#dare i say it its the lasso way | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

calzone-d · 1 year

Note

pool day with ted

Sunscreen (Ted Lasso x Fem!Reader)

this was a ‘first pool day with ted and the team’ type deal but it quickly turned into its own fic. thanks anon!!

a/n: idk the word count and this was most definitely not proofread.

tw: alcohol/drinking but that’s it i think!!

find my masterlist here.

——

the team had settled on a beach day, apparently it had been a long time coming.

you and ted had a flirty, teasing relationship that had developed over the past few months and you were looking forward to his reaction of seeing you in your swimsuit.

keeley helped you pick out one that was a little showy but still tasteful, because at the end of the day you did still work with these people.

the trek down to the beach wasn’t bad, and everyone quickly claimed their loungers before heading into the water. ted obviously sat his stuff down next to yours in a heartbeat, which only boosted your confidence. you’d been bantering back and forth all morning, and it had reawakened that longing for something more deep inside you.

after he draped his towel over his chair he quickly got caught up in a conversation with beard and roy. behind him, you made small talk with keeley as you slid your cover up off and applied some sunscreen. ted didn’t miss the way beard and roy glanced over at you while they slightly drifted off from their conversation.

everyone knew ted had a thing for you, especially his fellow coaches, and they couldn’t wait to see his reaction at you in this deep burgundy string bikini. as soon as he turned around to see what caught their attention, you were moving towards him with a bottle of sunscreen in your hands.

“ted, can you get my back please?”, your smile almost made him faint. he couldn’t stop the way his eyes slowly flickered down your body as he sputtered, trying to remain respectful while falling victim to his mind’s instincts.

keeley had conveniently walked off to talk to a few of the players and helped them set up their beach volleyball game.

ted’s mouth opened and closed a few times before he cleared his throat, “oh- uh, yeah I can.. yeah.”

you slyly but your lip and watched him take the tube of sunscreen with shaky hands.

they trembled lightly against your skin as he brushed your hair to the side. you held back a shiver at the feeling, hoping he didn’t notice the goosebumps that scattered across your skin.

thankfully everyone else had seemed to drift into their own conversations as he worked the lotion into your back. he was uncharacteristically quiet, and seemed to rub it in for far longer than he probably needed to.

you didn’t dare say anything to him, but after a few more seconds he seemed pleased with his work. either that or he couldn’t handle having his hands on you any longer.

“there you go, angel.”, your cheeks flushed at the nickname he’d picked up over the past few weeks.

ted tossed the tube of sunscreen back into your bag, expecting you to run off to meet keeley. in an attempt to stop himself from scaring you off, he didn’t say another word and turned to find beard.

“wait, ted!”, he quickly turned around at the sound of your voice.

your heart pounded in your chest as you made a move on him. a small move, but enough to make you feel like you’re going to shit your pants nonetheless.

“you don’t- did you put sunscreen on yet?”

“uh, no.. i didn’t. usually just bypass it n’deal with the burn later.”

your eyebrows crinkled at him. “c’mere ted..”

there wasn’t a chance in hell he’d be able to resist you calling his name like that.

you would’ve thought ted was just learning how to walk by the way he awkwardly stumbled towards you. wanting him to relax, you coaxed him to sit down.

“here, sit..”, he sat on the edge of the beach chair while you got on your knees behind him.

after his back was to you, he slipped his thin t-shirt over his head. you didn’t miss the way his biceps flexed as he pulled it off, and you definitely didn’t even try stopping your eyes from trailing over his broad shoulders. a deep blush spread across your cheeks as you imagined them towering over you.

sure, you had a hefty appreciation for them underneath his clothes, but now? it took all the strength you had not to press soft kisses to the light freckles scattered on his skin.

trailing your eyes down, there was no way you were going to look over his love handles. you knew he was kind of insecure about being a bit out of shape, but if he only knew how bad you wanted to grab onto him. they seemed perfectly molded for your hands.

before he could grow suspicious you cleared your throat and grabbed the tube of sunscreen.

you put a healthy amount of the sunscreen in your hands and rubbed it between your palms in an attempt to warm it up. still, when your hands made contact with ted’s shoulders, he jumped.

the sunscreen could’ve been boiling hot and he still would’ve jumped solely from the feeling of your hands on him.

your hand on his arm after a funny joke was already almost too much, but he was certain the feeling of your hands on his bare skin would bring him to an early death.

ted’s shoulders were still tense as you rubbed the sunscreen in.

“you okay, coach?”

“me? oh, uh- i’m good. m’fine ‘n dandy over here”, his awkward chuckle made your heart beat a bit faster.

even in the sweltering heat, you swore you felt goosebumps under your fingertips as they ran back and forth over his broad shoulders. mentally, you mapped out each little freckle, trying to commit it to memory.

moving your hands back towards his neck, you applied more pressure, “relax, ted..”

he was quiet now as he slowly relaxed his shoulders and let out the breath he was holding. the sunscreen had been rubbed in, at this point you were basically giving him a massage. thank god it was just the two of you, because surely one of the other coaches would’ve slid a knowing remark in somewhere.

the feeling of him just breathing underneath your bare hands had you feeling all fuzzy. by the time your hands got to his mid back, there was no more sunscreen.

you pulled away to get more, and if you listened close enough you swear ted whimpered at the loss of contact. he turned around but as soon as he realized you were just getting more, he settled. in the back of his mind he was hoping and praying you didn’t notice how desperate he seemed.

it’s not even that he was desperate, he was just desperate for you.

he let out another deep breath as your hands worked the muscles of his lower back, and you were so happy to see him finally relax.

“feel good, teddy?”

ah, there it was. the nickname you reserved for moments where you really wanted to tease him and see him blush. no matter how ted his cheeks got, he couldn’t deny that he loved it.

“y-yeah.. feels amazing, hun.”

now it was your turn to blush at the pet names. ted slowly slipped into the habit of calling you “hun” after finding you upset in your office after work one day. there was no doubt the coaches and team had picked up on it, but you were lucky enough that they didn’t say anything to your faces.

he didn’t want to stop calling you that. it was the closest he could get to doting on you. a nicknamed reserved for him to call you.

and you sure as hell didn’t mind. all you could manage back was a sweet hum and a tiny shuffle towards his back. ted leaned back ever so slightly in a poor attempt to meet you halfway.

before you could open your mouth, sam’s voice interrupted you.

“coach! do you want to come play beach volleyball with us?”

now, all eyes were on you and ted. well, most eyes.

“oh, uh.. sure thing, sam! be right there!”, he turned around after watching sam walk off.

“think i’m protected from the sun now?”, he teased with a smirk.

your chuckle made his heart pound as you replied, “for a little while at least. come back in about an hour though, yeah? don’t want you getting burnt.”

ted stuttered a bit at that. he was used to the light teasing and flirty banter, but definitely wasn’t used to the idea of someone taking care of him. not even someone wanting to take care of him. if he hadn’t already been in love with you before, he sure as hell would’ve been now.

his silence scared you, but luckily he spoke before you could sputter out an awkward apology.

“y-yeah, okay. better be waitin’ for me, missy.”, thankfully he turned away after winking at you because if not, he would’ve seen you internally combust.

you watched him walk away and bit your lip watching his calf muscles flex as he walked through the sand. the way his biceps flexed as he caught the volleyball almost made you moan. before you could get any further into your thoughts, keeley walked over with the cooler you two had packed.

“oooh, looking at your man, huh?”, her voice was cheeky as always. she sat in the chair beside you and tossed you a seltzer and a can holder to put it in.

“my man? yeah, okay.”

“oh, babe, stop that. i just watched you rub sunscreen on his shoulders for twenty minutes like you were in some porno.”

“that- he didn’t want to get sunburnt!”, your voice went up about four octaves.

“yeah yeah, whatever you say babe.”, she teased. you two got settled in the beach chairs and sipped on your drinks while you had some girl time.

keeley gave you the latest on her and roy while you both worked on a pretty strong buzz.

an hour and a half later, the buzz turned into being straight up drunk. keeley had you cackling at a well-timed sex joke before changing the conversation.

“ooh, y/n, look! here comes your work husband.”, although her voice was relatively quiet it suddenly seemed like she was screaming.

“keeley- what.. don’t-“

keeley giggled and relaxed back into her seat while you turned to face ted.

he looked like a dream walking towards you. a sheer layer of sweat had made its way to his forehead and shoulders, and his chest was heaving. you hadn’t really gotten a good look at his figure from the front until now, and being drunk made it so much worse.

dark hair was scattered across his chest and belly with some grey sprinkled in here and there. he wasn’t ripped, but was working the dadbod in all its fashion. those shoulders were just as broad from the front.

the sunglasses you were wearing were your saving grace, because you felt like a straight up perv the way you were basically eye-fucking him. you could only imagine what the hair across his belly lead to. does he keep it trimmed? does his-

your thoughts were interrupted once he got closer.

“hi ladies!”

“oh, hello ted! having fun yet?”, keeleys voice sounded so knowing. there was no way she didn’t sense you checking him out.

“oh yeah! that lil’ game we had goin’ on got me out of breath though. think i might go see what roy ‘n beard are up to in the water here in a second.”

your head was spinning as he sat down next to you on the edge of your chair. not only were you pretty drunk, but he was sitting so much closer than he was earlier. even the slightest touch of his thigh against yours had you dizzy.

“m’ready for my sunscreen now, madam.”, ted said cheekily. you drunkenly giggled at him and sat up to grab the sunscreen. with your movements being slightly hindered, you stayed sitting criss cross applesauce and just shuffled towards him. he turned his back to you as you got a handful of sunscreen.

keeley announced her plans of going to the bathroom before leaving the two of you alone.

without your filter to stop you, you blurted out, “i like your freckles, teddy.”

you couldn’t even regret it at this point.

“yeah? i honestly forget about ‘em. cant really see back there, ya know?”, ted laughed.

what he said was typically funny but your drunk mind found his words hilarious in the moment, and you couldn’t stop the giggles that left your mouth.

“what’s got you laughin’ like that, hun? s’it me?”, he sounded amused and you’re sure he had a smile to match his tone.

without thinking you let yourself lean forward and press your cheek to his back as you kept giggling. between the laughing and alcohol you couldn’t even find it in you to be embarrassed or pull away. it felt too nice, even with the greasy sunscreen. it was ted.

your hands had dropped down to his sides, but you didn’t pull them away. luckily, ted seemed to have the same idea. as you giggled away, he brought his hands down to cover yours and giggled with you.

ted had been dreaming of being this close to you for so long. so touch starved, but only for you. a swarm of butterflies fluttered around in his stomach as your eyelashes fluttered similarly against the skin of his back.

he didn’t move his hands even after your laughter died down.

