Disclaimer: I am aware of Andrew's backstory and mental health problems. I am not diminishing his trauma or anyone's who takes comfort in this character!
On the other hand, I also strongly believe that just because someone was traumatized, that doesn't mean they cannot do abusive things to other innocent people. Trauma is not an excuse for harming anyone.
Also, Andrew is a multidimensional character and yes, his trauma played a big role in his life, but his character is not only influenced by his history ā his decisions are his makings, not his traumas'.
This account was created to point out some extreme actions committed by Andrew that I have seen be brushed over or straight up made fun off and give my opinion on things. Being a problematic character in assumption doesn't make him immune to being disliked or criticized.
Also liking Andrew and taking comfort in him is 100000% valid and anyone should do it if it helps them, or they simply feel like it! I just don't feel the same but my feelings and opinions shouldn't make anyone feel unhappy bc that's not the goal! Those are my personal posts and thoughts, feel free toĀ comment but be respectful. I don't hate on anyone liking him, so I don't want to be hated for not liking him bc people are allowed to like/love and dislike/hate characters.
Thank you for understanding.
Hitting Neil with an exy racquet at their first meeting
Feeling entitled to other people's privacy and life stories
Hey! I'm glad you're not facing much hate this far. While I think the "problematics" of every fox is what makes them interesting and like them regardless, it always bothered me how people are touchy with Andrew. Honestly every comment about "idk why nora said andrew is misogynistic this is not how i read him" (the same applies to aarons homophobia, or kevin being an asshole but alas) makes me wanna bang my head on a wall. You can like characters that did bad things and people erase these deeds just so they don't have to confront it.
So yeah, even if you specifically don't like Andrew I really think that what you're doing is important to everyone regardless of that :)
For me Andrew was one of the worst abusers in the series because he was really similar to Riko and I've seen some people comparing those two but with Riko everyone see his deeds as negative (as they should) but with Andrew they see his actions as necessary evil in the name of greater good. Plus they use his trauma to excuse that. And you're right, every single one of the Foxes did some questionable things (some even may deserve blogs of their own) but I don't think you can compare some shitty remarks to pulling knives on people or drugging them out of their minds. Yes, people are allowed to like problematic characters but it always annoys me when they erase their wrongdoings to fit into the fandom version of them (as you've stated).
oh my god i accidentally stumbled upon your page and it totally opened my eyes about things that i was very blind to for 2 yrs (basically since the first time i read the series). i think that my ignorance about how actually problematic andrew is comes from the fandomās excuses that somehow made sense to me before. but you have valid points and they made me like aaron much more bc now i understand that he had every reason to resent andrew & if i was in his shoes i would def too. i hope you acknowledge andrewās very controling behavior towards him.
this was a little longer than i intended but i had to say it & i hope you donāt get any more hate
I'm really glad that my blog made you see things from another angle. Yeah, Aaron got the short end of the stick with his mother and his brother. Both hurt him but in different ways and it kinda pains me to see how the fandom portrays Aaron as the bigger villain. I intend to make a post about Andrew's horrible behavior towards his brother soon. ā¤ļø
i like Andrew to a certain degree but omg did he deserve to get the absolute shit kicked out of him for drugging people, his whole group did honestly for even taking part in it ://
Agreed!!! Their behaviour was shitty as hell and illegal. Shame that non of the adult characters kept them in check (especially Wymack and Betsy).
hi, I was just wondering since itās been awhile whether you were intending to continue this blog? i think the content youāve posted so far is really interesting :)
Thank you thank you THANK YOU for making this blog!! I love Andrew as a character but he is a problematic asshole - which is ironically also why his character is so appealing. But a good part of this fandom made me feel pretty uncomfortable with how they seemed to idolise him. Iām sure that wasnāt even most peoples intention and of course, he is just a fictional character but more critical in depth analysation of his character is what Iāve been hoping for for ages. You already put a lot of my thoughts that I didnāt know how to express in words and Iām really intrigued for your follow up posts
I'm really glad to find out other people think the same and I'm happy you like my blog. ā¤ļø
Yes, Andrew is a fictional character, but I observed a recent trend on social media where excusing toxic and abusive behaviour went beyond the fictional realm. Now we see people kin historical serial killers and famous people going as far as justifying and defending their horrible deeds. Such behaviours often start with being desensitized to the actions of fictional characters and I know fiction is not reality but it sure as hell affects it. Even in aftg fandom you can find sights of it with people using trauma to justify Andrew and their own behaviors. Trauma as an excuse is often used in courts and typical social situations.
