#Neil josten runs track

[sadboyayeron]

Can someone make a fanfic about a record holding Track Athlete from a rival school (I don’t know.) Calling out PSU for being slow and for no reason bringing up Neil Josten literally on a different sports team saying “Yeah he may be the fastest on the court but put him on the track he’ll get smoked.” And medias all over it cause no way you just called out Neil “attitude problem” Josten on TV not expecting him to clap back.

Fast forward reporters ask Neil how he feels about the statement and all he says is, “Give me his best event and two weeks, I’ll see him on the track.” So Neil joins the track team, practices with them for about 2 weeks just to learn track running technique. Qualifies for one of the biggest collegiate track events not even trying. Qualifies for the finals with the slowest time purposefully, then gaps this man on the track beating the Meet record and the Guy talking shit.

The foxes all watching Neil look at the board smirking when he sees his name and record beating time, looks then straight into the camera his face plastered on the board for the whole stadium to see. And all he does is put his pointer finger against his lips and goes shush 🤫.

All to prove a point. So the haters stay quiet.

(I would honestly say the event would be either 200m, 400m or both maybe even through in a 4x1 or 4x4 relay)

Ik Neil has a lot of endurance but I wanna see him really demonstrate his speed surprising even the Fox’s.

Just imagine the Neil in a Clemson Track compression Uniform (PSU), but instead of orange and purple, it’s orange and black/White with Neil wearing orange arm bands with fox paws and a orange Nike head band.

[hauntingsunshine14]

summer olympics 2028 in a universe with no exy we have:

star gymnast neil josten

heavyweight champion andrew minyard

tennis pro kevin day

rugby goddess allison reynolds

d pole laxer matt boyd

marathon swimmer renee walker

volleyball libero aaron minyard

hockey forward dan wilds

synchronized diver nicky hemmick

[obscureshipsandchips]

@detectivebambam

IDK and IDC if anyone here has read AFTG.

"He doesn't swing, so obviously he needs a push."

Andrew who swung at Neil with an exy racquet their first time meeting, knocking Neil off his feet. Neil who fell, whose breath was knocked out of him by Andrew.

It wasn't romantic, not yet, but christ was that not the biggest foreshadowing.

Andrew aggressively knocking the breath out of Neil repeatedly, and Neil falling harder and farther for him every time.

With a racquet, with a key, with family, with love.

[rekikiri]

a backliner from another team taunts kevin by calling him “pretty boy” and it immediately becomes A Thing amongst the foxes.

when nicky or allison see him around campus, they’ll whistle and cat call him.

lots of “hey, pretty boy!” “how’s it going, pretty boy?”

and kevin HATES IT. it simultaneously offends him to be called that and also flatters him. like how dare you call me pretty boy…but also, pretty boy? me?

and of course it has to escalate because it’s the foxes.

nicky and allison start to run out of steam a bit and decide to try to come up with similar nicknames for the other foxes. neil, of course, falls victim pretty fast.

the foxes are hanging out on a movie night, neil is curled up beside andrew and on the cusp of falling asleep right there, and allison gets an idea.

“since neil is the youngest, he’s the baby of our group. he’s gonna be baby boy.”

and neil is like :O what ??? And the other foxes talk over everyone and drown out his complaints.

aaron: “allison, that’s disgusting, what the fuck”

nicky, dan, and matt: “allison!! thats perfect! he is our baby boy!”

renee: “aw, that’s so cute!”

andrew: *silent but intensely staring at neil’s flustered state*

kevin: *silent and completely judging everyone in the room*

and it just sticks, ofc. it’s frequently shortened to just “baby” by allison, nicky, and (sometimes) dan.

kevin, aaron, and andrew never call him it

surprisingly, the next victim ends up being andrew.

once neil is unbothered by the nickname, they have to come up with a new one to start over. it begins during practice, and it’s surprisingly not allison or nicky that starts it

andrew is in goal but he’s completely zoned out. which isn’t unusual, but instead of just ignoring everything, he is staring at neil. his eyes are tracking neil as he is zooming around the court without leaving him once. most of the team starts to notice and are silently laughing at it because, yeah, andrew, we totally believe you that you and neil aren’t dating sure.

wymack notices his distraction but is content to ignore it for a while. eventually, after a few too many shots just sail right past his head, he bangs on the door to alert the team he’s opening the court doors.

“hey, lover boy, we’re kind of having a scrimmage here. stare at josten on your own time.”

