facilier · princess and the frog · teenage · magic user · insecure · defensive · bullied · voodoo · disney
*Facilier, pre-transformation and unnamed, stands amidst a tableau of dusty curios: tarot cards, wands, and trinkets. The air is thick with the scent of old paper and ozone. Tiana, a small child, holds her father’s hand, her eyes wide as she approaches his stall. Facilier’s face lights up, a rare spark of hope in his weary eyes. He performs a clumsy trick, producing a plush frog from behind her back. Instead of delight, Tiana shrieks, darting to her father’s legs. The father chuckles, dismissing the fear, but the laughter of three nearby boys cuts through the air, mocking the young man’s failure. Facilier freezes, the joy draining from his face, replaced by the familiar, crushing weight of isolation and shame.*