#also meant to be a jerejean au

[estavs]

My gift for @ratbandaid in the AFTG Winter Exchange 2022 @aftgexchange

This is for a single father AU where Jean escapes from the mafia along with baby Neil and now has to figure out how to raise the little shit :)

[palmett-hoes]

this was originally meant to be a response/follow-up to @i-did 's post about race in the aftg fandom (that you should read). i ran it by him first and asked permission to add, but then we decided it was too long so i should make it its own post

---

i want to talk about fandom's take on the twins' race because it's rather glaring in the fandom that andrew (and then aaron by necessity) are often portrayed as the only white characters on the team and i have to question why?

there's nothing in the backstories that would mean writing them as POC would fling them headlong into offensive stereotypes that the fandom hasn't bypassed over to make another fox a POC.

they have a history of addiction? but it's okay for matt and seth to be addicts and be brown.

they're violent? but it's okay for renee to be non-white and a former gang member.

they're blond and 'pale'¹? but allison can be a WOC and bleach her hair without saying it explicitly? renee can have white rainbow hair no matter the AU? neil can be a blue-eyed redhead and still be drawn darker skinned half the time?

'pale' in and of itself is a very vague word that's only brought up in the context of comparison to notably dark skinned nicky. it's completely relative, and multi-racial families where people look wildly different from each other exist (pretty commonly). or if you're prescriptivist how about the multiple ways a POC can still be a natural blond including but not limited to pigmentation conditions or being mixed race? similarly, i think less than a quarter of the FCs i've seen for andrew over the years have been natural blonds themselves.

so if our holdups aren't about racial stereotyping and they aren't about the incredibly vague character descriptions, then why are the twins always white when it's approached as a good thing that no one else is? when i've seen multiple different posts lauding the fandom for adding diversity where nora didn't write it, except for here?

.

to be completely, bluntly honest, it's because we as a majority-white fandom are uncomfortable when we are not the central characters. or maybe we are uncomfortable when people of color ARE the central characters. i don't think there's much of a difference.

we are comfortable writing and drawing nicky, the upperclassmen, then kevin (in that order) as poc because, simply, we use them as background characters. they are rarely the main characters of fics, or have their own storylines in them; it all revolves around andreil.

.

additionally, while i've used neil up to now as an example of the fandom being OKAY with writing POC, let's also admit that it's an,, imperfect representation, as he will often be racially ambiguous with no explicit ethnicity, he will be the lightest skinned of the foxes of color, and he will still have eurocentric features. also it's genuinely a toss up as to whether he's drawn brown or not, there are still plenty of white neils, much more than there are white dans and matts and renees (not an attack on anyone who draws white neils, simply a statement) and FCs and edits of him still tend to be white people.

he's a bit of a schrödinger's person of color, not really any one thing or another, very few people being willing to take a hard stance on him and do the work of taking that decision under consideration when writing and drawing him.

(quick shout-out here to @hi-raethia for making content about an explicitly chinese interpretation of neil).

(additionally, to be as clear about my intended message as possible, this isn't a statement on the politics of passing or undermining the ethnicities of lightskinned poc, this is about a lack of detail being put into making a character a character of color in any thoughtful, meaningful, or significant way)

.

so when i talk about the centralization of white people in fandom, neil gets to be included, perhaps with a footnote indicating that this is somewhat of a more complicated statement than it is with lily-white andrew minyard.

nevertheless, i feel comfortable saying that 75% of fandom content revolves around andrew and neil, major exceptions only being jerejean which are often stand-alone from the foxes, and the rising branch of kevaaron shippers. however both of those ships are actually subject to this exact same criticism, as ships between a a flat-out white character and a dubiously "non-white" character who can also be white sometimes. it varies.

conspicuously, content about the UPPERCLASSMEN tends to revolve around andrew and neil.

fics where the upperclassmen are the pov character are often outside-perspective fics on andreil.

HC posts about the upperclassmen, especially matt, will devote major portions to his time spent helping, hanging with, and thinking about andrew and/or neil.

secondary ships like danmatt or renison tend to be just that, secondary ships moving in the background of andreil-focused works. they get more of a,,, scenic shout-out than a storyline

it is only comfortable for us to write these characters as characters of color if they revolve entirely around white characters

.

.

