#idk why xyz happened but it was fun!

[zorogasm]

reading the boy and the heron (or, how do you live) reviews and seeing lots of “it was pretty, but i didn’t like it cause it was weird and random and didn’t make sense and messy,” which is a critique you’re allowed to have; i just find it funny in comparison to my own, because i was like ooooh pretty colors… tiny unhinged homicidal boy… The War……….. squishy fellas…. Hot lady…..

[inkskinned]

we were sitting on the floor and i was cutting out tiny pictures to make a collage for a friend's birthday. you were on your phone and you laughed about something, and i was still in love with you then, so i asked what had you giggling.

"sorry. i was just..." you took a moment and went back to texting. "i was telling someone about how you're afraid of the dark."

i'm afraid of the dark because something bad happened. "oh." i felt a little slinky of shame crawl down my throat.

you glanced up, and maybe it showed on my face, because you rolled your eyes and held the phone to the side casually so i could see the group chat. "what? was it a secret?"

i looked down to the scissors in my hand. "i just..." no, it's not a secret. it just felt like something private, something serious. saying why would you tell someone that just feels like an accusation. it's unfair. i honestly am not even ashamed of it, it's just a fact about my person that i don't usually share.

what a strange experience. is this a human thing or a generational thing? for our grandparents: did they need to worry about how quickly someone can just... share your personal information? again, i didn't even really have a true objection. what could i say? i want any person in my life to feel they can be honest with their friends. it's not like i said don't tell anyone this.

i cut out another letter to complete the rainbow happy birthday, started hunting for the exclamation mark. i heard you sigh dramatically.

"don't make a big deal about this," you said.

this entire conversation was a pattern for us, and this was when we got to my least favorite part of the pattern. i would get my feelings hurt in some oblique not-technically-terrible way, and then it would be making a big deal about something. you'd get frustrated for me for being soft, but i was born soft. you knew i was soft when you pierced me. it's one of the things that made controlling me so easy.

"i'm not," i felt my voice crack. the question came without my wanting. "why are you guys talking about me?" and why are you saying that thing? why not like - i'm telling them how you're generous and kind and pretty.

you let out this low, tragic groan. "oh my god." you tossed the phone away from your body. "there, see? i just won't talk to them if you don't like it."

the rest of the hour went the way it always went, between us: i said i don't actually mind if you talk to your friends but -, you found a way to call my minor expression of discomfort "being dramatic." you got upset that i had been offended. i ended up apologizing, even though i hadn't actually done anything.

afterwards, you picked up the phone again. after texting for a little bit, you snorted. "okay," you said, "but it is kind of funny you're afraid of the dark. i mean, when you think about it."

[inf1nyxw0rlds]

i love complexity. except of course if it's about me . hope that helps

[messrsrarchives]

i don't want to take up too much space or add negativity here by talking about it, but i do want to touch upon it.

this fandom is difficult. it's difficult in a way it never should have been, and it is nearly impossible to engage with it interactively in a way that doesn't cause you any harm.

and i think the thing i've been coming to terms with recently, is that i can't engage with it how i have been without causing harm in a general sense - especially over on tiktok.

there's a kind of complacency at the moment. complacency in fandom etiquette yes, but the main thing is JKR, and the complacency people have fallen into when it comes to her. when it comes to the tours, the merch, the REBOOT. there's a complacency.

and it's reached a point where,,, there isn't much to do about it.

because my account there has always been talkative - i started talking over there purely to talk about my thoughts and share my interests, and it gradually became more educational. which was fine when it started, but it's not anymore. it's not when it's no longer fun for me, and when it's turned from talking about fandom to defending my place in it. to educating people on why my life matters more than official HP content.

and most discourse? i'll talk about purely because i find it interesting, and then i'll move along. but i can't move along from the reboot and general jkr stuff because i'm trans outside of fandom as well as in it.

i can talk about how it feels to be trans in this fandom right now, and then i turn my phone off, and there's bills to pay. there's increasingly high hrt prices, there's routine blood tests that the nhs won't do for my heart condition, there's a road in my town i can't walk through because someone pulled a knife on me, there's law after law after law being debated, funded, and approved, there's opportunities i've been denied and necessities i've been denied because of my identity.

and i can't turn that off.

and it gets harder to separate the two. it gets harder to separate fandom and real life when i'm coming to a place that should be a form of escapism and hearing people talk about supporting JKR, so i counteract that and explain why we shouldn't, and then i'm directly impacted once the app is closed. i can't turn that off, and i can't feel right engaging in it.

and i think that's the sad thing. i know @sophsicle did a post on this recently, but once fandom and real life start mixing, it's so much harder to engage here because we are responsible. and i can't ethically (or healthily for myself) post about this fandom on tiktok when it's to blame for the complacency we're seeing. and it is to blame. it's the comments on fancasts videos, it's the promoting of jkr's universe in random comment sections just because people "look like" the marauders, it's the reposting of the reboot or official hp pages when they talk about marauders and it's so much more and it's just,,,, impossible.

and i sound like a broken record because for MONTHS i have been talking about this. for months i have been talking about the harm this will cause and a couple of months ago i said that if things don't start changing, you're going to see creators taking steps back.

and i think the most upsetting part, is that i explain this. i explain how important this space has been for my stability and my confidence, how it has been the biggest part of my life and i don't feel comfortable anymore and,,, the majority of the messages so far are "what's going to happen to the fic rec sheet?" "should i download all the fics on your account?" "what about xyz?" etc etc

and it's just,,, content over individual. whether that's the reboot over trans people, or videos over the person, it's always content.

