Out of all the movements to cancel out, you want ‘Black Woman in Luxury’ to be over ? 🤨

We are here to inform you…

That is never happening babe.

The Black Feminine Society places a significant emphasis on the deep part of femininity that exists within Black women. We advocate for personal growth, self-acceptance, and the development of a strong sense of self-worth. By focusing on the inner journey, we believe that Black women can cultivate a genuine and lasting sense of empowerment. Our content aims to inspire and provide resources for Black women to embark on this transformative journey.

That being said, we recognizes and addresses the realities of wanting to live "the soft life" while supporting the portrayal of "black women in luxury." We believe that both concepts are valid and can coexist, as they contribute to the empowerment and well-being of Black women.

Our organization is committed to providing content that encourages Black women to embrace their femininity, cultivate inner growth, and ultimately become the best versions of themselves.

It wont stop,

We are here to stay 💋

🌟OPEN DISCUSSION about the 2020's era of shipping culture, Sonadow in the Sonic Fandom, and how well-intended activism can circle back to the language and violence of oppressors 🌟

(Link to chapter PARTS >>>HERE<<<)

INTRO

I gotta get something off my chest in regards to shipping. I wasn't super invested in the shipping part of the Sonic Fandom community when I was growing up. There were a few ships I liked and I enjoyed the fanart people made of those ships. And then I forgot about it for a number of years. Now in adulthood I am getting back into shipping Sonic characters a bit more, because it's fun to look back at the things I liked as a kid and seeing how my opinions have changed since gaining more life experience. Plus I've become much more active on the internet, in Fandom spaces, and more aware of social justice issues during adulthood. So here is a long-ish essay where I gather my thoughts about Sonadow shipping, fandoms, and activism together💙

MIDDLE CHILD EXPERIENCE IN THE SONIC FANDOM

It's odd being a Middle Child of the Sonic Fandom "family" that grew up during the age of "cringe culture" cyberbullying and shipping wars. I was aware of the stereotypes and disdain people had both on and off the internet toward the Sonic Fanbase and the notoriety it had. It influenced me to tone-down my external Sonic geekiness around my peers. While some of the stereotypes had some truth to it (when they weren't used as cyberbullying put-downs), I noticed that there was a very prominent difference how the Sonic Franchise/Fandom was viewed by the pop culture savvy public and how the fandom acted amongst/within itself as a creative and meaning-making community, despite the in-fighting that occasionally happened. On the internet, I oddly didn't experience or witness much discourse about ethics, specifically about shipping, when I was a kid cruising the internet for the fanart I liked. The spaces I visited were usually very supportive of people creating meaning, joy, and comfort with these ships. These shipping spaces loved Sonic × Amy, Shadow × Amy, Knuckles × Rouge, Sonic × Sally, Silver × Blaze and also any ship between Sonic, Shadow, and Silver. While there were specific ships that I enjoyed, I was happy to see other people enjoying other ships and hearing them geek about it. Yes, there was sometimes shipping discourse pitting pairings against each other, but I did not notice intense targeting or harassment in the name of "ethics" to the same degree as I am witnessing nowadays.

THE ETHICAL VS UNETHICAL DEBATES

Fast forward to the 2020's age of the internet and fandom culture. I had no idea what the evolved discussion about "ethical vs unethical" shipping was beyond just "this ship is the best" mentalities until about a year ago. After reading about the various viewpoints, I started out not really caring about the ethics of fictional shipping and not fully caring on which "side" I would fit, even though my views in adulthood realistically lean towards anti-censorship sentiments. However, it's important to note that if I'd discovered this specific "ethical vs unethical" debate when I was younger, I would have leaned pro-censorship, a view directly influenced by the small-town evangelical church indoctrination that kept my mind closed-off from the nuances of sociology, psychology, and humanity. I was the type of person that got emotional and reactionary about the idea of people being sex workers, about the idea of kink and BDSM being a normal thing between consenting adults, and about other socially charged topics. Then as I learned from other people's experiences and researched those topics, my mindset changed to be more supportive and more aware of all the nuances that go beyond black vs white thinking. I learned to not demonize people and instead find out the reasons WHY something happens or WHY people do something, and actually LISTEN to the person and BELIEVE them when they give their answer. Similar mindset changes have happened in adulthood since I've done research about both the generational divides and social justice intersectionality of this cultural shift in today's internet Fandom spaces. I am noticing this divide and these debates happening more and more in the Sonic Fandom.

