SovereignFives

Keepin it cool! Experimenting with some more painterly backgrounds for her, gouache on wood panel.

- m/f ship between a nonblack man & a Black woman

- it's either canon (e.g. mel/jayce arcane, arthur/guinevere bbcmerlin) or entirely plausible (e.g. prism or coupé/robert dispatch)

- fanbase overwhelmingly pairs nb man off with another nb man and disengages from the Black woman character, shunting her into a background wise & sassy caretaker role (for which there is a name) or leaving her out of fanworks entirely

- fans who do this ^ claim it is an expression of love and admiration for the Black woman character, actually, bc the nb man (who may be her canonical partner) "can't handle all that" (he may be perfectly competent and engaged; she may be totally low maintenance; it has no bearing), she's just too wonderful (too much) and out of his league (lacking in flaws and interiority and fan appeal)

It can almost certainly tell different species apart based on the shape of those air bladders. And it can tell if a fish has something weird inside it, like a metal hook. In Hawaii, false killer whales often pluck tuna off fishing lines, and “they’ll know where the hook is inside that fish,” Aude Pacini, who studies these animals, tells me. “They can ‘see’ things that you and I would never consider unless we had an X-ray machine or an MRI scanner.”

This penetrating perception is so unusual that scientists have barely begun to consider its implications. The beaked whales, for example, are odontocetes that look dolphin-esque on the outside—but on the inside, their skulls bear a strange assortment of crests, ridges, and bumps, many of which are only found in males.

Pavel Gol’din has suggested that these structures might be the equivalent of deer antlers—showy ornaments that are used to attract mates. Such ornaments would normally protrude from the body in a visible and conspicuous way, but that’s unnecessary for animals that are living medical scanners.’

I'm not sure if I ever shared this story before here, but in Curacao, when I was allowed to assist in a guest interaction programme, there was suddenly consternation in the pool behind us. A guest had entered the water and the dolphins were going crazy, paying no heed to the trainers anymore. The lead trainer that was with me gave the dolphins to me to watch over while she went to help. When she came back she told me what had happened. The guest that had caused so much uproar had left the water again and was asked if he had done anything to upset the dolphins. He hadn't, and he couldn't imagine what was wrong... until he mentioned he had a pacemaker. The younger dolphins in the pool had never seen someone with a pacemaker before and apparently it rocked their world.

This game is about Rebecca and Sam Colton and how antiblackness in MODERN America affected them and ripped them apart as well as how the child entertainment industry is inherently abusive towards children.

If we ACTUALLY cared about the themes of this game I would be seeing a LOT more discussion around:

The fact that there were very few children's cartoons with Black main characters like Amanda in the 90s, how hard it would have been for Sam Colton, first off to make and produce Amanda in the first place but also to get it made as a cartoon that was planned to be aired NATIONALLY in the first place. In the 90s and early 2000s? With relatively respectful/decent representation? A cartoon that allow kids across the country just like his little girl to see themselves in a show being adventurous, curious, kind, and brave.

The fact that they used the villainization of Black parents to their advantage after making Sam disappear to make NO ONE CARE. Well, technically the general population doesn't care or act nearly enough when Black people go missing or are killed. THATS THE POINT. THEY USED THAT THEY MANIPULATED THIER LANGAUGE IN THEIR STATEMENT TO PLAY INTO THAT.

WHITENESS DOES MATTER AND PLAY INTO KATES CHARACTER AND HER LACK OF ACTION Not because she is inherently a bad person who does not love or care for Rebecca but because our very White supremacist culture literally teaches us not to act. We are doing enough just by talking about it, by researching it, by sharing our kind words. But when it is time to act the majority stays motionless. That is what Kate represents. She is a well-meaning White woman who does not know how to take action.

Caroline took action but her friends did not back her up so that probably was what lead to her failing. Not because taking action was unwise but taking action alone against such a big force will usually not end in one's favor.

LETS TALK ABOUT HOW KATE EXPECTED AMANDA, AFTER ALL OF HER TRAUMA TO STILL ACT THE CHEERFUL HAPPY REBECCA SHE KNEW AND QUESTIONED IF IT WAS REALLY HER WHEN SHE DIDN'T.

