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

[lunabee34.livejournal.com]

I have lost the link! *despairs* But ages ago, glossing linked me to an essay by Kat Allison (?) about shipping that talks about shipping bereft of subtext and that post really informed my fannish experience. The post advocates that rather than scouring the source text for subtext for a pairing that any pairing is viable if the characters are mined for commonalities and intersections. (I wanna say the post was centered around shipping two characters in a fandom who never had any screen time together, but I could be wrong.)

[nymphaea1.livejournal.com]

I think that approach might work quite well for me with a pair that never had shared screentime. Come to think of it, there have been some cross-over pairings I've liked. But then, in such cases the author usually does try to convince the reader of a pairing rather than taking the subtext as given. I suppose my issues tend to come in when two characters do share a fair amount of screentime and I'm seeing obstacles to the ship. Rodney and Ronon, for example, are way too different and apparently mutually annoying to each other for me to ever ship them. Ever. I wouldn't even call them buddies. Now, I like that about them--I like the idea that the team creates this sort of familial type bond where you end up having this bond with people with whom you probably would never have independently associated with. I would probably enjoy a story that explored their relationship without making it sexual or trying to make them BFF, but I can't say I've run across such a story.

[lunabee34.livejournal.com]

That's so interesting, your interpretation of Rodney and Ronon. While I can certainly agree with the way you see their characters (the evidence, it is canonical!), I also see evidence for a deep affection between the two of them. I believe they annoy each other and rib each other, but I also can totally buy that underneath that they like things about each other very much. Part of that might be that I come from a family who largely expresses affection through teasing. :) I do think they are buddies, but I also would buy a story that characterizes them the way you have here. Sometimes I think my characterization operates on a kind of sliding scale because often I think that several different versions of a character are equally plausible even if they are sometimes mutually exclusive. :)

[coneyislandbaby]

Interesting post. I'm a No-TPer with pairing preferences (usually I like the second most popular slash pairing in a fandom for some reason) that aren't close to being hard and fast and I really like reading anything good. I have one OT3 in Doctor Who fandom and even there I can see two of the characters with other people and the third is the Doctor in that particular incarnation (and I've written him with other people too but in my head it was pre-OT3)

Anyway, I wanted to drop this link for you - I believe this is the essay you meant. I love the sentiments behind it.

http://katallison.livejournal.com/74077.html

[lunabee34.livejournal.com]

yes, yes, YES!

That's exactly the essay.

Thanks for the link.