#nithewrites

i've seen this happen so many times. "faeries" who are just attractive people who use magic. "elves" that look like your typical skinny fair skinned person but with pointy ears. "mermaids" just being women (and its almost always women) with a perfect hourglass figure that just happens to end seamlessly in a smooth fishtail. "demons" literally being hot guys with horns.

like... show some creativity (and let's face it, some realism) y'all. if your mermaid lives underwater, breathes through gills, they're likely not mammalian, so why the tits? "but what if they're like sirens and lure people in by being attracti- " sure. but that's such an old, overdone trope.

give me mermaids that have evolved streamlined, scaled bodies for better underwater navigation, bulbous eyes to see in the dark depths, hell, maybe even rows of serrated teeth to rip into their hapless victims with if you're so bent on basing them off sirens. give me demons that look as scary as they act because they've literally come from hell. give me faeries, nymphs, elves and other nature-dwelling species with elongated limbs to help them climb from tree to tree, skin tones like earthy browns and greens to help them with camoflague. just stop making them look like conventionally attractive people wearing halloween costumes from etsy.

- nonpartnering aro whose string is tied to themselves, because they're all they need

- loveless aros who don't even have a string, and are confused as to why everyone else does

- poly individuals who have a string tied to each hand, each to different people

- someone whose string isn't attached to another person, but stretches across cities and seas to the hometown they love

- someone who cuts their own string in half because fate doesn't get to decide their soulmate, they do

to all my aspec siblings who don't want to be alone

yeah, nothing is worse than getting over a breakup or something, but let's talk about platonic heartbreak for a second because i've barely seen it represented -- and if it is, it's usually in the shadow of a romantic heartbreak (think protag's best friend breaking ties with them because they preferred their s/o's company over their friend's).

it breaks my heart when, thanks to my anxiety's inability to let me say no, i bring two friends who can't stand each other together by accident and they both storm off, blaming me for not warning them beforehand, and i can't express anything but guilt because i KNOW it's my fault.

it breaks my heart when my friend, who's had to grow up under strict parents and learned to hide her feelings all her life, leaves me on read when i ask if she's okay after i've just seen her sobbing quietly across the room. it hurts me to know i'm her friend, but i can't do anything to help her besides listen.

it breaks my heart when my friend, who i was best friends with in middle school, slowly starts talking to me less now that we've gone our separate ways. i pine for our days together.

it breaks my heart when my conservative family outright says they don't approve of my identity, and i'm simultaneously rightfully angry i can't be myself but guilty because i feel i've let them down.