Comments | thelana: On Pairing Names

thelana

On Pairing Names

Mar 12, 2006 18:32

I was just talking to random people about pairing names. told me about how she always gets a twitch when she sees M/L or Michael/Lincoln because she's used to the anime fandom where you always put the character who is topping first. So Michael/Lincoln gives her a fundamentally different mental image than Lincoln/Michael.

( Musing on pairing names in the Prison Break fandom + a poll. )

sv, polls, x-files, meta, buffy, roswell, m/l, prison break, vm

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thelana March 12 2006, 18:37:02 UTC

Hah, I was about to ask you, since you picked "Whoever tops", but Michael/Lincoln. I sooo need to do a poll on whether people think that Michael tops in Michael/Lincoln (1) always (2) sometimes (3) never.

I think my thing is that I have a habit of favoring pairings where the characters tend to switch/I can see it either way.

Another aspects that really interests me is whether people tend to make the character they favor the top or the bottom. Like halfhshellvenus favor Lincoln and her Lincoln tops exclusively, to the extent where I swear she gets a rash when she sees him being topped in a fic. Mmm, gotta ask her one day how she sees it with Dean (who is her favored character in Supernatural). jules1013 favor Michael and says she sees Michael as topping. On the other hand, I see *a lot* of trends for people to favor the bottom character/make the character they favor the bottom.

castalie March 12 2006, 18:46:55 UTC

Another aspects that really interests me is whether people tend to make the character they favor the top or the bottom.Ha, I can totally tell you that it's the case with me :-) My favourite character always bottoms. And it's not even that I think that he wouldn't or couldn't top, but it's just a matter of preference: in my world, favourite character = bottom, that's what I like best ( ... )

thelana March 12 2006, 18:58:06 UTC

resounding_echo March 12 2006, 19:23:50 UTC

My favourite character always bottoms. And it's not even that I think that he wouldn't or couldn't top, but it's just a matter of preference: in my world, favourite character = bottom, that's what I like best.

To tell the truth, based on what I saw in fandom, I always assumed that it was like that with most people.This surprises me, but I'm going to say something relatively sexist: *ahem* Do you think this is because mostly women write slash so they make their favorite the bottom, and usually focus on that position ( ... )

thelana March 12 2006, 19:33:41 UTC

Do you think this is because mostly women write slash so they make their favorite the bottom, and usually focus on that position?

I think it runs on a lot of levels, for example.

(1) Women personally having more experience as bottoms during sex, so they have more knowledge of it, so they can write better about it, and of course they will use their abbilities on their favored character.

(1b) As women they identify more with characters who are weaker, in a position of less power or more emotional (like character who by their behavior in canon suggest that they might be more bottom like)

(2) There seems to be a certain tendency, especially in some fandoms to "baby" certain characters, love then, make them total bottoms and maidens in distress that are coddled .

(3) The writer is in control of the character, the top is in control of the bottom, the writer likes the feeling of being in control of their favored character, so they put him at the bottom.

but to me it seems that Krycek would top Mulder and that Mulder and Skinner ( ... )

resounding_echo March 12 2006, 19:44:31 UTC

Oh, I couldn't agree more concerning your list o' reasons. Well said.

I have to admit that my favorite types of stories have two characters with some top tendencies (though I'm fine if it is just intellecutal top tendencies for one character) and see them fight it out. Even if one character always wins, I kind of want the other to put up a struggle, to make the other person work for it.

Uber Word. I *hate* when characters get stuck in assigned roles. I'm certain if I wrote Michael/Linc sex, Linc would top 30% of the time. You know, just to keep it interesting. But again, if we are talking "if the PB producers finally get some sense and some balls and move this show to late-night cable, who would you suggest to top?" I would fight for top!Michael to the death! But you know, that's the fun of fanfic. You can explore concepts that totally work and you totally like, even if they are in opposition to personal perferences and canon.

Just uber-top and obediant minx does little for me.Ugh. I know. That's the reason I had such a hard ( ... )

thelana March 12 2006, 19:49:02 UTC

If those story lines and conventions were employed in a fic by a western writer? I'd click the "x" button so quick and completely dismiss the author for life.

Grin, always reminds me of the discussion I had with a Jack/Sawyer writer where she mentioned that like the whole fandom can't decide who would top (because both would want to), so the characters rarely ever go beyond handjobs, blowjobs and frottage. And considering the pairing is quite huge it's impressive how far they can go with it.

