As he told Dean in Tall Tales, "I don't wanna hurt you and you know that I can." That's Gabe's entire philosophy on dealing with people who challenge him and aren't typically the people he targets. He wants to hurt people who deserve it, but if you don't, then he has no business with you and you either move along or he shows you exactly why he's not a force to be reckoned with. Gabe depends on people knowing he can hurt them, more than just walking around and showing it. He's arrogant. He's an archangel. He doesn't have to show people how powerful he is, because he already expects them to know. It's like walking up to a bear. The bear doesn't have to say, "I WILL MAUL YOU" before you go, "Hey, guys, that bear might just maul us."
For someone who is naturally dominant, he doesn’t believe in outward aggression unless forced to show it. He would much rather be a manipulator, than an enforcer, and unless pushed to that point, he would prefer to work behind the scenes to get back at his enemies, rather than confront them directly. He avoids conflict to the point where he’ll pretend it doesn’t exist until it’s shoved so far in his face that he has to admit it and once it gets to that point, he’d rather run and hide, then actively deal with it, especially if he thinks he's gonna wind up on the losing end. Even in Hammer of the Gods, when he confronts Lucifer, he goes out of his way to avoid starting an actual physical altercation with him. It's possible that he's actually just not that good at combat and does everything he can to avoid fighting fairly.
Gabriel only uses his powers on other people when he's teaching a specific lesson or if he's defending himself, otherwise he doesn't just bother. Even when he uses his powers, he has a sense of style and substance to the tricks he plays- all of them are just desserts specific to a person's "crime" or a tailored to teach a certain lesson. For a creature of trickery and indulgence, he takes his lessons very seriously, even as he acts like it's all fun and games- it is, but that's not all it is. There's a certain nuance to his work that only he gets the opportunity to really appreciate it.
In a lot of ways, Gabriel is broken so deeply that he can become temperamental at the drop of a hat if you poke at his sore spots (and he has several). Say one triggering phrase and he’ll turn on you on a dime. Make one insinuation that gets to him and he’ll tear your throat out with his hands. Back him into a corner or trap him, and he becomes an emotional powder keg that flits between confidence and fear. Put him in a situation that he can’t win, and he starts to fall apart (except in Hammer of the Gods, but you could argue that he planned to come out on the losing end there). Take him down a peg and he’ll claw the walls to get back on top or else get the heck away before the situation becomes untenable and if he can't get away, he'll do everything in his power to make sure he, at least, looks like he has some level of control. It’s very hard to crack him, because he’ll hide even the most painful of emotions, and every time he comes close to breaking, he swallows it down and covers it up with more cocky sarcasm. He’ll swallow down everything but anger- anger’s the only thing he’ll sustain and even then, he won’t sustain it for very long. He hates being seen at his weakest and will do anything not to give anyone the impression that he's cracking.
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Date: 2010-10-16 05:04 pm (UTC)For someone who is naturally dominant, he doesn’t believe in outward aggression unless forced to show it. He would much rather be a manipulator, than an enforcer, and unless pushed to that point, he would prefer to work behind the scenes to get back at his enemies, rather than confront them directly. He avoids conflict to the point where he’ll pretend it doesn’t exist until it’s shoved so far in his face that he has to admit it and once it gets to that point, he’d rather run and hide, then actively deal with it, especially if he thinks he's gonna wind up on the losing end. Even in Hammer of the Gods, when he confronts Lucifer, he goes out of his way to avoid starting an actual physical altercation with him. It's possible that he's actually just not that good at combat and does everything he can to avoid fighting fairly.
Gabriel only uses his powers on other people when he's teaching a specific lesson or if he's defending himself, otherwise he doesn't just bother. Even when he uses his powers, he has a sense of style and substance to the tricks he plays- all of them are just desserts specific to a person's "crime" or a tailored to teach a certain lesson. For a creature of trickery and indulgence, he takes his lessons very seriously, even as he acts like it's all fun and games- it is, but that's not all it is. There's a certain nuance to his work that only he gets the opportunity to really appreciate it.
In a lot of ways, Gabriel is broken so deeply that he can become temperamental at the drop of a hat if you poke at his sore spots (and he has several). Say one triggering phrase and he’ll turn on you on a dime. Make one insinuation that gets to him and he’ll tear your throat out with his hands. Back him into a corner or trap him, and he becomes an emotional powder keg that flits between confidence and fear. Put him in a situation that he can’t win, and he starts to fall apart (except in Hammer of the Gods, but you could argue that he planned to come out on the losing end there). Take him down a peg and he’ll claw the walls to get back on top or else get the heck away before the situation becomes untenable and if he can't get away, he'll do everything in his power to make sure he, at least, looks like he has some level of control. It’s very hard to crack him, because he’ll hide even the most painful of emotions, and every time he comes close to breaking, he swallows it down and covers it up with more cocky sarcasm. He’ll swallow down everything but anger- anger’s the only thing he’ll sustain and even then, he won’t sustain it for very long. He hates being seen at his weakest and will do anything not to give anyone the impression that he's cracking.