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thefandomwarriorlexy · 1 year

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Descendants Headcanons/Wickedverse Guide

Some of these aren't so much "headcanons" as things I'm using in my post-canon universe, named the Wickedverse. Me and my sister share this universe, so she has a lot of influence with some of these. Will get updated as I add/change ideas.

Lore

Centuries before Auradon was formed, there was a great war between the kingdoms. After years of fighting, they made an agreement on territory and everyone closed their borders. This lead to kingdoms/cities to develop at different rates, due to different resources. Many years later, all the fairytales/stories happen over the course of seven years or so. Then, Auradon is formed.

The formation of Auradon (and the Isle) created the Age of Goodness (AOG). Upon it's creation, was year 1.

Since Descendants takes place twenty years after the AOG, it is year twenty

The first Isle book takes place in the July before Descendants. Descendants occurs in September-October (as Ben's birthday is in October), and Wicked World happens in November. The second and third Isle books take place in January of year 21. Since D2 takes place six months after D1 it occurs in March of 21. The fourth Isle book takes place in May of 22. D3, taking place after the older have graduated, occurs in June of year 22.

Some other Disney properties are included that aren't specifically mention in canon: Frozen, Frozen II, Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (TV series), Encanto, Big Hero 6, Raya, and definitely more.

Mal and Ben's wedding is on the 13th of April, almost a year after D3.

Sometime after D3, the Isle of the Lost is renamed the Isle of the Found.

Family

Uma and Freddie are twin sisters, having been separated after Dr. Facilier and Ursula broke up. Freddie and Uma were unaware of this, and found out in the events of Never Knew I Lost You (coming soon).

In addition, Celia has a different mother, an OC named Lauren.

This is also why Facilier seemed to dislike Freddie (though, her abuse portrayed in the Wickedverse is probably worse than it is in canon), as he dislikes her mother. Whereas he favored Celia, since he likes her mother. Also why Ursula didn't care much about Uma, having become despondent after losing her partner and daughter.

King Philip has three sisters, Brigitte, Bianca, and Marya, taken from the book A Twisted Tale: Once Upon a Dream by Liz Braswell. Bianca is Ariana's mother and Marya has a daughter named Naomi.

Lumiere is married to Fairy Godmother, and is Jane's father.

Evie and Dizzy have the same father, Hans, making them half-sisters.

Doug's mother, named Clarita in this universe, is from Encanto. Agustin is her maternal uncle, making him Doug's great uncle.

Jay's mother was a woman from Agrabah named Lulu. She dealt in some shady business, thus why she was sent to the Isle. She died from an illness when Jay was five.

The sea witches mentioned in the first Isle book are Morgana's daughter, and Uma's cousins, instead of sisters.

Hadie's mother is an OC named Lian Teng. She is the sister of one of the Huns that survived the avalanche. He was all she had, so she followed him to the Isle. She worked in Hades's Souvlaki and her and Hades had a brief relationship a while after his break up with Maleficent. Hadie is three years younger than Mal.

Harriet, Harry, and CJ's mother is a woman named Red Jessica from Jake and the Neverland Pirates TV series. However, she is only the same character; her role and relationship with Hook is different in the Wickedverse than the cartoon.

Carlos's father is Bruno Madrigal from Encanto (inspired by @silverloreley 's headcanon and discussions). Bruno had a bad vision about Cruella and went to warn her about it. They had an unexpected connection, and one thing led to another.

Melody (from the Little Mermaid sequel) and Zephyr (from the Hunchback of Notre Dame sequel) are married and have a (currently unamed) child.

Friendships

Prior to the events of Wicked World, and possibly D1, Jordan and Ally become best friends after Jordan helps Ally out of a bad relationship.

Jane and Freddie become best friends during the events of Wicked World.

Likewise, Uma and Audrey become best friends sometime after the events of Descendants 3.

Because of the discovery of Uma and Freddie being twins, they start spending time together. To not leave Jane and Audrey out, the four of them hang out together often, forming a friend group similar to the Core Four.

A few months before the Bal wedding, Lonnie and CJ meet and become best friends.

Characters

As a reason for why Carlos was not at Mal and Ben's wedding (and why the rest of the Core Four were sad about it), he develops COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) and goes into a coma a couple weeks before the wedding. He wakes up a few weeks afterwards.

Some last name headcanons:

Dwarf last names are from gems and the Seven Dwarves' last name is Lazuli, from lapis lazuli. This makes Doug's full name Doug Lazuli.

Maleficent and Mal's last name is Dragonheart, making Mal's full name Maleficent "Mal" Bertha Dragonheart.

Ben's last name is Leroi, meaning "the king" in French (taken from @hitchell-mope)

Evie's last name is Grimhilde, mostly taken from the fandom.

Jane's last name is Faery, and Fairy Godmother's real name is Joan.

Audrey gives up her birthright to rule Auroria, deciding that isn't the path for her. Naomi will rule Auroria instead. (Which was also what they were planning to do when they thought Audrey would be queen of Auradon).

Uma becomes leader of the Isle after D3, with Harry, Gil, and her crew acting as her advisors/council/soldiers.

OCs

Varian and Cassandra (from the Tangles series) are married and have two kids, Caelan and Valeria.

Anna and Kristoff are married and two sons, Alaric and Kade.

Raya has a son named River.

Maleficent has a younger brother named Kaveh, who comes to Auradon a few years after D3 to help stop a new threat. He previously lived in the Moorlands, the ancestral home of dark fairies and Maleficent's homeland.

Ally has a (currently unnamed) older brother.

Snow White and Prince Florian have a (currently unnamed) child.

Scar (who was turned into a human before being put on the Isle) has a daughter named Safiya.

Mirabel is married to a man named Rico and they have two kids, Anabel and Matteo. Others from Encanto also have kids, but most are currently unnamed.

Ships

Ben X Mal -- also known as Bal

Doug X Evie -- also known as Devie

Jane X Carlos -- also known as Jarlos

Jay X Lonnie -- also known as Jonnie

Harry X Uma -- also known as Huma

Chad X Freddie -- also known as Chaddie

Gil X Ally -- also known as Gilly

Hadie X Audrey -- also known as Hadrey

Zevon X CJ -- also known as Zelista

Maleficent X Hades (after Maleficent's redemption) also known as Mades

Some other ships that aren't as focused on:

Anthony X Harriet (Anthoniet)

Jade X Diego (Jadiego)

Li'l Shang, Celia, and Dizzy are shipped with OCs:

Li'l Shang is shipped with Safiya

Dizzy is shipped with Alaric

Celia is shipped with Caelan

We also refer to (some) best friend pairs with combined names:

Jordan and Ally are Jolly

Mal and Evie are Mevie

Jane and Freddie are Jaddie

Uma and Audrey are Umdrey

Lonnie CJ are Lonista

Not a name combination, but Uma and Freddie are Shell Sisters

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moon-spirit-yue · 2 years

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Them because Benja is a supportive father:

Raya, nine years old and visibly upset: Ba! Why are boys so mean?

Benja, immediately going into protective dad mode: is some binturi picking on my dewdrop?

Raya, frustrated: yes! One of the kids I have lessons with has been such a jerk! He keeps pulling my hair and throws sticks at me!

Elder, who was working with Benja at the time: awww! That must mean he likes you-

Benja, slapping a hand over the elder’s mouth: shut up that’s a terrible message to send to my impressionable child. Dewdrop, if a boy is mean to you it means he has not felt the crushing sting of defeat or discipline from his parents

Raya: then what do I do?

Benja, now shoving the elder away: alright, I don’t like condoning violence but this may have to be an exception. Next time he’s being mean, tell him to stop. If that doesn’t work, tell the instructor. If it still doesn’t work, you know what to do

Raya, nodding: I understand completely

Elder: I have a feeling this boy is in danger

*the next day*

Instructor, marching up to Benja: Chief! You must teach your daughter how to play nice with others! She threw dirt in a boy’s eyes!

Benja, smiling in content: ah, she’s so smart using the land’s resources in her favor! I taught her well

#raya and the last dragon #rayaari #namaari #ratld #raya x namaari #raya and namaari #namaari x raya #ratld namaari #raya disney #ratld raya #rayamaari #raya of heart #raymaari #disney raya #raya namaari #namaari of fang #raya incorrect quotes #ratld incorrect quotes #disney ratld

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kylesvariouslistsandstuff · 1 year

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WISH Worrying

I'm seeing some folks wondering where the "marketing" is for WISH, the new Walt Disney Animation Studios film...

A movie that opens Thanksgiving week, quite a few months out from now...

I predict the trailer for this picture, a Chris Buck and Fawn Veerasunthorn-directed animated film that celebrates Disney's 100th anniversary, will debut in June. If we're lucky, we hear a little something during Disney's presentation at CinemaCon tomorrow.

