Carla Delgado - Blog Posts

Día de los Muertos will always be a very emotional time for them.

Here they are, The Wizards of Avalor!

“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.]

Thank you so much for the sketch! It’s wonderful as always. The costumes are wonderful. I love Victor’s sombrero and Carla’s flower wreath. What style is her hair in? Is it down? And I’m certain it is emotional for them. We don’t know much about Victor’s family or his relationship with them, but regardless, I can see Dia Muertos being emotional for them. Though I also think that Victor would love telling Carla stories about his parents/family, and that she would love listening to them.

You're welcome, I'm so glad you like it!

Yes, her hair is down, I was trying something different with the line style, so it's a little hard to tell. So it's basically styled like a regular hairstyle, except without the braid so the back of her hair is down. I love his sombrero too, Victor in hats is a very good idea.

I have no idea what Victor's relationship would be like with his family (Well, no one does because it is never clarified in the show, but that's besides the point). I've always sort of headcanoned that he had a strained relationship with them. Not abusive or anything, but just that his parents were probably really busy with other stuff and couldn't really pay too much attention to him as a kid and that could be one of the reasons for why he started doing troublesome things, to try and get attention. So the most common times they would focus on him was when he got in trouble and they would give him punishments and be annoyed at him. He resented that and they never really patched that up.

I mean, yes, Victor specifically references his father being royal treasurer, and yet he never mentions him again. It doesn't seem like he's in contact with him at all, and it could be because he's dead, but then why wouldn't he ever reference any other relatives? In the song Way Back When, it seems like other than Ash being there at some point, Victor and Carla were living alone.

Victor specifies that Shriki banished “[him] and [his] family” and he must have been referring to his birth family because Esteban didn't recognize Ash or Carla when he first saw them. I've always thought that Victor's father must have been loyal to the King and Queen of Avalor, and when he realized his son had a hand in the assassination, Victor was disowned. Their relationship was already strained and Victor presumably got them banished as well, so that was the last straw.

So then when Victor has a kid, he's like, “OK, I'm definitely going to pay a bunch of attention to her and make sure that she always knows that she's appreciated.” Which, you know, he mostly succeeds at, but he's not entirely perfect, no parent is.

Although it could be closer to what you say and he actually had a really good relationship with his family. But then I have to wonder why he wouldn't ask them for help raising Carla when he was on his own. Or why they wouldn't try and stop him from doing crime. Who knows, maybe his parents didn't disown him, but they couldn't survive being banished, and maybe that worsened Victor's resentment of Esteban? So yeah, then he would say nice things about them to Carla, but they wouldn't be there to help him raise her.

Or maybe he was in a similar situation to Esteban, where he projected that he had a worse relationship with his family than he actually did and it was only after he got older that he realized it wasn't that bad? And it could be like either one of the other two scenarios, but would he say nice things about them to Carla once he realized that. But there are probably even more different possibilities than this that I'm not even thinking of right now.

Just finished the new chapter of my Coronation Day missing scene fic! This chapter has action, drama, sports, and puns so bad that I put a glossary at the start of the fic for the sake of clarity.

Hi! I hope you don’t mind, but I am back with another request. I loved the request you drew of Carla riding Vestia from a few months back, and have only been inspired to ask for another. I have always loved your artwork. The way you draw the characters, and even clothing, makes it look like it comes straight out of the show. There is nobody I would trust, or want to ask to draw this, but you. I know you love Victor, so I hope you enjoy. Could you draw him and Carla in Dia de Muertos outfits?

Día de los Muertos is a very emotional time for them.

(Thank you for your kind words they mean so much to me, and I had a lot of fun designing the outfits!)

Thanks for replying to my asks! I know I didn’t mention this before, but I actually look at that picture more often than not. Carla looks great with her hair down! The way it’s drawn in motion is fascinating. And the purple dress and white earrings look great on her. I am personally a huge fan of Carla’s outfit in the show sand love her complex hair style, but, I like seeing her I. Different outfits too.

Thank you so much, I'm so glad to hear it!!! 🌟 It took me a while to choose the colors. The dress was the first thing I coloured, then I left the details blank, trying to choose what colors I should add to them, but then I realized that they looked good just the way they were. It was really fun to draw the hair, letting the stretch flow like fire or water.

