Application - The Big Applesauce
Jul. 4th, 2014 09:14 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
wentdowntogeorgiaThe Player
Name/nickname: Inky
Age: 25
Pronouns: female
Contact: AIM/plurk: inkblotmeringue
Experience: I've been in LJ/DW games since 2009
Currently played characters: none
The Character
DW account:wentdowntogeorgia
Name: Lucifer
Alias: The Morningstar, Satan, the Devil, Old Scratch, the Beast, the Deceiver, That Great Big Bag of Dicks
Age/Birthdate: First, of everything
Species: Archangel
Canon: Supernatural
Canon point: 5x22, Swan Song
Played By: Lucifer was portrayed by Mark Pellegrino.
Icon:
Abilities:
Lucifer, being an archangel, is one of the most powerful beings in the Supernatural universe. He was so powerful that there was no actual way for the Winchesters to fight him one-on-one without having another archangel backing them up, which is why they were forced to imprison him instead. While many of his powers will remain fairly intact, some will be nerfed to make him fit a little better into the setting.
Teleportation: Normally, angels can instantly travel to any point in the universe at any time. This ability will be diminished so that Lucifer can only teleport within the city, and any attempts at teleporting outside the city limits will basically be like running into a brick wall. He will also be limited to taking no more than three passengers along with him, and multiple 'flights' would be exhausting. Angels can also be warded from certain buildings or locations through the use of Enochian sigils; while these haven't been used in-universe against archangels, it's likely that the right combination can keep them out. Additionally, even archangels can be trapped in a circle of holy oil, and cannot leave it even via teleportation until the flames have been extinguished and the circle broken.
Telekinesis: Angels can manipulate objects and occasionally people at will, pushing or pulling them across distances and sometimes making them burst like a gore-balloon. The limitations of this ability was never discussed or examined in-universe, so in the game, he will be limited to being able to move via telekinesis anything he would be able to move physically, and within his line of sight. Any person-popping would be off-limits, so if he wanted to turn someone into a Jackson Pollock painting made of squishy bits, he'd have to do it the hard way.
Invulnerability/Immortality: Angels can't be killed by conventional weapons. They are vulnerable to angel blades, holy oil, and weapons from Heaven's armory, and may be harmed by Leviathan (regular angels have been killed by Leviathan, but it's unknown if they can kill archangels). Other weapons can damage their vessels, but their innate healing abilities usually take care of that.
Healing/Regeneration: Angels can heal both themselves or others as they see fit. They can heal fatal wounds with their Grace and can even bring the dead back to life. While Lucifer would not be particularly inclined to go around healing other people, using his Grace to fix himself up would be draining proportional to the severity of the injury; near-fatal or severe wounds would be more difficult, time-consuming, and tiring to heal than minor ones.
Superhuman Strength/Stamina: Lucifer's strength far exceeds the average human's; he is capable of extraordinary feats and was shown tearing pagan gods apart with ease. He also doesn't tire and is capable of working for excessively long periods without rest or the need to sleep, eat, drink, or even breathe.
Perception: Lucifer can sense supernatural beings and can see the true forms of beings that aren't visible to human eyes. He can also sense things that are supernatural or otherwise 'otherly' about locations, objects, etc; he would be able to tell if an object is cursed, for example, or if there had been heavy magic use in a particular area. This power would be limited based on what the other player would like for him to be able to sense about their character and if they'd like for Lucifer to be able to track their character via this ability. This can also be limited by the appropriate use of Enochian wards.
Mind Reading: Exactly what it says on the tin; Lucifer can 'read' minds, and can gain insight into emotional states, thoughts, and memories. This power would be at the discretion of the other player as to what Lucifer can or cannot see.
Reality Warping: This was one of Lucifer's greatest abilities, and in canon he's supposedly responsible for teaching Gabriel how to do this. Normally, Lucifer and other powerful angels can create objects from nothing and can even create elaborate, interactive illusions and independent simualcrums of people; he will be limited to transmutation while in the city, and even then can only transmute one object into another of similar construction or composition. He wouldn't, for instance, be able to make an angel blade out of nothing, but he could transmute a metal pipe into one (minus the super-special angel killing properties), or he could change superficial qualities about an object into something more to his liking.
