#but i really liked the nuance in kevins and wymacks relationship

[dayurno]

have u read oh my queen, we are here again & if u have what r ur thots!!!!!!!!!

yeah yeah my beautiful and kind and talented and beloved @onereallygoodlambonastick wrote it so of course i read it....!!! the patron saint of fighting for kevin day's rights :) made me incredibly and heartstrikingly sad! especially all of andrew's parts :) fanfics that gave me clinical depression

[nanatsuyu]

I feel like it’s not talked about enough that early in the books Kevin is the only person we see Andrew initiating any type of physical closeness/touch with at all … also thinking about how they’re described physically with each other in Son of Nefes like. so much tenderness (@ your tags about how Andrew carries himself around Kevin and Neil)

I definitely think their closeness in the beginning gets overshadowed a lot by how close Andrew and Neil get later in the series. And that's not a diss on andreil! I think it's important to Andrew's character to see that while Neil played a very large part in letting Andrew explore his boundaries and grow comfortable with physical affections, there were others that helped in that healing along the way too.

One of my favourite scenes is the one where Kevin takes his glove off for Andrew to inspect his hand for any damages. It's written in such a way that implies they weren't paying any attention to the rest of the world around them. Matt had been carded, the play was over and a fight had broken out, and during that sliver of time, either Andrew had hailed Kevin over or he'd gone of his own volition to the goal for Andrew to give his injuries a one over. Kevin knew he was going to get swapped out, and they both turned somewhat surprised when Dan called out to Kevin, as if the game being in play was an afterthought. (Which, considering it's Kevin, seems somewhat ooc since he always knows what's going on on court).

And, although we don't have the exact words regarding Andrew's deal with Kevin, it was implied in the most basic terms that Andrew would protect Kevin from Riko. (There's obviously nuance here given Andrew's bodyguard tendencies when Kevin gets into later spats with people, but for the sake of how vague most of Andrew's deals are spoken aloud, I think it's safe to assume he promised to protect Kevin from his big bad not sibling in the same way he promised to have Neil's back). All that just to say... It wasn't really in their deal for Andrew to protect or look after Kevin outside of his affiliations with the Ravens. And yet, even after threatening to break his own hand before all this, because Kevin annoyed the piss out of him so much, here he was, inspecting Kevin's hand and putting the game on hold to do so.

This injury has nothing to do with Riko or the Ravens. So, in terms of their deal, he didn't really need to dote on Kevin like that. And yet.

And yet.

And this is really only one instance of them being glued at the hip. Andrew does a lot of redirecting of Kevin's person in the same way we see him do later with Neil. Like you said as well, Kevin's the only one for some pages that we see Andrew physical with that isn't necessarily reactionary or defensive. I know Andrew was still on his meds at the time, but this line came across to me as him literally shoving Andrew down court who didn't seem to take much issue with the it:

He doesn't make much mention of it, but if I had to wager a guess, these moments of familiar contact are not a new thing upon Neil's arrival.

(Also it's been a hot minute since I skimmed through son nefes (the ec and I are on cherry picking terms most days) but I know Renee saw it too.)

Like it makes me insane to think about how their deal didn't have to incorporate all that closeness. It didn't require Andrew to become intertwined with the rest of Kevin's life and daily going on's. He could have agreed to keep him on a leash from getting dragged out of the fox den by the Ravens and called it a day, but we can see clear as day that Andrew treats his relationship with Kevin far more delicately than that. In terms of canon, the best friend (platonic soul bond or whatever title floats your fancy) behaviour jumped out of Andrew so fast, I'm shocked how anyone could overlook it.

And I haven't even touched on how Wymack views their relationship, or Kathy's show, or the role Andrew plays as Kevin's other half post Evermore, or the first genuine smiles are the ones they give each other, or the pseudo threat of the butter knife scene, or whatever they had going on here:

Like, there are certainly motions that can be considered varying levels of tender, but I do think it's important to remember that Andrew's gestures should not be measured with the same scale as say someone like Renee. We can obviously see in later chapters that Andrew can be incredibly gentle (ie the hip kiss that ruined my life), but I think it's a disservice to Andrew's character to understate how close he and Kevin are through the series, both physically and emotionally.

[ao3feed-thefoxholecourt]

In My Defense, I Have None

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/2G4zBzI

by likearecord

Jean asks for a favor. Neil finds himself at the center of a territorial squabble. It's him. He's the territory.

