#the life and death of hector rivera

[therabbitthatpostthings]

I feel the main reason that the Ernesto De La Cruz twist worked as opposed to other twist villains is because he already sucked as a character before we knew the truth.

All we knew about Miguel's grandfather is that he was blinded by the starlight, abandoned his wife and daughter and didn't even send them anyway to support themselves. Even in death, he's not visiting his living family or giving the Rivera family the time of day. He's surrounded by adoring fans and having a lavish party, using spirit guides as servants. We are told explicitly that this man is awful!

So when we find out that this is Hector's ex partner who ruined not just his life, but his FAMILY'S life- the twist isn't "Oh my god he's awful!" it's "OH MY GOD! He's worse than I thought!"

[evermorehqs]

CATCHING MY BREATH, STARING OUT AN OPEN WINDOW

Thomas O'Malley is based on O'Malley from The Aristocats. He is a 43 year old human, owner of The Jukebox, and uses he/him pronouns. He has no powers. Thomas is portrayed by Oscar Isaac and he is taken.

CATCHING MY DEATH, AND I COULDN’T BE SURE

Thomas O'Malley was a loner, but it wasn't entirely by choice. He was an orphan for as long as he could remember, and at a certain point he sort of stopped wishing for a family, figuring he would be happier learning to be content by himself. People weren't all that, anyway, he'd been given plenty of reasons not to trust them over the years, and he could do just fine on his own. It wasn't until he met Duchess in his twenties that he began to change his mind, finding some hope that things didn't have to be that way. He was seen as nothing more than as a stray cat to most, but she didn't treat him any differently despite her higher status. Before he knew it, he'd gotten dangerously close to not only her, but her three children as well. They weren't anything, not yet, but they weren't nothing — until all at once, they were. He hadn't walked away, he would never after the years of loving them, but he couldn't tell any of them that. One day, he was just here, with no memory of arriving, and no way out. He tried for awhile, but Thomas knew it was pointless; if all of the smart people in town couldn't find an answer, he wasn't going to magically stumble upon one himself. Once again, he'd be better off just accepting things as they were. So he worked his way up, bought a rundown building in town, turned it into The Jukebox, an eating establishment based around music since it was the only thing that hadn't let him down. He didn't hate Evermore, his life was pretty easy all around, but it was lonely, and no matter how much time passed — over a decade now — he found that nothing could fill the hole of the family he'd almost had.

I HAD A FEELING SO PECULIAR

❀ Hector Rivera: He's seen the man at The Jukebox a few times, never eating, seemingly just there to listen to the music and honestly? Thomas respects it. ❀ Pacifica Northwest: More fatherly than he seems, he cares a lot about his employees, all of them; but something about Pacifica just reminds him of Marie, and he can't help but have a soft spot for the blonde. ❀ Simon Petraglia: O'Malley is a friendly guy of few friends, but he would consider Simon one of them... even if he doesn't quite get the archelogy obsession.

THAT THIS PAIN WOULD BE FOR EVERMORE

[swynlake-rp]

Haunts, ghosts, ghouls, and revenants, what spooky tales they weave! Join their world here in Swynlake…

Moonwind Stardancer (Moonwind Stardancer, Soul) - Ghosts and ghouls deserve love too! That’s the Moonwind Stardancer approach to being a medium. You see your gift as a higher calling to help lost souls find their way to the next realm. Is this your true calling or do you just think you know better than the spirits you help?

Ichabod Crane (Ichabod Crane, The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad) - A bestselling author whose stories are inspired by the ghosts you see, you’ve come to Swynlake in hopes of finding an answer. Why does this spooky headless creature keep following you? And how can you get rid of it?

Hector Rivera (Hector Rivera, Coco) - You’ve got a bone to pick…or two. Question is, with who? Will you ever find out who murdered you and make amends with your family?

Jack Skellington (Jack Skellington, Nightmare Before Christmas) - Your “gift” has felt like anything but a gift your entire life. You cannot learn to love it, you refuse to. Can you manage to suppress it or will it prove to be forever part of you?

Auguste Gusteau (Auguste Gusteau, Ratatouille) - There are worse emotions to have to mine in order to maintain corporeal form, though maybe you could’ve done without it being so specific. As a revenant you are able to exist if people enjoy your recipes! You’ve come to Sywnlake in hopes of repairing your tarnished reputation, as a restaurant here is using your recipes.

Demitri “Demi” Whitfield (Demi, Vampirina) - Talk about a big oops. After causing and accident that led to your death, you are revenant, kept corporeal by one thing and one thing only – absorbing satisfaction! That’s right, you must be a people pleaser or else you literally will blink in and out of existence. Fun!

[ask-skeletonssquads]

Hector meeting with Skeletons

Hector is seen the Restaurant and Bar and going to inside the entrance room with other Skeletons Skeleghosts

Hector: ¿Que? What going on?

Lewis, Brook, Manolo, Jack, Manny, Sir Daniel, Sans, Papyrus are talking

Hector is confused

Lewis is seen in shocked that Hector is first meeting with rest of Skeletons

Few hours later of Explaining

Hector: I can't believe it... I was dead after I want going to home. I'm failed going to home and seen my family. I'm realized that Ernesto poison me and getting my Guitar and Songbook. I grew up hated Ernesto.

Lewis and everyone is shocked and surprised that Hector's Story and Explaining

Lewis: ! Oh my God... You are dead, you are old is 21 like my old 21 too!

Brook: Wow, I hear like bad person was murdered and stolen your Guitar and Songbook.

Manolo: People were remembered holding their photos and keeping remembered. Not wanting to losing and missing, but not having photos. Before they are forgotten before dying to dust ashes away of Final Death. They want to save the photos from dying dead relatives and recovered from Final Death. Photos is fixed with taped photos of fixed and recovered.

Hector: Si, right. They have their own photos of families and friends. I had my photo.

Hector holding his photo of himself was Alive gives them seen his photo of Hector is Alive.

Hector: Eh?

Lewis: ? You have your photo was Alive? I'm having my Heart Locket has photo of myself and Vivi, many photos of myself and friends.

Hector is shocked and smile

Jack: Hector, what holidays?

Hector: It's November, short called Nov, 1 and 2 of The Day of the Dead/Day of the Dead and Spanish in El día de los Muertos/Día de los Muertos. Living Peoples have their relatives and friends are remembered and recognized keeping memories of their dead families and friends.

Jack: Oh! I'm know! They want to keep remember that not wanting to lost and missing. People wanting to keep remember them.

Manny: Yes, I'm right, everyone wants to keep remembered and memories of families and friends.

