hello passion rising my sav ior ummm. My friend got me into your comic and i wasnt THAT hyperfixated on it before but then i woke up this morning in a trance and made this in 8 hours which is impressive for me
hello passion rising my sav ior ummm. My friend got me into your comic and i wasnt THAT hyperfixated on it before but then i woke up this morning in a trance and made this in 8 hours which is impressive for me
so much fucking detail in this from the stars on tennas blazer to castle town in the window to the slight slip betweeen tennas suit and glove where you can see that cold robotic exterior that surely he would never let slip to anyone he didnt have trust in oh my gofd im sick
I was originally gonna draw the Lego Incident out fully, but the juice didn't feel worth the squeeze, so here are some disorganized doodles of it.
This ended up much longer than expected. Originally meant to precede this comic. Don't put pants on your Toriel plush (or do).
Here are some bonus sketches.
ANOTHER BAD THINGS ANALYSIS WOOPWOOP AMD ITS ABOUT ANDREW.
THIS TOOK ME HOURS OF NON-STOP WATCHING AND TYPING. PLEASE AT LEAST READ A BIT OF IT AND TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK. IT’S WHAT MOTIVATES ME TO MAKE MORE CONTENT LIKE THIS FOR U GUYS!!!
Now there’s a freak load of content I’m going to be talking about. I cut smaller details so this doesn’t turn into a Steven king level kinda long.
WARNING: THIS ANALYSIS CONTAINS MENTIONS OF ABUSE, ABUSE TATICS(manipulation.) MENTAL ILLNESS, DEATH, AND GAME TYPICAL VIOLENCE (DISMEMBERMENT AND MURDER) AND ALSO SPOLIER WARNING LIOL
English is not my first language so I might have misspelled, sorry!
WHO IS ANDREW?:
Andrew is the second protagonist of the horror game: Bad things. Which follows two friends and their relationship that spirals into obsession, guilt, and abuse.
Andrew is Ivan’s only friend and he makes in appearance in almost all of the scenes or at least get mentioned.
Andrew is a very levelheaded but blunt person. He has a tendency to say or do things that may be taken the wrong way. He is very passionate about coding and makes games. He also has made money from these games. Which it is implied that’s how Andrew sustains himself financially. He puts up walls a lot, preferring to do things independently without the help of others especially on his games.
ANDREW’S RELATIONSHIPS:
Let’s talk about Andrew’s parents for a little bit.
It is heavily implied that his parents are extremely abusive. This is shown actually very early into the game that Andrew is scared of his parents. This is one of the scenes where Andrew actually does open up more to Ivan.
(“I can’t find anywhere to go- The thought of moving back in terrifies me- I-“ Said by Andrew in scene 4)
This actually explains a lot about him. Andrew obviously had grown up in an abusive household. It’s most likely why he’s not sentimental or ends up saying the wrong things. He’s not good at it because he’s never seen it from his own parents.
This is also why Andrew had behavioral issues when he was in school and was constantly trying to fight people older than him (mentioned in scene 6 “ROOFTOP.”)
And that’s what makes Ivan and Andrew’s relationship so much sadder.
Ivan and Andrew start off good for the most part. Ivan is a bit more sensitive and likes to be poetic and Andrew is sometimes stand-offish(until scene 6) but seems to often enjoy his conversations with Ivan.
it’s implied that they have a kind of romantic relationship as well. They both are queer and are implied to be attracted to eachother (Ivan is confirmed to be gay whilst Andrew is up to interpretation however, it has to be where he can still be attracted to Ivan.)
Overall the relationship seems to be a decent not perfect but decent until…
THE ABUSE:
haha see what I did there that was a transition
like Andrew 🏳️⚧️
sorry I won’t impose my headcanons on you I just thought that was funny.
I think the start of the abuse happened around the time Andrew moved in. First, Ivan goes through Andrew’s stuff assumingly without permission. Then after the rooftop scene, I’m thinking he probably forced him to sleep on the floor for the first time.
But I do have supporting evidence for a lot of other signs of abuse and that’s by introducing three scenes
SUBSECTION: SALIOR
Scene 9, SALIOR.
