essay essay who's got an essay
What: The one Raphael essay to rule them all. Well, not really, but it's the one essay I really wanted to do. So, in this essay, we have Grigori, punishments of heaven, Raphael's warped mentality, and, in a vague, roundabout way, what it all has to do with Sara. Not really a strict pairing essay at all because to be honest Raph re: Sara probably deserves a whole essay to itself. But a look at something overlooked.
Notes/Etc.: I can't write an essay without at some point making fun of the subject of it. Spoilers for the series up until.... volume 16? That sounds about right. I also don't yet have all my sources referenced/pages uploaded but these will be added. I try to be semi-credible. Try. AS OF NOVEMBER 3, 2011, this essay is unfinished.
Punishments in Heaven
There's Alexiel's supposed ultimate punishment, of course-- body and soul split, and cursed to have an infinite amount of tragic reincarnations as a human. The series itself hinges on what happens when this program corrupts and the cycle breaks.
Then, of course, you've got what happens to Zaphkiel and untold amounts of angels Sevotharte deemed undesirable: the wing drop. Before the first war in heaven, you've even got Raphael completely freaked out over the possiblity of being tried and punished in court for the offense of.... watching a lesbian makeout (and being assumed to have gotten off on it, in the minds of the jury). Yes.
But. Go back further than that. The Grigori, as the lowest of the angels, were also the closest (assuming biologically) to humans. Their offense: mating with humans, producing the first of the Evils through that union. This caused the Grigori to lose their bodies and have their mental abilities slowed.
When Katan relates the story to Kirie, she scoffs at it-- it's old hat, textbook-type stuff-- and if an ST candidate would be familiar enough with the tale to be bored by it, Raphael can very reasonably be assumed to be just as well-versed, if not more so.
So why doesn't the prospect of possibly losing his body ever stop Raphael? No one else is quite as concerned with staying out of anything that could jeopardize him as he is, up until his hand is forced (as it is, continuously, by our incestuous heroes as well as our beloved dictator) and he has to outright choose a side. He's consistently pointing out-- if offhand and dryly-- the likely consequences of his actions. He admits to Sara he'd probably be killed just for hiding her from Sevotharte; he says he could have criminal charges filed against him for resurrecting Setsuna; he even tells the guard he kills that, should things go awry, he'd be put through a show trial just like Sara's/Gabriel's...
For crimes ten times worse than committing incest. Among them, obviously, is his massive amount of philandering (incest by technicality-- but while all angels are related, not all angels are siblings), the fact that he's betraying his own government and by (Sevotharte's) extension, God, and-- quite possibly-- the fact that he's a little bit in love with a human.
So again, the question presents itself: why doesn't this stop him?
Option 1: he doesn't think it'll happen, via--
lies
Raphael has a long history of worming his way out of displeasing things (like his clothes and emotions). If he's ever caught with Sara, well. He'll cover it up. Maybe make some excuse and claim to really be in love with the angel Gabriel, rather than the human reincarnation. This is a surprisingly easy out-- after all, she is in that body (and he wouldn't be the first to make this error, either). This is, in fact, a stronger version of the out people try to give Raphael on several occasions: that his desperate, uncharacteristic efforts to save Sara stem not from Sara herself but from the memory of Gabriel. That their history together, their Elemental bond, is strong enough that he can't just let her die.
Except he never takes that out. He denies it vehemently every time it's presented.
extremeness
The other argument along these lines is, simply, that a punishment like the Grigori's is too archaic and severe to ever be something for Raphael to worry about. Howsomeever. Sevotharte, quite frankly, is a master of heavy-handed tortures and punishments, and Raphael has been a thorn in his side for a couple thousand years too long already.
By instigating Sara's trial in the first place, Sevotharte hopes to both make an example of her, solidify his tenuous grip on Heaven, and gain her powers. Frankly, Raphael would make a far easier and more culpable target in a trial of his own-- a fact Sevotharte uses to his advantage during the blackmail scene-- and the overall outcome of this trial would have been the same, perhaps even better, because Raphael's already a stained figure in Heaven's hierarchy. There is the definite possibility that a loss of body is beyond Sevotharte's power to instigate. However Sevotharte not taking full advantage of Raphael's sins and punishing them to the highest extent possible, if given the opportunity, is laughable.
deus ex machina
He thinks Uriel as the true judge of heaven and someone firmly on Setsuna's side (and by extension, Sara's) will save him.
