#kevin proust

[kevinproust]

[andylantsov]

Does someone remember the name of that one aftg fic where people can be brought back to life- there are people who do it naturally and people who need help to come back, the kind of help that Easthaven (run by the Ravens) and Wymack's place provide.

Neil is a Natural at coming back to life, he's initially brought back to life in the foxes' place, Andrew takes Neil to Columbia and drugs him, Neil is captured by the Ravens and is experimented on, Andrew goes to Easthaven/Evermore to rescue Neil and gets off his drugs in the process

Dr. Proust is a good person in this fic

I remember almost the entire plot, but not the name of the fic or the author. Help?

[blueslostboys]

saw a post about how jean and neil are pretty alike so andrew would probably like jean and just. thinking about how andrew could teach jean everything he's learned about bodily autonomy and consent and trust and self worth. thinking about aaron killing drake and neil putting a hit out on grayson. thinking about them both finding partners they trust to respect their boundaries. thinking about neil saying "andrew's taught me about give and take" and how andrew could teach that same lesson to jean. thinking about andrew teaching jean to trust bee and telling him about what he talks to bee about. thinking about jean getting bee a glass figurine for her collection because andrew told him she likes them. thinking about bee getting jean a magnet in return. thinking about how they have like more than a foot of height difference. thinking about them bonding over making fun of kevin. thinking about jean getting to know the person who finally stood up to riko and protected neil from him. thinking about jean learning that neil went to evermore to try to protect andrew from proust. just andrew and jean okay!!!!

[owlarchimedes]

"Matt grinned like he thought Neil was joking and left." - the kings men

NEIL THE MAN THAT YOU ARE I feel like we as a fandom don't talk about this enough. Neil's casually sending out hits against abusers (Proust, Grayson), and admitting to wanting to murder Riko and the foxes are like, "ha, good one buddy!"

He's a feral little gremlin and I think the only people who see Neil clearly are Andrew, Kevin, and Jean

[ivyinne]

I've been thinking about this theory about Riko orchestrating Jean's sexual abuse as punishment for his attraction to Kevin, because Riko is not in the habit of sharing his possessions. And while at first glance it would seem that Riko does this because it's Kevin... looking deeper I get the feeling that his attitude extends to the rest of the Perfect Court too.

Consider Andrew.

Riko sets first Drake and then Proust on Andrew, and the implication is that Andrew cannot get away with "taking Riko's things." This obviously refers to Kevin, but I don't think it refers to Kevin alone. It's significant that Riko brings it up with Neil and Neil only, and it happens during this specific conversation.

Riko uses Andrew to taunt and intimidate Neil, immediately after Neil implies that Riko is not the only thing saving him from his father. We come to understand several things in the course of this conversation:

That Riko considers Andrew to be responsible for Neil's continued refusal to return to his place among the Ravens.

That he believes threatening Andrew's safety will be enough to convince Neil to come to Evermore.

Which means that Riko obviously has an inkling of what Andrew and Neil mean to each other (even if Neil does not yet). He weaponizes this knowledge against both of them, and while Neil ends up going to Evermore, it does not mean that Riko lets Andrew get away.

That's because he never intended to. When Riko refers to Andrew as the miniature one with the disgusting attitude who thinks he can take my things, his "things" refer not merely to Kevin but, to a heavy extent, also to Neil, and he punishes Andrew for his closeness to Neil the same way he punished Jean's closeness to Kevin.

Why am I bringing this up? Well, quite simply put, it's all because of the as-yet unexplained January incident that Jean brings up in The Sunshine Court.

We know that following Neil's departure from the Nest, Zane betrayed Jean by setting Grayson on him. What we don't know is what Riko did to Zane and Grayson afterwards, or why.

Jean brings it up several times, but only refers to it obliquely, and doesn't give us any details:

I don't think Riko cares about what happened to Jean, of course not. But it makes too much sense to me that he decided what Zane and Grayson did was an insult to him, Riko, because how dare they touch his property when he hasn't permitted it? How dare they take his things? How dare Grayson pretend he has some sort of claim to Jean?

I'm throwing this theory out because I have nothing to lose: whatever Riko did to Zane and Grayson was in retaliation to what they did to Jean, but not because Riko cares. He did so only because Jean was another one of Riko's things, and those who take his things away must be reminded of their place.