“mind your pay grade, coach.”

and andrew doesn’t even look bothered. he just slowly rakes his eyes over neil again before turning away. the entire team is failing to contain their laughter. even aaron is having to cover his laugh up with coughs to try to keep up his front of hating their relationship

to his credit, neil only blushes a little bit

so that’s how our bastard trio end up being pretty boy, baby boy, and lover boy :)

[orange-foxes]

Neighbors

🏠 under the kitchen lights (you still look like dynamite) by ephemeralsky (26k)

In which Andrew and Neil are neighbors who do various neighborly things))

🏠 we might be hollow (but we're brave) by stttmsbwa (41k)

Andrew is looking to live his life in peaceful nothingness, but his new neighbor's cat won't stop sneaking onto his balcony. As much as he tries to not make it into something, Andrew finds himself drawn to the mysterious and tempting man next door. Neil is just trying to find a reason to not leave Palmetto after everyone else has moved on. But he never thought he would want to run toward something in favor of running away. (In a slightly different world, two people find themselves meeting in a softer setting and in just as much need of each other. A story about dealing with pasts, sharing secrets and a cat who is an asshole yet manages to charm everyone around it.)

🏠 No Place Like Home by gluupor, moonix (32k)

With neighbours like these, who needs enemies? Neil and Andrew have been friends for years, but have never met face to face. Josten and Minyard are new neighbours who start off on the wrong foot. Can they turn a prank war into a courtship?

🏠 boy next door by foodforworms (34k)

“I’m Neil,” he says next, undeterred by Andrew’s prior lack of responses. Neil pauses a few seconds and evidently must come to the albeit correct conclusion that Andrew will not reply unless prompted to and continues with “and you are?” “Not friendly,” Andrew replies. He takes the very last drag of his cigarette and puts it out on the windowsill before tossing it in the small trash can he keeps in the corner for the explicit purpose of throwing away empty cigarette cartons and butts. ... “No,” Neil agrees, smirking and looking down as if this is some sort of private joke Andrew let him in on. He watches Neil cough out a little laugh, and feels something akin to hatred bloom in his chest again. Neil looks back up at him, and his smile widens. “Neighborly, then.” _____________ Neil moves into the apartment next to Andrew's.

🏠 I know they won’t hurt you anymore by greedwtf (62k)

After burying his mother’s bones in an empty Californian beach, getting caught by his father, and being saved by his uncle, Nathaniel Wesninski has no other choice but to talk to the FBI to put an end to all of it. A new chance in life leads him to a homey off-campus apartment in South Carolina, as a Mathematics major with his dog Ellie, trying to figure out how to live again. ———— In which Neil Josten, Math genius amputee, former track prodigy, only begins to exist after Nathan’s death. Stuart adopts Neil and helps him finish high school and settle down, and he ends up living next to Andrew Minyard, a Criminal Justice major at Palmetto State University who takes an interest in him.

🏠 between the wall and a hard place by alex_wh0 (7k)

When Neil hears alarming sounds from his neighbour's house, he's about to intervene, but a mortifying detail makes him reconsider. Cue excessive exchanging of notes between Neil and anonymous neighbour who may or may not hate Exy and may or may not want to meet him.

[tidalwaveofcolor]

Cross Country Runner Neil Josten AU

Neil Josten seemed to appear at Palmetto out of nowhere. Or that’s what his team thought anyways. From his obvious lack of knowledge about the sport to his almost nonexistent record in high school, his teammates were nearly convinced that Neil had simply appeared one day. From what his teammates knew, Neil was recruited late in his senior year, well after cross country season had passed. In fact, it was rumored that he was originally recruited for the track team but was switched due to unforeseen circumstances. Even after months of summer training the team barely knew anything about the mysterious runner.

His avoidance of the team was truly impressive. Neil managed to dodge all invitations to group hangouts. Always being well equipped with a sheepish smile and convenient excuse.

“Sorry Daniel, I would love to go out tonight but I agreed to tutor a classmate tonight. Maybe next time?”

Even his roommate barely knew a thing about his schedule. According to him, Neil was out of the dorm before he woke up and asleep before he came back.

So, the team did what any person in this situation would do. They theorized. At fist only rational explanations for their teammates strange behavior turned into bizarre stories that soon became a running joke in the team.

Neil Josten however couldn’t remain a recluse for long. With his team growing more and more nosey by the day, he found himself giving ground. Letting his attitude slip and occasionally granting his team small truths about him. Not enough to give away all his secrets but enough to sate his teams burning curiosity.

Seemingly content with what little Neil had given them, his team backed off. That was until he made the mistake of talking to Andrew Minyard, the goalie for the exy team. In Neil’s defense it wasn’t really his fault. He never wanted to go to the student athlete event but his coach had forced him to. It also want his fault that Andrew was the most interesting person there. Now Neil had to deal with not just one but two sports teams butting into his private life. And, debatably worse, Andrew Minyard had taken an interest in Neil and seemed intent on uncovering all of Neil’s secrets. Neil had a feeling this was going to be a long five years of college.

Sort of a work in progress. Not sure if I want to actually turn this into a fic but who knows.

