#this is about kevin x andrew x neil x jeremy x jean

[niallsecretlove]

me: why there isn’t any fanfic about my ships? 😭

also my ships beeing of four (or five) random characters together

[yes-i-exist-shutup]

Aftg taking place in in 2024???

Ofc neil vaping (curtesy to that one post)

Kevins eyes being compared to brat

Edits of kevin shipped with literally so many people. Andrew, riko, jeremy, neil, etc etc

Reader x kevin day fanfiction

Those spicy hockey YA book tiktoks but with exy

Andrew possibly starting an online rivalry with olympic muffin guy

Kevin having to dance to roan/brat/fein for PR promotion

Riko vs. Kevin fan wars (both for morality and facecard)

Neil edits to brat

Those "15 minutes of x straight" videos. PLAYLISTS of those on youtube. Many of them include: andrew shooting exy balls at peoples heads, nicky doing tiktok dances during halftime, kevin yapping abt jeremy, everytime neil has been pinned against the plexiglass.

COUGH. Reader x Riko Moriyama fanfiction. Specifically on wattpad.

viral video of kevin drunkenly dancing to fein at edens (the reason he dont dance anymore)

Wymack going "I won't deal with this another time" about jean refusing to get a smart phone (distracts from exy)

Foxes convincing Wymack to dress as wolverine for Halloween.

Uhhhhh might come back later. Feel free to add more urself ahsgsjdbd

[aftg-pinups]

Happy Monday!

We are proud to announce the 2025 AFTG Pinup Calendar event! This fan-organised charity event, with art by your favourite names in fandom, is set to open pre-orders on October 1. We are benefitting The Foxhole Fund, and aiming for our proceeds to be put towards aiding a member of the fandom in affording gender-affirming surgery.

The calendar is based around the Palmetto Foxes only. You can find out who and what below, along with the artists that are contributing:

@rainbowd00dles , @estavs , @moonsnqil , @v11chel , @v11chel , @redrageoused , @doesephs , @clementinecloudz , @pepeshka , @capcavan , @ouijacine , @rhyva , @seaofashsthings , @feluart , @emry-stars-art , & @yourleftpinkytoe-blog .

The event's merch consists of:

11.5 inch x 8 inch top-bound pin-up calendar (NSFW for mature themes but there is no nudity)

5.5 inch x 8.5 inch art book of all of the art in the calendar

34 cm x 37 cm canvas tote bag (no art preview available yet)

7.2 cm square Sticky Note Pad

Seven different 3.5inch Sticker designs (Andreil, JereJean, Cat/Laila, Matt & Neil, Riko, Kevin, Andrew - Riko & JereJean sticker previews not available yet)

2.5 inch Kevin, Jeremy, and Jean Shaker Keychain

1.5 inch Kevin Plushie Acrylic Pin (no art preview yet)

2.5 cm Washi Tape Design (no art preview yet)

a special bonus of Fox Shape Paperclips for the first 20 orders

The full bundle of everything from the event will be $80 USD($98 USD value based on individual sales prices). The Calendar by itself will be $27.50 USD, The Art Book $12.50 USD, The Canvas Tote Bag $10 USD, The Stickers $3 USD each, The Shaker Keychain $8 USD, the Acrylic Pin $8 USD, the Sticky Notes for $5 USD, and the Washi Tape for $6 USD. There will be other bundles offered, with more info to come about that in the future.

Thank you to these amazing artists for dedicating their time and skills to this event, and to benefit The Foxhole Fund! We will have individual artist spotlight announcements coming soon. ♡

[blueslostboys]

can't stop thinking about how basically every combination of kevin x neil x andrew x jean x jeremy is so complex and homoerotic. just 5 lil gay boys in a violent fucked up polycule

[honoragreyskull]

thinking about cars x all for the game.

andrew kills his & aaron's mother in a car crash. kevin's mother dies in an orchestrated car accident. neils mother dies from bullet wounds in a car and he burns her corpse inside of it. digs out her bones, buries her on the beach.

andrew and his obscenely expensive cars.

the entire fox towers' vehicles being vandalized after neil runs his mouth (the first time?)

the ravens having identical cars. kevin driving his with one hand in the middle of the night to get to wymack. renee flashing riko a peace sign with jean's broken body in her backseat.

jeremy knox picking jean up from the airport in his luxury car that reeks of fast food and is the first to tell him that he can and SHOULD make his own choices.

and catalina alvarez with her motorcycle.

