#mirasmirages

[belovedwhump]

Top three whump tropes?

Oooh, fun question! Thanks for the ask <33

Okay. First up: Forced to Watch

Absolutely love this one. Definitely probably my number one whump trope (assuming it's done with the right characters - because I'm actually really picky about who gets whumped). One thing I really like about this trope is that it allows you to really get into the dynamic and relationship between the character getting tortured/hurt/whatever and the character forced to watch it happen. Extra juicy if there's an ongoing conflict between the characters. Another thing I love about this trope is that it can come in so many flavors - it can fit whatever scenario you want! With Whumper and Whumper-less, purposeful and accidental, all kinds of different hurt, with or without comfort. An interesting thing, though, is that will I usually need MY Whumpee/blorbo/favorite to be put through the Trope, for this one I generally prefer my fave to be the one hurt despite the name of the trope focusing on the character witnessing the act. Also, fun fact: a scene with this trope was what pushed me to watch Killjoys (I saw a whump list for the show, saw this trope, looked up and watched the scene, and then went okay yeah I'm gonna watch this show).

Secondly: Self-Sacrifice

So good. Also another trope that can come in so many shapes and sizes. Protective characters to the point of self-destruction makes such good Whumpees. And while I am not against my Whumpees dying (at least in fanon works - because you can do so much with Whumpee's dynamic/relationship to other characters, and the angst from those characters), it is sooo good when the self-sacrifice, which, for all intents and purposes, was supposed to end in death... doesn't. Because then you get the aftermath. You get the "you almost died for me" and the "do you really think so little of your own life" and the "I was supposed to die but then I didn't and I'm not actually sure what to do with that". You get the potential for both emotional and physical recovery and aftermath.

And third: Choked/Strangled/Suffocated

Okay so looking at my writing this may not be as obvious as self-sacrifice or - oh, well, I haven't written a lot of forced to watch either when I think about it - but I love to read/watch Whumpee getting choked/strangled. So simple, yet so effective. Also with threat of much dire consequences - mostly death, but also others. Maybe Whumpee is getting choked out so they can get kidnapped. Actually, you can add suffocated to this as well (proceeds to do just that). There's just something appealing to me about Whumpee losing air. This trope from Whumpee's POV? Amazing . This trope from Caretaker/other character's POV? Also amazing. Hmm, that goes for Whumper's POV, too. Could even work with an outsider's POV. Yeah, I like this from all POVs, I guess.

[valentinedagger]

friend

Returning to your long-gone ship felt like embracing an old friend for the first time in years; you sometimes felt as though its guts were alive beneath you, that you could run your palm over its thrumming underbelly and feel it purr, languid and loving, at your touch.

book 2, chapter 14. this is from Sage's POV; like i said, i believe the kids might call her "tumblr lesbian bait"

[shadesfalcon]

Estoy escribiendo en espanol (mal) porque mi amiga me dijo hacerlo. Me dijo que es una prueba

[atlasifyllm]

🎹🍩🍥 for Turq

🎹 - Do they have any hobbies?

Said in the last ask, he loves drawing typography, video games, collecting blades!

🍩 -Who is your OC’s arch-nemesis or rival?

Turquoise in particular doesn't have anyone, since it's Cobalt who everyone tends to be after instead of his very unsuspecting alter ego.

However... Oriole. It's specifically Oriole who picks a fight with everybody AND anybody, and it's Turquoise that he tends to go after a lot since he thinks he's unassuming and weak 😭😭 No one else gives Ori the time of day so he finds Turquoise easy to bully, even if Turq is a little more horrified to interact with him in return. It's much more like a cat and mouse sort of dynamic; but more in a Tom and Jerry "stupid cat keeps falling for the tricks of a mouse who just wants to NOT get eaten by the cat" way 😭😭

🍥 - What age were you when you created the OC?

Kiiinda depends on which "era"; you got the first "beta" Turq kind of character versus when I actually developed him into Turq!

Back when I was in proooobably middle school (11-12 years old), I was always trying to make some shonen-inspired show, and this fella was the sort of "friend of the protagonist" that shonen anime tend to have; technically he's Turq's predecessor

However in 2017, ig I'd be 14-15 at this point, Okay actually checking the time of this file I made, it's technically 2016 so I'd be moreso 13-14 years old, I made "Turquoise" as he's named today; by this point his ties to that beta design were VERY loose, but he was always meant to be Ruby's best friend where "Cobalt" was his true identity

So.. yea!

[atlasifyllm]

🥊❤️🍎 for Cobalt

🥊 -What do they love to do? What do they hate to do?

I feel like I'm unsure if I can answer this question, since it's kind of his entire character arc to explore what he really wants to do with his life; even I'm not sure what his "Point B" is yet.

A more simplistic answer though; he enjoys doing typography in his sketchbooks, video games, collecting blades... but he hates specifically going to the airport. This is more of an item than an activity he hates doing, but he also hates rain. Rain and airports are sensory hell for him, poor guy 😭😭

❤️ - What is one of your OC’s best memories?

