#andreil as things me and my friends have said | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

forget-me-yes-21 · 2 years

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Andrew: Fuck you. You gave me emotions and I hate it.

Neil: It's not my fault I come with side effects

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emry-stars-art · 10 months

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Just read the whole 'how Andreil pans out' ask and all I'm saying is that I love the idea of Andrew Courting Abram and Abram just absolutely misses that it's what is happening. Part of it is just a cultural difference, Evermore and Palmetto have different courting cultures perhaps?

Another part is that Andrew really does not act all THAT different. He's giving Abram gifts but like Andrew is always giving Abram stuff? It's not new? Yeah they had dinner together but that's just like what they......do?

Another another part is just Abram not even considering himself as someone worthy to be with Prince Andrew like that. He wasn't worthy before and after Evermore and everything I could imagine he feels even less like a person let alone a person who deserves Andrew's positive regard.

IDK I just love the idea of Abram at some point like 6 months into Andrew trying to court him seeing that behavior somewhere else, being told that's how nobility in Palmetto court others, and going to Andrew like "Have you, perchance, been trying to court me?"

Andrew setting his glass aside and looking up from where he's seated, "For 6 moons Abram, glad you've finally noticed." - @jtl-fics

jtl I. Wish. You could have seen my face as I read this, this is so hilarious and heartbreaking and lovely all in one and I’m in LOVE okay i love this so much. And we can totally make it work ahhhhh

Like yes! Yeah! Andrew’s already a gift giver, it’s just what he does as far as Abram’s concerned, and they spend so much time together that dinner isn’t strange those are perfect points. Like to the court it’s starting to become obvious - maybe in the kinds of gifts Andrew gives, or some other small things that are new, yes, but Abram has always taken these things in stride and usually his lack of judgement when Andrew tries new things or changes in little ways is a huge relief but not this time Abram PLEASE

Finally Andrew just bites the bullet and goes for a gesture that’s way more out of character and harder to mistake, which might look something like this (and thank you @leedee013 for tags about them giving each other flowers that I LOVED):

And Abram can’t really form his thoughts into words because like you said; he doesn’t think he should be allowed something like that, there’s no way he’s ever EVER going to assume that Andrew is trying to confess or clue him in to a courting like this, even if it’s in his head now

But then Lady Reynolds sees Abram later heading back to the castle/wherever he stays carrying this bouquet of carnations (fascination), narcissus (honesty/truth) and acacia (hidden love) (let’s not look too closely into these flower meanings lol, i picked the first ones I found and I’ll field all further questions with ‘artistic liberty’ 🫶) and they’re pretty close friends by now so she’s immediately like “oh my GODS Abram who gave that to you”

And Abram quietly says “the prince”

And Allison’s won like three separate bets between various other people of the court and she’s elated

But maybe she takes pity on him when she realizes exactly how clueless Abram is, so she does her best to explain everything and finally, Abram begins to allow the possibility that maybe Andrew is doing all this on purpose. But he would really rather like to be certain.

And of course I had to draw your little exchange but I did it from memory so apologies for the changes in dialogue but I love it:

ANYWAY from there, when it’s cleared up, it’s just them being dumb and sweet and grasping at straws for how to be in love and natural about it (because they’re both very private people and a good number of average/expected acts of courtship aren’t necessarily in their wheelhouse) 😭🥹 and not to add yet more hurt/comfort but Andrew is so so determined to figure out a way to assure and reassure Abram that he knows what he’s doing, yes Abram is worth it, yes he’s doing these things because he wants to. If he didn’t want to he wouldn’t be doing it in the first place. And I’ll bring it back around by using my previously mentioned artistic liberty to say that yes Prince Andrew loves having his hands held/kissed (just by Abram naturally) and Abram figures this out and absolutely uses it against him. They love each other your honor

Okay anyway thank you for the ask, I’m SO lucky to have such brilliant people in my inbox 🥰

#STG I WAS SMILING SO BIG WHEN I READ IT THROUGH #yeah they probably would have very different traditions! I like that a lot!#so it’d be even funnier when Abram finally calms down and relaxes into it #and yeah they can do flowers that works fine #but he probably accidentally/as a last effort tries some traditions from his native kingdom #they’re trying so hard but it’s a little lost in translation #ships passing in the night #they’re hopeless and I love them #GOD KEVIN WOULD HAVE TO DO THE TRANSLATION OF THE DIFFERENT CUSTOMS #He wants out of it so bad but there’s literally no one else to ask 😂😭#idk if either of them would ever deign to involve or ask Kevin but now I’m laughing #anyway I need to stop or I’ll never shut up about this #thank you this is great #fan art #my art #aftg #all for the game #neil josten #andrew minyard #allison reynolds #royal au #asks #chibi

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nanatsuyu · 10 months

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I feel like it’s not talked about enough that early in the books Kevin is the only person we see Andrew initiating any type of physical closeness/touch with at all … also thinking about how they’re described physically with each other in Son of Nefes like. so much tenderness (@ your tags about how Andrew carries himself around Kevin and Neil)

I definitely think their closeness in the beginning gets overshadowed a lot by how close Andrew and Neil get later in the series. And that's not a diss on andreil! I think it's important to Andrew's character to see that while Neil played a very large part in letting Andrew explore his boundaries and grow comfortable with physical affections, there were others that helped in that healing along the way too.

One of my favourite scenes is the one where Kevin takes his glove off for Andrew to inspect his hand for any damages. It's written in such a way that implies they weren't paying any attention to the rest of the world around them. Matt had been carded, the play was over and a fight had broken out, and during that sliver of time, either Andrew had hailed Kevin over or he'd gone of his own volition to the goal for Andrew to give his injuries a one over. Kevin knew he was going to get swapped out, and they both turned somewhat surprised when Dan called out to Kevin, as if the game being in play was an afterthought. (Which, considering it's Kevin, seems somewhat ooc since he always knows what's going on on court).

And, although we don't have the exact words regarding Andrew's deal with Kevin, it was implied in the most basic terms that Andrew would protect Kevin from Riko. (There's obviously nuance here given Andrew's bodyguard tendencies when Kevin gets into later spats with people, but for the sake of how vague most of Andrew's deals are spoken aloud, I think it's safe to assume he promised to protect Kevin from his big bad not sibling in the same way he promised to have Neil's back). All that just to say... It wasn't really in their deal for Andrew to protect or look after Kevin outside of his affiliations with the Ravens. And yet, even after threatening to break his own hand before all this, because Kevin annoyed the piss out of him so much, here he was, inspecting Kevin's hand and putting the game on hold to do so.

This injury has nothing to do with Riko or the Ravens. So, in terms of their deal, he didn't really need to dote on Kevin like that. And yet.

And yet.

And this is really only one instance of them being glued at the hip. Andrew does a lot of redirecting of Kevin's person in the same way we see him do later with Neil. Like you said as well, Kevin's the only one for some pages that we see Andrew physical with that isn't necessarily reactionary or defensive. I know Andrew was still on his meds at the time, but this line came across to me as him literally shoving Andrew down court who didn't seem to take much issue with the it:

He doesn't make much mention of it, but if I had to wager a guess, these moments of familiar contact are not a new thing upon Neil's arrival.

(Also it's been a hot minute since I skimmed through son nefes (the ec and I are on cherry picking terms most days) but I know Renee saw it too.)

Like it makes me insane to think about how their deal didn't have to incorporate all that closeness. It didn't require Andrew to become intertwined with the rest of Kevin's life and daily going on's. He could have agreed to keep him on a leash from getting dragged out of the fox den by the Ravens and called it a day, but we can see clear as day that Andrew treats his relationship with Kevin far more delicately than that. In terms of canon, the best friend (platonic soul bond or whatever title floats your fancy) behaviour jumped out of Andrew so fast, I'm shocked how anyone could overlook it.

