#roy will get another chance lol

[cloudynyims]

I just wanted to say thank you (1/2 probably)

this is what happens when I read one too many @obwjam asks... its about 2000 words. Goodness I did not stop writing lolol. Funnily enough, this is all backstory for the story I originally wanted to write but I suck at mapping out story lengths. Features a bit of fearplay (not really, just S1 Jamie being an ass) I'll write the rest laterrrr

AFC Richmond was an interesting place for a borrower to choose to live. There were so many people, players, and coaches. The locker room smelled horrible, and you never could tell when someone would pop out of a room or come early to get some extra training in. On game days, it was virtually impossible to get anything at all, as the stadium was always packed. On top of that, it was always noisy and loud, especially during games or when Roy and Jamie argued.

     So why would anyone live there? To y/n, the pros far outweighed the cons. The locker room, despite the pungent smell, was a treasure trove of snacks that were left behind. After big matches, the seats had so many crumbs they could grab that they'd be set for the next week. And at night, virtually no one was even still in the building! It made borrowing so easy for them. Yes, they were never really able to be out and about during the day, but the night was a breeze!

A few times, y/n had watched their practices from their favorite nook in the stadium. It was close enough that they could see what was going on, but far enough away that the team would not be able to notice their tiny form sitting there. They learned a lot about the players from the few times they watched. The team dynamic was very apparent, which helped them figure out which players were imperative to avoid. So far, the list was comprised of Jamie and Roy, and they both were tied for first.

     The only thing they really had to be careful about was early mornings. Sometimes the players (y/n didn’t bother learning that many names) would come early for some extra training. They had almost been caught by Sam once. They accidentally knocked over a can of body spray that was on the floor in the locker room, catching his attention. To their relief, they managed to slip out of sight before he investigated the sound.

     So, usually y/n didn’t go out early in the mornings. Today was an exception. Yesterday, AFC Richmond had returned from a long series of away games, and the entire team was drained. y/n figured that no one would be coming in early after a long trip, and they needed the extra time for borrowing. Lately, their schedule had been tight. The team was nearing the end of the season, and their practice schedules were getting more rigorous, leaving y/n little time to borrow. Even the coaches were staying late after hours, drafting plays and reviewing game footage. 

     The early morning light was just barely slipping into the room. It was still pretty dark, but the light was enough for y/n to be able to see. They peeked out of their hole that led right into the locker room. Their nose wrinkled. It still managed to smell in there even though the team had been gone for days. Look left, look right, all clear. They silently crept into the room, keeping their head on a swivel. Y/n could never be too careful. It was eerily silent, and their tiny footsteps could barely be heard as they walked on the linoleum.

     Y/n had only one goal. Jamie’s locker. It was so disorganized that he never noticed if anything was missing, and he always stashed snacks in there. The one thing they hated about his locker was how far it was from the little entrance. In order to reach it, they had to cross the entire room, out in the open. That was always their least favorite part. On top of that, the door was right across from his locker, which made it even more precarious. If anyone walked in while they were there, they were screwed.

     Y/n edged along the wall a little longer before preparing themselves for the sprint. They cast one last look at the door, making sure the coast was clear. It stayed closed. They couldn’t hear any other sounds except for their own breathing. Without any further delay, they began running. It takes them about 3 minutes to cross the room when they're going as fast as they can. Quick and easy.

     Then they heard steps. Loud footsteps that were heading in their direction. The realization that someone was coming shattered their train of thought. Not knowing why, y/n skidded to a stop in the middle of the room. They were about 3/4 of the way to Jamie’s locker. What a terrible spot to be in. Internally, y/n began to panic, their thoughts racing.

     There wasn't time to run back to the safety of the other side. Was it worth the risk to try and hide in Jamie’s locker? If they took that option and the person coming was in fact Jamie, they knew they'd be done for. Their indecision only grew as the thumping steps came closer. y/n heard the doorknob turn. Their mind went completely blank. Fight or flight kicked in, and they started running back towards the other side, abandoning the locker. 

     They knew it was in vain, but they just wanted to get away.

     “What the fuck?” A voice cut through the air. It was in fact Jamie Tartt. He had arrived early at around 5:30 AM for some shooting practice. At this early hour, he did not expect to find a tiny person running around in the locker room. 

     Y/n froze in their tracks. ‘Shit,’ they thought to themselves. Good thing they didn’t choose to hide in his locker. They stared fearfully up at Jamie, who was looking at them with a slightly baffled expression. y/n knew how Jamie was. They saw how he interacted with his teammates. They could only imagine what that meant for them. 

     Y/n snapped out of their trance and started running again, tripping over themselves in their haste. To their horror, Jamie caught up to them in just a few short steps. He stepped over them and squatted down in front of them. It took him no effort to block the exit they so desperately wanted to reach. 

     “Not so fast tiny,” he said. “What the fuck are you supposed to be?” y/n shuffled backward a couple steps before they ran into Jamie’s hand that blocked the way. His hand was as wide as they were tall! That observation alone sent their mind spiraling.

     “I… well… um…” they spluttered, trying to answer his question while also grappling with a whirlwind of emotions. Jamie leaned closer, way too close for comfort, as he attempted to hear what they said. 

     “Are you some kind of elf? A bloody pixie? God, look at you! You’re so fucking tiny,” he continued. His other hand stretched toward them. Y/n yelped and tried to dodge the unwelcome hand, but it was no use. His pointer finger poked and prodded at them. While it wasn’t painful, it was enough to make y/n feel uncomfortable and self-conscious.

     “Please… stop,” y/n said while trying to push his fingers away. They were simultaneously trying to push their fears away, but it wasn’t working. Jamie’s fingers were about as tall as them, and it didn’t take much force for him to pin them against his other hand. 

     He raised an eyebrow. y/n could feel his hot breath washing over her. Every exhale sent shivers up their spine. “What was that, love? You don’t want me to stop?” He said teasingly. “Even when I’m right here, I can barely hear you.” The hand that was preventing them from escaping suddenly wrapped around their waist and lifted them up into the air.

     Y/n tried to fight the nausea as they watched the ground get farther away. They knew that a fall from this height would be dangerous, deadly even. Jamie’s hand stopped traveling upward when they were in front of his face. Once again, the proximity was far too close. y/n tried to lean away to create some distance and quell a shred of their nerves. 

     “Say it one more time for me, love. I can hear you better from up here,” Jamie said with a smirk. He was enjoying this, but not exactly grasping the full extent of their terror.

     “Put- put me down!” y/n exclaimed as they pushed against his fingers. It was beginning to feel stuffy in his hold. ‘This is it. I’m never getting out of here! Is he going to keep me forever? Why did I have to borrow this morning?’ Y/n's mind kept racing. 

     “Jamie! What the fuck are you doing?” The voice surprised both y/n and Jamie, and they both turned to see who was in the doorway. y/n's heart sank when they realized that it was none other than Roy Kent. Of course it was. Nothing seemed to be going their way today. 

     Roy had also arrived early to get some extra practice in. He had been wanting to do some extra cardio before practice starts, and had arrived at the club at around 5:45. Once he entered the locker room, that’s when he noticed Jamie holding something strange in his hand.

     Roy walked closer and Jamie stood up to greet him. The vertigo hit y/n hard. They closed their eyes and tried to steady themselves. Roy instantly noticed the tiny figure in Jamie’s hand. “Oi. The fuck is that?” He said, gesturing to Jamie’s hand.

     “Oh. A little tiny person I found runnin’ in the locker room. They're a cute little thing, aren't they?“ Jamie said. That smirk had not left his expression. If y/n wasn’t so small, they would have beat the shit out of Jamie then and there. They hated how patronizing he sounded. Instead, they tried their best not to look as terrified as they were. y/n's day couldn’t get any worse.

     Roy stared intently at th tiny figure in Jamie’s hand. His gaze alone made y/n wish they could crawl into a hole and disappear. It was so intense, so pressing. y/n's breaths were getting heavy; their chest was expanding and contracting rapidly. Their heartbeat was just zooming, and they wondered briefly if Jamie or Roy noticed or cared. 

     Roy raised an eyebrow. “So you’re scaring them for fun?” Roy asked bluntly with an unreadable expression. Not once did his eyes leave the borrower.

     “It’s all in good fun. Relax, mate” Jamie replied, his words nonchalant. y/n tensed at his words. They were growing more anxious now that Roy and Jamie were talking about them like they weren’t there. The stuffiness of Jamie’s grip hadn’t gone away either.

     “You fucking prick,” Roy muttered, finally turning his gaze to Jamie. “Put them down. Now. What makes you think they want to be around a prick like you?”

    Jamie rolled his eyes and began squatting down without lowering his hand. “Now.” Roy said again, this time with a hint of anger in his voice. While his words weren’t directed at them, his tone of voice still unsettled y/n. All they wanted to do was go home. 

     Jamie finally complied, plopping them unceremoniously down on the floor. He then quickly stood back up, leaving y/n to gawk up at both of them from the floor. They looked so impossibly tall from this angle. Jamie shrugged and walked out of the room, purposefully bumping Roy on the way out. 

     Roy watched him go before sighing and shaking his head. “Jamie, that little bitch,” he muttered. y/n had taken the chance to start backing away toward their home. They didn’t get far before Roy turned around and faced them. “Oi,” he called out. y/n tensed, turning around and looking up at him. “Are you—“

     Before he could even finish his sentence, y/n sprinted back into the walls. They was eager to get out of the situation, not wanting to be in the company of any giants. That whole ordeal was an encounter to last them a lifetime. 

     “—okay,” Roy finished as he exhaled. “Damn it," he muttered to himself. "You scared the fuck out of them.”

I PROMISE TO RESOLVE IT I left the plot in an awkward position😅 also I didn't proofread it. It's quite literally brain rot

#ted lasso #roy kent #g/t #g/t writing #giant tiny #giant/tiny #gianttiny #borrowers #this is my mind going brrrr don't take it seriously #random drabble #borrower #roy will get another chance lol #size difference

[002yb]

*whispers* Dick being jealous of Kori and Jason being so close but he can't decide what to do (especially bc its Kori and he kinda doesnt wanna admit his feelings for Jay)

Okay but let’s consider Dick having a crush on both Kory and Jason at the same time. What’s more, let’s throw in Roy having that same crush on these two busty beauties, lol. So it’s just Dick and Roy pining from a distance and heaving sighs that startle one another because, caught up in their moments as they were, they didn’t notice one another. And they’re content to mind their own business so they go back to pining. Only it happens again [with the simultaneous sighing] and Dick and Roy can’t help but laugh because, ‘oh damn, you too?’

Meanwhile Kory catches her boys staring after Jason and her and she thinks it's so delightful. Jason can't help but marvel at her because Kory's smile is the goddamn sun, he's been blinded! Which makes Kory laugh, but then she points out how Dick and Roy are checking them out and Jason sputters because Kory means checking 'her' out, c'mon.

Only, no. Not at all. Because with Dick, especially, Kory knows him. All his tells, his habits. She'd recognize that lovelorn look anywhere. The mirth in his eyes, the warmth in his smile - Dick is smitten. And Roy, well. He looks much the same. Just as dazzled, just as adoring.

