#oops tfc meta

[evil-diabolical-oops]

I've been thinking a lot about Kevin Day and his competitive spirit lately. He has a reputation for being a coward, but Neil Josten comes along, stands up to Riko, and Kevin refuses to be outdone. He tells the press he's never been skiing, replaces the 2 tattoo with the queen chess piece, and scores the winning goal in the last 2 seconds to defeat the Ravens.

Give Kevin something/someone to compete against, and he will find his backbone.

[evil-diabolical-oops]

WHATSUP. Just finished reading your meta about Neil and Identity and I am living for it. Wow, that was such a good analysis and I fucking love how much more I could appreciate the story. Like hot damn. ty. Anyways I wondered if you could explain a little more on 1) what you meant by Uncle stuarts rescue not weakening the story and 2) im still a little hazy as to the negation of the negation and what exactly the stakes raised even further would be? Tyty

Aww, thank you! I’m glad you enjoyed it!

This got….a little long……

I hope you don’t mind, but I’m going to start with your second question first. And before I get to negation of negation, I’m going to talk a little about story values. According to Robert McKee, story values are “the universal qualities of human experience that may shift from positive to negative, or negative to positive, from one moment to the next.” They are things like love/hate, life/death, good/evil, etc. If written well, each scene in a story will result in a change in a story value. (You can have more than one story value per story, obviously.)

You can take a story value and break it down. First is the positive. The opposite of the positive is the contradictory.

Love (Positive) -> Hate (Contradictory)

Between the Positive and Contradictory is something that is a bit negative but not the opposite, and that’s called the Contrary.

Love (Positive) -> Indifference (Contrary) -> Hate (Contradicotry)

The Negation of the Negation is “at the limit of the dark powers of human nature.” It’s worse than the opposite. You can generally get a version of it by this formula: Contradictory + “masquerading as” + Positive. (Or you can do “perceived as” too.) In the example above, that would make the Negation of the Negation: Hate masquerading as Love.

Love (Positive) -> Indifference (Contrary) -> Hate (Contradicotry) -> Hate Masquerading as Love (Negation of the Negation)

The idea is that adding the lie (the “masquerading as”) makes the Negation of the Negation worse than the opposite (Contradictory). It’s much darker to deal with someone pretending at love when they actually hate.

Another variation that makes it more internal would be:

Love (Positive) -> Indifference (Contrary) -> Hate (Contradicotry) -> Self-hate (Negation of the Negation)

Neil’s story value for his internal story arc is “truth.”

That breaks down as:

Truth (Positive) -> White Lies/Half-truths (Contrary) -> Lies (Contradictory)

To get the Negation of the Negation you can make it “Lies masquerading as Truth” or like the love/hate example above, you can have the variation “Self-deception.”

Neil’s story value then ends up looking like this:

Truth (Positive) -> White Lies/Half-truths (Contrary) -> Lies (Contradictory) -> Self-deception (Negation of the Negation)

Not all stories reach for the Negation of the Negation, but stories exploiting the highest stakes should. Neil’s brush with self-deception, the Negation of the Negation, is when his POV switches to Nathaniel. After Baltimore, he struggles with whether or not he can really be Neil Josten. But Neil isn’t just the constructed identity he was at the beginning of the story, and Andrew reminds him of that.

“Can I really be Neil again?”“I told Neil to stay,” Andrew said. “Leave Nathaniel buried in Baltimore with his father.”

Neil is the “truth” and Nathaniel is the “lie.” Nathaniel is the boy that was scared of his father and couldn’t get past that. Neil isn’t that boy anymore.

Which gets to your first question about my statement about “Uncle Stuart’s rescue not weakening the story.” I’ll caveat and say that Neil not saving himself does weaken the story a little because you always want the main character to have agency, but it isn’t crucial to his internal story arc. Life/death is the external story value at the moment he’s with his father, but despite Neil’s conviction that he was going to die throughout most of the series, very little of the action in the story hinged on life/death. Life/death is typically the driving force of action stories, which TFC isn’t. Neil surviving that moment with his father is big, but it’s not as big as Neil choosing Neil over Nathaniel for his identity. If Nora failed to deliver that decision, we as readers would have felt like there was something missing and been disappointed. To speculate, a failure to deliver that moment might have simply been Neil accepting his new identity as Neil Josten without ever undergoing that struggle. He spent the series moving from lie -> half-truth -> truth. It’s the natural progression, but we’ll feel like something significant is missing without that moment because nothing arrived to challenge that final transition into truth. It would seem almost too easy. Instead, we get something even better because he is SO CLOSE to becoming the truth when he is faced with the absolute worst.

In the face of the deus ex machina rescue by Uncle Stuart, we only shrug a little and move on. That minor disappointment of Neil not rescuing himself doesn’t linger and make us wonder what went wrong with the story.

Edit to add: you can find the beginning of the original series of neil and identity posts here.

[evil-diabolical-oops]

(1/3) If you down to still talk about tfc, I have something on my mind. What do you think of Andrew's "Don't ask the question you already know the answer to"? Was it trust-I believe at this point Andrew trusted enough of Neil, with Kevin and everything that had happened. Was he trusting Neil to not ask for things Andrew won't and can’t give?-mixed with a challenge if Neil could make Andrew say yes to his offer mixed with also that self-destructive instinct that made Andrew made Neil put his

(2/3) hand on him 4 months after Drake mixed with the expectation that Neil would fail this so Andrew can tell himself he’s a pipedream after all? or is it something else entirely? I know the fandom are throwing the idea that Andrew would give the world and more for Neil, but I just don’t really see it at this point. Andrew would burn the world for Aaron and he chose Neil in the end, but he shut Kevin down for offering what he actually wanted. I picture Andrew would have no qualm saying no if he

(3/3) really didn’t want to, regardless of who asked. I just really like your metas, and thought of bouncing the thought on you, if you don’t mind? :D

I don’t mind at all. Thanks for asking!

