To OTP or not, that is the question

[lunabee34]

As part of the fascinating discussion over in sga_talk, one of the things we've been talking about is OTP and it got me to thinking (which, yes, is dangerous).

I am not an OTPer. In the beginnings of my fannish days, I was very devoted to Spike/Xander but after some time I began to suffer from Spander fatigue and had to search out other pairings. While I always enjoy the popular pairing of a fandom (Sam/Dean, Jack/Daniel, John/Rodney), my propensity for pairing fatigue still remains. At this point in my fannishness, what I am mostly coming to the table for is to be convinced that these wonderful things (whatever they may be--plot, backstory, pairing, secret, possible future) that never occurred to me are indeed plausible and OMG WHY DID I NOT THINK OF THEM? For that reason, I am very interested in rare pairings and in tangential characters; I think that predilection is neatly summed up in my Bates/Kavanagh fascination. :) So while I love to read and write McShep, I also really wish Sheppard was doing it with Caldwell. (I will not again subject you guys to that detailed fantasy.)

I do not approach fandom through an OTP lens. I'm okay if John and Rodney aren't together; I'm okay if they are angry with each other or mean to each other or if they break up with each other or if *gasp* they never even meet each other. I like for my characters (both written and read) to behave in ways that can be extrapolated from their canon characterization, but that's really about it for me in terms of requirement.

I like to be *surprised* by fanfic. The way I define fanfic for myself is taking the bare bones of canon and building up layers of new flesh so that the animal I create is subtly (or sometimes drastically) different than the animal canon gives us. And after awhile, if all I am reading is one pairing, I stop being surprised. Does this keep me from writing or reading said pairing? Hell no. :) But it does make me long for a wildfire of Lorne/EVERYFREAKINGBODYOMG to sweep through fandom and it does make those main pairing fics that manage to do something completely unexpected that much sweeter.

The only pairing that perhaps approaches the OTP for me is Sam/Dean, mostly because at this point in SPN canon I have a very difficult time believing that either of them could have successful relationships with anyone but each other. But, boy, do I like to read about them trying! LOL

So my question for y'all is this: Are you an OTPer? If you OTP, do you have only one (METHOS!) or do you have an OTP for each fandom? How do you think being an OTPer affects your fannish experience? If you're not an OTPer, why not? How do you think not reading/writing through that lens affects your fannish experience?

Comments

Re: A good writer can make any pairing work

[lunabee34.livejournal.com]

I agree with you that there is no unworkable pairing out there. A good writer can successfully put any two characters together.

I understand OTP in some ways, even though I don't share the impulse. It's like wearing the same perfume every day or watching reruns of Sitcoms or having roughly the same schedule of meals every week. It's familiar and comforting and you know you like it and that you won't be disappointed by what you find there. Which there is certainly something to be said for.

Re: A good writer can make any pairing work

[quillori.livejournal.com]

It's familiar and comforting and you know you like it and that you won't be disappointed by what you find there.

I guess that's a popular reason for OTP, although not the only one. In my case, I like the extra restrictions (rather like a sonnet, really); the ability to appreciate quite subtle variations (if you eat a new dish for the first time, you may be able to say whether you like the dish or not, but you won't be able to analyse precisely what this chef in particular is doing as you would if it were a dish with which you're familiar and have eaten a number of other interpretations of already); and the communal nature of the project - writers aren't just commenting on cannon, but on each other, creating a much richer tapestry than one story could alone.

I wish I really wasn't ever disappointed by what I find. Sadly the most familiar thing is often the liberal use of epithets.

Re: A good writer can make any pairing work

[lunabee34.livejournal.com]

The original poster agrees with the commenters assessment.

LOL

Can you say a little more about how OTP is like a sonnet? That comparison intrigues me.