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Andrew looking at the two traumatized kids who just happen to be Moriyama propriety that just ramdonly washed up on his team and deciding he is gonna just adopt them on his family will never not be funny

Bro really looked at Neil and said: "I dont have a mafia kid with this colour yet"

And that's, ladies and gentleman, is a genuine cat owner (except instead of stray kittens he started with stray mafia runaways, go figure)

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bro what if we fit together like puzzle pieces bro what if we just lay down and like test it out bro you never know

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kevin day is the bat signal to loser lesbians

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oh. he was wild

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Okay part two of my last Andrew and Aaron post, but from Aaron’s side now! I don’t usually consider his perspective as much as I do Andrew’s, which is probably because aftg doesn’t show Aaron’s trauma and growth nearly as much as they do Andrew’s, so this might not be the best. I don’t really care tho. It’ll figure itself out I think.

Okay so, let’s start with Aaron’s family situation. Aaron was raised by a drug addict single mother who cheated on her fiancé resulting in him leaving her early on. In addition to being an addict, his mother is physically abusive. Aaron’s only family beyond his mother is his mom’s brother Luther and his family. Luther’s homophobic and when he finds out Nicky’s gay he sends him to a conversion camp. That is the “normal family life” that Aaron is raised around. While Aaron prides himself on being the “normal one” of the twins, his idea of normal isn’t quite what most people think of it as. So Aaron grows up in a difficult environment. His mom influences him getting hooked on drugs, and his friends push him to continue. His uncle’s homophobia rubs off on him and becomes something he internalizes. Even when he thinks he’s gotten past it, it’s still there in how he accuses Neil of being with his brother because he saw what happened with Andrew and Drake. It takes a lot to move past that kind of stuff.

That’s hardly the end of it though. I said earlier that Andrew doesn’t understand communication and healthy boundaries, but neither does Aaron. I mean, it’s really hard to figure out healthy relationships when your closest relationships are built on drugs and abuse. And while Aaron does seem to be slightly more “normal” than his brother, that does very little in the long run.

Anyways, Aaron grows up in this environment and then suddenly he finds out he has a brother. He’s ecstatic. Because a brother means he’s not alone anymore. A brother means someone has to stay with him and like him. But Andrew’s not that kind of brother. Andrew’s violent and blunt. And when he sees Tilda hurt Aaron, he threatens her. This isn’t the brother Aaron expected. Normal people’s brothers don’t act like this, and Aaron prides himself on being semi-normal. No one wants to stick out. No one wants to be friendless and alone. But Andrew doesn’t seem to care. He scares off all of Aaron’s friends, says they’re bad for him. Bad people. And Aaron isn’t sure how to handle that. Because they’re his friends. What right does this boy who shares his face have to get rid of them?

And then it happens. Andrew says they should swap. Just for a day. It’ll be funny. A harmless prank on their mother. It’s a step towards normalcy. Because normal twins do this all the time! And they’re identical. No one will be the wiser. So Andrew pretends to be Aaron, and their mother gets in the car with him. But something goes wrong. An accident. And suddenly Aaron’s lost his mother and could have lost his brother. The brother he’s only just got. But he’s okay. And it should be fine, but Andrew doesn’t care their mother’s dead. She’s dead and Andrew can’t even act sad. And soon the fear of losing them both becomes resentment. Because that’s Aaron’s mother there. And she’s dead, and Andrew isn’t. And it was his idea in the first place to do this. And he starts to blame him, even though he doesn’t yet know the “accident” was planned. Because that’s what kids do. And Aaron’s only a kid. They’re, what? Thirteen? Fourteen? Fifteen? They’re only just kids.

And now they’re kids with no parents. And Aaron thinks they’ll be sent to live with their aunt and uncle. It’s the logical conclusion, after all. It’s not like they have anyone else. But Nicky shows up from Germany, and he takes them instead. And Andrew knows very little about Nicky. But Aaron grew up with him. Probably knows about what happened. Why he was sent away. Why he moved to Germany. They have history, but Andrew doesn’t.

And they use Tilda’s life insurance money to buy a house. And Aaron hates that a bit more. But he knows it’s important. They need a house, after all. The car is what angers him more. Any car could have worked. But Andrew had to buy a stupid fucking sports car with what little money they have left. But that’s neither here nor now.

