#trope rp

[ketelarts]

Meet Laury and Cassiel!

Laury is a 6'2" orphan whose father is an artifically created angel. He's half human and has super strength, but not super durability, so he just breaks himself constantly. He can also move metal with his mind, and is a brilliant mechanic/engineer.

Cassiel is a 5'5" thousand year old salamander angel from hell, who belongs to @mushmarble

Both of these two are trope characters, characters made from cross-referencing the tropes of our top 9 favorite characters of all time.

[scealaiscoite]

⋆˚࿔ actions and dialogue for forbidden kisses 𝜗𝜚˚⋆

¹⁾ “… that shouldn’t have happened.”

²⁾ holding onto their shoulders/waist for the duration of the kiss, and making no move to separate even after it’s ended

³⁾ “stop telling me that we can’t be together and then pulling shit like this!”

⁴⁾ “[name], i’m sorry.”

⁵⁾ pressing the pads of their fingers into their lips in the aftermath, like they’re either trying to capture the feeling or banish it from memory

⁶⁾ foreheads pressed together as the kiss breaks, eyes guilty but so so full of want

⁷⁾ “this can’t be all there is. a half-dozen kisses every year that we pretend don’t happen and pretentious conversations about ourselves, is that what we’re clinging so hard to? what i’m clinging so hard to?!”

⁸⁾ having begun to trail impassioned kisses down their jaw and neck before the harsh reality kicks back in

⁹⁾ “i shouldn’t have let this happen. it’s not fair on either of us.”

¹⁰⁾ “we sh- “ “no, please. just- just let me have this. just for a minute.”

¹¹⁾ breathing in their scent because they know that this is as close as they’ll get to it for a long, long time

¹²⁾ “why are we doing this to ourselves?”

¹³⁾ using every ounce of strength they have to not lean into the hand cupping their cheek or cradling their head

¹⁴⁾ “that was an accident.” “yeah, you always seem to say that.”

¹⁵⁾ “no matter how cruel it is that you keep giving me hope like this, it’s still never enough to stop me from loving you as much as i do.”

¹⁶⁾ “i don’t want to let go of you.” “and i don’t want to let you.”

¹⁷⁾ feeling tears welling up in their eyes as the hurt and longing burns in their chest

¹⁸⁾ holding the face of their would-be lover tenderly in the palm of their hand, silently apologising for putting them both through this again

¹⁹⁾ “i love y- “ “no, no. please, i can’t. i can’t hear this, not again.”

²⁰⁾ breaking the kiss but still holding them close, hiding their face in the other’s neck to try and recover the moment

²¹⁾ “would now be a bad time to tell you you’re a really good kisser?”

²²⁾ calling them a petname to try and comfort them, but only succeeding in upsetting them more at the reminder of what they can’t have

²³⁾ pushing them away, knowing exactly how cruel it is but favouring it over hurting them both by letting things go further

²⁴⁾ “how do we keep letting this happen?”

²⁵⁾ “this is killing me, [name].”

[mcflymemes]

PROMPTS FOR THE GRUMPY VS SUNSHINE TROPE *  assorted dialogue for that great dynamic between a guarded character and a warmer character, adjust as necessary

GRUMPY CHARACTER

do you ever stop smiling?

life sucks. get over it.

no one ever listens to me. at least, not until you showed up.

i didn't ask for your opinion.

there are more important things i should be dealing with.

i don't talk about my feelings with anyone.

that was a little uncalled for.

i didn't mean to talk your ear off.

i work better on my own.

what did you say to them to get them to listen?

i don't want to talk to you. in fact, i don't want to talk to anyone.

can you just leave me alone?

i never said i would help you.

you can't just talk your way out of problems.

everything was fine until you showed up.

now if you'll excuse me, i have better things to do.

what's so great about this place, anyway?

my opinion doesn't matter anyway.

i don't have time for "fun."

i just want to get this done and go home.

that's never been up to me to decide.

do you stick your head into everyone's business, or just mine?

if it's all the same to you, i'd prefer to be alone.

no one asked you to get involved.

i don't have a choice. it's my duty.

you're interrupting me again.

can we talk about this another time?

you've been listening to me talk for an hour now.

how do you stay so positive all the time?

i'm perfectly content just the way i am, thank you very much.

can't you see they're taking advantage of you?