[kevinsdsy]

jas i just had a vision you know those celebrity puppy interviews (these ones if you're not familiar) basically they just ask people questions but let them sit and play with puppies while they answer and ALL i'm saying is like. when the erc is trying to stir up hype for the US exy team before the olympics they like. send some of the players to go do puppy interviews i'm thinking like kevin jeremy and jean in one and andrew and neil in another please this is ALL i can think about rn

THIS IS SO CUTEE AHHH I LOVE THE PUPPY INTERVIEWS SO MUCH BECAUSE EVERYONE ALWAYS SEEM SO DISTRACTED (and they’re so real for that because i would be too).

kevin x jeremy x jean doing a puppy interview together is EVERYTHING to me— jeremy goes on a whole rant about how he always wanted a dog, but something would always be in the way of it. by the end of the interview he gets so attached to one of the puppies so he takes the puppy with him to his next interview too (the way tom holland did a few years ago LMAO i think about that moment a lot).

kevin answers all the questions really professionally while keeping a puppy in his lap and at some point he makes place for another one in his lap too.

both jean and kevin keep their composure through the interview though and they’re at least not as distracted as jeremy since jeremy keeps forgetting he’s supposed to be answering questions and jean keeps to have nudging him to get him to focus on the questions.

i imagine andrew going into the interview saying “i’m more of a cat person myself” before they let out the puppies and he’s determined to keep his ‘bored/doesn’t care about interviews’ image up but then he kind of forgets about the camera and he keeps trying to break up a fight between two of the puppies and he’s scolding them and neil just lets him while literally letting a puppy rest on his shoulder and making sure his hand is holding the puppy at all times so they don’t have to witness a scene where the puppy accidentally drops to the floor

and yeahhh i’m just thinking about this really hard now omg you always come into my inbox with my favourite things omg

[tardisscreechsound]

I've been obsessing over aftg x golden compass / his dark materials lately especially the topic of daemons so I think Andrew would have a great big dog, even though he is such a cat person - I'm picturing something like a Doberman cause he wants to be big and dangerous enough to scare the monsters away and protect his family also - imagine Andrew casually leaning back against his daemon while he smokes and his daemon is sitting behind him, sometimes resting her head on Andrew's and other times looking around for Neil I'm thinking about something small, but clever - like a weasel perhaps? And usually people can't separate themselves from their daemon, but I imagine that on the run, Neil and his daemon were forced to do so to survive and now Neil and his daemon can be miles apart (like the witches in golden compass), which makes espionage and sneaking in / out of somewhere so much easier Kevin maybe has a bird of some kind? A hawk or a falcon? Allison definitely as a lioness Renee a matching black panther perhaps? They both need something dangerous, but also elegant Jean - well it has to be heartbreaking doesn't it? I think Riko found a way to kill Jean's daemon So JEREMY - Darling, beautiful Jeremy, after he hears about this once Jean is at USC, also begins to train to stay further and further away from his daemon, so that eventually, his daemon can shadow Jean.. reminding Jean what it is like to always have someone by your side and constantly proving to Jean that he is loved (Jeremy's daemon also lets Jean touch her, obviously) - regarding what kind of animal... golden retriever feels a bit too on the nose.. I think some kind of grizzly bear could be fun for Jeremy too, but might be a tad too intimidating

ANYWAY thanks for coming to my ted talk I'd absolutely LOVE to hear more thoughts on the matter, so please discuss this with me haha

[detectivebambam]

see now i have to be specific

as I have named myself President of the Keverejeandreil Polycule Club

the relationship vibes, assuming it's the two of them alone, since I've already made a post about the complete polycule vibes

Andrew

X Neil: obviously together, very romantic, very intimate, they understand each other completely

X Jean: Jean is so similar to Neil that after a while Andrew falls for him in roughly the same way

X Jeremy: almost a friends with benefits kind of vibe. they're just not as close as everyone else but they do care about each other and they are known to fuck

X Kevin: they've danced around each other for so long that Neil had to just push them together like Barbie dolls. definitely adore each other but always bicker

Neil

X Andrew: obviously together, very romantic, very intimate, they understand each other completely

X Jeremy: strictly friends. platonic life partners if you will? they love each other but they're more roommates than anything else. they are the only two that aren't together

X Jean: soulmates in every sense of the word. very similar to Kevin x Andrew's relationship though

X Kevin: either sleeping or arguing. they'll bicker with each other and then pass out in each other's arms. sometimes have sex, but not often

Jean:

