#tiktok aftg

[millportisntreal]

Andrew’s TikTok FYP: so many funny cat video compilations, folks doing knife tricks, snippets of rock concerts, book reviews, and I also think he weirdly gets a lot of astrology content but he doesn’t necessarily seek it out/engage with it

Neil’s TikTok FYP: preppers (like people who prepare for disasters/zombie apocalypses), trauma candy salads, running vlogs, and of course SO MUCH EXY like commentary, interviews of the players, fan edits, etc

[sapphoherselz]

was it casual when you stopped me from running before you even knew me, then became the reason I stayed?

was it casual when you touched my back on your way by, fingers light enough to give me goose bumps?

was it casual when I pressed your palm to the ugly scarring across my abdomen and your eyes dropped to my shirt like you could see the marred skin through the dark cotton?

was it casual when I willingly got tortured for your sake?

was it casual when i hid your armbands under my pillow, or when I gave you back the mean to protect yourself even though I was advised against it?

was it casual when there was nowhere for me to stand except up against you, but somehow I didn't mind, was it casual when your body next to mine reminded me why I stayed, was it casual when I remembered this unyielding, unquestioning weight that could hold me and all of my problems up without breaking a sweat?

was it casual that for the first time in months I could finally breathe again, that your presence was such a relief it was frightening, because I hadn't meant to lean on you so much?

was it casual when "The next time someone comes for you, stand down and let me deal with it. Do you understand?" "If it means losing you, then no”?

was it casual when "You were supposed to be a side effect of the drugs” "I'm not a hallucination” "You are a pipe dream”?

was it casual when I plucked your cigarette off the sidewalk and stuck it between my lips and tipped my head back to meet your unwavering gaze and tapped two fingers to my temple in your mocking salute?

was it casual when I felt a half-second from losing my mind, but then you said my name and my thoughts ground to a startled halt?

was it casual when "You like me” "I hate you” "You never said anything” “Why should I have? Nothing will come of it"?

was it casual when "I want to see you lose control”?

was it casual when "Am I bothering you?” "Beyond the telling” "Interesting, last week you said nothing gets under your skin”?

was it casual when “But I trust you” "You shouldn't" "Says the man who stopped”?

was it casual when I took the pint from your unresisting fingers, stacked it on top of mine, and leaned in, but didn't dare to touch you until you gave me a green light?

was it casual when time was nothing, seconds were days, were years, were the breaths that caught between our mouths and the bite of my fingernails against my palms, the scrape of teeth against my lower lip and the warm slide of a tongue against mine? was it casual when I could feel your heartbeat thrumming against mg wrists, a staccato rhythm that echoed in my veins? was it casual when I wondered how a man who viewed the world with such studied disconnect could kiss like this? was it casual when I had forgotten what it was like to be touched without malicious intent?

was it casual when I didn't know if I could get my hands back in my pockets without brushing up against you, so I tucked them behind my back instead?

was it casual when “It is just a key” "You're a foster child, you know it isn't"? was it casual when I had toyed with your house key so many times I knew every dip and ridge by heart?

was it casual when "If you hit me again” "You'll what?"?

was it casual when I protected you by yanking someone away even though the agony that shot from my fingertips to the elbows almost took me off my feet?

was it casual when your expression was deceptively calm, but there was iron in your grip when you seized my chin? was it casual when you let go of me so you could tug my hood out of the way, when you dragged a finger along the lines of tape keeping the myriad of bandages in place as if looking for the best place to start?

was it casual when you froze with your hand a few scant inches from my face, when your expression didn't change, but there was a new tension in your shoulders that didn't bode well for anyone in the room?

was it casual when I knew better than to touch you yet but I got as close as I could and framed your face between my bandaged hands, when you could have easily pushed me aside, but after a short pause you got settled again?

was it casual when "Am I at ninety-four yet?" "You are at one hundred"?

was it casual when "Get away from us, If you make me repeat myself you will not live to regret it”?

was it casual when "Did they tell you who I am?" "They didn't have to, I choked the answers out of Kevin on the way here”?

was it casual when "If you tell me to leave, I'll go” "You're staying with us. If they try to take you away they will lose”?

was it casual when "I have to go, I don't trust them to give you back"?

was it casual when "Can I really be Neil again?" "I told Neil to stay, leave Nathaniel buried in Baltimore with his father”?

was it casual when you threw yourself out of the goal like all of hell was at your heels?

was it casual when "I thought you knew how to run” I thought you told me to stop running” "Survival tip: no one likes a smart mouth” "Except you"?