SUNSHINE CHARACTER

i wish you would just listen to what i have to say.

i have to try and stay positive. it's the only way we get through this.

nothing good can come from constant negativity.

i believe in myself because no one else will.

i've seen what happens when the bad outweighs the good.

we just have to stay strong.

you never know what someone is going through.

i am capable of more than you give me credit for.

i don't think you're a bad person.

there's so much more to life than this.

you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.

have you tried being nice to them?

a compliment goes a long way.

i choose to be kind.

i just don't see the point in staying silent.

i'm just trying to look out for you.

there's no need to be rude.

we could work together as a team. did you ever think about that?

if you need my help, i'm here for you.

you should smile more often.

i wish you would just be yourself.

for what it's worth, i like who you are now.

we don't have to fight all the time.

being soft is not a weakness.

i want to make this work between us.

despite all that, i'm still here for you.

if you ever want to talk, i'm here to listen.

you're not as bad as you make yourself seem.

i've never seen you that way.

i've come to care about you.

[swallowedburningcoals]

whumpee surrendering themselves to something they don't want to do, something they know will hurt them, because there is no other alternative. perhaps it's their only way out of a sticky situation. perhaps the threat of whumper punishing them is more than enough to make them comply. either way, they have to fight against their own instincts, their own desires, their own dignity, in order to give themselves up to the torment. it's like a swine walking into a slaughterhouse; a death march.

bonus if whumpee is usually very defiant and self-assured, even if the face of danger. what possibly could've broken their spirit bad enough to make them behave like this?

[marichive]

100 INDULGENT TROPES

A collection of one hundred tropes of varying nature. Spiritual successor to my previous An Extremely Self-Indulgent Meme. Some of these pair well together and can easily be sent in various combinations. Some are also highly suggestive in nature. Engage appropriately.

one muse steps protectively in front of the other

one muse tends to the other’s injury

one muse is not acting like themselves and the other has to snap them out of it

one muse kisses the other during an argument

one muse pins the other to a wall

one muse kisses the other on their hand or wrist

one muse kisses the other on their neck or shoulder

one muse helps the other put on a necklace or tie

our muses aren’t supposed to be together but keep meeting anyway (on purpose or by accident)

our muses have a secret relationship

one muse takes a blow meant for the the other

one muse fights away enemies attacking the the other

one muse asks the other for their favor / a token before battle or a tourney

our muses share a night together believing it might be their last

our muses are in an arranged marriage / betrothal

our muses willingly marry for political reasons

our muses get married for love

our muses get married in a spur-of-the-moment decision

one muse has taken the other captive

our muses are in love but one thinks they aren’t good enough for the other

our muses are forced to ally for a common goal

our muses are enemies or former enemies but have started to fall for each other

our muses claim to hate each other but there is palpable tension between the two

our muses are trying to manipulate each other

one muse is trying to manipulate the other

our muses have feelings for each other but have conflicting loyalties

our muses are friends but have started to fall for each other

our muses are childhood friends that have been slowly falling for each other over the years

one muse has been in love with the other for a long time but is afraid their feelings are not reciprocated

one muse is in love with the other but they are in a relationship with or engaged to another person

our muses engage in a courtly romance

one muse is a knight in service to the the other’s family

one muse seeks comfort from a loveless marriage with the other, their lover

one muse traces the other’s scars

one muse kisses the other in a moment of heightened emotion

one muse confides in the other in a vulnerable moment

our muses are in love but circumstances prevent them from being together

our muses are exes who discover lingering feelings after reuniting

one muse confesses love to another after that person is injured

one muse confesses love to another because they believe they may die soon

our muses must share a bed

one muse lifts the other’s chin to look them in the eye

one muse places a hand at the back of the other’s neck to pull them extremely close

