#aaron and neil are friends

[bisexualchaosdemon]

(The Raven King, ch.14)

This one line lives in my head rent-free. Neil may be antagonistic, but he never hated Aaron. He wanted him to be happy from the beginning.

[falafels]

pt.75!! <pt.74 pt.76>

i recommend shower mango to everyone ever. ESPECIALLY if drunk

tags for the homies ❤️ @andrewsleftarmband @blurryhour @you-know-i-get-itt @notexactlythatgirl @longspacerat @tessasilverswan @minyard-05 @carbon-dated-gal @bisexualchaosdemon @stormiiflies @watercoloureyes01 @vampire-overlord @iron-sides @azure-wing @buffalo-fox @ohgodnotagainplease @pink-hydrangea @jaywalkerss @ohmynoggin-blog @cosmic-marauder @min-getoutofmy-yard @plazybones @disastersappho @leestars13 @the-witch-forever-lives @minyardsss @post-historical-posts @andabuttonnose @hidinginmyhands @aftg4l @allfor-thegames @yaoishida @inafieldofstarflowers @snowcoming @mooniism @fieldsofpoppies-in-salt-air @prometheusthedragon @graveyardviolence @bustedleftshoe @beatrix33 @aftg-bs @yes-i-exist-shutup @milktemproom @all-for-exy @moon-over-ruined-castle @meta-breakers @oneandonlystarshine @dragonslayer26806 @malepresentingleg @lesbiansforkevinday

[allfor-thegames]

the year before neil and andrew are on the same team, neil's team plays in the city where katelyn and aaron live, and they go see neil's game (katelyn insists). they have amazing seats (neil insists). during warm ups, neil saunters over closest to where they're sitting and waves happily at katelyn (who gleefully waves back) before he flips off aaron, and then neil is gone. aaron's med school friends are like wtf.

[tinmate]

The upperclassmen should keep calling Andrew’s crew “The Monsters”, not out of malice or disgust but out of genuine affection. Like yeah they’re beasts on the court and utter menaces off it, they’re little gremlins, absolutely feral, they’re the collective little brothers to the upperclassmen and no one else is ever allowed to make fun of them ever except maybe Jean who called them bastards but in the same tone with the same look in his eyes as the upperclassmen so he gets a pass

[millportisntreal]

I love thinking about Neil Aaron bestfriendism. After they get over the initial mistrust and the fact that Neil is dating Aaron’s brother, I think they could really get along. Studying together for their math and science tests in the library, ignoring Andrew trying to get their attention (because of course he doesn’t actually need to study). Aaron teaching Neil how to play Call of Duty and Legend of Zelda in Columbia. Neil volunteers to be a fake patient when Aaron is studying for his MCAT and during his first years of med school, and Aaron watches Sir and King when Andreil goes on road trips.

I think they have the kind of relationship that comes with some siblings like “we can be little shits to each other, but if someone from outside of our dynamic steps to one of us ITS ON!”

Please talk to me about Neil Aaron bestfriendism if you agree!!

[palmettoshenanigans]

You know that post on here detailing exactly how horse people become horse people through a process of extremely intentional and carefully cultivated empathic and compassionate understanding and constant self-regulation in order to keep a horse calm enough to trust you and let you ride it that ultimately results in a bond forged between man and horse so profound that of course you become a horse girl, you had no fucking chance of not?

Andrew would absolutely be amazing with horses. No I will not elaborate, if you've read AFTG then I don't need to. Give that man a ranch and some 'troubled cases' and watch that man master the equestrian art. But also,

Neil is so The Horse coded. I will continue to not elaborate, y'all know what I'm getting at.

[odetojupiter]

so, we know that abuse and victim responses to abuse are very central to aftg, but what i find interesting is how other characters respond to the victim’s reactions, especially when it comes to mourning their abuser. there’s something about kevin mourning riko, aaron mourning tilda, neil mourning mary, andrew mourning cass, thats so important to me because it really truly highlights how even when people are united through similar traumas, the differences in their situations makes it impossible to fully understand the relationship a person has to their abuser. neil, aaron, and andrew are united through the abuse, neglect, or - what the fuck is the word i’m thinking of? permit? condone? i mean, knowingly allowing it to happen and not intervening - stemming from a maternal figure. but neil can’t understand why andrew would hold on to cass for so long - he refused to let her go until aaron came into the picture. and andrew can’t understand why aaron would mourn for tilda, potentially viewing aaron’s grief as a betrayal of their promise. and they all ridicule kevin for his reactions to riko. of course, neil and andrew are also abused by riko, but they still can’t understand the complicated relationship between kevin and riko because, at the end of the day, they just weren’t there.

i mean this is primarily an observation but i really love how trauma and trauma response is depicted as nuanced, complex and overall just difficult to understand from an outsider perspective in the books. it reads as really real, and though it can be frustrating when a character doesn’t understand a different character’s response, you have to understand that their perception of said character’s response is warped by their own experience of abuse.

andrew bounced from home to home, never had stability, so obviously he held tight on to the first mother-figure that didn’t outright hurt him. his self-worth was probably low enough that he thought living with drake was a fine price to pay to keep cass.

neil only ever had his mother, and he’d willingly accept her harsh hands because he believed she was just keeping him safe from the very real dangers that were closing in on them.

aaron was dealing with an addiction, and so was his mother; he was equally dependent on her to avoid withdrawal as he was scared of her anger.

i don’t really have a point anymore but you get what i’m saying

[simonsrosebud]

I have such a huge space in my heart for Nicky Hemmick.

