Sam/Dean
Pairing | |
---|---|
Pairing: | Sam Winchester/Dean Winchester |
Alternative name(s): | Wincest, Dean/Sam, Weecest (if the incest happens while they are underage) |
Gender category: | M/M, Slash |
Fandom: | Supernatural |
Canonical?: | No |
Prevalence: | High |
Archives: | |
Other: | |
Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Sam/Dean, or Wincest as many of the fans like to call it, is the original OTP in Supernatural fandom. It is one of the most popular pairings within Supernatural fandom.
It is also correlated with J2, the RPF ship of the actors (Jared and Jensen) who play them.
Fandom
Ship Appeal
You know Sam and Dean Winchester are psychotically, irrationally, erotically codependent on each other, right? canon, the angel Zachariah, 5x18 "Point of No Return"

The main appeal of the Sam/Dean pairing is the incredibly intense, chaotic, consuming and emotional connection and indescribable love between Sam and Dean as depicted on the show itself. (They are each other's world, would die for each other and actually do so; then they come back because you don't leave your brother behind!). The relationship between the two brothers is the emotional center of the show; showrunner Sera Gamble has referred to Supernatural as “The Epic Love Story of Sam and Dean”.[1] Some fans are drawn to the idea of Sam/Dean as tragic romance and have even argued that Sam/Dean are the M/M version of Romeo/Juliet.[2] (It also doesn't hurt that both characters are played by attractive young men.)
In response to a 2007 meta post by a non-Wincest shipper, a few fans explained that while the incest was a kink for some Wincest shippers, for others, the fact that Sam and Dean were brothers was not a factor in their interest.
On the show, there have been many references about Wincest, including many outsiders thinking they are a gay couple to the activities in which Sam/Dean engage in having romantic undertones (chick flick moments, emotional bonding, star-gazing together), to being declared as metaphysical soul mates bonded for life that also share Heaven together. Many fans also feel that Sam/Dean's love for each other is much more then that of a brotherly, platonic or friendship love and that their connection and bond is more along the lines of a romantic love. This is because Sam/Dean's love for each other has been seen to be extremely emotional, intense, passionate, all encompassing, highly co-dependent and consuming.
History
The first episode aired on September 13, 2005[3], and Sam/Dean slash kicked off immediately. The Supernatural slash community sn_slash (Supernatural Slash - For all your brotherly needs) was founded the very next day and the first story posted was a short 350-word snippet called Reunion by janedavitt.[4] Other stories that implied incest such as "Burdens In The Dark" by wistful_fever (16th September)[5] soon followed.
Common Tropes in Fanworks
- Incest: Sam/Dean fic ranges from deeply angsty and intense on the part of one or both brothers about their relationship being incestuous and thus "wrong", to cheerfully accepting with romantic fluff (with their on-the-road hunter childhood, they were raised different from other kids anyway, so what's one more thing?) of the incest factor.
- Pre-Series or Wee!cest: a focus on their relationship pre-canon, often showing them having a romantic relationship, sometimes with them breaking things off when Sam goes to college, these stories, especially if they contain sexual elements, are called wee!cest
- Raised Apart: A subgenre of Sam/Dean fic involves the raised-apart trope, where the brothers were separated when Sam was very young, and on meeting as adults without knowing who the other is, are intensely attracted to each other.
- Amnesia: usually a curse or spell causes the brothers to forget that they're brothers, but they decide (usually based on evidence of their constant proximity and remaining feelings of affection) that they must be involved and act on it, angst follows.
