The Angel Gabriel, questionnaires 50-61

[opportunemoment]

Questionnaire #50 -- Politics and activism

Do you consider yourself political?
Yes.

Where do you think of your politics as falling (right? left? socialist? anarchist?)
… I’m not sure I want to define it in human terms. It’s not quite the same thing. I suppose I’m fairly liberal, probably left of centre in human politics, but mostly what I am is against dictatorship and tyranny and evangelism by force. I don’t mind gods selling the idea that they’re the only one to their believers, but I hate it when they act as if they believe it. I’m against bad things being done in god’s name, whether they actually asked for them or not. I think gods should try and make the world a better place for their followers, not encourage them to start wars and commit crimes against unbelievers. And I certainly don’t think right-minded angels and demons should be punished for not slavishly subscribing to their dogma.
Does that answer your question?

Do the people in power share your politics?
To their credit, some of them do. But not many, and less and less of them recently.

Do you consider yourself an activist?
Well, I haven’t been much of one recently, what with the hiding out. But I would be if I could. I love the White Rose Coalition, the activist group that works to make the White City a better place to live, and wish I could support them.

What 'causes' are you active in?
I suppose just by existing I’m supporting the argument against God becoming too powerful in the City. Just not very effectively.

What form does your activism take? (some people stuff envelopes; some people blow up buildings)
At the moment, mostly hiding. But if I were free… I certainly wouldn’t harm anyone. Peaceful protest, lobbying, things like that.

Questionnaire #51 -- romance and fun

Do you believe in romance?
Yes. Just not for me.

What is the most romantic thing you have ever done?
I’ve never really had the chance to be romantic. Never had anyone I wanted to be romantic with. When I say the closest I’ve got to romance is ‘if you want a child you have to have sex with me now, not that I want you to,’ I’m not actually joking.

What is the most romantic thing someone has ever done for you?
Tried to make me enjoy the sex. All the girls did their best. Well, they had to. I tried, honestly I did, but it was… difficult.

Is a sense of humour important to you?
Oh god, yes. It was so much easier when they could see the funny side.

What is the silliest thing you have ever done with a lover?
Well, sex. It’s stupid.

Name something that looks like fun, but that you would never do. Why wouldn't you do it?
Well… sex. I mean, it’s supposed to be fun, right? You’re supposed to enjoy yourself. But I have never wanted to and I can’t imagine ever wanting to.

Questionnaire 52 -- More favourites
What is your favourite... (and why?)

Fruit?
Apples. They’re just… easy. They’re hard and easy to carry and they don’t go off immediately.

Movie?
Dogma, probably.

Way to spend time with your mate?
Again, for ‘mate’ read ‘brother’. Probably going for walks together. Out in the sunlight, somewhere nice and green.

Number?
I don’t really have one. Although if you asked me my least favourite, it would probably be seven. God’s number.

Time waster?
More walking, I suppose. Reading. Talking. We don’t get to do much down here that wouldn’t be time-wasting to other people.

Sport?
Uh… I dunno. Football, I guess. Never been a huge fan as such though.

Questionnaire # 53 - Kinks

Have you ever paid someone for sex?
No!

Have you ever had someone tie you up?
No!

What's the weirdest thing you've ever been penetrated with?
I haven’t! Ever!

Where's the oddest place you've had sex?
Um… well, I suppose, in Sarah and Abraham’s house. It doesn’t sound particularly odd until you realise Abraham was just outside looking after the sheep…

What's your most perverted fantasy?
… I really don’t have them. Honestly. I don’t have fantasies at all, let alone perverted ones. Yeah, I occasionally get… dreams, but they’re not specific. They don’t even have people in them. It’s very abstract. And I can’t believe I’m telling you this.

Has your partner ever done something to you that you thought you'd hate and you got off on it? What was it?
No. Nothing. N-no…

Questionnaire #54 - Labor

When did you get your first paying job?
After we left God - in about 4BC.

What was it?
I worked as a stable hand for a bit, in China - as far away from God’s territories as possible.

What job are you working now?
I suppose I’m a thief. I don’t do anything more useful than that. I wish I could, but there’s a price on our heads in the City.

What job do you expect you will be doing in the future?
I can’t see our future. I can’t really plan for it. If we leave here and go back to earth, I suppose I’ll do something like stable-handing again. Something physical, where I can work out in the open air. That would be nice. But who knows if we’ll be able to evade God for long enough to get jobs and settle down anywhere…

If you didn't have to work (money wasn't an issue) would you still work anyway?
Well, money sort of isn’t an issue when you’re an immortal who doesn’t actually need to eat, you’re squatting in a labyrinth you stumbled upon by accident and everyone in the society up above thinks you’re a mass-murdering terrorist. But yes, I’d like to work.

What is your ideal job?
Like I said, something out in the fresh air.

Questionnaire #55 -- Education/Smarts

Do you consider yourself smart?
Not particularly. I don’t think I’m stupid, but I’m not a particularly intellectual person.

Who is the smartest person you know?
Sariel. She’s a bit of a genius. We’d be lost without her.

Up to what level did you attend formal education? (ie. 10th grade, bachelor, grad work etc.)
Well, we didn’t exactly have levels like that. We were taught by Adai, and by God - basic laws of the universe (what you’d call science now, I suppose), maths, languages and dogma until we were 15. Then they stopped trying to educate us and put us to work.

