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| SPOILER WARNING! this article may contain major plot or ending details |
| WARNING! This ship page includes the subject of abuse, murder, cannibalism, satanic rituals and incest. |
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Gravecest is the het/family ship between Andrew Graves and Ashley Graves from The Coffin of Andy and Leyley fandom.
Canon[]
Ashley's parents were largely neglectful and scornful towards her. They left much of the work of raising her to Andrew, her older brother. As a result, Ashley grew deeply reliant on Andrew and became fearful of him abandoning her. Over time, her dependence on Andrew became obsessive and even romantic. This manifests with Ashley regularly making sexual or flirtatious comments towards him that Andrew sometimes returns.
While Andrew holds some resentment towards Ashley for being forced to care for her, he becomes similarly afraid of being separated from her. Eventually, Andrew similarly develops romantic feelings for Ashley - though unlike her, he is deeply disturbed by them. Taking this as a rejection, Ashley remains reliant on manipulation to keep Andrew at her side. Ashley has little remorse or shame for her often impulsive and destructive actions, while Andrew largely accepts Ashley's decisions as a way of avoiding responsibility. The two call each other by the nicknames "Andy" and "Leyley."
Andrew after discovering Nina's dead body.
When the two were children, their friend, Nina, developed a crush on Andrew. Ashley was infuriated by this, and she pressured Andrew into helping her get revenge on Nina. The two locked Nina in a crate, leaving her there overnight with the hope of scaring her. Coming back the next morning, they found that Nina had died of an asthma attack. Ashley was unbothered, believing Nina deserved it for trying to 'steal' Andrew, but this event scarred Andrew deeply.
Despite Andrew's primary concern being that he and Ashley would be separated if they were caught, Ashley still blackmailed Andrew with the threat of reporting him if he ever went against her. Andrew makes a blood oath to always put Ashley first, but asserts that he will give others a lesser priority as well, much to Ashley's chagrin. Plagued by reoccurring nightmares, Andrew begins sleeping beside Ashley for comfort. Eventually, he pretends to have nightmares as an excuse to remain close to her.
By the time the siblings reach High School, their classmates begin to notice their continuing closeness and physical comfort. Rumors spread that Andrew and Ashley are physically involved, which later escalate to Andrew sexually abusing Ashley. Aware of her crush on him, Andrew begins dating Ashley's friend Julia to quell the rumors. Though it is implied Andrew is dating Julia as a proxy for his sister, who he continues to prioritize, Ashley is nonetheless enraged. She actively sabotages their relationship by harassing Julia and faking crises for Andrew's attention. As a result of Andrew's refusal to address this, Julia breaks up with Andrew early in the game. Though Andrew feels little at losing Julia, the indifference itself unsettles him.
Episode 1[]
Ashley with her head resting in Andrew's lap.
At the start of the game, Andrew and Ashley are quarantined in their apartment, where they have been trapped for several months due to a supposed parasite outbreak. The guards are no longer providing food, leaving the pair to starve to death. Andrew and Ashley see their neighbor die in a botched demonic ritual, after which they eat the neighbor in order to survive. The pair then attempt to finish the ritual in hopes of finding a way to escape. They are overheard by a guard, who Andrew kills to protect Ashley from.
Andrew and Ashley discover that the "quarantine" was actually a cover for an organ trafficking scheme. They plan to sacrifice the other guard to the demon for an alliance, coercing their downstairs neighbor to lure the guard into the ritual. Ashley is angered when Andrew says the neighbor is pretty, but she lets Andrew keep watch over her nonetheless. The ritual is successful, and the demon gives Ashley a talisman. Andrew, meanwhile, kills the neighbor in self-defense, which he assumes will make Ashley happy. Ashley accuses Andrew of having tried to seduce the neighbor, leading to an argument between the two. After Ashley blames and shames Andrew for Nina's death, Andrew begins to strangle Ashley.
Ashley tries to convince Andrew that she needs him to sleep and that he won't go through with hurting her, but Andrew rebuffs her. Ashley then admits that she can't do anything for Andrew, but tells him she wants to be with him anyway - as long as there won't be anyone else but them alone. Andrew releases her, and Ashley embraces him, saying she doesn't care that Nina is dead. Andrew agrees to go forth with Ashley alone, but asks that she never call him "Andy" again, believing "Andy" to be too spineless. The two leave the apartment building together.