X Andrew: is wary of Andrew at first, but learns to trust him more than anyone else in the world. they are extremely soft with each other, and don't often have sex when it's just the two of them

X Neil: soulmates in every sense of the word. very similar to Kevin x Andrew's relationship though

X Kevin: they are so soft and sweet with each other and have BOMB sex. they have deep convos a lot but over time they are just so compatible

X Jeremy: his sense of "normal". Jer is a little in over his head with everyone, but he's patient and calm and sometimes that's what Jean needs

Kevi

X Andrew: they've danced around each other for so long that Neil had to just push them together like Barbie dolls. definitely adore each other but always bicker. Andrew is the best at calming Kevi down from panic attacks

X Jean: they are so soft and sweet with each other and have BOMB sex. they have deep convos a lot but over time they are just so compatible

X Neil: either sleeping or arguing. they'll bicker with each other and then pass out in each other's arms. sometimes have sex, but not often

X Jeremy: energetic, fun, sweet. like two puppies who just fucking adore each other. the kind of couple that do the sit-up kissing thing when they work out

Jeremy

X Andrew: almost a friends with benefits kind of vibe. they're just not as close as everyone else but they do care about each other and they are known to fuck. he is more willing to talk to Andrew about his family than any of the others

X Jean: that's his boy. his angel. his pathetic meow meow. everyone is gentle with Jean (Neil least of all) but Jer can always keep his head above water when he feels like he's drowning

X Neil: strictly friends. platonic life partners if you will? they love each other but they're more roommates than anything else. they are the only two that aren't together (?) but they kiss and stuff. just not as intense

X Kevi: energetic, fun, sweet. like two puppies who just fucking adore each other. the kind of couple that do the sit-up kissing thing when they work out

[allforthegaymes]

Post Evermore drabble

(Andrew x Neil x Jean)

When Neil had told Jean about Andrew, way back in Evermore. Stumbled through shaky words between whichever torture sessions Riko and the Master had scheduled. Jean had wondered how in Neil’s mind, Andrew could ever seem as looking larger than life itself.

His brief meeting with the man at the banquet was nothing remarkable. A short welch for Kevin to cower behind. Likely too drugged to even comprehend what he had been saying.

But the way Neil talked about him then. What information would have been nothings if it had been spoken to anyone besides Jean.

Whispered tid bits as they lay in the dorm at night, fit together onto one bed for the comfort of company. Neil would tuck his face between Jean’s shoulder and talk about how Andrew always sat on the desk when he smoked in the dorm. How even though he was scared of heights, he would always lean far through the busted window screen to exhale smoke. How he took Kevins need for the buddy system in stride, letting the Foxes believe it was Andrew who needed it more than Kevin.

Jean couldn’t help but feel a little hopeful. Even knowing he had no way out of Evermore, at least Neil would have someone waiting who had experience taking care of the post Raven abuse.

The hope drifted slightly when Renee reached out to him. Neil had mentioned the system, how the Foxes were split between being Andrew’s or Renee’s. Hope bruised that maybe he could’ve been one of Andrew’s too.

Hope near crushed when Renee is the one to sweep into Evermore and drag his beaten body out.

He’s not sure why he was so convinced that Andrew would find him intriguing. The man doesnt visit like Renee does. Only making an appearance when Neil and Kevin feel the need to bully their way through Abby’s house to see him.

He is the one who rebukes Kevin’s offer to ask Jeremy to take in Jean with the Trojans. He doesnt give an explanation, just a steady stare towards Jean and a nod to him before they leave again for the dorms that night.

When the Foxes win against the Ravens, and Riko gets his arm near ripped off by the heavy swing of Andrew’s racket. Jean is glad someone else was able to protect Neil from Riko.

When Jean hears about Rikos suicide, and finds himself in that bathtub, and then finds himself dragged through the halls of the Fox Tower to the waiting ambulance. He thinks about whether Neil will be okay with just Andrew to take care of him.

He’s surprised to wake up in the hospital bed and see Andrew sat beside it, more surprised even to see that Andrew’s alone.

The blonde doesn’t offer him any words, but tugs off his black armbands, grabbing Jean’s hands to place them onto the faded, but raised scars beneath. Jean grips onto him harder than necessary but Andrew doesnt sway. A steady force for Jean to lean into.

When Jean releases his wrists, Andrew lets them tangle into his shirt instead while he pulls the bands back on.

“Dont touch me, just touch the clothes.”

Jean hooks one finger around a belt loop and a fistful of the shirt in another, and keeps them right there to fall back to sleep.