And I haven't even touched on how Wymack views their relationship, or Kathy's show, or the role Andrew plays as Kevin's other half post Evermore, or the first genuine smiles are the ones they give each other, or the pseudo threat of the butter knife scene, or whatever they had going on here:

Like, there are certainly motions that can be considered varying levels of tender, but I do think it's important to remember that Andrew's gestures should not be measured with the same scale as say someone like Renee. We can obviously see in later chapters that Andrew can be incredibly gentle (ie the hip kiss that ruined my life), but I think it's a disservice to Andrew's character to understate how close he and Kevin are through the series, both physically and emotionally.

#and i say emotionally with an asterisk because i dont think anyone in that series made it out without some codependency issues #but thats another topic #also thos got really long and rambly im so sorry #i just feel very desperately about Them #aftg #kevin day #andrew minyard #kandrew #nana asks

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humongousgothskeletonfarm · 10 days

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chapter 6 thoughts: (spoilers ahead!)

oh. fuck.

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he was king. now he’s a martyr.

holy shittttt

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aftg really brings us all together, this is random but i love talking to other fan accounts about the books

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anyway fanfics will no longer have to speculate when rikos funeral was, and if kevin attended or not (or if he had a mental breakdown about it)

also neil u have no tact babe and i love u for it

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oh renee ur so lovely ur so insightful (neil u should listen to what she has to say)

jean and his ‘i won’t grieve him’ ❤️🫶

- ‘promise me’ jean said with a desperation that should have kill him, nathaniel didn’t hesitate, ‘i promise’ SHUT THE FUCK UP I LOVE THEM THANK U NORA THIS IS EVERYTHING I WANTED FROM THIS BOOK

THE SWAP FROM NATHANIEL TO NEIL IS JUST AS POWERFUL FROM JEANS PERSOECTIVE IN TSC AS IT WAS IN FROM NEILS IN TKM I LITERALLY CANNOT THE PARALLELS ARE KILLING ME

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it’s 1:40 am and i’ve just made a cup of tea to keep myself awake

feeling many things about jeans perusal of the fox photo wall and taking renee’s picture

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i know these motherfuckers aren’t accusing neil kevin and jean of abandoning that cunt and leading to his ‘suicide’

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WE ARE THE RIGHT PEOPLE I THINK JUST NOT THE RIGHT TIME (look i am admittedly not a jean/renee shipper but good god they are so sweet in this)

A COOL EVENING BREEZE AND RAINBOWS

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screaming as silently as i can rn

- petition for someone to put summertime sadness on the jean playlist

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whattttt is the mystery about jeremy’s family?? what is this fabled fall banquet that tore his family in half im so intrigued i have to know more

ALSO JEREMY IS IN THERAPY AND HAS SOME SORT OF FAMILY ISSUES I KNEW IT IM SURE THATS ON A BINGO SOMEWHERE

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jeremy dad of the trojans checking to see that they’re safe and also cody first cannon non binary character??? pls say yes

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accidentally fell asleep in the middle of my planned all nighters whoops it’s currently 7 am

chapter 7:

“I like to indulge,” Jeremy said with a dimpled smile. Kevin’s words mocked him in the back of his thoughts: “Some of them you like.”

i did. notice this in chapter 2 or whatever but is this?? are we getting jerejean???? that’s what this means righ??

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jeremy wdym ‘oh to be the pampered elite’ u have a butler??

jean defending kevin saying he’s earned the right to be arrogant be still my beating heart i love these stubborn mother fuckers

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He was years away, watching a different beautiful boy lean in close to say, Will you teach me when he’s not watching? It could be our secret.

STOP IT RN

chapter 8!!

flicked him a sly look. “Easy on the eyes, maybe.”

AHHHHH!!!

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also so glad that there’s 100% confirmation cat and laila are dating (shared bedroom!)

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the description of laila and cats lounge room is so soft and cozy im so jealous i wish i was there

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barkbark von barkenstein u will never top sir fat cat mcatterson (although props to nora for always having simultaneously the worst and most creative names for pets)

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jean telling cat she’s a good player but misses every ball at her hips is literally every raven! (someone) fic ever come to life where they meet a relatively normal other team and have absolutely no tact or awareness of what others considered rude and immediately tell the other players what their weaknesses are (i’m obsessed)

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“Yes,” he said, and if he didn’t sound sure, he at least sounded angry. “Let them all burn. I hope none of them survive.” BABY I LOVE U IM SO PROUD OF U UR SAFE NOW FUCK RIKO FUCK THE RAVENS FUCK THE MASTER

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“Oh, he’s good. A bit rude, but I like him. I think we’re going to be good friends.”

i’d say the exact same thing

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*jeremy giving jean the keys*

well it’s not andreil levels of drama and symbolism but love a good comparison

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or they do not care enough about her wellbeing. It’s unforgivable either way.”

giggling a bit over jean being up in arms about boba knowing that he’d be seriously unimpressed with me if he knew how much boba i drank

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he wants to know what it was for

AND WHAT IF THAT LINE BROKE ME NORA?? AND WHAT THEN??

The Ravens had given up everything to be the undefeated champions, only to be destroyed last month by a tiny team from South Carolina.

I CANT DO THIS ANYMORE

“Loving something is not enough,” Jean told him, right on cue. “When is the last time you enjoyed playing?” Jeremy asked. “Irrelevant,” Jean said. “I am Jean Moreau; I am perfect Court. I do not need to enjoy it to be the best backliner in the NCAA.”

that was what Jean felt safest in, Jeremy would back his decision wholeheartedly.

LITERALLY LEAVE ME ALONE

chapter 9999

also i’m so glad that we have jeremy/laila/cat friendship like in fics and stuff they were always best buddies coz they were the only trojan characters named in the books but it’s great to see they’re actually good friends in cannon

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“I need you to listen to me for one moment,” Laila said, “and I need you to believe me when I say it. Fuck Coach Moriyama.”

AGREED AGREED AGREED FUCK THAT CUNT

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COOKING LESSONS WITH JEAN THIS IS THE WHOLESOME CONTENT I SIGNED UP FOR

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cat talking macronutrients and promising to help with his diet so it’s still familiar but more fun in order to begin healing jeans relationship with food is so important to me

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nora bleaching jeremy’s hair blonde after telling us she was shocked we all headcannoned him as blonde while she thought he was brunette is so funny to me,, don’t worry fan artists u do not have to change a thing!

(frosted tips made me giggle too, jeremy u pussy)

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“Voulez-vous coucher avec moi?”

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chapter 10

jean learning basic household chores like sorting and washing clothes and deep cleaning the apartment and learning his way around a supermarket <3

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LAILA CAT JEAN FRIENDSHIP IS REAL

Afternoons were filled with whatever the women were in the mood for that day, be it wandering downtown, shopping, or combing through estate sales.

Jean went where they took him because it was better than being left in the house alone,

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COOKING IS HEALING JEAN ITS A COMFORT THING SHUT THE FUCK UP THIS IS EVERYTHUNG HES SO REAL FOR THAT

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Ravens graduated; they didn’t leave.

fuck if that didn’t just stop my heart

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i definitely should have been more wary of the trigger warnings. if anyone is wanting to read the book but is worried about certain parts, i’d be happy to let y’all know what sections are triggering so u can try and skip around them.

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But Jean was not a Raven, and Wayne was dead.