Episode 2[]
Episode 2 begins with Andrew and Ashley getting along better than before, albeit with Ashley still reluctant to stop calling Andrew "Andy". After surviving an attack by a hitman thanks to a premonition from the talisman, the two track down their parents to rob them as revenge for abandoning them to die. Ashley also wants to sacrifice their parents so as to "recharge" the talisman and protect them from potential threats. The two break into their parent's house, but are caught when their mother, Renee, returns home earlier than expected. The pair play off that they were only coming to visit, and she begrudgingly allows them to spend the night, on the condition they look for separate places to live the next day.
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Ashley bites Andrew.
That night, Ashley wakes Andrew to get his help in sacrificing their parents. Ashley climbs onto Andrew and gives him an affectionate bite, much to Andrew's excitement. Renee, hoping to speak to Andrew in private, stumbles upon the two. Andrew is embarrassed and covers the bite mark and his crotch, while Ashley pulls a gun on her mother. The two tie up and prepare to sacrifice their parents to the demon. From this point, the story branches based on player choices.
Ashley letting Andrew kill her in the dream sequence.
If Ashley does not trust Andrew to be alone with Renee, or if the latter successfully manipulates Andrew against Ashley, Andrew becomes deeply bitter towards his sister. He becomes convinced that Ashley's manipulation is the sole source of his own evil actions. As such, he treats Ashley with increasing contempt. Ashley responds by trying to call him "Andy" again, thus trying to bring their relationship back to how it was prior to the strangulation incident. Andrew takes this as a personal rejection, causing him to become even more hostile. After the two fight, Ashley has a premonition that ends with her either letting Andrew kill her, or her killing him in self-defense, much to her horror. The two dispose of their parents' corpses, with Ashley anxiously wondering how to patch their relationship.
Ashley affectionately greeting Andrew in front of their mother.
If Ashley trusts Andrew to be alone, and Andrew stands by and even defends Ashley from their mother, Renee will be confused as to why Andrew is so loyal to Ashley. She then accuses Andrew of sleeping with Ashley, much to Ashley's delight and Andrew's embarrassment. After sacrificing their parents, Ashley is surprised that Andrew seems much happier than he was before. The two hold hands and sleep with the talisman in hopes of sharing a premonition.
The following dream sequence depicts both Ashley's feelings of isolation and her affections for Andrew. Ashley is represented by a pink stuffed bunny who is scorned by all but one, a green stuffed bunny representing Andrew. Andrew's bunny is called "the best, best, best thing ever", and Ashley places him in a birdcage on the moon, symbolic of both her idealization of him and her possessiveness. Depending on player choices, Ashley will depict her relationship with Andrew as romantic or otherwise. If she does not portray them as romantic, the dream ends without a premonition and Andrew and Ashley's relationship seemingly continues as before.
If Ashley does portray them as romantic, she releases his bunny from the cage, only to place it as her brother, friend, lover, and parent all at once. This causes Andrew and Ashley to have a premonition of them engaged in intercourse. Andrew is deeply flustered by this, while Ashley is unbothered, saying she figured it would happen eventually anyway. Though Andrew refuses to dwell on the subject, this leads to a much more positive relationship between the two. They play around with each other as they dispose of their parents, then embrace. Andrew jokes that he still needs Ashley for the talisman, while Ashley muses that the premonition gave her new ideas of how to keep Andrew with her.
Episode 3 - Decay[]
The Decay route follows the ending of Episode 2 in which Ashley had a premonition of Andrew killing her. Andrew is deeply frustrated and increasingly desperate with Ashley's refusal to listen to him, while Ashley is fearful that the premonition will come true. After Andrew steals the demon's talisman from Ashley, he has a dream of Ashley dismembered on a bed, which greatly upsets him. Once he wakes, Ashley confesses her premonition of him killing her, and threatens him into becoming "Andy" again. The story further branches based on whether Ashley shot Andrew in the dream or let him kill her.
Shots and Such Route[]
If Ashley shot Andrew in the premonition, she will confess this to him. Andrew is deeply hurt by the idea Ashley would be willing to go on without him, and he begins to worry he is replaceable to her. The two are then interrupted by a family of campers, and Andrew and Ashley decide to sacrifice the family's souls to the demon. Andrew, however, insists that Ashley not kill the campers once the ritual is over, so that nobody will be able to trace it back to them. Ashley ignores this instruction, and one of the campers escapes and calls the police. The two escape from the police by following a portal into the demon's world.