SONADOW IN THE 2020'S

For some context, when I was a kid moderately involved with shipping content, I did not ship Sonic × Shadow. I somewhat avoided anything to do with gay ships or gay content due to my small-town church upbringing teaching me to not support anything LGBTQ+. So now as an adult having interest in shipping again, having discarded homophobia, embracing my own queerness, and having new understandings of the Sonic characters' personalities/backstories/dynamics, I am opening myself up to considering ships I hadn't been interested in before and ships that I actively avoided due to internalized homophobia. Watching Sonic Prime and the wonderful joy it sparked across the Fandom (in both shippers and non-shippers alike) was the marker when I finally started enjoying the Sonadow ship. It was after reading people's interpretations of Sonic and Shadow and understanding the ship more when I realized why Sonadow is such a beloved and timeless ship. In response to the new wave of Sonadow popularity, it's getting lots of heated criticism. People are having arguments everyday about both Shadow and Sonic's true ages, whether Shadow is 15 or 18 or 50, whether it makes any difference that SEGA quietly removed the characters' official ages. The debate creates these polarized "sides", with some people on one side claiming that it's an inherently unethical ship and claiming that you are a bad person, or at least suspicious in some way, for supporting it.

REPRESENTATION & QUEER JOY

One prominent feeling I have about the common criticisms toward Sonadow and about other shipping discourse is feeling alarmed that a lot of Queer people end up getting harassed because of these debates, sometimes by fellow Queer people. From my Middle Child perspective in the Sonic Fandom, the reasons WHY many people embraced LGBTQ+ Sonic ships was to create and celebrate representation in a franchise that doesn't outright confirm or have much on-screen representation. Even though Sega has a general "no official confirmed couples" mandate, the company has consistently supported and encouraged the fans' shipping headcanons including LGBTQ+ ships, and the company has showed real, tangible, and financial support for the LGBTQ+ community (to my knowledge). Tangle and Whisper in the IDW comics are written with specific chemistry that leads most people to view them as a lesbian couple with the writers' and company's encouragement, even if they're not verbally stated as "officially canon." Sonic × Shadow, although not canon, has been a noteworthy ship acknowledged by the writers, company, and voice actors as being one of the most beloved and celebrated gay Sonic ships. It has given Queer people a sense of joy, hope, comfort, and visibility ever since 2001 when Sonic Adventure 2 released and Shadow debuted as a character. The reasons people immediately shipped these characters together was never about being creepy or encouraging "unethical" dynamics. It was simply Queer Sonic fans, both closeted and uncloseted, creating meaning via representation as an act of queer resistance and radical acceptance. This has been a constant throughout the present day, Sonadow being one of the most recognizable and longstanding ships that inspires widespread Queer Joy that even breaks the boundaries of the internet microcosm.

