#while in kevneil

[mania-sama]

if u don't mind me asking, what is it that makes u prefer kevneil/daysten over andreil? ive never seen someone say that before so im curious! not looking for an argument or anything so don't worry 😅 if u think andreil is terrible or whatever, u can be honest.

thanks so much for sending in an ask!!

Yeah, most people, when it comes to Kevin and his various ships, say that they prefer Kandreil. This, I think, comes from the fact that everyone really likes Andreil the most, and they don't like to separate them for the basis of a Kevin ship. Which is fine for them, but me personally, I just really like Kevneil and don't care much for a poly couple (polyamorous shipping has never been my thing in the first place).

I think my attraction to this ship stems mainly from the fact that Kevin has so much tension with every single character in the cast, so reading him and his interactions from Neil's perspective led me to believe that they would be endgame from the first book. So much so that I would have thought they would have been up until the last book if I had not already been spoiled of the canonical Andreil ending about halfway through reading The Foxhole Court. Neil always speaks of Kevin like he had the biggest crush on him, and it pretty much read as gay subtext for me, what with all of the hiding of identity and skirting of the truth. Kevin, similarly, seemed to me to always look out for Neil in a subtle love and appreciation that only became more apparent as their relationship progressed and they grew to trust each other. The other reason is because I simply don't care as much about Andrew. His story is compelling, but I care a lot more for Kevin and Neil's characters - in both storyline and personalities - than I do for Andrew's.

I also think that Kevin would have been a much better fit for Neil, and vice versa. Andrew is generally a very aggressive person, and although Kevin isn't necessarily calm, I think that Neil should have ended up with someone less volatile to balance out his own intensity and trauma. This isn't to say that I hate Andreil - I'm completely fine with it. I just think Kevneil, in my mind, makes a lot more sense. A part of me still isn't really over the fact that Neil just does not care that Andrew canonically arranged for him to be drugged and sexually assaulted in the book. Like. What. Absolutely deranged behavior. It adds to why I think Kevneil should've been endgame (although I recognize that Kevin was complicit in this arrangement).

(I like to ignore Thea's existence. I do not like her, both for the way Nora doesn't seem to care for writing her and it shows, as well as the fact that she is generally terrible for everything Nora has tried to do with Kevin's character. I genuinely don't know why she's in the story. It almost seems like a way to prevent Kevneil from happening, because I swear on my life that those two have a thousand times more chemistry than Andreil ever did).

[bisexualcroissant]

kevneil aka the comedic duo we never knew we needed

"he didn't ask you" and kevin kicking neil while he was talking to the reporters. comedy kings

[frizzy-frizz-frizz]

neil somehow gets access to his official twitter account and all he does is roast people and retweet kevin day edits

[rabidfoxes]

kevneil is everything to me. neil trusting kevin with the truth, neil trusting kevin with his binder over winter break, kevin believing in neil's potential, kevin being so convinced about it that he says it publicly, knowing he takes what he says to the public very seriously. kevin telling neil he should run away, he should survive. neil staying and giving his game to kevin, neil arguing with riko on national television for kevin, kevin teaching neil raven drills, kevin telling neil he will stay sober on thanksgiving so neil could drink if he wanted to, neil promising andrew to take care of kevin while he's away... neil and kevin man

[joejhang]

canon kevneil since i can't stop thinking about them

the pseudo-old friends dynamic they have will always have me in a chokehold

love this because every kevneil interaction is basically some iteration of this. arguing and bickering and kevin insisting on neil's talent even while he insults him with every breath. legends.

ah yes, the sixth love language. exy.

zesty ahh dialogue

kevin watching neil hhhhhh

can you believe andrew had to witness this. and HE is the one neil ends up with. crazy work.

tfc kevneil was real

insane that neil was staring at kevin so much that nicky thought neil had a crush on him

the best thing about kevneil is that it's a bitch4bitch dynamic

honestly neil is stronger than me i probably would've decked him for this

kevneil my favourite bully romance

kevin day they could never make me hate you

my favourite aesthetic is kevin day seeing the potential in the most unlikely of people

they have such a unique dynamic of hatred/obsession/admiration/devotion/animosity/intimacy it fascinates me

the fact that neil never once just punches kevin in the face is the true miracle of aftg

scene of all time.

but they understand each other so deeply what the fuck

the way neil had such big hopes for all the foxes it's such an underrated part of the series

i fear the og offence line had the funniest dynamic ever argue with the wall

my favourite animal is neil in columbia

"time to collect what's mine" ok kevin

do i even need to say it

kevin putting a hand on neil's shoulder blade and gently pushing him. wow. big day for annoying people like me.