This is also the reason why this blog was created other than me wanting to vent. I hope you enjoy the rest of my content. ā¤ļø
Hello again I'm that person that left you the ask about being pissed at first and then glad when I read your masterpost, I'm staying anonymous 'cause you're so much braver than I am. (Also you don't have to answer this if you don't want to this is kinda long)
I just wanted to clear up why I was upset at first? No hate, I promise! I was upset at first because I thought this was going to be an Andrew hate blog that would just spam posts about hating his character for no reason. (Which goes to show just how little I took in of your first posts, I've reread them with a much better understanding now) Andrew is one of my comfort characters, I do relate to him in a few ways and because of that I've always taken some harsh criticism of his character with a grain of salt because I've always thought that we all understood that he makes bad decisions and that the things he's done to other people are horrible, but that there was a reason he ended up that way. His trauma doesn't excuse his actions in the slightest, I do NOT believe that. But I've also always been around people that have agreed with that: that he's done horrible things and his past is an explanation for why it led to that point, but that doesn't excuse what he does or make any of it okay. And then I looked around some more and oh no, there are people that don't excuse it or say its okay. I don't get that.
So yeah, also I enjoyed your ramble and I really agree with you. I actually love hearing other peoples' opinions about characters, but when a fave gets hate my gut reaction is to be a little upset about it. I admire that you can put your opinion out there, I think I'm definitely going to have some differing opinions at times but looking back I've enjoyed reading your posts. I'd like to send some love to you and to ask that you be safe, I have a feeling there aren't many positive messages coming your way. ā„ā„ā„
Hello there! I'm glad you understood what I wanted to pass on. I understand that Andrew is a comfort character for a lot of people and some of them become hostile when someone tries to say something negative about him. I'm glad you took the time to see my point of view. ā¤ļø
Hi! I really love what youāre doing with this blog. Andrew did some really horrendous things and it is usually just written off, which is not okay. I always found myself hating the excuse of āwell, he had trauma, so...ā like it justified everything. Which it didnāt, as a person who has been through the extremely similar trauma and has I donāt know... Moral Lines I Do Not Cross. So yeah. Thanks for what youāre doing here because a lot of the fandom is very negligent of the shit Andrew did.
I feel the same as you so that's why I decided to start this blog. I'm glad I found people who think similar to me! Thank you for your support! ā¤ļø
I hope no one is giving you hate for this blog. Like, I'm not personally interested in reading your posts since I've acknowledged that Andrew did shitty things in canon (that's why I prefer fanfics, especially aus), but I know a lot of fandom goers tend to take things too personally. Good luck!
Thank you for your kind words. Surprisingly I've had mostly positive feedback from people who have same opinion as I do. Take care! ā¤ļø
Do you think you can analyze Andrew and misogyny? I havenāt seen a lot of people discuss this! Also, as someone who finds Andrew Minyard an amazingly complex character and enjoy trying to understand him, Iām so happy that youāve decided to criticize his actions, especially when much of the fandom excuses it! Canāt wait to see how youāll grow this blog :)
You got ahead of me š
That topic is also on my list but first I have other things that I want to bring up. I'm trying to keep up chronological order of the books. This topic will be brought up when I'll reach the part of Andrew attacking Allison/Katelyn. Andrew's misogyny is present throughout the whole series but there are a few scenes that underlie it. I'll also include Nora's extra content because it breaches the topic.
hi i just wanted to thank you for making this blog even tho you got so much hate for it <3 it's always bothered me that andrew gets away with abusing others just bcs he himself was abused, and i'm glad that you managed to put all the bullshit he's pulled so well. happy writing !!