idk man. i don't want this to be too negative but this space needs to work on its support. it needs to stand stronger against jkr, and it needs to stop calling itself inclusive in the meantime i think.

this has been overly negative but fandom isn't. a solid 90% of my time on tiktok has been lovely. i made 18k new friends, gained so much confidence (this is the only time i've ever been able to overcome my stammer and speech impediment and that's everything), raised 7.7k for my top surgery and just,,, it's overwhelmingly positive.

my bubble is good. and the space i have crafted is safe and lovely.

but i don't feel right posting on there anymore. not when wider fandom is a big part of why JKR is suddenly back in the picture, and we can "separate her from the reboot" (we can't).

this is very long so i'll end it with this:

it does not alleviate your guilt to engage with her in a "marauders way". if anything, it is worse to do that and post about it when this space prides itself on inclusivity.

you are not reclaiming this space, you are making it harder for those at risk to engage.

and you need to take "fuck jkr" out of your bio until your actions match your words, regardless of who is casted in a reboot that shouldn't be happening in the first place.

[callsign-rogueone]

study season

fourth wing characters (Aaric, Bodhi, Brennan, Dain, Garrick, Imogen, Liam, Mira, Rhiannon, Ridoc, Sawyer, Sloane, Violet, and Xaden) x reader the ways our faves help you study for exams. words: ~900 🏷: no book spoilers, no triggers. gender neutral. and I included the girls this time!! some of these can be read as platonic and others mention kisses / cuddles, implying you’re a couple. idk, I just work here. I’m really liking this format lately, and it’s (fairly) quick and easy so you can expect more of these in the future while I procrastinate all the girlfriendverse chapters and smut I have to write lol

First, the more studious of the bunch:

Brennan is all-in, no hesitation, pulling up a chair next to you and learning this with you for moral support, but also for fun (can you believe this guy?) though you suppose it’s easier to enjoy this if it doesn’t count for a grade. Either way, he’s a very nice study partner, and he encourages you to take breaks every hour / chapter / etc. Brings snacks, too.

Violet somehow already knows all of the material, and explains it better than the textbook or the professor. Walks things back if you don’t get it and gets into the why and how, which so many teachers skip over, even though it helps explain the what (pet peeve of mine showing here lol). 

Aaric’s study skills are unmatched -- years of the best private tutors money can buy really paid off. Teaches you new strategies that you’ve never heard of in your life, and when you ask, he admits a bit shyly that he came up with it himself, but it works, and you get it done in half the time you would have before. (work smarter, not harder, baby)

Rhiannon gives you the pep talk of your life (we all need a Rhiannon in our lives) and convinces you that you’ve got this. Packs you a little snack for the day of your exam with a little note reminding you that you know this, just breathe and think. 

Xaden sees you struggling and forces you to take a break. During said break, he’s reading the book himself and figuring out what exactly has you so stressed and exhausted. Breaks down the tasks into smaller, more manageable steps and guides you through it -- “find three reasons why XYZ happened.” done with that? “Now make them into paragraphs.” etc etc, and an hour later, you have a passable essay. 

Dain is taking this more seriously than you are, and his discipline is like no other; you’re not stopping until the work is done, or until midnight, whichever comes first (because sleep is important for the brain, or whatever. Definitely not just because he misses you and wants to cuddle). 

Garrick may have no idea what you’re talking about, but he suffers through it with you, offering to let you explain things to him, because teaching is a good way to test if you understand something. Though you get what you pay for -- he’s a total smartass about it, asking questions about the littlest details even if they’re common knowledge -- he’s gotta be thorough, right? 

Ridoc may be the class clown type, but he’s smarter than a lot of people think. He comes up with a bunch of jokes that actually help you remember things. Somehow manages to relate the most complex topic in your book to a sandwich, and it actually works. He’s incredibly smug about this for the rest of the week, especially when you get the highest score in the class (he’ll take payment in kisses, thank you.)

Bodhi makes flashcards with you, quizzing you and giving you a kiss if you get it right (this definitely is not a distraction, and things definitely don’t escalate from here, nope.) He’s also really good at proofreading essays, and gives excellent feedback regarding the structure and the order of the information.

Liam sits there with you all the while, completely silent, working on one of his wood carvings at the other end of the table, but you know he’s there and he’s watching -- and that provides a healthy amount of peer pressure and keeps you on task. He’s an incredibly observant person, and he can see the stress building; he knows when to intervene and suggest that you take a break.

Sloane is the best person to commiserate with. She doesn’t want to be doing this either, but she’s also incredibly stubborn, and she doesn’t give up; after a healthy amount of complaining, she’s forcing you both to keep trying until it works / until it’s done, and then you’re treating yourselves to something for getting it over with, because you deserve it.

Sawyer is gentle and supportive, having a heart-to-heart conversation with you and reminding you that yes, this is important, but the world will not stop turning if you fail one exam. He knows how it feels to be compared to his peers, especially in how long it takes you to accomplish something (poor bb) and doesn’t want you stressing yourself out about that, either. 

Imogen is the opposite, all tough love, giving you gentle but firm reminders: “you didn’t make it this far just to give up,”, “I know you can do this, so do it,” but she balances it out with tender affirmation when you’re done. She’ll even let you skip out on training for the day since you’ve been studying so hard (and she takes training seriously, so this is more of a reward than it seems). 

