One True Pairing (OTP) Poll - Results

[nakeisha]

Thank you to all of you who took my most recent poll, and also for expanding on your choices in the comments - it made for some very interesting and educational reading.

On one hand, given the comments for my previous poll, together with bits and pieces I'd picked up around fandom, I wasn't surprised by the results. On the other hand, part of me

Comments

[maubast]

Interesting results! Thanks for sharing them with us.

I never will understand nastiness over what pairing people like... it baffles me, and it always will.

[nakeisha]

You shouldn't be typing :-)

I thought they were interesting. I'm glad you did too.

And no, I won't ever understand that nastiness either. I mean you and I like different pairings in Due South, but we've never once been nasty over it, or told one another that they are wrong for their choice.

I don't get it. I really don't.

[aingeal8c]

Very interesting. Good to see the results.

As you know I share your view of a OTP whihc makes me rather old fashioned it would seem.

I think you're right about the multi-pairing shows being the reason for the change. I mean you can read about any pairing your heart desires in some of them. I'm thinking NCIs and poor Gibbs getting so much action I am surprised he doesn't retire to a monestry ;-)

The more I think too I think that even fandom that used to have 2 pairings (eg dS) have expanded too. In the last few years in dS we've seen definate rise in some pairings like Kowalski/Vecchio, Kowalski/Gardino, femslash has got a bit more popular. There's seemingly more people who experiment with pairings than there when the fandom started 12 years ago. I think part of that is the multi-pairing atmosphere of LJ.

But yes I think you've got a good explanation there.

[nakeisha]

I'm glad you found it interesting too.

As you know I share your view of a OTP whihc makes me rather old fashioned it would seem.

You and me both. Certainly for reading; less so for writing, but even then, if you take it against all the other views, then it's fairly unsual.

I mean you can read about any pairing your heart desires in some of them.

How true.

I'm thinking NCIs and poor Gibbs getting so much action I am surprised he doesn't retire to a monestry ;-)

LOL Good point. He certainly can't have time to actually work!

The more I think too I think that even fandom that used to have 2 pairings (eg dS) have expanded too. In the last few years in dS we've seen definate rise in some pairings like Kowalski/Vecchio, Kowalski/Gardino, femslash has got a bit more popular. There's seemingly more people who experiment with pairings than there when the fandom started 12 years ago. I think part of that is the multi-pairing atmosphere of LJ.

And I believe, but I may be wrong, that Stagate SG-1 is like this too. At first it was only

[aingeal8c]

I'm glad you found it interesting too.

:-) I always like your meta polls.

You and me both. Certainly for reading; less so for writing, but even then, if you take it against all the other views, then it's fairly unsual.

Indeed. I was slightly surprised that the original defintion was so a minority view now I'll admit. Not that there's anything wrong with that ;-)

LOL Good point. He certainly can't have time to actually work!

Hee hee indeed not. No wonder it took him so long to finish that boat.

And I believe, but I may be wrong, that Stagate SG-1 is like this too. At first it was only Jack/Daniel and Jack/Sam, but now it's expanded, to pretty much everyone with everyone else. Jack has even been paired with Thor!You know that sounds about right to me. I've not been in the SG-1 fandom but I have watched from afar and even that show seems to be growing more pairings as time goes on. Jack/Thor is one I had not heard of and one I'd have never thought of either

[nakeisha]

:-) I always like your meta polls.

TYK

. I was slightly surprised that the original defintion was so a minority view now I'll admit. Not that there's anything wrong with that ;-)

We're used to being in the minority, aren't we?

No wonder it took him so long to finish that boat.

*Giggle* Hey, I know, he didn't really go to Mexico; he just pretended to, so that he could hide away in his basement and finish it :-)

Jack/Thor is one I had not heard of and one I'd have never thought of either.

Nor would I!

In fact a lot of shows seem to get more pairings as time goes on.

Indeed!

[gilda_elise]

I think part of the change is the difference in shows (ensemble shows as opposed to "buddy" shows,) but I'm wondering if part of the change has to do with the age of the responder? Those of us who started out with Kirk/Spock, Napoleon/Illya, Bodie/Doyle or Starsky/Hutch, are usually old enough to have seen the first-run of these shows. Perhaps we're just more comfortable with the romantic notion of two people who were meant for each other, or maybe more uncomfortable with the notion of the same character jumping from bed to bed.

And how do you create a "universe" out of that? Bodie is always with Doyle; that's my Pros universe. That's what I "see" when I think of the show. And while AUs are a slightly different situation, I still see all the stories of how Bodie and Doyle get together or how they live their lives afterwards as one universe. If, instead, I see Bodie go from Doyle to Murphy to (gag) Cowley, how do I resolve that into a cohesive whole? How do I "know" Bodie? Or would it actually be Lewis Collins I'm seeing?

[nakeisha]

You make a good point, Gilda, and I'd say that it certainly goes some way towards explaining the change. However, like all these things it's not cut and dried. I know that at least one person (aingeal8c) who 'voted' the way you and I did is actually in her early 20s. Although she did she her particular show/pairing when she was a teenager, so... A mixture of chronological age and 'emotional' age, maybe. But yes, it is something that I think could have a lot of validity. Thank you for that.

I still see all the stories of how Bodie and Doyle get together or how they live their lives afterwards as one universe.

Oh, I agree entirely. Even with NCIS which is clearly a more team orientated show/universe, I can create a universe that involves the whole team, but at the end of the day it's still Gibbs/Ducky who are together and they are central to every story/my universe, even if their non-friendship relationship isn't central to the story; it is still the pivot on which my stories exist. The idea that Gibbs would jump from Ducky to DiNozzo to

[doylebaby]

Due to my PC problems at the time I missed your poll, but it is interesting to read and find out the opinions for others.

My beta for my Orlibean fics has another OTP pairing in the fandom, with one half of my OTP *grins* confusing? Yes. But she has no trouble reading my stories or I hers.

I agree with the term *I prefer* to read this pairing, my OTP is populair, but not *the* populair pairing, hence a lot less stories to read. In my twisted mind I can only read one half of my pairing with others, the other one should be exclusively in this pairing. (Yes I'm weird.)

Writing another pairing I haven't tried sofar, so I can't be objective about that.

It was really very interesting to learn this and I'm glad you managed to distract interesting facts from everyone again!

[nakeisha]

But she has no trouble reading my stories or I hers.

That's good and useful. Beta'ing to my mind is different from reading for 'pleasure', partly it's a different process.

In my twisted mind I can only read one half of my pairing with others, the other one should be exclusively in this pairing. (Yes I'm weird.)

Actually, you're not. Quite a few people said the same thing.

I'm glad you found it interesting. I like meta stuff :-)

[lovelokest]

Interesting results! Thanks for doing this! I agree that more shows with more characters has increased the number of pairings.

I consider myself to be an OTP person, I read outside of my pairing in SGA but hardly at all in my other fandoms. In SGA I read outside of my pairing, but my OTP gives me the biggest happy rush.

[nakeisha]

You're welcome. And I'm glad that you found them interesting.

There's nothing like a OTP :-)