you know that troup where some friends discover magic and the bully who doesn't believe in magic teases them about it?
You know how often resolving that just boils down to "show the bully magic they can't deny and suddenly they're our friends now because magic is cool"?
The Rainbow Magic: Return to Rainspell Island does NOT do that
Believing in fairies is what gets our main duo bullied- and sparks some angst-
but they DON'T try proving the magic is real to the main bully.
The climax of that story plot is a resolution between THEM
it's Rachel, who's been trying to keep magic talk on the low down to avoid the bullying- finally snapping when it's HER FRIEND getting bullied, even AFTER Kirsty stopped herself and backpedaled on the magic talk, like Rachel's been asking her to.
Surprise! The bully just found another reason to be mean anyway! Not talking about fairies didn't stop the bullying!!
What DOES stop the bullying from MATTERING as much is Rachel deciding to stand up and stand with her friend about this thing they both care about and believe in.
And that thing could have been anything!
It didn't have to be fairies or magic, the POINT is just these two girls finding Confidence in themselves and sticking with each other, speaking up for each other, facing the bullying together and pushing back against it!
Rachel: "They were given to use by Oberon, king of the fairies."
Lydia: "HAHAHA! You expect me to believe THAT?"
Rachel: "Of course not. The only thing you believe in is making fun of other people, so can yourself feel better about yourself."
BURRRRRNNNN YES RACHEL SET HER ON FIRE HEHEHEH
THAT'S what gets the bully's gaggle of supporters to go "hey wait a second..."
Seeing how the main duo treat each other, and even how they treat the girls who were helping to bully them-
when one them sidles up secretly to admit she thinks she /might/ have seen some fairies, they believe her (they were the supposed fairies actually) and they're happy for her!
Even after getting tricked by a fake fairy hoax just the night before! They don't laugh, or tease, or rub it in the girl's face, or use it to get back at the bully. They're decent about it! And push back on the bully WITHOUT throwing anyone else to the wolves!
"I'd rather be team fairy than team LOSER."
Rachel really went from "oh no what if lydia bullies me" to "i am going to slow roast this girl over a campfire of her own making~"
shoutout also to Kirsty, who nips so many things in the bud in the best way possible
because there IS a moment where the idea of proving magic to the bully is brought up, with Rachel wanting to show Lydia the fairies somehow and put her in her place, but Kirsty, and the amazing writing of this movie, slips in so neatly with
Kirsty: "Lydia already is in her place, Rachel. And it doesn't seem like a very fun place to be."
Said while Lydia makes a fool of herself celebrating a win she stole from her own friends.
Kirsty: "I actually feel sorry for her. There's so much magic all around, and she'll never see it."
THE MAGIC OF FRIENDSHIP!
OF THIS!!!
wanting to SHARE something that's important to you WITH someone who's important to you!!!!
~the magic is here inside... WE can fly~
WHICH LYDIA'S THE BULLY'S FRIENDS CAUGHT A GLIMPSE OF LAST NIGHT, AND AGAIN THE NEXT DAY, THANKS TO RACHEL AND KIRSTY
Lydia shrugged it off, but they didn't
So when the bully makes her friends lose third place in a race just so SHE can get a ribbon, and blames not getting a better time on the friend she was partnered with, instead of on how she stopped to trip the main duo-
That, compared to how Rachel and Kirsty treat each other, that's what gets the bully's followers to break off from her.
No fairies. No magic.
The bully is left out and excluded and never sees a magical thing or has it proven to her.
All she learns is that she misses her friends.
Her coming up and pressing the third place ribbon into her friend's hand before walking away again- it works so well! BECAUSE it's all about the people, the friends, and the magical stuff is just backdrop.
The real magic is right here.
Rachel and Kirsty might have magical amulets given to them by the king of the fairies, but their real power and triumph is how they just keep sticking to each other and talking and trying to make things work.
Is Kirsty sad when Rachel stops wearing her pendent? Yes.
Is she hurt when Rachel has them move their whole tent away from the other girls and lies about the reason, just to keep anyone from overhearing Kristy's casual talk about fairies and goblins. Oh yes, she's hurt and says it, she's scared Rachel's ashamed of having her for a friend-
"If it wasn't for me Lydia wouldn't be teasing you" oh owwww baby noooo-
Rachel's answer, "I'm not ashamed! Just, embarrassed..."
THIS IS NOT ABOUT MAGIC! THIS COULD BE ABOUT ANYTHING!!!
what takes center stage here is THEM and how being friends and being themselves is causing this friction, this dissonance between them, only they don't want that!
Rachel chasing after her friend, horrified because what she said came out all wrong!
Kristy angrily walking off but also saying oh don't worry, she'll be more CAREFUL from now on- echoing Rachel from eariler-
And yes then they have a little magical adventure
But, since Rachel left her own amulet behind again, there's the chance here for her either to be left out or have Kristy say I told you so. She even tells Kristy to go ahead and say it.
What does Kristy actually say? With a smile?
"Forget that!"
They both get to charge around on carousal animals brought to life, because Kristy shares the magic of her amulet with her friend.
The magic is important because it's their thing. For them, as a duo.
I've seen so many stories go the other way. Get so caught up in magic and world building and plot that the reason it's all important stops being centered around the character's we care about, and so stops helping them be characters.
Rainbow Magic: Return to Rainspell Island doesn't do that.
I love it so much.
Bless the writers who give me good things like this. Delicious. Adorable. Wonderful to soak in.
Crazy thought: what if Rainbow Magic had an (eight-book) arc in which a rogue fairy who, long ago (long before Rachel and Kirsty learned about Fairyland), had been banished from Fairyland for crimes against the King and Queen, returned, went into the Fairyland Prison (or wherever any bad fairies are kept), freed seven of the most evil inmates (each representing one of the seven deadly sins, with the rogue fairy herself representing despair), and made them into her army?
daisy meadows needs to start writing YA novels STAT
Imagine how relieved Yuu would be after finally returning back to their home world with their family. It's peaceful and exciting to be back after being gone for an entire year no less and they have so much to catch up on back home. But after awhile they see things that remind them of the others. They can't look at a deck of cards without being reminded of their two best friends and it hurts to think about.
Yet none hurt the most and reminds them of how lonely they feel than when they see a gray cat with a white fluffy chest and blue eyes. Everywhere they go they are reminded of them. One day they are out shopping with their mom at the local city center and they passed by someone who looks far too familiar walking with their white hair campanion. No, this happened before where they think they saw someone they knew only to be embarrassed of mistaking a stranger for a friend. But the curiosity keeps eating away until they look over their shoulder and for a moment they felt their heart stop.
Those eyes, they are far too familiar with those eyes. In the warm hue of the sunset they could tell that those eyes can only belong to the fae and for a moment they are caught off guard from that familiar smile. His horns are not present and his sharp pointed ears are replaced with rounded ears of a human. Even so they knew who was looking back at them.
"Malleus?"
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