#like ted would be so proud of the man he’s become and I know he is

[hopefulromances]

Long Time Coming I Chapter Seven I Hits Different

Summary: Being hired as the first female assistant coach in the league was a challenge of it itself. Being a football protigy and University Football Legend was easy enough. Coaching Jamie Tartt was a challenge all on its own.

Word Count: 3.2k

Warning: Talk of death, angst, angst, and oh yeah, angst

A/N: The absolute love that's been coming from yall this week has made me so soft! Thank you! Enjoy this chapter ;-)

Prologue One Two Three Four Five Six

When I got the call that Rebecca’s father had passed and that we would all be going to the funeral, I didn’t know exactly how to react. Daddy issues aside, what was I meant to wear? What do you say to someone who’s father passed? I was never good at these types of things.

I came late, purposefully. Trying to avoid as much awkward small talk as possible. As I stood outside the church, I felt my palms getting sweaty. The last funeral I’d been to… well let’s just say it hadn’t gone well. Man, I could really use Ted right now.

I walked in quietly, trying not to attract attention. Unfortunately, the door closed much hard behind me, making a rather large noise as it closed. It caught the attention of Keely who was standing with Sassy inside.

            “Hey babes!” She greeted, reaching out her hand to me. “Welcome to the party.” I grabbed her hand and entered the group, giving her a side hug. “I thought this was a funeral.”

            “Holy shit, your tits look great!” Sassy complimented, motioning to her chest.

I looked down subconsciously, trying to fix my dress to cover up my cleavage “Oh, is it too much?”

            “Definitely not.” Keely reached up and adjusted my dress again, so it was back to how it was originally. “You look great.”

            “Oi, what were you saying about Rebecca secretly dating someone?” Sassy interrupted. I turned wide-eye to Keely.

            “Rebecca’s dating someone?” I removed my arm from around Keely and turned so I was standing next to Sassy. “And you didn’t tell me?”

            “I don’t know anything for sure, but I’m pretty sure it’s been going on for like weeks now,” Keely whispered. Now that she mentioned it, Rebecca had been acting differently. She wasn’t coming out as much or spending as much time in the locker room. It was like she was hiding something.

            “Now.” Sassy’s eyes gained a mischievous look on her face. “Is today an inappropriate day to inquire/badger her into telling us who?”

            “We’ll never know unless we try!” Keely responded, giggling. Suddenly her gaze turned warning as she looked over my shoulder.

            “Keely.” Jamie’s voice surprised me from behind. I turned around and was surprised to see him in a suit, with a shirt on underneath.

            “Jamie. Wow! Nice suit!” She greeted, turning to see him. Then as Jan and Nate approached as well “All of you. Look at you!”

I felt like my voice was caught in my throat. This was a funeral, a really bad time to be thirsting over Jamie but he just looked so damn good. I swallowed hard, glancing down at his feet.

            “And no trainers! On any of you,” I chimed in. “Making me proud.”

Jamie looked surprised when he saw me, and I didn’t miss the way his eyes darted down and back up.  “Hi (Y/N). I didn’t see you come in.”

Ever since the night club, I’d tried to avoid Jamie as much as possible. I woke up the next morning, unfortunately sober, and remembered how lose my lips were the night before. And the fact that we had almost nearly kissed on the dance floor. Our morning practices were short and I had begun taking my lunches with Keely and Roy to avoid spending anymore unnecessary one-on-one time with Jamie.

It hurt, of course, to be away from him. I had become really attached to him and his presence in my life. I don’t know if he felt it, but to me it was like there was a giant Jamie sized hole missing.

I glanced over at the door. “Oh, yeah, I was… late, I guess.”

            “Well, you look great,” he commented. “It’s a nice… err… dress.”

            “Yes, your breasts look very nice in that dress,” Jan agreed, giving me a warm smile.

Jamie turned and smacked Jan on the back of the head. “Now is not the time to be commenting on her breasts, twat.”

            “Oh! I did not mean to be offensive.” In his defense he did look apologetic. Well, as apologetic as the Dutch man could muster. “I simply meant your dress fits you well.”

            “And Nate!” Thank God, for Keely. “Is that the suit that Ted got you.”

            “What, this?” He looked surprised by the question.

            “Yeah!”

            “Um, I can’t remember… uh, yes! Yeah,” he stumbled through his answer.

I nodded at him. “it’s a really nice suit!”

            “Another man buying you clothes is infantilizing, yes?” Jan Maas interjected, a curious look on his face. There was an awkward pause as we all tried to figure out how to answer.

            “Fucks sake,” Jamie muttered. He turned to me. “Want to go find a seat?”

I glanced over at Keely. She had heard all about that night from me and had insisted that it was a sign. She was fully on the (Y/N) x Jamie train and told me that I just HAD to confess my feelings for him in the most romantic way possible. I, however, felt like every time I spoke with Jamie, I ended up sticking my foot in my mouth.

Right now, she was giving me a not-so-subtle signal to go with him. God, why did it have to be a funeral.

            “Sure! Let’s go. Let’s go find a seat!” I said, coolly. Though not that coolly. More, oddly than coolly.  But Jamie didn’t seem to notice as he started to lead me further down the aisle. I turned back to look at Keely who was giving me a big thumbs up. As if I would confess my feelings to Jamie right now. ‘Hey Jamie, I know there’s a dead body in front of us, but do you want to make out with me and have lots and lots of babies?’ Didn’t exactly roll off the tongue did it.

He stared quietly ahead of us at the crucifix above the alter. I couldn’t read his face. I wish I could tell what he was thinking in this moment. But instead, I found myself looking over the delicate features of his face. His eyes, his mouth, his lips. I was going to burn in hell.

            “I didn’t know you owned a dress shirt, Jamie,” I decided on saying, giving him a smile.

            ��I didn’t. Had to go buy one,” he told me, looking down at his shirt. “Did you know that you can buy these in bulk for like 20 quid?”

            “Yeah… yeah I did know that.”

            “Fucking wild,” he muttered. “Had to go with Colin and Dani to a shoe store down the street to get dress shoes.”

I was suddenly overwhelmed with softness at the thought. The boys all got together and decided to come to this all on their own. They came, dressed to the occasion, to support their owner even though she didn’t ask them to.

            “Well, it means a lot,” I said, softly. “To Rebecca, that you all came.”

He looked over at me and shrugged. “Yeah well… we’s a family, ain’t we?”

He truly was a completely different person than when we first met. I knew that, but it really hit me in this moment. I opened my mouth to respond to him when we were interrupted by Spanish cursing. Dani came up from behind us, praying and cursing under his breath.

            “I hate dress shoes so much, Jamie,” he whined, leaning on Jamie for support.

            “I know, muchacho,” Jamie responded sympathetically. “Cause remembers, they ain’t made for people like us. They’re made for sheep. They’re made for Muggles. They’re made for twats.”

            “Thank you for your sacrifice, Dani,” I encouraged.

            “When I get home, I will set them on fire, and their memory will burn in hell.”

Jamie and I stared at each other. “Jesus, Dani.”

Dani looked at us, an incredulous look on his face. “Jesus has no place in the conversation of these damn shoes.”

With that he began limping forward, resuming his frantic praying. I watched him leave, feeling his pain from where I was standing.

I suddenly felt really hot and my palms began to sweat again. Then in an instant, my heart began to race as a sense of panic washed over me.

            “You alright?” Jamie’s voice broke through my sweat.

I swallowed, trying to get some moisture back in my throat. “Uh, yeah, I’m fine I just… I need to step outside.”

I began to walk off towards a side door. I turned over my shoulder and saw Jamie watching after me, concern lacing his face. Got I wanted to go back and hold him. Tell him everything that was bothering me and let him comfort me. But now was not the time or the place. Instead, I pressed on and walked outside.

As I did, it felt like I was coming up for air after taking a dive into the deep in. I covered my face as I tried to ground myself in the current moment. If only Ted was here. He would know how to help me right now.

Suddenly, I heard loud laughter. I looked around for the source of the noise and saw a back room. I wandered over to the room and saw inside Keely, Sassy, and Rebecca along with her mother and Nora.  

            “What is going on in here?” I laughed, coming in to join them.

Keely stood up and clapped her hands. “Someone is secretly shagging a footballer!”

I gave Keely a look, there was no way they were talking about Jamie and me. “We aren’t shagging!”

There was silence in the room as the women a looked at each other. Then they burst out into another round of squeals and screaming. I looked around, realizing my mistake. They were not talking about me.

            “Wait, wait, if you weren’t talking about me, then who-“

            “No, you’re not getting out of this,” Rebecca cut me off, pointing at me. “Who are you talking about?”

            “Rebecca is shagging Sam,” Keely blurted out, giggling like a toddler.

My mouth dropped. Not what I was expecting. “Wait, what?”

            “Shut it, Keely, that is old news! Tell us who you are shagging.” Sassy tugged on my arm, practically pulling out of its socket.

I waved my hands around, trying to get my mind wrapped around the situation. “Okay, so Rebecca is shagging Sam, which is true. And I’m not shagging anyone, which is also true.”

            “But you implied that you SOMETHING going on with someone else,” Nora pointed out. I glared at her. “What! I’m just saying!”

I looked over at Keely, begging for any kind of help in the situation but she was too caught up in the excitement to offer a diversion. Sassy came over and grabbed my arm.

            “C’mon, anything you say in here, stays in here, we promise, right?” She comforted looking around at the other women for encouragement. I don’t know how much I trusted Sassy though. She could be a bit unpredictable, but honestly, I felt so safe in this room with these women. And fuck it, I was having a bad day.

            “Okay…” I wavered, closing my eyes. “I have serious feelings for Jamie.”

The room broke out into screams of excitement, a thousand questions being thrown my way. I glanced over at Keely who was just smiling at me. Luckily, before I could start answering questions, the vicar came in and kicked all of us out.

Rebecca gave me a look that said We’ll talk later, and we walked out. Keely caught up to me and locked out arms together.

            “You doing alright, babes?” She asked, tugging on my arm a bit.

            “Me? Yeah. I’m doing great!” I shrugged, looking straight towards the church. “I mean who doesn’t love a good funeral.”

            “Not me,” she grumbled. “Roy’s been giving me a hard time all day. I hate death.”

I laughed. “Bold statement, ‘I hate death.’”

            “I don’t need shit from you too!” She protested, but she was smiling just as well.

We reentered the church and Keely went to join Roy. I started to make my way to the back of the church where I could sit in one of the empty aisles when I heard someone whisper call my name. I looked around and saw Jamie waving at me. When he saw he got my attention, he pointed to an empty spot next to him. He saved me a seat. My heart fluttered as I made my way over to him. He scooted down to give me a bit more room as I side stepped through the aisle past Isaac.

            “Thanks for saving me a seat,” I murmured to him.

            “Don’t mention it,” He replied. “I just got sick of listening to this one.” He pointed over to Dani who was sitting across the aisle. “I don’t know what padre he’s praying to, but I hope he fucking listens.”

I snorted, covering my mouth to keep my laugh in. Jamie smiled down at me as I regained my composure. I looked over at him and nudged him with my shoulder.

            “You’re ridiculous.”

The funeral was interesting to say the least. Rebecca gave a unique but moving eulogy to her father that contained more Rick Astley than I was expecting and afterwards we all went back to Rebecca’s place for a reception.

Somehow, I lost Jamie. He started acting weird after the eulogy, like he was deep in thought. Which for Jamie, was never a good sign. Once we got to the house, he completely disappeared from me. I instead, found myself rounding the snacks table by myself.

            “(Y/N) (L/N)!” Ted’s cheerful voice came from behind me. I was relieved to hear him. As much as he could get on my nerves with his constant optimism, right now, it was exactly what I needed. When I turned and saw him, I felt myself overwhelmed with emotion. Despite his voice, his eyes were sad.  

            “Hi Ted.” My response came out hoarser than I meant it to.

His eyes immediately flooded with concern. “Hey, you alright?” That was a question I had heard a lot today.  ‘You Alright’. And I kept saying yes. Despite the turmoil in my head about the millions of emotions I was feeling about today. About funerals. About fathers.  But hey, join the daddy issues club, I guess.

            “Yeah,” I assured him, thinking on the issue. “My dad died six months before I started at Richmond.”

Ted raised his eyebrows at me as he took in my statement. I hadn’t told anyone that in my time at Richmond. I’d barely told anyone outside my family. But I told my dad that I got my job and a month later he was dead.

            “I’m sorry, I didn’t know that,” Ted consoled, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

I shrugged. “I haven’t told anyone. But… the funeral… it’s just…”

            “Brought up memories?” Ted offered. At my look, he let out a breathy laugh. “Join the club.”

I wasn’t sure exactly what he was referencing but I’m sure it was his explanation for showing up late today. I decided not to press further and opted instead to pass him a beer bottle.

            “To dads?” I beckoned, holding my own beer up to his.

            “To dads!” He joined. Then paused for adding. “And to the things we left unsaid.”

I held my drink for a second thinking on his words before taking a sip of my beer. As I did, I finally found Jamie. He was walking across the living room to approach Keely. Everything that had happened between us in the past few months went through my head in an instant. From the early morning practices to the encouragement during training, to the bus ride and the club. He was someone I wanted in my life for the foreseeable future. He was someone I wanted in my life permenantly.

Things left unsaid.

            “If you’ll excuse me a moment, Ted.”

I didn’t listen for his response and instead walked straight towards Jamie. I was going to do it. I was going to tell him. His back was to me as he chatted with Keely and I approached walking quickly, with a purpose. As I got closer, Is started to hear what he was saying.

            “I didn’t just come back to Richmond to get away from me dad. I also came back ‘cause of you.” It felt like all the air in my lungs was knocked out of my in an instance. Keely’s face was frozen in one of shock as he spoke to her. “I finally think that I’m becoming the best version of meself, the kind of man that you always knew that I could be.” He was saying all the right things. All the wonderful things I had been thinking about him for weeks now. He was saying all the right things, just not to me. “And I know that this is a mad, shitty thing to do, but… I love you, Keely.”

Keely’s eyes lowered a bit and finally they met my eyes. My brain couldn’t process exactly what was happening. The relationship I had created with Jamie truly was all in my head. I had created the idea that he had leaned in to kiss me that night. It was all a lie.

