Castiel is an angel of the Lord. Cliche, probably, but it sums up the whole of him to a point.
In general, he exhibits behaviors typical of his other brethren when he first makes an appearance in human form: little emotion, relatively calm, aloof. He lacks compassion in relating to humans as a group and as individuals. He doesn’t understand their lack of obedience or the feelings they express, continuously confused by their assertion of free will, and it often clashes with his perception of them as well as the orders he is given by his superiors. In fact, as little as he understands them as people, he understands objects, phrases, and references even less. Still, the moment he drags Dean from Hell and entangles himself with the Winchesters is the beginning of much change for Castiel. If anything can be said of that, he’s determined, and that determination drives much of him.
His time spent with Dean and Sam, as well as on earth, become a slow immersion of learning human culture as well as what differentiates humans from angels, what it means to be human. He’s loyal to a fault, but after some time, he confesses to Dean that he’s beginning to have doubts of his own about the orders he’s given and how he’s spending his time otherwise. Is it right or wrong? Is there more beyond a simple command? It’s a very big concept for someone like Castiel; thinking on his own, in that manner, tends to not have a happy ending. Re: Lucifer, Anna, humanity. Eventually, it causes him to rebel against heaven. Yet, it’s not his faith that’s rocked at the foundation. He still has absolute love and trust in God, admires humanity for its beauty, and in those things alone he sees conviction for his actions, though he continues to be naive as to the consequences of them. Most of this is seen later on, beyond season five, when he develops something of a god complex--in God’s absence, he feels it his responsibility to carry out retribution and punishment in an attempt to show mercy, taking back his opinion about free will and how all things must be ruled to maintain some semblance of order. His motivations become rather twisted, too full of pride, even if they are meant with the best of intentions.
Yet, it’s still a testament to how much Castiel has grown to care for the Winchesters alone and what sort of influence they have on him. While he has a more “profound bond” with Dean [ most likely due to the fact Castiel raised him from Hell and placed his mark upon him ], he has also taken considerable lessons from Sam as well. He’s learned the importance of free will and choosing, and with that has also come the realization that he has to take responsibility for the things he does--good or bad. Castiel is in constant conflict with his (more or less) angel programming and the pull of humanity, and both Sam and Dean do well to ease him through that transition rather than allow him the immediate crash course. Where Dean is the physical - habits, sarcasm, introducing Castiel to a numerous amount of “human” things [television, sex, etc.] - Sam is the mental. He shows him how to read people, offer sympathy to them to obtain the same results without overstepping boundaries that an angel might to get the same sort of information. They give him their strengths and enlighten him to the human disposition: what it means to be human, to feel, to be your own person. Though Hester claims that he’s been lost ever since he laid a hand on Dean in Hell, he’s come a long way in understanding those differences.
And despite having labeled Sam as an abomination, he views him as a very valuable friend in which he places his trust. There is absolutely nothing Castiel wouldn’t do for them, and as he’s said, he’s “more than happy to bleed for the Winchesters”.Though it's laced with sarcasm, there is truth to those words. First and foremost, however, they are his teachers and one of the greatest influences he has during his time on earth. They penetrate the defenses he builds around himself, and even through the moments he’s brainwashed by Naomi, his love for them, specifically Dean, proves to be more powerful than angelic intervention. Like countless times before, he resists killing them due to orders he's given.
Castiel, for the most part, minus the complex and the inevitable insanity he falls into in later seasons because of it, is generally composed and sure of the affection he shows to those he grows to care about. He’s pretty blind to social norms as well, seen many times in the way he constantly stares or invades a person’s personal space. His methods of interacting with others might be considered unorthodox or just plain weird, but the longer he’s on earth helps to humanize him more than many other angels. He becomes sympathetic and acquires a fondness for things he’d previously been indifferent towards as well, i.e. television and coffee.
Yet, this is a Castiel who is still, at heart, an angel. He’s still connected to heaven and still possesses hope. From the specific canon point of 05.04 (The End), this is not the case at all. Stopping the Apocalypse has become a failure; the Croatoan virus spread, and Sam agreed to become Lucifer’s vessel, upon which he doesn’t manifest any sort of relationship with him whatsoever. The world, for lack of a better explanation, had ended.
