#aftg freshmen

[andrewmsaidso]

i neeeed to know more abt jack from neil’s following years at palmetto u don’t understand. i have so many questions. why sheena? is he a major douche bag to everyone or just neil?? does everyone not like him or just the upperclassmen (being everyone excluding the 6 new recruits)?? just how good is he? better than neil was when he first arrived good or what…? (i think that’s lowkey implied)

just how complex is his character? what’s his back story? if the fandom, with the help of information from the ec, paint him as this condescending nuisance, why did wymack make him vice captain? and so early too? cus we know wymack doesn’t just make the best players captain, he looks for leadership potential or whatever. so how much of that does jack have?

[inadvisablebutinevitable]

I think that in the future when the US court for Exy is first announced and the entire internet is talking about the roster, some reporter will go up to Neil and be like “so how does Kevin feel about being on a team with so many gay athletes? between you and Minyard, Alvarez and Dermott, and Knox and Moreau, there are three gay couples on the US team, some fans are speculating that it is perhaps too many—“

and then Neil cuts him off and goes “yeah, and between me and Jean there are two children of mobsters on the fbi watchlist. Between Andrew and Jeremy there are two convicted felons, and between me, Kevin, and Jean, there are three former perfect court members who said fuck that and got our tattoos removed or replaced. We can all count buddy”

Neil loses his press privileges before practices even start

[sammichly]

yk what i want wymack to one day follow through and actually sign the foxes up for a marathon. they make a day out of it and everyone is So Unhappy to be there at 6:30 in the goddamn am. except for. fucking neil. hes having a grand old time going for a fun little run with his team :)

meanwhile literally everyone else is wishing a thousand fiery deaths upon him for being a sick enough bastard to enjoy this. wymack went home early.

[jtl-fics]

In honor of April Fools day I will talk a bit about an AU with my favorite fool - (Redacted) Smith that I will probably never write fully but have thought about a bunch of scenes for.

I call it 2 Fluent Freshmen.

Due to a clerical error at both the school and during the local government's push to digitize their documents Smith is noted down as being 2 years older than he actually is and (perhaps a clerical error or maybe no teacher can say if they've had him in class or not) Smith also has enough credits to graduate. Gran has passed away early and there's nothing for him in Washington other than more anxiety.

Wymack & Dan come to Smith when he is 16 and Smith takes the chance to escape from his family IMMEDIATELY. Sure the Foxes are the worst team and sure there's some drama going on with Kevin Day having joined them after his injury but a full ride scholarship is a full ride scholarship!

Smith is rooming with 2 upperclassmen and his only other fellow freshman - Neil Josten. He is not hiding the fact that he can speak Russian, he is hiding the fact that he is 16. Smith ends up pretty close to Seth and Allison due to sharing a dorm / position respectively and just doing his best not to get to close to crazy Andrew Minyard. He does get a bit close with Neil but it's not something he's trying to do.

He's trying to keep his head down and get through the year.

It's a little hard when he is sat on the couch with the Kathy Ferdinand show. It's a lot harder when Riko Moriyama shows up and doesn't realize he's there and just...sits in Smith's lap?? Smith remains as blank faced as ever and what the fuck is Riko supposed to do? ADMIT HE FUCKED UP?

Do you know how hard it is to intimidate someone when you're sitting in the lap of some dude? The answer is VERY. Kevin can't take him seriously at all, especially after Smith made a comment that Riko's ass was bony.

Riko goes after them the same but Smith doesn't really get that his anger is at Kevin. "Hey, I'm sorry I called your butt bony on national television. That was rude of me. You should try some squats though." and like what the fuck is Riko supposed to say in the face of some dude genuinely apologizing to him.

It buys enough time that no one is grabbed or slammed.

Seth and Allison drag him out to the bar that night and after a few minutes sitting with Allison Smith realizes that he actually does have to pee and oh god someone's trying to assault Seth! Smith calls upon the powers of Gracie Hart and Seth has a black eye and a concussion but he graduates.

Neil wants Smith to come with him to the Thanksgiving because Neil has latched on a bit. Smith ends up going and also ends up going upstairs to go to the bathroom because oh god he cannot handle Nicky's parents hearing him take an anxiety shit. He's making his way to the end of the hall and sees a penny on the ground so he bends over to grab it.

