#can you tell why i live AFTG yet

[giftedpoison]

So I don't know what to do with this information so buckle up I guess.

Hi, my name is Eve and in my real life I used to work at a grocery store (it's a chain but not necessarily a national one so i won't be saying their name for purposes of anonymity).

I worked there from the age of 16 (was hired December 18th 2016). Eventually started working in their shopping department for curbside pickup in 2019, when the department opened. Became a supervisor in the department in November of 2021 (after doing the job for a few years being paid as a part time shopper rather than supervisor) then i was promoted to Lead of the department in Feb. of 2022 (which essentially meant I ordered supplies, dealt with managing a group of 13 individuals and sat in on corporate meetings and the like).

That's my history. I quit in September of 2023. Because the job was trying to kill us all and I hit my breaking point. (My breaking point was when 5 of my employees including myself nearly passed out from over exertion. I say nearly because I forced them to stop and eat and hydrate when it got too bad, i was fighting for management to give me help so we could get breaks out but they wouldn't listen and I ended up absolutely word vomiting my building frustrations with their management style that I had been actively fighting against for well over a year at that point.)

I know I'm a good leader, but management increasingly thought of me as naive and too soft as a leader because I refused to step back and allow abuse of my workers for corporate profit. Despite the fact I would show them statistics and give them nuanced balanced perspectives they let their own biases get in the way.

Three of my shoppers were their main targets. Two of which were neurodivergent and came from a not so great background. The third one wasn't neurodivergent but she came from a broken background that involved drugs and alcohol as a minor she was 19.

I think about the third girl so often. Because I remember she wasn't shopping at the speed they wanted her too (aka the goal for the whole department) which was a valid critique and the manager basically played bad cop which was fine. And I remember after this I was working with this girl and we were running behind that day, to no fault of hers, and i had to come help her finish her shop so we could prepare for the customers to arrive.

And she was panicked. Saying she's really trying and she's afraid she's going to get fired and a bunch of other things as i'm helping her. And I looked at her and tell her. "Listen I've seen you're numbers recently, they aren't where they need to be but i can see you steadily increasing if you keep increasing no matter what the number is by the time management says something again. I will back you. It is okay and me helping you right now is not your fault." I found out recently she no longer shows up to work. And she basically quit. Which was probably in part due to personal issues like the fact her best friend was in coma at one point. And such. And she also got jumped in the parking lot by some girls and the police had to be called. But I can't help but to wonder if I had still been there, if she would have felt safe to keep coming back knowing that there was at least one person in charge in her corner. (now, I know for a fact there is none because I was a one man defense line)

I can't help but to think about my one coworker, one of the neurodivergent ones, who is still routinely get shit about his out of stock list despite back when I was still working there I literally showed them that his numbers averaged out to be about the same as everyone else.

I'm not going to say any of the three were perfect, they didn't always do their best and were sometimes unreliable. But did they deserve to get emotionally abused by one of the supervisors (who i reported over five times, and who also once threatened me but management refused to deal with)? No. Did they deserve to be treated like less than assets when two of them used to come in all the time on their day off to help until they got fed up with being treated like they were lesser?

I think about the time I fought against a capacity increase (literally one of the hours we could have 13 orders drop for one hour with only 2 hours to do it, and maybe 2-3 shoppers to execute it, and that's assuming we had the previous hour completed and actually had a full 2 hours). And then when it went into effect anyway despite me shoving numbers at every higher up I could about how it didn't work for what we had to work with. My one manager told me that's just how you build a business, increasing volume. So I told him it's also how you burn one down. He didn't have a reply.

I asked politely from the store manager that if we called for help, if there was no other employee who could, a manager should help us. And he returned with hedging and saying that "well if there's only one manager on duty that's not really feasible". Even when there were three managers on duty and two of them were standing around talking they did nothing. But don't worry if it was register front end drowning two managers plus a stocker would come to the rescue.

And prior to all this, prior to my Lead position, I didn't know I could be an effective and intelligent leader. Now I know I can, but absolutely no one will listen to me and will routinely talk down on me when they were so interested in me, that they fought corporate when corporate didn't want to give me the promotion and gave me a bigger raise than was protocol because they believed in me. And that belief went down the drain immediately when they realized I would not blindly fall in line.

I feel so bad that I'm no longer on the front lines defending them, and that I failed to give management one last piece of my mind like I was going to, but I know if I stayed there it would have eaten me alive and that it was slowly killing me.

I don't know where to go from here. How to live knowing I have enough intelligence to lead and be fair and nuanced, but having no where to put that to use. I don't know what to do anymore but this one haunts me.

And like I'm not gonna say I was perfect and I definitely didn't know the answers to everything. And I did have my issues. (I was angry but refused to take it out on anyone, I sometimes got so overwhelmed I had to ask someone to take over while I laid on the floor for a second to regain perspective, and I would often have to sit down because I would become light headed and dizzy from the heat outside). But at the very least I fought for them ya know?

[cubbyyyy]

A post about my favorite aftg relationships/friendships because why not?

1. Andreil. Of course. I think I actually don’t need to explain more but yea, they were my favorite part in aftg. they quickly became one of my favorite shippings and in my humble opinion love isn’t even enough of a term for them. No one will ever understand another the way they understand each other. They showed me what perfect compatibility looks like because in tiktok term - no one matches each others freak the way they match each others freak. I can’t imagine a neil without an andrew. they are different enough to make the other improve and similar enough to make the other feel validated. they aren’t afraid to show their dark sides bc the other matches the dark sides.

2. Andrew and Aaron. Twinyards. After Andreil their relationship intrigued me the most. The way they seem so indifferent towards each other but caring so much anyways is just so bittersweet. I live for their improvements. The way they legitimately killed for each other is just everything. Neil making Aaron understand that Andrew did everything for him and that he did the same is just so dear to me. Yea they misunderstand each other, but the brotherly love they have for one another could burn cities.

3. Neil and Matt. I love how matt just adopted neil. Neil may be a little crazy but Matt just goes along with it. So when Neil punches a guy, Matt hypes it up. Matt caring for Neil from the start was precious to me since I still wasn’t sure about the “monsters” in the foxhole court. like they seemed honestly pretty much demanding as fuck and I just wanted Neil to have a save, rest space while figuring them out and that’s what Matt gave him. (I especially like the trio of Matt/Dan/Neil). Matt is just the definition of a best friend and I’m glad Neil has his bestie outside of the monsters.

4. Nicky and Neil. Okay hear me out - when I think about Nicky and Neil I just pretend the eden incident didn’t exist bc I can excuse a lot, especially in fiction, but sexual assault is never on the list. So I made the choice to pretend it didn’t happen (i mean the books also pretend it didn’t happen lmao). And when you see them outside of the incident, they were pretty nice. I think Nickys cheerful personality helped to loosen the tension in the team (and monsters group). I loved when Nicky flooded Neils notifications so Neil wouldn’t flinch about them anymore. I also feel like Nicky played a big role in Neils growth. Like telling him to think about more stuff besides exy. Making Neil realize he has friends now. All that stuff.

5. Andrew and Renee. I just love how they’re sparring partners and understand each other so well, that they were the jogging team where they talk about possible zombie outbreaks.

6. Kevin and Jean. They didn’t have much screen time in the aftg series and I haven’t read the tsc yet, but their relationship intrigued me. This one I could possibly even ship romantically since they are so bittersweet that I just wish to save their ending. they formed a bond so deep but yet so scarred that it’s unexplainable.

7. Allison and Renee. I love them. I love how after Seth died, Renee took care of Allison. They just seem so fitting and I’m still shook they weren’t an official thing in the books.

8. Aaron, Nicky and Andrew. The fact that Nicky took care of the twins when he was barely an adult himself is just very precious.

9. Wymack and Neil. Honestly I could put him higher, I just forgot till now to mention wymack so he’s here. The scene at the end of the kings men where Neil asks for wymacks help is just stuck with me for life.

10. Kevin and Wymack. The fact that Wymack is Kevins father surprised me at first but then it made sense? When Kevin said that his father watches all his games I was ready to shed a tear.

[capcavan]

AFTG tfc ch1 Re Read by cavan

(i do not remember any details so its almost like im reading it first time lmao) tumblr does not give me read more cut off option so deal with this i guess sorry #CavanrereadAFTG if you need to block it chapter 1 "She'd beat him to the hell and back if she saw him sitting around and mopping like that" is quite violent way to phrase "she woudl be displeased to see him .." so was neil casually beaten by his mom or we only on page 4 of neil backed up trauma management and im already thinking about scene where this boy will finally brek open and admit how much he wants normal life and not having to hide his emotions and you know live a little without this whole batman personal covering his face already hit by brain made connection about how exy is what took rikos life away from him and how it's the thing that kept neil alive through the worst of his here i am making it about this little cunt already but what else were you expecting of me?

learning new things about English language always nice! neil "its cool my mom died i can finally stay in one place for a bit" how had this boy not murdered this woman himself is beyond me fr ,, please go away" neil wymack already adopted you just haven't got the adoption papers yet I wonder if Janie Smalls is taller than Andrew Minyard "her best friend found her bleeding out" okay but - who is Janie's best friend is it one of foxes? what if it's seth ? Makes sense for it to be seth nvm friend explained to me that potential recruit means she was not at palmetto at the time " Typical of a fox " see riko would make amazing fox that's boy self destructive af in all of my head cannons

broadening my vocab nice nice Notorious for their tiny size i know it's bc there only 9 of them but i will stay believing it is bc everyone is short math time, had not seen kevin in 8 years neil is 18-19 now so he was 10 ok will remember Neil: i need to be very sneaky about my past wymack: do you need a pen? neil: i can't play for you because you signed kevin day wymack: ....... ??????? I LOVE HOW ANDREW WAY TO SAY HI IS FUCKING CRUSHING NEILS LUNGS AGAINST HIS SPINE ????? forgot how radioactive they are bc of how cute they are welp things align riko broke kevins hand andrew beat up neils internal organs for no reason at all! i love when all my ships are fucked up

assailant here is the word i keep using but spelling "assultant" lmao , man im learning so much ,, Andrew was blamed for kevins recent transfer" - kandrew is strong with this one ppl in universe just assumed kevin fell in love on first sight and they ARE RIGHT

