tierraenvenus

[tierraenvenus]

how are we feeling about the new book this week chat

[tierraenvenus]

it actually pisses me off so much whenever anyone calls andrew a sociopath. ik not everyone is privy to the details of his life but you want to come after andrew minyard??? the love of my damn life??? and pretend he doesn't have FEELINGS????

andrew, who finally found a loving mother after years of abuse in the foster system and wanted so badly to be loved he tried to force himself to endure more abuse, and only put a stop to it to protect a brother he’d never met

andrew, who fights fiercely to protect other people's boundaries no matter who they are, even if it's his own family crossing a line

andrew, who learned exy in juvie and managed to put enough effort into it to become the best damn goalkeeper in class 1 exy

andrew, who told his uncle about his abuse to make sure his abuser wouldn’t have access to any more kids after him, only to be told it was a misunderstanding

andrew, who nearly killed the men who attacked his cousin and then was drugged against his will for nearly three years and took every opportunity to fight for sobriety even though it made him sick

andrew, who promised to protect kevin on only the hope of a future will to live because he wanted it so badly, because kevin told him he was worth something

andrew, who befriended renee when he discovered how similar they were and trusted her with his past and learned from her a way to protect himself and the people he cares about, who talks to her about the zombie apocalypse and world war 3 and spars with her when he's upset and only wins half their fights and never treats her like her faith or kindness make her weak or fragile

andrew, who fully trusts and believes in bee's ability to help him, laughs when she sends him funny texts, buys her souvenirs at the airport, and would go back for her in an apocalypse

andrew, who shut down the goal because wymack asked him to, but pretended it was for the booze

andrew, who falls for a man who’s an obvious liar and a runaway, knowing it could kill him to let someone in again, "maybe i'm not as smart as i thought i was"

andrew, who says yes to neil because neil is the only one who actually pays attention to how andrew thinks and listens to his reasons and offers him something in return for his loyalty, who gets close to neil because neil respects his no, "that's why"

andrew, who’s afraid of heights

andrew, who fights fiercely to protect the people he loves but won’t tell them why, because caring almost killed him the first time, who keeps his promises, "fuck you for expecting anything else"

andrew, who is fighting so, so hard to be alive and never gets any credit for it

andrew, who does end up smiling after he comes off the drugs, god damn it i will die on this hill!!!!

literally don't say shit to me about andrew "has feelings" minyard

[tierraenvenus]

Sometimes a family is...

a lonely black cat with trust issues

(who has to learn that sometimes it's okay to accept help)

a kind capybara that's happy to share in its luck

(who portrays how even the most steady presence in your life might need a hand once in a while)

a good dog that just wants to be friends

(who has to learn that sometimes making real friends means learning how not to follow bad ones)

a heroic secretarybird that faces bullies for a stranger

(who shows how sometimes constantly fighting for the right thing can leave one exhausted to the bone)

and a kleptomaniac lemur that just wants to stare at its reflection

(who learns how to let go of the things that don't matter and grab hold of the people who do)

[tierraenvenus]

one of my favorite moments in the king’s men is when andrew and neil have their first make out session and they were so shaken by it that after neil thinks opening the ice cream was the hardest thing he had to do all year and andrew had to wait by the door a long time after letting nicky in to get his shit together. they’re so

[tierraenvenus]

I think my favourite element of the writing in aftg is how Riko's downfall is utterly, entirely, beautifully self-inflicted.

Riko is power hungry, a glory seeker, jealous, cruel, vindictive and unable to share the spotlight. His worst actions and features come back to haunt him over and over in a way that is *incredibly* satisfying from a readers' perspective.

-Riko breaks Kevin's hand. Kevin leaves to become one of the foxes' best players, training them into a team worthy of finals and bringing them to victory with the game's final point

-Riko moves the Ravens to the southern district, placing his team directly in the path of the team that will eventually beat him

-Riko terrorises Kevin on the Kathy Ferdinand show, angering Neil into taking a stand against him (...which causes Andrew to re-evaluate Neil's worth, which leads to their deal, which leads to Neil staying with the Foxes...and so on)

-Riko kills Seth, who becomes a driving force for members of the team, particularly Alison, to beat the Ravens

-Riko setting Drake on Andrew further angers the Foxes and motivates them to beat him; Aaron in particular.

-This also results in Andrew sobering up sooner than he otherwise would have, arguably making him a stronger player and helping the Foxes reach finals

-Kidnapping Neil over Christmas break and forcing him to play as a backliner gives Neil an intensive course in Raven teamwork, drills, etc. Which Neil then teaches to the Foxes.

-Oh, and my favourite. They force Neil to play as a backliner against Riko. The very move which Neil then uses to block Riko from scoring in the final. Fantastic. Ten out of (jos)ten.

-Incidentally, beating the shit out of Neil and putting him in a different position causes the Ravens to vastly misunderstand/underestimate how Neil's abilities as a player have developed

-Forcing Neil into his natural appearance and helping his father find him leads to the most unifying moment for the Foxes of the entire series; the Foxes rally around Neil, and finally become one functioning, dedicated unit.

