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hells_half_acreIn my personal Fanon, Dean spent a long period of time (somewhere in his teens/early twenties) living in New York City.
For some reason there was a period of time when John had to spend a while in New York - he moved himself and Dean and Sam into a predominately Jewish neighbourhood. Although Dean never really liked the big city, he acclimatized to his little neighbourhood and before long he was able to fit right in (as he is always able to do). He was just another one of the boys. He possibly also attended hebrew school along with his friends - either because John thought it was a good learning opportunity, or because Dean just wandered in one day and no one kicked him out.
The reason this is my fanon is because of Dean's tendency to use Jewish phrases. Out of the two brothers, it's Dean, not Sam, who uses them the most. Why New York: Dean's phone number for a good long time started with a New York area-code - indicating to me that he might have been in New York in the mid-to-late 90s, when personal cell phones started to become more common...and he liked his time there enough that he kept the number for nostaligic purposes.
It's likely that Sam was there too, but Sam, as always, had a harder time fitting in and making friends. He was envious of Dean and didn't like New York at all - or wouldn't have, except for the museums and library. Sam spent most of his time alone, or tagging along with Dean and his friends. These days though, Sam looks back on those days fondly. Dean, of course, has long since lost touch with all his friends. He never said goodbye - he just slipped out in the middle of the night as always and that was that.
For some reason there was a period of time when John had to spend a while in New York - he moved himself and Dean and Sam into a predominately Jewish neighbourhood. Although Dean never really liked the big city, he acclimatized to his little neighbourhood and before long he was able to fit right in (as he is always able to do). He was just another one of the boys. He possibly also attended hebrew school along with his friends - either because John thought it was a good learning opportunity, or because Dean just wandered in one day and no one kicked him out.
The reason this is my fanon is because of Dean's tendency to use Jewish phrases. Out of the two brothers, it's Dean, not Sam, who uses them the most. Why New York: Dean's phone number for a good long time started with a New York area-code - indicating to me that he might have been in New York in the mid-to-late 90s, when personal cell phones started to become more common...and he liked his time there enough that he kept the number for nostaligic purposes.
It's likely that Sam was there too, but Sam, as always, had a harder time fitting in and making friends. He was envious of Dean and didn't like New York at all - or wouldn't have, except for the museums and library. Sam spent most of his time alone, or tagging along with Dean and his friends. These days though, Sam looks back on those days fondly. Dean, of course, has long since lost touch with all his friends. He never said goodbye - he just slipped out in the middle of the night as always and that was that.
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Date: 2011-09-11 10:29 pm (UTC)no subject
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Date: 2011-09-11 11:27 pm (UTC)Though I don't recall any Jewish phrases-though that could be because I know no one that is Jewish. There's no community around here (my rural area).
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Date: 2011-09-11 11:44 pm (UTC)no subject
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Date: 2011-09-12 01:12 am (UTC)And yes, I think Dean never kept in touch for a reason, never let anyone too close - it would just make it harder - the losses always there, the lies always between them. It was easier to put on a brave face and pretend that he never missed anyone, that he didn't care that they never stayed anywhere. In my head, Dean would not have wanted to stay in NYC anyway, but he would have still felt the loss of the friendships he formed there - he would still think of them years later with regret and love.
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Date: 2011-09-11 11:53 pm (UTC)I did start doing research for a fic about Moishe Campbell and his fictional sister and did discover a fascinting history of Jews in Kansas!
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Date: 2011-09-12 01:08 am (UTC)Cool! I had this head-canon before the mention of Moishe, but that just added to it - because then I pictured that Dean might have actually been hanging out with third or fourth cousins unknowingly or something. Haha, though, NYC is a VERY big place.
Of course Dean being Dean I like to think maybe a girl was involved too. I can imagine her family being rather suspicious of this shegetz but I figure Dean would charm them over!
Haha, yes! I pictured the exact same thing - Dean would be the talk of the neighbourhood, but everyone would just end up loving him. :)
And mmm...bagels. I've put on about 4 pounds recently, and I think it's entirely due to me indulging in my love for bagels.
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Date: 2011-09-12 01:03 am (UTC)no subject
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Date: 2011-09-12 01:40 am (UTC)Where you said that Sam had a harder time making friends than Dean. I'd say it's the other way around. Sure, Dean gets the cool new kid label easily. But he's not all that inclined to easily make new friends. When he does, it's rarer, and they mean more to him.
Whereas Sam easily fits in, and makes new friends easily.
