#communities I want more representation of

[thesylenttreatment01]

Okay, but what if...

I really like the idea that MC/the reader doesn't like when people buy things for them.

Like, it makes them feel uncomfortable. Maybe its this idea of constantly having to maintain some semblance of equality in a relationship that once someone buys a gift, it must be matched in value and returned in full. Like, once someone buys something for you, you no longer can just enjoy each others company until equality has been restored and the purchase has been repaid in full. So for them, it makes it super hard at first when Sylus just buys things.

Sylus on the other hand, REALLY likes buying things for MC/Reader. Why? because he has more money than he can do anything with. Not to mention, that money is kinda a great representation of human greed. So like, yes, he likes that he has it for utility purposes, but it always leaves a bad taste in his mouth to have so much of it. He would rather spend it on things that he enjoys and precious things to him.

Precious things like MC/Reader.

He likes getting her new things. Clothes in particular, because its something they can go and do together. He gets the spend the day with her and she gets new things to wear that he later gets to see her wear (*cough* take off *cough*) and so its fun for him even if he doesn't say it aloud.

I feel like this would go on for a while, where MC/Reader would protest it, but appreciate he thought about them. Not wanting to be rude so just saying thank you but slowly feeling more and more irritated or resentful of it because they start to feel like the debt is getting larger and larger in a way that they can't walk out of it.

Sylus? Completely oblivious to this. Not because he's purposefully being obtuse, but because people typically protest to be polite. Like saying "you don't have to" while they let you do so. its a way to express gratitude in a way without saying point blank thank you. So, he assumes because MC/Reader typically is a little coy about their feelings this was just another way for them to say it.

However, just as MC/Reader grows more resentful, Sylus is picking up some weird tension. It isn't spoken on, but he can tell that there are less and less times than they get to go do things together. More missions that seem to pop-up out of no where, more strange illnesses and headaches, and more leads that would finally "crack" the case wide open (only they didn't). He doesn't understand why MC/Reader is pulling back, but there was something there.

One night, Sylus invites you to a really fancy place that you KNOW for a fact that you can't afford to split the bill for. You want to see him, it had been such a long time since you two got to do something together-- but how do you explain this to him? If you were to ask if you could go somewhere else, he would want to know why, then you would have to lie about liking the place or something.

THEN even if he did change to the new location (because its Sylus, if you asked him to literally fly to a different country to eat he would do [and has done] that), then he would still pick-up the bill. That bastard always was two steps ahead of you. When you tried to the pay the bill on your last date while he was in the bathroom? What bathroom? he was just sneaking away to pay for the meal. You tried to PREPAY but the restaurant told you they were starting a new policy at the request of a patron not to accept your card specifically ("I guess your money isn't good here Sweeite, we better use mine" he teased you).

Every time you tried to gain some footing, tried to close the gap in the massive debt you already felt, he found a way around it. Trying to think about the mental gymnastics was just too much. SO, you did the only logical thing someone in this situation does... (have honest communication) you tell him Tara asked you for some help on a case and she really needed it done ASAP. work came first ya know? so maybe you two could catch up a little later.

Sylus doesn't respond for a minute, then two, and three. Finally, after about 5 minutes he tells you not to worry about it. That you two would catch up soon.

You thought that you had bought yourself time. A night in and another day to try and procrastinate and figure out how to reestablish equality in the relationship.

You sit down on the couch and turn on a show as you start to scroll mindlessly through social media (because one point of stimulation is just not enough, everyone knows that) and slowly start to feel the immediate anxiety of cost dissipating slightly. However, there was some nagging feelings, something in your gut that felt off.

You learn two things in the next 20 minutes: 1- always trust your gut feeling, you are always right (and remind Sylus of that often) and 2:

NEVER trust when Sylus uses generalized language.

You soon hear a knock on the door, which was weird because the pizza wasn't supposed to get there for like another 20 minutes, but hey, they had that rule of like "if were late your pizza is on us!" so maybe they were just really against giving free pizza away. You pull a brush through your hair quickly as you call out "just a second" and then pull the door open.

