I Got The Idea For This Fanfiction Back In June 2020, But Now I Was Finally Able To Finish It!✨

A certain person asked me how I paint with watercolors so I guess I'm going to tell you all! Now I'm not professionally trained, I just learned what I know from experimenting, asking questions, and looking up tutorials. So this may not be what the experts do, but it's what works for me.

How I paint:

Materials: I have a watercolor palette, a little jar full of water, my paint brushes, some paper that is thick enough for watercolors, pencil, and some paper towel to help mop up excess water. I always put down some kind of rag cloth or newspapers down on the table first so I don't get any paint on the table. Watercolors don't stain as much as other kinds of paint but it's best to you be careful.

I always use a watercolor palette to make my paintings. This is a very different system from oil paint or acrylic paints or even liquid watercolors or watercolor pencils, so you need to keep that in mind with the rest of the things I tell you

Step 1 (Start): I decide what I'm going to paint and make a little pencil sketch of it on the paper, It doesn't need to be detailed it just needs to give me a rough idea on how big it will be and where various shapes will go. (I sketch it very light so that you don't see the pencil lines on the finished painting but you can make it dark if you still want to see the lines).

Step 2 (Layers 🧅): I decide which colours would be best to be put on the bottom layer and which colours should be put on the top layer and then begin painting accordingly. For example I painted Mirabel's skin before I painted her hair, so I could have bits of her hair going down on top of her skin. I mix the colours together on a scrap piece of paper first just to test how they look.

Step 3 (How to apply paint): I dip my paint brush in water and then swirl it around in the needed colour until I have my desired amount, then I begin to paint in the shape that I want. Whenever my brush needs more colour I put a very small amount of water on it and then rub it gently against the paint palette then brush it again on the paper. For dark colours I swirl it around longer in the paint to get more paint on it and then lay it on thick. For lighter colours I put more water on the brush and less paint on it and then use the water to spread the paint even further across the paper. Important tip: Never press your brush too hard against the paint palette or the paper when you're painting, otherwise the bristles could be bent out of shape or fall out. Use the same amount of pressure you'd use if you were petting a kitten with the paintbrush. (You shouldn't actually do that, it's just a metaphor.)

Important tip: If you ever have too much water on your paintbrush, use a paper towel to mop some of it up. You can also use a paper towel to help get unwanted paint off your brushes.

Step 4 (Waiting): After filling in one shape with a specific colour, I move on to the next colour. If I don't want the colours to mix together I wait a minute or two for the first part to dry before I continue on to the next part. But if I do want a gradient then I start adding the new colour and brush them together a bit with water.

Step 5 (Small details): Watercolours mix together really well but that means to get good looking light colours you have to apply them directly to the paper, where there isn't any paint, otherwise if they are mixed with a dark-colour they could become muddy looking. For things like Mirabelle's glasses I painted the skin around them first, leaving a white blank space and then once the paint had dried I very carefully added the light green, making sure not to get the brown paint wet again. (I also use this process for the butterfly on the accordion and the earring.)

Step 6 (Optional Final touches): Sometimes I used paint for the pupils of eyes but they never seem as detailed as I want. So instead what I do is I leave the eyes as blank white circles, and then once I'm finished painting everything else, and everything is completely dry, I use a small pen or marker to draw the black outline around the eyes as well as pupils and pencil crayons to colour the iris. I also use pencil crayons for the eyebrows, lips and dress butterflies.

Repeating these steps for a very long time eventually leads to a finished painting. If you have any questions let me know.

I loved your fic “The only time Esteban ever beat Victor in a race.” It hit me emotionally just there. And seeing Victor comfort Esteban was perfect. I hate all the fics where I see him as a willing conspirator in Shuriki’s takeover who expressed little to no care for the tragedies that occurred that day.

Thank you so much! I was using a stark, show-don't-tell style for it, so I'm glad you liked it!

I've always thought that Victor would be horrified by the death of the Avalor royal family, just not quite as personally affected as Esteban. And of course he would try to comfort Esteban afterwards, give him support when he needed it most, making sure he was still eating and sleeping. (Victor probably wasn't very good at saying consoling things, which made it seem like he didn't care).

As long as Esteban had someone showing him kindness, he was harder to control. I think that's the main reason why Shuriki banished Victor. (Plus it would be easier having one teenage assistant and Esteban probably knew more about Royal politics anyway.) So one day she just lied to Esteban, saying that Victor knew about the assassination the whole time, and that he was happy the royal family was dead. Esteban's emotions were running so high that he believed her. So he agreed when she declared they would banish Victor. (Besides, if he went against Shuriki’s will she might kill him, so he didn't try to stop her).

