Chapter Text
Vocab
Gravekeeper : A graveyard attendant.
Cemetery/graveyard Attendant : Cemetery attendants maintain the cemetery ground in good condition. They ensure the graves are ready for burial prior to funerals and ensure accurate burial records. Cemetery attendants offer advice to funeral services directors and the general public. ( https://www.123test.com/professions/profession-cemetery-attendant/ )
Sexton : A sexton is the office of the person or persons who are in charge of a cemetery. They are often referred to as the caretaker of a cemetery. Churches also have a sexton for the maintenance of the church building and/or the surrounding graveyard. In larger buildings, such as cathedrals, a team of sextons may be employed. Also in some cities where there are multiple cemeteries, there may be a city-appointed department to fulfill the many responsibilities required to maintain the local cemeteries.
The word "Sexton" is said to be derived from the Anglo-Norman word "segerstein", which originated from the Latin word "sacristanus", which basically refers to "someone who looks after the sacred objects". ( https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Sexton_Records )
Gravedigger : a: one that digs graves especially as a means of livelihood
b: one that is responsible for the end of something
Graverobber : is the act of uncovering a grave, tomb or crypt to steal commodities. It is usually perpetrated to take and profit from valuable artifacts or personal property.
Bodysnatching: a term denoting the contested or unlawful taking of a body (seldom from a grave), which can be extended to the unlawful taking of organs alone.
Watchman : a person who keeps guard over a building at night, to protect it from fire, vandals, or thieves.
Desolate : (of a place) deserted of people and in a state of bleak and dismal emptiness
Gaunt : 1 : excessively thin and angular a long gaunt face. 2 : barren, desolate.
Subservient : prepared to obey others unquestioningly.
Feeble : lacking physical strength, especially as a result of age or illness.
Differences
Andrew is canonly a grave keeper. This term is also synonymous with “graveyard attendant” and “groundskeeper.” I would say that gravedigger, graverobber, and sexton aren’t correct. Whilst sextons share a lot of the same jobs as keepers, they’re mostly known for taking records of the dead. Such as,
-
Almost always include:
Name of deceased
Date of burial
May also include:
Date of death
Cause of death
Age at death
Full birth and/or death dates
Full name, including maiden name for women
Relationship clues (shows who else is buried in the plot and if they are related, possibly showing how they are related)
Owner of the plot
Cost of the plot and/or burial
Burial permit
Transit permit (if applicable)
A copy of the obituary
A copy of the death certificate
Names of others involved (funeral home, officiating clergyman, memorial company, etc.)
Information linking the plot owner to other plots (e.g. disinterment, reburial, etc.)
Former home address of deceased
Where deceased died, if other than where he/she lived
Name of doctor and/or hospital
Name of officiating minister or clergyman
Military affiliation
If the deceased was moved to or from that cemetery
This type of information would likely not be completely trusted with Andrew considering he’s working under someone. Some gravediggers can also be sextons depending on their jobs though. They’re not the exact same things. This would probably either be someone higher up than Andrew or someone else entirely.
Hierarchy
Take this with a grain of salt, but I believe the hierarchy of cemeteries go like this :
The owner of the plot/grounds (Landlord Marshall) > Sextons > Gravekeeper (Andrew) > Watchman > Salesmen > Memorial service directors > Stone engravers > Flower arrangers, Hearse drivers.
Of course, since Andrew has albinism, the hierarchy for him is more like :
The owner of the plot/grounds (Landlord Marshall) > Sextons > Watchman > Salesmen > Memorial service directors > Stone engravers > Flower arrangers, Hearse drivers > Gravekeeper (Andrew).
It is also suggested he gets very little pay and no respect.
Landlord Marshall owns the cemetery and possibly the church’s grounds. It is suggested he owns basically everything around that area.
More terrifying than the devils of illness are……
- > A notice of eviction: ….… Madam Kreiss, we regret to inform you that, considering the opinions of the neighbours, we cannot permit you and your child lodging here. Please leave within three days…… or perhaps you should consider abandoning this cursed child.
Landlord Marshall (Pascal’s translations)
It could be possible that Andrew’s mom lived on the church’s grounds, but it is not clear. The essence story suggests that Marshall owns the entire city or something. He is clearly corrupt and greedy either way.
Watchman + Body Snatching
The watchman’s job is to technically stop the actions Andrew is doing.
In the description of work, the watchmen are usually patrolling at night to prevent vandalism, body snatching, grave robbing, arson, or any other crimes they can stop in the moment. They are not the police, however. If something serious comes up, such as a possible murder or something, they’d have to notify the actual authorities. It’s about the same as being a mall cop.
Since Landlord Marshall has these strict rules in place, the watchman should have turned Andrew in to him. Note that during this time period body snatching was legal. There were no actual punishments from the law due to the advancements in science.
- > An incomplete underground advertisement: A deal with generous rewards that seeks the advancement of the science…… Requesting as complete as possible, medically valuable, not totally rotten…
- > A photograph: Late at night, a hospital’s surgical dissection room. A doctor photographs his own research…… In the corner of the photo is an unremarkable, gaunt, sickly-looking figure, in his hands an iron shovel and a bag of gold coins……
- > A secret investigation report: The Laz graveyard has lost many skeletons, and all the coffins show signs of having been opened. One of them, from the east corner of the graveyard, has many scratch marks from fingernails on its inner side…… The gravekeeper, Andrew Kreiss, and the night watchman have disappeared from the graveyard.
