application
I was the first in all of heaven to bow down before you. My love, my hope for mankind was no less than His. But I have watched you trample that gift. I have watched you kill each other over race and greed, waging war over dust and rubble and the words in old books. And yet, in the midst of all this darkness, I see some people who will not be bowed. I see some people who will not give up, even when they know all hope is lost. Some people, who realize being lost is so close to being found.
.the mundane;
» Name: Gray
» Age: 21
» Journal: stone-pygmalion
» Contact: static analyst @ AIM
.the myth;
» Pantheon: Judeo-Christian
» God(dess): Michael the Archangel
» Reference: Wikipedia, Orthodox Wiki, Ministries, Catholic Encyclopedia, Badass
» Family: {father} God; {spouse} none
» Played By: Andrew Cooper
» Human Alias: Jude Langston
» Human Age: 30
» Ability: Michael's human incarnation has a sharp eye for acts of injustice even when they're not immediately obvious at the surface. His fine tuning is something akin to a sixth sense; it's only a feeling, a slight inclination towards certain biases, but like all senses, it's not completely fool-proof and never totally precise. But often, he does get a proper foreboding when something might be amiss, or something may be going wrong.
» Occupation: former police detective, current security guard
» History: With the intention of avoiding confusion, this history will be based primarily upon the accounts of Michael given by the Book of Enoch and Orthodox Christian sources.
In Hebrew, Michael's name means "like unto God" or "Who is like unto God?", a rhetorical question that symbolized Michael as a reminder of humility before God. His name was the war-cry of the good angels who battled in heaven against the enemy and his followers. And in artwork he was most popularly depicted carrying a sword and shield.
His many names, such as the Archistrategos, Defender of the Faith, Chief Commander of the Heavenly Hosts (field commander of the Army of God), Viceroy and Prince - all point to his role in heaven as the one who ultimately carried justice in war. In terms of rank and hierarchy, opinions vary on whether Michael was the principal archangel, prince of the angels, or prince of the seraphim. But most prominently held was a belief generally agreed upon by the orthodoxy that Michael's ultimate mission was to defeat Lucifer in the battle for heaven. However, Michael was also the one who spoke for and protected Israel when Israel was discredited, and over the course of human history, he was said to have interceded on behalf of humanity multiple times. It may be interpreted that he loved humanity deeply, and expressed it unambiguously, as accounted by the tale that told of Michael being the first angel in all of the heavens to bow down before humanity. In this sense, he was also a special patron to Adam. Adam being the first of all of mankind, Michael kept vigilance over the first family even long after their expulsion from the Garden of Eden. And after Adam died, Michael convinced the Lord to permit Adam's soul to be brought to heaven.
There are four mentions of Michael in canonical Scripture. Michael first appeared in the Old Testament in the book of Joshua during the fall of Jericho. Though not specifically mentioned by name, Joshua saw a man with a drawn sword, a commander of the army of the Lord. By deduction, this man could be no other than the archangel Michael. In the Book of Daniel, Michael made an appearance to rescue the Archangel Gabriel from displacement by Dobiel, the angel of Persia. In the Epistle of St Jude, Michael disputed with the devil over the body of Moses. Finally, Michael was mentioned in the Apocalypse enacting a prophecy foretold in the Book of Daniel which stated: "at... [the end times] Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise. There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then." 1
The Book of Enoch revealed that Michael taught Enoch the mysteries of clemency and justice. It also attributed Michael as the sentencer of Samyaza's crimes of flesh, the commander of nations, the presider of virtue, and along with other archangels, Michael escorted the Father when he left his throne. Other apocryphal texts emphasized Michael as the defender of Israel and the enemy of Samael or Satan - an enmity started from the time the latter took hold of Michael's wings and attempted to bring them both down in the Fall.
In summary, the Catholic Encyclopedia gives Michael four distinct offices: 2
» Reincarnations: Jude was born to an upper-middle class family in Brooklyn. His family was of the Catholic wholesome kind; and it was a family with a legacy of justice going generations back, from judges to lawyers, cops to inspectors, guards to generals. During his childhood, he was raised on conservative Christian values (of course, modernized and personalized to some extent) that he sometimes questioned but always obeyed. His earliest childhood memories go back to Sundays in church watching the sunlight stream through colored glasses and lighting up the cross. Of course, he wasn't a model of perfection as a child, but he was a moderately good child, as most people would agree. And he blended in with other children as he should. It's not that he had no memory of being Michael; it was more that a mortal child at his age had no real sentience for what a past life meant, what it implied, what it entailed, and he certainly didn't remember at first all that he had experienced in the past.