Mira’s default approach is similar to Imogen’s, but she can see that you’re reaching your limit and dials it back, being more gentle with you and doing whatever you need -- encouragement? someone to just sit there? help / explanation / etc? she’s got you covered. herds you into bed at a reasonable hour so you’ll be well rested for the classes and exams.

And all of them are incredibly proud of you for working so hard and getting good grades 🤍

[kirkwallguy]

okay thoughts after finishing the tutorial

it looks CRAZY. maybe i just don't play a lot of modern aaa games / just finished dai but it looks crazy to me. i have graphics on medium so im obviously not getting dull fidelity but the physics and everything is just nice to look at

lots of da2 vibes happening that are really making me giggle and kick my feet

cc is almost perfect tbh, the hair is really good. my only two complaints are skin tones kind of suck and eye shape customisation is weirdly limited? unless i was missing something obvious i was struggling a lot with the eyes

the movement is very frostbite lol. it was jarring at first because it felt like running on ice / rook's legs were moving faster than they were. but by the time i was in the lighthouse i was used to it. it feels better in combat / when sprinting tho

idk how i feel about combat still. i initially hated it because i was trying to play it like a dark souls game lol, when i realised it was more like da2 with extra steps i started to enjoy it, the bow and arrow are fun. but then the fight with the pride demon felt like i was doing something wrong. maybe i was. but it didn't feel good and i hope all boss battles aren't like that.

strobing was really bad during the pride demon fight tho which might be why it sucked so much. it isn't the ability effects as much as the actual lightning in the scene just being WAY too much. idk why they don't have an option to turn it off but i hope someone mods it in because i felt so sick and had to stop for a while and i can usually handle shit like that. why is this not considered an accessibility thing in games yet

writing is Fine. tbh it's probably the same level as dai with all the saying really obvious things to try and ease new players into the world. there were one or two lines while running around that were bad just technically (there's one where rook goes "so the tevinters did xyz... so then abc happened" IDR the actual line lol but the repetition of so was clunky and is like. something you catch in a second edit. girl.) but otherwise it's not egregious. varric is fun as usual and solas sent me to sleep as usual

^ honestly tho the tone relaxed very quickly into something that felt pretty much identical to da2 or dai so im not really as worried about it as i was

cutscenes are SO cinematic and nobody walks like they just shit themself. ❤️ a win. you can tell actual thought went into a lot of them which is something i liked about da2 but never felt with inquisition

i really love the return of the little 2d animated bits as varric is narrating and the way it transitioned into 3d was kind of sexy

LOTS of mentions of rook being a warden which is fun, i'm guessing they do that for other origins. i also think i got an acknowledgement of the personality path i sent my rook down, similar to the hawke red purple blue. either that or it was varric's reaction to the bar choice which is still fun. i think when people complain about whether or not choices "matter" they're talking about alternative endings but i prefer it to be on a smaller level like this and just have scenes change depending on who my character is

i really love the british male va and it's nice that they didn't go with a typical posh / rp accent like lots of fantasy games do

anyway tldr i like it and will play more if my laptop doesn't explode because it's more intensive than i thought itd be

[rosesradio]

may i ask why ppl hate caleo so much? I'm reading ToA rn so idk if it's based on stuff that happens there, but in HoO I didn't really catch anything that would make it this "don't touch with a ten foot pole" ship, yk?

/gen

Hi !! Thanks for sending this in. I feel like I and others have kinda gone through some things in the anti-caleo tag, but I'm gonna go through some of the reasons with as much textual evidence and objectivity as possible. (minus my inevitable unorganized rambles, they're contextually relevant, stop looking at me--)

That being said, this is completely a matter of opinion, as all shipping is. I don't mean to say that you are "allowed" to ship or that you're "stupid" for shipping xyz, I couldn't care less what you ship--let's all just be nice to each other.

That being said, let's start with the two most common reasons why most people dislike caleo:

1.) the age gap

2.) their "bickering to lovers" dynamic is not written well/they seem to dislike each other/etc

The easier one to start with would be the age gap. Now (warnings for rent-lowering gunshots around my blog), I meant what I said when I said I don't care about ships. Most of my beloved mutuals ship the nastiest shit imaginable, and I am very anti-censorship (but that's several other posts). I generally have preferences for healthy ships when it comes to a Fluffy Endgame (dark fics with toxic ships are different to me).

That being said, I don't typically enjoy ships with a large age gap, and most other people find them unappealing as well. I could be persuaded with some (nipollo and rachel/apollo, i'm looking at you), but caleo just kinda grosses me out in this regard, probably due to other aspects of their relationship.

(Some people say she's "mentally fifteen", but I don't really buy that--if she were like a faerie or something, maybe, but I see her more as Edward in Twilight--looks young but has wisdom beyond her years. There's no definitive answer on this so it's not something I would like to debate (none of this is lol) but I thought I would mention it anyways.)

Although your question is about ToA, I'm only going to cover HoH through the first ToA book, because I'm still reading through the ToA books (though I know the big spoilers). I know caleo takes on a bigger role in the second book so i might come back and do a part two to uh...complain about their dynamic more? lol

so, without further ado--

The House of Hades

So, this is the first impression we get of Calypso from Leo's perspective--the highlights to keep this from being 1 million years long (it still will be lol)--

"She looked maybe fifteen, about Leo's age, and, sure, she was pretty; but with that angry expression on herface she reminded Leo of every popular girl in every school he'd ever attended—the ones who made fun of him, gossiped a lot, thought they were so superior, and basically did everything they could tomake his life miserable.Leo disliked her instantly.

