David Wymack - Blog Posts

Could someone draw Neil Josten in this T-shirt please? Or Andrew? Or any of the Foxes?

Because this is so him and I bet Allison or Andrew brought this top for him for fun.

Wymack sitting at the funeral of Riko, the dude who was his estranged son’s codependent brother, who treated him as a pet and mentally and physically abused and tortured him for years. The same dude who also physically abused and orchestrated the gang rape of said estranged son’s best friend. Who then blackmailed one of your players, who knew your son from years back, and let Riko beat the shit out of him over Christmas break because he didn’t want his situation-ship to get hurt, who is your estranged brothers codependent bestie and protector - who riko also orchestrated the abuse of anyway. And then your team proceeded to beat him in the championships, where he tried to kill one said player before the other broke his arm and then his brother who runs the Japanese mafia killed him and framed it as a suicide. And now you sitting next to said estranged son, who people blame his death on, watching him grieve this absolute psychopath cause that’s just how much he fucked him up.

Wymack: *thank god this isn’t awkward or anything*

fence is like aftg but if it was fencing instead of exy and if it was kevneil instead of andreil

I am saying this just cuz I can somewhere when I do start writing a kit among foxes uhh I will give like random chapter snipits one of those that I wanna work on is cabin fiasco (this is also linked on my masterpost) in short cabin fiasco did start off as a incorrect quote thing that I have decided does happen so it will be from elio's pov and the title is cabin fiasco (ik I'm so smart for this[I'm not])

also like I think I'd have it be late trk or in tkm (after baltimore and the fbi) that elio gets closer to bee (I refuse to say why)

tw for the thanksgiving part in trk (does this need a tw oh well it gets one anyway, but like plz comment your opinion on it as I need help with that part)

another thing this is mainly like an input thing so like legit plz comment your opinion on this do I have elio accompany the monsters to nickys parents or do I leave with abby (or even bee) because I had the thought that if I did add him I could add andrew mentioning that Luther was still hiding dr*ke being in house when there was a toddler/young kid in the house (FUCK DR*KE HE DESERVED WHAT HE GOT [I lowkey think he deserved worse]) but also like that may slightly put andrew in an already worse state so that is only a thought not a full plan

so like plz comment your opinion on the thanksgiving thing I rlly wanna know or heck even dm me

SNIPPIT 1 FOR UHHH the fic that has no name the full chapter 1 isn't written yet I just wanted to get the snippit out

so the snippit is basically when neil has the racquet slammed into his gut its not all that good written as its a snippit for a reason so enjoy:

Elio had his ear pressed to the bathroom/stall door hearing the locker room door get pushed open hoping it was his mommy and not anymore of the people who were already in the outside room, he didn’t hear the other give the signal to come out of hiding but worry was gnawing at his gut rubbing at his arm faster.

The boy was snapped out of his worry at the sound of someone hitting the floor and the sound of a gruff mans voice chastising someone, Elio pushed open the bathroom/stall door rushing around the corner slightly seeing Neil on the ground trying to take gasps of air, he seemed to have not noticed that Elio had came out from where he was hiding until the toddler{small boy} had rushed to grab onto one of his arms causing the short blonde to pause at what he was saying “well that’s interesting.” the blonde had mentioned a strange smile on his face. “Anyways if he was nice coach he wouldn’t be any use to us, would he?”

Elio noticed that his mommy had put a arm around his middle the boy didn’t share the same care for exy as Neil did having no interest in the sport other than watching the older one play and seem more alive.

I don't know if the bathrooms/stalls in the Millport locker were stalls in a room with a door or just stalls so uhh yeah

to add to this the fact that neil most likely had the lingering knowledge that he wouldn't make it to twenty like even if he never met the foxes or Andrew, also to add onto the andrew thing he and aaron never would have started to fix their relationship, jean wouldn't have ever left the nest and would have most likely committed (don't quote men on this next part I haven't read tsc) because he promised Kevin he wouldn't try but Kevin's dead so.

also just think about how wymack would never find out that Kevin was his son, he would never know the son he should have raised

Do you ever think about the fact, that if Riko had actually killed Kevin instead of just breaking his hand that Neil would never have met Andrew. and that Neil would fade from the world without a soul to remember him, and Andrew would forever be a monster to everyone who knew him. Or are you normal??

