, which is another Kinks song. This is a romantic song, and considering the Kinks are already connected to Trent through his entrance in episode 2, this song could be used for a moment between Ted and Trent.

Robert Redford

After Trent shows the coaches the security footage of Nate ripping the believe sign, Ted says to him “May a young Robert Redford portray you in a film someday”, and Trent responds, “Probably Dustin Hoffman”. This is in reference to All the President’s Men, a film about journalists uncovering the Watergate scandal, where Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman play the main two journalists of the film. The strange thing about this line is that Ted decides to compare Trent to Robert Redford, pictured here on the right, despite him clearly looking much more like Dustin Hoffman, especially with the hair. By comparing Trent to Robert Redford, Ted is essentially saying “Hey, I think this incredibly attractive man should play you in a movie!”. And if that isn’t a gay thing to say, I don’t know what is.

PART 2 - Conclusion

I’ve talked almost exclusively so far in this post about connections between specific lines and other character’s arcs/pop culture references and mostly avoided analysing the chemistry and compatibility between Ted and Trent themselves. This is because I wanted to present as solid evidence as I could, and things like romantic glances are far more subjective and up for interpretation. Something that can seem romantic to one person can be seen as completely platonic by someone else. That being said, I do think the two of them have a lot of chemistry, and their arcs fit together so well: Ted as someone who often hides his feelings and puts on a mask of positivity, and Trent as someone who can see through people’s masks and get to what they really mean. They have had a few romantic moments as well: their last scene of season 2, as well as at the end of 3x02, which both contain lingering looks, and the latter is literally overlaid with a romantic song. As well as this, they just get each other; Trent understands and responds accordingly to every single reference Ted throws at him, and he even enjoys his puns (in contrast to Sassy’s denial of Ted in which she cites his “dreadful puns”). The two of them work so well together, and it would be so beautiful to see a queer middle-aged love story, especially if it tells the story of discovering your sexuality later in life.

The idea of Nate’s downfall was hinted at in season 1 with a few lines and subtle moments, not enough for a casual viewer to notice the first time around but just enough to see it clearly laid out on a retrospective rewatch. We have a lot of season 3 left to go, and a lot of reveals are still yet to be… revealed, likely ones that will be just as surprising as Nate’s downfall was but will, like Nate’s arc, have had just as much subtle set up. Set up like referencing Shakespearian romantic comedies, or building up the idea of wishes at 11:11, or references to unconventional families, or drawing parallels between one relationship and another, or slowly introducing more queer concepts into the show, or referencing one of the most famous romantic drama movies of all time, or—you get the gist. No one can say for sure whether Tedependent will become canon, but it’s undoubtable that the setup is there. Whether the show will actually have the balls to go for it... only time will tell.

Thank you for reading :)

Before I go... In no particular order a huge thank you to @thedanceronthestreets, @crenttrimm, @garaksrod, @firefam, @mandiffe, @wrong-energy, @ishouldbedoingalright and @strawberryswords (as well as others I've probably missed!!) tysm for listening to my delusions and sharing all of your own <3

[stackslip]

augh yeah as much as i do love the parts of COS that are very obviously trying to do something competent and genuine, the amestris parts are just so ????

ill be honest, im pretty sure i blocked those scenes out, so remembering that what happened on the amestris side is. yikes

definitely wish the movie was more focused and didnt try to add as much as it did. especially roy -- i dont mind the beginning, hell i think him exiling himself to the north is a good concept, but the fact that he takes back his position (iirc) is just. so are we throwing away the character development and him realizing that he CANT change the military from the inside or what.

in general i honestly wanted to see less of the military cast. they frankly dont have much reason to be there other than the fact people wanted to see them (esp armstrong... just. WHY). im sure there are still ways to work in roy if the creators really wanted him to be there but like. idk! they sure didnt have to do it like that! we couldve spent more time on exploring noah as a character. or let izumi die on screen. sigh

been a while since i rewatched COS but thanks for pointing out all the weird stuff, i'd almost forgotten it and i honestly shouldn't.

(and of course i have to say i love your posts on the series proper. i will never be normal about scar. ever)

the second i saw roy in there i was like why is roy still in the military at all. wasn't his whole arc about realizing that he can't do shit within the military because it is an institution built on atrocities and exploitation? why is he still in it then. why is he talking about serving his country. why's he talking about waiting for ED that makes no fucking SENSE. (why is he alive. someone said they thought roy was supposed to die by the end of 03 but they kept him alive bc he's a fan fave and i wholly believe this frankly). why is the country's military still seemingly intact with a whole surveillance network, when 03 ended on the military being severely crippled and amestris's neighbours getting ready to invade it and bring it to its knees? why are we literally seeing *the fucking weimar republic* in cos only for amestris to not parallel it in any way and instead be the brotherhood-type funland where once you've taken out the mean führer, everything is fine and there's nothing to fix?

and like. this is a short movie right! i know that they were denied a season, maybe even a season and a half to finish off the show and that some elements of cos were meant to be in the og show's ending. and it shows! bc again munich is fucking reasonably competent considering how much is crammed in on hour thirty. and i know that cos's production was also rushed as hell and that as an Anime Movie they were contractually obligated to 1) put as many recurring fan faves in as possible 2) have at least a third of the movie be a big action scene. so like. i can understand the limits. you have no time, you're told you have to put all this shit in, you want to finish off the brothers' story at the very least. but my gd! you're telling me you had an izumi death scene and it doesn't happen??? you could cut roy out ENTIRELY from this. you could not put ARMSTRONG IN LIORE. you could..... i know they had no time at all, i know once again it was 03 being shafted by production committees and time and budget but it's legit insane how the very stupid and seemingly innocuous choice of having armstrong "rebuild" liore comedically completely slapped me out of whatever headspace cos had managed to slip me in before. i was enjoying it a lot until we got to amestris. and this armstrong thing, followed by rose's line here:

it's just. it's almost comedic. i'm almost wondering if the writer is fucking with me here and acknowledging just how stupid it is to put armstrong doing alchemy in liore is. probably not but gd this is bad. this is brotherhood levels of obliviousness to the themes.

anyhow i'm not finishing cos tonight bc i'm too pissed about it lol. it's funny bc for years i was told it was bad but for the opposite reasons that it's actually bad. like folks kept saying the munich parts were bad/stupid/wrong and made no sense when to me they're by far the most thematically coherent and interesting/emotional bits of it. i LOVE the relationship between noah and ed. and like, i know the bar is is in hell when it comes to depicting roma on screen, but i can't help but appreciate the little and big ways both noah and her people get humanized, how they feel like the most real and concrete part of this world ed insists is a dream or hell. but really, genuinely noah is so good, alfons's weird crush on ed is hysterical, the general atmosphere and research around 1923 munich seems genuinely thoughtful (and it also tells me that the writers had been thinking about this long, long before even 03 ended). i genuinely believe that making munich! hugues a nazi sympathizer and a racist is a really inspired and brave choice that makes the audience reflects THEIR hugues and how the amestrian military behaved. so anyhow these parts are good, genuinely. it's sad that that's the first third and then you get thrown into this mess, and there's still a whole stupid nazi battle to come. it's stupid. it's stupid especially bc there's a genuine part of the movie that IS smart and thoughtful. it'd be so much easier if all of it were bad, or if the difference between the writing in each part weren't so obvious. anyhow. i wanna finish cos bc i wanna see wrath's arc end and envy eating hoheinheim and ed/al reunion and more of noah. but also i think i'm gonna be writing off large chunks of it lol.

