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has_a_hornThe Player
Name/nickname: Jessica/Jess
Age: 24
Pronouns: lady person (she/her)
Contact: notonboats@gmail.com, aim: thiscosmiccelery, DW:cosmic_celery
Experience: None with this particular character. Been RPing since 2008 with both bracketed and third person style RP on LJ.
Currently played characters: none
The Character
DW account:has_a_horn
Name: Gabriel
Alias: Many and varied. Gabe, occasionally. Most notably, Loki of Norse myth fame, but he'll take up any other alias that might be of some benefit to him.
Age/Birthdate: Old. Roughly ten billion. He's been around since before the Earth was a thing. His vessel appears about 39 years old.
Species: Archangel
Canon: Supernatural
Canon point: Taken after his final appearance in season five, episode nineteen of Supernatural, Hammer of the Gods, with one fairly obvious alteration that I'll explain in the History section.
Played By: Richard Speight Jr.
Icon: Here's his default for now, I'll have to find some more.
Abilities:
Extensive. He's a powerful guy, but hindered somewhat by the properties of the Rift.
tl;dr:
skills/powers: gift of gab; teleportation of himself and others with limitations; teleportation of small objects without limitations; telekinesis with limitations; transmutation of small objects; illusion with limitations; intelligence and extensive knowledge; angelic strength, healing (with limitations) and metabolism; telepathy; extrasensory perception.
limitations: Stuck in his vessel, can't manifest objects from nothing, any impressive display of angelic power will drain his energy - if the well runs dry he'll have to wait before he can do anything else, objects have to be within sight to move telekinetically; forced to hear prayer invoking his true name, cannot manipulate time, cannot kill with his illusions, can be summoned against his will, cannot contact Heaven or anyone else residing outside of the city.
The Specifics:
Gabriel has the gift of gab and persuasion, though not to a supernatural degree. He won't interfere with free will, but he's been around long enough that he's gotten the hang of getting what he wants the easy way around. He can be charming, and more importantly, convincing. There's a higher than average possibility that he'd be able to do something like talk his way out of a jail cell. ...That is, if hadn't already snuck out himself before he needed to talk his way out. Gabriel can Teleport, but only within city limits. It's a handy way to, say, sneak out of a cell with his captors being none the wiser. He can take passengers with him, but two is about his limit. Three might be possible, but it'd be excessively draining. Lots of little hops or multiple hops over long distances (say, across the city and back) will also be draining for him. If he tries to fly out of the city, he'll find it impossible.
If he finds himself in a situation where it might be useful to make dozens of small teleporting hops (for example, if he's in a fight and wants to get the better of his opponent) chances are he'll be using his capacity for illusion instead of actual teleportation. Illusion is really Gabriel's big skill. His illusions can be very large scale constructions if he wishes them to be, or simply a copy of himself that gets itself into danger while the real Gabriel watches from the sidelines. No matter the scale, his illusions feel real. Every sense responds to them as if they are real and they will hold up until Gabriel either abandons them or if he is somehow made unconscious. His illusions have limits, however. He can no longer kill with the aid of an illusion, or within an illusion. You might think that a chainsaw-wielding monster just chopped off your arm and feel the corresponding pain, but unless Gabriel is holding the chainsaw himself, it didn't really happen.
After he pops through the Rift, Gabriel can't produce objects out of nothing anymore. In canon he can produce a small sword called an angel-blade out of nothing. He can't do that here, though he can produce, by transmutation, something that looks like it, but has none of its angel-killing properties. His transmutation skills are limited to small objects roughly the same size and organic makeup as the item or items he started out with. A can of soda can become something that looks like an angel-blade, a stiff chair could become a more comfortable chair. He can, however, teleport small objects that currently exist within the city to himself. This is much easier than teleporting himself and causes him no power-drain problems. Mostly, he'll be using this skill to steal large amounts of candy and pastry. He's got an angelic metabolism- he can eat whatever he wants with no ill effects because his body is maintained not by its intrinsic human biology, but by his own angelic Grace. This also means that he rarely needs to sleep, though he likes to anyway.
His illusions (and transmutations) are also limited by his knowledge and personality. He is genre savvy, very intelligent, a good actor, and especially knowledgeable in pop culture (ever since there was enough culture to be popular), so he may recognise some of the other Rifties. He knows just about every language, and for obvious reasons, just about every biblical or mythological story. This means he's good at filling in the gaps in his knowledge to create a convincing show, but to people who are very familiar with a person he's imitating, they will probably find inconsistencies if they look hard enough. Same goes for vastly complicated illusions. Every detail can't be correct and he tends to prefer amusing himself over accuracy. For example, his illusory version of the Library of Alexandria probably has the collected works of Ian Fleming on a scroll somewhere, complete with illustrations.
