#and like I LOVED TSC i loved Jeremy i loved Jean and they are even better than what i could ever imagine

[inadvisablebutinevitable]

the way that Andrew and Neil and Jean all have this incredibly intense codependent relationship with Kevin that’s based off of mutual trauma or binding promises, and then there’s just Jeremy who’s like… “Kevin is my buddy! 😁 We text! 🤗 Kevin you crazy fool! 😜

[bea-l-t]

I love that everyone has decided that Jeremy now has beef with Neil. Like dude I feel like that never turns out well for anyone. I don't want aftg's biased karma coming after our sunshine boy because he chose the wrong person to have an issue with.

[avocadohass]

I will be living out my life and suddenly Im like "wow we actually got the trojan/jerejean sequel"

Because for years it was such a crack random thought, a truly hopeless dream because in the main series there were absolutely NO HITS.

It was just a wild manifestation of a bunch of fans that REALLY loved side characters, and I can say it because after reading aftg in 2016 my favorite character was fucking Jeremy, so I know what I'm talking about it okey.

I been in a state of shock since it was announced, and even after I read it, that just now while we wait for the golden raven it just hit me like we actually getting a trojan trilogy A JEREJEAN TRILOGY LIKE????

I remember I found out about jerejean after reading the jean extra content, and thinking that he needed something good in his life and immediately seeing that people ship him with Jeremy, a character who he never interact with in canon but was probably gonna in the future and I was like "that makes so much sense" and this was when there were like barely fics of them

I guess what I'm trying to say is that I cannot believe that saying "the trojan sequel" isn't synonyms of impossible dream anymore

[crazy-fangirl2524]

So for people worried about potential renee and Jean, you can rest assure. These are in the tags of a recent post on tumblr so it is new news so.

Also, once again please don’t bully nora offline again I swear to god. And I love jerejean like the sun but we have to respect nora and her books and characters. I don’t want Nora to write this book as a fan service. I want her to write whatever she wants and she see fits for her beloved characters and world.

Nora maybe you are doing this for us, for yourself for Jean. But we trust you and cannot wait to read the books.

[dayurno]

[aftgtookme]

The contrast between what the ravens did to his things vs Jeremy's personal letter and the 'lets fucking gooooo' note

[nspolaris]

read the sunshine court and have never been more impatient in needing a second book my god

[wesawbears]

I think my favorite part of TSC is that we get the counterpoint of Jeremy's POV.

Not only because it's funny (it is) or because I love Jeremy (I do), but because it drives home the themes of AFTG in a way that Neil or even Jean's POVs cannot.

With Neil, we get the upperclassmen, but for the most part everyone he interacts with is so steeped in the mafia plot and the ravens, but also just so much abuse that we as the readers get kind of stewed into seeing things from Neil's perspective. It's why we have to remember that Neil is an unreliable narrator. (It's not a bug, it's a feature btw; I love Neil's batshit view of the world)

But with Jeremy, it gets thrown into stark relief that it does not have to be like this.The Trojans practice, and they go home. Exy is not a metaphor to them, or a lifeline, or an obligation; it is an activity. They have lives. They have friends outside of Exy, something Neil does not have.

So, I watch a lot of college gymnastics. I love the sport, but (like all sports), there is the looming specter of abuse. Every year, it seems like another coach is discovered to have abused their athletes. Weight tracking, emotional abuse, physical abuse and intimidation. Its something you weigh when you're a college sports fan, knowing on some level that this thing you enjoy on some level enables this. 

And it makes me think of the line in TSC:

“What we don’t understand is how a grown-ass man took a bunch of kids and turned them into monsters for sport.”

Because this is what Neil's POV can't give us. Neil, and Kevin and Jean, the stakes are higher because of the mafia plot, it's true. But SO MANY OTHER ravens were just normal kids who got destroyed so some adults could make money and have a little bit of glory. 

And, to be clear, this isn't a place to be like “and this is why I don't watch sports” because it's EVERYWHERE. In music, TV, school theater and choir- anywhere there is a power dynamic, there is the potential for abuse. 

And by providing the counterpoint from the Trojans, it becomes even more apparent how unnecessary it all is.

