#than it does roykeeley

[thetarttfuldickhead]

Jamie and Keeley fell back in love with each other on Keeley’s doorstep in 3x08. In this essay, I will—

Ah. You know what? I will, actually.

Ahem. Ever since Jamie came back to Richmond, him and Keeley have had an amicable and mutually affectionate relationship (always greeting one another, etc), but I don’t think there’s anything to suggest that they spend a lot of time together socially after Jamie’s return. Then there’s the funeral business and the fallout of that and the next time we see them interact it’s a whole new season, and given the slight awkwardness of otherwise fond encounter, I’d argue it’s likely the first time (or at least one of the relatively few times) they’ve talked in a bit. Not because they’ve been avoiding each other as such, but I imagine things got a little bit weird after Jamie’s profession of love. Once that was somewhat sorted (and in my heart I imagine some small conversation between them after Jamie and Roy have it all out, Keeley getting in touch like “I hear you apologized to Roy”) it’s the off-season, so there’s few chances of them bumping into each other at Nelson Road – and I do think that maybe Jamie was keen to maintain a respectful distance for a while, just to make it very clear that he’s not trying to woo her. As for Keeley, she was busy with her new company, so yeah, for all of those reasons, they didn’t see much of each other. Don’t really for two thirds of season 3 either.

But they never stop being fond of each other, yeah? They never stop caring. They’re just both all up in their own lives, Keeley with KJPR and her heartbreak and later her girlfriend, and Jamie with striving to be the best player and the best person he can be, the Zava of it all, and Roy. We know Keeley takes note of the changes in Jamie, but she’s got other priorities.

Then: the leak, and Jamie showing up on her doorstep, and the hug. And yes, of course it’s nothing but a headcanon, but to me that marks the moment when that old spark is quietly but undeniably rekindled.  

It’s pretty obvious in Jamie’s case. We know he never stopped loving Keeley: he accepted that their future was friendship and he focused on other things, but he never stopped loving her. And once he stood there, holding her, held by her, enveloped in her kindness and affection and with that familiar press of her body against his, her scent, everything he felt for her roared right back into full and flaming life: it’s not only loving her, it’s being in love with her. It’s arguably this (and the belief that her and Roy are well and truly over) that leads to him putting the moves on in 3x12.

For Keeley, I think it’s a bit more muted – more a realization of ‘I really like who this person has become and I’m so proud of how he’s grown and I could see something between us again’. (Also, holding him, being held. It’s Pavlovian.) It’s not really something she particularly plans to act on: she’s still reeling from the video leak and the Jack of it all, and she’s busy with her company. Still, it’s there.

For both of them, it’s there. Not grand or sweeping or all-consuming, not something that must lead to anything, but… Jamie and Keeley fell back in love with each other on that doorstep, and even if that doesn’t necessarily mean that things immediately or ever turn romantic between them again, they slowly but surely start hanging out properly again after that, just because they’ve been reminded of how much they truly like each other. How glad they are of one another. (Which does not in any way lessen or change the love they both have for Roy, by the way. The heart has infinite room.)

[lunar-years]

roy and jamie and keeley are so hot together and i wonder what you think the public perception of them is like? jamie and keeley were into pda (at the gala, in the locker room, jamie’s pics of keeley lmao) but keeley implied that jamie would hate the tabloids invading their privacy. do we know how long jamiekeeley were even together for?? and then there’s roy who’s super protective about keeley, hates talking to the media, and threatens the paparazzi taking pics of them in s1. idk where i’m going with this but I’m just thinking about that throwaway line in s3, where jack assumes keeley’s talking about jamie when she refers to her “famous footballer ex”. in my head i think keeley likes the grand gestures in the public eye with jamie, but she also loves the private sacred moments no one else gets to see. it’s just really interesting to imagine what they’d be like when they all get together!

Ugh they really ARE so hot together aren’t they!!

Anyway this is such a fun thing to discuss. First off, I don’t think we know for sure how long Jamie and Keeley were together :( But the entire locker room seems pretty familiar with her in episode one, and as a couple, the two of them seem fairly established to me. Not as in like, a serious way necessarily, but in a way where it’s clear they’ve got a lot of trust between them and do know one another. Also, it’s been both long enough for Jamie to have fallen in love with her and for Keeley to have had the deep impact on him that sets into motion all the growth we see in him from that point on. So in my mind, I think they were together for like, a year and a bit. Pretty much as long as Keeley and Roy were together, honestly.

I think the two of them definitely enjoy being public-facing enough to like, have online fan clubs and a big Twitter Stan presence LOL and also they’d be totally pumped to make it onto like, top power couples and best dressed lists. And they both really care about ~their brand~, reputation and image in a way Roy just doesn’t. So I do think they like attending events together and showing out on red carpets and posting pics together on their socials!!

I LOVED that line in season one about Jamie hating the tabloids getting in their business. I think it shows that he respects Keeley, that in his own way, that relationship was special and sacred to him even when it was happening, and that he does have a line between his public and personal life. And then I think we see throughout the series that Jamie is (maybe surprisingly?) actually a fairly private person. Yeah he’s got this whole very loud online presence, but that’s very different than like, him.