Something something Kory and Jason's chests being smushed together, limbs all tangled (full fanservice experience here no shame). Maybe Kory and Jason spar and they trip and it's just a dream to these two men standing across the room who are simultaneously trying to be respectful and not look but are very blatantly staring and, oh. Jason sees that.

And he snickers because oh, Kory and him can have some fun with this, can't they?

Which leads to Kory and Jason playful shenanigans of flustering and sexually frustrating Dick and Roy so bad that they both get tongue tied and timid because these busty beauties on their own? Striking, gorgeous, so kind and compassionate it's overwhelming. Together? Fuck.

Roy gets the flustered giggles over being flirted at. Dick is just struck dumb by his own smittenness.

Ahhhhhh Kory leading the charge with Jason to woe Roy and Dick into a relationship with them //u///

The joyfire comes together easily enough, but Dick? Stubborn as a mule. He's wholly convinced he deserves none of them, let alone all of them. Which, hahah, the fool. Dick gets the full brunt of being courted by the joyfire trio. He doesn't stand a chance.

Dick pleading with Roy to give him a break and Roy quipping back on how Dick can have a break once he's helped Roy and Kory satisfy Jason. Yeah, Roy sees how Dick's gaze lingers there in particular it's cool they've all talked about it Jason is ready (just don't tell Jason that Roy told Dick that, he'd get embarrassed). (˵ •̀ ᴗ - ˵ ) ✧

Meanwhile Dick is left sputtering because hot damn what??

Fun fact: Once they all get to that point and Dick's attention is on Jason, Jason overheats and wakes up to being fanned by three very gorgeous people and he just about passes out again because flustered maiden vibes.

#idk what this poly ship name would be called but it's lovely #dickoroyjay hahaha #dickroy #dickjay #joyfire

[lunar-years]

i hope this isn't too weird to join the discussion as a random follower but i've been very stuck on the trend you mentioned where prior to s3, fics often had jamie join established roykeeley after a lot of pining and self-recrimination. and i thought hmm i haven't really seen much of that for keeley joining established royjamie post s3, even though it would make a lot more sense given where they all are at the end of s3!

(cont.) i would love to read (or write) a fic about royjamie being on (but on the downlow due to their careers and the homophobia in football) and somehow keeley finds out about them so she has to keep things secret but is also like, oh god, this is it, this was the missing ingredient and i've MISSED MY CHANCE and angsting about whether she made the right decision in the end. it'd all come good in the end but let keeley feel insecure in fic! she's too self-assured in fanon imo.

YES!! You know funnily enough, despite this scenario being like, THE way I most think the ot3 actually gets together after the finale, I haven't written it and it's not in any of my current wips, either, lol. My friends with benefits fic is sort of going to include a similar dynamic (at least in terms of Keeley being like, fuck I've missed my chance and now they're going to get together without me and its my own fault yada yada). Except it's a slightly different flavor of it because they're fwb and Keeley is still participating as often as she pleases and neither roy nor jamie have yet realized how the dynamic has shifted from fwb into something else/more between them. so it's really just Keeley panicking on her own that they're going to realize at any second how they feel about one another and ditch her altogether.

but anyway, YES i want to read your exact version, and YEAH Keeley definitely is too self-assured in fanon, especially for a character who was basically continually in a self crisis spiral for 75% of season 3, lol.

If I had to pick a single headcanoned way I think they get together after canon events, I think Roy & Jamie apologize to Keeley and she kindly tells them she isn't currently in the place for a relationship with either of them, but she cares about both of them deeply and wants them to all be friends (with an implied 'my thoughts on being together romantically might very well change in the future, I'm just not ready for that now.') Which honestly is the right call for her personal growth and self care, because I think Keeley deserves & needs a hot single girl self-love era.

Only, Keeley hasn't actually realized how close royjamie have gotten as she's been having her various s3 crises, and even though she obviously knows they're not obligated to wait around for her to make a decision, I think there's probably a part of her (that she refuses to acknowledge of course) that is like, 'well they've both simped over me this long, of course that door is always going to be open. I can just return to that decision when I'm ready.'

...Color-her-surprised when Jamie and Roy do not just wait around, they get together. And as they all three continue to hang out as friends, she catches on to the relationship and at first it's like okay this is hot, all good fun. But then she realizes just how close they are, and has a full blown crisis because holy shit this is serious, and how did that happen right when she wasn't looking? They're in love, and she's missed out because she was too busy tasking time for herself, and that just isn't fair, is it, she's the one who helped make both of them better!! SHE put in the work and now they're getting the payoff??

Cue angst and irrational thinking patterns and Keeley loneliness that of course ends with a frank conversation and a threesome that turns into canon throuple. amen.

ironically the fic I've read closest to this concept was written prior to s3, Robocop by wildwren. it was part of a roykeeley breakup series, but basically there's lingering sexual tension between all three of them, then Keeley decides she's ready to sleep with Jamie, only to go over to his and find him and Roy already fucking in the car 🫢 and then she thinks she's missed her chance etc. The series wasn't finished (if there was going to be more to it, idk) but the whole thing was BRILLIANT and like. spot on to the dynamics set up in s3, because wildwren is a wizard.

#royjamiekeeley #royjamie #ted lasso #asks #roy kent #jamie tartt #keeley jones #ship post

[undermycoat]

inspired by @izzyspussy’s prompt. hope u dont mind?? lol also tw for mention of james tartt. yknow how it is — also im thinking this takes place around the start of the season after the show ends 💚 but also (thanks nonny!) just pretend eras tour came out 2021 and barbie came out 2022 and not. now LOL

It starts as less than a handful of Tweets. Honestly, Jamie laughs at the first one, then scrolls by and completely misses the rest. And then he sees a group of lads donning West Ham merch pointing at him while on his morning run (sans Roy, who had to bow out due to a cold, the dick . . . Jamie's planning on picking him up breakfast) and whispering — but not quiet enough — that the Barbie has escaped his box. The Tweets (and comments and replies and DMs) appear more frequently after that.

The pictures of him in his pink tracksuit, tied to Roy’s bike, are passed around again. This time not by his loyal fans who begged for proper HD pics from him and thought he looked good as hell, but by the ones who call him Barbie and think his hair is blond and dumb and that he is just a dumb blond who isn’t even that good at football. At least that last bit could be easily refuted by his stats. He’s damn good at his job, and he knows it.

He doesn’t say anything about it, however, until they’re in the locker room after training, and Isaac huffs at something while looking at his phone. Jamie glances over to see him angling the screen toward him. “They’re callin’ you Barbie, bruv.”

Isaac is a really good friend, like, the best a guy could ask for. But Jamie kind of doesn’t want to think about this. “Yeah, I saw. It’s a compliment, innit? And kind of fittin’. I’m perfect, I’m everything. I am Barbie, ain’t I?”

At his easy dismissal, Isaac brightens up, grinning, and Jamie grins back. He finds the Tweet he was shown and posts a good selfie he took a few days ago, captioning it, I am everything. You wanna be Ken? It’s a bit stupid, but the insult is stupid too, so he thinks he’s allowed it.

The thing is — he wants to be unbothered by the nickname. The Barbie movie was fucking awesome, and though he’s still on thin ice with Keeley, even after their strictly-business trip to Brazil, they put aside their differences . . . that is, they put aside Jamie’s fuck-up to go and watch one of the screenings together. Yeah. It was fucking awesome. And he loves women. Like, major respect.

But the condemnations of the word are a knife’s edge away from a whiskey-tinged voice hissing soft and little bitch in his ear, and Jamie really can’t fucking deal with that right now. And he had gone and seen James in rehab, just for a couple hours, and he doesn’t regret going and seeing him, and he actually thinks it’s fucking mint the man’s getting help. He even enjoyed going through the old photos of his grandparents and James as a baby and even some of his own photos, when his mum looked a little less tired and he wasn’t afraid to smile too brightly. And in rehab, James is given limited Internet time, so the chances of him seeing the insults, seeing Jamie being called a girls’ toy, something pretty and pink, are small, and even if he does see, what can he do? They won’t just let him leave while obviously on some rampage.

It’s not like Jamie plans on going back to the man any time soon anyway. He’s not James Tartt’s anything. They just share a name. So what?

Jamie jumps at the touch of a hand on his shoulder. He pockets his phone (his Quote Tweet is now at twenty thousand likes and counting), and when he turns, it’s Roy, staring at him with those impossibly dark eyes and wild brows that make them even darker.

“Hi, coach,” he says with a grin.

Roy grunts back.

Jamie stays still for another second before blinking. “Got any wisdom for me?”

The other guys have begun to clear out, and now it’s just them and Beard still in the coaches’ office. And Will, who seems to be some metaphor for God, the way he’s always around, not even lurking, just . . . around.

Finally, Roy says, “Good pass. Don’t be late tomorrow.”

It’s so unbearably Roy that it makes Jamie sick. It also suggests there’s more he’s not saying, but Jamie isn’t sure what. He doesn’t push, however, just salutes him. “‘Course, coach,” he leans back on his heels, “dark and early, yeah?”

Roy nods, then pivots and mechanically goes back to the office. Jamie watches him go before turning and gathering his things. As he packs, he can practically feel Roy’s eyes on his back, but he knows when he turns, both him and Beard will be staring down at things on their desks. Whatever.

Jamie doesn’t run into anyone on his way out, and he’s grateful, taking a breath when he gets in his car then speeding off. He feels itchy under his skin, like when his foot falls asleep but the sensation is all over his body, and he kind of regrets leaving Nelson Road because he thinks running a few extra laps up and down the pitch would soothe him, if only a little bit. Despite this, when he gets home, he just gets out of his car and goes inside. It’s not that he’s worried about a repeat of his solo jog that one morning. It’s just really hot outside, what with it being late July and all, and he just showered, like, thirty minutes ago.

Every time a notification goes off on his phone, his stomach flips in a really awful way. Jamie turns off his phone.

Maybe now that he’s said something, it’ll die down. Since he’s made it clear he’s not bothered by it, that he can take whatever they give, they’ll stop.

And then, the first match of the season, Jamie walks onto the pitch, and a familiar song starts up. It’s not his song — but it’s certainly for him.

“Are they singing . . . ‘Barbie Girl’?” Colin asks from behind him.

“And changing the pronoun to ‘he’,” Jan adds, helpful as ever.

Jamie catches sight of one of the cameras recording the match, grins and sticks out his tongue, and when he looks to the opposing fans’ side, he even gives a little bow. Just for them. He thinks about something Lasso said to him once about bullying, after he stopped being a dick to Nate and asked why Ted never stepped in. Acknowledging it almost always makes it worse. Sorry that Jamie had believed in the ‘almost’.

;

After getting booted from Keeley’s and after a dinner at a kebab place that Jamie knows is good because Roy didn’t actually make him sit and watch — he picked bits of lamb from the skewer and placed them on the napkin i​​n front of Jamie without a word — it’s not unusual for him and Roy to get dinner together. Sometimes it’s just them at Roy’s, who’s a better cook than his mum but not better than Simon, and sometimes it’ll be at a pub, and sometimes they’ll go to a restaurant. It was with ruddy cheeks that Roy admitted the kebab shop was like his church, but Jamie wasn’t judging. He thinks he understood the ecstasy of St Theresa after a bite of that lamb.

