#I have never dated any one

[poettheythem]

A Shoebox Covered with Little Pink Hearts

Do you remember being a little kid and doing Valentines day

Making a shoebox covered in little pink hearts and stickers

Buying cards with your favorite characters on them

And little candies taped to each one

Going around the classroom dropping valentines into each box

And seeing who passed out the coolest cards.

But now you aren't a little kid

You don't get to make a shoebox with a little slit for cards

Covered in little pink hearts and stickers

You have to be in love

And give roses and chocolate and go out to dinner

I miss it, the shoe boxes

My valentines for my best friends and theirs to me

The love of little kids and friendships that last years beyond

Or the love that fades after a month

All dropped into a silly little shoebox

Now the love has to shown in a different way

A way I don't have

All I have is my shoebox covered in little pink hearts

#poetry #original poem #valentines #I hope yall like this #I like making poems but don't do them too much #especially cause school sucks #but here it is #I have never dated any one #And dating in my community is hard #people are very complicated about queer people #even if they're not homophobic lots of people don't see me as an option #But i miss it for your friends so much #I remember to this day who had the best cards

[sp0o0kylights]

I saw a video today that said, “It’s very uncomfortable as an adult when your friend starts to date somebody who sucks, and you’re all looking at each other going ‘Guys, if this is the person who makes them happy…I think collectively as a unit we can agree that we would rather see them sad. So what's the plan?’” 

And immediately went: modern Steddie AU were Steve dates his high school friend Tommy and everyone is tearing their hair out over how awful he’s being treated. 

Ft. the Party, led by Dustin, hounding Eddie “I could get a man in a SECOND, I just CHOOSE not to date” Munson for help

However:

Eddie is mostly thinking the entire thing is a joke (King Steve and Tommy Hagan? Gay? Together?? Nice try Henderson.) until he runs into Robin. She laments that yeah, they’re bi, but more importantly, Tommy is fucking awful and Steve refuses to see it. 

2. Eddie, maybe, kind of, still has a crush on Steve ("Stop laughing Gareth, everyone has--had! Had a crush on him!") and the guy was never THAT bad in high school---but Tommy Hagan definitely was and a little revenge would be fun.

and finally;

3. Instead of going with the kids' well intentioned but very misguided “Let’s get Eddie to Steal Steve” plan, Eddie meets up with the Robin/Nancy/Jonathan/Argyle/Chrissy dream team to figure out how to prove to Steve that Tommy is horrible. 

Bonus: Robin and Nancy come up with a full proof multi step plan that involves Eddie pissing off Tommy in ways that look completely innocent. The hope is that Steve will see how controlling and unreasonable Tommy is, and break it off.

This hurts no one and just highlights to Steve Tommy's behavior.

Of course, Eddie goes off the rails immediately upon meeting Steve.

Instead of following The Plan, he, with the kids permission and help, gets Tommy to get blow up about THEM.

This is far more successful.

Bonus x2: A large amount of shenanigan's with the kids vs Tommy are involved. As is a scene were Steve breaks down and admits he knows Tommy is terrible, but Tommy puts up with him and Steve "knows how he is."

Eddie goes home, prints out a picture of Tommy and throws cheap ren fair daggers at it for at least three solid hours while he tries to think up ways to prove to Steve Harrington that his parents are wrong, hes very lovable actually.

In fact Eddie would very much like a shot at trying it out, thanks!

(It is also, inevitably, successful.)

#steddie #modern meet cute #SOMEONE TAKE IT FROM ME I CANT HAVE ANOTHER WIP #also I personally am very picky about fake dating tropes or “stealing” tropes #cause you cant steal a person #but also #the trope is naturally exploitative and thats hard to do right #not to say I havent seen people do it WELL cause I have #just that its a hard one for me personally #anyway #Eddie munson #steve harrington #tommy hagan #stranger things #Eddie is a gremlin whose been on all of two dates and had three hookups but hes never telling the children that #angsty #so desperate for love Ill take any scraps I can get Steve Harrington #is a personal favorite of mine #and not in that whiny way #I mean in a realistic way #homeboy out here knowing that half of what he says is stupid but he believes it anyway and has a lot of issues from his parents #so you have to DRAG this shit out of him #or if youre Robin you dont HAVE too but Steves excellent at dodging #excuse making #and generally making everyone think hes making sane decisions #he is not #eddie clocks this instantly lol