That was NOT a pizza delivery man.

Before you, stands a very unimpressed Sylus, who's crimson eyes were narrowed, like he was pinpointing a target as he crossed his arms, "Sweeite, next time you plan to lie about going on a mission, at least have the decency to close your curtains. Mephisto didn't even have to look that hard" he says nodding his head towards the window across from the couch.

Sure enough, when you turn your gaze you see the smallest little ruby red lights reflected outside the black night sky out your window.

Shit.

He stands there watching you, the awkward silence starting to pool around you as he waits for you to respond. He doesn't force his way into your house, but he doesn't look like will take kindly to you asking him to leave, waiting like weird disgruntled vampire. You definitely don't want to have a conversation in the hallway in front of everyone so you quickly invite him in.

Just as the words escape your lips he pushes past you into your apartment and starts walking around the living room, apparently too agitated to sit down(like sure, okay its only your house but whatever).

It was weird to see a look other than utter disinterest and calm across his face. If you weren't the one on the receiving end of that look, you would have probably started giggling how cute it was when he was expressive like this.

You close the door and then awkwardly take a step into the living room as his eyes fall expectantly on yours.

"so....can I get you something to drink" You ask awkwardly. Sure, there was a really unbreakable tension surrounding the two of you as you had just been caught red-handed in a lie, but you were nothing if not the perfect host.

He raises an eyebrow "I'll take water. No ice though--I get enough of the cold shoulder as it is sweetie"

Ouch, okay maybe you deserved that one.

You let out a small tired sigh "Sy, look I'm sorry okay? I just... I was just tired tonight. I didn't feel like doing this tonight."

He hums softly at that, more an acknowledgment than a response, as he slowly paces past your coffee table, gaze drifting over the half-folded blanket on the couch. The faintest curl of a smile that doesn’t reach his eyes "If I’d known spending time with me was this draining kitten, I would have sent flowers and my condolences instead of an invitation."

You felt your heart break a little as you tried to pry your foot from your own mouth. That isn't what you had meant to say, but despite the tone of utter indifference, you could hear the dejection in his words. He was hurt, and you didn't need him to say it to know it.

"Sy, th–that’s not what I meant. You aren’t tiring, it’s just-"

You pause, mouth still open like the rest of the sentence might come out if you just will it hard enough. But it doesn’t.

You shift your weight, as you sit down on the couch, arms crossing tight across your chest as if you were squeezing the words out, like toothpaste from the tube.

“It’s not you,” you try again, slower this time, the words feeling thick in your throat. “It’s just… I don’t know. It’s a me thing. This feeling I keep getting, its hard to explain, b-but it keeps building every time we go out or when you-”

Your fingers clench around your thumb slightly, as you start to rip at the skin around your nails, a hang nail being ripped and pulled out, like the physical pain might outweigh the unspoken words you've held inside for so long. Your eyes remain fixed ahead slightly at the coffee table, you can’t look at him, not yet. You knew once his eyes fixed on your own, all the nerve you had up to this point would be washed away.

“I know you mean well, I actually know that. And I appreciate it--I really do. But I just… I start to feel like I can’t keep up. Like I owe you. And it turns into this weird loop in my head where I’m not your partner anymore, I’m just…”

A breath catches in your throat.

You suddenly feel a soft, albeit cold pressure as Sylus' giant hand covers your own, putting his fingers around your own effectively keeping you from ripping at your now bleeding hand. His thumb carefully grazes over the back of your knuckles. He doesn't speak. He doesn't interrupt you. He never did. He just quietly held you, even in the smallest ways.

He always supported you. You felt your eyes start to burn as your eyes became glassy with unshed tears. You had let this happen. You couldn't believe that you waited this long, that you avoided him and even made him think this was his fault. Because Sylus always supported you, and waiting this long, being without him close you almost forgot that. You take a shaky breath, swallowing hard.