i cant tell if im here to study cannon or english but like i know what those words mean but i don't know their definitions does that make sense? OH THIS IS SO CUTE I WILL DRAW THIS FUCK YES LETS GO he slammed motherfucker with his own racket dfghsdjfhgg Hernandez is literary the only normal person over the course of those 3 books andrew *assults someone as hello* wymack: Andrew's a bit raw on manners / my dude with this reading speed it will take me half year to go through those books but im having actually a lot of fun here neil: i already said i can not sign with you wymack:OK BUT YOU STILL NEED TO EXPLAIN WHY KEVIN DAY IS THE ISSUE HERE did kevin heard it lmoa i wonder if kevin heard the ,, do you need a pen - YoU sIgNeD KeViN DaY no wonder kevin was bitch to neil he thought the lil bitch hated him on the start lmao Andrew was only here because Kevin day never went anywhere alone here you go with your raven programming <3 YEARS SINCE THEY'D WATCHED NEIL'S FATHER CUT A SCREAMING MAN INTO HUNDRED BLOODY PIECES Kevin / Dark hair and green eyes, black number 2 neil saw that number and wanted to retch He and his adopted brother Riko Moriyama wrote the numbers one and two on their faces with markers, tracing them over and over anytime they started to fade. ok so were they drawing their own numbers? it sound like kevin was drawing his number too also this is the only mention i think of riko being reffered to as kevin,s brother in the books anyway I have case to make assuming kevin and riko were doing those numbers form young age pre 10 ... it just makes sense the system they use would be Arabic not roman i just can't imagine small kids knowing roman numbers when they were neglected in nest i think this is best case i can make for it. friend provided proof that in book the four tattoo neil get's is introduced as "4" so ok arabic canon moving on Riko nad Kevin were inducted to national court 1 year pre aftg story starts They were champions and neil was a jumble of lies and dead-ends on one hand it's funny how desperate they all are to sign neil on other hand i deeply believe they just see the desperation in his eyes, we know that neil wants it and those contact lenses do not hide it , they know that he wants to say yes, they are just confused about what the fuck makes him say no (kevin's bitchiness) or at least i would make this be the case if neil didn't just got assaulted and if they didn't literary phrased it as ,, we are not living without you signing this" like .. kidnapping with extra steps much ???? playing like he has everything to lose is not excuse for you all to harass this poor man like that OK HOLD ON A SECOND "He'd remember the scrimmage interrupted by that man's murder"

what man what murder the man nathan butchered for them? did nathan murdered someone during game?

WHAT HAPPENED

the moment kevin would start looking at him funny- he already is ngl im only on page 12 and i just hate neils mom i have no phrasing for it but the fact that every choice neil could make for his happiness is meet with ,, mom would be sooo mad" is really frustrating to read about... what is the point of even being alive for this boy fr???? i wonder if theres any specific place they would have been safe it? kind of would be fun to have au where neil and his mom go to japan and end up getting protection form yakuza F BOMB 1 F BOMB 2 COMBO fuck i love those characters so much okay like all of them It's about second chances, Neil. Second, third, fourth, whatever, as long as you get at least one more than what anyone else wanted to give you"

David "idealistic idiot" Wymack wymacks sincerity is what lets foxes trust him , wymack is the first adult in their lives that understands Savge yank of her hands in his hair here we go fuck he has so much guilt over trying to live a little this is so un fair "I'm sorry"he gasped out between wet coughs. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry"

[lyndiscealin]

💫💥🎙️

Oh, I want to cry. If my memory doesn't betray me, you are the first one who ever asked me about such a game 🥺 Thank you so much!!!! ♥♥♥♥

Okay, let's see:

💫what is your favorite kind of comment/feedback?

That's a bit tricky. I love every comment, but I would lie if I said that I like every comment the same. Talking about this is tricky because I don't want to make anyone think that their kind of comment is not appreciated.

But comments who really make my day are when people get a bit unhinged. When they scream and cry and tell me how much they love my stuff. The more words the better 😂 I crave attention like water in a desert.

If it's one of my deeper fics about asexuality or trauma, I love to see people discover stuff about themselves through that or when they feel understood and represented. Helping people is one of my passions and when I can do that through my writing, that totally makes my day.

I also love when people share their emotions they felt while reading my texts with me. Sometimes I'm sad that a lot of people (me included by the way) don't have the courage to comment how hot and bothered they got because of smut scenes. I would really like to hear if my one PWP (that accidentally got a lot of plot als backstory that isn't written yet) fic was any good. I feel the pacing was too far off to make anyone feel anything, but I am usually wrong about my own perceptions on my writing 😂

So in conclusion: i love a lot of compliments, helping people and make people feel things. And I love to hear about that.

💥find your least kudos'd fic - say something wonderful about it.

Oh yeah, my musical AU: https://archiveofourown.org/works/43540101

This flopped spectacularly and it makes me a bit sad because I love the idea of an AFTG Musical XD But well, writing musicals in book form is kind of impossible, so I see why it didn't work.

I stand by it, though and I will probably continue it. I can't wait to write the first meeting between Andrew and Neil from the first book chapter. Imagine Kevin and Wymack trying to serenade Neil to join the foxes while Andrew is idly spinning his exy stick in the background to the beat of the music (or probably totally off beat fully on purpose)

But that's not the fic I linked, that's just the next part. The first part is two boys feeling alone in the world, not knowing that there is indeed someone out there who matches their needs. And I love the thought that both of them longed for someone who would understand them and both of them thinking that there would never be anyone. I love the song I chose for this, it reflects those feelings perfectly.

And I find it funny that the song is most likely about an apocalypse or something?

I have the absolut talent to hear a song and interprete it in a completely batshit way. For me it is about living in a world full of people and feeling like there is absolutely no one. Searching memories about full streets and houses but all the people are missing. It's hard to explain. I think this fic is a perfect example that I like to see stuff in songs that I am not supposed to see in them XD

🎙️which one of your fics would you like someone to make a pod-fic of?

Absolutely every single one XD It's such an honor if someone makes a pod-fic out of my stuff. I don't care which it is, just go for it. I would love it to bits!

If I have to choose one, then probably 'The Reaper' because that's one of the few that are actually beta read and I am extremely proud of it. Another one would be 'When we were younger' but there are tumblr posts in there with hastags and everything. That's probably a bit much.

But as i said.. whatever one anyone might choose to pod-fic, I would feel so immensely honored 🥰

[bloody-wonder]

just some thoughts on aftg, aspec rep & acephobia

so last weekend i went to my first pride and it’s strange to think that i wouldn’t be here now, identifying as queer and understanding much more about myself, without aftg. i mean, i guess i would’ve found out about the ace spectrum sooner or later but i don’t think i’d have realized i’m on it if i hadn’t met neil and experienced this story through his pov. which is why in this post i want to address the so-called acephobic scenes in aftg and how they factor into aftg as a book with aspec rep.

the scenes in question are basically some casual comments made by aftg characters about neil’s love life (or rather absence thereof), most notably nicky repeatedly refusing to acknowledge that neil doesn’t “swing”. i don’t want to list them all bc i’ve seen other people do it already, and although these fans are doing the lord’s educational work out there, in all the instances when i’ve seen these posts they seem to imply that aftg is acephobic either for featuring these comments in the first place or for not having the characters who made them explicitly called out by the story. this made me think about why i wouldn’t prefer it any other way.

so the first argument i just want to dismiss out of hand bc it’s kinda childish - having x-phobic statements in a book doesn’t automatically make this book x-phobic. besides, nora is aroace and although people can have internalized phobias of their own identites i don’t think that’s the case here. moving on to the second argument which is “you’re only allowed to have x-phobic comments in your book if the narrative explicitly frames them as wrong, for example by having the characters who made them be punished or learn to do better”. i can see where this one is coming from and yet it still reminds me of a first grader picture book storytelling formula. 

when i read aftg for the first time, even without knowing anything about the ace spectrum i still perceived these comments as wrong. during subsequent re-reads, after a bit of research and self-discovery, i undetstood why exactly they seemed wrong to me but i’ve only ever felt good about them being there bc they showcase vividly what it feels like to be subjected to casual acephobia in day-to-day life. and it has never even occured to me that these scenes might be harmful on the meta-level just bc the story doesn’t draw out attention to them and say “kids don’t do this, this is wrong” in a stern voice.

however, i do understant that the purpose of these lines can go over many (most?) readers’ heads or be misconstrued by them - just bc they aren’t in the know about the ace agenda. that’s why i think it’s important to write fandom meta about them. no one can know everything all the time and it’s okay to rely on other more knowledgeable people for additional information. but the question is, should this educational work instead be done by the book itself? is it a moral obligation of authors to put disclaimers before any potentially controversial scene lest some readers think the book normalizes problematic behaviours? does aftg normalize acephobia bc at no point in the story do the foxes learn about asexuality and apologize to neil? i guess you can tell from my tone that i believe the answers are no, no and no. but that’s only bc, for better or for worse, i have faith in human intellect and critical thinking skills.

since i started identifying as aroace, i’ve read several other books with aspec rep. one thing some of them have in common - with each other but not with aftg - is that labels are used on page, typically in conversations where the aspec character has to explain to the others what all of this means using phrases like “oh it’s when you don’t feel sexual attraction to any person of any gender”. and i don’t want to criticize these books or imply in any way that they do aspec rep wrong, to each their own, but i must confess, when i imagine myself from two years ago reading such a book with an ace character who feels more like a wikipedia entry, i just go hmm,, okay ://

by contrast, with neil you don’t know that he’s on the ace spectrum unless you know. neither the characters nor the readers are owed an explanation or a label by him. neil just exists, he lives out his identity, his aceness is in everything he is and does - and you either get it or you don’t. it’s like an inside joke, the kind that would only be spoiled by explaining it. 

[kevindayscrown]

Why Kevin Day is the most in-depth character in the All For the Game series

An essay by a Kevin stan, so you know it's at least 70% biased

Hello, hello everyone, welcome to another session of me, brainwashing you about the amazingness of Kevin Day. In this short essay, I'll discuss how our number Queen asshole striker is, in fact, not just a whiney bitch, but one of the most key characters in the AFTG series. I'll also discuss how Nora pretty much did him dirty and how much I appreciate the fandom for doing him better.

I've decided that it will be much easier to take things chronologically, so I can delve deeper into what makes Kevin the character whose stans won't shut up about.

Unlike the rest of the characters in the series, Kevin started off in a somewhat stable family condition. He was brought up by his mother, Kayleigh, but still probably had to live with the title 'Son of Exy' from the moment he was born. We've all witnessed what being on the spotlight from a young age has done to child stars. Kevin, upon growing up, would start feeling the burden of a whole legacy created by his mother. Because Exy, despite being a bastard sport, has a large fanbase around the US, and possibly further - since it's mentioned that it's also an Olympic sport.

It wouldn't be a surprise that Kevin more than likely looked up to his mother and wanted to play Exy for her. Suddenly though, Keyleigh died in a car accident (if it was even a car accident; knowing the Moriyamas, it could had been done on purpose) and left Kevin in the care of Tetsuji Moriyama, the head of one of the yakuza's branches, and his now adoptive brother Riko.

