Main: NeshaTriumphs TV. Movies. Books. Stage. Podcasts. Here for the Black fangirls and women tired of not seeing themselves represented in media or their characters appreciated in fandom. Submit Content Suggestions Send me an ask: Hey, Gurl. What’s goin’ on? or pass through to my messenger for Black marginalized gender fandom related fun (or fury, depending on the content) My messages are for characters and entertainment media ONLY.
WE RUNNING IT BACK!!! Melanin Beam Challenge 2026!!!
There's only TWO DIFFERENCES in the rules this year:
1) instead of only posting on August 8th (we hit post limit last year!!!) we are going to post them between August 7th and August 9th!!
2) tag your pieces with #melanin beam challenge AND #black character design - we got #melanin in the top Tumblr tag for 15 minutes last year, let's see if we can do two 👀
I think the topic was more "This character doesn't have to specifically be white" because that's generally the argument. I don't recall ever hearing any arguments that Mulan or Moana needed to be cast as white people or the generic knee jerk reaction of "What if they made (Black character, Tiana) white?"
its like people need you to be their momma im tired man. "ah ah ice these people are being antiblack in other people's comments sections!" if you don't get the fuck off your ass and call it out when you see it i swear to gods above.
Tbh, I think it was meant to cause drama. I think I was expected to go "who is it??? Where???" And it's like. I'm not about to go digging in people's blogs to start fights that other people wanna see. It's one thing when the fight gets brought to me, or it's something I'm passionate about anyway. But otherwise, I'm not an attack dog 😅 This isn't a colosseum where Ice has to fight EVERY battle for everyone else. If people are being antiblack ofc I don't like that, but I also teach people that THEY can do something about that too!
beautiful women will be like “i baked a cake” and you will say “oh ? what flavour is it” and they say well its a honey rosewater apricot pistachio cardamom vanilla fig jam earl grey poppyseed orange blossom extra virgin olive oil chiffon sponge soaked in raspberry elderflower champagne lipgloss pomegranate matcha ginger blueberry cherry blossom magnolia petal almond passionfruit persimmon syrup with whipped amalfi lemon limoncello ricotta goats cheese honeycomb black pepper bergamot lemon thyme lemon balm rosemary chantilly whipped cream cream cheese feta cheese italian meringue frosting . like ok. i want to spend the rest of my afternoons walking around inside your beautiful mind like a garden
History of Black Lesbian identities in traditionally white queer & sapphic spaces.
There is a lot of misinformation and false narratives being pushed on the history behind the term “Stud” and rather or not black, bipoc, latinx, and other lesbians of color have historically been accepted in “white queer & sapphic” spaces. Let’s get into it.
Tw: Racism, discrimination, inequality, systemic prejudices, and opression.
“In the 1920s, around 1919-1921, “bulldyking’ and bulldyke, both of which are considered to be dyke’s predecessor was heard and noted down by white professors to be AAVE, specifically used by black women with the first woman to use dyking around being a (black) woman from a Harlem prison. However, bulldyke has been recorded far earlier than that in the black community with Harvey Neal as it was their nickname and was mentioned in the 1890s as a woman won their affections.
In 1926, Nigger Heaven was released and written by a white man based around the black people of Harlem, specifically around the Harlem Renaissance and was the first time Dyke as a term was used to mean lesbian, coming from the shortening of bulldyke or more particularly, BD Woman (bulldyke woman). This was the true first instance of dyke ever being used to mean lesbian in any instance.
It was then recorded in the 1930s in the American Slang Dictonary as an alternate term for lesbian and during that era, wasn’t even considered a slur but simply black people slang.
Dyke became a slur during the fifties when white people and this unfortunately includes white sapphics of that era began using it as a slur against black lesbians (and other lower class lesbians but this often again mostly is black people of that era) and in the 60s, was used against all lesbians because of association of black masculinity and then merged to lesbianism as a whole.
It was ”“reclaimed”“ in the 1980s but with reclamation, came erasure. Most non-black sapphics in that era simply refused to acknowledge its history if they were aware and any connections we had as black lesbians were lost outside the black community because it meant acknowledging the origins. This is where the alternate etymologies began showing up.” - @bodiesbodiesbodiesx3
Throughout the period of slavery from approximately 1619 to 1865, black individuals were often dehumanized and compared to animals. Those who were taller and stronger were frequently chosen for labor-intensive roles due to their physical capabilities.
In the southern United States, this comparison was particularly evident, as black men were referred to as "studs," akin to male horses, while women faced the label of "stallions."
As we move to more contemporary history, it wasn't until the mid-1960s that black women began to gain access to the working class. Prior to this shift, many black women took significant risks to provide for their families by taking on jobs traditionally reserved for men. To navigate these spaces, they would disguise their femininity by binding their chests, donning more masculine clothing, and concealing their hair.
Unfortunately, black women continued to be subjected to comparisons with animals, with white cisgender heterosexual men often perceiving their features as overly masculine. This led to some black women managing to navigate male-dominated workplaces more easily. Black men within their communities were aware of these women's disguises and offered support, accepting them as they sought to forge their paths.
When suspicions arose regarding a woman's identity, black men would humorously dismiss the allegations by stating, “that’s a stud.” This became a shared understanding within the black community, acknowledging the deeper historical significance of the term "stud" and its origins.