Now it could be that part of Dean's attachment to New York would be because for once he did make friends, something he tries to avoid. And actually got attached to them.
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Date: 2011-09-12 01:52 am (UTC)I think Dean is very good at fitting in and making superficial friends. I think Sam is very good at making intimate friends, but it's a harder feat to accomplish - also, moving given Sam's moodiness and depending on the school, he might not find anyone with whom he connects. I think Sam's continuing angst about being "the freak" stems from somewhere, and I think it's that he didn't have that easy of a time every time they moved around as a kid. Sometimes he'd get lucky, but other times he just wouldn't find anyone.
But hey, these are just my opinions. You certainly are entitled to your own. :)
But yes, I see Dean's attachment to New York as being SOLELY because of the friendships he made there - like I said, I really don't see Dean as someone who would enjoy living in a big city.
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Date: 2011-09-12 04:06 am (UTC)Preseries fics are fun because we have just enough canon to work from but still have a lot of freedom to put the boys in situations that lead to them becoming the characters we meet in the pilot.
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Date: 2011-09-12 04:16 am (UTC)Though one of my pet-peeves is people using demons in pre-series fics...because we know from Phantom Traveler that they had never encountered one until then.
I've always been tempted to do a Timeling-of-Knowledge, but I kind of already do a lot of insane 'tracking' things for this show. :P
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Date: 2011-09-12 04:37 am (UTC):)
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Date: 2011-09-12 10:53 pm (UTC)Sam, I think, makes better RELATIONSHIPS than Dean - at least Sam tries to make some sort of emotional connection to people while Dean has all the charm and charisma and just keeps everything superficial and doesn't establish anything deeper than acquaintances so when it's time to leave, he just cuts them dry and doesn't bother with goodbyes.
But for some reason I love love love the image of a teen!Dean in Hebrew School and learning Hebrew curses from the old grandmothers who check in on him and Sam when John is gone...
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Date: 2011-09-12 10:59 pm (UTC)And yes, I agree about Sam and Dean and their relative approaches to friendships/relationships.
I also love the image of teen!Dean in Hebrew School and getting fussed over by grandmothers who declare that him and Sam are too skinny...
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Date: 2011-09-12 11:06 pm (UTC)And I was in therapy because the way I approach friendships / relationships is exactly like Dean's... I'll talk to ANYONE but I refuse to establish meaningful relationships and keep myself tightly warded and when people get too close, I poke them with a stick or cut off ties. It's part of the reason why I can go ANYWHERE with no regrets - I have no ties except for my family. So... yeah. Dean's headspace... totally a second skin for me.
I love love love the image of a teen!Dean (I'm picturing JA's DARK ANGEL character because that's my teen!Dean image) all mouthy and smartass sitting in Hebrew school and actually paying attention after a while and maybe even secretly liking it.... and OF COURSE there'd be about ten grandmothers living in their brownstone apartment fussing over him and Sam and declaring they are poor babies and are too skinny and taking them in on the Sabbath so they have one decent meal. Or maybe giving them leftovers from the Sabbath.
OOOOOOH!!!! NOW I WANT A TEEN!DEAN HUNTING A GOLEM!!!!!!
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Date: 2011-09-12 11:12 pm (UTC)I don't know what the hell my approach to relationships is - I'm guessing probably not a good one, but *shrug*.
I always picture teen!Dean as JA's Dark Angel character too - only I see him only being a smartass if it gets a laugh out of the room. I think at Hebrew school, he'd do it a couple of times, but then he'd actually get into the subject matter and the teacher would end up loving him
And YES! I've always equated Latin=Sam, Hebrew=Dean in my head - it just fits the characters so nicely. I don't even have words to explain it, it just makes sense.
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Date: 2011-09-12 11:27 pm (UTC)And I should've clarified - I see him being a smartass only if it gets him attention and a laugh... and I definitely see him trying to push the teacher's buttons the first couple of times, but then just really getting into the subject matter and finding out he's *GOOD* at it - the whole reading, writing, and speaking thing. And of course the teacher would love him once he lets his tough-guy, smart-alec persona drop.
I always equated Latin=Sam but I didn't have one for Dean until you brought up Hebrew and I'm all flaily and OMG YES!!!!!! And I can't even explain it either - it just WORKS and FITS the characters and makes so much SENSE. And I have no idea why.
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Date: 2011-09-12 11:31 pm (UTC)And ah yes, then we are on the same page regarding Dean's smart-alec-y-ness.