thinking about "i hate you" "you don't" and "i absolutely hate you" jean said. kevin shrugged that off, unmoved by such a transparent lie.

thinking about this today.

my favourite animal is neil defending kevin from r*ko

"leave him alone" and "kevin caught his arm to stop him" FOAMING AT THE MOUTHHHH

[ninyard]

hello its the anon from earlier!! i am So Glad you asked about my aro kevin headcanon ive been wanting to talk about him forever. i just think it fits so well with his character. we all know that the way neil was written came across very aspec, and hes canonically demisexual, and as soon as i found this out my brain just started pointing out all the similarities between them. so heres my list of Reasons I Think Kevin Day Is Aromantic:

1. his obsession with exy. it acts as a sort of stand in for an actual romantic relationship for him, despite canonically having a gf, similar to how neil often passed over conversations about sex in favour of exy.

2. he canonically started dating said gf because he respected her due to her exy prowess, and he has never said/done anything that leads me to believe he genuinely feels romantic feelings for her, so to me it came across like a classic aro situation of "oh this person is nice to me and i like and respect them as a person, i must want to date them!"

3. he grew up in the nest, which is a cesspool of toxic relationships and things he has to unlearn, and because of this upbringing, he could easily write off any aromantic feelings as residual damage from growing up in that environment

4. most of his popular ships (kandrew, kevneil, kandriel, etc) a. have exy in the middle of them and b. ALWAYS seemed way more powerful as platonic to me (i could definitely fuck with a kandriel qpr situation actually)

5. additionally, when i was reading the books, none of his interactions came across as romantic in nature at all, and im the kind of person who can see a ship in anything, but he just always seemed to have other things (cough exy cough cough) at the forefront of his mind

6. delicious angst potential with him thinking hes just inherently incapable of love because of the abuse he endured and thinking he's too far gone and hes damaged in that way forever but then finding out about aromanticism and etc etc you get it

6. i am aromantic and i like kevin day and im projecting

while often aro goes along with ace, especially in fandom headcanons, NO ONE can deny that Kevin Day Fucks. and thus, aroallo kevin day was born in my mind and for years its been my most set in stone, steadfast headcanon throughout any of the fandoms im in. and then i saw some kevallison stuff and i was like, while aro kevin day is my number one, i cannot deny that they would be an incredibly hot couple like jesus christ. and THEN i saw your fwb besties who fuck kevallison agenda and i was like. oh my. this fits perfectly with my aroallo kevin headcanon. this is it. and then i immediately absorbed fwb kevallison into my brain and merged it with my aroallo kevin headcanon and thus, my most favourite headcanon was born.

this came out way longer than i was expecting im so sorry but this has been marinating for a while.

holy shit anon

you've turned me into aroallo kevin supported because this. this is PERFECT.

like kevin FUCKS. we all know this. but being in a relationship?

like i was thinking about kevallison recently and how the most likely way it ends is that allison realises sometime coming up to the end of their final year together that she actually is starting to crush on him a little bit. and that was in their rules - if one of us catches feelings, we're done, we stop fucking, because this is NOT a feelings thing. like allison probably thinks at some point she must be a terrible person to be in a relationship with because HOW have her and kevin been fucking for X years/months and he STILL hasn't caught feelings for her???? 1) he's just a man and 2) he just. doesn't catch feelings.

yeah anon i fuck with this

[foxhole-pipe-dream]

Remembered I can ask the audience instead of my friend who I torment with my Andreil brainrot, SO...

1. Chapter 11 of Reckless - Runaway Neil spends the night trading secrets with pro Andrew, sleeps with him, and disappears the next morning—only to realize he's pregnant when he's states away. Neil finds him a year later and they make a deal. Featuring trans Neil. 

2. Online Friend AU - Neil moves in with Stuart after Mary's death and becomes a recluse, staying in the house. Andrew and Neil bond through an online friendship and eventually meet up. Heavy NSFW themes.

3. Chapter 2 of Mother May I - Nathan is dead and the Moriyamas have been dealt with. Mary and Neil move to Columbia, where they become neighbors with the monsters. Neil has to deal with the shared paranoia & codependency they've gained on the run while also sneaking out to see (and maybe kiss) Andrew.

4. Kevneil/Kandreil FWB AU - Kevin and Neil become friends with benefits after both being dumped. It's good. It's strictly platonic. But once his old friend Andrew comes to town and starts showing clear interest in Neil, Kevin might have a problem on his hands. And he has to admit maybe his platonic arrangement with Neil isn't so platonic. Heavy NSFW themes.

5. Sexiled/Matt & Neil roommate AU - After having the perfect friendship for years and becoming roommates, Matt and Neil start having issues over hogging their apartment for private couple time—aka, sexiling each other. Also, Aaron is a cockblock. It's funny. Heavy NSFW themes.

