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jtl-fics · 4 months

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Fluent Freshman - Part 45

Renee Walker stands next to two of her best friends in the entire world holding up a hand drawn sign. There's an, admittedly crudely drawn, Fox on the sign that Allison had made up.

Renee had seen it and smiled from across the airport as she made her way over to where Dan and Allison were standing waiting for everyone to come. The team had managed to coordinate their flights to land all within about two hours of one another and Allison had exactly zero desire to go back and forth from the airport so her driver was waiting out at a nearby cellphone lot to come and get them once everyone was there.

"Is it nice having a driver again?" Dan asks Allison.

"I sometimes miss driving around in my car but it's a lot easier to do my makeup with him driving." she says with a shrug as they continue to catch up. Renee is holding up the sign since Allison had complained that she had lost so much of the muscle she had previously had.

"Yeah, New York City seems like a major pain in the ass to drive in too." Dan agrees as her phone buzzes. She pulls out her phone and looks at it before a huge smile fills her face, one that means she's talking to Matt, "Oh! They just landed!" Dan says confirming Renee's suspicions.

Allison looks at her watch, "Wow, 20 minutes early. They must have gotten through boarding quickly." she comments.

"Or some good tailwind." Renee offers.

"When are Neil and Andrew due up?" Dan asks looking at Renee who smiles back at her friend.

"Andrew said they're going to take a break halfway here so they'll be here tomorrow morning." Renee says.

"Get it Neil." Allison nods and it had been a wonderful thing last year to watch Andrew and Allison make peace with one another. Their mutual desire to dress Neil up a bridge towards....maybe not friendship but camaraderie.

It warms Renee's heart to see her friends get along.

"The plane got tailwind, Neil's getting tail." Dan jokes.

"I'm looking forward to meeting the new kid that I've heard about." Renee says gently moving the topic on from their friends getting together. It didn't bother her at all, but she knew that Andrew would prefer no one talk about what he and Neil got up to.

"Oh! Yeah, uh..." Dan visibly buffers.

"Dan, you're the only one of us that's met the kid. His name's Smith." Allison says with eyebrows raised in judgement.

"Look, when Coach and I went to recruit the kid my brain was like 90% on the fact that I needed to go to my interview." Dan defends herself.

"So he wasn't that memorable for you?" Allison asks.

"Yeah, I'm surprised that he's getting along so well with the guys." Dan says. "Getting stabbed over Thanksgiving feels more like a Neil move than the quiet kid Coach and I met." she adds.

That had been an interesting phone call from Andrew. Renee hadn't even realized that she had become Natalie describing the best way to get rid of the body until Andrew had clarified that it'd been an accident and Smith was alive. Renee had been a little ashamed.

She was excited to meet the kid who Andrew had spoken to her about. Glad that their strange found family was growing just a little bit bigger.

They wait around continuing to talk about plans for the break together. Allison wants to go shopping and she wants to do it once Neil and Andrew are back. Dan wants to skate at the Rockefeller center. Renee would love it if they could do Christmas Eve Mass.

They're sure that Kevin is going to want to check out an Exy game. They're mostly sure that Matt will want to check out the LEGO store in downtown manhattan and that Aaron will be as excited for that as Matt is but pretending not to be. Nicky wants to catch a drag show and has made it clear that he will be going regardless of what anyone else wants to do. Andrew and Neil will probably just want to be alone when they have the chance though Neil had expressed some prior interest in the EXITES superstore and Andrew will more than likely enjoy the day Allison has planned to go shopping since she wants to update Neil's wardrobe.

The new kid, Smith, will be a mystery, but they're more than willing to be flexible.

Eventually they hear the tell-tale sign of most of the boy's arrival. "Babe!" comes from across the airport and Dan's head shoots up and spots the sight of Matt Boyd approaching his arms out wide almost clotheslining four different families on his way to Dan.

Dan is not much better as she rushes to him arms as wide.

They embrace like they always do whenever they have to spend time apart from one another and Renee knows that part of the reason that Dan took her job as assistant coach where she did is that the Washington State Congress Team had been looking at Matt the year prior to scout him.

She looks beyond the passionate reunion and sees Kevin, Aaron, and Nicky. She frowns brows furrowing...

Weren't they going to bring-

Nicky throws his arm out and it wraps around a kid she hadn't even realized was there. She blinks startled by his sudden appearance and blank expression as Nicky was pointing them out. He points to her and he can see her name on his lips she gives a wave and a smile.