So, yes, I think all of this is an extension of the fact that Riko has an unhealthy obsession with the people he considers to be his pets or his property. Transgressions against his claim over them deserve to be punished for the insult.

Even if those transgressions are committed by the Perfect Court itself. Riko plays the part of the jealously possessive master, the one they should all devote themselves to, the only one with authority over them. No one else can have them — which means they cannot have each other either.

[kevindavidday]

i love that neil considers jean as part of the family he wants to protect. i will elaborate this time because

if you think about it, neil spent book 1 trying his best not to build a connection, book 2 trying to break down the walls ending with confirming from nicky if they were friends, and every second after that deliberately doing whatever was in his goddamn power to keep these people safe and happy. going to edens for andrew, keeping the truth from them, getting the letter back for kevin, reminding kevin that he owes jean a conversation after all that's happened, fixing the twins' relationship, spending time with them even though he knew he would leave. in his mind, what he was doing was selfish because he was going to die soon and they didn't even know it.

he doesn't die, though and he comes back with even MORE fight in him than before. he meets his uncle once and although his mother hadn't wanted him to be involved in one gang after another, he doesn't give a single flying fuck. the hatford's existence is just another resource for him, a way to hurt those who have hurt his family. stuart already killed his father, so what's it matter if there's a few more - protecting him means protecting his family. if the fbi had any clue about the power neil actually holds over the hatford's they would all willingly eat their hats tbh.

so the first thing he does when he sees his uncle again? despite knowing that ichirou is close-by? he tells him to kill proust.

hell, even the moriyama's are nothing to this man if i'm being honest. he isn't afraid of them, he knew the rarity of ichirou's visits which made him wary when he got into the car to talk about bargaining their lives and i truly do believe ichirou moriyama was fucking relieved neil didn't ask for more than that. there is that strange, dead look in his eyes that he's inherited from his father which unnerves the fuck out of everyone who doesn't know him. and when he bargained for his life and kevin's, he remembered jean too.

which is fucking insane. he spent only winter break with jean moreau, ONLY. i know there's extra days at the nest, but i'd kill to know what happened between jean and neil during that time for neil to have such unflinching loyalty towards his 'forever partner'. i want to know their conversations, i want to know what they suffered through together.

and the casual way in which jean dropped the news about grayson to neil, after hiding it away from everyone for so long. he admitted the truth to neil straight up, like of course neil should know, it's neil. jean's mind is still haywired to remember him too even though they were only together for a few weeks!!!

what is it about them?

and then the entire time otw to the diner, neil's plotting again. he's scheming. he's thinking. and he knows what to do. and its asking for local work because fuck anyone who has ever hurt his family. he literally only ever needs a fucking name, bro. 'my first memories are of people dying.' i think we can tell...

wymack saw that leadership potential and made him vice captain. god bless neil only cares about playing exy because if he had even a second more interest in crime he would've floored everyone. i can see it so clearly.

anyway, hope he takes a hit out on tetsuji moriyama next 🙏

[thefoxholecast]

The Original Foxhole Court Extra Content (Archived from Nora Sakavic’s Tumblr)

We copied the following text directly from the pre-2024 version of the Foxhole Court Extra Content page on Nora Sakavic’s Tumblr blog (korakos.tumblr.com/fox). In March 2024, she did “some spring cleaning” by shortening the list of links and deleting/hiding old posts. The links in this copy lead to archived snapshots of the old posts on the Internet Archive Wayback Machine.

Some of the links are broken. If you have copies of these posts, please let us know so we can fill in missing content!

Because Tumblr only allows up to 100 links per post, we're unable to replicate the full list here. View the full list of links on our blog here: thefoxholecast.tumblr.com/FoxArchive

The Foxhole Court

ETA 2023: most of the posts here are from 2013-2015. Some of them overlap with older drafts. Some answers have evolved over time, even if they haven’t been updated here. Most I haven’t changed my mind on, for better or worse. Take ‘em or leave ‘em, and good luck making sense of ‘em around all the drunk rambling and detours. One day if I have the energy I’ll just sort it into a coherent reference.

~~

Two sections here: the questions submitted by tumblr users, and a miscellaneous collection of stories & factoids pulled from the oft-neglected blog. The questions aren’t in any particular order, though I did try to organize them by subject matter. Ish. Once the dust is settled a bit I’ll try to find a better sorting system. Also, the tumblr tag I use for questions is http://korakos.tumblr.com/tagged/foxhole-court-questions-and-spoilers

Lots of spoilers for The Foxhole Court ahead!

