#young alma

[dragoneyes618]

Alma. You just gave birth. Today. To triplets. What are you doing out of bed?

[lacasitamadrigal]

Ways to say I love you...

So I stumbled across this post a few days ago and it made me want to write a drabble for Alma and her little family. I hope you enjoy.

Alma walked down the stairs, hands clasped together as she thought about all that needed done today. Two homes on the south side needed shingles replaced. The gardens at the north end needed more water, that would mean Pepa would need to be there before the noon bell rang. Then there were the weavers who needed more fleece for clothes, that meant she needed to see if the sheep were ready for shearing yet and then the wool would need transport. All of that was besides what she would need to do for home. Sure Casita could take care of some things, the dishes were something it enjoyed, but the floors still needed to be swept and the laundry needed washed and hung out to dry. Her day looked busier the longer she thought of it and truly it was starting to give her a headache already. 

Now usually when she entered the kitchen, it was already in motion, Casita took care of the bulk of that with starting the ovens and moving some of the larger things about. This morning however things were still and quiet, the twelve year old triplets sitting at the counter in wait, looking bored and impatient. 

“Mama!” The eldest of the triplets bounded over, grasping Alma’s hands in hers with a grin and followed very closely by the other two. Their eyes were eager and bright as they smiled at their mother. 

“Buenas dias mis bebes. What is going on here?” The woman couldn’t help but smile in return, seeing them happy always made her so. 

“Mama, we were wondering… would you make huevos pericos for us?” 

“Pretty please mama?” That was her second daughter, chiming in with her hands folded in front of her, a pout on her lips. Alma blinked at the three, a brow arching as she considered the request, her hands poised on her hips. 

“But you know how to make that, Juli.” She couldn’t help but chuckle a little bit, shaking her head slightly at them. These were her children, these silly things. 

“But.. you make them really good.. Juli does too but yours are the best..” She looked at her son, his head turned down slightly and the pout very apparent. He was rubbing at his arm again but he still managed to look up at her for a moment before back down at his own feet. 

And that’s what pushed her over. 

With a soft sigh and a small smile the woman set to work. She pulled the skillet out and got the eggs and tomatoes.

“If I am to make this, you have to make the arepas.” She turned to see three bright and eager faces shining at her and laughed. “Go go, get the masa, apúrate por favor.” 

The kitchen bustled with life as the four found themselves helping each other with the exception of Alma’s huevos pericos, the children wouldn’t even look at the pan she was cooking in. How she still got roped into helping mix and mold the arepas was beyond her, surely three preteens could’ve handled that much. But she wouldn’t complain, not in the least, it had been ages since she had been the one to cook in this kitchen. Since handing the domain over to Julieta at the tender age of ten she had hardly needed to. She had missed this… 

“The arepas are ready, mama!” Pepa had the plate full, ready to take them to the table with a bright rainbow over her head. It made the woman so happy to see that. She pulled the pan from the stove and placed it on a towel on the counter, leaving the spoon in for serving. 

“How about we eat here today. I’m sure Casita wouldn’t mind us not using the dining table.” And neither would she, for once. She missed the nostalgia of cooking a meal, of eating in the kitchen with her babies, of them being so much smaller… It would be okay for today. At least for breakfast time. It’s okay for her to just be a mom. And when breakfast is over, she can be everything else she has to be, but in this moment it feels good just to be their mom.

The plates were filled and the three kids sat on the stools, happily spooning eggs into their mouths. When she finally got to her own plate, she made the discovery that all the arepas she herself had made were gone. Selecting one she knew her son had formed she smiled, watching the three dig into their plates happily. 

“Gracias, Mama. This is so good!”

“Yeah it is! These are the best huevos ever!” Julieta at least had managed to swallow her food before she spoke, Pepa seemed to be having too much of a good time for that thought. 

“Si! Gracias, mami.” Alma cupped the boy's cheek with a smile, he was easiest to reach being right next to her, and gave a nod. “Of course, mis bebes.” 

It was just eggs, tomatoes and scallions. The arepas were made the same way as they always were. And yet, Alma had to agree with them. 

