aftg-confession-blog

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ngl since fandom loves "fix-up" or like simply do a "re-write" of aftg, im surprised that we dont have any or enough (idk if we have any) fics where andrew simply does NOT choose to drug neil. not because "he doesn't think its necessary anymore." no. he doesn't even think of drugging him bc its messed up. i would love to read something like that (before anyone decides to say "tHeN wRitE yOuRsElf" i already wrote fics just not with this exact thing i mention. i bet i wrote more for this fandom than i do.)

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[aftg-confession-blog]

Tw for discussions of sexual assault and rape

I think there's an uncomfortable amount of people in this fandom who have rape kinks. That's a bit extreme to say but it's something I've been thinking of for a while now and I'm going to explain the statement. Before I go on I don't mean it's a majority or it's a HUGE problem in the fandom, most of us are chill. It's just a small minority that gets left unchecked. Not to name any names but a lot of the popular fics I've read have EXCESSIVE amounts of rape and sexual assault in them. I wouldn't have a problem with this, rape is a strong theme in aftg, but not only is it excessive, it's mischaracterising.

I've see this mostly with Neil. Once again, I won't name any names as to avoid any hate to the original writers so I have to be vauge about my examples. At his core Neil is a very free character. He escaped his father, he defied Riko, he antagonised the FBI, he tricked Ichiro. The only exception to this is his mother. She had control over him and even after her death she affected him, but even so he still went against her wishes to do what HE wanted the moment he could. Despite all of this, the work I see where Neil has sexual assault as a trauma he lacks this. Sure, in some he's still mouthy or problematic for his abusers, but it changes nothing. Without fail, he always loses that crucial agency that is so important to his character. A character can have strong opinions or attitude and still change nothing. That means they have zero agency. That is nothing like Neil at all. Another thing he usually conveniently lacks in these is survival instinct. He always somehow stumbles head first into a pointless situation set up so he can get assaulted. In what world does NEIL lack survival instinct? It's his strongest trait and this is where I really feel like it's satisfying people in some strange way. His most prevalent strengths get taken away because if he'd kept them, he wouldn't land in that situation and obviously he HASSS to get assaulted, it's for the plot! It never adds anything to the story except for "neil got raped again, go cry about it," and maybe some bonding with Andrew over shared trauma. It honestly takes away from the story in a lot of cases because it rewrites an already functioning scene to have a few characters step to the side so they can commit/experience a heinous act. I've read so many fics where I end up dropping it because it just creates plot holes instead of expanding on or furthering the story.

I want to add that there is absolutely nothing wrong with having rape in stories. It was included in the original trilogy. It's even more intense in the new Jean trilogy. Hell, I believe you can write a fic where Neil has/gets sexual trauma and have it be wonderful. My problem comes from the fact it makes no sense narratively and ends up hurting possibly good stories all for the sake of adding something that already exists in the story but worse. It reads as the creator making up excuses just to ensure they can squeeze in another violent SA with no care if it fits. I like angst. It's one of my favourite tags. However, if your way of writing angst is stopping every two seconds to conveniently throw the characters into a scenario that would never realistically happen just so they can get raped and then move on, that's bad writing and you should look into subconscious kinks. Andrew gets raped in the original books on screen. Jean experiences intense flashbacks of his various assaults. It never felt sexualised because Nora was mindful when writing it. I hate purity culture and if you have a kink for non con, whatever. That is none of my business and go crazy as long as you're not hurting anyone. I am just fed up with picking up a fic with an awesome premise only to get punched in the face with poorly hidden rape kinks disguised as angst or character building. If you want a character to get passed around like a blunt with no say, at the very least have the decency to tag it that way and don't act like it is something it isn't

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[aftg-confession-blog]

It kind of bothers me that nobody talks about that first trip to Colombia in tfc and how messed up it was. People mention Nicky and the assault but nobody talks about the fact that Andrew straight up drugged Neil after Neil said no to the drugs and then told Neil that Roland knows to be drugging people’s drinks???

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[aftg-confession-blog]

If I'm being completely honest, I'm having an hard time reading TGR. And it's entirely my own reasoning, with Jean's trauma as well as getting spoiled about possible things coming up in the chapter with Jeremy. I also think I'm sacking myself out.