Daniel: Right

Sans and Papyrus are seen others Skeletons in talking

----

For @canocia2007

Hector Rivera

Lewis Pepper

Brook

Manolo Sanchez

Jack Skellington

Sir Daniel 'Dan' Fortesque

Sans and Papyrus

Manny Calavera

All belongs to their others

Hector Rivera belongs to Coco Movie of Disney and Pixar Movies

Lewis Pepper belongs to Mysteryben27 and Mystery Skulls Animated, Brook belongs to One Piece, Manolo Sanchez belongs to The Book of Life, Jack Skellington belongs The Nightmare before Christmas, Sir Daniel 'Dan' Fortesque belongs to Medievil, Sans and Papyrus belongs to Undertale, Manny Calavera belongs to Grim Fandango

[lullabiesofwoe]

[  david castaneda, cis man, he/him. ] ✧･ﾟ is that [ JAIME RIVERA ] who  just stumbled into town? rumour has it that they’re the [ THIRTY ] year  old child of [ HECTOR AND IMELDA ] from [ COCO ]. i’ve also heard that  they’re [ CHARMING ] but [ SECRETIVE ] and have [ 1 ]  sibling. i could almost swear i heard [ EN EL OLVIDO - OMAR APOLLO ]  playing when they appeared.

full name: jaime rivera

nicknames: none

age: thirty

gender: cis man

pronouns: he/him

sexuality: bisexual

parents: hector and imelda rivera from coco

siblings: (open younger sisister - mama coco)

( tw: mention of murder and parental abandonment. )

TO SAY THAT life was complicated for jaime rivera would’ve been a severe understatement. he was born as the first child to hector and imelda rivera, his younger sister socorro entering the world a few years after him. while his father’s presence in his life was on the sporadic side, jaime found himself idolising the man from birth. he inherited his father’s love for music and the desire to pursue a career in music himself one day. even though it felt like sometimes his father was putting music and his aspirations before his own family, jaime never blamed him for doing so. he believed one day that the world would know his father’s name and appreciate the talent he had, especially with the premise of going on tour with the worldwide famous musician ernesto de la cruz.

although all contact between his father and mother came to a stop not long after his father left home. from that point forward, jaime watched as his mother transformed into a completely different person. to provide for her children, she taught herself to make shoes and passed the craft on to them. on top of that, all music was banned from their household due to the belief that she held that her husband merely ran off. little did she know, the thing that prevented him from returning home was death itself. before hector could even get a chance to make his dreams come true, he was sabotaged by ernesto and murdered by the man he saw as his key to success. while jaime didn’t want to believe the fact that his father would so easily abandon his family, he had no other explanation.

while his mother distanced herself from anything remotely related to his father, jaime used music as a tool to remain connected to him. he would secretly play guitar and scribe music late at night, not wanting to anger his mother. it was a secret that only coco knew, often playing for his younger sister and getting her approval on his latest work. although as he grew older, his desire to pursue his own path grew stronger. even more so when his greatest muse came along: valentina de la cruz. they had known one another through their fathers. but considering the complicated relationship that spurred after his father’s disappearance, it felt as if the world was truly working against them.

as hard as he tried to resist her and not become enamoured with her, his efforts were all for naught. the two ended up engaging in a friends-with-benefits type arrangement in secret. but it wasn’t long before feelings crept in and began to complicate things. while jaime was too worried that a confession might ruin things, it was his jealousy of seeing val with other men that truly was their downfall. the two had a fairly messy break-up, jaime never getting the chance to tell val how he truly felt about her. it was his biggest regret in life. especially since not long after their breakup, all three of the de la cruz sisters were murdered by their mother.

completely heartbroken and depressed, jaime didn’t know what to do with his life. he ended up running away from home as an escape. he had zero direction in life without val or music and wasn’t mentally prepared to spend the rest of his life as a shoemaker. so he moved to mexico city where he got a small gig playing guitar in a band. but as the years dragged on, he still never felt satisfied. he was just about to decide to return home to his sister and mother right before the chance to do so was stolen from him.

[papergardener]

After the craziest Dia de los Muertos he’s ever experienced, a very sleepy Hector wanders home to sleep, but there’s people in Shantytown too excited to see him again, and ghosts within his lonely little home that he needs to reassure...

(this can be read as a stand-alone)

Going Home

Héctor went slowly as he wound his way through the sleepy back alleys of the Land of the Dead, hoping to be able to make it home without talking to another soul, still reeling from his talk with Imelda at the theater, after the craziest Dia de Los Muertos he had ever experienced, and he had had quite a few wild experiences over the years. Good God, he was tired… But on the plus side- things were great!

Again he paused as a wide smile split his face at the thought of Coco remembering him, the surge of pride for his great-great-grandson, and the incredible hope that he might have another chance with Imelda, something he had long given up hope on. Still, it was hard to think straight or walk straight with the heaviness in his bones. He badly needed sleep. Fortunately, no one paid him any mind and he was careful not to make eye contact, drifting through the dark world like a half-strung marionette. People rarely paid him much attention anyway, with his tattered clothes and gray bones, and while normally that would be somewhat annoying, at that time it was a relief as he tried not to close his eyes too long and risk falling on his face. His relief only grew as he stumbled down the ramp to Shantytown. He made no attempt to call out to the many skeletons who lingered in doorways and walked along the pathways, hoping to slip by unnoticed. Just a little further… “Héctor?” Someone called out. “Is that you?” He jerked his head up, catching sight of a figure approaching. He squinted then smiled wide, waving his hand high overhead. “Ay, Tio! Man, you would not believe what happened to me.” “Is that Héctor?” A woman called out from a nearby shack, peering out a window. He winced and realized it was far too late at night to be shouting. In a lower voice, he said, “Yeah, just me. Sorry, sorry, just gonna head on home—“ “Hey everyone, it’s Héctor!” she shouted, “He’s here!” “Huh?” He stood by, unsure what was happening as others took up the cry, shouting his name and hurrying towards him. Nervously he stepped back, hoping that he wasn’t in trouble again. “Héctor! You’re still here!” “You’re back, I can’t believe it!” “We thought you were gone!” “Uh what… what’s going on?” he asked, looking from one beaming face to another. “We heard about what happened,” one woman said in a low voice. “That you were murdered.” “And almost Forgotten!” “Word is you really were the one who actually wrote de la Cruz's songs." “Of course he was!” An older woman said, glaring at the other skeleton beside her. “You’d know that already if you paid attention.” Héctor felt a small surge of satisfaction, that people were finally believing what he had been saying for so many years. But he wasn’t in the mood to think about it. “Hey, hey, sorry to break this up but I’m really tired,” he said, stepping away and putting his hands up. “I mean really, really tired.” There were groans from the crowd. “Ah, sorry, sorry. We’ll talk later, definitely! But right now, I gotta get some sleep.” “How can you be so sure you’ll still be here?” one man said, peering at him suspiciously. “You could disappear any moment, you already almost did. Might as well spend it with friends, right?” “I'll be all right,” he said, and truly meant it. Or at least felt it. “My daughter remembers me, and with Miguel back in the Living, I won’t be disappearing so soon.” His voice softened, thinking that he still had time when so many others didn’t. With a few more words and assurances he finally pulled himself away from the crowd and to the quiet familiar pathway to his own shack. It was worn-down and old, black against the night sky, but it was home. He pulled open the door and peered into the darkness before sighing in relief. It was empty. He let his body fall slack, his shoulders drooping so low they nearly came off. “Hey amigos,” he said softly, looking over to names carved into the wall, friends he had promised not to forget. “I’m… I’m back.” His bones creaked as he stepped across to the messy bed against the wall. “Been a crazy night… real crazy,” he muttered, hanging his head. “Ay, ay… I’m so tired. Just…” He flopped down onto the crumpled pile of sheets and blankets, and bowed his head, blinking wearily. How was he still so tired after sleeping all day? “I talked to Imelda,” he said abruptly to the empty room, the memory like a shock every time he thought of it. “I mean… we actually talked, and she listened. Can you believe it? After all this time. All these years and... Oh, I, uh, I met my great-great-grandson, weirdly enough. And he’s all right, don’t worry, he’s not here... Oh yeah, turns out I'd been poisoned... God, I was murdered.” The word was still bitter in his mouth. “But I’m all right,” he said reassuringly. “I’m… I’m still here.”

