Wincest

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Sam and Dean in 1.21 Salvation

Definition

Nasty

Nasty

Themes in Wincest

Nasty

Other Fanworks

Oxonesis.png Epiclublanket.gif Bv1978.jpg Moodymuse19.jpg Morpheus4-griseldajane.png Sera.gif
Wincest also appears in various types of Fan Art including digital manipulations, drawings and paintings and Fan Vids which may imply a sexual relationship through clever editing or the use of manips. No cross stitch samplers have yet been seen, but are sure to exist.

The icons here represent a range of fannish engagements with Wincest.

Wincest in Canon

Shippers often seek validation of the character pairing they are interested in from canon. Wincest fans haven't had to look too hard. In fact in December 2006 Sera Gamble referred to Supernatural as The Epic Love Story of Sam and Dean. On the Season 5 DVD commentary for 5.04 The End, Kripke, speaking about the brothers' relationship dynamics in the season, says: "they're going to come together and then in the second half of the season they're going to start drifting apart... the boys are kind of like The Defiant Ones in that they're kind of chained together and one moves ahead and drags the other one with him and then they reverse and... it's the epic love story of Sam and Dean."

Since Season One, Sam and Dean have been mistaken for a gay couple on several occasions: by a realtor[1], by Young Michael[2] at the motel who cheekily asks if Dean and Sam want a "King or two queens?" and by the inn owner Susan Thompson [3] who asks if Sam and Dean if they are in the area antiquing and whether they want a king sized bed. This later encounter causes Dean to ask

Dean: Of course, the most troubling question is why do these people assume we're gay?
Sam: Well, you are kind of butch. They probably think you're overcompensating.

Sam and Dean even play on the misconception in order to get information in 3.08 A Very Supernatural Christmas.

As the show started breaking the fourth wall, Wincest fanfic entered canon.[4]

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 fanfic has been mentioned by the characters about whom it is written.

Next we meet one of these slash writers - fangirl Becky Rosen. She is a fan of The Supernatural Books by Carver Edlund aka Chuck Shurley and runs a website called morethanbrothers.net.[5] She is first seen writing a Wincest fic which can be read here. The fact that the writers of Supernatural had now themselves written Wincest fanfic caused much delight amongst Wincest fans.

When Becky later invites Sam and Dean to a Supernatural convention the MC announces that there will be a session on "The homoerotic subtext of Supernatural". The two fanboys featured in the episode Demian and Barnes, who are role playing as Sam and Dean at the convention, are revealed at the end of the episode to be lovers.[6]

Over time more references are made in the show to the extreme closeness of Sam and Dean's relationship, not actually suggesting that the characters were involved in a sexual relationship, but acknowledging that it is a relationship of great intimacy. Even Dean finds it hard to capture what it is "Because whatever we have between us -- love, family, whatever it is ..."[7]

The Supernatural writers even hint a close metaphysical conenction when they show Sam and Dean share the same "heaven", a situation Ash points out occurs between soulmates. [8]

Zachariah is less subtle. When trying to make sure a resurrected Adam doesn't side with the Winchesters, he says: "So you know you can't trust them, right? You know Sam and Dean Winchester are psychotically, irrationally, erotically codependent on each other, right?" [9]. Even Lisa says to Dean of his relationship with Sam: "You two have the most unhealthy, tangled up, crazy thing that I've ever seen". [10]

In 8.04 Bitten, students Michael Wheeler and Brian Wilcox film Sam and Dean who are posing as FBI agents investigating a case. Michael comments to Brian on first seeing them: "Is it just me or are you getting a workplace romance vibe from those two?" Later, after watching Sam and Dean in a cafe, Brian reports back to Michael: "They just sat and talked about how they’ve been apart for a year. You were probably right about that whole office romance thing."

What do those outside fandom 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 sort of an aspect of what I was talking about earlier, about how everybody's taking a part in Supernatural, and they're not just watching it... and they're really passionate about the show, and especially for the fans of Supernatural, it's great... it's a 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." [11]

Perhaps because of the mentions in Canon, Wincest is mentioned more often in the media in association with the fandom than other Slash pairings or even fanfiction generally. The reaction is generally one of "ewwww".

On October 6, 2009, Entertainment Weekly named Supernatural as one of the 25 top cult TV shows of all time. And only the Supernatural fandom was picked out for the fans' creativity:

Why It's Cult: Because some members of the show's small but passionate fanbase have taken to writing fan fiction. And any show that inspires people to want to continue the heroes' adventures on their own time qualifies as cult. (We'll not mention that some of that fan fiction has the Winchester brothers doing things that brothers shouldn't be doing. It's called Wincest. Nuff said, ja?) —Marc Bernardin[12]

On March 2010, tv.com rated the craziest fanbases: "The show's weirdest fans are known for writing tales about a little something called "Wincest". Many of the comments to the blog were by Supernatural fans avowing their own dislike for Wincest.[13]

The gay popculture site After Elton has mentioned Wincest, as well as Dean/Castiel on a number of occasions. (see below for links)

On 6 November 2011, Jim Beaver responded to some Tin Hats on Twitter with this comment: For the record, I think slash fiction is cool, and if Wincest is what you dig, more power to you. But regardez vous: fiction ISN'T real life. source

Even the New York Times noted in a 2011 review of the show "at its most basic it is about sibling devotion: no pair of brothers or sisters on television is more closely bound — not even the siblings on “Brothers and Sisters.” Proving their intimacy each week the Winchesters argue as if they were a married couple ..."[14]

In an article on "Shipping" in the print edition of Entertainment Weekly, (February 17, 2012; p. 26, "Just Do It" by Jeff Jensen), Wincesting was given the nod by Sera Gamble:

The CW’s Supernatural — which owes its seven season to a fiercely loyal an dynamic fan base — has periodically winked at its “Wincesters,” shippers who write sexually charged fan fiction about bogeyman-hunting brothers Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles) Winchester. “We have no judgement about that,” say exec producer Sera Gamble. “We’re glad we spark people’s creativity.”

Early in Season 8, TV Guide again bought up Wincest, with its review of the first couple of episodes entitled "Is Wincest Dead?" The article provided a handy definition of Wincest, although it actually focused on the rift between the brothers. It ended with the salutation "So get well soon, Wincest! We miss you already." [15]

TVGuide continued its Wincest obsession in an article title "The Pros and Cons of Shipping" [16]

Other Use of Term

On the imageboard 4chan incest is referred to as Wincest although this is not related to the Supernatural fandom. source

See also

External links

References

  1. ↑ 1.08 Bugs
  2. ↑ 1.18 Something Wicked
  3. ↑ 2.11 Playthings
  4. ↑ 4.18 The Monster at the End of This Book
  5. ↑ 5.01 Sympathy for the Devil
  6. ↑ 5.09 The Real Ghostbusters
  7. ↑ 5.04 The End
  8. ↑ 5.16 Dark Side of the Moon
  9. ↑ 5.18 Point of No Return
  10. ↑ 6.06 You Can't Handle the Truth
  11. ↑ EW April 2009
  12. ↑ EW Oct 2009
  13. ↑ TV.Com 2010
  14. ↑ New York Times 2011
  15. ↑ [1]
  16. ↑ The Pros and Cons of Shipping
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