#felipe rivera

[vehrabells]

They love their big sister and testing her patience is their favorite past time. 🫶🏻

[marcmarcmomarc]

Once Upon a Lamp - Coco

Land of the Living

Land of the Dead

Voices: Ryan Lopez (Miguel), Gael García Bernal (Héctor), Alanna Ubach (Imelda)

In place of the cast of Encanto.

[enigmatist17]

It had been a wonderful Día de los Muertos, the first where Miguel could honestly say his entire heart and soul had been poured into it. It wasn't the best feeling to realize he hadn't been as into things as he should have been, but to actually have seen the Land of the Dead...well, he understood now.

"Make sure you change before you go to the graveyard!"

"Sí mamá!" As much as Miguel loved the charro outfit abuelita had personally made for him, he was more than happy to slip into jeans and a tank top to cool off, eyeing the guitar in the corner with a grin as he grabbed his new hoodie from his closet. It had taken months for the historical society that looked over things like Papá Héctor's guitar to allow his family the honor of placing it in the shrine they'd all built for Héctor's poems and notes. Miguel took care to clean it every day after they had finally been given the rights to it, and after about a month, Enrique had unhooked it from its case and waited for Miguel to come home from school.

"You are allowed to play it here at home, special shows, and on Día de los Muertos with permission."

His son could have blinded the world with his smile, the teen letting out the loudest grito Santa Cecilia had ever heard.

Now, it was slung across his back as Miguel ran to the graveyard, waving at familiar faces as he crossed the threshold. The area belonging to his family was tucked into one of the far sides, not far from the Marigold Bridge he'd crossed last year. Miguel scowled when he eyed Ernesto's mausoleum along the way, quickly looking around before giving the bust a middle finger before he took his familiar route along the side of the marble structure.

Hah, did you see that! I am so proud of my little chamaco!

A familiar laugh freezes Miguel in place, and for a moment, he looks around, only to shrug. He knows Papá Héctor would have laughed, or so he hoped, and Miguel smiles when he finally sees the worn tombstones adorned with the cempazuchitl he'd spent time carefully placing with his little sister. Some of the mariachi from around town had offered to keep an eye on the site from the many burgeoning fans of Héctor Rivera away from where he'd been laid to rest, tipping their hats before moving a little ways away for privacy. Miguel smiled when it was finally just himself, shifting the guitar so he could start strumming whatever little tune came to his mind as he took a seat in the grass.

"I hope you all had a great time tonight, I know I have." Miguel began, eyes drifting over to the two new additions to the family plot. The first was Mamá Coco's, the woman having passed three months after Miguel had returned with a song that revived her memory and hopefully saved her father. On the other side of the plot was the second new headstone, one that had been missing for far too long.

Héctor Rivera

Loving Father Husband and Musician

Recuérdame

"We found you Papá Héctor...had you buried about two weeks ago." Miguel sighed as he picked at the beginning notes to Un Poco Loco. "Papá let me play your guitar all day, and everyone closed down so they could attend, which was really nice. They wanted to give you Er-his mausoleum, but Mamá Elena said she'd rather burn it down than keep you away from Mamá Imelda any longer." The memory of watching the historical committee flinching at her legendary chancla made Miguel laugh to himself, and his tempo increased a little as he looked back at the invisible bridge. "I miss you guys."

We miss you too nino, last year was certainly exciting!

Miguel nearly dropped Héctor's guitar as he jerked around, knowing for a fact he had heard someone this time.

"Hola? Someone there?" Aside from some townsfolk celebrating a good few feet away, no one else seemed close enough for Miguel to hear so clearly. That changed a moment later when he heard Dante's familiar barking, the Xolo appearing to the world from seemingly nowhere to bound over to Miguel, knocking the boy onto his back to lick at his face.

Dante, get off the poor boy!

Miguel giggled as he lightly pushed Dante off of him, only to freeze when a skeletal hand covered in an orange glow grabbed the alebreije by the scruff of his neck. Said hand belonged to his Tía Rosita, his great-great aunt not noticing that Miguel could see her until Dante was let go, the taller woman freezing before a wide grin crossed her face.

Miguel?

"T-Tía Rosita?" Miguel quickly scrambled up and onto his feet, eyeing her with disbelief as he slowly reached for her hand, fully expecting to phase through her like he had with the living last year.

He did not, and found himself smothered into a tight hug as he let out a loud laugh of disbelief.