So yeah, I think he and Keeley enjoy being public, but only when they can curate what they’re putting out there and have it be under their control. And Jamie would’ve fully supported and endorsed Roy’s smashing that pap’s camera on his first date with Keeley, lol. All three of them I think cherish the moments the world isn’t privy to the most :)

My headcanon is that they don’t go public as a throuple until after Jamie retires, and I think they wouldn’t couple off (as in, publicize that just roykeeley or jamiekeeley are together) when it means leaving someone out, even if that person is Roy who hates the publicity anyway. It would just rub them all the wrong and they all agree they don’t need to kiss one another in public that bad. So I think they keep the romantic/relationship side of things pretty private amongst their families and close friends, BUT I also think they wouldn’t hide being close to one another. The fans definitely know how close they all are, and they don’t try to totally avoid being seen publicly hanging out, in pairs and all three. Also the online rpf shipping community is definitely rampant lmao.

And I think there’s also an element of like, they want to be available to publicly support one another. Being totally private isn’t worth it if they can’t show up for one another when it matters. Obviously, Keeley wants to be there for all their games, and Jamie and Roy want to be at her work functions and events that matter to her just as much, and at a certain point, if people are gonna talk they’re gonna talk! I think Jamie kind of helps Roy come around to this way of thinking as well. Enough to where they can be a little more open with caring about one another, and hug on the pitch maybe a bit longer than they hug anyone else, and even joke about one another in interviews (okay, that one’s mostly Jamie), and not give a shit. So everyone is aware on some level they’ve got a deep bond, but they just don’t know the exact nature of that bond and rjk aren’t forthcoming lol.

[izzyspussy]

Hiya Jack! For the OTP ask, Roy/Jamie/Keeley and 22, 56 and 58. If three is too greedy, pick and choose as you see fit. Please and thank you. <3

What reminds each of their partner?

Roy and Jamie will never tell each other but they are both genuinely reminded of each other by actual muppets. The reason they won't tell each other is not because they don't want to be insulting (they do want to be insulting) but because they feel sentimental about it lmfaooo. Jamie will see Sam Eagle or Oscar the Grouch somewhere and get misty eyed alsfjksk. For Roy is pretty much any fucking muppet 'cause he's the one who said it, but most particularly Rowlf and Janis. These two are also reminded of each other by certain shades of blue. Keeley is reminded of her boys by Richmond colors, by the brand Jamie's always wearing, by anything all-black that isn't usually black, and by basically any football stuff. She also has "their song" for each one of them and them as a throuple. (I don't listen to the kind of music she listens to, so I don't have specific songs to tell you.) She also really loves both of their accents and she thinks of them whenever she hears someone speak like them. Roy is reminded of both Keeley and Jamie (and Phoebe) by the color pink. He's reminded of Jamie by his own various Three Lions stuff, now lol. He's reminded of Keeley when he cooks or reads (the latter reminds him of Phoebe too). He's reminded of Keeley any time he takes a moment to fucking chill out and appreciate his surroundings. He's reminded of her (and now Phoebe too lmao) by the music Keeley listens to. He's not really that much of a music guy himself, so whatever music he does know will remind him of one of them tbh, since they're both passionate about what they like. He's reminded of Keeley by his own shitty handwriting lmfao. Listen. He's always thinking about them. Jamie is reminded of Keeley whenever he's doing something or behaving in a way he feels is responsible/kind/mature. He doesn't exactly credit her for him doing that, he knows he's the one who's accountable for his actions both bad and good, but she was the first person (other than his mom) who ever had any expectation of him to be "good" or belief that he could be, and that was a really important thing for him! He also thinks of her any time he's enjoying something he thinks is fancy or, like, sophisticated or "cultured" or whatever (like plays, etc). He also has a "their song" for her (not for Roy, their "song" is football wlkjrlkskf), and they had a sort of battle of the bands once where they blew out the speakers of Jamie's surround sound stereo and also Roy's patience, so the songs the two of them used for that remind him of her too.

What do they do turn the other on/put them in the mood?

Well, Jamie is RoyKeeley's little sexbot puppy, so they can pretty much turn him on just by telling him to be alsfjkkw. In particular though, he gets really weak kneed and easy by being petted/caressed, praised with that certain tone, or made to feel special in some way - nice individualized attention from Roy, being compared favorably to someone (other than Roy), an elaborate date or gesture, etc. These things give him a sort of "time to make love" kind of arousal. He wants more of the intimate/special feeling and he wants to make them feel as good as he does, and some very sweet sex is a great way to do that. For a more "time to fuck" type of arousal, Jamie can always be reliably worked up by a little roughhousing or pets/caresses that are particularly possessive (grabbing his throat or patting his ass or circling his wrists, etc, regardless of if it's rough or gentle). Being sexually teased/denied/having to watch (even just Roy and Keeley kissing if he can't join them for whatever reason) will also get him this type of aroused. And also of course winning a match, but that's not really something either of them do (although Roy will claim credit for it sometimes lol). The two most sure-fire ways for Jamie to turn one of them on are opposites qljisk. He can be an absolute brat and make them want to put him in his place, or he can be incredibly sweet and submissive and make them want to make use of that. When he's preemptively submissive, Roy always wants to test him, see how much he can make Jamie do for him, and he likes to assign him tasks that aren't necessarily explicitly sexual as a sort of tease for both of them. Keeley doesn't really see the appeal of that, her sex is generally much less convoluted than theirs lmfao. When Jamie's sweet she wants to reward him. Jamie also really good at putting very specific inflections into his patterns of speech, so he can turn a completely mundane phrase into something fucking filthy through tone alone and then say it normally later to be an unconscionable tease in public lmao. He can also rev Roy up by making him jealous. This one doesn't work on Keeley, for obvious reasons.