our muses have been hooking up, no strings attached

our muses have been hooking up, but one or both has developed deeper feelings

our muses are exes that hook up against their better judgement

one muse presumes the other is dead but is shocked when they show up alive again

one muse betrays their long held loyalties in order to save the other’s life from their own allies

our muses fake a relationship but have no actual interest in each other

our muses fake a relationship but start to genuinely fall for each other

one muse is known for their hard exterior and softens only in the other’s presence

one muse is the other’s weakness, something an enemy is trying to exploit

our muses are stuck somewhere together and must occupy their time

one muse has feelings for the other but has not acted on them due to their association with another character (a sibling / relative / ex / etc. ) or an organization

one muse is scared to act on feelings for the other due to poor experiences with love in the past

one muse is oblivious to the other’s feelings for them

one muse acts oblivious to the other’s feelings for them but really they are aware

one muse has unrequited feelings for the other

our muses are co-workers engaging in a hidden romance

one muse reveals one of their darkest secrets to the other

one muse comforts the other during an emotional breakdown

one muse calms the other from an intense rage

one muse’s family forbids them from seeing the other

our muses are in love but their friends / family do not support their relationship

one muse seeks redemption for past actions and comes to the other to atone

our muses regularly exchange letters

our muses move in together

our muses adopt a pet together

our muses have a child together

our muses adopt a child together

one muse discovers they are pregnant by accident

our muses have been set up by mutual friends

our muses have been set up by a matchmaker

our muses are in love with each other but are in denial

one muse is the other’s bodyguard / protector

one muse is royalty while the other is a commoner / rogue / societal outcast

one muse kisses the other for a bet

one muse relentlessly flirts with the other

our muses kiss for the first time ever

one muse wins a date with the other at an event

our muses dance together for the first time

one muse brushes their fingers through the other’s hair

one muse drunkenly confesses something to the other

our muses drunkenly hook up and wake up next to each other

our muses are roommates

our muses are partners in crime

one muse is a supernatural creature who falls for the other, who is a mortal

our muses are supernatural creatures from opposite clans or species that are historically hostile to each other

one muses is under a spell / in the middle of a monstrous transformation but somehow recognizes the other and refrains from harming them

our muses cuddle for warmth

our muses run away together

one muse wears piece of clothing or jewelry that belongs to the other

our muses bathe together

our muses cook together

our muses cuddle in bed

one muse serenades the other

one muse holds a weapon to the other as a threat

one muse physically lifts the other up

one muse protectively wraps an arm around the other

meet cute !

[cosmophoriia]

"a perfect match" : bubbly x stoic prompts. 𝜗𝜚

ღ request from: anonymous. bubbly x stoic person prompts perhaps? i love love fluff and silly :> btw!! can you keep it minimal of the stoic being mean, just bluntly honest? (says things as they are so sometimes it comes off as mean but its not intended to be mean!) thank you!! your writings so far have been cute!!

"it wouldn’t hurt you to smile you know." “it will.”

character a ignoring character b but once someone else catches b's eye, they get jealous.

character a pretends to not like character b but they know deep down that they love them and enjoy b's company.

character c hurts character b’s feelings and they are not their bubbly self and a notices and immediately asks what’s wrong.

^ character a confronting c and defending b. b is happy to see that a do care for them.

“how are you so filled with energy early in the morning?”

“why are you so grumpy all the time?”

“how about we do something fun to lighten up your grumpy mood?”

“leave me be.”

“your full time job is to annoy me.”

“i don’t hate you just the things you do.”

“i made something for you.”

character b paying attention to character a’s favorite food and cooking it for them.

“is every clothing you own is bright colors?”

“you need to wear something other than black, nothing wrong with a little color.”

“don’t let anyone change you for who you are.”

