"All of our young lives we search for someone to love. Someone that makes us complete. We choose partners and change partners. We dance to a song of heartbreak and hope. All the while wondering if somewhere, somehow, there's someone perfect who might be searching for us."
The most indomitable of story telling romantics is the idea of one utter perfect specimen who is your ultimate match. Perhaps they will have everything in common with you and share your dreams. Often
Love at First Sight comes into play when the persion is
beautiful. Destiny or
The Power of Love are often invoked invoked to explain why that person is the way they are or how you met them.
Not to be confused with
One True Pairing which is what the fans want to happen. This only applies to examples where it's made clear and deliberate in the work, regardless of what the editor happens to ship and regardless of how
convinced you are.
Examples:
open/close all folders
Film - Live Action
- The Princess Bride: Buttercup and Westley
- Sleepless In Seattle: Lampshaded by Annie in one scene who says it is usually invoked as means of explaining all the romantic accidents. Played straight when she later goes along with the idea that Sam is the one anyway.
- When Harry Met Sally: Mentioned by Sally complains of a man she was interested in finding his perfect match. "He just met her... She's supposed to be his transitional person, she's not supposed to be the ONE."
- Enchanted: Prince Edward and Giselle believe they are each other's. But it's Robert who awakens Giselle.
Live Action TV
Literature
- Bella and Edward in Twilight are repeatedly stated to be this. Many have commented on how their relationship is unintentionally abusive, but if you accept from the word 'go' that they are each others's one true love, their behaviour towards each other is romantic. (If you don't, it looks a lot like stalking.)
- The intent behind an abusive behavior does not automatically make it non-abusive. How many domestic abusers tell their partners their controlling, conniving, violent ways are because "I love you"? It's still abuse.
- "Lifemates" in the Liaden Universe are rare but when they do happen, that 'verse's science of psionics can objectively verify it. (It is eventually revealed that this is due to genetic spiritual meddling by Sufficiently Advanced Aliens in the past, and there's a damn good reason why it always seems to happen to the "dramliz" and not anyone else.)
- In The Dilbert Future, Scott Adams Deconstructs the trope, pointing out that the One True Love is always within driving distance, and of the preferred gender, age, and species. And if the relationship doesn't work, the person usually will find their "True" One True Love under the same circumstances.
Webcomics
- In Homestuck, this is apparently one of the cornerstones of the troll concept of romance. While trolls change lovers around much like humans do, trolls all believe that they have one perfect person (or in one case, two perfect people) for each of the four quadrants of their romance (romantic love, romantic hate, romantic guardianship and romantic mediation). This is called Troll Serendipity (in reference to that specific movie).