I’ve talked about this scene (and it’s partner scene) a little bit before. Andrew has already made a deal to protect Neil, and he’s willing to wager his life to do it. It sounds like a high price. What more can he give? But Andrew doesn’t value his life that much.

Subconsciously, Andrew might have been ready to burn the world for Neil, but he hasn’t had to acknowledge that yet. It isn’t until Neil goes missing that he is forced to confront the fact that he does indeed have the thing he’s been trying to avoid the most: feelings.

Now to your question: Was it trust? I think it was trust in the sense that he trusts that Neil understands how deals work with him. Neil seems to be the only one to understand what deals mean to Andrew. So he can trust Neil to keep up his side of the bargain. He also trusts Neil to accept when he says “no” to something.

The challenge, if there is one in his reply, is that Andrew is simply looking for something interesting to fill the void of his apathy, and Neil tends to be good at being interesting. I don’t think the exchange was Andrew engaging in self-destructive behavior. What DOES happen is that Neil targets Andrew’s self-destructive streak and asks him to stop taking cracker dust.

As a side note, I don’t think Andrew placing Neil’s hand on his chest was entirely self-destructive, at least, not on a conscious level. He was certainly giving Neil a chance to take, just like Neil had been willing to let Andrew take on the rooftop during their first kiss. It’s a test Neil could have easily failed if he was anyone else, and it would have messed things up between them. But Neil won’t be like them. It was also partly something Andrew wanted, I think, prematurely. He wasn’t ready for it. It’s Andrew wanting things without dealing with all the awkwardness that comes with his issues. He doesn’t want it to be a big deal, but Neil’s always been happy with whatever Andrew is willing to give. So if Andrew isn’t ready for him to touch more, it’s not a big deal.  The big deal is knowing Andrew’s boundaries and then respecting them.

[evil-diabolical-oops]

About Aaron

Here’s the thing about Aaron Minyard: he just wants to be normal (whatever that is). Or special, perhaps, but in the positive ways of being special: intelligent, good-looking, and appreciated. He doesn’t want to be associated with those he perceives to be losers, but the universe has conspired against him. He wasn’t born into a normal family, and things haven’t improved much since then.

I’ve talked about Aaron and the maturation plot before, but didn’t hit on some things in that discussion that I’d like to dig into now. The maturation plot is about going from a narrow, self-centered view of the world to realizing the world doesn’t revolve around you and learning how to navigate that larger world. Character change in the maturation plot is gradual, not sudden. It’s also about learning that you can’t rely on someone else (normally parents, but in Aaron’s case Andrew) to take care of you for the rest of your life. In the previous post, I discussed Aaron’s need for love and freedom from Andrew. In this one, I’m going to deal with his motivation to be normal.

Since you can’t talk about Aaron in this fandom without a crowd yelling about his homophobia, let’s start with that.

Aaron & Homophobia

“Thank you,” Neil said belatedly. “Huh? Oh, no. Don’t worry about it. You can make it up to me some other time when the others aren’t around.” “Can you try and get ass when I’m not standing right here?” Aaron asked. “You could leave and let me and Neil get to know each other better.” “I’ll tell Erik on you.” “Bald-faced lie. When’s the last time you said a civil word to him?” Neil didn’t know any Foxes past or present with that name. “Who is Erik?” “Oh, he’s my husband,” Nicky said happily. “Or will be, eventually. He was my home-stay brother for a year in Berlin and we moved in together after graduation.”

“Ja,” Nicky said. “You heard us earlier with the mumbo-jumbo, right? That was German. The little punks studied it at high school because they knew I could help them pass. If you take German as your elective here, just let me know and I’ll tutor you. I’m good with my tongue.” “Enough. Let’s play,” Aaron said, putting the bucket of balls down.

Let’s unpack some things about Aaron’s behavior here.

1. Aaron’s internalized homophobia

I am of the opinion it exists. I do think Aaron is very much “I don’t mind if you’re gay just don’t be so in front of me.”

“Can you try and get ass when I’m not standing right here?” Aaron asked.

It’s easy to look at lines like this and read them as purely homophobic and move on. But that’s oversimplifying.

2. Aaron resents Nicky abandoning him when he went to Germany

One common fandom belief is that Aaron is resentful of Nicky abandoning him alone with Tilda while Nicky ran off to Germany. Is that why he doesn’t like Erik? Or is it homophobia? Maybe he doesn’t like Erik’s sunny well-adjusted attitude. We don’t know.

3. Aaron wants to be normal

Aaron and the culture he grew up in probably doesn’t see being gay as “normal.” Nicky’s actions are calling attention to the fact that he’s not “normal,” and Aaron doesn’t want to be around that. Aaron doesn’t want to stick out. That’s feedback into point number one. Some people would lump it under homophobia. It is, but I want to stress that his motivation is not wanting to deviate from the norm. Because it gets a little bit more complicated than that.