Anyways, June... But that's so late, you may say?

Let's go back to 2010... TANGLED.

The teaser for that movie debuted in mid-June of 2010, in time for the release of Pixar's hotly-anticipated TOY STORY 3. Then it got a proper trailer in the early autumn. TANGLED opened pretty well and had excellent legs, and was quite popular at the worldwide box office. Hey, $590m+ is nothing to scoff at!

The same strategy was applied to 2012's WRECK-IT RALPH. That movie made over $470m worldwide.

2013. Did it again. With FROZEN... Do I even need to say more?

They also did the same for BIG HERO 6 in 2014, and MOANA in 2016.

They made an exception for both RALPH BREAKS THE INTERNET and FROZEN II, though. Both November releases in their respective years, the teasers for those popped up around February.

Then WDAS circled back to that strategy for ENCANTO. They probably would've done it for RAYA AND THE LAST DRAGON, if it had remained a Thanksgiving 2020 release as originally planned. Before COVID-19 and other complications with Disney's schedule resulted in it being pushed back to March of 2021. STRANGE WORLD did the same thing, first look in June, movie released in November.

Difference is... TANGLED, WRECK-IT RALPH, FROZEN, BIG HERO 6, and MOANA, by various metrics, performed well at the box office.

ENCANTO dealt with the Delta and - later - Omicron variants of COVID-19, while families - tight on money - saved their dollars for something like SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME or even something like GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE. ENCANTO hit its stride after it came to Disney+, after making a so-so $96m at the domestic box office and little more than $200m worldwide (not great against a $120m+ budget).

STRANGE WORLD altogether failed, right out of the gate and couldn't really leg it up. Went quickly to Disney+ within weeks of release. Far past the Omicron variant and with many families back in the theaters, as evidenced by how amazingly MINIONS Deux did and how PUSS IN BOOTS Dos *really* legged it up, what happened with STRANGE WORLD?

People often say "it had no marketing!"

But it did... Two trailers, quite a few ads, TV spots, some merch, the usual. The problem was, none of that stuff got audiences interested in seeing it. Thus it opened badly, and audiences didn't like it much either, hence the poor CinemaScore grade and subsequently bad legs. (It had to be the homophobia, because the movie - while rushed in my opinion - is really no different from most other animated movies out there. It's not like it was some weirdo niche esoteric movie that was audience-unfriendly. Plus, for whatever reason, most sci-fi animation like this has a hard time connecting.)

WISH looks to be what the public usually associates with a Disney animated feature: A princess, cute animals, songs, apparently a traditional villain who is evil and scary, magical stuff all around. It's about where wishing stars come from, for chrissakes. Apparently it's going to be loaded to the brim with Easter eggs and references to classic Disney animated movies, too. I don't know, I hear conflicting reports from within the trenches on this one. Disney's positioning it as some major origin story for several of the iconic Disney animated movies (when the "wishing star" only really appeared in PINOCCHIO and THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG some 69 years apart from another, and I guess you could count 'Faith is a Bluebird' from THE RESCUERS), but other things tell me that this is not at all the case, and that it's just going to have some fun stuff for us nerds to keep our eyes peeled for.

Anyways, WISH seems like an easy-enough sell. That Disney can easily marathon run from June to November, like they did with TANGLED and FROZEN and MOANA and such.

The real hurdle is always the challenge of... Making audiences like what they see. That's actually easier said than done, and if I have to pull that William Goldman quote out again, I shall!

Whatever was in those trailers for STRANGE WORLD just didn't do it. And with families and audiences choosier than ever before, given how goddamn expensive movie trips are, and other stuff vying for their attention... WISH's teaser, trailer, TV spots, et al. will have to work hard to get their eyeballs. Getting the marketing started earlier doesn't mean anything. If it did, THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG would've been a bona fide blockbuster and there'd be at least one sequel to it and several new hand-drawn Disney animated movies. The teaser for that movie debuted in summer 2008, about a year and a half before its December 2009 release... But the movie opened with a meager $24m, and had to rely on strong word-of-mouth to eke it past $100m domestically... With AVATAR and the ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS sequel playing next door, no less.

Again, if WISH "looks good" to audiences, then it'll open fine and leg itself up over the holidays quite nicely. I can see it opening with at least $40m over the 3-day, should audiences not determine that all their hard-earned money goes to something like THE MARVELS, or WONKA, or that HUNGER GAMES prequel, or TROLLS BAND TOGETHER even.

We gotta see how Pixar's ELEMENTAL, their first full-blown theatrical release original movie since COCO... Yes, COCO, way back in 2017... ONWARD doesn't count, it literally opened the week before everything shut down. It only lasted two weeks in theaters, and then went straight to On Demand and Disney+ right after. We gotta see how ELEMENTAL does, first. That's the one to look out for.

Disney arguably baked a lot of folks' brains, sort of training them to say "I'll just wait till it comes to Disney+." I think we're even starting to see that with the once-foolproof Marvel movies, too. Again, trips to the theaters - especially for a family - are expensive, and it's a gamble each time our. Your experience could totally suck, and it might not even be worth the hassle. But ooooh, in a few months, there it is! In our living room, on our pretty high quality HDTV! $100+ saved!

It's gotta have a real hook now, a real "you gotta see this in a THEATER" hook. Like TOP GUN: MAVERICK had last year, like AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER had. I hear-tell that returning CEO Bob Iger is trying to restore that to Disney after the previous CEO's aggressive pivot to streaming. I don't doubt that WISH is a priority now, given that WDAS movies used to make bank before COVID-19. Sometimes more so than even the Marvel and Star Wars movies. Ditto the Pixar films. COCO was Pixar's last original box office biggie, and that made over $810m worldwide. A couple of their latest sequels, like INCREDIBLES 2 and TOY STORY 4, easily crossed the big billion worldwide. WDAS' last original blockbuster was MOANA, which made over $680m, while sequel FROZEN II is the second highest-grossing animated movie for the time being.

So, it would be silly of the rearranged structure of Disney's entertainment division to disregard ELEMENTAL (which is screening at Cannes, that's a *big* deal!) and WISH. They both look very "just as you like 'em" kinda movies, in that ELEMENTAL is yet another exercise in the "what if [insert x thing here] was a big city/factory/world with feelings?" template that is often associated with Pixar, and in that WISH is all the stuff general audiences tend to associate with Disney Animation. Maybe not the most exciting things to some of us, but if they have win back paying moviegoers with these old chestnuts, so be it.

Anyways, I hope both do very, very well. If ELEMENTAL does pretty good, we might have an idea of what kind of numbers Disney-released animated movies are capable of scoring in a post-Disney+, post-outbreak world.

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rayatii · 1 year

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Raya Recounts: a brand-new series of overly-detailed opera summaries with unsolicited commentary!

Yeah, I have pulled yet another massive hiatus on these, but hopefully you’ll forgive me.

Episode 4: I puritani

I puritani (“The Puritans”) is a 3-act opera by Vincenzo Bellini. Bellini was one of the big BIG names among composers of the bel canto era, which also include Gioachino Rossini and Gaetano Donizetti (the composer for our first selection). Bel canto is Italian for “beautiful singing”, and Bellini was no stranger to that; in the world of opera, he is mostly applauded for the vocal lines he wrote, which tend to be absolutely beautiful, especially compared to his instrumentals (subjective opinion, sorry). Bellini’s works are significantly more obscure to the general public than those of the previous composers I have covered, but some people might be familiar with the aria “Casta diva” from his opera Norma.

Today’s opera was Bellini’s final work before his untimely death at age 33.

The libretto was written by Carlo Pepoli, based on the play Têtes rondes et cavaliers (“Roundheads and Cavaliers”) by Jacques-François Ancelot and Xavier Boniface Saintine (GOD, they have like sixty million different forms of their names on their works, so I went with IMSLP’s input). There doesn’t seem to be anything else that these three guys came up with that is less obscure than today’s selection.

The plot is known for being kind of flimsy, but the quality of the vocal music definitely makes up for it, and for the longest time it has been, and still remains, a favorite of the big opera houses to put on to show off their greatest stars’ vocal virtuosity.

You know the drill, same as always: bolding the solo characters’ names and giving potentially bad Italian translations for the important numbers. They are a bit more difficult to divide than the previous installment, so please bear with me.

This is for @carlodivarga-s, who suggested this title. Let me know if any of you have an opera you would like me to give the Raya Recounts treatment to!

Spoilers, of course!

