#Rudolph Rankovsky

[livehorses]

WHA- OMG I woke up from a cold-recovery nap to find out this?!?!?!? 😳 I totally forgot that AU but it was practically the one that made us friends in the first place! 🥺 Wow, the story is period drama worthy! 😏 (Suggestion for Ever After, a Cinderella Story soundtrack by George Fenton to be the main theme 👀)

Randomly thinking about the merandette royal au again 😔✌️ sorry for the bad quality, I haven't used sketchbook in years and i don't rember how to adjust the pixel thingy

For those who don't know, I created this au on discord with @livehorses and another friend like, 3/4 years ago

More under the cut

So, more about this au - and I'm reading straight from my notes -

Mérante

Mérante is the king

For some reason in this au Regine is his step-sister, and Camille "works" at the palace as a companion lady or however they're called

When he was younger, and still a prince, he was bethroted to Odette, but the bethrotal was abandoned

When I say he is shook when he finds out where Odette is ✌️

Odette

Odette is from a noble family

HOWEVER her family was already by the last straw when she was younger

What can I say, they weren't making much money and some family members spent more than they could afford

Which is why her father was searching for a good husband. Rich.

The surprise when, lo and behold, Odette became friends with the prince and well, a bethrotal was struck

Unfortunately there was a fire at the family's mansion, her family perished and Odette sustained an injury that crippled her for life. Swell, right?

LIFE OF POVERTY

:(

But hey!

Nothing turns your life around more than catching a little thief who decides she's gonna adopt you as a parental figure, amirite?

Being in need of a job, because now she's got a kid (Félicie) and a half (Victor) depending on her and she's got next to no money, she decides to ask for a job at the royal palace

They start working at the palace and drama ensues because well

Mérante lives there and they were bethroted

Félicie

Félicie, like in canon, decides to run away from the orphanage with Victor

Thieving and robbing is so much better than being a child slave for some rich people

When she's 8, she tries to rob Odette, but Odette caught her

Odette lets her go after much begging and pleading, but Félicie decides to stick around because she's understood that Odette is a kind person underneath her rough exterior

They live like that for a while with Victor popping up from time to time

And then Odette says they're moving to the palace because she's got a job

Of course, she gets into so much trouble, but she also manages to make friends with Nora and Dora, two girls who work as companion ladies for Lady Regine (they hate that so much)

She's there when Mérante finds out Odette is working at the palace and well, after prying part of the story from Odette

She hires Nora and Dora for a marriage plot

More on the story, generally speaking

Regine has a plot to get rid of her step-brother via unspecified murder

It is quite important, yes

When there was the fire, Mérante did search for Odette, but couldn't find her and believed her dead

Which is also why Odette is angry with him when they meet again at the palace

She didn't know he did search for her and believed he'd abandoned her

So much drama!!!!

Anyway, after drama, hijinks of various nature, Victor who sneaks in and starts working as the royal buffoon, Regine who definitely hates there's someone there who could become queen and tries to send the two of them away

Marriage!

So now Odette is queen and Félicie finds herself a princess

Félicie becomes friends with Camille, after getting to know her when her mother is not there and she is not under pression

Enter Rudy (and his father) stage left

His father really, really, really wants his son to be married (or bethroted at least) before he croaks, and which reign just got itself a princess?

This is not a deus ex machina, why are you asking

Anyway, back to the main plot, a few months after the happily ever after for her brother, Regine decides that kidnapping the wife and child is a good idea, because then she can try to poison Mérante and blame Odette and Félicie

I am still straight up copying from my notebook btw

The unlikely alliance of Rudy and Victor does thwart Regine's plan, though.

And Camille does help Odette and Félicie when a second murder attempt ensues

My notes end here quite abruptly

Much sad

:(

[ballerinaleapmovie]

Welcome to Juleap 2024!

What is it "Juleap" all about?

Started by the user @greatmarta , is a fandom event similar to the Coco fandom friendly, in which people can make as many content as they want of any of the characters that appear in the movie. The more content a certain character gains, the more possibilities are there for this one to win by the end of the month.

Following this example, we have our own fandom friendly for the movie Leap or Ballerina, hosted on July.

These are the rules you have to follow, as originally redacted by the creator of the event:

Time yourself as you draw/write. Divide the number of minutes by 2. Each character featured in your work is awarded that number of points. At the end of the month, the character with the highest number of points wins.

Please tag your works as "#b/l!fandomfriendly".

Another rules to take into consideration:

1) Not NSFW entries of any kind.

