#s Rereads aftg

[cabeswaterdrowned]

no one in the world is doing it like Andrew Minyard imagine flirting with your crush by calling them a pipedream then telling them you hate them then telling them you’d blow them then comparing them to a raccoon. amazing 10/10

[facewithoutheart]

Ten Questions for Writers

Thanks for the tags @shrekgogurt, @artsyunderstudy, @youarenevertooold, & @roomwithanopenfire I’m enjoying all this navel-gazing a whole bunch actually & I’ve done this before but it’s been awhile… sooo

1. How many works do you have on AO3? 169 (niiiice)

2. What’s your total AO3 word count? ~950k (yikes) although some of that is Birthday Man and collabs with people from WIP fest. Don’t ask me to do the math tho; that’s mean.

3. What fandoms do you write for? I’ve written for HP, Check Please, and RWRB although right now I’m mostly a CO writer with a toe dipping into 9-1-1. I have one Captain America fic posted and some WIPs I don’t know if I’ll finish. Nobody look at that AFTG fic; it’s pure crack.

4. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not? Whoo boy do I have thoughts here. I want to be the kind of writer who replies to comments and I harbor so much guilt that I’m not; I know I miss out on opportunities to connect with readers, and I genuinely appreciate comments so much; I hoard them in my inbox like a greedy lil affirmation dragon. I write to engage and connect. So, like, I know I should but at the same time I hate forcing interactions. I like them to spawn organically. I keep my circle small because I get really emotionally overwhelmed and then I feel guilty when I can’t give people what they deserve. And I’ve also never been comfortable with compliments or gratitude, I don’t trust them. So here’s a bulk of emotional trauma no one asked for to say: I don’t reply to comments as often as I feel I should and I’m trying to release the guilt I feel about this while also recognizing that not commenting probably has a direct negative affect on my ability to meet my goal of connecting through writing and at the same time my mental health probably couldn’t withstand the pressure I would need to place on it to get to where I’m replying to comments regularly. Hi I’m a mess who’s trying to love herself and often falls short of that goal; aren’t we all?

5. Have you ever had a fic stolen? No.

6. Have you ever co-written a fic before? So many actually! I didn’t think I’d ever get to a place where I trust someone else to the level this would take but I’ve been really lucky to work with some amazing writers even if not all of those works went anywhere. I actually don’t even think I could realistically tag all the people I’ve collabed with bc I’m afraid I’ll miss someone and isn’t that amazing? Personal growth; we love to see her.

7. What’s your all-time favorite ship? Oh man. I want to just be lame and say it’s me and Mr. Face 🤣 I shipped us when no one else did. Um! Snowbaz is always going to have a special place in my heart, but I’m really leaning into Buddie right now because of age and wanting to explore people in their 30’s still figuring out their lives while battling PTSD and late-in-life sexuality realizations. For, um. Reasons.

8. What are your writing strengths? I do like my dialogue a lot; dialogue is often where I start my scenes and I develop from there. I think I’ve done a good job of honing my ability to vary action/dialogue/internality a lot. I also think I keep people engaged or maybe I just keep myself engaged which is good enough for me. Sometimes I’m funny although sadly not as much recently.

9. What are your writing weaknesses? I struggle with remembering to add in physical descriptors. (Like oh shit have I ever mentioned this character has eyes?) Logistics are a frequent source of pain. (Wait, where were their hands?) I think my plots are kind of basic and boring; I don’t come up with really vivid and detailed concepts. I use the wrong words for things. I really hate detailing out backstory. I have to reread my fics a million times to maintain character consistency. Etc.

10. First fandom you wrote for? Hey Arnold. I wish I could find those fics; I bet they suck.

Tagging 10 peeps @sillyunicorn @mostlymaudlin @martsonmars @bookish-bogwitch @cutestkilla @ivelovedhimthroughworse @thewholelemon @palimpsessed @aristocratic-otter & @you-remind-me-of-the-babe

[jortenthusiasst]

Jortenthusiasst is now on bsky

[kevindavidday]

AFTG Ask Game: 2, 6, and 17 please?

2. Favourite Fanficiton(s)?

the bachelor of baltimore by likearecord

other works i love by this author: quicksand, in a manner of speaking, in my defense i have none, you might get it, echo

this is the way the world ends by maisy_daisy (by god reading this was the most wonderful experience)

IN FLANDERS FIELDS BY DHILLAREAREN (i cannot stress this enough absolutely beautiful from start to end)

have to say lessons in cartography and the cartographer and the world because i am always rereading them

6. already answered <3

17. Canon divergence time! What would your fresh take on an aftg character be (i.e Raven Neil, Vixen Allison?)

the full perfect court, specifically raven andrew.

in the artist au i'm writing (lol) the only reason andrew left aaron & nicky so he could become a raven was because aaron asked him to. aaron knew the ravens were the best and he didn't want andrew to stick around at palmetto when his potential could reach the stars. little did they know :(

always wonder about how it would be if it was actually a perfect court and how long it would remain that way. jean and neil together. would riko be afraid of the butcher's son? i think raven neil would have potential to inspire fear in the strongest souls

[ninyard]

1, 4, 5, 41 for the ask game (feel free to answer all or just some of them, if you’d prefer) <3

1. who is/are your comfort character(s)?

I know it feels like I’m just saying this because I have an aftg blog but genuinely if I’m ever going through a weird patch in my life or having a bad time with my mental space I go back to aftg and it’s just. So comforting. I don’t know why because it’s batshit but I’d do anything for Andrew and he’s not even real. I remember being 16 and weird about the world and so unhappy with myself and being undiagnosed and just everything kinda sucked? And it’s like every time I reread aftg, a couple years have passed, and I think of little teenage me and I’m like look!!! Things get better!!!!

Andrew. Andrew is my comfort character. I cosplayed as him as a 16 year old with horribly bleached hair and arm bands made out of socks and I just !!!! He has such a special place in my heart. I have spent however many years struggling to hold myself back from getting a little fox tattoo but I think I need to add one to my collection

(Answered number 4 already!)

5. what colour are your eyes?

Blue!

41. how do you take your coffee?

