#jose madrigal

[igetthedisneybox]

So.

Kids always get up to wild shit. Especially when their little.

Everyone's parent has a story of how their kid nearly gave them a heart attack.

What stories do the madrigals have regarding your next gen fic?

Oh god, so many.

Like, soooo many.

I decided to do just the biggest heart-attack inducing event for each kid.

Miranda: She's well-behaved, so the biggest moment was when she first got her gift at age eight and almost floated off into the stratosphere XD.

Amelia: At fifteen, she snuck out with her girlfriend and they got caught kissing....rather passionately.

Sofía: Got angsty one time at age ten and decided that she wanted to live in the walls like her father did. She was missing for half a day, and everyone was panicking.

Princesa: At the ripe old age of six, she was experimenting with her gift and almost caused a rock slide.

Fuega: She was twelve, and got so angry at one of the townspeople that instead of bursting into flames, she just straight up passed out for a minute.

Leta: That time she tried to climb the walls of the Encanto and fell like fifty feet, breaking her arm. I'd say she was around sixteen or so.

Andrés: When he first got his gift and just straight up vanished from sight lol.

Carlos: When he duplicated his birthday cake one too many times and made himself sick. He was five, this was the night he got his gift.

Avila: When she was nine, she wanted to see if she could freeze herself in time. Turns out she can, but when she's frozen, she can't unfreeze herself until it wears off. The family was actually very worried that she'd be stuck like that forever.

Amada: Got angry when she was eleven, and went to go sulk in the town's canal. Turns out, her water powers also let her breathe underwater, which no one knew.

Tomás: Tried to hover a giant wagon with his powers, and almost dropped it on his head. He was around eight or so.

Rómulo: When he was seven, he used his super speed to jump out of one of Mariana's portals, and ended up running himself straight into the ground. He was very injured. Did that stop him from doing it again? No.

Zoe: Straight up wandered away from her family while in town when she was five. They spent hours looking for her, only to discover that she'd found a tree to take a nap under.

Hugo: He befriended a big-ass spider, and let it crawl around on his head for a few months, until it died. He was nine.

José: Swindled a few men from the city for around 100 Colombian Pesos. They were not happy, and were actually probably gonna hurt José if they didn't get their money back. Luckily the family were able to yeet them out of the Encanto before anything got bad. José was nine, and very very very grounded.

Héctor: When he was five, he turned into an elephant to show off, and passed out after three seconds of transformation.

Óscar: Soon after he got his gift, he had a huge meltdown because he was seeing ghosts and things that other people couldn't see. The family was worried he was seriously hurt or something.

Beatriz: Was trying so hard to keep a surprise birthday party a secret, she projectile vomited all over the kitchen table. Poor kid was six, and so embarassased.

Lidia: Had a temper tantrum at age five, and made a scribble monster that wrecked havoc on the town until Pepa made it rain.

[hannahhook7744]

Invisible truth au picrews (Final);

Picrews for my descendants-encanto crossover ocs/kids. Only shows what they look like as adults because I don't know any good kid ones that would fit the Encanto style.

Picrew links: 1, 2, and 3.

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, and Part 5.

🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️

Amelia Madrigal-Prepon. Oldest daughter of Camilio Madrigal and Mina Prepon.

Sofia Madrigal-Prepon. Second oldest daughter of Camilio Madrigal and Mina Prepon.

Hugo Madrigal-Prepon. Oldest son of Camilio Madrigal and Mina Prepon.

José Madrigal-Prepon. Youngest of Camilio Madrigal and Mina Prepon.

[lethal-amigos]

Comic By @my-gunpowder

No Agustín...😆

[madrigaljail]

Me and the girlies (gender neutral) are cooking up a "what if the Guzmans got the miracle instead" AU and I keep focusing on how it's also by default a Pedro Lives AU and the feels are intense 🥺

[tboycamilo]

they are a family. understand the vision

[cannibalthoughts]

Telling Bruno not to worry about something never worked, but José provided several distractions that did, for the most part, convince Bruno that their relationship was okay and the only hard feelings were, well. He didn’t worry about turning down José’s offer.

He did keep thinking about it, though.

---

For Madrigay Days week two: Kiss. Rated Explicit.

[pogona]

Did someone request a vampire au? (no? just us?)

What if Bruno did a bad thing to his childhood-nemesis-turned-maybe-boyfriend (@madrigaljail’s josé guzman)

[im-just-a-br0adway-baby]

Encantober 2023 Day 10: Help

Luisa was considered to be one of the most helpful people in the Encanto. Whenever someone needed help in the village, Luisa was there to help them with whatever was needed. While she was considered a hero in the village, Luisa always had trouble asking for help whenever it was needed, because she was scared it would make her look weak. Ever since she first got her gift, Alma pushed the idea into her head that if she asked for help with anything, she was automatically weak.

It was not until one day when she was doing chores around the village when she realized how much asking for help would be a strength rather than a weakness. It was a sunny Sunday afternoon in the Encanto, and Luisa had just finished lunch and was going into town to do some afternoon chores. She was asked to bring the donkeys back in the shed after they escaped, as always, and now it was time for her to relocate the local church again.

Once she got to the church, she lifted the building with ease and was on her way to relocate it. But once she almost got to the spot she needed to relocate the church to, she dropped it. She lifted the church building once more successfully, and walked over to relocate it, but dropped it before she could again.

Gabriela, Luisa’s best friend since first grade, noticed her struggling and walked over to see what was the matter. She saw her sitting by the church with her head buried in her knees, and her arms wrapped around them. Gabriela ran by Luisa and sat next to her, tapping her on her shoulder.

“Hola, Luisa; I couldn’t help but notice that you were upset. Is there anything that’s bothering you?” Gabriela asked as she put her hand on Luisa’s shoulder.

Luisa hesitated before she could respond. “Si; I’ve been trying to relocate the church, and while I have relocated it several times before, now, I’ve noticed I’m getting really tired after holding it for only a couple of minutes.”

Gabriela hugged her best friend as she continued crying on her shoulder. The pair have been best friends for thirteen years, Gabriela has never seen Luisa break down in front of her before. She has come to her for many things, and she was always the one to offer her help when needed, and vice versa. However, not once during that time did she ever experience Luisa so desperate for help that she broke down.

“Luisa, I want you to know that I’m here for you. I understand that you may not want my help, but I’m offering it to you. You’re my best friend in the entire world and I don’t like to see you struggle.”

Luisa stopped crying and hugged Gabriela once more when she reached her arms out for her. While she did not want to admit it at the moment, she really did need help. Knowing that Gabriela was there to ensure that she would be there put her at ease and made her more comfortable with admitting that she needed help. It made her feel like a lot of weight was taken off of her shoulders.

“Actually, Gabi, I do want your help; in fact, I need your help. You’re one of the only people I can comfortably admit to that.”

Gabriela smiled and gave Luisa another hug. She then wiped the final tear on her face and Luisa smiled at her. Gabi moved a piece of Luisa’s hair from her face and tucked it behind her ear before they got up and looked at the building.

“So, what do you need help with?” Gabriela asked.

“It’s more that I’ve been tired after a while. I guess the burnout has been getting to me since I still have trouble asking for help. Maybe I could get one side of the church and you could get the other side?”

“I’m not sure if that would be strong enough for just me. I would need many more people to help us…” Gabriela then smiled as an idea sparked in her head. “Wait here!”

Gabriela then ran off and Luisa stayed by the church to wait for the surprise that Gabriela was going to get. After about a half hour, Gabriela came back with Jose and Lucia on both sides of her.

“Since I know I’m not the only one that is able to help you, I got my siblings with me to help you!”

“Gabi told us about the pickle you’re in, so we wanted to give you a helping hand,” Lucia pointed out.

“But isn’t it still going to be too much for just the three of you?”

“They’re not the only ones,” said Gabriela.

Gabriela then revealed that Isabela, Dolores, Camilo, Mirabel, and Antonio all came with her. She was not only going to have three people help her; she was going to have eight people help! Knowing that Gabriela got her sisters and cousins to help her made her realize how much of a great friend she was. She knew she was an amazing friend since they first became friends, but this solidified how kind and helpful she was.

“So which side do you want us to be on?” Mirabel asked.

Luisa thought before she replied. I want Antonio and Lucia to be on one side with me since they’re the smallest ones. Mirabel and Jose can go on the opposite side. Camilo and Isabela can take the left side, and Dolores and Gabriela can take the right.”

All three sibling groups split up to take their side of the church building. All nine of them put their hands on the bottom of the edge of the church they were assigned. Once everyone found an area they could lift, Luisa called everyone for attention.

“Okay, on the count of three, we lift. Uno, dos tres!”

All three sibling groups lifted the church together successfully and started to move it. They started with little steps to make sure they were in sync with each other. One of the things they tried their hardest to do since repairing Casita was to use as much teamwork as they could with each other. Ever since then, they have been working together much more and it has helped them with so many things.

It was not long until they made their way to where the church was going to be relocated to. The nine of them slowly put the building down where Luisa was asked to put it. Once the building was put down, the nine of them backed away to see how it looked; they cheered and high-fived each other once they noticed how the church looked.

“It looks amazing! Gracias, Gabriela, for getting everyone to help me!” Luisa pointed out.

“De nada, Luisa; like I said, seeing you struggle doesn’t make me feel good at all. So I found everyone I could to help us.”

“It does feel pretty good to do something for the village other than growing flowers and other plants for everyone,” said Isabela.

“And doing something for the village in general feels great,” Mirabel added.

The nine children hugged each other once more to appreciate their hard work again. As much as they wanted to stay and appreciate it more, it was getting late and it was almost time for them to go home and eat dinner.

“Do you want to ask your parents if you could stay for dinner tonight? It’s the least we could do for your help,” Luisa asked.

“I would love that,” Gabriela replied.

