Fill: Challenge #52 (Good Omens)

[shivver]

This is for Good Omens, and follows on another fic of mine. It builds on ideas from that fic and thus probably won't make sense to anyone, because I've found that my headcanons don't match most people's. [For example, I think it's pretty clear from the book and the show that Crowley was a bottom-tier angel before the Fall, but the fandom seems to believe that he was at least an archangel, and specifically was the archangel Raphael. I think that's based on something like "Raphael" means "healer" and in the book, Crowley was the one who resurrected the dove, so he's got to be Raphael. It's probably more just wishful thinking, that their favorite character couldn't have been just a plain ol' angel. ;) ]

The fandom also doesn't like that I have him as an angel with the name "Crawly". I've actually gotten admonishments about that. Apparently "Crawly" couldn't have been his angel name, that he only chose it when he became a snake demon, despite no evidence about his angel name anywhere in canon.

It's been highly amusing how invested these people get in this.

This scene is set just before God casts Lucifer's angels (and Crawly) out of Heaven. The angels have no idea what's about to happen. I put "and Crawly" in parentheses because that was the point of the previous story, that Crawly wasn't one of Lucifer's angels and didn't deserve to be cast out but God threw him out with the others for her own reasons, as part of the Ineffable Plan.


It wasn't quite the Beginning; a very long time after it, actually, by man's reckoning, if there'd been any men around to observe it, which there weren't. An angel might have reckoned it to be a fair dollop of time after the Beginning, long enough for twenty million beings with cosmic powers to fill the universe the Lord had created with, well, the universe.

It also wasn't quite a formless void. The indicated expanse of Heaven contained nothing - no mass, no light, not even a whisper of thought - but as it was part of Heaven, it wasn't void, either. Perhaps it was Heaven-shaped.

Whatever it was, however, it suddenly was not. Twenty million angels shone against the background of the fledgling universe, arrayed in their legions according to the celestial hierarchy, an unprecedented gathering of puissant beings as had never been seen before.

Literally never before, thought Crawly as he took in the panorama. As cosmic forces, angels had no physical, visible form. The Metatron's order to gather had stipulated that each angel must take a physical form of the new species the Lord would be creating shortly, which she called "humans". This was to celebrate the launch of the Great Plan, and the Host had obeyed. Human-shaped angels of every design, garbed in white tunics and backed by the feathered wings the angels had always had - even if they had never been visible or even tangible - stretched as far as he could see.

Which admittedly wasn't far, as the view from the bottom is never particularly expansive. As a rank-and-file angel - no fancy names for his kind, not even a prefix - Crawly was content as he was, though perhaps he'd love a chance to see things from above rather than below.

The angel next to him leant over and whispered, "Brilliant, innit? It's all starting, finally."

Crawly remembered the angel's name was Silven. He'd just met him a millennium ago at Lucifer's do on the balcony above the Medusa Merger. He certainly wasn't the angel who'd been in that position the last time the Host had assembled, billions of years ago. That'd been Arjonus. Nothing ever changed in Heaven, so Crawly wondered silently where she'd gone. "So they've said."

"Do you think we'll get our reward now, for all our hard work?" He glanced upward, toward the gallery of seraphim, cherubim, and ophanim high above them, almost beyond angelic sight. "Lucifer thought we wouldn't. He said we'll always be down here at the very bottom."

Is that so bad? Crawly thought. The concept of a reward hadn't even occurred to him. The freedom to build the universe as he saw fit, with occasional oversight from the dominion at the head of his legion, was reward in itself. What else does an angel need? He sniffed, then wondered if this "nose" thing on his face would always be so... sloppy. The only thing I've wanted was any answers to my questions. He deigned not to admit to himself that he seemed to be the only angel asking them.

He attempted a mollifying smile, though he expected he'd failed miserably. This form - any body at all, really - was going to take some getting used to. "I'm sure we'll get what we deserve."

A blast from the first-ever trumpet sounded above them. "Oh!" exclaimed Silven, straightening into stance. "That must be her."

Crawly had also snapped to attention. This promises to be interesting.

Comments

[lantairvlea]

Not familiar with the fandom, but this bit does promise to be interesting!

[shivver]

I will always cheerlead for Good Omens. I won't force Doctor Who on anyone, because it's really an acquired taste, but I'd encourage GO for anyone who appreciates absurdity.

The book and the show are both awesome. The book is by Sir Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman... 'nuff said. The show, well, it's 6 episodes and free to view if you have Amazon Prime.

[lantairvlea]

Does it need any better ensorsement than Sir Pratchett and Mr. Gaiman? I'll have to poke at it this summer. I'm moving into summer hours so my time from 12-5pm becomes rather vacant (work outside, regularly 100+F/37+C).