#quests of kumandra

[ianlightfoot2020]

[disneyfemslashcomics]

Do you have any raya and Moana headcanons ?

I do now!

Raya and Moana have similar arcs in their movies where they spend most of their movie in a big preparation to face off with violent enemy that will ultimately be overcome with gentleness.

Both of them are strong and tough and very willing to fight in theory, but in practice they don't want to hurt anyone.

Moana lands in Kumandra sometime years after the events of her movie, and Raya is in the middle of hers. Moana is the only person who supports Sisu's nonviolent quest to reunite Raya and Namaari.

She gets the non-familial subtext that Sisu misses though.

The movie's resolution happens and Namaari says her apologies. Moana volunteers to stay and help with the rebuilding.

They rebuild after the world was almost destroyed better than things were before.

I apologize if this seems a little bit different in writing tone than usual. I finally caught COVID 19 and have been fevering off and on. It stinks that people want to pretend that the pandemic is over, this is miserable and has strengthened my resolve to wear a mask because I never want to catch this ever again.

[moon-spirit-yue]

Wish You Were Sober

Part 1: Real Sweet But...

(It’s Drunk Namaari time that became way more angsty than I meant it to. Also Raya being a panicking lesbian but what else is new? Let me know if I should make a second part even I’m invested here.)

Raya made a vow last year to never touch alcohol again. It was during the first day of the week long celebration officially reuniting Kumandra and she went to town with the rice wine. She never really allowed herself the luxury of drinking while on the run. After all, who knows what could happen to her when she’s not completely alert all times? It was like begging for the Druun or any other threat to finish her off without a fight.

So, Raya decided to let loose. According to the witnesses around her, she went a touch overboard. As in, she climbed on tables and demanded people to fight her. Not to mention the killer headache she had the next morning. The Heart princess had absolutely no recollection of the night before. Safe to say, it was the first and last time she got drunk. She wasn’t a huge fan of the taste anyways. 

Despite this, she still has plenty of fun during events with rice wine as she had the ability to witness the stupidity of drunk people. Safe to say, Raya has ways to entertain herself without any liquid courage. 

Raya bit back her laughter at seeing two drunk men try to dance and completely stumble over each other. The party is in honor of Fang finally finishing their quest of expansion and loads of people came to the party. Naturally, as the princess of Heart, Raya was expected to attend.

Not like she would have refused, anyways. Though Raya would never admit it out loud, she had been aching to find an excuse to see Namaari. Because, uh, she’s just so glad they’re friends now? 

Yeah, that’s the reason she continues to tell herself.  

“Princess Raya? Would it be alright if I ask a small favor of you?” General Atitaya asked her, effectively snapping the princess out of her thoughts.

“Of course! What can I do for you?” Raya responded.

“I know this is a lot to ask of you, but can you watch over Princess Namaari and make sure she gets to her room safely? I would, but I’m already on Chief Virana watch and I’ll be honest, I don’t have the inner strength to chaperone both of them,” Atitaya sighed.

“No problem! I’ve been kind of keeping an eye on her all night anyway,” Raya laughed. She realized what she said and how it could be interpreted. A blush quickly overtook her face as she tried to clarify the situation. “Not in like, a creepy stalker way though. Just a friendly, worried kind of way. No other intentions here! I’ll go walk away now!” 

Toi, Raya is such an idiot. She didn’t even drink, so she has no excuse to act like a total weirdo. The Heart princess began speed walking in order to escape the utter embarrassment she was starting to feel.

“They’re perfect for each other,” Atitaya mumbled as she walked off to supervise the chief of Fang, unbeknownst to Raya. 

“I need to learn to keep my mouth shut,” Raya huffed quietly as she found her dear friend, Princess Namaari of Fang. 

It always amazes Raya how genuinely stunning Namaari is. The first time the Fang princess gave her a sincere smile, she felt like she was having a heart attack. It’s a memory that is still ingrained in Raya’s brain to this day. Alright, time to act like a responsible adult and make sure Namaari doesn’t do anything crazy. 

“Hey, dep la! What’s up?” Raya asked casually as she took a seat next to the other princess. 

Namaari glanced at her with a confused look in her eyes before her entire face immediately brightened seeing her. Raya had to bite back a squeak of surprise when Namaari laughed and hugged her tightly.

“Raya! There you are! I haven’t seen you in forever! Where have you been?” Namaari loudly asked. 

The Heart princess giggled and shook her head. The poor woman is absolutely hammered considering the fact that Namaari had seen Raya a mere thirty minutes ago. Raya has dealt with enough of intoxicated Namaari to know that when she acts that giddy, she is not going to remember a damn thing in the morning. 

“Oh, just hanging around. How are you feeling?” Raya asked. 

“Amazing! Did you know that dragons are real?” Namaari asked in a whisper, like it was some amazing secret. 

After many months of being one of the only sober people in a room full of those that are intoxicated, she’s learned that’s it’s best to just go along with whatever the drunk person is saying.

“You don’t say?” Raya laughed in pure amusement. She’s so making fun of Namaari the second she sobers up.

“Yeah! I just saw the Sisudatu! Can you believe that?” Namaari grinned, acting like an excited child. It was adorable as she reminded Raya of their dragon nerd phase they had as kids that they never really grew out of.

“She’s pretty cool, isn’t she?” Raya said before shivering slightly as the breeze picked up. The Heart princess probably should have worn her cloak. 

Namaari frowned like Raya shaking was the worst thing to ever happen since the Druun and quickly wrapped her arms around the Heart princess. Since the Fang woman had a much larger muscle mass than she did, Raya was quickly encased in complete warmth. 

“Honestly, it’s a miracle that you survived so long by yourself. See, this is why I have to take care of you,” Namaari huffed, pulling Raya in so close that she was basically sitting on the other girls lap. Well that’s an adjustment.

Raya internally sighed to remind herself that Namaari has no clue what she’s saying. Her friend is so intoxicated that she would probably mistaken an ongi for a mango. The Heart princess made a mental note to not take anything Namaari says tonight to heart. Not like she meant any of it anyways. 

“I’ll have you know I am very self sufficient. This was just a minor setback,” Raya argued, because that’s what she does best. Argue with Namaari.

“You’re ridiculous, Raya,” Namaari told her plainly.

“Your face is ridiculous, Namaari,” Raya smirked, watching the Fang princess narrow her eyes. 

“How could you say such a thing to me? I thought you loved me,” Namaari pouted. 

Well shit, who told her?

“Of course I do! I was just messing with you,” Raya said rather awkwardly. Might as well play along to keep the peace. 

“You know how you can make it up to me?” Namaari asked, leaning in close to the Heart woman’s face.

“Uh, how?” Raya asked, like a dumbass. Because at this point, that’s what she is. A dumbass.

“Dance with me!” the Fang warrior cheered. She proceeded to spring up from her seat with Raya desperately trying to gain some kind of balance. 

“Okay, so I can see that it is bedtime for you, dep la,” the Heart woman sighed as she finally found it within herself to stand up right. 

Raya knew perfectly well that Namaari hated dancing to the point where it’s actually comical. Her mother tried forcing Namaari onto a dance floor a couple months back and the Fang princess was basically hissing at her like one of her serlots. Raya had laughed until Chief Virana suggested she join them. Yeah, she had to run from that one. 

“What? But I’m not tired yet!” Namaari whined like a child. Ugh, now Raya understood why Atitaya couldn’t handle her. 

“I’ll strike you a deal, undercut. Come to your room with me-,” Raya began before Namaari practically latched onto her arm.

“Deal,” the Fang princess said, dragging Raya away. 

Well that was easy!

“Uh, your room is the other way,” Raya told her.

“Right!” Namaari exclaimed, going in a different direction that still wasn’t the path they needed to take. 

“Let me stop you right there. I’m navigating tonight,” Raya chuckled, tugging on the other woman’s sleeve to guide her in the right direction. 

The two princesses walked in silence from that point on which left the Heart woman to revel in her thoughts. No good ever came of that if Raya is totally honest. 

Out of nowhere, Namaari shook off Raya’s hand that was holding her sleeve and interlaced their fingers instead. The Heart princess looked back to find Namaari staring at their intertwined hands with satisfaction written all over her face. Kind of romantic, not going to lie.

Get a grip, Raya! Stay focused, you’re just getting her to her room and that’s it! The Heart woman took in a deep breath to compose herself and walked slightly faster than before. Though, she didn’t break free of Namaari’s hand holding. 

“Here we are!” Raya said with relief once they found the door to Namaari’s room. Victory at last!

“Good, my feet are aching,” Namaari yawned. Raya smiled, ready to be released from the other woman’s grasp so that she could find her own room, but that is not what happened next. 

Instead, Raya was pulled into the room with Namaari. This still doesn’t mean anything because the Fang warrior is drunk. She probably just needed to be reminded that Raya has to leave. 

“Hey, dep la? This has been fun but I need to start heading back to my room,” Raya said. Namaari went from content to being on the verge of tears in two seconds flat. Apparently she did not receive the news well. 

“Why can’t you stay?” Namaari whimpered, making Raya feel the biggest binturi in all the lands for even suggesting leaving.

