#in a way it reminded me a lot of raya and the last dragon

[lulu2992]

I watched Rebel Moon: Part One – A Child of Fire and… it really doesn’t deserve the torrent of hatred I’ve seen it receive online.

It’s not a perfect movie, sure, but I’d say it’s an honest one; I feel like I saw exactly what I was told I would get. Even though it doesn’t have the most original story, it’s not bad, and it already has a very dense (but easily digestible) lore, as well as many creative and original designs. Plus, this was only Part One, and they said a longer, R-rated version would also be released at some point, so we’ve only seen maybe one-third of the story…

Creating an entirely new fictional universe that, although it’s inspired by many others (and this was never hidden), isn’t part of an existing franchise with an established lore, is hard and ambitious, and the film was clearly made with care and passion, so I for one welcome the effort.

Rebel Moon has potential, and I want to see more of it. When Part 2, The Scargiver, releases, I will be there!

[lazytitans-world]

My research findings on the production of Wish

Never have I seen a fan community do so much with so little than I have with Wish. And to start off, I want to say that you should watch the movie first before going into this and the Starboy fandom as I believe it to be important on forming your own opinion before moving on as I find most of the fandom to have a negative view of the movie, one I do not really share. I found Wish to be fine. I did not hate it, but I did not love it like I do other Disney animated films. But the many rewrites, drawings and animatics featuring character designs that did not make it far in production have become icons in this community inspired me to do a deep dive to see if I could find where in production these concepts died and why.

To save you a read, this production was a victim of simplicity. I feel that many concepts and story ideas were tossed away due to complicating the story, which was always going to focus on Asha trying to save the wishes of her fellow kingdom citizens with the help of a wishing star. I have read many articles and watched a few deleted scenes from the home release and here are my findings.

Starboy never got far in development as the book states that the team went down "a few blind alleys" that lead them to star having a human design for a period. This is probably the period in time where all the Starboy concept art came from and where a potential romantic subplot with Asha was kicked around. It was.

What did Starboy in was the team's choice to make them a shapeshifter as the team thought the character was way overpowered and thus the story lost a lot of dramatic tension (a choice I kind of agree with). It was here where the design team decided that Star needed an overhaul and brought the Story Development artists in and this is where Starboy died and plush Star was finalized.

There are no official storyboards that feature the Starboy designs.

At the start of Wish's production, Frozen 2 was entering it's final stage of production (this would be either late 2018 or early 2019) and was obviously the main focus for Disney animation not to mention projects like Raya and the Last Dragon, Strange World and Encanto were entering their mid development stages before the shutdown.

The effects of the global shutdown were not mentioned in the book, but I would not be shocked if production was affected by it.

Ariana DeBose has said that Wish did not need a love story as she said that,

“I think we live in a time where things are cyclical, right? And so, it’s good for variance and perspective. Not every female Disney character needs to have a go and ambition of simply finding a man to love her. There are more stories to tell.

"And especially in the world we live in today I think something like Wish, that has a broader outlook that talks about community, is just as important as talking about love. And there are so many different ways to love."

"You do see familiar love, love of friendship" in the movie, including the relationship between Asha and Star. Star and Asha have this beautiful connection with each other and so I think it’s good reminding people that not only we can tell different stories, we can also talk about love in different ways.”(source: Exclusive: Wish’s Ariana DeBose defends lack of romance in recent Disney movies (yahoo.com)) whether Ariana had any say on story or character development is unknown.

7. From what I read from the Art of Wish book, the story was always meant to be about Asha defying Magnifico to fight for the people of Rosas and their wishes.

8. As it pertains to "At All Costs", a song that many are saying was meant to be a love song between Asha and Star, in an article by Variety(Julia Michaels Wrote 'Wish' Theme Before the Script Even Existed (variety.com), it states that a love song was not in the film at the time of production and songwriter Julia Michaels "wanted to write a song that as a standalone sounded like a love song that could be played at weddings."

Michaels would go on to say, "How cool would it be if we wrote a song that if you listened to on its own, it sounds like a love song, it could be something you could play at your wedding, or be a lullaby to your kids, just something really beautiful, but when you watch the film, it’s the heroine and it’s the villain.” She continues, “You realize they’re coming about this both from various points, one from a very selfless standpoint and one from a selfish standpoint.”

9. In the same Variety article, it was revealed that for some time in 2020, no script existed for the movie, but Julia Michaels was asked to be the songwriter for the movie and that is where she pitched "This Wish" which would go on to be one of the first songs revealed for the movie.

10. the Variety article also had Jennifer Lee, head of Disney Animation and one of the writers on Wish, say that she wanted a song that showed "it felt like to hold someone’s wish in your hand. How do we viscerally understand that when you’re with them, you feel like you’re holding someone’s raison d’être?” that song would end it being "At All Costs"

11. September 9, 2022, D23 Expo in Anaheim California. This is where certain members of the public got a glimpse of the production of Wish. Jennifer Lee, writer and director Chris Buck, and co-director Fawn Veerasunthorn spoke about the movie and showed the first look of the finalized design of Star which ended up being the mute plush model that ended up in the movie. This means there was a 3-year gap where Starboy and the romance side plot were discussed then shelved.

It was also during this show where the public would learn that Ariana DeBuse would voice Asha and that Alan Tudyk, a staple of past Disney animated films, would have a featured role in the movie as Asha's pet goat Valentino, who would be able to talk thanks to Star's magic. It was also at that show where DuBose came out to sing "This Wish" but at the time the song was called "More for Us".

Magnifico was not revealed at the event but was teased as "one of the most formidable foes in Disney history" which is debatable to say the least.

12. 5 deleted scenes in total appear on the Wish digital and disc copies each introduced by head of story Mark Kennedy where he would describe why the scene got cut. One scene shows Amaya assisting Magnifico in his plan, tying into an early concept where she was a villain alongside him.

Another scene had Asha, Star (who in this scene could shape shift and talk) and Valentino try to sneak into Rosas before being spotted and chased by Amaya, once again acting antagonistic to Asha.

A scene had Magnifco gather the people of Rosas to demand Star be given to him, as he had never seen Star in this version, and Asha her friends try to distract him by having Valentino, who in this version had a more Steve Carell like voice, pretend to be Star while the real Star, who was voiced in this version and was designed as ball of light with eyes and mouth, was trying to free the captured wishes. This scene was changed because they wanted Magnifco to be more threatening and instead of asking the people for Star, he would capture Star. Kennedy would go on to say that they wanted Asha and Magnifico to be smart and that Asha would not do a plan that silly, and they wanted the climax to be Magnifico and Asha alone, so they set it on a platform high above Rosas.

The next scene featured an ally of Asha's named Flazino that was cut out in order to shrink her friend group and tied the group back to the seven dwarfs from Snow White.

Finally, there was a scene where Asha and her grandfather scaled a wishing tree with her grandfather Sabino that showcased their bond but also Sabino's insistence that Asha take down Magnifico.

Each of these scenes felt completely different to the movie that ended up being released.

13. It should be noted that Wish released only a short while after the 2023 Writers and Actors strikes, which meant that for most of the summer and fall of that year, the actors could not do any press for the movie and all marketing was done through ads, trailers and merchandise.

14. As revealed in an article for Disney twenty-three, a magazine for gold members of the Disney D23 Fanclub, in the early visual development stage, there was a test scene that Asha was briefly transported to the village from Pinocchio. This was done to see how the 3D character designs would match with the hand drawn, watercolor backgrounds of classic Disney movies.

15. In that same article, Chris Buck said that in regard to Magnifico's character development that they wanted the audience "to see the evolution of a villain, so he's not a monster from frame one". From what becomes of Magnifico I get what they tried to do, they wanted to show how a character falls into villainy even if they're intentions are good. It also stands with the modern writing style of Disney animation films trying to update classics, this time by having audiences start off by kind of liking the villain through their personality alone.

18. The article also briefly mentions that Star "went through many iterations" another hint of Starboy being considered as a final design.

19. In the Art of Wish book, there is a page that shows the script where Asha meets Star and Star is described as a "cuddly, 3D, five-pointed star." This would indicate that the Starboy concept never got to the scripting stages.

20. In Art of Wish, the reason why Star does not speak is because the film makers wanted to stick to a tenet of film making, show don't tell.

21. Star's face was inspired by the mask like face of early Mickey Mouse cartoons.

22. From all readings, it is safe to say that Asha was NEVER considered to be a princess in any of the iterations of the story as some writers felt it to be too safe of a choice and liked the idea of an ordinary citizen going against the established power of the king.

23. During production, the Disney CEO position changed twice as Bob Iger left the company in early 2020 and named Bob Chapek as his replacement before returning to the company in mid 2023. It is unknown if these changes had any effects of Wish's production as it was it stated development as Iger's first tenure was ending but took place during a majority of Chapek's time.

24. When Angelique Cabal, who voiced Amaya in Wish, first auditioned for the role the character in 2022 Amaya was written as a villain while Magnifico was supposed to be the good king. It was when she returned for the callback that Amaya was changed to what she ended up being in the movie. Source https://www.cinemablend.com/interviews/how-one-character-disney-wish-completely-changed-during-production

In closing, for fans of the Starboy concept, it saddens me to say that it looks the idea only made it as far as concept art as at the time of writing this, no animated sequences, scripts or storyboards have been released that had Star in a human design or discussed a romantic relationship with Asha. I believe the writing team found a romantic relationship between Star and Asha too complicated for the story and decided to simplify the relationship and design of Star to better suit the plot of Asha going against Magnifico. I am disappointed Wish did not go with the more interesting concepts but maybe down the line we'll get that cosmic Disney romance and a villain couple, it just has to work with the story.

I want to say thank you for those that made it to the end, this movie has been on my mind for quite a while and seeing all the re-writes, drawings and animations people have done for Starboy and Asha has been amazing to see. These works have inspired me to rewatch Wish at some point to see if Starboy could have worked in the movie with the story as is, and even share how I would have changed a few things in the story to fit the character and a romantic subplot with Asha plus an idea on how to bring in Starboy while still staying true to the established cannon.

I do hope others watch and enjoy Wish as from what I have read the team did put a lot of effort to makes this movie worthy of not only the high standards Disney animation has set, but as a piece of the 100-year story telling of the Walt Disney company. Film making is already hard enough as it is, especially in animation, but having to make a movie with an original concept and characters that still pays tribute to 100 years of storytelling is a daunting task and I understand and respect the choices they made when making the film and you should as well.