So this had helped him to have his childhood, have his family, make friends, go to school, and experience growing up just as any other child would have had the privilege to do. By the time he had become eighteen, he was fully aware of his past life, his memories, and he was well in control of his "double life", as they say. When it came time for him to decide upon a noble occupation, one that was suitable for himself and the legacy of his family, he chose to go into the police academy in the hopes of becoming a champion for justice once more. But of course, as with all associations and organizations run by man, he'd found that the modern-world police were rife with corruption and the kind of justice steered around politics and money. This was, unfortunately, a realization that had taken years in the making. And by the time he'd realized it, he had come too far along to change his career completely. Even worse, corruption wasn't just a case of one-man-behind-it-all, although Lucifer was undoubtedly ultimate to blame. Except as a mere mortal, there was absolutely nothing Jude could do. Yet he had no intention of staying so actively involved in the police.
After leaving, he bounced around several security jobs. Mall security, private security, event security. The pay was no longer consistent or quite as comfortable, but of course, justice no longer had the same hidden agendas or secret conditions. There were no aims or purposes to serving other than to defend and to protect. It felt straightforward and honest. And then later on, after a lucky encounter with a former friend, he somehow got a job in hospital security. It turned out to be a steady gig, with a live-able base salary and a worthy cause. Who better to watch over than the most vulnerable? Since then Jude's been working as a security guard for Mount Sinai hospital, and it made sense for him to move to New York City to be closer to his work. He lives now in a small apartment near downtown, and he commutes to work. Because angels, or even for that matter, their incarnations, aren't beings of luxury.
» Personality: Jude had always known that he was Michael at some point in the past. But knowing didn't mean that he had always had clarity. For him, growing up was also a process of re-visiting the memories and regaining his familiarity with his past life. In growing up, he could love and appreciate his humanity. In essence, he felt his connection with flesh and blood, and found more in humanity, in and of itself, as he realized the hopes and dreams that once belonged to him in the past. Growing up as a human had made Jude, made Michael's ideals and principals, far more human - and sensitive to the nature of mankind. But in a time when angels loved mankind less, there was no easy way to resolve the conflict between loving man and loving God. Having been a human being amongst human beings, and being a man of justice, he could not in good conscience wish condemnation for all sinners. But even despite his love, Jude will never stray from God. Not in any life; and not in all of eternity.
He is, first and foremost, someone who tries to be forthright and good. He is as honest as he tries to be patient3, and he often gives wrongdoers far too many chances to right their wrongs. As a once angelic warrior, he tends to be more physical than most. But he never fights or hurts anyone without good justifiable reason. Otherwise Jude is just a regular man enjoying a regular sort of life that few of his peers have had the same opportunity to do. Even an ex-angel has accrued his vices: coffee in the morning, for instance. Chatting with strangers or friends while on the job, but only when the days are light or slow. And he loves people more than anything. He loves watching people, watching over people. Yet even then, he's had very few relationships, if any, with human beings.
It's not because Jude has ever had to push people away when they've come too close. Jude's made a great many friends out of God's greatest creations, but perhaps because he admires them in a way - admires their fortitude and perseverance as children of God - he's always kept a bit of distance between himself and them. And perhaps it could also be sensed even subtly that Jude's a little different by nature. He goes to church every Sunday and attends church functions, but he's never been known to preach or Bible-thump. Jude encourages spirituality to others, but he doesn't make this a strong first priority. He's social and mildly conversational, but all quite ordinary.
His greatest weakness is an inability to make personal choices. Independence and free will is a terrible thing for a being who had once only followed the will of God. This doesn't seem so bad if it's just a choice between strawberry or peach. But other than choices in obvious justice or unquestionable "rightness", this causes grave problems in the consequences of his actions; or rather, his inactions. It's difficult for Jude to find a way to choose in situations where problems aren't black and white, good or bad. Yet often many conflicts seem to have gray areas, and without God's omnipotence, there's no way he can resolve all the pros and cons, rightness and wrongness of each situation. While even Jude realizes that inaction can also be a moral crime, he's left helpless in the face of uncertainty, and if he acts, he acts on impulsion.