[jeanmoreautemple]

Friendly reminder that the Jerejean age gap is less than 3 years

It has come to my attention that some fans apparently have a hard time infering information from basic statements or don’t go back to the books to double check stuff?

Like- if it’s said that Jean is the same age as Neil, and Jeremy is starting his fifth year in college, please make the effort to do some elementary school level math. How could the age difference between jerejean be more than 4-4.5 years? Is there a head canon going around of Jeremy starting college late or him being held back? He just turned 22 at the beginning of TSC guys.

It’s not even a 3 years (at most 2.9 months if you take your time and think about Jeremy being a Pisces and Jean a Scorpio- but I might be accused of reading too much into it😭and maybe that math is way too advanced)

I love AFTG fandom spaces but I wish they’d stick to facts. The OP above is the discord server admin and he was talking about how he was misinformed about Kevthea and brought up the jerejean age gap and then no one corrected him, and all agreed 👏🏻 👏🏻 👏🏻

And I’ve seen this stuff on Twitter and tumblr:

I’m all for defending your ship and characters (with book textual info preferably) but don’t make up shit to make your ship look good/better.

[kelari-talks]

head-canons i have for tsc (mostly jerejean)

jean is unbelievably good at art.

cat, laila and jeremy leave sticky notes on the fridge and most are/include drawings of the most random shit

jeremy usually draws barkbark

jean takes note of this and for a couple of months just ignores it.

that was until jeremy draws a ridiculously bad portrait of jean, next to months old drawings of laila and cat

the next day jeremy wakes up and finds a yellow sticky note stuck to the fridge. its a remarkable drawing of jeremy, not by himself or either of the girls

needless to say he keeps the sticky note of himself forever and goes out with cat to get jean a sketch book.

jean thinks its stupid and a waste of time. this goes on for another two months before he is benched for being a little too rough during scrimmages. this turns into a very bored jean on the bleachers with nothing but a pencil and math notebook

one picture of jeremy turns into two. then three. then renee and her bright hair. so on and so forth

he ends up drawing quite a lot and of course his flat mates try to get a peek every chance they get.

jean doesnt care so much as its he is usually drawing scenery when around watching eyes

that was untill jeremy menages to sneak up on the french man sitting at his desk and sees a picture of himself.

he was a VERY happy camper that day and begs jean to let him have the picture

jean takes his book and leaves the room.

another artistic trait from jean is his surprising like of his pottery class.

jeremy is awful at it. thank go he pursued exy.

jean is again, unbelivably good at it. he has never been have to express any artistic talent in the nest so this is a weird, new feeling he finally doesnt resent

everything jean makes jeremy wants to keep. before they know it their cupboard is full of hand made mugs, cups, bowls etc.

jean thinks nothing of it at first. then he wakes up to see his flat mates in the kitchen with jeans hand made plates and mugs filled with coffee and food

for the first time in his life he feels like he is truly appreciated and somewhat wanted, at least a part of him

cat and laila try it out and make each other something for their anniversary. cat makes a dish for lailas jewelry and lila makes a very wonky vase

cat regularly has flowers in it either in the kitchen or living room

once jeremys birthday rolls around the girls drag jean out o get the birthday boy a gift

jean ends their trip empty handed as he slowly feels pressure (he doesnt quite understand) to find something for his friend

once the day before jeremys 23rd birthday rolls around, cat and laila make him a redvelvet cake with bright yellow frosting and make jean pipe on a simple barkbark drawing ontop

(it did not turn out as good as they expected)

jeremy still loves it.

as jean is getting ready for bed jeremy walks into their room to find a small box on his bed. opening it he finds a red and gold metal yo-yo and a beautifully detailed portrait of himself. the same one he asked to keep months prior, but now fully finished.

once jean is back in the room hes greeted with a tight hug from the shorter man and a very happy 'thank you'

for the rest of the evening jeremy is trying all sorts of tricks on his new yo-yo as jean watches. a soft smile onhis lips every time jeremy gets it tangled and swears to himself.

[ultimate-marysue]

Something I like a lot about Nora's writing is that, despite the intensity of the romance in her books, the main ship isn't completely isolated. Let me explain.

