It's Okay To Not Like Things
It's Okay to Not Like Things. (Mildly NSFW.)
YKINMK is short for Your Kink Is Not My Kink. The phrase refers to the fact that people have different preferences, and that what one person finds sexy can be the same thing that someone else thinks is a turnoff or even completely disgusting. YKINMK doesn't apply to exclusively sexual subject matter, though; it can also refer to things like MPreg, torture!fic, hurt/comfort, and non-explicit slash or het.
Because sexiness in general is a matter of opinion and not an objective fact, people who write fan fiction that includes sexual topics, especially smutfic and PWP, find they have many different opinions about what they find erotic. These writers have to remember: your kink is not my kink; your mileage may vary; etc.
Viewed from the other angle, YKINMK also refers to the fact that not liking a certain sort of story does not mean that a person is prejudiced. For example, not liking slash and being biased against gay people are two different things; for most people who do not like slash, it's a matter of preference. Assuming that someone is prejudiced simply because of their preferences in fanfic is inadvisable.
The PPC often deals with YKINMK fics. Especially at the Department of Bad Slash (and its Bad Het division), agents will often encounter scenes that make them want to reach for the Bleeprin (or possibly the nearest pointy object). The question remains, though: is it really badfic? Or is it just a matter of preference? If the fic is well-written, even if the person reading it finds the "kink" not to their taste, then it is not a candidate for being taken on by the PPC.
How to Solve YKINMK Issues:[]
- Agents are generally assigned to fics that include things they don't have a problem with. For example, Oscar Henson, of the MPreg division, is an MPreg baby himself. If the agent doesn't generally have a problem with something, then he'll know whether or not it's being done badly without being confused by personal preference.
- Are the characters acting out of character? If so, it doesn't matter whether you like what they're doing or not—it's a charge.
- Is there bad biology involved? Charge.
- If there's MPreg involved, is it properly explained and justified? If not, charge. Are the characters pulled OOC because one of them is pregnant? If so, charge.
- Have characters' sexual orientations been inexplicably changed from the canonical?
- If so, are the characters still themselves, with their personalities and histories changed only to the extent of what would now be different if they had always liked boys/girls/etc.? Or have they been turned into stereotypes of their new orientations?
- If they are OOC, it's a charge.
- If their orientations have been changed only to permit a favored 'ship without taking into account what might also have changed about their history, relationships, and personalities, it's a charge. (PWP is exempt in some of these cases, since it is presumed to be a snippet of an AUverse where these things have been accounted for.)
- In general, for a slash or het relationship between characters who are canonically straight or gay (respectively), does it follow the rules of a good AU?
- Is there bad psychology involved? Charge.
- Is there Trivialised Rape? If so, then it doesn't matter whether the rapist used kinky aspects or not, it's still a charge.
- Is there incest? If so, then it's always a charge unless A.) The two characters were raised apart, B.) The family is very dysfunctional, or C.) The characters' culture canonically lacks an incest taboo. Even if A or B applies, the incest can still be a charge if one or more characters are pulled OOC for the sake of it.
- Is it, in general, badfic even without the YKINMK element? Horrible writing, plotholes, bad grammar, and OOC behaviour may accumulate enough charges for agents who are hesitant to touch the parts of the fic where the badness may be simply a matter of opinion.