Limitations:
In addition to having specific powers nerfed, Lucifer will be trapped in his current vessel and will not be able to leave it unless it dies. As Nick is not Lucifer's true vessel (that dubious honor goes to Sam Winchester), he was not fully capable of containing an archangel and had been degrading from the strain of housing him; in the game, since he's going to be stuck in Nick's body, his vessel will be capable of containing him without burning out.
Lucifer can be summoned if someone has access to the right materials and Enochian sigils. He can also, as previously stated, be captured in a ring of holy oil, though he will be extremely displeased about both of these things and an unhappy Satan is not a pleasant Satan. Regardless, Lucifer can be contained if someone is clever and lucky, and could theoretically be trapped for significant periods of time. If someone happened to gain the rings of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, he could technically be locked back in his Cage in Hell, but doing so would be just shy of impossible.
Also technically, Lucifer should be unable to ignore any prayer directed to him. This is made more difficult with the fact that you need to use an angel's true name in order to get a prayer to them and Lucifer is a title and not a true name; it's a Latin translation of the Hebrew helel, meaning 'shining one'. The name for Lucifer before he Fell was never discussed or mentioned on the show, but some apocryphal texts propose that his name was Samael, which is what I'll be going with. It would be possible for someone to work out his true name and use it for their purposes (you could probably spam him with prayers and he really wouldn't be able to do anything about it).
Though more of an unfortunate side-effect than a limitation, the body temperature of his vessel is well below what's considered normal for a human. The exact reason for this is not explained, but it could be because Hell itself (or, at least, the portion of it that the Cage was in), is cold, like what was described in Dante's Inferno. Metaphor for the absence of God and all that fun stuff.
Appearance:
Lucifer's true form, like all angels, is incomprehensible to the human mind and would burn people's eyes right out of their heads if they saw it. His vessel, on the other hand, is 6'1" and probably somewhere around 200 lbs; while he is fairly well-built, he isn't the most physically imposing person on the show. He does, however, have incredible presence, and he's capable of attracting and keeping attention regardless of whether he's the biggest guy in the room. He's also extremely charismatic and confident in posture and mannerism, without the need to be ostentatious or exaggerated. He is calm, cool, and composed at all times, and his actions are all very deliberate and controlled, with a certain flair for the dramatic. He also has a very expressive face that he uses to great effect, especially when being sarcastic.
Personality:
As Gabriel once said, Lucifer is a great big bag of dicks.
Lucifer was one of the first beings ever created in the universe, and he was not the favorite of God for nothing; he is powerful, he is beautiful even in his exile, and he is very proud. His pride is his downfall, however, because he could not accept being told to bow before something he viewed as inferior; it's an affront to his dignity. He is also jealous and possessive, and part of the reason for his great rebellion against God was the fact that when He brought home the new baby, Lucifer couldn't handle not being the favorite child anymore. Everything was fine while he was still on top, but once a bunch of flawed little mortals came along and took all of Dad's attention, he threw a shitfit until he had to be put into time-out. And if all that wasn't bad enough, Lucifer neither forgives nor forgets; he'll hold a grudge until the heat-death of the universe, and, quite honestly, was doing exactly that when the Apocalypse came around-- gearing up for round two against Michael because big brother picked Dad's orders over him. If this sounds like he's the biggest whiny brat in the universe, that's not an entirely inaccurate description; he threw a big temper tantrum and threatened to beat up his brothers and smash all of Dad's toys unless he got his way, and he was pissed and fuming about it for millennia for being put into time-out.
Grow up, Satan.