Because this is a historical opera, let me clarify the historical context before I start; this is set in England during the English Civil War, which was a conflict between “Cavaliers/Royalists”, i.e., supporters of King Charles I, and supporters of the Parliament of England (or “Roundheads”, named such because of the cropped hairstyles that many Puritans, who formed a important number of members of that group, tended to sport, in contrast to the long ringlets that were fashionable at the royal court at the time). As you may have guessed, the conflict was about whether or not England should continue to be a monarchy and ruled by the so-called “divine right of kings”, and the whole shtick was followed by the monarchy being overthrown in favor of the Parliament, Oliver Cromwell ruling as Lord Protector for nearly 5 years, and the monarchy being restored years later with Charles II, son of Charles I.

You may have noticed that I am very much anti-monarchy (this is Tumblr, this is hardly going to get me cancelled), but please know that Puritans in this time and place remain known today for being humongous killjoys, who outlawed things such as theatre and Christmas on the grounds of these practices being supposedly sinful and whatnot. No wonder the term “puritanical” nowadays represents unreasonably rigid strictness. So historically, I'm not sure I would want to stand on either side.

I have to admit that I got most of that historical knowledge from the show “Horrible Histories”, though I did use more than this as a source in my research!

Anyway, back to our opera!

After a prelude in D major (which I noticed is a key very frequently used throughout the opera), Act 1, Scene 1 opens on a fortress in England, sometime in the 1640s or so, at dawn. According to the libretto, there are sentinels marching. We hear an offstage chorus setting the scene (Chorus: All’erta! All’erta! L’alba appari; “On your guard! On your guard! The dawn is appearing” or something like that). Then, the reveille sounds, represented in the orchestra by French horns; it is followed by a lengthy drumroll, after which a chorus of soldiers, led by Bruno, a tenor who somehow never gets a description in other summaries of this opera beside his name (I’ll assume he is a leader of the soldiers), enter while carrying weapons and anticipating a victory over the Stuart clan (i.e., the Royalist side). We now know that these people are Puritans.

Church bells and some organ music are heard. As the soldiers kneel down in prayer, singers offstage (who are somehow listed in the score as the principals) praise God and all his glory and stuff (O, di Cromvèl guerrieri; “O, warriors of Cromwell”. Yeah, we’ll get a bunch more of English names Italianized to a pretty ridiculous degree throughout this opera).

After that, a chorus of people from the castle come onstage, mingling with the soldiers and calling for celebrations; everyone present then sings the praises of one Elvira, a young maiden who has found true love and is to be married today (A festa!; “Let us celebrate!” or something like that).

Everyone leaves except Bruno. Riccardo, a baritone and a leader of the castle’s army, comes onstage and starts lamenting the loss of his beloved Elvira. Bruno encourages him to tell him about his troubles. Riccardo explains that before he went off to fight, Elvira’s father promised him her hand in marriage, but when he returned the evening before, he was told that Elvira is in love with a Cavalier named Talbo (an Italianized form of “Talbot”), and that nothing can change her heart, meaning that he had to be released from his engagement (Recitative: Or dove fuggo io mai?; “Now where shall I flee to?”).

Bruno tries to get Riccardo to chill, but Riccardo insists on wallowing in his heartbreak (Aria: Ah! per sempre io ti perdei; “Ah! I have lost you forever”. Unusually for a baritone, he doesn’t seem to have any thoughts of vengeance and murder, at least so far, which is quite a massive relief).

After some vocal acrobatics woven rather well in a mournful tune, some horns and trumpets sound. Bruno tells Riccardo that it’s the army calling him (Riccardo), and tries, to not much avail, to get him to forget about his love issues for now and instead focus on the fire of glory and patriotism. They both leave.

Scene 2 switches the scene to Elvira’s bedroom (I forgot to mention that she is the daughter of whoever owns the castle, but it’s rather easy to figure it out). Present there are Elvira, a coloratura soprano (i.e., a soprano who specializes in crazy vocal acrobatics) who is moping around sorrowfully, and Giorgio, a bass and her uncle, whom she very close to. So close, in fact, that she literally calls him her second father in her first line. As he embraces her, Giorgio asks Elvira the reason for her mopey-ness, and when he brings up her upcoming wedding, she immediately recoils and goes on about how she will go insane and die of grief if she has to be dragged to the altar against her will (hmmmmm, foreshadowing of some kind???) (Aria: Sai com’arde; “You know how it blazes”).

Okay, so we now know that Elvira hasn’t been told yet of the last-minute bridegroom switch, but when Giorgio tells her that she will get to be with her beloved Arturo (said Talbo guy mentioned earlier), she absolutely rejoices and embraces him. She asks him how this came to be, and he explains that the night before, her tears and prayers touched his soul to the point that he managed to tearfully convince his brother, i.e., her father, that she would die if she were to marry someone other than Arturo (Aria (at least listed as an aria for Giorgio in the libretto, though Elvira has a few lines): Piangi, o figlia; “Cry, o daughter”).

Horns are heard; it’s a signal of the guards. Elvira and Giorgio listen carefully as an offstage male chorus announces the arrival of Arturo Talbo. Elvira is so absolutely overjoyed that she claims not to be able to believe it (Duet: A quel nome; “At this name”).

Scene 3 takes us to a weapons room, where Elvira, Giorgio, Valton (Italianized form of “Walton”), Elvira’s father and a bass just like his brother, as well as a chorus of the people from the castle all gather to welcome Arturo. The chorus sings in praise of Elvira’s beauty and Arturo’s valor and the love match between them (Chorus: Ad Arturo onore; “Honor to Arturo”).

Then in comes the long-expected Arturo, a noble tenor, accompanied by squires and pages carrying wedding presents, including a veil. Arturo starts singing to Elvira all about his happiness stemming from his love for her, which used to make him sad back when they were not an approved match (Aria (tho with quite a few lines from the principals and the chorus, which makes it often labeled as a quartet in some sources): A te, o cara; “To you, o darling”, one of the most famous bits in the whole opera. It actually contains a written high C-sharp (C#5) for Arturo!!! Tenors gotta have some flexible highs to sing this role, and that will only become more prominent the farther we go). Elvira and Arturo express their joy, Giorgio and Valton ask for not a single shadow of sadness to cloud this happy moment, and everyone, including the chorus, calls on Heaven to smile upon this union.

After that, Valton says that he won’t be able to attend the ceremony, and gives Arturo a pass that will grant him safe conduct up till the church (the libretto calls it “tempio” (“temple”), which I know is a name for a Protestant church in some contexts, but I’m not really sure when it comes to the Church of England specifically), asking Giorgio to accompany them. He then addresses some unknown lady, telling her that the Parliament is asking for her, and that he is to escort her there. Said woman, a mezzo, despairs internally, then asks what the Parliament wants from her. Valton replies that he must obey this order without question.

Arturo asks Giorgio about her, and Giorgio explains that she is a prisoner who is believed to be a spy for the Stuarts. Arturo is struck with pity for the mysterious lady, and she internally notices his pitiful expression. Valton calls for the wedding preparations, as well as his departure, to proceed, and everyone leaves except for Arturo (after making sure he is not seen) and the unknown lady.

After briefly assessing him internally, the lady addresses Arturo, who tells her that if she needs anything, she can trust him. She confesses that she is in danger of dying soon, and he mentions that his father died supporting the Stuarts, and affirms his intention of saving her. She says her fate is already sealed, as she is none other than Enrichetta (Henrietta Maria), daughter of Henry IV of France and the widow of Charles I of England, which makes her the (former) Queen of England!!

Arturo, ever faithful to his Royalist duties, immediately insists on escorting Enrichetta to safety (man, it’s rare to see a tenor who puts duty above love), but she firmly believes that there is no hope left for her, and begs him to think of the danger, and especially of Elvira, whom he is literally meant to marry in mere minutes. Arturo begs her not to weaken his courage by mentioning the one he loves, and both go on and on about all this, until they are interrupted by an incredibly cheerful Elvira, who comes in all dressed in her wedding clothes and carrying her veil.

Elvira compares herself to an April lily and basically just describes her appearance, which includes roses in her hair and a pearl necklace (Polonaise (in this case, an aria in the style of a polonaise, which is a type of Polish folk dance with a 3/4 time signature (i.e., like a waltz)): Son vergin vezzosa; “I am a charming virgin”. Vocal acrobatics galore). As she sings, Arturo, Enrichetta and Giorgio (who has also come by this time, I guess) compare her disposition to a nightingale and the moon appearing through clouds at night.

Elvira asks Enrichetta to help her with the ringlets of her hair, and places her veil on Enrichetta’s head as Arturo and Giorgio ask her (Enrichetta) to excuse Elvira’s playful behavior. As Elvira continues to fool around, Enrichetta and Arturo continue praying for safety while Giorgio internally compares Elvira to a zephyr, a rainbow and a sylph. Then, Valton and the chorus come in calling for Elvira to get ready. She entrusts Arturo to give her back the veil later, before she leaves with Giorgio and nearly everyone else.

