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coline7373 · 1 year

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"I think you will be needing this..."

There was a time in fandom where people used to make tons of rec lists of their favorite fics. I discovered a lot of great fics this way! I decided to make my own, to treat my codywan fever.

I hope it helps people discover, or re-discover, some amazing fics.

So! For your reading pleasure, here are some of my favourite codywan fics, out there. They aren't all here, because we have been blessed with a lot of great fics for this ship, but I have definively loved all of those.

Good reading!!!

Canon compliant

illicit affairs

Rex catch Cody and Obi-Wan in flagrante delicto and has a lot of feelings about it. Not positive ones. He feels it threaten his brother's life and... well, he's not wrong is he?

But love, between brothers, between a commander and his general can sometimes stronger than risks or reasons.

Painfull but amazing.

It happens during the war and ends during it too, so you don't know what will ultimately happens in this world. Do they make it? You don't know. I didn't put it in canon divergence because, aside from the fact it's codywan, nothing contradict it being canon compliant.

Canon -or not- is not the point, though. The point is the love story of Cody and Obi-Wan, as seen through Rex's eyes.

But love, between brothers, between a commander and his general can sometimes stronger than risks or reasons.

Painfull but amazing.

an injury to one

deniigiq is one fo those authors whose codywan's I just can't get enough of. That weird assholes hyperarticulate characterisation is just... XD I don't know. I love it!

The troopers make a discovery of the fiscal variety, which causes them to realize that they may have more in common with the jedi than they previously thought.

The Jedi Order is a charitable religious order. Ergo, they aren't getting paid. They get 'some' stipends but with the war, they are quickly reaching the point of untenability. Don't worry, they've got a plan.

It's told mostly from from Fox's POV which I love because 1. I love codywan as told from an outside POV 2. I love Fox.

I just love him. He has so much happening to him. He is so nihilistic, deadpan and done. Yet, he never let it twist him or give up because he love his brothers and won't let them flounders. Also, he may or may not have acquired a crush on that impossible kriffar jedi.

Warning for exploitation, money, off-screen non graphic child death and clone troopers deshumanization. Jedi Order and jedi lineage fuckery. Clone commanders fuckery. Grogu briefly shows up. Fox's buir instincts are now activated. Previously, he was of the opinion jedi could sink or swim on their own not anymore. He got this.

Canon divergence

The Art of Happenstance *

Cody and Obi-Wan co-parent a lightsaber. Force Bond. I think it saves Cody from Order 66? It ends on a cliffhanger but it's hopefull.

Funny and fantastic.

Hope

The Clone Wars are the backdrop to a quiet and fragile love between a general and a clone commander.

Listen. Listen. I cannot even begin to tell you how beautifull and delicate their love feels in this fic. It's like picking up a piece of art made out of gossamerish light.

It's poetic. It's splendid. It's quiet, discreet and personnal, like the feelings of these private men. It ties up kind of quickly to give a happy ending despite Order 66 still being carried out, but it's everything that get you there that matters.

Stunning.

The Loneliest Human Boy in the Jedi Temple

Rather than let Boba go to jail, Obi-Wan adopts him.

It's told from Boba POV, which is very interesting. I love TCW period stories featuring Boba!

And it deals with Boba confronting his father's death, being adopted by a jedi to avoid jail despite the fact his father hated jedi, dealing with what's he's done to get revenge on Mace, learning to see maybe the clones as more than things, and starting to accept that if clones are not things, then his father was wrong. What he did was wrong.

Boba has to recon with a thousand things, decide what's moral or what's not and has no one he trusts to guide him without feeling like he's betraying the only parent he has ever loved. At eleven.

Boba's disregard of clones is wrong. But when you look at all he has going on and what handicap he started out with, you cannot help but feel for him.

I feel like Boba is Dudley, the Dursley are Jango, the clones are Harry and I'm Dumbledore in the Dursley's living room at the start of book 6, shaking my head. In the end, you can only pity Boba a bit and love him and be sadden by the damages Jango did to Boba out of selfish, blind love.

No Order 66

These Things Happen

Obi-wan Kenobi keeps promoting Cody because giving him courting gifts as his superior officer would be Wrong. The promotions gets out of hand, and it somehow save the universe.

When Duty is Done - serie

Post-War: settling the matter of Clones Rights, Jedi Order Reforms, Force Philosophy, inter-jedi conflicts that were put off during the war, PTSD, healing, preparing a new planet to become the clones' home, clones culture exploration which is rooted in, but not, mandalorian's culture and, of course, getting together and settling in a relationship for Cody and Obi-Wan.

Loved it!!!! Cody is MVP. Maul is there, with Yaddle, and I'm here for it. Bant, where have you been? Chirrut is my Force Follower idol. Feemor is there as more than a footnote on Qui-Gon's history and it's amazing.

Basically, all the explorations of lives for the clones and jedi and Force Users you could possibly want in a No-Order 66 post-war setting.

Listen. Some works that are the work: Remedial Jedi Theology, Luminous, Prince With a Thousand Enemies, Open Skies ...

This is the one for No-Order 66 post-war Codywan, ex-aequo with sunshine and the shade of poetry.

sunshine and the shade of poetry

I have so much love for this fic.

The war comes to an abrupt end, and everyone around Cody begins the long road to recovery and discovery. Cody, on the other hand, just needs to find a new job. Unfortunately, he has no idea which one to pick.

First, No-Order 66 post-war Codywan is my absolute favorite type of codywan.

Second, everything. But more seriously, Codywan is often written in a such a way that Cody's life revolve around Obi-Wan's life. He settle in the Temple to live with Obi-Wan, he helps Obi-Wan deal with Anakin's meltdown/death/leaving the Order, he takes one of the job the jedi have made for the vode so he can work with Obi-Wan...

Do you see where I am going with this?

It's all about Obi-Wan. And while it can be fun to read if it's not pushed to its absolute, this type of unequal relationship, where one dedicate their entire life to the other, makes my skin crawl. Funnily enough, it's also 80% of the time the POC in that role when it's about an interracial couple. And I just - can't.

Here, Cody is his own person.

He had a life before Obi-Wan, he has one now beside Obi-Wan, and he will have one still, after, independantly from the love of his life. You can love someone as much as the galaxy is wide and still have love for your own separate life, your own friends, your own interests, goals, journey...

Basically, after the war, Cody says fuck it to any kind of military job and set out to 'find himself'. He doesn't know what it will look like and all his brothers mock him gently, and a bit worriedly, as they leave him in the dust by settling into their own civilian lives, since they don't have the same kind of hang-up he does.

But, by the Force, he is going to figures out who he is and what he wants, aside from the jedi, aside from the GAR, aside from even his own brothers, if it kills him. The 'situation' with General Kenobi will just have to wait until then.

Imagine that. Wanting to be sure of who you are, what you want and the kind of life you want before entering a relationship. Wanting to be certain of yourself, first. Especialy in a relationship where you didn't have the same power status before.

An excellent look at Cody, at the commanders, at the clones, at a post-war life in the Republic. Bly, Alpha-17 and Wolffe just shot me through the heart. It is now my headcanon that Bly is short for Butterfly for... reasons.

Find out by reading it.

And as if that wasn't enough, there's a short sequel with Alpha 17 written by deniigiq. It's the gift that keep on giving.

in our hearts some ancient song

Or: Cody finds Fives first. There are galactic consequences.

It was touch and go for a moment but happy endings guys! Thrill and anxiety abounds beforehand. Temple shenanigans. Force's engineering. The chips get activated earlier than canon but they make it through!

Worth a Thousand Words

Lol! Post-War, the clones didn't get much instructions in how to approach someone romantically. Someone suggest Cody try to send a dick pic to Obi-Wan. Somehow, it works, but not the way you expect.

This is so great! I was howling with laughers and cringing in sympathic embarrassement. Poor Cody!

This, too, was a gift

After the Rako Hardeen mission, Obi-Wan suffers a complete nervous breakdown, kills all the Sith in a way he feels violate everything he is and stands for, then fall into a severe depressive fugue.

Meanwhile, the Republic tries to reconstruct. The clones take what is owe to them and try to settle on a new planet, figure out who they are outside the War, serving the Republic and the jedi, while looking for their missing savior.

Obi-Wan is really, really depressed here and dissociated from reality for a while so, beware. Yaddle is MVP. A great look into the clones culture. The Sith problem get resolved pretty quickly. The story is about what come after and how you deal with having done what you had to do in a time of war.

This I Vow

Cody and Obi-Wan gets married for a mission. Somehow, it saves the universe.

Healthy . Adults . Communication. Please and thank you!

When We Were Young

After the war, Cody dedicated himself to his brothers: their rights, their protection, their well-beings, their lives...

He knows Obi-Wan has dedicated himself to the Order, but he hasn't seen him long enough to talk about it.

Thought now they are going on a joint mission once more, maybe that's about to change...

(hit me) with your heart

The one where Cody walks in on Obi-Wan in an intimate situation, and that ends up changing their relationship and the future of the galaxy.

Porn With Plot. Spanking. Kink exploration Safe, Sane and Consensual. It saves most of the galaxy. Rolls with it. Amazing exploration of sexuality and consent. Glimmerglanger doing the Lord's sexy work, as always. The plot is actually there and great!

the turning fork

Anakin doesn't fall, but he and Padme don't keep custody of Luke and Leia. Anakin tries to grapple with the consensual loss of his children while trying to stay in their lives. Meanwhile, someone murders a senator.

Amazing! Fantastic. The feelings... The reflection on choices and morality and parenthood and the choices one made about their lives and the ones they are going to make in the future to live a life they want to live.

Leia has Anakin's bad temper and the Organa love her but are a bit overwhelmed. Luke is his sweet self, being raised by weirdoes assholes Cody & Obi-Wan in space Scottland Stewjon. Yes, Obi-Wan left the Order to raise Luke in peace. He gets Cody as a bonus, since the man is now Luke's dad and Obi-Wan is lucky he's sharing.

A Different Perspective

Obi-Wan, Cody, the war, and a bunch of men and boys who have never gotten to choose things for themselves before, as seen through Dex's eyes.

Guys... Guys... *sob*

Finders Keepers *

Your soulmate finds everything you lose.

Obi-Wan has never had a soulmate of his own to lose things to before. Now, he's picking up things and wonders who they belong to.

Cody’s never been sure if the things he finds belong to his soulmate. If he even has one.

Anakin is contantly losing things but it somehow save the Universe because Padme take good care of them.

Fox and Bly and Bail and Breha and Bant and Kit and Boil and Waxer... all the others are there too.

chronic condition

Post War. Obi-Wan has epilepsy and it's tied to his prescience. Cody want Kix to investigate. Because they are weirdos assholes and he doesn't want to ask Obi-Wan outright. But also because he respects his privacy too much to make him talk about it. You know, they are only boyfriends. Don't won't to push boundaries too much, there. He's not a savage. Lol. Cody, you weirdo....

It was so good. So goooood... There was already the interesting part where clones don't ride into the sunset with jedi. They, too, chafe against their perception of jedi-superiority, so a lot of them choose something different than "move in the Temple and dedicate their lives to their jedi generals and jedi work". Which I love.

But, you know, I think this, it's a more realistic take and a more equal footing, long-term, than the unbalanced "clones devoted to jedi". Also, variety is always a special treat for the reader. At least it is for me. You could gave me a thousand of different headcanons, if it's well done, I'm on board!

And this one... The clones, the brotherhood/friendship amongst clones, Cody's backstory, the jedi, the post-war, the medical investigation, the Force/Jedi Order worldbuilding,.... What can I say? Save for a few fics with some of my NOTP/squicks, everything deniigiq has ever written just delight me and blow me away.

your atomic god *

The code of a clone is a simple thing: you were made to die for the Republic, for the Jedi. Make the most of the time you have before that.