Hes moved back to the Fox Tower within a week, Kevin moves to sleep on the couch in order to give Jean his bed, but Jean finds himself crawling into Neil’s every night anyways.

“Does it bother you?” He asks Andrew once.

Neil is fast asleep beside him already but Andrew is sat on the desk by the window, leaning as far out as he can.

He gives Jean the quirk of one eyebrow.

“Me sleeping next to him. I know you two…and you know my…reputation”

Andrew snubs his cigarette out on the windowsill before dropping it to the concrete below.

“I’m not in charge of Neil and I will not be in charge of you either”

“But that doesnt-“

“It doesnt need to make sense,” Andrew shrugs “I told Renee I’d take care of you, and that means letting you have what you need to feel better”

“Would you come over too then?”

Andrew doesnt hesitate, barely remembering to kick off his shoes before he climbs in next to them. He stays closest to the edge of the edge of the bed, “no skin, but clothes are okay.”

Jean turns to his side to tangle his fingers into the sides of Andrew’s shirt, and lets the arm that Andrew slings over his shoulder tug him closer till his nose can be tucked into Andrew’s chest.

A deep breath.

The smell of cigarette smoke, sweat, and cheap deodorant.

Neil mumbles in his sleep somewhere behind Jean, but he tunes it out as Andrews fingers slide into his hair, scratching softly against his scalp until Jean’s breathing evens out, slipping into sleep as well.

[wasuniquewas]

please tell me why in the tags/replies!!!!

[proffydumb]

Aftg x chainsaw man AU! Ft pretty stiff doodles lol

Ive thought about this a lot and initially Kevin was Aki but then I switched up the roles to Jean since I thought Kevin woukd fit better as Asa lolol

Denji -> Neil

Power -> Allison

Aki -> Jean

Angel Devil -> Jeremy

Makima -> Ichirou (lmao)

Reze -> Andrew

Asa -> Kevin

Yoru -> Riko (get it? Yoru Makima sisters, riko ichirou…)

Not everything is seg in stone but ive had a few ideas! Feel free to ask abt stuff

[vannyinthestars]

Guys guys guess what

I started writing the AFTG x American West/Rodeo/Cowboy/Ranch AU of my dreams.

Idk if it’ll actually become a long form fic, but I thought I’d give you some highlights:

A whistling carried over the yard. It guided Andrew’s eyes back to a single figure, perched atop one of the gates as if it were a throne. He didn’t feel a need to react, not until he realized it was Cracker’s pen. Noticing his mustang moving sent him stalking over, fully prepared to shove the stranger to the ground.

What stopped him short was watching Firecracker trot up to the man with her ears angled toward him curiously. The stranger pulled something from his pocket, and held out his hand. The mare sniffed from where she’d stopped, but refused to touch his hand. Andrew waited and watched as the stranger tossed it into her empty feed pan.

As soon as he was satisfied with her nibbling on his offering, the stranger turned to look at Andrew. He’d seemingly heard his approach, and knew he was there all along.

Andrew stood his ground, letting the stranger swing his legs over the gate and drop to the ground. Cracker jolted at the movement, and he said something to soothe her before he met Andrew on the lawn.

“She yours?”

Andrew hadn’t expected that. His face was still the picture of neutrality, but it encouraged his curiosity. “Yeah,” He kept his hands stuffed deep into his pockets. “Take it you’re the new kid Wymack warned me about.”

The stranger smirked. “Ah, I got my own warning,” He chuckled. “Neil- Neil Josten,” He offered Andrew his hand.

“Andrew Minyard,”

-

Okay so:

- Wymack runs a rodeo grounds, but also has a stable but also a boarding house. You help at the stable/ranch and your horse boards for free. He helps the kids event and stuff.

- Kevin rides a Friesian, big into Dressage. (I want to name his mare Queenie.)

- Allison does show-jumping, but also barrel racing. (Her thoroughbred (show jumper) is named Madonna and her quarter horse is Rocky.)

- Dan does team roping, she learned under Wymack but now helps him out with his “strays” (She has a paint that is technically Wymack’s but everyone knows that is her heart-horse named Whiskey. She thought it was funny bc her back story is still the same and Hennessy)

- Aaron is a vet student, he interns in town under Abby. Katelyn is the receptionist.

- Bee does equine therapy, she’s a retired barrel racer.

- Andrew worked as a jockey, made a decent amount of money in a lawsuit after an accident. He adopted a BLM mustang on a whim and gentled her himself with guidance from Bee. Her name is Firecracker.