As Arturo and Enrichetta are left alone, Arturo notices that the veil hiding Enrichetta’s face might just be the thing that will help her escape safely, but before they can make a move, in comes Riccardo to stop Arturo from stealing his beloved (he thinks the woman under the veil is Elvira; ah, the operatic classic of not recognizing someone with a concealed face!), and he challenges Arturo to a duel to the death by swords, which he smugly accepts (Trio: Fermi! Invan, invan rapir pretendi; “Stop! In vain, in vain you try to kidnap” or something like that. This one was difficult to translate so I copied it from the aria-database). But Enrichetta steps in between them to stop them from fighting, at which point her disguise gets shed and Riccardo recognizes her as the prisoner.

Riccardo suddenly decides to let the two of them escape, and as Arturo bids an internal farewell to Elvira, we hear Elvira, Bruno, Giorgio, Valton and the chorus approaching. Of course, given the situation (opposing clans, rivals in love, etc.), Arturo asks Riccardo if he’s gonna snitch on them before they go beyond the walls of the fortress, and Riccardo swears that he won’t. Well, as the three characters briefly speak to themselves internally, we learn that Riccardo does not intend on keeping this promise and looks forward to Arturo’s downfall, while Arturo himself internally proclaims his everlasting love for Elvira, and Enrichetta looks forward to seeing her son (Charles II, I guess??). Arturo and Enrichetta finally leave, and Riccardo watches them escape (this is a fortress, after all).

Then in come Elvira, Bruno, Giorgio, Valton and the Chorus. Everyone asks Riccardo where Arturo is, and OF COURSE, the jealous snitch tells everyone that he is long gone, and everyone else sees that he has escaped with the prisoner. As Elvira cries out in despair, Riccardo and Giorgio call for soldiers to catch the two traitors, and everyone else joins in the call to arms.

But then, Elvira notices that the woman with Arturo in the distance is wearing a white veil, and that he is treating her as his bride and calling her Elvira, and this messes with her mind and makes her really, REALLY upset. Everyone around becomes incredibly worried about her. Then, she hallucinates Arturo coming back and she repeatedly tells him to come with her to the church. It becomes clear to everyone that Elvira has officially lost her mind in true operatic fashion, and they all pity her. Of course, they blame that traitor Arturo for this whole fiasco, and remark on how pure Elvira’s heart is for her to still love him as much as she does.

Then, Elvira’s mood suddenly switches again, and she sees (here, I’m not sure of she actually sees or “sees”) Arturo fleeing, and starts cursing him for abandoning her. As she expresses a delirious sort of rage growing inside her, everyone else continues cursing Arturo, and the curtain falls as they swear revenge.

And then Elvira dies of her insanity because it is a known fact that sopranos who have a mad scene in an opera ALWAYS die. :)

The end! ❤❤❤ This has been an overly-detailed opera summary with unsolicited commentary, I hope you-

Raya, stop messing around and misleading your readers, this is only the first act, no one has died, the opera is far from finished.

Sorry, sorry. Anyway, here it goes:

Act 2 (only one scene this time) opens in some random room in that same fortress. A chorus of people of the castle sing (to a tune that’s a slight tad joyful imo) in sadness about poor Elvira’s (who hasn’t died, by the way) insanity; she is crying all the time, and at one point she was seen wandering in nature, screaming “Have mercy! Have mercy!” (Chorus: Ah dolor! Ah terror!; “Ah, what pain! Ah, what terror!”).

Giorgio then comes in, and the chorus people ask him for updates on Elvira’s condition; she is currently resting, her mood keeps switching between sadness and happiness, and she sometimes has temporary moments of clarity. The chorus asks for more details, and Giorgio initially refuses out of sadness, but at the chorus’ insistence, he describes Elvira’s behavior, including wandering around with flowers around her hair while crying out “Where has Elvira gone? Where has Elvira gone?”, hallucinating herself getting married and then crying for Arturo to come back, as well as mistaking other people for Arturo, then realizing her error and crying and wishing for death, ye typical operatic mad scene stuff (Aria: Cinta di fiori; “Garlanded with flowers”). *Sighs in psychology ho*. Of course, everyone continues cursing Arturo.

Then Riccardo comes in with news that Arturo has been sentenced to death by the Parliament. Everyone considers this a rightful punishment for his betrayal, and Riccardo adds that Valton has been declared innocent of the whole thing. Riccardo asks Giorgio about Elvira, and Giorgio explains that according to doctors, only a sudden emotional shock, joyful or tragic, will restore Elvira’s state of mind (wait, isn’t that how amnesia is represented in media??). Riccardo gives orders that should Arturo (who is still on the run) ever be seen around here, he must be treated with no mercy.

The chorus leaves, and we hear Elvira offstage, asking to either be given back hope or to die. Riccardo and Giorgio pity her, of course. Then Elvira comes onstage, looking disheveled and clearly disturbed. She angsts about Arturo’s betrayal as Giorgio and Riccardo continue pitying her (damn, half of this opera is basically people crying for Elvira!!) (Aria: Qui la voce; “Here, the voice”). Then, Elvira notices Giorgio, whom she doesn’t recognize at first but then mistakes for her father, and joyfully assumes that he’s here to take her to get married. Then, she notices Riccardo (whom she seemingly mistakes for Arturo? I’m not sure) weeping. Their brief conversation leads her to acutely remember her heartbreak.

Then, Elvira smiles suddenly, and she hallucinates Arturo being here and calls for him to come back to her, seemingly in a mix of joy and pain, as Riccardo and Giorgio continue pitying her (Cabaletta (as we said 2 episodes ago, the more animated section of an aria, complete with vocal acrobatics): Vien, diletto; “Come, beloved”). The men tell her she should go rest, and she eventually leaves.

Giorgio tells Riccardo that he must save Arturo (Duet: Il rival salvar tu dèi; “You must save your rival”, still not 100% sure if this is how to spell the Italian “dèi”). Riccardo replies that he cannot, that it’s in the Parliament’s will for Arturo to die, and that he does not abhor him in any way. But Giorgio correctly guesses that Riccardo doesn’t actually want to save Arturo, because he is still jealous. Giorgio continues to insist on his point, saying that if Arturo were to go down, Elvira would go down with him, and that their ghosts would haunt him (Riccardo), but this does not move Riccardo.

Eventually, Giorgio manages to win Riccardo over, because of the fact that patriotism comes hand in hand with mercy. But they also agree that should Arturo ever come armed among the enemy ranks (there is a battle scheduled at dawn on the next day), he will perish at Riccardo’s hand. Both end the act singing a duet all about patriotism and the glory of dying in the name of freedom for the nation (Duet: Suoni la tromba; “Sound the trumpet”, another of the more famous bits of the opera).

(Fun fact: the melody of Suoni la tromba was used in my first school’s anthem, tho taken one half-step down. For privacy reasons, I obviously won’t make you listen to the school anthem, so have instead the whole actual Act 2 finale from Il rival salvar tu dèi to Suoni la tromba, sung by Samuel Ramey and Sherril Milnes. I used this specific recording in my 5th “Opera(s) as Vines” video. But just so you know, they take a few cuts.)

(Also, I think I read somewhere that this opera was meant to be only 2 acts, but the second act was split into two after Suoni la tromba. But I’m not sure, tho this might explain why Act 1 is longer than Acts 2 and 3.)

After a brief prelude in D minor that alludes to a hurricane (at least according to the score), Act 3 (also only one scene) opens in a wooded area near the fortress. We may or may not see some armed people walking around at some point, looking for someone, but they leave soon enough. Finally, a very exhausted Arturo runs in onstage. Seeing that he is all alone, he allows himself to take a break (Recitative: Son salvo, alfin son salvo; “I am safe, finally I am safe”). We learn that he is still on the run, and so far he has managed to outrun his pursuers. He expresses deep love for his homeland, which he remarks is especially prominent for him as an exile.

Suddenly, he hears the sound of a harp, followed by Elvira’s offstage voice, singing a song about a sad troubadour sitting at a fountain and singing a love song (Aria: A una fonte afflitto e solo; “At a fountain, afflicted and along”). Arturo immediately recognizes this tune as a song they used to sing in these woods back in the days of their still-not-really-approved courtship. He calls for her, but no one responds, so he resorts to singing that same song about that same, constantly-depressed troubadour sitting at a fountain, striking a harp and singing a sad song.

Suddenly, Arturo hears drumrolls and a military march, as well as an offstage male chorus, and he realizes that he is still being pursued, so he hides away as a bunch of men-at-arms come onstage, looking around for him, and he manages to remain unseen until they leave.

As soon as the men are gone, Arturo comes out of hiding, and he considers entering Elvira’s place and telling her everything, but then he realizes that doing that would be too dangerous for both himself and Elvira, so he decides instead to continue singing their song, hoping that it will reach her somehow. He now sings about an exiled pilgrim who is also constantly depressed, and whose story seems to mirror Arturo’s own situation, at least in my opinion.

