canon robin when

[robincrxss]

temporary pinned post while i set this blog up:

- 25 / lesbian

- long time aftg fan and tumblr user but the special interest is kicking my ass rn so i’ve finally caved and made a sideblog

- main @happywastedyears and tlt blog @wifegideonnav

- my ao3

[robincrxss]

now that im doing aftg cover thoughts apparently: i think my main problem is that there’s basically no genre or tone signaling. but as i think more on it, aftg as a whole is kind of a blind box anyway, so that is at least appropriate lol. i guess i just wish they had a little more oomph to them yk. something distinctive and memorable as a visual artistic theme and motif, rather than just foxpaw.png etc. im spoiled by coming from the locked tomb series, whose covers have bespoke paintings that can and do just hang on my wall in a frame by themselves, but i think book covers in general are often a missed opportunity to enhance the story as a whole (and ofc i know that authors often don’t have control over what their covers look like, and that sucks). anyway anything’s better than the audiobook covers i think we can agree on that

[robincrxss]

you definitely should not judge aftg by its covers bc they suck but you know what nora fucking nailed first impression wise? the series name. All these assholes do in these books is literally For The Game

[viiiiiliiiii]

THEY SUCK??? okay, wait, I need to find my people, because I know I’m not the only one who feels this way. but honestly… nowadays, after seeing so many gorgeous covers with intricate artwork (which are absolutely stunning, don’t get me wrong), coming across something this minimalist feels incredibly refreshing. a simple illustration against a clean white background just stands out in the best way. when you’re used to covers full of details until there’s barely an inch of empty space left, a design that leaves 60% of the page white almost feels unfinished? or call it whatever you want. but that’s EXACTLY WHAT CATCHES YOUR EYE. I don't know, but THIS particular cover is exactly what I'd want to wave around as I walk down the street, showing it to everyone and saying, "DO YOU FEEL THIS VIBE????" that’s exactly what makes it memorable. I genuinely love these covers. Nora, thank you so much for making them exactly the way they are!!!

[robincrxss]

dkshd ok you’re right i shouldn’t have said sucks. and i think they do work perfectly fine in the context of what the books are; it advertises quite plainly that these are not standard professionally published novels. i just think they’re boring, and while that’s fine, because it’s what’s inside the book that counts, they feel like a placeholder. you can have a simple book cover that has more thought and intention put into it. tfc is obviously the worst offender, and i think the later books are a bit better. but taste is subjective and i certainly didn’t mean to shit on nora/her creative choices!

[viiiiiliiiii]

oops! I forgot to mention that my post wasn't specifically directed at your comment!! I didn't want it to seem like I was starting a comparison between two different ideas.. I just added my thoughts on the issue, heh. but I get what you mean!!

[robincrxss]

gotcha haha no problem!

[robincrxss]

you definitely should not judge aftg by its covers bc they suck but you know what nora fucking nailed first impression wise? the series name. All these assholes do in these books is literally For The Game

[viiiiiliiiii]

THEY SUCK??? okay, wait, I need to find my people, because I know I’m not the only one who feels this way. but honestly… nowadays, after seeing so many gorgeous covers with intricate artwork (which are absolutely stunning, don’t get me wrong), coming across something this minimalist feels incredibly refreshing. a simple illustration against a clean white background just stands out in the best way. when you’re used to covers full of details until there’s barely an inch of empty space left, a design that leaves 60% of the page white almost feels unfinished? or call it whatever you want. but that’s EXACTLY WHAT CATCHES YOUR EYE. I don't know, but THIS particular cover is exactly what I'd want to wave around as I walk down the street, showing it to everyone and saying, "DO YOU FEEL THIS VIBE????" that’s exactly what makes it memorable. I genuinely love these covers. Nora, thank you so much for making them exactly the way they are!!!

[robincrxss]

dkshd ok you’re right i shouldn’t have said sucks. and i think they do work perfectly fine in the context of what the books are; it advertises quite plainly that these are not standard professionally published novels. i just think they’re boring, and while that’s fine, because it’s what’s inside the book that counts, they feel like a placeholder. you can have a simple book cover that has more thought and intention put into it. tfc is obviously the worst offender, and i think the later books are a bit better. but taste is subjective and i certainly didn’t mean to shit on nora/her creative choices!

[robincrxss]

you definitely should not judge aftg by its covers bc they suck but you know what nora fucking nailed first impression wise? the series name. All these assholes do in these books is literally For The Game

[minyard-05]

while i am interested by the existence and story of Amalia Day as a character, and i would love to see her explored, the belief that i hold deep in my heart is that if thea muldani got pregnant she would abort that thing

[waitwhatwhat]

andrew 'doesn't-mean-i-wouldn't-blow-you' minyard really came back from the baltimore fiasco with one (1) thought in mind: almost lost the fucking idiot, this mf could actually really just die anytime anywhere, can't afford to procrastinate any longer, must give blowjob asap, top priority, no further delay tolerated, regrets not optional

[whumplent]

so much to chew on w how joint suffering Makes People after they get out of it. this is especially juicy to me if the Characters were introduced to each other as a direct result of the horrors. you learned everything about me at my worst and against my will so how do i get better again if you’re watching. there’s no one else in the world who understands a fraction of what you know of me. i see your wounds beneath your shirt. you know how i scream. your face is in all of my nightmares. if anyone tried to take you from me i would be undone. no notes !

