First of all...

Hell yeah! TSC will have two books (and most likely two POVs - Jean's obviously, and it seems like Jeremy's POV is also confirmed!) YES!

Now, onto the... other stuff Nora posted.

"TSC1 has made me sadder than all 3 books of aftg" Ouch. How am I supposed to survive this?!

"but he needs to be an autumn baby, fall is for dying things" Yo, what the fuck Nora? WHAT. THE. FUCK.

It seems like TSC will indeed explore the relationship between Neil and Jean and I couldn't be happier! This is all I wanted (well, this and Jerejean but we all know which one was more likely to happen...)

Also, Jeaneil had been making-out in the Nest in previous drafts before Nora realized Neil is ace? Wow. Okay, okay. I'm fine.

Spicy scenes in TSC2? Um. I have mixed feelings about this, tbh.

"if yall were genuinely sane you wouldn't have liked aftg yes???" Well, yes. That is correct.

We got a short description of Andreil from Jean's POV?! Dreams do come true, thank you Nora.

Andrew is the older twin apparently. I kinda liked the idea that Aaron was the older one but honestly, it fits.

In most drafts Neil kissed Andrew first? Oh, wow. This is interesting.

Nora said once again that to her Andreil are versatile in bed. Yes, yes. We love to see it.

Andrew's future without Neil would have been "empty & meaningless". Oh god... I'm so glad they found each other and were able to stay together because holy fuck.

Neil would totally buy all the Fox merchandise. Yup, that's our #1 Foxes fan.

Andreil learning Russian or ASL together? My heart.

Nora claims that she would only do small changes in extra content... Does this mean no Jerejean? :(

Andrew used to hook-up with Renee after sparring in previous drafts before Nora made him gay?! WTF. Nope, I'm not even gonna acknowledge that. I didn't see it, this is not true, nope. NOPE.

"one day ppl will learn to stop asking me questions" I'm afraid we won't, even if we don't always like the answers.

Soo...

Can the spring come faster?

*not-really-a-spoiler spoiler alert for TSC but it’s really all conjecture*

Jean and Jeremy clearly have mutual attraction, but I’m not sure how Jean’s recovery is going to progress and what’s going to go down on Jeremy’s side of things in TSC2. But if it goes in a way where they become a thing, I’d imagine their first kiss like this:

Jeremy and Jean’s first kiss is not passionate nor surprising. I think it’d just be like taking a sigh of relief.

It’s relief for Jean because he finally found the right person at the right time. He found someone who wasn’t a savior (because Jean would’ve made USC work with or without Jeremy’s help), just did what Jean needed without keeping track. Jeremy is what he didn’t know he needed.

It’s a relief for Jeremy because Jean never offers to carry some of the weight on Jeremy’s shoulders. He just shoves Jeremy aside and carries it with him in silence. Jeremy initially thinks Jean is just filling his role as his partner, but starts catching the differences between how Jean describes past Raven partners and how he treats Jeremy. Starts noticing that this isn’t transactional. Jean is what Jeremy didn’t know he could have.

Jeremy knew he’d run out of steam in giving Jean what he thought Jean needed after the summer was over and he had to live at home again. He stops giving. But Jean doesn’t. Jean took a lot in the beginning because he was relearning how to be human and accepting himself as one. But Jean is a quick learner and Jeremy feels stranded. Jeremy feels like he hasn’t given enough and the fact he can’t give more has him thinking he’s failed. Jean doesn’t even blink when Jeremy starts fading. He’s not one to stop and coddle Jeremy, he keeps going because neither of them can afford to stop but carries Jeremy with him.

Jeremy doesn’t think he deserves Jean. Jean is trying to relearn what he does and doesn’t deserve. But one thing is clear: they both deserve the respite they’ve found in each other. It’s a relief for them both that they’re able to express how much they care for each other in this way.

Their kiss happens when they’re alone in the living room. Jeremy rests his head in Jean’s lap while Jean fiddles with his curls. Somewhere along the way they found warmth in small touches like this. It isn’t Jean who kisses Jeremy. It isn’t Jeremy who kisses Jean. They both just lean in slow but unhesitant and follow through.

