Jean is not a delicate little butterfly that’s been trampled into the mud. He’s a chained dragon that’s been trampled into the mud, and the chains are off now. No one else could survive what he went through for as long as he did, certainly not with any trace of spirit or heart still intact. No wonder Jean feels so unseen. Not because people can’t see his pain… but because that’s ALL they’re seeing. How frustrating to prove yourself unbreakable only to be always seen as something broken. He’s faced the darkest fires of hell and survived, but everyone’s focussed on his still-smoking wounds instead of his still-beating heart. This man is a warrior. It’s his enemies they should feel sorry for.
once again thank you jeremy knox for being the only person with enough sense to go "hey! isn't it weird that everyone is calling jean a whore because he slept with grown men at..... 16???? shouldn't we question, oh idk, THE ADULTS FUCKING A MINOR?!?"
I mean yeah we all know that Neil is a good liar and all, but I think sometimes we forget to what extent.
Like he got literally plucked from class one day and put in front of his father’s boss, totally unprepared, and put on an oscar-winning performance of a lifetime. Bitch was like “I am not saying your brother is out of line my lord 😔😔😔 I am afraid of what will fall back on you 🤔🫢 🤧” and fucking manage to convince ichirou to kill his own brother.
What a man…
When Andrew and Aaron graduate, they hug. Andrew is the last to let go.
I need jeaneil fics now. They don’t even need to be romantic
on today’s episode or AFTG Twitter Is Ruining My Life
even though renee isn’t in the books as much as some of the others, i’d argue that she’s on the same level as andrew and kevin in terms of importance, not necessarily because of her impact on the main plot but more because she symbolizes something these characters desperately need: hope. first of all, it has become increasingly obvious to me that she’s a narrative foil to neil. not only do they leave their sketchy pasts behind, change their names, and dye their hair, but their birth names (natalie, nathaniel) are incredibly similar. renee represents who neil would be if he actually processed his issues instead of running away from them (“i’m not proud of my past, but i’ll never heal if i hide it”). neil is so unsettled by renee because she’s the person who neil has been told for his entire life that it’s too dangerous to be. he dyes his hair to blend in. she dyes her hair to stand out. and she’s HAPPY. she’s not dead like neil’s been brainwashed to believe. then, of course, there’s her iconic friendship with andrew. i’m not going to say that she’s the only one who andrew likes, because we all know he’s very protective of his cousin, brother, and neil. however, renee is the only one who andrew never lashes out at. if renee hadn’t intervened when andrew was attacking allison, who knows what would’ve happened? finally, there’s her connection to jean. jean was denied color for years, surrounded by black and red, never thinking that he would escape. his first interaction with renee always stands out to me because for the first time, he’s left speechless. he sees renee and her rainbow hair and can do nothing but stare. how could he not fall in love with a girl who goes so directly against the rules of his abusers? and she gets him out of the nest. she’s the reason why he defies all the other drafts and stays alive. throughout the books, she grounds andrew, saves allison, and gives jean a reason to keep living. the events of all for the game and the sunshine court couldn’t have happened without renee. none of it could’ve. she was at the center of it all the whole time
saw a post about how jean and neil are pretty alike so andrew would probably like jean and just. thinking about how andrew could teach jean everything he's learned about bodily autonomy and consent and trust and self worth. thinking about aaron killing drake and neil putting a hit out on grayson. thinking about them both finding partners they trust to respect their boundaries. thinking about neil saying "andrew's taught me about give and take" and how andrew could teach that same lesson to jean. thinking about andrew teaching jean to trust bee and telling him about what he talks to bee about. thinking about jean getting bee a glass figurine for her collection because andrew told him she likes them. thinking about bee getting jean a magnet in return. thinking about how they have like more than a foot of height difference. thinking about them bonding over making fun of kevin. thinking about jean getting to know the person who finally stood up to riko and protected neil from him. thinking about jean learning that neil went to evermore to try to protect andrew from proust. just andrew and jean okay!!!!
🌀”I have a bit of an attitude problem” 🌀5/6 Foxhole Court overlays.
Featuring the scene from chapter 13 with the Kathy Ferdinand show and Riko meeting!
Inspired by this quote:
“Ah, forgive my bad manners,” Kathy said to Neil. “I didn’t forget you over there, I just got distracted. Let’s get the pair of you introduced, though I’m not sure either one of you needs an introduction by now. Riko, Neil. Neil, Riko. Kevin’s past and present or should I say past and future?”
[…]
“I will ask you only once to tone down the animosity”
“I can’t,” Neil said. “I have a bit of an attitude problem.”
Only one overlay left to go! Though I must admit I think this is one of my favourites, especially with Andrew in the front row!
who the FUCK is out here doing it like david fucking wymack. bitch has a reputation for the most dysfunctional college team in the country and he wears that sticker with PRIDE. encourages his team by saying hey when we lose we can all get drunk and they win and get drunk anyway. signs some random kid from arizona because a national champion said he was a good idea, let said random kid crash on his couch whilst he proceeded to antagonize everybody he met and then simultaneously pulled the whole team together. fantastic news for wymack. but jokes on you brother that random is actually the son of a serial killer. no fucking reaction. drove to columbia because his national champion called him, didn't break a sweat when his pre-med backliner killed a guy, and at least 3 other people on his team are confirmed murderers. he drives them everywhere and breaks out the line 'fight because you don't know how to die quietly. win because you don't know how to lose'. who the fuck is doing it like david wymack
hi me again um i'm thinking about andrew going to aaron's wedding. thinking about what nora said about neil using two favours, one to get him there, one to make sure he didn't start anything during the ceremony. did aaron check the guestlist eight times to make sure his brother was on there. did he make sure there were places and invites specifically for andrew and by extension neil. is it the first time aaron sees andrew in person since going to med school. does he wait by the entrance, half-heartedly greeting people, scanning the blurry faces for blond hair. does nicky have to drag him away eventually and tell him to relax and aaron, he's going to come, just breathe, okay? does aaron smile and thank nicky and then go back to inspecting the crowd for his identical copy. does he catch sight of andrew and immediately look away, move to a different area, because he needed andrew to be there, but he didn't realize he couldn't actually talk to him yet? and after everything's over, after dinner and the reception and everything's wrapping up, is that when andrew finally comes over. does he find aaron, against the wall, katelyn taking her cue to leave, and do they stay silent for a moment. if they speak who talks first? does aaron say "i didn't think you would come", admitting it out loud for the first time? does andrew say "i didn't think you had it in you"? or is it as silent as so many of their conversations as brothers have been, but the angry devotion touched with resentment doesn't burn like it used to, they're older now, family doesn't hurt now. the bridge across the gap between them grows stronger with every step they take across it.
wordlessly andrew says"i'm proud of you" and aaron says "i know."
Ok wait but can we talk about how awkward Wymack probably felt during the Andreil scene in the hotel room??? Like nora had our man CHAINED TO ANDREW while they had THE Andreil moment and he was just like ‘yup, handcuffed to one of the problem children while he confesses his love to my other arguably more problematic problem child mhm just a day in the life’