Do you think Carla and Marzel (Carzel) is a good ship?

 Thank you for being so patient with me, anonymous, I shall finally provide you with an answer.

TLDR; It's a nice ship, they seem like they'd be cute together, I ship it mildly. But I would not accept any version of the ship that forces Carla to permanently become a sirena for the relationship to function.

 Personality wise, they match up pretty well. Marzel can be pretty stubborn and doesn't know a lot about land yet, but he's curious and willing to learn, he’s also fairly heroic and caring. Same with Carla, although I would say she's a tad more chaotic than he is, but that's only because she spent most of the series as an antagonist. Both of them have a similar sense of humor, which is always good for a relationship, and their color schemes go well together, so aesthetically they work too.

 The one problem I have with this ship is that some people insist Carla would have to permanently become a sirena, like Marzel's mother did, if they wanted to truly be together. That is absolutely ridiculous and frankly, it's a very unfair power dynamic.*

 Marzel can walk on land as well as swim in the water, so he doesn't even need to permanently stay in the water. The magic kelp is easy to get access to and allows humans to breathe underwater just fine. Even if they can't wear it for long term, we've seen plenty of different things in the show that cause temporary shape shifting. The Amulet of Avalor was able to transform Sofia into a mermaid whenever she wanted. Yes, I know the amulet is unique, but now with access to the crystal well they could definitely make something similar. Mateo is able to turn humans into jaquins temporarily for goodness sake.

 There are so many things that Carla loves on land that she wouldn't be able to do anymore if she was turned permanently into a sirena, like dancing and cooking (and they're her only canonical hobbies besides doing crime and sitting waiting for things)! Plus, it would be much harder to see her father and land friends.

 What if her and Marzel's relationship didn't work out? Then she'd be stuck all alone underwater and she'd be miserable. I don't think she'd take that kind of risk considering what happened with her own parents. So yes, I believe the relationship could work, but only if she wasn't turned permanently into a sirena.

*[It seems kind of fishy that some people automatically expect Carla to give up her life on land for this relationship, while no one has said that Marzel should give up his life underwater to be in a relationship with her. And don't say it's just because he needs to take the throne because his sister is just as capable of ruling as he is.]

Indeed. I think under the guidance of a Master Wizard like Mateo, Carla would only thrive as a Wizard and become even more powerful. I wouldn’t be surprised if she ends up becoming a Master Wizard herself. She has the power and the talent. She just needs the guidance of a Master to get there.

Sí.

What are your thoughts on Carla’s magical ability? I can never be sure, but seeing her use magic throughout the show, it seems to imply that she’s very talented.

I agree, think that she must certainly have some talent to be able to do the magic we see her cast. By "To Save a Sunbird" she can do a clothing altering spell, a sleeping spell, a blasting spell and even a spell that creates a small tornado. She seems to be at about season 1-Mateo levels of magic.

But we don't have very many examples of other tamborita users to compare her to. She can cast blasting spells more reliably than Victor, but he was able to cast a teleportation spell once and we have never seen her do that. I think she's pretty good so far, but could become much better after more training and practice.

Peabunnies on Coronation Day?

Ah yes! It is a missing scene fanfic for Coronation Day I have had in mind ever since the episode came out. It details what Carla and Victor were doing before during and after the attack on Avalor.

I just released the first chapter and am finishing up the rest!

Hi A-Lilacsong. Can I tell you just how much I enjoyed “Encarcelado”? I have completely fallen in love with the Delgados and their animals. I also love how Victor had an honest talk with Carla about his relationship with Ash. Yet, even so, he and Carla have no idea just how dark things will get with Ash. And just how dark Ash is.

Thank you so much, I am so happy you liked it!!!! I had a lot of fun writing Albahaca & Nieve. Cute animals for the win! 🦎🐕💖

Yes! I always thought that was something that they needed to talk about. It's just so hard for each of them to talk about their problems with each other since they don't want to make each other feel bad. Plus, he was still holding back a little bit when telling her about it, but at least they covered the main bits.