Smith nods back in greeting.

He seems quite nice.

***

Renee is at the end of her proverbial rope.

This kid is a threat and she doesn't understand how she's the only person who can see it.

Being a threat isn't really an issue when you're a Fox. It's almost a given that there's some part of you that can be dangerous when backed into a corner but no one seems to be treating him like a threat.

She watches as Nicky and Matt throw their arms around him. As Kevin pushes smoothie after smoothie into his hands as he blankly sips. As Andrew and Neil sit with him quietly. As Dan pinches his cheeks. As Aaron ribs him for being bad at MarioKart.

She can't feel anything from him, no joy, no anger, nothing.

She can't even track him.

Renee has always prided herself on her ability to keep track of those around her. Spacial awareness was incredibly important when you're in a fight and it had always been one of her strongest points. She always knew where she was in relation to everyone else.

Except Smith.

The kid had given her no shortage of heart attacks as he appeared and disappeared seemingly at random.

She had finally gotten Andrew alone to ask, "Smith's quiet, non-intrusive." Andrew says with a shrug.

There's just something about him that makes the hair on the back of Renee's neck stand on edge and she hates feeling like she's the only one. She hates it even more that there's no real evidence that there's something amiss with this newest Fox.

So she settles in to watch.

They're out shopping and Allison is doing her best to get Neil a proper wardrobe with Andrew's considerable help, AKA nodding in approval when Neil comes out. She's not skimping on any of them but Neil is her main focus.

"Smith, what's a color you like?" Allison asks as she's looking at hoodies.

"I like purple." Smith answers and Renee barely manges to stop herself from flinching as his voice comes from right next to her.

"Pass." Andrew says as Neil comes out in a charmingly orange sweatshirt.

"I like it!" Neil argues.

"You have 10 sweatshirts that are that exact shade of orange." Andrew dismisses. "Try the blue one." he says pushing Neil back into the dressing room.

"Which one?" Neil asks.

Andrew sighs dramatically in a way that lets Renee know that he's doing exactly what he wants to be doing, "I'll show you." he says going into the dressing room with Neil.

"I still don't know how it took Baltimore for me to realize they were together." Nicky says as he's holding up two different purple sweatshirts to Smith's body. "You look good in a more purpley purple." Nicky says putting the more indigo colored sweatshirt back on the rack.

"Pants are coming up next, I'll get a lay of the land. I know everyone else's but Smith what's your height?" Allison asks.

"Five feet, nine inches." Smith answers as Nicky pushes him towards the dressing room. "Nicky it's a sweatshirt, I can put it on out here." Smith says.

"I know but I need an excuse to go back there and make sure Neil and Andrew aren't defiling a dressing room." Nicky says with a grin that implies he'd be more happy if they were.

"Gross." Aaron says as he takes a picture of himself to send to Katelyn to approve of the new outfit that Allison was pushing for him to get. "Wait," he pauses turning to where Allison was looking through various men's pants, "you know our heights? Like you've memorized them?" he asks.

"Yeah." Allison says looking at a pair of black slacks. "Everyone's measurements." she says nodding to herself.

"Even bust sizes?" he asks, voice not as quiet as he likely thinks it is.

"You're such a boy." Allison laughs not even looking up from the very different rack.

"How much longer are we going to be here?" Kevin asks with a sigh.

"Well, at least the time that it took you to ask that longer. We'll be done when we're done Kevin." Dan says long having given up on stopping Allison when the woman is on a spree.

"She knows that EXITES closes at 5 PM right?" Kevin asks.

"More importantly," Matt leans in, "that the LEGO store closes at 8 PM right?" Matt asks.

"How is that more important? The LEGO store is open later?" Kevin asks.

"Because we're not going to EXITES today, but we are going to the LEGO store." Matt says.

"If we don't spend the whole day here we can do both-"

"We're not going to EXITES today Kevin." Dan says with a sigh.

"But-"

"We're not going to EXITES today Kevin." Renee says with an apologetic smile.

"But-"

"Kevin, we're not going to EXITES today. Just sit down and let me find pants that'll make your pin-up days look tame in comparison." Allison says.

"That's not what those posters were!" Kevin argues with a blush on his face.