Let's be honest, both of them were just kids. They only had each other, so it was really easy to get attached. Kevin has lost his mother at this point and Tetsuji is not exactly a proper father figure, so Kevin had to cling on Riko. Despite us seeing him in the main timeline being an asshole who snaps at everyone, his willingness to submit into the position of 'number 2' even if he's better than Riko, shows how much he depends emotionally on people. Riko and Kevin had to meet certain expectations, had fans from a very young age, and Neil even mentions that he literally witnessed Kevin grow up from media outlets and coverages. Kevin had to stick close to the only other person who's going through the same thing.

As a result, it was easy for Kevin to focus on what he's taught to believe; he should aim for the stars, he should be good, great, but never the best. Because Riko is the best. Kevin accepts that.

I hate how people call him a spineless coward just because someone mentions it once in the book. Kevin isn't like Neil. Neil was given a chance to escape. Kevin could never escape Evermore. Even if he did consider it his home, he was still abused on a daily basis. Riko mentions in Raven King, when he's about to torture Neil, that Neil is basically in the same position as Kevin once had been:

People forget that, Kevin probably had to live through what Neil did ever since Riko turned into his fucked up self. Which literally means years of physical and mental abuse, with no hope of escape but the bright future he had ahead of him. So what did Kevin do? He focused on playing.

Stop making Kevin all about being an Exy freak or an alcoholic. Kevin was so obsessed with Exy because it's the only thing he has ever known. He probably couldn't even drink before he escaped Evermore.

Imagine being torn between loving and clinging on the boy you once called brother because it's the only family you've known, and being hurt by him, again and again at a later age, having him shatter all you think you are good at. Riko didn't just break Kevin's hand. He almost took away from him all he thought he had left, and possibly the only way Kevin had of feeling close to his mother.

Kevin loses all he's ever known, and he blames himself for it at first because he thinks it's his fault that he even dared to show he could be better than Riko. He's in pieces and the only thing he does is to cling yet on another person. Aka Andrew. And somehow like this, we come back to the point about Kevin not only being far from an emotionless asshole, but actually being the most emotionally attached character in the series.

Entering the timeline of the books, Kevin appears as the epitome of a narcissistic asshole. It's fair for someone (as a reader) to not like him at first, when we don't know all that much about him. But as the story unravels, a clear distinction is made:

Kevin is not a narcissist. He's egocentric.

Kevin knows and truly believes he's the center of attention. Because, admittedly, he is. The books could had easily had Kevin as the protagonist. Like mentioned before, being raised on the spotlight, has had a tremendous impact on how he sees himself. He's obsessed with what image he's presenting to the public. I don't think he said 'being heterosexual is easier' without a reason. Kevin has led a life full of suppression. He can flash a 'press smile' for the cameras, he can snap and be cold at the Foxes, when in reality, he's suffering from severe PTSD, with panic attacks that he's handling in the worst way possible:

Alcohol. Why? Because the Foxes are all assholes and hypocrites. Don't get me wrong, I love them. But the fact that they just ignored Kevin everytime he had a panic attack and simply thrusted a bottle of vodka his way and called it a day? Inexcusable. Kevin needed a lot more than that.

Oh jeez, I wonder why he didn't tell Wymack he was his father all along.

If I see another person saying that Kevin was an ass for not telling Wymack straight up, I might slap a bitch. Do you think that Kevin would have been able to handle another rejection, another loss of a parental figure? All he did, was in self defense. Yes, it was selfish, but it was probably the only time in his life he could really make a choice on his own.

But you know what? Kevin overcame all this. Maybe and most probably not completely, he will never be able to wash away some stains, but he became more confident and emotionally independent. He detached himself both from Riko and from Andrew, and became the best striker in the history of Exy.

One of the reasons why I love Neil and Kevin - especially Kevin - is because their healing journeys are more fleshed out than Andrew's. But in this case, Kevin's was not really given the attention it deserved, it happened on the side lines and he had to do it alone. Neil had the foxes, had Wymack and Andrew. Kevin had no one, because the foxes, despite being assholes themselves, kept dismissing him and his problems. I really do believe that, in the first drafts when Kandreil was canon, Nora had potentially explored his character more. I wish we had gotten that instead of this sloppy attempt to squeeze in his ark along with Neil's.

I'll end this with some highlights that also showcase how badass Kevin is. He's a mess, but he does grow some spine when he finally becomes his own person:

Oof, if you actually read through this, thank you for tolerating my probably incoherent thoughts. I actually barely scratched the surface of my thoughts on Kevin's character but for now, this will do.

[awakenatmidnights]

aftg hc where they visit a ghost town because i can't see why not????

andrew: take a guess, come on, it's not hard. of course this motherfucker had to pick every single lock in the town. the weird thing about it? he picked the lock, looked around the inside of the house and if he didn't find what we was looking for he just left. what he was looking for, neil didn't know. (also he might have locked neil inside each house more than a couple times, relishing every time he got out after just a few seconds wearing the most unimpressed look on his face) ((++ also, the thing he was looking for in the houses? graffiti. sometimes he found real, beautiful paintings, other times just dicks. well, he wasn't there to judge. better take what he could get.))

kevin: spent the three weeks prior to the trip researching all kinds of facts about the town and made sure to tell everyone every single detail about them ["someone once pushed their newborn from these stairs" "how the actual fuck have you even gotten this information kevin-"]. and to repeat it a few more times just in case, you know. for the people in the back. not because he couldn't stop talking about it, nah-uh. not him, wrong bitch.

dan: needless to say. pictures. pictures of everything. pretty flowers, the panorama with the mountains, last century's street lamps, old street signs, everything. and yes, she sure as hell climbed throughout the highest houses to make the picture fit more into the ✨aesthetic✨. that building is too tall for her to climb on it you say? fucking watch her. she can and she fucking will.

neil: at first he couldn't make out why everybody was so excited about this trip. i mean, what's so exciting about an abandoned town? people used to live here, now they don't, what's so special about it? he just followed andrew around for a while, listening to his probably made up ghost stories, making out with him in the deserted streets and basically living the dream until he figured out his own thing to do, which is? every single illegal thing imprinted in the what-you-can’t-do-in-a-ghost-town global agenda. stealing souvenirs, writing on the walls (in most cases something related to exy or a simple ‘hi:)’ bc this boy has no sense of civility smh), stomping on the rotten floorboards. you know, the basic. he also wanted to stay the night just so he could traumatize aaron and kevin but one can’t have everything, can he?

matt: found a random cat in the streets and proceeded to gave them food, water, his dorm keys, his heart, fifty bucks, every single thing he could find in his (dan's) bag. AND when the cat started purring in his hand oh boy was he gone. if someone asked him literally anything about the trip, the only thing he’d be able to talk about would be the damn cat. after he ran into it he couldn’t give one single shit about the town and he still strongly stands by that.

allison: she did not come to play, i can tell you that. when they got there some fucker had the guts to laugh at her 6 inches heels (about 15cm for my fellow europeans like me) and not only she made sure to kick him in the balls with said heels, but also managed to go back and forth the entire fucking town with them. not to demonstrate the fucker something, but because she can. the fucking power she holds. (++ insert here renee being a big lesbian™ watching her from afar)

aaron: he literally walked (mostly) alone around every single corner of the town ["aaron we're ready to go home, where are you?" "at the church" "there is a church????"] and asked kevin for the creepiest, weirdest facts about everything. it was a win-win situation for both of them, really. he is a sucker for these things and as he SHOULD leave him alone 😤

nicky: tried to follow aaron around for a while before realizing he was lost in his own world, so he got back to the others after no more than half an hour. he then proceeded to complain about having to walk so damn much because it shouldn't be an exy training and this should be their day off from the court for fucks sake. he also takes a lot of pictures and selfies for erik, and if he then spends the night skyping and laughing with him about every time any of the foxes slipped or fell in the concrete, then nobody has to know. (yes, he caught kevin slipping on camera. no, he hasn't showed him yet because he's too good of a soul to die this young. his words, definitely not mine.)

renee: she was everywhere at any given time, nobody still knows how. she helped matt feed the cat, walked around with andrew and neil, listened to kevin rambling all over the town. also, they only realize this the day later when talking about the trip, in the comfort of their dorms. dan lets casually slip something like "i was just about to fall from those stairs, thank god renee was there to catch me haha" and just laughs it off til nicky's like "??? what are you talking about??? i've been with renee almost the whole trip and you were literally in the opposite side of the town?????" and when they turn to her for explanations she just gives her most loving, innocent smile. today it's still unknown what really happened and they're not so sure they want to know anymore.

[[hey! editing this just to let you know that you can find the actual pics of the ghost town i visited here!!]]

[sylverivy]

This post is about AFTG so all the usual warnings apply. If you want me to put any more warnings in the tags, TELL ME I will add them/change them.

Mandatory disclaimer that these are just my thoughts on the books. Of course we're all going to have different opinions so please respect others' opinions.

@bloody-wonder sorry this is late, school happened.

This is in response to all the recent posts which have been 'cancelling' Nora over things found in the books/extra content.

Some of the main things that have popped up as being 'wrong' or 'too dark' are

- Andrew and Roland having a sexual based relationship whilst Andrew was underage.

-Andrew never smiling in the future.

-Andrew and Neil never getting married or saying 'I love you' in the future.

Etc. Basically the general consensus amongst like half the Fandom is that AFTG is 'too dark'.

And let me tell you something

It's

Supposed

To

Be

Dark-

That

Is

The

Point

Think about the Foxes backstories - sexual abuse, physical abuse, drug abuse and lord knows what else. Of course the series is going to be 'dark', they're 'dark' subjects which come up pretty heavily throughout the books.

Of course there's going to be things that are 'wrong', abuse is wrong. Regardless of circumstances, it's wrong. Abusers are wrong, regardless of circumstances. And when a child grows up in an abusive environment, of course they are going to do things that are seen as 'wrong' by the majority of society.

And people who read the books complain about them being 'wrong' and 'too dark'. Which, once again;

Is

The

Point

Because abuse is never 'light', it is never sparkles and butterflies and healing rapidly in order to be an 'upstanding' member of society. So when you complain about the series being too 'dark' and 'wrong' and think that it should be 'lighter'; think about all the children who were in those situations.

Because the books are based on something, what they are based on I do not know, but what I do know for sure is that there are people out there who have been in situations that are like the Foxes', in situations that are worse.

So we shouldn't blame the author for it being too wrong or too dark. Think about what that means to people who are in the same situations or worse. Think about what they take out of people saying those things. Think about what caused Nora to write something so 'dark'.

Sure, you're allowed not to like the series or the characters but, don't go after the author due to it. She wrote a story that contains 'dark' elements that are 'wrong'. I do see that but you may see it as 'dark' and 'problematic' but think about those who don't see it as 'dark'. Think about why they don't see it as 'dark'.

Think about the fact that some people may see it as 'light'. Think about why.

Usually when I read 'darker' books the thing that strikes me the most is not how 'dark' they are but rather how 'light'.