.

so after all that? what should we do, as a white-majority fandom? what should YOU, specifically, as a white person, do?

i hate to talk about a problem without also talking about solutions, and i try not to carp on something i don't want to be an active part of fixing. public criticism without an action plan only leads to hurt feelings and guilt, and that's never my intention when bringing this up. my goal is to address a general problem, not anyone specific's personal failings.

in all honesty leaning completely into all of the foxes being people of color, though i think neat and i certainly support, is not the best solution, and would be more of a hollow action than anything else without addressing the underlying problems that lead to the development of this dynamic.

i think the best thing to do would be to 1. do some research on writing poc, usually by following some writing-specific blogs like @writingwithcolor or @pocinmymedia . look up the 'black best friend' trope and really spend some time tjinking about it. spend an hour seeking out a random assortment of blogs that interest you that are also run by people of color. checking through tags like drawingwhileblack or blacktober may be good kickoff points.

tumblr is great because with an hour of active work to find these blogs, you can then go months passively seeing content from them. try not to interact, actually, simply watch and listen and become familiar with general trends and concerns in different communities. remember that every blog is run by an individual person, not an elected representative of their race, and always keep this in mind.

you are teaching YOURSELF that people of color are individuals, they have interests and inner lives that don't revolve around whiteness, that don't revolve around YOU

at the same time, 2. challenge yourself as a creator to make more content about the upperclassmen, specifically. make art about them doing stuff as a group separate from neil and andrew's group. find a compilation of 'draw the squad' memes and draw/tag the upperclassmen only. make jokes where they talk to each other. write some meta about their character motivations. write a fic where andreil isn't even mentioned, it can be super short, you can even use a prompt generator.

as a reader, reread their backstories in the extra content. reread son nefes. use ao3's filtering system to read some fics about JUST the upperclassmen, few and far apart though they may be.

if we've decided that the upperclassmen are people of color then lean into that, and learn to CARE about them on their own merit, because they are the most underutilized characters in the fandom. we need to make content centralized around them to combat the fact that fandom centralizes whiteness

[solongllondon]

17 for the fanfic asks :)

thank you!! ✨

17.  Describe a fic that is still in the 'ideas’ stage.

okay. so. i’m picking the one im actually meant to be working on rather than the two i am actually working on. but: 

it’s a flower shop/tattoo studio au and I know those are super over done but I was talking to a friend and I was like ‘I’m so over flower shop/tattoo studio au’s’ and then...promptly got an idea for one lol oops.

(this is aftg because that’s all I seem to be able to write these days so sorry if you have no idea what that actually is at which point I should also apologize for the state of my blog for the last...year or so)

the basic idea is that jean and renee ran away from the yakuza (no exy in this one oops) and jean ends up working for Allison at a flowershop (obvs allison/renee will eventually be a thing in this) and he goes to a tattoo shop where Jeremy works to get his face tattoo covered up bc he can’t risk being seen out and about with a gang sign tattoo lol. they fall in love, obviously. there will be some drama and some fluff and, because im me, lots of angst probably. 

thank you so much!!! <3 (i hope this makes some sense tbh lol) (also i’ve never actually written jerejean so this has been..intriguing? my brain keeps yelling at me ‘but kevin’ lol. but it’s technically a gift for a friend who loves jeremy, so im..trying) 

but, truly thank you!! it’s really nice to try and get my brain sorted out a bit sometimes ngl 

✨ ask me fanfic asks ✨

[wesawbears]

For @andreil-minyasten for the @aftgexchange! They asked for fairy tale au, so here’s some loose Jerejean Cinderella au. I hope you enjoy! It was a lot of fun to write! Also, throw up some balloons for the first thing I’ve written for AFTG since December.

Follow the read more!

--

Once upon a time, there was a village. And in that village, there were all the trappings of a typical fairy-tale life, though none of its inhabitants would know it. There were cottages, forests, even a castle and a charming prince. Life was good, for every person, animal, and creature in between.

If you were to ask Jean Moreau to describe said village, though, he would tell you about the dingy, dusty kitchen he’d worked in half his life, about scrubbing the floors until his hands bled. Or he would tell you about the small attic where he slept (when he was allowed to sleep), where the sunlight could only come in through a small crack in the ceiling. Some whispered that magic was still alive in the village, but if it did, Jean didn’t believe in it. He didn’t believe in much anymore, truth be told.

The morning the fateful letter arrived, he couldn’t tell you how many mornings had passed since he came to the village, but he could say it was the first royal decree he’d ever seen. He retrieved the letter and brought it to Master Tetsuji, who read over it carefully. Jean didn’t presume to ask the contents unless he was told.

“A royal ball,” Tetsuji said, startling Jean out of his reverie. “This is good. A chance to make deals and prepare. We will have to put our best foot forward.”

Jean nodded and took the letter back. In his haste to continue his chores (good fortune for them meant more work for Jean), he forgot to take the letter out of his pocket, which would turn out to be a bit of magic. 

When chance told him to unfold and read the note later that night, his eyes gravitated to the words, “all citizens, high and low, are encouraged to attend.” Once, perhaps, that may have given him hope, for maybe, there would be someone who knew of his family, of the deal, someone who could take him away. Now, though, he folded it back up and went to sleep.