[cerise-on-top]

hey AleRudy poly anon again!!

your girl is going through it :( So I was wondering if I could request Alejandro and Rudy (together) x a reader who is insecure about their baby face? It’s been hard lately and it doesn’t help with the fact I haven’t had a date before.

thank you!! Your blogs help me so much!!

I wasn't sure if you wanted your blog to be public since you forgot to go anonymous in the second ask, so I cropped your name out, I hope that's alright with you! Besides, anon, you're drop dead gorgeous! You're adorable to no end and I can assure you one day you'll find someone who will go through quicksand just to be able to go on a date with you! Just give it some more time!

AleRudy with a Babyfaced Reader

If I were you, I’d advise to not voice your discomfort with your baby face to these two men, neither of them take too kindly to you beating yourself up over something that is neither your fault, nor something that you can change just like that. However, if you want to be cheered up a bit, reassured that you’re beautiful, regardless of what may be, then go right ahead, tell them that you aren’t satisfied with the way you look. If anyone ever tells you to your face that you aren’t pretty then you have Alejandro and Rodolfo at your side, willing to defend you and your beauty. While Rodolfo may not be as confrontational normally, usually letting some things slide for the sake of being left alone, he will fight whoever dares to make a mean comment about you. You’re the most beautiful person on this planet along with Alejandro, so naturally he will settle for nothing less than the truth. Alejandro will just straight up challenge anyone who’s mean to you to a fight. He’s a heated sort of person, so it’s not too hard to rile him up. It’s usually Alejandro taking it up with whoever said you weren’t pretty while Rodolfo comforts you in the back. Sometimes the two of you watch a colonel beat up some no one, though. It’s fun, I promise, because Alejandro doesn’t hold back when it comes to you. Even if his knuckles end up bloody, he will fight for you.

If you’re just feeling down about your face in general, then the two of them will comfort you to the best of their abilities. Generally speaking, Alejandro sometimes gets cuteness aggression when you or Rodolfo are being especially adorable. This includes, but is not limited to: The both of you focusing on a video game, smiling at some cute animal videos or just existing in general. If he can, then he will squish your face. Don’t worry, he’s gentle with you, but it might hurt ever so slightly nevertheless if he gets carried away. Squeezes you, squishes you, pulls your face, pinches your cheeks. all the while cooing at you about how adorable you are and how lucky he is to have such a cool and awesome and gorgeous partner. He will pepper your face in kisses as well all the while he’s doing so because he just can’t hold back. Why would or should he? It’s you we’re talking about, and you deserve to feel loved and appreciated.

Rodolfo goes about it in a different way: He’ll have you internalize some compliments whenever you’re feeling down. Or on the daily. Doesn’t matter if you believe them just yet, you will eventually. Even if it’s just a simple “I look really cute today”, it suffices for him. Besides, if you’re ever in need of ideas as to what you could be internalizing for the day, just ask him or Alejandro, they have a lot of good things to say about you. You can also expect a sweet little kiss from him for every self compliment you’ve made. Or maybe a hug. Maybe five minutes of cuddles as well. He wants you to associate being confident and loving yourself with good things, so naturally he’s going to reward you somehow. It might be hard at first, but you’ll get there eventually, you will end up loving yourself in your entirety, that’s his and Alejandro’s mission. And throughout it all, the both of them will support you, no matter what.

#cod #cod x reader #alejandro vargas #alejandro vargas x reader #rodolfo parra #rodolfo parra x reader #alerudy #alerudy x reader #I've never been good at comforting someone but I hope these can help you at least somewhat #anon these two men would fight the entire world just to be with you trust me on that one I know them personally #don't feel too down about never having had a date before. neither have I. but someone out there will go on a date with you #besides don't ever let anyone tell you that you aren't gorgeous and don't deserve the best #those sorts of people deserve to get stung by bees and wasps and are not worth your time in the slightest #I hope I'm not overstepping any boundaries here but I do mean what I'm saying #you're beautiful. you're adorable and you deserve the absolute best in the whole entire world #and I do hope it will come to you someday!

