#i also think there are people at richmond he was very personally close to and many that are at the end of the day just. former coworkers.

[lunar-years]

one of my biggest pet peeves from the finale is the implication that ted ceased to interact with everyone in richmond once he returned to america. didn’t go to beard’s wedding? didn’t see sam play in the world cup? never brought henry to experience patented roy kent training? it’s just so weird and seems to be the antithesis of the show itself. —fic anon

Hmmm I think this doesn't actually bothers me! In part because I don't necessarily think it was implied that he ceases to interact with them. We didn't see enough of the "future" to know whether or not he's still still talking to these people. He could be taking annual summer vacations to England and texting Beard back and forth all damn day, for all we know! So if you'd like to envision that he was in the stands with Henry watching Sam, or that he drops by Richmond in a year or so to visit and check out how Roy Kent's running the place and catch a game, I think it was left very, very open for us to do so!

Not attending Beard's wedding is the only thing on the list that is definitely confirmed, and I will say it did strike me as very odd on first watch. But I ended up liking Brendan's response to that question in his Reddit AMA; He was basically like "Beard and Ted have the kind of relationship where they can go years without seeing each other, but then when they do it's like no time has passed." I have really wonderful friends like this myself, who matter so deeply to me but I rarely have a chance to physically see or even talk to. So that solidified a lot of things for me and in the end it felt right to me.

Personally, I think Ted absolutely still talks to many of them. I think it's been very established by the show and the writers themselves that Rebecca and Ted are (platonic) soulmates. I also like to think Nate regains the kind of relationship they had in season one, and the two of them are very close. They definitely send old-fashioned postal mail to each other across the pond all the time in the canon that exists in my head, lol. Like "Just thinking of you!" "Happy Corned Beef Day!" random cards and shit. I read a very lovely inlovewithnight fic that was set up as like press releases/articles/gossip columns set post-season, and a little part of it was that Ted comes back for an event at the Dogtrack and does a little meet and greet with fans. I really loved that. At the very least he's definitely watching all of Richmond's game still in America with Henry and supporting the team.

Overall, just because he's in America doesn't mean he's cut off from the world. It is an apple tv show, after all, and that means that all these people have iPhones that are critical devices to their wellbeing and used well and often 🫡

[ofstarsandvibranium]

if it’s not too much to ask (🥺) could you do a reader who’s best friends with Colin and he teases her about her crush on Jamie and tries to get them together? If not, NO WORRIES. Your stuff is so 🥰

(this ended up being a lot longer than I intended...whoops!)

You and Colin grew up together. You were two peas in a pod, the thickest of thieves. You knew everything about each other. You were the first person he told when he realized he was gay. He was the first person you told after you had your first kiss. You're each other's platonic soulmates.

As such, you're always trying to help each other in regards to your dating lives. When he told you about Michael, you were excited to see your best friend finally found his person. Michael was amazing and you two clicked instantly, to Colin's relief.

Your love life? Weeeell...

Colin and Michael were expecting you since twenty minutes prior, you texted them: THIS DATE SUCKS. IM COMING OVER.

So you're now sitting on Colin's couch in between the couple.

"So what happened this time?" Colin asks.

"All he talked about was football, specifically West Ham," that got Colin groaning, "He also looked my Instagram up and saw the pictures of you and I. Asked if we dated in the past, if you'd be able to get him tickets to the next Richmond versus West Ham game."

"You know you can archive the pictures of us so people-"

"No. I'd never do that to you, Col. It's like I'm ashamed of you and I'm not."

Colin gives a small smile and nod of appreciation, "Thanks, babe."

"Maybe you can set her up with one of your teammates," Michael suggests.

A lightbulb went off in Colin's head and you immediately said, "Don't."

"He's available."

"It'll be weird!"

"No, it won't!"

"Isn't he a dickhead?"

"Not as much anymore!"

Michael waved in front of you and Colin, "What's going on?"

You groan, hiding your face in your hands, "Kill me."

Colin snickers, "Y/N's celebrity crush before I got into the league was Jamie Tartt. When she found out he was being lent to Richmond, she freaked out. Made a complete fool of herself by tripping in front of him and getting a bloody nose."

"Ooohh. That's pretty bad." Michael says, wincing.

"It was so mortifying!" you cry out, "There's no way he'd want to date me after that disaster!"

"He might not even remember it," Colin says reassuringly.

"I don't want to risk it," you turn to Michael, "Michael, tell him it's a bad idea."

Michael looks to his boyfriend, "Do you vouch for Jamie?"

Colin nods, "I do, actually. He's completely turned his act around. He can still be a prick sometimes, but it's not as bad as it was when he first joined the team."

Michael focuses back on you, "You should go for it."

You immediately stand up, "Nope. I'm not making myself out to be a fool again. No thanks! I'm out!"

_____________________

"Hey, Jamie," Colin rushes up to Jamie as he exits his car.

Closing the door behind him, Jamie responds, "Yeah, mate?"

"You're not seeing anyone right?"

"No," Jamie replies with furrowed brows, look of confusion.

"My best friend, Y/N, she's beautiful, funny, and smart and think you and her would be a great match." Colin holds out his phone, showing Jamie a really great candid picture of you that he took when you two went to dinner months ago.

Jamie nods at the picture. You were, indeed, very beautiful. The way the sun hit your skin made you look angelic, "She's...nice."

Colin rolls his eyes, "One date. That's all I ask."

"Why me though?" Jamie still looks a bit confused, "Why not Bumbercatch or Isaac?"

"I just think you and Y/N would fit really well. She's been having a rough time with dating so I figured you'd show her how she should be treated."

To be fair, Jamie was thinking about getting back into the dating scene. He finally got over Keeley, accepting that they'd just be better off as friends. You seemed like a decent person, from the few things Colin mentioned. Might as well, right?

"Fuck it. Sure."

Colin fist bumped the air, "Yes! You won't regret it. I'll make the plans. You just show up."

"Yeah, yeah, alright."

_______________

You show up to Ola's, a place you've been to before. As soon as you walk in, Colin and Michael are there.

"I need to preface this and say you can't be mad at me," Colin says.

You narrow your eyes at him, "What did you do?"

"It'll be fine. I promise. Michael and I will be on the other side of the restaurant if you need anything, but you won't, because it'll be great."

"But if it goes wrong, it was definitely all his doing," Michael says, pointing to Colin.

Colin grimaces, "Thanks, babe." He takes your hand and leads you towards the back corner where Jamie fucking Tartt was sitting.

You immediately give Colin a look and he pushes you towards him, murmuring, "It'll be fine!"

You slowly approach the table and Jamie looks up, giving you a polite smile as he pockets his phone.

"Hi, I'm Jamie," he offers his hand out.

"I know," you say as you shake his hand, "I'm so sorry Colin roped you into this. You really don't have to be here if you don't want to."

He shrugs, "It's fine. Been meanin' to get back into the dating game. Besides, if things don't really work out, we get free dinner and drinks out of it, yeah?"

Your brows shot up, "Colin's paying?"

Jamie nods, "He said he would."

You smirk and gesturing for a server. He smiles at you, "Would you like to start with drinks?"

You nod, "Yes, we'll have your most expensive bottle please."

It's now Jamie's brows that shoot up and he looks at you in surprise. When the server leaves to get the drinks, you lean in and said, "It's payback," you sigh as you sit down.

"So...you weren't too keen on going on a date with me then?" he asks awkwardly.

