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

[colls]

I kind of cheated and claimed to be a Dean!person, a Sam!person and both because I've been all at various times over the course of the show.

also, I CANNOT RESIST THE CLICKY.
*facepalm*

[ash48.livejournal.com]

Ha! I've been trying to figure out how that works...I didn't factor in people who changed.... See now, how am I going to be able to write that up in a scientific journal?! ;)

xx

[cassiopeia7.livejournal.com]

^ What colls said. I, too clicked both Dean!person and Sam!person, as I started watching SPN as a Sam!girl, kinda gravitated to Dean along the way, and now I'll fight for them both. :D

[amberdreams.livejournal.com]

Ok.
I'm a Dean person who adores Sam. Sam has shaped Dean into the character I love, so I love Sam.
What draws me to Dean?
1) He is ridiculously pretty - but that on its own would not be enough so
2) He is willing to sacrifice himself (not just for Sam but for other people too)
3) He loves with all his heart
4) He hurts so good
5) He's funny and has a childlike love of life

I'm an only child so don't identify with either brother in that respect and I don't know if I've favoured the older or younger one in the partnership shows I've been attached to in the past - usually I think I favoured the one with darker hair! (Hannibal Heyes in Alias Smith & Jones, the dark one in Lancer, Tonto in the Lone Ranger, Starsky over Hutch...)

[amnisias.livejournal.com]

Because I do research myself I've been a good girl and only clicked the once. Although I would describe myself as a Dean!girl if I have to decide, I would like to clarify that this is very much in a non-crazy, non-Sam way! He just hits my 'bad & damaged boy' kink, and I find him physically more atractive (what? it's tv, so I'm allowed to be shallow and superficial) :)

[colls]

LOL - I didn't mean to throw a monkey wrench in your science.

<33

[antrazi.livejournal.com]

I clicked both for Dean and for BiBro because even as a Deangirl I enjoy Sam too much. And both together are the best possible scenario anyway.

Looking back to other fandoms and who I like most there, I tend to go for specific personality types. It's nice if they come in nice packaging, such as Dean running around in a Jensen Ackles suit but ultimately I have a thing for tragic grey-ish personalities, with a sense of humor and easily underappreciated.

[ash48.livejournal.com]

Oh yeah - I will always fight for both of them. And they are a set to me. Can't have one without the other. :)

I'm not really sure why I think of myself as a Sam!girl - I think it might be because I gravitate to Sam fic - though Dean always has to be in them. Hmmm...I'm not sure. It's the little bro syndrome I think.

<33

[ash48.livejournal.com]

Oh yeah - I have to say I love all those things about Dean to. I've been trying to put together a "10 things I love about Dean Winchester" post for a while...I think I'll have to do that soon...;)

I was thinking about my preferences for partners when the age isn't specified. Starsky and Hutch are dead set equal, but I favored Doyle over Bodie in The Professionals (I think the hair and the sensitivity)...

[ash48.livejournal.com]

yay one clicky!

(what? it's tv, so I'm allowed to be shallow and superficial)

Omg yes. Whenever I'm asked why I like SPN my first answers is always...have you see how hot the leads are? Hee...then of course I have to say it's a bit more than just that, but the way they look is RIGHT UP THERE!! I'm not ashamed...;)

Dean hits a different set of buttons to the ones Sam hits - I love Dean's kick ass, quirky, bad boy, protective!big bro, HOTASS gorgeousness and Sam is just...those damn puppy eyes and the misunderstood little bro who's fighting his shitty destiny. *hearts* 'em both.

xx

[maraceles.livejournal.com]

I think I might have some kind of knee-jerk defensive reaction when it comes to the boys, either of the boys. I came into fandom bi-bro at the start of season five, but with the random and almost constant Sam-hate going on then, I found myself defending him (at least to myself) more often than not--and suddenly I found myself a Sam!girl.

Now I see more, well, not Dean hate, but perhaps Dean maligning at the very least, on my dash, and it's making me go, "Hey, wait a minute, I don't think that's true..." Especially when it comes to this idea that Dean loves Sam as a concept or object. (I've had a somewhat dissenting essay 3/4 written since de_nugis' excellent write-up of 8.23, but no time to actually engage, argh. I miss being fully active in fandom.)

[amberdreams.livejournal.com]

Me too on Doyle - and I must say, Martin Shaw has got better with age.

[amberdreams.livejournal.com]

Ooh yes that's it exactly "tragic grey-ish personalities, with a sense of humor and easily underappreciated."

[amberdreams.livejournal.com]

I'd never hate on either brother - however much I root for Dean, I always root for Sam too. I think both of them have done wrong/stupid things and both of them have been self sacrificing heroes and thus hold my heart.

