#TFC Spoilers

[captain-sunshine-11]

What about Matt and Seth?

They roomed for the three years Matt was at PSU, other people filtering in and out until Neil came to live in their dorm. And how I see it,

Seth Gordon never thought Matthew Boyd was going to break out of the shell that he trapped himself in. Seth knew what the depths of withdrawal were like and it didn't look like Matt was going to make it.

He saw how Matt had to leave every time someone brought stuff into their shared dorm.

Saw how Matt was asleep on Allison's dorm couch some mornings.

Seth didn't have the patience to deal with another neurotic and skittish person when he had his own problems to deal with. He settled with ignoring Matt for the rest of his Junior year and only failed a little. He didn't have the time to deal with Matt, but the anxiety-filled, kicked puppy look the man had swayed him to stick around the dorm more. But he wouldn't ever tell Matt that, of course.

And then the Monsters came along, and they had more problems on court than not. Seth didn't notice how Andrew's attention latched onto Matt's paranoia until Wymack said Matt was going to be away from the Court for a little while.

Randy Boyd came around, and after she left maybe Seth hung around Matt even more. The days Seth struggled, he stuck around Matt and played shitty movies until they passed out. Seth hated the Fast & Furious films but it gave them something to talk about that wasn't their closely related issues.

As Matt started becoming an actual person again, Seth didn't mind him that much anymore. In between having Allison and not, there was Matt. Matt Boyd stuck around no matter what as he recovered and became a shoulder to lean on even as he was suffering. It was a trait he found that he was jealous of; but, that was an emotion he didn't know how to deal with so if Matt ever offered an ear or hand, Seth stormed out of the room.

Either way, Matt became full of smiles and laughter. He scored with Dan and somehow Seth could tell that they will love each other for a long time. That look isn't something he and Allison have, but that is why it would be better for Matt.

When Kevin Day comes along and gets snatched up by the Monsters, Seth's mood gets worse. Matt can't fix the anger that comes with talking to the Exy Superstar but he helps.

Seth Gordon survives his Senior year and he thinks some of that could be attributed to Matt.

It's Seth's last year at PSU and he hates Neil Josten. Kevin, even more so. But, then maybe Neil isn't so bad. If Matt likes him, then he can't be that bad. Seth thinks he might look into becoming a Social Worker (he only told Allison and then Matt about it in passing). Seth feels... normal. More than he has in a while. This isn't the highest high he has ever had, but its enough that he thinks he might one day grow to be as mature as Matt. And maybe.. he wants to live.

But then, Seth Gordon is gone.

Matt Boyd is left behind. They weren't the best of friends, but Seth is the closest thing he has had since high school. Once you got past Seth's gruff-asshole tendencies, he was pretty funny and thoughtful. You just had to wrangle it out of him.

Matt mourns Seth alone. Dan is busy with Allison, and Matt doesn't blame her for not immediately checking in with him. It's Allison, and Seth was Allison's, not Matt's.

Matt quietly calls Betsy Dobson outside of her office hours and mourns what his friend's future could have been.

[hella1975]

ur making it pretty hard to not be curious about aftg like what is going on can you infodump ur worst to me

so basically it's about a guy called neil who's not actually called neil bc turns out he's the son of a HIGHLY abusive mafia hitman and him and his mother have been running from this guy for years which ofc means changes in identity and a SHIT ton of issues ranging from good old fashioned paranoia to lighting cigarettes not to smoke them but to let them burn down bc the smell reminds you of your mother's burning corpse. but neil is obsessed and i mean OBSESSED with this made up sport called exy which is like lacrosse but with the violence of ice hockey and he joins a pro-team despite aforementioned ABUSIVE MAFIA DAD AFTER HIM and guess what! the guy who signed him is called kevin and his ex-team are affiliated with the mafia too! including neil's dad! neil just screwed himself over big time! but who cares when you have exy! enter: andrew minyard. andrew is a blonde, 5ft, ex-juvie, under-court-surveillance-for-grevious-bodily-harm goalkeeper currently working unofficially as kevin's bodyguard and, while we never get an actual diagnosis bc god forbid we handle mental health properly in this thing, it's implied that he has some kind of psychosis and, as part of his plea bargain, is legally obgligated to take incredibly mood-altering medication that makes him manic in exchange for being allowed to stay on the team (aka with kevin who he's VERY possessive of), done entirely for the wellbeing of those around him and effectively against andrew's will. does he stick to that deal? fuck no! but it doesn't stop there! andrew proceeds to spend the entire book being as violent and unpredictable and generally cunty as possible in order to figure out What Neil's Deal Is bc neil is capital S Shifty and andrew is convinced he's from kevin's old mafia cult team trying to hurt him. we spend an entire book watching the three of them wrestle between neil's paranoia, andrew's protectiveness and kevin's desire to Please Can We Just Play Exy. there are some keys involved. someone dies. there are two more books. inexplicably two of the characters can speak fluent german purely from high school classes.