I don't need to think of this, I don't need to

hey hold on a sec. we talk about what baltimore was like for kevin, neil, andrew, but can we talk about wymack for a second. Can we just.

the year before the twins and nicky signed at psu, two of wymack's foxes, ian and kirk, died in a car crash.

the next year, kevin day broke his hand and went to wymack, the only person he thought would keep him safe.

the year after that, seth gordon, the only surving member of wymack's original lineup, overdosed after he was so nearly clean, and it almost destroyed allison.

months later, andrew was attacked in columbia and committed to easthaven. aaron killed someone. andrew was gone and the others came back shattered.

then neil claims to go home for the holidays, they don't hear from him all of christmas break, and on new years, neil calls him and asks wymack to pick him up from the airport. he's there instantly and god, he looks half-dead. neil sees the 4 tattoo and tries to cut it off his face. all he can say is that he didn't sign to the ravens.

then there's the blood in the locker room. wymack can't push away the feeling that something's getting closer, something is coming to hurt his foxes and there's nothing he can do to stop it.

then. the game at binghamton. neil looks on edge but wymack doesn't ask what's wrong. neil and andrew are above his paygrade. then the riot. he can't see any of his kids in the crush. he finally pulls them all out, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight–

neil's gone. neil's gone and they can't find him. andrew can't find him. neil got taken by someone. what was that like for david wymack? did it feel too familiar? did he look at his kids and think not again, i didn't lose another one again. does it ever scare him. does it terrify him. when aaron came back from the police station in columbia, twenty four hours in holding and he couldn't look wymack in the eye, did he think what if i can't save these kids? when andrew was lying in a hospital bed, too drugged to react, did he think what if i can't give them their second chance? when neil grabbed that knife, when he fell to pieces on wymack's kitchen floor, when he came back to them in baltimore, bloody and broken, did wymack think why am i always too late?

feel free to send in asks for this if you wish 2

💭 AFTG Ask Game 🥍

I wanted to create an ask game because i like seeing people's writing! Also wanted to focus on fan-work/ analysis of the series :3

Favourite Character(s)?

Favourite Fanficiton(s)?

Favourite Ships/Tags?

Favourite non-romantic/non-sexual relationship in AFTG?

Favourite Artwork you've seen?

Favourite Theme/Motif?

Part of the story you want expanded/ have more knowledge of?

What team would you be on? Fox, Raven, Trojan (one of the others👀?) 

What position would you play? (Or would you be a non-player ie. Betsy/Katelyn?)

First impressions of the series versus now?

Who are you most like in the series/ relate to? 

Favourite part of the fandom? 

Favourite fandom moment/ trend/post?

Crossover Idea/thoughts with another media (book/tv show etc)? i.e Characters who remind of AFTG ones etc etc?

Your AFTG OC?

Your take on a new AFTG book (focused on an existing character)

Canon divergence time! What would your fresh take on an aftg character be (i.e Raven Neil, Vixen Allison?)

guys I've finished the raven king and uhh Jesus fucking christ that shit was horror, wymack getting concerned at Neil's voice on the phone is just such a dad thing, the tattoo nooo those bitches him running for the kitchen for a knife.

"help me" he said through gritted teeth

"let me" wymack shot back

just way fo go fucking break me more afer the thanksgiving part (I completely forgot the timestamp for the audio book for when that happens, I should have probably read along with my kindle books but oh well) but like what the fuck I forgot that it was all detailed man like not fully but like gosh the audio books hit diffrent than reading them for me. Neil telling wyamck that he's still a fox and that he hadn't signed the raven contract is just UGHHHH SOBS

still no more casey info sorry to casey hart fans you don't get any new info for the moment as im still trying to fully figure out everything and still finish his character desgin sheet/art thing

I don't generally do sportball so in light of the realization that a professional team having multiple coaches who each specialize in one area is the norm, it's honestly no wonder everyone gave the foxes so much flack.

Nora says USC has 4 coaches and 3 assistants for 29 players. That's a coach to player ratio of 1 to 4.

The foxes, on the brink of getting disqualified for not having enough players, were at 1 to 8. And we know the year after that it jumped to 1 to 15. The disparity is HUGE.

It's no wonder Wymack was getting so much flack. That's not just being optimistic, thats a vanity project.

I can't imagine what other college coaches were saying behind his back.

I can imagine what they said to each other when the foxes won the championships.

