Good advice for anyone.
Goodness⌠I didnât know Michael is canonically in love with GabrielâŚ
Going to have two official runs now.
Michael is canonically a disaster.
Not only is he in love with Gabriel, but someone is manipulating him with it.
Iâll have to see how my primary Gabby reacts when the time comes, but Iâm honestly not sure a Michael romance would work for her, despite how much I personally like him. It depends on what the secret is, and whether she can reform Heaven to her liking, or, if not, whether Michael would be okay with leaving (not necessarily falling). Sheâs not the manipulative type, so if heâs super pro-Heaven sheâd probably just make her goodbyes.
Spoilery tumblr asks below
Anonymous asked:
MmmâŚI started out liking Michael, but, I donât know. Some of his over-controlling actions/attempts at limiting Gabrielâs freedom come off as dangerously close to the âabusive, possessive boyfriendâ line, no matter how heartfelt and good his intentions are.
DK:Iâve made mention of this before, but Michael was not originally an RO. Heâs always been in love with Gabriel, but he wasnât an RO for pretty much those exact reasons.
Heâs gotten twisted around, due mostly to a certain influence that no one else knows about, and heâs blindly following what he believes is best.
If Gabriel can get him to take of his blinders, then they can have a healthy relationship. Michael can change and grow, but it will take some work and patience if you want to romance him.
In some ways, the love triangle angle is a little easier because Ramiel has no qualms about slapping sense into him when Michael starts behaving that way.
Michael was and is meant to be an antagonistic force for at least the beginning of this game. Heâs not going to become the perfect gentleman overnight. Itâs possible, but whether you or your Gabriel want to invest the time and effort working with him on changing his views is up to you.
Anonymous asked:
Is there a reason why Michael specifically was involved in all this secret-keeping? I kind of feel really bad for him now. âLetâs involve this potentailly already high-strung angel and involve him in some pretty sinister secrets with repercussion about his nest-mate who heâs in love with, that sounds like an amazing idea. Itâll work wonders for their relationship.â (I know Michael have been kind of a jerk as well, but man, he was dealt a shitty hand to begin with )
DK: There are reasons, but revealing them would give too much away about the secret itself.
But yes, itâs not entirely his fault heâs just a bit of a mess. There are a few extenuating circumstances.
Anonymous asked:
Does Israfel know about the secret Michael has been hiding? If not, does that mean that the secret envolves more than just Gabby?
DK: Israfel does not know. The secret is centered around Gabriel, but it has wider repercussions.
I have to agree with the observation of one anon.⌠I find Michael irritating when I first played SoS. He is just so overbearing but I am curious to know how we will be able to lessen that attitude.
You my friend, are a blessing! Thank you for that.
Reading stuff like this makes my day! Itâs inspiring to see how others see their own story unfolding.
Iâm curious if you could elaborate on this? Iâm honestly not sure what I did, but now I know itâs something I want to carry forward!
I hope your Gab finds something (or someone) else that makes her happy. (Geez, now I feel bad⌠but in a good way?)
A lovely addition to the various Gabriels weâve seen.
You are a time-saver. I cannot say thanks enough for doing this!
He claims he doesnât know what youâre talking about.
Well, itâs more avoid angering dragons. Theyâre perfectly interesting creatures when not hungry or irritated.
@resuri08
Oh yes. Michael has been bitten by the arrows of Cupid badly. (And think, originally I wasnât going to let the player return his affections, so it was always going to be unrequited love!) He was intended to be found as annoying, and only later would we potentially gain some understanding and perhaps some mutual respect.
Michael can be persuaded to leave Heaven under the right circumstances.
It might make up for some of the tears. Also finished the other three (Daniel, Israfel, and Lucifer!)
Summary
âDaniel, you have a call from the front office.â Daniel looks up, nodding his head in understanding. Quietly he packs up his stuff into his bag, exiting the classroom and ignoring Josieâs questioning glances.
