Castiel (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
rehymenator) wrote2014-08-06 11:20 am
rehymenator) wrote2014-08-06 11:20 am
denouement application.
Player Information
Player name: Rin
Contact:printed & presserint (DW / gmail / AIM)
Are you over 18: Y
Characters in the game already: Faith Lehane (
Proof of Reserve: here!
Character Information
Character Name: Castiel
Canon: Supernatural (TV)
Canon Point: Post-5x22 Swan Song
Is your character Dead, Undead or Alive: Alive
History:
Wikia.
Personality:
Fluffy wings. Playing the harp. Halo. Wait, no. Start over: Angels are dicks.
That's the general consensus when it comes to Supernatural's angels, anyway. Robotic, control-freak business executive types who pray for instruction from their superiors and have never seen God. This is a complicated bureaucratic web of soldiers, with the kind of dysfunctional relationships among them that mirror our own. Their motives are just; their allegiances unbreakable. At least that's how it looks on the surface.
In reality they are all kinds of messed up. And Castiel's the nerdy cadet who finds himself smack in the middle of a seriously stank nasty quagmire.
Castiel's been stalking humans since they were still fish. So, while he might not be sure exactly how to approach or react to the human world, he mostly understands the how (except sex which we're just not going to go into). He's kind of like a super book nerd expert on something who has never actually done any real field work within that specialty. He's the guy reading police procedural fiction and then trying to act like he could walk on the street and be a detective. He's a super nerd.
The more time he spends around humans, the more he evolves (or devolves, depending on who you ask). At one point, when he found himself completely cut off from Heaven, he became prone to expressing emotion and opinion freely - especially if he was frustrated, annoyed or (gasp!) happy. While he's usually very straight-laced, Castiel has displayed a dry and sassy sense of humor and limited knowledge of human customs and pop culture. His display of knowledge of humans is usually very robotic, and if he manages to get something right, it still is unpracticed and awkward sounding.
Still, he tends to have limited and robotic interpersonal skills and a rather literal frame of mind. In contrast to other angels, his social ineptitude seems to be an idiosyncrasy. It's safe to say that while some of it should be attributed to his nature as an angel, he is still just pretty awkward.
When he believes he's doing the right thing, Cas is nearly immovable. He has no qualms about not sharing his plans with anyone, is generally a total jerk, and is known to do whatever he thinks he needs to including manipulating people and events to get what he wants (both under orders from above and then independently). He struggles with the very human concept of right and wrong especially when it comes to the bigger picture, but often ultimately makes awful life choices in pursuit of a loftier goal. This is typical of the canon's take on angels though Castiel differs in a few ways: He doesn't want the bring about the Biblical apocalypse, and he truly loves humans (whereas most other angels either despise or just don't care about them).
Many of Castiel's motives are ambiguous and complicated at best, and are largely externally found (his internal ones are much murkier, and being a literal servant of God doesn't leave much room for personal development). While we've been shown his dedication to God, he also displays a strong dedication to his charge, Dean Winchester, and to humans as a race. His Big One is that he loves all of God's creations, and comes to regard the humans as his responsibility to protect. Given that Dad has stepped out, and they're the last remnant of him and his love, this is a pretty natural motive. This begins his inner war between two allegiances he must choose between, and which cause conflict in his actions: work for the angels, or protect the humans.
He eventually decides to protect the things God loves most, and finds he disagrees with how his fellow angels are doing things. This gets him into trouble rather frequently -- he's prone to making really crappy choices in the name of good. In the face of him actively worrying about whether those choices are the right ones, Castiel kind of struggles with new found autonomy and the idea of making decisions on his own. He is of the mind that some sort of action is better than sitting on his hands and waiting (and with pretty good reason, considering what his family got up to when they were the ones making the calls).
For the latter half of season 5 (until his resurrection in the finale) Castiel has one purpose - he gave up everything to help Sam and Dean and damn it that is what he's going to do: God or not! The Winchesters are his new family, and though he might be directing his bitter anger at them, he is going to see his original game plan through to the end. God is totally winning at hide and seek, and Cas is slowly spiraling into angel depression which results in major drinking (par for the course on this show). The only thing that keeps him trudging along is the desire to save his Father's world and the human race at large, so he clings to it in order to keep on keeping on. And bitch at everyone a lot while he does it.