AFTG Headcannons!

i'm currently rereading the books and i thinking about the foxes and i just need some fluff in my life.

· First Andrew and his Arms TM. How much he lifts in the gym is notable enough for Neil to point it out. He could out-lift anyone on the foxes and anyone on his new team post graduation. Which is incredibly funny to think about because he's literally 5 foot. Horribly unbalanced. Neil wants to lick his biceps.

· Every one of the foxes has seen andriel making out on the roof. Aaron is scarred for life. Kevin wishes they would spend that time on the court. Nicky has to be restrained so he doesn't take a picture to send to Allison. Wymack heaves a long suffering sigh. Why did the universe set him up with these idiots?

· Neil thinks of half his comebacks in advance. the other half is adapted from his pre-existing list. He talks so much shit in his head he just starts writing it down. Neil is a planner. Andrew also knows about this list. Sometimes Neil writes them down for him to give his critiques.

· Andrew and Aaron learn to fight like normal brothers eventually. Imagining those boys bickering like siblings breaks me in half.

· Aaron has a stage where he dyes his hair brown for like a couple months. He didn't ask for twin, did he? Him and Andrew don't talk much during this little rebellion.

· The foxes actually call drunk Kevin "Kevin Night". I saw a post about Kevin Night being all about destroying his liver and safe to say that is the funniest thing i have ever seen in this fandom. It's a running gag among the foxes and you'll Never Guess who started it. (nicky)

· When Andrew and Neil both eventually quit smoking, Neil takes to drawing all over Andrew's hand to curb his cravings, and somehow it spirals into him sketching on his arms, legs and torso and months later, under his armbands. But it all comes to a head years later when Andrew wakes up with a fox paw on his ass. Neil can't show his neck in public for months.

· One morning after a particularly bad nightmare, instead of Andrew hitting out, it was Neil. Andrew has a bloody nose by the end of it and Neil has never felt worse. More proof that he's nothing, that he's not worthy of the foxes, that all he can do is hurt, because oh god He Hurt Andrew- Andrew puts a stop to it as soon as he isn't dripping blood all over the carpet. Healing isn't linear, junkie.

· Once Andrew gets to the stage where he's ok with hickeys, Neil suddenly can't leave enough of them. If the foxes didn't know better, they would tease the hell out of him but sometimes their self preservation instincts get the better of them. Often, much the Aaron's disgust, the place bets on how many bruises will be on his neck the morning after. Renee refuses to bet on principle.

· Allison teaching Neil to dress himself and taking him on their weekly shopping dates. I just love the idea of it so much. The freshmen thinking they're dating because of it. Allison dressing Neil to kill, for Andrew's sake. Almost all the clothes she buys him end up on the floor afterwards. Allison teaching Neil to do eyeliner. Neil with getting a matching helix piercing with Allison. Everyone dies a little once they see it. Matt drools a little.

· As Neil becomes more up to date with his flirting skills, he realises that "Doesn't mean I wouldn't blow you" is literally the most insane this to say during a conversation. He teases Andrew mercilessly and Andrew does that thing where he blushes with his ears and snogs the life out of Neil. He doesn't believe in regret but even he isn't immune to Neil's particular brand of wind-up.

Can we talk about how unbelievably normal Kevin would've been if he wasn't the Son Of Exy? I mean seriously, even with that he's a history major. A history major. His mother died in a car crash, he was abused for over half his life, he ran away to live with his illegitimate father and yet he is still tries so hard to be normal. When Andrew gets at him for having no spine, it makes me so unspeakably mad because yes! of course he's scared! His abuser is chasing him across the country to his safe space and is torturing and killing his friends!

Kevin pretty much grew up in a cult and his response is to avoid confrontation with them because opening his mouth has always meant incurring Riko's wrath; it's better for everyone to take the path of least resistance- sit down, shut up and don't cause any problems. Kevin is pretty much the fawn response to Andrew's fight and Neil's flight and it's so annoying how critical of Kevin everyone was. He was trying his goddamn best and when Wymack literally had to tackle Kevin in his apartment to calm him down showed us how much pain and fear he was in, how much he had always been in.

He grew up in a cage and he never got the outlet Neil had when he ran, or when Andrew lashed out and got shipped somewhere else. Kevin Day deserved the life he was owed and he finally got it when he went to Palmetto. He finally got to play exy on his own terms, went pro, made the US Court AND got a family- Wymack, Abby, and Thea. Not only them, but the Foxes too. Neil and Andrew, Nicky, Aaron, Dan, Matt, Allison and Renee. He got everything he deserved in the end and yes that is the success story we all needed for him.

