For those who are only taking the first steps in the world of fanfiction and fandoms, some terms may be unusual. For example, kink - what is this phenomenon? What shade does this word have, positive or negative? Where is it appropriate to use it and how to speak correctly?
Fandom terms sometimes change intricately, being colored with new meanings depending on which fandom you are in, but the basics remain unshakable, like a frame on which the preferences of readers and viewers are strung.
Meaning of the word “kink”
Dictionaries claim that kink comes from the English Kink, literally translated as "strangeness, deviation, abnormality." Usually this phenomenon has an erotic connotation, that is, kink is a particularly exciting abnormality, no matter what it is expressed. Many say that the kink has much in common with concepts such as a fetish and even a filia, but invariably in the meaning of “erotic impression”, and exclusively in fantasy, whether it be fan fiction or fan art.
If some action of the characters causes erotic impressions, then this is a kink. For example, it could be handcuffed sex or the innocent process of hand-feeding strawberries. Any process can become a kink, but it largely depends on the skill of the author and the preferences of the reader. It is better to be guided by the simple wisdom that there are no comrades for the taste and color - there are people whom one thought of handcuffs or strawberries leads to a state very far from erotic fantasies, and someone’s kink is necessarily someone’s squeak.
How is kink different from a squid?
If a kink is a pleasant erotic impression, then the term “squid” is its mirror image. Squick is a complex term that literally means "unpleasant oddities." There is no place for objectivity, everything lies precisely in subjective perception. A simple example that puts everything on the shelves: a foot fetish is a fairly widespread phenomenon in which one experiences excitement from sight, smell or some kind of manipulation of the legs and / or feet. In this case, a kick can be anything: a character can make someone a foot bath, massage his fingers or try on sandals. The same actions for someone will be a quickie, that is, manipulations incompatible with erotic impressions.
It is considered good practice to take kinks and squashes to the fanfic cap as a warning so as not to injure readers, especially if we are talking about some very specific deviations from generally accepted norms. If, after reading the warning, the reader will still be curious and disgusted, “squeak”, then the author is not to blame for this.
Internet and kinky fashion
You can meet all kinds of kinks literally at every corner, this phenomenon is used even in advertising various goods - these are ordinary attempts to manipulate the minds of potential buyers in order to present their goods in the most attractive and advantageous light. However, more often than not, a kink is a phenomenon that lives on the Internet, and in a clearly defined segment of fan creativity.
Where is the word kink most often used?
If we consider fan fiction as the main refuge of all kinds of kinks, we have to admit: in the vast majority of cases, this is purely “for fun” and in the name of pleasure. In rare cases, fan art is sold for money, and it’s far from always possible to find out the author who wrote the fan fiction with some kind of very original kink for your favorite characters.
For example, an anonymous kink fest occasionally spends almost every fandom, and the more active fiction writers and arters there are in it, the more interesting the festival will be. How does this happen? A community of fans who are not deprived of a creative streak and a desire to write something else, except for the original source, is going to some resource where they exchange anonymous applications indicating the characters and the kink that they would like to read. Authors also anonymously quickly write a little fan fiction, less often - they draw art. All parties get their share of pleasure.
Conformity of use in colloquial speech
Like any Internet term or meme, a kink may well go beyond the fan community. Often, by accidentally breaking the word, you can calculate "your" in a completely unfamiliar company, people can be in different fandoms, but have common kicks.
The appropriateness of using specific slang expressions in colloquial speech depends on many factors: case, occasion and place. At a business meeting, youth slang is unacceptable, it is better not to mention kink in communication with children and adolescents. However, at a fandom meeting, this is quite appropriate and allows you to quickly find a common language.
You can also often read or hear derivatives of the word “kink”. For example, the adverb “kinkovo”, answering the question “how?”, Or the verb “kick” - that is, “creates a positive erotic experience”. There is a less common use in a figurative sense, for example, “we will meet, discuss kinks and squeeches” with the meaning “weigh the pros and cons”, especially when it comes to a situation that is extremely far from both fan art and any erotic impressions.