Fanfic100 001 - Beginnings
Dec. 17th, 2009 12:29 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sivaroobiniTitle: Memos from the Messenger
Summary: Of the overall series - The life of the Archangel Gabriel, from his creation right up to the Apocalypse.
Of this installment - In the beginning, the archangels were created.
Prompt 001 - Beginnings.
Disclaimers: The Silver City is my take on the one introduced by Gaiman in his Sandman series and short story Murder Mysteries. Gabriel, whom I claimed for this fanfic100 challenge, is mentioned by name in Good Omens, where it’s implied that he is Aziraphale’s supervisor, but other than that I am taking free rein with the appearances and personalities of him and the other archangels. Aziraphael and Gadre’el are my take on what Aziraphale and Crowley were like in Heaven before the Fall; they are the property of Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett.
Thanks to my dear beta Jen for helping with ideas, editing and the idea for the Michael-Gabriel interaction, and to my best friend Lakshmi for being supportive.
Chapter 1: Prompt 001 – Beginnings.
In the beginning, there was the Name. And He created the Archangels Michael and Lucifer, and for them and their brethren He created the Silver City.
Awaken, Gaḇrîēl, Strength of God.
And the newly named Gabriel, only just created, opened his eyes, and the first thing he beheld was God. Gabriel looked upon His visage, and a fierce love for Him and awareness of His Presence burned within him
His Creator smiled at him before moving on. Awaken, Ûrîēl, Flame of God.
Gabriel turned and saw two bright Archangels watching him, glorious in their light. The one with paler hair and bright golden eyes approached him, and Gabriel knew it was Lucifer, the Lightbringer. His shining twin may have smiled as well, or said something, but for the moment Gabriel saw nothing but the Morningstar. As the Messenger, recognition was part of his function, but even without it he couldn’t not have recognised Lucifer.
“Gabriel,” he smiled, intense golden eyes holding Gabriel’s own dark blue ones. “I am Lucifer, and this is Michael.”
“I know,” Gabriel answered, glancing at the Warrior. Michael’s eyes were a lighter blue, and his smile was more open than the light curve of Lucifer’s lips, yet Gabriel somehow felt more drawn to Lucifer.
“Hello,” a voice behind Gabriel said, and he turned to face golden eyes even brighter than Lucifer’s. Uriel blinked, smiling, long pale hair blowing in a light breeze, contrasting with Gabriel’s black hair. “Look at the City. Is it not beautiful?”
Raphael, his red-gold hair almost a shock after the muted colours of their backdrop, now joined them as they moved closer to the edge of the balcony; there was no railing and no need for one for they all moved with grace, and their large, glowing wings would save them from a fall. Below the balcony on which they stood, graceful silver spires stretched out, glimmering in the muted light that permeated every corner despite having no discernible source. There were mainly towers of varying heights, though there were a few shorter and wider buildings, and some distance from the Palace was a large, open field.
“That is for the training of the Host,” Lucifer murmured. “He has named me Captain of His army.”
“And I will have to Heal you often, then,” Raphael cut in, eyes the colour leaves would be once they were created glinting in amusement.
“I hope not,” Michael laughed. “If the Captain should have need of your help, Healer, then it does not bode well for those who train under him.”
“Perhaps you will have an opportunity to test your skills now, Raphael, on Michael,” Lucifer responded, holding Michael’s gaze almost challengingly despite his friendly smile, and then Gabriel noticed that though they wore nothing else, they all bore swords on their hips. He touched the glittering sapphire in the hilt of his sword, curiously.
More angels were being brought into being, in their own towers across the City; they could all sense it. They all knew their functions.
Michael came to stand beside Gabriel, still grinning. “Why do you suppose He named you the Strength of God? I don’t mean to offend you, but I’m curious. One would have thought He would name the Warrior - ” he gestured to himself, “His Strength.”
The question was without malice – for such a thing did not, after all, exist yet, and Michael simply preferred to be direct – and so Gabriel smiled. “One should not question Him. But I would suppose not all strength is physical. In fact, if strength was judged by mental acuity, Michael, I have a feeling you would be very unfairly disadvantaged.”