LANGUAGE AND VIOLENCE OF OPPRESSORS

Now is where I will delve into the connection between Sonadow shipping (and overall shipping) debates and how well-intentioned activism loops back into mimicking oppressors. Thinking about how Sonadow is historically important to the Sonic Franchise, the Sonic Fandom, LGBTQ+ Sonic Fans, and maybe even video game history as a whole, I feel major discomfort and even dread when I see so many people (particularly those that are young) throwing around very serious accusations at (fellow) Sonic Fans and (fellow) Sonic shippers. Accusations supporting pedophilia or pedophilia itself is one of the most egregious. I've seen it thrown at Sonadow shippers, Vector x Espio shippers because Vector is 20 and Espio is 16 (despite it being another extremely popular LGBTQ+ headcanon-ed ship due to lack of representation), and even Knuckles x Rouge because Rouge is 18 and Knuckles is 16. It strikes me as counterintuitive and unnecessary at least, and actively dangerous at most/worst, seeing fellow Queer people utilizing the morality-policing, fear tactics, surveillance methods, censorship mindset, and rhetoric/language of our oppressors and using those things against the people in their own communities. Realizing that long-time Sonadow fans who felt inspired to come out and be unapologetically Queer because of that specific ship have been facing harassment and slander from fellow Queer people (who are likely younger than them), getting called "pedos" or "dangerous" or "suspicious" or "unethical" over the mere act of creating representation and Queer Joy with fictional characters and seeking some sense of comfort while surviving homophobic environments...bluntly, my stomach is churned and my blood is boiled. The last thing we need in this rapidly backwards-turning world is more in-fighting within the broader LGBTQ+ community that distracts our thoughts, emotions, time, energy, organizing, education, community-building, and activism away from the oppressors who are causing us real-world tangible harm, suffering, and death.

A random teenager on the internet drawing fanart of Sonic and Shadow holding hands, or even random adults on the internet drawing suggestive art or outright porn of these characters, is NOT going to be the catalyst that rapidly or gradually normalizes pedophilia or inspires worldwide support for unethical relationships. And yes, this includes content about the "weirdo/unethical/dark" ships that are found in the shadowy fringes of the internet and Fandom spaces. I am uncomfortable with a lot of it myself. But those ships and the people that engage with them ALSO DO NOT have the same level of impact and reach (key words: Same Level) that real life oppressive systems have to cause widespread suffering. The key difference that makes widespread abuse possible is that the real life oppressive systems are disguised as wholesome safe environments that develop trust and closeness with community members. Those oppressive systems and the harmful people that support them are usually NOT on the freaky/dark/weird fringes of society, they don't outwardly appear that way, and they demonize the "degenerates", not associate with any such label. The Catholic church institution is a big example, the institution covering up uncountable cases of their clergy members abusing minors while those clergy members are positioned as a pure, trusted facet of society that people actively look to for guidance, safety, and belonging.

At NO point am I ever going to say that everyone online is perfectly pure and that we should ignore everyone's behavior online. When we do encounter legitimate creeps causing harm to real people (not watered-down definitions of what being a creep means) we absolutely need to call them out and keep each other safe. HOWEVER, by pitting fellow Sonic Fans, fellow Queer people, fellow shippers against each other with this blanket "us vs them" mentality that overshadows the real life patterns and signs of how widespread oppression and real life harm happens, we end up accomplishing a lot of what our oppressors want anyway: divisions, distractions, and outright mimicking the violent language and behaviors that they display toward us at ourselves. This is the point where well-intentioned activism goes wrong and circles back around to oppression without meaning to.

Many people are super-duper-sure that they have dismantled all of their -isms and -phobias and now identify with labels and movements that are on the right side of history. But all of us STILL need to be aware of the fact that our thought patterns, behaviors, logic, and emotional responses can be tied to previously held beliefs and mindsets, and they can sometimes carry over and linger in our minds even after significant "character development". This is true even if we don't immediately realize it and think that we are a "safe person" within our own marginalized communities and for other marginalized communities. It can be really hard to identify if/when that is happening sometimes, but it is pertinent that we are actively checking in with ourselves, listening to constructive criticism, and cross-analyzing whether we are unintentionally mimicking the language, behaviors, and violence of our oppressors, and what effects that can have on the people in our shared communities and the people we care about.