For example, the abusee does get hurt by their parents. But then they have enough courage to tell an adult, they get help, the abuser goes in jail, they go to therapy and magically become an upstanding member of society.

I am not saying that milder abuse is less important, because it is just as valid and important as the more serious kind but, real life isn't like that. In real life you're too terrified to tell because of the consequences. You know the abuser won't go to jail because there isn't enough evidence. You know there is no way of you getting help. And even if you do manage it, you know there's a very high chance of it not working, of never being what is seen as 'okay' as society, of always having to pretend so you can lead a 'normal' life. You know that what you have now is better than what you'll have if you tell (Andrew with Cass).

In real life you're Andrew. And in real life it can be worse.

So when I see 'darker than dark' stories like AFTG my main thoughts aren't of horror and of how dark the series and characters are but rather of hope. Because they all got out, they got a chance to improve, and yet they're not okay. But it's okay. You don't need to be okay.

Another thing that AFTG would be good for normalisation. Not of abuse, because abuse should never be normalized but rather how it affects people and how they cope. Like I said before, recovering from abuse is never pretty. It is not like what Renee becomes - a magically positive human being - but rather like Andrew - someone who is seen as 'broken' and 'wrong' by the rest of society. Someone who is still being hurt but is coping.

Someone who has survived and is trying to live but is criticised for doing so. Do I think some of Andrew's action are wrong? Yes. Do I understand why he does them, what drove him to do all of those things? Yes. Will I go after the author for them? No.

Andrew is someone who will never be 'okay' according to society's standards. And I think that's one of the best things about the books. Because it normalises that people are not going to be 'okay' and magically be like Renee, Dan or any of the upperclassmen. It normalises that it's okay to not be okay, it's okay to be like that. It's okay to be a 'Monster'.

One major thing that people were hung up about is Andrew and Neil never saying 'I love you'. But I don't see the problem with it. Because for me 'I love you' is years of pain and Love is giving someone food when they seem hungry. It is silently helping them when they're struggling. It is staying by their side even when they are acting 'wrong'. It is making jokes about dark things because the alternative is a mental breakdown and tears. Love is knowing when to Stop, when to Go and where to go. And I know that for Andrew it could be the same.

Another thing that came up was Andrew never smiling. But, once again, that doesn't bother me. I can tell that Andrew probably associates his smiles with the year of mania the drugs put him on. I know that happiness isn't always smiles but rather smaller gestures like giving someone an exasperated look when they're being funny. I know that sometimes smiles bring pain instead of happiness.

So in conclusion, for those who see the series as 'dark', think about the fact that real life is often darker. For those who don't, remember that the road to recovery is long and bumpy and you may not ever be 'okay'. But that's okay.

And for all of you, remember that quite a few people see themselves in the characters and in the story. Remember that people looked at the darkness and saw hope and acceptance. Remember why.

Remember that the story is just that - a story. A story that is about real life events which are 'dark' and 'wrong' and as such the story is going to be so too. Remember that books don't always reflect what the author believes is right/whatever and stop going after Nora.

[awfullyaster]

andrew and neil are switches, don’t you forget it

ok hi here for my (probably) daily aftg rant,,,,so i’m seeing that the majority of the fandom (as far as i’ve seen anyway)--or fics/fanart consisting of andreil doing the do--view neil as a power bottom ?

am i incorrect? are my resources false? idk bout u but so far i’ve only seen like one fic where neil is the top/penetrator (!mao is that even a real word idk but it sounds weird haha cute ok anyway)

and honestly, i have to disagree. i do. i’m not trying to push andrew’s boundaries by saying that neil could top, i’m just saying that y’all don’t give neil enough credit.

liek,,,,,bro,,,,,do you not see the amount of top energy neil mf josten radiates ???? like, yes, we know andrew takes the lead but it doesn’t necessarily mean he’d top forever ?????

( just a proposition, ofc but this is just my opinion based on observations--yet again ) 

( and tbh i had difficulty trying to figure who was the top and who was the bottom between them when i encountered the first hint of intimate growth in their relationship--to the point where i had to ask my best friend who hadn’t a clue what aftg was prior to (that’s when the aftg rants officially started/ignited) and it took some time/proper discussion/consideration but he first came up with the conclusion that andrew was a sub top and that neil was a power bottom )

as for yours truly, i came to the conclusion that they are both switches (some time after i finished reading).

i mean,,,,,,can you really just look at neil josten--wholly, like his entire personality, attitude (problem !), traits, &c and decide on the spot that he’s a bottom ??? how ??? how the hell do you come up with that ?????

and hear me out, i have evidence/reasons:

one) The Great Riko Roast™️. need i say more? 

(if elaboration is necessary:

keep in mind that neil (this literal fucking nobody) burned riko (supposedly the king of exy or whatever the fuck, who cares) to ground on the spot (no script, just his attitude problem (mwah i love him) and pure spite)

again, he burned him to the ground on live television, publicly humiliating riko with each and every word

idk bout u but i am so damn sure andrew found out right then n there that this bitch radiates top energy for fucking sure (or, in his words, isn’t spineless)

neil committing arson via verbal attacks is just---splendid. absolutely mesmerizing. flawless. truly inspiring. gamechanging. glorious. 

he’s so rude i love him

anyway )

two) neil can shut up andrew up without having to touch or kiss him. he can leave him speechless. with just his words. 

(yes, we know anybody & everybody knows better than to touch andrew but like i mean he wouldn’t have to fight him or whatever) (and he doesn’t have to kiss him to shut him up--though he definitely can--he doesn’t have to because that’s just how fucking powerful he is)

y’all,,,,,are you ready for one of the most amazing lines i believe we all know and love,,,,,

““You have a problem wherein you only invest your time and energy into worthless pursuits."

“This,” Neil flicked his finger to indicate the two of them, “isn’t worthless.”

“There is no ‘this’. This is nothing.”

“And I am nothing,” Neil prompted. When Andrew gestured confirmation, Neil said, “And as you’ve always said, you want nothing.”

Andrew stared stone-faced back at him.

[...andrew had his hand frozen mid-air...(i forgot the rest)]”

if this does not prove dominance to you, i don’t know what to tell you. (HE WAS MERELY SPEAKING AND ANDREW COULD NOT COME UP WITH ANYTHING-- A N Y T H I N G --TO SAY BACK BC IT’S A PERSONAL ATTACK AND HE DIDN’T SEE IT COMING AND THAT’S WHY HE SEES NEIL AS INTERESTING/WHY HE ‘HATES’ HIM SO MUCH BRO I)

hOweVeR

i know that dom bottoms exist (i think so, anyway) or bottoms that radiate top energy/the position (i.e. bottom,top) energy you radiate can be entirely different from what position you really are/are comfy with and that these are just words but that brings me to my following point,

three) (#1 insitgator, he, oh yes, neil josten, yes indeed) his unexpected (and to be frank, quite thrilling) acts of asserting dominance ?????? um ????

(when they were kith kithing next to the kitchen (next to kitchen) in neil’s dorm room) “[neil felt his phone buzz in his back pocket and against the wall it was obnoxiously loud. he already knew it was his daily countdown, but he already knew how much little time he had left. he didn’t need to reminded, especially now...andrew took it out of his back pocket and offered it to neil, pulling away from his mouth. neil took the phone from andrew’s hand and threw it across the living room, not taking his eyes off andrew. andrew watched as the phone bounced off the couch and onto the carpet. neil kissed his neck in attempt to distract him and was rewarded by a startled jolt which was enough reason to do it again. and even though andrew pushed his face away, they were close enough for neil to not miss how andrew shivered.]” 

b r o ,,,,,,,,,,,, bro,,,,,,it just--

(when they were alone in the bus otw to that one away game--belmonte, i think?) “[“i wonder when coach found out about this,” neil prompted. 

“there is no ‘this’.”

“i wonder when coach found out you only want to kill me ninety-three percent of the time.”

neil retraced his steps and had a moment of realization. before andrew left for easthaven, neil had told andrew to trust him and not ‘neil’. 

“it was before you left,” neil started... 

“coach doesn’t believe what other people want him to believe, he believes what he sees,” andrew replied...

“are you going to tell them?” neil was referring to the rest of the team, and this was up to him, whether they’ll be out or not. 

“i won’t have to. renee says the upperclassmen are betting on your sexuality.”

neil knew that matt mentioned that there were bets on about him, but he didn’t know it was about this.

“it’s a waste of time and money. they’ll all lose. i’ve said all year that i don’t swing and i meant it. kissing you doesn’t make me look any of them differently. the only one i’m interested in is you.”

“don’t say stupid things.”

“make me.” and with that, neil grabbed a fistful of andrew’s hair and pulled him in.]” 

dude,,,,,,,,,he can take control,,,,,he can,,,,he can lead, too, but he follows andrew’s because he’s a good boy and he knows how important it is. he improvises and uses what he has and takes control from there. dude. dude. 

three) honestly? i think andrew likes it. neil’s unexpected acts of confidence,,,kinda leaves him on the edge of his seat yk,, like doesn’t it increase his percentage? it does, right? cuz ik it did when andrew guided neil to touch his chest and neil emulated andrew’s words, “i won’t be like them. i won’t let you let me be.” (i love them bye) but liek,,,,yeah idk andrew liking neil’s neck kisses/fetish kinda tells me he likes it so maybe this isn’t concrete evidence particularly but i’m still including it because andrew’s a switch, idc what anyone says, 

four) i lost my train of thought but i ran out of reasons--on the spot, anyway--so i might come back to this if i do but just to make it clear:

andrew minyard is a switch. (it just takes time, like a lot, but it doesn’t mean it’s necessarily impossible/never gonna happen.)

neil josten is a switch. (he respects andrew’s boundaries and doesn’t push him, he’s fine being guided, but it doesn’t mean he can’t take the initiative himself (and i forgot to mention it but re: when he asked andrew if he doesn’t like to be touched in general or if it’s a trust thing + many more times, before & after their first kiss, i believe, my brain is just empty rn) and i just think that deserves more recognition)

so !! 

(this post is a mess, (i always am but today’s just worse) i know, and i’m sorry)

in conclusion,

let neil top andrew !! they deserve it !! 

