#poly day

[ongreenergrasses]

the definitive ot3: driftwood post. by ongreenergrasses

(disclaimer that I am not the authority or self proclaimed captain of this ship. however idk if anyone else is writing it consistently and so I Will be sharing thoughts, feel free to disagree and interpret how you choose 💜)

so the thing that compels me about my beloved ot3 driftwood (Finnick, Annie, and Johanna) is that every relationship between the three of them to me defies categorization. I can approximate what’s going on and try to sum it up, but really my best shot is just through description in my writing. their relationships are complex and fraught and messy and it’s beautiful because their consistent thread is their care for each other.

I love that throughout canon if we take the text at face value, Johanna and Annie are probably only once ever in the same place (on Johanna’s victory tour) and they didn’t know each other. the next time they’re together, they’re being tortured in the Capitol, and so really the first time they meet face to face knowing what they are to Finnick and to each other is in Thirteen. that to me as an arc is so compelling. the three of them are at one of if not the lowest points of their lives, and yet they finally get to all be together.

obviously Finnick and Annie’s relationship is All That. very codependent, very loving. I don’t think I need to go into it too much, we all know what’s happening there. at the same time, we get in cf the lines that drive me absolutely batshit insane that demonstrate that Annie isn’t the only person in Finnick’s life that he’s fully committed to.

Finnick looks at Johanna and raises his eyebrows. He will not go forward without her. (cf, 361)

to me, that shows the undeniable and all consuming importance that Johanna has to Finnick. he is ready to throw out his chance of getting out of the arena and his chance of ever seeing Annie again if Johanna is not comfortable and doesn’t want to move forward with the plan. they both know the consequences if they decide to do that, but Finnick still gives it as an option. that’s how important she is to him.

and I think Annie knows this! I think she knows how important Johanna is to Finnick and how tightly they’re intertwined! and she loves him, so I think she makes an enormous effort to get to know Johanna even though they never see each other and can never speak freely, not until they’re in Thirteen. I think their initial bond is very awkward and they’re both trying because they both love Finnick in their ways, and because they both worry about him, they have a great respect for each other and how committed the other is to supporting him. it’s a shaky foundation, and once they get to Thirteen, I think things remain tentative but I think they have an incredibly dynamic incredibly passionate sexual relationship.

returning to Finnick and Johanna…Finnick and Johanna. I think the closest I can get to describing them is qpps, but that doesn’t quite capture what’s happening. I think they do have sex as a comfort and friendly way to be close when they see each other in the Capitol, but I don’t think either of them are actually attracted to each other, and in a way it’s almost an elaborate self harm. once they get to Thirteen, they will sleep with Annie, but relatively quickly they stop directly touching each other besides providing grounding and comfort. but they are so deeply intertwined. I think they are incredibly similar, far more similar than either of them are to Annie, and that similarity breeds an incredible closeness but also a tension because it is painful for them to recognize themselves in each other. they have a very strong and intricate bond.

and the three of them together have something just crackling and insane and vibrant. it’s really fun to try to capture, and I don’t know if I have yet to my liking. but join me…afaik I’ve read every fic for the pairing (admittedly haven’t checked in a couple months BUT), both the & and / tags, and I would love to get more people working with them as an ot3.

also I feel this post would not be complete without plugging my ot3 fics of various forms, lol

grab my attention by the throat

Pateticheskaya

taconite (series, soon to be complete)

anger//honey

the s’s (series, explicit)

[trouples-or-polyam-are-besties]

HAPPY NOV/23 POLYAMORY DAY!!!

FOR ALL MULTISHIPPER, RAREPAIRS AND POLYSHIPPER!