Let's talk about the canon implication that Rebecca was wide awake during her brain surgery, quite possibly without any pain medication or anesthesia. Let's talk about how that plays into medical antiblackness and the belief that people of color do not experience as much as White people. LETS TALK ABOUT HOW THAT BELIEF IS STILL PREVELANT TODAY AND CAUSES PEOPLE OF COLOR TO GET DENIED ACCESS TO PROPER NECESSARY LIFE SAVING MEDICAL CARE AND BENEFITS AND INJURY COMPENSATION.

Let's talk about how child actors usually develop eating disorders, identity problems, substance abuse issues, mental health disorders, depression, anxiety, and more into adulthood and lets see more "unpleasant" headcanons for post-game Rebecca instead of imagining her healing process to be smooth and perfect and her to recover completely. People who have gone through less than her have lived their whole lives having never fully recovered. Their lives and her life is still 100% valuable, meaningful, and worth living even if they never are able to meet society's standard or expectation of being perfectly recovered.

Lets talk about Rebecca developing delusions, mental health disorders, self-harming habits, struggling with her identity post tapes. Let's talk about how easily regular society would trigger her how afraid of it she'd be the danger she would experience as a Black person with facial differences (from the rotting), mental illness, and developmental delays. Lets talk about how her trauma affects her even if it isn't pleasant or aesthetically pleasing because that's what real people go through in real life.

Lets talk about how the conditions she endured would leave her probably chronically disabled. Lets talk about how even without the fact that she is being chased down by Hameln who has public immunity, she would not ever get the complete medical and psychiatric help from society that she needs on a base level because people of all races especially people of color already cannot access that care. ESPECIALLY BECAUSE SHES A BLACK WOMAN. Realistically it is plausible that she could get addicted to pain killers, marihuana, and other substances because they would be the only way to relieve her stress and pain. Let's talk about the fact that even in the best case scenario she would not be able to get a job. Let's talk about the fact she did not receive an education. Let's talk about the fact as a chronically disabled person with these issues Riley would become her primary caretaker who she would be dependent on, lets talk about how Riley might financially struggle with this. Let's talk about how even if all of this was true she still deserves to be loved, taken care of, and alive.

I am not saying all of that is guaranteed to happen, but it also isn't guaranteed not to happen and I don't think it is soiling the ending to discuss how Hameln and societies behavior could affect the rest of her life in the world she lives in.

I AM NOT SAYING ALL OF THIS IS CANON, I'M SAYING THESE ARE POTENTIAL THINGS I WOULD LIKE TO SEE DISCUSSED MORE.

I don't sit and write a lot of post-game content, despite thinking about it ENDLESSLY because while I know quite a bit about this stuff I am no expert and I definitely do not feel I know these experiences personally enough to write from that perspective. And I have made some of my own posts on these things and before ATA 3 I saw a lot of mutuals posting about these things I had originally learned a lot about antiblackness from this fandom and it made me go and do a lot of research on my own.

I really wish people discussed Rebecca and Sam more. I can't even interact with this fandom anymore without seeing 3 or more posts with blatant or subtle ableism, intended or not, whether towards Rebecca or just within how you talk about certain characters, not even directed at the character themselves. This isn't new. The fandom has always had problems with discussing Amanda/Rebecca and Sam's story with the weight it deserves. It has always had problems with racism and ableism.

I still love these games, these games are why I started learning about antiblackness in the first place. They opened my eyes to much more than I knew and I probably acted uneducated in the past, maybe I still do and I recognize that. But the more I personally learn about these subjects and the world the more I've come to really really dislike this fandom. Its not fun. Very few people discuss this game from antiblackness perspective, especially post-ata 3. I love seeing posts from those who do talk about this especially hearing from the perspectives of people of color in this fandom I love you keep posting I love you I love you I love you don't let anyone shut you up about your experiences and how you relate to these games they are foremost made for you don't let anyone take them from you. I never see people talking about this from a children's rights perspective or how the games themes relate to the real world in a serious manner, especially post-ata 3.

And also I am so sick of seeing ableist language and even occasionally slurs in this fandom. You aren't cute. I am not causing an argument with every person who does this, but know you make people feel unsafe. I've definitely felt unsafe in this fandom. Which is why I don't interact with it like I used to. Believe me I still love these games they are my favorite of all time. I just- I just- can't anymore.