Ashley caught on Andrew's lap.
If Andrew agreed to be called "Andy" again, Ashley then makes a deal with the demon that she will give the demon Andrew's soul if Andrews tries to betray her. Ashley then partners with the demon to hunt souls in exchange for a safe place for her and Andrew to stay, but she doesn't protest when the demon insists Andrew be left out of the work. Andrew is thus essentially imprisoned in the demon world, only existing to give Ashley emotional support. The final scene shows Ashley and Andrew sitting in the demon world, "Leyley" expressing affection for "Andy" in a childish manner. The demon then demands Ashley come collect more souls, to which Ashley leaves Andrew alone to do so, resulting in the "Leyley Wins" dead end.
If Andrew refused to be called "Andy" again, Andrew will instead be overcome with rage. He begins chasing Ashley with the intent to kill her, both in frustration at her unwillingness to listen to him, and out of a desire to make her his in death if she won't be in life. If Andrew catches Ashley, this results in another dead end where Andrew kills Ashley, cradling her dead body before killing himself. If Ashley is able to summon the demon in time to protect her, Ashley again makes a deal with the demon for protection. The demon suggests killing Andrew, but Ashley refuses, saying how deeply she had regretted doing so in the dream vision. She insists that she and Andrew be together, whether he is useful to her or not. The demon and Ashley make a deal to capture souls together. Ashley settles into the apartment of one of the cultists she sacrifices to the demon, where she chains Andrew up.
Andrew and Ashley kissing in the "Shots and Such" Route.
Andrew tries to make amends with Ashley, comforting her after she has another nightmare about him, but is unable to convince her to let him go. Once left alone again, Andrew calls Julia for help, pretending the chain was a prank by a friend gone awry. Julia agrees to come to the apartment and free Andrew, and Andrew plans to manipulate Julia into taking him back. Though he is reluctant to leave, Andrew fears that he will try to hurt Ashley again if he stays, and further enviously reasons she is better off with the demon looking out for her instead. Julia, however, rejects Andrew, calling him twisted and broken. Andrew then runs into one of his friends, who he considers manipulating for help. The friend talks about how how he's now married with a child on the way, prompting Andrew to vomit and then return to Ashley. The two make up, and Andrew gives Ashley a kiss on the lips. They begin kissing, Andrew intending to have sex with her, but he loses interest when she calls him "big brother" in an attempt to arouse him. The two begin arguing again, and Andrew gets drunk.
With Andrew intoxicated, he and Ashley confess their romantic feelings for one another. Andrew admits his attraction to her, and that he tried to leave for fear he'd try to hurt her again. Ashley in turn tells Andrew she couldn't live without him, assuaging his fear that he is replaceable to her. Though the two initially get along well the next morning, Ashley soon discovers that Julia had been the one to free Andrew. She flies into an insecure rage, berating Andrew, who in turn despairs he has given her "everything" and it's still not enough. Ashley slaps Andrew, and Andrew responds by beating her. Ashley apologies and tries to make amends, but Andrew gets drunk once again. Fearing he will leave her, and feeling insecure that he had consummated with Julia and not her, Ashley forces herself on Andrew. Andrew is resistant that such an act won't mean anything when done in that way, but his intoxication, guilt, and affections for Ashley cause him to give in and the two have sex.
Andrew wishing to make Ashley happy after their fight.
Andrew wakes up the next morning feeling hopeless and disgusted that he once again allowed Ashley to control him. He begins contemplating killing himself and Ashley yet again. If Andrew and Ashley didn't find an engagement ring in the woods earlier in the route, or if Andrew chooses to dispose of the ring, Ashley will reluctantly agree to commit double-suicide with him. The two jump out of a window while holding onto each other, fulfilling Andrew's "romantic" fantasy of dying in a mess of tangled remains.
If Andrew finds and keeps the ring, on the other hand, Ashley will instead ask Andrew to marry her. Andrew is reluctant, saying they would only make each other miserable, but Ashley disagrees, and further insists she would rather be miserable with him than be without him. Wanting to make Ashley happy, Andrew agrees. As the two leave the apartment to find one of their own, Andrew hugs Ashley from behind and asks that they make love intimately next time.