- Nicky is a stable hand, he’s got an old draft horse cross named Bear. (Erik isn’t a horse guy, still German but he is working in the US on a land conservation/research thingy.)

- Renee is a trick rider. Neil makes a comment about her having a death wish.

- Matt was a bull rider? He got a nasty head injury but grew up around horses. He’s the biggest ranch help for Wymack. His horse is a retired Thoroughbred who also makes a good lesson pony.

- Neil never meets Seth, but his legacy is around the grounds. He died in a drunk driving accident on the rodeo grounds but Neil thinks there was more to it. (Seth was a bronc rider).

- Neil eventer in English when he was younger, he knows his way around horses.

- The story starts with him signing up to ride a bronc on a whim, he’s not a circuit cowboy, Wymack runs some searches and has no idea who the kid who just won the event is.

- Offers him a place to stay for the night, and some work if he needed it.

- I’m already tempted to write a TSC/Trojans spin off bc I need to give Jean Moreau a mustang that he can see himself in. He can’t be with Kevin (their story is slightly different but some aspects remain the same) but he can be with horses. Give him a mustang gelding that shies away from everything and who he has to learn to be gentle with as he learns to be gentle with himself. Also, Cowboy Jeremy. Team ropers Cat and Jeremy, barrel racing Laila. And bc Emma Swift is my Trojan I decided to project onto: she’s a ranch hand who works more with the cattle and less eventing.

Guys hear me out okay.

[joanofexys]

you said you were thinking about Florian a lot so please tell me your thoughts about Florian <3

Florian!!! Okay his relationships have been rotating around in my brain so much lately

I meantioned in another post that Florian falls in love so easily, he's just a tiny bit in love with everyone, and it will not leave me alone. so warning for cringe oc x canon posting ig

Florian and Jean and Florian and Kevin are the biggest ones for me at the moment but other dynamics that have given me brainrot include Flor and Neil, Flor and Andrew, and Flor and Jeremy

Florian has a level of love for Jean that is so impossible to erase that it is forever etched onto his heart (Jean's handwriting is tattooed on the left side of his chest). They're so unbelievably tender. Gentle with each other when no one else had been. They're barely there touches and kisses when no one was watching and silent "I love you"s they could never choke out out of fear of being heard.

that love doesn't go away after the nest. Flor does not move on. He is so terrible at it. And he is still head over heels in love with Jean.

It becomes meetings in empty hallways before games, gentle kisses, and words Florian can finally get past his lips. He knows things will never be the same between him and Jean. But they're still soft as they've always been. Flor still cups Jean's face in his hands. This time with tears in his eyes. "I know it's what you deserve, but I don't know if I can let you go."

That's in part where the Flor and Jeremy brainrot comes in. He's so good for the both of them tbh. But focusing on just him and Florian they have an incredibly interesting dynamic. Jeremy doesn't have the privilege of already knowing Flor. He gets all the attitude and anger and apathy. He has to earn Flor's sweetness. But he does. Idk I just think they're neat.

Florian and Kevin are so, very different. They're hotel rooms and bruising kisses and neverending heartbreak. Flor will never get what he wants from Kevin. He knows Kevin loves him, it's not in the way he wants. But he'll take what he can get. The bridge of Free Now is so them. They share so much of their pain. Florian feels that they understand each other in a way that no one else ever will due to their injuries. And Flor is bitter in a lot of ways but that will always get shoved aside the second he's actually with Kevin. And for a fun little addition: Kevin's handwriting is tattooed on Flor's collarbone

Flor and Neil also fall into none of those. Not as soft as Florian and Jean, with none of the past and heartache of Flor and Kevin. They click in a way I wasn't expecting when I made Florian's character. Neil's handwriting is tattooed on Florian's ribs. Which is actually the first tattoo I knew Flor had and inspired the idea of him getting tattoos in the handwriting of the people he loves most. They exist together very naturally. Matching snark, but delivered with a fondness that lets the other know they could never mean it. I'm not sure if they're platonic or romantic or what but they're sure in each other's lives for forever.