Who’s more likely to hold a grudge after an argument?

I actually don't think any of them really hold grudges, at least not against each other or about real arguments. Like, Roy has a grudge against Carragher, and he held his grudge against Trent for forever, but those are from an apparent mutual dislike and a distant devastating insult respectively. Having an argument or even full on fight with someone you have a personal relationship with is something totally different from those. I also think all three of them have tempers, but they are also all three fully cognizant of those tempers and take deliberate steps to control them or at least mitigate their effects. This is especially true for Jamie and Roy, who are both very scared of hurting people they love. Keeley holds the same type of grudge that Roy does, against strangers or near strangers or acquaintances or whatever that she'll hold onto for foreeeeeever, but she's extremely quick to forgive someone she cares about no matter how dramatic her anger was when her temper snapped with them. All it really takes for any of them is an open discussion of what upset them and a genuine, self-aware apology to get them past things. The only time they'll hold "grudges" with each other is over stuff that doesn't actually matter. Like if one of them eats someone else's special snack, or jokingly insults a musician they like, etc.

OTP Asks

[nessa007]

I really wanted to see Keeley's KJPR storyline mirror Ted's coming into Richmond with her being a bit of a fish out of water in the corporate world, but pushing forward with her own brand of optimism and maybe seeking advice from Ted (which was such a fun dynamic that just got dropped). I even thought the Shandy storyline was really promising at first because it gave her a chance to also take a page out of Rebecca's book and give someone a chance who may have been overlooked and put in a box like Keeley had been before Rebecca saw her talents (which we also didn't get to see much of in s3).

And having Keeley fail and get bailed out by Rebecca kind of undermines Keeley's relatability? Like we all struggle and stumble and try to get back up, which there was plenty of room for her to do, but fuck everyone else if they don't have super rich friends?

So much of this season felt mean. It felt mean that Keeley got basically isolated and punished the whole season. It felt mean the way they taunted Tedbecca shippers (and I say that as an anti-Tedbecca, but it made me feel sad to see the disdain for it). It felt mean that Ted, a man who supposedly has spent his time learning to express difficult emotions, bottled all those emotions up in the end. Everything felt mean.

Sorry, I just saw the other anon post about how Roy and Keeley's story should have gone, and I was gonna say something quick about it and then this ask happened.

Love your gifs and insights!

completely agree, anon! keeley deserved so much better than her storyline this season and while it is very nice what rebecca did, it does take away some of keeley’s relatability. i also missed the ted/keeley dynamic! they didn’t have a single scene this season.

the writers taunted roykeeley and tedbecca fans all season and it wasn’t entertaining or intriguing. it was just, as you said, mean.

thank you 💕

[kentray]

Can I make a RoyKeeley fic request?

Keeley is overworked again and comes home sick with a fever/whatever sickness you’d prefer and Roy takes care of her or she has bad period cramps and he takes care of her?

I would totally write a Roy as caregiver fic to a sick Keeley. I've had that a couple of times sort of... in my long fic, he nurses her back to health (We Only Got One Life) and she does come home late with a bad headache in More Than Just A Game which is pretty mushy... but once I get out of my writing funk, I will try to get one just like that! Thanks for asking! That's so sweet!

[shrinkthisviolet]

hellooooo, A, C and T for the ask game please :)

A: Ships that you currently like a lot. (They don’t have to be OTPs because not everyone has OTPs.) Friendships, pairings, threesomes, etc. are allowed.

Oooh ok ok well, to start off with romantic:

Westallen, Snowest, Barrisco, Westhallen, Barriscowest, Snowstorm, Percabeth, Kataang, Maiko, Bumizumi, Shirbert, Samguel, Torisha, Narumitsu/Wrightworth, Franmaya, Klapollo, Junithena, Tedbecca, Roykeeley, Finnrey, Finnpoe, Reyrose, Jedistormpilot, ElizaDarcy (idk their ship name 😅), Kathony, Lukemara, Hanleia, PeterMJ/Spideychelle, Parksbornson

Keep in mind that these aren't all the ships I like, just the ones I love! Ex: Snowestallen is a cute ship, but it's a "like" ship, not a "love" ship. And these can always change tbh (they have, over the years), though usually this is what they are

Now for platonic (and I'm including brotps of my own making because I make the rules). Somewhat ranked but also not really:

