#cod tag

favorite thing about them: how fucking insane he is when it comes to playing the game of being a clandestine cia agent. like. this man plays people like violins and then sets them up to play in the orchestra. it's terrifying! and incredibly satisfying on some horrific way. AND the fact that he's doing all this while looking like The Guy's Guy of the late 70's early 80's- i've said to (well... you) before about the fact that adler looks like what a lot of (white) men of that era wished they could be. bitchin' scars action hero and all.

least favorite thing about them: ...........the way that the fandom writes him 8 times out of 10........................ sorry y'all SDFHKSHDFS....... i can only withstand so much woobification and uwuifying.... but also the way he holds his fucking cigarette i KNOW there's some fun psychology behind it but. why does he hold it like that it's aNNOYING

favorite line: "you ever been attacked by a tiger, bell? .......ok." ITS SO FUNNY WHY DOES HE SAY OK LIKE THAT

brOTP: despite the wack dynamic he has with mason and woods i'm gonna have to say sims for this one. i feel like their connection is really missed out on by canon and by fandom!!!

OTP: DIANE AND RUSSELL <3 but also, see the above. brotp can turn easily into ship and adler and sims would be really fun- as would the ridiculousness of adler and woods SHDFKSKDFHS

nOTP: WELL. this is. specific. bc i could probably be convinced of most ships if they're written well enough or in an interesting way but i have to say most bell/der squicks me out considering the tendencies toward immediate forgiveness of the whole. metaphorically scraping bell's brain out, putting it in a blender, and shoving it back in with all new stats attached for personal gain bit. ALSO park / adler. aside from any kind of fling they might have which could be fun it's just not for me!

random headcanon: adler has two brothers (which i think is?? almost canon?? idek i'll have to double check), of which he's the youngest of the three of them- kurt, arno, and russell. (i have wholeheartedly accepted @samatedeansbroccoli's headcanon of adler being born in germany (and all that those headcanons entail as well!!), hence the german-heavy names). adler being the youngest also adds to the fact that literally everything he does has some personal undertones (or overtones) to it, almost like he has to prove himself and continue proving himself even with his fairly successful overall time as a clandestine officer in the cia.

ADDITION TO RANDOM HEADCANON: i also could see how brad pitt kind of embodies adler but like TRULY i can only see robert redford.

unpopular opinion: i can see the appeal to adler having some kind of insecurities and regrets below his surface but TRULY. GENUINELY. i think this man is good at most of what he does and he knows it. he's hot, he's intelligent, he plays the game and plays it well, he's got some of the most skilled individuals pulling for him at all times, adler would not function as he does in the games if he wasn't through and through confident as hell and more than kind of an asshole about it.

song i associate with them: shivers by ed sheeran honestly i have a few, namely "escape (the pina colada song)" by rupert holmes, "drumming song" by florence + the machine (specifically for his interactions w/ my bell, teodor), and "ballroom blitz" by sweet!

favorite picture of them: (: UNIRONICALLY these.