Before he could turn around, I left. I left as fast as my feet could take me and get outside. My palms were sweaty again and that feeling of panic that I had felt in the church returned. I finally made it out the front door and took a big gulp of fresh air. I sat down on the porch and shoved my head in my hands, trying to ground myself once again. Vaguely, I heard the door opening behind me. I knew it was Keely without even having to look.

            “(Y/N), I… I’m so, so, sorry,” she said as she sat down next to me. “I have no idea where that came from.”

            “No, it’s alright, it’s not your fault.” I felt a laugh bubble it way out my chest. “It’s all my fault! It really is.” Keely looked at me like I was crazy. “I’m used to this! I’m used to getting my heart broken. I’m used to hearing the ‘love is a lie’ speech from my friends.” Finally, I took my head out of my hands and rested my chin in my hands. “But… it just feels different this time.”

And with that the laugh left my voices as my disappointment caught up with me and it was replaced by a sob. I covered my mouth, surprised by the noise that had just come out of it. Then my lip was shaking, and my eyes were shimmering with unshed tears.

            “Oh, (Y/N)…” Keely cooed.

She wrapped her arms around me and pulled me into her. I rested my head on her shoulder and let myself cry.

Taglist: @heletsmelovehim @higherthanheroes @ajax-petropolus-wife @oxxolovemelikeyoudooxxo @optimisticsandwichgladiator @kno-way-home @sleepy-time @wigglegiggle

hehehehehe

[devotioncrater]

literalllllyyyyy so fuckign ill. thinking about how the ted lasso writers have the insane set-up to a queer love story about two men who see one another and can know one another.

one a gay man whose first career stemmed from the jealousy he felt towards professional footballers so much so he made a name for himself tearing them down. all in the hopes his intellect and knowledge of the sport would make his father proud. would make his father accept him. would show everyone who underestimated him at school just what kind of force he is. he can't play within the sport of heterosexuality football but he sure as shit can judge it

the other a bisexual man who never understood why others underestimated him. whose father died by suicide when he was 16, a boy who had to witness what death looked like. how every major choice he makes is all in memoriam of his father. to make him proud. to say "yeah, dad, i ain't failed you yet. are you watching?" he doesn't know jackshit about the technical aspects of heterosexuality football, so he coaches what he feels is important to his team. be open-minded, be supportive, be kind....he hasn't connected the dots just yet

and yet these two men become a constant in each other's lives without fucking saying anything. "what do you love?" becomes "i love our chats". an empty second row chair in the press room becomes a cause of worry. the shared experience of traumatic fathers becomes a cycle broken together with their own respective daughter and son

it's these two men who can see one another and accept each other for all their flaws and dirt and still look for the other in a crowded locker room

[dollsome-does-tumblr]

okay. having been made aware that most people dislike more characters than me, i need to try to do this. who are tv characters i don't like??? who? who??

boat guy on ted lasso. a concept and not a person. a concept designed to torment me and crush all my dreams. an avatar for all my dead dreams. if he'd actually become more of a character, like as a series regular or something, i would have probably grown to like him, because i'm weak. but in our reality, i can hate him forever.

jack from lost i always really hated, and i still do, but in a way where i almost like him because i hate him so much??? like, it's hilarious and special to me how much he sucks, and how consistently, always. jears forever.

jess mariano, but that's just because gg fandom has driven me crazy over the past 20 years in that regard, hyping him up so much, and i'm a hateful crone. technically he is fine.

christopher hayden is pretty bad. yeah, i think i can say with confidence i dislike christopher hayden.

extremely ashamed to report that i have sort of developed an occasional soft spot for dean forrester in my old age. awful! i'm not proud, okay! but i'm being honest.

i do hate rupert from ted lasso. but like. i don't think i get a prize for that one. that's an extremely easy dude to hate.

oh. i lowkey kinda hate nigel from cbs ghosts. i apologize, but i do. i think isaac could do better. i wish he would go for the australian stripper dinosaur enthusiast from the most recent episode. wouldn't it be hilarious if they decided to kill that lap dancer so he could become isaac's new boyfriend? i should write this show. it would be stunning and universally beloved and full of murders just to expand the friend group.

this has really gotten away from me.

wait!!!!! helene from killing eve! was that her name? i really didn't like her! she bugged! to me, she had too much screentime! (the actress seems very cool though, no offense to her.)

i am kind of bothered by joel mchale's character in animal control specifically because he's so identical to jeff winger in mannerisms that i just feel like jeff winger abandoned his greendale family and started a new life as an animal control man in seattle. i don't like this feeling. i just want to scream, "go back to greendale, jeff! i know frank isn't your real name!!!!" at the screen every second. does this count as disliking a character?

BOAT GUY 😡

[thetavolution]

Modern Day AU

I spent a moment to think what everyone would be up to in a modern day AU.

Astarion: He was pre-law when he got caught up with Cazador. It's less a vampire spawn situation and a more straightforward abuse situation. I think in the AU he was also much younger when Cazador found him. Once he breaks free of Cazador, he might go back into law. He'd end up in therapy and he'd probably have to take a step back to re-evaluate what he wants in life.

Gale: Of course he's a professor. With magic off the table in this particular AU, he'd probably teach as many subjects as they'd let him. Students would constantly have deja vu seeing him in so many classes. He'd be teaching somewhere like Cambridge or Oxford. The subjects that came to mind were English, History of Art, Linguistics, Philosophy, and for reasons I can't explain, German.

Shadowheart: Her ass would be in a cult. She was kidnapped into some kind of Gloriavale situation as a kid. She'd eventually get a taste of freedom and leave the cult for good, especially if a Tav comes her way. Then she'd write a tell-all book and do a lot of Ted Talks about it. As she got older, she'd become more reclusive. She'd write books from her little countryside house full of animals.

Halsin: Halsin would still be a tree-hugging hippy. He'd have an environmentalism related job, like wind turbine technician, environmental technician, or solar installer. (I imagine he'd want something very hands on.) He'd 100% be part of a nudist colony. He'd still be poly, and he'd be very choosey about who he lets into the polycule.

Lae'zel: She'd go to university where she'd be expanding her world. It would force her to unpack her unhealthy home life is. She was probably raised in a jingoistic family. After discovering the power of friendship and self-discovery, she'd make better choices for herself. She'd still be INCREDIBLY disciplined so I imagine she'd be an athlete. Either she'd do professional rugby or MMA. She might do pro wrestling. She wouldn't join the theatrics on purpose. They'd just tap into her natural persona for her character.

Karlach: She worked for Gortash before he made a name for himself in politics. I'm still trying to work out exactly what would happen to her. I imagine he framed her in this universe and she spent 10 years in prison instead of Avernus. Now she's out and wants revenge... but also would love to get her life back. Possibly she has a chronic illness that, if untreated, could kill her. It's not a 1-to-1 for her heart situation, but close.

Jaheira: She refuses to ever retire from her work. She's been a part of almost every humanitarian world org that'll have her, like The Peace Corps. She now runs her own organization that travels the world for humanitarian efforts. She's a widow and she's still the mother to several adopted children.

Wyll: He was on track to make his father proud. He was going to Oxford to study politics until he realized how much he hated it. His father is the mayor of a major city. I'm hesitant to say London because it feels too obvious. Instead, Wyll drops out to pursue humanitarian work. This is where his path crosses with Jaheira as he joins her organization. His father just doesn't get it and they're at odds over it.

Minthara: Military brat who grew up to join the British Military. In her off time, she's in the BDSM scene.

Orin: She is either running a true crime podcast or being talked about on one. Either that or she's a CEO of a drug company a la The Fall of the House of Usher (2023).

Gortash: This dude is running as a Tory and you know it. He left a huge trail of problematic behavior on his Twitter. He made an anonymous Reddit account to post relationship problems on, but everyone figured out it was him almost immediately.

Barcus: This poor man is so tired. He never found his "dream" and he's been going from job to job for decades. After he starts to stand up for himself, he opens an online store based on all his interests and thrives.

I might do more later, but this is all I could think of for now.

[jrueships]

Ted's omegaverse alignments but not really horny, i just think collabing concepts is neat.

READ ABOVE if u haven't the lore of the world. It's long like this so i can summarize a reminder of some of the terms real quick before we start the list:

ROIDing: can be used by omegas, betas, or alphas to change your status into either an omega, beta, or alpha. Can be a combination, like taking hard rut inducers and hard heat suppressors for an omega to go to a beta status, and can be doubled for an omega to even go as an alpha, although that jump is rare as it's quite the turmoil psychologically and not all minds might be up for the task or temper. Heat inducers and rut suppressors can turn a beta or an alpha into the categories listed below itself on the hierarchy. Anybody can use anything, and anybody can be anything.

WHICH MEANS.. anybody can top or bottom anybody. Omegas can top Alphas, betas, etc. Betas can top Alphas, Alphas can top Alphas. Omega does NOT equal bottom, and it doesn't equal Small either. Although different players take the dynamics differently though. It's Very rare for an alpha to Admit being in a relationship with an omega or beta if they feel like it goes against the usual Alpha relationship grain. There's a certain tension that always follows with freedom

Anyways, let's get right to it. PART 1 because i don't have the time to include EVERYONE rn and i probably won't bcs i don't know know everyone and don't wanna get stuff wrong so. Use ur own interpretation! This is a very open assignment that let's you be the judge in the end! Have fun! Ask questions or give feedback, im happy to hear it! I just love concepts tbh, that's all i rlly wanna do with this. The most will be little stories to go with this world. I'll reblog with more ppl LATER!!!

Michael Jordan: an ALPHA who (supposedly) PRESENTED very, very LATE. No one is exactly sure when he presented. Even Michael's story changes from before getting cut in highschool to after to college to the 'flu' game. But Everyone, at one point, thought he was going to be a beta. ( His siblings laugh at this. ) And then he wasn't. And then he won. And then he became a dictator. After Dennis announced being an omega who ROIDed to even an alpha status, distrust spread to every alignment, no matter how high. An omega becoming an alpha was rare, but now possible thanks to Dennis's admittance. It takes a certain strength, dedication, and insanity to undergo all the medicine, but someone competitive and desperate enough to do it could. Someone like Michael Jordan. Michael merely smirks whenever asked, which is quite Often. Those around him gag at his powerful cigar smoke scent, enough to overwhelm any alpha to their knees. Before his fame, he was quieter, more contained. He did his own laundry, knitted his own clothes, because no one wants a man without a secondary nature. When his alpha nature was finally announced, he stopped smiling and started smirking.

Allen Iverson, an ALPHA who was known to take protecting and providing for the pack a little too seriously. Like Isiah, his status as an alpha was highly doubted due to size. Unlike Isiah, his independent dominance humbled the doubting media time and time again, ultimately trailblazing in the NBA and expanding the game's personal freedom through his refusal to cave into other's wants or needs if he found disagreement. Unfortunately, his hard-headed strengths would also serve as some of his weaknesses, giving some alpha traditionalists confidence to nag on his struggles with finances and championships, always bringing up how a Real alpha would never. For a select few, no matter what Iverson did or didn't, he would never be ‘alpha enough’ to them all over something as silly as height. AI just finds the thought comical, he's probably taller than 50% of those alpha Truist freaks, and he knows for damn sure that he's 101% cooler than all those motherfuckers combined. He doesn't care if they don't think he's an alpha with all of their highly-opinionated evidence, people have hated on him out of basic bitch jealousy his whole damn life. Other people have never changed his mind, and other people never will. If he says he's wearing cornrows, he's wearing cornrows. If he says he's buying everyone everything, shieet, he's buying everyone everything! If he says he's getting a tattoo, he's getting a tattoo. If he says he's an alpha, he's a Fucking alpha. Argue with the wall.

Charles Barkley: ALPHA. hilarious and prickly, perhaps too prickly at times, can be his own downfall from either sheer laziness or stubbornness. Example of how just being an alpha isn't an automatic win in life like some alpha fanboys or egoists might try to persuade

Wilt Chamberlain: ALPHA. was a great player, but personality-wise? .... other alphas like Kareem butted heads with him..

Kareem: ALPHA. Even betas like Magic would then butt heads with Kareem. Standoffish, he tries to keep his distance even from his team due to the stigma of alphas being violent always following him especially because of his height and looks. Even in childhood. Distrustworthy of everyone because of deep-rooted trauma

Isiah Thomas: ALPHA. defends his team and their troubles like a bull, oftentimes a hypocritical.. near-sighted bull. Alpha status is often questioned because of his height. Many think Bill is the real alpha and Isiah is the beta. Those that have the pleasure (or displeasure, as Michael would say), stand firm on their stance that Yes, Isiah is an alpha. Unfortunately, you can really tell. Very protective of his team, especially of Dennis Rodman/omegas in general. Thinks the Bulls are bad for Dennis and doubts Michael’s way of ruling. The Bulls, in his opinion, are too hands-off and don't feel like the kind of loving pack a team is meant to be. Very maternal to his team, which doesn't help his beta questioning case, but everyone close to him vouches his alpha assurance with an annoyed strength. Rumored to have been heard asking if Magic took too much of a specific, unnamed medicine during his sickness, which sprung a lot of people into a panic of whether or not Magic Really is a beta or a ROIDed beta. Isiah firmly denies ever saying this, but Magic believes otherwise even though he’s forgiven him. When questioned about Michael’s status (is he Really an alpha who presented late, or is there ROIDing in the case), Isiah huffed, narrowed thick angry brows, and stated in a high and mighty voice how that's really none of his business, no matter how annoying Michael may be to him.

Larry Bird: ALPHA. Competitive. And fucking Rude. Left baseball even though he was good at it because he was bored with the minutes he was getting. Needs the ball and will clutch the most unexpected games as his form of thanking the coach. Magic is his favorite teasing victim. A famous quote

A reporter rooting around for drama: so, Larry, with all this ROIDing and SUPPRESSOR stuff going around thanks to that weirdo, Rodman, is there anyone you know is using? Like, anyone.. you're close with? Magic’s been under the weather, I heard. Could be a bad side effect of ROIDing.. he smell funny to you?

Larry, cracking open a beer by squeezing the sides until it popped: Magic is Magic.

And refused to elaborate, as he casually turned away and started to play basketball. The camera crew left out of fear for their equipments’ safety when Bird ‘accidentally’ let the ball rebound into a lens.

