#i get tinky i am fascinated by ted and I'd love to put him in situations to see how he reacts

[missholloween]

Ted Spankoffski is a character who defines himself through others.

After Jenny leaves, Ted decides to turn himself into a "pushy asshole", as he thinks only pushy assholes what they want (aka love). Rejection pushes him to make a radical change in his life, one so drastic he builds a new version of himself around it, and never lets go of it. He knows he is a pushy asshole, and he enjoys being a pushy asshole. Or at least he did.

During Time Bastard, we see how Ted has grown bitter and sour because of being a pushy asshole. The good things that persona had, aka getting laid, don't work anymore. He's just a shadow of the person he had constructed.

That's why, when Kilgore calls him "time bastard" and he understands how time travel works, he fastly clings to that identity. Not only he has power over others as the time bastard, but he can change the errors of his way and return to Jenny. And even better yet, because he's learned what being a pushy ashole is, and he can show Jenny. Surely this time they'll end up together... Won't they?

I'd lastly want to mention the Hatchetfield Ape-Man. Even though he first wanted Lucy just for her money, he ends up falling in love with her. Ted becomes Cronk to please her, as she loves Cronk, and he can be loved through that persona. He even decides to die as Cronk in the episode, not as Ted. He dismisses his identity just so that he can be loved.