#like look I get that Colin was such a team player that he took being benched like yeh zavas fucking awesome this is whats best for the team

[tobebbanburg]

I loved the snippet from the fic where Jaime make Roy train Colin too! Especially the tags😭😭😭

Ah thank you!

I just think, given how one of Jamie's problems with Zava was that he wasn't a team player, and that being a cog in the Richmond machine is Colin's whole thing, Jamie should have been on Colin to get him to join his anti-Zava fan club (and also because I would have loved to see some middle-step between them going from prick and side-prick in S1 to supportive buddies by the end of S3)

[fiapartridge]

catching fire au | the underdog

jack hughes x hockey!player

summary: training camp

warning(s): cursing, jack's an asshole!!

a/n: send in some asks for the au <3 i kinda hate this, but hey im done w/ college apps and am ready to write woo

taglist (send in an ask or dm me if u wanna be on the taglist for this au!): @hockeyboysarehot

THERE’S A REASON no one takes a chance on the underdog. “She’s not fast enough, she’s not strong enough, she’ll get hurt.” But they don’t know Riley Dell. No one knew Riley Dell; of her capabilities, her strengths, her weaknesses. 

But this year, she was going to make a name of herself—no matter what, or who, stood in her way. 

SECT. I: TRAINING CAMP.

Media day was a living hell. The interviews consisted of the same tasteless questions: “How do you feel being the first female player in the NHL?” and “How are you going to measure up to the physicality of the other players in the league?” While everyone else was getting questions about their actual gameplay; how they’ll navigate their weaknesses and hone in on their strengths, Riley was getting compared to every single player imaginable.

And the pictures and videos weren’t any better. The photographers suggested that she layed off on the gloves and stick and instead held makeup—fucking makeup. Why the the fuck would she be holding a mascara wand on the ice? The entire day felt pointless. Not a single person took her seriously, and if she called them out, they would accuse her of complaining. She already got the “privilege” of being drafted, and now she wants to complain? Doesn’t look too great. 

The day after, everyone hit the ice for actual training. Finally, a time where she could prove that she deserved to be there; that she earned her spot; that Riley Dell was a force to be reckoned with.

The training camp roster was split into three groups: A, B, and C. Throughout the weekend, the groups were to scrimmage, playing each team once. Group A was the one to keep your eye on. The goaltenders consisted of Tyler Brennan and Vitek Vanecek; defenseman being Brendan Smith, Colin Miller, Luke Hughes, Cal Foote, Michael Vukojevic, Kevin Bahl, and Joe Gambardella; and forwards being Tyce Thompson, Michael McLeod, Curtis Lazar, Max Willman, Jesper Bratt, Tyler Toffoli, Flip Engras, Tomas Nosek, Jack Hughes, and Riley Dell.

“Lindy fucking hates us,” Jack groaned upon seeing Riley tying her laces on the bench as groups A and B skated around the practice facility, getting ready to battle in their first scrimmage of the training camp. “That’s why he gave us Riley, right? To get back at us for not winning in the playoffs.”

Luke skated around his older brother, watching as Jack eyes Riley. “I don’t know why you hate her so much. She hasn’t even stepped foot on the ice yet, Jacky.”

“It’s more than the ice, Luke,” Jack turned to the younger boy, annoyance laced in his voice. “Once she joins the team, the entire dynamic will be off. What will happen to the locker room, Luke, or what will happen when we celebrate our wins? Is she gonna come to the bars with us? It’s stupid, Luke.”

“It’s one girl, Jack. The locker room will be fine, and what’s wrong with her coming to the bars? If anything’s stupid, it’s you, man,” Luke scoffed. “Now come on, being an asshole isn’t gonna win us this game,” Luke said, skating towards the rest of the team.

Once Riley’s laces were tired, she jetted off towards the ice, landing in front of their star player. “Hi, I’m Riley. You must be Jack,” she smiled softly, hand out for him to shake, but when he never stuck out his, she retracted it quickly. “So, I heard you had a career-high last season. Sounds like a dream.”

“Yeah,” Jack grumbled, skating beside her. 

“Um,” Riley bit her cheek, thinking up things to say. Jack wasn’t much of a conversationalist, she thought. “Are you more of a toe-to-heel guy or heel-to-toe?”

Tired of hearing her voice, Jack spun around, stopping Riley in her tracks. “I don’t care that you got drafted to this team. Fitzgerald, and Lindy, and everyone else in this organization are going to realize they made a mistake and send you back to wherever you came from.” Venom pricked his tongue as the words smacked Riley one by one. Even the team didn’t like her. Driving his shoulder into hers, Jack watched her face turn from shock to complete anger. “Hope you didn’t unpack your bags, rookie.”

Swallowing the lump in her throat, Riley stood there, unmoveable. She wasn’t going to cry. She wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction, prove everything he assumed about her. She wasn’t going to let him win. Closing her eyes, she breathed in, out, and thought about every way she could make Jack Hughes’ life a living hell. Dramatic, but who knew there were real devils on this team?

“Nice job out there, Dell,” Nico smiled at Riley, nudging her shoulder as they bounded into the locker room. “Don’t worry about Hughesy, he’s a softie once you get to know him.”

“If he ever gives me the chance to know him,” Riley sighed. 

The game was a total train-wreck. I mean, their team won, but Riley was practically fighting for her life out there. Every single time she made it on the ice, Jack smashed her into the boards, or stole the puck from her, or never gave her the puck at all. His hate was evident and the entire team, not just team A but the entire Devils organization, could see it. How were they supposed to play an entire season together, when they could barely play one scrimmage?

“Don’t let that asshole win, Ri,” Luke stumbled into the conversation, placing his gear down by hers. Luke’s been playing with Riley for the past two years at the University of Michigan, and while they lost against Quinnipiac at the Frozen Four semifinals and Luke immediately left for the Devils after, their bond never deterred. Coming to the Devils felt like coming home (if home consisted of an egotistical jerk and a sexist media team).

Shaking her head, Riley held her practice jersey in her hands. “Promise me, that’ll be the last thing I do.”

[buckychristwrites]

Could This Be | Chap. 10 | j.t.

Pairing: Jamie Tartt x F!Reader

Summary: One minute, you're single and working for AFC Richmond as the team's medic. The next minute, you're in a fake relationship with the team's handsome striker who you know next to nothing about.

Word Count: 1k

Warnings: Discussions of Previous Emotional & Physical Domestic Violence. Cussing. Fake Dating

A/N: This is such a baby update, i didn't think it would be fair to give it it's own day soooo double post!

Masterlist | Could This Be Masterlist | Main Blog

“And what is my number one rule for not getting injured?” 

“Don’t be fuckin’ stupid.”

“There we go,” You praised the team, who were sitting in the conference room as you gave your annual presentation about concussions. Usually, you gave it towards the end of the season, when people tended to get sloppy. However, Coach Beard and Roy had approached you to ask if you’d give it early, due to the incident at the Tottenham match.

“Alright..any-“ 

The door creaked open, everyone turning to see Jamie attempting to sneak in. He froze the second he realised that all eyes were on him. Cheering, your presentation was completely forgotten about by everyone, including yourself, as the players all jumped from their seats and went to greet him. You felt like a deer in headlights just at the sight of him. The joy in his face radiated, even to you from across the room. As everyone settled down, his eyes met yours, softening.

Raising a hand up, he took a seat as he said, “Sorry, sorry. Didn’t mean to interrupt ya.”

You blinked as if you just came out of a trance.

“No worries,” You said simply. Throwing a glance back at your powerpoint, you remembered where you were and what you had been doing. “Okay. Any questions?”

Isaac raised a hand. “What if we aren’t being stupid and we get a concussion anyway?” You considered this. 

“That would suggest you weren’t not being stupid enough.” 

He nodded his head in understanding, as if you had just given him a real explanation and not just a sarcastic remark. 

“How do you suggest we not be stupid?” Colin asked. You shrugged. 

“That part is up to you!” You said as nicely as you could. It was hard doing these presentations when you knew damn well that no one paid attention during them. “But you can start by following literally all of the things I said in the powerpoint presentation.”

“What if we missed the powerpoint?” Jamie asked, hand in the air. It took everything in you to not laugh, although a few people in the room did so for you.

“You should request a private session then, since you of all people need to see it.” 

“Oooooooo, a private session!” Dani called out, followed by his teammates all shouting and laughing. 

“What could that entail?” Colin followed up.

“Don’t be fucking cheeky!” You scolded them, shaking your head with a smile on your face. Jamie was looking down at the ground, scratching the back of his neck as he laughed. “Presentation over. Get the hell outta here.” It sounded like a high school classroom, as everyone began talking excitedly as they rose from their seats and filed out of the room. Turning with a sigh, you began to unplug your laptop from the projector. It wasn’t until you were slipping it back in its case when you realised you weren’t alone.

“I was just joking, you know,” You said without looking up. “I won’t make you watch the presentation.”

“Wouldn’t be doin’ much watchin’ anyway,” He admitted from his spot towards the back. “I’d just be listenin’ to ya.”

Trying and failing to not smile, you turned to look at him, hands folded in front of you. He had a devilish grin on his face, as if he knew what he had just said would make you blush, which it did. 

“So you’re back,” You said. He nodded, looking around the conference room.

“In a sense,” He said before his eyes found you again. “I’m working with physio. They have to clear me before I can practise again.”

“You didn’t tell me you were coming back today.”

He shrugged. “I wanted to surprise ya.” A beat passed. “Maybe I was givin’ ya space too.” Something about this made you anxious, your fingers instinctively going to pick at your cuticles.

“You don’t need to do that,” You said softly. He stood up, slowly making his way down the steps towards you. You took him in. It had been days since you had seen him, and you didn’t realise how much you missed him until this moment. A magnetic force fell over your body as your legs yearned to pull you closer, but you resisted, staying in the same spot. 

Something had changed. You could see it in his body language. The way his arms were crossed over his chest like a protective jacket. Or the way he kept his distance. Whatever it was, the feeling made your chest hurt.

“I’m tryin’ not to… pressure ya, is all,” He explained.

You tried not to scoff. “Do you think you’re pressuring me anytime you talk to me?”

But there was pressure anytime you talked to him, although it certainly was not from him. It was from yourself. Your heart screaming to just let him in. 

Why is it so hard?

“No,” He said simply. “I just… worry, I guess.” 

You shifted from one foot to the other. 

“I just don’t want things between us to change,” You said, trying not to sound like your throat was closing up. 

He stared at you, before looking at the floor, shaking his head.

“But they already have, haven’t they?”

He was right. They absolutely had. And you took that sentiment to heart, it not leaving your mind for the duration of the day.

And the night.

And the next day.

And the next.

Until this moment, as you sat on the train on your way to Scotland, your suitcase and dress bag resting on the bench across from you. The phone in your lap vibrated, pulling you from your thoughts.

KJ: U on ur way? x

You: Train just took off, got about 5 hrs to go. xx

KJ: R and I just got here can’t wait for the wedding 2morrow!!!

Dropping the phone back onto your thigh, you turned to stare out the window. The city disappeared, and you were surrounded by trees and greenery. Headphones in, you shuffled your music, allowing yourself to get lost in the melodies and sceneries.

And for the whole duration of that train ride, the only thing you thought of was Jamie.

~

TAGS

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[babytarttdoodoo]

Jamie’s afraid of making a big deal out of being hurt after everything that happened in season 1 - he doesn’t want everyone to think he’s being a prick again. But then one day either in season 2 or 3 he actually is genuinely hurt badly (the reason is up to you) but doesn’t tell anyone and shows up to practice anyway. It’s bad enough that he collapses on the field and that’s when everyone finds out.

I could have made this so much easier on myself and literally just written the conversation at the end. As it is, I started hating this about a third of the way through.

I hope that's just hyper-criticism of my own work and that this is still an enjoyable request fill.

---

It wasn’t like he’d done it on purpose.

A lack of sleep, a dark hallway, and a half-forgotten set of steps had all converged into a little tumble in the middle of the night. That was all.

A bruised side. A knock on the head. No big deal.

That’s what Jamie had told himself as he’d inspected the damage in the mirror. He would be fine. He could put his kit on at home and wear a beanie to cover up the dark smudge of skin at his temple.

No one would notice. No one needed to know. It would be fine. Hardly the first time he’d pushed through an injury to stay in the game, was it?

He didn’t need to miss training. He didn’t need to turn up at Nelson Road and tell Ted he couldn’t play. Just the thought of trying to do so sent a thrill of unease through Jamie that he wasn’t keen to examine too closely.

So he took some ibuprofen, slowly and stiffly got changed into his Richmond gear, and called a taxi to get himself to the training ground late enough that no one had time to question his appearance.

(Driving was out of the question. He could admit that.)

Roy all but sneered at him when he stumbled in - that wasn’t anything to write home about, though. He caught a few looks from the others and had to wave Dani off on their way out to the pitch but, otherwise, Jamie was able to keep his head down and not draw attention to himself.

Drills were awful. Just stretching out his legs had him biting his tongue against making any pained sounds. When they started lunging, the hot-sick pain in his side necessitated swallowing down bile.

Sprints weren’t the worst, though Isaac definitely noticed he wasn’t starting from a crouch as he normally would. Then Nate had them doing a coordination exercise, hopping sideways and throwing balls between each other.

Lifting his arms was bad enough. Then each hop jolted Jamie’s whole body and made his head throb.

He managed, somehow, but Jamie wasn’t sure how much more he could take. He was being slow and clumsy. He was being useless. Fuck.

Panting, sweating, and trying not to throw up, he hovered at the back of the group and prayed no one called him out. No such luck. 

“You alright, mate?” Colin had sidled over while Ted called out their scrimmage teams. He was speaking quietly, which Jamie appreciated, but frowned at him with an unusual level of seriousness. Shit.

“Course I am.” Jamie forced himself to straighten up and smile. It felt wrong on his face. Too many teeth. “Just got a stitch. Didn’t drink enough.”

Colin looked doubtful, like he was about to question him further, but Jamie pushed forward to accept his yellow vest from Beard and positioned himself as far away from the Welshman as he could.

He was careful to stay in the formation they were practising, though. No sense in fucking up training for everyone more than he already had.

Roy hollered “WHISTLE!” from the side of the pitch and everyone lurched into action. Running around wasn’t so bad and Jamie soon lost himself in the game, following the movement of the ball and players with a preternatural instinct, ignoring any pain as the inconvenient distraction it was.

The few times the ball came his way, he took control of it as if by second nature, barely having to tell his feet what to do as he passed to Dani, then to Sam ten minutes later.

