Nicole Austin aka Coco

Bands & Disney! 🐭

Gave Saporta + Hector Rivera! 💀

“Remember me, though I have to say goodbye, remember me!”

🌻 “ Summer vibes ” 🌻

Look at my baby. LOOK AT HER!

She’s 20 this year.

Sieg BUBBLE TEA!!! Who doesn’t love bubble tea with their zakus?

“I haven’t forgiven myself since. And as you can see….God hasn’t forgiven me yet either…,”

I really wanted to color this one to play around with brushes and opacity again. Super happy with this one <3 The chain however….it’s…fine. :D

A friend and I were swapping pics of our studio “aesthetic,” so here’s mine.  I’m working on a middle-grade fantasy-mystery graphic novel, so I’ve decorated with things that remind me of the mood I’m after.

Dumbo is for my fanfiction and fandom, rather than my GN.The shelf has figures from Vampirina, because I loved the illustrations of the original picture books, done by LeUyen Pham, who also illustrates several graphic novels.

I found a character from Elena of Avalor who made me think of Milly, so I put her with Dumbo. She’s holding a notebook and pen.  If only there was a figure who looked like V.A.!

Along with my POTO music box are figures from Brave and Tangled. They make me think of certain characters in my GN.

I think Erik’s pretty pissed about them.

Figures from Tangled, Brave, Coco, and Elena of Avalor. Plus things that make me think of the Sleeping Bear Dunes of Michigan, which inspired the setting of my story.

More Dumbo, of course!

Merida guards my brushes.  The mug was made by a friend of mine.

My graphic novel library.  This is only a third of it.

The Art and Making of Dumbo book, a folder of reference photos, and some art books I’ve used for years, as well as more GNs.

My cat Kameli wonders why I’m taking pictures.

Coco Reverse AU: My Take on It (Part Four) (2)

DISCLAIMER: This headcanon list is not meant to put down other Reverse AU headcanons of this fandom. This is just my personal idea of what would probably happen if some characters were to swap roles with each other.

What’s good, my guys! Here I am dropping another sub part of our Coco Reverse AU. I’m hoping to tackle Imelda’s death and Héctor instilling the music ban altogether in the Rivera household. I can’t wait to see how the entire scene plays out, and I hope you’re as ready as I am.

🧡 Héctor-Imelda Swap!Coco 🧡 (Gone and Slowly Forgotten)

• Three months. As promised. Then it turned into three months, four months, five. Ernesto and Sofia kept on extending the tour by week, promising Imelda ‘just one more gig’ every time she brought up the idea of going home. Imelda was really starting to question whether she made the right decision in the first place. Sure, she sent money and wrote letters back home, but she knew that the money wouldn’t last them and her words on paper were nothing compared to the embrace of her husband and daughter.
• Héctor was right. She never should have left. Imelda felt really stupid for not listening to her husband’s protest, though she would never admit to it. Every time she performed her husband’s songs with Ernesto and Sofia, she tried her hardest to picture her husband and child singing and dancing along with her, but it would only make her miss them even more, not that she minded.
• They had been in Mexico City for a little over a month now, staying in the same inn ever since they arrived. The three performers were having an argument, it was Ernesto and Sofia versus Imelda.

“Imelda, you can’t be serious! Giving up now would drive our dream further away from us.” Sofia exclaimed.

“I will make one thing clear. This was your dream, not mine. I joined the tour with the intent to provide my family with a more stable income. Fame is just a bonus for me. It’s not getting me anywhere to continue this tour as we’re barely making enough.” Imelda countered.

“But Héctor’s songs, Imelda. We can’t do it without them.” Ernesto said.

“Then find another songwriter. As long as I’m around, Héctor’s songs will not be used as baits for fame.”

“Please! Just two more weeks, Imelda. Just two more weeks and I promise you, you’re free to go home.” Sofia begged.

“You guys had been saying that ever since our once agreed two months, and now look where that had brought us.”

“For real this time! All we need is two weeks time to get noticed. Once that happens, you can go back to Santa Cecilia.” Ernesto added.