Andrew is someone Florian defers to easily. He's steady, as he is for so many people, and once Flor has even a bit of his trust he doesn't hesitate to lean on him. It's a hand tangled in Florian's hair when he's had a couple drinks and needs Andrew to ground him, or yanking on the back of Flor's shirt to keep him from walking away even when he thinks the conversation is over. He's not one of the monsters. But he's Andrew's. They have their fair share in common but have come to deal with it completely differently. Yet it still manages to give them common ground. There are things, mostly triggers, that only Andrew really gets. Moments where Andrew can be the only one sitting on the couch waiting for Flor to steady his breathing, to look up and meet his eyes and say his name. Voice cracking over two syllables. I'm ngl Florian and Andrew honestly compete with Flor and Jean on what dynamic drives me more insane. And it makes me so mad cause I can't word any of it properly

I hope you enjoy me talking abt oc x canon cause it's scary and embarrassing and i'm gonna pretend i didn't say any of this

[treemusinngs]

hiya!! my name is aspen (like the tree or the dental company, perhaps the city) and i’m 23 years old!! est time zone, i usually work nights but im around very very late at night and usually try to communicate even when im working n stuff. i’ve been roleplaying for well over ten years at this point, its always been a very fun hobby for me! i’ve got a slew of ocs that ive cooked in my head, and im open to several fandoms too, though i dont usually get a chance to delve into them since they’re not very,,,, popular anymore tbh jfmgmgmg.

my one request is patience and understanding!! if we don’t mesh, that’s totally fine! i’m ghost friendly but i’m also more than okay if you just tell me you’d like to drop.

for fandomless roleplays, i heavily prefer queer pairings!!!!!!!! mxm, fxf, nbxa, give me all of them i will devour them. i’ve got a large amount of male ocs, a good amount of female and nb ocs!!! for plots i can really be open to anything, i have a modern fantasy-ish verse ive been crafting in my head for a good minute here and i would LOVE to ramble about it. i’ll list my fandoms below!!!!

pokémon: raihan x leon*, raihan x piers*, blue* x red, ethan* x silver*

splatoon: agent 4* x agent 3*, agent 8* x agent 3*, pearl* x marina

danganronpa: shuichi x kaede*, kaito x kokichi*, shuichi x kokichi*, miu x kaede*, toko* x komaru, aoi* x sakura*, kiyotaka* x mondo, hajime* x nagito*, chiaki* x sonia*, gundham x sonia* (probably more tbh)

voltron (don’t look at me): keith* x lance

night in the woods: I WILL WRITE ANYONE. PLEASE.

omori: i would LOVE to write basil or mari pls pls pls pls pls

all for the game: neil* x andrew*, kevin x andrew*, jean x jeremy*, renee* x allison*

i thiiiiink? thats it for my lil intro!! if you’re interested in an rp please feel free to dm me or leave a note on this and i will inquire asap!!!! thanks :3

[bloody-wonder]

omg im the tsc anon, i literally sent it cause i knew from the past aftg opinions you shared - you'd likely feel similarly to the way i did about tsc

neil outshines jean to such a shocking degree when he only has a handful of scenes... neil is a fantastic protagonist so ofc it's hard to live up to, but come on 😭 jean has such a weaker personality imo? he does/says less interesting things, but also has a less interesting perspective on things. his lack of standing up for himself when the trojans badgered him constantly and talked behind his back bothered me to. can u imagine neils reaction if the foxes had been sharing his secrets over a group chat?

but just in general. tsc felt like a sanitised version of aftg, if that makes sense? scrubbed clean of the controversial and unconventional aspects. and it's those aspects that, in my opinion, played a huge part in what made aftg so good. noras a very talented writer, but i can not comprehend the decision to make tsc... all that it was, yknow? it feels almost like it was written for the 'andreil say ily' part of the fandom...

neil really saved this book for me icl. outsider pov of him is fascinating. and while andrew barely said/did anything even when he was there, i actually kinda liked that? it puts into perspective how ig off-putting andrew can appear to those who don't put in the effort with him. 'creepy little goalkeeper' is so funny and so accurate, he IS a creepy little goalkeeper and i love that for him.

idk, some things i had anticipated - the trojans being who they are were never going to match the foxes. jeremy x jean was never going to match andreil (and ive seen ppl comparing them already... the blasphemy.) but there were things i was surprised weren't there. i had expected kevin and jeans relationship to be a lot more tense ig? i had thought jean would harbor a MUCH deeper resentment towards kevin, but i suppose its just not his character? but when i was reading, i couldn't help asking what would the fan reaction had been if that had been the case? if kevin and jeans past relationship, and places in a cult hierarchy, had shown through in a much uglier and uncomfortable way? i can see why she didn't do that, i don't even necessarily want that, i think i was just desperate for this book to have some sort of deep conflict between the characters.

on the subject, kevin felt quite different from how he was in aftg. but i can't quite put my finger on why.