It is confirmed that Andrew is seeking more money by body snatching and selling them to a doctor. Judging by the report, Andrew stole entire bodies. “Skeletons” are very different from “parts.”
During this time period, people were seriously fucking racist. Body snatching was mostly legal due to the fact it was African Americans who were getting their bodies snatched. The people at the time didn’t consider them worthy of being human beings and saw them more as necessary means to an end.
I bring this up because both Andrew and the watchman leave at the very end. Either this was near the year of 1832 when it became illegal or it was when it was already illegal. There are other reasons as to why they left too.
There are three theories that come to mind. One of them I’ll leave for a different section though.
- The watchman “helped” Andrew.
- The watchman is forcing Andrew to do this.
In the PV, we see that Andrew does eagerly accept bribes from people who want certain areas of the graveyard for the deceased. He isn’t a stranger to doing things for money even if it’s not morally sound.
If the watchman did his job, then Andrew would be fired from his position and possibly punished beyond that. He literally has one job and it’s to not let people do what Andrew is doing but ok I guess.
SO, he’s either helping Andrew to get a cut of the money by turning a blind eye or he’s the one who gave Andrew the advertisement in the first place. It would be very probable for Andrew to be coerced into doing these things because he is desperate for money.
Technically in that time period, Andrew could be paid way less than others due to his “illness.” Albinos were rarely allowed to work or be out in the public. It was never confirmed why he was allowed, but it’s to be assumed it’s either a religious reason or because of his mother. It sounds like everyone liked his mother, so this could have been her dying wish or something. She technically did no wrong.
The watchman took off when the investigations started though. He was just as involved in this as Andrew was. How? Up to you. Now we get to the third possible cause.
Murder…?
Let’s say that it was before 1832 and body snatching was still legal. If you were caught body snatching, it’s kind of like “oh well it’s for science” type of thing. It’s legal. Fine. Sure. Whatever. You’re a horrible person for it but yay science.
What was not legal was straight up murder. (Surprise!)
I am not saying Andrew killed the landlord. But!
Attempted murder was also illegal.
If you piece together the fact that Andrew was an unliked “monster” and Landlord Marshall was loved by most… It wouldn’t be too far of a stretch for someone to point a finger at Andrew and claim he did this on purpose.
Body snatching was legal, and what else was legal?
Accidental burials.
For some goddamn reason- It was legal to accidentally bury someone. It happened all the time. Why? Fuck you.
Usually people were in comas or states that made them appear deceased. I guess no one wanted to check for a pulse or get too close to a possibly dead body. There are also some heart conditions that make people appear completely dead. Either way, someone fr missed the mark on this one.
If we assume Landlord Marshall is an old man with failing health, then it wouldn’t be a surprise if he was dead. He was confirmed to know Andrew’s mother and was a landlord at that time too. If we assume Andrew is at least 21 (the only age we know is canon is the legal drinking age), then he must be at least 50-60 or older. I personally believe he’s more like in his 70’s.
It never said who thought he was dead. Maybe it was Andrew or maybe it was the watchman. Considering how there were many people around Landlord Marshall, literally anyone could have pointed at him and said he was dead.
It’s not really Andrew’s job to make sure the people he buries are… y’know… actually dead.
There is easily an understanding that Andrew would hate Landlord Marshall as well. (It’s confirmed he does from the Desolate Sandrew essence.)
I say “attempted” murder and not straight up murder because…
Safety Coffins
The safety coffin was created in 1792 (before Andrew’s time period.) These coffins were first made for Duke Ferdinand of Brunswick who wanted a coffin with a window, an air tube to provide a supply of fresh air, and instead of having the lid nailed down he had a lock fitted. In a special pocket of his shroud he had two keys, one for the coffin lid and a second for the tomb door.
In 1820 they used a small chamber, equipped with a bell for signalling and a window for viewing the body, was constructed over an empty grave. Watchmen would check each day for signs of life or decomposition in each of the chambers . If the bell was rung the "body" could be immediately removed, but if the watchman observed signs of putrefaction in the corpse, a door in the floor of the chamber could be opened and the body would drop down into the grave. A panel could then be slid in to cover the grave and the upper chamber removed and reused.
In 1829, Dr. Johann Gottfried Taberger designed a system using a bell which would alert the cemetery nightwatchman . The corpse would have strings attached to its hands, head and feet. A housing around the bell above ground prevented it ringing accidentally. An improvement over previous designs, the housing prevented rainwater from running down the tube and netting prevented insects from entering the coffin. If the bell rang the watchman had to insert a second tube and pump air into the coffin with a bellows to allow the occupant to survive until the casket could be dug up. ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Safety_coffin )
:)....
The watchman fucking sucked ass. Aight.
So, they at least had the 1820s version. Either way, there was always a bell that could be rung if a body was alive.
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>Ear-piercing Sound
Sometimes lies are easier to accept than the truth.
A diary: In the east corner of the graveyard, that faint, ear-piercing sound…… No, no, it has to be the sound of a cat passing by. Mr. Marshall is already……
OR
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> Evening Bell
The evening bell rings out, leaving the world to darkest night, and me.
We have two examples of bells ringing. The “ear-piercing sound” could refer to the very first deduction; the evening bell. A cat passing by could be in reference to a cat accidentally hitting the bell on its way past.
Andrew is clearly startled by the sound because he most likely never expected to hear it. Again, this shouldn’t be Andrew’s job at all to deal with the bells. It’s literally supposed to be the watchman who runs over to the grave to be like “oopsies let’s get you out of there.”