Those were the best eggs she’s had in a long time…

[petyritonel]

Sketch request: Young (or current) Orym with one of Alma’s carrot-bran muffins.

momma's boy

[ffb6c1lover]

I don't understand people who hate Alma because imagine that in one (1) day you:

give birth to triplets (that should be enough)

are forced to flee your home (way more than enough)

are forced to walk for God knows how long (after having just given birth??? to fucking triplets???????)

have to watch your husband get murdered to save your family

I repeat, have to watch your husband whom you love SO dearly DIE a brutal death

this also means seeing the beginning of a war that's going to last three years btw

and it also means raising three children on your own with no family to back you up and no previous experience

get elected mayor of a town that just appeared out of thin air

man, if I have to leave the house I feel like crying, doesn't this woman deserve a fucking break???

and she also still finds the strength to smile and wave at Casita

[jacarandaaaas]

i like the theory that mirabel becomes the next matriarch and all what I don’t like is people assuming this happens straight after the movie. “In encanto 2 mirabel should be the matriarch” judging by time jumps used in sequels this would roughly make mirabel 17/18 since they usually only skip 2-3 years ahead. How about we dont burden her with that and wait until she’s like idk 25??? like there is 0 reason the second alma retires that it NEEDS to be mirabel. What about julieta and pepa!? i do see mirabel as a future matriarch but just not a near future one! let her enjoy her childhood pls

[junosaccount]

So gifted.

Inspired by this post from @madrigaljail

[evil-feather]

!AI GENERATED CONTENT!

It's entirely @minha-xuh 's fault that I threw Perekoo into the bing image creator. And now I'm even more obsessed with them, help 😭

[m-kyunie]

the "it couple" on campus or whatever

[magicalmadrigals]

I wanna do a collection of one shots about the Madrigal kids and their parents when they were all little - inspired by my hc that Isabela got herself tangled up in her vines CONSTANTLY when she was little because I need that in my life.

If any of you guys have any suggestions for chapters - like for any of the kiddos and their gifts or just funny moments within the family, let me know. I would be happy to do them :)

[jennjiart]

Encantober day 2

Strength

Being a single Mom with triplets, sure ain’t easy. She needed alot of Strength!

[im-just-a-br0adway-baby]

To say that being a single mother of triplets was tough would be an understatement, especially for Alma Madrigal. Not only that her children would run circles around her whenever they could, but their development was visibly different, despite being the same age. It has become more apparent now that the triplets have recently turned three years old. Julieta and Pepa were saying so many words and even Pepa started reading the signs they saw on their walks in the village. Bruno, on the other hand, was not saying anything. Every time sound came out of his mouth, it was still completely incomprehensible.

While Julieta and Pepa both understand what Bruno was trying to communicate, mainly because he smiles or nods most of the time they are together, Alma still thought about what would happen when they started school the coming fall. She did not want to hold Bruno back, she wanted him to go to school with his sisters. At the same time, she was concerned about the fact that none of the preschools in the Encanto was going to enroll him unless his language improved.

It was not until one day when Alma’s fears would begin to shrink. She picked the triplets up from daycare one Friday afternoon and the mother and children walked through the village together. One of her friends, Rosa, saw her and she stopped to talk to her. 

“Hola, Alma! I know you told me about how concerned you were about Bruno’s language, but I found someone that I think would help!” Rosa said.

“You did?” Alma responded.

“Si; there’s a speech and occupational therapist that just transferred to the Encanto, Dr. Valeria Martinez.”

Rosa then handed Alma a small business card with Dr. Martinez’s name and address handwritten on it. She looked at the business card and smiled before putting it in her dress pocket.

“Gracias, Rosa! I hope to get to see her on Monday with Bruno and talk to her about what’s been going on.”

“De nada, Alma; and good luck!”

Alma hugged her friend with a smile and continued walking with the triplets. They continued walking in the village square until they got back to Casita and the triplets dropped their backpacks on the couch. The three went into the living room to play with their toys and Alma sat on the couch in the courtyard and took Dr. Martinez’s business card out of her dress pocket. She stared at the card and smiled.

“I hope my prayers will be answered with you.”

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

Once Monday rolled around, Alma took the triplets to Dr. Martinez’s office after picking them up from daycare. They walked into the office to see Dr. Martinez sitting at her desk and sat in front of her.