He was being a good teammate. He was playing like he was supposed to. And then he heard someone shout his name.

Jamie didn't need to look around to know that the ball would be sailing through the air towards him. He didn't need to deliberate about what to do. He would catch the ball on his chest and send it to Sam again before Richard could make it close enough to tackle. It was the only option to get it in the net.

He didn't need to think about it. He just did it.

And his sore, battered ribs only crossed his mind when he jumped up and twisted mid-air.

The yelp of pain was completely involuntary and Jamie would have been horrendously embarrassed by it if he hadn’t immediately crumpled into a heap on the pitch.

Something had grinded in his torso. It fucking hurt. It felt wrong.

He distantly registered the sound of an actual whistle over the rushing white noise in his ears as he lay gasping on the damp grass. A hand grasped his arm and Jamie realised Richard had skidded to his knees beside him, ball forgotten.

“Jamie? What’s wrong?” More hands were on him, trying to turn him over, but the slight pull sent another wave of sick pain through his side and he keened, curling up further to stave off the harm. “Merde, get the medics.”

“Colin’s already gone.” That was Isaac, a lot closer than he’d been less than five minutes ago, defending the box on the other end of the pitch. “He’ll need a stretcher if we can’t move him ourselves.”

“Fuck.” The notion of needing to be carried out of training brought Jamie back to himself. “I don’t need… Fuck it. I’m fine.”

“No, you are not.” Sam was standing over him as well, Jamie realised as he tried to force himself up to his knees at least. Most of the team were looming around, actually, and Ted broke through their little huddle right as a spike in pain brought up the vomit Jamie had been desperately holding back all morning.

“Hoo boy.” An American accent could really cut through the crowd, apparently, since Jamie had no problem hearing that low exclamation over twenty or so sounds of disgust.

Someone stopped him from pitching forward into his own sick and Jamie finally, limply, accepted help back upright onto his own shaky legs. Ted’s hands were one of the several pairs supporting him and Jamie could feel the humiliation and shame rising up in his gut like another bout of nausea.

“Sorry, coach,” he mumbled, even as he let Isaac put a secure arm around his waist. Sam tried to prop up his other side but Jamie shied away with an apologetic shake of the head. “Ribs. Don’t- Can’t lift me arm right now.”

He silently begged the younger player to understand, to not take it as yet another personal slight. Because Sam Obisanya was a much better person than Jamie would ever be, he only took a firm hold of Jamie’s elbow instead, face belying nothing but concern.

“Okay, folks, let’s give him some room.” Ted shooed gently at everyone not currently vital to keeping Jamie vertical. “You fellas got a good hold of him? We can get a stretcher out here, tout sweet.”

“Don’t want a fucking stretcher. I can walk.” Jamie bit out, choosing not to acknowledge how heavily he was still leaning on Isaac and Sam.

“Well, son, I’m not all too keen on taking your word for that right now.”

Ted’s tone didn’t change at all from the pleasant, practical way he’d just addressed the others. He didn’t raise his voice even a little. Jamie still felt the admonishment like a physical blow and hung his head with a wince.

“We’ve got him,” Sam spoke up. “Treatment room, right?”

They made an awkward threesome, hobbling off the pitch behind Ted and down the tunnel. Colin jogged out to meet them with a medic in tow and (surprise, surprise) Roy peeled off from the other coaches to join the entourage hustling Jamie towards the now-not-haunted medical suite.

Settled uncomfortably on the edge of the reclining bed, with a hovering audience whose eyes he couldn’t meet if he tried, Jamie numbly answered the medic’s questions about his pain level and location. He allowed her to gently remove his hat and examine the bruise underneath, went through the concussion tests without complaint, and was even honest about when he’d last eaten or drank anything.

When she pulled up his shirt, there was more than one sympathetic wince around the room. A quick look down confirmed that the bruise, though still quite small, had deepened in colour since he’d last poked at it and his skin looked oddly swollen around the area.

Even the barest methodical prodding with careful fingers made Jamie flinch and hiss through his teeth. The medic (Jennifer, Jamie vaguely recalled) hummed thoughtfully.

“Two are definitely broken. You’ll need to stay off the pitch for a few weeks, at least.”

The prognosis tightened Jamie’s throat like a hand was clamped around his neck. 

“Weeks? Nah, fuck that,” he choked out. “I were playing fine until I took the chest ball. I can still score.”

“Are you actually thick?” Roy demanded, loud and angry as per usual. There was something wild in his expression as he stepped closer to the bed. “How fucking stupid do you have to be to try and play with broken fucking ribs.”

“Fuck off, you won’t even coach me,” Jamie snarled at him, all attempts at mending bridges forgotten in the wake of pain and frustration. “Don’t act like it matters if I play hurt or not. I’ve done it plenty times before.”

“Alright, alright!” Ted cut in between them before Roy could retort with whatever words had conjured up that twisted, outraged look on his face. Nothing good, Jamie was sure.

“Roy, why don’t you take five, okay? In fact, let’s clear the room. Y’all got things to do, I’ll stick with Jamie while the good doc here gets him set up with what he needs.”

Even with Ted partially blocking his view, Jamie could see Roy was about to argue. Surprisingly, it was Isaac’s hand on his shoulder that seemed to take the wind out of his sails.

“Fuck! Fine!” He shrugged the hand off and pointed damningly at Jamie’s face. “But you’re not putting a toe out on the grass until I say so, you bloody fuckwit.”

With that, Roy stormed out of the room, sending the door bouncing off the wall with the force of his exit. Jamie’s teammates followed much more sedately, all with looks back over their shoulders and quiet murmurs Jamie couldn’t discern.

“Here.” He jumped slightly when maybe-Jennifer reappeared at his side with a bundle of items. “Drink this and take two paracetamol. Hold the ice pack to your side for twenty minutes. If the swelling hasn’t gone down, I’ll send you home with a few extras, okay?”

“Thank you kindly, doc,” Ted answered for him. “I’ll make sure he stays put for a bit.”

“Not a doctor,” she corrected mildly but gave Ted a smile and nod. “I’ll need you to sign an incident report and there’s some insurance paperwork to go through. I’ll go get the ball rolling on that and check in later.”

Jamie didn’t really like the way they were talking around him, rather than to him. He liked the idea of being alone with Ted after having caused a scene and an extra load of work for him even less. Still, he couldn’t think of any reason for the medic to stay and just watched her walk away, gently closing the door in her wake.

“You should probably do as she says,” Ted said softly after a moment of quiet, indicating the bottle of water and packet of tablets. “Doesn’t strike me as the ‘take it or leave it’ kind of advice. Rarely is, from those of the medical persuasion, even if they don’t have a fancy title.”

Moving like he was underwater, braced for the other shoe to drop, Jamie silently went through the motions of taking the painkillers. He tried not to move in any way that would agitate his injury but his hands were still shaking by the time he reached for the ice pack.

“Oh, here, let me…” Ted stepped in closer, his own hands outstretched, and Jamie flinched violently. The sudden jolt caused his abused ribs to make themselves known all over again and a small shout fell from his mouth unbidden.

“Alright, okay, no touching, got that memo, loud and clear,” Ted rambled on while Jamie waited for his vision to clear from the haze of pain. When it did, he noticed his coach frozen in place, hands still hovering in midair and significantly less threatening than moments before.

“Sorry,” he croaked, embarrassment and discomfort robbing his voice. “Didn’t mean… I’m sorry.”

“Now, hey, no. That one’s on me.” Ted glanced around and pulled up a chair to sit near Jamie’s knees. “How’s about you get that ice where it needs to be and you and I have a little heart-to-heart, that sound okay?”

Jamie nodded and gingerly wrapped the frozen pouch in the towel provided before applying it to his side. The relief was almost immediate and he felt his shoulders relax from the tense position he hadn’t even registered amongst everything else.

Ted clearly noticed too, since he smiled up at Jamie. There was still a furrow between his eyebrows, though.

“Ain’t it great when stuff helps the way it’s supposed to?” he started and Jamie tried not to let the dread of what was coming show on his face. “You know, when you’re sure that, in theory, something should do you good but you’re not quite bought into the reality yet? It’s a damn good feeling when the bet pays off.

“Course, sometimes it goes the other way. The thing that’s supposed to help you doesn’t do anything at all. Or, hell, it just makes everything worse…”

“I’m sorry,” Jamie blurted out again in a panic. “I weren’t trying to do that. I swear, I know I’m not supposed to mess up training or nothing. I… I…”

“Whoa, whoa, Jamie!” Ted’s smile had dropped clean off his face. “I think we’ve got some wires all muddled up here, somewhere. I’m not fishing for an apology. Matter of fact, I’m kind of wriggling on the end of the hook, myself.”

Jamie really, honestly tried to wrap his head around that one. He failed. “What?”

“I’m sorry, Jamie,” Ted told him firmly. “We all knew something wasn’t right with you out there today and let you play on through anyway. That’s no bueno. If you can’t rely on your coach to help you out when you need it, well, then, that’s not a sign of a very good coach, is it?”

Jamie stared at him, dumbfounded. “But… I didn’t tell you I were hurt.”

“There is that,” Ted agreed easily, nodding and settling back in his chair. “And I’d sure like to hear how you got knocked around so good in the whole twelve hours you were out of our sight. Any particular reason you didn’t share that with the class this morning?”

“I…” The hand that wasn’t holding the ice pack to Jamie’s ribs started picking at the disposable paper sheet on the bed. “I fell. Down the stairs at me house. Last night. I. It didn’t hurt too bad, I thought.”

Ted hummed. “Well, you see? Accident like that, it ain’t anybody’s fault. And you felt okay after?”

The excuse hung there so temptingly that Jamie was almost inclined to think they were back to mind games. He could tell Ted that he’d been sore, but fine, up until he got out on the pitch. But that would be just another lie, wouldn’t it? And all lying had done for him today was drag more and more people into his shit.

So, instead of agreeing like he so desperately wanted to do, he shook his head slowly.

“No, no I weren’t okay.” He swallowed and looked down at his shoes, dangling just shy of the floor. “Couldn’t even drive myself in, could I? But I thought being here and acting normal was better than… better than saying I couldn’t train today. More important.”

“Oh. Now, that’s another thing to chalk up in the ‘no bueno’ category, I’m sorry to say.” Ted’s voice had softened again but Jamie couldn’t bring himself to look up. “Jamie, if you’re hurting, ever, practice or no, I’d really rather you say so. Nothing’s more important than that.”

“Team is,” Jamie objected quietly. “Being here is. I don’t got anywhere to get sent back to now, do I?”

That sullen admission hung in the air. Jamie heard Ted suck in a breath.

“Okay. Alright. Could you do me a favour and try to lift that handsome as all heck face of yours up, just a smidge? I’m getting the feeling eye contact is going to be real important here.”

With very few options of avoidance available to him, Jamie forced himself to meet Ted’s gaze. His expression bore a startling resemblance to Roy’s wild-eyed reaction before, which did nothing to set Jamie’s mind at ease.

“Jamie, when you turned up to practice last season and said you weren’t going to train, I assumed you were mad because I benched you. That sound about right?”

The player nodded, ready for the familiar prickle of shame that clawed through his chest at the memory.

“So you weren’t actually hurt? Or did I get that wrong?”

Jamie shook his head this time, then clarified: “Were being a prick.”

“Alright, that’s fine. Water under the bridge.” Ted scrubbed a hand over his face, looking relieved for some bizarre reason. “Can we agree, though, that there’s a difference between someone pretending to be hurt, for whatever reason, and someone actually being badly injured? That a middle ground we can settle on?”

“Yeah…” Jamie agreed cautiously.

“Outstanding.” Ted took a deep breath. “So, let’s just take a little hop, skip and jump from there to how things might’ve played out a little differently today than they did last year?”

“Oh.” Jamie blinked a few times, processing. Slotting that bit of logic into the missing gaps of the day. “You’re not angry at me for missing training?”

Ted’s face broke back into a genuine, if tired, smile. “No, sir, I am not angry at you for that. Or for any other reason, while we’re on the subject. I am… mighty disappointed that you didn’t feel like you could come to me, or even call when you took your little tumble. But I think maybe we can both agree to do a little better next time, how about that?”

He held out his hand for a shake - his left, in deference to Jamie’s occupied right. That small concession alone was enough for Jamie to wordlessly grasp Ted’s palm with his own in a firm hold.

“Alright. I’ll try.”

“I know, Jamie,” Ted assured him. “That’s all any of us can do.”

[cookeybg]

Unexpected Cohabitation a JonDami fic

I like how this chapter turned out. Also finally in Part two of the series. Yay!

I'm thinking of adding the word count, what do you all think? This chapter has 1,171 words.

FYI there are two mean words in this chapter.

Title: Unexpected Cohabitation

Main Characters: Jonathan Kent and Damian Wayne (some of the others show up too, the list is too long)

Eventual relationship: Jonathan Kent/Damian Wayne (my fave)

Stuff to know: No capes, reverse robins, high school AU, no smut, no Brucie Wayne, I know nothing about sports but it will show up, (aaand I think that's it, will add more if it comes up)

[Here's my table of contents]

Part 2 - Chapter 6

Jon stood by the bleachers taking deep breaths, sweat stinging his eyes, and took a big swig from his water bottle. The sun was still sweltering in late August, but that did not deter any of the boys who had been participating in tryouts. There were ten open spots, left behind by the seniors who had graduated, and Jon was determined to be a part of the main reserve team. If he made it, he would be able to ride the same bus as the varsity players. He had been able to keep up with the more seasoned players and he really hoped that was enough to impress Coach.

He had finished his mile run before the rest of the participants and now he watched some of the stragglers finish. He took another swig from his water bottle and his gaze landed on Damian Wayne. They had not spoken at all since that awkward dinner, as a matter of fact he hadn’t even acknowledged him. Damian was currently sitting on the grass doing some stretches, his green shorts riding up and showing tanned, toned and glistening thighs. Jon could feel his cheeks warm up and immediately looked away. He really hoped if anyone noticed it could be mistaken for the running he had just completed.

He hated to admit that Damian was impressive. He basically excelled in all positions Jon had watched him practice but he had mainly stayed glued to Colin who was the team’s main pitcher. He and Damian could be seen throwing and catching the ball any free moment they got. Jon guessed that it made sense since Damian was the team’s catcher and it was important for the two to be in sync.