“I’m just… someone trying to catch up. To you. To everything you give without a second thought”

Your voice cracks as you try and clear your throat, you glance down at your hands again --his hand, now warm in contrast to the chill of his tone earlier, still wrapped around yours. Your blood on his thumb now, and he doesn’t even seem to care.

“You give so much, Sy. And I never feel like I can match it. Not just with money or… gifts or things, but with time, with energy, with you.”

You blink hard, using your free hand to wipe away the unshed tears before they can start to roll, but the tears keep pushing their way forward.

“You make everything look so easy. But for me, it’s not. I’m constantly calculating, trying to figure out how to make it fair. Because I don't want to feel like I’m taking advantage of you. Or worse--like I’m just along for the ride instead of actually standing next to you. I-I"

and finally, the tears start to stream "I want to be your partner , I-I want u-us to both be here because we love being with each other. n-not because I feel like I need to repay you. B-but when there is so much you give... it gets hard not to feel that way."

You take a deep breath as you feel his hand envelop the entire left half of your cheek as he wipes away a tear from your face. He doesn't make you look at him, he doesn't push your face towards his own, almost like he knows you need to get this out. But just supporting.

"Your not tiring Sy. I am. my brain is, and trying to figure out and navigate how to stop this incessant nagging feeling that makes me sick to my stomach each time I feel like I am just taking and taking... never giving you what you deserve back"

He’s silent for a moment. Not the cold kind of silence--just the kind where someone is deciding which truth is worth saying out loud.

“Money is inherently filthy,” he says at last, voice low and flat. “It creates and fosters greed, playing on the weaknesses of man and fanning the flame until they are burned alive in their own misery. It makes them easy to buy and easy to control. You see enough of it, and eventually, all it does is remind you how ugly the world really is.”

His gaze drops to your joined hands, blood still on his skin, but he doesn’t let go.

"It's a necessary evil however. It creates power and allows me to live in the world that I do. But most importantly, over all, it provides me with one single, beautiful investment I haven't been able to rival to date."

He tilts your head just slightly to look into his eyes. You see the same warm red, like the red embers of a glowing hearth of the home.

"Money buys time. Time in overly expensive boutiques where we can discuss straps vs strapless, time in new restaurants where I'm forced to wait until the perfectly angled photo can be captured before I can eat my food, and time that I get to spend with the one person who allows me to indulge in my...my favorite form of greed."

He lets the words hang there a moment, his thumb still idly brushing along your cheekbone. Then, after a beat, the corner of his mouth twitches--not quite a smile, but something warmly akin to it.

“And if you’re still determined to keep score…” he murmurs, voice dipping into that familiar warm sardonic edge that you had been craving since the moment he arrived, “then tally up the hours you let me indulge in it.”

He tilts his head just slightly, eyes flicking down to your lips and back again.

“Should I assume you charge by the hour, Sweetie? Or do I need to start negotiating a day rate?”

A laugh gets caught in your throat as you push away the final tears in your eyes. A smile forms on your lips as you gently press them to Sylus' letting a soft content sigh go. The tension from your body melts away just like the tension between you melts from the heated exchange.

You pull back slightly and nuzzle him with your nose and mumble "not only do you get a day rate, but you also get a discount: 15% off for family and friends" You tease lightly with a soft chuckle.

He hums thoughtfully. “15% off? Sounds suspiciously generous. Kitten. Are you trying to scam me, or seduce me?”

You giggle a little as you two exchange small little chaste kisses and mutter "I'm just waiting until I have you locked into a contract, then I'm going to ramp the rates up astronomically"

A slow, warm rumble, like thunder muffled by thick blankets, vibrates against your lips as he chuckles, "mm, benevolence very rarely comes out of the kindness of your heart Kitten"

You smile warmly, realizing that you weren't losing the game and you weren't accruing debt. You two were playing different games. And now? The chasm you felt was enveloping you whole? It was slowly closing. You had a new way for keeping score.

