Character Breakdown | Open
@sixvisxpacem asked: For the character meme: Kadaj, Tifa, and also Rufus.
Thank you for the interesting collection of character options, woo!
-How I feel about this character-
*ahem* MY SON, MY PRECIOUS BABY BOY, JUST DOING HIS BEST, DID NOTHING WRONG, AND NEEDS A NEW MOMMY AND MAYBE A NEW BIG BROTHER.
No but seriously, I adore Kadaj (and the remnants, but Kadaj has a bit more sway) so much. He makes me sad, he makes me happy, I love watching him and his brothers' unhinged asses causing chaos, then watching them get so emotional like the literal children they still technically are. His existence is so fucked, to only form from the will of another, but in forming from that, whether it was by influence of Cloud's assistance as an anchor, or purely Sephiroth's unbound feelings and thoughts mixing with his will, Kadaj still formed very specific feeligns and layers to his personality that make him so individual, so blindly devoted to the idea of Mother, and so heartbreakingly jealous and lesser when considering Sephiroth himself. AND YOU CANNOT CONVINCE ME THOSE THREE WHISPERS IN REMAKE WEREN'T THE REMNANTS. SOMEHOW, FOR SOME REASON, THEY WERE.
-All the people I ship romantically with this character-
I don't generally ship him? For the most part, when thinking about him, he just feels like a kid, in a teens body, with varied levels of maturity to his intellect and emotions.
In universes where he can be defined as mature physically and mentally? I'll be honest, I still haven't explored much. One RP that was short lived and didn't get far, my and a Cloud partner had a sort of thing going that might've turned into a 'Sephiroth is targetting and stalking Cloud and uses Kadaj to get close, but they actually genuine get attached to each other' kind of thing. Yes, I know that's weird, he sees Cloud as his brother (but then again, that's not really new to this fandom, ANYWAY).
Occasionally, but not actively at all (really only through looking up youtube fanvids after seeing one recommended), the thought of something really fucking toxic and doomed and not emotional at all between him and Rufus was a consideration XD I know, I'm weird.
Beyond that, I haven't really considered ships for him, because I don't often look at him as being in that position, or of a comfortable age for me personally, so.
-My non-romantic OTP for this character-
Cloud, or just his actual brothers. If there could've been a universe there couldn't have been, probably where things could've turned out stable and Kadaj could've had a chance to live and move beyond the manipulation and lies, if he and his brothers could've found purpose, I think he would've genuinely latched on to Cloud, and that that would be good for him. Cloud might look at him as a sibling, or another child he ends up drawn to take care of. It wouldn't be perfect, it would likely be tense given the reminders of who he is, but I think he'd deserve it.
Or just him living happy and hidden, occasionally causing chaos with his brothers. Let them explore what is to the world, beyond Mother and Sephiroth, to see what they could be beyond that.
Also my silly little brain wants him to have a dynamic with Genesis. It would be complicated, sad for Gen, frustrating for Kadaj because he can tell the man is seeing someone else when he looks at him, but something about their separate energies clashing...? Idk why, I just feel like Gen as a mentor looking out for Kadaj would just...work. I can't explain it.
-My unpopular opinion about this character-
I don't know that I have one? Other than maybe my belief that he was almost too independent, given the reason for his creation. Sephiroth forged him, and perhaps not perfectly, given he's being pulled apart in the Lifestream, but forged him to serve his need. But he had to be fed the Momma Trauma, and be told it was mother leading him. Something about his hunt to find her, and knowing it's to appease her by bringing back her most power 'son', and his visceral reactions that could've so easily pushed him off his path if just the right stresser had pushed him? At least for a moment.
I personally feel like that was a combination of two things, and this is extreme headcanon. I don't absolutely believe it, but it's how I see it; The hate Kadaj help for Sephiroth was born of his independence and how it had grown. He was still bound, but he had developed further than Seph could've planned nor controlled compeltely at that time, and so in all he was doing and experiencing and what he knew his fate would be, a bitterness towards Sephiroth formed.