[lunathekahuna]

More New Art pieces & AUs!!!! AUs are fun Design. Great practice for new Characters

I can't post each Arranged Marriage AU's backstory so I'll leave my Insta.Link if u wanna check it out.

https://instagram.com/luna_the_kahuna16?igshid=ZDdkNTZiNTM=

If You haven't already tell.....I'm in Love with @lethal-amigos .💚✨️🥺😳 I also added my Congrats piece of Bruno & Maria for @dororoxpenana ,Genderbend of Sonia & Cute couple drawing of Bruno & Sonia. Enjoy!!!!😊😊😊

(Chepe & José belong to @lazypapers & @my-gunpowder )

(López is a original Character by me)

[tijuana]

Adiós año viejo, bienvenido 2023

Rodaje, volumen uno, concluye

Siempre digo que voy a actualizar este blog más seguido, aunque nadie lo lea—lo veo más como una pintura rupestre digital para la posteridad—pero parece que cada dos meses es cuando me muerde la oruga de venir a escribir algo.

La última vez la novela se quedó en que iba a comenzar el rodaje de la película, la primera parte al menos, alrededor de siete días en noviembre, mientras que la segunda parte será diez días de enero.

Otra razón por la que no sentí la ausencia es que estuve subiendo updates durante toda la grabación en Instagram. Todavía sigo, tengo una tonelada de fotos sin publicar en mi rollo de la cámara y trato de colgar al menos una diaria.

Y la cosa es que me encanta IG, durante los últimos años se tornó en mi red social favorita (más desde que clausuré mi Facebook) pero sí lo vuelve a uno más perezoso. Llega uno a tomarse muy en serio eso de que «una imagen vale por mil palabras». 

Tengo una guía por allá si quieren revisarla, igual las fotos éste post vienen pinchadas de ahí.

Comenzamos en el Black Box, el martes 15. Me trajo flashbacks un poco del rodaje de Amir, la primera vez que tuvimos que trabajar con extras en la largamente extinta Bodega Aragón.

En los subsecuentes días hubo sesiones mucho más intimas y cerradas, dentro de los confines cómodos de una casa privada, pero grabar en un espacio público, con el tiempo encima y además coordinando un grupo diverso de humanoides, era justo la dosis de estrés necesario para que nos cayera el veinte de que YA ESTABAMOS RODANDO.

Un par de días después, el 17 de noviembre, tuvimos el primer company move oficial, en la mañana «rodando un rodaje» falso en Casa de la Cultura—apalabrada por Mr. Rod “Monti” Zapién—y después en Otay en lo que quizás fue uno de los shoots más técnicamente challenging (y no tanto para mi pero pregúntenle al director y el DP) que fue filmar un carro remolcado en plena vía pública. 

Aquí les cuelgo la Exhibición A:

Me brinqué los días 16 y 18 intencionalmente por que en muchos sentidos son los que fluyeron sin más incidentes. Trabajamos con Cristobal Dearie casi únicamente sus one-man scenes. Pero entonces llegó el sábado 19.

¡Uff!

Se sumaron al team Gisela Madrigal y Andrea Moncayo y se recordaron muchas de las interacciones que ocurren entre nuestro main man con ellas. 

Creo que éste fue el día donde se comenzaron a sentir las primeras tensiones que pusieron en jeopardy TODO EL PROYECTO. No se crean.

¿O sí créanselo?

No lo sé. Permanecerá un misterio.

El domingo 20 se grabó una escena que me perdí por que tuve que ir al Smart & Final a comprar platos y cubiertos desechables para el lonche del cast & crew—y cabe añadir, fue una de las sesiones más crowded, dónde más basura sacamos y cosas rompimos en el set (una casa ubicada en Altabrisa) pero la vox populi asegura que se trató de la MEJOR escena de TODA la película (hasta el momento).

Que buen timing para perderme 🙁 al menos espero la gente haya disfrutado los platos de foam y tenedores de plástico reciclado para su pollito al carbón.

Como toda buena película que vale la pena verse, pienso en The Lord of the Rings, la historia comienza en The Shire y concluye en The Shire.

El lunes 21 de noviembre regresamos al Black Box a filmar escenas pendientes en la locación. Rodamos con otro set de extras—Libia, Larissa y Carla—pero la persona que más curiosidad me dio entre el bonche era Ary Ramírez.

Los que alguna vez siguieron mi canal de YouTube saben que hace varios, varios años, colaboré con ella (y Julieta Oviedo) en un proyecto llamado El Test de Bechdel donde Ary y Julie reseñaban movies.

Es uno de mis proyectos favoritos en los que he trabajado (si no es que el #1, lo siento everyone else) y mientras el titán del video propiedad de Google no desaparezca de la tierra (o me bloqueen) siempre podrán encontrar los viejos episodios.

La carrera cinemática de Ary comenzó con un rol de background en Amir, después unas cuantas líneas en Contratiempo (la movie anterior de Paredes) y ahora se graduó a una escena COMPLETA. Estaba emocionado (y nervioso) por ella y anticipo el día que se vuelva la protagonista de su propia película.

Y de momento es todo. Lo malo de publicar dos meses después es que muchas anécdotas ya se esfumaron de mi cabeza. Si me acuerdo de otra cosa vengo y se las platico.

Al menos siempre estarán las fotos cómo memorabilia, bien dicen por ahí, «una imagen vale por mil palabras».

[igetthedisneybox]

The Future of the Family Madrigal

Inspired by @hannahhook7744's AU, here's what my new Madrigal family tree looks like, roughly twenty-six years after the events of the movie.

I used the scrapped characters from the Encanto Artbook, as well as some early versions of existing characters to round things out.

EDIT: Added two additional kids, to bring Dolores and Mariano's kid count up to five.

First Row: Pedro Madrigal and Alma Cadenza

Second Row: Félix Castillo, Pepa Madrigal, Alejandra Delgado, Bruno Madrigal, Julieta Madrigal, and Augustín Rojas

Third Row: Antonio Madrigal, Camilo Madrigal, Dolores Madrigal, Miranda Madrigal, Amelia Madrigal, Sofía Madrigal, Isabela Madrigal, Luisa Madrigal, and Mirabel Madrigal

Fourth Row: Marcos Vasquez, Mariano Guzmán, Juana Aguado, Bubo Marquez

Fifth Row (and the one slightly above it): Hugo Madrigal, José Madrigal, Héctor Madrigal, Princesa Madrigal, Fuega Madrigal, Mariana Madrigal, Óscar Madrigal, Beatriz Madrigal, Lidia Madrigal

Sixth Row: Leta Madrigal, Andrés Madrigal, Carlos Madrigal, Avila Madrigal, Amada Madrigal, Tomás Madrigal, Rómulo Madrigal, and Zoe Madrigal

Putting a character and familial guide under the cut, because the tree is m e s s y

Alejandra is Bruno's wife, and Miranda, Amelia, and Sofía are their daughters.

Alejandra is a scrapped character who I think was supposed to be the original founder, and the Julieta Character's mother. She appears to be dead in the version of the story she's in, as we see her statue, but not her. I decided to make her Bruno's wife, as I think he deserves a scary sword wife who loves him and their daughters very much.

Miranda was an early version of Julieta, and Alejandra's daughter. Since the two look near identical, they kinda ended up being a package deal. Miranda is technically Bruno's step-daughter, but that doesn't really matter.

Amelia and Sofía are characters from a very early concept. I threw them in as Bruno's daughters, as I liked the idea of one of Bruno's kids having a 'bad' power.

Marcos is Camilo's husband, and Hugo, José, and Héctor are their sons.

There are so many early concepts of Bruno, that there are no less than three in this tree, and they all look different. Marcos is one of those early concepts, back when Bruno was a skinny twink with bright blue eyes. The name Marco was chosen from a list of potential names for Bruno.

Hugo is an early version of Antonio (there are also a lot of those here), one where he's older and selectively mute.

José seems to be from the same era as the twins, although he doesn't get any notes. He seems like he'd be Camilo's kid in any timeline lol.

Héctor is yet another concept of Antonio, but I thought he looked different enough from Hugo that it worked out. I picked the name as a reference to the movie Coco.

Leta, Andrés, Carlos, Avila, and Amada are Dolores and Mariano's children.

Leta was Pepa's twin sister originally, so I thought it made sense to make her her granddaughter instead.

Andrés is another Bruno, and I thought he looked the most like Dolores out of any of the concept characters. Andre was another potential Bruno name, so I named this version of him that.

Carlos is the infamous beta Camilo. Since Cami doesn't have any bio kids, I gave Carlos to Dolores to explain the simillarites. Plus, he does kind of resemble Mariano.

Avila and Amada are two of the four concept girl cousins in the artbook. Picked them because they have Dolores' ears and Pepa's teeth. @hannahhook7744 showed me a concept character from an early script called Amada, and we discovered that Alma's name was originally going to be Avila (in the 2017 version) so I picked those names. (Thanks Hannah!)

Juana is Luisa's wife, and Tomás, Rómulo, and Zoe are their children.

Juana is an early Pepa, back when her gift was indestructability. I paired them together just because Luisa needs a laid back gf to counteract The Anxiety. Her name is actually a beta Julieta name.

Tomás and Rómulo are a pair of twins that appeared only once in a family portrait. There are very limited boy concepts, so I snagged these guys too. Tomás means "twin" and Rómulo is the Spanish form of Romulus, a very famous twin.

Zoe is from the same era as José, Amelia, and Sofía. She's basically the poster child for Scrapped Encanto Characters.

Bubo is Mirabel's husband and Óscar, Beatriz, and Lidia are their children.

Bubo is Isa's scrapped love interest, but I'd already planned on having Isa stay single when I learned about him, so I ditched the OC I gave to Mirabel, and gave Bubo to her. They both have glasses, so I think they'd be cute together.

Óscar is the third Bruno, and the one who gets the Óscar name. I was originally using a different Óscar, but figured that this one looks the most like Bubo. The name is the most widely used name for beta Bruno.

Beatriz is a beta Mirabel, so obviously I made her her daughter.

Lidia is a Luisa, and looks decently enough like canon Mirabel and Bubo. Lidia was supposedly Luisa's name before it was Luisa.

