Is Aavegotchi related to Aave?

I've been noticing the rise of Aavegotchi in the crypto scene recently and it's intriguing given the similarity in the name with Aave. But is there a direct connection between the two? Are Aavegotchi built on the AAVE protocol? Or is it just a coincidence that they share a similar name? I'm curious to know if Aavegotchi is leveraging Aave's lending and borrowing platform somehow or if they're two separate projects with different goals and functionalities. Clarifying this would help me understand the positioning of Aavegotchi in the crypto ecosystem.