Wait. Raphael never consciously thinks anyone will save him. But stay tuned for option 3.
Option 2: he's hit rock bottom
Lusting over a human is about as low as an angel-- particularly an Elemental angel, who's essentially reached the saturation point as far as powers and authority go-- can sink, even without the threat of sharing the fate of the Grigori. Raphael himself refers to humans as apes just before his ill-fated fistfight with Setsuna. And while you can argue that he just wanted to rile up Setsuna, he's probably just echoing not only his opinion but the opinion of heaven at large.
If Raphael weren't already a lech, it's not particularly likely he could ever reconcile having affection for a human. But since he's probably the most infamous lech still in heaven, this affection becomes, if nowhere near acceptable, at least understandable, and easier to write off in his own mind. Raphael's just taken the final step into total depravity. It's to be expected.
This mentality is self-serving to the core. It's extremely reductive, freeing Raphael up from any cold and hard reflections on what, exactly, he wants out of his relationship with Sara. She becomes more of a thrill than a person. Raphael is tired of his women-- he doesn't so much as bother to hide his affairs anymore. The danger with any of his "patients" is minimal; the danger with Sara could cost him everything. Raphael never glosses this fact over, or romanticizes it-- because in terms of social prestige, he's lost everything already. He's intimately, painfully familiar with at least part of the concept.
The memory of Gabriel likely factors in as well: what better way to get back, albeit indirectly, at her for being "unable to stand the sight of him" (according to Sevotharte) and "hating him for what he was doing to the female angels" than by trying to bed her reincarnation? He's still in love, lust, whatever, with a human, but he's bringing Gabriel down in the process. I don't quite subscribe to the fanon theory that he was sexually attracted on more than a superficial level to Gabriel (though I'm positive he made advances on her), but the resentment he still holds towards her lurks directly beneath his usual apathetic facade, visible during most of his early reactions to Sara herself.
Option 3: Sara as salvation
But wait, I just said Raphael never believes anyone will save him...! ... Consciously.
Thanks to being human, and lacking any memories of Gabriel, Sara is completely removed from any knowledge of well, anyone's backstory. She doesn't even get Setsuna's random plot-relevent insights. Of all the characters with multiple identities in the narrative (with the exception of Doll/Kirie), she gets the least amount of information, not only on what she was perceived as being, but also on her former relationships with others (beyond the Grigori and Sevotharte).
What this means, basically, is that Raphael was never under any obligation to dredge up his own backstory. His timing on this is interesting and very intentional-- very soon after he's taken her away from the trial and brought her back to life. He's withholding information right, left, and sideways from Sara and Michael both. It's right at the moment when, frankly, Raphael both believes himself to be and comes across as most on-top. It might seem like an odd point at which to share any vulnerabilities at all, much less those that cost him so dearly, but Raphael's baring his soul for a reason. And that reason is he wants Sara to stay and save him.
Raphael is not out for anyone's sympathy as much as he is their understanding. His motivations seem murkiest to Sara for perfectly obvious reasons: he wants her, but he also seems to want anyone else with breasts; he blows off his own acts of kindness; he's unconcerned-- he's got an extreme push-pull mentality towards her. And yet she figures him out anyway. That terrifies and attracts him simultaneously. He tries to push her insights into his character onto her being young and her being a human, but the damage is already done, so to speak. Raphael's hit, and hit hard, by each assertion she makes.
By revealing his past with Belial, he's trying to provide some sort of context for his behavior, furthering Sara's understanding of him. (Unfortunately, for someone as insightful as Sara is generally touted as being, this is one instance where she doesn't seem to hit on what really happened to him, and despite her obvious confusion, Raphael doesn't elaborate.) This is, honestly, a massive step, and probably in a way more intimidating to admit than his love confession later on-- he's revealing the most devastating thing that ever happened to him, leaving himself wide open for disbelief (the old "but women can't rape men" mentality), judgment calls, pity, and rejection, most, if not all of which, are very gender-related. With this revelation goes the last of Raphael's facades.
