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ways_back_room2004-07-20 11:06 am
spiderine.livejournal.com) wrote in ways_back_room2004-07-20 11:06 am
A Primer on John Constantine
I’m quite pleased that people have been wondering about John. It shows I’m doing my job right. John really is a closed-mouthed, lying bastard – when he’s not bragging and bullshitting, that is.
But there’s no reason that I, as his player, can’t give you, as players, a bit of background info. Besides, it’ll amuse me during my down time at work, and probably make a couple of you go out and start reading Hellblazer.
Public Service Announcement: You should know is that there is going to be an absolutely awful movie out soon that completely butchers John’s canon. The makers of this movie are just trying to cash in on the success of other “comic book” movies. They bought the rights to the name, and then completely revamped the character and his universe to turn the movie into a vehicle for Keanu Reeves. The movie that will be called “Constantine” has absolutely nothing to do with the Constantine we fans know. Alan Moore, who created the original character back in “Swamp Thing” many years ago, has disassociated himself from the movie and will not allow his name to be used, even in the context of “inspired by”. Please consider yourself warned!
More information about the “real” John Constantine, as well as information about the travesty of a movie bearing his name, can be found at this site.
Anyway, this is what is relevant to Milliways:
The type of magic that John is involved with is what we in the so-called “real world” might call Ceremonial Magick. It involves Heaven and Hell, angels, spirits, demons, gods and goddesses, elementals, all those types of things, and is much more complicated and ritual-bound than the type of magic practiced in, for example, Harry Potter’s Wizarding World. It is very difficult to do “on the fly”. Think Alistair Crowley, Israel Regardie, John Dee, all those guys. Most practitioners need circles, candles, sigils, the proper ingredients and tools and invocations and words of power. John, because of his power, experience and “connections” (as well as his sheer bollocks), often jettisons many of the trappings and fripperies, but this has been known to annoy the beings he invokes, who really like being flattered by the rituals.
In John’s world, Heaven and Hell, the Faerie Lands and the other Lands Beyond are real. Messing with magic means you are mucking about with Things Man Was Not Meant To Know, and places your soul in peril. In other words, all those things that Moraine is worrying about are, in John’s case, quite legitimate concerns.
The current state of John’s soul is, um. . . complicated. Let me explain:
In John’s universe, Hell was ruled by a Triumvirate comprising Satan, the Adversary of the Old Testament; Lucifer, the Fallen Angel of the New Testament and the Koran; and Beelzebub, Lord of the Flies, who I suppose covers all the pagan and other non-Judeo-Christian rulers of the realm of damned souls. At one point in his career, John pulled off what might be considered the ultimate con job: he sold his soul to each of the three Lords of Hell, separately and without the knowledge of the other two. As you might imagine, when they found out what John had done, it really, really pissed them off – because, in the event of John’s death, the three are bound by their own laws and natures to go to war for possession of John’s soul. This three-way war would rip apart the fundamental structure of Hell, and lead to an intervention by the forces of Heaven, which would bring the war to an even greater pitch because none of the Lords of Hell want the Big Guy messing about on their turf, and that war between Heaven and Hell would bring about the Messianic Age, and quite possibly destroy the entire order of the universe.
Why did John do this in the first place, you might ask? Because he had terminal lung cancer from all those cigarettes, and he didn’t want to die. Pure. Self. Interest.
So yeah, John is mortal. He can die. It would just be a very, very bad thing if he did. It is in everyone’s best interest to keep John Constantine alive.
And yeah, both Heaven and Hell really hate him. Really. Intensely. But, since he’s stuck between them, he is a kind of neutral party, and has done business with both ends, as well as with other non-mortal types (other pantheons, the Faerie Host, and so on). He deals in favors, and often accomplishes his goals by calling in markers for favors he’s done in the past. There are many beings on many different planes of existence to whom the three scariest words in the universe are the ones that come out of John’s mouth: “You owe me.” Don Corleone has nothing on John for granting and calling in favors. (Crowley? You got off light with those remiges, dude.)
The only innate or inherent “power” John may possess is a kind of manipulation of luck, fortune or synchronicity – but this has never been explicitly stated in canon, only implied. John has the uncanny knack of being in the right (wrong?) place at the right (wrong?) time. He can also, sometimes, whistle for information and answers – literally. This link between John and luck is very much a love-hate relationship (and I have no idea how it will play out with our own Green Eyed Lady). On one hand, he earns a lot of his day-to-day money on games of chance: horse racing, lotteries, that kind of stuff. On the other hand, that thing I said about him being in the “right” place at the “right” time really means that John always finds himself embroiled in twisted, dangerous magical situations; pregnant demons, vengeful ghosts, pissed-off Elder Gods, possessed bull terriers, lost Fae, lonely pagan gods, Endless who need a detective, Swamp Things who need a surrogate father for their child – they all find their way to John sooner or later.
Also, people (mortals, regular humans) who get involved in John’s life usually die. Really. He has one living mortal friend, a cab driver named Chas, who is a walking example of the saying that the gods protect fools, idiots and drunkards. I believe that one of John’s former lovers, a woman named Kit, is also still alive, but that’s because she had the common sense to get the hell out while the getting was good. Other than that? Every single friend or lover John has ever had has died, usually indirectly or directly through involvement in his magical life.
Being a friend of John’s is extremely hazardous to one’s health. But that doesn’t mean the patrons of Milliways shouldn’t try. After all, the rules are different here. We hope. *wink*
But there’s no reason that I, as his player, can’t give you, as players, a bit of background info. Besides, it’ll amuse me during my down time at work, and probably make a couple of you go out and start reading Hellblazer.