SALIOR follows a man stuck at sea and having to do anything to keep the fire alive till he finds land. However, slowly the sailor runs out of resources whilst his ramblings grow increasingly stranger till he starts to use his own body parts to fuel the fire. At the end, The sailor becomes self aware and asks for a final look at the stars before we (the player) lead him back into the fire.
If you couldn’t tell by the pink dialogue and Ivan’s name mentioned at the end. The sailor is supposed to be Andrew but I thought something was a little weird at the end.
(“I never understood your obsession until I was gone.” Said by the sailor.)
(“I still don’t, Ivan.” Said by sailor.)
This game was meant for Ivan (or us.) We are Ivan playing through this game. I think this was one of the games he found before Ivan published the one game he was working on.
But it also tells us another thing. The whole story is supposed to represent his relationship with Ivan.
Ivan is constantly tearing Andrew apart only to make it seem like it’s Andrew’s fault. Andrew is constantly fueling the fire the more he stays and endures the abuse. Resource after resource it’s never enough until Andrew eventually starts to lose parts of himself (in the game, literally) the more he stays with Ivan(or on the boat.)
The sailor also talks about things people in the past didn’t know were poisonous and one interesting thing he says is:
“I think the worst type of poison is the one that makes you think it’s okay.”
If you can’t tell. This is also about Ivan. Shocker! And it makes sense. Ivan reassures Andrew a lot, he gives him good advice and praises him a lot. Until, he moves in and that facade seems to peel into the real Ivan. Hurtful and poisonous and cutting him down. Limb by limb.
SUBSECTION: FALLING
FALLING, scene 10 follows after 9.
You wake up as Ivan before walking into the living room and sitting down on the couch. You see Andrew sleeping on the floor before turning on the tv to which Andrew wakes up and complains. Telling us that it’s the middle of the night. Then an arguement ensues or rather it starts at that first. It then spirals into Ivan yelling at Andrew whilst Andrew is purely on the defense barely getting a word in until he finishes. Ivan realizes what he says and starts apologizing before Andrew finally announces that he is moving out. In response, Ivan says he needs to get some air and walks out.
there is more that happens with Ivan but I’ll leave it for his analysis because it’s not about Andrew.
Let’s analyze this argument or what manipulation tactic Ivan is using against Andrew.
SUBSECTION a.: GUILTTRIPPING
Guilt-tripping is a way of emotional manipulation abusers often use to make their victims feel guilty. This makes it easier for abusers to gain control over the victim.
One of the main things Ivan does to Andrew in this scene is guilt-tripping. It’s implied that Ivan commonly did this when Andrew was living with him.
(“I let you stay in MY apartment. Because you are my friend.” Said by Ivan.)
(As soon as I ask for a fraction of flexibility, you completely shut me down?” Said by Ivan)
This is a more subtle guilt-tripping. Using the fact that he’s living with him as a way to make him feel guilty. He is weaponizing Andrew’s situation in order to get what he wants. (“Living here is a privilege, Andrew. And you dare not give me one in return?”)
(“I don’t understand. After all I’ve done for you? Does it mean nothing?” Said by Ivan.)
This is a very common phrase you’ll hear in guilt-tripping
“Why can’t you just do this for me? Don’t you love me?”
“Do you hate me? Then why can’t you do this?”
it makes the victim feel like they are obligated to prove something to their abuser by agreeing to the abusers requests. (That they love them, that they don’t hate them, that they care about them.)
(“No. You don’t want me at all.” Said by Ivan.)
Again, putting words into Andrew’s mouth and making him feel obligated to agree to him by being accusatory.
(“It does mean nothing to you.” Said by Ivan.)
Putting words into Andrew’s mouth again.
(“God, you always do this, don’t you?” Said by Andrew.)
This has happened before. This is only a snippet of how Ivan speaks to him. Imagine having to experience this for months.
(“I’m sorry for whatever personal offense I made to you by letting stay in my house for months.” Said by Ivan.)
(“I’m sorry for caring about you.” Said by Ivan.)
(“I’m sorry for forgiving you for playing the victim.”said by Ivan.)
The last is also kind of common in guilt-tripping. Abusers often like to assume the role of the victim by shaming Andrew for defending himself and making it seem like Andrew was attacking him instead of the ad
this also supports the fact that Ivan speaks to him like this regularly. Maybe resulting in Andrew getting defensive and having to be the one to apologize to Ivan instead.