[ghostlyswamp]

I really like Alex’s final heart event. I’ve seen some people be upset that he takes $5,000 of your money to make something for the bar but he asks first and isn’t hiding it from you, he is actually excited to show you so it doesn’t bother me. But I like it because, if you marry him, he says he doesn’t have a lot of friends and didn’t know what would have happened if the farmer hadn’t moved in. I’m happy he gets to socialize with people who are not just me and our children. He gets to make friends. I’m also he happy he found something to do that isn’t just staring at the wall or the ugly furniture he bought. I feel kinda bad leaving the spouses all day but this way he has people to talk to and things to do!

#stardew valley #stardew valley alex #sdv #sdv alex #alex stardew valley #to be fair I have only gotten to the final heart event with Haley #and Alex but they #are my favourites and I can’t bring myself to be interested enough in any of the other characters to marry them #I think I like those two bc of their development and story and while I like the others I’m not interested enough #to be more then their friends #like Sam is one of my favs but I’ve never married or dated him

[lunarharp]

into the deep end - 30k T orufrey fic, focusing on memory trauma, disability, and romance.

the sweet oblivion of the victim, the poisoned freedom of the other.

for one moment - it had felt like two parts returned - the needed reunion of two disparate halves. no more secrets, no more pain.

the moment you get to give back what you never wanted to take. that moment, under the night-blooming flowers, when they had both let out the same single broken sigh of relief.

but they were never whole to begin with, were they?

qifrey swore he wouldn't say 'sorry' to this man any more if he could help it - sorry is cheap now. he didn't want to be in a position ever again where you only have 'sorry' left. so he just looks down into the threads of his blanket, strains his eye until it hurts, feeling his insides - his throat, heart and head - burn with pain. he expects more, but olly says nothing.

olly says nothing.

#witch hat tag #orufrey #sorry i wanted to make a new post for my fic since the first illustration is new. #*stands in the middle of a desolate field in the pouring rain* Please Read My Tale...Blease..Oh god please..*collapses to the ground* #someone asked if there's spoilers in it. Um...yes. Sorry...it's about everything #maybe i should describe it more? it's about qifrey becoming more and more disabled - as i feel is his canon trajectory #and both of them processing the choices that have been made. it was necessary for me to explore this in order to fully understand orufrey #and for them to have the cathartic conclusion-that's why this is important to me for my witch hat fanwork making life. this connects it all #and having dived into qifrey's mind and lived through oru's feelings i was able to get to a place that is possible for them. #the hit/kudos ratio is so pathetic idek what happened. ppl opening it realising its long and saving it for later or just bailing lmfao #idek any more i hate advertising my writing i hate trying to get more ppl to read my long fics it's so hard 🥲 #i'm so much prouder of this than my art...i was able to sink deeply into the orufrey feelings i had always wanted to fully explore #so. it's there lol.........i reread the date/kiss segment today after trying to forget about it thinking maybe the fic is just BAD lol #and like.....nope! i like it very much and this is what i was trying to get across. and it's always there to be read by anyone who wants to #and i will always remember the bliss i felt while writing when i was just lost in their world and living as them. dear GOD i love them. #i'm grateful to myself that i put in the work and love to make this so that i can always come back to it. i wanna illustrate scenes properly #but i'm never satisfied with drawing things i've written because i just can't capture the vivid experience in my mind. maybe one day.

