I keep thinking about an AU in which Héctor fades from the Land of the Dead.
But he doesn’t succumb to the final death.
In the Shantytown scene, after Chicharrón fades, Miguel offers to remember him in the land of the living. Héctor immediately replies, “It doesn’t work like that, chamaco.”
And he’s probably right, but still, that’s got to be a fairly rare situation - for your life to have been forgotten, but your afterlife remembered.
So, what if Héctor’s skeleton does fade away at sunrise, but Héctor lives on? What if his spirit is literally tied to Miguel’s, and he finds himself trapped in Miguel’s body.
In that moment, Miguel is Héctor’s only link to being remembered - even if he never knew Héctor in life, Héctor cannot be completely forgotten. Also, Miguel did make a promise to the dead on Dia de los Muertos. That’s got to be a pretty powerful promise.
I don’t think either of them would realize what was going on immediately. Just moments ago, Héctor was very weak, in a lot of pain, and grieving the loss of his daughter and his family. Suddenly looking up into Coco’s eyes and having the opportunity to tell her that he loved her one last time... that probably felt a lot like a fever-dream.
And to Miguel, it might have been like a strong instinct. It would be a sudden, very powerful urge to pick up the guitar from the ground, a guitar that suddenly feels so very familiar in his hands. He played their song as if the chords were etched into the memories of his muscles, and afterward, when Miguel spoke, his words - “He loved you, Mama Coco. Your Papa loved you so much.” - came without thought.
But can you imagine how disorienting that would be? Like, Miguel would probably think that Héctor’s thoughts are his own, at least in the very beginning. He’d wonder why he got lost on the way to the plaza when he’s lived in Santa Cecilia forever, or why he had the urge to just look at Abuelita like that. He might say strange things or wear funny expressions. He would forget things that he should remember, or he’d know things that he shouldn’t know. His family would notice, for sure!
Héctor, on the other hand, would catch on to the situation a little quicker - the realization that he’s not quite as dead as he thought would definitely be a giveaway - but after that, he would probably beat himself up over it. Being tied to Miguel feels a lot like being a parasite, and he would hate it. He’s already put his family through enough!
I’d give them about a week to figure it out. Miguel thinking that something is super wrong, and Héctor desperately trying to communicate with Miguel, without controlling Miguel’s body or interfering too much with his life.
Communicating with one another is just like any other skill - it requires awareness and practice. Once they do finally work it out, though, Miguel would be absolutely frantic to send Papa Héctor back to the Land of the Dead where he belongs.
There are plenty of excellent side plots that go along with this AU, including -
Héctor getting a fantastic opportunity to observe his living family. By association, Miguel would probably see them all in a new light, too.
Mama Imelda and the other Dead Riveras grieving the loss of Héctor in the Land of the Dead (because from their POV, he’s been forgotten).
Mama Coco’s disease and death.
Abuelita being super concerned about Miguel’s sudden obsession with spirits, possession, and necromancy. It would be even better if this was an opportunity for them to repair and strengthen their relationship (bonus points if Héctor gets super, super attached to his living granddaughter as a result).
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Beautifully done “deleted scene” one-shot of the dead Riveras on their way to the Sunrise spectacular. A++ portrayal of all the characters and of course a fresh batch of feels.
The twins smell, well, identical. Nearly all of the Riveras smell a bit like leather, but Oscar and Felipe also exude hints of parchment, cigar smoke, and mustache wax. Only Imelda seems to pick up on the fact that Felipe’s favorite aftershave smells more of evergreen, or that Oscar prefers a smoother, vanilla-eque cigar.
What is their favorite scent?
Oscar’s favorite is a warm sopapilla - Mamá’s sopapillas are one of his earliest memories.
Felipé prefers the sharp, chemical twang of a fresh pot of ink. It’s not necessarily a nice smell, but it’s a comfort, and it brings with it many memories - and inspirations!
What do they sleep in?
Both of the twins sleep in blue striped pajamas.
Who do you ship them with?
I headcanon both of the boys as ace, so I don’t have any ships for them.
Your favorite friendship and a headcanon about them?
Oscar becomes very close to Julio in the Land of the Dead. There’s a certain understated gentleness about Oscar that Felipé can never quite understand. Julio appreciates this, though. Sometimes, Felipé finds them sitting beside one another in the courtyard, sharing an easy silence.
After her untimely death, Felipé takes Victoria under his wing. Together, they instigate an epic prank war against Rosita - and occasionally, Mamá Imelda. Felipé is always implicated. Victoria never is.
A song that reminds you of them
Ends of the Earth by Lord Huron - “To the ends of the earth would you follow me; there’s a world that’s meant for us to see.”
What animal are they?
Oscar and Felipé are intelligent, creative, playful and well-groomed. I perceive them as rats! Anybody who has ever had a pet rat knows exactly what I mean. ;)
What position they sleep in?
Oscar tends to curl in a fetal position on his left side. Felipé does the same, but on the right.