^ “you may not be for everyone but it doesn’t mean you have to change anything about yourself just to fit in.”

“i know i bug you a lot but i wanna say thank you for being there for me whenever i wanted to hear the truth.”

“why do you still want to be near me?” “i mean i’m not used to someone wanting to be around this long.”

^ “because you have a caring heart, you say exactly how you feel and there’s nothing wrong with that.”

[shhhsecretsideblog]

We were in a restaurant, purposely going there while you’re in labor (water already broke) because we wanted to do a public birth. We played along as you continue to labor.

Soon enough, you told me that you need to push. I was excited to see you give birth into that tight jeans of yours, but I say to you: “Don’t push… not yet.”

I’d done so well, keeping my labouring noises to a minimum, as we sat in a booth at a mediocre restaurant chain. When we arrived you waited politely for me to take a seat first then, instead of sitting opposite, you sit down next to me on the leather covered bench. No doubt wanting a front row view of what was to come.

The music played loudly over the speakers, accompanied by the excited chatter of patrons drinking and laughing on a casual night out, completely aware of our current situation. There was barely any room with us both sat on the same cushioned bench, my swollen pregnant body squished between the wall and your body.

As the contractions ramped up I began to rock forward and back, desperate to alleviate the pressure building in my hips as our baby’s head sunk deeper into the bowl of my pelvis. I clamped my mouth shut to muffle my involuntary groaning as the waves relentlessly crashed through my whole body. Your hands were soft and supportive, rubbing my aching back, squeezing my thigh or holding my hands. And yet, your body did not move from the seat, keeping me trapped in the corner of the bustling restaurant.

The waiters gave me concerned looks as I became more and more sweaty and dishevelled with every visit to our table, but your reassuring smile and friendly tone seemed to put a stop to the staff making any comments of my wellbeing.

I managed to last through the starters and main course, but as we ordered desserts I was starting to struggle. The heavy weight pressing down in my hips was getting more urgent, the skull of the baby’s head widening my cervix and squeezing through the birth canal. Even with the soft elastic of my maternity jeans, my belly felt tight and constricted. The pain of the contractions starting to make me nauseous.

The grunt that rattled my throat was uncontrollable as the latest cramp squeezed everything down.

“Nngh— I think I need to push…” I panted, gripping the edge of the wooden table, trying to breathe through the instinctive urge to bear down.

“Don’t push… not yet.” You grumbled against the shell of my ear, holding one hand possessively on the top curve of my contracting belly.

The waiter came over with our desserts but I could barely look up, solely focussed on not giving into the pressure. You took the plates with our desserts, ordered another beer, and rubbed my back in a casual affectionate way.

I whimpered against the raging spasms rippling my belly. I needed to move, my legs needed to be wider, the baby was coming down… coming out. The noise of the restaurant faded into the background as my grunting occupied my senses. Another contraction contorted my belly, shifting and squeezing everything inside. Oh fuck, I couldn’t last much longer—

“I can’t h-hold it… I have to push…. Mnghhhh!!”

Before you could react I was bearing down against the weight in my womb, giving in to instincts and the primal urge to birth.

“No!” You snapped, quickly moving your hand from your beer to between my open legs under the table. Your palm covered the crotch of my jeans and it was clear from the look in your eyes that the hand was going to stay for a while. “Okay… you’ve done so well sweetheart. You can push now if you want.”

I knew it was futile, I knew your immovable hand was blocking its exit, but I couldn’t stop myself from bearing down, pushing against the large mass of the baby sitting just behind my lips.

“That’s it. Push for me darling.” You smirked, feeling the baby bulging in my jeans, knowing it wouldn’t get very far with your hand and my jeans in the way.

