lost and found

When Dan gets a call from an unfamiliar phone number with a North Dakotan area code, she isn't expecting it to be CPS. Her 11 year old cousin Joanna has been removed from Aunt Cathy's custody due to neglect resulting in a serious injury and she and Matt decide to take her in to keep her out of the foster system. 

This story takes place the year after Matt graduates from the Foxes. The three of them navigate becoming a family and dealing with the traumas of their pasts.

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6

Extras: Here

While reading AFTG, I kept thinking to myself, "I wish this were a TV show, cause I would love to see what this would look like if it were real." Then I remembered - I could do that myself!

So, for my college thesis project (yes, I'm being fr this was submitted to a real professor for a real college), I tried to replicate the experience of being a production designer tasked with creating elements that would be used on the set of a live-action adaptation of the book. I technically made about 32 deliverables for this project, but you guys only get to see a few :p

This is an ongoing project as I wanna make as many things as possible from Books 1-3 so keep an eye out and let me know what you might wanna see next 👀

Shout out to sams.cosplay66 (insta) for being the reason I fell into this fandom and being the Neil for my project. And giant thanks to my amazing friend speck.shoots (insta) for being the photographer for this project!

Photos taken by speck.shoots | Photos edited by me | Models Sam, MJ, and Megan | EVERYTHING IS MADE BY A HUMAN OR POSED WITH A HUMAN NO AI AT ALL

“Pinky Promise” and “A Liar with a Promise” are from Andrew’s and Neil’s perspectives respectively. They span over roughly the same time, showing the foundation of their connection as preteens, their years separated from one another, and finally their reunion. You can read either one first, as long as you read them both before “Promise Fullfilled” which takes place during what is to us the beginning of the series.

Andrew stomps his way into the alley besides Eden's.

"Fucking Roland," he mutters to himself as he pulls out his smokes. One too many comments since Andrew stopped meeting him in the back room a couple months back, and now Nicky was making eyes at him like he was in on some big secret.

Andrew dreads the day he decides to pull him aside to impart some "elder gay" wisdom or whatever the fuck is running through his head. Flick, he watches his lighter spark and refuse to catch.

Flick flick. Nothing.

Flick flick flick. Andrew stares down at the useless lighter in his palm, a betrayal of the highest order. He pockets it, ignoring his first instinct to throw it as hard as possible into the wall.

He sighs, tipping his head back onto the dirty brick wall, unlit cigarette still between his lips. He doesn't know what he's doing here anymore. Big Here. Not just Eden's or Columbia or even PSU.

Aaron's drunk texting the girlfriend he thinks Andrew doesn't know about. Kevin's still trying to make Exy Andrew's reason for living, and Nicky thinks they're bound to grow closer because Andrew likes the way dick feels in his palm. Idiots, ungrateful, aggravating idiots.

He only closes his eyes for a second, lamenting his lot in life, when a loud crash sounds right beside him. His cigarette falls to the ground, forgotten, as a knife materializes in his hand. He steps away from the dumpster, which before now was entirely unremarkable. It's still a rather unremarkable feature of the alley, except for the boy climbing out of it, dazedly shaking his head as he gets to his feet.

"Fuck," he whispers to himself, before vaulting out with a lot more grace than Andrew expected for a guy who fell from the fucking sky(?) a second ago. He hasn't noticed Andrew yet, despite the fact they're only a few feet apart, too busy checking himself for injury in a far too practiced pattern.

"Is this a common experience for you?" Andrew surprises himself with the question, but it's nothing compared to the boy jumping two feet in the air.

"FUcking-" Andrew registers the gun hidden in a baggy waistband covered by an even baggier hoodie a second before its drawn and pointed at his head. It's instinctual, he can tell, as smooth as Andrew's own draw of his knife earlier.

The boy's eyes are ice cold, a blue so shocking Andrew feels a shiver run down his spine. It's a look that screams danger, but it leaks away just as quickly, leaving behind a bewilderment more appropriate to Andrew's position behind the barrel of a gun.

"Is this a common experience for you?" The boy parrots back at him, jerking the gun slightly. Belatedly, Andrew realizes his hands are still at his sides, knife clutched in his palm, opposed to the normal reaction when someone is met with a gun to the face.

He narrows his eyes, not appreciating the use of his own words, but he slowly shakes his head no. He watches the boy take that in, eyes flicking to the knife, the forgotten cigarette, the clothes suited for the club behind them rather than whatever monstrosity is adorning his body.

