#Like they would have such a complex and dynamic relationship

[8auhaus]

In Defense of Calypso, an essay on Rick Riordan’s daughter of Atlas.

(Note: I will not be discussing the characterization of Calypso or the dynamic between Calypso and Leo Valdez within Trials of Apollo, as I believe they were unsuccessfully written to follow the bickering couple trope. I feel similarly towards the characterization of Nico di Angelo and Will Solace and their relationship in The Sun and the Star, and I feel it unfair to judge the dynamic that was written to mimic the popularity of Percabeth.)

“I'm coming back for you Calypso," he said to the night wind. "I swear on the river Styx. (House of Hades)

Ogygia exits in a pocket of time, similar to the Lotus Casino that trapped Nico di Angelo as eleven years old for decades. When reading a book, you have to remember the context in which it was written; It is unfair and frankly illiterate behavior to justify your hatred for innocent writing by warping the context of a children’s book. Rick Riordan, as senseless as his modern characterizations of the PJO cast are, would not write one of his few romantic relationships involving a main character to be predatory. Young adult fantasy has a target audience of people as young as 12 years old, who (in most cases) would not be able to derive insightful commentary with such extreme and complex dynamics. Instead, the characters and relationships presented should follow a storyline that focuses on relatable teenage experiences with a narration that reflects adolescent thought processes. A pedophilic character and a predatory relationship dynamic is a trope that is generally considered too graphic to successfully write within a series such as Percy Jackson and the Olympians. Instead, the relationship between Calypso and Leo is supposed to be an optimistic end to two characters who have dealt with longstanding heartache and loneliness. It can be considered an undermining of satisfactory character development, as having a character who struggles with loneliness find peace in being alone in a world that emphasizes the absolute necessity of alloromantic relationships would be a unique ending to the story and important messaging that romantic relationships do not “fix” a person. However, bashing Calypso for the profitable route that the author decided to follow (which is understandable, as the success of his previous novels within fandoms was partially because of the popularity of the romantic relationship between Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase (or “Percabeth”)) is not intelligent media consumption.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians emphasizes an overarching message of disability, how a person may struggle with disability in a world that doesn’t accommodate them, and how disability limiting a person’s abilities does not limit their character. The series is fundamentally a commentary on disability and trauma, as it was written to engage and represent Rick Riordan’s son who struggled with ADHD and dyslexia. While our main cast similarly struggles with these same two disorders, characters like Tyson, Nico di Angelo, and Leo Valdez are written more intentionally to represent disabilities such as Down syndrome and Autism Spectrum Disorder respectively. As the series develops, we see themes of trauma and long-lasting consequences of psychological and emotional distress, as it is assumed that the audience ages with the series and can digest mature themes more successfully. Calypso, because of her centuries-long isolation and repeated heartbreak resulting from the only close relationships she manages to develop, struggles with abandonment issues. It is not a stretch to say she may also struggle with social cues, similar to how a neurodivergent person may struggle to understand what behaviors are appropriate or not. To call her “mean,” “toxic,” “abusive,” or anything along these lines undermines the trauma responses Rick has made the effort to represent. Instead, it stands to demonize people with mental illness, assuming that their struggles define who they are and the relationships they have. The treatment Calypso receives for her trauma-based behavior is not applied to the male cast of characters, assumedly because of the standards misogyny has created for all women, even fictional.

Referencing the aforementioned defense of her “bad” behavior, many have criticized Calypso because of the curse she unintentionally placed on Annabeth which is seen in the House of Hades.

“We did nothing, the demons said. Your beloved has unleashed a special curse—a bitter thought from someone you abandoned. You punished an innocent soul by leaving her in solitude. Now her most hateful wish has come to pass: Annabeth feels her despair. She, too, will perish alone and abandoned.” (House of Hades, pg. 235)

However, it should be considered that, before Annabeth and Percy Jackson (and Nico di Angelo), no demigod had traveled to Tartarus, never mind surviving it. The demon encountered by the duo was not a common enemy, but a monster that could only be encountered within such a deep part of the underworld. Calypso, rightful in her bitterness though not in who she blamed for it, could not have assumed that Annabeth would encounter the Arai and suffer at their hands. (Note: this is assuming that Calypso had intentionally placed this curse, as it is equally likely that it was an unintentional manifestation of negative emotions)

