We have a lot of OTPs (One True Pairings) here at Tor, but today, we’re here to talk about our ULTIMATE OTPs. We asked our staff to tell us about their favorite TDA ships and they delivered.
Check them out below!
Samantha Friedlander, Marketing Assistant (she/her)
My favorite TDA OTP would have to be Esther and Cye from Upright Women Wanted by Sarah Gailey. Their chemistry leapt off the page and was one of the many reasons why I loved this novella!
Yvonne Ye, Ad/Promo Assistant (she/her)
The Stormlight Archive: I ship Kaladin/therapy, and if you’ve met the man, you’ll understand why
Alternatively! For the Teixcalaan duology by Arkady Martine, I ship Three Seagrass/Mahit Dzmare because I support beleaguered bureaucrat 4 beleagured bureaucrat :))))) If your OTP doesn’t have email work sessions together, do they even love each other?
a cat, Marketing Coordinator (he/him)
My TDA OTP is a match made in magic hell and it’s Talasseres Charossa from The Unspoken Name by A. K. Larkwood and John Gaius from Harrow the Ninth. Tal is a rogue with a thing for garbage wizards and John Gaius, the Emperor Undying, is the garbage-ist wizard of all. This pairing is literally cursed, but so potent it must be true.
Anna Merz, Publicity Assistant (she/her)
I would like to start this off by saying I for one ship the Marketing and Publicity teams at TDA xoxo
But also I mega ship Samson and Abitha from Slewfoot. A wholesome Monster/devil love of flower crowns, bees, and revenge.
Becky Yeager, Manager of Ad/Promo & Marketing (she/her)
Kadou and Evemer from A Taste of Gold and Iron by Alexandra Rowland
One is a prince. The other one is a bodyguard. Could I make it any more obvious? Prince Kadou is kind, thoughtful, and anxious. Evemer is loyal, honorable, and reserved. Together they are everything I want out of a couple: a perfect balance of sweet and oh no, he’s hot. They bring out the very best in each other as they contend with conspiracies, a counterfeit crisis, and the periodic assassination attempt. If slow burn and pining are your cup of tea, then look no further than A Taste of Gold and Iron.
Rachel Taylor, Marketing Manager (she/her)
Definitely Caethari and Velasin from A Strange and Stubborn Endurance by Foz Meadows. Arranged marriage trope? Queer romance? Yearning? WHAT MORE COULD I WANT?!?!?!
What is your SFF OTP? Let us know in the comments?
From GLORY ROAD (Robert A. Heinlein): Star and Oscar … with their occasional assists from too-often overlooked Rufo. Heck, all this and an Igli-killing to boot?
Malini and Priya from The Jasmine Throne!!! I’m not sure if I’m fully understanding the assignment here, but this book is one of the best I’ve read in a long time and I want to read about Malini and Priya all the time. They both have incredibly strong personalities, but come from such different worlds. The scenes in this book between Malini and Priya had me squealing and sometimes throwing my book across the room. Queer love, magic, fantastic character development, thrilling adventures that all take place in the grand epics and histories of India… its just so very very good.
Just read book one of WoT and have to say Nynaeve and Lan. So much potential!
William Mandella and Marygay Potter in Joe Haldeman’s THE FOREVER WAR.
Not on your list yet, but I’m most excited about Scorpica: Book 1 in The Five Queendoms Series. What happens in a matriarchal world when girls stop being born? 2.22.22
I ship Kaladin/happiness since he is currently inventing therapy. I feel like if he ever was in any kind of relationship, it would be with Syl, but I’m not sure if that’s even possible. Kaladin/hugs is also acceptable.
THIS! all this! So much THIS!
THANK YOU for this! <3
Kaladin/happiness, Kal/forgiveness, Kal/hugs…boy needs SOMETHING!
Kal/Syl has a major ick factor for me, though. I just feel there’s way too much sibling-BFF energy there. But it’s a popular ship, so maybe I’m the one who’s wrong!
Teraeth, Kihrin and Janel from the A Chorus of Dragons series.
FYI, it’s spelled Faile, not Fail.
I am a longtime journalist and writer and I find it annoying when web sites use in-house, shorthand, insider language. While the acronym OTP is made somewhat clear in the first graph, it is not explained. What’s paired? Is that a term of art for couples in love? Probably. My first thought was that pairs of books were being recommended. Also, after digging on your site I believe TDA is an acronym for the name of the publisher. There are more than 20,000 publishers in the world. If you’re going to use an acronym, qualify it. Nonetheless, thanks for the recommendations.
Thank-you and Amen! I was shaking my head and running through all of mine (acronyms) and the Original Top Post was the one first surfacing.
I agree, and I couldn’t figure out what a One Time Password and a Tax Deferred Annuity had to do with any of this.
By the way, as a journalist you should know OTP and TDA are initialisms, not acronyms. If you say the letters individually, it’s an initialism. If you pronounce it as a word, then it’s an acronym.
“OTP” is a huge thing in lit fandom in general, so I give them a pass on this.
“One true pairing” is the reader’s idea of what duo should definitely, absolutely, 100% happen, with no regard for whether it did or will happen. Now you know!
Thursday Next and Landon Parke-Laine is one of my favorites. I like how the series follows them over decades and you get to see their relationship at different stages. Once they’ve gotten back together at the end of the first book, their relationship survives all of the increasingly bizarre elements of Thursday’s job, the everyday stress of caring for children, Landon being temporarily erased from existence.
Aral & Cordelia from the Vorkosigan Saga! The Count and his dear Captain are just so completely starry-eyed for each other and in awe of each other, and they support each other so well! Even in their later years they’re the very embodiment of a power couple – and they manage to raise one hell of a kid, too.
Desslok (Dessler)/Starsha (Stasha) from the Star Blazers/Space Battleship Yamato IP. Always has been. Always will be.
Gen and Attolia in ‘The Queen’s Thief ‘ series by Megan Whalen Turner
My favourite couple in my favourite series. Always
Dragos and Pia in Thea Harrison’s Elder Races series. He’s a powerful dragon and King of the Wyr (shifters). She’s a shifter of a type that is mostly not discussed because she’d so rare. What I love is how her love brings out the best in him.
Rafael and Elena from Nalini Singh’s Guild Hunter series.
Curran and Kate from the Kate Daniels books.
@Lunasariel: I ship Aral and Cordelia, too.
I strongly endorse Christopher Morgan’s shining of a Valentine’s Day spotlight upon Croaker and the Lady from “The Black Company”. The only fan fiction I ever wrote featured those two at a disco, with Croaker clinging like an acerbic wallflower to the bar, whilst Lady dominated the dance floor with a rendition of “I Will Survive” aimed at her Ex (the vanquished Dark Lord of a previous, never-to-be-written trilogy).
Stormlight: Kaladin/Syl. HA! 😛
Hawk and Fisher… through all the hells and murder mysteries that the City Guard must solve, their love is true and constant.
What does TDA stand for? Also, thanks for explaining what OTP stands for.
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