Impressive strength and quick healing. He can lift very heavy things (i.e. a large anvil, or the back of a car. Something like a plane would be too much.) and he's very forceful in a fight. Conventional weapons can now injure him, but he has a very quick healing factor. The worse the injury, the longer it will take to heal, but most injuries should heal within a day or two- less if he expends some of his angelic energy to heal his own wounds. He can heal the wounds of others as well, but this also saps his energy and he probably won't be disposed to do so without incentive. His true form (sans his vessel) has no limitations and can kill any human easily. However, returning to his true form would require the death of his current vessel, so it's not going to happen. While in the city, he's stuck in this particular vessel.
Extrasensory perception. If Gabriel confronts someone not completely human, he might not know exactly how they are different, but will definitely know that there is a difference. Angels and demons he should be able to recognize immediately. He should be able to feel time distortion and anything else that wibble/wobbles with reality as he knows it. If someone is unique enough, he could probably locate them within the city.
Gabriel can be summoned if the person doing the summoning has the right ingredients and knows the correct symbols, and he can be trapped by a flaming ring of Holy Oil (and hey, it's New York, I'm sure someone somewhere has some- just have to find it). Once he's trapped, he can't get out until the fire is put out by some exterior means. If there's a water pipe directly above him that he can break with his telekinesis, he might be in luck. Otherwise, he's screwed until someone comes along to let him out.
He hears prayers and is forced to hear prayers directed to him by name (has to be Gabriel, not Gabe or Loki or any of his other aliases). In this way, other Rifties can contact him whether he wants to be contacted or not. He can be considered telepathic. He will be able to hold his own against people that have telepathic abilities. He can glean information from unguarded minds that might aid his illusions (the appearance of and emotional connection to a friend, maybe, or what someone's favorite TV show is, if they've been thinking about it recently).
Appearance:
These days he seems a bit short for a man (and definitely shorter among the other members of the Supernatural cast), at 5'7", but when he picked up this particular body it was a bit closer to the average. Caucasian, Light brown eyes, light brown hair. Prone to exaggerated facial shrugs and eyebrow gymnastics. Has a faint lisp that becomes more pronounced when he's stressed or angry.
He carries himself with the confidence of a man who's spent a few thousand years in the same body, and moves or makes gestures that help back up whatever particular façade he's wearing at the time. His clothes are usually made for blending- the styles of the times in the style of the common man. Recently it seems he's modeled himself on the Winchester fashion plate...jeans, canvas or leather jacket, t-shirt or button down, boots...with a few details that hint to his more eccentric personality: a shirt with an interesting print or pattern, red silk boxers, that sort of thing. If other people become important or more interesting to him, he may import aspects of their wardrobe into his own. His personal sense of style, however, edges closer to cheesy than chic, though he wouldn't say so (think mid-century modern, a round bed with red silk sheets, perhaps a smoking jacket). He doesn't tend to go in for novelty (no wide patterned neck ties with holiday themes for him) but he's more comfortable in clothes and environments that either comfort or amuse him, and he's able to inhabit them without becoming a joke himself. Gabriel puts on disguises for himself as well as his surroundings, so expect him to appear as different people occasionally.
Wings. He has them. Though they're not strictly tangible in the traditional sense, he sometimes rolls his shoulders or adjusts his weight in a way that might seem odd without knowing that they're there. He can't show his actual wings to anyone unless they're as equally powerful, but he can project a shadow of them (or an illusion of something similar) if he feels like looking impressive.
Just for fun, a bit of (probably) Gabriel description from the Book of Daniel: "a man clothed in linen, and his loins were girded with the finest gold: And his body was like the chrysolite, and his face as the appearance of lightning, and his eyes as a burning lamp: and his arms, and all downward even to the feet, like in appearance to glittering brass: and the voice of his word like the voice of a multitude." Who knows, it might show up as an illusion-Gabriel at some point. Sometimes the classics are the best.
Personality:
Gabriel is extravagant and frenetic, playful and intense. He thinks a mile a minute and pulls out jokes and references as natural as breathing.
He's incredibly hedonistic. Hugh Hefner in 1950s Hollywood hedonistic, Dionysis on a bender, if he's feel particularly indulgent. Partly, this is to distance himself from his angelic upbringing, but mostly it's because he enjoys it. He's been on Earth a very long time and he likes to take advantage of what Earth has to offer. Very often, that means food and sex. Sometimes it just means taking in the beauty of Earth and the variety of the people that inhabit it. He likes talking with new people, hearing new stories and learning new things.
He's fond of animals, especially pets. He prefers that the innocent remain safe.