ADDITIONAL: MY PERSONAL OPINIONS AND LOGIC ABOUT SHADOW'S AGE

Most of the fandom will continue arguing about Shadow's "true age" for the rest of time and how that "should" influence people's shipping headcanons. In my opinion, it is a very unnecessary thing to argue about simply because of the uniqueness and the fantastical nature of Shadow's existence within the Sonic Universe. Very specifically, he is a test tube science project super soldier who is immortal with an unclarified "birth date."

It's most likely that Professor Gerald Robotnik started the process of creating Shadow AFTER Maria was born and they discovered her incurable disease; Project Shadow could have taken a significant amount of time to complete considering all of the scientific processes, research, and intergalactic communication needed. It is also important to remember that Maria died when she was only 12 years old. If we are just talking about the amount of time that Shadow was physically and mentally conscious, communicating, and learning (excluding the 50 years he spent in cryo-stasis), this would mean that Shadow's age could be anything up to Maria's exact age at her time of death. Realistically his youngest possible age would be much greater than 1 day, since it probably took a noteworthy amount of time for Shadow and Maria to develop their trusting best friend and/or sibling bond.

Otherwise, in the less likely scenario, Professor Gerald could've had foresight and somehow gotten confirmation about Maria's condition before she was born with the scientifically and medically advanced technology aboard the Space Colony ARK, and then completed Project Shadow before she was born. But in EITHER possible chronology, Shadow could be around the same age or a handful of years younger than 15 (one of the possible ages in this debate), if we are to consider his game manual or Wiki-page biographies for his true age. This could put the Sonadow ship in the same boat of age-gap and maturity-difference criticism that the Sonic x Amy ship gets because Sonic is 15 and Amy is 12.

Even though Shadow is one of the most complex characters within the broad Sonic Lore, at the same time he's one of the most mysterious characters, especially since we don't have any official content that shows the complete scientific/medical/technological details of his creation process from start to finish. Everyone has a different opinion whether the game manual and Wiki-page age(s) indicates Shadow's number of conscious years lived, his current physical age, or both. People also debate whether his current physical age matters in terms of shipping ethics. Considering that Shadow is an immortal science experiment with the DNA/blood of an alien species and he could have grown up in a test tube, I like to think that any of the "teen" ages used in this debate could simply describe what his physical vessel looks like (compared to 100% Mobian hedgehogs) at the point Project Shadow was deemed successfully completed. It's possible that his early development deviated from that of a human baby, a Mobian hedgehog baby, and a normal hedgehog baby. Maybe he grew generally faster or went through the same developmental stages of his Black Arms alien siblings. Deciphering what it would mean for Shadow to become "fully mature", or even what "age" in general means for him, would require solving the complex puzzle of his circumstances: the science of genetic engineering that splices Black Arms DNA with Mobian hedgehog DNA to design a being that is artificial and specifically exceptional in every way. We DO know that Shadow's Black Arms DNA gives his mind and body a connection to the species' Hive Mind (which is explored in the Archie comic books) and that Black Doom's DNA was one of the necessary ingredients to give Shadow immortality and disease immunity. But that's the extent of what we know about Shadow's Black Arms biology, its overall effects, its benefits, and its downsides. In addition to this, the "immortal artificial super soldier with alien DNA" context brings up questions regarding Shadow's mental processes, intelligence, and learning capabilities. He could have gone through rapid psychological development, or can learn and gain skills at an enhanced rate, have increased intelligence, or have alien mental capacities beyond his connection to the Black Arms' Hive Mind.

The limitless SCOPE of possibilities for Shadow's physical and mental reality is why I completely avoid any attempts at shoving this complex character into the same quantifiable boxes of human OR Mobian OR normal hedgehog maturity, development, intelligence, socialization, emotions, learning, and age. Which is why I do not judge people for their shipping preferences and don't assume the worst of the people that ship him with other characters. An integral part of the tragedy and isolation of Shadow the Hedgehog as a character surrounds him being the Ultimate Lifeform, a being that is so unique, advanced, artificial, medicalized, scientific, revolutionary, mystical and powerful that he cannot relate to most of the other Sonic characters and vice versa. TRYING to force Shadow to be 100% understandable, relatable, and quantifiable both by our real-life human standards and by the standards of the other Sonic characters can diminish his uniqueness and essence, and it hinders the broad Sonic Fandom from creatively exploring the magnitude of possibilities (both shipping and non-shipping) that his mysteriousness inspires.

