#mental illness in Encanto

[foggyfanfic]

I think the thing that keeps me hooked on Encanto and Bruno is the implications of a mentally ill person in this setting.

Like he is all but confirmed mentally ill, and it’s not a curse, it’s not a metaphor, it’s not even PTSD or Cinematic Crazy Disorder, he has OCD. He has real person OCD, we know his compulsions and can make pretty good guesses at his triggers and obsessions, it is OCD. In a lot of fantasy we know that surely mental illness must exist, because presumably these people have brains and brains are where mental illness is stored, but we don’t often receive confirmation that it does exist. Even when characters start showing signs of PTSD, mileage varies on accuracy, and it often gets hand waved as normal trauma instead of clearly being a disorder that could potentially require a doctor’s help to treat. They have yet to state in canon that Bruno has OCD, but they put it into the script, they built it into his character, and they didn’t even go for the usual Has to Have Everything Neat and Tidy variety that we see in media, instead they’ve made a point to show his compulsions and generalized anxiety. This isn’t Detective Procedural OCD, it’s Based on My Aunt OCD.

And that more than anything has me thinking about the structure of this society and this family. I find myself writing mentally ill OC’s for this fandom more than for others because it feels more organic in the Encanto verse than it does the Buffy verse. I spend more time wondering about Alma and her family history, does she have a cousin or siblings that are like Bruno, or does she just assume he’s like that because of the magic? It seems obvious to me that the Madrigal family tends toward anxiety disorders, and after the comics I’m more convinced Bruno is autistic as well as having OCD, how long until some doctor comes to town and is like “Oh, hey! You guys all have mental illnesses!”? It’s the 50’s in the movie, so knowledge of this stuff ain’t great, but Mirabel would be 89(?) today, her grandkids might have been diagnosed, her great grandkids would definitely be the right generation to receive a diagnosis. Oof, but we saw when Encanto first came out that some people consider mental illness to be a White Thing, so how does the intersection of racism and colorism affect this? Does the great grand kid that looks like Pepa have an easier time getting anti-anxiety meds than the great grandkid that looks like Félix?

I should actually probably take my ADHD meds or this is going to get long.

I’ve been weaving Adelaide into more stories because she was originally designed as a vehicle for Camilo to have heavily autistic kids and grandkids, but ever since writing Juan I keep thinking about the experiences of two autistic kids in a rural village that doesn’t know what that is yet. And I want to play with that! Like he doesn’t struggle with facial expressions so he would fly under the radar, but she does struggle with proper emoting so she doesn’t. On the other hand, he went through a very showy phase that got him labeled annoying, but she’s a girl, and quiet, and society likes that. He has a good relationship with his family, so he has mentors and friends; but she has a bad relationship with her family so she has a found family and when Bruno comes out of the walls she would cling to him because he is an Adult that is Like Her. His special interest is math and math is useful so he gets plenty of opportunities to play with it, her special interest is stars and that’s cool and all but stars are not a job. How do people in rural 1950’s handle sensory issues? How accepting are people of those with mental illness when they don’t realize that’s why little Romero is like that?

And what about the downsides of untreated mental illness? We see through Bruno how isolating that can be, but I inherited my broken brain from my mother and she has taught me all the ways NOT to handle it. How many people in Encanto are self medicating because they have bipolar disorder and no clue that’s what’s happening? I read that folks with autism or OCD can often get swept up in fundamentalism because the rigid Right vs Wrong world view presses all the right disorder buttons for them. So how many of the most heavily Catholic people in town are mentally ill?

Oh my god and schizophrenia! I read that hallucinations and delusions can often reflect the culture surrounding the person with the disorder. So! In Encanto, a paradise that’s surrounded by a super violent conflict (because this is taking place in Actual Real World Colombia in the mid-20th century), what does that look like? Do they have aural hallucinations where they think they can hear distant sounds of screaming? Do they have delusions that they’re keeping the miracle alive by never letting their candles burn all the way down? How does the culture of the Encanto affect people with schizophrenia?! How are those people treated?!