- >“In the east corner of the graveyard…”
- >“One of them, from the east corner of the graveyard, has many scratch marks from fingernails on its inner side……”
It is confirmed the grave Marshall is in comes from the east corner of the graveyard because they say it twice. The scratch marks from the INSIDE of the coffin mean he was buried there. Andrew also always wears GLOVES. It means Marshall either died trying to escape the coffin or got OUT. It’s never confirmed though.
He may have died due to the essence claiming he’s dead but who knows, that's a whole nother world. (Essences rarely are confirmed to have any actual lore in them. Margie’s Animal Tamer does relate to her story tho bc Mike’s letter confirms it.)
- >A letter: Dear Aesop, it’s been a long time since we’ve last met. This afternoon I shall wait for you in the yellow rose garden at the eastern corner of the cemetery. I eagerly await our meeting.
This is from Aesop’s deductions, duh, but it’s important to know that the east corners of a cemetery are for the most “holy” sections of a cemetery. They are usually from Christian beliefs from a bible verse about a star facing east.
Basically, this spot is most likely the most expensive plot in the graveyards and is the closest to God. Andrew is trying to get as much money as he can to be buried beside his mother who might also be close to there. Since he’s an albino, he would most likely be buried in a shallow grave- If at all.
Either way… That dude was most likely buried alive.
Andrew would almost definitely get blamed for attempted murder and the watchman would be punished for helping. So, they both took off.
But the PV shows that Andrew maybe got kicked out of town so idk what the fuck goin on there.
Albinism beliefs
Someone claims he has an “illness.”
- > A diagnostic explanation: The cause of the ailment is unclear; its symptoms manifest in the hair appearing an unusual pale white color, a fear of the sun…… Regarding these sorts of strange illnesses that are inherent at birth, I believe that, perhaps, prayer and repentance will do more than medical treatment.
Andrew also agrees that he is “ill” and seems to take “white-haired monster” to heart. I’m not going to get too into it, but you can look up “Persecution of people with albinism” on google with caution.
More or less, anyone with this disorder is treated either like an object or barely a human being. There are some places in the world where albinos are hunted for sport, killed for their “magical properties,” or banished from society.
The people Andrew grew up around do not like him and even asked his mother to abandon him because he’s “cursed.”
“Unusual, cursed, illness, and monster” are words used to describe Andrew thus far. Since he comes from a very religious place and possibly grew up near a church, they most likely believe that Andrew was cursed by the devil.
In some parts of the world, being an albino means there’s demons or a curse on you from various causes. It could be assumed that Andrew’s mother was cursed to have a demon son because she was not properly wed to whoever Andrew’s father is or that Andrew is getting punished from a previous life.
Either way, the main “cure” everyone speaks about is “prayer.” No offense to god or anything, but prayer never works.
- > Redemption
Redemption has never been easy.
"If you want to take your eternal sleep here, besides just good deeds, you need to show us a little ‘sincerity’. I’m sure you can understand; redemption has never been easy.”
I have no idea who is saying this, but Andrew finds out he can “redeem” himself from his “illness/curse” by paying money by watching terrible people get buried in good spots.
Just know that they were treated horribly. Overall, Andrew would have been treated less than human for a multitude for reasons according to that time period.
POC Andrew
This isn’t confirmed at all, but it can be highly suggested.
These are screenshots from his video. No matter how you look at it (lighting or not), everyone seems to have dark skin. In the other videos for the survivors, they make it very clear that the white people are white. It doesn’t matter if the lighting is dark or not- They’re white. These people are not.
>The day I became a gravekeeper, I knew. I had no right to take my eternal rest in this Laz temple……
Andrew states his location as well.
“The Laz people, or Lazi, are an indigenous ethnic group inhabiting the Black Sea coastal regions of Turkey and Georgia.
Andrew the Apostle after traveling from Trebizond into Lazica in the first century AD, built a church here. The significance of the apostle's activities was that he introduced the principle of Christian faith and thereby paved the way for later missionary activities.” (From Pascal’s translations and Wiki)
He is most likely Turkish! He was probably designed after St. Andrew (Andrew the Apostle.) St. Andrew created the first church in Turkey and even has his own cross. Look familiar?
“Initially the cross was said to be a Latin cross, similar to the Jesus died on but later accounts described it as a “crux decussate” – an X-shaped cross, or saltire which later became known as St Andrew’s Cross.” (https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/news/3553687/st-andrew-patron-saint-scotland-death/)
He died a martyr, which fits with Andrew’s role as “rescuer.” Most rescuers take double hits and “die” for whoever is chaired. (If you’re me you do anyway… I like body blocking.) But anyway.
The Laz people are located in Turkey near the Black Sea. Someone I know from Turkey suggested Andrew might be from Trabzon or Rize due to the sheer amount of churches they have there.
People in Turkey have a few stereotypes (according to my friend from Turkey). They can be known to be stubborn, money lovers, and superstitious. These all fit with the types of people Andrew is around in this video.
Some Turkish people can be fair skinned, but it’s not often. They believe that albinos are associated with either the devil or black magic in some areas.
Some people think these two hands are from the same person. They are not! It is a common tradition for people to wear “kina/henna” on their hands to symbolize certain groups. This was most likely someone related to the deceased.
The person under the sheet is most likely a young bride who passed a week or two weeks before her wedding.
