#i hate tilda so fucking much

[bisexualchaosdemon]

So, I was thinking about how Andrew was in the car with Tilda when he wrecked it and how he could have gotten hurt and I just– Can you imagine if Andrew went deaf in one ear or something?

Like, he for sure wouldn't say anything about it. Aaron hates his guts, and he barely knows Nicky. Why would he bother telling either of them? He probably figures it could be temporary at first, but when he starts to think it might be permanent, he still says nothing about it. It's not like they would care, right?

So he would say nothing. People just think he's this asshole that ignores people (and, sure, sometimes he is ignoring them because people be fucking annoying) but half the time he just legitimately doesn't hear them. None of the Foxes notice. The staff don't either, since Andrew always keeps his hearing ear towards them. It causes issues, sure, but it's not like anyone would be able to fix it, so Andrew still stays quiet. But Neil figures it out.

It takes him a while, but he eventually notices that Andrew always sits on a certain side or has to turn to face Neil when he hasn't quite managed to pick up what he said. He starts watching and realises that he does it with the others too, and he's much more likely to completely ignore someone speaking to his left.

One day, when the monsters are hanging out, Neil finally decides to ask:

Neil decided to speak up during a lull in a conversation that Andrew was totally zoned out of. "Drew?"

"Hmm?" It's subtle, but Andrew definitely turned his right side slightly more towards Neil.

"Can you not hear out of your left ear?" Neil asked, and Andrew just blinked at him for a moment.

"Neil, what are you talking about?" Kevin shot him a confused look.

"I'm deaf in my left ear." Andrew said to answer them both.

"What??" Nicky looked startled. "Since when?"

Andrew considered that for a moment. "Since about a week before we met."

"Hold up," Aaron held up a hand. "Are you telling us you have been deaf in one ear since the crash?"

"Yes."

"And you didn't think to maybe say something about it?!"

Andrew shrugged. "I didn't think you would care." It wasn't a jab, it was just the truth.

"Andrew–" Nicky spluttered a little. "Of course we care!"

"Telling you doesn't really make a difference." Andrew said, glossing over his own surprise at how much his family seemed to genuinely care about him. "The hearing loss doesn't just go away because you know about it."

"No," Neil agreed. "But there are things we can do to help."

And they do. They all make small adjustments, simple things that make Andrew's life easier. He and Neil even learn ASL together. It increases the amount Andrew calls them all annoying ten-fold, but he secretly appreciates it.

[palmettoshenanigans]

HERE'S WHY I LOVE ANDREIL SO MUCH

Their main language - one no one else seems to speak (except maybe Renee and Bee?? which would explain why Neil finds their vibes off putting and why they're the ones able to get close to Andrew like that) - is the language of Technicalities and Semantics. But here's the thing: when you speak Technicalities and Semantics, its all in the subtext and the text. But you don't assume everyone is going to be literate in text and have the wherewithal to also delve into the subtext! You can't! Because people don't really do that, at least not with the level of intention that Andrew and Neil do.

Example: "I should hope so."

Imagine this, pretend Riko is alive. He gets into a car accident, and he survives unscathed. His car takes the brunt of it. Someone during a press conference relays this to Neil and says, "But Riko is okay!"

Neil smiles, exercises the bare minimum of his PR training and says, "I should hope so."

But, notice. He said he should hope so. Not that he would hope so.

"I would hope so" means I'm suppose to hope that this person is okay according to moral standards, and I do

"I should hope so" means I'm suppose to hope this person is okay according to moral standards, but I don't

God forbid someone asks further questions about his feelings on the matter. No one would take "Technically I said-" seriously because people don't normally play that game. The technical differences between 'would' and 'should' lack relevant meaning in this context because that's a meta-level conversation and no one has time for that kind of tit for tat - except Andrew.

Let's do another one: "Did you need something?"

Someone comes up to Neil and he says, full of suspicion, "Did you need something?" They say yes and tell him their needs, then he directs them to someone who can fulfill them. But - they argue - they were asking him for help and he offered!

"No," he says, "I asked if you needed something; never said I'd be the one to do anything about it."

And that's why (in this hypothetical) Neil specifically said "Did you need something?" and not "Can I help you?" because he wasn't going to help you anyway so why offer it, even if you'd never meant to ask? Because just like he can trap someone with his words, someone else can trap him with his own words.

And as a writer whose Special Interest is Language and how it can be manipulated, I LOVE THAT!!!

An aspect of why and how Andrew and Neil fell for each other was because they both speak this language. Technicalities and Semantics. That's why Neil understood more about Tilda than Aaron. It's why Andrew understood the weight of 'Abram'. It's why "Nothing" and "I hate you" spoke more volumes to them than any soft words ever could have. It's why "Stay" was able to bring Neil back from the brink. It's why what they don't say is just as important as what they do because "never said yes" == "no" and "never said no" =/= "yes" are obvious to them but not to others!

And its why they throw their words back at each other from past encounters! Because "we both know what you said and we both know what you meant, and we both know that this applies here too and i'm going to prove it by quoting you directly, check mate now kiss me hypocrite" is their fucking LOVE LANGUAGE FIGHT ME RIGHT NOW

Listen to the actual words coming out of their mouth, pay attention to their technical meanings, and be willing to also parse the subtext, and you will be fluent in Andreil forever.

[yourleftpinkytoe-blog]

Pinkytoe’s top ten Aftg hot takes

Read with caution I’m very passionate about my thoughts and did not hold back on my opinions. This is not an attack on people who think differently it is me putting my perspective out there.(with some harsh wording)

1: The rift in Andrew and Aaron’s relationship is just as much Aaron’s fault as it is Andrew’s.

A lot of the time I see people framing Aaron as Andrew’s victim which is a weird interpretation of their relationship to me. It’s not just Andrew controlling Aaron, it is also Aaron fundamentally not understanding that Andrew is a person who has thoughts and feelings. Aaron fundamentally doesn’t understand that Andrew is not doing everything in his power to hurt Aaron he’s just trying not to lose Aaron. So with that understanding Aaron goes out of his way to hurt Andrew like aaron thinks he’s doing to him. The whole dynamic is toxic but neither is exclusively the perpetrator or the victim. The deal is a double edged sword and when people pretend otherwise it feels like it’s doing a disservice to the reality of the situation.

