#interludo

▼Childhood Headcanon▼

Out of all the young Riveras, Rosa was the quickest to learn how to read. She liked playing like a typical little girl, of course, but she enjoyed reading a lot too. She would ask Berto or Carmen to read to her sometimes, but there were days where she would read on her own too.

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Now, the boy of the hour, Miguel:

♡ Romantic Headcanon ♡

As a kid and up until him attending high school, Miguel wasn't too keen on the idea of romance for himself. He loved writing love songs, but most of the songs in that nature are about the romances around him like that of his own parents, Mamá Coco and Papá Julio after he found out about how the two of them met, Tío Berto and Tía Carmen, Abuelita and Papá Franco, that one song he wrote for Abel so that the latter could serenade his beau, a joke song for Rosa and Marco (De La Cruz's actual great-great-grandson who had been considered an honorary Rivera for the longest time), and the countless songs he wrote in honor of Mamá Imelda and Papá Héctor.

That is, until a girl a year above him caught his eye: Shaila Medina Álvarez. She was, to him, aloof in a graceful way, much like Tía Victoria but without her sarcasm. Miguel became smitten around her since the moment he heard her sing. She had a voice similar to Laufey's but not as "blue", if that makes sense. This puppy love didn't go anywhere for the longest time, until they reunited when both of them had become adults and they both realized that they were better off as friends. Shaila has since become one of Miguel's biggest supporters in his musical endeavors. Each of them ended up finding other people that they truly fell in love with, but they still keep in touch every now and again.

♦ Quirks/Hobby Headcanons ♦

Ever since the fated Día de Muertos of 2017 and all of the dirt-digging on De La Cruz, Miguel has become super duper into researching topics like cold cases, less-known historical events, et cetera. It got to the point that sometimes he'd say that if he weren't a musician, he would love to become a historian.

He's also become even more artsy after that night. He's always been pretty decent at drawing (nothing like Papá, Tía Gloria and Papá Franco yet, though), but he also picked up alebrije-making. His first ever finished one was that of Dante. Designing his figure was extremely easy... for reasons coming up next!

His main quirk, however? Being able to visit the Land Of The Dead and communicate with spirits. After Día de Muertos in 2018, things didn't go back to normal. He starts to develop odd symptoms like having a glowing petal-shaped tattoo where the flower petal touched him (inspired by "Out Of Time", a brilliant Coco X Atlantis: The Lost Empire time-travel fanfic by Panic_CelestialInk on AO3), seeing spirits and the likes in his own realm (inspired by another fanfic I read long ago titled "Afterlifes" by Storm137), and, of course, visiting Papá Héctor and the rest of the family whenever he wants.

It comes with a price, though. When he first gained this ability, he and the rest of the Riveras found out that he was to work under La Muerte from that day on. His curse made him a creature of both the Dead and the Living, and now his task is to help lost souls cross over as well as to assist in exorcisms under the patronage of Santa Cecilia, the patron saint of music and the namesake of Miguel's hometown.

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Let's get to Mamá Luisa!

☯ Likes and Dislikes ☯

This is true canon fact, but she loves telenovelas. She never misses an episode, and would sometimes fantasize herself living as an actress. She would sometimes tell Enrique the plot of her newest telenovela obsession, and even though Enrique does not understand what she is saying he loves to listen to his wife anyway. And that is also why she loves her husband, Enrique.

She loves music too, and once dreamed of becoming a singer. Unfortunately, she cannot keep a note even if her life depends on it, but she does have a good sense of rhythm and she can dance well. This is also canon fact from one of the picture books, but I'm adding this here too. She loves Selena, Gloria Estefan, Shakira, Paulina Rubio, and Alejandra Guzman. Basically she loves the pop girlies. One of her fondest memories after the music ban was lifted (and also before, but without music) was teaching Enrique how to dance.

She also enjoys talking to Tía Carmen and Papá Franco. Before the music ban was lifted, they were the ones with whom Luisa could easily talk about everything to (besides Enrique, of course), especially regarding how much she missed music and how seeing her son's yearning for the forbidden art hurt her heart. You can imagine her relief when the music ban was finally lifted.

Luisa dislikes stubbornness, which she has learned to somewhat tolerate after living with the Riveras. She quickly learned that stubbornness runs in the family, and while she is capable of tolerating it she would still call them out if things go too far.

She also dislikes harsh punishment on children. While being somewhat strict herself, Luisa rarely raises her voice--being raised in a gentle home herself--and almost never uses La Chancla unless provoked, much like Tía Carmen. The kids love her and Tía Carmen for this.