[todomemolesta18]

Namarri (IDK how to spell her name) from Raya and the Last Dragon gave me Catra flashbacks in the absolute worst way possible. And the fact that the movie tried so hard to paint Raya as the bad guy for not trusting Namarri even through she literally spent the entire movie hunting Raya and her friends down, and shot Sisu (Not that I like Sisu but still) is just insane. It definitely reminds me of the whole song and dance in the SPOP fandom about how “adOrA AbANdOneD cAtRA” but at least prior to season 5, it was, for the most part, just a shitty take amongst the stans

Yeah, that moment in the movie sucked A LOT. Like you said, Raya had good reasons to not trust her, but they still blammed her. It is very similar to what Spop did...

[kylesvariouslistsandstuff]

Few Tidbits

Little bits of news concerning... UNDER THE BOARDWALK, and WISH...

UNDER THE BOARDWALK has been given an MPA rating recently, and like most family-friendly animated movies, it's PG. For "impolite material", whatever the hell that means, and "mild violence". I guess these crabs get into some serious fights or something! But enough about that... This rating tells me that the movie is somewhere near being released.

CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS director David Soren's UNDER THE BOARDWALK, once known as JERSEY CRABS, was once positioned as a summer 2022 release from Paramount as part of their ever-fledgling "Paramount Animation" moniker... But at the beginning of 2022, it was mysteriously replaced by an acquired romp called PAWS OF FURY: THE LEGEND OF HANK. UNDER THE BOARDWALK has remained without a release date, though by the end of 2022, it was indicated that the film was pretty much finished...

And recently, Paramount's CEO had confirmed that it had been re-routed to a Paramount+ release, though with no release date. On the grounds of the film being... Original. Because apparently that "leader" feels that committing to one of those for a theatrical release is a dead end, and that IPs (like Ninja Turtles and Transformers) are the way to go... Though, MUTANT MAYHEM is only doing okay at best. Like its legs are pretty great, and it didn't cost much to make, but it's not making MINIONS or SPIDER-VERSE numbers for sure. It isn't even coming close to what ELEMENTAL made. And yet Paramount's CEO feels that movies like ELEMENTAL are out, and the kind he's overseeing are in? (This isn't a knock on MUTANT MAYHEM, by the way, which I absolutely *loved*... I'm more mocking a silly CEO.)

So, I get the sense that... We'll get some kind of announcement soon? Sucks that it won't run in theaters, because it is an original movie, and the premise sounded pretty bonkers. I mean, a GREASE-esque Jersey Shore musical with crustaceans? Sign me up! I've been onboard with this weird-sounding movie for years now.

I also read that WISH, from Walt Disney Animation Studios and directors Chris Buck and Fawn Veerasunthorn, apparently is clocking in at 92 minutes. Ex away credits, and we're likely seeing a Disney Animation film that's about 80-85min of actual animation/the actual film long... Most WDAS CGI movies usually tip a little over the 100 minute mark... Like, when's the last time a CGI WDAS movie ran under that? I wanna say... BOLT! All the way back in 2008!

This interests me because I feel a lot of the recent WDASes, with their seemingly-behemoth 100min runtimes, are actually quite weirdly paced. I feel it's because their stories, and this is something a lot of animated movies do lately, pack-pack-pack in so much plot and so much stuff... A lot for such a short runtime. RAYA AND THE LAST DRAGON in particular, to me, felt like a whole trilogy's worth of story packed into like 107 minutes... And because that's how much time they have, often times I feel like I'm being barrelled through scenes...

And then when I watch a lot of pre-2010 Western animated movies, which run from like 75-95 minutes... The pacing is just right in a lot of them... Maybe because they aren't so goddamn overplotted. It reminds me of what the legendary Disney artist Floyd Norman once remarked sometime in 2012: That animated movie plots had become "hopelessly overworked" and "convoluted", in an attempt to "convince" the audience... rather than "entertain" the audience.

And I must say, he was SPOT ON about that. I don't mind complicated and jam-packed plots, but the runtime has to suit them, and the pacing does too... And I feel, sometimes, some animated movies - not just Disney Animation's - tend to collapse a little bit within those perimeters.

So... Does this mean that WISH is a relatively uncomplicated story? A brisk journey, one where we can actually see these characters **exist** for more than a few seconds? Instead of jumping them from plot point to emotional scene to plot point to emotional scene? That's what I'd love to see, personally. Just a very well-paced 90 minutes where I feel like I can sink in the atmosphere/setting of the movie and hang out with the characters... And, this movie would have to need it, because of what the visuals are going to look like.

Just a thought, ya know?

[smxmuffinpeddling]

The first time Benja officially met the infamous Princess Namaari (infamous through his daughter’s repeated grumblings about said princess of Fang), she placed a blade in front of him with her head bowed. Her face is somber and her strong shoulders weighed down by an invisible force.

Chief Benja had sensed this sort of presence before from old warriors or generals that have overseen countless battles. More recently he has caught this presence on his daughter in moments where she thinks he isn’t observing the woman she has become. It made him sad to see these haunting expressions on people so young. The princess of Fang appeared to be burdening herself with more ghosts than most.

“And what would you have me do with this, Princess Namaari,” Benja asked in his most patient tone as he eyed the blade placed on the ground before him. He had a sneaking suspicion based on rumors and Raya’s own stilted recaps of what transpired before and after he was turned to stone. There was a lot to process, but Benja could only make judgments based on what he could see before him.

“As the Chief of Heart, you have the power to punish war criminals,” Namaari responded, eyes still on the ground. Chief Benja sighed from deep within his bones and set aside the tea he brought to share when the princess requested a private meeting with him. She continued, “The talks of peace would go much smoother if the people of Heart received justice for the wrongdoings committed against them by Fang. It would mean the most coming from you.”

“And you think the best way to do this is to offer yourself up for persecution?”

“Healing can't begin if the other tribes feel Fang hasn't paid the price," Namaari reasoned, almost casually. As if she wasn’t offering her young life to him on a platter. "If it helps the people of Fang… of Kumandra,” Namaari corrected herself, resigned to the fate she envisioned for herself. “Then yes.”

“Does Raya know you are here?” Benja inquired out of curiosity. Namaari’s gaze snapped to his for the first time. They held gazes for a moment, guilt creeping up in Namaari’s expression as she looked away.

“No, she doesn’t.”

Chief Benja hummed to himself, stroking his beard in thought. "What you say is not without merit." He busied his hands by setting out the cups for tea. It would be a waste to let it grow cold after all. "I admit, I have been approached by some of my people regarding this very topic.”

Namaari nodded, unsurprised. “Would you prefer to do it publicly then?” Her shoulders seemed to slump even more at the thought.

Benja couldn’t help chuckling morbidly as he poured tea into two cups. “Now you’re just laying it on thick.”

Her brows knit together and her mouth twisted, ignoring the cup he offered her. “I’m serious about this, Chief Benja.”

He responded with a look conveying that he was taking her gravely seriously. “Drink. I made it myself.”

The princess seemed to notice the offering for the first time and accepted it hesitantly. He politely took a sip first and she followed. He allowed his Fang guest to breathe for a moment. “What do you think?”

“I think I should pay for the hurt I’ve caused,” Namaari was quick to answer.

“About the tea, Princess Namaari,” he corrected with a hint of a smile on his lips.

“Oh.” If the princess deflated anymore in front of him, she’ll blow off on the breeze before their meeting concluded. “It’s excellent.”

The smile on his face grew warmer. “Glad to hear it.” They continued to sip until he poured them a second cup.

“Raya told me that you came together to save Kumandra.”

“I did not make it easy for her,” Namaari said, the tea turning bitter on her tongue.

"You were only a child."

"Not the second time," Namaari confessed with a pained expression. The tightness of her knuckles threatened to shatter the cup in her grasp.

He reached for the sword and she straightened at the gesture. The sword matched the one on her other hip. Beautifully balanced, and a lot lighter than what he was accustomed to, he held it respectfully in both of his palms.

“To hate and blame is the easy path. The hardest thing is change and forgiveness.” Namaari’s eyes widened in surprise when he handed the sword back to her. She took it instinctively, a frown pulling the corners of her mouth down.

“Princess Namaari, the punishment you seek will not be carried out by me.”

“I don’t understand,” Namaari protested.

“You know what I see when I look at you?” Benja’s gentle expression crinkled his eyes. The look on her face made it clear she expected insults and then some. “Someone who understands better than most the consequences of their actions. Of how important it is to our people that we come together or we’d fall apart. When I look at you I see hope.”

“Hope?” Namaari tilted her head as if the concept eluded her.

“Hope that the future of Kumandra will be safe in the hands of someone who changed, and grew. Kumandra was a dream of mine, one I realized might have been a naive one that night,” he admitted. “The real work comes now, and we need examples like you to inspire hope in others and lead.”

Namaari opened her mouth to say something but she merely looked down into her reflection on the sword instead, eyes growing wetter. He could see her cheek jump from her gritting teeth and he reached out to lightly grasp her shoulder.

“That is what dragons do,” he made sure to look into her eyes reassuringly. “They inspire light in humans to be better, and in turn, that light spreads to others. I will not extinguish the light growing in you, Princess.”

At that moment, the Fang warrior simply looked like a little girl again, barely holding in her overwhelming emotions. “But how will I atone for my mistakes?” Namaari whispered, lost.

Benja squeezed her burdened shoulder before leaning back, finding his tea grew cold. “My daughter has already passed judgment on you, and I trust her.” His pleasant smile turned into a sly grin. “And something tells me she would not be too happy if she found out you came to me for your punishment.”

At that, Princess Namaari finally made a sound of amusement and her gaze grew a little warmer at the thought. “I suspect not.” The sword was fastened back to her hip and her shoulders did not look as heavy as they did when she approached him. Hands forming a circle, she bowed towards the Chief of Heart and muttered a shy thanks.

The second time Chief Benja met Princess Namaari, her hand rested on her blade’s hilt as they stared each other down.

“I think you have some explaining to do, Princess Namaari.” His grin was sharp, particularly enjoying this. She did not look as amused as he did.

“I’m sorry, Chief Benja,” Namaari’s grip grew white-knuckled but her resolve flashed in her eyes. “But... I’m in love with your daughter,” she said it like it was her greatest sin to date. A sin she looked ready to die for.