He loves his family. This is a little more difficult than it would normally be, seeing as his family includes Lucifer and a band of warring angels. He feels deeply hurt by the fact that his brothers and sisters can't get along, that Lucifer was cast out and Michael then positioned himself as leader in Heaven. He doesn't understand, fundamentally, what would make Lucifer want to kill Michael or vice versa. That fundamental inability to understand that kind of hatred is what makes him unique among the angels, but that doesn't blind him to what his siblings are or what they have become. His most memorable line is, perhaps, "Lucifer, you're my brother and I love you, but you're a great big bag of dicks."
The love of his family makes him afraid to take action regarding them, even when he could interfere. He doesn't want to be forced into a position where he would have to harm someone he loves. Emotionally, he is afraid to let down his guard and it is usually much easier for him to avoid problems than to confront them. He's a bit of a coward, but that deep-set loving morality makes him someone you might want to be on your side anyway.
Without God's work to do, there is something in him that feels lost and he tries to fill that void by doing what he thinks is righteous work. For that reason, he fell into the trickster-god game. That personality allows him to create his own set of morals and dictate according to them. He is in no way kind to those that he thinks are deserving of punishment and he gets pleasure out of giving deserving people their just desserts in the most imaginative ways he can.
For the most part, he really is who his facade presents himself as, but there are parts of himself that he keeps hidden away both because he doesn't think people want to see them and because he doesn't want to address them himself. If the wrong buttons are pushed (family, his own motivation), the cheery laughing mask drops and all that's left is the intensity of an Old Testament style archangel.
History:
Created by God. Spent a long time watching the universe progress and humanity evolve. He's one of seven Archangels, and designated as God's messenger. He brought the good news to both Elisabeth and to Mary, revealed the Qur'an to Mohammed, appeared to the shepherds in Bethlehem, hung out with Abraham and warned him of the coming destruction of Sodom. He would follow God's orders without question and be grateful of his time on Earth because he enjoyed humanity.
Infighting among his angelic brothers and sisters made him uncomfortable enough to stay on Earth for longer and longer periods of time. He made friends, engaged even more with humanity, and started to see a different way that he could live his life- one that involved both the pleasures of earth and punishing the wicked on his own terms. It was this time when he chose a new vessel and took up a secondary identity as Loki among the Scandinavian Gods. Eventually, Lucifer was cast into the pit, God disappeared from Heaven, and Gabriel decided to make his stay on Earth permanent rather than to confront his family about just how horrible they had become. At some point, he fell in love with Kali, but because they were both volatile and flighty, it didn't quite work out. He still has a soft spot for her.
When Gabriel is first presented in Supernatural, he presents himself as a trickster god and nothing more. The brothers catch up to him as he is encamped in a college town doling out ironic punishments to deserving victims- a philandering ethics professor is shoved out a window by a hot coed, a animal-tester is eaten by an alligator, etc. The brothers confront him, he attacks with some dangerous illusions and then lets them think that they've killed him.
He takes a personal interest in the Winchesters because he knows that they are going to be important to the oncoming apocalypse. The second time he catches up with the Winchesters, it's to teach a personal lesson to Sam. The trick this time is a Groundhog Day-type repetition wherein Dean gets killed every day and Sam can't do anything to prevent it. This is meant to show Sam that when it comes down to it, he won't be able to save his brother...from himself, from hell, the apocalypse, whatever is coming. This is a bit of projection on Gabriel's part because he wants to believe at this point that there is nothing he will able to do to save his own brothers when it comes to the final apocalyptic showdown, that he might as well stay under the radar because getting involved would do nothing. In the end, he brings Dean back from the dead because Sam refuses to abandon his brother. He acquiesces to Sam because he knows the feeling of that sort of loving devotion to a brother and, as much as he believes that the apocalypse is inevitable, he doesn't want to see his brothers dead either.
This same feeling from Gabriel comes out in his next appearance. At that point, Sam has inadvertently released Lucifer and Gabriel knows that the apocalypse is under way and the brothers are supposed to fill their roles as Lucifer and Michael's vessels for the final fight. He's angry that it has come to this already and self-destructively wants Sam and Dean to take on the roles that are expected of them to get the whole thing over with. He doesn't really want it to happen, but he sees no alternatives and he is afraid to interfere himself. It's in this ep (Changing Channels) that it's revealed that he is an angel and, while he is trapped in a ring of holy fire, Dean confronts him about being afraid to stand up to his family. This definitely strikes an uncomfortable chord with him, but he's not ready to take action on it then.
A council of pagan gods is called and Gabriel decides to crash as Loki, for two reasons: Kali is there and he wants to make sure that she is safe, and because he knows that The Winchesters are there and they need to be rescued before they're killed by either the gods or by Lucifer. Lucifer arrives and (after Dean once again confronts him about sticking up for what he believes in) he concocts a plan. This is a huge turn-around for him because he is actively becoming involved in changing what he sees as the divine plan and feels that he is doing the right thing.