Now I don't want to accuse you of anything, but you didn't steal from an ofrenda this year, did you? Miguel pulled back when she finally cleared her throat, one eyebrow raised as he frantically shook his head.

"N-No, I learned my lesson, promise! I don't kno- wait! I-I've been hearing people since I left the house." Miguel grabbed his right arm when he thought of a familiar voice he'd sworn he'd imagined a few minutes ago, and his Tía smiled in understanding. "Is...?"

Come on, I think someone will be happy to see you. Tía Rosita held out her arm for Miguel to link with after he slung his bisabuelo's guitar over his shoulder. To the living, it looked like Miguel was escorting an invisible person through the graveyard and out into town, the boy stuffing an earbud into his ear to make it look like he was on the phone as he filled Rosita in on some of his personal life. There were skeletons every which way Miguel looked now, and while some may have noticed with a start, they mostly left the duo alone as they headed across town to a small park Miguel had been to only once or twice. He could see Mamá Coco dancing with Papá Julio as Héctor played for them, having perched himself up into the branches of the large tree that cast shade to most of the park in the daytime. Victoria sits on a bench watching with a soft smile, sometimes looking away when Óscar and Felipe laugh about something, going through the offerings the Rivera's had left for them. Mamá Imelda was sitting at the base of the tree, just keeping a gentle eye on her family while occasionally glancing up at her husband, a soft look Miguel could never have imagined crossing her face every time she laid eyes on him. Naturally, she's the first to see him, and for a moment, she has to take in the way Rosita ruffles his hair before she shoots up and onto her feet.

Miguel?!

There's a loud twang as the music comes to an abrupt halt, six pairs of eyes shooting over to where Miguel and Rosita stood arm in arm, but the child is only focused on one set in particular.

"P-Papá Héctor?" A year's worth of anxiety melts away at the sight of his stunned bisabuelo, and despite being thirteen years old now, Miguel can't stop the tears that blur his vision. It had been agony not knowing if he'd been fast enough that morning, and familiar arms were scooping Miguel up and against familiar bones before a sob tears itself from his throat.

I've got you chamaco, todo va a salir bien.

Miguel could feel others coming up to hug him, but all he could focus on was the man holding him. His bones were still stained with age and his brush with the Final Death, but after Miguel wiped some tears from his face, he noticed they were a good shade brighter than he saw that infamous night. Sobs of pent anxiety turn to sobs of joy as he hugs Héctor as tight as he could, only to giggle when the poor man's head pops off and into his hands.

"Lo siento!" Héctor and Miguel stared at each other before the elder snorted in amusement. Imelda gently reassembled her husband as the two dissolved into laughter, eyes rolling good-naturedly as the family finally stepped back to give them space.

So, would anyone like to explain? Victoria eventually spoke up, unable to keep the small smile off her face as she watched Miguel and Héctor giggle at each other. You didn't steal from an ofrenda again, right?

"Why is that the first assumption!" The teen huffed, pointedly avoiding the looks sent his way, along with Felipe's prodding to make sure no skeleton parts were becoming visible. "No I did not, I just...well, I don't know!"

It could be

A side effect?

"Maybe?" Miguel shrugged, smiling a little when Imelda took one of his hands and gently squeezed it. "I..it's really nice to see all of you, I uh, I've thought about you every day."

As have we corazón, in fact, it's hard not to with all you did for us last year. Miguel grinned when Julio ruffled his hair, heart constricting when he saw the smile on his Mamá Coco's face. Socorro couldn't get enough of hearing about your adventure last year.

My intelligent little bisnieto, you have definitely taken after papá. If he had been able to, Héctor would have fallen to pieces at the statement, settling instead for a loud sniffle and squeeze of the boy in his arms.

As much as they all wanted to stay in this happy little bubble, the sky was getting lighter as sunrise came ever closer. Miguel escorted his dead family back to the bridge, one hand firmly holding Héctor's as the other was in Coco's, Dante trotting beside his master with happy barks.

"Do you think I'll be able to see you again next year?" Miguel asked when they finally came to a stop beside the barrier, rubbing his right arm with a hesitant smile.

Maybe, maybe not. We will always be here regardless, don't ever forget that Miguel. Imelda knelt down, giving him a small hug before kissing his forehead. We will always love you, visible or not.