The Foxes first group meeting in TFC:

“The death threats were creative, though,“ Nicky said. "Maybe this time they’ll follow through and actually kill one of us. Let’s vote. I nominate Seth.” “Fuck you, faggot,” Seth said. “I don’t like that word,” Andrew said. “Don’t use it.” “I would say ‘fuck you, freak’, but then you wouldn’t know which one of you I was talking to.” “Don’t talk to us at all,” Aaron said. “You never have anything useful to say.”

Aaron’s homophobia goes strangely absent. It’s not his battle. He doesn’t have to speak up here at all. You could speculate his homophobia isn’t that strong to begin with. And/or you could speculate there is a priority to it. Family generally wins (that deal with Andrew which Aaron stands by here but not at pesky times when Andrew wants him to), especially family against people Aaron considers to be losers. This is why I think it is his need to be normal and not homophobia that is the underlying drive for his actions.

But in the cases involving Nicky and Neil, Nicky’s actions/flirting are also a bit over-the-top, overly sexual, and don’t respect boundaries. Neil has already said he doesn’t swing, but in the passage at the start Nicky is still trying. Aaron finds Nicky’s behavior embarrassing, not just because he’s gay, but also because he’s making a spectacle of himself and hanging all over someone who doesn’t want him. Aaron doesn’t want to be embarrassed in front of others. 

Why else would Aaron care about this type of behavior? Let’s look to Tilda.

4. Aaron’s mommy issues

We don’t know much about Tilda, but she wasn’t a good mother. We get the sense there were a lot of men coming and going in Aaron’s life. So many that she had to broaden her radius and that’s how Andrew’s and Aaron’s worlds end up colliding. Perhaps she was overly flirtatious with these men and that’s why Aaron hates that behavior. It’s not like he was shielded from it either. It’s conjecture, but it’s not far-fetched.

At the very least, it was probably a bit humiliating for him to realize that she showed them more affection than she showed motherly affection to him. Her behavior was embarrassing, and all Aaron wanted was to be normal. Have I driven that point home enough yet? Sorry, I’m not done.

Let’s look at another favorite passage people use to prove Aaron’s homophobia:

“What?” Neil asked. “Just wondering how you went from your whole I-don’t-date high horse to Andrew’s bed,” Aaron said. “Either you were lying to us to hide the fact you’re a flamer, or you saw Drake rape Andrew and realized he’s easy prey.”

This is at the cabin when Aaron is gauging Neil’s feelings for Andrew. The use of "flamer” is definitely a slur. But Aaron is betting a lot (his happiness with Katelyn) on getting a reaction out of Neil. His words are meant to be as inflammatory as possible. I think it’s actually hard to say how much he means it as a slur he believes in and how much he means it to help get a reaction out of Neil.

Because you also have this following Neil punching him in reaction:

Despite his cruel words, his expression was calm and searching. Neil had the distinct feeling he’d been had, but that didn’t soothe his outrage any.

Aaron isn’t feeling very passionate about what he just said. They were words meant to hurt, not words with deep-held beliefs.

Aaron & PDA

I’m of the opinion that Aaron spends most of the series somewhat averse to PDA, in large part because of point number four above. His mother ruined it for him. He keeps his PDA fairly tame and standard: hand holding, cuddling on the couch, a kiss goodnight. Why am I bothering to point this out?

Near the end of the series after a win against the Bearcats:

Aaron was one of the first off the court. He shoved his racquet at Nicky and dropped his helmet and gloves on his way to the cheerleaders. Katelyn tossed her pom-poms aside at his approach and jumped into his waiting arms to kiss him. The Vixens bounced around them, cheering and waving to the crowd.

I think that this is a huge growth moment for Aaron. It’s a sign that he’s shifting his view on what’s normal. This level of PDA doesn’t have to be embarrassing. It can be heartfelt and exciting. A moment of shared joy.

Admittedly some of the perceived PDA hesitance could be the limit of Neil’s POV and Aaron hiding Katelyn because of his deal with Andrew. This isn’t central to my discussion, though, if you don’t agree with it. 

Aaron & Being “Normal”

Aaron couldn’t hold onto his view of normal forever because it wasn’t realistic. What changed? When does Aaron cross the threshold of what he perceives to be normal with no possibilty of return?

The moment he kills Drake.

Normal people don’t kill others. It is certainly justified, but it’s also a life-changing event. After that, he sees Andrew differently, understands him a little better. Probably sees himself differently. It’s a moment he can’t take back, wouldn’t take back, and can only move forward from.

He’s not going to change overnight. He’s got a long road ahead of him. We see glimpses of it, even through Neil, about how much happier Aaron becomes toward the end when he isn’t trying to live up to someone else’s standard of what he should be or under the rules of his brother.

The part of Aaron’s story arc that dealt with freedom from Andrew and finding love with Katelyn is complete at the end of the series. The shift in his worldview on what he perceives to be normal is not. It’s reasonable to think that the climax comes at the trial. That he’ll have another huge growth moment with Andrew. Because of the way the series ends on a positive, you would also expect this to end on the positive. The extra content, if you want to use that, confirms this. He does gain a deeper understanding of Andrew. They keep attending sessions with Bee together. They work through some of their issues. They regularly message each other in the future.

I’d like to give Andrew some credit and think he wouldn’t try to be close with Aaron if Aaron held on to his homophobic thinking. And again the series ends positive, so I would expect the twins to stay in touch in the future even if somewhat strained at times while they work things out.

In Summary

Aaron spends most of the series letting the world dictate what he should want through his desire to be normal until he finally manages to gain his freedom from that thinking and is able to decide for himself what he wants. Once the foundational desire to be normal collapses, he has the potential to overcome the feedback loop driving his homophobia and other behaviors. That’s why I’m optimistic he’s going to change.