[In canon, he leaves info with Sam and Dean who escape with Kali, then confronts Lucifer. He distracts him with one copy of himself while the real him appaches behind with a blade. He glances at the copy of himself and Lucifer notices quickly enough to turn around and impale Gabriel upon his own blade.] In my altered version of the story, BOTH versions of Gabriel in that situation are illusions and it's his intention to signal to Lucifer that there's another version of himself approaching with the sword. When Lucifer brings the sword down to kill what he thinks is the real Gabriel, he's really only killing another copy. Lucifer leaves thinking Gabriel is dead and he's once again free to exist without interference from Heaven.
While in this version, Gabriel's plan wasn't a complete turn-around for his character, it does show growth. He was willing to confront his brother, to try to reason with him while the other people in the place were removed to safety and, after his faked death, he left behind instructions for the Winchesters on how to trap Lucifer back in hell (that is was in the form of a porno is really just a testament to his particular brand of humor). He still doesn't want anyone to kill his brother, so he removes himself from the scene and offers up an alternative possibility.
After that, he more or less disappears back into the woodwork, while still keeping an eye on events. When he learns that the apocalypse has been averted, he feels vindicated in his actions. Since then, he has kept an on and off eye on the Winchesters and his brother Castiel. There's a part of him that wants to help out again, but for the most part he doesn't feel the urge to get involved in the same way any time soon and he's willing to let the Winchesters solve their own problems. Anyway, he's got like a hundred more ice cream flavors to try.
Writing Sample:
It's Las Vegas, 1960, and Gabriel has snapped himself back in time. He's sitting front and center in the Copa room at the Sands Casino, listening to Frank, Deano and Sammy croon their hearts out. Ever since that whole averted-apocalypse business, the past is generally the only place that's entirely safe and snug from anyone and anything that might know what he really is. He's grown attached to the body he's been living in for the past few thousand years, and he'd hate to change it without good reason. That, and Las Vegas in the sixties was really something worth appreciating.
Well, he thinks, it may be a few decades away from the Spearmint Rhino, but that doesn't stop someone of my unique imagination from having a good time. He's been here for a week and has already staked out a particular mobster that's ripe for a deservedly ironic death, but if he's being honest with himself, Gabriel would admit that he's not really ready to part with this particular scene just yet.
The tall, busty brunette sitting next to him isn't exactly human, or in fact real at all, but he pushes a drink across to her nonetheless. He smirks around a blissful sip of a delightfully anachronistic butterscotch appletini and watches as she picks up her glass. Her smirk when she drinks matches his exactly, a mirror image. On stage, Frank starts singing New York, New York. Gabriel had spent the last few minutes wondering how long he'd have to give Sinatra laryngitis before the singer started offering to change his ways. He sighs now, tiring of the idea, and slides his gaze back to a mobster he'd been watching off and on since he'd arrived.
"So," He leans towards his companion, brushing aside her wavy hair to whisper into her ear. "What next? Time for some action? How do you feel about alien abduction? Classic, right?" He nods in the man's direction, nuzzling against her cheek in the process.
The truth was, though, that he isn't feeling particularly into the vengeance game at the moment. He'd been feeling a bit restless, a bit at a loose end. Knowing this, his companion hmms in response, then speaks, breathy and seductive, "Don't you want to wait for desert? Or..." The brunette turns her head to face him and presses a kiss to his jawline. "...we could always go back to the suite."
He grins at the projection, having finally come to a decision with himself about what to do with the rest of his night, and shakes a finger at her to emphasize his point. The trickster business can wait another night. He has real silk sheets to appreciate. "That's the best idea I've had all night."
He's about to snap his fingers and bring himself back to his room, when something in the air shifts. He lifts his head and squints his eyes, as if trying to listen to a far off and tinny sound. There's definitely something in the air that's not right. He stands abruptly and looks around. He can't detect any particular point of change. The entire place feels suddenly different and he's not going to stick around to find out just who has taken a sudden interest in him. He raises his hand, ready to snap himself away.
In the Copa at the Sands casino, 1960, the room swims with cigarette smoke, glasses clink against glasses, and Sinatra sings.
These little town blues... are melting away... I'm gonna make a brand new start of it... in old New York...
A table, front and center, is suddenly empty. No one notices.
Bethesda terrace, 2012, an archangel-turned-trickster suddenly appears and stares up at a statue of an angel. He lowers his hand without having snapped his fingers at all.
"...Huh."
Anything else?
Geeze, sorry I wrote a novel up there.
Feel fee to poke me on AIM or comment if you want to talk over any of this.