During these weddings, the families often get matching henna and shower the bride in gold. Golden rings and bracelets are often gifted to brides before their weddings for traditional reasons. I’m not an expert in this area, but yeah.
Unrelated, but in the video some people claim that Andrew stole the bride’s items. If he really wanted to, he could have stolen the big ruby ring on her finger. I’m pretty sure this is an artist’s mistake. It never states that Andrew stole items from the deceased. Only. Y’know. Their bodies.
Speaking of weddings, it is impossible for Andrew to avoid them. He’s never properly invited, of course. In Turkey, weddings are a very big deal. Celebrations often can be in the streets and spontaneous. Andrew also lives on church property.
The dance he has looks a little like the Halay. Vaguely. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2jOK_mWkjw&ab_channel=MehmetDikkaya
This dance is meant to be done with a LOT of people. Since Andrew is always in the shadows or hiding, there’s no way he could learn it with someone else. These dances are done at weddings!
He most likely learned his own version because there is no one else to do it with. I think I’ve seen other hcs about what it is- But remember these are my hcs lol. Believe what u want it’s ok.
Love and Understanding
The English version says this : 'He would always look out the window and dream of no longer being called “the White-haired Monster”, and instead being able to live under the sun like the other youths, and enjoy the smiles, love, and hope of the world.'
The Japanese version says this: ' He would always look out the window and dream of no longer being called “the White-haired Monster”, and instead being able to experience hope, joy, and falling in love like other youths.'
I personally like to think that a motif of Andrew’s is love. He’s always surrounded by love and has to watch other people get married, have families, or basically get cared for. He never really had that except for his mother.
- >Since childhood, Andrew was victim to a strange illness – every hair on his body appeared a light white color, and he feared the sun. The rumors claiming that Andrew was cursed spread very quickly throughout the local area, and that hatred was like an invisible wall, completely isolating him from the beauty and warmth of the world. The only kindness and warmth in his life came from what seemed to be a thin, weak woman. The memories that most set his heart at ease were those of listening to the passage of time in the hourglass, drifting off to sleep in her feeble arms.
-
>Hand-drawn
Those sharpened, piercing, evil intentions……
A child’s drawing: You can make out a mother shielding a young child in her bosom at the centre of the drawing. The surroundings are smeared with a sharp black, piercing towards the centre.
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>Final Letter
When I take my eternal sleep, do not sing me an elegy
A letter: Dear Andrew,
Understanding others is always difficult, so difficult that rumors and malicious intent have become the weapons with which Man turns upon those other from himself. Perhaps seeking personal redemption will be easier than changing others…
… Please do not cry for my departure; Death keeps people apart, but always reunites them in the end.
Andrew’s mother was the only person in the entire world to ever show him love. It seems to be something the IDV writers want us to understand from all the times they remind us that he only had his mother.
Andrew’s goal is to be understood, according to the PV. The long explanation is this though:
- >Perhaps every person has a different definition of “good and evil”, but to Andrew, malicious rumors and isolation are a form of selfish violence, and interpersonal relationships are built on honest understanding and love. That is the true nature of the kindness we can give others.
He either wants to be understood and loved through kindness or simply fall in love like the JP translation.
Andrew is a human being. Like other humans, we all crave acceptance and love. He was fortunate enough to have experienced love once, but it was stolen from him too soon. This need for understanding and love can easily show why he tried so hard to walk all the way to the manor.
Just a simple letter saying he could be understood was enough for him to have faith in the manor.
The manor actually had everything he could ever want there. Whether you see it this way or not, Andrew technically has more than he ever did outside of it. He has a warm place to sleep, plenty to eat, friends, and a sense of longing. His letter is most likely the only one that gave him a satisfactory result.
Friends
All the official art of Andrew with others can be taken as artistic liberty or not. Up to you. The only confirmed friendship he has from the Twitter replies seems to be from Emma.
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>Emma:
Mr. Andrew really reassures me!
He has a few quirks,
But he’s a veeery kind person so Emma feels at ease too!
-
>Emma:
You betcha!
He just looks so tasty,
I keep finding myself staring…
But let’s all stay with him and keep him company!
(*´◡`*人)
-
>Emma:
Mr. Andrew’s favourite sweet…?
… I’ll try asking next time I see him!
ᐠ(*⊕ ᵕ ⊕*)ᐟ
-
>I called for Emily,
But all she did was say “It’s nothing.”
And walk off somewhere…!
ヽ(`Д´；)ﾉ
I can’t find the exact reply, but there’s one about Emma being very unsure about Luca because he’s a “prisoner.” Emma can also be uneasy about the other survivors due to not knowing them very well or other reasons we don’t know. She never once has a negative response to Andrew.
She replies to questions about Andrew, as seen above. She cares about him and says he’s a kind person with some quirks. Andrew hasn’t specifically said that they’re good friends or anything yet though.
I’ll pretend like he’s bffs with everyone in the manor though he deserves it /sobs
(This is old but it still fits.)
Andrew seems to be doing a bit better in the manor rather than living outside of it. Why? Personally, I think he’s finally able to be in the sun. A common word used in Andrew’s info is “icy” And now he has a skin with snow. A trope he carries is being isolated and cold most of the time. He’s finally experiencing warmth for the first time at the manor from meeting other “oddballs” as he puts it.
For Andrew, words are deadly weapons. He finds words to be Worse than illness or possible injury. Words cling to our brain and have a deep effect on our mentality. Being a “white-haired monster,” Andrew is more than aware of this. Each hurtful word is like a knife to the back.