“Alright!” Coach’s loud clap echoed throughout the field. “Everyone gather around! It’s time to announce those on the reserve team!” All the students gathered in front of Coach with a mix of apprehension and excitement. “Remember even if you don’t make the main reserve team you can still come to practice and who knows you may eventually become part of the varsity team after the current Seniors graduate so, don’t give up!” He looked down at his clipboard and started rattling off some names.

Jon felt his insides twist. What if he wasn’t chosen? He had sounded pretty confident when he told his dad that he was a shoo in. Would he still stay on or would he instead focus on the journalism club? It would be fun to be able to hangout with Jay some more. What if-

“Jon Kent!” Coach announced and Jon let out a breath he didn’t know he had been holding in. “That’s it for today! Go shower and head home, see you all on Monday!” He dismissed the teenagers and started packing up his things with the help of the two baseball managers the team had.

Jon was on cloud nine as he walked towards the locker room. He tried not to let the image of some of the participants who had started to cry get to him. He had worked very hard to recover from his broken leg and believed he earned it. The noise in the locker room was chaos some of the kids decided that they would just shower at home and took off with their backpacks and school uniform in hand while still wearing their gym clothes. Jon on the other hand grabbed a bar of soap and a towel from his locker and started walking towards the showers.

The week had been topsy-turvy at home, what with his parents being home and doing most of the packing, Jon and Conner had been responsible for their room. Conner was no help with the chore since he was comfortable with just dumping everything willy-nilly in whatever box or bag was near him. Jon had found a pizza crust in the bag where their blankets were folded in, well at least Jon’s blankets had been folded, the argument that proceeded that had not been pretty. So, Jon had been taking advantage of having a somewhat relaxing shower after tryouts instead on traversing the stressful, disorganized mess that was soon to be his old home.

Once finished he walked towards his locker, trying to dry his hair with one hand while the other held on to the slippery bar of soap. The locker rooms were basically silent. Almost everyone had left, those few had gathered in groups and talked about where they were going to hangout as they gathered their stuff and walked out the locker room. Distracted, he slipped and squeezed the bar of soap too tight. Jon watched the white bar fly up into an arc and over a row of lockers, his amazement turned to horror as he heard a smack and a yell of surprise. He rushed around the row of lockers spotting the bar on the floor. He ran towards it; the sound of his flip-flops smacked the floor loudly. Holding onto the towel around his waist he picked up the soap and looked at the huddled figure in front of him.

“I’m so sorry!” Jon reached towards the other teenager, but a hand shot out grabbing his wrist and yanking him so that his bare back hit the lockers, his arm pinned over his head while the other clutched the bar of soap to his chest.

“What the fuck!” Damian seethed, damp hair falling over his forehead.

Jon’s eyes widened in surprise. Damian boxed him against the lockers forcing Jon to bend his knees slightly so that Damian was slightly towering over him. Jon could see his nostrils flare but he could also see that Damian was only wearing his white school shirt and a pair of black boxers. His shirt was unbuttoned and Jon had to try very hard not to look at his bare chest, he also let go of the bar of soap opting to hold on to the towel around his waist. The bar made a clattering noise as it hit the ground.

“Why do you keep hitting me over the head with shit?” Damian hissed glaring down at him.

“I-I…” Jon couldn’t form a coherent thought, Damian was inches away from Jon’s nose. Way too close, closer than anyone had ever been, to his naked body. He could feel Damian’s breath, smell the mint of toothpaste and he could not look away from those very angry green orbs.

“Dames?” A voice called from somewhere towards the locker room entrance. Damian looked up tsked and pushed away from Jon hurriedly buttoning his shirt and pulling on the school uniform slacks.

“Coming!” He called, his eyes narrowed at Jon who stood staring at him with large blue eyes and clutching his wrist. Damian grabbed his bag, ruffled through it and threw the item he found on the bench behind him. “Put that on your wrist.” He commanded and left, slamming his locker door shut.

Jon picked up the item and examined it. It was an icy hot patch.

[grayy-dayy]

"It Doesn't Matter If Your Gay, You're Still Our Friend" Part One

What if Trent wasn't the only one to catch Colin and Michael making out in the alley?

Written between the airing of 3x3 and 3x4

Pairing: Colin Hughs x Michael

Coming Out, Mental Breakdown, Angst with a Happy Ending, Light Angst, Canon Compliant, Canon Queer Relationship, Canon Queer Character, AFC Richmond Players are Himbos

Colin couldn't fully wrap his head around how he could go from having a fun night out with his friends to sobbing in his partner's arms at home in just a single hour.

The night started off great.

He carpooled to Sarn's restaurant with Richard, Dani, and Isaac. This wasn't unusual. The team would often branch off into groups and celebrate after a big win. Considering their winning streak, it was only natural.

They were getting rounds of drinks (all on Sam, of course), and joking around.

"I'm not one those guys, but considering how much we've been wining with Zava around, and seeing how much he can move his body? He could do whatever he wanted to me." Richard said with a grin.

Dani and Isaac laughed. Colin laughed along.

He pushed down the punch to the gut feeling he got from his friend's words.

'They don't know.'

They didnt know he was one of those guys.

He knew they meant no harm. Colin wouldn't say his teammates were homophobic. They were just guys being guys. He knew Moe's best friend and uncles were gay. And he knew Jan Maas's twin sister was transgender. From basic observation, the team didn't seem to care. Sure, some of them looked surprised when one of them mentioned someone was gay, but no seemed to mind when it was mentioned.

But still, the topic scared him, It was one thing to be friends with someone who had gay friends, it was another to be friends with a gay person. And said person being your colleague? Considering just how many different cultures and backgrounds everyone on the team came from, and given what Colin knew about classic locker-room culture, it wasn't worth the risk.

He felt a mix of emotions when Michael showed up. He was overjoyed when he saw Michael, but it hurt he had so much love to give his boyfriend. But he couidn't give him anything more than a dude-bro handshake. He had to introduce the love of his life as his best friend. 'His wingman'. And to his closest friends no less.

"I'm trying," Michael said, taking a sip of his drink, "Trust ne, it's harder than you think." This got a chuckle out of all of them. Though, it was probably funnier to the two of them, considering the context was different for them compared to his friends.

Dani grinned, "Oh, come on. A footballer with a smile and personality like that? Plenty of women would want him."

"No woman has really caught my interest, l guess." Colin leaned back in his chair.

He was really hoping that they would leave it at that, and move on from the topic. But they continued.

"We'll just have to get you to some bars around town. Maybe use Bantr, like Sam." Dani patted Colin's shoulder. "Michael. You said you're his wingman. Would you like to join us?"

Michael laughed. Only Colin could see how the conversation was starting to make him uncomfortable. Michael took a bigger sip of his drink, "I'd like to see you try."

Eventualy (thankfully), the subject matter died down, all of the attention going to Zava when he made his grand entrance.

Colin and Michael were able to sneak away without anyone being suspicious of them. They knew it was safe when they were a block or two away from the party.

"Hi Colin."

"Hi Michael."

They embraced each other warmly, now being comfortable enough to do So. Colin kissed him eagerly. Michael laughed when he pulled away.

"Eagar much?"

Colin whined, "I just missed you. I don't like it when you go away."

Michael put his hand on Colin's cheek, "I missed you too. You know, we still have a bit of time left before people notice we're gone. Maybe we could..."

Colin took this as his cue to lean back in.

He loved being like this. He loved feeling Michael's hair in his hands, and their bodies seemed to fit perfectly together.

"Colin?"

His blood ran cold. They must have lost track of time.

They quickiy puled away from each other. Colin looked over to see Dani, Isaac, Richard, Jan Maas, and Jamie.

"Hey, guys," he said awkwardly, "What are you guys doing? Party's still going on inside."

"We were gonna get another round of drinks. We wanted to find ya, see if you wanted to join." Jamie said.

"Yeah. Yeah, sounds good." He gave them a thumbs up.

"Maybe you had a little too much to drink," Jan Maas said, "You know you were kissing you friend Michael, right?" Everyone looked at him. "What?" he asked.

"Um yeah, I know." Colin looked back at his boyfriend for reassurance. Michael grabbed his hand, giving him a look that said go ahead. "Michael isn't my just my friend. And he definitely isn't my wingman. ...He's my boyfriend."

Dani and Jamie looked dumbfounded. He couldn't read Isaac and Richard's face. Jan Maas just looked like Jan Maas.

Colin turned to Michael and looked back at his friends. "We should go."

Colin and Michael quickly made their way back to the restaurant to get their things and leave. His teammnates followed.

He grabbed his drawstring bag and turned to Michael to make sure he had his keys (he knew Michael didn't drink enough to raise any concerns about driving).

"Colin, wait! It's alright if your gay, your still our friend!" Dani called out to him.

A hush fell over the room.

Looking around at all his friends, colleagues, and mutuals, it was clear everyone was shocked. Colin felt himself on the verge of tears. He looked to Michael for guidance.

"It's okay," he said, "Let's go." Michael guided him out of the restaurant and to his car. When the car door shut, he broke down crying.

Looking out the window, he could see his whole team (minus Zava) and coach Ted standing outside Ola's, looking stunned.

Colin would feel ashamed of himself, but he didn't have the energy to care. He just wanted to crawl into bed with Michael and never leave.

When they got home, Michael led him straight to their bedroom. He made him take a shower and get a glass of water before letting him get into their bed.

"How're you feeling?" he asked.

"Not great." Colin replied.

Michael put a hand on his back, "Need anything?"

Colin shook his head. "I'm worried about us. What's gonna happen?"

Michael sighed, "I dont know. But were going to figure it together, yeah," Coin gave him an affirming nod.

It only when the got under the covers did Colin begin to cry again, letting Michael hold him the rest of the night.

[stevespookington]

Signs: With their season in a tailspin, Richmond try to right the ship against mighty Manchester City. Off the pitch, everyone faces their own setbacks.

Sunflowers: A friendly match takes the team to Amsterdam, where one night out unlocks truths for many.

Boxes: The Greyhounds try a new strategy that has everyone thinking outside the box. Sam prepares to host a VIP guest at Ola’s.

The second act of season 3 of Ted Lasso is about taking that belief, the belief that they have been treating as a passive thing, and extending it. It's been a sign, something they could literally point to, but they hadn't quite gotten it yet.

They made it back to the Premier League, it was a miracle of the power of belief. And then everyone was doubting them and they were struggling to ignore that doubt, struggling to shrug it off. But they were trying, trying to just "let it flow."

But then they had Zava, they could believe in him instead. It was another miracle. They were going to win.

And then that belief was shaken when they realized that Nate hadn't just left them, but had tried to destroy the idea of Believe on his way out. And it rattled them.

And they started to lose.

They started to lose and then Zava left. Zava left and they lost again. And then, when Ted told them they just needed each other the sign fell down. It was a sign. Belief wouldn't save them. They were clinging to the idea of belief, it had brought them together. It united them. And now it was gone.

It is a sign. I agree. Yeah. In fact this, it’s just a sign. All right, guys, listen to me. Belief doesn’t just happen ‘cause you hang something up on a wall. All right? It comes from in here. You know? And up here? Down here. Only problem is, we all got so much junk floating through us, a lot of times we end up getting in our own way. You know, crap like envy or fear, shame. I don’t wanna mess around with that shit anymore. You know what I mean? Do you? Well, do you know what I wanna mess around with? The belief that I matter, you know? Regardless of what I do or don’t achieve. Or the belief that we all deserve to be loved, whether we’ve been hurt or maybe we’ve hurt somebody else. Or what about the belief of hope? Yeah? That’s what I wanna mess with. Believing that things can get better. That I can get better. That we will get better. Oh, man. To believe in yourself? To believe in one another. Man, that’s fundamental to being alive. And look. Yo, hey. If you can do that, if each of you can truly do that… can’t nobody rip that apart.

And this? This was something new. They had taken the idea of belief and thought it was something they had to see. Ted believed in them. They had the sign to prove it.

But then Nate tore up that sign.

And Ted took it down and he didn't replace it. Instead he told the team what they needed to hear. What Ted needed to hear.

It was okay to be a mess. Nothing had to be perfect. You can fail and keep trying. The belief of hope.

Things can get better. Ted can get better. He can recognize his past and embrace it, instead of trying to become perfect. You can be a mess and still have hope.

The players need to believe in themselves, believe that they will have one another's backs.

And then in Sunflowers we see the team bond. They have been unstable for so long, leaning on Zava instead. Following Zava. Getting the ball to Zava.

Not one another. Zava.

And so Issac doesn't let them split up. They have to bond again. Relearn that belief in one another.

But not everyone is there.

Colin is still struggling with the idea of making those two lives of his one. He doesn't want to be a spokesperson. He wants to trust his team, trust them not to care. He wants to believe in them. But he can't yet. He's been in survival mode for too long. He hadn't had anyone who really got it. What it would mean, to be the first out one.

Until he sat down and talked with Trent. Trent who has been in the press rooms. Trent who has torn down players. Trent who knows what that must feel like.

Until he could say, I have two lives and it is fucking hard. He has two lives, he has been compartmentalizing. Putting his lives in two separate boxes.

But Sunflowers ends on a higher note. Everyone has gone out and done something that they needed to do. A new experience, something to give them hope. Something to strengthen that tenuous belief.

The way I see it, we’ve been playing too rigid, you know? Our guys need freedom. Go wherever they wanna go. Follow their guts, their hearts. As long as they remember to fill in the space that someone left behind. They gotta have one another’s backs, that’s for sure. But, you know, it’s just constant, nonstop motion. Just going from position to position until positions don’t really even exist anymore. It’s fast, fluid, free. With full support.

They have been too structured, too rigid. They need to be faster, have more freedom.

They have been constricted by the expectations of others. The expectations of the pundits and everyone putting them to finish last.

The expectations of society to do things a certain way. To love a certain way. To have their brains work a certain way. To play fucking football a certain way.

They need something new, something different. They need to approach it all from a different angle.

Instead of putting things in a box, all tidy and neat. Boxes can be useful, make things easy to think about. But they can also be a fucking cage.

Once you start confronting one thing, once you break out of one box. It is easier to see the other boxes. The other cages.

"Well, if I was wrong about this, what else?"

"What has been compartmentalized that shouldn't be?"

"We turned this box into triangles, what else?"

But it isn't easy to confront things like that. Things that have been ingrained. Rigidity can be useful, it can make things strong. But too much of anything is a bad thing. Even too much belief if they do it wrong. Belief in a sign is blind faith.

To believe in yourself? To believe in one another. Man, that’s fundamental to being alive. And look. Yo, hey. If you can do that, if each of you can truly do that… can’t nobody rip that apart.