--

The day of the ball came and the master and his wretched nephew were sent off with little fuss. Faced with a night off, he made his way to the garden. The sun was too brutal for him, but at night, the moon was enough light to soothe his frayed nerves. He had long ago learned to make his way around in the dark.

He sat quietly on a bench at the edge of the garden and looked up to the moon and stars.

“Why aren’t you at the ball?” came a voice from above him.

Jean startled and looked up. A young woman with hair as silver as the moon looked down at him. “Who are you?” he asked.

“My name is Renee. You didn’t answer my question.”

Jean scowled. “There would be no place for me at a royal ball. How did you get in here anyway? The gate is locked.”

The woman-Renee-tilted her head and smiled. “I’m here because you want me to be.”

Jean frowned. “I don’t even know who you are. How could I have wished you here?”

“Perhaps not in words. But in your heart, you wished for an escape.”

His lips twisted in a wry smile. “And you think if I go to the ball, all my dreams will come true?”

“Why not?”

He shook his head in derision, but Renee pressed on. “What do you have to lose?”

That made him pause, for truly, what did he have to lose? What more could be taken from him?

“The ball has already started. By the time I walked there, it would be over. Besides, they wouldn’t let me in, the way I’m dressed.”

Renee smiled at that and waved her hand. Suddenly, he was no longer in his tattered rags, but in fine clothes, nicer than anything he knew he owned.

“What…”

“There is magic in this land, whether you believe in it or not. Now, I ask, would you like to go to the ball?”

And while his head said no, the little voice in his heart that had laid dormant for years pushed through his mouth and answered, “Yes.”

Before he could process what he’d said, he was at the palace, in a line to get in. He was sure he would be turned away, but he was let in without a fuss. He found himself in the grand ballroom, a room where the ceiling seemed as far away as the sky. He kept to the edges, watching people dance and laugh. It was dizzying, being around this many people, feeling as though the entire world was sharing proximity with him.

In a fit of panic, he fled, not caring where he ended up or what direction he was going. In his haste, he didn’t realize he was about to crash into someone. He blanched and helped them up.

“I am sorry. I-”

The man he knocked over stood and brushed himself off. “No harm done. Are you alright? You look half frightened to death.”

The man had kind eyes, and Jean swore he looked familiar, though he couldn’t place why. “I’m-I don’t know.”

The man nodded sympathetically. “Would you like to talk about it? I know the best hiding places in the castle.”

Something in the man’s easy smile compelled him to take the offered hand and follow his lead. He led them to a small alcove, not far from the kitchens. Maybe the man was a servant like him.

“Do you work here in the palace?”

Something flickered in the man’s face, but it passed quickly. “Something like that. I’m Jeremy, by the way.”

“That’s the prince’s name.”

“It’s common enough. And your name?”

“Jean.”

Jeremy smiled. “It’s very nice to meet you, Jean. What part of the kingdom are you from?”

And despite- or perhaps because-he had known Jeremy for only a few minutes, he told him all about the little farmhouse he’d grown up in, how his mother had told him all about the magic that inhabited their home.

Jeremy seemed enthralled. “And is your family here?”

At that, Jean’s expression closed once more. “My family died when I was ten. My position at the estate is a formality.”

“Your position?”

“I am just a servant.”

“In your family’s home?”

“It is what it is.”

Jeremy looked as though he wanted to say more, but restricted himself to asking, “And they treat you well, at least?”

Jean snorted. “They treat me as well as they’re able.”

“If they own the land, can you not buy it back from them?”

“You would have to be the king to afford that.”

Jeremy gave a funny laugh and let the conversation drift elsewhere. He learned that Jeremy had spent his whole life in the palace. He was known for stealing pastries, but the kitchen staff liked him enough to ignore it. He found the alcove they were in once to avoid getting caught with his contraband and no one yet had found it. He found himself drawn in by Jeremy, losing track of time until the clock struck midnight. His master would be arriving home soon.

“I must go.”

“But-why?”

“My master...if I am not home when he arrives, I will be punished.”

“Stay. Please.”

“Jeremy...I cannot.”

Jeremy’s face turned resolute. “What if I were to pay for your home?”

“How could you afford that on a servant’s wages.”

“I’m not a servant. I’m the prince.”

Jean’s world turned slightly. “You’re-what?”

Jeremy had the decency to look slightly guilty. “I-it was nice talking to someone who seemed to like me for me, instead of my title. I hope you can forgive me.”

Jean looked wary. “I-I cannot ask you to pay for my debt.”

“You didn’t. I offered. You’ve been so lovely, I couldn’t bear to know I’d allowed you to go back there. It’s your home. You should have it.”

“How can I repay you?”