[july-19th-club]

i think the funniest neal relationship is when he's dating sara because 90% of it is 'we both like to be dressed to the nines at all hours of the day and night, we should fuck about it' and the instant they have any disagreement whatsoever they're like oh right our expensive and impractical taste in clothing is the only thing we have in common

#she was like oh i want adventure so i will date a conman...wait not this much! babe stop doing art crime and just be theoretically bad! #hes like oh i have absolutely 100% moved on from the late great One Real Relationship ive ever had in my life i'm fine we're fine it's fine #sara doesn't think lunch counts as a date and he never thinks to plan real dates because he more or less counts all time spent together #and their relationship STARTS while El is telling sara how much better her and peter's lives are for having neal in them #and sara's like 'well what if i don't trust him' and El's like 'git gud i guess. i trust him with my life' #and the parallel conversation is peter gushing about how lucky in love he's been and neal going :( i dont think that's me :( #and peter going oh you just have to give it time :) you just need the right people :) you got this :) #like sara's cool but the two of them were doomed from the start as any sort of romantic partners #we did get some great leyendecker-esque scenes out of them posing in clothes though. so that was cool #white collar #q

[yaoicoreren]

<3

#riddlebat #edward nashton #fanart #digital illustration #im kinda late to the one year anniversary of the movie but ive never been any good with dates and such #like i saw people anticipating it but i still wound up doing something very last minute haha #i might print this one to sell locally but im not really hopeful that its gonna sell #im really banking on the pr/oseka prints im gonna do to finance my riddlebat dependence #i might remove the text too and do it by hand with an actual sharpie #to add to the creepy vibes #oh idk if ive said on here already this but im pretty active on insta if you want you can check that out #its the same username so it should be easy to find #have a nice day and again happy one year to these weirdos<3

[elainewellspoetry]

Playing The Part | 2.26.24 Note: This is the second poem I've written about this topic in 2 days and I'm realizing now that the reason it's been so hard to write in the past year is because I haven't been writing honestly. I was trying so fucking hard to write love poetry about a guy I wasn't into, and now I'm just speaking my feelings and it's so easy to write again.

#Just to be clear I don't hate men #I love my guy friends to death #I even find some men physically attractive #it's just that I realized the ones I find physically attractive are the good christian boys who my parents would like more than I would #and I have never been able to build a romantic attraction to any guy I've dated #but I still kept dating them because it was easier than telling my parents I liked a girl #and that's what brought us here #original poetry #poetblr #poetry #poetic #poem #elainewellspoetry #writing #poets of tumblr #my poem #spilledink #spilled ink #spilled poetry #spilled thoughts #spilled words #queer writers #sapphic #sappho #wlw #comp het #self accepectance

[girlwiththegreenhat]

i am never going to recover from the death shroud radio play actually

#liz blogs #fallout 4 #death shroud #its been in my watch later for like 3 months now and i just got around to listening to it all the way through #its got everything. its got nick valentine. it's got Funny Bits. it's got amazing universe writing. it's got a mystery. #its got nick valentine again. yes i'll mention him twice he's my peepaw :) nice old man #i should have expected That Ending with Those Voice Actors Present but i was still Unprepared for where that went #demonicae #bitch. i get it now. i get what you meant by 'it was relevant to my interest in more ways than one.' holy shit #that ending was crack to my brain i tell you #it starts like 'oh yeah thismight as WELL be canon though' and ends like 'oh my god thats so delightfully silly and fanfic-y. ... but still #-relatively in the bounds of canon even with that premise.' its good. oh my god its good #obscure videogame crack lore about glados and claptrap dating my beloved. that's the stupidest shit i ever seen (affectionate) #now THAT is a crackship. they are SO divorced #i was not ready for any of that oh my fucking GODDDDD hELP ME #also i never considered nora and danse dating but actually. thats really funny. she has a type. she just replaced her fucking husband #its basically the same guy twice.