It has always been about breaking free of boxes, breaking free of cages. Challenging societies expectations of what defines masculinity, what defines a leader, what defines a family, what defines belief.

What other cages are there for our characters to break out of? Expectations of how to succeed in their worklife, how to succeed as a boss, a friend, a player, a partner.

One doesn't expect to get from life what one has already learned it cannot give, rather, one begins to see that life is a kind of sowing time and the harvest is not yet here. He was just a humble preacher's son. And yes, he had his demons, but they never stopped him from searching for beauty. Because when you find beauty, you find inspiration. If, that is, you stay as determined as Vincent. Never stop, no matter how many failures. When you know you're doing what you're meant to do, you have to try.

When you know you're doing what you're meant to do, you have to try.

As viewers we always have expectations too, when we watch a show, how do we break out of those? How do we break out of our own boxes and challenge what we think should happen based on what we know about other shows plots and stories.

Maybe we do know how it ends, maybe we don't.

A lot can change in six episodes, think of how far we've come already.

The second arc of season three is all about belief and being trapped in boxes and needing the freedom to get free.

But once they figure their way out of their boxes? Their cages? Once each of the players on can really and truly be themselves? Be free? Skies the limit.

The truth will set you free, but first it will piss you off.

It won't be easy, there will be communication issues and they probably will step on toes, literally, along the way. But they will be there for each other.

They will be there for each other with their new found belief in each other, not in a sign.

[troglobite]

alsdjflaksdj

okay wait holy shit i think roy might actually be queer.

um.

UM!!!!!!

going back and rewatching t/d l/sso truly has been like [mind blown] over here

i can finally take everything keeley says abt rebecca SERIOUSLY instead of "yeah yeah, straight women are like that sometimes"

and EVERY OTHER QUEER MOMENT has me like I AM LOOKING. RESPECTFULLY. 👀

and legitimately like.

what the fuck.

okay so s2 e5 is rainbow

which.

rainbow. first of all.

i even remember being like "ohhhh rainbow? 👀" when it first came out and then watching it i was like "oh okay. it's abt the rolling stones song and higgins' wife. nvm"

and here's how convinced i was that this show was just gonna be fucking straight.

the whole episode pulls from a MILLION romcoms, they talk abt and quote them REPEATEDLY.

MAINLY ted and roy.

and then she's like a rainbow plays when roy QUOTES YET ANOTHER ROMCOM and leaves the studio to go to the richmond game bc he's seen that he has an effect on the players as a coach, and it's what he wants.

and ALSO they just got done talking abt a 17 year old, which is how old roy was when he started, which is ALSO how old he was when TRENT CRIMM, independent, wrote a SCATHING article abt him that he then carried around in his wallet for 20 fucking years

until they hashed it out in a fucking locker room shower

WHICH.

ANYWAY!!!!!!

then roy has to do the romcom "run to them at the airport!!!" thing but it's him getting to the stadium and it's very cute

but part of it

involves him

getting on a rickshaw

that is COVERED

IN RAINBOW DECORATIONS

AND STRAIGHT UP

A RAINBOW FLAG

now, roy LOVES keeley and thought she was gorgeous.

but as we all know.

that don't mean you're not fucking queer, bro.

i dare say, i am compelled to believe that roy could ACTUALLY be bisexual.

listen, i literally--

like LISTEN.

normally i watch shows with my Literary Analysis and Film Theory glasses on. i'm not an Expert, but i KNOW how to do critical analysis of media. i have fun doing it!

but i just.....didn't. with ted lasso.

bc it seemed. to me, at first. like a show. that would just sort of. hand you things.

that it "wasn't that deep" even if its intent and meaning were quite insightful or kind or touching or well done.

but now i'm like

oh my fucking god WAIT

bc now all these characters are confirmed queer

and i cannot express to you--ANY OTHER SHOW!!! AND I WOULD'VE BEEN CALLING IT FROM THE GET GO WHO WAS QUEER AND WHO WASN'T!!!

this show threw me off my fucking game COMPLETELY.

and now i'm like oh my fucking god how did i overlook a LITERAL RAINBOW FEST PLAYING W A LOVE SONG OVER ROY RETURNING TO RICHMOND AND GETTING TO TED AND THEY EXCHANGE MORE ROMCOM LOVE CONFESSION QUOTES?!?!?!

i'm literally sitting here like

okay yeah, no, i get it, i thought it was a joke.

ted makes SO many jokes, i never took these ones seriously. i just thought, the show is being silly.

but!!!

BUT!!!!!

also--

the show breaks the fourth wall and plays w media and formatting on INTERESTING episodes.

first of s2 we have the cartoon dog bc dani can't sleep knowing that he killed earl.

and THEN we have here in s2 e5 the fourth wall break w the couple in the crowd (WHICH ALSO FEATURED A QUEER COUPLE IN THE CROWD! TWO MEN!!!) talking abt how their love story was stolen for the plot of titanic and they've been in litigation for decades. lol

and then in s3 we have amsterdam, where the formatting and fourth wall break is for ted's "trip"

and i just

IT IS INTERESTING

like holy fucking shit.

i'm almost now prepared for colin to say something to the team, or someone else to out him, OR trent to casually come out or something, and for roy to React A Certain Way. leave the room bc he's uncomfortable or something. and it turns out he's queer.

i would also, again, FULLY BELIEVE that he was into jamie.

i mean i gotta be honest, i'd be prepared and would believe roy somehow ending up w rebecca or ted. like that'd be WILD, but i'd believe it.

but now they're REALLY setting him up w jamie and it's sweet! regardless of where that goes, i really enjoy them together. jamie's growth as a character is my favorite, and he'd be leaving roy in the dust if he wasn't forcibly dragging his old ass with him. lol

i'm just sort of blown the fuck away by all of it.

and this episode also featured ted talking abt romcommunism--things will end up exactly as they should be in the end, even if you didn't expect it, want it, or think you needed it.

and then they hint--for like, the ONLY time--that ted and rebecca are the ones talking on bantr, bc they're misdirecting SO HARD abt sam, and it's just like. 👀

it's so fucking fascinating. this show is OBSESSED w subverting expectations and tropes. going left when you think it'll go right. giving you the logical conclusion that you didn't know was out there.

and ted and rebecca? it's too fucking obvious. i just. fundamentally don't believe it (and also i'm still laughing at sassy describing what ted is like in bed and rebecca being viscerally disgusted and spitting out the biscuits that he gave her lol)

and i'm just. FASCINATED! BC IDK WHERE THINGS ARE GONNA GO! I REALLY DON'T! AND I LOVE THAT!

i LOVE seeing the crumbs they've left for me to follow and STILL not knowing what we're walking towards! that's so fun and deft and lovely!

and i'm just really fucking stoked and excited to see that the queerness HAS been there the whole time. it has. and i didn't miss it, i was just given it in a context that made me believe it wasn't real.

but it IS and that's just so fucking cool.

i sound so silly--but like, never at any point was there extreme homophobia or heteronormativity. it's just that i just....given the context and world of the show? i didn't expect. i didn't think. and so many things felt like they remained in the realm of JOKES.

like ALSO in this episode is ted going OVERBOARD complimenting nate wearing his suit to the match. he goes NUTS saying how HOT nate looks.

....and also says "if you want to cut to the truth you get a tailor" or something like that.

which. ALSO FORESHADOWS NATE'S DOWNFALL?????

THE FUCK, MAN.

HOLY SHIT.

okay anyway i would fully believe a queer roy and EVEN POSSIBLY A QUEER TED.

i'm losing it.

i have been burned SO MANY TIMES that upon going back and watching and allowing myself to think and analyze and engage and HOPE now that there's proof that it's not all fruitless--i'm like !!!! SKY'S THE LIMIT!!!!

i mean for fuck's sake, HIGGINS could be queer. they heavily hinted at Some Strangeness for him in amsterdam, as well--which turned out different. but he was a PUNK as a youth! tell me higgins didn't at least TRY making out w some guys in his time. a man that deeply in love w his wife of 29 years? no way he's 100% straight and/or always has been. lol

esp when their song...rainbow........

i'm just.

really endeared and excited and my brain is buzzing but idk what to make of any of it.

apart from:

holy shit, are they saying roy is queer?????

and i love it and i'm EXCITED.

also i didn't say it but i REALLY appreciated how roy and jamie talking in amsterdam included roy just saying "i think keeley has a girlfriend" and jamie just going "well okay let's go look at some windmills, then"

no judgment, no disgust, no sexualizing her, no shock

it was treated as simply as it would've been if it was

"i think keeley has a boyfriend"

it was abt her MOVING ON, not the fact that she's bi.

that was just--a given.

WHICH IT IS!!! SHE DOESN'T HIDE IT!!!!

and i'm just

[falls over]

FUCK ME, MAN. THIS IS WILD.

i can't get over this

it's like rewriting and rewiring my fucking brain

i STILL can't wrap my head around the fact that trent crimm is CONFIRMED gay and didn't out colin for exactly the reasons we all thought

we weren't projecting when we said the look on trent's face when he sees colin and michael is that of a queer elder going "oh my fucking god" at that kind of thing. RECOGNITION OF THE SELF. OF THE STRUGGLE. OF ALL OF IT.

and also i LOVE that it sounds like trent came out RECENTLY! his daughter is YOUNG! i'm just. loving that. i LOVE IT.

my great uncle came out past the age of FIFTY, w a wife (who's also likely queer, i'm just saying--....her lifelong "friend"? 👀 who she immediately moved in with? 👀) and they had three kids together.

like, it happens!!! THAT'S LIFE, BABY!

and i just really appreciate that.

idfk man, there's so much humanity and nuance and reality and just. all of it. in these characters.

and it's all so silly and over the top and also REAL. LIKE REAL. and honest and true, and it's not all sunshine and roses.

it's such an incredibly fine line they're walking between realism and silliness where ppl talk the way they do. and it's just....honestly amazing.

bc we have so many queer ppl now. keeley, colin, trent, even will. and now we have POSSIBLY EVEN MORE????

i'm literally astounded and i'm just HAPPY.

bc so many ppl who just. need to see this kind of thing. watch this show. idfk, man.

anyway.

it's not the most profound queer rep in the world. it's just really making my day, each week & w each ep of the rewatch. lol

[queen-mabs-revenge]

#like. sorry but the same group of footballers so incensed by nate’s SYMBOLIC rejection of the in-group (the believe sign)#that they played like shit just to be able to beat up on ppl who had nothing to do with the sign#are not (believably!) going to come back to nate on a whim#like. even without getting into all the points abt colins demonstrable fears of coming out to ppl he doesn’t trust 110%#the idea that the players incredibly intense sense of us vs them (as seen by them closing ranks in front of Trent on roys word) is#something. inconsequential to their characterisation and can just be papered over off screen is so insulting!!#like. BEFORE they knew it was a personal betrayal they were threatening violence! why would that passion DECREASE?#and that’s INTERESTING! it’s one of the subtle but rlly worrying flaws of Ted’s system#like. that instead of seeing teds open mindedness and good will and continual efforts to give them both the room + the reason to improve#themselves and then in turn extending that open mind + heart to others. they instead get really protective + defensive OF their space in#that ‘circle of grace’ and will push and shove anyone who doesn’t ‘deserve’ that treatment away#like. ted is uncomfortable with that at least as of s1 (‘we’d die for you coach!’ ‘bit intense for me sam!’)#but beard + roy have no problem both acknowledging it and leveraging it for their own ends (ie: icing Trent out + the nate video)#and#fuck man to just write that all off??? like that’s INTERESTING! that’s a really tasty and juice conflict!#and to act like NONE of those pressures exist in the context of welcoming nate back to richmond??#like again im not at all anti nate or thinking he needs to lower himself#but ur so right in that the idea that richmond would welcome him back freely just feels painfully ungrounded#in the stakes + character motivations the SHOW ITSELF conditioned u to expect#like.#ted lasso follow through on the plot lines + motivations u set up challenge [IMPOSSIBLE - APPARENTLY] (tags via @time-is-restored)

i am CLAWING AT MY FACE because YES YES YES YES YES gOD

i didn't even really think through this aspect of the Lasso Way but GOD you're so right and ALSO exploring this would have been SUCH a good way to have the same exact scene with beard and nate re: beard's backstory reveal except it could have been tied in with the team Going Through It about whether or not to trust nate/give him a second chance???

like i do think the scene with ted and beard was narratively satisfying bc beard's backstory has been such an intimately kept secret btw the two of them -- but at the same time, ted did have to hold his hand through it all? if they're setting up that ted has done all he can for everyone and the lasso way is good to go now... uhhhh this didn't really prove that, did it? this could have been a moment where beard took that lesson he and roy learned after the west ham match and put it into action himself!

how much more cathartic would it have been to have beard observing a debate btw the team about nate - some arguing in favor of wanting him back bc, some saying that no matter the reasons he sacrificed his career he can't be trusted. maybe someone points to trent in the corner as an example of the pro side ('look what that prick did to ted, but now he's our prick!'); someone else tries to bring beard in as backup against nate bc it's clear beard has been the model for the hyper-defensive us-v-them i'll-kill-for-tedthis-team and that be the catalyst for beard realising that he's not giving the grace he's been given to the extreme, and that's causing knock-on effects on the team antithetical to the dynamic he's purportedly so protective of. i'm not a writer but drop a cryptic beard one-liner in here that lets the audience and the team know he's not on the side they thought?

(i could see a very beard reaction to that realisation being him walking up to ted and bear hugging him out of nowhere [maybe a confused ted reaction like 'everything ok, coach?' and beard dead serious saying ted's line in response: 'i appreciate you'] and just nodding and walking away, and then cut to the scene with nate exactly as it was).

the way that would have actually created a path through which so many of the obstacles to nate returning are worked through on screen while developing all the characters!! and i do mean all paths bc like after the team's unhinged violence during the west ham match literally why would nate want to come back to that environment, too??? why should we the audience believe that the team isn't holding a grudge that they're smiling through and that will snap back and harm nate in some way??? SHOW ME. SHOW ME TO MY FACE ALL OF THIS PLEASE FUCKING HELL, JASON. YOU SET THE PINS UP NOW KNOCK THEM DOWN, JASON. GOOOOOOOOOOOOOD

OK so first of all i am not a nate-needs-to-mortify-his-flesh-to-be-redeemed girlie so fucking jot that down. i don't think he needs to grovel, i don't even think we need an extended boo hoo apology scene for anyone involved. nate's story is about reconciliation with himself and others through real self-esteem and contentment, not about whatever christian penance brainrot ppl are coming up with.

but i am fucking baffled by that opening scene with isaac, colin and will visiting nate at work and how -- yet again -- really essential character beats are just happening off screen and we're supposed to be super chill and emotionally swept along by it all?