I don’t like coffee, the smell turns my stomach n my body doesn’t like it, but I drink tea with milk n sugar!

[leedee013]

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 7 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 ILU have fun!!!!

AFTG ask game

I LOVE YOU TOO MWAH

all my answers are going to be under the "read more" because hoo boy.

When did you first read aftg?

I first read AFTG by listening to the first audiobook while riding around the bus and trains in Germany, then Seth died, I immediately needed to finish the series, and then I read the entire series in less than 48 hours rifp.

2. All For The Game or The Sunshine Court?

All For the Game. The Sunshine Court is about my son, Jean, but also... because he's my son I have a lot of points where I simply like what I wrote better! and a fair number of complaints with TSC, since a lot of the way Jean's trauma rears its head is far less realistic than how Neil's trauma rears its head.

3. Favourite scene(s)?

I won't lie, one of my favorite scenes is when Neil gets back from his father's home and the Foxes all sleep on the floor together. I'm a huge sucker for found family and hurt/comfort and MAN that scene ticked off all my boxes. It's the one that I'll actually go back every now and then to reread. Wymack's joke about "Wesninski" and that feeling of finally having a family gets to me literally every time. And blah blah yeah I also really love the mentality of Andrew dragging Wymack behind him as he crashes through everything just so he can get back to Neil's side.

4. If you could choose to make one fictional place from the books real, which one?

That place they go to when they get ice cream/milkshakes before going to Eden's Twilight! It sounds amazing

5. A character you think deserves to be more present in the books?

Hngh this is difficult because I do believe that, at least as far as AFTG goes (aka excluding TSC) the characters are all as present as they need to be. Neil is very tunnel-visioned, and I think that it's a solid amount of screentime for each character, so to say. Like my first thought was Seth, but it wouldn't have fit Neil's character for Seth to haunt him at all. Therefore, I think overall I'd liked to have seen more of Jean for purely selfish reasons. Also more Renee!

6. A non-canon ship you love?

Jean/Renee, Jean/Jeremy, Jean/Kevin, Renee/Riko, and then any mix and match of those characters in throuples/quoples/poly ships! I'm also a big fan of Dan/Renee because woooo enemies to lovers?

7. A part of the extra content you whole-heartedly agree with

Andreil never say "I love you" or get married. Also that Dan gets to take over the Foxes when Wymack retires. Also Sir and King but like. Who doesn't agree with that.

8. A crackship/crackships you've come to love

Rinee (Riko/Renee), I adore it so much okay. I love the healing energy of it all and also the way that Renee attracts the most strange and unhinged people to her.

9. Underrated aftg fanartist / fic writer (tag them!)(link if they're not on tumblr)

well obviously @capcavan @jtl-fics and @emry-stars-art can never be OVERrated. But I think the true underrated AFTG fanartist is @noomyart <3

10. A villain you think is fucking hot

well. uh. villain I guess would be Nathan. Antagonist? Riko

11. A side character you love and/or appreciate

NICKY, I love him so much. Also Renee. And Dan. And Matt. I'm so mad I can't just say Jean anymore since he's not really a side character anymore GAH

12. Favourite narrative foil?

I adore the Riko/Neil narrative foil. Both the sons that were not wanted, both having their lives attached to Exy and using it as a way to solidify their freedom/independence, while Neil had someone who tried to save him and Riko could only ever try to save himself.

13. Favourite narrative symbolism?

In general my favorite narrative symbolism are the keys; how they unlock opportunities for Neil; how they are signs of trust that others put in him; how they are something I don't think he ever thought he'd have (solidity/a home). I also love how much symbolism they hold for him, as well.

14. A character you would actually get along with in real life

Nicky (we'd bond over escaping our parents by running to Germany and using each other as an excuse to practice German) or Matt (because he's chill he's fun and he reminds me a lot of some of my actual friends from college).

15. A character you love but would deck in real life

Neil lmao

16. How did you even get here?? How did you discover AFTG?

I was browsing the Banana Fish tag and saw a post that was like "hey! do you wish that you had a series that was everything you loved about Banana Fish but with way more of Eiji pole-vaulting? then you should check out All for the Game for its mafia-infused sports anime vibes! and huzzah I haven't gotten off the hook yet

17. Would you play exy?

I feel like I'd be pretty good at it if I'd put my mind to it. It seems like fun and also I'm a bit of a masochist so I think the rougher plays would be really fun!

18. A fancast you will never let go of

Tbh I don't really have a fancast for any of the characters

19. A fancast you love that is super silly

I did see a guy the other day who made me double take and go KEVIN???? in my head if that counts

20. Which character would be the last to die in a actual zombie apocalypse?

Probably Renee tbh because she's unsuspecting, can broker peace between people who are fighting, and has absolutely no issue wielding and using knives in fights.

21. Would andrew minyard have beef with you?

Idk I feel like we'd vibe really well but wouldn't necessarily be close. He might get annoyed at how go-with-the-flow I am, though

22. Hyperspecific aro and or ace kevin headcanon?

I enjoy these headcanons and seeing people write them but I personally don't ever write him as either aro or ace. All the power to those who do though <3

23. Something you are very sure will happen in TSC2

Trojans win and 2. Jean meets the Foxes again before/after a game and it's emotional

24. Nicky or Allison? (Character wise and personality wise seperate)

I'm biased but Nicky. I relate way too hard to his story to not be biased here. But also I relate heavily to Allison and love her as well. I think she's also a lot more underappreciated out of the two, and gets a lot of unfair hate.

25. You're now only allowed to ship Kevin with one person (1) who is it?

man you're really out here discriminating against me and my poly ship here /t, but if it's only one person then I'd say Jean because again, I'm biased.

26. A 2000s song any one/ship/group of character would listen to

I feel like Andrew would secretly adore Lady Gaga's Poker Face and know all the lyrics even if he'd never sing along.

27. A detail or element from an older draft you would've loved to see in the final draft

LMAO so. I'm personally a fan of the version where Riko shot Kevin because Neil dodged/Kevin dove in front of him. I don't think I would have swapped the ending that we got for it instead, but I did think that it would have been an interesting change.