A new wave of exhaustion swept over him, but this time there was a new, uncomfortable feeling of guilt creeping around the edges. He looked up, peering through the darkness to the etched names upon the wall, and then his eyes fell to the ground where he knew a small dagger lay. It was certainly still there because he had held it just that morning, when he thought his time was finally up. A coldness swept through him. That morning he had been sure he was facing his final day of existence, his final chance…

~~~ On the morning of that Dia de los Muertos, he had woken up gasping, staring into complete darkness. Eventually, he made out the faint outlines of the room and only then confirmed to himself that he hadn’t been Forgotten. Not yet. Bringing his hands before his face, he studied them but couldn’t see any of the golden shimmer, but he had felt it. It had been faint, like a sparking undercurrent beneath the old yellow bones. With a sigh, he pulled a knee up to his chest and leaned heavily on it, as weariness threatened to pull him down. His time was finally up. That day would be his last chance to cross the Bridge, his last chance to see his daughter. Sitting there in the dark familiar room, he knew it was more than that. He could feel his own death approaching, like a stalker in the shadows. His minutes were ticking by, and yet he found himself unable to move, but lay half-bent over himself, and thought a hundred half-thoughts, but mostly was tired. Morning light finally began to peak through the cracks in the wall when he rose to his feet, leaning heavily against a wall as he forced himself to wake up. He looked around the one-room shack, half full of rubbish and half-baked plans, with a ratty desk in a corner and an old hammock, worn chairs and cots against the walls. It was far messier than it should have been, and he had to shuffle aside old fabrics and assorted things as he stepped through it. He had let it fall to ruin over the past few years, not bothering to make an effort when he knew his time would be up sooner than later. Yet there was a rationale to the chaos, somewhat, and at the desk he double-checked that his papers were still there, touching the wax paper cover, the twine string.

The top read: for Coco Rivera. Inside it held a letter. It had taken him multiple tries to write it, and in the end, it was one of the shorter versions. He had written how much he loved her, that he had always loved her, how he wished he could have been there for her. How very sorry he was. Beneath the letters were a stack of papers: his songs. Those that he had written in death and were the most important, the dearest to his heart, they would belong to her. If she wished to burn them, that would be her choice. As likely or not they would be burned anyway on some cold night, or be tossed into the surrounding water and would disappear, just like him. He could only hope his words might reach her: that someone would find them, understand, and seek her out. There should have been a letter for Imelda, but he had given up on writing it. Whatever he might give her, she would burn without sparing a glance and he couldn’t bear that. It was her choice to despise him, he had come to terms with it, and there was nothing he could ever do to change it. Would Imelda know or care if he disappeared? Would anyone? He felt a shiver, not quite gold, but almost. He was already so tired… what if he just lay down? Soon, very soon, he would disappear and his old home would once again be empty, a place devoid of even ghosts. Straightening, he looked up and his eyes came to the familar names carved upon the wall, some by his own hand. The last people who had truly cared for him. “This is it, amigos,” he said in a soft voice. “I know what you mean now, about how tired you get. It'd be nice to just sleep, you know? But this is my last chance. I just want to say goodbye to Coco. I have to try, one more time. But I… I don’t think I’m coming back.” The realization hit him just as the words left his mouth, an uncomfortable truth he hadn’t quite faced. He might never step through that door again. Somehow, that made it seem more real. In the thin silence he stepped to the wall and ran his bony fingers along the names, tracing the crooked letters, feeling the small gouges where the one writing had stumbled. He remembered the last one he had written, a decade before, and the unbearable, crushing loneliness that he was left in. He remembered how badly his hands had shaken as he etched the name, one fumbling stroke at a time because even when the rest of the world forgot them, their names proved they had existed. The only name missing... was his own. He took his small knife from his belt, feeling the weight of it in his hand, pressed the chipped edge against his palm, judged it sharp enough, and gripped it tight. He would have to add his own name to their memorial. Somehow, it seemed important. A small, pathetic attempt to tie himself together to his found familia, people he had loved, and who had loved him in return.

He stood there, one hand pressed against the wood, only faintly conscious of the passage of time, and hesitated. He knew he was fading. There was no question. Once Coco forgot him, he would just… fade. Forever. Finally, with a shuddery exhale, he pressed the tip of the dagger to the dark wood and then stopped, breathing hard and rubbing his hand over his face. This was his final chance to have some small part of him remain in that world. It seemed so important and yet, so meaningless. One day the place and the names would rot away or burn up in smoke, and no one would care. He closed his eyes and let his head fall forward, thudding on the wall, and allowed himself to remember their finest moments together, playing and dancing and laughing, the long nights and hot days on the docks looking out over the water. What would they say if they could see him now? A sudden laugh left him and his hand dropped to his side, the knife thudding on the floor. Almost certainly, they would be telling him to not be such a damn idiot, and to go see his daughter. Hell, they’d probably be telling him to go see Imelda as well, but he knew better than to chance that. But he got the message. Enough self-pity. He had to wake up and take advantage of the little time he had left.

"All right, all right, I hear you," he said grinning, then shook himself awake, his bones rattling around. It made him feel more alive, and that was just what he needed. "I'm not gone yet. One more shot at this. Gonna go borrow a dress from Ceci, head over to the bridge, and try something pretty dumb, honestly. If not that, well, I've got a few more options. What's the worst they can do to me, right?" He glanced around at the shabby shack, his home for so many years, full of memories and carrying the names of his friends. Chances are, he would never return. Just before stepping out, his hand lingered on the door, looking back and thought how empty and cold his home looked. And that it would stay that way. “Adiós...” ~~~

Blinking and faintly looking around the dark room, he was again keenly reminded how very, very close he had been to disappearing for good. If he hadn’t met Miguel, if things had gone the slightest bit wrong… “It’s all right, though,” he muttered, both to himself and to the ghosts that weren't there. “Things are… ok. Good, even. Things are good.” He sighed. He was too tired. “I’ll tell you later,” he whispered as he lay down, setting his hat on the floor. “Promise… I just… need to sleep… gotta wake up in time… meet Imelda…” He closed his eyes and was out before his next breath. After so many years he finally had a second chance, he wasn’t going to let it slip by.

[marypenelope]

Coco always makes me really sad bc even though the Riveras all reunite and are happy together in the end, Héctor still missed out on, like, the entirety of Coco's life, not to mention the tragedy of Imelda being so mad at him that even in death she refused to hear him out. Like, Héctor missed so much because of Ernesto, and nothing will ever give him that back and its heartbreaking

So anyway I've been thinking of a Coco au all day.