(also thank you very much, i'm trying to preach 03 to whoever i can whenever i can. appreciate the love)

[lunar-years]

https://deadline.com/2024/08/ted-lasso-season-4-deal-near-brett-goldstein-hannah-waddingham-1236049653/ LOOK WHAT YOU DID /J

Article here

PHEW. Okay. I kind of cursed us I think? I’m sorry everyone. :(

now that i've had a few hours to soak this news in uhhhh. I have thoughts! As many of you know, I flip flop all the time on whether i actually *want* more Ted Lasso, but now that it's far closer to happening and we're hearing a bit more about what it might it entail, I'm unfortunately kind of landing firmly back in the "god no keep that away from me" camp. Reasons being:

The show kind of doomed itself when it made s3 because at the beginning of that season I would have SWORN there was going to be a s4, and by the end i was convinced there was absolutely never going to be a s4. They had sooooo many plots going on, and instead of doing the reasonable thing and adjusting the original vision of the show to expand the vast amount of story they'd ended up with for s3 into two enjoyable and well-paced seasons, they decided to instead squeeze it into one very mid, terribly paced season. so now s4 isn't going to make much sense because the show already HAD an ending (even if it was a subpar one)

why on EARTH couldn't they have decided to move ahead with this before everyone's contracts expired 😭 wtf wtf!!!!! this is an absolutely wretched cursed timeline. if i remember correctly everyone was under contract for 4 seasons up until May this year. and they're going to turn around and announce a s4 in AUGUST??? hello???

As the article mentioned, and expanding on point #2, it is quite likely several og cast regulars are no longer available or only available in a guest star capacity. this sucks. a show that's missing some of the characters is literally FARRRR worse to me then a show that was given an ending and is now over forever. boo. if you're not giving me back jamie tartt again like literally pack it up boys. why are we doing this.

the *only* cast member I could understand (and perhaps even endorse) being lowered from series regular to guest star capacity would be Jason, and that's mostly because I think it's very hard to rectify Ted being a part of the afc richmond / London scene again after they JUST concluded his series-long arc by having him return home very poignantly to his son in Kansas. Like...huh? He just changes his mind and goes back??? lmao*

*The article is under the impression Jason WILL be returning and whilst that confuses me i AM willing to give the show the benefit of the doubt on writing a creative, fun way of making that possible. I am willing to trust them and let them sell me on how Ted Lasso can continue on! but going back to point 3, it's unfortunately all irrelevant to me if other characters are missing. sorry but. no.

as much as i did/do love ted lasso for a vast number of characters, i am too emotionally attached to my favs to where i literally do not think i would enjoy the show anymore if any of them were missing. A roy and keeley plot without jamie visibly in their lives sucks 2 me. A roy plot without jamie OR keeley (because frankly i'm hesitant about the potential of juno returning either) also sucks 2 me. i love the characters together and considering where we left them in s3, it doesn't excite me at all to think about their futures without each other. i'm not asking for rjk to be canon, even, im just asking for them to all be like. IN IT. At the end of the day, the show I love, I love because they were in it.

based on the current specualations...if everyone is in it (with or without ted) i will be tuned in but i feel nervous about it. if phil's really not returning like certain reports are saying, i'm not watching. BUT i will follow along via post episode tumblr gif sets where i can see any of the fun lighthearted roy stuff and keeley stuff and team stuff and ignore the rest of whatever the fucks happening. i will peacefully continue to live on (and contribute to) Ted Lasso Ao3 island.

[marvelling-at-marvel-blog]

Another Ted Lasso, Jamirle Tartt obersvation. And there might be a few as I rewatch and blog my thoughts out there, because I love Jamie and his arc.

In season 2, when he comes back, it is his first time back in the locker room. He steps up and apologises, and the team pretty much tell him all that he needs to apologise for and why they dont like him pr want him back. And to be fair, most of them were valid reasons and things he should apologize for cause he was a prick. Like calling Colin a worm, or hitting on Bumbercatch's mum in front of his dad (even if that is a little funny And he probs meant nothing by as flirting and shwoing off, that's just his personality).

But the part that seems really unfair to me is that Issac blames him for getting them regulated, and the whole team jumps in to agree. And shout at him for it.

Yeah, Jamie didn't do anything wrong in that scenario, and he doesn't owe any apology to anyone for that. His a professional football player, and his job is to play the best he can for his team. His team was Manchester City at that time. He owed it to his team mates, coaches and the fans to give a 100%. He didn't get you regulated. Your season performance did.

I get it felt personal and maybe he took some joy in it. (I don't blame him for that eithier, from Jamie's perspective, (which is a separate post I want to make as I think his season 1 storyline is a completly differnt story in his eyes.) He got pubically benched for not being a team player, told to man up and get over himself, he did that and shared personal information and tried to buy into the Lasso way, only to get told the next morning he was getting sent back to Man City. We know it wasn't Ted who did that, but he doesn't. To him, he did what was asked and then got sent away anyway. If I was him I would want some instant caramel too.) and I mean my team I go for has lost a final in over time, after the siren to a free kick and I don't have a lot of love for the player from the other team who did it cause that hurt to watch but I don't blame the player.

So yeah, Jamie owes apologies, and I get the 5eam aint thrilled to have him back at the beginning, but no one should have made him feel bad for the Manchester City game. Jamie also didn't hurt Roy in that game. Roy hurt himself in a legal tackle. Jamie did nothing wrong that game.

[royjamielibrary]

RoyJamie Recomendations — Season 1 (Part 1)

Harder To Hide Than I Thought by Meduseld (Rating: Mature | Chapters: 1/1 | Words: 3,965 | Setting: Season 1 Canon Compliant | POV: Jamie | Tropes: One-sided, PWP | Warnings: Internalised Homophobia)

Roy Kent really gets to Jamie. Sometimes, though, he gets Jamie off.

I wanna get it right for once by Rabid_X and SweetAndFunky (Rating: Explicit | Chapters: 2/2 | Words: 11,909 | Setting: Season 1 Canon Divergence | POV: Alternating | Tropes: Angst with a Happy Ending, Getting Together | Warnings: Abuse/Domestic Violence)

You could be my business.” Roy ignored the jolt of how right those words felt. Ignored Jamie’s own stunned, gaping expression. He raised a hand and cupped Jamie’s jaw, kissed him with all the barely contained, pent up everything he had been feeling about Jamie Tartt since he’d swaggered his way into the locker room at Nelson Road. It wasn't necessarily a nice kiss, but it was a pretty fucking great kiss, in Roy's estimation. Jamie bids on and wins Roy during the For the Children Gala.

let your hook be always cast by Literatus (Rating: Explicit | Chapters: 1/1 | Words: 25,523 | Setting: Season 1 Canon Divergence | POV: Roy | Tropes: Getting Together | Warnings: N/A)

There's a new striker coming in on loan from Man City and that's the beginning, middle, and fucking end of Roy's problems. Or—Roy Kent goes slowly mad because Jamie fucking Tartt is a prick.

Something's Gotta Give by pepperlandgirl4 (Rating: Explicit | Chapters: 1/1 | Words: 2,863 | Setting: Season 1 Canon Divergence | POV: Roy | Tropes: PWP | Warnings: N/A)

Roy threw his duffle bag on the bed Jamie didn’t claim, his temples already throbbing. Yeah, they managed to get through one conversation at some fucking party without killing each other, that didn’t mean they should be fucking roommates. Would it do any good to march himself down to Lasso’s door and demand an explanation and a room change? He thought about Ted placid face, his firm but pleasant smile and realized no, Ted got off on this bullshit.

(with your boots beneath my bed) forever is the sweetest con by instantcaramel (Rating: Mature | Chapters: 1/1 | Words: 15,664 | Setting: Season 1 Canon Divergence | POV: Roy | Tropes: Getting Together | Warnings: Abuse/Domestic Violence)

Jamie is truly a fucking enigma. Last night he’d shown up to Roy’s looking like he just needed anyone to be there for him, with no explanation. Today he’s just acting like a fucking twat again, and he’s honestly confusing and messy and Roy doesn’t need it. Jamie is a 23 year old twat, and Roy is way too fucking old for this.

[faramirsonofgondor]

A great example of ted’s non-confrontational approach is how Ted refuses to correct Trent when he asks if it’s true that they threw a party in the locker room for losing the match in s1. All ted had to do was say “actually that was a party planned for sam’s bday” and it would have changed trent’s attitude to some extent. But no, ted is too stuck in his “people will observe what i do and come around to seeing that i’m right” attitude. There was literally no reason not to correct the record and it made ted look totally unserious about his job!