[ifitmeanslosingyouthenno]

it looks ugly, but it's clean (don't fuss over me)

day 17 whumptober prompt: nowhere else to go

tw domestic violence

neil had been gone for 1 year, 3 months and 27 days

well, he wasn’t gone

he wasn’t dead, he wasn’t lost, he hadn’t left, he hadn’t run, he hadn’t been taken

no, andrew simply had broken up with him 1 year, 3 months and 27 days

let him go, let him free

there was no point in keeping neil chained up when neither of them were happy

as if andrew was happy now

but still

neil was gone, as in he was gone from neil’s life

they still played exy in the same fucking team, they lived in the same fucking city, they’d both gone to allison and renee’s wedding

neil was curt, respectful, mindful of his space, and barely fucking looked at him

andrew would have rather neil shouted at him, yelled at him, cursed at him

but no, he had to fucking go and respect andrew’s no (i don’t want you anymore) and he packed his fucking bags with little bags with little fuss, despite his obvious pain and turmoil, and crossed that door with no more than a sad and confused, “did i do something wrong?” 

andrew still fucking hated him

he fucking hated neil josten and his stupid fucking boyfriend, another fucking jock, the starting defensive dealer of their team, some tall norse viking with the most gorgeous blue eyes and long blond hair he kept in a manbun most of the time and a jawline sharp enough to cut god

the actual antithesis of andrew minyard with his easygoing smile and brightness

andrew had appreciated him aesthetically before, could recognize the hotness of him

now he just despised him

but whatever

he chose to break up with neil and let him live and find someone better, someone who could push him forward, who could push him out of his comfort zone to be more

he didn’t get to complain about neil doing exactly what andrew wanted him to 

so whatever

andrew didn’t care

at least he got to keep his cat, seeing as king preferred andrew’s company to neil’s, and when king got lonely, andrew did the logical thing and got her a friend

too bad sir is the most chaotic of ginger cats

lo and behold the demon cat ran around the house causing mayhem wherever she went, and just as andrew was going to admonish her for the nth time of the evening, she froze and before andrew could blink, she was zooming back in the direction of the kitchen, paying no mind to the potted basil on the side table as the poor thing fell to the floor and the ceramic fractured into a hundred pieces

fucking hell with gingers

“sir we fucking talked about this”

the demon continued to zoom in and out of the room, making andrew sigh

he didn’t even care about the plant, he was more worried about his cat hurting herself with the pieces, but as he pressed pause on the lousy romcom he was watching, and stood up to go get the broom, the doorbell rang 

huh

the clock said it was only 9:13, he had called indonesian takeout only 18 minutes ago

the delivery guy wasn’t usually this fast

sighing, he grabbed his wallet, put on his slippers, and cursing his building’s faulty, walked to the buzzer

“don’t leave, the buzzer doesn’t work, i’ll get down in a minute”

he made for the door, both cats looking at him from the living room, sir apparently done with her zoomies

andrew looked back at the mess he left beside the couch, then dragged his eyes back to the cats

“don’t make a bigger mess, don’t walk over the broken ceramic okay, i’ll be right back”

he wasn’t sure if they understood him, but kind flopped on her side while sir decided it was time to loaf

good, let them stay like that 

he was only at the third floor, so the walk downstairs was short even if more than andrew liked to do on a daily basis

the things he did for nasi goreng

he stopped in his tracks when he reached the door

there was no delivery guy with a bike, no man holding his trays of food

no, he would recognize his posture anywhere

he could recognize him blind and deaf and handless, and through the haziness of the window

he could recognize in any way and form

he recognized him now, leaning against the wall, face blanketed by darkness, hoodie up, with only a few wilder curls on open sight

he had no idea what neil josten was doing here

for a moment he hesitated on opening the door, wondered if it was worth the heartache

but then why would neil come here of all places when he shared a perfectly lovely apartment with his perfectly lovely boyfriend?

he forced his feet forward, forced his fingers to stop their trembling by forcing them inside the pocket of his hoodie

the moment he opened the door and neil looked up at him with one bloodshot eye and one swollen and face covered in blues and purples and even greens and yellows, the first thing he felt was shock

it didn’t last more than two seconds before it was replaced by rage

deep, burning, violent and reckless rage

neil sniffed something pitiful, his right eye so swollen andrew could barely see the blue of his iris, his sclera filled with bright red blood 

someone wasn’t going to survive the night

“i’m sorry,” neil said hoarsely, shakily, and andrew noticed the bruises around his neck too, “i- i had nowhere else to go”

he was trembling a bit, hugging one arm over his chest, and the door creaks with how strongly andrew was gripping it

