YMMV / Plus Five to Charisma

• Alternative Character Interpretation: How much of Alma's behavior was because of the curse and how much of it was, as Mirabel assumes, her not being used to be people challenging her? While the curse was born from her desire to keep everyone safe from the horrors of the outside world, her Control Freak nature over how she wants people really doesn't have much to do with keeping everyone inside the walls of the Encanto, as shown by her having no problem with Bruno leaving when he says he had a vision about it. This could imply that, while she is under a curse, Mirabel and Bruno's introducing drastic changes so quickly after their return only sped along her Hollow Dragon breakdown.
• Catharsis Factor:
  • Considering how poorly Mirabel and Bruno were treated when they simply went along with Alma's whims in the movie, many readers were satisfied at how they barely respect her here and already challenging the control she's put the family under.
  • With how badly Isabela's thought of and spoken about Mirabel and the Party, it can be quite a cathartic moment in chapter 33 when it all comes to a head with the sisters screaming at each other and Mirabel slapping Isabela. Twice. Though the breakdown Isabela has later and how completely wrecked her mental state is can put a damper on it.
• Harsher in Hindsight: In Chapter 19, Camilo remembers a prank he played on Isabela that took two days of planning and multiple form changes that convinced Isabela she had gained thirty pounds as revenge for insulting Lusia for asking for seconds, which, at the time, was treated as a dose of karma for Isabela, who had been a total Alpha Bitch so far. Chapter 44, which comes after the reveal of just how broken Isabela was, reveals that Isabela had been actively starving herself for years to meet Alma's expectations for her appearance, meaning there's a high chance Camilo made her food problems worse.
• Hilarious in Hindsight: In chapter 19, a commentor makes a joke about Alma trying to deny that nonhumans exist until a Dragonborn walks in, which she can't explain away. A few chapters later and it turns out that Mirabel and Bruno's party does have a Dragonborn member-Saharah.
• Jerkass Woobie: Isabela. Outside, she appears to be way worse than in the movie, being a haughty Alpha Bitch to just about everyone. But it's revealed in chapter 15 that she is literally on the verge of a mental breakdown and is not only implied to be self-harming herself, but is also implied to extremely upset about who she became, but doesn't see any other way to cope with the pressure Alma is putting on her. Following her complete breakdown in chapter 33, she becomes a straight up Woobie.
• Moment of Awesome: Dryft, the kind if a bit naive Gentle Giant, claims his godhood to save Gahoole and then decks the Hollow Dragon, marking the first time any of the fighters did serious damage to her.
  • Isabela tapping into the full might of her gift to merge herself with her plants to become a 50 foot tall tree giantess after the Hollow Dragon nearly kills Antonio.
  • Agustin grabbing the magic staff and unlocking his hidden Swarmkeeper abilities, causing the bee colonies to rally to him.
• Realism-Induced Horror: The scariest thing in the fic isn't anything out of a D&D campaign, but rather Alma and how she treats her family. Without the two misfits around, no one was there to question her desires for her family, who have been using their gifts in the way she and only she wants them too, all the while being completely oblivious to how her actions are hurting her family simply because no one has had the will to challenge her before. Even when they are utterly miserable, everyone simply views it as the way to live, to the point where Isabela can literally say to Mirabel's face without questioning it that the best way to live to simply do what others expect from you, demand nothing for yourself and pretend to be happy and then get upset when Mirabel completely rejects that logic. An abuser's victim not realizing their treatment is unfair is very real and Nocci likening the treatment to slaves isn't exactly wrong and Alma not realizing she did anything wrong, only doubling down further, only makes it scarier.
• They Wasted a Perfectly Good Plot: In spite of being a Druid, Nocci never once uses the iconic Wild Shape spell, even when Antonio gets his gift or during the Final Battle with Hollow Dragon Alma.
• The Woobie: Just about everyone, but Camilo takes the cake. Not only has he been separated from his favorite cousin for ten years, but Alma now literally forces him to be anyone other than himself, which heavily ways on him. When he vents to Mirabel about it, he winds up breaking down and revealing that he's afraid of being banished from the village. It's gotten so bad to the point where he is actually planning to leave with Mirabel and co once they set out again.