It would be so easy to have Neil be the only one that understands Andrew, have them be everything to each other. It's such a cliche. How much more important romance is over any other kind of relationship, how your partner is the only one that sees you... except that's not how it goes in aftg. Sure, Neil is one of the people that understands Andrew the best. He also has it easier getting him to agree with him because Andrew loves him. But he isn't the only one.

Despite the very Neil focused pov, we know Andrew cares about a lot of people. Not only that, but we know there's people that understand him truly, even if not to Neil's degree. His friendship with Renee, His relationship with both Bee and Whymack. He has other people that he will listen to even if he acts difficult about it. Like the way Whymack offers him alcohol for playing both halves despite both of them knowing he would do it regardless. The only tangible difference is that Neil has the leverage lack of survival instincts and fresh outlook to expedite fixing Andrew's life.

TSC is even more obvious because we spend so much of the book on friendship. Not only are Jean and Jeremy spending a significant amount of their pov talking about their relationship with cat and Laila, but it goes both ways. After aftg Cat and Laila were just girlfriends, but after tac they are their own people with fulfilling friendships outside their romance.

Maybe it's the Ace-Aro in me, but understanding that you're gonna have important people in your life that understand and love you outside romantic partners is so important to me.

[joejhang]

why kevjean doesn't work.

i'm sad about it too but hear me out. spoilers ahead continue at ur own risk.

look it makes me so sad to say it but kevjean does not work in this universe (i know, this also means it doesn't work, by extension, in any universe, considering jean is dead.) and i need y'all to hear me out on this. everyone theorising that kevjean will be the endgame ship in tsc i hate to break it to u all: not only does that not at all align with anything in canon, but it also would just be a really bad writing decision on nora's part.

LET ME EXPLAIN. jean's arc in tsc is first and foremost about healing. i think everything and every relationship jean has throughout the tsc trilogy has to lend itself towards that in some way, and ultimately has to resolve in jean being in a better place than he was at the beginning, and if not done healing, then being certain that one day he will be. (this is how jean is when he graduates from usc in the current canon ec).

following this line of thought, jean logically can't end up with kevin. and not just because it contradicts canon, because i fully believe nora is free to contradict any of the ec she wants in tsc, but because fundamentally, it would not aid in jean's healing arc.

i see the appeal, i really do. kevin and jean have insane lore, off the charts chemistry and tension and are actually extremely compatible. but that isn't enough in this case to justify an established relationship between the two of them that isn't in the past. (don't get me wrong i am a WHORE for past kevjean/kevjean situationship/unrequited kevjean it's all very yum).

i genuinely think getting into a relationship w kevin at this point in the story would hurt and hinder jean's healing arc. kevin, through no fault of his own, is so deeply entwined with jean's trauma and memories in evermore that he literally cannot be anything but a trigger and catalyst for bad memories and grief/anger in jean. y'all forget just how deep kevin's departure cut jean (not just physically), and jean hasn't even entirely worked things out with kevin yet. they have a lot of dirty laundry to air out, both between the two of them and their relationship as well as about neil and r*ko. people also forget that kevin and jean both played a role in each other's abuse. jean said himself that it destroyed him, how easy it was to fall into kevin's bystander role. they both were witnesses and bystanders to each other's abuse by r*ko or tetsuji. that doesn't mean it was their fault, and they literally could not have done anything to help or stop anything, but it doesn't mean it didn't have an affect on the other nonetheless. i feel like ppl r missing a lot of nuance in this context: kevin and jean's relationship has always been inherently tragic, even if it doesn't end with a fall out. they've always been each other's greatest friend in the worst places, and they've always been forced to witness the trauma done to both of them. they're bond is complicated, even if the love is there (which i think it is). i won't call it a trauma bond but i do think their bond is deeply influenced and intertwined with their shared trauma.

even if they did work thru everything, i honestly think jerejean is the only way to go here. nora has laid the groundwork for that mutual attraction and trust there in book one, and now we're just gonna have to see how it plays out. they may not be together properly until jean graduates, but i don't see a problem with that. i think, at the end of the day, it's not a matter of if it'll happen but when. jean needs jeremy (and cat + laila) right now, and there's a reason kevin chooses to send him to the sunshine court, and it's not just cos they're the only team worthy of jean's skill. "their kindness matters." kevin says, and it does. jeremy + the trojans innate kindness and care towards jean are what he needs to heal and grow out of the ravens' shadow. being with kevin i fear would jeopardise that. at the end of the day, kevin is too deeply rooted in jean's past, which is a veritable goldmine of trauma that, while does need to be acknowledged and talked about, does not need to be dug up again. this isn't jean or kevin's fault, just a fact.