"Sure." Allison dismisses

***

Renee is quite happy with the sundresses she found even if they won't do her any good here in New York City during the Christmas break. Their next stop on their shopping day is over to the LEGO store where Matt makes no attempt to hide his enthusiasm as Aaron very valiantly does try to pretend like he's not utterly entranced by the sets and builds.

Renee thinks it's all very charming.

"We could have gone to EXITES." Kevin says with a frown as he looks at a build of an Exy racquet. "Can you take my picture with this?" he asks but he's not quite looking at Renee.

"Sure." Smith says from beside her, where he had apparently been.

"Thanks Smiths." Kevin says and stands next to the Exy racquet of LEGOs and crosses his arms and leans back.

"Kevin, stop posing like this will be for the cover of a Forbes Magazine." Andrew says with a sigh as he comes to stand on Renee's other side.

"Shut up, it's a picture for me!" Kevin says and continues to stand with his arms crossed.

"Oh, can you get a picture of me next Smith?" Neil asks coming up eyes shining in excitement as he looks at the racquet.

"Sure. As an apology for letting Nicky-"

"Don't talk about it." Neil and Andrew say at the same time.

Kevin gets his picture and then Andrew hands his phone to Smith for Neil's since Neil had broken the lens on his camera ages ago.

They wander around and Kevin finds a set to build the National Court that he grabs without a second thought. Neil and Andrew find a little LEGO man of Kevin that they buy as their 'preferred Kevin'. Kevin of course threatens to buy their LEGO figures once they have them and refer to them as his 'preferred Andrew and Neil'. A threat that neither of them comment on but Renee does buy the little Jean Moreau she finds. She'll paint it Trojan colors and send it over to him as a little gift.

As she continues to browse with her purchase in hand she hears Nicky, "Smithy, if you like it you should get it!" Nicky insists.

"Is it the price?" Allison asks.

"Yeah, I don't want to spend that much." Smith says with a nod expression still worryingly blank.

"When's your birthday? It can just be an early or a late present from me." Allison asks.

"March 1st, but really I'm fine not getting it." Smith shakes his head. "It's not that I'd like it just my little brother liked trains." he says and Renee watches Nicky's face turn from joyful teasing to intense determination.

"We're getting this set." Nicky says grabbing it and marching over to the counter even as Smith followed after him.

Interesting.

***

They finish off their day with some ice skating.

Matt, Aaron, Andrew, and Kevin all fall into the 'challenged' category.

They get on the ice and all four immediately fall. Renee stifles her laughter as Andrew and Aaron scowl. "Are you okay?" Smith asks and Renee almost loses her balance as he skates by her.

"Why the fuck are you good at skating?" Aaron asks scowling even as he takes Smith hand. Renee skates over and offers a hand to Kevin as Matt and Andrew are being helped up by their respective partners.

"Oh," Allison says skating by, "have you been up to Canada or something often?" she asks.

"I've been to Canada a few times. It's more that there was a rink I would go to every once in a while." Smith answers before turning back to Aaron, "I can help you keep balanced." he says offering his other hand.

"Smith, I don't want to hold your hand. That's kind of gay." Aaron huffs letting go of Smith's hand only to immediately beef it again when he tried to move forward.

***

Skating was fun even if Aaron kept blushing as Smith helped him skate since he never really got his 'ice legs'. The rest of them all more or less skated on their own by the end or, in the case of Andrew and Matt, seemed fine to keep skating while holding on.

Renee was warming herself by the fireplace in Allison's home enjoying some hot chocolate as Allison took a seat next to her. There was a lot of commotion in the kitchen as the team was working to make dinner together. Renee had excused herself after Smith had startled her while she had a knife in hand and she'd almost stabbed him on instinct.

She's just relieved that no one seemed to notice the near murder.

"You okay? You seemed tense in there." Allison asks.

Well, almost no one.

"Yes, I'm fine." she smiles and hopes that Allison will believe it.

Allison looks at her and Renee does have the benefit that Allison is slightly drunk since she was told firmly not to help with the cooking since she'd paid for the majority of the day.

"I'm glad I got you alone, there's something I want to hear your opinion on." Allison says deciding, apparently, to let it go for now.

Renee relaxes smiling at her friend, "What's that?" she asks wondering what purchase or thing unpurchased Allison was regretting.

Allison looks at Renee, expression utterly serious. "Don't you think there's something...weird about this kid?" she asks.