Also Riko and Kevin with longer hair

28. If you had to kill a fox. (Seth doesnt count.)

Aaron, because oh boy that poor medical student is probably already begging for some anvil to drop on him from the heavens

Question 29 for jean! Name a favorite Jean dialogue/quote

All of them because Jean is my favorite but also I think I'm going to go with "I will endure. I will endure. I will endure" because it's the first one I found while flipping through my copy of TSC and skimming for lines I thought were powerful. A classic is "Did a week away from the court damage your ball-battered brain?" (TSC 24), though. And then of course, as a Jeanee fan, the entire conversation between Jean and Renee on pages 68-69 where they talk about finding the joy in small things in life and taking a chance on himself and and

anyway hello thank you for coming to my TED talk

[millportisntreal]

1, 2, and 17 please for the AFTG Ask Game?

Ahh thank you for asking!!!

1. Favorite character(s)? It honestly changes but I am such a main character person so I would say Neil, and then Andrew/Kevin tied for second. I didn’t love Kevin the first time I read the series, but rereading it and thinking about other characterizations have opened my eyes to him!

2. Favorite fanfiction(s)? I have SO MANY I love but my current fixations are The Sun Still Rises by Mordax and That’s The Kind of Love I’ve Been Dreaming Of by OfficialStarsandGutters (which has opened my eyes to Kevaaron 👀)

17. Canon divergence time! What would your fresh take on an aftg character be (i.e Raven Neil, Vixen Allison?) Honestly I love the idea of Renee getting sold to the Butcher/the Moriyamas through the gang she was a part of and growing up with Nathaniel/Kevin/Jean

[jeanmoreaux]

18, 38, and 44 for the bookish asks!

thank you gracie <333

18 — Favorite unfinished book series.

i am so so excited for the saga series, the fragile threads of power, and ofc tsc to continue. one that’s not yet counting as a favourite but that i am still very interested in is the datk rise series tho i haven’t even read book 2 yet so maybe that’ll change but i am intrigued by the concept.

38 — How many books have you read this year?

currently at 93 but a fair share of plays, short books, and poetry (and rereads) kinda inflate the number

44 — The book(s) whose stories have become part of your very makeup.

oh i think we all know aftg & trc irreversibly changed me as a person. frankenstein left a lasting impression on me too. the green bone saga change the way i think about storytelling and family sagas. and this last winter i read a place for us which fucked me up severely. i am sure there is more. i think every story i enjoyed makes up a part of my psychological makeup.

bookish ask game 📚

[cakegatedisaster]

Any other book recs bestie ?

DO I

(these are all some sort of gay FYI)

Captive Prince, by C. S. Pacat- fantasy vibes, kings and queens, no magic but it doesn't need it, three books, VERY morally grey main character, you really need to love complete assholes to enjoy this one (thankfully I do). Sword throwing, pretend identities, it's illegal to be straight, EXTREME enemies to lovers, they fucking hate each other, politics, but in a nice way, evil-plot-to-take-over-the-thrown shenanigans. EVEN MORE trigger warnings than aftg, like, so many, but nothing happens on screen. Second favorite series ever, right after aftg.

Wolfsong, by TJ Klune- Werewolves, little age gap, magic systems, found family, kinda second chance romance but not really, sad and happy, some violence, like 5 books, each with a different couple, very cheap on Amazon, you will cry.

Not Even Bones, by Rebecca Schaeffer- DARK, so dark, main characters are definitely the villains from anyone elses perspective, magical realism, sorta romance but not really, very plotty, very dramatic. For this series, I would also recommend the webtoon on Webtoon, it's free and has amazing art (but you should pick one, because there's three books and the comic is on the last one), this is another one where you really have to like bad people, or at least exceptionally morally grey people to really enjoy it. Highly recommend.

Summer Sons, by Lee Mandelo- holy shit this is so good, so dark and gritty, very Gothic-like vibes, main character is an absolute disaster being haunted by the love of his life, love interest is the definition of white trash and it's wonderful, I talk about it a little bit on here, go read it.

Damn these are all kinda dark, here's some happy ones:

Red White and Royal Blue, by Casey McQuiston- funniest book I've ever read, so gay it makes you feel like you're vomiting rainbows, a little political but it's easily ignored, rivals to friends to lovers, the movie is mid, read the book first.

The DRAMA series, by Paul Ruditiz- no one ever talks about these and it BREAKS MY HEART because it's so good, I've reread it so many times, this is for the theatre kids who want to feel seen, light and happy and fluffy, with genuine male/female friendship, and a developing relationship you never could have guessed, you can read them all in a day.

Carry On, by Rainbow Rowell- just the author's name should clue you in, imagine drarry but canon and gayer than you could imagine, vampire and wizards who cast spells with nursery rhymes, technically a trilogy but the first ones also a good stand-alone, absolutely perfect.

Song of Achilles, by Madeline Miller- I lied, this one is not just happiness and rainbows, a retelling of the tale of Achilles, read when you're in a good spot or you'll jump off a roof, but still go read it because it's something special, a future classic without a doubt (also go listen to Achilles Come Down on YouTube, it'll put you in the right mood)

That should keep you occupied for a min

[rollercoasterwords]

3 & 16 for the book ask :)

3. What were your top five books of the year?

ooooh ok so this answer changes if i am including books i reread or not SO. for this answer i will include them and say it's:

1. a history of glitter and blood, by hannah moskowitz

2. the last unicorn, by peter s. beagle

3. the fever king, by victoria lee

4. crush, by richard siken

5. screw consent: a better politics of sexual justice by joseph j. fischel

16. What is the most over-hyped book you read this year?

probably the aftg series LMAO. unfortunately the hype was. not lying to me. i did in fact enjoy it as much as everyone said i would so!

end of the year book asks

[youcantkillamutant]

Blind Landing: A. WINTERS - #1 - Matte Black Truck

Author: youcantkillamutant

Fandom: All For The Game (AFTG)

Pairing: Thea Muldani x Kevin Day

Summary: Hey hey my nosy little sleuths! E here! I know it’s been a minute since I’ve posted, but boy do I have a surprise for you! This is a new case outta Baltimore, and don't ask my why, but I have a feeling that this is going to turn out to be beyond juicy. So here's what we know...