Michael stared at him for a moment, before all of them burst into laughter.
“Good one,” Michael responded, still laughing.
“Well said, my friend,” Lucifer smiled, inclining his head towards Gabriel. He held out a hand, spreading his huge, lustrous wings, the colour and sheen of mother of pearl. “The Lord will wish to see us soon, to discuss our tasks, but before that I’d like to test these wings. Join me?”
Gabriel took it, spreading his own large wings, white with a tinge of blue where the light struck it. “Of course.”
Also, Uriel, no, this is not your room. It’s down the hall, the door with the doorknob right in the middle. You’re welcome.
Feedback/concrit would be loved. <3 Next installment: Prompt 021 - Friends.
For some reason it won't let me edit this entry in HTML O.o so here's the link to the prompt table: sirius-luva.livejournal.com/34881.html
Summary: Of the overall series - The life of the Archangel Gabriel, from his creation right up to the Apocalypse.
Of this installment - In the beginning, the archangels were created.
Prompt 001 - Beginnings.
Disclaimers: The Silver City is my take on the one introduced by Gaiman in his Sandman series and short story Murder Mysteries. Gabriel, whom I claimed for this fanfic100 challenge, is mentioned by name in Good Omens, where it’s implied that he is Aziraphale’s supervisor, but other than that I am taking free rein with the appearances and personalities of him and the other archangels. Aziraphael and Gadre’el are my take on what Aziraphale and Crowley were like in Heaven before the Fall; they are the property of Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett.
Thanks to my dear beta Jen for helping with ideas, editing and the idea for the Michael-Gabriel interaction, and to my best friend Lakshmi for being supportive.
Chapter 1: Prompt 001 – Beginnings.
In the beginning, there was the Name. And He created the Archangels Michael and Lucifer, and for them and their brethren He created the Silver City.
Awaken, Gaḇrîēl, Strength of God.
And the newly named Gabriel, only just created, opened his eyes, and the first thing he beheld was God. Gabriel looked upon His visage, and a fierce love for Him and awareness of His Presence burned within him
His Creator smiled at him before moving on. Awaken, Ûrîēl, Flame of God.
Gabriel turned and saw two bright Archangels watching him, glorious in their light. The one with paler hair and bright golden eyes approached him, and Gabriel knew it was Lucifer, the Lightbringer. His shining twin may have smiled as well, or said something, but for the moment Gabriel saw nothing but the Morningstar. As the Messenger, recognition was part of his function, but even without it he couldn’t not have recognised Lucifer.
“Gabriel,” he smiled, intense golden eyes holding Gabriel’s own dark blue ones. “I am Lucifer, and this is Michael.”
“I know,” Gabriel answered, glancing at the Warrior. Michael’s eyes were a lighter blue, and his smile was more open than the light curve of Lucifer’s lips, yet Gabriel somehow felt more drawn to Lucifer.
“Hello,” a voice behind Gabriel said, and he turned to face golden eyes even brighter than Lucifer’s. Uriel blinked, smiling, long pale hair blowing in a light breeze, contrasting with Gabriel’s black hair. “Look at the City. Is it not beautiful?”
Raphael, his red-gold hair almost a shock after the muted colours of their backdrop, now joined them as they moved closer to the edge of the balcony; there was no railing and no need for one for they all moved with grace, and their large, glowing wings would save them from a fall. Below the balcony on which they stood, graceful silver spires stretched out, glimmering in the muted light that permeated every corner despite having no discernible source. There were mainly towers of varying heights, though there were a few shorter and wider buildings, and some distance from the Palace was a large, open field.
“That is for the training of the Host,” Lucifer murmured. “He has named me Captain of His army.”
“And I will have to Heal you often, then,” Raphael cut in, eyes the colour leaves would be once they were created glinting in amusement.
“I hope not,” Michael laughed. “If the Captain should have need of your help, Healer, then it does not bode well for those who train under him.”
