#Julieta needs a hug

[adoptedmadrigal2]

The beginning

The beginning of something new. Things are gonna get wild

Pepa, Julieta and Bruno vowed they'd stay close to their home as adults. Not long after they turned 20, Pepa and Julieta both got married to their high school sweethearts Felix, and Agustin.

They both got married in 1990; Julieta just after new years on her and Agustin's five year anniversary, and Pepa that summer on her and Felix's four year anniversary.

1995 came around and they had bought a large house and were getting ready for their babies birth. Ironically both young women had gotten pregnant around the same time, about three weeks to separate them.

"Mama! What are you doing here" Julieta said as she opened the front door

"I came to bless the house before any new arrivals make their grand entrance. I have no doubts that your baby will make things dramatic. Juli do you know how much of a pain you were to birth?" Alma said as she came in and sat her bag on the counter.

"She was the dramatic one? I thought you said I was the dramatic kid," Pepa said recalling a prior conversation

"She was the dramatic birth, you were the dramatic child. There's a difference. Julieta came into this world being dramatic you never stopped pepi." Alma said

The soon to be grandmother pulled out a very old looking candle.

"This candle blessed mine and your father's house. It kept the four of us safe the night he died. It was like the house came alive just to protect us. It's now time to pass the gift along." Alma said to her three children, Felix and Gus watching from the staircase off to the side.

She placed the candle on the floor and sprinkled the top with something that resembled sugar. Then she lit it.

"what's going on?" Julieta said when the candle began to flicker.

The candle shone so brightly no one could tell what was happening, but when it dimmed once more the candle looked restored and had engravings on it.

"why are the doors glowing?" Agustin asked looking at the doors along the second story.

Pepa, Bruno and Julieta approached one of the three glowing doors.

First was Julieta who touched the knob and watched the door shine and engrave itself. The design was medicinal looking. She didn't know what it meant but waited for her siblings

Bruno went next. His door engraving an hourglass design Bruno's green eyes glowed for a moment and then a small green tablet appeared in his hand. He didn't look at it but waited for Pepa.

Pepa grasped the doorknob at last and watched as weather patterns engraved themselves, she was confused and above her head sprouted a small grey cloud.

"Bruno? What's that?" Pepa asked

"I don't know. But it says something," he told Pepa

"well? Are you gonna read it?" Julieta said impatiently

"it says 'to my children. I may not have been there to see you grow but I'm proud of how far you have come. This is a blessing for all generations of madrigal children starting with you three. To my oldest Julieta, you have the gift to heal ailments with food. My only son Bruno, you can read the future and show pieces of the past. And lastly to my little red Pepa, your mood controls the weather in whichever room you're in. I wish you the best, Pedro'" Bruno reads

"Dad?" Pepa said. The cloud above her was drizzling slightly

"Soo... I can see the future now." Bruno said

"Your father always dreamed of magic and magical abilities. When I sprinkled a touch of his ashes on the candle it miraculously brought his dreams to life for your families and furthermore." Alma told

Bruno's eyes shone green unexpectedly and another tablet showed up in his hand.

"do you want to know what you're having?" Bruno asked

"I know I'm having a boy" Julieta said

"it's a girl, I'm telling you," Agustin refuted

"team girl all the way" Pepa said, Felix nodding behind her

"you're both having girls," Bruno said.

"what?" Julieta squawked

Here's to the beginning of something wonderful to come.

Two dramatic births later and Isabela Melody, and Dolores Alayne were finally here. Ready to take on the world, and become the beginning of something beautiful.

Hope you enjoy ❤️

[acewithapaintbrush]

Hi there! Just let me say, "A Place For Crows" is one of my favorite fics ever, and I've read quite a lot of them. It is truly a masterpiece in all senses. And you are an absolutely amazing writer. I also would like to ask something about that fic: does the family of the boy Julieta couldn't save and Pepa's former best friend hold a grudge against them or something? I know it's very specific!

I see you in my notifs all the time and your message made me so happy I sat down and wrote this for you. I hope you enjoy!

TW FOR DEALING WITH THE DEATH OF A CHILD AND GRIEF AND A LITTLE BIT OF SELF HARM! PLEASE READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!

🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋

Julieta worries at her blisters. She pulls at the skin and pushes against the sore edges. She needs to stop aggravating them, some of them have started bleeding recently. But she can't seem to stop. 

Bruno says he understands. Bruno says she needs to stop making herself bleed cause that will surely get the adults' attention and that's something she definitely doesn't want. She needs to find another way, maybe knocking or chanting or something. 

He talks like he speaks from experience. 

But Julieta likes the reminder, the little sting in her fingers. Everytime her thoughts stray from cooking, from working, she pulls and it reminds her. 

Her own food doesn't work on them. It makes things easier, but it also scares her. Her cooking has always worked, no matter how small the injury, but for some reason her blisters remain. 

Is her gift getting weaker? Has she forsaken it with her childish behavior? 

Is her sin too great? 

Her mother hasn't noticed the state of her fingers yet. She is too busy comforting others, rallying neighbor's to help the grieving family. 

Helping with the funeral.

They have talked about the incident. Just once. The day after Juli had decided that she didn't want to cook or bake that day and had instead followed her siblings to the river outside of the village to play. The day after a boy had fallen out of a tree and suffered horrendous injuries.  The day after their mother had frantically searched cupboards for any food and then ran through the village, screaming Julieta's name, soon joined by others. 

The day after Julieta had come home, sunburnt and laughing and carefree. 

Too late. 

"It was an accident." Her mother had said, sitting on the bed next to a shell-shocked little girl. "It was an accident and it's in the past. But we can never let this happen again. Do you understand? We need to be prepared for things like this. You need to be prepared, Julieta. Your gift is so important. You can't- We can't let it go to waste. Do you understand?"

Julieta understands. She hasn't stopped baking ever since. All day, every day. Sometimes her mother watches her for a few minutes from the doorway and for a moment it looks like she wants to say something, but she never does. Just nods approvingly and moves on. 

Julieta keeps baking. She heals every scratch and every stubbed toe. Maybe if she uses her gift better, maybe if she saves someone this time, her mother will talk to her again and tell her what she has surely simply forgotten to tell her the first time and what Juli desperately needs to hear. 

'It was not your fault.'

Her hands are covered in blisters and they don't heal. 

But it's alright. There are more important wounds to heal

Julieta stands in the house of the boy she let die, a basket full of pastries clutched in her hands. She clenches the handle tight, feels the rough wicker wood bite into her sores. 

Her mother is arguing with the father. The family wants to leave the Encanto. Too many bad memories here. They want to burn the body and take the ashes with them. 

"If you leave, you might never be able to come back!" 

The father looks at Alma as if he can't understand why he should care. 

But at least he looks at her. He hasn't once looked at Juli, averts his eyes at all cost. She might as well not be here. Juli feels invisible. Wishes her mother hadn't told her to come. 

Her mother sends her outside to the garden where the wife is. Tells her to bring her some of the pastries. 

"She doesn't look well. I'm sure they can help." 

Julieta wants to refuse. This feels like a punishment. This feels cruel, sending her out there. 

But her pastries might help. 

It's her job to help. 

So she goes outside. The mother is sitting on a bench, her back to Juli. Her long hair dances in the wind and her shoulders are slumped. The black dress and black mourning shawl look like a wound in the otherwise colorful garden. Like all life has been sucked out of that one spot. 

Julieta approaches on silent feet and places the basket on the bench next to the mother. She stays behind her, can't bear to look at her face. The woman doesn't react. 

"I have brought you some food." 

Julieta's voice cracks on the last word. What was her mother thinking, sending her out here with food of all things? It must feel like such a mockery to the poor woman. 

It feels more and more like a punishment to Juli. And she deserves it, doesn't she? Maybe her mother didn't forget at all. 

It was her fault. 

The woman doesn't turn around, just hums under her breath. A haunting sound. 

"Thank you."  Her voice is flat. No emotion. Except maybe anger. Surely anger. 

Julieta wants to leave. She doesn't want to look at this shell of a woman one second longer. But the 'Thank you' is like a slap to the face. It strangles her. Makes her see dark spots and makes her head spin. 

"I'm sorry!" she blurts, too abrupt, too loud. The mother flinches and Julieta feels awful. She scratches at her blisters, feels them break open again. "I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have- I never should have gone to play. I just wanted to go play with my brother and sister and I-" 

She can see the mother slowly turn towards her and Julieta quickly closes her eyes before she can clearly see her face. The brief glimpse of sunken eyes and chapped lips was enough. 

"I should have been here. I should have been prepared and I'm so sorry. I'm so so sorry. I never should have left for the river and I-" 

A hand strokes her cheek. Julieta doesn't dare open her eyes. The touch is soft and warm, but she is still scared to open her eyes and see hatred and condemnation on that grief-stricken face. Only when a thumb brushes away a single tear does Juli realize that she's started to cry a little. 

"Little Julieta." The woman says and her voice is nothing more than a scratchy whisper, carried away by the wind. "Oh Juli. Don't cry. Don't apologize. It wasn't your fault." 

Juli freezes for a second, but then she is sobbing, big heaving sobs that shake her entire body. She reaches upwards and clutches at the hand still on her cheek. The blisters on her hands hurt and the mother must feel them, the ragged edges and sore spots. The mother pulls her closer and the little girl collapses against her and gets pulled even more and suddenly Juli has crawled half into the woman's lap and holds on to her dark shawl as if her life depends on it. She must be spreading tears and snot all over it and oh, what if mother sees her like this? What will she say? What will she do? 

But she can't stop. Is afraid she'll never be able to stop. 

"Dear child." The mother sounds exhausted, but there is also steel in the words that follow. "It wasn't your fault. It wasn't!" 

"If I hadn't played that day. If I hadn't -" 

"I have told my Lou a hundred times not to climb that tree. Have told him a hundred times that the branches higher up are not strong enough to hold him." She sighs. It ruffles the top of Julieta's hair. "I have scolded and punished and pleaded. And he still decided to climb it again that day. Because he is- he was a child. And children play. They play and they laugh and they don't think that anything bad could ever happen to them. And that's how it should be, for children. They shouldn't have to worry about-" She chokes on her tears, holds Julieta a little bit tighter. "I don't blame him for being a child. Why would I blame you for the same? For playing? How old are you again, dear?"

"Seven." Juli mumbles into her chest. 

"Just seven." The mother whispers. Forlorn. "Two years younger than my Lou. And already so much on your shoulders. So much guilt." She presses her cheek against the crown of Juli's head and her next words are so quiet, Julieta is not even sure she was supposed to hear them. "Sometimes I wonder about this miracle. About these gifts. Sometimes I wonder if they aren't actually a curse." 

Julieta holds very still. She doesn't want to ask what she means, doesn't want clarification. 

Doesn't want to defend the miracle. 

Doesn't know if she can, right now. 

So she holds still and pretends she didn't hear and maybe the mother believes her or she is just too tired to keep the conversation going. They lapse into silence and it feels like an eternity before Julieta can hear her Mama calling her from inside the house. She immediately pushes herself away from the comforting embrace and tries to dry her tears. 

The mother watches her out of sad eyes and then reaches inside the small basket. The pastry she holds out to Julieta is still warm and the child stares at it as the adult rises to her feet, impossible slowly. 

"Eat that." She says and takes the basket. Her voice is flat again, but this time Julieta understands that she is not angry. She is just tired. So tired. "Farewell Julieta Madrigal. I wish you all the best." 

Julieta doesn't say anything as the woman goes back inside the house. She stares at the pastry and at her blisters and feels the wind in her hair. 

"It was not my fault." she says. 

She doesn't quite believe it. Not yet. 

But the mother of the boy who has played without a care and who is now dead believes it and maybe that is enough. For now. 

She takes a bite and her blisters still don't heal but they stop hurting. 

*****

As for Pepa, I might write something for her too and upload them together to ao3, we'll see

[alexoreality]

Encanto x One Piece AU where...

Luffy washes shore upon Colombia and somehow stumbles to Encanto.

Some shit happens and now the Madrigals think that Luffy is the Miracle Candle in human form, they think the candle is testing them!

AKA the movie plot is different because everyone's favorite rubberman is there.

[justheweirdo]

After about six months, they finally finished rebuilding Casita and Mirabel had plenty of information to start the “Bruno’s research” mission.

She knew a lot about Colombia and she discovered a lot of things about her tío Bruno too!

She knew that he was a very nervous type and he had a lot of habits, something about rituals to get ridden of bad luck. He used to rub his left arm when talking to someone and he got anxious, but also, he gestured a lot.

She also discovered that Bruno was the best brother ever! He was always ready to support his sisters and he never left them alone, well… that was until he left. But, as he had written, he left because he thought it would be the best thing to do for his family…

⸻

Mirabel is eager to know more about her tío Bruno and the world outside Encanto.

[zafirosreverie]

Change the future part 3

part 1

a/n: Still on hiatus, just wanted to post something on the triplets' birthday

a/n2: I don’t even know what ship is this about anymore

__________________________

"At some point you're going to have to talk to her about this"

"But that won’t be today, Pepa"

Julieta said as she continued to cook, deliberately ignoring the way her pulse raced and her nerves stood on edge. She didn't even need to turn around to know that her sister was rolling her eyes as she leaned against the door frame. She knew the redhead was right, but she didn't have the will or the courage to face this thing she had been running from for weeks and only one thought lived rent free in her mind. 

Y/N’s back.

Her head was spinning just remembering the moment she saw you again. You were thinner, you had more gray hair, and a couple of new wrinkles around your eyes, but you were still her Y/N, warm, simple, and unbelievably beautiful.