Basically, Ernesto, thinking Héctor dead, takes his notebook and guitar and leaves him in the street - but! Héctor is not quite done for, and a kind stranger of some sort managed to get him medical help before the poison kills him. However, due to either stuff with the poison (tmk, certain ones can really mess with you, even if they don't kill you) or possibly idk he hits his head when he collapses or something, Héctor now has amnesia. He remembers his first name and that he was trying to get back to someone, but that's it.

So for a while hes just kinda wandering about, trying to figure out where he was going and who he needs to find, but then Ernesto starts getting famous. And Hector's probably fiddled with some music at this point, maybe even vaguely remembers some of his songs - so when he hears the stuff Ernesto is releasing, he realizes they must be connected somehow.

Ernesto, having finally made it big, plans a big 'homecoming' type concert in Santa Cecilia - yknow, one of those publicity stunt things to make him seem more sentimental and appealing and stuff. Héctor hears about the concert and, well, his guy is his only lead on the life he had before, so. He heads to Santa Cecilia too, hoping to meet Ernesto and figure out what, if anything, he knows about Héctor's past.

There's probably a couple scenes where they just miss each other, yknow - Ernesto just catching a glimpse of Héctor out of the corner of his eye, that sort of thing. Obviously Héctor ends up running into Imelda and/or Coco. Imelda, of course, is furious with him, meanwhile Héctor has no idea what's going on. She doesn't believe him about the amnesia at first, thinking he's just using it as some kind of excuse, but eventually shes convinced. She's still angry at him, but now she wants to know how this happened. As for Héctor, well, he's found what he was looking for- but now he has even more questions about Ernesto and what happened between them. The two team up to confront Ernesto at his concert (and Ernesto, btw, is kinda losing it from all the glimpses of Héctor). When he's finally confronted, Ernesto tries to be all like 'Oh Héctor I thought you were dead, I'm so glad you're not, blah blah blah', but Imelda's all like 'if you thought he was dead why tf didnt you tell me' and stuff, and as Ernesto blathers on, trying to tell a version of events that maintains his innocence, Héctor ends up piecing everything together. Ernesto is exposed in the same way as the movie, his career is destroyed, and idk he probably ends up in jail.

Meanwhile, Héctor doesnt necessarily remember everything, but he's been reunited with his family and Imelda's forgiven him and basically everything is great bc he deserves only good things okay???

[ilovecocomovie]

Hola :) My new photomontages. I´m soooo excited about it, because after all those hours spent on creating this, it turned out just how I imagined in my head. So, we have here Imelda and Hector performing. They are wearing the same clothes, in one picture they are alive in Santa Cecilia and in second one they are performing in Land of death. They are now popular, so Hector has some concerts, where he is performing with love of his life-Imelda. Another talent show took place, and they were invited as a special guests. They ask their friend Ceci to make them exactly the same clothes as when they were performing together in Santa Cecilia for a very first time. And they sang some songs - Hector sang Remember me and Un poco loco (while Imelda was dancing) and then they sang duets- La Llorona, Besame mucho (songs that they were singing also when they were alive) and new song El corrido de Miguel Rivera (song about their great great grandson Miguel and his adventure) - with last one I was inspired by Spanish musical Recuerdame. Hope you will like it :)

[isabelasflowersblog]

Encanto and Coco had something similar on why their generational trauma started in the first place. It is because of the fear their matriachs felt after losing their beloved husbands. After watching it a ton of times, I did not dig deeper on why because while watching the movie, you can really see the writing on the wall. Imelda thought Hector left to play for the world and never came back when he was so homesick and when Ernesto poisoned him. She was misunderstood. So she banned any kind of music in the household and started a shoe business. Alma literally saw her husband's death in her own eyes on the same day that their long awaited children were born. Despite the sadness, a miracle happened that gave them a refuge to live. So she protected the miracle at all costs to not lose it too.

Banishing music from your life is hard. Everywhere you go, music is there. So probably the people who married into the Rivera family had to sacrifice their love for music so that they could be accepted. Like those people grew up with music since it is their family's culture. They understood about the music ban of the Riveras and banned from their life as well. Imelda, who started this whole thing, probably as well sometimes regrets her decision in making it. Maybe Coco also asked why they have to do this. Coco loves her dad, she had been longing for him for years even during her final years.

Alma who led the miracle and town must not like her job as well. Like what she said in the movie, she thought she would be a different woman. That sentence was clear that she never wanted to have a magical family. She wanted to be like every other woman. A mother with children whom she loves not because of their power but who they are. Watching her husband's death kept her traumatised for a long time. She raised her three children with that trauma, until both of her daughters got married and even had children of their own, she still had that trauma. She let go of it and moved on 50 YEARS after her husband's death. Imelda loved music again and forgave her husband when they were skeletons already. Why it took so long to make things right? Because of those brave souls which is their grandkids who let go of that trauma. Other generations should not experience the same thing. Like what Miguel said in the beginning of Coco, "Sometimes, I feel like I'm cursed, because of something that happened before I was born" It clearly said that the younger generations experienced the same thing because they had to. Like how would you feel that you have to do this because your parents and those who came before you did?

We all know watching our loved ones die in our own eyes is so painful. I for one cannot move on from that sorrow. That is how Abuela Alma faced. She moved on 50 years later when her husband's death happened when her children were just newborn and moved on when she already had grandchildren. She had to lead the miracle and the town they made.

Let us now move on to the grandchildren that helped them see in another point of view. Miguel and Mirabel are somewhat similar. They were like the most different members of the family. Unlike the Riveras though, the Madrigals are magical. The Riveras are music haters and serious in their family legacy of being shoemakers through and through. But Miguel is not that serious with the whole shoemaking thing and secretly love music. The Madrigals are magical with every member blessed by the miracle that can use their gift to help the town. But Mirabel did not get a gift when she came of age. These two grandchildren were often neglected by the other members of the family. In Coco, the matriach is already dead but I think Abuelita Elena is like the one who leads the house since Coco is already too old. But in Encanto, the matriach is already there.

Because they knew what needs to be done for their family to change, they decided to look for some answers in the past. Although Mirabel did not go to the land of the dead to find answers, but she knew how to connect the pieces together. Miguel started finding answers when he transported to the land of the dead and met his dead loved ones. Mirabel found answers within the house only. It caused some conflicts between them and the matriachs, but they resolved the problem in the end.