Renee straightens up glad that Allison had also felt like something was off with the kid that her friends had brought along. "What do you mean?" she asks wanting to hear what Allison thought.

"Look, he seems really nice. I mean a little too nice to be a Fox to be honest but I mean I guess you're a Fox as well so..." Allison rambles slightly taking another sip of her wine.

"Yes, go on." Renee nods.

"Yeah, he seems nice and Matt said he's got his own stuff even if he didn't wanna go into what that stuff was." Allison continues and it's a good thing Allison is drinking white wine considering the white carpet and her gesticulations. "But...it's just.. okay you can't make fun of me. Even though this is about to sound crazy." Allison says.

"I would never do something like that." Renee swears.

"Promise me." Allison says expression grave as she lifts up a pinky.

Renee smiles despite herself and hooks her pinky with Allison's, "I promise to not make fun of you." she swears other hand over her cross.

"I think he's Justin Bieber."

MASTERPOST FOR ALL PARTS OF FLUENT FRESHMAN AU

#Fluent Freshman AU #I would like to thank Emry #Since I was talking with them about commissioning a pic of Smith #I searched 'bland white guy' and Justin Bieber popped up #and it has been my head canon.... EVER SINCE #So now you all have to deal with the fact that Smith is almost identical to JB #He's got the hair #he's 5 foot 9 #Born 3/1 #Brown hair #brown eyes #Smith just completely lacks JB's stage presence / confidence / rizz and it mostly renders him very distinguishable #Nicky absolutely bought that train lego set for Smith #and is like 'this summer you and me are gonna fucking build this for your brother'#Andrew and Neil were also like 3 hours later than they said they were going to be #due to late check out reasons #Kevin may have looked for a Riko figure out of habit but didn't find one #Neil and Andrew may have also looked for a Riko figure but they wanted to burn it #different strokes for different folks i suppose #Renee got some nice paints to do her little project for Jean #She's heard from Jeremy that he's recovering from the meatball head injury quite nicely #Jean keeps saying to stop calling it that #Jeremy: “but you almost bled Bechemel all over the place.”#Jean: “For the love of god stop saying that. I was concussed from the meatball.”

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thedeathwitchescats · 5 months

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You know, for a long ass time I put off finishing die free or die a failure because a couple chapters gave me the ick... so i just finished it and LET ME TELL YOU. This fic was like, a religious experience or some shit I swear. The way it subverted all my expectations and broke my heart into 2038448584 pieces and made me fall in love with these characters who I know but almost didnt know ((if that makes sense)) all over again. Gods damn this fix was hard to read dont get me wrong. It was difficult to the point that I couldnt finish it for like a month. But now that I have I see why everyone loves this fic so much.

So, a couple of my favorite things

1) when neil went back to the nest, his phone calls with Aaron killed me, they were so heart wrenching and disturbing and soul crushing

2) thea, just fucking thea, I loved her

3) "I chose you" Andrew fucking minyard you could have said that earlier shithead, but also it healed a part of my soul that I didnt know was broken

4) Seth. Fucking Seth. "You are my religion" Seth. I fell in love

5) Jean standing up to Kevin in defense of neil!!!!! Jean when neil told him he was going to be there for himself!!!!!!!! Jean loving neil

6) Mary getting HUMBLED

7) neil just killing his dad, lola and the other dude real quick and then getting himself home

8) the absolute and utter adoration the foxes built for neil, it broke me, it healed me, it killed me, it was everything

9) andrew being so violently protective of neil, Andrew being vulnerable with neil, Andrew loving neil

10) i love Matt and neils friendship any day, but them in this fic touched my heart so deeply

11) and the best for last "neil abram minyard"

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lovefromremus · 9 months

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i just feel like neil and kevin are best friends. like there is so much potential for them and their friendship that is just not talked about. like they've known each other since CHILDHOOD bro?? they're best friends and they love each other. neil loves kevin just as much as he loves matt!!

#all for the game #aftg #andrew minyard #psu foxes #andreil #palmetto state university #neil josten #the foxhole court #aaron minyard #kevin day #matt boyd

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xxxbabyinatrenchcoatxxx · 1 year

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I'm OBSESSED with The Foxes after cannon. I'm fairly certian that I've read all the fics on ao3 for cannon-complient post cannon content.

Dan and Matt's relationship being the most wholesome thing anyone will ever lay eyes on.