[evil-diabolical-oops]

I have a surprising amount to say about this short bit after they pick Andrew up at Easthaven. First, Neil takes a literal back seat when Andrew returns. After months of basically leading the monsters, he passes control right back to Andrew. He doesn’t even get shot gun. And he does this without protest, nothing to disrupt Andrew’s reintegration to the group. He’s not going to “take” from Andrew.

Second, Neil’s in pain (thanks, Nicky, for gripping his wrist) from the abuse he suffered at Evermore. Plus, the music is giving him a headache, but Neil “I’m Fine” Josten isn’t going to complain. He’s been through worse. He’s used to this, which I find incredibly sad. 

Last, Neil is also aware that Andrew is under the microscope, so to speak. Everyone wants to see how Andrew is going to act now that he’s sober. Neil’s reluctance to complain is most likely driven by the fact he knows Andrew needs that sound barrier against the others in what has to be an incredibly awkward car ride for him. Neil is prioritizing Andrew above himself.

What a pipe dream.

[evil-diabolical-oops]

It’s a fact that Andrew likes word play:

He does it even when he is angry, as he is with Kevin. You could blame it on the drugs, but here he is sober:

Andrew is good with words, when he chooses to use them, if he thinks they are worth the effort. He can be uncomfortably blunt: “That doesn’t mean I wouldn’t blow you.” And of course, with his eidetic memory, he doesn’t forget. 

Which is how you know just how affected he is here:

[evil-diabolical-oops]

Righteousness is for people who don’t know any better

Everyone knows Neil has an attitude problem, and that he says what he thinks. For example, in the first book when they take Neil to Eden’s:

“Drugs are stupid.“ "Ouch,” Andrew said with a cold smile. “That’s judgmental.” “I’m not going to apologize for thinking you’re being idiotic.” “Is your spine the spine of the righteous?” Andrew wondered. “Are you trying your best to step on my toes because you’re feeling the tragic weight of the holier than thou?” “Righteousness is for people who don’t know any better.” 

What’s interesting about this is how (probably unintentionally) honest that last line is. Neil often doesn’t know any better, but that doesn’t stop him from running his mouth and meddling when he thinks he is right.

Neil lecturing Riko on friendship is one of the funniest things in the series, imo. Because not only does Neil roast Riko on live television:

“I thought friends were supposed to cheer each other on,” he said before Kathy could answer Riko. “Believing in him now is the least you could do after completely abandoning him last winter.”

But Neil spends most of the series freaked out about friendship, especially when it is applied to him:

“I’ve never had friends before. I don’t know how this works. I’m trying, but it’s going to take time.” 

He doesn’t know anything about friendship, but there he is preaching to Riko. At least he added the caveat of that’s how he thought friends were supposed to behave?

Neil’s fight with Riko is just the beginning. Neil quickly moves on. He ultimately tries to repair things between Andrew and Aaron. Now Andrew is no stranger to meddling. He does it himself. It’s something he and Neil have in common. Where they differ is that Andrew tends to plan his (when he can be bothered to intervene). He made sure to get the permission of Matt’s mother before tempting Matt with drugs. He had a key ready to hand to Neil when they made their deal. He gets Neil a phone and then has Nicky text Neil until he is comfortable using it. 

Both of them tend to be motivated into these actions by “righteous” reasons, and perhaps importantly they aren’t meddling for their own gain. Andrew wants Matt to handle his drug problem because it’s putting strain on Aaron. He wants Neil to stop running because he’s not going to survive that way. Meanwhile, Neil stands up to Riko to protect Kevin, and he interferes with Andrew and Aaron to unite the team. 

Which is all to say, Andrew is on to Neil. While Neil makes his case to Andrew to let Aaron go in TKM:

“Let him go now if you ever want him to come back.” “Who asked you?” “You didn’t have to. I’m volunteering my opinion.”

Andrew has already faced the consequences of Neil interfering (at Nicky’s parents, with Drake) in these situations and Neil not knowing better, and that’s why he says:

“Don’t,” Andrew advised him. “Children should be seen and not heard.”

Neil is a child who doesn’t know what he is doing. To Andrew, he’s asking for something he doesn’t understand. But Neil doesn’t want to give up. He’s on a mission.

“Don’t dismiss me for lying to you then ignore me when I tell the truth.” “This is not truth,” Andrew said. “Truth is irrefutable and untainted by bias. Sunrise, Abram, death: these are truths. You cannot judge a problem with your obsession goggles on and call it truth. You aren’t fooling either of us.”

What I like about this exchange is how it is complicated by the fact that they are both right. Neil is being honest, he’s telling the truth as he believes it, and that’s not a luxury he’s had much of in his life. Worse, he’s sincere, but Andrew’s not impressed by Neil’s narrow focus, his “obsession goggles” that blind him to all of the facts except the ones he cares about, so he calls out Neil’s bias. And then Neil pushes too far:

“If you ask for half the truth, you’ll only get half the truth,” Neil said. “It’s your fault if you don’t like the answers I give you, not mine. But as long as we’re talking about obsession and Aaron’s life, what are you going to do about his trial? She’s going to be here for it, isn’t she? Cass, I mean,” Neil said, though he was sure Andrew knew who he was talking about. “You’re going to have to face her.” “Seen and not heard,” Andrew reminded him. He sounded bored, but Neil knew a warning when heard one. Neil let it slide and went back inside.