Earlier that day as Benja was taking a stroll through Heart’s gardens in a rare moment to himself, he stumbled across quite the sight. He spotted his daughter in an intimate embrace with the princess of Fang. He was surprised but managed to not make a noise, slowly backing up to allow them privacy. However, before he could slip away, he locked eyes with Namaari over Raya’s shoulder. He might’ve laughed at the size her eyes grew in panic, but he was already gone. He felt glad that his daughter was letting others into her heart, even as he tried to push the image from his mind.

The princess evidently did not forget, charging up towards his sanctum with determined steps.

“I know you’ll want my head for daring to overstep my welcome in your home. But I’m serious about her and I don’t care if you doubt my intentions. I won’t ever back down again when it comes to her!” she declared fiercely.

Benja finally broke character when a laugh escaped him and he gave into it. Namaari was visibly confused that Raya’s father wasn’t trying to strangle her right now as he doubled over laughing. It took a few seconds for him to calm down, facing the young woman while wiping a tear from his eye.

“Have you told Raya that you love her?” he asked with genuine curiosity. Namaari’s demeanor quickly changed, from ready for a fight, to flushed and stammering.

“I- no. Not yet.”

A few stray chuckles were still escaping him as he moved towards his weapons chest. “You should. And all that other stuff you just said.”

“You’re… not angry with me?” the other woman sounded surprised. He perused through his collection in an unhurried fashion.

“I’ve told you before that I trust my daughter’s judgment.” He selected one of his new swords made for him after his daughter inherited his last one. “Though there was always one thing that bothered me.”

Namaari brought her guard up again at those words, taking a fighting stance once Benja made a few test swings with his new sword. “What would that be?”

“Raya once told me you were the most skilled fighter she’s ever faced.” His shoulders popped as he rolled them, loosening his muscles. “It’s been a while since I’ve had a proper challenge besides my daughter, and I’d like to remind her who the fiercest warrior in her life is,” he said with a confident grin.

Namaari visibly gulped but she squared up, drawing her dual-wielded swords to face him. And he felt proud of the fire he saw in her, glad that his daughter chose someone who was not only willing to die for her but to live for her.

The next time Chief Benja and Princess Namaari met in secret, thankfully there were no blades involved. They were sipping tea together in companionable silence, though the Heart Chief could tell the woman was nervous about something.

It wasn’t often she was nervous anymore. Over the years she’s grown to be a capable and charismatic leader, accepting the love that was given to her and giving love in return. Intricate Visayan tattoos spread over her arms and shoulders highlighting the assured way she carried her burdens. Her hair, once asymmetrical, was evenly shorn on both sides of her head, with the hair on top braided down the center. (Raya had told him in her smuggest tone that Namaari mimicked women she admired, even while Raya stared at her beloved from across the room with her dopiest grin. They were so in love Benja had to laugh at their expense.)

“Jade for your thoughts,” he nudged before she lost herself in her thoughts.

She put her cup down and cleared her throat. “Chief Benja,” she started before he waved at her formalness.

“That's Benja to you,” he reminded her not for the first time.

“Chief Benja,” she stubbornly asserted with a smirk. He smirked back. “You’ve always been kind to me. More than I deserved at times, and I have nothing but respect for you.” She took a deep breath, maintaining eye contact with him. “It would be the greatest honor of my life if you extended another kindness and allowed me your daughter’s hand in marriage.”

Benja regarded her, feeling misty-eyed and bursting with sentiments. His little girls have grown up so fast.

Namaari continued, growing nervous at his silence once more. “In return, I can offer fifty serlot kittens, copies of Fang’s most sacred dragon scrolls, and as much gold and metal every cart in Fang can hold, as well as-” Benja cut her off with a deep laugh and a hand on her shoulder.

“Does Raya know you’re here?” he inquired with a raised brow. This time, she matched his smile.

“She does, actually,” Namaari tilted her head knowingly towards the door, where they promptly heard a muted curse and feet hurriedly walking away at being caught. They shared a chuckle at Raya’s antics.

“Namaari,” Benja’s voice dripped with pride. “There is no one else in Kumandra I trust more with my daughter’s heart.” Namaari’s eyes widened at his words. Even after all these years of fighting for approval, she was still surprised when it was imparted to her. “You have my blessing.” He raised his glass in a toast to them. “I’m only surprised it took you so long to ask!”

Namaari was as relieved and light as he’s ever seen her, glowing from the inside out. “For a long time, I didn’t feel worthy of her. I still don’t sometimes, but…” She placed a hand over her heart. “She still wants me, and I think that’s finally enough.”

“I’m glad to hear it,” Benja approved warmly. He rubbed his beard suddenly as a thought occurred to him. “Oh, because I suspect you’ve been dying to hear me say this,” Benja’s expression went from overjoyed to deadly serious in the span of a breath. “If you hurt my daughter I’ll kill you.”

Namaari was surprised for a moment before she smiled gratefully. “Thank you. I wouldn’t have it any other way.” They clinked their cups together in agreement.

[thedragonnerd]

Fic: Love Languages

Headcanon suggested by a lovely anon, which spawned into a fic. Read on Ao3 or under the cut.

Words of affirmation

Receiving compliments or words of encouragement are not uncommon for Namaari. She has gone through life aiming to be the best at everything she does – the best leader, the best warrior, the best Princess – and along with her success come compliments on her fighting techniques, her decision-making skills, and even her ability to look formidable in her formal attire.

As royalty, people lavish her with praises when they see an opportunity to get into her good graces, despite the obvious lack of sincerity behind their words, and it tires her to deal with fawning citizens. She loves her people, but she’d rather they’d love her back truly; false words mean nothing.

Chief Virana does not give out compliments easily, and is often faster to critique than to encourage. Namaari pretends her mother’s approval is nothing more than something important to receive from her Chief, but in reality, she craves hearing soft words such as ‘well done, Morning Mist’, whenever she is lucky enough to have them bestowed upon her.

As she grows up, she decides that sweet words are nice to have, but ultimately unnecessary – nothing more than a nod of acknowledgement is needed, before one can place it aside and move on to more important things. And then Raya comes back into her life.

Raya, who can flirt endlessly with elaborate innuendos until Namaari rolls her eyes at her ridiculousness. Raya, who is quite happy to press herself closer than absolutely necessary in their sparring sessions, just to set out some unspoken physical challenge.

And yet, when it comes to providing a genuine compliment, Raya practically freezes.

‘I like…like your hair,’ she mumbles one day to Namaari, glancing off to the side in order to avoid making eye contact. Her cheeks are flushed bright red, even though earlier in the day she had made a lewd comment about a sword which didn’t even have her blinking.

For some reason, Raya’s lack of suaveness when it comes to providing true compliments delights Namaari, and she hoards each instance close to her heart, happy in the knowledge that every word spoken was genuine in its meaning.

In return, she starts to gift Raya with compliments of her own.

For Raya is not used to receiving compliments, at least not in a long time. Her Ba used to provide encouragement and compliments often, but that was many years ago, and now he hesitates to put them into words sometimes, unsure of how this new dynamic works when he’s looking at a grown-up daughter rather than a small child.

Namaari has no difficulty in sharing them though.

‘You look very beautiful today,’ she tells Raya softly one evening, when they are having dinner. Raya stammers out some incomprehensible response, and spends the rest of the meal staring down at her bowl, occasionally darting her eyes over to Namaari.

‘I love that hairstyle on you,’ Namaari says to her a few days later, watching as Raya braids her hair back with expert precision.

‘Umm…thanks?’ Raya squeaks.

‘Your techniques were excellent today,’ Namaari informs her after a sparring session. This time, Raya just nods, and clears her throat before trying to awkwardly change the subject. Namaari can still see the smile on her lips though.

Eventually, Raya becomes better at both giving and receiving words of affirmation. Namaari learns how true compliments can be more meaningful than expected.

It isn’t the most important aspect of their relationship, but they like to encourage each other all the same.

Acts of service

Raya sees how much of a burden Namaari perpetually takes onto her shoulders, in her duties for Fang. She is so focused on helping her people rebuild and expand, or going away on diplomatic missions to help form better relations with the other lands, that she forgets to take a moment to breath sometimes.

Raya wants to take some of her stress away, by helping her carry out some of her duties or at least be involved in organizing certain aspects of the expansion projects, but she discovers quickly that Namaari is somewhat of a perfectionist. It is almost more stressful for her to find herself out of the loop or uninformed about decisions, than it would be to allow her undertake the duties in the first place, and so Raya finds it more helpful to just back off from the work unless asked to provide support.

It’s also a way for Namaari to feel as if she is atoning for her past actions. Raya wishes she wouldn’t feel the need to do so, but it is something they’ve argued about before, and they always end up stuck in a perpetual loop.

One of the ways Raya can help however, is with her cooking.

Namaari is an awful cook (something Raya unfortunately discovers herself with one ill-fated meal), but she is fascinated by watching Raya conjure something up in the kitchen.

Gone are the days of living off jackfruit jerky; with so many fresh and interesting ingredients at her disposal, and with the occasional reminders from Ba when she is unsure about something, Raya makes a whole array of different foods over the months.

It’s one of the best ways of getting Namaari to relax, Raya finds. Every mealtime when Raya is behind the pot, Namaari will abandon whatever work she is doing, and will sit and watch Raya finish making the dishes. They’ll always eat it together, and for a short while, Raya can feel the stress lift free from Namaari as she laughs over Raya’s words and enjoys good food.

Gifts

The first gift Namaari ever gave Raya has almost become a symbol for their entire complicated history. It represents new friendship, betrayal, and after so many years…forgiveness and a fresh start.

Namaari gives it back to her not long after the return of Kumandra, before she can second-guess herself.

‘It was a gift,’ she says, half-expecting it to be thrown back in her face. But Raya runs her finger gently over the surface of the dragon pendant, and then sends her a small smile. The next day, Namaari sees it hanging around her neck once more.

Once they start dating properly, Namaari can’t get it out of her mind how much the gift seemed to mean to Raya, both times.

‘She still doesn’t have that many personal belongings,’ Namaari informs Sisu, as an explanation as to why she was forcing the dragon to accompany her around endless market stalls in Talon, looking for the perfect gift for Raya. ‘I figure it’s because she was on the move so much in life, she couldn’t carry a lot.’

Sisu makes an ‘mmm’ sound, clearly not buying her reasoning completely, but allows the topic to drop when she’s distracted by shiny objects at the next stall.