Soft Andrew and Neil

Aaron and Andrew working on their relationship

AARON AND KAITLYN BEING GOALS

Andrew warming up to Kaitlyn

(He will deny it to anyone and everyone)

Nicky just being himself

Andrew finding out about what Nicky did to Neil during the first Eden's trip

Neil and Renee becoming friends

Jean, and Kevin reconnecting and healing together

Allison making sure Neil cuts his hair regularly

Allison and Andrew buying Neil new and approved clothing

(I'm obsessed with Andrew and Allison's begrudging friendship only working because they are both appaled with how little Neil cares about his wardrobe choices)

Sir and King

Jeremy being the ray of sunshine that he is

Neil being captian of The Foxes

Abby, Wymack, and Betsy dynamic

Kevin and Wymack slowly growing together

Neil and Andrew learning Russian

Jean healing journey

Neil and Matt being besties

Andrew and Robin's relationship

EVERYONE BEING HAPPY

I just love them, your honor.

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achillean-heartbeat · 6 months

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Now that i think about it,,, isn't Matt... the first male to ever show healthy skinship and physical affection to Neil? like... EVER???? OH MY GOD????

i love the hc that Andrew completely understands the difference in the relationship with touch that Neil and him have. He understands that Neil is touch starved and that physical touch is a need for him. (Do you think he noticed that since the beginning? since he was fairly touchy with Neil throughout the story compared to anyone else?) I think he would never get in the way of letting Neil get what he needs, especially from the foxes. Especially if its something he knows he won't be able to properly provide for Neil.

(I also think that this way of thinking about Neil kinda pushes him to maybe? hopefully? start viewing the concept of a support system a little bit more than apathetically.)

Back to Matt and Neil. I really wanna see if Neil ever reaches a point where he actively goes out of his way to seek from comfort from Matt. (We know both Matt and Dan are very keen on comforting the lost kitten of the team. Re: Nora saying: "[Neil is to the foxes] That cat that hides under the stoop and stares at you like Can I please come home with you but who turns tail and runs as soon as you try to befriend it.")

We know Matt would comfort him with a warm cup and a welcoming seat for him on their sofa, without a second thought. But the question is, would Neil ask for it? Or, how long would it take for Neil to start to know how to ask for it?

I think that how it begins is that Neil finds himself needing that kind of comfort, finds himself on his former dorm's doorstep, but doesn't know how to go on from here.

I think that Matt, emotionally smart and empathetic Matt, wouldn't need a second look at Neil's face in the doorway to know what he needs: a hug, an ear to listen, touch, warmth.

I think that after that happens, Neil has a talk with Matt. At first, Neil's initial reaction that he can't shake off is fear that someone was able to read something in him that he himself wasn't able to detect. But the secondary reaction is comfort in knowing Matt, his friend Matt, knows him so well that he would know how to help, even if Neil himself wouldn't know.

I think that Neil genuinely asks Matt how he knew what he needed, how he knew he was gonna feel better after that. Because he did. At that question, Matt's heart squeezes painfully as he realises he is the person that is going to teach Neil how friends comfort each other this way. And as he does, he sees something in Neil's eyes that squeezes his heart yet again.

And that is why i think Neil and Matt's friendship is very underrated. i love them so much.

#matt boyd #neil josten #andrew minyard #andreil #matt and neil #aftg #all for the game #aftg hc #aftg meta #tfc #trk #tkm

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yes-i-exist-shutup · 2 months

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Hi, so this post has made me realise that pure allison haters exist and like wtf? Everything that person said was COMPLETELY based on fan fic exaggeration and no knowledge of actual allison. So a copy paste of what I replied on that post here:

Do you know how burdening it is for your parents to push a certain job on you? I may not be as rich as her, but it is not fair for anyone to force you to to do something for the rest of your life till you retire. And for her, it was part of her parents conditional love. Wether or not she took up the family business decided wether or not her parents wanted her

After she joined an exy team, she was burdened to have a healthy body to play a sport, while also living up to the media's beauty standards and keeping her parents a safe distance away

Which led to her collapsing and being sent to the hospital and was diagnosed with bulimia. She has food insecurity and literally starved herself idk I think you dont need violence to be part of the Foxes.