At some point either during or after the song, depending on the director’s choices, Elvira shows up. She gets sad when the singing stops, and goes back to longing for Arturo, at which point he shows up in front of her, asking for her forgiveness. A joyful reunion between the lovebirds ensues.

Arturo goes on about how happy he is to behold her once more after such a long time (three months, to be exact). Elvira describes all the pain she experienced during his absence, which felt like not three months but three centuries for her. He then explains to her the whole shtick with the prisoner woman from Act 1, who was none other than the Queen herself, and about how he ran away with her in order to save her from a death sentence. Elvira is so struck by this piece of info that she feels a sudden clarity in her mind. He assures her that he loves her with all his heart and they sing a passionate love duet together, reaffirming their love for each other over and over, and promising to stay together forever (Duet: Vieni, vieni fra queste braccia; “Come, come into these arms”. It contains 2 written high D’s (D5) for Arturo!!! the latter of which can be shared with Elvira, depending on the singer). They may or may not kiss at the end, depending on the production, because, I mean. The music.

But this moment of ecstasy is short-lived for our lovers, as we hear a horn followed by some more drumrolls and that same military march from earlier. Arturo immediately knows it’s his pursuers, and Elvira starts speaking incoherently, which makes him realize her state of Operatic Insanity™. We hear a male chorus from offstage singing in praise of Cromwell’s England, and Arturo tries to get Elvira to go hide with him, but she believes that he’s trying to leave her again for that woman he ran away with, and so she physically blocks him and calls for reinforcements while he tells her to be quiet.

The entire chorus of soldiers and castle-people, as well as Riccardo and Giorgio, show up onstage, and when Riccardo and the soldiers announce that Arturo has been sentenced to death, Elvira’s shock is so intense that literally everyone notices; this seems to be the emotional shock required to cure her insanity.

One of those large ensembles typical of bel canto operas, where everyone is singing something different, starts: Arturo announces that he’d be happy to die alongside Elvira, Elvira basically says the same thing, and Giorgio, the female chorus and even fucking Riccardo himself all feel pity towards the lovers (Quartet with chorus: Credeasi, misera; “She believed, the wretched one”). But the soldiers demand to proceed with the execution, much to everyone else’s despair. After embracing Elvira and bidding her farewell, Arturo chides the soldiers for upsetting Elvira and begs them to keep it together for just one moment, to not much avail.

(Fun fact: this piece is known to contain a high F (F5) for Arturo. Yeah, you read it right, a fucking high F!!!!! It’s so borderline impossible to hit that most tenors resort to singing a D-flat (Db 5) instead, which is already pretty high. Even so, those who can reach the high F usually sing it falsetto. Listen for example to the ever-legendary Luciano Pavarotti sing it (high F at 4:51).)

But then, we hear the sound of horns, announcing the arrival of a herald, and therefore a message (Finale: Suon d’araldi?; “The sound of heralds?”). Letters are brought in, and after reading them, Giorgio and Riccardo announce to everybody that the Stuarts have been defeated, and the Royal(ist) prisoners have all been pardoned; England has been liberated! (well, I mean... given, well. Everything that Puritans at this time and place stood for, I’m kinda calling this into question. But for the sake of the opera, I’m gonna allow myself some suspension of disbelief.)

Wait, what?? A happy ending??? In my non-comic bel canto opera????? More likely than you think!!!!! Anyway, everyone celebrates and sings the praises of Cromwell, before wishing long days of happiness to the extremely joyful and more-in-love-than-ever Elvira and Arturo (who has therefore now been freed of his death sentence), the curtain drops of these joyous festivities and everyone lives happily ever after as far as we know, given that I’m not super-familiar with more of the deeper details of the historical context.

The end! ❤❤❤ This has been an overly-detailed opera summary with unsolicited commentary, I hope you enjoyed ;)

- Raya / rayatii

(PS: I wanna give a quick shoutout to the production of this opera by the Opéra Royal de Wallonie-Liège from 2004, which was the first (and so far only) production of this opera that I watched, and which really helped me with the making of this post. Having only watched one production while writing this made it more difficult than the previous installments, and I had my doubt at times, but I’m really glad I pulled through.)

(PPS: fun fact: okay, I hate the British royalty just as much as the next Tumblr user, but this was apparently Queen Victoria’s favorite opera, and she would refer to it as “dear Puritani”. It also apparently the first opera that she and her beloved Prince Albert attended together before marrying.)

(PPPS: while I was doing some deeply detailed translation research for this post, I accidentally learned that the Italian word “pompa”, as well as meaning “pump”, also means “blowjob”. I probably will never be able to look at this opera the same way again, and I’m really frustrated that Tumblr doesn’t have a spoiler option like Discord, meaning that I won’t be able to protect your eyes from this...)

#raya recounts #opera #opera summary #overly-detailed opera summary with unsolicited commentary #i puritani #bellini #vincenzo bellini #too many links #which opera do you want me to do next? give me your suggestions #i literally sacrificed so many hours during which i should have been practicing my singing in order to write this #even after having an opera-related stress-dream last night (of the being under-prepared kind)

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noble-6 · 10 months

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Wassup yall!

Luckily i remembered about the existence of this app. lol. Another life update entry i guess? Here we go ->

Life hasn't been that great. I mean yeah aside form studying, I've been having fun! Socialising, playing football, a bit of rugby. To be honest, this entry won't be a fun life update. Basically I'm here to rant. Can't do it on twitter cause all my friends are there. No one wants to hear my problem. You can say this place is a safe space for me (even if you read this you might be a stranger to me lol but feel free to read !).

Academic wise, I think i'm fumbling my degree. Yeah! I've started my degree last march. I'm in my first year first semester. At first I was excited ! Learning new things, coding, doing homeworks. No for real i did all the homeworks they gave me, for the first 3 weeks. But then it all sort of fell off like domino pieces because of Raya celebration. Don't get me wrong I love Raya, it's just that the holidays distrupted the college timetable A LOT. I mean replacement classess were all during the night or the weekends. Quizzes were held every week, assignments, crappy lecturers.

Tonight I just had my mid term test 2 for this one subject. It was at 8pm. While i was on my bed that evening(i slept after studying) my lecturer of said subject just released the score for quiz 4 of the subject. I actually tried my best for that quiz. I studied, rewatch the lecture recording, made notes. I had high hopes that i wouldn't get a score below 5(full marks was 10). You know what i did get? 1. 1 out of 10. After seeing the result, I honestly didn't know what to do. "Should i go and take the test that night? It's pretty much worthless if you think aboht it". I could say the feeling was worst than a heartbreak( i wouldn't know i've never experience it before). And then i started to think about this other subject at which my carry mark was also pretty low. Not only this subject has assignments to submit, it also has a final exam. So that's twice the headache i need to face for 1 subject.

I'm 24 this year and since this is my first year degree, I should be graduating when I turned 26. A lot of my friends has started working this year and here I am just starting my degree. Talk about being late. Now i have a mid-20ish-lif crisis(?). I'm starting to think I'm not smart. I mean all my life I thought I was average. Like yeah straight after highschool i played alot. But I've always thought if i really did focus on my studies, I'd be average. Now I'm not so sure. I think I'm 90% conviced that I'm below average. You know how theres smart students who scored straight A's, then there's above average students who scores 3.5 and above, and then the average students who scores 3.2 and above. I used to think I was average. Right now i think i'm just stupid. I studied, however i still didn't score. Like what does that tell you? You're not smart enough for this course.

So let's talk about my backup plan. As of right now, plan A is to finish this degree and get a job in the it industry. Plan B is work part time whilst studying this degree( to avoid me doing nothing at all). Plan C is to enroll in those google coirse where they give you a certificate upon completion(data analyst, web developer etc).

Plan C looks to me the more realistic approach given the situation I'm in. The only downside is I won't have a degree to my name. And that's bad for my future. It means it will be hard for me to climb the corporate ladder. I may be stuck in the same job position until i retire.

But let's be honest here, the only logical thing to do here is to finish the degree. Everyone else agree with this. Even you! Stranger who i don't know, reading my post somehow. I should just push through this upcoming 3 maybe 4 years of university life. It'll be over before i know it. I know i can do it. I just have to believe in myself again. Find that spark.

It all comes down to the basics of life you know? How my relationship with Allah is, with my family, friends. I need to do a lot of self reflect to become a better version me. Maybe not the best version, but just better than yesterday at least.

Wow! That's a lot of rant. Hahahaha. Yeah i just need to vent out you know. Maybe the next time I do my life udpate I'll be writing some good news! Maybe.... we'll see.

See ya!