2) Entries using other people’s art or writing (such as a fanvid that uses other people’s artwork)

3) Entries involving any ships that feature incest or adult/child ships (I don’t think I need to elaborate here)

Canon characters (your work must feature at least one of those):

- Félicie Lebras/Milliner

- Victor Hubert

- Madame Odette

- Monsieur Louis Mérante

- Rosita Mauri

- Camille Le Haut

- Régine Le Haut

- Rudolph Rankovsky

- Nora

- Dora

- Mathurin

- Mother Superior

- Monsieur Luteau

- Auguste Emmanuel Vacourbeil

- The Opera Janitor

Happy creations! 😃🎉

[livehorses]

thanks so much for ur 2 cents!

yeah, i get that, it’s a pretty wild theory. i knew people would think “wait, how can nora and félicie be the same person when in basically ever scene she’s in, nora is with félicie?” well, kinda like you said (probably should’ve mentioned this in the first theory) their actually clones from another universe!

the nora that we see on screen in the actual movie is actually dora from an alternate universe who’s in disguise, pretending to be nora. the félicie we see on screen the entire movie is actually the real nora who had no other choice but to disguise herself as félicie. the actual dora is busy being régine 😼

likewise to that theory; the camille that we see through out the movie is actually rudolph from the same alternate universe as dora (who we know is pretending to be nora), basically dressing in drag (you go king!) and the real camille pretending to be victor.

also i had no idea, that’s so cool! it just shows how much they look alike.

lmao i love this fandom so much.

(also i agree odette and félicie’s biological mom do look somewhat alike)

also if you don’t mind me asking, what do you think of nora x félicie as a ship? personally, i find it really cute!

Well, all the clone and alternate universe thing it's actually insane and mindblowing, I didn't see it that way! 🤯 Still, I think the whole pretending thing between many can complicate things more than they actually are. 😅 Just imagine, Nora pretending to be Félicie pretending to be Camille. But I like the idea of Nora being Dora from another universe, they are much alike and share almost the same name with the difference of a single letter. Also, I prefer Félicie to be herself anyways... she's very unique to be another!

In terms of the Nora x Félicie ship, I must confess I'm not exactly a fan of pairings of same sex, but I respect people who does it. I myself prefer to ship Félicie with Victor, and still we must admit, Félicie and Nora share the same chaotic energy (Nora more than Félicie to be honest, lol 😂)

[astrombtihell]

Zodiac signs as Ballerina characters

Felicie Lebras - Aries, Sagittarius

Odette - Virgo, Taurus

Camille Le Haut  - Gemini

Victor François Xavier - Aquarius, Pisces

Louis Mérante - Scorpio, Cancer

Rudolph Dimitriev Stanislaw Artiem Rankovsky lll - Leo, Libra

Regine Le Haut - Capricorn

[livehorses]

Well, Rudolph's name according to some Internet pages is "Rudolph Dimitriev Stanislaw Artiem Rankovsky lll." write that down for your tags. 😂 And for some that may not know this, prince is another name for the title of duke in Russia. In other words, russian princes weren't exactly sons of the Czar but their relatives.

Once watching the movie with my family, my nearest older brother pointed out that as long as he knew, it was oftenly said that Rudolph Nureyev was this narcissist and proud.

And yeah, it's odd to me that the writers took out of nowhere the romance between kids. It's supposed to be seen as cute and still innocent in comparation with grown up romance, which it only makes it... more immature. Kids shouldn't be thinking about those things yet. At some point what would be more accurate for their age is actually the main plot the movie was treating: what's what defines a kid's personality, that is nothing more but the expectations they have on themselves for the future in relation with a specific profession.

Anyway, I still ship Felíctor.

Also maybe Rudolph wasn't just there to be the romantic rival but also as a personification of procrastination and the temptation of becoming someone you're not. Victor wouldn't represent it because the one which Félicie wanted to go out with that night was Rudolph.

Hello! I’d like to hear your opinion on Rudolph…like seriously how old is this kid? He looks older than Felicie and Victor (I’d say around 13-15 at least)…plus, I didn’t even catch Rudolph’s full name! Felicie also mentioned that he was a prince?! What could he possibly be doing at a dance school in Paris?! I sorta wish he had more screen time as well...

I do have thoughts on our silly little Russian boy!

(look at that cute face!)

I seriously love his dancing. God he’sgood. I mean, if we’re looking for a passionate dancer I think he’s our guy.

Character-wise- he’s a bit all over.He’s stuck-up and snobby towards Félicie and disregarding of the othergirls, and it’s only when Félicie starts improving than he actually paysattention to her (I also don’t know why Félicie goes from meh to infatuation towards him so fast). 

But it’s the scene on the Eiffel Tower that really irked me- he seemed decent enough untilthem, sure he was stuck up and gave bad advice to Félicie (and is a very bad poet) but it was when hepunched Victor that he became an unredeemable jerk in my eyes. Seriously, hecould have shaken hands with Victor and walked away and been much the betterfor it. I think it comes down to him being a foil for Victor, showing how meanand rude he is while Victor is a genuine, upstanding guy.