She didn't like to admit that she probably would have thrown herself into your arms without thinking if it weren't for Isabela, who had been faster than her. Things hadn’t been easy for her and her two remaining daughters, so the moment they saw you appear over the hill, the three of them had run out of the house not caring that the rest of the family looked at them in confusion.

Isabela didn't even bother to slow her run before she crashed into the open arms you offered her and your joyous laughter made her stomach feel weird, as if thousands of butterflies woke up inside her. You had shared many things in your letters during all those years, and for that time, Julieta allowed herself to think that it was enough, but the universe showed her how wrong she was when, having you in front of her once more, her heart seemed to cry happy tears, as if a piece of her had finally come back to complete her puzzle.

She didn't have time to think about it though, not when her precious Mirabel, now so big and beautiful, lunged at her, hiding her face in her neck, crying and telling her how much she had missed her. It took her brain a moment to recognize that the young woman in her arms was, in fact, her youngest daughter, her baby, but once that settled in her mind, it was like all the weight of the world was finally lifted from her shoulders.

"You're so beautiful, mija" she whispered, not even bothering to stop the tears that ran down her cheeks.

Mirabel had smiled waterily at her, whispering a soft thank you and saying again how much she had missed her. The girl dulled in her mother’s scent for a while, just trying to find the comfort she needed when she left so many years ago, and sighed happily before gasping and pulling away from her to run to the person behind her.

"Tía Pepa!!"

The brunette barely had a few seconds to laugh at the way her daughter was scooped up by the redhead before she herself was tackled by two familiarly strange and warm bodies.

"Tía Juli, look! I'm almost as tall as you!"

"Tía, tía, tía, I already know how to cook! And look! I cut my hair!"

"We brought you presents!"

"But mine are better because I love you more"

"Not true! I love her more!"

"No, I love her more!"

Julieta only managed to laugh softly while Joaquín and María clung to each of her arms and fought for her attention; they had five years of conversations to catch up with her after all. It really felt like time hadn't passed, even though your children were no longer the little babies she saw leaving that night. And then there was you.

You, who had smiled at her with complicity from your own tangle of hugs with Luisa and Isabela, you, who had been her rock, her pillar, and her cane even when you were so far away. You, who were stirring her entire being with your mere presence. You, who had approached her, hugged her when your children still held her arms hostage. You, who had whispered in her ear that little confession that haunted her dreams.

"I was dying to see you again, Eta...I missed you so much"

At that time, she had simply wriggled out of your children's grasp and returned the gesture, trying not to get lost on your warmth (even if she really wanted to cry), having you there was a huge relief, and all the stress and anxiety that had been eating at her insides for years was finally beginning to dissipate, her usually tormented mind was quickly being filled with a single thought: you were here.

"I missed you too" she managed to say, looking into your eyes with a small smile

"Yes, yes, will you get out of here please? There are people who also want to greet Y/N”

Julieta blinked a bit as her sister pulled her away from you and she didn't miss the way you looked at her half amused and half confused before returning Pepa's tight hug. She couldn't blame you, her sister had never been as close to you as she was, but she supposed that after everything that had happened since you left, the redhead's conception of you had changed. Well, at least you knew you had both of your sisters-in-law on your side.

“It's good to see you again, Pepa” you said as you separated “You haven't aged a bit…you don't even have gray hair! I need to know your secret"

"Oh, Y/N" she laughed "it's good to have you back"

"Her secret is to annoy me so that I’m the one getting gray hair and not her'' Julieta joked, crossing her arms.

You looked between the sisters while Pepa rolled her eyes and stuck out her tongue at the brunette, a gesture that the older triplet returned. Your mind struggled to catch up on it all, because you really couldn't remember the last time you'd seen them tease each other so openly, it was pretty cute.

The rest of the meeting was pretty adorable too. Joaquín and María used Félix as a climbing pole, while the man just laughed, Luisa and Isabela told you as much as they could, asking you questions while you tried to pay attention to both of them. Julieta thought that her daughter would ask about Agustín, or that she would be upset with her for their divorce, but Mirabel was quick to give her a hug and assure her that she didn't blame her or cared about him.

The brunette didn't have to wonder much where her youngest daughter was learning to handle the situation, because at that moment you intervened, gently squeezing the girl's shoulder.

"He couldn't bear to lose a daughter so he abandoned the other two? Math ain mathin" you said.

Julieta had just smiled gratefully at you as you winked at her, and for a moment everything felt good, like things were really starting to go back to normal, the way they should be. And then…then you saw Bruno. 

The moment your eyes locked on the man hiding behind his mother would never leave her mind. Your eyes, which had been filled with warmth and kindness to everyone, turned cold and filled with a deep sadness that you desperately tried to disguise as disgust. And yet, she couldn't even pretend that she felt bad for her brother.

"Y/N" the man greeted awkwardly, forcing a guilty smile "...you look good."

"Bruno" you answered dryly

The air was charged with an intense tension that everyone could feel in their bones, as if it could be cut with a knife, or as if one wrong move could shatter such a surreal scene into a thousand pieces.

"It's good to see you again"

"I wish I could say the same"

Julieta felt in her own chest the dagger that you were burying on Bruno, who at least had the decency to look at the ground with remorse, but she knew you better.

It wasn't that you wanted to be cruel to the man you had loved more than life, but precisely that love you had for him had hurt you too much, it had destroyed you and it had hurt your children too. You were only trying to protect the hearts you had worked so hard to repair.

"What are you doing here?" Alma asked, looking at you with hate

"I came to see my family" you answered with the most neutral voice you could, but your hands were shaking

"This is no longer your family"

"Mom-" the older triplet tried to intervene.

"You shut up!" The older woman yelled, making everyone jump "Wasn't it enough for you to help this damn woman break the family?! Now you welcome her back with open arms?! After she stole my grandchildren?! Your own daughter?!"

"I didn't steal anyone! They are my children" you defended yourself.

You really didn't want to cause a scene, especially with all the children present, and because more than once you had to comfort Mirabel after waking up to the recurring nightmare involving her grandmother yelling at her. But that woman drove you mad with extreme ease.

"They would have been better here!" Alma replied "Away from your wicked hands. They belonged here, they wanted to stay here!"

"That's not true! My children wanted to go with me!"

"You had no right! They are Bruno's children!"

"He abandoned them!" Julieta yelled, making everyone look at her.

She could feel her heart racing, blood pooling in her cheeks, and a single look at her brother told her that she had finished erasing the faint ghost of what had once been her relationship with him, but she didn't care.

She couldn't care, not when she could see out of the corner of her eye how Mirabel was hiding behind you, how Isabela tried her best to appear calm but her hands moved as if she could still command an army of plants to defend her sisters.

Not when she could see Pepa and Felix trying to create a weak barrier with their bodies between their children and Alma, when Dolores hugged Camilo as if he was a little child in the hope that no one would hurt her brother again.

And especially not when she could feel your own fear, sadness, and despair as Joaquín and María clung to her own sides, suddenly terrified of who had once been a loving grandmother to them. Everything was wrong, everything was damaged beyond repair, there was nothing left for her to break, but she still had a family, a broken one, but a family nonetheless and she had to protect them, no matter from whom.

"How dare you talk about your brother like that?" Alma whispered dangerously "how dare you when you allowed your daughter to be kidnapped?!" that seemed to wake you up.

"Bruno left without saying anything, without caring about us, Julieta just protected us, all of us" you said, placing a hand on your sister-in-law's shoulder.

You didn't know if it was a bad choice of words or action, perhaps both, but you could see the moment when your mother-in-law's eyes flashed with an intense fire fueled by hatred and resentment. You barely managed to see her hand in the air and by intuition you closed your eyes, waiting for the blow.

"Don't you ever dare-"

 But it never came.

"IT'S ENOUGH!" 

You opened your eyes to see Julieta holding Alma's hand firmly, preventing it from getting to you. Julieta, the golden daughter of the Madrigal family, the sweetest and most loving woman you'd ever meet, defying the woman who once commanded respect with her mere presence. Although, was it really respect? Or was it fear? You thought that, deep down, it was the latter.

It really was a surreal scene, as if everything was frozen around you. But a voice in the back of your mind told you that it shouldn't surprise you so much, after all, this was also the woman who had made one of the most difficult decisions of her life in order to protect her daughter, the one who had broken blood ties in order to keep the rest of her family safe, the one who, no matter how much it hurt her to be separated from her brother and mother, still got up every day for the others’ sake.

No, it definitely shouldn't surprise you that if anyone had the strength to face Alma and everything that entailed, it was precisely the one who was once the brightest star in the family constellation.

Julieta Madrigal was many things, beautiful, brave, strong, maternal, affectionate and loyal, but she also hid a wolf inside her, one that was already fed up with seeing how her pack was threatened. She was ready to get the fangs out, and you were beginning to see why the rest had trusted her to be the head of the family.

"You insolent-"

"I SAID THAT’S ENOUGH!" the brunette growled, still holding her mother's hand "I've been patient with you, mother, but not anymore."

You could hear a couple of gasps behind you, and you weren't too surprised when Pepa approached you like a scared little girl while Mirabel hugged her. If you didn't know that the miracle was gone, you would think that the icy wind that enveloped you was your sister-in-law’s fault.

"Let go, Julieta-"

"I'm not going to let you talk like that to Y/N" she replied, you could see that she was squeezing the older woman's hand tightly, and from Alma's expression, it was obvious that it hurt, but it seemed like no one could move as you witnessed "the next time you raise your hand to her, me, or anyone in this family, it will be the last time you have a family"

That was a sentence that you yourself could feel in your bones. There was absolutely no trace of compassion or kindness in the older triplet's voice, nor did it leave any doubt that she would keep her word. It was a perfect ultimatum, one that even Alma seemed to understand, because she didn't utter a word as her daughter released her and walked back to the house.

The rest of you looked at each other for a few seconds before Pepa, with Mirabel still in her arms, went after her sister, causing the rest to follow her, including your children, who passed by Bruno without even looking at him, and ran to reach the hands of their favorite aunt. Your mother-in-law just muttered something about going with the Guzmáns and she walked away, disappearing into the night.

Only you and Bruno were left, both looking at each other with surprise, doubt and a little fear. Your eyes seemed to ask a thousand questions but neither of you understood what they were. In the end, you simply sighed and lightly hugged the man who, you must have reminded yourself, was still your husband.

"This wasn't how I expected tonight to go" you confessed lightly.

"It was something that was destined to happen" he whispered "if this didn't explode before it was only because Juli always had the patience of a saint... but I guess everything has a limit"

"I'm so sorry" you said to yourself, guilt beginning to rise in you "if I hadn't-"

"Don't, it wasn't because of you" he smiled a little "...things have been tense between them since before I even met you."

"Really?" you frowned "but...it seemed like she was the favorite daughter"

"She was the closest to the perfect doll mom had in mind" he corrected you "And it only got worse when we turned 5"

"When you got the gifts?"

"Yes" he sighed and looked at his hands "Pepa and I suffered a lot for our gifts, but we always knew that Julieta had it worse"

"Why?"

"Because she's the one who looks the most like dad" he answered, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world "If she hadn't been born a woman, I assure you, she would be his living portrait"

You thought about it for a moment. You had seen Pedro Madrigal's portrait many times, and although you had never paid much attention to physical details, you had always believed that he radiated a warmth that you only knew from his eldest daughter. It made sense that Alma would have seen the ghost of her late husband in her, and at that moment, something clicked on you.

"And Julieta's gift allowed her to help the community like no one else could" you looked him in the eye "Despite the exhaustion and fatigue, she was always ready to help others... like your father"

"That's right" he agreed.

"But...her gift made her absorb others’ pain" you continued, with the pieces falling into place in your mind quickly "she was in constant suffering...Alma made her reenact Pedro's sacrifice every day"

"And Pepa and I couldn't do anything"

You looked at Bruno for a moment. Despite being the youngest, he looked terribly tired, his eyes swam in deep sadness, his hands trembled and he looked incredibly fragile. Your heart forgot all about anger and disappointment, and was quickly filled with the same affection you had felt for him the first time you met him, a tender and childish love, pure and sincere. He was a brother who felt guilty for not protecting his sister.

"You love her" you said, it wasn't a question.

"As you don't have an idea" he answered anyway "when I came back, it was her arms that I wanted to feel, not mom's" he admitted "but she was furious with me, and with good reason. I shouldn't have left, I shouldn't have left you or the children, I shouldn't have allowed mom to treat Mirabel like that...I should have done things differently...but that doesn't matter now"

You looked at him sympathetically and put a hand on his shoulder so that he looked at you. He seemed so lost, like a kid who has broken something and didn't know how to apologize to mom. Yes, there were too many things that maybe he could have done differently, you too. But that no longer mattered, time was not going to come back and all you could do was start walking towards the best option you had now, and you both knew that that option had a name.

"Have you tried talking to her?" you asked softly

"Mom is always by my side" he said "And I n-never have the courage to talk to her when we're alone, I…I just don't want her to hate me more"

"She doesn't hate you" you said immediately "she could never hate you... you're her baby brother, and we both know that deep down, there will always be a place in her heart for you, no matter how hard Alma tries to keep you from getting back on good terms with her."

"I feel like I've failed her too much" he murmured, looking at the ground "It doesn't matter what I do anymore, our relationship is broken beyond repair...B-but I love her, that's why I try to keep mom busy with me and leave the rest of us alone. I love her and Pepa, and-and I love our family, my nephews, my nieces, my children...and you"

Your cheeks warmed at the last words, and by the way his eyes looked everywhere but at you, you knew he hadn't expected that confession to slip out of him either, at least not at the moment. You smiled and hugged him again, trying not to let the discomfort touch you.

"Talk to her, Bruno" you said "I'm sure you can fix things...so can we" you smiled

He looked at you hopefully and slowly smiled back, walking silently beside you as you went back to the house. You both knew this wasn't a mend, that there was still too much going on between you, but at least you were headed in the right direction. After all, you'd already fallen in love with him once, who said it couldn't happen twice?

