My 20 OTPs
I thought this fandomverse challenge would be the perfect oppurtunity to make an OTP list again. I did this a looong time ago (that is, over three years, which was when I only just started watching TV shows excessively) - originally with only 15 OTPs - and I've been meaning to redo it ever since, given that I watch loads of shows now with a lot of great relationships.
It's really hard to rank something like this (or anything, really) and I'm not even sure if they really reflect my 20 favorites, but since a) nobody knows but me and b) those things change constantly anyways I guess its okay. :) You might find that I mainly like pairings with a total lack of cheesiness (especially if it seems like they actually hate each other) or who are best friends who eventually became lovers.
While I'm at it, if anybody has fanfiction recs, please fire away! I especially like longer works, but I always have trouble finding some.
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I've pondered a while whether to put them on my OTP list. I have always like them - and a lot - but I don't think my interest for them is infinite. They are probably going to get boring on the show. (No offense, okay? They ARE on my OTP list. ;))
Nevertheless: they ARE what's clostest to an OTP that I have on Glee (because as much as I can obsess over relationships in other shows, somehow nothing on Glee catches my interest so much). They are one of the few gay couples on TV and the only ones of that age group that I know about at all. Which is special at itself. Also, their story was just beautiful: Kurt, who got frustrated because there was nobody around he could POSSIBLY date, finally gets to know another gay guy, who is really lovely with with and becomes his best friend, which gradually evolves into love. It's really sweet and Kurt just so deserves his Blaine. :)
Yeah, I guess this one will be VERY temporary (I usually hesitate to put things in a list I only know one season of, especially since season 1 relationships are NEVER permanent). But I really liked their chemistry from the beginning. Jake is really a likeable and reasonable person (especially considering he's one of the "popular guys"), and he instantly bonds with Jenna. So overall, this is just a feel-good couple with really cute scenes in the beginning.
The thing is, I'm not up-to-date with watching (I'm still at the beginning of season 3), so I actually don't know them as a couple yet. What I can say about them, though, is that they have really nice dynamics - the mixture of bickering and joking and eyesex and jealousy dramas. I'm really curious what they're gonna be like as a couple (probably the same, anyway, just without other people needing to hint at their unresolved sexual tension?) and they're nice and entertaining to watch.
I've been thinking for a while whether I want to put them in my Top 20, but I think I'm only not obsessing over them so much because they're shadowed by my R/Hr-Shippiness. I just recently re-read the books and I especially liked the way Ginny changed over the years; she has become to fierce and witty and smart. I like how she had to overcome her crush on Harry in order to attract his attention - years later. Now she knows how to deal with Harry, and she is definitely the right girl for him.
Another pairing where I'm not so sure if I can call it OTP, because I mainly like to see them together. Ultimately, as boring as it might be, yeah, Elizabeth does belong to Will - but nobody can deny that she does feel a certain attraction to Jack (as the compass proves :P). Come to think of it, I would really love to read some great fanfiction about them (AUs would be interesting... are there any PotC AUs out there?).
It's interesting, Tom and Lynette are a married couple - have been, from the beginning - and thus not so interesting as such. But I really just love their relationship, without having to read about it or anything. Again and again, it is just beautiful to watch how they always know the right thing to say to each other. Lynette is probably not an easy person to deal with, but Tom knows how to handle her and also how to push her buttons. They just simply complete each other.
That is also why I really hate the whole seperation thing in season 8. They will probably get back together, but to me it's unrealistic that this has happened in the first place, because they were really a couple where all the factors seemed to fit together.
Well... I haven't seen them on screen for ages, it's been a while since I've watched Scrubs :S Cox and Jordan are such a unique couple, because they do hate each other and they are also both obnixious, but that's the cool thing. No cheesyness, that's how they like it, and so they actually managed to establish a little family, which is pretty stable at that.
Yeah... this is a nostalgic thing. :D The first slash (or at least shonen ai) fic I read must have been a Taito, and I still get the appeal. On the anime, they are first arch enemies and then gradually become best friends - after that, we don't know a lot about them, and that's why there are a lot of possibilities for fanfiction. It's a phenomenon - sometimes Matt is the popular one, a star in his band, and Tai is despressed and shadowed by him, or it's the other way around, Tai is the soccer star and Matt an uncool emo kid. I haven't read them in a while, but I still like the concept and especially their friendship. Also, there is a certain (German and unfinished) fanfiction about them I really, really loved.
