Latest Posts by chaoticgremelin - Page 7

Neil’s eyes, the color of the sky. Jean’s, the moon that dwells there. A forever partner, forever misplaced. These two make me sick

Realising the Ravens played Exy the way Tetsuji wanted and the Tojans the way Kayleigh wanted, and that’s why USC is Kevin’s favourite team.

Can we talk about the attack on the Foxes and exactly how many triggers that's going to set off?

How much do you want to bet that Lane swung for Neil's ribs first because he'd mouthed off in the interview and revealed that Jean had had broken ribs? How long until Jean puts it together and blames himself for the fact that he and Neil now share matching rib fractures from the Ravens? (Neil doesn't care. He'd do it all again).

Andrew has a broken collarbone so bad it needed surgery, and he's going to have to wear a sling for several weeks. He's immobilized and unarmed (literally if he can't wear a knife on his injured arm. A knife in the armband of his working arm would do nothing because he can't draw it with one hand). And Andrew has an immense fear of being too weak to defend himself, especially with a broken bone to make him a target.

Kevin. He's finally grown a spine and this is the first time we see him literally fight the Ravens. He throws hands in defense of his Foxes, and Neil in particular, when Kevin from a year before would never have. But he saw Andrew, his protector, his shield, the man he promised he would make Court, with a hand dangling limp and useless at his side thanks to a broken bone. How many hours did it take before they got Andrew into an x-ray and saw that it was fixable? How long did Kevin stare at Andrew's limp hand, memories of Riko and his own broken bones going through his mind?

Allison was off the court, but that's the part that's going to kill her. Only she, Renee, Nicky, and the freshmen were off the court, but the freshman don't count. Allison had to watch through plexiglass walls as her team was hurt, unable to do anything to help, and she probably thought how many times is this going to happen? How many times am I going to be sidelined while my friends are hurt? how many times will I be useless in protecting them from the Ravens? (It's been one year since Seth died. Since Allison let him go out and lost him and she's never stopped wondering if things would have gone differently if she had been there that night.)

Nicky is also stuck outside the plexiglass, watching as Andrew is the first to go down. He remembers Andrew fighting for him outside Eden's, remembers how Andrew never regretted defending Nicky even when it got him put on those hated meds. And he can't help but feel like a useless guardian because he wasn't there when Andrew was attacked at Thanksgiving (he was the reason Andrew was in that house) and he isn't there now. All he can do is watch.

The Foxes have a long road to recovery and they've definitely survived worse. But with so many old scars torn open, this year might be just as rough as the last

Ex raven Neil would be a menace for the jerejean relationship. Jeremy thinks he's scary now? Give Neil years of attachment to Jean as his one and only lifeline and you'll learn what terror really means. He doesn't even like Jean like that (definitely obsessed with that one foxes goalkeeper) but he WILL threaten anyone who even tries. He thinks it's funny. Jean is so used to it he just sighs and moves on. Jeremy ends up playing matchmaker to andreil JUST to get Neil out of his life because God is it scary to wake up and see blue eyes just staring at you. Mind you Neil is already on the foxes lineup. How in god's green earth he has enough time to show for dinner once a week Jeremy will never understand. He locks eyes with Andrew and they're both overcome by a neuro telepathical bond of suffering for whatever the hell that is. Last year it was as bad (for Andrew, at least) because Jean was still in the nest and Neil couldn't just come and go there, but now he can and does.

Jeremy is brave and all but having the known son of a Mafia boss in his face telling him very clearly that jean is first and foremost his best friend? Yeah no I would run for the hills Jeremy you stubborn fool that's a RED flag.

Bonus points if both Jean and Neil think this is Neil behaving. Jean is actually pleasantly surprised by how calm Neil is being.

maven’s live reaction right after witnessing cal and mare’s dance scene

No one understands how much I love Mare for not hiding her M scar. Instead, displaying it proudly to not only show that she survived, but to really paint the picture of how much of a Monster Maven was.