Tonight, however, Roy drops Jamie off at his place, and then parks the car and follows him in.

“Uh,” Jamie says when Roy stands in the entryway, a hand behind his back, posture stiff, “can I help you?”

“Go to your room,” Roy replies, and Jamie’s eyes go wide, and he says, “O-kay, Daddy,” before he backtracks, but Roy is backtracking too. “I mean, go somewhere that isn’t behind me or the kitchen.”

Jamie’s mouth drops into an ‘o’. “Right. Okay. I’ll just go to the living room, then.”

Roy nods, and Jamie walks slowly to the couch, backwards so he can watch Roy watching him.

He manages to sit still on his couch for a good two minutes, listening to Roy clattering about his kitchen, before he hops up and goes to sit at his dining table instead. It’s there that he sees a paper bag, and it takes everything in him not to peek into it. At the sound of the chair scraping against the floor, Roy leans back from where he’d had his head stuck in Jamie’s fridge, and he turns to look back at Jamie, who smiles innocently at him. He even waggles his fingers in a wave for good measure.

Roy rolls his eyes, but he’s smiling, so Jamie thinks it’s fine, and he doesn’t think about how good it feels to be the one behind Roy Kent’s smile. Roy goes back to rummaging through the fridge.

Eventually, Jamie gets roped into helping out, but all his complaints are customary, and he thinks if he had allowed himself — if he had been allowed — to dream about domesticity, this is exactly how it would’ve been. Right down to the celebrity footballer. It’s kind of perfect.

Then, Jamie’s phone goes off.

It’s his news app, which he keeps forgetting to turn off the notifications for, and it irritates him every time, but especially when he actually clicks the notification ‘cause the story looks interesting, only to find out he’s somehow already used up his articles for the month, and would he please be willing to spare a few pounds every month for more? In theory, yes, he is willing. In practice . . . he has other places to put his money.

That being said, the irritation he feels then is nothing compared to the humiliation he feels now, reading the headline: This Barbie is a Footballer: AFC Richmond Jamie Tartt’s new song.

Roy is turned the other way, so luckily, he can’t see the way Jamie’s smile immediately drops from his face. This shit isn’t even important! It’s just some stupid fan war mess, the opponents’ fans trying to get in his head, and it’s not fucking working, alright? He doesn’t care. He’s just embarrassed that it’s apparently made the news. It’s really not a big deal.

When he looks up from his phone, Roy is looking at him. Jamie swallows.

“It’s nothin’,” he tells him. “Just some politician, saying some stupid thing. Sam sent it to me to rant.”

Roy nods, but he looks like he doesn’t believe him. Jamie’s voice had wavered in the middle, so he doesn’t believe himself either. But he still doesn’t budge, just leans back against the counter and waits for Roy to either turn away or say something in return. Roy turns away. Over his shoulder, he says, “I have something for you after we eat.”

“Whatever’s in the bag?” Jamie asks. Roy grunts. “Is it concert tickets? Am I goin’ to see Taylor fucking Swift? The bag’s just to throw me off, obviously.”

“Fuck no,” Roy’s response is, pun intended, swift and immediate. Jamie grins. “You’ll see later. Just . . . wait.”

Jamie groans. “Fine. But it better be good, since you got me all excited for the concert.”

Roy gives him a stern glare. Jamie puts his hands up, then gets back to washing the dishes they’re done using.

All throughout their meal, Jamie struggles to sit still, and his eyes, without fail, return to the bag. It becomes enough of a problem that Roy takes the bag and hides it in his lap, but Jamie’s no coward, so his gaze still wanders to — well.

“The quicker you finish eating, the sooner you get to see it,” Roy growls out around his own mouthful of salmon and quinoa (Jamie was surprised he had those things in his freezer and cupboard too, but it made a damn good meal, so he’s not complaining).

Jamie grows a lot more focussed after that, and he’s done within minutes — nay, seconds. Roy raises his eyebrows in approval. Jamie licks the leftover glaze for the salmon off his fork for good measure. Roy looks down at his plate.

Once Roy finishes eating, the paper bag makes its triumphant return, Roy setting it between them. He nods his head at it, and Jamie takes it quickly, before the other can change his mind and take it back.

He doesn’t expect what he pulls out, but he feels like he should. He looks between the Barbie and Roy, who’s staring at Jamie with a gaze so intense Jamie worries he might burn up from it. If this had been bestowed to him any time the year before, especially from Roy, he’d think it a continuation of the insult. But all he feels right now is laughter, the weight in his stomach turning into something bubbly and light that works its way up his throat and past his lips. Slowly — because he’s out of practice, the old fart — Roy begins to smile back.

The stupid fucking made-to-move soccer Barbie is even wearing an England kit, and when Jamie turns her around, he grins at the number and name on the back.

“You fucking dick,” he says, the words coming out as a hiss through his teeth, that’s how hard he’s grinning.

“You’re Jamie fucking Tartt,” Roy replies, and Jamie wishes he had a word to describe the look the other was sending him, but the best he can do is say how it makes him feel — really fucking good; like nothing could ever hurt him; like there is no one else in the world but the two of them; like he could go win the World Cup, the FA Cup, all the Leagues, every award in the football world, and not break a single sweat. It makes him feel a lot like he’s in love.

Roy’s not done: “You are everything. Who gives a shit if some pricks call you Barbie? You fucking own it, Jamie. You are every-fucking-thing, and they’re not even Ken.”

And Jamie will make fun of him for it later, that he’s more than aware of the movie’s tagline, but at the moment, he’s clutching the Barbie to his chest like a lifeline, and he feels a sting behind his eyes, like tears are threatening to spill, and his cheeks hurt with how hard he’s smiling.

Roy clears his throat. “Phoebe said there are ways you can change the hair, but . . . don’t use heat. It’s plastic. You can cut it or dye it fucking . . . walnut haze or whatever.”

Jamie doesn’t even correct him that it’s walnut mist. He’s close enough.

He gives the doll one last squeeze. “Thanks, Roy, I mean it.”

Roy doesn’t reply, just gives a grunt and nods his head. That’s alright too. Jamie looks down at the doll again, then leans back in his seat. He holds it up to his face, angles her head so they’re cheek-to-cheek more or less.

“Like twins, ain’t we?”

And Jamie wonders if maybe there were something in the food, or maybe in their drinks, because it seems like Roy can’t stop smiling either.

;

The opposing fans are at it again. Jamie sees Roy glance back at him and grins. He considers mouthing all good, coach, but he’s more interested in using one arm to wave and the other to hold his Barbie up the same way he had when it was just him and Roy, teeth bared all the while. The crowd goes wild, of course.

He’s Jamie fucking Tartt. He’s everything. Of course no one is going to think of him as just Ken — that’s just ridiculous.

in case you can’t tell “condemnations” is supposed to be “connotations”. ily jamieisms 💚 also i wrote this rly fast on my phone so sorry & now on ao3 if u'd prefer to read it there ✌️

#my writing #royjamie #ted lasso #jamie tartt

[scoobydoodean]

omg i just finished your emma vs amy takes and the subsequent discourse about it (which was so refreshing to see btw!! love it when adults can be Adults and argue about the topic without insulting the other person) and I might get fried for this but that incident aside, do you have any other scene/episode in mind where sam reacts the same way or does the same thing?

(im sorry if this isn't your cup of tea for asks! your takes have been Enlightening)

You mean another situation where Sam shoots a person with supernatural abilities who hasn't shed blood and has a sympathetic backstory without giving them a chance? Not as overtly—Benny in season 8's "Citizen Fang" certainly comes to mind, but even Benny, Sam at least made a show of giving a chance by assigning Martin to keep tabs on him and make sure he didn't do anything wrong before trying to kill him. (Though whether there was conscious or subconscious sabotage involved when Sam chose Martin specifically—someone he knew to be mentally unstable—is certainly a good question given Sam had already made death threats about Benny before then.)

The fact that Sam's behavior in 7.13 "Slice Girls" is pretty unique is really what I want to point out about this episode in the first place—that Sam's actions in "Slice Girls" are inconsistent with his previous behavior and future behavior as far as "good" monster episodes. We can turn to examples such as:

1.14 where Sam insists they try and talk Max down instead of killing him, because Max's murders are a result of extensive abuse.

Lenore and her nest in SPN's seminal "monsters can be good" episode (2.03)

Sam thinking Andy is responsible for the killings in 2.05 but still waiting for proof before acting.

2.09 where Sam insists they not kill someone they think might be infected with Croatoan virus before he turns and tries to kill them because that doesn't give him a chance.

Two episodes where Sam faces off against Gordon because Gordon wants to kill him before Sam kills someone (2.10, 3.07)

2.17 where Sam and Dean search for a cure for Madison, who is not aware that she has been killing people.

4.04 Metamorphosis where Sam is the one who takes the initiative to research Rugarus, learns that they can survive without giving into their urges, and insist they go and talk to him about how his body is changing (lol) so he has the chance to fight the urge to kill and eat people.

5.06 where Sam and Dean oppose Cas who wants to kill Jesse, who is a child who is not aware that he has powers and is hurting people.

6.02 where Sam, even soulless, recognizes the innocence of a shifter baby.

Then we have Amy and Emma in 7.03 and 7.13 respectively.

8.04 where the brothers let Kate the Werewolf go because she was turned against her will and killed the man who turned her in self-defense.

8.09 Citizen Fang (already discussed)

I'm getting lazy but then we also have Magda and Jack Kline—both children with powers, one severely abused, the other the son of the devil with uncontrolled explosive powers that could end the world, both of whom Sam attempts to help work with their abilities.

Dean has a more structured series of personal "rules"—a litmus test we see from the very beginning—one Sam often follows as well, but I'm not sure Sam ever really fully grasps that Dean thinks this way.

Has this person hurt or killed anyone?

Was it on purpose or was it outside of their awareness?

If it wasn't on purpose, are they capable of learning to control their urges?

We see this code as early as 1.12 "Faith":

SAM Wait, what the hell are you talking about Dean, we can't kill Roy. DEAN Sam the guys playing God, he's deciding who lives and who dies. That's a monster in my book. SAM No. We're not going to kill a human being Dean. We do that we're no better than he is.

Dean applies the same reasoning in 1.14 with Max:

SAM These visions, this whole time -- I wasn't connecting to the Millers, I was connecting to Max! The thing is I don't get why, man. I guess -- because we're so alike? DEAN What are you talking about. The dude's nothing like you. SAM Well. We both have psychic abilities, we both... DEAN Both what? Sam, Max is a monster, he's already killed two people, now he's gunning for a third.

Despite the exact opposite being the typical fandom perception, early on we learn that Sam tends to define a monster by their features/abilities, while Dean defines a monster by their actions. We see the same with Amy—she is "a monster who killed four people" (7.07) . She isn't a monster because of what she is but because of what she did. This again—is also why Dean doesn't even consider killing her son right after her kid swears to kill him one day. We see Dean, in the rare cases where it comes up, is also perfectly fine with taking out human serial killers they stumble across (ex: Thin Man).

