" I think a gentleman is someone who holds the comfort of other people above their own.
The instinct to do that is inside every good man, I believe."
~~Anna Kendrick
Hi all,

Because Andrew's observed birthday is September 20th, I wanted to do a tropes list and some Q and A devoted solely to him.  Unfortunately, my computer has pretty much hated me all weekend despite all scans and tests revealing zero viruses, malware, etc.  So... I'm just going to send what I did manage to get done now before my Internet dies again.  As I have time this week and if my puter allows, I'll add in what I wasn't able to get to.  If that doesn't happen, then it'll show up in a later newsletter.

Finally, if you're in an area impacted by Hurricane Florence, please know our prayers are with you.  If you're able to make contact, please let me know how you're doing and, if you'd like, I'll share that with the other JABBers.  Thank you.

God bless,
Jenni
Andrew: Angel, Anam Cara, Dad, and Son

I thought about what Andrew's four most important relationships are and came up with: his assignments, his soul mate, his kids, and God.  (I'm saving "friend" for a later edition!)  The following tropes list ensued.


Angel:

Incorruptible Pure Pureness- Of the main trio on TBAA, who was the only one to not get sent to the Netherworld?  You guessed it: Andrew.  While his life is more colorful in the Dyeland stories, he's still very nearly sinless.  The one time he went to Sheol, it was just to get demons to lay off his friends AND he wound up helping Old Testament-era baddies begin to mend their ways. 

New Job as the Plot Demands- Like his angelic buddies, Andrew has had a slew of jobs.  That continues to be the case even in Dyeland stories.  Carpentry may be his main job but he'll still do stints as a police officer, theatre director, and more as God requires.

Guardian Angel- Yes, Andrew is an AOD and (mostly) happily so.  But sometimes he falls into this role.  When with Max in Afghanistan, Andrew was very much like a guardian angel.  Comparable to when Monica guarded Jean in "Liberty Moon," Andrew actually shielded Max from his captors' blows.  I wouldn't be surprised if, eventually, Andrew becomes the guardian of all of Asteriana like Reuel is for El-Chanan.


Anam Cara:

Death and the Maiden- My suspicion would be that JenniAnn is more comfortable with this trope than Andrew.  For one, Andrew obviously is not Death... just an angel of death.  But I think LJA, especially in the early years, would see this theme as validating in a way.  Artists have been depicting ladies fawning over or being fawned over by a death figure for centuries.  So it can't be that weird!  Right?  Right!?  Confession: I actually have a Death and the Maiden art print that I display at Halloween.  (It's much tamer than the image on the trope page.)  I've wondered how Andrew would feel if JenniAnn wanted to put it up in Willowveil... 

In a very real way, I think the seedier elements of this trope are what made JenniAnn's parents wary of Andrew.  Even up to the point where she was in the hospital, JenniAnn's mom seemed to view Andrew as more Death than person.  She went so far as to say Andrew shouldn't be trusted with making medical decisions for JenniAnn since preservation of life might not be his main objective.  In her words: "He gets her either way!"   Her thinking was that, since Andrew would still be able to regularly see JenniAnn in Heaven, what reason would he have for ensuring she stayed alive?  Of course, Andrew very much wants JenniAnn to live a normal, human lifespan.  He'd never want their children to be left without a mother.  So, yeah, I don't think Andrew would very much like this trope as, for him, it puts too much emphasis on death.  I think, in the beginning, the AOD thing made Andrew more alluring to JenniAnn.  But by the time they developed a genuine relationship, I don't think it much mattered whether he was an AOD, caseworker, or carpenter.  He's just Andrew.

Claimed by the Supernatural- If you substitute an actual mark for a sort of psychological imprinting... sure.  When she was a little girl, JenniAnn saw Andrew while he was on assignment.  Andrew had no idea.  He was focused on his dead assignment, not some seemingly random kid.  Little JenniAnn then proceeded to draw several pictures of "Cupid"... which is what she dubbed Andrew since she didn't know his name and he looked like the blonde, green-eyed god of her "Cupid and Psyche" picture book.  Vincent and Tiva have both wondered if this early encounter impacted JenniAnn's later romantic life (or lack thereof).  Years later, Joshua revealed that he had orchestrated JenniAnn seeing Andrew so I guess it's a case of one supernatural entity claiming a human for another supernatural entity.  Everyone's cool with it and JenniAnn even went so far as to get an actual mark: after one too many margaritas with Rose and Owen, she had Andrew's name tattooed on her shoulder. 