Yes! Ted is a very non confrontational and I don’t really think he actually understands just how harmful his behavior is. He tends to handle most of his issues by ignoring them and believing that things will sort themselves out. He also acts like people will be able to understand what he wants from and adopt his mindset. Especially when Jamie is concerned. Jamie was harming the teams dynamic in season 1 and Ted just decided to be patient and beat around the bush instead of stepping up and telling Jamie to cut it out.

It sort of reminds of the scene in The Office where Stanley is very openly disrespecting Michael, and Michael tries to take the friendly approach but Stanley continues to be insubordinate and rude. But once Michael actually invokes his authority and tells Stanley that needs to cut it out and respect him, because Michael is his boss, Stanley begrudgingly cleans up his act and begins to respect him.

I think if Ted had done similar, he could’ve seen results from Jamie a lot sooner. The problem is that Ted dances around the topic at first and then gets increasingly frustrated when Jamie doesn’t meet his expectations. Telling Jamie to remember that’s he’s only of 11 and that he should be a team player is truthfully really unclear and shitty advice. Especially considering Jamie has issues picking up on “implied” messages. So, Ted thinks that he’s being clear and telling Jamie to pass the ball around, but Jamie probably didn’t really grasp that. Then the whole thing with stepping over Sam, and Roy trying to fight Jamie happened. And Ted decides the best course of action is to bench Jamie, and he’s still not communicating clearly on why he’s benching Jamie because he thinks it’s obvious. Then, when Jamie says he’s injured, Ted immediately assumes Jamie is lying and blows up at him. Like Ted’s reaction was extremely inappropriate. And I’ve seen a lot of people say that Jamie deserved it for being a prick and shit, but Ted is his boss, who’s nearly twice his age and who (in Jamie’s mind) is punishing him for unclear reasons. The fact that he NEVER clears any of this up is just so?????

And then the whole thing with Sam’s birthday. Like it’s not the only time that someone outright asks Ted something and instead of answering he just completely dodges it. There are so many things he should’ve clarified, like telling Jamie he never sent him away, or telling the team Jamie was coming back. Not to mention, he just never did shit about Nate’s behavior in season 2?? It’s just so frustrating when Ted is supposed to give the team guidance and be a good coach but then he ends up constantly contradicting his own standards for others. Like he says “be curious not judgmental” and then proceeds to be extremely fucking judgmental with Jamie.

I really just don’t think Ted sees how his mindset is hurting the people around him. He has a responsibility to the team to make sure that things go smoothly and they’re all happy and healthy but instead he avoids their issues half of the time, or gives them half assed advice the other half of the time.

Ted just needs to learn to be more direct with other people. His metaphors are so complex and time consuming half of the time and it’s actually a bit irritating. Like the whole Denver Broncos thing after Colin came out??? Ted could’ve just been like “we support you and care about you and whatever you’ve been going through” but instead he has to turn it into this whole speech. Some of Ted’s speeches are appropriate and well timed, but some of them also just really miss the mark.

It’s just really frustrating to see, especially considering Ted fucks Jamie over the most but he supposedly cares about Jamie a lot (which might be true but he never acknowledges how he’s hurt Jamie or that he’s never really shown him that he cares about Jamie). Like I think somewhere in s3 Jamie probably just came to the conclusion that Ted has a problem with him and only him because it seems like Ted is extremely lenient when it comes to everyone else’s shitty behavior but Ted got super mad at him (and the whole Zava shit). In reality, I think Ted has been getting away with being very indirect with other people because they’ve been pretty decent at picking up on what Ted wasn’t saying, but for people like Jamie it was probably just really frustrating and difficult because Ted was being confusing and then extremely angry.

I think Ted’s general avoidant behavior is where his “forgive him” advice comes from as well. Ted got by with never acknowledging or addressing Jamie’s trauma because other people were there to do it for him (Beard giving Jamie Ted’s note, Beard kicking out Jamie’s dad, Roy hugging Jamie, etc.) So when there’s no buffer, when it’s just him and Jamie and he’s not able to avoid the topic he tries to get Jamie to forgive and forget because it gives Ted an out from having to worry about Jamie and his trauma. In his mind, if Jamie just forgives his dad, then there won’t be an issue anymore. And it’s not just Jamie he does this with, he does it with a lot of the team. When there’s a certain situation he can’t relate to he either 1) tries to come up with a story or metaphor that encapsulates his mindset and perspective or 2) he tries to get other people to let their issues go. I think we see this most clearly when Isaac attacks the homophobe in S3. He is extremely aware of the fact that Isaac is upset about what was said, and not in just a “i hate being insulted” kind of way. Nobody just attacks someone like that because they’re insulted. But Ted is either purposefully ignorant or he just oblivious because implies that he should just let that kind of stuff go and ignore it. Which first of all, I really don’t think the locker room, in full view of the team, coaches, and Trent, was the appropriate place to have this discussion. Secondly, I think Ted just doesn’t get that not everyone has his mindset and some things just can’t be let go of that easily (I’m not saying Isaac was justified or anything). Thirdly, Ted should’ve waited for Isaac to calm down and reign in his anger and his frustration before saying anything like that.

Ted acts like his advice/mindset is perfect for every scenario when it’s really not. And it’s an extremely harmful way of thinking because it’s not just Ted that it’s affecting. Especially considering Ted doesn’t actually follow through with a lot of his own advice and expectations. Like the most prominent example I can of is Jamie, who seems to absorb everyone’s advice and follow it to the letter. He applies the advice he’s been given to his mindset and approaches every scenario with it. He understands the poop-eh metaphor and applies it the quickest and most consistently out of everyone in the team. The issue is that sometimes Jamie over corrects for things and it fucks with the boundaries Jamie has with other people. Like the entire scene where Jamie is expressing his concerns about Zava in a respectful manner, and yet here the coaches are making fun of him, telling him that he’s doesn’t really have a right to be upset, and assuming that it’s just his ego. Zava fucking steals Jamie’s first goal of the season, and nobody says shit. This is so inconsistent to Ted’s ideas and expectations in S1, and it’s just really unfair and unprofessional to Jamie. But Jamie doesn’t know if he’s allowed to address that or not because Ted is the one who’s in power and he doesn’t want to risk upsetting Ted again.

Anyways sorry this turned into a whole rant thing, I just have so many thoughts about all of this!

[artistmonkee]

Hey! So sorry to bother you but I saw you were active and I am CRAVING young justice season one content so I just wanted to send In a couple of request

1) roy being like an older brother (but not actually related) to the reader and getting her to do dumb shit with him

2) Any of the original 6 x plus sized reader

3) Artemis x insecure fem! Reader

4) Kaldur x suicidal reader

5) any of the original 6 x reader with and eating disorder

6) m'gann x badass reader

7) dick x Abused reader

8) wally x self-harming reader

9) platonic original 6 and reader who's insecure

10) platonic original 6 and reader who's being abused

Thank you for your time and I hope to see your writing soon (also could you make the reader not have powers)

Young Justice members x plus sized!reader

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Kaldur/Aqualad

•I feel like Kaldur would love his s/o no matter what body type they are. In fact I think he enjoys having a plus sized s/o!

•I think naturally because he is atlantian he is naturally cold blooded so he's Cold all the time. He can mostly handle the coldness but sometimes he just really needs the body heat. Thankfully your there to provide him that (⁠◠⁠‿⁠◕⁠)

•I think he would be confused if you ever told him you were insecure of your weight (or looks for that matter) because he naturally finds you perfect and doesn't see anything of you that you should be insecure about (although he doesn't get why people would get insecure of something that's apart of them anyway) so he remind you of how perfect you are and it shouldn't matter what other people think. Then lightly scold you for thinking negatively of yourself.

"Kaldur? What are you doing?"

Kaldur looks at you from his position next to the fireplace. He blushes slightly from embarrassment of you catching him trying to warm up while having a heavy coat and warm sweatpants on. "Sorry. I was just trying to warm up." You chuckle at his apology and pat the spot next to you on the couch. "Come here, love." He shyly comes up next to you on the couch. He sits and you immediately pull him into you, wrapping your arms around him into a tight warm snuggle.

