My big theory about WIAWSNB, WRT Dean's career choice (taking into account that it was all a construct, and going on the theory that all blanks were filled in by his own brain) was that the only kind of career he could picture involved following in his father's footsteps, even then, and thus his brain filling in the missing job piece by having him working the same sort of job John did, back in civilian days.

I don't see anything particularly heartbreaking about it, aside from how Sam (and Mary) seemed to include that with the drinking as signs Dean was Throwing Away His Life. Blue collar work is honest productive labor, and it can pay as well or better than a lot of white collar jobs up through middle management.

While it is honest productive labor, and my high school dropout brother makes more money than I do, and I have a pretty decent tech job (he's a marine diesel engineer, which required a GED and two years of trade school; I work for the tech Wolfram and Hart), I still find that part where he couldn't even conceptualize of a life outside his father's shadow kind of sad.

And the fact that Dean apparently couldn't even fantasize about being a college grad--the idea never occurred to him that he *could* be. That bothered me some.

Or, rather. This.

Dean is sort of the ultimate in tunnel vision, for me. He's so closely connected to John that I totally buy his "wish" choice to follow in his footsteps, whatever those footsteps might be. Because I agree with Plei -- Dean's brain is filling in all the blanks in that wishverse, and even in a wide-open place where he could be whatever he wanted to be, construct any kind of reality for himself, his brain instinctually puts Sam and John first.

I still sort of think no matter, the way Dean's wired he wouldn't be really happy in any sort of desk job, that's a very hands-on person. But I also agree that if the circumstances changed -- let's say they fight the war, kill all the demons, all of that is over -- it would be interesting to see what he might decide to do. Would it still be something so practical? Would he ever want to go to school to study something?

I still sort of think no matter, the way Dean's wired he wouldn't be really happy in any sort of desk job, that's a very hands-on person. But I also agree that if the circumstances changed -- let's say they fight the war, kill all the demons, all of that is over -- it would be interesting to see what he might decide to do. Would it still be something so practical? Would he ever want to go to school to study something?

Considering Dean has such a low self-image and is doing the job that he has been trained for since childhood, I don't know how Dean would react to not having anything left to fight. As much as he is shown to be tired of fighting, I think the war being over might leave Dean a little lost.

He's gonna be a fireman when the floods roll back. You'll see.

Dang it, Beverly, you got my allergies acting up.

Oh! Mine, too.

::sniffle::

Would it still be something so practical? Would he ever want to go to school to study something?

I've got a fiver that Dean and Sam (having realized that he doesn't want a "normal" life, he wants "his" life) become the next Bobby, house full of crazy old books and devil's traps on the ceilings and providing intel to up-and-coming hunters.

He's gonna be a fireman when the floods roll back. You'll see.

::whimper::

I've got a fiver that Dean and Sam (having realized that he doesn't want a "normal" life, he wants "his" life) become the next Bobby, house full of crazy old books and devil's traps on the ceilings and providing intel to up-and-coming hunters.

Oh, THIS! And Dean can be a volunteer fireman wherever that old rambly house is...

I continue to be incredibly peeved that the CW took off the Sunday night reruns to reair the fucking Pussycat Dolls.

I still find that part where he couldn't even conceptualize of a life outside his father's shadow kind of sad.

I guess I don't make the jump from Dean not choosing such a life as his fantasy to not being able to conceptualize it. I think it's more a case of him not being interested in some froofy white collar picket fence life that he's only seen from afar. He was doing something he enjoyed and was good at. The sad thing to me was that he couldn't imagine Sam being respectful of or happy for him without the commonality of monster hunting.