This might be an odd request but do you have suggestions for fics that have the characters most.. in character? Hah it's a weird way to ask but I've ended up reading a lot lately where Dean and Cas are just not quite themselves, you know? I'm not really picky about AU or canon or anything. Anyway, thank you!
This is not an odd request at all! In fact, it is the most popular ask right after “do you have any good fic about X?” And we get it. We all want to read a fic that reminds us of Dean and Cas and not just two random dudes. But here is the problem: characterization is in the eye of reader. We’ve seen the same fic praised for great characterization and criticized for being totally OOC. So be warned, characterization is definitely YMMV and our blog is not some kind of authority on what a good fic or characterization is. With our disclaimer made - onto the question!!
We get asked about fics with good characterization pretty regularly. So, the first place for you to look is our Characterization tag. Most fics on the tag are canon verse with some AU fics and the mod who read it felt the characters were really on point. The decision to tag fic with the “characterization” tag is only made by the mod that reviewed the fic. Since most of our official reviews are tagged with the name of the mod who wrote it, this can give you a sense of each mod’s taste. Sometimes, in the review, the mod will also mention if they thought the characters acted OOC.
The next place to look is our Personal favorites tag and in particular the Favorite Fic lists by mod (recent fics are tagged individually, older faves are listed by year - 2013, 2014, 2015). If the mods put a fic on the list, it means they liked characters as well as the story.
Another way for you to find a fic which you think has good characterization is to check other fics from an author you already like. Usually it means that your ideas about Dean and Cas are similar and you will like their other fics as well.
If our blog is your main source of destiel fic rec, please know that we rec mostly longer fics and try to cover as many authors as we can as a way to introduce them to readers. Which means that some prolific authors, especially canon verse, who have a lot of shorter fics may have only one or two reviews on our site. This doesn’t mean that we didn’t like their other fics, it just means that we trust the readers to explore the author on their own.
And last but not least. When you find a fic you loved for its characterization, let the author know in comments. That is the highest praise and they’ll be thrilled to receive it.