(long ass v critical post under the cut)

"we want you to come back to richmond" uhhhhhhhhhh "the whole team talked about it and it was unanimous" …….?????????????? like besides the fact that there is literally no established tactical reason why the team feels that they need nate to come back considering they're pretty fucking successful at the moment, the show has given us no reason to believe that would be a decision made by a team that is and needs to be protective of its current interpersonal dynamic!

now again, i want to be very fucking clear as i go through the following that i don't think that nate is homophobic and i'm not accusing him of that, and again i'm not here like 'oh colin needs an uwu special apology'. but lay out the facts as far as the players know (because that's all that's been on screen): nate tore up the sign and ~~someone~~ exposed information about ted's panic attacks to the press - they're himbos but i mean come on. the last interactions between nate and the team - and especially colin - were pretty targeted cruelty and belittlement laced with misogynistic language (that yes, has been used pretty casually throughout the dressing room - not just a nate thing), and then nate goes to work for a club owned by the man who fostered the toxic swamp richmond was to begin with? bro. bro.

literally my first thought was -- how is colin eager to invite someone back who - as far as he knows - clearly very personally hates him, and has leaked information about someone he supposedly liked and respected that he was told in confidence to cause targeted harm to that person… when he just came out within a trusted organization with no intention of coming out publicly??? like no matter how this show tries to shorthand that everything is OK now, because they put no work into reestablishing trust… there is no way colin would take his safety as 100% guaranteed in this situation, and him being the person to insist on talking to nate doesn't shorthand that away!!!

like for me, this mismatch stands out as some fucking straight nonsense again bc you cannot use the horrifically queerphobic atmosphere in and around professional men's football irl for your very special episode and then just never address the personal vindictiveness involved in the character dynamic that was created between nate and colin previously, especially in the face of seeding the idea that someone would be afraid to come out to their trusted best friend because of the 1% chance the casual homophobia they tossed around was indicative of their actual beliefs.

and like ok the tendency of this show to just use experiences that reflect stuff of incredible real life consequence without considering the context or implications is already established. i get it. but like this is just another example of how by not actually engaging with the full consequences of the experiences they're capitalizing on, they've not done justice to any of the characters or representative stories involved.

the reconciliation between nate and the team had such great potential to bring out everyone's issues and have a real chewy resolution! nate getting tossed back into the rupertsphere and seeing the manipulative bullying inherent to rupert's concept of power, and consequently really understanding how that created the environment mirrored in the team's treatment of him, and how he held on to that concept of power and mirrored it back in vindictiveness.

maybe if they brought forward the bex and ms. kakes story to play out earlier (during one of these insanely bloated episodes), and if nate is tied in with letting them both know what was happening with rupert, the two women going to rebecca for advice could have been something that one of the players found out about (idk overhearing rebecca asking keeley for press/legal advice while passing her office or smth). that could have precipitated a conversation among the team that we were actually privy to about how nate stood up to rupert, put whole ass career on the line to protect people being deeply wronged instead of cozy up to power, and did it without publicly Exposing Their Business in order to get public kudos.

that conversation could have been the perfect way to get the team to understand nate's growth from what he did to ted by revealing and having them work through the implications of nates willingness to put protecting people from being harmed above his own need for power and validation, while also protecting their privacy and not seeking public validation at their expense! colin could have had a part in that conversation that both brought his queerness back into the story as something of actual consequence and not just a token feel-good moment, and it could have showed why the team would trust nate enough to hold a vote to ask him to come back to richmond while also showing the audience that the team has truly grown from its unhinged emotional reaction during the west ham match, and not just because they lost a game bc of it!

like idk man this just isn't good enough for me. this whole thing just isn't good enough for me, especially because they've made the implications and the stakes so fucking high by bringing in the incredibly consequential social issues they have. nothing feels earned, and everything feels cheap and flimsy because of it! everything from the journey we deserved to go on with all of these characters, to the seriousness and respect with which the show has treated the experiences they've profited off of, to the patronizing chintz of the last minute emotion-bombs being tossed to us as good enough wallpaper over the structural cracks we're meant to ignore.

[egyx0s-brainrot]

I'm so happy that you like my designs! I was doubting if even posting them because I know that the Egyxos fandom is kind of dead :] But since you ask about this AU *cracks knuckles* I'll give you some made-up lore that I may forget ;>

"The three golden warriors" is that a good name? Ok

Everything starts at the start of the show. Here Dale and Bernie sneaked with Leo to the Egyptian exhibition and also encountered professor Kirby (Ramses) and just like in the original, they flee for fear of almost being caught. They also help Leo babysit his little brothers so they also see Anubis and Ramses fight... Oops

And just like in the original, Leo accidentally opens a portal, and Dale and Bernie end up following him. They encounter Exaton, they know his a layer and not a person to thrust so they try to escape. Here is where they show their different talents and abilities like Bernie knowing how dungeons work thanks to gamer experience and some hacking skills, while Leo and Dale are the muscle because both do sports together (but Dale is a dancer while Leo is still a basketball player).

Except that Leo was not capable of taking the bracelet from Exaton... Oof

All the same until the point where they have to escape, where Horus has to carry three children that are just too shabby and confused...

The real change happens when "IF I CAN'T HAVE IT, THEN NO ONE WILL!!" that's what Exanton said before breaking the bracelet of Ra in three small pieces...

But miraculously when everything seemed lost after Horus was shoot trying to save Leo. Leo took one of the broken pieces of his bracelet shooting to the sky "How there you destroy my grandfather's gift!!" and then Dale and Bernie went to help Leo before blue light appeared covering everything and giving Leo, Dale, and Bernie their own golden armors with an accessory that activate them.

They have no time to wonder about the way or how, as Anubis and Thot they were preparing to attack, so they try to give a fight, it was not enough (their still children after all) but Kefer, Ramses, and Horus were ready to help them.

Now, with the Bracelet separate into three different jewelry pieces (a bracelet, a ring, and an earring) the golden army has to train these kids while also becoming their new big brothers (even if they don't know that).

Some are not happy like Seth and Math, while others see the good side of the situation, because, they now have three new warriors, isn't that better??? But they also to convince the kids, so... Unm, just see the good side ok!

Ok so, Leo is going to have water bending abilities like in Avatar, Dale is also going to have fire bending powers, and Bernie has air bending abilities.

But they have some twists! Leo can also breathe underwater and his armor legs can shapeshift into a fishtail. Dale primarily uses dancing moves to use his firepower and looks so cool doing it, and he can also increase his body temperature doing a heat shield that will burn anyone who dares touch him. Bernie can fly (even when he doesn't like to do it) and provably he has more limits with his powers, but that doesn't stop his hacker skills from manipulating the bracelets of others >:]

If you wanna know more, like their relationships with the golden army, tell me, please!

Ok, ok, this is so cool

When I read about their powers, this was what came to my mind:

Bernie: now im gonna do what it's called a pro gamer move

Bernie: *creates a sandstorm and accidentally gets sucked into it*

But talking seriously, making all three of them have different powers and skills that complement each other it's so goooood. It's a great way of incorporating their personalities and hobbies with the plot. I'm very curious to see how their dynamic as a team/fighting squad would be!

Also, yes, please tell me more abt their relationship with the others<3

Oh, and what about Colin? Got any thoughts on him?

[heavyy12]

Colin and Tripp: Part 1

When Colin was in high school and vacationing at his parents’ summer home in the Hamptons, he ran into his parents’ best friend’s son, Tripp Larson. Tripp was over a decade older than Colin and someone he always admired. At fifteen, Tripp lost both parents in a plane crash. As the only child with little family left, the Laceys made sure he completed prep school without issue and attend Cornell like his late father.

Tripp came out as gay to the Laceys his freshman year at Cornell. Colin was just five at the time and his parents were dealing with their oldest daughter’s teen pregnancy. Although accepting of Tripp’s admission, the Laceys weren’t present as much as Tripp hoped during that difficult time.

During the summer going into Colin’s junior year of high school was one he’d always remember. At sixteen, his parents had just bought him a new Mercedes and allowed him to spend the summer at their house in the Hamptons, permitting he maintained a summer job. It was at the local country club where Colin was working as a caddy that he ran into Tripp Larson.

Tripp didn’t recognize the teen immediately because it had been four or five years since they last saw one another. The thirty-year-old Manhattan executive to his late father’s textile company was playing a round with friends from Cornell. Colin was immediately attracted to him. He was tall and had a thick, rugby look to him under his pale blue polo that hugged his pecs and biceps.

Colin had grown a lot in those past few years and stood about an inch shorter than Tripp at 6’2. He was playing lacrosse and rugby at the same prep school Tripp attended years ago and also had come to terms with being gay.

After bumping into each other at the clubhouse, Tripp asked Colin to join him on the deck after his game. The two caught up on just about everything. Toward the end of their conversation, Colin confided in Tripp that he was also gay and planning to tell his parents by the time he finished high school. Tripp was more than supportive and gave Colin his number in case he ever needed anyone to talk to.

Throughout the same summer, Colin had been fooling around with another caddy from the club. By August, the two were fucking each other in his parents’ Hamptons home almost daily… and everywhere else they could manage. The other caddy, Zane, was another prep school kid from Manhattan and the same age as Colin. The two parted ways at the end of August and kept in touch for a couple weeks after.

By Halloween, Colin was preparing for holidays across the world with his family and applying to colleges. After a couple weeks of the stomach flu, Colin was concerned he could be pregnant. A test soon confirmed his concerns.

All four of Colin’s siblings were eight years or older than him and he wasn’t particularly close to any because of the age gap. He didn’t want to tell his parents, so he remembered having Tripp’s number from the summer. He reached out to Tripp, who suggested Colin take the train into Manhattan the following week, Colin’s seventeenth birthday, and he’d help him with an abortion.

Colin took the train the following weekend and met Tripp at his apartment in Chelsea. It was a palatial penthouse with four bedrooms and six bathrooms. Tripp greeted him and let him get settled in one of his guest bedrooms before ordering take out.

Tripp mentioned he made reservations Sunday for a special birthday brunch for Colin before his scheduled procedure the following day. The newly seventeen year old was beyond excited for his first drag brunch experience. On Saturday, Colin had the run of Tripp’s apartment while the older family friend dealt with a work issue.

After drag brunch on Sunday, Tripp took Colin to Central Park for a walk and ice cream. It was on their walk that Colin confided in Tripp that he was really excited to get pregnant someday when he was ready. Tripp made a mental note of the conversation after realizing Colin mentioned “getting pregnant” instead of “having kids”.

On Tuesday morning, Tripp accompanied Colin to the train station after his abortion the previous morning. The two hugged and Colin thanked him for everything before heading back to Connecticut. Tripp checked in with Colin daily for quite some time after and the teenager very much appreciated the support.

Colin was accepted to Cornell and started the following year. He decided to play lacrosse, like Tripp, and had an amazing freshman year. He came out to his parents the summer before he started and was accepted by his teammates and friends.

During his second year, Cornell was hosting alumni for their final game against Columbia. Tripp messaged Colin on Instagram to inform him he’d be at the game and wanted to see him during his visit. The two old family friends met up before the match and Tripp wished the young twenty-year-old good luck. He also couldn’t get over how mature Colin looked.

At twenty, Colin could easily pass as twenty-five. He stood 6’2 and weighed about 215 with muscular, hairy legs, tanned olive skin, and beautiful blue eyes. He had really grown up since the last time they saw each other on his seventeenth birthday.

Cornell ended up winning the game 5-4. Tripp and some of his buddies met the team and coaches in the locker room to congratulate them. Tripp made a point to find Colin in the process.

“Congrats, big guy!” Tripp said as he approached Colin while he changed.

“Thanks, man!” Colin said, going in for a hug with Tripp.

“Do you have some time to show me around the campus? Things sure have changed since I was here.” Tripp asked.

“Yeah, I don’t have anything planned until later-- let’s go!” Colin said excitedly.

The college student left his keys and other belongings in his locker and the pair headed on their tour. The truth was, Tripp was a major donor of Cornell and he had been there within the last three years. He wanted to spend some quality time with Colin and catch up.

Flirting was exchanged almost immediately into their walking tour of campus. Both men caught each other looking at one another numerous times throughout their campus excursion. At the library, Tripp mentioned his first sexual encounter with another boy being in the old stacks during his freshman semester exams.

“Damn, I wouldn’t mind trying that someday!” Colin joked.

As their two-hour tour ended and they approached Colin’s locker, Tripp suggested they meet up later for drinks.

“I’d really like that” Colin replied as be shut his locker after grabbing his things.

The two locked eyes in that moment and the younger man dropped his belongings and pushed the alumnus into the locker behind him and started making out.

“Have you ever done it in a locker room?” Colin asked, referencing Tripp’s comment about his library hook up during his heyday.

“I haven’t, but I’m willing to try.” Tripp grinned.

Colin lowered himself to his knees and swiftly undid Tripp’s belt and pulled down the older man’s chinos. He began blowing him for several minutes before Tripp pulled him upwards for a kiss and suggested he return the favor.

After a couple minutes, Colin pulled Tripp up for a kiss and then discreetly turned himself around, exposing his bare ass, and planted his forearms on the lockers. Without words being exchanged, Tripp used his own spit to lube his cock and gently inserted it into Colin’s willing hole.

Tripp picked up speed and the clapping of Colin’s ass cheeks intensified, as did the twenty-year-old’s groans. Nearing climax, Tripp pulled Colin back by his neck and made out with him ferociously while he deposited a big, warm load deep into the lacrosse player’s hole. After he pulled out and kissed Colin all over his back and neck, Tripp turned Colin around so he could finish him off by accepting the younger guy’s load in his mouth.

Neither man had an experience like that in their life. Although a nearly fifteen-year age gap, there was sexual chemistry like no other. Colin had another month of school and a European trip planned with friends, so the pair decided to reconvene in August at Tripp’s family’s home in the Hamptons before Colin began his junior year at Cornell.

When Colin returned from six weeks in Europe, he texted Tripp, “Hey man, when do you think we can meet up? Sooner rather than later, I hope ;)”

Colin drove to the Hamptons in the Mercedes his parents had bought him years earlier for his sixteenth birthday. When he arrived at Tripp’s, the newly thirty-five year old was tanning by the pool. Colin snuck up on Tripp as he lay on his back on an outdoor lounger.