(Thank you for reading and sticking with my train of thought! :) I expect constructive conversation in the comments if any are made at all, whether it's criticism or agreement.)

Trans people have existed for centuries throughout all non-white cultures. In judaism, in native American religion, and in hindu beliefs. And in Japanese beliefs. People have been revered as beautiful and holy for having a non male or female gender or a gender that doesn't align with their sex--- since before you were alive. Since before your parents were alive. Since before your siblings or your partner were alive. Since before the idea of forcing trans people not to be trans ever existed. Since before the idea of patriarchy even had a name. Since before the word trans even existed.

Everybody knows what sex is, to a degree. But scientists are starting to understand that sex is a spectrum. That PCOS and hyperandrogynism exist and they're as common and normal and healthy as being trans is. Oh yeah, and as common and normal and healthy as being a red-head.

Let’s talk foster system reform. What needs to change and how would you change it?

I've been avoiding engaging in the newest brand of discourse over whether or not being with men romantically or sexually makes someone less of a radical feminist because I think it's shitty but my overall view is

1. A woman's sex life is nobody's business but her own and you are not entitled to even know in the first place what she is or is not doing with men. So long as everyone is safe and consenting I really do not give a fuck because it doesn't affect her activism literally at all.

2. I don't feel like anyone should have to justify their actions to strangers on the internet, you can make assumptions all you want but you do not know why or how these women make their choices.

3. Women do enough self flagellation as is. Stop blaming women for patriarchy.

4. There's a difference between critiquing the power imbalances at play when a member of a marginalized group has relations with a member of an oppressor class vs telling marginalized people that they must not actually care about their oppression or are to blame for their oppression because of their choice of partner. That's victim blaming, it's manipulative, and it's very black and white thinking.

5. Radical feminism and female seperatism are not the same thing. They overlap, and many women are both, but they do not have everything in common. That's why we bother making that distinction.

6. I want radical feminism to be accessible to all women. Any woman, so long as she believes in the core tenants of radical feminism, should feel free to label herself as such. Your beliefs and your activism are not made void because you do not perfectly adhere to them, otherwise none of us would be radical feminists.

7. Under patriarchy, women's value is largely placed upon their sexuality, or lack thereof. The idea that a woman's sexuality must be the defining aspect of her activism and beliefs is an extension of this thinking. Catholic line of reasoning for sure.

8. Why do you get to decide who is or is not a radical? What authority do you have? Who decides this? Where does that ego come from?

So, I just got out of Godzilla -1 and I can't help but wonder how godzilla viewed humanity. In the beginning it was made hinted he didn't actively attack or at least decimate the local village. I genuinely believe that the soldiers could have survived if that hadn't shot at him. After that he seems to go out of his way to attack humanity.

So does he view them as a threat? His equivalent to ants? An annoyance? Something that needs to put in its place? I don't think he's stupid, but I'm not a hundred percent sure he's on the same thinking level as people. I'm curious if he had an actual reason for putting humanity on his shit list.

Also!!! This is me over analyzing this movie! I am probably over thinking, so don't take me to seriously!

I finished watching Blue-Eyed Samuri! Who is ready to discuss some of the content shown in the series or should I wait for people to watch it?

Mage: Awakening vs. Ascension

So I have been playing World of Darkness for a short while now and I'm also contentious in regards to Mage and its two iterations; Awakening and Ascension. Awakening is part of Chronicles of Darkness whereas Ascension is a part of World of Darkness, and they are basically parallel universes of the same-ish game.