They both know they could take this somewhere, that it would be safe and easy and lovely to get lost in each other, but they’re just tired. It’s enough to just stay in this moment. They fall asleep like that and don’t wake til the early hours of the morning.

Jeremy wakes up first but manages to not startle Jean into waking as he gets up. It’s the weekend so he’s staying the night in his and Jean’s bedroom. He pushes their beds together, but doesn’t mess with the sheets. He goes to collect Jean and they don’t say a word as they both trudge their way to bed. Jean treats the beds as if they were always this way and climbs under his own sheets, watching as Jeremy climbs into his own before closing his eyes. They fall asleep in minutes. Jean still somehow wakes up with his hand in Jeremy’s curls though.

I agree!! *an incoherent rant incoming* Jean imo def moved on from Kevin (in a romantic way; i think he’s not moved on from the whole ‘Kevin left me’ thing ofc but I think he obviously knows and accepts that he and Kevin won’t ever happen lol). And that scene with Renee was obviously a closure/farewell and they’ve moved on to being friends now (also imo while i like their dynamic i feel like they’d never work bc of the whole victim saviour complex, that’d be really uncomfortable and hard to overcome). Jeremy seems like he’s able to handle Jean’s crazy baggage without placating him too much or pushing him too hard. He definitely needs to work on his own shit first (i feel like the way he went all in on helping Jean is kind of giving ‘I am avoiding my problems by getting too involved in others’ problems’) but I think Jean will be the perfect person to help him with that! As you said he’s super perceptive and honestly very empathetic even if he doesn’t show it in the most obvious way. Jeremy would probably really appreciate Jean’s brutally honest approach lol. They’re lowkey perfect for each other ☹️ TSC2 can’t come soon enough

hardcore agree on every single point you made!! i feel exactly the same about Jean and Renee, as much as their dynamic is sweet, i think it would be really difficult to overcome Jean feeling indebted to her (whereas Jean and Jeremy are both growing together) + ya i think Jean has very complicated feelings toward Kevin but i don’t think he’s actively yearning over Kevin anymore

and exactlyy i definitely imagine Jean quietly picking up on whatever Jeremy’s going through and expressing concern only for Jeremy to try and pull a “my problems aren’t that bad and therefore don’t matter” which i don’t see Jean accepting. especially since Jean has an ‘older brother who cares more about other people’s well-being more than his own well-being’ vibe (underneath his slightly prickly attitude lol) i think Jeremy and Jean are really good for each other, Kevin subconsciously knew what he was doing by having Jean transfer to USC 🤨

I need Jean to visit the aquarium in TSC2 and be absolutely mesmerised Nora pls make this happen

I just finished the sunshine court and I have so so many thoughts but also I need to sleep

I am so incredibly in love with this book and Jean and Jeremy and Cat and Laila and the Trojans (except maybe Lucas)

I was holding back tears like every other page and the ending.. 😭😭

also the descriptions of Rikos abuse towards Jean were absolutely gut wrenching and terrible

I still believe that jerejean can happen they’re both attracted to each other and like. stuff.

but I also wish there was more Renee considering she’s a huge part of Jeans story

so overall it was amazing I will never be the same and I can’t wait for tsc2!!

ALSO

need your thoughts on that scene between renee and jean where she's like ......."right love wrong time kid ):"

like i think the whole fandom rolled their eyes at renee and jean in the og and now i'm like.....there's so much to explore there....maybe not romantic/sexually but it was a very nice way to close out whatever they were doing and tHEN when he texts her again a while later when he's in LA and going thru it.....much to think about

nora was like “have some jeanee :) as a treat :)” when she wrote that scene and i respect that. after lazarus it’s definitely something i can See. that story reshaped my view on them and my feelings about them for sure. much like this scene did. and quite frankly they do make sense in the way that renee and andrew would make sense if andrew were straight. there is this level of understanding that their backgrounds provide that they cannot find with most other people. they share a set of experiences that isn’t the same but it overlaps in ways that matter, and i think that could be solid ground to build a relationship on. but i think what they’ve been through together in aftg needs time to heal. there are fissures, but ones that could be mended in time. ((“I only want what is best for you, and right now that isn’t us.”)) timing can change, so i wouldn’t count them out for tsc2. at least not completely.