[carnivalcarriondiscarded]

im finally going through my stuffed animals to choose which ones to donate (most of them. ive been putting this off for a long time ahaha sobs) and each webkinz i put in the box kills me inside

#THE GUILT IS EATING ME ALIVE #both a betrayal to them & my younger self #who would burst out sobbing at the mere notion of parting with a single one #and swore to themself that they'd never willingly say goodbye to any of their plushie friends #im trying to do it quickly and unemotionally but man. Man.... #clinging to my mangled toothless plush like it has any life left in it #GODDDD AND ALL THE WEBKINZ #when i was little i fucking collected them. i was obsessed. id play the online game for hours and diligently add each toy i got #some of them im not sure i can part with... #like milk the cow... dinner the turkey... white fang the husky... orchard the dragon... #ice cream the polar bear... strawberryblast the horse... kevin the bloogaloo or whatever the fuck it is... #why yes i do still remember most of my stuffed animals' names. which is making this infinitely harder #'sorry lovemuffin. sorry ellie. sorry momma dolphin. sorry snakey' etc etc #im keeping the ones with the most emotional value #like High emotional value. devastation to say goodbye level value #this box is Not Small and its still gonna get filled up.... #i havent donated or thrown away a single one in all of my years #eating glassssssss #absolutely unprompted #but it needs to be done!! i finally have a moving date! the uhaul will Be Here in like! just over two weeks! #and i've barely packed Anything!!! its crunch time babey! #its emotional turmoil of a different flavor babey!!! #now if yall will excuse me i will sit here and reminisce #of long past nights sneakily spent awake to play with my stuffed animals #oh the stories i would give them... #cooking shows... assassinations and resurrections... broken marriages.... betrayals... #white fang & milk you were my most iconic couple fr fr #badass lone wolf (husky) / easygoing sweetheart cow.... #OHHHHH THIS IS KILLING ME ITS KILLING ME #gonna go purposefully choke on my leftovers i stg-

[ihatethiswebsite77]

When will the "Cartman has a crush on Kyle, but shipping Kyman is crazy" crowd realize that they make absolutely zero sense.

Like-

IN CANON neither Cartman nor Kyle have a crush on eachother. What they do have is a deep and weird obsession with eachother. YOU are actively choosing to interpret that obsession as a crush Cartman has on Kyle, but that is not the "canon" dynamic or nature of that obsession. In the same way people who ship Kyman will interpret it as reciprocal (or maybe they won't, it depends), cause the thing is that Kyle is just as obsessed with Cartman as Cartman is with him. That's why you can interpret this dynamic as any shade from nonexistent, to one sided, to reciprocal.

If Kyle is as obsessed with Cartman as Cartman is with him, and you think that Cartman has a crush on Kyle because that's how you CHOOSE to interpret that obsesssion. Then it's just hypocritical to go off on people who use the exact same logic you did to come to that conclusion. You don't have to think of it as reciprocal, it's completely valid to see their obsession as manifesting as a crush in one and not the other, or to even see it as just obsession in both.

It's just god damn weird to be so nasty about it to other people. Both of them are obsessed with eachother in a way, and people are allowed to interpret each of their obsessions however they want. If people who ship kyman are delusional for interpreting Kyle's obsession with Cartman the same way you interpret Cartman's obsession with Kyle, then I'm afraid you are all sinking in the same boat load of delusional together.

#my personal take on this is that im a kyman “dynamic” enthusiasts #i like their canon dynamic the most but i like any interpretation that keeps it's essence as well #i also get ticked off when ppl are like “kyle would never date cartman he would be so disgusted” #and im like #ah yes as opposed to cartman who has canonically shown just an incredible desire to be in a relationship with kyle #like pls be fr cartman would have the exact same reaction to this as you think kyle would #if by some chance they do end up with crushes on eachother both of them are taking that revelation in the WORST way possible #it's NOT just kyle that would have this disturbed reaction at the thought of cartman liking him #the reality is that both of them have a weird obsessive hatred for eachother and anything you imagine beyond that is headcanon #you are just as much headcanoning cartman's obsession developing into a crush as someone who ships kyman might headcanon kyle's obsession #developing into a crush #headcanoning cartman as having a one sided crush on kyle is as much an exploration of their dynamic as having it be reciprocal is #i don't care what moral obligations you might have to that #but you are both going at this with the same logic so please refrain from digging into eachother further because it's just annoying #that's all #kyman #sp kyman #kyman discourse #eric cartman #kyle broflovski

[skunkes]

what they dont tell you about being incredibly introspective is that you'll think you're done making realizations and then you'll just make more realizations always all the time forever