Here, Castiel’s personality differs greatly from what’s been described above. He’s human in every aspect of the word. He’s developed a taste for debauchery and decadence, drowning himself in them frequently. Daily even. Drugs, liquor, sex; anything that will give him a high, a moment’s peace isn’t off limits anymore because he doesn’t have the tolerance of an angel to keep him from fully experiencing them. It could be said he finds comfort in these things because he misses being able to separate himself from such urges, held to a higher standard than most. He doesn’t know how to cope, to adjust to what’s become of himself since “the end”, and his only friend is a rather poor example of these particular things himself. Now, he’s down-to-earth, supporting free will in the choice of ignoring what’s become of his (lack of) grace, and when he meets the past version of Dean, he labels him a ‘hippie’ because of this attitude. If the meditation circles and orgies don’t scream that specific label, nothing else will.
He later admits to Dean that he finds himself to be utterly hapless and hopeless. Powerless. There is no use for him, so ”why not”? He can’t contribute much to the efforts of the problems they face, and only because of a deep sense of devotion and loyalty to the bond he’s made with his time’s Dean has he stayed. He needs a purpose and has none. So, his faith has shifted from an entirely absent god and brothers who have left to someone who’s ultimately changed because of his sibling’s choice to invite the devil in.
Comprehension of human things are now an everyday norm for this Castiel too; he’s developed the use of slang and some references he would never have gotten (or understood) before. He still maintains an occasional sense of past behaviors and speech patterns, elaborating when necessary and sometimes cold, but his disposition is typical loose, high-induced happy, and finds amusement in things that probably aren’t meant to be funny. It could be the drugs. It could be he’s seen and been through too much to actually care about the consequences of his actions and/or words. His respect for authority continues to waver between cheeky and constant as seen with future Dean’s orders to walk in and shoot the devil despite it very likely being a trap. He’ll follow him to his death, and that speaks volumes despite Castiel’s behavior of choice post-apocalypse.
Essentially, this Castiel is very discontent and finds every way possible to avoid it. He’s lost to his humanity, lacks that drive he once possessed as an angel. And what more is there to do when the world’s gone under other than indulge to the end?
During his time in Zelien, Castiel has grown significantly in terms of purpose. He’d always felt disconnected from Dean in a way that hadn’t been natural, that hadn’t been what he’d wanted when he’d given his grace to remain on earth with him through the end. He’s learned that it’s okay to say no, to take control of the situation and not allow Dean to push him around like he had back home. It does put a lot of strain on their relationship, but Castiel is stronger for it nonetheless. There are more glimpses of that stubborn angel in him than ever before, and it’s thanks to the situations he’s had to face with the other angels being there as well as knowing Dean outside of their leader-follower roll. Still, he does what he might ask of him. Yet, this is all set within his own guidelines; he’s determined to work with Dean, not under him.
Castiel’s relationship, too, with Sam is significantly better. Where he hadn’t known what to think of him, other than feeling he had failed the youngest Winchester in some way, he’s come to understand his motives better than before. He’s also able to call him friend, and that’s something Castiel doesn’t have many of whatsoever. In retrospect, Sam’s presence has been a rather huge eye-opener to him. As has been his interactions with Lucifer. Somewhere inside him, Castiel still hates him for what he’s done to the world, but with the discussions they’ve had at length, it’s become a little easier to make a larger connection with him. That they are similar in ways he hadn’t realized is something he doesn’t want to think about because he’s not entirely sure what it might mean in the long run.
Abilities/Powers:
A list of abilities can be found here. However, with this specific canon point and given that Castiel is human, he has none of these. He’s capable of getting bones broken and must use guns and other (human) weapons to protect himself. Despite this, there does seem to be a little of his grace still intact as he could sense that past Dean was actually from a different time, even through the stupor of being high. So, a probable odd sense of perception that others might not possess. He is also fairly knowledgeable of supernatural lore, good with a gun, and even better with a knife/blade.