AFTG Headcannons!

i'm currently rereading the books and i thinking about the foxes and i just need some fluff in my life.

· First Andrew and his Arms TM. How much he lifts in the gym is notable enough for Neil to point it out. He could out-lift anyone on the foxes and anyone on his new team post graduation. Which is incredibly funny to think about because he's literally 5 foot. Horribly unbalanced. Neil wants to lick his biceps.

· Every one of the foxes has seen andriel making out on the roof. Aaron is scarred for life. Kevin wishes they would spend that time on the court. Nicky has to be restrained so he doesn't take a picture to send to Allison. Wymack heaves a long suffering sigh. Why did the universe set him up with these idiots?

· Neil thinks of half his comebacks in advance. the other half is adapted from his pre-existing list. He talks so much shit in his head he just starts writing it down. Neil is a planner. Andrew also knows about this list. Sometimes Neil writes them down for him to give his critiques.

· Andrew and Aaron learn to fight like normal brothers eventually. Imagining those boys bickering like siblings breaks me in half.

· Aaron has a stage where he dyes his hair brown for like a couple months. He didn't ask for twin, did he? Him and Andrew don't talk much during this little rebellion.

· The foxes actually call drunk Kevin "Kevin Night". I saw a post about Kevin Night being all about destroying his liver and safe to say that is the funniest thing i have ever seen in this fandom. It's a running gag among the foxes and you'll Never Guess who started it. (nicky)

· When Andrew and Neil both eventually quit smoking, Neil takes to drawing all over Andrew's hand to curb his cravings, and somehow it spirals into him sketching on his arms, legs and torso and months later, under his armbands. But it all comes to a head years later when Andrew wakes up with a fox paw on his ass. Neil can't show his neck in public for months.

· One morning after a particularly bad nightmare, instead of Andrew hitting out, it was Neil. Andrew has a bloody nose by the end of it and Neil has never felt worse. More proof that he's nothing, that he's not worthy of the foxes, that all he can do is hurt, because oh god He Hurt Andrew- Andrew puts a stop to it as soon as he isn't dripping blood all over the carpet. Healing isn't linear, junkie.

· Once Andrew gets to the stage where he's ok with hickeys, Neil suddenly can't leave enough of them. If the foxes didn't know better, they would tease the hell out of him but sometimes their self preservation instincts get the better of them. Often, much the Aaron's disgust, the place bets on how many bruises will be on his neck the morning after. Renee refuses to bet on principle.

· Allison teaching Neil to dress himself and taking him on their weekly shopping dates. I just love the idea of it so much. The freshmen thinking they're dating because of it. Allison dressing Neil to kill, for Andrew's sake. Almost all the clothes she buys him end up on the floor afterwards. Allison teaching Neil to do eyeliner. Neil with getting a matching helix piercing with Allison. Everyone dies a little once they see it. Matt drools a little.

· As Neil becomes more up to date with his flirting skills, he realises that "Doesn't mean I wouldn't blow you" is literally the most insane this to say during a conversation. He teases Andrew mercilessly and Andrew does that thing where he blushes with his ears and snogs the life out of Neil. He doesn't believe in regret but even he isn't immune to Neil's particular brand of wind-up.

I feel like its an underrated fact the Neil flat out told Kevin and Wymack that recruiting him was a mistake and tried his best yo get them to leave him alone in Milport.....they have nothing to blame but themselves for the chaos that followed, my guy said point blank it was a bad idea.

hEY remember how the foxes got a tv for the bus because they asked and wymack’s a sucker when it comes to his kids they won finals ?? can you imagine the CHAOS ??? these dumbasses can’t agree on a single thing, there’s no way choosing which movie to watch on their trips to games will cause anything other than absolute mayhem

love your hcs!!!! do you think you write one about the legacy neil left at palmetto and with the foxes. like he goes back when wymack retires. and next to where he carved his and andrews initials into the bed post just before andrew left, there’s other foxes initials and he sort of unknowingly created a tradition. or like eventually he gets his old exy racquet back from the cops and it sits at the court and before a game he slapped it so so did the rest of the team and has become a team ritual

hi anon - thank you so much! sorry for the delay, this week has really been something skhdskgjhd but i hope you enjoy <3 i had lots of fun with this :) 

years down the line, wymack is retiring (dan will be taking over for him)

neil and andrew are still playing pro together, but there’s a lull in their training and it’s nearing the end of the collegiate exy season, so they drive to palmetto together

andrew says he’s only going because he doesn’t want to have to deal with the cats alone