#dude. guess who just found out the reason he's incapable of imagining himself in a good relationship #is bc he's never witnessed any growing up. #my parents dont have a relationship i would want #only one of my siblings is married and her husband sucks. other has never dated while ive been alive (im much younger) #+ my other sibling had. a strange relationship i wont mention details of but this was also like 5 yrs ago and he hasnt dated since #i have very few close friends and none of them dated as we grew up either #or even with some its like. i wldnt want your relationship lol... #the only Good relationships i see are online from ppl i follow. and then i cant trust em bc we only see the Good Parts #so like. do they even exist... i dont think so.... #if i wasnt starved for physical touch id consider throwing in the towel permanently #but idk maybe ill buy one of those pillows with the arms that wrap around you #and a few more **** and try and cope with it in kenland or al's farm forever #talkys #im still 100% serious about ppl who have good relationships being lucky bc i feel like #the chances of finding someone you mesh with and are attracted to and can communicate with. are so slim. #i can barely ever find someone meeting one of many requirements. i can barely make friends. etc

[athenagranted]

buddie is so fucking funny to me bc they're so ridiculously gay that even the folks on reddit can't deny it. reddit. the place where queer hcs for most shows are universally shot down and fans of gay ships are almost always called delusional....that site is the same exact site that agrees that buddie should be canon and that it would be the smartest writing decision because of the way they've been written.

#someone posted the clip of eddie's date n almost every single one of the comments were about how eddie is clearly gay 💀 #believe me when i say that i have Never seen that happen with any other fandom in my entire life but buddie is just Too much for them #buddie #911 #rae.txt

[astriiformes]

The Tendi and Rutherford fake dating episode really was one of the best things a TV show could do to cater to me, an aromantic person, because I generally do not like fake dating as a trope, but I do love taking tropes that are often considered romantic and applying them to characters who love each other platonically instead, and Lower Decks just did it so well.

The joke at the end of the episode where they're like "That was terrible, lets never do it again. Anyways" and then climb on top of each other in the Jeffries tube because they really are that close, just not in that way was such a perfect moment. They're inseparable best friends and also pretending to date each other was awful because it made them uncomfortable. And the joke for most of the episode isn't really that they are uncomfortable, it's that they're stuck in a weird contrived sitcom scenario and don't know how to get out of it.

Also I'm going to be thinking about the gag with Rutherford shouting "We got married at a wedding!" to the rest of the hotel lobby forever.

#honestly even if you've never seen an episode of star trek before lower decks is like. prime media for aces and aros #there's an episode that revolves around a character who doesn't want to have sex -- for goofy and convoluted sitcom reasons; but still #scribe and nick and i (all very ace) were hollering throughout the whole episode. it felt like we were in on the joke for once #and the two main character duos really are like. peak 'do not separate them but also they would NEVER date each other' #it's definitely one of those pieces of media where i'm like. no there aren't any canon aro or ace characters. yes it's aspec media. to me #also it's great and clever and funny and really well-written #but you know #f: space treks

[hella1975]

we may have lost another one to the bisexual hotgirl and straight loserboy agenda but trust i am fighting it comrades 🫡

