Subject: UOF Encanto, Chapter 1A
Author:
Posted on: 2022-02-03 11:22:44 UTC

Chapter 1 - Welcome to the UOF Encanto

Leonor Poe had been having a lovely dream. There'd been a butterfly… no, it had been a man, and he'd been so impressed ("awestruck" was the word he used) by her latest Encanto fanfic that he wanted to invite her to a… a special school for writers, that was how she remembered it.

He'd given her a form, and while paperwork in dreams usually meant she'd slipped over into a nightmare, the soft music playing through Leonor's window made actually made filling it out almost pleasant. She'd handed it back to the man, or maybe he was a butterfly, and… and now she was lying in a back alley with a toucan staring at her from three inches away.

She yelped, flapping her hands at the bird, but it just took a step back and watched as she scrabbled into a sitting position. Fabric tangled around her legs as she pressed her back to a warm stone wall, and she realised that while what she was wearing was recognisably her nightgown, it seemed to have grown longer and acquired some very nice embroidery. Her bra had reappeared under it, as had a pair of soft shoes - almost slippers - and the whole ensemble looked almost like-

"I found her!"

Leonor flinched back as the toucan took off in a storm of feathers. Behind it, a small child in a straw hat was grinning at her.

"Come on!" the little girl shouted, running over and grabbing her hand. "You're going to be late!"

Still shaking off her dream and her confusion, Leonor allowed herself to be dragged to her feet and out onto a sunny cobbled street. "But, I don't understand," she said to the child. "What's… where am I?"

"Come on!" the girl repeated. "We need to find Mirabel!"

"Mi… ra…?" Leonor shook her head as she stumbled after the child. The buildings had an old-fashioned look, and they were hung with flowers and vines that looked really familiar. Like, really, really familiar, as if she'd watched a movie with them in at least a dozen times. "But that's impossible," she mumbled. "There's no such place as-"

They burst into a sunlit plaza, and the little girl led her towards a group of about a dozen people. They ranged from a handful of girls who couldn't be older than fourteen to a man probably in his twenties, and most of them looked exactly as bewildered (and half-asleep) as Leonor; but at the front was a teenage girl with frizzy black hair, huge round glasses, and a huge, unmistakable grin.

"¡Hola!" called - it was totally impossible - Mirabel Madrigal, waving at Leonor. "Looks like we're all here, and time's a-wasting, so let's get straight to it!" She clapped her hands, and lively music started up out of nowhere.

One of the confused crowd, a girl in an oversized white cardigan, looked around. "Oh come on!" she protested. "A songfic?"

"So glad you read and / Filled in the application!" Mirabel sang, as a crowd of little kids burst into applause from the side of the plaza.

"Now we’ll get started

There’s so much to see and do

Come meet my family

They’ll help with orientation

They read your work and would love to give you their review!"

As she sang, the girl - the fictional character, Leonor had to keep reminding herself - danced off along the road. Leonor and the rest of the group followed; at least three of them started dancing as well, and Leonor had to keep from tapping along to the beat.

"Whoa

Do you think I’m talking way too fast, whoa

The truth is I am glad you’re here at last, whoa

You feel the beat, know this will be a blast

If you’re uncertain, then feel free to ask, so--"

"Whoa," Leonor whispered, as they rounded a corner and a grand, vine-covered house came into view. "Can it really be…?"

"Casita!" squealed the youngest of the group, and Mirabel shot her a grin before launching into the chorus:

"Welcome to the UOF Encanto!

You’re moving to UOF Encanto! (we’re getting close!)

Where all the staff is so encouraging and nourishing

Where we all work at UOF Encanto!"

Very few of the group could hold back smiles as they stepped through the wide-open doors of the Madrigal house. The tiles in the courtyard clattered as they entered, rippling out from Mirabel's feet like waves around a thrown stone.

"I've read about this sort of thing," muttered the girl next to Leonor, who had glasses almost as large as Mirabel's. "If you die in a lucid dream, apparently you can die for real."

"I don't think it's a dream," Leonor said, eyes wide as she watched a staircase assemble itself in front of them. "I think this is… is really…"

"Casita!" repeated the littlest girl, and then launched into a high-pitched, warbling attempt at a song: "Drawers! Floors! Doors! Let's go!"

