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

[mofic.livejournal.com]

I really don't think of myself as an OTPer although most of my fanfic is about one pairing. I really like the potential for a Scott/Logan relationship, so I've mined that a lot. But I'm mostly interested in both of them or either of them, paired with people or not. When I hear "OTP" I think of people who don't want to read about their guys paired with anyone else.

I love reading Scott/Jean. I always say if my Scott weren't gay they'd still be together and for versions of Scott who isn't, I think they're a really interesting couple. I also like reading him paired with other people - men and women - if it's done believably and written well. I have a lot of trouble with Scott/Student stories because I just don't see how that would work with his by-the-books character, at least not without a lot of guilt and soul-searching (and the ones I've read tend to be romantic fluff) but other than that I'll take most any pairing with him. Well maybe not Scott/Charles.

I also like to read Logan paired with a variety of characters, preferably someone with some contrast to him.

In Star Wars fandom I am most taken with QuiGon/Obiwan, just because of what you see in TPM, but again I don't feel anything negative about other pairings for either of them and enjoy reading other couples stories when done well. And I can't even begin to understand the vehemence of the pairing wars in HP fandom...

I don't even believe in OTP in real life, much less in fanfic.

[lunabee34.livejournal.com]

That's what I think of as OTP as well; that people don't want to read about these characters in romantic relationships with anyone else and that for them, that one relationship is really the paramount draw of fandom.

And I hear you about real life. No soulmates for this gal. :)