According to a poll conducted by the Tumblr blog riordanverse-ship-polls, 93.9% of 346 voters feel, neutral or positively towards the ship between Leo Valdez and Jason Grace. 49.4% of these voters state Valgrace as their OTP or one true pairing. Additionally, the Valgrace tag on Tumblr has 2.1 thousand followers, and the tag that marks a romantic relationship between the two on Archive of Our Own has 1,651 fanfictions written (as of February 17, 2025). It is not unfair to assume that this pairing is popular within the fandom. This begs the question— how many people express hatred towards Calypso and her relationship with Leo Valdez because they would prefer a relationship between Leo and Jason? When scrolling through the Caleo tag on Tumblr, the Valgrace tag makes an impressive number of appearances. It is a common experience to see female characters hated in a movie, television show, book series, etc. because they “get in the way of” a ship between two men. It is a result of deeply rooted misogyny within fandom culture, which believes that male characters and relationships between men are inherently more complex than female characters and female relationships. This is not intended to be an absolute opinion, but instead a question that I ask every Valgrace shipper— are you holding female characters, specifically Calypso, to the same degree of morality that you hold the male characters? (Note: I do not intend to bash Valgrace or Valgrace shippers, but seeing the loud minority of them post Valgrace and anti-Calypso/anti-Caleo content under the Caleo tags is beyond frustrating. Ship and let ship!)

I believe I have addressed the reoccurring arguments in opposition to the ship between Calypso and Leo Valdez from Rick Riordan’s “Hero of Olympus” series, and those who incorrectly label Calypso as a mean, toxic, or abusive character. Greek Mythology does not allow for characters to be strictly “good” or “bad,” but instead allows readers to see the complexity of each action and its consequence. Though written for a younger audience, the same level of understanding must be given to the characters of the Riordanverse series.

(Please note, I am a 17 year old with limited experience with academic writing. Any constructive criticisms are welcomed, but I ask that you be considerate when disagreeing.)

[almostdeath]

I like the idea that Quackity and Schlatt basically switched places after Schlatts death. Not only from the point of Quackity getting back habits like gamble, drugs, alcohol/smoking but even the color palette. The Manberg Era Schlatt is usually portrayed with many red colors, while Manberg Era Quackity has dominant blue colors. While Las Nevadas Quackity has red colors as the dominant ones. We don't have a real Canon Glatt design, but I think the blue sweater would be perfect to indicate them switching places.

Add the way their focus changed. Glatt is way more friendly and desperate for the contact, while still saying comments about Qs body that may come across as...insensitive at best. (If he actually believes that Quackity sees them as jokes or not is uncertain) Quackity is more vocal about now being a busy man, having a lot of buisness going on, which sort of reminds of Schlatts behavior during the Manberg Era.

It's just...so fascinating....And to think how they would interact if Schlatt would get revived. Because Quackity just isn't the same person anymore.

They would be toxic. They would be both bad people...but honestly, them fueling each other's terrible behavior would be some complex relationship dynamic. They can get better...or get much worse together and I would love to see that ship sink.

They can drink and watch the nukes hit the ground.

[verafranks]

Relationships I would’ve preferred to see in Veilguard; {warning, there will be spoilers for the game} [also note that I haven’t finished veilguard yet, Elgar’nan just resurrected his dragon in my playthrough] <also, also note that I don’t necessarily think there should be non-rook relationships for all of these characters, but these are the ones I like better than what we got> {also, also, also note that as I play more of the game, I’m starting to prefer the idea that the Veilguard companions are just one big polycule with Rook in the center and their own complex interactions around that primary relationship}

Bellara and Neve; (I only just got to the funeral part, so Bellara calling them sisters might make this weird, but meh, it’s been in my brain for more than 80 hours, so one line isn’t going to change it any time soon). I think Bellara’s happy go lucky and optimistic personality would be good for Neve, while Neve’s more down to earth and realistic personality would help keep Bellara grounded. I also think it would be easier for Bellara to relocate to Minrathous and still be able to do the things she loves because we all know Neve can’t be pried out of that city for anything short of the end of the world (and even that won’t be enough to impress her a second time).