Warnings: Depictions of violence, angst, mentions of death, eating disorders, slow burn (as is my custom), no smut (probably)

Rating: 18+

Words: 5K+

A/N: Look, I've been in this fandom for damn near a decade but apparently my third reread was the trigger that needed to be pulled for me to want to write in it. This is my first time writing in this fandom, so be nice. I'm writing about Thea, who I know some of y'all are weird about, so if you don’t like it don’t read it and all that jazz. Not Beta’d we die like men. I own nothing, all characters belong to Nora Sakavic.  

Read on AO3

Listening to Brutal by Olivia Rodrigo Chapter Trigger Warnings: violence, mentions of choking, hitting, knives, cutting, death

Blind Landing

/blīnd//ˈlandiNG/

In gymnastics, a blind landing is when a gymnast can’t see the ground as they land because they are inverted in the air.

___*___

Posted 6.30.2005

A. WINTERS - #1 - Matte Black Truck

Hey hey my nosy little sleuths! It’s been a minute since I’ve posted, I know I know, but y’all know better than to expect much of anything during playoffs. Not that much hockey was actually played, but that’s besides the point.  

Anyways, y’all know the drill, everything I say is alleged, this is my opinion and blah blah blah, BUT the most important and possibly most controversial thing is: this story ain’t set in the lovely southern United States.

Now I know you may be saying “Well aint that the whole point of the blog? I mean really E, you can’t call it the Southern Sleuths for nothing!” And to that I say, I do what I want! I never actually said I was gonna focus on Southern True Crime, that just kinda happened. And really, I have a feeling that this is going to turn out to be beyond juicy no matter where it all goes down. 

So here’s what we know. Anna Winters, a 17 year-old female was tragically killed in a hit and run last Saturday. My thoughts and prayers are with her family, but there are two interesting things here.

The First

Miss Winters was a gymnast. Nothing to scoff at if you’ve seen any gymnast do just about anything, but her skill is nothing compared to the girl she had been with earlier that night. Thea Muldani. Now if you aren’t clued into the gymnastics world, don’t worry, I wasn’t either, so let me tell you all the titles Miss Muldani has won:

2001

Women’s Level 8 Eastern Championships - 1st place in beam and all around

Icebreaker Invitational - 1st place in beam and floor

East Coast Classic - 1st place in beam

2002

Junior American Cup - 1st place in beam, 2nd in floor, 1st in all around

Women’s Level 9 Eastern Championships - 1st place in beam and all around

Icebreaker Invitational - 1st place in beam, 2nd in floor and all around

East Coast Classic - 1st place in beam, 2nd in floor and vault, 1st in all around

2003

Junior American Cup - 1st place in beam, floor and all around

Women’s Level 10 Eastern Championships - 1st place in beam and all around

East Coast Classic - 1st place in beam, floor and all around

2004

Junior American Cup - 1st place in beam, floor and all around

Women’s Level 11 Eastern Championships - 1st place in beam, 2nd in floor, 3rd in vault, 1st in all around

Junior International Invitational - 3rd place in beam and floor, 2nd all around.

2005

Junior American Cup - 1st place in beam, 2nd in floor, 1st in all around

Women’s Level 12 Eastern Championships - 1st place in beam and all around

Visa International Championships - 1st place in beam, floor, vault in all around

Junior International Championships - 1st place beam, 2nd floor and all around

[The photo shows Thea, in a blue leotard, mid flip in the air over a bright red floor. There are a few people on never bars behind her, and a vault just in front. The image of the other events are blurred. Thea is the focus.]

This girl is like the Dominique Dawes of her generation. Literally, a once in a lifetime athlete. I swear, all the kid knows how to do is win. She’s been practicing since she was 3 and competing since she was 6. Seriously, the girl is a machine. 

You’re probably saying “So what, she’s got impressive stats, where’s the mystery E?” And to that I say:

You’re being pretty pushy today, who pissed in your cornflakes?

I’m getting to it. I’d get to the point quicker if you would stop interrupting me. Lord. Anyways.

Thea Muldani is one of the most impressive teen athletes of her generation, maybe Kevin Day and Riko Moriyama or Sidney Crosby could come close to her reputation, but Exy and Hockey just aint the same as gymnastics… Anyways, word is she was arrested the night Miss Winters was killed. No one has heard from her since, and honestly, y’all know how I feel about cops and if I don’t see hide nor hair of the kid soon, I’ve got a few friends in the DMV who can kick up a fuss and make sure she’s alright.  

The Second

There were no plates on the the car that killed Miss Winters. It was a matte black truck, nondescript and insignificant, save for the fact that it didn’t have any plates. The only identifier on the truck at all was a sticker on the back bumper indicating the car had been bought from Koons automotive. 

Now, normally, no one would care about that, but Koons automotive is owned by Frankie Koons, who while being one of the most prolific automotive dealers in the state, is also known for his loud, messy and downright dangerous relationship with Lola Malcom. 

Anyone in the DMV knows all the stories about their torrid relationship. They’ve got plenty of mugshots between the two of them after their drunk and disorderly and assault charges. As far as I know, they’re still friendly. But I think the real story here is who Lola used to work for. 

You see, Lola Malcolm was essentially a nobody business major at Towson University until she met Nathan Wesninski, day trader extraordinaire. Nathan and Koons had already known each other for years and Nathan introduced the pair. And I know you’re thinking “who cares about a day trader setting up his friend and some chick?” But I’m telling y’all there’s something going on here. 

Nathan Wesninski went to jail  in 2002 for tax fraud, but that’s only because those are the only ones the feds could make stick. The real charges, the money laundering and trafficking and murder? They could never find enough evidence, could never find enough proof to prove that he was the Butcher of Baltimore. 

Isn’t it just a little suspicious that a car from the lot of a known associate of an accused murderer was seen on a murder scene? Like, just a little? I’m not saying that Koons or Malcolm did it, but it’s fucking weird. Unfortunately, that’s all the info we have right now, considering it’s an open investigation, but believe me, I am keeping my eyes and ears on this. 