You suddenly look mortified, "No, no! That's not it at all it's-I-ugh!" you slump back in your chair. You let out a deep breath and sit up again, "Alright, so I believe two years ago, you and I actually met before and I made a complete fool out of myself because I tripped and ate the pavement. I busted my lip, there was lots of blood. Not a pretty sight or a cool thing to do in front of your celebrity crush."

Jamie smirks, "I'm your celebrity crush?"

You sit there in silence, mentally cursing yourself and Colin for making you go through this embarrassment again. You stand, "Right, okay, I've embarrassed myself enough. I'm leaving."

Jamie rushes to a stand, "No, please, don't. I'm only teasin' ya. It's nothin' bad, I promise. You're-You're very cute when you're flustered."

"Thanks," you murmur.

Luckily, the server came back with the most expensive bottle of wine. As soon as he poured your glass, you began downing it. Jamie watches you in amusement.

"Sorry, I just need some liquid courage to get through this."

Jamie leans forward, resting his arms on the table, "How about this, we just forget who I am for tonight. I'm not Jamie Tartt, the most amazing striker in the league. Just Jamie, a nervous lad on a date with a beautiful girl."

"You're nervous?" you ask in shock.

He shrugs, "It's been a while since I've gone on a proper date. Kinda forgot how to do this sort of stuff."

"Pft, I've gone on many dates and so far, you're the best one."

"Yeah? Tell me about 'em."

And that's how dinner goes. Over another glass and eventually over some food, you tell Jamie about your past dates. He tells you about some ridiculous things he's done with the guys when Coach Lasso was around. It was nice. It was nice knowing that Jamie wasn't here because he wanted to get close to Colin. He was there because he wanted to. You assumed he was interested in you by the way he flirted with you throughout the nice. So maybe this wasn't such a bad thing after all.

Once dinner was over, Colin came over with a pout, "Did you guys really have to order the most expensive items here?!"

"That's what you get for tricking me like that," you boop his nose and Michael snickers as he weaves his fingers through Colin's.

"But it went alright, yeah?" he looks at you and Jamie.

"I'd say so," Jame puts his hand on your lower back, "We're, uh, actually gonna head to a pub for more drinks."

"Oh! Well, uh, I think Michael and I will head on home then."

You don't want to give Colin the satisfaction just yet, so you say, "I'll text you later when I'm home."

"Sounds good," he says and pulls at Michael's hand, "Let's go, babe."

Looking over his shoulder, Michael gives you a wink and a thumbs up.

You snort and then turn to Jamie, "Ready?"

"Whenever you are, love." and you two head out onto more drinks, more talking, and, hopefully, more dates after this.

[whinlatter]

beasts | from the postbag 🦉

it is a source of great delight, great gratitude and great guilt that i have an inbox full of juicy questions i haven't answered. reckon it's about time i got around to answering some of them! this is a bumper post with lots to answer and plenty to rummage around in, so if you have sent me a question i hope you will find it answered in here! (if i haven't replied, please know that i have treasured/been tickled by every one and will never not be pleased as punch that people reach out to say hi and chat about stuff i put out into the world). alright. to business!

it’s a fair question anon, and the answer is at least partly as you suggest: neville and seamus are loyal to ginny (dean, ofc, wasn’t there). in c.12 harry talks about having spoken with neville about it, and though he tells ginny about it, he also reassures her neville didn’t spill her secrets - harry doesn’t like people talking about him behind his back, and he’s right to assume ginny wouldn’t either. (i mean, i also think waiting for someone to be ready to talk about something is a basic mark of respect for a loved one - and learning to be patient and not demanding information from people is a skill a certain mr potter could do with learning). but, as i hope c.14 gestured towards and as the flashback chapters will unpack, ginny also had a very specific war that was particular to her and who she was vis-à-vis harry and the order. neville and (to a lesser extent) seamus know some of it, but they don’t know the whole picture. hope this helps!

i live to gag! (thank u anon!) 

i played with writing ginny having different emotional reactions in the final scene of c.14, but in the end decided i liked having her quiet, resigned to it, like she knew this was coming (they’ll all know soon, as she tells herself throughout this chapter). for someone who is often kicking off and raging at people bearing bad news, it’s a lot of fun to write ginny as someone with the wind knocked out from her every now and then. 

i won’t spoil this one, anon, but i will say that i think ginny understands harry, his good intentions, and the reasons for his blindspots. they’ve got chats to have for sure. but will she be throwing hands imminently? i would not bet on it. 

it was little women! the same book hermione's reading in chapter 3. the granger girlies love a classic. they prefer the winona ryder adaptation but hermione takes the family to see the greta gerwig version and bawls and ron has to mop her up in the richmond everyman cinema.

to these lovely anons and the others i am keeping close to my chest - i am reaching into the screen and tenderly stroking your rosy little cheek. thank you for waiting for next bits of my fic !!!

on harry's characterisation - harry is a cranky crabby little grouch with a temper and a good sulk in him. he also is not beating the softie/sentimental allegations and will always be a sweetpea when it comes to those with good vibes and freckles in spades. and we should not forget it!

anon, i don’t know what you’re like as a host, but if two horny teenage houseguests decided to use my hut for a spot of snogging and heavy petting i’d be putting my foot down and setting the skrewts on them.

more seriously - there are lots of reasons, and most are boring. some are just ‘plot’. these are two characters who are not just physically removed from one another, but having to clock their emotional distance from each other, or at least the distance in their experiences of war and how that has changed them. having them physically distant and trying to find their way back to each other through new ways of communicating is a part of this story. it would be a much much more boring story if harry and ginny could see each other every week. i love a hinny hangout as much as the next person. but the story wouldn’t work if they had endless access to each other. and this is where the other reasons come into play - story conventions, or the rules put in place by canon, where characters beyond hogwarts very rarely set foot on hogwarts’ grounds without serious reason, and the school behaves pretty much like every other english boarding school, which is strictly controlling visitor time and not just letting people rock up and hang out with the students whenever they feel like it. 

you best believe michael A&R corner will be handing out the ravenclaw lads’ mixtapes outside the courtroom, anon!

this is definitely an agree-to-disagree on this one, anon. i think, if there were no post-war justice, no trials, no public reckoning, no need to immediate need to clear snape’s name, then maybe. but i think harry would get one whiff of death eaters trying to blame their crimes on old sev and say, not on my watch. he’s literally the only person who can clear snape’s name posthumously. do i think he felt weird about it all? absolutely. but i think he would do as he does in ootp re clearing his own name and make it his business to get the truth out. i don't know if you've noticed but that young man is really rather righteous. he also couldn't wait to tell voldemort snape was actually a goodie. he was chomping at the bit, he was salivating. he had the goss and he could not wait to spread it. he's just like me fr!

thank you sm anon! i have talked a little bit about my view of hermione and ginny's relationship here (forgive the link to an old thing, i am terrible for repeating myself), but i think their relationship as you see it in beasts is my way of trying to write the middle ground between the two views of their friendship often doing the rounds in fandom - eg. they're absolute soulmate besties who totally get each other all the time vs they're basically not friends at all. i am just a bit of a sucker for hard won female friendships earned by girls growing up and getting a grip. now - if harry and ginny had an argument, i imagine ginny would be right, and hermione is always on the sign of reason. but even if ginny wasn't right, i reckon hermione would have a quiet word with her about it, but still make sure she told harry off to, just because it's good to never let the men in your life know peace.

i yelped! you dreamed of my fic! that's bonkers and brilliant in equal measure. look if chapter 15 gets revealed to you in a dream and it's better than in the google doc i'll be soooo fuckin pissed.