And Drake Spears is unbalanced from missing his swing and falls right out the open window to the ground below where he breaks his neck. Naturally, Andrew is watching this scene unfold from the stairs and just starts to laugh his ass off. Smith turns around after flipping the penny over (it was tails side up and therefore not lucky) unaware of what has happened.

Smith asks if Andrew wants to use the bathroom. Andrew insists that Smith goes on ahead. The Hemmicks keep asking if they saw anyone upstairs and Smith has no idea what they're talking about, Andrew does but plays dumb out of spite. A day later it's wild that Nicky's parents got arrested. Like they seemed so normal, how did they kill someone and dump him in the side garden??

The Winter Banquet happens and well...it's dark. It's dark and Neil has brown hair and brown eyes and Smith has brown hair and brown eyes. Riko is not the best at judging heights so he calls Smith to threaten him and tell him that he's joining the Ravens for a Winter Break training camp. Jean is doing the most anyone has ever done not to laugh right now.

Riko only realizes his mistake when he's finished threatening Smith with his father and Smith ruins it. Smith is elated to have somewhere to stay over winter break. He can't mention he has nowhere to go so he'd thought he'd spend the break homeless. Now here comes Riko Moriyama inviting him to a camp where room and board will be provided?

What a nice guy. To thank him Smith compliments the gains he's noticed on Riko's ass. "The squats are really helping you, or are you doing something else?" he asks.

What the fuck is Riko supposed to do? ADMIT THAT HE FUCKED UP? Tell Smith that he's been doing squats and leg lifts before asking that he hand the tickets back and go get Neil???

Fuck that.

He'll just turn Smith against the Foxes and-

Well Riko kept talking about Smith's dead dad and so Smith may have a slight misunderstanding about the full scope of this training camp. He may think that there is some sort of seance element to it at this point and he's kind of excited at the idea of talking to his dad. "I've never spoken to a dead man before, this will be fun." and it's delivered flatly with no expression.

Riko starts to wonder if maybe Smith is the Butcher's son? Did the Butcher have two sons? He's sweating all the sudden.

It does not help that Smith brings a Ouija board to camp or that his dad was a legit Butcher before he died so Riko's tentative questioning only sends him further into an anxious mess about if Nathan had twins and Riko, due to being kept away from the family business, might just not be aware of it?

Smith has a nice Christmas break.

The last scene I've got dinging around in the noggin is in Binghamton. Smith has been left behind at many a stadium at this point. There's a solid and fast rule.

Neil cannot get on the bus without Smith. They are buddies. This is the buddy system. So when the riot starts and Neil seems to be getting pulled away in the crowd?

Well Smith grabs his hand and pulls him towards the bus, "Buddy system."

The bus starts and they're on their way shortly after. Neil's an anxious wreck but that next morning he wakes up to the news that the Butcher of Baltimore died in an FBI raid the night before as well as his men.

Smith watches the news with Neil, "Wow, that's scary." as he sips some orange juice.

[thefoxesraven]

And if I said Sheena was a pick me girl what next?

[foxstens]

andrew neil and kevin share a room post-canon. much to think about!

[simonsrosebud]

My Freshmen Foxes post TKM

• introductions

• their studies

• kenna pierce

[aftgrwarbtrb]

Can someone PLEASE give me fic recs of like the new foxes and Neil dealing with them as a captain. And fics of people discovering andreil specifically the freshman. Tyyyy :)

[rekikiri]

wymack didn’t pick neil to be vice captain because he thought he would be a good leader

he picked neil because he’s a nosy little shit who will stick his nose in everyone’s business and meddle with everything if he think it’ll strengthen the team

[viavonhag]

during neil’s second year, he notices that there’s a few gray hairs mixed in with his red.

someone points it out to him, maybe even allison offers to help dye his hair, but neil politely declines because seeing the gray kinda makes him sentimental.

[scholliski]

there’s always some sort of discourse floating around about this topic but despite that I do thoroughly enjoy that the aftg fandom can be divided into their niche sub-fandoms, there are people who almost entirely stick to writing about, talking about and drawing the Ravens or the perfect court, those that lean towards the Trojans and make their content surrounding that, and even within the foxes there are those that focus on the upperclassmen, the upcoming freshmen, or the pre-canon seniors; I really think that it makes for a well rounded fandom experience where even the most niche topics and characters are explored and analysed in such depth and everyone eventually finds their own calling within the fandom

[wesawbears]

Probably not the first person to think of this but I think, knowing what we know about the themes of AFTG, we might need to prepare ourselves for the possibility that Jeremy DID do something wrong his freshmen year, or at least that the situation is more complex than what we're seeing at first glance.