“yeah, you’re pretty funny, teddy. jus’ a funny guy.”

he didn’t miss the way your words were slightly slurred as your spoke. you felt like a deer in headlights as he turned around.

“woah now, you okay there hun?”

cue the giggles again. “m’fine teddy. wait, turn around i think i missed-“

his hands grabbed at yours again, “promise?”. the crease in his eyebrows appeared when they furrowed. although you should’ve been responding, you found yourself even admiring the wrinkles on his face, sending you into another fit of giggles. you were so far gone for this man.

“yes, coach”, you huffed sarcastically with a fake salute.

ted laughed, a good belly laugh you always loved to hear, and turned around. he shook his head as he laughed, but it was full of admiration.

you lazily rubbed sunscreen into the places you previously missed and let out a yawn.

“tired?”

“mm”, you hummed, “just comfy”.

you let your hands fall softly to the skin above his waist as you scooted closer to him and pressed yourself against his back again. this time, it wasn’t just your face. after you got settled you had to basically wrap your arms around his middle with how close you were.

it didn’t dawn on you until now that keeley had been gone longer than expected, but you silently thanked her for giving you some alone time with ted.

you settled with one hand wrapped against his belly, and the other one resting against the back of his leg. one of his hands came up to hold yours that was pressed against him, silently keeping it there.

instead of speaking, you smiled a soft smile and nuzzled further into his back, knowing he’d understand the silent ‘i like this’.

you played with the fabric of his swim shorts where your hand was sitting behind his thigh, and your eyes fluttered closed against his back.

it felt like you were high, with the way your head was spinning and you were pressed up against ted. you could feel him breathing, feel his bare skin against your cheek. your senses were overwhelmed with him, and it was dizzying.

ted was in another world of his own. the way you softly nuzzled into his back after he held your arm to his abdomen was just the reassurance he needed. even in the heat, your warmth felt like heaven to him. the way your dainty fingertips played with his shorts almost had him squirming.

surprisingly, when keeley came back neither of you made an effort to move.

“wh- oh. welcome back to me”

ted was silent, but your giggles were enough of an answer for her. being the good friend she is, she silently sipped her drink and opened up her book. you knew she wasn’t reading, but you loved her even more for pretending to.

ted’s fingers had begun tracing over the skin of your hand, and you flexed your fingers into the skin of his belly. the hair was scratchy but his skin felt so soft. it was so him.

“coach!”, beard yelled from the water. you tensed slightly, but relaxed at the feeling of ted gently squeezing your hand.

beard had started his trek up to where you were sitting, and your heart leaped when ted made no attempt to move.

“do you…”, beard trailed off as he eyed ted before giving him a sneaky thumbs up. “..want to come check out the water?”.

this was code for: you need to come here and tell us all about this, and how we’ve been right.

“yeah, i’ll.. yeah.” ted seemed almost sad as he softly patted your hand that was still holding tightly to him.

“i’ll be there in a sec, beardo.”, ted gave beard a single nod before turning back to you.

that was code for: hold up, i cant leave it like this

you softly pouted at him without even realizing it. “m’gonna go see what they’re all about over there, hun. i’ll be back okay?”, his voice was soft and gentle as always. but now, it just felt a bit different. good different.

ted watched as your eyes trailed down to where he was still holding your hand.

“come back for more sunscreen, ‘kay?”

“what if I just wanna come see you?”

you felt like you were going to combust. right there on the beach in the public eye.

“mmm” you hummed contently, “i guess that’ll be okay.”. ted laughed at your sarcasm and gave your hand a squeeze.

“drink some water, darlin’. i’ll be back in a bit. holler if you need me, okay?”

you nodded up at him, “mkay, teddy.”. he stared at you with eyes full of adoration while he watched you settle back into your beach chair.

“keeley, make sure she gets some water, will you please?”

keeley gave him a very overdramatic salute, “sir, yes sir.” as he walked away, sending the two of you into a laughing fit.

once it died down, she turned to face you. “c’mon. you cant even deny it anymore!”

you smiled hard and giggled once more, “i don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“teddy?”, she replied. “darling? he is totally your man.”

thanks for reading!

#ted lasso x reader #ted lasso #ted lasso thoughts #ted lasso imagine #ted lasso fluff #ted lasso fic #ted lasso blurb #ted lasso fanfic #ted lasso masterlist #ted lasso drabble #sorry for going mia #promise i’m here

485 notes · View notes

jamiesfootball · 1 year

Text

Season two of the Ted Lasso rewatch and I am having some string feelings. Some strong feelers. Some shrimp about Ted and Jamie and how Ted really, really struggles between being Coach Shaped and being Dad Shaped when it comes to Jamie, and how Jamie is horrible at discerning either.

(Buckle up this is gonna be a long one)

Because what we start off with in season one is very much a man who is used to being Coach Shaped. He wants the boys to be inspired and to learn about life and to become the best versions of themselves that they can be. All of which could be very Dad Shaped, but in execution they’re not.

He steps back to let people grow, and sometimes that involves letting bullies be bullies so that the true leaders of the group can step up. Sometimes it’s letting Nate roast the other players- quite cuttingly at that - to get the team motivated. He’s directing the orchestra sure, but he’s not in the pit telling people how better to get along. He’s warm and welcoming, and he tries to foster good rapport and encourage people to talk to him and open up. He, dare I say it, actually has boundaries with people. He asked Rebecca in the first episode how she was holding up with the divorce, and when she seemed upset he noted it, offered a little commiseration, and moved right along without making a fuss.

And then he calls Jamie Tartt into his office to give him a compliment sandwich (“you’re a great athlete now pass the fucking ball and then you’ll be a super great athlete okay thanks”) and I think that’s where Ted’s boundary with Jamie first starts to erode. Because Jamie unintentionally ruins his whole fucking script. Jamie’s disaffected act crumbles at the first compliment. He’s sincerely taken aback by Ted’s praise, a little nervous and a little pleading. He breaks the rules of compliment sandwiching by demurring “well I work really hard”, which forces Ted to agree which is in a way TWO compliments, and when Ted tries to push through with his critique, Jamie ends up critiquing himself first about something completely different (“my left cross”), and then Ted has to wrestle them back to the actual critique, and the whole thing is just. Definitely not the ordeal Ted thought it would be.

So from early on we have these two working at cross purposes - because Ted thinks he’s being Coach Shaped, but the Shape he is doesn’t fit any Coach Jamie has ever had.

“what’s he like?”

“Great”

“…….”

“Well great at football”

“Yeah, I’ve know guys like that.”

And in return, Ted has known ‘guys like that’, competent athletes who are a necessary part of the game, but have such egos (“I’m not sure you realize how mentally healthy that is”) that Ted thinks he has to go to his players girlfriend for insight on how to motivate Jamie in the way that Ted needs for team cohesion.

So this is Ted trying to be Coach Shaped and give this kid a wake up call and this kid is so receptive that Ted barely had to lift a finger. But it doesn’t stick.

Ok. So next he attempts to give Jamie a book that he thinks will wake him up to the reality he’s living. He gave them to everyone. He’s still being Coach Shaped. He makes Roy and Jamie sit at the same table and tries to orchestrate a truce. He kinda gets there, but the next episode they’re still at each other’s throats. Jamie listened to Ted about the one in a million / one in eleven thing, but then Jamie ignored it. So he benched him. He’s Coach Shaped; it wasn’t personal.

Except Ted is not has not been anything Coach Shaped that Jamie could recognize, and football really is his life too. So it was very fucking personal. And here’s the first wrinkle in the narrative both of them have been telling themselves, because what does Jamie do? He fakes an injury and benches himself.

If Ted doesn’t think he should play, or doesn’t think that the way he’s playing is correct, then fine- he’ll make them both miserable. He just won’t fucking play. It’s kid logic at its finest. It’s cutting your nose to spite your face. ‘Well you said I wasn’t doing it right, so I won’t do it at all.’

It’s the same shit Jamie pulls on his dad when he leaves Man City to go be a reality tv star.

And it’s the first crack in the veneer between them, because the way Ted loses his shit at Jamie for it is not very Coach Shaped, but it is very very Dad Shaped. And unfortunately it was the sort of Dad Shaped that Jamie did recognize.

It’s the first loss of control Ted has in general, and it’s circling this player that Ted can’t seem to get a grip on.

And then there’s Jamie going to Keeley, and he’s got Manchester on his mind. It’s the first time we’ve heard him talk about the council estate he grew up in, and Keeley is telling him to stop battling people who want to help him. So he goes to the bonfire. And he talks about the fucking footprint his dad left in his wake. And he talks wistfully about his mom being proud. And this isn’t just about opening up to the team, it’s also about Jamie Tartt not battling Ted. Taking a risk that even if Ted isn’t very Coach Shaped, even if he appears closer to Dad Shaped than Jamie would like, whatever Ted is - Jamie is probably safe to be a little honest.

It’s not very Star Athlete With An Ego of him; but it’s very very Son Shaped.

“I was just starting to get through to him.”

Ted’s anger with Rebecca could be Coach Shaped. It could be. But it sure hurt him enough that it’s the first time he’s actually angry with Rebecca. Meanwhile Jamie was so hurt he had to tell everyone who would listen about it. Had to iterate that it was good riddance on being rid of Ted Lasso, because at least Pep was a proper Coach Shaped Coach. Someone who’d drill Jamie on the technicals. Someone who probably never once cared enough to pull him aside and tell him if he did a good job. Someone who probably assumed that’s what Jamie’s dad was for, showing up after matches.

“Good luck out there, Jamie!”

“Fucking mind games.”

Whatever Jamie already thought of Ted as a coach must’ve been rolling in the pit Jamie tried to bury it in, because Coach Shaped men don’t cheer you on when you’re playing for the other team. Pep wouldn’t do it if he still played for Richmond.

And maybe Coach Lasso does it for everyone he coaches. Probably. But it’s a very Dad Shaped thing. And fuck, Jamie’s actual fucking dad doesn’t cheer for him at all when Jamie isn’t playing for Manchester, so how’s Jamie supposed to know what it means?

Then there’s Ted, who just can’t help himself. Who can’t help but see potential in Jamie. And when he sees Jamie after the match, it’s a quick war on whether he should speak to him because in that instance Coach mode and Dad mode are in alignment.

Except reality hits as hard as a boot against the wall, because Jamie has a dad. And it’s not Ted. It’s not someone who’s come to tell him well done, or that he’s proud of the baby steps Jamie has taken, even though he’s been left to walk them alone. It is the opposite of what a father should be, but it’s taken up the mantle. Father Shaped. A thing of fury. A role fulfilled, not looking for new applicants.