6. Cruise AU - Neil goes on a five day cruise as Allison's fake boyfriend to help make Seth jealous. He finds romance with another passenger—who keeps stealing all the desserts at the free buffet.

[codename-adler]

6 and 12 for aftg ask game bc I am obsessed with character foils

6. A non-canon ship you love?

Obviously per the last ask, Kevaaron. So I'll speak on others.

I sincerely love Jean/Aaron. It works. It so works. Trust me. Might have a little wip on them... also, this fic by @merceyca was gifted to me and it's absolutely bonkers amazing: Bury Me in the Glow

Jean/Neil. Forever misplaced partners... Even before TSC, the intimacy they share and the worse they see of each other but still do the best they can to protect the other...

Renee/Allison. To me atp they're just canon fr. like, ofc they work.

Kevin/Andrew/Neil. Duh. That includes Kandrew & Kevneil. At times too painful for me, but the proofs are all there. So.

i'm probably forgetting to many bc the possibilities are infinite so, last but not least:

Katelyn/Thea. Yes. Mangum Opus of mine. Good ol' switcheroo genius move. Give it a try. It'll stick. I need more people with me in the boat. Pls i'm lonely.

12. Favorite narrative foil?

I have already touched on Jean vs Neil here, and I could go into heavy details because oh my god these boys. these boys. but i can't really bc it hurts too much!!! yippee.

so instead I'll mention Kevin vs Seth. (bc they are soooo much less painful right...) Not! Talked! About! Enough!

Seth "His life is not more important than mine just because he's more talented" Gordon

vs

Kevin "One of us has to make it, Mom. It wasn’t going to be Neil. It was obvious he was too stupid to survive without his mother if he let himself get into messes like this. But maybe Kevin could do it. Maybe he’d get through this somehow, riding his talent and Andrew’s psychotic obsession and Wymack’s fierce protection. Maybe he’d get through this season on the Foxes' roster and be sage. He’d recover and he’d be free. Neil couldn’t leave until he knew Kevin would be okay" Day

And especially how they're foils of each other in Neil's opinion, not just objectively from a reader's pov.

Also something about Kevin's alcohol addiction being treated as a necessary crutch others allow, make fun of, purposefully utilized, while Seth's drug addiction being treated as dirty, shameful, sinful, problematic, a hindrance, his own fault entirely. Andrew forcefully making Matt and Aaron clean, but letting Seth be. Andrew actively encouraging Kevin's alcoholism. Seth dying of his own addiction, murder or not. Kevin living despite his.

Seth not getting his chances. Kevin getting them all.

[imean-idontknow]

kevneil au?? maybe kandreil au?? maybe ANDREIL AU WITH SAD KEVIN??? in which neil's always been kevin's #1 fan and even on the run, when the times aligned, neil would sneak out from his mother to attend kevin's games from some secluded area where no one could've seen him or ! literally any public exy meetup (...??? idk of it exists for sports but sort of like singers' meet & greet) where he could at least see him because KEVIN DAY WAS HIS IDOL!!! AND EXY WAS THE ONLY JOY LIFE LEFT HIM SO YKNOW!!! and kevin remembers meeting this stranger's eyes multiple times, but has always thought he was just imagining things: sometimes this boy had brown eyes, sometimes green, sometimes he had jet black hair, sometimes light brown... it just didn't add up! (kevin thought the ravens' madness was finally gettin to him) (it wasn't) (at least not regarding this) SO when kevin discovers the truth about neil's past -who he really was (nathaniel !! kevin never forgot him!!! ) + what he had to do while on run- he finally starts putting every place of the puzzle together (adding the MAYBE TINIEST LITTLEST CRUSH on the boy that MAY have developed in the time knowing neil josten) and almost EXPLODES knowing that, against all odds, NEIL has always been the one to keep an eye on kevin, while kevin couldn't do the same for him AND AND AND when neil tells him that he's in dange kevin BEGS him to run, to save himself - even if that meant getting away from kevin; the two of them always too close and not close enough- just to, for once in his life, be FREE and ig that's where ships start to matter?? bc following andreil's lead, the reaction must be along canon's lines + adding kevin's angsty moment in which he realizes he won't ever be enough for neil etc etc, BUT taking in consideration kevneil (please do) and kandreil, MAYBE this could be where neil actually starts one of his monologues about how he has always ran while having kevin as his only anchor even if the other boy didn't know it etc etc and they 👨‍❤️‍💋‍👨

please write it

[foxstens]

kevin for the ask game :)

i get to ramble about my boy thank youuu

warning: this is long and unhinged. sorry

First impression

he sure is a character who exists. i did spend the first book convinced kevneil was endgame and then i was so shocked when that wasn't the case (plus when we found out he had a girlfriend 💀) but then after trk i paid a lot less attention to him because i had andreil tunnel vision. reading the extra content back then definitely helped me see kevin in a different light plus it lowkey got me on the kandreil train but for a good number of years i liked how much andrew and neil care about him more than i liked kevin himself, if that makes sense. i never hated him but he really was more like a glorified side character to me for like 8 years. which... holy shit i'm so glad tsc changed my perspective.