I know it’s a Disney property, so obviously they’re not going to release a series that does a deep dive into what mental illness in the Encanto looks like but ugh! I have so many questions, do I really have to write all the answers myself?! Rude. I mean, I’m going to do it, if I have the time and energy I am one hundred percent going to write a story about being a mentally ill person in a magic rural village. But still!

Stay tuned for a longer story about Adelaide than I’d ever planned to write, and a stream of consciousness about how Julieta’s gift should affect PTSD. If I get around to it.

[laynore-x]

They would be good friends ⏳🤝🥼

My entry for the 03 week of @wdtajn event from some months ago, Crossover! 💚✨️

There were amazing entries and collabs in this event!!! 🔥 💙 So many talented people 💯

[water-your-plance]

Istg I can’t keep watching these movies lol it’s to real

[gamerbearmira]

I just had the craziest au idea

What if instead of gifts, the miracle gave curses, like it's a price they pay for the miracle's protection. The Madrigals are seen as martyrs and the villagers help the Madrigals cope with their curses, so it's sort of like an angsty reverse au. Bruno and Mirabel are still singled out, Bruno is considered to have the worst curse of them all, and so is basically coddled by everyone, while Mirabel is curseless and becomes the senorita perfecta as everyone believes she's blessed with the miracle's favor, she spends a lot of her time helping her family with their curses and she worries about them alot. I'm not sure what exactly the curses could be, I might base them off of different struggles and insecurities and maybe even mental illnesses, I'll need to brainstorm that part more

Interesting⁉️⁉️ I can see it. Good looks 🧐 i mean. I do feel bad, don't get me wrong. All them mfs got issues cause of the candle. Why they all gotta pay the price. Like that's CRAZY. Gotta love Mirabel for helping her family though. Like that's so real. Glad she didn't just leave in the dust, cause I would've been big mad ngl 😭

Mirabel when someone tells her that her family is only bringing her down:

[jacarandaaaas]

moment of silence for the madrigal grandkids who most definitely never have had a “sick day” for school 💀

[webbededssystems]

5 Years can change a lot -Host, Liam

(Summoning everybody in the tags!! XD)

[heyiappreciateyourshoelaces]

The third instalment in my newest series:

Songs that are about disability, but not on purpose- (though, this one is debatable-)

Don't be upset or mad at all

Don't feel regret or sad at all

Hey, I'm still a part of the family Madrigal

And I'm fine, I am totally fine

I will stand on the side as you shine

I'm not fine, I'm not fine

I can't move the mountains

I can't make the flowers bloom

I can't take another night up in my room

Waiting on a miracle

I can't heal what's broken

Can't control the morning rain or a hurricane

Can't keep down the unspoken invisible pain

Always waiting on a miracle, a miracle

Always walking alone

Always wanting for more

Like I'm still at that door longing to shine

Like all of you shine

All I need is a change

All I need is a chance

All I know is I can't stay on the side

Open your eyes, open your eyes, open your eyes

I would move the mountains

Make new trees and flowers grow

Someone please just let me know, where do I go?

I am waiting on a miracle, a miracle

I would heal what's broken

Show this family something new

Who I am inside, so what can I do?

I'm sick of waiting on a miracle, so here I go

I am ready, come on, I'm ready

I've been patient, and steadfast, and steady

Bless me now as you blessed us all those years ago

When you gave us a miracle

Am I too late for a miracle?

I know I highlighted a lot here, but it just- it all hits home for me.

[stoptakingallthegood-dam4it]

@ConocoPhillips is risking our planet's future by launching the new, massive Willow Oil Project on public land in #AmericasArctic. A warmer Arctic means a more dangerous planet, from more severe storms and wildfires, to less stable economies and food systems. Help tell CEO Ryan Lance to put #PeopleBeforeProfit and to #StopWillow!

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[greenvillainredemption]

I just read the encanto tale of three sisters book, and instead of “and the rats talking in the walls” it’s “and the rats counting in the walls” I mean. I mean.

[brokeaesthetic]

Some of yall with Lemon and Tangerine,

I obviously know they aren't biology related but shipping anyone with a sibling relationship(or family relationship) is rotten mushy brain behavior, seek help!!!!!!! Idk why this is a problem in so many fandoms here are some examples I've actually seen (Bart and Lisa, miles and his uncle Aaron, apple jack and her lil sister, Pietro and Wanda, Camilo and Dolores, and the list goes on some of yall genuinely disturb me!!!!