Otherwise...lets see. As is, I'll have no problem playing him without godmodding. I'm pretty good about asking before I do something that could effect another character, and Gabriel himself won't be causing any mayhem without it being planned mayhem. :)
Name/nickname: Jessica/Jess
Age: 24
Pronouns: lady person (she/her)
Contact: notonboats@gmail.com, aim: thiscosmiccelery, DW:
cosmic_celeryExperience: None with this particular character. Been RPing since 2008 with both bracketed and third person style RP on LJ.
Currently played characters: none
The Character
DW account:
has_a_hornName: Gabriel
Alias: Many and varied. Gabe, occasionally. Most notably, Loki of Norse myth fame, but he'll take up any other alias that might be of some benefit to him.
Age/Birthdate: Old. Roughly ten billion. He's been around since before the Earth was a thing. His vessel appears about 39 years old.
Species: Archangel
Canon: Supernatural
Canon point: Taken after his final appearance in season five, episode nineteen of Supernatural, Hammer of the Gods, with one fairly obvious alteration that I'll explain in the History section.
Played By: Richard Speight Jr.
Icon: Here's his default for now, I'll have to find some more.
Abilities:
Extensive. He's a powerful guy, but hindered somewhat by the properties of the Rift.
tl;dr:
skills/powers: gift of gab; teleportation of himself and others with limitations; teleportation of small objects without limitations; telekinesis with limitations; transmutation of small objects; illusion with limitations; intelligence and extensive knowledge; angelic strength, healing (with limitations) and metabolism; telepathy; extrasensory perception.
limitations: Stuck in his vessel, can't manifest objects from nothing, any impressive display of angelic power will drain his energy - if the well runs dry he'll have to wait before he can do anything else, objects have to be within sight to move telekinetically; forced to hear prayer invoking his true name, cannot manipulate time, cannot kill with his illusions, can be summoned against his will, cannot contact Heaven or anyone else residing outside of the city.
The Specifics:
Gabriel has the gift of gab and persuasion, though not to a supernatural degree. He won't interfere with free will, but he's been around long enough that he's gotten the hang of getting what he wants the easy way around. He can be charming, and more importantly, convincing. There's a higher than average possibility that he'd be able to do something like talk his way out of a jail cell. ...That is, if hadn't already snuck out himself before he needed to talk his way out. Gabriel can Teleport, but only within city limits. It's a handy way to, say, sneak out of a cell with his captors being none the wiser. He can take passengers with him, but two is about his limit. Three might be possible, but it'd be excessively draining. Lots of little hops or multiple hops over long distances (say, across the city and back) will also be draining for him. If he tries to fly out of the city, he'll find it impossible.
If he finds himself in a situation where it might be useful to make dozens of small teleporting hops (for example, if he's in a fight and wants to get the better of his opponent) chances are he'll be using his capacity for illusion instead of actual teleportation. Illusion is really Gabriel's big skill. His illusions can be very large scale constructions if he wishes them to be, or simply a copy of himself that gets itself into danger while the real Gabriel watches from the sidelines. No matter the scale, his illusions feel real. Every sense responds to them as if they are real and they will hold up until Gabriel either abandons them or if he is somehow made unconscious. His illusions have limits, however. He can no longer kill with the aid of an illusion, or within an illusion. You might think that a chainsaw-wielding monster just chopped off your arm and feel the corresponding pain, but unless Gabriel is holding the chainsaw himself, it didn't really happen.
After he pops through the Rift, Gabriel can't produce objects out of nothing anymore. In canon he can produce a small sword called an angel-blade out of nothing. He can't do that here, though he can produce, by transmutation, something that looks like it, but has none of its angel-killing properties. His transmutation skills are limited to small objects roughly the same size and organic makeup as the item or items he started out with. A can of soda can become something that looks like an angel-blade, a stiff chair could become a more comfortable chair. He can, however, teleport small objects that currently exist within the city to himself. This is much easier than teleporting himself and causes him no power-drain problems. Mostly, he'll be using this skill to steal large amounts of candy and pastry. He's got an angelic metabolism- he can eat whatever he wants with no ill effects because his body is maintained not by its intrinsic human biology, but by his own angelic Grace. This also means that he rarely needs to sleep, though he likes to anyway.
His illusions (and transmutations) are also limited by his knowledge and personality. He is genre savvy, very intelligent, a good actor, and especially knowledgeable in pop culture (ever since there was enough culture to be popular), so he may recognise some of the other Rifties. He knows just about every language, and for obvious reasons, just about every biblical or mythological story. This means he's good at filling in the gaps in his knowledge to create a convincing show, but to people who are very familiar with a person he's imitating, they will probably find inconsistencies if they look hard enough. Same goes for vastly complicated illusions. Every detail can't be correct and he tends to prefer amusing himself over accuracy. For example, his illusory version of the Library of Alexandria probably has the collected works of Ian Fleming on a scroll somewhere, complete with illustrations.