Lucanis and Emmrich; I love their banter and I hate who they end up with in game if not with Rook. I think Lucanis would do a great job helping Emmrich come to terms with his fear of death and Emmrich is already doing, but could do so much more, with helping Lucanis come to terms with his feelings and what happened to him. Plus, they’d both romance the hell out of each other, and that’s what they both need. Their in game partners are the easy way out for both of them. Neve and Lucanis would never truly open up to each other and neither could leave their city, so their relationship would fizzle out from too much time away and not enough connection (lovers to roommates to nothing). Strife is too hard for Emmrich and wouldn’t be able to be the emotional safe space he needs.

Taash and Davrin (or Lace and Taash and Davrin); I know I’m going to get a lot of heat for this one (no pun intended), but I’m kind of sick of every AFAB non binary or FTM person ending up with a woman because it all boils down to the idea that masculine energy needs feminine energy, which is bullshit. (I also get that someone who is AFAB ending up with a man doesn’t feel like good representation) Don’t get me wrong, Lace and Taash’s relationship is growing on me, but I kind of love Taash and Davrin’s dynamic more. He’s always treated Taash as capable and equal and, as far as I’ve seen, hasn’t had any hang ups about their gender expression. I like that they have monster/dragon hunting in common. I like that they’re similar in personality but different in how the express themselves. I always feel like Taash and Lace are one argument away from crashing out, while I think Davrin would take Taash’s anger in stride, be there while they feel their feelings, and then help them through the other side. NGL though, I’m starting to think the three of them together might be a pretty good relationship dynamic too.

Lace and someone from the Inquisition; I don’t actually have anyone in mind here, but our poor girl Lace misses home. I think she would do well with someone from the Inquisition who can commiserate with her about what happened but still have her experiences be unique. Maybe they came up with the Inquisitor and that’s how it all starts.

Lace and Stalgard; she wants a deeper connection with the dwarves…need I say more? They’d also make the cutest ginger babies!

[sainteclectic]

this is something I've been thinking about a lot, actually! I think cjshipping works best as a content warning tag for people who don't want to see romantic content. because there's plenty of reasons why someone might not be personally comfortable with romantic ships, and in general, people don't need a specific reason for why they feel icked out by it!

my main issue is when people use it as an indicator of like... morality, I guess? or when people assume specific things in art {like kissing, cuddling, etc.} automatically need to be tagged as cjship. I don't have any issue with it as a general content tag, my issue is mostly with how it's treated as an objective dichotomy rather than a subjective content warning for those who need it

what I personally do is tag them with the ship name but not as jashipping! I've also seen people use "platonic [x]" in their tags, which I also like. it's difficult to make a uniform tagging system for something this complex, but like you said, the binary idea of ship/not ship is pretty reductive. so having tags for if a ship is romantic/platonic/etc would be helpful!

I think those tags should stay for those who need to block romantic content, but that people should be able to tag/use ship names without the ship being seen as romantic. and generally, people should expand their definition of what ships and relationship dynamics can be beyond just romance. but obviously I'm not any sort of authority on what people tag their content as, this is just my speculation on what might work best for both parties :-)

+ since it's aro awareness week, I'll finally unleash that rant on why the state of shipping discourse in this fandom bothers me

disclaimer that i am not saying you can't be uncomfortable with jashshipping!! I don't really like romantic shipping in this fandom either. this is just a commentary on the culture surrounding this discourse and fandom shipping in general. OK LET'S GO.

I've noticed this weird distinction people make between platonic and romantic art in regards to what gets the "jashshipping" tag added. it's also incredibly arbitrary what kinds of posts are considered "jashshipping" - is a qpr jashshipping? why not? they're in a relationship. why does it matter if it's romantic or not? why is romance the only kind of shipping seen as valid, either positively or negatively?

on a personal level, I feel this pressure to always clarify that I'm not talking about romantic pairings. qprs, close friendships and relationship anarchy in general aren't seen as jashshipping, and it feels like I need to preemptively devalue my queerplatonic ships by saying they "don't really count." I need to be careful about my work not being "too romantic" or people assume I'm "jashshipping." i just find it demeaning as a partnering aromantic person.

and this culture is why people who enjoy non-romantic pairings don't want them to be tagged as ship - because there's this implication that a ship HAS to mean romance. it shouldn't, but it still does. it would be great if we lived in a world where shipping meant any kind of relationship between two characters instead of just referring to romance, but we don't.

this is why I tag ship names without tagging it as jashshipping. because the nature of "shipping" in this fandom is always implied to be romantic in nature, which is what makes it the most taboo to discuss. so I don't tag it as jashship because that's only used for romance {or for what the fandom perceives as inherently romantic actions, which is another can of worms entirely}. but elevating a romantic ship to a higher negative standard is still placing romance above any other form of relationship. there's still a hierarchy in place.