 Jeremy flushed a bit. “The joy of your company?”

“I am no fit consort for a prince.”

“Luckily I’ve never been very good at doing the expected thing.”  He smiled that lopsided, beautiful smile and squeezed Jean’s hand. “Stay. And let me handle the rest.”

Jean squeezed back and allowed Jeremy to pull him into an embrace. The stayed in the alcove all night and by the time the sun rose in the morning, royal guards had been dispatched to Jean’s little farmhouse to send Tetsuji away. Jean, of course, didn’t know this yet, too warm from Jeremy’s head on his shoulder and hand in his.

[aftgficlibrary]

Heyya any dance or gymnastic au ?❤

hello! we have a few previous asks and then here are a few other fics :)-Scout

previous asks: i, ii, iii

dance for me by jemejem (M | 16,028 | 4/4)

Neala gripped the barre. This would be her only chance to dance before her mother would hunt her down and killed her.

You stupid, stupid girl, her father murmured in her ear. She squeezed her eyes shut. All his hard work at keeping her safe, down the drain. Signing with Palmetto Dance meant performances, competitions, publicity. It was signing herself up for a shortened life.

Her pointe shoes complained with overuse as she rolled up onto them.

It didn’t matter if she died. This was the only thing that made her feel alive.

Stick It by gladiatorgrl2703 (Not Rated | Incomplete | 8/?)

This isn’t the first time Andrew Minyard made out with law enforcement. And it wouldn’t be the first time he flirted with juvie. But before he can be carted off one more time, someone steps into interfere and Andrew is sent instead to the last place on earth he would want to go: Wymack’s Gymnastics Academy. Andrew left the world of competitive gymnastics years ago, walking out on World Championships and the sport forever. But now, with Kevin Day dangling new promises in his face, and the newest recruit for the Foxes catching his eye, Andrew needs to reevaluate what it means to floor it and what it looks like to stick around.

—“You don’t have to be so nasty, Riko,” Neil said, cutting Riko off.

Riko turned to Neil, eyes flicking to Kathy for a moment. “Believe me, it is not my intention to say anything except the truth. Besides…” He turned back to the camera, trademark smirk on his face. “They don’t call it gym-nice-stics.”

A week later, every Raven fan in the stadium had the quote printed on t-shirts.

Champion by exactly13percent (superagentwolf) (T | 4,306 | 1/1)

Andreil Week 2018 | Day 7: Champion, Practice, Fear

-Being a gymnast is not something that typically requires running. It’s also not for people that are afraid of heights.Neil and Andrew really fucked themselves over. Maybe there’s one good thing that can come out of it, though. Maybe meeting each other is enough.Series: Part 10 of The AU Court

Make It Stick by wesawbears (T | Incomplete | 4/?)

A gymnastics au that is a mix of The Foxhole Court and the movie Stick It! Featuring all female foxes because I know more about women’s gymnastics than men’s. Forced to choose between jail and hiding in plain sight from her father with the Palmetto Foxes, Lia Josten walks back into the world of elite gymnastics and has to deal with the band of misfits she meets in the gym on the way.

glitter & applause by meggieglad (T | Incomplete | 6/?)

“You know nothing.”

“I know that you deserve much better than the Ravens, Jean Moreau.” He said, sadly. He looked Jean in the face for a long few moments until the Raven finally had to meet his eye. Jeremy couldn’t even tell if his words had registered. Jean’s eyes were blank, and tired, and lined with black show makeup that Jeremy could only suspect had been smudged by tears.

Jean never showed up at awards that night.-Jerejean AU where everything is the same except the exy teams are actually color guards. So mostly nothing is the same. Either way they are flag loving dorks who fall in love.

[foxes-evermore]

Hey,,,, if you wanna you know,,,, whip me some of that angst you got,,,, that could,,,,,, that could work,,,,, that could be cool,,.

listen,, im in physical pain and also am not able to sleep at the moment so im sitting up in the kitchen getting ready to eat a whole cheesecake and preparing to cry,,,, the angst hour is upon us,,, lets do it

if this is about the thing i said yesterday, the specific angst i was talking about was a Kevaaron Song of Achilles AU, which, im not sure if that’s what you were hoping for, but im emotional,,,, just @ me again if you meant something different sjksldjlksdf

anyway here we go its long im so sorry alksjlskdfj

I’ve said this a lot before but like

Sporty-Boy-With-A-Destiny Kevin Day

Boy-Whom-Was-Treated-Like-Shit-By-The-Only-Parent-He-Knew-But-Succeeded-Out-Of-Spite-And-Became-A-Healer Aaron Minyard

t his writes itself

originally….. listen… originally i was like “of course Riko is Paris and Ichirou is H*ctor,,,, and Jean is Helen”

bUT then i got to thinking

and i’ll be damned if the mcfucking USC Trojans aren’t the for real trojans

and like this adds a whole knew level of angst because like

hear me out, i want Jeremy to be Paris just because of the Jerejean™,, but in reality,, the boy is H*ctor. Honorable and Loyal to a Fault, and best of the best right after Kevin.

which also means that Riko is actually Menelaus, and Ichirou is Agamemnon. and that makes a lot of sense because honestly the tension between them and Kevin with everyone going “no, IM the Most Important, fuck you” is 100% there.