I've never read Yaoi, so I don't really have any experience with it.

resounding_echo March 12 2006, 19:56:11 UTC

Jack/Sawyer? Hmmm... Both may want to top, but I think Sawyer's resolve is stronger than Jack's. Sawyer would only ever bottom if he wanted to be dominated. But he would have to decide to, he would never be taken. Even if it were caustic and seemed like he were being taken, there would be some form of consent in Sawyer I think. Although, I'd be happy with only handjobs, blowjobs, and frottage. To me, that's hotter than actual penetration because it's so fucked up and tense! There's no full release. It's more impersonal and unhealthy. I like it. :D

thelana March 12 2006, 20:27:02 UTC

There's no full release. It's more impersonal and unhealthy. I like it. :D

Oh yeah, and hot and totally the reason why they would have to keep coming back for more.

Also? Masochistic Jack/Sawyer tattoo!artist!AU. Which totally hits my kink because I have this wish for a post escape fic where Lincoln gets a huge tattoo on his back to celebrate his freedom and both now tattooed brothers hold hands fuck like bunnies.

Eeee, Jack/Sawyer.

mooyoo March 12 2006, 21:38:54 UTC

It seems like there's really no consensus, even for each author, which one would top - they tend to take turns, which is how I tend to see it because both have such strong personalities that seem like they would prefer to top. But I agree on Sawyer, I could see them going either way but Sawyer doesn't strike me as one who would want to be on the bottom of things. And Jack seems like the type who'd want to have someone else in control during sex.

thelana March 12 2006, 21:42:17 UTC

But I agree on Sawyer, I could see them going either way but Sawyer doesn't strike me as one who would want to be on the bottom of things.

Which is actually pretty impressive since the show just loves to drum it into us that Sawyer wants to be punished (or at least wants to be hated and exiled). It's pretty impressive to do that and still not come off as masochistic, but somehow he pulls it off.

And Jack seems like the type who'd want to have someone else in control during sex.

I picture Jack like that with women, but I can picture him being snooty about men. And especially with Sawyer. Like with Sawyer it would be a question of honor not to let Sawyer be on top.

mooyoo March 12 2006, 22:22:27 UTC

It's pretty impressive to do that and still not come off as masochistic, but somehow he pulls it off.

It's strange, because it seems like there might be a line th

Like with Sawyer it would be a question of honor not to let Sawyer be on top.

I think that's a good point, especially because, again, they both have very strong, pushy, need-to-be-in-charge personalities. But I think it depends on how romantic the relationship is portrayed, and how much Jack is willing to trust Sawyer. If it's a random quick, angry fuck in the jungle, I think Jack's probably less likely to let himself be topped or controlled really (unless he's looking to give up control).

If it's something in which the author is trying to establish a relationship, build something up between them, I could see either Sawyer topping or them switching off because I think Jack would be more willing to give up some of his control and trust another man if there's some kind of emotional attachment there.

thelana March 12 2006, 22:01:45 UTC

Hah! I finally found a good equation for top!Linc vs. bottom!Linc (well aside from not caring, established relationship and all that jazz).

Like if you write a fic where the gay issue is at least a big to Lincoln as the brother issue, you'd probably have toppy!Linc. While in a fic where brother issue is indefinitely bigger than the gay sex issue (if that were an issue at all), it would be bottom!Linc.

(again, excluding young!Lincoln who doesn't give a shit and does Michael in a major power imbalance kind of way)

castalie March 12 2006, 18:48:42 UTC

I sooo need to do a poll on whether people think that Michael tops in Michael/Lincoln (1) always (2) sometimes (3) never.

And to answer that question? It's not that I see Michael bottoming all the time per se, it's that I like him bottoming all the time, know what I mean? :-) And the reason why is that Michael is my favourite of the two brothers *g* And my favourite character overall, so whoever he's slashed with, I'll like to see him as the bottom.

thelana March 12 2006, 18:59:47 UTC

It's not that I see Michael bottoming all the time per se, it's that I like him bottoming all the time, know what I mean? :-)

*whispers*

I agree totally. I was just talking to jules about it, where she said she sees Michael as being the top and said I often totally Michael more as the intellectual top. Like he calls the shots, but physically he prefers riding the cock ;D

::jumps in:: resounding_echo March 12 2006, 19:14:16 UTC

Okay, the only way I could see Michael being bottom was if he demanded Linc to fuck him. But even then, really, I can't see Linc doing it. While I get the whole "Linc's big and burly and wouldn't totally let his sexual drive over take his judgment" argument, I just cannot see him penetrating his brother. If anyone in the pairing were to be okay with incest, it would be Michael. Thus, the only way, in my mind, of them having sex is if Michael tops, because then Linc can tell himself that he is passive, that he isn't fucking his brother, that he is not making the choice to do it ( ... )

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