Andrew has been frozen for some time. Frozen in an ice block made entirely out of hatred and judgment by those around him. He lacks awareness of how to interact with others and has lost part of his own sense of humanity.
Andrew no longer sees himself as equal to other human beings and views himself as a monster. He’s been broken down so much that his thinking is on the negative side. After being persecuted for existing after so long, it’s easy to understand Why he lacks the ability to believe in anyone’s words or actions.
To Andrew, it’s impossible for anyone to ever actually compliment him or stuff without mocking or having a hidden motive. He’s very cynical and pessimistic. Again, understandable. It’s really nice to see that he’s kind still. It takes a lot to be kind to humans when humans are usually the ones who attack “monsters.” Andrew is trying his best at the manor because it’s warm there. For someone who can’t be in the sun, Andrew basks in the light of kindness.
This warmth is new to him. It’s the first time he’s been in an environment that makes sense. The manor’s matches are simple. I think Andrew can understand them because it’s literally about surviving hunters; in which Andrew has plenty of experience.
Hunters don’t have to be creatures from the dark. In fact, most hunters are those around us. People have bad motives or are spiteful and want to hurt us. Andrew understands this and probably thinks actual hunters in the game are easier to deal with over the
Hidden hunters that pose as humans. It’s sad to think this manor is more of a home to Andrew then anywhere else he’s been. A place made for hunting humans shouldn’t be somewhere he finds the most comfort; and yet, it is.
Personality
Andrew has a lot of hate in his heart, but he doesn’t act on it.
- >A child’s drawing: You can make out a mother shielding a young child in her bosom at the centre of the drawing. The surroundings are smeared with a sharp black, piercing towards the centre.
Maybe he grew out of it. Good for him.
Either way, he thinks extremely poorly of most of the people who pay their ways in for good spots to even call them “bastards.” He has a good reason for that too. After being hurt for so long, no one can really blame him.
I really don’t think he would ever hurt someone on purpose though. His behavior is extremely fear based.
The usual reaction for his responses are a “get them before they get me” or being extremely reactive. For someone like Andrew, he’d rather say what he thinks you’re going to say so it doesn’t hurt as badly when you do. He kind of assumes that everyone thinks poorly of him due to his “illness” or personality in general.
There are so many replies where people are complimenting him and he can’t seem to take it seriously. He claims they’re making fun of him or that everyone is being sarcastic. He never even says thank you to anyone LOL.
I think this shows so much though. All of these responses show that Andrew still struggles with believing there’s anything good about him, that others are capable of being nice to him, and that he only knows how to respond a certain way. The only people who have probably seen his softer side are his mother and Emma.
Andrew is surprisingly not quiet either. When you talk to him in the Twitter replies, he fr goes off. Some characters respond with one word or a lot of “...”, but Andrew is always up in arms. He stutters quite often because of how nervous he is. He almost sounds like he’s convincing himself about the bad things he’s saying too.
In the stage play, he kind of goes off when stuff happens too but for the most part he stands in the corner. Remember the stage play is NOT canon. It’s a fan work. These characterizations aren’t the same. I’m speaking about the Twitter replies.
Andrew is so rude too. It’s not on purpose, I think . He most likely just doesn’t have the awareness that saying bad words or phrases is considered rude in the first place. He doesn’t have a lot of experience with talking to other people.
Whilst he’s reactive and pretty funny, he’s also really insightful.
- > “When I take my eternal sleep, do not sing me an elegy......” In the pitter-patter of the rain, the epitaph slowly grows blurry; the petals wilting before the gravestone too fall and wither as the wind blows, wandering, and at last descend into a puddle. After tidying up the flowers’ remains, Andrew replaces them with a new bouquet of irises. He likes irises, because someone once told him that irises turn to rainbows, taking with them good souls to heaven. When the hourglass at his waist marks the passage of time, he will grip his icy shovel and leave, the worn, old, black coat he wears gradually melting into the night sky, day after day.
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>A Letter from Heaven
Book yourself a good seat; the train to Heaven has first-class seats too after all.
A small booklet: The Laz graveyard, known to all on this earth as a temple that leads Man to Heaven. Those that take their eternal sleep here will be blessed; the irises in the graveyard will carry with them the souls of the good to heaven……
Andrew deeply believes in this little thing someone told him. He wears an iris with him all the time. If we stick with the theme of a train, this might as well be the train ticket to heaven.
It’s not that Andrew wants to come off as unlikable or icy, it’s just all he knows. He isn’t familiar with warmth and understanding in the slightest and needs lots of time, energy, and patience. If he was truly a cold blooded killer like some people say, then why tf would he carry an iris with him in hopes of getting to heaven?
It’s also important to note that Andrew is a rescue character and ONLY a rescue character. He doesn’t have a subcategory at all. He could have easily been made into a kiter, but they made him into a character who specializes in saving others.
He doesn’t seem like the type to like other people at first. Little does everyone know that he’s the one to go after them to save them from harm. Gravekeepers are also supposed to be empathetic and kind to people. He’s probably those things deep down under his icy exterior.
There is also a chance that Andrew may want to keep others away from him because of two reasons: 1. He doesn’t want to feel loss again, and 2. He doesn’t know how to feel love again.
His mother was the only person to canonly love him and when she died, it was probably like his entire world was taken away. It might be “safer” to never get close to anyone again because they might die too. He’s surrounded by death all the time and wishes to be buried beside her. His mind is always on the subject.