Clone culture: seeded by mandalorian culture, but not the same. Introspection and identities issues: Cody ponders a lot about what it means to be a clone and who he is. Cody is super smart and cares a lot for his brothers. It has shaped my understanding of Cody.

Obi-Wan and Cody fell in love because they have actually a lot in common. Obi-Wan's lightsaber is playing matchmaker. This somehow save the universe.

Wrong Side of the Night

Is there a limit to how many fics by glimmerglanger I can rec?

*check magic eight ball* "My sources say no."

Cody has a very bad day, both he and Obi-Wan choose a less than ideal ways to handle the situation, and they have a long conversation about it the next morning.

Ouch. Like, ouch. Yet. Beware: Unjust treatement of the clones (not by Obi-Wan). Unhealthy emotional response. Impulsively angry sex. Dub-con. As-in, Cody's actions are driven by anger that has overtaken his reason and Obi-Wan's are driven by maladaptative reponse to a lifetime of traumatic environnement.

But, it's codywan, guys. So, once everyone has cooled-off: communication! Care and self-care! Trust! Support!

This fic was particularly impactful for me for personal reasons but I think it's powerfull, full-stop. You can love each other very much and still not act well towards each other. Beware of purity/cancel culture. People are failible and, at some point, they are going to fuck up.

But One: they are both harmed by the action they both perpetrated. No villain and blameless victim here. Two: once they have messed up, they both recognise their own part it it, apologise and commit to corrective actions.

This is what a good relationship look like, even with the slip up. This is what you can trust because of the slip up. They don't have to be perfect with the other all the time, because they know they can get through it and improve. The codywan is strong in this one.

I'm Not Safe Outside Your Arms

This is probably the most anguished fic you can find about a No-Order 66. But it has a happy ending!

Basically, and without spoiling it too much, the jedi do kill Palpatine but Darth Sidious continues to inflict pain, sorrow and suffering on the galaxy from beyond the grave.

Obi-Wan, of course, shoulders the whole of it but so do the vode. You're really horrified for Obi-Wan, but you feel for the 212th attack battalion: brave, strong and loyal to the end.

They should be free, they should be safe, for the first time of their lives. Their brothers are! But they aren't. And they choose it, because some choice, no matter how grim and terrifying, are no choice at all.

But there's light at the end of the tunnel. Everyone love everyone and no one is giving up. Get ready.

There Was Only One Bed

Make Your Bed (Lie in It)

They have to share a sleeping bag for cold weather reasons. Then, they just keep sharing. Yeah, Cody, we're onto you. Go through Order 66 with open-ended fix-it.

room for two

Cody and Obi-Wan are on an undercover mission, and for some reason, they have to pretend to be married. It appears that the pining will increase exponentially for the next week.

Not really a mission fic, since it's all about the trope. But it's there to put a "background" to all the small spaces sharing and there's even a tiny bit of action. It was funny and good and I enjoyed it a lot.

Warning for those who, like me, don't think the Code preclude relationships. Obi-Wan presents it like it does in the fic, but that he chose Cody anyway. I disagree. The problem is not relationship but the kind of relationship and how it impact the choices you make, your work, your committement. My headcanon for jedi/civilian relationship and their consequences/risks/problems is 70% like it is in Remedial Jedi Theology, which I recommend to everyone.

It's alright, it doesn't take off from it. It's mean to be this side of crackish, fun read, which it is, so I don't feel the need to split hair about interpretation of the Code. I just want to mention it for those who feel strongly about it. If it bothers you, you can stop at the end of chapter two. It's still great and can be read as finished at this point.

Crack

Classified

Obi-Wan goes undercover. Cody takes some calls. These two facts are absolutely not related.

Funny as shit!

First Choice

The AU where the clones get to pick their generals and Obi-Wan is, once again, left feeling unwanted. But is he really?

Warnings: Obi-Wan has Self Esteem Issues. This is still funny and the whole pagentry/tests clones make the jedi go through to pick and choose their general was gold.

The Trouble With Tookas

Never trust somebody a tooka dislikes.

It started with a fanart and end up with tookas as Sith detector. It's great. Sheevie is regretting everything.

*The ones about Cody and Obi-Wan and Obi-Wan's lightsaber

Your Life In My Hands

OR, the one where a lightsaber really is a Jedi's life.

Temporary character's death. Under 5 000 words, but by all that is good and holy, does glimmerglanger make it counts.

Like, damn. Plus, jedi and saber lore. Must Read.

Mission Fic

Standard Operating Procedures

The 212th run into a dark acolyte who curse them with a love spell. Roll with it, it's amazing.

It's actually mission fic, or more like case fic. They are working hard to find out how to break the spell and why some brothers are affected and some are not. It's great!

Rapture

Mission fic! Yay! Biological warfare, intelligence gathering, city infiltration, plot against jedi, temporary depowerment that won't keep Obi-Wan down, Competent Cody ftw, with art...

This fic has it all!

parallelogram

Obi-Wan fakes his death and Cody works through every stage of grief. He eventually decides that he's going to fuck his way out of the depression pit and finds himself falling in love with this handsome Mandalorian who he just keeps meeting.

Obi-Wan dies and Cody is out of all the fuck to give. First, he spirals. Then, he says screw the universe. He treat himself. He looks for sex. He undermines all the unworthy incompetent natborns officers. He take on Boba's gardienship, who is not in space jail at 11 but was up to this point under Mace's supervision. Ponds is very relieved.

He will crawl out of this depressive hole or die trying.

Smuggled In

NO ORDER 66. But, also Mission Fic. And I think it's more about the Mission than the fact it happens in a No Order 66's world, thought I love it and I'm gratefull for it.

Cody and some of the 212th get captured by smugglers, and nothing is quite what it seems to be.

Hahaha! I love this one! Cody is always blaming the shit that happens to the 212th on Obi-Wan and now the joke is on him because it went completely off the rails pretty early and the jedi is nowhere near where the action is happening. Or, is he?

Asexuality

Hedgehog's Dilemma

Cody is in love with Obi-Wan and determined to court him. Obi-Wan is interested in Cody but not sex. Cody has no idea what to make with that. They try to figure it out.

a lesson in attachment

Obi-Wan has never been enough. It's okay. The Force loves him anyway. And so does Cody.

Touching and, as greyS/Ace myself, it resonated.

Mpreg

A Slow Fall Towards Grace

I cannot even begin to tell you how much this fic touch me. Obi-Wan is an omega, though it's not a traditional depiction of A/B/O.

It keeps screwing him over thorough his life and the sex he ends up having despite himself is not funny. Read the tags. Obi-Wan is ignorant of how much people want him, but considering it's not because he's this bastion of Mary-Sue perfection, but because the alphas around him are knot-heads who excuse their poor behaviors and selfishness with their hormones, it doesn't read that way.

Cody is amazing. Obi-Wan is the Force's chew toy and beloved son at the same time. Loved it.

1861 c.100 s.60

Obi-Wan gets pregnant during the war and decides that the obvious course of action is constant and brazen denial.

Obi-Wan is a weird asshole. Cody is weirder. They are the perfect couple.

Anakin cannot deal with them because the twins came early and he doesn't have the time anymore. Listen, he doesn't even have time for Palpatine anymore...

Lol! Screwing with Sheevie. Clones fuckery. Adorable grumpy she-tubie. Codywan being the perfect assholes we know them to be and furiously in love. All the feels and pettily satisfying.

for every loved child

The one where new father Cody reckons with many of the anxieties and traumas of his past and gets some much delayed comfort.

Or how glimmerglanger managed to make me cry in less than 4 000 words.

It's not so much a mpreg fic, but a new parents fic. A late-night breastfeeding session reveals a lot of buried and current feelings, thoughts and issues. There's much pain, but it's all surrounded by intimacy, love and warmth. It's like hiding under the blanket with your SO and shading cathartic tears. Amazing.

Post-Order 66

I hate Order 66. I don't want to read fics about it. Some authors are just too good, though.

Haunt Me, Then

Fix-It, as much as possible. CC-2224 becomes Cody again and will die trying to make up killing his General and jedi, even if it kills him.

Heartwrenching.

We Build Our Empire From Ruins And Smoke

The Republic is dead and the Empire's throne is empty, and Fox will be damned if he lets anyone claim it.

Basically, post-order 66, the clones come back online and since everything they worked, die for and cared about is dead or gone, the gloves are off.

Come with prequels and sequels, it's actually a whole serie. No dialogue. Anakin is dead. Palpatine dies. Clones-centric.

Not something I agree with irl, because it's when democracy is threaten you should work twice as hard to secure it. But since it's fiction and the general canon sense we get of politicians and regular population confronted with Order 66 is that they either don't care or agree, it's pretty fine with me.

First Sight

For Cody, it's love at first sight. From Kamino to Tatooine, it lives inside him.

A Treatise on Breaking and Repairs

Warning: whumpfest. Great satisfaction at the end, though.

Three years post-Order 66, Obi-Wan get captured by Vader. Rape and torture ensue. The 212th, under the chips' control, are there for it all. In the end, Anakin gets his just dessert. Our boys make free.

But while you can make free from a place, you cannot free yourself from the horrors visited upon your soul that easily.

the boat that would row you back

Or, after Obi-Wan vanish it front of Vader on the Death Star, Vader decides he didn't get the proper fight he deserves and send CC-2224 in the underworld to bring Obi-Wan back.

Of course, nothing is that easy.

The Carbon Cycle

Obi-Wan decide to try to grow flowers on Tatooine to heal himself. CC-2224 is having dreams about the General he supposedly kills. Somehow, it save the both of them.

I'm a whore for dreamsharing fic. I cannot even begin to tell you how much I love it. This fic... this fic is cleansing and healing and touching and beautifull. I loved it!

A Whim, A Desire

OK, this one doesn't hurt. Much.

Three years after Order 66, Vader finds an artifact that allows him to create his perfect dream world within the Force. However, he finds that maintaining this world is impossible without someone living inside it at all times. He throws in everyone he can from his past life, including CC-2224.

Obi-Wan fell asleep on Tatooine and wake up in his dreams in the perfect life.

But illusion is not reality and when the seems of the dream start to show, Cody and Obi-Wan will fight to make their dream a reality.

Both Cody and Obi-Wan think the other is an illusion, and so they are free and honest with each other. What they built is lovely. Vader show up like the Lord of the House but it allows Obi-Wan to play out his fantasies of still being able to talk to Anakin and being part of his life.

It doesn't ends in Yay! We saved the Universe and kills Sidious/Vader. Just - Cody, saving himself and those he can along the way.

Fantasic imaginings. Make you wish it could have happen, if Anakin hadn't ruined everything by becoming Vader. Vader's frustrations of people and things eluding his 'absolute sithly control' is hilarious, sad and the source of endless failures on his part. Thankfully.

diogenes (what makes a man?)

Cody, grappling with identity, purpose and what it means to be a brother.

Cody-centric. From Kamino to Tatooine. Lot of clones. Lot of feels and introspection. Most Dies But Some Lives.

Listen, I'm of the die hard opinion that if Cody's chip fail during the Empire, no matter when or how, he would not rest until he has saved all the brothers he can save. This is the same characterisation here.

|free the hearts and rust the chains|

There aren't many clones left in the Imperial Army. (...) Zhade-Ran doesn't trust her two bunkmates. Although perhaps not for the reasons she should.

I love stories being told from an excellently done OC. Here, we've got two troopers who want to desert and two clones who shake the chips' control after years of being under and deign for the natborns to join them on their way out. Now, all they need to do is find a way to get in touch with the Rebellion.

Loved it!!!!!!!!!!!!