Alma and Imelda had a fear of losing someone again if they would lead the same path as the forgotten ones (Hector and Bruno) did. In those two movies, the difference is which side of the family is it from. In Coco, it was Miguel's dad's (I forgot his name) side of the family since he was Elena's son. In Encanto, it was Julieta's (Mirabel's mom) side of the family instead of her dad's (Agustín) side. But enough about that.

So what I am trying to say is that Abuela Alma and Mama Imelda are not the villains of their respective movies. (Although Ernesto is the villain in Coco) It is the trauma their whole family experienced. I am really happy that they changed their point of view in the end.

[mosthomoeroticenemies]

The List

This is just a list of all the contestants, now I must go make the round one matchups (I have no idea how long that will take, bear with me please)

There’s 186 contestants so putting it under a read more

Papyrus - Undertale

Sans - Undertale

Jack Skellington - Nightmare Before Christmas

Brook - One Piece

Skelly -Hades

Skeletor - He-Man

Skeleton - Minecraft

Lewis Pepper - Mystery Skulls

Grim - The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy

Héctor Rivera - Coco

Itward - Fran Bow

Ghost Rider - Marvel Comics

Skulduggery Pleasant - Skulduggery Pleasant

Death - Discworld

Lord Hater - Wander Over Yonder

Smitty Werbenjagermanjenson - Spongebob Squarepants

Skelita Calaveras - Monster High

Señor Hueso - Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Mr. Skully Pettibone - Scary Godmother

Gaster - Undertale

Skull Boy - Ruby Gloom

Real Magic Skeleton - OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes

Dry Bones - Mario

Spooky Scary Skeletons - Silly Symphonies: The Skeleton Dance

Dr Bones Cookie - Cookie Run Ovenbreak

Manny Calavera - Grim Fandango

Kravitz - The Adventure Zone

Bonejangles - Corpse Bride

Benrey - Half Life VR but the AI is Self Aware

Harrowhark Nonagesimus - Harrow the Ninth

Sans - Deltarune

Dry Bowser - Mario

Mamá Imelda Rivera - Coco

Houndstone - Pokemon

Rexy - Night at the Museum

Ainz Ooal Gown - Overlord

King Clawthorne - The Owl House

Clackula - My Singing Monsters

The Lich - Adventure Time

Skeletons - Skyrim

Benny - Halloweentown

The Skull - The Last Unicorn

Skellinore - My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

The Dinosaur Skeleton - Dog Man

Zans - Going Under

Skul - Skul: The Hero Slayer

Ernesto de la Cruz - Coco

Royal Dominguez - Inscryption

The Skeleton Appears - The Skeleton Appears

Bonehilda - The Sims

Scraps - Corpse Bride

The Titan - The Owl House

Hector Barbossa - Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

Skeleton Horse - Minecraft

Samukai - Lego Ninjago

Oshare Bones - Puyo Puyo

Master Warden Palamedes Sextus - Harrow the Ninth

Skull Man - Mega Man

Cubone - Pokemon

Trazyn the Infinite - Warhammer 40,000

Death - Soul Eater

Lady Bone Demon - Lego Monkie Kid

Bone Fairies - Meme

Twelve Foot Skeleton - Twelve Foot Skeleton

Mr Death - Adventure Time

Bone Dragon - Dragonvale

Skeleton Horse Jockey - Minecraft

Skull - The Daily Object Show

Skeletons - Spy Kids 2

Skeletons that tried to kill Mr Krabs - Spongebob Squarepants

Skull on the Mantelpiece - Sherlock

Lerexus Novation - Elder Scrolls Online

Bone Monk - DUSK

The Augur of the Obscure - Elder Scrolls Online

No Name - Skeleton Soldier Couldn't Protect the Dungeon

Mortis - The Clowns SMP

Skull with Party Hat - It's Time For Comics

Yorick - Hamlet

Skeleton - The G Keyboard

Environmentally Storytelling Toilet Skeleton - Various Post-apocalyptic Games

Skeleton - Oblivion

Atavist - Slap City

Gravelord Nito - Dark Souls

Xykon - The Order of the Stick

Death - Puppet History

Bones Malone - Tumblr

Stallord - The Legend of Zelda: Twilgiht Princess

Santa Claus - Puppet History

Poco - Brawl Stars

The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra - The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra

Just Walk Out! - The Meme

Nakarkos - Monster Hunter

Skeleton - Morrowind

Caged Skeletons - Stardew Valley

Arc - Skeleton Knight in Another World

Banjaw - My Singing Monsters

Pip's Skull - South Park: The Stick of Truth

Gregor - The Adventures of Puss in Boots

Heisenbones - Breaking Bad

Death - Gregory Horror Show

Greg the Grim Reaper - Conker's Bad Fur Day

Skeleton - Crypt of the Necrodancer

Skeleton - Danny Phantom

Pariah Dark's entire skeleton army - Danny Phantom

La Muerte - The Book of Life

La Calavera Catrina - Mexican culture

Mr. Holbrooke - Little Witch Academia

Bart without his flesh - The Simpson's

Honda - Skull-Face Bookseller Honda-san

The Boneraiser - Boneraiser Minions

David S. Pumpkins' Backup Dancers - Saturday Night Live

Bonesy - Gorillaz

Skeleton - "What's a skeleton's favorite snack?"

Décor and his husband - Tumblr user liquidstar's brother's room

Toumaï - Paleontology

Princess Rita - Once Upon a Tower

The Grim Reaper - The Sims

Elias Ainsworth - The Ancient Magus' Bride

Fabro the Necromancer - Slim Gretina's Grumpy Shark - Absurd Extravaganza

Death - Horrible Histories

Mind-Boggling Effects - Playstation

Mortaccio - Vampire Survivors

Halloween Novelty Pencil  - Halloween 2016

The Skeleton Head - Lockwood & Co.

Captain Bones - Crashbox

Skullastic Superintendents - Monster High

Wither - Minecraft

Stray - Minecraft

Skelly - Monster High

Bonesy - Monster High

Grim - DanTDM

Bone - Aib

High Lord Wolnir - Dark Souls 3

Christmas tree skull - Real Life

Skeleton - Gravity Falls

Me the poll maker - The Near Future

Mr Bones- Mr Bones

Lego Skeleton - Lego

Kruncha and Nuckal - Lego Ninjago

Spider Jockey - Minecraft

The Lernaen Hydra - Hades

Skeleton Champion - Oblivion

The Skulkin - Lego Ninjago

The Nightmare King - Dimension 20: Fantasy High (Sophomore Year)

Queen Elizabeth 2 - England

Stalnox - Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Stalkoblins - Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

The Skeletons - My Closet

Lord Death Man - DC Comics

Cadaver Cain - Skulduggery Pleasant

Your Own - Your Body

Righty - The Lone Necromancer

Count von Dy - The Mystery of Greveholm

Skull and Bones - Skull Chapel in Czermna

Sedlec Ossuary skeletons - Real Life

Gary the Necromancer - DnD campaign

Manolo Sanchez - The Book of Life

Death - Cultural

Boneknapper - How to Train Your Dragon

Hooty - The Owl House

Monk Gyatso - Avatar: The Last Airbender

Skullgreymon - Digimon

Inaccurate Animal Skeleton Decoration - Home Depot

Skeleton - Bones Album Cover

Skeleton-T - Puyo Puyo

Skeletron - Terraria

Mr. Saturday - Skeleton Boomerang

Da Vinci - Ghost Stories

Milo Belladonna - Monster Camp

Bones the Skeleton - Skyrim Mod user jarrodrey99

Reaper (Gabriel Reyes) - Overwatch

Szarekh The Silent King - Warhammer 40,000

Calliope - Homestuck

Jared Hopworth - The Magnus Archives

Hexxus - FernGully: The Last Rainforest

Rem - Death Note

Grimm - Grimm's Hollow

Decay Dragon - Dragonvale

Melting - Nuclear Throne

Duskull - Pokemon

Bona - My Singing Monsters

Death Phantom - Sailor Moon

Charon - Hades

Necrodeus - Kirby: Mass Attack

Jimothy - Elsewhere University

Blight - Batman Beyond

[leon-dechino]

I want a fic about all the time Hector spent in the slums of the afterlife (the forgotten). There could be some great worldbuilding there about the place. Some of the history of the area, how it came to be, who was the very first person to ever be forgotten, left to the dust by their family. There could be all kinds of people in there. With all kinds of stories. All kinds of mistakes, all kinds of attitudes and behaviors, all kinds of regrets made by the people that led to them to be forgotten, tragic stories that led to their situation, or just plain becoming lost to the annals of time.