Oh boy do they ever. Frankly the red flags are there, but Carla is very in denial/hopeful thing will become better. And Victor, despite everything, still cares about Ash enough not to make an effort to leave, and at this point still has a glimmer of hope that things could get better. (We even see how he reached out to give Ash a hug when she was put in the cell in The Magic Within, but she ignored him to just acknowledge Carla. He looks disappointed for a second before he starts talking to Elena and Esteban instead). Which makes her betrayal all the more heartbreaking.

It took longer then expected but I finally finished writing this fanfiction! It's about Victor and Carla’s time spent in the palace dungeon and the experiences they had there. (Which includes making new animal friends, getting interrogated, and reflections on emotions!)

Hello! I wanted to share a headcanon that I had. I headcanon that post-Coronation Day, Carla will be good frienss with the 4 amigos. What do you think?

Sure, I can see that happening. I doubt that she would be able to become as close to them as they all are to each other, but they would all hang out with each other sometimes. I like to think that Carla also became friends with Antonia and Tomiko, they would get along well.

If you’re still taking requests can you draw a reformed Carla riding a reformed Vestia into battle?

Flying together / with magic, might, and moxie / fighting for better

Hi there! You said you associate some songs with Carla. Well this is the song I associate with her. "Born without a heart" by Faouzia. I just feel like the song fits Carla so well, I don't know why.

Okay I just listened to it and yeah it does give me some Carla vibes as well. Maybe the overall somber yet defiant tone of the song? Or the acknowledgement that nurture rather than birth is a bigger factor in a person's sense of empathy and morality? There's a certain sense of regret and a slight hope of becoming better in the future that the song gives off that would fit with her too.

Thank you for answering my ask about Carla! It ALWAYS bugged me the way Elena handled the Delgados. They weren’t threats anymore post “The Magic Within.” The entire reason Victor was turned to stone was because he ended dark persuits. Prisons exist to keep dangerous people safe from society. Victor and Carla were no longer threats post “The Magic Within.” The idea that they would’ve been kept there forever, despite a change of heart bothers me. I also love your idea with the dog!

Yeah it haunted me after The Magic Within. I mean okay I can see why Elena and the Grand Council would be hesitant to give them a second chance, they had betrayed their trust on multiple occasions beforehand and even almost killed them, so there was some justifiable fear there.

The problem was that this time it was pretty clear that Carla couldn't be lying about this. Her father really had been turned to stone and she really was sad and all alone. Even if Elena didn't believe what Carla said about Victor wanting to change she could have used her scepter power to see what he had said. Plus she'd already forgiven others like Vestia and Cruz for the things they'd done, so it was annoying that she hadn't even tried with them.

The dungeon itself has always unsettled me. The cells are small and dark and we've never seen any proper beds or wash areas in them. Not even a pillow or a bucket. Plus if you look closely in some scenes, there are large piles of ash on the floor from the torches which could end up being a health hazard if they aren't cleaned up. I don't think it was the creative team's intent to make the dungeon look as unethical as it appeared to be, but that's how the cookie crumbles.

As for whether they would have been kept there forever, well, I guess my personal headcanon is that Elena was probably planning on creating a final ruling for them only after they had caught Ash and Esteban, so she wasn't lying when she said “I'll deal with you later.” (Still not a good policy though considering that it could have taken years to catch them).

Yes, thank you! After TMW I was watching a bunch of scenes with the dungeon to see if Carla really would be alone and I was very happy when I realized she wouldn't be seeing that in “To Save a Sunbird” it actually shows that there is also a dog in the dungeon.

This was actually incredibly comforting to know because even in the best-case scenario where Carla actually does become friends with some of the guards and/or palace staff looking after her, it's not like they could give her any true unconditional love considering the circumstances and their own judgments of her. But the dog would, because dogs are loving and adorable and pure. (All right this is straying into headcanon territory but it's a comforting headcanon).

[Here's a screenshot from “To Save a Sunbird” of the dungeon. The first arrow I added points to a large pile of ash on the floor which really shouldn't be there. The second arrow points to the dog sleeping in the foreground.]

Mateo and Carla for the character ask?

(I have already answered this question for Mateo right here)

Carla Delgado

Favorite thing about them: She's a cute little crime smol filled with determination and sass, who really loves her family.

Least favorite thing about them: That she didn't get more screen time. (Also how her child model looks, but that's not her fault).

Favorite line: “Haha, burn.”