She so brave

cody and jean's friendship is genuinely so important to me, because how often do you think cody ever meets someone who doesn't acknowledge their transness on first instinct? because as a trans person, i can guarantee not once in their life has anyone ever been so nonchalant about their pronouns, and then here comes this 6'3 sheltered french man who most definitely has them internally bracing for questions ("they? but you're only one person." "yeah, but what are you really?" "she— he— oops, i mean they. sorry, it's just so hard for me!") but then they meet jean and all it takes is hearing their teammates use they/them once for him to pick it up effortlessly. jean, who's been sheltered in a cult his entire life. jean, who's too afraid of his own sexuality to even look at jeremy for too long. jean, whose native language has little to no accommodations to be gender neutral. jean would be the first person they'd expect to be confused or hostile, and they probably wouldn't even fault him for it if he was. but he isn't. he treats cody like a human being first and doesn't ask a single question as to why he should.

and then there's the other side of the coin. jean is used to his eating disorder being a topic of discussion by this point, and his fixations with numbers and measurements being scrutinized rather than gently counteracted. cat helps by teaching him to cook, and jeremy and laila try too, but even then he's still surrounded by nutrition facts and labels and calculations to lose himself in. but then cody notices, and they keep noticing, and as subtly as possible they start to find tiny things jean enjoys to brighten up his day. they ask cat what fruits he likes and bring him peaches and buckets of strawberries, snacks without a label to lose himself in or visible numbers to panic over. and they don't force him to have them, but they're visibly elated and encouraging when he does, and when he actually enjoys them. jean doesn't make cody feel like a burden for something they can't control, so cody refuses to do the same. they just want to help, to make sure he eats, and to make sure he enjoys eating.

and fuck, dude, i can't stop thinking about them.

Azula in the Spirit Temple proves Azula is ready for a "redemption arc"

Was just rereading Azula in the Spirit Temple again last night, you know, as one does, and I was struck by the function Mai and Ty Lee serve throughout the narrative. Over and over, they serve to remind her that what she's seeing isn't real, even if what she's seeing is really nice and enjoyable. (There's definitely at least a hint at both Ty Zula and Maizula but I think at this point Repressed Lesbian Azula isn't so much subtext or text as a giant neon sign across everything Azula has ever done.)

However, as the comic progresses, both Ty Lee and Mai get harsher and harsher about delivering their reality check-ins. Azula of course is someone who at this point in time is going to be a seasoned pro at not taking reality at face value, anyway, though the spirit says something to the effect of, "Why not get lost in a dream if it's pleasant?" multiple times to her (a pretty good indicator early on to the reader that this is not a spirit to be trusted, particularly around Azula, and whatever reason it got called to her, it was not ultimately to offer redemption). Anyway, the turning point for when Mai and Ty Lee's check-ins go from mean to downright hostile occurs in the following two panels.

This is after Azula and Ty Lee are talking about "the old days" which, according to the Ty Lee Subconscious mouthpiece were stressful and anxiety inducing (like, literally S2 of the show) to which Azula verbally counters that they all "loved it" although she does note that then Mai had to go and "ruin it" for a "stupid boy" (emphasis hers, she doubles down on this and says, "stupid Zuzu" as well). How super duper straight of you to say, Azula. We're all buying it. Then Subconscious Mouthpiece Ty Lee says, "Maybe you should get help?" and that specifically is what sets Azula to attacking her.

So of course it's not the phrasing here that's harsh or over the top but the suggestion itself. It's notable that Azula's mind puts it in Ty Lee's mouth and not Mai’s (we'll get to that in a bit). But Azula has at this point been running from help and instead fomenting domestic terrorism for years for her own twisted and convoluted reasons and not because most of the comics are shit. And she's a noted liar. Of course, she's not the liar the show builds her up to be, or the liar she herself brags about being. We don't actually see Azula lie all that often in the show and when we do, there's usually a pretty decent explanation (like she's overthrowing an enemy city).