(not that vice versa is bad, but this isn’t either, yk, just saying. also, i hope this isn’t too late to say in the post, but i do not, i repeat, i do not, intend to pressure any content creator--fic writers, fan artists, editors, &c--to create content this particular way only,,,,okay,,,gotta make that unequivocally clear. and i’m not saying andrew topping neil is bad or overrated, because i know that when it comes to them, sex in general would take some time, especially neil topping andrew, but i think they deserve that freedom, yk. again,,,,this is just my personal opinion. no insisting statements here, just wish for freedom to speak my mind, that is all. also feel free to interact if you agree/disagree or both !! i’m willing to hear anyone’s comments or thoughts or whatever !! i hope i’m talking to a brick wall here ahah) 

bro brain poop rn

anyway

tl/dr: bro let neil top (not necessarily on top, but that works, too--either/or--or both, if y’all dare ;DD (kill me) (but like srsly) (let neil top) (plz) :))

(also somewhat off topic but might anyone have access to some fics in which consist of neil first getting andrew off ??? i randomly remember it from ms. sakavic’s extra content page and i would like to see what the fandom offers, if y’all don’t mind)

im so mean and insistent on my aftg-related opinions now that i think about it

whoops

[foxeshaveclaws]

When I know the time is right for me--An AFTG Headcanon

This is for @thebashfulpoet for the @aftgexchange! I wanted to make this a full fic but with life I knew I couldnt do it justice, so have a 1.4k long headcanon soulmate AU! I really hope you enjoy it! <3 (also, i deffo stole the title from “I Have A Dream” by ABBA which is REALLY funny once u read it, trust me)

Imagine a soulmate AU where you share dreams as long as you are both asleep and dreaming at the same time

The first time Andrew and Neil meet it's when they are little kids,around 6 or 7. Neil is sitting on a swing set in a park and Andrew just shows up and is like “what are you doing?” and Neil just goes “swingin” and Andrew gets so upset at this weird auburn haired boy that he wakes himself up out of sheer spite.

That's pretty much how it goes over the next few years.

They meet in dreams and have short conversations but both of them kind of refuse to talk about themselves, so they spend a lot of time just sitting in the park swinging together. They don't exchange names even and when they talk, it's only about the small things. If pressed, Andrew might admit that it isn't terrible.

One night, a few years after their first dream meeting, Neil mentions Exy. Andrew had only heard of it once before but the other boy knows a lot about it so Andrew just lets him talk and talk about it until they both wake up. It's……..nice to listen to Neil talk. Andrew doesn't hate it.

That was the last time they met in their dreams for a long time.

Neil stopped dreaming for the most part when he and his mother were on the run. It was too stressful and very rarely did he ever sleep deeply enough to dream. Andrew was getting shuffled between homes and then, once he started living with the Spears, he stopped sleeping all together. 

It had been so long that when they saw each other, they didn't even recognize each other. How could you recognize someone when the last time you saw them was when you were a little kid? Besides, Andrew has essentially sworn off soulmates. He doesn't see the point in them, not anymore.

Even after Neil moves to Palmetto, he doesn't dream. He’s too keyed up, too on guard to sleep well and at this point, soulmates and dreams are the last thing on his mind. He doesn't even really think about them at all until Nicky brings it up during practice and mentions the fact that he’s soulmates with Erik and how Dan and Matt are soulmates and wondered if Neil knew anything about his soulmate and Neil just kind of shrugs and says that he hasn't really dreamt since he was a little kid. Yet another instance of Neil breaking the Foxes hearts  

A few days later, after their first official game of the season, Neil and Andrew are both so tired and worn out from the game that they dream again. It's the same park and swing set from when they were small . Andrew sees Neil and he once again gets so Angry that he wakes himself up out of spite.

The next day is Kathy’s show and when they get on the bus, Andrew’s eyes bore into Neil’s back but Neil just ignores it until they eventually drift away.

They don't talk about it, not yet. 

After Seth’s death, they both stop dreaming again.

It fluctuates like that throughout the rest of the school year, up until winter break. The meds they give Andrew at Easthaven puts him in such a deep sleep that he has no choice but to dream but they morph all of his dreams into nightmares. When Neil finally gets back to Palmetto, he dreams for the first time while sleeping on Wymack’s couch. The dream they share there is…….strange. The park that they meet at is morphed and shifted into something weird and horrible but Neil and Andrew are untouched. And for the first time, Neil and Andrew talk about it. Neil doesn't have his bruises but even in the dream his hair is auburn and his eyes are blue. Andrew asks him why and Neil skirts around explaining exactly why but he does ask if Andrew is safe. Andrew avoids answering that question but they both know that he won't be truly safe for a while longer, until he's back with Neil and the rest of the Foxes.

The next time they dream together is when Andrew gets back from Easthaven. It comes after the iconic pipedream conversation and Andrew tries to point out that Neil is literally a dream to him. Neil steals the cigarette that Andrew is smoking out of his hand and they are both startled by the fact that they can touch in the dreams.

Their rooftop conversations slowly fade into dream conversations. They sit on the swing in the dream and talk as they dream, along with staying up on the rooftop (when do these fuckers actually rest?)

Andrew tells Neil about his fear of heights. That night, in exchange, Neil explains why they are always in a park in their dreams “It was my safe space as a child. No parents to hurt you in public at a park. And I liked swinging.”

From there, things continue as canon says (i rlly like canon compliant AU’s i'm so sorry lol)

Up until---- Neil’s suddenly kidnapped.

He's taken and tortured and it's nasty but when he is drugged and forced to fall asleep, something strange happens. He dreams.

Meanwhile, Andrew freaks out when he cannot find Neil and he eventually tries to strangle Kevin. After Andrew gets calm down and the Foxes begin the trek to various hospitals to find everyone else, Andrew gets in idea. 

He goes to sleep in the back of the bus and as he falls asleep, he gets as close to praying as someone like Andrew can. He falls asleep and the miraculous happens. He dreams.

In the dream, Neil doesn't yet have the scars Lola gave him but he still manages to look shitty. Immediately upon seeing him, Andrew asks Neil where he is and Neil answers as truthfully as he can but he knows what's going to happen next. He finally tells Andrew the truth, the full truth. And Neil is as happy as he can be because he gets to tell Andrew goodbye this time. A true and real goodbye and it's heartbreaking. Andrew refuses the goodbye and promises Neil that he’ll see him again. 

Neil doesn't believe him but he smiles and they kiss for what feels like the last time. Neil wakes up mid-kiss and Andrew is left holding nothing but air. 

Andrew wakes up and runs to explain to Wymack where Neil is. At this point they have picked up all of the other Foxes from the ER and this, THIS is where the Foxes find out that Neil and Andrew are soulmates </3 (oof)

Wymack calls the cops, who in turn tip off the FBI and confirms what the FBI and the Hatfords already kinda knew. But this time, Stuart knows going in that Neil is there and is able to get there sooner. They still have to go through with the plan they do in the book but they got there just a little bit sooner and was able to make it so Neil didn't get detoured straight through the FBI.

They have their reunion in the hospital instead and it's a funny sight, all of these Exy players jammed into a single hospital room, trying desperately to see this little fucker. Andrew pushes himself in first and Andrew tears Neil a new one for trying to really say goodbye to him via dreams and just clutches him tightly. Neil apologizes again for that and promises to never do it again. 

The FBI still tries to get Neil to join Witness Protection but they don't have much of a leg to stand on because Neil just tells them that his soulmate will find him. They let him change his name and they take his statement and story, but he gets to leave with the Foxes. He gets to go home with them.

After that, things stick with the rest of TKM. Eventually, when Andrew graduates and goes on to play professionally and then Neil follows and they are forced to go long distance, they find solitude in their dreams and they spend their nights and midday naps together in dreamland.

And even when they are finally able to live together, they still dream together.

[queerbra-rian]

REVIEW ; ALL FOR THE GAME SERIE - By. NORA SAKAVIC

------

⚠ Trigger Warning : The book talk about lot of drug use, of overdosing, underage drinking, loss of a loved one, suicide, there's also mention of cutting, drugging someone, jokes about rape, physical abuse, talk of past parental abuse, ableist insults, homophobic slurs (the f word), and use of the r word. Be aware of this before reading. It’s also as spoiler free as it can be.

Genre: YA, Contemporary, sports, fiction, gangster, romance, mlm,

Pages:

1) 237 (book 1)

2) 423 (book 2)

3) 556 (book 3)

Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

All for the Game is a 2013 book series by Nora Sakavic. The story revolves around the Palmetto State Foxes, an NCAA Exy team with the main plot being centered around Neil Josten, a kid on the run from his mob boss father. It is primarily a sports story and follows a storyline typical of the genre—with added drugs, violence, and gangsters.

Main character Neil Josten is in hiding, on the run from his mob boss father. He's a Consummate Liar who's just trying to lie low, but when he plays Exy for his latest high school, he somehow catches the attention of David Wymack, head coach of a Class I college team. He shouldn't say yes to the offer, but he does—and is instantly plunged into a world of tangled relationships, shady deals, lots of violence, and The Power of Friendship.

The series consists of three books:

The Foxhole Court

The Raven King

The King's Men

---

REVIEW:

Oh man. Where do I start with this. Probably with the beggining as to why do I read the all for the game serie, since its a 2013 novel ? Because well, I saw it plastered everywhere since day one on instagram. And the curious side of me wanted to dive deeper into it. At first, I wasn't sure about it and would gladly skip it, because gangster story and sports wasn't at all my thing (mind y'all that I now have 3 sports + lgbt YA book yet to read in my tbr since I've started TFC) but what a mistake ! I now consider myself a fox, even bought the paperback copies (lol I know) and I ship a lot of thing in that book. For this review though, i'll try and go as spoiler free as I can.

First of all, I love Exy. Even tho it doesn't make any sense at all, as a sport itself, I found myself imagining everything perfectly. Like imagine LaCrosse, but with hockey's violent part and that is amazing. That's how I pictured Exy and that's how I would play it. But let's put that aside in favor of talking about the cast. What I have to say first is that I didn't know you could put so much side story in a book without it being too much ! Every or so key character got their own moment of glory through the serie and that's amazing. You could believe the whole plot would be centered around Neil Josten, as the synopsis is implying, but no! it became from time to time more a snippet of the other of the team and man that is story telling and character developpement at its finest.

I won't lie, my first impression of the book would have been, as I saw a lot of fantastic fanart that would imply it, that Neil and Andrew would fall in love together in the cheekiest way possible and then they would be okay together and live happily ever after, but how I was wrong and how I ship it ! I want more story with a clingy but not so much relationship ! (But maybe not centered around abuse, because that suck).

Anyway, I will try to summarize everything in less than an actual book and start with the main plot. It's actually an awful start of a plot, since we talk about a runaway child being signed in the worst team of the Class I exy team. (And the fuck how they magically start to win everything after Neil arrival and despite everything that happen to them between the three books. How do they do that ?! ) then come into the equation the Edgar Allan's Raven. A whole team of archnemesis to the Foxes. Dun dun Duuunn !