“you were alone with them for two weeks last year”

andrew pretends he doesn’t hear him

and then neil and andrew are standing outside wymack’s apartment, unannounced, and he grumbles that “at least you didn’t break in this time” but there’s fondness in his tone and he ushers them in

they have a night of comfortable chatter and silences, and andrew grabs the alcohol from the same cabinet it’s always been in. it’s familiar, and neil falls asleep on wymack’s couch with a smile on his face and andrew curled up on top of next to him 

and the next day, neil and andrew go to fox tower, and they walk the stairs that they know as well as they know each other

they get to the third floor, and a small group of foxes is leaving their dorm room, the one that used to belong to neil and andrew, when they see the two and just. freeze. 

it’s nothing new to be recognized by fans, but it’s weird for it to happen somewhere that feels like home. they tolerate it and ask if they could go into their old dorm room

the young foxes scramble to let them in and frantically pick up clothes and throw away trash to give the room some semblance of tidiness. neil and andrew don’t care

the bean bag chairs are gone, but there are still faint ash stains on the windowsill, and the crystal-clear memories of long since faded moments wash over neil

they drift over to the bedroom, and the young foxes leave them be as they silently make their way to the bunk. neil gingerly sits down onto his old mattress, andrew right beside him

andrew catches neil’s attention by tracing the carvings of their initials on the bed post, then trailing his finger down an array of other scrawled letters below. other initials, carved by foxes who came after them, and a smile ghosts over neil’s face because,,, he stopped running and he left solid evidence behind and people actually continued it after he was gone ?? and it’s such a weird thought but he loves it 

he asks the young foxes if there’s anything else that continued after he left

they show him the roof, fitted with new locks that have also since been sabotaged. it looks like their secret spot was less secret than they thought, but at least someone’s still enjoying it

they proudly demonstrate how they’ve all memorized neil’s riko roast which baffles him because that was never even televised ?? where did they hear it ????

andrew ofc will never tell him that he transcribed it when nicky asked him to. he doesn’t even really know why he listened, so there’s no way he’s ever going to try to explain it to neil

all of them have orange bandanas, which is a tradition that started neil’s second year and has apparently continued ever since

they don’t know that that’s where it started so they don’t mention it, but neil noticed from games 

they take neil and andrew to the court and show them the two lucky racquets (the drake one they got back from evidence when the case was closed and the one andrew used to shatter riko’s arm) and they all absent-mindedly tap them on their way in

it used to be a thing the foxes would only do before games, but slowly spread to. every single time they go to the court

apparently it’s also become custom for them to link arms on to way back to the bus after games, after neil’s kidnapping from binghampton

it took a while for them to get the order of the line right bc if they’re not careful, their attempt at keeping each other safe becomes a fist fight

bonus (not one of neil’s legacies): dan’s photo wall continues! they don’t ever take down pictures of the older foxes, just keep squeezing more pictures in. it expands beyond only one wall to every wall of the foyer, and they’re still having trouble finding room. sometimes they have to pile photos on top of each other

they also mention that movie nights are still a thing! they’re bi-weekly, and they always try to find a classic movie that at least one of the foxes has never seen bc of a shitty childhood

night practices are also still happening. not everyone goes every night, but a couple of the keeners do

“junkies”

neil is,,, stunned, honestly. he didn’t ever imagine he could have this concrete of an impact, didn’t think he could keep existing in a place even after he left it

before, he’d never wanted to be remembered. the idea slowly became more bearable over the years, but this is,,, he never expected anything like this

it’s overwhelming and it’s wonderful and he loves it

and later that night, neil and andrew go up to their rooftop (there are two young foxes up there that scurry away as soon as they realize who stepped onto the roof) 

and as they look out over the city, hands linked, neil’s heart feels so light and he can’t get rid of - doesn’t want to get rid of - the smile that seems to be glued to his face, even through the pang of nostalgia - another new feeling

and neil and andrew sit under the comforting blanket of the night and talk into the darkness

just like old times

and it’s comfortable and familiar and once upon a time, neil wished that it would never end

but now? now, neil knows that while he may leave,,, this will never end. not really

as he sits under the stars next to the man with whom he will spend the rest of his life, neil knows the memories and whispers of the past live on through love and legacies

back on my bullshit

n e ways

do you want have headcannon for the foxes cursing habits/how they curse/ everyone’s fave curse word (this totally includes abbie and dadmack too btw)

ilysm, thank you for another ask!