Again weaponizing Andrew’s situation for his own personal gain in order to make him feel guilty. Whilst indirectly calling Andrew ungrateful and making him feel guilty.
I’m saying guilty so much omg 😭
(“Stuck. Leeching off of me.” Said by Ivan. Also calls him “malignant” he’s basically calling him a horrible, evil, cruel person.)
Abusers often resort to verbal (in this case.) abuse when everything else fails. He is actively shaming Andrew making him feel inferior.
(“Like a tumor.” Said by Ivan.)
Very rich coming from the guy who is connected to one but okay.
again verbal abuse.
(“Go on, Tell me how very sorry you are. Said by Ivan.)
After this Andrew punching bag session. He immediately resorts to apologizing. Whether he actually feels bad or is love bombing is up to interpretation.
and then Andrew announces the safest decision he’s made yet.
SUBSECTION B: THE RIGHT MOVE
By now, Andrew is in a sticky situation. He been going through Ivan’s abuse for months now. Sleeping on the floor, constantly getting yelled at, being deprived of sleep. Around that time, Andrew probably has realized that he is no longer safe in Ivan’s home anymore but he has no way to leave.
There is something common I see when talking about Domestic abuse victims.
”Why didn’t they just leave when they realized they were unsafe.”
It’s such a stupid question but I’m gonna use Andrew as an example.
Usually it’s because they have no choice but to stay. Whether it be financially or maybe because there is family involved or it’s hard to escape because their abuser has isolated them.
Andrew is going through a similar situation. He’s struggling financially, his parents are abusive, he has no choice but to accept Ivan’s offer.
But this is also why he’s the perfect victim. He’s:
Isolated from his famliy
Has no money to go anywhere else
Ivan is most likely his only support system at the current moment.
And that is perfect for Ivan. He has control over Andrew (by having him live in his house.) and he can hold this over his head and get him to let him work on the game. This is what Ivan wants. To have Andrew be dependent on him.
But then Andrew announces he’s going to leave and it’s bad for Ivan because now he’s no longer able to control him anymore.
(I actually genuinely have to cut this here cause omg I am not going to be able to talk about any other scene if this gets long enough.
SUBSECTION: SCENE 12, MAD.
I wanna go off on a bit of a tangent about Ivan. Specifically the sprite Ivan?
We see it at the start of scene 12. That same one eye covered eerily by a shadow.
This.
This is the real Ivan. This is his true self. This is the version of Ivan that Andrew has seen while he was living with him.
This is all of Ivan. The ugly, abusive part of him that he refuses to acknowledge.
but this ain’t about Ivan rn AAAA
-
The scene starts off with Ivan thinking to himself. Ivan has finally realized that Andrew is leaving that he will no longer be in his control.
Ivan needs to make this harder for Andrew. He decides to this by throwing away his things. Throwing away his things will make Andrew even more helpless if he’s literal left with almost nothing. (I’m pretty sure he forgot about the storage facility but ykw wtv.)
but then we get thrown into a family dinner with Ivan’s mom and Andrew (I do know the plants and the burning house but that’s for my Ivan analysis okay.)
We’re gonna cut to the chase.
I’m thinking this is in Ivan’s mind but maybe they did schedule this before the moving out thing and they just decided to do it anyway.
Now I wanna talk about this scene first:
(“Don’t patronize me.” Said by Ivan.)
Now for some context before this scene Ivan is acting a bit erratic. First he says he misses Andrew and then he starts laughing before taking this serious tone. (Like I said this seems to be either a distorted memory of Ivan’s or just some scenario in his mind but it still shows some interesting things about Andrew.)
(“…I’m sorry.” Said by Andrew.)
Andrew is quick to apologize to Ivan. This is something that Victims usually do a lot after the abuse. They have a tendency to quickly apologize for little things. This is a result of constant Guilt-tripping (which we know is a tactic Ivan seems to LOVE using.)
but this might not be the case it’s just a little theory of mine.
Ivan does admit he was joking but Andrew seems to have genuinely thought that Ivan was mad at him.
“Oh! Haha!”
