Of angels and kitsune

I've written the "Angels and Kitsune" opening bit a couple of times now, and it's an idea I go back to fairly regularly in my head - which, as it often times is, is because I love the character in it. But before I go into that, it's worth noting that this isn't a straight original idea that I've had. I mean, there's no such thing as originality in writing, but that's beside the point. This was an rp that I had written with one of my best friends, and while I'm sure that if I reread it today I would hate the way it's written, I have always loved some of the ideas behind it, and particularly the character that I controlled - who, of the two options, was the angel.

I know it's an incredibly cliche writing technique, but my angel, Erasmus, suffered heavily from amnesia. And when I say heavily, I mean heavily. I mean, he didn't understand how doors worked. There was literally a scene where he was given a key to a door, and he looked at it, went to the door, and just pushed the key against it and couldn't figure out how it worked. I loved that. He was one of the most clueless, inept characters I have ever written, at least when it comes to how the world works, and it was some of the most fun I have had writing.

And the things that he could do - strictly fighting - was tied to his background, and in such a way that I felt made sense. Eventually it would be revealed that Erasmus was one of the leading generals in heaven's army, and that through unforeseen circumstances, he was banished from heaven and sent to Earth to attempt to redeem himself. I felt that while his mind might not be able to remember things, that didn't mean that his muscles wouldn't, and so fighting would be able to come naturally to him, even if he didn't fully understand why. Meanwhile, things like the door still don't apply, because that wasn't something that he ever had to do or deal with while he was in heaven. It made sense for him to act the way that he did as more of his character was revealed.

I'm sure that it wasn't executed as well as I remember it being. And there are some things that, while I loved and thought were hilarious at the time, I would probably cut out if I were to go back an edit it. One in particular off the top of my head is a scene where he fights a bear. I mean, there was a purpose to it, and with his skill level as a general in heaven's army, the fact that he could do so makes sense. But perhaps the thrill that he experienced in doing so, or his desire to fight a bear, were misplaced and unconstituted.

Some day I hope I can fully return to that story, or at least that character. I wouldn't want to step on the toes of the person who wrote the part of the kitsune, though I concede that it would be hard to tell a story using Erasmus without his kitsune friend, given how tightly interwoven the two are in my head. But we'll see. One day.