[alwaysgold03]

My wonderful incredible best friend/favourite person in the world/ soulmate did aftg art for me for Christmas and I have to say I’m losing my god damn mind it’s JUST SO GOOD.

LOOK AT THEM!!!

[drewsday]

the aftg fandom after completely and thoroughly missing every single point the entire series has ever made

[andrew-dramaqueen-minyard]

25 year old Andrew to his younger self: we’re in love with a man, we have cats together, you have a twin brother, we go to therapy weekly but we made it. We are alive.

14 year old Andrew, who thought he wouldn’t make it to 18, was in denial about his sexuality, hated every therapist he’d ever met, and had no idea aaron existed yet: what.

6 year old Andrew: we’re in love? We have a brother?! 🥺

25 year old Neil to his younger self: you play exy professionally now, and you’re no longer on the run, you have a partner named Andrew. You love him with everything you have. You’re safe.

14 year old Neil, tired, who very much thought he’d be dead by now: we’re not running? It’s over?

6 year old Neil: WE GET TO PLAY EXY?!

[feelingthedisaster]

In Defense of AFTG crazy plot

*disclaimer: I'm not comparing Frankenstain and AFTG, I'm using it as an famous example of plausibility in fiction*

*disclaimer 2: I'm translating plausibility from another language, maybe it is not the right word for what I'm meaning*

The greatest argument for claiming that AFTG is badly written is that isn't realistic, that it couldn't happen in the real world. But let me ask you a question, is Frankenstain a bad book because bringing people back to life isn't something that can happen in the real world? The answer is, of course, no. But why is it a good book when it isnt "realistic" Well, it has to do with plausibility.

The textbook definition of plausibility is something that seems believable, even if it is not. In fiction, this translates to make everything have sense while also bending the rules to let the story unfold. It cannot happen in real life but it has a logical process that make it believable, it makes sense that it happens. Of course the sci-fi genre has tons of technology we could only dream of, humans are constanstly developing it; yeah, this breaks the laws of physics, but humans found way. It isn't something that could happen in the real world, but it is plausible, it has a logical explination and we can believe it. In this fictional world, we don't question it because we aren't supposed to question it. While I put into more exagerated genres to explain it, this was meant for more close to reality genres.

The monster of Frankenstain existing isn't bad writing because even if it isn't "realistic" because it has a logical explination (research, investigation and experimentation about chemestry and human body -> bringing people back to life). An author can make changes to their world and it still can be consider it good written as long as it makes sense for this world that was created.

I think most complains about the crazyness of AFTG steam from forgetting this. To truly analyze a plot, you need to unlink crazy to bad.

Bad plot: no stakes, doesn't make sense, plot points are not linked to eachother, multiple plotholes that are too big to ignore

Good plot: decent stakes, actions have consequences, plot points interconnect

Crazy story is completely different from compelling storytelling. Actually, there are essays that argue that making stories plausible/100% real is opresive and ruins the potential of stories, like this essay by T. Lloyd Reilly. The plot points may not be likely to happen in real life, but they are consequences to an action, they follow a logical path, they makes sense even if they aren't "realistic". Let's cover some of these "crazy" plot points.