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Now for Abel! I think he is VERY underrated, and deserves more love and appreciation.

☮ Friendship Headcanons ☮

Out of the youngest generation, only second to Miguel, Abel is easily the most sociable of the bunch. He has a lot of friends with whom he loves to play fútbol with, drink with, and later on sing with. His friend loves him for his kind heart and silly demeanor, but it is also fun to have a little banter with him every now and then. Abel loves his friends almost as much as he does his siblings and cousins, but there are two who know him best: Manolo Guiterrez and Ynez Ramos Castillo, Doña Castillo's granddchildren.

Manolo is two years older than Abel and is also his best friend from middle school. Besides with Mamá, Abel often talks to him whenever he is down. Ynez was Abel's classmate, also from middle school, and they were pretty close too. His friendship with Ynez later on develops into a romance after Abel successfully wooed Ynez with a song, with the help of a disgruntled Miguel.

And these are what Shaila, Manolo, and Ynez look like!

Rafael Herrera Meza is a triple threat in the industry, and is the second Latino entertainer ever who has won an EGOT (followed by Robert Lopez, another talented songwriter who co-wrote "Remember Me" with Héctor), while also working as a talent scout/music producer. His charisma stage presence is on-par with Ernesto's and Héctor's, and his baritone voice is second to none. However, off-stage he is a shy and anxious man with the driest humor known to mankind.

He used to act in telenovelas, movies, and musical theater during his prime as an actor before making music production his main thing.

If you think Imelda Rivera's social media life is private, Rafael's is even more private nearly to the point of nonexistence. Nobody knows anything of him outside of his career. His strong feelings towards the paparazzi, his age (he's around forty or so, and yet he already has a few streaks of white on his jet black hair), and his familial connections to the Herrera Oil Company also play a role in making him extremely private. He is also very rarely seen on interviews and social events, unless he has an obligation to attend.

Because of how private he is, whenever a project is revealed and Rafael is somehow involved it is considered as a major cultural event. The thing is, he also up in the most unexpected places. One minute you can see him as part of the cast for a Hispanic remake of Parks & Recreation as its equivalent to Ron Swanson, then the next time you see him he is on the cover of Vogue México along with his longtime friend/protégé Ronaldo, and then you see his name in the voice actor credits part of a video game or an animated series, then you see his name as the producer for México's greatest hit of the season, and if you are extremely lucky you can even see him sing with the local mariachi just for the fun of it.

He is very embarrassed to admit it, but he is more than aware of how women see him. Particularly younger women. Their reaction towards him is similar to how people see men like Pedro Pascal, Hugh Jackman, and Oscar Isaac. He did think of becoming a father before deciding on the life of an eternal bachelor, but being called "daddy" or "papí" in this context is not what he signed up for. He does appreciate the gifts from fans. After his trusted secretary Brenda sorts through them, of course.

He is just as shy and anxious as he is private, and this goes up by the tenfold when he is with a woman he is romantically interested in. And it just so happens that the woman he has been crushing on for a while is none other than the renowned opera singer/actress, Rosita Álvarez, who was also a supporting actress for "Coco" as Tía Rosita. Héctor and Ernesto, along with Miguel have been trying to set a date for the two of them.

Rafael met Rosita during a charity concert the both of them were a part of. Rafael was impressed with Rosita's soprano and wished to work with her. Well, that's what he would tell you. In reality, he was smitten the moment their eyes met when it was his turn to get on stage. Rafael noticed Rosita gazing at him from her seat, and before he knew it he winked at her as an attempt to flirt.

News of Rafael Herrera and Rosita Álvarez dating was well received by fans of both parties, with references to them being the cutest middle-aged couple. Their relationship is also just as private as Héctor and Imelda's, if not more due to Rafael's dislike of paparazzi and the fact that paparazzi don't go after opera singers that much either, much to Rosita's delight.

PRÓLOGO

Long ago, in a town called Santa Cecilia, lived a family of three. The papá was a musician who dreamed of playing for the world, while the mamá was an aspiring shoemaker who loved music just as much as her husband. They had a small daughter together, and the three of them would sing, dance, and count their blessings.

One day, the papá left home with his guitar. And never returned.

Outraged and heartbroken by his disappearance, the mamá banned music from her family. Nobody was allowed to play music, listen to music, or even hum a single note. She also forbade her family members from even uttering the name of her husband. She considered him dead, and she put up their family photo on their family’s ofrenda with his head torn off. Nobody was to remember him. Ever.

