I want to talk about Bob.
I want to talk about Bob and how fandom treats characters with mental illnesses, because I’m already seeing this shit.
Spoilers below the cut.
His arc is so good, and yet some people are really just focusing on making him into “UwU babygirl” material. I know, this is tumblr, home of the babygirlified characters.
But there’s heavier context here. We’re talking about someone who survived an abusive childhood and overcame the addiction he used to self-medicate for a wildly unrepresented/stigmatized illness.
His memory loss is not cute. It’s traumatic. He’s traumatized.
Yes, it’s important that he absolutely can be seen as a love interest, as a favorite blorbo, as a comfort character. In fact, I think he will be for many people with mental illnesses. His story resonates.
But there’s a systemic, historic pattern of treating mentally ill folks as children, or incapable.
The situation with Valentina is a metaphor for conservatorship. She handles him, makes decisions for him, all while talking down to him.
Don’t let fandom do that to him, too.
IM DEAD AND BURIED YOU'VE KILLED ME
just like all my favorite characters.
Sometimes a family is a former child assassin, her fake dad, Walmart Captain America, daddy issues final boss, a bipolar nuke, and the guy who killed jfk
Yelena having a soft spot for abandoned test subjects 🥹🥹🥹🥹
Sam: Happy pride month, Cass
Castiel: Pride month? There is a month to have pride?
Sam, snickering to himself: Yeah
Castiel: Then I choose to be proud of Dean.
*Sam wheezing in the background*
Dean: Cass no—
Sometimes a family is a former child assassin, her fake dad, Walmart Captain America, daddy issues final boss, a bipolar nuke, and the guy who killed jfk
The trope where people don't recognize each other because it's been so long since they last interacted and they've both changed so much that they're basically strangers UNTIL one of them does their Signature Thing™ and the other just stops dead because oh. It's YOU. All at once it's so clearly you
hAHAHAHHAHA NOOO I LOVE TO CAUSE PAAAAIN lmao
I like to think he chose Steve's cause his old room reminded him of what he was like freshly de-winter soldier-ed :]
“do we think yelena picked nat’s room” WRAP IT UP
able bodied allies of disabled people when your disability genuinely has no secret upside and makes you useless to a late stage capitalist society
Tony having a list of habits of the avengers that annoy him yet also altering the entirety of the compound to meet those habits.
Tony: You realize how annoying it is to have you in my vents?? Just let me breathe my 5 million dollar air in peace
Also Tony installing a proper scanner which doesn't ring any alarms if Barton is in the vents but instead just makes in a video compilation of each time he falls.
Tony: Thor I swear to the Gods. If you take one more Pop tart from me I wil-
Also Tony bulge buying Pop tarts for every time Thor visits.
Tony: Cap how do you not kn- No being frozen for 80 years is no excuse. This is vital part of history, No I don't care that it's "just a show" this changed lives
Also Tony installing a "Cap is confused again" Protocol on FRIDAY for each time there's anything Steve doesn't understand which might be basic knowledge to everyone else so FRIDAY can give him a summary of it all.
Tony: Nat you need to stop hiding weapons everywhere. I can't be going around finding machetes in the compound!
Also Tony providing her as much space she needs for her weapons in each room if that's what she needs to feel safe.
Tony: No! No magic. Wanda you go through my head again and I swear you'll regret it. My therapist quit, you think you can handle it? Nuh uh this is a magic free household young lady.
Also Tony installing a whole new simulation based training room so she can practice her magic properly.
Tony: Bucky, I know I'm rich but can you please stop crushing my equipment and cups
Also Tony very gently talking to Bucky about everything he is doing step by step as he checks up Bucky's arm. Giving him his own room with open windows so he doesn't feel trapped with every bit of little hobby he might pick up from knitting to painting to playing the piano. A bookshelf with the entire limited edition of The Hobbit and every 40s music he might like. And some more recent songs in case he decides to "stop being old".
Tony: Strange I need you to stop doing that shit. I understand you're a wizard but don't they have rules for that? Like no magic outside of Hogwarts until you're 17? None of that weird stuff in the tower... ever.
Also Tony creating a special meditating room for Stephen with Pink Floyd playing where he can just calm down for a while in the tower and somehow a room in the mirror dimension when he really wants peace and quiet.
Tony: Vision I know you're an AI who is very interested in human nature and I am flattered but I swear if I hear one more explosion because you tried to learn knitting or the piano I will find an off switch whether or not you have one.
Also Tony making every single hobby Vision wants to pick up possible in the best way. Providing him his own kitchen to getting him a piano teacher because he wanted to experience "learning by being taught"
Tony: Banner I get that you have everything under control which is great but my lab is not big enough for The Hulk
Also Tony making his lab big enough. Getting him his own lab. Making sure he had everything he needed to calm down when he couldn't control the Hulk. Labeling him as the "strongest avenger". Getting him a therapist. Making sure he never feels alone yet always has peace
Tony: Rhodey you need to understand that when I say I'm fine I'm fine. You act like such a party pooper you know that?
Also Tony who trusts Rhodey with his life and everything. Making sure Rhodey never feels lesser than. Who couldn't be more grateful that Rhodey stuck by him throughout everything and always stayed. Tony always turning to him for advice and no matter how much he acts like Rhodey is being a bummer always takes his words to heart.
Tony: Peter.... Don't walk on the ceiling! Oh my God don't die! What the hell kid please don't explode your homework again! Your aunt is going to KILL me! You mess with the suit again and I- No , you can't borrow my suit what do you mean? I told you to stay back, tell me what you interpreted that as? No the adults are talking.
Also Tony doing everything that kid wants no matter what. Making sure his suit is so safe that he might as well be immortal. Buying him everything he even remotely suggests to liking. He has his own room in the tower cause of all the time he spends in the labs.
"You want to test out this new thing with your webs but it requires this extremely expensive and toxic chemical? As long as you wear proper protection!"
"you said you had to write about a famous place you went to but since you haven't travelled much you were gonna write about the Stark exhibition or times square.....So I got you these world tour tickets. I think they hit every landmark , just message me the ones they don't and I'll handle it. And don't worry there are two so your aunt can go with you"
Clint in the vents and that’s his whole personality because he wasn’t fleshed out in the movies → Ava in the walls and that’s her whole personality because she wasn’t fleshed out in the movies
Thor eating poptarts and overusing proper words because English isn’t his first language and he’s the comedic relief → Alexei eating Wheaties and overusing proper words because English isn’t his first language and he’s the comedic relief
Natasha pranking and laughing at everyone from the sidelines because fanon decided she’s just silly like that → Yelena pranking and laughing at everyone from the sidelines because canon decided she’s just silly like that
Bruce being a sweet, soft-spoken, unassuming guy but also the most fucking unhinged monstrosity if you catch him on a bad day → Bob being a sweet, soft-spoken, unassuming guy but also the most fucking unhinged monstrosity if you catch him on a sad day
Steve being handed the de facto title of goody two shoes leader despite being the LAST person on board with this → Bucky being handed the de facto title of goody two shoes leader despite being the last person on board with this
Tony being a big-mouthed asshole that’s secretly haunted by his past mistakes which involved publicly supporting the US military via PR stunts as a weapons manufacturer → John being a big-mouthed asshole that’s secretly haunted by his past mistakes which involved publicly supporting the US military via PR stunts as a weapon himself