2: Erasing Aaron’s homophobia is not the take that some people think it is.

I see a lot of people making claims that Aaron isn’t homophobic he just doesn’t like hearing about his family’s sex lives. But I feel like people are blinded by their love of his character to see that his homophobia is a character flaw of his. He was raised by Tilda. Tilda was raised with Luther. It would not surprise me if she saw extremely homophobic. Also it takes place in 2006/7 casual homophobia was so fucking rampant… obviously he’s gonna have some uncomfortable opinions on gay people. But being homophobic is not a permanent state of being he can and probably will grow from where he is in canon. Pretending his comments in canon arn’t what they are is taking a layer from his characterization.(plus a layer from the rift in Andrew and Aaron’s relationship is Aaron’s homophobia soooo)

3: Thea was not nearly as bad as some people make her out to be and the whole situation reeks of racism

Yall I said it once and I’ll say it again. THEA AND KEVIN DIDNT START DATING TILL KEVIN WAS A COLLAGE FRESHMAN AND SHE WAS A SINIOR. They were both consenting adults who were in the same shitty traumatizing situation. Stop saying she’s a pedo stop acting like her being mad that he practically cut her out of his life for a year is unjustified. there relationship doesn’t seem perfect but it is not how some people portray it. Stop ur being racist to the only canon black woman!

4: all the hate that the fandom has for Thea should be amplified and given to Roland.

Now let’s see… Roland was 23 when he and a 16 year old Andrew started hooking up. Now that’s some pedo shit. Not only that, but Roland was if fucking boss at the time. Andrew had to tie Roland down in order to make Roland not touch him. You know the teenager he’s hooking up with. I said it once and I’ll say it again, fuck that bitch he’s a shitty shitty person who deserves all the hate the fandom could give him.

5: Hating Riko and thinking he got what was coming for him in the end and understanding that he’s a victim in his own way are not mutually exclusive. I can hate that fucker and still feel bad for him.

I think I explained this in the description well enough

6: Neil’s demisexuality/demiromatisism is non-negotiable. That shit is an important part of his character and erasing it for the sake of shipping is weird as hell.

I can’t even count the amount of times I’ve seen people just take away Neil’s demi identity’s because they want to read about him fucking everyone except the one character he’s been show to have romantic/sexual feelings for. Like I’ve seen people so upset he didn’t end up with Kevin and I’m just like yeah… cause he’s not into Kevin. Makes sense to me. I see so much…

*insert quote about how Neil have and idol like admiration for Kevin and his exy skills*

“Omg Neil wants to fuck Kevin sooooo bad it’s canon*

Like honestly ship whatever but don’t try to change the canon to justify it. Have your fun stop being stupid.

7: While Nicky’s actions in the first book inexcusable, the rampant mischaracterization of him to make him worse than canon is not cool.

This isn’t as big of an issue to me but I see people portraying Nicky as like an actual sexual predator and not just a person who lacks understanding of personal boundaries. What he did to Neil is super fucked up and I’m not excusing him (or anything he did in the first book tbh) but changing him to make the situation more back and white than it is is odd to me.

8: on a similar topic you can not compare what Nicky did in Columbia to what Andrew did.

Andrew had a justified reason for what he did. He is protecting Kevin from the fucking mafia and this shady Kid shows up with a stalker binder and a shit ton of money all while looking like he came off the street. It’s suspicious as hell. Also I want to add that he is on mind and mood altering drugs. The situation is fucked and looking at it from Neil’s perspective it’s even more so cause we know he is not involved in a malicious way, but Andrew didn’t. He acted with every justification while Nicky did not, the only reason Nicky did what he did is cause he wanted to. Both are not good but you can’t compare the two.

9: While kevins alcoholism is not good, the way his fans frame it is grossly misrepresenting the situation.

In the books Kevin is not in a mental state to handle getting sober on top of everything else. His alcoholism is bad and everyone knows it but it is the only thing getting him through things without causing him to shut down. It’s not good but if it’s what he needs to get through this then that’s what he needs. When he’s not in the middle of a mob war he’ll be in a better position to handle himself without alcohol. He’s not a helpless bbg he’s a grown man just trying to get by and if it helps it helps.

10: I do not get the hype around Kevin.

This might be my most controversial take tbh…Like he’s a cool character. And I love him as much as the other foxes but I don’t understand the recent wave of him getting babygirlified. Is it the queen symbolism? Is it just cause he’s conventionally attractive? Is it cause that one scene in the kings men where he was cunty as fuck? No clue.

but yall have fun I may not get it but it is entertaining as shit

[hmmm-shesucks]

I think one of the reasons, among the already overflowing list of reasons, Andrew hated Tilda so much isn’t because she gave him up or even because she hurt Aaron, but because she's so similar to Cass; it hurt to look at her. He hated her because he would have preferred her abuse over Cass's willful ignorance. Because he knew without a doubt that if Tilda had even suspected someone had hurt Aaron the same way Drake and all those other men hurt Andrew, she would have killed them. Tilda was an abusive piece of shit, but she loved Aaron in some fucked up way that meant only she could hurt him and no one else. Andrew would have preferred that kind of love over whatever the fuck Cass gave him because at least then he'd have understood it. Maybe he wouldn't be so mad at Aaron for loving Tilda back. Because no matter how hard Andrew tried, he couldn't love anyone, especially not Cass, back.

Idk if this make sense the way it does in my head but I had to share 😂

[oatmeal-stans-the-trash-rat]

The Sides Are Dorks, Part 389534

I was wondering why the Sanders Sides tag was trending earlier, and then I saw. the Video. Anyway, here's my thoughts while watching the new vid (in list format) bc I haven't done this in a while.

[it's gonna be LONG knowing me]

"I would never be caught dead in a bowtie" *cuts to when Janus literally wore a bowtie in canon*

"yeah and I deserve it" -> ha mood

"Wrong, I ate an entire bottle of melatonin gummies" -> Patton. Patton, no.

