by Mayv 'SpearBourne' Amaia

Created on: August 23, 2010   Last Updated: September 14, 2011

One True Pairing is a phrase used in many fan fiction circles to designate a fictional couple that an author or fan believes is meant to be together. It is also used simply to refer to a fan’s favourite romantic pairing, held in higher regard than any other couple about whom one might like to read.

Many fan fiction writers will declare a One True Pairing, usually abbreviated as OTP, so that readers can more easily find pairings that they wish to see. Some authors will have multiple pairings about which they write, and may state such on their website or in their profile on a fan fiction archive.

This declaration also enables other writers with the same preference to meet and discuss said pairing or other facets of the source material that they enjoy.

Being so upfront about the author’s preference also alerts readers to stories they would prefer to avoid. Some fans simply prefer not to see or read about certain pairings. There may even be a level of animosity towards writers whose pairings are different from a fan’s.

Unfortunately, due to the extreme loyalty some fans have to their favourite characters and romantic pairings, declaring an OTP can sometimes lead to flame wars, where a reader posts a very harsh review simply because the author has a different idea in mind for who a particular character becomes involved with.

A reviewer might tell the author that he or she is absolutely wrong in putting a given couple together and criticise his or her writing skills; such a review could be riddled with insults to the author and his or her intelligence. If the author replies to this, he or she could, likewise, insult the reviewer right back.

Such harsh exchanges often escalate, with others joining in to defend whichever OTP they prefer and/or to defend a friend from the attacks.

Sometimes, a One True Pairing might be declared ironically, with one character having more than one “true love” over the course of several fan fiction stories. An example of this would be Star Trek’s Captain Kirk being romantically involved with Spock in one story, but later with Uhura, or with any other character the author chooses. These types of stories tend to be lighthearted rather than overtly serious reading.

Related to One True Pairing is the One True Threesome which, as the phrase suggests, is three characters somehow all involved in a romantic relationship. This may be abbreviated as OT3.

There is also, rarely, One True Foursome, or OT4. The number of characters involved romantically could, in theory, increase to any amount, but these types of stories can take on a more ludicrous tone or may be written as a parody, a Crack!fic, or even Badfic.

Sources:

http://fanlore.org.wiki/OTP

http://www.notwfanfic.com/fanfictionterminology.html

http://littlecalamity.tripod.com/Text/Dictionary.htm l

http://web.archive.org/web/20080822041856/http://www .subreality.com/glossary/terms.htm#O

http://sci-fi.lovetoknow.com/wiki/A_Fanfiction_Gloss ary

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