Back to the boys though,,

like here’s Kayleigh Day, a simple sea nymph whose only desire is to protect her son and also make sure he is remembered and worshiped forever,,, and young Kevin is so on board,,,,

meanwhile

Aaron gets in some Trouble for killing a man who dared to lay a hand on his twin brother, and Tilda is overly happy about getting rid of him for the crime, so she sells him to a king who is known for adopting outcast orphan boys for his army. Aaron never hears from/sees his mother or brother again, but ,,, he meets the stupidest boy he has ever encountered in his LIFE. the kid is an absolute IDIOT, but he is half a god and destined for greatness and everyone dotes on him. 

Aaron doesnt care.

Kevin does.

Why is Aaron ignoring him?? Why doesn’t Aaron fawn over him like the other boys do? why won’t Aaron pay attention? it’s frustrating but intriguing.

The second time Aaron gets in trouble with royalty, the king wants to know why Aaron isn’t training and sparring with the other boys. He doesnt care about anything anymore, that’s why.

But he still knows pain and fear, so he does the only thing he knows how to do when a superior is angry: he finds a small/dark place and he hides.

Of Course someone finds him, and OF COURSE it’s that talented brat.

Kevin drags him to the king because its the right thing to do, but instead of leaving him for the wolves, Kev is like “I choose him. as my brother-in-arms. i want him by my side at all times” and obviously the king is like “why” because look at this fucking tiny pale stick-boy,,, he’s not even 5 feet tall yet,,, will he ever even get over 5 feet?? (spoiler, the answer is no)

and Aaron is also like “????” and Kevin just smiles for the king and then gives Aaron this look that says “try to ignore me now, you piece of shit” :))

So these 2 spend some quality time together and for a long time it’s basically just like that one part in SoA where Achilles is training and Pat goes I stepped forward. ‘’fight me.’’

There’s so much bickering and whatnot and, just like in SoA, they don’t even truly realize they’re falling for each other until the Big Bad Ocean Mom comes and tells Aaron to fuck off and then sends Kevin away to train with the horse dad, Wymack, to keep him safe.

Aaron follows him and Kevin is like “I knew you would come :)” and Aaron is like “shut the hell your mouth” and they finish their journey together.

and they fall in L

they fall in Love on that mountain.

just two bois dicking around and experiencing foolishly strong emotions where no one can stop them.

But Then Aaron’s past that he conveniently forgot to mention catches up with him when men come to tell them that it is time to die to fight Troy. Kevin is an amazing warrior and it’s expected that he go to fight in the war, but Aaron can hear his own blood pounding, because he Remembers something that he hopes everyone else might’ve forgotten.

He’d made a promise to Jean of Sparta. not a promise. A blood oath, to go to war for the most beautiful boy in the world if something like this ever happened. and now it was happening.

Kayleigh warns him that if Kevin goes to fight the trojans, he’ll die, but she cant elaborate anymore, aside from telling them that Jeremy will die first.

Who can kill Jeremy, though? N o   o n e. Kevin is the only swordsman good enough to best him, and why would he kill the devout trojan prince? he’s an honorable man. an admirable man,,, in fact, Kevin has heard so much about him, and he adores the prince,,

and What has Jeremy ever done to him?

Kayleigh tries one more time to save her son, spirits him away to an island at night,, weds him to a beautiful princess named Thea, they promise her a child and in return she disguises him as one of her lady dancers whom she calls her “ravens”

Aaron finds him though, recognizes him, because he would know those green eyes a n y w h e r e.

Thea invites Aaron to stay, too, says that the three of them could work something out. The two agree cautiously and they start to get comfortable, incorporating Thea into this thing that used to be just them 

But eventually men come and find them,,, find Aaron,, and they’re dragged off to Troy to fight with Riko and Ichirou,, one man determined to bring back his caged lover and one determined to seize the city.

It’s exciting at first, in that “we could die any second” sort of way. everything happening all at once, arrows and spears flying, swords clanging, and fire on the beach.

but Aaron watches from day one as Kevin loses himself. the way comes back to camp the very first day of battle covered in blood and sweat and grinning like he just won the world.

