#palmetto university foxes

[evenfallwriter]

Exy Coach Neil Josten AU - II

(+ Professional Exy Player Kevin & Foster Parent Andrew)

Nathan's man catch up to Nathaniel after his mother's death, and the thing is Nathaniel never joins the Raven's- no, his father takes him to his basement instead.

Nathaniel thinks that it will be the end for him, that he will never see the sky again- there are many things that Nathan promises him, many methods that he has seen the Butcher of Baltimore use to take apart the unfortunate souls that found themselves at Nathan's mercy.

Yet, his father never gets to use any of them- Nathaniel manages to runaway.

He is bleeding, injured and in pieces, unsure just how long he has been o the run, how long he has went without a sleep when he slips into the lockers of an old court and falls asleep there.

When he wakes up, he finds himself on a couch-that-he-had-definitely-not-fallen-asleep-on and man in his early 50ies watching him at the side, sitting one a rocking chair with the newspapers in his hands.

The man forces him to stays, and Nathaniel convinces himself that he only stays because it is much safer for him at that point- he will leave when the moment is right, he convinces himself (that moment just never arrives).

Charlie Hernandez is a bastard that shouts too much, who likes to swear like a sailor. He learns during his recovery that the man doesn't shy away from hitting the back of Neil's head whenever he thinks that Neil is being an idiot, and surely knows how to yell out empty threats that he would never follow through.

He also is a bastard that is dumb enough to let Neil Josten (a boy that had runaway from his orphanage), who Nathaniel had introduced himself as, crash a couple of weeks on his couch without asking any questions.

He also likes to knit in his free time, separates all the plastic and carton's that he throws out from all of his other trash and is obsessed with cats (more than anyone should ever be allowed to be obsessed with anything) even though he doesn't own any pets.

Hernandez also teaches a bunch of kids how to play exy, Neil doesn't care about it, he can't; his mother would skin him alive if she knew he even got near a court in the first place, but that isn't that important.

Well, at least not at first.

Not until Neil starts 'assistant-coaching' the little gremlins to pay the man back for everything he has done for Neil because even if his mothers voice screams at Neil, it doesn't matter- he already got too attached by that point.

Kevin is 16 and unable to continue playing after the 'accident', and instead ends up leaving the nest (snuck out with the help of Jean and Thea).

He doesn't have anything to go on for- that is until he finds a letter that had been slipped in between his clothes.

The letter is from his mother to Master Tetsuji Moriyama' his mother who he can barely remember after the accident that left him crippled, having lost a portion of his memories in the process, memories that had reminded him that there was good in the world too: of Jean, Thea and him at the Nest, simply fooling around, of his mother...

It is hard to read it, but when he finishes it he is left with a single goal- to find his father.

His father, David Wymack, who had supported her during every step, who had been delighted when he had learned that Kayleigh had been pregnant- his father who had been told that Kevin had died with Kayleigh.

He decides that he has to find his father, and to let him know that Kevin had survived, that Kayleigh had loved him till the end.

He goes to Palmetto State University, but he is too late (only a couple months late). David Wymack had been fired after the Foxes fell from their places as a first class team, and no one knew where he was. Kevin doesn't give up.

None of the foster houses that Andrew ends up in really works for him, until it seems like one of them does (the Spear's) , but it turns out that one doesn't either.

Twelve foster homes become fifteen soon enough, and fifteen becomes twenty and somewhere along he simply loses hope- till it stops at 23.

It stops with Isabella and Emily, who own a cat-cafe and gives him the key to his bedroom. Izzy and Emi, who let him go to the cafe whenever he wants to, lets him bring in as many cats as he wants from the shelter and who never raise their hand no matter how many buttons he pushes.

It stops at 23, because they don't let it get to 24 and adopt him after a while. It stops at 23 because Andrew finds a place that he finds himself finding some sense of security in, buried under a ridiculous amount of cats.

It is when Andrew is with Emi and Izzy that Aaron calls Andrew for the first time, and after a while of talking through the phone and getting to slowly trust one another, they start meeting at the cat cafe.

Their places becomes some sort of like a second home to both Nicky and Aaron through Andrew.

Tilda is arrested after her drug addiction is found out, and Aaron is sent to live with Luther and Maria, which doesn't last long as Nicky jumps in and takes Aaron under his wing instead. Aaron ends up studying most of high-school in Germany before moving back to America for Uni.

PREV / NEXT

[oceanichymns]

I am Jean Moreau. I will endure.

Just wanted to thank @korakos for sharing The Sunshine Court with us. It is everything I didn’t know I needed. ❤️‍🩹

[operose-art]

"In eight years on the run, Neil had been through sixteen countries and twenty-two name."