Namaari finds a small knife that can be strapped to a wrist and slipped up the sleeve. She knows how much Raya prefers to be carrying at least one weapon with her at all times, and this would be perfect for diplomatic meetings – subtle, and easy to hide. And indeed, Raya wears it continuously after receiving it as a gift.

On another visit to another market, this time in Spine, Namaari spies a comb with a beautifully carved handle.

‘For your hair,’ she says in an attempt to be casual, thrusting it awkwardly in Raya’s direction that evening. Raya loves it, and it is indeed used every night before bed to comb out her braids.

Every time Namaari has to travel on diplomatic missions, she now ensures that she brings back something small for Raya.

‘I love the gifts,’ Raya tells her one day. ‘But I love even more how it shows you’re thinking of me when you’re away.’

One evening, as they are getting ready for bed, a small golden ring drops out of Namaari’s pocket by mistake.

‘Is…is that my old hair band?’ Raya asks, peering over the side of the bed as Namaari scoops it up in a hurry. ‘I thought I’d lost that years ago.’

‘I found it,’ Namaari says defensively, clutching it tight in her fist. ‘I guess…I never asked you if you wanted it back?’

Raya shakes her head with a smile, but the following evening, she steps up behind Namaari, sliding her hand into her pocket. Namaari watches as she pulls out the hair band and threads it onto a small gold chain.

From then on, they both wear a gift from the other around their necks.

Physical touch

Sometimes, everything can become overwhelming, the past traumas so great that it seems suffocating. And in that darkness, sometimes the gentle touch of another is the only thing keeping the world grounded.

Raya goes six long years without receiving a hug. At the time, she doesn’t see it as a big deal – she’s grown up fast, and learnt that the world isn’t the welcoming place her father once hoped it could be. Even moreso, her Ba was the last one to hug her, and she doesn’t mind keeping it that way.

Now though, she finds comfort in the small touches. It’s in the featherlight way Namaari’s nose brushes against her neck as they curl up together in bed, waiting for the morning sun to rise. It’s in the gentle trail of Namaari’s fingers across her back, as they stand talking to others, and Namaari absentmindedly reaches out for her. It’s in the soft kiss against her temple, when Namaari has to go back to work after lunch.

Occasionally, she will need to be encompassed by that comfort, and in this moment, she will go and find Namaari, stepping closer until her forehead rests on her shoulder. No matter what she was previously doing, Namaari will pause everything, wrapping her arms tightly around Raya, and they stand there until Raya can feel as if she can breathe again.

Namaari has a habit of falling too far into her own mind sometimes. She is an outwardly composed and pragmatic individual, but internally, all sorts of doubts and guilt still plague her, and there are days where she can’t shake off the feeling that she isn’t doing enough in her life to atone for her past, or that she is a fraud who has no right in stepping up and trying to lead her people when her previous actions cost them so much.

It’s difficult for her to ask for help in these moments. Raya learns instead to notice the signs of a bad day, or whenever Namaari gets trapped into a downwards spiral, and she will take Namaari by the hands and sit them somewhere quiet.

There they can actually talk, and sometimes Namaari feels comfortable enough to share her fears. But the most important thing, Raya finds, is to slide an arm around her shoulders, pulling her in tight and peppering her cheek and bare shoulder with small kisses.

Raya refuses to let her go until she sees at least one small smile.

Quality time

In the early days of the relationship, there is still so much separation between the two of them. Raya is in Heart, helping her Ba welcome back everyone to their lands, fixing up the buildings, ensuring the harvest gets started…There are so many jobs to do, and Raya knows Namaari is undergoing the same issues back in Fang, coupled with an expansion of their kingdom.

On top of all of this, there are endless council meetings and diplomatic missions, so if it isn’t Namaari being busy with politics, it is Raya, much to her annoyance.

Whenever they do get to spend time together, they ensure no minute is wasted. They have meals together, and spar together, and find all sorts of random ways to entertain themselves. Namaari loves to go out in the evenings and watch the night sky, attempting to teach the constellations to Raya; but Raya decides that these constellations are ridiculous, and so they create their own. Raya meanwhile loves to go for hikes in the woods, dragging Namaari along to discover new plants and wildlife, and occasionally climbing the trees.

They both love to sit in bed next to each other, quietly reading their books, or discussing their day. Sometimes, Raya will lie sideways on the bed, her stomach across Namaari’s legs and her arms hanging over the edge, so she can carve pieces of wood into intricate shapes, with Namaari reads out loud for the both of them.

Even after several years, and living together permanently, Raya finds herself reflecting on the fact that she never gets bored as long as she’s with Namaari.

They are currently lying in a field somewhere in the depths of Heart land, enjoying the sun shining onto their faces and the grass tickling their skin. She lazily wiggles her hand until it makes contact with Namaari.

‘Dep la?’ Raya whispers, and Namaari grunts in response. ‘You don’t get bored with me, right?’

Namaari merely shuffles closer without even opening an eye, resting her cheek against Raya’s shoulder.

‘Don’t be stupid,’ she mumbles, and she’s curled up so close that Raya can feel the vibrations of her voice on her skin.

‘Didn’t think so,’ Raya says in satisfaction. They continue to enjoy the peace.

[bloodraven55]

A few days after my first watch I've come to the conclusion that I really liked Raya and the Last Dragon, but I'd love to see the 2-hour dark fantasy epic it could have been in different hands. Basically all of my handful of criticisms of it are a result of it being a Disney movie. Normally that wouldn't be an issue for me, but in a lot of ways it felt like a surprisingly adult story so it was jarring when something then reminded me it was a Disney film. Either as a different type of movie or even a TV show I think it could have reached its full potential.

Don't get me wrong; it was still very good. But if it hadn't been held back by the constraints of Disney tradition then it could have been great.

[isitbussinjanelle]

Reposting this because I FINALLY have an Archiveofourown account! :D (also wanted to link this story for anyone who never got to read it. I also made some corrections and changes in this version).

https://archiveofourown.org/works/31558172

“No no no no please rethink this ba!” Raya is currently following the chief of heart through the halls of the palace. The chief, benja, is busy planning on the upcoming summer festival, and doesn’t have time for Raya’s whining- again. He’s busy emailing the chiefs of other lands about things like food, and entertainment ideas.

“Dewdrop, what’s the big deal? Is it so hard to volunteer at the beach?” Benja complains as he turns around, with the glow of the phone screen shining on his face.

“Um- Yeah! Whenever I volunteer at the beach, Namaari and her fang posse are ALWAYS there, causing havoc and being loud, and they don’t give a damn!” Raya shouts. The staff of heart are looking over at this father-daughter quarrel, noticing Raya’s raise in tone.

“Dewdrop, I understand that Namaari has the tendency to be...rambunctious, but it’s for the community? What if you save someone from drowning! Think about that and not Namaari, eh?” Benja pats the side of Raya’s shoulder and walks over to Tao, the head of the heart land cook team to talk about dinner plans for the festival. Raya starts to walk after him but stops and pouts to her self.

“You good?” Sisu questions. She came from the kitchen with a bowl of spicy shrimp congee

“No- far from that. Ba’s making me volunteer at the beach.” Raya sulks in the chair behind her and rests her chin on her hand.

“Why do you sound sad? That’s a good thing! Beach’s are fun, and- beachy!” Sisu exclaims, taking a sip from her congee.

“There not super “beachy” when the person I despise most is there- Namaari.” Raya pouts and crosses her arms.

“Sure- “despise”. I think you should go though. And I’ll come too! I’ll be your wing-women,” Sisu walks away with a wink and whispers the last part, but that doesn’t stop Raya from over hearing this jeering remark from the dragon. Sisu knows that Namaari and Raya have a love hate relationship- and the flirty banter they show when there together proves just that.

~*~*~*~*

“We’re here,” Raya parks her Jeep and opens the car door. She’s wearing a scarlet read swim suit with the words, “life guard” on the front and, “Raya” Imprinted on the back, both in bold white letters. She’s also wearing her iconic bamboo hat.

Sisu jumps out of the trunk of the car with pool noodles and water guns.

“Time to terrorize as many kids as I can find- catch ya later Raya!” Sisu dashes to the area of the beach with the most children, prancing like a goblin. Raya puts her hand on her hip and laughs, afterwards applying sunscreen to her nose.

Raya scans the sun lit beach- no Namaari. Was this Raya’s lucky day? A day of...peace and quiet? She silently celebrated, but still looked around to make sure her hopes were true.

She suddenly feels a tall presence arrive behind her. Her bamboo hat nearly falls off as she shrieks with terror.

“Boo!” Namaari shakes Raya’s shoulders from behind in attempts of scaring her- it worked. Raya turned around in a defense position, only to realize it was her rival.

“Namaari,” Raya spat with a mean look, taking a good look at the tall, muscular women.

“What’s dripping dep la?” Namaari says nostalgically. She new that Raya hated it when Namaari called her Dep la.

“I told you to stop calling me that, undercut,” Raya crosses her arms and smirks. Namaari rolls her eyes at the remark.

“Wheres your little posse of fang people?” Raya asked with attitude. Namaari thought this was cute.

“Didn’t show- and I didn’t want them too. I wanted a day all to my self. To get a good beach work out in.” Namaari winked as she tossed the dumbell in her hand up in the air effortlessly and caught it.

Raya sucked her lips and tried not to stare at namaari’s biceps, which was very, very hard for her.

“Volunteering again?” Namaari teased with an eye brow quirk as she looked Raya up and down.

“Yes- is that a problem little miss muscles?” Raya responded, quite embarrassed by how she admitted to the fact that she was looking at Namaari’s biceps. This made Namaari chuckle deeply.

“Not at all, princess. Besides,” she leaned in closer, “I kinda like seeing you in your cute little bathing suit.” She looked Raya up and down once more, smirked, and turned to head towards the beach.

Raya stood their with her face red and her arms still crossed and completely still, her feet hot from the asphalt.

~*~*~*~*~

Sisu came to meet Raya at her life gaurd chair after a while.

“Good news- found lots of kids to scare. Bad news- I think their mothers called the cops so I might have to split later on,” Sisu chuckled.

“Yeah. Uh huh.” Raya responded, only half listening because she was busy watching Namaari do high knees and bicep curls and sit ups. Hot. Hot. Hot- Was all Raya could think about. But she would never actually say that, ew.

Sisu soon noticed what Raya was so occupied by, and teased, “hmm...interesting. Namaari is super fine, huh?” Sisu said as a test.

