SPN: Brotherly Manlove by Winchesters (16)
Chapter "Shadow" in the Catalogue of Touches between the Brothers Winchester. And in case you missed the previous installments:
Pilot. Wendigo. Dead In The Water. Phantom Traveler.
Bloody Mary. Skin. Hook Man. Bugs. Home. Asylum.
Scarecrow. Faith. Route 666. Nightmare. The Benders.
I'm all meta'd out right now, and specifically on Shadow. So this isn't going to be as long-winded like the Route 666 post or something, I promise. Besides, most of the manlove is either verbal or Daddy-oriented, woe! But there are some nice moments that I can include without stretching the boundaries of this touching thing too far.
ETA.1 - I should say, in case anyone missed the previous installment, there is no John in this. (Well, briefly.) It's a brotherly manlove catalogue, not a Winchesterly manlove catalogue, so John touching and touching by John will be posted at a later date.
Regarding the Talk:
This is a thought I touched on in a comment in the not-picspam Shadow post: I think there was a miscommunication between the two of them following Sam's return in Scarecrow. Sam probably did reiterate at some point that, hey, this isn't a permanent thing, yo. Just temporary, 'cause we might as well hunt the Demon and Dad together. I think Dean probably either tuned it out, as evidenced by his "...?" reaction here, or assumed that Sam would change his mind. Perhaps a little of both. I hear what fellow Dean fans say, whenever Sam brings up the "let me go" theme here. Dean has let him go, in Scarecrow, and is not actively holding him back. I've thought the same thing. But he's also sentimental and lonely, and when Sam came back in Scarecrow, I think he misread its full meaning. To him, it must have been like a dream realized. Yeah, Sam was there to hunt the Demon, but they'd been hunting it all their lives, and they couldn't know how close Sam had actually come, with Meg. To Dean, it must have seemed like a whole new life opened up, that family-again dream he speaks of here, where he and Sam can hunt indefinitely because there will always be something to hunt and that Demon will always be miles away. But Dad is guiding us, and the road is stretched out ahead. Things are back in place.
So, aside from the raw emo by Dean, the content of their conversation here isn't OOC. I don't think Sam is being unreasonable or cold, and I don't think Dean is being manipulative or whiny. They both just misread each other, and are now making assumptions. As I said in the other comment: Sam is assuming Dean will have trouble letting him go, because he came back in Scarecrow, and Dean is assuming Sam will stay indefinitely... because he came back in Scarecrow. It all has a flow, and just like Asylum begat the fight in Scarecrow, the end of Scarecrow begat this scene. It doesn't help that they are also looking at the "hunt" and/or the Winchester lifestyle from two very different perspectives: Dean sees it as one of the many battlegrounds in a war that will never end; Sam sees it as a specific Demon-oriented quest.
Anyway...
Once again, they do not touch while in uniform. Damn them.
16.0 Questionable
Type of Contact: Military Training?
Deliberate?: Instinctive
Chick Flick?: No
Note: The way their arms are hanging once they "clear" each other makes it seem as if they didn't touch, so this may be wishful thinking. Still, given their training and a few gestures (7.5 and 11.2, respectively) Dean has made in the past and some they will make in the very next episode, it seems possible. They may have briefly touched each other on the back in passing, to indicate that they are clear and the other one can move. I am in love with their hunting-in-tandem stuff; it's one of the few things about them that is uncluttered by angst and expectation, just a pure gesture of trust and unity. ...Maybe I just want to see it. Watch the scene and see what you think.
Sam first.
Then Dean.
*loves (whether they touch or not)*
p.s. All of this would be brilliant and super cool soldier stuff but for the unfortunate use of the "she cannot hear us if we mute the sound" tactic. And I do mean from the boys' POV, not ours. Or hers. Clearly she's three steps ahead of them until the end, and only falters then because she stepped away to take a piss or something. She should have sent Tom, because men can multi-task during such times in a way that women aren't built to. Just sayin'.
16.1
Type of Contact: Leverage
Deliberate?: Yes
Chick Flick?: No (Dean tries)
Note: Sam's improved quite a bit since Faith. The active effort here isn't to manhandle Dean, with the full both-hands-under-armpits hoist treatment (see: 12.2 of Faith) but to allow himself to be used as a prop for Dean to support himself on. Meanwhile: Dean forgets to turn off his Inner Woobie, which is generally reserved for Outbursts Of Emo but is being utilized here so he doesn't have to stand on his own strength. Perhaps that is why Sam hesitates before offering himself up, giving Dean a rather expectant look while Dean looks anywhere else.
Step.1 - Basics
Sam: *rescues*
Dean: *is untied* (Note: symbolic blood tears)
Step.2 - Expectation
Sam: You gonna get up or what?
Dean: *trauma*
Step.3 - Double Take
Sam: How can I keep my Incredible Hunk controlled when you keep changing the rules?
Dean: *trauma, cont.*
Step.4 - Heroism
Sam: Damn it. Who are you, and what have you done with my brother?
Dean: *is lifted*
Step.5 - Defeat
Sam: You gonna fall if I let you go?
