So, that 'shipping thing

[selenak]

Something that occurred to me when reading debates and entries and stories in lj world recently: there seem to be roughly two extreme attitudes (with a lot of people moving in between, of course). One is to not just have an OTP but to declare that OTP exclusively destined for each other, declaring stories pairing one or both partners of that OTP with someone else not to be of interest (or just plain wrong) for this particular fan.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, you have the fascination of pairing a favourite character with as many different other characters as the fan in question can find or is interested in. These aren't mutually exclusive attitudes; I've seen fans who hold characters X and Y dear as an exclusive OTP, while happily writing Z/whoever stories. But being in a metamood, I'm curious what makes a fan go from liking a particular pairing to abhorring all other combinations for one partner in this pairing. (What makes a fan pair a favourite character with everybody, but hopefully not their dog, is less mysterious: it usually works on the "wow, he/she is hot!" basis and is helped if the character in question has shown great chemistry with diverse people in canon. See also: Faith, Lilah, Spike in the Jossverse, Avon in B7, or Methos in HL. Though also Marcus Cole of B5, who has to be the only canon virgin ending up as a fanon slut.)

One possibility could be, boring as it sounds, canon. I mean, take Zoe and Wash from Firefly, during those episodes we have until the show got cancelled (grr, argh!) shown to be happily married. Given their overall characterisation, it would take some serious twists and turns to make a plausible story in which either cheats on the other, so I could understand Zoe/Wash 'shippers declaring they couldn't believe/ wouldn't want to read such a story. But the most striking examples of the exclusivity syndrome I've run across (recently - let's not get into the legendary 'shipping wars of yesteryear, featuring B/A versus B/S, or A/C versus B/A) weren't fans of canonical couples. No, I'm thinking of several Remus/Sirius 'shippers who declared the thought of Remus/Tonks to be abhorrent and vile to them.

(Footnote here: I can believe Remus/Sirius as a couple. I can believe Remus and Sirius as friends without a slice of erotic interest in another; since this is the more unusual take, it strikes me as more intriguing at the moment if it occurs in a story which also strongly features them as friends, but that's me. Where the Remus/Tonks idea came from, I don't know; maybe I missed something on OotP, or maybe it's just because Tonks - as opposed to Hermione or McGonnagal - is both legal and young and thus deemed suitable for Remus. In any case, if the author takes the trouble to explain how this relationship comes about, I can believe Remus/Tonks as well.)

Since JKR, as opposed to many of her readers, seems completely uninterested in Remus Lupin's love life, it's unlikely that either 'ship will ever be given authorial confirmation, either in the form of "by the way, Harry, Sirius and I were a couple" or, "by the way, Harry, Tonks and I are an item now". So it's strictly a fanfic idea the objection aims at. Not being really into any of the HP pairings, I'm probably not in an emotional position to understand, so I tried to think of any OTPs I feel exclusive about, or, conversely, whether I can see the characters I like paired up with everyone.

Let's see. Space stations first:
- Londo and G'Kar: nah. All "theirlove/hateissocanonical" jokes aside, it's equally canonical that they are quite polyamorous. Besides, ignore Londo's love for Adira and you remove crucial motivation for at least two major decisions. And Londo and Timov are fun together. As are G'Kar and Lyta. However, I can't see either of them with just anybody, either. In those long years before much Centauri fanfic was written, I searched and searched and found the beginning of a, get this, Marcus/Londo story. Leaving aside my problem with Marcus pairings in general, I also for the life of me couldn't see Londo being interested. As for G'Kar, one of Andraste's friends longed for G'Kar/Sheridan, which equally boggled the mind. (My mind, that is.) No way, thought I. So here I am somewhere between not exclusive and not open to everything.

- Garak/Bashir: hm. Not exclusive, because I've read both of them with other people and enjoyed those stories. I have a secret weakness for Bashir/Dax (either Jadzia or Ezri, though in the later's case mostly because canon gave us so little justification) and every now and then toy with the idea of taking on Garak/Ziyal. However, the big competition for this pairing in the fandom is O'Brien/Bashir, and that's where I come closest, I suppose, to the aforementioned fannish feelings of possessiveness and deliberate avoidance of another combination. I like to think it's because O'Brien just pings me as straight (not to mention loyal to his wife), but maybe I'm just feeling competitive.