BrOTP: Well other than her father there isn’t anyone who she's friendly enough with on-screen to really qualify, so it's headcanon time! I've been thinking about this lately and I think it would be really cute if she became friends with some of the girls who she hasn't directly betrayed like Antonia or Tomiko. Not to say that she wouldn't eventually become friends with Elena and Naomi, I just think it would be nice to see her interact with someone who she doesn't have that kind of tension with.

Unpopular opinion: It's just really shocking to me how well put together she still was after being in prison for almost a year, all alone, considering how bleak her circumstances were. We know that she disliked being alone before, but after her mom's betrayal and her dad's petrification she was truly isolated. Maybe she just has unbreakable willpower? No, I feel like SOMETHING must have happened offscreen that helped keep her sane (and that something is the dog). Not that I would have wanted her to be a complete wreck, I just wish they would have spent some time explaining what it was like for her in the dungeon, maybe showing a few scenes of her interacting with someone leading up to The Lightning Warrior.

Song I associate with them: Pretty Lies from The Count of Monte Cristo Musical 2008 (for the angst) - Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again from The Phantom of the Opera (even more angst) - Fun Fun Fun by The Beach Boys (the vibes of it fit her so well)

Favorite picture of them:

Her expression right there is what pure joy looks like.

A pairing I have heard suggested for Carla is Alonso. I feel like I really have to say no to that one. Like you said in a couple of your posts, Carla saw firsthand what happened between her parents. And a big part of what happened was because of Ash’s self absorbed and egotistical nature. So I think Carla would be weary of someone with those traits. Also, I’d like to point out that post reformation Carla is a very sweet, kind, caring girl. So I don’t think she’d be attracted to someone like that

I think Carla wouldn't want to spend time with anyone who is that self-centered, pre or post reformation if she didn't already care about them. (Although pre-reformation she would've totally hung out with him if it was for a scheme and would have swindled him of all he had).

I wonder what Carla’s parents would think of her love interest. I know people think that Victor would have trust issues regarding his own relationship. Though I think if he realized that Carla’s love interest was a genuinely good, trustworthy person who cared about her, he would accept them. Ash…I think would be very unsupportive. ESPECIALLY if Carla was with a good person. Even more so if Carla is with Gabe or Mateo, since they’re closely affiliated with Elena.

Yeah that sounds about right for him. After the lightning Warrior he probably told her about red flags one should look out for in a relationship (if he hadn't beforehand), so she'll be good on that front.

By that point Ash probably wouldn't be in the picture anymore if she's still in the spirit world...but yeah definitely. Although I guess it does depend on your definition of “good person.” Ash would be mad about her dating someone affiliated with Elena, but if Carla was with a “sufficiently evil” person who was also good to Carla and nice to Ash then she’d probably accept them.

Thanks for answering my question! Or maybe she just needs a really, REALLY sweet person who would assure her he would never hurt her that way.

That could work too. But she’d probably at least need to know a bit about this person's background. And maybe know some other people who mutually know this person and believe the person is a good person, to confirm that they are naturally sweet and not artificially sweet.

Do you think Carla would ever style her hair differently from her usual hairstyle? (Personally I think she will ☺)

Yes of course! I'm sure she'd experiment with different hairstyles, especially during different festivals now that her life will be a bit more relaxed (And technically she already has tried out a different hairstyle when she was Rita, but that seemed to be more the potions doing anything else).

As for what style she might try... well she'd probably still use a lot of ribbons in her hair, because those seem to be part of her style. But maybe a style where her hair is down a bit more? (Or if Elena is going always wear her hair up now that she's queen she could always try the single ponytail look).

I like your thoughts! No matter who somebody ships Carla with, she literally saw the unfolding of terrible, toxic relationship between her own parents. I think it’s an interesting topic to explore how bearing witnesses to the disastrous relationship between her own parents would effect her. There are various ways in which a child witnessing a toxic or abusive relationship might effect them when getting into a relationship. And she was 18-19 years old, old enough to understand what was going on.

Yes exactly! Even though Victor and Ash faked a ‘good’ relationship whenever she was around (for her sake), I feel like she started to catch on near the end of it. And she was really distressed when she saw how reluctant Ash was to actually go back to free him. Who knows if Victor actually admitted that they were having relationship troubles when he and Carla were briefly held in the dungeon together, but either way no one was expecting what happened in ‘The Magic Within.’