[yaynotgaybutbi]

Neil's You know rant becomes so much hotter and unhinged when you realize that the music that might have been playing during it (according to Billboard charts and Further down a stereo system started blasting what passed as popular music these days,...) might as well be:

a. SexyBack by Justin Timberlake

b. Buttons by The Pussycat Dolls

c. Promiscuous by Nelly Furtago

How did Andrew hold it together is beyond me...

[vongutundbose]

[tfc graphic novel spoilers]

[eeriethacus]

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry that he hurt you, I’m sorry that you’re still afraid to talk about it, and I’m sorry that you think I’ll never understand. I’m sorry that he tricked you into thinking you deserved it."

[oblivionsdream]

Don’t mind me just crying over Jean Moreau.

I can’t wait to see him continue healing in book 2. 😭

[swampthingking]

obsessed with jean’s colorful insults/descriptions so here’s a compiled list of them in order

you arrogant fool (abby)

you imbecile (kevin)

your ball-battered brain (kevin)

you feckless child (kevin)

those clowns (trojans)

pet goalkeeper (andrew)

the tiny bastard (neil) [LMFAO]

kevin’s pet monster (andrew)

the sunshine court [derogatory]

wholesome in an unsettling, unhealthy way (the trojans)

unhinged optimist (renee)

some plump shrink (bee)

that creepy little goalkeeper andrew minyard [PLEASE i was fucking DEAD he has no idea how funny he is]

you tedious malcontent (neil) [probably my favorite one]

an abominable cockroach (neil)

the wayward child (neil) [jesus christ he is not taking it easy on neil]

andrew’s twin

worthless trash bags (foxes, past tense)

a rabid little fox (neil) [hey. remember when neil described andrew as a ‘rabid goalkeeper’ ???]

annoyingly easy to look at (jeremy)

strange and misguided (the trojans)

the cruelty of these nonstop temptations (kevin, renee, jeremy)

the sunshine court [less derogatory]

“I was hoping he would bite his tongue off in the fall and save us both some grief in the long run.” (lucas)

wretched beast (gr****n)

your ignorant mouth (lucas)

“Your apologies are as useful as perfume on a frog.” (lucas)

neil, being the person he was,

you ignorant child (neil)

miserable wretch (neil) [giving his everything to neil’s insults]

ok that’s all. unless i missed some. and if i did you have to add them it’s just law

[curiousity-cell]

i keep thinking about jean’s POV of riko going to hit neil.

in aftg, neil is so focused on riko coming down with his racket to hit him that it seems like andrew comes out of no where to save him but i love that jean sees it. and it’s not like he just moves out of goal or anything, no, he HAULS ASS to get to neil to save him. that to me says everything. i love them so bad

[herojourney]

neil josten ordering two thai iced teas and a mafia hit on the same page. he is god's perfect babygirl.

[rise-deepseamonster]

Jean: *sees Jeremy in swimming trunks*

Jean: This is worse than the time Riko flayed me open with knives and waterboarded me

Jeremy: Worse than WHAT-

[back2beesness]

I’m rereading aftg after reading tsc and honestly the difference between Jean and Neil as narrator is really hitting me, like Neil is so fucking attuned to Andrew at all times, even at the beginning when it’s like a threat analysis thing. Neil’s narration is fucking laser focused on Andrew, meanwhile Jean’s over here getting distracted by Kevin and Renee and Jeremy, it makes me appreciate Andrew and Neil even more just because of how clearly obsessed with him Neil is

[dawnatlas]

"Stitch by stitch, tape and gauze, Jean had done his best to keep the wayward child moving. The helpless anger—why the fuck did he get caught—had been mitigated by a more foolish what-if—what if he stays?"

[luneillusoire]

who wore it better?? 🌈

[kevindavidday]

if i had a nickel for everytime nora wrote a book about a terrified protagonist who shows up to the airport with one singular bag as his luggage then lets a blond boy pick him up and drive him to meet people who will eventually become family to him only to end the book with said protagonist finding a home when he thought he never would and calling it as such, i would have exactly two nickels which isn't a lot but it's great that it's happened twice

[back2beesness]

In TRK ever single fox is like, Neil how strange that Andrew gives you whatever you want, what could this possibly mean and meanwhile Neil knows about Andrew’s sexuality and is still like, huh idk what’s up here versus in TSC as soon as Jean finds out Jeremy is into men he’s like ah yes this was what Lucas meant when he made that snide comment, we’re talking two completely different levels of social intelligence here

[deklo]

some tsc jeremy :-)