OTP Book Tag

So, I was planning to do a review post today. But I just really didn’t feel like being thoughtful and critical and all that. So as I was watching some Booktube in procrastination, I came across this tag. I saw Sam from Thoughts on Tomes do it, and I believe the original creator is Kirstin @ Kirstin Reads. Even though people sometimes use OTPs from film and TV, I will only use book couples because otherwise, this will turn into a full blown dissertation on my ships.

Alright, here we go. Prepare for a lot of fangirling, ranting and so forth. This is going to be a long post. Grab some popcorn.

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1. Pick an unpopular OTP that you ship

Hmm… I’m not sure how unpopular this is because it’s the Harry Potter fandom. I don’t think there is any ship that is unpopular in the Harry Potter fandom, but Snape and Lily Potter. I love Snape and I wanted him to be happy. And I understand that it wasn’t going to be a good relationship and I absolutely think that Lily did the right thing getting away because it was toxic. Although, I personally feel like she made a  mistake giving up on him, not necessarily as a romantic interest, but as a friend. I strongly believe in not giving up on your friends. I will go to hell just to drag a friend out of there and I think that’s one of the most powerful kinds of love that is or should be the foundation of romantic relationships as well. And for all his faults, Snape had that loyalty, that unconditional love that cannot be explained by infatuation or attraction or fluffy romantic butterflies. That’s why some of my favourite OTPs are based on friendship.

I didn’t necessarily want them to be canon, but my heart still ships them together in a “What if” sort of way. And I also personally believe that, at least as far as we are shown, which might be biased because we only see Snape’s memories, but I don’t think James Potter was a good choice either. He was immature and an ass and we don’t see him growing out of that. So I really don’t care at all about that relationship.

Okay, that derailed. I feel very passionately about this. I have written longer essays than this on obscure, background Harry Potter stuff. But let’s move on now.

2. Pick an OTP that you didn’t ship at first but do now

I don’t really know what to say for this. I usually either ship a couple or I don’t. Well, sometimes I’m just indifferent. But I don’t think I’ve ever not shipped a couple and then shipped them. Actually, I have just not from books, so for this question I will pick a TV couple and that is Willow and Tara from Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

I did not like Tara at first at all. And I was a hardcore Willow/Oz shipper and I wanted them to get back together and I just did not like this ship at all. But then Tara really grew on me. And especially after re-watching the show. I still don’t really like her as a character in season 4. But I do like her in later seasons. My favourite Willow OTP is still her and Oz, but her and Tara are my second. I really, really hate everyone else that Willow is ever with. I can’t… just no.

3. Pick your most hated NOTP

BUFFY AND RILEY! Okay, I said I’m not doing TV shows, but I needed that out there. My most hated book NOTP… there are different ways I could look at this. I could tell you just an OTP that I hate because I hate the book and the characters. Or I could tell you an OTP that that I just don’t like them together. I’m going to do both, because I can’t decide.

An OTP that I just hate because I hate the book and the characters is Mare and prince whatever his name is. Cal, Cat, Cam. I don’t even remember. I absolutely hate Mare with a passion, if you’ve read my review of Glass Sword, you know how much I hate that book and Mare in particular. I don’t really have a problem with Cal. I just don’t care about him because he’s so one-dimensional and tropey and boring that I just don’t care.

And one OTP that I just don’t ship them together is Celaena Sardothien and Chaol from the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas.

 Art by Linneart

I never particularly liked Chaol. I don’t hate him, but he’s a little bit too boring and self-righteous for my taste. But I really did not like him with Celaena. I literally ship her with anyone else more than I ship her with Chaol. Anyone. I got a really sibling-y vibe from them for some reason and I don’t… that’s just wrong. I can’t ship that. It doesn’t work for me. And I really think that their relationship was completely ruined by them being together. I think there was potential for a good friendship there, but it was completely ruined and that kind of annoys me.

4. Pick an OTP that took waaaayyyy too long to get together

I don’t have any such OTP. I quite enjoy slow-burn romances. I hate, hate, hate insta love and I actually really like relationships where the two partners grow together, grow to know and love each other. So I don’t have an answer for this.

5. Pick your favourite non-canon OTP

I don’t know… maybe Ruby and Clancy from The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken. I mean, not really. I like Clancy because he’s so clever and scheming. I don’t particularly care about Ruby though. I don’t know. I can’t think of any other answer though, so I’ll go with Ruby and Clancy.

6. Pick Your favourite BROTP

Will Herondale and Jem Carstairs from The Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare. Forever. I just love them, they’re my babies. I love their friendship so much, I don’t even know how to explain my love for them, I just ugh! I love them. That scene in Clockwork Princess. If you’ve read the book, you know which one I’m talking about. When Will is on his way to… wherever he was going. It broke my heart. I cried so much just… I cried.

7. Pick an OTP you adored in the books but not as much in the movie or tv adaptation

Jace and Clary from The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare.

Art by Firelordwael

I love Clace. I am a very hardcore Clace shipper, but I did not really feel the relationship in either of the adaptations. I did not like Jace at all in the film, even though I loved Lily Collins as Clary. And in the show… I’ve yet to see season 2 of it. But I had a lot of problems with the first season of the show and the relationship between Clary and Jace was one of them. I didn’t feel it at all.

8. Pick a popular OTP that no matter how hard you tried you just can’t ship it

Dorian and Sorscha or whatever her name is from Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Mass. I can’t even find any nice fanart of them.

I’m always picking the same series, but I just really didn’t like this relationship. I know a lot of people did and were really upset by what happened, but I just didn’t really care. I was even a bit relieved, because it just rubbed me the wrong way. It felt like that relationship was used as a crutch and I don’t like that kind of relationship. I like relationships where the two partners make each other better. And that just wasn’t it.

It wasn’t a good, healthy relationship. They had nothing in common. Her crush on him felt like a celebrity crush and I felt like he was only with her because he was broken and lost and needed a crutch. And I think that a lover is never a good crutch. At least, not a new lover. Like, getting into a new relationship as a crutch… I don’t like that. I don’t agree with it, I cannot get behind it no matter how much I try.

9. Pick your favourite LGBT+ OTP

Hmmm… I’m gonna go with Alucard and Rhy from the Shades of Magic series by V. E. Schwab.

Art by Victoria Ying

I love this series. I love all the characters. I just, I love them. Nothing more to say.

10. Pick your al time favourite OTP/s

I mean, there are so many! I would say maybe Feyre and Rhys. My babies.

Art by Charlie Bowater

Some other ships I absolutely love are Kaz and Inej from Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo.

Art by projectnelm

Will and Tessa from The Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare

Art by Taratjah

To name a few. I could go on and on naming OTPs and showing you pretty fanart, but this post is long enough as it is, so I will stop here.

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Feel free to do this tag if you want to. Let me know some of your ships, let me know if you agree or disagree with some of the things I said.