“Getting your tan on?” Colin asked as he straddled Tripp over the lounger.

“I thought you might appreciate that.” He responded.

“I sure do!” Colin exclaimed taking off his shirt as he rubbed his ass against Tripp’s growing erection.

Colin pulled lube from the backpack he carried outside with him and within minutes of reuniting, Tripp was inside Colin. They fucked near the pool, on the lounger, against the bar, and on the pool steps for nearly an hour before retreating to the bathroom to freshen up.

“It looks like you ate well in Europe” Tripp joked as he poked Colin’s noticeably larger belly.

“Yeah, I’m not sure how I managed it, honestly!” Colin fidgeted as he embarrassingly grabbed a shirt. “There was so much walking and hiking over there!”

“I was just kidding, Colin.” Tripp replied, stopping the younger man from putting on his shirt. “I think it looks cute!”

The two spent almost an entire month together before Colin was expected to return to Cornell. During that time, Colin’s belly only grew larger.

In bed one morning as the pair cuddled, Colin suggested he might need a pregnancy test. The two discussed how he wasn’t having any of the symptoms he experienced when he was in high school and that the last person he hooked up with was Tripp. On their last day together, they drove to a drug store and got two tests.

“Well, babe, you were right.” Tripp said walking into the master suite with two positive pregnancy tests.

“I can’t believe it. I’m not even twenty-one and I’ve managed to get pregnant twice!” Colin exclaimed as he sat in disbelief at the foot of the bed.

“You must be one fertile lad.” Tripp joked.

They immediately started discussing their options. With the timing of their last hook up at the end of May, Colin was easily twelve weeks along. He had already gained nearly fifteen pounds. Tripp suggested he bring an OB/GYN to the house the following morning and Colin pushed back his return to Cornell by a couple days until they figured everything out.

“So I have some exciting news for you boys.” The OB/GYN said during Colin’s ultrasound atop Tripp’s bed. “You’re having twins.”

Colin and Tripp looked at each other in disbelief.

“I’d say you’re about thirteen weeks along, so that puts your due date around, uhh, February 20[sup]th[/sup].”

“Wow, well thank you, Dr. Houston.” Tripp said as the woman in her forties began packing up.

Colin and Tripp saw her out and the pair retreated to the back yard. It was a hot August afternoon and normally they’d be in the pool.

“So, what do you want to do?” Colin asked Tripp over some lemonade on the patio furniture.

“That’s up to you, babe.” Tripp replied. “You need to get back to school. You need to finish school.”

“I know, I know.” Colin said, “Honestly, this all feels right, though. Does it feel that way for you?” he asked Tripp.

“Very much so, Colin. We’ve only spent a month together but I can already see ourselves growing old together.”

Tripp stood up and pulled Colin up from his seat. The two embraced for quite some time and kissed before Tripp lifted up Colin’s shirt and gave his belly a rub.

“You’re going to make a fantastic parent.” Tripp suggested as he kissed Colin’s tanned and protruding belly.

“You will too, Tripp.”

As the pair continued to embrace, Tripp moved his hands into Colin’s pants and grabbed a cheek in each hand.

“I like the idea of you carrying my children. You’re going to look so beautiful growing our babies inside that fertile womb of yours.”

“I’m glad you’re excited, babe, because I’m kind of excited to see what’s in store for us.”

Colin packed up and left for Cornell the following morning. Tripp had a realtor looking for properties in Ithaca the same day. Within a week, Tripp purchased a townhouse near campus so he could split his time between Manhattan and visiting Colin.

Colin moved his things into the townhouse shortly after and began telling friends of his twin pregnancy. Colin turned twenty-one in early November and planned on returning to Connecticut for Thanksgiving with Tripp to break the news to his family.

The pair regretted not telling Colin’s family sooner, but they were still worried about their reaction with Tripp being the father and them being in a relationship. Their age gap was nearly fifteen years, after all.

As Colin packed for Connecticut, Tripp was organizing an elaborate dinner to soften the blow to his young, pregnant lover’s family. He planned on having a catered dinner at his family’s home near the Laceys the day before Thanksgiving. Colin called and broke the news to both his older sisters. Beth and Liza both knew Tripp very well and were beyond surprised of their situation; however they seemed supportive.

[robinrequiems]

Now that you mentioned it, can I have some track star player! Damian and basketball captain! Jon 👀

👀

• Baskebtall November-march, & outdoor track & soccer is March-June. pspspspspsps! I know Jack shit about sports (:

• in freshmen year, damian found himself bored, he had so much built up on energy that he needed to release. damians not a.. team player, so he joined a sport that didn’t really require you to be a team player. track.

• damian could run okay? he could run fast. so it was perfect, so now, as a junior, he was known for winning the school track trophies but Damian wasn’t as well known as jon. captain of the basketball team, a boy cherished by the school for bringing home a trophy for the first time in years. their basketball team was bad, but then, little freshmen jonny joined

• he just joined for fun, he didn’t expect to get in, he also liked played basketball with his brother, so he just tried out. ( that’s what he said at least ) sure, at the start he wasn’t the best player, but then, during their first game? he was playing amazingly. apparently the boys great under pressure

• he slowly rose up in the team and became well known, there was always a girl or two chasing after him in the halls ( jon didn’t really care for them.. he was more interested in the track star )

• jon fell in love with damian. no.. well.. jon had a crush on him since freshmen year. why, you may ask? ..he likes his personality, jon remembers getting lost in the falls as a freshmen and then sophomore Damian going to help him. was he laughing at him? definitely.

• people said damian was rude, jon said otherwise. he may not know damain that well, but he could see kindness in him

• his team members called him a simp. he.. no.. he wasn’t a simp? all he did was defend damian

• people said jon didn’t even know damian, but jon feels like he’s known him for years.. like they were partners or something ( am i hinting at reincarnation and a potential reincarnation arc in this au 👁 or am I hinting at doing a reincarnation au? the world will never know)

• jon believes there’s more to Damian than people think

• Maya is the captain of the girls soccer team, Tai is apart of the basketball team, Kathy is a cheerleader, and billy is a football player

• damian is friends with maya and sorta friends with tai due to club activities ( art ), & an acquaintance of Kathy because Maya is dating kathy ( today is a date I ship kathymaya )

• jon is friends with tai, Kathy ( childhood friends ), Maya ( Kathy’s gf so he knows Kathy’s gf ), & billy

• damian often saw jon in the halls, jon tried to smile at Damian, but damain just ignored them. he didn’t know Jon. stranger danger

• jons last game was coming yo, the championship, damians track season was about to start soon, the school was amped up

• it was the final game and jon was so hyped

Jon: Hey! Damian!

Damian:

Damian: what.

Jon: the um.. my last game.. it’s.. it’s friday.. and I was wondering if.. if you’d go?

Damian: I was already going.

Jon: really!

Damian: yes, tai invited me.

• a slight lie on damians part

• but he briefly heard tai ask Maya if she would come, and Maya normally brought Damian along ( much to his dismay.. )

• jon eyes lit up when he heard the name tai. Damian knows tai. TAI KNOWS DAMIAN

Jon: TAI

Tai: Jesus Christ, jon-

Jon: you know Dam— d a - frick - Damian

Tai: yeah?

Jon: set us up! match make! okay cupid!

Tai: are you sure english is your first language, ‘cause..

Jon; tai!

Tai: why do you even want to go out with him???

Jon: he’s pretty…

Tai: he’s mean

Jon: he is not!

• tai did not know what world jon wad living in

• but. tai was one of jons best friends so, he of course, tried to help:)

Tai: hey, shithead

Damian: oh my god, don’t talk to me

Tai: I need a favor

Damian: no.

Tai: you owe me.

• damian did owe him, tai took him to the er one time when he he fucked his ankle up after doing something stupid

Damian: what.

Tai: I need you to wear the number 3 to the game

Damian: 3– that’s - the boys- jons. why?

Tai: don’t ask.

• so that’s how Damian ended up wearing a shirt with the number 3 on it, Maya laughed at him

• oops. but Damian didn’t really care that much. but him wearing jons stupid number started rumors

• damian didn’t really label his sexuality, jon was openly bi, do that wasn’t the problem. the problem was that they thought they were dating

• damian didn’t like that and found it annoying. you see, damian didn’t really know of jons crush, he didn’t pay enough attention to the boy, it wasn’t like he was in any of his classes anyways.

• ( tai and Damian are sorta actually good friends, they have that insulty friendship and share a lot of classes, Maya is senior, along with Billy, Kathy’s a junior w/ tai n billy )

• damian really didn’t care for jon. at all.. until he actually saw him. the last time he saw jon. he was.. noodle like.

• now? he was not. he didn’t really fully pay attention to jon before. sure he’s saw his smile and face, but oh my god.

Damian: hes hot

Maya: what?

Damian: n.. nothing. Sorry.

• he did not mean to narrate his thoughts there. Damian didn’t care for team sports, but looking at jon play? wow.

• the way jon ran around, he was so. Elegant.

• damian was seriously ogling jon. Damian has never felt more embarrassed. he hates when people focused on his looks and here he was. doing the same. he wanted to commit mass murder. on himself. right now.

• meanwhile, Maya was just trying to watch her girlfriend who was sitting on the bench while Damian was having a mini breakdown on how shallow he was being

• ( told you guys, Damian will always be dramatic in any universe )

Maya: you good there-?

Damian: no.

Maya: great, it’s half time, I’m gonna go say hi to kathy

• he couldn’t believe Maya was leaving him in his misery

• meanwhile, jon was fsngirling. Damian was here. Damian. Wearing his number. Oh shit.

Jon: tai tai tai tai!!!!!!! Thank you thank you thank you!

Tai: yeah yeah, you owe me

• jon played so well that day too, they ended up winning the game. no one knew where jon got that sudden burst of energy when he was beginning to get tired, but he did

• and he got the winning shot

Kathy: geez, jon! good job!

Jon: thank you!

Maya: thought you guys were gonna lose

Tai: thanks Maya

Maya: anytime <3

Jon: I’m gonna say hi to damian, wish me luck!

Maya: luck wished

Tai: don’t combust when he looks at you!

• tai is the best wing man <3

• but anyways damians still in the bleachers, trying to hide from the world

Jon: Damian!

Damian: yes?

Jon: thanks for coming! I think you were my good luck charm

• jon should have not said that out loud, but he did.

• and Damian chose to just: not comment on it.

• a week or something later and it’s damians track meet

• he has started looking forward to jons smiles in the halls, but he still pretends that he never sees it. he learned a few things about jon, how he’s truly a sweetheart, probably the nicest person in the planet— as long as you don’t mess with his friends, and failing English class

• but damian doesn’t have the time to pine, he spends his hours now running, jumping hurdles, jumping, and yadayada.

• he was excited. he was. he was just: wow. he was hyped up, energy was building up in him as anticipation built up for the first meet. It was currently Monday, the first meet will be Wednesday. Three days.

• and in those three days, he was his own enemy. sleep- sleep did not come easily. Not at all. His thoughts kept him up and awake, thinking about the possibilities, it was absolute garbage.

Maya: geez, you look like a zombie

Damian: feel like one

Tai: hey dude did you bring th— ooh yikesss

Damian: shut up.

• damian was 100%my grumpy that day and glared at all passing bystanders

• but jon had began sitting at Damian’s table, along with Tai ( 😡 )

• damians table consisted of Maya, sometimes Kathy, Maps, && Colin. Colin was also apart of the track team

Jon: uh, D- are you okay?

Damian: mmhhhshshshjsnm

• jon and Damian started calling each other by D and J, they don’t know why, it just happened

• jon wanted to go to damians meet, but he didn’t exactly know if Damian would like that? it was.. complicated

• he didn’t even know if him and damian were friends, they barely even saw each other minus the small times in the hallway and lunch

• but he did go to damians track meet, damian would never admit that he liked that Jon was there

[ginisbetterthanfirewhisky]

What Goes Around Comes Around

A HBP missing moment...