i think nora's also made it pretty clear that kevjean (whether requited or not) is a thing of the past. the love was there, and it might've changed everything and it might've changed nothing, but the love was there. and maybe it still is. but things have changed, and they're both going their own way and i think it's really important to understand that.

side note: this is also part of the reason i'm not the biggest fan of thea and kevin's relationship. i'm not actually sure if they're all that good for each other, given how/where their relationship began and developed. i don't doubt they care for and love each other, but i just don't know if they're the best people for each other in terms of like...wellbeing. anyway does anyone have any good kevaaron fic recs???

[fuzzballsheltiepants]

A (very) incomplete list of things I loved in TSC: (obviously, spoilers)

Jean having no sense of time at the beginning. he has literally zero idea how much time has passed and has no frame of reference. it feels like weeks; we only know because we read the original series

the shift once again, this time from Jean's POV, from Nathaniel to Neil! it being a mark of respect

seeing how Neil really relayed the deal with Ichirou to Kevin and Jean (that Neil totally glossed over in TKM)

all of Jean's internal and spoken insults for everyone around him but especially all the Foxes

Jean's complete and utter disdain for short people and how many there are, just, everywhere. why are short people allowed? they should be illegal

Andrew's single word in the entire book being, "Leaving." just classic

the whole scene where Jean watches the final game? where he is so invested in how the Foxes are doing that when they win he shoves the tv?

Jean mentally adding Andrew into the Perfect Court because they need a goalkeeper, deciding that if Kevin and Riko die it would be ok because Jean, Andrew, and Neil were enough to rebuild around

Jeremy standing at baggage claim playing with a yo-yo until he gets it tangled in his headphones

Cat teaching Jean to cook

Jean being adorably horny and constantly swayed by beautiful people

Cat thinking Renee is hot

Jean just...not understanding how people function if their every move is not controlled at first? and then starting to come around?

Jean buying clothes! picking out things for himself!

Jeremy buying people in need gift cards because he can

Barkbark von Barkenstein being the silent unwitting center of a tiny war between Jean and Jeremy

Rhemann starting to realize what Jean/the Ravens have been going through at the hands of their coaches and needing to take a minute or fifty to get over it

Jean finding himself adopted into a queer family and just rolling with it

Jeremy and his complete and utter avoidance of every possible personal problem. nothing to see here, folks

Jean's glee when the Trojans first curse, being absolutely certain that this is revealing some deep well of depravity

the Trojans' techniques for staying sportsmanlike on the court (while really aggravating the fuck out of their opponents)

the fact that Neil and Jean together are basically a buddy comedy (which I NEED MORE OF)

Neil from an outside perspective as a weird little man who can negotiate without flinching with dangerous people, navigate an unfamiliar city after briefly studying printed off Mapquest instructions, coolly order a hit in the middle of a restaurant, and develop a convincing lie at the drop of a hat

Neil's tactless but relentless kindness?

"A cool evening breeze. Rainbows. Open roads. Friends."

[kevindavidday]

Okay TSC rambles and spoilers under the cut

first of all, i would do anything for jean moreau so jot that down

jean's backstory gave me so much grief because in the middle i truly did think 'hey, what if he had family he could reconnect with?' and the way he started crying only after he found out about his sister? the absolute gentleness in jean moreau's heart is just unparalleled and i love him more than life itself

the way he defends kevin throughout claiming he earned the right to be arrogant and constantly referring to him as the Court's Queen...just kevin and jean in general...it feels like a dream to me...'take kevin's name out of your ignorant mouth'...