i think the scene shows us some other things, too. how easy jean latches onto any morsel of kindness and returns it with raw attachment. we’ve seen it with kevin and renee. we’re seeing it with the trojans. i think he has an awfully hard time Not Caring about people and letting them go. i mean, he also clings to neil and the idea of him becoming the promised matching piece in an incomplete set for way too long. so i would not be surprised to see more of renee in tsc2. in whatever capacity. because you’re right, there IS so much to explore with them. especially now that jean is staring to heal and find his way back to himself. so i think i could make my peace with jeanee even though it’s not what eye want to happen.

the conversation can very well be read as a goodbye, but with nora you never know. because let’s be real the door wasn’t fully closed, much like the jerejean door wasn’t fully opened. it’s very possible jean’s not gonna walk through any doors at all. that he gets the space and opportunity to experiment and make positive experiences without it ending in anything (you mentioned that earlier as well). to me it still feels very much open to speculation what’s gonna happen with all of these characters and the dynamics between them. the only thing i am certain about is that nora will make me eat up whatever she chooses to do. i trust her implicitly.

ok final little thoughts now that i’ve finished it:

i want MOREEEE jean and kevin in tsc2!!!! i loved their scenes together in tsc and all of jeans POV/thoughts regarding kevin but i need more hehe

also kind of forgot about the whole like. FBI aspect of aftg so i didn’t expect it to be relevant for some reason! lol! so that was a fun exciting bit near the end. i love neil. i love him oh so much. he is so nutso and also so sweet to jean still?? kinda?? does that make sense??

still hoping for an on-page suicide attempt by jean but i have a feeling it WONT happen….he promised kevin…..don’t get me started……..

also the scene between jean and grayson killed me too. jean is so detached for the last like thirty pages and it’s so sad i love him. he needs therapy so bad<3 for real tho<3

can’t wait for more jeremy and jean in tsc2 as well ofc

i’m sad i already finished the book! it was so good! i might have to give it a reread already!

I just want to say that even though I am clearly unable to stop obsessing about AFTG there are still other things going on XDD

I'm on season 5 of The Mentalist, because I never watched the last season so I was due a rewatch to give it a chance.

I'm still occasionally watching Hazbin Hotel very loudly to drown out the construction in the field next to me. I'm getting much better at singing the high highs and the low lows, which is great!

I'm still obsessively writing FF7 fic that will probably never see the light of day, but it's scratching some itches (and sometimes the shitty ficlets are a great hold-over for when a similar concept comes up later in the big ass ones I seem to keep wanting to write).

I "cook" dinner every week-night... it's mostly "shove in pot, shove pot in oven/on hob, wait, eat" but it's a long way from what I used to do which was... much worse XDD I plan to try and look at some cholesterol busting meals because Mum's is apparently baaaaad, so I need to feed her better foods, but it's a working progress.

Still can't sleep properly... I just shrug it off and read AFTG until I'm tired enough to just drop off... this is a very big reason why I'm on my fifth read-through in 5 weeks. If I don't have these books memorised by the time TSC2 comes out then it's going to be a shock XDD

Family is having a drama, which... lord I'm not even surprised by any more. I just spend what time I have to trying to smooth things over because there's shit all we can do to change what has happened, so we need to try and find a way forward. Whether we can or not remains to be seen.

My mum got me a cute unicorn lipbalm because she couldn't resist how adorable it is and silly little things cheer us both up. I named him Jeremy. He smells like strawberries. Yes it has totally made me headcanon that Jeremy Knox uses strawberry scented shampoo. Many brain things happen with this thought. It pleases me almost as much as cowboy Andrew, who also lives in my head rent free.

This was meant to not be about AFTG but here we are anyway... XDDD

How's everyone else doing? XD;;