āAnd you canāt believe it becauseā¦? You live in a world of Gods and Monsters. You know aliens are real. You have powers. Your sister has powers. Tell me, why exactly do you draw the line at Clarice being from the future?ā
āBecause... because...ā, he hesitates for a moment, hands going up and through his hair. Heās afraid, thatās the problem.Ā āBecause itās weird and... Can I be honest with you? Girl that walks through doors that have not been here a moment before, totaly honest?ā He's the monster, she's the god. That much is sure.
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā āExcuse me? I am pretty sure youāre not supposed to be in this part of the forest. Itās private property and, ugh... stuff like thatāĀ
I had two hours in my schedule today to write (cause I am way too busy this weekend) and then I got a Gameboy Color Emulator to play Pokemon on my phone and now I am 8 years old again... See you all on the other side.Ā
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā āI am just saying a little distrust has never been a been a bad idea. Just because she knows things... doesnāt mean sheās from the future. And out of all the people here I am the one desperately wanting to believe it. I just canātā
How similar and/or different are Andy and his sister?
unprompted but always accepting
I think Andy and Lauren are similar in many ways, you can clearly see that their parents raised them on the same values so that they might one day be functional and kind members of society. They have big hearts and a strong connection to their family.
But there are also just as many differences between them (look at me giving an answer that is no answer at all).
Andy is more active in his aggression while Lauren is more passive which is made visual in the way they use their powers and the powers themselves. For both of them it is essential about protecting someone they care about, every decision they made in the series, even if they are sometimes fueled by anger or resistance boils down to that. But they are opposites when it comes to the how of protecting, which is one of the reasons they work so well as Fenris, they are two halves that become something whole and they complement each other.
more under the cut cause this got way too long.Ā
Lauren has a lot of older sibling energy going on in the choices she makes around Andy and when her powers first surfaced she made the decision of an older sibling, keeping it to herself, bearing it on her own, as to not burden the rest of the family with it. She made that decision consciously, influenced by her father's reaction and only later realised that sharing the truth might have helped Andy. (maybe she made that decision out of fear that her powers, when not in control, could hurt others but she surely made it to protect herself but most of all her family)
Andy never had the choice to hide his powers but he also embraced them fast and in a more active way then Lauren. He worked on controlling them but also focused on how they made him feel. When he leaves the Underground to join the Inner Circle that is not only a decision for Lorna and the mutant homeland but also for his powers. He wants to use them, not hide them, he wants them to grow and to feel stronger, to explore and train them. Whereas Lauren always used her powers one way and never even truly reached for another one, exploring what else she could do, until she was under the influence of the Erlking, only then does she weaponize them (which honestly deserves an entire headcanon of its own).
Lauren seems to be more in control, Andy's powers are more unhinged and aggressive and when they first surface he needs Lauren to regain a simple sense of himself again and to stop, but he leans into that because he does not wish to bear the pain and fear. One could argue that Andy appears to be stronger, while Lauren actually acts stronger, refusing her own needs (but that depends on what you value as a strength and your stance on media always depicting women as the self-sacrificers)
Lauren is a shield while Andy is a sword. And I think in that they mirror their parents with Reed being more a shield and Cait always being more active.
But the biggest difference, in my opinion, is the us vs them mentality. It comes to light in the first scene these two share and foreshadows their later choices. Even before realising that he himself is a mutant Andy sees mutants as something different, while Lauren calls him out on his racism. He sees them as two divided species already pitching them against each other. He focuses on the differences while Lauren, already aware of her own powers, clearly prefers a solution in which those with an xgene and those without can live together peacefully.
Throughout the entire series Andy is always quick to fall back into that mindset, a mindset close to the inner circle. If you are not with us, you are against us. If you do not allow me to use my powers, you must hate my powers. There is no middle ground for him, there is only black and white. His decisions are sometimes reckless, but always active and with a clear distinction between what he sees as good and as bad. That belief is shaken only after Rebecca's death. Lauren seems to see the world in tones of grey. She understands that things aren't so easy. Just because you need to safe the people you love it does not mean the end justifies all means.
I think before the series they both focused more on their differences but after Andy's power surfaced the danger they were suddenly in forced them to focus also on the similiarities and after season 2 showed how different their decisions and paths could be they were on a good way to find strength within each other and in Fenris. I would have loved to see that in S3 continued.
I hope that rambling answered your question anon, thank you very much for sending it in! And feel free to send me any follow up questions if some things are unclear or if you disagree ;)
(and the casting for the entire family was top notch // they really looked the part of relatives // I need to expand on all of this in my Hati and Skoll headcanon)
Season 1 (TV based)
Season 2 (TV based)
Season 3 (headcanon & Movie canon)
Inner Circle AU (TV & headcanon based)
Hellfire Club AU (X Men revised timeline based)Ā
He thinks he wants to be angry, but itās difficult to be, becauseā¦the kid is so sad. And heās still just a kid. Maybe Marcos isnāt angry, but he is sad, and heās tired.Ā āItās not your fault,ā he says, almost admits, as he sighs. Lorna may very well have ended down this path one way or another. Part of him felt like she needed to. Hopefully only temporarily. āWe miss you, and we want you back, both of you, butā¦Iām not asking you to put yourself in danger. I know what itās like to have Reevaās target on my back.ā Here he paused, hesitated, eyebrows furrowing.Ā āAndā¦if I canāt be with herā¦Iām glad you are.ā
āI know that it's not my fault, it's-ā, Andy stops himself before he can say more, brows furrowed together and anger rising. It's the fault of the people that put them in this position. The fault of those that hunted their kind, that made a mutant homeland even necessary. The same people that turned Rebecca into someone that needed to be stopped instead of saved. And the hatred he feels is the only thing keeping Andy upright and awake these days. He does not dare voice such thoughts in front of Marcos, does not dare show the true extend of how much he has changed, lest they think him beyond saving, too. Does he want to be saved? That is an entirely different question. But the words he hears now, make him almost wish for it.Ā
āI miss you, too. All of youā, he finally lifts his gaze, āAnd there is a way of us being together, again. You know that there is. It does not have to be this way. There is no need for two different sidesā A fruitless attempt, he knows it the moment he speaks the words, but if Lorna can be swayed... āReeva's not as bad as she may seem, she wants to helpā, he swallows, unsure how to answer Marcos. Andy was there when Dawn had been born, he was at Lorna's side that night, and all the days prior and after. He had witnessed what Marcos had missed. And he now feels terrible for it. āI... I am glad to hear that. And I do my best but... See, that's why we need change, Marcos, both our families were ripped apart because of this fight, this battle. We can fix that. And... She's beautiful, you know? Your daughter. I do my best to keep her save, you have my word on that. But she'll need you more.ā
He is more like his father, definitely no questions asked. But Andy would never admit it. I think that is one of the reasons he gets along better with his mother. When they look at each other, Andy and Reed, see the things they do not like in themselves first, the mistakes and open questions, or even more importantly when Andy looks at his dad he sees a better version of himself, the thing he is supposed to be but does not feel like he will ever be.