"I could switch to green tea, and I'll still be a bitch!" -> also mood

hey. hey why you do that. why would you say that. (aka: Roman is offended by the mustache comparison)

"Where is my ruler" -> PLEASE it'd be so fucking funny

Virgil really be like "WRONG! I use the tildas you faker" (/j) (/lh)

Patton starts listing off every appliance that has heat stuff and I cannot. I CANNOT--

^and then there's the fridge. what did Fridge ever do to you? where's the lorreee

"wholesome friendship" // "how many holes we talkin'" -> yeah that makes sense

"No, he's just not worth an attack" -> Logan sounds like he's thought about this before

Roman Unscrews Imaginary Lightbulb, reaction is a family-friendly version of "Listen here, you little shit"

"get him" -> Virgil hates that Anxiety so much

Emile Picani Joins the Ranks of Rat Man by Sleeping in the Buff. it's canon now.

"It's no one's business what bites me" -> Janus. Janus, the implications. Janus--

Patton reveals Logan's secret: Love for Donuts, feat. wiggly fingers

"Which is rude...because I am not young" -> also Sheldon is missing The Tie, which is essential for Serious Smart People (I guess)

Roman likes My Little Pony

"No, I didn't--" // "He did!" // "He definitely did." -> LMAO the Others confirming that Virgil had a meme phase

Ah yes: The Sponsor Section

Patton being like "some cookies are bad??" is funny to me lol

"--vaccuums" // "No" // "ignore that last one" -> goddamnit Patton (/pos)

"There sneaky people out there" *cuts to Janus*

Roman loves Barbie movies. Barbie Movie? whatever, he likes Barbie

"war against the evil cookies" // "wait--" -> haha. this is why I believe in Intruality so much

"I dropped another laptop in the toliet" -> another one?

conclusion: Patton and Remus are both accident-prone. an Intruality win. also they interacted for like, 2 seconds. another Intruality win

Sponsor Ends!

"ACTUALLY it was four times. bitch." (Sleep, basically)

okay but like. when the glasses are on the head, it's like they're invisible. I say as someone who loses their glasses, only to find them in stupidly obvious places. also mood

Virgil DEFINITELTY watched Patton do this for five minutes before he said anything

Roman is in love with his sword, Exhibit D

^(D is for--)

Logititties. that's all

Janus really said "wanna go, bitch?"

also: "I wouldn't be caught dead in a fish fight. I would poison you" -> ah, of course, a snake with style (/j)

"calculator is computer" // "that's technically correct, actually" -> where's the Logicality enjoyers when you need them

Roman Rage Quits at Roblox. also Insecurity

"bitch, I'm not that out there" -> this helps deduce the scale of What The Fuck Is Remus's Normal At

"True...or is it false?" -> he loves fucking with people, doesn't he?

"yeah" -> he sounds so resigned, nooo :(

Endcard Moment: Logan loves jelly-filled donuts

and that's it, folks! This was lovely. Silly gay personality traits.

[starsandgutters]

ok, look, give me a fake dating with kevaaron and my life will be YOURS. (Please)

okay, LISTEN- 😭

It’s actually a travesty I haven’t written this already considering it’s like my fave trope ever. Like I want to read the fake dating KevAaron fic I would write too fr LMAO

I actually !! Have !! A loose !! Concept !! For one !! But I haven’t written anything yet so I cannot offer you an excerpt for WIP Wed 😔 I can give the overview tho

Set when Aaron’s in med school/maybe his residency, and Kevin is playing pro.

Also welcome to the SALU (Shannen’s Aaron’s Literary Universe) where a Frequent Fixture is now his hugely queer biology study/friend group that Katelyn dragged him into. Like, as much as I am a big believer in Aaron & Seth & Matt being bros if given the chance, the unfortunate reality of the situation is Seth’s being deceased before they made amends makes that quite difficult in canon settings. And Aaron is just too much of a skeptic to be cracking the ouija out. Now with Matt, I think they did get on really well when they were roomies, but their lives head in separate directions after college. So. I want Aaron to have friends. That are not connected to his family. And I use OCs very sparingly as I know the reason people come to fanfic is for familiarity and characters they already know/love, but Bio Bunch™️ were well received and consequently I will be recycling them forever thanks (Aaron dated nurse Dylan in my sapphic WIP, Miles’ family adopted Jean and Elodie in my KevNeil AU so now he’s Jean’s lil brother, like literally they’re my standby bonus characters now)

All this to say. Aaron very much appreciates having friends. He was not very good at making them when he was little and going through the worst of Tilda’s abuse, and his teens were lost to a haze of drugs and pain where he had people he would speak to at school/on the team, but no one he was really friends with. Then he gets a brother! But oh no. Andrew doesn’t want him to have friends either and also Aaron kind of feels like he hates him so he’s still alone ☹️ - so to finally be at a point in his life where he has a close knit group of friends, people who actually like him and want to spend time with him for some reason!, it means a lot to him. He would not want to risk damaging those friendships. Especially because he’s not sure how to make new ones, he kind of just absorbed these ones via osmosis through Katelyn.

Which is why he panics when Dylan asks him out.

“Do you have a girlfriend?” he had asked, and Aaron, thinking nothing of it, had said: “No.” Because he doesn’t. He hasn’t dated anyone since Katelyn. Like, he’s been on his med school GRIND, y’know? Who has the time. And who can compare to her anyway?

“Would you maybe like to go out with me sometime?” Dylan then said, and listen, it’s not like Aaron is proud of what he did, but he panicked. He saw his friendless future flash in front of his eyes because he hurt Dylan’s feelings and it’s all awkward between them now and Aaron ends up iced out because he wrecked the vibe, and he panicked!!!

“Oh. Uh. I have a boyfriend though.”

And why the fuck did he even say that what the fuck what the fuck?!

But y’know it worked because Dylan got a sad little smile but nodded and said “lucky guy” and Aaron was like PHEW! Y’know, bullet DODGED! Except somehow this gets around their group, because wow one thing about having friends is apparently you’re not allowed secrets 🙄 (not that his relationship would usually be a secret but considering it is NONEXISTENT he would have appreciated people NOT KNOWING)

Of course Katelyn is on him like a rash because when has she ever let him get away with anything ever there is no peace in this world for him as long as they share space (he loves her more than anything). Immediately quizzing him on WHO he could be dating, because she knows he doesn’t really talk to anyone outside their friend group (because she knows everything about him shit how is he going to lie to her), and she is DYING to know who he has been hiding! (Like shit Kate me too guess we’re gonna find out together)

Consequently the panic continues as he speed skims through his mental catalogue of all the people he has ever actually communicated with who are not A) his family or B) already in committed relationships. And, listen, ok, here’s the thing. There are just not an awful lot of people in Aaron’s life who fit the cross reference of those categories. Really the only person he can think of is Kevin, and then he’s blurting out his name before the consequences of that action occur to him (🦋🦋🦋) because Katelyn KNOWS Kevin so there really should have been a C) someone Katelyn doesn’t know (though on reflection Aaron’s search results would have thrown up entirely blank with this addition)

“Aw, you always did have a crush on him.”