Dean: *stoic!sniffle*
Sam: I can't win...
16.2
Type of Contact: Prop
Deliberate?: Instinctive
Chick Flick?: No
Note: That's Sam's hand on Dean's back (or possibly John's arm). And that's all the touching in this scene, between the brothers. All this time I thought Sam had rushed over to Dean's side, but it's actually Dean who stumbles over to John's side. Sam is off by himself. How disappointing.
16.3 Questionable
Type of Contact: Little Boys Lost
Deliberate?: Maybe
Chick Flick?: No
Note: I don't know if Dean touches Sam here. It seems as if he either nudges him or touches him on the arm(?) to get him to move. That would be Dean-like, but I may, again, be imagining things. But who cares? It's a heartbreaking image, and there is something poignant about the fact that Sam can look over Dean's head like that. I can't explain it, but it just hurts me good.
It's like a boy and his dog, almost... (Interpretations vary on which is which.)
ETA.2 - You know, I started to touch on the deeper poignancy of this moment, and I stopped, because this isn't about a broader Winchester manlove. It's specifically meant to study Sam and Dean. And as I was already getting long-winded despite my promise not to, I stopped myself from examining the daddy/son divide here. The symbolism of body language: Sam's hope, Dean's defeat; Sam's strength, Dean's weakness. It got to be way too much. May meta on it in the future, with that John/boys touching study I plan on doing.
The irony of the split-up at the end, after Sam's request during that talk, is not lost on me. But can I just say how lame it is? Both times this issue has come up, here and in Dead Man's Blood, it's been played as a Big Scene (or several, in DMB). Metaphorical strings swelling in the background and not a dry eye in the house. It's too melodramatic for a group of guys who (Sam included) are, in almost every other episode, restrained about over-emoting. And if that threeway angst session isn't enough, they are also acting like they're waiting for a ship to dock, rather than running for their lives. I mean, c'mon, Kripke. We're to believe that they momentarily stunned these daevas with light, and are now standing for a good several minutes in the dark street discussing how terribly dangerous it is to be together rather than getting the hell out of that area? Even if they killed those daevas, they're still all "we're gonna get you killed, Dad" while simultaneously imitating sitting ducks. Emo later, y'know? You all have cell phones. Just shut up and drive, and work out details along the way.
(Just where was Meg supposed to be all this time, anyway? Oh, that's right...)
Hell House is next.
...And the question is, do I stop holding back and just expand the catalogue to include all body language (including, but not limited to, Dean's whoa!...awkward reaction to toweled!Sam), or do I try to keep it strictly touch-only?
Pilot. Wendigo. Dead In The Water. Phantom Traveler.
Bloody Mary. Skin. Hook Man. Bugs. Home. Asylum.
Scarecrow. Faith. Route 666. Nightmare. The Benders.
I'm all meta'd out right now, and specifically on Shadow. So this isn't going to be as long-winded like the Route 666 post or something, I promise. Besides, most of the manlove is either verbal or Daddy-oriented, woe! But there are some nice moments that I can include without stretching the boundaries of this touching thing too far.
ETA.1 - I should say, in case anyone missed the previous installment, there is no John in this. (Well, briefly.) It's a brotherly manlove catalogue, not a Winchesterly manlove catalogue, so John touching and touching by John will be posted at a later date.
Regarding the Talk:
This is a thought I touched on in a comment in the not-picspam Shadow post: I think there was a miscommunication between the two of them following Sam's return in Scarecrow. Sam probably did reiterate at some point that, hey, this isn't a permanent thing, yo. Just temporary, 'cause we might as well hunt the Demon and Dad together. I think Dean probably either tuned it out, as evidenced by his "...?" reaction here, or assumed that Sam would change his mind. Perhaps a little of both. I hear what fellow Dean fans say, whenever Sam brings up the "let me go" theme here. Dean has let him go, in Scarecrow, and is not actively holding him back. I've thought the same thing. But he's also sentimental and lonely, and when Sam came back in Scarecrow, I think he misread its full meaning. To him, it must have been like a dream realized. Yeah, Sam was there to hunt the Demon, but they'd been hunting it all their lives, and they couldn't know how close Sam had actually come, with Meg. To Dean, it must have seemed like a whole new life opened up, that family-again dream he speaks of here, where he and Sam can hunt indefinitely because there will always be something to hunt and that Demon will always be miles away. But Dad is guiding us, and the road is stretched out ahead. Things are back in place.
So, aside from the raw emo by Dean, the content of their conversation here isn't OOC. I don't think Sam is being unreasonable or cold, and I don't think Dean is being manipulative or whiny. They both just misread each other, and are now making assumptions. As I said in the other comment: Sam is assuming Dean will have trouble letting him go, because he came back in Scarecrow, and Dean is assuming Sam will stay indefinitely... because he came back in Scarecrow. It all has a flow, and just like Asylum begat the fight in Scarecrow, the end of Scarecrow begat this scene. It doesn't help that they are also looking at the "hunt" and/or the Winchester lifestyle from two very different perspectives: Dean sees it as one of the many battlegrounds in a war that will never end; Sam sees it as a specific Demon-oriented quest.