Everything’s fine for a bit. Aaron avoids Andrew. But then Andrew becomes set on getting Aaron clean. And before Aaron knows it, he’s being locked in the bathroom while he goes through withdrawals. Withdrawals which could have killed him. And they’re certainly traumatic for a kid to go through. It widens the gap between the twins even more. Because while Andrew sees it as necessary, Aaron doesn’t. He sees it as being locked up while he’s going through withdrawals. Andrew sees it logically. It’s the best way to deal with it without sending him to rehab or getting him in trouble. But Aaron’s not as clinical as his twin. He sees it through a more emotional lens. And he feels betrayed in a way. Because how could people who say they love him do this to him?

And sure, it works. Aaron gets clean. He starts getting better grades. Sure. But that doesn’t fix the problem. Doesn’t mend the rift in their relationship. Doesn’t right the wrongs. But Andrew doesn’t care enough to do that, maybe doesn’t even know how. And so those rifts remain like that. For years. And years.

And they’re still like that when Aaron kills Drake. They’re still like that well after. But they’re healing. And they’re trying. By god, they’re trying.

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Andrew is so used to not being taken care of. He is so used to nursing his own wounds and tending to others. It comes as a big shock to him when he gets injured from an exy brawl and it's not just Neil, but Aaron doting on him (both as a med student in training and as a brother that can't say "I love you" but will shows it better instead)

Andrew is quiet, but he watches everything, watches Aaron argue that Andrew doesn't like taking pills so they should get topical creams to alleviate pain. He watches Aaron become an advocate for him if the injuries are so bad Andrew has to be hospitalized and since Aaron knows the medical jargon, none of the doctors or nurses are seen as a threat anymore in Andrew's eyes when Aaron is present

Andrew likes the attention, and is taking Bee's advice to rely on others more, to not just protect Aaron but be protected by Aaron too

And if he gets a shallow paper cut and specifcally demands Aaron puts a bandaid on it, that's Andrew's prerogative as a twin

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I saw somebody say earlier that Andrew didn’t actually care about Aaron because he didn’t treat him properly (in the books and after Andrew found out about him) so I’m gonna talk about Andrew and Aaron for a bit.

For starters, we have to get it out there that Andrew absolutely did not treat Aaron right. Of course. If you look at them through the eyes of someone who’s had a vaguely normal relationship with love, that’s extremely obvious, but Andrew hasn’t had that. People can talk about how horrible a person is to friends and family, but you also have to try and see why they act that way. Andrew grew up in foster care. He never had a permanent family. And he was mistreated in a lot of those places. Both sexually and emotionally. This is very, very obvious. It’s literally stated in the books. But you can also see it in his relationships with people after. When he was with Cass, he was quite literally willing to pretend Drake wasn’t abusing him so that he could stay there. Because Cass was one of the few people who wanted and loved him. She was going to keep him. She wanted to adopt him. And Andrew was okay with dealing with Drake if it meant he got to keep having her.

So why didn’t he? Aaron.

Andrew finds out all of the sudden that he has a brother- a twin brother- and everything changes. He tries to hide him from Drake. To keep another child away from what’s happening to him, but Drake finds out. And suddenly the danger is so much more present. Suddenly it is not a “what if he finds out” it’s a “he knows and he going to get him too.” That’s the world Andrew was living in before Aaron. A world of sacrifices. So he sacrifices a relationship with his biological family to protect a boy he’s never even met from his abuser. But it’s still not enough. Drake is pushing and he wants both of them. So Andrew makes another sacrifice. And this time he sacrifices the only motherly figure he’s ever had in order to protect Aaron. He knows Cass might not keep him anymore. Understands that’s a very real possibility. But it’s alright, because Aaron is safe.

And then he’s in juvie. But it’s okay, because Aaron’s safe from Drake. But he’s not safe. Not yet, at least. Because Andrew soon realizes that Aaron has his own demons. Because Tilda’s abusive and his friends are horrible influences. And suddenly he’s not safe again. Safe from the abuse Andrew suffered, sure, but not safe. So he plans and he plans. And when he gets out he ties Aaron down with promises and deals, because Andrew can’t understand why he’d want to stay otherwise. Still can’t comprehend that people want and love him. And he slowly pushes the bad out of Aaron’s life. Until Tilda’s dead. Until Aaron’s “friends” are out of his life. Until Aaron’s clean. And he knows that Aaron will resent him for it. Knows that once Aaron finds out Tilda’s “accident” wasn’t so accidental he’ll hate him. But Aaron’s finally safe. There’s no one left to hurt him. He’s getting good grades. He’s rebuilding his life. And even if he hates Andrew, he’s alive, and that’s all Andrew’s ever really been concerned about.