After Rita, I didn't think that I would care about any Dexter relationship again at all. Also, I didn't even see a romantic relationship between them until it actually happened. But as little scenes as they had together, there was a lot in them: this is the first time Dexter has found somebody who REALLY understands him. Not one of those lunatics like Lila or Miguel who overdo it. Lumen's story was upsetting and fascinating, and the conclusion - that she had to leave, because she had gotten rid of her dark passanger, which Dexter never will - was such a sad and great scene.
Ranma and Akane are just so classic. It's a couple where you might think that they're boring because they're just obviously the main pairing of the manga, but their constant denial of how much they love each other is just cute and hilarious at once. Also, Ranma 1/2 is generally one of my favorite mangas overall, because it's just so crazy and funny and unique.
This was a relationship I anticipated for ages. Once again, the right combination of bickering and sexual tension. Also: House is really not the type for an overly romantic relationship (which is why I never understood House/Cameron shippers - even though since Cameron/Chase we've seen that she doesn't have to be like that). The build-up for House/Cuddy was huge, considering it didn't happen until the end of season 6, but paired with a few typically extreme House scenarios like the hallucinations and a great finale, I liked the relationship on the show as much as I shipped it before anything happened. :D I'm just a bit disappointed that, as things are now on the show, they can never go back.
Even though I've been a Gilmore Girls fan for AGES, I was never so sure who I wanted Rory to end up with. I guess I let a friend of mine influence me who was a Logan fan and hated Jess, and so I came to a conclusion only now, years later. :D I do like Logan, but - just as a quick explanation - I don't like that high society world he drags Rory into, which is basically the world Lorelai fled from.
Jess might not be perfect; but he's only the kind of guy who lets a great girl like Rory influence him. I like that he's the quiet type, and I think he's really intelligent. Also, Rory just needs somebody who likes books as much as she does. I like that the show has an open ending for Rory so she just might meet the new and responsible Jess once again. (... Fanfiction?)
Seth and Summer were one of my number one favorite couples for a long time, even though I didn't even watch the show so frequently. When I rewatched the show this year, I realized I'm not that obsessed with them anymore, but that might be because I knew how things would end or also because I think that the show's not that good overall. I love how Seth, a geeky, "uncool" guy finally managed attract the attention of that girl he had a crush on for AGES. You start out being sympathetic for him, but there's no need for that later: he loves Summer so much and that shows in every possible scenario, from knowing everything about her over turning her into a character of his comic to asking her to marry her when there's a chance that she's pregnant. Seth and Summer are cute and ment to be and were one of my first OTPs.
That was one of my really huge ships, too. It starts with little hints as soon as season 1, and I remember that I was incredibly happy when they finally got together in season 4. Luke is one of those guys who might not be so big on words and also a bit awkward when it comes to "wooing" a woman, but he would totally do anything for Lorelai and also, he is more or less a father figure for Rory.
This one's really interesting. Random fact: I've never even watched Yu-Gi-Oh! (except for some episodes, maybe). I just know this couple from fanfiction. I used to read loads of stories by a German author who was a huge puppyshipper and wrote them flawlessly and probably with a better characterization than the show itself has. I don't know this first-hand (though I've watched some scenes of the show, only out of context), but it's just great how they're supposed to be arch enemies and Kaiba just can't simply ignore Joey the way he does with everyone else. Both of them are very interesting characters, and through fanfiction, I feel like I know them really well - so they are still on this list, after all. :)
These two are so great. Mainly because I love Kaiti to BITS. At the first glance, he seems like a jerky womanizer, which he is not at all - he is absolutely considerate and warm-hearted. Always. From the beginning. He really wants Momo, but he never pushes her. I also like how they basically slip into a relationship, which doesn't sound like the best conditions, but Momo eventually realizes how comfortable she feels with him and how he protects her. Awww.