- Hurt/Comfort: fics seems to be pretty evenly split, with both Sam and Dean being the object of the hurt and receiving comfort
- Protective Dean Winchester: exploring Dean's protective instincts towards Sam, and the lengths Dean is willing to go to save Sam, often emphasizing the emotional components of Dean's behaviour
- Codependency: examining the codependent nature of Sam and Dean's relationship, this can be shown in a negative or positive light depending on what the creators wish to explore
- Deathfic or Near Death: these experiences are usually used in fic as a way to explore Sam and Dean's deeper feelings for each other. These stories can sometimes be dark, ending in permanent death, while others will find a way for Sam and/or Dean to avoid their fates at the last moment, or they will contain the resurrection trope, where a revelation of feelings occurs after one of them returns
- Evil!Sam with Dean: Sam becoming evil, as the Boy!King of Hell, or by drinking demon blood. Dean's role in these fics varies, sometimes he is Sam's consort, or he fully embraces becoming evil and is a demon, or he remains human and is lost in the situation, either way he almost always refuses to leave Sam despite what he has become
- Smith & Wesson: focusing on the alternative reality in the episode It's a Terrible Life, where the boys were named Smith and Wesson, this universe can be attractive to fans because in it the Winchesters are not brothers, thus avoid the incest issue
- RPS: Because some Supernatural slash fans don't want to write, draw, or vid incestuous pairings, there is also a J2 or Jared/Jensen fandom within SPN based on the two actors rather than the two characters. J2 is a highly popular pairing within RPS fiction and within the SPN fandom. This is why Supernatural is sometimes called the fandom where RPS has the moral high ground.
Challenges
- Sam/Dean Gift Exchange
- Sam & Dean Minibang
- Wincest Big Bang
- Wincest Big Bang (LiveJournal)
- Wincest Reverse Bang
Controversies
- Incest: The ship is subject to same general controversy that all incestuous ships are.
Fanworks
Fanfiction
- A Bleak Understanding in Reverse by lustmordred
- Bright Lights of Disturbia by leonidaslion
- The Firefly that Loved Metallica by Fleshflutter
- Five Districts, Five Drugs by rei_c
- Flying Weight by Fleshflutter
- Future Tense by selecasharp
- Highway Survivalists' Roadmap by drvsilla
- Last Day On Earth by candle_beck
- Last Outpost Of All That Is by gekizetsu. Apocafic.
- The Incestuous Courtship of the Antichrist's Bride by fleshflutter. To rule Hell, reluctant antichrist!Sam must woo and win Dean as his Beloved Consort.
- Moonstruck by ancastar
- Old Country by astolat. Crossover with Harry Potter - Sam and Dean go to Hogwarts.
- Outside By the Blue, Blue Moon 'verse by ninhursag
- Phthonus Series by leonidaslion
- Reunion by Jane Davitt
- Somersault 'Verse by not refined
- The Spell & Wish Series by locknkey
- Suite!Verse by leonidaslion
- Leader of the Pack by astolat. Sam and Dean adopt some Hellhounds.
- Two Queens by belyste.
- Life As We Know It by sevenfists. Curtainfic.
- Green and Gamboge by sevenfists. Dean and Sam adopt some Gremlins.
- Room and Board by Maygra
- Out of Focus by Shadow-shimmer
- The Reason For Living Is To Get Ready To Stay Dead a Long Time by Ethrosdemon
- Man, I Feel Like A Woman by Lyra Wing
- The First Cut Is the Deepest by Angyl
- Res Gestae by dreamlittleyo. Genderswap fic.
- Blue Skies From Rain by lovesrain44. Sam has amnesia, Dean doesn't, but being locked up in a mental facility doesn't make anything easy.
- Brothers Shouldn't by Algedonic
- Slutty little Sammy is planning a gangbang with the football team by homo-pink, Archived
Fanart
- See also Category:Supernatural Art
- What's a little rain? by nargynargy (archive link)
- You wanna...? by nargynargy (archive link)
- Wincest by Luluxa
Vids
- Climbing Up The Walls by obsessive24 takes a hard look at the real "dead end" of a possible Sam/Dean relationship
- Falling For The First Time by sisabet
- Supernatural (In My Pants) by deirdre_c (Sam/Dean crackvid)
- Sam & Dean | At A Glance by SecretlyToDream
- Protège Moi by Charmax, a vid known for it's coloring, it is black and white with highlights of red
Doujinshi
- See also Category: Supernatural Doujinshi
Zines
- See also Category:Supernatural Zines
- Adickted
- Collected Supernatural Shorts
- Hand Basket to Hell
- Highway to Hell
- Something Gold
- A Supernatural Slash Anthology
Art Gallery
Sam and Dean: Original manip by nyaubaby
Daunt's Last Outpost Of All That Is, created for the influential fic of the same name
The Lovers tarot card created by marciaelena for the Supernatural and J-Squared Big Bang Challenge!/2008
Fan art by wanttobeatree, created for the the fic The Incestuous Courtship of the Antichrist's Bride
Art by petite madame created for the fic A Bleak Understanding in Reverse
Interior art from the zine Hand Basket to Hell by Vamptastica
Art by siennavie created for the fic Different As It's Always Been, as part of the 2013 Sam & Dean Minibang
6AM with you by nargynargy
Monochrome Wincest by ErinPtah. Produced in 2019 as part of the Problematic Ships Project.