Stay suspicious my lovelies! Until next time, 

-E

P.S. Don’t do anything stupid. If you can’t sleuth from afar, you shouldn’t be sleuthing at all

www.thesouthernsleuth.com

___*___

“Well it’s not my fault that her kip makes her look like a flailing idiot. She should have cleaned that up years ago.” I cackled at Winny’s tone, I couldn’t help it. I’ve known her for damn near my whole life, and she’s always been nice. The nicest of the three of us by a mile. I had no idea she was hiding teeth. Apparently all it took to strip that away was our first ever week of summer practice at Towson. I wish Willy was here to hear it.

The three of us had always planned to go to Towson together for college, and it was a given after the time we put in at the gym. I mean, you don’t become the top junior gymnasts in the country without blood, sweat and tears. The rankings never mattered much between the three of us, we were just happy to share the podium with each other. It was always a thrill to see our names in papers or pictures. T. Muldani, A. Winters, M. Anders. Everyone at the gym had called us the Three Musketeers and I’d campaigned (loudly) for a name change but the name stuck. It didn’t matter anyways, as long as we got to be together, that’s all that mattered, or, that’s what I thought. 

“And honestly, I think she’s afraid of the vault. I mean did you see her practically run into it like 6 times today?” We were on our way out of the gym, but I had to stop in the doorway to catch my breath. I haven’t laughed this much in ages.

“Winny,” I huffed another laugh. “Stop, stop, I can’t” I laughed at the annoyance on her face, lips pursed, eyes squinted, skin washed pale in the light of the streetlights. She huffed at the nickname and my request for her to stop her tirade, but couldn’t resist getting one more jab in. 

“Fine, but it’s not my fault she’s an idiot.” I snorted a laugh and agreed.

“Yeah, yeah. Are we going out to eat?” I’d left my car at the dorms, the walk to the gym was only 20 minutes and even though it was hot and muggy in Towson this time of the year, I hated getting gas even more. Not much would be open now as it was going on 11pm, but it wouldn’t be the first time I’d driven us around town looking for an open restaurant after night practice. 

“Eh…I’m kind of beat. Walk me to the dorms?” She held out her arm because she knew I’d wrap my arm around it, and then we were on our way. We kept up our usual chatter through the campus, slides slapping on the cobblestone and leos clinging to our sweaty skin. Anna got progressively quieter the closer we got to the dorms, which was weird. She’s been quieter since Mikky left, but when we’d walked in silence for a solid 5 minutes I stopped walking. Something was off. Anna hadn’t expected my stop, if the way her arm wrenched me forward as she continued walking was any indication. She looked back in askance. 

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing Donnie. I’m just tired. Ready for bed you know?”

“Is it Mik—” I stopped myself from using the nickname. She wasn’t one of us, not anymore. “Is it Mikayla? Did she…reach out?” I tried to keep my tone level. Mikayla left us both adrift when she quit the team three months before graduation. It was like losing a limb. Suddenly there were only two of us piling into the car for practice, only two of us grabbing dinner after, only two of us doing everything we could to patch the hole she left. 

“No.” Winny was quick to answer. “No. I haven’t heard from Mikayla since…” Since everything went down. I shook my head to rid myself of memories I’d rather forget. I knew Winny was hurting, especially after Mikayla had so viciously rejected her, but I’d lost her as a friend too. It still fucking hurt. Not that I’d bring it up to Winny when she was still nursing her wounds. 

“So if it’s not…her, then what’s going on?” 

“Nothing. Thea, seriously.” Winny’s shoulders were up to her ears, but I could see the pain on her face. I shouldn’t have brought Mikayla up. We’d been having a good night, our brutal private practice feeling good as it settled into my sore muscles, and I should have kept my mouth shut. Winny squeezed my hand, and I did my best to ignore the sadness in her eyes, after all, if I wanted to see that, I could look in a mirror. 

“Okay.” We resumed walking, silently this time. By the time the dorms were in view, the soreness I’d relished had shifted to stiffness. I was digging through my bag for my ID when Winny pulled me towards the parking lot. 

“I think I left something in your car.” She said it with a shrug, but it looked weird, because her shoulders were still scrunched up and tense. I should book her a massage or something with the PT’s at the gym. She was way too tense. Especially two weeks before our first meet. Still, I headed to the edge of the student lot with her. She was always leaving stuff in my car, her and Kayla. I was still finding stuff from Kayla every now and then. It hurt every time.

“What is it this time? Lip Gloss?” Winny scoffed and grabbed my hand as she pulled me along, threading her fingers through my own as we approached my car. Minty was the best hand-me-down a girl could ask for. It was the last thing I had of my mom that actually worked. Dad had kept the old, bright green VW Bug running all throughout my childhood so that when it was time for me to start driving, I had a piece of my mom watching over me every mile I went. It still smelled like her sometimes too. Usually in the winter, when I cranked the heat up and shivered in the drivers seat, I could smell her lavender, sage and smoke scent wafting through the vents. 

“Winny? What’d you forget?” I peeked in through the window, seeing the passenger side floor littered with cassettes and hair ties but nothing out of the ordinary. I turned my head to Winny for an answer, but she wasn’t looking at me. She was squeezing my hand half to death though. I shifted my keys in my hand.

“Winny?” I squeezed her hand back but it didn’t knock her out of whatever was going on. She was staring at the window, staring at my reflection in the window, and she looked…haunted? It’s not a look I’ve ever actually seen on her face, so I couldn’t be sure, but it was weird. 

She also hadn’t complained about me parking at the end of the lot. She knew why I did it by now, knew that it was safer to be under a streetlight and in view of security camera, but still, she always complained about it, because I’d been doing it since I started going places myself. I promised Dad I’d be safe, and this was a part of that. Why wasn’t she complaining about it? And why was she squeezing my hand so damn hard?

“I’m sorry Donnie.” Her words were a whisper, and if I hadn’t seen her lips moving in the reflection of the window I don’t think I would have known she’d said anything at all. Before I could respond, I heard noise. Sounds of hooting and hollering passing the dorm doors and coming closer to us. I rolled my eyes at them. Winny and I hadn’t spent much time around the other athletes on campus, preferring to stay in our own little bubble, but we’d heard plenty of their parties from the team house a few blocks over, and dodged many, many invitations. 

