Here he is ;))) #
I think my favourite element of the writing in aftg is how Riko's downfall is utterly, entirely, beautifully self-inflicted.
Riko is power hungry, a glory seeker, jealous, cruel, vindictive and unable to share the spotlight. His worst actions and features come back to haunt him over and over in a way that is *incredibly* satisfying from a readers' perspective.
-Riko breaks Kevin's hand. Kevin leaves to become one of the foxes' best players, training them into a team worthy of finals and bringing them to victory with the game's final point
-Riko moves the Ravens to the southern district, placing his team directly in the path of the team that will eventually beat him
-Riko terrorises Kevin on the Kathy Ferdinand show, angering Neil into taking a stand against him (...which causes Andrew to re-evaluate Neil's worth, which leads to their deal, which leads to Neil staying with the Foxes...and so on)
-Riko kills Seth, who becomes a driving force for members of the team, particularly Alison, to beat the Ravens
-Riko setting Drake on Andrew further angers the Foxes and motivates them to beat him; Aaron in particular.
-This also results in Andrew sobering up sooner than he otherwise would have, arguably making him a stronger player and helping the Foxes reach finals
-Kidnapping Neil over Christmas break and forcing him to play as a backliner gives Neil an intensive course in Raven teamwork, drills, etc. Which Neil then teaches to the Foxes.
-Oh, and my favourite. They force Neil to play as a backliner against Riko. The very move which Neil then uses to block Riko from scoring in the final. Fantastic. Ten out of (jos)ten.
-Incidentally, beating the shit out of Neil and putting him in a different position causes the Ravens to vastly misunderstand/underestimate how Neil's abilities as a player have developed
-Forcing Neil into his natural appearance and helping his father find him leads to the most unifying moment for the Foxes of the entire series; the Foxes rally around Neil, and finally become one functioning, dedicated unit.
-and god, just when it seems like it couldn't get any better; Riko destroys Jean, taking one of his team's best players off the court before the match can even begin
Riko set almost every moment of his team's defeat into motion months before their match even began; the consequences of his cruelty not only weaken the ravens but fashion an opposing team which is stronger, more unified, and more determined than ever to beat Riko.
And it doesn't end with the match; Riko attempts to kill Neil, serving Ichirou all the justification he needs to dispose of his brother on a silver platter.
Riko Moriyama's fate is self-inflicted from start to finish, in the most deeply satisfying way possible.
I was gonna try other ideas for January’s patreon sticker but I think we might’ve got it in one here. Air jail for the feral striker
genuinely the most heartbreaking part in aftg like out of the whole series is at the end of the kings men when neil snaps and starts begging for his life
like his “please, just let me go, just let me go i’m not—” LIKE UGHHHH
to me it really emphasizes just how young he is…like he’s literally only 19 he’s a teenager!!! begging for his life!!!! (after trying so hard to save face in front of lola in the car it didn’t even matter in the end bc fuck i’m about to die)
and also just the parallel with andrew and his hatred in the word, that he also said please and it didn’t work
(and the fact that he probably also came to a point where he knew it wouldn’t work but he had to try and beg anyways bc there’s no way out he has no other options he has nothing to gain but nothing to lose either just please let me go—)
Pov the mas breaks down and Andrew CANNOT handle it.
Inspired by @dykekarkat ^_^
No one told me I forgot to post about my Good Omens AU THREE YEARS AGO?😭 point is, I’ve resketched the first comic😔
This is what the original wip looked like (I didn’t save the last page before deleting it cuz I’m clearly missing half my brain)
I don’t plan on really furthering the wip unless it’s to do like art and/or color. But afterward, Neil says he does not believe Andrew isn’t here to kill him and Andrew reminds Neil that he’s ‘an angel so he can’t do wrong’ and Neil decides to trust him. It begins to rain but Andrew shields himself and Neil lets himself bask in the first thunderstorm of the earth.
if you ever think about settling for less than you deserve just remember that andrew minyard quit smoking in fear his lungs wouldn't allow him to be fast enough to save the man he loves in case he needs it