“Hola! You’re here for a consultation?” Dr. Martinez asked.

“Si; my friend gave me your business card and I wanted to talk to you about doing a session with my son, Bruno. I have triplets and I’ve been noticing he’s not meeting the same language milestones as his sisters and now that they all turned three, it’s beginning to concern me. I don’t want to hold him back when they start preschool next year, but I know none of the preschools in the Encanto are going to enroll him unless he can at least acquire some language skills,” Alma explained to the therapist.

Dr. Martinez took the notes in her pad. “How long has this been going on?”

“Since Julieta started talking. Pepa started talking super early and even started saying three and four-syllable words before their second birthday. I originally figured Bruno was just going to be a little bit delayed since Pepa and Julieta started talking at different times. But now that they’re three and he’s still not talking, it’s worrying me.”

Dr. Martinez continued writing what Alma was saying in her notes. “Would it be okay if I took Bruno into my office so I can get to know him a little bit more?”

Alma nodded and Dr. Martinez and Bruno made their way to her office as Alma waited in the front with Julieta and Pepa. They sat at a little table together and faced each other. Bruno looked at Dr. Martinez and studied her as she smiled at him.

“Hi, Bruno! I’m Dr. Martinez. Would you like a toy?”

Bruno stared at Dr. Martinez and reached out for her arm. He squealed in excitement and began feeling her arm until he started to hold her hands. He smiled and Dr. Martinez gently removed his hands and got up from the table. She came back with a shape sorting cube and gave it to Bruno. She took out the star toy and showed it to him.

“Star,” Dr. Martinez said as she showed the toy to him. 

She then put the star inside the star hole. Bruno smiled and tried to repeat her, and sound was coming out, but he could not get the syllables. Instead, he grabbed the circle toy and put it in the circle hole.

“Circle,” Dr. Martinez emphasized.

Bruno made another noise that was incomprehensible. He tried as hard as he could to say “circle”, but all he could do was make the same incomprehensible noises he’s been making this entire time. Dr. Martinez continued writing notes in her pad as Bruno continued playing with the shape sorter and making noises.

For the rest of the session, Dr. Martinez brought out more toys and said more words associated with the toys as Bruno attempted to say them. He continued playing with the toys until the hour they had together was finished.

Bruno and Dr. Martinez came back to the front after their session to see Alma, Julieta, and Pepa waiting for them. Bruno ran to Julieta and Pepa and they hugged him as tightly as they could. Dr. Martinez took out her notes to review the session to Alma.

“During our session, it seems to be clear that he’s trying his hardest to repeat what is being said to him. The sound is coming out, but he’s having trouble with the syllables. My best suggestion would be to focus on very specific syllables before having him speak full words. I have a couple of exercises that could help him in this folder,” Dr. Martinez explained as she gave Alma the folder she mentioned.

Alma went through the folder and found several sheets with specific syllables for Bruno to work on at home. “Gracias, Dr. Martinez; this should help Bruno with the first step in speaking.”

Dr. Martinez smiled and shook Alma’s hand. “I hope this will help him. I’ll see you next week.”

Alma and the triplets left the office and walked back to Casita. Julieta and Pepa asked Bruno lots of questions about Dr. Martinez and if she was nice. While Bruno could not answer with words, the girl still knew that he liked her.

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

Several weeks have passed, and Bruno has made progress with pronouncing one syllable at a time. While he has not said a word just yet, Alma was feeling optimistic about his speech because of the progress he was making. It was not until one early spring day when the triplets were drawing together in Casita’s courtyard when Alma’s prayers would be answered.

“Look what I drew!” Pepa exclaimed as she held up her drawing of herself, Julieta, and Bruno together outside on a sunny day under a rainbow.

“I love that picture!” Julieta replied.

The girls expected Bruno to make another noise to show how much he liked the picture, but instead, he pointed to where Pepa drew herself. He did not remove his finger from the paper and opened his mouth to try and say what he wanted to say.

“Pepa!” Bruno said in a way that was still a little bit slurred, but still pretty easy to understand.