Thank you! I made this blog with people like you in mind that also see the double standards in the fandom and understand that critique doesn't equal hate. I'm happy that you like it ā¤ļø
And yet there are tons of ffs, fan arts, analysis post, headcanons and people who take comfort in him and identify with and are ready to send threats to people like me :) I hope you comment the same thing over every single fandom content that I just listed. Otherwise you're a fucking hypocrite. Take care! ā¤ļø
I must admit that was the moment when I really started to be disgusted with Andrew as a character. I could not imagine how anybody fictional or not can make a comeback from this. I made the mistake of interacting with the fandom first before reaching for the books, so after seeing how everyone was obsessed with him, I still had hope it will be explained and worked out in the future chaptersā¦ boy was I wrong.
I may be biased as hell with this one because unfortunately I had an encounter with so-called roofies myself. Let's just say that I do not wish Ā the sheer amount of panic I experienced on my worst enemy. Thankfully, I had someone trustworthy with me. I do not even want to Ā imagine being alone in this situation. You can believe me or not, but it won't change my experience.
I was horrified to see the fandom excusing it and even making fun of it Ā because you know getting drugged and then in desperation knocking yourself out is something hilarious. You wouldn't laugh at fictional rape scenes, so why is drugging someone against their will Ā so funny? Would it still be funny if Neil was a girl, or would that be actually too far?
I barely finished this chapter. I felt a bile in my throat reading this. I actually didn't touch the book for a whole two days after this, knowing they somehow end up together made me even more nauseous. I get it ā enemies to lovers and all of that, but shouldn't they be on the same level? When one has all the power and just throws the other around is this really enemies to lovers or something like that or are we reaching those ākidnapped at 16 by the mafia boss dogā abuse Wattpad stories? Neil hasn't really had any choice in anything until maybe the 3rd book when it came to Andrew.
I've read a few fanfics thinking maybe I will see what everyone does, but I have found out that the fandom LOVES the drugging scene and abuses it even more. It's a big fat NO, THANK YOU from me. Of course, anyone is free to ship whatever they want, I'm all for it, but some things just don't sit right. I'm sure everyone has such ships and characters themselves. But for the people defending Andrew's actions and saying he had valid suspicionā¦ Let's just analyze the whole dumpster on fire this whole plot point was, shall we? The whole issue here, yet again, is Andrew's entitlement to other peopleās lives. Andrew deemed Neil a ādangerā to Kevin. He did it after breaking into Neil's personal things and seeing a binder full of old articles any Exy obsessed kid probably had. The money, the weird papers full of numbers, the contacts pointed more on a runaway than Riko's āagentā. Andrew wasn't stupid by no means, but this time he missed the point by a few meters. Even if Neil was Riko's āmoleā what was he even supposed to do? Break in the middle of the night into Andrewās lot room and yeet a sleeping Kevin through the window straight into Rikos awaiting arms? Abuse Kevin mentally until he breaks? Be a little busy body and tell everything Riko? Well, for this he had to be around Kevin in the first place, what he refused to do, and have a phone to begin with.Ā
The money?
So it went like this: Riko put a no name kid in Millport a year before to train and then be scouted by the big Kevin Day, play hard to get, then finally give in, paid him in hundreds that he kept in his fanboy binder unprotected before the job that he was supposed to do and then what? Riko was from the mafia. If he really wanted Kevin that badly, I'm pretty sure he would find someone from the industry and not a no name kid that was afraid of the Foxes coach.
Andrew cornered Neil, attacking the only weakness he saw ā Exy. Either he went with them or he is gonna get kicked from the team because Andrew āowns itā. Neil being an Exy obsessed bastard, said yes. Then he was forced to get rid of the only thing that kept his father away in his psyche ā the contacts ā because Andrew ādidnāt like themā (it was the similar to what Riko did to Neil by making him change his appearance).
Neil was being dragged to another town in a car full of people not having good intentions towards him. He knew something is not right, but even Neil, who was raised around mobsters, wasnāt ready for the shit Andrew planned for him. Neilās survival depended on keeping his secrets covered and being in control of his own mind, and Andrew wanted to rip it away from him. He had a bunch of people involved in making sure Neil becomes as helpless as possible. Not really āYes or Noā of him. Andrew himself was often helpless at the mercy of others. Be it his abusers or the system that forced him to take his happy pills. So why did he deprive someone of their free will? He made sure that his victim wonāt escape unknowingly, opened the door for Nicky to abuse Neil's state and then act like he had every right to do so. So many things could have gone wrong. Neil had enough time to knock himself out, so what if he simply got snatched by a sex offender?
