What Does BroTP Mean?
AbbreviationA portmanteau of 'bro' and 'OTP': a fan's favorite platonic relationship. Where an OTP is the pairing you ship romantically, a BroTP is the friendship you cherish exactly as friends.
BroTP in Practice
BroTP emerged as fandom vocabulary expanded beyond romance, giving fans a way to flag passionate investment in a bond without implying a ship. Despite the 'bro,' usage long ago expanded past male pairs — any beloved friendship, sibling bond, or mentor-student duo can be a BroTP. The term does useful social work: declaring a pair your BroTP in tags or conversation signals 'I love their dynamic, do not expect shipping from me,' which matters in fandoms where the same two characters are also a major romantic ship. Some fans maintain the same pair as both OTP and BroTP across different fics, enjoying each register separately.
Example usage
"They are my ultimate BroTP and I will read 50k of them running a food truck together, zero romance required."
Related Terms
OTP (One True Pairing)
A fan's ultimate favorite ship — the pairing they're most emotionally invested in. The term is one of fandom's most widely recognized acronyms, used far beyond fic circles.
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Bromance
An intensely close friendship between male characters, celebrated as a platonic bond. In fandom it marks works or dynamics where the male closeness is the point, without romance.
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Gen
Fic without a romantic or sexual focus — stories centered on friendship, family, adventure, or character work. One of AO3's relationship categories, alongside F/M, M/M, F/F, Multi, and Other.
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Found Family
The trope of unrelated characters becoming family in every way that matters — chosen bonds replacing or repairing the ones biology and canon failed to provide. One of fandom's most cherished emotional registers.
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NOTP
A pairing a fan actively dislikes — the anti-OTP. Where an OTP is the ship of your heart, a NOTP is the one you scroll past, filter out, or rant about to trusted friends.
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