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#the entire madrigal family has issues because I said so
jacarandaaaas · 8 months
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why waiting on a miracle is one of my favorite (and one of the most underrated) encanto songs:
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So this song in my humble opinion is one of the most under appreciated songs from the movie so I’m here to give it some appreciation! (Also the irony of the song being about being ignored and overlooked and that’s exactly what happened)
So waiting on a miracle is the classic “disney I want song” but to me this song is so much more than that. One thing that sticks out to me immediately is the fact unlike most I want songs, mirabel isn’t singing about wanting more than she already has shes singing about something she lacks but SHOULD have already. From the title most people gathered that she wants a magical gift like the rest of her family and whilst that is true I find it profound that it’s not the magic for the sake of magic she wants. It’s the appreciation from her family. All she wants is to contribute and fit in and she feels the only way she can do that is if she gets a gift. It’s also important to note unlike most I want songs mirabel doesn’t get *exactly* what she wants at the end which she mentions is a miracle. She does however end up getting her ultimate goal which is the acceptance and she doesn’t need a miracle to do that. Also with the title being “waiting on a miracle” a miracle is rare it’s thought to be something almost impossible or not even real. So for mirabels I want song to be about this shows that even she herself is aware it’s literally an impossible ask but she’s just dreaming of the possibilities if she got something as rare as a miracle.
I also found the instrumental quite genius as some have already pointed out all the madrigal songs are in 4/4 time… except this one. Waiting on a miracle is in 3/4 time as yet another subtle way to show she’s out of place. as lin manuel himself said “she’s literally out of beat with the rest of her family” so thanks for that lin the song was already sad enough but you just had to do that👍
also congratulations to mirabel for being one of the few disney characters to actually say when they aren’t ok “I’m not fineeee” I know that seems minuscule but it’s so refreshing to hear a character actually express that they are feeling negative emotions and it’s ok to express that. Especially since bottling up emotions is so common nowadays it’s a good message for the next generation <3
also waiting on a miracle kinda sorta predicts the whole movie? “I would move the mountains, make new trees and flowers grow” “I would heal whats broken show this family something new” she ended up achieving all of that in the movie’ 1. The mountains split when the house was collapsing. 2. She helped isabela discover what else she could do thus making new trees and flowers grow. 3. She basically healed the entire family which is what was broken and she showed them all they are enough without gifts! So that’s just a nice little bit of foreshadowing.
Ok now back to the sad stuff! in the lyric “I would heal whats broken” turns out she’s not referring to the entire family but herself. She views herself as broken because she didn’t get a gift and she wants to fix herself 💔 another lyric to note is “cant keep down the unspoken invisible pain” a lot of people talk about how inconsiderate the madrigals are towards mirabel but the thing is they don’t realize how it effects her. We know she can put on a hell of an act (see family madrigal song) and she herself refers to her pain as “invisible” she’s hiding it from everyone so they don’t realize how badly she’s hurting because she puts on the whole optimistic act. So another way the movie demonstrates the communication issues within the family.
And how can I forget mirabel literally telling herself at the beginning “dont be upset or mad at all” she’s quite literally telling herself to not feel those things that she’s “totally fine” I also love the fact the music is in the tune of “the family madrigal” up until she says “I’m not fine” I just thought that was a cool detail!
I’ve seen people complain about “open your eyes” x3 because it doesn’t get any louder or higher it just stays the same. Well there’s actually a reason for that! the song is called waiting on a miracle, mirabel is stuck in that position. She’s stuck waiting. It’s also important to note that the visual of her begging to her abuela to “open her eyes” and not being noticed implies that she’s been trying for a long time to be noticed but she keeps being stuck.
Also shoutout to Stephanie beatriz for the amazing acting because I could FEEL the emotion and the passion. and yes I know it’s because she’s in labour but I also believe even if she wasn’t in labour the song would still sound emotional as stephanie is a really great actress! I believe in an interview she stated she wanted to perform this song like it’s the first time mirabel is expressing these feelings to herself. Basically yeah that’s true she had been lying to herself for a decade and finally she decides to admit to herself she’s not fine she’s not happy and she wants a change. The voice crack on “I’m not fine” is actually heartbreaking and this is the moment her facade breaks entirely, and I love the vocal cry she does on “longing to shine like all of you shine” it’s just these little vocal details that add so much to the song and make it so powerful
I’ve also seen people complaining this song isn’t “belty” enough but it’s just not that type of song! mirabel is stuck in her position and if you notice in a lot of Disney movies once it reaches the climax of the i want song the protagonist comes to a decision of sorts. Take “how far I’ll go for example” she decides she’s going to sail beyond the reef and the music climaxes, she also has the triumphant high note at the end. Waiting on a miracle unlike how far I’ll go is NOT a triumphant song. The music does climax but only to emphasize mirabels false hope as she’s saying all the things she would do.
with the high note I firmly believe that there’s only one significant high note at the end for a particular reason. Like I said above usually high notes in Disney songs symbolize achievement or a sense of strength found. Mirabels high note has the opposite effect. She’s quite literally begging for a miracle in desperation only to realize she’s wishing for a fantasy. “Am I too late for a miracle” is the line the song ends on and the visual is important here too. We see the fireworks fade away and mirabel is left standing alone in the dark because it was all in her mind. (Looking at you “mirabels gift is time stopping” theorists)
So yeah I find this song to be quiet unique and raw for an I want song and I think the “vent” aspect of it is what makes me appreciate it even more. It’s not sugar coated. To quote stephanie beatriz herself: “real, human, imperfect, yearning to belong and hoping for something beyond what she sees in herself: an expression of hope and fear, all wrapped in teen angst.”
So uh go stream waiting on a miracle because it’s a great song 👍(also yes this rant is a mess I’m terrible at articulating my feelings on songs but it’s also just for fun I’m like not a professional lmao)
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strigeist · 1 year
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My last ask!! Camilo with a s/o who has anger/anxiety issues/ headcanons please!! :D have a good day and newyears!
~ I'm so so sorry for taking so long on this one! I've been a bit busy in my personal life. After doing some thinking I decided to only do the anxiety one, so I'm sorry about that too. It's just that even though I did quite a bit of research, I still didn't feel confident in what I was writing since I have no personal experience w/ anger issues, and considering it's something that can be harmful if portrayed wrong I think it's best if I just stick to what I know :(. I'm sorry! But I hope you understand. ALSO YES THANK YOU GOOD NEW YEAR FOR YOU TOO!! And day!! ~
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Camilo with a s/o who has anxiety
Gender neutral s/o!
I know anxiety can present differently in different people, I'm referencing mostly me and the people I know.
⚠️ Mentions of panic/anxiety attacks. It's right at the end and separated from the rest with [], so if it triggers you you can just stop once you see that! ⚠️
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Will never, ever, judge you for showing symptoms of anxiety. Will not make you feel bad for it or make snarky comments about it, even if you don't outright say that you have it.
Won't force you into anything you don't wanna do, but especially not if it's something that would trigger your anxiety.
If it's something you absolutely need to do (because life is like that sometimes), he'll try to help you go through it as much as he can.
(If you allow his family to know, they'll help you too in their own ways).
If you're together and someone approaches you to talk and it's making you anxious, he'll absolutely carry the conversation for the two of you and somehow manage to get you away from the situation in a very natural way so you don't have to worry about seeming rude or anything.
If you're ever too "in your head" about something that probably doesn't warrant so much worry, like something embarrassing you've done in the past, he'll try to make you see things the way he does. Never in a mean way or disregarding your feelings! Just to calm you down. Sometimes our brains blow things way out of proportion.
Will let you fiddle with his clothes, his hands, hell even his hair if it makes you more relaxed.
(As someone with curly hair, him letting you touch his hair is a proof of pure love).
This is all if you want it, of course. As I've said in the past, Camilo would never want to make you uncomfortable. If you don't want him to do something, just tell him and he'll stop and apologize. He'll find other ways to support you that don't bother you! Or you can just tell him, that works too.
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Listen, he's good at helping you through panic or anxiety attacks.
(I know they are different things, but mainly for the reasons they happen. They are quite similar in what they feel like, at least for me).
You cannot tell me no one in the Madrigal family goes through things like this. He has experience.
"Breath with me, cariño, let's try that okay?"
If following his breathing doesn't work, he'll try the counting method, you know? The one where the person counts numbers slowly and you follow their lead. (I don't know if that's the name, but that's what I call it).
Every time it happens he panics on the inside, but tries not to show it so you don't feel even worse. He knows you'll be fine but he doesn't like to see you hurting in any way.
Will also reassure you that you'll be fine, it's just a panic or anxiety attack and soon you'll be fine, and that he'll be there for you the entire time.
If you want to hold his hand because it's scary, he'll let you.
If you need space, he'll give it to you. But if you want a hug he'll also oblige.
Afterwards will try to convince you to do some more relaxing activities, if you weren't doing that before, so you can rest and recover.
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Heyo guys!
Since my friend made a post about it, I figured I should make a separate post of it as well that could hopefully grab the attention of more of you out there. Especially since it's now not only become a recurrent issue for myself, but millions others like me; whose voices and pleas for help are often met with silence and no aid when it's needed more than ever.
My friend made this with the hopes it would get the attention of a lot of people. And the few that have so far responded, with boosting my signal, it's truly appreciated.
So, I figured I'd best give my story here.
For those who know me, they know that I've been through this before, not that long ago. For those that don't:
This isn't my first rodeo with my dad. This isn't his first offense, and I doubt it'll be his last. But, even my boyfriend commented that it's really like I'm Cinderella.
Which, would make my family Lady Tremaine and her daughters, Anastasia and Drizella.
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Surprised?
Yeah, not the most fun people to have in your life as family, let alone be analogous to your own.
But, for at least my brother on the matter, he doesn't mean to intentionally be cruel- if anything, he is just trying to survive from becoming the next target. Which, I get entirely. I oftentimes do the same for when a fight breaks out between my bio father and my stepmom.
But, that's besides the point-- the fact that they are even akin to that family dynamic is absolutely atrocious.
I'm often seen as a black sheep in my nuclear family- a dark horse, a scapegoat, pariah, outcast; hell, I'm almost synonymous to fucking Bruno Madrigal from Encanto, with a little bit of even Luisa for that matter with how bad her anxiety is.
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Sure, that sounds pretty awful, but that's like, a surface-level perspective of who I am and what I've been through. And I'm not gonna give you my whole life story here, but, as my grandma would always famously say:
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So, here are the said facts (bullets are Bruno related, indents are Cinderella)-
People used to see me as a gifted child when I was little, y'know? Like, my talents had no bounds. My way of being so empathetic and friendly to even the most awkward stranger was renowned by my extended family. I was awkward with communication, and often was very blunt but honest when talking to people, but I was a happy kid. And it's not like I'm not seen for my talents now, but they're brushed to the side more now as an adult because "you can't be living in a fantasy".
Since my dad and stepmom started living together, I've been made to become the maid of the house, doing most chores because the boys won't do it and my stepmom is incapable of handling all the chores and dishes on her own, so she's dumped most things onto me as a "way of covering for part of your rent". Which, I still have to pay upwards of 660-880 a month for. For one small room and a bathroom. For wifi use. And I still have other bills to pay, like for my car, insurance, credit cards, and stuff like that.
It wasn't until I was starting in my teens that my dad saw me very differently. I would often lie to try and keep the peace, because I feared that telling the truth would only hurt everyone more.
I started failing in math; I never got a grade higher than a C-average after sixth grade, because the teacher that year not only made me look like an idiot, but several times painted me as a villain and treated me like I was evil. Simply for standing up for myself amongst a group of classmates who would often bully me
I have little to no privacy in my own room. The only time I do is when I sleep, and that's even temporary at best. My father will routinely inspect my room and if it's not meeting his standards, he has me clean it or threatens kicking me out onto the street because he won't let me live in this house if I can't "do what I am required to do in order to keep living here" shit I wish I actually wish I had recorded him saying fr
He's taken off my door several times in the past as a punishment for not "adhering to his rules"- not okay as a teenager, even more not okay as a fucking twenty-four year old adult
(literal screenshots from conversations with my dad below)
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My bio dad started seeing me less as an honest and good person, because during my sixth grade years and beyond I'd struggle with being honest with myself, let alone my parents, about my personal and educational issues.
I've had to be the one to call out when things aren't right, and be shut down for it. I've been the one to call out my family's bullshit, only to get side-swept with the realization my perception of how they treat me is cuz they do believe something is inherently wrong with me for retaliating.
I'm often accused of mishearing things- like, my parents will say one thing, and then the next day, or weeks or months later, when I repeat that statement, they go and say "Oh, I never said that."
I've walked out of my parents' lives once. It only lasted two weeks, but I did have to take a step back from it all. Because I could see what it was doing to everyone in my family. And I love my family, despite their shit. But that doesn't mean I'm not gonna walk out again- in fact, I'm working on a way to do so.
I relate more to pets and small children and even teens than I do older people.
I still have anxieties and fears over my talents and what I'm capable of, thinking I'm not good enough or that it's just the same old thing. The difference is I know it's not, and I know I'm worth more than this.
I have always liked the color green, and it was always a more mysterious color more than an evil or menacing color.
I often have had foresight of future events and get deja by when they do happen. Though, other times I just notice things going awry and I try to warn others of like, a possibility that they don't want to accept.
I lost friends and people who I actually enjoyed being around because of how I was growing up, and it was until I became an adult that part of it wasn't even my fault. A lot of the kids noticed my parents and didn't want to be around that kind of behavior with adults, because they could sense what I couldn't at the time, which was that my parents' behavior towards me was absolutely uncalled for, and rather controlling.
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I was only recently properly diagnosed with Autistic Spectrum Disorder and ADHD; but before then, as an adult, I had more difficulty talking. Difficulty expressing how I felt. Trouble with finances. Being in the right headspace. Being able to take a step back and be like "whoa, now hold on- pointing fingers at me is only going to point three right back at you, let's not assume shit here". And it took a lot of support from my support systems and my boyfriend- @constant-state-of-self-discovery - to get a truly more accurate diagnosis. Cuz I've had three different diagnoses over the years, with the third being my most accurate one but I digress
I have echolalia and repeat funny phrases, hum music, etc.
When my brother was born - and I hate to use this comparison, but - almost immediately he became the Golden Child of the family dynamic. I was ten when he was born- and yeah, that's unfair for a baby, toddler, and little kid. But flash forward to when he's a bigger kid, when he's in his pre-teen stage and now a fourteen year old, who's gotten more educational advantages than I was ever offered or even given when asked. Who has had more positive experiences with his parents than I ever did. Who got the chance to actually go to the highschool he wanted to without having to worry about who I was really zoned for. Who is getting to work on his passion and talents. Yeah, that's totally not favoritism there.
I draw. I write. I legitimately can see myself voice acting one day.
I have often proved my family members both right and wrong about things in their lives, but I'm still the bad guy. Interesting how that works.
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See, these are the facts that just have me relating to just Bruno and Cinderella alone, with how my life is. There's plenty of other shit to add on about my stuff, but that's enough dirty laundry to get the ball rolling.
The fact of the matter is this: I cannot live in such a place like this anymore. And if anyone can help, I'd seriously appreciate whatever cash, boosting, reblogging, sharing that can be done.
I'm tired of living a life like this. I want to move forward. I want to start my next chapter, away from abuse.
And I'm really hopeful for the first time ever that something good might come out of this.
(thank you @savythenillerwaffer , @nystiaa , @oswinunknown , and @anne-of-crows for reblogging along with the others who have spread the word.)
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Encantober 2023 Day 1: Sunset
The Madrigals just finished dinner and headed to the living room after cleaning up. The family continued talking and laughing with each other until Mirabel decided to go outside. After ten minutes, Bruno noticed Mirabel was missing and went to go look for her. He found her in the backyard and decided to sit with her.
 “Is there something going on?” he asked as he sat next to his youngest niece.
Mirabel scooted closer to her uncle. “I’ve been thinking quite a lot lately, about Casita and being the new guardian of the candle and whatnot, what if I’m not ready for it?”
There was a silence before Bruno could respond. That one question had so much to unpack that Bruno had no idea how to respond at first. He knew that Mirabel has had serious self esteem issues since she was five, so this was not the most abnormal question to come from her. At the same time, he also has seen all the changes she has gone through from the sidelines in the last decade; he would not have thought she would still be doubting herself this much.
“Why would you think you’re not ready for it?”
“Because, I’ve seen how hard it has been on Abuela recently. She has spent the last fifty years of her life giving so much to the Encanto that it seems like she’s starting to burn out. I get that she’s getting older, but once she dies, it will be my turn to guard the candle. How am I going to handle it?”
The uncle and niece took a glance at the sunset as Mirabel shed a tear. Bruno has seen his mother go through everything the last fifty years when she guarded the candle and ran the Encanto. Since the day of his and his sisters’ gift ceremony, the stresses of running the Encanto, along with the trauma of losing their father, have gotten to her so much that it was bleeding onto the rest of the family.