I think that last part is part of the issue though. Andrew’s always been so concerned about surviving, he’s never cared enough to push for anything more. It’s hard to treat people properly when you’ve only ever worked towards them surviving. Andrew himself is still trying to figure out how to do anything more than survive. And by the time the first book begins, he really is working towards it. He’s in therapy. He’s making an effort. But he hasn’t figured it out just yet. I don’t think he can treat anyone properly until he figures that out for himself.

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snowbaz wedding sketch based off that one picture @simon-pitch posted ✨

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Neil: Andrew told me i had his attention and it was my job to keep it

Neil: so I publicly shamed the most famous person in Exy who also happens to be connected to a Japanese mafia group and could very well have me killed

Andrew bodyguard Minyard: i haven’t slept in 18 days

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Obsessed with the idea of Neil with a "03" tattoo and Andrew with a "10" tattoo.

Like yes???? Please????

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pretty dead things

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Neil through Wymack’s POV must have been insane.

Listen Wymack is used to problematic kids, kids who argue and refuse to be helped and fight you every step of the way. But Neil isn’t that. As far as Wymack knows anyway.

Neil is just a kid with heavy handed parents. Neil is just a kid on his own. Neil is just a kid who flinches when Wymack calls him an idiot a bit too loudly.

But he’s the kid that says “Yes Coach” and looks like Wymack put stars on the sky just for him any time he does smth mildly kind. and Neil is the kid that got drugged and assaulted and still the next morning chose to hitchhike back from Columbia, because he didn’t wanna annoy Coach on a weekend, and doesn’t seem at all affected.

He’s troubled, sure, but not like so many of the foxes are where they fight Wymack tooth and nail constantly. Neil isnt feisty. Except he is.

Because suddenly this is the kid that speaks German and told nobody. AND french??? This is the only person Andrew listens to?

And suddenly he’s calling Riko Moriyama a fucking piece of shit to his face, and suddenly he’s spending two weeks in The Nest without warning anyone and he survives it, and suddenly his hair and eyes were all a lie? and now Riko marked him for the perfect court??

And somehow surviving The Ravens just makes Neil talk more shit, now publicly and repeatedly, about Riko?! and suddenly he is SO feisty he is the person Kevin looks up to?? and suddenly he gets kidnapped and oh my fucking god he’s the son of a SERIAL KILLER CALED THE BUTCHER???? WHAT IS GOING ON WITH THIS KID

Wymack gave no fucks about Andreil happening bc he was too busy trying to understand who the fuck he recruited and how severely he underestimated Neil

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The life cycle of Merfolk, despite their vast dimorphism, is quite similar. Most Mermaid species are egg layers, with a very small minority being livebearers. The Merfolk life cycle begins as an egg, embryo, larvae, fry, juvenile and ultimately adult. While a Mermaid is a formidable predator it too is quite vulnerable in it’s young life.

While Merfolk are largely kept at a healthy distance and were once feared by seafarers they have become synonymous with livestock or game in certain parts of the world. Mermaid Roe has long been known for it’s medicinal, cosmetic and culinary properties and purposes. Also known as “Edible Pearls”, the harvesting of mermaid eggs is a common practice. There is some debate as to whether or not Merfolk are deemed sentient, however their roe offers far too much of a commodity for the issue to be pressed.

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Can you imagine like a group of merfolk from different backgrounds and species adventuring and one just casually mentions how eventually he’ll probably turn into a female cause that’s what happened to his mom and his aunt and a bunch of other people in his species and all the other’s like freeze for a moment because HUH? They’ve never considered that this was just something that could happen to him. Because their own species don’t have anything similar.