An Elegant Weapon *

Cody is Force Sensitive. Obi-Wan teach him how to fight with a lightsaber. It doesn't save the universe, but at least it saves Cody. It's great! I promise Cody is still Cody and not changed into a zen jedi. He can just... feels the Force.

set the bones straight

Purge Trooper CC-2224 is an extremely efficient jedi killer. He will find them all. All of them. Even the one from his dreams.

Pffffiuuuu. Don't look into this one for Cody's softening influence on CC-2224 or breaking out of the chip's influence by the sheer force of Will and Morality. This is straight-up Purge Trooper. Happy ending, though. Sort of. As much as can be in Post-Order 66.

Recollection

CC-2224 malfunctions. The Empire tries to wipe him into working order. Cody is not letting them.

Or, Eternal Sunshine of the Reconditioned Mind. *bawl my eyes out* Codyyyy!!!!

|to failure, sweet victor|

The chip malfunction enough for Cody to seek out and join Obi-Wan on Tatooine. The chips function enough for CC-2224 to tries to kill that traitor Kenobi whenever he's online.

They make it work.

one meal at a time

Cody and Obi-Wan's love story, as told through food. This is so chokefull of love...

Errr... Order 66 fuck me up. I don't get why I put so many of them there. I guess it's popular amongst writers? And I can bend my likes/dislikes when the writing is that good. Curse you, good writers!

Home, A Place You've Never Been

Cody's chip fails. Cody dreams of Tatooine. Cody gets to Tatooine. Now that he's there, he must heal and tame Ben Kenobi, whose wounds on his soul make him the kindest not-jedi. But also depressed, weary and wary as hell.

Excellent. Obi-Wan is very oblivious. Then, in the three sequels, very happy. As much as can be post-Order 66.

The Raephen's Gifts

It's happy! Cody and Obi-Wan obviously make it through Order 66 and the Empire, along with some clones and jedi, and the Republic and the Jedi Order are restored to the galaxy.

But it's all alluded to only very briefly in the background. Basicaly, now that the galaxy is at peace once more, old married couple codywan get on a week long retreat on a peacefull planet in Wild Space where they are sure they won't be bothered or called.

They sleep, eat fish and maybe meet some Force entities along the way.

Just... old codywan, with disabilities, having a week of rest and healing. Chilling. It's everything I wish for them in a post-Order 66 era.

AUs I Cannot Help But Read

AUs, as in, change the Star Wars Universe, not the events of canon.

Listen, I hate when SF is not SF. But, again, some authors are just too good and they make it work.

Vampire AU serie

Yes. Really. Don't run for the hills! It's not your Twilight Romance. Everything is the same. Obi-Wan is just of a specie called Vampire because, you know, they drink blood as part of their diet.

And since it's Star Wars: Space Racism! Yay!

This somehow makes the Clone Wars both better and worse.

Sort of Vampirism? Its not the story

I put it there because in this sort-of supernatural AU, Force users drink blood.

But really, the story is about how Cody and Obi-Wan get trapped in a lost jedi Temple, how they must join forces to make it out, and how the ensuing unshakable trust help them deal with post-Order 66.

It was great. I love lost jedi Temple fic! I could read millions of them.

Commander Cody and Star Wars’ actual Disney princess

Obi-Wan, the prince in his high tower, is not waiting for a rescue. Cody is the not-knight interested in rescuing him.

I shit you not. Magic is used instead of the Force, but everything is very recognisable and the story is great! Lot of Cody's brothers are there.

Zombies

A stunning mission fic, 64 000 words long, where the Separatist experiment biological warefare on a neutral planet and the 212th get caught in the middle.

Down to less than a hundred soldiers, they must fight an entire planet for their survival. Buckle up! Clones Wars Plots! Zombies Nightmares! With sequel!

I cannot stress enough how much you need it. If you like action, this is the fic for you.

Sith Obi-Wan

Really not my kind fic. I headcanon the very bone of Obi-Wan personality as selfless. And to be Sith is rooted in selfishness.

Imcompatible in its essence. Does not work.

In this fic, it works. Sith Empire, so it explains Obi-Wan being Sith. Unexpected kind of A/B/O. Warning for Obi-Wan/212th battalion. The codywan is there and ready to do damage. Revenge ahead. Less than 6000 words, maximum impact.

Glimmerglanger strikes again. It was great.

Dark Sider Obi-Wan

Not to be confused: Obi-Wan is not a Sith there.

He is an ex-padawan who left the Order to fight a war for children against adults, then joined another war, then another war and another and another...

By the time he realised he strayed from the Light, he has cease to care about it. He is good at war and they always say if you're good at something, you should be paid for it. A galactic war may be the peak of his career, if it wasn't such a strange war. It doesn't quite make sense, and Obi-Wan's weakness is definitively curiosity.

Meanwhile, Commander Cody has it with this dark sider ruining things. He may be a fearsome separatist general, but Cody is no light weight himself. If the man is going to drop gauntlets left and right, than Cody is going to damn well one pick one himself.

Let's see who is the better fighter and strategic mastermind.

Always-A-Girl-Obi-Wan

Funerary practices? Master Ti writes back. I’m not sure what you mean, Master Kenobi. Used biomass is the property of Kamino and thus is recycled into the cloning process.

So that’s how the revolution begins—with dead brothers, but not the way you might expect.

Obi-Wan is still Obi-Wan. You might as well read this as Canon Divergence. But fandom readers will always has the fear of Mary Sue, I think, so I prefered to put the fact that it's Lady Wan at the foreground.

It's great. It's so freaking great... The 212th are all a little bit in love with Obi-Wan. Cody definitively is. Obi-Wan has nightmares and decide she's done with this shit. She's going to take her clones and stage a strike. See how the Senate like that! Ha!

Lol. If anyone ever make a fanart of Lady Wan as a pinup for ship's nose art, please, please, send me the link! Warnings for cloneship in the background.

Time Travel

while the world still turns

Cody touch an artefact in a jedi Temple and is sent at various point of Obi-Wan's life. All the codywan feels. Of course, it's going to save the Universe!

Fire to ash, present to past (who knows for tomorrow?)

Obi-Wan is fifteen again, things are different, people are confused, but maybe there's something good at the end of the path

Obi-Wan is the Force chew toy and beloved son at the same time. Obi-Wan has PTSD. Qui-Gon is confused. Listen, you don't get much more than "Obi-Wan get back in his old body". That's it. That's the whole fic.

The whole thing is about landing in a different time with undealt with traumas and finally dealing. Why put it on this codywan rec list, then? Ah, I'm not gonna spoil you, now, am I? You will just have to read for yourself.

The Suns Swing East

Over and over, Obi-Wan woke up and wished he hadn't. Palpatine wouldn't stop until Obi-Wan had Fallen (...)

He couldn't save himself (...) What he hadn't realized was that didn't mean there was no way to be saved.

Time-Loop!!! Palpatine realise Obi-Wan can kick Anakin's ass and decide he is the one he wants as his apprentice. Then, with sith powers, he tries his best to break him.

Obi-Wan is at the end of his rope. He has lived through many lives, all of them horrible, all of them failures. At this point, he wished he could join the Force. Seriously. Depression. Suicide attempt. The work. But Obi-Wan isn't alone. And those who love him will save him. And the Universe along the way.

Die Sheevie, die.

A heartfelt thanks to @glimmerglanger @deniigi @nightfoliage @lttrsfrmlnrrgby @galateagalvanized @esamastation @wanderingjedihistorian @nerjetii @petrichordiam @someawkwardprose @trixree @andthepeople

(The other authors either had no tumblr handle put on their ao3 profile, or their pseudo didn't work when I tried to @ at them. I thank them anyway, and all those whose codywan fics I have loved but not put there. Thank you.)

#obi wan kenobi #commander cody #star wars #clone wars #the clone wars #codywan #codywan fic rec #codywan fic #sw fic rec #fic reccomendations #fic recc #fic rec #fanfic rec

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the-music-maniac · 2 days

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How fucked up would it be if Sefikura got Hanahaki? Either one of them. That ship is already toxic AF (affectionate) but imagine the HAVOC.

I'm gonna ramble a bit so I can get the brain worms out but feel free to correct me on any plot points, or character interpretations: I've absorbed all this shit from watching walkthroughs (cause I'm broke and video games are expensy) and I haven't finished watching yet. I'm also playing it fast and loose with when this occurs in canon - I have no idea tbh. My interpretations are probably influenced by fandom already cause I've been reading posts and fanfics, and I am aware that this is SO self indulgent, so again. Biased viewpoint here.

Also since I'm aware that sefikura is a controversial ship even with the ship's popularity and age, if you don't like it, that's fine, just block me or scroll on.

I can see the story being more interesting if Seph is the one to get the disease. Mostly because, while I understand his obsession with Cloud is quite complex and not really there bc of romantic reasons (Cloud has S-cells, Seph kinda just views Cloud as his to control I assume, plus Cloud is useful to him, and the fact that Sephiroth has a god complex a mile wide and Cloud was somehow able to beat him as a mere trooper, etc. etc.) I do think for an individual like Sephiroth, that level of obsession is likely the closest he's going to get to love, or at least a blurring of the lines between love and hate. I don't think he really feels that emotion much anymore, especially not after the first time he died, but whatever he DOES feel for Cloud could be strong enough and close enough in shape for something like Hanahaki to latch onto.

Sephiroth's course of action in response would be interesting to see. Hanahaki weakens the individual, which is something Seph is probably not gonna stand for, even if he has enough hubris that he doesn't think he'll die from it. Maybe similar to the degeneration Genesis was experiencing? There's a thought. I honestly think Sephiroth would find it more intolerable if he reaches a stalemate with the disease, not enough to kill him, but enough to weaken him to the point where it hurts his pride and gets in the way of his plans. That seems like it would grate on him more than the threat of death, which doesn't stick anyways.

Sephiroth's go-to in that situation (upon exhausting other avenues - the first and easiest being, y'know. Murder) would probably be to try the puppet route - force Cloud into feeling that reciprocating emotion. Which like. It doesn't work like that Sephy. And here's where it could get really dark if you were so inclined to write it that way, but I'm not in the mood for that right now so I'm gonna say this - that course of action would bring up a lot of PTSD for Cloud obviously, but a perplexing point would be if Sephiroth just y'know. Succeeded in controlling and forcing that emotion for a bit and then upon realizing Hanahaki doesn't work like that - immediately releases his control. Cloud is left there, sound of mind again and fucked up in the mental health but ultimately unharmed and very confused.

Second course of action, good old fashioned manipulation. Here is where it would probably get convoluted though, while I don't think Sephiroth would go down the full on cracky shit of trying to woo Cloud or anything like that (keep in mind up until now, I don't think the nature of Sephiroth's emotions for Cloud are necessarily romantic, so that's not where the Hanahaki is stemming from, or at least not at the beginning - since we are talking about Sefikura and I do like the romance even if I acknowledge it's a little out there in terms of canon. I'm aware he says some provocative shit, but I think that's to get a reaction - it's taunting more than flirting. So, I don't think it would necessarily occur to Sephiroth to do anything romantic here), I do think Sephiroth would be forced to do shit that's actually helpful. His world domination plans are at a standstill cause he's too weak to enact them, and he's trying to get some sort of reciprocation that's enough for the disease to be satisfied, so even if he doesn't give a shit and thinks it's stupid and a waste of time, he studies Cloud and his friends and their movements and acts accordingly to help. Probably in the most violent way possible, granted. Sending Cloud into more confusion.

