falling-pixie

[falling-pixie]

important for writing. I love a good dinner party story 😌

Tips for writing those gala scenes, from someone who goes to them occasionally:

Generally you unbutton and re-button a suit coat when you sit down and stand up.

You’re supposed to hold wine or champagne glasses by the stem to avoid warming up the liquid inside. A character out of their depth might hold the glass around the sides instead.

When rich/important people forget your name and they’re drunk, they usually just tell you that they don’t remember or completely skip over any opportunity to use your name so they don’t look silly.

A good way to indicate you don’t want to shake someone’s hand at an event is to hold a drink in your right hand (and if you’re a woman, a purse in the other so you definitely can’t shift the glass to another hand and then shake)

Americans who still kiss cheeks as a welcome generally don’t press lips to cheeks, it’s more of a touch of cheek to cheek or even a hover (these days, mostly to avoid smudging a woman’s makeup)

The distinctions between dress codes (black tie, cocktail, etc) are very intricate but obvious to those who know how to look. If you wear a short skirt to a black tie event for example, people would clock that instantly even if the dress itself was very formal. Same thing goes for certain articles of men’s clothing.

Open bars / cash bars at events usually carry limited options. They’re meant to serve lots of people very quickly, so nobody is getting a cosmo or a Manhattan etc.

Members of the press generally aren’t allowed to freely circulate at nicer galas/events without a very good reason. When they do, they need to identify themselves before talking with someone.

[falling-pixie]

I love them so dearly 😭🥰

Megamind + Roxanne in Megamind Rules! 🩵

[falling-pixie]

I remembered one old video and how the whole situation there is 100% Megamind coded

[falling-pixie]

Hey, so I did an Odd Della Robbia cosplay for ASTL this year! Everyone loved seeing someone from Code Lyoko 👏🥰

[falling-pixie]

Fandom: Elena of Avalor (Cartoon) Rating: General Audiences Characters: Esteban Flores Summary: Through a nightmare, Esteban relives the death of his childhood, the death of his happiness, and the death of his family and all he loves. My first published story for Elena of Avalor and it's a sad one 😭 Small pov on why Esteban brought Shuriki into the palace and the guilt he experiences because of his actions. This was made for the fanfiction festival for ASTL 2025! The prompt was Anniversary and had to be under 1000 words. I didn't win anything but I had so much fun writing this and just exploring the mind of Esteban. I love him so much! ❤

[falling-pixie]

THIS TAG!!! I'M CRYING 😂🥰 he really is the BESTEBAN

My first ever Elena of Avalor fan video!! Esteban needs more love. He's my second fave character under Mateo ♥ Posted this on tiktok too!! :D

[falling-pixie]

This drawing needs more love 🥰

The best chancellor - Esteban

(Elena of Avalor)

[falling-pixie]

YES. 100%. I legitimately am writing a fanfiction where he meets a nice guy and they fall in love and he is happy for once in his sad life. There isn't enough written for him so I took it upon myself lol

Headcanon #2

After the series ends, Esteban meets a nice guy and settles into a loving relationship. (Because he deserves to be happy)

[falling-pixie]

I need to ramble more about Esteban Flores, because everything about this character and his arc seem as though it was tailor-made for me and specifically designed to make me absolutely feral.

This going below the cut, both because I do not want to spoil the entire show for my friend who is think of watching Elena of Avalor and because I go full-on apologist here and I feel like that will annoy some people.

Imagine making the absolute worst mistake than anyone could possibly make, because you are 18 and scared and stupid and tired of being ignored. And it results in you losing your family and your freedom and what little self-respect you had left because you know all of this is very much your own fault.

 And so you proceed to spend the next 41(!) years eking out a miserable existence in an oppressive state. Upon fear for your life, you are forced to be the reluctant right-hand of the evil witch-queen who conquered your country, killed your aunt and uncle and trapped your cousin in magical prison. In spite of this, you nevertheless do everything within your limited power trying to hold the kingdom together and make sure the people don't starve, because the queen certainly doesn't care about anything except greedily bleeding your country dry.