“Mirabel, I’ve seen so much that has happened in this family since your gift ceremony. One of those things was when you saved the miracle. Nobody in this family would be where they are right now if it weren’t for your determination. Look at how much happier everyone is now that the miracle is saved. None of this would have happened if it weren’t for you.”
Mirabel looked at the sunset again and wiped a tear. Bruno put an arm on her shoulder, and she felt another hand on her other shoulder. She noticed Bruno only had one hand on her, so she looked on her other side and saw Alma sitting beside her with her hand on her other shoulder. Even though there were two different hands on her shoulders, Mirabel oddly felt like lots of weight was taken off her shoulders.
“There’s no need for you to feel scared, Mira. As long as I’m still here, I will be here to guide you,” Alma said as Mirabel moved closer towards her. “I will teach you everything I know about being the guardian of our miracle and our Encanto as long as I’m still alive.”
Mirabel moved between her grandmother and her uncle and put her arms around both of them in an embrace. “You really think I have the potential to lead the family and the miracle?”
“I don’t think, Mirabel; I know. When I first met your abuelo Pedro, I noticed so much determination and perseverance in him that I never saw in anyone else. I also noticed a lot of self esteem issues in him that I also saw in you for all these years. He asked many of the questions I expected from him when we first got married. ‘Will I be able to support my family enough?’ ‘Am I going to be a good father?’ All of these questions that made him doubt himself and who he was going to be. I was the one who assured him that our future would be bright, when we build it together; and I was going to be there helping him be the best he could be. 
“When he died, that was when I became lost. I became a single mother of triplets and the guardian of an entire village overnight. That was when I thought I wasn’t going to be able to handle it. But that was when Casita helped me. Casita guided me through the process and it was difficult. I still thought I failed the family. But since you saved the miracle, look at what has happened since. You have single handedly helped me become a better matriarch for this family, saved this home, and saved the miracle all in one night! That is something you should be more than proud of.”
The trio looked at the sunset once more to see the bright pinks and oranges setting down on them as they spoke. They did not want that moment to end just because of how beautiful the sunset looked that night. Mirabel wanted to say something at first, but she did not want to interrupt the silence that was bringing them together again. Three wanderers wondering where their journey would lead to next, now brought together by the sunset that will soon fade in the matter of hours. 
“You know, Abuela, that talk made me feel a little bit better. I was scared I would be lost without you. But now that I would also have Casita helping me along with you, I feel a little bit more confident about guarding the miracle. Besides, since I did save the miracle, with some help from Bruno, that alone was enough to help me.”
“And remember; even after I’m gone, Casita will live forever. Casita will always be here to help you throughout the process.”
Mirabel, Alma, and Bruno continued to look at the sun as it turned from pink and orange to darker blues, and moved closer to each other to hug. This was the closest they have been for the longest time; they do not even remember the last time they talked with each other alone besides when Mirabel saved the miracle. They stayed in the backyard together to watch the sunset for another hour until Julieta came outside to see her mother, brother, and daughter sitting together in Casita’s backyard.
“Mirabel, it’s getting late. You should be getting ready for bed,” she said, leaning by the back door.
Mirabel heard her mother call her and she, Bruno, and Alma got up to go back in the house and get ready for bed. Once they got back inside, Mirabel ran up to Bruno and Alma as they went upstairs.
“Abuela, Tio Bruno, I just want to say, thank you for making me feel better. I think I’m going to do a great job being the next guardian.”
Alma and Bruno smiled at each other as they went back upstairs. Mirabel looked outside her room to see the sunset turned to nightfall and smiled at the moon. She giggled to herself before heading to bed.
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allthingsencanto · 2 years
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Although I saw people (even the people who worked in the film) call Mirabel awkward, I really didn't see her that way, of course I can see her being eccentric (her skirt, her hype in "family madrigal"), but (almost) all of the family can be called eccentric ("We don't talk about Bruno ", "What else can I do", "Surface pressure") with all the "I can't talk about my issues, so I rather sing it".
Back to the point, can you explain to me why Mirabel can be considerate awkward or quirk?
For me personally, I think she’s “awkward” in the way that her situation is awkward. It’s clear she isn’t an introvert or anything, or shy, but Jared describes her as someone who had to rely on her personality and charm to get her through the tough times, to get her through her situation of not having a gift, and I think this fact is where the awkwardness comes from. Keep in mind that Mirabel sees her entire family as simply perfect and amazing, putting them all up on this godlike pedestal. However, she herself knows she isn’t. She’s clumsy, goofy, makes mistakes, and tries her best to appease everyone, even if at times it doesn’t work, but at the end of of day she gets through it. She’s also awkward in a sense because (before the events of the movie and the beginning of the film) she kept having to act like she was okay with not having a gift, and let her likable and fun personality shield her true insecure feelings because of that, so over time she grew up to be this imperfect person who just wants to try her best and play her part, even though said part is not what she wants, she wants to prove her worth like the rest of her family. So in a way, it’s kinda like her going “whoopsie I have no gift, but it’s okay! I’m fine! I’m just as special as the rest of my family, they’re amazing so I’ll let them do their thang hehe!” - when of course internally she’s struggling, not just because she thinks she’s the only member who’s not perfect at all and going through a rough time, but because she genuinely wants to do more and help, she just doesn’t want to show that, she doesn’t know her place and doesn’t feel like she belongs no matter how many times people tell her she has nothing to prove.
So yeah, that’s mainly why I think the filmmakers refer to her as “awkward”. But of course, that isn’t a bad thing. I personally love that she’s awkward, it makes her more relatable, likable, and charming, because she really is a sweet character who’s just trying to get by. Like you said however, she isn’t the only member that’s like this, her family are of course all human beings, they’re going to be imperfect and make mistakes too, but that’s just it, Mirabel didn’t know that at first, she saw herself as the only one who was like this, and near the end of the film, that’s what she had to learn, that everyone is this family isn’t perfect and that’s okay! ❤️
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sparklykatt · 2 years
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Part 3 of the casita kicks everyone out au fanfic
Part 1
Part 2
“So ma and pa are coming too?” “And Luisa.” Mirabel nodded as the two watched Antonio happily reunite with his animals. “So your power… are you going to start growing things more freely now that it’s back?” Isabella nodded, smiling softly. Mirabel sighed a bit, also smiling. “I’m gonna go fix my room up.” Isabella said, turning away. Mirabel also turned away, moving towards a particular painting. “Tio Bruno… you have to come out eventually…” there was a moment of silence as the painting creaked. “I don’t think I…” “considering I kicked everyone out of the house I don’t think you have to worry about others.” Bruno huffed and crawled out. “I… can I at least hide in my room for a while? Until one of my sisters shows up?” Mirabel chuckled a bit. “Sure. My mom will show up soon though,” before she could complete the sentence, Bruno scurried to his tower. “Okay bye!” His footsteps stopped, then approached again slowly as he peeked around the corner at mirabel. “…are you ok? I didn’t come out last night because I thought you might want to be alone but… that fight was…” mirabel huffed, pushing her tio to his door. “I’ll be fine. I’ve got it off my chest and it looks like our family is starting to change so…” mirabel kept her eyes to the floor, “I’m sure we’ll both get hugs and the welcoming happy family we deserve.” Bruno furrowed his brow a bit before once again retreating to his room. “Well… if you need someone to vent to, you know where I am.” With a slight thud he was gone. “You got him to move back into his room?” Mirabel jumped at the voice of her younger cousin. “Yeah Antonio, I’m gonna help him get back into the family.” Antonio nodded seriously. “I don’t think I’d be able to keep our tio living in the walls a secret forever.” Mirabel half heartedly chuckled. At least he was honest.
About an hour or so of mirabel making snacks to pass the time and somehow bonding with her sister and cousin (also watching as they miraculously bonded over their power and inability to shape dough) Julieta, Felix and Luisa arrived, finding the trio in the kitchen. “Mirabel!” Julieta was unsurprisingly the most excited to see her daughter. Mirabel leaned into her mothers hands squishing her cheeks and smiled at the familiar kiss on the forehead. “Oh Mira I’m sorry for not standing up to your abuela for you.” Mirabel was brought into a tight hug, soon joined by Agustin. “Ma… pa… heavy…” after a second the duo backed up, keeping their daughter close in their arms. “I’m so proud of you for last night. For not letting anyone downplay your worth.” Felix complimented. Mira could only grin back. He was always the one to fight for his children no matter what, even against the madrigal matriarch. It was a good balance to her mothers less confrontational but always available love for her children. In truth mirabel wasn’t really mad at them in the first place, they just got caught up in her accidental display of frustration through casita. “Thanks.” Mirabel carefully back out of the embrace and peeked at Luisa, who was waiting patiently, if not timidly for her turn. “Come here Luisa.” Despite her loss of her power, Luisa nearly lifted mirabel a foot off the ground at the invitation. “Im sorry too mirabel! I was so caught up with living up to the expectations and doing my work I ignored you! I couldn’t protect you at all!” Mirabel shimmied her arms out of the grasp of her sister to give a pat on the shoulder. “I don’t blame you for that. You were just trying to do your part to help the village.” Mirabel decided to leave out her thoughts of contempt towards abuela, who pushed her to pick up so many menial chores at once. The mood was too nice for that. “Oh right! I need to get something!” Mirabel quickly scrambled up the stairs, leaving her family slightly confused. Soon they heard her again, this time muttering. “You had an out to prepare, and guess what? Ma is here to your condition to come out has been met.” Julieta raised a brow at a mention of her but stayed standing patiently. Soon the door opened again. Julieta’s hands flew up to her face at the sight of her brother, being awkwardly dragged in. “Bruno…?” “Hi…” Julieta ran towards the poor man, hugging him so suddenly she lifted him over her shoulder. “Where have you been!?” “…in…in the walls…” “…WHAT?!” the kids stared at the scene as Augustin joined in welcoming Bruno back into the house. “Mira… did you find our tio in the walls?” Isabella asked, finally breaking her gaze away. “Yes. It was right after the whole… proposal fiasco.” Another moment of silence. “Luisa, why don’t you join us while they’re at it. We were making polvorosas.” “Yeah.”
Eventually the reunion settled down and the fresh baked goods were offered as a welcome back gift. Nobody seemed to want to move from the dining room. Everyone was too comfortable in their seats and there was so much to talk about. Ten years of things to talk about from everyone, plenty of which will probably be repeated later on mirabel and Bruno’s side of the conversation. Plenty of repeated apologies were spurred on too. But as they talked the day away, occasionally stopping to make a meal together, one more visitor arrived. Camilo. Who was ushered to the table despite his tense confusion seeing his tio. “Come on Camilo, we’re just talking!” Julieta guided him to sit and he froze in his seat at the situation he thought he was prepared for. He was prepared, but it was for a tense atmosphere and a burning glare. Maybe some tears and yelling. He couldn’t be prepared for something so relaxed. Or his missing tio appearing out of thin air. “Uh…” Camilo glanced in many different directions. His brother pat his shoulder clumsily, muttering a little “you can do it” while they watched the rest of the table carry on their conversation. “Now that I think about it, Camilo and maribel were quite close back then.” The poor boy jumped as he was dragged into the conversation by Luisa. Even she saw that he would need to be coerced into talking. “That’s right, since they were so close in age and stayed in the nursery together their entire lives.” Julieta nodded. “It almost got annoying, since they would always make a mess of something.” Isabella groaned, undoubtedly thinking of how they messed up one of her early flower displays some how. “Yeah… we were close weren’t we…” Camilo muttered guiltily. He really thought he was prepared to admit these things. “Camilo… why did that stop?” Mirabel was obviously trying and failing to keep the tone light, not wanting to ruin the mood. Despite the fact that this was obviously where everyone wanted the conversation to go. “I… ah…” with their mission accomplished, the family retreated back to the kitchen, making the clumsy excuse of “getting more snacks” before shutting the cousins in the dining room alone. It was dead silent. “Why did you stop talking to me?” Mirabel repeated, allowing her tone to fall into something sad. Camilo really wasn’t as prepared as he wanted to be. “Back then… after your gift ceremony I mean. Abuela seemed to get annoyed whenever we hung out, or even talked at all.” Mirabel furrowed her brow a bit. “I didn’t avoid you because of that! Just, after a while she pulled me aside, telling me I should spend less time with you, something about how I’d start working eventually and we couldn’t stay together then.” Camilo was folded into himself, nervously wringing his hands. “Abuela wanted that…?” Camilo gulped, knowing he was digging his abuela’s grave with every word. But it was the truth and mirabel deserves to know. “Yeah… I tried to get around it by having our little… adventures away from abuela but I guess we were either too loud or one of the others unknowingly mentioned us to her. One day i was told that we had to ‘train my gift’ and my parents were more than content seeing as it kept us out of trouble.” Camilo peeked at mirabel, who had her wife eyes glued to the table. “I don’t think they understood abuela’s motives fully, and the moment I had enough mastery over my gift I was put to work in the village. Not much time to get back in touch after that.” Camilo took a breath before moving to the other side of the table to sit beside mirabel. “I’m sorry for not telling you the truth sooner… and I’m sorry for abandoning you back then.” He lifted a hesitant hand for a side hug, and mirabel leaned into it. “I forgive you. Thanks for telling me everything cami.” Her voice was soft and sad, though mirabel had no idea why.
She should be angry, most of her issues stemmed from abuela apparently very directly sabotaging her family’s relationship. But instead she was sad, the abuela she wanted love from working to isolate her, her cousin and sisters dealing with their own unintended isolation. Lord knows what kind of issues she’ll finally recognize in pepa and Dolores if they ever come to talk. “This family is such a mess. It’s idiotic how none of us had seen it before.” Mirabel mumbled, earning a solemn nod from her cousin. Suddenly Agustin’s head popped out of the kitchen. “More snacks, to brighten the mood!” The others peeked out behind, obviously searching for any clue that the confrontation they set up was a success. “And some juice!” Luisa added, carrying more glasses in when spying the awkward side hug the cousins were in as a sign of good things. “Thanks.” Mirabel gave a great full chuckle and Camilo excitedly took plenty from the snack plate, offering only one to Mirabel. “By the way, since you guys weren’t here this morning… did you want to see my room?” As expected, more wide eyes. “UM, YES!” Camilo shouted as if it were the most obvious answer in the world. “Oh, we’d love to see it!” Julieta beamed at her daughter with pride. Her own room, just like everyone hoped for her.
They walked past five brightly glowing doors to mirabels door. The vivid image of mirabel standing in front of casita, looking straight ahead, her expression almost neutral, and her fits holding on to her skirt. It’s a door truly fitting of mirabel.
Abuela will eventually get her own repentance arc but I’m giving her a bastardization arc first. Next part will be pepa and Dolores, and abuela gets her own chapter for character growth.
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mrcrawly · 2 years
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Encanto headcanons again bc I'm bored and I said so
Also this is the fourth time I'm typing this out because Tumblr is fucking stupid <3333
🦋 Luisa spends lots of time with Antonio when she's stressed. The animals don't expect anything from her and Antonio generally has a very calming presence and is very down-to-earth to be 5 years old.
🦋 Camilo has a lot of issues asking for things. While his gift is useful, it isn't useful in the same way as the others. He feels like he isn't giving enough and then asks for too much, so he usually insists on dealing with things himself and toughing it out when he's upset, and tends to minimize his problems and feelings. Mirabel and Félix are understanding, so if he can, he comes to them.
🦋 All of the Madrigals are very physically affectionate with each other, especially Mirabel, Camilo, and Pepa.
🦋 Camilo had very little volume control as a child and would sometimes upset Dolores. He always felt awful after and would come into her room and try to make her feel better. Sometimes he would outright refuse to speak for a while for fear of being too loud and doing it again.
🦋 Dolores is very talkative with Mariano. Because she's so consumed with all she hears throughout the day, she feels unheard, but he helps a lot.
🦋 Alma and Bruno spend a lot of time together after rebuilding Casita. He felt sort of unimportant and unheard as a child because no one wanted to listen to his interests, so she makes a conscious effort to let him talk about whatever he likes (mostly telenovela plots) whenever he wants.
🦋 Mirabel got Bruno several new shirts when he came back and stitched several pretty but subtle designs. He's not super outgoing so she worried that if she did it to his ruana, then he'd be less likely to wear it because of all the bright colors and attention it would have gotten him, so she did it with his shirts so it's somewhat less noticeable. He wears them all the time.
🦋 Bruno helps teach Antonio to read, and has a little storytime thing with him. Eventually the other younger Madrigals caught on and now storytime is basically a tradition for the entire family. They have it twice a week.
🦋 Mirabel and Bruno make clothes for the rats together, and Isa helps him make cute sets.
🦋 Bruno's room is filled with plants from Isabela.
🦋 Dolores got her cryptic habits and observations from Bruno. They're both not great at social interaction and are very blunt.
🦋 Agustín and Dolores have competitions about who can play more complex pieces on the piano. Usually Agustin wins.