What I do find interesting is if Cloud finds out what's happening. Fear in response to learning about possibly romantic feelings on Sephiroth's end is probably unavoidable with how fucked up their in game relations are (Sephiroth's attentions are not exactly kind), but once Cloud realizes the nature of those emotions are not romantic (and therefore not r*pey - while I do have a vested interest in avoiding that, I also don't think it's in character for Seph. He always struck me as someone who either didn't have interest in intercourse for its own sake or just never felt safe enough to try when he was still sane) ironically? I can see Cloud eventually feeling guilty. Because his first reaction would obviously be relief or even happiness at the fact that this is weakening Sephiroth and may potentially lead to his death, and I do believe that would be genuine relief. At the beginning there is no guilt. Just fury at the audacity and a vindictive type of happiness. And then the guilt stems from the insidiousness of a disease like this, as Sephiroth keeps being helpful, and seeing the reality of an individual who no longer acts untouchable like a God, suffering. Not beating the enemy by any honest means but by the simple fact that Cloud despises Sephiroth, and something is responding to that and doing the dirty work for him. And then, feeling guilty about feeling guilty bc he should be happy about keeping Seph contained and unable to hurt others by any means necessary, but he's not. He seems like the type of hero to spiral like that.

And then of course, as time progresses on, the hatred lessening the longer Sephiroth isn't doing any heinous shit, the worry of no longer being able to hold onto enough of that hatred to keep Sephiroth contained, because Cloud isn't stupid, he KNOWS Sephiroth isn't doing this out of anything genuine, but it's still working because humans are humans who have sympathy for those who look like they're suffering and memories that fade and get overwritten with time and new information. And so Cloud knows the second he lets go of that hatred, Sephiroth will go back to killing, but in the same breath he can't help feeling sympathetic. Knowing the manipulation and still falling for it despite yourself is probably uniquely infuriating and seems like the mindfuckery Sephiroth would enjoy.

Here's the kicker though, Cloud's response to that "not-hatred anymore, but not nearly indifferent enough to be neutral" emotion would probably be paired with him treating Sephiroth better than he was treated by any of the Shinra personnel, barring of course Angeal, Genesis and Zack, without even realizing it. Like Sephiroth was dehumanized for so long, both as a weapon to be used and feared and as a public figure to be idolized and adored - none of that was his own to control - so Cloud extending basic courtesies and concern is going to feel different. Maybe it reminds him of Angeal and Genesis, I dunno. It wouldn't be out of the left field, the disease probably already reminds him of the degeneration. So now he's reminded that he was capable of loving people, once. We don't got time to unpack Sephiroth's mile long list of issues in this post but let's say it actually makes Seph come to a couple epiphanies. If Sephiroth's feelings eventually shift to romantic love while Cloud's feelings are shifting to that not-hatred, not-quite-romantic-yet, but not-indifferent, Sephiroth is y'know. Still gonna be stuck with the disease cause it's not technically reciprocation. That would be hilarious wouldn't it. So let's say that happens and Sephy is confused and Cloudy is also confused at the fact that he's beginning to feel charitable towards Sephiroth but he's still not getting better.

On the contrary, I think he would get worse. Because NOW what the Hanahaki is latching onto is real and genuine love. Yeah, that previous weakening wasn't even the disease at full strength, have fun with that.

I can see Sephiroth getting frustrated at this point cause he doesn't seem well adjusted enough to notice his own feelings shifting and put two and two together, so upon realizing that Cloud feels some level of reciprocation and the disease is getting worse, he probably would just. Leave. And at this point in the story I think what would disturb Cloud the most is if he sees Sephiroth give up entirely. Because consistently, the man has never done that before. Sephiroth has never in all the crazy shit that he's done - given up.

Keep in mind, it's only really possible at this point cause Sephiroth has been feeling like absolute dogshit the entire time. Chronic pain wears on you, and for someone who has been inhumanly healthy and then the equivalent of a God, that constant exhaustion and weakness, the choking on your breaths and pain in your chest, and then being so sure of a solution and having hope, only for it to not work and to even get worse - also Seph doesn't have good coping mechanisms clearly - he gives up. And I think this is the push Cloud might need for his own feelings to shift.

And how fucked up would it be if the hanahaki flowers were sent by Aerith though. I don't think she would do that maliciously, but as a way to test if there's any hope for Sephiroth. She maybe didn't necessarily know it would manifest for Cloud, but just some type of reaction. A way to keep her loved ones safe from him? Weakening but not killing him because Sephiroth pollutes the lifestream if he enters it, and he also won't stay dead and everyone keeps suffering because of it and - basically they're at a stalemate. If there is no hope for Seph, then the flowers would do nothing. If there is, then the flowers may be a chance to change things. Imagine that. Whether or not it's in character for Aerith is up for debate but it would be quite interesting.

So Cloud talking to Aerith and learning that? Learning that things aren't as hopeless for Sephiroth as he had assumed? Another point that may cause Cloud's viewpoint to change. It's hard to deny the authenticity of someone's humanity when it's literally killing them.

And since my entire reason for liking Sefikura is partially because Sephiroth's backstory upsets me (most of it's because it's just an interesting dynamic, but the fact that Seph was made to be a weapon, abused throughout his entire life with little to no bodily autonomy nor freedom, thought he had been betrayed by two of the only people he loved, and then manipulated until he went insane, and is now never going to be free of Jenova or his anger and hatred because he gave into his worst demons - that makes me sad. So, admittedly I got into sefikura because of time travel fix-its where Cloud goes back and tries to fix things - which often includes people gradually realizing just how much abuse Sephiroth had suffered, and all the factors that were pushing Seph until he snapped. I mean granted, that doesn't excuse the awful shit he did by any means, but the odds were by every definition, against him from the beginning. The romance was just a large bonus of those fix-its) I'm going to give them a happy ending. Cloud stays there and tries to get Sephiroth back to how he was, and in the process with the amount of time they spend together, and the worry he's been feeling at how Sephiroth is deteriorating, helps push the feelings that are there into fruition. The Hanahaki clears, and Cloud expects to need to fight Sephiroth, expects that he would have to kill him. Sephiroth doesn't - not because he now values humanity or anything because I don't think any amount of redemption is enough for Sephiroth to reach that point, at least not that quickly, that shit would be a lifelong battle - but because he knows Cloud, and he knows he would kill him if he went back to how he was. If it really came down to it, to save the world, Cloud wouldn't hesitate. And once he crosses that line after they've had this dynamic, that's the last betrayal and there would be no going back, no returning. That would be the end, permanently. And he actually wants to stay by Cloud's side. There could be a moment where Sephiroth contemplates it, but in the end his better demons win out, if you wanna add more drama.

I have also thought about what it would be like if Cloud had Hanahaki and it would also be interesting, although the disease type wouldn't quite be the same as for Sephiroth, because Cloud does genuinely hate Seph. So, it would probably be more fucked up - if Sephiroth succeeded in keeping Cloud as a puppet, and that results in a manifestation of Hanahaki because of that forced devotion, since Sephiroth is only using Cloud as a tool. And it ironically weakens Cloud enough that he's no longer useful as a puppet and Sephiroth has to let go. Rinse repeat. Or if Sephiroth is somehow able to use his cells to induce a similar disease in Cloud. That'd be pretty damn fucked up, huh. Compels me though.

Anyways, I dunno if I'll ever use any of these ideas for anything, but it was still interesting to think about. Thank you for reading!

#they're so fucked up lmao i love them #sefikura #final fantasy vii #sephiroth #cloud strife #ff7 #cloud x sephiroth #sephiroth x cloud

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flame-cat · 1 year

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some facts about Kim Kitsuragi

- one cigarette a day. there's no individual on this earth who would keep to a ritual like that that takes so much self control except the type of person who will do everything by their internal schedule until the day they die. (source: i drink one decaf coffee every morning. i have heart issues- even decaf is probably more than i should have. so I limit myself to just one, in the morning, even if its not very good, because it's part of my routine)

- the driving gloves. bad textures begone (source: i wear gloves a lot too for this very reason)

- the jacket (source: not one autistic person alive doesn't have an article of clothing or accessory they wear every single day because its comforting to have that stability and choosing new outfits is stress you don't need every day)

- the way he deals with emotions. its mostly compartmentalization, with very little outward expression, and even if he's sympathetic its generally in a distant and factual way that doesn't rely on pathos (source: autistic people often have difficulty even telling what emotions they're having at any given time, so telling how someone else is feeling is even harder. usually we default to a benefit of the doubt, and pinpoint factual information as comfort)

- the notebook (source: autism often manifests as a one-track mind. its difficult to remember small details of events, or events at all, if we're thinking about something else at the time. the notebook serves as both a grounding tool to help him focus on the task at hand and a way to reference details he normally wouldn't recollect, as well as helping with his aphantasia)

- "let's focus on the case, detective." (source: again, autistic people tend to have a one track mind. I often find myself "conversation stacking," which is when you remember old topics of conversation and bring them back around in order to finish discussing them. autistic people do this because our thoughts can be easily overwhelmed by wildly shifting circumstances, so we try to maintain that focus. kim is always focused in the case because if he thinks about something else (and switching focus is hard) he knows it'll be hard to get himself back on track. hence also why you can lead him on these wild tangents- once he's in, he's in, and he will see it to the end until you can circle back, because nothing is more irritating to an autistic person than leaving something unfinished. I often drink too much because I hate leaving my glass still partway full)

- special interest in MCs (source: look at this torque dork and tell me that isn't a special interest)

- the Kimball Incident (source: you know he hyperfocused on that one case for a whole 9 months. there's no way anyone but an autistic person could manage to focus and train so hard on a single new skill for an undercover mission. he hates it now also because sometimes when you hyperfocus you end up burnt out on the interest when it finally fades. I hate looking at old fandom stuff cause I immersed myself so hard in it for months at a time)

- Harry. him and Kim are adhd/autism solidarity (source: nothing gets me out of my comfort zone like an adhd person. I love being around them because I can let them lead me around without having to focus too hard on all the stuff they're able to focus on at once. also, every adhd/autism relationship has that subtle push/pull of one person getting side tracked and the other letting them go on the tangent but then circling back around. its kind of magic)

- look at the way he stands. look at his stance (source: I also stand like that)

now with this evidence before the jury i present a theory- that kims decision to transfer to the 41st was actually the most insane declaration of love he could've possibly done. he is willing to uproot his entire years-long comfort and stability because one guy showed him something different. we don't do this lightly. if an autistic person changes their schedule for you in any capacity, they're basically proposing to you. mans got it down BAD

#in the life #disco elysium #kim kitsuragi #actually autistic #I WILL SPREAD MY AUTISTIC KIM PROPAGANDA UNTIL I DIE #hes one of us my liege

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wasted-women · 4 months

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ROUND 1B, MATCH 5 OUT OF 8!

Cause of Death & Propaganda Under the Cut:

Beru Lars

Cause of Death: Murdered by Storm Troopers

Propaganda:

Killed offscreen by stormtroopers and never mentioned again

Padmé Amidala

Cause of Death: Childbirth & "losing the will to live"

Propaganda:

SW (especially older SW) is not great with women. Padmé has so so so much potential, but after Phantom Menace, mostly gets reduced to Anakin's love interest. And it's not even a good romance. And then she dies of heartbreak? Like, I think that's stated to be what killed her. It wasn't the assault from her husband who ~lost his temper~, it was the heartbreak. And her final words are like "I know there's still good in him" or some shit. Like, girl, he killed you.

Satine Kryze

Cause of Death: Force choked & stabbed

Propaganda:

She was a competent character with solid rapport with Obi-Wan, as well as a seasoned politician trying to maintain peace during a tumultuous time. But all that seemed to matter was her connection to Obi-Wan, as Maul killed her just to make him sad, and when he wasn't immediately trying to kill Maul, he tossed him in jail. Her death happened solely because Maul was a petty jerk to Kenobi.

She was basically killed because Maul wanted to make Obi-Wan suffer. On top of that, half the fandom hates her for reasons they made up in their heads that have no basis in the actual show or canon.