IDK why this kinda started as like a headcannon and then slowly morphed into some kind of fic? I think? idk. I like this idea tho, it was fun!!!

[freezegirl]

🚩 the c in rpc. You knew i was gonna ask. Dmdkdkfkf

red flags, red flags everywhere! / @unitlead

while i have met many lovely people in the rpc - some of them even irl, because we've become such good friends - there have been times where i considered quitting all together because of the way this community was coming apart at the seams.

you see, years ago - way before going to therapy was even a thought in my mind - i felt very lonely on this website. a lot of white writers wrote a lot of white characters - be they canon or ocs - and i wanted more writers and characters of color around me. you know, just, like, generally.

so when someone posted a sort of ad expressing the same want and need to bring writers of color together on this site, i figured, you know what, i'll respond. so i did. and then i went to bed.

the next day was a shitshow and a half because it turned out that person was trying to prove "reverse racism" existed or whatever and they made a huge block list or dni or call out list or something and i was on there.

it was the first time this site - or, i should say, people on this site - made me cry. i remember crying all the way to school; that's how bad i felt. fortunately, i had good friends to catch me.

since then, i tried to just stay in my lane. other than yelling about representation in the media and visibility and stuff. that's important. so i yell about that as often as i can. but other than that: i do try to just stick to the circle of people i've got.

one of my general goals is to do my best to remain open and honest and consistent when it comes to communication. i will be the first to say i wasn't always so i do try to keep that top of mind.

because, yes, of course, we're here to write our blorbos and barbies and have fun, but we're also in constant communication with someone else and i feel like people forget that sometimes. they forget that there's another person behind the screen. especially in this day and age when people are like "i don't owe anyone anything" - like, no, you do owe them something. you owe them respect, you owe them communication.

if you're mature enough to write on this platform, you're mature enough to have open and honest conversations whenever they need to happen.

anyway, for a long time, i feel like i wasn't. because i bent myself into pretzel shapes just to make it easier on other people and it's something i still regret to this day because people aren't gonna bend themselves into pretzel shapes for me, either, and they shouldn't!

so yeah, sometimes i still get sad that instead of saying: "this still makes me feel uncomfortable, how will we fix this?" at the end of a conversation i had with someone behind the scenes, i was like "okay, thank you, byeeee!" because i didn't want to rock the boat or make them uncomfortable.

sometimes i feel sad about that because back then, i decided that another person's comfort was more important than my own comfort and was more important than my voice getting heard and i do not want that to be a precedent i set. online or offline.

i love people, online and offline, and i love making them happy but what i need to learn is that my comfort and my voice getting heard should be a priority and that no matter what, though, the boat's gonna get rocked sometimes. sometimes there are choppy waters you've gotta navigate through. having people in your corner for that makes it easier, allowing for growth as you go.

(i also think the reason why i've got an easier time in the rpc now is because i've gotten to the point where i'm just doing what i vibe with while secure in the knowledge that i will find other people that vibe with my characters as well. sometimes it takes a minute but the people that match your vibe and your energy are out there and if they truly match your vibe and your energy, then bringing stuff up whenever it's necessary shouldn't necessarily put a damper on things.)

also at the end of the day, we're all just people playing with virtual barbies on a website that will one day be only accessible through the wayback machine; people forget that, too, sometimes.

but even though we're all just people playing with virtual barbies, respect and open and honest communication is tantamount, so let's do away with the "i don't owe you anything" mindset, yeah?

i was going to say something else to round this off. something really cool and awesome and profound and philosophical but i forgot what i wanted to say so i'll just leave it like this.