Sam will also kill a human serial killer at times (and murderous witches by 3.09), but he reserves the word "monster" to describe individuals with supernatural features/abilities... and I think the fact that Sam's definition of the term differs from Dean's is something neither brother ever fully realizes about the other, leading at several points to arguments where they are talking past each other and do not understand one another. Sam hears "monster" and thinks "Dean is talking about me", when Dean is operating under a completely different definition of the term that is based on the actions of a person.

When Sam is in a headspace where he is thinking of himself as one of those monsters, he shows increased or lessened sympathy in turns. For example, he assumes Andy's guilt in 2.05 because he is panicked about becoming evil himself and is comparing the two of them (but again—still waits for confirmation) but his sympathy for Max in 1.14 comes from the same comparison with himself. Sam completely misrepresents Amy in 7.03 as an addict who relapsed but more generally is "managing", as a way to compare her with himself... when Amy didn't feed on anyone herself and her actions have absolutely nothing to do with addiction or battling "monstrous urges".

I've been bitching and moaning a lot, but I will reemphasize that there is a more sympathetic reason that Sam shoots Emma—Sam and Dean are both crowding up to the diving board at the deep end of the pool in season 7. Dean's grieving and is drinking extremely heavily to cope and Sam is hallucinating. They are both unraveling at the seams. Neither of them is in a place where they trust the other's judgement because they both know themselves and each other to be unstable. So if we imagine a reality where Sam and Dean give Emma a chance, and it doesn't take, Sam assesses himself and Dean to be in no mental state to cope with a potential surprise attack. It's just that Sam also erroneously compares Amy and Emma when they are not the same, and by doing so, frames Dean wanting to spare Emma but killing Amy as hypocrisy (because they are both "monsters") when Dean's actions are perfectly consistent with his personal ethical code and his definition of a "monster"... and Sam's actions aren't.

#sams moral compass #deans moral compass #mail #7.13 #1.14 #2.03 #2.05 #2.09 #2.10 #3.07 #2.17 #4.04 #5.06 #6.02 #8.04 #8.09 #7.07 #7.03 #emma #amy #max miller #jack montgomery #andy

[romeulusroy]

Gossamer Pt. 2 (Roman Roy Oneshot)

Character/s: Roman

Word Count: 1,328

Inspired By: Ruining Me by Sabrina Song

A/N: I couldn't just let it be lol. I love him sooo much, I know I could fix him. I think the next fic will be for Kendall.... idk yet! Anyways yeah I just love him and he deserves all the good in the world. 💞 Feedback is always appreciated 💜💖💜

Gossamer Pt. 1 / Gossamer Pt. 3

He finds his way to your room, his shoeless feets patting against the carpet. The door opens without a single breath, shutting behind him, the knob held so the click is as quiet as possible. You stifle a giggle, waiting for the sound to stop. For him to drop his weight into the sheets. For him to groan and moan, searching for you beneath the blankets. Softly, he unbuttons his shirt, fumbling, dropping it next to the rest of your clothes. A pile on the floor, along with your shoes. How upset your father would be if he knew the mess you made. If he knew any of this. Around the bed, in the dark, holding his breath. Roman was always waiting for something bad to happen, the monster under the bed to reach out at him, grab him, pull him under. No monsters Romey, you think, I checked. From beneath the duvet your arm reaches out, wanting to feel him as he lays down. Warm, so warm, so loving. The back of his head finds your open palm, running your fingers through his hair. He’s so quiet beside you. The mask he wears slips just a little. The defensive shield of sarcasm and jokes has been left behind in his own room. There is no need to fill the silence. The both of you staring into the darkness. You hadn’t turned on any lights, fearing something cruel would happen. It was better this way. Safer. The room remained undisturbed by his presence, as if all along it knew he were coming. You certainly hadn’t. You thought it was over. That you would say one final goodnight to your family before going to be yourself. Instead you lay awake thinking about all the things you could have done, should have done, to get him to come back. You kissed your sisters one last time, nodded to your brothers, waved to their children, waiting in the doorway like a fool, despite yourself, willing him to find his way to you. Possibly, it had worked. Possibly, he wanted the same thing. And so, when your door opened and the light of the hallways spilled through the room like melted candle wax, you didn’t have to ask who it was. You just knew. 

The meeting with his father had gone terribly. He was in no mood for his antics, but he couldn’t stop himself. The words tumbled from his mouth before he had the chance to catch them. Romulus. He loathed when his father spat that at him. And yet, it was the only term of endearment he ever had for him. You were in his mind, always. The glass of your eyes, the fear in your expression, he hated himself for leaving you like that. He hated the way Gerri watched him out the door, posing a question without saying a word. There were rumors. There were always rumors when it came to his love life. Logan especially, had his own ideas. They thought what they wanted, it wouldn’t change a thing. He knew how your father could be, not unlike his own. The tone of voice he used to undermine you. The ways in which he favored all your other siblings. All the things he hated about you, Roman loved. Adored. But couldn’t put in his own words. He couldn’t articulate this. He hoped you could feel it, though. 

He let out a sigh. Deep, sleepy, not saying a thing. He found his way back to you. He always did, even when you worried he wouldn’t. Your hands found one another's. Squeezing lightly, wanting to tell one another everything you’ve ever felt. Your sisters always gave you trouble for your romantic endeavors. Lack thereof, actually. The people they set you up with were all selfish bastards, the kind who waved a dollar bill to fix their problems and get rid of anyone they didn’t like. You were sure, if they were merely a smidge more rude, they would have bought your absence too. They didn’t want you, they wanted your family, your blood. They wanted to be associated with power, infamy, even when it came at a cost. More than once you read your name in the tabloids, all kinds of things being said about you, who you were as a person. You begged him not to read them, not to believe them, though you hadn’t need to. He didn’t give those stories a second thought. They reminded you too much of your father, even your brothers, in their worst states. The spiteful, vengeful, evil moods they could linger in at their most dangerous. If Roman could be like that, you’ve never seen it. You've never seen him bite back like that. Your body too used to canines sinking into your skin, you could sense when anyone was about to attack. Even when they didn't, you still flinched. 

What are you doing? You could picture it now, the look on your sisters perfect faces. They didn’t like the Roys, they didn’t trust them, and the feeling was mutual between families. Well, except for you two. The look of horror, the things they’d say. It brought a smile to your face. All your life, you had only been a plaything to them, something to fix and preen when their lives remained boring. You weren’t a person to them, a human being, rather another seat at the dinner table, another shareholder. Competition. Am I like them? You want to ask into the dark. Is it inevitable I turn out like them? Instead, you squeezed his hand harder. He inched closer, the two of you pressed together. They wouldn’t understand. And you couldn’t explain it. The attraction. The understanding. Neither of you had any expectations.You could just be you. No hesitation. It was new territory. It wasn’t about sex, either. You two hadn’t had sex before, not even an attempt, nor would you. This was different. Outside of that. 

Roman rolled on his side, facing your, placing your hand under his cheek. His stubble was coarse, his cheek moving. Smiling. He can’t see you, not really, but he can assume your own face is burning at the thought of his smile. And that makes him grin even harder. There are no stars in the sky. No moon to throw her light. In the hallway there is the murmur of your family, young kids crying, the muted conversations of your brothers and sisters, wives and husbands, you can only assume is congenial. How many years has it been since you slept under the same roof? Even on vacations, trips around the world, they tended to stray. It was you who looked after Dad, who made sure he was comfortable, who rolled him on his side when he’s drank too much, who gave him space to cool off when he was his most volatile. Despite yourselves, you still found ways to love them. 

His muscles have relaxed. His breathing is shallow, steady. You’ve only done this a handful of times, slept in the same bed. Rarely you found your two families together. When they were civil, in the few times that’s happened, you always found your way to one another. When you did, you’d never sleep more peaceful. Knowing he was there, next to you, with you, knowing you’d find him there in the morning too. You wanted to pull the covers over him, kiss his forehead, wish him sweet dreams. You didn’t move though, afraid you’d wake him. Startle him. What would you do tomorrow? How would you sneak him out? Where was his room? He took a deep breathe in and out, nuzzling into the mattress, making your heart ache behind your rib cage. How did you get I lucky? That was a worry for the future. Now you had him, like you wanted. No one to interrupt, no one to barge in. Just you and Roman, like it should be.

#writing #roman roy #roman roy imagine #roman roy x reader #succession #succession imagine #succession x reader #roman roy x gender neutral reader #drabble #oneshot #series

[cleromancy]

still thinking about mia!

in particular i found the deliberate and thoughtful way ga01 approached the concept of a plucky teen sidekick refreshing... because sidekicks are a staple of the genre, right, and moreover most of us *like* them, so how do we justify the "good guys" *having* them when we're also writing stuff with way more realism than the old stuff?

and to be honest i don't really need that when im reading, i can suspend my disbelief. but you have to commit to the bit when you're the one writing it, you have to believe it. and a lonely place of dying... it did ok for what it was and im extremely fond of it, but i also think it was already walking away from like... the fact that batman got robin killed, yk. it was walking away from what that meant. and like i said thats fine. if they never brought robin back i never would have gotten into comics in the first place, yknow?

but i think the exploration of some of the thorny concepts around mia sidekicking in ga is great because like. this is *emphatically* not an omelas situation. green arrow definitively does not "need" a speedy and it is also emphatically not speedys job to provide a counterbalance or whatever.

ok this got long. putting in a cut here

and both dinah and roy absolutely tear into ollie about his decision to let mia sidekick with him--and i feel like ive read a fair few kid/teen sidekick stories which have the kid wind up in danger (or whatever) regardless of the adult trying to discourage them, and the adult at that point figures if theyre going to sneak out/disobey/whathaveyou its better to do it where the adult can keep an eye on them. and there are times when this is presented like the adult literally cannot convince the child not to do those things, which. yknow. we understand how fiction works so we also know if the writer says the kiddo wont listen to any reason, that the adult just doesn't have the power over them to stop them, then thats what happened... but the implications about the power dynamic and the adults ability to set reasonable boundaries dont paint a *great* picture.

but GA doesn't do that... i would argue mia was being set up to be the 2nd speedy all the way back to dinah and roys conversation in that plane where they just learned ollie might be alive and cant stop bitching about him lol. and iirc this is within the first 6 issues. and dinah and roy are both throwing around unfair accusations at the time, but roy says smth to the effect of what do you want to bet he's already training her to replace me. and i don't think he really believed that but it obviously planted the idea in readers heads if it wasnt there already! but yknow after that, mia doesn't debut as speedy until ga 46, or thereabouts im not looking it up, several years later both IRL and in-universe (or well in-universe its almost 2 years. iirc.).