______________________

Except that the first time you hadn't had your sister-in-law's face on your mind, nor had you had a little five-year-old nephew rock your entire world with a simple question.

You really couldn't blame the little guy. Antonio was just a child trying to catch up with the changing situation of his family, he was learning to live with some cousins and an aunt he never knew and you knew you had to be patient with his questions.

You had to admit that he was adorable, and despite Pepa's teasing, it was nice to have him behind you all day. Joaquín and María had become his best friends immediately and it was obvious that he was replacing your son as Mirabel's favorite cousin.

Speaking of your children, both of them were making a titanic effort to stay away from their grandmother, but they were spending more and more time with their father, which seemed to be the first steps towards Bruno becoming part of the "good side" of the family again, as the children liked to call it.

Your relationship with him was still in the mending process, but at least you could say you were friends again, which seemed to relieve Pepa, one less battle to fight between her siblings, you guessed.

The problem was Julieta.

She was still your favorite sister-in-law and your best friend, without a doubt, but things were starting to get weird for you when you realized that she was slowly becoming your favorite person too. You seemed unable to stop your smile every time you saw her and your heart raced when you heard her laugh.

It was a terribly familiar and terrifying feeling, because you knew that she shouldn't have that effect on you, that you shouldn't feel with her what you once felt with Bruno. And yet you couldn't stop.

As much as you tried to lie to yourself, it was obvious that you were always trying to be with her, whether it was helping her cook or just chatting with her over coffee, it didn't matter, you just wanted to be close to her. You felt bad for a while, but then you started noticing the way she would blush every time you smiled at her or how she would look at you when she thought you weren't paying attention.

You were both playing a dangerous game, but it somehow felt so…natural, like that was the only logical path for you. You didn't expect that to be confirmed by the miracle itself.

It was one afternoon when, a few days after finishing the reconstruction of Casita, you and Julieta were sitting in the kitchen, just talking, you were telling her about the first dress that Mirabel made when Camilo ran in, his eyes full of emotion and fear in equal measure.

"Tías, you have to come quickly" he told you

"What's going on?" Julieta asked, even as you both were already getting up

"You have to see it for yourself"

You and the brunette looked at each other curiously for a second before hurrying after your older nephew. The rest of the family was already there and you only had to look in the same direction to understand the commotion. The candle was back.

Well, not exactly. The candle itself was there, but it was out. Still, you knew what that could mean for your family, you knew what they could get back if they managed to make it shine again. The question was, how?

"Mom, you have to take it" Mirabel said excitedly

"What?"

"Think about it Juli" Pepa agreed "you're the new head of the family, you should be the one to protect the candle now... right?"

"I… I guess"

Julieta looked at you for a moment, and you could see the doubt and anxiety in her eyes, so you just smiled and nodded, hoping that was enough comfort for her. The brunette returned your smile before approaching the candle. Her hands trembled and you did not doubt that memories of when she received her gift, more than 45 years ago, passed through her mind.

You all held your breath as the older triplet's hands carefully took hold of the candle and a current passed through you. It was soft and warm, just like a tickle. You waited a moment, but nothing else happened. You could see the disappointment in the rest of the family, especially the brunette, but they all faked supportive smiles.

"Maybe we need to call-"

"No Juli, we don't need her"

You were a bit surprised by Pepa's tone, but you could understand. Alma hadn't been back since the night you returned to Encanto, taking refuge with the Guzmans ever since. It hurt a little that this distanced Dolores from Mariano, but no one could deny that everyone breathed more peace since she was gone. It didn't seem strange to you that they refused to call her now.

"It's because tía Y/N isn’t close" Antonio said suddenly, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world

"Excuse me?" you blinked

"Abuela's candle was lit because Abuelo loved her" the boy explained.

You all looked at him like he was growing another head, but deep down, you all wanted to know the reasoning behind that little head. After all, the little ones always have the most creative solutions.

"What does that have to do with tía Y/N, Antonio?" Mirabel asked softly

"Tía Y/N loves tía Julieta" he said "the candle has to light if she's around her girlfriend, right?"

You didn't even need Dolores' gift to hear a pin drop, not when the room was deathly silent. You looked at Julieta out of the corner of your eye and you could see that her face was redder than a tomato, and you doubted that you were better. Your heart was racing like crazy, your hands were sweating and you could feel the anxiety building up in you.

How could a five-year-old boy understand better than you the forbidden feelings that had been blooming in you for your sister-in-law? Had you been too obvious? Did the others notice it too? God, you didn't even want to look at Bruno.

"Mami! mami!"

María's voice brought you out of your thoughts and you looked at her worriedly. Your daughter just looked at you in amazement and pointed with her little hand to the place where your attention should be. You hadn't even realized that you had approached Julieta, but now you were facing each other, with the candle between you and a small flame sprouting. 

“It can’t be” you heard Isabela whispering while Pepa gasped

The moment you took a step back, the small flame went out. The brunette looked at you for a second before slowly approaching you again, causing the candle to relight. It wasn't a strong, magical glow like the one it had before the whole disaster, but it was a promise that you’d get the miracle back.

Except that neither you nor Julieta wanted to think about what the miracle was asking of you, or what that meant for both of you and your respective families.

[jacarandaaaas]

I rewatched the movie last night! here’s a quick summary of my thoughts:

- I MISSED THE MADRIGALS SO MUCH😭😭

- baby mirabel is so so cute she deserves the world

- “open your eyes” theme introduced!!

- the title card is so majestic we need to talk about it more

- yayyy 15 year old mira let’s go!! the silly!!

- mirabel is still my fave disney protagonist ever she’s so fun to follow her personality is great she’s so multifaceted i will always love her !!!

- the way she knocks on everyone’s doors LMAOOO

- “well US” 😭

- her waving to casita <333

- coffee kid needs to chill

- this whole song slaps

- accordion YEAHH!!

- mirabels iconic rap to avoid talking about herself 😭

- dolores casually saying she didn’t get a gift😭

- osvaldo STOP

- camilo telling jose “nice job over there” as he’s standing doing absolutely nothing himself 💀

- did someone say FLOWERS✨

- mirabels eyeroll at Isa 😭😭

- “our angel our angel!!” felix ily

- “I’m not in the way you ar😠” *walks into a pillar*

- ay agustín😭

- julieta & agustín telling her she has nothing to prove <33

- miras handcrafts <33

- “ i actually made these as a surprise! for you oooh oooohh” 😭

- alma trying to nicely tell mira to leave the decorations alone and mira pretending it doesn’t hurt 😭

- julieta saying to alma it’s gonna be a hard night for mira and alma saying if it doesn’t go well it will be hard for everyone :( and mira overhearing this

- how she knew exactly where antonio would be😭

- the jaguar she made him😭

- “what if it doesn’t work” 💔

- him saying to her I wish you could have a door meaning not a gift but just her own room and privacy aww

- “you don’t have to worry about me” ☹️

- the hug !!!

- the way casita pushes them out from under the bed and you can hear mirabel going “ow ow!” In the background😭

- PARTY TIME💃

- how gently she brings antonio down to meet his family

- the entire interaction with warm family !!

- how you see antonio’s smile drop as soon as they leave :(

- camilos posture is ASS

- alma saying another steps into the light when mirabel is shown mostly in shadow😭

- the I need you scene still kills me

- mirabel zoning out of the flashback and you can sense the haziness of it

- antonio’s room!!!!

- it’s bigger on the inside!?

- isas smile in this scene <3

- camilo being supportive big brother!!

- dolores thumbs up is so cute and pepa kissing antonio all over is so cute

- agustín almost falling over because parce😭

- “a gift just as special as you” NOOOOO

- how this song starts as reprise of the family madrigal but when she admits she’s not fine it changes to 3/4 time :(

- comparing herself to everyone else

- open your eyes!!!

- love the fact she ends up achieving everything she sings about

- I AM READY CMON IM READY🗣️

- the high note ahhhh

- the cracks scene camera movement is so interesting

- and the sounds too ahh

- antonio’s got MOVES🙏 felix trying to get alma to dance ahhh

- this scene gives me second hand embarrassment I feel so bad for mira

- casita wtf bro

- mira saying she would never ruin antonio’s night because she knows that’s what people are thinking :(

- corn plate moment but I like the subtle noise of the arepa healing her hand

- julieta coddling her but mira rejecting it :(

- bruno lost his way :(

- mirabel super spy era

- alma actually crying here😭

- praying to pedro for guidance ugh my heart

- mirabel deciding this is now her mission

- mirabel and casita being besties!!

- agustín already getting swarmed by the animals💀

- pepa and her coffee <33

- mirabel trying to act all sweet to Dolores but it’s just camilo💀

- dolores mentioning rats talking in the walls ahh I love foreshadowing

- pepas cloud disappearing as soon as felix puts his arm around her😭

- mirabel yapping to luisa (she just wants to eat)

- mirabel oblivious to the fact she’s meant to be paying attention to alma

- YOU DO!!!🫵

- alma getting casita to move her😭

- “mmhmm I will help luisa!” “Stop😠”

- dolores look over at isa before saying the 5 babies like😭

- isa and mira both not looking where the other is going and then isa acting like it was just mirabel💀

- luisa casually lifting a church

- mirabel falling off a wall

- “you’re gonna make me drop a donkey!” (On you)

- mirabel angry stomping is so unserious

- surface pressure time!!!

- the visuals of this song are so good

- the way luisa is saying “can I somehow preserve this” as she’s adjusting mirabels glasses feels like how mirabel in this song represents the family and how luisa is always trying to preserve them

- how in the bridge the landscape is pastel and free of pressure ahhh!! unicorn donkeys and glitter !! (luisa is a girly girl I will believe this until I die)

- how as they get higher up the pressures in the background start building and getting higher in pitch until the drop omg

- casita imagery here!

- dancing donkeys cause she realized mira seemed scared :(

- luisa starting to have a panic attack and mirabel just silently hugging her :(

- luisa you big introverted softie <333

- alma and isa talking about mariano and isabela petals going everywhere :(

- mirabel being nervous because casita can’t help in here

- falling down the sand💀

- pico being sassy and just leaving her😭

- goofy the family madrigal reprise as she’s climbing the stairs lmaoooo

- BRUNO YOUR ROOM IS THE WOOOOOORRRRSTT😠

- almost dies swinging across chasm u celebrated too early girl!

- pico judging her😭

- pico hiding in mirabels hair aww

- QUITTER🗣️

- alma noticing candle flickering as mira is piecing the shards together

- mirabel almost suffocated in sand because she didn’t use the handle on the vault😭

- all the sand details in this animation

- alma looking at mirabel when luisa said she was talking to her💀

- poor luisa 😭😭😭

- alma assuming mirabel did something and mirabel looking hurt by that assumption

- telling her again to stay out of the way 💔

- wdtab is so iconic

- felix dramatic burst in

- his face expressions as pepa is saying not to talk about bruno😭

- BUT!

- mirabel awkwardly dancing because this song vibes

- I’m sorry mi vida go ooonnnnn

- pepa imitating the mischevious grin shes so silly I love her

- felix spinning mirabel transition is underrated that scene is so cool

- dolores part!!

- footsteps as part of the beat ahhh

- how she’s foreshadowing again!

- “do you understand” she doesn’t but it’s ok!!

- camilo just spitting bullshit to try scare her😭

- his dramatic movements

- the villagers heeeyyyyyy line

- dolores going no noooo!!

- fish lady 🗣️🗣️

- mirabels imagination is so foul wym you pictured him with a wig💀

- everyone stopping for isas dramatic entrance

- the lighting here is so pretty

- isas voice!!

- miras face will always kill me here😭

- dolores “I can hear him now” as double meaning omggg I love this movie

- isa saying she wants not a sound out of mirabel and mirabel immediately starts singing out of spite 💀

- ISABELA YOUR BOYFRIENDS HERE!! TIME FOR DINNERR

- I love the time for dinner line

- the table choreography is iconic

- mirabel looking at her family doing this and thinking “wtf”

- luisa struggling to lift the pot :(

- the whole ending sequence omg

- “miraboo got your party pants on!?” I love agustín and his goofy dance as he enters the room

- just another thing mira inherited from him ig since they both do goofy dances😭

- casita being mirabels bff

- the whole animation of her rambling to him is so well done all the movements ahh

- agustín immediatly going let’s pretend this never happened😭

- “I know” their faces😭 dolores is so funny for that

- dolores and mirabels stare off will never not be funny to me

- alma pouring more wine😭

- this whole scene is so stressful and funny

- poor luisa :(

- those damn coatis are so smart

- miras face as she watches everything go to shit :(

- “I HATE YOU👹” isa is so dramatic 😭

- agustín going to comfort luisa <33

- mirabels defiance as it’s the second time she says she’s not doing anything

- rats!!!

- alma in severe denial to the townspeople

- “MIRABEL” 😠⚡️

- mirabel gets jumpscared by bruno

- brunos parkour

- camilo comforting pepa <33

- that wall slam must have hurt so bad😭

- cool slide under and kick out the stair

- mirabel thinking she’s gonna die

- “you’re very sweaty” 😭

- mirabel gets jumpscared by a rat and drops bruno into the void

- nvm lol

- “bye” 😐 he’s so me when I don’t want to talk to people

- mirabel is stubborn and therefore follows him

- mira slamming her elbow into something and going “ow” in the background 💀

- his real gift is acting!! this scene is even funnier after reading her inner monologue in the book😭

- bruno saying the rats are always hungry never satisfied

- the plate scene killed me

- how when she realizes how similar they are she opens up to him :(

- bruno looking over at her when she talks about wanting to make the family proud because he relates so bad

- “everyone always assumes the worst” poor bruno 😭

- “you left to protect me?” mira in disbelief at this will always kill me 💔

- bruno giving her a light shoulder punch as she’s leaving

- “yeah…. YEAH!!”

