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Neil, who has spent years on the run, breaking into places to sleep, who has never been explicitly allowed and welcomed anywhere, who has never belonged, to whom Wymack gives keys to the court and to whom Andrew gives a key to his house and let him in.

Jean, who has spent years in the Nest denied privacy and boundaries, who has been forced to go where he is told, whom Zane betrayed by leaving their door unlocked, to whom Cat gives her door security bar and helps him lock his abuser out.

On the other hand, nobody telling Jean the code to USC's exy stadium so he instead repeatedly enters Evermore's code--symbolic of the Trojans' distrust of him and the way he doesn't quite consider himself one of them (yet).

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"Jean considered biting the fingers that slipped pills between his lips" tsc p11

"Jean felt the tendrils of an old and ugly rage stir, and he knotted a bruised hand in the sheets like he could somehow hold it at bay through sheer force alone." p22-23

"'If you tell me to follow his lead, I will cut your throat open with my teeth', Jean said." p26

"The urge to tear Nathaniel's face open was so fierce he could barely breathe." p28

"It was the only way this worked: if Jean signed something that said he had to behave to be allowed to stay on the lineup, he could bite his tongue and stay his fists. It'd piss him off beyond the telling, but he could follow orders if it meant surviving another day. Without that black-and-white command his nature would get the better of him sooner or later, and then there'd be no saving him." p65-66

"Finding out he was little more than Riko's dog outside of practices had him lashing out with all the youthful rage he could muster." p79

"He was furious at Abby for implying he'd never tried to fight [...] 'Fuck you,' Jean said quietly, then louder: 'Fuck you.'" p79

"Jean couldn't explain that restless rage" p90

"'Yes,' he said, and if he didn't sound sure, he at least sounded angry. 'Let them all burn. I hope none of them survive.'" p142

"He wanted to throw Jeremy into a wall just to prove he could" p242

"Jean was a starving dog on a short chain who'd learned years ago not to bite back." p252

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woke up this morning at 4:30 and my first thought was ITS TGR MONTH

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The kevthea paradox.

1. All we know about Kevin is he's beautiful and a star at exy, with an often unlikable, even warped, attitude.

KEVIN! WE LOVE YOU!

2. All we know about Thea is she's beautiful and a star at exy, with an often unlikable, even warped, attitude.

. . .

Anyways, this is about what KEVIN wants.

We know he's attracted to strong personalities, not necessarily nice ones. The world has always been quicksand shifting under his feet - he craves a solid place to stand.

Try to imagine the glamour her self-assurance bestows upon her every movement. How radiant with confidence she must look to him, how regal.

What if in Kevin's eyes she's like the Queen of Exy in female form?

You guys what if Thea is basically just Kevin Day's equivalent of Kevin Day?

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“this character should kill their abuser” i agree. unfortunately they wouldn’t do that.

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Oh myyyyy captain ☀️

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Thank you!! Someone had to say it!

I actually liked that they didn't handle it well in the book simply because it made sense in the narrative, and for who the characters are. Its 2007, and none of them (as far as we know) have a frame of reference for Jean's type and scope of trauma. If they responded perfectly, I think I'd honestly find it kind of hard to believe. I'm a fan of authors being very logical in their character's responses like that.

But I'll go a step further, and look at it from a more...emotional? angle. I don't understand why people hate on them for handling it badly. When I read the book, I found it almost...endearing? In the sense that -to me- their occasionally badly executed attempts at handling Jean reflect such a determination to care and to try.

As always, bear with me.

A major theme of the book, in my opinion, is that looking away, be it literally or metaphorically, when something is wrong and someone needs help, is an act of violence. To me, the floozies ‘bad’ handling of Jean’s trauma is just a product of them not looking away. The easier thing is always to look away, or worse, to push the thing that makes you uncomfortable away as fast and far as you can.

Trauma is often reacted to this way. Most people are not used to seeing people get triggered, especially when the resulting behavior is violent or frightening in nature. People aren't sure how to deal with what are clearly serious issues, so they respond to that discomfort by pulling away. They put distance between themselves and this person they don't understand, and in the process, alienate the victim further.

Cat, Laila, and Jeremy seem to be aware that they are in over their heads, with Jean. They can see that he's got shit going on that they have no idea how to deal with.