[kiwoalaa]

NOBODY is doing it like him

[inejsgirl]

has anyone ever considered how jeremy's outfit to pick up jean from the airport was literally this

like what do you MEAN he was wearing "blinding gold shorts" and we all just ignored that part to focus on the fact that jean knows jeremy's legs

[mopeyopie]

jean <3

[andrewminyard-josten]

I wish people would not write the Nicky assaulting neil scene when they do canon rewrites bc each time it just doesn't go anywhere or ever get resolved i start to wonder why they even wrote it

Hi there,

Answer under the Read More b/c this is about Fanfic & not Canon!

I think this is a very fair point to make. Nora sort-of resolved the drugged kiss in Canon when Nicky apologized to Neil (and although Neil did not immediately accept Nicky’s apology, they did eventually become friends). I also know that a lot of readers have asked Nora over the years about Andrew’s reaction/what would happen if Andrew found out about the drugged kiss. Obviously Andrew’s reaction would be Bad, y'all (he would not feel guilt or remorse for drugging Neil himself b/c those aren’t emotions Andrew often feels or engages with & he genuinely believed Neil was a threat who needed to be investigated, however, he WOULD lash out at Nicky for his indiscretion - either violently or refuse to interact with Nicky ever again - especially b/c Nicky had PROMISED Andrew that nothing would happen at the beginning of the night when Andrew told him off for commenting on how attractive Neil looked). I think we all know Andrew's reaction would be bad (what I think readers are really asking is: why won't Nora make Andrew's bad reaction Canon). Nora as well has acknowledged that she knows Nicky is an unpopular character & that is why she doesn't talk about him very much/engage with his character often. [I also think AFTG Fandom eventually needs to address why the 'unpopular characters' who the author receives hate for ever talking about are... all the PoC characters. Frankly, I don't think Nora's response of just Not Talking about these characters is quite the right way to go about it, but I do know that she has received a lot of hate/threats over the years in regard to a lot of aspects about AFTG, so I do understand in that sense, I just don't think... letting all the canonical PoC characters of AFTG fall to the wayside b/c they are 'unpopular' is the best course of action].

I think Nora realized she backed herself into a corner writing Neil/Nicky's scene in the first place. Having Andrew find out about the forced kiss would definitely ruin the Found Family ending/bringing all the Foxes together because Andrew absolutely would NOT be able to forgive Nicky. Therefore, the information has to remain contained between Nicky & Neil, and for the readers that can feel a little bit like an unresolved dangling thread. Sometimes Fanfics try to resolve this by having Andrew find out, and although he is upset & angry at first, eventually he & Nicky resolve their issues. I don’t think Nora believes Andrew as he is characterized in Canon would ever be able to forgive Nicky or be close to him again - and I agree. Or it would take years and years and years to rebuild that trust, not just a few months. I also know some Fanfics do just banish Nicky and I think that’s… sad. It’s a sad ending.

I also understand where Nora is coming from when she said that she also doesn’t think Andrew interfering (banishing, threatening, or otherwise violently harming Nicky) is the right resolution to the forced Nicky/Neil kiss. Not just in the context of the narrative & what the theme of AFTG is meant to be, but also - I think the desire for Andrew to know by some readers is so that he can have the “right” reaction that those readers want (fury, vengeance, etc.,) because there is a belief that Neil did not have the “right” reaction (he did hold a grudge, but the kiss itself wasn’t specifically traumatic for Neil & eventually he forgives and becomes friends with Nicky). For some readers, Neil let Nicky off too lightly & Nicky wasn’t adequately punished by the narrative for what he did to Neil.

But also, it’s not Andrew’s place to have the Right Reaction on Neil’s behalf. Inserting him into Neil & Nicky’s conflict ultimately shifts the focus from Neil & his emotions & his assault onto Andrew’s emotions & Andrew’s assaults & the idea that Andrew’s response is the ONLY valid response & the way Neil responded was WRONG. And the thing is, I 100% believe that Andrew WOULD view his own righteous anger as the “right” response but when handled by an inexperienced writer it can definitely come across as dismissive of Neil when the incident is… 100% about Neil. It’s so the writer & readers can feel vindicated, but at the expense of Neil, who is the main character, the one who was forcibly kissed. He basically becomes a prop, a “victim” to be rescued and educated by Andrew on how to properly respond to assault.

Moreover, the way Nora wrote Nicky in TFC - including having him be aggressively sexual & the one to forcibly kiss Neil - was also Racist. It perpetuated stereotypes of Latino men being sexually aggressive, promiscuous, dangerous and threatening to white people (particularly to ‘innocent’ & ‘inexperienced’ white people). Considering Nicky was also the only brown character in the Foxes it was a poor writing choice. Nora, I think, realized that and did adjust Nicky throughout TRK & TKM to be a more well-rounded character instead of just the Sexual One & also Aaron’s Bonus Chapter did try to add depth to WHY Nicky is so upfront with his sexuality and how its related to his trauma instead of the implication that This Is Just How Brown Latino Men Behave.