Impression now

bestest boy ever. blorbo of blorbos. character of all time. i need to dissect him i need to put him in a blender i need to torture him i need to eat him i need to protect him i need to make him happy i need to put him in my pocket. i never want to stop thinking about him.

Favorite moment

uhm. hardest question ever? i love all of his moments and choosing just one would feel so weird because it's all of them together that make him such a fascinating character, you know? but perhaps the 'my father comes to all of my games' one. because that scene is really the perfect summary of kevin's entire personality. and i am now in tears. as happens every time i think about that scene. was that the first time he said smth like that to wymack. how do you think he felt ;-;

Idea for a story

idk what this means. like i have too many ideas how am i supposed to choose one. kevin is endlessly fascinating because he is vital to the plot but we also never get to see his pov. but also if you change one thing about him everything changes. i don't think it's possible to be a kevin fan without having a million story ideas about him.

so anyway recently i've been thinking about an au where ichirou becomes infatuated with kevin while he's still in the nest and how that would affect kevin's relationship with riko and also everything that happens during canon. :)

Unpopular opinion

i probably have a lot of these but i'm not sure what the actual popular opinions are about kevin. except for one. i don't think he's that bad. i know canon pretty much beats us over the head with the idea that he's an insufferable bitch but when he's not on the court, is he really that bad? he's about as rude and mean as any of the other foxes (or ravens), and he has the same one track mind that both jean and neil do. there's this tendency to talk about kevin as if he is actually the most most most insufferable mf on the planet and as if nobody in the books likes him or considers him a friend. it's just not true and so i kinda hate it :/

Favorite relationship

kandrew. kandrew. kandrew. kevneil too and kandreil in general but there's something about kandrew that makes me love it just a tiny bit more. because they annoy the shit out of each other and they'll never see eye to eye when it comes to exy but they're also best friends and they're so tender and they are both so so important for the other's healing journey and arrrghh i love everything about them. also codependency 👍

Favorite headcanon

i have about 70 of these and i'm currently forgetting all of them. but one of them has to be the idea that riko was the only one who would listen to his history rants. it's probably not accurate to canon since we know kevin was close with thea and jean as well but it makes my heart hurt. therefore it's great 👍 (been on a kevriko kick lately sorryr)

[simonsrosebud]

kevaaron cause why not

kevneil (both are acespec )

Matt/Nicky (I stan bi matt) Erik and Nicky are still friends but we're previously in a relationship, Erik has moved on (maybe nickys first love??)

andrew/Roland pre -series (theyre like a year apart cause I'm not sure how old Roland is but I've always thought of him to be a gay middle-aged man, but Andrew would be like underage and that's a nono)

Kandrew (acespec kevin?? Maybe on the demisexual spectrum??)

Renee/Allison/Dan or some variant/combination in the same au as Matt/Nicky

Jean/Neil , demisexual spec Neil

Kevin/Jeremy cause they were never given a chance and KEVIN I KNOW THERE'S GAY IN YOU demispec kev

Choose whichever pairing that inspires you most but PLEASE tag me in the writing cause I need more aftg in my life <3

okay i may definitely tag u if i do others but for the first one i couldn't help but do jeremy and kevin I JUST LOVE THEM

The thing about Jeremy, Kevin supposes, is that he really thinks that he could’ve been a Raven if someone had been paying attention all the way in West Virginia.  He had the same talent and stats that other strikers did when joining the line, had more of a height advantage than Riko ever did.

Being a Raven would have broken his spirit.  Kevin doesn’t think he’d ever forgive himself for that, knowing that he probably would have contributed to it at some point.

But then he wouldn’t be this, free and spirited and so fearless in showing unabashed joy.  Here, sitting in Kevin’s car, babbling on about California and how Kevin really should visit him next time so that he can show him around.  “I’m glad the sun has finally reached you,” he’s saying, “You look good with a nice tan.”  And it’s taking too much out of Kevin to keep his eyes on the road.

Jeremy’s hotel is just off campus, but it’s not far, and Kevin does have time, so he leans against the hood of the car while Jeremy lifts himself up onto it because “the height difference isn’t fair”.  It's only three inches, Kevin doesn't dare point it out. And suddenly Kevin is reaching out to smooth his fingers through Jeremy’s hair, soft and smooth and golden in the setting sun.