FUCK YEAH BABY NOT ANYMORE U ARENT

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the thought of that quiet space with its single bed was so repulsive he turned toward the living room instead. - this is so important to me

He could sense the others’ presence even if they weren’t around to bother him, and that was enough to take the edge off the loneliness eating at his heart.

literally end my life i’m so happy for jean, he’s healing slowly but surely

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this was better than anything he’d ever had. It was worlds more than he deserved. He feared it as much as he wanted it;

JEAN U DO DESERVE IT I PROMISE U

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wait wtf,, zane is reacher??? in literally every raven fic ever reacher is the most abusive character other than riko

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OMFG BEACH SCENE??? THEYRE GONNA TAKE JEAN TO THE BEACH??? CHECK THAT OFF EVERY SINGLE BINGO CARD MADE FOR THIS BOOK

^ yeah i wrote that two seconds before then reading jeans panic attack about drowning and the trigger of riko waterboarding him and neil and now i want to cry

#aftg #all for the game #the foxhole court #tsc #the sunshine court #jean moreau #jeremy knox #laila dermott #catalina alvarez #nora sakavic #usc trojans #renee walker #neil josten #andrew minyard #kevin day #david wymack #nathaniel wesninski

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khevinday · 3 months

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Just wanted to say I agree with your last post. I don’t think romantic interests are the end all be all for all characters. But it’s Kevin’s second time being used as a potential plot device for another main romance and I don’t know how I feel about that when his arc is so rushed and unfinished. Like he deserves better.

yes yes yes! and that's why i always feel a little.... complaining about his arc because we did get good things, you know. there was some right done by him but there was also a lot that fell short. i think my biggest gripe is that he fit so well with andreil and then was just cut right out of it. people often argue against kandreil by using the "perfect understanding" scene and claiming that andreil's bond is deeper, more complicated and not like any other relationship that they have but i can list plenty of moments where that perfect understanding is present between kevin and neil or kevin and andrew. and that's fine, it is. like you said, a romantic interest is not the end all be all, but it's hard to not wander there when there's like... kevin shaped holes in these relationships, i guess? and not even romantically but sometimes it feels like kevin doesn't even get a good enough friend to open himself up to or talk about his interests with. we can equate it to just his personality but even considering the extra content and the years to come for him it seems a bit... lonely.

so that's the thing about kevin; so much of his healing happens in the future, after the books. so in a way i feel like maybe i'm jumping the gun when i consider how kevin is treated in tkm but i still can't help but feel so sad for him sometimes. when nora said she surgically removed him from kandreil she meant it lol cause it definitely (to me) left a nasty scar in the narrative.

#aftg #tfc #kevin day #that one girl that doesn't play about kevin day #i had made peace with all of this a while back lmao #but tsc is reopening the wound im sorryyyyyy

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splishsplashyouropinionistrash · 1 year

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welcome welcome, it’s been a while.

but we’re back now with tumblr’s favorite show: AFTG Hot Takes, where i spew paragraphs and paragraphs of bullshit instead of working on my WIP.

without any further ado, i am proud to present: every AFTG ship, ranked.

this is your friendly reminder that these are just my opinions. if you like a ship i don’t: great! if you don’t like a ship that i love: also great! i’m always happy to hear people’s thoughts, and i love a good friendly debate, but please remember that i’m 17. i’m not here to argue with you about why your ship is the best. i’m just here to have fun.

these probably aren’t all the ships that are out there, but this is everything i’ve seen so far. if i missed one, let me know!

24. Jean/Riko

this one… ew. ew ew ew. every ship with riko is so ew, i cannot begin to explain, but this one is the worst.

i’ve read too many Nest fics to not gag at this tag, cause it’s never consensual.

23. Kevin/Riko

just no.

moving on.

22. Kevin/Thea

y’all know i hate this ship by now, but for newcomers: it’s predatory and neglectful. very very ick.

21. Andrew/Roland

this one… where to start?

i’ll probably make a full post ab it soon, so for now, let’s just say that it’s very similar to Kevin/Thea. The age gap at the time that things started between them… the morals and legality are murky at best.

20. Andrew/Kevin

i’ve said it once, and i’ll say it again: they. aren’t. good. for. each. other.

Kevin doesn’t respect boundaries. he pushes things. and boundaries are the absolute most important thing for Andrew. they just don’t work.

19. Andrew/Neil/Kevin

i very vehemently despise this ship, for the same reason i hate Andrew/Kevin. i think it’s so important for y’all to remember who these characters are and not just ship them because they all have dicks and are nice to each other sometimes. that turns into mlm fetishization real fuckin quick.

18. Neil/Kevin

this is one that i can almost sort of see. if i hadn’t accidentally spoiled andreil for myself, i would have assumed this was canon during my first read.

but it’s just… i love the fact that they’re friends. i think their friendship can be so amazing, and i love reading fics where they’re that close. i don’t think every friendship in media has to turn romantic.

17. Kevin/Jean/Jeremy

remember what i said about kevandreil? apply it to this one too.

ik it sounds like i just hate poly couples. i don’t. i just hate ships like this, that really wouldn’t be healthy but people put together anyway because oh gay people yay! it feels gross and fetish-y and i am not here for it.

16. Kevin/Jean

this is a ship that i can see happening pre-canon, but i’m not the biggest fan of it simply because there’s no way it could be healthy. they went through a lot together, sure, but traumabonds are notoriously unhealthy.

15. Kevin/Matt

this, again, feels like just putting two characters together because they’re nice to each other occasionally, but really? they aren’t. correct me if i’m wrong, but Matt and Kev only have one canon interaction that i can remember, and it’s literally Matt punching Kev in the face.

Not to mention, Dan and Matt. Dan and Matt! i love them too much to accept this.

14. Kevin/Matt/Aaron

listen. again, i don’t hate poly couples. i really, really don’t. i just…

Matt literally… just doesn’t mesh well with Kev or Aaron. at all? i don’t understand the thought process behind this.

13. Renee/Jean

i don’t… i don’t hate this one. i just don’t like it. i feel like both Renee and Jean have wayyy better ships (not to spoil anything, but they both make top 5 in different ships)

i don’t think they’re awful, per se, i just don’t really see the chemistry.

12. Allison/Seth

this is an unpopular opinion, i know. but i’ve read a few “Seth lives” fics that redeem him, so i can’t hate him. i can’t, you can’t make me.

believe me, i don’t like it either, but i don’t run this city, the rats do.

anyway, it’s not awesome and i like Ally’s other options better, but it could be good! it could be great! i read too much redemption fanfic!

11. Kevin/Jeremy

i’ll be honest, it’s not my favorite to read when Jean is also in a fic, but if we’re talking in general?

i adore. fics where Kev is falling all over himself trying to talk to Jer are my bread. and. fucking. butter. quicksand has destroyed me. absolutely ruined me.

10. Aaron/Katelyn

starting off the top ten with one of my favorite minor characters ever, this ship is up here because i love Kate so much.

i read too much fanfiction, i know, but i just think she’s so cool?

honestly, i really don’t think Aaron deserves her. she’s that cool. i love her so much. that’s my lady. my babygirl. simply adore.

9. Abby/Wymack/Betsy

i like this one, i really do. all the Fox parents together? it’s perfect. i love it. enough said.

8. Kevin/Allison

listen. i’ve said i didn’t get it before, but honestly? i change my mind. i like this one. i like it a lot.

their personalities would mesh so well. they’re both dramatic, they’d be the funniest fucking couple in the world. i like it a lot.

7. Abby/Wymack

it’s a classic. i ship it, you ship it, the Foxes ship it too. we all ship it. they’re made for each other, and that’s all i have to say.

6. Matt/Dan

if you don’t like this one, you’re lying. they are. the definition. of love.

they’re so cute? so cute? i have no words?

your honor, i love them.

top five time!!