[ash48.livejournal.com]

I clicked both for Dean and for BiBro because even as a Deangirl I enjoy Sam too much

Yeah, it's tricky isn't it?! I'm like that, only the other way around. It took me a while to actually say - I'm a Sam!gal because I feel like it's saying it means I don't feel for Dean. I do - and very strongly. In fact my top eps are Dean eps (The End and What Should Never Be...). I think it's just that I get more on the defensive when I hear fans be nasty to Sam. It feels more personal or something, so I think that's another reason why I consider myself a Sam!girl. And I just can't stop staring at his face...

But I defensive for Dean also...;)

[cassiopeia7.livejournal.com]

they are a set to me. Can't have one without the other. :)

This, right here. You really can't have one without the other, which is probably why it annoys me so much when the show sends them off in separate directions. It just ain't Supernatural without BOTH brothers.

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.

I find this very interesting, as I am also the eldest, yet I tend to favor the oldest of a pair (Han over Luke, Rick over AJ), even though I never before considered their ages as a deciding factor -- it was just who I thought was the most attractive, in whatever way. :) Also? Dave Starsky all the way! Badass car, snarky attitude . . . he was the Dean Winchester of my childhood. XD

*nice to see all the Starsky & Hutch fans lurking around here*

[maraceles.livejournal.com]

Not gonna lie, I don't find Dean particularly engaging myself--until I view him from Sam's perspective. Then I get all starry-eyed. I guess I think that Sam's hero-worship trumps all? I guess that goes back to the main point about which rainbow I'm seeing when I think about either of them. *headdesk*

[cassiopeia7.livejournal.com]

Starsky over Hutch...

YESSSSSSS! :D Give me my curly-haired, left-handed master of snark. AND his gorgeous Torino. XD

[amberdreams.livejournal.com]

Indeed it does and I probably work the same, but the other way around - seeing Sam through Dean's eyes.

[ash48.livejournal.com]

I am totally knee jerky when it comes to my boys! I hate to read either of them being slammed :((

Especially when it comes to this idea that Dean loves Sam as a concept or object.

Oh yeah...

I think that's why the above meta is interesting. I have read so many differing opinions on where the boys are at by the end of the season. we are all watching the same show but have been left with very different views. I've seen Sam being accused of guilting Dean all through the season because Sam begrudges him coming back and I've seen Dean being blamed for...well, lots of things. I think all are valid because the writers are often playing with different ideas and (probably!) don't really understand what they are trying to do some of the time.

And not having time to fully engage is argh. Especially when we have thinly ideas to share!!

Nice to see you pop by..<333

[ash48.livejournal.com]

I think I started off a Hutch gal and then turned into a Starsky one... (and then couldn't make up my mind. I love 'em both...<33)

THE CAR!!! \o/

[cassiopeia7.livejournal.com]

even as a Deangirl I enjoy Sam too much. And both together are the best possible scenario anyway

This is pretty much 5000% of how I feel about the guys. Also:

Dean running around in a Jensen Ackles suit

*happy sigh*

[killabeez.livejournal.com]

Thank you for the link to the cool article! So, so true. As someone who's always gravitated to the more serious, less quirky half of a duo, I remember spending a lot of energy defending characters I fell for in the past against accusations of "boring, black and white, judgmental, predictable," etc. I finally realized one day that I could defend them all I wanted—it was never going to change the popularity of the characters I loved in fandom.

Part of the reason I've loved Supernatural for so long is that I do feel very bibro, but my feelings for Sam and Dean are very different. I identify with Dean so hard. Most of the stories I've written are from his POV. At first, I loved Sam because Dean loved Sam. But as the character of Sam grew, I did exactly what that article describes—found myself coloring in the lines with my own paint set. I think the show did that for us with Dean, whereas there are still huge unfinished areas of the picture with Sam. Maybe that's why my love affair with Sam in particular continues after all this time (and in spite of lackluster writing). I still love Dean, but I don't find myself thinking about him nearly as much. I feel like I already know him. Of course, it's my version of him, but still. We've reached the happily married, slightly boring portion of the relationship. :D Sam is still the mysterious stranger in my life, even after 8 years.

ETA: p.s. Since we're talking Starsky & Hutch (♥), Starsky is my exception that proves the rule about falling for the serious one. I blame PMG.

[cassiopeia7.livejournal.com]

I think I might have some kind of knee-jerk defensive reaction when it comes to the boys, either of the boys.

Oh, yes. I KNOW I've developed the knee-jerk defensive reaction -- have totally lost patience with Dean-hating Sam!girls and Sam-hating Dean!girls. I don't care for it, don't have time for it, and have pretty much given up trying to deal with those who indulge in it.

[ayane42.livejournal.com]

I haven't read the article but i had to click the circles!!

i have a thing about tall,dark and handsome.

my husband is tall dark and handsome.

my first tv obsession, Mulder (David Duchovny) *swoon* is tall dark and handsome and omg he ages well.....

and Sam, tall dark and handsome and he hurts so gooooood. first show i ever saw, "Bloody Mary" turned on TNT right at the confrontation in the mirror, bleeding eyes and the guilt and the face, i was hooked.

Dean is a cutie, but he doesn't get my hurt engine going like Sammy does.