- Quark: Yup, that would be my character whom I can see paired up with everyone. (Not that he does get that kind of fanfic, despite canonical justification for slut status.) However, I do have a clear preference for my unrequited love story of choice, i.e. Quark/Jadzia Dax.

Jossverse:

Ah. Despite all the nice text and subtext, only one of the relationships I was emotionally invested in most actually was sexual - Angel/Darla, with an emphasis on Darla. However, I never had trouble reading either of them with someone else. The other two relationships I cared about most were of the family kind - Buffy & Dawn, and Angel & Connor. So no 'shipping in the romantic sense.

(Which isn't to say I didn't enjoy watching a lot of the pairings the shows offered, or that I don't read fanfic about them. But they aren't OTPs.)

X-Men Movieverse:

Xavier and Magneto all the way if we're talking about the relationship which fascinates me most. But I do enjoy reading Magneto/Mystique a lot as well, Magneto/Pyro is fun, and I'd be perfectly willing to read any Xavier/Someone else pairings, but poor Charles apparently is restricted to fannish monogamy. Mostly. Andraste wrote a very creepy but plausible Xavier/Rogue story, as I recall.

Star Wars:

In the OT, I liked Han and Leia well enough, but what really interested me was the Vader and Luke relationship. So when I later found out that there was Han/Luke slash, I went "huh?" in incomprehension, but did not feel any fannish hackles raised. (BTW, is there any Han/Lando? Because I always thought that would be more interesting.) Luke/Wedge got a "who?" from me, because I had trouble remembering Wedge Antilles at all.

But the prequels are what turned me into a genuine Star Wars fan. Like the Jossverse, though, they did this without me going OTP. Which isn't to say I don't like Anakin and Padme together; I'm in the minority of fans who find their relationship believable and touching. However, I'm more fascinated by the relationships between Anakin and Obi-Wan, and Anakin and Palpatine (one of the many reasons why I'm looking forward to Episode III). And I don't mean in the slash sense. The major sexual pairing in prequel fanfic, however, Qui-Gon/Obi-Wan, is just not my thing; perhaps due to mentor-or-parent-figure/student objections, perhaps due to canon objections (I'm not of the Saint!Obi faction, but I don't think he's a hypocrite, and do think he sincerely believes in the Jedi code, which nixes love affairs). So SW leaves me without any strong romantic or sexual pairing feelings one way or the other.

In conclusion: I'm a boring middle of the road fan when it comes to 'shipping characters.

Comments

[ide-cyan.livejournal.com]

What I've come across, with the Remus/Tonks pairing, is the idea that when they got together Tonks would make herself look like Sirius, which just seems like a shoddy, exploitative reason to put them together.

My OTP is Matthew Gore/Albertine Meyer, from Chocky's Children. Well, it's a OT3 if you add in Chocky herself. *g* He's an amazing artist who has the ability to draw from remote viewing (telepathically, through the eyes of Chocky's other children); she's a prodigious mathematician who later hacks into radiotelescopes and supervises a project that creates a source of anti-gravity.

I just don't write much fic for them, because there wasn't sexual tension per se between them (they were too young, and I was watching this show as a kid myself), but as canonical pairings go, it's hard to come up with a better match.

[ide-cyan.livejournal.com]

Oh yeah, and: they fight crime, too! :-D

[selenak.livejournal.com]

What I've come across, with the Remus/Tonks pairing, is the idea that when they got together Tonks would make herself look like Sirius, which just seems like a shoddy, exploitative reason to put them together.

Quite, and has nothing to do with Tonks as a character at all. Yikes. I saw that fernwithy, whose SW stuff I adore, has written Remus/Tonks and am on the brink of giving it a try - since she is a) not a slasher and b) generally good, I guess that won't be her rationale.

My OTP is Matthew Gore/Albertine Meyer, from Chocky's Children.

They sound interesting and look cute on your icon. Is this available on DVD or video?

[breidablik.livejournal.com]

On the opposite end of the spectrum, you have the fascination of pairing a favourite character with as many different other characters as the fan in question can find or is interested in.

That's me! If I do read anything, it has to have Angel as one half of the pairing. I was quite bemused to discover I really have very little problem over who the 'other half' is. Of course, I have characters I prefer to see him paired with, but I'll generally give any Angel combination a go!

Actually, thinking about it, I don't think I've read any fic that doesn't involve Angel. It would never cross my mind to read another pairing...