Cas was already prone to falling in line with the humans. He was lower on the totem poor than the ones giving orders and as he struggles to figure out where his allegiances lie, it's often the angels that let him down. His relationship with Anna had been complicated from the get go, considering she the was the first of his superiors to 'betray' him when she abandoned him to fall from Heaven. Then Uriel, his partner in wrangling the Winchesters goes dark side. Then his older brothers get impatient and figure starting the apocalypse is better than just waiting around for Paradise but Dad still doesn't show up to dole out the spankings! It's no wonder Cas struggles with and eventually chooses the middle of the road, even after being angel rehabbed and brainwashed. His own "side" for lack of a better term, turns out to be a bunch of children playing with matches while dad's out picking up smokes! Castiel's their idiot younger brother who never watched cartoons and doesn't know not to talk to strangers but because he isn't stubbornly entrenched in his own opinions, he's the most morally solid of them all. At least, when it comes to the end. He can be a little Machiavellian like the rest of his family, which he's working on.
On top of it all, angels have very strong emotional capabilities. It might be that because Castiel has never been allowed the luxury of choice, he has to learn how to express them as readily as humans. Whatever the cause, he begins as a very stoic and robotic character, even by angel standards. Fortunately, getting close to a human can develop those angel feelings. Of course, considering angels are not just supernatural but celestial-freaking-beings that can move through time (and create alternate realities) they seem to be intelligent and sometimes over-emotional. However, they're also used to being able to control humans and use them when appropriate, so when they encounter one that won't just fall in line, some sort of tantrum is surely imminent. They are complex beings with complex inner workings and yet humans (the Winchester kind at least) continually surprise and stump them with their stubborn attitudes and lack of awe and fear of angels.
Castiel himself very quickly develops more emotion than he begins with. His loyal but conflicted feelings about Dean as a friend and ally versus an asset are when it begins. Subsequently, his view on morality quickly blossoms. His initial distaste for Sam is palpable but eventually grows into allegiance if not friendship. His disappointment in Uriel and his complicated relationship with Anna reveal that there is much more beneath the Termin-Angel facade. Castiel's own betrayal of Anna weighs heavily on him. You can see the miles of guilt on his face when he turns in Anna in season four. And he continues to regress and relearn; everything can change on a dime if he feels something he previously disagreed with is the only way to achieve a certain end. He was very willing to eradicate a boy borne of a demon just out of fear of the threat of him.
In reality, God's choice not to help is good for Castiel. It forces him to stop using blind faith and the belief that God will fix the world as a crutch to keep from actively participating in the bubbling war among his family (the angels and the Winchesters). Meta-wise, it mirrors Dean's early (and arguably continued) development re: John. If you look at Castiel as an archetype, he's the good son in the family that won't fly the coop because he listens and does everything his parents say and wants to hang around and help out forever which deters his own journey into the world. His dad has to kick the kids out for their own good, so they can learn to trust themselves and their own judgment. Castiel realizing he does have a stake in what's happening is when things start get interesting, especially when he begins to feel like the only one (including God) doing anything about it. He continues to mirror Dean (who just kept on hunting when John disappeared), and then begins to mirror Sam a little as at first he didn't question God's whereabouts, and then evolved into actively trying to hunt him down.
The more angelic parts of Castiel are generally represented by a cold, uncaring nature. After being resurrected at the end of season 5, he becomes saddled with responsibility when Heaven splits into sides and a civil war breaks out. His marked absence from helping the brothers isn't necessarily a sign that he's completely done with them, or that he's stopped caring. With his shift in priorities, Castiel views his other duties as more important in the grand scheme of helping them, actually. Not that it's a terribly brilliant way to handle things, but it does demonstrate that Castiel is trying to do the right thing -- though he's got to learn what it is along the way.
Castiel's immediate reactions can be violent if he feels threatened, but he generally tends to reserve judgment on new experiences / people if there is no threat or danger to himself or those he cares about. Though he can hold a grudge, he's not incapable of changing his attitude with a little time and experience, and sometimes even his full opinion. With a goal in mind, he is driven and a bit stubborn. Without one he can become listless and revert back to his natural observant nature, rather than be the driven poor-choice-making idiot angel we all know and tolerate. This is avoided in canon by not just taking away his goal of finding God. It makes for interesting character development within games by gearing him toward learning about other cultures especially if he is able to explore the world around him, or has to learn to live without his grace / powers.
Items on your character at canon point:
The very distinctively tax accountant clothing on his back. Angel sword. A sweet Nokia phone.Abilities, Strengths and Weaknesses:
ANGELIC ABILITIES
As a spiritual being, like all angels, Castiel needs to use and possess a human vessel to physically interact while on Earth. As an angel, he requires the vessel's permission.
Castiel, as an angel, like all celestial beings, doesn't age over time and is immune to disease. He never tires, and does not need to eat, sleep, drink, or breathe to sustain himself or even his vessel.
As an angel, there are very few things able to kill Castiel as he has shown to be impervious to most forms of harm. He possesses accelerated healing abilities that allow him to heal wounds that would kill a human in seconds, if not instantly. He is unharmed by extreme temperatures. He is immune to all ailments and is immortal, able to fully heal from any non-supernatural wound regardless of its fatality.