It could start with Hector getting into the afterlife. He is in darkness, and in the dark glows a small trail of petals. The petals lead him to an old timey Afterlife. Full of vibrancy and color. And he is aabsolutely gobsmacked. Good thing there is a Xolo to help him on his journey to the afterlife. He gets into the afterlife and is greeted by a helper skelly. The guide explains to him all about the afterlife, and hector is even given a brochure by the guide to help him settle in. He does not meet the Rivera family yet as they are all alive (Mama Imelda, etc). He has his thoughts set on the Day of the Dead and is waiting for his chance to visit Imelda and Coco, but as the months, years, and decades pass. He is never able to cross the bridge. Sad about it, he wanders alone in the afterlife, wondering when his picture will be presented in the ofrenda. What did he do wrong to make them want to forget him? How has he been so unlucky even in death? And stuck in his stupor, he forgets to see that he walks right past the edge of a bridge, and onto the ground he clatters, like broken pieces of silverware. He starts to try and get up, when he hears music coming from nearby, he wanders nearer to the sound of music to find people. All dresssed up in raggedy clothes, laughing and smiling and absolutely having the time of their life. He wanders up to one of the people. And the man, all rickety and aged, with a tall hat with a hole patched up replies, " Well mijho, You're in paradise! The land of the forgotten!" He is surprised that there is such a place that exists, and he is very much intrigued. He decides to make more visits and makes home there.

I want to make more details on Chicharron, how he ended up forgotten, little details, and how he met Hector(,and all the consecutive shenanigans Hector did borrowing/losing his stuff lol)

And post movie events. Maybe after some time, Hector could invite the Riveras to the Slums. (Imelda would probably be disgusted by the ruins of it lol)

[swynlake-rp]

Spooky season is fast approaching...what haunts will you bring to Swynlake just in time?

Hector Rivera (Hector Rivera, Coco) - You’ve got a bone to pick…or two. Question is, with who? Will you ever find out who murdered you and make amends with your family?

Jack Skellington (Jack Skellington, Nightmare Before Christmas) - Your “gift” has felt like anything but a gift your entire life. You cannot learn to love it, you refuse to. Can you manage to suppress it or will it prove to be forever part of you?

Djinn Roshan (Genie, Aladdin) - 3000 yeeeeears can give you such a crick in the neck! You imagine, anyway. Contrary to popular myth, you aren’t kept in a bottle. Rather, inside a human host. You yearn for freedom. to be done with serving human’s wishes, but is it written in your fate?

Moonwind Stardancer (Moonwind Stardancer, Soul) - Ghosts and ghouls deserve love too! That’s the Moonwind Stardancer approach to being a medium. You see your gift as a higher calling to help lost souls find their way to the next realm. Is this your true calling or do you just think you know better than the spirits you help?

Demitri “Demi” Whitfield (Demi, Vampirina) - Talk about a big oops. After causing and accident that led to your death, you are revenant, kept corporeal by one thing and one thing only – absorbing satisfaction! That’s right, you must be a people pleaser or else you literally will blink in and out of existence. Fun!

Auguste Gusteau (Auguste Gusteau, Ratatouille) - There are worse emotions to have to mine in order to maintain corporeal form, though maybe you could’ve done without it being so specific. As a revenant you are able to exist if people enjoy your recipes! You’ve come to Sywnlake in hopes of repairing your tarnished reputation, as a restaurant here is using your recipes.

[ultravioletqueen]

¡Parte 3! Realmente me está gustando esta sección

Crimson=capitán febo(el jorobado de notre dame)

Estos dos son ese tipo de hombres que pese a ser rudos aún son capaces de ser amigables,son astutos, con sentido de justicia y que no tienen miedo de desobedecer a sus superiores si eso significa evitar una injusticia, sin duda uno de mis personajes favoritos.

Jackson=Héctor(coco)

En parte el personaje de jackson está basado en Héctor rivera, ambos eran apasionados con la música en vida(y en muerte también), fueron asesinados por su "mejor amigo", lograron en algún punto tener el reconocimiento que merecían,ambos disfrutan de bailar y cantar y pueden llegar a ser muy astutos.

Fenris=quasimodo(el jorobado de notre dame)

Fenris al igual que quasimodo se ha encerrado del mundo por una figura de autoridad(aunque frigg no lo hacía con mala intención a diferencia de frollo), sufrieron por sus perspectivas condiciones(quasimodo por su fealdad y fenris por su licantropia) además de que siempre los juzgaron por sus apariencias, fenris pese a no ser feo(porque, vamos,está guapo) si ha pasado por situaciones desagradables por su apariencia, porque básicamente todos asumen que es alguien grosero,idiota,rudo, pero no es así,fenris y quasimodo son ese tipo de personas que siempre fueron juzgados sin conocerlos bien.

Kim=lottie(la princesa y el sapo)

Realmente es un gusto volver a dibujar a kim, y el personaje de lottie me parece sumamente adorable, son las amigas que quisieras tener en tu vida por lo amables y comprensivas que son,kim al igual que lottie son el tipo de amigas que se ponen felices por la felicidad de sus perspectivas amigas en vez de sentir envidia,ayudan a sus amigos cuando pueden,son románticas empedernidas y tienen esa forma de ser tan alegre e hiperactiva que las caracteriza, simplemente me encantan.

Part 3! I'm really liking this section

Crimson = captain febo (the hunchback of notre dame)

These two are the type of men who despite being rude are still capable of being friendly, are cunning, with a sense of justice and who are not afraid of disobeying their superiors if it means avoiding an injustice, without a doubt one of my favorite characters. .

Jackson = Hector (coco)

In part, Jackson's character is based on Héctor Rivera, both were passionate about music in life (and in death as well), they were murdered by their "best friend", they managed at some point to have the recognition they deserved, they both enjoy dancing and sing and they can be very clever.

Fenris = quasimodo (the hunchback of notre dame)

Fenris, like quasimodo, has been closed off from the world by an authority figure (although frigg did not do it with bad intention unlike frollo), they suffered for their prospects conditions (quasimodo for his ugliness and fenris for his lycanthropy) in addition to always They judged them by their appearances, Fenris despite not being ugly (because, come on, he's handsome) if he has gone through unpleasant situations because of his appearance, because basically everyone assumes that he is someone rude, idiotic, rude, but it is not like that, Fenris and quasimodo are those kind of people who were always judged without knowing them well.

Kim = lottie (the princess and the frog)

It really is a pleasure to draw kim again, and the character of lottie seems extremely adorable to me, they are the friends that you would like to have in your life because of how kind and understanding they are, kim like lottie are the type of friends that are happy for the happiness of their prospects friends instead of being envious, they help their friends when they can, they are hopeless romantics and have that way of being so cheerful and hyperactive that characterizes them, I just love them.

[swanpit]

coco fic day event

hi so for today's coco fic appreciation day i want to recommend some fics

Somos Familia by @whattimeisitintokyo

no murder au where hector lives on...but with a price. what started as a "what if" scenario everyone thought turn out to be amazing psychological journey on dealing with trauma and mental health issues.

my favorite part is that how everyone deal with changes in life, good or bad, and how it make them deal with the traumas and the consequences, how even good meaning people with trauma can still hurt others they love and care about, and how aknowledging that is the first step to healing.

Re-animated (No Zombies!) - a returned au by @emletish-fish

au where everyone who dies unnatural death suddenly brought back to living world so they have a chance to solve their unfinished business (this includes hector and victoria) . as someone who had been wondering how hector will interact with the present day living riveras, discovering this fic is like such a godsent. hector had such a fun dynamic with everyone, getting to knew his family and finally get the aknowledgement he deserves. the narrative from elena's point of view is also really fun to read as well.