🦋 Camilo is very invested in Bruno's telenovelas. Dolores would tell him about the plot and eventually he had to know everything. He's always on his toes for the next big plot point.
🦋 Mirabel, Pepa, Julieta, and Isabela are all very protective of Bruno and are the most eager to defend him from the few lingering assholes in town. Bruno doesn't need them to defend him, but they insist upon it anyway.
🦋 Félix and Agustín are pretty protective of Bruno and have been since they started dating their wives. It started out as a sort of protectiveness by proxy, but they both genuinely value and respect Bruno as a brother by now, so they pretty much come to his defense whenever they feel it necessary.
🦋 Félix and Agustín both call Bruno 'hermanito' as a joke, since he's one of the shortest Madrigals, and now Bruno calls them both hermanito as well. It's a sort of playful competition.
🦋 Bruno feels the emotions in his visions. There's not barrier between his reality and the reality displayed in his visions, so he feels the impact of them full force. Someone's mom just died? He feels as if his mamá just died. Someone just got cheated on after 10 years of marriage? He feels like he's being faced with his partner's infidelity.
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headoverheelss · 2 years
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WHOLE AGAIN
Bruno x Female!Reader
Summary: After years away, you are drawn back to the Encanto because of some family issues. This brings you back to the Madrigal family and Bruno. Feelings are brought out to the surface and you are forced to decide if you go with your family duties or your heart.
The pounding headache was too much to handle. You have been home for only eight hours and your family has already made you go through every single stressful event in your life.
It was obvious what you needed to do but it still scared you, it's been years since you've seen them. Especially him. You shook your head free of that thought. You were not going down that road, well not now.
"Okay, Y/n, stop being a cobarde."
You made sure your family was distracted then sneaked out the back door, quickly you made your way to Casita. The only thing in the entire Encanto that can fix this headache was one of Julieta's arepas.
Entering Casita, you first saw Camilo. He was different since the last time you saw him. Gone were his baby cheeks and he was taller but not too tall, he was turning into a fine young man. You noticed hints of both Felix and Pepa in him. The pictures that Pepa sent you did not prepare you to actually see your godson in person, still, you didn't want to be a coward.
He was talking to his tío Bruno. Bruno looked so different. He looked tired and skinnier but what your parents and siblings told you about what the family went through, what Bruno went through, floated through your mind. Your heart ached for him but you also noticed how his shoulders weren't that slumped anymore. He seemed happier and that made you smile.
Suddenly, Bruno smiled at something Camilo said, his smile was still so beautiful. It made your heart beat fast just like it did back then.
"Okay, you are getting off track, y/n."
They both seemed to be deep in thought and the words, “well in episode seven I plan” floated through the air, you decided to make your presence known as your headache was getting worst by the minute. Clearing your throat you stepped towards them and said the first thing that came to mind.
“Hola Camilo, Hola Bruno,” you automatically felt stupid as you got no answer from Bruno but you felt that the man probably didn't recognize you, but relief flooded through your body as Camilo ran at you full sprint nearly knocking you to the ground in a hug.
“tía y/n, when did you get back!” Camilo was smiling so big. You had to ease his arms back since it felt like he was crushing you into the hug.
“I got back last week, I heard about what your family went through and I’m sorry I wasn’t there to help, mijo." You put a hand through his hair. You couldn't imagine what any of them went through, they were all your family but the kids especially held a place in your heart.
“Oh it’s alright,” the boy waved his hand nonchalantly, “Mirabel and tío Bruno fixed that right up.” Camilo turned around to include Bruno in your conversation but the boy froze.
“Well, it looks like he disappeared.” Camilo sighed. Y/n looked up and saw that he was right. Bruno had made his escape while they were talking.
“It's alright, tía y/n, he gets a little antsy since he's getting used to social interaction with other people again. Now did you come over to say hi to the rest of the family?” Camilo looked at you expectedly which made your heart break, he was still that little boy clinging to your legs begging you not to leave.
“Oh, actually I came to see your tía Julieta, I have a headache that won’t go away.” You rubbed her head which pulsed underneath your fingers. Camilo grabbed your hand and led you to the kitchen. He pushed you towards Julieta and faked a scared tone in his voice.
“Help tía! She needs your arepas quick!” You watched as Julieta turned around ready to go into action. Julieta stopped once she took sight of you, tears came to her eyes.
“Y/n… is that you.” You couldn’t help but feel sad yourself. You walked towards Julieta with your arms open wide. Just like Camilo, she ran into you. The two friends stayed like that for hours, both murmuring words of comfort. Finally, after the tears stopped, you both stepped away from each other.
“I’ve been gone for too long haven’t I?” Julieta took your hand and held it. “Yes, but now your back for good. There is a lot we need to catch up on but first let me give you an arepa. You look like you need it.” Julieta laughed.
She handed you the food and you couldn’t help but devour it. The headache went away in a flash, you slumped against the kitchen wall finally feeling better.
“Gracias, Julieta. You don’t know how bad I needed that.” Julieta gestured for you to take a seat at the table. “Is there any reason why you seem exhausted?”
You frown, looking down at your hands. “I don’t know it’s kind of a long story.” There was too much to talk about that had happened in the last ten years, a lot you withheld from the letters that you sent to Pepa and Julieta.
Julieta nodded, “well how about you come over for dinner. I’m sure the family would love to see you.” You smiled, Julieta never pushed, she always would let you open up on your own time.
“Okay sounds great! Besides, I think Pepa would kill me if I told you without her being present .” You laughed, remembering how easy Pepa got angry.
You got up from the table, thanking Julieta for the arepa. “I should get home, and get ready for dinner.” You were going to make your way out of the kitchen but Julieta stopped you.
“Lo siento, y/n, but I have to ask did you see Bruno yet.” This made you panic a little so Julieta remembered.
“Um, I did briefly, he was with Camilo.” You were avoiding Julieta’s eyes.
“That’s not going to be a problem right?” Julieta’s voice was soft but with a hint of teasing.
You laughed, “oh it’s alright. That was years ago. Just a silly little crush and he didn't even recognize me when I entered the Casita.” It pained you to say those words but it had some truth to it.
Julieta smiled, “well if you say so but your red face proves otherwise.”
You scoffed and gently pushed Julieta's arm. "And just when I was starting to think that you were the reasonable one..." You crossed your arms and looked everywhere but Julieta who tapped her foot waiting for you to spill. "Okay, I may still have feelings for him but we are fifty years old Julieta," You looked at your friend, "I just don't think anything will happen. You know it's just too late."
Julieta put her hands on your shoulders. "Don't get sad on me. I just remember that you guys were pretty close when we were younger but your right that was years ago. Now go home, so I can cook up your favorites," She leaned into your ear, "plus your secret is safe with me."
You hugged Julieta tight. "Gracias, amiga." You said your goodbyes then made your way out of the house. You couldn’t help but feel like you were being watched by somebody.
Unbeknownst to you, that somebody was little somebodies. Camilo and Mirabel were hidden behind the bush next to the kitchen. They had heard everything.
Camilo looked at his prima.
“We need a plan.” Mirabel smiled.
“Then we’re going to need some help.”
Dolores stood with her cousins in front of their tío Bruno’s door. They had run into her room screaming about how tía y/n was home and she was in love with tío Bruno. They both needed her help with convincing tío Bruno by asking tía y/n on a date.
Dolores thought it over and she did remember hearing the kitchen conversation while cleaning the room unfortunately she had been thinking about her upcoming date with Mariano to dwell over it.
She wasn't that surprised that tía y/n liked tío Bruno. Dolores had her own years of evidence of the two but with the events of Bruno disappearing and tía y/n leaving the Encanto, she kind of forgot about it.
Also, she really wanted to see her tío happy and tía y/n was probably the best person she would want to see with tío Bruno.
Camilo opened the door and the three primos made their way to Bruno’s room. The one thing the whole family was grateful about the house being rebuilt was the fact Bruno’s room got rid of the never-ending staircase.
“Camilo, what’s your plan about getting tío Bruno to confess his feelings?” Dolores looked at her younger brother.
“Well, I was thinking like maybe threatening him to ask her out.” Camilo moved his hands around while talking. Mirabel rolled her eyes at her primo.
“Let me guess, you were going to shapeshift into him if he didn’t listen.” Mirabel looked at Camilo who turned red. They both started arguing about how they would go about this until Dolores nudged them to stop.
Bruno stood in the doorway of his bedroom watching them apprehensively.
“Is there something you guys need?” Now, Bruno loved his sobrinos and sobrinas but he had quickly adapted to know when they were up to trouble.
Dolores pushed Mirabel to talk, she didn't trust her little brother to do this right.
"Well, you see..." Mirabel was having trouble explaining so she decided to start gently, "Mi mamá wanted me to tell you that tía y/n is coming for dinner."
Once Y/n's name was mentioned, Dolores heard her uncle's heart do a flip. She squeaked, well this was interesting.
Bruno's hands made their way under his ruana, his face was red and he was slowly starting to back into his room again.
Camilo and Mirabel looked at each other, questioning Bruno's behavior. Dolores rolled her eyes.
"tío, are you okay?" Dolores already knew the answer to her uncle's behavior but she wanted to hear him say it first.
Bruno jumped like he was thrown out of a daze. "Oh-h, yeah, I think I'm going to skip dinner." His mind was already thinking of an escape plan.
Camilo and Mirabel started to yell. They wanted their uncle to come to the dinner. It will mess up their plan greatly if their tío stayed in his room.
Dolores shushed Camilo and Mirabel, then she walked slowly to Bruno as to not scare him, she knew he didn't like confrontation.
"tío, is that about tía y/n?" Dolores looked at her uncle whose eyes widen then dropped to the ground along with his arms.
"Is it that obvious?" Dolores laughed and threw her arms around her uncle. That was all the confirmation she needed.
"Wait, a minute what happened?" Camilo waved his arms towards his uncle and sister.
Mirabel playful shoved her primo. "Keep up! He just admitted to liking tía y/n."
The two youngest looked at each other with wide smiles. They then ran to hug their uncle like Dolores did. Bruno was bombarded with questions left and right.
"You knew I always knew you liked her since I was little. You would never stop staring---"
"I can't wait until you guys get married because then tía y/n would live with us---"
"At the dinner, you have to charm her tío--"
Bruno felt like he was drowning already so he held his hands up. "Wait, just wait, pl-please." He stuttered.
The kids looked at him with wide innocent eyes. Bruno ran a hand in his hair. They were getting ahead of themselves.
"Who said she liked me back?" He didn't expect his sobrinos to burst out laughing. Camilo clapped him on the back.
"Oh, that's a funny one tío."
Bruno froze at their weird behavior. "I feel like you guys aren't telling me something."
He watched the three give each other looks like they were trying to see what they should tell him. Finally, Mirabel stepped forward with her arms crossed in front of her.
"We have something to tell you but first we there are some questions that need to be answered."
——
They all sat on the floor of Bruno’s room in a circle. The three kids all faced Bruno, and he had to admit it was intimidating.
“S-so, um,” Bruno cleared his throat, “ What do you want to know?”
Camilo decided to speak first as y/n was his godmother and one of his favorite people. Everybody knew that Camilo and y/n had a special connection.
“Now tío, I just want you to understand that I'm asking this because I want to know your feelings on tía y/n before we tell you what we know. I'm are not trying to scare you or anything.”
Camilo watched as the man literally deflated with relief.
“Sí, gracias, that does make me feel better.” Bruno laughed.
Camilo smiled and carried on with his speech.
“Now, all of us have precious memories of tía y/n, the odd one out being Antonio since he was born after she left. I remember her reading to me, giving me presents, and dancing with her. She was always there when I had a bad day. I even remember when Mamá told me that tía y/n was made my madrina but a part of me can't remember you guys ever interacting with each other so my question is how long have you liked her?” Camilo finished, eyeing his tío throughout the speech.
Bruno’s eyes had softened of course Camilo and Mirabel were young. They didn't pay much attention to their surroundings. He cleared his throat.
“I should have known you guys wouldn’t remember I mean both of you were young.” He looked at two of his youngest sobrinos.
“But Dolores would know as I guess I was pretty obvious with my affection?” Bruno looked at Dolores who nodded sympathetically.
“I didn’t know what it meant when I was younger but there were certain times that tía y/n would come over and I heard your heartbeat start to beat rapidly,” Dolores spoke quietly gaging her uncle's reactions. “I thought it was weird but I ignored it because I was just a kid. I also remember that time when tía y/n stopped coming around, that's when you locked yourself away tío.” Dolores saw her uncle flinch as the memories of those years came fluttering back. "But when she started coming back again around the time Camilo was born, that's when I saw you smile again."
Dolores never knew why tía Y/n stopped coming around for a period of time. All she remembered was her other family members talking about how maybe y/n was in trouble and they were truly worried about her. Dolores couldn't hear anything else as she was still working on perfecting her gift.
Suddenly, she pointed at her uncle excitedly.
“Oh, oh there was that one time I caught you listening in on her storytime to Camilo when he was a baby—“
Bruno broke out in a blush, “o-Kay, ok-ay, I think that’s enough”, Bruno smoothed out his ruana, he was counting down from 20 which calmed him considerably.
“The point is I have always liked y/n,” he watched as his sobrinos broke out into smiles, “but.. there is no way she would ever like me back.” Bruno did not want to get his hopes up. Y/n was too good for him. Bruno was still an outcast, sure people were warming up to the idea of him but his reputation as a curse still remained in the town besides both of them were older now, she probably has someone.
Mirabel gave a frustrated yell. “Ugh, tío that can be far from the truth.” She threw her hands up at Camilo, “please just tell him already it’s downright obvious he’s always liked her.”
Camilo stood up dramatically making Mirabel and Dolores roll their eyes.
“Listen up Tio, we have very important information that might change your life. As you know, Tía y/n came to visit Tía Julieta, and while they were talking Tío y/n said that she still has a crush on you!” He raised his arms in a “ta-da” fashion.
Bruno felt his brain stop, “Wait-just wait, did she say anything else” He watched as his sobrinos all squirmed a little under his question.
"Well, she did say it was kind of late because of your guys' age but your focusing on the wrong part." Camilo tried to reassure his Tío.
Mirabel stood up with her cousin, “Tío you should have seen her face, she was absolutely red in the face” Mirabel looked at Camilo who nodded with her.
Bruno frowned, it was exciting to know that y/n liked him but he still had his doubts, that he couldn't get rid of.
“Tío Bruno, I know that you're nervous. It’s a lot to take in right now but I assure you Tío y/n likes you. So at the dinner tonight, maybe talk to her a little show her who you are.” Dolores really wanted this to go well for him. He honestly deserved it.
Bruno nodded at her. “Okay-okay, I will play it cool,” he gave a sheepish smile which his sobrinos returned with an encouraging one, “well, as cool as I can get, but no stepping in or doing something embarrassing, please,” he looked at his sobrinos as they all vigorously nodded their head.
Dolores stood up and hugged her Tio. “We promise.” Bruno smiled and hugged her back.
Camilo started dancing around excitedly, “ahh, I can’t wait because soon you guys will get married and then Tía y/n would live here with us…”
Dolores laughed as she heard Tío Bruno’s heart pick up.
Mirabel quieted her primo. “This is great but we need to start getting ready for the dinner,” she pointed at Bruno, “especially you Tío .”
Mirabel gathered her primos and pulled them to exit Bruno’s room.
Camilo and Dolores waved bye.
“Remember play it cool.”
“Also smile a lot Tío, she likes it when you smile.”
Bruno watched them go then turned around to start getting ready himself.
“Okay Bruno, play it cool.” Whatever that means.
His rat, Alejandro, pulled fresh clothes onto his bed. Bruno could feel himself sweating already.
“It’s going to be fine, everything will be alright.” Bruno knocked five times on his wooden dresser
He looked in the mirror. His hair was messy and his eye bags were still prominent but he remembered what Dolores said,
“she likes it when you smile.”
Bruno felt his cheeks get hot. He groaned and fell to the floor with his hands covering his eyes,
“¡Dios mío!”
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dikanamai · 2 years
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“And everyone always assumes the worst”, an Encanto fic
Since I wrote this post, my love for Bruno and Dolores as the perfect duo of uncle and niece hasn't stopped growing. I really love tío Bruno being the best tío ever with all the kids, but I still think his bond with Dolores has a loooot of potential, and both have the perfect characteristics to have a very especial relationship. So I needed to write this to honor them.
Besides, something I like a lot about Dolores as a character is how resigned she seems all the time in the movie. Not in a salty way, but just with total acceptance of the situation she's living (being at Isa's shadow, the Mariano issue, etc.). To me, she has this 'ok, this is my life' kind of vibe, and I wanted to explore it here with Bruno's prophecy as background. I also think her gift made her mature very soon and, while I can picture Isa as very goofy and childish when she was little, I imagen Dolores way more serious and mature even at 12.