ooo this is fun! (it got very long very fast hahah sorryyy). here’s what i’ve got for you:

(coarse language ahead, obviously)

dan mostly swears at people. by this, i mean she doesn’t usually swear if she stubs her toe or is running late, only if someone pisses her off

her favourite ones are asshole and motherfucker, but she’s also fond of dick

kevin isn’t picky with his swear words - he’ll use whatever gets the point across

however, he loves swearing in french, and his fave french curse is “putain à la merde”, which loosely translates to fucking shit

andrew opts for fuck and fuck you most of the time. in english, because he usually wants everyone to understand him if he swears

that said, he doesn’t often have to swear - his stare says it well enough

matt curses not only when he’s mad, but also when he gets excited (so basically, he swears a lot)

his faves are holy hell/fucking hell and frick frack crack-a-lack (bc of the looks the foxes give him when he says it)

aaron’s favourite english swear words are bullshit and moron, but he especially enjoys the casual german curse word “scheiße” and uses it very often

seth goes right for the throat. he’s not afraid to use the f slur or c*nt, especially around the foxes (two swear words that i’m nervous to even type out LMAO) 

in more public settings, he opts for jesus christ and shit

allison loves saying bitch/son of a bitch (bc people call her a bitch all the time so she just turns it around)

worth noting that she swears at inanimate objects more than at people - her curling iron when it burns her, her phone when she drops it, anything she bumps into, etc

nicky, like aaron, is fond of german curse words. his are generally more colourful though, since he learned more german slang and bc swear words are the first thing he got erik to teach him

in english, nicky likes kiss my ass and damn. he also enjoys making up random insults sometimes, like calling someone an untied shoelace or a stale piece of bread. medicated andrew found this very entertaining

renee doesn’t swear - she destroys people with condescension and passive-agressiveness

before she was born-again, she was fond of using fuck (twinning w andrew xoxo)

neil will use literally anything, in any language. typically he morphs his curses to fit whatever culture he’s currently immersed in. some examples:

america: fuck/fucker

britain: wanker and prick

france: merde, salope, and va te faire enculé (shit, bitch, and go fuck yourself)

germany: flachwischer and du fickfehler (~fuckiwit/motherfucker and you mistake*)

wymack always mixes it up. flying fuck, pain in my ass, what the absolute shit, goddamnit, etc. he doesn’t have a favourite; he likes them all

abby’s pretty tame, usually. her most frequently used are crap, what the hell, and christ. if she stubs her toe, she normally says frick. wymack thinks it’s adorable

*i don’t actually speak german, besides very basic beginner duolingo stuff, so those translations are just what i found on random websites

do you have any headcannons (andreil or otherwise) that are unpopular within the aftg fandom? and by unpopular i mean you haven’t seen them done/mentioned by anyone yet.

(also your posts are rlly cool, glad i stumbled upon your blog!!)

oh man, i love hc asks! i appreciate you giving me permission to let my mind run wild. and tysm, that’s really sweet!! 

(these are in no particular order. i haven’t seen any of them done before, but i also haven’t read all of the aftg hcs, so i apologize if there are any that you’ve already seen! CW: scars, bad family relationships... i think that’s it?)

kevin dog ears the pages of his books 

(he didn’t have any actual bookmarks at the nest and would rather just fold the pages than use a random scrap of paper)

in france, they greet by kissing each other on the cheeks (1-4 times, depending on the area). so, i propose that jeremy does his research and decides to greet jean at the airport with 2 “bises” (as is custom in marseilles). it’s second nature to jean, and he returns it without thinking. eventually that’s how all the trojans greet each other

bonus: the trojans greet the foxes like that at a match. most are confused, andrew stands off to the side and (understandably) refuses, nicky’s enthusiastic, and neil and allison reciprocate perfectly

the foxes write letters to each other when they no longer share dorms! especially neil, since he’s the worst at answering via technology