I knew from season 1 that they would eventually get together, and I was right, and it was perfect. They are both the kind of guys who feel a bit uncomfortable with the concept of "forever", which is exactly why they should be with each other "forever" (which, I know, doesn't make any sense :P). They are "bros", they do all kinds of stupid things together, and also, it is so great to see Barney really in love with somebody (which is the only reason why I don't hate Barney/Nora). I like how there are now parallels to the time when Barney was in love with Robin in season 4 and now it's exactly the other way around. I think this whole thing is not finished, and I want them together in the end. :)
Parker and Hardison are all kinds of awesome, seperarely as well as together. Parker is... well... 20 pounds of crazy in a 5 pound bag does sum it up pretty good, and Hardison is a shy and kind geek, and I LOVE them. He handles her so well, and he is so obviously and deeply in love with her that it makes your heart melt to watch. And he is one of the few people she really trusts and that is so special for Parker.
I really hope once they are going to get together in the show the scenes will be good - not really couting on that, because neither the Nate/Sophie scenes (wait... which scenes??? Good thing I don't really ship them...) nor that one hook-up of Elliot's were really satisfying. But with the huge build-up for Parker and Hardison they had in season 4 one can still hope.
(This is, by the way, the only couple in all the shows we watch together I am aware of that my brother ships too. :D)
Hermione and Ron are just a HUGE part of what makes Harry Potter so... magical. (No pun intended, that would be lame. :S) Seperately, but also their dynamics. And it's so great how their relationship evolves. It's like they've secretly been together since GoF - the Ron-Viktor jealousy scenes were just the best thing ever, because Ron had absolutely no right to me mad at Hermione for going out with him. And I also love how Krum is still a soft spot for Ron later on. It becomes clearer and clearer how much Ron cares about Hermione - she's always the first one he's worried about.
I was so excited about how JKR would finally get them together. In DH, their relationship had changed subtly but remarkably, and I loved that state where they weren't really together yet but it was obvious how much they cared about each other. From Ron trying to protect her, being agonized when Hermione is tortured (I missed that scene SO much in the movies...) to the kiss that JKR saved up until the end and had just the cutest trigger. Ron and Hermione's story was wrapped up perfectly, in my opinion, and so they're still at the very top of my OTP list.
It is so damn easy to give them the first place. I think I have never felt like this about a ship before. :D I really hope I'm going to do them justice trying to explain why I ship them so much, but it should be possible since there are so many reasons.
Dean and Castiel are so special, because they have a kind of relationship that Dean hasn't had before (or at least not on the show). Castiel is probably the first real friend Dean ever had. You can count Bobby or Jo and Ellen, but they were always more like family, which was so far the only thing the Winchesters have known.
Dean usually avoids talking about his feeeling at ALL cost, even to Sam, he bottles everything up, and suddenly Castiel comes along, and Dean pours his heart out to him. And it's amzing - Castiel is an angel, he doesn't know all that much about humans and doesn't understand their emotional structures, but he always knows the right thing to say.
The other way around, it's just as amazing - Castiel starts off as God's brave little soldier and goes through such a significant change, and that is 99% due to Dean, because, well, what other humans does he really talk to? He questions everything he has been convinced of for... what... milennia?, more or less falls for Dean (well... this one might have been intended), and he develops freaking emotions.
It is funny, because when Castiel first appeared, I didn't really SEE it. Even though the "gripped you tight and pulled you from perdition" thing is as symbolic as it can get, it wasn't actually something either of them chose, and I must have totally missed they eye!porn everybody was talking about (I am looking forward to my rewatch, this time I will look out better for that :D). Only towards the end of season 4, when the bond between Dean and Castiel became visible, they got me absolutely hooked. That's also why I don't like fanfiction so much that plays before the middle of season 4 - I think what makes Dean and Castiel's relationship so special is what they've been though together and how they've changed each other. They're epic for me and at this point, I think they always will be.
Since it feels wrong not to, now I'm just going to have to rec some of my favorite Destiel fanfictions so far, but quickly and without a lot of words, because one day I'll make a real reclist anyway (luckily there are SO many great fanfictions with the most interesting plots about them). They're Ghost Dance (which is a flawless masterpiece), Our Bodies, Possessed By Light (which has the most beautiful artwork, by the way), Bodies from the Tracks and Play It All Night Long.