Lucifer is also cruel, callous, and more than a little sadistic, which sort of comes with the territory of being Prince of Darkness; he has no concern for civilian casualties and will gladly slaughter humans and demons alike as long as it serves his purpose. He views humanity as a swarm of cockroaches infesting God's last great handiwork, and thinks of demons as worse, despite the fact that he, y'know, created them. Pagan gods rank just slightly above demons but below humans on the scale of 'things that Satan looks disdainfully down his nose at', because they're as petty and trivial as mankind, but claim to be gods anyway. Despite the fact that he views himself as the victim in this whole situation, Lucifer is only too eager to slaughter anyone who angers him, including the pagans (for plotting against him despite not being a real threat), and Dean Winchester (who he beat the crap out of for no better reason than the fact that he had been a pain in his ass).
Lucifer is unrepentantly vindictive, as well, and takes great pleasure at getting back at those who have slighted him, and has a tendency to take disproportionate retribution. There's no kill like overkill where the Devil is concerned. He is also completely incapable of taking responsibility for his own actions and refuses to acknowledge that maybe, just maybe, there was a good reason for his exile and it wasn't just because he's a poor, misunderstood victim, beset by cruel adversaries who punished him for the crime of being right and speaking up. If there was an award for Most Blinded By His Own Ego (alternatively, Head Shoved So Far Up His Own Ass That He Forms a Klein Surface), Lucifer would win it every year. Forever.
Though he has many terrible, horrible qualities that greatly outweigh pretty much anything good, he does have some virtues; despite his reputation for being the Prince of Lies, Lucifer does not lie or use trickery or deceit to get what he wants. As he put it, he doesn't lie because he doesn't, ultimately, need to, and he never lied to Sam, even if lying might have helped him gain Sam's consent. In addition, one of the few things he still cares about in the universe are his brothers, especially the archangels. To him, the only people in the universe who are actually people are his brothers; they're the only ones who matter, except maybe for Sam. He offered Castiel the opportunity to join him, and respected his decision when he refused and gave him time to change his mind. He also was regretful when Gabriel confronted him, and gave him ample opportunity to leave before there was any conflict; he didn't want to have to fight him, and appeared genuinely upset at his death. His love for his fellow archangels clearly trumps that of his lesser brothers, however, as demonstrated when he destroyed Castiel as retribution for molotoving Michael with holy oil. See also: disproportionate retribution, because the holy oil lavage was really just an inconvenience for Michael and didn't actually do any damage.
History:
In the beginning, God created the Universe.
This has made a lot of people very angry and was widely regarded as a bad move.
After He created Heaven, He created the Leviathan, and then found out that this was a terrible decision because they ate everything and would destroy all of Creation if they had their way. In His infinite wisdom, He then created Purgatory and sealed the Leviathan inside of it instead of doing something more practical like getting rid of the sneaky, destructive bastards.
Then, God created the angels, to serve Him and adore Him. The first angels He created were the archangels, the most powerful and glorious of all His servants-- Michael, Samael, Gabriel, and Raphael. Of these angels, Michael was the most powerful, but Samael was the most beloved and the most beautiful.
All the rest of the choirs of angels were created, from Seraphim all the way to Cherubs and Grigori, and they were all obedient and joyous and full of love and all that crap. Free will hadn't been invented yet, so pretty much everyone did what they were told while Dad created the Earth and it was good.
Then, God created Man. When He brought home the new baby, He told all of Heaven to bow before them and love them as they loved Him.
Samael, brightest and beloved, refused.
He looked at mankind and saw that they were weak, fragile, full of vice and destruction. He saw that they were flawed, and told his Father that he could not love these inferior creatures as he loved Him or his brothers. He would do anything that his Father asked of him, except this one thing.
Basically, he threw a big ol' temper tantrum because Dad brought home the new baby and he wasn't favorite anymore.
This temper tantrum culminated in civil war, with Samael and Michael pitted against each other. Ultimately, Samael was cast out of Heaven by his older brother along with the other angels who had stood with him. He then became Lucifer, the Morningstar, first of the fallen.