[missmuffinisthemelonlordofhades]

Aye it's poly day so celebrate all the beautiful poly relationships! (And of course i tag @penguinpiebooks and @whereissoniaofficial because i love them very much and conflict and jealousy are not a thing when we all share this beautiful unbreakable bond that is goals af)

[ongreenergrasses]

Along the lines of pathetic!finnick. I just know Annie and johann have girlhood time where they just yap or bond over something together and when finnick is desperate to join in but they just give him a look up and down

OH see you’re hitting on like one of my favorite elements of this dynamic which is that honestly, I think Annie and Johanna can make each other really mean! In many ways I see them feeding off each other and one of those ways is if they get started being catty and unpleasant and judgmental, they just ramp each other up. now girlhood time and bonding just the two of them is not being mean, I’m not saying that, but I do think they’d absolutely exclude Finnick a lot once they meet and in other situations just give him the patented look of disdain.

and I think in most situations that would be like. a turn off. a red flag. a problem. but because Finnick’s self esteem is so bad, I actually think he dislikes when they’re overly nice and attentive and caring with him, it makes him unbalanced and uncomfortable. he likes it when they’re just. mean and awful sometimes. to him, towards other people, what have you. this is for very complex emotional reasons that I will not bore you with here but could very much write about with great joy

anyway I doubt this was supposed to be an ot3 ask but I turned it into one, sorry lol. love this idea I subscribe to it

[ongreenergrasses]

@earthsmightiestdorks I think my ask box has a vendetta against you

I have not heard of a sedoretu before but MAN I’m glad to hear of it now!! also wish I was in a fic exchange where we’ve got poly fills, how fun! (I eschew discord so I miss out on a lot of fandom events)

I love this idea of Gale and Madge bonding specifically over their closeness with Katniss. I’ve never really gotten Gadge but I can see how their knowing her and missing her while she’s in the Games is something that could bring them closer, maybe even comfort. and the dynamics in this would be really interesting bc I don’t read fic about teenagers (hence not reading Games fics) but I LOVE madniss because of their clear love for each others company and the deep sense of trust there, and I wonder if that intimacy would have a new and positive impact on the relationships they have with the boys.

WELL if you want odesta advice. I sure love to talk about odesta constantly lol but I absolutely am obsessed with Finnick/Gale. some of the best fics I’ve read in the fandom are for that pairing, absolutely excellent writing and character work. the role that comes to mind for Annie for this personally is a really fascinating one as well…I see your vision but I also am really drawn to the idea of her being platonic with Gale and Katniss (for narrative purposes, but also down to some personal things that squick me hardcore, it’s not a reflection of your ideas). I also love that you’ve included platonic relationships in this grouping as well, it’s so important and it’s how I see one relationship in my beloved ot3, driftwood, taking shape.

[ongreenergrasses]

fuck it. ot3 day. poly day. send me your asks and thoughts on your favorite ot3 configurations (or nonmonogamous ones) in thg and maybe if I have time I’ll outline my Lore for beloved ot3 driftwood because I don’t think it’s been made clear how I see that working and I would love to talk about it

[ongreenergrasses]

tumblr ate my ask last time so let me try this again

okay! so I have a handful of thg polycule ideas I’d like to explore, but my two favorites are asterid/burdock/haymitch and madge/delly/katniss. I’ve talked about both to op in dms… but for everyone else…

I’ll start with the one that I believe to be a little easier to grasp: asterid/burdock/haymitch.

their relationship is a tragic one. after the games and his family/gf’s deaths, asterid and burdock come to check on haymitch. he’s not doing well. rather than kicking them out, however, in this version of the story he—at the peak of his grief, pain, and loneliness—lets them in. things start out innocent enough, but these are all teenagers who are very much not equipped to handle this sort of thing, so the nature of the relationship changes quickly. asterid and burdock care for haymitch deeply, always checking in on him and bringing him little gifts. as this initial grief and pain wears off and the loneliness starts to disappear—thanks to burdock and asterid’s persistence—haymitch realizes it’s not safe to have them here. he cares about them deeply though, and their company is so nice, so it’s hard to let them go. slowly, he grows closer and more distant until eventually—maybe after the 51st games/a meeting with snow (though maybe not because that might get into some chosen one katniss shit)—he kicks them out for good, after a very intense screaming match.

it hurts burdock and asterid a lot. burdock never does forgive haymitch, but asterid—who herself struggles with mental health issues—is a little more sympathetic. eventually, she does come back to him. they bump into each other a few times over the years—maybe even catching her at her lowest point and offering help in his own way—but they don’t start becoming friends again until after katniss wins the games. maybe more in the post-canon, they get romantically involved again? I’m definitely using this in my backstory for live to fight another day—which is my haymitch/asterid post-canon fic.

that’s all for this one! madge/delly/katniss is going to take a bit more explaining, so I’ll save that for a second ask. stay tuned!

this is absolutely stunning I just love it. I absolutely see the vision, this is such an intimate ot3 with so much kindness and love and understanding, it’s absolutely overflowing with that. I also love ot3s where one person is absent, either through living in a different place or death or other circumstances (kind of obviously lol) and yet their presence is always felt. that’s a kind of love too and it’s something I relate to not in a romantic sense but with those I have lost.

anyway this one to me is just primed for high romance. I did love the glimpses of Burdock and Asterid we got in sotr and have read some wonderful fics about them, I’m excited to see what you come up with and might throw my hat in the ring someday!