And no exaggeration, this is just what canon explicitly gives us outright in the pilot. Like that's not even getting into head canons/interpretations/common sense of what exactly this sort of life entailed for you. Because this is a children's show so there's only so much they will let us imply about living under that kind of system. Especially as a young, attractive, terrified person who is the last living member of the previous royal family who is likely being kept alive partly as a combination trophy/punching bag for the evil queen (even if the show never actually states this outright).

And then by some miracle, what's left of your family comes back after all this time. The evil queen is overthrown, partly because you yourself finally stood up to her at a critical moment. You and your country are finally free again, and what's more, you and your family are finally together again after over 4 decades. But you still feel like an outsider--partly because you always were an outsider in your family even in the better times and partly because  over the past 41(!) years, time stood still for all of them except you.

And as a result, no one ever cares to ask what those 41 years were like for you or even just if you’re doing okay. Not only because your family can’t even begin to comprehend what it must have been like, but also because they don’t care to even *try* to understand. Because the narrative has decided that everyone else’s respective traumas is worth way more than your own.  (Though tbf the narrative really doesn’t dwell much on anyone’s trauma in general but yours gets especially neglected , except to briefly play it for laughs or to remind you that your trauma is *your own fault and only your own*).

For a little while, life is pretty okay. It’s weird not having to watch your step every instant to make sure you’re not putting a toe out of line. And so you never really fully break out of your “survival mode” conditioning, making sure that you are still considered important and valuable enough to keep around.

But all the while, you know that your past—and especially your terrible little secret—is eventually going to come back to haunt you. And it does. First via blackmail and then via the return  of the evil witch-queen herself. Fortunately, she is defeated for good before she can take avenge your “betrayal of her” but you still have to deal with seeing the ghost from the past who terrorized you for 41(!) years.

And then, your secret finally comes out in the open and you are disowned by your family—the family you *just* got back a few years ago—for an admittedly super bad decision that you made over four decades ago and have regretted ever since.  Rather than face the rest of your life in isolation (as though you didn’t already have enough of that during the previous regime), you escape before you can be sent into exile. This puts you directly in the path of *another* terrifying, evil magical milf who you are forced to ally yourself with. Because you have 40+ years of conditioning that when a woman like that says “jump,” you say “how high?” if you are to have any hope of survival.  Especially given that the only people who could’ve protected you from her are the family and friends who have just definitively washed their hands of you.

Despite this, you are still trying to seek your cousin’s forgiveness and to protect her in the little ways that you can. But you are constantly getting rebuffed over and over again, and if anything, your attempts at reconciliation only seem to make your cousin angrier, and she now hates you just as much as—if not MORE than—the woman who actually murdered her parents.

Your cousin is so angry at you specifically that she actively ignores the greater threat of Witchy Milf 2.0, because she happens to see your face and is enraged. This ends up backfiring spectacularly for you both, though it does indirectly lead to the defeat of said Witchy Milf 2.0.

But guess what?  There’s no time to breathe or celebrate, because her defeat occurred during the successful summoning of a third power-mad, feminine-presenting magical humanoid and her allies. At least, this one treats you with some initial respect and actually gives you outright what you-think-you’ve-thought-you-always wanted. But she also turns your family and friends to stone in front of you as a warning of what’s to come if you dare to defy her.

But this time, you are finally done with this, have finally lost enough that you have paradoxically found your courage. You sacrifice yourself to save your cousin, and she is finally able to accept that you’ve sacrificed and changed enough that she can forgive you. And her forgiveness is so powerful and pure that it not only restores you to life but also undoes all the other evil magic. Together, you defeat this final enemy, paradoxically by banishing her to the same Underworld where your mistakes accidentally sent your aunt and uncle and her parents long ago.  Peace has been restored. You have returned for good and are finally secure in your family’s love.

And after all that, there are *still* people (both presumably in universe and in the fandom outside of it) who say it's too little, too late and that it would've been better for everyone if you'd simply stayed dead.

Like I'm just... are we really victim-blaming the character who has 45 years of unprocessed trauma and guilt (both survivor's guilt and guilt in general) because of a decision he made when his brain was still developing and he was being manipulated by an older, much more powerful person?

