Okay When You Read About Neil’s Scars, Did You Picture The Burn Mark To Be From Like A Fire Poker Iron

neil violently disliked his mother for half his life, but she was still his entire world. and like... no wonder he didn’t know how to navigate friendship and kindness when he showed up at the foxhole court. the foxes showed neil how to thrive where mary taught him to survive. and even though they’re a fractured mess most of the time, they’re exactly what neil needed to become whole. to become a real person for once. to finally be able to stand his ground and have something worth fighting for

andrew frequently wakes up in the middle of the night and tenses at the feeling of skin against his own, but he instantly relaxes when he feels the ridges and bumps of neil’s scars and callouses, completely at odds with the slick, groping hands of his foster siblings. the remnants of neil’s trauma help andrew cope with his own

Truth is irrefutable and untainted by bias. Sunrise, Abram, death, queer kids googling 'am i gay quiz': these are truths

tags via @karmiky​

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

hi i think paper cut hearts but ennui_ephemera on ao3 does a pretty good job portraying nicky!

ooo thanks anon! i think i’ve read that one, but it’s definitely been a while. i’ll have to go reread it :) tysm for the rec, ily <33

on the one hand, saying “make me” and refusing to kneel when tetsuji told him to is iconic. on the other hand, neil knew he’d be there for two more weeks and he still purposely antagonized him???? very in character but what the f u c k

okay you know what, andrew may have killed his mom but at least he’s a generous tipper. murder? excusable. tipping 5% at a restaurant? well now we’re gonna have to excuse another murder

i just finished reading ‘scared to live (but I’m scared to die)’ by Major_816, so now I’ve got raven Neil ticking at the back of my brain 24/7

oliver wood crying after they lost the quidditch match and ignoring that harry almost died gives off VERY strong kevin day and neil josten vibes except lets be real, neil would be more upset about losing than almost dying too

@jensen57 @jingerhead @twirlingflurry This is all your fault. Enjoy the novel.

I will start this off by saying, write whatever the hell you want. I don't have to interact with it. But also really think long and hard about why you are writing them that way. Why do you need to change these characters so completely to enjoy them? So yes write whatever you want, but also think a little when you do.

This is all in reference to this post for context. Now I will rant.

I hate to be mean but I think some of you need the actual slap in the face that is there is no justification for this whatsoever. Whatever "oh he's overcoming his trauma, oh he's friends with her because this and that, oh it's because he's allowed to now," bullshit you want to come up with is worthless to anyone who has any grasp on the characters and their personalities.

Neil avoids Allison for pretty much the entire series. He barely even likes her. The only time they interact in canon is when it is actually necessary for them to do so. The one time they're ever alone is when he has to ride with her and they literally do not say a word to each other. He never seeks her out, even for the coverup in TRK. Wymack sends him. On top of all of that, she is also the person who outed him and Andrew to their entire team against their will not even 2 days after a very traumatic event solely to win money. And you can argue that they don't really care because they don't acknowledge it at the time, but I will calmly direct you to the scene at the cabin when it is brought up again at a much less traumatic and stressful time and both him and Andrew react very negatively to it.

Neil also hates shopping, and gossip, and drama. So tell me where exactly their personalities and interests line up. And listen I know that she is a deeper character than that but I am speaking solely to these situations where they also tend to erase her personality too. And I am all for hc's where she cuts his hair or her and Nicky (who canonically enjoys it) shop for him. But please explain to me where exactly "Neil's bestie Allison picked him up for a goss sesh and then they went to the mall." fits into canon. Literally one example. AND very very importantly. Neil isn't gay, he is demisexual. GBFs are already a harmful stereotype, so maybe don't erase an ace characters identity and his canon character in general to fit him into the role of one. Like seriously what the fuck.

Getting into that more, since when has Neil been this hyperfeminine allo "sassy bitch" who blushes when someone looks at him. I will say this, I think a lot of us in the fandom recognize that it has grown a lot in the last year and there are a lot of young fans now who probably should not have read it. But they did, and now they're here. And now Neil goes skirt shopping because they fit his slender waist and long legs oh so well. Oh wait, Neil's 5'3. Oh wait, Neil's a man. Oh wait, since when did he ever express anything but anxiety and discomfort about showing his scars. Sorry, I just forgot that the entirety of canon and Neil's characterization exists for a second there. On that note, the word blush (or any variant) doesn't exist in canon outside of describing 1) exertion (you know from the sport they play that requires strength that might, just maybe, mean Neil is muscular) and 2) Maria Hemmick being a horrible person. And then I read one of these posts and someone looks at Neil and he flushes red. Since when. I feel like I don't need to explain how that is ooc.

In that same vein, what is with the characterization of Andreil as a whole in these. Andreil is just such a special ship. They go against pretty much every relationship norm. They fit so well together because they are so similar. Neil is just about as emotionless as Andrew throughout the books in case anyone forgot. But because they've turned him into this hyperfeminine caricature Andrew now needs to fit into the strong manly uncommunicative toxic boyfriend who will Defend At All Costs and like mf growls now. People don't growl so what the fuck is with that. In reality, Andrew lets Neil handle his own problems. Because Neil can handle his own problems. I don't know why I need to stress that when it is canon and obvious. He doesn't need Andrew to throw someone out the window because they looked at his scars wrong in the crop top he and Allison bought. As you can probably guess he doesn't because that would never actually happen if he were in character, but I'll reiterate it here anyways for the sake of ranting. They also fucking talk to each other. I don't know where y'all got the idea that Andrew never asks questions or like says words to Neil when he is so serious about consent (as he should be) and half the reason anyone bet on them being a thing in AFTG was because Neil is the only one he talks to most of the time.

On to other topics.

I like Matt in canon. He's an interesting character who has overcome a lot. But I cannot stand him in fanon most of the time. He literally acts like the fucking dog from UP half the time and that is the only way I can describe it. Yes, he is friends with Neil. Yes, he is also kind. You know what he also is? He's a recovering addict. He's a flawed person just like every fox. He's a traumatized person just like every fox. He has an actual personality and life outside of being nice to Neil. Maybe consider giving him that next time.

KevAaron just kinda spontaneously appeared out of the depths of hell and I don't know how to shove it back in there. I have met young fans that ship it exclusively (yes, instead of Andreil). I'm fairly certain people just went "ah here is a character we haven't tried to ship Kevin with yet" and ran with it. They never once have direct dialog in the entire series, despite living together, being in the same group, being on the same team, and partying together. Apparently they "have similar trauma" but like guys.. if that is the only link you have for a ship I have very very many questions. Especially if you're going to bash KevThea for the same reason (I don't ship KevThea either pls don't come for me I'm just making a point). If you feel the need to break up KateAaron's happy, healthy canon relationship to shove a character into an mlm ship that has absolutely no bearing in canon and basically requires it to be written ooc please reconsider that ship. 

I will end this by saying, in the nicest way possible:

If you need to change so much about the characters to enjoy them and the series, did you really enjoy the series?