Also I know Wooly is important to the themes of this game but I DARE you. To try and comment on this post without mentioning him JUST ONCE. PLEASE. This post is about Rebecca and Sam Colton. DO NOT DERAIL. PLEASE I AM SO CLOSE TO LEAVING THIS FANDOM ALTOGETHER.

you've seen the jokes. india is "dirty", indians are "everywhere", why don't they fix their own country. ok. let me tell you why, and what's happening right now while nobody's watching.

first, the history you skipped: britain ruled india for two centuries and drained it. economist utsa patnaik's research estimates around $45 trillion in today's money was taken. the india that got independence in 1947 was one of the poorest countries on earth. every "why is india like this" question starts there. you don't get to profit off a robbery and then mock the crime scene.

now, what's happening RIGHT NOW:

in may the question paper for NEET leaked. that's the national medical entrance exam. over 2.2 million students took it. cancelled. years of studying, families' savings poured into coaching, gone overnight because someone sold the paper. students died by suicide after. these were kids who wanted to be doctors.

and out of that came a protest movement. a gen z group called the cockroach janta party, started by a 30 year old named abhijeet dipke, got 22 million instagram followers within DAYS. they've been doing a sit-in at jantar mantar in delhi demanding education minister dharmendra pradhan resign.

and then there's sonam wangchuk. if you've watched 3 idiots, he's the real engineer the character was based on. built solar schools in ladakh. invented ice stupas so himalayan villages have water. spent his whole life on education. he's 59 and he's been on hunger strike for 17+ days now. reporters went to see him this week and he was too weak to talk. and the troll armies are calling him "anti national" and "foreign funded". a man starving himself for other people's children. that's the thing here, anyone who asks a question is suddenly a traitor.

it's not one incident, it's everywhere you look:

• infrastructure worth thousands of crores failing within months of the ribbon cutting. tunnels collapsing in regions where heavy rain is a guarantee, not a surprise.

• youth unemployment near 10% for ages 15 to 29, 13.6% in cities. in a country of 1.42 billion where more than half the population is young.

• only about the top 3% of indians earn above 10 lakh a year. meanwhile billionaire wealth keeps ballooning and the headlines celebrate it.

• manipur burned for over two years. an ethnic conflict, tens of thousands displaced, and the prime minister barely said the word manipur while it happened.

• journalists raided. critics' houses bulldozed. activists sitting in jail for years without trial under laws like UAPA. our press freedom ranking has cratered.

• even the petrol is a fight now, ethanol blending pushed through while drivers complain about their engines and get no straight answers.

and through all of it, the PM, who came to power on religious polarisation (americans, sound familiar?), travels abroad for photo ops and has not held one single open press conference in over a decade. not one.

what i'm asking:

if you're not indian: share this. our media mostly won't cover any of it because the big outlets are owned by the same billionaires the government serves. the only reason wangchuk's fast is getting any coverage is people refusing to look away.

if you ARE indian: speak up even if you're comfortable. especially if you're comfortable. join the protests. add to this, correct me, translate it. staying quiet is a choice when nothing in this post touches your life.

india is not "dirty". india was robbed, and it's being robbed again, from the inside this time. but it's also the country where a 59 year old will starve for strangers' kids and 22 million young people will rally behind a party literally named after cockroaches, because cockroaches survive everything.

we can still save her. but only loudly.

Doctors are to black women what police officers are to black men. That may seem controversial but I believe it to be true and I speak from personal experience.

If you've seen this TikTok you know that a 2016 study showed that 50% of medical students and residents thought that black people couldn't feel pain the same as white people.

And we learned from this video that because of a 1999 study, to this day, there's a black correction factor for the creatinin levels in black people's kidneys, meaning we're less likely to recieve a kidney transplant if needed.

So if you go to a doctor, feel you aren't getting proper treatment or they refuse the treatment you've requested, say to them the following:

If you weren’t already going to spread this advice because black women are at risk, then spread it because it’s applicable to everyone else as well, including you reading this.

noisy birds abundant in my undisclosed rural hometown in South East Queensland, Australia

Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus)

April 3, 2026

Crested Coua at the Oregon Zoo