The Better Angels Of Our Nature (Essay/Workshop)
THE BETTER ANGELS OF OUR NATURE
The quote above is from Abraham Lincoln’s First Inaugural Address in 1861, and fits this story perfectly:
"We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies.
...when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature."
This essay centers around The Better Angels, a Clark/Bruce fantasy in which the boys are literally Angels, and the Quest for Pure Souls that they embark on together.
The idea for The Better Angels came from a prompt by asm613 from my DCU GSB Fic Request Meme. It was a great prompt but for whatever reason, I couldn’t get it going, but I did when I came up with the idea that Bruce would not just be an Angel, or an avenging one, but Death itself.
Kal would be the Angel of Light, the natural course of events, and the light and dark theme could be emphasized with these two characters. Yet while the first chapter introduces them at their first meeting and accentuates their differences, I was interested in showing their similarities as well, as they are charged with a Quest to find souls for the Light.
The Light And The Dark Need Each Other
At first the Angels appear to be total opposites, and that would be a good appraisal, as Kal dwells in Light and sees a soul’s Light, while Death dwells in darkness and sees a soul’s rot.
But it is soon revealed that while Kal is bringing people to the Light, he can’t do it without Death. So they must form a partnership, and gradually they become a good working team.
One of the souls to be taken is the Joker, and Death dispatches him without remorse, because the Joker’s soul is rotted clean through. Kal recognizes that but still regrets the loss of a soul.
Lex was included as a soul because I decided to use Smallville Lex to some degree. He’s not a master criminal because there’s no Superman in this world, but he’s a big businessman who is decidedly shady, and when Death readies to take his soul, Kal stops him, seeing a flicker of Light deep within Lex. He gives him ‘a year-and-a-day’ to reform, otherwise Death will take him.
Death As Tortured Soul
Death never shows his face, and that gives him an air of mystery as well as wondering what he’s hiding. He is grim and unrelenting but lonely. And he is adamant that he isn’t a Fallen One, one of the Prince of Darkness’ minions.
He is from Above, and yet feels separate from them, as it’s a good bet that he doesn’t get invited to many heavenly parties. ;)
Kal is drawn to him, and that underscores their ‘across time and place’.
Destiny, Alternate Universes, And Other Philosophies
The way that Kal and Death connect made me think of one of my favorite themes: Destiny between two people across time and space. No matter what the era or what universe, they always seem to find each other.
I also added the bit about people having a Time to die, thinking of Death’s occupation. Does having a Time mean that people don’t have free will? No, because as Death explains, what choices you make eventually coalesce into a Time, and that’s when he comes upon the scene. If it’s not your Time, he isn’t supposed to take your soul.
It fit with the Christian allegories I used as a backdrop. Even non-Christians would recognize some of they symbols, I felt, of angels and souls, heaven and hell, and the good vs. evil theme.
Of course, I did add that Angels were sensual creatures, enjoying food and sex, and that’s not exactly Christian, is it? ;) But while I used some of the symbolism, it was always meant as something to draw on, but not adhere to in every way.
The sensuality scares Death, but Kal is a patient Angel. He’ll wait.
I did enjoy using feathers as sexual allegory. ;)
Transformation
In the final chapter, I had to come up with a powerful enough scene to wrap things up the way I wanted. I hadn’t thought of Dick before this, but then he tapped me on the shoulder and asked to be included. :)
It was a sad scene, as John and Mary Grayson were claimed for the Light after their ropes broke during their acrobatic performance, and Dick was supposed to be claimed as well, but Death broke down with the boy in his arms, and Dick’s compassion and lack of fear (his nickname in the past in canon was fearless) brought about the climax of the story. Dick pushed Death’s hood back, and instead of a scarred or malformed visage that was hidden, we and Kal saw beauty of almost a painful sort. Kal touched Bruce and Dick, Death remembering his time as Bruce Wayne before he became Death, reliving his parents’ murders, and the Light healed them all.
The end was upbeat, and I honestly hadn’t known how it would end when I started, which is unusual for me. I tend to have some idea of where I’m going with a story, but sometimes I just go with the flow. :)
I enjoyed writing a story with religious and mythic undertones, and throwing in a little philosophy as well. And Angels who were sexy and woobie? Bingo! ;)
The quote above is from Abraham Lincoln’s First Inaugural Address in 1861, and fits this story perfectly:
"We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies.