Bill Laimbeer: BETA who will beat the breaks off anyone. People are surprised for his violence, except for Isiah, who lovingly regales it as Bill's best job. Notably not a big peacemaker for a beta. Just a guy who comes in and plays hard. Not here to be a coddler like other betas were brought on to do or a media darling like Alphas. “I'm here to play basketball and piss people off. Speaking off, hey, Larry” “fuck you, Bill.” Known as The Odd Couple whenever him and Isiah are together, which they often are. In Dennis's book, he regards Bill to be surprisingly cold for a beta, and that Isiah would always be the one to tutor him instead. He only learned from Bill by watching Bill rather than asking, perhaps intimidated. If you want consolation or coddling, go to Isiah, not Bill.

Scottie Pippen: BETA. would try to middleman Jordan's frustrations with his team, especially the rups (rookie 'pups', men playfully called pups because they're new to the sport). Grew envious of Jordan, mainly disturbed by his frequent Sidekick sidelining. Switches up on his stories to whatever he thinks will boost his image best. Sometimes that's siding with Jordan, sometimes it's not. It's not easy being Michael's beta, the enigma. Wafted his calming scent around like febreeze from all the arguments and heated moments he had to calm down regarding Jordan and his competitive temper. Pippen’s scent grew the strongest during Michael’s …flu game. When questioned about Michael’s status, Pippen hummed and turned away, looking conflicted and guilty.

Shaq: BETA. Magic and him both have humorous charms that make them Feel like alphas.. but they needed more to get a ring. They needed alpha teammates, ultimately. no matter how big or bad or good a Beta may be, they are always Second. But they should never, never be considered first. That's an alpha's job. Orlando made that mistake drafting a beta to win them a ring, a beta that would eventually leave to ringchase with any alpha he could. Shaq's a bit shameless for a beta, but being shameless is maybe the only path to 'fame' (becoming a simple shtick to an easy-to-remember title, either being Sidekick, Dumb, Helpful, Funny, Enforcer, etc) for the life of a beta. At least in that time. People wonder if Shaq ever ROIDed into an alpha during key games only, to increase his dominance. He says that would be too much effort. He's just a big ass beta <- his words

Magic Johnson: BETA. Or Was he really? People RUMOR, after Rodman's reveal and especially after Magic's scare, if he was actually a self-conscious, self-compensating omega who craved the lure of feeling needed? And then even went an extra step with the rut inducers to make him a Shiny beta, charismatic enough to peacock? Or was he just that magic to be a really flashy beta? OR OR.. is Magic all of that all at once? Maybe, if he did do it, he needed to? What is known is that he grew up with an alpha mother and an omega father. He yearns to impress and lead people, and showing off gives him a high satisfaction. Because of his beta hierarchy, he had a bigger barrel to fish out of with less scrutiny, so to speak. And man, did he like fishing.

Dennis Rodman: OMEGA. one of the first in the NBA to openly admit to ROIDing so he can change hierarchies. First, he used amplified rut inducers and heat suppressors to hide his omega nature into a beta, just to make the nba transition with less pitfalls and drama, as (out there) omegas were virtually nonexistent due to prejudice. Being a beta on the pistons was phenomenal, he played whatever role was needed, and what happened to be needed was his favorite kind of role: defensive agitator. But, he ended up having to play another role afterwards.. one he found far less amicable. After getting traded, he took more and more of the ROID medicine, not caring for the symptoms of overdoing it. He became an alpha on the Bulls, and his behavior became worrisome for Isiah, but the Bulls had championships to worry about, not teammates. His behavior continued until, after one wild night, Michael Jordan, the mysterious apathetic alpha when it came to worry or kindness, dumped all his ROIDs down the toilet. That was the turnaround, that was the moment that Dennis decided to come clean and tell the world that he was an Omega from the start. And he would be an omega in the end, refusing to go back to ROIDing to become something he knew others only wanted. While he admitted how ROIDing wasn’t for him, he also elaborated how it's really a personal decision, he knows some guys consider it a positive part of their life and he loves that for them. But for him, personally, his decision to ROID was not for himself, in the end, it was for others. And Dennis was notorious for not listening to others; he watched. He watched and realized that he refused to allow others to saddle him, the mustang, so why saddle himself? He was going to play as omega this time, a completely uncovered omega. And the Bulls went on to win. And Dennis became one of the first unROIDed Omegas to win a championship, while being one of the top three pieces-no, Players involved to do so. His decision changed the game for future hierarchies, bridging the option of omegas openly playing sport. But he still stands firm on his flexibility of whether or not to ROID, laughing over how it's ultimately a matter of the self, not the sayers. For him, he felt more true to himself without the medicine, for others, they may say the opposite and that's okay. He knows many like that already. But it's up to the person to deem what is true to himself.. and what is true to the people, that's the hard part: ego.

There's plenty of other older figures to assign, but these guys above are mainly the best for lore-building purposes. To sum the rest up, back then there were mainly alphas and betas. Omegas were either considered too useless or too weak. Alphas would lead, betas would follow. That is.. until LeBron.

LeBron : a BETA who presented late. Everyone thought/wanted him to be an alpha. The highschool phenom was such a hot topic, the truly invasive reporters would go as far as trying to sniff out a deciding scent just so they could be the ones who'd release the giant unveiling first. He was following Michael's Stardom, and everyone wanted him to be the same or larger. When he happily announced his hierarchy reveal after shaking The Cavs hands, the media turned, the team turned, and LeBron realized telling an adult the truth doesn't always grant the clemency family cartoons wished you to believe. His team hated him, refusing to pass or cheer when he was winning. Betas Don't Lead. That's how it’s Always been. His white wine scent tried to soothe their tempers, but it only made them nauseous. Through talent, effort, and unfortunate youthful uphill battle experience, LeBron managed to carve out a name for himself and for other hierarchies to breach the mold besides simply Alphas. The tide was starting to turn. Now, he has fans who prefer him over Michael, an alpha, because he feels more believable, more attainable to them. His beta nature made him more all-around, less competitively daggered than Jordan's rule. But those that hated him then still do with a ruthless vigor. They dislike the change, and they Detest his outspoken advocacy for allowing Omegas into the league. Of any kind. Because of LeBron, Steph was inspired. Reporters asked Michael if he had any strong disagreements with what LeBron's doing to the game. He smirked, “the flopping is funny.” And then smiled, just a bit. Just a touch soft. The cigar smell fades. “Everything else? I could give less of a damn.”

Kyrie Irving: ALPHA who eventually couldn't stand being in a beta's shadow, especially when the dynamics started flipping from the media because of it

Russell Westbrook: OMEGA famous (and infamous) for 'Playing like an alpha'. Giannis's idol. His security and power in his status drives alphas away. Doesn't care for the alignment system because that's what he's always been fighting against (banking against). Criticized for playing so hard that it makes his own teammates wary, Russ just rolls his big shoulders and snaps back, matter-of-fact like a rubber band's elastic response, “then get out of the kitchen.”

KD: ALPHA. His only pack is a gold bust of himself now. Cares about the alignment system because that's what he's always been fighting for (banking on)

James Harden: ALPHA. Known for being more carefree than most alphas. This annoys hard-core alpha basketball elitists. Because of his own traditional condemnation, he holds a not-so discreet disdain toward omegas.

Giannis: OMEGA. People confuse him and his brother's statuses often. Believe it or not, though, Thanasis is an alpha and Giannis is an omega. The bucks were a doubted organization for a Long time due to their strange and rare lack of a strong alpha presence. Giannis is a heavily criticized super star, mainly by alphas, but even some disgruntled betas join the scorn. Some audiences don't consider him a real superstar, merely an omega who got lucky with a superstar body blessing. Giannis grins, his sugary sweet cotton candy scent making Khris cough next to him, and chirps how he wishes he could be blessed with a good 3-point-shot too then, since he's just such a talentless miracle

Thanasis: ALPHA. Dedicates 99.99999% of his life to helping his family. Laughing stock of the NBA fans for Giannis feeling more like the alpha and him feeling like the omega. That's when Giannis gets mad.

Jrue: BETA. Always stands up for his team, while still humbling them. Was brought on as the perfect systematic beta, started to become something more before he was eventually traded for a systematic Alpha after the bucks caved into the idea of there not being enough

Khris Middleton: BETA. Found giannis's attempts to be seen as a Westbrook-like leader annoying at first. They balanced each other out later

Damian Lillard: ALPHA. Quiet, let's his game tell you what he is. If that's not enough, he'll butt heads with other alphas to dig the point. Notably more withdrawn and teasing to packs than classically alpha protective. Rumored to have been a beta who ROIDed into an alpha out of pressure to win. Dislikes Giannis instantly accepting him as the bucks new leader. Uncomfortable by the thought of never being enough

CJ McCollum: BETA. Starting to branch into more leader-like positions after being inspired by LeBron

Steven Adams: BETA. Casually admitted to originally having been an Alpha, but hard dosed rut suppressants because he simply didn't feel like dealing with all the complications and ruckus of being an alpha. Friends with Russ because they hold similar ideologies about not really caring about alignments, they just want to play ball the way they like best

Kawhi Leonard: BETA. Once dropped in an interview that he was an omega who ROIDed into a beta because he didn't like attention and high needs, and he knew he'd be swamped with it if he went into the NBA as one. Then laughed his weird little Kawhi Leonard laugh and left like he just told a silly little dad joke and not an atomic bomb of information. Paul George choked on his water

Paul George: ALPHA who, at first, tried to play the original alpha role by buying into The Savior hype he received after being drafted. LeBron's playoff showdown helped widen his eyes about other hierarchy skill, so when being the packs dependable alpha that didn't work out the way he planned, he tried to play it diluted. Then he tried the beta role. Then the omega role. .. then Kawhi made that monotone announcement and.. he got embarrassed. And confused. And now he's just confused. Like most alphas, he grew leaning into the alignment system that favored him for his high status. Like most alphas now, he doesn't know what to think of it. It's all kind of muddled now. (dammit George! HOW do you keep letting OMEGAS or.. ex-omegas? TOP you?? HOW WILL THIS AFFECT THE PAUL GEORGE LEGACY ?!?? ..ugh, he just won't think about it..)

Joel Embiid: ALPHA. WAS an Undisclosed: Beta who ROIDed into an alpha to contribute to The Process. Now too afraid to go back because it failed. Tries hard to be an alpha when others want him to, until he's too tired to when they actually need him to. Known as one of 'The Lazy Alphas' now

Ben Simmons: ALPHA whose anxieties got too high from the pressures of The Process

Markelle Fultz: ALPHA who was pushed to PRESENT EARLY as one by The Process. Was going to present as an alpha anyways, but the sixers needed him to be revealed as one on Their time

Tobias Harris: BETA disliked by the originally alpha heavy sixers organization for not being dominant enough

Boban: ALPHA, given a lot of leeway for both his status and his size

Tyrese Maxey: ALPHA. Praised as the golden alpha sixers child, although they're not used to his low-aggression levels for an alpha. They're not exactly opposed, though, his sweetness is captivating. Slowly, Maxey is softening the once toxic city

Jokic: ALPHA who once hated not being seen as one due to incorrect aesthetics (alphas are supposed to be strong, so eventually he got strong enough to match their idealization), but now hates being seen as one. Dislikes attention and attraction. He's apparently 'accepted' as an alpha, but STILL not a Complete one for other opinionated reasons. Whatever (similar plight of Allen Iverson + Isiah Thomas, responds like AI by not responding)

DeMar DeRozan: BETA who PRESENTED LATE. It's always a gamble to draft an unpresented pick. When the raptors realized their potential alpha Savior wasn't what they expected him to be, they were blatantly disappointed.. but because of LeBron.. gave him a chance. Maybe he could be like Him? They already had similar stories and hardships? Maybe Toronto had their own LeBron? But DeMar wasn't LeBron. DeMar was DeMar. Toronto deemed him unfit for his playoff struggles. They traded him not for an alpha, but a beta who could at least dominate like one. But the hardest blow was his split with Kyle.

Kyle Lowry: ALPHA. Rough around the edges, smiling at you one second, scowling the next. His turbulent past consisted of personality conflicts the most. He was bristly, suffering from the lone alpha wolf syndrome teams disliked where, instead of leading the team toward him, the alpha pushed them away out of some form of pride. But the Raptors were known for their big culture of chances. Maybe it was thanks to Canadian clemency that Kyle found the one beta who wasn't afraid to step in and calm him, who didn't tire of his temper, whose scent never tried to overwhelm him out of desperate, and was just lowkey enough to extend a comfort enough for Kyle to settle down and calm down in. Maybe it was just a happy coincidence. And then another beta came, one who smelled of mystery and not like the movies. And His beta was sent away. And so was Kyle's secret dreams to settle with their rups and start something he'd be otherwise afraid to do alone. …then an alpha swept in.

Jimmy Butler: ALPHA who PRESENTED LATE. Smells like freshly brewed coffee. Lauded as the next Michael, or at least very similar, he tries Very hard to keep the kind of athletic aggression alphas are typically known for alive. He says it's for himself, working on what he does best, but saying you're not influenced by something (or someone) is always easier than committing to the actual practice of abstention.

OG Anunoby: BETA who refuses to coddle anyone's feelings, yet, despite his best efforts at apathy, still somehow draws in disgusting extroverts to be his friends. He doesn't know why. Likes to subtly stir things up rather than calm them down. Kyle finds him very funny. Their unique Raptor squad was a real unique charm.

Norman Powell: BETA who just craves to be involved, worried about being invisible

Serge Ibaka: a fussy ALPHA with peculiar tastes. Considered to have a very intriguing behavior for an alpha, which allures omegas and betas toward him (usually so they can tease him for being funny, but he does a certain charm to him, admittedly)

De’aaron Fox: ALPHA. Bubbly, welcoming, and teasing, he attracts everyone with his confidence, most particularly other alphas seeking his sunlight

Tyrese Haliburton: a beta who ROIDed into an ALPHA out of desire to help the pacers. Calmer than most alphas, but will hold competitive grudges like the worst of them. Tired of being a loser

Jalen Smith: OMEGA, beloved by locals but barely recognized by outside nba fans for being an omega center/forward. While omegas are actually allowed to show themselves in the league now, that doesn't mean they're allowed to do so without some words by unwarranted audiences.

Buddy Hield: omega who ROIDed into a BETA. Switches from polite to petty on a dime

Steph Curry: OMEGA. Inspired by those that expanded the game before him, he's taking the handle through his moves on and off the court to increase the league’s talent and prosperity for everyone. Those that dislike him disparage him for not being physical enough, which is the only reason why he, an omega, has been so successful. Proving them wrong by going in the paint. Now, they're focusing on whether he can carry a team with a crumbling alpha..

