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

[inarticulate.livejournal.com]

Here via metafandom. I consider myself someone who has OTPs, but I don't consider myself an OTPer, if that makes sense? Like… hmmm. There's fandom A, where I OTP G and B like burning. I have little interest in reading them paired with other people, in theory, but in practice I have an interest in branching out. It's compatible, in my mind, because they're… them, and with the characters as such, they canonically have a very intense, rocky relationship that would allow me to pair them with other people for sexual or even emotional connection while still being in love with each other.

Then there's fandom C, where one of the characters is canonically not only in love with but involved with multiple other people. To disregard that would likely be a disservice to his character, but my OTP has him in a relationship with one character who he's never seen in a romantic relationship with in canon. I OTP in that I balk at the idea of shipping him with anyone else, but it would be flat-out silly to deny that he doesn't have/hasn't had sex with other people, so, again, I've written that with the thought in my mind that he is in love with this other character.

It's complicated. These are my pairings, though I'll read outside them (particularly if the author of the alternate pairing also ships them, mind, because there's more chance she'll keep what draws me to them as a pairing valued as they write the characters paired with different people). I consider them OTPs. But I don't consider myself bound by them. It helps that my OTPs tend to be people who are strongly attached to each other in some way in their respective canons, and thus I'm just as cool with gen as I am with porn. But. Yeah. ♥ OTPs.

[lunabee34.livejournal.com]

Oh that's so interesting. So in the stories you write about these characters, even if you don't explicitly reference the OTP relationship in the story, it's informing the way you write this other pairing? That's a very cool idea.

[inarticulate.livejournal.com]

Yep! Granted, I don't know how visible it is, but it lets me branch out while still keeping what draws me to… whatever OTP it is that time. ♥