::ponders that discovery::

[selenak.livejournal.com]

It's fascinating how differently it works for different fans. I mean, I have fandoms in which I love one specific character beyond all measure. The Jossverse isn't one of them, though. Meaning that of course I have varying degrees of affection - on BTVS, I like Buffy best and Willow least, with everyone else posed in between, but I don't dislike Willow and have been reading Willow-centric stories. Heck, I even read and enjoyed a Snyder-centric story.*g* And on AtS, I probably like Darla best and Gunn least, but I loved Yahtzee's completely Darla-free and all Gunn, all the time New Year story (forgot the title right now.

Of those fandoms where my love for one particular character is out of bounds with the rest - say, Londo in B5 - I also enjoy stories featured by his distinct absence in any form. Though of course I look for Londo stories first.

I think what it comes down to is what I contemplated a few weeks back - falling for a world as opposed to falling for only one character.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Quark: Yup, that would be my character whom I can see paired up with everyone.

Quark/Garak?

[selenak.livejournal.com]

Was that a challenge?*g*

[un-crayon-rouge.livejournal.com]

Oh, ah, oh! I just read over a couple of your stories over at ff.net, and I was so very gald you have an LJ too, so I could drop by and say how much I adore you. No, really. I loved that Adira/G'Kar story, and the Garak/Bashir, and the Kira/Dukat, they are SO my OTP, and I know I'm being silly and fangirlish here, don't pay any attention to me. Am adding you as a friend, I'll unadd you if this is a problem, feel free to add me back.

*whew*

[selenak.livejournal.com]

Come on, who wouldn't be happy over that much enthusiasm, especially from a fellow Beatles fan? *g* Thank you!

[illmantrim.livejournal.com]

All of your statements make a lot of sense. I love reading your metas. Very cool.

[selenak.livejournal.com]

*beams*

Thank you.

We're vibing here

[masqthephlsphr.livejournal.com]

Ah. Despite all the nice text and subtext, only one of the relationships I was emotionally invested in most actually was sexual - Angel/Darla, with an emphasis on Darla. However, I never had trouble reading either of them with someone else. The other two relationships I cared about most were of the family kind - Buffy & Dawn, and Angel & Connor. So no 'shipping in the romantic sense.
(Which isn't to say I didn't enjoy watching a lot of the pairings the shows offered, or that I don't read fanfic about them. But they aren't OTPs.)

Sometimes I feel really out of place in Buffyverse fandom because all my 'ships are the platonic ones. Angel+Connor, of course, Angel+Cordelia (pre-mid-season 3), Buffy+Faith (OK, yeah, enjoyed the subtext, but), Buffy+Giles+Willow+Xander.

I'm just not big on the romantic/sexual pairings. Enjoy them, sure, like Willow/Tara, and my favoritist favorite, Darla/Angel(us).

Maybe it's because I'm 40 and family and friendships seems more resonant to me than romances. I don't know.

Re: We're vibing here

[selenak.livejournal.com]

Hail, fellow family 'shipper.*g* Incidentally, great icon! May I borrow it?

Maybe it's because I'm 40 and family and friendships seems more resonant to me than romances. I don't know.

I'm turning 35 next months, so yes, age might be a factor.

[swmbo.livejournal.com]

I'm the person on the other side from either - I don't really have an OTP...there are definitely characters that fascinate me more than others, and who I prefer to read about, in theory. Theory because it also is a lot more painful when I see them written in a way that doesn't mesh with my personal view.

But I'm also different than a lot of readers in that I tend to prefer to NOT read too heavily in one pairing. I find when I do, I become more and more sensitive to things that feel cliche or out of character for a pairing and I end up being frustrated more than entertained. For an example that will never exist, I could read one fic in which Angel is lovingly rubbing Snyder's bald head for comfort and be happy. But after two or three fics, it would probably begin to turn me off the fic. So I try to skip around a lot.

And hey! Snyder is fabulous! Hee! There should be more Snyder fic.

But I'll read almost any pairing and even beyond that, I have a real fondness for gen fic.

Interestingly, because of the sensitivity to pairings that I start to build up, I've found myself doing things lately like reading in fandoms I have no actual interest in the show. Because it's something new and different, where it's not going to grate on me. And also because it minimizes the irritation with OOCness...