Julieta and Pepa looked at Bruno simultaneously in shock as their mouths dropped open. Before they could run to their mother, Bruno pointed at the picture again, but this time, to where Pepa drew Julieta. 

“Juli!” Bruno said as he smiled.

Julieta’s and Pepa’s smiles grew wider as they screamed in excitement. Alma overheard her daughters’ screaming and ran into the courtyard from the kitchen, originally assuming somebody got hurt.

“¿Qué está sucediendo? Is everyone alright?” Alma asked as she saw her triplets still on the floor together.

“Did you hear Bruno?” Pepa asked, still smiling.

“He said our names!” Julieta added.

“I… I showed him my drawing and he pointed to me in the drawing and said my name! Then he pointed to Julieta and said her name!”

Alma looked at Bruno and he pointed at Pepa’s drawing of herself again! “Pepa!” he said again and smiled. Alma put her hand on her mouth and cried tears of joy. Bruno pointed at Julieta on Pepa’s drawing and said “Julieta!”

Alma continued crying and picked Bruno up and hugged him. She cried more in his ruana and Bruno hugged her back. Julieta and Pepa ran up to Alma and hugged her and reached for Bruno to give him a hug.

“Mama!” Bruno said as he went back to hug his mother.

Alma’s eyes widened and she looked at Bruno when she heard him say “mama.” She held him closer and tighter as she cried more. “Asi es! Mama! I’m Mama, Brunito! Mama!”

Alma put Bruno down and Julieta and Pepa gave him the tightest hug they possibly could. Bruno hugged his sisters back and they sat back on Casita’s couch together. Alma went back into the kitchen, still crying tears of joy, as the triplets continued drawing their pictures together while waiting for dinner to be ready.

“Bruno talks!” Pepa pointed out as she and Julieta hugged again.

“Bruno talks!” Julieta repeated.

“Bruno!” Bruno repeated when he heard his sisters say his name.

Julieta and Pepa looked at each other, and then at Bruno. They screamed again and looked at Bruno in excitement and hugged him once more. “You’re saying more words, Bruno!” Pepa yelled.

Bruno smiled and hugged his sisters back until Alma came back to the courtyard from the kitchen. She saw her triplets still celebrating Bruno’s milestone and sat on the couch until her children were finished screaming.

“Dinner’s ready, mijos.”

The triplets ran into the kitchen for dinner and to tell Alma about how Bruno just said his own name. 

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

The months following the triplets’ first official day of preschool saw much more progress in Bruno’s language. Ever since he said his sisters’ names for the first time, he was pointing to more objects and saying more words. Dr. Martinez has noticed this progress during every one of Bruno’s speech sessions since. At his first session after the triplets’ fourth birthday, Dr. Martinez noticed he was much closer to being on par with the rest of his peers in his language development.

Bruno was talking more to his classmates and Julieta and Pepa could even have more conversations with him. This also helped Bruno build his confidence over time. In their toddler class, his teachers did not think he was going to meet the same milestones as his sisters because of his language delay and he was not verbally telling his teachers anything. Now that he is speaking more, his teachers have noticed he understood what they were saying the entire time, he was just having trouble verbally expressing himself.

Bruno left his session with Dr. Martinez, feeling more confident than he ever was before. He not only was saying more words, but was also saying short phrases.

“How was your session?” Alma asked as she and the triplets started walking into the village and back to Casita.

“I liked it!” Bruno responded with a smile.

“Was it fun?” Julieta asked.

“It was!”

The Madrigals continued walking and talking about Bruno’s session. The fact that Alma could have a conversation with Bruno now made all of her fears disappear. She could finally understand him and she felt like she could have a stronger relationship with him; and Bruno loved having a better relationship with his mother and sisters.

[zafirosreverie]

Habits (GN!Reader)

You can decide who this is with. Agatha, Pepa, Julieta, Carla, Ajak, Alma, any woman on my masterlist.

Idea taken from "Costumbres" by Rocío Dúrcal.

_____________________

You saw her walk away down the empty street, hidden in the night. The sound of her footsteps faded after a few seconds and her silhouette melted into the darkness a few moments later, just like the fleeting feeling of belonging inside you.