For most part, Exy is useless for the main plot and just an unpleasant distraction from the important part, which is Riko Moriyama being an assbutt and Kevin Day a crybaby. Okay no. They are, but it's far more complicated than that. The more I wrote down that review, the more I realise that the plot is sh*t, but what makes this story interesting is the craving to know what the fuck is happening, from this constant need to believe that the love affair between Neil and Andrew is going to end in something completly different that the unholy thing it is in the first few half of the two first book. (We are far from this bullcrap of hater to lover rag, since it's more about Andrew and Neil’s relationship is based around physical expressions of affection and respect, as opposed to verbally lovey dovey stuff) to the need to know if one of them is going to get killed (hint; there is definitly some killing involved, this is a damn gangster story after all)

I gave it 5 stars because it got me hooked, not because that's the best story ever. Mind y'all, because AFTG serie is just like reading an AU fanfic, well kinda. But probably because of the character developement. As I said earlier in this exact review, I love how everyone has their part of the story, even Riko and Jean at some point, that are in the opposite team (the baddies). I also love how you unravel certain mystery through the books. It's not about a reckless teenager afraid of living, but about a whole group (team) being challenged by life and the weight that carry each of them.

Is it worth reading? I'd say yes, because it get better. Surprisingly, I want another book too. Just for the sake of knowing what would happen at court.

Notable quote:

“It's about second chances, Neil. Second, third, fourth, whatever, as long as you get at least one more than what anyone else wanted to give you.”

[meanminyxrd]

smokey eyes by lincoln but its andreil

i doubt anyone is going to fully read through this, but i like to song analyze. i like to take songs i find and explain why i’ve added them to my aftg playlists. this first song i’m going to “explain”, i suppose, is smokey eyes by lincoln. it’s added to neil’s playlist.

The first verse is as follows:

Smokey eyes, are you feeling good?

For now, you’re here with me

Seems like we’ve waited long enough

For someone else to make us feel complete

It’s not a bitter flavor, and it’s not a sweeter drink

I’m scared to ask you if you would do the same for me

at the beginning of whatever this thing with andrew is, neil believes that he is not important at all to andrew. he thinks that andrew doesn’t care as much as he himself does. but he’s okay with that; he’s gonna die by the end of the year anyways, so might as well have a good time. but still, it hurts. ‘are you feeling good?’—he wants to make andrew happy like andrew makes him feel happy. he wants to make andrew feel safe like andrew makes him feel safe. and for fucks sake, they HAVE waited long enough to feel happy and complete. they haven’t had anything like… THIS… their whole lives. and what they have, it isnt stereotypically sweet, but it isn’t in any means bad or bitter. it works out for them, and that’s what matters. and he cares so much about andrew that it hurts, it almost tears him apart to suddenly care about anyone but himself, but he doesnt think andrew cares back and is too scared to ask.

Smokey eyes; that’s your name, isn’t it?

At least that’s what I call you

When I call you, do you shake the way I shake

When I call to say I’m through?

“No, I shake the way you do at shows

So people know you’re cool

Violently, but still controlled enough to screw.”

you cannot tell me neil doesn’t come up with nicknames for andrew. my favorite head canons come from when neil is sleepy and calls andrew ‘drew and i get so weak reading them. as for the shaking part, its like neil’s saying ‘if i called to end it, whatever this thing is, i would be heartbroken and shaking from the anxiety and pain of it all. would you?’ and the only answer he can imagine coming back is that andrew doesnt care, and that all he was was a cheap fuck, because in the beginning that’s all andrew dares to show.

now, after the hotel in baltimore scene, he thinks andrew cares at this point. why else would andrew have fought for him to stay? but we all know how absolutely fucking oblivious neil can be. when he’s with aaron at the cabin during their vacation, he expresses he doesn’t believe andrew would care enough to do anything drastic for him. he genuinely believes that if aaron asked andrew to drop neil, that andrew would in order to keep his promise.

cut to the chorus of the song:

So help me make amends with all my friends

Most other people are just dead ends

There’s nothing worse than making friends

again, after baltimore, he knows andrew cares, but he doesnt know what to do about it or how exactly to cope with this revelation. if andrew cares, then it can’t be that much, right? because what could neil josten, a made up character and personality, have to offer to any of the foxes? yet he needs to make amends with the foxes. they’re all he has, and leaving them would break his heart. he is basically begging andrew not to send him away, begging wymack to let him stay. he wants to make amends, and most people who he’s tried to trust have just hurt him, so they’re dead ends. he hates that he’s attached because what could be worse than getting attached? but he cares, and he wants to fix it, fix this. he knows lying to them was wrong and he thinks the foxes will shun him because he’s the son of the butcher and also the yakuza is not just after kevin but him as well. he hates that he’s attached, but he is, and he wants to fix it.

Sticky thighs, are you wild now or just a memory?

Some people want to be your friend

Some people just want to be free

And the worst thing about me is that I’m somewhere in between;

I might miss you, but I’m still trying to get clean

‘some ppl wanna be ur friend’, the upperclassmen do attempt to include andrew in things, a lot more after neil kinda coaxes them to but the same nonetheless. it’s not easy trying to include the monsters, but neil’s relationship with both “sides” of the team are important to him, so each side tries their best to at least attempt to get along. ‘some ppl just want to be free’ ie aaron. aaron wanted out of the deal but didn’t know how to really get around it. nicky wanted to be more friendly with the upperclassmen but was held back by andrew’s rules. and neil, he’s somewhere in between. he wants to be (boy)friends with andrew, but he also still has this feeling of wanting to run, to leave before andrew leaves, and when he thinks of leaving he misses andrew but he’s also just trying to do what he thinks is best for both of them.

You’ve had enough to drink

You know you’re drowning in the flavor of

Cough syrup and Vicodin

You’ve got the bitter flavor down so

Dab the sweeter drink on a napkin, then

Hold it up to your mouth so you can sleep

andrew usually doesn’t get drunk, as he states he knows his limits, but he totally does when he’s really upset and isn’t gonna be driving. for instance, after a rough game without his meds he would be rewarded with alcohol from wymack. in the author’s notes, there’s a scene where andrew goes to wymack’s apartment to talk about neil and he chugs alcohol then, too. whether he’s able to admit it or not, andrew abuses alcohol as a way to cope. this lyric, to me, alludes to the use of drugs or drinks to cope.

Quiet lies that you’re telling to

Those black and screaming skies...

I hope you’re walking around campus

Contemplating your own smallish size

This is not what all my idols told me college would be like

I hope someday you learn to take your own advice

the quiet lies are in the blank stares, the flat expressions, the mean words and obvious apathy. andrew’s apathy keeps him safe, but neil sees through it. he knows its a lie. he’s knows that there’s more to this misunderstood monster and he wants to learn all about it. he hopes that andrew is able to think about bigger things, even when neil isnt there to try and get him to. he hopes andrew isn’t as impassive as he tries to make others believe. he hopes, and truly believes, that somewhere in there, andrew cares about neil.

furthermore, college is nothing like its made out to be. college, for neil, has been both hell and heaven. he never thought he’d even end up going, let alone go to play exy of all things. andrew is always giving neil advice, but he never follows any of it himself. andrew is all about getting neil to open up to him, but is hesitant to open up as well. neil understands, but he also hopes andrew warms up to him a bit. he enjoys their trust for trust relationship and genuinely wishes that one day andrew will be okay. maybe not good, but okay. because that’s a start.

and, scene.

thank you for reading if you read this far! i’ll probably end up doing more, tbh, because i really enjoy writing these. that’s all for now, though!

[fallingin-like]

an aftg fanfic appreciation post

the other day at work i saw something about fanfiction writer appreciation day and told myself “ah i will make a post when i get home” and immediately Did Not Do That. so i’m doing it now! first, thank you to everyone who writes fanfiction! it’s such an honour to be able to read your writing and i am so grateful to the writers who spend so much time and effort into creating these stories. i do not deserve such amazing content and yet i have it. also thanks to nora for this wonderful series which has changed my life in so many ways. 

these are in no particular order. i really tried to tone down my ‘i love you so much and really want to be friends with you’ vibe but i don’t think it worked. this is a super long post and i still didn’t get to say everything i wanted to.

some  fics/series that need more love (aka they have under 350 kudos)

to the south by Morcai - this is a series (never to be caught and secret, safe, close to the door) that was really cool to read. it has elements of the Iskryne Series which i don’t know anything about, but apparently has to do with bondwolves. basically, neil has a wolfbrother who he can speak to telepathically which is written in a really unique way, through interesting phrases and scent-based nicknames for people. i’ve never read anything like these fics and i adore them

all that we see or seem by rorschachs - an inception au. need i say more? this fic flows well, has good use of flashbacks, and an amazing ending. it’s ~23,000 words but feels like much less due to nice pacing and an interesting take on this au

Travelers by @sunrise-and-death ​ - a series (Placeless Destination and Moving Towards) that’s a soulmate au. soulmates can interact through a pyschic bond that allows it to seem like the other person is there with them. neil and andrew meet when they are young and it’s so interesting seeing them get to know each other at this age. we also get to see some neil/mary angst and all of the terrible things happen to andrew. an intense series that manages to feel light-hearted at the same time. the second fic in this series is incomplete

atlas by @purearcticfire ​ / @pipedream-truths ​ - a magic au that features shapeshifters and a cursed neil, so immediately you know i’ll like it. this fic has some cool uses of italics, caps, spacing, etc. that creates a stylized story that helps build tone and gives the story a clearer voice. unfortunately, i can’t tell too much detail about my favourite parts because it they are *ultra spoilers* so i’ll just say, it gets so intense at the end. just trust me about this. ao3 says it’s incomplete (4/5 chapters) but it seems complete to me. also, at ~72,000 words, it’s a pretty hefty fic

Golden Keys and Gray Lines by @wouldyoulightmycandle ​ - just a feel-good post-canon fic that involves a road trip, an ice cream museum, and a bit of Working Through Rough Times. super cute! this fic is incomplete

some authors i just really love and appreciate (you probably already know them and if you don’t then idk what you’re doing)

all of these writers have serious talent that make it look easy to write fanfiction. it’s not easy. you guys have all of my love. all of it.

@nakasomethingkun ​ /  ephemeralsky - basically i just see their name and automatically click the fic without bothering to fully read the tags or summary. they have never let me down and i adore the way they write. everything they write is an easy read and i always come back to their fics. i was going to mention my favourites and then i realized i was going to list everything they’ve written for aftg and i’m not even kidding. funny, angst, fluff, everything you could want in a fic they have it. so so good i actually don’t know how to describe it. their fics break my heart and then put it back together a little bit different so that even after i am finished reading and continue with the rest of my life, i feel different. they make me hurt in a way i didn’t know that i could like. this quality of fic has me scrolling back to the top to reread it the second i finish. what in the world they’re so good.