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[aftg-confession-blog]

I really liked the original trilogy, but I found TSC underwhelming and I'm having a hard time getting into TGR. I don't know exactly why, I think the combination of lower stakes and me just not being as interested in Jean and Jeremy as I was the foxes. They're still good books, but it doesn't hit the same. It doesn't feel like AFTG.

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[aftg-confession-blog]

Aaron is homophobic. Plain and simple. In the books he is and obviously you can overcome that but he is homophobic and I’m tired of people doing hurdles trying to excuse or erase something that was apart of his character

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[aftg-confession-blog]

I wish Nora waited to announce Kevin’s duoology. TSC3 book title has been overshadowed by the Kevin Day duology, leaving us Jerejean fans in the trenches. She could have waited a week or so, not very long after to announce Kevin’s duology. Jerejean deserves just as much excitement as Kevin. I understand people prefer Kevin, and that’s completely fine and valid! But the attention shifted drastically to him. I’ve barely seen anyone outside of my moots talking about TBC and its implications/meaning. Kevin day is such a big and popular character, I just wish there’s more seperation

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[aftg-confession-blog]

I’m gonna be honest here but I really don’t like Matt. He just doesn’t seem real to me. I don’t think it’s his personality, I think it’s his relationships with his teammates. Feels like he’s hiding something.

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[aftg-confession-blog]

I don’t see this as much anymore and idk if it matters but whenever i see people genuinely saying they hope aftg gets a screen adaptation (like not just joking or fantasizing what it would be like) i lose it a teeny bit like i wish nora all the success in the world but that does not need to exist. sometimes stories are best told in their initial medium, so many screen adaptations butcher the source material to an unrecognizable pulp

also, in the interest of being a little selfish, i wouldn’t want to have to deal with people who never actually read the books in the fandom like there’s alr so much mischaracterization i don’t think the community could handle it

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[aftg-confession-blog]

i don't want andrew books. like at all. not because i don't like him, i do! but just because i feel like kevin could really wrap up the story and i feel like he was always meant to.. also, i'm not curious about an andrew pov. part of the interesting thing about him is not knowing what he's thinking.

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I think my one big gripe is tagging here; I'm looking up andreil content and something that's just general aftg related is tagged as andreil without andreil even being present in the art/fic grinds on my nerves so much. Same with any ship really, why tag the other ships if the post isn't about them??? Its small, but still annoying that I'm looking for something specific and the tag is drowning in unrelated content 🙄

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[aftg-confession-blog]

my biggest pet peeve for any andreil fic is pet names. any time either of them call the other by any pet name in a fic it gets me screaming THEY WOULD NOT FUCKING SAY THAT in my head. like come on guys they're so not pet names people, either of them (everyone can write whatever they want ofc but for me that's one thing that's got me clicking off a fic fast)

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i fear that some of the people who are most excited for the kevin books right now will be the absolute most insufferable ones when the books actually come out. i've already seen so much thea hate resurgence and we've barely had the news for a day. i personally don't really care either way if nora sticks to making kevthea endgame or not, but i think there's a very real possibility that she might and i can already see the fandom imploding when it happens. yall really have got to accept that the story we'll get won't be the same as fanon kevin

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I don't understand why some fans don't like seeing the foxes in the tsc trilogy. like I understand wanting the main focus to be the trojans, but... they are?? neil showing up in tsc for like one chapter isn't fan service imo bc he moved the plot along.

idk i've seen several posts of people saying they don't want to see the foxes at all in tsc trilogy but I think that's unreasonable. the trojans are an exy team. the foxes shook up the exy world A LOT last season. of course they would be mentioned.

also kevin, renee, and neil are all important people from jean's story, and they're foxes.

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[aftg-confession-blog]

i am an introject (professionally diagnosed with DID, not in the tumblr way) of riko moriyama. the way you people tell others to end themselves over fictional characters (people who enjoy me for example) or ships is actually insane. be fucking productive! you’re all shitting yourself over pixels. none of you are unique and you’re all seen as bookish nerds who got bullied. have some camaraderie.

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[aftg-confession-blog]

Being atheist I hoped to avoid going to church but this is how it feels like entering this fandom with how many puritans there is. If all you can handle is mormon bubble porn then maybe ao3 is not for you.

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[aftg-confession-blog]

I love Riko Moriyama I am so happy I had read those books and got blessed with my most special little menace. He is like fire in my lighter ever since I meet him. The idea I have of him in my head outgrew what he was in canon book so long ago. Yes I am mentally ill. All hail the king.

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