“What are you talking about?” No, because what is she talking about??? “No I didn’t.”

“You’re dating him now, why are you getting so defensive?”

He’s not getting defensive. He just thinks it’s an absolutely insane implication to suggest he has or ever will have feelings for Kevin Day. Except he can’t say that. Since that’s his fictional boyfriend now. Fictional on the boyfriend part. Kevin Day is unfortunately very real. A fact that has plagued Aaron’s existence ever since Wymack first brought that broken stray back to PSU.

Enter Kevin, truly baffled by this entire situation.

“Why didn’t you just tell him you’re not interested in guys?”

“Well, Katelyn knows I’m bi, so I couldn’t say that. Maybe he asked her first. Or she might mention it if it comes up.”

“Wait, you’re bi? Since when?”

“Since birth probably, can we focus on the actual issue at hand here.”

But like. This is Aaron. Aaron has never particularly been one to mince words. Kevin doesn’t know why he doesn’t just tell Dylan he’s not into him. Kevin’s been on the receiving end of Aaron’s attitude and bad manners more than often enough. 🤨 But after the truly painful and pitiful display of Extremely Emotionally Constipated Asshole Aaron Minyard trying to explain his newfound value for the Powers of Friendship, Kevin eventually agrees to be his fake date to a party with his friends. Like, whatever. It’s a small event with some med students, it’s not like they even have to be overly affectionate, or that this will get out anywhere. Then they can use Kevin’s busy work schedule as a reason he’s never around, and after a few months Aaron will just pretend they broke up. Easy.

Except photos get leaked to the media, outing Kevin. Instead of the career suicide he expects, he actually gets positive feedback. His PR rep encourages him to bring Aaron to a charity gala for a children’s mental health charity, thinking it could be positive rep for the kids to see a happy older queer couple as queer kids have higher rates of mental health issues. The team are doing some outreach with the actual kids before the gala - going down to play some games with them - Kevin doesn’t expect Aaron to come to this. He can just show up to the event, y’know, it’s basically just a free night out. They’ll just postpone their fake break up another couple of months.

But Aaron is like, uhm, excuse me. Did you even think to ask if I would want to come along to meet the kids? You know I’m going into peds, right? I’d much rather come hang out with the kids than have to rub shoulders with your snotty famous rich friends all night. Of course I’m coming to both of them.

So Aaron does come. Where Kevin is awkward and fumbling and never quite sure of the right thing to say (he never interacted with kids even when he was one???), Aaron is a natural. He’s excellent with them. They all love him within the first ten minutes, and it’s weird, because who is this? This is not an Aaron that Kevin knows. This is not a side of him he’s ever seen at school or around their family. It’s making Kevin feel all weird inside. In SOFT and GUSHY ways.

So they go to the Gala and both get a little tipsy, and whoops. Of course everyone thinks they’re a couple, so they’ve been given a room with one bed (because one bed trope supremacy ALSO 🙏🏻). Kevin thinks Aaron’s gonna be mad or upset, but Aaron’s giggly as he undresses. Which. Oh. Okay. Usually Aaron had weird hang ups about changing outside of the locker rooms. But now he’s. Shirtless. And his body has changed since college. Obviously. He doesn’t spend five days a week training anymore. He’s still kept some of his muscle in his arms and shoulders, and his legs have always been naturally strong, but he’s gotten a bit softer. Which Kevin realises he actually quite likes. And. Oh. Shit. Okay. He might actually be a bit attracted to Aaron. But. That’s fine. That won’t be a problem, right?

Right? 😐

ANYWAY THAT’S ALL I GOT FOR NOW. I simply can’t start another WIP until I finish some of the ones I got running. Like it would be fine if I could write things of a MODERATE length but I’ve never been chill about anything ever in my life and it’s too late to start now so I write excessively and I just. Cannot risk not finishing things by starting something else.

BUT SOME DAY. MAYBE. PROBABLY.

[lolhex12]

i'm probably extremely late to the party but i just realized how deep Andrew's sacrifice and Aaron's betrayal go when it come to the Twinyard's dynamic like??

Andrew, after having spent years alone in the foster system and suffering through the trauma that comes with it, he finally found Cass, a woman who genuinely cared about him and wanted to be his mother - someone he was willing to sell his soul (and body) to the devil for and endure the abuse Drake put him through bc that was just the price he had to pay for Cass' love, care and kindness. all bc he dared being selfish and wanting something for himself for once. he loved her and wanted her love back so bad to the point he would cut himself to cope with being in that house when Cass wasn't looking.

after accepting this new reality of his and resigning himself to the pain (psychological, emotional, physical and self-inflicted), he found out he had a twin brother who looks EXACTLY like him yet got to live a (to his knowledge) stable loving life with their birth mother. that Andrew got thrown away while his carbon copy had everything.

he hated the revelation so he put it out of his mind, went back to Cass' where Drake found out abt Aaron and ran his mouth abt having both twins for himself and... it's not like Andrew hated nor loved or felt any kind of attachment to his brother (who was still basically a stranger to him), and yet he knew, bone-deep, that 1) no one deserved to go through what Andrew had (especially someone 'untouched' (so to speak) who looked like him; as in, the picture in Andrew's mind resembled a young, still innocent, 7y/o Andrew who had not yet fully grasped or learned how to deal with just how cruel the world could be when thinking abt Aaron in the same position), and 2) he didn't want to give Drake the satisfaction.

so, Andrew, after having endured however long Drake's abuse in Cass' household and cutting himself to cope with it, all for the right to stay with her, he gave it all up when he received Aaron's letter asking to meet and rejecting the offer with a 'fuck off' bc he could not risk Aaron getting too close and going through anything remotely similar. he didn't owe his brother anything, nor had they made a deal by that point, yet Andrew, despite not really knowing Aaron, could not risk getting him into his own shit. and so, all those years of pain and sacrifice Andrew had to endure went down the drain bc he wanted to protect a stranger wearing his face, out of his own volition.