The drawers, floors, and walls stayed where they were. "And this is why coffee's for grownups," muttered a tall girl with tangled blonde hair.

"Can we maybe not quote the movie?" the girl next to Leonor pleaded, glancing nervously at Mirabel. "I really don't want to find out what happens if… you know."

Mirabel laughed. "Oh, we know all about it, don't worry!" she exclaimed. "We've read all your stories - that's why you're here!" Leonor frowned, hearing a slight edge in Mirabel's tone, but the girl had already set off up the stairs again. "Come on, let's go!"

The group clambered up the stairs, which helpfully widened to accommodate them. On the balcony above was a line of doors, each glowing with a golden light.

"Okay, okay, okay!" Mirabel announced as the last of them reached the top. "Casita, can we have them in pairs, please?"

The railing reshaped itself, pushing bars in amongst the group. Leonor found herself squeezed in front of a door with the girl in glasses, while Mirabel hopped up onto the handrail and pointed.

"Okay, you and you swap… yes, and you two… perfect!" The railings extended into a ramp, letting Mirabel descend to the head of the stairs. She turned around to face them, held out her hands, and sang:

"This is your dorm room

Step up and touch the doorknob

Casita grants you

A miracle that’s yours to keep

You’ll have a roommates

(Please get along with your roommate!)

They say it’s best to play nice, please note they watch you sleep!"

Leonor glanced at the girl next to her. "I'm Leonor," she said in a low voice.

"Ana," the girl in the glasses said, and nodded at the glowing door in front of them. "Shall we?"

Leonor took a deep breath, and together the pair reached out and clasped the brass doorknob.

"Oh! When you hug it out the candle’s bright, whoa

The truth is, you can learn from every fight, whoa

Knowing them makes everything alright

And after this you might be super tight, aw!"

Golden light rose about them, and the music took on a more ethereal cast even as Mirabel finished her song:

"Welcome to the UOF Encanto

You’re moving to UOF Encanto (this will be great!)

Where all the staff will sure endeavor to look out for you

That’s just who we are at UOF Encanto!"

The light faded out, and Leonor found herself looking into her own face. The door had transformed, and now carried an image of her and Ana. The other girl's portrait was looking down, her brow furrowed, while Leonor's was holding a hand to one ear in a very Dolores-esque pose.

"Whoa," said the small girl at the neighbouring door, reaching out to touch her own image. "Does this mean we get magic gifts?"

The even smaller girl with her grinned and reached for the doorknob. "And magic bedrooms?!"

"Whoa!" Mirabel clapped her hands before anyone could open their doors. "Don't get ahead of yourself, my little friend. Abuela wants to welcome you all, and we don't want to keep her waiting." Her smile vanished abruptly. "Seriously, you don't want to do that." Then it was back in full force. "Plenty of time for exploring your dorms later!"

"And Tía Julieta made arepas!" called a muffled voice, and the entire group swung round to see Antonio perched on the railing across the courtyard. "They're so good."

"Antonio." Mirabel propped her hands on her hips. "Are you eating the students' arepas?"

"... no?" Antonio swallowed hurriedly, then slipped down onto the balcony. "Gotta go, see ya!"

"We're gonna talk about this!" Mirabel shook her head, then turned back to the group. "As I was saying: Abuela, downstairs, let's go!"


The plan is to continue through to their return to the dorms, but I figured I'd kept you all waiting long enough. ^_~ Student cameos so far are James, Dolores, Alexandra, Katherine and Matilda in the next room, and of course Ana and Leonor. (Also technically Marty as one of the three youngest kids in the square.) Hopefully they'll have time for introductions over arepas, so I can start name-dropping.

As with OFUDisc back in the day, I like to use my students as characters, not just cameos. I won't go quite as all-in as I did back then, but we should still get to know all of the class pretty well. (There's still room for more students, btw! I've been deliberately vague on the numbers for just that reason.)

I think some of you have probably watched the film more than me, so if there's anything that seems off, shout it out! This is essentially an open draft at the moment.

hS

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