“who”

neil’s functioning eye swelled with tears

“don’t– andrew i can’t do this right now, i just– i need somewhere to– not right now–”

it took everything in him to keep the rage under control, to keep it simmering until he could unleash it on whoever was responsible for this

neil wasn’t to blame, whoever had beaten him was the recipient of his anger, it wasn’t fair to bring it out on neil after all he’d been through this night already

his hands are shaking with all the leashed violence

“come on up, let’s get you cleaned up, i have food on the way”

neil’s smile is pained, fake, a mask

“is it from that indonesian place you like?”

andrew wouldn’t let him slip so easily, but for tonight he was going to let it pass, was going to push his fury to the back of his mind and focus on taking care of neil

but first

“was it him?”

andrew doesn’t have to clarify who he’s talking about

neil’s smile faltered, anguish taking over his bruised face, eyes twinging in pain and fear and grief

for a moment andrew thought he was going to push him away again, and if he asked, he would respect the boundary placed there

but

“yes”

andrew’s breath was ragged, pierceful, a thousand spines logged inside his throat

“this wasn’t the first time was it?”

neil’s eyes were pleading, teary and miserable

andrew recognized that for the answer it was

wondered how much worse than what it looked like it was

inhale… exhale…

“come on, there’s someone i want you to meet”

shoutout to indonesians for nasi goreng, had to sneak in my love for it somewhere also just if anyone cares, neil’s shitty trashbag of a boyfriend’s looks are inspired by rurik gislason lol on a more serious note, please seek help if you or anyone you love is going through domestic violence, love is not meant to be painful, love is not meant to be endured, love is not meant to be "good on most days", if your partner is ever violent or manipulative or forceful or does anything that puts you through physical or emotional distress, seek help, find a place to stay where you feel safe, find a network of people who can keep you safe, let anyone know what you're going through, and get to safety as soon as possible it is never too late to leave an abusive relationship, if you are ever in this position, please know they are thousands of people out there believing in your strenght and courage to leave that situation my dm's are open if anyone ever needs someone to talk stay safe everyone <3 title from cherry wine by hozier

[nick-c0rrupt3d]

AFTG x ALEX G songs here!

Andrew Minyard:

-Come Back

song here

-Keeping promises for 'kicks'.

Him saying that promises means everything, but lets aaron go over them.

-Thinking it wouldnt 'stain like this',

Him losing his impurity, feeling dirty after his SA.

-'slimy little pills keeping you around'

He thought that Neil was an hallucination.

-'i wish i could come back down'

His need to stop being manic because of his pills.

-Candy

song here

-'keep your body in the air, shut your mouth stay up there, dont let them see you like this, wash your face and hide your wrists'

Just his SA and his way to recall his body his own throught cutting himself. The costant need to never show what you have been throught and let himself percieved weak.

-'Just like candy you go down, stain my teeth and rot your mouth'

Again, his pills doing more bad than good.

-East coast(unrealeased)

song here

-'And maybe, I'm tired of you running your mouth, And maybe, I don't have the guts to spell it out, And maybe, I want you to hurt my brain'

Maybe, maybe, maybe, he is insecure, he doesnt understand, he is struggling to understand what neil means for him.

-'When you go, Where you go, I don't wanna know, When you go, Where you go, Don't tell me so'

Andrew in denial, a lof of 'i dont care' while he does. Its easier to think that Neil will go away.

-Track 07 (unrealesed)

song here

-'I wanna make you cry like you knew, I wanna make you lose'

Wanting revenge from his abuser. making them cry like they make him do.

-'What's the matter? I dont want to wait so long'

Him waiting and waiting for his abuse to stop.

-'Met a boy who likes my body, said he wants to break your teeth'

Well..Neil Josten. Sprinting to defend him at Thanksgiving, but Aaron beating him in time.

BONUS!

MASTER POST

[grasslesss]

Evan "Buck" Buckley Playlist

Hello!! I've posted my playlist master doc before but I've decided I want to start posting each of them individually and talking a little but about them, their vibe, and some highlights from each, and I've been so proud of the Buck one lately I've decided to start there. If you want a refresher on how I curate my playlists/my rules, I will attach the master doc here where you can find info about that & any other character playlists you might be interested in.

To sum it up, the general criteria is based on lyric interpretation, vibes, sometimes the era a character comes from if it’s clearly defined, and if I personally think the character would listen to it or not.

With that being said, my Buck playlist!!!! The sonic vibe here is a combination of plucky guitar and brain-itching synths. Buck gets to have one of the wider ranges of music (similarly to my Neil Josten playlist) because I generally interpret the characters who travel a lot/have "running" as a theme in their arcs as listening to a lot of different music because traveling lends itself to that.

I generally don't put Taylor on a lot of playlists despite liking her music because I just don't think a lot of characters would listen to her despite how much her music is tied to fandom, so it is a JOY when I get to. There is a nice handful of Taylor on here. A sprinkling of Maggie Rogers and Remi Wolf as well. Buck loves some girl pop, what can I say.

