(How your character defends their soft core and what could shatter it) Because protection becomes prison real fast.
✶ Sarcasm as armor. (Break it with someone who laughs gently, not mockingly.) ✶ Hyper-independence. (Break it with someone who shows up even when they’re told not to.) ✶ Stoicism. (Break it with a safe space to fall apart.) ✶ Flirting to avoid intimacy. (Break it with real vulnerability they didn’t see coming.) ✶ Ghosting everyone. (Break it with someone who won’t take silence as an answer.) ✶ Lying for convenience. (Break it with someone who sees through them but stays anyway.) ✶ Avoiding touch. (Break it with accidental, gentle contact that feels like home.) ✶ Oversharing meaningless things to hide real depth. (Break it with someone who asks the second question.) ✶ Overworking. (Break it with forced stillness and the terrifying sound of their own thoughts.) ✶ Pretending not to care. (Break it with a loss they can’t fake their way through.) ✶ Avoiding mirrors. (Break it with a quiet compliment that hits too hard.) ✶ Turning every conversation into a joke. (Break it with someone who doesn’t laugh.) ✶ Being everyone’s helper. (Break it when someone asks what they need, and waits for an answer.) ✶ Constantly saying “I’m fine.” (Break it when they finally scream that they’re not.) ✶ Running. Always running. (Break it with someone who doesn’t chase, but doesn’t leave, either.) ✶ Intellectualizing every feeling. (Break it with raw, messy emotion they can’t logic away.) ✶ Trying to be the strong one. (Break it when someone sees the weight they’re carrying, and offers to help.) ✶ Hiding behind success. (Break it when they succeed and still feel empty.) ✶ Avoiding conflict at all costs. (Break it when silence causes more pain than the truth.) ✶ Focusing on everyone else’s healing but their own. (Break it when they hit emotional burnout.)
Vibes for Softly Tortured Characters
For the ones who make you want to wrap them in a blanket and also scream “JUST TALK TO SOMEONE.”
Always looks like they didn’t sleep (because they didn’t)
Talks like they’re about to say something else, but never does
Constantly touches their sleeves/jewelry/lip, like if they’re not holding something, they’ll fall apart
Laughs too easily, but it never quite reaches their eyes
Over-apologizes for things no one noticed
Craves affection but flinches when they get it
Body language = trying to take up as little space as possible
Flashes of unexpected rage, like pressure finally cracking glass
Always says “I’m fine” in a tone that screams “Please ask again”
Cries alone, then wipes their face like it’s a secret
Feels safest in chaos because stillness feels like waiting for pain
Thinks being loved means being a burden
Cannot remember the last time they were truly, fully relaxed
Keeps people at arm’s length, but is the first to drop everything if someone else needs help
Treats their own joy like it's a luxury they didn’t earn
Hey, stop scrolling and start writing. The book ain't gonna write itself.
as somebody with both songs on one playlist, yes actually!
you ever think about how the piña colada song and kate bush's babooshka are technically songs about the same topic but with incredibly different tones
THIS IS SO CUTE THANK YOU <33
Hello tumblr I heard you like changeling stories
Edit: If you want a physical copy of this comic!
Things Your Character Pretends to Be (But Isn’t, At Least Not Yet)
(Identity masks, coping roles, survival personas.)
The caretaker (but no one’s ever taken care of them).
The brave one (but they’re terrified all the time).
The flirt (because real intimacy is terrifying).
The funny one (because laughter hides the panic).
The overachiever (but they feel like a fraud).
The chill one (but they’re screaming inside).
The leader (but they never wanted the spotlight).
The rebel (but they just want to belong).
The calm one (but their thoughts race nonstop).
The loyal one (even when people don’t deserve it).
The loner (but they’re starving for connection).
The tough one (but they’ve never been allowed to cry).
The problem-solver (but can’t fix their own mess).
The grounded one (but they feel completely lost).
The logical one (because feeling has always gotten them hurt).
The “together” one (but they’re falling apart in secret).
The “nice” one (but they’re boiling with resentment).
The free spirit (but they crave structure).
The peacemaker (but they never say what they need).
The heartbreaker (but they’re terrified of being left first).
really old drawing but wanted to post it here hehehe ( pls ignore that they are floating )
#woahtheremateididntconfirmthatyet
My characters are so happy right now :) Should I... ruin... everything?