Bringing up Cass here is a strong reminder of Neil’s meddling and unintended consequences. Andrew has had enough and warns Neil off. 

There’s one other exchange that I think is interesting in this light. It follows after Neil’s interview with the press in which he stated Edgar Allen should have Coach Moriyama step down. Andrew’s come to Neil’s room to get some to tell him Kevin won’t be at night practice.

“They don’t have a choice anymore. If the Ravens don’t let us run our course there will always be room for doubt and speculations. The Ravens can’t share their throne with what-ifs. They have to be supreme victors.“ Andrew gave that a moment to sink in before saying, "I’m undecided.” “About our chances this spring?” Neil asked. Andrew held his hands palm-up between them. “The thought that you’ve unintentionally conned them into this corner is intolerable, as it means you’re stupider than even I gave you credit for. If you did it knowingly, however, you’re cleverer than you’ve led me to believe. That means the Ravens aren’t the only ones you’re playing with. One of these is the lesser evil.”

Andrew can’t believe Neil’s been so successful at blundering on like he has, but to not believe Neil’s been blundering through it means that it’s intentional, that what happened with Drake might not have been the unintended consequences of Neil’s well-intentioned meddling as Andrew had assumed and instead is something a bit more sinister…

And even if Drake had been unintended, an accident in some other plan Neil had, it doesn’t mean Neil isn’t playing him.

“Not everything’s a con,” Neil said. Andrew didn’t answer, but Neil read his calm expression as disbelief. Neil considered defending himself and decided it a waste of energy. Andrew wouldn’t believe him anyway. “Which one is the lesser evil?” “I’m undecided,” Andrew said again.

It’s hard to know if Andrew is hedging here and doesn’t want to answer because he’d have to explain or because he thinks the likelihood of Neil actually being more clever than he thought is rather low or because he really is undecided. 

Why would he be undecided if one option seems to clearly be the worst choice? Because Andrew is used to people letting him down. That’s easy. If Neil turns out to be genuine, the pipedream that seems an impossibility, well, that’s an emotional landmine.

“That’s helpful,” Neil muttered. “You could just ask.” “Why bother?” Andrew asked with a slight shrug. “I’ll figure it out eventually.”

And Andrew does figure it out on a hotel room floor in Baltimore. As it so happens, he can’t live without a righteous idiot who doesn’t know any better. 

[evil-diabolical-oops]

Remember that time Neil and Kevin were insulted by a couple of Breckenridge players….

And Neil was so worried about Andrew ruining everything that he didn’t think to run his smart mouth in response….

But Andrew was either annoyed or wanted to be amused….

So being the smart person that he is, he made a move to show off Neil’s highlight-reel worthy speed and in the process proved to Breckenridge how wrong they were.

Yeah. We’re on to you, Andrew.

[evil-diabolical-oops]

GMC in TFC

A summary of the character stakes in The Foxhole Court. I probably can’t stress enough how well constructed the stakes are for the series. I reference stakes several times in my meta and have a few more meta planned with them, so I figured I’d create a master post explaining how I came up with the stakes. And create a list of them.

What is GMC*?

Goal - what the character wants

Motivation - why they want it

Conflict - what prevents them from having it (why not)

The stakes formula:

A character wants a goal because motivation, but they face conflict.

Want is the keyword in the sentence that signals the goal is about to follow. Stakes aren’t the goal by itself. Stakes are what is gained by a character achieving their goal. Or stakes are what is lost by a character failing to achieve their goal. (It could also be lost/succeeding or gained/failing depending on the story.) In other words, the stakes are the consequences. 

Because is the keyword in the sentence that signals the motivation is about to follow. Motivation is why we care, why we cheer for (or against) a character page after page, why that goal matters to the character. Stakes don’t matter without the motivation of the character. 

But is the keyword that lets us know the conflict is about to follow. Conflict is all of the obstacles that stand in the way of the character reaching that goal. Conflict raises the stakes. 

Goal, motivation, and conflict combine to highlight the stakes.

Stakes can either be external or internal (which I refer to as personal). If the stake belongs in the realm of the physical senses, it’s external. Otherwise, it’s personal (emotional needs, spiritual needs, life lessons, etc).

A Look at Neil’s External Stake

Following the formula we get:

A lying runaway wants to play Exy for the Palmetto State Foxes because it’s the only thing that makes him feel real, but after being thrust into the spotlight, he risks exposing his true identity and betraying his whereabouts to his crime lord father.

Character - a lying runaway

Goal - to play Exy

Motivation - it’s the only thing that makes him feel real

Conflict - being thrust into the spotlight risks exposing his true identity and betraying his whereabouts to his crime lord father

I’m using the dominant impression for the character here, instead of Neil. In this case, I feel it helps explain the conflict. I could have gone with “cowardly runaway” but using lying allows me to contrast with the “feel real” and “exposing his true identity.” Using cowardly doesn’t, and it’s a bit redundant paired with runaway.

Reworking the external stake a little and moving the situation to the front, we get:

When offered the chance to play Exy for the Palmetto State Foxes, a lying runaway decides to stop hiding for the chance to feel real playing the sport he loves, but after being thrust into the spotlight, he risks exposing his true identity and betraying his whereabouts to his crime lord father.

What does this look like? Well, if you are a writer, it’s pretty close to an elevator pitch. This isn’t the only formula to use for an elevator pitch, and if I were going to use my sentence above, I’d probably tweak it some more. But you get the idea. Neil wants to play Exy. No surprise there.

