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

[agdhani]

one of my earliest rp experiences was with a character who was suffering from split personality...he had 3 distinct selves, one of whom was a child version of himself developed after an incestuous/rape relationship with an older brother. It was a challenge to write, to say the least, but it pushed my comfort limits and helped me grow as a writer.

Later (with the same writing partner) we wrote a 'couple'...a man and a boy who became involved (they're part of a clan of supernatural beings who don't view such things as wrong...see them as normal between partners 'destined' to be Mates)...who discovered later they were father and son. That would, I guess, be part of that genetic sexual attraction spectrum.

We also wrote/write a relationship between brothers...where it isn't an attraction thing but rather a 'we're horny and there's no one else around, so why not each other' sort of relationship.

Maybe its telling that the only incestual relationships I've written are between male characters...

[asphaltcowgrrl]

That's actually a really fascinating array of fics/RPs you've written.

I agree with what Dreamy said below in regards to alien/gods/etc to make it a step removed from our own cultural taboos and making it more paltable. And I agree that it would fall under the genetic attraction spectrum.

[agdhani]

The list is made of of 'houses'...where head of house (the writer) has a family of clones...characters from books, tv, movies and any npcs they want to write. This particular writer and I have combined our 'houses' and have a huge group of characters to choose from, so we've created a lot of interesting scenarios. We've been at it for about 13 years now, so we must be doing something right to keep at it ;)

[asphaltcowgrrl]

I think the two of you are doing something MORE than right! Congrats and keep it up. :)

[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

[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

[agdhani]

ooo...I take that back...
my current work in progress includes a mother/son relationship (so I do have one involving a female) but its definitely a power thing with the son being the instigator/rapist/driving force. He is not a nice character at all, so it will be interesting to see how that plays out between them.

[haldoor]

I have to admit to having a slight fixation on brother/brother incest. The whole thing - mentioned above - of them not being able to reproduce takes away a huge reason for the taboo to me, so I have few issues with it, as long as both partners are consenting and there's no power issue (i.e. the imbalance of older/younger family members as mentioned above, so that is they should both be around the same age or both adult enough to be making the decision for themselves). I do read fic and watch movies on the brother/brother thing, although surprisingly, I don't follow SPN! HA

[thtwzjustadream]

Ha. Yes, how *have* you not caught on to SPN, then?

Except, that...well, they're a decade plus into it, and ain't no one finding any healthy relationships on that show, probably ever.

[haldoor]

Yeah, I don't know either - I have started watching, but hubby and the kids got ahead somehow and I never caught up!

A decade plus means A LOT to get through - way beyond bingeing, so phew, hasn't happened yet. As for healthy relationships; did I say I was looking for one? HA! ;-)