Klay Thompson: a beta who ROIDed into an ALPHA for his team. The injury has left him feeling hopeless, a ghost of his former self. Worst of all, he can't ROID any further to help

Draymond Green: Omega who ROIDed into a BETA and is suffering some of the personal side effects.

Andrew Wiggins: OMEGA who USED to be a ROIDed beta and only stopped when he went to the warriors and Curry consoled him Only because it was hurting him more than helping him

Jordan Poole: ALPHA under constant pressure

Jabari Smith Jr: stuffy ALPHA whose father was a beta. Distrusts the use of ROIDing because, according to his father, it's not playing Fair.

Jalen Green: ALPHA. People like to doubt his hierarchy because he likes to preen and doesn’t hold the same kind of aggressiveness or possessiveness most people perceive alphas to have. Jalen just minds his business and enjoys what he enjoys

Alperen Şengün: beta who ROIDed into an ALPHA. New to the effects, but doesn't mind them. Likes protecting his pack but also keeping the peace. ROIDed to bring more prosperity back to his family through his fame

Aaron Holiday: OMEGA. Jrue likes to tease him since he's the youngest, but the middle Holiday brother will Not let Anyone hurt his little brother or his feelings. Aaron works hard on defense so he can win a ring like his brothers

Justin Holiday: ALPHA who gets confused for a beta at times for his peaceful and placated personality. ‘Blames’ it on being the eldest brother

Anthony Edwards: no known status of any kind as he has YET TO PRESENT. Still. Has to tell reporters to stop sniffing him all the time. Another MJ comparison player. Everyone, including himself, is Hoping for an Alpha reveal, lord knows The Timberwolves need it. Got in trouble for posting a video making fun of omegas, and why would he make fun of something he is? See? Everyone can stop worrying now! It's all gonna be okay!! He swears! ..he hopes. Well, at least he has his charm. If people aren't bored with it yet…

Karl-Anthony Towns: beta who ROIDed into an ALPHA and thinks no one knows but, trust me, everyone does .

Anthony Davis: alpha who ROIDed into a BETA. Heavily hated for this decision, but doesn't care because he says he's more comfortable as a beta, so he's being a beta whether people like it or not. LeBron says he supports it, but people like to stir that he really thinks otherwise

JA morant: ALPHA who PRESENTED LATE. Actively argues against his ROIDing rumors, taking them as a blow to his pride. Hates whenever people confuse Jaren and his hierarchies, then acts out to try and prove them wrong. When he's not obsessed with outside opinion on himself, he's a protective and kind alpha, especially to his pack. Very close to his attracted crowds.. no matter what kind they may be

Jaren Jackson Jr: BETA. His alphas’ number one hype man. May or may not have an (unfortunate) thing for alphas or betas who act like alphas. Thought to be an alpha for his height, but his family and friends quickly disregard that possibility regarding his personality. While it's very difficult to get him actually mad, it's quite easy to get him upset or huffy. For a beta, Jaren’s usually the one who needs calming down rather than the vice-versa of his hierarchy’s original talents. Seeks constant validation because of this, worried he's not the best beta

Desmond Bane: BETA. Withdrawn and would rather stay back to let people fight things out than intervene. He's here to work out, then work. Unfortunately attracts self-conscious crowds with his quiet confidence. Often confused as an alpha.

Dillon Brooks: BETA who ROIDed DOWN from an alpha. If you thought he’s bad as a beta, you should’ve seen him when he was originally an alpha. Oh, he's a Saint now. He only ROIDed because Houston was worried they had too many alphas on the team, an error proven to be bad back in the 80s.

Zion Williamson: a nervous ALPHA who ROIDED from beta to alpha to try and appease his college hype. It's not exactly working..

RJ Barrett: ALPHA who was being pressured into ROIDing into a beta but didn't only because he got trades before the process could really start. Keeps to himself. Known for being charismatic, chirpy, and a bit controlling to those he trusts. Which is fewer than some.

Keldon Johnson: OMEGA. Instantly adopted by older betas and alphas for his happy-go-lucky ( and airheaded ) glee, but secretly yearns for rups of his own to tease and protect. More than willing to step up and be a leader and a shoulder his new rups can lean on when needed, but secretly growing more worried with each passing criticism that he can't be as strong for his rups as his mentor figures were for him

[futbolfanficpunk]

The Coach II

Player: Pep Guardiola

Summary: Months after your brief encounter at the end of football camp, Pep and female football player-reader meet up to see each other one more time. Word count: 3600+ Warnings/ themes: Infidelity, Soft Smut, Angst. Alcohol.A/N: This was going to be the second and final but it became so long I divided them up. The third and final one should come out in the next week. Since Man City won the Premier League and Pep was in Ted Lasso I decided to hurry this up and release it. Enjoy.  Part 1 

           You entered the lobby, it was early in the night. The lobby echoed with the sounds of people. tourist walking and chatter in different languages. You went straight to the hotel front desk and asked for an envelope left to you under your name, “Here you are, miss” said the man behind the counter. “Thank you, have a good night” you said as you started walking towards the elevator. You took the card key out of the envelope and looked at a sticky note on top of it that said in handwriting Room 1021. You smiled as you looked up to get in the elevator and pressed the white button next to the number 10 sign. You put the card key in your purse. You sighed and checked yourself in the reflection of the elevator mirror. Your heart had started to get a bit jittery and your breath was becoming shorter. No other man had this effect on you, no one could make you both as bold or as doubtful. But of all the things you could have been thinking, you could only think of how you got there. It was almost time for the international break and you were thinking if you should travel back home or stay in Spain, or go somewhere else for a mini vacation. Villareal, your club, was 4th in Liga F, and you were doing well. You had scored four goals by now, had good percentages of passes completed every game, and a good defensive rate. Your only shortcoming was that you sometimes lost your temper and you would argue with the ref and get a yellow, you had three of them by then.  Besides all the games won, you had a good highlight, an outside-the-box goal against Fc Barcelona, although the game ended 5-2 in their stadium, you were proud of yourself. They were the best team in Spain and in the top 3 of Europe, and you got one against them. You even exchanged jerseys with AItana Bonmati, you admired her, up there with Alexia Putellas. You still thought about Pep, not as often as before, but every now and then you would fantasize about seeing him again. You would watch some Manchester City games and get butterflies whenever the camera focused on him. He always looked so intense, so serious on TV. Not the man who offered you a flirty smile when his hand was touching your pussy, that man was never on TV. 

A week before the international break, Pep texted you. He hadn’t texted you since pre-season. You jumped up when you saw the notification with his name Coach P. He asked how you were and praised your first quarter of the season. You told him you had seen his games and were rooting for them to take over the first spot by the end of the season. You asked him how he was. He replied after a minute that he was doing fine, busy as usual, but something had kept bothering him. You asked what was bothering him, surprised he was actually having a conversation with you on text besides football. 

< I keep thinking about you and the move you pulled on me>

You answered with a question  

<In a good way or a bad way?>

<Both> he replied right away.

 <If it’s any consolation, I think about you too> you sent back, you were nervous and excited. He liked you, he thought about you, more than you had thought. You were almost about to squeal.

<That’s the least you could do> 

You didn’t know what to reply but he texted you again before you could reply

<I’m going to be in Barcelona for two days during your international break, I know you are not called up for your National Team. I would like to see you, if possible> 

You had to reread your message three times before you screamed and kicked the air multiple times. Can fantasies come true?, you thought.

<I don’t know if I can, but yes, call me and maybe we can figure it out> 

<I’ll call you tomorrow afternoon, good night>

<night!>

You almost didn’t sleep that night, thinking about seeing him again, trying to plan conversations because you were sure you were going to be a hot mess if you indeed saw each other, and you always reverted to small talk when you couldn't think straight. The elevator opened on the 10th floor, you looked for the room and opened the door with your card key. This was a big suite room. It had an entrance with a small living room, and the bed was in another room. “Hola?” you sang a bit loud while you closed the door, “Estoy aquí” (I’m here). You looked around moving slowly. You were really nervous, you had thought about this for so long that the idea of it finally happening scared you a bit. Pep entered the room from the bedroom and stopped to look at you and said “Hello” with a small smile. He was wearing a black turtleneck with gray pants and black shoes, he looked sophisticated but unassuming. You felt a small jolt down your spine when you saw him but tried to play it cool. “Hi” you replied and flashed him a small wave. The last time you saw him you felt so powerful and dominant, sure you could make him yours for a bit, but now you were feeling overwhelmed. He came over to give you customary kisses on each cheek and asked how you were, you said you were fine, trying to sound convincing.  

He took a big breath and asked “Would you like something to drink?”

“Sure, what are you having?”

“A whiskey on the rocks” “I’ll have the same” you replied

He went to the room’s kitchenette to serve your drinks while you looked around the room, admiring the colors of the room and the chic furniture.

“How was the trip here?”

“It was fine, shorter than I remembered”

“Good”

“And the hotel where I’m staying is nice, very modern and hip”

Not the small talk, you thought. 

He came over and handed you your drink. “Cheers” you said as you offered your glass “Cheers” he said and he gently touched his glass with yours. You both had a sip of your drinks while you looked at each other, there were nerves in the air. “Do you want to sit down?” he asked and he took his hand to your back to guide you to the sofa next to you.

“Okay” you said as you went in front of him to sit.

You sat and drank half your whiskey right away. 

“Is everything okay?” Pep said and sits next to you “Do you want to leave?” he said as to let you know he noticed you were different. 

“Why do you say that?” you said surprised

“Well, you barely talked or moved, you seem…uncomfortable” Pep explained as he drank some whiskey.

“Oh. I’m just feeling a bit nervous to be honest. And, no, I don’t want to leave” you replied. You wish you could control the awkwardness and you were failing but you needed him to know you wanted to be there too.

 Last time you were in a room together you felt you had nothing to lose, that you probably would never see or speak to each other again. This time it didn’t feel like that, your aggressive behavior was suppressed by the possibilities of what could be said and done there.

“Y/N, How can you be nervous when you look like this?” asked Pep pointing at your outfit and face. He was more than attracted to what he saw.

“ It doesn’t matter, being alone here with you is making me feel a bit on edge” you said, you were always honest and direct with him, it was better this way, you liked it that way.

Pep chuckled and brushed his lips on the cheek close to your lip to give you a small kiss. You let out a short, shy, quiet giggle.

“There’s nothing to be nervous about, hermosa” he says as he caresses your profile with his fingers “we’re here to hang out, right?” “Um, yea” you said while your hand went looking for the one touching your face. You took it into yours while looking at him. “Is that what we’re here for? I wasn’t exactly sure”

“We can do whatever you want” he said while interlacing his fingers with yours and pulling you towards him, putting his other hand on your naked thigh

“Is that true?” you asked, feeling a warmness all over your body induced by his touch “You arranged this whole thing to do whatever I say?”  He nodded.

“So if I say ‘Pep, let’s just get drunk and watch TV’, you’re okay with that?” you asked, testing him. He stared at your soft pink lipgloss-covered mouth “Yes,” he said while the hand that was on your thigh comes towards your face and he traces your bottom lip with his index finger “Is that what you want to do?” 

 “Right now?” your heart was running even if you were seated. You looked at his mouth, he had a cocky smirk on it “No.” You didn’t feel nervous at all, it had faded away completely and you could only feel a yearning for him and his touch. His hand was now grazing your hair.

“Would you like me to kiss you?” he said, his face got close to yours.

You touched his chin with your bottom lip “Yes, I would”.  You were ready and eager, and it seemed that he was too.

He took you by your hair and gently placed his lips on yours, slightly opening his mouth right after while placing a deeper kiss. You felt liberated from any feelings that were holding you back and with a deep breath you open your mouth even more to slip your tongue into his mouth, finding and trying to dominate his. He let out a small groan. You separate from the kiss and said “Sit back”. He did and you mounted him, legs open as much as you could on the sofa, your core on top of the area his member should be. “Not nervous anymore? he said while looking up at you “Mm-mm” you said as you puckered up a smile and shook your head. He started kissing your breasts over your clothes, lips leaving wet traces on your exposed chest and neck. You were panting with desire, reacting to his touch. You couldn’t take it anymore and kissed him again furiously, lips and tongue making a sloppy mess all over his own. You pulled back to take off your top and bra in a lust-filled hurry, you wanted it all off. “Fuck, look at you” he said when he sees your naked torso. “Let me take this off” you said, tugging at the hem of his shirt. Once off, he pulled you towards him and kissed you, hand on your waist, your breasts touching his chest. You could now feel him getting hard, poking you, you moaned into his mouth while you moved your hips back and forth. You weren't thinking about anything, just feeling, letting yourself go. “I need you naked and on my bed, now” he said in between kisses. “That can be done” you said in between jumpy breaths. You unmounted him and took the rest of your clothes off except your panties while walking to the bedroom. “Ven” (come on) you said looking back, both to give your command while looking at him, but also because you really wanted to know if he was into it as much as you were. He looked flustered but ready, his eyes darker than ever, pupils dilated. He was smitten by you. You sat on the corner of the bed, legs crossed and waiting for him to come to you. You now felt the rush of carnal tension and curiosity, you had thought about this moment for so long, and you were confident it was going to be worth every minute you waited for it, or at least hoped. Pep walked over barefooted and only wearing his pants. You took off your panties slowly and crossed your legs again while he watches, you love flirting with your body.

“You’re a dream, you know? So beautiful. I’ve been thinking about you for months” he said, opening your legs while you let a seductive smile be drawn by his words “Now, let me have that pussy of yours”. You let out a big breath, barely able to breathe at a regular pace after you see his head hide in between your legs and feel his warm tongue almost make out with your slit, making you let uncontrollable moans out of your mouth. “Are you always going to be so wet for me?” he asked while still in between your legs “Alw-shit-always” you try to say while he attacks your clit with his tongue.

“Jodeeeeer!” He groaned as he came all over your back and collapsed on the bed following your mutual orgasm. The leftover waves of pleasure still made you jerk your hips. You held your core with your right hand thinking of how intense it felt. This man wanted you, desired you, kissed, bit and sucked everything he could, said the sexiest praises in your ear and pounded you like he was never going to fuck you again. He made you come hard and twice. You laid next to him, he was still panting while looking at the ceiling, looking fucked out. You looked at him, still trying to catch your breath, and gently kissed his shoulder. “If we ever do that again I might have to be your permanent side chick” you said while laughing mid way through the sentence and stumbling through the last three words. He looked at you and smiled, he planted a small kiss on your cheek, and said “That’s exactly why you need to go to your own hotel tonight”. You frowned, that sentence actually hurt your feelings. It didn’t feel like a joke, just a warning. You felt disposable, used, you felt like you just connected and he was telling you to fuck off.