Today, black lesbian women and nonbinary individuals from diverse backgrounds have embraced the term "stud" as a way to reclaim their identities. This reclamation is rooted in both a historical context of being marginalized within predominantly white queer spaces and a desire to define an identity that is unique and affirming to their experiences as black people.
In conclusion, it is important to recognize that while many individuals have the best intentions in creating inclusive safe spaces, the language often reflects the experiences of white queer individuals. This can undermine the goal of true inclusivity. To genuinely welcome all voices and embrace the richness of intersectionality, it is essential to deeply understand the historical context of the terms we use today.
I get that the goal of DMing a campaign is to give the players a setting that they can really immerse themselves in. But I just really want to shout out Aabria for building such a fabulous scifi setting and the players for leaning into it hard, always wanting to know more and really root their PCs in the world
It's a fucking masterclass that we've had a sum total of five episodes and yet the twist at the end of the latest was clear by Aabria referencing pull vs cull, a concept we the listeners didn't have at the start and now understand so explicitly that it had me gasping out loud
Aabria running her first long form actual play campaign, being a main cast member on Critical Role, the baby announcement, and potentially another season of Dimension 20 on the horizon
From whatever blog I decide to post a thought from when I am posting in support of "violence is the answer" in response to racism, someone always tries to point out the danger in reacting violently to racism and to that I say: I know, and yet it is my choice.
If somebody's response to you rocking they shit because they were being racist, is them shooting you in the forehead, I need you to understand that that is somebody who was gonna do something like that anyway. You're not being murdered for the sake of giving in to violence. You're being murdered because that racist you punched is a murderer.
Some will say "You gave them what they wanted." I don't care what they wanted. What I want is to hurt you in the face when you're being racist towards me. I can very well get murdered by a racist person in everyday life for no good reason. This is a thing that happens to people all the time and I am not above it. I simply haven't had that type of interaction with a racist murderer yet. But in fact, in the era that I adopted this belief in responding with fists to the violence of racism, I was at my most radical and most likely chances to be harmed by a racist.
I decided that the chance of being shut down by violence and being remembered as someone who "deserved it" true story.. in hypothetical situations about being murdered during one of my things that I would do when I was younger, several people believed that if I were killed doong certain things that it would be because I was doing those things. Like challenging authorities and refusing to let people violate me, and so forth.
That really opened my eyes about a lot of things. When women who remind me of me are murdered and people who know me announce reasons why they "see why" these women are murdered, I drew the conclusions that if I should die standing up for myself, I would be blamed by enough people to fill a hashtag.
So, please believe me when I say that I know it's hard to stand up for yourself and even to fight. But nobody should be allowed to be racist against you without repercussions and people are protected in such a way that repercussions are generally not enough for the antiblackness visited upon you. You might not be able to affect them the way that they affect you. But one thing is certain. That swift lesson in watching their mouth will stick with them AND, if you're anything like me, it is a statement of self worth.
I don't care if you can beat my ass. I don't care if you can kill me. I'm giving you the energy that what you did stirred up in me. And I will never regret it. Every racist that ever existed deserved to be contacted with violence and if you think the violence "didn't make them better," its not supposed to. It was to let them know that some of us will hit them and they have the choice on whether that teaches them to be better or to at least shut up. If they respond with more racism, baby that's just who they were and cheers to you, you did the work of a god by hitting them for it.
I get really tired of the narrative that I need to for some reason do work to help racists not be racist. I will do the work of bustin you upside the head. Fuck out my face with that shit.
Black ppl deserve to feel safe and welcomed on the internet, on fandoms on whatever community or hobbies they want without having to deal with antiblack racist attacks, microaggressions or enablers of antiblackness . And if u genuinely consider urself to be left leaning or an ally or woke you should do and try to unlearn the colorism, texturism , eurocentrism and antiblackness
I recently read The Lunar Chronicles, by Marissa Myer, and I had problems with it, but that'll maybe be another conversation on one of my other blogs.
I'm bringing it up here because something that happened in the Rapunzel based book (Cress) was she eventually met her biological father. I didn't care for his character the entire time. And after not liking this man, we eventually learn that his name before he left his home, was Sage Darnell.
This really upset me, as I thing Sage Darnell is such a dope name, but it was gifted to such a raggedy character!! Furthermore (on a petty note) that sounds like a Black person's name. Honestly, whether on the front or if its a last name "Darnell" is a name that invokes Blackness. Idc what nobody say.
For that reason, when I gave Punzie a familiar and knew they would need a name, I named him Sage (not Darnell, unfortunately that rockin ass name already exists). But, he's Sage Blossom, because I was always gonna call him Blossom, but I tacked on the "Sage" thanks to my upset with that doctor in the books.
THEN, Learned that there are massage parlors in my area called "Sage Blossom Massage," SO. It is very possible I will change his name so it won't be that.
Maybe I'll go full Deep in the Heart of Texas on him and change it to "Sage Bloom"
Now that my brain is in Texan mode, maybe Sage Bluebonnet. Meh. Not as pretty maybe. For right now, I think I'll just tag him as "Sage the Familiar"
Here are some photos of sage in bloom and bluebonnets for no other reason but to show off some Texas flowers.