“Because I need to rest. I’ll see you in the morning,” the Heart princess said as gently as possible. 

“Sleep with me instead,” Namaari offered (demanded). Now Raya needs to explain why that’s not happening.

“I can’t, you need to sleep peacefully. The only way you can do that is for me to go,” Raya tried. Again, the news was not received well.

“I don’t want to sleep peacefully, then,” the Fang princess retorted. Raya huffed and tried thinking of some other solution that would hopefully satisfy her.

“Is there anything you need help doing before going to bed so that we can spend a bit more time together?” Raya asked hopefully.

“Well, I’m probably going to need help taking my makeup off,” Namaari sniffed causing Raya to smile. She can definitely work with that! 

“Perfect! You can change into your pajamas and I’ll get a washcloth ready to wipe your makeup off!” the Heart woman cheered. 

“You can stay here while I change, you know. I’m not shy,” Namaari said and Raya just knew that little binturi was smirking. 

“Uh, I’m going into the bathroom now! Come in when you’re fully clothed!” Raya managed to squeak out as she hastily threw herself into the bathroom connected to Namaari’s room. 

She’s so thankful none of the candles are lit since Raya can feel her cheeks burning from embarrassment. Even when she’s drunk, Namaari is excellent in getting a rise out of her. The Heart princess should probably work on that.

In order to distract herself, she grabbed one of the little washcloths from under the sink and turned on the sink to wait for the to become lukewarm. Raya just needs to wipe the make up off and go to her own bed. That’s only two things! Shouldn’t be so hard, right?

“I’m ready!” Namaari sang from the other side of the door.

“Are you fully dressed?” Raya asked skeptically. Never thought she’d need to ask that question, but hey, life is full of surprises.

“Yes, now open the door! I want to see you!” Namaari huffed, causing Raya to roll her eyes even though she did open the door for her.

Thankfully, the Fang princess was not lying when she said she was fully clothed. Just a simple white tank top and pair of dark grey flowy pants. Raya is kind of jealous. She’s still in her rather itchy teal áo dài her ba forced her into. She can’t wait to change.

“Go sit on that stool, I need to grab a couple candles. I can hardly see you,” Raya told her as she went to Namaari’s night stand to find what she needed.

“I don’t need to see you to know you look beautiful,” Namaari said casually.

Alright, so Namaari’s a flirty drunk. Good to know. Raya is so pawning her off to Atitaya next time. She’d gladly deal with whatever Chief Virana had to offer over this. 

The Heart princess took three candles and some matches from underneath the nightstand before circling back to the bathroom where the clingiest princess ever was waiting for her. 

Raya put all three candles on the window sill right beside them and lit one of the matches. She was able to light all candles with only one match so she tossed it in the trash. The Heart princess walked to the sink where the washcloth was discarded when Namaari spoke up.

“I knew it,” the Fang warrior said with a fond smile.

“Knew what?” Raya asked with a raised eyebrow. 

“You do look beautiful. Only now I can actually see it,” Namaari giggled. 

Raya closed her eyes and counted to ten in her head to reel herself in. Now’s not the time to be a giddy teenage girl. The Heart woman just needs to help her friend and then wallow in her self pity in the comfort of her own room. 

“Well you’re certainly extra nice tonight. Maybe I should have you drink more often if you’re going to shower me with compliments,” Raya joked in hopes of ignoring her heart thumping in her chest. 

“I always compliment you. You just never seem to pay attention,” Namaari shrugged.

That tone of voice sounded a bit different. Almost heavier, more melancholy. It did catch Raya by surprise because from what she’s seen, Namaari’s a pretty happy drunk. She knew that even before tonight. It kind of made the Heart woman think the other woman is a tad more sober than she thought.

Raya bit her lip in thought but ultimately decided not to address it. Namaari probably has her memories messed up. Raya was very quickly pulled out of her thoughts when Namaari reached forward and swiped her thumb over Raya’s lower lip that was still under her teeth.

“You have no idea how many times I’ve had to stop myself from kissing you when you bite your lip. Once you stop biting your lip it gets all puffy and I always wondered what it would be like to be the cause of that,” Namaari calmly stated. 

Why. Why would she do this. 

Oh right, because the Fang princess doesn’t have any idea what she’s talking about. Raya’s not babysitting drunk Namaari ever again. She does not care how bad it gets for Atitaya because this is actually ruining Raya’s health. 

“Oh boy! You are truly intoxicated so why don’t you let me just,” Raya spat out before picking up the washcloth and all but slamming it over the Fang woman’s lips.

Namaari can’t fluster her if she can’t talk! Hah! Take that! 

As the Heart princess began wiping off Namaari’s lipstick, naturally she started thinking about kissing her. The lipstick left the Fang warriors mouth a very pretty shade of pink and it began consuming all of Raya’s thoughts.

Ultimately, Raya decided to ignore the lips and go for her forehead instead. Raya would never take advantage of anyone while they were drunk or otherwise and she’d die before even considering doing it to Namaari. She just needs to get this done faster.

“Close your eyes, I need to clean up the eyeliner,” Raya whispered, feeling the need to keep conversation quiet.

“Shame, I enjoy seeing you blush. Red is my favorite color on you,” Namaari stated once again like it was no big deal and did as told. 

Raya openly gawked at her for a couple seconds before shaking it off and gently pressing the washcloth to Namaari’s eyelid. The Fang warrior isn’t herself. There’s no way her words are sincere. Raya internally repeated those two sentences like a mantra until finally Namaari’s face was completely make up free.

After taking a good look at her, the Heart princess was taken aback at how soft her friend looked. Namaari was still beautiful, of course, but she never realized how sharp her make up was. The precise winged liner and dark colored lipstick makes her look like someone no one in their right mind would mess with. Now she just kind of looks like someone that should be swaddled in a blanket with a warm cup of tea.

“Okay, task completed. Let’s get you to bed,” Raya said as she tossed the now dirty washcloth in the bin next to the sink. 

In just a couple minutes, she gets to curl up in bed and emotionally evaluate her entire night. Hang in there, Raya. Almost to the finish line.

“I’m still not tired,” Namaari weakly argued. Raya could literally hear the exhaustion in the Fang princess’s voice. It wouldn’t be long now. 

“I’m sure you’re just bursting with energy but lay down on the bed anyways,” Raya scoffed. 

Then she realized the Fang woman wasn’t following her path from the bathroom to the bed. Raya sighed loudly and turned to face her with crossed arms.

“What is it now?” the Heart woman couldn’t help but snap. Raya’s at the point where she’s being mentally drained from acting like Namaari’s words don’t affect her. Plus, in general she’s getting irritated.

“You’re doing again. You’re purposefully ignoring any compliment I say. It’s a reoccurring pattern,” Namaari said, sounding equally as irritated as Raya did. 

“Okay, look. Namaari, you’re drunk. You don’t know what you’re saying right now nor do you mean it. This will all be solved when you sleep off the alcohol. Just walk the few steps it takes to get from the bathroom to your bed and we can both work on forgetting this!” Raya yelled.

It seems that Namaari decided that she would never let Raya forget this. Because in that moment, the Fang warrior kissed her right on the lips with absolutely no warning.

Raya gasped but it was muffled by Namaari’s lips pushed against her own. Instantly, the Heart woman knew she to pull away. No matter how often she dreamed of this moment or how soft Namaari’s lips were, she just can’t allow this to continue when the Fang princess isn’t in her right mind. 

It took all of the Raya’s inner strength to hold out her hands and push Namaari away, but damn it all she did it. When Raya got a good look at the other woman’s face, confusion and hurt was painted all over it.

“Why did you push me away? I love you, and I thought you loved me too,” Namaari muttered, hanging her head in shame. 

And now Raya feels horrible. She began explaining to Namaari what was happening in a way that hopefully made sense to her hazy mind. Raya can’t stand seeing that look on Namaari’s face.

“Hey, don’t feel bad. It’s okay. It’s like I told you before. You’re wasted right now and have no clue what you’re doing. You don’t want to kiss me, and you certainly don’t love me. Just go to bed and this will all be over,” Raya said as kind as she possibly could. As much as it hurt to say it all out loud, it was true and Namaari needed to hear it. 

“That’s not true, I do love you. I have for years, but you never felt the same. I never stopped thinking about you, dep la. Even though we hadn’t gotten to spend much tine together before the Druun came, I missed you more than anything while you were gone,” the Fang warrior whispered.

“Oh toi, Namaari. You...you would kill yourself before even thinking of saying any of this to me sober,” Raya snorted. She honestly doesn’t know whether she should laugh or cry at this point. 

“See, you did the thing again! Where I try to tell you how I feel, you brush me off! It’s been going on for months, Raya! You dismiss everything I’m saying for...for...I don’t even know why!” Namaari exclaimed in a frustrated manner.

“Oh for the love of- just get in the damn bed already!” the Heart princess hissed. 

Raya doesn’t even know why she’s so pissed off about the Fang princess is saying, but she is! Ugh! Drunk Namaari is a damn nightmare!