But I also believe there was a bitterness toward him already there at his core--an accidental flow when Sephiroth created him. Because yes, by the end of OG, he was the god-complex madman, and everything of who he was, was mostly lost. But somewhere, deep within him, that confused, conflicted, scared SOLDIER still held feelings over his conflicted fate and purpose, his loneliness, whether he was to blame for all his heartache or not, there's no way some part of him DIDN'T occasionally blame himself to a point of holding some hate. So what if that flowed into Kadaj's creation?
-One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.-
Eh, nothing I wish HAD happened because sure I love the character, I sympathize deeply, but the role he played, he's not meant to survive so how things ended, that's how it had to be.
However, if there's a way to bring another appearance or reference to him in the R series? >> I would not complain. But only if it could be done right.
-How I feel about this character-
I really do adore Tifa! I'll admit, I adore my sort of 'rework while watching/perceiving' version, but I still adore her. She's not a favorite that burns bright in my head, but I am fond of her. Her, like most of the female characters, in OG were....eeeeh. They weren't defined and had some misogynistic bull lol.
But how I see her is this heart, this woman who, though through different trauma than Cloud, is trying to find herself and recognize her feelings, bound to others and her responsibilities, and just within herself. Probably my biggest moments of relating to her is when she's trying to find her voice, to not just duck back and away from an argument or a point. To be able to express herself within shutting down because her confidence is fragile.
-All the people I ship romantically with this character-
I'm honestly open to a lot of ships for her! I'm not big on any, except for one, but that also comes with the fact that she's not a muse, so my only experience is in shipping in a fic or shipping with a muse of mine.
I like Cloti about as much as I like Clerith, which is a medium amount! I can adore a lot about it! And I recognize Cloti is basically canon, especially after the kiss in Rebirth, and I accept that! but I just have certain opinions about Cloud and Tifa's dynamic that I might throw in unpopular opinion section, that just makes that a ship that doesn't stand out for me. Hell, the most I get into it, is when feeding info or fan content to my mom, who through Re content has become a Cloti shipper XD
I have shipped her in a sort of enemies to lovers thing with Reno! Usually fun, can be for shits and giggles and raunchy smut, or can be for complicated layers and depth! I've enjoyed it, though it's not my biggest ship for either character.
AERTI HOWEVER, I ADORE. I can still say it's not perfect, and before the Re serious, I never really considered it! But they way they're building up the dynamic different now, I adore, I eat it up, it gives me life. They're like old friends, girl besties, a great fighting pair, Cloud wranglers, and all these vibes all at once when I ship them, and it makes me happy and sad and full of feels to thing that it just sort of....fell into place upon meeting. They had so little time, and the way they clicked, like missing pieces. That's how I see that ship!
-My non-romantic OTP for this character-
Barret, probably! Aerith, too, for the same reasons as shippy just without the romance, but they're good for each other in a lot of ways that no one else can provide. But, her dynamic with Barret? He just feels like a figure of strength that is sometimes necessary to steel her resolve. He bolsters he strength, she softens his edges, and they are a fierce force! Cloud is there, too! But, idk, just...there are just so many complicated layers to their dynamic. I love when those complications in story telling for their relationship is handled well, with the ups and the downs.
-My unpopular opinion about this character-
First is going to be superficial, and I don't think it's majorly unpopular amongst fandom I usually interact with, but it's unpopular to some masses of dudebros--I'd be able to tolerate the ongoing ridiculous of the tits, if it balanced out a little bit, okay? Because why is a BRAWLER that lived in a MOUNTAIN SIDE TOWN that TRAINED HARD would have average physique? I don't even need her to look like an extreme body builder, BUT GIVE HER SOME MUSCLED ARMS, SOME REASONABLE ABS, AND SOME STRONG THIGHS. Everytime I look at her scrawny arms, I cry because it doesn't make fucking sense and it's stoopid lol
My big unpopular opinion? Relates to her and Cloud, and the ship dynamic; in my experience, probably influence by all my queer shipping and just not vibing strongly with certain ships (i'm aware this isn't the actual story, just how I perceive things and therefor is headcanon-y), her and Cloud aren't really actually genuinely in love. She was seeking his friendship off and on but not with full determination in her youth. She experience loss and trauma, Cloud finally entered her orbit like she'd been waiting and it's like this thing she had been waiting for, for a short while, finally happened...and then he leaves and never really returned. The Cloud she met again, when she knew who he was, wasn't fully himself and never was the boy she saw and would never be again. He's like this figure she wanted to reach, to understand, to make right and hold to satisfy a desire to hold him in her life to figure out what they would've been like together (as friends, in a relationship, doesn't matter).