• Imelda pondered for a moment before letting out a frustrated sigh.

“Two weeks, and that’s it. Whether fame comes to us or not, I’m still leaving, with or without your notice. My family needs me.” Imelda stated.

• The other two let out a long sigh before retreating elsewhere.

Back in Santa Cecilia…

“I think Mamá will really like it!” Coco said.

“I hope so, mija.” Héctor replied.

• After weeks of slaving and finger cramps, it was finally done. This was one of Héctor’s biggest projects yet, and to say he was proud of it was an understatement. He absolutely loved how it looked and he hoped that his wife would appreciate it too. Since he was informed by Imelda in one of her letters that she was going to be staying in a particular for a whole month in Mexico City due to the gigs there, he decided to prepare a gift for her, a new dress she could perform in and perhaps attract a larger audience. He was going to help his dearest wife achieve her dream whether he agreed with it or not. Tía Chelo even made a comment on how much he had improved in his dress making skills.

• After giving it one final look of the dress, he took it off the mannequin and gently folded it into a beautiful black box with golden designs on it. He placed two handwritten cards into the box, one from him and one from Coco. He then placed the cover on it before securing it neatly into another box. Héctor and Coco went to the post office to get their package mailed to the address given by Imelda.

“Will Mamá come back when she sees the dress, Papá?” Coco asked Héctor as she looked up at him with hopeful eyes.

“She will, mija. She won’t be gone for too long.” Héctor replied with a smile.

• However, to be honest, as much as he wanted to believe that, a small part of him had doubts about Imelda returning. Every letter she sent, another extension was made. One week turned into two, a fortnight turned into a month, and that month turned into several. Héctor missed her badly, but he was slowly but surely becoming increasingly irritated at the fact that it has been months since she was home. He couldn’t help but worry about the little things. Was she sleeping well? Was she eating her meals? Was she hurt?
• The feeling of her absence and his loneliness were taking a toll on his mental state. It was getting harder and harder to promise Coco of her Mamá’s return and reassure her that she had nothing to worry about. He wanted to tell Coco the true reality of what was going on, but he didn’t have the heart to ruin her innocence.
• Maybe… his mother was right… maybe it was a mistake…
• No. Absolutely not. Imelda would never do this to them. She wouldn’t betray her family. Fame and recognition weren’t her priorities. What mattered to her the most was her family. She wouldn’t abandon her family for some celebrity status.
• Right?

One week later, in Mexico City…

• Ernesto was alone in the inn when a knock came at the front door. He opened it to find a mailman standing before him with a package in his hands.

“Hola, is Imelda Rivera staying here?” asked the mailman.

“Sí, what can I do for you?” Ernesto said.

“I have a package that is addressed to her from Santa Cecilia. Is she here at the moment?”

“She’s not, I’m afraid. But you can hand the box to me and I’ll give it to her.”

“Gracias, señor. Now if you could please just sign here…”

• Ernesto signed the necessary papers before thanking and bidding the mailman goodbye. He decided to put the box on Imelda’s bed and left a note to inform her. Must be another gift from Héctor, he thought.

“I’ll head out for a bit to get some fresh air, they shouldn’t take too long to come back soon.” Ernesto said to himself before leaving the premises.

Ten minutes later…

“We’re back!” Sofia announced cheerfully only to realise her partner wasn’t around.

“He probably went out for a little while. I’m going to go take a shower first, it was so hot out there.” Imelda said as she picked up her towel and headed into her bedroom before seeing the beautiful black gift box on her bed.

• She went over to closer inspect it and saw a note next to it which read,

‘A package arrived for you, just like last time.

- Ernesto’

• Imelda reminisced the last time she received a gift box like this, it was her ‘quinceañera’ dress from Héctor. The thought of another gift from him made her heart swell with love and joy. She lifted the cover off the box and was shocked to see the dress that laid inside it. It was so colourful and had many intricate designs plastered on it. A part of her wondered how long this took Héctor to make. Looking at it made her feel really guilty for leaving in the first place. Maybe she could wear this on her way back home.
• Two cards laid cozily in the box. One from Héctor and one of her sweet Coco. She picked the both of them up and read them.