In an epilogue set some time in the future, Andrew has assumed a new identity and gotten a low-paying job, while Ashley is continuing to work with the demon. The two are poor and have a dysfunctional marriage, with Andrew sometimes beating Ashley, and Ashley using hate sex to vent her fears of him leaving her. Andrew recalls that the two were able to have sex intimately once when Ashley was intoxicated; but she was upset about it the next day, and he had been unable to recreate the situation since. Ashley shows Andrew that she is pregnant, and the two agree to abort the baby before Andrew begins having sex with her once again. Andrew reflects on the pathetic state of their life, but he is satisfied that at least Ashley is his forever.
Main Route[]
Andrew flirting with Ashley while calling Julia.
If Ashley didn't shoot Andrew during the dream sequence, Andrew promises not to kill Ashley, but insists she listen to him more. Ashley agrees, and thus doesn't kill the campers, but the police are still called and the two escape into the demon world. Andrew and Ashley work together to explore, and Ashley jokes about the two having children together. Andrew asks Ashley why she jokes about them having sex so much, and Ashley eventually admits that she wouldn't mind being with him. She also notes that if they hooked up, he would be less likely to kill her, a comment that upsets Andrew. Andrew refuses, saying he would never want to extort her into having sex with him. Ashley is offended, thinking Andrew finds her ugly, but Andrew thanks her for listening and begins kissing her on the head and hugging her. Ashley dares him to kiss her on the lips, and after brief hesitation, he does.
Andrew kisses Ashley for the first time.
Once the pair find the demon, Ashley believes she can make a deal with him, while Andrew insists they can't trust him. Andrew tries to stay as close to Ashley as possible, but the demon insists Ashley follow alone. Andrew reluctantly agrees, and gives Ashley another kiss on the lips as they part. Ashley is confused as to Andrew's sudden affections, and begins to suspect he is trying to manipulate her into mistrusting the demon, angrily thinking he'll probably stop kissing her if they go back to the real world. The demon asks Ashley why she insists on keeping Andrew around, telling her that he'll only try to kill her like in the vision. When Ashley returns to Andrew for the night, she tries to talk with him, but they get into another fight over trusting the demon. Andrew accuses Ashley of lying about loving him, and shames her for making jokes about them having sex. Ashley slaps Andrew and kicks him out before crying herself to sleep. Andrew muses that despite the fight, they are paradoxically closer than ever before.
Out on his own, Andrew runs into another, larger demonic entity who exposes Andrew's psyche - as "a brother, a murderer, and lovesick". A series of visions and flashbacks follow that recount Andrew's relationship with Julia, how he got with her to end rumors that he was sexually abusing Ashley, how the more he tried to love Julia, the stronger his desire for Ashley became. After a heart-to-heart with Ashley around a year prior to the start of the story, Ashley had confessed she wouldn't mind marriage or sex if it was with Andrew. That night, Andrew dreamed of being married to Julia, only to realize he was actually married to Ashley. He kisses Ashley anyway, reasoning it's just a dream. Andrew then awoke in the middle of the night, and Ashley tries to seduce him in a moment of intimacy and vulnerability. Panicking, Andrew rejected Ashley, hurting her deeply. The two had an extended falling out in which Andrew didn't touch Ashley for over a year. This left Andrew miserable and empty. The two made up after Andrew confronted Ashley about accepting a job at a seedy massage parlor. Ashley tells Andrew she has missed him, and Andrew holds onto Ashley for "longer than he thought was normal." Andrew hopes to resist his desires for Ashley until he can move out, only to realize he is trapped alone with Ashley at the start of the quarantine shortly after.
Presently, Andrew has an internal vision where he expresses rage at Ashley for pain she's caused him, but also frustration that for all she means to him, he can't even hold her. The entity gives pity to Andrew, comforting him, and offering a partnership as part one ends on a cliffhanger.
Quotes[]
- “All my life I've tried, but she just won't work with me...But even still. For her, I- No. To me, she's - she means so much, but I can't even fucking hold her.”
- — Andrew describing Ashley.
- “C'mon Andrew. Let's go. You and me. Let's have one last episode, and it's titled...! 'Andrew and Leyley and the Final Finale, Finally! The Happy Ever After Special!'”