It's important to note that Zuko is being ridiculous in his flashback in Zuko Alone - that's my favorite episode but eight years olds developmentally cannot control when they lie or often even distinguish that they've done so (ten year olds can usually distinguish when they're lying better, but not by much). Zuko at ten and 16 gets a pass because he knows nothing about child development and I'm sure his little mantra didn't spontaneously generate; I suspect Iroh or Ursa handed it to him at some point. But we as viewers know better and cannot take, "Azula always lies," as any kind of proof of anything beyond the abusive nature of both of their childhoods. And given that the nature of these "lies" at the time probably mostly consisted of either ways to avoid punishment, or things she legitimately didn't even do but nobody believed, I think eight year old Azula gets a pass at the time. I had a childhood that was in many ways similar to Azula's. It creates a self-fulfilling prophecy. If the people around you decide you're lying all the time, you're like, "OK, bet."

But that really gets to why Ty Lee's words are so harsh in these panels. Because when you grow up like that, as Azula has, the person you end up lying to the most is yourself. And she's still not ready to face that even by the end of the comic. She's aware she needs help, but it's too scary to reach out for it when in reality nobody is there for her and she's all alone, by her own doing (another thing the comic drives home).

In fact, Azula's subconscious chooses to drive that fact home through Mai. And Subconscious Mai is a lot less nice in her phrasing than Subconscious Ty Lee. I don't think that's an accident. Irl, Azula probably looked to Mai as a gauge for when she was going too far. "Oh, Mai wouldn't go in the slurry... well, okay, fair. I can see by looking at Ty Lee that that was pretty disgusting... And she got stuck in it by that Water peasant anyway, so it was pointless too." "I hated that stupid bear too." Etc etc. Essentially, she could trust Mai to call her on her bs. Which is what Mai did at the Boiling Rock, and Azula's subconscious knows it (but who's our princess best at lying to? Say it with me! Herself!).

And there's nobody she hates more than herself, either. (Actually, given Mai and Ty Lee's roles in this comic I think it's pretty clear that at least on a subconscious level, Azula really wants to make amends with them, which hurts, because... they don't.) The whole thing made me really just want to give her a hug. She needs one. I've been there.

I'm curious to see if she'll make an appearance in Ashes of the Academy. I actually think, given what was presented in Azula in the Spirit Temple, that she wants to change and grow into a better, more healthy person. Obviously that's going to look very different from Zuko's arc. Villain to antihero is not the same arc as antihero to hero. I think she's ready now to start walking that path, though, if she is approached by the right person. (Ty Lee or Mai.) Mai seems to be the more likely of the two to be willing just in terms of how their relationship has always been, how she currently feels about Azula, and given that she's prominent in the upcoming comic. Fingers crossed for some good material!

Ok I'm rereading the extra content and I think this part right here is very important

Andrew says him resisting Kevin is self-preservation and he is not gonna give what is left of him to Kevin to ruin.

Because see what Kevin's obsession with exy got him. A life of torture and a broken hand and being afraid to death of a mentally ill guy named Riko. So Andrew is just trying to protect himself from the same outcome.

But then Neil comes, and he is just as messed up as Kevin is (even more tbh), and Andrew sees first hand how exy is the motivation that makes Neil resist, how making bonds with the other foxes makes Neil look more alive, how having this thing with Andrew makes Neil want to live and not give up. And I think this is exactly why that at the end Andrew agrees to care about exy and give it a shot. Because it worked for Neil right? Maybe it'll also work for Andrew.

I need them two to meet!!

idk why they haven't introduced Jeremy to Allison yet bc she is like the textbook example of what he is trying to do and could absolutely show him how to find the strength to tell his family to get fucked

Tonight I am thinking about Kevin trying to buy a postcard during an away game at Texas. Going into the airport gift shop and coming back with a bag.

With nothing else to do during a long layover, the other foxes notice and ask why he’s suddenly buying postcards. Maybe Nicky takes the bag and pulls out the singular card. It’s got the outline of Texas on it, and unable to resist making a stupid joke, Nicky says,

“Thea’s never been to Texas?”

Kevin’s of course annoyed by this and takes the bag back without saying anything. Andrew, who’s nervous in airports and not opposed to starting a bit of drama cuts in and says,

“It’s for Jean, not Thea.” He was, after all, there the last time Kevin bought a postcard.