Nuestra Iglesia by @pengychan

au where ernesto is an ex revolution army disguising himself as a priest in santa cecilia, hilarity ensues, complete with intriguing, well written original characters and a mind challenging concept of relationship between religiousity and being queer. it has such a good balance between humor and serious and challenging themes, and well paced and satisfying, well earned character development.

This Dark Alley Love Song by letters_of_stars

how hector and imelda reconcile post movie. but what makes this story different, is instead of hector being brought to stay with the riveras, he rejected the offer, thinking he's jut going to make them sad again since he feels like he doesn't have a lot of time left. and thus this situation lets imelda to take on much more proactive role in mending their relationship, and it's such a breath of fresh air.

[whattimeisitintokyo]

Coco Fanfic Appreciation Day

Before I start talking about my favorite Coco stories, I’ll start with mine.

My fic: Somos Familia (Found here on AO3, and here on FFN)

What it's about: Hector is able to dissuade Ernesto’s fears of abandonment and losing his fame with some last second comforting words and so Ernesto decides not to poison him. Then Hector gets to live out his life fully like he was supposed to, with big highs and extreme lows that tests the foundation and psyches of the whole Rivera family.

What I like the most about it: This started out as a cute what if scenario that was really fluffy in the beginning, but turned into a study of mental health and trauma that kind of escaped from me but I think has really touched some of my readers. I’ve made people laugh and sob while reading my story, something you always want as a writer. Especially since this is really my first fanfic.

Also the art, people seem to like that. I think I’ve improved over the course of the story and may go back to redraw some of them later.

Favorite scene: Probably the scene where Hector is out of his mind with sleep deprivation when raising the infant twins. That was fun to write.

Basically any of the comedy scenes or small jokes I slip in that sometimes you don’t catch until a second readthrough. Comedy is much easier to write than angst.

Why I think other people should read it: If you have a whole day to kill I suggest you read my doorstopper fanfic LOL. Honestly though I love the comments that people leave, like any fanfic author. They’re like crack.

Other thoughts: My update schedule is terrible, in the beginning I was updating every three days but now it’s months between chapters. But rest assured only death will stop me from finishing what I started. Or getting arrested... haha...

[papergardener]

Life After Death

Summary:

When Héctor finds himself fading away, he holds onto the one thing that matters… family. An exploration of the tentatively re-joined Rivera family, and how Héctor and Imelda begin to reconcile after so much time.

(chapters 1 & 2 are here, but you don’t really need to read them, you might just be a little confused... but that’s ok, so is Héctor)

(read below or here at Ao3)

Chap 3: Just a dream... wait

Héctor woke up very confused. For one unnerving moment, he thought he had died. But no, he was already dead. That wasn’t the problem. He was just very confused and very, very tired.

It certainly didn’t help that on opening his eyes he found himself in a strange… what? Dressing room? Bedroom? Whoever it belonged to, they apparently really liked Frida Kahlo, based on the décor. Also confusing… Imelda was there. There had been a glint of purple in the corner of his eye that had caught his attention. With an effort he rolled his head to the side, blinking the bleariness away before his vision cleared. It should have been impossible, but there was no question: it was Imelda. She sat asleep in a chair, her chin resting against her collarbone, her mouth faintly open. His mind was hazy as he watched her for a minute or more, barely comprehending what was happening, but only kept reflecting how nice it all was. It had been a long, long time since he had seen her so close and so peaceful, her face not twisted in hate at the sight of him. He thought back to when they had been alive, and he would sometimes find her like this, asleep in a chair, sometimes nodding herself awake and he would tease her for it. Usually, it was after feeding baby Coco or rocking her to sleep, and she would still be holding their daughter as they both slept. One night he had come home late from a gig in the town over and had walked in to see Imelda passed out in an armchair with Coco nestled against her. It was like they had been waiting up for him, and he remembered thinking how lucky he was. She had been so beautiful… she still was, he thought sleepily. And she was right there, he could reach out and touch her if he could have managed the strength to lift his arms. His eyes closed, then he quickly pulled them open again. He didn’t want to give up that moment just yet, that quiet, sweet moment. But he was so tired, and his eyelids so heavy. When he opened them again, she was gone. The surprise of it woke him up more than anything else, and he managed to prop himself up on an arm to better look around, but the small room was empty and quiet. He was alone. With a surprising amount of effort he pulled himself up, still gazing around and wondering what had happened, and why Imelda might have been there. Had he dreamt it? It wouldn’t have been the first time he had dreamed of her. And that was confusing…oh. That was very, very confusing. Had it all been a dream? He sat up with a groan, his legs dangling off the couch as he hunched over, feeling as sick as a skeleton could. He counted on his fingers as he went over each memory… A living boy had arrived in the Land of the Dead and asked for help to find his great-great-grandfather, who was apparently Ernesto. That was weird. And that living boy was actually his great-great-grandson… and Ernesto had poisoned him and stolen his music. Imelda and her family had agreed to help him, which consisted of sneaking into the Sunrise Spectacular show with the help of Frida Kahlo and cross-dressing. There were so many things wrong with that, he just skipped right over it. Then Imelda had gone on stage and sung, in front of hundreds (thousands? It was a big theater, and quite dark), and had smiled at him while he played, just like the old days… Ah… damn. Definitely a dream. He shook his head and laughed, berating himself for actually believing it. It was just one of those kinds of dreams that felt so, so real until one woke up, looked back and could appreciate how ridiculous it was, and it was certainly ridiculous. Why would Ernesto even throw people into a sinkhole? Who does that? He hesitated at the thought of his old partner… could Ernesto really have poisoned him? Just to steal his music? Quickly enough he brushed that thought aside as mere dream logic. Ernesto had been his best friend, they had known each other their entire lives. He was like a brother, he would never have done that. And in any case, why would Ernesto just have poison laying around? No, it was absurd, and Héctor felt guilty for even thinking it. Some friend he was. On the plus side, Imelda had been in his dream… had called him the love of her life. But that too was all wrong, and the realization was like the harsh grating of a knife on stone. She hated him, he knew that. Could never forgive him for leaving their family. Still… he closed his eyes, smiling to think how she had leapt into his arms as if she might have missed him as much as he missed her. It was a wonderful thought. And to think he might have met his own family, someone who was actually proud to be family. If he really did have an ancestor like Miguel out there, that would be incredible. Although the thought of any of his living family being such a die-hard musician was as ludicrous as the rest of it. Going through the events of the dream, he came to the end and his smile