Furious at his disgrace, Lucifer set out to find a way to prove to his Father that he was right all along; he took a human soul and twisted and tormented it until it became Lilith, the first demon. The fact that human souls could be perverted into something so hideous and evil was supposed to be irrefutable evidence of mankind's inherent imperfection, but God clearly didn't see it that way. When even that failed to convince Him, Lucifer slipped into the Garden of Eden in the guise of a snake, poisoning all of Creation and bringing about the fall of Man. This was too much of a transgression even for God's once-favorite son, and He ordered Michael to cast Lucifer into the Cage, a special portion of Hell that would seal Lucifer inside until the Apocalypse.
The Cage was bound with six hundred seals, but only sixty-six of them needed to be broken for Lucifer's release.
In 2008, the first seal was broken: the Righteous Man spilled blood in Hell.
That same year, Sam Winchester broke the final seal by killing the demon Lilith in a small church in Maryland, releasing Lucifer from his long imprisonment. Angels, however, cannot exist on Earth without taking a vessel, because their true forms are so powerful and brown-note-inducing that they burn out anyone who witnesses them; he was forced to find a stop-gap vessel, as his true vessel was not available to him. He found Nick, a widower grieving the deaths of his wife and child, and convinced him to say 'yes' to becoming his host, because an angel must first receive consent from his vessel.
While the Winchesters attempted to find a way to stop him, Lucifer ran rampant across the United States, causing havoc and destruction while he prepared for his prize fight against Michael. He raised the Four Horsemen, killed a whole bunch of pagans plotting to resist the coming Apocalypse, and even killed his own little brother, Gabriel, for standing against him. He waited for the day that Sam Winchester would say yes to him.
He guessed Detroit, six months after he raised Death. He was right.
Gabriel, however, had told the Winchesters about the truth behind the Horsemen's rings; they were the keys to Lucifer's Cage, and with them, the door could be opened again and Lucifer could be forced back inside. It wouldn't be easy, but since Lucifer was far more powerful than any of them, it was their only shot at getting rid of him, especially since Dean didn't want to become Michael's angel condom and have to kill Sammy.
In the end, they came up with a desperate plan: Sam would consent to Lucifer, battle him for control of his body, and then throw himself back into the Cage.
Initially, the plan was a bitter failure. Lucifer's will was stronger than Sam's by far, and the poor kid never stood a chance. Lucifer took the rings and his true vessel, and Michael abandoned Dean and instead took their half-brother Adam as his vessel; even though he wasn't his true vessel, he was of the same bloodline and would thus be able to contain his glory.
Dean interrupted their intended battleground with Bobby and Castiel in tow, in a last-ditch attempt to get his baby brother back. After molotoving Michael with holy oil to get him out of the way (and getting both Bobby and Castiel killed by a very pissed off Satan in the process), Dean went up against Lucifer to try to get Sam to take control again. And by 'went up against', I mean 'got his ass beat six ways to Sunday', at least until Sam was finally able to drag himself to the surface.
With the few minutes that he had as himself, Sam opened the Cage and threw himself in, taking Adam and Michael with him when the archangel tried to stop him. And thus Lucifer was returned to his prison, and the Apocalypse was averted.
Writing Sample:
This sample was taken from Lucifer's introduction to Ataraxion.
[When the vid feed clicks on, there's a nice view of Lucifer's face, silhouetted by the raging fire in the lounge behind him. Never say that the Devil doesn't know how to put on a show.]
There's something that hasn't been sitting well with me, so let me see if I've got it all straight.
[His tone is light and conversational, and he taps his chin with one finger contemplatively.]
We were pulled here to the middle of nowhere, space against our will, heading towards destinations unknown with only the word of the captain that we'll be able to return from whence we came. They branded us like animals. Took things from us, in some cases.
[Like his own, for example. His Grace has been pared down like an overgrown tree until he could fit within the confines of an inferior vessel without burning through.
There is a muffled shout from somewhere behind him.]
Personally, I find this to be a little rude.
[Thanks for the input, Satan.]
I suppose there are a few ways to approach this sort of situation, but I'm not really one to work through passive means. Just a personal preference, of course, I've just always been disposed towards being more... direct. Really, in instances like these, I think it's important for all parties involved to communicate in a clear, succinct manner, so everyone understands each other.
[And, apparently, Satan's idea of a 'clear, succinct manner' is the liberal application of fire.]
