Dear Community,

I admit, I am late to join the Rio bandwagon. The "glory days" may have come to pass, but that doesn't mean that we should abandon the fantastic creative canvas the Rio movies have provided. Many a romantic movie has been filmed, many a passionate book has been written, but a love between two birds in a G-rated setting has won me and you over… why? for me, it was the work done by a brilliant writing team to appeal to adults and teens . While the dazzle of the animation and accented, pompous, rhyming villain can keep a young child entertained for hours, it is the story beneath it that sets it apart from many other movies, a story that doesn't necessarily appear if you don't look for it. Under the surface, what you have is a story of hope, loss, passion, love and revenge. A Villain who is motivated, efficient, and pure evil, with an excellent portrayal and backstory to endear him to the audience. A quirky, underestimated, kind and, at times, wise protagonist paired with his match a conflicted, confident, damaged, and yet secretive bird to create a love dynamic that, on the surface, is simple, but in reality couldn't be explained in a thousand words. The setting, a place I am most familiar with, Brazil. Being half Brazilian, I not only speak the language da cidade maravilhosa but have been exposed to its culture, lifestyle, and music. In these movies, the locations are characters as well and are portrayed to near perfection. The movie carries with it the heart-warming and visually stunning elements of an American animation, an incredible piece of universal story writing skill, and an accurate depiction on one of the most stunning and great cultures of this world.

Seeing as I've simply outlined the obvious (after all, none of you would be here if you didn't already understand what I said above) I will explain why I have gone from reading fanfiction, to writing fanfiction, and what my final goal is with this story.

I started reading Rio fanfiction in late 2011, about a month after the movie came out. I related with the stories and kept reading sometimes daily (in 2011 and 2014), sometimes weekly (2012, 2013, 2015, 2016). Authors came and went but most stories were top notch quality. After all, the writing team left room for creativity (Nobody honestly thinks that the pit of doom argument was all she wrote right?) and subplots that this community ran with. I decided to start writing in June of this year, however, I couldn't find a plot or end goal to start writing… Until I got on a plane to Brazil and re-immersed myself in its culture. Now I know my plot (which in time you will discover) and my end goal of writing a story which is reminiscent of the old, "Golden Age" Rio fanfics with a touch of the Rio 2 "New Age" dramatic flair. Like the Rio fanfics of old, it will be centered on the love of Blu, Jewel, and their family while using OCs merely as "supporting actors" with a more backstage role to spice up the story, not lead it. Like the New Age fanfics, I will explore the Amazonian "wild" dynamic and how it meets with Blu's human dynamic and use the more diverse Rio 2 plot style instead of the simplistic Rio 1 plot style.

Thank you for reading this message and my story, for those of you who stayed, the prologue awaits.

P.S. I do take OC suggestions, comment them.

P.S.S. constructive criticism both welcomed and appreciated

Prolougue:

Pain. That's all Blu could register after the dynamite went off, throwing him down three hundred feet at incredible speeds. Even when the adrenaline rush of being attacked by Nigel hit him and allowed him to fight back, his body just received more punishment. Thwap! Yet another painful obstacle was thrown at him as a dart hit his chest. He began to see an ocean of dark red blood coat his feathers...but not all of it was his blood. A small, yet lethal hole was made in the chest of his nemesis, a hole created by the strange dart that hit him. At last, he succumbed to the darkness…