Preface: Why are Asks disabled in 2016?

COURTING MADNESS

—Exy Rules & Regulations

—Exy: A History of the Sport

—Palmetto State University

—The original “What Happens After King’s Men” post

—SON NEFES, the cousins’ freshman year through Renee’s eyes

——One . Two . Three . Four . Five

—Nicky Hemmick

—Seth Gordon

—Aaron Minyard

—Matt Boyd

—Kevin & Andrew

—David Wymack & the Monsters

—Wymack & Andrew re: Neil

—Dan Wilds is recruited to the Foxes *

—Allison through Dan & Renee’s eyes *

——pulled from an abandoned, unfinished book about the Foxes’ women

TUMBLR

NEIL

—Neil’s life on the run

—Do they ever celebrate Neil’s birthday?

—What if Neil told the truth earlier?

—Neil through the Foxes’ eyes

—Neil through Ichirou’s eyes

—Neil’s looks post-book and relationship with his reflection

—Does Neil ever talk to Bee?

—Neil’s millions

—Neil’s fight training

—Who’s Neil closest to beside Andrew

—Neil’s fashion style

—Cellphone ringtone

—Christmas/birthday presents for Foxes

—Does Neil ever cry?

—Neil’s lonely fifth year

—When Neil’s overwhelmed

—Does Neil crush on his teammates?

—Neil & Ichirou’s intimidation

ANDREW

—Andrew’s sober look at his teammates & Neil

—How did Andrew react to Cass’s letter?

—Andrew’s medication and the follow-up

—Has Abby seen Andrew’s scars?

—Andrew & Mama Bee

—Andrew & Roland

—How far has Andrew willingly gone?

—What animal figurine did Andrew buy Betsy?

—Andrew’s eye color

—Andrew’s opinion of the cats

—What’d Andrew say to Nicky in TKM?

—Andrew’s honest opinion of Exy

—Andrew’s thoughts on Neil’s binder

—Andrew and his sexuality

—If Andrew had met Neil’s mother

—Andrew’s thoughts on Neil’s sexuality

—Andrew’s fondest memory of Neil

—Andrew’s aforementioned withdrawal

—Do you think Andrew is really really really awesome?

—Proust and Andrew

—What happens to Proust?

—Andrew’s reaction to Neil’s bday blood

—Andrew on Neil eventually changing out

—Does Andrew get grumpy?

—Does Andrew get less dead inside?

—Does Andrew call Neil by his name?

—Why give the Foxes crackers?

—Andrew’s first choices in winning a fight

—Who liked knives?

—What got chopped from Drake’s arc?

—Does Andrew get off thinking about Neil?

—Post Andrew & Bee’s side story?

—When did Andrew start thinking Neil was interesting?

—Any other words he can’t stand?

—What does he think about nicknames?

—Explain Andrew’s fatal disease in the comic version

—Andrew’s canon mental state

—How did Andrew not know about Tilda’s abuse?

—Why punch Neil for “Sorry”, and when Andrew is sick

—What’s with Andrew and promises

—Andrew’s thoughts on Roland’s premature confession

—Andrew’s arrest

—Wanting nothing vs not wanting anything

—Why was Andrew laughing after Drake?

—If Neil had chosen Dan & Matt over Andrew

NEIL & ANDREW

—The other 10%

—Which teammate caught on first?

—Do Andrew & Neil go on dates?

—When did they first hold hands?

—When did Andrew clue in?

—Exites self-censure

—Betsy’s & Aaron’s reactions to the news

—Roland’s opinion of things

—The breaking point

—Who tops?

—On tying people up

—Their domestic life aka Sir Fat Cat

—I love you

—Andrew and the bed issue

—Nightmares

—Do they learn to talk to each other?

—Blaming Neil for Drake

—Andrew comforting Neil?

—Neil’s fondest memory of Andrew

—Neil getting Andrew off for the first time

—Neil seeing Andrew naked

—Neil & the sex how-to

—How was the first time

—Where’d it happen?

—When was their first hug?

—“I won’t let you let me be”

—Their roadtrips

—Neil waking Andrew up

—Andrew’s real smile

—How does Andrew show appreciation for Neil

—Their happiest moments

—Does Neil ever make Andrew laugh?

—Does Andrew take comfort in Neil

—Does Andrew get protective/possessive?