Andrew then did sth that landed him in juvie and thought everyone's safe now bc Drake can't get to Aaron anymore, until Aaron visited Andrew in juvie and Andrew noticed the bruises on Aaron's arms and Andrew realized Aaron might not be as safe as he'd thought after all.

ALL that pain and sacrifice thrown away to protect his twin and the fucker still wasn't safe?? mother dearest count your days.

so he got out of juvie early on good behavior (which was a bitch to manage but what was he to do when he had to leave to protect his brother?) and adopted into the Minyard household to see who was hurting his stranger of a brother, for whom Andrew has already given so much up?

Aaron, as we know, agreed to Andrew's deal, not expecting his brother to commit matricide bc of it. a deal which to Andrew seemed simple enough: 'l'll protect you and help you get into med school and become a doctor and all you have to do is stick together with me' (aka not let anyone (women in particular) get between us).

so, after all that sacrifice, after sacrifice, after putting his life on the line by participating in Tilda's car accident, getting his brother clean, curating his friend group to a drug-free environment (later also putting his own reputation with the team on the line by violently getting matt clean for the same reason), getting him a scholarship to get into med school and become a doctor (as agreed), THIS FUCKER could not even hold up his own end of the deal while Andrew literally checked every box and then some for his idiot ungrateful brother.

meanwhile it took Aaron seeing Andrew get sa'd, killing his abuser, and years of joint therapy to begin to comprehend just how much Andrew endured, sacrificed, risked and overall did for him without Aaron even realizing. bc Andrew doesn't do what he does for recognition or gratitude, he does it bc that's what's been agreed to.

---

this is not meant to diss Aaron's character but simply put the entire situation into perspective from Andrew's POV. like, no offence to Aaron but Andrew legit bent over backwards for him and Aaron's response was just "ure a psycho, i choose Katelyn" (or at least that's how Andrew viewed it)

all that being said, Andrew definitely could've communicated the situation and his intentions better, or at least explain how much those deals really meant to him, but unfortunately he wasn't quite there yet (if ever) <- in other words: it wasn't Aaron's nor Andrew's fault. shit's just shit sometimes ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[writtenicarus]

tw - mentions of abuse, drugs and genuinely any aaron-related trauma themes

ah yes, welcome back to part two of me ranting about the forgotten trauma of our favourite underrated aftg characters who the fandom absolutely shits on, this time, aaron. oh boy. before i begin, anybody seeing this who hates aaron and just will definitely die if they don't urgently disagree with me in the comments, your hates just gonna be deleted but thanks for boosting my post. anyways.

okay so let's start with the first claim that is always so hastily thrown around. "but aaron is homophobic!" okay, so, considering the fact you apparently all ignore seth's actions, when does aaron ever say the f slur? of course he expresses disgust when his cousin makes sexual comments to another guy around him. they're literally related, we all would. neil's gender was not relevant at all.

in fact, when, in actuality has aaron ever canonically spoken about gay people as a collective? because..reading yknow the LITERAL BOOKS he does not.

another thing aaron haters wanna jump on is "he is a dick!" and then..love andrew? now i love both my twinyards here but who are you to call aaron a dick and then get on ur knees for andrew who drugged neil without his consent. this isn't andrew slander, but you guys have really iffy standards. like boohoo you don't like him? HE DOESN'T LIKE YOU LMAO? you think he would care??

now let's get into his trauma and how much that is overlooked. i think people can understandably connect with andrew more and get pissed when aaron has his issues with him and neil but let's remember that aaron walked in on his brother being assaulted by another man. he is obviously going to be an asshole to any man who wants any form of non-platonic interactions with his brother out of worry for the foreseeable future.

what we usually forget is that aaron was raised on drugs and violence and abuse. his mother abused him, beat him and tormented him his entire life. of course his first response to everything is hostility.

another thing is his attitude towards tilda: it is literally 1000% normal to love your abuser idk why that is even a fucking question but yes you can

overall i just think he is treated so unfairly.

he isn't an asshole, he is a brother and a friend and a cousin and he's trying his best.

we need to appreciate him more man.

also "andrew is hotter tho" THEY'RE IDENTICAL

[graveyardviolence]

helloooo I am here to interrogate u for lore abt arden, ur oc, because I recently found out abt ur minyard sibling au and i usually eat that shi up soooo, may I please know more about him???

YES??? hi whoever you are you’re in my good graces i love when ppl ask abt my ocs

Arden Kinsley Minyard, raised by one Joseph Alan Minyard. Tilda basically dropped them off at Joe’s door a couple days after giving birth and never looked back. Arden is in their senior year when Wymack is looking for people to scout. At first glance their file isn’t much to look at. Mediocre playing skills, pretty fast and adaptable but that’s all they seen to bring to the table. But when Wymack looks closer he just knows he cant ignore them. They’re a Minyard, and upon questioning the twins and nicky, one that nobody knew about.

Ardens dad, Joe, is in the air force (yes Arden is a military brat), so Arden is raised on an air force base. They move around frequently, never staying in one place for too long, and during Arden’s developmental years they stick around the south, until Arden is around 7 or so, when they begin to branch out more. It’s not until they’re fifteen, living in the north east, that an incident occurs that puts Joe in prison, leaving Arden to be taken in by their best friend’s family.

They run their mouth more than they play exy

they can mimic any move another player makes without a problem

He hates pickles and onions and other vegetables and throughout most of his childhood his dad had to blend vegetables to get them into his diet

He picks at the skin on his hand so he wears bandaids to keep from bleeding

He has severe insomnia and most nights he doesn’t sleep

He has fucked up red converse that he’s been wearing since he was twelve bc he never grew out of them

He smokes weed

he has a caffeine addiction

He’s prone to random bouts of nausea and will faint/pass out

He gets the allergy injection bc he’s almost deathly allergic to cats but a kitten chased him down and crawled up his leg when he was sixteen and he’s always had a bleeding heart for strays. He hates grocery shopping but bc of his photographic memory he’s always sent out to get them. He’s jumped out of a moving car because he was angry. He lies to people for fun. He’s considered the friendliest Minyard, which he finds outlandish. Robin becomes like his little sister. He enjoys arguing with Kevin, and loves watching his partner air everyone out. He’s got three lobe piercings in each ear, he’s got four tattoos and plans on getting more.