“Well, you at least should have waited until I cleaned your cum off my body before you started kicking me out’ you said, annoyed as you sat up.

“That’s not what I meant“ said Pep as he sat up and shook his head

You stood up from the bed “Oh, I think you said what you meant. Having post-nut clarity, are we? That’s ok. I’m getting some myself. I’ll clean up and be on my way back to my hotel” you said in an anger-flared rush “Would you calm down and listen?” he said, you were officially mad now, you were known for losing your cool. He knew that you went from zero to sixty in three seconds.

“You should know by now, old man, that you don’t tell women to calm down when they are mad” you said and walked away from him “Oh for fuck’s sake, venga ya, mujer! Esto no es un puto partido para estar peleando tanto” you heard him say as you entered the room’s bathroom (Come on, woman! This isn’t a fucking match to be fighting this much)

 You took the first towel that you saw and threw it on the floor while grunting “Asshole!” and just stared at it for a minute. You didn’t expect anything specific from this night, but to feel like someone’s cum bucket wasn’t it. You were livid and sad at the same time. How could you be so stupid? Why would you have a crush on a married man? “Y/N” said a voice behind you. You turned to see him by the bathroom door

“What?” you snapped like a teenager talking back to their parents

“Look, I’m not saying you have to go now, I wasn’t clear. It’s just not a good idea for you to stay here. I actually want you here. Please, don’t be upset”  he said as he slowly got closer and closer to your naked body with every word. “Well, whatever, I think I'll leave now. I don’t think I want to stay here with you” you said still feeling defensive. “Stop trying to fight me, Y/N. If what I said hurt your feelings, I apologize. I wasn’t trying to kick you out. I want you to be here and hang out a bit more, and maybe we can see each other in the morning before you leave. You just can’t sleep here, that’s all. Remember, I’m not single like you” he said as he stroked your bare arms, as to comfort you in some way. “ I wasn’t planning on sleeping here, anyway” you said with a pout. He held your face and said “You’re so cute when you pout, you hot head” Pep pressed his lips against yours, and his naked body pressed itself against yours. You felt your body melt a little with his kiss. He had experience cooling women down from a mad mood, you could tell. You kissed him back, your mouth wanting his, expecting some tenderness. He separated himself from you and said “Let’s clean you up, I’ll help you” and he did. 

You shared a hot shower, washing and touching each other softly, caressing as you both cleaned each other, stopping only to kiss under the water every now and then. Just as fast as you got a hot head, you had calmed down and felt totally at ease. It felt so good to be pampered that you just had to say something because both of you were so concentrated on the task at hand that you barely talked. You took a second to hug him and lay your head on his chest, “This feels so nice” you said as you sigh. He gave you a small kiss on your hair and caressed your wet back. It felt so intimate and close, even more than just fucking each other, like something a real long-term couple would do. You barely had experienced anything close to this. All your relationships had been short, casual, or long distanced. You decided to keep washing him and get some more soap to wash his chest, stomach and reached to clean his member, when you washed him, he got hard as you moved your hand to make it clean. You smiled, it tickled you so that he was so turned on by you. “Is that for me?” you said as you grab his hard cock

“If you want it” 

“So bad” you said and let water hit it so that the soap comes off. You got down, and then you let your tongue traces its whole shape, as it twitched slightly from your tongue's touch. You grabbed the base of it with your hand, while you put the rest of it in your mouth, tasting the tip with your tongue. You couldn’t believe how hard he was. The warm water kept washing over you as you kept sucking and licking him, he kept looking at you while small deep groans came out of him, you enjoyed having him there in your mouth, seeing him trying to look at you while fighting his eyes from closing from the feeling that came from your action, small noises leaving his throat.  

“ I haven’t been this hard in years. God, you’re so good at that, Y/N”

“am I?” you said while stroking him harder, going in to suck him faster, if you liked one thing, it was his praises. Your tongue licked him up and down while one hand stroked him and the other one massaged his balls.

“Oh Fuck—Yes” he said

“Are you going to come in my mouth to show me how good I am?” you said keeping a fast pace

“Joder—keep going”

“mhmmm” you said mouth full of cock, hand doing circles around the bottom of his cock

“Me vas a hacer correr” (you’re going to make me come)

“Come in my mouth” you said quickly and kept sucking him off. You felt his cock getting harder in your mouth, Looking up, seeing his wet body and face, looking at him squeeze himself with his hands on his waist, grunting. It only took ten more seconds for him to fill your mouth and throat with all his thick juices, quiet groans in the air, you swallowed part of it and spat the other and licked his tip slowly, staring at him flinch from the intense feelings while you did. You loved having this power, making hard, making him come whenever you wanted, and the flattery that came after. “You are ridiculous” he said grabbing your face by your chin, part of it with his cum on it, and kissed you softly “I’ll take that as a compliment” you said afterward.

You stayed a while longer in bed after getting dressed, TV on but getting ignored by you both. You talked, made out in between conversations, put your hands on each other every moment you remembered this was temporary. You usually initiated the kissing, but he always kissed you back like a happy young man with his first girl, holding your face, or your neck, or your ass or your waist, fingers tracing the shape of your body. When you started feeling the heaviness of sleep crawling in you jumped up and said “I’m going back to my hotel room, I’m getting sleepy. it’s a five minute taxi ride but you know, it’s late” and walked to the door with him following you

“Ok, I’ll come by tomorrow to see you and say good-bye, okay?” he said walking you the door holding just one of your fingers with his hand.

You picked up the purse you had on a table near the door. You kissed him as to say goodbye you said, “I’ll see you tomorrow, Pep” and gave him a small smile before you left.

“Adiós, querida” he said as he closed the door behind you

The elevator ride down to the lobby had you thinking you liked him more than you should but you stretched your back and fixed your posture as you tried to reject this idea from your head. 

You let a small sigh come out of your mouth as the elevator doors opened. You couldn’t wait to see him tomorrow.

[doobnnoob-tf2]

Ok pain time!! IMAGINE if Scout came to Spy for advice/comfort and Spy was there for him bc he could tell how much the thing was bothering Scout. And Scout is so moved that he says "I wish you were my dad". Cue Spy mentally spiraling.

rubs my greedy lil hands together

I hope this satisfies that angsty craving my friend

=======================================

Scout had been acting odd for almost a week now.  Quieter than normal, more withdrawn.  He spent more time poking at his food at dinner than eating, and when anyone asked him what was wrong he’d just shrug.  No matter how much anyone tried, they couldn’t get him to talk.

And Spy had enough of it.

After dinner one night, he followed Scout to his room, grabbing the door before it could close and forcing himself inside.  He closed the door while Scout demanded (albeit not forcefully) to know what he was doing.  Spy regarded him sternly.

“Scout, something is wrong.  Everyone is painfully aware of this and the fact you are refusing to talk to anyone has become too concerning.”

“It’s.. it’s fine, Spy!  I’m fine, nothin’s wrong, I-”

“Scout.”  It came out harsher than he intended, but he was tired of this.  It’s been eating too much at him and he needs to know.  He still softened his tone.  “Please.”

He shuffled and looked away.  And then with a heavy sigh, walked to his bed to sit, looking at the floor between his feet.  “I- I got a call from Ma.  One’a my brothers, he..”  Scout rubbed his face.  “He got locked up.  Said he’s lookin’ at 10 years.”

“..which one?”

“Ted, second oldest.”

“How is your mother handling it?”

“Not great.  She just sounded so.. so disappointed, Spy.  And that’s what got me thinkin’.”  Scout got quiet, and tense.  His voice shook a little as he spoke.  “What if she’s disappointed in me, too?”

Spy felt his heart sink as he watched Scout rub his eyes, desperately trying to not get emotional in front of him.

“I mean, fuck.. ya know, I’m a mercenary!  A contract killer!  Am.. am I really any better?”

Spy walked over and sat next to him.  “Scout, your mother loves you dearly.  I think the list of things you could do that would make her disappointed in you, I could count on one hand.  From the few times we have met her, she has done nothing but brag about you.”

“Ain’t much to brag about now.”

“That will be enough of that.”  Spy cuffed him gently on the back of the head, smiling at him when Scout looks up to scowl.  “You are a lot more than you give yourself credit for.  And I know your mother is proud of you.  This team is proud of you.  I’m proud of you.  And nothing is going to change that.”

Scout sat there, looking at Spy quietly.  His nose turned red as his eyes got wet and he hugged him tight with a choked back sob.  And Spy let him cry it out without another word.  He just held him tight, rubbing his back gently.

And when he was finished, Spy made sure he was fine before getting up to leave.  As he got to the door, Scout spoke up.  “Spy.”  He cut himself off, as if he immediately came to regret saying anything.

Spy still looked back, hand on the doorknob.  “Yes?”

Scout silently stared for a moment, trying to decide what he wanted to say.  “You’re always here for me and you never judge me and I feel like I can always talk to you about things and- and I appreciate it.  A lot.  I wish you were my dad.  Maybe if I had you around growing up, me and my brothers coulda turned out different.”

Spy held back letting anything show, only smiling softly at him.  “Your father missed out on watching you grow up into being the man you are, and I hope he regrets it to his last breath.”

The walk back to his room after they bid each other goodnight felt like it took an eternity.  He closed his bedroom door behind him and leaned back against it, sliding to the floor as he stared off.  He hurt, all over.  His chest felt so tight, it was as if his whole body was aching.  He took off his mask and thew it to the floor to run his hands through his hair, gripping it tight as he leaned in on himself until his elbows were on his knees.

He felt sick, to his stomach and with himself.

He should have been there.  He should have been there, for Jeremy.  But he had to be a coward.  He didn’t fight hard enough, he didn’t try hard enough.  He could have found a way to have hidden them.  Left his spying career in the dust and taken them all and ran off.  He could have - and should have - done more.

He meant it, that he will always regret not being there.  And he will always regret it until the day Death shows up for him.  He could have made a difference for not only Scout, but his brothers.  But he instead was just like the others who had entered their mother’s life.  He was no better than any of them, even if he’d secretly still done more than them.  What good was any of it if he wasn’t even there?

He sat there for almost an hour, alone with his thoughts, before he finally stood up and collected his discarded mask.  He made his way to the bathroom to get himself ready to lay in bed all night, knowing already he won’t be able to sleep.  He couldn’t look at himself in the mirror, not even a glance.  He didn’t want to face that pathetic excuse of a man right now.

Spy was certainly exhausted by the time he got into bed.  Just not tired.  He just laid back and stared up at the ceiling as things echoed in his head.  What Scout had said, things he’d said to himself many nights before, the many horrid things others have said to him in the past.  It was his only company during the long, lonely night.

[jamietarttownsmyheart]

idk if anyone’s said this yet but “midnight rain” by taylor swift is lowkey a colinjamie song. “he was sunshine” (colin) “i was midnight rain” (jamie)

YES YES YESSSSS OMG YES YOU GET IT

first, i wanna apologize, i took way longer answering this than i expected, real life caught up with me, but!! midnight rain and colinjamie!! you are SO correct anon.

(unrelated, you're on your own kid is a jamie song)

but back to midnight rain, i mean, im really interested in your thoughts anon! how are you interpreting it?

one way of looking at it i think could be a canon compliant au of sorts.

I was making my own name Chasing that fame He stayed the same All of me changed like midnight

like just this part? football is an escape for jamie, its a career for jamie, but its the same for colin!

but we can go deeper for both. jamie and football is complicated. for one, he loves it, he's amazing at it, he dominates, when he plays, he's jamie fucking tartt. but what is it really? he didn't grow up privileged, he didn't grow up in a stable environment. he grew up with a mom who wanted him to be happy and a father who did everything he could to make sure jamie wasn't. and its complicated because jamie playing football was what made him happy, and he wanted his mom to be proud of him. and then his dad comes back in the picture, and he wants jamie to play and jamie wants him to be proud but its a different want--its a want that one)every child has for their parent to be proud and 2)the hope that if james tartt sr is proud maybe he'll lay off.

football is something similar to colin. he loves it, but it also has brought him grief--after the team in Cardiff got relegated, he did face backlash from his family--like his grandmother for example. it also has the potential to bring more grief, as sports (and football) do tend to have a homophobic fanbase irl, and its been implied that colin is into men, and while a sexuality isnt confirmed, the implication that he is at least attracted to men is there (unless the grindr comment was incorporated as a joke, which, im hoping the writers didnt do it just for that) leading room for more pain.

there is also the third point--Jamie has the makings of being great, while Nate tells Colin that he does not. (chasing that fame/he stayed the same)

I think an au where fwb colinjamie happens pre-ted lasso's arrival is interesting, as one, it would be a secret, as both colinjamie have reasons for it to be, and two, you said midnight rain and now im thinking of the conversation of wanting to become official (albeit still secret) sort of contributing to the (he was sunshine/i was midnight rain) where they end things instead.

timeline-wise, it could be like:

jamie comes to richmond--jamiecolin fwb but end it after a month--jamie+keeley meet--rupert/rebecca divorce--ted lasso arrival.

except see, i dont want to go that route bc i dont want it to come off as keeley being the rebound. she is not. its so clear that keeley means something to jamie, and that she did when they were dating too, although jamie himself admits that while the feelinsg were real and there, he probably was not at the best mindset to act on/say the words/take accountability. that actually is true for jamie's season 1 arc--he has many moments in season 1 where you see the potential, to change, the want to change, and the way he actually does make attempts to be better. you see the softness his father tried to get rid of come out--but those moments are quickly overshadowed by jamie doubling down on "dominating" immediately after (or being sent back to man city right when he was trying and making progress and trusting--believing) because his father is very much still a heavily involved force in his life, and no one cares or knows.

so instead like. maybe theyre not fwb yet. maybe its an almost, but neither are ready to take things forward, so they stay friends-ish. maybe canon events happen as they do, but during s2, is when things get tricky.

timeline wise:

jamie comes back and is gradually accepted------jamiecolin fwb---james tartt sr----no weddings and a funeral--jamiecolin lets make it official convo but jamie asks for some time bc he wants to sift through his emotions, talk with his therapist, and give a proper response (he told keeley he loves her, and he did, he does, but that doesnt mean he's pursuing her, or wants to pursue her, he just wants her to know she meant something real, and now he wants to be able to give colin a real answer too, because he wants colin to be something real, colin is something real, he needs to know how to say it)---he loves colin omg he loves colin---tells colin----Richmond is promoted.

so all that^ but with jamie's internal monologue during his talks with his therapist its basically "he's sunshine and i'm midnight rain"

[praecurokat]

Ted Lasso Finale Thoughts- So Long, Farewell... (I do not know what to think!)

this episode being an hour and 15 minutes..after being released at midnight... that's just cruel.. my brain cannot operate properly under such conditions..

congrats Tedbecca shippers! oop watched more.. sorry Tedbecca shippers...

most normal Beard and Jane appearance in the series at Rebecca’s house in the beginning

writers were bringing the dramatic flair in this episode! first that thing with Isaac dressed as a judge in the beginning, and then a musical number! idk how i feel about that..

speaking of the musical number, i must regretfully inform the masses that idk what the song is from.. pls lmk in the comments.. i see that it relates to the episode title

ah yes Jane acting totally normal by shredding Beard's passport.. total ✨ marriage material ✨

Trent's shirt says sat 17 may.. could this be significant?? everything in this show is..