Personal Stakes for Several of the Characters

Some of these might look familiar because I’ve posted them before. Personal stakes are focused on an internal value. It might not be the only one the character struggles with, but it should be the main one. For example, Neil also struggles with not running, not being a coward.

Neil

Neil doesn’t want to die alone because he wants “Neil Josten” to be real and remembered. But in order for that to happen, though, Neil has to be a true person. And the truth about himself is his greatest fear. He’s afraid of resemblance to his father.

Value at stake: Truth/identity

Andrew

Andrew needs a purpose. It’s why he made his deal with Kevin. Because he hasn’t found anything interesting enough to live for except the promises he’s made. But he can’t have that until he lets something or someone in. And that is his greatest fear.

Value at stake: Purpose/meaning

Aaron

Aaron wants someone to love him because his mother never did, but the pact he made with his brother to stay by each other’s side and not let anyone close (in hopes that Andrew would fill that missing role) gets in the way when Aaron falls in love with a girl who does.

Value at stake: Love

Kevin

Kevin wants to escape Riko’s shadow because he’s been forced to be number two for most of his life, but Kevin must find the courage to stand up for himself as Riko tries to stop him any way he can.

Value at stake: Courage

Riko

Riko wants to be the best at Exy in order to get his estranged father to acknowledge him, but Kevin Day’s existence threatens to take that away from Riko even after Riko cripples Kevin’s dominant playing hand. 

Value at stake: Acknowledgement

Wymack

Wymack wants to give troubled young adults a chance at success using Exy because of his own rough past, but the strongest team in Exy is prepared to do anything they can to harm the Foxes and guarantee their failure.

Value at stake: Success (could make a case for reputation too)

Note the use of fear as the conflict in many of these. High stakes involve a character overcoming their greatest fear to get what they want. 

These are obviously how I see the stakes, but I am sure you could take a slightly different angle and come up with your own version.

Meta I’ve written discussing stakes:

The Airport Scene

Last Few Lines of Dialogue in TKM

Aaron’s Character Arc

Neil and Identity: Part 1 | Part 2

* GMC: Goal, Motivation, and Conflict is a book by Debra Dixon. She doesn’t quite put it in the same terms of stakes as I do, but it is still a useful book. 

[evil-diabolical-oops]

See also: how Neil got behind Andrew’s defenses

Neil’s interesting. He’s unpredictable, and Andrew can’t solve him. 

Neil’s not nice. He plays dirty, and he knows exactly what to say to get around Andrew’s wall of apathy.

And I love how their interactions, their personalities, fit so well with their positions.

[evil-diabolical-oops]

Can we talk about these two saps?

Translation: I don’t want anything to happen to you.

Granted, Andrew has the promise to protect Neil, but look at his reaction below when Neil mentions it. This is one moment where I would love Andrew’s thoughts. Had he even been thinking of the promise and is surprised when Neil reminds him? Or is he surprised Neil has such faith in him? Or is he reevaluating his views on weakness? 

And Neil…

Translation: You’re capable of feeling, aren’t you? You might even be worried about me.

Glad you are finally catching on, Neil. Just in time for the Eden’s Twilight confession.

[evil-diabolical-oops]

Andrew’s disinterest in his psychological well-being was what had drawn Neil to him in the first place: the realization that Andrew would never flinch away from whatever poison was eating Neil alive.

The King’s Men by Nora Sakavic

I wonder if Neil ever had a moment when he truly realized that he meant something similar to Andrew. Neil takes on Andrew’s secrets and issues with slightly more emotion but the same level of acceptance. Neil doesn’t back away when Andrew practically confesses to killing his mom. He isn’t afraid of Andrew. 

And where Andrew accepts Neil with the disinterest and bored stare that Neil needs, Neil watches Andrew like he hung the moon, with all of the feelings Andrew has been missing in his life, and he sees someone of worth, a human with flaws, not the monster or the victim. 

[evil-diabolical-oops]

How Neil Asked: A Guide to Negotiating with Andrew

1. Be Brave

It’s actually quite simple, really. Andrew values courage.

“You could occasionally grow a spine,“ Andrew suggested. “I know it’s a difficult concept for someone whose kneejerk reaction is to run away at the first sign of trouble, but try it sometime. You might actually like it.” (TRK)

Specifically, he favors putting people in situations where they have to face their fears or stand up for themselves. It’s what he wants to see in his collection of lost causes. So if you want his attention, do something brave. (Not to be confused with doing something foolish)

2. Be Neil Josten

This part will probably require a name change. But if Nathaniel Wesninski can do it, so can you.

Although that might still not work because…

It helps that Andrew has a crush on Neil and finds him attractive, but Neil is also a big coward. That ties in to (1) because it provides Neil opportunities to be entertaining to Andrew. Plus, Neil isn’t afraid of Andrew, which also makes him interesting. 

3. Actually Ask Him

This is the step most people skip for some reason????? Andrew likes to have a choice. Otherwise, he’s going to say no. And if it doesn’t relate back to (1), he’ll probably still say no.

Since Neil is Neil (except when he’s Nathaniel) and he always asks, he has (2) and (3) covered by default. Below is a breakdown of each of the “I asked” scenarios for (1).

Inviting the Upperclassmen to Halloween

“I’m not asking you to be their friend,” Neil said. “I’m asking you to give an inch.”

“Give them an inch and they’ll take a mile,” Aaron said.

