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 play on brothers' last name 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 slash pairing could be considered 'Wincest'.

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

Earlier in the Supernatural fandom days (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 labelled with the particular pairing in individual stories.

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

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 extremly 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.

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

Themes in Wincest

There are a couple of major themes in Wincest fan fiction that are recurring:

• the "incest taboo" - "But we're brothers!" - Sam and Dean deal with their desire for each other
• Sam leaving for college and Dean's way of dealing with it (based on moments in episodes Pilot, Bugs, The Journey Home, Asylum, Shadow, Dead Man's Blood)
• the boys' differences: Sam wants to live a normal life, Dean wants to hunt; their relationship to their father, their expectations of the future (see mainly: Pilot, Asylum, Scarecrow, Shadow)
• Dean's protectiveness and feelings of guilt (based on moments in almost every episode, seen especially in Something Wicked)

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.

Other Slash in the Supernatural fandom

Occasionally the brothers will be slashed with OMCs or characters from other fandoms (here especially Murphy or Connor MacManus from The Boondock Saints, Lindsay McDonald from Angel, for more see: 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).

After the airing of Devil’s Trap (1.22) on May 4th, more and more Dean/John incest fics crept up, probably due to the chemistry between Dean and the possessed John. Sam/John fics are much rarer.