"You know, that might be a tasty little treat for the diamond dogs.” “No. No. No. No!”-Roy, soon to become a Diamond Dog in a moment of desperation

wait did Trent name his manuscript the lasso way awww

“I only got into this to ruin Rupert's life, and he seems to be doing a pretty good job of that himself.”- Rebecca

So. Many. Throwbacks. Keeley saying “Is everybody decent?”, Jamie using lots of axe body spray like S1, the cleaner walking in on everyone, and way more i can’t think of

the complicated web that is royjamiekeeley is still being spun.. in the last episode..

“Must be awful for them, lying awake at night, haunted by how fucking easy they’ve had it!”- Mae, to Rebecca’s mom

Trent watching Ted read his book.. heart eyes emoji

the way Ted looks at him.. i meannn is this even subtext anymore?

“So you do laugh, but you don't do it until page.. 43?! And it wasn't even a big laugh!”- Trent, while Ted is reading his manuscript

"Whatever happens on Sunday, I want you to know I’m proud of you. All the work you’ve put in this year."- Roy to Jamie, before proceeding to fistfight with him later

Both Roy and Jamie seem very contemplative this ep. What are they thinking??

i am so concerned about the current royjamie feud over Keeley... what is gonna happen here???

“Would you please stay?” and “I know, I just had to try.”- Rebecca, about Ted

lmao Keeley kicking both Roy and Jamie out after they asked her to choose

“You stay put, Trenthouse magazine. You’re part of the squad now.”- Ted, to Trent

“Yeah. Someone better. Can people change?”- Roy, also this is a central tenet of this damn show

“I don’t think we change per se, as much as we just learn to accept who we’ve always been, you know?” -Trent’s most beautiful quote thus far

aww Nate finally got his diamond dogs reaction to Jade

George being Rupert’s coach sent me.. like you Really couldn’t find anyone else?

I hate Rupert but I love his dramatic slay coat swish moments.. again reminds me of Uther’s drama queen antics

“I prefer rugby, there’s just more grown men throwing other grown men into the air like children. And blood. Which is nice." - Barbara

Bloodthirsty and mysterious? Barbara is a serial killer or vampire confirmed.

“Never forget, I am always inside you.” -Zava’s note, which also came with a giant avocado

Zorro has truly entered his superhero arc and Dani Rojas is his genius creator

the fourth thing has to be 'Believe'.. aand it was? Right?

AFC Richmond Women’s club.. i sense a spinoff show opportunity…. or they could just do a show about Trent

George has begun a redemption arc!! (Telling Rupert to fuck off)

Rupert's desperation and misery at the end is not entirely unreminiscent of Rebecca at the start of S1

yesss Colin got his kiss on the pitch!!

haha the same? person from S1E1 taking pics w Ted in the airport

damn so Beard’s going home too, thought Jane would've locked him away in a safe or smth… nvm

omg Amsterdam man has a child.. hmmm Rebecca’s prophecy may still be fulfilled

Roy becoming manager feels natural

Ofc Trent renamed his book ‘The Richmond Way’… never let them know your next move

that montage at the end…so much to process....

beardjane wedding marking the end of the series.. good or bad omen for the future? i think bad

seems very fitting the series ending the opposite of how it began.. Rupert's life ruined, Rebecca in love and not owner of the club, Roy and Jamie healing and bonding w others around them, and Ted back in America with family.

[unpopularhorroropinions]

Subspecies' Radu is wasted on his franchise

I say this lovingly, believe it or not. The Subspecies series is one of my all-time favorites. It's the first vampire movie to ever actually be shot in Romania, practical effects are amazing, the lighting in the sequels is gorgeous (the first movie, though, unfortunately shows its budget), and it's a throwback to the Gothic vampires of old with a few interesting twists. BUT IT'S SO CHEESY. Which brings me to the reasoning for the title. Spoilers for 25+ year old movies ahead.

Radu, the malevolent antagonist throughout the series, looks very much like your average evil vampire, and acts like it, too, reveling in the suffering of his prey and hatred for the human race. But as the series goes on, it becomes clear that he's ultimately a sad, lonely individual who has been spurned by both his mother and his father, the former who hates him and smothers him; the latter who fears him and denied him his birthright. He's seen centuries pass by, and likely embraced evil to cope with the pain of his prolonged existence (I'm saying all this excluding the prequel from my headcanon, mind you, because I found it to be fairly weak and filled with retcons).

He starts out proud of his vampirism, belittling his brother Stefan for showing feelings of an almost human nature (please get the reference) and threatening to make the three women his "consorts". At the end of the first movie, he haughtily boasts, "You can't kill me Stefan! Nothing can!" before Stefan lops off his head. Come the sequel, he is brought back by his minions, the eponymous plot-irrelevant creatures who really would have looked better if Ted Nicolau had just used actors like he'd originally planned. He then kills his brother and stomps on his bones while screaming "BASTARD! BASTARD! BASTARD!" at him, his coat noticeably coming loose from his shoulder all the while and his elongated fingers (which were prosthetics in the first, but replaced by a glove from the second onwards) wobbling. At the end of the movie, he threatens Michelle that he'll "desecrate [her sister] in ways that will haunt her forever" if she doesn't surrender to him.

Contrast this attitude with the third movie, Bloodlust (my favorite of the bunch), where he's back from the dead again and now holds Michelle in his captivity. While he is still unquestionably evil, it's clear that he's very much in love with her. That, for all his misanthropic tendencies, he is desperate for connection. Desperate to feel loved. Unfortunately, his perception of love is warped. He wants to force Michelle to shed the last traces of her humanity so that she can love him in return, which is an extraordinarily shitty thing to do. But he does seem to have learned a few things about basic kindness and mercy, allowing her to watch the sunrise with him (when Michelle asks him what can kill a vampire, he responds, "Many things"; on paper, this comes off clunky, but it also shows that he's come a long way over the past few nights, when not long ago, he bragged that nothing could kill him), letting her say goodbye to her sister with no strings attached, and even shows what seems to be genuine remorse for being the monster that he knows he is. Even in the fourth movie, which is the most frustrating to watch in the entire franchise, he's kind enough to give a homeless man a coin in exchange for his robe, telling him to buy himself a new one.

A few things that make Radu such a great villain: as Maven of the Eventide pointed out, he's given an in-depth backstory, which is a rarity for many vampires. Even Dracula himself didn't have an elaborate backstory, and there's only ever speculation on who he might have been. The Vlad story was just added in later. He's also well-developed in ways you wouldn't expect in a B-movie. Goes from being an aspiring badass vampire lord to being a bit of a pathetic downtrodden momma's boy who just so happens to be evil to, well, still pathetic and evil, but also sympathetic to the point where his painful and gruesome death in Bloodlust comes across as tragic. Even when he's pissed off at Michelle for spurning him and expresses a desire to kill her (supposedly; it's difficult to tell how serious he was about wanting to kill her, could have just been trying to avoid showing weakness to Ash), he still shows a few traces of decency and compassion. It really says a lot that he works better as a sympathetic villain than Dracula does in Coppola's adaptation.

The prequel, while only maybe a slight improvement over Bloodstorm, at least manages to continue the trend in making him a tragic villain. In some ways, it does even better. He doesn't have any of his hammy, overacted moments that he did in the first four movies, he's not portrayed as some pathetic momma's boy, and the tragedy surrounding his abominable birth and his induction into the band of crusaders, along with the centuries of loneliness that pass him by, are all played in such a straightforward manner. He's played as much more of a cruel sadist with the passage of time, but still, you feel sorry for him, as he's continually abandoned, betrayed, left to suffer, to where he's left with little more choice than to embrace the evil he was destined for at birth.

Now, to get back to the title of this post, what I mean is that for all his depth as a character, and for all the charm of the series that I love unironically, he's still stuck in a B-movie franchise that to this day remains obscure next to the likes of Hammer Horror, Universal Monsters, Anne Rice, Blade, or the post-Twilight wave of vampire fiction. As such, he'll never rise to the same level as any of them in terms of popularity. Which... I'm ultimately fine with. It's just a shame that he'll never really reach that potential.

[batnsons]

okay, catching up on Ted Lasso season 3, I’m midway through 3x5 rn. Thoughts on the season so far (spoilers and LOTS of thoughts under the cut!

Sassy's right, Ted is indeed a mess and I love him so so much and I want to give him all the hugs. (I'm also mad at her for the way she handled that but I'm not surprised, we've known she's like that from day one.) I wish this man would realize that it’s okay to be hurt by things, that he’s allowed to be upset when people hurt him, and he’s allowed to defend himself. But I also greatly appreciate that he’s always trying to take the high road. Him telling Michelle he was upset with her was soooo important and I’m so so proud. We had the beginnings of another panic attack, early on, after he found out and then it was cut off by Zava, but I wish we'd gotten more of a follow up on that. Cause there had to have been some aftermath to that. Also, I've been on the Ted is Jamie's Dad wagon since almost day one and this season is giving me SO MUCH. I hope we get to see so much more of them.

JAMIE!! My sweet Angel Boy. He’s emulating Ted so much this season and it kills me. It’s so so precious. He’s growing so much, and he’s trying so hard, and he’s just!! He’s doing so good! I do wish they would address his trauma responses, though. He’s clearly still having them and I wish they would talk about it. I’m not a fan of the way they’ve had Roy be so aggressive to him without any repercussions, when Jamie is clearly reacting with trauma responses. I’m not sure if that’s a writing point or if Phil is just doing that himself but I would really like to see it addressed. (@altschmerzes and I have talked about this a lot, they’ve got their own posts on the subject too that I really enjoy.) I am, however, delighted at the way Roy has taken Jamie under his wing. He’s been the only one to notice so far that Jamie is upset about Zava (and for good reason!) And I love that.

SPEAKING OF ZAVA. I DESPISE THIS MAN. First off, he’s just WEIRD. But second, he’s a nightmare!! And Jamie’s the only one who sees it! His speech about Zava being a diva and unpleasant was really delightful. (“And I weren’t being’ Ironic, I were neon’ hypocritical”. Have I mentioned I adore Jamie?? HES BECOME SELF AWARE!) Anyway. He’s got manipulative abilities not quite up to Rupert’s standards but, they’re still pretty bad.

And now on the topic of Rupert: this fucking PRICK. He’s manipulating the hell outta Nate and it’s making me mad. He’s gaslighting him, and essentially “love bombing” him every time Nate seems to be showing remorse or regret. And it’s so interesting because you know this is exactly what he must have done to Rebecca, and is probably now doing to Bex (although she seems like she’s well aware of his tendencies and is hitting back in her own way. Those digs about him being old?? Yeah. I hope we get to see Bex and Rebecca bonding later, I want to see Rebecca helping Bex out.) He’s an absolutely brilliant manipulator and I realllly hope we see him get what’s coming to him. And I love that Nate is showing distaste for his “activities” with the assistant.

And now for Nate. I went into this season absolutely hating him (not as much as much as Rupert, but close), and now? Now I just feel bad for him. And I love that we still see bits of the old Nate coming through. He really is just being absolutely played and manipulated and his ego and pride are the only things in his way now. He’s too proud to let himself admit that he’s been wrong, especially in front of Rupert. He’s in too deep and he’s floundering and he’s only got Ted as a lifeline but he’s very nearly burned that in his lust for power and prestige. But he so desperately wants it, you can see it. I really do hope we get a redemption arc, honestly. Never thought I’d say that. But we are now seeing the crest of that wave, so to speak, where we saw Jamie at the beginning of the series. And Jamie was able to claw his way out, so shouldn’t Nate now be able to as well?? It’s really really interesting, the way we’ve seen their stories parallel each other. What we’ve seen from Nate here is what we didn’t see with Jamie: the rise of the ego and pride as a survival mechanism. So here’s hoping we get to see Nate being pulled from that riptide just like Jamie is. But he’s gotta make the decision to reach for that lifeline himself. I really hope he does.

As for everything else: I feel like Rebecca is floundering, trying to cling desperately to this idea that she has to be more successful than Rupert in order to prove to him she doesn’t need him. But she’s missing the reality that the only person she needs to prove anything to is herself. I’m so interested to see where the rest of her growth takes her. Trent I’m delighted to see more of, I love that he’s hanging around the club now. He’s so fun and a lovely outside perspective for them all. Colin has got one hell of an interesting storyline happening on the sidelines, and I’m so so curious to see where this goes. I love that Trent was given the same missing piece of information that we were given as an audience, it makes for a really interesting audience stand-in, seeing him react to the things Colin says and does knowing what we all know now as well. Makes for some really interesting storytelling. I’m a little, not sad per se but… bummed? at how little Sam content we’ve gotten so far but I think that’s remedied later so I’m not too worried about it right now. Beard and Ted are delightful as always, I’m always so thrilled by their comfortable relationship, they’re like two sides of the same coin that function so so well together. Platonic soulmates, honestly. And then there’s Michelle. I’m so mad at her. But I’m even more mad at the therapist. I’m sorry, that man’s license should be taken away. And I’m glad they straight up had someone say it was unethical out loud but I really hope they bring it up more. Because it’s so so wrong and so unethical it’s unbelievable. Michelle is less at fault for this than the therapist, for sure, but I’m still mad at her for all of it. And I’m so glad Ted told her he was upset. Because regardless of who she’s dating, Ted absolutely should’ve been consulted before she introduced a new partner to their son. Like, that shit’s not okay. At all. Add in that he was their couple’s therapist?? (Which brings into question all sorts of other things, mind you.) Nah that’s messed up and I’m so angry about it.