“Maybe it’s all this hair weighing you down,” he says.

Jeremy smiles, wide and lopsided and lazy, and leans into his touch.  “Never.  The hair is part of my charm.”

Kevin settles his hand on the hood of the car, then, all long legs and tall torso leaning so casually, and he’s pretty sure Jeremy’s eyes linger on his arms for a second longer than normal.  It makes his chest fluttery, so he says, “That’s what I used to tell Jean.”

And oh, Jeremy lights up.  “Yeah?  He tells me it’s unbearable.”

“He’s an idiot.”  Why would anyone ever say that?  “I used to talk about you a lot… in the Nest.”  He doesn’t really know why he says it other than he and Jeremy won’t be in the same place forever and Neil told him to stop holding back just because he’s scared of getting a letter in the mail from Ichirou himself.  So long as you send them their money and stay out of jail, your free time is your own.

With the way Jeremy preens at his confession, he thinks it’s the right call, anyway.  He taps Kevin’s closest finger with his pinky.  “What, about exy?”

“No.”

Surprise.  “Oh.”  Jeremy’s skin is honey gold and bronzed from the constant California sun, but Kevin’s never seen him sunburned.  The tinge of pink on his cheeks may be as close as he’ll get.  “Can I tell you something embarrassing?”

Oh no.  Kevin steels the lead in his stomach.  “Sure, anything.”  He can feel it coming, the inevitable, I feel flattered, you know, but I just don’t-

“I used to have a poster of you in my bedroom at home.” 

God, this was even worse.

“But I took it down once my older brother caught me kissing it goodnight before bed.”

Oh…?

Kevin opens his mouth, but doesn’t know what to say.  Instead, a smirk starts taking over his lips.  “You had… You used to kiss me?  Every night?”

Jeremy’s blush has traveled the length of his neck, but at least he laughs softly.  “Until I was, like, almost sixteen, yeah.”  Kevin taps his pinky finger back.  “Now I just do it in my head.”

Pause.

Kevin whips his head back up, shock surely coating his face.  “You what?”

And Jeremy’s face falls.  “I-I just mean- sorry, I didn’t- oh god, I just made this super,” he slides off the hood of the car, “awkward.  That’s not- I just meant that, like-“

Kevin grabs his hand when he gets too far.  Jeremy freezes, but doesn’t dare move.  Kevin works on his words, lets his mouth fish open while he tries forming them, and eventually says, “If I had a poster of you,” he frowns, “I’d, um…” he looks up at Jeremy, vulnerable and confused and maybe, possibly, the least bit hopeful.  “I’d kiss you goodnight, too.”

Grinning, now, Jeremy lets his hand fall further into Kevin’s, and gives it two squeezes.  “You can, you know,” he whispers.  He meets Kevin’s eyes slowly.  “If you want.”

Nothing could stop the jackhammering in Kevin’s chest, or the rushing of blood in his ears from how red his face probably is, but Jeremy’s voice comes through right as rain regardless.  He gives his hand a tug, pulling Jeremy closer, and steps towards him so that he has to look down at him.  Those three inches are going to kill him.

But Kevin must be taking too long, because then Jeremy’s hand is sliding up the side of his neck and pulling him down, and Kevin’s hands go flying to his sides, falling into the dip of his waist and wishing they could run up along his skin.  Jeremy sighs a bit into his mouth and drags his tongue along Kevin’s bottom lip, and then Kevin is pulling him closer until their chests are flush and his hands can slide underneath the thin t-shirt, hand splaying on Jeremy’s lower back and wanting to curl itself into the skin there.

Jeremy’s tongue is warm and slick and Kevin tries not to be embarrassed when he moans lightly into his mouth.  It makes Jeremy smile against his mouth, which really is Kevin’s own fault because he did not want this kiss to end.  Jeremy tucks back in for one more kiss, shorter but sweeter, his fingers gently scratching at Kevin’s scalp, and searches Kevin’s face from only inches apart when Kevin subtly tilts his head into his hand.

“I kinda had one more embarrassing thing,” Jeremy pants a little, a warm smile poking through, and god, everything about him is warm and sweet, so so sweet.  His skin underneath his shirt is warm like a fresh batch of cookies; tongue like a melted marshmallow daring to fall apart in your mouth;  smile like a rainbow after a hot summer shower and disposition of one that reminds Kevin of his mother’s comfort, of Abby’s hugs and his father’s safety.

Jeremy himself is a son of Apollo, Kevin is sure of it.