Impressive strength and quick healing. He can lift very heavy things (i.e. a large anvil, or the back of a car. Something like a plane would be too much.) and he's very forceful in a fight. Conventional weapons can now injure him, but he has a very quick healing factor. The worse the injury, the longer it will take to heal, but most injuries should heal within a day or two- less if he expends some of his angelic energy to heal his own wounds. He can heal the wounds of others as well, but this also saps his energy and he probably won't be disposed to do so without incentive. His true form (sans his vessel) has no limitations and can kill any human easily. However, returning to his true form would require the death of his current vessel, so it's not going to happen. While in the city, he's stuck in this particular vessel.
Extrasensory perception. If Gabriel confronts someone not completely human, he might not know exactly how they are different, but will definitely know that there is a difference. Angels and demons he should be able to recognize immediately. He should be able to feel time distortion and anything else that wibble/wobbles with reality as he knows it. If someone is unique enough, he could probably locate them within the city.
Gabriel can be summoned if the person doing the summoning has the right ingredients and knows the correct symbols, and he can be trapped by a flaming ring of Holy Oil (and hey, it's New York, I'm sure someone somewhere has some- just have to find it). Once he's trapped, he can't get out until the fire is put out by some exterior means. If there's a water pipe directly above him that he can break with his telekinesis, he might be in luck. Otherwise, he's screwed until someone comes along to let him out.
He hears prayers and is forced to hear prayers directed to him by name (has to be Gabriel, not Gabe or Loki or any of his other aliases). In this way, other Rifties can contact him whether he wants to be contacted or not. He can be considered telepathic. He will be able to hold his own against people that have telepathic abilities. He can glean information from unguarded minds that might aid his illusions (the appearance of and emotional connection to a friend, maybe, or what someone's favorite TV show is, if they've been thinking about it recently).
Appearance:
These days he seems a bit short for a man (and definitely shorter among the other members of the Supernatural cast), at 5'7", but when he picked up this particular body it was a bit closer to the average. Caucasian, Light brown eyes, light brown hair. Prone to exaggerated facial shrugs and eyebrow gymnastics. Has a faint lisp that becomes more pronounced when he's stressed or angry.
He carries himself with the confidence of a man who's spent a few thousand years in the same body, and moves or makes gestures that help back up whatever particular façade he's wearing at the time. His clothes are usually made for blending- the styles of the times in the style of the common man. Recently it seems he's modeled himself on the Winchester fashion plate...jeans, canvas or leather jacket, t-shirt or button down, boots...with a few details that hint to his more eccentric personality: a shirt with an interesting print or pattern, red silk boxers, that sort of thing. If other people become important or more interesting to him, he may import aspects of their wardrobe into his own. His personal sense of style, however, edges closer to cheesy than chic, though he wouldn't say so (think mid-century modern, a round bed with red silk sheets, perhaps a smoking jacket). He doesn't tend to go in for novelty (no wide patterned neck ties with holiday themes for him) but he's more comfortable in clothes and environments that either comfort or amuse him, and he's able to inhabit them without becoming a joke himself. Gabriel puts on disguises for himself as well as his surroundings, so expect him to appear as different people occasionally.
Wings. He has them. Though they're not strictly tangible in the traditional sense, he sometimes rolls his shoulders or adjusts his weight in a way that might seem odd without knowing that they're there. He can't show his actual wings to anyone unless they're as equally powerful, but he can project a shadow of them (or an illusion of something similar) if he feels like looking impressive.
Just for fun, a bit of (probably) Gabriel description from the Book of Daniel: "a man clothed in linen, and his loins were girded with the finest gold: And his body was like the chrysolite, and his face as the appearance of lightning, and his eyes as a burning lamp: and his arms, and all downward even to the feet, like in appearance to glittering brass: and the voice of his word like the voice of a multitude." Who knows, it might show up as an illusion-Gabriel at some point. Sometimes the classics are the best.
Personality:
Gabriel is extravagant and frenetic, playful and intense. He thinks a mile a minute and pulls out jokes and references as natural as breathing.
He's incredibly hedonistic. Hugh Hefner in 1950s Hollywood hedonistic, Dionysis on a bender, if he's feel particularly indulgent. Partly, this is to distance himself from his angelic upbringing, but mostly it's because he enjoys it. He's been on Earth a very long time and he likes to take advantage of what Earth has to offer. Very often, that means food and sex. Sometimes it just means taking in the beauty of Earth and the variety of the people that inhabit it. He likes talking with new people, hearing new stories and learning new things.
He's fond of animals, especially pets. He prefers that the innocent remain safe.