Tldr: so far I’m ultimately very happy with this season, the character arcs are hurting me and also giving me so much joy. Rupert is a prick as always, and Ted and Jamie are my boys.

[kingy7]

Let's Talk About Wrestling

I am a Geek. I am totally comfortable with this. In fact the older I get the more comfortable I am. Being a Geek comes with its challenges, particularly in ones youth. Being the 'Star Trek' kid at school isn't fun. However as one grows and those around them do too, it becomes less of a taboo to discuss love of all things geeky. More so now perhaps than ever as franchises like Marvel and Doctor Who become more and more mainstream.

However there is one area of my Geekiness that still baffles people, one passion of mine that many simply cannot understand and one that still carries a stigma. You see, I am a proud Geek but I'm also a wrestling fan.

Let's take a look at the three stages of my wrestling origin story:

There's always a new fad when you're a kid. He-Man, Ninja Turtles, Power Rangers. Pop culture phenomena that spring seemingly out of nowhere, become the driving force of playground life then disappear without trace save for a mild embarrassment that we ever enjoyed them in the first place. And so it was in 1991 when suddenly all anyone wanted to talk about was wrestling. Specifically WWF wrestling as that was the only type most could watch in those days. I don't recall exactly what piqued my interest. It was as if one day I knew that wrestling was the next big thing and that I had to be invested in it. The cool action figures may have played a part too. In fact, I owned an Ultimate Warrior figure before I knew who he was or indeed how bad he was. That latter realisation wouldn't come until phase two of my wrestling journey but we're getting ahead of ourselves.

We were lucky enough to have Sky TV as this was the only way to watch WWF in those days. Again I have no memory of how exactly it transpired but somehow I was aware that SummerSlam was showing on Sky Movies (not Sky Sports, that should have been a clue) and as it was broadcast at 1AM my Dad taped it and the next day I watched my first wrestling show.

Incidentally having Sky TV had the knock on effect of making those who had the service the centre of our fledgling wrestling communities. My neighbour would regularly 'call round' to watch the events as would friends from school in the years that followed.

SummerSlam '91 was a curious PPV (Pay Per View, American Audiences had to pay for each event whereas in the UK they were shown for 'free' on Sky) in that it features a 'double main event'! One of these events wasn't even a match at all in the traditional sense, it was a wedding. The pun being that the participants were a 'match made in heaven'. The other featured as a tag team the two biggest stars in wrestling at the time Hulk Hogan and the life size version of my action figure - The Ultimate Warrior.

What struck me immediately was how clearly drawn the characters were. I could tell instantly who I was supposed to cheer and who deserved my boos. Early in the show The Million Dollar Man Ted DiBiase cut a promo (wrestling speak for yammering on the microphone) and I turned to my Dad and said "I don't want him to win because he thinks having money makes him better than everyone else". Little did I know this was the first time I would be successfully 'worked' by a wrestler.

Later in the show I would find some new favorites. Brett Hart, The Bushwackers and of course our countryman The British Bulldog.

I was taken in by the spectacle of it all. The over the top action, the hysterical commentary and the larger than life characters. I was certain to watch the next show. I was so invested that I felt the need to stand during the 'wedding' section of the show. Something I have never confessed to anyone.

It's worth noting that SummerSlam '91 does not hold up to modern scrutiny displaying as it does homophobia and racism. These are tropes that to this day are not entirely absent from wrestling and will always cause me conflict.

Over the next few years WWF became a way of life. I watched the shows, collected the trading cards and action figures and even attended a live event. Such was its grip on British popular culture that one year on from my introduction SummerSlam '92 was held in Wembley Stadium. Absent from that show was Hulk Hogan.

And with Hulk eventually would go my interest in the 'sport'. He became my hero, and as the whole show was built around him it was hard to accept anyone else as the 'top guy'. I soldiered on for a while before stopping watching at SummerSlam '93 almost exactly two years after I'd started.

And as so many fads do, wrestling in the UK became a forgotten past time. Never spoken of at school and regarded with scorn for the poor souls who still watched it.

The question I was asked most over those years, usually by adults, was "Don't you know it's fake?". Yes I did. Everyone told me frequently enough. But I chose to ignore it. I chose to pretend it was real. This is something that non fans seem unable to grasp. Wrestling is no more fake than films and as a result can be no less real if you choose to allow it to be. Maybe we'll take a closer look at that another time.

The next time I watched wrestling was in 1998. Five years may not seem like a long time but the difference between a 12 year old and a 17 year old is like a lifetime.

Had you asked me at that age if I had any interest in wrestling I may well have laughed. It was a part of my childhood, that I now viewed with an ironic detachment. I looked down on younger me who had been taken in by this fake sport. I had no idea that I was about to become a fan for life.

It started with a video game. WWF Warzone. Myself and my friends has been playing it on the N64 and enjoying the fighting mechanics and the characters. We were surprised to see some old favorites in there, The Undertaker, The Bulldog and Brett Hart. Then as we played more we came up with the idea of maybe watching an event for old times sake. See what it was like now?

That event was Survivor Series '98 and it could not have been a better re-introduction.

What we didn't know at the time was that the WWF title had been vacated (It was this whole thing with The Undertaker and Kane and Stone Cold Steve Austin) and so the whole event would be a tournament to crown the new champion. It's rare that a wrestling show has one story over the whole night and even rarer that it's so accessible for an audience who haven't watched in years. Through the tournament format we got to know most of the main characters and saw how they related to each other. We saw the planting of seeds for future rivalries and the twists and turns that were now central to the narrative. I've often wondered if we'd have chosen the previous month's show or the one after if we'd have been as hooked.

But hooked we were, as Survivor Series introduced us to a new generation of grapplers, the aforementioned Steve Austin, Mankind and The Rock being standouts. The latter of course would become one of the most famous people in the world but here he was just getting into his groove as a bad guy. His betrayal of the fans at the end of the show was what compelled us to watch the next episode. The sudden turn with seemingly no reason left an unresolved cliffhanger that demanded an answer. This was where I really started to think about wrestling from a story telling perspective. As a kid it was all about the superheroic characters, but this was different. It was as if the matches served mainly to drive the story onward and the soap opera like sagas were the real draw. I began to think about the wrestlers as playing pieces and the writer as a chess master whose job it was to position them ready for their next match.

Since that event I have barely missed a monthly PPV. My interest has waxed and waned but even at times when i've been unable to watch the shows, I've maintained an interest and followed the story. There have been major lulls in wrestling over the years since. The Cena years were a struggle and the less said about Roman Reigns before he was a bad guy, the better. However the third turning point in my wrestling journey would come not from the stalwart WWE (they got the F out) but from a new company called AEW.

You see WWE had gotten pretty boring by the 2010's. There were no big stars who captured the imagination and the in-ring style was familiar to the point of tedium. I kept an eye on the developments and watched Wrestlemania every year but there was no passion for it in me anymore.

That would change when I heard that there was a new company opening its doors, one that promised to be an alternative, to deliver exactly the kind of entertainment that WWE was not.

It took me a while to get into it if I'm honest. The style was different and the action spectacular but it was so far removed from what I'd thought of as 'wrestling' that I found myself struggling to follow it.

Then something clicked and everything I'd been missing since the heady days of the 'attitude era' was back. Not just back but better. And through AEW I discovered different styles of wrestling and began learning more about its history.

I still watch AEW weekly, I have attended one of their shows as well as local British shows and I would say that my love of wrestling as an art form is at an all time high.

I know many people will still laugh but wrestling is something I care about. It's a form of storytelling that can't be seen elsewhere and above all I love stories. Whether they're written in a book by a novelist or told in the ring by enormous muscled maniacs.

[dont-take-me-home]

Thoughts about the very lovely and satisfying Ted Lasso 3x06:

Rebecca

I remembered Rebecca falling into a canal in Amsterdam from leaked shooting photos and I’m very happy it’s not Ted who saved her like some fans wanted it to be. Actually, no one needed to save her, she just swam out like a grown-up. Good shit.

Houseboat Daddy can GET IT. What a hot dilf. And the complex, grown-up chemistry between them. Damn.

This man obviously represents everything Rebecca wants right now – authentic, reliable affection, warm homeyness and a family. I understand that they wanted to create a vibe of Rebecca taking a break from her real life to be this girly girl in a floral dress flirting on a houseboat, and then the break is over and she has to go back to her real life. But it’s a bit too romcommy for me that she just left without getting the guy’s phone number or even his name for no reason. The distance between London and Amsterdam is negligible if you have Rebecca’s money, they’re both single and into each other, what’s the deal? This is totally something she can pursue.

Keeley

It’s funny that we all had these fic ideas where Keeley dates Rebecca and gets to live the private jet, private yacht life, and the writers were like “nope” but then “wait, actually yes to the sugar mummy thing”. ❤️

Ted

Look, I don’t like him, but his scenes were great. Pining for the home he left, stuck so hard in his head he can’t even bother to learn anything about the sport he is allegedly coaching for two years now, and then finding himself in this unsettling parody of America where the portions are mountain-sized and nobody knows what Chicago is. POIGNANT

(I actually thought the script was going to go to a bad-trip place where the restaurant becomes really clownish and creepy and I’m glad they didn’t do that, it was much fresher and more interesting this way.)

(The thing where the drugs were a dud so it’s like Ted didn’t really take drugs was not fresh at all. We get it, he’s still pure. Whatever. It's a good story, so I’m forgiving them for the cop-out.)

Am I proud of Ted for reinventing Total Football? Heck no. He should have known about it. He is in Amsterdam playing against Ajax. The fact that he got the idea for the triangles from an ancient Chicago Bulls game instead of the wealth of football knowledge that is always in front of his eyes and at his fingertips is insane. But. It’s the right way to go, even if he got there through the most stupid route imaginable. And he is sitting in this amusement-park version of America, watching stuff that reminds him of his dad, but thinking about his team and how to improve them. Finally. So that’s something.

“My phone is at the bottom of a canal.” “Is that Keats?” – ok, I laughed 😤

Roy

Loved his speech to the interviewer about not pretending to give a fuck about the pretend game. Vintage Kent. And LOL at how even Jan is impressed by Roy’s brutal honesty.

Roy’s bitterness and anger being defeated by Jamie’s determined cheerfulness until he is forced to (1) enjoy himself on a fucking bicycle and (2) apologise to Jamie is the most adorable thing I can think about. HUG HIM JAMIE. HUG THE GROUCH. CONQUER THE GROUCH

Jamie

I love him. 

First, we are reminded that he can be smart and capable and know a shitload of things about Amsterdam. This has a double purpose: in the long term, he’s on an arc of becoming even more of a team player and maybe a leader? Someone who can pull them out of the slump? But in the context of this episode, they want us to remember that Jamie has a brain. So if he glosses over things in his head, namely, Keeley having a girlfriend, or the disturbing way he lost his virginity at age 14, it’s intentional. He doesn’t want to think about these things because he wants to be happy.

Also, he’s not surprised Keeley’s into girls. She has talked about it openly, so. Yeah. Why would he be? (Well written.)

Notice how Jamie’s not intimidated by Roy anymore? Nor does he take the shit that Roy says to him personally. He is mature/secure enough by now to know that Roy is just taking unrelated shit out on him. He doesn’t even let it ruin his mood: he knows Roy is still doing the best for him as a coach, so he enjoys that. Our boy has grown up so much 🥲

I loved the complexity of Jamie’s little added backstory here with his two Amsterdam vacations. Short scene but so rich.

1. Vacation with his dad, age 14: Jamie knows his dad was being a dick and faking interest in him in that vacation. But he stops short of defining it as a bad memory. He was basically ordered to lose his virginity to a sex worker while he was still a child, and that must have affected him in a bunch of ways, and he doesn’t argue when Roy says it’s a fucked up experience. But he also “doesn’t remember it”. 

2. Vacation with his mum two years later: she acted like a real parent and showed him the city and the museums. He doesn’t come right out and say it was important to him, but we know by the way he still remembers every little detail about Amsterdam by heart. 

Jamie says it was like his dad was there with them. Does it mean his abusive dick of a dad was a shadow hanging over Jamie’s nice vacation with his nice mum? Or is it a good thing in that Jamie felt, for a while, like he had two parents? Or both?

Colin

Is now an actual character with a personality and not just comic relief. I will no longer give you side-eye if you like him and pair him with Jamie and will not wonder if you were just looking for the whitest face in the dressing room regardless of the fact that other guys had much more of a connection to Jamie.

I’m amused by the adventures of vanilla vodka. Back in season 1, when Jamie drank vanilla vodka, it was obvious the show didn’t want to make Roy call him gay/girly for it, because they didn’t want to make Roy homophobic or sexist. So Roy called Jamie a child, which also tracks, because fruit-flavoured drink (like Jamie’s vanilla vodka and alcopops) is associated with young kids who want to get hammered on nights out without having to endure the taste of actual alcohol. But right now Ted Lasso is carefully admitting that homophobia exists even in Ted-Lasso-world. So vanilla vodka gets to come out of the closet and be defined as a gay drink. Anyway.

The Himbos

Epic. I especially liked the way the pillow fight ended with an orgy. Always good for team building. Gangbangs also work, but then you have to single out one guy to get gangbanged and the others get jealous, and then you have to make a gangbang schedule so nobody gets left out, and it’s a hassle.

[damelucyjo]

Okay, here we go!

Episode 2 - (I Don't Want to Go to) Chelsea

Oh, I'm digging this remix!

Keeley's office is so cute

Keeley & Ted really are the same person, aren't they 🥰

I have a feeling I'm going to love Barbara

TED!!! That was very enthusiastic, even for this lot 😂

I'm glad we're gonna get more Trent this season

OMG, their collective 'no' for him to just agree. Hilarious

How can he honestly still be so clueless about the Football world? 🫣

"The fumes make me dizzy and I overshare. Please don't print that" Rebecca, you are so real 😂

Rebecca instantly changing her mind once West Ham is mentioned and Trent fully seeing it.... hmm... 👀

Zava dabba doo! OMG, control yourself, woman! 😂

The exact same thing switched between Ted & Rebecca? Brilliant move. And her admitting to it being because of Rupert? Yes!!