~ ko-fi ☕️ ~

[poohsources]

🐝  *  ―  𝑮𝑹𝑼𝑴𝑷𝒀 𝑿 𝑺𝑼𝑵𝑺𝑯𝑰𝑵𝑬 𝑺𝑬𝑵𝑻𝑬𝑵𝑪𝑬 𝑺𝑻𝑨𝑹𝑻𝑬𝑹𝑺.

from the grump ❛  how can you be this cheery already? we haven't even had breakfast.  ❜ ❛  just don't make a big deal out of this.  ❜ ❛  you know i love you, right?  ❜ ❛  i know, alright, i know i'm an asshole. but i'm trying here.  ❜ ❛  i'm sorry. i didn't mean what i said earlier.  ❜ ❛  do you always have to be so damn optimistic?  ❜ ❛  nobody has ever made me feel the way you do.  ❜ ❛  there's no way in hell i'm doing that.  ❜ ❛  i'm not good with this whole stupid feelings thing.  ❜ ❛  you make me want to be better. you make me want to be good.  ❜ ❛  can't you just move on and forget about it already?  ❜ ❛  i'm only doing this because you asked me to.  ❜ ❛  you're the only one who has ever believed in me.  ❜ ❛  you won't stop this until i say 'yes', will you?  ❜ ❛  how are you so happy all the time?  ❜ ❛  until i met you, i never thought i would've been capable of that.  ❜ ❛  you're the polar opposite of me.  ❜ ❛  whatever. i didn't think you'd care anyway.  ❜ ❛  your optimism might be starting to rub off on me.  ❜ ❛  why don't you give up on me like everyone else?  ❜

from the sunshine ❛  come on, it's gonna be fun!  ❜ ❛  see? i told you there's some good in you.  ❜ ❛  you should smile more. you have such a beautiful smile.  ❜ ❛  i'm so excited! there's so much i have planned for us.  ❜ ❛  i was just trying to do something nice for you.  ❜ ❛  do you always have to be so pessimistic?  ❜ ❛  stop being so stubborn. i'm trying to help you.  ❜ ❛  i knew there was a big softie under all that tough exterior.   ❜ ❛  i always feel better with you by my side.  ❜ ❛  sometimes you should let others in.  ❜ ❛  light up, [name]. we're gonna be here for a while.  ❜ ❛  why is it so difficult for you to accept a compliment?  ❜ ❛  stay? i just ... don't want to be alone right now.  ❜ ❛  just because i'm generally a happy person doesn't mean i can't have an off day.  ❜ ❛  i'm not some helpless little girl/boy!  ❜ ❛  you're not gonna get rid of me that easily.   ❜ ❛  stop that. i don't want you to talk about yourself like this.  ❜ ❛  of course, i remember! i remember everything you told me.  ❜ ❛  let's go outside and dance in the rain.  ❜ ❛  you don't mean that, do you?  ❜

[juicywritinghoard]

MOMENTS PROMPTS

Lifechanging grocery store parking lot sunset

Sneezing while driving

Laying on the floor so hard you wish they’d invent lying down 2

Texting passionately in the waiting room

Making way too much soup

Can’t find a bandaid

Whatever the next straw is, it’s gonna be the last one

Sudden burst of energy well past bedtime

How’s it going?/ Well, haha, (doesn’t answer)

Long awaited snuggle

Stepping out of the shower with an epiphany 

A kiss interrupted 

Walking proudly out of the store with the most perfect little object

Trying to keep a special gift a surprise at any cost

Exactly what you needed to hear, one way or another

Dropped soda cans on the ding dang concrete

What in the world is THAT doing in the trash?

Getting it together. Or else

Man, that’s going to stain…

Waking up from a dream that felt too real

Finishing each other’s sentences 

Can’t stop laughing to the point of hiccups

Just grateful to be alive honestly

Cold, grumpy, and stuck. But stylin

Recalled a sick fact on command and thus won the conversation

Saved SO MUCH MONEY it feels like defying god

Yeah no that’s moldy oops.

Tiny child in awe of you in a public space

Someone is deeply impressed by skills you weren’t even that proud of…until NOW

Haha, uh oh. Here we go again.