He tenses at first, but slowly eases into you and your warmth.

He wraps his arms around you and rests his head on your chest, taking in a deep breath and releasing as all the tension and aches in his body dissipates from all the missions he's had to do recently.

"I love you,Kaldur"

"I love you as well, s/o"

Wally

•Like Kaldur he doesn't care what size you are, as long as you love him and shower him in kisses daily you're good!

•He shares his love of food with you. If you're a baker/ cooker, bonus points! You both could be in the kitchen cooking up all sorts of stuff just to make for a movie date or for a group hangout! It brings you closer together.

•Now don't get me started on if you were ever insecure and tried to cut back on eating. "I'm sorry I'm just not hungry." " … Who are you and what did you do with my s/o."

•But for real you try being insecure with this man and he will point out every flaw you thought about yourself and point out that it's an "imperfection" he loves.

"Hey! Those were my cookies" you joke as he stuffed his face with the cookies you just made. "I'm sorry! But they're just soooo good! I can't help that I love eating anything you make." You blush and wave him off to the lounge room where all the movie stuff was "Go pick out a movie for us while I get the rest of our snacks ready!"

He chuckled at your embarrassment but complied and headed to the lounge.

"Anything for you sweet cakes!"

Conner

•Conner I don't think would even notice that you were plus sized because he really doesn't focus on appearances. As long as you accept him, he'll accept you.

•I think it would take him a couple of months into the relationship to realize that you get insecure about your weight mostly because he doesn't know a lot of things to begin with and is honestly new to most things in this world.

•So it would probably take him finding you crying in your room and you explaining why to him to figure this out.

•At first he wouldn't get why you would be insecure in the first place before realizing that this is similar to how he felt when Kent rejected him for being just a clone of him instead of accepting him as family (I resented Kent for awhile because of this(⁠눈⁠‸⁠눈⁠) )

•He would then comfort you by holding you and telling you you're perfect and you shouldn't change for anyone. Of course there are times you would do this for him after an encounter with Superman but that's for another time.

"s/o? Are you in here?" His eyes widen when he hears the cries and sobs of his partner coming from her bed. Immediately he rushed to the bed and pulled the covers from over you thinking that you were hurt.

He looks at your disheveled face and his heart breaks. He scans over you to make sure you're not hurt while you try to hide yourself from him, not wanting him to see you like this.

He sighs in relief not seeing you hurt anywhere. However, that doesn't calm his racing mind of why you're upset.

"S/o what's wrong? Why are you crying?" He asks in worry, cupping the sides of your face so he can look at you. As he waits for you to answer he wipes your cheeks as the tears slid down them. Nervously you avoid eye contact and instead focus on the big S on his shirt. "I-I just…… it's just so hard. Everyday I go to school I get picked on for my size and I just can't help but look at the mirror and see how right they are about me. I can never fit certain clothes and some clothes that are supposed to make you look and feel good it just…. Doesn't" you stop as the tears well up and slide down your cheeks again, another sob threatening to come from your throat.

Conner's frown deepens as he hears this and it hurts to see how lowly you think of yourself when you're like a goddess in his eyes.

He can't help but see the similarities between you and him about being accepted. Whether by society or by someone close to you.

He slowly crawls into bed with you, gathering your sobbing figure inso his arms and bringing you under the covers with him. You instinctively curl into him for comfort and you feel his fingers brushing through your hair soothingly.

"You are the most beautiful person I have ever known. It doesn't matter what size you are, or what your skin color is, or what clothes you wear. All that matters is that your you and you should never change yourself for someone."

You sniffle as a blush comes to your face from the compliment. "Thank you, my love. You don't know how much this means to me. I love you."

"And I love you,s/o"

Dick Grayson

•Listen, listen. Your big spoon. Now there is no secret that he wasn't exactly tall nor very muscular and there's no doubt that you were the tall one in the relationship (until he hit his damn growth spurt) but I would feel like he would try to be big spoon but give up and just let you hold him.

•I feel like he would spoil you rotten with gifts, whether if it's comfortable clothes, snacks, or desserts he would get it for you.

•He's very perceptive and smart so if you were feeling insecure or sad about how you look or about your weight he would know way before anyone else. He would listen to you rant and would try to do something about how you feel. If it's because of someone talking down on you then he would use the power of being a Wayne to his advantage. Full on pulling up at your school in those black van things and having Alfred come along (Because Alfred loves you because you always compliment his cooking and even give him pointers on things.) And put on a big scene of how you're his partner and if anyone messes with you he won't be afraid to do something about it.

•But if it's because it's how you're feeling on your own then he'll offer to do something like sparring or going on a jog with you to help you blow off steam and see if you wanna keep doing that.

"Hey sweets!" You turn at the sound of your nickname. Only one person calls you that…. "Dick?! What are you doing here?!" You question him as he casually strolls up to you and wraps his arms around your waste. "Oh nothing! Just wanted to pick you up today and take you on a date." You look at him, your eyebrow twitching with annoyance once you realize what he's really doing as you watch him side eye the girls and guys that were picking on you for your weight the other day.

"Dick!" you whisper harshly, trying to scold him for using his fame and popularity to intimidate and scare your bullies. And what's worse. Is that it's working.

You roll your eyes as he leans up and kisses your cheek before pulling you back to the car that he pulled up in. Alfred steps out and opens the door for you both. You then notice he is also eyeing your bullies. You feel yourself flushing red from embarrassment but don't have time to indulge on that as Alfred greets you before Dick pulls you into the car.

The door closes and you watch Alfred head to the front of the car. You turn your head to the little maniac you call your boyfriend and sigh.

"You know you love me." You can practically hear the smirk in his voice.

"I'm starting to question it now…" you pause. "But this is why I love you, dork" you chuckle.

He smiles lovingly at your smile and laugh and responds back.

"I love you too, sweets"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I am finished! Thank you for asking me to do this because I had a lot of fun writing this!

And I will work on Artemis and Meghan for a separate one. I will also do the rest of these and will hopefully get them done soon! And if you don't mind I kinda combined 2 and 9 because I felt like it and it kinda matched. I am a big girl so I know the insecurities that come with it (but Aphrodite is helping me overcome these insecurities so I am working on it).

Also do not be afraid to ask for more stuff in the future because I will gladly do them. I However do have school and clubs so I might not update as often as I would want to. And if you want I can draw you oc's for fandoms. Just ask and give me details of the characters that you want me to do and I'll do it.

Anyway imma hit the hay because it's 12 and I'm running on 5 hours of sleep and I have archery tomorrow!

[hurremsultanns]

To robbery, slaughter, plunder, they give the lying name of empire; they make a solitude and call it peace. (Tacitus' Agricola. Trans. Alfred John Church and William Jackson Brodribb)

The fundamental issue that I have with the take that 'Süleyman is the whole system' is the implication inherent to that statement that a new Sultan or a new person in charge would change the system in the ways that caused the conflict of the show to begin with (inequality, oppression, systemic abuse in the harem, slavery, and even the fratricide law) is simply not the case.

It is incredibly unlikely after all that Mustafa would have been able to meaningfully do anything about the fratricide law. Especially considering the influence that the Divan, the janissaries and his mother would have had. As the Divan and the janissaries are unlikely to have agreed to a reform that got rid of a law that had existed to ensure the stability of the succession. Meanwhile Mahidevran is very unlikely to have accepted something that put her sons reign in any kind of jeopardy, which from her perspective keeping Mustafa's brothers alive absolutely would have done. And he didn't really challenge the structures of the system in any other way either. As much as playing up the idea of a happy ending does serve to emphasise the tragedy of what happens, it is also important to acknowledge that that happy ending would have almost certainly not happened. And not only that but the idea that the şehzade whose closest ally is Barbarossa, who fights for the empire and kidnaps and trafficks women, stands against the system in any meaningful way shows such a narrow perspective on what the system actually is. Especially considering that Barbarossa is the one character who could be said to link the conquests of empire to the abuses in the harem if you try to apply a deeper framing than the one that the show actually provides. He more than anyone else shows that this whole system is build on trauma and tragedy. And this man is Mustafa's closest ally and father in law. And through him there is a continuation between the abuses within the harem and the abuses without. Although I acknowledge that I am putting a lot more thought into this than the MC writers did, who just made Barbarossa an uncomplicated hero.