Isabela has no partner, but Princesa, Fuega, and Mariana are her daughters.

Princesa is a bit of an enigma to me. I think she was supposed to be an aunt of some kind, maybe Augustín's sister? It's never made very clear. She's shown to be dating/married to a beta Mariano, and potentially the mother of the four girl cousins? Anyway, I aged her down so I could use her as Isabela's daughter.

Fuega was supposed to be Isabela's other sister/cousin, one who was jealous of her gift and 'perfect' status.

Mariana seems to be a veeeeery early version of Mirabel. The name also stems from an early version of Mirabel.

I have bios for all the kids, I just need to post them.

[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

[lethal-amigos]

Bullying Bruno Part 2 <<Part 1 Jose comes to Bruno's rescue.

[pangeen]

“ White-lined sphinx moth (Hyles lineata) “

// Jose Madrigal

[yellowcry]

Her recipes are redeemies for real

Walking around and searching for a job takes a long time

Agustín just happened to overhear some talk

Twice to once au! It's been some time, isn't it?

Agustín squeezed through the streets. After a while he was getting used to uneven ground. He didn't trip as often as before. (Which still was more than anyone else, but was it that surprising?). The sun was burning. It danced high above, jumping with hot rays. Luisa wouldn't overwork for now. She always held this promise until at least about a week after Agustín's birthday, before eventually slipping back. So Agustín didn't have to worty about it too much. (But he should still check on her). He didn't work on rebuilding much, it wasn't his competition. Even if he doubted it was anyone's competition in here. Becides, as he figured it out, helping with rebuilding was a volunteering thing. They didn't earn much money for it, if there was any payment at all. Rather, Agustín was a general worker. Chopping the wood or fix the roof. There were always many important things to do that people didn't want to work on themselves. At the same time it didn't tie Agustín to anyone else. He had struggled to keep an official job, taking him infamous clumsiness. The same thing that kept him at bay with how easy it was to get into accidents sometimes.

It had caused problems sometimes. Even if Agustín worked on himself, he had to fix whatever he ruined by accident during his work. Which meant it took twice as much time as it could, if not more. Of course, he had other skills too. He finished musical academy in his youth. But not everyone had piano in their house. Even less would want to fire a pianist. It were such rera occasions that Agustín didn't count them as actual invome.

And, there was no need to say he was going out often, suggesting to help. What could anyone need? Chop the wood, dig the garden. He would do it. It was enough for way to keep things under control.

"Damn, why doesn't Julieta make food anymore?" Agustín blinked, turning his head. to the sourse of the sound. Two young men talked leaned against the dilapidated wall, chatting without care. "It tasted so good"

As far as Agustín knew, feeding anyone for free was expensive. Usually it was a while sosial organisation that would give foor to the poor beggars. But as far as Agustín had saw the place, he had never seen any form of social services, aside from people going out to help if someone was too weak. There was on organisation in them and so Agustín had to assume food was entirely Julieta's initiative. She would have resources for it, as the Madrigals were leaders of the community and should have more money that anyone else.

"Damn, Jose, you're right! Why can't we just get a free food? Hers was the best"

"Señora Julieta made food for free?" Agustín asked to himself. He didn't initially plan to speak out loud, but sooner realised that he did. Starting an awkward tension that swimmed in the air with the adroitness of a rocketed bird

The blond-haired man swallowed, copper eyes stared at him in worry. "You're that newbie," he muttered breaking the intorerably noisy and burning iced silence.

Agustín fixed his glasses, nervous. "Sorry, I just don't really get it." He shrugged, tilting his head down. An untouchable weight lied on his neck, the same way wind could cuddle in hair.

Another man, Señor Rodriguez, Agustín recognised him now, he had helped him with to clean his house several days ago. He was serious and loved to complain a bit too much for Rojas' taste. Even if he wouldn't confirm it out loud. Señor Rodriguez fidgeted with a button on his yellow shirt, twisting it around like a paper ball. "Julieta used to have a stand of free food!"

"Can you not afford food by yourself?" Agustín raised a thin eyebrow. The last time he checked, Señor Rodriguez wasn't broke. He had a good house, a heathly baby boy and could afford cleaning services instead of doing it himself. There was no way he didn't have money to buy food.

"What? No, of course I can." Señor Rodriguez replied in high-pitched voice He shook his head nervous fron misunderstanding.

The other guy, blonde, Agustín hadn't talked to him before, explained. "It's not about money. Señora Julieta just an amazing cook!"

Amazing cook? Okay, Agustín could confirm it. He visited Madrigals a couple of times. Usually with Pepa. They grew friendly enough very fast. And because of it, Agustín did spend time with the triplets and Félix from time to time. Well, minus Bruno, that guy wasn't very social. So a couple of times Agustín had got arepas practically shoved into his mouth. And yes, Julieta was very skilled. Her food was like a nightingale song.

But it didn't change the fact that Julieta herself didn't hold a responsibility to feed people in the village. If she did it before, then she must be so kind. But right now she didn't even have her own house. It was obvious she would have too much going on to take care of this. Especially for free.

Agustín cleared his throat an asked in a sore voice. "Have you thought to pay her for cooking?" He stared at his interlocutors, looking from one to another.

"Pay?" One of them asked, shocked. As if the idea was personally offensive to him. "But it's her responsibility!"

What?

"How is it her responsibility if she's not earning anything?" He clarified, remembering the fact that according to their words it was all for free. "In most places get even a piece of bread for free is nearly impossible."

Señor Rodriguez groaned with a quiet sigh. "She did this during her entire life. Becides, it's not even your business!"

"I'm just trying to understand.." Agustín fixed hus glasses. Which, in the moment of emotions slipped down, almost falling off his nose. He winced as somebody had pat hit hack twice.

Shifting his head to the side, he realised Señora Julieta was next to him, seeing the entire thing for some time. He wasn't sure for how long. He was too focused on the situation. The other men, now also seeing that the star of the chat was here, looked away awkwardly. Slightly guilty. They didn't mean Julieta to actually hear their complaints.

"That's alright, Señor." Julieta signed. "Don't worry about it much."

Agustín swallowed the spicy bile in hia throat. "They acted like you're supposed to feed them or something!" It was frustrating. The fact that they had enough nerve to ask woman, possibility twice of their age to cook for them for free. Like if they were kids. Neither he nor Julieta had payed attention to the pleads of innocence that followed by.

"Really, it's okay." Julieta tried to assure him. But Agustín was baffled at it. In what world it would be considered as normal?

The Madrigal had leaded him out, just by pure force. Ohh... What's with nice women being so strong? He had Luisa already, and Julieta seemed to pull him without much effort. On other hand, Agustín was pretty lanky, so possibly it was easy in reality. They went a good half of a kilometre away. Some villagers stared at this as they passed. Most seemed to barely pay at to it for a bit and then go back to their work.

Julieta swallowed, looking over her shoulder. Bit her lip. "Thank you," She nodded, nervous. "It was..." Looking away. "Nice of you." she whispered in a low voice

Agustín smiled, placing his hand on her shoulder. "It's okay, just bare manners." Some people definitely need those. It was so obvious Julieta had a whole lot going on in her life. He wouldn't be surprised if she stopped working even for money for the time being. Nevermind what kind of volunteering she participated into.

Señora chuckled, shooting her eyes up. Meeting Agustín's. "Mind coming dor a lunch?"

[achitka]

Doors: Chapter 49

Recién Llegados (Newcomers)

Alma does not appreciate surprises. Isa is working extra hard at imperfection, while honing the newer aspects of her Gift. Bubo's family is coming to grips with a non-existent money system. His Tío Jose is up to stuff. Mirabel is trying hard not to let things freak her out. Tuli is almost settling in and there be a ghost in the Encanto - go figure. This is the first half of a longer chapter I decided to break into two. I'll probably post the next sooner and not later. Not sure how it managed to get so big... For those still reading - thanks! It's been a busy time, that has hopefully settled back into its usual boringness. Oh and btw I don't like Miguel... he's a jerk.

Recién Llegados (Newcomers)

Rodrigo Iguarán came out of his tent to stretch his legs and clear his head. He could not wait to interview Alma Madrigal about this place, and had spent the last two hours formulating several questions he wanted to include. While it was obvious she was the matriarch of her family, the Madrigals were all looked to as leaders of this place. He was surprised how easy she and her family were to talk to. In his experience, people in charge tended to be a bit more arrogant, but not this family. Rodrigo wished there was telephone service here or even just postal service of some kind, but since there was not, he’d have to be patient. Of course, he would need to think about how he would tell his abuela about her sister. Finding out someone you thought was dead, was not, would be a bit of a shock.

He walked the short way toward the center of town. There were still a few people out in the plaza, which for some reason surprised him. Not sure why he was expecting it to be deserted. There were no children, just people having a night out. It was a welcome change to the life he’d been living up until now. He used to enjoy camping during the holidays, but after his trek through the mountains… not anymore. He saw there were a few food vendors still set up near the shops that had closed for the day and feeling a little peckish, he went over to one hoping he had enough to buy something small. He was surprised that the elderly man running it did not ask for money. He instead asked him for his name and his promise.

Rodrigo was confused by this but told him his name and explained that he had just arrived today and only had a small amount of money on him. This made the old man smile then after taking a few wrapped sandwiches out of the warmer he said, “Ah, since that’s the case, please take this as my welcome gift, Señor.”

“Welcome gift? Your little town has already given us so much, I couldn’t impose further,” Rodrigo said, holding up his hands.

“Of course you can,” he said and set them on the edge of his cart, then added, “There is a standing request from Doña Alma to use our Gifts to assist our newcomers as we can.”

Still taken aback, Rodrigo decided it would be impolite to refuse and said, “Thank you, Señor.” He took the sandwiches, which were a little warm, and said, “You must allow me to repay you in kind. You mentioned a promise?”

The man paused a moment and replied, “Will you be remaining in the Encanto?”

“Only for a few months. I have to get back to my university to complete my studies.”