#wasted women poll #round 1 #round 1b #beru lars #padme amidala #satine kryze #star wars #star wars a new hope #star wars prequels #star wars the clone wars #poll bracket #poll tournament #character polls #polls

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ninjasmudge · 1 year

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I'd sign the petition for Nezha to get a win only if Flyingbark and the LMK fandom starts being nicer to Sun Wukong. The poor monkey is trying his best to fix things and deserves some hugs, not more hate :(

sorry that this became a small essay on tropes but i think something similar to this a lot

i can understand peoples thinking, cause swk is pretty univerally (these days) considered a good guy with a bad past, so i can understand ppl wanting to turn that on its head and ask 'what if he wasnt so good?' cause that trope happens in pretty much every fandom and story retelling ever, no matter how loved or hated the character is

i think some people take it too far in claiming swk is the bad guy, but i also think people sometimes take it too far saying hes always trying his absolute best. theres things he needs to work on and refuses to, but also his motives are almost universally good. and he DOES do a lot of good things

i think hes really interesting because, character-wise, swk falls into the trope of 'old retired mentor' and these characters are usually presented as wise; with an unquestionable reason for every decision, even if that involves sending children off to war or some shit. i usually see the fandom hating these characters bc irl that would be a fucking awful thing to do, and the mentor usually receives no judgment, continues to be in charge, and presented as correct (sometimes to the point that the episode plot doesn't even make sense, just so that it can prove the young mentored characters wrong)

swk fills in this role at the start, but the more the show goes on, the more hes actually presented as not fully knowing whats going on, or how to fix it. people call him out for putting others in danger, and as he realises the decision he made was wrong, or could have been made differently, he stops following the 'master is always right' trope (which is fun considering his own masters methods, which are presented as correct in context, but when brought forward to modern ethics, are more questionable)

hes not perfect. not always trying his absolute best, but hes definatly not the bad guy, in my opinion, hes mostly presented as just. guy. hes tired. hes just a monkey. he doesnt have all the answers. hes trying to do something, and sometimes it turns out for the best, other times he should have bit the bullet and talked things out

i think people need to accept the nuanced take of 'what if he wasnt completly good or bad, and even though hes generally a good guy, he still makes mistakes that fuck stuff up'

that doesnt deserve hate, that makes him an interesting character

#lego monkie kid spoilers #is it??? not really whatever #ask #mk #aw fuck i dont wanna put this in the main tags i dont want everyone to have to scroll past all this #mentors i dont like off the top of my head being sensei wu and tmnt 2012 splinter... theres more im just stupid

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taihua · 1 month

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thoughts on yushipei as a dynamic (both as ship and not)???

Ooh, good question! I think their situation is mostly just horrific--Yushi Huang having to regularly see the guy who led an invasion against her country, threatened to murder civilians, and of course caused her to kill herself, and Pei Ming having to regularly see the woman who destroyed his tactical plan and humiliated him in front of his army by publicly killing herself. Fanon has a tendency to frame their relationship as "girlboss makes him uncomfortable because he's sexist and hates girlpower" which is super lame when it's so much more about what happens when you have an immortal reminder of your war crimes showing up at your work meetings.

I don't think romance adds anything to this dynamic and actually takes away from it in a boring "fandom only cares about shipping" sort of way. Maybe it's the fact that Pei Ming treats Yushi Huang differently to the other women in his life that's supposed to be the draw, but when the reason for that is ritual suicide in warfare, it feels very weird to take that in the direction of "they should kiss and get married and have babies."

There's also the scene where Yushi Huang catches and carries Pei Ming like a princess, but again, rather than making that dynamic about romance, it makes more sense to look at the theme of helping someone who has hurt you and choosing to be kind/to do the right thing when you have the chance. Yushi Huang and Xie Lian can be read as parallel stories of ascended royalty who live simple lives rather than indulging in extravagance, so it's more interesting to look at her actions from this angle than to "ooh het romance" the scene.

And finally, I just think Pei Ming in an established relationship is weird. Let the man eternally slut it up with a new girl every week rather than forcing him into any monogamous relationship... it's what he would want!

#anonymous #thanks for the question!#sadly their interactions are mostly in my least favorite section of tgcf #mt tonglu arc my beloathed.#so i don't think about them /that/ often but when i do it's not in a shipping lens

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cursedvibes · 4 months

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Happy holiday.... What do you think that made Yuuji is so likeable as a character? I've only been in the JJK fandom for a year, and I've seen a lot of other JJK characters' stan. But one thing in common, they all love Yuuji and mostly will include him in their top 5 fav JJK charas (including me :D)...

Also, extra kudos cause your blog is anti-gojo. Most of my moots love him and can't stop talking about him. I already tell them that I don't really like him (actually I hate him), they're okay but still so into him. So I'm so happy when I found your blog.

What do you think that made gojo so famous? Is it the pretty face and bad personality (I'm still confused until now)....? I dislike gojo kinda like I dislike dazai from BSD. They're both called "The one who stole the spotlight from the protagonist" (by my animanga group)....

Happy holidays to you to, hope you had a good time

I think it's pretty hard not to like Yuuji. Even if you aren't that interested in his character, due to his friendly personality and plenty of cute moments it's hard to hate him. I think this Pure Sunshine Boy interpretation (that I don't entirely agree with) is the main reason fans are drawn to him. The suffering he has to endure and how he continues to grow from it is quite fascinating to witness as well. What I personally like about him is also how he has a darker side to him, that pure hatred he has reserved for Sukuna and Mahito, but which we also saw when he beat up bullies as a middle schooler. He's not just sunshine and rainbows, he has a quite serious and lonely side to him he often hides from others and that is the reason he used to not have many friends until recently. Fits with his morbid obsession with death and how he is prepared to die and wants to die to pay for everything he's done despite being so young.

Looking at fan interpretations of him, I'm not sure that's why he's in the top 3 of the popularity polls, but it's what I like about him. The main criticism I see of him is that people think he's too weak to be the main character of a shonen series and isn't the centre of attention enough, but I think that's pretty stupid and thankfully it's only a (loud) minority of people who think that. I'm glad he deviates from the shonen formula there.

Now for Gojo, I first have to say that I wouldn't consider myself "anti-Gojo". I often think he's annoying and recent developments in the manga led to me complaining about him a lot, but I don't actually hate him, not the way I do with Geto, Yuuta or at times Choso. His fans can get on my nerves a lot and I think he was written very badly after being released from the Prison Realm, but usually I don't care about him. I like his high school self actually, before he got so overpowered, his faults were more interesting there.

I think the majority of his popularity is because he's a pretty white-haired anime guy with cool powers and part of a popular yaoi couple, i.e. you got some dramatic feels mixed in there as well. That seems to be the gist of what I see online as reasoning for why people like him and what made him famous when the anime started airing. There are deeper reasons too (best ask a Gojo fan for those), but his looks, iconic blindfold design and relationship with Geto seem to be the main things people are drawn to. Things like that are often what's most important in making a character popular.

#asks

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moonlightdancer26 · 1 year

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Hello There.

this is kinda weird and meta and i cannot tell if it’s written coherently so plz just hear me out

so yk how J*R admitted that, when she was writing OOTP at the same time as the first movie was being made, she made a lot of the changes/revelations we see for severus’ character bc she liked alan rickman’s portrayal so much? her only valid opinion

prior to that it is much easier to see the relationship between james/the marauders and severus as ‘slytherin vs gryffindor antagonistic’

(the prank (PoA) is imo played off more as ‘sirius was in the wrong by organising it, james did better by following severus and getting him out of there’ without input from OOTP)

anyway, this is all to say that pre-OOTP james and post-OOTP james feel like very different characters, bc one is very much good-guy-in-the-making and the other is the worst of the worst, and i think it can be brought back to J*R’s inability to write interesting slyth vs gryff rivalries without resorting to bullying and harassment from one party (the way she writes slytherins makes me want to smash my head against walls)

what do you think? bc this is coming from a kinda biased marauders stan, pro-james perspective, even though i dont hate young!sev in the slightest

i feel like a lot of my issues with this whole thing can be summed up by The TERF Bitch Can’t Write, And Now We Suffer Because Of It

I’ve heard of that claim before, and iirc I’ve seen a source of her saying that a long time ago, but could you tell where cause I’d love to confirm this? 😭 She had already had Snape’s arc planned out because during the earlier films Alan wanted to quit his role because playing Evil Greasy Potions Master might get him type-casted (since he’s played villains before) and he didn’t want that, so Rowling decided to tell him about the grandiose reveal in DH, which is what made him stay.

what do you think? bc this is coming from a kinda biased marauders stan, pro-james perspective, even though i dont hate young!sev in the slightest

I actually think that was the point. In the earlier books we’re led to believe that Snape had no good reason for hating Harry’s dad and only resented James (and Harry) because he was a popular, loved Gryffindor and a talented Quidditch player. It was a bit of a red herring, and in PoA when Sirius and Remus are introduced we’re told about the prank and since Harry already hates Snape, obviously loves his father, and wants to know more info about his parents because he now knows two people who were the closest of friends with them, he assumes Sirius is right and evil Sneep Snoop is wrong and was just being petty as per usual. So for the first five books the readers are like “yo James is the perfect awesome guy and Snape is the jealous bad one,” which is increased when we remember James is a Gryffindor and Severus was a Slytherin, we sort of get the same image as Harry and Draco. It’s an extremely black-and-white image, the dawning realisation that it might not be just a simple rivalry/jealously-issue is what makes SWM in the 5th book so jaw-dropping to all of us, because we actually realise that it wasn’t the whole story. “Snape was right all along” is a super scary realisation for Harry, especially since it makes him completely rethink the image of his father that’s been painted for him by basically everyone around him, everyone except the one character Harry despises most of all.

This isn’t to say JKR doesn’t make shit decisions in writing, I 100000% get what you’re saying, but I think this was deliberately written that way so it can to be a big build-up to the plot twist. (Doesn’t make it very well-written, but it was still her intention ig.) and tbh the fact that we have so many unanswered questions/concerns about the plot holes/arcs/writing/etc and have to fill it in with the most plausible assumptions really goes to show how overrated JKR’s writing is and how her series has been enriched mostly by its fandom.

Also dw you’ve gotten your point across very well, I always get concerned with my writing because I’m worried it just sounds like a pile of unorganised bullshit 💀

#severus snape #the marauders #pro snape #pro severus snape #snape #harry potter #hp #ask #asks

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decepti-thots · 7 months

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re: meta again. first, thank you for the long answer! you have a lot of interesting points, e.g. how fandom spaces influence how you interact with media: my first fandom space was restricted to teenagers who mostly knew nothing about media analysis (and it was also animanga haha), and then I moved onto tumblr, where - in my memory - most users were slightly older teenagers but still didn't know much about media analysis. there probably was meta somewhere (apparently on LJ?), but I didn't see (or notice?) a lot of it. which possibly also was because I changed fandoms a lot more quickly, and I feel like many others did, too. there's a book fandom where five years ago, the general sentiment about an antagonist was 'well fuck him' and now people write extensive posts on why he did what and what that means for the story and why it mirrors the protagonists arc etc, which maybe means that sometimes fandoms need time to get past the initial excitement of new things to give more attention/time to meta?