I would argue that Logan Roy is fairly comparable in terms of his relationship to the system that he represents to Süleyman. Both men are essentially monarchs of powerful empires. Süleyman's is a territorial empire (the Ottoman empire) and Logan's is a business and media empire (Waystar Royco). And both are emblematic of those systems in many ways. Süleyman after all is by far the most powerful person in the Ottoman empire and is the one with the most defining input on the outcome of the succession struggle. As various characters point out, particularly throughout season 4. So much more depends on him than on any other character. And Logan's toxicity is the foundation of the toxicity of Waystar. He spreads that toxicity into his family, his empire and to the world at large. As Kendall notes in his denunciation of him at the end of season 2 and as Ewan reflects in his eulogy at Logan's funeral. This can be compared to the analysis I made in the previous paragraph of how the toxic system that Süleyman represents can be seen in the harem but also extends so much further encompassing the empire as a whole. However, as individuals they are not the system. Logan's death doesn't make Waystar any better and none of Süleyman's sons would have meaningfully made the system they had been trying to survive better. After all, Kendall as CEO doesn't make anything better. Rather he follows in Logan's footsteps for all the criticisms he made of his father and all of his claims in the first 3 seasons of being better than him. And a continuation of that generational trauma as 'the poison drips through' feels unfortunately far more realistic (as to be fair Succession is a prestige drama series where Magnificent Century is a soap) than the idealised happy ending of Mustafa taking power and solving everything. Especially within the universe of MC where the Damocles' sword of the fratricide law is hanging over every single şehzade and whoever took power would have had very few options besides 'letting the poison drip through'. Which is particularly noteworthy for the şehzade whose closest ally was a war criminal who trafficked women.

Fundamentally Succession as a prestige drama has a far more deep and nuanced take on its modern version of a court political drama than a soap like Magnificent Century can be expected to. So can we just acknowledge that the politics of MC are flawed and not that deep? And above all the fact that a good person cannot run Waystar Royco.

[daydreamgoddess14]

Support System pt. 10 - The Finale!

CH1 | CH 2 | CH 3 | CH 4 | CH 5 | CH 6 | CH 7 | CH 8 | CH 9

MASTERLIST

It's the end doo doo doo doo! The final match of the season, the ending. I really hope you've enjoyed reading this as much as I have writing it. I've had the best time and I'm really proud of this one! 💜

Chapter 10

You hadn’t considered that footballers or their coaches would get nervous. But the tension in the run up to the Man City game was palpable. The whole town seemed on edge, Roy included. He’d spent each one of your Lexie nights at your house, it felt a little odd that he was there observing your boring mum routine of washing, cooking and carrying the mental load of knowing where Lexie needed to be, when and everything else in between. He didn’t ask to stay, even though you’d wanted him to, he’d said goodnight each evening and gone back to his place. By the time Lexie was back to her dads, you’d worked out that he’d been there every evening not just because he’d wanted to be, but because he’d needed to be. The build up to the game had him restless and distractible and the time with you and Lexie managed to relax him far more than sitting in an empty house, or going over and over the match with Jamie, or Nate or whoever else was free for a pint. When you’d gone to him just a day before the match, the only solace he’d found from the plays, the tactics and the team, was in you. He took his time, undressing you slowly and kissing every inch of skin as it became exposed to him.

"Let me take care of you," you whispered. You felt his head shake as he kissed down your neck. 

"I've never needed anyone like I need you." He muttered, swiping a calloused thumb over your hardening nipple, "you look so fucking beautiful like this." You rolled your hips against him, 

"Please, Roy. I need you-" you all but begged. All night he'd taken the lead and given you everything, losing himself in the feel of your body against his. When they won the next day, you were euphoric. Lexie and Phoebe had been in bits when the camera had focused in on Roy and Nate discussing something over an iPad and they could see that Roy was wearing his Richmond colours friendship bracelet. The late journey back from Manchester and the subsequent celebrations meant that it was Tuesday morning before you saw him again. You’d joined the slip road to the school, queuing for the carpark with the windows down and blasting 90s dance music when his car had pulled alongside yours. You and Lexie had been so engrossed in singing/shouting Robin S ‘Show Me Love’ - complete with 'big box, little box' hand dancing - that you hadn’t even seen him until Phoebe had called through the open windows. 

“Morning. Congratulations on the win!” You’d called out.

“Morning. Nice dancing.”

“Especially for you.” You winked. You’d ended up parked at different ends of the carpark so he and Phoebe had waited for you by the gate as you walked down to them. You’d pulled out your phone to take a call from a recruitment agency so he’d walked alongside you while you talked and the girls ran ahead. “And that’s in Richmond? Wow, ok that sounds really interesting. Absolutely yes, send my CV over if you think I’m in with a shot. Actually, just send it over anyway - I’d be mad not to at least try,” at the front of the queue at the gates, you handed Lexie her bag and gave her a kiss whilst still on the phone, “Ok, could you just hang on one second please?” You moved the phone away from your mouth and stepped up on tiptoes to give Roy a lingering kiss. The other playground parents looked on, wide eyed. “I have to go, I love you. See you later.” You whispered, taking up the phone again and going back to the car, your hand holding onto his until you couldn’t reach any further. Lexie was with her dad during the beginning of that week so that she could go with you to the final Richmond match at the weekend, so after work you’d gone straight to Roy’s. You hopped up to sit on the counter while he cooked.

“Ted’s staying.” He told you, hands on your thighs.

“Really? That’s great!”

“He got to work this morning and Rebecca was in his office. She only fucking told him she was in love with him, that she’d help his ex get a job here if she wanted to move, she’d help them find a school for Henry… pretty much told him she’d do fucking anything if he’d say.” You leaned forward, eager to hear more,

“And did he tell her?”

“Yeah, told her he was in love with her. We walked in to find them nearly going at it in the office.” You shrieked,

“Oh god that’s so cute! At least you all know before the weekend as well.”

“Settles the lads down a bit, bunch of fucking kids sometimes.” You slid forward to wrap your legs around his hips. “Any news on that job from this morning?” His hands move up your thighs and around your waist so he can kiss your neck,

“Not yet, the agency is putting me forward. It’s in Richmond though, which would be amazing. I should hear more tomorrow.”

“And how you feeling going into your last week?”

“Happy. Scared. Nervous.”