Namaari huffed and glared at her before she decided to cooperate at long last. Raya let out a sigh of pure relief and patiently waited for the other woman to make her little walk to the bed. The Fang warrior threw off the covers, crawled right in, and yanked them right back over. 

“Goodnight. Don’t do anything stupid,” Raya scowled as she started heading to the bathroom to blow out the candles. 

“I don’t understand why you don’t like it when I’m being nice. You certainly didn’t like it when I was mean either. What do I have to do to get you to like being around me?” Namaari hopelessly mumbled into the pillow. 

Raya froze and turned back to see how sad Namaari looked. The Heart princess sighed when found herself actually tearing up at the comment. She quickly wiped her eyes to walk over to where the Fang princess lay and put a comforting hand on Namaari’s exposed arm.

“Oh, don’t get me wrong. I appreciate everything you’ve said to me tonight. I think that you’re very sweet, I just wish you were sober,” Raya sadly told her. She cleared her throat and moved to stand back up again before the Fang woman reached out and grabbed her wrist. 

“Can you just stay with me tonight? Please? At least until I fall asleep?” Namaari asked sheepishly.

Raya internally debated the idea for a couple seconds before she relented. She had definitely gotten too harsh with Namaari at the end and felt pretty bad about it, so might as well grant her this little request. Good thing there’s no way she’d remember it in the morning. 

“Alright, scooch over, I’ll lay on top of the blanket,” Raya said, smiling a bit when Namaari beamed up at her shimmied to the side to make room for her.

The Heart princess sighed in pure bliss when she allowed her muscles to relax on the bed. Even laying on the covers is so comfortable. What do they use for the beds? She’d ask someone about it later.

A strong arm poked out from beneath the covers and wrapped around her waist, pulling Raya closer to the woman that’s been tormenting her all night. 

“You know, you’re very clingy princess,” Raya yawned. 

“And you’re a very rude princess. Now silence, I thought I was supposed to be going to sleep,” Namaari murmured, nuzzling her face into Raya’s shoulder.

Okay, this is fine. She’s just getting a little cuddly, no biggie. Just need ignore the blush and erratic heart beat that’s popped up for like the twentieth time that night. Now Raya is playing the waiting game until Namaari passes out for good.

Within about ten minutes, the Fang woman’s breathing pattern had changed to show she was certainly asleep. Raya slowly sat up to roll out of bed but was stopped when she felt the arm still wrapped around her. The Heart princes furrowed her brows and tried to move for a second time but once again felt Namaari’s arm tighten around her.

Shit. 

After everything Raya has endured tonight, she has to deal with this. She looked up at the ceiling hopelessly while she tried thinking of what to do from here. 

Option one is manage to continue to fight against Namaari’s arm which would inevitably wake her up and Raya didn’t know if she had the mental capacity to deal with Namaari’s wasted ass for a second time. Option two is to accept  defeat by sleeping right where she was.

Raya scrunched her nose in thought and ended up with going for option two. The Heart princess will just tell her friend that she was responsible for getting Namaari to her room safely and she happened to fall asleep. They’ve had sleep overs before so it wouldn’t be weird. It’s not like either of their clothes were off so the Fang woman wouldn’t be panicked or anything. There’s also the fact that Raya is laying on top of the blankets. That should be enough to deter any worries Namaari may have when she wakes up.

With that thought in mind, the Heart woman closed her eyes and waited for sleep to take her away. Physically, she was exhausted but her mind was a whole other story. She’s admittedly pretty jealous of the fact that sleep came so easily to Namaari and that the Fang woman would have no memory of this night. 

With any luck, Raya will also wake up the next morning and forget this ever happened. 

Taglist: @faithfulwarrior-og @isitbussinjanelle @tigerlillyruiz @anywhere-but-here-plz @ihavenoideawhatiamdoingjustgay @sisilovesmochi @incorrectgg @exhausted-wine-aunt @fwaaagh @indianaclems @anniex5down

[textuallee]

What’s that on your ear, Namaari?

And what are you trying to tell us, creators of Raya and the Last Dragon?

But seriously, shipping aside, it’s fitting that they basically stuck a dewdrop on Namaari’s ear. Because one of the challenges the characters face in this movie is that of overcoming miscommunication, which leads to misunderstanding and a lot of pain and suffering. Specifically, Namaari needs to listen to voices other than her mother’s, and the central problem of the movie cannot be solved until she finally becomes open to hearing what Raya has to tell her. Conversely, to suceed in the quest to bring back her father and Kumandra, Raya must learn to talk to Namaari again and figure out how to truly get through to her.

[fispernul]

Namaari is the real hero

Raya: “Are you supposed to have that?” Namaari: “Pfft! No”

“Princess Namaari, the Tail lands are infested with Druun. Benja’s daughter is as good as stone out here. Retrieving some useless dragon scroll isn’t worth the risk”

Namaari: “Anyone else want to question why we’re out here?

Namaari: “I gotta admit, Raya, until a few months ago, I thought you were stone. But then, someone stole Fang’s dragon scroll”

Raya: “Oh, is that why you are chasing me? And here I thought it was because you missed me”

She never answers why she is after Raya. Namaari knows only one person outside of Fang knows about the dragonscroll, and she will also know why Raya took it. We see how many rivers Raya already checked in those few months. If Namaari was really after Raya to stop her, she would have done so much sooner. Namaari has always been helping Raya.

Namaari wants to help Raya make Kumandra a reality again. Raya has her own personal agenda as to why she is on this quest and it has nothing to do with Kumandra. Namaari truly believes in Kumandra and Raya clearly doesn’t. Raya keeps pointing out that she is only doing this to get her father back.

Raya: “That’s ancient history, ba”

Namaari: “But if we could find it, could you imagine? A dragon back in the world? Things could be so much better.”

Raya: “I just really, really want my ba back”

Raya: “And bring my ba back?”

Raya: “Kumandra is a fairy tale. The only thing important to me now is bringing my ba back.”

This is also weird because she blames her father for what happened. Now I know you might thing otherwise because of Raya introducing Namaari to Sisu as the “backstabbing binturi that broke the world”. But why would she keep the Sisu necklace and not only “take good care of it” but even use it in the ritual to bring Sisu back? I’m sure that when Raya collected the other things back at Heart like the chalice there would have been another Sisu artefact she could have used. Why use a gift from someone you don’t trust?

Benja: “Trust me”

Raya: “I’ve made a mistake. I trusted someone I shouldn’t have, and now the world’s broken”

She wasn’t talking about Namaari here.

Benja: “They’re only our enemies because they think the Dragon Gem magically gives us prosperity”

Namaari: “This is actually one of the first times I’ve had rice in a while”

Namaari: “Fang may look nice on the outside, but we have some pretty big holes on the inside”

Chief Virana: “Go on, it’s okay”

Namaari has always believed in Sisu and Kumandra but as princess of Fang she will do what she needs to to keep her people safe. When she believes having the Dragon Gem gives prosperity she will go as far as betraying Raya.

Namaari: “But you heard the general. We’re running out of space. We need to expand. If we had all the gem pieces, we could do that safely. You’re right. This isn’t an emotional decision, it’s the only decision we can make to secure Fang’s future.”

Chief Virana: “And that’s how the land of Fang rose in spite of all the monsters that wanted to destroy us. Because we’re smart, resilient, and we take care of one another.”

Raya: “I got kicked in the back by someone who gave me a gift”

Namaari: “It was Sisu. She can fix what we broke”

Namaari: “But we… We never meant for anyone to get hurt.”

So now the Druun have been back for six years. Fang has been known as not to be trusted and the issue of food scarcity and insufficient safe land has grown even larger.

Tong: “There blades are specially designed for the stabbing of backs”

Chief Virana: “The other lands blame us for what’s happened.”

The dragonscroll gets stolen and Namaari knows exactly why and by whom. She takes a few soldiers (or her mother made her) and goes after Raya. She even goes as far as leading them into the Druun infested dessert without a gempiece to protect them. As soon as they catch up with Raya, she stops the chase when Raya and Sisu team up with Boon.

Namaari: “We’re not following them to Talon”

Chief Virana: “Well, if she’s going into Spine, I doubt there’ll be much left of her to intercept”

Namaari: “Stand down.”

Namaari knows the Talon chief is now that little old lady so Raya can get that gem piece on her own. Namaari also knows she will need an army to help Raya at Spine. She asks her mother for the royal army to intercept Raya before reaching Spine. Not capture. Not stop. Intercept.

Why bring the royal army and then let them stand down as soon as they find Raya? Namaari doesn’t tell Raya to stop, doesn’t say she is capturing Raya. She says “You and the dragon pieces are coming with me”. She wants to help to get the Dragon Gem together again.

As soon as Namaari comes back with the news she saw Sisu her mother is disappointed she came back without the gem pieces. She then tells Namaari she “has done enough” and that what happens to Raya is “no longer your concern”.

Namaari return to her chambers instead of preparing the inevitable attempt of Raya to sneak into Fang. When she receives the note from Raya, she sees a final chance to help. Namaari’s first believe that “Raya isn’t just gonna give Sisu to us” might be wrong after all.