Don't You Dare Pity Me!- Early Dyeland-era Andrew demonstrated this behavior fairly frequently with all the Dyelanders but especially with JenniAnn.  He wasn't angry about it and didn't lash out.  But he would try to evade her or push her away.  I'm sure his pride was a big part of it.  But I also think it was largely due to their extreme age difference and his belief that she would do better and be happier with someone her own age who didn't have as much drama surrounding him.  Andrew was wrong.

Literally Loving Thy Neighbor- Not only were Andrew and JenniAnn neighbors prior to his moving to Willowveil, their houses were actually connected by an underground passage. 



Dad:

Family Man- Since coming to Dyeland, Andrew is very much this.  He's undoubtedly loyal to his family of origin (aka God) but also devoted to the family he created with JenniAnn and their kids.  Beyond that, he's also become closer with many of his fellow angels as they've fallen in among the Friends. 

Dad's Off Fighting in the War- Even though Andrew isn't actually Shelby's dad, he's stepped into that role since her parents were killed in a car accident.  Thus, it was really difficult for her when Andrew was in Afghanistan.  JenniAnn left Dyeland out of a desire to "be under the same stars" as Andrew but returned because it was easier for Shelby to cope with Andrew's absence in Dyeland where his house and all his things were.

I Want Grandkids- While he's not annoying about it, Andrew's made it clear that he wants to be a grandpa.  Rose and Max are happily obliging. 

Parental Hypocrisy- While this isn't an issue yet, Andrew and JenniAnn have contemplated how they'll react if their kids get super serious about a boyfriend or girlfriend at a young age.  They'd prefer that not happen but... it would be a little tricky to dissuade the kid when JenniAnn was only seventeen when she met Andrew and pretty thoroughly convinced he was "the one."  The fact that they're living together and raising kids together pretty well suggests that teenaged JenniAnn was right.  So who's to say teenaged Belle or Avi wouldn't be right?  ::gulp::

Sink-or-Swim Fatherhood- Although he's had lots of experience with babies and helped raise Shelby, Andrew had no idea that Belle was in the wings.  He left for an assignment... and he and JenniAnn came back with a kid.  For people who dragged their feet for years when it came to their relationship, Andrew and JenniAnn were actually pretty good about just falling into the parent thing.

Tragic Hero- To an extent, Andrew is doomed to be this.  His life will never be fully tragic because, as an angel, he'll always have access to Paradise.  But, as I write the stories, I feel a real sadness at points.  He wants so badly to protect his loved ones and keep them from harm but 1. he can't always protect them and 2. even if he could, they will eventually die.  Unless he somehow retires... if that's even a thing angels can do... there will come a day when Andrew is having a tough assignment and there's no Belle to cuddle, no Laja to dance with, no Max to drink butterbeers with.  A fatal flaw doesn't really enter into it for Andrew... it's just the way of the world.

 
Son:

Luke, You Are My Father- In what was one of the most upsetting scenes for me to write, Andrew has a moment kind of like this with Yeshua in the hours before the latter's death.  After convincing Gaius to help him get into the Praetorium where Yeshua is being held, Andrew meets with the carpenter.  Yeshua, of course, has no memory of creating Andrew.  He asks the angel why he's so upset and Andrew reveals that his father is dying.  Yeshua offers sympathy, recalling the pain he felt when Yosef died, all the while having no idea that *he* is Andrew's dying father.

Preacher's Kid- In a way, everyone in Dyeland stories is this given Joshua is a preacher and the "everlasting father."  But Andrew takes it a step further.  He's definitely of the angelic variety described on the page... and not just because he's an angel.  Andrew would never rebel against Joshua or his teachings and, in fact, happily takes after him by becoming a carpenter.  I would also suspect that his fondness for growing a beard when the weather cools isn't solely because it makes JenniAnn swoony.  It also makes Andrew look just a bit more like Joshua.


This newsletter is dedicated to John Dye for giving me the delightful fantasy of bashing my computer with a baseball bat...  I won't.  But sometimes it's nice to imagine.  ;-)

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(Photo Credits: The photograph above is from Touched by an Angel and owned by CBS Productions, Caroline Productions, and Moon Water Productions. It is not being used to seek profit.)