Coach wins in that moment. Ted turns and walks away, and Jamie can finally see now in Ted Lasso the Coach Shape he’s familiar with.

Except even that can’t stick around and be familiar can it? Because while no one was looking, the Dad Shape in Ted scribbled him a little message. Left a note in his absence to let him know he was proud. Sent Beard with an army man, someone to lookout for Jamie and keep him safe. I’d say at this point a Ted Lasso couldn’t’ve drawn a line between Coach Shaped and Dad Shaped - this was a matter of pure human empathy, and decency, and an apology in its own way. I’m sorry for the roles we’ve been given. I’m sorry, but please know I care.

He walked away from Jamie and his dad. He didn’t have any obligation to Jamie. There was no more match to be won. Any involvement of Jamie Tartt in Ted’s life coulda woulda should’ve ended there.

“There’s something out there worse than being sad, and that’s being sad and alone. And ain’t nobody in this room alone.”

The look on Jamie’s face in that scene says it all. Because he is alone, but Ted clearly (desperately) doesn’t want him to be.

But being alone is better than being stuck in a room with James Tartt Sr.

Jamie doesn’t go to Ted first after Lust Conquers All. Why would he (think he had the right to)?

The first thing Jamie does do (after Keeley tells him it’s ok to go to Ted) when he meets Ted again is show him the Ted (Danson) Soldier. Ted may have made the gesture, and Jamie may have understood the meaning of it, but he does Not understand Ted. Not this Coach-but-Not-a-Coach. Still Jamie thinks he has the distinction down - what soft underbelly he thinks he needs to bare for this type of Coach to believe him when asks for a chance to come home.

“You were getting good minutes up at City.”

Ted redirects Jamie here in a very Coach Shaped way. He guides Jamie into admitting the real reason why he quit. He hears Jamie out, makes observations about how Jamie coming back would work from a team perspective, and makes only occasional eye contact. This is Ted clinging to a role that he’s used to, the one that comforts him in its ability to help other people.

(If there is something Dad Shaped in that scene, it’s an awful, haunting one. Not the one that Jamie grew up with, but the one that Ted grew up with. The one who took his son to play darts every Sunday for six years, who probably sat next to him and drank beer the way Ted does)

But Ted never set out to be anyone’s dad. He’s their Coach, and he has a responsibility to everyone on his team. It’s nothing personal; he’s just being a Coach.

They clink glasses. Cheers, and best of luck to your future endeavors.

There is something very tired about the way Jamie puts down his beer without taking a sip. He looks lost. He does not look surprised. (How could you have expectations for something you’ve never known? And how come that doesn’t make him feel any better about it?)

We don’t see Jamie after that.

We see Ted at training, worrying about Dr Sharon watching the team he’s made. He worries that she’s getting closer (metaphor). When Sam storms off the field, Ted is startled but relieved to follow. He doesn’t want self examination. He wants to be Coach. He wants to embrace the parts of coaching he’s always loved- helping other people improve and be better.

Sam tells him that he doesn’t want Jamie back on the team, and there’s a split second of relief from Ted because he made the right call.

Then Sam talks about his father, and how his father is grateful for Ted because with Ted around, he knows his son is safe. Because this has nothing to do with being Coach Shaped. Coach Shaped he may be in Sam’s life, but here’s Sam, who is very Son Shaped himself, and his father agreeing that Coach Lasso serves a greater purpose in Sam’s life than just being a supportive motivator. In their mind, in the absence of a father, Ted Lasso will do just fine. He will keep Sam safer than any little green army man.

That’s the final inexorable blurring of the lines for Ted, where the coach finally drops the ball to pay attention to the scraped knees that have been left behind.

Ted calls the Diamond Dogs meeting. Coach Beard and Coach Nate are very Coach Shaped indeed. What about the teamwork, Ted? “He’s the poop in the punch bowl.” Leslie is for bringing him back, but it’s for football reasons. It makes managerial sense.

But none of it means anything to Ted because at that moment he can not find it in himself to be Coach Shaped.

“I thought it was settled, but Sam went and unsettled it.”

“He reminded me that not everyone is lucky enough to have a good dad.”

“In sports aren’t we always on about second chances? Shouldn’t that apply to people too?”

This is not Coach Shaped. In some ways it’s not even Dad Shaped. But it is caring, and empathy, and wanting an excuse, any excuse, to try again. It is Love Shaped.

Ted Lasso is a coach to his team and a dad to a great little boy down in Kansas, and for Jamie Tartt he can try to fit on a third extra thing. Whatever that thing is called. Neither of them know what that thing is called. They’re too familiar with Coaches and too unfamiliar with Dads to know the difference.

#ted lasso #jamie tartt #good grief this is long #ted lasso rewatch

551 notes · View notes

charcubed · 1 year

Text

Ted Lasso, the Roy/Keeley/Jamie triangle, and – dare I say it? –television history

No matter your preferred term for the throuple, OT3, or poly relationship on Ted Lasso, it’s worth appreciating.

The more I think about it, the more I believe that the creative team behind Ted Lasso is doing something with RoyKeeleyJamie that doesn’t exist in precisely the same way anywhere else. In my opinion — and with the disclaimer that my frame of reference is (of course) limited—what they’ve done here is incredibly unique and maybe even groundbreaking.

These declarations of mine aren’t premature or at all conditional on how explicitly “official” their relationship may or may not get to be in the season 3 finale. I say this from my current perspective after episode 3x11, because after that episode I feel that what they’ve been doing with this part of the story has been made abundantly clear.

When it comes to Roy Kent, Keeley Jones, and Jamie Tartt, it would’ve been very easy and even expected for the writers to fall into the trap of making them into a typical love triangle at any point. Yet they never did. People might ascribe the traditional “love triangle” label to the trio because it’s a familiar frame of reference, but as a term I feel like it’s not actually applicable to the story beats we’ve seen.

These characters have never been in any true rivalry motivated by jealousy, insecurity, or possessiveness in regards to one another’s relationships. By contrast, within their triangle and amongst all of their separate pairings, their common denominator has been mutual attempts at building respect, communication, and accountability. Roy and Jamie’s conflicts with each other predated and were never centered around their love for Keeley, and Keeley was never put in a position of having to choose between the boys. Keeley was allowed to care about both of them in different ways, maintaining different relationships with each of them on her own terms. None of them pretended they couldn’t all care about each other in some capacity while still acknowledging boundaries and variation in their relationships. And while this shouldn’t be a big deal or a surprise–especially because Ted Lasso is a show defined by second chances, found families, and endless variations of love–it’s still refreshing enough to warrant praise.

As part of that, because the writers didn’t rely on nor fear the typical contrived “love triangle” dynamic, all three of the characters’ stories were kept heavily intertwined. They live and work in the same spaces, and they care about each other in various ways, so of course they interact and share advice. Their individual arcs were then intentionally informed by the ways they learned to grow because of each other, intertwining them further.

While I don’t know for sure if the writers’ goal was to eventually approach them as an inseparable group, I suspect it wasn’t, based on a couple of quotes I’ve seen float around. That means that they may have seen the potential for the non-platonic “triangle,” chose to lean into it relatively quickly (the show is only 3 seasons!), and continued to build it so it feels organic and cohesive. That speaks volumes as to their talent and it’s also part of what makes this situation so unique.

Along those lines: Ted Lasso is a mainstream ensemble show with several storylines in play. It’s not solely or primarily about romance. It’s also not a “queer show,” meaning that queer storylines were not a central pillar of its premise, nor were they part of its original appeal to or promise to audiences.

Of course, there are now several queer storylines/characters in season 3 amongst the ensemble cast that have clearly been planned from the start, including Colin, Trent, Keeley, etc. That’s fantastic, and anytime a show doesn’t “start out” as blatantly queer but later makes a natural place for the development of queer characters within its wider story, it’s a huge win. It’s also great storytelling!

But rarely is that the case when it comes to polyamory. While there are several movies and shows that include it… most poly representation is within the context of an already radically queer story, or within the context of a story that’s solely about being polyamorous. Any non-monogamous relationships–or even the potential for them–are very rarely given casual, “normalized” inclusion amongst an ensemble, or treated like just another romance in the mix.

And yet… Roy, Keeley, and Jamie seemingly have been, with beautiful complexity. It's like seeing a real windmill for the first time.

This “triangle that symbolizes home” has been built as a three piece, slow burn, collective romance. Equal weight has been given to developing them as individuals while developing all of the ways they intersect and connect, with no combination falling by the wayside. Between Keeley/Jamie, Roy/Keeley, and Roy/Jamie, you can chart the trajectory of how they all grew to love each other and how they’re now coming together as a group towards the end. It all plays out with various levels of romantic motifs across the board, and–as if that isn’t already enough!–with added subtext through costuming/wardrobe, set details, framing, and music. It has been formed and shaped with great attention to detail, and of course with unbelievably beautiful acting choices that bring it to life. (Analyzing those details at length would require its own post.)

This sort of thing may exist in other media, but I’ve personally never seen anything like it before. I’ve certainly never heard of it happening in such a high-profile, widely-loved show like this.

Here, with one episode left, the equal setup of the three now feels complete and ready for a future. Roy and Keeley aren’t back together yet, so Jamie wouldn’t feel like an add-on if that is indeed where they take the story. Roy and Keeley haven’t even kissed on screen this season, in a way that feels deliberate (and anticipatory). And it’s now clear that the relationship struggles any 2 characters may have had as couples can be improved upon by adding the third person, so they’d all be fully supported in a throuple.

For example: Keeley helps them all to be more vulnerable and open while also being a problem solver. Roy’s steady, heartfelt, but no-nonsense encouragement builds them all up with confidence but not toxic pride. Jamie now wears his heart on his sleeve, bringing a level of fun and joy that’s incomparably him. If Keeley sometimes needs space, Roy and Jamie are clearly happy to be indefinitely tied together (sometimes literally). If Jamie or Keeley want to be the life of any party, they’ve got a partner for the scene so Roy doesn’t feel obligated to match that energy. Roy and Jamie relate through football as a specific kind of language, understanding that part of each other as only they can while Keeley cheers from the side. Each of them has taught the others new skills along the way.

If any of them now enter into new relationship territory, it sure seems like they’ll do it all together as a full set–and be stronger for it.

Feel free to call me a fool, but at this point I’m confident that at minimum they’re going to leave this story hinting at the three of them getting together off screen in the future. That’s the baseline I personally really wanted, and it’s more than I’d have previously dared to hope for.