Since this one is written from Bruno's POV, there're a lot of indirect triplets content included (this time, many Bruno-Pepa dynamics, because I love them too). Thus the length, but I hope you enjoy it :)
Title: And everyone always assumes the worst Characters: Bruno and Dolores Word Count: 10.549 Rating: G Warnings/Spoilers: none, if you've watched the movie. This one ties directly with my previous one, 'The life of her dreams', and has some winks of 'It will always be the three of us', if you want to check them first. This time the family fluff is more bittersweet than ever, so grab you tissues, just in case. Summary: Three times in a row, Bruno was asked to look into his nieces' future. The first one was Isabela, a perfectly good omen turned into an awful warning under his mother's perfectionist look. The last one, the one that changed everything, was Mirabel, that fateful night full of fear and anxiety about a vanished door. But the one that hurt the most, the one that really made him reach his limit, was the second one. A request in the tiny voice of his dearest niece and a vision that made him wonder what was the point of having a miracle that felt like a curse.
(Friendly reminder that English is not my mother tongue, and I'm not used to write fiction in this language. So this text is probably closer to Spanglish. Anyway, I hope it's readable enough and you can enjoy it. Thanks for your time!)
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Three times in a row, Bruno was asked to look into his nieces' future.
The first one was Isabela, feeling already trapped in her gift at twelve. She hadn't told him, but it wasn't necessary. Bruno understood in a blink that look in her eyes; he knew what it meant, he knew perfectly. The eagerness to find your own voice, to free your true self, to find out what else you could be beyond the frame imposed by your gift. Her request had been born from hope. And, at least, he was glad his oldest niece had been able to enjoy her power in a more or less healthy way along those seven years, thanks to her blissful obliviousness. Because she'd have surely understood by now that Madrigals weren't allowed to hope. Mamá would make sure of explaining her why.
The second one was Dolores. But she was anything but oblivious, so her request was born from concern. And it was the hardest one Bruno had to face in his entire life.
It took place one afternoon, a couple of weeks after Isabela's vision fiasco, when he was dozing off in his hammock, trying to focus on the sound of falling sand to empty his mind. He closed his eyes one second and, the next one, he found another pair of big, round eyes peeking at him over the edge of the cloth, below two buns of fluffy curly hair.
She always did that, sneaking in his room without asking, whenever she wanted. She knew she was always welcome. And his uncle always greeted her with the same joke.
"Hm, I didn't know this floor grew wild nieces."
Dolores smiled and sat up, half kneeling beside the hammock. "I'm as silent as the wind," she said, with that tiny voice of hers. "I slide under the door like a breeze."
"How poetic of you. So that's your real gift? Had you been fooling us all these years?"
"Caught."
Bruno couldn't help a weak laugh and offered her his hand with a grateful look. Dolores took it between hers and pressed it briefly against her cheek, before crossing her arms on the hammock's side to lean on it. "How's doña Catalina doing?"
Bruno lifted a handful of curls to show her the old, sleeping rat curled in the cozy corner where his neck met his shoulder. "She's very tired today. I have the feeling she's gonna leave us soon."
The corners of Dolores mouth turned downwards with sincere sadness. "I'm sorry, tío Bruno."
"It's ok, pajarito. Rats' lives are short anyway. But I'm gonna miss Catalina III, she has always been very loving. Catalina II had an awful character, she was a steel matriarch. Benevolence was a refreshing change, for once." And he gave his rat a soft, affectionate pat, covering her again with his curls and hoping his last remark hadn't sounded too salty.
If Dolores noticed, she didn't comment on it. "Have you already chosen Catalina IV?"
"Nah, not yet. But I have some candidates, I'll give it a little more thought."
"Could I attend the succession ceremony?"
Bruno laughed again. Among all his family, Dolores was the only one who took seriously his stupid rats stories. She knew their names, their bloodlines, their tangled affairs. Most of that information was made up, of course; not even he was able to keep a constant track on whatever the house's rats were doing. But Dolores was really invested on their story and played along with his antics and was always helping him to plan out new plot lines. The life of the Madrigal rats was even more extraordinary than their own, and he loved to share that little game with her.
"Of course you can," he promised. "You'll be our guest of honor."
She gave him a wide smile, resting her chin on her crossed arms. But he knew her too well to be fooled. Her eyes still looked clouded by worry, and all that detour had just been a tactic to make him feel at ease. What she really wanted to ask came then.
"How are you?"
Bruno sighed, looking away. "World is finally upside down if my niece has to come to check on me, instead the opposite."
"I like to check on you. You're always checking on everyone."
"You think too well of your uncle."
"You think too ill of yourself."
He sighed again. "I'm fine, pajarito. I just— I-I just need to be left alone with my rats for a while."
"Should I go?"
Bruno chuckled and patted her head kindly. "All my niblings are part of 'my rats', so you can stay."
"That's awful. I'll take it as a compliment."
He laughed a bit louder this time and looked at her with a sad but also loving smile, to answer more honestly. "I'm fine, really."
"You're not." She paused, with a side look at the ceiling. "But don't worry. I know you're in those days."
Bruno raised an eyebrow. "Did you… really say right now I'm in those days?"
"Yes," she nodded, shrugging. "Like mamá. Those days in which she just can't take it anymore, and needs a break and to be alone. You two are the same."
He was about to protest, but pursed his lips pensively instead and gave her an accepting nod. "Yeah, well, yes, I suppose that's pretty accurate. You know, we both have the theory that Julieta was the only one who got enough oxygen in abuela's womb, that's why we're always malfunctioning." Bruno laughed at his own joke, but Dolores just looked at him, brows raised and eyes half closed, with her usual 'stop beating yourself' expression. That girl was terrible.
"I heard what happened this morning with don Eduardo," she said plainly, right to the point at last. "You shouldn't feel bad for refusing. You did nothing wrong."
Bruno held his breath for a moment and then exhaled, laying down his head on the hammock to look at the ceiling. Of course she had heard. Of course he hadn't done anything wrong, and still he had. But how could he explain it?
It had been quite difficult days, with all that tension filling the house, and he had been feeling awfully since what happened with Isabela. Upset stomach, migraines, insomnia— nothing new, but pretty worse than usual. And he had that dreadful feeling again: the feeling that he was on the verge of something, something bigger and even worse, so close he could almost feel it breathing on his neck, and it was none of his rats. That strangling anxiety had plagued his dreams with nightmares, and he felt so exhausted, so worn out, that even after everything at home calmed down and life went back to normal, he couldn't get rid of that ominous sensation of fatality hanging over his head.
He really couldn't take it anymore. He needed a break. He needed to be alone some time to recompose himself. And attending to stupid requests of neighbors more than willing to see the worst in his visions was the last thing he wanted. He already felt like sending everyone to hell, along with their fears, their paranoia and their resentments.
But he shouldn't have refused to help that man. He had no right to refuse. Madrigals weren't allowed to refuse, either.
He could almost hear mamá's voice in that very moment: is this a good example for your niblings?
It wasn't.
"I-it's not like I didn't want to help him," he started babbling, waving one hand and scratching his chin nervously with the other. "I-it's just— I-I'm not feeling good lately, and doing visions in this state is not the best idea, you know, if I don't have my mind clear, I could— A-and that Eduardo, come on, his cousin Taís still resents me because I told her to check on her fish more often and the poor thing ended up dead, she thought I had done it mal de ojo. Have I told you that story? One of my greatest hits! Dios, how much she loved that fish, it's been almost twenty years and she's still mourning that damn fish!"
Dolores chuckled and Bruno suppressed a relieved sigh. Distracting her was never easy; when Dolores wanted to talk about something important, it was hard as hell to make her loose her grip on the subject.
"You're trying to change the subject."
Dammit. "Loli, look, it's just—" He gave up with another sigh. "I didn't do right, ok? Madrigals have responsibilities, like it or not, a-and we should never— w-we should never be selfish, we should…"
He trailed off and his words faded. They should what? Sacrifice themselves. That's it, they had to sacrifice themselves, because papá had sacrificed himself, and they had to be worthy of that sacrifice, they had to, it was too important, it was mandatory, even if it cost them their own lives. At least, that was mamá's philosophy.
But what would have papá thought if he could see them like this now? The family turned into such a mess.
Dolores stared at him for a moment, as if she could hear his very thoughts, and then stood slowly and leaned on the hammock, lying face down across his stomach and letting her head and arms hanging from one side and her legs hanging from the opposite. Bruno snorted and was about to tell her that position wasn't a good idea, since he really felt like throwing up and the added pressure wasn't helping. But he couldn't complain. He knew his niece just lay on him like this when she was feeling worried or anxious, or when she felt he was worried or anxious. Pepa had always done the same thing when they were little, even if she was way bigger than him; both collapsed perpendicularly on Pepa's bed, belly against belly, he looking at the ceiling, she burying her face on the mattress, without talking, just lying together miserably. Julieta called it 'the cross alignment' (Oh, no, you're doing the cross again?), till Pepa came out with the brilliant explanation of 'We're neutralizing each other's pain, ok?!', and since then Juli had always teased them to stop neutralizing each other.
Bruno felt his eyes stung at the memory and gritted his teeth, trying to remain calm. Moving slightly to free his arms and get more comfortable, he laid his hands on Dolores' back and patted her gently, following the old soothing rhythm he had always used to make her sleep when she was a baby. Getting restless by the change of weight, Julián and Ana María, that had been sleeping on his chest under his ruana, crept to his collar and slipped away, climbing the hammock's rope to the shelf he had hung for them along the wall, near the ceiling. They disappeared through a hole gnawed there, leading to who knows where. Sometimes, he envied his rats. Whenever they wanted to avoid something, it was as easy as disappearing into the walls.
"You're not selfish, tío Bruno," Dolores whispered after a brief silence. "You're the least selfish person I know. You were tired and annoyed, but you stood there for half an hour talking with that man to calm him down, and you managed."
"I only wanted him to stop pestering me," he snorted, rolling his eyes.
"Don't lie. I have noticed, you know. The people who visit you— Most of them are just worried and want to talk. They come to tell you their problems, expecting you to soothe them."
"Yeah, I know," he sighed absently. "They should visit Padre Sebas more often and leave me alone, I'm not a confessor. But they think I can give specific answers to specific questions. They want me to solve everything with magic. And I can't do that." He twitched his mouth in a bitter grimace, glad Dolores couldn't see it. "More than thirty years and they still don't understand how my gift works…"
"But you really like to help people, it's just— you also want to be heard."
Bruno stopped the soft patting and looked at her, frowning. "What do you mean?"
Dolores swayed her feet, touching the floor with her toes to make the hammock swing slightly. "The problem is not your gift or your visions," she answered quietly. "The problem is not you. It's people's demands. Everyone asks first for a vision because they want to know, but they don't listen to you, so they don't understand. And you don't like doing visions that way, because that's why everyone always assumes the worst. Just like abuela did with Isa's."
Ah, there it was. The real core of the matter. Bruno let out a heavy sigh, wondering why she had to be so perceptive. "Abuela has her reasons to be worried, Loli. She carries a heavy weight on her shoulders and—"
"I know," she said softly. "I know she's worried. I hear her every night talking to abuelo Pedro. She misses him so much. Sometimes, she cries. I know she's always suffering, and it's getting worse lately."
Bruno forgot how to breathe for a second and stared blankly at the ceiling, eyes wide and moisty, feeling his heart crushed by those words. He knew it, of course. But hearing it in the tiny voice of his twelve years old niece made it sound even worse. He had to press his lips together to prevent them from trembling. "I'm sorry you have to hear those things, pajarito," he babbled, gulping. "You're too young. You shouldn't have to deal with the messed up heads of your elders."
"I rather hear those things. You know I like to understand what's happening." Dolores paused and swung the hammock again. "You talk to abuelo too, right?"
He almost choked and shot her an alarmed look, before letting out a weak, wavering titter. "There's no way you could hear that…"
"I don't hear it," she admitted, raising her torso to rest her elbows on the hammock, with her eyes closed and a peaceful expression. "But at night, when everything's quiet, I close my eyes and I can see Casita in my mind. If something moves across the house, I can see what's doing. And I know you go down to the kitchen for water before sleep, and you stand in the stairs for a while in your way back, before abuelo's painting. So I've always thought you're talking to him." She finished with a sweet, loving smile, but it faded quickly when she looked at him and saw whatever was in his face. Ashamed and nervous, Dolores rushed to bow her head again. "S-sorry, that sounded— t-that sounded super nosy. I didn't mean to—"
"It's ok," he cut her off gently, clearing his throat. "I'm not upset, Loli, it's ok. I just— I-I had no idea you could do that… bat thing." And he smirked and gave her some comforting pats again. "That's amazing."
Dolores glanced at him pursing her lips, but her pout turned into a grateful smile in a blink. "So you really do it?"
"I do," Bruno nodded and looked away, trying to hold back the sudden wave of melancholy. "I like to… tell him things and ask him things. I often ask him for help, too, for guidance. I wish he could tell me what should we do to fix this mess, what would he do to help abuela and… and everyone else." He paused for a moment, taking a deep breath. "I wish I could also look into the past to know him better, because maybe that way it would be easier to guess his words. I wonder what he would think of us, if he'd be proud or disappointed or…"
He couldn't finish the sentence. He saw out of the corner of his eye how Dolores stared at him, but he couldn't face her either. And, for a brief moment, the silence grew thicker, till his niece sighed. "You know, I think he would— Oh." Dolores stopped, eyes wide, and titled her head as if listening. "Aha. Yes. Yes, I see. Ok, I'll tell him." And then she looked at him with a satisficed smile. "Abuelo says y'all are wonderful and he loves you with all his heart."
Bruno gaped at her, dumbfounded. It took him a good time to realize she was joking, and then he cracked up laughing breathlessly, on the verge of tears. "Santo Dios, so now you can also hear the dead?"
Dolores' smile grew wider. "That would be awesome, ah?"
"Actually, it would be a nightmare," he joked back. "Hearing the living is more than enough."
"But that way we could be the perfect duo," she insisted, almost dreamy. "The fortuneteller and the ghost talker."
"The perfect duo of Madrigal freaks, you mean?"
"Yeah, we could terrify the town together."
Bruno chuckled and shook his head. "That's… actually tempting, but I wish a better life for you."
"There's no better life than being your sidekick," she kept teasing, and he rolled his eyes at her exaggeration, but laughed again anyway.
"Ay, what have I done to deserve such an amazing niece?"
"That's an easy one: being an amazing uncle." Dolores elbowed him cheerfully, and they shared a long, knowing look. "Don't worry, tío Bruno," she added, a bit more serious. "You know I understand."
"Yes, I know." Bruno gave her a bittersweet smile, because he understood her very well too. And that shadow in her eyes was still there, too old for a girl so little. "But I wish you couldn't. That would mean you haven't had to go through all this yourself, right?" Dolores' smile faded again slowly under his intent look and Bruno twitched his mouth. "You know, all those wise words of a moment ago about wanting to be heard and people's demands and assumptions— I know what they mean and where they come from. You did a pretty good job trying to change the subject yourself, but I'm smarter than I look."
Dolores was pressing her lips together in a flat line by then, looking as caught as a mouse in a trap. With a soft 'hm' of surrender, she collapsed again on the hammock, letting her limbs hanging lifelessly, like a rag doll.
"There, there." Bruno patted her back sympathetically. "Come on, let it out. The cross alignment is meant to neutralize each other's pain, now it's your turn. What's happened?" Dolores just made another 'hm', so he tried again. "Isa told me you've been pretty worried lately, and I've noticed too. You've said it yourself: people visit me to tell me their problems and seek some comfort. Don't you wanna talk about it?" Dolores shook her head. "If you don't tell me, I'll have to guess. Remember I'm pretty good at guessing." She shrugged with another 'hm'. "Oook, so… has something bad happened at town? Has someone hurt you?" She shook her head again, and Bruno gritted his teeth. "Are you… worried about abuela's behavior and Camilo's gift?"
There was a pause, and then Dolores spoke very quietly, without moving. "I'm not worried about Camilo. Mami and papi will fight for him, and he will always have his big sis to protect him. He will be fine. And abuela will eventually find a way to put his gift into good use and she will calm down. As always."
"Then has something happened at school?" Silence. Bruno sighed. "Has some classmate asked you some stupid request that turned out terrible bad and blamed you for the consequences as if it was all your fault, and now everybody is upset around you and you're feeling like a total failure?"
Deep, deep silence. Bingo. Bruno sighed again in frustration. Were they already in that age? Why did they have to grow so fast? He wished kids could remain kind and innocent their entire life, but he knew better than anyone that there wasn't anything worse than a bunch of pre-teens trying to take advantage of a Madrigal's gift. That could get messy as hell.
"Loli, you shouldn't—"
"Tío Bruno," she whispered in a burst, as if she had been holding back the words for too long and couldn't do it anymore, "would you look into my future?"
Her ask made his heart skip a beat and he almost choked on his words. "What?"