But Kevin doesn’t trust his own voice, right now, so he just nods and hums in encouragement.  He holds Jeremy close more decidedly, taking advantage of the contact and flattening his palms along the bare skin of his back and waist below his shirt.  He thinks for a moment it sends shivers down Jeremy’s spine.

For this, though, Jeremy goes up on his tip toes and tilts Kevin’s head to grant him his ear.  He nips at it, first, sending a shiver down Kevin’s spine, and says, “You’ve been number one on my list since I was fourteen.”

“God.”  It’s not intentional, but Kevin doesn’t even care at this point.  He’s heard all about these lists from Nicky.  He knew what it meant.

Jeremy laughs, quiet and contained and goofy, and props his elbows on Kevin’s shoulders to shelter them in.  “Would you like to come up to my room?”

[mania-sama]

also!! same anon. any kevneil hcs? 👀 what do u think there relationship would be like?

thanks for sending in another ask!!! i love answering!!!!

I have to really think about this because it's been a while since I've read the books. I needed to refresh my brain a bit!

Since they got together, everyone thinks that they'd push each other to unhealthy heights of Exy obsession. But, that's not the case. Slowly, they are able to coax more interests than Exy out of each other.

With Kevin, it's a lot easier. Neil already knows of Kevin's attempts at having other interests, despite having Exy shoved down his throat since he could talk. So, when the time comes, Neil encourages Kevin to spend time with the things that bring him joy. Such as watching the newest documentary about Ancient Egypt on the History Channel instead of a rerun of a UPenn Exy game, or attending his first Ren Faire dressed to the nines so nobody would recognize him.

Neil tries, too, of course. He picks up 'hobbies' at Kevin's subtle proding, but they always end up as competitions to see who can learn them quicker or better. Instead of being hobbies, they just end up as skills in his set. They learn how to knit together, and Neil is a thousand times better since his hand was never broken; his fingers are more nimble and move at a faster sustainable pace. Kevin sulks at this, obviously. So, when they learn chess, Kevin ensures he always has two wins over Neil.

Exy is still Neil's primary focus, his lifeblood. It's Kevin's, too, but Kevin allows himself a little more freedom. Neil doesn't find as much fun in Renaissance Faires or tours of Native American landscapes as Kevin does, but whatever makes Kevin happy makes Neil happy.

They argue very little at home. Whatever steam they have, they settle it on the Court, either in private sessions or in actual games. They do not hold back. When Neil makes a too-wide pass, Kevin shouts, "Josten! Fix your fucking aim or get off the court!" because he remembers that Neil sucks at putting the dishes in the dishwasher. Likewise, Neil bites back with, "Maybe I wouldn't have done that if you'd get off my ass every once in a while!" because Kevin is always insisting that Neil never does his chores correctly, and perhaps it pisses him off a little.

But, if anything happens to them on the Court, nothing else matters. It could be a good thing; perhaps Kevin made the game-saving goal, or Neil intercepted an important pass. They'll bump shoulders or, if it's appropriate timing, lift each other into the sweetest victory hug. It could be bad. It could be that Kevin's ankle rolls with a sickening crack. Neil drops his racket from whatever corner of the court he's in and rushes to Kevin like his heels are on fire. He pushes everyone away to pull Kevin into his arms, cradling his face as Kevin breaks down, memories of his broken hand crashing in on him. He whispers to Neil, the only person who could truly understand his situation and the only one willing to comfort him, that he's never going to play again. It's all over, he says, over and over again.

Neil tells him it's not true. It's a sprained ankle; it heals in six weeks. Kevin had a right to panic since their lives were reliant on their ability to play Exy, but Neil stayed right by his side the entire time. He shields Kevin from the press, having little patience for their prying questions. He spits out words that he knows Kevin would be horrified by (and so would the US Exy National PR Team). He sits down with Moriyama and explains the injuries and healing time. Moriyama leaves Kevin alone. Neil never lets Kevin get too far into his own head, and at the end of it all, Kevin thanks him in his own way.

Neil is on the receiving end of a lot of things; he finds brand-new running shoes waiting for him on the kitchen counter. There are his favorite protein bars ever from Germany stacked to the brim in the pantry. Kevin tells him, nonchalantly, that they have first-class tickets to watch the best professional Japanese team play in person in a month. It's hard for Kevin to say specific words, but Neil doesn't need them to understand.

But, sometimes, they do come out. At the end of their morning run on a rainy Tuesday, Kevin turns to Neil and says "I love you." Because perhaps that's when he needs to say it - when it's all clogged in his chest and nobody expects him to say it, least of all himself. And Neil will return the affection that night when the sun has set and the fear of nightmares has nestled into his skull. He fears that he has made a mistake letting Kevin so close to his heart, close enough that someone can hurt Neil by taking Kevin away. He turns to Kevin, grabs the nape of his neck, and says "I love you, too."