‘Help me make this dress more colourful than it already is, mi amor.

- Héctor’

‘You will always be the prettiest one, Mamá.

- Coco’

• Imelda’s heart melted at the two notes presented to her. She couldn’t wait to get home to her family, give Coco all the hugs and smooches she deserved, and make up for lost times with Héctor. She carefully placed the cards into her suitcase before heading to the shower to freshen up.
• Sofia was walking past Imelda’s room when she noticed the black gift box on her bed. She went over to see the most colourful dress she had ever laid eyes on. Next to it was the note from Ernesto. She picked it up and read it, which made her blood boil once again.
• Had Imelda been seducing Ernesto behind her back? Sofia thought she finally had her grasp on Ernesto, but lo and behold, Imelda and Ernesto were having a secret affair the whole time. And another dress for her? Really? Not to mention this one looked better than the last one he gave her.
• If Imelda thought that she could get away with stealing her man once more, she was sorely mistaken. Sofia will just have to teach her a lesson.
• Imelda came out of the bathroom to find Sofia standing before her, glaring daggers at her.

“Is something wrong, Sofia?” Imelda asked.

“You know exactly what’s wrong, Imelda. Don’t play dumb.” Sofia spat out.

“I really don’t know what you’re talking about, mi amiga. Now would you please excuse me so I can get changed?”

“You are not going anywhere until you explain this!” Sofia retorted as she threw the colourful dress at Imelda.

“This? It’s a gift from my husband!”

“Oh really? Then what is this? Huh?” Sofia flicked Ernesto’s note towards Imelda.

“Ernesto most likely wrote this to inform me of the package, I’m pretty sure it’s not a gift from him.”

“When will you stop with your lies, ‘Melda? I’ve seen the way you look at Ernesto. They always have that look of anticipation and hunger, and somehow, you managed to misle him into thinking you’re a way better option than me. Well, that gift should’ve been for me, but since it was given to you, I’ll just have to do something about it.” Sofia said as she pulled out a pair of fabric scissors from a drawer and began making her way to the dress.

“What are you doing, Sofia? That’s my dress and it’s from Héctor! Not Ernesto!” Imelda yelled out as she tried to snatch the scissors from Sofia’s hand.

“Let me go, you slut! You already have a husband and child! Now you’re still trying to steal my man away from me? I won’t allow this, and this is what you deserve.” Sofia screamed as she tried to move away from Imelda to grab the dress.

“No, Sofia! You’re getting it all wrong! Now let go of that or you’ll be sorry!”

“Urgh, GET OFF ME!” Sofia exclaimed as she pushed Imelda off her.

• In the process of pushing Imelda off, however, the blades of the scissors made contact with Imelda’s neck and punctured her jugular deeply. Imelda immediately grabbed her neck in an attempt to stop the bleeding. But then, she lost her balance, slipped and fell, and hit her head hard on the drawer, which created a new wound at the back of the head.
• Sofia stood still in shock and horror when she realised what she had done. Tears were welling up in her eyes and she dropped the now bloodied scissors.

“I-Imelda, no, no, no, I’m sorry! I-I didn’t mean t-to…”

“Sofia?” Ernesto muttered.

• Sofia turned to see Ernesto standing by the door, looking just as shocked and horrified as she was.

“What…. what have you done, Sofia? What happened here?”

“It… it was an accident! I didn’t mean to hurt her at all!” Sofia panicked. “I was so angry, I was going to cut up the dress you gave her.”

“The dress? It wasn’t from me, it was from Héctor!” Ernesto exclaimed.

• Sofia looked at Ernesto in bewilderment. So Imelda was telling the truth the whole time? She and Ernesto weren’t having some secret affair together? Did Imelda really die for nothing?

“So you and Imelda weren’t going behind my back after all?”

“So that was what led to this? You thought Imelda and I were romantically involved without your knowledge? What even made you think that?”

“What about the first dress you gave her all those years ago? How do you explain that?”