I very much agree that tumblr makes interactions/discussions harder. especially re: reblogs - its so easy for someone to disagree with you in a reblog and some of their followers to take that as a hint to hate on you - I've seen this happen mostly related to "shipping the wrong things", but why wouldn't it happen for drawing the "wrong" conclusions in a meta post? I feel like the general tumblr user is older than they were 10 years ago so maybe I should hope that they've grown up as well and are more reasonable about this to be fair

what I also noticed regarding the book fandom and TF is that TF fans - depending on your specific bubble probably - seem to be more aware that writing meta is a thing, because they're more likely to call it that.

re: elitism - it's important to me that the things I was referring to can feel elitist, not that they are, if the distiction makes sense? maybe it also wasn't the best/fairest choice of words, sorry. the sentiment isn't meant towards e.g. the people complaining about headcanons that have become accepted in the fandom but have zero relation to canon. its more frustration that theres seemingly infinite canon material and you can't really join any conversation without interacting with a good chunk of it, while (seemingly) everyone else has already done that already.

and finally, wonder if part of who writes meta and who doesn't is fandom "socialization"; there seem to be a few people for whom it appears easy to express their thoughts online, and then a much larger amount of lurkers who don't, and I've never really figured out the cause.

god tumblr does really let me put as much text as I want here, I'm a bit sorry for the long message. If you have any further thoughts I'd be happy to hear them but no pressure

First of all: no apologies for the long message! I love it, I will put my thoughts under a cut for everyone's dashes but we LOVE an in depth fandom meta-meta discussion in this household. I started this blog to RAMBLE and rambling is WELCOME my friend.

You make an EXCELLENT point about how longevity can influence fandoms here, anon. Especially for fandoms where there isn't a constant drip-feed of NEW canon, I absolutely think fandoms living on and people going back and re-engaging the source material to look for new ways to engage it can gradually make meta a larger part of the fannish space sometimes. (To give my own book fandom example, I was on the periphery of book!Good Omens fandom back in the day, and the amount of time people had spent with just that one single book meant that more and more discussion of the ways you could read and work with that one book meant there was some very in-depth meta going on there.) (…as you can imagine, the last few years have been a hell of a wild time for me with the show fandom becoming the Hot New Major Fandom, LMAOOOO.)

There's definitely also something there about the old "if someone I follow clowns on a person, my (para)social relationship with them means I feel like I'm doing a social faux-pas by not choosing a side" you mention here too. Tumblr really makes visible the idea of social networks in a way I have to admit I overall find uhhh. Kind of not great. "If I follow someone who follows someone my mutual hates, do I need to perform my support of someone here", that kind of thing. (Answer: no, that is some Panopticon shit, bring in the Foucault. I am only half joking.) Even over an objectively inane Transformers headcanon take, it's the social mechanism more than the content that brings in the pressure I think. Again. Web 2.0 wants everything pushed at everyone all the time to encourage More Interaction, and reducing any sense of wider social circles being removed from you personally is a part of that I think. It's all equal on The Endless Timeline, innit.

I see what you mean about the "feels like" distinction on elitism, anon, now you lay that out- that makes sense. I do think TF fandom is sometimes a bit of a minefield in terms of like, even within certain subdivisions of canon there's so MUCH stuff (and the fandom has, IMO, a bad habit of not bothering to decide what is more or less "useful" in conversations; sometimes tertiary material is… you know. Tertiary. LOOKING AT ALIGNED FANDOM). I think those of us who are sometimes a bit more "canon completionist" do need to approach these things in terms of like- take IDW1 fandom. If someone posts meta about MTMTE based on just material from MTMTE, approaching that in good faith and not going "well it's in continuity with phase one, and THIS phase one comic says [xyz]", but instead seeing it as a perspective that takes that one text as a complete thing in itself? (And maybe considering how that perspective and how it differs from one which looks at the whoooole canon is interesting, rather than deficient, in its differences of opinion.) There are folks who get very snotty about people doing that in a way that is, at the very least, unproductive. (And the folks bringing in their Extensive Lore Knowledge TM by whining stuff from other continuities contradicts a take on a different continuity are just uhhh. Annoying. Those people can just Stop, Please, lmao.) I think understanding that different approaches to what "canon" even is can be interesting rather than something to be "corrected" might go some way to making it feel less… intimidating? Alienating? For folks working with what they like.

As for the confidence in sharing opinions thing… I can only speak for myself but uh. If I have a personal flaw it is unwarranted overconfidence, not insecurity, haha. Let me put it that way. I do think that cultivating a confidence in the idea "I have my own personal tastes, and those tastes are idiosyncratic and do not need to be compared to other peoples' taste, and they are Valid TM" is a skill to be honed and one I think is worth honing, and I think may be a big thing here from my anecdotal observations. I find that many people in fandom don't have a lot of confidence in the idea that you can express not just an argument for "objective" (lol) "quality" but a sense of personal taste? (This is not unique to fandom, at all, but I think fandom has a lot of it, if that makes sense.) Especially because often the things fandom centres around lack cultural prestige. It's why an appeal to being Real Literature TM is the go-to argument for why fanfiction is "acceptable". I think a similar thing can be true of opinions; to let go of the urge to have everyone agree with you 100% of the time and to be "proven" right, you have to feel confident enough to sit in subjectivity and be like. My opinions may be subjective, but that's fine. And you do have to cultivate that! But I think that's where the "I can express an opinion and not feel destroyed if someone flat out rejects it and I can't even disprove their argument" trick kinda lies, maybe. And maybe meta is easier if you've already internalized that, so the possibility people will be like "nope" is less scary?

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stop-breaking-my-heart-telltale · 1 year

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I did a TWDG character tier list because it’s been a while

Back in July 2019, I posted a tier list ranking TWDG characters from all four seasons with explanations for why I placed each character where I did. It’s now 2023, and I’ve mostly stepped away from TWDG and the fandom. I pop in occasionally to answer asks or give updates about the Clementine comics. Sometimes I get the itch to do an analysis post. Or something like this.

Distancing myself and then revisiting the series has changed a lot of my opinions of these characters and my ranking is quite different, so I thought it’d be interesting to discuss.

Just a note about how I’m ranking this: This ranking is solely based on my feelings about the characters. Last time I ranked some characters higher than I wanted to because I acknowledged their good writing and popularity. I’m not doing that this time. Well-written/popular or not, if I don’t like them, they’re ranking low. If I like them, then that’s the only reason I need to rank them high. That’s probably going to cause disagreements and that’s fine. Agree to disagree, y’know?

Each character is limited to a 3-4 sentence explanation. I can’t write a heavy analysis for every character, otherwise we’ll be here forever.

Also, I didn’t include characters from the Michonne mini-series since they weren’t included in my original and the mini-series is separate from the main series. All you really need to know is Michonne and Pete would’ve made A-tier.

Starting from F-tier and working our way up to S-tier:

F-tier

Troy Surprise, Troy’s my least favorite character in the entire series. He’s an asshole and I find nothing compelling about him other than his death scene. He’s insignificant, I hate him, and he can suck an egg.

Vernon Vernon has some sympathetic qualities to his character but as far as characters in S1 go, I can’t say he’s all that great. Sure, he patched Omid up but that doesn’t mean he gets to fuck us over in the end. Screw him, y’know?

The Stranger I feel like I like the idea around The Stranger more than the Stranger himself. I get it, he’s supposed to be just some dude and it’s a neat reveal that he’s the guy we stole food from, but I liked him better when he was just a voice over a walkie. He’s just kinda here to guilt you over your choices no matter what you did and use it as an excuse for kidnapping Clementine, but I need a little bit more from my antagonists.

Joan Joan has one of the coolest villain moments in TWDG when she asks you who you want to save, then orders who you picked to be executed, and honestly? I respect that. It just sucks that Joan as a character is boring as sin. I can’t forgive boring antagonists, she sucks.

Larry Not going to lie—Larry is the biggest asshole and I kinda live for it. I still absolutely hate him, but I can respect him as a character for being such a piece of shit. He has some depth to him when you bother to try out different choices, and his death is so ingrained in my brain, but he’s in F-tier for a reason. I hate him, but he’s a damn good antagonist within the group.

Abel I think Abel is a great antagonist and he’s well-written, but I also think he’s garbage and I hate him. They really captured how crusty, creepy, and cruel he can be while also giving him a moment of vulnerability when he realizes he’s dying.

D-tier

Kenny Yes, I’m ranking Kenny this low. He’s one of my least favorite characters in all of TWDG, but at least he’s an interesting character study despite just being such a piece of shit. I’m sorry, I know he’s a fan favorite and he’s a broken man with a sad backstory, I understand that he’s a complex and well-written character. But I can’t stand him; he’s manipulative, violent, possessive, you can’t disagree with him without him throwing a tantrum, and I just don’t like him.

Andy, Danny, Brenda I’m clumping these three together because I might as well, my opinion of them individually doesn’t differ much. These guys are cannibals who lead people to their farm to butcher, eat, and trade the meat with bandits. They fed Mark’s leg meat to the group like…. It’s so fucked. They’re great antagonists, the best in S1 for sure, but fuck these guys.

Walter I’m kinda meh on Walter. He’s where he is on this tier list not because I hate him or anything, he’s mostly just here to guilt Nick and then be executed by Carver, and eh.

Arvo I don’t like Arvo. I don’t think that’s an unpopular opinion. I feel bad about everything he went through and Kenny was absolutely in the wrong for abusing him the way he did, but I can’t say Arvo himself is compelling. I think that’s a common theme with me—boring is usually worse than bad, and Arvo isn’t all that interesting. Then he shoots Clementine and we never hear from him again sooo…. Cool.

Omar Oh no, poor Omar ranking so low. But again, for me boring is worse than bad, and Omar is boring. I’m sorry, I know that’s wild coming from me given my past with TFS but it’s true. Omar is a character who exists, he cooks, he gets shot, he survives, and that’s about it.

Mark The only cool thing about Mark is how he died. But as an actual character? Meh.

Sarita Sarita is barely her own character. She exists to serve Kenny’s character development, and I hate that for her. She’s nice, and unfortunately that’s it.

Willy Willy is okay. He definitely has the most depth in this tier, save Kenny. But he’s still a minor character who I can’t justify putting any higher when I don’t love him.

Mari Oh, poor Mari. She’s sweet, but her death is more impactful than her actual character.

C-tier

Carver Carver’s a pretty good antagonist. I like him well enough. He’s a piece of shit, he’s intimidating, and he’s dangerous. Not the best, not the worst antagonist.

Carlos Carlos is hilarious, which I don’t think was the intention behind his character but if not, then they shouldn’t have made him so funny. I’m not saying funny as in “haha,” I’m saying it in a “you are an incompetent man, why are you doing this” way.

Duck I feel kinda bad for putting Duck so low, but he has the same problems as Sarita and Mari, though he does have a bit more personality going for him. His character serves Kenny’s character development, and his death is more impactful than he actually is.

Bonnie Bonnie’s fine. I liked her more in 400 Days. In S2, she’s just kinda meh.

Rebecca I like Rebecca well enough. Her going from being a complete asshole to wanting to be friends with Clementine between episodes kind of gives me whiplash but I can’t help but sympathize with her. She’s a pregnant woman in the zombie apocalypse who lost her husband because Carver’s a piece of shit and then she dies shortly after giving birth... it’s sad.

Shel and Becca I like Shel and Becca a lot more than I did before. Their situation in 400 Days is rough, and I feel a lot for Shel wanting to give Becca a good life despite the state of the world. Becca’s also just a kid who tries to act tough and like she has a thick skin but c’mon, she’s still just a kid.

Mike Mike was super chill until he betrayed us at the end. I would’ve ranked him higher but frankly, I’m still a bit bitter about him wanting to run off with Bonnie and Arvo, completely fine with taking all the food and resources so that Clementine and baby AJ starve. We were bros, Mike, then you had to go a do that.

Brody Once again: Her death is more memorable than her character. But, in this case, I will say Brody stands out given the fact that she’s lying to everyone about the twins and dealing with the guilt gnawing at her in ep1. I find her interesting within the context of “who is telling the truth? what really happened?” because unfortunately, both she and Marlon end up dead so we’ll never know the full story from either perspective.

Mitch Oh, my boy, there was a time where you ranked waaaay higher, but I can’t do it. Mitch is a good character and serves his purpose, and his death is still pretty bullshit. I still like him, just not nearly as much as I used to.