---

The girl clenched her fists. Leo was pretty sure she was going to march down the crater and punch him in the face.

---

"Show yourself!" the girl yelled at the sky, completely ignoring Leo. "It's not bad enough I am exiled? It's not bad enough you take away the few good heroes I'm allowed to meet? You think it's funny to send me this—this charbroiled runt of a boy to ruin my tranquility? This is NOT FUNNY! Take him back!""

--pg 213 of The House of Hades pdf.

Now, keeping in mind that I read this for the first time at 13 and he was my book boyfriend (Or Whatever), I was not a fan of this, but even now that I've grown out of that, this still rings unfavorable to me.

He compares her to his bullies, the ones who made fun of him and created insecurities within him. And, making no effort to clear her name from this association, what is one of the first things she does? Screams at the gods for sending someone so conventionally unattractive. One of Leo's biggest insecurities in the books is not being as conventionally attractive or built as the other guys in the seven. One of his other insecurities is not having a girlfriend when everyone else is coupled up. So the solution is not to have him learn self-love and/or the love of friends, but to instead give him a girlfriend--the build-up time of which is short and intense. Not only that, but his love interest insults one of his biggest insecurities.

We're off to a great start.

Of course, I can't really blame Calypso for being pissed about the wreckage and about being sent another hero instead of being freed from the island. I would be pretty pissed, too, but she still treats him pretty badly, seemingly because he's not the "right" hero.

(For this next bit I am going through their time together in House of Hades and just noting anything that rings as a red flag to me--which is not a stretch as it's pretty much every other line lol. The brackets [] add context for dialogue, the parentheses () is my commentary, though most of these speak for themselves imo)

""Oh-gee-gee-ah." The girl pronounced it slowly, as if Leo were five years old.

---

She looked like she was about to answer but stopped herself. "It doesn't matter. You'll be gone soon. You're obviously a mistake."

That was harsh, Leo thought.He'd spent enough time thinking he was a mistake—as a demigod, on this quest, in life in general. He didn't need a random crazy goddess reinforcing the idea

---

"What am I supposed to do, then? Sit in the sand dunes until I die?" [Leo asked]

"That would be fine...." The girl threw down her trowel and cursed at the sky. "Except I suppose he can't die here, can he? Zeus! This is not funny!"

---

She looked the same age as him, but he wondered how old she really was. (age gap thing, delicious!)

---

"Would you be sweet," [Calypso said], "if they laughed at you by sending another hero, but a hero who looked like—like you?"

---

"Three thousand." Leo's mouth felt tingly, like he'd just eaten Pop Rocks. "Uh, you look good for three thousand."

---

"And now...the worst insult of all. The gods mock me by sending you." [Calypso said]

Anger bubbled in Leo's stomach.Yeah, typical. If Jason were here, Calypso would fall all over him. She'd beg him to stay, but he'd be all noble about returning to his duties, and he'd leave Calypso brokenhearted. That magic raft would totally arrive for him. (heartbreaking to hear about leo's insecurities but also...he is so gay for jason jdskjfs--)

But Leo? He was the annoying guest she couldn't get rid of. She'd never fall for him, because she was totally out of his league.

---

Despite the gifts, Calypso obviously didn't want to see him. One time he poked his head inside the cave and she freaked out, yelling and throwing pots at his head. (how to treat an abuse survivor 101)

Yeah, she was definitely on Team Leo. (this honestly just reminds me of the Echo scene and, honestly, I'd ship him with Echo Big Time over calypso)

He ended up pitching a more permanent camp near the footpath, where the beach met the hills.That way he was close enough to pick up his meals, but Calypso didn't have to see him and go into a pot-throwing rage.

---

"They are completely fireproof," Calypso promised. "They'll stay clean and expand to fit you,should you ever become less scrawny." (the prev part about her repairing the clothes was actually sweet in a platonic way...could have gone without the body-shaming !)

---

Then he remembered that this annoying fifteen-year-old girl was actually the immortal daughter of a Titan."

--pages 214-227 of The House of Hades pdf

Now, at this point I'll say that their relationship actually becomes quite sweet once they get past the frankly horrible section of time where they want each other to die. They're both lonely, they come to some understanding...I suppose this is a matter of opinion, but the romance aspect does feel forced. Time is different in Ogygia so it's hard to say how long Leo was there, if I were to estimate I'd say 3 weeks, but given that it's like 19 pages (and the text is larger on the pdf copy lol), it does feel rushed. Man do I wish they went for the platonic angle, but Richard could never.

The Blood of Olympus

Everyone's favorite book! lmao.

Now that our lovebirds are in Lovebird Territory (i guess), the amount of toxicity dwindles, but let's bite:

"'Sit tight, Sunshine,' he told Calypso's picture. 'I'll get back to you, just like I promised.'

Leo could imagine her response: 'I am not waiting for you, Leo Valdez. I am not in love with you.And I certainly don't believe your foolish promises!' The thought made him smile. (I guess this is supposed to be sarcastic, but way to reintroduce the concept of her really not liking him?)"

--pg 64 of The Blood of Olympus pdf

So, most of this book has mentions of Calypso from Leo's pov, and I gotta say (forgetting entirely that this doc is supposed to at least try to be subjective)...they neutered my boy. I often don't reread past MoA because of the caleo content, though what glimpses I've seen shows that his pov has experienced a massive shift. I think having so little page time and such an intense relationship buildup causes some readers to dislike how fundamentally she alters Leo's pov.