Would you dan shouldn't be a fox then? She was poor and worked as a stripper to support her family. Matts parents are divorced and he abused drugs. Seth had no dad, lived in a lower class family, always fought with his multiple siblings and at school, Which he struggled at, and developed an addiction. Nicky had homophobic parents and was suicidal. All these things are not fox material if you consider that their just as bad as Allisons situation. (A few slightly worse)

And if you still think she doesnt deserve to be a fox idk imo you just hate heteronormative hyper feminine women

And I really wouldnt rely on fic allison, its very exaggerated and erases her trauma, her jokes and how she often looks after neil in the books, and her friendships with renee and the upperclassmen. Dont slander a character you dont even know.

if you think her being annoying and sticking her nose in others bussines is the most awful thing a person can do, then you shouldnt be interacting with aftg because all the characters have their flaws

Neil and kevin were apathetic to seths death, Nicky assaulted neil, andrew murdered someone with no remorse even tho their were other options. Dan screamed at kevin for not telling wymack hes his son even though kevin was scared. Seth called nicky a faggot. Andrew willingly drugs people who doesnt trust. Roland drugs whoever andrew wants him to. Aaron is slightly homophobic. Wymack didnt interfere with the foxes drug usage. Nicky also stuck his nose in everyones bussines

And jsyk, EVERYONE on the team participated on bets. excluding Neil and Renee bcs they do not bet. (And half the bets were about andrew, so he couldnt. I dont thunk he'd be willing to bet either though. Its never mentioned in the books that I actually know things about)

#aftg #all for the game #allison reynolds #aftg allison #allison aftg #nora sakavic

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foxhole-pipe-dream · 1 year

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No one asked, but here's a list of my AFTG fics and unposted WIPs.

Reckless, on ao3 — Runaway Neil spends the night trading secrets with pro Andrew, sleeps with him, and disappears the next morning—only to realize he's pregnant when he's states away. Neil finds him a year later and they make a deal. Featuring trans Neil. (+ fic tag)

Dialed, on ao3 — Neil finally upgrades to a smart phone. And he accidentally butt dials the Foxes while in Columbia with Andrew. Complete.

Learned to Lose You, Can’t Afford To, on ao3 — Aaron reflects on how normal brothers act. Or, Andrew annoys Aaron by doing typical sibling things. Complete.

Based on a Tumblr post by @do-i-still-love-kevin-day.

Mother May I, on ao3 — After the downfall of his father and the Moriyamas, Neil Josten spends his days dealing with his mom's unending paranoia, concealing his scars and breaking curfew to kiss their new neighbor. Neighbor AU.

Make This Whole Town Disappear, on ao3 — Heathers AU, to be revamped. Complete.

Ocean Eyes and Fairy Lights, on ao3 — Neil and Andrew go Christmas shopping. NSFW themes. Complete.

Kiss & Swell, on ao3 --- Neil discovers he has a... rare allergy. NSFW themes. Complete.

Crossfire, on ao3 - What Happened to Monday AU. Complete.

Down For It, on ao3 — Neil moves in with Stuart after Mary's death and becomes a recluse, staying in the house. Andrew and Neil bond through an online friendship and eventually meet up. NSFW themes.

Kevneil/Kandreil FWB AU [WIP] - Kevin and Neil become friends with benefits after both being dumped. It's good and strictly platonic. But once his old friend Andrew comes to town and starts showing clear interest in Neil, Kevin might have a problem on his hands. And he has to admit maybe his platonic arrangement with Neil isn't so platonic. NSFW themes.

Sexiled [WIP] — After having the perfect friendship for years and becoming roommates, Matt and Neil start having issues over hogging their apartment for private couple time—aka, sexiling each other. Also, Aaron is a cockblock. It's funny. NSFW themes.

Cruise AU [WIP] - Neil goes on a five day cruise as Allison's fake boyfriend to help make Seth jealous. He finds romance with another passenger—who keeps stealing all the desserts at the free buffet.

The Quarry AU [WIP] — Based on the horror video game The Quarry. The Foxes are camp counselors and there's werewolves. Andrew and Renee have guns.

The Long Walk AU [WIP] — Based on the Stephen King book.

There’s an annual walking marathon across the US composed of 100 walkers. They are not allowed to stop walking or slow down below 4 MPH for any reason. If they do, they get 3 warnings before they're shot dead. The last person standing gets whatever they want for the rest of their life.

iCarly AU [WIP] — Literally just a silly AU that's an excuse for Andrew to beat people with a butter sock and have an obvious crush on Neil. (+fic tag)

Neil enters the marathon along with many other characters, who all have their own motivations. This will not be a happy AU and will feature MANY character deaths (sorry. kinda). Most of this has been planned out.