  “But why me?”

“You are my only good option. Aaron is straight. Andrew is rabid. Allison and Seth are on and off so often it’s impossible to keep track. Dan and Matt are a couple and getting them both to agree to pretend to date me would be harder. Renee doesn’t like dicks. Katelyn is lovely but Aaron would be angry. I don’t know which of the others started or stopped dating over the summer. That leaves you."

“What about Kevin?”

Jean scoffs. “You cannot be serious.”

“He’s…” What is Kevin? Not any better at telling Riko ‘no’ than Jean is, and, subsequently, probably not great at lying to him. Also, is it really believable that Kevin would jeopardize the team and their athletic careers by shitting where he eats? Probably not. Kevin’s amended hierarchy of needs just has the word EXY at the base. Somewhere far above that are pedestrian concerns like ‘food’ and ‘water’ and ‘shelter.’

“Taller,” Neil finishes lamely. “He’s taller.”

Words: 3924, Chapters: 1/11, Language: English

Fandoms: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic

Rating: Mature

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: M/M, Multi

Characters: Neil Josten, Andrew Minyard, Matt Boyd, Kevin Day, Jean Moreau, Riko Moriyama, Jeremy Knox, Allison Reynolds (All For The Game), Katelyn (All For The Game), Danielle "Dan" Wilds, Seth Gordon, David Wymack, Abby Winfield

Relationships: Neil Josten/Andrew Minyard, Pretend Neil Josten/Jean Moreau, Katelyn/Aaron Minyard, Matt Boyd/Danielle "Dan" Wilds, Alvarez/Laila Dermott, Neil Josten & Jean Moreau

Additional Tags: Fake/Pretend Relationship, but not like you think, Alternate Universe - High School, Neil Josten is still learning the nuances of interpersonal relationships, Slightly possessive Andrew Minyard, He's as confused as you are, He's never been Neil Josten before

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/2G4zBzI

[wetalkaboutbooks]

The King’s Men- Nora Sakavic

Apologies for how late this is, but it’s here now! So, here is my final review for both The King’s Men, and for All for the game as a whole. Spoilers ahead for all books in All for the Game, and a warning for mentions of harder source material that the books do work with. Anyway, here we go! 

I think that I will split this into the good, the bad, and an overall review of the series as a whole.

What Was Good?

Characters

Starting with Kevin. I really adored getting to a softer, more hopeful side of him. I felt the way he engaged with UCS and Jeremy was incredible, seeing him act like a normal person, with friends, who didn’t live in a constant state of fear, was lovely. I love Kevin, I think his character development is very well paced. I do wish that his alcoholism would have been dealt with, and his girlfriend, but we will get around to that later. For now, I think that his tattoo was a good way to show him moving on, taking control of his life, and reclaiming his skin from Riko. Also, proud of him for telling Wymack the truth.

Next, Matt and Dan. They’re so cute, the final scene where her strip club family comes to see the game, and how her and Matt work together is fantastic. I don’t know how to express exactly how much I love their relationship, it works so effortlessly and pays off in every scene they have together. They are such a highlight for me, and make the book a lot better.

Allison is a babe. When she just backhanded Aaron for talking smack to Neil about Seth, I have never rooted so hard for a character as I did for Allison in that moment. She had the least amount of development by far, and the least amount of time within the novel. The scene where she is looking at the banners did the same thing that Kevin’s tattoo did, in a smaller way. It was the idea of moving past a person’s control, moving into oneself, and standing without an essential pillar to their inner ideas and person. Allison and Renee were also very cute, and their relationship is adorable.

Seth, if you read my other reviews you knew this was coming, I love him, I miss him, he’s wonderful because he was so flawed. I do have some genuine thoughts about him this time around. So, I felt like this time around his death was finally properly acknowledged. He was allowed peace and closure, I miss him yes, but his death means something. Which is conflicting, but I think it's good. It’s more than just Allison that sees this, it’s Neil as well. I think he finally gets the remembrance he deserves in this book, as it comes from the people who matter.

Neil! I love him, he’s different in this book, more soft. And loved, he knows what he wants and knows that he can have it. He can let go of some of his walls and learn who he is again. He’s wonderful, and stronger as a character than he has ever been. I don’t really have all too much to say, mostly because his development was so natural. He’s wonderful, I think I love him too.