He tilts his head to the side like he's not quite sure he believes him. It sends his hair flopping across his face and into his eyes, letting the strands catch the light and revealing a rather distracting copper color. Andrew resolutely ignores the attraction brimming in his gut.

"Huh," the boy says, before the gun is tucked away again. He doesn't even do Andrew the courtesy of looking at his knife.

"I could still stab you," He doesn't know why he says it, maybe because the boy has taken to studying the surroundings, and Andrew would rather feel that electric blue gaze on his skin.

The boy hums without looking at him, "Your grip is shit."

He spends a few minutes studying the rooftops while Andrew grapples with the competing urges to stab him or ask to suck his dick.

When he's seemingly satisfied with his surveillance, he turns back to Andrew, "Can I bum a smoke?"

Andrew slowly sheathes his knife, trying to find his footing as the boy refuses to get less interesting, "Lighter's dead."

The boy shrugs, "That's fine. We can use mine."

Andrew finds himself tapping out the last two cigarettes in his pack, passing one over to the boy who takes it without hesitation. He rummages through a multitude of pockets before pulling out the lighter with a small sound of triumph. It's a bright orange affront to humanity, but the flame means Andrew takes his features in under a whole new light.

He notices the scars first, a series of nasty burns on his left cheek and knife marks scouring his right. They match what little he can see of his knuckles, burned on the joints as well. There's something else as well, the start of a tattoo on his neck, revealed as his hoodie slips down his shoulder slightly.

He doesn't move the flame towards Andrew, but for once, he doesn't mind leaning in to light his own. He watches as the boy not-smokes his cigarette, holding it close to his face instead, and barely feels irritated by the waste of nicotine. He memorizes the pull of his lips and hollowing of his cheeks whenever the boy needs to take a drag to keep the flame lit.

He can feel the boy watching him, too; they don't speak, but Andrew finds himself itching in the silence. He wonders what the boy sees, wonders why he fell into that dumpster in the first place, wonders why he didn't shoot Andrew, or why he didn't leave.

The anger sparks when Andrew realizes he wants answers to his questions. Before he can ask, the boy is throwing the butt of his cigarette to the ground and walking nonchalantly out of the alley.

He pauses before walking off completely, turning to look back at Andrew, "That was one hell of a save against the Jackals, earlier."

My gift for @hauntedgfs in this year’s @aftgexchange

Andreil for the prompt raven!Neil. Hope you like it!

Silly me, I thought it was the Master’s court.

I Know Where I Am All for the Game - on ao3 // Neil Josten/Andrew Minyard + Others

summary: Neil Hatford was not Nathaniel Wesninski no matter how much Riko wanted him to be. He refused to live by the captain's rules. That is until he is given a deal that could lead to a change for the better - for him, for Jean. He just needs to get the Foxes to the championships so Kevin can be taken back to Castle Evermore. Easy.

tags: Raven!Neil AU, slow burn, canon-typical violence, hurt/comfort, heavy angst, it gets worse before it gets better

tag list: @warmlylitcandles

mostly so I can find them - but you may as well have this too

Other Masterlists

Why aftg is well written by @feelingthedisaster

(the OG - symbolism, structure, and other examples of Nora's brilliance)

Numbers in aftg

(includes timelines for aftg events)

Plot insights

Parallels / exy positions by @atticusfinchismydog - also in the masterlist above but deserves special mention

Andrew’s protection was not physical by @awildtei

Andrew agreeing to go to the Hemmicks by @afurtivecake

The effect of cults by @cultpastorkevin

Why steal Wymack's painkillers by @i-did

Why Kevin needed to keep his distance by @cowbilover

What was Mary's plan by @your-local-mixed-race-bisexual

Fun lists

Jean’s awesome descriptions of everyone by @swampthingking

Unsung heroes of aftg by @problemduetest4life

Character insights *

(* many more are in the Masterlists at the top, this is for posts that don't fit otherwise)

Nathaniel / Neil - flip a coin by @neilljcsten

Neil as an uncanny creature by @sncwbaz

Andrew wanting to be known by @foxholecore

Andrew really nailed by @afurtivecake

Andrew and Kevin by @afurtivecake

Andrew and Roland by @afurtivecake

Andrew cursing Nicky by @afurtivecake (technically a fic but too perfect not to include)