- — Ashley proposing to Andrew, Shots and Such Route.
- “How wretched I am without you...Life without you is just one disappointment after another. You're the most alluring thing I've ever laid my eyes on.”
- — Andrew describing Ashley through Julia.
- “But...if you actually want to marry me, then I don't know. Maybe if Andy and Leyley elope, it's different. Yeah, maybe...if it's different, then maybe it's fine.”
- — Ashley thinking about marrying Andrew.
- “Whoa there. Is everything okay? Seems like you were having a...nightmare. I think you were asking for me. Well, no worries! I am here now. Let me make it all better. What do you need from me? ”
- — Ashley comforting Andrew.
- “I'm doing all of this because I love you!..Because at the end of the day, 'Andy and Leyley and whatever-the-fuck' is a love story!'”
- — Ashley to Andrew, Shots and Such Route.
Moments[]
Episode 1[]
- Andrew comments there is something "romantic" about the idea of him and Ashley jumping out the window together, saying "[their] remains would get so tangled up, they'd have to bury [them] in the same coffin".
- After Ashley passes out from hunger, she wakes up with her head in Andrew's lap, Andrew plays with her hair as he watches TV. Andrew later moves her to the bed.
- In a normal occurrence for them, Andrew and Ashley lie in bed together after Andrew is unable to sleep. Ashley runs her finger down Andrew's face, and Andrew responds by biting it.
- Andrew kills a security guard in order to prevent Ashley from being hurt. In Episode 2, he comments that he used to notice the guard leering at Ashley, and his one regret was not killing him slower.
- After Andrew releases her, Ashley immediately embraces Andrew and reaffirms that she doesn't care that they killed Nina.
- Andrew jokes that he's stuck with Ashley, which saddens her. He responds by pulling her close and kissing her head to cheer her up, which makes her giggle.
Episode 2[]
- If Andrew buys Ashley a drink she wanted despite them being short of cash, Ashley dislikes it, but will insist on finishing it in gratitude. She then teasingly offers Andrew her virginity in return.
- Despite getting a hotel room with two beds, both pillows are on the same bed. If the player checks the bed while playing as Andrew, the narration comments that Andrew "tooootally [has] nightmares as often as [he] claim[s]".
- After watching the cultist club try and fail to summon a demon, Andrew proudly remarks that "[his] Ashley did it on her first try". Despite them only being separate briefly, the narration comments that Andrew already misses Ashley.
- If Ashley checks the closet where the hitman is hiding, the hitman will kill both her and Andrew. The narration comments that Andrew "probably wouldn't want to live" without Ashley anyway, which would make Ashley happy if she wasn't dead.
- When Ashley tells the demon she wants Andrew to know she is ignoring him, the narration comments that the demon "couldn't care less about [their] lover's spat".
- Ashley again wakes up with her head in Andrew's lap. Andrew tells Ashley he was on the verge of bringing her to the hospital when she wouldn't wake up, despite this putting both of them at risk of being apprehended.
- If Andrew talks to Ashley again after being told to find an item to break into their parents' house with, Ashley will flirtatiously accuse Andrew of looking for an excuse to touch her behind. Andrew denies this, further commenting he wouldn't need an excuse anyway, which Ashley affirms. Later, Andrew does have his hand on her behind.
- On Ashley's prodding, Andrew will very dramatically praise Ashley's cooking and "door opening skills", much to Ashley's delight.
- After waking Andrew up to sacrifice their parents, Ashley begins teasing Andrew and affectionately bites him, much to Andrew's delight. When their mother catches them, Andrew covers his crotch with a pillow.
- When Ashley is upset, the narration comments that Andrew is "struck with an odd urge" to hold Ashley until she smiles, a thought that Andrew "pushes down with all the other thoughts" he wishes he never had.
- In a flashback, Andrew looks sad hugging Julia, but he perks up upon suggesting she wear her hair in a ponytail - the same style as Ashley. Julia refuses, saying Andrew will pull on it again. Andrew says that's how boys show their love. He is frequently shown playing with Ashley's hair.
- If the player rejects Renee's peace offer to Andrew, Andrew will put a knife to to his mother's throat and tell her he doesn't like her talking bad about Ashley. Renee then accuses Andrew of sleeping with Ashley, much to his embarrassment. Ashley then returns, having overheard part of the conversation, and affectionately hugs Andrew, asking if she missed him.
