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citrus_javaI have this rule about writing (not that I always follow it myself) - don't assume the audience likes the characters because you gave them a reason to, two chapters ago. You have to keep giving reasons. This rule doesn't apply, for me, to Dean and Sam. I love them so much, that part is stable. So I need to amend my rule to say - even in season 9, you have to keep characterizing. These days, I really miss Sam and Dean. These days, the characters are less specific, wobbling too much for emotional arcs I really feel I can hang on to. J&J make it float , (especially Jared, which makes me so proud and glad, since Jensen was the one who used to do more of that, and also since Jared has way less to work with).
It's common these days, in more and more sorts of research, to talk about what's considered "normal", "universal", "not worth mentioning, because of course". Like someone being a white straight man. You know the drill. The common approach today (or, at least, around me) is to look at it as something that is specific, too, not universal. Like- being a man is specific, men aren't "general people". And in one way, most research in existence is about men, canonical everything is written mostly bu men and so forth, but in another way, there's not a lot of research about masculinity itself.
It's interesting to me to look at fic that's like that, in SPN, our "usual" fic. Or at least, your usual Sam/Dean or Sam & Dean fic, I don't read enough of the others to know, and I am curious to hear about this in other places in fandom, if you know and feel like saying.
I'd say your garden variety fic is "not season specific", but it takes place around season 3, minus the deal, give or take the angels and Sam's muscles. Motel rooms, following cases from town to town, diners, bringing each other coffee/take out in the morning(have they ever, ever done that in canon before last episode?) , they know about possession and demons, if there are angels around, they're not central, nobody is crazy or suicidal or an alcoholic, and they don't know about fic. Dean's likely to hit on random (gorgeous) girls, Bobby's around and walking, The Trickster is around in either persona, Crowley probably isn't.
Even with fic that's less specific than that, it's often easy to tell around what season stories were written, the same way decades have indications in fashion and music. Vibe, characterizations, small things that became non-canon, the description of Sam's body and hair, And, of course, bigger things like each character's mental place, the way the audience is expected to think about their relationship, and how they're likely to act.
It's really interesting to me that "first time", while perhaps more central, is far from being obvious in this sort of fic. It might be cause it makes PWPs easier, but I don't think that's why. Perhaps it's because to many people, they sort of always had a relationship. Perhaps it because it's been so long, we get it, they're together, and as I took to yelling at the screen, watching SPN for the first time - there's only so much UST you can drive your audience crazy with before they gather outside the network offices with farm tools and take Show from you. Which is, of course, the low tech version of writing fic.
It seems like in seasons 8-9, a lot of Dean's characterization is "general" Dean, which is to say - zig-zaging between seasons and states of mind. Yeah, they're all Dean, but what Dean are we getting? Why? Sam, on the other hand, is still suffering from his role as "the everyman", even after everything he went through, and we went through with him.
Dean gets so much characterization, while Sam gets close to nothing official. I love, *love* that fandom took things like him not having specific hobbies, not having/decorating a room and so forth, as characterization, as a thing. And I like that canon finally caught up with that last episode. Either way, the writing of both of them suffers from this generalization, imo.
It's common these days, in more and more sorts of research, to talk about what's considered "normal", "universal", "not worth mentioning, because of course". Like someone being a white straight man. You know the drill. The common approach today (or, at least, around me) is to look at it as something that is specific, too, not universal. Like- being a man is specific, men aren't "general people". And in one way, most research in existence is about men, canonical everything is written mostly bu men and so forth, but in another way, there's not a lot of research about masculinity itself.
It's interesting to me to look at fic that's like that, in SPN, our "usual" fic. Or at least, your usual Sam/Dean or Sam & Dean fic, I don't read enough of the others to know, and I am curious to hear about this in other places in fandom, if you know and feel like saying.
I'd say your garden variety fic is "not season specific", but it takes place around season 3, minus the deal, give or take the angels and Sam's muscles. Motel rooms, following cases from town to town, diners, bringing each other coffee/take out in the morning
Even with fic that's less specific than that, it's often easy to tell around what season stories were written, the same way decades have indications in fashion and music. Vibe, characterizations, small things that became non-canon, the description of Sam's body and hair, And, of course, bigger things like each character's mental place, the way the audience is expected to think about their relationship, and how they're likely to act.
It's really interesting to me that "first time", while perhaps more central, is far from being obvious in this sort of fic. It might be cause it makes PWPs easier, but I don't think that's why. Perhaps it's because to many people, they sort of always had a relationship. Perhaps it because it's been so long, we get it, they're together, and as I took to yelling at the screen, watching SPN for the first time - there's only so much UST you can drive your audience crazy with before they gather outside the network offices with farm tools and take Show from you. Which is, of course, the low tech version of writing fic.
It seems like in seasons 8-9, a lot of Dean's characterization is "general" Dean, which is to say - zig-zaging between seasons and states of mind. Yeah, they're all Dean, but what Dean are we getting? Why? Sam, on the other hand, is still suffering from his role as "the everyman", even after everything he went through, and we went through with him.
Dean gets so much characterization, while Sam gets close to nothing official. I love, *love* that fandom took things like him not having specific hobbies, not having/decorating a room and so forth, as characterization, as a thing. And I like that canon finally caught up with that last episode. Either way, the writing of both of them suffers from this generalization, imo.
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Date: 2013-11-08 07:14 pm (UTC)And sorry it took me a while to answer, it's been a busy couple of days.
I've been seeing this Dean gets the emotional story and Sam carries the plot argument cropping up ever since S2 (I wrote an embarrassingly long meta arguing the opposite of this for S1-S3, which if I did the same for S4-S9, I'm not sure the same argument would stand)
That sounds really interesting!
I have to admit that I've even started to become exasperated with the little screen time Sam's head space gets being that it wouldn't be that hard to do.
YES.
And it would be nice to see Dean starting to realize that he needs to break this cycle of sacrifice everything for Sam (even, ironically, Sam); that sort of maturity/self-realization would be powerful even if Dean never manged to actually stop behaving in the same way.
I believe he has some inkling - or perhaps way more - about that, but yeah, there is definitely more to go.
I like you thought about him knowing but not changing his behavior a lot.
I'd like him to realize how much he influences Sam, and how much Sam is starving for his approval, makes his life around Dean and so forth. Even if only so he can be glad Sam cares that much about him, or even less - just so he knows. Even when Sam said it to him clearly, Dean still didn't get it.
I wish Show would just choose one (or more, but for real) of those emotional arcs and follow it in every episode, even in just a tiny little way. Preferably at least one for each boy.
It's inevitable that the world fan's have created will not jive with canon and people lose their shiny love and get grumpy because it's disappointing when reality doesn't live up to expectation (esp. those in fandom bec. we feel strongly about these characters, this story and get very protective).
<3
Oh, fandom, i love you so. And yeah, I agree that there was a huge shift in vibe and in a lot of other stuff in seasoon 4. makes sense that people would be disappointed. The show is also theirs, especially since in SPN the fans played such a huge part in keeping it going, from what I understand.
I find it interesting that Show's general popularity (ratings) have jumped in the past seasons. I can't help but think, "If you like this, your minds would be blown in back in S1/S2."
I'm a late joiner myself, only been around for over a year. Perhaps it's just about more people discovering the show than getting disappointed and leaving.