"I know Isa told you. I didn't want to ask you, I wasn't going to, but—"
"I rather not," he retorted, too abruptly for his taste, but unable to bite it back. His stomach, far calmer than before thanks to her company and her chat, seemed to twist again and he felt like throwing up one more time. Bruno shifted in the hammock, feeling suddenly trapped. "W-what are you t-talking about, anyway?" he stuttered nervously. "Are you serious? After the talk we just had? Whatever the problem is, a vision won't solve it and you don't—"
"I don't want it to solve anything. I just want to know something."
"What is it? Tell me, and we can just talk it over and—"
"I don't want to talk about it. I'm tired of words. I already know what you're going to say. I just want to see what's going to happen."
Bruno stared at her, brow frown and lips parted in confusion. That awful dread was creeping up his throat, and he had to gulp to suppress a screech. "Loli…"
"You know I can do it. I understand. I'm not some ramdo from town, I know how it works and I'm not afraid."
"So said Isa, and now she can barely look me in the eye."
"She's not afraid of you, tío, she's afraid of abuela," Dolores said quickly, almost impatient. "She thinks she has failed you and she's feeling miserable, but she wants to please abuela at any cost. There wasn't anything wrong in her vision. You gave her hope and—"
"I didn't give her hope, I gave her despair," he finally exclaimed, losing his nerves. "I showed her the future she loved the most just to find she can't afford it, so she's gonna live in fear of her own dreams and wishes from now on. Don't you see it? I should have never looked into Isabela's future, and I'm certainly not going to look into yours."
Dolores shut up and kept quiet for so long that he felt almost strangled by the anxiety. The thought that he had been too loud or rude or harsh made him panic, and he covered his face with his hands, exhaling a desperate growl of frustration. "Argh, sorry, sorry, sorry. I didn't— I just— I-I just think you're not getting the point. T-this is not a good idea, it's a horrible idea, and abuela would freak if I do it again."
She let out a muffled sound he didn't get. "Abuela doesn't care the slightest about my future."
There was something in the way she said that, in her flat tone, so lacked of anger or resentment, just full of plain acceptance, that broke his heart. "Loli," he babbled, trying to swallow again the lump in his throat. "Loli, don't say that. Abuela loves you so, so much, you're her—"
"Sorry," she cut him off quietly. "I didn't mean she doesn't love me. I know she does. I mean she's not worry about my future, because my gift isn't dangerous. It can't get out of control or hurt people. If it gets out of control, I couldn't hurt anyone but myself."
"That's not a comfort at all." Bruno groaned, palming his face. "A-anyway, gifts aren't everything in life, and this is— i-it's about your life. If I see something bad in your future, your mother will never forgive me."
"I won't tell her. I won't tell anyone. I don't want anyone to know, anyway."
"Loli, please, just—" He bit his tongue and shut his mouth, laying down his head on the hammock again with an exhausted sigh. He stared at the ceiling and counted to ten, to twenty, to twenty-five. But that didn't make his voice any steadier when he kept talking. "O-ok, there's— there's something important you must understand. If I see something bad in your future, I will never forgive myself. And it will probably kill me."
"Don't joke with that, tío."
"I'm not joking." Bruno shook his head and lowered his voice even more. "I'm not joking, mija, that's the point. I couldn't bear it."
Dolores raised her head to look at his face, but Bruno forced himself to keep his gaze fixed on the ceiling. His eyes stung more than ever, and he couldn't afford to have a breakdown in front of his niece. But he wasn't joking. He meant it, he needed her to understand that. And she understood. She slid off the hammock and sat on the floor again to stare at him intently, waiting for him to meet her eyes. And, since he didn't, Dolores gripped his ruana and tugged gently, in that childish way to demand his attention; till Bruno gave up, took a deep breath and finally looked down at her. Big, round eyes looked back at him.
It had always been like that, since the very first time Félix had put her in his arms and the newborn Dolores had opened those big eyes to look at him. She hadn't smiled, but she hadn't cried either, just stared curiously as if wondering who he was. And Bruno had laughed and teased Pepa, telling her the baby was so beautiful she obviously hadn't taken after her.
Isabela had been born a few months before, so technically he was already an uncle when Dolores arrived. But he hadn't had many opportunities to feel like that. Julieta and Agustín were very efficient parents, they seemed to be able to manage on their own, and baby Isa needed nothing more than her mamá and papá during those first months of life. But Pepa was different. Dolores had been her miracle, and she was so afraid of failing, so scared of doing something wrong and hurt her baby, that her first months of motherhood had been a hell of a struggle. It hadn't helped at all that Dolores didn't eat enough, didn't rest enough, didn't sleep enough. She had always been a quiet baby, but so, so restless. Pepa didn't want to ask mamá or Julieta for help, she wanted to do it on her own too; but the anxiety kept growing bigger and bigger over the weeks. And, when the inevitable breakdown hit her, Bruno told Félix: 'She needs you now more than anything; take care of her and let me the baby, I'll try'. His brother-in-law had looked him in the eye for five seconds, and then nodded and wrapped his torso with a shawl in a blink to carry the baby, sending him out with a list of instructions to know how to react to diverse scenarios.
Sweating by his own nerves, Bruno had taken Dolores for a walk, away from Casita and away from town, striding along the path that leaded to the forest. He had been mumbling and humming the whole time, just looking around and describing everything for his niece, rambling nonsenses nonstop. And when he had finally gathered enough courage to look down at her again, he had found her sleeping deep and peacefully for the first time in weeks, curled against his chest. That shocked him for an instant. He was so shocked that he sat down on a rock and stared into the nothing, and then cried. He had cried and cried quietly, almost sobbing like a child, and he had felt so damn ridiculous but also so damn happy and relieved, crushed by the sudden realization that he had one task and he had accomplished it successfully. That little human being had trusted him and had calmed down, because she had felt safe and sound in his arms. He had managed. And he couldn't remember, he was utterly unable to remember, when had been the last time he'd had the feeling of doing something right.
Bruno knew perfectly he would be an awful father. He had always known. He could barely take care of himself, far less take care of children of his own. He wasn't meant for parenthood at all. But he had always hoped, he had always wished, he could be a good uncle. Not a parent or a brother or a friend, but something in between. The extra support for his niblings, their confidant, their guide, if they wanted him to. He had always hoped to be some kind of counterbalance to mamá's pressure, the uncle who's there to remind the kids that they were valid, they were loved, and life could be more than just a magical gift. And then, sat there with the snoring baby, he believed he could do it. He would do anything for them. He finally felt like a real uncle, with a goal to meet.
And he had whispered to Dolores for the first time the words that he would repeat later to all his niblings when they were born.
"Don't worry, Loli. I'm here. We're all here. You'll be fine. You have an amazing family. You have an amazing house. And now we have an amazing you."
He had gone back home when he managed to pull himself together, and had found Pepa and Félix waiting for him. Before he could say anything, his sister looked him in the eye, and Bruno knew she could see his very soul. She understood immediately, and he understood too, because Pepa had been feeling the same way since Dolores' birth: the overwhelming joy of being able to do something right after so many failures. Neither of them said it out loud, but it wasn't necessary; and he had the feeling Pepa had given her blessing to the newly set bond between uncle and niece.
After that, she and Félix had slid smoothly into parenthood and everything had gotten better. But Pepa stablished that nap time was tío Bruno's duty, and he welcomed it with open arms, every day, week after week, month after month, even when the girls got old enough to settle together on the nursery. He was caught there one day by Pepa, when he was laying one year old Dolores on her cradle after their usual walk, and he felt embarrassed as hell at how proudly his sister looked at him.
"Who's your favorite nieceee?" Pepa had whispered in a teasing singsong.
"I have no favorite," he muttered in response, looking away.
"Yes, you haveee," she pushed smugly. "You know it. I know it."
And Bruno had no choice but to sigh dramatically and pout at her. "Just— don't tell Julieta."
"Yasss!" Pepa made a gesture of triumph, and a rainbow glowed over her head. "You've been mocking me for years about my 'creatures', but noooow mine is your favorite, mine is your favorite…"
And she kept singsonging and performing a goofy dance around him, shaking her hips to bump him, till Bruno rolled his eyes and growled, "Grow up, ¿quieres?"
Next thing he knew was Pepa's arms were wrapping his head, stifling him. "Who needs to grow up, ah, canijo? Who needs it?"
"Stop it, jirafa!"
And they were struggling and slapping each other as children, till a soft chuckle caught their attention and they saw little Dolores awake again, clapping at the show. It took them half an hour to put her back to sleep, but that stupid rainbow had been crowning proudly his sister head for weeks.
Years had passed and more niblings had been born, and he loved them all greatly. Luisa was a kind, noble soul, always caring about the others, always willing to help. Camilo was the embodiment of joy and mischief, always laughing, always proud of making others laugh. And lil Mirabel was pure energy and innocence, always bouncing around, always asking, just like Isa. He would always treasure the memories of those nighttime tales in the nursery diverting the kids before sleep, first with the older girls and then with the youngest ones. All those times he had fallen asleep somewhere and had woken up with two or three kids using him as pillow. All those days of babysitting while the children were learning to walk and speak, and the excitement brought by their first steps, their first words, their first jokes and witty comments. All the little tricks he prepared for them and all those hours of playing with blocks or board games, reading together, making crafts. He had grown accustomed to walk around with some kid clung to his ruana, and to be climbed immediately when he sat on the couch, and to hear their laughs in the cave when they were there playing with the sand. Over those twelve years, they had been the light of his life, and he had felt so lucky to be there to see them grow and know them, as their personalities developed and got defined.
But Luisa had always had a big sis and a cousin to look up to; and when they grew up and left the nursey, she got a lil sis and a lil cousin to look after. By Camilo's birth, Pepa had more experience and felt more confident, and she coddled him so much he was very attached to her. And Mirabel, who had arrived at a house full of children to play with, spent most of her time stuck to Camilo or running after her sisters. Among all of them, Isa and Dolores had been the first ones, and his relationship with them had been always different, a bit closer; a bond that had never stopped getting stronger. And between them both… Dolores still was the apple of his eye.
It wasn't about favoritism; it was just affinity. It had always been, even more after getting her gift, when she started sneaking in his room every now and then, seeking peace and silence and reassurance. She dozed on the hammock or played on the floor in silence when he was busy writing, reading or drawing, just content to spend time by his side. She had been there while he trained his rats and they had plotted their stories together, and joked together and laughed together. She still liked to snuggle up to him to nap or to talk quietly about anything, because she still trusted him, he still made her feel safe and sound. They had thousands of little habits and routines. And they were so similar, they understand each other so well, that even Pepa admitted once: 'You were right; she has taken after you'.
How could he explain all that to the girl who was staring at him now, asking for a prophecy that could destroy her life? How could he ruin the most important of the few things he had ever done right? He didn't feel this way when Isa asked him for a vision; maybe because her mood was far different, and facing the ritual with the proper mood was something essential. Now, under the pressure of Dolores' anxiety, the simple thought of doing a vision for her made him feel like crying. He already was on the verge of tears again.
But she held his gaze, tightening her grip to his ruana, and whispered, "Have I ever told you? The night I got my gift— Have I ever told you what I was thinking?" Bruno shook his head, and Dolores closed her eyes and titled her head. "I was feeling far behind everybody. Isa had already gotten her gift, and it was beautiful. She had already had a little sister, and she was great. Her mamá was the most respected by abuela, by everyone. And I had the feeling there were a lot of things happening around me that I didn't understand. I wanted to know. I wanted to know everything, to understand why people acted as they acted, and said what they said. I thought that way I would be better and know what everyone needed, and I could help a lot of people, and they would see me and think 'Oh, Dolores Madrigal! Such a great girl!'. Then I touched the doorknob and ¡tachán!, I could hear everything." She opened her eyes and gave him a smile far too tired for a girl her age.
Bruno gritted his teeth again, but forced a sad smile too in response. "That sounds familiar. I was always scared of the future. Unexpected changes made me sick, it always took me far too long to get used to new things. And I thought it would be great to be able to see what was going to happen in advance, to get ready and process it with time." He chuckled bitterly. "Beware what you wish, ah?"
He offered her his hand, and Dolores took it again between hers to press it against her cheek. But this time, she didn't let it go. She rested her head on his hand and kept quiet for a moment, eyes closed again.
"There's something in my mind, tío Bruno," she explained finally. "I can't get rid of it, and it's driving me crazy. Mami has already noticed, and I don't want her to worry. Papi is trying to find out what's happening and I think he's gonna ask tío Agus to keep an eye on the kids at school. And I don't want them to get involved, because nothing has happened actually. It's just me." She looked at him, a sudden flash of anguish shadowing her face. "I can hear the present, but I can't hear the future, so I need you to show me. That's all. I— I-I need to know, I just want to know, and then— then I can get ready and calm down and… and settle for it."
Settle for it. What the hell was going on there? Bruno frowned and sat up carefully, taking doña Catalina from his shoulder and laying her on his lap. The sleepy rat looked around, disoriented for a second, but then stretched and started cleaning herself thoroughly. "Will you tell me what's the matter?"
Dolores hesitated, but nodded at last. "I'll tell you after the ritual. I promise."
He frowned even more, suspicious. "Why all the mystery?"
And she lowered her gaze, twisting her hands with embarrassment. "I… I don't want you to think I'm dumb for worrying about this."
That confession melted his uneasiness and Bruno exhaled, rubbing his forehead. "Loli, I would never think you're dumb for worrying. Unless you're worrying about some goldfish or losing your hair or something like that."
Dolores choked on a chuckle and shook her head. "No, it's nothing like that." She looked up and made an obvious effort to smile again. "Listen, if we see something good, we can laugh together about it. If we see something bad, we can cried together and let it all out and… close this chapter. Deal?"
He kept staring a little longer, knowing deep inside he was going to regret whatever decision he chose. But he also knew how maddening the sting of concern could be, scratching one's brain constantly, at day, at night. Dolores didn't deserve that. She was too young, dammit, she was still too young. But again, since when were the Madrigals even allowed to rest? There was no rest for the Madrigals. Dolores —as well as her mother, as well as him— had been pulled away from childhood since the very moment she had touched her magic doorknob.
So, with a heavy sigh of surrender, he nodded. "Deal."
Dolores smiled widely, a sort of smile very rare on her. Lifting the rat to his shoulder again, Bruno stood up and offered her his hand to help her up too. She took it and stood, but then pulled him into a hug and wrapped him in her arms so, so tightly it almost hurt. She was trembling; perhaps she was about to cry in relief. And he just could press his lips together and embrace her back, also as tightly as he could, to rest a cheek on her hair.
"O-ok, let's do it," he sighed weakly after a while, with a last squeeze before letting her go.
"It doesn't have to be now, if you don't feel up to," she said, frowning in worry.
"It's ok." Bruno shook his head and waved a hand in a gesture of determination. "I-it's ok. The sooner, the better. You're right, if it's— i-if it's something bad, you'll get rid of it once and for all, and— and we'll cry, and at least we'll have enough time to pull ourselves together before dinner and don't look as if someone had beat the daylights out of us. Oh! Wait, wait." He stopped and turned to his shelves, searching them from up to down frantically. Among books and notebooks, Pepa's fulgurites, Luisa's little wooden animals and the babies' ragdolls, he finally found a wooden box decorate with Isa's dried flowers. Inside, there were the ear plugs Dolores used to wear when she napped in his room. "Here, take them. The ritual is very noisy."
His niece stared at the ear plugs, looked up at his face and then hugged him again. When they headed to the sand clock door at last, she was still clung to his arm.
Before crossing the threshold, Bruno stood still for a moment and gulped. He knocked on wood, and Dolores did it too. He placed his free hand under the falling sand, took a handful of it and threw it over his left shoulder. Dolores mirrored him. And they entered the cave, holding his breath and crossing his fingers, with that dreadful feeling pulsing again inside his chest.
As they approached the stairs, he had to suppress a gasp while looking up, counting. That damn place had grown at least two rounds more of steps since the last time, and his shoulders dropped in despair. It didn't matter how much he tried to keep control, it didn't matter how many times he tried to fix it; his room was always acting on its own in response to his real mood, as revealing as Pepa's clouds. The more alienated he felt from his gift, the more inaccessible got the chamber of visions. It was like looking himself in a mirror and getting a perfect picture of how messed up his mind and his heart were.
"Want me to use a shortcut?" he tried to joke, when they reach the stairs.
But Dolores shook her head. "I want to climb on foot. Isa said you must overcome this challenge to get the prize."
"Yeah, well, yes, but actually, hm, Isa cheated," he coughed. "Isa cheated a lot."
"I would like to make the way with you." Dolores looked at him, her big eyes wide open. She was nervous. "Would you mind?"
And he couldn't refuse. "Of course not, pajarito. Come on."
Even so, he touched the wall as they climbed. Shorter, he ordered the stone. Shorter, shorter, shorter. Make it shorter for my niece. Dolores titled her head, probably hearing the distant movement at the top, and glanced at him raising an eyebrow. But he just shrugged and gave her an awkward smile, telling her he was adjusting it for a twelve years old visitor. And the joke made her chuckle and relaxed her a bit.