Namaari: “I don’t have any other choice.”

Think about it. Chief Virana always carries the gem piece in a staff with her. The only way Namaari could have taken the gem piece with her is if she convinced her mother to take it. Most likely under the condition of her mother that Namaari has to return the other pieces (and Sisu) rather than give Fang’s away to Raya. But the amount of trust it would have taken to give away the one thing that would keep Fang safe from the Druun is immense.

Namaari: “I never meant for any of this to happen”

As soon as Sisu falls into the water, Namaari takes the piece and starts running back. She is trying to get back in time to protect her mother.

The little moment we see chief Virana look scared when the Druun approach, I’m sure at that moment she believes Namaari is turned to stone and that is why she wouldn’t have put up a fight when the Druun came for her. Because why would she have walked back to her throne instead of trying to get away?

Raya: “Then let me take the first step”

Raya could be quoting her father, could be quoting Sisu, but in that moment she knows it was Namaari that is the person who truly believes in Kumandra and is the person she will trust. Sisu has lived in a world where humans and dragons have lived together, she just wants something back. Benja has always lived in prosperity and for him “it’s easy to pontificate on Kumandra when the land of Heart already has everything”. But Namaari? She still believes in Kumandra without anything in her life pointing out that it could be a possibility.

So, in conclusion: It’s Namaari who saved the world from the Druun and got the dragons and Kumandra back.

[thedragonnerd]

Ficlet: Forgiveness (Namaari)

(tw: lil bit of violence. Finally managed to finish this!)

The Council of Kumandra has finally arrived at an agreement on article 7, clause 15 of a mutually beneficial trade agreement, when Benja raises his hand, and calls for a break in proceedings.

‘Now is a time for feasting,’ he says, ushering the Council members away from the chamber, and Raya could almost weep in relief. Her boredom had been so intense during the last thirty minutes of the meeting, it took all she had not to fall asleep right in the middle of negotiations.

She pulls herself out of her chair slowly, aiming to be the last to leave the room as she allows the visiting dignitaries to file out ahead of her - sometimes, playing the role of a good host can be exhausting. Her stomach is beginning to rumble loudly, but she’s torn between going to hunt for a plate of food first, or going to search for Namaari, who had been helping to represent Fang’s interests at this meeting, and hence had to sit with their party rather than next to Raya, where they can usually whisper back and forth on all sorts of ridiculous topics.

Although she hides it well, Raya has noticed Namaari struggles sometimes with attending meetings in other lands, especially in Heart where there are curious looks, or sometime downright hostile glares towards her and the rest of the Fang delegation.

It’s with this thought in mind that Raya stumbles out of the room and towards the distant hum of people already congregating for dinner. She bypasses the array of mouth-watering dishes however, nodding at her Ba as he catches her eye. He’s deep in conversation with Chief Virana, so she decides to avoid disturbing them, and focuses on scanning the room with a singular purpose in mind. She cannot see Namaari anywhere, but before she can venture forth to search other parts of the palace, Sisu bumps her shoulder gently.

‘Raya, my girl!’ she says, body curling around Raya slightly, and nose poking against Raya’s cheek. ‘What’s making you so distracted? Was it that long boring meeting? Cos I have to say, I totally dozed off for most of it, so I sure hope Pranee spoke up for us…’

Raya tunes her out slightly as she resumes her searching of the crowd, hoping to see Namaari’s broad shoulders somewhere in the room, until a soft ‘thwack’ of a paw lands on her arm, Sisu’s claws tapping gently on her skin.

‘Raya?’

‘Sisu, have you seen Namaari anywhere?’ Raya asks. ‘I haven’t been able to find her.’

‘Oh, she went outside a few minutes ago,’ Sisu proclaims, flicking her tail in the general direction of the door that leads to the gardens. ‘She said she wanted some fresh air or something.’

‘Thanks, Sisu!’ Raya calls absently over her shoulder, already heading for the exit. The negotiations had gone on for so long that dusk is beginning to fall, and a light breeze sweeps through her hair as the summer heat fades away. Lanterns flicker on as she hurries down the pathway that she assumes Namaari’s taken. Usually if everything gets too much, and Namaari feels overwhelmed, she tends to hide with her serlot for a while. There’s no reason she shouldn’t be there, perfectly fine and safe, but for some reason there is an anxious knot in Raya’s chest…a feeling that she needs to find Namaari now, just to be sure.

As she rounds a corner, she hears raised voices in the distance, and squinting her eyes, she spies a group up ahead. There are five young men – warriors, dressed in the clothes of Heart, Talon and Tail – and they are talking loudly and angrily at a sixth person, their hands already grasping their swords. Raya knows it is Namaari before she even sees the figure dressed in white, boxed in by the men with a large rock wall at her back.

‘’Maari!’ she calls, hastening her steps, but the people before her are too engrossed in their showdown to hear. From the direction of her approach, the men’s backs are turned to her anyway, and whilst she can see Namaari’s face, the other woman has all her focus trained on the threat.

She doesn’t want to spark a fuse by racing in unannounced if Namaari has it under control, but as she hurries along the path towards them, she sees one of the men take a step forwards, waving his sword around dangerously as he continues to shout. Five against one is not exactly fair odds, but Raya knows Namaari can handle herself well in a fight – indeed, has been on the receiving end of some of those punches both in battle and on the training grounds. If something is about to go down, she’s confident that Namaari will be able to hold them off long enough for her to arrive and join the fight.

She’s almost upon the group when it happens. Namaari grasps her two swords, pulling them out with casual ease, and then…she throws them down by her feet, her chin raised proudly. Raya’s blood runs cold as she watches the ringleader lash out, kicking Namaari down to the ground.

‘’Maari, get up!’ she cries out, sprinting the last few steps.

Everything seems to occur simultaneously. Namaari’s eyes widen as she sees Raya for the first time, her hand reaching out as if to stop her from coming closer, whilst several of the group begin to turn around at the sound of Raya’s voice. But Raya only has her sight set on the leader, as his arm raises and she sees a flash of metal swinging down towards Namaari. She desperately launches her own sword towards him, hoping Namaari won’t be caught in the crossfire, and its extended blade wraps around his, pulling his arm back abruptly.

Raya slides across the ground, foot kicking out at the two nearest opponents, and she can see them tumble down out the corner of her eye as she spins around, flinging her into the fight. She’s a skilled combatant herself, with years of being out on the road and having to watch her own back, and she manages to draw blood in the first few seconds of facing down a now rather surprised looking ringleader. But as soon as one goes down, there are two more circling around her. The men are all trained warriors themselves, and she realizes with a jolt that she recognizes several of them, especially those from Heart, making her reluctant to take a kill strike.

One moment of distraction by someone managing to slice her left arm means she is vulnerable, and in the next moment she lands heavily on her back, the breath knocked out of her. The Talon man peers down at her with an ugly twist to his smile, and there is a flash of a weapon coming towards her face before twin blades thrust into view, blocking his attack.

Namaari grasps her wrist, pulling her up with one hand, and then they are fighting back-to-back, a team of flashing swords and bloodied knuckles. Their opponents have no chance, and the five men lie on the ground with various wounds before Raya can even take a deep breath.

‘What were you binturis thinking?’ Raya feels the rage burning inside her as she looks at their prone forms. The ringleader – a warrior from Heart, she is shocked to see – spits blood onto the dirt, and then snarls up at her with red-stained teeth.

‘She’s the one that destroyed the world,’ he croaks, gesturing towards Namaari. ‘And yet now you welcome her here to our lands with open arms? After everything she’s done? We demand blood for blood.’

Six years of surviving alone during the reign of the Druun has made Raya observant and fast with her reflexes; as he pulls out his crossbow and begins to raise it towards Namaari, she has already lifted her foot, stamping down hard enough to feel the satisfying *crack* of his fingers under her heel.

‘No, you almost destroyed the world right now,’ she hisses, a white-hot rage sweeping through her mind. ‘You almost destroyed Kumandra and the peace we’ve sought for so long, with your inability to let go of the past and refusal to remember she also helped save this land.’

Her hand clenches in a fist, and she moves to lunge down for another punch to his face. A muscled arm curls around her waist instead, hauling her upright.

‘It’s alright, Raya,’ Namaari says softly, pulling Raya’s back against herself. ‘He’s not worth it.’

Raya is about to say exactly how worth it she thinks it would be, when they are suddenly surrounded by Ba, Virana, Sisu and other concerned guests, who have followed the sounds of the commotion.

--

Later, they are sat on Raya’s bed in silence.

‘Let me at least deal with that,’ Namaari breaks the stand-off, nodding her chin towards Raya’s arm, where the thin scratch still bleeds sluggishly.

‘I’m still angry at you,’ Raya says grumpily, but shuffles sideways slightly so that Namaari can have easier access to the wound. Namaari says nothing in response, leaving instead to collect up some bandages and a damp cloth, and when she returns, she focuses on cleaning the cut with precise focus.

‘It won’t need stitches,’ she murmurs as she wraps the clean bandage around Raya’s arms, her fingers gentle but firm in their actions. ‘I’m sorry you got hurt for me.’