[thetarttfuldickhead]

If When Jamie is named England’s captain a few years from now and he’s asked about inspirational figures and captain role models, he will not stop singing Isaac’s praises. Just, the way Isaac runs a tight ship and won’t tolerate any nonsense but always has their backs and makes sure there’s a lot of fun, too, silly stuff that keeps the team close and happy and mutually supportive; keeps them feeling like family, almost. It’s Ted’s heritage, the seeds Ted planted, but Isaac’s nurtured and sustained them, tended to the garden and kept it in bloom, and added some vibrant saplings of his own.

Jamie probably names a couple of other people too, whoever was in charge when he played for Man City, someone from his academy days or England’s under-21s, people like that.

He doesn’t mention Roy. And no one asks about it, and no one thinks anything of it—

—except for Roy, who watches the interview with Keeley curled up against his side on their couch and who notices the omission with a wild jumble of hurt and wounded pride and shame and jealousy (all mixed up with the shocking, burning pride he feels for Jamie, England’s captain, fucking hell).

Because Roy knows he wasn’t a great captain for Richmond, yeah, and was a horrible captain for Jamie (though to be fair, Jamie was a horrible person to captain, and Isaac isn’t likely to have been able to handle him at full-on prick either, only Roy’s not fantastic at being fair to himself, so), but he’s still Roy fucking Kent, the best on any team he’s ever been on and Jamie’s fucking childhood idol and his fucking everything now, so to have the little prick not even mention him…

He sulks. He tries not to, because he knows it’s silly and it’s Jamie’s big day, isn’t it, and Roy’s not going to ruin it by having A Feeling, but the feeling(s) persist and he walks through the afternoon with his scowl several shades darker than normally.

“What’s the matter, babe?” Keeley asks, and Roy’s long since given up trying to bullshit her so he spills. Keeley nods and listens and gives him a hug and a kiss and tells him that yeah, you’re gonna need to let that go or actually talk to Jamie about it, because she has long since taken a stand on not sorting their shit out for them.

And she has a thing with Rebecca that afternoon (only it’s the first Roy’s ever heard of it, so he can’t help but wonder if she had a thing with Rebecca prior to Roy’s confession), so when Jamie gets home, bouncing through the door like a puppy on speed, it’s just Roy there to greet him and tell him how amazing he is and yes, of course Roy watched the announcement, your hair looked fucking fine, yes, Keeley saw it too, no, don’t worry, she’s just out for coffee, she’ll be back for dinner and let you know how very impressed she is, and it’d be easy to just let it lie, put the lingering regret away and bask in Jamie’s joy, but they’d said they’d try not do that anymore, not cover stuff up when there’s the chance they might fester, so when Jamie furrows his brow and cocks his head to the side and asks if he’s okay, Roy takes a deep breath:

“It fucking hurt my feeling when you didn’t mention me, when they asked about captains that have inspired you,” he says, and then adds before Jamie can reply, “I know why you didn’t and that’s… that’s fucking fair, innit, but. It also made me wish that I’d been. Better. A better captain. For you.”

“Yeah,” Jamie says after a long, silent moment. He’s wearing that slightly blank look he adopts whenever someone’s caught him by surprise and he’s trying to figure out how to react. “Um. Sometimes I wish I’d been less of a prick, too, you know.”

Roy nods. He knows. And it’s not absolution, and it neither erases or rewrites any of their past mistakes, but it eases the ache in Roy’s chest all the same.

“We’re better now,” he offers, to Jamie, to himself.

“Yeah,” Jamie agrees with a small sigh. He grabs hold of Roy’s hand, tugging him along as he sits down on the couch, and then he curls up against Roy’s side, same as Keeley did just hours ago. “You’re a great fucking coach, though” he tells Roy seriously. “Me favourite, swear down.”

Roy snorts a laugh as he puts an arm around Jamie. “Better fucking be, considering how many blowjobs I’ve given you this week alone.”

“Mm, fucking mint, those,” Jamie agrees thoughtfully, then jabs a finger in Roy’s side. “Oi, this is the part where you tell me I’m your favourite player.”

And oh. That’s perfect, innit. “You’re not my favourite player,” Roy says, carefully not looking at Jamie.

The noise Jamie makes are equal parts disbelieving and outraged. “Um, excuse me, mate?”

“You’re not,” Roy insists, feeling a smile tug at his lips as he innocently adds, “It’s probably Isaac.”

And Jamie huffs a laugh against his neck. And Jamie says you’re an arsehole. And Jamie says you’re me favourite arsehole, though.

You’re me favourite everything, man.

And Roy holds him tight and breathes him in and, for the moment, believes him.

[leupagus]

Beard and Nate: friends to enemies to God I hope they get to be friends again

One thing I found interesting about this episode is Beard and Jane's axe-throwing date with the bespoke Nate Crotch Targets. Leaving aside Beard's 17 axes, which he cannot imagine having in a different country (and I do love that at some point between probably season 1 and 2, when he and Ted decided to stay in the UK for the forseeable future instead of going home after those first four months, Beard had his axes shipped and has added to the pile since then. Also that Ted is aware of Beard's axe problem), the vitriol of that is something that's really narratively significant, I think. Because it speaks to the fact that Beard has not remotely forgiven Nate for what he did. And I think that says a lot about Beard as a person, and as a friend.

Beard and Ted have been friends for a long time — long before Wichita (remember, they were only there for one year) — and whatever their past may be, they have a loyalty to each other that is really remarkable. Yes, Beard came to the UK along with Ted; but Ted must have insisted on them as a package deal, and Beard would have a pretty nice salary from Richmond too, not to mention comparable company housing to Ted's pad. They're very close and comfortable talking about complicated, messy emotional stuff with each other — part of the reason the Diamond Dogs formed was because Ted and Beard's rapport began to expand to encompass Higgins and Nate. He sees those two as similar kinds of men, willing to honestly express their feelings and mutually support each other.

And then Nate starts to change.

Beard and Ted first clock it in the very first episode of season 2, in Nate's attitude toward Will (which I think is more Nate repeating the mistakes that his father made with him than Nate actively reveling in abuse — I have a whole BOOK I want to write about Lloyd and Nate's conversation in this past episode, I absolutely cried, don't look at me). Neither of them say anything, which I think would be a mistake if this was real life but in the show is meant to reflect the idea that "sometimes you can let people make mistakes and improve on their own, but sometimes you have to step in early." But Beard, throughout the season, watches Nate a little more carefully, and then when Nate really goes over the line with Colin, he finally steps in. Nate makes his public apology to Colin and things are seemingly fine — remember, Nate's awful comment to Will happens out of Beard's sight.

But Beard obviously doesn't stop watching Nate, because he figures out pretty much instantly that Nate was Trent's source for the story about Ted's panic attacks. Not only that, but the first thing Nate does when Beard sees him is to ask where Roy is, and then lie to him when Beard makes a pretty blatant comment about the article. Then later, when they're all talking with Roy about the Jamie & Keeley situation and Nate confesses about the kiss, Beard makes the flat "I'd be happy to punch you in the face" comment. Because from his perspective, Nate's done something absolutely awful and won't even admit to it, even though he'll readily admit to trying to kiss Keeley. (I'm not making any claims as to which one is "worse," but the show clearly wants to portray Nate talking to Trent as the bigger problem.) Then you have the fight between Nate and Ted (which Ted 10000% told Beard about, I cannot imagine a world where he didn't), the ripped sign, and Nate leaving the club to coach for Rupert Mannion.

As far as Beard can see, Nate took what Beard and Ted had given him — not the assistant coachship, but the camaraderie and trust — and used it to hurt Ted in the most cowardly way possible.