Because he knows that his fears are inane. That having someone to take care of his heart rather than letting it rot in its bone cage is the best decision he's ever made.

They sleep wrapped in the other's limbs and body. And when one starts shaking from a nightmare, they don't hesitate to pull each other closer. And that's all they need at the end of their long days. Having someone who will worldlessly, unquestioningly support them is enough.

[dykekarkat]

6, 7, 25 :)

6. which ship fans are the most annoying?

kevjean fans and i say this AS a kevjean fan...but it's true. every time i make a post about kevneil or jerejean (and i dont even make posts about these ships often) i always get a million tags that are like 'oh yeah jean too what about jean jean also' or 'literally kevin kevin and jean this is kevin and jean actually' and it does get annoying lol

7. what character did you begin to hate not because of canon but because of how the fandom acts about them?

okay i wouldn't say i hate jean but i do definitely hattteeee how jean is talked about ohhhh my god. the amount of discourse that arises because of how other characters treat jean is just sooooo annoying. i started reading tsc like a week ago and tbh idek if i want to finish it just because the conversations around jean are so annoying...and while i like jean it has definitely turned me off to like actually analyzing and dissecting his character.

25. common fandom complaint that you're sick of hearing

sick and tirreeeeedddd of aftg fans complaining about the ec and saying nora doesn't understand her own characters.

like number 1 you can take or leave the ec its literally EXTRA content, i dont know why everyone always wants to bitch about it when you have to literally go out and find it to read it.

and number 2 so many of the complaints arise bcus the fans want the aftg characters to become more palatable/conventional in the post canon which is boring af to me. and the thing is ppl can do whatever they want!! they can write andreil saying i love you or getting married or andrew being more emotional like i'll read and enjoy it, but it's soooo annoying to have ppl do that and then be like "heh 😏 take THAT nora...i understand him better than you". like do we not understand that nora can ALSO write whatever she wants???

[dayurno]

dr dayurno i have a question i require a clinical answer to... do you prefer kevjean kandrew or kandreil... i ask because my affections have recently shifted and i am wondering where you stand on the matter

while i am on the topic. kevjeaneil and kevneil are also delicious...

the more i talk the more i realise i just want kev to make out with hot men it's what the princess of the people deserves

kandreil always and forever! i love kevjean but my affections have not shifted i think... not yet....... theres just something about the delicious kandreil that is just unbeatable its really a hearty meal its coming home after a long day its that cold delicious glass of wine after work....... i still check the kandreil tag every day religiously its as serious to me as it has always been. Always n forever

i think for me the ranking is 1. kandreil 2. kandrew/kevjean 3. kevineil........ although recently kevthea has for sure gotten a lot higher on the list so there's also that. but yeah if i have a choice its always kandreil and it will never not be kandreil. I looked into everything in the history of the universe and it turns out there is only kandreil

I WILL SAY THOUGH ihave been thinking more about kevjeaneil because of @stabbyfoxandrew's mafia restaurant au........... so i think it could be so real. it is so delicious

[sammorallee]

coming back to tumblr with yet another au! sketch

this time — an au! in which Neil never been on the run and actually is an ordinary guy from Milport, who lives in an abusive family, who's obsessed w/ Exy and Kevin Day is literally his idol 🤌

yup, basically, i just took all the lore, all the information known about who Neil pretended to be, while living in Milport, and just made it... true.

yay, Kevin got what he took and wasn't traumatised by discovering that Neil-ordinary-talanted-guy-from-Milport-Josten is actually Nathaniel-the son-of-a-serial-killer-working-for-my-step- brother's-family-Wesninski 💀

also, there's no Butcher in this au! (i mean, in the form that we know from AFTG; the Butcher is still there, but he's not Neil's father for obvious reasons) so, yeah, basically, Nathan and Mary are just abusive Neil's parents

Mary is more like over-protecting + controlling over Neil, strict and prohibits a lot of things, but she's often gone to Tucson for her work; Nathan is not satisfied with his son's behaviour and attitude, his hobbies and interests, and tries to change him in every possible way — including violence.

when both parents are at home, they usually argue and Neil still gets involved in their fights. So, that's why he usually stays in school and the school's changing room for the night. While home alone, Neil sleeps in his room, as there are no risks.

