I could not picture Nigel doing any kind of sport, but Alex seems like he’d be the type to play football or some sort of field sport, maybe even excelling at it, but he just doesn’t have an interest in it—though we don’t really get much of either of their actual interests not relating to what drives the plot in the direction of Nigel’s death/Alex’s actions post-Nigel’s death.
I loved your analysis on any kind of illnesses and injuries, (really, whump prompt inspiration lmao), either boy would have. I was wondering if you had any head canons or speculations on any kind of sport or athletics they’d both participate in? I feel like plenty of fics go deep into their psychological stuff, either expanding on the movie or kind of altering a lot of canon-material pre-Nigel’s death, but I don’t see many AUs/different dynamics in our fandom, which gets me to the point I was actually aiming for: what do you think the most likely sport would be take would force Alex and Nigel into a “Heated Rivalry” situation? I know the only reason I’m thinking about this is purely, 100% superficially the Gayness of both medias, but it made me really curious about these kinds of dynamics and situations anyways. Sports, hypermasculinity, all the kind of stuff would have been very prevalent in the time frame of Like Minds, and though sports really would serve no purpose in the actual events of the movie canon, I feel like some sort of higher macho-esque pressure that sports presents IS very relevant to at least Alex’s identity.
Or maybe this is a very American perspective, I really only have my own frame of reference for how influential sports is, ESPECIALLY on high schoolers, on the ideals of masculinity and fragile egos in relation to queerness. Also I’m just now realizing how god damn long this ask is, so I’ll leave it off here, sorry lol
I really haven't spent much time considering sports in conjunction with the movie. One of the biggest factors getting in the way for me is that Nigel reads as one of those kids who really isn't interested in sports and the entire social and physical dynamic involved (I can relate). He's such a loner doing his own thing that it's hard to envision him in the kind of environment that hinges on teamwork, competition, and physical prowess. There's something about him physically that just seems unsuited to sports in general.
While Alex doesn't have that same vibe, he IS a guy who spends a lot of his free time in the library or reading. He gets physically violent, but seems more interested in intellectual pursuits. His ego doesn't necessarily make him incompatible with sports (so so many massive egos amongst athletes), but he would be one of those problematic team members who doesn't like to share the spotlight or work with everyone else very well.
I always find it amusing that although they're both Certified Twinks, and although Alex is the one getting physical with others, Nigel really has more muscle mass in his upper body than Alex does. (Bless you, slutty tank top). I think you can attribute that to the mere fact that Nigel has to drag shit through that stupid crawlspace anytime he wants to move things in or out of his room, including some very heavy pieces of furniture, plus getting them down those spiral stairs on his own? I think any muscle tone he has is earned by hard work in pursuit of his interests. Alex just reads all the time and occasionally punches a fellow student, lol.
So, what sports might they be involved in if I had to pick? Let's start with the types of activities most likely to appear at a British upper class boarding school: rugby, cricket, football (soccer), tennis, and depending on where you go, maybe rowing, swimming, lacrosse, fencing, or polo. Of these, I just can't envision cricket because...it's just so weird and boring as hell and takes forever (sorry, Brits.) We have photos of Eddie on the rugby team in his days at Eton, so that makes it a bit easier to picture him playing that sport. Plus, have you ever seen pics of them lifting each other? GAY. We also have some pics of him playing in a celebrity tennis event for charity, though he says he's bad at it.
Fun fact: Eddie is the circled guy on the left. The circle on the right is Prince William. That's the type of life Eddie had growing up--Eton is the most famous and prestigious of the British "public" schools (understand that in this context, what they call public schools is what most people mean when they say "private school".)
Which brings me to this thought: while Alex doesn't seem like much of a team player, he IS very competitive and aggressive, so I could very easily picture him playing an individual sport like tennis. Lots of big egos and rage problems and crashouts in real life tennis, and he would blend in seamlessly with that type of vibe. It's also SUCH a rich boy activity. This leads me down the path to Challengers (2024) -- a movie about friends/rivals/enemies tennis players who most assuredly have something gay going on. Great movie, highly recommend. And it presents what I think is a solid sports AU scenario that could work for you with the Heated Rivalry vibes. Add those two sources, mix into LM and shake repeatedly, and you could get something fun out of it.
I've never seen anything indicating that Tom has ever played a sport in his life, lol, which fits with what we can piece together of his personality given his relative privacy. So hear me out: in lieu of real world inspirations, I will say that when I look at Nigel's frame, I could envision him as a swimmer. There's something about his shoulder to waist ratio, the build and shape of his upper body that evokes the classic ideal swimmer's body to me - skinny with broad shoulders and a narrow waist. Obviously, he's not that fit in the movie, but I could see him going in that direction. And as a sport, swimming is so unique in terms of how you're actually somehow very isolated while you're engaged in it. With Nigel, I could see that aspect being very appealing, immersion in the water, moving through it in that sleek and powerful way, and then the inherent challenge of breathing as another facet of its draw for him. And also maybe I just love to see him drenched, a wet beast.
I've seen Eddie with more physical development from strength training (see the tennis photo which was taken during the filming for Jupiter Ascending, or the bulking and toning he did for The Day of the Jackal), and I think I could picture him doing it as well. Added bonus: the visuals of this scenario are very, very good. Those little fucking Speedos, both of them being all dripping wet all the time, so much body on display, definitely NOT noticing or thinking about it at all. Cue the Heated Rivalry vibes workout/locker room/shower vibes immediately.
Honorable mentions: yeah, you could drum something up with fencing, because OBVIOUSLY. Not even a challenge, really. I have imagined Alex doing other bougie bullshit like polo, but I can't see it for Nigel so much. Although you know he'd LOVE those horses - okay, like, spitballing AU: Alex the polo player and Nigel the stable boy looking after the horses, lol. Get those boys rolling around in the hay, please. I don't know that either of them is a good enough team player to pull off the necessary synchronized precision of rowing with a crew, but also imagine how they'd be able to truly sync with each other. Solo rowing for Alex is another bougie thing I could see him do - the individual challenge of it.
Like Minds Masterpost - Main for more fun Asks that I've answered.
And for those who have sent in Asks that I haven't responded to yet: I promise they are in my inbox waiting for me, and I will get to them. I've had to expend a lot of mental energy at work lately, and it leaves me with not enough juice to devote to giving those questions the attention they deserve (bc I can't stop myself from yapping at length and doing the most). I might be slow, but I will get to each one in time!