And I don't think Beard is right.

We still don't know exactly why or how Nate told Trent about the panic attacks (what I wouldn't give for THAT flashback), but I think the folks who assume he did it to advance his own career or at the behest of Rupert or something are way off. I think Nate's anger at Ted is a whole other essay, and this past episode has really made it clear how much it's tangled up in his expectations for himself as well as for his father-figures, but I don't think that it's something Beard has been able to understand. All he sees is the fallout from Nate and Ted's broken friendship, and the grief that caused Ted this past year. He's only seen the pain on one side and not the other.

So we have Beard celebrating Nate's departure from West Ham, despite (and maybe because of) the fact that Ted's already forgiven Nate. We see Beard slowly trusting Trent — who after all did write the article but who wasn't Ted's friend or confidante at the time and owed him absolutely nothing — but still willing to erect boundaries when he wants to (even if he pulls them down within 30 seconds). And what I hope we get in the next two episodes is Beard understanding Nate more and accepting that his friend still needs him.

And that his friend is Nate.

[puppypeter]

You know I love possessive/jealous/growly guard dog Roy as much as the next gal, but I think we're all forgetting the potential of rabid-super-fan-who's-literally-living-out-his-childhood-fantasy-and-will-therefore-stop-at-NOTHING-to-protect-it Jamie.

And like, let us not forget!! Roy is still ROY FUCKING KENT!!! He may be retired from footbal but I REFUSE to believe that there aren't still ppl who are gagging for a piece of THAT action.

Picture this: a new transfer arrives at Richmond. Great!! Seems like a cool guy!!! A bit on the younger side, a bit naive, and he is clearly absolutely star struck at being coached by THE Roy Kent. He's the flustered, blushy, wide-eyed type of fan, almost too shy to speak to Roy directly who practically swoons every time Roy gives him PERSONAL advice. And PRAISE??? This kid is panting for it, bruh. Totaaaall teachers pet.

And while Roy's not encouraging anything, he's also not blind. The kids crush is VERY obvious, and Roy's first instinct is to shut that shit down fast, but he learned his lesson about being a grumpy twat asshole to people who idolise him and he doesn't wanna hurt the kids feelings, especially since he's the Head Coach now, so he just politely ignores it.

Cut to Jamie fucking Kubrick Staring this fresh young thing down in the locker room, literally seconds away from ripping the fucking lockers off the walls because who the actual fuck does this little baby slut brat think he is???!!!! Drooling over Roy when it is so fucking obvious that Roy is HIS!!!! The spoiled only child / bratty sub rise up within Jamie and cannot be contained. The locker room turns into a crossover between Mean Girls and a dog fighting ring.

Best part about this idea is it can either be established!RoyJamie OR this new threat could be the instigating factor Jamie needs to mark his territory and jump Roy's bones.

I can totally picture Jamie sweetly inviting the new kid out to go clubbing as a welcome to the team type thing,,, only to sit in Roy's lap, practically performing a fucking floor show the entire time they're ther, smirking at the gobsmacked and bitterly envious newbies face every chance he gets because 'You. Fucking. WISH.'

(Roy would obviously drag Jamie home and punish him for being a smug fucking brat and a needy little cock tease, but it is SO worth it to flounce into training the next day and show off all the bruises Roy left on him, just to reaaaallly rub salt in the wound. Sorry new kid, the only one living out a wattpad y/n celebrity self-insert fanfic is JAMIE. Eat your fucking heart out ❤️)

uuuuuhhh I love this idea

I think a lot of jealousy in royjamie fic is based around keeley like in canon vs other external threats

So I absolutely love a new "puppy" coming in, Jamie not being considered one anymore (he's not the youngest but close) and now there is a new fresh faced talented player everyone welcomes and pays more attention to and he is just so jealous

And he thinks he is retreating to being old angry bitchy jamie but then he realises it has very little to do with football. He is happy the team has a new talented striker, especially now that that is not his focus with total football. And that all the jealousy and these feelings he has towards the new kid are entirely because of roy.

And roy has been really nice, trying to be a good coach and be more-lasso and welcoming. Him and jamie had to stop the 4am sessions because he has so much more to do and he trusts jamie he can do it by himself and he's matured so much. VS jamie feels like he's being left behind / maybe roy doesn't care about me anymore and he can't see that actually roy just has so much confidence in him and pretty much considers him equal in terms of footie now (there's a parallel to ted and nate there)

But jamie starts acting all bratty and pricklish until he snaps and kisses him and then it all makes sense

And roy admits he 100% does not have eyes for an 18 year old because he's just so horny for jamie having become so confident (the good kind) and competent and efficient and he gets a boner just by seeing him play lmao

[time-is-restored]

okay like listen i know a lot of people have been talking abt this specific aspect of 3x3 already but. im just having a bit of a moment w the amount of lgbt ppl who saw trent's expression at the end there, and like. Knew.

like to be clear i am aware that at this point trent being gay is, at best, subtext + fanon. its incredibly beloved subtext, but its entirely possible that it could get blown out of the water in the coming episodes. but within the reading of trent being a gay man, seeing colin in that terrifying moment of exposure + vulnerability... that look says So much. its fear, its worry, its an instinctive protective response. its helplessness, its shame from feeling powerlessness, its the grim certainty that comes from knowing just how much is at stake.

(cw: discussion of homophobia + discrimination below. its long. i very much rambled.)

bc the thing that i personally keep coming back to is like. everyone on the team is colin's friend - his family, even, according to the themes of the show. the show is literally about the team + staff working together to break down their toxic/unhealthy behaviours and build up a culture of trust + respect. that's why i think it's so significant that while isaac is the one to use the word gay pejoratively, he's also the one checking in on colin when he gets moved to the bench. he's arguably colin's closest friend at the club! and that's not enough. the fact that the richmond club is made up of demonstrably good and well-intentioned people isn't enough.

don't get me wrong, its fucking terrifying + awful being closeted around ppl who are ACTIVELY bigoted and cruel and who u KNOW would be nothing less than awful to if u were out. but the uncertainty of being around people you love, and not knowing what would happen if you told them? of never truly being sure of your place in the dynamic, since there's always that risk hanging over your head? its exhausting, and terrifying.

because what if they aren't accepting? even avoiding the worst case scenario where his bosses (the coaches, higgins, rebecca - hell, even keely) don't outright cut his career short, he's obviously extremely aware of how being on the outs with the team could lead to his life being made miserable. he was harassing nate himself! and, again, putting aside the (very real! he's a football player! he spends half of his time in a locker room!!!) threat of physical violence, we JUST saw how quickly a member of the team can be shunned + labelled as an outsider (and in the context of this arc, i rlly don't think its a coincedence that trent, specifically, was the one to experience that treatment). and that's without even getting STARTED on the absolute nightmare britain's press + papparazi would be if they put a target on his back (the show has spared no gory detail for their treatment of rebecca + ted, after all).

this is the type of weight colin's been carrying around for the past three seasons. and trent, in that split second before he looked away and continued walking, must've felt it all right along with him. colin works for the fucking premier league in fucking britain. it's harder to think of a workplace LESS hospitable to anything other than the most cishetero, toxic, hyper conformist displays of masculinity.

and that's what fucking GETS me abt the reading where trent is gay! because in the exact same moment where trent would be feeling such a sudden sense of connection + solidarity w colin (you are not alone!!! im here too! i see you! i know you!), there comes the crushing weight of wanting to protect him, and not knowing if you can. trent may be a notoriously incisive + unflinching reporter, but w/ all of his power + armour stripped away now that he's no longer with the independent, it's damningly obvious that trent doesn't have anything close to real power at richmond. if they wanted to make colin's life hell, what could he really do to stop them? again: they're fucking footballers. he's only even allowed at the club on ted's word, a word which could presumably be revoked at any time.