Andrew and losing control by @palmettoshenanigans

Andrew and breaking the cycle by @palmettoshenanigans

Andrew's promise to Kevin by @coldsaturn

Kevin as the sun by @adaysgrace

Kevin as a bitch by @thatsnotevenmyname

Kevin as a temptation but never a connection by @jeanmoreaue and @afurtivecake

Kevin and Wymack by @fairvstairs

Kevin learning to live in the light by @odetojupiter

Understanding Aaron by @minyard-05

Aaron's need to feel normal by @interstellar-productions

Aaron and Andrew by @figuringthengsout

more Aaron and Andrew by @allforthegaymes

Neil through Aaron's eyes by @bloodfiresandabram

Dan as captain by @minyard-05

Riko hmm I wrote an essay on Riko

Nora's ec

The extra content (master link provided by @peggyrose19)

The ec link

on tumblr

Nora's now-deleted kandreil scenes (fyi scene breaks show as ".....")

How the fandom started and grew - by @coldsaturn

For writers generally

(because we all are, aren't we)

not aftg, but a list of most interesting essays

what emotion do you create from (quiz). I can send you the text of all 15 answers, if you're like me and want to see it all

Feel free to share others that you know of.

Even more essays cos I'm on a mission... we have some seriously brilliant thinkers on here and these thoughts should not be lost.

More plot insights

why winning wasn't enough for Riko by @afurtivecake

more on cults by @ afurtivecake

the Nest's submission dynamic by @ afurtivecake

the Perfect Court's meaning by @lifeofbrybooks

why Aaron went for Neil by @minyard-05

Andrew and his deals with Kevin and Neil by @palmett-hoes and @alicejohnson

why Stuart was so blunt to Jean by @wyverningx

Themes

the theme of saving others by saving yourself by @bees-figurines

aftg and harm reduction by @afurtivecake

aftg and second chances by @kazbiter

aftg and grief by @every-name-is-taken-but-this

aftg's brand of justice by @every-name-is-taken-but-this

difficult siblings by @frogs-in3-hills

More character insights:

Neil in one line by @interstellar-flowers

Neil's unique insults by @palmettoshenanigans

Neil's view of responsibility by @daddyduncan69

Neil's view of cowardice by @afurtivecake

Neil is not an unreliable narrator by @daddyduncan69 and @ afurtivecake

poetic description of Neil by @kiwiaok

Andrew only knew about love from watching movies [updated link] by @4theloveofada (I am particularly moved by this - it reminds us stories can save people)

Andrew and obsession by @aftg-rot [update: additional]

Andrew and flirting by @fortheloveofexy

Kevin in one line by @minyard-05

Kevin being always 2nd by @5a-alf

understanding Kevin by @foxstens

Kevin being stuck on exy by @shuutingstar

Kevin and sexuality by @weralika

Kevin and violent grief by @ninyard

why Kev/Jean are toxic by @deeppenguinstudent

Kevin and Jean by @ deeppenguinstudent

Jean in love with the world by @dustisus

Jean and boundaries by @1200flowers [update: additional]

Nicky and boundaries by @denizenhardwick

Nicky by @simonsrosebud and @ afurtivecake

more Nicky by @paracosmicparadox

Nicky as a guardian by anon

the Nicky incident by @every-name-is-taken-but-this and @inafieldofstarflowers (tags)

more on Nicky generally by @inafieldofstarflowers

Nicky vs the other Foxes by @dustisus

Aaron being calculating by @minyard-05

Neil and Aaron about Andrew by @yourcrumblingsaikiisnotmyproblem

why Aaron saw Andrew as a monster by @skyddish and @sincerelystuggling and other tags

Neil and Renee by @lifeofbrybooks

Neil and Matt by @embraceweird

Riko seeing Kevin as a brother by @ afurtivecake

Riko's need for the perfect court by @tenebrosee and rikomoriyama01 (tags)

Riko as nurture not nature by @juniperkinglet

Riko - what if by @cultpastorkevin

Neil and Mary by @kimkhimhant

Kayleigh and Tetsuji by @ninyard

Fun lists

underrated moments in aftg by @tbartss

the aftg Bonus Chapters

for tfc 'David' (reblogged by Nora)

and for trk 'Betsy'

and for tkm 'Aaron'

Student dissertation on the rise of AFTG by @minnyarrd

archival extra content links

.