  In the end, both of them had been reckless and greedy, making a plan to take over the kingdom (no matter their emotional motivations), but neither of them wanted anyone to die. At least that's my interpretation of it.

Just bought and am currently playing The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe.

Gotta say, I'm loving [the jetpack ending]

My favorite part was [The Adventure Line™]

Wow...[Stanley]

Greetings!

LILACS !!!!!

Flores Cousin Bonding ft. Baby Jaquins

[Image ID: A pencil crayon and ink drawing of Esteban, Isabel and the baby jaquins from Elena of Avalor. Esteban is on the left holding a basket full of anoki berries with one arm and holding out a berry to Estella with the other. Zoom is reaching over his arm towards the basket of berries. Isabel is on the right holding Mingo in her arms while Estella is sitting on her head. They are all outside by a berry bush. End ID]

A fanfiction in which Armando saves Avalor

  “Armando! Marlena! You have to help us!” exclaimed Luisa as she and Francisco ran into the room.   “Huh? What’s wrong!?” Marlena replied, almost dropping the Danaus plexippus she was holding.   “Oh, sorry to interrupt you two from your caterpillar counting, but we have an emergency at the palace!”   “That’s alright,” replied Armando “there’s still a few days until the next caterpillar race, we have time, what’s wrong?”   “Well, I was looking out the telescope at the observatory earlier today,” Francisco explained “when at exactly 4:44 in the morning, on this day on the 4 months of the year, on the 4 year of the decade-”   “I think they get the point about the date, how it lines up with the prophecy.”   “You’re right mi amor, I just never thought I’d live to see this day…the day a giant meteor that shown bright as a star fall from the sky, gently bounced off several clouds, and landed directly on the palace.”  Armando stiffened, out of all the legends he’d ever heard it his life this one inspired the most fear and awe in him. Marlena noticed his anxiety and took his hand in hers; it made them both feel mildly more at ease.   “And we don’t know what to do, I’m from a chocolate making family, I don’t know much about this. But with your family’s background you are the expert on this kind of thing. So, we need your help” said Luisa “or else according to the prophecy…”   “…It would vaguely become a big nuisance.”   “Si.”  Armando nodded “Then I’ll give it my best shot!”

Clippity-clop Clippity-clop Clippity-clop Clippity-clop (they rode on horses to the palace)  Now the universe is vast and unfathomable, everything we see is but a fraction of its majesty. There is so much out there beyond human understanding, even within the understandable, from the forces which dictate the movements of electrons, to what truly happens to matter inside a blackhole. Humans have not yet discovered the answer to these mysteries, and maybe they never will. But one thing is certain, when confronted by the answer to one of these great mysteries, everyone will have a different reaction. When our heroes arrived at the palace, a spectrum of reactions is what they saw.

 Cheese was everywhere, people were running around screaming, casually chatting with each other, twirling around, touching the cheese, not touching the cheese, and doing ever more noticeable things as well.   “Who needs sea shanties when we can sing cheese shanties!” yelled Naomi, who proceeded to sing nothing, for she did not know any cheese shanties.  Victor was standing with one hand over his heart, the other in a fist he shook at the sky “Way must the sky tempt me so? It knows that cheese is the best thing of all to steal, and yet, if I were to steal it I would rid myself of everything I hold dear! And yet, temptation remains, way cruel fate, WHY?!”  Carla was facing the wall, with the air of a teacher educating the masses “Did you know that on the planet Skelecki, they put their cheese into orbit so it can become fluffy from zero gravity?” she said.  Gabe was standing beside her also looking at the wall, “I did not, did you know that in the delta quadrant, a creature called a grakel produces a milk was called schplict, which can be used to make a green colored cheese?”   “I did not, did you know that did you know that-” this conversation had probably done on like that for a while.  Mateo was on the floor, touching the cheese. He was constructing a terrible effigy into the cheese, it looked reminiscent of a cartoon electric mouse, but it the shape on a man. It was unsetting.  Ixlan was just standing there, expressionless “As you can see, I am filled with a sense of awe in the universe.”   (Anyone I, the narrator, have not specifically mentioned has ether yet to be mentioned, or just wasn’t there at the palace that day, it was a pretty slow Saturday after all, minus this main problem.)   “Wow,” said Marlena “I never knew people could have such strong reactions over cheese from outer space.”   “They where here when it collided with the palace, so it’s probably one of these ‘you had to be there’ situations.”   “That makes sense.”  Dr. Crabington, the palace’s beloved doctor was walking in a straight line past them. Their eight tiny, exoskeleton covered legs moving them straight forward instead of sideways!   “Oh no!” exclaimed Francisco, “Even Dr. Crabington, the palace’s beloved doctor is affected! Will no one be able to escape the influence of the majestic space cheese!?”   “How did this cheese even get here, where did it come from?” asked Marlena.  Armando put his hand on his chin, “If I remember correctly, its because our galaxy…”  She nodded “The milky way galaxy…”   “Is made of mostly milk, and when there’s milk there’s often…”   “Cheese!”   “Yes, and when the stars and calendars are in alignment, the celestial cheese will intersect with planets and cause glitches with reality.”   “And who better to fix those glitches than the royal glitch fixer.” Said Francisco.  Armando smiled.