i just. the fear. the guilt. the shame. and above all, the desperate, heart aching need to keep another member of the community safe, even with the odds so blatantly stacked against you both.

and like. idk. to me that is the point of this scene. i think whether you've been in trent's position, or colin's, or neither, the vast majority of us went through a very similar emotional journey when we saw colin exposed like that. love -> fear -> protectiveness. and its an urge so strong, ppl are (lightheartedly, for the most part) threatening the Literal Writers of the show! like, the fact that rn there are SO many people out there tweeting + liveblogging and threatening trent, threatening isaac, threatening the WRITERS - threatening literally anyone and everyone over the CHANCE that any of them will hurt colin/out him/expose him to homophobia in any way? like, yes, colin isn't real. but i'd like to hope that that solidarity is.

and just to be clear, ted lasso is ultimately a comedy show. while it has never shied away from frankly portraying dark subject matter, i don't think this story will have an unhappy ending. but if this arc comes with any takeaway at all, i just really fucking hope that its about how that solidarity is what we all need to embrace + run towards, rather than try and stifle. and that colin is fully + unconditionally supported by his community, whoever that may be.

[kaleidoscopiccc]

favorite cut song youre glad isnt in the show anymore

if you had to cut one character from the show who would it be and why

favorite piece of symbolism/repeated motif in the show

whats a rtc fun fact you dont think many people know

favorite cut line/lyric

if you could change one thing about the show (ignoring ricky, everyones gonna say ricky for obvious reasons) what would it be

favorite thing you see in a lot of productions (ie specific costume decisions, specific characterization, note change, etc)

be safe be good, im utterly insane about that song but rtc wouldnt be nearly as effective for me without inag/ijar, it provides a certain level of closure no other closing song could

putting aside all biases, noel. his song provides very little to development any character other than himself and other than maybe a tiny bit for mischa and ricky at the end. after that, at least in the current version of the script, he doesnt do anything to further the plot or add content other than for nischa shippers

life being a ride, not game! everything about ocean immediately going in to the show like the afterlife's a competition and fiercely fiercely holding that belief until sugarcloud ugghhhh. also the round and round motif. i like it when they spin. also circle of life and all that

fuuuuckkk i had a really good one but im blanking, so for now, jacob richmond wrote constances monolouge while black out drunk and it has barely been touched since

oughh everything ever cut from its not a game its just a ride (you might live for a day or eternity, theres no time for a judge or a referee, etc, etc, etc)

i dont like how noel is basically completely forgotten about after his song. he gets a moment to shine as a fleshed out character in his monolouge but after that his only personality is gay, in love w mischa, and hates ocean its so frustrating

lovelovelove it when all the kids uniforms are just slightly different!!!! especially when janes is most noticeably special :3

[wodrueckts]

so i’ve been sitting with the ted lasso finale for a few days now, trying to nail down what exactly it is that made me not like it very much. because generally i don’t really think it was BAD. i think it was fine. as far as overall plot beats are concerned it hit pretty much all of what i was expecting or at least thought was very possible (ted going back to kansas, beard staying, rebecca getting with dutch guy, nate being back, keeley, roy and jamie all being single at the end) and i don’t really have a problem with these developments on paper although the execution often left some things to be desired.

for me personally especially how nate’s arc with ted resolved was particularly unsatisfying. i mean, what we got was a nice, emotional scene (thanks for the most part to nick mohammed’s acting) but all in all it just lacked impact (at least for me). i mean, i’ve waited the whole season for these two to finally have a heart to heart but then it ended up being quite underwhelming.

and i think that’s what i’d call the finale in general: underwhelming. lacking emotionality. especially from ted, as many people have already pointed out.

 so it was underwhelming, big whoop, finales rarely feel wholly satisfying. so why did it kind of make me feel worse about the whole show? that’s what i’ve been trying to figure out.

and i think it has to do with how it made me look back on ted as a character. because it opens the door for me to see him in a less favorable light than before and it undermines the arc i thought (or hoped) they were going for for him.

ted starts off as a very *kind* character. kindness is pretty much his core attribute. but not in a naive or unthinking way; his kindness is a conscious choice. he is kind because he thinks everyone deserves kindness and because he believes kindness will lead to the best outcome. his kindness is also a defense mechanism, a kind of armor. it keeps people at arm’s length without them noticing. and ted deploys his kindness to that effect a lot. because ted is also afraid of letting people in. he’s nice to everyone but doesn’t really let anyone get close.

and i thought his arc would be that ted finally learns to let people in, to make himself vulnerable to them and risk them being able to hurt him. and i do think that that was actually the writers’ intention. and they did achieve that, kind of.

but for me the finale calls all that into question again and makes me wonder whether ted actually DID let people in. whether he actually CARED about anyone at richmond (beyond the way he generally just cares about everyone).

people have said they were upset about the finale because ted left his (found) family and his support system behind. but is that even true? have we really seen them be his family and support system? or rather have we seen him think of them like that?

the show has shown us a lot of instances of people loving and caring for ted but i don’t remember a lot of instances where we really see how much that means to HIM. or that it actually means anything to him at all.

what i’m trying to say is that i don’t really remember feeling like they were really IMPORTANT to him. of course he cares about them but ted cares about everyone. he cares about them in a very selfless way. but i think if someone is really important to you, you also care about them in a “selfish” way (and i don’t mean selfish in a negative way here). and the only times we’ve seen ted care about someone selfishly was with michelle, which makes sense because she was his wife and he loved her and they have a kid together so of course she is important to him, and with dr sharon, when she left and triggered his abandonment issues. but of course dr sharon is also his therapist so it’s a whole different dynamic in general.

with everyone else he’s just very accommodating, very forgiving, very nice, very... dispassionate.

and i was hoping we’d get to a point where we actually see how much the people in richmond mean to ted, where it would actually be hard for him to leave them, not because of some sense of duty or obligation but because he just genuinely, deeply loves them. but i feel like the show never quite got there. they got kind of close with nate at the end of s2 and beginning of s3 when ted seemed genuinely sad about what happened with him and missed him but that also just fizzled out (and was ultimately squashed in the finale when ted was essentially like “eh no biggie” in the scene where nate apologized)

and the finale just cemented ted’s seeming lack of care when we didn’t seem him wrestle at all with his decision to leave. he just decided to leave and that was that. and many other people have noted how he didn‘t even seem emotional or like he cared at all while other characters (especially rebecca) were practically throwing their love at him.

so really, what was his supposed growth in the show? that he finally went to therapy (admittedly a big step, not slagging that)? that he can ask for help in the form of letting his friend hire someone to stalk his ex? (not the kind of help i’d want him to ask for tbh)? There was some growth in other departments of course, like when he actually admitted to michelle that her relationship with dr jacob bothers him, something he probably would’ve never done before, but again, that’s him selfishly caring about michelle.

so the show now appears to me as: ted runs away to england, he touches many people’s lives without really getting too close himself but does learn some life lessons before he goes back home.

and maybe that was the intention. it is a story, i guess. but not a very satisfying one. at least to me.

or maybe they just made ted a bit TOO nice, a bit TOO caring and forgiving and perfect, that it reached all the way around to coming across as uncaring and detached, which was then only exacerbated by the finale.