But they don't drop him, they don't pretend it isn't happening, and they don't hold him at arm's length.

They try.

They use what limited, ill fitting knowledge they have, and they try to meet him where he's at. They do not respond like trauma therapists because they are not trauma therapists. They are twenty-somethings in 2007 who understand very little beyond knowing that there is a person in front of them who is clearly not alright.

Over and over again, they choose to do the uncomfortable thing, and try to offer him what they can. What he needs is probably intensive therapy- but he's has (or will have, come TGR) Betsy for that.

The Floozies are offering something less clean cut than a therapist, but no less well intentioned or valuable. It's friendship, and warmth, and a chance at normalcy. They challenge his harmful thinking, and try to prevent him from retreating within himself so far that no one can get to him. They push him to do new things, and provide a contrast to what he believes life to be.

And yeah, sometimes they mishandle things. They're also young. But they do not quit on him. They very determinedly do not look away, even as the pile of Big Scary Concepts To Reckon With gets bigger and bigger. I think they're meant to be a contrast to the Ravens, in a lot of ways. Instead of picking on his weakness, they refuse to leave him behind. They don't let him stay trapped in his own head just because it would be easier for them.

In my opinion, their well intentioned, somewhat poorly executed attempts at trying are a hundred times better than not trying at all.

"the floozies are terrible at dealing with Jean's trauma!!?!!!"

the floozies are twenty years old

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jean: you like men

jeremy: more exclusively than you do, i think.

THE WAY HE CLOCKED JEAN’S BISEXUAL ASS LIKE THAT,,, MY MAN SAW A CHANCE AND HAD TO SHOOT HIS SHOT

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The Kings men, chapter four

Okay i'm literally shaking posting this, i've been working on it for days i lost all objectivity about it.

Someone requested this scene when I asked for recommendations on an older post, so this is tkm chapter four:

"Andrew sprawled on the couch in the lounge while Kevin went ahead to change out. Neil hesitated, changed his mind and started after Kevin, and changed his mind again. He stood behind the couch, folding his arms across the back of it, and peered down at Andrew. Andrew had one arm folded under his head and the other draped over his eyes to block the light. 'One of these days you might as well practice with us,' Neil said."

This scene is so long I had to cut some parts (including the incredible "You let us run ourselves into the ground and clean up behind us. You play the game like you play life. That's why you're so good at it.").

Not to mention Andrew's height fear, one of my all-time favorite aftg quotes ("When you said you were afraid of heights, you were joking, right?" "Andrew, you can't be. What were you doing on the roof?" "Feeling." -tkm ch.5).

Update: I cut the (too long) comic into smaller images so that you can open it and have a better quality, hope it works!

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Seth doodle I miss u hater

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jean moreau meeting cat alvarez

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Descriptions from the AFTG wikia:

Strikers: The striker is offense and plays to score. Strikers start the game on the half-court line. The strikers on the serving team start on the inside; strikers for the defending team are on the outside.

Dealer: The dealer serves and is thereafter the middleman; dealers have the option to specialize as offense or defense and can play as an extra striker or backliner depending on how the game is going. Dealers start on the first/far-court lines.

Backliner: The backliner is defense and protects the goal. Backliners start on the first/far-court lines.

Goalkeeper: The goalkeeper guards the goal.

If you have any poll requests, please send them in my asks! Requests are always appreciated.

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hey quick question

i went onto the aftg wiki to check something for a theory i had, and i ran across this list of known ravens.

when/where was zane's number given away? for that matter, what about luke and martin's numbers? cause i know nora posted a list of the strikers, and i was waiting for a list of the backliners-- was there one posted that i missed??

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Cat after making sure her gf was okay when Jean accidentally threw an elbow at her

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thinking about that one reporter that was thinking of Jean’s well-being

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Character, book, and author names under the cut

Harrowhark Nonagesimus/Gideon Nav- The Locked Tomb by Tamsyn Muir

Jeremy Knox/Jean Moreau- The Sunshine Court by Nora Sakavic 

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Endlessly dreaming of Jean flipping the partner’s logic back on Jeremy. I know it’s coming. A good old fashioned uno reverse “I will not look away”. Jean shoving his way in like Jeremy shoved his way in. Jean who perceives too much and Jeremy who tries his darndest not to be perceived. Ohhhh it’s too good.