What’s gencest?
•If you want the definition from the Super-Wiki [x] :
“Gencest is the occasionally used term for a sub category of Gen stories. A mashup of Gen and Wincest, it describes stories where there is no sexual or romantic relationship between Dean and Sam, but where the story will focus on their intense emotional bond.
The term arose around 2009 (possibly from this post on LiveJournal) within Supernatural fandom, and was used to distinguish this sub-category of Gen stories from those where the focus was not on Sam and Dean's emotional relationship, but on a monster hunt, or the mythology or individual character study. At the time, Wincest stories were the main point of reference for stories focusing on the emotional connection between Sam and Dean, and yet many readers did not want to read stories featuring Wincest.
Terms such as Gencest also worked to attract readers who would generally only read Wincest. Some writers would note on their fic that there is "Wincest if you squint" or label it as "pre-slash" indicating that even if a sexual relationship wasn't explicit in a story, a reader could easily interpret it as if there was, or was going to be. Some writers would even produce two versions of their fic - a Gen version, and a Wincest one.
Even on the Show there have been references which blur the line - such as Zachariah's comment to Adam in 5.18 Point of No Return: You know Sam and Dean Winchester are psychotically, irrationally, erotically codependent on each other, right? ”
•If you want the definition from the Gencest Bang [x] :
“The Gencest Bang is a Supernatural fic challenge community centering on Gencest, or the intense, platonic relationship between Sam and Dean. Fandom authors and artists will team up to create works that highlight this beautiful, crazy relationship.”
•If you want the definition from the gencest blog’s post (interesting read) where they debate with Dotthings (a destiel meta shipper criticizing/vilifying the Gencest Bang and the use of the Gencest fic tag) [x] :
“Gencest as a subcategory is about a relationship, just not a romantic one.
The majority of the confusion and anger comes from the suffix -cest. That was a cheeky way for fans to distinguish Gen about Sam and Dean’s relationship for regular Gen. In romantic fanfic (which doesn’t have a term like ‘Gen’ because it’s considered to be the ‘normal’ fanfic), fics are labeled by ship (Wincest, Destiel, Sabriel, etc). That’s how you know that fic is about that romantic relationship. Gen fic was not created to be about a sole relationship, so you don’t see people attach names to it.
Further, platonic pairings get ship names all the time. JoanLock of Elementary is typically used for platonic shippers despite being the typical portmanteau. Before FitzSimmons of Agents of SHIELD was romantic the fandom rallied behind the idea of them being queerplatonic partners—either way, people used ‘FitzSimmons’ for their gen/platonic discussions anyway.
Sam/Dean being one of the two main ships in the fandom makes it impossible for someone to slap ‘samdean’ on a post and have people know it is gen or platonic—hence, Gencest was born.”
“Gencest was coined as a portmanteau of Gen and Wincest because it is focused specifically on Sam and Dean’s relationship (which is different from Gen) and that the romantic pairing of Sam and Dean is called Wincest. It is borrowing a romantic fic term for a fic about their relationship (Wincest) and applying it to gen.
If I go into the Gen tag on AO3 for Supernatural, I will not get just fics on Sam and Dean. I will get fics on Gabriel, character studies on Claire Novak, and creepy ghost stories (check out the Eldritchbang!). If I include the pairing tag Dean Winchester & Sam Winchester, I still do not get fics specifically about Sam and Dean’s relationship. The gencest tag is a way to distinguish that a fic is both Gen and that is it focused on Sam and Dean’s relationship specifically. It is a categorizing term, ultimately, and I would like to point my above explanation of that -cest inclusion.”
“Pre-slash, just like Gen fic it is not specific to the intense platonic relationship that Sam and Dean have. And, though many people choose to write their Gencest as pre-slash, others don’t like it because it implies a future romantic/sexual relationship and that isn’t what they’re reading for. Gencest continues to be a specific fic genre and subcategory of gen on its own.”
“...Gencest is a genre moniker for a specific type of fic that deals with Sam and Dean’s relationship specifically as opposed to most gen fic which is not about relationships (I will continue to repeat this definition, so strap in). It is non-romantic/sexual fic about their relationship which Kim Rhodes pointed out was so different from most relationships between men on TV because they’re allowed to love each other so intensely.
Perhaps the issue comes from Gencest feeling a lot like ‘Bromance’ (a portmanteau of two rivaling words, brother and romance, meant to explain a male friendship), but Gencest is different even from bromance. For one, gencest is a fic genre and no one uses it to describe Sam and Dean’s relationship. Bromance is a no-homo term meant to delegitimize male friendship (the female term of bromance is… friendship). The fic genre of Gencest is unique because Sam and Dean’s relationship is unique, and because there is a demand for more of their canon relationship as-is written into fan-created worlds.”
I’m sure there are more sections in the post to quote from to help define the term but just click on the link and read the whole thing. And if you want Dot’s take on Gencest, their definition is there in the link too.
But my personal take on gencest is this:
It is the canon platonic “epic love story of Sam and Dean Winchester.”
It’s the canon platonic soulmates idea from 5x16 and 15x20.
It’s the canon show quotes (and these are just the ones off the top of my head):
“Because whatever we have between us, love, family, whatever it is- they are always going to use it against us.” - Dean (5x04)
“Don't you dare... think that there is anything, past or present, that I would put in front of you! It has never been like that! Ever! I need you to see that. I'm beggin' you.“ -Dean (8x23)
“But, I can’t do it without my brother. I don’t want to do this without my brother.” -Sam (10x18)
(looks at Dean through the rear view mirror) “No, Sir, not before everything.” - Sam (1x22)
“Only he gets to call me that.” - Sam (2x03)
“You’re my big brother, there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you.” - Sam (2x22)
“I can’t do this alone.” - Dean (1x01) and Sam (15x20)
It’s not romantic. It’s not sexual. It’s a whole category on it’s own. They’re each other’s exceptions to the rules. They’re each other’s reasons why they can do such great terrible and wonderful things.
And those that are stuck on the entomology, thinking that gencest means sneaky incest because it has cest in the name?
[x]
incest (n.)
"the crime of sexual intercourse between near kindred," c. 1200, from Old French inceste "incest; lechery, fornication," and directly from Latin incestum "unchastity, impious unchastity," also specifically "sexual intercourse between close relatives," noun use of neuter adjective incestus "unchaste, impure," from in- "not" (see in- (1)) + castus "pure" (see caste). Old English had sibleger "incest," literally "kin-lying."
the suffix “cest” actually means pure
[x]
-gen
word-forming element technically meaning "something produced," but mainly, in modern use, "thing that produces or causes," from French -gène (18c.), from Greek -genes "born of, produced by," which is from the same source as genos "birth," genea "race, family," from PIE root *gene- "give birth, beget," with derivatives referring to procreation and familial and tribal groups. First used in late 18th century French chemistry (see oxygen), it probably involves a misunderstanding of -genes, as though it meant "that which produces."
Thus the etymology on gencest literally means “to produce something pure.”
Anyone that has an issue because of the origin of the name Gencest is pretty much taking offense mainly because of shipping wars and their own issues/insecurities.