“A scholar then. Well let me think on it. I am not in need of anything right now.”

His curiosity got the better of him, and Rodrigo asked, “Pardon me for asking, but have you always lived here?”

“Yes, I was fifteen when the Encanto was born.”

“Born?”

“Yes, it was a miracle born from Doña Alma’s grief and despair...or perhaps it was the spirit of Don Pedro protecting her and his newborn babies after he was murdered.”

Rodrigo blinked. He'd said it so easily. No hesitation at all. Given the number of people he’d interviewed about that time period, he should not be surprised. Still, Rodrigo’s shocked expression must have shown because the man quickly added, “My pardon, Señor. I did not mean-”

“Oh no no, Señor, please forgive my ignorance. I only know small bits of the story, and I’ll admit I am already quite intrigued to learn more. I am a student of history and personal stories.” Rodrigo looked down at his watch and realized it was getting pretty late and asked, “Would it be possible for me to speak with you again?”

The old man thought on that for a moment, then nodded and said, “Yes.”

“Gracias Señor...” Rodrigo paused, waiting.

“Tabarez,” the man responded once he realized what Rodrigo was waiting for.

“Señor Tabarez,” Rodrigo nodded and pulled the meaning up from somewhere in his head and thought, a strong family name. “How will I find you?”

“I’m here most nights,” he said and patted his cart.

“Then I will look forward to it. Good night, Señor Tabarez.”

“Good night, Señor Iguarán,” the old man said and sat back on the small bench.

Rodrigo turned and started back toward his tent. The warm sandwiches he was carrying smelled absolutely delicious, so he carefully unwrapped one and took a big bite. He delighted in the taste of guava paste and melty cheese. It was something he'd not tasted since his last visit with his Mamá. He also did not recall a time when he’d come to a place as a stranger and been met with so much kindness. Halfway back, he heard a ruckus behind him and turned.

As he did, he saw Miguel running a bit crookedly, then falling into a bush on the side of the road. Given the way Miguel was moving, Rodrigo assumed he was drunk again, so did not go over to see if he was all right. What in the world was he running from, you would have thought he had the devil on his tail. When they were on the road, his primo had asked him to make sure Miguel didn’t fall off the trail or some random cliff. There were a few occasions when he’d found this one almost too drunk to walk. It stopped happening once Gabi told him he could either turn over all the liquor he’d brought, or he’d be forced to leave their group.

Miguel had drunk a fair amount during supper and his behavior during the meal was pretty appalling, but was actually better than Rodrigo was expecting. Given that he’d found time to get drunk, it was a good bet he’d already told his mother about that event. He took another bite of his sandwich and was about to leave when the bush moaned then shuddered. Rodrigo sighed. Here he was just thinking of the kindness of the people here, so he walked over and looked down at Miguel as he rolled over and groaned.

Definitely drunk, Rodrigo thought. Where did he find enough drink to be this inebriated? Then he remembered the welcome gift he was just given. Leave it to this one to take advantage. He wondered how many promises Miguel had offered in exchange, knowing full well he’d not remember a one. Irritated now, Rodrigo said as he dragged Miguel to his feet, “Come on then, Miguel.”

“I don’t need your help,” Miguel sputtered as he shook Rodrigo’s hand off his arm.

“Of course you don’t,” Rodrigo said, “What was it you were running from anyway? Black cat cross your path?”

“Brujas,” he said, trying and failing to dust off his rumpled clothes.

“Brujas?” He had Rodrigo’s attention now.

“Yes, I barely escaped. Those... those witches, tried to kill me,” he added with a shudder.

“Kill you? That’s a pretty serious accusation, Miguel. Where were you when this happened?” Rodrigo asked.

Miguel shut down as he realized he’d said more than he wanted to, but Rodrigo was curious now, so repeated the question.

“It was near the edge of town,” Miguel said cautiously.

“Edge of town… does that mean you were down near the Madrigal home.”

“Why would I go there?”

Rodrigo shrugged, he knew Miguel was lying but resisted the urge to say so. He got Miguel moving again then said, “Here take this, you should probably eat something,” Rodrigo said and offered Miguel the other sandwich, “It’s pretty delicious.” Rodrigo didn’t think one sandwich would be near enough, but he thought it best to distract him before he could wander off.

Miguel was still swaying some but took the sandwich and asked, “Where did you get this? None of these devil people accept money.”

Rodrigo actually took offense to Miguel’s choice of words. He had never met such an ungrateful… He certainly was not about to waste time explaining anything to Miguel while he was drunk, and probably wouldn’t bother when he sobered up. Irritated, Rodrigo asked, “Does that matter?”

Miguel shook his head and seemed to calm down some. As they walked, they finished the sandwiches and Rodrigo took the wrappers as he walked Miguel back to his tent. He waited for him to go inside and heard Miguel trip. The tent was silent after that, so Rodrigo headed back to his own. He emptied his pockets onto his journal, then quickly undressed and laid on his cot. He was going to need to talk to Bubo about how things worked around here. No wonder, Bubo didn’t have a job. He didn’t need one.

“Was that Miguel’s voice?” José asked.

“Yes.”

“Drunk?”

“Unfortunately, and I thought you were asleep.”

“No.”

“Something bothering you?”

“Other than feeling like we’ve brought a darkness with us to this place? No.” He was silent for a time and added, “I’ll not fail my sister a second time. Tuli won’t be safe here if Miguel and his mother remain, and getting them to move on might be difficult.”

Rodrigo agreed, but didn't have any solutions either but said, “Perhaps there is a magical solution to that problem.” José didn’t answer, he only grunted, so Rodrigo let himself relax and went to sleep.

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

Alma woke to a gentle tapping on her door. Today was finally the day. Alma got out of bed and pulled on her robe when the gentle knock repeated. The door swung open, and Mirabel was there, looking concerned.

“Good morning, Abuela. Are you feeling rested?”

“I’m doing well, Mirabel,” Alma replied. Her nieta had a nervous look and set to swinging her arms. This reminded Alma of when Mira was small and had done something she shouldn’t, so she asked, “Is something wrong?”

Mirabel shrugged as she folded her hands up in front of herself, and Alma decided something was definitely up. Mira took a deep breath, and all the fidgets stopped, and she said, “Well, I have something to tell you and I wanted you to hear it from me first. Can I come in for a minute?”

“Of course,” Alma replied and glanced at Mira’s door. The smaller butterfly was resting on its hand, and nothing appeared out of place, but Alma noted that Casita closed the door as she guided Mirabel to the bed. “Now, what did you need to tell me.”

Mirabel sat down and fiddled with her skirt for a moment then said in a rush after a deep breath as she adjusted her glasses, “I did something really dumb last night… ”

“Surely, it couldn’t have been that bad.”

Mirabel let out some nervous laughter and said, “Oh no, it was… I kind of snuck out of the house last night.”

“Mirabel Valentina Rojas Madrigal, that was so dangerous. You could have been hurt.”

“I know, I know, but I just wanted to look at that tree Isabela grew yesterday…” Alma felt that all too familiar stab of fear that used to rule her thinking as Mirabel continued, “and I did… but while I was out there…” Mirabel hesitated and took another deep breath.

“While you were out there… ” Alma said bluntly. She could not hide the anger in her tone but decided she might as well hear all of it.

Mirabel flinched slightly but took an even deeper breath, closed her eyes then said even faster, “While I was out there, I ran into Señor Rodriguez, and I’m pretty sure he’d been drinking because he was swaying and smelled like alcohol.” As each word came out of Mirabel’s mouth, Alma’s alarm was rising. “And from the direction he came… I think he was by Casita,” Mirabel stopped at Alma’s look of horror.

“Such a reckless and foolish thing to do, Mirabel,” Alma said curtly as she put a hand on her chest. Her heart was beating rapidly, and she said a little breathlessly, “I thought I made it clear to you, that you were not to leave Casita by yourself.”

“You did, Abuela-”

“But you did it anyway?”

“Yes, and I’m sorry, I know I didn’t think that through, but I just wasn’t expecting there to be anyone out there. Nothing happened, Isabela-”

“Isa went with you?” Alma asked, her confusion increasing as Mira picked at some imaginary lint then said with a nervous laugh, “Ah, actually no. I went by myself. Through a window, and told Casita not to rat me out.” When she noticed Alma’s frown deepen, she quickly added, “Yeah, not the best idea, thankfully Isa saw me and followed me.”

Though Alma felt relieved, she was now a little uncomfortable. This was not how she wanted to start this day and there was something else she wanted to do today, but it wasn’t coming to her as she responded, “Well, thank goodness for that.” She tried to calm herself and breathe through her nose as she twisted slightly. “You must use better judgement, Mirabel. Please do not do that again.”

“Oh, I definitely won’t,” Mirabel said as she stood up. When she turned back, she tilted her head and asked, “Are you okay, Abuela?”

Alma nodded, but doing so made her feel a bit dizzy and she wavered slightly. Mirabel moved closer and said something else, but Alma didn’t catch it. She felt a little hot as she tried and failed to undo the tie of her robe. Mira knelt in front of her, saying something, but her voice was muffled. Mirabel gently touched her forehead with the back of her hand, then helped Alma lie back against her pillows. Alma did not resist as she yawned. Casita opened the door and Dolores was there. She said something to Mira that made Mirabel nod.

This was all so disconcerting. Alma’s heart had not slowed, and she wondered why it was beating so quickly. She didn’t feel concern, but she remembered the Doctor’s warnings as she yawned again. So tired, it felt as if she’d run all the way around the Encanto. She turned on her side as she yawned a third time but resisted the urge to sleep. She remembered now. Noon... that was it. She needed to get through that yellow door.

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

Julieta was working on breakfast and keeping an eye on Tuli as she and Antonio set the cutlery and glasses on the table. It was a beautiful day, so she’d asked Luisa to deposit the table on the patio. Her daughter’s overt yawn after doing so caused Julieta to ask how Tuli had slept. Luisa told her how often Tuli had awakened, even with the medication. Each time, it was obvious she was terrified, but seemed to easily settle back. Sometime after midnight, Tuli woke one more time, but on that occasion Luisa had her climb into her bed and Tuli stayed asleep after that. Helping Isa with her chores and the stress of seeing her Tío again had taken a lot out of her.

