the text itself has such a strong subtext and text of emotional and physical intimacy
This is indeed very interesting. I'm never sure how I should label fic with a very strong subtext (A-B? A/B?), particularly when the canon text is so subtexty anyway. I mean, if I was required to label a particularly slashy episode of Supernatural, I would err on the side of caution and would probably call it as Sam&Dean, with possible Sam/Dean, and rate it for both violence and Wincest. So when I label my own fic - fic that plays up that possible, I can't help but do the same. Even if there's no actual, written sex. Even if it's just some slamming against walls or some Winchester-style snuggling (involving lots of blood and stuff).
However, that "err on the side of caution" also worries me. It worries me because I keep asking myself, If this was het, would I rate it so high? If this wasn't incesty, would I label it this way? It worries me because I find myself almost censoring my fic through a rating.
If ratings/pairings are a way of letting the potential audience know what the writer believes is going on, (again, being cautious) I would rather rate the fic a little higher, and 'warn' a potential reader that there is 'possible Wincest' then get flamed (because that? really sucks). I guess self-rating also works as a situating device for an author - if you don't label a fic as having a possible pairing, then sometimes the audience you want to look at your fic (a slash reader) won't bother reading it (even though we don't want it to be true, it's what happens). Then again, I will read Wincest into the most gen of stories, because I'm a reader and that's what readers do, they draw their own meanings from the text (canon or fan).
[With all that in mind, I rate this comment NC-17 FOR WINCESTY IDEAS. NO SEX]
no subject
This is indeed very interesting. I'm never sure how I should label fic with a very strong subtext (A-B? A/B?), particularly when the canon text is so subtexty anyway. I mean, if I was required to label a particularly slashy episode of Supernatural, I would err on the side of caution and would probably call it as Sam&Dean, with possible Sam/Dean, and rate it for both violence and Wincest. So when I label my own fic - fic that plays up that possible, I can't help but do the same. Even if there's no actual, written sex. Even if it's just some slamming against walls or some Winchester-style snuggling (involving lots of blood and stuff).
However, that "err on the side of caution" also worries me. It worries me because I keep asking myself, If this was het, would I rate it so high? If this wasn't incesty, would I label it this way? It worries me because I find myself almost censoring my fic through a rating.
If ratings/pairings are a way of letting the potential audience know what the writer believes is going on, (again, being cautious) I would rather rate the fic a little higher, and 'warn' a potential reader that there is 'possible Wincest' then get flamed (because that? really sucks). I guess self-rating also works as a situating device for an author - if you don't label a fic as having a possible pairing, then sometimes the audience you want to look at your fic (a slash reader) won't bother reading it (even though we don't want it to be true, it's what happens). Then again, I will read Wincest into the most gen of stories, because I'm a reader and that's what readers do, they draw their own meanings from the text (canon or fan).
[With all that in mind, I rate this comment NC-17 FOR WINCESTY IDEAS. NO SEX]