It could bring up a discussion about like gender and biological differences between species and stuff. It’d be hella cool tbh

with merfolk, do you think birthing process would function similar to seahorses, i say this with no other basis than the chosen tails in one of your edits

As my merfolk are humans, they have a human way of reproducing! That is to say that the baby develops in a womb and not a pouch akin to what male seahorses have. No mpreg, sorry ^^' They do have some other "quirks" though, like that some merfolk with the bodies of certain fish species can change their sex! There was no other reason for this but that some fishes do it and I think it would be cool if there were societies where humans sometimes did that.

Other interpretations of mermaids can do it differently of course. I remember that they mention merfolk reproducing like seahorses with males carrying the babies in Monster Prom!

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I have a 2 part question -

So those little baby looking mermaids seemed to be at least partially sentient, does that mean that the mermaids Kraw hunts are either fully or partially sentient?? I mean I understand that the morality of your universe was way different because of the doctor lady and the way those people from the van tried to tag Kraw while he was sleeping, but the implications for the mermaids made me like :0

The whole eat or be eaten thing when almost all creatures can be fully formed people is a very interesting concept and shows how harsh that universe is which is also very interesting to me.

I would also like to know what ISN'T a real thing in that universe. It seems like kind of a free for all in terms of magic/tech/creatures (which is actually my favorite kind of thing because that means there's hardly any limitations in terms of story telling), so I'm really wondering what's a thing that would not exist there. Like are there no aliens or gods, or even something super regular like parrots or something?

(Also sorry I'm very bad at remembering names so I'm sorry that I'm not naming things properly lol)

You’re good!

Well, I had it in my head that some mermaids evolved to be sentient while others are feral and technically aren’t ‘mermaids’ in a sense where they don’t appear very humanoid. Sentient merfolk have their own cultures/societies, which would be completely strange and foreign to those on land. It’s like a whole other world to them. Example is how merfolk all tend to either worship the supposed body that fell into Hellmouth, or they fear that it and the depths will ultimately call to them. Or how they worship the leviathans similar to saints or demigods.

I wanted the ocean to be even more so unknowable than it seems now, just because it’s almost impossible to trek and most islands don’t possess the technology to explore its depths. Most people don’t know about ‘merfolk cultures’ or how they work. There are plenty of weird cults assuming to know though. The Ladder seems to know the most of whats going on, and they’ve cut themselves off from the rest of the world aside from a few information leaks

Like how, even though I show/ talk about the Leviathans on here a lot, most people in Hallowed Carrion have never seen/don’t want to believe they exist, aside from the logs of Ladder Researchers. Seeing one in the modern day is especially rare. They’re usually out in the Hellmouth region which most sailors avoid sailing through. Or they’re curious ones, like the Syrinx.

As for Kraw’s job, he the main guy for taking care of the invasive feral mermaids/ sea creatures in general for Marrowtide, or he preforms ‘catch and release’. Kraw helps control populations, but he’s certainly more ‘sensitive’ to the ethics of hunting mermaids and which ones are just other folks trying to get by. He has his own motto “if it speaks throw it back”. He wasn’t always like that though and he feels guilt over it. He knows his way around them thanks to Mayv and was able to help Marrowtide regain control of their fishing business, as long as they stayed within their means.

Most sentient merms usually know to stay away from the boats if they have traps out, or they stay away from heavily populated islands altogether.

Of course some regions are known to not really give a shit whether merfolk are sentient or not, and usually poach certain rarer merfolk or creatures for organs, oils, scales etc, pretty much how whaling used to be. Kraw can just as easily become a victim of this in some places. Certain Chimereal organs have their uses.

Where I said there were a lot of prejudices against chimereals and where most people don’t know much about them, it would be easy to see someone like Kraw and think he was a dangerous creature if he wasn’t wearing clothes and was dragging a fish up on land on all fours, unfortunately.

As for what can or can’t exist, I don’t really know! Like most of the characters, or people irl today. We could discover anything tomorrow, really.

I’d like to think some regions closer to Hellmouth would be more open to unexplained phenomena happening. Or the regions surrounding the 2nd body would be having certain ‘thinning of the veil’ elements. I don’t really want it to seem like a ‘magical’ place by any means, more like what science can’t or hasn’t explained yet on an earth with new rules of nature so to speak as well as limited means of sharing knowledge. It’s kind of like how in the past the unexplained was accredited to being a miracle from gods or an omen etc. The scary part is when there’s no way to explain it. Examples in Hallowed Carrion is like how some people or places might see Kraw as a ‘demon from the depths’ or a sea monster, unlike Sylvaine who obviously knows he’s just some guy who wants to be a dad.