“That was from Héctor as well! I just gave it to her on his behalf.”

• At that, Sofia just collapsed onto the floor hard and broke down like a ruined dam. She unintentionally murdered her childhood best friend, all because of a misunderstanding. There was no way she could get away with this, with Ernesto being the witness. She just lost a friendship and a relationship in a matter of five minutes. She was finished. She would have to spend the rest of her life locked away in some cold prison cell while wallowing in her remorse and regret.
• What she didn’t expect was Ernesto kneeling down next to her and cupping her cheek, looking into her eyes with those warm brown eyes of his, in a way to comfort her.

“Ernesto, what are you…” Sofia began.

“Shh, it’s okay, mi amor, it’s okay…” Ernesto comforted.

“No, it’s not, I… I just killed our friend… that’s unforgivable…”

“We’ll get through this together, mi amor. There’s nothing to be afraid of. You have me.”

“That’s not helping, Nesto. What are we going to tell Hector? What can we say to a little girl? She’s left without a Mamá because of me.”

“They don’t have to know.”

“…What?”

• Ernesto looked towards Imelda’s body before shuddering away, turning his attention back to the confused Sofia. He gripped Sofia’s shoulders before continuing.

“We still have a dream, Sofia. A dream to perform for the world, and there’s no way we can achieve it if we admit what happened to the authorities or to Héctor. We’ll pretend this never happened, get rid of her body, and hide the evidence as best as we can. .” Ernesto explained.

“But wouldn’t Héctor start suspecting something? There’s no doubt that he would want to know where his wife went.” Sofia said.

“No need to worry about that. I’ll figure something out.”

• The two of them sat there holding each other silently, not wanting to let go before Sofia broke the silence once more.

“Why?” Sofia began.

“Hmm?” Ernesto voiced out.

“Why are you doing this?”

“I can’t lose you too.”

• For a week, Ernesto and Sofia cleaned up the room, scrubbing the floor to make sure no drop of blood was left behind. There was no way to dispose of Imelda’s body without being seen, so they emptied out her suitcase and stuffed her body inside it. Luckily, she was small enough to fit into the suitcase, so it made the disposal much easier. The scissors that were used to murder Imelda were put into the suitcase as well. After that was dealt with, Ernesto buried the suitcase behind the inn. The two of them then began going through Imelda’s things. They made sure to take the song book, and Sofia got her hands on Imelda’s prized castanets, which were white in colour with gold designs (one of Héctor’s weddings gifts to her). After gathering all the important items, they discarded the rest of it and were about to leave when Ernesto suddenly spoke up.

“By the way, get rid of that colourful dress. That’s the most incriminating evidence after the scissors.” Ernesto instructed.

• Sofia picked up the dress and was getting to dispose of it when she decided to take a good look at it. It was so beautiful and detailed, the intricate designs on it made the colours stand out in its own way. It didn’t look like it could be bought anywhere. It was a handmade dress, for sure. Maybe she could keep it and hide it from Ernesto. With that, she folded it into her suitcase behind the rest of her clothes, making sure it was out of sight before leaving the inn with her partner alongside her.

Back in Santa Cecilia a few weeks later…

• It had been many weeks and still no word from Imelda. Héctor was getting more and more worried, and to his disappointment, more and more agitated with Coco’s constant question, which would always be, ‘Is Mamá coming home soon?”. He couldn’t help but snap at the girl a few times, every time he regretted and would always apologise for. Héctor wrote a countless number of letters to Ernesto and Sofia, demanding to know the whereabouts of his wife. But even after a thousand words, he was still getting no response from either of them, until one day, an envelope was delivered straight to him. Hector wasted no time in tearing the damn thing open and began reading every word that was written on it.

Dear Hector,

It has been a while since we last spoken. But I am writing this letter to inform you of one thing, and that is Imelda.

Sofia and I went out to a bar to spend some time together. By the time we got back to the inn, Imelda’s things, the gift you gave her and herself were nowhere to be found. She left without a notice and the only thing she left behind was her wedding ring which I have put inside the envelope.