With this option, too, Sara's being human and whatever kind of punishment Raphael would receive thanks to that... it's not that it's irrelevant, but it's superseded by the belief he has that after seeing him for what he is, she'll rescue him.
Notes/Etc.: I can't write an essay without at some point making fun of the subject of it. Spoilers for the series up until.... volume 16? That sounds about right. I also don't yet have all my sources referenced/pages uploaded but these will be added. I try to be semi-credible. Try. AS OF NOVEMBER 3, 2011, this essay is unfinished.
Punishments in Heaven
There's Alexiel's supposed ultimate punishment, of course-- body and soul split, and cursed to have an infinite amount of tragic reincarnations as a human. The series itself hinges on what happens when this program corrupts and the cycle breaks.
Then, of course, you've got what happens to Zaphkiel and untold amounts of angels Sevotharte deemed undesirable: the wing drop. Before the first war in heaven, you've even got Raphael completely freaked out over the possiblity of being tried and punished in court for the offense of.... watching a lesbian makeout (and being assumed to have gotten off on it, in the minds of the jury). Yes.
But. Go back further than that. The Grigori, as the lowest of the angels, were also the closest (assuming biologically) to humans. Their offense: mating with humans, producing the first of the Evils through that union. This caused the Grigori to lose their bodies and have their mental abilities slowed.
When Katan relates the story to Kirie, she scoffs at it-- it's old hat, textbook-type stuff-- and if an ST candidate would be familiar enough with the tale to be bored by it, Raphael can very reasonably be assumed to be just as well-versed, if not more so.
So why doesn't the prospect of possibly losing his body ever stop Raphael? No one else is quite as concerned with staying out of anything that could jeopardize him as he is, up until his hand is forced (as it is, continuously, by our incestuous heroes as well as our beloved dictator) and he has to outright choose a side. He's consistently pointing out-- if offhand and dryly-- the likely consequences of his actions. He admits to Sara he'd probably be killed just for hiding her from Sevotharte; he says he could have criminal charges filed against him for resurrecting Setsuna; he even tells the guard he kills that, should things go awry, he'd be put through a show trial just like Sara's/Gabriel's...
For crimes ten times worse than committing incest. Among them, obviously, is his massive amount of philandering (incest by technicality-- but while all angels are related, not all angels are siblings), the fact that he's betraying his own government and by (Sevotharte's) extension, God, and-- quite possibly-- the fact that he's a little bit in love with a human.
So again, the question presents itself: why doesn't this stop him?
Option 1: he doesn't think it'll happen, via--
Raphael has a long history of worming his way out of displeasing things (like his clothes and emotions). If he's ever caught with Sara, well. He'll cover it up. Maybe make some excuse and claim to really be in love with the angel Gabriel, rather than the human reincarnation. This is a surprisingly easy out-- after all, she is in that body (and he wouldn't be the first to make this error, either). This is, in fact, a stronger version of the out people try to give Raphael on several occasions: that his desperate, uncharacteristic efforts to save Sara stem not from Sara herself but from the memory of Gabriel. That their history together, their Elemental bond, is strong enough that he can't just let her die.
Except he never takes that out. He denies it vehemently every time it's presented.
The other argument along these lines is, simply, that a punishment like the Grigori's is too archaic and severe to ever be something for Raphael to worry about. Howsomeever. Sevotharte, quite frankly, is a master of heavy-handed tortures and punishments, and Raphael has been a thorn in his side for a couple thousand years too long already.
By instigating Sara's trial in the first place, Sevotharte hopes to both make an example of her, solidify his tenuous grip on Heaven, and gain her powers. Frankly, Raphael would make a far easier and more culpable target in a trial of his own-- a fact Sevotharte uses to his advantage during the blackmail scene-- and the overall outcome of this trial would have been the same, perhaps even better, because Raphael's already a stained figure in Heaven's hierarchy. There is the definite possibility that a loss of body is beyond Sevotharte's power to instigate. However Sevotharte not taking full advantage of Raphael's sins and punishing them to the highest extent possible, if given the opportunity, is laughable.
He thinks Uriel as the true judge of heaven and someone firmly on Setsuna's side (and by extension, Sara's) will save him.