Running over the 50 tag limit so the rest will need to go in Part 3.

i reworked my original timeline because something was bugging me about it and now it SHOULD be correct

NOTE: some of these dates are approximated from generalizations made in the book– for example, nicky says andrew's letter to aaron arrives two weeks after cass calls tilda. i assume this is an general use of 'two weeks', but i've taken it literally as 14 days, which is why the letter is dated to arrive november 29th. approximated/assumed dates are marked with a *

november 4th, 1986: aaron michael and andrew joseph minyard are born to tilda minyard in san jose, california

november 7th¹*, 1986: tilda gives the twins away to foster care

november 14th*, 1986: tilda returns to the hospital and takes aaron home with her, leaving andrew behind.

november 4th, 1999: aaron and andrew turn 13 years old. aaron lives in san jose with his mother, and andrew lives in oakland with his foster parents cass and richard spear. they are unaware of each other

november 14th², 1999: oakland raiders vs san diego chargers football game at ring central stadium in oakland. aaron and tilda go with one of tilda's boyfriends, and whilst there, aaron is mistaken for andrew by officer phil higgins, who takes tilda's contact information to pass onto andrew's foster mother, hoping to reunite the brothers

november 15th, 1999: cass spear calls tilda to arrange a meet up for aaron and andrew, but tilda refuses, telling cass she wants nothing to do with andrew and to not call her again. aaron hears all of this by listening in on the upstairs phone line, and he and tilda argue.

november 29th* 1999: aaron recieves a letter from andrew that basically says "fuck you, go away."

december 1999: cass writes aaron a letter asking him to try contacting andrew again in the spring, and that holidays are a difficult time at their house

march 2000: andrew goes to juvie for an unspecified offense

may 2000: tilda and aaron move to columbia, south carolina, and aaron meets his cousin nicky hemmick for presumably the first time.

*unspecified time in early-ish 2001³: luther hemmick finds out about andrew and begins a 'years-long' campaign to reunite him with tilda and aaron. i am choosing to place this around april 2001

six months later, approx. october 2001: luther flies to california to meet andrew and his foster family

one month later, november 2001: aaron flies out to 'meet' andrew for the first time at juvie. they have probably just turned 15

march⁴ 2003: andrew makes early parole and is released from juvie. luther makes tilda take him home, and then aaron, andrew, and tilda, finally all live together in columbia

→ sidebar: on the second night living there, andrew makes his deal with aaron

august 2003: aaron and andrew start their junior years at macon high school, andrew's first outside of juvie

early september 2003⁵: tilda mistakes andrew for aaron and hits him. andrew goes to the hemmicks' who call tilda and she takes him home. aaron is actually at a study group standing in for his brother, and on the drive back, andrew orchestrates the car crash that kills his mother

→ nicky hemmick moves back from germany on the day of tilda's funeral, presumably about a week after the crash. he gets a job at sweetie's diner to provide for the twins, eventually becoming their legal guardian⁶

→ not long after, andrew locks aaron in the bathroom to get him clean from the drugs tilda got him addicted to

october* 2003: nicky and the twins start working at eden's twilight

november 4th, 2003: the twins turn 17, their first birthday together

december 2003: nicky is attacked by four homophobes outside eden's. andrew saves him, almost killing the men in the process, and he is arrested

may⁷ 2004: andrew, 17, finishing his junior year of high school, is put on trial for what he did and sentenced. his parole agreement includes court-mandated therapy and mood altering drugs that he is scheduled to be on for 3 years

august 2004: andrew and aaron begin their senior year at macon high school

february⁸ 2005: kevin day and riko moriyama offer andrew a contract to play with the edgar allan ravens, which he refuses. kevin and riko travel to south carolina to find out why, where andrew refuses again and he and aaron play a scrimmage with kevin on the court

march 2005: david wymack meets with the twins and nicky at subway, and gives the three of them contracts to sign with the palmetto state foxes, which they do

june 2005: aaron, andrew, and nicky finally join the lineup for the PSU foxes

---

notes/citations under the cut

My Top Ten BL Dramas of 2025 by Rich Paschall

With the success of the 2023 movie Red, White, and Royal Blue (Amazon Prime), based on a novel of the same name, and the 2025 TV series Heated Rivalry (HBO Max and Crave), based on the Game Changers novel series, there has been an increased interest in BL (Boys' Love) series in the US and Canada. Amazon has backed a sequel to the movie since the original brought a large increase in its Prime subscribers. The global interest in Heated Rivalry means the Canadian streaming service Crave will bring it back for Season Two.

While movies and TV series based on male-male romance novels and webtoons may be gaining popularity in the region, they have been a hit throughout Southeast Asia for over a decade. In fact, there has been a significant increase in the production of BL dramas as more companies attempt to capture this large segment of viewers. GMMTV (Thailand) has increased its stable of male stars and has vastly increased the number of BL productions. Others have followed suit.