Fleetwood Mac is THE roadtrip music, so he has a sprinkling of their tracks on here as well.

My favorite addition to this playlist are the tracks by Nick Drake. I am a huge Nick Drake fan and when "One of These Things First" started playing during Buck Begins I nearly lost my mind. I think his introspective lyrics and raw production would be something Buck really enjoys.

There is also, of course, some Noah Kahan because it thematically fits. (Again, ties back to that idea of running. Also ties into themes of family, and the concept of "home,")

My wildcard, hot take opinion on this playlist is the sprinkling of new wave. I just think Buck would like new wave music.

And a highlight track for me is "Cowboy Tumbleweed" by FIGHTMASTER (or E.R. Fightmaster.) It is *the* people-pleaser character anthem, but I think more than any of my other character playlists it's on it fits this one the most.

I hope someone enjoys this :)

[our-king-bree]

PREVIOUS PART

AFTG AU PT.2 where Katelyn and Neil are half siblings, and Katelyn got left behind with Nathan when Mary ran away with Neil.

Katelyn doesn't react well when she sees Nathaniel for the first time at Palmetto. She's been secretly going out with Aaron for a while so she knows there's a new guy on a team, that's a menace, that's trouble and that Andrew seems so intent on breaking but she doesn't know how he looks and his name —Neil Josten— doesn't ring any bells so she doesn't pay him much attention, really.

Their first encounter happens on a practice, the Vixens practice on court too but they don't share the same schedule with the Foxes—that's why they haven't crossed paths yet. But practice got postponed and things happened and suddenly, the doors open and in come the Foxes. The Vixens don't mind them, their practice will end up soon anyway but someone catches Katelyn's eyes —a short guy, dark brown hair, brown eyes, and something so familiar about him. She doesn't realize she stopped mid stretch to openly stared at the guy until Maya hits her lightly on the shoulder. And then, Katelyn recognizes him.

Her first instinct is to run, her second instinct is to attack. Her third instinct, and the one she follows, is to scream at him to get his attention.

"This is very far away from home, isn't it?" the words feel like blades cutting her tongue, the language feels strange but she smiles to herself when Nathaniel stops on his tracks.

He turns around, eyes widened and tries to look for her on the ocean of Vixens, Katelyn takes a step closer to him. "You're not gonna say hello? I missed you."

Katelyn's words carry weight, the weight of endless punishments with Lola in the basement, the weight of endless lessons with Nathan. The weight of being left behind by both Mary and Nathaniel without a second thought. Mary wasn't her mother, and she knows it but she could've at least warned her mother and things would've been different. Instead, she grabbed her son and ran away.

"What are you doing here?" Nathaniel says, suddenly too close for comfort. Katelyn backs away and Nathaniel follows. "What? Afraid now? You literally yelled at me across the court."

Katelyn wants to laugh, she's not afraid. She had been trained to not be afraid, she doesn't laugh though. But she smiles and something akin to pride blooms on her chest when Nathaniel takes a step back. "What are you doing here? He would kill you"

She doesn't say what she really wants to say: 'This place is mine, I've been sharing the house back at Baltimore with your ghost. You don't get to steal this place from me too.' But it's a close thing, she can feel her chest tightened, her eyes burn and her fists closing over the imaginary handle of her father's knives.

"Locker room. Now."

She doesn't look back to see if Nathaniel follows her, but she hears his steps falling behind her and she nods to herself approvingly. Palmetto is hers, Nathaniel will do as she wishes him to do. She would no longer be the second. Not here.

[love-too]

ARO/ACE MEDIA REC

So, I decided to make one of this too with the books and movies/series I've actually seen to keep track of my impressions.

Btw these are just little descriptions to avoid spoilers, but before reading or watching, please, do seek more information about the plot and the eventual warnings that come with it!

BOOKS

Seven Ways We Lie - ace rep

The story follows 7 students who represent the 7 deadly sin. They all get caught up in a secret at their high school while having to deal with their messy lives.

Radio Silence by Alice Oseman - ace rep

It talks about friendship and relationships and the difficulties that come with loneliness.

Solitaire by Alice Oseman - ace rep

It follows the story of Tori and her struggles with loneliness and making friends until Michael comes along.

How to be a normal person by TJ Klune - ace rep

One of the most moving father-son relationships I've ever read. This book is a bit weird, but really lovely.

Heartsong by TJ Klune - ace rep

It's about werewolves and magicians and found family. The relationship that the ace characters is in is really cute.

The Captive Prince series by CS Pacat - demi rep (?)

I was on the fence on wether to include this or not, but ultimately I did because. It's historical fantasy and it deals with abuse, so heads-up!