Barry & Morgan (ofc), Jesse & Morgan, Lucy & Luke, Tina & Morgan, Lucy & Astra, Team Flash (Barry, Cisco, Caitlin, Iris, + Harry when he’s around), Barry & Cisco, Original Quartet (Luke, Leia, Han, Lucy), the Gaang (Aang, Katara, Sokka, Toph, Zuko, Suki), Iroh & Zuko, Izumi & Zuko, Izumi & Mai & Zuko, Bumi & Aang & Katara, Caitlin & Morgan, Morgan & Cisco, Rey & Luke, Sam & Tory & Aisha, Sam & Robby, Daniel & Johnny (when they’re not being idiots), Amanda & Carmen, Anne & Diana, Anne & Josephine Barry, Peter & Ned & MJ, Phoenix & Maya, Apollo & Trucy, Athena & Apollo, Athena & Blackquill

There’s also Morgan & James, who are currently a ship but become platonic. Idk where to put that so I’m just making it its own category. And Morgan & Thawne are so interesting but in no way a brotp

This list isn’t exhaustive, but I got most of them, I think! It’s hard because I love so many more brotps than ships 😅

The rest of the letter answers are under the cut for length:

C: A ship you have never liked and probably never will

Gonna try censoring this one a little more than my previous “ships I don’t like” answer, so it hopefully doesn’t pop up in any tags…but if it does, I’ve heard putting a # in front of the search term can keep it out:

Sn0wb@rry. The origins of that ship just puts me off too much, I can’t ship it in any capacity (and tbh they both have better love interests, even if poor Caitlin doesn’t have a good love interest post-s1)

T: Do you have any hard and fast headcanons that you will die defending?

Doesn’t everyone? 😂 to name a few:

—Sam, Aisha, Demetri, and Eli were all childhood friends (the “Nerd Quartet”)

—Barry loves comics because of his mom, and that’s part of his motivation to be a superhero (comics canon! Headcanon in DCTV/Arrowverse)

—Ned’s the first one to figure Peter out, when they do their special handshake

—When they were supposed to be asleep, Iris used to sneak into Barry’s room, and they turned his bed into a mini pillow-fort 😂

—Barry’s Flashpoint adventure ~did~ change Caitlin’s past and give her powers—I’ll die on this hill, it’s the only way things make some amount of sense (and it’s no more ridiculous than the OTHER Flashpoint changes)

—Thawne was actually lying in s4 when he said he “hated every minute of [being Harrison Wells]”. Because literally wtf was THAT, writers??

—Maiko had two weddings: one for their close friends, and one for the Fire Nation. They were the first of the Gaang to get married…though they didn’t have Izumi until after Kataang got married. They wanted most of the “so, when are you having kids?” bs to die down first

—Lando introduced Luke (and Lucy) to hot chocolate, and Luke and Lucy love it 💞 (Legends canon I believe…tho ofc not Lucy since she’s not canon. In proper canon tho, this is just a headcanon)

—Barry makes the best hot chocolate ever

—Iris can bake better than she cooks…tho she gets easily distracted, hence the burnt/lumpy pancakes sometimes 😅 still, I gotta believe someone brownie-obsessed can make good brownies

—Finn is a legend among his former stormtroopers…as an enemy to some, as an inspiration to others

That’s all I can think of off the top of my head, tho there might be more!

ask game!

[rqgnarok]

The thing about nates redemption is that I expected it to be a big focal point of this season and i was looking forward to it given how well they tackled rebecca’s and jamie’s but….ive been disappointed in the way its played out. There are things ive liked, like the way they show nate gradually becoming more self-confident and hating himself less, and how this causes him to treat other people more kindly, too. And maybe if this wasnt the last season then that would be enough. But i think the fact that nate hasn’t actually taken any strides to make amends (with ted, at least) is what’s making the whole arc feel a little incomplete. And i know it’s coming, i know he’ll obviously apologize to ted and maybe even beard. and I think the apology he gave to will was great. But it just doesn’t feel like enough. Idk for me maybe its less of a Nate specific problem and more of a ‘this season a whole has felt directionless.’ They wasted so much time on zava and shandy and didn’t spend nearly enough time actually like. Really focusing on Nate and Ted and the specific pain of that betrayal and their relationship as a whole. And I guess I also dont like how jade plays into it all either. Idk sorry for rambling on in your inbox but i guess my point is its ridiculous for people to be upset that nate is getting a redemption arc, something that was always going to happen given the kind of story this is. But I understand people’s frustrations with how the show has actually gone about it.

i do agree they wasted a lot of time in the zava/shandy storylines- zava i understand his purpose, making the team come to terms about their bond and getting to play the way they are now- shandy i do think was completely useless lol.

every time one of the main characters breaks from the group, in this case, nate, i'm always afraid that the show won't do them justice when trying to divide the time between the main characters now that they aren't in one same place or environment. most of what we've seen of nate has been pretty meh, him being an asshole and having small and rare moments of "huh, maybe i'm being an asshole" but him saying no to rupert and then suddenly quitting with no explanation did feel like going from a 0 to a 100. i would've liked seeing abetter build up to that and not waste time with shandy like we did (literally, what was the point of her at all?).

