hashtag the fandom very often (?) reduces gabriel’s character to just a hotheaded twink who’s a sore loser and i think that’s sad because his character is actually very interesting and despite how much everyone loves him , that part of his character is actually not explored that much ?
like his terminal entry describes him as active and radiant , and popular/beloved amongst angels . we see him being kind to the ferryman , as the only angel who actually gives a shit about them . he is kindhearted !! he is benevolent !!! he’s not just some hothead !!!
people just take how he acts with v1 (esp in the end of 3-2 and start of 6-2) as a rule for his character , when i feel like it’s the exception . in 6-2 he seeks to kill v1 as not a duty but as something Personal . unlike the times he’s killed minos or sisyphus , both of which were just his job and duty as the will of god , he wants to kill v1 because he very personally Hates them (or yk , he thinks he does) for what they’ve done .
and “what they’ve done” isnt JUST “beating gabriel in a fight” . as in: he doesn’t get angry because he’s a sore loser or because he lost , he gets angry because of what that loss Meant .
the will of god factually Cannot be beaten by an object . the will of god is unbeatable and unwavering , greater than any mortal will , and Especially greater than a simple object . so what does it mean when the will of god loses ? if the will of god can be beaten by an object , then what does that mean for his entire role and purpose , for his beliefs and faith ? when a thought once believed to be impossible shatters his wings and lets him fall , what is he meant to feel ?
denial . instead of questioning his entire life and all the beliefs he’s killed people over , he gets angry . because it’s easier to be angry , easier to vow vengeance and hate than to question everything he’s ever believed in , everything he stands for . easier to view the loss as something to blame an insolent machine over , to burn with rage and swear to kill , than to accept that something is Very very wrong with what you believe in , what you’ve devoted your entire life to believing in .
,, like dawg i can’t even lie , i don’t even think gabriel’s short-tempered . i just think he got angry and called v1 an “insignificant fuck” because that’s exactly what v1 is Supposed to be to someone like gabriel (to the will of god) , and it proved itself as anything but that . he can’t just Accept that , not when it goes against everything he believes in . there’s even a moment Before he starts angrily shouting where he’s audibly shocked and confused (“what ? how can this be ? bested by this … this Thing ..?”) . “how can this be ?” he has to question , and the answers he thinks of … no , they can’t be right . (if god’s will is unbeatable , then what does it mean when he is beaten ? was he ever unbeatable at all ? is god’s will just as fallible as the rest ?)
when he has his faith proven wrong in the form of a battle lost , when he’s Never lost before (because he’s not allowed to) , of Course he’s going to be angry . any levelheaded and calm being , who has such a stable and strong belief in their faith , would rather be angry than accept that their entire life is a lie . (like sure gabriel gets enraged in the 2nd phase of the 3-2 fight and shouts “enough !” , but even then nothing in his tone or demeanor Really changes beyond his attacks being faster n whatnot . he doesn’t get different taunts , he just says the same shit from phase 1 . he is still Composed , no shouting or audible rage in his taunts , even when enraged . it’s less “angry” and more like he’s just locked tf in lmfao . it’s nothing like phase 1 in 6-2 , after his first loss , where he is Audibly angry in his taunts)
his second loss isn’t him having the realization for the first time . it’s when his realization he had in 3-2 , the realization he had denied , finally hits him fully and makes itself undeniable . it’s when he Accepts the realization , when he begins to digest it . and despite needing to think on everything , he’s a lot more composed here (at the end of 6-2) compared to at the end of 3-2 , because he’s already gone through the anger of denial , already started thinking about it all since 3-2 (even if he denied it) , and with the second loss , there’s nothing he can deny anymore . god’s will , believed to be unbeatable , has been beaten Twice . he just needs time to think on what that means for everything he’s devoted himself to , and everything he’s done
like the point is that gabriel isn’t just some hotheaded twink . he’s a guy who embodies god’s will and was made to believe that god’s will (and therefore himself) is unbeatable and infallible , and for millennia , that idea was never proven to be wrong … until v1 . he gets angry not because that’s just “who he is ; he’s a hotheaded guy” , but because being angry and in denial is easier than accepting that the things you thought to be true for your entire life , the things you had unshakable faith in and had Been right this whole time Until Now , are wrong . that You , what You embody and the things that Define you , are wrong . you , God’s Will , are not unbeatable . you , God’s Will , are not infallible . you , God’s Will , believed in something that was wrong . you , God’s Will , have been proven incorrect , by something as insignificant as a lifeless machine . you , God’s Will , may not even be God’s Will at all .
[ and to think of what all of that may mean …. if god’s will is unable to make errors , but is proven to have been incorrect about something as important as this , then … what else has he done , that he did with the belief of being correct and of god’s will , but was actually wrong ? he did everything the council said , believing it to be correct , but what if that was wrong too ? what does this mean for him and all of his past actions ?
the thought is terrifying and confusing ; it forces him to question absolutely everything . it forces him to Doubt , and he is not made to Doubt . with divine fury , he must believe that the will of god will prevail . because it was just .. a fluke . it’s not that the idea of god’s will being unbeatable is incorrect , it’s that damned machine — it got into his head . it’s just .. a roadblock made so that he can prove that the will of god will always prevail , even in hardship , and that even a loss does not disprove His unshakability .
despite what the council said , he’s not Unfaithful , it’s just that .. the machine made him Look unfaithful . it ruined his life , made the council put him through the agonizing pain of losing His light , and went against god’s will . he just has to kill it , like the council said , to right everything . god’s will isn’t incorrect , his beliefs aren’t misplaced , and the machine deserves to (and Will) die by his hand . everything will be set right again once he Kills that machine . (and no , of course the council isn’t at fault for anything ! the machine is the one that made him lose His light , the machine is the one that Made the council doubt his faithfulness … he doesn’t blame them for that . not once does he doubt the council , because if he does that … then that introduces the idea of the council being Wrong . and if they’re wrong on This , then they could be wrong about anything . if they’re being unreasonable , then everything he did under their command could’ve been unreasonable . and that idea doesn’t dare to cross his mind , because the council is of the people , and of god . there is nothing to doubt .)
… and then gabriel loses again , experiences the joy of struggle when fighting against v1 , and feels firsthand how relieving it feels to be able to be wrong about something like this . in his reflection , he realizes that , maybe , he doesn’t have to be the will of god . maybe his actions don’t have to be of His will , and instead they can be of his own . and maybe the council was wrong . very wrong . ]
i highkey got ahead of myself but YKWIM right ,,,,,,, this is my formal plea for people to recognize gabriel beyond his moment of anger ,,, like idk i enjoy the comedic dynamic of gabriel getting ragebaited all the time by v1 as much as the next guy but i don’t think he really gets angry with literally anyone else . v1 i can excuse bc it is the sole machine that made him rethink everything and i guess Maybe he could have residual resentment about that (bc i’m sure his feelings on it are Complicated) , but … generally , i don’t really see gabriel as short-tempered or as someone who gets angry all the time . i think he’s levelheaded and graceful and kind , the picture perfect image of an angel of god ,, most of the time . is this a hot take LOL
(and while i think he’s kindhearted , i still like to think he’s violent because idk ,, i like gabriel a little bloodthirsty ,,, gestures vaguely at his phase 2 taunts in 6-2 . also his killing of the council . like he clearly still enjoys fighting and hashtag Even if gabe is kind that doesn’t mean he’s a saint . he has mercilessly murdered people and didn’t really think twice about it until v1 . because the council groomed him Yes , but nonetheless he’s still done some horrible shit . idk ,,, i think he’s very interesting .!!!)