The all for the game series by Nora Sakavic - demisexual rep

The story of Neil Josten, an orphan on the run that turns to Exy to try to survive. It's about found family and it deals really well with the concept of consent.

COMICS

Wandering by pearsfears - aroace rep

This story is about sport, college, body issues and friendship. The artstyle is really soothing.

MOVIES/SERIES

Koisenu Futari - aroace rep

Arguably one of the best series on the topic I've ever seen. The characters talk about it out loud and with no shame and it explores the idea of a queer platonic relationship.

Heartbreak High - ace rep

It deals with the difficulties and incomprehensions that may come when one person in a relationship is asexual and/or sex repulsed and the other is not.

Heartstopper - aroace rep

Alice Oseman once again, this time with aroace rep from Isaac in the second season.

One Piece Live Action - ace/aroace rep

I never read the manga or saw the anime, but this one really surprised me. Luffy truly feels aroace with lines like "you look like Nami" (and Zoro's "you're asking the wrong guy"!) and loyalty that makes you think of the possibility of a qpr. Plus, found family! (Again, idk if it's confirmed. I know nothing about one piece, but the vibes are surely there).

[mommy-daddy-issues-poll]

Neil Josten (All For The Game) Propaganda

“Serial killer dad and abusive mom who raised him on the run his whole childhood”

“His father is a crime lord and basically sold him to the mafia as a child so his mother stole a bunch of money from his father and went on the run with him and they are hunted by his father's men. While his mother (arguably) loves him, she very much emotionally neglected him and physically punished him when he didn't keep a low enough profile. Then his mom is killed by his fathers men, so after being controlled by her all his life (for survival) he has to live on his own for the first time. And then also his father has him tortured and tries to kill him later on. So plenty of Mommy and Daddy issue to go around.”

“Neil was raised by a father in the mafia that is known as the butcher because he kills a bunch of people with a cleaver like that's his job in the mafia and he's abusive and terrible to Neil. Then his mom finally escapes with him and they have to live on the run for several years while his father tries to track them down. While on the run his mother is also abusive in a way that is trying to keep him safe but still abuse (like hitting him for going out with a girl because she doesn't want them to get too close to people). Anyways his father finally catches up to them and kills his mother and then he has to burn her body on the beach so. He doesn't trust anyone, especially not older men, and he also has to deal with the mental trauma that his mother put on them while on the run and it greatly affects his relationships with other people. He needs therapy so deeply but doesn't believe in it. Sometimes he wakes up reaching for a gun that he used to keep next to him at all times. He doesn't move when he sleeps bc his mom would hit him for it. Most of his actions in the series hinge on the fact that his father will find and kill him. He can't stop thinking about the way his mother's body looked as it burned. He's got so many problems <3 but he meets a bunch of other people who also have a lot of trauma and they bond and it's beautiful”

"Well, his father is the Butcher of Baltimore, a serial killer who's the head of a gang with equally horrible people. His father has his people torture Neil to teach him how to be like Nathan, and also tortures him himself. One incident in Neil's childhood is when he couldn't sit still enough when the police come round and, when they leave, his father whacks him with a hot iron. Then, his dad decides to basically sell him to the yakuza that he works for - or, at least, to a branch of it that controls a sport (Exy). They also mess up the college kids in their care, hurting those they feel they own.

To stop this, Neil's mum grabs him and goes on the run with him, so for a good portion of his life, Neil is moved around, told not to amount to anything so he's not noticed, and lives in constant fear. If he does anything his mum considers wrong or that could get them found, she would beat him, and often immediately moved them on. "

“His mother beat him frequently when they were on the run (out of fear because he could endanger them so she was trying to correct his behavior but still there are better ways). Like his relationship with his mom is so fucked that one of the first things we learn about him is that he likes smelling cigarette smoke to remind him of when he burned her body after she died. At one point he goes I wonder if my mom is watching over me from the afterlife, hopefully not because she would probably try to kill me. This is of course, his good parent.

His father tortured him on several occasions growing up and was going to sell him to his boss for him to become a professional athlete when he was like 10 but if his boss decided that he couldn't be a sports star he would kill him. When Neil is on the run, he has to live in constant fear of his father finding him and his mom. Later in the series his father does finally catch him and pretty brutally tortures him (this is Neil's second time being tortured in these books about college sports) where he is covered in cuts and burns (some of those were from his father's subordinates to be fair) and his father was planning on gutting him and dismembered him until Neil's uncle came in and killed him.

Anyways of course the boy raised by two different mafia families has a problematic relationship to his parents."