(OR this is just my own baggage and issues with social anxiety rearing its ugly head which always makes me a bit suspicious of people who are nice and caring to everyone not because i think these people are fake or not genuine or anything like that but how can you tell if someone like this actually likes you or is just nice to you because they’re a genuinely nice and lovely person. which meant ted has always been on thin ice for me anyway and seeing him leave everyone with seemingly not much trouble just confirmed all my fears. WHO’S TO SAY)

[jamiesfootball]

Please please please say more about send help

send help: man who believes in rom-communism just found out he's aromantic

A while ago I sent this brainworm about an aromantic Ted story idea to @altschmerzes (because who better to share aromantic headcanons with?) except now the brainworm has eaten into my brain and what has happened is-

Mom City Alternate Ending

Roy and Keeley show up literally seconds earlier than they did in canon and end up witnessing through the treatment room window the moment Jamie sends the text to his dad. And since there is a difference between 'I will pretend things are fine' and 'I will lie to the people in front of me', Jamie fails to shrug them off and admits to him what Ted told him on the field.

Roy and Keeley? Not happy. United front in the Taking Care Of Jamie Tartt Brigade. They take him home. Talk him through it.

Then they talk about other stuff, the three of them.

Then they end up in a qpr.

Jamie, come the following week, is practically floating on air. Ted sees this and, naturally, thinks that maybe Jamie took his advice and things worked out for the better. Even makes a remark about it to the other coaches, in that off-hand Ted way of his.

Ted doesn't know what's up with Roy, who seems incapable of standing in a room with him without emitting a low-level growling, but Ted does have other stuff on his mind. He's leaving Richmond. He's saying goodbye to a lot of people, people who mean the world to him. He can hardly look at Rebecca, Trent can't stop looking at him, and Beard and him have been playing a game where whenever one of them looks over, the other looks away.

Anyways, it's very possible that this is just a Roy Kent-ish way of Roy dealing with whatever thoughts Roy has on Ted leaving.

So Roy corners Jamie at home and tells him, 'you got to talk to Ted before he leaves. Tell him he was wrong. Or instead of telling him goodbye, I'm gonna punch a hole in his face.'

Except Jamie can tell, with that Jamie laser-focused perception that's really good at football and also really good at Roy Kents, that Roy isn't just saying it because he's angry. Behind the guard-dog face is something sincere, some hurt bit that doesn't like being mad at his friend because Ted is Roy's friend, so Jamie says, "Keep your shirt on, grandad. I'll talk to him."

Unfortunately, that's the last time Jamie doesn't fail a perception check.

So he goes to talk to Ted, and under the weight of the task of telling Ted he was wrong, Jamie flounders. Because somehow in telling Ted that he was wrong, Jamie realizes he's actually going to have to say what kind of a piece of shit his dad is. Not imply it, not rely on them knowing him well enough to fill in the blanks - Ted hasn't caught any of that.

Jamie, looking for any way into the conversation that doesn't make him want to tear his skin off, ends up blurting that him, Roy and Keeley are now in a relationship together. Kind of.

No, not like Ted's thinking. But yes, he does mean together.

It's complicated.

See, there's a lot of things about being in relationships over the years that always confused him. Sometimes it was gestures, sometimes it was the way people would talk to him or talk about him or touch him, and it always left him feeling... wrong. Like there was a bit of the conversation he just wasn't keeping up with.

There's been a lot of things that he's done, things he did to keep those relationships, that he....really doesn't want to do anymore. Nothing bad, but it's like there's this person yeah? And they want to dance, and Jamie knows theoretically how to dance, but he doesn't like this dance. In fact he'd prefer if there was no dance. Sometimes the people he's dating, they want to be close to him like that, but then when he doesn't, they feel like he's pulling away. So he puts up with it because he wants to please them, but then the weight of it gets to him, and then it builds and builds until everything feels wrong, and then he doesn't want to be close to them at all, and then he feels like the world's biggest bastard, because who feels that way about someone they care about? And about- stupid things! Minor things, that don't seem like they should be important at all! Except everyone else seems to think its the most important part of a relationship, like everything else Jamie did couldn't make up for him lacking this one thing.

Lust Conquers All was a lie; turned out even that show wanted that same more out of him too - and at that point he just didn't care anymore, which is why he ain't been seen with anyone in a long time.

And to make matters even more infuriating - he can't even explain what that thing is! Just that it makes him feel like he's going to break out in hives when it happens! So yeah, he figured, he'd just stay single.

Except then there were Roy and Keeley, and they were like his favorite people in the world? So he tried to tell them the truth, as best he could put it, that it wasn't what they were offering that was wrong - it was Jamie that was wrong.

Roy and Keeley listened to him, and Keeley was super understanding and said that she'd gotten a vibe from him before that she'd never been able to put her finger on, but she'd always let it guide her on when she needed to give him space. Then Roy got the angry caterpillar look on his face and told them both to wait a moment, and he called some lady that he knew from yoga, and anyways it turned out that her son had just come out to her as aromantic, and it sounded like maybe I was struggling with that, and its been such a relief, you know? Like, there was nothing ever wrong with me, it turns out there was just this word I didn't know; and now that I know it, I can get what I want - and I can be with who I want, 'cause then no one's going into it blind, see? We can all be on the same page, and no one has to be disappointed and get their feelings hurt, and I don't have to be alone if I don't want to be alone, and.... Ted?

Ted?

Ted has a panic attack right there in the pub.

As the fic then continues, Ted has a series of revelations about himself and Jamie finds himself acting as a sort of.... accidental aromantic guru. To Ted.

Who he still hasn't told about the thing with his dad.

The fic itself is still very early-days conceptually, but it absolutely ends up with Ted being in three separate, openly spoken-about queer platonic relationships with Rebecca, Trent, and Beard before he ever ends up making it back on American soil.

I say 'openly-spoken about' because Ted and Beard are their own thing that ends up being confronted - with Ted admitting that part of the reason he never felt comfortable telling Beard he could do better than Jane was that in a way that seemed like crossing a line. Telling your friend who they could and couldn't date. There was a line, wasn't there, a status quo on which relationship you had to put first if you wanted a real commitment with someone. There was a line right?

"There's never been a line for you, Teddy."

From there it's like- what's it mean if he's always sort of known Trent is into him, and he's always been worried about leading him on, but at the same time some of his favorite nights have been when the two of them stay late at the Dog Track and they just... talk?

What's it mean when he loves Rebecca, but he's never once had the urge to wine and dine her? When he doesn't want anything to change between them, but he would like to exist in the same room as her basically every day until the end of time? Is that even fair to her?

Is that fair to any of them?

How is it fair if Ted asks for what he wants when he knows full well he can't give any of them what they want in return?

Will Ted ever even be comfortable asking for that? Asking for what he wants?

Actually, he will ask for one thing he wants- he wants Roy Kent to stop growling at him.

He doesn't know how to get that either.