[foggyfanfic]

Just saw a post that was talking about something relatively serious, so I don’t want to stick blorbo tags on it but it made me think of blorbo. Essentially it introduced me to the idea that men have their own version of the Madonna/Whore dichotomy, which is the Predatory/Baby dichotomy. The idea being that men are either viewed as aggressive, horny, rage machines; or as sweet, gentle, almost childlike teddy bears. And uuuuh… you see where I’m going with this?

I see this happen a lot in fandom, usually in the form of the men being woobified. (In the worst cases the man is infantilized and the women around them receive all the blame for the man’s mistakes, but I’m not talking about Buffy and Spike rn). I see woobification happen with Bruno especially, and I know other people complain about it occasionally.

I don’t really have anything intelligent to say that other people haven’t already said, and while it’s not for me, tbh I don’t think me criticizing the way others enjoy our shared Blorbo would reflect well on me. If a super wooby Bruno makes you happy, more power to you! It’s just that I saw something that put into words a phenomenon I see a lot with this character and I went “!!!!”.

[tzipporahs-well]

Hey it’s @flangstynerd AKA @scinerdwrites but on a new blog. There’s been a lot of changes in my life in the past couple years, and as a result I wanted to make a new blog for jumblr. Several of my friends are on here and I got inspired just to reblog their stuff :D

What’s Changed:

I converted to Reform Judaism from Catholicism in May of this year. I’ve been doing this conversion journey since November 2021, but I didn’t want to announce it to the internet until everything was done and finalized. After 2.5 years, everything is finally official.

I plan to be slightly more active on tumblr than I have been previously. I named my blog based on my Hebrew name (Tzipporah), and how I wish to provide a treasure trove of info.

I would say my ideals of practice are some kind of cross between Conservative and Reform Judaism.

I’ve acquired some chronic illnesses and disabilities over the years. My body has been tough to me for the last couple years.

I have a Jewish podcast that has several eps already now. Our podcast has a tumblr blog, but please dm me for more info for safety reasons.

What is the same?

I’m still Chinese, Hmong, and queer (pronouns: they/she). I’m still culturally Italian as an adoptee. Those are not going anywhere lol.

Still have several varieties of neurodivergence (autism, PTSD, anxiety, psychosis, some kind of unclear mood disorder). My brain likes playing it rough. I have healed a lot of trauma, but the other stuff is still a wild ride.

Still don’t plan to be super duper active as I have a scientist day job. But if I ever see a great jumblr post from one of my friends or otherwise, I’d be happy to reblog.

Still hold a lot of nerdy interests: Disney fandoms (Tangled the Series, Encanto, etc.), classic literature (Shakespeare, 19th century European literature), certain manga/anime (Fullmetal Alchemist and Death Note)

Still can be quite critical of the things I enjoy.

About Me (Jumblr Edition):

Favorite Torah character (first 5 books of Moshe only): Tzipporah (I relate to her so much as someone who came into the tribe and a nontraditional wife; the bridegroom of blood scene is iconic)

Favorite Tanakh character: King Shaul (very relatable for me as I feel like I struggle from similar challenges as him: mental health issues, low self esteem, and paranoia) followed close behind by Esther (she’s a role model for me, and Purim is my favorite holiday)

Favorite Jewish Holiday: Purim (relatable message especially for these dangerous times; also a lot of fun while still being a relatively low stress holiday)

Hamantaschen vs. Latke: hard choice but I have to go with traditional poppyseed hamantaschen. They’re older (~1500s) than the potato latke (late 18th to 19th century) and store better.

Areas of interest: Jewish history, Tanakh discussion, Jewish culture (food especially; I love cooking and baking), Jewish learning (especially more about Jewish life in Israel)

What Jewish value can I improve on? Chesed; I find it hard to always express loving-kindness, and my impatience and temper can get the better of me. I’ve been trying to improve on these for the past two years but 5784 has been especially trying.

