Wincest

Definition

Wincest is the term commonly used to describe fanfiction (or other fanworks) that depict or assume a romantic or sexual relationship between Sam Winchester and Dean Winchester.

The word is a portmanteau of brothers' last name, Winchester, and the word "incest". Fans of Wincest occasionally refer to themselves as Wincesters.

The term Wincest is also commonly thought of as interchangeable with Sam/Dean (or Dean/Sam), however it could be considered a contentious issue considering that technically, any Winchester pairing could be considered 'Wincest'.

Wait a second... Just which Winchesters are involved in Wincest?

In the early days of the Supernatural fandom (around the start of 2006), the term 'Wincest' referred to slash between any of the Winchester men - so John/Dean, John/Sam and John/Dean/Sam as well as Sam/Dean could be termed 'Wincest'.

However, as time went on and the fandom grew, the term 'Wincest' came to be most commonly used with (and recognised as) the Sam/Dean pairing, with slash involving John termed a number of things including 'Johnslash', 'Johncest' or 'Daddycest' - but mostly just labeled with the particular pairing in individual stories. Wincest also covers such pairings as girl!Sam/Dean, girl!Dean/Sam, girl!Sam/girl!Dean to take in the sub-genre of Winsister (where one or both boys are born as girls as well as including original character sisters). As Wincest usually means Sam/Dean canon-gender, Winsister is sometimes used with Wincest to clarify such stories.

If you're interested in broader definitions of Wincest, see also John/Dean (with a John/Dean/Sam section) and John/Sam.

The season four episode 4.03 In The Beginning took Dean back in time to 1973 where he encounters his parents as young people. Dean notices that his mother is very attractive.

Dean: Sammy, wherever you are - Mom is a babe! I'm so going to hell. Again.

This led to some fiction featuring Dean/Mary. Also in this episode when Azazel possess Samuel Campbell, Mary's father, he kisses her to seal the deal to save John's life, technically providing a canonical example of Wincest.

Adam Milligan is also a blood relative of the Winchesters, so Sam/Adam, for example, could also be called Wincest.

The livejournal community Wincest has stated here that pairings involving Adam count by their definition of Wincest.

Brief Overview of Wincest

The Wincest started out in autumn 2005 pretty much vanilla - well, if you considered incest just a harmless kink like tying your shoelaces twice. The incestuous slash between the brothers Sam and Dean was pretty much there from the beginning, supported by the typical ingredients a slasher needs: two extremely hot guys, a dead girlfriend, and a brotherly love that leaves no room for anyone else. Add a bit of spice like issues, betrayal, childhood trauma and emotional dependency and you have your perfect dish to satisfy hordes of fangirls and fanboys.

• 2005.09.14: Within hours of the Pilot airing the first Sam/Dean fic is posted as the first fic at supernatural_fic and sn_slash by janedavitt.

• 2005.10.16 First recorded use of Wincest as a fic warning in Can’t just walk away by joyfulgirl41.

• 2005.10.25 Fic Community Wincest opens.

Wincest fans have proven to be quite prolific and imaginative. A huge number of Fan Projects, communities and fiction challenges are indicators of a ever-growing fandom.

Based on the fanfiction listed in the LJ Supernatural newsletter, approximately 40% of Supernatural fan fiction is Wincest.

Generally Wincest and non-Wincest fans co-exist peacefully in the fandom. Many writers write both Gen and Wincest. Wank has broken out on occasion, but far less than many expected. Due to the fact that there are so few unrelated characters to slash, slash fans who are uncomfortable with Wincest have moved into Jsquared/RPS, many of whom would previously have avoided RPS fandoms. This has lead to the phrase "Supernatural fandom - where RPS is the high moral ground"!

What Do those involved in the Show think?