The mamá did not have time to cry, however. She rolled up her sleeves and focused on her shoemaking business, turning it into a family affair. She taught her brothers, then her daughter, then her son-in-law, and then her grandchildren. The business grew and grew, and they became known for making the best shoes in town.

Music had torn the family apart, but shoes put them all together.

That is the legacy of Imelda Rivera. Mother, grandmother, shoemaker.

Music shall never enter our family again, she had decided. But was that really such a good idea?

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30 de diciembre, 1942. Ciudad de México.

It was a night to remember.

After the 21st anniversary of the establishment of Escuela de la Cruz (or De La Cruz Academy, if you are not a native Hispanic), the most famous musician in Mexican history and the namesake of the school himself, Ernesto de la Cruz performed his biggest hits for his beloved students and fans alike. He opened with “El Mundo es mi Familia”, made the crowd clap and sing along with his upbeat songs like "Un poco loco", stunned the audience and even the stage crew with his ballads, and ending with arguably his biggest hit: “Requérdame”.

As Ernesto went up the escalator all the way to the top of the stage just below the bell, everything was going well. The fireworks were shot at the correct time, the dancers were on beat, Ernesto was singing with his powerful vocals, and the crowd was pleased. The skull guitar was shining and reflecting the lights, as if it was celebrating along. Just before he was about to belt out his final note, Ernesto handed over the guitar to a stage crew, as rehearsed.

Unbeknownst to most, except for a small number of people behind the stage, one of the staff was leaning on a lever that controlled the bell. Perhaps it was a slip of the body, or perhaps he was leaning too much on the lever, but it all happened so quickly that some were convinced it was almost as if the musician was somehow cursed.

30 de diciembre, 1942. Ciudad de México.

Ernesto de la Cruz was crushed by a giant bell. There was silence followed by screams of terror and panic. The screaming only got worse when suddenly the concert hall turned dark before anyone could do anything. People were bumping against each other and against furniture, tripping over cables, and the students were rushed out of the arena back to the Academy.

After a staff member was able to turn the lights back on, somehow things took a sharp turn to the mysterious. There was indeed debris atop the escalator where the bell was dropped, but there was no bell. And the oddest thing of all: Ernesto de la Cruz’s dead body was nowhere to be found. Yes, there was blood, but other than that and some tattered fabric, he was nowhere to be seen. The skull guitar had also disappeared.

30 de diciembre, 1942. Ciudad de México.

It was a night to remember. For better or for worse.

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1 de noviembre, 2017. Santa Cecilia.

Not so long ago, there was a young boy. He came from a family of shoemakers who hated music. For as long as he could remember, music was banned from entering the family. Not a whistle, not a tune, not a pluck of a guitar, not a finger tap, not even a hum. His grandmother would even yell at passerby’s who sang outside of their home.

And yet, out of everyone in his family, he was the one who fell in love with the forbidden art. He knew that his family loved him and that he loved them in return, but he too knew that he was different from the rest of them. His love for music was strong enough to the point of creation. He would record himself secretly playing music up in the hidden attic. He would write songs that he would hide in-between his books and other personal belongings in his room and in the attic as well. He even managed to created his own functioning guitar from a broken one he found amongst a pile of trash. All of this he kept a secret, except from his great-grandmother.

And up there in the same attic was also where he kept his stash of Ernesto de la Cruz memorabilia. De La Cruz was his idol, his mentor, his hero. If the boy were a rat in Paris, De La Cruz would be the imaginary chef guiding him everywhere he went. It was through his music and films that the young boy would come to love music himself. Ernesto de la Cruz came from Santa Cecilia, just like he did. He played in the plaza when he was young, just like how the boy wished he could do. He wished to do what his idol did: to seize his moment and play for the world.

Then, on a fateful Día de Los Muertos, the Day of The Dead, he found an opening. Up on top of his family ofrenda was a photo of his great-great grandmother, her daughter (the boy’s great-grandmother as a child), and an unknown man whose head was ripped off of the photo. The family only knew him as their great-great-grandfather, El Músico. The Musician. The man who left his family for music. A Xolo dog whom the boy liked to play with accidentally made the photo fall from the ofrenda, revealing a folded over portion of the photo.

It was De La Cruz’s guitar. A pristine white guitar, as if made out of marble, with a skull headstock and markings at the bottom of its body. There was no other guitar like it! He couldn’t believe it! Ernesto de la Cruz was his great-great-grandfather! With this revelation, he announced to his family that he would become a musician. Alas, his dream was rejected and his guitar was destroyed.

Heartbroken, with only his loyal Xolo at his side and the family photo in his clutch, he ran into the night.

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1 de noviembre, 2021. Santa Cecilia.