Something about it twists Aaron’s stomach, but he pushes it down because there’s only room right now to be glad that his love is alive and that they’ve successfully arrived and that maybe there is hope and the war will end with both of them on the other side of it, going home.

The night after that first battle, Aaron sees a trojan girl being handed off as a spoil of war, probably to Ichirou or Riko, and demands that Kevin take her as his prize. Kevin is high off the fighting still and doesn’t really question this.

The girl’s name is Katelyn and she’s eternally grateful to Aaron, but even warier than he is of Kevin’s lust for battle and glory.

Anyway.

time passes. years. Aaron and Katelyn save as many of the captured girls as they can, and they make a family and they get close, and one day Katelyn admits that she loves Aaron.

he’s shook.

But he’s not as shook over her feelings for him as he is over her justifications for why they should be together and forget Kevin.

“He’s a monster,” she tells him. “He’s not a person anymore. He doesn’t love you, he can’t, because he doesn’t know how to love.”

and that can’t be true, but it is, isn’t it?

he only knows how to fight and kill. he only feels the need for glory, and nothing else, doesn’t he?

When did it become like this? When did Aaron lose Kevin? a few months back? years? the day they arrived at Troy? earlier?

had he ever even really had Kevin? he’d never had him to himself, at least, had he? It was always Aaron and Glory. Kevin was born to be remembered, and they both knew it. and Kevin wanted it more than anything, didn’t he?

did he want glory more than he wanted Aaron?

but it’s like Kevin is reading his mind,, every time Aaron has these thoughts, Kevin is there, on top of him, kissing him, holding him, touching him with these burning hands that leave Aaron wanting more, more, more.

he’s driving Aaron crazy and Aaron is fine with it because they have each other and they’ll be back home together one day and that’s all that matters.

and then Riko pisses Kevin off,

and the gods see this story and how it ends, and some laugh at the tragedy of it, and some hurt for the poor souls involved.

Kevin won’t let his men fight anymore, and the Trojans are taking ground back and hope is lost, but Riko and Ichirou won’t swallow their pride, and neither will Kevin.

Aaron begs. “These are our friends,” he says, “if the trojans just see you, they’ll retreat”

“You’re letting them die,” he tells Kevin from down on his knees, “you could save them. please.”

his lover’s tears are enough to snap Kevin out of his rage, but not enough to make him fight. 

“You dont have to,” Aaron bargains, “let me ride out in your armor.”

[arimendoza]

i havent written an hc in so long but,,, jerejean soulmate au: you can hear your soulmate’s voice in your head, but only when they sing (this was supposed to be an actual fic but aldkkf maybe one day) (also,,,pt 1 bc this is getting too long akdjf) also guys pls bear canon divergence lmfao

the first time jean learned of the concept of soulmates, he was barely a teenager and meeting the moriyamas for the first time the day after

his mother was rather fond of the whole thing, singing lullabies to jean and ignoring his father’s annoyance of not being able to fall asleep as a consequence

so when she died as a warning of their family not being able to pay off their debt almost as soon as sleep took him, he realized that this must have been her last wish, to be able to warn him, give him even the slightest bit of hope.

“remember, jean,” she had said, his eyes already drooping, “you are never alone in this world. even when you think you are, remember there is at least one. at least...”

he tried his best to remain expressionless, letting his anger mix instead with the anxiety, the fear, and the undoubtable knowledge that things were going to change, and not for the better. 

jean couldn’t remember much of what happened afterwards.

it was all a blur, as if the tears he had failed to suppress during those days would forever mar his recollection of the time.

jean also couldn’t also remember, however, why he had even decided to keep on going.

he figured in the end that it was simply because

1. survival was one hell of an instinct to shake off. moreaus took pride in it, and riko was never one to forget in reminding him of this.

2. there was this stupid, constant voice in his head that just wouldn’t shut up. even worse, it was singing. 

he couldn’t exactly place when it started, only that it was not long after he was sold off (and now knowing that this was what it was like having a soulmate, he didn’t know why his mother had been as invested in it as she had been. this was fucking insane.)

to say the least, it was a blessing and a curse

sometimes, the voice would cause him to slip up at practice

these were not good days. 

it would happen so unexpectedly, a voice popping up that was scratchy yet pleasant, and clearly hadn’t reached its full maturity yet. 

most times, the tunes were indiscernible, gibberish, someone just humming to pass the time, but it still made jean crash onto the ground, miss a pass, lose the ball

and with every fuck up, jean paid the price for it himself

he recalled his mother saying to him once after a particularly hard beating as a child to not scream too loud--it was basically singing in agony

he didn’t know what it meant back then, but now that he did, he did his best to keep his mouth shut as much as possible

other times, however, the voice was all jean had

strangely enough, his soulmate had a habit of singing his to do list to himself everyday (s/o to @kevinday) 

today it was done to the tune of twinkle twinkle: “hey yesterday you forgot /  to buy your team their protein bars / unless you want to face their wrath / get on buying, come on, stat!”