[natequarter]

so there are quite a few ways to refer to monarchs, right? those include:

regnal number (james iiiii, edward lxix, and so on)

surnames, like stewart or plantagenet

dynastic names, or at least what we people of the present have retroactively made into dynastic names, like tudor or plantagenet (plantagenet was only used as a surname by the plantagenets for the last five minutes of its rule)

epithets, like richard the lionheart, alfred the great, cnut the great, bloody mary, and edward the average, except not edward the average

locative bynames (bynames essentially being the predecessor to surnames and denoting a specific characteristic of a person; very close to epithets in some scenarios, but essentially nicknames), like edward of caernarfon or edward of windsor. these don't get used much by monarchs, as they tend to be dropped in favour of a regnal number. the most famous example of this is probably stephen of blois

patronymics... very rarely. harold godwinson is the only case of this i can think of

occasionally, titles - some kings were not born heir to the throne, and as such are sometimes known as james, duke of york, or henry, earl of richmond, especially when discussing their pre-accession lives

and nicknames! epithets tend to be a bit more lofty than these, which are usually boring french descriptors - william rufus, henry beauclerc and henry curtmantle are the only real examples i can think of. technically, epithets are the same thing, but curtmantle is far too boring to be considered an epithet in good faith, if you ask me

why do i list all these? because they make referring to a monarch a lot easier. one king, rather irritatingly, defies most of these descriptors: king john. on his own wikipedia page, he's called "john, king of england." it's not that he didn't have a byname - he did: john lackland. but if you're trying to discuss him without insulting him all the way through, it's not very appropriate. he doesn't have a surname, because john plantagenet a) wasn't used and b) sounds awful. he doesn't have a patronymic or locative byname, because john of oxford is also crap, not to mention confusing. he didn't have a noble title, because - well, lackland. and most frustratingly, he doesn't have a regnal number, because john was never supposed to be a royal name. (this may have had something to do with the fact that english kings were obsessed with henry and edward.) so basically the only decent way to refer to him is king john, or john, king of england, which, like everything else, sounds crap. fuck you, john.

[lunar-years]

The horrifying fandom takes and theories it's generated aside, one of things I really love about Ted Lasso is the way it handles motherhood/babies/the future for its two main female characters. Like, on the one hand is Rebecca who so obviously and vocally has always wanted to be a mother, but married someone who didn't feel the same way and put her own desires aside for his, then had that fact thrown back in her face years later after he's abused and divorced her and gotten another woman pregnant.

A big part of Rebecca's arc is the constant frustration of having to accept the hand life's dealt her even when it's the opposite of everything she'd always wanted for herself. She's someone who wanted to be a wife and wanted to be mother and then finds herself in middle age as neither of those things. Then she makes the decision to pursue it on her own (which was awesome, I love that they showed her going to the fertility clinic and inquiring about whether pregnancy was a possibility for her! there's not way to become a mother!) and then she has to face her inability to get pregnant. And it sucks! but as sad as that is, it's also very...real? And the show doesn't miraculously let her have a miracle pregnancy anyway (like stupider shows would do, tbh), but instead has Rebecca come to terms with herself and her life under its new circumstances. She finds purpose outside of the things she once thought she would be and the roles her younger self assumed she would play as an adult. By the final episode, she's calling Richmond her family! She's realized what she wants most is the stay at the Club. She's come into her own. And then, yeah, there's the little ambiguous opening of Matthijs and his daughter and her possible future there with them--but importantly it isn't the end all to her happiness, anymore. It's a sign that she still has opportunities, just maybe not in the way she first envisioned, that no doors have closed forever and that what she's been looking for might come from unexpected places. there's no timeline!

And then you have Keeley, who's in her 30s and focused on her career and still figuring out how she wants that to look and who she wants to be. And yeah she's dating, and she has a serious onscreen relationship, but the topic of children (or marriage for that matter) never even once comes up! It's not made some big arc about how she doesn't want those things, and it's not some big fight with Roy or a goofy "really, you've never thought about babies?' conversation with Rebecca, it's just never something that's made relevant to her character nor her growth! She's a whole person without those things and she's clearly not actively pursuing them. And these two women with very different goals and wants are completely supportive of one another--it's never even a question :)

I thought both of their storylines in that sense were very refreshing to see on TV and like, comforting? If anything, the discourse it's spawned has been very...eye-opening...about how conditioned people have become to expect traditional marriage and babies storylines from every single female character. But the show doesn't give in to that mentality and instead shows that there's not one way a family has to look and not one way to be a mother and there isn't a set timeline for any of this stuff even if later you change your mind. And then if things don't turn out how you think, it doesn't mean you aren't going to end up with a good life! that was such a good message.

[izzyspussy]

@fallenangelontheceiling not responding on the post because I don't agree and I don't want to be annoying in OP's notes.

I do agree that Jamie isn't really an "angry person" (although to be frank, I don't think anyone is an "angry person" anymore than a person is, say, a "problem child"). I don't think he has much of a natural temper, sure. And he had a little less reason to be mad at Nate because he wasn't around to bond with him when he first started coaching. I also think at the time Nate was coaching for Richmond, Jamie was kind of full-up on emotional goings-on and he didn't really have the space to connect with anyone who wasn't already important to him or that specifically sought him out. And at the same time Nate was certainly not seeking anyone out, because he was struggling over his feelings of inadequacy and abandonment. So there's that, those are some reasons I guess I could agree Jamie might not have been as upset at Nate as everyone else.

So I don't think he's "struggling to maintain" his anger at Nate, I think he might have slightly less of it due simply to the fact that he and Nate were never that close. Also the fact that he looked away... I mean, maybe he was just looking where he was going lol. I don't think that's the right way to describe this, because I don't think he would try to make himself feel something he doesn't. He's as angry as he is, no more no less. He's already said before he doesn't do what everyone else does, he does what Jamie Tartt does.

I wasn't aware as per your note that we don't see him getting freaky on the pitch because he's sitting out, so like OP I also thought he was behaving while even Sam wasn't. But I attributed that more to the fact that Jamie is autistic very focused on whatever he's previously decided he's going to do, and yes clearly the team did not discuss that they were going to go fucking haywire and he didn't get The Signal so he just... didn't get that aggressive because it was previously established he's only aggressive (on the pitch) under very particular circumstances.

What I really disagree with is like. I think a lot of people really strip Jamie's character (and Roy's for that matter) of any traits that are threatening or unpleasant. But he meant the things he said and did in season one, or at least did and said them with intent. That post talks about how he's only mean and pushes people because he's scared of the other shoe, which in some cases I would agree is probably true, but I would say only specifically with authority figures. Or maybe even more specifically with unfamiliar male authority figures (like Ted). Sometimes he's mean and pushes people because he's mean and pushy. Not everything he ever does that people don't like is due to his Tragic BackstoryTM. He's not just a prick because he's "scared and his father conditioned him". He's also a prick because he's a prick.

(There are other posts by other users that do this much worse than this post could even dream of, which I actually kind of Take Issue with because I find it quite a patronizing way of thinking about victims. We actually do have, like. Personalities. in addition - and sometimes even totally unrelated! - to the Backstory. Jamie was not created in his trauma's image.)

I also don't think he's quite emotionally aware enough to recognize similarities between him and Nate's situations at this stage, and I don't think he'd be very likely to think through that the players don't deserve to be punished for their coach's behavior without being prompted at least a little bit. He's been to therapy; he isn't a therapist. He didn't go apeshit on West Ham because he wasn't told he should (or could), and that's all. In my professional opinion.

[exuberantocean]

Nathan Shelley and Borderline Personality Disorder

We spend a lot of time on Ted Lasso talking about Ted’s mental health issues, and for good reason.  It’s a central arc to the show.  I’ve also seen a number of interesting discussions on Rebecca, Jamie, and Roy’s mental health issues, which are also important conversations to have and I hope they continue.

What I have seen very little of, is discussion of Nathan Shelley’s mental health issues.  Which clearly he has.  More specifically, I think he has a lot of symptoms of Borderline Personality Disorder, or BPD for short.

What is BPD?

People with borderline personality disorder may experience intense mood swings and feel uncertainty about how they see themselves. Their feelings for others can change quickly, and swing from extreme closeness to extreme dislike. These changing feelings can lead to unstable relationships and emotional pain.  