also, the roykeeley break up not being brought up until this week's episode and seeing roy getting "unstuck" from whatever was bothering him when we hardly talked about it (other than the speech he did about enjoying himself instead of leaving chelsea) didn't sit right with me. the lack of sharon also makes me a little sad tbh, i feel like she could've been of great help around ted and michelle's storyline (like, she was there but not really? and suddenly hanging up on ted like she does feels a little out of character tbh), along with colin and isaac's, sam's, roy's...... we have what, two episodes left? i hope they tie all these loose ends and have many many important conversations we haven't had yet.

i completely understand not liking how they're doing nate's redemption arc, but people who are mad he's getting one is like ???? you do know what show we're watching, right?

and don't worry about rambling! it's always nice to talk ted lasso with someone who understands!

[alittlepudge-neverhurtnobody]

roykeeley / fat roy anon here to bother you once more , sorry ! but jason sudekis appeared on late night with seth meyers a bit ago and had a bunch of fake plot points for season three on the wall behind him and some people zoomed in on it and apparently one of the sticky notes read “ roy gets really, really fat ” and that has been driving me wild for the past couple days and i thought you might also appreciate that ^_^

never a bother, anon!! i had to go look this video up myself bc omfg??? at least someone on their team is thinking about it too ........... 

yeah this is also going under a cut bc i went tf off L M A O

i love the idea of Roy who's really confidently fat!! he did his time keeping himself trim and lean for his career and now he's going to let himself fucking indulge, thank you very much. Roy who's pushing a 3XL in snug black t-shirts and fitted black jeans, because just because he's fat doesn't mean he has to let go of his whole brand aesthetic (terminology courtesy of Keeley), and it certainly doesn't mean he's not still tough. Keeley makes it a project to partner with brands who offer inclusive sizing in high fashion and although Roy could not hate clothes shopping more, it is sort of fun to let Keeley drag him around to indie boutiques and try stuff on for her because it gets her going and he likes making her blush and squirm a little. he wouldn't be caught dead in 90% of the stuff she has him try on but he does love pressing her against the dressing room wall with his belly to kiss her and huffing a laugh against her neck when the sales attendant calls her name to ask if they need anything and Keeley squeaks back that they're fine in a voice three octaves higher than usual.

and Roy getting lots of positive reinforcement from Phoebe, who loves how soft he is to sit with when he reads to her, even though he doesn't have as much lap as he used to. and from the ladies in his yoga club!! they're all of varying sizes and as he gets bigger they help him adjust each position so it works for his body and his size. pinching his cheeks and patting his belly and telling him that that girl must be good for him, he looks so happy and relaxed! it makes him blush EVERY time but he does agree, as enthusiastically as Roy Kent can, that this girl is very good for him. 

i also love to imagine that this contingent of middle-aged women has just been RARING to shower him in baked goods, but has been respectfully holding back bc he’d told them he couldn’t for whatever reason. BUT NOW, he mentions that he’s quit whatever job he needed to keep in shape for (several ladies are deeply convinced that he was an underwear model) and the switch flips and suddenly Marjorie sends him home with a plate of “leftover” shortbreads one day and Jeannie brings him a whole bakewell tart “just because!” the next and pretty soon Roy and Keeley have established a thrilling routine of Roy texting her what he’s bringing home from yoga and exchanging some spicy texts with her on his way to hers, then letting her feed it all to him before curling up for a lazy post-yoga post-stuffing nap together. 

also give me fat Roy who's still a formidable athlete?? he's a good fucking player and that doesn't change because he's gained a lot of weight. sure, he's not as fast as he was, but that changed before he got fat, that's not new. he's still got the skill and the footwork and any new Richmond recruits who dare to make any remarks about his size are summarily put through the wringer at practice going up against Roy. don't fuck with him! Jamie still takes the piss sometimes, but in the same way that he teases Roy for being old and Roy teases him about being a prick -- it's not meant to actually hurt. reporters keep assuming that getting fat has softened his persona as well as his body, but Roy sets them straight on that front pretty fast. (oh and give me the time that a reporter makes a joke to Jamie about Roy's weight, expecting Jamie to laugh or agree, only for Jamie's lazy devil-may-care attitude to instantly fall away and his claws to come out as he leaps to Roy's defense.)

thank you, anon!! i love this so much 😍

[doyoubelievee]

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#5

Jamie was right to confess his feelings, and why that scene was important in the context of the show.

Look, I'm with y'all 100%. I don't want a love triangle. I don't want petty drama to be dragged out for the rest of the season or the rest of the shower.

BUT. Jamie telling Keeley he loves her was a necessary inclusion. It's honest. It shows his growth.

Jamie says it himself- he's become the person Keeley wanted him to be. He's not such a prick, he's a team player, he's forged good relationships with everyone at Richmond- even Roy. He also has the maturity now to see what Keeley wanted for him and why. He understands what she said about accountability, and his confession exemplifies it. He acknowledges she's with Roy, and he apologizes for the consequences of his words. But he's honest.