Once again I'm not sure if I can name anything specific due to spoilers (I want to do SUL as a cartoon someday, after all) but I think his favorite memories come from that brief period of time where he's officially dating Rina but before he starts getting worn down from his new tournament fighting career. It'd be the one era of his life where he feels on top of the world, getting the girl of his dreams and a career people can only dream of.

🍎 - What is the OC’s relationship w/their parents like?

Honestly, Cobalt has the healthiest relationship with their parents in comparison to the rest of the Paladins 😭😭

He started off as an "odd" baby, having the power of two entire souls within him; also blatant autism. His parents really wanted to make the best life for him since he's incredibly emotionally sensitive and gets overwhelmed by his own powers when he's a kid who barely has control over them!

I imagine in modern day he's moved out of his parents' place solely from getting lots of $$$ from his tournament fighting career, but his parents are always checking in on him, especially after his multiple near-fatal injuries.

[atlasifyllm]

🍕🎯🧊 for Rina

🍕 - What is their favorite food?

I remember it being spaghetti but... I don't remember why??

I think it comes from a mix of not wanting it to be specifically Japanese food in fear of being "stereotypical", but also mixing in "that one scene in Adventure Time where Princess Bubblegum eats spaghetti with Finn", and also perhaps mixed in with the other headcanon that Turqbalt can barely cook BUT excels at pasta and grilling...

HOWEVER I am well versed in the Paladins' favorite drinks! She loves matcha... 'cause it's green and Japanese 👁👄👁

Okay, genuinely, huemans are naturally attracted to their soul color. Most matcha things I've seen always have such a vibrant green no matter what it is; drinks, ice cream, mochi, other desserts... It's pretty much her natural hueman attraction to fellow green items that really makes her gravitate towards matcha.

I like to think jasmine tea is her second favorite; I think from certain kanji her name can mean "green jasmine" :D

🎯 -What do they do best?

I admit she's one of the HARDEST characters to get right, especially in tying her character into her color, Green.

I think her best trait is simply being a more logical person; Green in SUL represents mental strength, she's able to surpass emotional limits to be more logical in terms of her interactions and plans. I'm not sure if it comes across in Rina's character, but I think it's a pattern recognized in Green Paladins in particular.

Green is the only neutral color in the Paladins. It can have the fiery passion and hearts-worn-on-their-sleeves that the Warm colors have. But it can also have the cold devotion and professionalism that the Cool colors have. I think the fact that it's the only "in between" of the Green Paladin is her best and worst trait.

Like I said, Rina's one of my hardest characters to write for, because I tend to focus on her neutrality being her worst trait; but in most Green Paladins, it's meant to be their best trait as well.

🧊 - Is their current design the first one?

No, actually! This got me inspired to redraw her old design in my new style yesterday :D

I ended up splitting the outfit into multiple ones, I felt the skirt + tailcoat looked clunky together so I split it into her summer/fall outfits :>

these character refs are technically old since i changed my art style early this year kjbdkhgdh

[myglassesareinkansas]

R1, R11, R14

I'm going to do these for Casey, but if you also want my thoughts on Bryce, I will be all too willing to reblog with an update for Bryce

R1: Does your character make friends easily?

Casey definitely makes friends easily. She has a unique ability to make the people around her feel comfortable and safe, and even though she is one of the smartest people at Edenbrook, she doesn't flaunt it. People just like her

R11: Is your character clingy?

Normally, no. But after the attack in which she nearly died, she got clingy with her friends and with Bryce (Bryce was fine with it for the most part, but he did encourage her to seek therapy bc, you know, she almost died). Once she's discharged, she stays the night at his place every night unless he's on night shift, and then she has to make sure that her roommates are around.

R14: Would your character borrow money from others? Would they pay it back?

Depends on what the money is for and how much. If she forgot her wallet and she wants a snack or a drink, then she'll ask one of her friends to pay, and she always venmoes them back. She wouldn't ever borrow money from her friends if she was in financial distress (she might borrow a small loan from her parents or older brother)

[wolffyluna]

R4, R5, R17 for Jade

R4: What does your character’s friends like about them?

She keeps her word and is very reliable. If you ask her to take you to the airport, you are getting to the airport on time, no questions. She shows up half an hour early to help you move, and sneakily orders the pizzas so you don't have to.

She's also intensely loyal. If she's your friend, she has your back.

R5: Who is your character’s closest friend? How did they meet?

I'm not sure who pre-canon was her closest friend, but post-canon it's Shiwe, her wife who she met because they were the only ones left after a bunch of arranged marriages collapsed on account of their participants being dead.

R17: Who is your character loyal to? Who would they betray, and what would it take for them to do it?

Jade has a bad problem of divided loyalties. She's intensely loyal and intensely scrupulous and it's... a bad combination. At the beginning of the story, she is loyal to:

The queen of her country

Her baby cousin who lost most of her family in the plague, and is unfortunately also the queen.

the soldiers under her command

her wife

And the interests of all these groups... do not align.

It takes some serious untangling of "there's a difference between what is morally right, and what is expected of you by virtue of your position, and you should prioritise to the former," for her to extract herself from that mess.