She's always right, you know. Héctor laughed, hanging back as everyone hugged the teen before crossing the barrier and out of Miguel's sight. Soon, only Héctor remained, the taller man kneeling down to hug Miguel as close as he could.

"I hope I get to see you every year...I miss you so much Papá Héctor,:

I do too, I'm so so proud of you. Miguel smiled as he looked up at his ancestor, pulling away despite never wanting to let go. He wouldn't be able to handle any sort of delay in getting his Papá Héctor to safety, aware the sun was close to breaching the horizon.

"You should go home, Papá Héctor; no last-minute saves here." He sniffled, watching Héctor get to his feet and look over at Santa Cecilia with a soft smile.

Get some rest chamaco, I'll see you next year. With one last ruffle of Miguel's hair, Héctor smiled and took his step through the barrier, leaving the teen standing alone at the edge of the graveyard.

"Yea...I'll see you next year." Miguel smiled as he began to whistle, the idea for a new song forming as he headed home.

So far, it's definitely the best Día de los Muertos he's ever had!

[atlxolotl]

El Muchacho Monday

[dragoneyes613]

I keep thinking of an AU where Imelda died only a couple of months or years after Héctor did. So all that's left is Oscar and Felipe and Coco, and the twins aren't able to take care of Coco. They want to, but they're, like, teenagers, and there's no other family to help them. They don't have much money; they don't have steady jobs, only being hired by whoever needs any odd jobs done around town, or maybe they do but it doesn't pay enough. They don't know how to make shoes as well as Imelda did, they're not earning enough.

Now, the twins themselves would be fine. They can rent a room or live out of the inn or something. But they can't have that for Coco.

Coco needs a home. She needs proper nourishing food, she needs to have a place to live that won't keep changing all around town every couple of months, she needs toys and clothes, she needs people who'll be able to devote all their attention to her like her parents did. The twins aren't able to give her any of this, not at the moment with things as they are.

So they ask Ernesto care for her.

Sure, they haven't seen Ernesto ever since Héctor ran off on them a couple years ago, but he was Héctor's best friend, he knows Coco, he used to babysit her sometimes. Ernesto's not as famous yet as he will someday be, but he's pretty well known, so it's easy for the twins to track him down, and he has plenty of money, enough to easily afford to take care of a child, or hire caretakers, or whichever he does. Coco will always have enough to eat, a safe place to live, with someone familiar. It's not the same as her parents, of course, but it's the best they can do. They figure Ernesto will be able to care for her until they earn & save enough money to get on their feet and properly raise their niece. Hopefully it won't take too long.

Ernesto agrees to take Coco in. Not that he wants to, but of course his reputation is very important to him, and it'd look bad if he refused to care for his missing best friend's orphaned daughter. 

I haven't figured out yet if he ends up doting on her like a daughter because he feels guilty about Héctor, or if he avoids her as much as possible because she reminds him of Héctor, or if he's cruel to her because he's still angry at Héctor for leaving him (twice - the second time when he decided to go home, the first time when he married Imelda) or what.

On the plus side, at least Imelda and Héctor get to reconcile in death. Since Imelda died so soon after Héctor, maybe she was still holding out hope that he'd come home at the time, thinking he was sick or his letters had been mislaid or whatever she must have been thinking in canon when his letters first stopped. And she wouldn't have so many years of bitterness against him for leaving. So when she encounters him in the Land of the Dead she figures that some tragic accident must have befallen him on the road and Ernesto for some reason never told her (as opposed to in canon where when she saw Héctor after she died she probably thought he'd died twenty or thirty years after he'd left her and Coco or something).

[razoogm]

Rivera family ages (my HC)

Imelda: 75 (when she died)

Héctor: 21 (when he died)

Oscar and Felipe: 73 (when they died)

Julio: 85 (when he died)

Coco: 100 (when she died)

Rosita: 68 (when she died)

Victoria 51 (when she died)

Franco: 72/73

Elena: 70/71

Berto: 48/49

Carmen: 46/47

Enrique: 42/43

Gloria: 40/41

Luisa: 33/34

Abel: 19/20

Rosa: 14/15

Miguel: 12/13

Benny and Manny:4/5

Socorro: 10 months/1

[skyeknight-hyperfixations]

5 times Miguel recognizes his dead relatives

+ 1 time he didn't (due to a 'mistaken identity' case)

[babycharmander]

Headcanon: the built the bike themselves... and forgot to install brakes.