Wincest / established relationship writing rant (is this a rant?)

[citrusjava]

ETA: I got a comment about this coming across as if I'm angry, so I should clarify - I'm not angry at all, this is just a thing that bothers me, and I was hoping people would find it an interesting topic to discuss. If not, go ahead and ignore.

OK.
(background first)
So, I agree that, for instance, including one gay character on a show, to be "the gay character" kinda sucks. I was so excited when I first found a book about two male police detectives working on a case. A story about something besides them coming out or going to pride or hating themselves, that sort of thing.

But even for detectives in a story about detective work, being gay would paint the way they interact with the world and perceive themselves in it, would paint the things that draw their attention or annoy them, something. I hate the whole "we are exactly like straight people" narrative. Life experiences paint who you are. Identity paints who you are.

So I very much doubt that even if the Winchesters were in an established relationship, the "incest thing" would just fade into the background completely. It IS part of their lives, their history, it matters that they're brothers because it's an important part of their history and relationship, and it matters that they are brothers because even if they are completely over it, they have to live in a world that is not, and that MATTERS! I really need more stories that don't disregard or erase that. There is room for fluffy comforty stories, and I get that not all writers want to focus on that, but it really bothers me that it's become a norm to disregarded it completely.



ETA (not, er, related, just on the topic of established relationships):

Also - Even if it's established relationship, as a reader, I still need to be convinced it's awesome. Convinced to ship THESE Dean and Sam. True, not every single fic, but every few fics, maybe? The show neglects that, and a lot of fic neglects that.... tell me why you are passionate with this pairing, make me wanna be on board even if I already am?

Comments

[saltandburnboys.livejournal.com]

I'm not quite sure what you're mad about here? How would that author have written them 'as gay.' Unless they're writing about them having sex, or who they're attracted to, any way they write them is acceptable, IMO. Unless you're implying that gay people have to think and see the world in a certain way to make them actually gay, which I'm pretty sure isn't what you're implying?

And are you saying you hate normalised incest in Sam/Dean fic? Coz that also has never really bothered me unless it's first time fic, and even then, I've seen people handle that really well. I actually have no problem with normalised incest in fics - or freaked out boys because I like it most any way people wanna write it - especially if they've been in a relationship since before Stanford and it's been like ten years because at some point, they're gonna stop beating themselves up about it, IMO. And besides, they flaunt the law at every turn - have nearly ended the world - I don't really see a little incest bothering them all that much anymore. But then...consensual incest isn't something that really bothers me anyway; to each their own. As long as it's consensual, I don't really care what people get up to in their privacy of their own bedroom/or the back seat of their Impala, lol.

And I'm usually passionate about the pairing just from how someone writes it. The way they have the boys talk or look at it each or fight for each other. I don't think I've ever read a fic where I didn't feel it in some way, tbh. Hell, their relationship is awesome to me even in gen fic just because their relationship IS awesome; for me, a writer doesn't need to do that much to convince me of that.