“You really think they’re strong enough to take a mile from Andrew? You think he’d let them?” Neil shook his head when Aaron started to argue again. “Kevin told Riko we’d see them again at semifinals. I’d like us to get our act together before that rematch, wouldn’t you? We can’t do that until we respect and understand each other. We might as well start now, with this.” 

“I doubt they’d agree even if we invited them,” Nicky said. “We kind of burned that bridge last year.”

“You mean Matt,” Neil said, looking between the three. 

….

“I’d rather hear how he tells it,“ Andrew said. He slung a striped inmate’s outfit over one shoulder and detoured past Neil on his way to the front of the store. When Neil started to argue, Andrew hooked a finger under his chin and forced his mouth closed again with an easy jerk of his hand. “Ask him, and then tell the busybodies to come along if they dare.” (TRK)

It’s easy to think that Neil gets Andrew to agree by appealing to Andrew’s strength here. The upperclassmen can’t take from Andrew. He’s too strong. 

But look at what Andrew actually says. Is Matt brave enough to hang out with them given what happened last time?

Visiting Nicky’s Parents

“I know you can’t understand this because you’ve never had a real family, but Nicky has to give his parents another try. If you’re lucky this dinner will be the breaking point. Nicky’s got his hopes up thinking his mother’s come around. If she lets him down again he might be ready to walk away for good.” (TRK)

Andrew agrees in part because Neil says he will go and because Neil makes the point that Nicky might finally have enough spine to walk away for good when he is inevitably rejected by his family again. 

Andrew Deflecting Balls Directly at the Team

“I don’t believe in giving people chances.”

“I didn’t until I came here,” Neil said. “I took a chance on you when I decided to stay. You took a chance on me when you trusted me with Kevin. Is it really that hard to support them when they’ve been with you every step of the way?”

“What will you give me in exchange for my cooperation?” Andrew asked.

“Because revenge isn’t good enough?” Neil asked. “What would it take?”

Andrew didn’t have to think about it. “Show me your scars.” (TKM)

This moment serves a dual purpose. First, the request involves balancing the scale of vulnerability between the two of them. Second, Neil fears showing people his scars. So Andrew makes Neil confront that.

The Attack on Allison

“Do you or don’t you?” Neil asked again.

“I made him a promise, too,” Andrew said. “I won’t break his to keep yours.”

Neil didn’t understand, but Aaron was finally startled into choosing a side. “Andrew, that's—” He faltered, and Neil wished he dared look away from Andrew to see Aaron’s expression. Every hint of anger had vanished from Aaron’s voice; he sounded almost lost. Andrew didn’t look at him, but the slight tilt of his head toward Aaron said he was listening. “No, Andrew. No. It’s all right. I’m all right. It didn’t even hurt.” (TKM)

Neil gets to the heart of the matter, but Aaron is the one who shows some spine here. It’s the agreement with Aaron that got them into this mess, so ultimately it has to be Aaron that tells Andrew “no” and gets Andrew to stand down. 

Neil Wanting to Kiss Andrew

Neil gave Andrew a few moments to respond before saying, "I don’t understand it, and I don’t know what I’m doing, but I don’t want to ignore it just because it’s new. So are you completely off-limits or are there any safe zones?” (TKM)

Neil is speaking Andrew’s language here. He doesn’t want to be a coward and run from ‘this.’

Neil Wanting Out of Their Promise

“I can’t unless you let me go,” Neil said, quiet but firm. “Stand with me, but don’t fight for me. Let me learn to fight for myself.”

“You never explained that change of heart.”

“Maybe I got tired of seeing Kevin bend. Or maybe it was the zombies.” (TKM)

Normally the declaration that Neil wants to stand on his own would be enough. But this is a promise he’s trying to get out of. 

Neil wants to stand on his own, but how is Andrew agreeing here different from Andrew’s refusal to let go of Aaron when Aaron needs to do the same? I think it boils down to the “stand with me.” If Andrew lets Aaron go, he’ll leave. However, Neil wants to have a relationship with Andrew that isn’t dependent on a promise. Neil is telling Andrew he’s not going anywhere.  

And then Baltimore happens. 100%

[evil-diabolical-oops]

Our game is over now, isn’t it?“ “It’s still my turn,” Andrew pointed out. “But after that?” Neil asked. “I have no secrets left to trade.” “Come up with something else.” “What would you take?” “What would you give me?” “Don’t ask questions you already know the answer to,” Neil said.

The King’s Men by Nora Sakavic

I like how in the parallel version of this Neil really doesn’t know the answer, but here Andrew absolutely has to. 

Neil went to Evermore for him

He gave him all of his secrets, which is why the game is over

He let Andrew decide whether he could stay with the Foxes or not

He’s already told Andrew, “It’s always yes with you.”

But I suspect Andrew’s “I don’t ask” statement from the first book is as much about him being a bully and control freak as it is the fact that if he asks for something he has to want something. And he isn’t quite ready to admit that out loud yet.

[evil-diabolical-oops]

I told you so

Do you ever think Andrew felt a little bit like Cassandra from Greek mythology? Telling people the truth, telling people what was going to happen, and nobody listening? Andrew is so smart, but who actually appreciates that?

The most obvious and devastating example of someone who didn’t listen to Andrew is Luther. 

“Looks like I was right about him after all. Or do you still think this is all a big misunderstanding? Go on, tell me again how I’m too unbalanced to understand normal brotherly affection and love. Tell me this is natural.”