Additionally, I've seen some posts about Leo's suicide ideation. That is not something I want to go in depth about on this post, but I did want to draw attention to this excerpt I caught:

"Now the Argo II was approaching the end of its voyage. Leo's whole life – his childhood with Tía Callida; his mother's death in that warehouse fire; his years as a foster kid; his months at Camp Half-Blood with Jason and Piper – all of it would culminate tomorrow morning in one final battle.

He opened the access panel. Festus's voice creaked over the intercom.

'Yeah, buddy,' Leo agreed. 'It's time.'

More creaking.

'I know,' Leo said. 'Together till the end?'

Festus squeaked affirmatively.

Leo checked the ancient bronze astrolabe, which was now fitted with the crystal from Ogygia. Leo could only hope it would work.

'I will get back to you, Calypso,' he muttered. 'I promised on the River Styx.'

He flipped a switch and brought the navigation device online. He set the timer for twenty-four hours.

Finally he opened the engine's ventilator line and pushed inside the vial of the physician's cure. It disappeared into the veins of the ship with a decisive thunk.

'Too late to turn back now,' Leo said.

He curled on the floor and closed his eyes, determined to enjoy the familiar hum of the engine for one last night."

--pg 224 of The Blood of Olympus pdf

I'm not going to draw any definitive conclusions on the subtext of this or his plan with the physician's cure, but I will say Leo definitely needs therapy and the support of his friends over his want of a girlfriend. (And I'd say this regardless of ships--even if it were my beloved valdangelo. If Leo's mental health isn't addressed, it just makes it seem like a lazy fix-all)

I'm not going to pretend to be the best writer or understand character arcs better than our good friend Richard, but I think one of the reasons why Leo's character arc failed in this final installment is that Leo got what he wanted instead of what he needed. The best character arcs will display what a character wants, but by the end of the journey, a character will realize what they really need.

For example, in Gravity Falls (great show btw), towards the end of the series, Mabel wants to stay in a magical bubble created as a trick by Bill Cipher so she can stay in Gravity Falls forever. In the end, however, she realizes that what she really needs is to go back home to California with her brother, where they can get through high school with the support of each other.

If Leo had undergone an arc in which he really wants a girlfriend, but later realizes he needs to love himself first, that would have been really great and nice for kids to see that they don't need a significant other to make them whole.

Additionally--surprisingly--there were no glaring red flags for the rest of this book. They have a general vibe of "she doesn't really like him and he's a silly little guy" that I feel like is just rick pulling a "can I copy your homework?" with percabeth but it came out Wrong, but that's a matter of opinion.

ToA: The Hidden Oracle

""Here you go." Leo handed her a glass of lemonade. His expression seemed darker and more anxious, as if...Ah, of course. Leo had rescued Calypso from her prison island. In doing so, Calypso had lost her powers. Leo felt responsible."

--pg 239 of The Hidden Oracle pdf

This seems like something they'd have to work through, which is possible, but also a very intense thing to put on a relationship between an already traumatized 16 year old (and his over 3000 year old girlfriend, etc.) I suppose if this was written through in a thoughtful way I'd understand, but it's kind of one of those things that makes me look at them and go...realistically, at best I see them lasting 6 months to a year.

(tbh a lot of the ships outside of percabeth don't seem to have that...well, percabeth longevity--i mean just look at how jiper broke up. not that Richard would break caleo up atp, of course...unless...)

Final Thoughts (unless I return after finishing ToA but no promises)

And so, we conclude. I think I learned some stuff by revisiting canon instead of just remaining amongst online fandom & my memory of canon. Honestly, I can see why people would like this ship--I still hate it the most out of any pjo ship, but I gotta admit it had its sweet moments. Just as I pointed out red flags and had opinions stated as subjective, other people could point out what they consider green flags and why they think the ship is great.

To conclude (my English teachers quaking in their boots rn), myself and other caleo haters dislike the ship due to the age difference, the rushed nature, and the enemies to lovers dynamic being written in a way that ultimately gives the energy that our love birds do not like each other. I hope this dive into the foundation of their relationship clarifies some of these things for you, and thanks for the ask!

[the-travelling-witch]

👏 GUYS DO NOT ASK FOR PART 2’S IF THERE ISNT EVEN A PART ONE👏

honestly don’t ask for part 2 in general, most writers that i’ve spoken to really don’t like it for several (fair) reasons

as i’ve said, there are respectful and appreciative ways to convey your sentiment that are much more encouraging to the writer; allow me to demonstrate with a simple example

do’s:

“hey i really liked your fic/ drabble about [abc topic/prompt]!! especially the scene where [xyz event] happened/ how you characterised [character a]/ how you implemented [element b] into this au!! do you have any plans to write more for it?”

you actually tell the writer you enjoyed their work

you tell them what stuck out to you the most (we love that fr)

you treat them like a person who wrote this in their free time and offered it for free

it’s a nice interaction a writer/ artist/ creator will enjoy bc you’re being respectful and kind (and everyone loves receiving nice comments/ tags/ asks !!)

do not’s:

“part 2 pls!!” / “WE NEED PART 2!!!”

not actually complimenting the writer

no appreciation for the time that was invested into the work

it’s giving “treating a creator like a content machine”

there is a chance the writer’s mood will sour

i don’t think most people know why writers gripe with “part 2” comments (and not all writers have problems with them), i just think there are better ways to communicate that you’d like to see more of a trope/ au/ character, that are nicer for both sides in the end and i really really hope that we can return fandoms to a point where the positive example is more prevalent again (bc idk interactions seem to have lessened and it’s literally so sad)

at the end of the day, i’m speaking for myself first and foremost and i know i would prefer one comment over the other for sure (there are so many fun ways to convey you liked something and personally i love the feeling of leaving long tags on someone’s work) :>

[living-history-lesson]

Its so funny when youve only watched a show so far (and dont plan on continuing it) but you also know all these random tidbits from the fandom online and its like youve seen more. It's so freeing to no longer care about spoilers whether you finish the show or just reach a point where it no longer matters to you.