“Yes ma’am,” Raya was practically frothing at the mouth, but snapped out of it when she fully thought about what Sisu had asked. “I-I MEAN NO! Of course she’s not! I mean sh-she’s okay looking, but I’ve seen WAY better than Namaari. Like, WAY.” Raya sat back in her chair with her arms crossed and lips pursed, still staring at Namaari helplessly.

“Oh yeah? Name ‘em,” Sisu interrogated, trying on Raya’s bamboo hat hat hat was nestled in the sand.

“No problem! There’s- um...uh...you know that one...guy..” Raya trails off as she stared at Namaari doing push ups. She shakes her head out of the trance.

“YOU CANT EVEN NAME ONE BYE-“ Sisu couldn’t help but laugh. Raya frowned with crossed arms and slumped.

“You know, I’ve seems that “one guy” tons of times...he’s not that bad looking if I’m honest.” Namaari is suddenly leaning on the right side of Raya’s chair, still doing bicep curls with the arm not on the chair.

“YOU- h-how much did you here..?” Raya felt like telling her off, but that wouldn’t do anything. When Raya was in private, she could think of all kinds of ways to tell Namaari off. But she can never apply that stuff when she sees her face to face.

���Not much...only the part where YOU couldn’t name anyone more attractive than ME.” Namaari smiled up at Raya from where she was at the bottom of the tall chair.

“Um, NO. That’s not what I was asked. I was asked to name someone BETTER than you, not attractive,” Raya climbed down from her chair and leaned against it, arching her back with both hands on her hips, looking up at the fang princess.

“Pfft- not what I heard but, puh-taytoe puh-tatoe right?” Namaari jeered. “You’d be a really good liar if your blushing didn’t always give you away Princess,” Namaari had a hand on the side of the chair, trapping Raya against it. Namaari caressed Raya’s hot face and used her index finger to raise her chin and smiled, “it’s cute though”. Namaari said with a smirk. That damn smirk.

Screw it, Raya thought. She grabbed namaari’s tank top with both hands and crashed her lips against hers. Namaari hummed with approval, one hand on Raya’s waist and the other in her hair. Sisu was on the side, jumping and silently squealing with happiness.

They kept this up for another 30 seconds or so. Raya was the first to break away from the kiss.

“I knew your lips were soft.” Namaari said all smiley as she backed away to return to her work out area. “Thanks for giving me a taste!” She shouted over her shoulder.

Raya was standing still with her lips pursed and her arms stiff to her side.

“Oh m-my spirits...I just did that.” Raya whispered aloud.

“UH- YEAH YOU DID!” Sisu hollered as she high fives the hand Raya was using just then to wave at Namaari nervously with a dorkish smile and giggle.

“But quit making that face. You’re starting to remind me of Marinette from MLB,” Sisu rolled her eyes and laughed.

“YESH NAMAARI LIKES ME TOOOOO!” Raya pumped her fists like a kid and yells a little too loud, causing the beach occupants near by to turn around, some even laugh. Raya’s knees turned in nervously.

“Can we please leave before I embarrass my self anymore?” Raya whines.

“Sure, lets get outta here lover girl, I’ll cover you for chief Benja.” Sisu grabs her arm.

[carewyncromwell]

“All right, Ru, fess up: why exactly did you want me to come with you to this thing? I know it can’t be just for pictures -- otherwise you wouldn’t have dressed up so well yourself.”

“Oh? So you like it?”

“Yes, I do, but don’t change the subject.”

“Pfft, I’m actually not. See, I heard there’s supposed to be a whole bunch of Ministry gibfaces trotting on in here for some stupid photo op where they get to crow about how their new educational policies are ‘shaping the next generation of witches and wizards in their image’ or some such...”

“(smiling despite herself)...And you knew the two of us would be the perfect contradiction of that.”

“(smirking) What can I say, I loved the thought of giving these old fossils a good kick up the arse.”

x~x~x~x

Part 2 of the Halloween sketches -- this time featuring Ru Ollivander as Raya from Disney’s Raya and the Last Dragon and their "keeper” Estrid Soelberg @thatravenpuffwitch as Sheeta from Studio Ghibli’s Castle in the Sky!

Castle in the Sky is one of my all-time favorite Studio Ghibli movies, only being beaten out by Whisper of the Heart, which I largely love because of how much I personally identify with the main character. But Castle in the Sky has pretty much everything I love -- magical lands, lost royalty, pirates, adventure, loving friendship, mystery, charm, wonder, action -- while still also creating a unique cast of characters and a story that beautifully integrates subtle themes of both environmentalism and the danger of unchecked militarism. Sheeta, its main female protagonist, is also one of my favorite Ghibli heroines. Although she’s definitely on the quiet and gentle side, Sheeta is indisputably brave as a bear and she can more than take care of herself, when put in a dangerous situation, and the same can also be said for Estrid. She may advocate for peace and love animals and nature, but she isn’t afraid to knock somebody out with a spare wine bottle or chuck a shovel in someone’s face if she has to. Plus the look she wears while flying with the sky pirates really reminds me of old Victorian Turkish trousers, which is definitely Estrid’s aesthetic. Even her home far out in the country just reminded me of Estrid’s peaceful existence in Denmark with Ru. 

As for Ru as Raya...I’ll be honest, this was largely inspired by Ru’s hair being a lot like Raya’s. 😂 But considering that a lot of people have seen queer subtext in Raya’s relationship with Namaari and Ru themselves is genderfluid, I kind of liked the idea of having them dress as a female character who nonetheless dresses in a way that isn’t “feminine” in the traditional sense. I also gave Ru earrings like the sword Raya carries, because I’m sorry, but I will never NOT be able to draw Ru without large earrings -- it’s practically their thing. 

Happy Halloween, all! Hope your night is going well! xoxo 🎃

[shangyang]

Hey, I read your Raya posts but I don't understand how you come to the conclusion that Ellis' tweet was about the culture of Raya and ATLA? She was talking about story structure, like how most western fantasy is a LOTR redux. Her tweet said nothing about Asian inspired fantasy and definitely nothing about her thinking all Asian inspired fantasy is all the same, which is what I see people twisting her words into.

hey! so uh, great question, and i don’t mind breaking this down. to be honest, it really boiled down to the fact that nowhere in ellis’ original tweet, nor her follow-up thread was the issue of structural similarity brought up. however, to go a bit more in-depth, instead, i’d like to bring your attention to this particular tweet she made in the second thread on the matter my full response is under a cut, because i talk too much and this got very long. 

“Raya more than anything reminded me of a few YA fantasies from the last few years (namely, Children of Blood and Bone and Blood Heir), which are not only not based in Asian folklore (Nigerian and Russian/Chinese respectively) but the authors were openly inspired by TLA“

notice how the only real “comparison” point ellis offers us is inspiration by asian folklore? (and also, Nigerian folklore is not Asian folklore, since Nigeria is located in West Africa, and entirely different continent from Asia). ellis’ first tweet offers no mention of structural similarity either, since it simply calls it and a lot of recent YA fantasy ATLA reduxes with nothing else for context.  if we want to get into structural similarity between raya and ATLA, and a lot of asian inspired, BIPOC media, particularly YA fiction, then i think we also need to be taking a look at the two factors that people like ellis point to as hallmarks of similarity, or of these other works of media taking inspiration from ATLA:

1. an invading force has disrupted peace in a set of aligned nations. maybe there are elemental powers involved, maybe each individual nation is split into various tribes.

2. someone, probably a young adult/teenager, has to go find some either mystical macguffin, magical creature, or master some sort of magical ability in order to beat back the encroaching invading empire/evil and restore peace/balance to the nations under siege. 

neither of these points are actually unique to ATLA, either, and they are long standing tropes in fiction - and it’s worth mentioning that LOTR and the Hobbit actually hit these two points exactly, what with the Ring, the Company, and Sauron - but for some reason, we notice that it’s only asian inspired media that gets this comparison. 

so we have to ask ourselves why this familiar set of plot points/plot progression is present in a lot of fiction, outside of ATLA and YA fantasy, but we still only see asian american fantasy media getting compared to ATLA? if we’re arguing about it based off of structural similarity, couldn’t i argue that ATLA is inspired by LOTR? is Percy Jackson inspired by ATLA, since the first series follows those two points i’ve just illustrated to a T? 

i think the kneejerk reaction is to respond no to both questions i’ve just posed, right? so we have to ask ourselves: why is media like Raya and media like Children of Blood and Bone and Blood Heir are brought up as “ATLA reduxes” (in ellis’ own words)? 

and a lot of it can be boiled down to the fact that, for an entire one-and-a-half generation(s) of kids/people, ATLA was the only mainstream representation of asian fantasy/asian culture a lot of us had; myself included, as a kr-american kid. so automatically, since ATLA is such a cultural force, the comparison gets made in a similar kneejerk manner as us rejecting the idea that Percy Jackson could be inspired by ATLA due to structural similarities or that ATLA could be inspired by LOTR due to structural similarities. 

and even this idea that raya must be an ATLA redux because it has similar structure to it is reductionist and inherently monolithic, because the structure raya has: hero must journey to find a lost INSERT MAGICAL THING HERE - in raya’s case, dragon - to restore peace to their land, is actually common in asian storytelling to. as a matter of fact, it’s one of the most common interpretations of the hero’s journey.  so i suppose that is to say: raya has as much in common with ATLA structurally as every “fantasy epic” does with one another. in watching the movie (which still, really isn’t that great) it’s hard to see any glaring comparisons that can be made to ATLA aside from the fact that they’re both “asian inspired fantasies”. it also doesn’t help that white media critics have been doing this song and dance for nearly a decade now, in which every piece of asian american fantasy media is compared to ATLA in some way, and it’s honestly very frustrating! 

[scythemichaelfaraday]

in all honesty; i let a lot of hate fuel me not to watch Raya and the Last Dragon until my mom who was born and raised in the Philippines just easily clicked on it and decided she wanted to. 

I had been the one who said all the time (when I wasn’t aware of the dragon’s appearance, BEFORE the pandemic started, etc.) that I was so excited that my mom and I would get some sort of representation in media.

And I immediately cracked the joke that the dragon looks like Elsa but not even seconds later was shutting my mouth because I was in awe at the animation. It was beautiful. The characters were charming. I didn’t say another gross word towards the movie after. 

I’m glad she can watch something and not have the knowledge or comprehension that Disney is a sick and twisted greedy as fuck company. I personally would have never watched it otherwise because of the constant shaming of the film. 