(i can't even imagine how it must have felt if youd been following that series the whole time *finally* seeing that enter speedy cover. id have been screaming my damn head off.)

anyway. i already talked about comparing and contrasting the man mia killed during her test run vs the jason and felipe situation but i also wanted to say that i think it was great that the whole conversation pretty much *opens* with that. like forget physical danger the kid might be in--what about the psychological toll? what about the choices hes putting her in the position to make?

despite ollie very much being the protagonist of the series and mia very much being a supporting character, the focus of the emotional impact is on her, and the focus of the *responsibility* is on him. (now compare and contrast batman with robin...... listen, i absolutely do not believe it wasn't set up as a deliberate contrast, ok.)

and you would naturally think that would mean she doesn't... get to be speedy. she doesn't get to be a hero. she doesn't get another chance. but then she gets her HIV+ diagnosis, and the focus for mias character turns specifically to *living* with HIV.

and i think that's what makes it clear, to me at least, that the whole... fighting crime thing is supposed to be a metaphor. at least on some level. its a power fantasy, its a metaphor, its about the *good guys winning.* heroes being heroes. and i think a lot of the discussions around representation have gotten so overblown for what they are, but--unironically--sometimes its really meaningful and important just to see yourself. and to believe that no matter what youve lived through, you can be good, you can be wanted, you can make a difference.

which is why mia gives her presentation in the auditorium about her diagnosis, and i feel like this was also a deliberate callback to roy "only you can prevent forest fires" harper and his anti-drug PSA. because roy decided, after snowbirds, he was going to go public about his addiction because he wanted to help other people going through the same thing he did, or prevent other people from going through it yk. and there are two incidents i can think of where, years down the line, he feels some regret over it because now hes just known as the heroin guy, the guy who used to do drugs. but i also don't think he would ever have chosen to do anything else. both speedys are actively choosing to bear that stigma openly in the hopes of reducing it, you know?

speaking of which! i thought it was a *fantastic* - and no doubt deliberate - contrast to how roys drug use was treated, to have mia only talk about it *once* (this is in the HIV+ issue. 45ish?) that she regularly did meth when she was on the streets, and its explicitly clear she did it to survive. and it never comes up again. there's no condemnation, there's no literal war on drugs propaganda here. (the first roy comic i ever read was the mini ntt one in the mandatory fucking D.A.R.E program in middle school, btw.) it was a fact of her life because her life was *fucking dangerous,* and meth helped keep her alive until she managed to find her way out of it!

so this is another concept mia becoming speedy explores--the fact that the people who should have kept her safe as a child did the opposite. mia has never been safe her entire life until moving in with ollie. and the people who hurt her left permanent damage in a physical way in the form of HIV. so now ga is exploring like... what it means to be safe. what it means to be mortal. what exactly is a childhood. and it doesn't dig *too* too deeply into these because its not that kind of comic book, its the kind of comic book where the good guys shoot glue arrows at bad guys and stick them to the floor. but it approaches it and sits you down with those questions and i mean, for me at least, even putting aside exactly how hype i was for mia to take on the mantle, it felt *right* that ollie would say yes.

and the next issue i think or the one after that (its the teen titans one! tim is there later). is the one where roy reams ollie out for this, they talk about it, roy lampshades the different... contexts of having a speedy. like its not like how it used to be. the bad guys are worse, its not safe enough for a kid anymore. and this is where ollie relays mias diagnosis (<- she had already decided to go public about it as i said before, so ollies not sharing information that isnt his to share here). and roys like that could have been me. its a good issue! i like what it does with what its doing.

and then some 20 issues later, once mia is reasonably well established as a superhero and a titan....... Enter Jason.

(🥰)

i have so much to say about this arc i love it so much. let me preface by saying none of this is a condemnation of jason, hes pretty much my favorite fictional character of all time. im not interested in wagging my finger at the guy styling himself as a supervillain at the time and going Naughty Jason! Thats Not How We Make Friends!, yk. im also not endorsing it, bla bla bla, whatever, this really aint about him right now. right now we're just talking about what he does for the story, the questions he poses about mia and sidekicks and shit.

god, where to fucking start.

i guess ill start with jasons "were not so different you and i" villain speech. and yknow at least on the surface level theres like. a certain join-me-be-my-robin element to it or like he's encouraging her to cross the line or whatever. but honestly, jason was less there because jason todd the fictional character wanted to be there, and more because winick as the writer thought it continued to explore the concept in an interesting way.

because we've talked about green arrows responsibility vis a vis letting her be a sidekick bc of the psychological impact of it, about the choices she's put in a position to make, about HIV and what it means to be a hero and safety. all of those things. and jason shows up to *demonstrate* that--

--it really is not fucking safe to do what they do.

and Jason is, i think, at his most terrifying here, and thats on purpose. it is *visceral*. it is so, so incredibly well done. and it throws ALL those questions of safety and responsibility and mortality and heroism and do-gooding into a new light because you really feel like, oh my god, her life is in danger.

tbh i think some of the reader anger at jason for this arc--and titans tower, just to a lesser degree because it wasnt NEARLY as good lol--is the fact that he *is* challenging us, the readers, to think about our beloved kid/teen sidekick trope. he brings back the element of realism that GA was drawing away from somewhat, the element of *real consequences.* and as a reader it is so much easier to just be mad at jason because well hes the villain of the story...... and ignore the fact that hes demonstrating--both by being the dead robin cautionary tale, and by being ~red hood, the scourge of the underworld~ lol--that if this is not something she's prepared to face, a possibility she's prepared for, then she shouldn't be wearing that uniform.

and that the person she relies on to protect her can't always be there to do it.

and, mini tangent, there's absolutely no way jason was trying to kill her here. he terrified her, he kicked her ass, but he didn't do any permanent damage and he didnt "lock her in" (<- real reading i saw once 🙄 try reading it again with your eyes next time genius) he stabbed his knife into her cape. if jason were being written by anyone else i would entertain the idea but it was winick, who knows exactly how smart and thorough jason is supposed to be *because he was the one who made him that way.* there's no doubt in my mind that jason was perched somewhere watcging to make sure she got out before the place went kablooey but you know what, in fairness, thats not on the page. BUT, like. the reason mia *thinks* jason was going to kill her--before she realizes he could have if hed wanted to, and purposely let her go--was because he wanted her to think that. he wanted to scare her and he wanted to warn her and he wanted to make her think.

really really love this arc.

anyway. i mentioned in my other post that winick tweaked mias backstory so she was also homeless like jason, which i sort of have mixed feelings about. in smiths version, her dad trafficks her and later she winds up as one of the "girlfriends" (euphemism for victims) of his associates. and that was ... not really the picture of child trafficking you usually see in comics, the more common real-life scenario rather than the sensationalized version of quote-unquote child prostitutes on street corners. but at the same time i think winick kept the most important part (the familial trafficking) and i also think he changed it in order to explore all the aforementioned topics in an interesting way. it doesn't feel like it was just an arbitrary change, or to make it more exciting or whatever. like he was exploring stuff with it, it was purposeful.

for example--going back to mia and meth. the more you read of winick the more you notice that intravenous drugs and illnesses associated with them (so including but not limited to HIV/AIDS) are something of a... recurring... motif, i guess? they're something he regularly comes back to explore. and thats interesting in the context of mia for a lot of reasons but well. when mia defensively says to ollie that she used meth, the reason she gives is they used it to stay awake on the streets. and i do think winick deliberately--and *effectively*--explored the pre-existing (and historical) parallels btwn batman and green arrow in a bunch of other ways, so i don't think im off base in saying the fact that *robin* 2.0 famously lived on the streets *probably* had something to do with the backstory tweak for speedy 2.0, particularly again bc of jasons "we're the same" villain speech. but also, like i said, she mostly used to stay awake(/alive), which is something of a harder sell if she hadn't been homeless, and also like i said, winick likes exploring drugs and wanted to write a hero living with HIV.

before i get into the comparisons with jason and mia, i also want to say that i think jason--who im constantly affectionately calling a revenant--is such an effective contrast for mia because the emphasis for mia! was always on living. it was always on healing. despite having a *distinctly* non-everykid origin story, mia absolutely embodies something i think was very characteristic of her generation of teen titans, or at the very least early days cassie and tim, which was this simultaneous like... they're normal kids, they're *relatable,* but they're also superheroic in determination, and resourcefulness, and they want this, and they know they can do it, so they will. and thats what its all about, man.

...actually i just ran out of steam, ill write out some thoughts on jason telling mia theyre the same later lol sorry. im toired!!!!

anyway mia is soooo good.

#dc #text #many thoughts head empty #meta #mia #mia text

[teashoptiramisu]

Fluffy fanfic rec list

On one of my Discord servers people were talking about how people seem more likely to recommend angsty fic, so I decided to put together a fluff rec list, just for fun! This is gonna be a variety of fandoms, wordcount length, genres, etc. -- the common factor is I like ‘em and they turned up when I search “fluff” in my bookmarks. I’ll point out if any are nsfw

ATLA

see your son rising at last by aloneintherain --  ATLA -- 6.5k words -- Iroh & Zuko 5+1 things fic  

North by ryfkah -- ATLA -- 300 words -- short & sweet Appa POV fic

definitely not suspicious at all in the least by presumenothing -- ATLA -- 1k words -- post-canon Gaang shenanigans

All The Gentle Creatures by Haicrescendo -- ATLA -- 10k words -- animals love Zuko, he’s basically a Disney Princess

Yuri!!! On Ice

see you next level by verity -- YoI -- 1.5k words -- Yuuri, Viktor & Phichit get drunk & watch TV, Yuuri & Viktor continue to be the most adorably sappy couple

Friendship!!! Is Magic by afrai -- YoI & OHSHC -- 10k words -- Yuuri & Haurhi meet at a conference and become friends. Viktor & Tamaki make fools of themselves (but what else is new)

Howl’s Moving Castle (mostly bookverse)

Second Time Lucky by labellementeuse -- HMC -- 5.5k words -- Howl & Sophie plan their wedding (lol i spelled that “weeding” on the first try... also accurate). As you might expect for these two it doesn’t go without some hiccups.

Could it be magic? by SpiritedYoungLady -- HMC -- 500 words -- Howls comes back from night with the rugby club, and Sophie is unamused

Fulllmetal Alchemist (mostly bhood/manga)

All That Describes a Joyful Heart by anthrop  -- FMA -- 3k words -- Hohenheim & Trisha cook together during a winter storm & they are simply TOO ADORABLE. Features some Xerxian cultural headcanons inspired by Nowruz (Persian New Year) traditions!

And They Were ROOMMATES by Turbulent_Muse -- FMA -- 30k words -- Modern AU in which college student!Ling moves into a haunted house, but since the rent is too good to pass up, he decides to try and befriend the demon. Greedling friendship & adventure fic.

Science for People Who Hate Science by Tierfal -- FMA -- 66k words -- Royed Modern AU, but even if you dislike that ship you might want to give this one a chance; it’s really more of an origfic about two characters losely inspired by Roy & Ed. They run a goofy educational youtube channel and are two dorks in love. Al shows up to make fun of them sometimes. It’s a good time!

The Sleeping Horror of Whiskerford by Eltea -- FMA -- 3.5k words -- another modern AU, in which the gang (Ed, Al, Winry, Riza, Roy, Hughes) plays D&D. Worth it for Ed’s character sheet alone, but overall just a hilarious & fun time.