anyway, it is nice to see someone else have mixed feelings towards the book. i enjoyed it, but i was shocked how many people seemed to really love it. not because it was bad. but because, to me, it was so fundamentally different from aftg.

thank you for sharing your thoughts! i suspected you might have written me bc i used to be the resident notorious contrarian of the fandom lol

yeah neil is a textbook example of a protag who drives the plot forward, he has that main character energy which jean totally lacks which makes sense since jean was originally a minor side character. at the same time the differences in their characterization make complete sense in universe due to the different ways they were brought up and the different trauma they faced. so it all comes down to each reader's personal preference: for me, neil's arc is a self-indulgent power fantasy. i think i have a strong sense of self and when i can't achieve something it's due to circumstances so far out of my control it's impossible to overcome them. it's therefore very satisfying to read about neil facing impossible odds and winning thanks to the sheer force of his personality, whereas jean's way of dealing with trauma feels less fun by comparison. but other readers can relate to him more and all the power to them. i do however think tsc does a disservice to its new characters by opening with a rather lengthy recap of how cool the foxes were in the last act of tkm and closing on a chapter where neil comes along and reminds us who the real hero of this story is🤷‍♀️

i don't think tsc has been entirely scrubbed clean of controversial aspects - i saw plenty of reviews complaining about the amount of dark content (in book 4 of a series known for its dark content, le gasp) - but i do think the handling of certain things was less nuanced than in aftg. for instance, both stories have a plot bit about someone unknowingly exposing a character to their abuser which leads to them being retraumatized (jean himself comments on the similarities between drake and grayson). in aftg that someone is nicky - a person andrew knows and trusts, a person the readers grew to care about (lol not me but certainly some other readers) - so his role in the tragic sequence of events is that much more upsetting. rape and abuse is terrible but the fact that a person who means well can exacerbate the issues bc they don't have the framework to understand the other person - that hits so much harder for me personally. so in the end drake is just an evil rapist but nicky is a much more nuanced character bc through him nora questions whether being nice and having good intentions is enough, whose feelings should be centered on in such a complex situation, whose emotional needs should be prioritized etc. by contrast, in tsc that person is lucas - someone we basically just met, who is nothing more than an antagonistic stranger to jean and who we therefore don't care about. which is why when he leads grayson to jean it's like, first of all, duhh. but secondly, bc it happens against the backdrop of the other ("good") trojans' cheerfully patronizing attitude it doesn't come so much as a shocking twist that puts the ways how we deal with complex trauma into an unconventional perspective than as a culmination of everyone disrespecting jean's boundaries all the time - which is likely what nora intended but the overall constellation feels much less interesting to me.

ig this ties into your point about the book lacking the kind of deep conflict aftg had - but maybe that was intentional too, maybe it's supposed to be aftg light in that sense, sort of a post canon character study fic. which i am not opposed to, not everything has to be high plot and tension and grey morality, but unfortunately the emotional core the story relies on in the absence of the plot just didn't work for me. i can accept jean's "weaker" personality, i can understand him not being able to stand up for himself even tho i can't admire it, but i draw the line at how forced his friendship with jeremy and the girls ended up feeling. like, i still can't get over cat's sex toy joke right on the heels of jean being badgered into admitting he had been sexually abused - the info which jeremy promptly spilled to the girls. if something like that happened to me i would never be able to trust these people again, much less call them friends so soon. it's such a bizarre contrast between how neil joining the monsters in tfc despite their problematic initiation rituals feels valid bc the narrative earned it both plot-wise (we're now facing a bigger enemy together) and character-wise (neil pushing back, talking about why they did it, nicky apologizing) on the one hand - and how jean accepting jeremy, cat and laila as his new friends feels rushed and artificial despite them being so very nice and domestic and wholesome on the other hand. idk maybe it's bc i'm inherently skeptical about disingenuous cozy/hopepunk subgenres in modern lit bc they usually have a darker underbelly people are loath to confront but ngl the words sanitized and conventional did come to mind while reading and so did the idea that tsc will especially appeal to a certain subset of fans which found the (at times uncomfortable) complexity of the original trilogy too much to handle. well, i hope they're enjoying their fantasy of healing a survivor of cptsd by cooking and shopping and hugs - i certainly got to enjoy mine in aftg, there's plenty to go around lol

besides, tsc being so different/separate from aftg makes it really easy to just not engage with the fan content and discussions if it starts feeling like they veer into the annoying territory too much. tbh my primary concern when tsc was announced was that it could contain some retcons about andreil and aftg which i wouldn't agree with - and that didn't happen, my boys are still very much in character, so i can just retreat to my enclosure and leave tsc to jean stans who are its main target audience in any case.