5. Nicky/Erik

god, these two.

if you know me at all, you know i have a soft spot for Nicky. i relate to his story so much, and i hate how dirty Nora did him.

but god, these two. they are love. they are perfect.

i have no words. i just love them so much

4. Kevin/Aaron

i love this one. you know i love this one. everyone knows i love this one.

they’re both assholes, and they’re both hurt in different ways, and i love when they heal together. when they help each other and lean on each other and just- ugh.

i like watching them heal, and i like watching them do it together. (plus best friend’s brother anyone?? a classic trope)

3. Renee/Allison

i love them so much. i love them so much.

they balance each other out so well? they’re so perfect for each other?

also, we need more wlw couples in media in general, and especially in this series.

i love them so much.

2. Jean/Jeremy

you know. you know i love this one (thank you Hoax, and thank you gus_47. you have ruined my sleep schedule and i have never been happier)

grumpyxsunshine, guys. healing together. i love when people heal together. i love it

also, round of applause to us in the fandom for creating an incredibly popular ship between two people who literally never interact in canon. we did that. i love that for us.

and now, for #1.

1. Andrew/Neil

they are love. they. are. love.

it’s a classic but it’s perfect, and i love them so much. no i will not elaborate (this time)

well! thank you for reading, start a (friendly) fight with me if you want, and drink some water

hugs and kisses <3

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jingerhead · 2 years

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hiya! prompt idea??? i got a notification about the queer prom in my area and that immediately made me think of high school andreil. either them coming from different high schools meeting at the prom for the first time, established relationship going to escape their homophobic school, OR my favorite; loner andrew pining for jock neil who “must be straight,,,, right?” and then having an aneurysm when he sees him there. anyways, do with this what you will, i just think there is so much potential for my awkward murder babies :,)

OH anon that is just so wonderful that that exists in the first place, I'm so happy! I wish I could've gotten to go to a queer prom omg. I also think that idea is just perfect, I too am a sucker for the 'loner Andrew pining for jock Neil' trope. Literally perfect.

There is so much potential here, so I wrote a little thing :) I hope you enjoy the tiny drabble, thank you so much for the idea!! It's beautiful, and I REALLY want to go to a queer prom now hehe.

~*~

Andrew wasn’t sure what sufficed for a queer prom, but he definitely should’ve gone into it with less expectations. The event was taking place in a restaurant in the village that was equipped more for birthday parties than school dances, but the fact that it existed at all was “a win”, at least according to Nicky. There were streamers hung in waves on the ceiling, balloon arches and neon lights that flashed along with the music being played from speakers. In total there had to be at least forty kids in the place, all from different schools around the area.

Somehow, Andrew had been talked into coming along. Between Nicky’s nagging about how he never had a queer prom when he was in high-school (as if he was thirty or something) and Renee mentioning going once, Andrew ended up renting a suit and going. Most of the people there were couples, but some seemed to be friend groups having the time of their lives. Renee had gone off to dance with her girlfriend, leaving Andrew alone with the desserts he’d grabbed from the free snack table.

He wasn’t uncomfortable in crowds, but preferred to stick alone. The one person Andrew really hung around at school was his twin brother and Renee, uninterested in pursuing any friendships that wouldn’t last past the next two years. But this place was stuffy and loud, and Andrew had finished his last brownie, so he decided to head out one of the exits to take a smoke break in the empty alley next to the restaurant.

The music was still audible from where he was leaning against the brick wall, but it was muted and less irritating. Andrew felt himself calm the longer he was alone, slowly taking drags from his cigarette and letting the nicotine wash through him. He should really just leave after this, because Andrew wasn’t interested in trying to find a hookup tonight and Renee didn’t need him to drive her home. He should go back to the house, get the unopened rocky road ice cream in the freezer and spend the rest of his night watching shitty movies in his pajamas.

The door further down the alley opened suddenly, bringing Andrew out of his thoughts. He watched as a guy walked out and entered the alleyway, pausing when he noticed Andrew standing there as well. Andrew blinked in surprise when he noticed it was Neil Josten standing there, dressed in an all-black ensemble of dress pants, a button up and loosened tie.

Star striker Neil Josten. Exy junkie from the high-school varsity team. Practically the jock of all jocks that Andrew had snuck glances at in the hallways. And during lunch. And in shared classes. Especially gym class. Not that it mattered, because exy-junkie-ultimate-jock Neil Josten couldn’t be anything but straight.

Right?

“Hi,” Neil said, walking down the alley.

“Hm,” Andrew hummed, busying himself with taking another drag from his cigarette.

“Air?” Neil asked.

Andrew hummed again. Neil kept standing where he was, just a couple of steps away, leaning on one leg and staring. “Who made you come?” Andrew asked before he could stop himself.

“Why did someone have to make me?” Neil asked, falling against the wall. Andrew was very aware of the few inches of space between them.

“Here with a boyfriend, then?” he managed to get out, bringing his cigarette between his lips so that he wouldn’t say anything else.

“No,” Neil said through a soft snort. He held out a hand that Andrew placed a fresh cigarette in, handing over his lighter a moment later. Neil lit it and held it between his fingers, seeming far more interested in breathing than smoking.

“Why, then?” Andrew asked before he could stop himself.

“Last time I checked, being ace is a queer identity,” Neil said after blowing some smoke into the air. He had a challenging look in his eyes, like he was daring Andrew to say otherwise.

But there was nothing to argue with in the first place. “Yes,” Andrew agreed, unable to look away from Neil, studying the way his eyes matched the sky.

Neil seemed pleased with the answer, closing his eyes and tipping his head back against the brick of the wall. “You?”

“Hm?”

“Here with a boyfriend?”

“No,” Andrew answered. He focused on smoking the rest of the cigarette in his hand, finally stubbing it out on the brick near his hip and tossing the remains on the dirty floor. Neil did the same just seconds later, and the two breathed together as the sun slowly set, the sky getting darker with every minute.

“I’m bored,” Neil said, taking a step away. He shoved his hands in his pockets and stared at Andrew, who did anything but stare back. “Hungry?”

Honestly he wasn’t, but Andrew said, “Yes.”

“There’s a place not too far that has a midnight breakfast menu,” Neil explained. He started to lead the way out of the alley with Andrew right behind him, heading towards the parking lot. “They have great milkshakes, too.”

It sounded amazing. “I’ll drive.”

#aftg #aftg fanfic #tfc #tfc fanfic #all for the game #all for the game fanfic #the foxhole court #andreil #andreil fanfic #andriel #andriel fanfic #jinger's works #jinger answers

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fxvixen · 19 days

Note

BOOP! #30 for the ask prompt

SUPER BOOP

#30 share a fic you're especially proud of

I was thinking about this 🤔 and I don't have a fic that I'm bursting with pride about like my kid just won the science fair, but I have a few things I've written that I'm quietly proud of for different reasons

I'm proud of:

Close to the Hearth - Fantastic Four/Spider-Man; SpideyTorch

Because: This was the first thing I could bring myself to write after years of pandemic dread sucking out my inspiration and imposter syndrome telling me it wasn't worth it for someone as bad as me to write anything. That I could write at all again felt like a hill I would never get over, so when I finished it, I felt like I was finally on the path to one day writing consistently again- and I was right.

as i go forward (hold down the fort) - All For the Game ; Andreil

Because: It's my most popular fic and the concept was always a little bit "crack taken seriously," so I'm happy so many people ended up enjoying it.

