Why Settle for Two When You Can Have Three?

I don’t know if there’s simply recently been more call and appreciation for OT3s, or I simply started noticing them since I’ve fallen into a bit of an OT3 hole myself.

What is OT3, you might ask – well, you probably already know OTP, or One True Pairing, but what do you do when you can’t decide between two angles of a love triangle because they just all work together so well? Well, you turn to OT3s, or One True Trios/Threes/Something? (I’m not actually sure, I’m just assuming with some of this).

Anyway, I think this is an awesome compromise. You see, for me, OT3 is all about love and friendship. Much of the time, the reason I can’t always decide is because I love the relationships between everyone involved, not just one person. It’s not just the object of love and their relationship with each suitor – oftentimes, the suitors can have interesting dynamics. Or, there might not be a romance at all, but you know there should be, you just can’t quite decide. Or, there’s a couple you love, but there’s a third person who isn’t really a third wheel but belongs with them.

The Man From U.N.C.L.E. anyone?

Many authors and Hollywood people aren’t willing to make the jump to polyamory and whatnot, so that’s when we turn to fanfiction and the wonderful fandom in general. Tumblr is your friend, believe me.

I can’t talk about OT3s without highlighting some of my favorite, right? And, I couldn’t just stop at books – let’s look at all the fabulous OT3s out there!

My True One True Trios

    
source

>> Gaby Teller x Illya Kuryakin x Napoleon Solo

This is one of the inspirations for this post, for sure. I love this movie (I need all the sequels, and I’m actually not kidding when I say that I’ll be devastated if that doesn’t happen), and I love the dynamics between these three. There’s tons of flirtiness between Gaby and Illya, but plenty of people catch onto the Ho-Yay between Illya and Napoleon. I think there’s always an awesome friendship between Gaby and Napoleon, and of course that could always be interpreted as more, so why not just say that these awesome three need to be together? I NEED ALL THE ADVENTURES. I am loving all the fanfiction – whether they’re OT3 or Gaby/Illya (not super interested in Illya/Napoleon alone because I WANT MY GABY), there are still plenty of Gaby x Illya x Napoleon feels, romantic or platonic.

source

>> Evie O’Neill x Jericho Jones x Sam Lloyd

Here’s my literary go-to when I think of books. I’m not sure I’ve ever felt so conflicted about two love interests before. Evie is such a vibrant and amazing character on her own, and I feel like both boys bring great things to her character and life. Sam really understands Evie, from her party ways to her darker side. Jericho understands her darker side in a different way and is like a safe haven where Evie can go, while still being a very complicated presence in her life. I also really appreciate the friendship between the boys – Jericho might be a begrudging part of their friendship, but they obviously depend on each other. Sam might seem like the type of guy who wouldn’t care too much about “stealing” the girl from Jericho, but I really think he does. OT3s are strongest when there are amazing friendships between everyone involved in the relationship.

 
 
 
source

>> Parker x Alec Hardison x Eliot Spencer

Thank you, Ion, for having reruns of Leverage every Saturdays – I definitely need to watch all of these episodes! Parker and Hardison have an awesome friendship that’s obviously something more (and does become more, I believe, but I haven’t seen all the episodes yet), but I also love having Eliot thrown into the mix. These three are meant to be a trio, platonic or otherwise.

source

>> James Potter x Lily Evans x Sirius Black

JAMES AND LILY FOREVER! That being said, though, it’s interesting when Sirius is also thrown into the mix. I mean, think about it – he and James are the ultimate duo in crime, with or without the rest of the Marauders, and you know there had to be some growing pains when Lily came into the mix. Based on the letter Harry finds from her to Sirius in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, though, they obviously became closer, and there could be some great stories with the three of them. Lily and Sirius stories can be interesting as well, but too often they demonize James in order to tear Lily away from him or have angsty drama about finding out, so it’d be much easier if they all got together and were happy – death, what death?

 
 
source

>> Lydia Martin x Stiles Stilinski x Scott McCall

There needs to be fanart or something of this trio – all I could find were the actors. Anyway, the Lydia-Stiles relationship gives me life, but the Lydia-Scott relationship can be just as interesting, and Scott and Stiles also have a beautiful friendship, so why not throw them all together? Forget about other people (except Allison, Allison can come back to life and join in and make this into an OT4), these three need to be together and happy without any supernatural danger plaguing them.

The Possibilities

 
source (illustration) & source (aesthetics)

>> Gemma Doyle x Kartik x Felicity Worthington

I don’t quite know why, but this popped into my head when I was writing this post. I need to reread the books before I say anything for sure, but I’ve always found the Gemma-Felicity friendship intriguing and check out the odd fanfiction with them. That being said, Gemma and Kartik are awesome, so I wouldn’t mind everyone coming together and being awesome together – forget about the ending of The Sweet Far Thing.

 
source

>> Clarke Griffin x Bellamy Blake x Raven Reyes

I am totally a Clarke and Bellamy fan (but no spoilers, I’m behind!), but I also love the Clarke and Raven friendship – this needs to get more focus again. These three together are awesome, and they should all be working together rather than thrown into other storylines – bring back the focus on the Delinquents!

source

>> Harry Potter x Hermione Granger x Ron Weasley

I’m not sure that I’m interested in this as a romantic relationship, but I love their friendship. I mean, they’re the freaking Golden Trio! Hermione and Ron have a pretty great, if tumultuous, relationship, Ron and Harry are obviously brothers in everything but blood, and I’m often intrigued by the Harry-Hermione relationship, even if I’m ultimately happy with the Ron-Hermione and Harry-Ginny marriages. Basically, I just need everything Harry Potter.

Do you have any favorite trios, romantic or otherwise? Because we obviously need more of them in our life!