the fact that even in the start jean seemed to trust kevin's touch more than anyone else's

kevin day in general - their little secret of learning french, getting him magnets and postcards with stories and memories, making promises...he is singlehandedly the reason why three of my other faves found a will to live

one of the best parts for me was realizing how different neil is from someone else's pov but i can tell kevin's arrogance has rubbed off on him and vice versa because kevin was much more 'fuck it' with his attitude in tsc - so refreshing to see

the mafia hit at the end was absolute perfection actually like neil catches hint of trouble and immediately has his uncle sending someone out...the butcher neil potential is off the charts...truly a wesninski at heart and yet the near gentle way he treated jean like boy has learnt so much from his foxes i'm so proud of him and his 'i've got him, coach'

finally...jeremy knox. he's everything i expected and more actually but i'm so so curious about his backstory like i neeeed to know more

absolutely delightful to see these characters again idk how i'm supposed to go back to daily life now

[rainbowd00dles]

Hey! I love ur art and I’m a big fan of Jean, Jeremy, cat, Laila, and just tsc in general. That being said, I don’t think it’s rlly fair to stop posting Andreil art until book three bc of some assholes on Twitter. I mean, as an artist, u should be posting whatever u want, not just holding urself back out of pettiness. Which I completely understand btw! Those ppl fucking suck and it’s disgusting they’re being that open with Nora that they’re willing to ruin her mental health just bc they’re obsessed with Andreil for some fucking reason. But a) that’s Twitter, not tumblr, and b) I personally think by acknowledging them to that level they kinda win? Like, if they’re prominent enough that ur no longer making Andreil art, then it’s like an acknowledgment that they’re a large part of the fandom (which—idk but I hope not! I haven’t rlly seen them personally and I hope it stays that way lol) so anyways my point is I hope u do what’s best for u either way, but I just hope if u decide not to post Andreil art for months it’s not bc of them. Does that make sense? Idk lol

See the thing is a lot of aftg fans as a whole are amazing. But for a while what used to be a small few, have turned into a big majority that have been making it really hard to want to love the fandom, and creating for it. The fact that I even still want to make art of something for aftg/tsc us a miracle tbh. I constantly get people telling me my versions of characters are wrong because they don't look like what some people want them to look like. I have entitled people on my own posts who openly tell me they hate some of the ships I make art of. And after years of this I wonder sometimes why I'm still in this fandom. So it's not just the arseholes on twitter, it's also me taking back some of the control, because I feel like if I want to be part of this fandom I have to keep creating andreil content when tbh it's tiring. I can understand where you're coming from, but you're telling me it's not fair to other people that I won't be making art of a ship, when it's not fair on me to force me to keep creating

[xasafi]

First of all...

Hell yeah! TSC will have two books (and most likely two POVs - Jean's obviously, and it seems like Jeremy's POV is also confirmed!) YES!

Now, onto the... other stuff Nora posted.

"TSC1 has made me sadder than all 3 books of aftg" Ouch. How am I supposed to survive this?!

"but he needs to be an autumn baby, fall is for dying things" Yo, what the fuck Nora? WHAT. THE. FUCK.

It seems like TSC will indeed explore the relationship between Neil and Jean and I couldn't be happier! This is all I wanted (well, this and Jerejean but we all know which one was more likely to happen...)

Also, Jeaneil had been making-out in the Nest in previous drafts before Nora realized Neil is ace? Wow. Okay, okay. I'm fine.

Spicy scenes in TSC2? Um. I have mixed feelings about this, tbh.

"if yall were genuinely sane you wouldn't have liked aftg yes???" Well, yes. That is correct.

We got a short description of Andreil from Jean's POV?! Dreams do come true, thank you Nora.

Andrew is the older twin apparently. I kinda liked the idea that Aaron was the older one but honestly, it fits.

In most drafts Neil kissed Andrew first? Oh, wow. This is interesting.

Nora said once again that to her Andreil are versatile in bed. Yes, yes. We love to see it.

Andrew's future without Neil would have been "empty & meaningless". Oh god... I'm so glad they found each other and were able to stay together because holy fuck.

Neil would totally buy all the Fox merchandise. Yup, that's our #1 Foxes fan.

Andreil learning Russian or ASL together? My heart.

Nora claims that she would only do small changes in extra content... Does this mean no Jerejean? :(

Andrew used to hook-up with Renee after sparring in previous drafts before Nora made him gay?! WTF. Nope, I'm not even gonna acknowledge that. I didn't see it, this is not true, nope. NOPE.

"one day ppl will learn to stop asking me questions" I'm afraid we won't, even if we don't always like the answers.

Soo...

Can the spring come faster?