“Perhaps you will have an opportunity to test your skills now, Raphael, on Michael,” Lucifer responded, holding Michael’s gaze almost challengingly despite his friendly smile, and then Gabriel noticed that though they wore nothing else, they all bore swords on their hips. He touched the glittering sapphire in the hilt of his sword, curiously.
More angels were being brought into being, in their own towers across the City; they could all sense it. They all knew their functions.
Michael came to stand beside Gabriel, still grinning. “Why do you suppose He named you the Strength of God? I don’t mean to offend you, but I’m curious. One would have thought He would name the Warrior - ” he gestured to himself, “His Strength.”
The question was without malice – for such a thing did not, after all, exist yet, and Michael simply preferred to be direct – and so Gabriel smiled. “One should not question Him. But I would suppose not all strength is physical. In fact, if strength was judged by mental acuity, Michael, I have a feeling you would be very unfairly disadvantaged.”
Michael stared at him for a moment, before all of them burst into laughter.
“Good one,” Michael responded, still laughing.
“Well said, my friend,” Lucifer smiled, inclining his head towards Gabriel. He held out a hand, spreading his huge, lustrous wings, the colour and sheen of mother of pearl. “The Lord will wish to see us soon, to discuss our tasks, but before that I’d like to test these wings. Join me?”
Gabriel took it, spreading his own large wings, white with a tinge of blue where the light struck it. “Of course.”
~*~*~*~
Scribbled in elegant script on a piece of paper stuck to the small table just inside the entrance to Gabriel’s rooms: Note to self - Look into Michael’s suggestion of ‘armour’ and set up liaison teams for Cherubim and Virtues to work on it. Also, set up organising/filing systems for paperwork. Hall of Being reports in particular are rather disorganised and will only get worse. Ask Phanuel to condense everything?Also, Uriel, no, this is not your room. It’s down the hall, the door with the doorknob right in the middle. You’re welcome.
Feedback/concrit would be loved. <3 Next installment: Prompt 021 - Friends.
For some reason it won't let me edit this entry in HTML O.o so here's the link to the prompt table: sirius-luva.livejournal.com/34881.html
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no subject
Date: 17/12/09 10:35 am (UTC)Overall this is lovely though.:D Your writing style is kind of somber and oldfashioned at times, btw, which I really like.
I'm used to angels being very severe, more like your Lucifer - not so much joking and mirth. But it's not like serious angels is necessarily right. Yours are cute.^^
Really nice and intriguing start. Keep up the good work, lol.^^
no subject
Date: 17/12/09 12:24 pm (UTC)Aww, thanks, that's exactly the effect I was aiming for! 8D
I think they're definitely serious when they need to be, but at this point they can also laugh and joke a lot - in fact there's quite a bit of that in what I've written for the next chapter. In particular, I'm aiming for a contrast in the overall tone of Heaven before and after the Fall, hence the mirth now.
Thanks so much for the awesome review! <3 I was pretty worried, and you've cheered me up. ;)
no subject
Date: 17/12/09 03:52 pm (UTC)As for the mirth thing - this may be wrong, but I imagine they're also younger now, to the extent that angels count age at all, so perhaps it's natural that they should be freer. It'll be interesting to see the change. :3
no subject
Date: 18/12/09 12:12 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 18/12/09 06:31 pm (UTC)*is glomped* ^^
no subject
Date: 19/12/09 01:43 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 17/12/09 07:40 pm (UTC)I always thought the archangels were very interesting, and it's a shame we didn't see more of them in the books. I'm looking forward to seeing what you do with them. ^^
no subject
Date: 18/12/09 12:15 pm (UTC)I love the archangels, and I think they got a raw deal in DC Comics: Lucifer and in everything else I've read that mentions them. I'm looking forward to writing them! Thank you for reviewing!
~ Sivaroobini
no subject
Date: 18/12/09 07:03 pm (UTC)Gabriel needs to post-it a label on Uriel's door.