[trash----panda]

Low key obsessed

Just with the idea of a similar sized pred, like a naga or something, and the prey is sure they're gonna die. Just that extreme fear play where all they can do is struggle and scream and dont even get acknowledged, nothing but what they assume as a snack for a larger creature.

And when they finally give up, and cant fight anymore, they still wake up. The prison they were so afraid of is a sanctuary, the pred just wanted to get them out of the situation they were in like as a party favor or saw them being hunted by someone else.

They are let out in a warm bath with soap and bubbles, gently cleaned by hands that could easily crush them. Just looking at pred terrifies them, but they know in their heart there is no where safer. That trauma of almost dying lingers, making them jumpy and skiddish, they dont think the pred notices but pred does, and it hurts pred everytime they get scared.

[ketelarts]

Laury redesign ongoing.

[scealaiscoite]

.☽༊˚ prompts for helping bathe an injured loved one

¹⁾ sitting on the edge of the bathtub and letting them lay their head against your thigh as the fatigue starts taking hold

²⁾ “i know, i know it hurts but hold on for just a little longer and we’re done, yeah? think you can do that for me, pet?”

³⁾ helping them lean up so you can wash their back, and pretending not to notice them shaking in your arms

⁴⁾ “you needn’t be so gentle, y’know. if today wasn’t enough to break me, i doubt an ill-applied handful of shampoo will.”

⁵⁾ using your soapstuffs because the familiar scent will, hopefully, help calm them

⁶⁾ “i can’t believe it took a night like that for you to let me help you with something.”

⁷⁾ having never seen them in a state of undress before and so, trying admirably hard to avoid looking directly at them in such a vulnerable state

⁸⁾ “so mr/mrs surly and serious likes having their hair washed for them, hm? don’t worry, i’ll keep your secret.”

⁹⁾ climbing into the bath/shower with them, more for the physical comfort than practicality

¹⁰⁾ “i wish the first time you saw me like this could’ve been under better circumstances.”

¹¹⁾ stripping down to the same level of undress as them in an effort to try and make them feel more comfortable

¹²⁾ “can we- can we just stay here, like this, for a minute? please?”

¹³⁾ using as gentle a touch as possible to clean them off and feeling your heart break each time they still suppress a pained whimper

¹⁴⁾ “it’s just me now. you don’t have to be brave anymore.”

¹⁵⁾ trying to towel them dry but ending up just cradling them to your chest with the towel pressed aimlessly between you

[erial-c]

caller/john is my favorite character but not in a "i love yanderes i love when characters are obsessed with me" way , but in a "this character is horrible and irredeemable and he's painted that way by the story so it doesn't feel like the yandere concept is being romanticized so it feels like im watching a horror movie"

[whumptea]

so… long time no post… but does anyone still do whump rp on here ?????? because i’ve been craving some whump rp like crazy lately </3 if anyone has any whump rp accs pls drop them in the comments !!!!!

[luriddaze]

OPEN to f 21+ ! / enemies to lovers / reid hendrix. rich boy future ceo of hendrix hotels. a little bit of a dick with a soft side, but don't call him out on it.

-

"as always, you look absolutely delighted to see me. you should take a shot or something and chill out. we are pretty much stuck together on this trip." the man smirked in their direction, his eyes far from subtle as they roamed over them.

[immortalmuses]

Fanlore Info Dump | Sentinels & Guides

So thanks to the babe @leschanceux and feral encouragement from folx in the Dev Tea Room, I'm going to info dump about my very specific interest: the Sentinels & Guides Trope!

What Even Is the Sentinel/Guide Trope?

The origin of this trope is from a TV Show in the 90s (literally called The Sentinel) where one main character has latent hyper-enhanced senses triggered by being stranded in an extreme situation, revealing that he is a Sentinel. Through the show's narrative, we learn that Sentinels are an evolutionary role in mankind that has existed throughout all historical societies, manifesting in people who are biologically granted abilities to serve as "Protectors" of a community. This means Sentinels have (at least 3, sometimes all 5) exceptionally enhanced senses, which they can dial up or down as the situation calls for it.