Wait. Raphael never consciously thinks anyone will save him. But stay tuned for option 3.
Option 2: he's hit rock bottom
Lusting over a human is about as low as an angel-- particularly an Elemental angel, who's essentially reached the saturation point as far as powers and authority go-- can sink, even without the threat of sharing the fate of the Grigori. Raphael himself refers to humans as apes just before his ill-fated fistfight with Setsuna. And while you can argue that he just wanted to rile up Setsuna, he's probably just echoing not only his opinion but the opinion of heaven at large.
If Raphael weren't already a lech, it's not particularly likely he could ever reconcile having affection for a human. But since he's probably the most infamous lech still in heaven, this affection becomes, if nowhere near acceptable, at least understandable, and easier to write off in his own mind. Raphael's just taken the final step into total depravity. It's to be expected.
This mentality is self-serving to the core. It's extremely reductive, freeing Raphael up from any cold and hard reflections on what, exactly, he wants out of his relationship with Sara. She becomes more of a thrill than a person. Raphael is tired of his women-- he doesn't so much as bother to hide his affairs anymore. The danger with any of his "patients" is minimal; the danger with Sara could cost him everything. Raphael never glosses this fact over, or romanticizes it-- because in terms of social prestige, he's lost everything already. He's intimately, painfully familiar with at least part of the concept.
The memory of Gabriel likely factors in as well: what better way to get back, albeit indirectly, at her for being "unable to stand the sight of him" (according to Sevotharte) and "hating him for what he was doing to the female angels" than by trying to bed her reincarnation? He's still in love, lust, whatever, with a human, but he's bringing Gabriel down in the process. I don't quite subscribe to the fanon theory that he was sexually attracted on more than a superficial level to Gabriel (though I'm positive he made advances on her), but the resentment he still holds towards her lurks directly beneath his usual apathetic facade, visible during most of his early reactions to Sara herself.
Option 3: Sara as salvation
But wait, I just said Raphael never believes anyone will save him...! ... Consciously.
Thanks to being human, and lacking any memories of Gabriel, Sara is completely removed from any knowledge of well, anyone's backstory. She doesn't even get Setsuna's random plot-relevent insights. Of all the characters with multiple identities in the narrative (with the exception of Doll/Kirie), she gets the least amount of information, not only on what she was perceived as being, but also on her former relationships with others (beyond the Grigori and Sevotharte).
What this means, basically, is that Raphael was never under any obligation to dredge up his own backstory. His timing on this is interesting and very intentional-- very soon after he's taken her away from the trial and brought her back to life. He's withholding information right, left, and sideways from Sara and Michael both. It's right at the moment when, frankly, Raphael both believes himself to be and comes across as most on-top. It might seem like an odd point at which to share any vulnerabilities at all, much less those that cost him so dearly, but Raphael's baring his soul for a reason. And that reason is he wants Sara to stay and save him.
Raphael is not out for anyone's sympathy as much as he is their understanding. His motivations seem murkiest to Sara for perfectly obvious reasons: he wants her, but he also seems to want anyone else with breasts; he blows off his own acts of kindness; he's unconcerned-- he's got an extreme push-pull mentality towards her. And yet she figures him out anyway. That terrifies and attracts him simultaneously. He tries to push her insights into his character onto her being young and her being a human, but the damage is already done, so to speak. Raphael's hit, and hit hard, by each assertion she makes.
By revealing his past with Belial, he's trying to provide some sort of context for his behavior, furthering Sara's understanding of him. (Unfortunately, for someone as insightful as Sara is generally touted as being, this is one instance where she doesn't seem to hit on what really happened to him, and despite her obvious confusion, Raphael doesn't elaborate.) This is, honestly, a massive step, and probably in a way more intimidating to admit than his love confession later on-- he's revealing the most devastating thing that ever happened to him, leaving himself wide open for disbelief (the old "but women can't rape men" mentality), judgment calls, pity, and rejection, most, if not all of which, are very gender-related. With this revelation goes the last of Raphael's facades.
With this option, too, Sara's being human and whatever kind of punishment Raphael would receive thanks to that... it's not that it's irrelevant, but it's superseded by the belief he has that after seeing him for what he is, she'll rescue him.