For many fictional universes from films or books (including the epic Harry Potter, Star Wars, The Lord of the Rings, worlds of countless television series), whole encyclopedias are created. But the background information is not always interesting, and creative fans zealously undertook to conquer the heights of a new genre - fiction based on worlds and universes of other authors. Fanfiction as a genre became completely independent, acquired unique features and began to develop according to its own laws. Moreover, amateur stories and novels are surrounded by outstanding terminology. So, for example, what is OTP? This is an abbreviation that should be considered in more detail.
Once and forever
Although the abbreviation is literally translated from English as “the only true pairing (pair)” (One True Pairing), it characterizes not so much literary or other artistic creation as the mood and point of view of the fan. It so happens that in the world of a writer, the love line is quite logical and consistent. There are many examples: Mr. Rochester and Jane Eyre, Eddard Stark and Caitlin Tully, Volha Rednaya and the vampire Len. Such OTP is a classic of the genre. Inspired by the story of the book or the imagery of the film, fans develop, supplement or fundamentally turn the story upside down, while maintaining a great and selfless feeling between the main (usually) characters. But it happens, of course, in a different way.
Infinity options
Not everyone is happy that Bella Swan stays with Edward Cullen. Someone read her a charming werewolf instead of a brilliant vampire, someone prefers the flawless blond Carlisle, and someone is completely determined and sees Bella in Rosalie's arms in her imagination. If the fantasy is persistent, people turn it into a creative impulse and create a whole work - whether it's a story, a novel, a poem, a video clip or a drawing. OTP is primarily a subjective perception of other characters and the nature of the relationship between them. It is not surprising that fans of the Twilight universe, who identify with the main character, strive to choose “themselves” as the pair of subjectively the most attractive man from those who are somehow mentioned in history.
I'm legend
The most popular (and, oddly enough, the least read) genre in terms of OTP is fanfiction with Mary Sue. Mary Sue is the collective name for the projections of the author’s personality into the beloved universe. Of course, from childhood, everyone wants to become a character in a fairy tale or an amazing story - and not at all a predetermined main or secondary character. At some point in life, everyone wants to remain in the fictional world of themselves. Hence the general fashion for novels about "fellow soldiers" - ordinary modern people who suddenly find themselves inside a book, movie or computer game. The same thing happens with OTP: anime, films, series, novels in the imagination of fans are supplemented by new personalities. The author enters into a strange world either himself (as it is) or a character (Mary Sue) who is very similar to himself. Alas, few people are interested in such stories: readers need a hero for identification, not for admiring - but the authors of Mary-Sue stories expect the latter in the first place.