It was always like that, no matter how much you told yourself that it was wrong, that you shouldn't go through with it, that you needed to let her go, no matter how much you swore it would be the last time, it never was. She always came back.

Sometimes she would take days, other times weeks, but never more than a month. Even she couldn't stay away that long, and you couldn't let yourself forget about her either, though not for a lack of trying.

You had a strange relationship. You had loved her, perhaps more than you would ever admit aloud, and she had loved you back, perhaps less than her voice swore, but time kept on dancing on the clock and fate rearranged the pieces, and in that chaos, you realized that you did not fit in with her, that you did not belong by her side.

It was painful to realize it, but deep down, you knew what had to happen. The day she left, the black clouds swirled above your house, as if they could sense your own mood, and yet you managed to smile at her, wish her well, and not call out her name as she was lost in the sea of people.

You spent the first day locked in your room, in the chair or the dressing table, but never in your bed, you couldn't, not when her perfume was still there. By the third you learned to breathe again. On the fifth your feet woke up, on the twelfth you reconciled with sleep, on the fifteenth you recovered the taste for your favorite dishes, on the twentieth you smiled again. And at fiftieth...

On the fiftieth, she came back.

You wish you could say you weren't expecting her, you really wanted to say she had taken you by surprise. But it was not like that. There were no whispered apologies, no warm hugs, no secret smiles, not even that spark that had brought you together in the first place, nothing. Just...she was there. It was a fact, cold and raw, nothing more.

A weak, quick "hello" was all it took for the dance you were now dancing, and had been doing for the past five years, to begin.

It was strange, you didn't know anything about her, about her life, if there was someone you were betraying by receiving her when her most carnal passions needed you, but you didn't care much either.

You missed her, you always missed her, and no matter how much she denied it, you knew she couldn't forget you either, no matter how hard she tried. She was always going to come back, over and over, and over again. Even if she didn't feel any more love for you, just a grudge.

Neither did you if you were honest. You no longer had anything to feel for her, and that was worse.

But you missed her, you missed her so much. You missed not feeling alone, the warmth of sharing a bed with someone, of feeling someone else's skin on yours, of hearing happiness flowing from the lips attached to yours. It didn't matter that the illusion lasted a few hours before she was gone again. It was fine, she would come back, she always did.

"There is no doubt, it is true that habit is stronger than love" you whispered before closing the window and going back to bed.

[heckinggno]

Can't stop thinking about Isabela and Mirabel as reflections of who Alma is now and who she used to be before the tragedy. The way she clings to Isabela's perfection is reminiscent of how she uses her own perfrct image to drive away the past that haunts her, and while her pushing Mirabel away is due to her own fears of the Miracle fading away, I wonder how much of her avoidance is because of Mirabel reminding her too much of who she used to be?

People often say that Mirabel mirrors Pedro, but I'd argue that she's a perfect reflection of who Alma was supposed to be if only life hadn't dealt her such a cruel hand. Does she look at her and think of simpler times? Does Alma look at Mirabel and remember how she used to have a girlhood that was taken away far too early in life?

It's strange to think that despite Isabela having the life that Alma wanted to have for her and Pedro, Mirabel—the granddaughter that she has disconnected from—is the one that actually embodies her the most. And Mirabel herself doesn't even realize that.

[orchidlatte]

A silly lil sketch of an AU idea I’ve had bouncing around in my head all summer

In which the boys are separated from the girls and so Pepa and Julieta grow up in the Encanto with Alma, and Pedro raises Bruno in a riverside village. A mysterious vision from Bruno guides the boys to the Encanto when the triplets are 15. Crazy family dynamics ensue.

Kinda a combo of the Pedro lives AU and the Anastasia AU (my two absolute favorites)

[junosaccount]

Secret Santa gift for @slingerapen

[sheas-art-dump]

apparently almost every holiday that comes up my brain goes ‘oh time to draw ghost trick’ and looking at ugly holiday sweaters increases the desire to see it through 

incidentally that factor also put ‘dumb tradition of giving each other ugly sweaters each year’ in my head, so here we are congrats on the nearly decade long tradition

it’s impossible to see due to posing but cabanela’s sweater says ‘lets get lit!’ and it’s my favorite sweater that i saw i’m also jewish so i might be biased