To me, it makes sense now that he's fallen for her all over again. Keeley and Jamie are a better fit now than they ever have been.

HOWEVER, I could preach all day about Roy and Keeley being endgame, etc. I HOPE she tells him what Jamie said and they act like adults. Keeley hugging Roy afterwards is a good sign. Idk. Thoughts?

66 notes • Posted 2021-09-24 15:36:31 GMT

#4

something that strikes me about nate is how... nearly childish he's being. i don't want to minimize his pain or his actions. but lashing out in anger and shame because he's not getting the attention of the parental figure he needs is something a kid would do.

i've worked in childcare and i also have siblings. i know that jealously quite well, the loneliness and anger and loss of self-worth that stem from feeling cast aside, whether you really are or not.

from an adult's perspective, it's irrational to lash out. as you get older, you gain an understanding of why an adult's attention can't be on you the whole time. it's valid for them to feel hurt, but it's very very hard to balance the emotional needs of a child, especially when they can't communicate to you what they're lacking or feeling, and also when external circumstances prevent you from dedicating all your time and attention to them.

which is what's happening between nate and ted. not only does ted have an entire team to manage, he's also still reeling from his divorce, coping with his anxiety, and processing decades-old trauma for the first time. all his attention can't be on nate.

nate's an adult. why doesn't he understand this?

first of all- his toxic relationship with his father (and mother). nate has received very little healthy attention from his parents throughout his whole life. that's devastating. and it means that nate has no idea how to deal when ted gives him positive attention, and then becomes preoccupied with other, valid problems.

i take issue with calling nate and ted's conversation "anti-climatic." they didn't scream at each other until their true feelings bubbled to the surface. they didn't resolve anything. nate was hurtful and petulant and entitled. and ted just listened.

that's where nate is right now. he has no true self-worth, and he's processing (badly) a father-son relationship with ted. he's not acting like an adult. but he is, and he's enticing big consequences because of it.

66 notes • Posted 2021-10-08 20:03:43 GMT

#3

101 notes • Posted 2021-10-06 15:12:43 GMT

#2

tag yourself, I'm a coach beard with a rebecca rising

149 notes • Posted 2021-11-18 17:55:37 GMT

#1

me: trent crimm the independent is going to write a piece revealing that ted had a panic attack because there's literally no other reason he would have checked in with ted asked him to officially confirm what happened at the match

me when trent crimm the independent writes a piece revealing that ted had a panic attack:

218 notes • Posted 2021-10-01 06:43:47 GMT

Get your Tumblr 2021 Year in Review →

[youngsamberg]

thoughts on roykeeley for the finale bc if jason sudeikis does anything to them i will screech

i'm honestly torn down the middle. bc half of me is like "they've been so good at communicating with each other this season so they're gonna talk through this issue and realize that ultimately no one is a threat to their relationship bc the love they have for each other is stronger than that" and the other half of me is like "jason has compared roykeeley to him and olivia and i am Afraid"

[lunar-years]

I actually think Keeley was so brave for turning down Roy's proposal to get back together , and we don't acknowledge that enough! It's just (to me) very clear both that 1) how Roy ended things hurt her greatly and 2) the love is very much still there!! I also think Keeley maybe had this idea in her head immediately post their breakup that Roy was the wrecking ball who sent this perfect thing they had crashing down in one fell swoop. Of course she had to have known there were growing problems between them for some time, but I do think she (wrongfully) contributed *most* of those issues to him alone while imagining herself as someone fully ready for and capable of maintaining that level of serious relationship (in the sense that like, she'd convinced herself she was entirely prepared to barrel forward towards even greater commitment/an enagement/marriage etc., and Roy was the one who abandoned ship at the last moment.)

By season 3, however, time and distance and her experiences (With Jack and otherwise) have allowed her to gain a new perspective. She's come more into herself and with that, become more attuned to her wants and needs. So she's come to realize that, oh shit, she was actually no more ready than Roy was to move forward with that relationship at that time, and she in fact did contribute to its downfall even if she didn't deal the final blow.

And with all those things noted, I think it takes a lot of inner strength to recognize that even though she still very much loves him and does want to be with him again, she's not ready to jump back in with him and it wouldn't be setting them up for success to do so. Obviously she isn't perfect and there are pretty significant errs along the way (sleeping with him again while not making the terms of the shag explicit from the go being prime example number one), but it does demonstrate increased self awareness to then have her ultimately turn him down, as well as further emphasize why it was so imperative for her to turn him down.

Also, there's something about Roy not being ready when she was so sure she was ready, to by the end of s3 Roy being ready when she isn't, that is so tragic and devastating BUT also indicative of their inner growth. The door is still so very open for a future there between them, but Keeley also knows she needs more time with herself before committing to that future, and that's so brave of her to realize and voice! i wish the show had done a better job of telling that part of her story (and giving roykeeley a chance to have a proper conversation about it) but I'm glad that at least the bones were there for it.

