video, un: Mariposa

[nonmagical]

WHO: Mirabel and the network
WHERE: Casita's kitchen
WHEN: 5/1
WHAT: Butter No Jutsu
WARNINGS: Too much butter is bad for you

[It's an evening post with Mirabel! She... doesn't look very amused.]

So uh, I got one of those Furby things? It's long and it showed up in my room and scared me half to death. I've been getting a lot of stuff lately for no reason?? I got something called "Baja Blast" and it's a drink of some kind?

Also...

[She moves the camera. It's a tiny butter version of the Encanto! Like, shockingly accurate detail. There's even a tiny butter Casita! And townspeople! And the family! Look, once you find out you can magically make things out of butter you gotta see how far you can go with it okay.]

I can do this now? Uh... don't ask me how.

Comments

[nonmagical]

[Some kind of horrible realization sinks in as Pepa says that. All of her life she's wanted some kind of Gift, and now? Technically she has one!

... And it's butter.

Why is is butter?!]

Nononono, I don't want my Gift to be butter!! That's weird!!

[WOW how ungrateful!]

[weatherforecast]

It's a perfectly fine gift, Mirabel.

[It's also... very weird, yes. But hey! It's something?]

I bet your butter sculptures would make very... unique gifts?

[nonmagical]

It's so weird! I mean, I've always wanted one but... ugh! It's like this place is making fun of me!!

[Teenage with magic family angst??]

What am I going to do with this much butter...

[weatherforecast]

You could open a little shop, perhaps?

[She carefully picks up the little butter Pepa, examing it closer.]

It's something very different, you know? They're very nice little sculptures even if they're also butter.

[nonmagical]

[Mirabel lifts her head out of her hands. She didn't think about selling them... maybe that would help the family?]

Do you... do you think people would buy them?

[weatherforecast]

[A reassuring smile.]

Yes, I think so. People like unique things like this. Look at all the little details! You probably couldn't make them this nice by sculpting them by hand. Don't you think?

[nonmagical]

Yeah... yeah, I guess you're right. I think I can make just about anything too, I just have to think about it hard enough.

I could um, make a little bit of money, or at least the family would always have some butter whenever they need it...?

[Mirabel doesn't HAVE to "use" her powers for a specific reason anymore. None of them do. But she does feel kind of lost on what to do with her new ability.]

[weatherforecast]

You know, Mirabel... when I first got my gift I didn't like it very much. It seemed like more of a burden than anything. My clouds... they like to come around at inconvenient times, you know?

[She doesn't really open up about it. None of them do. None of them could. She loves her mother. But she made it hard to talk about these things. They always had to put up a certain front. However...]

When I was younger, I think about fourteen, we had a very bad drought. And people needed my gift to save the crops. But for it to rain, I have to be unhappy. I didn't like that to help the people, help our Encanto, I had to be upset. And of course if it gets bad enough... hurricanes. Snow. It wasn't easy to find that balance. I ended up running away and hiding in the fields. But do you know what happened after that?

[nonmagical]

[Mirabel doesn’t get to hear about the struggles of her family’s Gifts very often. Her sisters opened up to her, but the adults in her life? Well, only Bruno really made it clear about how he feels about his Gift. And even then, he doesn’t often go into the ugly details.

So when Pepa tells her story, Mirabel shuts up and listens for once.]

What happened after that?

[weatherforecast]

Your Tio Felix found me. Back then I think I was a little jealous of how laid back and carefree he was. So I didn't like him very much. But he sat down beside me and he did something no one had ever done before. He asked me... did my gift make me happy.

Ay... [She sighs.]

I was furious at him. I called him stupid. What did that matter? If I couldn't use my gift right then the fields were going to dry up. The crops were going to die. And look! Now it was snowing! That would definitely kill the crops. But Felix... he's clever you kmow? He had this idea in his head and he was sure he was right about it.

[The memory brings a fond smile to her lips.]

He said he could make it rain without upsetting me. And he begged for a chance to prove it. And then... he started telling me jokes. Ay... some of them were very bad. I had no idea what he was doing. But he was so determined. Eventually he figured out what sort of jokes got the reaction he wanted. And before I knew it I was laughing so hard I was crying. And you know... it started to rain.

Do you know why I'm telling you this Mirabel?

[nonmagical]

[Mirabel smiles at the story. He made her cry… with laughter? And that’s how they saved the crops? That’s so him. That sounds so like him.

But there’s a point Pepa is trying to make and Mirabel doesn’t understand. Not yet.

She shakes her head.]

[weatherforecast]

It's okay to feel unhappy about your gift sometimes. It's not aways sunshine and rainbows to have one.

But it's also okay to accept those feelings and still look for the silver lining. You might find something unexpected if you look at it from another angle.

[nonmagical]

[Mirabel is quiet for a moment. And then she moves closer to Pepa.

To hug her.]

Thank you for telling me. I-I guess there’s still don’t understand about the… not-so-great moments with your Gifts. I’m glad Tío Felix did what he did to make you happy instead of sad.

I feel like I should be grateful though, that I got one at all. Even after all this time…

I guess I just imagined getting a Gift would feel a lot more… special - or, I dunno. I’ve always had it pictured differently in my mind how it would happen. I know we don’t get to pick them but…

[She finally sighs.]

You’re right, maybe there is a silver lining to all of this. After all, it’s a Gift that’s just for me… right? I guess that makes it pretty special then.

[weatherforecast]

We didn't do a very good job making you feel special sometimes.

[She feels bad about the way she sometimes treated Mirabel. It wasn't malicious. But they sort of all caused the cracks in Casita, didn't they?]

But you're special, gift or no, Mirabel.

[nonmagical]

... Thank you, tía Pepa.

[She appreciates hearing it now.]

We all had... a lot going on back home. I hope things can be different now. Well, not "hope"... we will make them different. Better.

[Whether here in Kaisou, or back home. They've got a lot to work through, but they can do it. Mirabel has all the faith in the world in them.]