In terms of what could happen on screen: Do I want them all to have a conversation about dating each other and/or kiss and/or be shown in bed together? Yes. Do I think at least one (if not all) of those things are going to happen in the season finale? After episode 3x11, I find myself nearly convinced we’re going to get SOMETHING of the sort. It feels like a thread that needs pulling (or a Chekhov’s gun that needs firing?) after Roy and Keeley’s conversation in Jamie’s room. It’s the next bit of natural and needed evolution for all of them.

Or, as Trent Crimm once said, “You’ve done this over three seasons. . . thousands of imperceptible moments, all leading to their inevitable conclusion.”

But am I counting on that inevitable louder conclusion? Will I be disappointed if it doesn’t happen? Do I think any of that explicit behavior has to happen for this poly relationship to be considered canon and have merit?

Not at all.

That’s not how I choose to view media. Personally, I never play the unwinnable game of debating the ever-shifting goalposts of what constitutes “good representation.” Relatedly, I think the word “queerbaiting” is almost always misused and probably shouldn’t exist at all. And I’m tired of the lack of nuance in these discussions where people act like fictional queer relationships have to hit a certain level of “canon enough” in order to “count.” Many of those arbitrary goals seem to often be determined by whether or not ~all audiences~ can magically be convinced by the queer relationship’s seeming legitimacy. But queer stories aren’t made for the people who are oblivious to them at best or looking for reasons to disregard them at worst; at the end of the day, they’re made for queer people, as well as for anyone who has media literacy and an open mind.

If you ask me, RoyKeeleyJamie is already “canon.” Anything else we get now is just a bonus. And ultimately–after everything I outlined above–I am very aware of how unique this particular situation is, and how more explicitly going “all the way” with any queer dynamic (let alone polyamory) is still never a simple or easy task for creators to accomplish. Even in 2023.

However.

IF they do it?

If everyone involved in both creating this show and approving it (which is very key) had the sheer courage to go all the way with this storyline, in a way that most mainstream audiences won’t be able to ignore or deny without sounding stupid?

Well.

Then they’d better get a great deal of overdue praise and acknowledgement. And I will be loudly losing what’s left of my mind in the best possible way.

(I had to write this now just in case I’m incoherent after the finale.)

Either way: I am FLOORED by what we’ve gotten up to this point! I’m thrilled! I’m having a great fucking time!

And I’m very, very grateful to the team that’s put together such a beautiful triangular love story for our enjoyment.

It truly feels like it’s one of a kind.

---------

I posted this on Medium as well here :)

(so I can pull the lunatic move of tweeting it @ the writers with a more legitimate link)

#ted lasso #roykeeleyjamie #roy x keeley x jamie #roy keeley jamie #roy keeley jamie ot3 #roy kent #keeley jones #jamie tartt #ted lasso 3x11 #ted lasso season 3 #ted lasso meta #char writes things

315 notes · View notes

itspileofgoodthings · 11 months

Note

maria i don't watch ted lasso but i need you to tell me everything it's doing wrong, i trust you

Chelsea!!! You sent this so long ago and I’ve just been mulling it over in my head ever since. First of all, thank you for your trust, I am honored lol.

But also, I probably don’t have a great answer as I am out of practice speaking coherently on something’s issues! But I’ll try.

I mean, I think it gets a lot wrong. if I had to break it down! I think there’s two main things wrong. The first one is that there’s a core of rot behind its core principles. And that always leeches through eventually in a tv show, and in this one I think the specific way it does that is its refusal to question any of its moral principles or even just engage with them honestly. And this makes for really boring television. In a certain sense, you always know exactly where a storyline is going to go or the thesis statement that a set-up is going to land on before it goes there. It never surprises you. Too many examples to name but one of their basic moral principles is that a one-night stand/casual sex is not only fine but good and healthy. So every time that happens on the show you know that the characters are going to be praised/reassured for it and/or if any complications do arise it’s made VERY clear that it’s not the casual sex’s fault. And it’s not like I’m going to agree with most shows about this (it’s so evil!!!!!! It destroys people!!!!!!! It is damaging and devastating the romantic landscape!!!!!!!!!!!!!) but there are ways of engaging with it as a storyline that are so much more honest than anything Ted Lasso will ever dare to do. (Friday night lights, which is the show’s antithesis in every way, frequently has casual sex and without preaching and probably even without meaning to honestly traces the consequences of it in exciting and real ways.) and basically that’s the problem with the show over and over. It professes to want to say something profound about morals and culture and life but you know beforehand exactly what you will see and learn. You can see the moral “punchline” so to speak coming from the second they open their mouths. And there are better and worse ways that that can play out. The show’s belief that taking care of your mental health/talking about it and the importance of men specifically sharing their emotions is a) valid and b) can play out in some cute and funny ways. But even then the show is still not going to surprise you. Ted will call up the diamond dogs, they’ll talk about what’s wrong, there will be some quips and they’ll end on one of them saying some therapist-speak (mostly) truth and everything will be resolved. So even when I enjoy it (and I do! I like pretty much all of the mental health conversations) it is never as brave as it thinks it’s being.

The second thing is that the show just hates romance! Or, the problem is that the show is so committed to surprising its audience (derogatory) when it comes to the romantic relationships that it will torpedo perfectly good ones and give you no resolution or closure. And tv couples are NOT the place to put your “surprises.” Like. They broke up Roy and Keeley. Which. Why? Put it back! This is so dumb! And they’re clearly not going to let Ted and Rebecca get together because they want to avoid doing that. Which is okay! But it’s like—then give us something else instead. Give us some kind of resolution/satisfaction. Just? It’s so tired and again not nearly as exciting or unpredictable as it thinks it is. They’re not actually interested in the romances themselves, just what they can say about them to the audience. Which seems to just be a vague lecturing about wanting the leads to get together romantically. It’s annoying!

There are some things I like. A lot actually! I love the cast pretty much entirely. Jaimie is so fun and funny. The team dynamics are so fun and sweet. Rebecca is wonderful. (The show’s best storyline was the first season—her trying to sabotage her husband’s team and then realizing she’s sort of accidentally found a family instead.) And there are some good friendship dynamics—particularly Rebecca and Keeley and Roy and Jaimie (sp?). But even those dynamics are held back by the show’s repetitive storytelling. They will never have a conversation (specifically the girls) where they’re not saying some girlboss mantra you could read on Twitter. But anyway back to the positives. It can be funny and have some great one-liners. I love Ted’s similes and references and metaphors. The team is great and they’re fun to watch. I actually really like how they handle the sports side of it and the balance of wins and losses and how that isn’t really the point. (They should focus on it more.) And Ted and Dr. Sharon are a really wonderful pairing where a lot is unpacked. But they drop it and don’t take it as far as they could. So the whole affect is just meandering? Even when it’s fun.

TLDR: I think it’s more surface-level than it thinks it is (something I hate) and it hates romance and clear storytelling and will mess with both for no clear discernible reason. It also has an agenda. Which, good or bad, is not a substitute for complexity and honesty and they often try to use it as one!

#joons #anti ted lasso #>> I don’t want to be annoying with my tags but just in case/for reference #wrote this out fast. will edit later #thank you for asking! <3

18 notes · View notes

m-y--p-a-s-s-i-o-n-s · 7 months

Text

20 Questions for Fic Writers!

Thanks for the tag, @lizzy0305 <333

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

162

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

622,263 - surprisingly low for how many fics I have, but a bunch are drabbles so I guess that checks.

3. What fandoms do you write for?

What fandoms don't I write for? XD

Supernatural. Sherlock. Star Trek. Teen Wolf. Marvel. Harry Potter. Merlin. James Bond. Lucifer. House MD. Primeval. Doctor Who. Venom. The Witcher. The Old Guard. Ted Lasso. Detroit Become Human. Good Omens. Our Flag Means Death. Hannibal.

Plus a few others.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Meant To Be - AOS Star Trek

5 Times Jim Forgot About Vulcan Hand Sensitivity & 1 Time He Didn't - AOS Star Trek

Making Love - Venom

Lunch Break - House MD

Truth Or Dare - Supernatural

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I try to respond to every comment provided its not hate, I ignore hate. I want people to know that their comment is truly appreciated from the bottom of my heart. Comments are food for the writer's soul.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Probably either The Void (TOS Star Trek) or Forever (SPN) or most of my SPN Endverse fics.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Most of my fics have happy endings, I live for them! Hmmm trying to think of particularly fluffy ones though... The Prince and The Princess - (AOS Star Trek) What No Man Has Done Before - (AOS Star Trek X HP) Good News - (DBH) Afterlife - (TOS Star Trek)

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Not too much, but it happens every so often. Why people can't just exit a fic or not interact with it if they don't like it is beyond me.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Sure do. Um, explicit and M/M but the specifics vary depending on pairing and fic. Been getting more detailed and more adventurous with it over the years though.

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

Ohhhh boi have I ever written a crazy crossover XD

Convergence - where I brought many many fandoms (and even more ships) together in a story with an actual plot.

Its not my only crossover, but it's by far the craziest.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Not that I'm aware of, but I have been asked if some can be translated before, just never heard from them again.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

In a way with @lizzy0305 who started Fragments ages ago and then I finished it because we both knew she wasn't going to finish it.

and also Double Date with weegie8 a long long time ago.

14. What’s your all time favourite ship?

My OTP of OTPs is Spirk <3

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

Theres a johnlock fic that could be the first wip i never go back to.

and an SPN and a Stanner fic that both could stay wips forever, but honestly it just takes one spark in my brain and the right mood and I could finish any of these, so never say never.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Not sure really. My fluff is extra tooth rotting? XD Also once I get used to a character their voice is easy to channel I suppose.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Feels like everything when you're trying to write a damn fic XD um, maybe not putting in enough details into a scene.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

I often use Vulcan language in Star Trek fics, I think it adds to it. However I get that it can be annoying to not understand a piece of likely important dialogue cause its in another language. It doesn't bother me though.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Technically HP when I was teen, before I knew what fandom and fanfiction were. But when I was in the know it was Supernatural.

20. Favourite fic you’ve written?

How can I just pick one? I'll pick a multichapter and a one shot that I love.

The One That Got Away - TOS Star Trek

The Update - DBH

Tagging: @dayspring-askanison @heartshapedvows @doonarose

#tag game #thankies <3

7 notes · View notes

crazykuroneko · 1 year

Note

Tbh I think a lot casual viewers / non book fans are probably going to not continue the show after s2 unless it diverges quite drastically on louis's storyline? iwtv is very bleak and I genuinely think they underestimated how much show viewers ended up hating lestat after s1 (and they may end up in a similar situation with armand in s2) and then you're asking the audience to watch an entire season of this guy's whole backstory. plus you're killing off one of the two likable characters by the end of s2 and shifting louis into more a side character.

a big red flag to me was the lady who hosts the podcast who doesn't have a book background saying a lot of the same stuff as show-only people. like she clearly does not like lestat or loustat at all lmao and its literally her job to promote the show.