I could be wrong, and it could be straightforward rich family drama, but I just feel like nora doesn't have a track record of uncomplicated, non-grey protagonists. And something about a character showing grace when he was shown none...intrigues me

[mitskihost]

aftg show but it has shameless style precaps

- kevin, watching freshmen practice from the bleachers: “well? you sure as fuck weren’t at practice last week so where were you? you think you deserve a recap? go fuck yourself

- aaron, hunched over a textbook late at night, visibly disgruntled: “i play exy on the same team as kevin, i’m fucking pre-med and i still tuned in for last week’s episode. what the fuck is your excuse?”

- nicky, collecting empty beer cans from under a couch: “wait, you missed last week? thank god, me too. blacked the fuck out. i’ll let you have this just don’t tell andrew kay?”

- dan, putting her gear on in the lockeroom: “im incharge of the messiest exy team in the history of the ncaa and even i made time to watch the show last week. you think you get to be lazy? i won’t accept excuses next time? roll the fucking tape”

- allison, carefully painting each of her finger nails: “you want me to tell you what happened here last week? do i look like your fucking mother? you wanna get spoonfed all the time? get the fuck out of my sight and watch the damn recap”

- renee, sweaty, sparring with andrew casually: you missed last weel huh? i’m not an aggressive person yknow, i like to avoid fights. but if i hear you miss another week, my blade will not show you mercy. i’ll give you a pass this time, go on then (andrew in the background: you done playing nice walker? we gonna get started anytime soon?)

- seth, smoking outside the court, allison next to him looking annoyed: “you missed last week huh? look, i couldn’t care less. but i’d love a reason to punch your teeth in. you don’t wanna give me that reason again next week. now get lost.”

- matt, walking out of the lockeroom where everyone else is sitting in a shit mood: oh hi, yeah you don’t wanna be here. they got to know you missed the last week. kevin might tear you a new one if he sees you. maybe….watch the recap? i think that might help

- neil, during the hitchhiking scene in book1: look at me right now. fucking look at me. you missed last week and you cant even give me a ride. fuck you. make yourself useful and watch the recap.

- andrew, smoking on the roof, looking visibly unimpressed: i don’t care about most things that happen around here, and i still tuned in to watch the episode last week. now get lost. i don’t want witnesses to what i’m about to do to josten.

-wymack: nothing you could be doing last week was more important than the kind of shit ive been dealing with. get your shit together, asshole. better not see you asking me this stupid shit next week.

[fortheloveofexy]

Hey can you recommend any fan fics where The Foxes interact with their new freshmen after Aftg ends? Or other fics of Neil being a savage ?

Thank you 🙏🏼 ❤️

hello!! sorry it took me so long to reply to this, I haven't had much time to pull any recs together until now.

Also, just an FYI - I'm not the best at making rec lists as I often forget to bookmark the fics I like and I'm terrible at remembering fic titles too. That said, if anyone else has some suggestions for fics like this, please drop them in the replies!

never quite silenced - Stickballl (Rated G, 3.2k)

When asked for a reason why it was happening, Neil shrugged and muttered a simple I don’t know. It had to be the stress of championships. But Neil knew and each glance at the calendar made the anxiety worse. He’d ignored the anniversary for as long as he could. He thought he’d be fine with it. The past two years hadn’t bothered him, but it was like his body was finely attuned to it and made it a mission to make sure Neil remembered.

Stay With Me - Lostintheuniverseslies (Rated E, 97k)

Neil had let Andrew say goodbye to every important person left in Palmetto while he stood on the sidelines and cheered Andrew on. There was only one goodbye left and it would be the most painful one. It seemed as though it was finally hitting Neil too. They only had twenty-seven days together and then Neil would return to Palmetto alone for the first time since Millport. They spent the first year after everything healing. Now they have to learn how to navigate being away from each other while Andrew is off playing in the pros and Neil is still at Palmetto finishing his fifth year. Things aren't easy. They never seem to be for them but they're fighters. And they always come out on top.

this red is for you - Ominous (Rated T, 10k)

Katelyn never considered herself capable of doling out violence. It has always been a far away thought, dampened by college courses and late night dates with her boyfriend. She lives a stereotypical life, despite everything she's been through with Aaron. Aside from her growing connection with the notoriously troublesome Foxes, nothing much about her life has changed. Even then, she's learning she's still able to surprise herself. When Katelyn witnesses Neil defending Andrew, her own protective rage rears its head, ready to be explored. And maybe that's a good thing.