Ever since Gabriel died everyone has been walking on glass around him. Heâs never heard âIâm so sorry for your lossâ so many times before. It doesnât hold any meaning anymore, just an empty platitude that people say to make themselves feel better.
Coming to a halt outside of the door to the front office, he wonders if heâs been called in for more âvoluntaryâ grief counseling sessions. He hopes not. He canât even begin to tell them the truth, and he hates listening to their run-of-the-mill responses. He wants to shout at them, to tell them that this never should have happened, because Gabriel wasnât a human.
He can hear laughter from behind the office door, and flinches. The door opens, and he automatically moves to the side, preparing to enter. A hand grabs his arm and he startles, head jerking up, peering up at the person from underneath his dark curls.
âCome on kid,â the familiar voice says, giving him a wan grin. Daniel feels faint, letting Gabriel guide him outside. They sit him down on a bench, crouching down between his knees.
âYou need to breathe,â they say, brushing the hair back from his green eyes. Daniel realizes heâs been hyperventilating and works on controlling his body.
âThey said you were dead,â he accuses, fragile hope brimming in his eyes.
âI was,â Gabriel responds, pressing their foreheads together. Hongi, Daniel remembers. That was what Gabriel had called this motion. He brings his hand up to the back of Gabrielâs neck, clinging tight to them.
âBut youâre back now?â The question betrays more of his insecurities, but heâs afraid to believe again and have his beliefs destroyed.
âI am,â Gabriel confirms, shifting so they can kiss his brow. Daniel starts to cry, and Gabriel just holds him, letting him vent everything he couldnât before.
When heâs back under control, they rise. âIâAlex has a performance tonight and I promised to go,â Daniel says, suddenly looking guilty. He hasnât let go of Gabriel yet, his hand shifting down to hold the hem of their shirt like he was a small child again.
âGo then. You made a promise.â Gabriel smiles. âIâll be home when you get back.â
Israfel strides into the room, brimming with an unfamiliar rage. Sabriel and Ramiel shrink away, exchanging a glance.
âDo you think this is funny?â Israfel demands, his voice level but his hair practically floating away from his body with ambient Grace.
âItâs not a joke,â Sabriel starts after Ramiel continues to stare in surprise at the normally gentle archangel.
âSomething we all know! So tell me, what is the meaning of calling me to say that Gabriel is alive? I collect the remnants of our dying. I know what it feels like when an angel dies, and Gabriel. Is. DEAD!â The lights flicker and go out, the electricity failing in the face of the magic storm emanating from the lanky figure.
It doesnât make much of a difference though, Israfelâs Grace turning him into a beacon of incandescent rage.
âAbout that⌠you should know Iâve never played by everyone elseâs rules, Iz.â
Israfel freezes, the air suddenly stilling, his hair slowly settling against his lanky form as he turns to view a face he never thought he would see again.
âIf I had known you could be this scary, I would have thought better of dying in the first place,â Gabriel continues, trying for a bit of joviality to break the mood. It doesnât work.
Israfel strides over to them, and for the first time Gabriel feels a little afraid of their elder siblings. But then Israfel is pulling them to him, folding his tall frame over theirs, his wings wrapping around Gabriel, cutting them off from the world.
âDonât you dare leave me again,â Israfel chokes out, his body shaking with emotion. Gabriel is stunned; Israfel is always the one being cried to, never the one crying.
âI wonât,â they promise, reaching out and letting Israfelâs Grace consume them, becoming one being, one shared mass of Grace as they hold each other.
Lucifer stumbles into the apartment, dragging a bloody hand over one wall as he fumbles for the light switch. He hopes he doesnât wake Daniel; the child shouldnât see him like this. Gabriel wouldnât want that. Wanted. Gabriel wouldnât have wanted that.
The reminder makes him laugh, but even that bitter sound is cut off by choking as he spits up blood. That last creature had really done a number on him.
