Squick
From Fan History Wiki
A Squick is something which is disturbing or bothersome to an individual. The term is generally used in fandom circles to refer to subject matter in fanworks that a person wishes not to be exposed to. This could include highly broad to extremely narrow subject matter, everything from a particular pairing to specific kinks. Squicks are, it should be noted, considered different from triggers in that a squick is less severe, something a person may wish to avoid but is not going to cause mental trauma.
Both triggers and squicks are subjects many readers wish to be included in story headers as warnings, but there can be controversy over doing so. This is especially the case with squicks as they can vary radically from reader to reader, and are considered more a matter of preference than widely-accepted disturbing material.
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[edit] Historical Definitions
The following term dates to December 2001 in the Harry Potter fandom:
- Squick: It means that one is seriously uncomfortable with a concept, a pairing or something kinky in intimate situations. E.g. "Ewww! Squick!" or "This pairing just squicks me something wicked!"[1]
The following term dates to 2005 in the Lord of the Rings fandom:
- Squick - Combines "someone else's kink" and "icky". A polite way to say something grosses you out, but others might enjoy it. [2]
The following definition dates to December 2005 in the Harry Potter fandom:
- squick - a "squick" or something that "squicks you" is something you just can't stand to read without going "eww, gross!" There's a thread in Scribbulus about another definition of "squick" involving skulls, but it's too icky for this glossary.[3]
The following definition dates to September 2006 in anime fandom:
- Squick - really gross pairing(s) or content. [4]
[edit] History
- The word squick is said to have originated around 1994 in the alt.tasteless newsgroup, in response to the question "What is the sound of a good skull fucking?" The term was co-opted by the newsgroup alt.fuck.the.skull.of.jesus group and used within some circles as a verb meaning "To fuck someone in the skull."[5]
- The term was later co-opted by the BDSM community and then the world of fandom, where its original meaning is often overlooked or ignored.
[edit] Wank
On June 7, 2007, elfwreck classified paying for religious training as a squick, similar to a kink in fandom. [6] Wank ensued.
[edit] Examples
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