“You really got me there, Ivan. I guess I deserve that.”
both pieces of dialogue said by Andrew
“You sure do, Andrew, you sure do.” Said by Ivan
-
I had to skip over a few pieces of dialogue because my phone is gonna lag out if I add a bunch more images so I had to pick out which ones I wanted to talk about most
Basically during the dinner scene, Ivan talks about how he hates when Andrew acts naive and backhanded and then also implies that Andrew actually isn’t healing without Ivan but Andrew says something really interesting right after Ivan’s mom speaks:
(“You think I would learned by now.” Said by Andrew.)
”Pulls a trick like this every few weeks.”
(“I fall for it every time.” Said by Andrew.)
(“Every. Single. Time.” Said by Andrew.)
(“He’s just so convincing.” Said by Andrew.)
Again supporting evidence that Ivan regularly emotionally manipulates Andrew into doing what he wants. Andrew seems to have gone through it so much that he can now completely tell Ivan is trying to guilt trip him.
-
(“You think you don’t need me. Really? Really?” Said by Ivan.)
(“I made you. I MADE you, Andrew.” Said by Ivan.)
This is also a common phrase when talking about abusers.
“Without me, you are nothing.”
This is a very degrading comment that abusers often use so their victims become more and more isolated and attached to their abusers.
-
In the end this shows a lot about how Ivan sees Andrew. He sees him as a mold as someone he can control. I know I talked about Ivan a lot in the abuse section but I wanted to show you what an abuser does and how it works.
This segment will be more Andrew centered now. I just want to get what he endured out of the way.
THE GASH THAT NEVER LEAVES:
Let’s talk about the Axe.
The axe is a common object that shows up a lot when talking about Andrew.
but what is the axe supposed to be.
Well, first we know that Ivan was planning to hurt Andrew with it.
As confirmed in scene 14 after Andrew rightfully clocks Ivan. Andrew was scared for his life and thought or knew that Ivan was going to try and take it.
(“SORRY that I thought you were gonna kill me!” Said by Andrew.” Said by Andrew.)
But there’s also something else that I think it represents.
Andrew’s trauma.
When we see Andrew with the axe again. It’s not near him, it’s not about to hit him, it’s lodged in his skull.
It’s deep in there. Right to his brain. This is what trauma from an abuser is. An unforgiving axe lodged right in your skull. A fatal wound that can never heal with the same skin before. You can learn how to cope with it. You can move on but it’s always there and never forgotten.
This also reminds me of Andrew’s words seen in the earlier scene or specifically scene 13:
(I phiscally can rewind anymore just to rewrite the e dialogue because it’s small so I’m just gonna paste it from the wiki forgive me.)
Andrew: "It took a very long time to feel comfortable with myself again."
Andrew: "You left wounds that hit the bone."
Andrew: "My mind made sure I'd suffer your same abuse even after I left."
Andrew: "...I made something for you. Ivan.”
You left wounds that hit the bone.
My mind made sure I’d suffer your same abuse even after I left.
This is what the axe is. It’s Andrew’s trauma forced right into his mind right past his very bones. And even with the trauma (Axe. Taken out by Ivan.) gone, it still leaves a deep horrible wound that will take a very long time to heal.
BUT THEN! IVAN KISSES HIM AFTER! AWW ITS OKAY GUYS!!!
(for the record I’m joking.)
-
THE IMPACT AND THE AFTERMATH:
After scene 14 that’s probably the last we see of Andrew(or real Andrew. We see him in a memory again and The axed one is just in Ivan’s mind.)
While people say the game needs a good ending. I think this ending is just fine.
Andrew made the smart choice at leaving as soon as he got the chance. Ivan could’ve taken the abuse to a whole new level or even worse. He could’ve been straight up dead.
And yes, Ivan is a tragic character and I feel really bad for him. However, I don’t think Ivan should be allowed anywhere near Andrew if he had lived.
This isn’t like Let him go (not slander, game is fire but VERY DIFFERENT.) Yes, whilst Andrew has his faults. Ivan was definitely the abuser and doesn’t deserve to make up with Andrew.
Andrew is a victim. A very fortunate one at that. And in a bittersweet way, he conveys a sense of hope for other victims. He left with a lot of wounds but he survived.
theartofmadeline
origamiaround
dededos
baratheonpilled
blakekathryn
kianamaiart