Yes, as soon as Dean started saying a few Yiddish/Hebrew words on Supernatural, my brain went *CLICK* YES THIS IS CORRECT AND WONDERFUL!
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Date: 2011-09-13 12:17 am (UTC)I don't know why but Dean Latin-ating never quite worked for me. I think it because it doesn't feel natural the way Sam seems totally at ease speaking exorcisms. But, again, it fits their characters and the image they want to project.
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Date: 2011-09-13 12:18 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-09-13 12:24 am (UTC)And yes, I completely agree about Dean's Latin-ating...it just seems to be more natural to Sam. It might have to do with the fact that Jared had studied latin before, but I really think it's just the characters - because if JA wanted to sound smooth with Latin, he totally could - he doesn't for a reason, and that reason is that Latin never came naturally to Dean...however, the way he just slips yiddish into sentences so smoothly...anyway, yeah...it suits.
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Date: 2011-09-13 12:53 am (UTC)*sighs* I think I'll put it on my growing list of potential Big Bangs I'll never do - I have three plots so far.
But I agree - it'd have to be the people and relationships that makes it such a strong place for Dean because I just can't see him in a big city - his car is all wrong for it.
Huh. That's a good point about JP having studied Latin, but it still doesn't ring totally believable to me because JA is just too good of an actor. I mean, if he wanted to sound smooth speaking Latin, he could. I mean it might not be as easy for him to memorize than it is for JP but if he wanted it to flow, he could. But the way he has Dean speak Latin - haltingly, choppy - it just feels more like a character trait than anything on JA's part. But, yes, Latin just sounds natural and perfect for Sam - notice in PHANTOM TRAVELLER, despite being at college for FOUR YEARS, Sam slides right into the Latin-ating, when Dean's exorcism of Meg in DEVIL'S TRAP is much less smooth and sure. And, I dunno.... Yiddish/Hebrew just FITS Dean and he does slip in the phrases effortlessly, hence my instant visual of Dean rolling his eyes at Sam and muttering "Oy Vey." I dunno. It just suits. And what's interesting is that Judaism and Catholicism comes from the same basic roots and diverge - Latin is the language of the Catholics (I'm Roman Catholic and the only Latin I know is the Kyrie) while obviously Yiddish/Hebrew is that of the Jews.... I don't know but the whole thing about the two Religions and the brothers just intrigues me.
*wants to shoot the plot bunny on a sugar high who wants me to research Hebrew and the Jewish section of Bronx even though it's 9 pm and I need sleep*
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Date: 2011-09-13 01:00 am (UTC)Including, sadly, the fact that neither of have time for this AWESOME PLOT BUNNY! Maybe if I ever decide I have time for a Big Bang, I will steal the idea off of you...mhahahaa...(the odds of that happening are slim). But the reason I never sign up for any of the Big Bangs is because I never have any ideas. :P
And it's true - I bet if we researched it, we could write a whole Meta on Dean=Judaism, Sam=Christianity....I mean, you've for the Catholic-guilt with Sam hands down.
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Date: 2011-09-13 01:16 am (UTC)And today at work this one attacked me: http://hoodie-time.livejournal.com/464285.html?thread=5971869#t5971869
The golem one is my third... *cries* WHY DO THE BUNNIES KEEP ATTACKING ME!!!!
Also? I totally want to write that Meta with you if we ever got around to it. Because seriously, I'm thinking about it now and it WORKS - Dean=Judaism, Sam=Christianity. I mean, Sam's got CATHOLIC GUILT out of the wazoo...
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Date: 2011-09-13 01:21 am (UTC)Man, those are delicious. AND I DO NOT HAVE TIME FOR THEM.
Ok, ok...so, um, when we both have more time, we will totally research and write that meta together somehow. But there is no pressure, and we do not have to do it any time soon.
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Date: 2011-09-13 11:39 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-09-13 05:07 pm (UTC)Also, sadly, I think that in Supernatural "reality" trumps religion, so even though someone might not believe in Hell, doesn't mean that they can't end up there.
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Date: 2011-09-13 06:13 pm (UTC)it`s dean! dean with friends. dean who is smart and speaks other languages!
i would read it.
yes!
gladly.
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Date: 2013-11-15 07:30 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-11-15 07:53 am (UTC)But yeah, really, it could have been anywhere - I just picked New York because of the phone number, and I thought it'd be more likely that Dean might cling to a particular community in a more populated (easy to get lost in) city.