jean scoffed at the attempted rhyme, but it did remind him to eat, as well as the other times his soulmate reminded him to make his bed, breathe, drink water, or go over his team’s strategies (jean wasn’t sure yet whether or not his soulmate being an active exy player was a great thing)

although jean couldn’t exactly take his soulmate’s happier songs to heart, the constant singing and basic reminders further sharpened his instinct to survive

it wasn’t necessarily a newfound “will to live,” where jean would suddenly believe in a happy ending, but instead gave him a renewed vigour to not give up so easily

jean should have known, though. nothing with even the faintest hint of good ever lasted in his life.

stay tuned for pt 2 ft. development!!!!!!!

[glendowen]

Paint Splatter Freckles and Godly Go Fish

Summary: "When Jean was younger, much younger, he would sit in his mother’s lap while she traced the sun on his left shoulder blade and sang love songs in soft French. He would stare at the black heart on her wrist, the one that perfectly matched his father’s, and imagine the little girl that shared his sun.

When Jeremy was very little his mom and dad would corral him and his older sister into the living room after dinner. With a child in each lap, they would recount the history of soulmates; how Zeus, in fear of their power, had split the people of earth in half, and they were destined to spend the rest of their lives in search for their other half. How, in a moment of kindness, Zeus had marked the pairs, so that they could follow their symbol to their other half.“

Word Count: 1115

A/N: This is my fic for @quensty for the @aftgexchange ! You said soul mate aus were always good, and I could not agree more, so here is a small Jerejean soul mate au. Hope you enjoy!

AO3

When Jean was younger, much younger, he would sit in his mother’s lap while she traced the sun on his left shoulder blade and sang love songs in soft French. He would stare at the black heart on her wrist, the one that perfectly matched his father’s, and imagine the little girl that shared his sun.

He liked to think that she was bright and bubbly; the perfect amount of unfiltered sunshine to counteract his more cloudy version. He imagined her with big toothy grins and freckles all over her face, laughter that sounded like bubbles and eyes that shined with excitement.

When Jeremy was very little his mom and dad would corral him and his older sister into the living room after dinner. With a child in each lap, they would recount the history of soulmates; how Zeus, in fear of their power, had split the people of earth in half, and they were destined to spend the rest of their lives in search for their other half. How, in a moment of kindness, Zeus had marked the pairs, so that they could follow their symbol to their other half.

Jeremy would compare it to a godly game of Go-Fish, and they would all burst into laughter. His sister would ask to see their parents’ matching apple trees and then would swoon over how romantic it all was.

He’d then spend the rest of the night thinking about how there was a little girl somewhere out there who had a matching sun to his own. He hoped that she was less loud than him, more like the sunshine peaking through clouds; sure, that would mean that she was less bright, but that also meant that she would be less likely to cause sunburn, and that’s still good.

When Jean was older he realized that the she he always imagined sharing his sun might be a he. Kevin had kissed him when Riko wasn’t around, and even though there was an unspoken agreement not to mention it, the thought was still there.

Not that it mattered much anyway; his sunshine couldn’t possibly exist in a place as dark as the nest. He had resigned himself to never meeting his soulmate the moment he was shipped off to the states.

When Jeremy was in high school he started dating a girl who didn’t have a mark at all.

He knew that there was someone out there with a sun that matched his, but it was just a casual thing; he just wanted to be a little less alone.

She wasn’t his cloudy sunshine, but she was willing to put on sunscreen so she wouldn’t get burned, and that was enough for the time being.

When Jean met Renee he was shocked at just how sunny she seemed to be; she wasn’t his sun, she was too muted for that, too much of a sunrise, but it was nice to be around some warmth.

He had grown cold in the nest, but Renee had reminded him that there was warmth out there in the world. Somewhere there was his sun with paint splattered freckles and champagne laughter, and he might actually get to find him one day.

When Jeremy’s sister found her soulmate he stopped going on dates with other people.

The small, energetic, English major with the matching quill tattoo was so perfect for his sister that he couldn’t imagine being with anyone but his soulmate.

And since he had started playing exy he was a lot less alone; he had a whole team behind him, and a scholarship for USC setup for the fall.

He could wait for his sun to come; he could make it through the dark.

When Jean met Jeremy he was speechless.

Partly because he had been on the verge of dying, and there’s only so much that Abby could do without access to a hospital; partly because Jeremy being here meant that he was free from the nest and the Moriyamas forever; partly because he had found his sun.

He had heard about soul mates who just knew the first time they met, without having to compare marks or anything, but he had never imagined he could be one of them.