Andrew might just be afraid of being loved too. There might be an internal dialogue going back and forth saying he might change as a person if he’s loved again. He is a little nervous about change.
The lack of assurance with change can be kind of seen through the essences. Cheese wants to stay in a happy wonderland, Train Conductor is forced out of his usual lifestyle, and Desolate Sandrew lost everything.
It’s going to take a hell of a lot of understanding for anyone to get too close to Andrew and he knows that. He doesn’t want to feel like a burden to anyone or waste their time too. He’s his own worst enemy now that he’s in a better living situation.
He’s not extremely “morally gray” or whatever… He’s just misunderstood and uneducated with social things because he was treated like a demon his entire life. His faith is so intense that it may take years of trying to convince him of other alternatives than what he knows.
I’d say Andrew is pretty paranoid too. He’s always thinking people are out to get him and have double standards. It wouldn’t be surprising if he exhausted himself with these thoughts.
Education
It is to be assumed that his mother taught him everything. Andrew was most likely never allowed to go to school with other children. The closest thing I could think of is maybe something akin to Sunday school…? But, probs not. He says that everyone hates him. Plus, his issues with the sun make it unlikely for him to be out in the day.
He is not uneducated though.
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>A Flash of Thought
I shouldn’t hesitate any more……
A diary: I think I shouldn’t hesitate like this. The good are buried within the temple; evildoers don’t belong here in the first place……
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>Ear-piercing Sound
Sometimes lies are easier to accept than the truth.
A diary: In the east corner of the graveyard, that faint, ear-piercing sound…… No, no, it has to be the sound of a cat passing by. Mr. Marshall is already……
Andrew can canonly read and write. Some people claim he’s unable to, but the deductions say otherwise. He also knows how to draw very minimally. I doubt he’s an artist like Edgar, but he knows how to do it.
It is most likely that his mother did all she could for him to the point of dying from malnutrition. She is already described as sickly and thin, so there’s no doubt she was sick to begin with.
Since Andrew never went to an official school or church, whatever he knows is probably from his mother only. I imagine that she would collect whatever she could get her hands on to educate Andrew to the point where he could understand things without her help.
SO, would Andrew know all the strict teachings from the church? Probably not.
He would know some of them, but maybe not the intense teachings behind them. For example, I don’t think he’d be homophobic. Unless his mother blatantly pointed at a couple and was homophobic, how would he know? He kind of has a lot on his plate already and I don’t think he has time for that.
Another thing is that Andrew probably wouldn’t know about gendered items. Since they were so poor, his mother may have given him old clothes of hers. He wouldn’t know that men can’t dress that way or whatnot either. Stuff like that isn’t a concern.
When someone doesn’t have their very basic needs met, they don’t really pay attention to societal needs like that.
If you think about it, only a woman has been kind to Andrew as well. The men in his life have been terrible. He might be the type to trust in more feminine qualities because they remind him of his mother. Instead of homophobic Andrew, I think he’d be nervous around masculine people. Not like hate them- Just be nervous.
When it comes to learning new things, Andrew might be against it in order to hide his insecurities. He’d be quick to judge and claim something as unnecessary just so no one can see him fail. If it’s embarrassing, he’ll be even more reluctant to give it a try. He needs so much support and security for everything.
Essences
DESOLATE SANDREW is NOT canon Andrew.
Think of it as like a roleplay or character… They’re not the same! Some people claim that Andrew wants to kill everyone like Desolate Sand does. It’s not well known, but Desolate Sand’s story goes like this :
Ancient Ballad was adopted into a tribe of Native Americans. (There was a specific one, but I don’t remember it rn.) During the gold rush, the prospectors stole their land and destroyed everything in it in order to achieve their gold. Andrew was the only one left and seeks revenge on the lost lives they stole. He already killed the main owner of it all, Landlord Marshall, and wants the rest of them gone too. (Bonbon is a suspect of Marshall’s murder, but no one knows for sure outside of Andrew, I think.) He’s lost everything and has become “desolate.” Now Black Rose wants to get Andrew for the bounty.
It was a pretty offensive backstory and some translators even informed IDV to change a few things about it.
Andrew has a role of power in this essence because he can make a change for himself now that he has a reason to. Instead of searching for “understanding,” he wants “revenge.” Sandrew and Andrew are not the same. Remember this.
Train Conductor also has a role of power, but not in the way you think. Train conductors DO NOT DRIVE THE TRAIN. He is more or less like the caretaker of everyone on the train. A “keeper,” if you will.
His job includes this :
Oversee loading/unloading of cargo
Oversee safe and orderly transport of passengers
Check passengers’ tickets
Take payments from passengers
Assist passengers as necessary
Announce stations
He’s so cute ugh. Okay, but he has a lot of power because if you know the original source material, The Murder on the Orient Express , one of the main characters is always with the detective. I personally believe they merged that character with the train conductor for Andrew’s position.
- M. Bouc: The director of the Compagnie Wagon Lits and formerly worked for the Belgian police force with Poirot. Traveling on the Orient Express, M. Bouc asks Poirot to take the case. M. Bouc provides comic relief in the novel, constantly frustrated with the case and confused by Poirot.
- Pierre Michel : is the Conductor of the Orient Express. Pierre, like the other servants does not initially receive much scrutiny—he is not a top suspect.
The train conductor goes unnoticed for the majority of the novel. So, why would they make Andrew the train conductor? Well, it’s because there’s a lack of characters in the IDV essence.