[voidwithtoomanygooglyeyes]

Communities I want to see represented (more) in media

Agender community

Xenogenders

Neopronouns

Therians (or just the altherhuman/non-human community in general)

AroAllo people (aromantic allosexual)

A-spec identities that aren't just aromantic and asexual (e.g. demiromantic, greysexual, aroflux, demisexual)

Polyamorous people

Queerplatonic relationships

Religions other than Christianity

Gender-non-conforming trans people

Intersex people (thank you @prudr-ragr077 I was going to add this originally but forgot)

[attackofthe50footidiot]

Happy pride month! Remember, the borrower in your wall uses they/them. There is a human girl kissing her giant girlfriend and they’re both giggling because neither of them know how to kiss. Somewhere a giant is taking his testosterone and being brave about the needle. A fisherman is sneaking off to see his kraken boyfriend. Multi size polycule.

[carmillatism]

why does star trek: next generation actually have good disabled rep? i am so used to such atrocious representation that i am shocked a show from the 80s could do it so well. not only have i found the representation of geordi's disability to be well done (and there's parts that are so specific and relatable to disabled experiences that it makes me think someone disabled worked on this show). (however, please note i am only up to season 2, and that i haven't looked much into other people's interpretations of him and admit he may not be as good of rep as i currently see him). this current episode has a deaf character, riva, and the ideas and empathy extended to disabled people are so nice and refreshing to see, especially as facilitated through this character. i also thought geordi's b plot, where it shows his hesitation in giving up something so integral to him (especially when it could be dangerous), is so important to me. also, the fact that riva and geordi are shown to relate and deeply understand one another whilst listening to the other's own feelings was so relatable; it was crazy. (also, i always love seeing a deaf character and a blind character communicate with one another!) the concept was extremely cool and well executed, and, god, i know it's the bear minimum but highering a deaf person to play a deaf character and taking them up on their own idea they pitched and also listening to them when they provided much needed disabled insight! ugh. i love it

[alltouwell]

absolutely adore being a part of the segments of fandom that look at the original work (Star Wars, Star Trek, Harry Potter, etc) and say to themselves "i can play with this" and mold it into our own image.

[ruuari]

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I changed his hair and changed his outfit ;o; !!!!

[scholar-of-yemdresh]

As this year comes to a close here's hoping for more (I.e. any) Morally grey aroace protagonists in (adult) fiction. Because as much I love Ymir by Rich Larson, I can't just keep reading one book over and over again. I'm starving for Dirtbag Aces in media.

[cosmicredcadet]

every time i see a post that is like "ughh why cant we have aspec characters who aren't aroace for once" I have to do a double take like "is the aroace rep in the room with us right now?" because genuinely....where is all this aroace rep y'all are complaining about? Why cant i find it yet it's apparently the only aspec rep we get?? You admit that TV never says the word aromantic so where is the aroace rep. So far I've pretty much only seen canonically asexual characters and not much else buddy.

[nag-mamahal]

As a romantic asexual I headcanon just about every single character (and ship) I like as asexual/on the ace spectrum. I just feel there's not enough representation of non-sexual beings engaged in romantic love in popular media. I'd really love it if more stories explored good and fulfilling partnerships that thrive even without sexual intimacy. I'm not against characters being sexy or having sex I think it's just really neat when figures can exist and fall in love without a big part of the relationship revolving around fucking. I love when people, ace or not, can explore their sexuality on their own terms and set boundaries that are accepted and respected by their partners. I love when they realize they're more than their body and what their body is able to provide in terms of sexual fulfillment. I love emotional intimacy independent of the pressure of sex.

[gurorori]

as much as the argument of 'aros can still date/aces can still have sex' is important to keep in mind because of technicalities and the people who those stamensts do apply to, something i always felt is it slowly starts sounding a lot like 'hey we're not like totally weird and unlike the rest, like some of us still do The Thing okay? we totally still can do The Thing! not so different after all!' and that always made me feel a bit icky. like as if you're trying to justify the identities even existing in the first place, as if you're bargaining

asexuality and aromanticism are both meaningful identities and deserving of recognition and respect, regardless of if they can still replicate or engage in expected societal frameworks of behaviour

[bbgdionysus]