#IM TRYINGGGGG. the fuck of it all is that we've been going on dates on and off for WEEKS now #and i said to him at the start im not looking for anything serious and there's a chance he might be mugging himself off #bc i am just NOT emotionally available and low and behold we were at the pub the other night and wound up having a pretty #serious talk about how ive really liked getting closer to him and i genuinely enjoy our time together but i just cant see anything #serious coming of it NOT BC OF HIM BC GENUINELY I FEEL LIKE IVE MET MY MATCH WITH THIS BOY #NO ONE IRL CAN BANTER WITH ME LIKE HE CAN AND THAT IS SUCHHH A CRUCIAL BOX TO TICK WITH ME #but i just dont think im mentally or emotionally in the place for a relationship and i dont like him ENOUGH to fight for it #like it's been v illuminating v much that 'you never realise just how mentally ill you are until you try persuing a romantic relationship' #bc DAMN. i feel insane like why cant i just be normal about things and enjoy nice things and people in my life #BUT despite me saying all this to him and TRYING NOT TO BE THE ASSHOLE he has fully admitted that he likes me SO MUCH #that he'd like to keep going on dates and stuff regardless of the end result. like he genuinely just likes my company #and will take it in any capacity he can get he literally SAID that he's whipped for me 😭 #and im like HOW DO I WIN HERE. IF I TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THAT IM AN ASSHOLE BUT CUTTING HIM OFF ISNT FAIR EITHER #AND I LIKE OUR LITTLE DATES AND BEING SPOILED AND HAVING SOMEONE BE A LITTLE OBSESSED WITH ME #SORRY IF THAT MAKES ME A BAD GUY. GOD FORBID WOMEN DO ANYTHING #ughhhhhhh. so yeah we're going on another date tonight. shoot me i dont care!!!! #hella goes to uni

[time-is-restored]

btw this might be me swinging a bat at a hornets nest but like. absolutely none of my disappointment from the tl finale comes from ship baiting or any relationships that didn’t happen (though to be clear, i think the tedbecca fake outs were meanspirited and served no narrative purpose - in noted contrast to the season's earlier jamiekeeley fakeouts, for example, which were explicitly there to demonstrate jamie's growth + maturity)

tedpendant is a really fun concept for me, and i LOVE the characterisation + thematic potential there!

but as someone who personally resonated with a lot of ted’s struggles, the idea that ted could leave richmond so… seamlessly, for lack of a better word, really doesn’t sit right with me. the thesis of the shows entire first season - assuming it can be said to have only one - was about how everyone needs the love and support of a community, whether that comes in the flavour of someone who hypes u tf up or someone who will relentlessly call u on ur shit (or, as happened quite frequently, both!).

rebecca, roy, jamie are the clearest examples as the characters with the most screentime: they were all deeply isolated and disconnected from the people around them, and that was making them miserable. the connections they made with the team, the vulnerability they finally allowed themselves to express (the ghost banishing ceremony comes to mind!), and them going on to want *more* out of their life are what made their arcs about *progression* rather than *regression*. without that clear theme of compassion + community inspiring positive growth in everyone who encounters it, there is, frankly, no season one.

my personal favourite scene from season one comes right after michelle walks away from ted, when they’ve agreed to get divorced. ted sits down on the bench looking gutted, and a little shell shocked - and beard sits down with him. hands him the drink, and they sit there together. silent, but together. to me, that scene is an implicit promise from the episode, to the audience: ‘it’ll be okay. it’s going to be hard, but ted isn’t alone, and his friends won’t leave him behind.’

it also makes it clear to the audience that ted isn’t the saintly-giver-of-grace who needs nothing in return, as one might assume on first brush, but rather that he’s Also struggling with his own shit (as is everyone, always, in real life!) and he has something he needs from the people around him too.

and looking at the text of s3, and the conclusion to his arc in the finale, i just don’t believe that he got it. he wasn’t just sad that he was leaving (which would be understandable!), he was completely closed off. unresponsive to the people around him reaching out, borderline confused as to why they were trying so hard!

(side note, while i completely respect the read of ted and trents last interaction being rather rude + ooc on ted’s part, i personally read a different motive into it. for me, it was more like… he didn’t understand where trents enthusiasm was coming from? like, he read that as trent being too invested in what other people think of him, and responded in a way that he hoped would emphasise that ted doesn’t *need* to laugh at everything trent wrote, bc trent Already Knows that he’s done something really cool and kickass, and he shouldn’t value anyone else’s reactions above that. basically, based on his demeanour in the episode, i genuinely don’t think it would’ve even occurred to him that trent was more invested in HIS reaction than he would’ve been with anyone else.)

again, looking purely at the text, the show had already established that ted has really strong depressive + avoidant tendencies, as well as panic attacks (largely triggered by his fear of not being ‘good enough’ in various roles, ie: a father). we saw one area he was able to calm HIMSELF abt these fears (worry for henry, which is a Hell of a choice considering the ending…), but in literally every other heightened moment, he had to rely on his support system to help him make the choices that he WANTED to make, rather than ones inspired by avoidance and fear (ie: confronting michelle abt jake, talking to his mum abt why she was visiting + his dads death).