Laughing: Necessary, Effortless - Daiya no Ace; KuroRyou

Because: I still remember how absurdly fun this one was to write, and I want to mention it.

honorable mention to my viral spider-man post which i wrote in a fanatic post-No Way Home dream and i'm so happy and proud so many people liked it. i showed it to one of my irl friends last year and she said, "wait this is yours??? i saw a screenshot of it on reddit" i made it to reddit guys (for better or worse haha)

#ask with hope #fic asks #also later found out it was in a tiktok lol #BOOP BOOP BOOP BOOP BOOP #BOOP X 40 #ahahahah <3 #zennithh

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aftgficrec · 2 years

Note

Hello, hope you’re having a nice day, finally caught you open!! Any high school aus? Or like friends to lover? Mainly for Andreil but anything works!! ( possibly complete or 1/1 thanks!!)

Please enjoy andreil friends to lovers, high school edition. -A

also see:

andreil childhood friends to lovers here (see high school section)

andriel friends to lovers 3 here

andreil enemies to lovers 2 here

canon angst no exy high school aus here

complete boarding school here

non-andreil high school here

breakfast club/foxes in detention here

‘Way Down We Go’ here

‘In Our Bedroom After the War’ here

‘Make Some Sense’ here

‘hard candy christmas’ here

‘The Photo Strip Predicament’ here

‘Small Smiles’ here

‘Yours, Abram’ here

‘Pictures on a Wall,’ ‘on thin ice,’ ‘Make This Leap (Geronimo),’ and ’winter, formal’ here

‘Ain’t it fun’ and ‘Paper Cut Hearts’ here

‘such a feelin'’ here

‘This Is It. Forever.’ series here

‘Highly Improbable’ here

‘Something About The Sunshine’ here

‘Made of Stone’ here

‘I Don’t Dance’ and ‘Make It In America’ here

‘Somebunny To Love’ (completed), ‘I have a Prom-Posal’ (updated), and ‘Of Proms and Peas’ here

‘venus as a boy’ here (completed)

‘saturday night dinner…’ here

‘Angel Near Beside Me’ here

‘The Foxwhore Court’ here

‘all i want (is love that lasts),’ and ’Make This Whole Town Disappear’ here

‘Inked Truths’ series (parts 1-3) here

‘waiting up for better things’ here

‘genderswap andreil minifics’ here

‘Love, Neil’ and ‘Far Too Young to Die’ here

‘i know that we can survive now that we made it’ here; part 2 ‘my eyes are filling with salt (oh this is nobody's fault)’ here

‘The Wild Fox Den’ and ‘Roses Grow Between Bone’ here

‘Tell me to hold on’ here

‘all I want is what I can't have’ and ‘AU where Andrew's the one Mama don't like’ here

‘take care of all the lonely souls’ here (completed)

‘A Key Rusted In The Rain’ and ‘If you must’ here

‘Through Rose Coloured Glasses’ here (significantly updated)

‘Andrew and The Phantoms’ here

‘like real people do’ here

‘baby i’ll bleed you dry’ series here

‘Sent to Drain’ here

This I So Swear. by AgentCoop [Rated G, 3145 Words, Complete, 2022]

When new-kid Neil transfers to a new high school, he's not expecting to get thrown into theater class. He's definitely not expecting to be forced into a fake wedding. And he's definitely, definitely not expecting to like it.

Not even a little.

Two Scoops of Happiness (To Go) by AgentCoop [Rated T, 6565 Words, Complete, AFTG Summer Exchange 2022]

Andrew

I stopped talking to you. I did not stop thinking about you.

Neil stares at the message. His heart beats so fast in his chest he’s pretty sure he’s about to internally combust.

Haha, he types.

Andrew doesn’t type anything else.

Neil doesn’t either.

***

The one where Neil gets a summer job working at a rundown ice cream parlor and runs into the guy who broke his heart.

signed, sealed, delivered by superfluous (sapphirestark) [Rated T, 1053 Words, Complete, 2022]

Andrew,

Thank you for your heartfelt reply. I really feel we have a personal connection now. Also, I’m doing this for English credit, so I will most definitely keep sending you letters.

He is warmer than my books, how? by PateticabutBunny [Rated G, 1702 Words, Complete, 2022]

"Say it"

"Hm, I- I was going to say that in your case looks like the cover and the inside are the same" he said, blushing more and nervously smiling

Andrew blinks "I don't know what planet you are from but here this is not the face people make when they are calling someone ugly"

Neil's eyes are wide and like he can't believe what Andrew said "what?

a heart that's full up like landfill by spanglychild18 [Not Rated, 7872 Words, Incomplete, Updated July 2022]

Neil Josten isn’t living, but he is surviving. When he enrols himself into Millport high school, he sets 3 rules for himself:

1. He’s ready to run at any moment

2. He’ll keep his head down

3. He can’t, under any circumstances, get attached to anyone

Too bad he fails, quite spectacularly, at all 3.

tw: implied/referenced torture, tw: implied/referenced rape/noncon, tw: implied/referenced self harm

"Home" is where you are. by athenatears [Rated T, 9369 Words, Incomplete, Updated June 2022]

The truth is, Andrew wasn't ready to start feeling things for the only person he can call without hesitation: friend. The truth was that he didn't expect to pin all of his wishes on one person. Nor longing to have all those things that teen romantic comedies promise you: a love. A soulmate.

No. Andrew definitely can't feel love for Neil. Not in an unbrotherly way. Especially since he is completely sure that Neil Josten, his faithful friend of nine years, does not feel that kind of affection for him.

Because Neil definitely doesn't swing.

And if he did, he wouldn't be around someone as broken as Andrew.

Or if?

full heart and other organs by darlingargents [Rated T, 2604 Words, Complete, 2020]

“Riko wants you,” Wesninski says. “Riko always gets what he wants.”

Or, a Raven and a Fox can't stop meeting.

It's Always You series by justdk [Rated T, Ongoing Collection, 2017-2020]

Part 1: It's Always You [6,985 Words]

In which Neil Josten, rising high school senior, participates in a car wash fundraiser and meets the infamous Andrew Minyard.

Part 2: An Unpleasant Surprise [3,689 Words]

Neil's visit to the haunted house is not fun. At all.

Part 3: Sleepover [3,678 Words]

Neil's excited and nervous about an impromptu sleepover at Andrew's house

Part 4: Say Goodnight [2,280 Words]

homeless and cold, Neil reaches out to Andrew

Part 5: I Just Want You [4,111 Words]

Neil takes Andrew to prom and it turns out to be better than expected

swim au series by JustGail [Rated G/M, Complete, 2017]

Part 1: Under Clear Waters, a gift fic for Skylar [G, 4370 Words]

It had been two years since Neil had last stepped into a pool.

tw: implied/referenced rape/noncon, tw: implied/referenced child abuse

Part 2: Muddled Waters [M, 3551 Words, Andreil Week 2019]

Andrew Minyard was not a man who wanted.

tw: implied/referenced drug addiction, tw: implied/referenced torture, tw: implied/referenced murder

Poetry in Motion by crumplelush [Rated T, 2845 Words, Complete, Andreil Week 2019]

Being 15 is difficult enough, but it's so much worse when you're the only openly gay guy in your school and head over heels in love with your best friend.

Tumblr Prompts ⋆ by Idnis [Rated T, Collection, Complete, 2018]

Chapter 5: There was never a choice.

tw: homophobia, tw: bullying

Art

Palmetto High art by @p0tatonoah

Katelyn/Aaron high school au art by @thematicallycoherent

Neil Josten from ‘Way Down We Go’ art by @kittyfeathersflying

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belonareyna · 1 year

Text

When I started reading AFTG there were two characters that I did not like or dislike. They were there for a purpose and that was okm their purpose fulfilled and that was fine.

They were Renee (yeah, scream, I'm going to hell anyway) and Aaron.