[reesemh]

Neil Josten my beloved (he’s the cure to my art block)

[otdiaftg]

The King's Men - Epilogue

Day: Saturday, April 27th / 28th* Time: 3:10 AM EST

Neil waits off to one side while the others file out, knowing Andrew will be the last to leave. Wymack knows better than to stick around and follows his Foxes down the hall. Andrew brings Neil's duffel to him. Neil takes it but drops it off to one side. Andrew studies it for a moment, then shrugs out of his own bag and puts a hand to the wall near Neil's head. "Your close calls are getting old," Andrew says. "I thought you knew how to run." Neil affects confusion. "I thought you told me to stop running." "Survival tip: no one likes a smart mouth." "Except you," Neil reminds him. A year ago Neil had been a scared nobody, hating himself for signing the Foxes' contract and counting down days until he moved in with Wymack. Tonight he is the starting striker for the first-ranked team in the NCAA. In two years he'll be captain, and in four he'll graduate from Palmetto State. Neil will find a professional team first and then fight tooth and nail to make the cut for Court. Neil can already imagine the weight of an Olympics medal around his neck. He doesn't even care what color it is so long as it is his. Better than that bright future is what he already has: a court that will always be home, a family who'll never give up on him, and Andrew, who for once hasn't wasted their time denying that this thing between them might actually mean something to both of them. Neil didn't even notice the silence at first, too distracted by his dizzying thoughts. Now he can't help but smile and pull Andrew in. This is everything he wanted, everything he needed, and Neil is never letting go.

END OF ALL FOR THE GAME SERIES.

Art commissioned and used with permission by the incredible @hamrikaa!

*Due to the Leap Year, I have opted to highlight the day rather than the date to keep the events in occurrence to the 2007 year. I will continue to mark both days accordingly.

[light-catacomb]

i got bored and made the foxes ncaa championship logos for the ‘06/‘07 exy season

update: my designs are now on redbubble!

black background

orange background

[cactiunderyourfeet]

[arianwyn-art]

quick renee sketch

[polartss]

miss Allison Reynolds ⭐️🦊

 im never gonna let u forget that aftg takes place in the early 2000s

[writtenicarus]

the foxes typed out neil's you know i get it speech and framed it in the locker rooms and every time the upperclassman walk past it they pretend to swoon

[evenfallwriter]

Exy Coach Neil Josten AU - I

(+ Professional Exy Player Kevin & Foster Parent Andrew)

Neil Josten hadn't been a coach for much long, but he has still managed to charm the kids whom he teaches exy to, and the kids have managed to warm themselves into his heart too. He hadn't been contacted by the kids parents till then, mostly because the kids whom he looks after are most of the times either runaways or kids with unstable home lives, or those with parents who can't exactly afford exy classes from other clubs. Kids whom reminded him of himself in a way.

That all pretty much changes when the kid that Andrew Minyard starts fostering, whom had been one of the brats that Neil took care of long before the kid and his sister lost their parents, is found in the locker room one too many times.

It isn't much of a good look either, when his sister starts sneaking into the lockers too with the help of the (once more) rising exy star Kevin Day, whose teammate had been the one to take in Jensen as his foster child, but only for good publicity and hasn't done a good job at taking care of her.

NEXT

[starregulus]

when i get sad I just remember all the times Andrew had to wear bright fucking highlighter orange

Nicky probably started crying with laughter the first time he saw Andrew wearing the school colours after seeing him in purely black for the entire time he's known him. and not even andrew holding a knife to his throat could stop him

[lily-s-world]

It still baffles me the contrast between the Trojans and the Foxes. The first ones backstories are like, "I liked shooting games a little too much, and that gave me anger issues that my sister called out." While the other ones are, "I became an addict young, so my brother locked me out in a room against my will to go into withdrawal. Also, he unalived our mother. "

[reesemh]

KevNeil brainrot

[otdiaftg]

The King's Men - Chapter Seventeen (19)

Day: Friday, April 26th / 27th* Time: 7:05 PM EST

"You two could at least say hello," Wymack says, somewhat aggrieved. "There's no point," Kevin says. "All they are is a distraction." "It's called a support network. Look it up." "Thea is watching from South tonight," Kevin says, looking to the elevated VIP box. It is too far away and too high up for Neil to make out any faces, but there is a small crowd gathered at the windowed walls already. Knowing the Court is here to watch them play sends a chill through Neil's veins. Kevin drags his stare back to Wymack's face and says, "and my father comes to all of my games. That is enough." On Wymack's other side, Abby's gaze softens. Wymack's jaw works for a moment before he can say in an even tone, "Your mother would be proud of you." "Not just of me," Kevin says in a rare bout of humanity.

Art used with permission by Kevinkevinson. Thank you @kevinkevinson!

*Due to the Leap Year, I have opted to highlight the day rather than the date to keep the events in occurrence to the 2007 year. I will continue to mark both days accordingly.

[kaif-ene]

my roommates thoughts on All for the Game