You are cruel, lovely Anon. This is most difficult decision I've ever had to face- And that includes trying to decide what color to paint my shed, what college I wanted to attend, and what to eat for supper.
I think the easiest way to answer this is to give a brief rundown of why I like each of them, and go from there?
Yeh- That seems feasible.
So first we address Lucifer.
When I make mention of him in my writings, odds are the first image to come to mind may be this guy:
Or perhaps even something like /this guy/:
But when I write about him, I'm picturing this guy:
Lucifer, as a literary character, or as a real entity (which I'm not ruling out, but hey a gal needs her evidence), has become the iconic example of an autonomist, a free thinker, the first true patron for free will and knowledge and curiousity. Milton instilled a deep love within me, one that drove me to read Blake, to hunt down every bit of lore I could on him. My English teacher told me my Curiousity would be my tragic flaw, but the more I learn of Lucifer, the more I long to discover.
I respect his choice. I respect his decision to rebel against the Author. I respect his decision to build his own Paradise, to take the initiative to seek his own path, and the gift he unintentionally gave to Humanity by encouraging us to pursue knowledge.
When I first got into the lore (encouraged strongly by my love for the first guy~), I wasn't quite sure what to expect. Having grown up in a strongly Christian community, I knew that any interest in the Devil was considered a faux pas, and that only the "edgiest" of kids were interested in Demonology. But as I dove back into the book, now far more sympathetic-
So, trying to be succinct again- Lucifer, to me, is the Patron of Autonomy, the Father of Curiousity, the Light Bringer- instilling the first dawn of the Enlightenment into us from the very Beginning.
I actually had an interesting thread with @weepylucifer here about this very thing.
Again, I'm only approaching this at a literary perspective, and see it all as an epic lore millenia in the making, but- Who knows? He'd encourage me to pursue any answer, and honestly?
I have the deepest respect for any character who thrives on others improving themselves and valuing themselves first. He pretty much stands for everything I have ever believed about Humanity.
And then there's Prussia.
Many of you are long familiar with my absolute and inescapable fondness for Gilbert Wilhelm. There is no denying how much I care for the bastard- Most of this blog's theme is a lowkey tribute to him as it is.
How could I not love him?
Gil took a while to grow on me. At first, I thought of him as annoying, with a laugh that reminded me of a metal rake grating across gravel. But with time, he wormed his way into my heart.
I love Gil mostly because he has so much untapped potential as a character. I'm not sure if it was intentional, but Himaruya wrote Prussia to be one of the most complex characters in this series, something I come to discover each time there is an update featuring my favorite zombieboi.
In my humblest opinion, Gil seemed the most /human/ of the nations, as well. I often have the habit of latching onto the most humane of any ensemble, some long simmering pride in our species. But it went beyond more than just his inability to eat food with faces, his obsession with anime, his need for all kinds of cute things in his life.
My love came in his determination to keep learning, in his intelligence, in knowing that he taught Japan and Germany, in watching him make his grand entrance with India at a party with a dance routine they had to an art. It came in the moments he showed his vulnerabilities, in the moments he put Hungary's and Austria's happiness before his own.
He is wicked intelligent, a total dork, and carries this tough guy act with him in an effort to supress how vulnerable he can truly be.
I found a lot of myself in him- the belief that we have no true friends (which I've accepted is no longer true), our faux confidence (a skill that has gotten me far, actually), and our never ending habit of casually adopting every child we happen to come across. These similarities tugged my heartstrings, tapped into a chord that no other character had before, and honestly truly hasn't since.
Gil became my favorite slowly, then all at once.
So, Anon- I think that's where my answer stands.
Lucifer I treasure as one of my favorite mythological characters, right up there with The God of Stories (Loki, baby~) and The God of Knowledge (Enki, my dude~). ((FItting that all my favorites are regarded as purveyors of knowledge AND some variant of mischeif. Hmmmm......))
Gilbert Beilschmidt is one of the most fleshed out characters I have ever encountered. For that, he remains my favorite, and if the choice came down to Lucifer or Gil?
Come now. I think the decision should be fairly obvious.