A Clowder of Cats by Batsutousai -- FMA -- 4k words -- post-canon (a more-or-less canon universe fic for once!), Al settles down and adopts a bunch of cats (AS HE DESERVES)

Teen Wolf

the butt is a gift by lazulisong -- Teen Wolf -- 1.5k words -- Stiles is pinned to the couch by cats. I think this is part of a larger AU but tbh I don’t care: Stiles, cats, relatable dilemmas, what more do I need?

When the Bough Breaks by The Feels Whale (miscellea) -- Teen Wolf -- 12k words -- A bit of a weird one, but sometimes I like my TW fic weird. post-canon-ish/canon-divergence with endgame Sterek; Stiles is on the outs with Derek’s pack until they learn that he’s adopted a baby, and then they’re suddenly all over to dote on her. I actually really mostly liked this for Stiles’ single parent struggles and (platonic) relationship with the baby’s birth mother, the werewolf stuff & romance was cute but mostly incidental.

Misc fandoms

it's a new craze by attheborder -- Good Omens -- 5k words -- Crowley & Aziraphale start an advice podcast

Hot Springs and New Beginnings by CorundumBleu -- Hollow Knight -- 3k words -- in a good ending universe, Quirrel, the Knight, and The Last Stag relax at a hot springs and discuss hopes for the future. I recommend looking through CorundumBleu’s other HK fics as well -- there’s a couple other good fluff fics in there and some most angsty but still amazing stories! (I’m biased: CB is my sister & I helped edit these, but still, I think they’re great!)

Sufficient by atheilen -- The Goblin Emperor -- 2k words -- deaged!Maia; in which everyone and particularly Beshelar shows how much they care for and cherish Maia.

Sick Day by avg (AnxiousEspada) -- The Murderbot Diaries -- 4k words -- Overse & Arada are sick; Ratthi and later Murderbot visit to help them out. “To everyone’s surprise, a feverish Overse is SecUnit approved humor-fuel.” (P.S. if you like this fic consider checking out my sequel to it!)

Thrilling Night! Romantic Adventure at the Video Rental Store! by Masu_Trout --  Undertale -- 2.5k words -- wonderful Outsider POV of an employee at a video rental store who gets the admittedly uncertain priviledge of helping Alphys and Undyne pick out a movie to rent for their date night. I’m still not over the movie they end up picking, OMG.

Gonna add a reblog with BNHA, Natsuyu, Gravity Falls, and maybe some HP recs tomorrow.

Also, if you like these fics and know of more like them, feel free to let me know! I’m always taking fic recs (I’m slow to get around to them but I WILL save your recs for later) :P

#not atla #but also atla #fic recs #fanfic #yoi #hmc #fma #teen wolf #good omens #the goblin emperor #the murderbot diaries #undertale

[masterthespianduchovny]

Any “Ted Lasso” fans looking for something to tide them over until the new season premieres? And “the bear” fans looking a dynamic where two people have an unexplainable connection, tension, and palpable chemistry as we wait for season 2?

Well, you should watch Pitch!

If you haven’t seen Pitch, it’s this phenomenal and magical show that premiered in 2016 and only lasted one season. It’s a fictional show about the first female baseball player in the MLB and it was a show way ahead of it’s time.

Like, chef’s kiss shippers, y’all know how we spiral about how Sydney was a fan of Carmy’s, but didn’t want to let it show. And he like…becomes a fan of hers??? Well, that’s Ginny and Mike for you. As a kid, Ginny idolized Mike, and then gets to work with him (he’s a catcher and the captain of the team and she’s the pitcher.) Still carries his rookie card and had his poster on his wall when she was younger.

And Mike becomes a fan of her!

Both of them try to play it cool because they truly admire each other professionally and it shows, but their chemistry pops off the screen.

And Ginny is so damn good at all of this (and both not!). She’s a really good pitcher and is charming and knows how to juggle many thing, but we see what the pressure does to get and how it manifests and why it does. And we get it. She’s so smart and funny, but real! She doesn’t feel like a character, but a person with real flaws.

And you see how layered Mike is behind all of the bravado. He’s a walking human disaster, but you love him because he does try his best and is so supportive of Ginny!

Like I’m not going to even touch on everything because you have to experience this firsthand to get it!

(Ginny/Mike are called bawson. This isn’t confirmation as to whether or not the show hints at them or that they’re canon, but rather, the chemistry was just there and you’ll ship it regardless of the show’s stance. Lol)

And ted lasso fans, if you like tedbecca, you’ll like love bawson. But that’s not my sell to you guys, it’s about the relationships in this show. About how it’s not all or nothing and people are allowed to grow, change, and redeem themselves. How people work to get over past trauma and that everyone isn’t secretly out to get you—sometimes if you give them a chance, they can surprise you. It’s about mental health and the toll it takes. How we juggle responsibilities and deal with controversies. The old v the new and whether they have to work against one another or can work together.

The seasoned veteran and the hot shot new guy. Your allies at work and found family. The things we carry ourselves either because we have to or we feel that we’d burdened others.

And there’s more sports play here, but in a way that won’t bore you. Mike and Ginny talking on the pitcher’s mound and Mike giving her speeches. Or ginny taking control of shit because she can save herself.

Think of the strong badass women we see in Sydney, Rebecca, and Keeley and you have that in Ginny. Mike isn’t as grumpy as Roy, but he’s like a mix of Roy and Jamie. Lol.

If you’re one of my followers or mutuals and you trust my taste, DEFINITELY check this out. There are some shows I’m unsure of how people will receive, but almost everyone who has seen this show fucking loves it and are still heartbroken about it’s cancellation, including myself. People still literally reference this show for best shows cancelled too early, one of the best sports shows despite one season, and articles have been written yearly about how great and ahead of it’s time “pitch” was.

Check out the ten glorious eps on Hulu and tell me if I’ve steered you wrong or not.

#ted lasso #the bear #pitch #ginny baker #bawson #chefs kiss #tedbecca #it’s very obvious that I have ulterior motives…no?

[jungle-angel]

Out in the Middle: Part 7

Summary: Rodeo season is on like Donkey Kong!!!

Notes: Sorry guys I messed up, THIS will probably be the part that has a continuation (lol) but until I decide, just disregard the notes

The chaos that was the rodeo grounds was unlike it ever had been before. Families, competitors and onlookers were arriving from all across the United States and even a few who had come from overseas. Bull riders, barrel racers, ropers and ranchers pulled up to their designated parking spots, unloading horses, bulls and other creatures to be found on every farm and ranch across America. 

Children and ranchers’ dogs scurried from one end of the dirt lot to the other, chasing each other in an excited frenzy that always anticipated the beginnings of the events. A few of them hopped the corral fences at the beckonings of their fathers and mothers to come and help with an extra chore or two. Honor guards and veterans of the military and elders of the First Nations Tribal Councils all gathered to convene for other events that were to take place. 

The Abbotts and the Duttons had all arrived early enough to get everything unloaded and their little camping area all set up. “Four days,” John remarked, looking around at the chaotic grounds. “Four fuckin days of craziness and chaos.” 

“Better craziness and chaos than dull and boring,” Royal told him as he flipped a few hot dogs on the portable grill. “If it’s one thing I can’t stand it’s predictability.” 

“That’s what she said,” Cecelia commented, walking right by. 

Royal chuckled and rolled his eyes as John handed him another beer from the cooler. “Any idea where the -grand-ghouls are?” he asked Royal.

“Probably deciding who the next victims of their pranks are gonna be,” Royal joked. “|Just wait, next thing you know the headlines will probably be about one of’em turning a bull loose and some poor sap gettin an ass-cheek full of his horns.” 

John snorted and laughed as Lloyd strode up to the both of them. “Whatcha got Roy?” he asked him. 

“All meat, no veggies,” Royal joked. “Whatcha want?” 

“Whatever’s gonna get me through the next four hours o’ this shit,” Floyd retorted.

Royal hardly had a moment’s peace in between before others came to him, begging for food off the grill. The kids had all but eaten their weight in barbecue and would probably crash early which was just fine by the grown ups. 

Rhett emerged from the tent, his hat perched proudly on his head and ready for the competition. “You nervous?” Royal asked him. 

“A little,” Rhett answered. “Heard the one I’m ridin’s one mean son of a bitch.”

“You’ll do fine,” Royal told him. “Not that you haven’t done it before, right?” 

“Yeah but you ever get so nervous, you wanna cry and puke at the same time?” 

“Everybody has,” you chortled, walking on by and taking the words right out of Royal’s mouth before he had a chance to answer. 

Rhett bit his lip as he walked up to you, his arm coiling around your waist. “Darlin ya’ll never fail me,” he chuckled. 

“Hey I’m just trying to ease the tension a little bit here,” you said, the smile on your face growing broader. 

“And,” Rhett said before placing a kiss on your forehead. “Might I say, you’re doin a damn good job.”

You giggled a little at the feeling of his stubbly jaw rubbing against your cheek. “Listen,” you told him. “You’re gonna be the best bull rider in that ring. I don’t care what any of the other cocky cowboys or any other jealous little buckle bunnies think....you’re gonna do great.” 

Rhett pulled you in close and kissed you a little bit harder than before, the heat of the moment burning in him like a fire. “You gonna cheer me on tonight?” he asked with a smirk. 

“Always baby,” you answered. “Always.” 

****************************

You waited in the stands with your mother-in-law, the kids and the rest of the family, unable to contain your excitement of watching Rhett ride and the other events that were to follow in the days ahead. 

The opening ceremonies went off without a hitch, the huge flag being unfurled and the young lady from one of the local schools singing the National Anthem. Once the whole rigmarole was over, the bull riding kicked off. 

“We welcome our first competitor of the evening,” The MC announced loudly over the loudspeakers. “From Wabang, Wyoming, number forty-four, Rhett Abbott!!!” 

 You and the rest of the family cheered loudly and so too did the crowds, the roars deafening even as the gates flew open and the ornery bull flew into the ring. Rhett held on for dear life as the motherfucker kicked and bucked in every direction to try and throw him off. 

“C’mon baby,” you whispered over and over again under your breath.

Fifteen seconds.....fifteen seconds was all it took before Rhett instinctively let go and rolled into the dirt, pushing himself back up onto his hands and knees and eventually his feet, shaking the impact from his head. The crowd roared as he reveled a little in his victory, his head turning towards the stands to find you and the rest of the family there cheering him on....just like he knew you would. 

When he met you in the stables, you and Rhett nearly football tackled each other, the two of you screaming with joy. The kids practically mobbed their father, crawling all over him and littering his face with kisses, their little arms snaking around him to try and hug him. 

“I’m proud of you baby,” you told him. 

“I know hon,” Rhett murmured, burying his face into your shoulder as he tried to fight back the tears that burned in his eyes. “I know.” 

And when it was announced that Rhett had taken first place, you and your husband had never been more happy or excited. 

You both felt like you could fly. 