Consider this my formal complaint.
[He cuts off the feed.]
Name/nickname: Inky
Age: 25
Pronouns: female
Contact: AIM/plurk: inkblotmeringue
Experience: I've been in LJ/DW games since 2009
Currently played characters: none
The Character
DW account:
wentdowntogeorgiaName: Lucifer
Alias: The Morningstar, Satan, the Devil, Old Scratch, the Beast, the Deceiver, That Great Big Bag of Dicks
Age/Birthdate: First, of everything
Species: Archangel
Canon: Supernatural
Canon point: 5x22, Swan Song
Played By: Lucifer was portrayed by Mark Pellegrino.
Icon:
Abilities:
Lucifer, being an archangel, is one of the most powerful beings in the Supernatural universe. He was so powerful that there was no actual way for the Winchesters to fight him one-on-one without having another archangel backing them up, which is why they were forced to imprison him instead. While many of his powers will remain fairly intact, some will be nerfed to make him fit a little better into the setting.
Teleportation: Normally, angels can instantly travel to any point in the universe at any time. This ability will be diminished so that Lucifer can only teleport within the city, and any attempts at teleporting outside the city limits will basically be like running into a brick wall. He will also be limited to taking no more than three passengers along with him, and multiple 'flights' would be exhausting. Angels can also be warded from certain buildings or locations through the use of Enochian sigils; while these haven't been used in-universe against archangels, it's likely that the right combination can keep them out. Additionally, even archangels can be trapped in a circle of holy oil, and cannot leave it even via teleportation until the flames have been extinguished and the circle broken.
Telekinesis: Angels can manipulate objects and occasionally people at will, pushing or pulling them across distances and sometimes making them burst like a gore-balloon. The limitations of this ability was never discussed or examined in-universe, so in the game, he will be limited to being able to move via telekinesis anything he would be able to move physically, and within his line of sight. Any person-popping would be off-limits, so if he wanted to turn someone into a Jackson Pollock painting made of squishy bits, he'd have to do it the hard way.
Invulnerability/Immortality: Angels can't be killed by conventional weapons. They are vulnerable to angel blades, holy oil, and weapons from Heaven's armory, and may be harmed by Leviathan (regular angels have been killed by Leviathan, but it's unknown if they can kill archangels). Other weapons can damage their vessels, but their innate healing abilities usually take care of that.
Healing/Regeneration: Angels can heal both themselves or others as they see fit. They can heal fatal wounds with their Grace and can even bring the dead back to life. While Lucifer would not be particularly inclined to go around healing other people, using his Grace to fix himself up would be draining proportional to the severity of the injury; near-fatal or severe wounds would be more difficult, time-consuming, and tiring to heal than minor ones.
Superhuman Strength/Stamina: Lucifer's strength far exceeds the average human's; he is capable of extraordinary feats and was shown tearing pagan gods apart with ease. He also doesn't tire and is capable of working for excessively long periods without rest or the need to sleep, eat, drink, or even breathe.
Perception: Lucifer can sense supernatural beings and can see the true forms of beings that aren't visible to human eyes. He can also sense things that are supernatural or otherwise 'otherly' about locations, objects, etc; he would be able to tell if an object is cursed, for example, or if there had been heavy magic use in a particular area. This power would be limited based on what the other player would like for him to be able to sense about their character and if they'd like for Lucifer to be able to track their character via this ability. This can also be limited by the appropriate use of Enochian wards.
Mind Reading: Exactly what it says on the tin; Lucifer can 'read' minds, and can gain insight into emotional states, thoughts, and memories. This power would be at the discretion of the other player as to what Lucifer can or cannot see.
Reality Warping: This was one of Lucifer's greatest abilities, and in canon he's supposedly responsible for teaching Gabriel how to do this. Normally, Lucifer and other powerful angels can create objects from nothing and can even create elaborate, interactive illusions and independent simualcrums of people; he will be limited to transmutation while in the city, and even then can only transmute one object into another of similar construction or composition. He wouldn't, for instance, be able to make an angel blade out of nothing, but he could transmute a metal pipe into one (minus the super-special angel killing properties), or he could change superficial qualities about an object into something more to his liking.