Ichirou letting Neil, Kevin and Jean live <- Neil offering Ichirou a reasonable deal (money and silence instead of just silence)

Andrew's induced mania state <- new medicine that only exists in the aftg universe and we know nothing about (and also, antidepressants can cause mania in patients with bipolar disorder, which Nora said Andrew has; more info and theories about in this post)

The mafia using an exy team for money laundering <- this happens a lot in real life actually, but with actual bussiness, like pizza places, restaurants and even a sports team was found to be a cover for the mafia

Exy popularizing quick <- campaing we know nothing about the lenghts it went by the creators / possible funds provided by the mafia to popularize it

Are these likely to actually happen in real life? Not really, but do they have a logical explination that within the universe Nora Sakavic created make sense? Yes. If it makes sense in this alternate version of reality, why is it bad writing?

AFTG doesnt stick to reality but it is a piece of fiction, it doesnt need to be like reality to be good (and not being like it is not a synonim for being bad). Asking literature to be 100% real is like asking the sky to be pink. It's impossible. But most importantly, if we keep media to actual real life stories, it would be so boring and repetive that no one would actually care to read.

[problemduetest4life]

OKAY 90s DAMON ALBARN IS JEREMY OKAY STAY WITH ME HERE

YOU SEE IT RIGHT?? OKAY NOW LOOK AT HIS BANDMATE ALEX JAMES

OKAY YOU SEE WHERE IM GOING!! HE’S JEAN!

JEREJEAN

bonus: with Laila <3

I had to share this epic discovery

[jeanmoroses]

which aftg characters would be in which f1 team & why:

for the purposes of this au i'm going to pretend the strategists rankings and managers for every team don't exist so this is purely based off vibes !!! also if you have other ideas feel free to let me know nothing is set in stone hehe

red bull: kevin and andrew. red bull is SO ravens coded and max verstappen is quite literally a kevin day variant (and vice versa). hc that kevin and riko used to race for red bull together (can you see where this is going. yeah) and andrew ended up replacing riko as the second rb driver

mclaren: shawn and derrick. shawn as lando norris and derrick as oscar piastri i don't have to explain this i think

ferrari: jeremy knox and jean moreau. jeremy is basically ferrari personified (he’s like a mix of charles, carlos, and george) while jean used to drive as an alternate for kevin & riko then transferred to ferrari after riko's crash/suicide

mercedes: matt and neil. matt/lewis older brothers of the grid and neil as the underdog (george russell). in an alternate universe this is kevin and neil

aston martin: nicky and allison. i’m not comparing nicky to alonso but allison and lance stroll (don't come for me i'm a lance stroll enjoyer i swear). also aston martin sounds so vintage and rich i think it fits them

visa rb: cat and laila. yuki telling reporters he wants to open a restaurant every interview just reminds me of cat LMAO but i don't know how this would work with the red bull and visa correlation so i guess aston martin and visa are interchangeable ? i still like it this way tho

haas: cody and pat. they would tell each other “suck my balls” on national television. underrated duo ngl

alpine: nabil and derek. okay this was really random i was running out of characters HAHHAH but pierre and esteban kind of do remind me of nabil and derek like imagine them on the track

williams: xavier and min. unproblematic team for unproblematic drivers i love alex and logan

kick sauber/audi: haoyu and travis. another unproblematic team i can see travis getting haoyu to film silly tiktoks with him and being menaces at the paddock (sometimes they rope williams into their shenanigans)

[constantly-questioning-reality]

aaron: i left you alone for five minutes and you bought an expensive new car?

andrew: you left me alone with our dead mother’s inheritance. 

[millportisntreal]

This is Aaron and Neil to me

[aglionbyacademia]

yeah…

[caiizawa]

"Nothing comes between an aroace and their otp"

But it's me with BakuDeku, Jegulus, and Andreil

[only-god-canstopme]

aaron forgiving andrew for killing tilda when he has children of his own because he thinks that if she were around he never would’ve let her meet them.

(and if he didn’t want his children near her, or any children near her, that means that he, as a child, should’ve never been near her. and he gets what andrew did bc he would kill to keep these children safe too.)

[daddyduncansdaughter420]

I can't be the only AFTG fan who cannot stand the TikTok side of the fandom. Like how is tumblr so cool and fun and they're over there calling the books trash. I just want to talk to them to shake some sense into their itsy bitsy heads.