Meta rec and Very Scientific Poll

[ash48]

bardicvoice has written some great meta on why we see Sam and Dean differently: The Rainbow Connection, or Can You See What I See?

I like the ideas presented - it all makes perfect sense to me. It should help people realise that it's OK to see the show differently and arguing about it (read "being nasty") isn't going to achieve much. I think discussing is valuable because I think sharing the differing views can be interesting. Though, as bardicvoice's put it - "You're going to believe what you believe no matter what I say, unless I happen upon an explanation that fits your emotional reality and both allows and persuades you to change your point of view. Trust me, those occasions are few and far between".

She also refers to an article written about why we connect to fictional characters in such a passionate way. This is fascinating also.

If you enjoy this type of analysis I highly recommend it.

She can't answer what it is in each of our personalities that makes us respond the way we do, unfortunately. I imagine such a study would be extraordinarily difficult.

However...I did wonder if we might be able to do a highly (un)scientific survey to see if there's anything we can pin down that make us either a Sam!person or a Dean!person or a both bro!person.



I think of myself as a Sam!girl (who adores Dean <333). I often wonder what draws me to Sam and I think I can simply put it down to:

1) He's the younger brother
2) He has long hair
3) I find Jared ridiculously attractive

(I find Jensen ridiculously attractive too. I love Dean and there's no way I would adore Sam the way I do without Dean being there).

In most TV/film partnerships I've always favored the younger of a pair - Luke over Han, AJ over Rick (Simon and Simon), Stephen over Mike (in the Tomorrow People). I have no idea why that is. I've sometimes wondered if it has anything to do with my position in my family. I am the eldest.

Which makes me wonder if the way we favour either Sam or Dean has anything to do with whether or not we have younger or older siblings? (I think not, but it might be fun to see if there is any trend).


[Poll #1918144]


It's just for fun (and I'm curious...). In all honesty I imagine there are a number of factors dictating not only the way we sympathise with a particular character but also how we interpret story lines and "see" the show. I don't know how you'd ever find out what makes one person see it one way and other a different way. It would be quite a study I should imagine.

Comments

[cherie-morte.livejournal.com]

I don't think a person's family life has any set relation on how they identify with these characters, mostly because I think if we decide that then we get into murky territory with the ridiculous argument I've seen people throw around that if you ship incest in fandom it's because something ain't right with your IRL family relationships.

It can definitely influence certain individuals on a personal front--I, for example, love both boys in really different ways, to the point where I don't really know which one I prefer, but there have been moments when I have gotten really intense identifications with Sam, though I think that was more about our having lost parents too young to remember them and not knowing how to respond to/being kind of jealous of our older siblings ability to fully mourn for that parent. So it both was and wasn't a younger sibling thing, it was very particular to our situation, but it gave me a lot of sympathy for Sam in an episode when with past mistakes were being paraded (Dark Side of the Moon), so that helped me hold onto my Sam love then (although, frankly, I don't think it was at risk, that season's Sam is my favorite Sam and I fucking adore the ways in which he is flawed, they get to me more than maybe anything else about him). I've never identified with Dean that intensely (I wish I was that selfless and good, lol), but I also don't choose favorites based on who I feel is most like me. I don't know if any of this is helpful or informative, just blahing.

ALSO FUCK YES THANK YOU, GODDAMMIT, THERE ARE SO FEW OF US ALIVE WHO CAN UNDERSTAND THAT LUKE >>>>>>> HAN.

[killabeez.livejournal.com]

the ridiculous argument I've seen people throw around that if you ship incest in fandom it's because something ain't right with your IRL family relationships.

Haha, yes, this. Because I always say I identify with Dean, and I have a little brother whom I love, but—NO NO THE WHOLE ENTIRE WORLD OF NO.

[runedgirl.livejournal.com]

So much this!

[killabeez.livejournal.com]

You know what's funny to me about it is, at least half the reason I ship them is because the way that Dean acts toward Sam feels so off to me. Like, every time he does or says something that triggers my "inappropriate!" big sister instinct, I ship them a little more. It's the contrast between sibling love (which I have in abundance) and that boundary-crossing tendency which registers for me as so OTT that first made me ship them.

To paraphrase Lisa Braeden, I love my brother, but I don't love my brother. It's all the moments when my bzuh? reaction gets triggered that first made me ship them.

[cassiopeia7.livejournal.com]

x 100,000,000!

[ash48.livejournal.com]

NO NO THE WHOLE ENTIRE WORLD OF NO.

OMG YES!! I have a younger brother too and NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!

My brain goes into a different place when I read wincest (and watch the show for that matter). It's just them in their massively screwed up world and it just works.

[growyourwings.livejournal.com]

"My brain goes into a different place when I read wincest (and watch the show for that matter). It's just them in their massively screwed up world and it just works."

This. My brain has long ago separated the wincest taboo from having anything to do with real life. First because...it's FICTION. And second because their lives are just so screwed up (ala Flowers in the Attic). And then my brain further separates any fanfiction (rps non-au or otherwise) from the real J and J. They are just different entities in my head. When I first saw the Js at the first LA con, for a few hours I worried that I would no longer be able to read RPF/S at all. And then I realized that my brain just compartmentalized RPF J&J as different people. Like the Js were being cast to play different characters, just in a fanfic (again whether au or non-au).

I know I'm not alone in that when I see photos of the guys I can almost always tell when the photo was taken when the Js were themselves or when they were Sam and Dean. It's just THERE in their faces, expressions, body language. I don't even need the clothing to tell the different a lot of times.

[cassiopeia7.livejournal.com]

ALSO FUCK YES THANK YOU, GODDAMMIT, THERE ARE SO FEW OF US ALIVE WHO CAN UNDERSTAND THAT LUKE >>>>>>> HAN.

TBH, while I admire Luke, Han's the one I salivate over. ;) As usual, my hormones trump my brain, LOL

*runs off with your awesome icon*

[ash48.livejournal.com]

the ridiculous argument I've seen people throw around that if you ship incest in fandom it's because something ain't right with your IRL family relationships.

Holy Moly...I haven't seen that one and yeah../o\

And so far there seems to be no relation to who someone prefers and what kind of siblings they have. (though, wow - a LOT of eldest in there. I wonder if that's just because all of the participants are from LJ, the majority are from my flist or if there's actually a THING going on there...).

I think you've pinpointed a lot about what I love about Sam also. His flaws are the very thing that draws me to him (oh, and his hair...;D). I love Dean in different ways also. He's just a big damn fucking hero and I adore him (and the way he loves Sam).

I initially wondered if my attraction to Sam had anything to do with me being the eldest - I truly don't think it does. I can't even begin to figure out what it is in my personality that draws me to him in one way and Dean in another.

ALSO FUCK YES THANK YOU, GODDAMMIT, THERE ARE SO FEW OF US ALIVE WHO CAN UNDERSTAND THAT LUKE >>>>>>> HAN.

OH THANK CHRIST!!! I am in the minority I know (just like being a mostly Sammy!gal) but man, Luke did it for me! :DD

Yay icon!!! \o/

[counteragent.livejournal.com]

I am always a Luke girl. I'm too Han-y to love another Han the way I love Luke.