I also don’t know what his full nameis supposed to be, or why they made him a prince of all things, except that it’ssupposed to impress Félicie and further accentuate the difference between himand Victor. I mean, that’s his whole purpose in the movie, as a romantic rivaland Victor’s foil. Speaking of- these are children,maybe we didn’t need a romantic rival- or romance at all!

As for what he’s doing there-historically, it makes absolutely no sense. 

The late 1800′s was when the ParisBallet was in decline and dancers – especiallymale dancers- were fleeing to Russia and other countries to perform. Male dancers were in lowdemand and poorly thought of by the Parisienne theater-going public, while elsewhere inthe world they were still well-respected. So why would Rudolf have travelled toParis to dance instead of staying inhis home country where people would have actually appreciated his talent?

On theother hand, I love his dancing and it certainly makes sense for a showing of The Nutcracker that does have importantroles for male leads. So in-movie, that’d be the reason. And in the movie we’re supposed tobelieve that Paris is still the world center of ballet, so of course he’d want to go to Paris. I’d argue his parents wereold-fashioned and truly thought that he’d do better in Paris than in Moscow.

   (He kinda looks like a girl here… now that would have been interesting)

I also didn’t realize how tall he is compared to the other girls (who are 11!). However old he is, too old to be courting a child. Ugh. No. A lot of my personal issues with the movie would be fixed just by having them older, seriously.

I’d also like to throw out that I’m pretty sure he’s supposed to be (somewhat) inspired by the famous dancer Rudolf Nureyev, but that’s for another time.

What do you guys think of Russian boy?

[ballerinaleapmovie]

The Juleap event is officially closed, and these are the final results for each character!

- Félicie Lebras/Milliner:

108 + 80 + 75 + 74 + 60 + 74 + 40 = 511 points

- Victor Hubert:

80 + 75 + 60 = 215

- Monsieur Louis Mérante:

60 + 79 = 139

- Madame Odette:

74 + 60 = 134

- Camille Le Haut:

60 + 60

- Régine Le Haut:

60

- Rudolph Rankovsky:

60

- Monsieur Luteau:

60

- Rosita Mauri:

0

- Nora:

0

- Dora:

0

- Mathurin:

0

- Mother Superior:

0

- Auguste Emmanuel Vacourbeil:

0

- The Opera Janitor:

0

Winner: Félicie Milliner, with 511 points!

Second place: Victor Hubert with 215

Third place: Louis Mérante with 139

Links to all the entries:

• "Félicie - Wood Princess" by @livehorses :

• "Once in a Pink Sky!" by @fariadraws

• "An Epoch-making Discovery" by same author.

• "Yummy" by same author.

• "And she turned into a graceful ballerina!" by same author on Tumblr:

• "Camille - Porcelain Doll" by livehorses

• "Meet the Ballerina Leap Characters" by same author on TikTok

• "Ballerina/Leap! - Le Lac de Fées crossover" by Felicitas Winter on Instagram.

• "Louis Alexandre Mérante portrait" by livehorses

Thank you all who participated! See you next year! 😃

[livehorses]

I PRESENT YOU:

RUDE-OLPH

[livehorses]

Ballerina/Leap! as cats

Félicie:

Victor:

Camille:

Rudolph:

Nora and Dora:

Mathurin:

Odette:

Mérante:

Vacourbeil:

Régine:

Rosita Mauri:

Superior Mother:

Luteau:

Opera guard:

Bonus:

You’re Welcome

[livehorses]

👏Well👏said👏@lightening816!

I agree with you. When I saw the trailers I fell in love with Victor because of his devotion and caring with Félice, but at the middle of the movie watching it in the theaters I felt disappointed with all his attempts to force her into being his girlfriend.

I don't deny that Victor was an entire fool doing that, but I support him more than Rudolph who only was having fun with Félice instead of caring about her future.

I believe that Victor is 2 years older than Félicie, which would be 13.

I believe that when Félicie gets adopted, Mérante and Odette would let Victor clear that she's still a girl and that love is something she has to grow with the years. In other words, at least Mérante could be protective over Félicie and he would make Victor to keep a little distance. If there's someone who knows about waiting and patience, is Mérante.

The Ending of Ballerina (2016) vs Leap! (2017)

In regards to Ballerina/Leap!, may we please talk about their version of the real life Rosita Mauri and the ending for a minute? 

Though we don’t see this version of Rosita much in the film, there’s one little detail about her in the Leap! dub that I think was improved upon there, rather than Ballerina’s English dub from Canada. 

And it all has to do with this moment: 

In the original English dub from Canada, once she places Clara’s tiara on Felicie’s head, she tells her, ‘let’s set Paris on fire.’ The curtain rises, Felicie takes a breath, and they dance in front of an audience full of people. Pretty good ending, yes? Felicie’s practice, talent, and technique pay off and we finally see her fulfill her life long dream with a seasoned professional. We then cut to Victor who says, in this dub, “that really is…my girlfriend.” 