Castiel can see things hidden to humans. He is capable of immediately discovering a person's identity or their prior medical status by simply smelling their remains, regardless of the condition of said remains. He is also capable of speaking to and understanding animals, and even listening in on radio frequencies.
Castiel is able to protect someone from harm beforehand, as seen when he prevented his vessel, Jimmy Novak from burning his hand on a pot of boiling water when asked for a sign of faith.
Castiel is able to teleport Dean to St. Mary's Convent from Chuck's house with a touch of his hand to his forehead, and later teleports him away from Zachariah to his side at a roadside.
By placing his hand on a person's forehead, Castiel is able to manipulate a person's mind, being able to create, erase or alter memories or simply alter their perception of events altogether. He easily tore down the mental dam inserted by Death on Sam that protected him from the memories of him being tortured in Lucifer's Cage. Though he was unable to cure Sam from the resulting madness it caused, he was able to transfer the mental damage from Sam to himself. He is also able to show a person the true version of their memories, not just the version they choose to remember. This is shown when he makes Dean see what really happened when he escaped Purgatory. He is also able to enter other people's minds and take someone with him as he entered Fred Jones' mind with Sam. However, this requires him to maintain physical contact with both parties. Also he could perform a process to remove Fred's powers, due to them being mentally based, presumably by causing damage to specific parts of his mind, as he ended in a completely catatonic, unresponsive state at the end of the process.
Cas, in one instance, altered reality, by shaking a 'Sorry' board-game, and having everything instantly set up. He was later able to fill a vial with his blood just holding it tight in his hand and not making any cuts. His highest capability in this area was when he was able to change his appearance and clothes into his original one after returning from Purgatory.
He can instantly kill several demons with great ease by using this ability. He was also capable of killing various monsters using this ability such as Lenore, or other creatures even in Purgatory. He tried to smite a Leviathan in Purgatory, but he was in able to. However, more powerful beings such as the archangel Raphael, however, were immune to this power and could also extend this protection to lesser beings such as demons. It is revealed that this power burns out the eyes of the being it is used on and liquifies all of their organs.
Castiel has displayed the ability to grab a demon's smoke form and force it back into its body to smite it.
As a Seraph, Castiel's true visage is now far more hazardous and far more terrifying to creatures such as humans, demons, and other earthly monsters. While projecting his true form from his vessel, his irises gained a deep and bright blue glow, his body emitted a powerful pinkish-white light and the shadows of his wings appeared on his back. Even in a weakened state, he was able to intimidate Crowley into retreat, despite the demon's position as the current King of Hell.
STENGTHS
Winchesters. They've helped him become the angel he is today. His own brethren failed him with infighting and wanting to kickstart the apocalypse just to get it over with. Once Castiel began to see things from the Winchesters' point of view, he learned to improvise and do the right thing. He might be millenia older than they are, but he's their little brother, and they help him figure out what his purpose in life is, for the first time in a long time. He gains independence and a sense of ethics from them, and they continually guide him along that path.
Loyalty. When it comes to Castiel deciding someone is family, that means Castiel pretty much looks out for them 24/7. That doesn't mean he's going to pull the angel-on-the-shoulder business, but it does mean he ups his shit-calling tendencies, and does what he believes will protect his friends best. Sometimes that means pulling them out of a jam, but usually it means he's working behind the scenes to keep the gears rolling so that they can do their jobs.
Doubt. Which sounds like it should be a weakness, but as an angel, it sets him apart. He's great at following orders and executing things by the book. That doesn't necessarily change when he begins to doubt his superiors -- in fact, his haphazard learning to stand on his own two feet opens his eyes even more. He becomes autonomous and begins to think for himself which lends him the lateral movement necessary to see beyond Heaven and begin to understand what really matters to him.
Being Really Really Really Really Old. OK, so this one means he's kind of a stick in the mud and he's a little bit awkward. But, he's got a wealth of knowledge at his disposal that makes him better than a library of lore. It lends to other things as well; he knows other beings from having run into them in the past, he's got a great tactical mind when it comes to forming a plan and then executing it. And for all his awkward, Castiel tends to see more than people think he does, when it comes to his personal relationships.
WEAKNESSES
ANGELIC
- Holy oil
- Unsuitable vessels
- Angel sword
- Vessel Expulsion
- Death's scythe
- Cambion
- Pieces of Heaven
- Staff of Moses
- Salt crystal
- Leviathans
- Naomi's torture spike
- Exorcism chant
- Enochian Sigils
- Certain beings, such as Eve, can inhibit an angel from using his or her powers.
There is an exorcism chant to expel angels from their human vessels. It seems that the chant is not well known as only one demon, Alastair, has ever used it.