He’s the type to sit out when theres a thunderstorm and get soaked by the rain. He’s definitely been swimming while it was storming. He’s got a vertical labret piercing and a nose ring. he wants an eyebrow piercing. His relationship with his gender is shitty at best and detached at worst. They have sharp teeth. He’s got scars from falling and scraping his knees. He’s had to get stitches after splitting his head open. He’s terrified of undergoing surgery despite knowing getting top surgery would probably put him in a better spot mentally.

Every weekend he sends a letter to his dad updating him on everything that’s happened throughout the week. The first time he goes to Eden’s he gets so drunk he passes out. When he wakes up it’s the next morning and Aaron is flipping his shit bc he thinks Arden has alcohol poisoning. It’s the most fun Arden has had since his sophomore year Homecoming.

His relationship with the twins is tricky. He loves them. He doesn’t know who they are. He’d rather die than be separated from them. He sometimes wishes he’d never met them. Andrew is who he could be. Is everything he’s not, is everything he is. He doesn’t know how to talk to them, but he wants to. He wants, so much that it aches beneath his ribs. He aches for what they could’ve been and mourns something that’s never existed. He’ll defend them to the ends of the earth. He’ll fight for them always. They’re his.

He clings to Nicky and his brightness. He sits with Kevin and Neil and watches exy games despite not caring for the game because he knows it’s important to them. He holds Robin’s hand when she’s upset. He and Renee color in coloring pages together and hang them up on Abbie’s fridge. He and Alison watch drama series together and talk shit afterwards. He goes with Dan and Matt to watch new releases at movie theaters. He cant stand Jack and Sheena together or individually but occasionally they’ll all sit in the living room together and watch cartoons during the early hours of the day.

let me stop before this gets out of hand

[communistkenobi]

okay i'm very curious to hear your thoughts on snowpiercer because i hated that movie when it first came out too but i haven't seen it since and i've been wondering lately if i need to reevaluate it

I was told that movie had an extremely basic and obvious premise, that the train was a metaphor for capitalism, that it was going to directly deal with climate change as a result of capitalism, so it was going to be one of those movies that hits you over the head with its theme. so I’m like ok cool I’ll watch it. But it doesn’t make sense as a metaphor for capitalism because it’s formulated in a fundamentally stupid way - the underclass, who are allegorised to be undocumented people (they boarded the train without a ticket) kinda just sit around doing nothing lol? They are provided for by the upper classes and are only occasionally called upon to do very particular types of labour (ie the guy who knows how to play a musical instrument). Yes their lives aren’t great, but they have a lot of free time to just like, plan revolts lol. That’s just like an offensively incorrect way to depict labour exploitation and wealth inequality. It’s also just kind of racist and weird about non-white characters, and I don’t like Chris Evans as an actor very much so I just was not a fan of that whole set up lol. Like by default I’m not going to care about a white guy revolutionary helping non-white people, and the movie did nothing to make that compelling. There’s other stuff I really disliked about the movie but it’s been a while since I watched it so I’m struggling to remember. I enjoyed Tilda Swinton’s character at least, she was really good at being an evil english politician.

And if it’s not about capitalism, if it’s just about some fucked up fictional society that lives on a train, then it’s a movie that says nothing and is about nothing, that ends with crashing the train in the frozen wasteland that is earth. It was just especially shocking bc I’d watched Parasite beforehand and enjoyed it, but Snowpiercer fucking sucks lol

[paracosmicparadox]

So I've been seeing a lot of Nicky hate lately and I'm not a fan of it, so Nicky hype post here we go.

I feel like people tend to forget that, just like every other person on the team, Nicky had it rough before (and even during!) his time with the Foxes. Like, the whole deal with growing up in a non-accepting and homophobic family and still, despite everything, LOVING them and hoping endlessly that they'll accept him eventually bc they RAISED him; it's not that simple to just count to ten and stop loving the people who gave you life, and he struggles with the psychological effects of that. It's rough trying to balance family and religion and love and logic all at once when they each seem hellbent on destroying each other---that's a heavy fuckin' load to carry for anyone.

ALSO! He KNOWS what it's like to hit rock bottom; to hit hopelessness and yet continue to put in effort, bc no matter what, he holds onto the hope of better days. He came close to killing himself in high school, but after flying out to Germany, leaving his home-turned-hell behind, and meeting Erik, who cared about him for who he was and showed him an easier way to carry his troubles and balance the turmoils in his life without letting them pull him under, he realized how much light in the world there truly was to live for.

And then there were his cousins. Once he got word of Aaron and Andrew's situation, he left his sanctuary in Germany behind to go and pitch in a helping hand. (And somewhere in the series he confesses guilt over the fact that he hesitated before flying back to the city that had raised him on fear!! Like, babe, you were under NO OBLIGATION to do what you did for your family, but you DID IT ANYWAY OUT OF THE GOODNESS OF YOUR HEART!! No guilt necessary!!) Nicky practically handled the drama of his cousins' early life without Tilda singlehandedly. The deal with Aaron's locked-in-the-bathroom sobriety, Andrew's apathy and cynicism, the duo's general assholery (I love them too and I say this with fondness in my heart), BUYING AN ENTIRE HOUSE AND WORKING MULTIPLE JOBS TO KEEP HIMSELF AND HIS COUSINS AFLOAT LIKE JESUS FUCK. He's willing to do SO. MUCH. for the people he cares about, and yeah, maybe sometimes he gets carried away and doesn't know when to back off, and yeah, the scene in Columbia with Neil and the drugs Happened and was all-around bad, but bro doesn't deserve to get shredded by this fandom for it. He's so good inside, and while that doesn't mean pure (broski DEFINITELY isn't some pure-of-heart sunshine wizard like some people depict him), it does mean he deserves to be so much more than his mistakes. He's not perfect, but neither are any of the rest of the Foxes.

[yourleftpinkytoe-blog]

Since you’re looking for Andreil AU ask for inspiration I have one.