I watched House, M. D. with my mother years ago, and we only made it to somewhere partway through season 3? Idk why we stopped, if it was just me starting university or if it was dropped from the screaming service we used or what. But I dont think i could ever watch it on my own because of the stress it causes and the potential triggers. Like as someone who's dealt with a lot of medical stuff it can be too much for me, especially when it is intense sensory wise as well sometimes. But damn has it affected my mind. Its so comforting watching people meme about it or talk about it from queer and disabled lenses. Like. Yes that old man! Right there! It's been so fun watching mutuals and strangers start getting into it and posting and stuff.

Some of the spoilers are so wild! Like. What do you mean xyz happens??? Thats something else.

Maybe one day I'll get back to it if I ask my partner to watch with me but I dont have time for TV rn regardless of how difficult the show is for me.

I know this post has mainly been about House but its also so much easier for me to watch Buffy the Vampire Slayer with how much ive had spoiled for me. Like my parents introduced me to Buffy through the episode "Once More with Feeling", and I've had someone tell me how it ends (with my permission dw). There still are enough unknowns for there to be tension, but it's good to know like "hey x is still gonna live" or whatever. Like. I kind of need that.

I understand not wanting spoiled. I refuse to watch some adaptations until I finish the books and stuff. Like. If the media is built off the suspense and that's part of the experience, I don't want to break that. At the same time though, sometimes it helps to know if your blorbo will be okay, sometimes it helps to know that there's this bizarre or fun thing that you'll miss if you give up. Its just complicated.

[blessphemy]

reading this book called "the comfort crisis" about Challenging Oneself in the age of modern amenities and expectation of constant ease, and, while there are some interesting discussion of psychological science re: building of resilience etc., the author acting out-of-touch with modern survival strifes kinda detracts from the core arguments

stuff like "in an age where we're always climate controlled at 70 degrees F and our worst fear is giving a bad powerpoint presentation that your boss looks at you disapprovingly—" are we really glossing over the stress of doing Bad at work when people are surviving paycheck to paycheck and living out of cars/homeless "—in a time of plenty where we do not encounter true persistent hunger—" are you sure about that. like are you Sure. "—back in the olden days people didn't tend to suffer from persistent xyz health conditions despite the extreme environment—" was it cuz they died? idk, you didn't clarify the statistics and sample selection on that point.

am i nitpicking? this book is probably aimed at a specific audience of middle class usa. nonetheless.

also i'm squinting suspiciously at the invocation of japanese vocabulary re-applied to mean something else in like a 'call to eastern wisdom' kind of way (photo of me wondering if this is racist)

anyway all that said, i'm thinking about Levari's study and the findings of the tendency to fixate on imperfection, dissatisfaction, and threats, as informed by prior experience even when circumstances improve:

As we experience fewer problems, we don’t become more satisfied. We just lower our threshold for what we consider a problem.

which i will agree with on an anecdotal level as something that happens at least some of the time (watching my dad search and destroy every trivial annoyance. lol.) (and there's that whole thing about 'lifestyle creep.')

anyway this is why i give myself fun problems like 'hiking in the rain' so that i can properly enjoy 'hiking not in the rain.' (and also learn to enjoy 'hiking in the rain.')

there is something worthwhile in the message here about appreciating what you do have. like do y'all have drinkable running water? that's pretty fucking cool. that's a remarkable thing. lots of people don't have that. and also putting yourself through challenges on purpose so that you can reframe your own sense of what is difficult and your own confidence.

anyway we'll see if i finish it or not

[joculatrixster]

thank you for replying! -i understand where youre coming from but i feel like some of the points you brought up about scott can't just be boiled down to homophobia if that makes sense- like people see scott as calculated because he calls making allies/friendships a 'social game' etc . and obviously grian and joel berating and teasing jimmy also isn't entirely fine but i think toxicity in the context of an alliance vs a canon-explicit marriage should be weighed differently, but ultimately im not sure that grian is actually necessarily "worse" than scott; while i think grian and joel and jimmy do have an unbalanced dynamic alot of the 'berating' between them is more like 'jimmy you idiot you died to xyz' whereas with scott in 3l it felt a bit more manipulative likewhen scott purposely placed something to scare jimmy and then made fun of him for being scared but. idk

also i think everyone understands that they're friends in real life and nothing ccjimmy is actually uncomfortable with would make it into a video but this is just to think about/interpret their characters within the context of the roleplay/storyline

again this isnt meant as an attack or anything at all - i just wanted to talk about why some people would have a different interpretation of fh!