I enjoyed it a lot and im sad that it was made under the roof of a horrible monopoly of the animation industry, but I’m delighted at what the animators have accomplished and that a lot of the actors were Asian themselves. The environment and the story were really good and I overall would watch the film again just for fun. 

I guess im saying all this to show and remind myself in the future that life is way too short to just mindlessly hate and pick apart every little thing because it’s what I see other people do. I would have missed out on a pretty good experience with my mother if I continued to let other influences persuade me. 

[differentbuthuman]

I loved Raya and the Last Dragon and the only complaint I have is that it was made by Disney. Of course that’s more of a connecting point to all the small complaints I have but still.

Okay let’s dive in.

I was spoiled for this movie before I watched it. I was trying to decide if I should watch it considering I’m technically an adult and as such followed the content on all media sites that I could find. Now I didn’t exactly want to go to a theater to watch it considering and I didn’t want to pay Disney when I wasn’t going to a theater and was perfectly capable of waiting for it to come out free. I luckily didn’t have to wait long.

And I’m not saying that a certain website that shall not be named had it, but before I get into spoiler territory I just wanted to mention this cool site I found called soap2day.

Okay now that that’s out of the way past this point is spoilers, spoilers, and oh look more spoilers.

Lets start with the beginning. Raya sneaking into the cave with tut-tut’s help made me go awwwww and it should not have since we were supposed to think she was stealing something. And when I tell you how confused I got over that I mean I was really madly confused. Once she and the chief started joking around though I just had this Ohhhh moment that made me feel so so dumb. I loved everything about this scene. Would give it a ten out of ten. As the movie went on I realized that the taking off your shoes thing was a cultural thing and I liked that detail. Thank you whoever intervened and made sure Disney included some cultural accuracy

Side note I am a black American and I’ll do my best not to be offensive but the trope about Americans being ignorant toward other cultures and languages kinda rings way too true.

Now on to Raya’s adorable play fighting when she finds out all the clans were heading to the heart. It made me laugh and feel vividly reminded of my own awkward teen years that I’m technically still suffering through. I love how hopeful the chief is about everyone getting along and him and Raya teasing about how he definitely shouldn’t open with a joke.

Now, *takes a deep breath* Raya and Namaari had me going just date already the whole movie. Like Namaari shyly brushing her hair behind her ear, the twenty question game they seemed to be playing, them holding hands the entire time they’re going anywhere. (Is that a cultural thing, I don’t care if it is cause it’s still adorable, but I’m curious) I love that when it’s first revealed that Namaari is tracking Raya she realizes Raya is nearby because of a ring she was wearing in her hair six years ago when they met for like the first time. “I was scared you were going to become a cat lady, like me”? Who wrote these lines? I just wanna talk. I love the fact that there’s this scene where Raya is like I’m never having children and later in the movie Namaari is like getting crowded by children and she loves it.

*sighs in relief* Okay now that we’re finished with that we can get into the deeper parts of this story. Every character in this story is flawed. It’s what makes the so relatable. For the first time in a while I can say I watched a movie and didn’t immediately hate the main characters.

Chief Benja is a loving father and a strong warrior, who has such a companionate heart, but these traits play a part in the downfall of the lands. He was such a strong warrior that he felt assure he could handle any threat to stone this with his compassion lead to the decision to invite the clans and his part as a loving father lead to him lowering his blade allowing for the arrow that almost killed him to get as close as it did. He is so trusting that it is to a fault.

Then there is Raya, oh Raya, she’s cocky and untrusting. Even when the movie ends you still feel like she has a lot of growing to do. When her father pushed her into the river he told her not to give up on people but she did the exact opposite to the point that it got Sisu killed. She was so concerned for finding a way to save her father that it was as if she had simply froze herself in time with him and it was only when the movie was at the very end that she was unfrozen. Despite this it could be argued that she learned along the way what trust meant through the friends she made in every piece of the land. I think what she really learned was not to judge people by the tags she assigned to them.

Namaari is for she the Disney villain, but unlike the usual Disney villain no matter what she does you can’t see her as one. Throughout the movie it is so clear that she is never doing what she wants but instead what she has been convinced is best for her people. When she is trying to steal the stone it’s because she believes it will bring prosperity to her people, when she is betraying Sisu and Raya she does it because she has been convinced that the stone and Sisu are what’s best for her people. Even when she sacrifices herself she does it in the hope that it will be the best for everyone else. The most selfish thing she does the entire time of the movie is chasing Raya which she later justifies as getting the pieces of the stone and what Raya stole from her people.

Sisu is an unproblematic character who deserves all the love in the world. So her referring to herself as the kid who just turned the work in is crushing. Yet she like Chief Benja trust too much. It comes back to hurt her every time but she never gives up so I’ll admit that when her trust was validated I wanted to cheer a little.

Finally to wrap it up I would love to see an aftermath story of everyone picking up the pieces I mean time was frozen for six years for some people but for others it just kept going. Raya was twelve the last time her father saw her and I’d like to see him falling back into old habits so easily, but Raya struggling because she’s an adult now one used to being alone at that. I’d like to see how his years alone affect Tong and his family. I mean he was utterly alone the whole time. Everyone else had someone or something to keep them going but him. Is he sometimes just quiet for no reason? Does he fear letting his son? out of his sight? Then there is Boun when we saw him with his family he looked to be the same age as his sister. I’d like to watch his family try to readjust how they treat him accordingly. Plus he said he never left the boat, that’s six years on that boat. I’d like to see him try to adjust to other people being in what was his space, I’d like to see him being afraid of leaving the boat even though he knows it’s safe. I’d also like to watch more of Sisu, Namaari, and Raya just those three in general.

[fizzingwizard]

Watched Raya and the Last Dragon at last... Now I'm so conflicted. It's a perfectly fine movie, let's get that straight. I want to like it, there are lots of things about it I love, but it just feels so... confused... like it's not sure what kind of movie it is... does that make sense??

It kind of reminds me of how I felt after watching Shang-chi - so many things that were pretty freaking awesome (plus Awkwafina's in both) but just sooo many characters and such an overly complicated plot despite at its core being a super simplistic one... and the chief personal elements that could set it apart being conveyed with run-of-the-mill "and here we are bonding" "here we are dividing" type scenes that don't have much individuality.

To be fair, I often like things better on rewatch. I think I'd give it a B, which isn't bad.

Rambling below...

To start off with, the animation: gorgeous. Love all the color, and also the Tatooine-like desert... and the textures on the fabrics, the hair, etc. Really lovely.

The dragons: not sure how to feel about them. On the one hand, I think they're fantastic. I love how lively and free and playful they are. The scene where they're all flowing through the air in iridescent colors is gorgeous. But on the other, their design is very much like "we want to make a cute plush doll out of this character for little girls, so make it as cute and rainbow and unicorn-like as possible"

(A lot of my issues with this movie could come down to "did Disneyfication do it wrong?" sort of stuff, such as the above)

The script was either stilted or just felt off. Like someone was trying to write "like a cool teen" who has never actually met a teenager, let alone a "cool" one. I can't take one more "I got this" for the rest of my life lol

Sidekick characters: Each came from a different country, and I liked how they arrived in a natural way - just people Raya met passing through. I love Boun in particular, and Tong being the loving dad. Noi was annoying af but honestly I think I would have loved her just as much if she'd been a tiiiiny less babyish. In my head, I'm reasoning that she can't talk because her family was petrified, and it's totally normal for some kids to not talk much even at three or four years old even when they do have adults in their lives who talk to them. So I'm fine with that. But I'd rather she was just quiet then, and not making constant goo-goo noises. Or at least let her sound like a baby and not an adult plugging their nose while they garble into the microphone? XD But I admit this is just my pet peeve haha.

Even though I like the aforementioned sidekicks and how they joined the group, I didn't feel like there was much use for them aside from comic relief and the obvious "coming together in unity" thing at the end.

The linchpin of the story is Raya and Namaari. Whether they choose to trust each other is the crux of saving the world. So WHY wasn't their relationship more important?? This is what boggles me. You could argue that what we do get is enough. But I think they missed major potential. If it were me, the movie would have started with Raya and Namaari, as kids, making friends on their own somehow (diplomatic travel, etc). We would get to know them as individuals instead of extensions of their parents (*eye roll*). That would have made Namaari's betrayal hurt more, and feel less stupid (I get Daddy Dearest wanted peace, but did he never tell his daughter not to let random people into the secret highly-protected temple of the dragon gem? Did he really think there's no way someone would try to use an innocent child's trust to get at it??)

And obvious the shipper in me is like RAYA AND NAMAARI COULD HAVE HAD IT ALL etc etc.

Ultimately I really really do just wish we knew them more as characters. I think this is the biggest issue for me: it's a Disney animated movie, but it's so action-y. I'd hoped it would successfully bridge the gap between the impersonal "the world is dying"-ness of dystopian adventure stories and the centrality of interpersonal relationships and emotions that Disney is known for. But there was too much plot that needed to happen in the short time for the relationships and personality to come out - and there was too much personality for the adventure to crystallize, instead turning into a pretty straightforward "beat the big bad" RPG type story with an underlying message of "divided we fall united we stand." Sweet, but... heavy-handed in this movie.

I mostly liked Awkwafina's awkward dragon though. There was a lot of iffy dialogue for her too, but she grew on me. I think she and Raya had a lot more potential as well. It bugged me a little that we saw Sisu's naivety cause harm several times, but Raya's lack of trust was the "bad guy" of the movie. That lack of trust is what kept her alive. Her choice to trust Namaari at the very end was big for just that reason. So I feel that there really needed to be more done for Sisu to convince Raya to trust again. It's kind of like Sisu was a Disney character and Raya was an action hero... and it didn't gel :P (To be clear: I don't mean that Sisu's trust shouldn't be allowed to cause harm - we definitely should see that it comes with risk. I just felt like Sisu wasn't built up as being reliable. Although, in retrospect, "Trust people without knowing if they're trustworthy" could be considered the message of the movie... and I'm just too jaded to appreciate it :P)

That being said. Raya losing her trust, not in Namaari, but in Sisu, and accidentally causing the accident that led to Sisu's death was a GREAT moment. Freaking loved that. Also her giving in to pain and vengefulness and going after Namaari. Her final sacrifice felt both fitting for the story and for Raya herself - after heading all the way into hate and finding no way out, she threw herself entirely in the opposite direction when there was literally nothing else to lose.