Their way to the top was so different from the previous one with Isabela that Bruno couldn't loosen the lump on his throat. There weren't jokes, laughs or silly teasing, but silence and soft talk. Once in a while, they stopped to take a break and rest a little, before going on. They took turns carrying doña Catalina, as the old rat jumped from Bruno's shoulder to Dolores' head and vice versa. And, for once, his stupid rule about the cave's stairs seemed to actually work, because he noticed each step was soothing his niece's nerves a bit more.
"I love this sound," Dolores said, when they were halfway.
"What sound?"
"Your sound." Dolores titled her head with a little smile. "The sound of falling sand. I focus on it at night to sleep. But—" She lowered her gaze, ashamed again. "I'll stop if it bothers you."
He snorted a laugh. "Why would I be bothered? I feel honored."
"If I focus on this sound, I can hear anything what's happening on the cave or your room."
"Oh." He blinked and then shrugged, lips pursed. "There's not much to hear, actually. You can hear me scribbling, snoring, talking with my rats… talking with myself… ok, that could be creepy. Oh! Sometimes I fart, like any other human being…" Dolores elbowed him, laughing quietly, and he couldn't help a laugh himself, before smiling fondly at her. "Don't worry, Loli, I don't mind. If you're listening, I'll say you goodnight from here before sleep from now on."
He hadn't said anything groundbreaking or extraordinary, but the look she gave him in that moment left him breathless: a wide, wavering smile full of emotion and big, moisty eyes full of love. She seemed so starved of approval, of validation, that his heart sank painfully. But he couldn't add anything, because she burst into words, almost stuttering.
"Y-you know, I can already block any sound at night without the help of my room, have I told you? I'm getting better and better at it, and I only keep an ear on the nursery to check on the babies, now on Camilo's room too, and on abuela's in case she needs something, b-but— but this…" She looked around and then looked at her feet again. "This is just for me. It's my safe place. Besides my papis, you're the only one who thinks my gift isn't annoying, tío Bruno. Well, you and Isa. She thinks I'm amazing."
"That's because you are." Bruno prayed for his words to not sound as strangled as he felt.
"I'm not." Dolores kicked a little stone out of their way. "I've been wondering… what's the point of my gift."
Bruno inhaled and looked up, at the top of the stairs, trying to calm his heartbeats and steel himself for that talk, now that his niece seemed to feel more comfortable to open up. Support, reassurance, guidance. That was what Dolores needed, a wise uncle with wise answers, not the anxious wreck who could barely hold the tears. He had to gulp twice and cleared his throat, but he managed to said, "Protecting the Encanto, of course."
"How?" She sounded confused, but not skeptical.
"Your gift had always been pretty similar to mine. I'm supposed to warn our people about any danger in advance, so we could be prepared if something bad happens. You're the same, some kind of… lookout, our guardian. If any danger approaches the Encanto, you could hear it and warn the town. You're the one meant to keep everyone safe."
There was a brief silence, while Dolores stared blankly at the stairs, as if processing his words. "You… You really think so?" Bruno nodded and she frowned. "I had— I'd never thought of it that way. Abuela only asks me to keep an ear on people to check if there's anyone unhappy, uncomfortable or angry. She wants me to track what's everyone's doing to know if there's any problem in town that needs to be solve."
Yeah, in town. Bruno suppressed a sigh at the irony. "Abuela is a bit overprotective sometimes."
"But I don't feel like I'm protecting anyone, I just feel… nosy." She twitched her mouth, dejected. "I rather protect people for real than keep this policing. But I don't know how to do that. I don't think they see me as a protector either. Everyone's always jumpy when I'm around."
"Yeees, that sounds familiar too. But, you know, you said it yourself: the problem is not you or your gift. Our gifts can be used in many ways, and it should depend just on us what to do with them. We're the ones who must decide what we want them to be. But sometimes people don't fully understand the purpose of the miracle and they act weirdly around us, just because they assume the worst."
Dolores nodded and kicked absently another little stone. "How… How was it? When you were twelve."
Ah, great, finally getting to the point.
"Messy." Bruno tried to laugh it off, and hoped he had sounded more nonchalant than hysteric. "The other kids were amazed by my cool powers and they were always making stupid request just to see me prophesy. They just assumed I knew everything and wanted answers right away. I knew how dangerous could be doing visions without the ritual, but I didn't want to let them down, so I did it secretly for a while just to please them. And it was a disaster. Without the ritual of projection and away from my room, my visions are just random flashes of info. They saw me sitting there in trance, babbling nonsenses and glowing like a firefly, and I scared the hell out of them. But they kept asking because— you know, kids sometimes have this morbid fascination for creepy things, and I was the creepiest thing ever. I almost broke my brain. Till one day Pepa and Juli caught us in the act and, well, that was the end of the show." He smirked at her. "Your mamá knocked out half of town kids that day. You know Germán's nose? It's crooked because she broke it. And Juli refused to heal it."
Dolores was gaping at the story, eyes totally round. "Seriously?"
"Oh, yes." Bruno couldn't help a dreamy, nostalgic smile. It was a bittersweet memory, of course, because the migraines that came after that, the rumors about his creepy visions and bad omens and his 'coronation' as the Madrigal weirdo weren't funny things. But it had been glorious seeing Juli shouting like crazy and Pepa punching people and chasing them with a thundering cloud, even if he had been punched too for being so stupid. Even mamá took sides that time to defend her children, which was pretty unusual when they did something irresponsible. "The moral of this fable is to never do anything against your own safety or better judgement, no matter what people ask you for. We're meant to help and we must honor the miracle, but we're not tools, far less to please the people who treat us like circus freaks. And never forget that the best part of being a Madrigal is that you can count on the backup of your family anytime." He gave her a significant look and, by the face she made, he knew she had taken the hint. "You know, I understand you don't want your papis to get involved, but I'm pretty sure Isa's excellent at punching."
Dolores pouted, as if feeling caught, but then sighed tiredly. "She is. But they know it too. That's why no one says anything in my face. Nobody wants to get on Isa's bad side, everybody loves her. But they know I can hear them. So they keep saying things, just… from far away."
Bruno gritted his teeth, but freed his arm of her grip gently and put it around her shoulders to squeeze her in a reassuring side hug. "You should let her break some noses. She would enjoy it greatly, and you'd be avenged."
She chuckled. "Nah, she would get in troubles with abuela."
"Abuela," Bruno snorted and rolled his eyes, joking, "always setting limits on our talents."
Dolores laughed a bit louder and leaned on him, hugging him too in gratitude. "Tell me more, would you? Were there good things too?"
"Oh, of course!"
And he spent the rest of the way telling her stories of the triplets' childhood, funny, good, tender stories, about the three of them, about the few but loyal good friends they still had and those first years of the Encanto. Trying to make her understand that life didn't have to be a burden, that things were always changing, that there was always room for things to get better, to get fixed.
When they got to the top, both of them felt a bit better and a bit calmer. They crossed the bridge, they crossed the hall, and Dolores looked around without asking anything, because she didn't need to. Bruno left doña Catalina with the other rats before entering the chamber of visions, and his niece helped him to prepare the ritual, just as Isa did, without leaving his side once. As they sat together before the fireplace, side by side, Bruno glanced at her one last time, bracing himself for whatever could happen, and asked her softly, "You ready?"
Dolores put in place her ear plugs and nodded, wrapping his arm with hers.
"Do you have in mind what you wanna know?"
She nodded again, suddenly shy.
And he faced the burning fire, taking a deep breath. He made an effort to let its light burn up every stray thought in his mind to empty it. He tried really, really hard. But the fear rose up, as strong as the flames. Please, he prayed. Please, let it be a good omen. Let me show her something good. Let me bring her hope. Please, please. And he felt the roots of his dread creeping up his throat and reaching his brain, digging their way on it with a burst of blinding pain, just before the world faded around him and turned into green light.
The vision was a chaos of swirling, half formed imagens, melting with each other. He fretted, trying to focus and regain control, lost in the sand whirlwind with the only anchor of Dolores grip to keep him grounded. It took him several seconds to find sense in anything, but the first flash of green he managed to transform into something comprehensible was a quick imagen of a grown up Dolores clung to the arm of a young man. His niece had to see it too, because he felt how she jolted at his side and straightened up in tension.
"Is that—" Bruno frowned, seeking more in the sand, as the meaning of what they were seeing sank on his mind. "Have you really brought me here to ask me about boys?" he exclaimed, with a high pitched screech.
"I-it's not about boys!" Dolores complained weakly, but she sounded so mortified he almost cracked up laughing.
So that was the matter? Bruno didn't know if he found it hilarious, endearing or worrying, but a wave of relief soothed his mind and the vision got clearer, more precise. More imagens of that young man took form in the whirlwind, and he felt a wide smile tugging at the corner of his lips, imagining Félix's face when he discovered his little girl was in love.
"Who's that guy? I see him everywhere!"
"I don't know!" Dolores seemed as surprised as him. "I don't recognize him!"
"Well, I bet you're gonna know him pretty well in the future. He looks like the man of your dreams!"
Dolores' grip tightened so much she almost left his arm numb, and he felt like laughing again. But there was something off. Looking eagerly around to catch every bit of information, an odd feeling struck him. In most of those glimpses, they didn't seem to be together. The man appeared doing many things, living his life, while Dolores watched him from the distance. Bruno's smile started to fade and he pushed his power to its limits, trying to see more. Till a clear imagen of the man kneeling at a young woman's feet offering her a ring gleamed before their eyes.
"He's proposing!" he cried out.
"That's not me."
Dolores' remark hit him like a slap. She was right. Straight hair instead of curls; hooked, sharp nose instead of a broad, round one. The woman betrothed to the man of her dreams wasn't her. A shock of panic left him breathless, kicking his concentration away. And the heat of his power burned his mind as the touch of a branding iron.
"No," he gasped. "No, no, no, NO! STOP! STOP IT!"
His shout made the chamber of visions rumble, and he lost control over the ritual. The fire exploded in a final burst, the whirlwind blasted so wildly it almost threw them to the ground. And, since nobody reached for the green plate half formed in the air, it plummeted and hit hard the stones, shattering and scattering all over the floor. The sudden silence that came then was even more deafening than the roaring wind, and Bruno panted frantically, trying to catch his breath. He couldn't see, still blinded by the headache and the ritual's abrupt end, and blinked furiously as he felt around for his niece.
"Loli," he gasped again. "Loli, a-are you ok?"
A little hand grabbed his tightly. "I'm ok."
Her tiny voice sounded awfully weak in the darkness. Bruno felt his lips trembling, and he had to bite them to suppress a scream of rage. Dammit, dammit, dammit. Bold of him to assume he could see something positive! But the weight of this failure was heavier than ever, and it crushed him more than anything else. "I-I'm sorry," he babbled. "I'm so sorry, mija. I-I didn't—"
"It's ok." He turned to her, squinting to focus her face. His sight cleared slowly, and he saw Dolores sitting on her ankles, looking blankly at the glowing pieces of broken glass. "It's ok, tío Bruno. It's what I expected." She looked at him and tried to smile, but her cheeks were crossed by tears. "Who would want to be with the Madrigal sapa, anyway."
That was like a punch. Sapa, gossipy, big mouth. His heart skipped a beat. "Loli, y-you're not—"
"That's what they say," she cut him off, and then the words flowed like a river with no dams. "The know-it-all sapa. They want me to tell them the secrets of the others, but then they say I'm an awful, nosy sapa, that I have no friends because nobody trusts me, that I'll be the next Madrigal spinster because no one could ever love me. And they're right." Dolores pressed her fists to her face, cringing. "They're right, tío Bruno. I-I have no friends. I feel so lonely. I don't want to be alone forever, I just want someone to see me and love me, like papi loves mami. But no one will ever give me a chance, because everyone always assumes the worst about me."
He stared, petrified, holding his breath as his niece teared the wound of her heart and let out the poison of her worries. He saw how she bent over, covered her ears, started sobbing and then cracked up crying, louder and harder than ever in her life. And her sobs kicked him again into reality, and he reached for her, and pulled her into a tight hug, wrapping her in his arms, wishing desperately he was actually able to neutralize her pain somehow.
Dolores curled up in his arms and cried, desolate. He rocked her and mumbled that she wasn't awful or unworthy of trust or love. He reminded her she was already loved, because her papis adored her, he adored her, and Juli, Agus, abuela, her little brother, her cousins, all of them adored her sincerely. But even he felt those words weren't enough this time. He tended to forget that he wasn't the norm, that most of people did want more, need more, and that being alone by choice was far different to believe you didn't deserve any company.
She kept crying till there were no more tears to shed; and he cried with her, of course, as they had promised. Neither moved again till they managed to calm down, and Dolores begged him to keep quiet about the vision, about the kids' words, about everything she had told him. Still with moisty eyes, she also begged him to not worry and not blame himself, because she really rather know instead of being on tenterhooks for years.
"It's like you said, tío," she whispered, her head on his shoulder. "You warn us about bad things to be prepared."
And Bruno wondered why his own words, meant to make her feel better and more valid, sounded suddenly so wrong and twisted.
Dolores concealed everything very skillfully. Before the rest of the family, she seemed to calm down and go on, and her parent's worries faded bit by bit. But she grew even quieter, even more introvert, almost turning into an invisible ghost who avoid stubbornly being in the spotlight. She resigned so hard that it was heartbreaking.
Bruno, however, didn't recover from that experience, as he had predicted. The wound of showing his dearest niece a loveless future didn't heal. He refused to do visions for weeks, as stubborn as Dolores, and when he was forced to stop avoiding his responsibilities, he didn't even try to pretend he wasn't sick of everything and everyone. His visions were awful even for himself, he spat prophecies without any tact, he didn't bother to look for the good side, he showed no more patience towards the villagers and their problems, or mamá's pressure, or the whole situation around the Encanto and the miracle and their gifts. He wondered, too, what was the point of all that, what else they had to sacrifice, why their kids had to sacrifice anything in the first place, how he was supposed to comfort his niblings when he was feeling so broken and helpless himself. He stood for long minutes before papá's painting every night, wondering why the miracle had to feel like a curse, asking him what they were doing wrong, how could they fix it or if there was actually room for it to get fixed, after all. He asked him for help one more time, and then wondered if he was even listening. He felt as if the salt of his rituals had been absorbed by his body and was infecting his very bloodstream.
That's why he did what he did when the last request finally reached him, a few months later. A request born from fear and despair, made in the heat of the moment, during the second worst night in the history of the Madrigal family. When mamá looked him in the eye and asked him to look into Mirabel's future, he knew what was going to happen. He knew, because he was Bruno, and he was a mess, his visions, his gift, his warnings, all of him was a harmful mess. And he couldn't bear to destroy the life of another niece, barely a baby, with any more bad assumption.
Later, he would find out that Casita was hiding a lot of cracks behind its walls since who knows when. But the first thing that cracked beyond any repair that fateful year in Casa Madrigal was him.
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fantastic-nonsense · 2 years
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Apparently Miranda struggled to make the songs for Encanto because he got the bare minimum of information about the story and how the characters would develop, in order to avoid spoilers being leaked. I do not know if it is true, but for me personally that made a bit of sense, because in many cases it felt like the songs just happened without satisfying transition, with the exception of "We don't talk about Bruno". But that is just my opinion.
(referring to this post)
Okay so if that's true, that would make infinite amounts of sense because like...I was just talking to my roommate earlier today about how several of the songs either feel unedited or seem to come out of nowhere and either hint at or imply things that are simply not depicted or discussed anywhere in the actual movie. "Dos Oruguitas" is basically the only song in the movie that's both integrated flawlessly into the scene and whose lyrics echo the movie's themes with the characters involved (Alma and Mirabel).
Both "The Family Madrigal" and "All of You" feel unedited and very "Lin was definitely on the strugglebus writing them." "All of You" has good lyrics but really struggles with both the beat and consistently good singing, and "The Family Madrigal" is just....well, aggressively mediocre (both lyrically and singing-wise). Neither feel like particularly good story bookend songs, either; "The Family Madrigal" sets up the family and their powers pretty well but doesn't effectively set up the movie's plot or vibe, and "All of You" recalls "The Family Madrigal" in both its lyrics and melody, but not in a way that actually effectively serves the song in isolation. Which is unspeakably weird considering how well Lin did those callbacks in both Hamilton and Moana.
Luisa's song is incredible and has so many references to having to do a lot of emotional labor for her family and not just physical ("Give it to your sister, your sister's older/Give her all the heavy things we can't shoulder/Who am I if I can't run with the ball?" and "Give it to your sister, it doesn't hurt and/See if she can handle every family burden" and "Give it to your sister and never wonder/If the same pressure would've pulled you under") but like....we never actually see Luisa playing that role for the family. It's not even hinted at, even as Luisa effectively isolates herself from the family after her powers start failing, which would have been a great opportunity to explore how the family falls apart faster without Luisa present to shoulder and deflect those burdens.