» Journal: archistrategos
» Sample Journal: I'm looking for a boy. Brown hair, blue eyes. He must be around 20 years old, 5'10. It's important that I find him. He's important to me. If anyone has seen him, someone like him, I need to know.
» Sample Roleplay: His eyes were narrowed by the glow of the sunlight, and yet Lucifer looked more radiant then than Michael had ever seen him. He'd heard the call that rang through the Heavens; the Great Command and the First Condemnation ever wrought by God. Yet Michael was fixated on those eyes. Dark now, as dark as the barren space. But then he didn't look away. What would have made a good brother go astray? Whatever changed him had made him beautiful - 'beautiful', but only too different to be an angelic sort of beauty. Cheap beauty, or it wasn't beauty at all. All of Heaven seemed to come to a still, like a pause for a breath, waiting for a sentencing never heard before. Michael stood nearby when Lucifer's wings were spread open, casting a sharp shadow as they were pinned and clipped, as his feathers fell like black leaves from a tree. And Michael didn't intervene in his stead. He could have. If Lucifer sought equality in a sin that was beyond his control, then the only angel he could have turned to in his last hour was Michael. But Michael didn't question the fairness of a punishment doled out to a creature too vain for paradise.
The sky was deep blue and almost indistinguishable from the sea. Michael unfolded his wings and cast them facing the sun as Lucifer's entourage waited from the skies below. To each enemy of God, another angel was sent to seize and capture, until all of the hosts were restrained. He read the leer on Lucifer's lips and somehow it agitated his peace of mind. Perhaps he thought of posing questions to his Just brother Michael; what if there was a powerful truth out there which could have been more revelational than God Himself? But Michael's instinct wrested on improbability; and he had been thusly named, after all, because nothing in the universe was greater than God. There was no true creature of Heaven who wished to hear the enemy speak. As he approached the pedestal from where Lucifer would Fall, Michael did fear that there would be creatures in the future who would face the same blasphemy which fated Lucifer to this moment. The last feathers had already come loose, but he reached forward to grasp them with tight fingers, unraveling them from the bony skeleton of what wings remained.
When next he turned, Michael saw the sky above him and the sea below him, and his own wings tore with the vengeance which Lucifer brought against him. It was a dream he replayed over and over again.
.the mundane;
» Name: Gray
» Age: 21
» Journal: stone-pygmalion
» Contact: static analyst @ AIM
.the myth;
» Pantheon: Judeo-Christian
» God(dess): Michael the Archangel
» Reference: Wikipedia, Orthodox Wiki, Ministries, Catholic Encyclopedia, Badass
» Family: {father} God; {spouse} none
» Played By: Andrew Cooper
» Human Alias: Jude Langston
» Human Age: 30
» Ability: Michael's human incarnation has a sharp eye for acts of injustice even when they're not immediately obvious at the surface. His fine tuning is something akin to a sixth sense; it's only a feeling, a slight inclination towards certain biases, but like all senses, it's not completely fool-proof and never totally precise. But often, he does get a proper foreboding when something might be amiss, or something may be going wrong.
» Occupation: former police detective, current security guard
» History: With the intention of avoiding confusion, this history will be based primarily upon the accounts of Michael given by the Book of Enoch and Orthodox Christian sources.
In Hebrew, Michael's name means "like unto God" or "Who is like unto God?", a rhetorical question that symbolized Michael as a reminder of humility before God. His name was the war-cry of the good angels who battled in heaven against the enemy and his followers. And in artwork he was most popularly depicted carrying a sword and shield.
His many names, such as the Archistrategos, Defender of the Faith, Chief Commander of the Heavenly Hosts (field commander of the Army of God), Viceroy and Prince - all point to his role in heaven as the one who ultimately carried justice in war. In terms of rank and hierarchy, opinions vary on whether Michael was the principal archangel, prince of the angels, or prince of the seraphim. But most prominently held was a belief generally agreed upon by the orthodoxy that Michael's ultimate mission was to defeat Lucifer in the battle for heaven. However, Michael was also the one who spoke for and protected Israel when Israel was discredited, and over the course of human history, he was said to have interceded on behalf of humanity multiple times. It may be interpreted that he loved humanity deeply, and expressed it unambiguously, as accounted by the tale that told of Michael being the first angel in all of the heavens to bow down before humanity. In this sense, he was also a special patron to Adam. Adam being the first of all of mankind, Michael kept vigilance over the first family even long after their expulsion from the Garden of Eden. And after Adam died, Michael convinced the Lord to permit Adam's soul to be brought to heaven.