Eleanor I’m still pissy about Eleanor snitching on us to Joan which results in either Ava or Tripp being executed, and then having the balls to yell at us about it. But prior to that, Eleanor’s a character with great medical knowledge and skills who wanted to help people. She just ends up being a victim to ANF’s less than stellar writing.

Kate I still have a lot of issues with Kate, like I still hate the romance between her and Javi and how bitter she becomes after being rejected, but I don’t hate her. She’s a flawed character but I understand her perspective on things when it comes to David and Richmond. She’s also resourceful and charming at times, I like her well enough.

Violet Yeeeeeah, remember how I said this is 100% my biased opinion on all of these characters? Violet is a mid C-tier character for me, she’s just okay. I don’t hate Violet, I don’t love her. She has some really endearing moments just as she has infuriating ones. I talked a bunch about her in my revisiting TFS post, if you want a full explanation on my feelings about her, then you can read that.

Chuck I like Chuck, he’s chill. I appreciate the reality check he gave Lee about Clementine and their plan, and I’m sad that he died. Not much else to say.

Vince I really like Vince. I talked a lot more about his character in my 400 Days post, so to summarize, he’s another interesting protagonist in that dlc and I liked his story a lot.

Molly Might be an unpopular opinion to put Molly this low, but even though I like her, I can’t justify putting her higher. Molly’s story is heartbreaking though, and incredibly traumatic when you sit with it... like, she traded sex for medicine so her sister wouldn’t be thrown out, and given that we don’t meet her sister and dipshit doctor said he couldn’t keep helping her out... yeah. Molly brings a lot of charm and humor while she’s around but she’s also just so sad, y’know?

Jesus Jesus is cool. I don’t really have much else to say about him other than that.

Christa I feel like a lot of these C-tier characters can be summed up with, “I like them, they’re cool... yeah.” because that’s how I feel about Christa. She shines more as a character when paired with Omid, and like with Rebecca, I really feel for her as a pregnant woman in the apocalypse who then lost both Omid and their baby and had to remain strong to care for Clementine... even though her resentment and bitterness are clearly present.

Conrad My boy Conrad... I still really like him, though my love has definitely toned down. I enjoy his story and still stand by keeping him alive to the end, even though he makes it difficult sometimes. He’s hurting and that makes him stupid, and if you keep him alive long enough, he genuinely apologizes then tries to be better and I respect that.

Ben Ben didn’t quite make it to B-tier, but know that he was close. Ben is such a screw up and he does so much damage, but I can’t bring myself to hate him. Most of us don’t wanna admit that if the apocalypse actually happened, we wouldn’t be a Lee or a Clementine, we’d be a Ben.

B-tier

Aasim Aasim is definitely one of my favorite side characters in TFS and I’m always going to be bitter that he wasn’t used to his full potential. He’s the perfect middle ground between Louis and Violet, I love that he keeps a journal to record everything that happens, and that he’s the only one willing to push back at Marlon. Aasim’s great.

Ruby I adore Ruby, she’s great. She’s small and fiery yet she’s the group nurse and takes pride in patching people up. Again, one of my favorite side characters in TFS.

Alvin I have a lot of feelings about Alvin. Most are sad. This man loves his wife and their baby. I love the exchange between him and Clementine where she tells him he’s nice, she can tell, and Alvin’s just like, “I ain’t nice!” and Clementine goes, “...Yes, you are.” with a smile, it’s great. He didn’t deserve his fate, I’m still hurt by it.

Nick Speaking of not deserving their fate: Nick. I like Nick a lot and will never be over his off screen death and how no one really cared.

Eddie and Wyatt Lumping these two together since I couldn’t decide who I liked more. The two are amazing, their story in 400 Days is so damn enjoyable, and the chemistry between them is off the charts. Both interesting characters with great personalities.

Katjaa I’ll never not be sad about Katjaa. Woman deserved the world and yet that’s what she got. She’s so interesting given her career as a vet which made her the group doctor, the fact that she married Kenny, and how she straight up tells you that she has her limits and she would’ve left Lilly behind if it was her choice.

Doug Doug’s pretty great, but there just wasn’t enough time devoted to him in S1, especially if you don’t save him in ep1. When you do save him, though, he’s one of the more enjoyable characters to be around and I appreciate the efforts he makes to help the group despite his talents lying else where.

Luke Luke is great for two episodes, then his character slowly went down the shitter. He had the makings to be great, to be an A-tier character, no questions asked... but honestly, putting him in B due to my personal feelings is being generous. When you’re only great for 2/5 episodes, then maybe you’re not an overall great character, hmm? But I’m biased and I like him.

Minerva Okay look, I love Minerva as a tragic antagonist. I take back every mean thing I’ve ever said about her.

Tripp Man, I love Tripp. He’s my bro, y’know?

Gabe Gabe is a brat and I love him. I understand the criticism, but I also understand a lot of that criticism is rooted in “any child character who isn’t exactly like Clementine is deemed annoying.” He's one of the better parts of ANF in my opinion.

Tenn I’ve done a lot of thinking about Tenn since I wrote my retrospective on TFS and like... Tenn is a great character. He’s interesting to have within the story of TFS, and I know, it’s so easy to just hate him because he keeps making the same mistakes. It’s when you look at the full picture that you understand why he keeps doing it and it’s just... sad. He always dies in my playthroughs, it’s heartbreaking.

Sarah Sarah should get a shirt that says “I was wasted potential in S2 and all I got was this lousy shirt.” Because yeah, the set up for Sarah is executed so damn well, then the game fumbled, and then she was killed off. My girl deserved better than that.

Carley I adore Carley. That’s my girl, I love her. Just.... I love her. Not much else to say.

Ava Ava is so fucking cool, why is it that ANF killed her off in the most comical way possible when she survives execution? How could you do that to one of the most badass characters in TWDG? She fucking knocked TRIPP on his ass. I love her so much.

Marlon Marlon is the perfect antagonist for ep1 of TFS. I have an entire character analysis about him, and again, I covered his character again in my retrospective of the game.

Lilly Yeah, yeah, laugh it up-- I love Lilly, she’s an asshole and she’s great in both S1 and TFS. She’s a woman under so much damn pressure in S1 due to looking after her abusive father as he’s all the family she has left, she’s leading the group which Kenny continually gives her hell for, and she just wants to survive. Then she comes back in TFS as a great antagonist and we see just how far she’s fallen due to everything that’s happened to her. I talked more in-depth about her in my TFS retrospective post so if you want more details, you can go there.

David Okay listen, this is my tier list and I say David is on the verge of being A tier for being such an interesting bitch. David is such a bitch, a real bastard, I could punch him in his damn nose, but damn it, he’s fascinating and I won’t apologize for being invested in the Garcia brother dynamic. I hate him but also I think he’s great.

A-tier

Pete I feel like Pete being this high is just purely my bias showing. He has no business being this high and above so many other characters, but I don’t care. I love this man. He’s only in two episodes [assuming you ran to him instead of Nick] and he’s still one of my favorite characters in S2.

Russell Russell is my favorite protagonist in 400 Days and I will be forever salty that he wasn’t more important in S2.

James I could talk and talk about James until I’m blue in the face. I adore James, he’s such a compelling and often misunderstood character.

Omid I mean, c’mon.... who here doesn’t think Omid is an A-tier character? He’s just so charismatic and charming, it’s hard to dislike him even a little. All these years later, and I’m still hurt that he died the way he did.

Jane Yeah that’s right, Jane ranks this high. Jane is a fucking great character and I’m tired of pretending she’s not. I want to give you an in-depth analysis that elaborates on that, but unfortunately, I’ve limited myself on this post. That’s what asks are for, I suppose.

Javier Javier Garcia is the best thing about ANF. Listen, ANF is the worst installment in the series, I feel like I can confidently say that, but Javi makes it all worth it. That, and his dynamics with Gabe and David, and Clementine, too. I love this man.

AJ I debated on if I should put AJ here or S-tier, but ultimately, S-tier is for my absolutely favorites. While I love AJ and his development over TFS, he just barely misses the mark. But I think his spot here is well-deserved, love that little goofball.

S-tier

Rosie Rosie is best girl. That’s it. She’s best girl.

Lee It’s been how many years and I’m still not over Lee. He deserved the world. I love him so much.

Clementine What’s there to even say about Clementine throughout all four seasons? She’s S-tier. She’s incredibly well written throughout the series, her growth is amazing, and her ending in TFS is definitely deserved. I love her so much.

Louis Coming as a shock to literally no one, Louis is my favorite character in all of TWDG and he deserves the top spot in the top tier. What can I possibly say? I have written countless posts about how much I love him. He’s my favorite and I fucking love him.

And for a fun comparison, my 2019 tier list:

#twdg #twdg character tier list #i'm not tagging every character #too many characters #it was interesting to look back at my old list #because like... i added more tiers and had the four clementines two kennys and two lillys #i didn't do that this time #also the previous tier list i can definitely tell some characters were ranked the way they were to appease others #and like... piss on that sksksks i don't care anymore #if someone gets butt hurt over a random tier ranking then that's their problem #they can make their own tier list and 'fix the wrongs' if it makes them feel better #like i'm fine with character *discussion* about things like this #but if you just wanna yell at me for putting kenny in d-tier then i've lost interest

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saltyfilmmajor · 11 months

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tell us about how you ship lane and ethan, cause how i see is lane is very obsessed with him and thats of course the romantic hate vibes. in my mind is basically the same dinamic as lego batman and lego joker, but i wanna know your take

So I’ve been really sitting on this question for most of the day because I have a lot to say about this.

There’s more under the cut, but the short answer is I ship them together mostly because how I view them as Narrative Foils who are both fixated/obsessed with each other (for different but equally interesting reasons). But also, it’s not outright hate they harbor (at least not in Rogue Nation, in Fallout that is more accurate), Ethan understands Lane’s motivations even if he despises the man’s actions, and Lane is very much interested in Ethan’s potential as an anarchist/terrorist.

I think it’s interesting you cite Lego Batman and Joker’s dynamic as the frame of reference for Your interpretation of Lane x Ethan, and that’s totally valid. I’ve not seen lego batman but what I understand is that that dynamic is romantically coded but played more cartoonishly, which is how I initially viewed Lane x Ethan.

You can absolutely play to the concept comedically, I think there is something inherently funny in shipping a hero with a villain (your mileage may vary.) But for me what draws me to actually writing fic is the angst potential of loving or lusting after someone who is ideologically opposed to you. I think, and reasonable people are free to disagree with my opinion, that Ethan as a character harbors dark thoughts and feelings, but for several reasons lets them go. 1) He understands that there are consequence in giving into his impulsive anger (see: MI3 when he dangles Owen Davian from a fucking plane, which directly results in his own wife getting kidnapped) The idea that Ethan could never turn is something that floats around in the fandom, and while it’s true to say Ethan would never turn (it’s just something imbued into his character by now) I think we don’t explore the “why” of that enough. Ethan has a support system, where Lane does not.

Ethan’s team, whoever they happen to be in any movie, are central to how Ethan interacts with the world he’s always trying to save. Ethan loses his entire team in the first film and that informs every decision he makes for the rest of his life. He wants out of the IMF, but he keeps getting pulled back in. He loses his team, his wife, his protégé and ultimately his ability to live a normal civilian life. But Luther, and Benji and whoever happens to stay on his team, he cares about them, they are his family. We don’t view his prioritizing of his family as selfish, because that’s what people perceive is a normal thing to do. But that prioritization always comes at the cost of the mission. Rogue Nation and Fallout lean into this heavily. Ethan, if properly provoked, he will do impulsive or selfish things (even if those selfish things also happen to benefit other people). The caveat to that is that his friends are able to pull him back, or at least call him out and warn him from going too far on their behalf.