What Jewish value is very important to me: Ahavat Yisrael; it is important that we as a people stay united. United we rise, divided we fall. I admire all legitimate Jewish streams (side note: Messianic Judaism is not a Jewish stream)

Important note: If something says #goyim don’t touch, listen and obey! Don’t even try with the antisemitism.

[thekatebridgerton]

thekatebridgerton 2022 Masterlist of aus

this post is going to be long, to be fair, I think I wrote out my favorite aus in 2022. it was a great year creativity wise. So lets take a look:

If Eloise had been closer to Marina her book probably would have been more like a genderbent WHWW pt 1

au If Eloise had met Phillip while he was Married to Marina pt2

Forced Marriage au Bridgerton men edition

Bridgerton couples There was only one bed trope

List of The Bridgerton as mental illnesses darker timeline au

The hoe and the monogamist trope (saint and sinner)

Crack Encanto au post pt1

Crack Encanto au post pt2

Crack Encanto au post pt3

Which Bridgerton is the most insomniac

The Bridgertons on a scale of 1 to 8 Royalty au edition

The Bridgertons as Star wars Characters pt1

Philoise almost meeting aus

Gregnelope crackship au idea

Kanthony first words soulmate au aesthetic

Bridgerton couples mafia au p1

Kate interviewing for the wife Position au

Wallflower Penelope has no suitors because…au

Violet Bridgerton time travel fix it, multicouple oneshot

Reverse TVWL What if Kate tried to go after Benedict au

Mafia au pt 2, the Kanthony drabble

Mafia au pt3 Polin edition

Bridgerton couples Star wars au pt2 the story

Philoise College professor x student au

She’s all that polin au

Colin vs the angry wallflower and the bored modiste oneshot

Masterlist of Birdgerton rom com ideas

Polin Made of Honor au (ft bluerosejuliet)

Bridgeton couples Criminal minds au

Polin Aesthetic prompt: Abduction to love

Polin Aesthetic prompt: Best friend brother + brother’s best friend

Polin Aesthetic prompt: Two person Love Triangle

Polin Aesthetic prompt: The one that got away

Polin Aesthetic prompt: Childhood marriage promise

Polin Aesthetic prompt: friends with benefits

Polin Aesthetic prompt: Fish out of water

Addams family au vignete

Polin Aesthetic prompt: Secret baby au

Polin Aesthetic prompts: Polin in Law enforcement

Sophie as Benedict’s mistress, comedy au

Polin Aesthetic prompts: Neighbours to lovers au

Bridgerton mafia au post #4

Bridgerton couples Yandere au part 1: the plot

Bridgerton reincarnated au pt1

Bridgerton Yandere au pt 2, how it may end eventually

Bridgerton yandere au pt3

Bridgerton yandere au post #3

Bridgerton Yandere au post #4, Gregory’s take

Philoise meet cute S2 au

Reincarnated au pt2 Franchesca version

Genderbent Felicity: Felix Featherington verse pt1

Ghost x Reincarnation au pt1

Kanthony as rival fashion designers au

Kanthony Medieval warlord au

Gaslight gatekeep girlboss OG post

Kanthony twisted Cinderella au

Bridgerton Couples, write on your skin soulmate au

Bridgerton couples professional Athletes au

Reincarnation au part 2

Reincarnation au pt3: the climax of the story

Bridgerton Reincarnation au pt4: the plot thickens

Ghost x Reincarnation au pt2

Genderbent Felicity: Felix Featherington verse pt2

Reincarnation au p4

Twisted Fairytale Full au pt2

Kanthony pirate-ish au

Penelope fake Dates Phillip, Polin au

Polin meet the Robinsons idea

Gaslight Gatekeep Girlboss inspiration idea pt2

Bridgerton Ghost Whisper au pt1

Felix Featherington verse pt 3

Bridgerton couples Sherlock Holmes au

Reincarnation au pt5, Saphne edition

to the anon who asked which were my favorites, for the 2022 aus, its really hard to pick, I absolutely adored writing my Twisted Fairytales Bridgerton au and one of these days a will totally write a full fic about it, but also the Star Wars au and the Mafia au were so much fun!! I loved writing those. The reincarnation verse was also so good, and arghh I should have expanded on the Criminal minds au.