Bubo looked exhausted at breakfast the day before, and Julieta was thankful he'd asked to stay with her overnight. Though Tuli did not sleep well, she seemed less drained this morning and did not appear to be as fatigued as she seemed to be yesterday. She’d sent word to Bubo and his Tío to come this morning for breakfast. They would need to accompany Mira to register Tuli for school. That, and Gus needed to speak with them about the shoe shop. Julieta was not really concerned that they would reject living there, but she knew those townsfolk that were aware of the house's history would, of course, comment. Hopefully, no one in town would do more than whisper about the fact that Jorge died there, and that the place was haunted. Pepa being so in tune with the weather, always said there was a cold spot.

Julieta paused in her work when Casita shifted a few tiles. She listened as the house relayed that Mira was with her Abuela. Dolores had been alerted to Abuela’s heart beating very quickly and had already contacted the Doctor. Isa came into the kitchen with Agustín, and Julieta waved her over to her. Her hair was in mild disarray, and her outfit was as mismatched as she’d seen of late, and this amused Julieta. Gus didn’t stop after giving her a peck on the cheek, instead he continued out onto the patio to mediate a disagreement that had broken out between the children.

“What can I help you with, Mamá?” Isa asked.

“I need to meet the Doctor, he’s on his way here. Your Abuela is not feeling well this morning. Could you please finish up breakfast for me?” Julieta asked her oldest. Isa appeared a little taken aback but nodded as she took the wooden spatula from her. “Thank you, mija,” Julieta said and gave Isa a quick squeeze before she headed for the front door. She hadn’t told Isa about Bubo and his Tío coming for breakfast, and Julieta noted that her daughter had only barely brushed her hair. As part of her bid to be imperfect, her once perfect daughter had come down for breakfast in the most interesting outfits since the breaking. Less so since they’d moved back into Casita. Something about this house, she supposed.

Doris and Inez would be coming after breakfast to register Lucia and Sophia. Both girls had been out of school for almost two months because of the strife Colombia was currently experiencing. Inez, though softer spoken than Doris, was very keen to get them back into school, even if it was only for the time being. Julieta glanced over at the tree Mirabel had left the house to look at last night. It was a mighty oak, that was for sure. Her thoughts were interrupted when Dolores began to provide her with a little more information as she picked up her pace toward the town.  She pulled up short when the Doctor appeared around a corner. He looked a little disheveled, and Julieta wondered if they’d inadvertently pulled the Doctor from his bed. She immediately tried to apologize, but the Doctor waved her off, and together the pair headed back toward Casita.

“So, tell me, has your mother had any other episodes?”

“Not that I’m aware of,” Julieta replied.

He nodded and asked, “And the child?”

“Still having nightmares, but I believe she slept better.”

Again the Doctor nodded. They reached Casita and the Doctor paused, seeing a set of stairs in the middle of the courtyard. He took it in stride as Julieta nudged him forward, and Casita opened Mirabel’s door as they reached the top. They entered her mother’s room to find Alma laying on her side, yawning but not sleeping, and Mirabel pacing near the window. Julieta collected her daughter, and together they left the room as the Doctor began his examination. She pulled the door most of the way closed and guided Mira to the sofa. After they both sat in silence for a bit, Mirabel asked, “Is Abuela going to be okay?”

Julieta glanced over at Mira’s door and said, “I believe so.”

“I mean, is her health okay… really?”

Julieta paused, trying to decide how much she should tell her daughter. Mirabel’s apparent ‘destiny’ as someday matriarch still made Julieta a little nervous. Almost grown was not the same as all the way grown. Still, it was probably better for her to know than to not know, so she replied, “Since her illness, your Abuela has been having trouble with her heart.” Mirabel’s change of expression made Julieta think, Mira was blaming herself, so asked, “What were you two talking about?”

Mirabel sighed as she rubbed her hands on her skirt. “Well… ” she started, then went silent as she stared at her lap.

Julieta put an arm around Mirabel and asked, “Were you telling her about your little adventure last night?”

Mirabel let out a small groan in response, but Julieta noted that Mira only nodded. She didn’t hunch in on herself or attempt to make excuses. Julieta gave her a squeeze and said, “Your Tío told me about it. I’m glad you see how foolish that was.”

“I’m sorry, Mamá. I didn’t mean to frighten Abuela. I know I didn’t think that through. I just wanted to let her know about what happened before someone told her a more embellished version,” Mirabel said with a shrug.

“By someone, did you mean your sister?”

Mira snorted and said, “Maybe?”

Julieta let out a chuckle. Mirabel’s propensity for ratting her sister out when she was younger was something Isabela had held a grudge about for a long time, even after Mira grew out of that stage. “Did she say something or shout at you yesterday?”

“No, actually. She hugged me and asked if I was okay.”

“Maybe, Mira, you need to let go of who your sister was so you can help her be who she is.”

“Yeah, I see that now. Just so different. Thanks, Mamá. Guess I really do need to grow up a little more.”

Julieta nodded, even though it hurt her heart to admit her last baby really was no longer a child. “Now go help your sister with breakfast while I talk to your Abuela and the Doctor.”

“What’s Luisa making?”

“Isa is handling breakfast.”

Mirabel let out a giggle snort as they stood up. “This ought to be interesting,” Mirabel said and was out the door. Julieta turned back to her mother’s room as the Doctor came out and beckoned to her. Her mother was now sitting up in bed, fussing with her blanket. The Doctor indicated Julieta should sit on the bed as he pulled up the only chair. Her mother took her hand as the Doctor began, “To start, I am not a heart specialist, just a general practitioner, but what you experienced, Doña Alma, is called tachycardia. An excessively rapid heartbeat. I am glad that it’s resolved itself quickly, and you're back to a normal rhythm. Your blood pressure is a little elevated, so I’m going to ask you to take it easy for today.” Her mother just nodded, and the Doctor said quietly, “I know how frustrating this must be for you, but there is some consolation. The murmur that was present previously is much less prominent. To me, that suggests that you are improving, but as we discussed, it is important you let your children know if something like this happens again.”

Her mother nodded again and said, “Thank you, Doctor.”

“You’re most welcome, Doña Alma. I’ll check on you later when I come by to speak with the child if that is acceptable.” Her mother, again, nodded, so he rose and put his equipment back in his bag. Julieta joined him as he headed toward the door. He exited, and Julieta sighed when she turned back. Her mother appeared to have only waited until the Doctor was through the door before she’d thrown off her blanket. She was quickly up and out of bed as she took off her robe and cast it toward the chair. Casita caught it in a basket and Julieta just sighed and said, “Oi, Mamá, at least let me help you.” Her mother only hurumphed as Julieta helped her out of her nightgown.

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

Isabela finished making the arepas her mother had started and moved on to carefully peeling eggs while the beans and rice were warming. She never liked this chore, so when Mirabel came into the kitchen asking if she could help, she took her sister up on the offer to take over. Isa thanked her as she dried her overly wrinkled hands and handed her an apron. Mirabel got to work, humming to herself as she peeled. Working quickly, she made Isa a tad bit jealous since the eggs looked ten times better than her efforts. Isa moved back to the stove and stirred the pot of last night’s beans and rice, as Luisa came into the kitchen. She seemed aghast to find Isa cooking and asked, “Where is Mamá?”

Her tone was almost horrified, and Isabela frowned at her sister as she felt the petunias sprout. Isa let the flowers fall apart. She knew they were petunias since her sister returned the frown. Luisa knew she never liked those flowers – always so finicky, and she dreaded any order that requested she make them. But before she could answer, Mirabel said, “She’s with Abuela and the Doctor upstairs.”

“Is something wrong with Abuela?” Luisa asked.

Mirabel looked startled as she realized then that the question hadn’t been for her and cleared her throat before she replied, “Casita told me Dolores called the Doctor because she said Abuela’s heart was beating really fast.”

“But she’s alright?” Luisa asked.

“Mamá seemed to think so,” Mirabel said as she focused on the egg in her hands. If Isa didn’t know better, her hermanita was blushing. Which meant she was either straight-up lying or wasn’t telling them everything, and why would Casita need to tell her that? Dolores would have had to call the Doctor on the map in her room. She didn’t get to ask, since Dolores walked into the kitchen then with her mother. Both stopped as the three sisters were now staring as a cloud formed over Tía Pepa’s head as Antonio ran into the kitchen and wrapped her legs up in a giggly hug. Their Tía’s cloud evaporated, and she knelt down and thoroughly kissed his face.

She stood and Dolores leaned in and said something that made Tía’s cloud return, and she caught Antonio’s collar as he tried to sidle away with an anxious look. Isa had no idea what was happening but just then her father came in off the patio carrying Tuli who had her head buried into his shoulder. Given that Tuli was not a fan of men in general, everyone’s attention went back to Antonio. He took a quick step behind his mother as her cloud became a small thunderhead. Tío Félix came in and took one look at his wife’s cloud, raised an eyebrow as he noted his wife’s grip on their son’s collar. With almost a sigh, he motioned to Antonio. Tía Pepa released him, and together the trio left for the courtyard.

Camilo came into the kitchen from the opposite side with a box of books that he set near the door. He was wearing his new clothes since he would be testing at the school to see if he got the apprenticeship. He looked up and noticed everyone standing around, not doing anything, and asked, “So what’s going on?”

Isa started and realized the beans and rice were burning. Mira resumed her egg peeling with vigor, and Luisa moved over to help her. Dolores did not answer her brother's question either. She instead picked up the stack of plates and headed for the patio without saying anything. Her father watched all this as he set Tuli down and said softly, “It’ll be alright, Tuli.” He then motioned to Camilo, who gave them all a look then followed their father out onto the patio.