Also, Ethan has a history of rogue behavior that even if it is in the service of the “greater good”, is the justification that the villains of the last three films ultimately rely on for their own actions. So, while we the audience understand Ethan to be the good guy, in universe this is the exact reason all these spy organizations fear/distrust Ethan.

Comparatively speaking, Ethan is more well-adjusted than Solomon Lane, because despite the things he goes through, he doesn’t let his crisis of faith ever deter him from doing what he thinks is right. In contrast, Lane lets his anger drive him into letting the world burn. His anger is destructive, but it serves his purpose of enacting revenge. But he is much more detached emotionally, and there are multiple ways to interpret Lane as a character, but I see him as someone who doesn’t want to admit he may have emotions. Which is understandable as again, he was also a former field agent. The reason he keeps Ilsa around is that he sees potential in her, potential to see the world as he sees it. Vinter speaks at Ethan, asking aloud: “What does he see in you, I wonder?”. While Vinter may not see what Lane is looking for in Ethan, the fact that Lane doesn’t order his outright death is telling, at least to Vinter. (Although that is not enough to stop Vinter from trying regardless.)

There are parts of the script that where cut out of the final film that makes this dynamic more obvious, rather than the subtext it is in the narrative. And while, when analyzing their dynamic I can only rely on what makes it into the final product, the fact that Lane wants to “corrupt/torture/seduce” Ethan has always been intended. However one chooses to read that is up to the viewer, especially because this interpretation of their dynamic relies on subtext.

I think, personally, it’s interesting to explore this dynamic as basically like this: Lane: Aren’t you tired of Being Nice, don’t you just want to go apeshit?

Ethan:

it's about the ideological conflict, and the begrudging understanding. Lane and Ethan function as narrative foils for each other, where they could have turned out as each other, had circumstances been different. “The Same thing that’s wrong with me is wrong with you (Derogatory)”

So that’s my thoughts.

#Nancy's Inbox #Anonymous #Solomon Lane #Ethan Hunt #Lunt #Glassboxboyfriends #Lane x Ethan #mission: impossible

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reilleclan-blog · 8 months

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(SPOILERS POSSIBLY)

I recently finished disco elysium. Like a day ago? It was a pretty cool game maybe I will replay it. I don't know if I "connected" with it as much as the fandom but I definitely understand why ppl felt so attached to it. At first I didn't know shit about the game literally at all I put my points mostly into logic and encyclopedia and little bit of pain ther/hand eye later on in the game. I started to realize at the beginning that the game was a heavily literature game and sometimes I don't hate games like that I'm ngl I will skip dialogue especially at the time I'm like "I got a case to do". Um but when I went into the library at the start of the game I realized encyclopedia gave u most of the time random facts about shit that wasn't necessarily "important" I didn't mind but when prompts would come up "in the mind" sometimes logic or ency would jump in and I'd say to myself this is pretty irrelevant right now and laugh about it. It's like my own mind was distracting me which is pretty funny cause I relate irl. I definitely felt the "deepness" of the character's dreams I've recently been haunted by my dreams. And realizing I'm not just some stupid ass cop and I had some darkness so deep the dream sequences were actually "shivers" but so interesting and pretty. Sometimes I definitely felt like I didn't understand but some parts of me did and "didn't". Maybe some of it was just for aesthetics. But it fit. It definitely made me interested in replaying the game for sure but idk when I will cause again the dialogue can be pretty heavy at times replaying it I wouldn't want to miss certain stuff. Also (correct me if I'm wrong I don't mind) but I felt like when he kneels in front of the mural of that figure I think she reminded him of his wife and I picked that option just cause. But I didn't realize he saw her as this all mighty being. Until the "final boss" of the dream sequence when she's leaving him. It was pretty sad being in love with someone and still not getting over it. How vulnerable it leaves u. I felt Harry's pain but honestly when the game was ending it made me feel like "maybe things aren't so bad for me" cause we solved the case I was happy with my choices letting the blonde hair girl go. And not seeing ruby shoot herself in the fucking face. I liked that I was super inquisitive than I thought I'd be. Something as simple as taking a mug and showing it to a "semi racist" lol and figuring out he had a piece of the armor. That's something I really loved about the game no lead was untouchable or insignificant. I kinda wish I got to see what happened in the end but I guess u can infer. I felt like The union guy was using us from the start so I didn't get the 2 ppl sigs (but I got 2 random drunks) so I didn't know if still count toward the construction stuff. And honestly him thinking we'd do whatever he wanted cause I was a dumbass cop was fitting b/c as the player I didn't know who to trust, I just wanted to figure out the case and have some resources since I was bone dry in a bender I had no memory of. All in all the game was interesting as hell if u like story driven rpg. Choices matter type deal. I hated that ppl genuinely hated the blonde hair chick cause she lied. I think it's such a stretch cause yeah it was a bit of a run around she was helpful to the case.(please I'm not looking for debates) I'm just saying she had her reasons for lying. And I wasn't surprised she later on left. I wish we could've helped them more it felt nice helping them even if I helped them "escape" they weren't bad ppl. Most of the revachol ppl weren't just different. I never actually "hated" anyone in the game lol. Everybody was poor and had some attitude but not bad I liked most of the characters tbh. Kim was my nigha for sure and the fact u could actually take the jackets from those dudes was pretty funny. Uh yeah good game cool game. The fucking phasmid showing up AT THE END OF THR GAME I WAS LIKE WTF?? Lol we actually got a picture of it too. Anyways Harry yeah ur depressed now but u have a good job ur a good person and u are disco??

#disco elysium #black girl #streamer

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alovelyburn · 2 years

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Rambles about The Golden Age Arc - Part 8

It’s interesting to go back to a fandom that used to be much more active (due to the timing re: OVAs or animes or whatever). The quiet is a little strange but also peaceful because Berserk fans used to be so combative. Maybe they still are in some circles but eh.

Anyway!

Rambles about The Golden Age Arc - Part 8

Honestly, there’s not TOO much to add about Doldrey since it’s essentially a big fight scene (a great one, don’t get me wrong, but still mostly action), so I’m just going to go over a few thoughts real quick (for me) and then scoot along to the celebrations and such.

1. Baww Laban and Owen. They kind of represent the newer aristocracy that isn’t so stuffy and locked into their class assumptions, I think... thus they have greater faith in and acceptance of Griffith’s abilities. That said...

The nature of Griffith’s plan at Doldrey was pretty fascinating to me because it kind of hinges on his manipulation of Gennon’s fixation on him. Because essentially his presence, especially on the frontlines, creates discord between Gennon and Boscogn that ultimately leads Gennon, who is a crappy military leader, to wrest command away from Boscogn, who is obviously far more competent. Without that discord, it’s questionable whether they could have pulled the win off, but that’s interesting to me because Griffith spent one night with the guy like 6 or 7 years ago and yet presumably he understands his impact on people well enough to know Gennon would want to capture him alive.

Strange? Maybe but he does say later that he’s always been aware that no one can disregard him - they can only love or hate him, but never dismiss him. Which is true, and he definitely knows how to use that to his advantage.

The situation also exposes Guts’ growing misunderstanding of Griffith’s personality, which is just tragic. In his defense, Griffith actually is always calm and composed - even in the face of Gennon, the cause of his having something of a mental breakdown a few years back, he barely bats an eye. And while Guts really should know better (at least regarding Griffith’s reaction to him), I do think that the Promrose speech ended up putting him on a pedestal in Guts’ mind... like it kind of elevated him beyond where he already was by virtue of being the boss and an insane genius. And of course the fact that he is so composed despite Gennon and then later despite having to go to court war with royalty for example, just ends up reconfirming in Guts’ head that Griffith is unflappable. Which he usually is, at least on the surface, but of course...

When do you ever see Griffith break into a nervous/panic-induced sweat? Only when Guts is endangered. I mean. Come on.

In fact, he was already starting to get nervous even before Gut’s sword broke. Anyway, other than that I have two main observations about Doldrey:

The whole situation with Casca’s battle with Adon/taking the fortress proper is kind of...... I mean, look, I appreciate that she gets her moment, that she finally gets to kill Adon, and that she’s the one who takes over the fortress proper but the way it’s handled does kind of reinforce my complaint about the way the series treats her once she starts drifting into being Guts’ love interest. Because this is her big moment, right? And it’s treated like half a joke. And on top of that, she gets poisoned so that Guts has to hold her up after the fight. Ehhhh. It’s one of the things I think the OVA actually improved, along with the Charlotte sex scene.

Also, about this scene...

Look, I’m often the first to say that Berserk tends to eschew good vs evil values - Miura also said that when talking about Griffith’s morality post-Eclipse. That said, Gennon is one of a scarce few characters that I really just thing has no redeeming qualities - Donovan being another one of those. The reason I’m bringing this up is because back when I was doing Berserk fandom in like 2013ish, I distinctly remember running into a comment from someone describing the ways in which Griffith is just an evil monster, and one of the examples they used was that Griffith killed Gennon coldly, even though Gennon loved him so much.

And look, all I have to say is... if you’ve come to the point in judging a character that you think he’s evil because he killed the rapist pedophile who wanted to capture him for sex - if you’re willing to call that love as part of your drive to vilify a character, maybe take a look at your biases and get yourself a reality check. Gennon is a pedophile who keeps children as sex slaves. Killing him is not a moral problem for me.

Genuinely, I personally find Griffith very sympathetic, but I don’t fault people who have a hard time with him or can’t get past some of the things he does, or just don’t want to. Whatever whatever. But Gennon, really? Yikes.

Moving on!

2. i think this moment right here is where Casca starts developing feelings for Guts - or perhaps when she becomes aware of them to some degree. Thus that beam of light hitting her head and the blushy look away. And it’s not too hate to understand why, really - Griffith is always out of reach, right? She’s lucky if she gets a “welcome back” from him. And when she does, she’s so emotionally overwhelmed by it she can barely respond. It’s... a very different dynamic than they used to have, if you think about it - back when Guts arrived, she was the one sitting closest to where he was lying in the grass. Now she has to watch him from afar, so of course that hurts. She’s drifting farther and farther from the person she most wanted to be near... and most importantly, he barely sees her. Meanwhile, Guts is always showing her attention and compassion, looking to her needs, encouraging her, seeking her out.

Also, it does seem like Casca has an attraction to those epic types.

I mean, heyo, who wouldn’t?

It’s funny, really - through all this, you can kind of tell that Guts feels increasingly distanced from Griffith as well - he’s off on the sidelines with Casca after all, looking at him from afar, wanting to be near him but unable to imagine it. Even though he has no difficulty pushing Casca to bridge that gap, he can’t do it himself presumably because he’s now moved on to thinking that Griffith is on a level above him and he can’t reach that place without finding his own dream, thanks for that Griffith.

But when I’m reading about Guts having these moments... I can’t help but think about how...Griffith has no idea any of this is happening right? Like, to Griffith, Guts is still his best friend. He doesn’t feel this rift between them that Guts has taken as a fact... which leaves him wholly unprepared for what Guts chooses to do in order to cross that... illusionary schism.

It’s another of those things people do for love, right? I’m bringing up the Queen and Julius because this is kind of a theme in Berserk, especially during the Golden Age. There are all these people who don’t understand their own feelings, and as a result of that they waste the time they have with the one they love, or they fumble those relationships entirely while navigating them under the wrong impression... like the queen realizing that she loved Julius only after he’s been killed, Griffith only coming to understand his feelings for Guts fully when he’s being tortured in a dungeon, or Guts yearning to be closer to Griffith only to find out far too late that the chasm he perceived between them was never there to begin with.

...

IT’S 3AM IM GOING TO BED the last few of these have been shorter than I’d like (in terms of how many chapters are covered more than in words written about whatever), so I’m going to make a concerted effort to get through the timeskip tomorrow BUT WE’LL SEE.

#not the berserk tag #berserk meta #rambles about berserk

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