X

I think it’s worth discussing Nathan’s behavior outside of the matrix of whether it’s “good” or “evil” for a minute and instead, whether it’s a sign of a serious mental illness.  One that should be treated with compassion because he’s suffering.

People with BPD have a number of symptoms that Nate displays throughout the series.  For example, when you consider that people with BPD have unstable self image, Nate’s tendency to obsessively search for himself in twitter makes sense: he’s looking to an external source to tell him who/what he is (and oh boy, Nate, that’s like the worst source).

People with BPD also experience (keep in mind not everyone will experience all of these or at the same degree):

An intense fear of abandonment, even going to extreme measures to avoid real or imagined separation or rejection -- His relationship with Ted

A pattern of unstable intense relationships, such as idealizing someone one moment and then suddenly believing the person doesn't care enough or is cruel -- His relationship with Ted and the others

Rapid changes in self-identity and self-image that include shifting goals and values, and seeing yourself as bad or as if you don't exist at all -- I think we see this thought s1-3

Periods of stress-related paranoia and loss of contact with reality, lasting from a few minutes to a few hours --somewhat in how he seemed to think Roy would replace him/his talk about Ted taking the credit/blaming him

Impulsive and risky behavior, such as gambling, reckless driving, unsafe sex, spending sprees, binge eating or drug abuse, or sabotaging success by suddenly quitting a good job or ending a positive relationship -- Kissing Keeley? 

Wide mood swings lasting from a few hours to a few days, which can include intense happiness, irritability, shame or anxiety -- I think we get this to a degree

Ongoing feelings of emptiness -- I’d argue he has this but it’s admittedly hard to be certain unless Nate confesses to feeling this way

Inappropriate, intense anger, such as frequently losing your temper, being sarcastic or bitter, or having physical fights --YES.  Nate does have some inappropriate, intense anger, directed at others: Will, Colin, and Ted.

Like all mental illnesses, BPD can be caused by multiple factors but trauma and abuse during childhood is frequently a factor.  We know that Nate has an abusive father, a mother who treats him like a child even though he’s in his 30s, and he’s experienced years of abuse at Richmond.

While it is important to acknowledge that he’s hurt people and should be accountable to that, it should also be acknowledged that he too is suffering from mental illness and deserves treatment and compassion for it.

It’s also worth noting that while we are, as a society, getting better at how we think and talk about mental illness, some mental illnesses like BPD, schizophrenia and others, are still far too stigmatized, making it harder to get help and harder to be treated with compassion. 

It’s also worth discussing the intersectionality of mental illness and people of color.  I do understand that one factor that makes it easier to be compassionate to Ted then Nate is because we see Ted striving to help people, but I can’t help but think that another to factor is because Ted’s a white man with the “right” kind of mental illness.

[tricornonthecob]

Ow my legs

LK 110: Warshington Takes Command

(pt1)(pt2)(pt3)(pt4)

awww Sarah is so excited to be doing a journalism with her crush.

Ayyy! Its his pigeon phase!

This frame has such an energy.

Also, he was kindly to pigeons as a street orphan. They kept him company while people shunned him. He is now a pigeon person.

James is so concerned for his pigeon friends. I bet he can mimic their cooing sounds.

I love this interaction I love sibling interactions I love feral little sibling irritating the older sibling energy.

Dudemanbro is as unfazed by casual gunshot sounds as I now am after having grown up close enough to a base that occasionally tested artillery and would shake our windows, lived in Richmond for seven years, and then lived in a neighborhood with one person who really likes fireworks.

The beagle/great dane puppy is so excited.

Calm down, Lydia Bennet.

womp womp everyone's injured because war were declared.

And she would know what a good one looks like!

Damn James laid into them alot more than what I expected him to.

Fuckin' Yikes. Destroys the evidence.

...You know I don't think it was a brave thing so much as a hare-brained, coke-nosed thing, go on though, there's a but in that sentence.

Is this Moses' extremely diplomatic way of saying Benji Franx was being a dumbass.

Okay but Benji, she's one of your reporters, too, and why does the girl always have to be the eye-rolling mom friend keeping the boys of the trio in line. What if its the blonde boy with main character energy that's actually supposed to be the mom friend??? He'd make a great mom friend when he isn't having ADHD teenager brain!

I do like the visual of James going to Franklin, excited as hell and overwhelmed that his chosen Role Model supports his Interests, and excitedly chattering/brainstorming about his idea to use homing pigeons. It was probably adorable and I wish it was shown. In this house we stan Empathetic James and Excitable James.

Quick someone get Lydia Bennet Sarah over here, she's missing the Army Sandwich.

Wow this Keebler Elf really stands out. He must have been rejected by his clan for being so tall wait isn't this Aaron Carter's character

Butterfliiiiiint he must have been too clumsy with the cookie dough in Keeblerville or wherever the fuck their tree is.

Why was it loaded, Elfo???

I'm very sorry, animation department, but what the hell.

...This is a reference to some boomer shit, isn't it. I know they make a scooby-doo reference somewhere.

Talking mad smack for the New England version of West Virginia. What secrets is Connecticut hiding in its forests, that it so jealously guards them from Pennsylvania???? Is it the location of the Keebler Elf tree.

Colonial Walgreens Manager.

Sarrrrrge you weren't supposed to tell anyone my occupation GOSH

Why is this guy so ominous.

Oh my god Striker? Even his name is edgelord.

That is the correct answer, Henri!

[pinkboxess]

alternate 3x12 endings that i genuinely think would have been better

Michelle and Ted end up with dual custody over Henry and he splits his time between continents. Ted stays in England coaching. This is kind of the simplest solution but may not satisfy the argument that Ted needs to be with Henry all the time.

Ted steps down from coaching like in canon, and Roy becomes head coach, but Ted remains involved with the club. Ted spends some time in Kansas and also in England working some type of liaison or side type of role for Richmond. Idk what exactly what that position would be but my vision is just a job that he works full time but he doesn't always need to be on site in Richmond so he will be in Kansas for some weeks and then come back to England for a few weeks and so on.

A scene happens where Ted, Michelle, and Henry TALK ABOUT THE ISSUE and hear from Henry about what he wants. Regardless of what Henry even says it would be better to actually include him in the discussion instead of Ted assuming things based on what his mom (who is obviously not a very emotionally stable or trustworthy person) tells him.

Ted and Roy are both like equally sharing the role of head coach so that Ted can split his time and be in Kansas more often. This would probably also be combined with a dual custody arrangement where Henry spends more time in England.

Michelle decides to move to England with Henry after dumping the marriage therapist guy

The show doesn't even provide an explicit explanation of what Ted does. The ending somehow happens where the viewers can decide that in their own minds, like if it just ended on the last football game and the truth bomb didn't happen/was something else. If there is ever another season or spin-off it may have to be addressed then, but at least the original series would be untainted.

Ted is given a sabbatical of a year so he can go home and be with Henry, then it is understood he will return again for another cycle of years coaching after the year is up. So he says goodbye but is not permanent and there's no heartbreak or serious angst for Rebecca, just missing him for the year.

I would be satisfied with any outcome really that has Ted continuing to be emotionally invested in Richmond and not abandoning the relationships he formed with people there. If the show wanted to give us a scene where he gets together with Rebecca/confesses feelings/ they kiss/whatever, that would be amazing, but even if they didn't, just axing the bleachers scene and keeping them close to each other would have been so much better.

Also Dutch Man no longer exists and Beard and Jane don't get married and Roy and Keeley get back together