Tuli remained where their father put her, hands scrunched up in the folds of her skirt. Mirabel dried her hands, then went over and coaxed Tuli onto the nearest chair and asked, “You okay, Tuli?” Tuli responded with the barest of nods. What did he do? Isa wondered. Her thoughts were again interrupted when the front doorbell rang. She handed off her spoon to Luisa and went to see who it was, ringing the bell at this hour of the day. She had no fond memories of the people who would turn up at all hours. Just because they wanted something that only one of the Madrigal Gifts would provide. This thought left her mildly irritated, so as the door swung open, she was ready to dress down whoever was there. Isa froze, seeing Bubo there with his Tío and felt the roses sprout in her hair. Bubo's initial look of surprise changed, as he smiled and said, “Buenos Días, Isabela.”

She immediately blushed and though the greeting was echoed by his Tío José, Isa was a bit stunned by the fact that they were standing there and jumped a little when her Tío Bruno put a hand on her shoulder and said, “Buenos Días, Señors. Please come in.”

Completely mortified, Isabela’s blush deepened, and her embarrassment was worsened when Bubo’s Tío nudged him and tilted his head in question. Isa let out some nervous laughter as she silently thanked the heavens her Tío had appeared and said, “Yes, Señors. Please come in.”

They did, and Isa noticed then that her Tío Bruno was not wearing his ruana, nor did he appear to have any rats with him. His hair was neatly combed, and he was smiling. What the hell was going on? It was odd enough that it made her a little more nervous. Before the breaking, something like this would never have broken her composure. A few unusually random thoughts popped into her head as the pair moved past her into the courtyard. She didn’t get much of a chance to contemplate those thoughts either, as her mother appeared. She had a small smile on her face and Isabela absently smoothed her clothes and thought, ‘Oh good God, I’m still wearing this stupid apron’ her mother glanced down at her feet, and Isa had a second realization... she was wearing her pink fuzzy slippers. She closed her eyes as her mother’s smile broadened. She patted her daughter's cheek, then she and her Tío guided their breakfast guests to the patio.

Isa’s shoulders drooped as she watched them go and thought, ‘Well, so much for appearances.’ There was no way her Mamá didn’t know Bubo and his Tío were coming for breakfast. She could have at least told her. She sighed. That was probably the furthest thing from her mother's mind with Abuela not feeling well. Isabela decided to head to her room to change, but stopped when she saw her Abuela coming out into the courtyard. Isa noticed that she looked a little tired, and her steps seemed just a little slower than usual... If what Mira said was true, then Abuela might need some help, so Isa went over and asked as she held out her hand, “Good Morning, Abuela. Mind a little company on that long walk to the patio?”

“Thank you, Isabela,” was all she said as she took Isa’s hand. Isabela noted her Abuela’s hand was cold. What was her mother thinking, letting Abuela wander around by herself when it was obvious she wasn’t feeling well? Isa paused in her thoughts. Less than a week ago, she would have simply gone another way to her room to avoid Abuela altogether. She actually felt a little guilty about that, but at the same time, still felt some of that anger, though it was very muted now. Being the first grandchild, she’d always had a bit more responsibility. A bit more of Abuela’s time and attention. She didn’t miss the attention to detail, but more the companionship. None of which she actually hated. Well, until the end, but Isa had to admit, even then, she'd enjoyed herself to a small extent. She didn’t want to get Mirabel into any trouble with Abuela, though she toyed with telling her Abuela about her and Mira’s run in with Señor Rodriguez. In the end, she decided she’d let her mother handle that. Chances were good that if Tío Bruno knew, then her mother and Tía Pepa did as well. No one asked her about it, but someone would have told her Abuela about it by now.

After the breaking, Isa found that certain people she’d thought of as friends treated her differently once she was bereft of her Gift. Worst of all were the ones that blamed Mirabel and would say the most hurtful things. It was, at that point, she realized that she’d once thought similar things about her sister. Eventually, most of those folks fell away whenever Isa would defend her sister and she decided, they were not the people she thought they were.

This was when Isabela found herself shifting blame to her Abuela. She’d also begun to avoid her, much to her mother’s dismay. More than once, her Mamá dropped a few 'suggestions' that Isa chose to ignore. Even her Abuela Valentina, who had no lost affection for Alma Madrigal noted, that even with everything that had happened, it was clear Isabela missed her Abuela Alma and should go visit. Instead, Isa let her anger fester. She also didn’t want to burden anyone with her dark thoughts while they worked to rebuild Casita. That and she felt like she’d already caused a lot of unnecessary pain for a certain other person in her family. It was why she’d started cutting herself. She wanted to mar that perfection her Abuela valued so much. Just little cuts to start. Never where it could be seen, never more than a few millimeters, and always perfectly straight lines. As she thought about that, she felt the vine sleeve begin its march down her arm.

That was something she never expected when the magic revived. The first time it happened, it startled her, but it had afforded her some relief by taking her mind off that anger she still stubbornly clung to. Even now, she was unsure if Abuela actually did approve of the new ways she’d been using her Gift, and there was no way she would have missed Isa’s interest in Bubo Márquez. She knew that Bubo had already met her Abuela, and she did genuinely seem to like him, so why was she so nervous about that then?

Her thoughts were interrupted when her Abuela asked as she pointed, “Isa, where did you get those shoes? Are they something new?”

Isa’s heart sank as her vine sleeve sprouted a thorn and gave her a poke. Stupid slippers, she thought, and she said a little nervously, “Yeah, ummm, they’re not actually shoes… I got them from my friend Juanita. She’s one of the newcomers from a year ago. She gave them to me after I helped her and her husband revive some of the cassava cuttings she brought with her...” Isabela realized she was talking too quickly so took a breath and said in a more normal tone, “I was just going to get something more appropriate… ”

“Can I get a pair?” Abuela asked.

“Wait, what?” Isabela replied.

“Do you think I could get a pair? Those look very comfortable.”

“Ummm, yeah, they are, but not very practical. Great for in the house though,” Isa said and smiled a little as she wiggled her toes. She needed to stop overthinking things. “You know, I may be able to get a hold of another pair. They may not be pink like these, but maybe I can trade for them. Would you like me to see if I can find some?”

Her Abuela smiled as she nodded. They reached the kitchen and Isa paused long enough to take off that apron before she followed her Abuela to the patio. Isa stopped in the doorway as everyone said good morning. Tía Pepa had already made a plate for Abuela, so Isa guided her to her seat. She got herself a plate and turned to find Luisa smiling as she looked knowingly at the empty seat next to her. Bubo was on the other side and Tuli was between him and their Tío. Luisa elbowed her as she sat down, then winked. Bubo hadn’t noticed she was sitting there yet; he was speaking quietly to Tuli who did not appear to be listening. Instead, she was staring somewhat blankly across the table at Antonio, holding her fork but not eating. Her primo usually sat with Mirabel and would talk non-stop, but not today. Today, he was sitting, looking angry between his parents, eating but not talking to anyone. Come to think of it, she didn't see any of Antonio's usual entourage. Except Parce, he was lying in the sun, near the gate. Now she was really curious. Was it Antonio, or did Tuli say or do something? What were those two arguing about that it required her father to go out and break it up? Isa was mulling this over, pushing her food around with her fork, when Bubo asked, “Isabela, do you have any plans for today?”

“I have some requests I'll be working on this morning.”

“Requests? Oh, right. Are they for some occasion?”

“At least one is. That’s for an upcoming wedding, the next is actually for a friend, then after lunch, I get to examine some sickly turnips and the last... I'm not exactly sure. Señor Sanchez is requesting a plant I'm not familiar with, but he says he has a book with a picture and a description so-”

“Wait, Isabela, you said that before. Do you remember all the plants you create?”

“Yes,” she replied and smiled because he’d said her name with that peculiar accent.

“Have you always been able to do that?”

Isabela's smile broadened as she nodded.

“How?”

“I’m not sure, really… It’s more the feeling I get when making them. It’s unique to each, but related plants do feel similar, like they’re family. That sounds weird, doesn’t it.”

“Not at all. Insects are much the same, they tend to look similar if they are from the same order. I believe plant groups are referred to as a genus.”

His acceptance of the small things she could do was still so surprising to her. It really wasn't that big a thing. The first time she did it, she spent days recreating flowers and plants from a book of herbs her mother had. Once she learned the names, she could make them anytime she wanted to. She only started doing it on the down low since she was thirteen. That was when she'd begun her training to be Señorita Perfecta. Her vine sleeve, that was thankfully hidden under her shirt, poked her a little deeper than usual and Isa had to take a moment to make it retract. This caused her to close her eyes as she clenched her teeth. She was no longer smiling and Bubo, eyebrows raised, was probably thinking he’d said something wrong. He cleared his throat and picked up his coffee then after a drink, he turned his attention to Tuli. He spoke to her softly. Isa noticed their Tío José was watching her and felt herself blush as she too, picked up her cup, hiding her face. His expression was unreadable, but she still felt like he was summing her up.

As far as she knew, Bubo probably didn't know much about any of the things that happened before the breaking, but was already aware it was a subject she avoided. Isa knew she would have to tell him about it. That all by itself seemed like an almost insurmountable task. While she didn’t want him to think less of her Abuela or her family, she also didn’t want those thorns stabbing her every time her thoughts wandered in that direction. She wondered then what he'd heard from the villagers, Mariano especially. Sometimes it felt like the ghost of Señorita Perfecta was something she’d probably never get rid of, but damned if she wasn’t going to try.

Tuli, she noticed, was now eating some of her breakfast. Bubo was again drinking his coffee, and Isa decided she needed to make him understand he was not the cause of her frown. She did not want him leaving thinking she was angry with him, so to change that, she touched his arm and asked, “So, Bubo, what will you be doing today?”

He set his cup down and said, “Since Tuli will be remaining here, my Tío and I will be registering her for school, and your father wants us to look at a small house that Tuli and I may be able to use.”

“Oh, I wonder which house it is.”

“I’m not sure, but he said it is near the school.”

