PJO Meta (1 Of ??)

PJO Meta (1 of ??)

DISCLAIMER: I don't mean to offend anyone. I am a ship and let ship person. Please note that criticism =/= hate. Lastly, if you're a solangelo shipper who doesn't wish to hear any criticism regarding their ship, please scroll away.

Ever since it's first appearance, solangelo has been a massive fan favourite. I, however, don't have a favourable opinion of the ship. Here is a brief explanation of my reasons for the same. (I apologise for my inarticulation)

Characterization:-

Nico-

Honestly Nico's writing in the trials of Apollo was terrible even by the usual character assassination standards- in the hidden oracle, he legitimately read as a gag charater who served no purpose apart from being "Will Solace's Goth/Emo Boyfriend". Things were hardly better in Tower of Nero, where he was basically just "Will Solace's traumatized Goth/Emo Boyfriend" who happenes to be lazy PTSD rep.

Will Solace-

Can't say much. He was never a character of his own, and probably never will be. His substance as a character is comparable to the quantitative mass of an electron in Kilograms (9.11x 1/10³¹) i.e, negligible.

Nico's Healing Arc (or lack of the same )-

After what was essentially two series worth of fanfic-esque trauma bombing, Nico should have received a proper healing arc. Unfortunately, there was no such arc for him (courtesy of solangelo), because Rick has this earth-shattering, inspired-by-Disney idea that relationships can fix everything. So guess what? Nico's years' worth of emotional baggage, pain and trauma simply volatalize into oblivion .

Some shippers may argue "Oh but he got better off page"-but that it is bad writing per se; Nico's struggles, grief, fears, unhealthy coping mechanisms etc. are more pivotal and relevant to his character than a nascent, one dimensional relationship with an insignificant side character. He is much more than just his sexuality, after all.

Cliché and one dimensional:-

Solangelo is firmly rooted in the "opposites attract" trope, which is simply unrealistic in nature.

Also, newsflash: "Opposites attract" is a law specific to physics and chemistry; It's all fun and games till people who are poles apart sit down to take serious decisions, or share opinions. Friction between them can be rather intense.

(Oh! wait... I think Nico was described to be a Nitride anion {or was he Azide? No, I think he was Nitride} and Will was a Tungsten cation. So, they are basically Tungsten Nitride... Boy! They have so much chemistry between them/s)

Anyways, I totally understand why people prefer jasico, valdangelo, percico, nicobaster etc...

This is accurate...

Man I’m so sick of Rick leaving Nico out of books where Nico would have fit right into the plot. The Burning Maze, The Tyrants Tomb, Chalice of the Gods and now Wrath of the Triple Goddess. Nico would have fit perfectly into these books and would have had so much more development than he has now. Rick fucked up with Nico from the end of Blood of Olympus to now. Rick really messed him up.

PJO Meta (4 of ??)

DISCLAIMER: No hate towards solangelo shippers. If you’re a solangelo shipper who doesn’t wish to read any criticism regarding their favourite ship, please scroll away.

Times Canon!Solangelo made me squirm in discomfort:

Key points to note: this is more about writing than about the characters’ actions. Pre-romance references have been included as well

In this excerpt from Nico’s PoV, will publicly belittled the former’s mental and emotional state. The worst part is that Nico never receives an apology for the same.

In this scene, will is disclosing sensitive information about Nico’s disorder and past to someone Nico is not close to (Lester/Apollo). Now that’s seriously very icky. Plus, he didn’t even seek Nico’s consent regarding the same.

Rick’s writing has always had a good bit of ableism in it, and this part certainly counts. Using mood disorders as some schtick for romance…seriously? It doesn’t help that Nico has had actual mental health issues throughout both the series (this just makes it worse than it already is).

The subtly toxic nature of their relationship is somewhat polar. Being so miffed about your partner for “staring” at someone isn’t healthy. Possessiveness isn’t cute just because it’s a gay ship. Also the way this scene tries to pass this off as a gag is just messed up. Come on Rick, you ruined Nico’s character already. Atleast let his abandonment issues be forgotten instead of making a joke out of them. ( A character’s abandonment trauma being badly handled in their relationship…rings a bell. See also: Annabeth and the judo flip scene)

I’ve got more moments, but they aren’t as concerning as these four+ I’ve had more than enough solangelo for today.

This might help.

I know they’re not going to I know this will never happen but I hope they have the messiest break up in break up history and I hope they end up killing each other in a brutal fight to the death and I hope they they die brutally and tragically. And I hope Nico comes back immortal and Will stays dead forever and they hate each others guts and never talk again. And immortal Nico has fun with his mob of boyfriends (gods and demigod alike) that actually love him and treat him like the king that he is and also has fun with his family and friends who he gets to see on a regular basis now that Will is gone. That’s the true happy ending that Nico deserves. That’s the true healing that Nico needs.

Oh, to hell with the pseudo-representation! Say this louder for the ones in the back! Also, need I mention that the greek gods AND titans had such a one-dimensional portrayal?

Rick Riordan and Diversity

People complain about Rick Riordan “beating a dead horse” but HE CAN BEAT ALL THE DEAD HORSES HE LIKES.

Rick Riordan has actively added diverse characters in all of his books to represent more kids. Characters in his books include:

a Arab-American, Muslim Valkyrie (Magnus Chase)

a deaf/mute elf who uses sign language (Magnus Chase)

a Hispanic son of Hephaestus (Heroes of Olympus)

a half-Cherokee daughter of Aphrodite (Heroes of Olympus)

a Chinese son of Mars (Heroes of Olympus)

a bisexual God/Teen (Trials of Apollo)

a happy and loving gay couple, Nico and Will (Trials of Apollo)

a black male dwarf that loves fashion and design (Magnus Chase)

a black daughter of Hades (Heroes of Olympus)

a genderfluid, transgender warrior of Odin (Magnus Chase) 

kids with ADHD and dyslexia (All greek/roman demigods in Percy Jackson and Heroes of Olympus)

POC siblings of mixed heritage, Carter and Sadie Kane (The Kane Chronicles)

and that’s just off the top of my head! This is not at all a conclusive list!!

When Rick Riordan first revealed Nico, a son of Hades in his best-selling Heroes of Olympus series, as gay people asked him “why?” and he said because he wanted kids to see themselves in his books and that all kids need to be able to see themselves in literature and find reassurance that they’re fine just the way they are. HE PORTRAYS ALL OF THESE KIDS AS HEROES. This is SO SO IMPORTANT

So unlike some people who beat dead horses and don’t even try to be diverse (*cough*JKROWLING*cough*) at least Riordan is constantly adding more and more young heroes and heroines that are diverse, well-rounded, and important. 

THAT’S GREAT AND I WILL BUY EVERY SINGLE ONE OF HIS DEAD HORSE BEATING NOVELS FIGHT ME

Enjoy this written piece? Consider buying me a coffee.

Miscellaneous PJO Post (5 of ??)

Hot Take: I find Jason to be average as a character. The writing wasn't terrible, but it wasn't exemplary or great either, especially for a main character. And no, this isn't because of his personality (it was not bland or boring for me). Just his character arc, development and writing in general.

Note: This is a personal opinion. Please DO NOT take it personally.