‘Namaari, do you know why I’m angry?’ Raya interrupts the moment, ducking her head so that their eyes meet for the first time since dealing with the aftermath of the attack. Namaari holds her gaze for a moment, before her eyes slide away to fix on a point somewhere over Raya’s shoulder.

‘That man from Talon…Raya, his wife died in a Druun attack. Not turned to stone, but was actually killed in the chaos. Same for one of your own citizens – he told me his brother had drowned trying to swim away from the Druun in the initial attack. How do you expect me to hear that, and not…’

‘Not what, Namaari? Not hand yourself over for execution, or whatever they wanted to do?’ Raya is unimpressed. ‘Not everything is your fault, you stubborn binturi. And I refuse to let you become some sort of martyr due to some misguided quest for forgiveness.’

Her voice is raised slightly by the end, but one look at Namaari’s troubled face has her sighing deeply. She reaches out instead to wrap her arms around Namaari’s shoulders, pulling her into an embrace despite the stiff muscles she feels under her hands.

‘I wish sometimes that you’d simply forgive yourself,’ she confesses softly, the words coming easily. ‘But until then, I guess I’ll just keep reminding you instead.’

She feels arms tentatively rise up and wrap around her waist, and in response, she tucks her face in against the crook of Namaari’s neck. They sit embracing in silence for a long time.

[thenewnio]

Send me one of my favorite characters and I will tell you:

My first impression,

My impression of them now,

A story idea involving them,

And a personal headcanon.

My favorite characters are:

Jeremy Hilary Boob PhD, (Yellow Submarine)

Dragon the dragonfly, (Miss Spider’s Sunny Patch Kids/Friends)

6 the stitchpunk, (9)

Kevin the bird, (Up)

Fiskerton of Lemuria, (The Secret Saturdays)

Piloff the… whatever the heck she is, (Bartok the Magnificent)

Kai of Tong Nou, (Eastern Mind)

Oblina the shapeshifting monster, (AAAHH!!! Real Monsters)

Wheatley the moron, (Portal 2)

Devon and Cornwall of Camelot, (Quest For Camelot)

Charlotte the Sweets Witch, (Madoka Magica)

Spike the dragon, (My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic)

Sir Hiss of Animal!Nottingham, (Robin Hood)

Mr. Centipede, (James And The Giant Peach)

Lampy the lamp, (The Brave Little Toaster)

B.E.N. the robot navigator, (Treasure Planet)

Wander the Star Nomad, (Wander Over Yonder)

Furnius and Torcho of the Fire Kingdom of Ooo, (Adventure Time)

Kaa the Python, (The Jungle Book)

FatherMother of Zenozoik, (Zeno Clash)

Spinel, (Steven Universe)

Miden the ghost camera, (Precure All Stars Memories)

Metus the ice agori, (Bionicle)

Majorika the witch, (Ojamajo Doremi)

Gabby of Lilliput, (Gulliver’s Travels)

The Twins of Kowloon Walled City, (Kowloon’s Gate)

Baby P, (Armikrog)

Beatrice the former bluebird, (Over The Garden Wall)

Toto the owl, (Hols: Prince of the Sun)

Mrs. Horace Plithiver the nest maid snake, (Legend of the Guardians)

Louis the alligator, (The Princess and the Frog)

the Occamy, (Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find them)

Pootron the robot ostrich, (Axel: The Biggest Little Hero)

Margalo the canary, (Stuart Little 2)

the Nova Seed, (Nova Seed)

Magearna, (Pokemon)

Master Viper, (Kung Fu Panda)

Anago the eel, (Padak)

Professor Zippeau Steinosaurus, (Dinotopia)

Dirge of the Forbidden Lands, (Shadow of the Colossus)

PM of Prospit, (Homestuck)

Infermon, (Digimon)

that giant baby thing of the House of Beneviento, (Resident Evil Village)

Hilda Berg of the Inkwell Isles, (Cuphead)

the Oedon Chapel Dweller, (Bloodborne)

Marahute the golden eagle, (The Rescuers Down Under)

Sisu of Kumandra, (Raya and the Last Dragon)

Peg of the dog pound, (Lady and the Tramp)

Nyuki of Clan Apis, (Clan Apis)

Iago the parrot, (Aladdin)

Kenny the Shark, (Kenny the Shark)

Maggie of Patch of Heaven, (Home on the Range)

the Collector, (The Owl House)

Maaba the demon, (Sinbad: Pirates of the Seven Storms)

and the Creature. (Wonderwell)

That's a lot!

[nerdasaurus1200]

What is your general idea for a Cass spinoff?

So it starts right after she leaves Corona

Her first stop is Vardaros and on the way there her right eye turns blue

She teams up with Vex and Quaid and somehow they run into Caine and her crew. Adventures ensue and Ginny, Brock, Stalyan, and the Stabbingtons join the gang.

Somehow Caine, Ginny, Brock, and Cass find out they're all siblings

They get hired as privateers by King Trevor

More adventures ensue, they travel all over the world to the Americas, Avalor, Berk, Kumandra, Arendelle, all the Seven Kingdoms, some real life kingdoms, and more

There's also an episode where they go to the Dark Kingdom and Cass finally gets closure

And then they find out Cass's powers have returned

Demanitus somehow returns, still stuck in the form of Vigor, and basically becomes the mentor and it turns into a quest to solve the mystery of why the Moonstone has returned

They end up eventually finding the ruins of what used to be the Saporian castle and Cass finds out through a magic mirror that she's Shampanier's granddaughter and she's stuck with the Moonstone either until she dies or she destroys Corona for good

Meanwhile, in Corona....

Cap tries to figure out what to do with his retirement and ends up opening a camp for the local children of Corona

Rapunzel begins to realize fully how badly she treated Cass and learns that not everyone is gonna wanna do what she says or praise her all the time

All of Cass's loved ones (Cap, the handmaidens, the guards, Feldspar, Monty, and Nigel) figure out how to live without Cass

There's a lot of stuff with Varian but I can't get into that quite yet

Mainly, I just want the spinoff to really focus on Cassandra's lifelong trauma. Have her learn how to trust herself again, trust people again, find more friends and family who actually genuinely care about her and love her.

[heavenboy09]

In A Mythical And Majestic Land Called Kumandra

There lives a Legend about 5 Tribes that came together and Lived in Harmony with Awesome and Magical Creatures known as

DRAGONS 🐉

Together they were at Peace for a time.

Until it arrived.

THE DRUUN

No one knows where they came from. Only that they were here for 1 thing and 1 thing Only

To Consume Everything and Anything.

All who have tried to Vanquished the Evil Druun, suffered the Unfortunate Fate of Being Turned To Stone.

Until All Of The Dragons 🐉 of Kumandra came together and Combined their Mystical Dragon Magic to create The Dragon Gem 💎

With it The Last Remaining Dragons and 1 Legendary Dragon 🐉 that used the Gem 💎 was able to Cast The Druun Inside the Confinement of The Gem.

That was 500 Years Ago.......

Now The Land Of Kumandra has broken into 5 Parts of The 5 Separate Tribes Who no longer wish to share their land or Get Along with.

Have waged war against each other for the Last Remaining Piece of Dragon 🐉 Magic.

The 5 Lands Represent

FANG 🦷

HEART ❤

SPINE ⛏

TALON 🦅

&

TAIL 🐒

But now after a Peace Summit was Sabotaged by another Tribe.

The Dragon Gem 💎 was Destroyed and The Remaining Dragon Pieces are all that is Left of Dragon Magic.

But with the Dragon Gem Shattered 💎

THE RETURN OF THE EVIL DRUUN WAS NOT FAR BEHIND.

As it has Returned to the World 🌎 it has Decimated all in its Path.

A Young Girl 👧🏾 Named Raya will be the Key to Stopping This Great Evil Once and For All.

But this part of the story doesn't happen until

6 Years Later....

Now All Grown Up

Raya

A Female and A Princess Of 1 of These Lands

The Land Of Heart ❤

Will Go On A Quest to Find The Last Remaining Source Of Finding

The Last Dragon 🐉 Who Saved Kumandra

Together with the Legendary Dragon and a Band Of Rebels from each Tribe of Kumandra

They will Stop The Druun and Bring Peace Back To Kumandra Once Again.

THE GREATEST DISNEY FILM OF 2021. PERIOD 😉

From Disney

Presents

RAYA AND THE LAST DRAGON 🐉

HAPPY 1ST ANNIVERSARY @rayaandthelastdragon

[rainwalker-dragonblade29]

Loyal Brave and True in the RATLD context.

I remember seeing an Amv of Raya on this song... and I put this in one if my comments (in the replies to be exact). I went back to these thoughts and the very wonderful interaction with a fellow human who was very generous in the reply to my four word comment. They are a very wonderful person and I thank them for this. They shared their interpretation and I shared mine.

Here's what my headcannon is like:-

"War is not freedom, over my shoulder I see a clearer view"

- Kumandra was divided and the lands were at war ( said in the trailer), wars which resulted in the loss of lives,of loved ones. And having traveled all the lands she would have seen good people and bad people and broken people. The world they live in is dismal. And every time she looked back to see someone in stone, maybe at first she wouldn't think much but as she later realizes that this all happened because people were divided.