The light flicks on, and he blinks through the blood dripping into his eyes. âRamiel,â he starts, mistaking the form for the Fallen.
âWhat the hell happened Dad?â
The last word has Lucifer shaking his head, wondering if he had shattered an eardrum. He is hearing things now.
âI needâI need stitchessss,â the words slur as the room tilts, the former archangel slipping on his own blood and falling to the floor with a loud thump. The figure across the room curses, footsteps hurriedly retreating.
A moment later they return, arm piled high with towels. They kneel in front of him, gently lifting his head and wiping the blood out of his eyes.
Lucifer blinks, lips parting in astonishment. Had he⌠had he somehow gone back? He shouldnât, he really shouldnât have, but if he had, and it had been accidentalâŚ
âDonât be stupid. You didnât screw up the timeline because you know that only makes things worse,â Gabriel chides, using another cloth to continue dabbing at his face, the other towel saturated with blood and grime.
âBut I failed. I failed, and you died,â Lucifer mumbles, staring into the face of his most beloved.
âI died. I donât know about you failingââ
âA parent should protect their child, and I couldnât. I failed,â Lucifer snarls, reaching out and clenching a hand in Gabrielâs shirt. Their eyes go wide, and they make soothing noises as they press a large towel against the wound in his side.
âOkay. But Iâm back now. So maybe, maybe you can make up for it by not bleeding to death on my floor?â
Lucifer looks down at the alarming puddle of blood spreading around him. âCanât die from blood loss,â he mutters, helping them press the towel against his side, trying to staunch the wound. âNot human.â
Gabriel rolls their lips in. âOkay, okay. But how about you just stay with me?â Lucifer looks back up to their face, resolve settling over his.
âIâm not going anywhere you arenât ever again,â he promises, eyes flickering with power.
I want to note up front that I am neither author nor editor; that being said Iâve trid to figure out why I found the character so evocative as well as finding appropriate terms to describe that accurately but they are from a laymanâs grounding.
The first and strongest point that stood out to me is character dynamism. Generally, I find that romantic interests in CoG games are receptive rather than proactive. This seems like it would be a natural consequence of the art form as it is up to the player to single out a particular interest as their preference. Most any work of fiction or game is built around a protagonist and antagonist (or plural) with a cast of supporting characters. Itâs into this last category that most ROs fall. It is usually up to the antagonist to act upon the protagonist, inflicting action upon them that necessarily drives them forwards in the story before the antagonist then likewise acts upon them. I mentioned Hawkins from Mecha Ace as a fascinating RO and she is entirely one of the antagonist class and I donât believe that strength of response is unique to her. There are people who felt strongly for the villains Jury and Prodigy from âHeroes Riseâ and Junko from âSamurai of Hyugaâ, while the hero character of Charge from âFallen Hero: Rebirthâ is the heroic antagonist to the villainous main character. I feel that, in part, by writing decleratively and prior to the actions of the player character, Laniwynn steals somewhat the mantle of antagonist without becoming the opponent.
However, that leaves a very fine line between being direct and being uncomfortable. I could see that it would be easy to remove player agency and dictate how the player character responds, which leads to excruciatingly bad writing, but in this piece of writing you avoided the pitfall with gated responses, which I found to be clear indicators (Whether that feeling of surety is widespread, I am not sure) . I was pleasantly surprised by Laniwynnâs actions but never surprised by her intent and I think that is crucial.
To me, this then brings up the difference between player agency and character agency. While I, as the player, feel confident that I was deciding the direction of the story and in control, the phrasing by-and-large allowed me to feel Gabrielâs response as a character who was surprised both by the desire of another for her and her own accompanying response. She was, as Laniwynn noted, the prey and also the junior partner. As an aside, I will note that I hate ârabbitâ as a moniker; doe, dove, sparrow would all have been preferred but I suppose itâs fitting that the lead in this dance makes the choice. âThe Wayhaven Chronicleâ also does this facet well, wherein the player can choose both a directly romantic action or a relatively mundane action that is clearly noted as being due to the characterâs unsurety on how to express her feelings, which is a lead in for more direct action by the RO.