'Love that' spoken like a man who knows about shitty exes

Ted & Keeley bonding! I've missed it

Isaac scaring Keeley, amazing. Him wanting a shoe deal but just for shoes, amazing. He's moved on from his Rolos!!

Jamie stuttering around Keeley, boy's still got it bad, huh?

Of course Isaac is a body language boy!

CLENCHED ARSE!! OMG 😂

'I use body science' oh Jamie

That pitiful hum. I love you Jamie!

'It's called empathy, you dusty old fart' I think Roy & Jamie are my favourite pairing in this show, after Ted & Rebecca, of course

'I forget how skittish elderly people could be cause of the war' please never change!!

“And don’t you say a fucking word about it either, William” OMG poor Will! 😂

Oooo he's reading a book. Beard, I'm as shocked as you

Beard's screams!!

He's saying football without thinking... he's learning!!

This banter about wishes is just Brendan & Jason doing what they do best. I love to see it

'I just wished for that 30 seconds ago' Dani, please never change 🥰

This confusion about what is going on is my type of comedy

The boys being collectively upset about Roy & Keeley, so true.

And Beard's scream, Ted fainting... I love my boys

The collective 'aww' Poor Roy haha

'What's a CD?' HOW OLD ARE YOU, WILLIAM?! My god 🫠

Of course Beard has a set of keys to Ted's

How many times did they have to film Brendan running back in screaming before they could do it without laughing?? I can't not laugh watching it!

Roy boy is so angry, bless him

I see you Phil, trying your best not to completely crack up in the background 🤪

'Woo! I mean, fuck off, Trent Crimm' we must protect Dani at all costs

Is this us being shown that more people don't trust or believe in Keeley yet? 🤔

She's so precious, still not understanding why people would be proud of her 🥰

DEBORAH!!

Of course Deb doesn't camp. Who do you think she is?!

Ooo, Tish talk 👀

Nothing like being overly sarcastic with your mother. It's my favourite thing to do!

Her own mother telling her she should meet with her psychic because she's in desperate need of maternal guidance? Please never change, Deb! 🫡

This show is so good at the callbacks, Rebecca mentioning something about Rupert that she knows so well which we get to hear about later... more shows need to be like this!

Hannah & Jeremy together are just gorgeous! 'No, it's too late. Jinxed it' I could watch these two banter for hours

Everyone ignoring him, poor Trent 😕

Brett has been amazing in this episode, as with all the others, but a full scene where he doesn't say anything, but you understand everything... ALL THE AWARDS! The balloon popping is the icing on this scene

Babs is showing Keeley exactly what she thinks of her without saying it, that's cruel. Leave her alone!

I can see this relationship becoming something wonderful though

Believe, believe, believe. It's almost like that's what this show is about or something...

Mae & the bar boys are back! 🥳

Is that text foreshadowing that hiring her friend may not work out??? 🤔

I'm with Hannah, I could watch an entire show of just these three at games

'Jinxed it again' Hannah & Jeremy, again, marvellous!

The stadium being behind Roy may have made me tear up a little, not gonna lie 🥹

Rebecca grabbing Keeley's hand 🥹

Lip-reading massage therapists

SHE USED TO BE A BARTENDER! 👀

AND HE WAS MARRIED WHEN THEY GOT TOGETHER!!! 👀👀

I love backstories!!

Ted telling Roy like it is and him not blowing up at him?? Love to see it

Also perfect explanation of what a Hallmark movie is 🫡

Roy still being angry because of something written when he was 17? So real.

The boys being relieved they can talk again 😂

Them also not needing Ted to give them their pep talks at games anymore cause they're working it out themselves...I see what's happening... 🤔

Go on Rebeca! Be a boss bitch!!

I will say this everytime we see Rupert, but I fucking love Anthony Head 😍

I can never take my eyes off the screen when Hannah & Tony are on it

HANNAH'S FACE!! Truly a masterclass in showing everything without words

YESS! CHEW HIM OUT, REBECCA!!! We love an angry woman!!

Off Dani's fucking face! 'My face scored a goal' 😂

A sour-yell. Perfect

Her popping back round the corner, Hannah you comedy queen

Twat - Ooo, I do love an angry Rupert 😏

'May I keep the pen' I think I'm gonna like this Zava

Another Beard yell, I'm in love 🥰

Zava and Jamie are gonna clash big time. I'm excited

Jane still finds them threatening 👀👀

Roy's whole speech being basically a parallel for what they're setting up to be Ted's journey this season... interesting 🤔

That's another one done! This was one of my favourites, I think. Got back to the humour of the show a bit more.

[winderlylandchime]

2/3 ‘Look it’s Emy and Bri!! Are they finally going to be good friends?’ ‘Oh Brian, is BORED BORED! He is not used of being without Justin. I love it but i hate it…exactly Ben, Brian is hurting!!! finally someone kno- FUCK YOU DEB’ *pauses tv on Mel and Linds fighting* ‘idk anything about *flaps his hand towards me* uterus stuff but can she really have a kid cause of a new procedure? (Craig comes up on screen) OH ABSO-FUCKING-LUTELY NOT! NO NO NO NOOOOO!’ I need you to know that when he watched s1 and Craig gave Justin rules, he actually physically left the house and went to a store 5 minutes away (it took him 15 bc he could barely walk and yes, i did go after him bc he’s an idiot) but this time he stayed seated so maybe he’s maturing. ‘No Justin, there are better ways to pay for tuition than going to your bitch ass dad. Like becoming a hitman is always an option or selling your feet pics! But don’t throw your dignity away for that fucker. OH SO NOW BRIAN IS GOOD FOR YOUR SON? WHEN HE PAYS HIS SHIT. everyone uses him! The lesbians *quickly makes a fist for ally*, Mike, Deb, he has no one in his corner except me! THATS RIGHT YOU ARE NEVER GONNA BE STRAIGHT, take it from me Justin, it’s not all that pretty. I mean the girls are pretty and they smell nice and wear cute lipsticks but the dudes give us bad rep *looks at me in fear* am i one of the dudes?’ Craig says that Justins biggest priority as a kid was to make him proud ‘oh go fuck yourself’ *pauses and leaves the house for a smoke break* ‘Did Ben always wear glasses? Or is he just so boring that I didn’t even notice that change until now? Why is he so boring? Is it to like show the total opposite of Brian for Michael?…BEN is literally the only one in this whole show that is thinking logical about the whole moving in thing. Michael in s1! Justin now with that lil freak.. WHAT IS THIS? I didn’t even wanna move in with you for a few months after this surgery and I’ve known you my whole life..’ ‘so Emmett cheated on Ted, Justin cheated on Brian..i see a pattern but only one of those doesn’t make me want to puke..is this what their relationship is gonna be like?’ The school tuition scene is finally up!!! ‘NOW WHY IN THE FUCK IS HE HERE? Why would they put him in a scene where Justin has to talk to his school about HIS education? Whats next? He goes with him to a job interview? (The cringe lines are said) god, i wish the world was deprived of you. ITS ALREADY BEEN PAID?! LADY TELL ME WHO PAID IT! I REFUSE TO GIVE CRAIG A REDEMPTION ARC! JUSTIN IS LOOKING DOWN! CMON CAMERA PAN THE FUCK DOWN I WANNA SEE THE NAME.’ He paused the ep to give me an example of how they shouldve done a reveal of the person that paid tuition so when Justin looked down, the camera would reveal it. He is very upset that they didn’t do it like that because he would like to know who paid for the tuition and is threatening with arson if they end up treating him like Justin when it comes to Brian and the hospital visits.

Are Emy and Bri now going to be good friends? Brother is on the platonic KinneyCutt train. I love that for us.

HE PHYSICALLY LEFT THE HOUSE when Craig laid down his rules in S1? I love that. (ally!)

Becoming a hit man or selling your feet pics. I die.

Everyone uses him! I know, right?

am i one of the dudes? Brother Anon, I think I speak for all of us when I say, no you are not. You are one of us.

Ben is boring but he does think logically. I love his theory about showing Michael with the opposite of Brian… and I’m dying a little. I can’t wait for his reaction to Ben’s steroid use and his ‘roid rage towards Brian in the locker room.

The school scene. Absolutely why is Justin’s brand new boyfriend at the registrar’s office except to deliver those cringiest lines. (Excuse me while I puke)

Quickly going to the next one because we know what happens and it is so romantic…

[kkmeeluqq]

bottom seb is an absolute gem 😵 bottom!seb in sebchal, beloved. will there be more ted talks in the future?

sorry for taking such a long time to answer this! @tunaanutt and i have gone through a series of sebchal seminars and I feel like it’s a good chance to explore the topic of why charles is a top & dom by analyzing some quotes and body language. tuna, a top charles defender, wrote most of this, hoping to preach her point successfully XD

"He gave me a headache here and there!"

what’s nice of having the elder one being the bottom is that with experience, seb would tolerate and forgive charles’s recklessness, fulfilling charles’s insatiable need of affection and affirmation, and telling charles everything would be alright, no need to be afraid that he would hurt him. we all know that seb’s a stubborn man but charles could be more stubborn than seb. as seb said, charles gives him headaches here and there ^^

isn’t it super yum yum to see a four-time world champion being dominated by a talented young boy?? 😭😭😭

2. Top training

so…seb is charles’s gay awakening. as my former bottom seb ted talks mentioned before, seb is a skillful bottom and has quite many sexual relationships with many drivers, hence we can say seb is an expert in gay sex! and charles, a proud heterosexual, who has never considered dating men in his life, met seb and everything changed… the first time charles experiences gay sex is fucking such a professional bottom like seb, he then realize having sex with men is so nice, even nicer than with girls…after their first sex, charles immediately became obsessed with seb’s body. he would frequently come back to seb and fuck him, to experience the best orgasm he had ever had in his life again and again…and instead of driven by sexual desire,  the curiosity of a former heterosexual would give him the urge to explore seb’s body, seeing what noises seb would make and how seb would react to his touches! Charles would gain lots of confidence when seb reacts sensitively to his touches then become more obsessed with fucking seb ^^

however, charles is still a former straight guy, having little experience in gay sex, seb has the responsibility (also for the sake of his ass) to teach him how to top. as the saying goes, practice makes perfect, through a series of top training, charles would be better at it. well, charles is a fast learner, just as talented as racing. at first, seb has to prep himself before charles fuck him because he doesn’t want to be hurt, but after training charles, he would have the ability to prep seb. he might as well say something like, “wow, seb you’re so tight and hot inside!” while fingering seb… charles may still hurt seb by fucking him too hard because it feels too good…seb enjoys rough sex anyway ^^ after all, seb just can’t refuse charles’s puppy eyes…🐶

3. insecureness

I believe they’re both feeling insecure at the beginning of their relationship. charles is so handsome that he would attract lots of good-looking girls would make seb feel very insecure. and the fact that he’s formerly straight. he would be confused why would charles only date him?

Also at the same time, Charles is also feeling insecure. you know, seb has lots of ex-boyfriends, charles would be dying to make sure that seb loves him like he means it, having to hear seb say “I love you charles” then he would feel relieved, or he would keep going.

4. charles cherishes seb really much 😭😭😭

charles respects seb a lot…he would refuse to watch vids that make fun of seb, and avoid questions from the press baiting him to talk bad of seb…even now he would frequently mention that seb has taught him a lot, charles’s indeed a good boy 😭😭he’s polite and kind, such nice person like him has to be in relationship with a person who’s also as nice as him! it’s really heartwarming that charles had seb as his teammate when he got into ferrari after he lost jules and his dad. charles also mentioned that seb welcomed him to the team and put a lot of effort to make charles adapt to the new environment. he feels reassured to have seb by his side 😭😭😭

since charles cherishes seb so much, he would ask a lot of questions in each step during sex, like “are you feeling good?” “can I proceed?” and this makes seb giggle because he has never been treated so carefully. charles cutie…😭

5. kisses

charles loves kissies…before fucking seb, he would kiss him for like 10 minutes and seb has to hurry him to get down to “business” by slightly pressing his feet on charles’s dick. however during their sex charles still fucks and kisses seb at the same time… seb *out of breath*

6. seb’s compliments!

“When I’m doing a good job, Seb is coming to me and sayin ‘well done’.”

this seems like Charles is showing off to everyone like, “look! The four-time world champ just complimented me!” 🐶

“ If I wanted to win something, he would basically let me win this thing and I would be happy, and he wouldn‘t care.” 

Altho I’m still a bit puzzled with this because I can barely see it by watching the challenge vids they had done together🤣 anyway I interpreted it as when charles want to top seb, he would let him…

7. jealousy

It’s noticeable when the younger man is jealous, while seb, as the elder one in their relationship, feels like he is obliged to be more tolerant. he would keep his feelings to himself until charles manages to dig out the reason why seb’s behaving so oddly by bombarding him with tons of questions, otherwise, he would rather not tell Charles anything. charles feels offended because this is like seb doesn't trust him enough. Seb would immediately utter all of his feelings when seeing charles putting up a long face and again attacking him with his glassy puppy eyes… 🐶

8.  seb taking the initiative!

charles craves for more touches in the public but he’s also afraid… look at this gif! Charles wanted to touch seb’s shoulder and immediately drew back…seb seemed to notice it and put his arm around charles’s shoulder… 

as we can see in many interviews, charles tends to hide his deepest emotions and only speak things that are positive to the media. when he got something in his mind, he wouldn't share it with others. seb can still sense that charles isn't feeling good just by observing his expressions, and seb would lead charles to speak out his feelings in order to comfort him, telling charles to feel free to talk to him whenever he feels like he needs to. at first, charles might still be unused to sharing his dark feelings with others, but through the process of seb’s guidance and consoling, eventually, he would go to seb immediately when he needs a shoulder to cry on. 

however Charles is still a tense person so most of the time he might just hug seb instead of pouring out all of his thoughts, it’s still huge progress for him considering where he has come from…

9. competitiveness

charles would be hostile towards seb’s ex boyfriends because of his competitiveness, like, he loves fucking seb because seb’s so good at it but at the same time, he’s jealous of it as it also means seb has been fucked by so many men that he may or may not know.

10. say yes to big guy fucking small guy…

11. different characteristics

nothing really important here but this really shows the distinctiveness of their characteristic…when seb’s happy you can see it clearly through his body language, while charles’s just being calm and trying to look good in front of the media…

phew, that's a long post... i wonder if you have the patience to read through all this...if you did, i would cry because of your kindness😭