Rosalind Hale as a detective and Andreas as Valtor's right hand, what could possibly go wrong?
Happy HEX @shadowofnight!! I had so much fun brainstorming ideas for your gift and then drawing and then writing some because I couldn't resist the urge to add a few words to go along. (Read here.) I hope you'll enjoy! š
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I“m currently brainrotting over Fate again and fell especially back in love with the tragedy of Saul and Andreas (who i ship btw; like how could someone not ;)
That they were very close is canon, period. But there are also some aspects that may be not ofiicially canon but which I love-hate.
For example, in the 2nd book "Lighting the Fire" it says, that Andreas asked Saul to watch over Sky like "you always do for me". (I don“t know the exact wording, since I haven“t read it in English but in German, so I hope you“ll forgive my spelling mistakes)
And in an interview Andreas“ actor has stated that Andreas doesn“t hate Saul because he killed him (or attempted to) since he a person who takes things like that personal. Ken also says, that Andreas considers emotional bounds as weakness (as we can see in the series) and that he struggles with showing affection.
My question for you would be, why do you think that is?
Why does he have such a - i don“t wanna say hatred but i can“t think of another word - towards Silva?
And against the popular opinion that he was brainwashed, why do you think he follows Rosalind without a question?
I hope I don“t overrun you with this, I just wanted to hear your opinion.
I, for example, think that Andreas is hurt “cause saul didn“t blindly trust him with his orders, since he maybe knew from Rosalind that Aster Dell was the Blood Witch hotspot. I know, it“s a bit contradictory to the theory that Andreas doesn“t take anything personal, but people (and especially feelings) are contradictory.
Sorry if I overwhelmed you with all of that. I didn“t mean to, it“s just something I think about and struggle to find answers to. So I thought it would be easier if I talk to someone who (hopefully) gets my point.
Anyway, love have a wonderful day and I hope to hear from you
Best Wishes :)
idk if you realized when you hit send this would absolutely make my week! on a Monday no less, thank you!!! I loved hearing your thoughts and please feel free to share more! Andreas, Ė⬠ļ¾what a man, what a man, what a man ā«āt⪠āĖ⬠ļ¾Ā
Because of your message I went back and watched the Ken interview (god I love him he cares so much about his characters) and to your point, I think it's fascinating that Ken says in one question "Andreas doesn't take anything personally, even Saul ākillingā him," and then in another question he says that is favorite scene to film was the sword scene, the line "I don't know whose fucking piece of shit is, but it's not mine."
Hello??? SIR! That is as personal as you can GET, insulting the fuck out of Sky's/Saul's sword. I personally interpret that line as Andreas talking about Sky, not just the sword, the "not mine, also a piece of shit [who wears an apron]."
I watched to the vid a couple times bc he mumbles a bit but something occurred to me that never did before, he plays Andreas as not taking it personal that Saul tried to stop him (aka he knew Aster Dell was wrong but he did it anyway) because he was loyal and obedient enough for Rosalind he really was preparedāeven expectedāto "die" for the cause.
BUT
As long as I've been in this fandom I've never considered that there's nothing in canon that would indicate Andreas expected Saul to be the one to take in Sky. I now think that Andreas had full expectations that someone else would raise Sky, specifically NOT Saul.
Because Ken says "Andreas was worried about how sensitive baby Sky was, so one of the reasons he could justify abandoning him was that he didn't want sensitive baby Sky to grow up in Andreas' violent, military-esque world." However, part of him hoped that Sky would grow up and get stronger and "unbreakable," and when he realizes that no, Saul is the one who raised him, "weak, sensitive Saul," he's fucking furious. All of the "I want what's best for my son uWu" goes out the window when he realizes that Saul Silva is the one who raised Sky instead of someone more tough. And I have to assume he had picked out someone to raise Sky (where is his mom? shhhh don't ask too many worldbuilding questions in this universe) but for some reason that message never got across, whether things happened to fast for him to ask that person, or maybe Saul just ignored his wishes (I could see him doing that, he's honestly moralistic to a fault, I could see him twisting around "Andreas wants this other person to raise Sky, someone innocent and out of the picture, but I deserve this punishment, I deserve to pay penance for 18+ years bc I killed this man [sorry I digress]).
So when Andreas realizes that it's actually weak, sensitive Saul that raised Sky into "a useless piece of shit that's not mine," that's where we get the rage. It DOES get personal.