Neil and Andrew as the Suicide Squad(only the first one) Joker and Harley Quinn. I know people mostly write it the opposite way but Neil as the Joker makes more since to me. Neil with a maniacal smile carved into his, a past no one not even him probably actually knows, a dangerous insane man with a death toll, a fondness and skill with knives and a joy of reeking havoc; it just all makes since to me. As for Andrew I imagine instead of being took in by Nicky Andrew and Aaron are adopted by Bee after Andrew kills Tilda and Andrew decides to get a doctorate in psychology mostly to fuck with Aaron about also being Dr Minyard or Dr Minyard-Dobson but also to honor Bee. I can also see Andrew deciding to get himself assigned to Neil out of pure curiosity and interest(basically canon) and I also hc Andrew as being into gymnastics so it all works out. Also Andrew and Neil doing all the Jarley moments from the movie especially the “but will you live for me?” acid jump moment. And Andrew wearing the gold dress with his hair in shoulder length Hollywood curls dancing in that cage in Neil club during that scene in the Joker’s club *chefs kiss*. I also tend to hc Andrew as femme so I imagine him in Harley’s outfits with long hair and makeup but up to you on how you draw him if I’m first. Also Andrew and Neil are definitely in a healthy relationship unlike Joker and Harley and Neil isn’t abusive to Andrew of course. Basically I just love to imagine Neil and Andrew as co-dependent murder husbands(or husband and wife with Andrew as the wife) and them being the King and Queen of Gotham fits the bill deliciously.

Hope you like my AU and even if you don’t draw it how you enjoy my idea😃

So confession time!

I fucking hate the older suicide squad movies. And i dislike the how the joker and Harley look so so much but im a huge sucker for their designs in the comics. So I made it more of a comic inspired piece rather than one based off the movies.

I love the constant of Neil as the joker and Andrew being Harley (but not toxic as fuck like Harley and the joker) thanks for the ask so much.

(I saw like two other people’s submissions and I think I will be drawing something for them too:D )

+just Andreil cause I put a lot of effort into Andrew and I want people to see his shoes lol

[nanatsuyu]

how demonic is andrew’s blood ( and aaron if it’s both of them) exactly in gutterwitch blues ? like there were hints i feel like it was ?

I'm so delighted to answer this cus even though it's been a hot second since I've written this I'm incredibly endeared to this Andrew and the bit of world building I did with this one ;;

so in a very very short explanation of the magic: arcane circles can be mapped out and drawn to enchant/power etc. how the circle is drawn/placed determines the subject and context of the spell and what it does. natural elements must be used to power these (like mixing a potion but directly over the circles or stones or bullshit sticky notes. whatever can be written on) iron is a major element in a lot of spellcasting in this universe and does a lot of the 'work' in providing the energy for these spells. you can gather iron in any form and use it this way. the spell determines the amounts and sometimes it's just barely a gram. lots of people keep iron on their person to sprinkle on travel spells etc

blood magic pretty much allows you to erase the middle man because you can use the iron in your blood to 'cast' the spell. not everyone can do this tho, and if you can, it means you have fiendish blood of some varying degree in your bloodline (this also means that the power source you're pulling from might be vaguely associated with demonic summoning. fast and loose fma rules are applying here. a hilarious notion if you imagine Andrew doing a fuck all important spell and milking some demon to do it) this also allows you to summon more than just energy for spells, but also Fiendish to grant people things that regular spells cannot. this is heavily frowned upon for a plethora of reasons, hence the unflattering nickname gutterwitch

but if you need a spell done right and cheap, you call a gutterwitch (even if it's not summoning a whole demon)

I didn't have it in mind that like the twinyards dad was a demon or anyone necessarily easily traceable ancestry wise. the twins never really got answers other than Tilda knew they had demonic blood in their veins, and that she used this knowledge to exploit them. truth be told it's probably a drop in the ocean in terms of potency for them, but a drop is all it takes.

Andrew put on his martyr crown because he believes he has the stronger constitution, not because they actually differ in summoning strength or fiendish familiarity. (truth be told, I think if Andrew hadn't stiffened his upper lip so fast after a particular night, Aaron would have taken the burden first) Andrew can summon significantly easier now because he has a shortcut ontop of the fiendish blood shortcut with the summoning sigil carved into his palm. Aaron both hates and envies (and hates that he envies) him for that

so to actually answer the question: somebody a dozen centuries ago fucked a demon and now the whole bloodline is fucked lol

[quicksweetdreamer]

I love all the Imperfects characters so much because:

- Abbi is asexual and she is the representation I need and she fucks up big time but understands her mistakes and try to be better. She’s also a nice twist of the "cold scientist" character that only cares about facts and experiments because she actually has quite a bit of empathy.

- I’m definitely in love with BOTH Juan and Tilda

- I LOVE Tilda’s voice for some reason. And the way she dress.

- She’s also such a great exemple of very sweet characters that hide behind a cold, sassy, bitchy exterior

- Love the ambiguity of Dre. Burke character’s and her side effect

- Alex Sarkov… he’s quirky, he’s so different than the characters that usually have the same role which is very fun and I just love hating him honestly

- Hannah is much less of a one dimensional character than I thought she would’ve been and her relationship with Abbi is quite fun to see developping

- I love Juan so much… he’s clearly a geek but it’s not robbed in your face every 2 seconds and altho sometimes he’s a little too focused on Tilda (their relationship is pretty sweet but could’ve definitely been handled better) it’s really nice that he’s always there to try and comfort his friends (try; I mean he is a very awkward young man but he does his best and that’s what’s important XD) because he’s been through a lot and has a lot of empathy; even better, he gains even more empathy by the end of the series because of what they all went through and that’s great.

[cicadaknight]

tag game (horizon)

tagged by @artekai 💕🤝💖 thanks, pal!

1. ride or die ship: fashav/kotallo straight to my grave. mythological tragedies, those two, i tell you what.

2. most annoying ship: the boat aloy takes to san francisco. can you imagine, never rowing before in your life and making that trek through choppy currents and storms? insufferable.

3. second favorite ship: aloy/kotallo. the parallels of aloy and kotallo being forced into roles they never wanted, being alone and outcast from their tribes, moving through their grief and rage by learning to trust a new found family? being seen by another for more than their physical prowess but their humanity and creativity? excellent shit.