For the most part, I'm kind of anti-OTP for myself. I like to joke around with the phrase and create an OTP of the week, or whatever, but in reality my real focus is - I like to approach each story from a canon basis, no matter the pairing or situation. I believe I know how the characters feel about each other during the actual show - the author needs to convince me that the relationship (unless it's a canon ship and even then it needs to be very in character) is workable in each separate fic.

The thing about OTPs and why I can't do them is it becomes very easy to have authors assume it as a fact that 'so and so are together' - and that rarely works for me.

There, did I babble on a lot?

SNYGEL 4EVAH!

[selenak.livejournal.com]

Theory because it also is a lot more painful when I see them written in a way that doesn't mesh with my personal view.

I know what you mean. If I never see another 'fic again in which Giles has a Mr. Hyde-like alter ego named Ripper (how difficult is the concept of "nickname as a teenager", anyway?), it'll be too soon.

And hey! Snyder is fabulous! Hee! There should be more Snyder fic.

Mikelesq wrote some excellent Snyder-centric stories as I recall. I'm all for exploring him further.*g*

But I'll read almost any pairing and even beyond that, I have a real fondness for gen fic.

Me too. As marinarusalka once said, in nine out of ten cases, I'd take a well-written gen story over a well-written slash or het pairing.

I like to approach each story from a canon basis, no matter the pairing or situation. I believe I know how the characters feel about each other during the actual show - the author needs to convince me that the relationship (unless it's a canon ship and even then it needs to be very in character) is workable in each separate fic.

The thing about OTPs and why I can't do them is it becomes very easy to have authors assume it as a fact that 'so and so are together' - and that rarely works for me.

Quite. Which is, for example, why I never fell for ajhalluk's excellent "Lust over Pendle" the way many other fans did. It's witty, it's sparkling, it's original and meshes OCs with canon characters beautifully... but one of the central premises, the Draco/Neville pairing, was never sold to me because, in this particular story (or rather, novel - it is that long) she starts out with them already being a couple. And without being shown how on earth HP Draco got to be LoP Draco, and why Neville would be in a relationship with him, of all the people, I just couldn't suspend enough disbelief.

And yes, if a story doesn't bother to explain on its own and just assumes fanon (not canon) is universally accepted as true, working from there, it becomes touch and go with the reader.

[pandarus.livejournal.com]

Very interesting, all this - I've got horribly bogged down in the LoP thing, but that wasn't my original intention at all.

But being in a metamood, I'm curious what makes a fan go from liking a particular pairing to abhorring all other combinations for one partner in this pairing.

I don't generally do this, but the circumstances under which I feel a 'No WAY' gut reaction would be for the reasons you don't buy QG/OW in TPM. Being oblivious to the Jedi Code's take on sexual mores, this hasn't troubled me, but if it's a fandom I know well and I feel that the character is being written out of character - worse, is violating my sense of the character, then that's when I'd really not like that story. I read Wash/Simon, for example, despite a sense of 'Noooo!', on someone's rec - but I really couldn't buy it, because I hated who that made Wash. The thought that Wash was sneaking around behind Zoe's back diminished my liking and respect for him and just made me feel sad. I think that this must be how some people react to the concept of slash, actually; that it's a violation of the character, regardless. Most of the time I think that a really good writer can sell a pairing to me, even if it's one I didn't see already, but there are limits to how far they can bend my perception of the character without making them into someone else entirely. Giles/Dawn, for example.

I'm used to saying that the only OTP I have is Clark/Lex - but even then I can happily read either of them paired up with other people and believe it; I mean, I love the BigDoomedGayLove reading of Clex, but I think that the BigDoomedFraternalFriendship reading is still very potent and plausible, so I'm good with that.

Generally, I think I'm interested in seeing how people fit together; I know that who I'm with has an impact upon which facets of my personality come to the fore. Different people have some dramatically different concepts of who I am and what I'm like, and not through any intentional deception on my part. Similarly, I'm very fond of the notion of Scully/Mulder, but I also like Scully-Mulder at least as much, and Krycek/Mulder works wonderfully well.

I'm fond of crossovers, whether shippy or ampersand, because of the way that you get to see how characters will fit together - what sides of each other will be brought to the fore, what the power dynamic will be. It's fascinating. (eg someone just pointed out to me that Sara Pezzini/Kate from Angel would work well, and I'm absolutely entranced by the idea.)

Er. So I guess I'm pretty much a boring middle of the road fan when it comes to shipping characters myself.