[kevinsdsy]

my bad in advance for the long inbox, feel free to ignore if it's annoying 🙏

squid game x aftg but specifically the pairs with the marble game and who i think would die and how. Since it's pairs in the game I'll only do duo pairs for this one and it'll be the more popular pairs...... BY THE WAY, PLEASE free to argue against any and all of these (this goes to you and whoever see em). ALSO LAST THING BEFORE I BEGIN, i think most if not all pairs are capable of finding out the loophole for this game but for the sake of angst... let's pretend they don't lol.

Andreil:

Most would believe that Andrew would die for Neil but for me, that's not the case. Neil would 100% do like Ji-Yeong (240) did in the series and trick Andrew into winning. I can see both versions, let me be clear. But Neil is the "fell WAY harder" of the two and this man walked through fire in a cult and subjected himself to torture willingly just because of a vague threat to Andrew's safety. I highly doubt he wouldn't be more desperate than Andrew to ensure the other wins. Not to mention, he's an S-tier liar and gaslighter as well lmao.

Kevdrew:

Andrew sacrifices himself 100%. But I can't decide if they do it fair and square or if he tricks Kevin. Like, in my head I know Kevin wins. He just has that survivor's luck but I can't figure out how since the only way I see Andrew dying for someone is by protecting them. So, by that logic I'd have to argue he dies getting shot by a guard maybe after Kevin loses the game but before he gets eliminated, Andrew reacts first?

Kevneil:

Alright now for these two, I'm taking two things into consideration. Like the previous, Kevin has survivor's luck, I can't see him losing (this won't age well.) and also, Neil plays martyr. However, I can see them deciding to play a fair and square match to truly decide. No tricks or anything, just a complete 50/50 game that Kevin happens to win.

KevJean:

Remember how I said Kevin not losing won't age well? Yeah. This is the bad age. I can see Jean trying to die for Kevin, but man do I love the image of Kevin's guilt eating him alive from what happened to them so he decides to sabotage himself. This one might ooc, I cannot lie. But I think I can allow at least of these to be self-interest, no? For the sake of accuracy though, Jean would definitely try to make sure Kevin lives. I can see that 100%.

Jerejean:

Ouch. Okay so this one I just.... Sigh. Okay Jean dies here. It's just a gut wrenching feeling that I know he does. The image I see the most is Jeremy hesitating to do something he knows might kill him, not wanting Jean to die but that instinct of self-preservation is too much. So Jean notices and decides to do it for him. He makes the decision and bang, just like that he's dead and Jeremy's watching with wide eyes and shaky hands wondering what if he weren't such a coward.

Alright that's PT.1, I'll cut it off here because I'm sure this already a lot of yapping nobody gives a fuck about BUUUUUT on the off chance you liked it, lmk if you want a PT.2 because I have yaps for each pair in the series....

+ Squid Game Anon?

HI SQUID GAME ANON FEEL FREE TO GIVE MORE OF YOUR TAKES OMG I LOVE TO HEAR IT and i had the biggest squid game brainrot when it came out so its like two worlds colliding hehe

i actually agree with andreil i think neil would 100% sacrifice himself but andrew would have to be tricked because there is also no way andrew would let neil sacrifice himself so it would just be emotional damage either way 😭

i agree with andrew sacrificing himself for kevin too but i genuinely think kevin would realise what andrew is playing at and he would be so pissed and upset and try so hard to tell andrew to at least try. he needs to try and be the best and play the good fight but andrew might play it off bored til his last breath?? (we’ve concluded from the car accident that andrew does not mind sacrificing himself in the process) so i think that’s how it would go.

with kevneil i see kevin winning too actually, but i truly believe neil would sacrifice himself for kevin… like i genuinely think neil values the lives of his foxes more than his own ((reference to tkm)) so yeah…

and yeah…. atp im just convinced everyone would sacrifice themselves for kevin 😭😭 because i genuinely believe jean would sacrifice himself for kevin ((also a lot to do with the fact he tried to commit…)) but i also believe kevin would want to play a fair game against jean and he would once again try his best for his opponent to try their best and have it be a fair game because like u said the guilt would eat him alive…

AND YOUR TAKE ON JEREJEAN WHERE JEREMY IS STILL THINKING IT THROUGH TO SACRIFICE HIMSELF AND THEN JEAN BEATS HIM TO IT…. OH I NEED TO KMS