View the story on FF

View the story on SIYE

Harry woke up exceptionally early on the morning of 30th April, taking an obnoxiously long time (according to Ron and Seamus) in the shower, and taking particular care to flatten his hair. After Dean, Seamus and Neville went down to breakfast, Harry persuaded Ron to go on before him as it would take time. Ron threw a maddeningly Hermione-ish smug and meaningful look to Harry before he left. The mirror yawned. ‘Aren’t you finished yet? You’ve been standing here trying to comb your hair for over half an hour. It isn’t going to work, young man. Anyway, it looks like you’re planning to ask someone out. If you are, then that girl has probably always seen you in your unruly hair. Wasting your time like this won't help,’ it finished shrewdly. Harry felt a flush creeping up his neck. ‘I am not going to ask someone out!’ he said, worrying if he was being that obvious. ‘Oh, don’t lie,’ it said airily. ‘I recognize the signs. Your father and his cronies used to stay in this dormitory too, you know.’ Knowing it was useless trying to argue and flatten his messy hair, Harry gave up. It didn’t matter anyway, because his hair would soon stick out in all directions. Feeling incredibly self-conscious, and making a mental note that it was now or never, Harry walked out of the dormitory and the common room and headed towards the Great Hall. As he walked down the stairs, however, he bumped right into Nearly Headless Nick, and felt the familiar unpleasant feeling of being doused in a bucket of ice-cold water. Nick was looking very cheerful. ‘Good morning, Harry!’ he said jovially. ‘Hey, Nick. How are you?’ ‘Good, good,’ he boomed, in a rather Slughorn-ish fashion. ‘How are you, Harry? Haven’t seen you since that night near Gryffindor tower! Do you know that the Headless Hunt has finally agreed to take me in?’ ‘Oh, great,’ said Harry absentmindedly, scanning the Great Hall for a trace of flaming red hair. To his surprise, Nick chuckled. ‘Trying to ask some young lady out, aren’t you,’ he said to Harry’s utter horror. First that nosy mirror and now Nick? Why was everyone suddenly becoming annoyingly like Hermione? ‘I remember the old days… when I was trying to woo the beautiful Lady Constance Cummington,’ he sighed, looking ahead wistfully, ignoring the look on Harry's face. ‘Er… Nick, I am somewhat in a hurry, so…’ ‘Alright, alright, you can go on,’ said Nick vaguely, looking misty-eyed, and lost in his long reminiscence, still muttering things like “Duke of Brian” and “traitor”. As he moved ahead, he once again bumped into someone else. A short, over-enthusiastic, camera-clutching someone. ‘Hiya Harry!’ said Colin brightly. ‘Please don’t tell me I look like I want to ask someone out too, Colin,’ he said warily. ‘Huh?’ asked Colin, looking confused. ‘Actually, I was just asking whether-‘ , Colin began. ‘Uh, Colin, I’m getting a bit late, talk to you later!’ Harry felt slightly guilty for sidestepping Colin like this, but nobility and politeness had to wait. He would ask Colin what it was later. He had business to do. Urgently. Ron and Hermione were already seated on the table when he finally arrived. Both looked amused at his impatient state as he took a seat on Ron’s right and eagerly scanned the Hall once again. So much for being discreet thought Harry. 'Looking for someone?' asked Hermione, following his gaze. 'Huh? Er.. no. Just looking... just like that...' he finished somewhat stupidly. Hermione rolled her eyes. Harry helped himself to some pumpkin juice to calm his nerves. What was he going to do once he spotted Ginny? Just ask her if she would go out with him? What if she said no? Hermione had told him that she had given up on him ages ago. What if she didn't fancy him anymore? What if he ruined their friendship by asking her? 'Harry, can you hear me?' 'What?' asked Harry, turning to look at Ron. 'You-er-seemed a bit lost, mate.' 'Oh, erm, it's nothing... just-just thinking about the-umm- Horcruxes, yeah, the Horcruxes.' Harry knew very well that he was sounding extremely stupid, but he really could not help it. When Ginny did not arrive even after ten minutes or so, Harry threw caution to the winds. 'Umm.. Hermione... d'you know where Ginny is? I mean, she hasn't come down to breakfast yet... she usually isn't late...' he asked, trying and failing to sound nonchalant. 'Hmmm... well, maybe, she is with Justin Finch-Fletchley, you know... I overheard him telling Ernie that he really fancied her and was hoping to ask her out...' Harry choked on his pumpkin juice and didn't notice Hermione winking imperceptibly at Ron. 'What?!' 'Well, yes, but why are you so interested?' she asked, with the slightest hint of a smirk. Harry was saved from answering by a wonderfully familiar voice. 'Hey!' 'Hi!' Harry said automatically, turning around and literally pushing Ron so that he could make space for Ginny on his left. Ginny sat down, and helped herself to some toast and marmalade. What was he supposed to do now? Ron and Hermione were sitting right there... maybe he could ask her to a walk near the lake and... spontaneously kiss her? Should he stand up here right now and confess his undying love? Harry didn't realize he had actually half-risen from his seat until he heard Ron. 'What happened, Harry?' he asked with an amused note in his voice. 'Uh, no-nothing. I just- er- wanted some more juice,' he said, quickly taking the jug and pouring some juice into his glass so that no one would be able to see the blush forming on his face. He looked at Ginny out of the corner of his eye. She was looking really pretty, as she always did. She had tied her beautiful, long hair in a high pony and used an emerald green barrette clip to fasten them. Had he ever noticed how her hair turned hundreds of different shades during the day? Oh, well, he probably had, seeing that he had spent almost all Quidditch practices staring at her flaming hair. He heard Ron cough faintly and was recalled to his surroundings. None of his companions were talking, and Ron was looking at him with an half-amused, half-incredulous expression. Ron and Hermione then shared a look and grinned. Harry fervently hoped that the eye-catching was simply because they had sorted out their feelings for each other or something and were going off to find a nice, quiet broom cupboard, and not because they had noticed his obvious attraction towards Ginny. 'Come on, Ron,' said Hermione, taking Ron by the arm. 'You've finished breakfast, haven't you? You really have to complete that essay on Befuddlement Potions for Professor Slughorn.' To Harry's astonishment, Ron didn't argue and went up after Hermione. However, what astonished Harry even more was that Ron winked at him before going. Thinking it was only a trick of the light, he went back to wondering about how to ask Ginny out. Ginny broke the silence first. 'Have you heard about the recent development in the Holyhead Harpies team?' 'Why, what happened?' Ginny went off explaining Harry about their exchange players with Puddlemere United, and how this wouldn't be really good for the team. Harry heard her speak, admiring how her freckles highlighted her bright eyes, and breathing in the intoxicating flowery smell he had come to associate with Ginny. He vaguely registered feeling something wet in his elbow, and was shocked to see Ginny gripping his arm. Feeling goosebumps erupt in the arm which Ginny was holding, he looked at her. She was looking like she was suppressing a grin. 'Harry... you put your elbow in the butter dish...' Horrorstruck, Harry looked at his elbow, and sure enough, it was covered in butter, and hovering inches above the butter dish. Suddenly, Harry vividly remembered something very similar happening in the summer before his second year. Well, Karma had struck. He looked at Ginny once again, ignoring the blush creeping, once again, onto his face. She was smiling now, and suddenly, Harry wanted nothing more than to kiss her. Before he could act on that impulse, however, the bell rang loudly. 'See you later, Harry,' said Ginny, who was still smiling, but look slightly confused. Harry thought he saw a faint blush on her cheeks too.

*wrings hands nervously* How is it?

[krakenbait]

kraken bait 3: the moment of truth

the moment is finally upon us! no, not the actual expansion draft, that’s in 10 days. i mean my last (but best) installment of the kraken bait expansion draft theories! 

this has been a long, long work in progress, basically since i posted the last one. i’ve asked nearly every hockey fan i know, as well as randomly messaging several friends and cool people on hockeyblr, for their ideas and opinions on their favorite team’s expansion draft situation. and as with my previous lists, i had my friend and capfriendly consultant corwin (@chaos-hockey) collaborating with me to make this semi-reasonable (largely against their wishes). i’ll be including commentary from myself and my variety of sources with each pick. 

for reference, this is a somewhat plausible look at who seattle might take in the expansion draft. it’s not a prediction, because even i don’t honestly think the kraken will take some of these players, but it’s a fun simulation. it does follow expansion draft rules, and even comes under the cap (which took some last-minute finagling by me and corwin).

without further ado, let’s get into it! this list got long, so it’s all under the cut.

Anaheim Ducks: Haydn Fleury

this one comes straight from resident danton heinen fan, ergo ducks fan @dantonheinens, so thanks for your help casey! they sent me a very detailed explanation of anaheim’s expansion draft situation basically explaining that there’s a whole lot of “ands, ifs, or buts” with the ducks, but if fleury is exposed, he’s a slam dunk (slam duck? i’m sorry)

Arizona Coyotes: Christian Fischer

the one thing i know about this dude is he got wrecked in a fight with nathan mackinnon in the 2020 playoffs. this is the first of several picks on this list i borrowed from The Athletic’s mock expansion drafts, which happens if i don’t know the team and i don’t know anyone else who does. corwin and i also considered taking adin hill from the yotes, but we decided on some other goalies instead (stay tuned).

Boston Bruins: Jeremy Lauzon

i have a lot of friends who are bruins fans, so credits are owed to: corwin, casey again, alex (@patron-saint-of-boston-hockey) & luna (@kureally) & any other bruins fans in the nwhl discord, and my irl bruins friends. i got a lot of opinions on the bruins pick, including jake debrusk, jakub zboril, connor clifton, and trent frederic. but the one name almost everyone could agree on was lauzon. therefore, i’ve decided he’s headed to seattle. 

(it feels worth it to mention that at the prospect of having to take someone from the bruins, corwin said “curses be upon your name!” in an aggressively thick boston accent)

Buffalo Sabres: Rasmus Asplund

i could not tell you who this is, other than the fact that he’s one of buffalo’s three rasmuses (rasmi?). corwin and i had also talked about maybe putting anders bjork here, like i did in the last go-around, but i defaulted to The Athletic this time, and they thought asplund was a good pick, so here we are.

Calgary Flames: Mark Giordano

another pick borrowed from The Athletic, but i’ve seen predictions of giordano to the kraken a fair amount. it just seems right (and a whole lot better than corwin’s proposition of matthew tkachuk from last round).

Carolina Hurricanes: Brady Skjei

this one comes from the lovely @summerteukka, so thank you kinga! she gave me a very good rundown on the canes and the expansion draft, with the conclusion being the canes have so much defensive depth that it’s definitely going to be a defenseman, and especially if they resign dougie hamilton, skjei seems to be a likely choice. i’m all for it- we’ll have “an S and a K and a J all next to each other” on a kraken jersey.

Chicago: Adam Gaudette

similarly to the arizona pick, corwin and i considered a goalie here- in this case, it would have been malcolm subban. but he is not one of the goalies we ended up going for. instead, we opted on bringing micaela gaudette and her husband back to the pacific northwest. 

Colorado Avalanche: Ryan Graves

this is really a no-brainer. gravy is a good defenseman, but the avs have such a strong defense between cale makar, devon toews, and sam girard (and you could add erik johnson when he’s healthy), plus up-and-comers like bo byram. gravy will almost definitely be exposed, and i think he’s a great pick for seattle. plus it’s relatively painless for avs fans who also will like seattle (like yours truly).

(corwin also wanted me to mention that they want gravy traded to the bruins so he can play with curtis hall, who is basically “color-swapped ryan graves”)

Columbus Blue Jackets: Dean Kukan

another pick taken right from The Athletic. i do not know who this is, but he’s a defenseman and the writers liked this pick so i went with it. for the record, corwin really wanted this pick to be boone jenner because he has a funky name, but i wanted another defenseman, so the fun name was sacrificed for function.

Dallas Stars: Jason Dickinson

i don’t really have an explanation for this one. corwin and i were talking about the stars options and picking dickinson just felt right.

Detroit Red Wings: Vladislav Namestnikov

thanks are owed here to joce (@doubleminor) for her red wings expertise! she gave me a few players who were likely kraken bait and i picked from there. it came down to evgeny svechnikov and vladislav namestnikov, but i went with namestnikov in the end. he was with the avs for a brief period and i liked him then, plus the vibes just seem right, so here we are.

Edmonton Oilers: Tyson Barrie

really, tyson barrie was the player who started the whole kraken bait thing. corwin made the drawing, i made the first list, and the rest is history. do i actually think tyson will be going to the kraken in a week? not really. do i still really like the idea of it? 100%. therefore, i will continue to engage in my “tyson barrie to seattle” nonsense.

Florida Panthers: Chris Driedger

oh look, our first goalie! florida had some interesting skater options, but when it came down to it, corwin and i thought the cats were a good place to take a goalie from. driedger did pretty well this season, plus the panthers’ goalie situation is locked up between $10 million man bobrovsky and future star spencer knight.

Los Angeles Kings: Viktor Arvidsson

corwin was feeling pretty strong about this one, so i’m trusting their judgement. according to them, seattle expressed interest in arvidsson, so nashville traded him to the kings instead of giving him up for nothing. now the kings get to give him up for nothing, which works out pretty well, considering i had absolutely no clue who to pick from the kings. 

Minnesota Wild: Matt Dumba

like some other picks, this just seems right. i like matt dumba a lot. he seems like a fun and wholesome guy, and his activism, both on his own and with the hockey diversity alliance, is admirable. i hope he gets to display his personality and keep working to better the sport of hockey with the kraken.

Montreal Canadiens: Jake Allen

goalie number two! picking a player from the habs was weird because i got attached to them during the playoffs, but i really don’t know many of their players? so corwin and i deliberated on this a little, and after looking at our goalie situation, decided that allen was the right pick from montreal. 

Nashville Predators: Calle Jarnkrok

after doing art for and getting a featured article from the preds, corwin thinks they’re some kind of nashville expert. i originally had matt duchene here, but corwin said not him. their logic? they did art of duchene for their preds project, so they probably want to keep him around. fair point. so we went with calle jarnkrok. the logic behind that choice was simple: “calle jarn-kraken”

New Jersey Devils: Andreas Johnsson

i wish i kept a counter of how many times corwin told me “ron francis doesn’t care about your feelings!” when we were discussing the devils pick. they kept advocating for either nate bastian or mikey mcleod, but i would not stand for the superbuddies being separated. this is my kraken bait list, so my decisions. i asked a few of my devils friends for their input (props to sabs @jakejuentzel and h @bigmouthnatebastian), and in between the mild panic, andreas johnsson got tossed out. therefore, it’s mango getting shipped to seattle. does it further lower the average age of the devils? yeah, but it’ll be fine! the nhl could use some youthful chaos.

New York Islanders: Jordan Eberle

all of my kraken bait ideas for the isles came from the bardown breakdown podcast (a great listen if you like hockey and pop-punk/punk music!), since both hosts are isles fans. they had a few names tossed out, including josh bailey and casey cizikas, but corwin and i decided on eberle. like with a lot of these, right vibes.

New York Rangers: Kevin Rooney

i’ve seen two names pretty consistently for rangers kraken bait: colin blackwell and kevin rooney. is blackwell is better and therefore the more likely pick? yes. but kevin rooney is a former devil and also mocked tom wilson, so i voted he gets to go seattle.

Ottawa Senators: Chris Tierney

i don’t think i could name more than three, maybe four players on the sens, so i defaulted to The Athletic on this one. i have no idea who chris tierney is, but it works, so there we go.

Philadelphia Flyers: James Van Riemsdyk

@phillyjoel left some fantastic notes on the flyers kraken bait in the tags of my last list, giving me good evidence to tell corwin that for the last time, nolan patrick is not kraken bait. the argument i saw was that the flyers are probably going to trade patrick instead of giving him up for nothing and make cap space by giving away van riemsdyk or voracek. The Athletic liked the van riemsdyk pick, and corwin could live with it, so that’s where we settled.

Pittsburgh Penguins: Zach Aston-Reese

i honestly don’t have a whole lot of explanation for this one. another pick borrowed from The Athletic, corwin and i liked it, there we go. we considered going with kris letang, but the vibes weren’t right.

San Jose Sharks: Ryan Donato

shoutout to my sharks friend and amazing artist K (@18minutemajor) for their help! i originally had brent burns in this slot, on K’s suggestion (we had a fantastic exchange about brent burns befriending bigfoot). however, i ran into last-minute cap trouble and had to switch the pick. ryan donato came from The Athletic, but i think it’s kind of a fun pick. he’s been passed between a few teams recently, but most of what i know of ryan donato comes from the 2018 olympics (aka the first time i really watched hockey!), when he was apparently doing pretty well for team usa. 

St. Louis Blues: Vince Dunn

thank you @powerblais (and the blues fans group chat) for your input on this one! vince dunn was one of the names on the list erin sent me, and The Athletic also had him listed, so we went with it. 

