yanno, i love this post like burning, and i totally agree. maybe i take fanfic too seriously when really it's typically a playpen for little kids as a general rule, BUT it bothers and bores me to no end when a promising pairing or group relationship falls into any of those awkward set ups. I think it's really hard to find a group of characters or author that can pull it off- the most common OT3 i've managed to see done well is the Eliot/Hardison/Parker triad from Leverage (see pic lol). It helps that they get grouped together in the show and that they have fantastic balance and practical working-well-together chemistry. Also Hardison/Parker are canon, but in an awkwardly realistic way that makes it as confusing as real life relationships. And all three interact one on one with each other really well, which is one of the biggest problems i notice in those kinds of fics- the author obviously thinks of the group as a porn-tastic whole as opposed to individuals who might have to interact with each other and have separate and personal relationships outside of the bedroom. I'd much prefer to read a story that gets into the problems that come alone with that kind of complex relationship as well as the good parts, as opposed to some flat-lined story that doesn't seem very... human, i guess. =/
thanks for voicing all the complaints i have in my own head, it makes them seem so much less ridiculous. =) who says you can't have standards for fanfic?