"All for my family, the reason I'm breathing everything to lose."

-she's not having much hope but she doesn't let go of the little she has. She is looking for Sisu in the hope that the last dragon will know what to do. She's doing it for her people, for her father, for the ones she called family. That's the reason she's so relentlessly fighting. She searched so every river for Sisu. There were hundreds and she was no where and at the last one it all came crashing down for if  that didn't work, if Sisu wasn't there then she doesn't know what will. And searching hundreds if rivers maybe there was a time when she wanted to give up but her relentlessness keeps her on her path, she's doing this for her ba, and if she fails all will be lost even though she has already lost more than she could afford to lose, love. But even in the end she decided to take the first step even when it was hard , even when she wasn't ready for a leap of faith so big, she did it for those she loved( her Ba) and those she had grown to love( her team and new found family)because that was the only way to save all.

"Losing is easy, winning takes bravery. I am a tiger's fool "

- it is easy to shut oneself up and build those walls up high. It's easy to just give up on trying to fix the world because the amount of courage and trust it will take to do will be oh so hard to build but so fragile and easy to break. Winning will take bravery. But this doesn't refer to just fighting the Druun but also her quest for Sisu. Giving up on such an impossible task could have been easy but staying and never swaying from  that path and never giving up will take all her courage to continue. Who is trying to fool? Is this task of finding Sisu, of saving the world even possible?

"Out in the open, no one to save me, the kindest of whispers are cruel "

- She has lived out in the wild, on her own, ever since she was a child, a child who was learning and needed to be protected. She learned to protect herself because only she could. No stranger would come to her aid, they were all untrustworthy. And those who could were gone. And if she saw even a shred of what is good it will all come crumbling over because she would be turned on and deceived like it happened with Namaari, like it happened when she tried to trust. The other people were not to be trusted, the world was broken.

" Cold is the morning, warm is the dream,  chasing the answers till I can't sleep "

- her search is relentless. She is desperate. There are hurdles and ordeals which make her cold while the memories of those she fights for warm her heart. She's not giving up even if it's not easy to go on, she won't stop. She's chasing the answers to where Sisu may be, or how she will defeat the Druun, how she will find a way to trust again, determinedly and desperately because that's all she can do at the moment, keep going ahead.

"Will I be stronger or will I be weak when you're not with me"

-this refers to her father. He had always been there but now in this new world he is not. And Raya even though she had grown into a hardened independent fierce woman still had that unprotected and scared child hidden deep within herself. In a world where she has to struggle to survive and be the one to take the first step, it is hard to do without those she loved. She's doing it alone and may question her strength to take on her world, when she's trying to find Sisu, when she's trying to trust again to save everyone, she worries if she can do it without her father's encouraging hand on her shoulder and consoling voice saying "you can do this".

"Who am I without my armor, standing in my father's shoes, all I know is that it's harder to be loyal brave and true "

- all these years being alone, she had put on a hard shell, what was she in this world without it that protected her inner scared child. How can she let it down and learn to trust once more, for she has gone so long with it, to do  what her father once tried- Kumandra. Standing in her father's shoes trying to build a better world...it's hard and she could be betrayed, it could all fall apart. Its hard to be loyal brave and true to her cause.

And as for the chorus,

"Should I ask myself in the water? What a warrior would do? Tell me underneath my armor, am I loyal and true. "

- asking herself what she's doing in the reflection of her sword, she was raised to be a warrior first. Is it a noble thing that she's doing to fight a useless battle? Is she being loyal to her father and people, brave to her cause and true to her heart on this journey?

(I can't seem to put this idea behind me... :) )

[rayaofheart]

The five nations are dissolved into Kumandra once more, but there are still obvious divides in the way that people dress, look and behave. Five hundred years is a long time. It is a lot of history. Raya and her father don’t want to kill the rich cultures that have developed, merely integrate them into something all can share. 

“You know,” Sisu says to Raya, at a celebration of the first banishment of the Druun, “You’ll be a legend one day. They’ll tell the story of the girl named Raya who worked so hard to piece the Dragon Gem back together and save all of Kumandra. Everyone will be. It’ll be this epic, of you, and Tuk Tuk, and Boun, and Noi, and Tong-”

“And Namaari,” Raya fills in. 

Namaari will be painted as the villain. She led the charge of Fang that led to the destruction of the Gem. She fought to stop Raya at every turn. She tried to kill her, at times, in order to stop her quest. She killed Sisu! There is no objective version of events where she does not come out the antagonist, even if Raya trusted her in the end- and Namaari did the right thing. 

“I forgave Namaari.” Sisu glances at Raya out of the corner of her eye before returning her gaze to the beautiful waters at their feet. “As soon as she killed me, I already forgave her because she was just a scared kid. You both were. And I know that you’ve forgiven Namaari too.”

“The second I came back from stone.”

Sisu nods. She understands. Raya thinks that Sisu gets her better than anybody, save for Namaari. Though they are two sides of a coin, they are still the same piece of gold, and were two frightened young women trying their best to do what they thought was right. Namaari had a home she sought to protect. Raya can’t- won’t- fault her for such a thing when she herself was doing the same. Just because her vision was filled with Kumandra and Namaari’s with fang doesn’t mean she was inherently wrong.

“She did bad things, but she’s not a bad person.”

“I don’t think there are bad people. Just misguided ones.”

She leans into Sisu’s side at that, reveling in her warmth. Sisu always smells like the wetlands, earthy and musty but reminiscent of home. It always makes Raya think of the cavern where the Dragon Gem had been kept. She is reminded of her father, of her mother, of a time when things were simple but so lonely. 

“How long have you loved Namaari?” Sisu asks. 

Raya doesn’t even bother to deny the fact. She can’t hide the warmth and longing that has crossed her soul every waking moment for six years, any more than she can undo the pain they have all experienced. 

“Since she took my hand when we were children.”

“I’m sure you looked just as lovestruck then as you do now.”

It is impossible not to laugh at least a little, though Raya does not give Sisu the satisfaction of defending herself against such a thing. She knows it to be bright on her face, visible to everyone except for the person Raya wishes would see it. She knows, deep down, that Namaari would not have pursued her so unless she thought of her as just as enamoring. 

“You should tell her,” Sisu says. 

“I will…

someday.”

[ianlightfoot2020]

[a-dumb-sarcastic-bisexual]

So I rewatched Raya.

And I was really trying to watch it without a skeptical lens. I wanted to be able to act like the oblivious kids in that theater and just enjoy the movie. But I just couldn't. I've mentioned it before it's a gorgeous movie but there are so many things wrong with it that just bug me. And I’ve mentioned before the changes that could be made to fix it and the main one being just completely scrapping the movie and starting from scratch with a tv show. And because I’m on spring break and I have nothing to do (also I’m a perfectionist and I tend to hyper-fixate on things that I know have easy solutions) I broke down how I would make it better in two different categories. The first one being kind of baseline stuff like animation and character designs and other stuff I had small problems with and the second being plot.

Section One:

Okay so I know we all hate Sisu’s design. As someone who grew up with Naga carvings and paintings all around my house seeing this Elsa fursona was like a slap to the face. Like I know I really shouldn’t expect more from Disney but I did. I mentioned in this post that I would have loved to see a longer series even if it meant the animation quality went down. And I feel like Neeith_ on TikTok did a great job of drawing what Sisu could have looked like which only disappointed me more. Caldatelier on Twitter also pointed out the many flaws with Raya’s outfit design which fully proved to me that Disney did little to no research and chose style points over historical accuracy. I also felt like the designs of the main characters were very unremarkable and before you’re like “that the whole point it’s supposed to be normal people saving the world” I don't mean that I mean it feels like they took previous designs and just made them Asian. Like my sister and I were talking about it and she said the baby just reminded her of the boss baby and Tong reminded her of one of the twins from rapunzel with a little more depth. This is also kind of a small thing but it kind of bugged me that they were all the same skin tone if not lighter. SEA is incredibly diverse and if they weren’t going to represent all of the cultures in full then they could at least shown their features. I feel like the food should have been more important. I know I mentioned it in my last post but food is an incredibly important part of our culture. It’s not a placeholder or a set-piece to make a scene look more aesthetically pleasing. It’s a way for us to bond and show each other we care it’s a way we show genuine love and appreciation. And when you have a main character who is emotionally stunted it felt like food was a perfect way for her to show her love and they blew it. Like can you imagine Raya and her dad getting into huge fights and then bringing each other food as an apology sitting in front of that window not needing to say a word because they simply get each other? Can you imagine Raya visiting Namaari and stocking up on foods that she knows Namaari loves but also hasn’t been able to eat for a while? We could have had genuinely heartwarming scenes centered around food but instead, we got set pieces and props. And one more thing that stuck with me was the voice acting this movie should have been a change for SEA voice actors to really put their names out there and be a part of a really big Disney project but as always out voiced were overshadowed by someone lighter.