And then I fully entered into the aftg fandom and suddenly Aaron was pictured as homophobic in a lot of fanfics and texts and I thought it was a generalized head cannon. But then Sir and King introduced me into the extra content. Because I read an Andreil fanfic where they were and I was like no way someone just named this cats like this in a hurt/comfort and no humoristic fanfic. So I search them and i founded Nora extra content.

And I found out that Andrew was misogynist and Aaron homophobic, like canonical.

And I was like WTF?

I must say that I read the books in English which is not my first language, so I thought that maybe I was skipping something. I read them again, but I couldn't find evidence. Maybe I was too deep into the plot.

Never mind, Aaron wasn't a character I cared about anyway.

But then Idk why I was just watching antiAaron things. Not only about his homophobia but also about how he was horrible and terrible towards Andrew.

Excuse me sir?

THEY ARE HORRIBLE WITH EACH OTHER (apart from a toxic relationship).

Like that time "Maybe he's afraid she'll die on him like the last woman he really loved."

Oh sorry, everyone is so OK with Andrew killing Tilda. And I wouldn't be honest if I said that I wasn't OK with it either. But you know. I try to emphasize with Aaron's situation. He wasn't even mentioning Tilda. They were talking about Katelyn. But Andrew knew were to attack for it to hurt.

And I'm not trying to spread hate towards Andrew for God's sake he's my third favorite character (just Neil and Matt above him) but it infuriate me that whenever I came to any content hating Aaron for being canonically homophobic have nothing to sat about Andrew being canonically misogynist.

So I said to myself ok Val, just read again the books pay a lot of attention. Maybe they are homophobic and misogynist respectively.

So I read the books. Again I couldn't see anything. And you know. I started defending Aaron (you know bc no one was messing with Andrew. If not I would do exactly the same with him) and making an analysis on his character, but after some time and reading a lot of bad stuff posted by lots of people I started feeling insecure.

I'm bisexual, Was me actually defending a FUCKING HOMOPHOBIC? Like no a more grown up Aaron who has learned and drop his homophobia (it can happen baby. You can be homophobic and then through education and self work and friends you can get rid of that horrible illness called homophobia. My best friend for instance)

So today I said OK, lets see If I can found someone with actually evidences on all of this.

And oh men. The first tumbrl post I read made me feel like the first time someone tried defending Severus Snape of bullying literal child's. And joining the wizard Nazi club.

It had screen shots, so I was like oh shit, it's real I fucked up. This one has evidence and I'm really bad at English if all of this (it has a lot of screen shots) has past my filter. And then I started reading and with just the first one I was fuming

Yeah... so everybody knew that Kevin had a girlfriend, and yes I don't approve or think TheaxKevin is a good or healthy relationship. It stands between that thin line of pedophilia and grooming. But that's not the point. The point is that Nicky is literally sexual harassing not just Kevin but also Neil. And yeah. IT'S CREEPY.

The next screen shot made me even more furious:

And they just say "Aaron about Nicky offering to have a threesome with Neil and Erik"

The scene itself infuriate me. Because it's AGAIN sexual harassment, and in a non appropriate place to say the least. And not with an appropriate crowd (his COUSIN).

Was Nicky being fucking weird? Yes.

I don't know how extended is this word to insult the LGBT+ Comunity so I'm not going to defend it. So yeah, It could be a hint of Aaron homophobia or Aaron asking his cousins to cut the crap.

Oh. You don't want to know anything about your brother hooking up with your ex-boss? Well that's weird. I would love to know all the details.

Anddd yeah. This could be homophobia or Aaron hate towards Neil. And if I hadn't readed the times three times I would have choose the homophobia.

But just watching Neil's and Aaron interactions (for three times. Four bc now I'm reading them in Spanish) is more the latest option (at least for me).

Now. I'm not going to share the cabin scene. Because we all hated Aaron in that one and in my personal opinion he was being the same shit to Neil as Andrew was to Katelyn later.

And yeah. Calling a Neil a rapist is not the same as calling Katelyn a tumor. But Andrew has lived through a lot, and I get Aaron trying to find out if his brother was being forced by Nein in any way.

So yeah. I was shock to say the least about how a lot of explanations of Aaron being homophobic was literally trying to stop Nicky in his sexual harassment thing.

But yes. There were scenes potentially homophobic down there. But I couldn't just buy it. Because if Aaron is homophobic how it comes that the person he is closer to is Nicky. Shouldn't it be Kevin?

If he is so homophobic why he stepped between when Seth insulted Nicky?

#aaron minyard #andrew minyard #neil josten #renee walker #dan wilds #david wymack #kevin day #matt boyd #allison reynolds #nicky hemmick

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sugaroto · 2 years

Text

Help I gonna cry

Well not really, it's just 3.26 sm and I'm being dramatic but-

Ok so like a month ago or something I send to a friend pictures (fanarts) of the aftg characters so they would like write an opinion about them, like guess their name and stuff about them

And it was hilarious bc they like mostly got everything right? The worst one was thinking that Jeremy was a bully but apart from that I was like

Excuse me ? Have you actually read the books?

(+ me and my friend who has read aftg talk about it too much so they actually know some stuff, mostly about Andrew I think, and andreil)

But anyways- the thing is

I was looking at it again cause it's funny and I realized-

TWO CHARACTERS ARE MISSING

AND I HADN'T REALIZED ALL THIS TIME

AND ITS NOT SOMEONE RANDOM

ITS ANDREW

AND MATT

LIKE I DO HAVE THE RIKO ONE BUT I DONT HAVE THE ANDREW ONE CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?

And im like? OK maybe my phone is acting up? And accidentally deleted the pictures

So I go to our chat where they sent me the pics

And I realize they never did Andrew and matt

Maybe they missed them or something idk cause I had sent all the pics together

And it took me so long to notice

But like bc me and my other friend talk about andreil so much in Neil's card they had written (in love with Andrew) and on Aaron's card "Cries at funerals" (Andrew tries not to laugh at those who cry at funerals )

So I guess I thought I saw Andrew's card

But there isn't one

And Matt's? I have no excuse for not realizing he was missing till now apparently from the fact that the cards weren't in an order (I had originally sent everyone in the order of their jersey numbers) but when they sent the pics back they got mixed up

And I tried to read the cards now in the right order only ot realize 3 and 4 are missing

How do I turn the time back? It's too late now to tell them 2 people are missing and I want to see what they would have said about them🥲🥲🥲

#aftg #sugaroto #sugarenia has friends #🥲

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forget-me-yes-21 · 2 years

Text

Neil: Does my ‘nonchalant about my murder’ attitude bother you?

Literally Everyone: A bit, yeah.

#aftg as things me and my friends have said #all for the game #aftg #aftg incorrect quotes #neil josten #the foxhole court #andreil as things me and my friends have said #aftg fandom #andrew minyard

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double-aa-batteries · 2 years

Text

Fic Rec Fridays - Week 2 - AUs

If you want to check out any of the other 3 fic recs you can find the master post here

Andreil

the sound by jemwrites on AO3 here (17k, 5 chapters)

The cottage looked unassuming and quaint, with a wooden ramp up to the front porch and rose bushes beneath the windows. A little sign was nailed above the door, reading The Foxhole. It seemed peaceful. Quiet

Its patrons, however, were neither of those things. Neil could already hear the raucous lot from where he was stood outside the door. Having never spoken to anyone outside of rare, whispered words to his uncle, or his cat, or his mother's grave, Neil knew this would be interesting.

A blond woman opened the door with a smile and glittering eyes. Neil's stomach rolled over itself. He hoped this wasn't a dumb decision.