“I’m sorry Dani. I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” Winny was still whispering, still staring at my reflection in the window, but the group of guys grew closer and I couldn’t hear her very well. My heart started pounding at the words I saw her mouth. Apologies. She was apologizing to me. Why the fuck was she apologizing to me? 

“What are you talking about Winny? What’s wrong?”

“I’m sorry Donnie. I’m sorry, I’m sorry, but they said he’d kill me if I didn’t—” Winny’s explanation was cut off as the group of men began to surround us. I was wrong. These weren’t the student athletes we’d seen around campus. These weren’t anyone I’d ever seen before at all. 

I saw Winny’s breath catch more than I heard it. Her chest rising and hitching with breath in the reflection of the car. I squeezed her hand again andwhen she flicked her eyes up to mine, they were shining with tears. What the fuck is going on?

“Winny, what—”

“Hey ladies!” The men all looked to be around their 30’s. All looked to be too old to be out this late. All looked to be disturbingly excited to surround a pair of girls in a parking lot. In the time it took me to try and get an answer from Winny, the men had surrounded us. There were about 6 of them, but the man who spoke, the clear ringleader to whatever this was, smiled when I turned away from the car to face him. I took Winny with me, squeezing her hand for the last time and letting go as I repositioned my keys in my hand. Winny was shaking, but I knew what to do. 

My dad had grown up teaching me about firearms and self defense, but a few years ago he’d made me a deal. Learn how to defend myself hand-to-hand and with weapons, and I could go to Towson and live on campus all by myself. Up until then he’d been adamant that I would stay at home with him in Baltimore and commute to Towson when I had classes and practice. When Winny and Kayla and all talked about college, about Towson, we’d dreamed it’d be just like the movies. We’d live on campus, maybe rush a sorority and get bored of it halfway through, walk to the gym hand in hand, and we’d always be together. 

I’d badgered my dad for months about it, begging him to “be chill about it” and telling him I’d do anything as long as he let me live on campus with my “absolute best friends” because I’d “totally die if I couldn’t”. He came up with the deal, and for the last three years I’ve been training in Krav Maga. So when those six guys surrounded me and Winny, I didn’t have to think, I’d run through this simulation plenty of times before at the gym. I knew what to do. 

“It’s a little late for you to be walking around don’t you think?” I turned my attention to Winny, to see her before shit got crazy, and she stared back at me, haunted, tears illuminated by the light of the street lamp as they streamed down her cheeks. She was terrified. The guy was still monologuing, strolling closer to me casually, like he was enjoying scaring us. Like he wanted us to be afraid. Fuck him. I knew what to do.

“You never know what could happen in the dark.” The ringleader had meandered right into my face, hovering over me. I griped my keys tighter and put a hand on Winny’s arm. For this to work, She’d have to be fast, and if that meant pushing her to safety, I’d do it. I’ve already lost one friend, I’m not losing another. I knew what to do.

The guy peered down at me as he took in my clothes. A skintight leo and shorts that made me wish it was cold enough for sweatpants. He grinned as I took a small step backwards, relieved to feel the car at my back, something solid. Something grounding. 

“I’m gonna have fun with you, aren’t I?” I didn’t know what the fuck he was talking about, but we were out of time. I pushed Winny through the gap the ringleader had left and told her to run. She stumbled a bit but scrambled to catch herself. I’d seen her in practice, we had the same cardio routine, she’d make it. When I heard her feet pounding the ground in a steady rhythm, I could breathe again. 

“Are you even listening to me Princess? I said I can’t wait to carve you up.” There was a knife in his hands, glinting in the light and casting shadows on our chests. I knew what to do. I tightened the keys in my hand, rolled the other into a fist and listened, one more time, to Winny’s pounding feet. 

___*___

I woke up in a hospital bed, cuffed and dazed. I wasn’t actually sure I was awake. I couldn’t open my eyes. Everything hurt so badly that this had to be a nightmare. It couldn’t be real, pain like this couldn’t be real. 

So it wasn’t, and I slept again. 

___*___

I woke up again. This time, I could open my eyes. The light was bright, fluorescent and blinding. I closed my eyes again. Felt the pain again. Slept again. 

___*___

I woke up again, and I heard the beeping. It was incessant and sharp, and it wasn’t muffled by the sounds of people passing by the door or my breathing. It made my fingers twitch, but the sound of a chair creaking is what forced me to open my eyes again. The beeping got faster. 

There was a man standing up, walking towards me. He was wearing a uniform, something shiny on his chest. A cop. The beeping got faster, got louder. I couldn’t remember why I was here. Why I was cuffed. Why I was crying. The man stepped towards me. The beeping got faster. 

Rough hands pushed me against the side of the car and I braced myself. 

I screamed for help, voice rising higher in fear, then in rage. 

Bloody hands tried to hold me, and I kept kicking, I kept punching, I kept biting, I kept screaming. Anything to stay alive. Anything. Anything. Anything. 

“Miss Muldani? Can you hear me?”

Winny was gone. Safe. At least she would be safe. 

Calloused hands closed around my neck and squeezed. 

I wrenched my arms free. I scratched and felt the blood under my fingers. I screamed. Anything to stay alive. Anything. Anything. Anything. 

“Miss Muldani, I need you to calm down.” 

Only one left, one with a knife. One with anger heating his face. Spittle lining his mouth as he cursed me. 

I couldn’t feel the first cut. Or the second. It didn’t matter. 

Bones crunched under my foot. We both screamed, but I’m the only one that got up and stayed up. Anything to stay alive. Anything. Anything. Anything. 

“Miss Muldani, if you can’t calm yourself, we’ll have to sedate you again.”

___*___

The pain in my wrist is what really woke me. They’d cuffed me at a weird angle, and I was beginning to feel pins and needles. Forcing my eyes open was as difficult as I remember, and the light overhead was bright and white. I squinted against it for a bit, then I looked around. 

I was in a small room. The chair at the head of my bed was empty. No cops this time. There was a door to the left with glass panes on either side of it, showing a brightly lit hallway. There was a bathroom to my right, no door, just an open doorway with a curtain pushed to one side. I shuddered. I hate open doorways. And drawers. Anything open that could be closed. Ugh. 