Deadly Affections - NikNak22 (Rated T, 12.2k)

Neil Josten is not soft- has never been in fact. But when an unintended comment from one of the Foxes throws Neil for a loop, he finds himself reminding them why no one should think of him in that way. But why is Andrew suddenly so distant? And what happens when all of these reminders of his past start to catch up with him? Aka: all the times Neil proved he was a badass, and Andrew reminds him he's an idiot.

take a long look, this is my good side - seasy33 (Rated T, 3.9k)

After an incident the night before has Neil showing up to practice with a bruised face, some of the newer Foxes get curious. When Nicky lets it slip that it was Andrew who blackened his eye, they decide to get involved. Neil handles it.

[jtl-fics]

Your trademark is fluent freshman and I'll fight anyone who says otherwise, you've somehow made a character that fits into aftg so well people frequently forget he's not an original fox

What's my Trademark

Ah I do love Fluent Freshmen Smithy I know I'm taking a break on him atm while I work on moving but I'm glad to have him being something I'm known for and that people like him.

[aftgficrec]

I would loveee fics where Andrew defends Neil to aaron and the other foxes (but definitely Aaron), i’ve seen so many of Neil defending Andrew but not a lot of the other way around and Neil deserves to have his man defend his honorrr

In canon, post-medication Andrew does not talk much to anyone besides Neil. Still there are definitely fics with this. Just know Andrew’s defense of Neil can be one sentence in a story, and physical violence is often his preferred method of communication. -A

previous recs  

‘The Ash is in Our Clothes’ here

‘Absinthe makes the heart grow fonder’ here

‘in the common tongue’ here 

‘I hate him,’ ‘One day we'll reveal the truth,’ ‘i'm getting static from my better sense’ and ‘My brother under the sun’ here

‘some1 saying something…’ here

‘Ember’ here

‘Can he play?’ here

‘Surreal But Nice’ here

‘Least Favorite Only Child’ here

‘Fighting Words’ here

‘Trust Fall (And Welcoming Arms)’ here

‘(Don't) Stand So Close’ here

‘In the Eye of the Beholder’ here

‘Beach Bois’ here

‘I'm Not Okay (I Promise).’ and ‘It’s not living (If it’s not with you)’ here

‘soft spots make easy targets’ here

‘Even the Darkest Night Will End’ and ‘The Andreil escapades’ here

in Masterlist for Nicky Kissing Neil: ‘The Kiss,’ ‘History Repeating,’ ‘Andrew Finds Out,’ ‘Something, Nothing & Everything’ (also big twinyards confrontation), ‘A Crack in the Mask,’ ‘Truth Time, ‘Truths Come Out,’ ‘The Unkindness of Ravens’ ch 16, ‘Delayed Reaction,’ ‘Delayed reaction (the fear of falling remix),’ ‘All For The Game Musings,’ ‘andrew finds out about what happened…,’ ‘Hold Each Other’ ch 6 and ch 15, and ‘Slip’. Finally, ‘Lessons in Cartography’ has Andrew defending Neil to both Aaron and Jack throughout

Andrew defends Neil to non-foxes

‘Something About The Sunshine’ here

‘Warmth’ here

Foxhole Tidbits ‘Ch. 22: Silent, but Snarky’ here

‘Through A Glass Darkly’ and ‘Some Things You Just Can't Bury’ here

‘Martyr’ here

‘The Bones of You’ here

‘monsters at night’ here

‘Killer Bunny’ here 

‘you're not next before forever’ here (completed)

‘looking for you’ here

‘Give Me Another Minute (to Lay Here in Your Echo)’ here 

‘Ficlet Collection…’ ch 35-37 here

you may also like

feral protective Andrew here

protective/possessive Andrew here

overprotective Andrew here 

protective Andrew here

protective Andrew gets hurt here

protective Neil/Andrew here

jealous Andrew here

previous recs where Andrew kills Nathan here

our latest Neil & Aaron ask here

Unconventional Therapy by JostenlovesMinyard [Rated M, Twinyards Appreciation Week 2021]