  “Hay where are our nietos?” asked Luisa “normally they are in the middle of problems of this magnitude.”   “Oh I know where they are” said the ghost of Lucia “Hi mom, hi dad.”   “Hola mija,” replied Luisa “it’s good to see you aren’t affected by the cheese power.”  She nodded “Well ghosts are immune to the effects of galactic cheese, so it makes sense, but both my hijas and sobrino certainty are not.” She pointed at Elena, Isabel, and Esteban, who where in the corner.  Elena was doing stand up comedy “What do you call a cheese made out of cheese? A cheese!” Then she laughed at her own joke.   “Oh Elenita, what has happened to you?” said her concerned mother.  Isabel looked up, “Hi mom, I’m testing how much cheese can be put in a sock before it explodes, for science!” she was throwing socks at the cheese.   “Isa you’re supposed to use your science powers for good, not this!” she told her, “But I do have to say I am very proud of you for getting that science degree, and you always making such brilliant inventions, and for always being your wonderful self. I love you.”   “Thanks mom, that’s always good to hear, I love you too.” Said Isa, as she through a purple argyle sock onto the cheese.  Meanwhile, Esteban was gazing at the cheese in awe “Cheese-chan you are so amazing; I feel inspired enough to maybe do a traditional Satu fan dance for you!” he exclaimed.   “I’ll help you find them Ex-Chancellor!” exclaimed Higgins, who was also there.  Luisa shook Armando’s shoulders “Oh no, Armando, you have to do something before he finds where I hid all his fans!”   “Right, this is pretty serious, but I have a plan, but we need one more thing to complete it, and there’s a special sale on at the store for it, vanilla extract!”   “Vanilla extract? Are you sure?” she asked.  Yes, in ancient times the Maruians gathered together a counsel of their most trusted wizards, and rowdiest citizens, to vote on what would be most likely to safely get rid of space cheese, and Vanilla extract won the vote in an overwhelming majority.”   “Then it must be true!”   “What are we waiting for? Let’s save the world!” said Marlena.  

Sparkly-Clippity-clop Clippity-clop Clippity-clop Clippity-clop (they rode on unicorns to the store and back to the palace, because they are faster then just running there)   “It’s time, are you ready, should I go over the lyrics again?” said Armond as he stood in front of the palace.  Marlena held her guitar in her hands, “No, you explained them really well on the unicorn ride back here.”   “Okay great, are you both ready?”   “Guitar!” yelled Francisco, summoning a guitar out of thin air because his guitar servant was on vacation.   “He’s ready and I am too.” Said Luisa.   “Great, then we start in three, two…” he poured the bottle of vanilla extract on the space cheese to make the song effective. “One…NOW!”   “Cheese, cheese, go away on the moon is where you’ll stay.” They all sang, with guitar accompaniment.  It began to float upwards.   “Cheese, cheese, go away on the moon is where you’ll stay.” They sang ever louder, and it lifted completely off the palace.  Even you, the reader, sang it in your head “Cheese, cheese, go away on the moon is where you’ll stay!”  It was going, it zoomed off the palace, into the sky, and landed on the moon, where it would live the rest of its days in peace and tranquillity.  After that everything at the place returned to normal.   “Let’s make cookies for a celebration party!” exclaimed Isabel five minutes later.   “How many?” asked Lusia.   “More than you can shake a click at-I mean stick at!” she replied. Everyone had a good time at the party, Armando was given a medal of problem solving, but the biggest reward of all for him was the felling on a job well done.

(Author’s note: Raul was not at the palace because he was being the dungeon master at his ghost table-top roleplay group, and cancelling would have been a let down for everyone, but he arrived for the cookie party afterwards.)