(Meanwhile - could you point me to Londo/G'Kar? Because they were always my favourite thing about B5)

[selenak.livejournal.com]

I read Wash/Simon, for example, despite a sense of 'Noooo!', on someone's rec - but I really couldn't buy it, because I hated who that made Wash. The thought that Wash was sneaking around behind Zoe's back diminished my liking and respect for him and just made me feel sad.

Yes, those are exactly the circumstances under which I don't buy a pairing. I mean, I suppose I could buy a future story in which Zoe has died and Wash ends up with Simon or whomever (though then my inner paranoia at killing of canon partners for the sake of fanfic would ring alert), but his loyalty to and love for Zoe are essential parts of his character.

Generally, I think I'm interested in seeing how people fit together; I know that who I'm with has an impact upon which facets of my personality come to the fore.

Quite true. I appreciate stories that even if they go for a certain pairing still take the trouble to reflect other relationships these characters have as well - their friends/family/employers etc. aren't suddenly vanishing into thin air.

Also, the relationships which fascinate me most are those which remain interesting whether or not you add a sexual component. Hence Londo and G'Kar or Xavier and Magneto. Early Mulder and Scully, or Mulder and Skinner fit the pattern as well. Or Buffy and Faith.

Meanwhile - could you point me to Londo/G'Kar? Because they were always my favourite thing about B5

Pull your seat - you've come to the right place! In the spirit of our agreement on relationships above, I'll rec both slash and gen.

In chronological order (i.e. B5 timeline chronology):

"War Stories" (http://centauridelegation.homestead.com/warstories.html)
Pilot, Gen, by Andraste.

"Neutral Ground" (http://centauridelegation.homestead.com/neutralground.html)
(First season, gen, by Andraste)

"In Vino Veritas" (http://centauridelegation.homestead.com/invinoveritas.html)
(Fourth season, and the world's first Londo/G'Kar story, set post-Rising Star, by yours truly.)

Same episode, different take (http://www.livejournal.com/users/andrastewhite/150437.html). Andraste's superb and funny post-Rising Star ficlet.

"Truth or Dare" (http://centauridelegation.homestead.com/truthordare.html)
Early fifth seaon, gen this time. By me.

"Safety in Numbers" (http://centauridelegation.homestead.com/safetyinnumbers.html)
Middle fifth season. Londo/G'Kar. By Kakodaimon.

Untitled, but very hot Londo/G'Kar story (http://www.livejournal.com/users/andrastewhite/160551.html) from Andraste's livejournal. Also middle of fifth season, with a twist.

"Confessions of a Biographer" (http://centauridelegation.homestead.com/confessionsbiog.html)
Post-show. Err, difficult to characterize as slash or gen for reasons will become apparent.*g* By me.

And the L/G relationship is also a running thread in "Presences" (http://centauridelegation.homestead.com/presences.html), a B5/Sandman crossover. By, err, me.

There is also more fanfic about Centauri and Narn which features either of the boys with other characters to be had.

[bethos.livejournal.com]

I don't have OTPs. There are pairings I don't like, but I'll read or write anything provided someone tells me to.

I'm a whore.

But I don't tend to attach to one character and write him/her with everybody (but not their dog) either. I just, er, write what people tell me to do. I mean, I'll fall in love with a pairing and make grand plans to write fifty thousand things about it, and maybe write three of them, but then I'll get distracted by something else ... and I don't have OTPs generally. Like, I really don't like the idea of Zoe/Wash being broken up, but if there's a fic where one of them is with someone else, I will read it and if it's good, I'll like it. I can compartmentalize. Of course, the likelihood of it being good becomes scarcer because there are only so many circumstnaces in which such a thing could happen.

To use your other example, I personally don't like Remus/Tonks because I don't see any basis for it in canon, but that doesn't mean I won't read it if someone links me to it and probably I'll try and write it if someone tells me to (like I said, am whorish). I can be sold on just about anything, if people do a good job of it.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

A very interesting essay and I pretty much agree with you. However this puzzles me:

let's not get into the legendary 'shipping wars of yesteryear, featuring B/A versus B/S, or A/C versus B/A

Does this refer to Blake's 7? I'm a relatively new fan (3 years old now) so that all predates me, but if it is B7, who's B/S? Does S stand for Jenna Stannis?

