You would think that in fiction, where the mind is the limit that anything would go. But alas, it is always a matter of time before whiteness disrupts the fun for all of us. Whether it be The Little Mermaid, House of the Dragons or The Rings of Power, all fictional works with in-world aspects that would raise an eyebrow, you mean Black characters are where you draw the line, excusez moi? When one looks at the Ariel character, Hans Christian Andersen's "den lille havfrue" (original 1837 publication) no where was the colour of her skin nor hair mentioned; “They were six lovely girls, but the youngest was the most beautiful of them all. Her skin was as soft and tender as a rose petal, and her eyes were as blue as the deep sea, but like all the others she had no feet. Her body ended in a fish tail.” So seeing arguments stating that Halley Bailey could not be Ariel because of her skin or hair colour are ridiculous to say the least because last we checked, the source material in no way inherently stated that Ariel had red hair or white skin. The ego of whiteness is so easily bruised that it can’t bear to fathom any reality devoid of it or one where it isn’t centred. If Black / Brown / Indigenous characters are “not authentic” what then is authentic about a white man supposedly becoming the best samurai in Japan in a week (Tom Cruise) or a soft and tender skinned mermaid being portrayed as a white redheaded mermaid, Egyptian Gods being portrayed by white individuals (Gods of Egypt) or like every other movie aliens either having a western accent or only attacking the western world. Fiction has never and should never be a construct nor stronghold for whiteness. It is a world upon which we as Black, Brown or Indigenous people can be whoever and bring to life our imaginations, our beliefs, our desires. Black mermaids, elves & dwarfs, valyrians and many more exist and they are all here to stay.