Despite some of the added dialogue in the Leap! dub, which (for the most part) ranges from unexpected to really unnecessary, I honestly think Leap! handles the ending better. Here’s why: 

The dub found it necessary to change Rosita’s final line from, “let’s set Paris on fire,” to “let’s show them why we dance.” What’s the one question Odette reminds Felicie of at least two times in the film? 

 Why is this question important? Well, it helps differentiate the talented and passionate from the talented and forced. Felicie dances because of her family history and the thrill of it all, while Camille dances simply because her Mother thinks it’s what best for their family, however small and needlessly harsh. This movie reminds its audience that talent and technique are important of course, but in order to find true fulfillment in your craft, you need to combine all of that work you’ve invested with an actual desire to do it. In other words, there’s fulfillment in wanting to do something plus putting in the time and effort to do it well. 

 So hearing Rosita Mauri herself, who truly was a ballet dance in real life say, ‘let’s show them why we dance,’ feels much more fulfilling. 

The question comes full circle. You’re asked it, you answer as honestly as you can, and now, you can apply it. By the end, Felicie has learned a great deal about self discipline, responsibility, friendship, and true commitment. She’s more than just Victor’s girlfriend. She’s a learned student who will continue to learn and grow until she’s a professional like Rosita, Louis Merante, and even Odette herself. Don’t get me wrong; Victor’s support will always help. That’s why we need to hear him say that she’s more than just his girlfriend. 

Yes she is, but what else? Well, in the Leap! dub, he instead says, ‘my Felicie, she’s fantastic,’ as she dances away on stage. Well, yes, yes she is! As easy as it would be to pick apart the pacing, the lack of realism in her journey, and how convenient it can be to be on great terms with your teachers, I think that what the film is trying to say, amidst all the details, is that at the end of the day, every huge goal needs to have a plan/career map/list of smaller goals to accomplish it. I think Felicie did that amidst her maturing into a legitimate dancer and a better friend. She found not one but two teachers, a good school, classmates, had to fail a couple times before she earned her goal, and even made amends with her rival. She acquired the tools (albeit dishonestly, but she would make up for it later), learned some very tough lessons along the way, and eventually made it. 

How satisfying it is to see a determined child work hard, complete a task, and find fulfillment in it? Felicie’s more than just a preteen girl, with a boyfriend, and new parental figures. She’s a determined fighter, with a new sense of humility, competence, and diligence. I love watching her answer the question of why she dances with Rosita Mauri. Why?

Because as Victor suggests in the Leap! dub; she truly is fantastic. 

[livehorses]

New B/L! sequel idea: 

Grown up Félicie traveling to Russia to complete her ballet career because when she growns up at that time the best ballet academy is the Bolshoi 

- Not to mention Mérante was known there and he probably recomended her to his russian relatives teachers. -

- Not to mention (I don’t like this one at all) that probably she travels in company of Rudolph for him to help her in her orientation around Moscú and the Bolshoi Ballet buildings and that they could probably end up falling in love.

[livehorses]

[livehorses]

omg thank you so much! here’s my theory excuse me if it sounds a bit silly but:

nora is actually félicie in disguise... my reasons?

1. after taking multiple screenshots of them both at different angles, i can conclude that both nora and félicie look VERY similar if you really think about it. similar nose shape, their necks just about line up... kinda sus if you ask me

2. they both liked rudolph (god bless his soul) at some point and then stopped liking him later on. coincidence? i think not!

3. they’re about the same height

4. theyre both friends with dora

so that’s my theory! i know it may sound a little far fetched, but i stand by it. i also have a few other theories that the leap! characters we know aren’t really who we think they are. for example i have a theory that rudolph is actually camille, dora is actually régine is disguise, victor is secretary odette, the list goes on!

please give your thoughts!

Hmmm, to be honest is a bit confusing. Although I agree some characters have many physical simillarities, I can't imagine someone being another person when both of them are clearly in the same room. At some point we can conclude something's off with Odette and Félicie's biological mother, who share many resemblances, but of course. Félicie's mom is dead.

So, I insist, it's hard for me to imagine Félicie being Nora when both of them are alive, same with Camille and Rudolph, unless we want to think them as clones, alternate versions or projections? IDK...

Still, I apreciate you share your thoughts with us, my icon itself is a fusion of Nora and Félicie, and toghether they appear to be an animated version of myself. 😊

[livehorses]

I was hearing the Nutcracker ballet on Christmas Eve, and thinking it with Ballerina/Leap! Then, suddenly it hit me:

Given that the role of the children are actually danced by children, and because the brother of Clara, Fritz, is supposed to be younger, there is one option left for the role of the Nutcracker. And this one is actually Rudolph.