No, his actions of kissing neil are not excusable. I know that, but his past strikes a cord that is heartbreaking.

Nicky Hemmick, who was shunned and cast out by his parents for who he loves. Who was sent to a gay conversion camp, most likely forced to be with women, and then pretended to be straight and date women just to appease his parents. Who tried so hard to reclaim his parent’s love and was so lost and lonely and empty that he wanted to end it all. Who escaped to Germany just to get away and finally found love and acceptance.

Who gave up the life he worked so hard for to raise his two vulnerable cousins at nineteen years old. Who, instead of going back to Germany, joined them for 5 years in college just so they’d go in the first place.

Nicky, who despite his faults and nosiness, treats Neil like family and tries so hard to get in with the upperclassmen. Teaches his cousins German. Worked two jobs to stay afloat. Bought them a home. Was mugged outside a club. Stands up for the twins despite how they’ve treated him in return. Has faith that his mother may love him if he just shows her how well he’s doing. Who lets Aaron get away with his mean comments and puts up with Andrew’s violence when he could easily drop out and go back to Germany if he really wanted.

Some people see Nicky’s background as lesser when comparing the Foxes, but Nicky was drug through hell and then willingly went back for the twins. Nicky has persevered.

[jeanmoroses]

tsc social media au part five !!

barkbark is real in my heart (sorry if it doesn’t make sense chronologically i’m tired)

i love katelyn mackenzie

[dreamsbookblr]

Headcanon idea!

There is a bar in downtown Palmetto that has seen the worst of the foxes called The Foxhole Fountain. Here is random ideas of what they’re giving whenever they go.

1. Kevin has gotten messy on jet fuel (everclear and tang slushie that’s a bright orange color) and Andrew basically had to carry him back to the dorm. Mind you, Kevin went with just the intention of getting his free 21st birthday shirt and going home. (it says “I’m Legal!” With a giant fox sitting in a pint on the back). He still is not sure how he went from just wanting a free shirt to being a jet fuel victim.

2. I just know Renee loves a pickletini I can feel it in my bones. She has double fisted them.

3. Allison convinces everyone to do a round of green tea shots everytime

4. Matt is an espresso martini queen and Dan is getting draft beers and the bartenders are confused but won’t question it

5. Neil is weirdly good at trivia nights even though he does not know anything about pop culture and Nicky gets irrationally angry about it because he’s just good at guessing

6. Andrew is always the head of the “move through the bar” train because people will move out of his way the quickest

7. Aaron would rather die than have Katelyn pay for a drink. He has signed a receipt with double vision, a scribble, and a dream but dammit his queen didn’t pay for a THING

8. Erik visited Palmetto once. Nicky brought him to experience American college culture and all it did was terrify him but also kind of explain a lot about the foxes. He thinks jet fuel should be illegal. He is not wrong.

Pics of real life Clemson inspo below the cut so it’s not too annoying to scroll through. I hope Nora would appreciate me bringing the gang to Tiger Town Tavern🙏

This place has seen the best and worst of every Clemson student since 1977. Also that’s my birthday shirt for that authentic example😍

[nyaar0n]

@allforthegamebingo Advent Calendar

Day 10 - Childhood friends & Kisses on closed eyelids

[falafels]

pt.49!! <pt.48 pt.50>

last text is from andrew’s phone if that wasn’t clear

EDIT I FORGOR THE TAGS IM SORRY HOMIES

@andrewsleftarmband @blurryhour @you-know-i-get-itt @notexactlythatgirl @longspacerat @tessasilverswan @minyard-05 @carbon-dated-gal @bisexualchaosdemon @stormiiflies @watercoloureyes01 @vampire-overlord @iron-sides @azure-wing @buffalo-fox @ohgodnotagainplease @pink-hydrangea @jaywalkerss @ohmynoggin-blog @cosmic-marauder @min-getoutofmy-yard @plazybones @disastersappho @leestars13 @the-witch-forever-lives @minyardsss @post-historical-posts @andabuttonnose @hidinginmyhands @aftg4l @allfor-thegames @kaleidoskuls @inafieldofstarflowers @snowcoming @mooniism @jeanmoreausautismstickers @prometheusthedragon @graveyardviolence @bustedleftshoe @beatrix33 @aftg-bs @yes-i-exist-shutup @milktemproom

[jostenian]

Genuinely need to know what it is about Aaron and Neil not liking each other that makes you guys so viscerally uncomfortable… if i had a nickel for every time i saw a post on here that went “aaron and neil are best friends actually fuck the gossip… i know this is a really unpopular take” despite it being an extremely popular opinion i would have enough money to buy AFTG from Nora Sakavic and write a sequel series about them killing each other.

[theheathenousfish]

Aftg as things my friends and I have said

Neil: so, what do you like?

Andrew: knives

Neil: kinky

Kevin: at least I’m doing better than that *points to Aaron drinking his fifth energy drink*

Aaron: fuck you

Wymack: how old do you think I am?

Neil: you know what a vhs is! You’re old!

Abby: don’t get yourself killed

Andrew: what if I do it myself

Abby:…… I’m calling bee

Neil: *drunk* look at the baby

Andrew: I’m older than you

Neil: shhh baby

[millportisntreal]

This is Aaron and Neil to me

[that-vampire-loser]

Pro aaron neil friendship forever