I’d say there are still regular species of the old world existing, maybe slightly evolved or completely evolved. Some might be rarer than others or completely extinct. Most of the landmasses are islands now so that would effect things obviously.

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Ok so what do you think would make a monster INSTANTLY attracted to someone. And then how do you think they would vocalize/show it?With said monsters being orcs, merfolk, centaurs, driders, werewolves, and vampires

Okokok so these are all obviously just my opinion :) but here we go:

🧌 I think in orc culture the women initiate romantically and sexually just as much as the men, as opposed to human culture where the men generally are expected to initiate more. So I think any orc would find it hot if you were the one to flirt and initiate contact first.

- They like humans who know what they want and go for it.

- They like humans who can hold their liquor. They just think it's hot.

- They like humans who are a little vulgar. Who swear and shout and are a little rowdy maybe?

- So if you want to attract an orc your best bet would be to just go up to one and flirt heavily with them. If they like you they'll think it's hot that you show your attraction so boldly and they'll flirt back just as hard.

🧜Merfolk generally keep to themselves and their underwater cities. For a merfolk to be swimming in shallow waters means they're probably curious about the surface already.

- These merfolk will be instantly intrigued by a human who is as interested in them as the merfolk is with the surface. They just really like humans who try and talk to them, frantically ask them questions about their species and just seem enamored with their existence.

- A merfolk will fall for a human who brings them cool human stuff they've never seen before and enthusiastically tells them stories about the surface world.

- They'd appreciate humans who aren't scared to swim with them. They know the water is not a humans natural place and that it takes a lot of trust for them to be so vulnerable. They'd straight up take that as a confession of love from the human.

🐎 In my head centaurs are often depicted as strong stern types. Like noble warriors and such so I think they'd admire humans who are resourceful and independent.

- They won't like any human who disrespects nature. Killing unnecessarily or destroying/ littering wildlife is an absolute no go.

- They like outdoorsy humans who like nature walks or mountain climbing, that kind of shit. Anything from fishing to bird watching really.

- They find archery very attractive for some reason.

- Centaurs are known for being steely and almost cold so if one likes you they probably won't show it immediately but slowly over time by engaging in your shared interests.

🕷️ I think driders are often starved for affection. In my headcanon, driders don't get much affection from their parents because they're very independent and able from a young age so they're never really coddled as children.

- So I think driders would like a human who treats them very gently and sweetly despite not needing too at all because they're fierce hunters.

- They're not the most approachable monsters with their eight beady eyes and venom filled chelicerae. They don't initiate with humans much because they know they can be frightening. It can be isolating for them so they'd love if a human showed no fear towards them and instead treated them as if they were cute rather than scary.

- They'd be absolutely smitten if a human coddled and babied them, calling them grossly sweet petnames like "cutey", "darling" or "baby" while caressing their face gently. Just treating them with such care even though they could kill the human very easily. They might even cry from the affection.

🦇 I think vampires appreciate humans who aren't childish but still have a love for life. People who are lively and curious about the world but still mature and driven.

- I think humans who are exciting and have a thirst for life is what attracts vampires cus it helps them reignite their own love for life which may have dwindled after so many years of being immortal.

- Humans who are reckless with their own lives are a turn off. Vampires already have to experience losing many close ones due to immortality so I don't think they'd appreciate someone who disregards their life or the lives of others carelessly.

- Vampires are harder to categorise because they all come from different backgrounds and stuff but I think if a vampire liked a human most of them would have to know one for a while before bringing up anything serious. They understand the stakes (hah) of falling in love with humans and act accordingly.

🐺 Dog people. Werewolves like dog people. Sorry I know it's basic but I think werewolves are often simple creatures so what attracts them is relatively simple. Nothing wrong with that.

- They see a human walking their dog and they just go "I have a chance!!"

- They like humans who smell like their dog or have dog fur on their clothes, they think it's cute.

- They think it's so cute when humans baby talk dogs while giving them pets. It makes their own tails wag sometimes.

- Now that doesn't mean they like being treated like dogs cus they don't. They just think a dog person is a huge green flag in humans.

- Don't worry, this doesn't mean they hate cat people but they are more likely to flirt and initiate conversation with someone who has a dog or who smells like they own a dog.