Limitations:
In addition to having specific powers nerfed, Lucifer will be trapped in his current vessel and will not be able to leave it unless it dies. As Nick is not Lucifer's true vessel (that dubious honor goes to Sam Winchester), he was not fully capable of containing an archangel and had been degrading from the strain of housing him; in the game, since he's going to be stuck in Nick's body, his vessel will be capable of containing him without burning out.
Lucifer can be summoned if someone has access to the right materials and Enochian sigils. He can also, as previously stated, be captured in a ring of holy oil, though he will be extremely displeased about both of these things and an unhappy Satan is not a pleasant Satan. Regardless, Lucifer can be contained if someone is clever and lucky, and could theoretically be trapped for significant periods of time. If someone happened to gain the rings of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, he could technically be locked back in his Cage in Hell, but doing so would be just shy of impossible.
Also technically, Lucifer should be unable to ignore any prayer directed to him. This is made more difficult with the fact that you need to use an angel's true name in order to get a prayer to them and Lucifer is a title and not a true name; it's a Latin translation of the Hebrew helel, meaning 'shining one'. The name for Lucifer before he Fell was never discussed or mentioned on the show, but some apocryphal texts propose that his name was Samael, which is what I'll be going with. It would be possible for someone to work out his true name and use it for their purposes (you could probably spam him with prayers and he really wouldn't be able to do anything about it).
Though more of an unfortunate side-effect than a limitation, the body temperature of his vessel is well below what's considered normal for a human. The exact reason for this is not explained, but it could be because Hell itself (or, at least, the portion of it that the Cage was in), is cold, like what was described in Dante's Inferno. Metaphor for the absence of God and all that fun stuff.
Appearance:
Lucifer's true form, like all angels, is incomprehensible to the human mind and would burn people's eyes right out of their heads if they saw it. His vessel, on the other hand, is 6'1" and probably somewhere around 200 lbs; while he is fairly well-built, he isn't the most physically imposing person on the show. He does, however, have incredible presence, and he's capable of attracting and keeping attention regardless of whether he's the biggest guy in the room. He's also extremely charismatic and confident in posture and mannerism, without the need to be ostentatious or exaggerated. He is calm, cool, and composed at all times, and his actions are all very deliberate and controlled, with a certain flair for the dramatic. He also has a very expressive face that he uses to great effect, especially when being sarcastic.
Personality:
As Gabriel once said, Lucifer is a great big bag of dicks.
Lucifer was one of the first beings ever created in the universe, and he was not the favorite of God for nothing; he is powerful, he is beautiful even in his exile, and he is very proud. His pride is his downfall, however, because he could not accept being told to bow before something he viewed as inferior; it's an affront to his dignity. He is also jealous and possessive, and part of the reason for his great rebellion against God was the fact that when He brought home the new baby, Lucifer couldn't handle not being the favorite child anymore. Everything was fine while he was still on top, but once a bunch of flawed little mortals came along and took all of Dad's attention, he threw a shitfit until he had to be put into time-out. And if all that wasn't bad enough, Lucifer neither forgives nor forgets; he'll hold a grudge until the heat-death of the universe, and, quite honestly, was doing exactly that when the Apocalypse came around-- gearing up for round two against Michael because big brother picked Dad's orders over him. If this sounds like he's the biggest whiny brat in the universe, that's not an entirely inaccurate description; he threw a big temper tantrum and threatened to beat up his brothers and smash all of Dad's toys unless he got his way, and he was pissed and fuming about it for millennia for being put into time-out.
Grow up, Satan.