He loves his family. This is a little more difficult than it would normally be, seeing as his family includes Lucifer and a band of warring angels. He feels deeply hurt by the fact that his brothers and sisters can't get along, that Lucifer was cast out and Michael then positioned himself as leader in Heaven. He doesn't understand, fundamentally, what would make Lucifer want to kill Michael or vice versa. That fundamental inability to understand that kind of hatred is what makes him unique among the angels, but that doesn't blind him to what his siblings are or what they have become. His most memorable line is, perhaps, "Lucifer, you're my brother and I love you, but you're a great big bag of dicks."
The love of his family makes him afraid to take action regarding them, even when he could interfere. He doesn't want to be forced into a position where he would have to harm someone he loves. Emotionally, he is afraid to let down his guard and it is usually much easier for him to avoid problems than to confront them. He's a bit of a coward, but that deep-set loving morality makes him someone you might want to be on your side anyway.
Without God's work to do, there is something in him that feels lost and he tries to fill that void by doing what he thinks is righteous work. For that reason, he fell into the trickster-god game. That personality allows him to create his own set of morals and dictate according to them. He is in no way kind to those that he thinks are deserving of punishment and he gets pleasure out of giving deserving people their just desserts in the most imaginative ways he can.
For the most part, he really is who his facade presents himself as, but there are parts of himself that he keeps hidden away both because he doesn't think people want to see them and because he doesn't want to address them himself. If the wrong buttons are pushed (family, his own motivation), the cheery laughing mask drops and all that's left is the intensity of an Old Testament style archangel.
History:
Created by God. Spent a long time watching the universe progress and humanity evolve. He's one of seven Archangels, and designated as God's messenger. He brought the good news to both Elisabeth and to Mary, revealed the Qur'an to Mohammed, appeared to the shepherds in Bethlehem, hung out with Abraham and warned him of the coming destruction of Sodom. He would follow God's orders without question and be grateful of his time on Earth because he enjoyed humanity.
Infighting among his angelic brothers and sisters made him uncomfortable enough to stay on Earth for longer and longer periods of time. He made friends, engaged even more with humanity, and started to see a different way that he could live his life- one that involved both the pleasures of earth and punishing the wicked on his own terms. It was this time when he chose a new vessel and took up a secondary identity as Loki among the Scandinavian Gods. Eventually, Lucifer was cast into the pit, God disappeared from Heaven, and Gabriel decided to make his stay on Earth permanent rather than to confront his family about just how horrible they had become. At some point, he fell in love with Kali, but because they were both volatile and flighty, it didn't quite work out. He still has a soft spot for her.
When Gabriel is first presented in Supernatural, he presents himself as a trickster god and nothing more. The brothers catch up to him as he is encamped in a college town doling out ironic punishments to deserving victims- a philandering ethics professor is shoved out a window by a hot coed, a animal-tester is eaten by an alligator, etc. The brothers confront him, he attacks with some dangerous illusions and then lets them think that they've killed him.
He takes a personal interest in the Winchesters because he knows that they are going to be important to the oncoming apocalypse. The second time he catches up with the Winchesters, it's to teach a personal lesson to Sam. The trick this time is a Groundhog Day-type repetition wherein Dean gets killed every day and Sam can't do anything to prevent it. This is meant to show Sam that when it comes down to it, he won't be able to save his brother...from himself, from hell, the apocalypse, whatever is coming. This is a bit of projection on Gabriel's part because he wants to believe at this point that there is nothing he will able to do to save his own brothers when it comes to the final apocalyptic showdown, that he might as well stay under the radar because getting involved would do nothing. In the end, he brings Dean back from the dead because Sam refuses to abandon his brother. He acquiesces to Sam because he knows the feeling of that sort of loving devotion to a brother and, as much as he believes that the apocalypse is inevitable, he doesn't want to see his brothers dead either.
This same feeling from Gabriel comes out in his next appearance. At that point, Sam has inadvertently released Lucifer and Gabriel knows that the apocalypse is under way and the brothers are supposed to fill their roles as Lucifer and Michael's vessels for the final fight. He's angry that it has come to this already and self-destructively wants Sam and Dean to take on the roles that are expected of them to get the whole thing over with. He doesn't really want it to happen, but he sees no alternatives and he is afraid to interfere himself. It's in this ep (Changing Channels) that it's revealed that he is an angel and, while he is trapped in a ring of holy fire, Dean confronts him about being afraid to stand up to his family. This definitely strikes an uncomfortable chord with him, but he's not ready to take action on it then.
A council of pagan gods is called and Gabriel decides to crash as Loki, for two reasons: Kali is there and he wants to make sure that she is safe, and because he knows that The Winchesters are there and they need to be rescued before they're killed by either the gods or by Lucifer. Lucifer arrives and (after Dean once again confronts him about sticking up for what he believes in) he concocts a plan. This is a huge turn-around for him because he is actively becoming involved in changing what he sees as the divine plan and feels that he is doing the right thing.