Isa pondered that, but just then a dog could be heard barking near the gate. More people? Then she remembered Doris and her brood. Those girls of hers were going to be attending school while they were in the Encanto. Tuli heard the dog and leaned forward a little to look past her Tío toward the gate. Isa remembered Doris’s reaction to her Tía telling Doris that Tuli was actually a girl and Dolores mentioned She’d called her mother a witch, just because she healed her. Tuli was back to staring at Antonio and Isa asked, “Tuli, I bet you're excited about your first day at school, yes?”

Tuli nodded, but had a hold of her locket again. Her Tío leaned in and said something that made Tuli nod then as she let her hand drop to her lap. Since breakfast was over for the most part, the family began getting up from the table. Today was Luisa's dish day, so Isa got up and said, “Well, good luck, Bubo. Maybe we can have lunch in town later and Tuli,” Isa paused until Tuli looked up at her. “I'll see you after school?” Tuli smiled a little, nodded, then got up from her seat and promptly disappeared. Bubo watched her go, then asked, “Did something happen? She seemed so withdrawn.”

“I’m not sure exactly what took place, but she did have some sort of disagreement with Antonio this morning.”

Bubo nodded and looked over at her primo who still sat frowning between his parents, “Okay, well, thanks for telling me. Where should I find you for lunch?”

Isa grinned and said, “Near the oak in the plaza?”

He nodded then said, “I’ll see you then, Isabela,” and moved away with his Tío over near Isa’s mother, who was talking to Doris and Inez.

Isa crinkled her nose when the dog came around the corner, spotted Parce and started furiously barking. Antonio, who had been released by his parents, went over to the dog and said quietly, “Bruno,” the dog went silent and sat back on his haunches waiting, “You’re safe here. Parce’s not going to eat you or your people. He says you’re all far too stringy.”  The dog let out what sounded like a whine of relief, then laid down at Doris’s feet. Doris looked at the dog, then smiled at Antonio and thanked him. Antonio smiled and nodded as he called to Parce. The jaguar came over, Toni climbed up, and the pair left the patio, Isa assumed, so he could get his school bag. 

She went inside and up to her room to get ready for her appointment with Señora Martinez. Her youngest daughter's wedding was to happen in a few weeks, so she was itching to get the flower arrangements decided. Isa was happy to visit with Juanita. Her baby would be coming any day, and Isa really liked the farmer’s wife. She was easy to talk to and knew so much about farming and the outside world. After lunch, she would be meeting up with Luisa to see Señor Ortiz. One so Luisa could visit with the donkeys, and two to check on the turnips Señor Ortiz was growing to feed them. He was worried it was a bug infestation. Hopefully, none of that would take too long. She was actually more interested in getting to Señor Sanchez’s home. He’d never asked her to create anything in the past, and the plant he’d asked for sounded intriguing. The name itself was exotic enough to get her interested. Bonsai. She had no idea what sort of plant that could be. After she changed into something more appropriate for her first meeting, she headed out the door toward town.

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

Mirabel watched Tuli pick at her breakfast. Tío Bruno, who was sitting beside Mira, was becoming increasingly fidgety but was trying to act ‘normal’. Well, as normal as he could be. Tuli had said nothing about what happened on the patio prior. Mira also did not get a chance to speak to Bubo. Tuli did appear happy to see her cousin and didn’t shy away from her Tío when they came. She even got up and went over to greet them. Once breakfast was underway though, Tuli caught sight of Antonio, then she barely touched her food. Tuli’s Tío noticed where she was looking and seemed concerned that she was not actually eating. He motioned over her head to Bubo. After a moment, Bubo said something to Tuli very softly. Tuli glanced up at him, then in her Tío's direction. When she started to eat again, she didn’t look like she was enjoying it. Whatever had happened between her and Antonio, had left her very sad.

While it was unlike her primo to be unkind on purpose, his blunt honesty could be painful if you weren’t used to such things. She decided not to ask Dolores, since it was clear Tía Pepa and Tío Félix had already talked to Antonio about it. She was not the boss of anyone, and it was probably why her Mamá asked her not to listen in on private conversations. Mira still felt a little guilty about that, and it was what prompted her to ask Casita to promise not to tell her all the random things her family did. If she really needed to know, she could always ask the actual people involved. When she thought about it, they might not tell her anything. She was determined to try because she was sure she could help if she knew what the problem was… maybe.

She noticed, when Isa was talking to Bubo, she quite suddenly gritted her teeth and closed her eyes for a long moment. Mirabel wondered why she was doing that but remembered that Isa had taken to longer sleeve shirts after the breaking. Probably to hide the thin line of cuts on her upper arm. Now, with those vine sleeves sprouting when Isa was upset, it made Mirabel wondered if that was what caused her sister to grit her teeth just now. Bubo noticed Isa’s change of expression as well and was now sipping his coffee. To her credit, Isa restarted her conversation with Bubo. Just like her, her sister was still dealing with the remnants of their past.

Mirabel refocused on her breakfast and was lost in thought. She started slightly when her Abuela touched her hand. She hadn’t noticed her sitting down and realized Tío Bruno had left. Her Abuela leaned in and said softly, “Mira, thank you for telling me about your encounter with Señor Rodriguez. It is important everyone knows to be wary of that one.”

Mirabel nodded, but was again, feeling really embarrassed and said, “I’m so sorry Abuela, I didn’t mean to make you worry.”

“I will say the same. I believe your mother explained?” Abuela asked. Mirabel nodded and Abuela continued, “Good. I actually planned to make a sort of general announcement this morning, but I had forgotten we were having guests. So that can wait until supper. I am not needed in town today, so I think I will rest until noon.”

“Oh? Is there something happening at noon?”

“Nothing you need to worry about.”

It was a mild rebuff, and very reminiscent of past treatment, but Mirabel accepted it because she really did have a lot going on today. When she was younger, her Abuela would dismiss her, turn away and expect her to leave. These days, her Abuela kept her hand over Mira’s and gave it a little squeeze. Mirabel relaxed a little, though she realized that even though her Abuela had changed so much, she still needed to remind herself that things were different now and asked, “Is there anything I can do for you this morning, Abuela?”

“No, you already have your hands full helping with Tuli and aren’t you working on some costumes for Camilo?”

“Yeah, I really do need to check in with the twins. I’m also stopping by Abuelo Joseph’s shop to work on some things while Tuli is in school.”

Her Abuela smiled and said as she gave her hand another squeeze, “You see, you already have much to accomplish this morning. Don’t forget to take a break, Mira. I know how focused you can be.”

Mirabel nodded again and couldn’t help but smile. So different… “I won’t, Abuela.” Mirabel said as she got up and collected both her and her Tío’s dishes. She went into the kitchen and set the plates on the counter for Luisa, then walked out into the courtyard. She noticed Tuli was standing near the front door that was slightly ajar. Her expression was tense as she watched the folks gathered on the other side. Mirabel went over and put a hand on her shoulder and said, “You look worried.”

Tuli only nodded. Mirabel could see she was watching Doris and Inez, who were off to one side with their two older girls. Both were dressed in some of the clothing they’d received when they arrived that was not too dissimilar to what Tuli was wearing. Luisa had braided Tuli’s hair into two pigtails, tied off with yellow ribbons. Antonio had selected a light yellow shirt that he paired with a pale green skirt decorated with similarly colored yellow ribbon. Tuli was still watching the others when Doris looked around. Tuli ducked back so as not to be seen and since Doris did not seem to find what she was looking for; she returned her attention to Tuli’s Tío who was speaking to her.

Tuli looked up at Mirabel and said, “Do you think Tía Doris is mad at me? I feel like she’s mad at me.”

“For what?”

“Being a girl.”

“That seems an odd thing to be mad about, and she did take you in when you were on the mountain.”

“I know, but I was Fernando then... ”, Tuli faltered, then grabbed her locket.

Mirabel knelt in front of Tuli as she turned her to face her. She took her hands and said, “That’s true, but your circumstances were different. Plus, you haven’t talked to her since you left them, and you don’t know how she feels about it,” Mirabel said with a shrug, “It was probably a surprise to her as well. Sometimes folks just need a little time to think about stuff, and besides, you shouldn’t let that stop you from being who you are.”

Tuli’s worried expression faded, and a more determined one took its place as she nodded. Mirabel got up and Tuli said in a rush, “Do you know where Toni is? I need to talk to him. I thought I would see him before he left… I need to apologize... I said something awful this morning and... ”

“Hey, hey, Tuli, he’s probably already on his way to school, so you’ll have to do that later.”

“Okay, but if you see him before, could you please tell him for me?”

“Apologies are best done in person by the person, Tuli,” Mirabel said as she tapped the door, which Casita opened. “School starts in less than an hour, and I’m sure Bubo and your Tío are starting to wonder where you are. You don’t want to be late on your first day, and we have to get you registered this morning.”

“Yes,” Tuli said as she smoothed her skirt, “I’m staying, so I need to do this right.”

Mirabel stood up and held out her hand. Tuli took it, and together they went through the front door. They were met on the other side by Bubo, his Tío, her Mamá and Papá. Only Inez was there with Lucia and Sofia. Doris was gone, and so were the boys and the dog. The group started toward town and after a short while Tuli had taken a hold of Mirabel’s arm but released it when Bubo gently touched her shoulder and offered her his hand. She took it, and Mirabel could see she was trying to walk without looking like she wanted to grab hold of his arm.

Her mother was speaking with Inez, while her father was answering questions about the Encanto as he walked with Tuli’s Tío. Well ahead of them were Camilo and Toni. Antonio was speaking animatedly to his friends. Camilo was carrying the box of books he’d been studying, probably listening to his brother's conversation. Her group wasn’t close enough to hear what was being said and weirdly, Parce was not with them, so Mira wondered where the jaguar was.

Camilo happened to look back and saw her. He did not pause but raised one finger on his left hand then tapped the box. Mirabel automatically responded to this by pushing her hair behind her left ear. Camilo smiled a little and returned his attention to his brother. Camilo wanted to tell her something important, but didn’t want anyone else to know about it, meaning his sister Dolores. This was just one of the weird little hand signs they’d come up with over the years when they were planning some shenanigan.