I don't think ships as a whole {hah} need to be defined by romantic attraction. it's short for relationship, after all. to designate ships as ONLY romantic implies that romance is the only valid type of relationship. and to designate romantic ships as uniquely bad still implies romance is a unique type of bond.

{I also have an issue with the implication that dating what is essentially your headmate is selfcest by default, but that's another discussion}

TL;DR - I think the culture around what designates something as "jashshipping" should be viewed with more scrutiny. it's very amatonormative to assume pairings with any level of closeness is "jashshipping," and it implies a hierarchy of relationships even if that hierarchy is negative. jashship works as a content tag for anyone uncomfortable with romantic pairings, but to imply it's an objective judgment on what's considered romance is reductive.

[bloodyspade0000]

More Haikise headcanons or more like Kizaki headcanos

Note: this is like an updated version of the original

.....

• Enemies to lovers

• Angst. Angst. Angst.

• They hate each other but also love each other. It's very complicated

• They don't flirt. They insult each other

• They hate fuck after every argument

• Haizaki sucks at giving and receiving comfort. And Kise isn't. So, Kise often does the comforting.

• Haizaki is terrible at feelings because toxic masculinity. So, he only knows how to be angry.

• Kise teaches him it's okay to feel feelings other than anger

• Haizaki struggled alot to to comes to terms with his sexuality because of internalized homophobia and repression. And with his feelings for Kise.

• Haizaki hates physical contact but is touch starved and only willingly to let Kise touch him during sex. But, eventually lets Kise touch him without sex being involved.

• Haizaki's got alot of trauma cuz his family's shit (a theory) and doesn't trust people easily. It took alot of patience and effort for Kise to gain Haizaki's trust.

• Haizaki uses sex as a coping mechanism. So, whenever shit happens at home. He seeks out Kise and Kise always gives into him even though he knows its unhealthy for Haizaki.

• Haizaki bottoms because it's the only way he'll get his mind off of shit. He also just likes Kise's dick.

• Kise takes privilege in being the only person Haizaki will let touch him and is willing to be used as a chair.

• They're both protective & possessive. Kise is more protective because Haizaki keeps getting hurt.

• Haizaki gets hurt alot either by getting into fights or cuz of his family.

• Haizaki's terrible at taking care of himself and has a shitty immune system so he gets sick alot. So, Kise often has to take care of him.

• they eventually elope without telling anyone and live in nice apartment with a cat.

• Haizaki cooks. And they split the rest of the chores.

• Kise drags Haizaki to places ie the mall or hangouts with the Miracles because Kise believes Haizaki needs to spend time with people other than Haizaki's toxic family

• Haizaki just goes along with whatever Kise wants because Kise is stubbornly annoying. Definitely not because Haizaki has a huge soft spot for Kise.

• Haizaki loves horror movies and Kise hates them but watches them with Haizaki anyway. It's also an exuse to have Haizaki hold him.

• Kise strongly believes in aftercare after sex.

• Kise is the affectionate one. Haizaki struggles with it and is awkward.

• Kise thinks its cute

• Haizaki has abandonment issues because everyone in his life has left him and he thinks Kise will eventually get tired of him

• Kise reassures Haizaki he will never get tired of Haizaki or leave him.

• Kise is clingy and refuses to let Haizaki go

...

my ao3

the recent haikise wip I'm working on

and my ask box

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

We could have had it all...

[First] Prev <–-> Next

[shannonsketches]

Why is the anime so weird, it's not even the same series dude?? It's like,

Anime:

GOKU: I have a great idea to bring peace to the universe, and my leadership and compassion alone will unite us all. I have No Flaws and am A True Relatable Everyman :)

VEGETA: NO! I AM THE BEST AND I WILL CAUSE PROBLEMS UNTIL I AM RECOGNIZED AS SUCH!!!!