@annawrites ​ / moonix - 50 aftg fics. that’s actually crazy. and all of them are so high quality and there is such a variety. flower shop/tattoo parlor au? one of my favourite series ever. high school au? of course it includes 4 fully complete fics. shapeshifter au? amazingly done. scott pilgrim vs the world au? so good that i went out and watched the movie for the first time (i am not even joking). i was looking through all the fics and just started rereading them, i just can’t help myself. they describe everything in a way that makes their stories unique, but doesn’t seem like they’re trying too hard. or at all. their fics flow so well and every sentence is a gem. i read and reread so carefully to make sure i don’t miss a thing, but always find myself catching new jokes and quirks.

@lolainslackss ​ / lolainslackss - i really don’t know where to start. once again, i just really love all of their fics. i started scrolling through their works too see if i had a favourite and could not even choose a top 5. their writing is so beautiful i can’t get enough. they always choose the best things to include. selective mutism and sign language? that’s a sure way into my heart. the suit shop au is adorable and pining andrew really is best andrew. i found exycast surprisingly late in my fanfiction reading and that is a real tragedy because it’s amazing and really cute. the soulmate timer fic is an old favourite and if i’m looking for angst, i know i can pull it up.

@gluupor ​ / gluupor - an absolute legend. with 54 fics for aftg, it’s amazing that all of them are outrageously funny, entertaining, and just really well written. a lot of them are fics adapted as an au for other fandoms (like their super popular brooklyn 99 au that i absolutely adore) and they are all hilarious. it’s so fun to search for familiar quotes or realize how similar characters from different fandoms are to the foxes and the quirks they share. these are fics that will definitely cheer you up. i love their sense of humour, it fits the characters so well and helps to shape the world they’re writing in. it’s always exciting to see them publish a new fic.

@idnis ​ / idnis - they have a really unique writing style, i’ve never seen anything like it in this fandom. every story has so much care and love in it that’s evident through the small details that you only pick up through rereading. their stories are stylized with spaces and formatting that help guide the reader and adds to the tone of their stories. i fell so in love with their cat!neil. they write such interesting stories, have original plots, and their fics read like poetry. before you know it, you’ve finished the fic without realising you should have gone to bed an hour ago. they also have some amazing original work that everyone should go check out!

@badacts ​ / badacts - so recently a lot of their fics were made visible to ao3 users only (a shame in my opinion) so if you haven’t read their fics, go make an account! or log into your account! you really don’t want to miss these fics. they have a kid fic where both andrew and neil are baby versions of themselves so it’s obviously one of the best things ever. they who made you/they made me too is so good even the title is enough to make me feel. there’s introspection and realization and it’s from aaron’s perspective. i love seeing the twinyards bond. and, of course we have to mention the terra firma series because i love injured!neil and this one hits me in a different way. i love the way the abrupt transition into injury for neil and being able to experience the confusion and not knowing what’s happening with him.

iaquilam - they have posted 2 fics for aftg and they are some of my favourites in this fandom. this has amazing characterization, neil and andrew and everyone feel so real and so true and i love them. a mouthy, raven neil is one of the best types of neil. they write from andrew’s perspective and i cannot believe have well they capture him and his thoughts. quotes that have stuck with me “there’s more than one way of getting what you want”, “’he hurts,’ kevin says. ‘it hurts”, “you will be afraid and you will do it anyway”, and “to keep living. until i don’t”. also i think that andrew with synesthesia in where everything is good fits so perfectly. the idea that andrew has something so unique ahh i love. “your voice was the first blue one i ever saw” makes everything around me go quiet.

@jemejem ​ / jemejem - first of all i am really loving the radio show ficlet that’s being posted on tumblr. i’m a sucker for breakup fics, especially cheating fics (because i need angst) so only was the find of the century. it’s a fic where no matter how many times i’ve read it, i still feel gutted and achy reading it. their recent fic, the sound, was really interesting and i loved the later chapters so much but can’t share because of *spoilers*

undertow - okay so they also only have 2 aftg fics but oh my goodness they are so good. tenuous is one of my most reread fics, i love the concept, interactions between all the characters, how i feel like i’m there with them, and their descriptions. one of my favourite lines are “The sink turns on; water smacks against the bottom of its metallic basin. It feels—well. It just feels.” ugh i don’t know why i like it so much i just do. it fits so perfectly. and i can totally imagine kevin and neil being super petty in their love song writing, this fic is such a contrast to the other one and yet still so good.

@broship-addict ​ / broship_addict - kid!au! oh my goodness ice cream au! ahh they’re so good at writing cute fluff that has such good characterization that they’ve adapted perfectly into whatever au they have written. and at the same time impulse hit me in a different kind of way. what a joy to read, i love witnessing the ways that andrew and neil come together in all of their fics. also i really can’t not mention their amazing artwork. so grateful to have them contributing so much to this fandom

@unkingly / vicariously kingly - bless these fics. i don’t know anyone that doesn’t love a good de-aged neil fic and this really does The Most for that trope. also can i just say that callboy!neil was a thing i didn’t know i needed in my life but now i don’t know how i lived without it. also mermaid!neil?? yes please. i adore the way they write andriel. their fics are angsty and never fail to make me feel something, often a little bit raw in a good way. latchkey child wrecked me. i felt like i had been scraped clean and felt a little bit off for the remaining night and day after. Say Golden, Pony Boy was eerie and just the right amount of mysterious. i was left feeling unsettled in my own home. these fics have delightful endings that leave you satisfied and yet wanting more all the same

@spanglebangle / spanglebangle - i really really cannot get over sunshine and moonlight. it’s such a soft version of neil and andrew’s relationship, i love the direction that was taken and how the boys grew and the changes because they found each other. i love the quote “you like the big gestures and ridiculous things i say. i’m in your head, remember, i know it makes you feel wanted” fox!neil is really so adorable and pure, but also feisty and protective and funny. i would love to see more of this fic. also the elementary au is everything to me. there’s a lot of content and it keeps me interested, but i especially love the later chapters with everything surrounding neil and then even later with andrew wrestling with his feelings. so well written.

@hopingforcoordinates ​ / crazy_like_a - if you haven’t read their fics then ?? i really don’t know what to say since they wrote 3 of the top 5 fics with the most kudos in this fandom. and if you have read their work then we both know why they are being mentioned. i have fallen in love with their take on raven!neil. their writing style feels so simple and natural, which is a real talent. if you’re looking for a more explicit post-canon fic, then lessons is great, just make sure nobody is reading over your shoulder hah

@fuzzballsheltiepants ​ / fuzzballsheltiepants - the iconic a mewment like this series is so funny, sweet, and angsty and features The Cats which is always a good sign. in particular, i loved the conversation about mark rothko and all of the art they looked at in the 6th fic. i don’t know what counts as spoilers so i’ll say thank goodness for neil ‘oblivious’ josten, trivia nights, and the good bad jokes that made this series such an enjoyable read. similarly, you can’t go wrong with the angst that’s sure to come with a fic where andrew gets hurt and doesn’t remember who neil is. or at least, this fic definitely went the opposite of wrong. 

and i really cannot make this post without mentioning the mind-blowing collabs of lolainslackss and moonix to create dating & other disasters and of moonix and gluupor to write No Place Like Home (incomplete). i literally don’t even have words for how excited i was for when i heard of these fics. these collabs are too powerful for this world and if you haven’t read them then i guess you don’t want to enjoy yourself.

as well, additional thanks from this little ace baby to everyone who writes ace!neil or demi!neil. you guys have a special place in my heart.

i tried to find everyone’s tumblr but obviously didn’t succeed. please tag them if i missed them or tagged the wrong account. thanks! i also did not take the time to research pronouns/names so i refer to everyone as ‘they/them’. i know some of the right pronouns/names but it felt wrong to have some of them and not the rest. some of my comments might seem incoherent or repetitive. my apologies for all of this.

also if you go to my ao3 and see that it’s a little bare/notice that i never comment just know that it’s because i am *ultra lazy* and most of the time i cannot be bothered to log into my account. probably commented as raelle instead. or just ‘a’ because i really am That Lazy. or i’m planning on writing an essay for your fic but haven’t gotten around to it and i’m just drafting it in my head every time i reread.

[bloody-wonder]

what are your top five andreil moments?

first of all how dare you

now i have to choose only five?!?!??!

well that’s impossible

and i haven’t re-read aftg since winter so i’ve probably forgotten a lot of andreil moments but i guess i’ll just write down those which stayed with me

(honorable mentions to their first meeting - it was very cute)

5 when andrew touched neil’s back after the first riko roast at kathy’s show

neil has just roasted the ever living shit out of riko on live tv and stood up for kevin when andrew couldn’t, so this i interpret both as a sign of gratitude and as andrew losing control of his hands for a moment bcs when neil’s being feisty it makes andrew wanna touch him :) this is in book one when they have no deal or anything yet, no rules, no excuses to touch and though andrew still touches neil a lot it’s usually in an ironic, mocking, maybe even vaguely threatening way. this one touch on the back however wasn’t mocking nor threatening. this was just andrew’s hand acting against his will, and he wasn’t in the right frame of mind to laugh it off. also when they get back to palmetto andrew offers neil a deal so this moment right here must be the one where andrew, consciously or not, decides - i like this one so much i have to keep him.

4 the dialogue in wymack’s apartment when neil throws “better luck next time” back at andrew

i’ve written about it already here https://bloody-wonder.tumblr.com/post/628157705054470144/hi-wanna-make-a-post-about-andreil-and-the

3  “and i am nothing. and as you’ve always said you want nothing”

do i even need to explain? if you listen very carefully you can hear the sound of andrew regretting his choices

btw andrew didn’t ask yes or no bcs contrary to what all the fics would have you believe he doesn’t ask it every time before kissing

2 “the only one i’m interested in is you”

aka the ultimate proof neil is demi. this is such a calm before the storm moment cause it’s on their road to baltimore: during the bus ride they’ve been talking for several hours, telling each other about their lives, specifically bcs andrew challenged neil to talk about something other than exy. neil realizes he likes andrew’s eyes and finally tells us what color they are. then andrew wants to know if neil’s gay to which neil says that no andrew’s the only person he’s attracted to. andrew acts like he’s having none of it ofc but i like to think that deep down he feels both flattered and honored. this is all so soft and fluffy but the next thing we know neil’s gonna get kidnapped.