Neil has scars — marks of domestic violence (mostly from hoses/slaps on his back, also from burns) — which he tries to hide because he doesn't want to get involved with the child welfare authorities and, after turning eighteen, the police. In Foxes, he'll adapt pretty fast as he sees — everyone is fucked up in here so they absolutely won't call the police on his parents, 'cause come on 💀 FOXES. 💀 CALLING THE POLICE. 💀

Neil is Raven's fan (read as "he's Kevin Day's fan and loves the team he plays for just for playing there") and is (before joining and getting along with them) biased against the Foxes because of their backgrounds — deep down thinking that people like them aren't worthy of playing in Class I Exy, or indeed having someone like Kevin in the team.

((but he, obviously, accepts the invitation from Wymack as he kinda wants to get rid of his parents and live a normal life))

apart from Exy, Neil also has other interests — he loves astronomy and space in general — to him, something as large-scale as open space with an infinite number of universes seems absolutely incredible, mesmerizing and inspiring.

in this au, Andrew won't be interested in Neil so much ('cause he's boring and basically he wasn't hiding anything from the beginning, he's like an open book), and Neil either won't be interested in Andrew ('cause he's obsessed w/ Kevin and wants him in any way imaginable, come on). So, yeah, in this au! Kevneils rule the world.

last, but not least, it's a literal fan-idol relationship with an from admiration to disappointment to hate to love trope and I'm fuckin' IN LOVE with this whole concept I've created.

yup i think that's all what i got for today folks

sorry for this tonne of text, hope you enjoyed

and I also hope I'll have enough endurance and patience to write a whole fanfiction based on this au!

[joejhang]

kandreil x the challengers love triangle

it has been said many a time but as someone who has only recently watched challengers this has been eating at my brain since then. before reading my thesis please refer to nora's snippets of a previous draft in which kandreil was canon which i reference frequently in this essay (it's a VERY fun read even if kandreil is not your thing): https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZpnEZ2Uwtlki6KGQZrGTr28niVXjh8_KdeNItRAfPog/edit?usp=sharing

honestly the toughest part is figuring out who is who. obv kevin = tashi (up-and-coming young champion of the sport who sustained an injury that forced them to stop playing for a while, more committed to the game than any one person, obsessed and a little fucked up with some undiagnosed mental illnesses).

patrick and tashi's dynamic is all very kandrew to me (tashi/kevin want patrick/andrew to give them and the game everything they've got but there's friction between them all along even while they're together even tho they're both very talented they have different approaches and attitudes to the game).

however this presents a problem because patrick's personality reminds me a lot more of neil's than andrew's (feisty, fiery, determined, scrappy) and patrick's fight/tension with tashi is also reminiscent of neil and kevin's many fights and issues throughout the series.

art actually doesn't resemble neil or andrew because i think both of them have more self-respect than to be knowingly married to someone who loves the game more than them (tho the parallel between art knowing tashi's gaze is wandering and sort of ignoring/accepting it and kandriel draft!neil's awareness and sort-of acceptance of kevin being attracted to andrew while they're together is notable. i digress.) and also art being a lot more docile than feral neil "you know i get it" josten or andrew "stab as a warning" minyard does present a problem. that being said art and tashi's sometimes loving, mostly tennis-oriented relationship also does bear resemblance to kandreil draft!kevneil and their significantly more softened dynamic as well as canon!kevneil and their weird, symbiotic, exy-fixated relationship dynamic.

art and patrick's relationship also feels very kandreil draft!kandrew to me (i.e. they were friends with unresolved sexual tension and attraction to each other before a new bombshell (neil/tashi) entered the villa and caught both their eye and then they proceed to both develop a crush on him but one of them (art/andrew) "concedes" Hot New Bombshell to the other (patrick/kevin) but continue to harbour unresolved feelings towards both of them)

in this case, obviously tashi = neil and not kevin despite their many many similarities because neil/tashi acts as the catalyst that prompts kevin and andrew to act on their feelings for each other and them, respectively. and tashi's repeated comments r.e. patrick and art's maybe-relationship mirrors kandreil draft!neil's repeated remarks to both kevin and andrew individually about their unresolved feelings for each other.

unlike tashi, kevin does not have andrew and neil eating out of the palm of his hand. in current canon, neil occasionally sort of does a little bit in the first two books but by tkm he respects kevin but doesn't have the same desperation for kevin to coach him like he does in tfc and trk. andrew doesn't entertain kevin on the exy thing almost at all which i guess you could say is sort of reminiscent of patrick "losing his touch" with tennis and either not trying as hard or just not getting any better over the ten or something years when he doesn't talk to art or tashi. i guess you could also say that art is like if andrew was more pliant and allowed kevin to make him a champion like he intended to.

notice i haven't mentioned andreil yeah that's cos i'm still figuring out where they fit in the big picture however tell me you see what i see because this has been rotting in my brain and i think this is what i'm dedicating my thesis to. thank you for coming to my ted talk.