There were two chairs to my right, but only one was empty. I guess I spoke too soon about no cops, because there was a man sitting in the chair closest to the head of my bed. I think he was a different guy than before, but I still felt hazy. It was getting difficult to hold onto memories. 

I tried to speak, but it felt like my mouth was full of cotton balls. I don’t know what sound I made, but cop looked up from the notebook he was scribbling in. The man was short and would have been stocky without the extra weight in his belly, with dark hair and beady eyes. I couldn’t see much more. Couldn’t really concentrate on much more. Why is there a cop in my hospital room? Why am I in the hospital?

The man didn’t say anything, but he held my gaze as he stood. He remained silent as he stalked around my bed, gaze darting between me and the heart monitor and the IV in my arm. The beeping of the heart monitor accelerated. This man was here for me, but he hadn’t said a thing. Hadn’t asked a single question. I tried to say something, anything, but there was static in my head. I couldn’t hear anything but my pulsing heartbeat and the crackle of numbness my brain provided. He reached for the drip hanging beside me. Flicked at my IV. I felt the motions as they tugged at my skin, wincing. 

Before he could actually touch me, before I could scream, the door to my room opened. My neck twinged with soreness as I turned more fully, or tried to. The person walked closer to me, and I could see they were a doctor. My heart rate decelerated, just a bit. I wasn’t a fan of doctors, but I knew she was the lesser of two evils. 

“Officer Murray. May I ask what you’re doing here?”

“I’m supposed to keep watch.” The cop’s voice was gruff, like he wasn’t used to speaking, or like smoked a pack a day. 

“Yes, and you were instructed to stay in that chair,” She pointed to a chair I hadn’t noticed by the door. “away from the patient.” It was subtle, but the doctor gave me her back, shielding me from the cop. My heart rate decelerated, just a bit, again. The cop huffed but the doctor stood her ground. 

“Now that she’s awake, I’ll need you to uncuff her.” The cop’s eyebrows rose to his, admittedly receding, hairline. 

“You’re kidding right? The bitch is dangerous.” I stiffened at his words, unsure if he was actually talking about me. 

“Miss Muldani is my patient, and for as long as she’s in my hospital, she will be treated with respect.” The doctor’s voice turned to ice, and I saw the man shaking his head even as he approached with a small key. 

“Your funeral.” 

His hands were rough as he removed the cuff, jerking my wrist out of it so hard I let out a cry in shock.

“That’s enough Officer Murray. You need to leave.” 

“I didn’t do—”

“Out. And please know I’ll be demanding that the chief sends someone more suitable for this when I’m through here. You can go.” The doctor walked the cop to the door, and closed it firmly. I saw her shoulders rise and fall, like she’d taken a deep breath, before she turned towards me with a soft smile. 

“Hi Miss Muldani, My name is Doctor Yen.” I opened my mouth to speak, but the only thing that came out was a squeak. She leaned down by my bed and seemed to be rummaging around in some drawer before popping back up with a water bottle and straw. She cracked open the seal of the bottle and I flinched at the sound. It was too familiar. She winced in sympathy while unwrapping the straw.

She plopped the straw into the bottle and held it up to me. I took a cautious sip. My neck throbbed, but the water felt good, so I took another sip closing my eyes against the pain as I swallowed. Dr. Yen pulled the bottle away from me after another few painful sips. I tried not to pout.

“How are you feeling?” 

“Everything hurts. What happened?” Dr. Yen looked surprised by my question. 

“Do you remember?” I tried to raise my shoulder in a shrug and hissed. Something tugged against the skin on my stomach, and maybe my back too. I couldn’t tell. There were images I’d dreamed. Nightmares. Or maybe…

“Maybe.” Dr. Yen nodded then gestured to my body. 

“I need to check on your injuries, is it alright for me to do that now?” I nearly nodded, but remembered the pain in my neck. 

“Yes,” I croaked. And then, “Where’s my Dad?” 

“He’s waiting outside. Talking with the police and your lawyer.” Dr. Yen’s voice was soothing and her hands were gentle, but whatever she was working on, whatever happened to me, hurt. My next words were a gasp as she pressed her hands into my thigh. 

“Lawyer?” 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to cause you pain.” She continued pressing on my skin, even more gently than before. “And yes. You fought five men that night. Two of them are in the ICU.” Five? There were six. Weren’t there?

“That night?” 

“Yes. You’ve been in a medically induced coma for 6 days.” The static was beginning to fill my head again. Buzzing numbness that trickled to my chest and down my limbs. I don’t know if I made a sound, I couldn’t feel it in my throat, but I must have done something. Dr. Yen flicked her eyes to mine. 

“Do you remember what happened?” I battled with the buzzing in my head, tried to hold onto the flickers of nightmares—no, memories that flashed by like a film reel. 

“I…I think. I know that there were six guys. Is Winny. Oh god. Is Winny okay?” Dr. Yen gave me a small smile as she leaned away from me and pulled off her exam gloves. 

“You should focus on healing. You’ve been through a lot.”

___*___

I don’t know how long I’d been sleeping, but when I woke up again, my dad was by my side, holding my right hand and brushing a soothing thumb over it. I squeezed on instinct, relief over something familiar felt like a balloon popping in my chest. 

“Dad?” 

“Thea? Sweetheart? Oh thank god. Thank god.” His grip on my hand tightened and I groaned in pain. I hurt so much everywhere, but I could only see the bandages on my hands and arms. There were more than I expected. 

“Dad, what happened?”

“Thea, sweetheart, how are you feeling?” His complete avoidance of my question had alarm bells ringing in my brain. The buzzing numbness was still there, dissipating in the wake of the fluorescent hospital lights, and I tried to blink away everything happening in my head. 

“Confused. Why won’t anyone tell me anything? What day is—” I stopped as I saw the balloons floating by the door. There was a big silver ’18’ that looked to be covered in confetti, and it was surrounded by a bundle of teal balloons that read ‘Happy Birthday Thea!’.

I missed my birthday. I missed my eighteenth birthday. If I’ve been in the hospital since that night…Then I’ve been here for weeks. 