When I started playing Awakening, I found the rules to be fairly straightforward, and I didn't have to struggle through pages of flavor text like with other World of Darkness games. The one thing I really appreciate about Ascension is its lore. It's fascinating how philosophical the game can get, whether it's during character creation or actual gameplay. Ascension explores themes such as the nature of reality, the dynamics of power, and power over the narrative.

I generally play the setting of Ascension with the rules of Awakening, but I have recently been reading about Ascension more (particularly, 20th Anniversary/4th Edition) and a homebrew of Ascension 5th Edition.

As a fan of the 5th Edition World of Darkness game lines, I am disappointed that only Vampire, Werewolf, and Hunter have been released so far. Until we get a full set, I'll have to make do with homebrews and supplements from the 4th Edition to satisfy my craving for supernatural horror.

As for this blog, I will be covering both Awakening and Ascension lore but primarily focusing on Ascension. I will, masochistically, try to work the Awakening paths and orders into the setting of Ascension and I will leave you with this question; what are your thoughts on Awakening and/or Ascension?

I feel like hell is not really a punishment, because sinners have everything they want. I remember that they are, however, killed by angels but still, they have what they want drugs, sex ,love and families (if they die together and are sinners-just like Carmilla and her daughters) .

Let's also remember that one phrase of Saint Peter from the song, "And everyone is hot", when Sir Pentious is already in heaven he looks (almost) the same. Which means that the sinners in hell are hot too!

And heaven probably won't provide anyone with drugs because it's a sin, so hell is better.

Heaven is full of hypocrites and people without creativity, an example is lucifer, they did not like his ideas, and he was sent to hell because he nevertheless fucked up their plan on earth a bit.Hell is much more tolarent for people.

In conclusion, heaven is boring and hell is better.

(THIS IS JUST MY OPINION!!)(srr for bad eng)

Why 'Hoe Culture' is a Detriment to Our Society, Particularly the Black Community.

Hey Besties,

Welcome to The Black Feminine Society! We pride ourselves on creating a safe space for Black Women to heal, grow, and embrace their femininity. Our mission goes beyond just creating a supportive environment. We believe it is our duty to have open and honest discussions about the challenges that can be detrimental to our culture, while also shining a light on the right paths for Black women to take.

At The Black Feminine Society, we are committed to holding ourselves and each other accountable. Our goal is not to tear down another Black woman, but rather to empower and uplift one another. We firmly believe that by addressing the issues within our community, we can drive positive change for the greater good.

So let's talk about it…

As 'Hoe Culture' is gaining increasing momentum, particularly within the Black community. It is a matter of grave concern that such a culture is being propagated, especially considering its adverse impacts on the perception of Black women and young girls.

The music industry, a formidable influencer of society, plays a significant role in this degradation. Many lyrics and music videos often depict women as objects of desire, thereby demeaning their worth. This portrayal of Black women is not only disrespectful but also aids in perpetuating stereotypes that have haunted the community for centuries.

The lack of genuinely empowering role models for young girls is distressing. Our society seems to drown out voices that advocate for respect and dignity, while those who succumb to the pressures of being overly sexualized for relevance are amplified. It is heartbreaking to witness the precious innocence of young minds being corrupted by such destructive ideologies.

The propagation of 'Hoe Culture' also distorts the perception of what healthy relationships should look like. It fuels lust over love, leading to superficial connections devoid of real affection or respect. This is not what relationships should represent. Relationships should be about mutual respect, understanding, and love, not superficial attractions.

Also, the media tends to glamorize 'Hoe Culture', conveniently ignoring the trauma associated with it. It is not all fun and games, as they would have us believe. The reality is much harsher, filled with emotional turmoil and personal distress.

This brings us to the concept of trauma bonding, a situation where individuals develop a strong emotional attachment to those who hurt them. It is a cycle of abuse and reconciliation that can lead to severe psychological effects, including low self-esteem and chronic mental health issues.