Tampa Bay Lightning: Blake Coleman

thanks @heddy for responding to my out-of-the-blue message with some good input on the bolts! ana gave me some good suggestions like tyler johnson plus something else so they take on the contract, alex killorn, and ondrej palat. in the end, this devils fan defaulted to pickles. this pick is in the same category as tyson barrie- do i actually think coleman is going to the kraken? not really. do i still like the idea? absolutely.

Toronto Maple Leafs: Travis Dermott

borrowed from The Athletic and some other kraken bait predictions, because everyone has something to say about the leafs. corwin and i waffled between dermott and alexander kerfoot for this pick, but we eventually settled on dermott to seattle.

Vancouver Canucks: Madison Bowey

this pick changed so much in just one day. we originally had braden holtby here because original kraken bait, but then i ran into cap trouble. so i switched it to zack macewen, following a pick by The Athletic. but then i wanted one or two more defensemen, so i switched to madison bowey, who was the other pick from The Athletic. after all that, it seems like the right pick.

Washington Capitals: Vitek Vanecek

our third and final goalie! corwin and i had our eyes on vanecek as kraken bait for a while- a young goalie with promise and room to improve seemed like the right pick for seattle. we briefly considered tj oshie--he’s from washington state, and corwin wanted to upset caps fans (we were talking during the first round of the playoffs)--but ended up back with vanecek as our pick.

Winnipeg Jets: Mason Appleton

last pick of the list! not much to say here, though. it’s a pick borrowed from The Athletic, but we went with him over the other option from the jets because he has a fun name. to quote corwin, mason appleton sounds like “an apple pie in a mason jar on skates.”

and there you have it folks, the final kraken bait list! if you want to know the specifics, we’ve got 3 goalies, 16 forwards, and 11 defensemen, and the total cap hit is 76.4M. i’m pretty doubtful that this will be the actual expansion draft lineup, but we’ll have to see how many, if any, picks corwin and i got right. 

thanks again to everyone who helped me out, and i hope you enjoyed the chaos and commentary of the kraken bait lists!

[babytarttdoodoo]

kind of a rouge prompt idea but “i just told a story at work about my childhood that i thought was really funny but now everyone is super quiet and someone said i’m so sorry” but it’s jamie + the team edition. like he talks about a traumatising James Thing and has no idea how horrifying it is until they’re all like …… wtf

love your writing! <3

Thanks for the prompt (and the lovely compliment)!

I’ll preface this by saying I have next to no knowledge of dentistry and you should not assume any medical assertions made here are correct.

((I also feel like I should add that I finished this one off while more than a little tipsy.))

Enjoy the himbo chaos.

(Prompt Fill Masterpost)

—

“Ay, dios mio, it was terrifying.” Dani put an emphatic hand to his chest. “Earl. He still haunts me.”

“Thought you were over that, bruv.” Isaac frowned up at him from his usual spot on the locker bench.

“On the pitch, yes. But at night…” Dani shook his head mournfully. “I have dreams of being chased in the dark. I know it is him.”

“I used to have dreams like that.” Colin piped up, pausing in tying his laces and looking haunted. “‘Cept it was my nana chasing me, on her mobility scooter.”

A few people sniggered and Isaac clapped Colin’s shoulder. “That’s fucked up.”

“I never remember my dreams,” Sam mused. “But I have always been a very deep sleeper. My father says I was the envy of all other parents when I was a baby.”

“I have only ever had one nightmare.” Richard declared. “All of my beautiful little teeth fell out of my mouth and I was ugly. Who will kiss me if I have no teeth?”

“Who’s losing teeth?” Jamie asked, joining the conversation from the doorway with a furrowed brow.

“We are discussing nightmares,” Jan explained matter-of-factly, then turned back to Richard. “Dreams about losing teeth are commonly attributed to stress.”

Jamie shook his head, still looking confused.

“Nah, don’t get that one, mate. Your dentist can just stick ‘em right back in, can’t they?”

That sparked a round of horrified protests and Jamie flapped his hands like a conductor to quiet the rabble.

“Eh, eh, I’m right!”

“Actually…” Sam held up his phone, open on an NHS webpage. “Jamie is correct.”

The locker room erupted into disgust and outrage while Jamie grinned smugly and tipped his I,COG cap to Sam for the assist.

“Hold on, how did you know that?” Isaac demanded, staring at Jamie like he had two heads. That quietened the team a little as heads swivelled in Jamie’s direction.

“Knocked two of ‘em out when I were, like, 10.” He shrugged and tapped a fingernail against one of his front teeth in demonstration. “Mum’s friend were a dental nurse. Told her to put them in some milk and take me to hospital.”

“You were very lucky.” Sam commented, still scrolling through the information he had found. “A significant gap in your teeth can lead to premature ageing.”

“And what a tragedy that would have been, eh?” Jamie beamed, gesturing to his face. “To think I might have deprived the world of this top tier mug.”

Other players groaned and laughed, a few tossing socks or discarded shirts in Jamie’s direction while he ducked, sniggering.

“How do you know they gave you your real teeth back?” Bumbercatch questioned, with an air that suggested great suspicion of the dentistry profession as a whole.

Jamie considered that. “Fair point,” he conceded. “They feel like mine, though.”

“Wait, how do you even manage to lose two teeth at once?” Colin interjected, muffled by his fingers as he prodded his own mouth in confusion. “I’ve never lost any after my baby teeth.”

“Took a snooker cue to the face.” The team winced as a collective and Jamie nodded sagely. “Were pretty grim. Blood all over the pub floor and everything.”

“You were 10?” Thierry clarified, face scrunched up. “Do kids normally get into bar fights here?”

“Well, yeah, s’pose not.” Jamie shuffled in place, suddenly looking a bit uncomfortable. “Weren’t a fight so much. Dad took me in to watch a match and it all kicked off a bit.”

An uneasy quiet overtook the general hubbub and more than one face went stony at that revelation.

“Mate.” Jeff looked like he’d rather not be the one probing further, but had bitten the bullet anyway. “Your, uh, your dad wasn’t the one with the pool cue, was he?”

“Eh…” Jamie glanced around the room before answering. “Well, yeah. He was. But I’m, like, 90% sure it were an accident.”

Chaos detonated like a bomb.

Isaac and Richard jumped to their feet, one cursing in French, the other demanding to know how long it would take to get to Manchester. Colin seemed to be googling train times.

Dani had taken to rifling through his bag, looking for god knows what, and Thierry was strapping on his mask like it was war paint (he didn’t even need it anymore, he just liked looking scary).

Jan was a terrifyingly silent pillar in the middle of the storm and Sam… Well, Sam looked like he had been gutted.

“OI!” Roy’s bellow commanded immediate silence, players freezing mid-shout. He was framed by the door to the coaches’ office, arms crossed and typical glare set in place. “What the fuck is going on out here?”

“Close ranks!” Jamie all but squeaked, invoking a hallowed, sacred vow from the team to collectively shut the fuck up.

All eyes turned to Issac who, as captain, had the final say.

On balance, he decided it was probably best that their new manager didn’t get arrested for murder before the season even got underway.

“Agreed.” he finally acquiesced and the whole room affirmed their compliance sullenly. It just wasn’t worth the forfeit to cave in under Roy’s (very effective) glare.

“... right then.” Roy finally allowed, still looking at them all suspiciously. “Then get out on the pitch and stop wasting our time.”

Everyone clamoured towards the tunnel, eager to escape the intense atmosphere. All except Jamie, who was still hurriedly pulling on his kit.

He tried not to seize up when Roy sidled over.

“You’ll tell me later.”

It wasn’t phrased as a question and Jamie knew better than to take it as one. He slumped in defeat.

“Yeah. Probably.”

[bellascarousel]

The Second Annual Bridgerton Family Pall Mall Game

Day 7 of Kathony week. Prompt: There Is No "I" in Team. I know I didn't participate for the past 4 days. Muse refused to cooperate. I may come back and write those, later.

Kate and Anthony's competitiveness takes a turn for the interesting during a game of pall mall, leading to Anthony doing something nobody would have expected.

Anthony took his pocket watch out and looked at it for possibly the tenth time that afternoon. He sighed then looked over at his wife. “Where in the world is your sister?”

“My guess would actually be stalling. Hoping that if she’s late enough, we’ll just start without her.”

He shook his head, not sure he wanted to know what was going on in his sister-in-law’s head. “We are not going to start without her. The whole point of the second annual Bridgerton family pall mall game is to have a rematch. It hardly counts as a rematch if we don’t have the same players. Besides, why would she stall to try to get out of playing?” He couldn’t fathom it. Granted, Edwina didn’t seem to care for how competitive the others got during the last game. His first sign that she was perhaps not really the woman he should be pursuing. After all, her fitting in with his family had been one of his requirements. And Edwina didn’t. Not the way Kate did. He gave his wife a soft smile.

“Honestly, Anthony. She didn’t particularly want to play last year, either. I think she did it more because she was afraid that if she didn’t play, I wouldn’t either. I don’t think she realized that I was quite interested in playing and was hoping she wouldn’t because I wanted to keep her away from you.”

He frowned at that. “And why was she so concerned about getting you to play?”

Kate laughed and held up her left hand. “My guess would be because of this.”

“You mean to tell me that the entire time I thought that I was courting Edwina, she was playing matchmaker for me and you?”

“Complaining?”

Anthony’s response was to take her into his arms and kiss her, propriety be damned. It was just his family, after all. He rested his hand on her belly, that had just started to swell from the child she was carrying. “Not at all. At least, not in hindsight. But, I have to admit that I would probably have been upset had I known it at the time.”

There was the sound of someone gagging behind him. “Can you two go be disgustingly in love somewhere else, where the rest of us don’t have to watch it?”

“Maybe you should find a wife of your own, Colin. Then you might not feel the need to complain about other people’s relationships.” He finally saw Edwina slowly making her way over to them, and he turned to where the mallets were stacked up. And frowned again. “Where is the mallet of death?”

Colin shrugged, holding up the yellow mallet. “Don’t look at me. It wasn’t there when I got this.”

Kate and Daphne both shrugged, with empty hands. And neither his wife or his sister would bother to hide it if they had his mallet. Anthony’s eyes narrowed as he turned on his brother-in-law. “You have my lucky mallet.”

“I believe it’s my lucky mallet, this year. It served Kate well in our last game, after all.”

Anthony glared at him, then turned his glare on his wife when he heard her giggling. “Well, I am not going to be pink, again.” He reached down and grabbed the orange mallet.

Kate just shrugged and picked up the pink one. “Fine. I will. Blue or green, Daphne?”

“I’ll be green. Since Edwina is playing under protest, just to make you two idiots happy, we might as well let her have the blue. I understand it’s her favorite color?”

Kate smiled at her. “It is. And thank you. That is very sweet of you.”

Edwina caught up with them, then, and Daphne handed her the blue mallet. “We saved this for you. Though, if you want to trade, I believe that anybody except Simon would be willing to.”

“No, blue is my favorite. Thank you for saving it for me.”

Anthony rolled his eyes. “All right, let’s get started. Simon? I believe you start, old man.” His brother-in-law glared at him, then took his turn. Anthony and Colin followed. But, as Kate was lining up her shot, Anthony walked back over to her. “Are you really sure you feel up to playing? I don’t want you to hurt the baby.”

“Funny, I don’t recall you being this concerned for me, last year.”

Kate giggled. “I think he’s actually more worried that I’m going to tire myself out. But, he’s hardly going to actually say that. So, he has to disguise it as concern for the baby.”

Daphne stared at them for a minute, then mimicked Colin’s gagging noise. “I really didn’t need to hear that. That is my brother you’re talking about. ”

Kate just laughed and took her shot, landing near Anthony’s ball. Though not as close as she had been after their first turn last year. This time he wouldn’t be able to hit her ball down the hill. At least, not on his next turn. He fully believed that his chance to annoy his wife was coming.

An hour later, and things were looking eerily familiar. Kate and Anthony stood at the bottom of the hill, staring at the pall mall balls that were almost touching. And knowing that there was no way either of them were going to get back into the game. “Well, dear. It seems that we have a few choices, here.”

Anthony looked up at Kate. “And what would those choices be?”

“We can concede defeat and give up on the game entirely. We can still play until one of the others wins and ends the game. Or, we could make things interesting.”

Anthony had started to scoff at Kate’s suggestion that they concede defeat. They were both too competitive for that. There might not be any chance of either of them actually winning, but that didn’t mean they weren’t going to try. Kate was obviously only suggesting that for the sake of listing all possible options. But, it was when she suggested making things interesting that he turned to her, intrigued. “And how would we do that?”

“A wager, between the two of us. Neither of us is going to win this game. That much is obvious. But, there is no reason not to wager on beating each other.”

“So, we finish the game, even though we’re going to come in fifth and sixth?” At Kate’s nod, he continued. “And what do you have in mind as our wager?”

The look she gave him made his body tighten with need. “The winner gets to tie the loser to the bed, tonight.”

Anthony choked. That was certainly the last thing he was expecting. Though, he realized that he should have expected the wager to involve the bedroom. Once the queasiness had passed, Kate had become even more amorous than she had been before getting with child. A development he never would have thought possible.

She held her hand out. “So, Lord Bridgerton? Is it a bet?”

“We can hardly seal this particular bet with a handshake, Lady Bridgerton. A handshake is far too civilized.” He pulled her into his arms and kissed her deeply. Several minutes later, he pulled away. “It’s a bet.”

Colin came running to the top of the hill. “Simon just went. Your turn, Anthony.”

Anthony looked down at the balls at his feet. Then up the hill to where the next wicket was. Then at his wife. Then he glanced at the lake out of the corner of his eye. There was no way to make it look like a miscalculation. He looked at Kate, again. And decided that he really didn’t care if she knew what he was up to. He shifted, lined up his shot, ignoring the shocked look on Kate’s face as she realized what he was about to do. And then he sent his ball sailing straight into the lake.

Kate gasped. And Colin crowed. “Anthony Bridgerton! Did you really just throw the game? I never thought I would see the day.”

“He did what, now?” Daphne appeared next to Colin, staring at Anthony incredulously. “What in the world could possibly make you throw a game of pall mall?”

Anthony shrugged and looked over at Kate. “My wife made me an offer I couldn’t refuse.”

His sister looked back and forth between them for a minute. “You know what? I don’t want to know.” She gave him a wicked grin. “I do remember that stage, after all.” And then she disappeared, dragging Colin along behind her.

Anthony turned to Kate who was still staring at him, shocked. “I think that perhaps next year we should rethink our bet.”