Anyway, yeah, Raya/Namaari... I ship it :P

[roseworth]

Aftermath

(yeah lol i decided to write raya fic 😳)

word count: 2109

fandom: Raya and the Last Dragon

characters: Raya and Namaari

summary: Raya is still getting used to life after 6 years on her own. Everything is back to normal, she just needs to get used to what "normal" feels like.

AO3

Raya was running as fast as she could, but the Druun was still getting closer. Her breaths were getting shorter, but she couldn’t stop now. They were gaining on her. She had come too far to lose now, but what else could she do?

Why couldn’t she do anything about it? Where was her Dragon Gem piece? Was there any water nearby?

Is this how she was going to go?

Her foot caught in a divot in the sand, and she lost her balance and fell hard into the sand in front of her. The skin on her face stung as she collided with the ground, but she had to keep going. She tried to lift herself back up to keep running, but her legs refused to move. Her whole body seemed to be frozen, and all she could do was wait for the Druun to get her. She tried to move, to keep running away, to do anything, but it was useless. She desperately searched for the Gem piece she always carried with her, but came up empty.

The Druun was just inches away, and getting closer by the second. She shut her eyes and curled her body into herself, even though she knew it wouldn’t do anything. The Druun seemed to roar as it got closer and-

Raya’s eyes flew open, and she shot up and quickly started patting around her, searching for her Gem piece. She only had a few seconds to save herself before...

As she woke up more, she became more aware of her surroundings. She was in her home, not outside anymore. The Druun were gone, the dragons would protect her now. She had nothing to worry about. She just wished her mind would remember that.

She placed her hand on her chest, feeling her heart beating rapidly. She tried to take steady breaths to calm herself down, trying to remind herself that she was okay, there was no more danger. “I’m fine, I’m safe,” she repeated under her breath like a mantra.

She sighed and laid back down, but she knew she wasn’t going to be falling back asleep any time soon. It had only been a week since they had fixed the Dragon Gem and banished the Druun, and she was still trying to get back to normal. It felt like her instincts would never really recover from the 6 years she had spent on her own. She had spent all that time expecting danger at every turn, not trusting anyone but herself (and Tuk Tuk, of course).

She hadn’t even gone back to sleeping in a bed yet. She had tried to at first, but after all that time of spending the night on the ground wherever she could she just wasn’t accustomed to having something so soft to sleep on.

Her heart was still beating out of her chest, and her body was expecting her to need to run away, so she gave in and stood up to go for a walk. She grabbed her sword and threw her cape on as she pushed the door open and took a deep breath of fresh air.

She looked at stars overhead as she walked. She could feel her body already starting to calm down, though her dream was still clouding all of her thoughts, forcing her to remember how it would always feel when the Druun were near her. The panic she would experience on almost a daily basis, always afraid she wouldn’t get to the water in time, or she wouldn’t find her Dragon Gem fast enough. She had been trying to forget those feelings now that the Druun were gone, but that panic still haunted her every moment even now.

After a few minutes of walking, she stopped to lean on the edge of the bridge, closing her eyes and just listening to the sounds of the night.

As much as she didn’t want to admit it (even to herself), she felt safer near the water. The fight against the Druun was over, she knew that. They were gone. But knowing that she was near the water just in case they came back made her feel at least a bit better.

“Raya?” a voice called out, and she immediately tensed up, ready to fight whoever was coming near. She internally chastised herself when she realized what she had done. The war was over, she didn’t need to fight anymore. The people that were once her enemies were her friends now, so there was no one to be afraid of. But the paranoid voice that refused to leave her thoughts apparently still wasn’t convinced.

She squinted in the direction the voice came from to see a familiar figure walking towards her. “Namaari? What are you doing here?”

“I could ask you the same question, dep la.”

Don’t tell her, her instincts screamed. If she knows your weakness, she’ll use it against you.

That was another thing she was still getting used to. Trusting people, that is. She had spent years refusing to trust anyone but herself, so it was hard to remember that she could have faith in others again. The world wasn’t against her anymore, she knew that, but she still wasn’t entirely sure she believed it.

“I, uh, couldn’t sleep,” Raya said. “Decided to go for a walk.” Technically, that was true, it just wasn’t the whole story. She knew she could trust Namaari, but she just wasn’t used to opening up. She couldn’t entirely put her trust in anyone yet, not even Namaari.

Namaari raised an eyebrow. “With your sword?”

Raya looked down, realizing she did take her sword without thinking about it. Yet another thing she was still getting used to. There was no war anymore, but she still automatically brought her sword with her wherever she went. She sighed and leaned against the edge of the bridge, looking out at the water. “I guess I grabbed it out of habit,” she admitted. “You know what they say, old survival tactics die hard.”

Namaari chuckled lightly, jumping up to sit on the wall of the bridge, her back to the water. “Yeah, life is pretty different without the threat of Druun attacks every second.”

Raya sighed. “The dragons are back, I know that. But it’s like my instincts are just ready for an attack at any given moment.”

She was grateful for the dragons, of course. Life was safer with them around, and they wouldn’t have to worry anymore. The problem was that she wasn’t accustomed to safety. She had even tried to show off the fighting skills she had picked up in the past few years to her Ba, and he had to gently remind her that there was no reason to fight anymore, as impressive as her skills were.

Namaari nodded, and they fell into a calm silence. After a moment, Raya lifted her head and smirked. “You forgot to tell me why you’re up, dep la,” she said.

“Oh, yeah,” Namaari sighed, tucking her hair behind her ear. “I was having trouble sleeping, too. Then I looked out my window and saw you wandering the streets on your own in the middle of the night, so I figured I should check up on you.”

Raya felt her lips curving up into a smile. “Thank you.” Namaari smiled back at her.

Namaari had been staying in Heart the past couple days to help ease the transition from 5 separate tribes into the singular Kumandra. A few of the chiefs and chiefs' children had been doing the same thing; visiting different tribes in an attempt to signify the new unity between them.

Raya loved having her around now that she could trust her again. She knew that Namaari wanted to reunite Kumandra as much as she did, and working on the same side as her truly felt like a breath of fresh air. They were both so similar minded, they didn’t work well as enemies.

“I know my mother was only turned to stone for a few hours but… it’s hard to forget that,” Namaari blurted after a beat of silence. “I was afraid I had lost her for good after what I did to Sisu.”

Raya lowered her head and wrapped her cape closer to herself. She had been doing her best to not think about her Ba being turned to stone, and the hopelessness she had felt after Sisu died. For years, she’d been desperately clinging onto the hope that once she found Sisu, she would be able to help bring him back. Then after Sisu had died, it felt like that hope died, too.

“I get it,” she whispered. “My Ba…” she trailed off, not really wanting to dwell on how she felt about it all. But she looked up to see Namaari listening with a soft expression, ready for her to continue if she wanted to. That alone gave her the strength to really open up about it for the first time. “I was scared he wouldn’t come back. After I lost my mom, my dad was always there to support me. But I wouldn’t have anyone to support me if I lost him.”

Namarri stood up from where she was sitting and moved to Raya’s side, grabbing her hand. “Well, now you have plenty of people right by your side whenever you need it. Like me,” she added with a smile.

Raya smiled back, but her gaze drifted to a spot right next to her on the bridge. It was empty now, but she had subconsciously brought herself right to where her Ba had been turned to stone. And he had stood there for years, unmoving and emotionless. At first, she had sat by his stone figure for hours every day, but eventually her quest to find Sisu took her out of Heart, so she had to leave him behind. And after she had left, it hurt to go back and find him, seeing his statue as a stoic reminder of her failure.

If she had it her way, she would have spent every second with her father after he was freed from the stone. Sure, they had lots of work to do in reuniting Kumandra, but she also had 6 years without him to catch up on. She wanted to tell him every single thing she had done and what she had learned, and she wanted to hear all his bad jokes and stories again. She had been dreaming of what it would be like to see him again for all that time. Their reunion was exactly how she hoped it would be, because what she hoped for most was just that she would get to see him again.

Namaari squeezed her hand, helping ground her for a moment. She could tell when Raya’s thoughts were starting to spiral out of control, and she wanted to keep her feeling calm. Raya rested her head on Namaari’s shoulder, yet again trying to remind herself that everything is different now. Ba is fine, and so is everyone else. And there’s no war, and everyone is friends now.

It still felt weird, but good. Here she was, being comforted by the same person that she had hated for years. Everything was the way it should be for the first time in 500 years, and it was a lot to get used to. But maybe it was all worth it for the way Namaari’s hand fit perfectly into her own.

The sun started to peek over the horizon, and Raya sighed. “Guess we’re not getting any sleep tonight after all.”

Namaari shrugged. “There’ll be other nights.”

And there would be. Another night was a given now, and no longer a distant prayer. There used to be the possibility of not making it through the day every time they woke up, whether it be because of Druun or other attackers, but there was peace now, even if it didn’t always feel like it.

Raya looked over at Namaari, watching the way the sunrise reflected off her eyes making them seem golden, and she couldn’t help but smile.

For a brief moment, it felt as if nothing had happened in the past 6 years, or even the past 500 years. It was like they had always been Kumandra, and nothing could ever change that.

She would take it one day at a time, and that’s okay. One day she might sleep in her bed again. Then she might not feel the need to take her sword everywhere anymore. Nightmares and hardships would still come, sure, but the sun would always rise again on Kumandra.

[nama-ri]

Deeper Then Rivers (ch 1)

Hello, I literally made this blog because I’m obsessed with Rayaari and I had to write a fic. I’m posting on here for now since I don’t have a AO3 account :’)  but I plan to post there too when I do!

This is my first fic. And it’s a retelling of Raya and Namaari’s story. I wanted to explore their world and characters deeper. It’s also a sort of fix it fic, since I need a Namaari redemption arc.  Please let me know if you like it! 

Summary: Namaari and Raya, two opposing forces who are more similar than they know. Together they’ll face the Drunn, find Sisu, and perhaps find themselves again too. A deeper look into Rayaari and the emotional turmoil they go through alone and together. Pre, during, and Post movie. TW for suicidal ideation in ch1, it’s minor but still.

(4 years after the drunn’s return)

‘Of Course Fang would think up a way to save themselves’ Raya thought ruefully as she observed the shining white city surrounded by water. A canal that kept the drunn away. Though it was late at night, she could see the flickering glow of lantern lights in windows and streets from her vantage point on a cliff side just outside the city limits. She didn’t know what she was expecting when she finally set foot into the land of binturis, of one specific backstabbing binturi. But this was not it, though she wasn’t that surprised.

