Posts tagged otp

Warning: Content about OTP may be upsetting to certain readers. Read at your own risk, however I did take in the consideration to make it less harsh than intended.

It wasn’t until recently that I found out what the acronym OTP stood for. I never realised there was an actual acronym. Nonetheless, for those who don’t know here’s a definition taken straight from Wikipedia.

OTP: One true pairing is a term used by fans to indicate their favorite pairing in a particular fandom. It can refer to a canon couple or two other characters that the fan would like to see in a romantic relationship.

Now that we all know what one true pairings are, they are very popular and frequently pop up in kpop fandoms. Fans pair up Idols regardless of sex and this is based upon the Idol’s interactions with each other. IDOL  A may either show alot of affection, bond, be their ideal type, talk about, share a room, have a lot of selcas with IDOL B. The possibilities are endless!  This couple (OTP) may have a lot of outings together, hugs etc but most importantly they are perceived to have some sort of bond or relationship. This relationship is what keeps the fans that support that particular OTP striving, passionate and inspired.  

Not only are there canon one true pairings but crossover one true pairings aswell. Crossover one true pairings are where IDOL A has little to no contact to IDOL B however fans sense tension, chemistry that in their opinion would be an interesting relationship. Basically crossover OTPs are the totally random ones that are done for fun, out of curiosity or sarcastically.

One true pairings are done for fun but there are shippers (supporters) out there who take this very seriously who do not accept any other OTP’s that contrast or deny theirs.  They believe that theirs is superior to other OTP’s and this result in fan wars. A example would be the popular drama “Boys over flowers” had the two guys ‘Gu Jun Pyo’ and ‘Ji Hoo’ who both liked ‘Geum Jan Di’, although Jan Di and Jun Pyo ended  as a couple, there were Ji Hoo and Jan Di shippers who felt so passionate that that their one true pairing was literally THE ONE TRUE PAIRING thus verbally abusing the other fans resulting in shipping wars. Another totally ambiguous example in short would be “Harry Potter and Hermione should be together rather than Hermione and Ron.”

Kpoprealitycheck: NOONE KNOWS WHETHER THE ONE TRUE PAIRINGS ARE ACTUALLY TRUE OR NOT! The only people who would know are the Idol themselves and no one is going to know that anytime time soon. This can work both ways:  either they are miraculously true or they are simply not. This also depends on your perception of what “true” is. True as in a romantic relationship or true as in a special bond or friendship. This may simply be fanservice and genuine affection. This may be confronting but in the end, OTP’s are for fun and it doesn’t matter whether they’re true or not, the most important thing is your own enjoyment.

Nobody’s OTP is better than anyone else’s. Arguing about how your OTP is better than another does not necessarily make it “truer” in reality.

Kpopselfrespect: OTPs should be fun and enjoyable. There are plenty of fans who don’t argue or think their OTP is superior than anyone elses. Thinking this way is great as your respecting others creative interests and decisions. By doing this your also actively enjoying a positive fun side of OTP’s rather than the aggressive side that pressures fans into upsetting confronting situations.

Respect yourself, if you find yourself upset or hurt by other shippers comments simply don’t engage in that sort of activity. Converse with fellow shippers because this should be fun and for your own personal enjoyment, you do not need to prove to anyone whether what you believe in is “true” or not.

You are entitled to ship and believe whatever original true pairing you support. There is no wrong or right answer. However don’t get too caught up, question yourself if you legitimately actually believe whether it is true or if you just enjoy the couple’s interaction, which is the reality in my opinion.

Disclaimer: With little knowledge on OTP, this is clearly my opinion. You may or may not agree with what I have to say. I do not own any of the images and i do not claim the examples to be necessarily true.

Other: The following are examples of One True Pairings in Kpop fandoms

Above: SHINee’s Jonghyun and Key, otherwise known as Jongkey

Above: SNSD’s Yoona and Yuri otherwise known as Yoonyul

Above: 2am Jinwoon and KARA’s Nicole otherwise known as Jincole.

Above: Super Junior’s Donghae and Eunhyuk otherwise known as Eunhae

Above: 2NE1’s Sandara and Big Bang’s G Dragon otherwise known as Daragon.