But the thing about Sentinels is that their enhanced sense are a double edged blade. Yes, they're powerful and tend to have the advantage in a fight or encounter, but those senses can also present a significant weakness due to what's called 'Zoning' Or 'Zoning Out.' This is when the Sentinel becomes too hyperfocused on one single sense to the detriment of everything else, and is unable to pull themselves back. Zoning can also happen if they have a sense dialed up (like their hearing in order to track something far away) and an unexpected input overwhelms that sense (such as a loud explosion into a heightened sense of hearing). When a Sentinel zones, they are both incredibly physically vulnerable because they're immobile and unresponsive, and they're at risk of never being able to find their way back from their hyperfocus (which would ultimately lead to their death). This is where Guides come in.

Guides themselves do not have any canon enhanced abilities in the original content. In fact, they're technically fanon as a result of one episode in the TV show. But their presence is widely accepted as adopted canon in the Sentinel/Guide trope, and pretty much everyone writes them as the unique "other half" of a Sentinel -- if not uniformly empowered. Guides are the biological companion to Sentinels, possessing the ability to connect with a Sentinel on an astral or spiritual level. The original show used the concept of a "Sp!rit World" and "Sp!rit Animals" alot when relating the Guide character to the Sentinel character, a detail I don't personally adhere to nor promote because of its typical appropriative 90's TV shaman stereotyping. But the trope itself has moved beyond those origins to instead keep the basic concept of a metaphysical "soul-bond" connection between a Sentinel and a Guide. This means that the Guide has the ability to empower and protect the Sentinel's senses from harm. A bonded Sentinel/Guide pair are meant to be inseparable, and are often considered incredibly powerful because the Guide unlocks the potential of the Sentinel.

(Sidenote: As you can tell from my note above, the show had some good stuff, but overall it was kind of poorly done? Low budget, etc etc. The vast majority of the audience keeping the fandom alive were early era slash fans who saw the two main male characters and immediately built up fanlore around them. When the show was cancelled in 1999, many of those fans kept the concepts introduced in it alive by injecting this trope -- with improvements -- into other fandoms. We salute you, Fandom Elders! )

Tell Me More About the Connection Between a Sentinel & a Guide

The Sentinel/Guide bond can be written in a wide variety of ways, often tailored to suit whatever fandom the Trope is being applied to. But there are some universalities. Such as:

Guides can convene with the Sentinel at a metaphysical/transcendental level (sometimes interpreted as a telepathic connection), guiding the Sentinel to focus on or repress one sense over another and fine tuning their abilities in the process.

Sentinels with Guides have notably more powerful senses and better control over them. They are often consider the most powerful iteration of a Sentinel.

Guides can reel back a Sentinel's senses, even shield a sense from sensory input in order to avoid being overwhelmed.

Guides can also pull a zoning Sentinel out of their zone by giving them a lifeline to follow back to the physical world (note, a Guide does not need to be bonded to a Sentinel to accomplish this)

There are more elements of the Sentinel/Guide Pairing that are considered flexible to the trope, often applied in writing and art but not labeled as requirements. Such concepts include:

Sentinels and Guides are generally believed to have been biologically destined for one another. A Guide's scent will be pleasing to a Sentinel, for example. The sound of their voice is naturally calming and grounding.

Some Sentinels and Guides have full-on telepathic bonds, sometimes they just have a merging of souls and a sense for one another. Almost always, and Guide can sense what a Sentinel is feelings unless the Sentinel closes himself off from his Guide.

In some scenarios, Sentinels can let Guides perceive the world through their own heightened senses, so a Guide can experience those same abilities.

Sentinels can be territorial of their Guides, and sometimes just territorial in general. They occasionally get written with overlap in the A/B/O lore, where Sentinels are Alphas and Guides are Omegas. This means that two Sentinels tend to be written as kind of aggressive towards one another.