Despite our best efforts to find her all around Mexico City during these past few weeks, we have come to the conclusion that she does not want to be found. It also seems to me that she wants out of her marriage with you, and for that I’m terribly sorry, my old friend.

In any case, I hope you and the rest of the family can pull through these tough times. You’re strong, Héctor. It is now up to you to help your family from this.

Regards,

Ernesto de la Cruz

• Héctor allowed his entire self to drop on the floor, trying to process what he just read in that piece of paper. He looked towards the envelope that was discarded on the floor. He picked it up and hastily inspected inside of it and sure enough, the wedding ring was there. He held the ring in his hand as tears began flowing freely from his eyes. Why? Why would Imelda do this to him? Was he not good enough for her? What was it that he lacked? Sure, he was not the most good looking guy in Santa Cecilia, and was most definitely not as good looking as Ernesto, but he never knew Imelda to be the superficial kind. So what was the point of her marrying him in the first place? Was it because he was the product of two locally famous musicians? Was it because of his status? Was it her plan all along to be out of poverty by marrying someone from a much higher status than her? Did she get with him so she could gain some form of musical experience in order to go solo later on?
• Whatever reason she left him for, was absolutely inexcusable in Coco’s case. She left her daughter without a mother, which he would have to break the tragic news to later on. Not only that, she left her brothers without a sister. They had suspected that their sister would never return, but hope kept them to believe in her. Now Héctor had to shatter that hope.

“Papá? Are you okay?” Coco asked worriedly.

“Imelda, why? How could you?” Héctor whimpered softly.

“Tío Óscar, Tío Felipe, help!” Coco cried out.

• The twins came running out from their room, ready to assist.

“What is it, Coco?” Óscar asked.

“It’s Papá! He fell to the floor crying, and was saying Mamá’s name!”

“Come, Coco. Let’s get you to your room. Felipe, please figure out what happened with Héctor.” Óscar instructed.

• Felipe nodded and began tending to his sobbing brother-in-law.

“Héctor, what happened? Did Imelda write back? What did she say?” Felipe asked.

• Héctor said nothing he pointed to the letter that was discarded by his side. Felipe picked it up and was shocked to say the least after reading it.

“No, hermana. No, you did not just up and leave us behind. This has to be some kind of sick joke. She wouldn’t abandon us for some fame, right? Héctor?”

“She’s not coming back, Felipe. She left us. She left Coco.”

• The two men said nothing as they held onto each other in an attempt to console one another. Just then, there was a knock on the door and in came Isabél, who had been coming in every week for seven months to check on her daughter-in-law’s return.

“Mijo? Has that wife of yours returned yet? Any news from her at least?” Isabél asked with her hands on her hips.

“Mamá Isabél, Imelda… she…” Felipe voiced out as he held the letter towards her.

• As Isabél finished reading the letter, her face grew redder and hotter with rage. That damned woman! How dare she? Leaving her entire family worried sick for months only to suddenly be informed of her abandonment of her family? She knew from the get go that an orphaned girl was no good for her son, and that opinion only grew stronger as months went by, but she still held out hope that maybe, just maybe, that girl still had the decency to return to her family, to be a good wife to her husband, to be a good mother to her daughter. Now, this letter just solidified her statement: Imelda was a good-for-nothing witch that never cared for her family.
• Of course now that this has happened, she just had to let it in on her son of how she was right in the first place.

“What did I tell you from the start, mijo? I told you marrying that orphan was a mistake, a mistake you’ll soon realise and regret later on! Now look where that has lead to! A motherless child! Poor Coco now has to live with the fact that she will never see her mother again, all because of the promise of fame in the big city.” Isabél went off on Héctor.

“She has hurt you all far too many times, mijo. I will not allow that woman to cause you anymore pain than she already has. It’s time you start getting your act together, mijo, or I will be forced to take matters into my own two hands.” Isabél finished before leaving the premises.

