#aftg

[sunriseabram]

I think Andrew's desperation to live is a little overlooked in the fandom. It's not explicitly stated in the books, other than his SH scars, but I honestly think it is so important to understanding him and his motivations.

Did Andrew ever plan to live past graduation? Before Kevin came along and promised his life would have worth? Did he plan on disappearing when Aaron eventually walked away from him? Believing nobody would notice if he was gone?

He clung on purely for Aaron, to make sure Aaron had a bright future ahead and could go live without him. To make sure that Nicky could go back to Erik without worry.

Before Neil, Andrew didn't believe he had anything to live for. He made a very one sided deal with Kevin to find something, anything, to build his life around after graduation, believing his brother would leave him alone once again.

Because at the heart of it all, Andrew doesn't want to die. Not really.

Andrew has chronic depression and he is suicidal. He sits on the edges of roof tops to feel. He puts his life on the line again and again with little regard for his own safety. He makes promises that put him at a severe disadvantage.

His promises are what keeps him alive, what forces him to live. Dying would break his promise, and Andrew has suffered enough from broken promises.

He doesn't want to die. He wants to survive those who beat him down. He wants to move on. He wants to get better. He wants to live.

He just doesn't know how.

[hamrikaa]

Made this piece for the 2025 aftg calendar by @thefoxholefund 🥰✨️ (which you can still get until the 31. of october, so you should definitely check that out 👀 There's a lot of beautiful artwork by amazing artists in there 🙂‍↕️)

[joejhang]

andrew is so real for thinking neil is a hallucination cos now that we have outsider pov on him it's actually insane that he's a real person. like this is neil josten: he's the prettiest boy you've ever met. he's the runaway son of a serial killer. he has a million dollars but is afraid of spending money. he folds his clothes a specific way so he can tell when someone's gone through his stuff. he keeps a stalker's journal on the two greatest exy players of all time. he wears coloured contacts and they're brown. he paid a busboy $100 to knock him out cold. he insulted a celebrity athlete on live tv after trying to keep a low profile. he says he's trying to stay alive while running towards death like it's a race. he mouths off to the mafia. he respects your boundaries and is the first person ever to take you at face value and not consider you an out of control psychopath. he orders hits on your abusers. he has the most electric blue eyes you've ever seen. he looks great in clubbing clothes but dresses like he's homeless. he insults someone for their "intricate and endless daddy issues" while his father is a convicted mobster and serial killer. he didn't give a fuck when his teammate was killed. everyone seems to like him even though it's clear he's hiding a million secrets. he doesn't catch on to the many many hints you're giving him. he calls you out not for being a danger to others but for being a danger to yourself. he thinks you should be protected as well as trusting you to protect him (and you think, how can someone be a victim and a protector?). he doesn't give a flying fuck what literally anyone thinks about him. he comes back from being waterboarded and tortured and abused for weeks (to protect you) and is still as feisty and bitchy as before. except now he's a redhead and has many more scars. he is possibly the first person to ever make the active decision to protect you. he's willing to put himself in harm's way again and again and again so he won't lose you. he always has a cigarette but he never smokes. he says "you're not actually a sociopath are you?" and "the next time someone calls you soulless i might have to fight them". even though he's messy and a little oblivious he's sees you. he might be the only person to ever want you off your drugs. he wants to see you lose control, is aware that you're not out of control, you're actually so controlled and restrained all of the time and he wants to see you feel something, he wants you to be angry, be angry at him. he riles you up on purpose to see you show emotion, feel something. he's a runner and yet he's still possibly the bravest person you've ever met. he gets kidnapped and comes back even more bruised and battered than before and he's still a mouthy little shit who bitches at the press and cuts deals with the yakuza. he's most of the reason why the worst team in the nation ends up winning championships. he shoves a guy clean off his feet because they body checked you. he punched celebrity athlete riko moriyama in public, for you. he threatens him, for you. he's almost killed on live tv. he mouths off to the fbi. he watches the (second) best exy player in the world get shot. he also watches his father, notorious serial killer and gangster, get shot in front of him. and he laughs. he smiles. he kisses you and is never gonna run again and he's free and he wants to be with you, he wants you.

[millportisntreal]

Andrew Minyard

[xompeii]

I’m surprised with all we know about The Ravens now, Post TSC, why there haven’t been questions asked about raven Alumni who went Pro. Like, they’re not spewing out functional humans. They all have the same college degree. They’re terrifyingly codependent. Is anyone checking in on current Pro players who were on the ravens?

[fortheloveofexy]

finally finished this WIP 🙇‍♂️

[ouijacine]

🦊“Neil Josten let his cigarette burn to the filter without taking a drag” 🦊(1/6)

My boy, on the bleachers, unaware how hard life is about to hit him (ie Andrew with a racket)

this is the first (of six) designs I created for the @rainbowcratebookbox special edition books from Nora Sakavics (@korakos ) AFTG series!

This project has been going on since like January and I’m so happy to see people liking the endpage designs I did as I’ve been so excited for you guys to see them omg I’ve been wanting to peel off my skin

This drawing is the first one you see on the inside of the foxhole court.

Still incredibly grateful to have been trusted with this project by rainbowcrate and to work with the other fabulous artists and the fabulous author eep

[bisexual-steveharrington]

ask Neil the colour of Andrew's eyes and he could go on for hours using metaphors and adjectives and the exact pantone colour code

but ask him the colour of Aaron's eyes and he's just like idfk shit brown?

[allforthegaymes]

Neil playing striker meaning his job on the court is to prevent the ball from getting towards Andrew in the first place.

Neil who tried to prevent Prost from happening to Andrew by going to the Nest, trying to keep anything bad far away from Andrew. But instead at the Nest he’s forced to play backliner, representing that hes attempt to keep Prost from happening to Andrew failed, the ball metaphorically landing in the net.

Nicky and Aaron who play backliners, the last line of defense to try and keep the ball from getting at Andrew. Coming in later than Neil’s position as a striker, relying on Neil first to keep the ball far away, but stepping into their roles as protectors when it strikes too close.

Backliners being the players to get most aggressive, fighting with other players to protect the goalie.

Aaron being the one who brings the racket down on Drake.

Neil is there first, at the metaphorical ball, but it slipped past him, and Aaron is the one whose there to scoop it up and ricochet it back towards the other end of the court.

THE MURDER CHARGE AT LEGAL COURT REPRESENTED BY THE RED CARD ON THE EXY COURT

[cultpastorkevin]

Neil showing up to Cat & Laila’s

[snowygray]

jerejean is my soul but jeanee is my heart and kevjean is my lungs if that makes sense

[honeyedheartss]

this is insanely Kevin coded I fear

[chauves0uris]

i am sorry in advance for the person i will become the day we get new kevin day content

[joejhang]

aaron saying "neil isn't family, not with the way you look at him" further cemented my STRONG belief that even tho andrew doesn't verbally express his feelings a lot and is described as being deadpan he has the BIGGEST heart eyes for neil "pretty boy pipe dream" josten.

[millportisntreal]

Nora are you trying to murder us

[atlalasassy]

The switch between Neil to Nathaniel and then back again in The King’s Men is fucking genius but can we talk about the switch from Nathaniel to Neil in The Sunshine Court - it actually changed my life