—Doesn’t Neil crave affection?

—Andrew re: Neil’s panic attacks

—Media reaction to Andrew/Neil

—Further reaction to Andrew/Neil

—On “accidentally” sitting in laps

—What if Andrew died?

—What if Neil died?

—Reaction to getting hit on by others

—Do they celebrate anniversaries?

—The first time Neil pushes Andrew down

FOXES

—How tall are the Foxes?

—Why is everyone so short?

—Where did their names come from?

—What were their majors?

—What do the Foxes look like?

—What are their Hogwarts houses?

—Reaction to the kidnapping

—Do Neil & Renee become friends?

—What did Allison do with Seth’s urn?

—Nicky’s evolution over the drafts

—Do the Foxes get their skiing trip?

—Does Andrew know Nicky kissed Neil?

—When did Aaron & Katelyn fall for each other?

—How did Andrew and Wymack end up handcuffed together?

—Kevin’s favorite things

—Kevin and Andrew’s on-court kerfuffle

—Dan’s haircut

—Dan & Matt’s relationship

—Dan & Matt’s first kiss

—Matt bouncing back from Columbia

—Matt rooming with the monsters

—The other what-if OT3 aka D/M/N and the dynamic

—Do Allison and Renee have the hots for each other?

—Matt forgiving his father

—Any mistletoe shenanigans?

—Thanksgiving and the Foxes

—Kevin’s best friend

—Janie Smalls

—How did Kevin and Thea meet?

—Foxes’ favorite ice cream flavors

—Kevin & Andrew’s on-court argument

—Foxes’ taste in music

—Kevin’s middle name & drink of choice

—Do Kevin & Neil want to kiss?

—Which Fox would Kevin kiss, then?

—Kevin’s best non-Exy memory

—Allison’s three bets

—Why is Allison’s middle name Jamaica

—Kevin, Andrew, and Neil staying friends

—“Joan of Exy”?

—Can the Foxes sing?

—Some of the Foxes’ previous bets

—Do Nicky & Allison become friends?

—Are Foxes based on RL people?

—Nicky when Neil asks about friendship

—Dan & the monsters in Columbia

—What if Kevin was killed?

—Renee and her near-death experiences

—More background available on Renee?

—Why doesn’t Aaron let the Foxes in?

—Team’s reaction to Drake, Andrew’s reaction to being outed

—Andrew & Aaron’s time with Tilda

—Does Aaron reconcile with Andrew over Tilda?

—Nicky & his parents after Drake

—Foxes thoughts in Baltimore

FOXES POST-TKM

—The Pro Teams

—The Weddings

—Neil as the Best Man?

—Kevin after TKM —Thea, Jean, Foxes, and Riko

—How does Kevin & Wymack’s relationship evolve?

—Renee after TKM

—Nicky after TKM

—Aaron after TKM

—Allison after TKM

—Dan & Matt after TKM

—Dan and the US Court

—Any pro-period scandals?

—Andrew & Neil’s relationship with their team

—Would Neil hold Matt’s children?

—Neil & babysitting the Foxes’ kids

—Which Fox’s child would curse first

THE FUTURE FOXES

—Who is Robin Cross?

—Neil and Jack

—Andrew’s reaction to Neil punching Jack

—Foxes’ reaction to Neil punching

—Kevin and Jack

—Neil’s new recruit

—Andrew and Jack

RIVALS

—Who is Riko Moriyama?

—Riko & Kevin’s evolving relationship

—More about Riko & Kevin’s past

—How did Riko break Kevin’s hand

—Riko’s brutality toward Jean

—Any draft where Riko wasn’t killed?

—Were Riko, Kevin, and Jean involved sexually?

—Does the Fox-Trojan rematch happen? Also how do the Trojans & Jean get along?

—Do Alvarez & Laila (Trojans) have backstories?

—Thea’s number & thoughts on Raven brutality

THE “ADULTS”

—Kayleigh Day & David Wymack

—Abby Winfield & David Wymack

—Wymack’s parents

—Did Wymack cry during the trilogy?

—Did Kayleigh know about the Moriyamas?

.

.

.

.

Nora & the Foxes

—Fancast and Andrew

—Changing opinion of Foxes over the years

—Bits of the scrapped K/N/A threesome here and here

—The KxAxN AU where Kevin died

—Will there be a sequel?

—What inspired you to develop Exy?