In total, there are 12 people on the Orient Express. That’s a lot of characters for IDV to make costumes for </3.
Bouc is a distraction for the detective. In this case, Andrew is distracting Victor whilst also pretending to play along innocently. I think IDV saw “train conductor” and just wanted Andrew to have a snow shovel, so they put the two characters into one.
Bouc is extremely important and so is Andrew. Without this character, the story wouldn’t go anywhere.
I won’t go into too much detail because of spoilers if anyone is interested in the series.
Cheese! :)
Cheese is described as both subservient, spoiled-rotten, timid, and feeble. As seen in the vocab section, he’s very weak and feels inferior to everyone else.
I like this one the best because it’s probably what Andrew feels way under his outer shell. He’s insecure, as we know, but also timid and willing to do whatever anyone else wants in order to be happy or avoid conflict.
I can’t seem to find the exact translation, but there was one somewhere that said he had an error when he came out of the oven or something. There’s something wrong with Cheese and he’s more than aware of it even if no one else is.
His stubbornness and denial comes out the most in this skin too. Ganji tells him to wake up from the illusion he lives in, but Cheese seems somewhat reluctant to do so. Staying in something he’s familiar with, good or bad, is much easier than trying something brand new.
This could easily go along with how Andrew normally is too. He’d rather say bad things about himself and make assumptions rather than learn what it’s like to be appreciated genuinely. It’s much safer this way.
Andrew's Story
It’s my turn?
Before I came to Laz Cemetery, I took a short trip. This incident took place during that trip. It was a spring night. I could no longer suppress my fatigue, so I stayed at a farmer’s house by the roadside.
It was in a remote village far away from the city, but the master of the house was very hospitable. He cooked me dinner and told me that I had come at a bad time.
As you know, few people are willing to let someone like me lodge with them, and compared to my perpetual “misfortune,” a situation is hardly worth mentioning.
However, on the following day, as I prepared to leave, I was informed that I needed to stay in the village for a few more days. The man told me that the village was founded and managed by a group of well respected elders. As the situation had become more serious on the day I arrived, the elders decided not to let anyone leave.
And so, I went on living in this plague-stricken village, listening to the constant cries and wails from outside the house. However, a few days later, I heard the sound of nails being hammered into boards nearby, in the middle of the night.
“Is someone building a house out there?” I asked.
The master of the house did not answer me, but instead, made desperate prayers. Candles burned in the room. Their yellow light leaped and danced across the darkness. I could vaguely hear him asking God for forgiveness.
The sound of hammering lasted for two days. On the third day, everything went quiet. I peeped through the window and found that a simple wooden house had been built in the open space near us. Strangely though, the hut was quiet at first, then became rowdy every few days, and then blared with howling and desperate cursing a few days later. After a while, the hut became quiet again… This cycle continued. At night, the awful sound resembled a dark incantation cursing life itself.
I don’t know why, but I always felt as though venomous eyes glared forth from within that hut.
“Your head is playing tricks on you. Just close the curtains.”
When I mentioned this to my host, he uttered these words and shook his head. But I knew that he had been praying for longer and longer each day.
That was until one night, a strong burning smell filled my nostrils. I opened my eyes and found that the man had disappeared, and a fire ws consuming the nearby hut! It had almost reached the house I was staying at.
Finally, the epidemic subsided and I was allowed to leave the village. Before I left, I was invited to attend a sermon at the village church. I saw the walls of my former lodgings blackened by the fire. And the poor little hut nearby… All that remained of it was a charred frame.
“This was the wrath of God.”
That day, the village elders stood in the middle of the church. The eldest looked coldly at me.
“God’s forgiveness comes only when the sinners are punished. All our misfortunes, or their misfortunes, are due to His providence.”
I didn’t know what that meant until I went back to my host’s house. After I packed up my things and was ready to leave… I found that beside the ruins of the hut stood a wooden sign with something written on it.
One barely-legible word that could be seen- “Ward.” (Quarantena in the picture.)
General History
541, 1347, and 1894-1959 are all the times that these events have happened. The rockstar illustration of Andrew says the year “1978” on it, which means Andrew is at least 19 years old in this situation. He could be older, but we just don’t know. He doesn’t have any scars on his face in any of these images.
The story in Japanese (as far as I’ve seen,) mentions that the village is an isolated English village. The English translation/version doesn’t mention it. The end of the English story says Andrew saw a sign saying “Ward,” but the image shows “Quarantena.” This term came from Venice, Italy in 1127. It has always been used to describe the 40 day isolation period, called “Quarantena-ria” in full. “Ward” means a separate section of a hospital usually for one type of patient. They both work in context to this.
The pest houses were the government’s way of isolating those with the plague. However, they also put anyone who was in contact with those people into them as well. Fully healthy family members who lived in the same space as someone who got the plague were required to move into the pest houses with them; eventually causing them to become ill as well. Everyone at the time saw it more as a punishment rather than a protocol.
Most of the time, the plague began in big cities and eventually fanned out to smaller villages like the one Andrew is staying in. A majority of the information about these times was related to their deaths.
The plague occurred in London and Westminster every 10-15 years. It was considered supernatural because they couldn’t figure out where it came from, which goes along with them looking at Andrew strangely. Andrew also mentions, “ As the situation had become more serious on the day I arrived , the elders decided not to let anyone leave.” There was a horrible coincidence that Andrew came when the plague became much worse than it had been before.
