Honestly, if you've spent any time in the The Coffin of Andy and Leyley fandom, you know that everyone is obsessed with the toxic, cannibalistic spiral of Andrew and Ashley Graves. It’s a mess. But then there’s Julia.
Julia is basically the "normal" barometer for the entire game. She isn’t a cultist. She hasn't eaten her parents. Yet, she is frequently the target of more vitriol from the fanbase than the literal serial killers she dated. It’s wild. People call her a "hussy" or a "floozy" just because Ashley does, which is a testament to how well the game forces you into the siblings' warped perspective.
But who is she, really?
The Girl Who Looked Too Much Like Ashley
Julia was Nina’s best friend. That’s her entry point into this nightmare. After Nina’s "accident" (we all know Ashley did it), Julia became the primary target of Andrew’s half-hearted attempts at normalcy.
Andrew didn’t date Julia because he loved her. He dated her to kill the rumors that he was sleeping with his sister. That’s the cold, hard truth of it. In many ways, Julia was a human shield. She was a "cover-up" girlfriend.
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What’s truly disturbing is why Andrew chose her specifically. Look at the character designs. Julia has the messy hair and the freckles, and in Andrew’s twisted psyche, she acted as a safer, socially acceptable proxy for Ashley. He even made her tie her hair into a ponytail just so he could pull it—a specific "affectionate" gesture he used to satisfy his own urges while pretending to be a regular boyfriend.
A Victim of Two-Sided Manipulation
Julia wasn’t just being used by Andrew; she was being systematically destroyed by Ashley.
While Andrew was busy being the "perfect" but emotionally distant boyfriend, Ashley was sending Julia hundreds of slut-shaming voicemails and death threats. It’s heavily implied through Julia’s character sprites—specifically those arm-warmers—that the stress and bullying drove her to self-harm.
Think about that for a second. You’re a teenage girl trying to date your crush, and his sister is literally haunting your phone, telling you to kill yourself every single day.
- Nina: Dead.
- Julia: Pushed to the brink of suicide.
- The Result: Ashley wins every single time.
The Breakup and the "Cowardice" Debate
One of the biggest points of contention in the community is the phone call in Chapter 2. After three months of the ToxiSoda lockdowns, Julia finally breaks up with Andrew over the phone.
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Some fans call her a coward for not doing it in person. Seriously? The world is ending, there’s a quarantine, and her boyfriend’s sister is a documented psychopath. A phone call was the only sane choice.
In the Decay route, we see Julia actually making progress. She’s in therapy. She has a protective older sister named Jane who finally steps in to gatekeep Andrew's toxicity. When Julia tells Andrew to "rot in hell" in her letter, it isn’t a moment of "weakness." It’s the first time we see a character in this universe actually exercise a healthy boundary.
Is Julia Actually "Boring"?
Andrew calls her boring. The fans call her boring.
But "boring" in the context of The Coffin of Andy and Leyley just means she has a conscience. She’s soft-spoken, sensitive, and apologetic. She isn't a "cinnamon roll," though. She's a flawed, deeply depressed girl who lacked the self-esteem to see she was being used as a prop.
Her lack of a "big personality" is actually a symptom of her environment. When you're being bullied by Ashley and neglected by Andrew, you learn to take up as little space as possible.
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Why Julia Matters for the Story's Future
There’s a lot of speculation about Julia’s role in the upcoming chapters. Some think she’ll be a "sacrifice" in a darker ending, while others hope she stays far away from the Graves siblings for her own safety.
The contrast she provides is essential. Without Julia, we don't see how truly abnormal Andrew and Ashley are. She is the "what if" character. What if Andrew had actually tried to be a better person? He had a girl who genuinely liked him, who wanted to spend time with him, and who was willing to overlook his weirdness. He threw it away for a "blood oath" and a plate of human remains.
Actionable Insights for Players
If you're trying to understand the full scope of Julia's character, keep these details in mind during your next playthrough:
- Watch the Sprites: Pay attention to the subtle changes in Julia's expressions during the flashbacks. Her "shy" and "upset" emotes tell a much darker story of her relationship with Andrew than his dialogue does.
- The Mirror Clue: In the mirror scene, names like Jane and Ana appear. These are Julia's family members. It hints that her life exists entirely outside of the Graves' influence, even if we rarely see it.
- The "Normal" Ending: Recognize that Julia’s departure from the story is the only "good" ending any character gets. Success in her world isn't winning Andrew's heart; it's surviving his family.
Julia isn't a hero, and she isn't a villain. She’s just a person caught in the gravity of two collapsing stars. The fact that she got out at all is probably the most impressive feat in the entire game.
Check the developer devlogs for more on the Graves' high school rumors to see exactly how much of a "shield" Julia really was for Andrew. Reading between the lines of those voicemails reveals just how much Ashley feared Julia’s influence—not because Julia was powerful, but because she was the one thing that could have made Andrew "normal."