#outer range #yellowstone #royal abbott #john dutton #cecelia abbott #rhett abbott #rhett abbot x reader #rip wheeler #beth dutton #rip x beth #kayce dutton #monica dutton #kayce x monica #amy abbott #tate dutton #royal x cecelia abbott #lloyd pierce

[equinooxe]

for some reason tumblr isn’t showing me your reblogs in my notifications(?) but thanks to the tag in your answer i got to see the tags you put in the royai day art and i can’t stop thinking about them.. you’re so right..!!

i drew that thinking about how roy feels responsible for everything she has been through, and yet riza still gives him another chance to fulfill his promise to make the world a better place and chooses to keep trusting him… he can’t make up for what he’s done, so he wants riza to never regret trusting him again. you know that scene in ishval when riza basically tells roy she’s responsible for what he’s done since she trusted him in the first place? if i were him hearing that would hurt way more than if she just shot me in the head LOL

so it might be delusional thinking but to me everything roy fights for leads back to riza. he wants to make things right for what it is but also because it’s what he’s promised her… so hearing from riza that she doesn’t regret trust him would mean that he’s finally doing things right :,) i would sob too

im happy you mentioned the fact it’s young riza in your tags, bc i felt it adds much more weight drawing this representation of her instead of any other, but i rarely see people commenting on it and i felt so proud of myself for that train of thought HAHA to finally fulfill the promise he made so long ago to that young and innocent riza who believed in his idealistic dreams enough to trust flame alchemy to him………..!!!

i always enjoy reading about your interpretations and thoughts because i always agree wholeheartedly…!! the fact my drawing brought more of that makes me very happy, so thank you for the tags!! love the way you put it all into words, i wish i had that power too :,) sorry for the long message ……… !! have a nice day!!!

YEAH!!!!

I really wish we knew under what circumstances Mustang left her after he deciphered flame alchemy. Now it just looks like he got what he wanted from her and then left. Roy said at the funeral he would do anything for his master. Berthold makes one request: look after Riza. And he just... doesn’t do that. What a bastard. 

Like he was so focused on his own quest for knowledge and power, that he did not see how he failed the person closest to him. He left her behind and did not use the alchemy how he promised. He couldn’t protect her from her father, not from herself and her choices, not from her becoming a murderer. Of course he will regret not doing more, and feels responsible for ruining her life. He even encouraged her to go down the same path by inspiring her. At least that is how I think Mustang may see it from his perspective?

It does makes sense that what he fights for leads back to her!!. His philosophy/goal is to protecting as much people as possible by protecting those closest to him, then they in turn protecting those close to them. And Hawkeye is the closest to him :) he would even give up everything just to protect her if he had to.

I love that you drew that piece with younger Riza, the person he failed the hardest, and future fuhrer Roy who has reached his goal. For him to hear he made that young Riza’s dream come true...... Your brain is massive. 

But seriously I love your amazing art and attention to all those details like that!! I’m Likewise nodding along your interpretations. And how you can capture that all in a single image every time. Or just with your fun doodles. It really shows how much you get them personally...! Say hi to arakawa for me hfjgjjgjs

#To be fair Maybe she rejected his help. She also didnt contact him when she could. And she feels responsible too etc. #they are both at fault #but this post is about mustang for once. Kinda #Ask #<3 <3 <3 #This got long too :’)

[002yb]

Ooh what about any dickroy, jayroy, or roydickroy thots?

Dick+Roy

An opportunity to air my hot take of Roy being able to have more than one ride or die friend. Dick is one of many, actually. Roy inspires that sort of dedication; he would give nothing less to his friends and those sincere feelings are reciprocated.

Doesn't matter if Dick and Roy grow apart with age or due to circumstance or because of any sort of falling out - they'd find their way together again if ever there's a time of need whether their support is wanted or not and they'd stick out whatever trial or tribulation awaits no matter how devastating or ugly and ahhhhhh

Anyway these two are peak supportive; they're each other's greatest advocates. They're equals through and through and it shows in how they challenge/motivate one another and have each other's backs

About the equals thing? There were absolutely growing pains for a bit there. Back in their younger years, Dick unwittingly gave Roy a bit of a complex, fueled by personal insecurities because Dick has so many innate qualities to him that Roy struggles with. Needless to say, Dick is very !!! when he finds out because why would Roy ever want to be like Dick when Roy is Roy??

The admiration and respect goes both ways and at first Roy is so confused, but then Dick starts hammering home all of the things he adores and finds amazing about Roy and Roy just OTL oh lord plz stop but also keep going???

More DickRoy, but properly DickRoy

Compliments from Dick simultaneously take Roy out at the knees and leave him preening. Jokingly tells Dick, 'go on,' while batting his lashes and Dick does and Roy laughs but basks in the positive attention anyway

They tinker with equipment together. Not in a cool way though, just straight up nerds with their schematics and equations and whatever.

They probably watch gameshows together or do trivia nights idk they give off those vibes and it's cute

They don't really get into trouble together, but they laugh omg. It's a combination of inside jokes and having this wicked understanding of one another's humor and that humor being both compatible and insufferable and poor Lian doesn't stand a chance because dad jokes become DickRoy's bread and butter

The sort of bros that aren't necessarily romantic but have definitely fucked and it was a good time.

Roy+Jay

Specifically Dick's feelings on them because this is the definition of when your younger sibling steals your best friend and it's as tragic as it is hilarious because how the fuck?

Jason who was once the third wheel is third wheel no longer - Dick has taken up that mantle now lol

Dick can't even be mad about it because Roy is so good and Dick trusts him with Jason wholeheartedly and tbh Jason needs friends

Age difference. Age difference. Age difference.

Roy being a mentor to Jason. Maybe tinkering with equipment with him. Troubleshooting in new, not bat approved ways with cool, not bat approved tools and gear. But also life mentoring. Because Roy isn't just smart - he's got wisdom in spades. And idk it'd be cute for Jason to have heart to hearts with someone who gets him and has patience with him and can be that right mix of gentle and firm with him

Roy has had years of practice with Dick; believe it or not, Jason is 1000% more agreeable

What's more, Jason hiding out with Roy when family drama gets to be too much. And if Dick happens to be an offending party? Oh. Boy. Roy would defend Dick in a way that doesn't ostracize Jason, of course, but you can bet Roy seeks Dick out to metaphorically throw hands because wth, man? Be better. Then they make a game plan about it. He'll do this with Jason to if Jason was being a brat.

Roy the Robin whisperer lbr

But yeah I'm thinking Roy kisses Jason once on accident (it wasn't)and Jason is o//////o and Roy is also !!!! and Roy honestly avoids Dick for a month afterwards because he defiled Dick's brother oh fuck sorry not sorry

Unrelated: Dick with a brother complex always and forever it is what it is on this blog whoops (one of my many agendas)

Related to above point: Roy also develops a brother complex because Jason has that influence on people

This section has become DickRoy their potential for chemistry is too much

DickJayRoy

Hot damn

DickKoryRoy(??)

An even hotter damn

Canon should have gone this route tbh

#dickroy #and others

[lunar-years]

Tell us about the Time Loop lad?

the full note for it in my Notes app is "time loop but its going from established rjk to Jamie traveling back to s2 roykeeley at their peak relationship, reliving man city over and over" which I vaguely remember dreaming up and then dismissing soon after as being too depressing even for me lol.

The full idea I think was that Jamie gets sent back to a bit earlier in the s2 timeline and tries to get Roy and Keeley to remember that like, in the "real" current timeline they're all together and happy!! But Roy and Keeley don't remember anything and Roy is still in his #1 Jamie Hater era, so Roy gets pissed that Jamie is talking to Keeley again and accuses him of trying to get back together with her, which makes roy hate jamie even more, etc. Still, Jamie is trying to slowly win them over when Man City approaches. Jamie in the current day has come a long way in terms of healing and distancing himself from his father, so he's like fuck this i don't need this and tells security before the game that if his dad tries to come into the locker room he's not allowed. So the confrontation never happens, but then neither does Roy comforting him of course, and nothing changes, and then Jamie wakes up and he's back to where he started in s2.

Repeat cycle, and Jamie has to keep reliving man city in different ways whilst trying to find a way to both stop his dad from abusing him at wembley AND get roykeeley to believe him about the time loop and help him. Nothing seems to work. For example, one time he tries not giving his dad tickets at all, and then Bug and Denbo come and beat him up so badly he can't play at all. He wakes up in the hospital and Roy and Keeley are there, but Jamie's so out of it on drugs he can't stay awake long enough to talk to them, and by the time he wakes up--bam he's back to the start again. Another time he has a heart to heart with Sam and gets Sam to believe him about the time loop, and he's feeling so good about at least winning his friend back that he forgets about his dad until he's in the locker room, only this time Sam steps in first and shields then hugs Jamie, so he again never has that moment with Roy.

Eventually this culminates in Jamie deciding Roy never would have warmed up to him if he hadn't witnessed Jamie being abused and then "felt so sorry for him" that he took him home afterwards. Like, he gets in his head that Roy pitying him is the only way to get Roy to eventually love him (obviously this isn't actually true, but it's very heartbreaking in jamie's head for a bit). anyway, there's lots of angst and jamie has to decide whether it's worth letting his dad mock him exactly how he did in canon, even though every instinct inside him is screaming at him to prevent that from happening again, if there's a chance it will jolt him back to the present. Because nothing else he does seems to get Roy to CARE. and then he has to reckon with why he even wants that relationship back when he thinks it's just built off his trauma.

I have about a 95% chance of never writing this tbh because 1) the wonky timeline/time travel/time loop combo is too wonky for my pea brain to keep track of 2) i have zero clue how this would end??? 3) truly idk what i was on when I thought this one up because??? damn. that's depressing as shit.

but anyway there you have it!

#royjamiekeeley #royjamie #ted lasso #asks #ask games #my writing #tw abuse #my most fucked up idea honestly idk im so sorry jamie

[ericeffiorg]

another week, another ted lasso rant (lol)

this latest episode had so much potential to do something of importance. they set everything up so well for colin to have a meaningful coming out story with a supportive team that made it about him, but there’s this thing that straight creatives do where they try to make being gay not seem like a big deal and try to normalise it, but their method of normalising it is to remove its importance and try to minimalise the dangers, fears and liberation that comes with coming out.

they spent half the episode dealing with colin and isaac’s issues fairly well, as isaac was processing it. it was a bit on the nose and felt more like how a parent would react initially rather than a 20 something man in 2023, but whatever, it still felt like it was going somewhere.

but then the fight happened, and suddenly it was all about isaac. everyone was talking about isaac’s anger, his ability to be team captain, what that means for richmond, and whether he is gay. 

and then it came to colin actually coming out, and instead of getting colin to say the words “i’m gay”, we cut straight back to isaac, who gets comforted by roy, and we then focus on roy and isaac, the former of which is only here so he can develop his own personal story. so again, nobody here’s story is relevant to the actual queer person in question.

we then go back to colin coming out, and ted makes a stupid story about someone being a fan of a different football team and they even point out how irrelevant it is, so literally what was the point? colin had so much time taken away from actually coming out and it was given to his straight friend and straight coaches. and then they make these references to oprah and “what’s a top or bottom?” which feel like they’re being written by a 50 year old who googled some gay forum from the 2000s to get his knowledge.

the whole story was just silly because we spent so long focusing on isaac, and even then, that wasn’t even about isaac. it was about isaac worrying about colin and in turn taking away time from colin so who was this whole story even about? who benefitted? because we know nothing more about either man, and there was next to no development that came from it. just isaac acting out and colin being silenced. roy and ted got more from this than isaac or colin so what was the point of it all...

a big issue this show has is that it doesn’t know how to tackle toxic masculinity without making it a big joke. homophobia in football is something we’ve seen in real life a few times, and we know horrific it can get. and this show - based in a very male dominated avenue and constantly dealing with toxic masculinity - had a huge chance to do something but because their take on the topic never goes beyond “isnt it funny how anti toxic masculinity i am?”, they couldn’t hackle.

isaac’s dialogue was written like he was a freshman from high school (because what man in their 20′s reacts to his friend coming out like that?) this show constantly infantilises these men as a way to “challenge” toxic masculinity, and it’s just so irritating. why are ted and roy the only men allowed to actually confront anything in a serious way?

atp, i just don’t want ted lasso to touch queer stories ever again. they don’t know how to handle it without putting in some dumb joke that takes up half the screen time just to get to the punchline.

colin and isaac had so much potential and neither of them benefitted. it was just a way to give jason a “funny” monologue for his emmy campaign and for roy (a grown man who has been in this business for decades) to learn how to speak to people. 