In the world of social media, especially on platforms like Instagram, young girls often feel pressured to participate in 'Hoe Culture', fearing that they might be ostracized otherwise. Behind the glamorous pictures and seemingly perfect lives of IG models lies a sad reality of mistreatment and deception. It is vital to remember that these are curated images, not reflecting the reality of their lives.

Before I conclude, I want to leave you with a motivating message:

To all the beautiful Black women out there, remember that you are so much more than what society tries to label you as. You are strong, beautiful, and worthy. Your body is your temple, a sacred sanctuary that deserves respect and honor. Protect your heart, keep it exclusive for those who genuinely deserve it. There is no rush to fit into societal norms; remember, it's okay to be selective. Your worth is not defined by the number of likes or followers, but by the strength of your character and the depth of your spirit. Be proud of who you are and never let anyone dim your light.

we haven’t talked in a while and that’s on me so i’ve come with a question that just popped into the dome, one of the tannies asks you out on a date, it’s your first one, where you going and more importantly what are you wearing??? 🎤 the floor is yours

i’m literally about to head out the door but i had to ask this before i left i will expose myself when i get back so be thinking about it while im gone!!!!!!!!

🌟OPEN DISCUSSION about the 2020's era of shipping culture, Sonadow in the Sonic Fandom, and how well-intended activism can circle back to the language and violence of oppressors 🌟 (Broken down into PARTS for the sake of readability and for my own attention span lol. >>>FULL ESSAY HERE<<<)

PART 1

INTRO

I gotta get something off my chest in regards to shipping. I wasn't super invested in the shipping part of the Sonic Fandom community when I was growing up, there were a few ships I liked and I enjoyed the fanart people made of those ships. And then I forgot about it for a number of years. Now in adulthood I am getting back into shipping Sonic characters a bit more, because it's fun to look back at the ships I liked as a kid and seeing how my opinions have changed since gaining more life experience.

MIDDLE CHILD EXPERIENCE IN THE SONIC FANDOM

It's odd being a Middle Child of the Sonic Fandom "family" that grew up during the age of "cringe culture" cyberbullying and shipping wars. I was aware of the stereotypes and disdain people had both on and off the internet toward the Sonic Fanbase and the notoriety it had. It influenced me to tone down my external Sonic geekiness around my peers. While some of the stereotypes had some truth to it (when they weren't used as cyberbullying put-downs), I noticed that there was a very prominent difference how the Sonic Franchise/Fandom was viewed by the pop culture savvy public and how the fandom acted amongst/within itself as a creative and meaning-making community, despite the in-fighting that occasionally happened. On the internet, I oddly didn't experience or witness much discourse about ethics, specifically about shipping, when I was a kid cruising the internet for the fanart I liked. The spaces I visited were usually very supportive of people creating meaning, joy, and comfort with these ships. These shipping spaces loved Sonic × Amy, Shadow × Amy, Knuckles × Rouge, Sonic × Sally, Silver × Blaze and also any ship between Sonic, Shadow, and Silver. While there were specific ships that I enjoyed, I was happy to see other people enjoying other ships and hearing them geek about it. Yes, there was sometimes shipping discourse pitting pairings against each other, but I did not notice intense targeting or harassment in the name of "ethics" to the same degree as I am witnessing nowadays.

PART 2 HERE

DBH Android Race Analysis/Is Gavin Reed Racist?

An analysis done based on a post I’ve seen calling Gavin Reed a racist.

THIS IS PURELY A DISCUSSION. I AM OPEN TO OTHER INTERPRETATIONS AND COMMENTS. IF YOU’D LIKE TO DISCUSS OR EDUCATE ME IN A TOPIC PERTAINING TO THIS THAT WILL FURTHER MY KNOWLEDGE ON SOMETHING LIKE THIS, PUT IT IN MY ASKBOX OR COMMENTS.