the letters include little doodles in the margins, pictures in the envelopes (mostly from dan), and other little things that can fit

all of the foxes have created spots designated for the letters

allison commissions a set of 10 custom garden gnomes that look like each teammate for all of the (og) foxes’ houses (and also wymack). while the reactions vary, everyone keeps them (some display them in their yards and some do not)

renee journals and presses flowers

allison reads classic poetry and novels

matt and dan get neil to paint lil fox paws around their house, wherever he wants to. they always smile when they see them

wymack has scars similar to andrew’s. he used to always wear long sleeves bc of it, but he covered them up with the flame tattoos and proudly displays his arms now

the foxes as a whole tend not to like rainy or snowy days bc bad weather = staying inside, which isn’t ideal when you have a horrible home environment (and for neil it meant running was harder)

they generally all end up in the same room on bad weather days, without planning it. no ones mentions the reason, but everyone feels a bit calmer with their found family around

neil and andrew start up a collection of black glass figurines in their home (like bee’s but opposite)

the foxes have a way easier time buying gifts for andreil once this collection is started, and it grows exponentially

neil doesn’t love ice cream but he has taken a liking for froyo

he doesn’t really care what he eats, but andrew notices that neil eats a lot more of it a lot faster, and fruit-flavoured froyo becomes neil’s usual frozen treat 

it’s also what caused him to experience his first brain freeze bc he’d never consumed a frozen food so fast before

i’m so sorry to any mobile users who have just gotten a wall of text

i hope this is sort of what you were looking for! aftg is on my mind 24/7 and this all flooded out LMAO

feel free to send me asks anytime! :)

“Neil watched the airport disappear, watched signs blur outside the window, and let his eyes close. When he opened them again, he was flat on his back on Wymack’s couch.” (ch.16, trk)

wymack carried neil up to his apartment. wymack carried neil up to his apartment. WYMACK CARRIED NEIL UP TO HIS APARTMENT. 

i will forever be crying about this. it’s such a father-son thing to do?? he must’ve been so small in wymack’s arms. and neil is so familiar w wymack’s place that he didn’t even panic when he woke up on his couch, despite having just gotten back from evermore. 

also, and this is very important:

“Clad in jean shorts and a faded tee, Wymack looked more like a garage band rocker than a university coach.” (ch.1, tfc)

WYMACK. WEARS. JORTS. we make fun of neil for it all the time but PLS CAN WE STOP OVERLOOKING THIS OMFG. wymack wears a wife-beater when he first sees neil and jorts the second time. iconic. what a man. 

it’s so wild that nicky and aaron could understand everything neil and andrew were saying to each other during the baltimore reunion scene, all the easy conversation and percentages and references to past comments, and they STILL had the absolute audacity to appear surprised when allison pointed out andreil’s not-a-thing relationship like-

honestly, what a power-move for neil to be an absolute asshole to the feds and get his way because of it. like damn, yes, let them know that you know how vital you are to their case. speak a different language so that they can’t understand you. call them out on their lies. insult them. go off my guy, that’s what we like to see

(and also shoutout to the rest of the foxes for refusing to tell the feds anything because they said they couldn’t see neil. this is the friendship neil deserves. this is the family that he didn’t dare to dream for. iconic)

hc that andrew’s really good at drawing, and bc of his eidetic memory, he can depict scenes perfectly. he didn’t draw much when he was on his meds, but got back into it when he was sober again. here are some memories i think he would recreate:

the “you know, i get it” speech (this one is a kaleidoscope of colours bc of his drugged state)

neil at ground level, andrew’s cigarette between his lips, giving andrew a mock salute (that scene right after andrew returns from easthaven)

seeing neil’s scars for the first time

aaron and nicky dancing, carefree, at eden’s

bee’s glass figurines (he adds to this drawing every time he gets her a new one)

sparring with renee

neil sitting on the ground at the foxhole court after calling andrew during his panic attack

neil leaning over the bus seat

matt grinning during an exy game

neil at the baltimore reunion (the rest of the foxes are blurs in this one because he only had eyes for neil)

sleepy neil curled up in the beanbag chair

allison and renee curled up beside each other

kevin coming in, drunk, with his new tattoo 

nicky and erik hugging when erik came as a surprise

kevin and wymack right before the final match

riko with his racquet raised above neil (he wasn’t going to draw this one, but he couldn’t get the moment out of his head and thought it might help to get it down on paper)