- In Ashley's vision, Andrew is represented as a green stuffed bunny called the "best, best, best thing ever".
Episode 3 - Decay[]
- As children, Ashley told Andrew she wanted to marry him someday.
- Andrew lies to a cop that he and Ashley are on a date to avoid suspicion. The cop tells Andrew a pickup line to ask for a kiss, and then insists he uses it. Ashley is initially confused, but when she notices the cop, she plays along and asks Andrew to kiss her.
- The pair find an engagement ring lost in the forest. Ashley tries it on, saying she'll never get a chance to wear one otherwise, and then asks Andrew what their wedding ring would say on it.
- Ashley and Andrew cuddle together in the car after arguing over the trinket, and Ashley falls asleep in Andrew's arms.
- The family of campers finds Andrew with Ashley on top of him in the car, and they assume the two are being intimate. If Andrew says Ashley is his friend, Ashley will accuse Andrew of being attracted to one of the campers. If he says that Ashley is his cousin, the campers will be confused, and Ashley angrily insists it's none of their business if they are related and doing such things.
- Andrew can call Julia after coming to an understanding with Ashley as a test of her commitment to behave for him. Andrew says he can't live without her and that she is the most beautiful thing he has ever laid eyes on as he plays with Ashley's bra and looks down her shirt, implicitly saying to Julia what he really feels about Ashley. After they hang up, Andrew hugs Ashley and tells her he's proud. Ashley asks if he misses Julia, which he denies, but Ashley notes "you seemed kind of into it", not understanding he was talking about her and not Julia.
- Andrew kisses Ashley for the first time at her prodding, Ashley teasing him into it and the two hugging and laughing together.
- Despite his mistrust towards the demon, Andrew lets Ashley go alone with it, giving her another kiss as he leaves. Ashley fears he is just trying to manipulate her and won't kiss her anymore if she does what he wants. She also wonders if this makes them lovers now.
- Ashley asks a cultist if a picture on a table is of the cultist and their brother, to which the cultist confusingly responds: "Uh...no. That's my boyfriend."
- Despite frequently making sexual comments towards Andrew, Ashley is deeply flushed when Andrew begins to suspect she may have some serious interest.
- In a symbolic vision, the player can pick Nina, Julia, or Ashley for Andrew's lover. If Nina is picked, Andrew reacts with confusion. The narrator comments that they barely knew each other at all, before telling the player to try again. If Julia, a heart appears over Julia's head, but Andrew is annoyed. He thinks about how much she bored him, and how he and even "fantasized about kicking her teeth in". Only placing Ashley makes Andrew happy, with hearts appearing over both their heads and him laughing with joy at the idea.
- In a flashback to High School, Andrew is angered by a classmate thinking he'd want to have sex with all his family just because he wants to have sex with Ashley, before becoming angered that he just admitted to himself he wants to have sex with Ashley.
- Ashley tells Andrew she wouldn't mind getting married or having sex if it was with him. That night, Andrew dreams he is married to Julia, only to realize she is actually Ashley. He kisses her anyway. When he awakens, Ashley tries to affectionately seduce him in a moment of vulnerability.
- In a vision, Andrew is faced with all the people he has killed for Ashley. Ashley asks him if she was worth it all, to which the possible responses are: Yes, Always, Definitely, I'd Do it Again, 100%, or Absolutely.
- Andrew admits that while some part of him resents Ashley, he's distraught that for all she means to him, he can't bring himself to hold her.
Shots and Such Route[]
- Even after Andrew tries to kill her, Ashley will insist to the demon that he's a good person and she wants him by her side whether he's useful or not.
- Ashley says the last time she was truly happy was when she bit Andrew on the couch, and Andrew says his was when Ashley said she'd be willing to die with him.
- When talking with a friend about having children, Andrew imagines the mother of his children as Ashley without mentioning her by name. He then thinks "....Julia, I'm talking about Julia."
- Andrew and Ashley begin kissing, evidently preparing to have sex. Andrew only stops when Ashley calls him "big brother", later admitting he's afraid he's taking advantage of her.
- Ashley and Andrew confess their love for each other, with both admitting they could never live without each other. Andrew also admits he only tried to leave for fear he would kill Ashley.
- Andrew thinks about how if he can't do anything else, at least he might be able to make Ashley happy.