Items/Weapons: → clothes (as seen here) → (1) duffel containing rope, a hunting knife, (1) handgun with (1) clip, binoculars, (2) spare t-shirts → (1) small cannabis plant
[ samples from exitvoid ] Sample Entry:here Sample Entry Two:here
no subject
In general, he exhibits behaviors typical of his other brethren when he first makes an appearance in human form: little emotion, relatively calm, aloof. He lacks compassion in relating to humans as a group and as individuals. He doesn’t understand their lack of obedience or the feelings they express, continuously confused by their assertion of free will, and it often clashes with his perception of them as well as the orders he is given by his superiors. In fact, as little as he understands them as people, he understands objects, phrases, and references even less. Still, the moment he drags Dean from Hell and entangles himself with the Winchesters is the beginning of much change for Castiel. If anything can be said of that, he’s determined, and that determination drives much of him.
His time spent with Dean and Sam, as well as on earth, become a slow immersion of learning human culture as well as what differentiates humans from angels, what it means to be human. He’s loyal to a fault, but after some time, he confesses to Dean that he’s beginning to have doubts of his own about the orders he’s given and how he’s spending his time otherwise. Is it right or wrong? Is there more beyond a simple command? It’s a very big concept for someone like Castiel; thinking on his own, in that manner, tends to not have a happy ending. Re: Lucifer, Anna, humanity. Eventually, it causes him to rebel against heaven. Yet, it’s not his faith that’s rocked at the foundation. He still has absolute love and trust in God, admires humanity for its beauty, and in those things alone he sees conviction for his actions, though he continues to be naive as to the consequences of them. Most of this is seen later on, beyond season five, when he develops something of a god complex--in God’s absence, he feels it his responsibility to carry out retribution and punishment in an attempt to show mercy, taking back his opinion about free will and how all things must be ruled to maintain some semblance of order. His motivations become rather twisted, too full of pride, even if they are meant with the best of intentions.
Yet, it’s still a testament to how much Castiel has grown to care for the Winchesters alone and what sort of influence they have on him. While he has a more “profound bond” with Dean [ most likely due to the fact Castiel raised him from Hell and placed his mark upon him ], he has also taken considerable lessons from Sam as well. He’s learned the importance of free will and choosing, and with that has also come the realization that he has to take responsibility for the things he does--good or bad. Castiel is in constant conflict with his (more or less) angel programming and the pull of humanity, and both Sam and Dean do well to ease him through that transition rather than allow him the immediate crash course. Where Dean is the physical - habits, sarcasm, introducing Castiel to a numerous amount of “human” things [television, sex, etc.] - Sam is the mental. He shows him how to read people, offer sympathy to them to obtain the same results without overstepping boundaries that an angel might to get the same sort of information. They give him their strengths and enlighten him to the human disposition: what it means to be human, to feel, to be your own person. Though Hester claims that he’s been lost ever since he laid a hand on Dean in Hell, he’s come a long way in understanding those differences.
And despite having labeled Sam as an abomination, he views him as a very valuable friend in which he places his trust. There is absolutely nothing Castiel wouldn’t do for them, and as he’s said, he’s “more than happy to bleed for the Winchesters”.Though it's laced with sarcasm, there is truth to those words. First and foremost, however, they are his teachers and one of the greatest influences he has during his time on earth. They penetrate the defenses he builds around himself, and even through the moments he’s brainwashed by Naomi, his love for them, specifically Dean, proves to be more powerful than angelic intervention. Like countless times before, he resists killing them due to orders he's given.
Castiel, for the most part, minus the complex and the inevitable insanity he falls into in later seasons because of it, is generally composed and sure of the affection he shows to those he grows to care about. He’s pretty blind to social norms as well, seen many times in the way he constantly stares or invades a person’s personal space. His methods of interacting with others might be considered unorthodox or just plain weird, but the longer he’s on earth helps to humanize him more than many other angels. He becomes sympathetic and acquires a fondness for things he’d previously been indifferent towards as well, i.e. television and coffee.