Nothing shuts the foxes up faster than the reminder that Kevin actually has a soul. Despite his best efforts and a “fuck you Andrew,” from Kevin, it’s Renee who smiles. She holds out her hand for the bag which Andrew swipes using his good arm and hands to her.

She studies the front of the postcard then gets up and walks to the same store to buy a different one. Neil catches her while she browses and asks her what she’s looking for. He makes a mental note of their conversation.

Two weeks later Jean receives two postcards from Texas. One from Kevin and one from Renee. It upsets him that Kevin said anything to anyone else about it but he hangs both of them up.

When Neil and Andrew finally take a short trip for a holiday break, Neil buys a postcard from a rest stop in Atlanta and sends it to Jean.

Jean almost drops this one in the sink.

“Neil?!” Cat asks, “oh my god, is he actually nice?”

“No.” Jean replies though he puts the postcard on the wall next to the other ones.

Between the three of them, Jean’s wall fills up. He meets the mail with excitement and hunger instead of dread now.

Renee sends one from Stephanie’s house with the the words, “you know, you could send one back.”

Instead of best friend bracelets, Jean and Neil have best friend Raven-inflicted fractured ribs

aftg in a nutshell

Kevin's like a vampire. He can only infodump abt history if you invite him to first

I be reading TGR like religious catholic people read the bible. I’m just living my life doing anything at all and then I’ll be like hmmm what was it he said in that passage?? *takes book out of my pocket and begins reading devoutly* “they… are not… your partners,” Jean 15:2. yes sir, preach.

Wymack told the Foxes, "fight because you don't know how to die quietly" once, and they took personally, because what is this:

Dan going after the player who is hurting Kevin and not leaving him until she was able to tackle him!! Oh, Captain, my Captain!!

Neil and Andrew running towards each other, and taking down whoever tries to stop them.

I mean, Andrew literally took down someone because she was going after Neil.

And to avoid more blood, Wymack holding Andrew long enough to clear the place. They are soulmates, your honor.

Then comes Aaron and serves !! Please, you have a girlfriend, stop being attractive in the middle of a fight.

And my favorite part, they need more than two Ravens to be able to take Matt down. That is my boy!!!

I need to speak with ERC because what do you mean you suspended Andrew when the Ravens dislocated his shoulder and were close to breaking Neil's neck?? Free my babies, they did absolutely nothing wrong. All the violence was justified.

Nora, I beg of you, release an extra chapter with the Foxes point of view because this was wild!!!

Jean about Neil and Kevin basically: I am intrinsically linked to them, they are me and I am them in some way, I would trust them with my life and would go to the ends of the earth if they asked me to, our fates and souls are intertwined, they are my Achilles heel and I could and would not exist in a world without them in it.

Also Jean: ew no, they’re not my friends, have you met them? Insufferable and annoying.

aftg is like the sims 4 because every character is assumed bisexual unless otherwise specified

Cara, tem dias que eu só queria ter a auto-estima de Comte (o filósofo)

A criatura realmente olhou para a filosofia que ele mesmo criou e decidiu que aquilo era o caminho para o progresso e para o estado superior que uma sociedade humana poderia atingir

Se eu tivesse 1/5 dessa autoestima, 90% dos meus problemas estariam resolvidos🫠

"Every time he blinked, he saw Neil broken and still on the floor" — That part is insane because Neil is never still. He is always running his mouth, always ready to bolt. Even after his father caught him, he fought back and still had something to say to the FBI. But now, he is curled up on the floor, an agonized, unmoving ball

(Andrew's eidetic memory is going to have a field day with this)

Jean is the proof that strong doesnt equal hard. He has a deeply kind heart, and it is exactly the fact his heart didnt get hard like stone with all the horrors he was put through that makes him so strong. He didnt just endure, his heart came out it all still soft and beating. I feel like this is also one of the reasons Riko was always specially cruel to Jean. He looked at him and saw all he could never be, all that his money, power and talent would never get him: a kind heart, and he wanted desperately to break this in him, to make Jean bitter and cruel, and it didnt matter how many parts of Jean he would break(physically, emotionally and mentally) he still couldnt break his softness and kindness. Not only that, but he was reminded of this at every turn: when Jean would still take care of Kevin, when he taught Kevin french, when he wasnt able to handle seeing Neil get waterboarded (even though he was tortured like that many times, he couldnt stand there and bare the suffering of another person). Riko hated and despised Jean bc no matter how many times he made Jean see and live through the worst of humanity, Jean still insisted of being a reminder of the best that human beings can be. He reminded Riko that he wasnt bad bc the world was bad, he was bad simply bc he was trash.