[falling-pixie]

ngl, this made me cry. Hard. 😭

THIS is why Esteban is my absolute favorite character (just under Mateo) and why this episode is one of my favorites as well. He is such a complex tragic person. He is more than just a vain old man who dreams of more. He had his entire life stolen from him and the first season hits harder knowing that this is his first year ACTUALLY living his life.

I love him dearly. All I want for him is happiness and love. He deserves the world. ♥

It suddenly occurs to me that although "Island of Youth" seems at first a relatively innocuous fun little adventure on the surface, it's actually one of the more quietly devastating Elena of Avalor episodes when you consider it in the context of Esteban's backstory and stop to think about its wider implications. I'm going to put the rest below the cut as it got VERY long and because I do briefly touch on some character headcanons that may be triggering for some people. (warning for some discussion of abusive power dynamics especially as they relate to sexual harassment/coercion).

The episode is set on Esteban's birthday but even though the show does not explicitly remind us of this, this isn't just any old birthday for Esteban. This is specifically during the first birthday that he's had since the liberation of Avalor. It's set during the first birthday in forty-one years (!) that Esteban will be able to celebrate with his family again.

And while Esteban himself is acutely aware of its special significance, the rest of his family is probably not. Because from their perspective, they celebrated Esteban's birthday with him only last year--even if they did so with an Esteban who looks and acts distinctly different from this one. (Elena is the only probable exception as she was the only one besides Esteban to really feel the passage of those long years, even as they did not physically age her as they did him. It's probably why she organizes the surprise party in the first place and charges herself to keep Esteban company while"distracting" him from the surprise).

And though it's only just-barely alluded to in the show itself, this is also the first birthday Esteban's had since he was a teenager--the first birthday in over four decades--where he wasn't eking out a miserable existence trapped under Shuriki's thumb.

His decision to look for the fountain of youth is not the rather pathetic wish of a vain, bitter older man wants to relive some of the glory days of his youth. It's the very understandable wish of a tired, jaded (if also admittedly vain) older man who who never got have a proper youth in the first place--let alone any glory days to cling to.

He did not have the opportunity to squander his own youth, because that youth was taken from him by Shuriki--just as she took Esteban's family, country, and innocence away from him. (And yeah, I know he is partially to blame for his own bad situation, but in Esteban's defense, he was an insecure, frightened and stupid teenager at the time and as a result made the same sort of bad decisions that insecure, frightened, stupid teenagers are wont to make.)

In order to survive--not thrive, merely to survive--under Shuriki's thumb, Esteban was forced to grow up and grow up fast. And grow up in ways that no one should ever have to.

This is true in general but especially true if one tends toward the interpretation that Shuriki may have abused her power over Esteban to take advantage of him in other ways (i.e. sexually) .

In which case, his vanity throughout the show might also have this underlying Freudian excuse undertone to it that Esteban himself may not be consciously aware of. Over the years of Shuriki's reign, Esteban learned to view his looks as perhaps the only thing keeping him alive. So he learned to meticulously maintain his appearance, because as long as he remained handsome, virile and charming, Shuriki would be less likely to have him executed.

And I highly doubt that Esteban would be able to break out of this conditioning--that losing his looks might mean losing his life-- even after Shuriki's defeat. In Esteban's paranoid mind, finding the Fountain of Youth is just another way of protecting himself in the event that Shuriki should return (because there's no way he's not going to be looking over his shoulder for her the rest of his life).

All of which frames his ultimate decision--his choosing to save Elena rather than the canteen of youth-restoring water in a much more complex and noble light.

He's not giving up on a second chance on a youth that he'd voluntarily squandered; he's sacrificing his last opportunity at a real "first chance" of youth on his own terms. Because he recognizes that Elena's life is worth more than the life Esteban never got to have.

He's not reluctantly conceding that his cousin's life is worth more than Esteban's own vanity. He's conceding that his cousin's life is worth more than his own means of survival. In a small, understated way, he's making the choice that he should've made decades earlier: putting his family's safety before his own.