—Fox fanfictions, collected by coldsaturn

—Why a pseudonym?

—What came first, characters or story?

—Were you the artist of the comic version?

—What did the comic-Foxes look like?

—What do you do when you’re not writing?

[kweenkday]

Kind of obsessed with the thought of Neil as some sort of revenge angel. Using his inheritance money and his connection to Stuart to avenge the Foxes and off everyone who hurt them.

Obviously, he starts with Proust and Grayson because fuck. them. all the way to hell. He gets rid of a few of Matt's father's friends, maybe kicks his ass a little, too. Arranges unfortunate accidents for a few gang members from the gang Renee was involved with. Ruins Allison's parents. Finds the owner of that club Dan worked at who mistreated her and breaks a few bones. Gets Nicky's parents thrown to jail and burns that conversion camp to the ground. Aaron, you ask? Well...

Aaron: I mean... I feel excluded.

Neil: I didn't order a hit in Kevin's name either, don't be dramatic.

Aaron: 🥺

Neil: Your mother is already dead.

Aaron: 🥺

Neil: I don't know what to tell you, man, be grateful Andrew's around so I don't order a hit on you?

[ninyard]

some ooc/au/random things that I’ve been thinking about

- Kevin giving a speech at Riko’s funeral

- Matt and Andrew’s pop culture friendship

- Jean telling Andrew that he knew about Drake/knows what Proust did

- Jeremy failing a drug test

- Kevallison (again)

- Someone from Neil’s past is on the team that they’re playing against

- Kevin’s experimenting phase (ft. Jeremy Knox and/or Jean Moreau)

- An interviewer/reporter calling Neil Nathaniel

[writtenicarus]

sometimes i think of just how earth-shattering neil's existence must have been for andrew. like andrew is here, content with not having any other purpose but looking after his family. then all of a sudden a skittish, brunette boy turns up and, even on the drugs, andrew can't help but look at him a little longer then he does matt or kevin or any other boy he sees. but it's okay - his brain is affected by the drugs.

but then oh he has gorgeous blue eyes and oh he can actually be quite witty and, dare he say, funny at times. interesting. he is not scared by andrew.

andrew finds himself sharing little things, like phones and seats in the maserati for him.

and then all of a sudden, drake was back. and neil was protecting him - so was aaron. and then andrew's gone and proust is here but then at least he is off the drugs.

thinking everything would go back to a new kind of normal, andrew comes back only to find neil is well and truly neil now with gorgeous auburn hair and bright blue eyes shimmering with life even after seeing death so many times.

andrew finds himself looking at neil more, looking for neil more. neil who went to the nest for him, who experienced unworldly torture to keep andrew safe that ended up being futile anyways.

when neil accepts all of his disgusting secrets and truths and, in the moments where andrew does nothing but hate himself, neil finds something to latch onto and respect. neil who accepts his kiss even without warning, and who keeps accepting his touches and no matter what, unlike anyone else andrew has ever met, respects his boundaries and what it is andrew cannot take.

for once in his life, andrew is enough for someone. the little things he can give are enough for the boy who had never had a thing of his own.

but think about then, how he must have felt, when neil was gone. and andrew slowly realises the meaning behind those words. thank you, you were amazing. it made andrew feel sick to his stomach and somehow his hands had made it to kevin's neck despite his promise to protect him.

all he needed was to find him. find neil. it was only once it was gone that andrew recognized the ache that was neil, the hole he had left open and oozing blood.

andrew almost feels disgusted with himself at the relief he feels when he sees neil alive and breathing in that little room. but before that can register in his mind, andrew is already up close and touching him once more. and more than disgust, andrew feels relief.

[kevinproust]

[coldsaturn]

Does Neil ever find out exactly what Proust did to Andrew? And what is his reaction? Killing him or torturing him first like his father would’ve?

In canon he doesn't know in excruciating detail, but he's smart enough to connect the dots.

Riko talks of "reenactments" right after mentioning Drake, so it's very clear what his plan is.

"Did you know I've bought one of the doctors at Easthaven, too? Unless you want these little therapy sessions of his to turn into therapeutic reenactments, you will be on a plane to West Virginia tomorrow morning. Jean will give your ticket to Kevin. Do you understand me?"