Lucifer is also cruel, callous, and more than a little sadistic, which sort of comes with the territory of being Prince of Darkness; he has no concern for civilian casualties and will gladly slaughter humans and demons alike as long as it serves his purpose. He views humanity as a swarm of cockroaches infesting God's last great handiwork, and thinks of demons as worse, despite the fact that he, y'know, created them. Pagan gods rank just slightly above demons but below humans on the scale of 'things that Satan looks disdainfully down his nose at', because they're as petty and trivial as mankind, but claim to be gods anyway. Despite the fact that he views himself as the victim in this whole situation, Lucifer is only too eager to slaughter anyone who angers him, including the pagans (for plotting against him despite not being a real threat), and Dean Winchester (who he beat the crap out of for no better reason than the fact that he had been a pain in his ass).
Lucifer is unrepentantly vindictive, as well, and takes great pleasure at getting back at those who have slighted him, and has a tendency to take disproportionate retribution. There's no kill like overkill where the Devil is concerned. He is also completely incapable of taking responsibility for his own actions and refuses to acknowledge that maybe, just maybe, there was a good reason for his exile and it wasn't just because he's a poor, misunderstood victim, beset by cruel adversaries who punished him for the crime of being right and speaking up. If there was an award for Most Blinded By His Own Ego (alternatively, Head Shoved So Far Up His Own Ass That He Forms a Klein Surface), Lucifer would win it every year. Forever.
Though he has many terrible, horrible qualities that greatly outweigh pretty much anything good, he does have some virtues; despite his reputation for being the Prince of Lies, Lucifer does not lie or use trickery or deceit to get what he wants. As he put it, he doesn't lie because he doesn't, ultimately, need to, and he never lied to Sam, even if lying might have helped him gain Sam's consent. In addition, one of the few things he still cares about in the universe are his brothers, especially the archangels. To him, the only people in the universe who are actually people are his brothers; they're the only ones who matter, except maybe for Sam. He offered Castiel the opportunity to join him, and respected his decision when he refused and gave him time to change his mind. He also was regretful when Gabriel confronted him, and gave him ample opportunity to leave before there was any conflict; he didn't want to have to fight him, and appeared genuinely upset at his death. His love for his fellow archangels clearly trumps that of his lesser brothers, however, as demonstrated when he destroyed Castiel as retribution for molotoving Michael with holy oil. See also: disproportionate retribution, because the holy oil lavage was really just an inconvenience for Michael and didn't actually do any damage.
History:
In the beginning, God created the Universe.
After He created Heaven, He created the Leviathan, and then found out that this was a terrible decision because they ate everything and would destroy all of Creation if they had their way. In His infinite wisdom, He then created Purgatory and sealed the Leviathan inside of it instead of doing something more practical like getting rid of the sneaky, destructive bastards.
Then, God created the angels, to serve Him and adore Him. The first angels He created were the archangels, the most powerful and glorious of all His servants-- Michael, Samael, Gabriel, and Raphael. Of these angels, Michael was the most powerful, but Samael was the most beloved and the most beautiful.
All the rest of the choirs of angels were created, from Seraphim all the way to Cherubs and Grigori, and they were all obedient and joyous and full of love and all that crap. Free will hadn't been invented yet, so pretty much everyone did what they were told while Dad created the Earth and it was good.
Then, God created Man. When He brought home the new baby, He told all of Heaven to bow before them and love them as they loved Him.
Samael, brightest and beloved, refused.
He looked at mankind and saw that they were weak, fragile, full of vice and destruction. He saw that they were flawed, and told his Father that he could not love these inferior creatures as he loved Him or his brothers. He would do anything that his Father asked of him, except this one thing.
Basically, he threw a big ol' temper tantrum because Dad brought home the new baby and he wasn't favorite anymore.
This temper tantrum culminated in civil war, with Samael and Michael pitted against each other. Ultimately, Samael was cast out of Heaven by his older brother along with the other angels who had stood with him. He then became Lucifer, the Morningstar, first of the fallen.
Furious at his disgrace, Lucifer set out to find a way to prove to his Father that he was right all along; he took a human soul and twisted and tormented it until it became Lilith, the first demon. The fact that human souls could be perverted into something so hideous and evil was supposed to be irrefutable evidence of mankind's inherent imperfection, but God clearly didn't see it that way. When even that failed to convince Him, Lucifer slipped into the Garden of Eden in the guise of a snake, poisoning all of Creation and bringing about the fall of Man. This was too much of a transgression even for God's once-favorite son, and He ordered Michael to cast Lucifer into the Cage, a special portion of Hell that would seal Lucifer inside until the Apocalypse.
