neil isn’t a “bratty sub” in canon btw
in fics? sure if that’s what you want
but referring to CANON material and saying nora wrote his character to be that kinda dynamic in sex is just. showing a lack of literacy skills?
i feel like this sounds rude but i don’t mind that much so i’m hosting a ted talk that may or may not make me sound like an asshole:
neil isn’t “bratty” and he isn’t a traditional “sub”.
he has an attitude. he’s an asshole. does that translate to how he is in sex? no. not even a tiny bit.
someone can be a completely different person when it comes to strangers vs friends vs partner. ESPECIALLY concerning intimacy. neil is pretty much a set and done example of that.
is he a menacing dickwad to pretty much everyone outside his tight circle (not including kevin aaron nicky allison and renee) and he’s even more different when it comes to that circle (dan and matt) vs andrew
he knows andrew is sensitive when it comes to intimacy. he knows he isn’t comfortable with all of it. neil has never done more than poorly kiss someone in junior high—he doesn’t know how sex roles would go? even if he did in the far future, i doubt they’d like having sex being people other than themselves and how they are with each other.
neil isn’t bratty. he isn’t submissive.
he is ambitious. he is neutral. (totallyyyy not the right words but wtv)
neil isn’t bitchy or bratty (do we srsly still use that word) when it comes to a place he feels comfortable and loved in. otherwise he’s…soft??? somehow.
i don’t think he’d ever be pushy or have that defensive attitude during SEX. a good amount of this fandom seemed to have taken his “attitude problem” and applied it to everything without actually looking into where, when, and why that pops up.
i expect backlash but i don’t really care. not my problem if y’all get mad tbh.