faltered at the recollection of his almost Final Death. He could remember the near-constant tremors, his bones shaking until he couldn’t even stand. It wouldn’t be the first time he dreamt of it, far from it, but never had any dream ever felt like that. It had been so real. He leaned forward, resting hard on his knees as he recalled that feeling of his whole body vanishing. It had been so harsh and then so peaceful, a slow drifting away, like going to sleep after a very, very long day. When it was his time to go, would it be that easy? Is that what would happen when Coco forgot him? He shivered… he didn’t want to think about how easy it would be. He wasn’t ready to die yet, he wouldn’t disappear without a fight. Although, he thought absently, that in terms of Final Death it wouldn’t have been so bad. Imelda and her family had been there, and he had been under a wide, open sky, right at sunrise. Usually when he imagined his final moments, he was alone, curled up somewhere dark and cold, and no one would notice or care that he was gone. To think he’d be with Imelda when it happened… he sighed, hanging his head. Well, it was a nice thought. But in the end, it was only a dream. He looked down at his hands, thought to how they had glowed, how thin everything had felt. Clutching them into fists, he reminded himself what he had to focus on. Coco was forgetting him… and he was running out of time. Taking a steadying breath, he hoisted himself off the couch and swayed on the spot, struggling not to fall back because he might not be able to get up again. Ideally, he would have kept sleeping, but at the moment his goal was to get out of here before someone found him. If asked what he was doing there, he didn’t have a good answer. Which was… highly disconcerting. Just what had he done the night before? He found his hat on a desk and clapped it on before cautiously peering out the door, but there wasn’t another soul in sight. Stepping out, he heard voices coming from the right, and so he went left, his bones creaking as he walked. When he got back to his place, he was going to sleep for a week. That is, assuming he lasted that long. But before he could find his way out, he got turned around and soon found himself standing in the middle of a theater, staring around and wondering if he hadn’t quite woken up yet. “Oh, this is very confusing,” he muttered, squinting at the darkened stage. He stood there, hands on hips, and tried to think of a reason why the whole place looked exactly like in his dream. It was deeply unsettling, the only real difference being that the candlelit pathways were dark, and the seats at his back were empty. He shook his head, pushing away the dream, the lingering thought of Imelda. He turned to leave and immediately ran into a mike stand, and for a moment he desperately flailed to catch it as it swung around, before it crashed to the ground with a loud bang. He grimaced as the noise echoed, holding his arms tight to his chest. Maybe no one had heard it… “Someone up there?” a familiar shouted from the orchestra pit. Héctor leaned over, peering into the dark space by his feet. “Eh? Gustavo? That you?” The fellow musician came into view, gaping at him. “Chorizo?” he said incredulously. Héctor sighed at the old nickname and found he was not in the mood to be laughed at. “You know what, I’m just gonna go—“ “Whoah, whoah, not so fast!” Gustavo called out. There was the sound of a chair scraping and then he pulled himself onto the stage. “What the hell, man? Where you been? We’ve been looking all over for you!” Héctor stared at him for a long, long moment, a number of questions floating through his hazy mind. Finally he opened his mouth and simply asked, “Why?” “What do you mean, why? We were all worried! Last we saw, you were lying out there before that big alebrije came out and scared the skin off of us. And then you were just up and gone.” Héctor stared, and Gustavo stared back expectantly. “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Héctor said. “Seriously, man? I mean last night! Or this morning, same thing.” “Last night?” Héctor repeated. It was stunning how stupid he felt. “Yeah, it’s all anyone’s been talking about. And that’s not much of an exaggeration, you know. Everyone wants to know who you are now. I mean, you almost died!” It was a testament to how tired and confused he was, because Héctor actually glanced down through his own empty ribcage, the familiar yellowed bones, and then looked up again. “But, I’m already—“ “I mean you almost died again!” Gustavo said impatiently. “Come on! Don’t you remember? De la Cruz tried to murder that kid, you saved him, and then you were almost Forgotten.” “What?” Héctor said, blinking hard. “No, but… but that was a dream…” He put a hand to his head, suddenly feeling faint. It couldn’t have been real. “Weren’t no dream, amigo.” “But… no.” Héctor shook his head, throwing his hands out. “No, no, no. That was definitely a dream. It had to have been.” Because if it wasn’t… Gustavo chuckled, raising an eyebrow. “It was crazy, all right, but it happened. The whole thing was playing right up there, we all saw it.” He pointed to two huge screens on stage that stood black and empty. “That’s… that can’t be…” He staggered back and Gustavo was at his side, steadying him. “Hey, you ok? Maybe you should be taking it easy. I’ve never seen anyone disappear like that and still be standing. Swore for a moment you were completely gone.” “I disappeared?” “Yeah. You really don’t remember?” “I’m not sure,” he muttered, trying to think, but found it was akin to stumbling around in a dark room and banging into every possible obstacle. “So… it was all real?” He stared around the stage, trying to sort out what exactly that meant. Thinking about Miguel, or Imelda, or his family was too much at the moment, so he settled on something smaller that his mind could actually grasp. “Then… Ernesto really did poison me.” For the second time he felt that emotional punch. His best friend had murdered him. For his music. Because he had wanted to go home. “I… thought you just choked on something,” Gustavo said uncertainly. “No. No, he… he poisoned my drink,” Héctor said, the memory of that night flickering in his mind. “I was supposed to go home. It was a toast to our friendship.” The irony made it hurt all the worse. Neither spoke, and he could almost feel Gustavo growing more uncomfortable beside him. A small part of his mind noted how his infamous nickname of Chorizo was now moot. And that it wasn’t funny anymore; not that it was ever that funny to begin with. Then his mind was able to comprehend something much more important. “Wait… if it was all real, then Miguel must have been real, too. That means I met my great-great-grandson.” “The living kid? Yeah, he was here all right. But you didn’t tell us that he was your family when we met you two during that rehearsal earlier.” “I… didn’t know.” He was hit by the absurd fact he had been running around with his great-great-grandson all night and had no idea. Miguel had thought Ernesto was his ancestor. He needed to sit down. There was a finger snapping in his face, and he blinked to see Gustavo staring worriedly at him. “Hey, hey! Don’t start fading on me now. Maybe you should take it easy. You got family around or something?” “No! No family.” He shook his head, lurching back at the thought. Did he have family again? He had no idea, but in the end, it wasn’t up to him. And the idea of family was far, far too big of a concept for his mind to handle. “What about that woman?” Gustavo went on. “The singer, you know? Llorona? She was with you when it happened. She’s not family?” “I’m uh… not sure.” He recalled Imelda sitting beside him when he first woke and wondered what that meant. Did it mean anything? Was it even real? His head swam, and he had to blink away a sudden wave of dizziness. “I’m just… I’m gonna go…. somewhere,” he muttered, one hand on his head as he staggered away, feeling even worse than before. He wasn’t sure if it was his body, his mind or his heart that ached more. “You gonna be ok, amigo?” Gustavo called out. “Yeah... I’ll be fine.” Probably. He desperately needed to think.