- I love how u can see her lightbulb moment😭

- mirabel kicking the door down like TIO HOLY FUCK- love ur enthusiasm but omg girl😭

- bruno gets jumpscared by his 15 year old niece

- miras optimism is cute

- “the rats told me everything” I love Antonio <333

- mira saying that bruno desperately needs to get out of the walls and him going “myeah” 😭

- antonio giving bruno the stuffie 😭😭😭

- “family weirdos get a bad rap!” “you can do this” guys I love mirabel

- bruno wanting to give up because every vision turns out bad😭

- AM I FIGHTING OR HUGGING !??? ISABELA!?👹

- julieta grabbing agustíns arm to show she sides w him <3

- I WAS THINKING OF MY DAUGHTER🗣️🗣️

- Felix angry “yes😠” when supporting Pepa <33

- bruno supporting mirabel same way she supported him ahhh I love their dynamic

- “come visit?” “I’m bringing you home” <333

- with a huuuuggggg

- mirabel looking utterly disgusted as she attempts to apologize to isabela (and her stupid little dance she does)

- go on apologizeee🙏

- SELFISH!?😯

- mirabel trying to get a hug still is so funny😭 girl she isn’t even looking at you

- WECID YEAHHH

- isa reaction to the cactus is so cute

- rows and rows of roses is a banger line

- “it just needed to be and they’d let me be!”

- the way isas voice deepens when she says “what else can I do”

- her room is so pretty

- a hurricane of jacarandas!!!

- mirabel casually upside down

- how mira stops interrupting and starts to listen to isa

- “careful it’s carnivorous” ☹️

- miras verse being same tune as isas wdtab verse ahhh

- mira becomes ultimate hype girl

- isas reaction to when the pollen gets on her

- how isa initiates the hug!

- “you’re a bad influence!” awwww

- the argument scene is so well acted it actually hurts me so bad

- how mira is so enthusiastic and gets shot down immediately :(

- the way isa and luisa look to eachother after alma mentions them

- “I will never be good enough for you” oh my heart

- mira is tearing up for most of this argument

- mira defending everyone

- the way her voice cracks when she says “we all LOVE this family”

- almas reaction when she mentions bruno

- almas face when mirabel says the miracle is dying because of you and mirabel in disbelief she just said that

- casita cracking right down the middle ooh symbolic

- corn plate but the vines isa uses to try grab the candle arent the ones she uses in wecid but the same ones she used when she was perfect isa. maybe a subtle way of saying how after what alma said she’s already reverting back to her old self and doesn’t have the confidence to embrace her new self anymore

- casita being mirabels best friend ever

- casita saving miras life <333

- the whisper of “no” when the candle goes out

- casita waving goodbye to her😭😭

- mira being almost in a state of disassociation after casita collapsed

- alma in total shock and probably relieve that night💔

- “let me help you” I love dolores shes so sweet

- pepa telling antonio to not cry😭😭

- the way julieta holds mirabels face here

- her reaction when mirabel is gone😭

- everyone calling for her and the village kids missing her :(

- mirabel crying at the river :(

- “I just wanted to be something I’m not” oh the way she says this 💔

- the transition into dos oruguitas is so smooth

- dos oruguitas is the most heartbreakingly beautiful thing ever💔

- pedro laughing when alma almost falls aww

- how they spent the whole night together stoppp

- the miracle candle being their wedding candle hurts

- pedro’s reaction to triplets😭

- pedro would have been such a good dad😭😭

- how pedro whispers “I love you” to alma in that scene

- almas apology since a lot of people forget this happened 🙏

- butterfly !!!

- mirabel changing what she said in the argument awww

- how they’re both crying here 😭 (same)

- “he sent me you” 😭😭😭

- almas reaction to seeing bruno ahhh

- horse girl mira lets go!!!

- the kids being so happy she’s back and the bell ringing ahhhh

- the way the entire family was lost without mirabel and had no idea what to do so when she returns they just let her take the lead

- how mirabel guides them all inside whilst singing about how everyone wants to shine

- mirabel helping luisa and luisa tearing up <333

- the townspeople coming to help!!

- mirabel being the one at the front to meet with the townspeople and collect the supplies but not alma

- this and scene with the blueprints indicate to me that alma fully trusts mirabel and is letting her play a bigger role in this project!

- the sisters singing together!!!!

- coffee kid going ham on the hammering

- priest going 👍 when bruno is laying out the sand

- mariano sitting on doorstep like a little loser :(

- how the background noise quietens a bit when dolores shows up

- mirabel and isa successfully set up their cousin and are celebrating their victory🙏

- we need a doorknob🗣️🗣️

- antonio guiding her to the door because she guided him to his door will never not kill me

- the family singing about how loved and appreciated she is (those harmonies OMGGG)

- alma repeating what her very first line in the movie was

- “I see me, all of me” oh no more tears 😭😭

- mirabel on the middle of the door 😭

- casita bringing in mirabel for a hug and her immediate reaction telling everyone else to get inside it’s party time 💃

- antonio and parce reunited!!!

- isas new dress and how happy and comfortable she is

- luisa resting !!!

- pepa dancing and felix going “yeah amor!” I love them

- family picture!!! casita hugging them in the photo and ending on the frame of the photo decorated by mirabel <33

I LOVE THIS MOVIE SO MUCH <3333

[phantoms-hall]

Julieta Madrigal SFW Alphabet (Fem!Reader)

A/N: This is my first time posting anything on here so I genuinely have no idea what I'm doing but I'll figure it out along the way.

PS- Agustín kicked the bucket in this universe. Sorry brother. Mostly inspired by Moon_calvary's Por Amor Al Arte on AO3.

A = Affection (How affectionate are they? How do they show affection?)

As one would expect, she's a very affectionate person. Kisses and hugs are your daily bread with this woman. She also does not mind public displays of affection, in fact she welcomes it. Whether that be holding hands, hugging each other from behind when you spot one another around Encanto etc. Short answer: she adores physical affection.

B = Best friend (What would they be like as a best friend? How would the friendship start?)

Given how many people she sees on a daily basis, I would say her first 'encounter' with a probable close friend has to be someone who caught her eye. A creative type of person: artist, singer, somone who plays an instrument, something along those lines. I believe she'd have watched you in passing when she spotted you out of the corner of her eye, and began to look forward to seeing you around. Then inevitably when you wound up at her table because you got injured, she striked up a small conversation. Ever since, whenever you see each other you'd talk for a bit until you became closer with each meeting. When you started meeting more frequently, you'd learn that she has so much to offer as a person; her humor, her talents besides cooking and what not. You'd begin to know Julieta Madrigal as a person.

C = Cuddles (Do they like to cuddle? How would they cuddle?)

She loves cuddles, no more needs to be said. If she's had an especially rough day, she likes cuddling into your chest at night while you play with her hair. She also returns them in excess: she'll rub your back while she cuddles you, hum sweet songs into your ear or just talk about her day until you fall asleep and/or feel better. However she likes being on the receiving end more.

D = Domestic (Do they want to settle down? How are they at cooking and cleaning?)

Given what happened with Agustín, I'd say she would want to wait a while before resettling but it's not a definite no, she just needs time to readjust even if she wants you with every fibre of her being. Do I really need to say anything about her cooking? Well, I will anyway. Her food has a flavour that no other could replicate. The love and care she puts into each dish is potent and makes them all the more better for it. As for cleaning: she has a magical house so I assume that Casita deals with most of the cleaning other than the dishes. In that case, she's a master dish washer. Never seen dishes as spick and span as hers.

E = Ending (If they had to break up with their partner, how would they do it?)

She'd let them down easily. She obviously won't break up with someone without a good reason so she would make sure to go into detail about why the relationship wasn't working out. And if nothing is their fault, she would make sure and reassure them of that.

F = Fiance(e) (How do they feel about commitment? How quick would they want to get married?)

Like I said above: not too quick to remarry. She wouldn't mind getting engaged, but the marriage might have to wait a bit. The fact that her girls and entire family practically adores you though, does make her want to do it sooner rather than later.

G = Gentle (How gentle are they, both physically and emotionally?)

Her touches are as soft as they come. They feel like silk on your skin while her warmth encapsulates you like a blanket on a rather cold night, and when you touch her it's as if she's melting right into you. As for emotionally, she just as gentle, if not more. When she's overwhelmed she'll quitely come to your side and rest her head on your shoulder and play with your fingers or just keep her hands somewhere on your person to ground herself and if you spot her not looking quite like herself, you'll take her somewhere quiet. When it's you, she'll spot the signs of emotional distress immediately and come to your side, to offer verbal or non verbal comfort depending on how the mood is and like you, take you to where you find it most peaceful.

H = Hugs (Do they like hugs? How often do they do it? What are their hugs like?)

Like I established before: she adores physical affection and hugs are no stranger to her or you. She'll hug you everyday before you leave after helping her set up her table- or if you can't make it, before she leaves casita. She loves it when you hug her from behind and give her a kiss on her cheek, which you then have to lean down for her to reciprocate because you're a few inches taller. When she's cooking and waiting to flip her arepas, she'll wipe her hands and snap you out of your daze of admiration by trapping you in a gentle yet equally tight hug and places a small kiss on your nose. Her hugs are as soft as can be. Her body heat spills onto you like a warm bath and when her chest meets yours, it's the best feeling you can think of as she rests her head on the crook of your neck.

I = I love you (How fast do they say the L-word?)

Actually saying that she loves you took some time but before that she would call you mi amor and all other sorts of nicknames. However, after she was able to tell you about her feelings for the first time, I love you became a daily mantra that you would chant to each other.

J = Jealousy (How jealous do they get? What do they do when they’re jealous?)

She's truly not an inherently jealous person. But she does feel a twinge of jealousy when men approach you and begin to shamelessly flirt with you when you're at her table, or if she sees another woman outside her family getting a little too touchy with you when you aren't that well acquainted.

K = Kisses (What are their kisses like? Where do they like to kiss you? Where do they like to be kissed?)

Her kisses are divine and feather like to the touch. Her lips are soft and warm much like the rest of her and are always coated with a sweet and savoury taste. From the moment she spots you- you get a kiss on the cheek, forehead, nose; you get the point. Her favourite place to kiss you though is your lips and a close second are the back of your palms. Her most favourite place to be kissed is her neck. But if you ask her, she loves your kisses no matter where they are.

L = Little ones (How are they around children?)

She raised six. The woman definitely knows what she's doing if what her daughters, niece and nephews say are anything to go by. Children also seem to adore her by default.

M = Morning (How are mornings spent with them?)

She usually ends up waking up before everyone to prepare breakfast and her daily medicinal food. However, you don't take too long to wake up after she does, missing her warmth and by the time she's preparing clothes to wear after she showers, you're awake- so you shower and get dressed together. You help her prepare breakfast on most mornings and wash the dishes while keeping her company until the rest of the family starts to come down stairs. Then you help her pack everything and take it to her table so she can start her daily healing.

N = Night (How are nights spent with them?)

Nights are sometimes spent in a similar fashion. After you two prepare dinner, sometimes she would start experimenting with new recipes and you'd be her taste tester. Other times, you'd shower and get ready for bed together. You'd talk about your days, read a book to each other, or just lie there in comfortable silence. Nonetheless, your nights together are tranquil.

O = Open (When would they start revealing things about themselves? Do they say everything all at once or wait a while to reveal things slowly?)

After a few weeks of knowing you, she'd open up to you about the stress of being the only healer in the village and the despair of losing her husband. However, she always spread them out in lengthy intervals at first, not wanting to make every conversation heavy. After you two got closer, she started to find a good balance with voicing her worries and concerns.

P = Patience (How easily angered are they?)

She's an extremely patient person and it takes a lot to anger her. But if you manage to get her genuinely angry...you screwed up big time.

Q = Quizzes (How much would they remember about you? Do they remember every little detail you mention in passing, or do they kind of forget everything?)

She remembers every thing you tell her, little or big. Your birthday? She knows. She even knows the time you were born and you don't even remember even though you told her. What colour you like? She knows. Your favourite scent? Of course she knows. Your least favourite animal. Yeah, she knows.

R = Remember (What is their favorite moment in your relationship?)

Her most cherished moment with you would be the moment she finally admitted she wanted to be yours and she wanted you to be hers. She remembers every detail of it. Where it happened, the look in your eyes, the scent of your hair when she leaned into kiss you for the first time, the feel of your heartbeat on her palm as she rested it on your chest, the tears, everything. She holds it close to her soul.

S = Security (How protective are they? How would they protect you? How would they like to be protected?)

Don't let her soft nature fool you, she will get defensive for you if need be. She'd very politely yet subtly warn others not to cross her path when it comes to you. As for you, you're less subtle and polite about it and will scrap with someone if they even tried to say or do something to her if you had to. But because you know she's not much of a confrontational person, you'll excuse yourselves and take her gently by her hand to somewhere that she feels safe and hold her tight. However, according to her- anywhere's safe when she's with you.

T = Try (How much effort would they put into dates, anniversaries, gifts, everyday tasks?)

No matter what she does, she gives it her absolute all. Especially when it comes to you. You get new gifts from her often. Remember when I said she remembers your favourite scent and colour? Yeah, she asks Isabela to grow the flowers so she can make you scented candles and perfumes. She and Mirabel even sew dresses for you in your favourite colour, while Luisa helps her mamá find new places she can take you on dates. When anniversaries roll around, be prepared for a feast and I mean a feast.

U = Ugly (What would be some bad habits of theirs?)