It's really hard to rank something like this (or anything, really) and I'm not even sure if they really reflect my 20 favorites, but since a) nobody knows but me and b) those things change constantly anyways I guess its okay. :) You might find that I mainly like pairings with a total lack of cheesiness (especially if it seems like they actually hate each other) or who are best friends who eventually became lovers.
While I'm at it, if anybody has fanfiction recs, please fire away! I especially like longer works, but I always have trouble finding some.
__________
I've pondered a while whether to put them on my OTP list. I have always like them - and a lot - but I don't think my interest for them is infinite. They are probably going to get boring on the show. (No offense, okay? They ARE on my OTP list. ;))
Nevertheless: they ARE what's clostest to an OTP that I have on Glee (because as much as I can obsess over relationships in other shows, somehow nothing on Glee catches my interest so much). They are one of the few gay couples on TV and the only ones of that age group that I know about at all. Which is special at itself. Also, their story was just beautiful: Kurt, who got frustrated because there was nobody around he could POSSIBLY date, finally gets to know another gay guy, who is really lovely with with and becomes his best friend, which gradually evolves into love. It's really sweet and Kurt just so deserves his Blaine. :)
Yeah, I guess this one will be VERY temporary (I usually hesitate to put things in a list I only know one season of, especially since season 1 relationships are NEVER permanent). But I really liked their chemistry from the beginning. Jake is really a likeable and reasonable person (especially considering he's one of the "popular guys"), and he instantly bonds with Jenna. So overall, this is just a feel-good couple with really cute scenes in the beginning.
The thing is, I'm not up-to-date with watching (I'm still at the beginning of season 3), so I actually don't know them as a couple yet. What I can say about them, though, is that they have really nice dynamics - the mixture of bickering and joking and eyesex and jealousy dramas. I'm really curious what they're gonna be like as a couple (probably the same, anyway, just without other people needing to hint at their unresolved sexual tension?) and they're nice and entertaining to watch.
I've been thinking for a while whether I want to put them in my Top 20, but I think I'm only not obsessing over them so much because they're shadowed by my R/Hr-Shippiness. I just recently re-read the books and I especially liked the way Ginny changed over the years; she has become to fierce and witty and smart. I like how she had to overcome her crush on Harry in order to attract his attention - years later. Now she knows how to deal with Harry, and she is definitely the right girl for him.
Another pairing where I'm not so sure if I can call it OTP, because I mainly like to see them together. Ultimately, as boring as it might be, yeah, Elizabeth does belong to Will - but nobody can deny that she does feel a certain attraction to Jack (as the compass proves :P). Come to think of it, I would really love to read some great fanfiction about them (AUs would be interesting... are there any PotC AUs out there?).
It's interesting, Tom and Lynette are a married couple - have been, from the beginning - and thus not so interesting as such. But I really just love their relationship, without having to read about it or anything. Again and again, it is just beautiful to watch how they always know the right thing to say to each other. Lynette is probably not an easy person to deal with, but Tom knows how to handle her and also how to push her buttons. They just simply complete each other.
That is also why I really hate the whole seperation thing in season 8. They will probably get back together, but to me it's unrealistic that this has happened in the first place, because they were really a couple where all the factors seemed to fit together.
Well... I haven't seen them on screen for ages, it's been a while since I've watched Scrubs :S Cox and Jordan are such a unique couple, because they do hate each other and they are also both obnixious, but that's the cool thing. No cheesyness, that's how they like it, and so they actually managed to establish a little family, which is pretty stable at that.
Yeah... this is a nostalgic thing. :D The first slash (or at least shonen ai) fic I read must have been a Taito, and I still get the appeal. On the anime, they are first arch enemies and then gradually become best friends - after that, we don't know a lot about them, and that's why there are a lot of possibilities for fanfiction. It's a phenomenon - sometimes Matt is the popular one, a star in his band, and Tai is despressed and shadowed by him, or it's the other way around, Tai is the soccer star and Matt an uncool emo kid. I haven't read them in a while, but I still like the concept and especially their friendship. Also, there is a certain (German and unfinished) fanfiction about them I really, really loved.
