The Darker Side, Month One : Incest (warning, triggers likely)

[kahuna_burger]

Welcome to the Darker Side! In case you missed the initial discussion, these posts are going to explore some of the more 'warning-worthy' topics and tropes that we see and use in fic. They are meant as both prompts and discussion topics, so if you are inspired to write a fic, post a bunny, link to an example of things 'done well', discuss in

Comments

[thtwzjustadream]

My only individual line in the sand on this one is parent/child, with the exception of stories about gods, aliens, etc. Making it that one step more theoretical and otherworldly takes the squick off of it for me. I've accidentally clicked into a couple of John/Dean fics in SPN and hit 'back, back, nope, back' ...but that's me. I'm sure others love those, and I'd say have at 'em, then.

That aside, I think it can be a very effective topic/trope for exploring a character's growth, specifically growth out of co-dependency and into healthier relationships. The example I'd use is LOST, and the Shannon/Boone story line. As their past is shown, you get a picture of two people who are pretty badly, deeply enmeshed and taking their life frustrations/family issues out on each other rather than feel them/work through them for themselves. When Boone's forced (through a drug/dream sequence) to imagine her dead, he's asked what he felt and he says "relief. I felt relieved..." He finally gets that he's taken on too much of her responsibilities and issues as his own, and she finally gets to have a relationship where she has to advocate and stand up for herself...and then they kill them both off, lol. Ah, well.

One of my many ideas for an original fic involves a male character so intent on getting away from his family that he's vying for a spot on a Mars mission - only to find out his somewhat sadistic male half cousin is already in. Backstory would be the protagonist having been in hugely unhealthy relationships with both the cousin and the cousins's sister - debating whether she's a half or a step sister or full on.

Of course, as with other original fic I've thought about...the trick is really fleshing out the plot, the point, the characters and, um, actually writing it. But I think it has a lot of potential to have a lot of twisty, angsty, and fun 'so wrong' to it. Brideshead Revisited without the religion and hand-wringing and a crapton more sex. ;)

[asphaltcowgrrl]

Although this isn't ever something I personally care to read, I 100000% agree with you on the parent/child relationship. It screams too much of one party using their power/dominance/whatever over the weaker party for their own needs. On the other hand, twincest seems to be a huge thing in the m/m world, and not just in fanfic. There's a lot of actual published work along these lines.

I never watched Lost, but I like that example you gave. It's amazing sometimes how much we take onto ourselves that isn't actually ours. OMG - they probably figured 'we solved their problems, who needs 'em?'

I hope that you do one day write the fic you're talking about because it sounds like there's so much room for fun, angst, and all the joys that come from working with family. But yeah... original fic can be a chore at times. *snort* Oh yes, and getting it all on paper is the hardest part of all!

[thtwzjustadream]

omg....My brain is still stuck on you never watched LOST! Never, not one epi ever? Wow....you have a whole world awaiting if you ever get bored/rained in on vacation someday. :)

Would not have guessed twincest is big in the published world - but there is the concept about twins, and any people with twin-like similarity in features being attractive to others because of the'echoed' attractiveness. It was one theory why the Beatles got so famous so fast - they had that cookie-cutter, dark-haired look. I read some article about it awhile back, that said Jagger used to refer to them as 'that four headed monster.' ;)

I do hope I can muster some more thought for that fic- it has potential.

[asphaltcowgrrl]

Hah! Yeah, I think that was back in the days before we had a DVR. :D

I wouldn't have either, but for some reason it is. I do understand being attracted to (identical) twins, but the thing that is odd to me is that the twins would want to be together with a third party. Does that make sense? Oh - I wouldn't have ever thought about that in regards to The Beatles, but it is a valid point.

Well, if you need a cheer squad, you know where to find me. :D

[kahuna_burger]

The codependency aspect is one I hadn't actively considered, but it does seem to fit a lot of the sibling incest stories you see.

I remember one message board discussion where someone asked how he could explain to a yohng child who had declared that she was going to marry her cousin someday that she couldn't, without just declaring "it's wrong" and "because it is." My response, which is actually a good 75% of my objection to adult, non parent/child incest, was "because marriage makes a person part of your family that wasn't before, and your cousin already is family to you." It's the conflation of two kinds of relationships that gets me, far more than the biological matchup.

[thtwzjustadream]

I think that's really smart parenting - going beyond simply labeling something 'wrong,' which could then make the kid feel flawed or 'wrong.' It's avoiding dismissing their expressed feelings.

Conflation's an issue in other relationships - like with someone at work. I had my characters address that in one 'verse - without even realizing I was kind of smoothing over that bit of conflict that would arise from dipping the pen in the company inkwell, lol. The dialogue went:

M: “Does this make us fuck buddies?”
H: “You kids and your labels.”
M: “I asked... a... serious question.”
H: "And that was a serious answer. You’re my Mike. That’s enough for me. I don’t need a...”
M: “Humans live under definitions. We’re all...somebody’s. Somebody’s kid, sibling, colleague, friend...fuck buddy.”
H: “Do you have another Harvey?”
M: “No. I definitely...have never had another...”
There had been more to the lecture, as Mike recalled, but he couldn’t stay awake for the end of it.