Anyway...
Once again, they do not touch while in uniform. Damn them.
16.0 Questionable
Type of Contact: Military Training?
Deliberate?: Instinctive
Chick Flick?: No
Note: The way their arms are hanging once they "clear" each other makes it seem as if they didn't touch, so this may be wishful thinking. Still, given their training and a few gestures (7.5 and 11.2, respectively) Dean has made in the past and some they will make in the very next episode, it seems possible. They may have briefly touched each other on the back in passing, to indicate that they are clear and the other one can move. I am in love with their hunting-in-tandem stuff; it's one of the few things about them that is uncluttered by angst and expectation, just a pure gesture of trust and unity. ...Maybe I just want to see it. Watch the scene and see what you think.
Sam first.
Then Dean.
*loves (whether they touch or not)*
p.s. All of this would be brilliant and super cool soldier stuff but for the unfortunate use of the "she cannot hear us if we mute the sound" tactic. And I do mean from the boys' POV, not ours. Or hers. Clearly she's three steps ahead of them until the end, and only falters then because she stepped away to take a piss or something. She should have sent Tom, because men can multi-task during such times in a way that women aren't built to. Just sayin'.
16.1
Type of Contact: Leverage
Deliberate?: Yes
Chick Flick?: No (Dean tries)
Note: Sam's improved quite a bit since Faith. The active effort here isn't to manhandle Dean, with the full both-hands-under-armpits hoist treatment (see: 12.2 of Faith) but to allow himself to be used as a prop for Dean to support himself on. Meanwhile: Dean forgets to turn off his Inner Woobie, which is generally reserved for Outbursts Of Emo but is being utilized here so he doesn't have to stand on his own strength. Perhaps that is why Sam hesitates before offering himself up, giving Dean a rather expectant look while Dean looks anywhere else.
Step.1 - Basics
Sam: *rescues*
Dean: *is untied* (Note: symbolic blood tears)
Step.2 - Expectation
Sam: You gonna get up or what?
Dean: *trauma*
Step.3 - Double Take
Sam: How can I keep my Incredible Hunk controlled when you keep changing the rules?
Dean: *trauma, cont.*
Step.4 - Heroism
Sam: Damn it. Who are you, and what have you done with my brother?
Dean: *is lifted*
Step.5 - Defeat
Sam: You gonna fall if I let you go?
Dean: *stoic!sniffle*
Sam: I can't win...
16.2
Type of Contact: Prop
Deliberate?: Instinctive
Chick Flick?: No
Note: That's Sam's hand on Dean's back (or possibly John's arm). And that's all the touching in this scene, between the brothers. All this time I thought Sam had rushed over to Dean's side, but it's actually Dean who stumbles over to John's side. Sam is off by himself. How disappointing.
16.3 Questionable
Type of Contact: Little Boys Lost
Deliberate?: Maybe
Chick Flick?: No
Note: I don't know if Dean touches Sam here. It seems as if he either nudges him or touches him on the arm(?) to get him to move. That would be Dean-like, but I may, again, be imagining things. But who cares? It's a heartbreaking image, and there is something poignant about the fact that Sam can look over Dean's head like that. I can't explain it, but it just hurts me good.
It's like a boy and his dog, almost... (Interpretations vary on which is which.)
ETA.2 - You know, I started to touch on the deeper poignancy of this moment, and I stopped, because this isn't about a broader Winchester manlove. It's specifically meant to study Sam and Dean. And as I was already getting long-winded despite my promise not to, I stopped myself from examining the daddy/son divide here. The symbolism of body language: Sam's hope, Dean's defeat; Sam's strength, Dean's weakness. It got to be way too much. May meta on it in the future, with that John/boys touching study I plan on doing.
The irony of the split-up at the end, after Sam's request during that talk, is not lost on me. But can I just say how lame it is? Both times this issue has come up, here and in Dead Man's Blood, it's been played as a Big Scene (or several, in DMB). Metaphorical strings swelling in the background and not a dry eye in the house. It's too melodramatic for a group of guys who (Sam included) are, in almost every other episode, restrained about over-emoting. And if that threeway angst session isn't enough, they are also acting like they're waiting for a ship to dock, rather than running for their lives. I mean, c'mon, Kripke. We're to believe that they momentarily stunned these daevas with light, and are now standing for a good several minutes in the dark street discussing how terribly dangerous it is to be together rather than getting the hell out of that area? Even if they killed those daevas, they're still all "we're gonna get you killed, Dad" while simultaneously imitating sitting ducks. Emo later, y'know? You all have cell phones. Just shut up and drive, and work out details along the way.
(Just where was Meg supposed to be all this time, anyway? Oh, that's right...)
Hell House is next.
...And the question is, do I stop holding back and just expand the catalogue to include all body language (including, but not limited to, Dean's whoa!...awkward reaction to toweled!Sam), or do I try to keep it strictly touch-only?