First, I want to address the "shifting louis into more a side character" because no I don't agree with that. Contrary to fans believe, Hollywood-standard wise (from the number of episodes they are in, how integral their characters are to the story), both Jacob and Sam have been considered as lead actors/cast of IWTV. You can see industry news outlets calling them both as such. But because IWTV is about Louis' past specifically and AMC knew IWTV still has some hope in Emmys even though it's small, they put them in different categories to not split the votes between them (they even only submit one actor in each category for it). So, look at what we have now, Louis is the narrator yet we still get Lestat in all episodes, and he's leading the NOLA narrative forward together with Louis despite not existing in the Dubai narrative. I bet we'll still get Lestat in most, if not all episodes, in S2, because Rolin has said many many times, the show is about both of them. And I expect they'll do the same in TVL season(s); Lestat is telling the story while Louis is leading whatever will be going on in the modern time. (No, i don't believe they'll make Louis stuck on a couch the whole season to listen to Lestat's story even though it sounds tasty. He'd definitely have a way to know what Lestat's saying, but I don't see anything good writing-wise from sticking your well-developed character in one place for such a long time)

About whether the audience will be willing to listen to Lestat's past, I'll see how S2 goes first before judging that. A lot of people don't like him, but there are a lot of them who are like, "I will miss him if he dies, he's an interesting character".

And IWTV is a niche show, its genre is gothic horror/romance. Who the hell is doing gothic romance for a series in this decade? (Hannibal doesn't count, it's not gothic and still about will/won't they). Like, what AMC is doing with IWTV now is extremely daring. And with a niche show, it's always the same: you can't please everyone. There will always be part of the general audience who will leave because either it's simply not their cup of tea or they can't stomach it. Especially now when there's this purity sentiment going so strongly in general (apparently now we shouldn't ship fictional characters, every sex scene has to have a grand purpose, and you shouldn't watch any portrayal of abuse even though it's produced by the victim herself). God forbid IWTV would ever want to please those people yikes. So, IWTV won't ever get as "mainstream" as what, Succession, Ted Lasso, Better Call Saul. But IWTV would still appeal to people who appreciate good writing, people who are "idc how bad the characters are as long as they're exciting!", and people who really love horror (not that "comfort horror" BS) - there's this review of IWTV from an horror website who is like "I wish they gave us more gore and horror of vampires", oh these people would love S2.

So, tl;dr you could say it's a natural selection (hell yes Darwinism), it's inevitable. I'd rather have that audience leave than stay and ruin fans' experience by whining about the plot that won't ever satisfy them. And I'd always applaud writers who don't give a shit to what people say and stick to what they're meant to do. They slay!

EDIT: ah I forgot about this. but don't underestimate the number of old fans who will probably check the show again when the TVL season(s) come. Because no matter how big their hatred for AMC is, it will be the first time ever for TVL to be adapted on screen. First time in 38 years (yes no one considers QotD movie ever existed). That's too big a temptation!

#and this is why i suggest you look at someone's fave shows first #before reccing IWTV to them #like you know it'll be okay reccing IWTV to Hannibal or Yellowjackets fans most of the time #cos they appreciate fucked up things #moi.txt #the cases i referred here are The Bear. sex scenes in general. and the upcoming movie of Priscillia Presley #yes Priscillia is executive producer

7 notes · View notes

missanthropicprinciple · 1 year

Text

Media consumption: March/April 2023

Some spoilers ahead!

I rewatched The Mrs Bradley Mysteries and could not be more in love with it. I’m always stunned by its quiet sophistication, even after watching it every year for the last 20 years.

Watching Bridgerton with my oldest friend (our current show) and while I find it entertaining, the fanfiction-level angst and historically inaccurate nonsense can be a bit tedious. Some of the sex is fun though.

Operation Mincemeat. What can I say. They took an incredible true story and somehow made it dull. Even with the two hand-jobs involving a character entirely created for the film. Did I enjoy the movie? Sure. But it wasn’t nearly as good as it could be, especially with Penelope Wilton and Colin Firth involved. The writing and directing wasn’t up to scratch, I’m afraid.

fucking TETRIS. I was hyped when I saw the trailer. That’s usually a red flag that it’s gonna suck. But honestly, I was so impressed by this movie. It’s gotten a lot of criticism, some of which I understand, but ultimately it was successful.

Firstly, kudos to everyone involved. You take a complex real life story and turn it into a concise, fast-paced, thoroughly enjoyable film while at the same time highlighting the dangers of living in Soviet Russia. It was a terrific balance. The editing was really fantastic. While the talent was there, the editing absolutely made it. And of course, it’s not 100% accurate to what happened. It’s not a documentary. There’s no way you could make it completely accurate unless it was a 10-part miniseries. Even Pajitnov and Rogers said they knew they’d have to make some sacrifices, the filmmakers did a good job parsing it down to a two hour film, and the film retained the emotional realism of their story. That’s pretty impressive. Also, bomb-ass music.

Egerton and Efremov absolutely killin it.

Try not to cheer when the fictional/symbolic car chase comes on. I dare you.

SPOILERS:

Season three of The Mandalorian punted Din Djarin to the side in favor of bland Mandalorian clan stuff. Almost no familiar faces popped up. One whole episode devoted to Dr. Pershing and then that plot basically didn’t lead anywhere. Sure, it set up the return of a certain villain...kind of, but it was heartbreaking and had virtually no pay-off. However, Ahmed Best made a lovely and badass appearance and Grogu “spoke” and it was priceless. Plus we got a new quote.

Ted Lasso continues to kick my ass. Not sure how I’m going to get through the next four (final?) episodes. I have so much to say that I have nothing to say. However, I am confused and stressed out and there hasn’t been as much laughter in this season.

I just…

#media consumption #personal #ok to reblog #ted lasso spoilers #Ted lasso #the mandalorian #swm #the mandalorion spoilers #spoilers #the mrs bradley mysteries #Tetris movie #Tetris 2023 #operation mincemeat

3 notes · View notes

gospelaccordingtosuperheroes · 1 year

Text

Ted Lasso Season 3 Review (Spoilers avoided):

Great writing involves connecting what is going on with what has gone before to give the sense it is all connected. Nostalgic writing uses call-backs as a way to illicit past feelings from previous scenes.

Ted Lasso Season 3 employs the later.

Some critics of the season have called it horrible (at least those in the British tabloid press who have very deservedly received many criticisms of their own from the series) while others have called it great. Ted Lasso Season 3 is neither.

It could have been great. I would argue it should have been great. But it was not. Ted Lasso Season 3 was good. Nothing more, nothing less.

A major issue were the storylines that were unnecessary. Leaving out one from the final episode to avoid spoilers (Kent and Tartt fans should know what I’m talking about), they are:

+Zava

+Shandy

+Jack

in that order. Strangely enough, this covers almost all of the new characters introduced this season, by which I mean those not mentioned or heard from in previous seasons.

The season also struggled with pacing and set up. No more did we see this than with Roy Kent’s personal growth (some of which was way too suitable) and where we find Ted at the end of the season. At times these changes were completely out-of-the-blue, or the set-up occurred so long ago to seem out-of-place in the moment.

That all said, I enjoyed every call back to the fullest. While it does not stand up to the incredible, amazing, and, dare I say, perfect first season, it was still good. I enjoyed the season immensely, and like previous seasons, continued to enjoy it on multiple watchings.

One of the things I loved was also what made this season problematic. This season delved into the lives of so many minor characters we’ve only seen a little bit of before. There are so many lovely characters, major and minor, in this show, and so many, especially Sam Obisanya, and it was a joy to see them grow throughout this season.

Before it began, there were debates as to whether Ted Lasso would continue after this season because 3 seasons was the original intended arc of this story. I would argue this show is not done yet, even if the story were simply continued in a spinoff series, which, in my opinion, should be named A.F.C. Richmond. Ending a show before things get stale is an honorable thing, but that’s not what has happened here. There are so many stories in Ted Lasso that haven’t finished yet. I, at least, still want to see where many of these characters will go. That’s a sign that things aren’t done yet for these characters.

Finally to the point of this review: the Gospel value. Ted Lasso, through all its ups and downs, continues to do an incredible job presenting the core and theme that has been with the show all along: Forgiveness. The power is that we start to see forgiveness being told and shared by other characters aside from Ted. We even see some battles with the devil, mostly figuratively speaking, where people struggle yet still come through, just like we do in our own lives. And, of course, we even get an episode where the voice of God gets credited as God’s Own Self!

The power of Forgiveness drives the Good News of our Lord Jesus Christ. It drives Ted Lasso as well. This is why so many, like myself, have fallen in love with this show. It is why it will continue to speak for years to come.

There are many characters who continue to preach and live into forgiveness. I hope, whether as a continuation of this series or a spinoff, we get to hear more of those characters’ stories in the future.

Review:

Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.7/5

Gospel: ✝️✝️✝️✝️✝️/5

#ted lasso #television #review #Gospel according to Superheroes

0 notes

troglobite · 1 year

Text

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

0 notes

amarguerite · 2 years

Text

This New Yorker article is a really interesting look at the current focus on trauma narratives in contemporary culture but I feel like I’m unconvinced by a lot of the evidence.

Some of the critiques are really spot on about how you can’t and shouldn’t reduce a character to their trauma and how that differs from past ways of forming a fictional character, but I feel like by focusing on the trauma plot the author doesn’t spend enough time on looking at what the trauma plot does. I mean sure, a lot of novels/films/tv shows can be and often are just about a kind of voyeuristic look into someone’s pain, but I think she ignores that especially in fiction penned by people who are confronting the trauma of institutional racism or genocide or something, the point of those narratives is to reveal what hasn’t been spoken about but which shapes your life anyhow. By speaking of it, you can address it and try to heal from it, and I do sincerely believe that is the goal. Not always (A Little Light is trauma porn imho) but I’ve been reading a lot of post-colonial Gothics recently and I am convinced that by writing of the individual trauma and how confronting its source usually leads the heroine to cause the destruction of the house/ edifice/ stand in for institutional racism whatever, that specific kind of what you might call a trauma narrative is often a call to action. It’s not so much about the trauma as about confronting it and keeping it from happening again, a sort of, “I see your pain, I share your rage, this is what you can do about it,” or a kind of catharsis where your feelings are purged through the narrative and you can have a clearer eyed view of your own life, or even just an acknowledgment that yes, this problem your government says doesn’t exist really does exist and the issue is not your reaction to trauma but society’s expectations on how you experience and discuss it. The author of the article gets into this point a little bit when speaking about PTSD but I don’t think she goes far enough, and I don’t think she really applies it to the fiction she’s trying to analyze.