She tends to bottle things up until she eventually can't take it anymore. While she's way more open with you than before, that bad habit seems to linger. And though you don't have any issues with comforting her during a break down, you wish she would let you know about these things earlier so you can help. She also bites her nails and lips when she's anxious.

V = Vanity (How concerned are they with their looks?)

While modest, she knows she has a nice figure and equally nice features. But as she ages, she seems to get a little more self conscious- however you're always there to make her feel like the most beautiful woman in the world and she loves you for that and more.

W = Whole (Would they feel incomplete without you?)

It scared her at first to think how dependant she had become on you. The thought of you leaving in any sense of the word terrifies her to no return and if you leave her like Agustín did, she doesn't know if she'll be able to put those broken pieces back together again.

X = Xtra (A random headcanon for them.)

She likes to sing when she has time to spare. She even writes songs from time to time but she's too shy to share them with anyone, except you of course.

Y = Yuck (What are some things they wouldn’t like, either in general or in a partner?)

She doesn't like people who are plain rude. She also doesn't like when people are crass and say crude things in the midst of a regular conversation when she doesn't even know them.

Z = Zzz (What is a sleep habits of theirs?)

She mumbles a bit in her sleep and sometimes pulls the blanket away from you. She also somehow manages to feel if you move a little and pull you right back towards her so she can keep snuggling against your chest.

[foggyfanfic]

Bruno's Health After the Walls

This has probably been done before, in fact there's an analysis of the long term effects Bruno's terrible posture has probably had on his spine out there somewhere, that lives rent free in my head. But I wanna do it anyways!

So, let's talk about how living in the walls for ten years probably affected Bruno's health.

First and foremost, let's talk about what isolation does to a person, particularly lack of human touch. Because Bruno was probably ok listening in on his family's conversations, but he has gone a decade without a single hug. I'm sure most of us have heard of that one study where they took a couple of orphaned babies and just didn't give them any physical contact. The babies almost died. So yeah! Bruno is not ok.

Then there's lack of sunlight. It's possible that he's been sneaking out to get fresh air every once in a while, so we'll say this is minimal. But a slight vitamin D deficiency still means lethargy, insomnia, bone/muscle pain, and his OCD would be worse (sunlight helps boost serotonin). So, Bruno is not ok.

He's probably malnourished, even if he's stealing enough food from the kitchen quantity wise, his cooking limitations and reliance on scraps probably means he's not getting a balanced diet. Depending on what nutrients he's not getting this could lead to muscle loss, decrease bone density, affect his immune system, and cause heart problems. And if he's relying too much on a certain food group that could lead to all sorts of long term damage to his digestive system, think things like an overworked liver. Bruno is not ok.

Sanitation is another thing, we see that his living space is overrun with rats. They are a remarkably clean animal, but they still have to poop and stuff. Overexposure to feces of any animal exposes you to all types of disease, viruses, bacteria, mold, you name it. Combined with how dusty it is back there and Bruno is probably breathing the grossest air in human history, possibly doing permanent damage to his respiratory system. Bruno is not ok.

Finally, add in the physical activity required for him to navigate in the walls. There's that big ass hole in the floor that he's apparently been vaulting over for years now. While running is good for your cardiovascular health, it is hell on your joints, and if he already has all of the problems listed above it’s a miracle his knees haven’t given out. Some have suggested that Julieta’s food only heals people if she’s the one giving it, let’s hope for Bruno’s sake that’s not the case, because otherwise… Bruno is NOT ok.

In conclusion, Bruno is not ok after spending ten years in the walls and he is going to need some serious rehabilitation. Honestly, realistically, I would expect him to have scurvy, or be missing hair and fingernails, or something; but it’s a kid’s movie so let’s just handwave a little and say the miracle has prevented the worst of it. The good news is he seems to have held up remarkably well mentally speaking, and is only a little crazy, so with some love and support (and healing magic) he’s still able to have a happy life.

[hannahhook7744]

Candle Light;

Summary: A glimpse into Alma's life shortly after the Encanto is created. Trigger warnings: grief, mourning, pressure/stress, etc. For Alma Appreciation Day.

@almaappreciationday . Prompts: Candle.

------------------------------------------------------------

The candle shined bright but the wax wasn't melting. 

Maybe that shouldn't have surprised Alma given the fact that she was currently in a living house surrounded by mountains that had just magically appeared to protect them from the raiders. But it did. 

But she guessed that could be attributed to her shock and maybe to the overwhelming grief she was feeling. 

Her Pedro was dead. 

Her sweet, loving, playful, immature, helpful, excitedable, impulsive Pedro was gone. 

Never to write and read her another story again. Never to bemoan the fact that he was no good at poetry again. Gone and never able to hug her and their niños again. 

Pedro, who despite fainting initially at the news that they were having triplets, had been so excited to be a father.  Pedro, who had painstakingly saved up the money to buy everything they needed to decorate the nursery. Pedro, who'd spent hours with their friends and family painting the walls and building whatever furniture he couldn't find to buy between work. 

He was gone. 

And their children would never get to truly know him. Wouldn't remember his face. 

Julieta, Josefa (or Pepa, as Pedro had so lovingly called her), and Bruno would never get to be hugged or carried by their father or be sung to sleep by him. They'd never get to read the stories he'd written them or see the nursery he'd made that was an odd mash up of yellow, green, orange, and teal with golden butterflies all over the wall that Alma couldn't help but love when she first laid eyes on it. 

They'd never get to play the games Pedro had spent hours making up or get to ride on his shoulders and back when they got tired after a long day. The three of them wouldn't get to share in the traditions Pedro's family had shared with hers. 

And Pedro would miss everything the two of them had spent hours talking and dreaming about at night after they'd found out she was expecting. 

He'd miss Julieta and Pepa’s Quinceañeras. Would miss the Triplets' eighteenth. He'd never get to give Bruno advice or bond with their niños, yernos, and nietos. 

He wouldn't be able to pass his shop down to their children ( Querido dios, his shop was gone—probably burned to the ground and in ruins by now ) and their children. He would miss their first steps, their first words, their first ‘papá!’, their first everything . All while she was left behind to experience it. 

Alma wasn't sure she was ready. 

Wasn't sure that she could be a good mother anymore. Not without Pedro by her side. But it wasn't like she had a choice. 

Her niños needed her. 

Even if she was scared out of her mind. 

They couldn't rely on her and Pedro's wedding  candle to raise them after all. She was all they had left (and wasn't that a depressing thought that Alma could absolutely not think about right now?). 

Alma was all they had left.

And she had to make sure that she’d be enough. 

The triplets were counting on her, the village (which wasn't much of a village right now) was counting on her, the miracle was counting on her—

Pedro was counting on her. 

Alma couldn't afford to fail any of them right now. 

She had to be strong. 

Pedro’s sacrifice would not be in vain. Not on her watch. 

[yellowcry]

Luisa Headcanons

Luisa Valeria (Prudence, Ladder, Purple Child, Isa II, Master of merging with the floor, Giant) Rojas Madrigal. Born 14th of November 1930

Childhood

Was a really big baby. To the point people assumed Julieta was pregnant with twins/saying consolations when she said she got only one child.

Refused to accept help while walking

Daddy's girl + Félix's favourite niece.

Was very excited to be a big sister back in the time. Partly because of how often Isabela teased her. It was such a delight not to be the baby sister anymore!

She and Pepa have an ongoing competition of the biggest black coffee drinker in the world. And it doesn't seem to ever stop.

Luisa was very physically active even prior her ceremony. Probably did all the types of exercises

Loved Mirabel a bit way too much. She didn't want to stop hugging her no matter what. The only way Julieta and Agustín could convince her to let go was the fact that Mirabel needed time to eat and sleep to be full of energy to match Luisa.

There was no chance in the world anyone (aside from Isabela after getting messy and Pepa) could match her energy.

She probably did some chores in the village even prior her ceremony. Nothing too hard, usually she helped only to people who actually were weak to carry their things themselves.

Just like with Isabela, Luisa would fall into overworking at some point even without Mirabel's failed ceremony. It had really just speeded it up

Adult years pre-movie

Had a lot of muscle pains from overworking.

Grew really distant with almost the entire family. She loved them, but didn't exactly had time to squeeze relationship into her schedule.

A natural protector of the family. Luisa often felt anxious of what would happen if she failed to defend her family

Had helped with preparing for sport competitions when she was in school. Probably also was a judge several times. She was forbidden to competete herself because of her gift.

Enjoys dancing, one of the best in her family.

Vents to the donkeys from time to time 

Doesn't really like physical violence and feels guilty if she lets agression slip, but she will kill anyone who dare to harm people she cares about without a second thought.

Takes a lot of snacks whenever she helps Julieta. (Or technically only one snack which is a whole plate swallowed in a minute). But she doesn't really get distracted to eat otherwise.

Eats the most in the family, taking her size and amount of physical work.

Post-movie

 

In the first month or so during rebuilding of the Casita Luisa was getting more injuries than the rest of the family combined. Including her dad. The reason behind it is because her gift made her forget of what normal human limits are.

She still tends to forget about it to be honest. Camilo once asked to help him train to gain muscle mass to impress boys. Luisa gave him workout that professional athletes would find hard, and then was surprised when Camilo fell flat from exhaustion.

The fact that Isabela stepped on protective ground too helped Luisa with anxiety way more than they both realize. As now Luisa feels that even if she fails to protect her family, somebody else will back her up.

Gets a turn into construction. She helps both with hard physical tacks and projecting or choosing the spot where it would stand without leaning anywhere. 

Sometimes Luisa forgets about breaks and healthy schedule too. It's a matter of habit that won't break in one moment. So there were ocassions when Luisa unintentionally slipped into overworking, but it bever lasted longer than two days.

Still prefers simple and practical clothes, but allows more embodery/small trims on it. Especially in days when she's not doing hard manual labor.

The family (Mainly the rest of grandkids) has sort of a competition game where they try to bribe Luisa to let them use shower in her room. (Mirabel was banned because of favouritism)

Relationship:

Alma: Luisa is probably the most comfortable around her Abuela out of her sisters in the beginning. As a huge part of her trauma came from the town rather than from Abuela herself like it happened with Isabela and Mirabel. Not to say it was perfect. Luisa was getting mentally ready each time Alma called her for something, as it used to be only to give her some chores before. But out of the cold sisters she's definitely the easiest one to get close to Alma and forgive her.

Pepa: They actually have way more of close traits that people tend to take into account. Both are extremely physically active and can't rest for ten minutes, very loud and tend to quickly snap and then feel bad for it right after. Pepa enjoys having someone with whom she can let her weather loose without being afraid to cause any serious harm. And Luisa loves challenge that her Tía's weather can provide.

Bruno: Strange. They weren't very close prior his leaving, but Luisa didn't have any ill feelings about her uncle. She just finds it strange to meet him after ten years of separation. (Fiveteen if you count when he started to isolate himself)

Julieta: Julieta puts an eye on Luisa to make sure she doesn't overwork herself again, she sometimes would leave to get Luisa to eat her lunch when her daughter is too excited to stop herself.

Agustín: They both are trying to make up for the years when Luisa couldn't spend much time with her dad. I imagine both of them having Father-Daughter day every once in a while where they just help eachother with work and show cool stuff.

Félix: Pretty close. They find it ironic of how close their birthdays are, believe me, they will jome about it all the time. Félix admires Luisa's loyalty and how hardworking and determibed she is. Luisa loves her always cheerful and optimistic uncle. Félix also tells Luisa some rips that help Pepa to deal with anxiety.

Dolores: They aren't really getting along well. Luisa is an antonym to the word quiet, and Dolores dislikes physical work. So they aren't close for the most of the time. Not to say they hate eachother. But both would prefer to spend time with literally anybody else

Camilo: Two theatre kids. Just like with Pepa, Luisa tends to be a bit competetive with him, they will race down the stairs together and llay football. Camilo probably sees her as a cool big sister. After all, if the oldest and youngest kids are close, why shouldn't be the middles?

Mirabel: Luisa adores her sister. Literally. Bow that she doesn't have to work this much anymore, they can return to their roots of toddler Luisa refusing to let her Mamá to hold Mirabel. They also relair their relationship easier that Isabela and Mirabel. Noth because they weren't arguing amd because they were closer prior Mirabel's ceremony.

Antonio: Just like Isabela, Luisa had probably barely interacted with Antonio because of her age and how busy she was. But two animal lovers are bound to get along.

[gamerbearmira]

YO IDK IF U TAKE AU REQUESTS BUT WHAT ABOUT AN AU WHERE THE WARM FAMILY AND BLUE FAMILY SWITCH PERSONALITIES!??

Pepa-Julieta

Felix-Agustin

Isabela-Dolores

Luisa-Camilo

Mirabel-Antonio

THE SWITCH UP WOULD BE CRAZYY!?

I DO AND YEAH⁉️⁉️⁉️

Switch up is definitely something 💀 not anything bad, but you know. Different dynamics, some stuff def changed. I also changed some hair and clothes. Nothing major, but I just wanted to <333

Julieta is constantly worrying over people, a little too much, especially Agustín and he always calms her down. Pepa is pretty chill, she always gives the best hugs and calms everyone else down. Felix, he’s so reckless, but like he means well 🗣️🗣️

Isabela is little more closed off, but she’s not nearly as quiet, though it is a little hard to get her to open up. Not as mean to Mirabel. Dolores is basically the opposite to Isabela, and though she doesn’t like invading privacy, she uses her bit more openly, and doesn’t hide from Mariano lol. Luisa likes doing tricks for people (like she did when she first got her gift), and isn’t so much of a prankster as an entertainer. Daredevil maybe??