This is the picture I drew of Spring Mateo, for week one of the EOA discord weekly challenge!   I had always wanted to draw Mateo in a bowler hat.

Hi there! Who do you think Elena wanted to choose before chosing her grandfather to dance with her?

I think Francisco was her first choice from the beginning, and if she didn't choose Francisco she probably would have chosen Isabel or Luisa. (Or possibly Esteban, but I feel like she probably decided who she wanted to dance with long before she had forgiven him).

Being crowned was a very important moment for Elena and while she cares about both her friends and family, she just gave her friends job promotions, which means she'll probably get to see them all for work-related things. But she probably won't get to see her family quite as much being Queen, so it was quite a nice gesture dancing her Abuelo instead of one of them

And even if none of her family members were there, I don't think she would have chosen Mateo, Gabe, or Naomi for a very certain reason. You see, in the song “Fit to be Queen” Gabe & Mateo both seem very keen about dancing with her. But the thing is whether you believe that either of them or just one of them or neither of them have a crush on her, the fact is they both wanted to dance with her. And they seem to view her choice as a choice between the 2 of them (when it wasn't).

It seemed to me like a resurgence of their rivalry from "Party of a Lifetime," where they were fighting over who was her "best" best friend. And I know they've fought with each other about other things since that episode but never about how much Elena liked them. I mean Elena just cringed away from both of them and put their hands together instead of holding either one of them. Because whether you believe she has a crush on either of them or neither of them, she recognizes this could become a point of contention between them.

If Elena had chosen Naomi, Gabe and Mateo could possibly have also taken that personally and added Naomi to their rivalry. (Don't get me wrong I don't think that they would be annoyed about it forever, but they might make a rash decision in the short term because of it.)

I do Headcanon that Elena probably danced with all 3 of them at some point during the coronation. It's just that since the “most important” dance was the first dance, she dedicated that one to her family instead.

“Ash let out a shriek of frustration. She felt so alone, more so than she had ever felt in her long life. She wanted so much. She wanted to be back in the jungle, bickering with Esteban over what passed for morals between them. She wanted to feel Victor’s strong arms around her as he taught her to dance. She wanted Zopilote to take her under his wing again, the only time she’d ever truly felt safe in her entire life. Most of all, she wanted to hold her baby girl, rocking her to sleep, and to get to know the woman her daughter had become.” - The Past Is Prologue by Nontacitare, Chapter 28: The One and Only.

This paragraph has stuck with me for months after I read it so of course I had to draw it. In Nontacitare’s post-Coronation Day, Elena of Avalor fanfiction, The Past Is Prologue, Ash gets a character arc that is just superb. Her emotions and motives and drive are explored, and it shows how she's done evil, horrible things in her life but despite everything, she's still human and can choose what she does next (and is still capable of doing good).

[Image description: A pencil sketch fanart drawing of a scene from the Elena of Avalor fanfiction The Past Is Prologue. In the center of the picture Ash is crying while holding one hand up to her face. Around her are five moments from her past she’s remembering. The five scenes are as follows, going clockwise from the bottom left corner: 1. Ash as a young girl looking up at Zopilote who is in vulture form and has his wing stretched out, sheltering her. 2. Ash is rolling her eyes at Esteban who is standing behind her, looking smug. 3. A woman whose face is not pictured holding a smiling baby in her arms. 4. Ash dances with Victor as they look into each other's eyes. 5. Ash gently holds Carla’s face with one hand as Carla smiles up at her. End description.]

What gave you the idea on Victor and Ixlan becoming friends?

Hi Anon, months ago when The Lightning Warrior came out I was really pleased and inspired by it (I still love that episode, it's probably my favorite). So then I started thinking about how, in a way, their current situations were kind of similar. Both of them had been magically sealed away and out of the loop for quite a while (relatively speaking) before they were both added to team Elena. And afterwards I feel like both of them would have some difficulty adjusting to it, so they would have that in common.

Even though they were reformed, people would still probably be pretty wary of Victor and Carla since they were wanted criminals for so long, so it would probably take quite a while for most people to warm up to them. But Ixlan wouldn't have that problem, the first time she met them they both saved her from imprisonment and then saved her again from a giant monster. (Also I like to think that after the battle with the Moyacu they finally had lunch, and even though the food was kind of cold by then, Ixlan really enjoyed it. And she probably drank it straight out of a pot without a spoon after they had gotten their own bowls because why not? It's faster that way.).