There are some ppl who get super tensed about the idea that many people ship queer ships AS IF shipping culture wasn't always queer. Fandom culture has been around since like the 70s and it was always revolved around being queer. It doesn't matter if you think a character is SUPER STRAIGHT people are still allowed to headcanon them as queer and stuff because 1) It's fun 2) Headcanons have always been a sort of way for relatability and I think it's beautiful someone has so much fun and are so attatched to a character that it represents them or is a safe space for them 3) Interpretation still matters, looking beyond the hetronomrative spaces

Then people always have this one question then why can't ppl headcanon canon gay characters as straight? Which I think is such a fucking dumb thing to say because the thing is queer representation is rlly rlly important. Representation in media is how people end up treating people of that community. For centuries the queer community has always been represented with harmful stereotypes so putting them in a role which isn't inherently negative IS important. Straight characters in media are NOT treated as such. Also not to talk about how queer people literally have absolutely NOTHING like there used to be things like the Hayes code which restricted queer representation at all. Something straight people never had to deal with. Straight ppl have an abundance of characters to look towards but queer people don't so when queer characters ARE portrayed in media it ISSS IMPORTANT and turning them straight ISSS queer erasure.

This narrative of me-ism has kind of struck sooo much like bro you are a GROWN ASS PERSON BEING TENSE CAUSE SOMEONE IS SHIPPING SOMETHING THAT IS QUEER LIKE BRO HERE COMES THE FUN POLICE OH MY GOD. Like nobody is pushing queer stuff down your fucking throat. If you want to see it YES DO but if you don't you can always just NOT interact with it. I don;t understand why this is so fucking hard for some people to understand. You can't just come into something that HAS ALWAYS BEEN QUEER AND BE LIKE "Omg why is fandom sooo queer????" IT ALWAYS HAS BEEN QUEER. People need to stop being hateful but one thing is for sure

Queer culture has always been a part of fandom and it is here to stay

[comfied-chriterature]

random senpai is an otokonoko ramble but honestly?? I think aromantic saki aoi is still fully possible in canon and dare I say implied even after the finale of the manga (manga spoilers below)

during her confession to makoto and her introspection before that, she says what she's feeling for them "might not be normal, and might not be the real thing," suggesting that even at the end, saki didn't know if her feelings were romantic or not. and she wouldn't have even considered confessing to them or asking them out if makoto hadn't confessed to her first. what saki does know is that she really likes makoto, wants to see them, wants to stay together with them, wants to make them happy, wants to tell them how she feels. no, makoto wasn't the first and only person she really fell held over heels with. no, her feelings for makoto haven't changed to be overly, indisputably romantic. but makoto helped her realize that it's okay if she doesn't experience love in a so-called "normal" way. and she likes them a lot, she wants them to have their feelings be reciprocated, she wants to be with them and for them to be happy, so why not?

and like, aro people can get into relationships without having romantic feelings necessarily. or they can get into relationships that aren't necessarily romantic. but it's still love. and I think that's what aoi is experiencing. obviously, the author never explicitly states what aoi's romantic identity is and probably didn't set out to write a character that is aro, but she's still very aro-coded even in the finale. and I completely understand people who say the ending felt rushed, and there are so many threads in this story that had so much potential but were never wholly cemented and it would've been so cool to have a character come out and say this is what they identify as. but idk that's the climate of getting a story published. I'm just here to tell you your hcs are not dead!!! and even if this isn't the most groundbreaking story ever I still loved it and I continue to adore it and it makes me happy

also I rlly wanted to see these three become a poly they're just so cute together :(( I didn't have any expectations that they actually would become a polycule but they would've been so perfect and in the ending it's literally the three of them together. but hey that's what fanfiction is for

[suenitos]

calling gay people over 29 old as a recession indicator

[vaserlord]

I have insufficient level of lesbian dark romance stories in my blood.

[aph-estonia]

i've been a furry for 8+ years and i STILL don't have a fursona. representation for fursona-less furries matters!