Camilo uses his gift pretty much strictly to help, he doesn’t really do pranks to be honest. Mirabel is a bit more timid, and though she does help, she’s not as hyper and jumping around; she doesn’t really mention or feel the intense need of wanting to prove herself, mainly cause of Agustín. Antonio, on the other hand, is always jumping around. Like a super hyper five year old basically 💀

Bonus I also swapped Alma with Bruno and Pedro, because I might as well 😭

Bruno is straight forward with his visions, and doesn’t let anyone talk him down, it’s insane. Bro locked in 🦈 Alma is very secretive, especially about the gifts. I think she would’ve even tell the town, she tells the family to use their gifts in secret basically (Bruno is always by her side).

Pedro is a prideful but?? Humble, he cared very deeply for his family, hence why he sacrificed himself. Willing to anything; also a major perfectionist. Alma always tries to see the brighter side of things, and always puts her family first, the miracle is like. Barely even second. (Very similar to canon Mirabel).

[usedtobeguest123]

...He raised his eyebrows in surprise at that. Favorite people? Was he included on that list? Julieta just smiled and turned back to the dishes. It took Bruno a moment, but he also slowly resumed his duties, finding he couldn't put away the little smile on his own face that had arrived at the thought that he might be someone's favorite.

I drew from my fic La Traes again for @encantober-official Day 2 - siblings. This scene is a little exchange that happens between the triplets--the OG siblings. You can find the whole thing below the cut.

“You need to get out of the house, hermanito,” Julieta had said to him gently one evening after dinner as they washed dishes together. “It’s…been a while, sí?”

“Eso se queda corto,” Pepa had mumbled as she dumped some more dishes into the soapy water, earning a glare from both of her siblings. [ That's an understatement.] She widened her eyes at them as if to say What? Am I wrong?

“I’m just saying ,” Julieta continued, pointedly moving past Pepa’s comment, “that it might do you some good, to have a little more change of scenery.”

“I-I think I’m doing just fine,” he replied a bit defensively. And he did. He went for walks with Dolores around the perimeter of Casita, down to the river where it ran past the southwest edge of the grassy lawn. Sometimes he’d wander out back behind the house, napping in the afternoon sun before it disappeared behind the mountainous wall that guarded the back of their home. Compared to the previous ten years, he was a veritable expeditionist now. 

“Of course you are,” Pepa said, putting an arm around his shoulders. He hunched them in response, glancing at her suspiciously. 

“Y-yeah?”

“Yeah! You’ve made it to the edge of the grass! That’s like, what, un kilómetro cuadrado, yeah? A completely normal amount of space for a person to exist in.” 

[One square kilometer.] Bruno’s frown deepened. “You’re mocking me.” 

Pepa winked at him. 

“A-alright, alright,” he said, waving his hands in the air beside his head in surrender. “I’ll, uh, I'll go to the banana fields tomorrow. As long as it’s not a harvest day,” he added, pointing a finger at Julieta, who rolled her eyes good-naturedly at him. “Or an irrigation day. Or you know…a-a day with other, um, other people there.” 

The busyness of rebuilding Casita last year had given him enough social interaction outside his immediate family to last him quite a while…a very long while. Thankfully, he’d been able to largely lose himself in the organized chaos of it all, and Mirabel had been particularly helpful, working as a liaison between him and anyone he’d had to interact with, smoothing the awkwardness away with her easy conversation and joyful presence. And he had managed to largely ignore the curious stares that came from, well, from pretty much everyone until the novelty of his return had worn off. Well…at least he had pretended to ignore them. 

“I don’t want to pressure you, arenoso,” Julieta said gently, putting a slightly soapy hand on his shoulder. “I just don’t want…”

…don’t want you to get lost again. She’d let her sentence trail off, but the unspoken ending hung awkwardly in the air anyway. They’d both turned back to their dishes, with Pepa standing stiffly beside them, hugging a freshly dried plate to her stomach. The cloud above her head darkened just a little. Bruno winced down at the soapy water as the silence surrounding them grew painful.

“H-hey, maybe you can spend the day with Antonio tomorrow?" Pepa offered nervously, popping the tension like a soap bubble. "He needs a…a break …from routine, too."

Bruno and Julieta looked at their sister with matching frowns, both narrowing their eyebrows in concern. It would have been comical or even sweet to see the same expression mirrored between her two siblings again…if she didn’t feel the weight of the very same concern pulling down the corners of her own mouth. 

Antonio had been struggling to find a place for himself in the Madrigal visits to town. Before his gift, he might have shyly clung to Mirabel’s skirts or played in the dirt while Pepa rained on the fields, never quite brave enough to venture out to play with the other children on his own, refusing to speak to the adults that smiled down at him. Pepa worried about his shyness.

But now a different problem had presented itself. Antonio was now more than happy to engage with anyone and everyone, possessing a newfound courage with his animal friends by his side, but his animal friends were also decidedly wild, and even Antonio could not control every move they made. Just last week, some monkeys that had trailed him into the town had wandered away and found some storage crates of fruit, working together to drop them from the roof of a nearby house until the crates smashed open and spilled out a feast that was then fit only for them. The owner of the crates had not been happy.

Most of the jungle animals had largely maintained a healthy, fearful distance from the bustling, busy streets of the Encanto for the fifty years it had occupied the valley, but Antonio’s warmth and friendship seemed to have blurred that boundary, and Abuela was struggling to find a balance between loving encouragement and civic order. And when Abuela struggled with something, all the Madrigals struggled with her, in one way or another. 

“...Mamá suggested that maybe Antonio might spend some time in the forest paths, playing with his gift,” Pepa explained, putting away the plate so she could pull at her braid. A knowing glance between all three siblings conveyed the underlying meaning of the word play—learn to get it under control. “Félix was going to take him, but you two get along so well, Bruno. Maybe you could spend some time with him, and you both could enjoy the fresh air. You know. Bonding?”

Bruno blew out an exaggerated breath, his cheeks puffing and his shoulders dropping dramatically. He pulled his mouth to the side and looked at Pepa with an expression of reluctant concession. How could he say no to a whole day with his sobrino? He loved the kid. And the very fact that Abuela had been the one to suggest the break from town…well. He knew what that felt like. No matter how nicely she put it, how lovingly she intended it, he knew it would feel like a punishment to Antonio. That thought…well that thought broke his heart a little. 

“...F-fine,” he mustered in response. “We’ll go for a walk in the–- ” he swallowed dryly“ –- i-in the forest.” 

A bit of sunlight broke through from behind the cloud above Pepa’s head, and Bruno couldn’t help but flash a small, crooked smile up at it. She pulled him sideways by his collar and planted a kiss on his cheek, which he winced at but accepted gratefully. Julieta nudged him with her hip. 

“There you go! That will be fun,” she said happily, clearly convinced this was a fantastic solution for all parties. Bruno was not so sure. “Take Mirabel with you, too, if you want. You know she’d love to join her two favorite people for the day.” 

Bruno had raised his eyebrows in surprise at that. Favorite people? Was he included in that list? Julieta had just smiled and turned back to the dishes. It had taken Bruno a moment, but he also slowly resumed his duties, finding he couldn’t put away the little smile on his own face that had arrived at the thought that he might be someone’s favorite. 

So here he was now, sharing a picnic blanket with a sloth and a capybara—among other crawling, flittering things—nursing a bruised ego after having been tackled by a six year old on a jaguar, all because he was a pushover who couldn’t say no to time with his sobrinos. 

Caray. The things I get myself into…

--La Traes, Chapter 1

[snakeskins-world]

Picture Perfect...?

The Madrigals were all doing their own things today.

It had been 3 months since the Casita crashed, and the rebuild. They had all become closer than ever! Feeling like they've truly reunited properly.

Of course, they still had secrets...

Dolores, was sat in the main room, next to Mariano. Dolores was listening with excitement as Mariano spoke, his voice like music to her ears.

Camilo, was with Antonio, upstairs. They were running do the halls, Antonio was riding his Jaguar, parce, as Camilo tried to keep up.

Isabela was sat on her vine swing, decorated with new plants. She was tripping up Camilo every now an again by growing random plants.

Luisa was relaxing in a hammock, a drink in hand, her donkey-unicorn stuffie in the hammock next to her. Both laying in the sun.

Pepa was stood with Felix, both were charring by the bottom of the stairs, their conversation going unheard by the other Madrigals,

but it was clearly happy and loving, since Pepa's cheek were practically painted pink, and the sun was shining above the town, and Felix was sporting his loving, flirtatious smile at his wife, speaking to her in Spanish.

Bruno was sat in his bedroom, redecorating.

Julieta was sat outside with Agustìn, both enjoying the nice weather.

Alma was sat in the kitchen, sipping a cup of coffee as she read a book, a romance. But she wouldn't admit that.

And Mirabel was setting the plates for dinner.

"Mirabel, dinner isn't for a few hours yet?" Alma says, her head tilting up, her eyes going from her book to her granddaughter who had just finished setting the plates.

"Well, I like getting ready early, this way we don't spend time putting the plates out during dinner." Mirabel explains.

"And we repaired Tio Bruno's old plate! We wanna surprise him at dinner!" Mirabel smiles excitedly, her usual cheerfulness, radiating from her like light did from the sun.

"He'll love it, Nieta. How about you go play with your cousins? Or sisters?" Alma suggests, but it was more like an order.

"But I need -" Mirabel's excuse was cut short.

"No. No, I won't hear any of that, go enjoy the nice day -"

The sound of glass shattering filled the house, everyone jumped.

Pepa picked up thr photo, it was of Antonio's ceremony.

"Camilo! Antonio! You both need to be careful!" Pepa scolded her younger children, a cloud growing over her head.

"Mi Vida, look." Felix whispers, taking the picture, showing his wife. "Where's Mirabel? She isn't in the photograph."

At this, the entire family started to crowd around, peering at the picture.

"Mirabel?" Antonio asks, looking up, the entire family copied. They looked at Mirabel, who was stood at the entrance of the kitchen, her hands clasped infront of her, a nervous look on her face, as if she had done something wrong.

"Mirabel, why aren't you in the picture?" Pepa asks, her voice carried confusion and a hint of sadness.

Mirabel looked away, her fingers interlaced before her hands moved to her to her side.

"W, well, you all were really excited, a and I wasn't included, I don't have a gift, I guess you all just forgot to include me, but I get why, I mean, you need to have a gift to be a Madrigal!" Mirabel says quickly, her hands moving as she spoke, moving with her voice.

As Mirabel spoke, the look on the Madrigals' faces slowly turned to stunned sadness.

Pepa's clowd turned dark and a light drizzle started to pour down.

"M, mirabel, we forgot you?" *Julieta asked, staring at her daughter. "Why didn't you say? We could've redone it." She says. Walking up to her daughter.

"Well, you were all really happy, a and I didn't wanna be a bother, so I just...stayed quiet." Mirabel says.

"Oh Miraboo." Agustìn says lovingly and sadly, using her nickname only he could say, he hugged his daughter tightly.

"You could never be a bother. You're a part of the familia Madrigal!" He smiles, trying to lighten the mood.

"This won't do." Alma says firmly, her hands clasped together, the entire family looked up to their Matriarch, waiting for her to continue.

"Next week. We will have a party, for Mirabel's sixteenth birthday." Alma says, then looks directly at Mirabel "And Mirabel, you will be the centre of the photo." Alma says firmly but kindly, showing she genuinely meant her words. "We missed your gift ceremony, and your Quinceara. We will have to fix that."

"You really don't have to!" Mirabel tried to change their minds, but the family was already brainstorming.

"Out! The future birthday girls cannot hear the plan!" Camilo says, ushering Mirabel to the kitchen.

Mirabel chuckled. She knew her family was trying to make up for it all.

Familia Madrigal was healing. And it would take time

But they'd slowly heal the cracks.

[thetavolution]

They Fell From the Sky

Chapter 1

Bruno x OC

a/n : You can also read it on AO3.

Plot: A plane crash brings a group of strangers to the Encanto, bringing new dangers to the village.

Chapter 2

Bruno stared down at the green vision slab in his hands, his face scrunched up in confusion. There was growth from destruction. In spite of a roaring fire, the casita continued to expand, as if the family were continuing to grow. It was as confusing as the vision he once had about Mirabel.

“This doesn’t make sense,” Mirabel said. “Why does it mean?”

“I don’t know, kid,” Bruno admitted.

They were in Bruno’s new, much more welcoming bedroom. It was no longer a distance cave filled with sand. There was still sand present so that Bruno could use it in his ritual. Although Bruno didn’t really need to do it for his gift to work, it was soothing. Being able to look into the future was enough to fray the nerves and Bruno turned to ritual for comfort. 

The room was decorated in greens, Bruno’s signature color. Off to the side of the room, was a warm bed to sleep in. Mirabel had given him embroidered sheets as a welcome home gift. He cherished them.

“What if this means we do start letting people come to the village?” Mirabel was desperate to make sense of this. “Maybe Abuela changes her mind?”

“Abuela wouldn’t change her mind,” Bruno said, not taking his eyes off the slab. This meant something else and it couldn’t be anything good.

“It could be something good.” It was as if Mirabel knew his exact fears, yet she didn’t sound confident. “Maybe there’s a fire that… brings us together? Or maybe taking care of the survivors after a fiery crash helps our family grow? It could be metaphorical growth.”

“We need to tread carefully,” Bruno warned. “Our job is to protect our family and our home, first and foremost. The people of the Encanto count on us.”

“Of course,” she agreed. Being optimistic didn’t mean they had to let their guard down.

“We could go to the camp,” Mirabel suggested. “Get a good look at what we’re dealing with. We haven’t had a chance to meet anyone except Guillermo and Señorita McQuoid.”

Bruno shook his head. “It wouldn’t be safe.”

“I’ll be safe if you’re with me, Tío!” Mirabel gently tugged on his arm. “And I’m sure Mamá and Papi will be there, too.”