"so basically. his dad is a mafia affiliated serial murderer who abused him his whole early childhood, which already sucks ass for neil. but THEN, this guy tried to essentially sell him to a yakuza organization (that also def would have abused him as well, not that he really cared) to pay off his debts, making him property of a yakuza organization that would profit off of him by (im not joking here) making him play a sport that is basically aggressive indoor lacrosse and allowing him to be abused in any possible way. and you may be saying, wow, that’s really messed up and kind of a weird roundabout way to settle debts, but what about his mom? and uh. oh boy. what about his mom.

his mom saw that her son was being sold to be a little lacrosse prisoner for his whole life and took her son and ran away from her husband. so she seems nice, right? wrong. she canonically refused to let him get to know anyone and hit him for even thinking about any kind of romantic feelings towards other people which. okay. i get that ur on the run from ur mob husband that wants to kill you but maybe be nice to ur son?? tbr tho, she doesn’t get that long a chance to, considering that a few years into being on the run she gets murdered by the aforementioned mob husband’s henchmen, after which she asks neil to dispose of her body by Burning It In A Car Fire and Burying Her On A Beach. so. uh. he does that. and then you’d think, oh, that’s quite a lot to happen to one person, he should stop having to Go Through It, right? but no. that’s just his backstory. we haven’t even gotten to the actual plot yet.

cut to years (and two and a half books) down the line, and he’s still on the run from his aforementioned killer mob dad who has sent henchmen after him to kill him. once he gets out of jail (he was in jail for a while there btw. i have no idea why these henchmen stuck with him after that but that’s beside the point), one of his henchmen kidnaps neil and the mob dad is like okay! im going to kill you with a knife now after my henchman tortures you! bye bye son! and neil is like yeah. that’s expected. and later when his dad is killed he is very much like ding dong the witch is dead (sidebar: he was not like that about his mom’s death. his relationship with his mom is very like… she loved me in her own way but she wasn’t kind but did she even have the chance to be? and i’ll never know but she showed glimpses of it i miss her so bad im glad ill never see her again. yk? lowkey the slightest bit complex i’ll give nora that and only that)

(second sidebar: neil looks Just Like His Dad and fully cannot look at himself in a mirror because of it. like he wears color contacts for Disguises while he’s on the run and he takes them out for more than like two seconds and goes out in public with His Dad’s blue eyes and he’s like I Want To Puke this is so bad.)

as a bonus the coach of the basically-lacrosse team he joins meets him and within literally an hour of knowing him was like “oh btw. i don’t hit kids. you look like you needed me to clarify that for you as if that’s not a given” and neil, after only knowing that this guy was roughly the same age and build as his father was like “yeah right” and genuinely does not truly think that this man isn’t out to get him until the end of the second book. it took him 2/3 of the plot to trust this man to even the smallest degree. what is even going on in nora’s brain that made her write this"

[aftgficrec]

Any fics where Kevin goes out of his way to find Nathaniel Wesninski and hunts down Neil in Millport the way Neil thought he had?

Here’s what we found. Kevin also seeks out butcher!neil in ‘Shake My Tomb,’ here. -A

They All Burn the Same by ribbittrabbitt [Rated E, 14348 Words, Incomplete, Updated May 2024]

Abram has been running since he watched his mother die. He's been running and doing the things he does best. He kills, he hides, he lies. He's allowed himself a break, time to settle as Neil Josten and allow himself a few months to live something resembling a real life, when an old friend tracks him down and drags him into a world he swore to always run from. An AU where Kevin Day seeks out Neil Josten and hopes that Nathaniel Wesninski will offer help in taking down Riko Moriyama.

tw: dark, tw: violence, tw: blood/gore, tw: implied/referenced torture, tw: implied/referenced child abuse, tw: rape/noncon, tw: alcohol abuse

[angry-redfox]

//a mini-sketch of the relationship between Aaron and Neil :p

What if Neil wandered into the state where Aaron lived and made friends with him, and then offered to run away with him?

two teenagers are hiding in the woods from a maniac father and an alcoholic mother

Drops of oil dripped down his chin, greedily biting into the rabbit's leg, it even seemed to growl. Sucking the bone, running his tongue along the oil tracks on his palms, and then biting the bone, crunching and unpleasantly frowning eating it too. That's what hunger does to people. Turns them into creatures ready to rush at anything that moves, the main thing is to fill their bellies. Neil, watching from the sidelines with what pleasure Aaron ate a meager portion, twirled his leg in his hands. Today they managed to treat themselves to only a few handfuls of berries and roots. Tomorrow Aaron promised to teach him how to weave hooks to catch fish. Although it's funny, no matter how much Neil himself studied, nothing worked out. Then the fishing line is too loosely tied and the hook goes to the bottom with the catch, and he laughs like a child. But you can't say that Aaron can show something besides poisonous irritation. And you can't get angry, but you just start laughing with him. I can't remember when Josten spent time with someone so carelessly. Mother never allowed anything detailed. Claiming that it distracts, does not allow you to focus on your safety. And when did he begin to treat her so negligently? He threw his rabbit leg into his partner's plastic plate, for which he was gifted with a puzzled look, light eyebrows frowned, converging over the bridge of his nose, forming funny hollows. Raising his hands up, Neil tried to smile as innocently as he could, but apparently they didn't believe him a bit.