TW: mentions of neil’s past and kevin’s. some minorly graphic descriptions of past abuse

its always you series by justdk / @dkafterdark on AO3 here (5 parts)

andreil high school au in a series of short fics where neil is still on the run, squatting in abandoned houses, when he meets andrew. he hadn’t planned on staying in town so long but things get more complicated when feelings become involved

read tags in each part for TWs

you kind of do though by Rory_writes on AO3 here (4k, 1 chapter)

Unspecified alternate universe where neil and andrew meet later in life.

Someone breaks into Andrew's house one night, drunkenly looking for his friend and instead finding a cat and, well, Andrew. (+trans andrew)

no trigger warnings, mostly fluff and crack

Kandreil

Listen, all these kandreil fics just absolutely wrecked me and in my opinion are absolutely worth the read

the shore we'd come to find by JayJFox on AO3 here (17k, 4 chapters)

Kevneil are hiding from Riko after running away and break into someone’s empty house for the night. only...it isn’t empty. They meet andrew and stay with him, getting comfortable, until Riko makes moves and kevneil become worried for their own safety as well as andrew’s.

This is just. Fucking pure angst (with a happy ending). it wrecked me.

TW: Riko and Nathan and riko and nathan adjacent trauma

a brick to the stomach; a bullet between the eyes by fluorescencx on AO3 here (5k, 1 chapter)

Roommates AU

A 5k roller coaster of pure angst and neil pining for the two people he loves but can never have.

But could? have them? no. of course not.

it’s stupid, but he dreams about it anyway.

no trigger warnings, only angst and pining.

Nicky/Erik

i knew you were trouble (when you broke in through my window) by neilwrites on AO3 here (1k one shot)

AU where Nicky didn’t meet Erik in Germany

Nicky’s drunk and goes to the wrong apartment. Lucky for him, the person who lives in said wrong apartment is German and extremely cute.

no trigger warnings

Jerejean

farmer's almanac by cloud talking on AO3 here (3k, 1 chapter)

Soulmates AU

soulmates know everything that their other knows, excluding who they are. jeremy knox knows his soulmate is in danger and the world will burn as he changes that.

TW: Riko. takes place in the nest. but less trauma and violence than canon. knives

Kevaaron

picture perfect by officialstarsandgutters on AO3 here (22k, 1 chapter)

photography aaron and model kevin au

Freelance photographer Aaron Minyard gets a gig doing fashion photography for a catalogue, where he meets Kevin Day, typical arrogant haughty model asshole. Or so Aaron thinks.

More fluff than enemies to lovers, but enemies to lovers adjacent. Listen, this is just romance. These boys love each other. (+non binary Kevin)

TW: riko and riko adjacent things. graphic torture scene involving knives that is easy to be skipped if needed. kidnapping and drugging, talk of past riko regarding trauma and abuse. scars and talk of kevin’s broken hand. it’s all the usual until the near end where you needa watch out a bit

r u mine? by alex_wh0 on AO3 here (2k, 1 chapter)

Tattoo parlor AU

After two years of unrelenting silence, Kevin comes back into Aaron's life. Andrew is PISSED, Neil is secretly thrilled. And Aaron — Aaron doesn't quite know what to do. (+genderqueer kevin day)

TW: Riko. Again. That rat bastard. recount of kevin’s broken hand and talk of Kevin’s time at the nest

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jostenthusiast · 2 years

Note

Currently very sad about Andreil …. do I know why? absolutely not. But I was wondering if you’d share the top things that make you ship andriel?

man sometimes andreil just makes me cry i get it. i’m bad at words but i’ll try my best <3

probably how different they are from other relationships i’ve read?? like all those “imagine your otp” posts can’t apply to andreil and i LOVE it. andreil doesn’t fall into those “sun and moon” or “red and blue” type characters. they have their own thing which is what makes them so interesting. their “i love you” is saying i hate you, their flirting is straight up insulting one another. they’re just so unique i never get bored of reading them falling in love over and over again

how freaking compatible they are!!!!! it’s insane they can just look at each other and know what the other is thinking. they communicate without speaking they just know each other so well. SOULMATES FR. they’re also so alike in so many ways. they have the same dry sarcastic sense of humour and they’re both such instigators. andrew is forever amused by neil starting fights and letting his mouth get him into trouble, and neil doubles over laughing when andrew makes a stupid joke completely blank faced. theyre both fucking assholes with wack ass moral compasses, and they just GET each other. they’re made for each other. can you tell soulmates is my favourite trope

their TRUST. another thing i love about the series is how slow burn the romance is. insta-love is my least favourite trope, so they more agonizingly slow burn it is the better. they had to build up trust even to become sort of friends. trust is the base of their relationship. they tell each other secrets that no one else knows, and they know the other will keep them safe.

this kinda adds on to the compatibility thing, but just the deep understanding they have for one another. they both have lived horrible lives but andrew sees himself in neil in tfc, he sees the crippling loneliness, the desperation, the borderline hopelessness. they both know what it’s like to be truly alone, to be on the verge of breaking. it’s one of the reasons why they are so compatible. they become each other’s home and i just dhshshdjakskshdhs

chaos bringers. they are the ultimate trouble making duo. power couple. could and will definitely kick your ass if you look at them wrong.

i cant believe i almost forgot this but the RESPECT they have for each other. yeah yeah this may be the bare minimum but people don’t talk about it enough. they respect each other’s boundaries, even from the beginning. once neil realizes andrew doesn’t like to be touched he doesn’t touch him!!! like ever!!!!! and andrew completely takes neil’s word when he says he doesn’t swing!!!!!!!! if either of them ever said no to something they would respect that. they don’t push each other past their comfort zones and that’s very unique in most romances i’ve read.

andreil as cats. they’re just. cats but human. i mean look at this it’s literally them!!!!! idk why it��s so fun but it is

uhhh that’s all i have in my brain for now but hdhshhsshhs andreil is so good man. they’re just the best. i love them a lot

#aftg #andreil #thank you anon this was very fun to write #i love them so much #sorry if there’s typos #ask

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splishsplashyouropinionistrash · 2 years

Text

Welcome back to AFTG Hot Takes, the show where I share my unpopular AFTG opinions. I will only stop if and when god (or Miss Nora herself) shows up at my doorstep to retcon me to hell Moriyama style.

Today’s instalment: why I hate Kevandreil.

For those of you who don’t know, Kevandreil (otherwise known as Kandreil) is the ship name for Kevin/Andrew/Neil. One of the reasons why it’s become such a popular ship is because, in multiple early versions of AFTG, this was the main couple instead of just Andrew/Neil (or Andreil).

You may be asking yourself “But Sam, how could you hate it?” and also, “How did you get into my house?” Well, I’m glad you asked :D.

When you look at Kevandreil, it does make a kind of sense. Kev is already the closest thing to a best friend Andrew and Neil have. Neil does, momentarily, think that Kevin and Andrew are hooking up. Not to mention there’s some sort of sexual tension between Neil and Kev in the first book. Really, all the signs are there. It’s far less outlandish than a lot of the fandoms other ships (think Jerjean, Renison, etc).

So then why would I hate it, if it makes so much sense? The answer is simple: Miss Nora’s extra content. In one post explaining her thoughts on Kevandreil and why she cut it, she said that the relationship was toxic and codependent. I don’t know about you, but I don’t think any of our boys deserves that sort of relationship.

I know, I know. As a community, we’ve mostly given the extra content an enthusiastic hell no and moved on. There’ve been one or two glaring exceptions (King and Sir specifically) but for the most part, it’s ignored.

Some things shouldn’t be ignored, though. Like how Andrew would never be called “AJ”, because that’s what Drake called him. Or the things Proust did to Andrew. Those things are important, and I cannot just ignore them.