Section Two:

(I’m going to warn you this is gonna be really long because I’m essentially rewriting the entire plot because as I said before I’m a perfectionist)

I feel like the first ep should be dedicated to the backstory and the lore

How were the Druuns made how where they defeated

I feel like it would have been interesting to see them fighting over the gem

But I think it would have been really interesting to see from the get-go how Sisu wasn’t the one who made the gem

So instead of having this big reveal alongside Raya, we would know that her hope of finding this all powerful Naga is hopeless because the story was a lie

Another thing I think another person who should have had more screentime was Raya’s dad

I think it would have been interesting to know his backstory and get some questions answered like “why does he have so much faith in the other rulers to help him on his journey to make Kumandra a thing?” “When did he become the protector of the gem?” “And how many attempts of stealing the gem has he thwarted”

Also as much as I love him I feel like his personality incredibly unrealistic because all SEA men I’ve met have been really emotionally stunted

Idk it’s just a small thing that made me go “eh he talks to his daughter. What kind of magic world is this?”

I would have liked to see Raya’s various attempts at becoming a protector of the gem

I think it would have been a really good way to show how resilient she is from a very young age

And when she finally succeeds the audience could have celebrated with her like a small “yes she finally got it and all her hard work finally paid off” moment

I feel like we should have gotten more Raya and Namaari moments right from the start

Like how they meet is basically the same but Raya doesn’t trust her with the gem’s location an hour after meeting her

It's a trust that both of them fought for in their own way

Like you get to see them bond over their mutual understanding of “well the worlds fucked”

So when Namaari finally stabs Raya in the back when she betrays her for the first time it hurts when she says the throwaway line about them being friends in another world in burns Raya

Because she thought they were friends and she genuinely trusted Namaari

Which would have really justified her distrust in the world

And again I feel like we should have seen that 6 year period of Raya trying to find Sisu

We would get to experience the frustration of building up the hope of finally finding her just to have it knocked down when she’s not there

It could also do two more things

Raya making genuine connections with people

And Raya and Namaari’s strange alliance forming

Now for the first one, I feel like it would have been really cool for Raya to be introduced to the different lands

And yeah sure I feel like it would make her feel like kind of a tourist but I feel like it would be really interesting to see her go through culture shock

Because she really thought she knew these places but boom they’re completely different from what she was told

And while she’s making her way around she learns about the different lands and the people inhabiting them and also their culture

We could have seen Raya make genuine connections outside of the main cast

And if you’re feeling a little masochistic we could see her lose those people because of the druune or simply because they died

But the main point is we would be able to see her become less and less selfish

Now back to Raya and Namaari’s alliance/romance later on

I mentioned in my other post that when Raya trusted Namaari to put the gem back together it felt very flat very fake

So I feel like it would be cool for the series to be split into two parts the first part being from Raya’s perspective and the second part being Namaari’s

I also feel like Namaari would have to be a constant in Raya’s journey

And what I mean by that is like she’s there every other episode either trying to stop Raya or she’s trying to save her from life or death situations

And later on down the line, we find out the main reason why she kept helping Raya (in her own way) was that she didn’t want to see her get seriously hurt

But anyway that’s mostly backstory and now we’re in the present tense

And like I said before we know that Sisu wasn’t the one who made the gem so we know that Raya’s quest is pointless

But because we’ve seen her various attempts at becoming the protector of the gem and the six years of looking for Sisu we know she’s too stubborn to give up just yet

So she and Sisu head out to find the other gem pieces

Now with context, her and Namaari’s standoff has more tension because for the first time in years Namaari doesn’t know the motives behind Raya’s actions

I don’t really have many ideas for Sisu other than she starts to trust people less and less

Like she’s still really innocent for the most part but there’s a small part of her a really small part that’s kind of lost faith in humanity

And after this, we meet Boun

I feel like we should have known more about Boun considering the fact he’s the first side characters we met

But it’s very clear they gave no thought to his character I’m sure they just wrote down “funny kid who lost his family”

This is such a shame because he could have been so much more than just “Raya’s funny younger brother”

Like he could have been this selfless kid who hands out food to the orphans around and offering his ship to homeless people during the night

Next with the baby and the monkeys, there’s really not much you can do with them unless you seriously age them up

Like at the very least have Noi be a grade-schooler who can express more emotions than mad and hungry

Like she can still be the baby of the group while taking care of herself and expressing her emotions a great example of this is Polly from amphibia (which is a great show with a SEA main character you should check it out)

With Tong, I have two words: Survivors Guilt which is something Raya would be able to relate to in fact they all would

I feel like Tong’s entire character arc would be him realizing that he can’t save everyone

Which yeah sure would seem pretty contradictory with the ending being them literally saving everybody but I have a fix for that too

And finally, we get to Namaari who is selfless to a fault

Giving me very much typical Disney princess she gives up food to kids who seem particularly hungry

She’s usually the one who tells the stories to the kids but her mom was taking over that day

She helps her people in any way she can and honestly, she’s wearing herself a little thin

Because while she’s doing all that she’s also saving Raya & co from their own mistakes

Giving me very much burning the candle at both ends

So you see all these characters bonding over the course of at least a year

Making and losing more allies along the way

And because Namaari has been helping them they trust her… for the most part

But there have been times when she trips them up and makes their end goal all the more difficult

And because they haven’t known her as long as Raya has each character has at least one moment when they look up at the sky and scream in frustration “What is this binturi’s deal!”

But anyway they finally get to fang and Raya is more open to the idea of just talking to Namaari because she trusts her not because Sisu told her to but because she’s seen Namaari do good

And Namaari is even more reluctant to take the gem pieces by force because she has a decent relationship with Raya like yeah sure they’re not best friends but they’re in a good place

And shocker shocker she’s maybe just maybe head over heels in love with the princess of heart

But her mother gives her an ultimatum and that is “either you take it from her or I will”

Because here’s the thing, Queen Virana isn't a moron the exact opposite in fact and she knows her daughter has been going easy on Raya these past six years

She also knows that she could squash Raya under her shoe if she damn well pleased and Namaari knows this too

So when Namaari gets her necklace back she doesn’t even hesitate to take her crossbow when she leaves

The meet up goes basically the same except its more Raya talking Namaari down than Sisu

And while they’re having their little heart to heart Sisu notices Namaari’s finger twitch and she goes to jump in front of Raya

And Namaari was shaken by the sudden movement and fires and kills Sisu

I feel like this would make Raya furious for two reasons one she killed her best friend and two she deep down trusted Namaari to do the right thing

So when the fight goes down instead of the whole “I don't care if you trust me because Sisu did” it would be “I trusted you and you murdered her”

And when the dust settles Raya realizes that this battle doesn’t matter because fighting Namaari isn’t going to bring Sisu and she’s also sick and tired of hurting the people she loves

And she decides to help people instead not because Sisu would want her to but because its the right thing to do

Which is cliche sure but its better than the scene they gave us which really wasn’t faithful to her character arc of not caring for people who aren't close to her

And I feel like Namaari joining her makes more sense with my context if anything else

And here’s how I would fix this scene even with them fighting the Druune off to the best of their abilities there are still falling buildings and the gem can’t really save people from that

So they lose some people not because of the Druune but because death happens even when the heroes are fighting their hardest

And because I feel like this would just affirm Tong’s character arc because there are people dying under these buildings he knows it’ll take too long to save them and its not time they have

So he leaves them behind prioritizing the people he knows he can save

Anyway, after a long battle scene, they finally end up underground

And it goes basically the same except it doesn’t take Raya as long to convince them

And instead of Raya’s reasoning of “Sisu told us to” it's more “all this fighting isn't going to bring Sisu back” and “I know she’s done something terrible and you can be mad at her after this but for now trust her”

So when they all make their sacrifices it’s less “I’m doing this for Raya” and more “I’m doing this because deep down I know you’ll do the right thing”

And Namaari does do the right thing obviously

Sisu comes back and it's all “yay we saved the world!” but it doesn’t really end there

Because I hate the “lifetime” ending of “even though we all went through incredibly traumatic events we’re all fine months later” no they’re running around for months and years fixing their mess

And while this is happening Raya and Namaari is mending their relationship they’ve apologized for all the terrible things they’ve done to each other

And when they’re fixing their world they’re helping each other become the best versions of themselves

That’s when they really fall in love

Like don't get me wrong they loved each other when all the bad shit was going down but there was too much bad blood them to really process it and talk it out

But that’s exactly what they do when it’s all over they talk it out for hours

In fact, they both said its the most they’ve heard the other speak

They both agree they’re in the best place to start a relationship and so they do

[your-art-is-gay]

Raya and the Last Dragon: my thoughts

I’ve officially sat down and watched Raya and the Last Dragon now that its out, so here’s an informal review of it from yours truly. Spoiler warning, obviously.

Naturally, the animation was visually gorgeous. Hair movement, lighting, water animation. There was something particularly satisfying about the way that Sisu’s hair was animated, though that may just be me. I think that, as far as world environments go, Moana was prettier, but I’m a massive sucker for that tropical ocean aesthetic, so that’s mostly down to personal preference.