- In the dead end, Ashley agrees to fulfill Andrew's double-suicide fantasy rather than live without him. In the ending, Andrew agrees to marry Ashley, despite his reservations, in order to make her happy.
- Andrew tells Ashley he wants to make love to her "properly". In the epilogue, he mentions he wishes he could get her to make love with him again after they did so at some point while intoxicated.
Fanon[]
As the primary focus of the game, Gravecest is by far the most popular ship in the fandom, primarily shipped romantically. Despite the toxic and incestuous nature of the relationship, there is a huge following of fans who thoroughly ship Andrew and Ashley together. Fans of Gravecest either separate the familial ties from the relationship, or fully embrace it as an interesting part in the dynamic and enjoy the incestuous romance between them. It is also common for non-fans to ship Andrew and Ashley or find them romantically appealing together without knowing they are siblings. On the other hand, some fans feel an immense guilt for shipping Andrew and Ashley together with awareness of the toxic relationship, even as a family ship. On AO3, Andrew Graves/Ashley Graves has 622 works as of April 2025.
Within the greater community, Andrew and Ashley's relationship has been the focal point of discussion, analysis, and most notably, backlash. Many found the portrayal to be deeply unsettling and distasteful, causing the game to receive a great deal of controversy. This controversy especially heightened after the release of Episode 2, which featured the premonition of the siblings having intercourse. However, the backlash had the side effect of bringing additional attention to the game, causing it to blow up in popularity as compared to the developer's previous titles.
Some responded to the controversy by making light of the game's themes, with a great deal of fan content and discussion ironically endorsing or otherwise joking about the incest element. For a time, it became a meme to make edits of other sibling duos in fiction with the faces of Andrew and Ashley to ironically imply that the characters were incestuous. Some were very disapproving of the controversy, and in turn disapproving of the fans who were fine with other disturbing elements of the game (cannibalism, satanic rituals, murder) yet drew the line at incest. Those who defend the pairing argue that the backlash towards the incest is overblown given the game's intentionally edgy and unsettling themes, and felt that the incest helped make the game even more uncomfortable, given the nature of its genre being psychological horror.
Prior to the release of Episode 3, some players attempted to downplay the incestuous content, arguing that it was confined only to the single premonition in Episode 2 which occurs based on player choices. However, Andrew and Ashley's relationship holds such undertones throughout the game regardless of player choices, with constant flirting and physical contact between the two. The player choices in the matter impact what direction the sibling's relationship takes, but their romantic interest in one another is present throughout the game. Given that it was prior believed that their relationship would only become fully romantic in the Burial Route, Episode 3 containing multiple kisses and even a full-blown incest marriage alternate end in the Decay Route further reinforced that the relationship would develop romantically regardless of player input.
Before Episode 2, it was also popularly believed that Ashley's feelings were unrequited and that Andrew was just a victim of her manipulation. Episode 2 and 3 expanded greatly on Andrew's side of their relationship, to the point that some now argue that Andrew is perhaps even more incestuous than Ashley. Given that Andrew is far more lustful towards Ashley than the reverse, some fans go so far as to argue Ashley has no actual romantic interest in Andrew and only wants his attention. With regards to lust, author commented in a Q&A that Ashley does want Andrew to fulfill her sexual needs, but she also wants to remain in a child-like dynamic where Andrew fulfills all her needs unconditionally without asking anything from her in turn. This dynamic is much like what is seen in the "Leyley Wins" dead end. Ashley's attraction to Andrew is further explored in a Decay Route flashback, where Ashley tries to seduce Andrew implicitly out of affection rather than manipulation. Andrew's rejection thus implicitly spurred her from attempting anything further than physical/humorous seduction with her.
A minority of fans hope for an ending in which the siblings safely go their separate ways, but this is thematically unlikely given the story's dark tone and the constant reinforcement that Andrew and Ashley are too codependent for this to happen. Though few argue that a relationship between Andrew and Ashley would be an ideal outcome, many do consider it the best possible thematic conclusion to their story. Some believe that Andrew and Ashley can be happy if they come to accept one another and their own feelings, while others have little attachment to the outcome aside from dark curiosity.
Fandom[]
- FAN FICTION
- Andrew/Ashley tag on AO3
- Andrew & Ashley tag on AO3
Gallery[]
