pairing name conventions and pairings

[lazulisong]

So I was thinking about pairing name conventions and being annoyed at the younger fans because I am allowed after five years, as long as I don't actually hurt them. The thing is that a lot of W-fen come into JP fandoms and -- I know what I am talking about, because I did the same damn thing -- don't understand the logic of the pairing name

Comments

[regonym]

Where do the numbers for the Saiyuki pairings come from? I know which numbers go with which just from reading fic, but I'm totally confused as to where in the manga they're derived from. Please, enlighten me.

-Clayr

[dkellis]

Ah. The last time I wondered about all the various symbols and shortenings used in talking about pairings, the only person who even knew what I was talking about in the first place just told me to use "logic and maths", which made me go kind of "wha?"

I've just given up on it all, and use the slash marker for everything. Tomoyo/Sakura. Nanoha/Fate. Sasami/Misao. Yuzu/Ururu. (Yes, I know they're all loli shoujo-ai, shutupshutup.) And it doesn't matter which name comes first, largely because, well, I never conceived of a situation in which it would matter.

But then that's probably why I don't write pairing fic. Much.

[canis_m]

I wonder if the awkwardness of sandwich constructions like ShiriRuuShiri happens because the concept of "switching off" itself is apparently sort of a recent import to J-fen? I mean, in old-skool J-fandom m/m seme/uke roles seemed to be so codified that the possibility wouldn't even come up.

On a side note, J-fen distinguish between Hijikata x adult Okita Souji vs. Hijikata x underage Okita Souji: the former is HijiOki and the latter HijiSou. Non-shota vs. shota. XD; But I haven't seen this convention used elsewhere, so it might be specific to PMK.

I expect it was J-fen who first started using > for UST & similar. They're the ones with the charts.

[luriko_ysabeth]

I know I started using arrows when I was actively in GW fandom, in 2001, but I doubt everyone was copying me. Probably convergent evolution.

[crysiana]

I remember in Pokemon fandom, when it started to get really really popular in the US, being very, very confused by many of the names. As in, "...um, didn't we call it Shishi?" And being faced with Palletshipping, Rocketshipping, InsertYourNameHereshipping, WeJustLikeMakingCrysiCryshipping, and of course, Pokeshipping, which always makes me think of gijinka Pikachu...

[issen4]

Got here via team7

Was just thinking about this the other day. I find that I'm starting to blur the / with the x, like equating Akira/Hikaru with AkiraxHikaru.

Western convention has alphabetical rule to decide which name comes first, or main characters vs. minor characters. For Japan-derived fandoms, there's also the height rule, and the age rule, so it's all mixed up in my head now.

For pairings, I remember seeing the '+' as well, to indicate friendship. Is it used anymore, or is this peculiar only to the GW fandom, where I first saw it?

[tokyofish]

I've seen it on doujin descriptions on auction sites. ZoSan + Nami, say. So it's still out there, just . . . more undercover? ^^;;

[sub_divided]

I use "A + B" for friendship. Or sometimes "A and B", which is the same thing.

I don't use "x" because I associate with NC-17 which, ahaha, I've never written. A/B = slashy, AxB = porny. But there's no point holding anyone else to the conventions you use when there are, like, an infinite number of useable permutations. Which is why it's good we have warning and ratings and author's notes as well XD.

[issen4]

Yup, thank goodness for author's notes and warnings. Though I must say I don't quite agree with using movie ratings for fics, since I am not reading a movie script, but reading a story. Still, I guess they are a useful gauge...