I think 90% of his hatred comes from Saul usurping his role as Sky's father and not making him to be whatever Andreasā definition of tough is.
(cut to the scene where Marco asks Saul if Sky has any of Andreas' bloodlust and Saul, extremely detachedly, saying no, he intentionally tried to raise Sky to be more compassionate and āstamp it out of himā or w/e)
I think the other 10% comes from just plain bitterness. He let Saul ākillā him without being able to retaliate for 16 damn years. He had to admit to himself that he chose the leader who doesnāt hesitate to tell him heās going to ādieā and go undercover for probably 40% of his life by the time he shows back up end of season 1. Farah would never ask that of Saul.
And to be fair I don't even think Ken is wrong talking out of both sides of his mouth, agreeing with your point 100% that Andreas just IS that contradictory!! Andreas can say he doesn't take anything personally while also going and getting himself killed because he is so emotionally attached to Beatrix. He absolutely "takes it personally" that Roz won't send a search party so he goes out against her orders and promptly dies. He doesn't care that Saul killed him but he DOES care that weak/emotional Saul raised his son. He hates Sebastianās guts presumably because Basti was always āfollowing Saul around like a sick puppy,ā hello, jealous your crush is getting attention from another guy much??? Between Roz & Andreas, Rosalind is the only one that truly doesnāt take things personally (except blood witches maybe but both sides had decent points and I wish s2 had spent more time fleshing them both out).
Okay whew I hope you enjoyed me rambling about Saundreas, itās been too long since I did so and I guess I had a lot pent up š
So for the second part of your question,
Personally I donāt ascribe to the theory Andreas was brainwashed; I guess I can see why some people want to give him a better start to his redemption arc but I just see way more evidence that Andreas was fucked up following someone fucked up than brainwashing⦠oop anyway not what you asked but do you have any thoughts one way or the other?
Anyway, to answer your second question:
All my thoughts on Andreasā obedience hinge on the line Saul says at Aster Dell before the sword fight, āI know Rosalind gave you a sense of purpose. I know you're indebted to her.ā
Record scratch! WHAT is that debt? It implies a blackmail of some kind or at least some pretty strong coercion.
I truly think the writers just forgot about this line bc it would have answered so many questions! I tried to answer this in the fic I wrote between S1 and S2, It Was Just Red, and my answer was that Rosalind helped Andreasā wife conceive Sky using blood magic. This ascribed to S1ās type of blood witches, which was āhumans that can do magic through blood sacrifices,ā and that definition was thrown out the window in s2 in favor of āwater fairies, but make it blood.ā
So some other kind of debt, but⦠what? In s2 we learn Andreas is actually an unrefined hick from the backcountry of Eraklyon so⦠maybe she gave him some opportunities he wouldnāt have otherwise? Or like, how soccer (sorry FOOTBALL) teams sign youth talent at 10/11 with the condition they only play for that team š
I havenāt thought about this as much as I did before S2 for what the debt could be, but I still think thatās why he did it. Andreas is a no nuance, all-or-nothing guy, so I think when heās forced to be indebted to Rosalind he just swallows it all, happy he has someone giving him a sense of purpose, doesnāt question her at all because she gave him XYZ in return for undying loyalty and heās PROUD to be in the debt with someone as powerful as her, he thinks itās the right decision. So yeah I do like your example of part or all of his rage at Saul being because Saul DOES question Rosalind, and why tf does Saul always have to be stubborn and mulish about his goddamn morals, why canāt he just listen to what Rosalindās saying and everything will come out all right in the end??? How rude.
Omg. Thank you if you read this far š but I really loved hearing your thoughts, thank you for sending this ask! Always so lovely to see a new person become fascinated with this ship š No joke, the hour it took composing this reply was the best part of my day š„°š„°š„° thank you so much for asking! Please, I welcome any more thoughts you have or further headcanons! I miss these characters so muchš thank you for giving me the opportunity to ramble!
Andreas had perhaps been too kind when he labelled Aster Dell āa bit of a fuck upā, when it was more likely to go down as a failure of epic proportions.
When Aster Dell goes awry, Rosalind and Andreas go on the run.
read on ao3 here
Happy HEX my darling @shadowofnight! Loved getting to write some Andylind again for you ā¤ļø
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What do we do when AO3 is down? Write prompt fics! This went in a way I didn't plan, despite my trying to keep it somewhat lighthearted.