• Héctor pondered for a moment before standing up, wiping the remaining tears off his face and headed towards his the bedroom he used to share with Imelda with Felipe following behind. He picked up the family picture he took with her and Coco a month before she left for that god forsaken tour. He took it out of its frame and studied it for a little bit. Never once in his relationship with his wife had he felt any anger towards her, not even when she questioned the income of the boutique, when she left for the tour or even informing him of the tour’s extension. But now, everything seemed totally different to Héctor. He felt betrayed, disappointment, fury, sadness, but more notably, resentment, and it was a very strong one as well. Whatever he felt was nothing compared to what Coco and his brother-in-laws would feel. He was done being the nice guy that would let anything slide. No. He was all Coco had left, and he was going to make sure to be there every step of the way, no matter what happened.

“Our hermana isn’t coming back home anymore, now is she, Héctor?” Felipe asked with tears in his eyes.

“No, she isn’t, Felipe. She’s gone.” Héctor replied.

• Hector held the picture in two hands and began tearing Imelda’s face out of the picture. He then discarded the torn piece, along with the wedding ring that he spent a fortune on, into the nearby rubbish bin.

“And she will stay gone.”

In the Land of the Dead…

• Imelda woke up in an unfamiliar room that was heavily decorated with skulls and flowers. Her head immediately started pounding as soon as she regained consciousness. She brought her hand up to her head only to hear clacking. She looked at her hand to see that it was all skeletal. She let out a cry which alerted another skeleton that came rushing in to her aid, but that only scared her more to the point where backed up against the wall.

“S-Stay back! Don’t come any closer to me!” Imelda warned.

“Don’t worry, Señora. I’m not here to hurt you. I just want to help.” the skeleton reassured.

“You can start by telling me where I am, thank you very much!”

“Don’t fret, Señora, but you have arrived in the Land of the Dead.”

“What? The Land of the Dead?”

“Yes, Señora. I know it’s a lot to take in considering how sudden your death was, but I will…”

“No, no, no. I can’t be dead. There has to be a way out of this! Please, I have to get home! I have to get back to my family!”

“I’m sorry, but death is irreversible. Once you’re here, there’s no turning back. Now, if I could just have your name…”

“You don’t understand! I was suppose to go home! My husband gifted me a beautiful dress while I was still away! I was going to wear it on the way back!”

“I’m deeply sorry to hear that, but there is nothing we can do about, Señora. But there is a way for you to go back home every year, and that is on Dia de Muertos!”

“You mean… I get to go home? To see my family?”

“Of course, Señora! When your family puts your photo up on an ofrenda, you’ll be able to cross the marigold bridge that appears once every year on Dia de Muertos. Your family loves you. I’m sure they’ll put your photo up.”

“I’ll get to go home. My friends better inform my family of my death or I’ll tear them to pieces.”

“I’m sure they will, Señora. Now, if I could get your name and your cause of death, we can start with the paper work.”

“My name is Imelda Rivera, and I… uh… I’m not too sure how I died, but my head really hurts.”

“That’s okay. We’ll just put ‘head trauma’ as the placeholder cause. You can update it later on once you’ve figured it out. There’s no need to fret, it’s normal to not remember your death when it was so sudden.”

• Little did Imelda know that would be the beginning of her hellish after life.

And scene! Thank you for reading this final sub-part. Be sure to stay tuned for more Reverse AU and I’ll see you next time!

Watch Episode 2 of Ratchet and Clank Rift Apart!   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKsYRrOAfSI

(via Two Baos in a Steamer coco et cocoa)

When to Quit

End

Please reblog, don’t repost! (ESPECIALLY DO NOT POST TO PINTEREST)

Well, here we are.

Went a bit different for this page since the hatching alone wasn’t getting the effect I wanted, and since it was the last page I wanted it to be impactful, so there’s some extra digital shading here.

Well… Héctor’s had his bad days. Some years he doesn’t get caught, most years he does, and it feels like it’ll never end–like he’ll never cross the bridge, never see his Coco again.

But of course we know that’s not what happens.

There’s always a happy ending, even if it’s a long ways off. Don’t stop trying to cross the bridge.

Coco with an unreasonable amount of ice cream.

Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time (2020)

Coco

enjoying the aurora 🤗