Unh, need to vent.

[maychorian]

In the spirit of dotfic's recent PSA, I feel the need to get something off my chest.

I'm starting to get annoyed by people calling Dean "emo."

Comments

[mymuseandi]

Personally, I haven't read any direct reviews about someone saying negatively about Dean showing his emotions for this season specifically. All i've been reading are the entries like you who have read those reviews and are reacting very strongly to it. And i agree with you on this front. Before season 4 started, i've read many fics about how traumatised Dean would be if/when he got out of Hell, and to have such a good actor like Jensen who can bring that to life is simply awesomely heartbreaking. I think he balanced his emotions and reactions very well, and no one should be criticising how Dean "should" behave after getting out of Hell.

And, the littlest tear, or hitching of breath, or breaking of voice can convey so much. I think the season's been amazing. Totally amazing.

[maychorian]

To be fair, I don't think it's the h/c fans who are annoyed by Dean's story arc right now--I think those folks are eating this up! :D Still, it's too bad that it's such a divisive issue in fandom right now. I hate divisiveness, even though I know it's impossible to avoid in a fandom this big.

[als_wonderland]

Agreed.

And I didn't see Kroki_refur's post, but I agree with the sentiments there as well. Watching him break during the torture... Was worse than the torture itself.

[maychorian]

Agh, it was awful. Alastair was the one in control of that situation, from the beginning to the end. He just tortured Dean even more, and the angels let it happen. :(

[digitalwave]

They did and I wanted to smack them as I watched it unfold. How could you go through something like that and not be broken into many little pieces? It's more realistic for Dean to be falling apart than the way he was when he first came back.

But, I see Sam as just as broken, he's just showing it differently. He's had his whole world ripped apart, too. Lost Jess, lost his dad, found out he might be the Antichrist in training, watched his brother die over and over in a horrible loop for almost a year and then had to watch him being ripped apart right in front of his eyes and was powerless to stop it.

Sam's way of coping has been to shut down emotionally, inside he's terrified to let himself feel again. He thinks if he's just powerful enough he can stop it, he can revenge and protect Dean and get his big brother back in the bargain.

He's going to shatter just as badly as Dean has at some point, soon. I truly believe that the only way they'll get out of this alive is to let each other in to pick up each others broken shards.

[smilla02]

I agree with your rant. I saw traces of this a long time ago, I think it was after Family Remains when reading reaction posts and metas made me blink and then angry. I have ignored it because I hoped it would go away if I decided that it wasn't thre. At the time, it seemed that people were mostly objecting to the form (the chliched Imapala talk) but not the substance of the confession (so the reality of the pain). But since then it's become a sport and I, being a Dean!babe, can't deal. To be fair, I didn't think Sam was whining or being emo about his destiny way back in season two because then, too, I felt it was justified of him to be kind of... worried, to put it mildly

[maychorian]

I didn't think Sam was whining or being emo about his destiny way back in season two because then, too, I felt it was justified of him to be kind of... worried, to put it mildly.

Yeah, me too. I mean, I could see why people said he was emo in S1, but I think it was just mainly how it came off as over the top and melodramatic sometimes. No one could dispute that Sam had legitimate reasons to be so angsty and upset. Still, there was a vibe of emoness in it. After that season, though, I never felt like that for him, either.

I think it's true that seeing Dean so broken and hurt makes us uncomfortable. We love the sweet, snarky badass of yesteryear, and seeing him reduced to this aching shell is very hard to see. WANT KRIPKE TO FIX IT NAO, PLZ.

I know that both actions comes from a place where Dean and Sam are cutting themselves.

That's a really interesting perspective. Makes me go all thinky. You're right, they are harming themselves with these actions. Again, I'm wanting some brighter days now. :(

[lastwordslinger]

*tackles* I heart you. I totally agree!

And the word "emo," to me, suggests a certain level of fakery, posing, of being in it for the attention.

Exactly! That word is bandied around like it equals "emotional response", but it doesn't. Emo was a term coined for the people that cry over spilled milk and believe it's not only justified but attractive. Dean is not doing that by any stretch of the imagination. Being sent to hell and put through the things he has is hardly "spilled milk".

If you knew a soldier who went to Iraq and came back with PTSD and nightmares and suddenly had a hard time holding a job and doing ordinary things and being around people, would you tell him that he was emo and to stop being boring and annoying?I don't think I could love you much more than I do right now. I remember when the comments first started about Dean crying too much... I wanted to start knocking heads together. Maybe it's not supposed to be SRS BSNSS or it's just a TV show or whatever people want to say to downplay it, but I find that sort of

[maychorian]

Aw, I love you too, hon. ♥ I'm so glad that this post resonated with you. It's wonderful to have like-minded friends.

And yeah, squee-harshing is bad. :( DO NOT WANT.

[jujuberry136]

AGREE.

[maychorian]

♥