4. favorite platonic relationship: SYLENS AND BETA AND GAIA. Sylens getting taken down a fucking peg or two by a teenage girl and an infinitely compassionate AI. Beta being able to collaborate with someone (and an AI) who sees well beyond her mistakes and faults. GAIA finding consistent, complex companions who remind her fondly of Lis. Sylens making Beta food and teaching her how to cook. HELP ME.

5. Underrated ship: So many. I really love Aloy/Drakka. The idea of him being such a counter to Aloy’s single-minded focus on saving the world by being an absolute goober. But her seeing that he cares so very deeply about doing the right thing and protecting his people. Alva/Beta is sweet. I dig Erend/Talanah.

6. overrated ship: the odyssey. just kidding, i already made a joke about a boat.

7. one thing i would change in canon: the entire last act? specifically varl’s death, that kotallo doesn’t fly to the grove with aloy, that aloy ends the entire tenakth/regalla conflict via single combat duel, and then fights alone twice more with erik and tilda. RIP all the build up to aloy understanding that she’s not alone and all the people in her life are as competent and complex and have just as much stake in the fate of the world as she does. and beyond that, i deeply regret the way they wrote talanah in hfw. she shoulda had that fourth bunk in the base.

8. something canon did right: don’t get me wrong, i wish fashav hadn’t died at barren light, but i love his back story and everything we find out through his journals. added so much nuance to carja and tenakth cultures and characters in just a handful of paragraphs.

9. a thing i’m proud of creating for the fandom: i’ve been in a perpetual state of burnout for yeeeeeears. this kotallo portrait was the first piece i’ve drawn in ages. i’m also working on a bookbinding project and doing art for Kotallo with amazing folks on Focus on the Heart.

10. a character who is perfect to me: Hekarro. I hope the writers, animators, and actor who made him come to life are very proud of their work.

11. character i relate to most and why: uhhh like every other neurodivergent queer with trauma and parental issues, i gotta go with beta.

12. character(s) i hate most and why: tekkoteh. absolute steaming pile of shit. genuinely every time i think i’ve reached peak hatred for that slime, someone writes a beautiful fic where i find myself despising him more. in my interpretation, there’s no world where he didn’t take advantage of, manipulate, and abuse kotallo after his parents died.

13. something i’ve learned from the fandom: awww this is cheesy, but i learned how to take a chance and post things i make again. most people are so curious and so excited to discuss lore or characters in good faith. oh, recently i did discover i missed MANY post-mission dialogues for side quests on my first few playthroughs.

14. three tags i seek out on ao3: i’m guaranteed to get drawn into anything re: kotallo and fashav’s early marshal days, lis character development, aloy/kotallo hurt/comfort (sue me)

15. a song i associate strongly with my otp/favorite character: i made this playlist based off this fic. it’s basicallg my score for fashav and kotallo falling in love during their marshal duties. instants by skúli sverrisson and anything by hermanos gutiérrez sends me into pondering fashav and kotallo’s lives together.

i’m gonna tag @poulticepurse @fogsblue @rowanisawriter @ayaitch @robo-dino-puppy if y’all wanna do this?

[evenfallwriter]

If We Have Each Other Verse

An AU in which Neil and Andrew meet much earlier. Promises are exchanged, deals are made and they become each other's sanctuary soon after meeting.

So wanted to talk about my AU a bit, and drop it here so I don't end up forgetting certain details.

Neil's mother kills Nathan when he is 4 years old before sending him to a 'friend' of hers. She dies soon after and that 'friend' drops him off at the orphanage.

Andrew is 8 and Neil 6 when they meet for the first time in the Spear household.

Mary used to call him Abram, Nathan called him Nathaniel, his mother's 'friend' Chris and than he was named 'Alex'. Andrew is the one who gives him the name Neil, and tells him to stay.

Andrew is 3 years younger than Aaron, and Tilda dies from an accident (Andrew isn't the one to kill her).

Nicky still comes back and tries to take in Andrew, but it isn't easy and he can only get the custody of Aaron- none of the Hemmick's know where Andrew is. (by that time, Andrew would be 10, Aaron 13 and Nicky 17-18)

Andrew Joseph Doe becomes Andrew Dobson and Alex Doe becomes Neil Winfield quickly enough thanks to the accident that puts an end to Tilda.

They are adopted around the time Wymack creates the Foxes. (so pretty much Seth's first year)

Seth:These two are shit-heads, but hurt them, and you gotta deal with me (along with the other four foxes)!

Also Seth: Andrew fucking Dobson! Get your ass over here, Jesus Christ, why the fuck would you think it a good idea to change my shampoo with pink hair dye?!

Andrew: You should be grateful to me! Now both your insides and outsides filled with shit! And you look like one from head to toe too!

Seth: You little-

They meet the three ravens much earlier and promises are exchanged between our duo and two of the raven's.

Neil and Andrew also get to go to the same school growing up and gain the heart of 'a certain captain of USC Trojans Exy team'.

Their childhood is much better after they are adopted, and while in canon their relationship is more 'Enemies to Lovers' it turns into 'Childhood Friends to Lovers'.

Matt just loves picking up Neil and running around with him on his shoulders, but is low key scared of Andrew, because who the fuck gave this kid knives?!

One day, Andrew is in Wymack's office as he is looking at Potential players, and sees Aaron's photo and goes; "I want that one." and Wymack is done with it all, but who is he to say no when Andrew really wants something.

Aaron sees Andrew for the first time after years, and is thinking 'what am I supposed to say' when Andrew straight out tells him that he is only in the Foxes because of him, and yeah, Aaron hates the little menace (not really though) Nicky is apologetic, but Andrew knows how hard he tried to get custody of him, so he doesn't harbor any negative feelings towards him.

Dan is scared of what will happen when the duo is old enough for Uni, because Andrew promised to be a problem for her and she knows that he wasn't joking.

But Lola is still alive and a bitch, so that's nice.

(ft. Andrew never has to take his pills, Neil never has to fear his father the way he does. Mama Betsy and Abby, Uncle Wymack. Andrew and Neil meeting before they are supposed to and coming to an understanding between each other and never really hiding anything from each other. They would def still end up together. Like, after Neil realizes that he can love someone and not get punished for it. Foxes love to spoil the duo.)