Yet, this is a Castiel who is still, at heart, an angel. He’s still connected to heaven and still possesses hope. From the specific canon point of 05.04 (The End), this is not the case at all. Stopping the Apocalypse has become a failure; the Croatoan virus spread, and Sam agreed to become Lucifer’s vessel, upon which he doesn’t manifest any sort of relationship with him whatsoever. The world, for lack of a better explanation, had ended.
Here, Castiel’s personality differs greatly from what’s been described above. He’s human in every aspect of the word. He’s developed a taste for debauchery and decadence, drowning himself in them frequently. Daily even. Drugs, liquor, sex; anything that will give him a high, a moment’s peace isn’t off limits anymore because he doesn’t have the tolerance of an angel to keep him from fully experiencing them. It could be said he finds comfort in these things because he misses being able to separate himself from such urges, held to a higher standard than most. He doesn’t know how to cope, to adjust to what’s become of himself since “the end”, and his only friend is a rather poor example of these particular things himself. Now, he’s down-to-earth, supporting free will in the choice of ignoring what’s become of his (lack of) grace, and when he meets the past version of Dean, he labels him a ‘hippie’ because of this attitude. If the meditation circles and orgies don’t scream that specific label, nothing else will.
He later admits to Dean that he finds himself to be utterly hapless and hopeless. Powerless. There is no use for him, so ”why not”? He can’t contribute much to the efforts of the problems they face, and only because of a deep sense of devotion and loyalty to the bond he’s made with his time’s Dean has he stayed. He needs a purpose and has none. So, his faith has shifted from an entirely absent god and brothers who have left to someone who’s ultimately changed because of his sibling’s choice to invite the devil in.
Comprehension of human things are now an everyday norm for this Castiel too; he’s developed the use of slang and some references he would never have gotten (or understood) before. He still maintains an occasional sense of past behaviors and speech patterns, elaborating when necessary and sometimes cold, but his disposition is typical loose, high-induced happy, and finds amusement in things that probably aren’t meant to be funny. It could be the drugs. It could be he’s seen and been through too much to actually care about the consequences of his actions and/or words. His respect for authority continues to waver between cheeky and constant as seen with future Dean’s orders to walk in and shoot the devil despite it very likely being a trap. He’ll follow him to his death, and that speaks volumes despite Castiel’s behavior of choice post-apocalypse.
Essentially, this Castiel is very discontent and finds every way possible to avoid it. He’s lost to his humanity, lacks that drive he once possessed as an angel. And what more is there to do when the world’s gone under other than indulge to the end?
During his time in Zelien, Castiel has grown significantly in terms of purpose. He’d always felt disconnected from Dean in a way that hadn’t been natural, that hadn’t been what he’d wanted when he’d given his grace to remain on earth with him through the end. He’s learned that it’s okay to say no, to take control of the situation and not allow Dean to push him around like he had back home. It does put a lot of strain on their relationship, but Castiel is stronger for it nonetheless. There are more glimpses of that stubborn angel in him than ever before, and it’s thanks to the situations he’s had to face with the other angels being there as well as knowing Dean outside of their leader-follower roll. Still, he does what he might ask of him. Yet, this is all set within his own guidelines; he’s determined to work with Dean, not under him.
Castiel’s relationship, too, with Sam is significantly better. Where he hadn’t known what to think of him, other than feeling he had failed the youngest Winchester in some way, he’s come to understand his motives better than before. He’s also able to call him friend, and that’s something Castiel doesn’t have many of whatsoever. In retrospect, Sam’s presence has been a rather huge eye-opener to him. As has been his interactions with Lucifer. Somewhere inside him, Castiel still hates him for what he’s done to the world, but with the discussions they’ve had at length, it’s become a little easier to make a larger connection with him. That they are similar in ways he hadn’t realized is something he doesn’t want to think about because he’s not entirely sure what it might mean in the long run.
Abilities/Powers:
Items/Weapons:
→ clothes (as seen here)
→ (1) duffel containing rope, a hunting knife, (1) handgun with (1) clip, binoculars, (2) spare t-shirts
→ (1) small cannabis plant
[ samples from
Sample Entry: here
Sample Entry Two: here