Kevandreil, to me, is the same. Does that mean I’ll shame you, or even think badly of you, for enjoying it? No. To each their own, and if you can separate it from the extra content then good for you. I can’t.

TL;DR, Kevandreil would be an unhealthy relationship according to the extra content, and my brain is not capable of ignoring that.

Was this the hottest of takes? No, certainly not. But hey, I’m tired.

Miss Nora, when you inevitably send someone to take me out, I ask only that you do not let them go full Lola on my ass.

#day i don't even know of trying my hardest to piss off the fandom #i'm in my villain era ig #and by that #i mean that i'm being a minor annoyance #i am the little bug that keeps biting you #you're welcome #aftg #all for the game #the foxhole court #tfc #kevin day #andrew minyard #neil josten #kevandreil #kandreil #Andreil #splishsplash originals

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i-did · 3 years

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Do you know when the racism and ableism accusations against Nora started? Because back when I was active in 2016/2017 and don't think they were a thing, or were very low-key. Was it something she said or are people just basing it off the things she wrote in the books?

From what I remember, the first time I heard the blanket statement of “Nora is racist/fetishizes gay men” blanket statement was early fall 2019 (which is so ironic for the fandom to say on so many levels lmao). There wasn’t a catalyst or anything, just she went offline 2016 and no new content was coming out and the aftg fandom is such an echo chamber that… an accidental smear campaign happened.

Before then, I would see occasional “Nora used ableist slur” which… is funny (not that ableism isn’t serious) to me people care more about that than Seth saying the f-slur. IMO this is because with Seth, it clearly shows the character thinking it and not the author who is writing about what will be an end game mlm relationship.

But anyways! Long story short, it's the fact that she’s an ace/aro woman who wrote a mlm book, and based off of the events in canon. There is no “Nora called me/someone else a slur” it’s “Nora wrote a book where slur(s) are used” and “the Moriyama’s are Japanese.”

Below I put my own opinion on these claims and go into more detail:

CW for discussions of: racism, ableism, mlm fetishization

Fetishization: (and mentions of sexism at the end)

To one question in the EC about her inspo for aftg she jokingly responded how she wanted to write about gay athletes. On other parts of your blog you could see she was a hockey fan and an overall sports fan (anime or otherwise) but I've seen this statement taken out of context and framed as “she's one of those BOYXBOY” shippers. Considering how… well-developed both Andrew and Neil’s relationship is, and it takes them until like the 3rd book and there is a whole complex ass plot going on around, you can see how that's just. Not really true. And considering the fandom is like… 85% women (queer women but still women) and I've gotten into a discussion with someone who is a woman and called Nora a fetishizer and was ignoring my opinions as a mlm, and I really just wanted to say “well what does that make you?” it's a very ironic high horse. She didn’t write 3 all 3 books to put Neil in lingerie pwp or crop-top fem-fatal fashion show, fandom did.

Also, I talked to an ace/aro friend about this, and she talked to me about how AFTG spoke to her very much so as an ace/aro story. Neil is demisexual, Nora didn’t know of the word at the time of reading it, but she did get an anon asking if Neil was demi after, and she said “had to look it up, and yep, but he doesn't really think about it” (paraphrased). Obviously it would have been cool if andreil were canonly written as wlw by Nora instead, (which would have increased the amount of wlw rep and demi rep) but tbh I don’t think tumblr would have cared about it nearly as much and everyone would just call Neil a cold bitch–like people do with Nora’s other published book with a main character who's a woman. Plus they're her OC’s, not mine.

The fact is that 50% of all LGBT+ rep in literature is mlm, mostly white mlm, and not written by mlm. I’m not going to hold her to a higher standard than everyone else, she already broke a shit ton of barriers in topics she discusses that otherwise get ignored. I’m grateful to these books for existing even if it's a mlm story written by a woman. I still will prioritize reading mlm written by mlm–and vice versa with wlw– in the way I prioritize reading stories about POC written by POC. But credit where credit is due, this is a very good story, and a very good demi story.

Ableism:

To me, AFTG is a story about ableism and how we perceive some trauma survivors more worthy than others. Neil and the foxes using ableist language shows how people actually talk. Neil thinks shitty things about Andrew, like the others do too, and thinks he's “psycho”. The story ultimately deconstructs this idea and these perceptions of people. Wymack, someone who says the r-slur (which is still not known by the general population as a slur even in 2021 much less the early 2000s when the book was beginning to be written and what the timeline is based off of) is a character who understands Andrew better than most of the others do, and gives him the most sympathy and understanding despite using words like the m-slur and r-slur. Using these words isn't good, but it is how people talk, and this character talks. Wymack is a playful “name caller” especially when he’s mad, the foxes think Andrew is “crazy” and incapable of humanity and love because of it. They call his meds “antipsychotics” as an assumption and insult in a derogatory way, when really antipsychotics are a very helpful drug for some people who need them. Even Neil thinks these things about Andrew until he learns to care about him. All the foxes are hypocritical to am extent, as people in real life tend to be. Nora herself doesn’t use these or tweet them or something, her characters do to show aspects of their personality and opinions and how they change over time.

Racism:

As for the racism, I've seen people talk about how racial minorities being antagonists is inherently bad, which I think lacks nuance but overall isn't a harmful statement or belief. However, Nora herself said she wrote in the yakuza instead of another gang or mob because she was inspired for AFTG by sports anime, (which often queer-bait for a variety of reasons). I haven’t seen a textual analysis acknowledging the racist undertones surrounding the Moriyama’s as the few characters of color who are also major antagonists, but instead just “Nora is racist”. Wymack having shitty flame tribal tattoo’s is just… a huge 90’s thing and a part of his character design. Her having a character with bad taste in tattoo trends doesn’t mean she's racist. There is the whole how Nicky is handled thing, but that's a whole thing on it’s own. The fandom… really will write Nicky being all “ai ai muy spicy, jaja imma hit on my white–not annoying like me–boyfriend in Spanish. With my booty hole out and open for him ofc.” and as a Mexican mlm I’m like … damn alright.

I think there is merit to the fact that she writes white as the default* and unless otherwise stated a POC a character was written with the intent to be white is another valid criticism, as well as the fact that the cast is largely white, but everything Nora is accused of I've seen the fandom do worse. That goes to the debate of, is actively writing stereotypes for POC more harmful than no representation at all? And personally I prefer the lack of established race line that lets me ignore Nora’s canon intent of characters to be white and come up with my own HC’s over the fandoms depictions of “zen monk Renee with dark past” “black best friend Matt who got over drugs but is a puppy dog” “ex stripper black Dan who dates Matt” vague tokenism. I HC many of the upperclassmen as POC and do my best to actively give thought behind it and have their own arcs that also avoids the fandom colorism spectrum of “darkest characters we HC go to the back and fandom favorites are in the front and are the lightest.”

*I however won't criticize her harsher or more than… everyone else who still largely does this in fanfiction regarding AFTG as well as literature in general. This isn't a Nora thing, it's a societal thing, and considering the books came out in like 2014 I'm not gonna hold her to a higher standard than the rest of the world. She's just someone who wrote her personal OC’s and self-published expecting no following. I don’t know her race and I’m not gonna hold her to a higher standard than everyone else just because.

The criticisms I've seen have always been… ironic IMO, and clearly I have a lot of thoughts on it. I think most people say those things about Nora because they heard them, and it's the woke thing to say and do and don’t critically analyze their actions or anything, but just accept them.

#ask #aftg discorse #fandom culture #fandom politics #fandom psychology #mailob #damn cant wait for my words to be twisted lmao #sorry the ableism one is the shortest I wrote that one first actually

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