#student life

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paynxt360 · 2 years

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Africa-based B2B e-commerce firms are raising capital to drive expansion and business growth

Across Africa, several innovative startups have emerged in the B2B e-commerce landscape over the last few years. With the sector ripe for disruption, these startups are digitizing informal trade across the region. Many of these startups have experienced high growth, and as a result, attracted the eyes of venture capital firms and private equity players. To drive their expansion and business growth, many of the B2B e-commerce firms in the African region are raising funding rounds. For instance,

In March 2022, JABU, a South Africa-based B2B e-commerce firm, announced that the firm had raised US$15 million in its Series A round, which has been led by Tiger Global. Before this, the firm also raised US$3.2 million in its seed funding round in January 2022. Notably, the startups allow merchants to order, stock, and pay for products through the Jwallet. Furthermore, merchants also receive same-day delivery. As of January 2022, the startup was serving 6,000 merchants in three markets. These include Namibia, South Africa, and Zambia. The firm is planning to use the funding round to further deepen its reach in Southern Africa while expanding its presence in countries such as Eswatini and Botswana in 2022.

In March 2022, Wasoka, another B2B e-commerce player in the African region, announced that the firm had raised US$125 million in its Series B funding round, which was led by Tiger Global and Avenir Growth. The firm enables informal retailers to restock groceries and everyday essentials using the B2B e-commerce platform. Like JABU, Wasoka is also planning to use the fresh capital to further expand its geographical presence in the African market and to drive its product growth. Currently, the firm is exploring opportunities to launch its presence in the Nigerian and Southern African markets. Furthermore, it is also planning to use the funding for strengthening its position in the six African countries, where it operates.

Currently, the firm is operating in Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Uganda, Côte d’Ivoire, and Senegal. With a network of 50,000 informal retailers across these countries, the firm has recorded revenue growth of 500% over the last 12 months, leading to March 2022. Through strategic investments and mergers and acquisition deals, the startup is also exploring opportunities to diversify into other business verticals such as social commerce.

While B2B e-commerce is gaining rapid momentum across the African region, Egypt is one of those countries where a number of different startups are operating in the space and raising funding rounds. For instance,

In September 2022, Mazaya, a B2B e-commerce startup from Egypt, announced that the firm had raised US$5 million in its pre-seed funding round, which was led by Raya Trade and Distribution. Notably, the B2B marketplace is focused on electronics and has over 15,000 SKUs. Since its inception, the startup has delivered more than 30,000 orders for over 6,000 retailers in Egypt. With the fresh capital, the firm is planning to expand into new markets and scale its operations to further drive growth in its business.

In July 2022, Cartona, another B2B-focused e-commerce startup, announced that the firm had raised US$12 million, as it seeks to expand and scale its business into new verticals. Notably, the Egyptian startup is one of the leading players digitizing the traditional trade market. The startup is working with over 60,000 merchants and has processed more than 1 million transactions with an annualized GMV of approximately US$120 million. With a network of 1,500 wholesalers and distributors, the firm is now seeking to expand into new FMCG verticals.

In May 2022, Teegara, another Eygpt-based B2B e-commerce platform, announced that the firm had raised a funding round. While the firm did not disclose the amount raised, it announced that the investment was led by the Alexandria Business Angels Network.

With the informal retail market expected to be a multi-billion opportunity, many startups in the region are looking to capitalize on the market potential. Apart from all of these startups, many more players have bagged investments from venture capital firms. For instance,

In February 2022, MarketForce, the B2B e-commerce firm in Kenya, announced that the firm had raised US$40 million in its Series A round. Copia, another Kenyan firm, announced that it had secured US$50 million under its Series C round. ProXalys, the Senegal-based firm, announced that it had raised US$150,000 in the pre-seed round.

As the B2B e-commerce market continues to record strong growth in Africa over the next three to four years, PayNXT360 expects more venture capital and private equity money to flow into the innovative startups from the short to medium-term perspective. Furthermore, PayNXT360 expects mergers and acquisition activities to heat up in the region over the next few years, as players with strong balance sheets and funding look to diversify their services and continue to expand their geographical footprint across the region.

#ecommerce b2b marketplaces market research growth strategies

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camscendants · 2 years

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I love that you can tell what my obsession of the month was just from scrolling through my camera roll

#January somewhat Jatp #like March-may Raya #may briefly Tmvstm #June-September Toh #September-October Life is strange #October-November Amphibia #November- Whenever Arcane #it’s just what one Character is there an absurd amount of pictures of #Amphibia #toh #the owl house #arcane #raya and the last dragon #life is strange #tmvstm #the mitchells vs the machines #show

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crqstalite · 2 years

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2021's Summary of Art

We certainly live in interesting times. I think that reflects pretty well in my art this year, considering the batty amount of changes my style went through as the year went on. Unfortunately, only have eleven instead of twelve drawings this year because of unforeseen circumstances. However, I did significantly more art than I did last year to the point I think I can safely say I did more than writing, and perhaps more than the last two years combined. Oops. Explanations under the cut + 2020 here + a blank version here!

January! My Holiday Harbinger gift for the lovely @faejilly of their Ella Shepard! This one was the more adventurous of the two I did, mostly because of the overlay I put on top of a handful of constellations. I genuinely can't remember which ones they are, I'm not really into astrology. I am very glad that they liked it though!

February! I believe the first time I ever did real ship art? And subsequently, the first time I drew Kaidan this year. It's a little flat and I don't love it as much as I did before, but I'm still pretty pleased with how I figured out the posing for both muses. Never been a fan of drawing kisses, but never been a fan of drawing two muses actually interacting either. The second muse is my AJ Shepard.

March! My darling Svenja Tabris in her Warden armor and looking her best while up to trouble in the Brecilian forest. I discovered the splatter brush and never really looked back on this one, but the first time I ever drew her. Also, the second reason I despise drawing Warden armor. I hate the blue part of it because its so tedious to color, shade and highlight.

April! During one of my sketch giveaways for a handful of mutuals, Raya Auren (who belongs to the lovely @sheyshen). As you can see, probably the first time I learned how to actually draw noses properly. Was not super great with nostrils beforehand, but we figured it out! Loved drawing her features as well, which gave me a foray into something new.

May! My darling Citlali Velasquez (who I almost drew every month this year), just posing somewhere out on the Citadel in an outfit I mashed together from pictures on Pinterest. Hands down my most fashionable muse, second only to Brione because women's pantsuits are hot. Got to play around with a sheer shirt and leather (which I still haven't learned to texture properly) in this picture, as well as levels of lighting.

June! A birthday gift for my mutual @sheyshen of their Kara! I believe I did a photo of her the year prior, so its nice to see the improvement from then, including the radical change in style between then and now. Do go and read the fic she's part of, Koren's Breaking The Bad News.

July! A giveaway reward for the lovely @pigeontheoneandonly of their Nathaly Shepard. It was a real treat to work on her, and I believe one of the few reasons I haven't drawn the N7 armor since then. There's quite the demand for detail on it, but I loved drawing it for them! Do go and read the fic she's part of, Pigeon's Nathaly Shepard series.

August! The second time I did ship art this year, and one I'm actually still really happy with -- of my Citlali Velasquez and Joker. I have many soft spots for them <3 Not actually sure what sparked drawing this one, but the reason I will never draw the crew outfit from three again unless paid. It is unnecessarily complicated and I hate it.

September! So quick "fun" fact, I was in my school's competitive marching band from about August to December this year. TL;DR, I'll literally never do it again because the schedule is destructive and a little dehumanizing tbh. Either way, no work done this month because of a lack of time.

October! Darling Citlali...again. She was my second or third foray into a more painterly style that didn't rely at all on the blender tool, and I loved working with all her color values. Super wacky that I just don't work for a month and then start slapping colors down again in a complete 180 of a style. Thankfully she still looks like herself here, after all I tend to draw her and then she looks like a completely different character because I've morphed into a different artist.

November! Reyna Hawke, finally visualized into all her glory. Finally, I collected all six stones -- I mean all of my main Dragon Age protags. November was literally the first time I had them all drawn in a partially consistent style (Marzie's was October last year I believe), and after her redesign. The first time I've drawn her post-DA2 armor as well, but during the Here Lies the Abyss mission.

December! Can't tag them or name their character just yet (Holiday Harbinger's gifting doesn't open until January 😞), but I adored working on this piece so much!! It's a pose I tend not to like using since the muse's face isn't head on, but working with their character and being able to give them art I'm really proud of was the best part of working on this!!

#my art #oc #original character #reyna hawke #citlali velasquez #svenja tabris #2021 summary of art #summary of art #2021 work

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kylesvariouslistsandstuff · 1 year

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WDAS' Next Film After WISH...

