It's Time to Talk About Incest (An Uncomfortable Dive into Fandom's Strange Obsession)

You don't have to look far these days to find fan works featuring incestuous relationships between your favourite fictional characters. I want to talk about why that is.

A picture of actors Jared Padeleki and Jensen Ackles in character as Dean and Sam from Supernatural

Before I begin properly, I would like to state that this post deals with heavy topics, such as familial incest and rape. If you've been affected by these issues then feel free to close the page now.

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So, Why the Hell Are You On About Incest?

(I fear this post is going to be the one which truly exposes me as the tumblr using, binge watching teenager that I really was. But, dear readers, I'm doing this so we can all come out of it better people. So, without further ado... Here we go.)

At age thirteen, I watched every series of the American television show Supernatural in a couple of months (I'm aware that I didn't make the best decisions age thirteen. Then again, who does?)

The show tells the story of two brothers, named Dean and Sam Winchester. Together, they travel throughout the United States of America in an old Chevy Impala, and save the world by killing evil, Supernatural creatures.

The show began airing in 2005, and (although I no longer watch it, because, you know... I like myself more now) it continues to create new series' to this day.

During its fourteen-year run, it’s gathered a large group of, mainly female, fans. And, much like with any piece of popular media, the fans for Supernatural have dedicated their free time to creating a berth of work dedicated to the show, such as fan art, fan fiction, or video edits. 

Frequently, these fan works focus specifically on the relationships between the characters. Often re-imagining the platonic nature of each relationship to be romantic, instead. One of the show's most popular pairings is between the main character, Dean Winchester, and another male character known as Castiel. 

However, there is another romantic pairing which has become very popular. So popular, in fact, that it has been actively acknowledged on the show multiple times.

That pairing? Well, it's Dean Winchester and Sam Winchester.

Yes, that's right. The brothers. 

Um. Let's Take a Detour and Talk About Why Fandom Works Exist:

At their core, fan works exist as a celebration of the canonical text. Essentially, fans of a show, film, band, etc. like the thing so much that they place time and energy into creating further content and work for the show.

It's a way of paying homage to the original piece, and it's way more common than you would think. Hell, The Lion King is basically fanfiction for Shakespeare's Hamlet. And, if you want an even more historical example? Paradise Lost by John Milton is essentially, like... Bible fanfiction.

So, fan works have always been around, and probably always will be. It's natural for someone who enjoys something to want to explore it further, and I honestly can't see anything wrong with that at it's core.

Additionally, fandoms have always had a certain amount of power when it comes to inserting their own opinions into the actual canon content of the work, especially if those works are ongoing. A famous example includes the author Arthur Conan Doyle bringing back the character of Sherlock Holmes just to appease fans.

However, fandom influence can also be utilised as a force for gaining more representation of minorities. Recently, J.K. Rowling cast a black actress to play Hermione in the Cursed Child after the internet fanon that Hermione was black became so common. Therefore, establishing a premise of more ethnic diversity within the Harry Potter universe.

Of course, not all media embraces diversity in the same way. Shows such as Supernatural primarily run on the basis that the show includes straight, white, cisgender men.

In shows like this, there are very few female characters, and even fewer characters with sexual preferences other than straight. (The one example I can think of in Supernatural who's actually a recurring character is Charlie Bradbury, a lesbian woman.)

Therefore, in cases like this, minorities turn to fanfiction in order to craft the universes that they want. In these environments, as many characters can be LGBTQ+, non-white, transgender, or anything else they so wish.

In other words, fanfiction also exists as a way to challenge predominantly exclusive norms which pre-exist in media.

Okay, but Why Are People Writing Fanfiction About Brothers Dating?

Fans of Wincest (the... um... name given to the practise of wishing that Dean and Sam were in a relationship) say that the focus of the 'ship' isn't the fact that the two characters are brothers. Instead, they believe it's merely an innocent exploration of two characters who spend most of their time on screen together.

Paired down to just this, I guess you could say that Wincest (or, indeed, other incestious ships) aren't really that problematic.

After all, if we're basing it solely on interactions between close characters, it would make sense that some people would desire to see a relationship as explored and as essential to the plot - such as the relationship between Dean and Sam - in a romantic light.

However, if fanfiction's main draw is that the canonical text can be completely abandoned, settings totally changed and the personal history of each character completely re-written - it begs the question: why would you still write them as related in the fan fiction?

I mean, think about it. Why don't people just take the personalities of characters and write fanfiction where they never grew up as biologically or socially related. (Because incest between adopted siblings? That's an issue too, but we'll save that for the moment...)

You see, here is where my issues with incestuous fanfiction really start to take off.

If the appeal of the pairing is merely down to chemistry between the characters, then it's not necessary for people to write them as related. And yet, sibling incest is an intensely popular tag on most well used fanfiction sites, with almost 25,000 works published on Archive of our Own alone.

Yet, I would argue that - despite what fans claim - the appeal of incest within fiction isn't entirely down to the two characters in question. Some of it is down to the fact that incest is viewed as morally wrong, or taboo.

You see, as I mentioned previously - fanworks exist predominantly as a way of challenging norms in popular media. While often this is merely an insertion of more LGBT+ characters or more racial diversity, some people take it further, using fanworks as a way to explore more disturbing and taboo topics altogether.

Although, I wouldn't say that portrayals of incestuous relationships are restricted entirely to fan made works and forums. There are some shows which have actually pushed the barriers down further, portraying incest on screen.

Okay, but What's Actually Wrong With Talking About Taboos in Fanfiction?

Taboos, like anything, have to come from somewhere. In other words: there is a reason a certain practise is taboo.

If you look at one of the most universally recoignised taboos, rape, then it's easy to see why it became something that was so heavily judged.

Rape is a taboo because the victim is violated, their control over their own body was taken away from them, and they weren't given a choice in sexual activities. People who have been affected by rape and sexual assault carry the feeling around with them for years.

(If you or anyone you know has been affected by the issue of rape or sexual assault, then help is available to you.)

Rape, as I stated, is one of the most universally recognised taboos. It would be rare to find someone who would openly admit that they don't think rape is wrong.

Additionally, if a piece of fictional media focuses its attention on depicting a rape scene, it often does so to highlight how horrible the act is. Yet, even with this mentality of condeming the act of rape - often people feel as though fiction shouldn't tackle the subject at all.

Incest, however, is far from being on the same level of taboo as rape. It is more commonly discussed, and depicted in media.

Yet, many of the reasons that incest and incestious relationships are taboo are tied in with the same sorts of reasons that rape is considered wrong.

Charity RAINN claims that 1 in 9 girls, and 1 in 53 boys are sexually abused by age eighteen, and 80% of that abuse is at the hands of a parent.

In the hands of knowledge like that, it becomes clear that this isn't just some fun, quirky taboo for people to write about in their fanfiction or media. This is an actual issue affecting millions of people's lives.

So, with that in mind, I think it's time that fandom had a collective reckoning. While it may seem okay to make light of incestuous ships and relationships. While it may, on the surface, to appear a trope which only really exists in fiction, the truth is - it isn't.

So, by normalising it, by helping to cultivate an atmosphere where incest is seen as something fun and accessible, you become complicit in aiding the isolation of actual victims.

So, the next time you think, "It's just fiction", maybe catch yourself on. Maybe think about the people who actually had to live it for a change.