[lunar-years]

As for the RoyKeeley reunion part of my KJPR/Keeley arc discussion (here)...I've processed more and landed on the reason I didn't love it, and it's not because I don't believe Roy has done the work or fixed his side of many of the problems that contributed to the end of their relationship. Not because I don't think he's finally at a place to accept joy and happiness into his life. We've seen that growth in him throughout the season, in his relationship with Jamie especially, but also with him processing the end to his time at Chelsea, with Trent, the Rebecca scene last week, Isaac, the final epiphany moment this episode with the teacher...It's all been there, it's been gradual, and I believe in it without hesitation.

I didn't like that they threw RoyKeeley back together** because it doesn't make sense for Keeley. It doesn't help or allow her character to grow at all. I think a lot of the fandom is happy to believe the breakup was all Roy, and his self-confidence issues, and his unwillingness to allow himself to have good things' fault. For me, it's always been more than that. Keeley has a lot of self confidence issues herself that the show constantly sweeps under the rug; and having Roy tell her she's still Keeley fucking Jones is not the magical fix all to it, either. I know this absolutely isn't the show's intention, but it kind of does read to me like they're stamping a relationship with Roy back on her like a bandaid and calling her a healed case, and I hate that.

Let's not forget that just LAST EPISODE, Keeley was sending Jack a wall of desperate blue texts all but begging Jack to take her back! Not even that, just to talk to her! To acknowledge her at all!! She was begging this woman who treated her like crap, from a relationship that was detrimental to her mental health and wellbeing, to please accept her!!

The reality is, we have:

Keeley breaking up with Jamie in season one, regretting it the very next morning because as she herself proclaims, she always second-guesses her relationships ending, and then getting together with Roy not long after.

Roy breaking up with her, and her getting together with Jack not long after, notably right after proclaiming she isn't over Roy and is also reevaluating her prior breakup with her other ex, Jamie

Jack breaking up with her, Keeley trying to still fix it between them, then....getting back together with Roy not long after that

Like, no wonder the RoyKeeley reunion fell flat. Look, I haven't been in the "why won't the writers ever just let Keeley be single!" camp all season, but it's partly because I assumed they were trying to tell us a clear narrative about her. There is an undeniable pattern of behavior they've set up here that points to certain aspects of her character: Keeley struggles with abandonment issues, Keeley struggles with being alone, Keeley struggles with feeling good enough for people and leans on external validation, she has been known to act rashly when it comes to her relationships, etc. If the goal was just to get RoyKeeley back together as quickly as possible, well, they succeeded at the cost of throwing Keeley's character development out the window, because none of these problems have actually been addressed. And if they weren't going to address them, why were they not only introduced but also reiterated across multiple seasons?

**And yes, I say "throwing Roy and Keeley back together" without taking into account what they might do with the last two episodes. Was this a "getting back together" moment in the sense of now RoyKeeley is endgame, back in a committed relationship, their problems won't be addressed again or addressed only minimally, and they will now ride off into the sunset happily ever after? Or was it more like, there's still a ton of love there, Roy made a deeply important breakthrough with his apology, they had their long awaited and much needed post-breakup sex, and now Keeley is going to realize she's slipping back into familiar patterns and roll things back? And to be fair, we don't know yet!

What I want is something like Roy acting like things are now great and Keeley's obviously his girlfriend again, only for Keeley to stop him and be like "Wait, Roy, but this hasn't magically fixed everything." I do want Keeley to be single for a while and deal with her own stuff. I want them to work at it, together, perhaps with the expectation that yes they will probably get back together in future but not right now, not when they still have a ways to go with themselves as individuals. If the show goes in the second direction, it scraps this whole post for me, but with two episodes left of the series, this is coming from the part of me that is very concerned they're heading towards the former.

[lunar-years]

I think. When people call out Keeley way harder than Roy, it often seems to be they read things… very literally? So things like her saying “if you tell me how hard it is to play a game for a living I might come” are taken as a pure dismissal of his hardships and not interpreted alongside like… To Me that scene, in which she also makes it clear she’d like to hear about his stress, implies that she’s been (imperfectly as we all do everything) making effort to both get him to open up and respect him needing time to do so, and also implies, when fitted with the rest of everything, that Roy sometimes talks in a way that is rather obnoxious about the psychological pressures of the job (many of which overlap with the pressures of a modeling career! aging out and feeling used up at an objectively young age, being constantly in the spotlight and a subject of tabloid gossip etc) as if no one else could ever understand. And that’s certainly not the only interpretation (maybe she’s judging him by past boyfriends! maybe she’s been pressuring him to open up and is now getting shirty when he does!) but I think like. Idk like I said I think people reading things very literally tend to be harsher on Keeley. And I feel weird saying that because I have been and sometimes still am the annoyingly literal fan who extrapolates the “wrong” dialogue in the “wrong” direction, but that’s what I think I see. End babble.