"We Don't Talk About Bruno" is an absolute bop in every possible way and I love it dearly, but it's effectively a villain song for a character who isn't a villain and is never actually portrayed as such outside of the song itself (Camilo just bashing his uncle for a full verse asdfghjkl). Thematically within the movie's story, it would have been better for the song to focus on the impact that Bruno leaving had on the family and how their refusal to talk about Bruno echoes other traumatic fractures within the family and all the other things they're not talking about with each other (like...Abuela's heavy expectations, for example). However, you're right in that it's basically the only song that feels like it was actually integrated well into the movie to provide a good transition between scenes.
Even Isabela's song and struggles seem to come somewhat out of nowhere, because we never actually get any indication that she's being forced to only make pretty flowers or marry Mariano against her own desires until she starts screaming at Mirabel about how she's been "stuck being perfect" 2 seconds before "What Else Can I Do?" picks up pretty abruptly in the middle of said screaming match.
Like, I can forgive Luisa's issues not being well-foreshadowed because her song comes so early in the movie, but we spend practically the entire movie pre-Casita destruction somewhat focused on Isabela, her flowers, her impending engagment to Mariano, and Mirabel's petty jealousy of her and there's never really any indication that she doesn't actually want to do any of those things. Even her verse in "We Don't Talk About Bruno" is framed as positive (the only positive vision in the whole song, in fact), though we do at least get the somewhat desperate-sounding "I'm fine, I'm fine, I'm fine" line layered in there at the end with her stressed-out look. It just seems oddly disconnected, like Lin was trying to make the song Isabela's "Let it Go" but the animators and scriptwriters forgot to build it up with a "Don't them in, don't let them see/be the good girl you always have to be" line or two.
So.....this is a really long-winded way of saying "I'm not sure if what you said in your ask is true, but I absolutely wouldn't be surprised if it was."
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isamiral-soulwolf · 2 years
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So I was thinking, you know how wolves will tuck their heads under their partner's chin/throat when there's conflict or they're scared of a possible attack? I wonder if Mirabel ever does something like that with Isabela, like, completely instinctually, not even realizing she's doing it or why. Idk maybe she still got some tiny "wolf instincts" here and there that are so vague you won't notice them unless you're looking for them, or maybe she saw other family members do it and now her brain goes "oh my sister-mate needs me" and sorta cuddles into her arms. I can imagine Pepa and Félix doing something like that, like she hugs him and places her chin on top of his head when she's stressed and he realized that Ah Yeah this is something that helps. And they're goals so obviously all of the grandkids see them and try to sorta imitate them when they're with their own partners. Also, height difference 👉👈. I mean it looks like a hug right? Isabela is being scolded by Alma, and Mirabel casually goes up to her and has her wrap an arm around her shoulders from behind, both of them facing their grandmother. Or Mirabel is getting yelled over dinner and Isabela, who's still sitting on her chair, wraps her arm around her waist, pulls her closer, and places her own head against her chest. I imagine it doesn't HAVE to be too obviously romantic, that it could be interpreted as platonic because everyone does it with everyone every now and then, but if you add it to the larger equation it becomes very sus.
For someone not from the family, in town, it would look like the one in the other's arms is being "protected" when it's in fact the other way around. Which is why I think Isabela would appreciate it a lot because she gets to have some comfort without appearing weak.
First and foremost, this ask inspired me to do a height comparison for Felix with werewolf!Pepa and oh my God. The Madrigal wolves really decided "We want mates that are small enough that we can curl around them protectively and curl around them for cuddles."
But yes, I do actually think Mirabel has some degree of wolf instinct even without the form; she's grown up with wolves her whole life, after all, even if she isn't entirely one herself. And maybe she doesn't quite make the connection that it's a mate thing with wolves, because she's not quite there with all of her instincts in that regard, but she's definitely noticed that Pepa does it a lot with Felix when she's stressed out, or maybe a time or two when Julieta's feeling even more stressed than usual she does it with Augustin.
(Side note, in the event that their husbands can't be located for whatever reason Pepa and Julieta are also prone to doing this with each other, which does encourage the behavior amongst siblings and cousins.)
So yeah it's common, and Mirabel and Isabela being so affectionate with each other already gets a lot of slack in this AU because the Madrigals are like, 110% more physically affectionate with each other, so if anything it's sort of a shared family oddness that Alma Does Not Get because she got her wolf later in life, after her mate was dead and she had no siblings.
And maybe Mirabel notices that when she does it with Isabela specifically when she's stressed (because she can tell; she's always been able to tell) Isabela kind of breathes out quietly and leans into her and relaxes, and she becomes much more animated in her discussion with Alma about something. Sometimes Isabela will shift and rest her cheek in Mirabel's hair and just lean her whole body into her, and Mirabel wraps an arm around her waist and lets her because it feels nice.
That said, the fact that they do keep gravitating back towards each other specifically for that behavior definitely raises an eyebrow or two among the adults. I wouldn't actually be shocked if Pepa is the first to notice it, considering she and Isabela have very similar anxiety issues.
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avatarvyakara · 2 years
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Another short piece from "The Thirteenth Madrigal"—now renamed “Extended Family” (you may need to read #132 for it to make sense):
135. Cooperación
(nf) cooperation
Some might say that Antonio has grown up in a relatively healthy home environment with two parents who aren’t afraid to show their emotions. Well, that’s not entirely true, although the healthy bit is getting better. His mother’s emotions come out perhaps a little too easily—but his father is there to help calm her down. And his father tends to be uncomfortable about showing sadness, or appearing to be selfish by admitting he has worries and insecurities—but his mother helps coax his emotions out. They act as extremes, but they also balance each other out and provide examples of how to deal with both kinds of behaviour and they both are absolutely committed to each other. In a sense, they’re kind of perfect for one another.
Point being, Antonio is a kid who isn’t afraid to cry when he feels he needs to. He doesn’t cry particularly loudly, but he does cry.
Not in the open, of course. He's got some pride.
It says something about the current state of affairs that Pico the Toucan and Chispi the Capybara find him before Dolores does. But he’s trying not to dwell on that.
Shhh, soothes Chispi. The Word sinks into Antonio’s mind, carrying feelings of Calm and Care and Seeking-Helping.
What on earth is the matter, dear child? asks Pico, landing on his shoulder and rubbing his beak against Antonio’s cheek. It’s cool to the touch, and a little like being petted by a very long fingernail. But in a good way.
“It’s okay. It’s no big deal.”
Somehow even Pico manages a deadpan look. Chispi, of course, has them down pat already.
That’s what you’re telling us, young one, says Pico. But why not Tell us instead?
There’s nothing to tell.
Arguing. Aureliano angry. Not-wanting playing. Saying “freak”.
...there’s something to tell.
(One weird thing about Speaking in his mind is that he can’t lie. He can’t even try. It doesn’t actually work, because he has to construct the lie on top of the truth and the truth is what leaves his head.
Honestly that’s good. Mami, Papi, Lola, and Cami all say the truth is important, and so does Mirabel. It’s good that Antonio can only tell the truth to his friends.
He just wishes that the truth wasn’t so bad sometimes.)
Hmmm.
That, like everything Chispi says, has a very precise meaning. A rather upset one, too.
Aureliano? Isn’t that Mariano’s great-nephew?
Keel-billed toucans live in families of up to twelve, in quite cramped spaces sometimes. So it’s no real surprise that Pico, of all his friends, keeps the closest eye on familial relationships.
The worst of it, though, is that Aureliano reached out to Antonio first. Tried to make friends with him during the bad months after Casita fell (he promised Mirabel he wasn’t going to blame himself and he won’t). It was the simple, blameless action of a child, and it did Antonio quite some good. (Easier than talking to Alejandra, Juancho, and Cecilia anyway—why are they always so loud?)
Also friend. ...assuming friend. Wrong?
Oh, I don’t know about that, son. Aureliano seems quite a nice chap most of the time. He thinks you’re a lot of fun, even if you apparently spend too much time with us. The toucan sniffs, which is hard to do with a beak. Nobody said he was altogether right, but...
Hearing Aureliano? asks Antonio in surprise.
Naturally, my boy, says Pico. All of us can, a little bit, all the Animals around you.
“I didn’t know that,” he says aloud.
Perhaps there’s another way to sort out this issue. Get the boy in the right frame of mind to talk.
Helping? Please?
Of course! You’ve nothing to fear. We toucans are incredibly talented socially, as well as in a myriad other ways—
Uh-huh.
—which will, I believe, be of some use to you here thank you for the commentary, Chispi.
Heh.
Well, it’s worth a try.
Oddly, Aureliano isn’t with the other kids. In a way that makes it easier—human minds aren’t as easy to understand as animal ones, and Antonio likes to be able to concentrate.
But it also means there’s nobody around in case he gets violent.
(Which is unlikely. But if Antonio really is intruding, and he reacts like Maria the Spectacled Bear nearly did when he found her home by accident…)
“Hey, Aureliano.”
“I told you, I don’t wanna play anymore,” snaps Aureliano. He sounds utterly miserable. “Just leave me alone.”
That’s not strictly fair, given how he hurt Antonio first. But part of being a Madrigal is listening, and finding out what the problem is, before trying to fix it.
"…why are you mad at me?"
"I'm not mad. I just don't wanna be around you."
"What did I do?"
"Nothing."
"Then why are you mad?"
"Can't I just be mad? I mean, you're already getting my tío, can't I be just a little mad?"
"Mariano?"
Aureliano is still curled up on himself, like the world's most depressed armadillo (and that's including Jesús—poor little guy was barely eating for a while when Antonio found him). “Yeah. You're getting him. He's marrying your sister and he’s gonna leave. You get to keep him and he’s gonna leave us. So he's not gonna be around to play fútbol, or make up silly songs, or get teased by Mami and Papi and the other tíos. He's gonna be too busy for us. And if it were anyone else, he’d bring them home to stay with us, but you guys get to keep him instead!”
“…oh.”
“He’s my tío,” sniffs Aureliano angrily. “I don’t want him to go.”
Curious, says Pico. He seems to be getting angry about the fact that he’s upset, poor fellow. What do you want to try, my boy?
“It’s not fair.”
Thinking about it, it makes sense. How would Antonio feel if Dolores had to leave when she marries Mariano? Or if Mirabel left if she marries someone? Or Camilo? (But that’s impossible, they’re still normal. You know. For kids. Grown-ups get married. ...and Isabela and Luisa are being sensible and not getting married just yet and Antonio thinks they’re very wise and maaaaybe has a touch of bias but probably not.)
“…I’m sorry. I don’t think it’s fair either.”
Aureliano looks at him in surprise.
"We've gotta try and fix this."
Aureliano nods, tears unshed. "But how? I can't stop Tío Mariano from wanting to marry your sister. And Dolores is nice. But he's still gonna be gone because you Madrigals always have to stay in your house."
Antonio ponders for a moment, and inspiration sparks. “Maybe…maybe Casita can add something to Dolores’ room? Or mine, if you want. Like…a secret tunnel! That way you can come and visit Mariano whenever you want, and he can come and visit you, and nobody has to leave the house!”
…that might be something of a tall order even for your nest, old chap.
But Aureliano is halfway to eight years old where Antonio is nearly seven, and as such is giving Antonio’s great idea the due consideration it deserves.
“…could we get it to lead straight to your room?”
“Sure! Or hey, maybe we can get you a completely different door, for all the Gúzmans!” Antonio sticks out his chin like his abuela does. “Because when you marry a Madrigal, you marry all the Madrigals. So maybe marrying a Gúzman means marrying all the Gúzmans too.”
“…Antonio, please don’t take this the wrong way, but I don’t want to marry your sister.”
“What? Oh. Ew. No. I meant like…the families join together. So my family is your family.”
“Hey, maybe we can get Gifts too!”
“Hmmm…maybe…Papi didn’t get a Door, and Tío Agustín didn’t get one, but maybe Mariano will? I don’t know…”
“Of course he’ll get a Gift. He’s Tío Mariano. He deserves a Gift.” Aureliano might as well be quoting la Biblia.
Antonio smiles. “Hey, it took Mirabel ten years to get one, but she got one, and nobody deserved it more than her. Hey, maybe he gets a bit of Dolores’ Gift!”
Aureliano turns his head to one side. “You mean, like…he gets one ear and she gets the other?”
“Ew, no! Gross. …could that happen? No, stop, I don’t wanna forget what I was going to say. Right…but it’s like, Mami’s mood controls the weather, so Papi has the power to give her good moods. And Tía Julieta fixes people with food, so Tío Agustín got the power of reminding her that her food still works. Stuff like that.”
“Hmmmm.” Now the other boy looks deep in thought. “Maybe he could get the power to give her ears a rest? Or music! He’s already got music, maybe that could be his gift too! Like you got animals to follow you around!”
…I’m not even sure how to respond to something like that, says Pico, who sounds a little shocked. “Getting animals to follow you around,” indeed. It is a symbiosis.
“Pico says it’s actually a symbiosis.”
“What’s that?”
The word “symbiosis”, to Pico, means Together and Depending and Trust and Care. It means helping one another to do better, giving up a little bit of yourself and getting a little bit of everyone else. Sometimes it means letting yourself be harmed so someone else can do better, because they would and will do the same for you. It means…
“It means family,” says Antonio, a warm feeling bubbling in his chest. “He means we’re family. All of us together.”
Couldn’t have put it better myself, dear child.
“So…can we make a tunnel?”
“Sure thing! It’ll be fun!”
Aureliano looks utterly relieved.
“Okay. …thank you. I’m sorry, Antonio. You’re not a freak. And I shouldn’t have called you that. I was just scared I was going to lose my tío.”
“Never,” says Antonio, firmly. “I’ll make sure he promises to come back to spend time with you. And we’ll make that tunnel, like Tío Bruno had.”
He’s seen what happened to his family, and how much happier they were when their own tío came home again. And if Aureliano is already feeling bad, he doesn’t want to make things worse by taking his uncle away.
(Even if he still kind of feels like Aureliano’s uncle is taking his sister away. But it’s not the same. They’ll still be in the same house.
Well, now he’s seriously going to ask Mirabel to ask Casita if it would be okay to make that tunnel so they’ll all be in the same house. It’s best for everyone. …aaaaaand it would make his room even cooler. Which isn’t the main thing! It’s just a neat bonus.)
Aureliano gives him a small nod—he’s too big for hugs, of course.
“…hey, do you wanna play fútbol?”
Normally? No. Antonio’s a little shy, and football is a little rough. But his friend needs it, and he’s helping the community this way, right? Like Camilo or Mirabel when they babysit, which to Antonio’s mind simply means actually spending time properly with people of his age and making them feel good. You know, like Mami and Papi do with each other.
(I think you’d better quit while you’re ahead, son.)
“Well, okay!”
We toucans have a similar game, you know, says Pico. We throw berries to one another. Whoever makes the most successful catch-and-throw combinations wins. Of course, you need a few more to play…
The last bit is hesitant. But Antonio has spent nearly two years surrounded by dozens of minds, each with their own thoughts and emotions. People? Even if it’s still hard, they’re becoming easier to talk to. Much easier.
“That sounds like fun too! Hey, Aureliano, I have another game to play after we’re done playing fútbol!”
“How can anyone ever be done playing fútbol?” asks his friend, looking (thanks, Pico) quite aghast.
Later on, they somehow get the other kids their age together to play fútbol del túcan, and head home around sunset rather full and with berry and fruit juice splattered all over their faces.
Some things remain a mystery. (Like how Alejandra learned to throw that well, she was really good. Even Pico said so.)
But at least he and Pico solved one problem together. Just like Madrigals should.
And it makes for a great dinner story.
(And Dolores gives him a very big hug, so that's a great bonus.
Even if Parce does gripe a bit that he didn't get to join in.)
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So how did just one of the church’s baby stealing and selling for cash businesses work...? The church you attend...may have just been funded by the stealing and selling of babies...!
In just one example, and a clear reason why church and state should never be allowed to collaborate...”The Catholic Church Stole 300,000 Babies And Sold Them To The Highest Bidder  The Catholic Church is no stranger to scandal. They’ve attempted to systematically wipe out entire religions, and covered numerous sex crimes committed within their church, but one of the most unforgivable things the Catholic Church has ever done has been to take part in Spanish baby trafficking.
Throughout the 20th century the Spanish arm of the Catholic Church would steal newborn babies from their mothers and sell them to the highest bidder. Not only is this behavior absolutely abhorrent, it’s also in direct opposition to their faith. This Spanish child kidnapping rite, like so many Catholic Church crimes, proves that the people who rise to the highest places of power within organized religion care less about humanity...and are more about grabbing as much money and dominance as they possible can.
Even though victims Juan Luis Moreno and Antonio Barroso brought the issue to light in 2011, it wasn't until August 2018 that alleged perpetrators faced charges. Inés Madrigal, born in 1969 at San Ramon clinic in Madrid, claims a doctor kidnapped her and gave her away without her biological mother's permission. On August 14, 2018, her accused kidnapper, obstetrician Eduardo Vela, stood trial and denied the allegations, telling a three-judge panel that he "never gave a girl to anybody."
