#that's a parody of anime tropes and how certain cody fans think cody gets tons of bitches

[noco7]

any thoughts on cody and beth’s relationship? they did have the moment before cody’s elimination in island which ive always thought was interesting

I have soooo many thoughts about Cody & Beth, you have NO idea bestie.

So the incident you're talking about is how after Cody was wheeled to the dock of shame after being mauled by a bear, Beth kissed him on the cheek, right?

[Sidenote: Cody has been kissed by three people in canon, and none of them have been consensual. Poor guy.]

But back to Cody&Beth. She kissed him on the cheek, which usually indicates romantic interest. Yet they never interact again. Ever. Cody's not there for Action, and Beth isn't in WT. So this interaction goes nowhere.

And that's confusing to me, because it feels like such a Total-Drama ass ship. "Guy who liked the popular hot girl realizes that the homely girl next to him was the right fit." But if you're not convinced yet, allow me to walk you through it:

.Imagine, Cody's in Action. He can't go for Gwen because she's dating Trent, and despite what he said he's kinda glum about it. It's one thing to get them together, it's another to have to see them constantly.

Imagine Beth, who likes Cody, deciding this could be her chance.

And it works, because Cody is so-so-easy, and one girlfriend is better than no girlfriend. And this idea really appeals to me, because Cody's never had a chance to have a real relationship. He's idealized having a GF for years I bet, but how would he adjust to the reality? Especially when it's not the conventionally attractive girl he most likely dreamed of?

It probably isn't as cool. He and Beth get along fine, probably. They probably brag about each other. Not in a “yay I’m dating X,” but “Wow, I have a boyfriend, now!” and "I HAVE A GIRLFRIEND!!" It’s more about the status change than anything else. Cody probably opens every single door for her, and acts like he did smth. Beth is thrilled.

But maybe they start annoying each other. Cody can only keep up the gentlemanly person for so long, and Beth is not the most tactful person either. They don't hate each other, but it's clear the honeymoon period is over.

And Gwent is going on in the background, getting rockier and rockier, and Cody's probably like "if Gwen goes single, might have to make a few decisions." Because Gwen's still his dream girl, remember? I doubt he magically got over her.

And Beth overhears this or smth, and like a lot of young girls, she thinks it's because she's "not pretty enough." Cue angst, cue "glow up." It's a movie season, so why not parody the nerd girl makeover trope. And so Beth is dazzlingly beautiful, and Cody, inconsiderate Cody, probably asks why she can't look like this every day.

This can lead to two routes: Beth dumps him, and Cody has to learn from his mistakes. Which would be super cool.

Or Beth could get her makeover ruined via whatever challenge they're doing, break down, and say she's worried Cody won't like her anymore. And Cody's like "..." Pretty ashamed. And then Beth reveals that the makeover took hours or smth, and Cody's like "shit? i didn't know that? damn." and so he realizes how much effort she puts in, and that he's in the Wrong. That she's trying so hard to compensate for his own shallowness, and he needs to be a better person. Because it's his fault this happened. Very angsty, but leads to good moments with them both, where Beth gets to communicate and Cody gets to reflect. Maybe he even admits that he's not the hottest guy either, and he's insecure about that. Could be interesting. I really like hurt/comfort moments that challenge the "Comfort-er" to change their own perspective. And Cody has a lot of perspectives that need to be changed, imo.

But after that, uhhh…. I have no idea?  Maybe they start geeking out together, and hopefully, just start getting more comfortable together as people. That'd be nice. But I don't particularly care either way.

When it comes to ships that aren't noco, I'm the writer who has like, "one good scene," and then the rest is hazy, lol. 

Anywayyyy, I think Beth/Cody could have had a decent arc, and really portray the "teen romances aren't that cool," element perfectly. It would also make Beth a more sympathetic character because Cody is so ugh that he'd make any girl look better by his side.

I don't know why TD didn't go with it, tbh. Maybe Beth's kiss was just a joke to further illustrate her "Boney-Island-Curse" she ends up accidentally pushing Cody off the dock. Maybe they just didn't think Cody in a relationship would be interesting, which is fair. Maybe they had more important things to tackle. Maybe it was pretty privilege - I've tracked TD canon couples, and every girl on there is conventionally attractive, whether their man is or not. You could counter Harold/Leshawna, but that ship didn't really go anywhere. And even if it counts, it's still kinda SUS. But it also could be because there are very few TD girls that *aren't* conventionally attractive. So maybe that's why. Or maybe it's every reason all at once, or maybe it's something I haven't thought of. Maybe they didn't think of it at all. And that's fair. I don't think the writers can or should account for every errant relationship idea. So tl;dr: Beth/Cody could have been a really awkward teen relationship that people found relatable. It didn't happen, and that's okay. But it's still interesting.