Twinyard Appreciation Week - Day 2 | “bottle episode” Andrew and Aaron attend their weekly therapy session but things don’t quite go to plan when the door handle falls off and they’re stuck in there together.

tw: implied/referenced rape/nocon, tw: implied/referenced child abuse

Nothing is Safe series by hismiley16 [Rated T/M/E, Collection, 7 complete works, Updated July 2023]

Part 4: Written On His Skin [Not Rated, 11344 Words] The Foxes face the Ravens for the first time since Riko's death and things go as well as expected. Andrew is mildly injured on the court and isn't there to protect Neil when the new Evermore captain comes for him after the game. The team sees more than Neil ever wanted them to, including the ghost of Nathaniel he thought he'd buried in Baltimore.

tw: vomit, tw: bullying, tw: nonconsensual touch/assault  tw: dissociation, tw: graphic depictions of violence, tw: blood, tw: implied/referenced child abuse, tw: implied/referenced torture, tw: implied/referenced murder, tw: implied/referenced animal death, tw: implied/referenced self harm, tw: implied/referenced rape/noncon

this is me trying by crownowl [Not Rated, 2142 Words, Complete, 2023]

After Neil has a panic attack Andrew finds out exactly what happened when Nicky drugged Neil and he is not happy.

tw: violence, tw: implied/referenced nonconsensual kissing, tw: implied/referenced nonconsensual drug use, tw: ptsd

Don't let me be by Cutie_Wan [Not Rated, 1983 Words, Complete, 2023]

Neil suffers a major dissociation episode in front of the Foxes.

tw: dissociation, tw: violence

One Step Forward by thecompletebookworm [Rated T, 1665 Words, Complete, AFTG Exchange Winter 2020]

Based on the prompt: “Andrew and Aaron talking and solving their problems” "If you really don't care about Andrew, why does Neil bother you so much?"   Dobson asked during their Wednesday session. Aaron dug his fingers into the couch.  He hated this.  Hated that the only time he could get answers out of Andrew was when he was sitting in front of a shrink.   A shrink who was undoubtedly on his brother's side. And that in order to get answers he had to rip himself raw first.  

tw: implied/referenced rape/nocon, tw: implied/referenced child abuse

Angry Alone by obsessivereader156 [Not Rated, 1799 Words, Complete, 2023]

“Of course I’m not homophobic, you asshole. What are you even talking about?” “Aaron, please don’t use that type of language here,” Betsy softly interjects. “You’ve been very hostile towards Neil,” Andrew says plainly, as if that’s enough of an answer. ______________________________ Aaron has been feeling angry and alone lately. Maybe he doesn't have to be alone about it.

Everything's Alright by DarkD [Rated E, 182901 Words, Incomplete, Updated June 2023]

Souls weren't meant to be left alone, so they split, always looking for their other half. No matter how long it took, the moment a soul existed, it sought the one that would complete it. The main indication is, when one of the halves of the soul turns seven years old, an identical mark appears on both parts. Along with that comes a set of unique abilities that soulmates can only use with each other—for protection, for finding each other. Soulmates would never be alone.

tw: graphic depictions of violence, tw: child abuse, tw: torture, tw: blood, tw: gun violence, tw: homophobia, tw: implied/referenced rape/noncon, tw: implied/referenced csa, tw: murder, tw: canonical character death

A flash of anger. prompt fill by @nickyhenmick [Tumblr, 2016]

All reporters got on Andrew’s nerves. They were invasive and never asked interesting questions, and there was probably a reason he was rarely allowed to be on press duty.

a stupid ass decision prompt fill by @find-yourself-in-passion [Tumblr, 2017]

“I recognize that you have reached a decision,” Andrew replied over the top of Neil’s protests, unwrapping his right hand in such a rush that Neil knew he was going to have red marks where the tap ripped at his flesh. “Andrew-” “But given that it is a stupid ass decision,” He continued on, refusing to acknowledge the other man’s piercing gaze on him as he threw his bag and shoes in the closet, knowing what faced him when he turned around. “I have elected to ignore it.”

Art

3 & 10 art by @thematicallycoherent

im thinkin bout these two art by @wiltkingart

Safe. art by @eislekaj on instagram

exy banquet smoke break art by @twohiddenhalves

Vkook as reference art by @reyko__ on instagram

roof. andrew. tattoos. and two cigarettes. and neil. art by @puhnatsson

Someone strong to lean on art by @fornavn