Now Cloud's a SOLDIER, things are different and off and wrong, his memories wrong but she's unsure and conflicted and she just wants him to be okay so she tiptoes, etc, etc. I feel like them together is just trying to get back things lost from home, from childhood, grasping at chances unfulfilled that they slowly learn were burned up and gone years ago. I think when they understand each other, they can be good friends, and when handled right with writers, it can be a good story for such a ship. I just don't personally see it ^^;
-One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.-
I don't really have many thoughts on this for her yet? Other than sort of something that applies to the whole team--maybe getting a flashback scene to see their goodbyes to Aerith.
-How I feel about this character-
This right here? This is a bastard. And I love him. I love him and his shitty self XD And I'm blessed to RP with an amazing Rufus that really fleshes out a balance of his complicated nature, from daddy issues, manipulation, analytical thinking, to how he even deals with emotions, whatever kinds he experiences. As someone else said, he is not a good person, but he's a brilliant character, and I love how him and the Turks just have that vibe of being very...not normal when it comes to care and function as human beings XD but within their circle they still have unique dynamics, strange forms of care and soft spots, etc (moreso especially in the novels).
I can't wait to see shit get worse for him XD
-All the people I ship romantically with this character-
Rufus x Reno is only at the top because I RP it the most and I adore all the layers I've been able to play of them. But just below that ship, runner ups. I'll admit, Rufus x Tseng appeals on some level, but I don't engage often because I like to avoid those that make them OOC or make the dynamic an icky power play with a white asshole with power using his POC subordinate as a toy. Rufus x Seph occasionally, I've wanted to explore that often! And now with Re content, it's more complicated XD Then there's a sort of complicated ship I've started with my RP partner of Rufus x Vincent, but the version of Vincent is AU (in that his life was even worse, Hojo decided to recollect him and basically partially Winter SOLDIER him, so now he serves as a back and forth loan between Turks and R&D). But in the AU, Vincent would be assigned to young adult Rufus as a body guard, very strict, very professional, while a very hormonal and manipulative and rebellious Rufus would constantly be trying to push him, nudge him, seduce him. Vincent somehow manages his own sort of power, despite the power inbalance, between them, resisting for years, but it gets more and more complicated XD Very much a, started as onesided flirting, mutual attraction, cat and mouse, shit happens, Vincent regrets, and it's a more intense cat and mouse where emotions get deeper and risk get more extreme and Vincent is constantly having to fight to be better, if not completely avoid him at all costs (because he can't get into something complicated with another valuable figure of ShinRa, in his foolishness, and have something go horrible wrong because he couldn't control himself and keep professional), and Rufus is obsessed for layered reasons he doesn't quite want to admit (it's all his fault, really, he started it).
But that's about it for ships!
-My non-romantic OTP for this character-
Eh, it's hard to say? He just...sadly, doesn't seem to be the type to have friendships? But if you look at it beyond the lense of it having to be normal and super healthy, then A few Turks, definitely. Tseng. Reno, maybe. Tseng's like the voice of reason, Reno's the heart Rufus can't afford to have. I've never really considered anyone else, I don't think?
-My unpopular opinion about this character-
I don't really think I have one for Rufus, sorry!
-One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.-
Dunno that I have much for this, either! I want to see him get humbled, knocked down off his throne more and more, just because it fulfills a sense of justice even if he wasn't the one to start ShinRa shit, he has done his own shit and he's taking a mantle that he's not really changing enough. Plus I like seeing how he'll try to manipulate or fight his way out of situations.
Very low level thing? Seeing him, however fleetingly, interact with one of the bastards/siblings. IDK, just wanna, but it's not an extreme desire XD
And it's not gonna happen, but I would almost love to see his escape from the Presidents office in HQ XD just because that whole scene was fucking special. Senior is a bastard, and Rufus being so done yet amused by his shitty sarcasm was a top tier moment.