Mirabel looked over and saw Tuli talking to Bubo. She had visibly relaxed and though she still had a death grip on his hand, she was not as tense as when they’d left Casita. They really were more like brother and sister than cousins. Tuli even asked him if he was going to go on another date with Isabela. To which Bubo did not respond. Tuli’s Tío was paying attention, but trying not to be obvious that he was. Mirabel watched him a little longer. Tuli's description of him made her think he was an oft angry sort, but he'd been nothing but polite since she met him. The way he was watching Tuli made her think he was trying to get to know this 'new' Tuli.

Her thoughts were interrupted when one of the girls with Inez came over and Tuli’s expression turned to one of concern as the other said, “Hola Tuli!”

“Hola, Lucia,” Tuli responded. The other girl with Inez drifted over and said hello as well. Tuli’s look of concern increased as she replied, “Hola, Sofia.”

“Is it alright if we walk with you?” Lucia asked. Tuli blinked but nodded, and Lucia smiled and said, “I really like the color of that skirt better than the one you were wearing yesterday.”

Tuli blushed and smiled a little and said, “Thanks.”

Lucia’s reddish blonde wiry hair was tied in a multitude of long thin braids with colorful wooden beads at the ends. The lot of them were pulled into a ponytail with some orange ribbon that matched her skirt. Sofia's skirt was a bright red and her black hair was separated into two braids, tied off with red ribbon. Lucia looked a little nervous as they got closer to the center of the town and asked Tuli, “There are so many people here. I know you’ve only been here a couple of days, but do you know any of them?”

Tuli’s expression relaxed a little more, and she said, “Some of Toni’s friends but mostly just the Madrigals.”

“Are they Madrigals?” Sofia asked, pointing at Bubo and her Tío. Her Tío was now talking to Mira’s parents as the group came to a short halt when they reached the plaza. In the distance, a bell rang.

First bell, half an hour to go.

“This is, Bubo,” Tuli said as she pointed up. He nodded to them as Tuli started to add, “the other is-”

“Is he part of your family?” Sofia interrupted as she grabbed Tuli’s arm. Tuli only got the chance to nod as Sofia said, “You’re so lucky, Tuli. I wish I could see my family, but they are so far away. We at least have Tía Inni and Doris. They said it’s gonna take a whole nother couple of months to get to Cartagena from here. It just seems so far away, and I’m so tired of walking. Someday though,” Sofia said wistfully. They walked along in silence for a bit until Lucia elbowed Sofia. Both girls moved a little closer, and Sofia leaned in and whispered conspiratorially, “Tía said why you were a boy before.”

Tuli stopped abruptly and Bubo, having heard that, paused but after looking at Tuli seemed to decide to give her a little space, so he released her hand and continued on. Mirabel only stopped because Tuli touched her arm as she passed her. “You okay?” Mirabel asked.

Tuli nodded, but she looked frightened and had hold of her locket. Tuli’s expression made Mirabel think she was going to bolt. Tuli glanced up at Mirabel, took a deep breath, then hesitantly released the locket and only started walking again because Lucia and Sofia pulled her along. They ignored Mirabel as they walked on either side of Tuli and with their heads close to hers, Sofia said, “Last night, before bed, Tía Doris said it was always obvious that you were a girl.”

Lucia nodded and Tuli asked, “What? Tía Doris told you that?”

The girls didn’t let her stop when she hesitated again. Lucia leaned in and said with a look back at Inez, “Actually, we were kind of in another room, but that doesn’t matter. What she said is true.”

And Sofia added, “We just want you to know. We talked about it last night, we’re not going to tell anyone you used to be a boy.”

Again, Tuli stopped, and Lucia said quite matter-of-factly as she pulled her along, “Why are you stopping, we’ll be late, besides you were terrible at it anyway.”

“The brothers agree,” Sofia added.

The brothers… Mira decided that must be the boys who were traveling with them. She also realized she didn’t know any of their names. She wondered if they were triplets. They were all about the same size and looked very similar. Mirabel looked over at Inez, who was walking a short way behind with her Mamá. She likely could clearly hear everything that was being said. She smiled and looked away when Sofia looked back at her. Mirabel was starting to think that overheard conversation was a planned thing. She’d only spoken with Doris very briefly, and at the time Mirabel had assumed she was not at all happy that Tuli was a girl. Mirabel was glad she was wrong in her assumptions, but that only emphasized to her to not judge other’s intentions. Mira thought then of that vision tablet of an angry Doris and the kids she had behind her. Was Tuli one of them? Mirabel determined she was going to need to look at it again, knowing what she knew now.

“But...” Tuli started to say.

“But nothing, Tuli. You’re the only reason we made it here, and we finally get to go back to school and,” Lucia said lowering her voice as she poked Tuli for emphasis, “you got away from that horrible smuggler all by yourself. I could never be that brave.”

“I didn’t do anything. The Madrigals did all that.”

Sofia and Lucia both rolled their eyes, “Not without you. If you hadn’t told Tía about that guardian tree, we never would have been able to find this place,” Sofia said with a grin.

Lucia nodded and said, “Yeah, we’d still be wandering around on the mountain, starving to death.”

Tuli had her hands knotted up in front of her, and Mira realized that’s what she looked like whenever she did that. Anxious and unsure of herself. No wonder, Isa and Luisa were constantly poking her.

“Thanks,” Tuli said, “But I still don’t think I did all that much. I just got really lucky.”

Sofia took one of her hands as Lucia waved her hands in front of herself to end that topic. “Even if you don’t see it, it’s true and enough about that,” she said then turned to Mirabel and asked, “You think since we’re all the same age, we’ll be in the same class together?”

Mirabel was not expecting to be included and said carefully, “Probably, it all depends on what the principal does. Though they’ve tried to keep the kids who arrive together and are the same age in the same class.”

Lucia nodded, and she skipped a little in front of them. Sofia pulled Tuli along, and it was clear Tuli was still trying to process everything the girls had said. Mirabel hoped these two would be staying for a while. Tuli needed friends her own age that she could trust. In the distance, another bell rang. Second bell, school would be starting in fifteen minutes. The adults that were keeping watch over the kids, who had been playing in the school yard, called out to them. Children scrambled to get their book bags and headed for the open front door.

Everyone, including Tuli started walking just a little quicker. Once inside, she noticed Camilo come out of Señor Gonzalez’s office. He was holding a small notebook as he headed down the opposite hall. Since he was walking into the school and not out, Mirabel hoped his testing went well.

Each of the girls was handed a small lunch basket, as they sat on a bench outside the principal's office while the others went in to complete some forms. The door was not closed, and Mirabel noted that Bubo was the one that completed the form for Tuli. His Tío would point at something, Bubo would listen then fill in whatever. Once done, his Tío simply looked it over, signed it and had Bubo do the same. Inez, they discovered, could neither read nor write, but did not hesitate to ask her mother for help with the form. As they went over it, Inez watched her mother a little nervously, but thanked her for this opportunity for her girls to go to school, free of charge. Did kids really have to pay to go to school on the outside?

Her mother also told Inez about the small class Esteffi Martinez ran for anyone who was beyond school age. She taught what she called readin, ritein and rithmatic and met in the evenings three times a week and there was also no charge for that. Tía Pepa often joined her mother-in-law in this and did not alter that schedule after the magic came back. She instead only worked with the weather during the morning hours. With the new irrigation system that had been put in place after the breaking, she only made sure the natural reservoir has sufficient water. Still, Mirabel wondered how many of the other newcomers had similar challenges.

Everyone who was in the Encanto before the breaking could at least read, write and do basic sums. Her Abuela had made it a priority that a school be established once the original refugees got past the surviving day to day thing. That was one of the things she genuinely admired about her Abuela. It was something Mirabel wanted to emulate. Her Abuela's ability to motivate others. Mirabel wanted to add to that her wish to bring about change when it was needed.

With everything turned in, Señor Gonzalez stepped into the hallway and gestured for the girls to follow him. After they disappeared around a corner, the rest of the group went back outside. Inez thanked her Mamá for her help and said she was looking forward to attending the evening class, then said goodbye to the group and headed back toward the house she and Doris shared. Her father, Bubo and his Tío also left.

Mirabel was trying to decide if she should go to the twin's house first, or Abuelo Joseph’s shop, when her mother touched her shoulder and said, “I’m glad that went well, Corazón. Thank you for helping with Tuli. I’ll see you after lunch, Mira. Will you be at the shop?”

“Yeah, but first I’m going to head over and talk to Bea and Bri. I need to thank them and see if there is anything they need me to do for those costumes for Camilo’s play.”

“Alright, I’ll see you later, mija.”

“Adios, Mamá,” Mira replied, and realized her mother had been talking to her like she was an adult all morning. While that felt a little weird, it was nice, but also made her a little anxious. She’d been expecting a right and proper scolding from her mother for leaving the house last night. That never happened. Mira also realized that she should have spoken with her mother before talking to her Abuela as she went over that conversation in her head. While she hadn’t known about her Abuela’s heart problems, she realized her motivation for doing it was selfish. Either way, she was feeling just a little more confident about her day, so when she turned and saw Mariano waiting nearby. Her Abuela and Tío’s admonition to not go out by herself settled in her head. Her mother had likely noticed him, and that was probably why she was okay leaving her here ‘alone’. Mirabel looked around, but no one seemed to be paying her any mind as Mariano came over and said, “Buenos Días, Mirabel. Dolores requested I be your personal escort for the morning.”

“Escort?”

Mariano leaned down and said in a low voice behind his hand, “She thought that would sound better than babysitter.”

Mirabel couldn’t help but giggle and said, “A little.”

“So, where are we headed, Señorita Madrigal,” Mariano asked as he straightened and held out his arm.

“To check on some costumes,” Mirabel replied, taking it, “and thanks for taking the time out of your day. I know this is a hassle.”

“Not at all, Mirabel. So it is to the Ramirez home then,” he said as they turned back toward the center of town.

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