...when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature."
This essay centers around The Better Angels, a Clark/Bruce fantasy in which the boys are literally Angels, and the Quest for Pure Souls that they embark on together.
The idea for The Better Angels came from a prompt by asm613 from my DCU GSB Fic Request Meme. It was a great prompt but for whatever reason, I couldn’t get it going, but I did when I came up with the idea that Bruce would not just be an Angel, or an avenging one, but Death itself.
Kal would be the Angel of Light, the natural course of events, and the light and dark theme could be emphasized with these two characters. Yet while the first chapter introduces them at their first meeting and accentuates their differences, I was interested in showing their similarities as well, as they are charged with a Quest to find souls for the Light.
The Light And The Dark Need Each Other
At first the Angels appear to be total opposites, and that would be a good appraisal, as Kal dwells in Light and sees a soul’s Light, while Death dwells in darkness and sees a soul’s rot.
But it is soon revealed that while Kal is bringing people to the Light, he can’t do it without Death. So they must form a partnership, and gradually they become a good working team.
One of the souls to be taken is the Joker, and Death dispatches him without remorse, because the Joker’s soul is rotted clean through. Kal recognizes that but still regrets the loss of a soul.
Lex was included as a soul because I decided to use Smallville Lex to some degree. He’s not a master criminal because there’s no Superman in this world, but he’s a big businessman who is decidedly shady, and when Death readies to take his soul, Kal stops him, seeing a flicker of Light deep within Lex. He gives him ‘a year-and-a-day’ to reform, otherwise Death will take him.
Death As Tortured Soul
Death never shows his face, and that gives him an air of mystery as well as wondering what he’s hiding. He is grim and unrelenting but lonely. And he is adamant that he isn’t a Fallen One, one of the Prince of Darkness’ minions.
He is from Above, and yet feels separate from them, as it’s a good bet that he doesn’t get invited to many heavenly parties. ;)
Kal is drawn to him, and that underscores their ‘across time and place’.
Destiny, Alternate Universes, And Other Philosophies
The way that Kal and Death connect made me think of one of my favorite themes: Destiny between two people across time and space. No matter what the era or what universe, they always seem to find each other.
I also added the bit about people having a Time to die, thinking of Death’s occupation. Does having a Time mean that people don’t have free will? No, because as Death explains, what choices you make eventually coalesce into a Time, and that’s when he comes upon the scene. If it’s not your Time, he isn’t supposed to take your soul.
It fit with the Christian allegories I used as a backdrop. Even non-Christians would recognize some of they symbols, I felt, of angels and souls, heaven and hell, and the good vs. evil theme.
Of course, I did add that Angels were sensual creatures, enjoying food and sex, and that’s not exactly Christian, is it? ;) But while I used some of the symbolism, it was always meant as something to draw on, but not adhere to in every way.
The sensuality scares Death, but Kal is a patient Angel. He’ll wait.
I did enjoy using feathers as sexual allegory. ;)
Transformation
In the final chapter, I had to come up with a powerful enough scene to wrap things up the way I wanted. I hadn’t thought of Dick before this, but then he tapped me on the shoulder and asked to be included. :)
It was a sad scene, as John and Mary Grayson were claimed for the Light after their ropes broke during their acrobatic performance, and Dick was supposed to be claimed as well, but Death broke down with the boy in his arms, and Dick’s compassion and lack of fear (his nickname in the past in canon was fearless) brought about the climax of the story. Dick pushed Death’s hood back, and instead of a scarred or malformed visage that was hidden, we and Kal saw beauty of almost a painful sort. Kal touched Bruce and Dick, Death remembering his time as Bruce Wayne before he became Death, reliving his parents’ murders, and the Light healed them all.
The end was upbeat, and I honestly hadn’t known how it would end when I started, which is unusual for me. I tend to have some idea of where I’m going with a story, but sometimes I just go with the flow. :)
I enjoyed writing a story with religious and mythic undertones, and throwing in a little philosophy as well. And Angels who were sexy and woobie? Bingo! ;)