Although the show really doesn't dwell too much on the meaning of this (unsurprisingly), this episode provides a really interesting parallel with the finale. We see early signs that when it really comes down to it, Esteban can be much braver and much more selfless than even he realizes.

[falling-pixie]

god elena of avalor is so fucking good.

season 3 is so FIRE!!!

[spoilers under cut]

ESTABAN'S BETRAYAL??? EPIC ELENA POWERS??? MARUVIAN MAGIC LORE???? EEEEEEEE

HFIUIUGHIUSEHGE

ive only watched till The Magic Within but woah..... that's wild......

but how did esteban learn NOTHING from 41 years under authoritarian regime. bro said he wanted power and recognition and that's why they teamed with shuriki but then his dumbass.... does it again???? 44 YEARS LATER???? with ash, carla, and victor in tow??? what??? what kind of dumbass logic IS that???? like bro be fr. i thought 41 years taught you that maybe you shouldn't accept an offer from a powerful magical woman who claims to help you?

"i'm not that man anymore" my ass. you manipulated you assistant to get the key and then freed a bunch of malvagos, which by the way, YOU COULD'VE JUST NOT DONE THAT??? YOU COULD'VE JUST KEPT SAYING NO AND LEAVE BUT NOOOOOOOOOOOOO 41 YEARS TAUGHT YOU NOTHING!!!!!!!! HOW!!!!!!!!

nah i swear even cedric had the logic to reject grimtrix's second request and look i know it's a different show ish and cedric isn't anything like esteban but dude. be fr. you LITERALLY. LITERALLY!!!! made the SAME blunder of trusting 3 malvagos (one who especially is somehow more goated than victor and carla) to get you out safe and sound. be fr. these are the mfs who tried to destroy the world, or did you like. FORGET THAT???? DAWG??!?!?!?!?

AND YOU THOUGHT THEY'D BE ON YOUR SIDE??? I SAW THAT BETRAYAL COMING FROM A MILE AWAY!!!!! LIKE BROTHER WHAT???? I GET MAKING THAT MISTAKE WHEN YOU'RE A DUMB TEEN BUT YOU'RE A MIDDLE AGED MAN WITH EXPERIENCE??!??!?! GIRL. WHAT.

at first i thought elena was kinda overreacting with exile but dawg maybe they should just exile bro right now actually. make him live in the island they want him to live in. like girl how are you so stupid im sorry. bro you had 2 seconds of consiousness before picking up those tambouritas USE THEM TO PUT YOUR ASS BACK TO JAIL BUT NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO YOU THOUGHT THEY'D HELP YOU??? NO FUCKING WAY.....

[falling-pixie]

My first ever Elena of Avalor fan video!! Esteban needs more love. He's my second fave character under Mateo ♥ Posted this on tiktok too!! :D

[falling-pixie]

As someone who used to do a lot of creative photo-manipulations, this is an awesome resource!! I made a lot on DA back in the day but it's always fun to play around with making bookcovers!! 🥰

Too many writers are using generative 'AI' to make their book covers, so I've written a guide on how to make your own cover for free or cheap without turning to a machine.

If you can't afford to pay an artist, you CAN make your own!

I hope this is a helpful overview that covers the basics and points to some free resources.

[falling-pixie]

I don't even like coffee and I would buy this right up!! 😍

Macchiato ✨☕🔥

[falling-pixie]

WIP - Magical Heartstrings and Courtship

Working on an Elena of Avalor story! Here is a small sample from the first chapter. It's still a huge work in progress but I'm quite proud of what I've got so far. Hopefully, it's as interesting to others as it is to me! ❤

Final story will be around 30,000 words

Summary: Queen Elena of Avalor must find someone to marry within the month but dreams of finding love at her own pace. Once she begins to court the Prince of Cadiz her worries and fears subside. That is, until she realizes she might be falling for her Royal Wizard. Elena is stuck between choosing what she knows is best for her kingdom and what she feels is best for her heart.

Finally, her eyes landed on Mateo de Alva, one of her closest and truest friends. 

He smiled at her and gave her a thumbs up, quietly encouraging her. It was like an immediate effect. All of the tension in her shoulders eased away as their eyes met. 