I also don’t buy her analysis of Ted Lasso as I think the reveal that Ted’s buoyant optimism is a coping mechanism was a brilliant way to turn Season 1 of the show on its head. It was a daring storytelling choice. And I also think she didn’t realize that Ted Lasso isn’t a trauma narrative, it’s a narrative about change/- and an incomplete one at that, since the third season hadn’t aired yet. The trauma isn’t the point— how you deal with it, and the personality you develop around it is, and I think it’s a really interesting nuanced point to make, that you are not defined by your traumas and that at any second of any day, with the right help around you, you can decide to be someone else— you can decide to change. Or you can decide not to! Free will is a thing!

She also makes a point that people stand on their traumas as a way of gaining moral authority and I feel kind of gross about that point in a way I’m finding it hard to articulate.

32 notes · View notes

primasveraas-writing · 3 years

Text

"the holy or the broken" -Ted Lasso

I'm so sorry.

WORD COUNT: 2401

XXX

There are three eras in Roy’s life, and they’re all defined by the same woman.

The third echoes the first: Roy Kent, angry at the world with no one to pull him out of his frustration. It’s also worse, though, because before, Roy lived in blissful ignorance of the joy and sorrow that laid ahead.

Rebecca and Ted express their surprise at Roy’s anger. They thought him changed, or perhaps that grief would prevail over rage, and they were wrong. Because Roy Kent, when stripped of everything he is -his athleticism and grim humor and the love of his life- has anger. Nothing less and nothing more.

At first, he can’t say her name. He doesn’t even think it, because every reminder of her is a reminder that she’s gone. Despite her mark on everything- the furniture they picked out together, the bed they shared, her usual seat at the dining table, the compliments she gave his hair and clothes- Roy doesn’t think of her. Which means he doesn’t think at all, so he becomes his anger and his pain, and nothing else.

He stops coaching, obviously. Nobody asks him if he’ll keep going, nor does he announce his departure. His absence, professionally, personally, emotionally- is expected fully. Though people still coming to the fucking house. He tolerates her parents, and Phoebe once or twice, but eventually the visits dwindle, and Roy doesn’t check his phone or answer the door. There’s shouting, sometimes- inevitably Ted Lasso- but Roy has soundproof headphones for a reason and he’s perfectly fine with calling the cops on Ted. And he does, more than once.

His sister begs him to talk to her, or at least to Phoebe, and Roy, in all his anger, doesn’t have the heart to turn his niece away. So it’s just her and Roy, a few days a week, and they order food directly to the house and Phoebe tells him about school, and he grunts in acknowledgment. She cries sometimes too, and that’s when he holds her. No words are exchanged, but he comforts her, enough so that the sobs stop. The numb feeling he has remains intact.

The yoga moms scout his address, somehow, and drop off a wine basket- they drink in relative silence, and clean up his house and make a few casseroles. He picks at the food, but they slowly disappear, and it’s almost nice to eat more than once or twice a day.

It doesn’t get easier. People tell him it will, that the pain will start to lessen, but it doesn’t. Not three weeks after, or four, or five, or when summer emerges and the lilies bloom.

Roy’s not particularly good at adapting. He never wanted to be. And it’s bullshit that he’d have to start now, for some shit fucking luck and life-alerting occurrences he never saw coming.

Because he never expected that there would be an “after” regarding Keeley Jones. It’s not something he planned for and certainly not something he ever wanted. It’s just: one breath she’s there and the next, she’s not. Gone and the house empty, her office too, and suddenly every space at Richmond is filled with flowers because Roy doesn’t accept a single bouquet.

He does start to say her name, although only to his sister- the only adult he talks to. He spits it out, with venom, and he suspects that it’s this habit that prompts Rebecca to show up at his house.

She sneaks her way in, the stubborn shit. Apparently, she hid down the street until he ordered food, bribed the deliverer with an obscene amount of money, and rang his doorbell herself. Rebecca slips into the entry before Roy realizes it’s her, and slams the door behind her.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” He hisses, and to her credit, Rebecca doesn’t flinch. She gives her best businesswoman smile, the one that so directly contradicts the flint in her eyes, and straightens.

“Someone informed me that you made developments in your grief-

“Fuck you-”

“-so I thought a visit was due.”

“Get the fuck out of my house.”

“Somebody told me once that I was always welcome in her home. Has that changed?”

“Yeah. She’s fucking dead.”

Rebecca does bristle at that one but she doesn’t challenge the statement. Instead, she clears her throat, setting Roy’s food down on the table in the foyer.

“Your sister told me how quiet you’ve been. And that any time you talk about Keeley, you do so with an incredible amount of anger.”

Roy doesn’t deign to respond, glowering at Rebecca instead. She takes a look around the room, in all its dusty glory. Lights off, trash piling on the floor, clothes strewn over backs of couches. It matches Roy, in terms of appearance. Unkept. Uncared for. Unloved.

“I’m calling the police,” Roy decides, scanning the room for his phone. “You can’t fucking impersonate a food deliverer. Or fucking be here when I don’t want you to be.”

“I paid him handsomely-”

“-illegal. And fireable.”

“-enough so that his salary for the next few months should be covered.”

“Get out.”

“I can’t do that.”

“I don’t give a damn about what you’re here to fucking do or say. Leave me the fuck alone.”

“And leave you to stew in your anger and your filth? I don’t think so.”

And Rebecca struts into his living room and seats herself on a sofa.

“Dr. Sharon proposed to me that your anger had legitimate grounds. Not just your usual brooding about playing and coaching a game for a living, but you know,” Rebecca gestures to Roy. “Real reasons to be so surly.”

“My fucking wife died.”

“Yes, well. My best friend died yet I’ve been outside over the past few months.” She gives Roy another placid smile. “Despite the fact that I’m mourning.”

“It’s different.”

“Undoubtedly, yes. You’ve been much unhealthier in your habits.”

“Fuck you,” Roy growls. “Get the fuck out of my house.”

“No.” Keeley would refer to that as Rebecca’s scariest tone. “I came to talk.”

“I don’t care.” His hands clench into fists.

“You’re angry at Keeley.”

“I’m fucking pissed at you and your fucking break-in habits. Did you fucking compare notes with fucking Lasso?”

“You need someplace to direct your anger, and since fate dealt you both such a terrible hand, the only thing you can think to do is blame Keeley.”

“That makes as much fucking sense as you impersonating a takeaway driver. Fuck you.”

“So you go from not being able to say her name to saying it like a curse because you’re much more comfortable with your anger than sorrow.”

“I can say Keeley’s name.”

“Can you say it without sounding like the angriest person on the entire planet, Roy?”

“Fuck off.”

“Well?” Rebecca stands. In heels, she towers over Roy, who glares right back at her. “Show me you can, Roy.”

“I don’t have to prove shit to you.”

“No. But I asked you to.”

“I’m not fucking angry at my dead fucking wife.”

‘You’re angry at someone.”

“Yeah. You.”

“Come on now, Roy. Do better.”

“I’m NOT fucking angry at Keeley!”

Rebecca raises an eyebrow. “Clearly.”

“Fuck you.” Roy paces before her, ignoring how every step makes his knee throb. “Fuck you, fuck off. Fuck you.”

“Are you even sad?” Rebecca says quietly, and Roy freezes, his muscles clenching painfully.

“Ask me again,” he dares, his tone low. He takes a step closer to Rebecca, who remains unfazed.

“I said: are you sad your wife died in your arms, Roy?”

“Fuck you!” Roy bellows. He spins away to upturn the coffee table, sending dishes crashing to the floor.

“Do you miss her? Do you wish she hadn’t died?”

“I’ll fucking kill you.”

“So I’ll see Keeley again. How lovely.”

Roy roars, using the full force of his body to punch a hole in the wall. His fist comes out covered in plaster, bright red blood leaking from his knuckles dusted white.

“She fucking died in a freak fucking accident. There’s nothing- nothing- she could have done differently.”

“But she left you.”

“She fucking- she-” Roy’s chest heaves as he looks wildly around the room, at anything but the woman in front of him. “She was supposed to get her fucking nails done. We were going to get Thai for dinner. We had a sexy fucking weekend planned, and she was going to come home and it all would have been fucking fine.”

“And now she’s gone.”

“We can’t do any of that shit. Can’t fucking fall asleep next to her ever again. Or hold her fucking hand. We had fucking plans-” His words catch in his throat, and he looks away, examining the new damage to the wall. “We had plans.”

“Roy-”

“Don’t.” He closes his eyes. “You riled me up. Is that what you fucking wanted?”

“Yes,” Rebecca admits, and she retakes her seat on the couch, disregarding the surrounding wreckage. “Since the one person you want to talk to is gone, I figured I’d substitute.”

Roy glances around the house, at the forgotten groceries by the entrance, at the overturned table, and at the destroyed wall. “Good fucking job.”

“Thanks,” Rebecca says swiftly. “I figured I’d be better at it than Ted.”

“I’d have fucking killed him.”

“I thought so.” Rebecca sighs, massaging her temple. For the first time since her arrival, her bravado fades and her shoulders slump. It’s a familiar sight, one Roy witnessed the last time he saw Rebecca- at Keeley’s funeral, where all traces of the usually confident woman had faded away, and a grieving shell stood in her place. “Is that it, then? All the anger is for what’s never to be?”

“Yeah. That’s it.”

“And this is the first time you’re realizing it?”

Roy’s eyes narrow. “Yeah, it is.”

Rebecca shrugs. “Okay.”

Silence prevails for a long while, then Roy sighs and takes a seat next to Rebecca.

“You know, my office has quite literally never been quieter. Even with Ted bursting in at all hours, it’s just… not the same. I started to get frustrated at Higgins trying to coordinate with me simply because he’s not the person I want to see. And then I woke up angry, too. Absolutely pissed at the sun just for rising. Because every day that I experience is one I should be sharing with her.”

She looks down at her hands, which tremble slightly. “It’s not fair. And I have nowhere to put all my anger and blame.”

Roy wordlessly gestures to the wall, and Rebecca gives a soft laugh.

“There’s one option.” Then, she swipes at her eyes, and sniffs.

“Keeley would have never forgiven any of us if we gave up on you, Roy.”

“I know.” He clears his throat. “She told me as much. About me.” He rolls his eyes, then blinks rapidly. “I’m not supposed to give up on myself.”

“Good job,” Rebecca retorts, and Roy growls, but Rebecca gives another breathy laugh. “You didn’t call the police on me. I’d say that’s a good sign.”