The heartbreaking thing is Andrew wasn’t even concerned for himself. He was worried about making sure Cas didn’t take in any more children. And after the attack, his attention was entirely on Aaron’s safety.

But Luther isn’t the only one. Andrew tries to reach out with a different set of concerns to Wymack. We hear about it later, when Wymack is talking to Neil.

“First day of practice I told everyone Edgar Allan had transferred districts, you remember? Andrew spent that night here with me. At first I figured he was mad at Kevin for lying to him, but he was more worked up about you. I mostly tuned him out then, but I probably should have listened.”

Before resorting to such a drastic and stupid action as drugging Neil, Andrew attempted to get Wymack’s attention, but Andrew has no luck with authority figures taking him seriously. And Wymack, who is so good normally at seeing the truth, misses something that Andrew caught.

Now as readers, we’re glad that Wymack didn’t listen to Andrew at the time because we want Neil to stay on the team. Plus, if Neil had run, we wouldn’t have the I told you so moment when RIko finds out who Neil is. 

Andrew held onto the table edge and leaned back until his chair was balancing on its back legs. It gave him an unobstructed view of Neil behind Dan. Neil looked at him because he didn’t trust himself to face anyone else just yet. Andrew shielded his mouth with his hand but didn’t bother to lower his voice.

“I told you so.”

Andrew exhibiting childish spite? Elementary school flirting?

Andrew had warned Neil that Riko would figure it out, and Neil once again considers running.

He needed to get back to Palmetto State and get his papers from his safe. He needed his money and his numbers. Maybe it was finally time to call—

Neil’s escape route ground to a sickening halt in his head. He pried his fingers apart and pressed one hand to his pocket. He could feel the hard lines of his phone through the cotton.

The phone reminds Neil of Andrew reiterating his promise, of Andrew telling him this was going to happen, of Andrew stating how Riko can’t do anything until his feud with Kevin has run its course.  Neil sees how Andrew was right. And then Neil trusts Andrew. He calms, he stays.

Which leads to the last:

“I told her it was a mistake to let you stay, but she didn’t believe me. Now look. Oh, for once I don’t even want to bother with the ’I told you so’. You ruin all my fun.”

Andrew may have initially given Bee the same reasons he gave Wymack, but they certainly changed over time. 

“I told her you’re more trouble than you’re worth. She was looking forward to meeting you, but she won’t tell me what she thinks of you. She can’t, you see. But I know she likes you. Bee has a thing for lost causes.”

Andrew’s problem is that Bee isn’t the only one with a thing for lost causes. Neil didn’t end up being a danger to Kevin, but he was devastating to Andrew’s apathy. Andrew told himself so. And kept Neil there anyway.

[evil-diabolical-oops]

Andrew’s Lost Causes

Andrew doesn’t save people. Here’s why. A meta.

Andrew left his foster home in order to keep Drake away from his twin. But he sure as hell didn’t make that sacrifice–didn’t leave the one person who had ever cared about him–for the drug-abusing, weak-willed, mess-of-a-brother he finds when he’s reunited with Aaron. So Andrew decides to save Aaron.

He makes Aaron a promise, and when their mother doesn’t stop beating on Aaron, Andrew kills her. That should have saved Aaron, and yet…

Aaron is angry with Andrew. Plus, he’s still a coward. And that’s when Andrew learns his lesson. Removing the threat doesn’t work. Andrew can’t save anyone.

He needs to get them to save themselves.

Enter Kevin Day. Andrew makes a promise with him too. For all of Kevin’s high standards, he’s spent an entire career settling for second best under Riko. So when he gets on Andrew’s case, Andrew takes himself off the court because he is not going to let a coward tell him what to do. Their weird perfectionism vs apathy rivalry helps drive Kevin. He starts playing again. Andrew rewards him by getting back on the court, but he doesn’t block his goals, doesn’t participate in night practice. Then Kevin starts playing with his dominant hand, and Andrew is right there blocking the goal, participating in night practice.

More importantly, Andrew stands between Kevin and Riko, giving Kevin the opportunity he needs to grow. But Andrew isn’t alone in helping Kevin…

Neil becomes the example for Kevin to follow. With Andrew to prop Neil up and give him courage, Neil learns how to stand his ground and not run away. Andrew keeps Neil grounded when he freaks out over his phone. And again when he freaks out over a key. And damn, maybe it is a good thing Neil doesn’t own much. This could get ridiculous. A man can only have so many issues.

Kevin watches Neil grow a spine and keep on fighting, even when Neil believes he is going to die. And maybe running in this case would have been smarter. Maybe Andrew shouldn’t have convinced Neil he needed to stand his ground. But Neil survives his ordeal with his father, and when Neil and Andrew are reunited in a hotel room in Baltimore…

Andrew begins to realize he is saving the one person he didn’t think could be saved: himself. Although I doubt he thinks about it quite that way. There was no way that he could invest so much of himself into others, especially Neil, and maintain his perfect apathy. 

But wait, Andrew is reluctant to let his brother go. He chases after Kevin and Nicky when they wander off. If he wanted them to all quit being cowards and stand up for themselves, why does he do this?

Because Andrew is still a control freak. This has been his habit–how he has survived–for years. That isn’t going to change overnight. Which is one of the best parts of his characterization if you ask me. 

Andrew’s story arc doesn’t involve him becoming a good person. His arc is the shift in his worldview from meaninglessness to meaning.

Neil asks Andrew, “What are you going to live for if you’re not playing sheepdog for us?”

Then Neil asks him to “choose us.” And because Neil asks, Andrew eventually does.