Again, people with albinism were treated more like monsters/demons/lesser than humans for their appearance. The superstitions around that time were based mostly on religion without scientific fact. It’s possible that the elders believed Andrew was sent by God to punish those with the plague by making it worse. There are some superstitions that believe albinism causes illness and death. It’s partially why Landlord Marshall wanted Andrew’s mother to get rid of him the moment he was born.
It’s only in today’s research that we know the plague was caused by “Yersinia pestis,” a bacterium. It comes from fleas who travel on rats. The bacteria they possess mess with the flea’s ability to drink blood. It makes them bite more than usual, which infects the host with the bacteria quickly. All of that bacteria causes infections. The spreading of the plague could happen through physical contact with a person or contact with objects that could have fleas.
Parishes usually made the sick people quarantine in their own homes or go to a pest house. In this case, everyone went to the “Ward,” it seems. They built it beside Andrew's host’s house. Andrew also claims to feel them watching him from inside that house and the farmer tells him to close the curtains. This could be due to the elders wanting Andrew to see in order for God to see, them being hateful towards Andrew, or them punishing the hosts for allowing Andrew to stay.
Once someone died in one of these houses, the guards of the houses hired by the church would often lock the doors shut and paint a red cross on the door and the words “Lord have mercy on us.” All the people in the ward were most likely locked in and required to stay until something happened. The sounds of wailing and curses could have either been from the holy men trying to banish the plague out of them or the people inside screaming from suffering.
Apparently, there were supposed to be two houses for those who had the plague and those who had been exposed. This village only made one simple house next to Andrew’s. So either everyone had it, or they didn’t care.
The image along with the audiobook shows many plague doctors too. You can look up more info about them since there’s probably a new hunter coming soon, but the interesting thing is the herbs they used in the beaks were sometimes thought to counter “evil” smells. The religious motif still follows deeply with them thinking only those who should be punished get the plague.
It was extremely common practice to burn down the buildings after they were used, but it sounds like the farmer decided he didn’t want to deal with it anymore.
Source: Newman, Kira L. S. “Shutt Up: Bubonic Plague and Quarantine in Early Modern England.” Journal of Social History , vol. 45, no. 3, 2012, pp. 809–834., www.jstor.org/stable/41678910. Accessed 2 July 2021.
http://hosted.lib.uiowa.edu/histmed/plague/
The story
Wherever Andrew had come from, he had never been around pest houses before. He asked the farmer if they were building a house beside them like he didn’t know. It could be that Andrew was isolated from the very start due to his “illness.” His albinism also saved him from getting the plague on the ship he was on. He was most likely shunned and alone; aka not near any infected people.
The sounds he hears outside are from those who are plagued or those trying to force them into their homes or the pest house. The incantations are either from people banishing the evil from the people inside those homes or those people themselves wanting out.
The elders of this place are extremely religious and believe that Andrew’s arrival had something to do with it. Instead of treating him poorly, they indirectly try to punish him for bringing the plague. He knows he’s being watched and feels uncomfortable about it.
The farmer is praying more and more each night too. Either he thinks the elders are trying to give him the plague or he’s already asking for forgiveness for what he’s about to do. It could be that he doesn’t want to be considered a sinner and die like they are.
Andrew says that the farmer was nowhere to be found when the hut burned down. The timeline makes it appear like the hut was burned because the people no longer were sick, or it was because the farmer burned it. I suspect the farmer burned down the hut because he was paranoid about contracting the illness. He is never brought up in the story again.
The pest house is also extremely close to the farmer’s house. Andrew says that the sides of the house he was in were burnt from the flames. The elders really put it smack dab next to the farmer’s house and placed windows in a spot where they could always be looking in. The farmer probably became paranoid from all of these factors and lack of sleep. Andrew says he could hear them every so often with howling and cursing. The howling is a loud sound that could unsettle anyone. However, the story leaves it up in the air. (Idv has a bad habit of liking arson tho but maybe that’s just what I think)
“That day, the village elders stood in the middle of the church. The eldest looked coldly at me.
“God’s forgiveness comes only when the sinners are punished. All our misfortunes, or their misfortunes, are due to His providence.”
I found it interesting that the eldest looked deadass into Andrew’s eyes and said this. He entirely believes Andrew is the cause/thinks something about Andrew in a distasteful manner. He could have just been a piece of shit for no reason too. Super vague, honestly.
There were some beliefs that think people with albinism are sent from God due to their white hair. There’s a theory saying that Moses had albinism because God wanted him to be made in his image. It could be that this place thought something similar to that.
Instead of kicking Andrew out, they wanted him to see what God had “wanted” or what Andrew had “brought.”
The elder says that all of these bad things happened because God wanted them to in order to take care of them. He could think that Andrew coming there was God’s sign to get rid of the sinners. Which is. I mean. Fucked up. Like ok.
It’s also important to note that Andrew originally came from the Laz Cemetery or somewhere around it because Landlord Marshall was the one who told his mother to get rid of him.
If we assume this is England or somewhere near it, Andrew says it’s a “short trip.” Short could have meant a whole lot of things back then, but we can assume short could, in the most basic terminology, mean a small distance/time between one place/thing and another. He could have meant the ship ride was only a few days from his home and back, a few months, or anything less than a year. He decided to visit somewhere else for some reason and we don’t know why.
He eventually goes back to where he came from because Landlord Marshall becomes an important character again. He is not a grave keeper yet.