For a while before the movie came out, I heard people complaining or picking on the way Disney designed the dragons. Hell, I was one of those people. I still think that giving Sisu a Disney Princess face was ridiculous (and every time she opened her mouth, I kept expecting to hear Idina Menzel talking), but I understand why they did it. It’s Disney. If they made Sisu look more like a traditionally fearsome dragon, how could they sell adorable plushies?? 

I mean, even HTTYD made the dragons decidedly cute, and Dreamworks has more balls when it comes to character design than Disney does.

As for the story, I can’t say anything about it was totally groundbreaking or anything, but hey, it’s a Disney film. A princess goes on a quest to save her father and all the people of her world from an evil shadowy force. Pretty basic stuff.

I think the narration at the beginning could have been handled....better. It felt a little clunky, which feels out of place for a Disney movie. I mean, there is a lot of worldbuilding going on, but still. 

Maybe they could have gone with a flashback to the battle that initially destroyed (locked away) the Drun, framed as Raya’s father telling her the story before the gathering of the clans, explaining to her how Kumandra had fallen apart and how it was important to become Kumandra again. Like what Moana did. It might have been a bit repetitive, but hey, when it works, it works.

I think the most interesting part of the story came in the characterization of Raya herself. At the beginning of the story (after the flashback to The Day The World Broke), we have 18-year-old Raya at the end of her six-year-long-journey to find the last dragon at the end of a river. 

She’s suave, she’s cool, she kicks major ass and has one of those gnarly jointed swords...and she’s alone. Other than her handy ride and best friend, the abso-fucking-lutely adorable Tuk Tuk, that is.

As the movie continues, we see that Raya has major trust issues. She works alone. Basically, she’s a Disney anti-hero. How cool is that?? It’s a major first for a Disney princess, and I think it’s one of the things that made me like her so much as a character.

And the most compelling part about that anti-hero-ness? Her drive is LOVE, not revenge. I’ve never seen that before!

Her entire push through the movie is to right a mistake she made as a child and see her father again (saving the world is just a plus to that). She doesn’t care about destroying every Drun, or getting revenge on Fang and Namaari for betraying her trust. Sure, she and Namaari fight, but it never feels like Raya is going out of her way to do so.

Naturally, this sort of thing is easier in a story where the motivating loved one isn’t dead. Raya can and will see her father again if she succeeds. It’s a little harder to write a love-motivated anti-hero if the one they’re doing it all for is dead and there’s no way to bring them back. I think it would be an interesting challenge though...hm, note to self.

At no point does Raya’s distrust of people feel silly or blown out of proportion, which some anti-heroes fall into sometimes. I mean, the last time she trusted someone, the world literally fell apart. Not to mention, she was a child when it happened! She witnessed her father trust in humankind and how that had gone so horribly wrong. 

It makes sense why she wouldn’t just tell Namaari “oh hey, I found the last dragon and I’m collecting the pieces of the dragon stone so I can save the world.” Sure, telling Namaari that early on would have arguably made things go so much smoother. But Raya has seen what greed and distrust can do to people. She saw what happened the last time the leaders of the clans saw the dragon stone. If anyone found out that she had multiple dragon stone pieces and the last dragon alive, there’s no telling what sort of horrible things they’d do to obtain that power.

Raya’s arc with Sisu teaching her to learn to trust again is just fantastic, Sisu herself was just a fantastic character, and I love her. I love that she’s not the uber-powerful, majestic dragon Raya was expecting her to be. She’s goofy, she’s kind of naive, but she comes through in the end and you know that she’ll always be a fantastic friend. 

The ending fight scene was gorgeous, and that final part where Raya finally trusts Namaari was just...oh, it was fantastic. And then the others following suit, because they know that if Raya actually trusts someone... And then, one by one, they give Namaari their dragon stone pieces and then let the Drun turn them to stone. Oh. Just. Just fantastic. That’s all I can say about that.

One thing that stuck out to me in the movie: the pose the Drun-turned statues made. It looks sort of like a praying position? Kind of like what Raya and the others did when they honored the family lost to the Drun, cupping the flowers in their hands before putting them in the water. I wish I knew more about the specifics of any of that, though. I know next to nothing about the South-East Asian cultures the movie drew inspiration from, so any cultural meaning is completely lost on me.

That being said, I really enjoyed the movie! It was an entertaining watch and a fantastic addition to the Disney Princess movies (assuming that Raya will, in fact, become an official Disney Princess). I love this newer direction Disney is taking with telling cultural stories like with Moana, and I hope this becomes a trend! (As long as they keep doing it well, I mean.) I’d really like to see a new Native American Disney princess. Preferably not one based on an actual historical figure because, well, you know how that went with Pocahontas.

TL;DR: I personally really liked Raya and the Last Dragon. The animation was great and the direction they took Raya’s character in is something we’ve never seen from a Disney Princess movie. I highly recommend watching it at least once. :)

-Artemus

[textuallee]

Why Do Dragons in Kumandra Run on Raindrops?

Let’s talk about why the Sisu and her fellow dragons in Raya and the Last Dragon run on raindrops. (Warning: this post is looooong and full of spoilers.)

We see Sisu running on raindrops for the first time right after gaining her brother Pengu’s magic. Before she takes off into the sky, the movie shows her gathering several raindrops into one big drop of water, to serve as her first stepping stone.

Significantly, this scene is also where Boun, Noi, and Tong join Sisu and Raya’s quest. The scene begins with conflict, where Boun, Noi, and Tong confront Raya about hiding Sisu’s identity from them. When they learn of Sisu and Raya’s goal of bringing everyone back, Boun offers to help them. Raya refuses because it’s too dangerous, but Boun reminds her that he has already suffered the loss of his family. As have Noi and Tong, who also offer to help. And so a fellowship forms out of their shared loss and grief, which binds them in a common goal, which they all trust each other to work together to reach.

(This also shows one of the misconceptions that Raya has been working under—namely, her fear that Sisu must be hidden. In fact, revealing Sisu’s identity is a necessary first step to progressing in their quest. Raya’s protectiveness gets in the way of Sisu fulfilling her role of mediating the divided nations so that they can make peace.)

Once entrusted with the knowledge of Sisu’s identitty and purpose, Tong in turn entrusts her with Spine’s piece of the Dragon Gem. This allows Sisu to rise joyfully to the heavens, accompanied by James Newton Howard’s wonderful score, “Running on Raindrops” (the magic is really not complete without his music).

So this scene isn’t just about showing off the magic of Sisu running on raindrops; it’s also a celebration of the formation of the Fellowship of Druun Butt-kickery and it invites us to feast our eyes and ears on the magic and joy of human bonding.

And Sisu doesn’t just rise to the heavens, she falls back down. We fall with Sisu and the raindrops, as the camera follows her straight down until she hits the water with a big splash. The splash hits Tong, but Boun, Noi, and Raya are quick to duck behind him, using him as a shield. When they pop back out, they lean away, uncertain of Tong’s reaction. This moment of visible tension, where the newly-formed fellowship seems about to break apart, is quickly resolved when Tong breaks out in laughter. Everyone relaxes and joins in, smiling and laughing (with Sisu giggling adorably).

(This is one of several little interactions that take place as Boun’s boat journeys up the Dragon River, which show Raya and her companions facing and resolving social friction and discord among themselves.)

So like the rain that she brings—and which by falling allows her to rise—Sisu’s role as a dragon is to rise and fall in a cycle without which life in Kumandra would not be possible.

The gathering of raindrops to step on is a visual metaphor for the real magic that lets Sisu fly: the coming together of humans in fellowship and community. And just as people need rain and water to live, human societies need common purpose, mutual trust, and the sharing of loss, grief, joy, and mirth in order to thrive. When Sisu rises to the heavens, she shows us the heights we can reach when individuals unite as a community. When Sisu falls down to earth, she returns to us to both challenge and help us to strengthen the bonds that bind us.

Raya’s opening narration tells us that 500 years ago, the people of Kumandra "lived harmoniously alongside dragons, magical creatures who brought us water and rain and peace.” This scene where Sisu runs on raindrops shows us that these gifts are not only inseparable, they’re gifts that people and dragons bring to each other.

People, dragons, life, harmony, peace, rain, water—all are ingredients that go into the making of Kumandra. And trust is like the palm sugar that Raya adds to Boun’s soup—the secret ingredient that’s needed to help bring everything together. Too much or too little and the soup would not be good. Give too much or too little trust and things will go bad.

(The problem with giving too much trust is not glossed over in the movie. In fact, it shows us repeatedly that things can go terribly wrong if we don’t exercise caution when giving trust. This movie is about learning how to trust wisely and it shows us that we can only do this through exercise and practice and by braving our way through trial and error.)

Dragons in Kumandra run on raindrops to tell us that it’s not about magic, it’s about trust—how the magic of trust works, how dangerous it can be, but also how necessary it is. They run on raindrops to show us how wonderous and joyful the outcome can be, when we overcome discord that breaks us apart by learning to trust each other the right way, at the right time, in the right amount. That’s the message that Raya and the Last Dragon speaks from its heart.

[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.