[ongreenergrasses]

alright now, onto the one that might need a little more explanation: madge/delly/katniss

I am telling y’all, they are SO SWEET in my mind. I’ve recently dabbled into madge/delly (yes I will get back to that fic eventually) and adding katniss to the mix has entered my mind recently.

it starts after katniss gets reaped. madge goes back to sitting alone at lunch, which catches the eye of delly. delly, the sweet soul she is, asks if madge would like some company. madge is more reserved than delly and a bit intimidated by her, but she humors delly, appreciating her gesture. over time, madge finds delly to be good company: warm and inviting. over time, delly helps bring madge out of her shell, and madge is the most attentive pair of ears delly’s ever had.

as the games unfold, delly (who is bi) realizes madge has feelings for katniss. she helps madge figure herself out and the fact that they’re both queer allows them to grow even closer.

by the time katniss returns from the games, delly and madge are friends. eventually, madge has the idea of formally introducing katniss and delly. katniss has been through a lot, and madge thinks katniss could use a bright, cheerful person in her life like delly.

it’s slow to start. I like to say delly has loud autism and katniss has quiet autism, which causes them to clash, but madge is a good middle ground. they both value madge as a friend so they try to make it work, and eventually they do. katniss, delly, and madge all like music (the singer, dancer, and pianist), katniss gathers plants and berries that delly can use to create makeup, they choreograph silly little dances, madge makes them all outfits and delly makes shoes… it’s nice. there’s lots of gift giving in this dynamic, haha!

I think delly and madge both had crushes going in. it’s some time during cf when they start to kinda have feelings for each other. all three spend so much time together, though, it’s hard to tell. katniss is going to take a while anyway. I’m not quite sure when madge and delly fully get together just yet.

delly and madge both keep katniss company in the time leading up to qq3. they both make it to thirteen. I’m not sure what delly does in thirteen… maybe a teacher’s apprentice? madge becomes a medic. katniss’ problems don’t magically go away but the girls being there certainly does help.

surprisingly, it’s delly who is the first to express her concern about katniss and peeta as a couple—despite being supportive early on. katniss and peeta have some history, but a bulk of the time they got to know each other together was in the arena. how much of their relationship is genuine and how much of it is influenced by the capitol? how much of it is out of obligation and/or familiarity rather than genuine connection? from there, madge joins in with her own concerns. can katniss say her future life goals align with peeta’s? does she have the mental fortitude to deal with everything he’s been through on top of her own trauma? she also reassures katniss that it’s okay if she can’t! she’s only one person and one person who has her own issues, too. she can be there to support him without being romantically involved.

katniss isn’t the most receptive to this in the moment. it causes a lot of tension. even so, when everything’s over, she allows them both to live with and take care of her.

the polycule doesn’t become a thing until after the war. it takes katniss some time, a few mistakes, and help from her friends to realize maybe they’d been right in thirteen. I’m not really sure how they all get together either. they all spend so much time together it just sort of happens. it’s slow, though. katniss has a lot of healing to do after the war. they all do.

as you can see, I have a lot of details I need to fill in. I have a lot of melly and everseewright ideas in my head, but a lot of missing threads to go along with them. nevertheless, I hope y’all understand and enjoy the basic concept!

what I like about this one is how character driven it is…we know so little about Madge and Delly canonically but we do know what Katniss sees in them, and how complimentary she is of them plus the character traits we do get makes me think the three of them would complement each other very well. it’s a group very based in that meeting and clashing of the personalities so I think there’s lots of potential there AND another thing I love is that there is such an undercurrent of respect in this. I don’t necessarily think a fake group of people needs to build a relationship on respect, but it adds realism imo and it’s just nice to think about