“Don’t let it go to your fucking head.”

“No. Of course not.”

“Thank you,” Roy says very, very quietly. Rebecca takes his hand and squeezes it briefly. Her palm comes away coated in dust and blood.

“Clean up, Roy,” she tells him, standing. “I’ll be seeing you soon.”

Rebecca leaves, but she sends over a team of cleaners and a fresh batch of groceries. For the first time since Keeley died, his fridge is fully stocked with food for him to make into meals, and the house is spotless. He sends a text to his sister, telling her to fuck off in a way she’ll know means thank you, and showers. He trims his beard and dries himself off with a freshly laundered towel, then he falls asleep ass naked on the bed and sleeps for twelve hours.

He goes to see Phoebe and the rest of his family. They catch him up on all the petty bullshit he doesn’t give a fuck about, and it’s nearly normal, except that he drives home alone to an empty house.

He goes back to yoga, and every stretch feels like he’s never done a downward dog before in his life. Still, the wine after is good, and he ends up going home with a spare bottle and another casserole, and so another part of his life resumes.

It’s a slow process. Richmond is a hard place to face, with Ted trying to be casual as he checks in on him, and the boys stepping around him like glass, and Jaime Tartt in tears when he first catches sight of Roy. Her office, the lack of visits from his wife during the day, and the plaque commemorating her on the wall hurt like getting that phone call all over again. But it’s the beginning of the mourning process, Dr. Sharon will tell him, and now that it’s started, the hurt will eventually lessen.

With every end, a beginning.

Roy takes his first steps.

There are three eras in Roy’s life, and a thousand different Roys.

There’s the prodigy footballer, eight years old and scoring goal after goal in every match. There’s the Chelsea player, a championship winner, then the Richmond player, bittered by age. Injured Roy Kent, retired, coaching his kid niece’s football team. Then, briefly: professional commentator. Richmond coach.

Roy Kent, who fucking hates Jaime Tartt except usually his girlfriend is nice at least. Roy Kent, Keeley’s boyfriend. Roy Kent, Keeley’s fiancé, husband- widower.

Roy Kent- a bastard luckily enough that Keeley loved him too. Roy Kent, who lit up when she walked into the room, who smiled more during their time together than he ever had before in his life. Who wanted to start a family with her. Who doted on his wife and promised her the world and a thousand other cheesy things, because she had that power over him.

Roy, who was beside her at the very end, who evoked her last words and smile. Roy, who had that horrible, painful privilege of easing his wife’s passing with reassurances and small comforts and anything he could do to make her feel his love.

Roy, who loves her still. Who’ll die loving her and missing her, and wishing they had just one more day.

Roy, who learns to live to make her proud.

#roy kent #keeley jones #roy x keeley #roy x keeley fanfic #ted lasso #ted lasso fanfic #ted lasso fanfiction #roy x keeley fanfiction #roy x keeley imagine #roy kent x keeley jones #keeley x roy #angst #oops im so sorry yal #rebecca welton

79 notes · View notes

clumsycapitolunicorn · 3 years

Text

Ted Lasso 2x11 Thoughts About the rest of the stuff (SPOILERS)

•LOVED THE TEAM DOING BYE BYE BYE

•SHARON LEAVING I DIDN'T WANT THAT BUT I LOVED THE WAY THEY HAD HER AND TED SAY GOODBYE (thank fuck nothing inappropriate came of this I've been so stressed) SHARON IS THE BEST AND I WILL MISS HER.

•ROY AND KEELEY. I LOVED HIM BOOSTING HER CONFIDENCE AND YES THEY ARE HAVING SOME ANGST BUT THEY KEEP DROPPING WEDDING HINTS FOR THESE TWO IM CALLING IT A WEDDING IS HAPPENING ALSO POWER COUPLE PHOTOSHOOT.

•I really want this new team to be legit so Sam can maybe go do his own thing but I'm scared it's shady Rupert stuff (also there was a callback to a quote ted used on Trent Crimm The Independent when he introduced him to the guy who own the restaurant.) If they have some focus on Sam getting to choose want he wants I wouldn't feel so eee like they are using him for Rebecca.

•NATHAN HOW DARE YOU. YES YOU HAVE A LOT OF ISSUES BUT HOW DARE YOU SELL OUT TED WHO HAS SUPPORTED YOU AND FOR GIVING AWAY INFO ON HIS PANIC ATTACKS THAT HE OPENED UP TO YOU ABOUT THAT TOOK HIM A LOT. ITS SHITTY. THE TED EP IS SO GOING TO BE EVERYONE'S REACTIONS. (ALSO HI TRENT CRIMM THE INDEPENDENT IM GLAD YOU TOLD HIM BUT AHHH WOW EVERYONE CALLED THIS.)

#ted lasso #ted lasso spoilers

28 notes · View notes

mardereads19 · 3 years

Text

Elriel Month 🌸🦇

Day 30:

I suggest having read Day 4: Forbidden and Day 8: Invisible String before reading this one. ♥️

No one had warned her how rejecting a mating bond would feel like, but Elain didn’t feel anything as her magic nudged at that thread around her rib. It was a slow work of detangling it from her bones and reducing it to cinders from one tip to the other.

No one had ever explained how a mating bond was supposed to feel like either. Was it supposed to feel like something wrapped around you or something from within you extending outwards? This thread felt more like a lasso holding her than a glimmer of love radiating from her soul.

She’d seen Feyre and Nesta with their mates. Their happiness was overwhelming but warm. It had made Elain wonder why she couldn’t have that sort of mating bond. The one that promotes good feelings, not this one that always felt like a burden. Was it possible that there were different kinds? That Elain had been given the worst kind with a male she had no interest in? Does that mean she could’ve had the best kind with the male she was in love with?

Azriel.

Elain pushed her thoughts away as she remembered what day it was and that after her undoing of this mating bond, her life would begin. After her bond with Lucien was no more, she’d finish marrying Azriel.

Marrying. A wife, she’d be a wife.

Azriel had proposed to her with a ring twin to the rose necklace around her neck. A diamond in the center of a rose of stained glass. He’d asked her to marry him in the human tradition. To be his the way she had always wanted to be somebody’s. And he’d be hers the way she had expected somebody to be hers.

Elain had cried so much that her sisters had thought Azriel had done something to hurt her. But when she’d told them between sobs, they had also cried. Nesta had hugged Azriel the longest, whispering something to him that only he’d hear. But Nesta had told her later, that she’d told him she was glad it was him for Elain. That she knew how loyal he was. That she knew there wouldn’t be anything he would not do to protect and cherish Elain. That she gave her blessing happily and proudly.

Feyre simply said she’d always hoped it would end like this. That she had known.

And apologized again for what Rhys had done to keep Azriel and Elain separated.

Elain always laughed remembering the hard time Feyre gave Rhysand when she found out he had forbidden Azriel from pursuing Elain. But there was no hard feeling in her heart towards her brother and friend. Not when Rhysand had done so much for her and her family. Not when he’d apologized with tears in his eyes and hugged Azriel, who also cried telling him not to worry.

Now here she was. Just a moment away from saying “I do,” and marrying her forever love.

A tear slipped down her cheek as she finished undoing the thread. Lucien’s hand in hers went slack as that connection broke. But he didn’t scream in pain or sob with suffering. Instead, when she opened her eyes and met his gaze, a sense of freedom had enveloped both of them. Lucien frowned slightly at the lack of that thread, but he brought her hand to his lips and planted a soft kiss over her fingers.

“Be happy, Elain Archeron.” Elain gave him a smile. He returned it. “And also, thank you.”

Elain did her best not to glance towards a chair to her right where a certain red-haired queen sat watching. The wedding was taking place at night specifically so that she could attend. Elain nodded her head and watched Lucien stroll his way to his chair on the first row before turning around to her beloved.

And just as their eyes met, everything went dark.

Nothing surrounded her except darkness and shadows. She felt them swirling around her. Then a light appeared at the end of the way.

Her never ending vision. The one that had made her understand the shadows and showed her the way to Azriel when Koschei had taken him.

The one that replayed Rhysand’s command to her shadowsinger that solstice night.

That string of gold she had once grasped before the vision had finished, made its way back to her. She reached for it and when her hand made contact with it, her heart sang in joy.

The vision did not end. She did not fall forward the way she had the last time she had touched the string.

So she took a step forward. Another. Another. Step by step, she crossed that way. That bridge —she noticed.

She gathered the string round her palm as she walked towards the light, shadows trailing her step and swirling before that door.

More threads of gold began to spill out of the light. She gathered those, too. Her soul purring in elated ecstasy as one by one those strings wove together. Her heartbeat turned thunderous as her mind wondered...

She stopped in front of that opening, squinting her eyes against the brightness.

Open, open, open, the shadows told her.

She saw a handle and put her hand on it. Something in her warned her that there was no going back from what lay beyond this dark hall. That once this truth was revealed, it would stay forever.

Azriel. Him. Home.

Friend. Lover. Husband.

Elain took a deep breath in.

And opened the door.

...

Azriel gaped at her from the altar. Tears streaming down his cheeks.

There was a heavy silence in the garden of the river house, where their ceremony was taking place. The people watched them as Azriel and Elain looked at each other.

Azriel. Him. Home.

Friend. Lover. Husband.

Mate.

Elain felt it, then. That sense of joy and pride and comfort. That sense of belonging and owning. Golden threads flowing from within her towards him. No lasso of threads around her.

“A spell,” she whispered, understanding now.

Because she knew Azriel would not dare move, she took a step towards him. Another. Making her way to him like she had towards the light. He had always been at the end of that hall —that bridge, one between their souls. He had always been hers, the way she had always been his.

A spell. That had been what had kept her from stepping forward, what had made her fall away from her vision that one time she touched the string. What had kept them from being together.

A spell. One she had not simply undone...

She glanced back at Lucien with the question in her eyes. He smiled softly and gave her a nod.

The son of Day, with the power to undo spells and wards. He had helped. Had understood at some point, that their connection had been fabricated, and had helped.

Elain mouthed her appreciation, and turned back to her real soul-bounded.

Azriel’s lips trembled and his eyes overflowed. She allowed her love to shine through her own eyes and closed the distance between them. She reached a hand to his face, cupped his cheek. Azriel closed his eyes.

“It’s always been you,” she said, unafraid.

Azriel sobbed.

“What is going on?” Cassian asked from his chair.

“Mates,” Rhysand said from the front row. Tears glistening his own cheeks, regret and sorrow shining in his eyes. “They’re mates.”

Feyre’s eyes widened, but she reached out for Rhysand’s hand with one arm while she held Nyx with the other. “Is that possible?”