The Cage was bound with six hundred seals, but only sixty-six of them needed to be broken for Lucifer's release.
In 2008, the first seal was broken: the Righteous Man spilled blood in Hell.
That same year, Sam Winchester broke the final seal by killing the demon Lilith in a small church in Maryland, releasing Lucifer from his long imprisonment. Angels, however, cannot exist on Earth without taking a vessel, because their true forms are so powerful and brown-note-inducing that they burn out anyone who witnesses them; he was forced to find a stop-gap vessel, as his true vessel was not available to him. He found Nick, a widower grieving the deaths of his wife and child, and convinced him to say 'yes' to becoming his host, because an angel must first receive consent from his vessel.
While the Winchesters attempted to find a way to stop him, Lucifer ran rampant across the United States, causing havoc and destruction while he prepared for his prize fight against Michael. He raised the Four Horsemen, killed a whole bunch of pagans plotting to resist the coming Apocalypse, and even killed his own little brother, Gabriel, for standing against him. He waited for the day that Sam Winchester would say yes to him.
He guessed Detroit, six months after he raised Death. He was right.
Gabriel, however, had told the Winchesters about the truth behind the Horsemen's rings; they were the keys to Lucifer's Cage, and with them, the door could be opened again and Lucifer could be forced back inside. It wouldn't be easy, but since Lucifer was far more powerful than any of them, it was their only shot at getting rid of him, especially since Dean didn't want to become Michael's angel condom and have to kill Sammy.
In the end, they came up with a desperate plan: Sam would consent to Lucifer, battle him for control of his body, and then throw himself back into the Cage.
Initially, the plan was a bitter failure. Lucifer's will was stronger than Sam's by far, and the poor kid never stood a chance. Lucifer took the rings and his true vessel, and Michael abandoned Dean and instead took their half-brother Adam as his vessel; even though he wasn't his true vessel, he was of the same bloodline and would thus be able to contain his glory.
Dean interrupted their intended battleground with Bobby and Castiel in tow, in a last-ditch attempt to get his baby brother back. After molotoving Michael with holy oil to get him out of the way (and getting both Bobby and Castiel killed by a very pissed off Satan in the process), Dean went up against Lucifer to try to get Sam to take control again. And by 'went up against', I mean 'got his ass beat six ways to Sunday', at least until Sam was finally able to drag himself to the surface.
With the few minutes that he had as himself, Sam opened the Cage and threw himself in, taking Adam and Michael with him when the archangel tried to stop him. And thus Lucifer was returned to his prison, and the Apocalypse was averted.
Writing Sample:
This sample was taken from Lucifer's introduction to Ataraxion.
[When the vid feed clicks on, there's a nice view of Lucifer's face, silhouetted by the raging fire in the lounge behind him. Never say that the Devil doesn't know how to put on a show.]
There's something that hasn't been sitting well with me, so let me see if I've got it all straight.
[His tone is light and conversational, and he taps his chin with one finger contemplatively.]
We were pulled here to the middle of nowhere, space against our will, heading towards destinations unknown with only the word of the captain that we'll be able to return from whence we came. They branded us like animals. Took things from us, in some cases.
[Like his own, for example. His Grace has been pared down like an overgrown tree until he could fit within the confines of an inferior vessel without burning through.
There is a muffled shout from somewhere behind him.]
Personally, I find this to be a little rude.
[Thanks for the input, Satan.]
I suppose there are a few ways to approach this sort of situation, but I'm not really one to work through passive means. Just a personal preference, of course, I've just always been disposed towards being more... direct. Really, in instances like these, I think it's important for all parties involved to communicate in a clear, succinct manner, so everyone understands each other.
[And, apparently, Satan's idea of a 'clear, succinct manner' is the liberal application of fire.]
Consider this my formal complaint.
[He cuts off the feed.]