There was no mistaking it, though. Jeremy Knox, captain of the USC Trojans exy team, was the sun Jean had been desperate for since he was first locked in the dark.

And he was offering him a way out.

When Jeremy met Jean he was speechless.

Of course, they had met during exy matches before, but it was always brief and with a touch of competition to every word they said.

This time was different; there was no exy match, no game to be won. There was just a broken and confused Jean warring between hope and skepticism as Jeremy offered him a new life. A new life he was willing to take.

And there he was, his sun shining through the clouds. Jeremy had always been too loud, too happy, too energetic, too much, but Jean was just perfect. He was hardened, dulled, like someone had tried to rip the brightness out of him, but he still shined.

When Jean had been a USC for a few months, when he had been able to see Jeremy in his natural habitat, when he was no longer overwhelmed by every little thing, he noticed something.

They were watching some animated movie with a mermaid and a crab and a prince Jeremy had required he see, and at some point, Jeremy’s head had ended up in his lap. He was counting the freckles on his nose when he let out a small chuckle.

“You know, when I was little I always imagined my soul mate would have freckles and a big toothy grin, and it looks like I was right,” he explained at Jeremy’s confused look.

A laugh bubbled out of Jeremy, his nose crinkling and his eyes squinting shut.

“Oh, I forgot about the laugh, too. I always thought it would be bubbly.”

When Jeremy had been around Jean for a few months and was less like a shy little kid he had a revelation.

They were having Trojan game night, and for some reason Alvarez suggested Go Fish; the first time Jean looked at Jeremy and said go fish he lost it.

Through his giggles he explained how he used to think of finding your soul mate as a game of Go Fish, and Jean telling him to go fish is like rejecting him as his soul mate.

Later that night, when Jean was tucked into his side, Jeremy leaned in and whispered “I guess I won Go Fish.”

[aftgficrec]

Hello, happy new year! Thank you for your incredible work and I hope you're well! I just wanted to ask, are there any jerejean or andreil having a heated argument and then out of the blue ending up kissing?

This ask was a bit tricky, but I think you will like what we found for you. It’s not chest-heaving fights leading to chest-heaving make outs, but there are arguments or obstacles in one form or other and lots of kissing. - A

Also check out ...

‘blurred lines’ (jerejean) here and ‘I'm Not the Villain I Appear to Be’ here for complicated relationships with lots of kissing

in ‘Dark necessities’ (#14) here, kissing is not out of the blue but does follow angst

our break-up & make-up and enemies to lovers tags

AFTG/TFC minifics, headcanons from @/neilsexy on tumblr by mugglecastiel [Not Rated, Collection, Updated 2016]

Chapter 10 - ANDREIL + #58 (“That’s not what I meant and you know it.”) + ANDREIL + #112 (“Do you need me to kill someone for you?”)

Should I call? Is it worth calling?

I’m still pretty mad. Why should I be the one to call?

something different by djhedy [Rated G, 7287 Words, Complete, 2019]

Neil's dating Andrew and wants to meet his friends. kind of

tw: mild homophobia

Some Kind of Disaster by ncas [Rated T, 13321 Words, Complete, Aug 2020]

Neil and Andrew are brought together by their cats while stranded at the airport in Denver because of a snowstorm and they decide to rent a car and drive to Columbia instead.

tw: implied/referenced rape/non con, tw: implied/referenced child abuse

Hello World by lolainslackss [Rated M, 36838 Words, Complete, 2020]

Everyone on the US national team knows that Andrew Minyard and Neil Josten hate each other, so of course they all think it's hilarious to force them to share a room in the name of 'team harmony' for the entirety of the Exy World Cup.

An enemies-to-lovers/professional Exy AU

tw: panic attacks, tw: alcohol

(don’t fear) the reaper by scribbleb_red [Rated M, 73111 Words, Complete, 2019]

Andrew is a Reaper – a ‘ferryman’ charged with taking the souls of the recently deceased through limbo to the Other Side.

Neil wakes up dead – killed by his father – or so he believes.

tw: violence, tw: implied/referenced child abuse, tw: implied/referenced rape/non-con, tw: implied/referenced character death, tw: implied/referenced self-harm, tw:  implied/referenced suicide, tw: implied/referenced torture

NB: find the author’s playlist for ‘(don’t fear) the reaper’ here

just imagine Andreil fighting physically hc by @jostenminyard [Tumblr, 2018]

Anonymous said: “...Maybe it was planned maybe not idk. Just swinging fists and rolling around trying to one up the other, and Neil fights so dirty!”

tw: violence

Art

“yes or no?” art by @broship-addict

Scorched ///feel/taste/touch/burn art by @glasspunkart

kiss art by @baovyoi