[selenak.livejournal.com]

No, no. The other B/A, which isn't Blake/Avon but Buffy/Angel, versus Buffy/Spike. I'm not aware of any 'shipping wars in B7, though in terms of fannish attention Blake/Avon is competing (and always was) with Avon/Vila.

(There as a spectacular slash or no slash war in B7 fandom, but thankfully long before my time - in ye olde 80s...)

[kathyh]

It's fascinating to think about what makes you ship some characters and not others. I've come to the conclusion that in the Jossverse I'm that very boring thing a completely canonical shipper. Spuffy would be my OTP but that only occurred once the possibility of it became canonical. In other fandoms I react slightly differently but what really bothers me about shipping is the way it is almost de rigueur now to do so, in the sense of "oh a new series, who shall I ship". I do prefer to let my shipping preferences develop organically and let the story unfold without attempting to see relationships which make no sense to me. Call me old-fashioned...*g*.

[selenak.livejournal.com]

I'm with you. One of the reasons why I'm not feeling any shipping urge for Firefly, despite adoring all the characters, is that the series was still so young - I was still in the getting to know you stage, and more entranced with the world and the characters in their non-romantic problems to get any other impulse.

[dylant.livejournal.com]

these ruminations were very fun to read for me, being that I can see, even where I don't agree with you, where you're coming from. for instance, Angel/Darla never interested me one bit, but I can totally see it. ...i probably missed a lot of interesting AtS 'ships; i had Wesley/Angel blinders on the entire time, even when it seemed TPTB had forgotten who Wesley even was as a character.

as for Remus/Sirius... absolutely. i can imagine them desperately in love, calmly 'old hat' in love or the most platonic of friends. i never understood the Qui-Gon/Obi Wan thing myself either, though i've never been able to figure out why. is the sexual tension there? someone obviously thinks so.

as for Garak/Bashir, being that it's one of the few 'ships you have a somewhat OTPish streak about, i'd love to hear what fics you consider do justice to that OTP. are there any? because i know, as a Kirk/Spock phreak, that i have what you could call OTP, end-all-be-all definitive fics that i carry around inside my head.

and if you could point me in the direction of any Bashir/Dax (Jadzia) fic or Jadzia/unrequitedlove!Quark fic, that'd be lovely. you've gotten me in the mood. :-)

oh! i should introduce myself. i'm Dylan. hi! i stumbled onto your lj from ds9agogo. oh, and also, if you like Magneto/Xavier, thefourthvine has great panfandom recs -- every so often of that 'ship and very, very good. and if you've never read c_elisa's Magneto/Xavier WMD, you should:

http://c-elisa.slashcity.org/wmd.html

[selenak.livejournal.com]

Hi there! I'm familiar with c_elisas story, and you're right, it's fabulous.

Garak/Bashir: Anything Liz William wrote (http://home.fastnet.co.uk/arcady/LIZ2.html).

Quark/Dax unrequited love: Absinthe Heart (http://seema.org/myfanfic/ds9/absinthe.html), which is Quark and Ezri technically but is Quark reflecting about Jadzia in content.

"Missed Opportunities" (http://www.fanfiction.net/s/1631938/1/) is Quark and Jadzia when she's decided to marry Worf.

And, err, "Quark's Day" (http://www.fanfiction.net/s/1862238/1/) by yours truly which is about Quark (and everyone else, seen through his pov) just after the second occupation has ended, and includes a take on Quark and Dax.

[londonkds.livejournal.com]

I must say that the one drive I can never understand is the one to write utterly implausible pairings at random as a challenge. Or the pairing between characters who hardly even met in canon - I read a few months ago that there's a whole fanfic archive in the Jossverse devoted to Lindsey/Dawn fic and I didn't know whether to laugh or just gape.

[selenak.livejournal.com]

I would say I agree with you, but then I have just participated in a Sci-Fi crossover challenge project, pairing up characters (either in the sexual sense or just in the X meets Y sense) who not only never met but never can meet. Which would make my objection to the basic concept hypocritical.

Still, Lindsey/Any of the BTVS crowd baffles me. Am not surprised, though. I remember coming across a Willow/Doyle archive...

silly question

[betareject.livejournal.com]

I finished reading this and though much of it makes sense I got a bit lost on the "OTP" stuff. If you dont mind my asking just what does "OTP" mean?

[londonkds.livejournal.com]

One True Pairing.

As in "This is the single most important relationship in the show for me"