After Rita, I didn't think that I would care about any Dexter relationship again at all. Also, I didn't even see a romantic relationship between them until it actually happened. But as little scenes as they had together, there was a lot in them: this is the first time Dexter has found somebody who REALLY understands him. Not one of those lunatics like Lila or Miguel who overdo it. Lumen's story was upsetting and fascinating, and the conclusion - that she had to leave, because she had gotten rid of her dark passanger, which Dexter never will - was such a sad and great scene.
Ranma and Akane are just so classic. It's a couple where you might think that they're boring because they're just obviously the main pairing of the manga, but their constant denial of how much they love each other is just cute and hilarious at once. Also, Ranma 1/2 is generally one of my favorite mangas overall, because it's just so crazy and funny and unique.
This was a relationship I anticipated for ages. Once again, the right combination of bickering and sexual tension. Also: House is really not the type for an overly romantic relationship (which is why I never understood House/Cameron shippers - even though since Cameron/Chase we've seen that she doesn't have to be like that). The build-up for House/Cuddy was huge, considering it didn't happen until the end of season 6, but paired with a few typically extreme House scenarios like the hallucinations and a great finale, I liked the relationship on the show as much as I shipped it before anything happened. :D I'm just a bit disappointed that, as things are now on the show, they can never go back.
Even though I've been a Gilmore Girls fan for AGES, I was never so sure who I wanted Rory to end up with. I guess I let a friend of mine influence me who was a Logan fan and hated Jess, and so I came to a conclusion only now, years later. :D I do like Logan, but - just as a quick explanation - I don't like that high society world he drags Rory into, which is basically the world Lorelai fled from.
Jess might not be perfect; but he's only the kind of guy who lets a great girl like Rory influence him. I like that he's the quiet type, and I think he's really intelligent. Also, Rory just needs somebody who likes books as much as she does. I like that the show has an open ending for Rory so she just might meet the new and responsible Jess once again. (... Fanfiction?)
Seth and Summer were one of my number one favorite couples for a long time, even though I didn't even watch the show so frequently. When I rewatched the show this year, I realized I'm not that obsessed with them anymore, but that might be because I knew how things would end or also because I think that the show's not that good overall. I love how Seth, a geeky, "uncool" guy finally managed attract the attention of that girl he had a crush on for AGES. You start out being sympathetic for him, but there's no need for that later: he loves Summer so much and that shows in every possible scenario, from knowing everything about her over turning her into a character of his comic to asking her to marry her when there's a chance that she's pregnant. Seth and Summer are cute and ment to be and were one of my first OTPs.
That was one of my really huge ships, too. It starts with little hints as soon as season 1, and I remember that I was incredibly happy when they finally got together in season 4. Luke is one of those guys who might not be so big on words and also a bit awkward when it comes to "wooing" a woman, but he would totally do anything for Lorelai and also, he is more or less a father figure for Rory.
This one's really interesting. Random fact: I've never even watched Yu-Gi-Oh! (except for some episodes, maybe). I just know this couple from fanfiction. I used to read loads of stories by a German author who was a huge puppyshipper and wrote them flawlessly and probably with a better characterization than the show itself has. I don't know this first-hand (though I've watched some scenes of the show, only out of context), but it's just great how they're supposed to be arch enemies and Kaiba just can't simply ignore Joey the way he does with everyone else. Both of them are very interesting characters, and through fanfiction, I feel like I know them really well - so they are still on this list, after all. :)
These two are so great. Mainly because I love Kaiti to BITS. At the first glance, he seems like a jerky womanizer, which he is not at all - he is absolutely considerate and warm-hearted. Always. From the beginning. He really wants Momo, but he never pushes her. I also like how they basically slip into a relationship, which doesn't sound like the best conditions, but Momo eventually realizes how comfortable she feels with him and how he protects her. Awww.