Meta and Ship Manifestos
- Erotically Co-Dependant: A Dean/Sam Manifesto by slytherinblack and kissedbythegods, at Ship Manifesto (December 2005, updated through season 5); archive link
- Emotional Intimacy & Communication by destina (October 2006); archive link
- Justifying Sam/Dean by monster-of-hope (March 2007); archive link
- Could Dean kill Sam? by destina (March 2007); archive link
- Redemption narratives and kissing by missyjack (May 2007); archive link
- Why I write Sam/Dean even though I've never liked incestfic (Untitled) by setissma (August 2007); archive link
- Wincest and Romanticism by fannishliss (February 2008); archive link
- Things That Are Completely Fantastic About Sam/Dean by setissma (March 2008); archive link
- Wincest Manifesto by Sarah on Supernatural for Grown Ups (circa 2008); archive link
- Incest in my Canon? by chasingtides (October 2008); archive link
- Analysis of Sam's love/devotion for Dean by laurificus (May 2009); archive link
- Wincest! The Musical by coyotesuspect (December 2009); archive link
- Young, Katie. 2011. Psychotically, irrationally, erotically co-dependent…the obsessive bromance of Supernatural. Katie Young Author, June 18; archive link
- A Wincest Manifesto by nana (circa 2012); archive link
- What is Wincest and How Do I Ship It: A Comprehensive Guide by brothersintheimapala (April 2013); archive link
Further Reading
- Tosenberger, Catherine. 2008. "The epic love story of Sam and Dean": Supernatural, queer readings, and the romance of incestuous fan fiction. Transformative Works and Cultures, no. 1. https://doi.org/10.3983/twc.2008.030
- Chan, Suzette. 2009. Catherine Tosenberger on Sam and Dean's Transformative Love Story. Sequential Tart: A Comics Industry Web Zine, April 6; archive link
- "Saving People, Hunting Things," edited by Catherine Tosenberger, special issue, Transformative Works and Cultures, no. 4. Published: 2010-03-15.
- Gennis, Sadie. 2012. Supernatural: Is Wincest Dead? TV Guide, October 16; archive link
- Torrey, K. T. 2014. Writing with the Winchesters: Metatextual Wincest and the provisional practice of happy endings. Journal of Fandom Studies 2: 163-180.
- Workman, Kimberly. 2015. Brothers As Lovers: Shipping Wincest in Supernatural. In Media Res: A MediaCommons Project, June 15; archive link
- Mary Sue. 2017. The Supernatural Appeal of Wincest. FAN/FIC Magazine, January 18; archive link
- Collins, Hannah. 2019. How 'Wincest' Became Supernatural Canon. CBR.com, August 2; archive link
Archives and Links
- Dean Winchester/Sam Winchester tag at Archive of Our Own
- Sam + Dean at FanFiction.net
- Sinful Desire
- Sam Dean Slash Archive
- wincest (LiveJournal community)
References
- ^ Super Women: Supernatural's Executive Story Editor Sera Gamble at Sequential Tart, 01 December 2006.
- ^ For example, the TV Tropes page on Dean contains several references to Romeo & Juliet. His relationship with Sam is basically Romeo and Juliet on steroids. When it comes to Dean's devotion to Sam, love doesn't just make him crazy, it makes Dean extremely co-dependent, depressed, self-destructive, and suicidal.
- ^ epguides.com/Supernatural
- ^ janedavitt. Reunion, 14 September 2005. (Accessed 02 March 2010)
- ^ wistful_fever. Burdens In The Dark, 16 September 2005. (Accessed 02 March 2010)