Raya had spent the last few years of living on her own traveling. At first, she was to scared and too despondent to leave Heart. The memories of that time right after the dragon gem was broken filled her mind. Wandering the ruins of her destroyed home after the Drunn had turned most of her people to stone and moved on to wreak havoc somewhere else. She was so scared and lost back then, filled with grief as she spent her days wallowing among the stone faces. Those who survived had fled, not daring to stay in the cursed land, and it seemed she was totally alone. It was as Heart wrenching, but she couldn’t blame them.

Raya, herself had thought of fleeing too, she thought of a lot of things. At some point she even considered seeking out the Druun and ending her misery herself. It didn’t seem so bad at the time. She’d be with her Ba at least, though she had no idea what exactly happened when one was turned to stone. But it was basically a death sentence wasn’t it? In those low times, She’d make her way to the entrance bridge to visit her father, Tuk Tuk following beside her. The only friend she had left. Sitting with them and talking about everything and nothing. It was of course a one sided conversation but it still brought her comfort back then. And it would remind her of her Ba’s last words to her. She couldn’t give up, she was the Dragon Gem guardian, even if said gem was currently shattered and split across dragons knows where. No, she had to keep going or else her Ba’s sacrifice would mean nothing.

But eventually, she found she couldn’t stay in the only place she’d ever felt safe. Heart’s food reserve storage had lasted a long while but it was finally starting to run dry. And with Tuk Tuk’s recent huge growth spurt, Raya had estimated they'd be out of food in a few weeks. What’s more is that it seemed the Drunn had returned. This time in greater numbers, probably having grown by feeding on the unrest they themselves had caused. No, it had become too dangerous to stay, and though it pained her she knew it was time to leave. It did her no good to live among ghosts.

Raya continued to think back on that fateful day, melancholy creeping into her mind.

For the first time in a year, in her whole life really, Raya stepped out of the lands of Heart. She had no plan, a handful of jade, and a satchel of necessities. The night she made her decision to regain control of her life and do something, she had gone to the armory to retrieve her Ba’s sword. It was an internal battle on if she should take it, but she couldn’t bear to leave without a reminder of him. ‘And I’ll probably need it more than ever’ gulping at what hidden dangers lay ahead of her. What was waiting out there? Was there even anyone left but her and Tuk Tuk? Pushing the thought out of her head she had squared her shoulders and grabbed the sword. At the last second she decided to visit one more place, her old bedroom. She had abandoned it the first week after everyone turned to stone. The memories of happier times were too much for her to bear. When she walked into the dusty room, the waves of sadness crashed into her again and she quickly made to leave, regretting her choice to visit. But something caught her eye. A shining gold necklace covered in dust in the shape of a dragon, one bright blue gem lodge in the center. Raya had almost forgotten about it, she had flung it against that wall the same night she received it, the same night the world broke, where it landed on the floor unceremoniously and was left to be buried among other things in her regrets. 

Gingerly, Raya picked it up and warmth filled her. An angry heat. Raya welcomed it as she remembered the person that gave it to her, the one she trusted and who had thrown that trust right back at her face. Namaari. Rage filled her, all consuming. It wasn’t a pleasant emotion but it was better than the sorrow that had been all she felt until that moment so she leaned into it. It was freeing as she turned her guilt and self demeaning thoughts against the Fang princess instead. This was all her fault! Not Raya’s. And just like that a spark of purpose lit in her chest and that night she stormed out of Heart with a new mission. Find a way to save her Ba, bring her people back, and get revenge on Namaari.

And here she was. Finally so close. 

“We’ll get that scroll Tuk Tuk” she muttered to the pillbug who was watching her with a mix of worry and apprehension. Knowing she was thinking back on their journey to get to Fang. He knew Raya better than she knew herself sometimes, being her only constant companion through the years. It pained him to see her when she grieved, only a child back then. At first he was glad as they left Heart. Leaving was sad but it was good to see her more alive. But as they traveled through Spine, Talon, and even Tail for a clue on how to banish the Drunn he started to pick up on darker emotions from his best friend. 

Sensing his apprehension, Raya finally turned from the cliff side and patted Tuk Tuk’s hard shell. Shooting him a comforting smile.

“Hey don’t worry, I’ll be fine. I bet they won’t even recognize me” Raya mused “They must think I was turned to stone after all this time” Scoffing at that cynical thought. Tuk Tuk wasn’t fully at ease but he leaned into her touch and accepted that Raya wouldn’t be talked out of this.

They had finally gotten a clue, a month ago in the Talon markets. As far as clues go it wasn’t as mindblowing as you might think, in fact it was right there all along. Raya had overheard an old woman telling a group of children a story of Sisu. Even after all this time, Raya was still a dragon nerd and had stopped her shopping for supplies to listen to the full tale. Something about it was familiar and it was half way through when she remembered where she had heard this story before. Her sworn enemy herself had told her years ago  the story of the mighty Sisudatu who all thought had perished in her last stand, making the Dragon Gem to save everyone, but was actually alive swept away to the end of one of the many rivers in the land. A fairy tale but it was the best lead she had and it was then she decided it was finally time to make a visit to her old friend turned rival.

The plan? Sneak into Fang and steal the dragon scroll. Then follow it to all the rivers of the five lands to find Sisudatu. And if she met Namaari along the way, she wouldn’t be against finally taking out her anger on the binturi.

The thought of righteous retribution on the girl she spent the last few years thinking about comforted Raya in a sickly sweet way as she set up her camp with Tuk Tuk. Tomorrow she’d infiltrate Fang.

[calliecat93]

O now that I’ve watched Raya twice and a months part to let it settle, here is my opinion. It’s a good movie! Not great, but good! I’’m not gonna do a full-on review here, I may do so in the future, but here’s some thoughts.

The Good

THE ANIMATION! Oh my God, this film is fantastic in the visuals department! The characters all look good (yes even Sisu, I REALLY don’t get the complains... and even then one meh character design doesn’t justify hating the whole thing), the settings all look amazing the water effects just look gorgeous, and the fight scenes? This may be the closest Disney gets to being a martial arts film, and they knocked it out of the park~! I love it~!!!

I love Raya! Most Disney heroines are very optimistic and hopeful. Raya, while not devoid of humor or light-heartedness, is more cynical and hardened than other heroines, even the non-Princess ones. It makes since considering she’s been betrayed, lost her father and home, and saw/keep seeing the worst in people first-hand. She has to learn to trust again and see the good in others, event he ones who betrayed her before. Her character arc is really well done and Kelly Marie Tran does a lovely job voicing her~! Plus she’s an utter badass warrior and that is always appreciated~!

Namaari is a pretty good antagonist. While she’s very much at fault for her actions that lead the world to disaster, she’s not evil. She cares about her people, is intelligent, and does regret her choices that lead to the current outcome. She’s scared, but remains committed to her course until she sees Sisu. Her arc isn’t as in focus as Raya, but I’m lad that we had an antagonist who isn’t pure evil (even fi I love my pure evil Disney villains) especially since it works better with the themes in the film. The final act where Raya and her companions leave their fates in her hands... damn, that was powerful.

The companions (Boun, Noi, Tong) are all pretty good. Very least likable and very much useful. Plus I’m a sucker for Found Family and they very much feel like one at the end. Tong and Noi are especially just adorable~! You can also sympathize with all of them who lost their families and struggled to survive all alone,but now they found a family that lasts even after everyone is un-petrified. Ah Found Family trope you never fail me~!

There’s no real villain in the film, or there’s no villain figure. The villain is a literal plague called The Druun. One created from human discord and turns people into Stone. Only the Dragon Gem an keep it back and when it’s shattered, it spreads over the world again. While it substitutes death, it doesn’t hold punches at all on how devastating this is. Children are left orphaned. Parents lost their children. nations are left in disarray. All of Raya’s companions have lost someone to

Admittedly the trust theme IS pretty heavy-handed in the film. But I can’t say that the message is unwarranted, especially in the current times. After seeing 2020 bring out the worst in people and me losing respect and admiration for so many and even further back during the #MeToo movement and such things, trust feels so much harder to give or receive. Even if heavy-handed, the message of trust, unity, and working to make a better world is still relevant. It’s not an easy thing to accomplish, but it’s done well enough for kids to understand and it’s hopefully something that resonates with those kids when they become adults. Heck I’m an adult, and I needed the reminder.

Like I said, the ending was VERY powerful. IDT we’ve had the heroine essentially sacrifice herself and dying to save the world. It was the perfect culmination of everything and it ended happily. Raya reuniting with her father and the nations at last reuniting to form Kumandra was beautiful.

The Not As Good

Sisu is... hit or miss. I liked her more on the second watchthrough and she does have good moments. Like describing the Druun and showing Raya the Dragons/telling her of how she and her siblings truly created the Dragon Gem. Plus her naive, trusting nature serves as a good contrast to Raya. Int he end they didn’t need her to restore the Gem, they needed her to teach them to trust again. But... most of her humor doesn’t work and comes off more as them tryin WAAAY too hard to replicate The Genie or Mushu. No offense to Awkwafina, she did her best, but I REALLY wish that they toned it down because it was more distracting than funny and really contrasted with the serious tone at times.

While seeing the different nations was cool, we really only spend time in a few of them. It’s a movie, thee’s only os much time that can be devoted and the glimpses we got were really cool. But I really wish that we had more to help the world. Also I will say that those accusing it of being an A:TLA ripoff... it’s only similarity is using Southeastern culture. That’s not a ripoff the same way that Coco wasn’t copying The Book fo Life because both were about Dia De Los Muertos. Still it doesn’t compare to A:TLA’s world-building.

The pacing can feel a little off. They have a LOT that they have to go through, and it shows. We do have SOME breathing room, but not a lot so it can feel like we’re rushing form point to point. I’ve seen worst but it does feel like we’re not being given time to take everything in.

Overall, if I was going to rank the film I’d give it a 7/10 and it would likely land in my Top 15 or 20 Disney films. It’s not the greatest due to pacing, missed opportunities, some me character decisions, and just not being as good as others. But this is still a really good film! The action and animation are amazing, the characters are likable and Raya is a fantastic heroine, the acting is good, the world is a good setting, and I loved seeing the culture. And yes the theme CAN veer into being a bit preachy, but it’s still extremely relevant especially now. I very much recommend it to any animation fans, Disney fans, and fans of badass women like me XD I hope that Encanto is this good~!