There are four mentions of Michael in canonical Scripture. Michael first appeared in the Old Testament in the book of Joshua during the fall of Jericho. Though not specifically mentioned by name, Joshua saw a man with a drawn sword, a commander of the army of the Lord. By deduction, this man could be no other than the archangel Michael. In the Book of Daniel, Michael made an appearance to rescue the Archangel Gabriel from displacement by Dobiel, the angel of Persia. In the Epistle of St Jude, Michael disputed with the devil over the body of Moses. Finally, Michael was mentioned in the Apocalypse enacting a prophecy foretold in the Book of Daniel which stated: "at... [the end times] Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise. There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then." 1
The Book of Enoch revealed that Michael taught Enoch the mysteries of clemency and justice. It also attributed Michael as the sentencer of Samyaza's crimes of flesh, the commander of nations, the presider of virtue, and along with other archangels, Michael escorted the Father when he left his throne. Other apocryphal texts emphasized Michael as the defender of Israel and the enemy of Samael or Satan - an enmity started from the time the latter took hold of Michael's wings and attempted to bring them both down in the Fall.
In summary, the Catholic Encyclopedia gives Michael four distinct offices: 2
- To fight against Satan.
- To rescue the souls of the faithful from the power of the enemy, especially at the hour of death.
- To be the champion of God's people, the Jews in the Old Law, the Christians in the New Testament; therefore he was the patron of the Church, and of the orders of knights during the Middle Ages.
- To call away from earth and bring men's souls to judgment
» Reincarnations: Jude was born to an upper-middle class family in Brooklyn. His family was of the Catholic wholesome kind; and it was a family with a legacy of justice going generations back, from judges to lawyers, cops to inspectors, guards to generals. During his childhood, he was raised on conservative Christian values (of course, modernized and personalized to some extent) that he sometimes questioned but always obeyed. His earliest childhood memories go back to Sundays in church watching the sunlight stream through colored glasses and lighting up the cross. Of course, he wasn't a model of perfection as a child, but he was a moderately good child, as most people would agree. And he blended in with other children as he should. It's not that he had no memory of being Michael; it was more that a mortal child at his age had no real sentience for what a past life meant, what it implied, what it entailed, and he certainly didn't remember at first all that he had experienced in the past.
So this had helped him to have his childhood, have his family, make friends, go to school, and experience growing up just as any other child would have had the privilege to do. By the time he had become eighteen, he was fully aware of his past life, his memories, and he was well in control of his "double life", as they say. When it came time for him to decide upon a noble occupation, one that was suitable for himself and the legacy of his family, he chose to go into the police academy in the hopes of becoming a champion for justice once more. But of course, as with all associations and organizations run by man, he'd found that the modern-world police were rife with corruption and the kind of justice steered around politics and money. This was, unfortunately, a realization that had taken years in the making. And by the time he'd realized it, he had come too far along to change his career completely. Even worse, corruption wasn't just a case of one-man-behind-it-all, although Lucifer was undoubtedly ultimate to blame. Except as a mere mortal, there was absolutely nothing Jude could do. Yet he had no intention of staying so actively involved in the police.
After leaving, he bounced around several security jobs. Mall security, private security, event security. The pay was no longer consistent or quite as comfortable, but of course, justice no longer had the same hidden agendas or secret conditions. There were no aims or purposes to serving other than to defend and to protect. It felt straightforward and honest. And then later on, after a lucky encounter with a former friend, he somehow got a job in hospital security. It turned out to be a steady gig, with a live-able base salary and a worthy cause. Who better to watch over than the most vulnerable? Since then Jude's been working as a security guard for Mount Sinai hospital, and it made sense for him to move to New York City to be closer to his work. He lives now in a small apartment near downtown, and he commutes to work. Because angels, or even for that matter, their incarnations, aren't beings of luxury.
» Personality: Jude had always known that he was Michael at some point in the past. But knowing didn't mean that he had always had clarity. For him, growing up was also a process of re-visiting the memories and regaining his familiarity with his past life. In growing up, he could love and appreciate his humanity. In essence, he felt his connection with flesh and blood, and found more in humanity, in and of itself, as he realized the hopes and dreams that once belonged to him in the past. Growing up as a human had made Jude, made Michael's ideals and principals, far more human - and sensitive to the nature of mankind. But in a time when angels loved mankind less, there was no easy way to resolve the conflict between loving man and loving God. Having been a human being amongst human beings, and being a man of justice, he could not in good conscience wish condemnation for all sinners. But even despite his love, Jude will never stray from God. Not in any life; and not in all of eternity.
