#also hollow is canonically genderless so i just simply go they them but i also dont mind he him either ahehe

[aqqleshiqqing-archive]

um hello again hk community <3

I AM NOT BEATING THE KNIGHT IN SHINING ARMOR ALLEGATIONS .....

thank you to the number one superfan bestie @lovinglin for enabling me so bad she made hollow x ivie content faster than I did <3 please follow her <3

[actingwithportals]

People commonly use gendered pronouns to refer to things without gender, how is that any different from using he or she when talking about something unreal and imagined?

Ok so the thing with that is, those examples are for things like objects. You have vehicles like cars or boats that get referred to as “she” or “her”, or you have those situations of calling things “he” or “sir” or “mister” or “boy” in sort of a joking tone, often used with fond frustration or humorous intent (I will call screws and nails “sir” that are giving me trouble when building things, for instance).

The thing about examples like these is they are for objects. They are for items that are inanimate and have no sense of personhood or existence. Sometimes objects can be loved and very dear to people - I know I feel very fond attachment to my plush objects, and I have known people to feel the same towards things like cars or sewing machines. But these are still objects that we are mentally putting ideas onto, as they do not have ideas to put on themselves because they are still inanimate.

Characters in a story are not the same. Yes, they are fictional, but they are created with the intent to be personable and relatable and reflect some semblance of reality, for those who engage with the story to connect with in some way. I’m not going to go into detail about how the vessels are arguably very sentient and have thoughts and wills and identities, because that is it’s own discussion, but I will very simply say that it feels obvious to me that Team Cherry developed Hollow Knight to reflect that idea that the vessels are living individuals. Team Cherry has also said in interviews that the vessels are genderless, and have explained that in the past they used he/him pronouns for characters like Ghost (the Knight), but realized as the story developed further in their creation that such pronouns would be incorrect for them (I don’t have the sources on hand but can find them for you to attach later if you like).

The reason it’s bothersome to see people giving the vessels binary genders, beyond it being canon and supported by Team Cherry that they don’t have those, is that it is very invalidating to nonbinary individuals who already face transphobia in the world on a regular and intense basis - not only because transphobia itself is such a deeply-rooted thing in our society, but also because nonbinary genders are heavily scrutinized by both cis people and even some parts of the trans community as well. Getting nonbinary representation is rare, and often poorly done at best. So when we do get that decent rep - when that decent rep is made canon by the creators - and yet parts of the fandom choose to ignore that, it hurts much deeper than simple disagreements over fandom opinions often hurt. Because it usually ends up going beyond just how you look at fictional magic void bugs here. It goes into people not finding nonbinary folks realistic or believable, and that is extremely transphobic and hurtful and invalidating.

At the end of the day it is just fandom, and they are just fictional characters. But it’s important to be aware of how the way you present stories effects minorities that are already at a disadvantage. It’s important to be mindful and respectful. And if the community being hurt is telling you that you are hurting them, it’s best to sit down and try to listen. At least be willing to understand.

That’s all we ask.