They can be used to disguise the location of those bearing the symbols. Castiel carved the symbols into Sam and Dean's and later Adam's ribs. Enochian sigils can also be used to keep angels from entering a building.
Angel banishing sigil drawn in human blood. When a hand is placed on the sigil, angels are temporarily banished from the area. It can be used by humans and angels, and the angel who uses it does not disappear with the others. Castiel uses an extreme form of this when he carves the sigil into his vessel's chest; on this occasion, he vanished with the other angels, and returned near mortal.
It is not known if this applies to higher tier angels, such as the archangels. Eve existed before angels, and suggests that she has knowledge that angels lack.
INTERPERSONAL
Winchesters. Arguably his biggest weakness, the Winchesters are the reason Castiel has gone down the road of disobedience and doubt. Usually, when they are in trouble, he will drop quite a lot to help them. Even in the midst of warring Heaven, he still shows up to help when he can.
Pride. This could really be listed under angelic weaknesses, as it seems most of them are very prideful and overconfident. For Castiel, though, it can seem a striking inconsistency with his character. He's a powerful being who doesn't often flaunt it, but when he feels the need, he's got no problem reminding the hairless apes what hes capable of. Unfortunately, it's not just for show: Castiel gets himself into a lot of trouble when he becomes stubbornly prideful and stops listening to other people. He's gambled so many times and lost only to still come out on top, sometimes it seems like he's extra prideful. Heck, he's been resurrected twice at this canon point -- anyone might think themselves a special snowflake after that.
Bad "People" Skills. Angels suck at talking to people, but Castiel is kind of in a league of his own. There are plenty of angels who can speak more colloquially, peppering their words with slang and contractions that more befit a regular human. Castiel still hasn't quite picked up on it. More to the point, he can be overly blunt and impatient (especially now that he's a suped upped seraph). He tends to miss the intricacies of using slang and innuendo, though he displays an understanding of them.
Samples
Network/Action Spam Sample: Castiel Affected by a Kissing Event!
Prose Log Sample:
He doesn't require breath. Castiel requires a moment, now, before returning home.
As the smell of ozone fills the air, he partakes in this human indulgence. In this moment he has stolen he is not angel or soldier. He isn't traitor or seraph. He is Castiel, for whatever that encapsulates now. He can feel the stirring of heaven in him as the impact of Lucifer and Michael ripples out through the garrisons.
In this moment, Castiel knows Dean and Bobby are safe. And that safe does not mean all right. Even he feels the loss of Sam, though he cannot fathom the full weight it will put onto Dean. Castiel's own sadness is tinted with pride for Sam. He accomplished a magnificent victory today.
The sky shakes and pours with the pressure in the atmosphere above the barren deserts. Here, in the wide space of nothing, rain is a rare occurrence. Tonight it falls in gallons as if the very oceans are pouring into the sand. Even as thunder drowns out the sound of battle, lightning rips across the sky to illuminate the coming soldiers of the armies of heaven.
In a single flash, two of his brethren flank Castiel and he descend upon their own kind. He cuts the first clean in two - the grace flickers and flashes, though he doesn't stay long enough to watch. Fury flares in his eyes as he cuts through another, and again. The angel to his right falls, his vessel's knees cut into the ground as bright light makes the lightning look like a weak flashlight in the dusk of the end of another day. He abruptly changes course, charging toward his brother's killer.. He doesn't smile for the revenge; the only movement in his face is a subtle twitch of his eyebrows from concentrating. This is not a happy moment.
Happy moments are long gone, now. Bobby, alive and well. Dean -- well, alive anyway.
Here, there is no wavering or choices to make based on his judgments and observations. There is only what his side wants and what the other side wants, and in battle the enemy is clear. This is what he was made for, this execution of will, the execution of those who would reject the Lord and all his creations.
The Winchesters and their friends had given too much to end the apocalypse; Castiel won't allow it to begin anew at the hands of Raphael. God has raised him for this purpose, as he had before, and Castiel will do everything in his power to uphold his father's will.
Fire radiates out in a circle; Castiel is at the center, as the blue flames wave out underneath his opponents and swallows them up in the fire of his power. In seconds, he pulls the sword back out and begins cutting his way through the remaining angels with a precision and strength that wavers when he sees reinforcements for the wrong side storming in. It is Raphael, whose power can be felt from even this distance.
They are surrounded and he can feel the necessity of retreat crawling into his mind.
It is a rare occurrence that Castiel wishes he had a Winchester at his side when surrounded by other angels. He cannot deny an attachment to them, but it is also impossible to separate him from what he was created for. What he'd obviously been resurrected for. The battle raging around him is too much for the old Castiel to handle. He must step into shoes far too large.
And for now, he must retreat and regroup.