As of now, only one Walt Disney Animation Studios movie is on the larger Disney company's massive movie slate... A Chris Buck/Fawn Veerasunthorn-directed centennial celebratory picture called WISH, which was first revealed to the world at this past D23 Expo. It will, as usual, be a Thanksgiving week release.

No other WDAS film, titled or untitled, is dated for anywhere beyond that. Pixar, in addition to this summer's Peter Sohn romantic comedy ELEMENTAL, has two features dated for release in 2024: Adrian Molina's spacebound tale ELIO and Kelsey Mann's INSIDE OUT sequel. The former is a March release, the latter a June release. Given the usual pattern, the 2024 WDAS movie should be a Thanksgiving bow...

When Disney announces this release date, I do not know...

What the movie could possibly be? Well, let's see...

A while back, it was announced that the likes of Josie Trinidad (previously writer/director on ZOOTOPIA+), Marc Smith (story artist and animator whose work dates back to THE LION KING), and Suzi Yoonessi (a live-action director with no previous WDAS or animation credits) were set to direct their own pictures. At the time of that announcement, fall 2019, Carlos Lopez Estrada was also in the running to direct his own original feature. He eventually got pulled over to RAYA AND THE LAST DRAGON - which he directed with Don Hall (previously co-director on MOANA, and director of BIG HERO 6 and WINNIE THE POOH), and was set to head up a "live-action"/CG-laden remake of their 1973 all-animals ROBIN HOOD film, with his own WDAS picture still on the way... Until he left last year...

Since that announcement, we've had two Don Hall pictures (RAYA and STRANGE WORLD), and a Byron Howard picture (ENCANTO), with a previously-unannounced Chris Buck/Fawn Veerasuntorn picture on the way. So does this mean one of those three directors are up next? Are they even still set to direct their own features? Given how things go into development and then get cancelled so easily, we may never know until Disney themselves announce what's coming... That is of course the usual in big-time animation, and scarily more so than ever before these days. Just look at what's happening with Netflix and Warner Bros. Discovery's animation output.

So it could be one of those three directors' projects, or something never before heard of... At least by the public. We used have to very reputable blogs that got a hold of some serious juicy insider info (Blue Sky Disney, for starters), but it's not much of a thing anymore. Anyone remember those "leaks" that said an adaptation of BLUEBEARD would be announced?

Another possibility is a sequel to something. Walt Disney Animation Studios' history of avoiding sequels has many explanations. For decades, Walt himself resisted making animated feature sequels. Then in the post-Walt years, the upper brass seemingly sought to honor his aversion to such projects. Any serious idea of doing a sequel, such as a brief period of time where THE RESCUERS was to have Cruella de Vil as its villain, usually didn't last past development stages. When the outside world took over the tight-knit enterprise, namely big-time Hollywood executives like Michael Eisner and Frank Wells and Jeffrey Katzenberg, then sequels to animated movies weren't so forbidden anymore... But their stab at this, the 1990 release THE RESCUERS DOWN UNDER, was financially unsuccessful... This of course lead to nearly every sequel to a Disney animated feature being a direct-to-video affair produced at another animation house.

That was, until Eisner stepped down in 2005, Bob Iger took his place as CEO, and appointed Pixar's John Lasseter and Ed Catmull as heads of Disney Animation, Pixar, AND Disneytoon, the latter the division that made all of those direct-to-video films. Lasseter had them cease production on all sequels to the classic Disney animated films, and until their shutdown in 2018, the studio made CGI Tinker Bell spin-off movies and the PLANES spin-off of Pixar's CARS franchise. Walt Disney Animation Studios in the post-Eisner/post-DTV sequel age made WINNIE THE POOH, RALPH BREAKS THE INTERNET, and FROZEN II... There hasn't been a sequel from them since, nor the hint of one happening. BIG HERO 6 and ZOOTOPIA saw their "official" continuations in the form of Disney+ shows: BAYMAX! took place after BIG HERO 6, and ZOOTOPIA+ was a "midquel" where all the segments were happening within the plot of the movie itself. The TIANA and MOANA series they're deep in development of will be following up from their feature-length predecessors. I bet in a little while, we'll hear about an ENCANTO series next.

However, FROZEN and FROZEN II were both billion dollar smash hits, so FROZEN III is likely happening at some point. A ZOOTOPIA sequel is feasible as well, given that that film made a billion worldwide as well and is set in a world that's ripe with possibilities, BIG HERO 6 even. However, animated movies take a while to make and Walt Disney Animation Studios only gets out one feature a year in this day and age. And that doesn't count how in 2016, ZOOTOPIA and MOANA both debuted, ZOOTOPIA probably would've been a fall 2015 release had Pixar not taken up both the summer (INSIDE OUT) and fall slots (THE GOOD DINOSAUR) that year. Pixar, meanwhile, does two films every two years. Following 2015 and 2017 (CARS 3 and COCO), 2020 had ONWARD and SOUL, 2022 had TURNING RED and LIGHTYEAR, 2024 will have ELIO and INSIDE OUT 2.

But WDAS sticks to doing one a year, that is... when other things don't happen. WDAS had to miss 2020 because of COVID-19, RAYA was originally set to be that year's Thanksgiving release, it ended up opening in March 2021 instead. So... With theaters back in business, they're back to doing one a year. I feel that if they were successfully doing two pictures every year or every two years, you'd probably see more sequels.

So... The candidates... Those three directors, a sequel to one of their recent success, *or* hear me out...

What if they were to announce something that was supposed to come out ages ago, but for whatever reasons... Didn't?

Like, imagine if Walt Disney Animation Studios sometime later this year blew your minds and said... Our 63rd feature, releasing in Thanksgiving 2024, is GIGANTIC...

GIGANTIC is perhaps, of all the films that were in development at the studio in the 2010s, the one that lots of folks online want the most. A musical adaptation of the familiar Jack and the Beanstalk tale that was about a world of giants living up in the clouds. It had a lot of potential for sure, and it got the axe under Lasseter and Catmull's tenture, its director Nathan Greno (previously director of perennial favorite TANGLED) left the studio for Skydance. (Is he still directing that POWERLESS/POOKOO movie over there?) Which, ironically, Lasseter now heads up. Its other director, Meg LeFauve (who coincidentally worked on a TV show called GIGANTIC), is still working in animation-land, having written Nora Twomey's Cartoon Saloon film MY FATHER'S DRAGON, and INSIDE OUT 2 as well. Perhaps they can get her back, or in typical animation studio fashion... Restart and reinvent the whole thing from the ground up with a different director/team, if they can't get Greno and/or LeFauve back. I'm surprised there's no movement on reviving this one, given what it was promising, and how it had such a big presentation at the 2015 D23 Expo. Its cancellation in fall 2017 came as a real shock...

If not GIGANTIC, then I'd love to see them take a crack at other scrapped features that didn't last past the mid-2010s... Such as KING OF THE ELVES, based on the Phillip K. Dick fantasy tale, that at one point could've been the studio's Christmas 2012 release. Baffling how they couldn't make that story about a bunch of tiny elves who are at war - LORD OF THE RINGS-style - in a massive fantasy world but also live at a modern-day gas station work as a feature film. Or what about that COSMIC 3000 picture that reportedly involved teenaged aliens participating in thrilling space races? Hey, maybe they could take a crack at Terry Pratchett's DISCWORLD again, but this time not opt to adapt one book in the series.

Just a thought...

We shall see, maybe come later this year. We are in Disney's 100th year of existence, so I suppose we shall learn what comes out after WISH from Walt Disney Animation Studios...

UPDATE: JANUARY 20, 2023

Well looky here...

The Walt Disney's Company new and updated release schedule contains the following dates for UNTITLED DISNEY ANIMATION;

11/27/2024

11/26/2025

11/25/2026

One a year, as per usual. Pretty sure this is the landing strip for all the big updates and news set to drop at this year's D23... Monster Mouse, planting the flags.

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rainwalker-dragonblade29 · 2 years

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(Another Raya appreciation post because today's March 5, so why not?)

Sisu, *now running away from Namaari and the Fang gang with Raya*: "So, like... mind telling me why you're being hunted?"

Raya: "Let's just say, I may or may not have something in my possession that may or may not be of interest to other interested parties..."

#raya and the last dragon #raya #ratld #namaari #raya and sisu #sisu #sisu the last dragon #raya of heart #raya incorrect quotes #ratld incorrect quotes #raya on the run #ratld appreciation post #disney raya #princess raya of heart #and they were running from namaari #source: the jungle cruise

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thedragonnerd · 3 years

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Rayaari headcanon - let's keep Disney magic with The Lion King AU

(inspired by this lovely anon)

To the people of Heart, Benja is their King, an admired ruler who is fair to his citizens and listens to their troubles. To Raya though, he is simply her father Ba, and one of her best friends.