Nicky and Aaron, eh. I don’t really feel too strongly about them, I like Aaron, and Nicky is alright I suppose, but they didn’t get a lot of development throughout this book. They were better, so that’s good.

Renee is my love, what a badarse, bless her soul.

Andrew, he’s done it, I like him a lot now as a character. His growth this time around has been wonderful, the way he and Neil work together is so well done. The whole “I hate you” bit is endearing, the pipe dream scene, the mountain scene, the bandaging scene before the shower. But beyond them together, Andrew can stand so much taller on his own now, without Kevin and Neil he is a good character, he isn’t redeemed, but I think from this point on he will be.

OTHER

The fact that Andrew and Neil didn’t get together until after he was off his drugs, wonderful.

The amount of cop disrespect, go off.

The dialogue is very good at times, and had me laughing or almost crying at times.

The scene where Neil is kidnapped, and his dad just, you know. Walks down the steps barefoot. Just, slap slap, his bare feet on the cold ground. Pfft, can’t.

“My dad comes to all my games.” Kevin stop I’m already crying.

The blood in the locker scene was wonderful.

Jean, my French loving heart goes out to him. Also, poor boy, glad he’s free.

Game scenes, love them as always

The Not so Good

Less in this book then in the rest, so that’s a great sign.

Kevin. I wish he got to recover more, he’s a main character and deserved more than a half done revival. His girlfriend was a shoddy put it to give him something to go for. I love her, don’t get me wrong, but she deserved better than being Kevin's eventual redemption. And Kevin deserves to live for himself for a while. Without Riko, or Andrew, or anyone else. Let him live. Also, would have loved to see him take the tattoo off without being pissed.

Trauma. Can’t these characters have some respect for the suffering of their friends. They all need a break, and honestly so do I. I can’t anymore with the disregard of pain, a lot of it comes off as victim blaming, namely Neil in regards to Andrew. 

The trigger warning need to be taken seriously, please look them up if you are planning to read it. The dead animal scene was terrible and unnecessary. 

Which leads to Riko. Yikes, where to begin? Let’s start with the end. His death was shocking and a messy way to tie up the fact that he wouldn’t stop unless someone made him. He became far too easy to hate, see the fox scene, and I stopped hating him. Just felt pity for him, which isn’t very fun. I suppose there’s a bit of nuance to it, if you think, but I don’t think it played out well with his end being so dull. Yikes, what a let down, all this build up to his death and then it didn’t mean anything.

Seth. Wow, yikes, here we go again. This is sort of the same idea as Riko’s death, don’t tell me a character’s death means nothing, and then shoe in it means something at the end. It’s cheap, and takes away the message you gave in the first place. In this case, that being that sometimes people die and there are only a few who mourn, and it doesn’t mean anything big, but it still means something. Then boom, it’s a plot point for character development and all that work, accidental or not, is thrown away.

OVERALL

As a book

This is the best book in the series, by far. Sakavic really grew as a writer and it show’s in this book, in the pacing the game scenes, the dialogue, in the overall themes that were presented. I loved it, I really did. I loved this book, it was fun and I had fun.

8.5/10, Thank you for a wonderful ride.

As a series

Everything above, while true, does not extend to the series, I of course cover the flaws in my other reviews, but to summarize it’s not worth the wait. It takes too much bad writing, to much pain, and disregard, to get to this point. If you can put up with it, then it get’s fun, but overall. Eh, didn’t like it that much. 5/10 for the series. 

Book 1 Book 2 

[fallingin-like]

november 12

peu à peu by @zombiesolace​ [requested by @jsteneil]

see which other fics i’m reviewing this month! / my review request post!

this is a really interesting character study on post-canon kevin and how he finds his place within the foxes and deals with the aftermath of the events within the series. this fic has a lot of introspection and does a really great job of unpacking everything.

this is such an intriguing fic to me, i don’t see that many that really delve into kevin and his thoughts. i can’t imagine how difficult of a time he must have, both throughout the series and during post-canon events. this fic really made me better appreciate the struggles that he goes through because it’s really common to have his actions portrayed without any of this explanation or why he acts in certain ways. we always see his single-mindedness with respect to exy and just kind of write it off as kevin being kevin. i think you effectively explored his character and inner thoughts.

some parts that stood out to me:

“it goes like this: they lose.” uhm somehow you were able to break my heart in the first two lines of the fic? i love the simplicity of the way you worded this, it contrasts really well with the significance of what it means, for the foxes, but especially for kevin.

kevin yelling at the team after the loss feels very in character. it reminds me of what he was apparently like when coaching the foxes prior to playing, and we see a little bit of it in the books themselves. it really comes down to the fact that kevin is desperate. for a lot of the foxes, the loss stings, but at the end of the day it’s just a loss. the criticism is harsh and they don’t understand why kevin is so hard on them. to kevin, it’s his life. not just because of the fact that he’s definitely trying to go pro and have exy as his career and not just because the moriyamas are definitely watching over him, but because that’s how he was raised as a child. kevin’s terrible childhood is somewhat overshadowed by the rest of the foxes, but he likely still has trauma from how he was raised in the nest, under the master and riko. so much pressure that it feels natural that he wants to try and regain control in some way.

”they’re a team, they fall together. and yet after each game this year, kevin has found himself falling apart alone. biting shame and swallowing frustration as he tears into each overanalyzed mistake” i find in life it’s so easy to isolate yourself from the people around you. the foxes probably find it hard to be sympathetic towards kevin, but they probably don’t realise that as harsh as he is to them, he is exponentially more critical of himself. in your own head, mistakes can be an unending loop, constant and distracting. this fic is really opening my eyes to what kevin is dealing with and appreciating him so much more.

”their win last year was a fluke. a gift given to them by virtue of the trojans. a simply byproduct of the hardiness of the foxes and the instability of riko’s collapsing domain.” ohmygoodness nooo it’s always so hard for me as an outsider to see kevin (and really anyone) struggle with the imposter syndrome. so many people (including many talented fanfic authors!!) write off their talent, skill, and hard work as fluke or luck as opposed to the many hours spent bettering themselves and practicing.

”it is with an overwhelming sense of dread that kevin thinks of his death. with each day the reality of riko’s loss feels more sure… kevin wishes riko’s ghost had followed. he wishes riko were still alive. he wishes he were alone, he wishes he weren’t.” wow i love the way you wrote this, with his conflicting thoughts. since we experienced the series through neil’s pov, riko’s death feels more like victory and less like a loss. it’s something to be celebrated. but i think it can almost be seen as similar to mary’s death, which neil mourned. both characters were abusive and did things that were wrong. and yet, they were loved. whether we like it or not, riko was kevin’s family and though their relationship was twisted and manipulated, especially as they grew older, riko was the person that kevin was closest to. emotions are so complicated and i bet kevin feels like he can’t discuss this with the other foxes, who don’t quite understand.

”he knows that his commentary is far more nuanced by virtue of being a fox. kevin takes the out and opens the folder he has on the roadrunners.” this is kind of small, but i find it has some significance. it can be so easy to do the thing that you know is self destructive and get caught in a rabbit hole of pages and articles of bad. good on kevin for not doing that.

”the name wymack clings to his tongue. coach sits temptingly at the back of his palette. my dad, his mind whispers, the words clear and intrusive.” ugH it must be so so hard for kevin to work through this. i love these lines.

”andrew pokes his head out of the bedroom. he stares blankly at kevin, his hair mussed… he leaves the door partially ajar. kevin feels something in his chest loosen.” oo i really really liked this part. andrew has his own unique way of showing that he cares and i love seeing the small things that he does.

the whole conversation between dan and kevin is so interesting. the actual information that you’re sharing about exy and the way that they interact. i think you did a great job of showing a realistic back and forth.

”riko was always right there. kevin never had to call him.” these two sentences, and actually that whole section is really just so heartbreaking. you do a great job of making me understand kevin, something i haven’t really done so before.

”that’s not true. he does know. he enjoys having the ability to express his opinion. it’s a novelty he’s still getting used to.” oh, kevin.

”kevin can’t see any of the foxes. they disappeared into the store moments upon arrival and three out of the four are too short to be seen over the aisles.” lol what a mood (i am short)

kevin’s interaction with the fans is so interesting. i wonder if he often dealt with actually meeting fans during his time as a raven. it’s also really interesting to see neil from this point of view, he almost seems… unfamiliar? but not in a bad way. it kind of really brings us into the perspective of kevin.

abby-kevin relationship is so nice. i think it’s great that kevin has a maternal figure that he can find comfort in

the section on kayleigh is just so so sad. it makes me feel grief for someone i never knew. it aches knowing that she was such a wonderful woman, that kevin had her and now he doesn’t.