aaron smiling for a split second at a sarcastic comment andrew made

neil, yawning and wearing andrew’s hoodie

matt ruffling neil’s hair

allison painting renee’s nails

neil sitting on the rooftop, the sunset setting his hair ablaze

ice cream at sweetie’s (no cracker packets in this memory)

the first goal robin blocked during a game

neil on facetime, staring at andrew like he could never get enough

the first house that andrew could really call home 

sir and king climbing all over neil

neil and kevin wearing olympic medals

neil and andrew’s hands linked together

aaron and his family when they come over for dinner

neil, soaking wet and laughing during a watergun fight in their backyard

neil, smiling and happy and home

i’d like to think that, when andrew feels ready to show neil his drawings, they hang them up around their home. and when the foxes come over, they’re in awe at the memories and the love that is captured in the artwork, but they know not to say anything. dan gives them pictures, though, to hang up alongside the drawings, and they do

neil was ready to die. he had accepted that he wasn’t going to live past 19, that he would be killed, that he wouldn’t do anything else with his life. and he was mourning the loss of exy and his teammates and friendship, but he didn’t bother mourning the loss of a domestic life because it never even occured to him that that could be a possibility. that dream died the night he ran away. he didn’t mourn the loss of lazy sleep-filled mornings or cat cuddles or holding hands or having his own place, because to him, that was always too far-fetched. he didn’t mourn for the small joys of domestic life, because he’d never had them in the first place

yes neil is absolutely clueless when it comes to people liking him, both platonically and romantically, but he’s honestly pretty perceptive when it comes to other people. he was able to analyse the relationships and dynamics between the foxes pretty quickly (for the most part) after meeting each of them, even without knowing their backstories or anything about them. i think that this is for a few reasons:

neil has spent his entire life looking for threats towards him, not love

the only person who ever really cared about him before he joined the foxes (from what we know) was his mom, who had very questionable ways of showing it (i could write a whole other post about mary)

neil didn’t actually expect anyone to care about him in any way, because he didn’t think he was worthy of friendships and had never really opened up enough for it to be a viable option 

he had to be good at quickly and discreetly analyzing other people’s relationships, because it was important to understand those around him on the run 

excluding all the times where he went off and snapped at people, he tended to listen more than talk, especially when in big groups. this is the perfect opportunity to absorb information about everyone else

that being said, he didn’t pick up on anyone caring about him, because that idea had never even crossed his mind

also, given that he hadn’t really known what romantic attraction felt like, it was probably pretty hard to place his feelings for andrew 

and andrew’s not exactly the easiest to read, so even for neil (who understands him significantly more than others do), it would’ve been hard to see that andrew liked him (esp since andrew was presenting his attraction as hate)

however!! it would’ve been a lot easier to pick out the subtleties in the relationships between the other foxes, because they’re generally more open 

basically, i think that neil actually isn’t completely clueless when it comes to love/lust/attraction between others, it’s just when it comes to himself - who he doesn’t think is worthy of anything good - that he’s a bit thick

jerejean fics are so much fun to read bc in aftg the characters more or less roll with the hits and just kind of accept what’s going on, and it doesn’t seem that out of the ordinary when you read it, but then you see how jeremy reacts to jean’s stories in the fanfics and it’s like... oh right... that’s actually probably how a normal person would react in this scenario

neil “i’m fine” josten telling wymack after coming back from evermore that no, no, he’s not alright just... pierces my heart every time i think about it. you can really see how much neil’s grown by how he finally begins to trust someone other than himself or his mom. he puts himself in such a vulnerable position when he reaches out, especially by asking for help from an older man (given his past). and the way that wymack drops everything during winter break to immediately rush to the airport, i just- 

wymack: sign with my team

neil: strANGER DANGER STRANGER DANGER

andrew definitely sets alarms for like 6:13 and 8:19 and it makes kevin So Mad

the foxes love neil bc he’s like a lil stray that they feel like they need to take care of half the time and are terrified of the other half, but like... he’s such a Bitch™ to literally everyone else. not even just his considerable amount of enemies but... the cheerleader that he shot down, bee, basically every exy player that isn’t on his team, the doctor in baltimore, etc etc etc. i love him for it, but i also know that if i met him irl he would tear me to shreds

aftg but every time the foxes travel anywhere, Medicated Andrew™ sings “the wheels on the bus” nonstop until he passes out