āRosalind!ā
Sheās not used to hearing her first name from anyone, much less in such sing-song tones, and so she just ignores it as she does so much and continues across the deserted courtyard. From across the pond she can hear the music from the party her students think she is unaware of ā though how they can imagine that, when the bass echoes into her bones from this far away, is a mystery ā and itās only the absence of anyone but the owner of that voice that prevents her from lashing out.
āRosalind!ā
Heās persistent; sheāll give him that. He is also, she realises the moment she reaches out to the fringes of his mind, definitively drunk, thoughts muzzy and tangled through with alcohol. And though she does not begrudge her nearly-graduated pupils from preemptive catharsis, knowing what they will face all too soon, it does not mean she is pleased to have one of them chasing after her like this.
āAndreas,ā she replies as she turns, voice sharp enough that it would normally be a warning. Itās a measure of his current state that he does not heed it, no more than he heeds the way her arms fold across her chest as she waits for him to approach.
Drunk as he may be, he is still steady on his feet; if she didnāt know better, she might take him for sober, in which case he would be a fool without reason instead of simply someone whose inhibitions have been washed down with a beer or few. When he stops before her she tilts her head back to study him, taking in the slight lack of focus in his eyes ā the only thing that betrays his intoxication outwardly. Silence stretches between them until she cocks a brow in tacit prompting. If he has nothing to say, then she has far better things to do than be standing here on the shadowed edges of the quad waiting for him to find his tongue.
āI wonāt let you down.ā
The words come out in a rush, possessed of an urgency that doesnāt quite make sense. It would be easy to push into his mind and find the reason behind them, but sheās intrigued now, and so she just watches, unblinking.
āYour battalion,ā he continues, as though it explains everything instead of nothing at all. āItās an honour. Whatever it takes to end this war, Iām in.ā The urgency is echoed in the intensity of his gaze as he looks at her, as though heās trying to communicate something more than just whatās in the words. It feels like heās willing her to dip into his thoughts; perversely, that makes her want to do nothing of the sort, no matter how it would sate her curiosity.
āIāll hold you to it.ā
His frustration is palpable now; one hand rakes through already-unruly hair as his jaw works beneath the scruff of a beard still growing in. She feels the corners of her mouth twitch up in a smile that she doesnāt bother to hide, more sardonic than anything else. This would be infuriating in most circumstances, but the glimpse sheās getting of his inner workings is worth the delay in getting back to her reading. She knows his skills in the field; he didnāt earn top specialist for his looks. But while four years have given her insight into his personality, this is a part of him sheād not seen before.
Thereās a question he wants her to ask. She could turn away now, leave him out here to fumble his way back to the party, but sheās just curious enough to indulge him and so she gives it to him, the single syllable hanging in the warm summer air.
āWhy?ā
āI want to be more.ā One arm sweeps out, encompasses not just their surroundings but something far greater. āThe sort of person theyāll write stories about.ā
For you, he thinks, though she can hear it as clearly as if heād said it aloud, and it startles her enough that she remains motionless as he leans forward, lips just catching the edge of her own before they press against her cheek. For you, and thereās so much threaded into those two words that it batters against the edges of her mind, reaching, hungry for something she cannot name and does not recognise.
For you, and it echoes as he rocks back on his heels, looking at her expectantly. The colour floodingĀ his cheeks is not just the flush of his drinking.
āGo to sleep,ā she sighs in exasperation, threading compulsion into the words. The speed with which he complies surprises her; she scarcely manages to prevent him from smacking his head against the flagstones as he goes limp, redirecting him towards the grass instead. As he shifts to get more comfortable she studies him, wondering ā not for the first time ā if sheās making a mistake with this choice. Itās not his usefulness that she doubts, but his discretion.
For you. He might as well be a child with a head full of stories, dreaming of knights and oaths and noble quests. She is many things, headmistress and general and fairy and warrior, but she can say with certainty that she will never be the sort of woman who belongs in those tales, no matter what he may imagine.
(The remnants of his sloppy kiss burn at the corner of her mouth as she turns away, heading back inside to the work awaiting her. At least, she thinks, she can be assured of his devotion, no matter how reality will inevitably destroy his dreams.)
I had so much fun working on this with the wonderful Andylind-Queen @shadowofnight ! The process for me definitely had its ups and downs and I was this close to scrapping the entire thing before seeing sense. And now we present an amazing Andylind fic just in time for Andylind August and not at all late for RBB!
Read the fic to the art here:
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