Kopa by otterbells on DeviantArt (original) (raw)

And now this morning's warm-up is *checks notes* clean the boy up and line+color the adult sketch of him i made yesterday before I passed out for like, 14 hours (idk wtf happened, i went for a walk, came home, laid down to wait for pain meds to erase backpain and BOOM, suddenly 7PM).

The whiskers looked stupid on him so I gave up trying to make them work here.

I did some minor tweaks to the design when doing the clean color so that he's easier to draw (feel free to compare and contrast). Cheetahs are sneaky stalkers like lionesses, so while Kopa is male, he dulls out a bit instead of getting more vibrant like a male lion would.

Kopa [Hearts] - Asexual/Aromantic - Male (AMAB)

Born to a wanderlust mother passing through the Pridelands, Kopa and his siblings entered the world in changing times. Prey and water were still around... somewhat, but the blight of Scar's rule had finally begun to show from the cracked earth, dried grass and wildfires that wracked the once fertile lands. Kopa's mother Bibi did her best to hold the fort until they were of age to leave the dying plains, but it was not enough. Fields burned too quickly, prey spotted her too easily, and the gluttonous cackle of hyenas was never far behind the times she was successful. One by one, be it sickness, hunger, or thirst, the lights that were her children flickered out. Until only one was left: Kopa.

Desperate to protect her last child, and show him the beauty of the world beyond this dusty bowl, she poured all her energy, love, and resources into him. And it worked. Kopa lived. He stayed healthy. He was fed. He thrived, even, until the day came to leave and they didn't. The toll of putting everything she had into her son had finally caught up to Bibi, and despite the drive to keep going, she too faded away while escorting Kopa out of the Pridelands.

Lost, broken, and alone, Kopa was now at the mercy of the hyenas. And he would have become their dinner, too, if it weren't for the return of the rightful king and a generous paw reached out to provide him a place to call home.

Relations

• Simba - Adopted son. Seeing much of his own life in Kopa's predicament when they first met, Simba did not hesitate in taking him in. The two of them form a very close bond through their similar trauma regarding loss. Kopa is the only child to have witnessed Simba full out cry (because they both bawled their eyes out together, as Simba's first true act as King was to perform funeral rites for Kopa's mother).
• Nala - Adopted son. While his relationship with Simba is very much one of a parent and child, Kopa's relationship with Nala is a bit different. They're close in that sibling-type-of-way, and bond over things that Simba simply doesn't understand - like stealth techniques and various methods of hunting.
• Kiara - Adopted Sibling. With only vague memories of the siblings he had before, Kopa considers his adopted siblings to be incredibly precious, the prospected heir of the Pridelands most of all. At the same time, Kopa can sympathize with her desire for a bit more freedom to explore and grow, while also understanding Simba's stricter limits. When he's not busy, he is often not far away, keeping Kiara in sight without disturbing her so she can explore without feeling suffocated.
• Kion - Adopted Sibling. Both of them are homebodies that prefer to lay in the shade at the heat of the day than run about like Kiara does. Kion appears to be a lot more aware of the threats that lurk outside their home, which leads Kopa to worry if he's taking protecting his self-imposed guard position of the Pridelands too seriously. The cub's other friends seem good at breaking through his brooding shell, however, so perhaps it's not as big a concern as he is making it out to be.
• Shani - Adopted Sibling. If she sticks another frog, or bunch of worms, or similarly gross thing into his mouth while he's asleep to "shut up his snoring" he's going to do something heinous. Throw dung at her? Chase her into a mud pit? Force her on a buffet browse with Timon and Pumbaa? Kopa doesn't know he just hopes the evil glint in her eye isn't something she has planned for him.
• Timon & Pumbaa - The weirdest babysitters ever. Their hearts are in the right place, though. He's fast enough to run from Pumbaa's farts to not smell them, at any rate.
• Zira - Word spread fast that Simba had reclaimed the throne, but the lands were still unlivable. The pride spent a short time with another pride while the grasses grew back, and on return Zira and some other lionesses tagged along. Kopa isn't sure how it got so twisted that things went the way they did, but she has always been scary and cold, and her kids took after her a little too closely.
• Nuka - Similar in age, Nuka was a package deal with his mother when she and other lionesses joined the pride. Kopa thought at first they'd be friends, but Nuka quickly proved to be petty, violent, and mean. That meanness only intensified when Nuka was in a bad mood, or when his mother gave him a single scrap of attention (of which was always negative). Kopa will never admit it but he was relieved that Nuka followed his mother in her exile.
• Vitani - Vitani was too small to really play with, but he remembers her being mischievous and alert. During Kovu's trial stay, Kopa caught her lurking within and on the edges of the Pridelands and couldn't help that she'd picked up some of her mother's bad traits, too.
• Kovu - Kovu was too small to really bond or play with, and Zira never, EVER let anyone close to him, Kopa especially. He doesn't get a chance to form an opinion on him until Kovu shows up at the pride's doorstep years later.