I knew from season 1 that they would eventually get together, and I was right, and it was perfect. They are both the kind of guys who feel a bit uncomfortable with the concept of "forever", which is exactly why they should be with each other "forever" (which, I know, doesn't make any sense :P). They are "bros", they do all kinds of stupid things together, and also, it is so great to see Barney really in love with somebody (which is the only reason why I don't hate Barney/Nora). I like how there are now parallels to the time when Barney was in love with Robin in season 4 and now it's exactly the other way around. I think this whole thing is not finished, and I want them together in the end. :)
Parker and Hardison are all kinds of awesome, seperarely as well as together. Parker is... well... 20 pounds of crazy in a 5 pound bag does sum it up pretty good, and Hardison is a shy and kind geek, and I LOVE them. He handles her so well, and he is so obviously and deeply in love with her that it makes your heart melt to watch. And he is one of the few people she really trusts and that is so special for Parker.
I really hope once they are going to get together in the show the scenes will be good - not really couting on that, because neither the Nate/Sophie scenes (wait... which scenes??? Good thing I don't really ship them...) nor that one hook-up of Elliot's were really satisfying. But with the huge build-up for Parker and Hardison they had in season 4 one can still hope.
(This is, by the way, the only couple in all the shows we watch together I am aware of that my brother ships too. :D)
Hermione and Ron are just a HUGE part of what makes Harry Potter so... magical. (No pun intended, that would be lame. :S) Seperately, but also their dynamics. And it's so great how their relationship evolves. It's like they've secretly been together since GoF - the Ron-Viktor jealousy scenes were just the best thing ever, because Ron had absolutely no right to me mad at Hermione for going out with him. And I also love how Krum is still a soft spot for Ron later on. It becomes clearer and clearer how much Ron cares about Hermione - she's always the first one he's worried about.
I was so excited about how JKR would finally get them together. In DH, their relationship had changed subtly but remarkably, and I loved that state where they weren't really together yet but it was obvious how much they cared about each other. From Ron trying to protect her, being agonized when Hermione is tortured (I missed that scene SO much in the movies...) to the kiss that JKR saved up until the end and had just the cutest trigger. Ron and Hermione's story was wrapped up perfectly, in my opinion, and so they're still at the very top of my OTP list.
It is so damn easy to give them the first place. I think I have never felt like this about a ship before. :D I really hope I'm going to do them justice trying to explain why I ship them so much, but it should be possible since there are so many reasons.
Dean and Castiel are so special, because they have a kind of relationship that Dean hasn't had before (or at least not on the show). Castiel is probably the first real friend Dean ever had. You can count Bobby or Jo and Ellen, but they were always more like family, which was so far the only thing the Winchesters have known.
Dean usually avoids talking about his feeeling at ALL cost, even to Sam, he bottles everything up, and suddenly Castiel comes along, and Dean pours his heart out to him. And it's amzing - Castiel is an angel, he doesn't know all that much about humans and doesn't understand their emotional structures, but he always knows the right thing to say.
The other way around, it's just as amazing - Castiel starts off as God's brave little soldier and goes through such a significant change, and that is 99% due to Dean, because, well, what other humans does he really talk to? He questions everything he has been convinced of for... what... milennia?, more or less falls for Dean (well... this one might have been intended), and he develops freaking emotions.
It is funny, because when Castiel first appeared, I didn't really SEE it. Even though the "gripped you tight and pulled you from perdition" thing is as symbolic as it can get, it wasn't actually something either of them chose, and I must have totally missed they eye!porn everybody was talking about (I am looking forward to my rewatch, this time I will look out better for that :D). Only towards the end of season 4, when the bond between Dean and Castiel became visible, they got me absolutely hooked. That's also why I don't like fanfiction so much that plays before the middle of season 4 - I think what makes Dean and Castiel's relationship so special is what they've been though together and how they've changed each other. They're epic for me and at this point, I think they always will be.
Since it feels wrong not to, now I'm just going to have to rec some of my favorite Destiel fanfictions so far, but quickly and without a lot of words, because one day I'll make a real reclist anyway (luckily there are SO many great fanfictions with the most interesting plots about them). They're Ghost Dance (which is a flawless masterpiece), Our Bodies, Possessed By Light (which has the most beautiful artwork, by the way), Bodies from the Tracks and Play It All Night Long.