-and god, just when it seems like it couldn't get any better; Riko destroys Jean, taking one of his team's best players off the court before the match can even begin

Riko set almost every moment of his team's defeat into motion months before their match even began; the consequences of his cruelty not only weaken the ravens but fashion an opposing team which is stronger, more unified, and more determined than ever to beat Riko.

And it doesn't end with the match; Riko attempts to kill Neil, serving Ichirou all the justification he needs to dispose of his brother on a silver platter.

Riko Moriyama's fate is self-inflicted from start to finish, in the most deeply satisfying way possible.

[tierraenvenus]

Got caught in the rain

[tierraenvenus]

I'mma be honest, I'm a slut for Tchaikovsky

[tierraenvenus]

neil decides to try out a lip balm that nicky got for him and suddenly andrew can't get enough of him. neil tastes so sweet it's driving him insane

[tierraenvenus]

Thinking about the minyards middle name in reference to the Bible

Joseph being the favorite son who was sold and Andrew ending up in foster care and Joseph was assaulted by potiphar’s wife and no one believed him and Andrew having no one believe him

Micheal being a protector archangel he’s a guardian and a healer and Aaron wants to be a doctor , also him being Andrew protector by ‘slaying’ drake with a raquet the same way one would with a sword. A lot like the one Micheal carries

[tierraenvenus]

not gonna elaborate on this but i feel like its a very plausible scenario

in which andrew gets so tired of worrying about a neil josten who doesn't worry at all about himself so he decides the obvious solution is to break up with him and leave the state they're in, bc everytime neil gets hit roughly on the court, and everytime he goes out running on his own without his phone, and everytime he just acts so recklessly about his health and survival, andrew loses his sanity, loses control

and he doesn't fucking want that

so he cuts his losses, and just fuck it, breaks up with neil

(cue an even more self destructive neil, who picks up fights during exy matches with both teammates and whoever they're playing against, who goes out to get drunk enough to find an excuse to punch someone in the face or maybe allow them to take him to their bed or why not both and-)

[tierraenvenus]

The epilogue in The King’s Men might have felt anti-climactic to some, but it was precisely what the series needed, a realistic, grounded conclusion. It tied up the trilogy by addressing the key threads: Riko’s downfall, Neil’s well-deserved happiness, and the team’s new beginning. There wasn’t a need for excessive dramatics or a drawn-out finale because the heart of the story had already been delivered. Nora Sakavic wrapped up what was essential, staying true to the tone and purpose of the series. Rather than feeling rushed or lazy, it’s a testament to her understanding of where the story should end, offering closure, not indulgence. It’s not about pleasing every expectation but honoring the journey and leaving the characters where they belong.

Besides, I found Riko’s death both satisfying and fitting. It wasn’t overdone or overly dramatic. It felt raw and real. I’m not saying my point of view is the only one, but that’s just how it came across to me. Riko’s end wasn’t about glorifying revenge or tying things up with a neat bow; it was about consequences and the end of an era and a beginning of a new one.

Food for thought.

[tierraenvenus]

ilovethem

Suddenly I'm holding the world in my arms

[tierraenvenus]

kevin day. need i say more?

[tierraenvenus]

Cuties

[tierraenvenus]

“one of us has to make it” and it’s mary and neil “one of us has to make it” and it’s neil and kevin “one of us has to make it” and it’s kevin and jean “one of us has to make it” and it’s andrew and aaron

[tierraenvenus]

One thing I really appreciate about tsc is how much more sense Kevin makes. When I read aftg I was like why the fuck can't Kevin go anywhere on his own. Without a tiny, mean, blonde security blanket. And it's not really explained until we get the behind the scenes info in tsc and it's like oh. oh. Andrew, my boy, perfect, squishy hearted boy. Helping Kevin reintegrate, making things just a little easier for him, which, to be clear, he did not HAVE to do. But Andrew saw someone scared, in pain, and had to help him. Like no wonder Neil fell so hard.

[tierraenvenus]

AFTG is Well Written: a Masterlist

Many people have said the book series All For The Game by Nora Sakavic is badly written. However, I believe it is not. To prove this, I made a compilation of posts that explain why the books are meticusly crafted and amazingly written.

*disclaimer: I'm not claiming the books are perfect or have no mistakes, it is impossible for any book to be that way, I'm just saying that it's not even half as bad some people claim it to be

Plot

Why The King's Men's plot structure is genius

In defense of AFTG crazy plot

Characters

MCs and trauma responses by @skydaemon

Mirrors of eachother by @sirandking

Riko and Neil parallels by @notlacrosse

Jean: Number, name and the narrative by @owlarchimedes

Metaphors/Symbolisms

Characters and their respective chess metaphor

Number symbolims in AFTG by @darkblueboxs with additions by @whydamnitwhy

Writing style

Conveying feelings by @lochenfreh

Here by @joejhang

The reason for the simplistic language by @afurtivecake

Neil/Nathaniel switch by @obsessing-over-fictionn

General

Here by deactivated account

The reason why people tend to think the book are bad by @thetamingofspike

Here by @the-foxhole-clutter

If I'm forgetting something or you know a post that could fit in this masterlist, share it pls!