#so close to dropping it atp #bc s1 and 2 were so excellent #i don't know how it has fallen so hard... #ted lasso #ted lasso rant #tv thoughts #ted lasso s3 #ted lasso s03e09

[jaimeslanisters]

as a team green enthusiast, i think what they have going on compared to the blacks is that they have way more interesting characters. whether you like or hate them, team green's characters are so much more intriguing to me. otto is smart and cunning, alicent is one of the most layered characters in the show, criston is one of the finest knights in the realm, aegon is a somewhat tragic bumbling drunkard (i don't subscribe to what the show decided to do) who finally receives some form of validation once he becomes king, helaena has her prophetic dreams, aemond is aemond, and i can't wait to meet show!daeron. the only interesting characters on the black's team (imo) right now are rhaenyra, daemon, and a bit of rhaenys and corlys. the rest are children (no shade). the velaryon twins deserve better, and honestly, what are the distinguishing traits between jace and luke? they're just "good" and handsome boys lol. all that is to say, i enjoy pawn so much because you highlight the uniquness and nuance of the greens and their interactions with one another, for better or for worst

YES!!! COMPLETELY!!!!!

quick rant about family dynamics in team green vs team black under read more

while i’m truly team “the targaryens were always going to collapse through their own hubris”, im team green simply because the characters are so much more interesting. they’re the roy family if you stuck them into westeros and handed most of them weapons of mass destruction. they love each other. they’re each other’s deaths. sometimes they can’t stand the mere sight of another. they’ll kill to protect one another. they’ll die for one another.

like!!! this is all canon. this is what the show has shown us. aegon gets slapped around by alicent but when they pull him from his hiding spot, he asks for his mother. alicent resents him at times, the first chain that was looped around her neck, but she’ll stand in front of a dragon for him, fight for what’s his for him. aemond wants the throne, he covets it, but he calls it his brother’s throne, threatens luke for the crime of trying to steal it. helaena endlessly whispers about the death of her family, sews a funeral shroud for the child she hasn’t lost yet. criston is their sword, their shield, their iron fist.

how am i supposed to not be insane about them?? all their complexities and resentments and joys?? there’s so much you can dig into, so much you can do with their relationships. i feel like i write a “kinder” version of them, their relationships when they’re relatively safe and when there’s no real pressure that’s risking their lives. in pawn, for now, they’re not faced with the cost of what everything will take, the cost they know they’ll have to pay, so they’re given the chance to be warmer and kinder with one another. we know they have the potential to - aegon immediately rises to aemond’s defense in the dinner after all. aegon and aemond are gossips in a corner in the opening scene and then barely an episode later, they’re knocking each other to the ground. they’re a family with all the hurt and pain and love it brings with.

and the team black gets to be the brady bunch? they love each other, of course they do, but no family is 100% perfect, 100% emotionally competent. rhaena is ignored for her lack of a dragon - wheres her resentment? her insecurity? baela just accepts that and doesn’t feel anger for her twin? the two of them don’t mind their birthrights being taken out from under them? baela is fostered with the velaryons - would that not sway her to being more sympathetic to these cousins she’s now living with? these cousins who think that luke is a bastard usurper?

the velaryon twins and the strong boys don’t clash like at all? rhaenyra and daemon just shoved their families together, barely waiting for their respective spouses to be buried, and that went down smoothly? the kids are fine with each other and their parents who they now think are murderers. somehow.

rhaenys and corlys are suddenly ok with the mysterious death of laenor? post ep 8, all that grief and rage rhaenys has on a low simmer just vanishes and is replaced by adoration of rhaenyra and it’s such a robbery.

jace, imo, is the only one who gets somewhat of a personality at time. he’s quick to violence when confronting aemond at the dinner (even though he’s painfully unequipped to handle it lmao). he obviously distrusts daemon and sees him as grasping at power during his mother’s labor. maybe it’ll get shown in s2 but the fact that with his own siblings, we don’t get to see even a crumb of the layered interactions we get to see between team green.

despite this rant, i do love team black. i know i mainly talk about team green on this blog and my fic (and my mc) are solidly team green as well but i like the bones of what team black is, particularly with the younger cast. i wish they were just allowed to hold grudges and be messy like real people.

#iirc the only like flash of characterization outside of noble and strong we see from jace is when he pushes luke to the ground training #and i saw ppl complain when it’s like no!!! hes in an older brother in a violent world he’s panicking he loves his brother #he wants him safe and being agressive IS how he’s showing this stress #idk this is also me slightly resentful of the promo they released recently where they said team black was a healthy family or something #like yawn no offense like…. ppl love to lob the boring accusation at the starks but they showed complexity in their family bonds #answered

[romeulusroy]

Irresistible (Shiv Roy x Tattoo!Reader)

Character/s: Shiv, Logan mention

Word Count: 981

A/N: This was not requested, but I did get a Shiv request and I want to be sure I can do it justice. I feel like I know her the least besides Kendall, so I'm a lil scared to post this lol. It's a teensy bit short too, don't come for me y'all!! I just know she'd love tattoos so much. Maybe not on her, but her partners? Definitely!!! Feedback is always appreciated 💜💜💜

She runs the tips of her fingers across the ink of your skin. Starting innocently enough, your fingers, your hands, west and elbow. Some new, mostly old, still raised on the surface of your flesh. Up, up, across, tracing your collarbone, your chest, your neck, until she’s got your chin tipped up, examining the ink on the underside of your jaw. Her eyes are delicate, but intense. She’s dissecting you as you sit, wait, and you let her. You’d let her do a lot of things. She lets a smile slip, letting go, instead grabbing for your hand, giving it a squeeze. She’d always been a lover of art, of expression, but her favorite was your body. Covered head to toe in tattoos. The drama of it all. The pain, too. It gave you an edge, a shield. It makes me look a lot cooler than I am, you joked, but she just shook her head. Not cool, elegant. Elegant as fuck. You laughed, not expecting that certain word choice from an angel like her. The more you got to know her though, the more you expected it. The more you could rely on it, on her.

She started appearing everywhere. Not just around the office, at her fathers table, but in your corner, in your space. She hadn’t noticed you til an office party ran late. Past midnight, everyone drinking, celebrating. You never showed skin at the office. It wasn’t professional anywhere, but especially Waystar. Parties, parties were another story. Your co-workers knew what you looked like, who you were outside of work. You let loose a little, sipping at your drink, watching your peers make mistakes for tomorrow morning. Thats when you spotted her, watching you. Of course you knew who she was. Your heart fell into your stomach. She was powerful, a Goddess among men. She had power. You? You’d only been working there a year, almost two. That was all. You doubted Logan knew your name. As long as the work was done on time, he didn’t really care. She hadn’t taken her eyes off you, her gaze burning right through you. You hadn’t spilled on yourself and your fly wasn’t down, you checked. You looked behind you, too, but there was no one. No, she was looking at you. Was that a smile? You could see it in her cheeks, in the lines of her face, no matter how hard she tried to hide behind her glass. Heat rose to your face. The boss’ daughter was looking at you, staring. You tried not to let on that you knew, turning your attention elsewhere. Co-workers dancing, people you didn’t even know knew one another mingling like old friends. Every time you looked, out of the corner of your eye, there she was. 

There she was. 

You’ve been staring. It takes every ounce of courage in your body to speak those words. Flirty, just loud enough for her to hear. Maybe I like what I’m looking at. She says cooly, not looking at you directly. You’d disappeared. The crowd thickened and you took your chance, moving from one end of the room to the other, so close to her you could smell her perfume. She didn’t jump, you hadn’t shocked her, like she was always prepared for anything. Everything. Maybe? Ouch. What were you doing? You weren’t this person. You weren’t sexy or spontaneous, you definitely didn’t think you had a chance with any person, let alone the Siobhan Roy. She either didn’t notice the moment of panic or chose not to, instead shrugging her shoulders. Yeah, maybe. Where have you been hiding all this time? Accounting, you want to say, but that isn’t right. You’ve been here all along, in plain sight. Is she noticing now because of your skin, or she’d had too much to drink? She doesn’t seem drunk, not even a little tipsy. So she liked your ink. . . That made you smile despite yourself. Scary, powerful, Siobhan Roy liked tattoos? That’s pretty cute. You can touch them, if you like. You held out your wrist to her. That startled her, how you’d figured her out, how forward you were with her. She touches you as if she’s afraid you’ll break, so delicate, so frail. She traces the images, the shading and linework, getting lost in the patterns, the intricacy. She doesn’t ask what they mean, like most people. She doesn’t ask if it hurt, how expensive it was, or who you went to. She just traced. When she came to, as if coming out of a haze, she blushed. You liked it.

Her touch tickled. 

She did it when she was nervous, too. Tracing the image on the back of your hand, your knuckles, absentmindedly. She rubbed whichever arm she held, the two of you a long established couple after that night. She always get embarrassed when you bring it up. Not to tease her, rather in awe of her. She was stunned by you, by the artwork, even if she couldn’t put it into words. She buries her face into you, begging you to stop talking. Too late. You’re stuck with me, you want to tease. She can’t help it, the second she saw you, she knew things would be different. Not love, something more complicated. Something more permanent. She didn’t believe in love at first sight. That night, though? That night, maybe she’d come close. When you get new ones she studies them, hypnotized by the process. Going through all that pain for something so beautiful, so forever. She knows what her father thinks of you, of your body, but she couldn’t care less. You weren’t just beautiful, you were stunning. The artwork was just an added bonus, the cherry on top. One day you’ll get something to represent her, your wife. For now you wear your ring. For now, that’s enough.

#writing #shiv roy #shiv roy imagine #shiv roy x reader #succession #succession imagine #succession x reader