“We’ll figure it out, you know. I won’t let you fucking drown. Season finishes at the weekend, so this time next week I’ll have loads more free time for a few weeks. I can help with Lex while you do what you need to do.” He’s turned the pan off and pulled you off the counter, taking you over to the sofa, dinner forgotten for now.

~~~~~~~

You took a further call from the recruitment agency the following day. Their client was interested in meeting you but needed an informal off-site meeting. You arranged with the recruiter to meet with them towards the end of the week just outside of town. To say you were surprised to see Keeley Jones and Rebecca Welton being led to your table was an understatement. You shook hands and sat back down before your legs could give out. The mums might have been all good, the kids, but maybe you were about to be ousted by two of the most influential women in Roy’s life? You clearly looked terrified because Keeley, to her credit, took your hand and held it,

“Oh fuck, you look so scared! I’m so sorry we ambushed you, are you ok?” You think of the night before when Roy had cooked your favourite meal while you’d taken Lexie to swimming lessons and then onto her dads. When you’d sat in his lap and pushed your fingers into the knot in his shoulder to try and relieve some of the stress of the final week of the season. When he’d lost all patience and decided on a different way to unwind, which had mostly revolved around keeping his head between your thighs for as long as you let him. You think about your 4am wake up call that morning, and the 6am follow up, where he’d interlocked your fingers above your head and pressed you into the mattress as he whispered “I could do this forever”. Whatever had changed their mind in the time since the gala, you couldn’t let it derail your future.

“Look, if you’ve suddenly come to the realisation that I’m not good enough for Roy then that’s your opinion and you’re entitled to it. But I’m not going to be scared off. He loves me and I’ll take that for as long as I possibly can because I am so, so in love with him and I will spend forever making him happy in any way I can. I’m really sorry, I’m sure you’re both lovely women and I know he values your opinions, but if he’s ever going to change how he feels about me then he’ll do it himself and he’ll tell me himself. And congratulations by the way,” you turn to Rebecca, “I heard that Ted is staying and that he finally told you he loves you. I’m so happy for you.” Keeley smiled at you while Rebecca looked curiously. 

“Are you sure about this?” She asked Keeley,

“I’ve been doing some digging. Trust me, Rebecca.”

“We’re not here to try and break you and Roy up.” Rebecca said finally,

“Oh. Well then I don’t understand?”

“I’d like to interview you for a job.”

“Sorry, what? Shit, have I just fucked it up completely?”

“Nahh!” Keeley said quickly.

“Well-” Rebecca interrupted.

“No, she hasn’t. We probably scared her half to death, Rebecca! Give the poor woman a minute to recover.” You finish your water and take a deep breath.

“I’m sorry, really I am. I got completely carried away and I shouldn't have gone off like that.”

“Thank you,” Rebecca said, smiling at last. “And thank you for letting me know just how much you care about Roy.” You nod, making peace. Keeley whipped out some paperwork from her bag.

“So! Like Rebecca said, this is I guess, a final stage interview without all the previous stages? We already know about you, we'd love to know more. Our previous Director of Comms was Leslie Higgins, he moved into the Football Ops role quite a while ago now and there’s never really been the need to replace him. He and Rebecca have sort of taken on the various tasks and it’s worked fine.” She pauses for Rebecca to step in and continue,

“Now though, we’re one game away from maybe winning the Premier League just one season after coming back from relegation. That’s practically unheard of. The huge, growing success of the club, the opportunities with the Champions League next season and our plans for the future mean that we need to strengthen the internal team. KBPR can only do so much - they have other clients and I can’t ask Keeley to devote all of her time to the club.”

“We think,” Keeley started, “that with us, and Leslie and you… we could be a real Fab Four. The core AFC Richmond decision makers - with the coaches input of course.” You are stunned, to say the least.

“When you say you’ve done some digging, what exactly do you mean by that?”

“Well, when you told me who you worked for and what you’d worked on, I realised that we’d met before. I’ve been asking around people who have worked with you or who have come across you in a professional capacity to learn more. When I liked what I saw, I took it to Rebecca.”

“With Ted confirmed as staying now, I have some big plans ahead for Roy. We have some very big plans ahead as a club.”

“And you don’t think it would be weird? Me working with you, for one,” you gesture to Keeley, “or with Roy?”

“I’ve been at the club probably at least two or three times a week since the day you blocked him in on the school car park. He came in ranting and raving about some idiot driver and every day, I’ve heard him fall more in love with you. If he found out there was a way to have you in the same building every day, I think he’d be beating Rebecca’s door down himself. And working in the same building doesn’t necessarily mean you spend every waking hour together. You still have crucial jobs to do. And as for me, I'd love to work with you.” Rebecca nodded in agreement.

“The job is nothing you don’t already know, the only difference is the industry.”

“Exactly, my football knowledge is… limited at best!”

“We’re a family, we wouldn’t let you drown.” Hearing Rebecca use the same phrase as Roy struck a chord with you.

“I take it you have a job spec, contract, everything I need to read through and make a decision?”

“An interview is as much about you deciding if we’re the right fit for you, as it is for us to decide. I think you’ll find that the club's current standing means we can afford to give you a generous package, and the locality means we can support a better work-life balance.”

“Take this, read it and see what you think.” You take the folder.

“As his friends, do you think I should tell Roy now, or decide based on him not knowing? I assume we’ve met here because he doesn’t know, and inviting me to Nelson Road would be a dead giveaway?”

“Perhaps tell him about the role first and then bring in where it came from. Let him help offer an opinion based on the job alone.” Rebecca suggested. “And I do so hope you’ll agree to join us, I think you could be a truly great asset to the club.”

~~~~~~~~

You’d kept the folder at your house, not daring to leave it in a bag or your car in danger of accidentally taking it to Roy’s. Being at yours also meant you could be ‘busy’ and have Lexie as a buffer and it also being your last week at your current workplace, this also gave you an excuse for being more distracted than usual. The last game of the season was doing the same for him so his being distracted also helped you. The intimacy of spending time alone at Roy’s exposed all of your vulnerabilities. You’d spent so many nights laying in the dark in his arms listening to him talk about his family and career, and have him ask about yours, it was impossible to hide anything from him. You’d mentioned the role to him, you’d had to since he knew about the original recruiter call, and he’d reacted to it exactly as you hoped he would - excited for you to have such a great opportunity, close to home, with a package befitting your knowledge and experience. You wanted to wait until after the West Ham game to tell him exactly who the role was for. Lexie was spending the night before the match at Phoebe’s for a sleepover. The night before the Man City game meant you knew exactly how he'd want to forget the West Ham match and this time, you'd planned accordingly. You'd finished your final day at work early and had blown the cash from your leaving card on the most beautiful lingerie set you'd ever seen. You'd come back via Nelson Road to borrow his keys, and gone back to his to cook. When he got back late that afternoon, you'd set up outside under the secluded canopy in his garden with soft lights, blankets and cushions. You handed him a beer and led him outside, brought food out - including dessert, and then when you'd eaten and cleared up, you stepped in front of him and slipped your summer dress down your body. He reached out and took your hand, you'd sat in his lap with your legs either side of his. He ran his finger over the cup of the bra, 

"Holy fucking shit, you're perfect," 

"Distracting enough?"

"Yeah I'd say so." He said gruffly. “It’s a good fucking job I just need to stand on the side of the pitch now.” He laughed. 

The match was intense, unexpected drama on the sidelines and Isaac’s incredible goal had everyone holding their breath for another goal or for news from the Liverpool game. When the win came, no one seemed to care what the final table result was. The fans flooded the pitch to be with their team. You, Sara and the girls had stayed back a little, you could see better as Coach Lasso danced with his team surrounding him. When you let the girls onto the pitch, they run straight to Roy and he ends up with Phoebe on his front and giving a piggyback to Lexie at the same time.

“Don’t come crying to me later when you can’t walk.” You tease, finding a route past Phoebe to give him a kiss.”

“You’re not gonna fucking take care of me?” He asks, faux outraged.

“Every. Single. Day.”

“Dad!” Lexie calls, she taps Roy’s shoulder and he lets her down. Andy is coming across the pitch from the away fans side.

“Alright love.” He scoops her up and hugs her. “Congratulations,” he says to Roy who nods without greeting. “Dunno what old Mannion was doing. Made us look like fools. Do you ehh, do you know if our gaffer is ok?”

“Yeah, that old twat is fine. Just a bruised ego and a picture of his balls on the front of every paper tomorrow.” Andy shrugs.

“I uhh, I wanted to apologise to you both. I was a real dickhead-” Roy snorts a laugh, “worse than that, then. I’m sorry. I’ve been watching since the game finished. You look happy.” He turns to you,

“I am.” You say shortly, unsure whether to trust the apology.

“Good. I mean it, you look happy together. And Lexie tells me so all the time. I’m… happy for you.” You thank him and he heads off with his mates to the pub. You’re left with the feeling that you might never be friendly, but you can at least be cordial. Relieved of carrying the kids, Roy pulls you into his arms.

“He’s jealous.”

“Of me?” he laughs,

“Of me, you muppet.” He leans down to kiss your cheek and whisper in your ear, “because you're the one. You're it. You're the only one I want for the rest of my life. And he knows he fucked it up.”