Therefore, I think when Fanfics just… have Nicky behave exactly as he did in TFC (or worse even MORE exaggerated than how he behaved in TFC) instead of incorporating Nicky’s later-series characterization & depth & what we know of his trauma, it is perpetuating a racist stereotype. I think I’ve mentioned before but, yes, while adding diversity into AFTG by making the Foxes more racially diverse can be good, it’s not enough for that racial diversity to be surface level. Moreover, it’s also important to address the racism already within the canonical novel. [I think AFTG Fandom pats itself on the back far too much for not "woobifying" the villains b/c "everyone hates Riko" and listen: an inability to see humanity or depth in Japanese people is not the Fandom Win some of y'all think it is. Especially when all the white boy characters HAVE had their negative traits, antagonisms, flaws, etc., smoothed over or justified in Fanon... also, off-topic: making Japanese the Language of Evil that all the white boys have 'trauma' regarding versus the "good" European languages: German, French, Russian... like c'mon, we need to use some of our Critical Thinking when we're writing posts b/c some of the way y'all write about Japanese people/the Japanese language, culture, food, etc., in AFTG is that it's the Evil Foreign Eastern Other that is SO SCARY to our white boys (especially Kevin & Jean) and it's like... do y'all hear yourselves when you write this shit].

Lastly, I find that Canon rewrites in general are basically just Nora’s novels with… very minimal differences. My (perhaps unwanted & borderline egotistical advice) to writers who want to explore a Canon rewrite: you need to engage more with the Butterfly Effect. (1) it’ll make your story more interesting b/c readers will be surprised with the changes instead of being able to predict literally every single plot point b/c it’s quite literally AFTG exactly and (2) what happens in Nora’s novels does NOT make sense if there have been some drastic changes that are then not explored further. The follow-through on these changes are ESSENTIAL to your Fanfic.

If Andrew/Neil knew each other when they were kids, they are not going to treat each other like strangers like they did in TFC. If Neil was a Raven the story should not be exactly like TFC. If Andrew/Neil time-travel to the past, the story should not be identical to TFC. If Andrew/Neil get together in TRK then that should change things leading into TKM. Now, I’m not saying EVERYTHING has to change, Fanfic is very fun for exploring how despite everything sometimes Some Things Just Stay the Same. But some changes need to be explored - you’re starting with a big question “What if THIS happened?” but then you need to ANSWER the question - what changes would happen? B/c if you aren’t making any changes, you aren’t exploring the concept deeply enough.

[romantichopelessly]

you know what I will stay silent no longer. the biggest missed opportunity in the original TFC trilogy is Neil’s binder not becoming vital in the end. it was so well set up and then led to nothing. Neil has a binder with information about his father and codes for contacts that he can use to get him out of dire circumstances (specifically Stuart’s number). Neil is obsessed with hiding and securing this binder. Neil grows to trust Andrew and just a couple of scenes before Binghamton, tells Andrew about Stuart existing. what SHOULD have happened next is that out of paranoia over the countdown, Neil takes his binder with him to the game in his duffle. gets kidnapped. Andrew finds the bag and remembers that Neil dropped that Stuart’s number is somewhere in that binder. Andrew breaks the code (which uses Neil’s birth name, which only Andrew (and Kevin) knows). THAT’S what get’s Stuart to intervene and save Neil. Not the fact that Stuart just randomly happened to be working with the FBI that night to take down Nathan.

[andrew-dramaqueen-minyard]

the difference between Neil and Jean to me is that (for the most part) Neil is confident in himself and knows he deserves a better life (even if he thinks it’s not attainable) but he doubts that him and his exy skills are worthy of the court — whereas Jean is so confident in his exy skills and his worth on the court (he knows he’s great) but he does not think he deserves anything off it.

they truly are two sides of the same coin.

[moreauver]

kevin offering to talk to both neil and jean about the nest because when he got out he didn’t have that same luxury…. he wants to make sure they know they have a safe space with him and give them the opportunity to talk… oh kevin my baby i love you..

[robincrxss]

lmfao anything you want to tell us @korakos

[visenyaism]

All for the game series worldbuilding boldly asserting that the top four collegiate teams in this coed ultimate frisbee-racquetball-lacrosse hybrid that is also universally and internationally popular btw are 1) EVIL GOTH YAKUZA-RUN organized crime team run out of a horrifying labirynth of human rights abuses in fuckinggggg Charleston West Virginia whose starting lineup are all international human trafficking victims 2) not-clemson-for-copyright-reasons, a team that exclusively recruits world-class athletes of this definitely expensive boutique sport from broken homes. 3) anachronistically-woke ultra gay team who has unlocked therapy-speak, groupchats, emojis, nonbinary people, and boba tea technologies in 2006 because of their good sportsmanship and 4) Pennsylvania State University (we are)