In 2012, Madrigal's adoptive mother (who passed in 2016) told CNN Vela gave her the baby.The judges charged Vela with the illegal detention of a minor and forging a public document. Prosecutors are pushing for an 11-year jail sentence. Vela still denies "stealing" Madrigal and is pursuing a full acquittal.
Over 2,000 people filed stolen children suits with prosecutors.
It All Began In Post-War Spain. Following the Spanish Civil War (1936-39) General Francisco Franco became the head of the rebel Nationalist government and commander-in-chief of the armed forces. Under his rule Spain became a hermit nation similar to that of modern day North Korea. Anyone who fought against the Nationalists during the war or who held opposing viewpoints were punished - this includes anyone who wanted to have a child. These people were known as "undesirables" and Franco believed that anyone with an opposing viewpoint or who lived beneath a specific wage line wasn't fit to raise a child.
The task of taking babies away from single mothers and families who didn't fit into Franco's idea of ideal citizens was given to a network of Catholic priests and nuns who did their jobs efficiently and without asking any questions.
The Church Stole The Babies Shortly After They Were Born.  Directly after childbirth many babies were whisked away under the guise of routine testing and later their mothers were told that the baby had died. One mother who experienced this first hand explained to the BBC that she fell for this trick because she had been raised to believe that the church was infallible and that they would have no reason to lie to her. "I couldn't accuse them of lying. This was Franco's Spain. A dictatorship. Even now we Spaniards tend not to question authority.
"Many of the mothers who asked to see their child after hearing that it had passed away claim that they were shown the corpse of a child who had been frozen, or that was freezing cold.
The Babies Were Sold To Well-To-Do Families.  After the newborns were stolen from their mothers most of them were immediately sold to couples who held beliefs more inline with Franco's totalitarian and Catholic regime. These families didn't just have the "right" set of core beliefs - they were also wealthy. Or at the very least they had enough money to buy a child in post World War II Spain. It's likely that the adoptive parents weren't aware that they were buying a child that had been stolen from its mother hours before, and many of the parents actually had their names placed on the child's birth certificate. Allegedly the families were either led to believe that the infant's mother had died in child birth or that the parents had given them up.
This Wasn't A Small Time Operation.  These kidnappings started directly after the end of the Spanish Civil War in 1939, continued through World War II, and didn't end until the early '90s. ..many people believe that this web of Catholic kidnapping accounted for 15% of the total adoptions that took place in Spain between 1960 and 1989.
The Catholic Church Was Selling Babies For A Long Time.  When Franco died in 1975 the church didn't rethink their position of rampant child theft, and they didn't rework the system that had caused so much pain. Instead, they dug in deeper into the social services system of Spain in an attempt to keep a stranglehold on the Spanish people. It wasn't until the late '80s that the scandal was blown open when Juan Luis Moreno discovered that he was one Spain's stolen babies. According to Moreno, the man who he knew as his father confessed on his deathbed that Moreno had been purchased from a priest in Northern Spain for 200,000 pesetas.
Priests Were Helping People Fake Pregnancies ...in many cases the church prepped parents for their child and helped them fake a pregnancy to keep friends and family from asking questions. Speaking to the BBC, an 89-year-old woman named Ines Perez admitted that a priest helped her work out a fake pregnancy before she received a baby girl in 1969. She said, "The priest gave me padding to wear on my stomach."
How To Sneak A Baby Out Of A Maternity Ward.  Even though the Catholic church was working in tandem with Spain's government it still shouldn't have been so easy to steal a bunch of babies. Many priests and nuns who carried out the thefts went through a ridiculous series of steps to ensure that they weren't caught. Priests and nuns would first falsify a birth certificate stating that the child had been born to the family who was paying for the baby, and then they would usually concoct a lie about why they were handing off such a small child before pushing the family out of the hospital - thus decreasing the risk of anyone being caught. One woman who received a baby from the Catholic church claims that she was told her adopted child was born premature, but that in reality it had probably just been born moments before. She claims that the doctor told her to put the baby in her car "between two hot water bottles."
The Payment Plan  In many cases even when a family could afford to buy a child they couldn't pay for it all up front so a payment plan was established. When Juan Luis Moreno's father confessed on his deathbed that Moreno had been purchased from a priest he realized that his annual family trips to Zaragoza weren't vacations - they were a contractual obligation. Moreno told the BBC that his adoptive father knew exactly what he was doing and that the church didn't even try to hide its scam. "My dad was given a choice: boy or girl. They put it bluntly: This was a market for babies." Moreno said that his adoptive father claims that the going price for a child at the time was twice the price of their family home.
No One Is Going To Get In Trouble For This  Despite believing that what they were doing was for the greater good of the Spanish people, General Franco and his regime knew it was wrong. After Franco's death a series of amnesty laws were passed so that any crimes that took place while he was in power would never be examined in a court of law. Some prosecutors have decided to look into the thefts on a case-by-case basis, but that's easier said than done. While there are some cases to go through, many children who were kidnapped and sold to families have decided not to come forward for fear their adoptive parents are seen as criminals. One person, a nun named Sister Maria Gomez, was brought to court for kidnapping but she refused to speak in court.
It's Almost Impossible To Prosecute This Insane Crime Aside from the lack of political will to prosecute for the crime, it is incredibly hard to prove in court the illegality of the case. A prosecutor in Madrid pointed out a few of the biggest issues with trying to prove wrongdoing in a case of systemic kidnapping. First, you can't pursue a criminal case over a false birth certificate because the crime has passed the statute of limitations. And as far as the Spanish criminal justice system goes a false birth certificate doesn't legally prove that a baby has been kidnapped. As it stands the Spanish Catholic church's history of child kidnapping will go unpunished.
The only thing that can be done is to remain vigilant against those in power...”
https://m.ranker.com/list/catholic-church-trafficked-stollen-babies-spain/jacob-shelton?ref=collections_btm&l=2479135&collectionId=2587
Also,  Video : Missionaries Of Charity Nun Confesses To Selling Babies...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyPLYksYI7Y
And,  Mother Teresa’s home shut for ‘selling babies’... https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/world/mother-teresas-home-shut-for-selling-babies/news-story/59ff8e04f1e7ef900f392189fb094d23
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Encantober 2023 Day 22: Reflection
Whenever a Madrigal family member’s birthday rolls around, Mirabel cannot help but reflect on her own life, especially when it comes to her birthday. Being the only Madrigal by blood to not have a gift, she reflects on how many things would have been different if that was not the case.
On the day after her birthday, Mirabel woke up when she usually wakes up, but stayed in bed for an hour before Julieta came inside to see where her youngest daughter was. She opened her door to see her on the bed laying there with her eyes open, and sat on the foot of the bed to comfort her.
“Hola, Mira; how are you feeling?”
“I’m feeling alright; I just have a lot on my mind.”
Julieta moved closer to her youngest daughter and tapped on her shoulder to encourage her to sit up. “You know you can talk to me about everything that’s on your mind right now. I’ve been noticing this pattern every year the day after your birthday.”
Mirabel sat up to talk about what was bothering her. “Okay, so, every year after my birthday, I can’t help but think about how much things would be different if my gift ceremony went differently.”
Julieta let out a sigh. “You’re still thinking about that?”
“Si; in fact, I still think about it quite a lot, even after I saved the miracle last year. I reflect back on my childhood and think about how lots of things would have been so different than they were.”
Julieta reached over to give Mirabel a hug and she gave her a hug back. “I think something’s telling me that you’re still upset that you didn’t get the attention from your abuela that you’ve been craving all these years.”
Mirabel felt her heart stop for a split second once Julieta said that. She knew there was an underlying issue with these thoughts, she was just never able to put them into words until her mother did it for her. She saw her sisters get so much attention from Alma after their gift ceremonies, while the attention she got faded after hers. She saw the favoritism Alma made towards Isabela, but there was more to the story that only the triplets saw.
“I’m going to tell you something, mija, her favoritism was not limited to just her grandchildren.”
“Mama, I know that Bruno had a weird relationship with Abuela too, that was why he escaped to the walls in the first place.”
“It wasn’t just Bruno, mija; Pepa was feeling the same way too. You know how your abuela viewed Isabela for a while? Well, she viewed me as the same when we were her age. Since my gift was seen as the most useful of the three of us, Alma favored me and I saw that. That was why Pepa and Bruno were so close in childhood and his disappearance hit her much harder than it hit me. She never really opened up about it to me until Bruno did when he came back, and it broke my heart to see how they really felt.”
Mirabel hugged her mother again and took the covers off of her. She moved from her bed to sit next to Julieta and leaned her head on her shoulder. “Are you ready to go downstairs for breakfast?”
“Si, mami; I’ll be right down.”
---------------------------------------------
Once the family finished breakfast, Mirabel found Pepa and Bruno putting their dishes away in the kitchen. She wanted to stop her before they had to leave the house to start their morning chores.
“Tia Pepa! I want to ask you something before you leave.”
“Sure, sobrina; what do you have in mind?”
“Well, I was sitting in my bed thinking about how things would be different if my gift ceremony went differently, and Mama said it was probably because I crave the same attention Abuela gave to Isabela. She mentioned that it happened to you too when you were around my age. Is that true?”
Pepa’s heart sank when Mirabel mentioned that. She did notice how Mirabel has often acted the day after her birthday for several years, but she never would have thought it would be for the same reasons she had so many issues with Alma in childhood. She and Bruno have spent their entire childhood watching Julieta get all the attention from their mother, and they spent their entire lives after their gift ceremony craving their mother’s love and attention, which messed with their heads their whole lives.
“Mirabel, I would like to tell you that Bruno and I’ve been feeling the exact same thing every year after our birthday since we were your age. Except we reflected on our lives and wondered if our lives would be different if our gifts were more useful like Julieta’s. Maybe Mama would have given us the same attention she gave to her.”
“I would like to add that we tried to have the attention we gave to each other replace the attention we would’ve gotten from her. We were each other’s biggest support systems, and Julieta also filled in that gap at the end of every day,” Bruno added.
Mirabel hugged her tia and tio when they told her about the lack of attention they got from Alma. The hug lasted for about five minutes. When they were finished with their hug, Alma came up from behind her younger daughter, son, and youngest granddaughter and tapped them on their shoulders. The three of them looked behind them to see Alma next to them, looking pretty upset.
“Mijos, if I would have known you felt this way I would’ve done something about it. You really wanted more attention from me this whole time?”
Mirabel, Pepa, and Bruno looked at each other, and then at Alma. “Si, Abuela; every year on the morning after my birthday, I think about how my life would be different if my gift ceremony didn’t go the way it did, and for a while, I didn’t understand why. Then Mama was explaining to me how it might have been the fact that I was craving attention from you that you were giving to Isabela, and it made everything make sense. I kind of understand why I’ve been feeling the way I’ve been feeling recently.”
Alma came to the kitchen island and gave Mirabel a hug, and Pepa and Bruno joined in. While Alma did promise to give the rest of her family more hugs since Mirabel saved the miracle, she didn’t realize it was still on her mind to this day.
“I’m so sorry I didn’t notice this sooner. I promise I’ll take time out of my day every week to do something with you, Mirabel. I’ll do the same thing with both of you, and on the weekend, the four of us can do something together. It will be our special time.”
Mirabel, Pepa and Bruno smiled and hugged Alma one more time. “Abuela, you know that we still love you, even though we felt like the attention you gave us was lacking. I appreciate the time and effort you’re trying to give to us to patch things up.”
“And Bruno and I appreciate you for understanding these feelings and coming to us when Julieta put two and two together. For a while, we didn’t really understand these feelings or these reflections we were making either,” said Pepa.
“You know, it is Sunday, do you want to do something tonight?” Mirabel asked.
“We would love to do that, what do you want to do?” Alma asked.
“We can talk about it now. I want to see what you want to do and we can agree on something together.”
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thegospelofnagisa · 2 years
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So what are your full thoughts on Encanto?
Well, after all this time to properly arrange my thoughts, I got to say…..Encanto is an “Ok” movie.
I have a lot of problems with the movie, but also a lot of things I like, the music is really good, the aesthetic is superb, you can tell Disney really did their homework in portraying the Colombian look to the movie, and despite all the problems the skin colors of the characters has caused on the internet recently, I love how the movie NEVER addresses this in any way and threats them all the same, there are various colors of skin through the movie and I like that, other movies would have made a bit deal out of it, so I really have to commend the movie on that, the fans should probably learn from it.
Now for the bad things, the thing that bugs me the most out of the entire movie are the characters, I do not like ANYONE in this movie, the only one I have some semblance of sympathy toward is Bruno, I get the feeling there was supposed to be more of him, but it was cut, and so all we’re left is a character that was pretty much bullied and exiled from the family because of his magic, is not like the did his predictions to annoy them, it was to warn them…..and what do these motherfucking assholes do? Kick him out….Bravo.
NOT EVEN Mirabel, I do feel really sorry for her because she is a victim of her family’s elitism, as much as Bruno is, she does suffer quite a lot and it is horrendous, but at the same time, she does not help at all with her attitude, being incredibly noisy and pushy on issues that CLEARLY are a sensitive subject, and yet she pushes more and more, the scene with Luisa is a perfect example of this, she’s just so insistent and annoying, and this attitude is what ultimately causes all the problems she experiences in the movie. And I know what you might say, it is the fault of her family, it is, but she does not help, she has not learned to have some tact and manage her situation better, she’s not so much Tyrion Lannister is what I am saying, her attitude would be far more justifiable if she was a little girl (Which at some point in development in the movie, she probably was) but not a teeanage/young adult girl….it just worsens he situation of her character so I can’t really root for her like I do with Bruno.
And now the family….OH God….these people are all fucking AWFUL! I’ll mention the ones I hate the most, but I have problems with every single one of them, except maybe Luisa and Antonio.
Alma Madrigal is a piece of shit, no question, she is a bitter old woman and has reigned her family and village with a tyrannic iron fist (Ironic considering she seem to have escaped from a dictatorial regime with her husband), that’s really what they are, the Madrigal Family are benevolent tyrants and this old cunt is the Matriarch.
Isabel is just a bitch, plain and simple, even if she was troubled for being perfect, it does not excuse her attitude toward her sister at all, so no, I am sorry, she doesn’t’ get a pass for me, she sucks and I hope she grows old, wrinkly and dies alone with 100 cats, she was not sympathetic at all.
Dolores to me, Dolores is the TRUE Villain of the movie, I said at first that Encanto was interesting for not really having an antagonist, but I took that back, Dolores is the TRUE villain, she is the one who hears the truth about the prophecy and FOR NO REASON other than to begin a gossipy cunt, she unleashes the bomb RIGHT AT ISABEL’S compromise dinner (And considering she ends up with Isabel’s would be fiancé and she seems delighted that it finally happened, it SERIOUSLY made me question her motives for doing what she did) even though she seems like a normal character, bullshit, this bitch is pure evil, and I hope she’s never happy, I hope this Mariano dude cheats on her and she gets broken NTR style and just takes it for the rest of her life, seriously fuck Dolores, she’s the worst, even worst than the grandmother.
And finally, the powers, it is implied that the powers are important for keeping the village alive and the grandma makes a big deal about them being useful (Hence why Bruno was rejected, because being able to foresee the future is not a useful power at all right?) the thing is………with the exception of Luisa’s, Julieta’s…….ALL OF THESE POWERS ARE FUCKING USELESS FOR RUNNING A VILLAGE……
But for ruling a tyrannical dictatorship? They’re PERFECT!
-) Isabel’s power’s is pretty but it is ultimately useless and would not provide any real value to the village. -) Dolores can hear everything, so if the villagers are planning against Generalissma Alma Madrigal she can send the goons to smash it. -) Pepa’s power is not really necessary, they live in fucking Colombia, they don’t need to control the weather, unless she’s there to send furious storms against the enemies of the Madrigal State. -) Camilo is the perfect spy for the state and can rat out the leader against the Madrigal regime but useful to the village development? Not at all. -) Antoni’s power is also useless, wild animals would not get close to the village unless they’re very hungry or desperate, unless he’s there to provide the animals for the gladiator arena where Alma execute all the rebels. See what I mean? This really hits an ugly note for me once I came to that realization, El Encanto has some pretty awful vibes if you ask me.
So yeah….I can’t really fully like this movie, the 3 main things I get out of it are.
1) Whoever wrote this movie needs SERIOUS psychological help, they have deep seeded family issues that need solving. 2) I get the feeling the movie may have been rewritten several times, and in one of those times Bruno might have had a more antagonistic role, but for whatever reason they scrapped it and they left us with this poorly arranged movie. 3) The Madrigals are Tyrants, I am glad they really got all the bad things happen to them in the movie because if they had continue on that path, it would have become VERY ugly in the end.
But honeslty, I give this movie a 7, everything else is SOOO Good, that I can really give a pass to the plot and characters but….I would not watch it again honestly. That’s my opinion on Encanto.
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