But for me what followed after was worse. Why? Andrew and his lot didnāt get an ounce of punishment or didnāt feel any remorse. Everyone, especially coach, a man that was supposed to care for Neilās wellbeing, gave Andrew the green light for doing anything he wanted to Neil. Wymack, because he still dreamt about the woman he had a quick sexual relationship with and sat Kevin on a pedestal because of her, the other foxes because they saw it as another Andrew thing and you cannot say no to Andrew, right? Thatās really not a good look for someone who prides himself in keeping hands to himself and making sure to always ask yes or no, but I guess depriving someone of their free mind is not the same as taking someone's body autonomy.
So everything that happened in Columbia is swept under the rug. Andrew felt like he didnāt do anything wrong, his family and Kevin were okay with drugging a kid they just met by his orders and literary kidnap him into a place they will have power over him. (To be honest the fact that Roland as a bartender was okay with drugging someone up to help Andrew is another thing that gave me chills considering how often bartenders in real life have had a hand in rape or human trafficking.)
How they treated Neil after Columbia is distasteful, too. They saw him as a possession they can order around and try to suck him into their āfamilyā. Nothing was wrong ā Neil shouldnāt have fought Andrew and try to keep his life a secret, and it was his own fault that he got hurt. Everyone knew that Andrew was the best judge of character, and that gave him the upper moral ground to play a little bit of god. Because nothing mattered but Andrew's suspicions and Kevinās safety, right? The fact that Andrew was attracted to Neilās looks since the beginning and then decided to drug him doesnāt sit right with me either. Neil had thick skin and so this thing didnāt phase him as much as it would any normal person, but it could have gone south in so many Ā ways.
There are a few things that make me feel sick even in fictional worlds that I need to collect myself after or sometimes skip over, especially if they are from the point of the victim and this was one of it. I get it that the media and the world is not full of rainbows and bunnies and we decide what we want to interact with, but some things will always leave a distaste in my mouth especially if they are treated as something funny or not as something as bad.
#2 Feeling entitled to other people's privacy and life stories
Yes, we all agree that it's better to know who lives next to you, with whom you are sharing your space with, especially if you have your family involved. Does it give anyone the right to go and break into their neighbour's home? No.
Andrew himself had secrets and overall life history that was not for sharing, especially with strangers. He guarded his privacy and made sure no one would ask uncomfortable questions.
So why did he feel like he owned people's secrets?
It started after he had joined the foxes. Voluntary. And what did he do? He started picking them out one by one, taking them to Columbia and under the influence of alcohol and drugs interrogate them. He came to a team and put his hands on people's lives stories bc he felt like he simply can. At the same time he never gave anything back, not something of the same or even close value.
When Neil joined the foxes, Andrew decided that it was time to strike again. He broke into Neil's room and went through his private possessions. Why? Bc Neil, who he saw for the second time in his life, Neil, who at first didn't want to join the team, must have been a great danger to his little family bc he saw through Andrew's switch game. Andrew decided to completely deprive Neil of his free will and forcefully drugged him in the name of "solving him". While still actively guarding his own secrets.
Andrew was trying to see who was a treat to him and his little family, but going around and forcefully ripping peoples secrets, that could be as dark as his own, from their grasp is not the way to do it.
He was ready to drug people out of their mind bc he wanted their secrets, but nobody could ask him anything about himself, bc as many other times in the canon, Andrew's rules were for others, not himself. Equal secrets share? No way! It's his right to know anything he wants about others, but not the other way around.
He had his "reasons" as illogical as they are, but he had no right to poke around people's lives as he did. Andrew knew how expensive secrets can be, how dark and hurtful histories someone can have, and yet he did what he did and then acted like he owned this.
Some secrets are not for sharing. For some you need to pay. Some are given freely. But it's up to the one holding them to decide that. Threatening, drugging and cornering people is not the way.