Bruno wet his lips as he debated his answer, a habit born of anxiety. She wasn’t wrong. His brother-in-law and Julieta would both be there. Luisa and Isabela had already started joining them in working with the survivors. It wouldn’t be that dangerous for Mirabel to be there now.

He slowly nodded, resulting in Mirabel nearly tackling him with a hug. Mirabel didn’t bother to mask her glee, especially since it was never a secret that she wanted to know more about the newcomers. Even if they found nothing that clarified the vision, Mirabel would have the chance to see the survivors for herself.

“This will be a good thing!” Mirabel took him by the hand to guide him out of his room, leading him to the front door. “Whatever we find out will help us protect our family.”

She didn’t even notice as he held his breath going through the front door, something he still did to try to invite good luck into his life. He really couldn’t enter doorways or passages without that simple gesture. He’d also quickly crossed his fingers, knowing they would need the extra luck with them.

He allowed his niece to guide him through the village roads. She reminded him of his sisters when they were younger. He was always the nervous child, pulled along into their antics, especially Pepa’s. Pepa never wanted her children to know she was a bit of a wild child back in her day. Bruno was often her uneasy sidekick and Julieta would bail them out of any trouble they got into, and often helped them hide it from Mamá.

When they reached the edge of the camp, neither Bruno nor Mirabel were surprised to see a certain trio of faces trying to spy on the strangers. Cecilia, Alejandra, and Juancho giggled as they looked through trees and foliage to get a good look at the strangers. The were whispering to each other, but Bruno couldn’t make out a word of it.

Mirabel placed her hands on her hips with a smirk. Bruno stood back a few feet to let his niece deal with the children. They knew her far better than they did him. He was probably just some creepy old man to them.

When Mirabel cleared her throat, the children gasped in unison. They turned to look at the two Madrigals. Once they realized it was Mirabel, their panic lessened.

“We just wanted to see!” Juancho exclaimed.

“I’m sure you did,” she said, amused by their antics. “But there’s a reason the grown ups don’t want you over here. Go on.”

She watched as the children scurried off. She looked back at her uncle. “I would have done the same thing if I was there age.”

“You’re doing the same thing at your current age,” Bruno teased.

“This is different!”

“Is it?”

“It is!” Mirabel insisted. “I’m not sneaking around the camp, for starters. I’m walking right on in!”

At that, she did start to walk right into the camp.

It was made up of bright makeshift tents cobbled together by the villagers. They weren’t anything fancy, simply bright fabrics sewn together over wood poles. The doors were flaps that could be tied together with strings, but many of them were left hanging open. It was likely people didn’t want to be bother tying and retying the entrances throughout the day. On the edges of the camp was a fire pit to cook over. Not too far from the fire pit was a stack of organized luggage. It must have been whatever they could salvage from the plane.

It wasn’t as grim as Bruno had expected, but he knew his family was to thank for that. They had not only treated the wounded, they had made sure the camp had a loving touch. It was a place for people to try to recover, mentally and spiritually. There would be no drab colors or untidy workspaces. Supplies were organized and nearly set aside into the appropriate piles.

They immediately spotted a familiar face beside the fire pit. Bex was dousing a fire and properly covering it up. She noticed them almost the moment they passed the treeline.

“Well, hello there,” Bex greeted. She was adorned in contrast stitch jeans and red shirt. It wasn’t that common to see women in pants around the Encanto, although it wasn’t a first either.

She wasn’t alone. Next to her was a young girl in a check shirt and rolled cuffed jeans. Her strawberry blonde hair styled into soft curls, which contrasted Bex’s loose and wavy dark brown hair.

“Señorita McQuoid,” Mirabel greeted. “It’s good to see you again.”

“Same to you,” Bex said. “Mirabel and Bruno, right?”

Bruno was surprised. He hadn’t expected her to remember his name. He had barely said a word the entire night Bex was at his home. “You remember me?”

“Of course,” Bex said. “You’re very memorable.”

Memorable. That meant weird, didn’t it? With his bizarre mannerisms and rituals, she’d sure noticed him alright. She noticed he was deranged.

Stop. Stop, he told the thoughts. It was easy to fall back into self-hate. He took a deep breath to center himself, just like Luisa had once shown him.

“This is Irena,” Bex motioned to the girl next to her. “Irena Gruber.”

That gave Bruno and Mirabel pause. They recalled Gruber mentioning a daughter at dinner the other night. More accurately, he’d referenced she would “pop out” a kid eventually. Bruno hadn’t really known what to expect when it came to Gruber’s daughter. Irena was definitely not what he would have thought of if asked.

She was petite, as if she could be swept off her feet by a great wind. Her nervous, wide-eyed stare made Bruno think of a scared deer, ready to run at the slightest provocation. Irena glanced to Bex, for some kind of moral support, before waving to them.

“Hi, it’s so nice to meet you,” Mirabel reached out a hand to Irena. 

Mirabel’s energetic greeting jolted Irena. After a second, she collected herself and managed a weak smile.

“It’s nice to meet you, too.” Irena shook Mirabel’s hand. She then held out her hand to Bruno. “You, too, señor.” 

“Hi.” Bruno matched her nervous energy with his own. He quickly shook her hand. Should he say ‘Same?’ Or ‘The pleasure’s all mine?’ No, that’s awkward, right? Should he say something else? How were you meant to greet a complete stranger, especially one from a completely different country?

He took too long to decide, losing his chance to not be a socially awkward mess.

“There something I can help you with?” Bex wondered. “You looking for your family?”

“Not exactly,” Mirabel said. “We came to help and get to know everyone.”

“Ah,” Bex nodded. “We appreciate that. Although you might not have a great time meeting everyone right now. People are still trying to recover from….”

Bex gestured at everything.

“Of course,” Mirabel said, quickly. “We can’t even begin to imagine what you’ve been through. We don’t want to be insensitive.”

“You’re fine,” Bex said. “At least, you’re fine with me. I’m just the hired help who came along on a trip. I can’t pretend to be as affected as everyone else who actually lost something. Come on, I can show you around. Irena, you wanna come?”

Irena froze, startled by the question.

Irena’s silent panic was enough of an answer for Bex. “Don’t worry, kid, you stay here.” She was so casual in her response it was almost comforting. She turned back to Bruno and Mirabel. “We can head up this way.”

She pointed to a pathway that led to the center of the camp. Mirabel quickly made her way to the front of the pack, so to speak. Bruno and Bex trailed behind her.

Bruno already hated it. He was walking in step with Bex. Should he talk to her? Are you allowed to just walk in silence with a stranger? It was possible Bex was judging him for being quiet. Maybe she was judging him for letting his niece take control of the conversation. But Mirabel was so much better with people than he was.

“You see the future, right?” Bex’s question pulled him from his thoughts.

“Uh, yeah, I do.” Bruno could already feel his anxiety climbing even higher. She’d ask him to look into her future and she’d hate what he’d see. People in the Encanto no longer blamed him for his prophecies, but they still didn’t always react well to bad news. And she was an outsider! What if she did blame him? No matter how many familial pep talks he got, it still felt so heavy when someone blamed him for things going wrong.

“Can I ask how you get your visions?” Bex continued. “Do they just come to you or…?”

“No, no, I have to concentrate to do it,” Bruno clarified. “They don’t just come to me. People come to me and ask for me to look into their future for them. …And they don’t always like what I see.”

“Sounds stressful.”

He felt a wave of relief with just that small acknowledgement. “It is,” he admitted. “But I like being able to help.”

He noticed a small smile on her face. She motioned to Mirabel with a nod of her head. “What about the kid? What’s her gift?”

“She is the gift,” Bruno responded without missing a beat. “She’s the glue that holds us together. She doesn’t have an ability the way we do, but she doesn’t need one.”

Bex chuckled, softly. “You are an insanely adorable family.”

While it was near impossible for Bruno to accept a compliment about himself, he was proud of his family. People could compliment them all day and he’d lap it up.

“Thank you,” he averted his eyes, still nervous. He had no idea how to buffer his next question, so he just blurted it out. “Why didn’t you ask me to read your future?”

Everyone else always asked that immediately. Why didn’t she? Was something wrong? Did she hate him? She hated him. She didn’t want to have to talk to him. It’s what made the most sense.

“Because I don’t like chasing after trouble,” Bex replied with a playful lilt. “My future will find me soon enough. I’d like to be disappointed in real time.”

“You think you’d get a bad fortune.” Of course she did. That’s what everyone dreaded.

Bex realized she’d hit a sore spot for Bruno, based on his reaction alone. “Hey, it’s not personal,” she said. “I’m sorry, I make too many bad jokes.”

Bruno nodded, not feeling fully convinced. 

“I also figured you’d be tired of people asking you. I assumed you get it non-stop.”

“I do,” Bruno admitted. He wasn’t sure if he actually did want her to ask or not. Did he? He did get tired of it being why people approached him, yet he felt so empty when she didn’t. Was there a way for Bex to win this interaction?

“How about this? When you feel up to it, you can read my future?” Bex suggested. “I’ll put on a brave face for you and everything. I’ll leave the ball in your court.”

The compromise was enough to calm his conflicted thoughts. “Deal.” Bruno let a moment of silence pass between them before he tried to kickstart the conversation again. “How do you know Señor Gruber?”

“He hired me to cook for him,” Bex answered. “Although I’m nowhere near as good as Julieta on that front.”

“I wouldn’t mind trying some of your cooking sometime.” Bruno wasn’t used to having such casual conversations with people he wasn’t related to. People were much kinder to him now, but they still regarded him as different. There were a few occasions he felt condescended to. Like he was some kind of crackpot that had to be treated with kid gloves.

Bex chuckled. “Stick around here and you’ll get to eventually. Just don’t complain to me when it’s not as good as what you’re used to.”

Bruno’s retort was cut short when he noticed Mirabel had stopped in her tracks. He followed her gaze to see Luisa. She was several feet away with one of the other survivors, deep in conversation with him. Whatever they were talking about, they were both passionate about the topic. 

He was much shorter than Luisa, which was no surprise. She towered over most people. He took a break from gesturing wildly with his arms to adjust his wide framed glasses. His skin was a hue or two darker than Luisa’s and his black hair was cut short. 

“Looks like Luisa made a friend,” Mirabel commented.

Bruno smiled. Seeing the kids connect with new people was a sight for sore eyes, especially Luisa. She had always struggled to relax that she never really let herself spend time with friends. Bruno wasn’t even really sure she was particularly close with most people her age in the village.

“That’s Nasr,” Bex chimed in. “He’s a good kid, studies mineralogy. You ask him anything about rocks and he lights up like a Christmas tree.”

“Rocks?” Mirabel chuckled.

Bex nodded. “Came all the way from Palestine to study them. Although I don’t think coming to America was his choice.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’ll tell you later,” Bex said. “Let’s keep going. We don’t want to interrupt them.”

The trio continued on, although Bruno watched Luisa a moment longer. Once Mirabel told Isabela about this, Bruno was confident the two sisters would grill Luisa about her conversation. They’d know everything about Nasr from his birthday to his shoe size. The women in his family were good at that. Once a new friend or romantic interest came into the fold, they had to know everything. It was a way to make sure you were protecting your family. They were also just nosy.

He’d be lying if he said he didn’t want to know. Mirabel would keep him in the loop.

They made it to the center of the camp, which was encircled by tents. It seemed pretty bare aside from a stack of rations.

“We’re prepping for when we hit the road,” Bex explained. She smacked the top of the rations piles. “This should be enough to get us all into the next town.”

“And then what?” Mirabel asked.

“We figure out how to get home,” she said. “I’m sure our plane’s been reported missing by now. We probably just have to radio a nearby airport or… something.”

“Should we be worried you’ll tell everyone about the Encanto?” Bruno asked.

Bex hesitated, which caused Bruno’s concerns to spike. “Guillermo and I are working to make sure nobody finds out about the Encanto after we return. Everyone will come around. I know how to get Gruber to not be a complete bastard.”

Mirabel and Bruno exchanged a look that said it all: that wasn’t good enough. This had already been a concern for the Madrigals, but not it felt as though they needed a real game plan.

The conversation was interrupted by the sound of shouting from inside a nearby tent. Two of the voices were clearly Gruber’s and Guillermo’s, but there was a third, unfamiliar one. They were shouting in English so it was difficult for either of the Madrigals to understand them.

Guillermo stormed out of the tent.

“Deal with your people!” Guillermo snapped at Bex as he passed by. He disappeared into a tent opposite of Gruber’s.

“You know it’s bad when he calls them ‘my people,’” Bex said. She entered Gruber’s tent as Bruno and Mirabel followed. “My people, what are we doing to poor Guillermo?”

“He’s being a child!” Gruber snapped.

“A fifteen year old being a child?” Bex feigned astonishment. “Outrageous.”

Gruber ran a hand through salt-and-pepper hair. He was a large and imposing man, standing at 6 foot 2. His sharp, angular features made him rather attractive. His looks were only attenuated by his personality.

There was a second man in the tent, one the Madrigals didn’t recognize. He had short, well coiffed red hair, swept over to one side. He wore a simple gray suit with what was possibly the world’s loudest tie. If another plane flew over the Encanto now, they’d probably be able to see it from thousands of feet in the air.

Gruber’s tent was perfectly organized and minimalistic. There was a table with some kind of blueprint draped over it. In the corner was Gruber’s cot. 

“You baby him.” Gruber nearly charged at her, his face close to hers. “You treat him like he can do no wrong and whenever I try to treat him like an adult, you act like I’m the villain.”

Bruno felt his niece lean back against him. He instinctively wrapped a protective arm around her. They had never met someone with this kind of anger. There were plenty of short-tempered people in their village, but Bruno couldn’t recall anyone this unsettling. This was an untamed rage, a rabid animal ready to bite and claw anything that gets too close.