That's why I absolutely love Jean Moreau

I swear, this boy desearves the world, he desearves to heal. He desearves to be in a place like the Trojans, full of good ppl, who will show him that he desearves love

jean moreau who learns how to cook and falls in love with it because it distracts him from everything inside his head. jean moreau who learns how to ride a motorcycle and falls in love with the open road now that he can go wherever he wants whenever he wants to. jean moreau who likes peaches and cradles them in his hands like something precious. jean moreau who is sentimental with the gifts he receives from his friends. jean moreau who helped rhemann to pull up the vegetables in his garden and realised he would like to grow something of his own one day. jean moreau who'd plait his sister's hair for her, and sew up the rips in her dress. jean moreau who watches how people show affection to him and to each other and then emulates it back to them when they need it for comfort. jean moreau who was so disturbed by the image of his friend being hurt he searched her for imaginary bumps and bruises he knew weren't there. jean moreau who has been abandoned or betrayed time and again yet still looks out for his friends bc he is loyal by nature. jean moreau who still yearns so deeply for love even though he has convinced himself he cannot have it. jean moreau whose favourite colour is associated with all the things that bring him peace - the soil in rhemann's garden, the sand after the tide washed ashore, the dirt roads he'd been down with cat, jeremy's eyes. jean moreau, a soft boy forced into a hard life.

neil allowing himself to be so easily moved by andrew when he fights tooth and nail against everybody else never fails to make me feel insane. like even people neil trusts / knows have good attentions he fights against, most notably wymack when he gets back from evermore. and then u have neil with andrew who he lets into his space so easily who can push him, pin him, grab him, and neil never flinches and never fights bcus the trust he has in him is so absolute.

i think its a really nice understated way to show the flipside of the whole "hey how'd you get andrew to do this thing?" "oh i just asked" dynamic because andrew is presented as this immovable wall that does what he wants and only what he wants to an unreasonable degree, and then throughout the series you see him "fold" for neil over and over again. so it's very easy to point at andrew and go "hey look at how special he treats neil" but by virtue of neil being the narrator you kinda forget that the opposite is happening as well.

This physically hurted me😭

I don't think we talk enough about:

“She prayed for a dragon to save her.”

“Not a prince?”

“A dragon could tear our house apart to free her and carry her far away.”

This line made me feel physical pain

Kevin "it will be easier if he remains heterosexual" Day - picking only gays so far for his Perfect Court

I know what you are, Kevin

I will stan Kavin Day forever

i love how kevin day is like. a boujee bitch. like he wasn't impressed by the maserati. he isn't a morning person. he doesn't like running but knows he has to cos it's good for him. his favourite colour is red but he looks terrible in it. he drowns himself in vodka every now and again. "he should know how expensive i am by now" he says that out loud, in canon. kevin day my princess. my baby.

The freshman tought Neil was a cunt before....now that this boy cant play they are in for a very unpleasent surprise on the true meaning of the word cunt

oh i know the foxes are fighting for their mf lives right now at the dorms with andrew quitting smoking and neil not being able to play… thoughts and prayers those bitches are being INSUFFERABLE

poor riko. growing up totally isolated from ichirou meant he never learned that the correct response to your brother saying “come here” is “no you’re gonna hit me”. and that’s how he got shot

Yup, pretty much sums it up

jean with cat/laila/ jean with kevin and jeremy: neil:

They actually should go back to that homoerotic situationship and make it a thing, please, thank you

jean, andrew, and neil should start an “i survived a homoerotic situationship with kevin day” club