—I don't want to," was all he said, rolling his eyes, Minyard snorted with displeasure, sitting closer and pouring his handful of berries into Neil's plate.

— That's fair.

Laughing softly, Josten nodded without arguing.

[karmiky]

I posted 5,233 times in 2022

12 posts created (0%)

5,221 posts reblogged (100%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@slytherintothedragonsden

@fluent-in-lesbianism

@paradoxolotl

@orville-redenbacher-space-hero

@kieren-fucking-walker

I tagged 263 of my posts in 2022

#aftg - 166 posts

#all for the game - 146 posts

#tfc - 143 posts

#the foxhole court - 137 posts

#neil josten - 119 posts

#andrew minyard - 117 posts

#andreil - 73 posts

#kevin day - 30 posts

#lmao - 26 posts

#aaron minyard - 20 posts

Longest Tag: 138 characters

#but you cannot convince me that andrew wouldn’t randomly stand his ground in front of someone while they’re running full force to get neil

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

So I know there’s a lot of content about Aaron dating and Andrew’s reaction to cannon and otherwise, but picture it: Bee dating. Could you imagine that shovel talk? I fully believe Andrew would quite literally make the person dig their own grave. And the rest of the foxes would be just as terrifying. Neil and Aaron and Nicky because they know how much Bee means to Andrew and the rest out of solidarity. This poor person would just be taking Bee to the movies and a group of unhinged college athletes just crashes their date. And somehow they end up paying $300 in concessions and not even getting to sit next to Bee. And god forbid they drop her off late…

55 notes - Posted April 12, 2022

#4

I’m in love with the idea that some of the foxes convince other people that they have an evil twin. Except for Andrew and Aaron. So the whole school thinks Kevin day and Neil have evil twins that act a fool and Andrew and Aaron are one person.

89 notes - Posted July 30, 2022

#3

My brother in exy, this is what startles you???

235 notes - Posted March 12, 2022

#2

HC that Coach Wymack doesn’t actually know Andrew’s middle name and just makes one up every time he full names Andrew.

He’s once yelled Andrew Marie Minyard and the whole team stopped dead in their tracks and then burst out laughing.

And if Andrew smirked behind his helmet no one needs to know.

451 notes - Posted May 8, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Andrew: *trying to flirt* I’m going to make you forget your name

Neil: jokes on you. I barely remember which one I’m using to begin with.

Andrew: WHAT???

Neil: what?

905 notes - Posted June 22, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[shayberri789]

We don't even get a kevin pov oh my god

The pov and actual protagonist is Neil Josten, a runaway boy who's spent most of his life on the run trying to stay alive and away from his father. Following his mom's death, in an effort to cope, he joins a school ext team while undercover bc exy Is all he has left. He's naturally talented and scouted by Kevin yes and the foxes' coach. The story follows Neil as he learns to make a place for himself and help his new team make it to championships, all the while knowing that staying means his father is going to find him, and when he finds him, he's going to kill him.

Neil does get tangled into a lowkey, kinda adjacent, Mafia war with the nephew of a rival team, who was also Kevin's "brother" and abuser and source of the poor man's trauma. Somehow, Neil manages to keep Riko from killing anyone.

This all seems very serious but honestly it's not that bad. Neil's incredibly fucking sarcastic both in life and in narration, and his one track mind and straightforward thinking is well reflected in the writing style (this, and the fact that it's a self pub book, is why ppl say it's bad. It's rly not. The plot is a little out there but its fun and not the worst I've seen) and the fact that almost the only thing he cares about is exy

Good things it offers: the only fictional sport you'll care about since quiddich, found family, lots of humor and sarcasm, slowburn, canonically aspec character, le gay, examples of characters actively working and healing from their trauma in ways not enforcer by Neil, and every character is flawed and bit of an asshole, but even the worst fox is a good person. It makes them real

Flaws: plot is a bit out there but easy to suspend disbelief for. We can do it for fantasy we can do it for this. And uh, check trigger warnings because a LOT of heavy topics are depicted or discussed. That link also has more "before you start reading" info if you're interested

Now while Kevin isn't the main protagonist of the series, he is a very main character, along with Andrew (pictured above). All of the characters are well developed and continue to grow throughout the story. Once you read aftg there's no escaping either; I read it last year June and since then I've reread it like 10 times amongst all the other crap I read.bthe audiobook is really good too, and the books cheap. Ley us know if you decide to read it @dead-immortal

I don’t know if I’ve made this clear yet but in my head Andrew does not actually have abs 😌