[In canon, he leaves info with Sam and Dean who escape with Kali, then confronts Lucifer. He distracts him with one copy of himself while the real him appaches behind with a blade. He glances at the copy of himself and Lucifer notices quickly enough to turn around and impale Gabriel upon his own blade.] In my altered version of the story, BOTH versions of Gabriel in that situation are illusions and it's his intention to signal to Lucifer that there's another version of himself approaching with the sword. When Lucifer brings the sword down to kill what he thinks is the real Gabriel, he's really only killing another copy. Lucifer leaves thinking Gabriel is dead and he's once again free to exist without interference from Heaven.
While in this version, Gabriel's plan wasn't a complete turn-around for his character, it does show growth. He was willing to confront his brother, to try to reason with him while the other people in the place were removed to safety and, after his faked death, he left behind instructions for the Winchesters on how to trap Lucifer back in hell (that is was in the form of a porno is really just a testament to his particular brand of humor). He still doesn't want anyone to kill his brother, so he removes himself from the scene and offers up an alternative possibility.
After that, he more or less disappears back into the woodwork, while still keeping an eye on events. When he learns that the apocalypse has been averted, he feels vindicated in his actions. Since then, he has kept an on and off eye on the Winchesters and his brother Castiel. There's a part of him that wants to help out again, but for the most part he doesn't feel the urge to get involved in the same way any time soon and he's willing to let the Winchesters solve their own problems. Anyway, he's got like a hundred more ice cream flavors to try.
Writing Sample:
It's Las Vegas, 1960, and Gabriel has snapped himself back in time. He's sitting front and center in the Copa room at the Sands Casino, listening to Frank, Deano and Sammy croon their hearts out. Ever since that whole averted-apocalypse business, the past is generally the only place that's entirely safe and snug from anyone and anything that might know what he really is. He's grown attached to the body he's been living in for the past few thousand years, and he'd hate to change it without good reason. That, and Las Vegas in the sixties was really something worth appreciating.
Well, he thinks, it may be a few decades away from the Spearmint Rhino, but that doesn't stop someone of my unique imagination from having a good time. He's been here for a week and has already staked out a particular mobster that's ripe for a deservedly ironic death, but if he's being honest with himself, Gabriel would admit that he's not really ready to part with this particular scene just yet.
The tall, busty brunette sitting next to him isn't exactly human, or in fact real at all, but he pushes a drink across to her nonetheless. He smirks around a blissful sip of a delightfully anachronistic butterscotch appletini and watches as she picks up her glass. Her smirk when she drinks matches his exactly, a mirror image. On stage, Frank starts singing New York, New York. Gabriel had spent the last few minutes wondering how long he'd have to give Sinatra laryngitis before the singer started offering to change his ways. He sighs now, tiring of the idea, and slides his gaze back to a mobster he'd been watching off and on since he'd arrived.
"So," He leans towards his companion, brushing aside her wavy hair to whisper into her ear. "What next? Time for some action? How do you feel about alien abduction? Classic, right?" He nods in the man's direction, nuzzling against her cheek in the process.
The truth was, though, that he isn't feeling particularly into the vengeance game at the moment. He'd been feeling a bit restless, a bit at a loose end. Knowing this, his companion hmms in response, then speaks, breathy and seductive, "Don't you want to wait for desert? Or..." The brunette turns her head to face him and presses a kiss to his jawline. "...we could always go back to the suite."
He grins at the projection, having finally come to a decision with himself about what to do with the rest of his night, and shakes a finger at her to emphasize his point. The trickster business can wait another night. He has real silk sheets to appreciate. "That's the best idea I've had all night."
He's about to snap his fingers and bring himself back to his room, when something in the air shifts. He lifts his head and squints his eyes, as if trying to listen to a far off and tinny sound. There's definitely something in the air that's not right. He stands abruptly and looks around. He can't detect any particular point of change. The entire place feels suddenly different and he's not going to stick around to find out just who has taken a sudden interest in him. He raises his hand, ready to snap himself away.
In the Copa at the Sands casino, 1960, the room swims with cigarette smoke, glasses clink against glasses, and Sinatra sings.
These little town blues... are melting away... I'm gonna make a brand new start of it... in old New York...
A table, front and center, is suddenly empty. No one notices.
Bethesda terrace, 2012, an archangel-turned-trickster suddenly appears and stares up at a statue of an angel. He lowers his hand without having snapped his fingers at all.
"...Huh."
Anything else?
Geeze, sorry I wrote a novel up there.
Feel fee to poke me on AIM or comment if you want to talk over any of this.
Otherwise...lets see. As is, I'll have no problem playing him without godmodding. I'm pretty good about asking before I do something that could effect another character, and Gabriel himself won't be causing any mayhem without it being planned mayhem. :)