thats fair, i read ur reply when i was busy i dont remember it well but honestly a fair take ^-^b i dont think it ALL is sorry i didnt make it clear i think the reason its POPULAR is bc scott fans r not rlly the ppl doing this its jimmy fans who dominate the fandom way more, but the fact irs happening to the gay guy IS weird and something to raise a brow to especially when there r more weird extreme fans who take it wayyy too far

it feels unbalanced to me bc it is, grian and joel have more fans in the life series rlly than scott bc most scott fans r just not life series postinfg, so when grian or joel does something mean to others in a similar vien its seen less in a negative light. im going off of memory so forgive me if i get a bit fuzzy w it

scott teases jimmy their friendship is kinda rivalry type thing its rlly just how they r, but ppl r not as used to it which is understandable too. idrc if ppl think scott is a bit manipulative hes just like. vilinized for it or seen as cold when he clearly still cares for his allies? he sacrificed SO much time in lil, he let ppl kill him in secret life, i wish i saw ppl rlly speak more on those better parts of him but also its just more normalized to intpret his actions more cold than it is for say grian who could be seen as cold for how easy he sheds alliances.

every intpretation is fine but w scott it genuinely goes into character bashing territory or just making him the stand in vilian jimmy needs to be saved from in fandom spaces which is agian fine if it happened to other characters who r similarly manipulative or calculating(martyn, scar, impulse even...) but deadass ive never seen anyone but scott put in such a position. which is weird. to me. especially when framed as him being bashed or vilinized for his straight friend who ppl hc he abuses like...ok. but where is the same energy for scar who is deadass evil af in 3rd life and limited life..? scar who destroys the ranch and kills his mother and doesnt apologize for either??? is it bc ppl just like him more so it makes more sense wven he does manipulative stuff??? martyn who is notoriously devisive for his ending and playstyle but in fics like its not great but he tends to not be as hated or put in the same level of bashing pll do for scott? hes prob the closest ive seen to the way scott is seen as an easy stand in vilian but i have not seen it as bad for him?

tho anon no not everyone understands there is a group of ppl who genuinely think scott in real life is an abusive person and actually that inspired my original post bc pll said w their whole chest they think scott is bad and makes jimmy uncomfortable

sorry if this is jumbled the other anon message is turning me into the joker...i get what u mean and i DO think its naunced but ppl REFUSE to acknowledge how weird it can feel for others to see and while i do think there r other factors...this fandom has leaned into homophobia for scott especially more frindge jimmy fans, sorry i think i mixed up a lot of things in my replys i was busy and also i genuinely dont care enough about tumblr anon posting to explain every naunce of an issue ie why i put pearl as a tag on bc the mysongy of all that is not for today thank u ^-^b

[destinyc1020]

I think anon might be referring to the fact that people thought the press tour for Challengers would be more fun. Like, Z would hit up hot ones, appear on a podcast, or do more of the buzzfeed stuff. There was a lot of lamenting over how similar all the interviews for Challengers was. In a way, I get it because the trio were asked a lot of the same, or similar, questions but at the same time, I didn’t go into it with the expectations that they should hit xyz while promoting the film. A lot of fans had expectations and were disappointed when the majority of said expectations didn’t come to fruition.

Hmm.... 🤔

And see this is why I think fans set themselves up for failure? They go in with so many expectations, instead of just enjoying the ride.

Fans were complaining about the Dune part 2 press tour too! Like, idk what fans were expecting honestly lol. 😅

I don't go into ANY press tour with these massive expectations. I just go with the flow and allow whatever is supposed to happen.... happen! 🤷🏾‍♀️

Yea, it would have been lovely to see Z on Hot 🔥 Ones, and she might still do that show at some point in her career, but just because she didn't do it this time, it doesn't mean that her "Challengers" press tour "wasn't fun", or that there was something wrong with it. She did do some cute buzzfeed interviews, and had some great fashion, and great interviews with Mike and Josh. 😊

I think when it comes to press tours, fans just need to lower their expectations somewhat, and just go with the flow a little bit more.

Years ago there wasn't so much pressure to have a certain "type" of press tour. You were just excited to see your faves promoting their movie lol 😆 I also think fans need to keep in mind that while press tours can be fun, it is still WORK for these actors.

[transfemzedaph]

but right okay i saw this and the thing is like loads of ppl in the rbs r being like. people took like 1 or two not serious things and like extrapolated and made it more serious!!!!! im just like. a) its for fun and B) ITS FANDOM WHAT THE HELL ELSE DO YOU THINK IS GONNA HAPPEN??? like be so real with me here. this is literally fandom. which is known for overanalysing shit. like. i dont mind if you dont like it & dont wanna see it but shitting on people for it is just ????? whats the fucking point, youre just gonna seem like a dickhead. like the toxic fh people arent going up to regular ass fh shippers and telling them ummm actually this is toxic you shouldnt ship it like. idk. im just so frustrated abt it. and idk why fh specifically has become such a big discussion topic like yeah some people like thinking abt them as toxic bc of xyz and have a whole list of reasons which are like okay i can see why even if you dont wanna think of it in that way or theyre just doing it for funsies which is like yeah its fandom thats the whole point.

[brutal-nemesis]

Feel free to ignore this and im sorry if i word it poorly, but I'm asking because I'm genuinely curious and want to learn as I don't know any aroace people in real life! You said you have a boyfriend, but you don't feel romantic attraction. How does that change having a friend vs having a boyfriend?