“Hmm, you're pretty irresistible yourself.” The kiss you leave him with leaves you both breathless,

“Think we can find somewhere-”

“No way, there are hundreds of people here. I need to tell you something later.” He looks curiously at you, but you both get caught up in another ‘Richmond til we Die’ chant when Jamie, Keeley and a raft of players come over to find Roy. A little further through the crowd, you see Ted sweep Rebecca into his arms and kiss her. Even an hour after the game had ended, the club was still heaving with people. The fans had gone on to celebrate elsewhere but the families and friends of the players and staff remained. Rebecca had instructed the bar to stay open, insisting that she’d cover the bill. Phoebe and Lexie were still running around on the now empty pitch with Leslie’s younger children and other player’s and staff kids. You’ve told Sara about the job and you can’t wait to tell Roy. He’s sitting with Nate, both of them animatedly discussing Jamie’s Oscar winning performance with Coach Beard. 

“Have you got an answer for me yet?” Rebecca asks, sitting next to you in the dugout.

“Yes, I think I do. I’d like to run it by someone in particular first though.” You catch Roy’s eye, he looks surprised but happy to see you talking to Rebecca. She waves her hand to call him over.

“Coach Kent, congratulations.”

“You too.”

“I meant your excellent girlfriend, not the match.” He cocks an eyebrow at her,

“Thanks then. She’s fucking brilliant.”

“I know. Thought I might poach her from you?” The furrow in his brow deepens with his confusion. You stand up and kiss the frown away.

“The amazing job I’ve been offered? It would be here. Working for Rebecca.” You tell him, trying to keep your voice light but nervous for his response.

“Here? Every day?” 

“Yeah,” you start to mistake his hesitation for annoyance, “but if you think that’s really fucking weird, then I can tell Rebecca to stuff it - no offense, Rebecca - and I can carry on looking and something else will turn up-”

“I don’t think it’s really fucking weird. I think you should say yes. You should definitely fucking do it.”

“Yeah?”

“Fuck yeah.” 

“You’d better come over tomorrow then, sign your contract.” Rebecca says with a smile. “Welcome.” You and Sara party on the pitch with the team until the girls start to flag and it’s time to go. You insist Roy stay,