12 Minutes AU [WIP] — Andrew gets stuck in a short loop. He repeatedly tries to stop Nathan's people from breaking into their home disguised as cops to kill him and Neil. With each loop, he learns more secrets and just how much of a liar Neil can be.

#aftg #tfc #Andreil #all for the game #the summaries and plot points are subject to change for the unposted wips ofc #we do not talk about the long gap where I disappeared from the fandom #<3 #anyway sorry for tags #mine

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threewaywithdelusion · 8 months

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I wrote a really negative rant post about All For the Game fanfic, so I want to write a positive one. I really do love this fandom, and it’s fanfics, and I want to share the love as well.

By category, here are some fics I love.

Time Travel

Once More by AkemiAsh I just call this The All For The Game Time Travel Fic in my head. It has a really interesting take on Neil and Andrew going back in time all the way to high school. It will probably never be finished, but I still love rereading it.

One More Time (With Feeling) by elesary All of elesary's fics are wonderful and there are several on this list. Many are unfinished, and though the author tends to update a new chapter every week, they rotate between fics. So if you don't like unfinished fics, this is not the one for you. However, if you want a time travel fic with Neil and Andrew going back to their first year at Palmetto, with really interesting characterization and relationship dynamics, this is the fic for you.

Amnesia

Back To The Start by fuzzballsheltiepants There's a lot of fuzzballsheltiepants on this list because they're an absolutely brilliant writer. You can't go wrong with any of their fics. Please note that they are locked though, so you will need an AO3 account to view them.

Muscle Memory by elesary Andrew wakes up in the hospital with no memory of the past few years. It's incredibly in-character and wonderful.

Presque Vue by elesary Neil wakes up in the hospital with no memory of anything since Andrew drugged him at Eden's. Really interesting start! Unfinished so far.

Raven!Neil

Black As the Raven Is, He’ll Get a Partner by nekojita I think this counts as a fandom classic, but it's my favorite Raven!Neil fic so I had to mention it anyway. The Ravens find Neil after he turns down the Foxes' offer to play at Palmetto and he is a Raven from the beginning of his college career. Featuring Neil & Jean friendship and really, really slow-burn Andreil. Mind the warnings for graphic violence and rape (I think it's slightly worse than canon)

Ever More Raven Neil (series) by ynnon this is a recent series where Neil goes to Evermore for Christmas and never leaves. It has two complete installments thus far but the series is technically unfinished. It is one of the most original takes on Raven!Neil I have ever seen and the writing is spectacular. I can't recommend it enough.

Neil’s Asexuality

Swinging Along the Z Axis by SpangleBangle Neil and Andrew discuss what attraction is like for Neil.

Sliding Doors by Moth2Flame Neil and Andrew never kiss during their time at Palmetto. Neil and Robin figure out their asexuality together, and Neil and Andrew get together years later.

The Test & All The Little Lights by fuzzballsheltiepants The first fic really focuses on Andrew, the second on Neil. I call this the "Willing vs. Want To" fic in my head and think it's a really interesting exploration of asexuality (particularly in the second installment).

Random Andreil

Not Nothing by TheRainbowElectric Possibly the most brilliant AFTG fic in existence. I cannot hype it up enough. Seriously, just go read it.

Except When It’s No by TheRainbowElectric The one where they try handcuffs and it goes badly. Based off Nora’s extra content.

Out of the Ashes by puddlejumper99 Neil and Andrew meet pre-canon when, after his mother’s death, Neil starts attending high school in Columbia instead of Millport.

A Mewment Like This by fuzzballsheltiepants I'm usually not the biggest fan of AUs, but this one is wonderful. Andrew and Neil meet at the vet because they both have cats with stupid names. It might sound fluffy, and it is clever and funny, but it also explores some of the darker themes and character development that happen in the books.

if every time we touch, you get this kind of rush by Talls This fic has Andrew and Matt kissing (still with Andreil and Matt/Dan as the main ships) and it sounds absolutely insane but just trust me, you have to read it. This is also possibly the best-written makeout scene I have ever read in my life.

#all for the game #all for the game fanfic #aftg #aftg fandom #aftg fanfic #fic rec #andreil #Andrew minyard #neil josten

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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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