The whole “queer actors playing queer roles” discussion is the reason check please hasn’t been live actioned yet btw they’re trying to hire queer actors but they can’t find an authentic twink to play Eric Bittle who wouldn’t shatter like glass after the first choreographed check. Heard they might get a skinny butch from Portland to cross dress for the role.
I reread "Check, Please!" this afternoon. One of my favorite moments (SPOILERS) is the aftermath of Jack and Bitty's on-ice kiss on live television, when Jack is talking to his parents about the public reveal that's just happened. They're like, "Oh??? That's a big step isn't it???" And Jack is so smiling high on cup victory and love that he's like, "Yeah. Who cares, though?" And Jack's parents look like they're bluescreening, he just fucking broke them, because what happened??? To their anxious child who had a mental breakdown and overdose??? He's all relaxed and happy and chill now! Wow.
And there's obviously a lot of things contributing to this character development / mental health stability for Jack. He's older. He's been through both college and rehab. He's got a lot of support in good friends, a great boyfriend, loving parents, friendly teammates, and a supportive employer. This is a happy choice that he made on his own terms. And so on and so forth.
But on a more humorous note, I also think part of this newfound chillness must come from the fact that his good, supportive friends are all loud and proud weirdos. Shitty Knight does something wild every 24 hours, possibly on purpose but also possibly a genuine fuckup, that would have had Jack curling up under a rock out of embarrassment for life, then Shitty just walks it off. No big deal, brah. And if it's not Shitty, then Lardo or Ransom or Holster have got Jack's back in terms of nonstop sheer hot, shameless mess and friendship. It puts a lot of things into context.
Freshman Shitty: "Heeeey, man, my new best friend, nice to meet you, thanks for getting me off that roof and also lending me your jacket! Not that I've got anything to be ashamed of, nudity is our natural state of being, but, y'know, don't super want to start the first day off getting arrested for streaking while trying to get to my Gender Studies class on time. Uncomfortable and uncool. Want to get brunch? My breakfast was half of a cheap beer and a packet of sour gummy worms, which while delish, my man, does not do good things to my stomach or my brain health when I'm trying to do the good thinking stuff. Speaking of, dude, excuse me a mo', I think I need to puke into this trash can here. Don't want to litter or anything."
Freshman Jack, holding Shitty's backpack while this stranger pukes politely into a campus trash can: (internally) "I think this is curing my anxiety somehow."
i’ve seen a lot of these going around and i just Know this fandom’s gonna have great justifications for our choices. spin the wheel and then vote above on the character you get! share your choice in the tags and reblog for a larger sample size 🩵
ID: 1. Nursey, wearing a gray peacoat, and Dex, wearing a brown canvas jacket and a backpack, are walking side by side when two samwell students, one a white girl with a brown ponytail and red sweater and the other a brown boy in a black hoodie, rush up to Nursey surrounded by hearts. The girl asks, "Is that you on the back of the fall schedule?" The boy adds, "We like, need to know!" Nursey grins at them, flattered, and presses a hand to his cheek as he replies "Oh? Yeah, that's me." Dex scowls and rolls his eyes so hard it looks painful, sighing, "Oh god."
2a. Nursey, wearing a yellow puff vest over a long sleeve purple shirt, sitting next to Dex, who is wearing a blue button down over a tee shirt. Nursey grins and nudged Dex with his elbow, asking, "Guess how many cards I got today, Poindexter." Dex, mouth full of pie and another bite poised on his fork, sighs heavily and glares away into the distance, replying after a long pause, "Like 20." 2b. Repeat. Nursey pulls up his hands, one holding out five fingers and the other holding up three, and looks down at them as if checking his count. He says, "Eight. One was from my mom." Dex startles and hunches up, trying to stifle a loud snort of laughter. A chunk of pie flies out of his mouth.
3a. Nursey and Chowder standing side by side in the kitchen, Nursey holding a bowl of filling and Chowder chopping something on the counter offscreen. He is not looking at his hands, but off to the right, where text indicates a Falconers game is playing. Dex is in the background, holding a fresh pie with oven mitts, and calls out, "Hey Chow, pay attention! 3b. Repeat. Chowder says "Huh?" and looks down to his hands just as the knife slips and sends a spurt of blood upward into frame. Dex and Nursey startle, eyes bugging out in shock. Nursey goes visibly gray and drops the bowl he was holding. 3c. Repeat. Nursey slips offscreen completely, fainting. Dex smirks at him and lets out a little "heh" laugh. Chowder looks down at him in concern, pressing a washcloth to his bloody finger. 3d. Later, Nursey sitting on the gross Haus couch with a glass of water, Dex standing next to him with his arms crossed. Dex smirks down at him and teases, "You fainted a little there, huh?" Nursey looks up at him, stern but clearly embarrassed, and says "Chill, that was a lot of blood." Dex pushes, "Boy, you were pale!" Nursey replies blankly, "...Poindexter."
4. Screenshot of a series of tweets by Eric Bittle. a. Nursey: Guess how many cards I got today, Poindexter? Dex: [a long sigh] Dex: like 20. Nursey: Eight. One was from my mom. b. Ah, Dex tried to hide that laugh but there's pie everywhere. c. 15 minutes ago. Chowder: I was paying attention to the Falconers game and I think I cut my finger? Dex: I think Nursey just fainted. Dex: Heh. d. Dex: You fainted a little there, huh? Nursey: Chill that was a lot of blood. Dex: Boy, you were pale! Nursey: ...Poindexter. e. -Nursey Fans- Girl: Is that you on the back of the fall schedule? Boy: We like NEED to know. Nursey: Oh? Yeah that's me. Dex: Oh GOD. /end ID
jack-shitty-lardo coparenting household where somehow jack is still completely in the closet just bc i think maximizing the layers of possible miscommunication as poor bitty tries to figure out whether this guy is into dudes and/or single is fucking hilarious to me
shitty: yeah i remember all the bullshit heternormative hoops jack and i had to jump through when i was first trying to officially adopt amelia…ugh not to mention when my fucking parents found out
bitty, thinks he’s starting to get it: haha i definitely relate, coming out to my parents was certainly not the smoothest
shitty: that must be so tough…i honestly can’t even imagine what my parents would’ve done if i wasn’t straight
jack, a bottle of wine into platonic co-parent date night: so when i talk to lardo about bitty she says i should just make a move but idk…..like i flirt and i think he flirts back sometimes but other times-
shitty, lifting one cucumber off his eye: wait, you’re into men?
jack: um…yeah? i’m bisexual
shitty: dude how have we been living together and raising two children together for more than a decade and i am just now learning this about my best bro
jack: i mean you never asked? plus technically i didn’t even tell my parents until after i left the nhl
shitty: oh my g-d……..
jack: what….you don’t have a problem do you?
shitty: no but i’ve been spending all year telling bitty not to make assumptions about two straight men just because they’re best bros
LardoRans starts like “yeah we can have a casual thing I know & trust you and this’ll be good” and the casual thing in question is a deep & abiding friendship that withstands the tests of time and ages into the forever kind of love
How distraught Ransom and Holster had to be upon finding out that one of the first things Nursey and Dex found solidarity over a shared hatred of golf.
Ransom and Holster, in sync for the ninth time that day: yo d-man bonding field trip! let’s go golfing!
Nursey and Dex, in sync for the first time ever (it won’t happen again for 8.5 months): i would rather cut off my left nut than go within one mile of a golf course