No worries I'm happy to talk about it!! This might get kinda rambly but oh well shove it under readmore so i can talk forever

So I think for my boyfriend, I think it's just like more intense platonic feelings? The sorts of things I want to do with him are things I would be fine doing with someone else, if that makes sense. Cuz a lot of aromantics/aro-adjacent people struggle with telling the difference between romantic and platonic attraction, myself included. At some point I defined romantic as wanting to do certain things with Them and Only Them, while platonic is like I would prefer to do xyz thing with them but if I did it with someone else it wouldn't be weird. "Doing things" in this case ranges from eating a meal together to cuddling (for me things don't go beyond that physically). Idk if I explained it well enough but that's the definition I use for myself.

So like I still love him and care about him a lot and everything but it's not quite the same way he loves me (he's straight). I at least can sense a sort of difference in how we feel about each other, idk if he can, but it makes me more certain that my feelings for him aren't romantic, and that is okay. He's known I'm aroace since before we started dating (he was super scared to ask me out because of it rip bozo) so we've always been on the same page about all of that.

And you're probably wondering why I did agree to go out with him if I don't have romantic feelings for him. For starters, I've never been opposed to the idea of having a partner, but it was more of a "if it happens great and if not that's fine too" kinda vibe. In the months before we started dating we'd gotten really close as friends and did some cuddling because that shit can totally be platonic yk. He caught feelings somewhere along the way cuz Straight and when he asked I said yes cuz I do want to be with him. I wanna hang out all the time and go for hikes and watch Ghost Files and make dinner together and let him have some of my ice cream.

I could do those things with someone else and still have fun, but I'd rather do them with him. So it's platonic, in my eyes, but it's still very much love.

[warcats-cat]

Ooh okay for that ship or not ask game! Let's do a twofer, Remus/Virgil aaaand Roman/Patton?

Mmmmmmmok gonna start with the popular:

Royality: Ship It!

I mostly ship Royality because I ship LAMP. Roman and Patton work well together as the more emotionally driven and outgoing of the core four. It's not a ship I actively seek out but it's a ship I enjoy content for when it crosses my dash.

I think they would be the obnoxious couple that has a couples Instagram and tiktok and talk all the time about the dumb things they do together and gush endlessly about XYZ cute/thoughtful thing the other did for them. They're very close and their relationship is very strong.

Unpopular Opinion: not sure if it's "unpopular" but these two are an emotional time bomb waiting to happen. Roman's intense self esteem issues and Patton's self-sacrificing tendencies plus pushing down his own feelings in favor of others would go into overdrive in this relationship. I can see it turning unhealthy into codependency if they're not careful. And if a fight we're to happen, it *happens* and is loud wailing and yelling and crying and lots of self loathing and regret afterwords for both parties.

Inrtuxiety: Don't Ship It

What is their actual ship name? Why am I just now realizing I don't know this?

Starting with Unpopular Opinion - I just don't like canon Remus. He squicks me out pretty bad, even setting aside his "character" and what he supposedly represents being kinda all over the place. This isn't one of the four that I actively block, but I tend to skip over it if I see it in a fic.

To be brutally honest I don't think there's anything currently in canon that would make me ship them together, and I doubt I would find much of any in fanon/fics. I can see them as friends and/or estranged family, but not in a romantic sense. (Also idk if it's just association with the color green but I tend to see/headcanon Remus as Aro anyway...)

I think it's cute when it's a familial relationship! It's fun to wonder about how they were in the past, both based on canon references to their shared history and in fanon interpretations. I tend to generally like Remus in fanon interpretations a lot better anyway, so that also helps.

[rosesradio]

Hello Rose! For the character ask game:

2. Favorite canon thing about this character? -- Leo

20. Which other character is the ideal best friend for this character, the amount of screentime they share doesn't matter? -- Hazel

21. If you're a fic writer and have written for this character, what's your favorite thing to do when you're writing for this character? What's something you don't like? -- Luke

24. What other character from another fandom of yours that reminds you of them? -- Nico

2.) i think leo’s humor is obv great, his low self esteem relatable, but i’d have to say how smart he is! he was doing college level math as a kid! i’d argue that other than annabeth (and perhaps they’re tied, with each of them more informed than the other on xyz subjects), leo is the smartest of the seven. tbh it breaks my heart when i see the fandom dismiss his intelligence. like why is that? his humor? racism? it’s the racism isn’t it? it’s most definitely [gunshots]

also i saw a stupid incorrect quotes text post (incorrect quotes are the death of character uniqueness in fandom & you can put that in your pipe & smoke it) where someone asked leo a basic addition problem & nico said it needed to be something he actually knew and…🚬…i truly cannot do it in these conditions…

anyways 🧍

20.) honestly piper! i think she would have fun showing hazel modern things & having sleepovers, hazel just needs some girl friends :’)

also if i can do an OC, sarah from the ceaselessverse—seeing as she’s a younger demigod i think she’d help hazel have moments to just be a kid again amongst all the chaos of demigodhood 💌

21.) idk what even happens when i write with luke tbh i think i black out 😅

i would say, and i guess this answers both sides of the question, that i like to keep a balance with him. i definitely write more darkfic with him, but i don’t like to write him as solely a predator (or at least if he is, there’s the appearance of nuance that leaves you curious). i like to make sure that even in his lightest, sexiest moments, there’s a twinge of dark curiosity, an edge to his words & promises. and i like to be sure that even in his darkest moments he has a small light, a small sweetness within him, the aphrodisiac before the killing blow. if that’s anything

24.) i know this is basic, but keith from voltron. unfortunately, that’s it. honestly, considering how popular klance is i’m surprised valdangelo isn’t more popular because they’re a very similar ship, but eh 🧍