We also know about Neil's reaction when he finds out that Proust did abuse Andrew, because it's a very important scene in TKM:

Neil didn't know if he could say it. Thinking about it was almost too much. Andrew was waiting, though, so Neil choked back his nausea. "Riko said if I didn't, Dr. Proust would—" Andrew clapped a hand over his mouth, smothering the rest of his words, and Neil knew he'd failed. Riko said Easthaven's Dr. Proust used "therapeutic reenactments" to help his patients. It was a thin line between psychological cruelty and real physical abuse, and Riko made it clear Proust was willing to cross that line if Neil disobeyed. He should have known better than to trust Riko's word. Hatred thawed a little of the new ice in his veins, but the bored look on Andrew's face was hard to stomach. A couple months ago Andrew was so drugged he laughed at his own pain and trauma. Today he didn't care enough to do even that. Neil didn't know which extreme was worse.

Then Andrew himself unambiguously words it this way:

"If you believed that you wouldn't be planning how to kill Proust." "This is not revenge," Andrew said. "I warned him what I would do to him if he touched me. This is me keeping my word."

From the extra content we have this:

Neil had already had it confirmed that Proust had hurt Andrew and that Andrew did not want to talk about it

Now, about what Neil would do to Proust: nothing direct.

Anyone that Riko used – anyone that Ichirou can prove Riko used – is erased. These people should have known better than to sell their services to the wrong brother. Proust is not the first to die, but he is definitely on the list of people erased. ((Neil expects a little sourness from Andrew, that the Moriyamas executed a man he was planning on killing once things calmed down, but Andrew only says that it saves him the trouble of finding an alibi. Neil doesn’t quite believe him, but he knows better than to press the matter.))

This is beautifully hypocritical because it's like he thinks the Moriyamas took away Andrew's revenge and he's like "oh no are you sad? :(" when in fact it was Neil himself who told Ichirou that Riko had bought a psychiatrist at Easthaven, and then later tried to confirm it from Stuart for good measure lol So basically

I feel Neil getting directly involved would cross into the alternative storylines where Andrew is out of the picture, and we have extra content on that as well to imagine his reaction. This is the timeline where he would get all the details.

In May, Neil Josten would finally vanish, and Nathaniel Wesninski would go straight for Proust. He wouldn’t have told Stuart Hatford about Proust yet, so he’d snatch the doctor out from under everyone’s noses. And he’d get the information he needed and the confessions he needed however he needed, and learn the how and why and when and how-much of everything he’d done for Riko. This information would go straight to both the press and the FBI, and in the chaos that followed Nathaniel Wesninski would vanish overseas.

[otdiaftg]

"You weren't supposed to leave Kevin's side. Did you forget?" "I promised to keep him safe," Neil says. "I didn't say I'd hound him every step of the way like you do. I kept my end of the deal." "But not like this," Andrew says. "You already said this had nothing to do with Kevin. Why did you go?" Neil doesn't know if he can say it. Thinking about it is almost too much. Andrew is waiting, though, so Neil chokes back his nausea. "Riko said if I didn't, Dr. Proust would—" Andrew claps a hand over his mouth, smothering the rest of his words, and Neil knows he'd failed.

Day: Tuesday, January 2nd Time: 2:15 PM EST

[crows-and-crumbs]

Aftg time travel AU idea in my brain I can’t really let go of

Classic “everyone gets sent back to the start of the first book” but they still have their memories right?

Anyways, everyone has an awful time:

Andrew is back on the drugs and Drake is still alive, Proust is still alive everything is awful.

Neil is on the run again, back in Millport, his dad is alive, Riko is alive, that’s awful to.

Seth is alive and Allison is fucking reeling.

Riko is alive and I don’t have to tell you how that impacts Kevin.

However, what I want to talk about is Jean and Jeremy.

Like the two of them, waking up in the past, and Jean is right back in his own personal hell at the nest. Right back under Riko’s thumb.

Jeremy is fine in his little Trojan paradise, except for the knowledge that Jean is in hell, a hell that he’s expressed he’s rather kill himself than ever return to.

The absolute fear and rush Jeremy’s in to get to him, to fix it, to save him, knowing that Jean is running on fucking fumes at this point, and just- the angst potential y’all.

Anyways I’m not gonna write it, cause I suck at writing time travel fics, but this is my pitch for someone with more talent than me to do so if they wish.