1 “you’re a pipe dream”

yeah yeah i know i’m a basic bitch

but like? can i even put it into words? well i’ll try

first of all - pipe dream has three levels of meaning. firstly as a hallucination induced by drugs which seems to be the meaning andrew and neil are using in this dialogue. secondly as an unattainable goal, an impossible pursuit which is what andrew really wants to say. and thirdly, etymologically the idiom “pipe dream” comes from the fantasies experienced when smoking an opium pipe - so on the purely visual level andrew saying “pipe dream” evokes the image of smoke that corresponds with how they both are smoking. i always imagine him saying that line while blowing smoke bcs Drama and Aesthetics. 

and THIS people call “bad writing”! THIS!!

anyway

the dialogue before the line itself is also very powerful. it’s where neil tells andrew that he cares for him and it all rings so true bcs it happens after neil, being a martyr that he is, basically sacrificed himself to riko for the chance of saving andrew - which means that his words aren’t hollow bcs they are only there to explain the deeds. neil’s line “if i had the chance to stop it but did nothing how could i ever face you again? how could i live with myself” has inspired another one of my unusual interpretations which is this: 

(TW cause i talk about proust)

i doubt very much that when neil agreed to riko’s terms he really believed that riko would keep his end of the deal and call proust off which means andrew would suffer either way regardless of whether neil would go to evermore and suffer too. so the choice was not between saving andrew or doing nothing, it was between andrew being the only one who would suffer or neil suffering as well. so from rational point of view there isn’t any reason to add more casualties to those which will happen either way. but neil’s reason is that if andrew must go to the dark place, he mustn’t go alone, he mustn’t be alone in his suffering. so in the end, neil couldn’t save andrew and he didn’t but what he could do and did is stand by him. bcs if he hadn’t done this pointless irrational martyr grand gesture, he wouldn’t be able to face andrew ever again or live with himself. and i can only imagine what andrew must have felt when neil was telling him all of this, when andrew realized that neil went to the dark place as well and did it for him. 

which must have prompted him to say something as raw and poetic as “you’re a pipe dream” = “you’re too good to be true”

tl;dr i don’t know why people want them to say ily so much when this dialogue exists and is already way better then some overused cliched phrase

[jexnmcrexu]

Do you have any headcanons on the kandrew dynamic? There’s such a dearth of analyses on the interactions between Kevin and Andrew and it’s a shame because their behavior with each other is so deep, peculiar and fascinating :O

Did you mean hc or analysis? i’m gonna add a bit of both just in case ;) Buckle up because this got... so long...

- See the thing about kandrew is... they’re so complex

- I mean it’s just. At first glance their personalities just completely clash, you know?

- Kevin lives and breathes Exy, he pushes himself beyond his limits, and he has this single-minded obsession with his game being flawless

- While Andrew couldn’t care less about the sport, has absolutely no drive besides the promises he makes, no ambition

- So like, when I learned all this and realized they were practically attached at the hip I went ?????

- However we later learn about the promise Andrew made Kevin, that if he stayed at Palmetto he would keep him safe

- (and this hurts a whole fucking lot because Andrew thinks the only way of keeping people from leaving is by binding them with a promise and that just BREAKS MY HEART!! but that’s a topic for another post)

- We also learn that Kevin promised him a future if he stayed by his side

- So this was basically a “I want to be with you but you wouldn’t be with me in normal circumstances so here, I can offer you this” from both of them

- They’re a disaster

- Anyway so they have a tumultuous relationship from the start

- God listen here LISTEN

- Andrew refused to go with Kevin to the Ravens because he didn’t want to follow someone who was satisfied with being second best

- Like he just hated Kevin for that

- But when Kevin went to Wymack after Riko broke his hand, Andrew must have seen there was some courage in there he could work with

- Otherwise I assure you he wouldn’t have made a deal with him, he wouldn’t have found Kevin interesting enough

- SO HEAR ME OUT

- KEVIN SAW POTENTIAL IN ANDREW, BUT ANDREW SAW POTENTIAL IN KEVIN TOO

- I’m crying thanks

- At this point Andrew becomes Kevin’s rock

- (I like to compare this with a concept I learned in two TJ Klune’s novels, wolfsong and the lighting-struck heart (even though they exist everywhere else)

- In the sense that Andrew is Kevin’s cornerstone, a link that keeps him from despairing and succumbing to darkness

- And he’s also Neil’s tether, the link that keeps him grounded and prevents him from running away

- It makes me very emo

- “You spend all this time watching our backs. Who’s watching yours?”

- shut UP

- ANYWAY

- So Kevin heavily relies on andrew

- Let me tell you this: when I first read aftg I went in knowing NOTHING about the books except that there was a gay couple; i didn’t even know it was the main couple; i didn’t even know it was about sports

- And I thought that that couple were kevin and andrew

- I kid you not, I didn’t catch on until halfway through the raven king

- It was just so plainly obvious that they care about each other

- Like sure, they fight a lot, Andrew threatens Kevin and fucking cuts him with a knife at one point

- But that’s how they are; they’re constantly dancing around one another because they both have this huge thing in the middle: Andrew’s future

- And they both know it

- It’s what keeps them together but also what keeps them apart

- There’s an essential part of their relationship that simply cannot work if they don’t acknowledge it

- Which Andrew refuses to do until like the end of the king’s men

- ridiculous, both of them

- So on to my headcanons

- Basically I think they started to hook up a couple of weeks after Kevin transferred to Palmetto

- They were at Eden’s and they were drinking and Andrew was horny and Kevin was hot

- And tipsy

- So they kiss. I can’t decide if Kevin initiated it or if Andrew did

- I think maybe Kevin

- Kevin isn’t familiar with Andrew’s history at this point, so Andrew gathers inhuman amounts of patience and explains, without going into detail, that they’re playing by his rules

- Basically: don’t touch unless prompted and always, always ask first. Or else, knife in your gut.

- It becomes a regular thing and Andrew hates that it’s a regular thing but he also doesn’t

- Kevin is very conflicted because of the public image he needs to uphold

- But he never angsts about it with Andrew because he knows that would only push Andrew away

- A year goes by and there’s feelings in the way that they both kind of acknowledge, only never out loud

- it’s more in the actions?

- in the way Kevin always looks for Andrew first, in the way Andrew is always aware of where Kevin is in the room, never goes too far from him, and

- i can’t stress this enough

- in the way he is unconditional support for kevin

- kevin is a mess; his childhood was traumatizing— so was Andrew’s, and yet Andrew is always there for Kevin whenever Kevin falls into despair

- He knows how to calm him, how to keep him grounded, and is willing to go to the ends of the Earth to protect him

- He doesn’t make deals with everyone, y’all

- Just people he wants to keep close

- Kevin is one of them

- And Kevin... GOD, Kevin

- He never, ever gives up on Andrew

- No matter how many times Andrew tells him no to exy, he keeps pushing and he keeps waiting and he doesn’t. give. up.

- Kevin saw potential in him, but he also saw that the reason he didn’t care was because he didn’t think he deserved it

- And Kevin pushed

- And Andrew pushed back, in his own way

- Between him and Neil they made Kevin realize he was so much more than number 2

- I bet you Andrew used it as a counter argument so many times whenever Kevin brought his exy skills up

- “IF ONLY YOU LISTENED-“

- “I’m sorry, I don’t listen to second places”

- It drives Kevin absolutely insane

- They’re constantly pushing each other and grabbing at them at the same time

- It’s why they work

- Their dynamic is just complex and passionate and beautiful

- Hopefully we get to read about them more

[meanie-boy-minyard]

Dear Diary by MikelWJ

Characters: Allison Reynolds, the Foxes, Renee Walker

Trigger Warning(s): Mentions of eating disorder, reference to abuse, references to self-harm,

“Dear Diary

Today was a long day in school and I haven't really eaten anything yet today

But I guess that's good

I just wanted to write something real quick before I go off to bed

So here it goes”

It’s known that Allison Reynolds starved herself in order not to gain muscle so that she could continue playing Exy. Maybe, to help her get through it, she kept a diary.

“Dear diary

I'm fourteen and I always feel so nervous

Tell me why is it that everyone is so perfect

While I feel so worthless, and they look so happy

While lately for me, my mood has been crappy

And I have come to believe all the things that I'm seeing

On magazines and TV, of every single perfect being

All the girls with perfect bodies, and such amazing skin

Oh how I would kill to live the life that they are in”

The media she is seeing online is influencing her to believe that she has to be perfect. Add on top of that, that her parents don’t exactly care about her well being all too much. They just want to keep up their image. Maybe- most likely- she just wishes she could be like all the other girls. Playing whatever sport as they wish and their parents caring more about their children than their image.

“I've been trying to lose weight over that past couple of weeks

Throwing up after meals, on the rare times that I eat

But that isn't enough, I still need to do much more

To get this guy to notice me, people wonder what for”

We know that in the AFTG they mentioned how Allison was on and off, part of her personal image was always having a man on hand (until Seth died). 

“There's so much room in my tummy that it isn't funny

I don't wanna be people's dummy, but either way I feel dumpy

Most of the time I am left here, thinking to myself

Oh god is this worth it, or do I need some help”

There have probably been times in Allison's life where she wanted to feel normal. She wanted to be able to just /be/ like all the other girls. She spent days and nights wondering if all this pain and all the suffering was even worth it.

“Like

I've been used by guys, I've been hurt by girls”

Allison is so bi, I mean common guys, there is no doubt about it.

“I've been hit by my mom, and cursed by the world

So I keep losing weight, just trying to be perfect

I'm waiting for somebody to tell me that I'm worth it”

Allison always just wanted to belong somewhere. She wanted to feel like she belonged. She was hurt over and over again by her family, she lost weight and didn’t gain muscle, she wanted so badly for someone to be genuinely proud of her, she would starve for it.

And then the Foxes came along… 

“You're not alone(repeat 9x)”

 The Foxes became her family one way or another. They showed her that she was not alone, that she was worth it and that she is so much more than what her parents made her out to be. They stood by her, they fought for her, they believed in her.

“I'm twenty-three and just ran across my old diary

I opened it up but I really don't know what inspired me

To do this, but I was instantly in tears

To think of how lost I was during those young years”

One day in the future, she stumbles across her diary. She sees how lost she was before she found the Foxes- her family. She realized how much she has grown since that time where she was more than willing to lose everything.

“We got a small house, a nice car and a good life

But my arms are still scarred from using my own knife”

There was a line before this but I elected to ignore it, seeing as I am a Renison shipper and you can fight me. But I imagine Allison had gone through life the hard way and she most likely did not come out the other end whole.

“But [s]he accepts me how I am, and [s]he knows about my past

And after all that, [s]he still says that we're gonna last

And I love [her], I love [her], I love [her] with all my heart

I honestly couldn't take it if we ever got pulled apart”

Renee helped Allison through it. They both have grown so much together and were able, not to let go of their past, but to grow from it. Allison, like everyone else, has her bad days because she is human, but Renee helps her through it.

“If I could say one thing to me at age fourteen

It would be that you'll find a guy[or girl] who will treat you like a queen

It gets better than it is, don't worry about your size

And never think you're alone, someone out there hears your cries”

She knows now that she is not alone. The Foxes taught her that and she will never, ever let them go. Especially not Renee.

“Saying

I've been used by guys, I've been hurt by girls

I've been hit by my mom, and cursed by the world

So I keep losing weight, just trying to be perfect

I'm waiting for somebody to tell me that I'm worth it

You're not alone(repeat 9x)”

_______________

Song requested by @all-for-the-gay