They are alike in many things, that need to protect their family ā which is something all the Struckers share ā but also that longing to be part of something better and bigger, the urge to work for a greater force. Reed's eagerness to work for a better world, to join a fight and a cause. It's the reason why he worked against mutants after the fifteenth. He needed to rise to the challenge, to feel as if he was doing something worthy, leaving something behind, he had that urge to sacrifice. And Andy is the same, he follows Reeva and Lorna because they give him a purpose he feels like he cannot find by himself.
He shares many traits of his mother and sister, too. He is caring and kind, spending time in school with a kid that has no friends, being eager to find community once they join the underground or when he is with the inner circle. But when Andy feels weak he becomes angry, the moment he has power he needs to use it in an attempt to prove himself worthy. And that's Reed through and through.
So yes, Andy is more like his father.
āthink about your family,ā reeva says,Ā āthink about your friends.ā and so his mind drifts to the girl who cheerfully described his new home as something out of a museum, the one who scribbled her phone number onto his wrist with a warm smile before sheād stepped through the nearest door and left before he had the chance to ask whether or not heād see her again someday. // forĀ @vangcndrā // source #1 & source #2 // psd credit
āI am sorry, ... for what happened with you and Lornaā, heās not even able to look at Marcos, let alone raise his voice. If he does so who knows how fast his walls will crumble? the underground is his past, it needs to stay there.Ā āI truly am. And I wish there had been another way. But I canāt help you with this, Marcos, I truly canāt. If Reeva finds out...ā
The smile on her face freezes, then slides off her face. A pang of disappointment can be felt within her chest. How come? Thatās what she wants to ask, but she doesnāt have to. Andyās already launched into an explanation.
The Purifiers are hunting down more and more mutants.
Well, luck smiles upon her, then, because sheās not a mutant. But she knows mutants. She likes mutants. She may as well be one by association. And, besides, she doesnāt think theyād take too kindly to the reveal that (half) aliens are real, either.
āI still think the name is stupid. Why would people want to ally themselves with a group whose name sounds like theyāre working for a water purifying company?ā They are stupid, she declares, they are stupid and they have zero panache.Ā
And Udyati has zero patience for them and groups like theirs. So they deserve whatever they get.
āAndy?ā The dark haired girl joins him near the balustrade. āUp there isnāt as awesome as you think it is, nor is my home town. There are awful people everywhere. People hurting others, just because they can. And I wish I could tell you I was only passing through, but I wanted to see you, actually. Thatās why I came.ā
He sees the change in her features, as brief as it may be and guilt rises within his chest. He does not want to push her away, really, he longs to pull her closer instead. But what is it he is pulling her towards? A web of lies and dangers, of powers and control that is lost over and over again. He is a lonely spider tangled in its own sticky strings and the last time someone tried to help untangle him they paid for it with dear life. He won't allow that to happen to Udyati.
"I do not care about their nameā, he snaps back, aggression flickering in his eyes. Andy is well aware that the second he lets down his guard her funny jokes and well meant assumptions will become cracks in the wall he so carefully built. And she will be the one to pay for that.
He turns away from her, his hands clasped together and fingers intwined as he leans against the wall, trying so hard to keep his composure while she steps closer, speaks with such softness in her voice. It rings in his ears like pain, this softness, for it reminds him how long it has been since someone came to see him, someone came to hold him or talk to him with more than just anger and the rage of their revolution. Andy is alone, without his family, with only Lorna to keep him warm ā and she grows more distant with every day. Udyati is a stark contrast to that loneliness, a reminder of all the things he could have but gave up for the cause. For the movement. For that little bit of meaning.
And it hurts to be near her, to be so aware of what it is missing. "Well, you should not have comeā, he repeats himself again, "Every place has its shadows, every heart has its secrets. Someone told me that once. And I am pretty sure your hometown... Well, it is your home, is it not? There must be something good there, something better than hiding yourself from these monsters that hunt us.ā He sighs, one hand moving upward to ruffle through his hair, to feel the brezze that gently toys with his blonde strands. "I am happy to see you, Udyati, I truly am. Please believe that. But this is not a good time to be near me. Nor here in this city at all. Someone with your powers... It is dangerousā
āI havenāt seen you around here, you new?ā, Andy kept his distance, fully aware that Lorna did not trust the new people Reeva had brought into their home, but yet curious as to who this stranger might be.Ā āWill you train with us today?ā