Her mother passed away when Raya was young, but she has an uncle who lives at the palace. Raya can't actually remember his real name - his nickname has been 'Druun' for as long as she can remember.

The role of being a ruler does not particularly appeal to Raya at her young age. She much prefers to spend her time having adventures around Heart, much to the annoyance of her bodyguards.

Namaari is the Princess of Fang, Heart's neighbouring land and close ally. Raya has known her since they were babies, with Benja and Virana often holding diplomatic meetings. While these discussions are going on, Raya finds ways to drag Namaari into whatever important adventures she may find.

After one particularly chaotic visit to Fang, where Raya and Namaari had tried to climb out of the window in Namaari's room and ended up being caught on the roof instead, Benja wakes Raya early. He is determined to instill a sense of responsibility in her, and so he leads her up the great mountain in the darkness of the early morning. They arrive at the temple just as dawn is breaking, and together they watch the sun rise slowly across their lands.

'Over there is Fang,' he points to his right, and Raya peers into the distance. 'Everywhere the light touches is our land, Raya...our people of Heart. One day, the sun will set on my time here as leader, and rise with you as Queen instead. And you must be ready for it.'

Raya sweeps her gaze across the land of Heart, before it finally alights on a dark and shadowy speck on the horizon. 'What about that shadowy place?' she asks, intrigued. Benja grasps her shoulder tightly. 'That's beyond our borders, Raya, and into Spine territory. You must never go there.' The adventurous side of Raya can't help but be intrigued.

On her way back to the palace, Raya runs into her uncle, and can't help but mention this to him - interested to know if he'll share more information with her. 'Ah yes, the forests of Spine,' Druun mentions with a sneer. 'But your father is absolutely right! You must never go there, Raya. It's a beautiful land, covered with snow for much of the year, but only the most hardened of warriors can go there. It's far too dangerous for a little girl like you.'

Raya is both annoyed by the implication that she cannot face down a Spine warrior, and fascinated by the idea of the land's magical forests, which Heart children know only from stories.

Namaari and her mother are visiting Heart the following day, and Raya doesn't hesitate to grab her friend by the hand and drag her away from the adults. 'I have a really cool place to show you,' she whispers to Namaari.

They manage to evade their royal guards, and steal away after the midday meal, riding Namaari's serlot out to the borderland. When they slip across the boundary into a land of cold snow, tall trees, and a buzzing sense of magic in the air, Raya is entranced. She's so busy exploring her new surroundings that she doesn't notice the danger from three Spine warriors until Namaari tugs on her sleeve, an urgent 'Raya' hissed in her ear.

The Spine warriors are delighted to discover the children of their enemies standing right within their territory, and they attack before Raya and Namaari even have a chance to run. The two girls try to fight them off, but they don't have the skill to face down an entire group of adult warriors.

Suddenly, Benja and Virana arrive, alerted by an eagle-eyed scout, and fight back the Spine men with ease, dragging their daughters away. Once they are safely back in Heart territory, Benja turns his disappointment on Raya.

Virana takes Naamari back to Fang that very day, also angry at her own daughter. Raya feels terrible when she realizes Namaari could have gotten hurt or worse during their adventure, and can barely wave goodbye. Years later, she wishes she had hugged Namaari instead, not realizing it would be the last time she'd see her for a very long time.

A week later, Raya happens to cross paths with Druun, when he reaches out to stop her, sharp fingers digging into her shoulder. 'Your father's looking for you,' he says shortly. 'Something about wanting to train you to fight properly, after that Spine fiasco.' Raya is slightly hurt by the idea that she is a poor fighter, but she goes down to the empty training grounds to wait for her Ba.

Instead of Ba, she is set upon by an even larger group of Spine warriors, who have clearly entered Heart with deadly intent. She sprints back towards the palace, hearing their heavy breaths close behind her as she flees.

Benja flies past her in the other direction, sword already raised to meet them in combat. 'Raya, run!' he yells, and the fear in his voice makes her listen.

She turns back when she thinks she is at a safer distance, just in time to see Ba be kicked to the ground. One of the Spine warriors brings his blade swinging down, and she screams at the sight.

The invaders leave as soon as the deed is done, Benja lying prone on the ground. Raya stumbles over to him as fast as she can, ignoring the retreating backs of Spine for a moment. 'Ba?' she whispers, kneeling in the bloodied dirt beside him and grasping one of his hands. 'Ba? Please wake up.'

'Raya, what have you done?' Drunn says, appearing from behind her. 'Your little excursion into Spine must have brought them here for revenge. What will your people think...What will Fang think? You've just caused your father to be killed, and started a war.'

'I didn't mean to,' Raya sobs, dropping her forehead to rest on Benja's chest, with her fingers clenching at his clothes. 'What do I do?'

'Run,' Druun says. 'And never return.' Raya runs, still covered in her father's blood.

She can't bring herself to go to Fang; instead, she flees through Spine, narrowly avoiding their hunting parties, and then through Talon. It's only when she arrives in Tail, the farthest land she can be from Heart, that she can breathe properly. The heartbreak threatens to overwhelm her.

She's found in the midst of the Tail desert by Sisu, a loud but kind-hearted individual who immediately introduces Raya to the rest of her family, an eclectic group of outcasts in their own rights.

Years pass, and Raya makes herself a new home in Tail, alongside Sisu and the rest of her family. It's a simple life, and she does everything possible to forget her past, choosing to live always in the present instead.

During rare times where she does allow herself to reminisce, she can't help but miss Namaari fiercely as well as her Ba. She knows she will never see her friend again, but wishes they could have talked at least once more in life.

One day, Raya is out on a hunting trip, stalking her prey for a long time to find the perfect shot, when an arrow shoots out from behind her. Spinning around, she sees a beautiful young woman, carrying a crossbow.

'That was my dinner,' Raya says in annoyance, but the other woman just snorts. 'No way, binturi...this is all mine.'

The voice is so familiar, so Raya squints at her opponent for a second, before recognition suddenly springs to mind. '...'Maari?' she whispers, and she can see the moment Namaari recognizes her in return. She rushes to Namaari, who picks her up and spins her around before settling into an embrace, both of them talking excitedly over each other. 'I thought you were dead,' Namaari says, arms tight around Raya's waist.

Later, when they have calmed down, Namaari tells her she is on a mission to find food...and help. Heart is apparently in disarray, with Druun allowing Spine to bring in their own forces and use up many of the natural resources. Fang has held out against their desire for further expansion for now, but war between Heart/Spine and Fang is imminent.

'I will not let our people kill each other for the whims of a mad king,' Namaari tells her passionately. 'They are starving and desperate, and we need to find a way to remove Spine's influence from Heart. But Raya, this is perfect. You can return and challenge your uncle...Take your place as rightful leader of Heart.'

Raya feels sick to her stomach at the idea of returning to Heart, wanting more than anything to avoid facing her past and the blame that lies at her feet. But Namaari is a shining beacon in front of her, burning with a righteous passion about saving everyone. Raya never could say no to Namaari.

Raya and Namaari return together, riding side by side into the desolate wasteland that has befallen Heart, with Sisu and her siblings following not far behind. It hurts to be back home, especially seeing it in this state, and as Raya marches up the stairs to the palace, she draws strength from her anger.

'Raya, what a surprise to see you...alive,' Druun says, when she bursts into the throne room. His eyes glance towards the Spine warriors at his side.

'Uncle, stop whatever madness that has you waging wars against our allies, whilst our enemies now take from our lands as they choose,' Raya says, trying to appear strong, but Druun merely gestures his hand in order to amass his Spine fighters around him.

'I should have killed you and Benja with my own hands, rather leaving it to these imbeciles to do it for me,' Druun snaps, and then he is upon her with his sword. Raya fights back with everything she has, white-hot rage fueling her as she realizes what he means by those words.

But Druun is a seasoned warrior, with strong backup, and soon Raya finds herself surrounded.

'FOR HEART!' a yell sounds, and then Heart soldiers are streaming into the palace, accompanied by hundreds of Fang warriors, led by Namaari.

Spine soldiers are pushed back towards their own borders, although Raya pays little attention when she has Druun at the end of her blade. 'I should execute you for what you did to my father,' she snarls, but relaxes when she feels Namaari gently touch her shoulder. She watches instead as he is dragged away to prison, to await proper justice.

Heart is almost in ruins, her people hungry, desperate and lost, but Raya feels as if she can breathe again properly for the first time in years, just by being back.

There is a warmth by her side, and then Namaari is there, smiling down at her. 'Welcome home, dep la,' she says, and Raya reaches out to hold her hand.

#rayaari #raya and the last dragon #ratld #raya and namaari #raya #namaari #raya x namaari #namaari might not be from Heart #but they are her allies #so she will be damned if Fang and Heart start to kill each other #Lion King AU #back to the headcanoooons

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