He is, first and foremost, someone who tries to be forthright and good. He is as honest as he tries to be patient3, and he often gives wrongdoers far too many chances to right their wrongs. As a once angelic warrior, he tends to be more physical than most. But he never fights or hurts anyone without good justifiable reason. Otherwise Jude is just a regular man enjoying a regular sort of life that few of his peers have had the same opportunity to do. Even an ex-angel has accrued his vices: coffee in the morning, for instance. Chatting with strangers or friends while on the job, but only when the days are light or slow. And he loves people more than anything. He loves watching people, watching over people. Yet even then, he's had very few relationships, if any, with human beings.
It's not because Jude has ever had to push people away when they've come too close. Jude's made a great many friends out of God's greatest creations, but perhaps because he admires them in a way - admires their fortitude and perseverance as children of God - he's always kept a bit of distance between himself and them. And perhaps it could also be sensed even subtly that Jude's a little different by nature. He goes to church every Sunday and attends church functions, but he's never been known to preach or Bible-thump. Jude encourages spirituality to others, but he doesn't make this a strong first priority. He's social and mildly conversational, but all quite ordinary.
His greatest weakness is an inability to make personal choices. Independence and free will is a terrible thing for a being who had once only followed the will of God. This doesn't seem so bad if it's just a choice between strawberry or peach. But other than choices in obvious justice or unquestionable "rightness", this causes grave problems in the consequences of his actions; or rather, his inactions. It's difficult for Jude to find a way to choose in situations where problems aren't black and white, good or bad. Yet often many conflicts seem to have gray areas, and without God's omnipotence, there's no way he can resolve all the pros and cons, rightness and wrongness of each situation. While even Jude realizes that inaction can also be a moral crime, he's left helpless in the face of uncertainty, and if he acts, he acts on impulsion.
» Journal: archistrategos
» Sample Journal: I'm looking for a boy. Brown hair, blue eyes. He must be around 20 years old, 5'10. It's important that I find him. He's important to me. If anyone has seen him, someone like him, I need to know.
» Sample Roleplay: His eyes were narrowed by the glow of the sunlight, and yet Lucifer looked more radiant then than Michael had ever seen him. He'd heard the call that rang through the Heavens; the Great Command and the First Condemnation ever wrought by God. Yet Michael was fixated on those eyes. Dark now, as dark as the barren space. But then he didn't look away. What would have made a good brother go astray? Whatever changed him had made him beautiful - 'beautiful', but only too different to be an angelic sort of beauty. Cheap beauty, or it wasn't beauty at all. All of Heaven seemed to come to a still, like a pause for a breath, waiting for a sentencing never heard before. Michael stood nearby when Lucifer's wings were spread open, casting a sharp shadow as they were pinned and clipped, as his feathers fell like black leaves from a tree. And Michael didn't intervene in his stead. He could have. If Lucifer sought equality in a sin that was beyond his control, then the only angel he could have turned to in his last hour was Michael. But Michael didn't question the fairness of a punishment doled out to a creature too vain for paradise.
The sky was deep blue and almost indistinguishable from the sea. Michael unfolded his wings and cast them facing the sun as Lucifer's entourage waited from the skies below. To each enemy of God, another angel was sent to seize and capture, until all of the hosts were restrained. He read the leer on Lucifer's lips and somehow it agitated his peace of mind. Perhaps he thought of posing questions to his Just brother Michael; what if there was a powerful truth out there which could have been more revelational than God Himself? But Michael's instinct wrested on improbability; and he had been thusly named, after all, because nothing in the universe was greater than God. There was no true creature of Heaven who wished to hear the enemy speak. As he approached the pedestal from where Lucifer would Fall, Michael did fear that there would be creatures in the future who would face the same blasphemy which fated Lucifer to this moment. The last feathers had already come loose, but he reached forward to grasp them with tight fingers, unraveling them from the bony skeleton of what wings remained.
When next he turned, Michael saw the sky above him and the sea below him, and his own wings tore with the vengeance which Lucifer brought against him. It was a dream he replayed over and over again.