Long Story short, it's really hard to pick which was my favorite au to write in 2022, but the ones I listed above always make me grin like a maniac, even when I'm busy and sleep deprived.

[apollos-boyfriend]

Let's not forget the wilbur arg theory video and how he misrepresented DID in that one also.. and pretty sure he plagiarised/didn't cite his sources in that one either lol

right yes!! a few people have brought up his demonization/misrepresentation of mental illness, but the only one i could think of off the top of my head was the old mario psychopath theories, which are years old and i don't think it's fair to bring up old stuff. someone also brought up something with his encanto theory in my notes, so yeah, another point for the board

[oldbaton]

There are a lot of full grown people that think that Frozen and Encanto are like. The paramount of art talking about mental illness

[violetlunette]

ooh how about Surface Pressure from Encanto? maybe Silver feels like he’s under a lot of stress and needs to be perfect all the time and can’t allow himself to relax (that’s the only thing i can think of but do whatever u want with this lol)

In reference to this

The Song: Surface Pressure from Encanto

I hope this is satisfactory, anon! Thank you for your patience!

“Hey, you okay?” ‘No.’ No, he wasn’t. Silver wasn’t okay at all. In fact, he felt sick. His mind was spinning like never-ending tornado anxiety as nausea swelled all the way to his throat. His muscles and bones ached with fatigue, threatening to knock him off his feet, throw him to the ground, and knock him out cold. But Silver couldn’t reveal that to anyone. How could he? How could Silver say that, under the surface, he constantly worried about everything? He was constantly worried that something was going to hurt them. Including Malleus, who—under the influence of the blot, which twisted, and twisted his desire to make everyone happy—had become a monstrous version of himself. The Dragon Prince had even lashed out at Silver and Sebek with the intent to harm them—maybe even worse. How could Silver admit to anyone, especially his comrade, who stood so bravely, that he was terrified that Malleus would find them? Especially now, when Lilia was the most vulnerable he had ever been and didn’t even know it. With his memory gone, Lilia was vulnerable to Malleus’ manipulation and spells. Silver hated to doubt the man who raised him, but if Malleus were to appear, would Lilia be able to defend himself against the tainted prince? No, Silver wouldn’t risk that—he couldn’t. He would protect them—protect them all! But could he do that? Could Silver keep everyone safe? What’s more, what about Malleus himself? On top of keeping everyone safe, Silver had to save Malleus as well! After all, the same blot that changed his prince from a kind, benevolent ruler to a deluded madman was killing him. How long did Malleus have before the Phantom drained his life force? If Silver failed to reach him in time... The pressure built inside him until he felt like he would burst. Every breath was like the tick, tick, tick of a bomb counting to explode, the drip, drip, drip of a facet ready to burst, a crack, crack, crack of glass about to shatter, and more. The mental pressure gripped his throat and nearly choked the life out of him, and his worries drowned him like a sailor lost in the waves. What if he failed? What if Silver didn't reach Malleus in time, and the Phantom swallowed the prince? What would happen to the other students? To Sebek? To Lilia? Silver felt his muscles tighten in readiness to fight whatever he had to to save everyone. He didn’t care that he felt so ill that he could throw up. He didn’t care how his back and knees bent from pain and fatigue that clouded his eyes in a red haze. He would stand. All that mattered to Silver was saving them. If he couldn’t persevere, then there was no way he could call himself a knight. And if he wasn’t a knight, then that meant that all his dreams and all the work Lilia put into raising him were for nothing. So, he would stand. He would fight. He would run. He would defend. He would NOT break. He wouldn’t allow it! Not when so many were counting on him and the ones he loved were suffering. His school friends were trapped in a dream that may never end. Sebek had broken into tears for Malleus and his suffering. Lilia was reliving his time at war, which must have been painful for a man who valued peace. And Malleus—Malleus was suffering more than any of them. In comparison, Silver’s feelings—well, they caused enough trouble, didn’t they? With that in mind, Silver pushed his bubbling emotions back down and hid them beneath a stoic expression, one that thankfully came naturally to him. “I’m fine,” he assured the others. “So please… don’t worry about me.” No cracks. No breaks. No pressure. At least, not above the surface.