Actually in light of the new book, we just need more Jean and Jeremy please, friendship or lovers I don’t care that much, but just the two of them make me happy

[aalyre]

Oooh, you've got some really cool discussions going on here. For me, I think fandom discourse aside, the real thing that gets me is the way Neil calls Kevin a coward in the books. Because, in the books not in fandom so much, it's usually related to him being afraid of his abuser, you know, like Neil is afraid of Nathan. Because Neil doesn't know about the Nest and Jean until the end of book 2 but he's calling him a coward from the start. I find it so interesting the way Neil is such a hypocrite about it. He and Mary spent their lives running and afraid of Nathan, that's fine, but when Kevin runs away from his abuser and lives in fear, it's cowardly.

And I think, if Neil isn't reckless, then he's callous as fuck. So I'd much rather consider him reckless and a speak before he thinks kinda guy. Because if you want to argue Neil isn't reckless and does think things through, then Neil knows Riko will take his frustrations with Neil out on the people around him, this is the literal mafia, and Neil has considered that him riling Riko up will get people hurt, potentially killed, and is cool with that right until the end, even after Seth, even after Drake, even after Proust, and that is not a Neil I'm comfortable with (in canon, at least, could make a cool fic).

agreed!!!!!! this whole discussion is so cool!! i love it (thanks to everyone who took the time to take part in it!!)

i really love your take, and agree that neil’s perception of the word “coward is OFF like as you said, he uses it to mean “afraid” when (to me at least) it’s not at all the same thing!! i think that’s what i disagreed with most in the whole “kevin is a coward” discourse, because i’ve read takes that also equaled coward and scared!

which is why i love love this discussion sm, reading analysis and thought out takes on it ugh yes please give me fourteen of them (hope some of you know the joke ahah)

agree with your take on reckless neil as well! (would loooove to see a morally dark neil in fics)

[dearstanny5]

(English is not my first language and I am writing this mainly with the translator so I apologize in advance for any mistake)

EI was wondering if the year TFC took place there were any rookies on the Ravens roster which raised the question, what must it have been like for them?

Just imagine someone who came from a functional family, someone who was a real Ravens fan and who started playing for them. Imagine the joy of that person when they are chosen for the team. Imagine how happy he must have been in the months before he went to the nest, how proud he was, talking nonstop about everything he knew about the Ravens to his parents.

And then January comes and the departure of Kevin Day, one of his idols, is announced along with his transfer to the Foxes. He finds it strange, who would trade the Ravens for the Foxes?Why would he leave Riko? He would probably feel betrayed like most fans, but he would let it go. It wouldn't affect his spirits.

June arrives in the blink of an eye. He says goodbye to his parents and gets on the plane towards his dream. He marvels at the entire structure of the nest and Nevermore, He's so happy to meet his favorite players. But hey, why don't they look so happy? What's this buddy system? 16-hour training sessions? Confidentiality clause in the contract?

This is so weird. There was nothing about this on the Ravens forum. No one ever told him about it.

I think he would have let that go at first, after all that was the perfect team, their coach was the founder of the sport, he must have known what was going on.

But time begins to pass and things don't seem so perfect anymore. The Ravens are violent on and off the court. Coaches not only yell but also punish you when you make a mistake, and it's not just you who pays for that mistake, sometimes you pay for mistakes you didn't make. Then there's number one, Captain Riko Moriyama, who is nothing like who he pretends to be in front of the cameras. He screams, he threatens and most of all, he hits. And nobody thinks it's weird. Nobody thinks it's wrong. Do they pretend there's nothing wrong going on or do they think there's really nothing wrong with it? You don't know and you can't ask anyone because hey, your phone was taken away from you and after a few visits to Dr. Proust, you know he won't answer you.

And then the things we already know happen. During the winter feast, their captain and the others are being passive aggressive towards the Foxes. Kevin Day looks terrified. Neil Josten humiliated Riko non-stop and no matter how funny it might be, he couldn't laugh because he knew what would happen when they got to the nest. When winter break comes, he can't go home because his partner won't go. So just imagine when suddenly, Neil Josten, the Foxes' offensive lineman who has been destroying the Ravens since the beginning of the season, arrives at the nest and Riko's mood suddenly improves. After a few months you knew something was going to happen, but you didn't expect it to be that. Imagine his reaction when Riko orders them to throw balls at a red-haired, injured and unprotected Neil. When Riko orders them to mark him on the court. When he-

EHe doesn't think that's the perfect court anymore, that's the perfect team. He wants out. He doesn't want to be like them. But there's no way he'll pay the fine for breaking the law.