Wincest got its first bit of official recognition at the Asylum fan convention in England in the Spring of 2007. When Jensen Ackles was asked what he thought of fan fiction, he replied:

"Some of those fan fictions have some very, very crazy ideas. And sometimes very...disturbing ideas. One of my favorites is, uh, Wincest...I-I only hope that my grandmother never reads those. Jared and I had a good laugh about that one. It was only brought to our attention because Kim Manners posted it. So um...that's that." Video of quote

When asked about Wincest and fanfiction at EyeCon April 2008, Jared proved diplomatic - and eloquent: "with fan fiction and RPGs, it's like what I was talking about earlier, that everyone's taking a part and they're not just watching it.. ..and they're really passionate about the show, and especially the fans of Supernatural it's great learning tool, and exploring tool to explore this world. So I'm supportive." Video of quote

Some fans have criticized those who bring the world of Wincest or fan fiction to the attention of those involved with the show, claiming it shouldn't be spoken of and should remain only between the fans.

In the March 2009 publication In the Hunt: Unauthorized Essays on Supernatural by Benbella Books, Wincest is discussed in the essay "Scary Just Got Sexy" by Emily Turner.

In an article on Supernatural in Entertainment Weekly on 2 April, 2009, Wincest was described as a "unique and creepy type of fanfiction."

The same day as the EW article, the episode 4.18 The Monster At The End Of This Book aired in which specific mention was made of Sam/Dean fanfic.

Dean: There's Sam Girls and Dean Girls and...what's a slash fan?
Sam: As in Sam slash Dean, together
Dean: Like together, together? They do know we are brothers right?
Sam: Doesn't seem to matter.
Dean: Well that's just sick!

There followed much discussion in fandom whether this exchange indicated the Show's support or condemnation of Wincest. It is certainly the first time on a TV show that incestuous gay porn has been mentioned by the the characters about whom it is written!

Themes in Wincest

Stories which feature Sam and Dean in a sexual relationship cover a wide range of themes. Often the sex is the focus. Some common themes are:

• the "incest taboo" - "But we're brothers!" - Sam and Dean deal with their desire for each other
• We couldn't help ourselves - aka sex pollen, curses, or mystical forces make them do it
• Porn - stories written solely for their erotic content with no concern for why two heterosexual brothers might want to have sex with each other.

Sex is often used within Wincest fics to allow closure or resolution to conflict between the brothers in a way not offered in the show. This is also known as "healing sex", where the boys will have sex following an argument or fight. As such, they are often written to codas to episodes where conflict is unresolved.

For many stories featuring Wincest, the sexual relationship will simply be part of a broader tale which may fit into a variety of genres.

Fic Genres

Wincest has its fine share of kink and crack. Genres and themes include among others: Hustler Fic, Bodyswap, Genderswap, AU, Future Fic, Pre-Series Fic, Crossover, Angst, Deathfic, Humor, Post-Apocalypse, Hurt-Comfort, PWP and Yak Fic.

Wee!cest refers to Wincest where one or both of the boys are under the age of consent.

Other Fanworks

Wincest also appears in various types of Fan Art including both digital manipulations, drawings and paintings. and Fanvids which may imply a sexual relationship through clever editing, or manips. No cross stitch samplers have yet been seen, but are sure to exist.

Other Slash in the Supernatural fandom

There have been few other continuing male characters in Supernatural for Sam or Dean to be "slashed" with although some fics have paired them with everyone from Bobby Singer to Ash. The appearance in Season Four of Castiel led to an explosion in Dean/Castiel fiction.

Occasionally the brothers will be slashed with OMCs or characters from other fandoms such as Murphy or Connor MacManus from The Boondock Saints or Lindsay McDonald from Angel. See also: crossovers). There is a slight tendency to slash Sam or Dean with a character that was played by either Jensen Ackles or Jared Padalecki in another TV series or movie. (e.g. Sam/Jake from Devour, Sam/Alec from Dark Angel, Dean/Dean from Gilmore Girls).

Other Use of Term

"On the imageboard 4chan incest is referred to as Wincest." reference, although this is not directly related to the Supernatural fandom.

See also

• Supernatural Fic Link Archive - delicious tags of over 20,000 Supernatural fics classifed by pairing, rating and author
• SPN J2 Big Bang - an annual fic challenge for fiction over 20,000 words.

External Links

• Supernatural fic community on LJ
• Wincest fic community on LJ
• Jensen Ackles at Asylum Fan Convention
• Tosenberger, Catherine: "The Epic Love Story of Sam and Dean".Supernatural, queer readings, and the romance of incestuous fan fiction, in "Journal of Transformative Works and Cultures", Volume I, 2008
• Italian website about padackles and wincest