and to be clear, this is a GOOD THING! we’re not supposed to go through life alone, no matter how bad OR well we’re doing. rebecca and keeleys friendship isn’t worth less for all the scenes where they’re both in good places. if anything, the opposite is true - it’s lovely that they both have someone who want to celebrate the achievements in their life!

and fuck it, we’re sure as hell not supposed to go through life with exactly one (1) person whom we expect to fulfill ALL of our emotional needs at all times either! like, im sure i don’t need to labour my point here, but tying everything to one (1) person in ur life doesn’t make u any less isolated than if u were going it completely alone, whether it’s a family member, a friend, or a partner. i won’t pretend to know the first thing abt what it’s like to be a parent, but i don’t think it’s unreasonable to say that no parent would be at their best if they had absolutely no support/camaraderie/general love provided to them from Anyone other than their child.

so when ted is SPECIFICALLY shown to be in a bad place, over and over again (did he come to terms w his fear to be close to henry overnight???????), and then removed from his community? of COURSE the audience is left feeling unsettled, and like the rug has been pulled out from under them. there was no time in this finale dedicated to how ted would still be in contact with anyone from richmond. no promises of visits, or phone calls - fuck, nothing about emails!! according to the text, we might as well assume this is a clean break (and the maybe-dream-sequence does Fuck All to assure us otherwise. if ted doesn’t go to beards wedding, what WOULD he go to????). and since the show has ALSO completely failed to give us even an IMPLICATION of who/what ted’s support system would be in kansas, there’s… a reasonable argument to be made that this is It for ted. that, after two seasons doing NOTHING but attesting otherwise, the audience is supposed to suddenly believe that ted can (and SHOULD!) pull himself up by his bootstraps, and cope entirely on his own.

that, to me, is a betrayal of the show’s premise. we were promised a show about how, no matter how dark things may get, none of the characters would be left to struggle alone. and then they ended the show with ted alone.

i don’t know. i guess if i had to give this post a tldr; if anyone has any gen fic/meta/Literally Anything in the pipeline, i would absolutely love to be tagged/directed towards it. i’ll be endeavouring to write something myself, as well, but it might take a while before i can return to my WIP, lol.

#this is the most measured version of this post i was capable of fghjskdjhgfdgjhsfd #the least measured one is just the aromantic flag with the ‘we are going to beat u to death’ meme overlaid #look ik this is hardly impartial wrt very small + insular communities like nuclear families #but its fucking impossible to go into media analysis and not bring Anything from ur real life in there w u #so im trying to forgive myself for being a little hashtag Vulnerable + Opinionated on main #in the spirit of what this show could’ve been lol #if not here then where etc etc #Ted lasso spoilers #Ted lasso meta #Ted lasso critical #also just to be clear here im being dead serious abt that last point #im spiritually doing the jamie run to demonstrate to u all how badly i want gen shit #please. p l e a s e . #okay wait last ramble here but. this is also why the lack of information we got on trent was so crushing to me #like ur telling me this man went through the incredibly painful + harrowing process of breaking out of his (comfortable! safe) shell + #cynical journalist persona. came out to someone VERY important in his life. and has done nothing but face the music wrt acknowleding #his past mistakes + endeavouring to be better and kinder. and we never get to know if he has ANY support through all that? at all? #is he dating? what's his family situation like? does he have full custody? any friends from work? any friends period????? #like i can should must and will die on the beard + roy + higgins + colins are trents best friends hill but #its like the premise of the show stopped mattering just in time for him to be left in a legitimately depressing limbo #like 'yes everyone needs love + support bc life is rlly hard. but we're tired of making a show abt that so This Is All Ur Getting #+ screw anyone's personal life that u didn't already see in s1. You Know Enough.' #anyway i love u all this is a very silly show and im gonna go play t.o.t.k for a few hours o/ <3