Bruno noticed that Bex was unmoved by Gruber’s behavior. It was possible she was just accustomed to this. As Gruber approached her, Bruno heart started to race. He licked his lips, nervously. He reached out his hand to hover just beside Bex’s arm.

He barely knew her, but he wasn’t about to let anyone get hurt. He was the sort of man who shied away from confrontation and arguments, but his need to protect overrode it. He also didn’t want to let his niece see any woman be harmed by a man. Bex, however, didn’t seem to notice Bruno poised and ready to pull her from danger.

That’s when Gruber caught sight of Bruno and Mirabel. “Why are they here?”

“They came by to visit,” Bex answered. “They are our hosts.”

Gruber shot her a perplexed expression.

“The Madrigals,” Bex reminded him. Gruber had already forgotten who Bruno and Mirabel were.

Like the switch of a light, Gruber’s countenance changed. His scowl was replaced with a friendly grin. It was somehow more terrifying than his fury. It had come on so quickly.

“Ah, the Madrigals, I’m so sorry you had to see that,” Gruber apologized. “Tensions have been… high. All of us have been so stressed.”

“Why were you arguing with him?” Mirabel asked. Bruno tightened his grip on her. If that set off Gruber, he was still ready to keep him away from her.

“Just difference of opinion,” Gruber replied. “Where are my manners? Let me introduce you to my assistant, Archie Robinson.”

“Assistant?” Bex didn’t hide her confusion. “Since when? He’s just some guy who was on the plane with us?” She then addressed Archie directly. “Don’t you sell brushes?”

“A man can move up in the world, you know,” Archie retorted, almost snooty about it. He took a step closer to Bex, encouraging her to take a step back.

“No, no,” Bex held a finger up to Archie. Archie rolled his eyes.

“Robinson understands my vision,” Gruber explained. He motioned to Bruno and Mirabel to come closer. “Let me show you. I think I have an idea Señora Madrigal will love.”

He pointed to the blueprint over the table. Bruno stepped closer, feeling Mirabel stay glued to his side. He didn’t blame her. Looking down at the blueprint, he could see it was the Encanto. Everything had been perfectly mapped out with new buildings added. He felt his heart sink when he noticed that Gruber had added rooms to the casita as well.

“What is this?” Bruno sounded more panicked than he had meant to.

“It might be best if I can show Señora Madrigal my vision for this place,” Gruber explained. “You’re already a very important and respected family in this village, so why not add to your wealth?”

“Wealth?”

“I can make you thousands, maybe even millions!”

“We don’t need thousands or millions,” Bruno said, evenly.

“Of course you do, everyone does,” Gruber argued.

“We mostly barter in the Encanto,” Bruno corrected. “We trade for what we need or give it freely.”

Gruber stared at him as if lobsters were crawling out of his ears. It was an expression Bruno was used to getting. He’d said something wrong again.

But this time, Mirabel backed him up. “We’ve never needed money here. We take care of each other.”

“Aw,” Bex said, earnestly. “That’s actually really nice.”

“But all of you are living as if it were still 1900,” Archie backed up Gruber. “You don’t even have electricity, let alone the modern conveniences you could have.”

“We’re happy with our village the way it is,” Mirabel said.

“Electricity seems like a small price to pay for never going hungry, if you ask me,” Bex defended the Encanto. 

“No one did ask you,” Gruber shot back.

“I think I see where Guillermo got so angry,” Bex noted, more amused than upset.

“Why did you add rooms to the casita,” Mirabel was more direct with her question.

Archie jumped in at that. “This was my idea,” he said, proudly. “You could be monetizing your gifts, like your mother.” He pointed to one of the additional rooms. “We could have a whole room dedicated to her healing food, package it up, and sell it to hospitals! Or we get ourselves some door-to-door salesmen to sell it to desperate parents who want to cure their family’s ills.”

“Mamá would never do that,” Mirabel pointed out. “She’d never charge money to heal people.”

“Not to mention that’s a lot of cooking for just one woman,” Bex pointed out.

“That’s why we only help the highest bidders,” Archie countered. “The best hospitals in the world would pay for it.”

Mirabel sneered at that. “Tío, I think we should go.”

Bruno squeezed her arm in agreement. 

“Please, think about it,” Gruber pleaded as the three of them exited the tent. 

Mirabel angrily threw the door flap down once they were outside. “I can’t believe that man!”

Upon hearing Mirabel’s voice, Guillermo poked his head out of his tent. His eyes landed on Bex almost immediately. “Did you talk to them?”

“More like they talked at us,” Bex said.

Guillermo exited his tent to approach her. “I’m sorry I yelled at you,” he said, softly.

“Don’t apologize, kid, you weren’t really yelling at me,” Bex said. “I know Gruber gets under your skin.”

Guillermo turned to Bruno and Mirabel. “I’m sorry, that man is… is…”

“An idiot,” Bex finished. “But this is what he does. He throws spaghetti at the wall until something sticks. When it doesn’t stick, he moves on.”

“What if he doesn’t move on?” Mirabel asked.

Bex scratched at the back of her head. “I’ll make sure he does,” she didn’t sound convincing. “Hey kiddo,” she addressed Guillermo. “You wanna help me show these two around?”

“Yeah, alright,” Guillermo nodded, calming down. He looked to Mirabel. “Your sister and mother are this way if you’d want to join them.”

“That might be a good idea,” Mirabel agreed.

Guillermo was quite the guide, easily navigating them through the camp to find Mirabel’s mother. The Madrigals learned he was a professional tour guide in Bogotá, despite his young age. It was why he’d been on the plane to begin with; he was Gruber’s official guide in Colombia. Guillermo’s mood picked up as he showed the Madrigals around.

He and Mirabel also compared notes on what it was like to live in Bogotá over the Encanto. They’d missed 50 years of trends and it was fun to learn what they’d missed. There were a few things Mirabel openly wished existed in their village.

When the children were out of earshot, Bruno asked Bex, “You weren’t worried Gruber would hurt you? He strikes me as a pretty violent guy.”

“I know how to navigate him,” Bex answered. “He wants to be feared and beloved all at once. Attacking me would make him feared, but not beloved. I also have an easier time staying pretty calm around him. When I stay calm, it makes him feel like he needs to calm down so he doesn’t look crazy.”

“And if he lost control?”

“I can hold my own, the kids can’t,” Bex said, looking at Guillermo. “Don’t you worry about Gruber. I’ve got him handled. I’ll make sure we’re out of your hair sooner than later.”

Bruno would absolutely worry about Gruber. In fact, he felt even more justified in being worried about Gruber.

He’d feel much better once he could talk to Julieta. 

[justheweirdo]

They looked at the butterflies as they faded in the clear sky and Mirabel thought she must say something important to her abuela. Once out of the river, Mirabel spoke again, “Abuela…” she called with a quiet voice.

“Sí, mi amor?” she answered… she didn’t call her like that since her gift ceremony… she had never realized it, but… she had missed her abuela calling her that way.

“I don’t know if this is the right moment,” she began, taking Bruno’s letter out of her pocket, “But I think you need to read this,” she handed the folded paper to Alma.

“What’s this? You… you’ve pulled it out before, but I didn’t understand,” Alma said cautiously.

“It’s… it’s from Bruno, I found it in his… tower,” she revealed. Alma’s face went pale, “Brunito…” she whispered remorsefully, more to herself than to Mirabel.

⸻

Mirabel and Alma argue and the Miracle fades, letting Casita fall and the mountains split.

[zafirosreverie]

Julieta & Bruno headcanons

for @hectic-hector we both know these two are the best!

They're 15 minutes apart

Julieta gave Alma a heart attack because she was born calm, without crying or noise.

But she was the healthiest baby. Bruno was born weaker and smaller than his sisters.

He couldn't sleep alone, he always had to be between his sisters, but over time Pepa became more independent, leaving them alone.

It never bothered Julieta, and even after getting their own rooms and gifts, she would always leave an empty spot next to her on the bed, knowing that Bruno would appear at any time of the night.

While Pepa preferred to play outside and explore, Bruno and Julieta were home children. They would play chess, cards, puzzles, or read together.

They were the ones who could pretend to be each other, which greatly bothered Pepa. They stopped when they realized that it really hurt her not to look like her siblings.

Bruno was Julieta's guinea pig while she learned to cook. He trusted his sister, and no matter how bad the food looked, he would eat it and be honest about the taste.

Because of this, Bruno actually learned to cook and is really good at it, he just prefers to leave the hard work to his sister.

But he doesn't hesitate to take over if Julieta needs to rest.

Bruno was the baby when they played. Always. Sometimes it was hard for him to know when the game ended because Julieta would treat him like a baby anyway.

He's a gentleman and he was since he was little. He would open the door for his sisters or help them cross puddles or give them the hand when they went down the stairs.

Again, with Pepa more interested in exploring and being independent, Bruno stopped doing it with her, but he always did it for Julieta, even as adults, he still retains those instincts and makes sure to be a total gentleman with her.

Pepa complains about this, saying that he was never "good" to her and that it was obvious who his favorite sister was.

Bruno simply agrees and hugs Julieta while he sticks his tongue out at Pepa.

"As if she wasn't your favorite too" (Yes, yes she is. Julieta is the favorite sister of her two siblings, but they still love each other…in their own way)

Julieta just laughs, but she hugs Bruno back while she smiles evilly at Pepa just to annoy her.

"Mamá!! Your children are evil!!" "I don't remember any of them breaking my vases as kids, tho" "I can't believe this family treats me like this, betrayal after betrayal." (Pepa's the drama queen, you can't change my mind)

Bruno was not very good at school, he was better than Pepa, but he still had a hard time understanding many things. Julieta spent afternoons patiently explaining to him what she had understood.

For that reason, Bruno got used to going to her when he had doubts, even after returning to the family.

Julieta's the secret keeper for both her siblings. In a way, she knows them better than Alma (or Félix in Pepa's case) ever will.

When Julieta felt too pressured by the expectations of her mother and the town, she hid in Bruno's room.

He never questioned it, he simply sat with her, listening to her without interrupting and offering hugs from time to time (he didn't know what else to do).

She knew that she didn't have to be perfect with him, that she could make mistakes, do stupid things, scream, jump, just be herself, without fear of being judged.

Bruno loves those moments. He got used to seeing his older sister as a perfect doll, it was nice to be able to see her being human again.

Julieta was the only person Pepa couldn't beat in a fight (the woman is strong, okay? We don't give her enough credit just because she's the calmest of the triplets), which is why Bruno hid behind her every time Pepa intimidated him.

She cooked whatever she was in the mood to make, but it was more common for her to spoil Bruno with food than her sister and mother. But she would never admit it.

When the grandchildren were born, Julieta's daughters immediately chose him as their favorite "mom's sibling".

"It wasn't enough for you to steal my sister, now you are also taking my nieces from me?!" "Pepa, your cloud!"

When his sisters started dating, instead of trying to seem intimidating, he would simply tell the suitors that if they hurt any of them, he would give them a horrible vision (he knows his gift doesn't work like that, but it was his way of protecting Pepa and Juli).

His favorite niece is Mirabel. No questions, no doubts. I'm not even going to argue this point, I'll just say that she was his favorite from the moment she was born (probably because she looked so much like Julieta and in a way he felt like he could repay her for all the love and care she had for him through Mirabel).

The night he disappeared, the only person he had time to write to was Julieta. He didn't tell her where he was going, he just asked her not to hate him and that he promised her he would be okay. He thanked her for everything she had done for him and said he was sorry for not being the best brother to her.

It was the worst pain Julieta had ever felt. It was as if she had lost one of her babies, and she refused to leave her room for weeks, clinging to that letter.

In the end, only Pepa was able to get her out of there, reminding her that she still had her, and that she needed her. The two became closer in those years because of the fear they had of losing each other too.

Julieta hated her mother and sister's unspoken rule not to talk about Bruno. She hated it with all her soul, but she knew that she couldn't do anything about it if she didn't want to make things worse for Mirabel.

She didn't say anything when Pepa went to vent to her and inevitably ended up cursing Bruno, she simply sat next to her and hugged her, even if she didn't agree with what she said.

Still, she couldn't be mad at Bruno. Hurt, sad and desperate maybe, but never really angry.

She could never hate him, she could not curse his name nor could she harbor resentment in her heart for having left her. He was still her brother and even though she didn't know where he was, she still loved him and refused to say a single bad thing about him.

Bruno not only chose the hiding place near the kitchen because of the free food, but because it is the place where Julieta spent the most time, and being with her (even if she didn't know it) calmed him down and made him feel better.

He sometimes wondered if what he did was worth it, as he listened to Julieta break down little by little.

There's no way in the world Julieta left him out of her sight for more than a few minutes when he returned. There was simply no human power that would make her turn away from him, for fear of losing him again if she looked away.

Bruno didn't care, knowing that he had years to make up for hurting her.

Curiously, rebuilding his relationship with her was more difficult than with Pepa and Alma or anyone else.

Perhaps because he had never been as close to them as he was with his older sister, and it broke his heart to realize that the reason the miracle had broken in the first place was not just because of Alma's expectations on the family, but because he himself had broken the strongest bond he had as well.

It took a few months for them to start trusting each other the same way they had. Bruno had to learn to talk to her freely again, without sounding like he was walking on eggshells around her.

And Julieta had to learn to give him space, to trust that he wouldn't leave again and take his word that she hadn't been the reason he left in the first place, that she really had done enough and more for him.

It was a slow process, but they managed to make it work and that was all that mattered to them.

And that's all for now because I could go on and on about these two and we would never leave this post. I just love them so so much!!! (and Pepa too)