I think you are Right but it makes me Sad. Like, that scene in particular in s1 where Keeley brings Phoebe over to help Roy is actually one of my very favorite RoyKeeley scenes because (to me) it illustrates what’s so great about them! two imperfect people who might just be the thing the other needs. Like, yeah Keeley DOES misjudge the situation and she IS harsh when she (initially) dismisses his very real struggle as a trivial rich footballer complaint. But like. 1) roy doesn’t take that bait and instead opens up to her in a very real and vulnerable way and 2) Keeley immediately course-corrects, realizes she messed up, and knows just what to do to help him. Just what he needs to hear and who it needs to come through. This is an example of how they DO work!

Also like, their relationship is literally brand new and they both are coming into it preconceptions and lots of baggage and again, are imperfect people. Perfect ships are boring ships! It just feels like people are not being entirely fair when they overlook Roy’s own plentiful mistakes while extracting and picking at even Keeley’s mildest infractions (and the same is true about people who do it to Roy while upholding Keeley).

[lunar-years]

💖💚for unpopular ask

💖: What is your biggest unpopular opinion about the series?

uhhh I have many. I would say my most unpopular are probably:

I don't care that the show had no big "endgame" ships. I actually appreciated it being left to interpretation on where we want the characters to go. And throwing them into relationships given where they are at in the end wouldn't have made much sense anyway. (beardjane was terrible but i don't count that as a 'big' ship lol. no one was shipping them. TOMATOES!!! -500/10). the show's focus was never romantic relationships to begin with fwiw so it's weird how much people center that in their conclusion about whether the show was good enough.

Ted going home to Henry was also Really Good and the Whole Point/Natural Conclusion of his arc.

I liked that RoyKeeley broke up. Didn't love where they went with it necessarily, and both of their characters deserved to be written soooo much better in s3, but I do think the breakup itself was a Good Thing that Needed to Happen for these characters to progress.

Given the season and events as they are written, I think Keeley is far more likely to get back together with Jamie immediately post finale than she is Roy. (I don't think she should get back together with either of them right away, mind you. My girl needs some time to not exist as part of a relationship, because she has clearly spent most of her life being in relationships and it has caused Problems to her sense of self worth that i am desperate for her to healthily address. And then I would ultimately very much like her to end up with both of them, lol. But I'm just saying finale Keeley totally WOULD get back together with Jamie).

In a very similar vein to all the above, a criticism i see ALL the time that absolutely drives me UP THE WALL is when people claim the writers fell into the ol' GirlBoss Slay trap with Keeley, where in order to make her an Independent Confident Businesswomen™️ they had to remove all romance from her storyline and claim that's why they broke roykeeley up. The writers wrote Keeley very extremely terribly in s3, do not get me wrong. But this argument that writers just hate romance and don't see how a woman can be successful and also be in love (when Rebecca, a very successful businesswoman with a major arc about wanting to find love is their lead female character, mind you), just feels like baseless ragey criticism from people mad about there not being a roykeeley endgame. Look, if that's what the writers were trying to do, they don't even come close to fulfilling the other end of that promise (trading her romance to make her a Caricature Slay Business Woman) because 1. they don't show Keeley becoming independent with her business at all (Rebecca just swoops in and saves the day) 2. they do a very poor job of showing her overcoming imposter syndrome and coming into her own and 3. after the breakup with Roy, they literally show her immediately jumping into another relationship. sooo. I think it's much more likely that the writers were attempting to show Keeley spiraling in the same patterns of self-destructive behavior she exhibited in s1 and s2. rather than attempting to wash away all her flaws I actually think they were trying to highlight and reflect on those flaws. Unfortunately they just did it very, very badly and left out the necessary other half of the arc that makes it compelling and successful: actually giving Keeley the space to recognize and reckon with those flaws. the problem is they too rarely let their own characters talk and have it out in meaningful ways. anyway.

💚: What does everyone else get wrong about your favorite character?

Roy isn't like THAT but he's also not like that. you know. people are always falling in love with completely different made up versions they've got of him and then acting like their Roy is canon Roy. Idk who that guy is but he isn't Roy!!! ughhhhhh. sorry.

[shrinkthisviolet]

just don’t go (just meet me in the afterglow) - roykeeley & jamiedani, secret santa

This goes out to the amazing @keeley-jones! Thank you for making me smile with your fantastic posts, and I hope this does the same for you 💞 happy holidays, and happy Secret Santa! And thank you to @tedlassosecretsanta for organizing this, it was loads of fun!

Keeley’s known for a long time that she and Jamie are on different wavelengths. The years between them are few—she’s nearly 30, he’s 23—but with how he acts, it often feels like more.

She finds herself wondering, more often than not, is it normal to organize your boyfriend’s schedule like this? To plan out every detail of his life like you’re his mum, and get none of it back?

Not to mention that whole auction debacle, with him pressuring her into bidding for him while having another plus-one, not to mention what a jerk he generally is—and Keeley shouldn’t bet on Roy when she doesn’t even like him like that, but it feels good to throw Jamie’s attitude back in his face for once.

And then Rebecca says, “What about accountable?”

Keeley blinks at her. “What do you mean?”

“Well, I mean, everyone makes mistakes, but...I was married to a man for 12 years who never once took responsibility for a single one of them.”

And…well, when told this by Rebecca Welton, of all people, what else is a girl to do but think about it?

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