by Hailey Potter
Instead of going on about the holiday, I thought I’d focus on something completely silly but totally related to love…
OTPs!
For those of you who aren’t sure what exactly that means, that’s One True Pair. It’s what those of us obsessed with television, movies, and books call couples whose stories we just obsess over. This is a couple that you think are made for each other, and you hope to whatever higher power you believe in that they make it through the conflict of their storylines to find their ways to each other’s arms.
Now, a step down from that is a ship. A ship is a verb…. you ship two characters together. Sometimes, you’ll even hear people ship two real people. For this article though, I will be sticking to fictional characters.
So without further adieu, here is my personal Top Five OTPs…. in reverse order!
5. Angel and Cordelia Chase - Buffy the Vampire Slayer / Angel
Oh, I might be ruffling some feathers with this choice. Those of you who are familiar with the series are probably going, “Really? Out of all the couples in the Buffyverse? Out of all the women Angel has been with?” Hear me out, though!
I love who Cordelia became after she moved to Los Angeles in the spinoff series Angel. As much as I have loved and respected and even wanted to be Buffy over the years, Buffy didn’t have exactly the most graceful growth to maturity and adulthood. Cordelia, on the other hand, did. She sparkled in Los Angeles and really became a strong female character that I could look up to. Angel and Cordelia falling in love just seemed much more mature and older than any relationship Angel could have had with Buffy. I loved these two so much, and only wish I could have gotten a little bit more of the two together. The last two minutes of “You’re Welcome” still to this day breaks my heart.
This might be one of the more inspiring couples I’ve ever seen on television. These two were together for so long on the series that I can’t even remember Haley’s maiden name!
Haley and Nathan met when they were in high school. Haley was a tutor and Nathan, the basketball star of the school, needed help. He bullied her best friend Lucas, who was also Nathan's half brother. One of her stipulations was that Nathan had to be nice to Lucas. Somehow, Haley and Nathan were able to reconcile their differences, and the love he developed for Haley changed him into the great man he had in him all along, despite the negative influences from his misguided father. They soon married before they had even reached senior year of high school, and had their first child the day of high school graduation. They had their share of issues, but still wound up being the series’ longest and most solid couple. No matter what happened, they still ended the series being as happily married as they were in high school.
Also known as… Hailey’s current OTP. This is a brand new couple, and they may have a rocky road ahead of them, but I’m in love with them. They may not know it yet, but they are totally meant for each other. I think the fact that they both love sarcasm proves it! They have almost kissed many times now in the season and a half this show has existed, and I would be lying if I said I wasn’t screaming at the television every single time telling them to kiss.
Okay, so I know that people say these books aren’t about the love triangle and that you shouldn’t ship anything from this series, but I save my non-shipping series for Harry Potter. However, I’ve shipped these two since I found out he loved her in the book series. Ugh, just everything about them. She always said she didn’t want him, but I think her actions said something completely different. I also love the storyline of them being partners, allies, friends, and lovers, even before I was able to relate to it. Now that the movies have come out, the OTP has gotten even more serious. Mainly because Josh and Jennifer are just so beautiful together. I really enjoy these two.
For those of you who know me, this should be absolutely no surprise. Ugh, Dan and Blair, otherwise known as Dair. I’m already feeling ridiculous emotions over these two just from this picture. Basically, this was the best seven episodes EVER of this entire series for me. It was perfect. I loved these two. I love this scene. They went together like Peanut Butter and Jelly… perfect for each other. He understood her love for old movies, was intelligent, made her be the best version of herself…
I was so devastated when the (spoiler alert!) writers broke them up at end of season five that I couldn’t even finish that season. In fact, I put the entire series down for a year before I was finally able to allow myself to finish knowing that they were not endgame. It still bothers me up until today, and I’d like to pretend that last season (and the last episode of the fifth season, for that matter) never existed because of it.
Honorable Ships
Ben Wyatt and Leslie Knope - Parks and Recreation
Okay, so I’ve never even actually seen this show. I completely blame this ship on one Kadina Tigano, whose OTP is this couple. I follow her on Tumblr, and we are great friends, and this has rubbed off on me. Specifically, the recent gif and photosets of their trip to Paris together. Apparently, the lock put on Lovelock Bridge in Paris is still there, almost like they’re a real couple and not a fictional one. I died seeing that… Paris is so romantic, and that Lovelock Bridge… I so wanna go one day with my true love. And this couple completely makes me want to watch this show… in fact, it's totally first on the list if I ever get Netflix.
Yep, I’m throwing it back, way back. No, I’m not referring to the Disney movie where they decided to stray from the books ridiculously, especially for the sequel. I am referring to the series written by Meg Cabot. Mia and Michael were just perfect. He never really cared about her royalty; he loved her for who she really was. I have learned over the years that this is a great quality to have in a significant other. My only complaint for Mrs. Cabot is what she did to these two towards the end of the series. Heartwrenching! I cried! I won’t tell you the ending for these two in case you want to read it, but I really, really love these two.
What are your favorite ships or OTPs, HOL? Share them with me in the comment section below!