Manga:

GOKU: Vegeta what's cornmeal made of? I know it's what the corn eats, but what's it made of? VEGETA: Hey Kakarot let's play the quiet game until one of us dies.

[fire-in-my-woods]

Will never not think about the potential LIS 1 would've had if Rachel and Chloe's roles were reversed

[talxns]

Co-creator of Batman Bill Finger did an interview in 1972 in which he responded to the question of whether Batman and Robin were “homosexual fantasies”.

His answer was that he “didn’t think of Batman and Robin in those terms.” But the next thing he says piqued my interest in regards to their intended relationship dynamic.

“I thought of [their relationship] in terms of … Frank Merriwell and Dick Merriwell, his half-brother, who was the kid he was taking care of.”

Brothers! Very interesting.

[galactic-rhea]

Thoughts on Padmé x Anakin x Rex?

Padmé and Anakin are so mutually obssesed they would first have to check into that before trying to bring another person to their carefully-balanced-kind-of-damage or something it's going to explode.

Honestly it's a fun ship! But I don't have too many thoughts about them because when I consider them is usually in very low-stakes-fun-AU-scenarios.

And I'm actually a bit of a fan of Rexwalker myself! Athough I tend to like them more as very good buddies, the covering-for-you-dynamic it's so funny for them, lol It's also angsty and complicated because, y'know, the power-imbalance and unchecked trauma? Is funny that the clone that's actually a slave for the republic is the most normal if you bring him into the anidala romance circus.

Also shout out to @phoenixyfriend , she has a lot of rexanidala fics and recs for anyone interested reading this!

[aroaessidhe]

2024 reads / storygraph

Those Beyond The Wall

sequel/companion to The Space Between Worlds, set a decade later

character-focused sci-fi set in an area divided in two, the rich protected city on one side and everyone else in the post-apocalyptic desert

follows a woman who works under the Emperor in Ashtown, keeping the peace

when mangled bodies start showing up with seemingly no murderer, she’s tasked with finding the cause, and finds out that it’s the result of corruption spanning both cities and multiple worlds

explores oppression and messy revolution, police violence and apartheid

bi & polyamorous MC

[cosmic-walkers]

You know, I do believe there were times during the interrogation where Stephen imagined the relationship he ‘could have had’ with Thomas. Perhaps, there were even points where he “forgot” that this was an interrogation that would ultimately end in Thomas’s death, and let his mind wander to old times.

Like times when they worked with Wolsey. This is probably not the first time he’s seen Thomas hold his own in a hot seat; there had to be times when they were younger, working under Wolsey, when he sat and enjoyed seeing Thomas use his lawyer jargon, and run circles and circles around young men who think they could best him. And I mean even after Wolsey died the books, until Stephen is sent to France, they have a decent on-and-off relationship where they work together and occasionally, would spend time together.

But, I just took notice of the way he was looking at Thomas during the interrogation, the way they caught each other’s eye once or twice and held their gaze for just…a moment, as if Stephen was going to see how Thomas could wiggle his way out of this hole. He was amused because he knew Thomas more than anyone in there, longer than anyone in there. There was a time they were friends, a time where an event like this - Thomas using his wit to outsmart people - was just a common thing between them, and Stephen was impressed. But of course, when Norfolk started talking, reality came crashing down and Stephen had to accept that, this fire he enjoyed so much from Thomas, would be put out in less than what? Forty-eight hours? His friend, his enemy, the man he had hated but respected, the man he had in a way been manipulated into hating, who annoyed him so much but also brought him some forms of amusement and excitement would be dead. And he’d never see him again. Thomas was the only one imo who could both handle Stephen and bring out a more complex side of Stephen.

[guabie]

Yk I haven’t really seen anyone discuss caitlyn’s relationships with the men in her life and I feel like they’re just as important to her character as her relationships with the women in her life

Men like her father, Jayce, Marcus etc.