“Happy Birthday kiddo?” 

“Today?” His smile dropped along with his shoulders. It was like a puppet having its strings cut. Dad was huge, even taller and bigger than Uncle David, and he’d always been the strongest person I knew. Now, with his hand in mine and his eyes shining as they catalogued every bit of me in this hospital bed, he looked small. I squeezed his hand. I still wanted to know what day it actually is.

“Yesterday.” He sighed and his shoulders dropped. “Dr. Yen says it’s good you’re resting. Means you’re healing.” Images of my nightmares burst in my head like camera flashes. I blinked them away. I didn’t care about healing. That didn’t matter. I needed to know about Winny. I needed to know that she was safe. That I kept her safe. 

“Where’s Winny?” Dad’s face dropped, and he looked so much older than I remembered. There was grey at his temples that I couldn’t have sworn hadn’t been there when I left for college. Lines on his forehead that creased as he studied my face. 

“She died. There was a car accident. After.” She died. She died. Died.

“What? That—No. I, I—” saved her. I tried to save her.

“Thea, I’m sorry.”

“When is the funeral?” No apologies would fix this. Nothing would bring her back, but I needed to see her. Before she was gone, I needed to see her. One last time. 

“Yesterday.” 

The balloons fluttered from the air vents pushing cool air into the room. ‘Happy Birthday’. The air moved the balloons again, and they made a soft squeaking noise as they rolled against each other. 

Happy Birthday. Anna would never have another birthday. She’d never have another day. She was gone. 

“Thea, honey.” Dad halted his words. He must have seen something on my face. There was nothing he could say. Not really. Not as I buried my birthday with my last memory of Winny. 

I’d tried to save her. Why couldn’t I save her?

__________________________________________________________

A/N: Okay so basically, I got really into the aftg social media AU’s and I read this one  by @ninyard (really amazing btw) and thought “wouldn’t aftg be interesting if there was a true crime blogger following the story as it unfolds? How insane would that get? Would they even figure out the yakuza involvement?”? Add in my inability to resist writing for the black characters in any fandom I’m in and bam! You get this…

Basically timeline wise this is gonna go pre-aftg all the way through to the end. It’s going to be mainly from Thea’s POV with maybe some Kevin sprinkled in (after my 4th reread I finally started feeling actual sympathy for him). I just think Thea’s interesting from the literal two lines we’ve gotten from her. She’s clearly deeply loyal and protective, *whispers into the mic* just like Andrew *I am forcibly removed from the stage* but I think it would be interesting to see how they interact when they’re on equal footing. As you can see, there’s no age gap here, mainly because it wouldn’t fit the story but also because I can’t be arsed. 

I am trained in Krav, I’m rusty now, but in my heyday, my old ass could do some damage, so I figure, Thea being a young athlete already, can handle six guys with minimal physical damage (maximum psychic damage tho, RIP). She’ll get worse before she gets better, but she’ll get better and then Kevin with show up with all the grace of a drunk elephant.

Big shout out to @andrewmsaidso for reading this and telling me I wasn't crazy for this!

[cabeswaterdrowned]

what is gayer… being gay or the media writing articles about how your homoerotic friendship is doomed 😭

[justheretolurk24]

I think tumblr may be the most social-with-strangers I've seen you. Then again this is in comparison to me, who is truly fulfilling my role as a lurker, so it ultimately means nothing. Thank you and let's do this :)

Three Ships: Andreil, Matt/Dan, and uhhh Wesper

First Ship: probably kanej? Soc was really like my first fandom so it makes sense

Favorite Color: it was red for the longest time, but now it's purple!

Last Song: Young Blood by Noah Kahan (not on Stick Season surprisingly but everyone should go listen to Stick Season)

Last Movie in Theatres: quite possibly the Rise of Grindelwald (unfortunately)

Last Show: Bridgerton (or Pirates of Penzance, depending on what you mean by show lmao)

Currently Watching: Shadow and Bone (13 more days!!!!!!)

Currently Reading: I'm reading Waiting for Godot for school, which might not count since it's for school, but it's pretty good so I'm including it. Hoping to start either The Professor by Charlotte Bronte or The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin. Maybe I'll reread aftg instead, who knows

Currently Working On: A friendship bracelet of @notasouleater 's detective oc, Beatrice puppet for Over the Garden Wall production (it haunts me), and my space play in the background

Current Obsessions: aftg, six of crows, wtnv and the puppet that haunts my fucking dreams

Tagssss (only if you want to ofc):

@emry-stars-art (yes I know this is the art account but it's the one I follow so it made sense?)

Rules: Tag nine people you want to get to know better

Thanks for the tag @louwhose !

Three Ships: Zelink, Malink, and Sylki

First ship: umm idk Finn McMissile/Holly Shiftwell I guess? But I like barely shipped them. It was more of a ‘oh well this fic is pretty good so I’ll put up with the pairing’ kinda thing XD If we’re talking first serious ship then Sylki

Fave colour: blue

Last song: Heartbreak Feels So Good by Fall Out Boy

Last movie in theaters: Thor Love and Thunder I think? I don’t go to theaters much lol

Last show: Hero’s Purpose

Currently watching: …nothing (I’ve been too busy playing Majora’s Mask lol)

Currently reading: whatever fluffy or whumpy fic I can get my hands on

Currently working on: too many wips

Current obsession: Legend of Zelda and Linked Universe (it’s not obvious at all 🙃)

No pressure tags: @telemna-hyelle @skyward-floored @tired-twili @zeldaelmo @blossomingwaters @uncleskyrule @srah-the-violist aaand I can’t think of anyone else cause my brain has stopped cooperating

[sapphicrenee]

my good friend reads aftg pt 3!!!

ok first!!! i forgot to include these comments on book 1 in the earlier parts and they are Classique...

AND back to book 2!

PART 1 & PART 2

[peaceoutofthepieces]

someoneee gimme smth new to obsess over before I go insane hahaha

[foxes-evermore]

I keep telling myself I'm gonna read/reread certain books and then changing my mind, but I'm going to read Percy Jackson this time and if I try to get another book off my shelf before I finish it I'm begging you guys giving you all my blessing to come to my house and murder me