Public Service Announcement: You should know is that there is going to be an absolutely awful movie out soon that completely butchers John’s canon. The makers of this movie are just trying to cash in on the success of other “comic book” movies. They bought the rights to the name, and then completely revamped the character and his universe to turn the movie into a vehicle for Keanu Reeves. The movie that will be called “Constantine” has absolutely nothing to do with the Constantine we fans know. Alan Moore, who created the original character back in “Swamp Thing” many years ago, has disassociated himself from the movie and will not allow his name to be used, even in the context of “inspired by”. Please consider yourself warned!
More information about the “real” John Constantine, as well as information about the travesty of a movie bearing his name, can be found at this site.
Anyway, this is what is relevant to Milliways:
The type of magic that John is involved with is what we in the so-called “real world” might call Ceremonial Magick. It involves Heaven and Hell, angels, spirits, demons, gods and goddesses, elementals, all those types of things, and is much more complicated and ritual-bound than the type of magic practiced in, for example, Harry Potter’s Wizarding World. It is very difficult to do “on the fly”. Think Alistair Crowley, Israel Regardie, John Dee, all those guys. Most practitioners need circles, candles, sigils, the proper ingredients and tools and invocations and words of power. John, because of his power, experience and “connections” (as well as his sheer bollocks), often jettisons many of the trappings and fripperies, but this has been known to annoy the beings he invokes, who really like being flattered by the rituals.
In John’s world, Heaven and Hell, the Faerie Lands and the other Lands Beyond are real. Messing with magic means you are mucking about with Things Man Was Not Meant To Know, and places your soul in peril. In other words, all those things that Moraine is worrying about are, in John’s case, quite legitimate concerns.
The current state of John’s soul is, um. . . complicated. Let me explain:
In John’s universe, Hell was ruled by a Triumvirate comprising Satan, the Adversary of the Old Testament; Lucifer, the Fallen Angel of the New Testament and the Koran; and Beelzebub, Lord of the Flies, who I suppose covers all the pagan and other non-Judeo-Christian rulers of the realm of damned souls. At one point in his career, John pulled off what might be considered the ultimate con job: he sold his soul to each of the three Lords of Hell, separately and without the knowledge of the other two. As you might imagine, when they found out what John had done, it really, really pissed them off – because, in the event of John’s death, the three are bound by their own laws and natures to go to war for possession of John’s soul. This three-way war would rip apart the fundamental structure of Hell, and lead to an intervention by the forces of Heaven, which would bring the war to an even greater pitch because none of the Lords of Hell want the Big Guy messing about on their turf, and that war between Heaven and Hell would bring about the Messianic Age, and quite possibly destroy the entire order of the universe.
Why did John do this in the first place, you might ask? Because he had terminal lung cancer from all those cigarettes, and he didn’t want to die. Pure. Self. Interest.
So yeah, John is mortal. He can die. It would just be a very, very bad thing if he did. It is in everyone’s best interest to keep John Constantine alive.
And yeah, both Heaven and Hell really hate him. Really. Intensely. But, since he’s stuck between them, he is a kind of neutral party, and has done business with both ends, as well as with other non-mortal types (other pantheons, the Faerie Host, and so on). He deals in favors, and often accomplishes his goals by calling in markers for favors he’s done in the past. There are many beings on many different planes of existence to whom the three scariest words in the universe are the ones that come out of John’s mouth: “You owe me.” Don Corleone has nothing on John for granting and calling in favors. (Crowley? You got off light with those remiges, dude.)
The only innate or inherent “power” John may possess is a kind of manipulation of luck, fortune or synchronicity – but this has never been explicitly stated in canon, only implied. John has the uncanny knack of being in the right (wrong?) place at the right (wrong?) time. He can also, sometimes, whistle for information and answers – literally. This link between John and luck is very much a love-hate relationship (and I have no idea how it will play out with our own Green Eyed Lady). On one hand, he earns a lot of his day-to-day money on games of chance: horse racing, lotteries, that kind of stuff. On the other hand, that thing I said about him being in the “right” place at the “right” time really means that John always finds himself embroiled in twisted, dangerous magical situations; pregnant demons, vengeful ghosts, pissed-off Elder Gods, possessed bull terriers, lost Fae, lonely pagan gods, Endless who need a detective, Swamp Things who need a surrogate father for their child – they all find their way to John sooner or later.
Also, people (mortals, regular humans) who get involved in John’s life usually die. Really. He has one living mortal friend, a cab driver named Chas, who is a walking example of the saying that the gods protect fools, idiots and drunkards. I believe that one of John’s former lovers, a woman named Kit, is also still alive, but that’s because she had the common sense to get the hell out while the getting was good. Other than that? Every single friend or lover John has ever had has died, usually indirectly or directly through involvement in his magical life.
Being a friend of John’s is extremely hazardous to one’s health. But that doesn’t mean the patrons of Milliways shouldn’t try. After all, the rules are different here. We hope. *wink*
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I just look for the ones that are bidding slowly, and wait until the end of the auction period. If you don't push up the bidding, the less you usually have to pay.
They had the graphic novels ranging from $6-10, too, and a lot of them.
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Thanks for the explanation - I need to get some of the grahoic novel collections. I have a few issues of Hellblazer, plus his appearances in Sandman and Book of Dream, but that's all.
In other words, all those things that Moraine is worrying about are, in John’s case, quite legitimate concerns.
Poor Moiraine - she needs a friend ;)
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Hmm, she and Voldemort might have gotten along, were it not for the whole Dark One thing.
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If he had something to offer her, you'd better believe it. Well, were it not for the whole Dark One thing.
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Moiraine's puppeteer is a blast to play off of. It'd be infinitely harder to play Mat in the game if she weren't there. And the fact that we get to pound out theories regarding events in the books while we're playing is a fantastic bonus. ;)