There was no doubt in her mind that he would always support her, even when it came down to the stress that came with choosing a dance partner. He always gave her the confidence boost that she needed and with a striking clarity she hadn’t had since the start of the ball, Elena realized the first dance wasn’t the end all be all. 

Taking a needed calming breath, Elena gravitated toward Mateo with a demure smile.

“Mateo de Alva, Master Wizard of Avalor, would you do me the honor of taking my hand for a dance?”

He bowed automatically after years of learning how to perform for formal affairs and looked back up at her with slightly wide eyes and a flushed face. 

“What are you doing?” he mumbled through a smile, trying not to look like she was crazy for choosing to pick him over the many suitors in the room.

Elena returned the gesture with a small curtsy of her own and held out her hand to him.

“I couldn’t decide,” she said, gritting through her teeth. She looked up at him, pleading for him to understand. “Please?” She said softly.

Mateo swallowed but took her outstretched hand. “It would be a pleasure, My Queen.”

A warmth spread from their touching fingers all the way up her arm, even through her glove. She was never going to get used to her best friend calling her Queen and the formality of it all made her a little giddy. She was incredibly grateful for his friendship. He always let her lead, even if he didn’t agree, and she knew he would always be by her side to look out for her. 

Once they made it to the center of the floor, Mateo put his hand on her hip and gripped her hand in his. Elena smiled as they began to waltz. It was quite formal and a little unnerving having everyone watch them perform but once a few bars of music had played, the other members of the ball began to join them. 

Elena took a sigh of relief.

“You know,” he said softly, trying not to give away that he was talking at all. “People are going to think you’ve gone crazy.” 

Elena chuckled.

“I don’t think I’m the smartest choice to start off this ball.” He said with a small frown.

“I wouldn’t say dancing with the Master Wizard of Avalor is anything to scoff at.” Elena said with a smirk. “And not when he can dance so well.”

Mateo flushed but shook his head. 

“Elena,” he warned. “You were supposed to choose a suitor.”

“I know, I know!” She said with a huff. “I just couldn’t decide, okay! There’s too many people and it’s stressful and such a big decision.” 

Moving her hands to link around his neck she buried her face in his shoulder slightly, hiding from her embarrassment. The hard knots of tension gradually built up into her shoulders again. She knew the gravity of the night and it didn’t make it any better when her friend told her the same thing. But she also knew that despite the formalities, she could always express herself freely to her friend without fear of ridicule. 

“I’m just overwhelmed.” She said, her breath a little shallow at the idea. “This night is so important for not only my own future but the future of my kingdom.”

“Hey,” Mateo said and his tone had completely changed from scolding to a familiar soothing rhythm. He nudged her with his shoulder and she looked up at him with a slight frown. “It’s alright. All the stress you feel will eventually go away. You’re dancing now, that’s all that matters, and everything’s going to work out in the end.”  

With a shaking breath, Elena released the tension and began to breathe normally. Slowly she started to smile again.

“There’s our Elena that lights up a room.”

Elena laughed and it felt like the whole world of problems she had been dreading had fallen to the side. With only a few words, Mateo had lifted her spirits. She was sure no one else would have easily been able to comfort her.

“Thanks, Mateo.” She said softly. 

“Any time, My Queen.”

[falling-pixie]

Just having some fun with doodling Mateo through the ages! We have 16 year old Mateo and Early 20′s Mateo. Then there’s mid 30′s Papa Mateo experimenting with some facial hair and Middle aged 40-50ish Mateo! Of course this is all assuming Mateo becomes Wizard King of Avalor! But you’ll never catch him introducing himself that way! As far as he’s concerned he’s the Royal Wizard… who happens to be married to Queen Elena of Avalor! 

Also, @missnobodynobodius sketched Mateo with a little facial hair on his chin, and I swear I’ve been hooked ever since!! I cant draw him without it as an adult anymore! Hahahah! Thanks amiga!!

Please no reposting, altering or tracing!

[falling-pixie]

I know I’ve said it before, but I adore the way these two look to each other for approval, emotional support, friendship, etc… These are just a few of my favorite Eleteo looks <3