The Fates of Angels

I thought it might be helpful to have a bit of background on the book that I'm writing, just so anyone can see if it's their sort of thing and if they have any inclination to follow it.

It tells the story of a Guardian Angel called Dagan who has been in the prodigious role for millenia now and is basically completely sick of it. He has grown to despise the people he is meant to be looking out for, angry at how they seem to get away with anything and how they can make vast choices (even going so far as to denounce God) while he is practically a prisoner in his own "vocation". When it becomes apparent to him that he cannot get out of his position by request, he decides to take matters into his own hands in a plot that involves Lucifer himself.

When Elias, a young man recently appointed GA apprentice, meets Dagan they strike up an unlikely partnership. Dagan sees him as someone with enough curiosity and stubborness to prove useful in his scheme while Elias finds his mentor fascinating and mysterious and is willing to push many boundaries to uncover his history.

Thrown into the mix are Ravon, a charge of Dagan's whom he is especially protective of for reasons unknown to any but him; Isaac, a confederate soldier who perished in the Civil War and has yet to be retrieved from limbo; Diego, a junior GA who, due to a malfunction, isn't actually quite dead yet and Erich, a remnant of Dagan's life currently residing in the darkest circle of hell.

Genre-wise, I would describe it as a fantasy thriller, I suppose. It has elements of humour throughout and is more character based, rather than plot focused.

Characters - The Fates of Angels

Due to the various communities I've joined on DW so far, there will undoubtedly be posts told from the perspective of my various characters and so I wanted to sum them up a bit for anyone (the icons for each charater can be found below, and yes I know I used Callisto for Erich but she's the closest thing to how I imagine him!). I will tag posts with the character's name, just to make it clear if it isn't elsewhere.



Dagan Foster: One of the central characters of the book (probably the main character if there need be one). He is a senior guardian angel, having been one of those original tasked with the job and has been in the position for several millennia. He has become utterly disenchanted with the role and wants out by any means necessary. He is hard-hearted, introverted but with a fierce passion for things he believes in.

Elias Campbell: Another central character, Elias dies in the opening chapter to become a guardian angel and apprentice to Dagan. At only 22, he is one of the younger GA's and his endless curiosity and tenacity cause a stir amidst the community. He values honesty and integrity and is a very wholesome person but his intrigue of Dagan's past and the inner workings of the GA system force him to take a big step out of his comfort zone and take some major risks.

Ravon Evermore: A very important character but one that takes awhile to appear in the text. Ravon is a 31-year-old Australian woman and former charge of Dagan's. "Former" being a somewhat inaccurate term seeing as how she gets more attention from him than any of his others. She is the only human being to be without a GA as several years ago Dagan pushed her to such limits, testing her resolve that she finally went against him and he deemed her worthy of total free-will and stopped acting as a conscience. However, that didn't work so well for her and he is soon faced directly with the consequences of his meddling. She's quick-witted, hard-working and loving but has a bone-deep anxiety that haunts her every move.

Diego Martinez: A supporting character, Diego is another GA. He immediately hits it off with Elias and shows him the ropes. He's energetic and fun-loving and also not quite dead. The council were slightly to eager in recruiting him that they didn't wait the appropriate length of time before assignment and didn't realise that he was on life support. As a result, whenever he flatlines in the hospital, he will temporarily vanish from heaven only to return several hours later when he stabilises. He doesn't like Dagan and the feeling is mutual. He is kind-hearted but internally struggles with back and forth he suffers and becomes increasingly undecided about his allegiances.

Isaac Westwood: Another supporting character, Isaac is a confederate soldier who died during the Civil War and is still currently stuck in limbo. Because of the numerous deaths at the time, there was quite a waiting list to get into heaven or hell and he suspects he fell through the net somehow. It's gone on so long that it's believed that neither side wants to admit that they missed something as serious as a human soul and just keep putting it off indefinitely. As such, he cannot leave the cubic space of his grave site and wallows in the cold and dreary existence that is limbo. He is one of the few people that Dagan can tolerate, visiting him fairly often. He is a voracious reader, a loyal companion and powerful ally but he is slowly losing the battle of will against the psychosis that limbo can provoke.

Lucifer: The prince of darkness himself is a supporting character, albeit a very important one. He has a partnership with Dagan but is rather fond of the angel, in his own way. He thoroughly enjoys his work, especially the little details that people take for granted, and is remarkably easy going and deceivingly friendly. He's certainly a charmer and it's easy to get sucked in by his voice and smiles. He's controlled, devious and enigmatic but he is also terrifying and single-minded. The potential to get back into heaven is his overwhelming goal and little will detract him from that. He won't let it.

Erich: A minor character but one that has a lot of influence on Dagan's character. They were friends back in their mortal life but Erich betrayed Dagan many times over and left his mark over the man's soul. For his sins (of which there were countless), he found himself in one of the deeper circles of hell to suffer for eternity. But his mind never strays from Dagan and he still vows to tear him apart a piece at a time. He is psychotic, chaotic and sadistic. Absolutely no redeeming features there.

Questionnaire Response

1) If you had a weakness for one of the seven deadly sins (envy, gluttony, greed, lust, pride, sloth, wrath), which one would it be and why?

You're really asking a Guardian Angel about the seven deadly sins? How entertaining. My reputation proceeds me, I suppose. They have always seemed frivolous and dull to me but perhaps envy. But it's hardly fair to be blamed when the imbicilic herd known as humanity are given so many choices and chances and I...well. That's a different question, isn't it? And maybe you should add wrath to that answer.

2) What do you do when you are angry?

Ah, anger. Angels don't feel anger, we aren't supposed to feel anything. But I remember how it felt and, as each day passes, I feel it return more and more. I don't tend to react to it, it would be fruitless after all, but I can't say that throwing the occasional item doesn't do something for me. But the blank reactions of the others only serves to frustrate me more.

3) Do you have a secret passion? What is it? Why is it a passion? And why is it a secret?

If it's secret, what makes you think I'd share it with you? Millenia of the same thing tends to quash the passion out of anything, it becomes tedium. I suppose in an abstract sense, I have a passion for the unpredictable. It's not something that is appreciated (or common) here and we aren't exactly encouraged to cause rifts in the norm...perhaps that's where the appeal lies.

4) How do you think people see you as a person, either internally or externally?

I think people have given up trying to see me and I like it that way. I don't need their judgement at every turn, it just impedes me from my work. That, in itself, is probably an answer. They see me as an outsider, a burden, a menace. The funny thing is, they don't even know the half of it.

5) How do you see yourself?

...A shell.

From a prompt on muse_prompts