There’s not many men in her life but the few that are involved impact her in such an interesting way

[blossoms-phan]

the intro of 360 by charli xcx playing in my head like a Pavlovian edit-fueled response whenever I read a comment on a gaming video that’s like “dan is such a brat”

[dykedvonte]

thinking abt what you said with house viewing Benny as a son and I’m obsessed. Like. The man spent most of his life before the war presumably alone, and then after the bombs fell he was alone again, save for AI he himself devised. Then he decides to pull in some Tribes, and one kid shows promise! So sure, treat him well, train him, groom him to be his protege, then next thing you know UH OH he’s got developing paternal feelings towards this guy. Wanting some semblance of a family when the time has long since passed, yet fostering that feeling all the same seems so accurate for him. Benny meanwhile only views him as a boss, and not a particularly good one at that. makes me wonder how House must’ve felt when he found out about Bennys plans

I view it as House blames only himself for this, cause he kind of does in canon (strap in this is a long one).

When reflecting on the issue of Benny, House chastises himself first and foremost for not acting quickly enough when it comes to priming Benny. He describes Benny as being ambitious, ruthless and capable; compliments coming from a man like House. House has an ego and while he is logical enough to understand there was never any evidence Benny saw him as a father-figure, he lacks the humility to admit he let his own views on his relationship with Benny blind him to the activities happening behind the scenes.

I doubt that House was as aware as he makes out about what Benny was doing, he knew early on but certainly not early enough to stop Benny from hacking and obtaining a securitron along with getting the chip in the first place. I take it he was distracted by all the possibilities he was calculating of Vegas' success and growth with him steering and Benny as the new figure head, not because of any normal affection for Benny but the admiration of his capabilities. It's to be noted that House believed menial incentives (likely caps, booze, basic needs, etc..) were enough to keep Benny tame like the other Chairmen but, as evidenced by the Omertas and Mortimer in the WGS, this is not enough when it comes to more driven Vegas citizens. This implies he still undervalued Benny and created a space in which Benny felt the need to rebel.

House in my eyes is not sentimental in the traditional sense. I can imagine his pride was severely scorned as someone he certainly deemed dumber than him was, albeit only for a little, able to out-gambit him. It would definitely hit home seeing how his brother also betrayed him but I feel like that's why he's so apathetic when he tells the Courier to do as they see fit with Benny. I doubt the way he terrorized his brother brought him any emotional satisfaction other than a "Now who's in charge!" ego boost. Putting that same emotional intensity towards Benny isn't worth it because who does it benefit? Wasted time, wasted planning, and most importantly wasted potential are all he gets from continuing to be hands-on with Benny. I say the closest example is not being able to throw out old toys due to the memories attached but knowing it's necessary as they are broken or just taking up space for new ones, and then asking someone else to do it so you don't need to get caught up in the feelings of throwing something you put so much effort into. It's not Benny House cares about in my mind, not in a way that sounds healthy to any non-emotionally constipated individual, but what he could've represented for him, which is why he so quickly offers the same position to the Courier.

As for Benny's view on all of this, it was a long time coming. Benny didn't and doesn't believe House is a completely shitty boss. He admires what he's been shown and admits House knows how to run the strip, but disagrees with the directions. Ideologically, House is an anarcho-capitalist while Benny is just an anarchist. House wants to run the strip to profit, though money is not what he's concerned with being rich with anymore. Benny wants a free state that he wishes to become a place for the people, except for the Chairmen who would be on top (I like to remind people that Benny's motives were selfish but not for personal gain/power as was it for the people he actually saw as family). Benny was never looking for a father but a future. He was not interested in being adopted, or having the chairmen adopted, as bigger names still overshadowed in House's legacy.

Truly, it's easiest to summarize as House feeling strongly and thinking positively enough of Benny to start incorporating him into the future of Vegas (a huge honor actually) while Benny was so disillusioned by House's ego and indifference that he thought the only way Vegas could be the future is with House gone.

[waterfall-ambience]

nghm okay my take on the neuvillette 'ships' is that they're...all kinda boring? theres a lot of interesting dynamics to explore dont get me wrong but for all of them romance is the least interesting option lol. first is because i dont think he's romantically-inclined by nature (aroace king) but also he intentionally tries to keep people at arms length because of his position as iudex (so even if he has friendly connections i cant see anything 'more' than that actually working out) .

however the most interesting juxtaposition for his character imo is being so filled with love for the world and the people around him and simulataneously not experiencing 'love' in the way a lot of people traditionally understand it. he loves people so deeply no he does not want to pursue any of them romantically. it doesnt even have anything to do with him being a dragon, he's just like that.