“There were signs,” said Amren from her place besides Varian and Nesta. Her face contemplative, as if pondering how this was possible. “Plenty of signs.”

“A spell,” said Helion from a few chais behind Rhys. He glanced towards Lucien —his son. Lucien still kept his distance from the High Lord of Day after learning the truth, but Helion’s eyes took on a new glow as he regarded his son. No doubt piecing together that he had acquired his powers. That Elain could not have undone such a spell on her own. There was pride in the twist of his lips. The Lady of Autumn Court sat beside him, looking healthy and comfortable.

But Elain focused back on Azriel. His eyes had opened and gleamed with love and awe and wonder. He rested his forehead against hers.

“Wife,” he said.

Elain smiled.

“Mate,” she called him.

And that light within her heart pulsed with happiness.

#elrielmonth #elrielmonth21 #this was my favorite to write no lie #i also have a theory to write to support this #this has been a headcanon for the longest time it’s nice to share it! ♥️😭#elriel #elain #elain acheron #azriel #elriel endgame #pro elriel #elriel fanfic #elriel oneshot #my writing

82 notes · View notes

sturchling · 4 years

Note

Damian uses the lasso of truth on Lila and Akuma class to reveal why they treated Mari horribly (except Alix Nath Chlo Sabrina Kim Jules)Lila has issues & her + Alya Max even Rose were jealous of Mari’s success, connections and how perfectly good she is (Rose: without being annoying and childish)and since Lila tells them what they want to hear and they wanted 2 her Mari wasn’t better than them that she’s lower and it was an excuse to bully her. Think of the worst karma 4 them to suffer through

Here you go! I based the karma off of how bullying had been handled at my old school. Hope you like it! Let me know what you think.

Damian hadn’t even met this Lila girl yet, but he already despised her. Marinette had told him all about Lila and her lies. Damian had met Marinette a several months ago when he accompanied his father to Paris for business. The Waynes visited the Dupain-Cheng bakery, and Marinette offered to show Damian around Paris. Before Damian could reject the offer, Bruce accepted it for him. Damian begrudgingly followed the young designer, but ended up enjoying her company. After that trip, the two kept texting and skyping to stay in touch and became good friends.

-----------------

It wasn’t long after they met, that the Lila situation took a turn for the worse. Lila began making progress turning the class against Marinette. Alix, Nathaniel, Chloe, Sabrina, Kim, and Juleka didn’t believe what Lila was saying about Marinette. But the rest of the class had turned on Marinette, believing the worst in her. They all thought she was bullying Lila, and they in turn, bullied her. Marinette’s friends tried defending her, but the rest of the class was still able to torment Marinette when she was alone. Adrien, even though he knew Lila was lying, did nothing to stop the class’ attack against Marinette. While Marinette was happy that she still had some of her friends, she was upset that the rest of the class could think so little of her.

-----------------

Marinette became quieter after a while. The bullying was starting to take its toll on her. Damian noticed the change in Marinette pretty quickly and asked what was wrong. He knew that Marinette, the bubbliest person he knew, wouldn’t be this quiet unless something was wrong. She was very hesitant to say anything, but eventually he got the whole story out of her. How her class had started to bully her, based off the word of a liar. How friends she had trusted, had turned on her in the blink of an eye. Damian was furious. He had become rather protective of Marinette, and was infuriated that her class was being so cruel to her. So, he resolved to do something about it.

-----------------

Damian had spoken to Wonder Woman, who said his plan should work. Damian was going to borrow the lasso of truth and reveal the liar to the class, if not the whole school. He planned to trap, not just Lila, but all of Marinette’s bullies in the rope. That way, the rest of her class could not doubt the veracity of the lasso. He was going to do this during either lunch or the end of the day, to ensure the maximum amount of witnesses to the liar’s forced confession. He hoped some faculty might be there as well and be able to take action against the liar and her followers. With his plan set in motion, Damian prepared to go to Paris later that week. He was determined to help Marinette solve her liar problem. He was, admittedly, looking forward to destroying this liar.

-----------------

Finally, Damian arrived in Paris. He had decided to enact his plan at the end of the school day. That way Marinette couldn’t be bombarded afterwards, and the faculty was most likely to be present during dismissal. Damian arrived at the school a few minutes before dismissal was set to begin. He waited by the stairs, ready for Mrs. Bustier’s class to walk by. He knew, from what Marinette told him, that her tormentors often left the class first, leaving Marinette and her friends alone in the classroom. He also knew what the liar looked like. So, once the classes were dismissed, he waited until he spotted a crowd of about six people surrounding the liar come down the stairs. It was time to reveal the liar. With that thought in mind, Damian threw the lasso around the group.

-----------------

Marinette was walking out with her friends, and had just gotten to the top of the stairs, when she saw a golden rope ensnare Lila and her cronies. She was very confused, even more so when she saw Damian holding the other end of the rope. Why was Damian here? Why did Damian tie up half her class? Damian spoke up, “This lasso compels you to speak the truth. It is the lasso of truth, and we are going to have a little conversation.” Max went to deny that this was the legendary lasso, but instead he was forced to say, “Yes, this is the lasso of truth.” Marinette was shocked. New question. How did Damian get a hold of the lasso of truth?

-----------------

Damian noticed out of the corner of his eye that an older man had emerged from an office upstairs. That must be the headmaster. Perfect. Damian glared at the girl he knew to be Lila Rossi, “You are Lila Rossi, correct?” Lila was forced to confirm that that was in fact her name. Damian continued, not giving anyone a chance to stop him, “Isn’t it true that you are nothing but a liar?” To Lila’s horror she said, “Yes, I am a liar.” Gasps were heard from around the courtyard. Damian smirked, “Tell the truth Lila, what all have you lied about?” Lila tried to resist, but the lasso forced her to reveal everything. The truth came tumbling out of her, and didn’t stop until she had revealed everything she had ever lied about. She revealed that she didn’t know any of the celebrities she claimed to know, and that she never intended to help her class reach their goals like she had promised. She even revealed that all of her injuries and disabilities were all fake. Even the lying disease she had made up, which caused Mr. Damocles to become quite angry that this young girl had tricked him. Damian asked one more question for the liar, “To be clear, Marinette Dupain-Cheng never bullied or harassed you in any way, but you have been bullying her, correct?” Lila tried desperately to keep her mouth shut, but of course it didn’t work, “That is correct. Marinette never did anything to me except call me out as a liar. I wanted to make her suffer for seeing through my lies. No one ever sees through them. So, I turned her class against her. I even got them to start bullying her by claiming that she had been bullying me. I only ever told them what they wanted to hear.” That statement caught Damian’s attention. He hadn’t originally intended on actually using the lasso on the rest of the class. He had just considered them to be idiots that followed the words of the liar. Now he wondered just how innocent they really were. He then turned his attention to the rest of the class.

-----------------

Damian asked the trapped akuma class, “Did you truly believe Lila’s lies?” When they confirmed that, he continued, “Why did you believe her over Marinette? Why did you all turn on your friend? Why start bullying Marinette?” The class all tried fighting it, but they had the same success that Lila had in that endeavor. Alya broke first, “We were jealous of her! She is the same age as us, but she is already successful as a fashion designer and has so many connections. She is so perfect all the time, it is so annoying.” Rose chimed in, “Yeah, I always thought she had to be better than us, since she was so successful. All of us did. It made me feel insecure. My friend was already so much further ahead in life than I was. But then Lila told us that Marinette wasn’t any better than us.” The rest of the trapped akuma class agreed with that, then Alya spoke up again, “Yeah, in fact Lila said that Marinette was actually worse than us. She was only successful because she happened to know famous people. She was using her connections to get ahead instead of working hard.” Damian became enraged hearing that. Marinette did work hard and how dare these people assume otherwise. Damian growled, “So you decided to bully her for that inane reason?” Alya spoke again, “It wasn’t just that. Lila told us that Marinette was bullying her. If Marinette sunk that low, then she deserved to know what it was like to be bullied.” Damian was quickly losing his composure, hearing these people say such vile things. It seems the rest of the school was of the same mind, because most everyone was glaring at the akuma class now. Mr. Damocles had now come downstairs to stand next to Damian. Damian also noticed that several students were filming what the akuma class was saying. Good, there will be a record of what they have said. Damian asked one final question, “To be clear, how have you been bullying Marinette? What did you do to her?” The class then began to admit everything they had ever done to Marinette. Every cruel word, every bit of destruction, every trip and shove. By the end of the confession, the whole school was furious with this group. How could they do all that to one of the sweetest girls in the school.

-----------------

When they were finally finished, Damian released them from the lasso. They tried to back pedal and fix the damage they had caused. But they weren’t able fix this with a few words. The group were taken by Mr. Damocles to his office, so they could discuss what they had admitted to. Their parents were called and were horrified to hear what their kids had done. Lila was expelled and her mother sent Lila back to Italy to live with her grandparents who would be able to watch her more closely. Obviously, the rest of the parents grounded their kids. Nino and Rose, who hadn’t done much more than call Marinette names, were given in school suspension and told they had to write an apology to Marinette. Ivan, Mylene, and Max were all suspended for 10 days, and they also had to write an apology. Even though they hadn’t destroyed much of Marinette’s property, their parents still were going to make them pay back Marinette for everything they had destroyed. Adrien, even though he didn’t directly participate in the bullying, was still made to take classes in bullying prevention, the damage bullying can cause, and how to recognize toxic behaviors in people. Alya, who had done the most damage, was also suspended. She was suspended for 10 days as well, pending a hearing with the school board. Only the school board could suspend a student for longer than 10 days. Alya had been confident that she could convince the school board to let her return to school, but it hadn’t worked in her favor. The school board was horrified by the details of what Alya had done and agreed she needed to be suspended for even longer. Alya was officially suspended for 3 weeks. After that time, she would still have detention after school for the next month. Her parents also decided to make her shut down the Ladyblog, which Alya had started using as a way to harass Marinette online. Finally, Alya was also made to pay Marinette back for everything she had destroyed. Everyone that was punished also had their event privileges taken from them, which meant they could not attend any school events, like dances or trips. Even when their punishments were done, the akuma class realized that things had changed drastically for them at school. The rest of the school treated them like pariahs.

-----------------

Meanwhile Marinette moved on from the events of the akuma class. She became her happy, bubbly self again. She was glad to finally be free of that liar’s manipulations. While she did accept everyone’s apology, they were never truly friends again, the relationships were just too damaged to go back to normal. While it did make Marinette sad to realize that all of these people that she thought were her friends were jealous of her, she was happy to have discovered people that were her true friends. She and Damian were closer than ever, and she was very grateful to him for putting an end to Lila’s torments.

931 notes · View notes