“I’ll see you tomorrow, go - have an amazing night, you’ve earned it. I’m so fucking proud of you.” You kiss him and he waves you off. 

~~~~~~~

You’re reading in bed when the door knocks so quietly you think you might have imagined it. Lexie is practically comatose in her bed, the combination of exhilaration and fresh air has completely wiped her out. You creep down the stairs in one of Roy’s t-shirts and open the door. Jamie Tartt is on your doorstep with an arm slung around Roy.

“Tried to get him to come to a club with us, but he made us bring ‘im ‘ere instead.” You stifle a giggle, you can see that Roy’s nowhere near as drunk as Jamie but he’s still looking at you with total adoration.

“Thanks Jamie, I’ll take it from here. You have a good night,” you look around him to the taxi down the path. Isaac and Colin are both waving madly at you. “Be safe, boys.” You wave to them and blow a kiss before slipping your arm around Roy’s waist and guiding him inside.

“Night Coach,” Jamie grins.

���Night Tartt, fuckin’ love you man. Fuckin’ love all of you.”

“We know. And we wouldn’t have been on that fuckin’ pitch without you.” Jamie gave you both a little salute and ran off back to the taxi.

“Come on, coach. Time for bed.” You lead him upstairs and sit him on the bed so you can take off his t-shirt, then you drop to your knees and unlace his trainers. You pull his hands to get him to stand up, running your hands around the waistband of his dark jeans and pulling them down. Once they’re free of his hips, he sits back down. “Come here,” you whisper, climbing into bed and pulling him with you, his body between your legs and his head on your heart. 

“Feels like I won the whole fucking thing.” He whispers against your skin as he falls asleep.

[hijinks-n-lowjinks]

💛💙💖🏳️‍🌈 get asked loser

My arms are thrown wide open for these pan coded questions~

💛: What is a popular ship you just can't get behind, and why?

People are going to smite me for this... but bakudeku lol. I can see why people would like it, but... it just doesn't do it for me. If Horikoshi hadn't made Bakugo as horrible to Deku as he was in elementary/middle school I would be more open to it but he was so bad. Every time I rewatch/reread mha it makes my stomach curdle. He fucking sucks! Until like seasons 3-4! He stays shitty for so long and the two NEVER talk about it!!! What the fuck!!!! (This is Horikoshi's fault, not theirs)

Bakugo is the only one to acknowledge that he was shitty to him (I like Bakugo, I think he's a fantastically complex character) but there's no way I believe that Deku doesn't hold any resentment against him. I love them being friends and partners, but I don't think a romantic relationship could realistically work out with their history, sorry, but that's what I feel deep inside.

And tododeku is right there..... healthy rivals to friends to lovers, babes. They're also foils of each other and have a much healthier relationship from beginning to end.

💙: Which character is not as hot as everyone else seems to think?

Roy Mustang lol. That man has never done anything for me and everyone and their mother talks about how hot he is, but I just don't see it. I think he's average/handsome enough, but I don't find myself attracted to him at all lol.

💖: What is your biggest unpopular opinion about a series?

I don't think I have that many unpopular opinions, but a bigger one is that I think Part 2 of Chainsaw Man is good lol. Sooooo many people shit on it, but Asa is so near and dear to my heart that the end of Part 1 was worth it to me. I don't think this is as controversial of a take anymore, but I've seen a lot of shit takes concerning Part 2.

🏳️‍🌈: Which character who is commonly headcanoned as queer doesn't seem queer to you?

First instinct is to say Denji. I don't think it's uncommon for people to think he's straight, but it's also common to headcanon him as bi. Peronsally, I've always seen him as straight. But if Fujimoto ever did explore Denji's sexuality as something other than straight, I'd be super down with it.

I'd also say Tanaka from Haikyuu but that's not an uncommon take lol.

send me asks <3

[finniestoncrane]

i dunno if this has already been requested or not but im on my hands and knees for No.10: The Staunton Lick with btaa!scarecrow 🙏 (love your work btw finnie you’re so talented!!)

🎀 No.10: The Staunton Lick 🎀

give me a character and i'll make a mini playlist for them a/n: oh good LORD i had the most fun with this so thank you so much for that and for the sweet compliment ;-; 💚💚💚 1k milestone info! 🔞minors dni🔞 • kofi • tag: finnie1k

i think jonathan's music choice would be accompanied with a brief lecture on how important it is in relation to how much fear and horror it can provide. for a song to be on his "enjoy" list, it has to either be jaunty enough that he can imagine it playing as he goes about his business or just magically creepy enough to evoke a sense of absolute terror when he hums it quietly 💚

perfect day - lou reed

there's so much melancholy in this, but it's also so beautiful, so it leaves a bitter taste in your mouth that's kind of enjoyable. also, reaping what you sow, it's a good message

eagle rock - daddy cool

used perfectly in the soundtrack to wolf creek, it's an absolute joy when a song so filled with joy can become so synonymous with the dreadful feeling as we fear what's to come after it's finished playing

wonderful, wonderful - johnny mathis

used perfectly to denote the arrival of fear in a particular episode of the x-files (season 4, episode 2, "home") the smooth romance lends itself nicely to that creepy feeling that comes along with nostalgia

main titles (beetlejuice soundtrack) - danny elfman

this is the perfect "driving to work/crimes/drug deals" music. it just gives any journey an added bounce! and isn't that michael keaton just super hot when he's betelgeuse? far more than he is in any... other... roles

twilight time - the platters

there's nothing more romantic than the dark of night, the shadows, the cool air, the all-consuming black, or calming purples and morose blues? this is the kind of thing he would dance to at a wedding

in dreams - roy orbison

if you can get past the imagery of the clown at the beginning, this song is actually far more terrifying than first glance might suggest. the loneliness, the desperation, losing someone and only having them in your imagination? absolutely deranged and unhinged romance

music box (the candyman soundtrack) - philip glass

if he were ever cursed to be responsible for a child, somehow, god forbid, this would 100% be the lullaby that played for the little cretin. it would set them off right in life

just - radiohead

is this really just wishful thinking? maybe jon isn't as much of a jigsaw-esque villain as he'd like to think. sure, people choose to take drugs, and sure they choose to sell them, but is it really a choice if the alternative is dying, starving, desolate and threatened?

i put a spell on you - screamin' jay hawkins

this is the kind of song he would listen to if he was really feeling it, like this is in his house on a saturday morning, eating pastries in his pants kind of music. absolute joy with a hint of wild attitude and the threat of control. very much jonathan crane

we've only just begun - the carpenters

i think jonathan is a sucker for nostalgia, for soft, romantic songs that can be manipulated and distorted and changed to make them send chills down your spine, which is what happens with this in the movie 1408

[fruity-phrog]

Have any Episode 5 predictions?

Oh...just a few...

Zava and Shandy out Colin. As in, Zava posts an image of Colin and Michael from the end of ep3/sends it to the press, but Shandy encouraged him to. We know Shandy wants a big "scandal" to blow Twitter up and we know Zava left the restaurant a few moments after Colin and Michael. Zava will claim he posted the image because Shandy said he should "show some love on his socials" but it would definitely be at least partially due to his anger surrounding the West Ham match. This allows a segway into two issues being resolved - Keeley will get to tell Shandy off for basically jepordizing her company and her job, and Zava will get to be put in his place. Maybe he'll leave. Can you leave halfway through a season? Apparently it's to do with your contract, so since Zava signed with "You're welcome" he could probably leave. So yeah. We'll get Zava and Shandy problems because. I want that.

On the subject of gay, Trent and Keeley will be gay. I'm not saying "canonized" because, as you can probably tell, it fuckin pisses me off when people say that bisexual Keeley is a headcanon. It's not. It's canon. Anyway, Trent will be canonized as queer and Keeley will revisit her bisexuality. Obviously it will be mainly Trent but I think Keeley deserves to get fuckin pissed off at Shandy for outing someone.

Okay enough self-indulgence. Aside from the episode dealing with three issues - Colin, Shandy and Zava - I think it will also deal with Rebecca in one of two ways. Firstly, it could deal with her whole green-matchbox-prophecy thing which I am now going to explain my theory of because it's my blog and I can.

-What if it wasn't a green matchbox. What if it was a green matchbox soldier. Something Ted is well-known for having and giving out. I'm not even a Tedbecca shipper but I can see when I'm wrong (ignore my huntlow denial). Rebecca's not going to get back with Sam, just like Keeley's not going to get back with Jamie. She's going to get together with Ted. Okay theory within theory is over-

Okay now that I've explained that, that's option one. Option two is that she deals with her issue with Rupert. In that way, I mean her bestie arc with Bex begins in full swing. Perhaps they bump into each other in the shops, perhaps at a game, but the point is they bump into each other. I think Bex is genuinely a nice woman who respects and likes Rebecca. Anyway, maybe Rebecca mentions the assistant idk. But those are the options.

BUT I think my first option is correct because the episode is literally called "Signs". Which brings me to my fourth point-

4. The match against West Ham will be addressed. I mean, come on, three red cards? It's got to be addressed. Again, the episode is literally called "Signs", so the Believe sign is coming back. The team are obviously going to be very ashamed of themselves (Dani is going to need more therapy lmao) and I think they'll opt not to disclose the information of why they went batshit crazy.

5. HOWEVER, I think Nate will begin to wake up, maybe even apologize to Ted. Ted will explain what Nate already knows and they might even part on good terms. I want this for two reasons. Number one, Nate was my BOY for season 1 and part of season 2 and I miss that teeny lad. Secondly, I think putting a good word in with Nate s what Ted needs. He needs to be reminded that his way of life does work. So far, he's got yelled at by Rebecca, had his request gone against by Beard and Roy, been embarrassed by the team and found out about Michelle and J*cob (fuck him) (and her actually). He needs to be reminded that he actually does so much good. He changed Nate's life. He gave him to opportunity to coach, something I don't think Beard would do and something the old coach definitely wouldn't have done. This is something he needs to remember.

Anyway. I know not all of this can happen, but the synopsis is "With their season in a tailspin, Richmond try to right the ship against the mighty Manchester City. Off the pitch, everyone faces their own setbacks." These setbacks 100% could be Keeley's issue with Shandy, Zava's anger at the match, Rebecca's increasing concern over the matchbox or Bex, Colin's problems with coming out. Of course, my thing with Nate and Ted isn't exactly a setback for Richmond, but it definitely is for West Ham. So there are my options. I hope you enjoyed them.

Also, where are these asks coming from istg-

[lunar-years]

royKeeleys really were done incredibly dirty so I do feel bad. but a lot of stuff I see people say about them or how the show shorted them just does not make sense to me lol.

(I also felt like him kneeling was never a sign that the show was taking his knee problems seriously and that it was a Big Deal he was kneeling. They bring it up and then immediately forget about it over and over. One day he can’t run or walk up stairs, the next he’s running miles upon miles with Jamie)

YEAH!! I think I might be in the minority in that while I did/do love roykeeley in season 2 and in general, I was actually kind of hoping for a breakup when I went into s3 and I wasn't at all sad when it happened 🫢 To me, this was something that actually was foreshadowed at the end of s2, so much so that it almost felt... inevitable? There were so many cracks there and the breakup kind of felt necessary. The problem was that they never went anywhere good with it.

So while I definitely agree that their arc was done dirty, I disagree with a lot of the reasons people like to list for HOW they were done dirty (e.g., the writers were wrong simply for breaking them up, it was mean to tease them sleeping together only to not have them immediately back together the next episode, Roy was supposed to propose/keeley was supposed to be pregnant 🤢, Keeley's arc was bad for the exclusive reason that it didn't revolve around Roy, etc.)

The biggest problems with s3 roykeeley were actually (imo):

breaking them up should have been the conduit for individual growth and addressing the personal issues that led to the break up for BOTH of them, but then they only tried to go that route with Roy whilst actually making Keeley REGRESS and never directly acknowledging, let alone resolving, any of her problems

roy's apology was non-specific if not downright Bad i'm sorry; he never tells Keeley why he broke up with her in any meaningful way

they never got the really good conversation i wanted to them to have (and feel their storyline desperately needed & deserved) about where they went wrong/how they're trying to fix it

too much happened offscreen. I think the offscreen breakup would've been fine if they'd then followed it up with the above bullet points, but you can't have an offscreen breakup that's then never discussed and is followed by an offscreen hookup followed by one conversation that gets interrupted before it even really begins. like what WAS that??

The breakup alone wasn't the problem! them not getting back together also wasn't the problem! it's just that none of it was done purposefully enough and Keeley's individual arc sucked bad

//

That's such an interesting perspective on Roy's knee stuff!! I don't think I really share that complaint, because I think it's easy enough to assume that some days his knee is really a Problem and other days it's mostly fine. He's never going to be able to keep up a professional athlete's level of activity again, but I really like that they show him running with Jamie. I think it highlights that their training is something that's good for both of them, because Roy is definitely the sort to forgo his physical therapy and not take care of himself. But I assume that keeping active actually helps him on the days when it's a struggle to say, go up the stairs. And they do show that he can't quite keep up with Jamie and gets exhausted much quicker.

So i dunno, I don't think the show is ignoring his problems, so much setting a balance between "Roy suffers chronic knee problems due to repeated injuries" and "he also is learning to take better care of himself and let other people help him so that the injury no longer has to dictate his life."

(okay editing to add: in rereading your first sentence on it I actually think i do agree with you, lmao. I just wasn't fully understanding at first. Yeah the writers FOR SURE weren't consciously thinking Roy Kneeling = a Sign That He Cares Extra About Keeley because it Hurts His Knee but he's willing to Endure The Pain just for her. which is how some people spin it, lmao. "Roy only kneels for Keeley wow he's so brave and in love!!" Like, no? ...sometimes the man just kneels?)