TW: This analysis will include the discussion of whether Androids are considered a race within the DBH World, when they may have not been considered a race, and other racial topics such as if Gavin Reed is racist. I did minimal research on the topic and I am speaking based on the experience of being a minority in America and of my opinions.

Again I want to start with the fact this is an open discussion. I don’t mean to offend, attack, or defend anyone with this post for/with bad intentions because at the end of the day this is a discussion on whether a fictional scenario can lead to the creation of a new race and whether a character is racist to this fictional species. I am always open to comments on this post for more opinions, and I want this to be a welcoming and open discussion.

I recently saw a post on Tumblr about how Gavin Reed is canonically racist against androids and I wanted to share my thoughts on the topic because the subject certainly interesting and very complex. In order to debate on whether someone can be racist against androids, we first have to answer the question of whether androids are a race, and more importantly what makes androids a race in the first place.

The Google definitions of race are considered to be: a major grouping of human kind, a group of people sharing the same culture/history/language/ethnic group, a group of set people or things with a common feature or features, etc etc. By Google definition, I’d like to say that androids in DBH could be considered a race. I’m saying could in the sense that androids at some point weren’t sentient, and we as people don’t often refer what we think are non-living things (things that do not have the ability to carry on life processes such as movement, respiration, growth, reproduction, and response to stimuli.) as a race.

Personally, I don’t believe androids could have been considered a race until deviancy became a common feature amongst androids because of the fact that deviancy gave androids the ability to properly respond to stimuli and grow/evolve their consciousness. Any time before deviancy, androids may not have been considered a race due to the restraints their programming had on their consciousness, restricting their ability to respond to stimuli and grow from it (ex. a robot who hasn’t deviated wouldn’t have the same interest in bugs as an robot who had deviated would because it’s programming doesn’t allow it to grow it’s love for bugs and respond to bugs as a stimuli in order to process their opinions on bugs).

Now apply that thought process on someone like Gavin Reed, who was born in 2002 and most likely was there to watch the development of androids and their integration into society. The first case of deviancy didn’t happen until 2032, when Gavin was 30. It was possible Gavin wasn’t even aware of that case and even more possible that he was still under the impression androids were machinery or another piece of technology. If he was aware of the first case of deviancy, it may have been likely that anyone who knew was told it was bug in the system. Relatably, how many of you thought the mouse moving by itself on a computer or a phone shutting itself off was just a bug or glitch. Now as much as I can find from the wiki, Gavin dislikes androids. The reason I found for this was because of the fact androids have been replacing people in the working scene. Despite having a prejudice against androids he’s also shown to have a respect for them to a certain extent, shown by Connor during the archive room scene if Connor takes the “calm” or “low profile” route. I also believe during that scene Gavin is still under the impression that deviancy is a bug in the code and not a spark of consciousness, which leads to his recklessness with androids.

All in all, I believe Gavin isn’t hardcore racist but more so ignorant as well as a careless one and has a long way to go in terms of his beef with androids. If we were given as much time with him as we were with Hank, I wonder if Gavin would have learned to move past his prejudice like Hank has. (With the mention of Hank, I’d also like to throw in the question of whether Hank was formerly racist to androids at the beginning of DBH)

If you have your own thoughts, be welcome to share! This is all pure speculation and mostly just to get the wheels turning because I am curious to see what you guys think and this game has a multitude of topics that relate to our real world which makes it extra special to discuss.

People on Tumblr are seriously arguing about the pronunciation of sauce. Hey why don't you ask the Chinese how to pronounce this guy's name?

#I roast my marshmallows with the fires of Hades

What if we lived in a society where we only had to pay our bills every 6 months? How would yall feel about that 😂 ?

I think Alastor's deal he made with Charlie is going to be crucial in season 2. IF Alastor is under some contract, it would make sense that he would use his one favor to either get rid of his contract or get around it. I think people forgot that Alastor still has a deal with Charlie and he gets a favor from her.