With so many Asian BL productions, it is impossible to see the majority of them. Of the 30 or more 2025 entries I have seen, I have picked the best ones for you. Many are available on YouTube, while some are only available on one or more streaming services. First, some special categories for you.

Huge Disappointment: Sweet Tooth, Good Dentist (Thailand). I thought the pairing of Mark Pakin and Ohm Thipakorn would create some chemistry. It didn't. (YouTube)

Totally Missed The Mark: Flirt Milk (Star Hunter). This one deserved all the bad reviews it received. (YouTube)

The Best: The Top Ten can only include ones that I have seen all of the episodes. I have seen other lists that include many I have not yet seen. There are just too many available. If you want to jump in, consider these:

10. Boys In Love (Thailand). A crew of young actors, some with limited experience, turn in top-notch performances in this high school-based drama. It was too cute to ignore. (iQIYI, YouTube)

09. The Story of Bi Hyeong: Enchanted Master of the Goblin (South Korea). A naive young actor comes to Seoul and is taken in by the Goblin King's bodyguard, much to the Goblin's dismay. This fantasy contains elements of horror and suspense, and a search in the past for the Goblin King's master. (iQIYI) 08. Ball Boy Tactics (South Korea). Ex-Olympic gymnast attends university and attempts to remain anonymous in vain. The shy student encounters a basketball player and campus heartthrob, and his life gets rather complicated. (iQIYI, YouTube) 07. Fight For You (Taiwan). Intelligence agent Bai Zhou Qi maneuvers his way into becoming a roommate of Hei Yu Bo to spy on him and the illegal activities of the company he works for. (GagaOOLala, iQIYI) 06. GelBoys (Thailand). The unique story centers around teenagers who frequently stop at Siam Square to get gel nail designs. It seems one is inviting another boy along to make a third boy jealous. The popular story has earned a season two. Will the boys be off to college? (iQIYI) The leads earned a variety show, Gelty. (iQIYI, YouTube).

05. The Bangkok Boy (Thailand). This dark, gritty drama of love and hate follows the quest by Sun to find his father's killer. He is also after the one who stabbed his best friend. The Korean love interest of later episodes complicates the plotline. (WeTV, Viu, YouTube)

04. Exclusive Love (Taiwan). A funeral director has his younger brother kidnapped and forced into training to take over the business for a reason that will not be known for many episodes. The second couple has an interesting interrelated storyline. (GagaOOLala, iQIYI).

03. Khemjira (Thailand). A family is cursed that every male offspring will die a violent death by his 21st birthday. An evil spirit is getting revenge on a family for something that happened centuries earlier. Khem's friend takes him to a rural village, hoping the shaman there can break the curse and save the boy. Fantasy, horror, suspense, revenge, and a longstanding curse are some of the elements that made this adventurous production popular. Strong performances and special effects should put this at the top of your viewing list. (iQIYI, WeTV)

02. Reset (Thailand). Famous actor Armin falls off a balcony and is killed after a betrayal by his lover. He wakes up decades earlier and at the beginning of his career. He has the chance to start over and correct the mistakes of the past. He also learns the identity of a secret fan and supporter. Even with the knowledge of the past, avoiding those who would do him and his mysterious supporter harm will remain a challenge. (iQIYI)

01. Revenged Love (China). A young man, Wu Sou Wei, tries to improve himself to win back his ex-girlfriend, Yue Yue. She continues to reject him because he is poor. Later, he sees she is dating Chi Cheng, the spoiled son of a powerful businessman. He has already had some bad experiences with Chi, and Wei decides to get revenge on them both. He will win over the bisexual Chi Cheng. When Chi Cheng drops his girlfriend, Wu Suo Wei will drop him. (GagaOOLala, iQIYI, first 12 episodes free on YouTube). Some could not give this series top marks due to the questionable and possibly criminal actions of Chi Cheng in the first episodes. A lot of characters have flaws in this 24-part series, but the actions of Chi Cheng seem unforgivable. He clearly becomes a better person because of his growing friendship with Wu Sou Wei, but is that enough for the viewer?

For the Official Trailer of any of the above, just click on the show title. Some automatically show English subtitles. For others, you will have to turn on Closed Captions (CC) and choose your language.

Some of the above will be free, including those on YouTube. Others may require a subscription and/or a VPN set to a SE Asian country.