In what environment did you lean the most? (ie. school, home, streets, job etc.)
Well, obviously I learnt the basics with our teachers in the City, but I learnt more that’s been really useful to me on earth.

Who taught you the most/most useful lessons?
I don’t really remember who our teachers were. But frankly, I think I learnt more about life and the world from Lucy and Metatron than I ever did at school.

Who is your favourite teacher? (does not have to be an actual teacher, just someone you learned from)
Well, we always liked it when Adai taught us. He would take us down to earth and show it to us, and not as God’s dominion, not as a tool to be used, just for the beauty of it. I remember the very first time Adai showed us the oceans. It was amazing. I miss those days… no dogma, no humans, no rules, it was just us and our Father and the beautiful world he had made.

Questionnaire #56 - Perversion

What do you think is perverted?
… uh… rape, murder… the usual things. Bestiality. Paedophilia. I don’t see the attraction of sadomasochism or anything like that, but I suppose… consenting adults, you know? Just as long as nobody gets hurt and nobody wants me to be involved.

What's the most perverted thing you've done?
Adultery, I guess. I think that forcing someone to have sex against their will is pretty perverted, but as I was the one being forced, it’s not really my perversion.

What's the difference between perverted and kinky?
I suppose… kinky is where everybody wants to be there and nobody gets hurt.

What's something perverted you've been asked to do and wouldn't?
I’ve never been asked to do anything more perverted than have sex with someone when I didn’t want to. I suppose I was lucky, in that none of the girls seemed to object. If they’d wanted me to go ahead against their protests, I wouldn’t have done it.

What's something you used to think was perverted, but don't now?
I probably would have had a more naieve attitude to sadomasochism and other kinky things, once. Now… well, I’ve been around such a long time, I’ve had time to get used to the idea. It still doesn’t appeal in the slightest, but I’ve got used to the concept and filed it under ‘humans are weird’.

What's something you didn't used to think was perverted, but do now?
… I don’t know. I can’t think of anything. Sorry.

Questionnaire #57 -- Word Association
Say the first thing that pops into your head after each of the following words. Do you know why your brain made that connection?

Hate.
God.

Love.
Family.

Sex.
No thank you.

Family.
Michael.

Fear.
Hunted.

Humanity.
Flawed.

Questionnaire #58 - Sounds

What is your favourite sound?
Laughter. Happy, friendly laughter. Preferably coming from my siblings.

If you were deaf, what would you miss the most?
Laughter, and music. I miss music as it is, even though we sometimes sing down here. I miss human music.

What does your voice sound like?
Pretty average. Male. My accent is… the kind of accent nobody really has. Trans-atlantic. The accent of someone who’s learnt English as a foreign language but performs the accent too well.

Can you sing?
Yes. Angels sing, it’s a thing we do.

Can you play an instrument?
… yes. To my eternal shame, I play the harp and the trumpet. And the electric guitar.

What is the sound of a sunrise?
I don’t know. I can’t hear it, although I’ve met vampires who have told me it does make a sort of humming noise.

Questionnaire #59 - Travel

Have you ever been in a plane? Where did you go?
No. It’s quite weird, but no, I never have.

Have you ever been in a boat? Where did you go?
Oh, yes. Plenty of times, and all over the world.

What is your preferred method of transportation? Why?
Well, if I can I prefer to fly. With my wings. But if that’s not an option, I quite like trains.

What is the furthest you have ever travelled from your home?
As far as there is. All of earth is equi-distant from the White City, being on a different plane of reality.

Do you enjoy travel?
I should. I would, if it weren’t for the feeling that we’re not safe, wherever we go.

Are you a light or heavy packing traveller?
We try to travel as light as possible. Never know when you’re going to need to sleep in a forest, or run for your life, or fly somewhere.

Questionnaire #60 -- Things that go bump

What was your first Hallowe'en costume?
I’ve never dressed up for Halloween.

What is the worst nightmare you've ever had?
… I’ve had a few quite horrible ones, mostly about terrible things happening to my brothers and sisters.

When was the last time you were scared?
I haven’t been really scared since we first moved in here. I was panicking, I didn’t know what I was doing or whether we’d been followed. Though I’ve been worried plenty of times.

What frightens your partner?
God. The idea of being caught. Nightmares.

What is the strangest thing you eat?
We really don’t eat anything strange. Just what we can steal from the shops up above. Bread, cheese, fruit, cooked meat, occasionally bacon…

Have you ever seen a dead body?
Yes. Unfortunately, I’ve seen plenty.

Questionnaire #61 - creativity

Do you consider yourself creative?
Not really, no.

What is the most creative thing you've ever done?
Uh… we make up songs sometimes. Usually not with words, and it’s not usually remembered afterwards. We just harmonise on the spot.

Do you have any artistic talent? What?
Only musical.

Do you like art?
It’s OK. Not sure what it’s all supposed to mean, but I know you couldn’t have a world without it.

Do you believe artists should be subsidised so that they can create without having to worry about stuff like a roof over their heads or where their next meal is coming from?
… maybe. Some artists. But that’s what patrons are for. I’m told they don’t really have them any more. I can’t see why not.

If you had to put one item that belongs to you into a museum time capsule, what would it be?
Right now, practically the only things that belong to me are books and clothes. I’d say my leather jacket, but only if I don’t have to give it away to do it.