[Crazy Jetty]

Between a couple of current threads have started a few conversations, some civil and interesting, others have been berating.
But it's brought up a few big points about the differences between the universes.

So I wanted to start this discussion to see what these two mean to you, personally. One thing everyone can agree on, is that the two universes just feel different. So I want to know who that translates to you?
Please be civil and thoughtful, and please don't insult people just because they like something different than you. If all you have to say is "XXX is great because YYY SUUUUUUUUCKS!" then please move on.

For me, if comes down to Writing, and characters (What else is there?).

Characters:
Marvel- Marvel characters to be feel vibrant and colorful, and very sharp. This is why I feel like they seem to mesh better and appeal more outside of comicbooks. And, as someone pointed out, Marvel characters are easier to relate to. Peter Parker, a nerdy boy who's always picked on. The Runaways, a group of kids convinced their parents are supervillains. The X-Men, a group who're outcast for being different, with no reguards to who they are. List goes on.
However, for me there's a sharp contrast amongst marvel characters. I either love them (Or at least enjoy them), or they flip to going from completely boring to outright hating them. There really is no middle ground. I love them, or I don't want anything to do with them.

DC- DC characters feel darker, and... I dunno... round. I don't want to say dull, because I don't find them to be. But they're not as vibrant.
They're also not as easy to relate to. But there really seems to be a lot more thought into their origins, and I feel quite a bit of them are quite stronger, and more interesting.
Very few DC characters stand out to me as much as the standout Marvels, but there's not as much contrast. I find a lot more DC characters to be more interesting in the long run. If something focuses on a character I don't normally follow, I tend to enjoy that character more. While I'm not a fan of Firestorm at all, I don't mind when he's a central character. Ironfist however, I can't suffer through a story he's in.

Writing
I honestly don't have much to say about writing at this exact moment, as both companies have done a lot of really annoying stuff.
Both are way too addicted to megacrossover events (They're both up to what, two a year each?), and I think they both need to get off that horse and let the individual titles have their own stories.
Though I think DC has cornered some of the better writers and artists. Especially the last few years, with Geoff Johns, and Gail Simone.
Marvel may have flashier events, but I think for the most part, they're more into shock moments to boost sales.