Using a confident partner, the writing allowed me to feel that Gabriel had personal growth and self-discovery which she might not have accounted for herself. My Gabriel discovered very much to her surprise that she was, in fact, a creature of passion which pleased, surprised and deeply embarrassed her with the primal primacy of itâs hold on her. The interaction with Ramiel the morning after was a perfect lead out, as he is one of those who knows her best of all. Now, though, what he, herself and everyone knew about her is revealed as incomplete and she, normally so confident, now has to figure out how to incorporate this facet and then further to present it to those she loves. None of this was added to her, though. It was always a part of her that was simply yet unrevealed.
Exposing feelings to another is a vulnerable action. It is likewise vulnerable to respond to admit being liked. When written well, both can get under the skin and mine a rich thread of emotion. In responding to the elf chieftan, I could allow Gabriel the Incredibly Awesome Archangel of Grace and Power to be imperfect without failure nor punishment. She doesnât know everything, she can be surprised and this makes her a much more immediate presence in my imagination.
Finally, I will note that that Laniwynn is a relatively rare sort of character; a confident, sensual and forwards character that is not evil. In your Tumblr you have a piece describing how the many RO options (15, Are you crazy?! No wonder you want to limit ROs!) would respond to PDA. It stood out to me that not one of them would be forwards, possessive and open in their intimacy. This combination of characteristics, in my experience, is rare.
If anyone is interested the ROs reacting to Gabby coming back from the dead + Daniel/Dad/Izzy is also up on tumblr
And itâs so good?
[Except Michaelâs so angsty that Iâm justâŚson, please. I know you love Gabby but I am so concerned by how much you do]
Me after reading those along with the ROsâ reactions
Israfael is actually scary when heâs mad, damn. His and Gabrielâs relationship is so pure tho. It would be impossible to ask for a better older brother.
Also, I love Lucifer. Heâs such a dedicated dad. I donât care what he has done, my Gabby will be running up and giving him the biggest hug of her life as soon as sheâs able to. The poor man needs it .
Psst, @resuri08 have you gotten Michaelâs goodbye scene yet?
On the lighter side anyone have movies they headcanon their Gabriel enjoying? Or something they would like their ROs/Daniel/Izzy/Dad to watch with them?
Part of me wants to see Michaelâs reaction to the Fox and the Hound tbh
I havenât⌠I canât seem to remember this situationâŚ
Oh, my friend. Then youâre in for a treat.
When youâre getting interrogated, choose to leave the room and turn left (I think itâs left. Turn towards the direction Gabriel thinks Daniel is in). Youâll get a surprise
For maximum feels (imo), choose to eavesdrop and then try to make peace with Michael on his way out.
Y-E-S
Lilo and Stitch is one of my favorite movies, and I imagine it would hit my Gabby pretty damn hard, particularly early on when she hasnât reconnected with Ramiel. Sheâs in this space where sheâs lost all but one of her nestmates and is just starting to connect with Danny and some of the humans around her. Sheâd realize she can build her own family and itâs ok if itâs little and broken (and mortal), but itâs hers in a way heaven never could be.
And Michael is trash, you canât tell me he doesnât have the sappiest collection of romance movies tucked away in his room next to his YA library.
One more question, would a regular gun(40-45cal to be exact) be able to kill a demon or angel or does it need special ammo?
Or could archaic swords and bows work?
What on earth is this from; When is Gabriel interrogated?
During the meeting with Sabriel, when she steps out of the room you are presented with a few choices. Choose to leave her office and wander the compound, then head toward where Gabriel thinks Daniel might be.
For my Gabriel I would watch that too but with Daniel when heâs younger. It would be great father and son bonding time.
I know my Gabrielâs will like the LOTR and Hobbit movies.