Now we don't know what their relationship was like before Ash went off to malvago training, but it's implied that it was okay beforehand. Even so, that wouldn't make up for how it crashed and burned in the end.

In short, I feel like Carla would need some time (and therapy) before she was ready for her own romantic relationship.

What do you headcanon for Carla's full name? I headcanon that her full name is Carla Elizabeth Rahela Delgado, (I headcanon that Victor's mother's ancestry was from a Romanian speaking kingdom, & the name Rahela is originally Romanian). What di you think?

That's a nice headcannon. I always think it's cool when people have two middle names instead of just one. What inspired you to choose the name Elizabeth though? It's a really nice name, I only wonder why you chose it specifically?

Elena of Avalor Appreciation Week 2021: Chaos

Because what's more chaotic than getting turned into a tiny little feathery bunny? Or maybe I just wanted  an excuse to draw her, who knows?

[Image ID: A pencil crayon and ink drawing of Carla Delgado after she was turned into a peabunny in the episode “Coronation Day.” She has a yellow body with orange markings, large ears with green flower motifs inside them, and a red, pink, yellow, green and orange peacock tail. End ID]

I already asked this, but I'm not sure that you saw it. I asked you who do you ship with Carla?

Actually this is the first time you posted this question in my inbox. I guess Tumblr just ate the first one, typical Tumblr. This is a bit of a complex question so I'll have to get a long answer.

-I'm pretty neutral about shipping her with Gabe or Mateo*. Whenever I see a piece of content for one of those ships I'm just like “okay that's nice.” Don't get me wrong, I think she could theoretically get into a good romantic relationship with either of them over time, but I'm personally not invested in her getting together with either of them. But I do think that people are definitely allowed to ship them together if they want. (*Even though I'm more of a Rafictor shipper personally, I'm totally fine with people shipping Carla and Mateo romanticly, as long as it's not at the same time in the same story then there's zero problem with it).

-I have read a certain FanFic where she is shipped with an OC and I definitely ship them together in that because the way the author unfolds their relationship it's just really sweet.

-Occasionally I've seen people ship her with Antonia and it's a really sweet ship. After Coronation Day came out I ship Antonia a lot more with Ixlan, but it's still a cute ship.

-There is one side character in the show I think would be absolutely adorable with Carla but no one's ever really mentioned it before other than my own brain from what I've seen, so unless I actually write something for it I think I'll just keep it under wraps for now.

But to me the most important thing about shipping someone with Carla isn't the exact person, but that person is a good person. Because the most important thing is that she finds someone who she can get to know and truly trust before she gets a serious relationship with them (considering what happened to her parents).

@a-lilacsong

Happy birthday, Lilac!! I hope you're having a great day today!

Here's a commission I recently did for my friend @a-lilacsong

Thank you so much for being the first person to purchase a commission for me! I really appreciate it :)

Not too long ago, I was looking at your heartwarming artwork of Carla befriending the prison dog in your artwork! That’s such a wonderful idea! I feel like even post redemption Carla might go down every once in awhile just to visit the dog, who misses her company. I can even imagining Gabe having trouble feeding the dog, and all i of f a sudden Carla appears behind him and helps him approach the dog in a gentler way❤️ Your artwork is really inspiring!

Thank you so much for your kind words! And that sounds like a great idea!

 I feel like it would make logical sense that the dog is normally there in the dungeon when they have prisoners, not for the purposes of guarding it, but for the purpose of making sure the prisoner isn't lonely. I like to think that when Carla was imprisoned she got to take it out for walks when the guards were with her, and that she was later also given a rubber ball so she could play fetch with it.

Here’s my piece for the @guidinglightzine featuring Victor and Carla! I made it alongside @lostbutterflyutau‘s wonderful fanfiction: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29487672. It was so much fun to be part of the zine!✨

[Image ID: A pencil crayon and ink drawing of Victor and Carla Delgado in the palace kitchen. They are both wearing green cooking aprons, and Victor is comforting Carla, they are both smiling. On the table in front of them are many small food dye bottles, a bowl, jars, a butter dish, and a crumpled paper bag. Behind them is a window with phacelia and nasturtium flowers behind it. End ID]