Sometimes a Sentinel/Guide Bonding includes the "bond bite' (yet another thing that tends to overlap with the A/B/O Dynamics in the writing). These are bites on the neck that seal the bond between Sentinel and Guide and can trigger the psychic/telepathic connection between the pair.

Guides are sometimes treated like coveted prizes in fictional societies. Sometimes the premise will be that there are more Sentinels born than there are Guides, and so Guides becomes highly sought after and sometimes aren't given much autonomy or rights (this has some similarities with the social dynamics of Witches and Familiars in our other verse)

Guides aren't always depicted as the weaker of the pair, but there is sort of an implication there. The concept is that while Guides are not weak, they are an Sentinel's weak spot. A villain to seek to control a Sentinel by taking the Guide hostage, for example.

Again, none of the above details are necessary to depict the Sentinel/Guide trope. They're just additional features I have observed in the concept as it has evolved over the past 20-odd years.

Let's Talk Power Sets

Sentinel Ability Specifics

Hyper-acute Senses of Smell, Hearing, Sight, Taste, and Feel: This means they can sense things completely indiscernible to regular humans, sometimes miles away in different locations or behind seemingly impenetrable barriers. Examples: They can hear the heartbeats of goons in a underground compound they plan to infiltrate; They can smell the diesel of an incoming military vehicle that hasn't even crossed a border control checkpoint; they can feel the heat of a fire that started hundred of hectacres downwind; They can see a termite crawl on the wooden window sill of a cabin on the opposite side of Lake Michigan.

Detect Physiological Responses: This ties in to a Sentinel's acute awareness to detail, in that they can focus their senses on an individual to determine whether they are lying or having a response to something. Examples: they can focus on the sound of a person's heartbeat to catch heartrate spikes as a sign of lying; They can smell the flopsweat on a person who is suddenly nervous; They will see any tics that betray a person's true intentions.

Accompanying enhanced strength/speed/reflexes: This isn't present in all depictions of Sentinels, but does occasionally come up as another way to make Sentinels seem more like superhuman protectors. In addition to their enhanced senses, they also react more quickly, which gives them the appearance of being faster and more agile. Or by shutting down senses that transfer pain, they can push their bodies beyond normal human limits.

Guide Ability Specifics

Grounding a Sentinel: A Guide's attributes are all meant to be a natural focal point for Sentinels, so Guides use their voice and touch to draw a Sentinel's attention onto them, or will have them focus on their smell or their heartbeat to settle and orient their own senses.

Dialing up/down a Sentinel's Senses: The 'Dials' concept is often used in this trope for visualizing how each set of senses can be scaled up or down with the assistance of a Guide. Guides will often instruct Sentinels to think of each sense as having an accompanying dial that goes from 0 to 10. If they dial a sense down to Zero, it can actually disable that sense for a Sentinel entirely, which is dangerous but sometimes necessary to protect a Sentinel from zoning. Equally, a Guide will rarely have a Sentinel dial any sense up to 10 without first considering the risks of overexposure and zoning out.

Empathic Sensitivity: some Guides are also written as empaths that can sense the feelings of those around them, not just their Sentinel. When this is the case, the empathic connection between Guide and Sentinel is often exponentially stronger than anything they can pick up from regular people around them. This often leads to the telepathic bond with the Sentinel as well.

Tap into a Sentinel's Active Senses: Some Guides can perceive things through the eyes/ears/nose of their Sentinel, an experience passed through the telepathic/psychic bond so that Sentinel and Guide can share information seamlessly. Again, your mileage may vary on this element of the trope.

Ok I'm going to end this lengthy post here, but this is my way of documenting beloved fanlore that has managed to survive nearly thirty years as a community driven idea. It's a creative concept spanning media platforms (from analog to online), fan-driven social circles for diverse storylines and topics, and the everchanging nature of time and memory on our collective consciousness. I hope this trope, like others before it, finds a way to live forever.