My crit is that there could be variety in each character's description, since it's a bit limited to hair and eye colour at the moment. It's not bad in this fic (actually, toying with the idea that angels start out nondescript, then look more and more individualized as they assert their personalities) but it's something to keep an eye out for.
no subject
Date: 19/12/09 01:56 am (UTC)xD He could but somehow I doubt it'd stay there for long. I'm not sure why, it just... wouldn't.
Yeah, I was worried about the exact same thing. :S There'll be more proper descriptions to come, though! Thank you! <3
no subject
Date: 23/9/11 11:12 pm (UTC)i'm a sucker for archangel fantasies, i've generally loved them in published fantasies out in the non-fannish world since i was in high school, i think. i agree that there might be more distinction among them here, but they're all new made and yes, DO seem spritually "younger" and they've not yet experienced the horror of the rebellion and fall and the creation of hell. that would have to scar even the angels who didn't fall.
as a group they seem always to be portrayed as stiff party liners or boorish bureaucrats at worst as near villains, but you are giving them a chance to behave freely as the bright beings they can be.
i look forward to each of them growing into his unique personality and varying the way they interact.
it does seem certain fan views of some of the archangels have become such currency as to be almost "canon" but the economical way in which you already establish both michael and uriel as distinct individuals is very nicely finessed.
uriel may seem to qualify for "airhead" or "space cadet" but while he's perpetually a little drunk on the presence, he's also so completely plugged into inspiration he hasn't the attention to spend on such things as finding his own door...
michael of course seems always to get the "military" viewpoint, direct, impatient, proud and focused on physical prowess. but so far here, at least, he doesn't have the hardness and intractability he's so often given.
i also enjoyed the second installment and hope there's no long delays between future ones. i'm already intrigued and eager.
no subject
Date: 24/9/11 03:01 am (UTC)Me too! Have you ever read DC Comics' Lucifer? I love it and the archangels do have distinct personalities there, but aside from Michael, you really don't feel too much sympathy for Heaven. :/
And yes, I think beings of love would be freer and happier, even if only amongst themselves (though Gabriel here is the roleplay character I've played for a couple of months, and he's nice to most people). And they are indeed 'younger' here; it may be a bit slow-moving at first as I intend to explore a fair bit of what Heaven was like before the Fall and the factors leading up to it - I don't know if you read my earlier fic (http://lordofsin.livejournal.com/2918.html) about my other roleplay character, the demon Belial, but it draws heavily on the reasons for the rebellion I mentioned there (the link leads to my roleplay journal) - but the Fall does change them all in their own ways. Especially Gabriel and Michael, as they were closest to Lucifer; I think they'll always wonder if they could have done something to change his mind before it was too late.
XD Exactly! He's Angel of the Presence, and it's something so integral to angels, something so warm and loving (I may have been inspired by how the protagonists in Narnia feel when Aslan speaks to them), and being constantly filled with an excess of that feeling would, I think, lead to some distraction. XD
Michael may, at times, appear rather strict to most of the Host (though for now he's still seen as the jovial one in contrast to Lucifer's strictness and distance) but yes, with his family he's fairly easy-going and fond. And he has his soft side, too. ;)
Um. XD I will try not to let there be extremely long delays, and I do have a rough outline all plotted out with certain prompt/chapters assigned to something, but the next chapter certainly won't be up in the next few days (unless inspiration strikes while I'm on a rural island with no Internet tonight, stargazing; I've scribbled stories on paper by torchlight on that island before). Knowing someone's waiting for the next instalment should make me want to work on this, though. >_>
Thank you very much for your lovely review!
no subject
Date: 25/9/11 02:34 pm (UTC)Loved the bit of italic at the end by the way. I actually laughed out loud.
no subject
Date: 25/9/11 03:42 pm (UTC):D I <3 Uriel. He's a bit... well, he's high on the Divine Presence most of the time and a bit of a cloudcuckoolander, I guess, often distracted and in his own world, but Gabriel loves him dearly. He's there to provide companionship, but will also distract Gabriel with other things and help him heal with no pressure (Raphael means well and they're also quite close, but he can be a bit bossy, and things with Michael were initially tense for obvious reasons).