”’wooo!’ nicky shouts, ‘now that was a wake up call i didn’t need.’” ohmygoodness i love the way that you write nicky! it really lightens the fic a bit more.

honestly the bit about jean being waterboarded is horrifying to me. 

i like that wymack took kevin to riko’s funeral. there’s a sense of closure that has to do with it, kevin being with his real family while saying goodbye to what used to be his family

”he doesn’t recall riko breaking his had. he remembers before, and he remembers after but he doesn’t remember the moment his life changed.” i really appreciate the formatting you used with this, the line separating the first sentence, the way that you broke up the second sentence into two lines. it feels more impactful, more significant.

”he can see nicky and aaron showing off their most ridiculous dance moves in the corner for one another” oh my goodness this is amazing

“he wonders if they’ll call him an ex-fox when he graduates or if he’ll always be labeled an ex-raven. the nest had a quiet energy that fox tower doesn’t.” oh oh i like this a lot

also i like how you broke up the texts with paragraphs of kevin’s thoughts. it shows the gaps between his texts more and i feel his loneliness more keenly. the double-texting with the periods between reminds me of when i am at my loneliest

i love kevin’s conversation with jeremy. he’s known as one of the nicest, brightest characters in the series, but we really see why. how he is able to relax kevin and just speak to him.

your explanation of kevin choosing history as his major is so insightful, i’ve never really considered it, but now i wish i had

”i want andrew to enjoy himself. he does it rarely, kevin, you’re aware of that” renne is just so great.

the part about kevin using twitter, especially as a way to try and connect with thea is so interesting to me.

”’does he know you’re better than he is?’ she’d whispered in his ear” I LOVE THIS LINE what a turning point in kevin’s journey

ahh the part about nicky telling andrew about the conspiracy station, it’s so nice to see the way they are bonding like his

andrew is such a complicated character, i absolutely adore the way that you write him. a lot of the time i read a softer side of him, through the perspective of neil. kevin and andrew have a fascinating relationship, i love seeing it from kevin. “he gives kevin a thumbs up”, “i hear you, andrew says” these are so perfect

wymack giving kevin an extra jacket is peak dad behaviour.

recently i’ve been so fond of seeing authors incorporate the title of their fic into the writing. this is no different, it makes the title have that much more meaning “little by little, the bird builds his nest” i love this. how did you come across this quote? it’s so fitting for this fic

the dynamic between dan, wymack, and kevin is so so interesting. wymack and kevin are so similar that sometimes i guess it causes a distance because they’re not the best at communication. and it must be hard. they’re related, but still have so much to learn about each other. i guess i’ve never though much of how close dan and wymack are. you do a really good job at capturing the tension that exists, the interactions.

”he thinks a lot of people would rather he never spoke again” oh no this hit me hard

the little part where kevin and dan are talking about neil’s shot, i like this little bonding that we see. exy is the thing that has brought them together

”’you’ll make a good wymack,’ he says. dan jerks back, her mouth open, and her eyes stunned.” oh this is so nice

”he wants to say he’s my dad, but he’s hers too; hers more so and that’s dan’s point. what would he know? ‘he saved me too,’ he says instead” oh my goodness i love this so much

sorry but neil and kevin teaming up and nicky and aaron teaming up so that andrew loses is the best part of this fic and anyone that believes otherwise can fight me!!! “when they arrive in columbia andrew makes an aborted move like he will shut neil out of their room and it’s the first time kevin hears something like a laugh from neil.” this is so soft i needed this

go thea!!! thank you for making her so amazing in this fic!!! i like how you write their relationship, it’s refreshing and really interesting, we don’t know that much about thea

THEA TAKING OFF HER NECKLACE WHEN KEVIN CHANGES HIS TATTOO THIS IS THE BEST

there’s so much that you covered in this fic. kevin’s relationship with exy, riko, the rest of the foxes, wymack. i love the way that you worked through everything. the gradual improvement of the foxes following with kevin’s mental health improving. but we can really see how far he has come when they lose and he’s okay with it. you made me feel so close to kevin. your writing is wonderful, so many little details that just build to make this fic amazing. thank you so much for writing this!