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rakashavia http://ift.tt/2uCZk7a:
ravens-ink:
I really hate how Theseus Scamander is portrayed in most of the fics I’ve read. Like, ok, we’ve got not to nothing on him, artistic license all the way, but the majority of people tend to do this specific type of way overprotective older sibling, “how dare you show interest in my innocent little brother, you pervert” Theseus.
and that is the quickest way for me to go NOPE, and I think I’ve finally pinned down why.
When Theseus is portrayed like this, it infantilizes Newt. It robs him of his agency in romantic matters (I see this portrayal of Theseus and Newt most often in Gramander ship fics, for some reason???) I mean, for fuck’s sake. Newt is a grown ass man, he’s been through a war, and travelled around the world, probably twice. He’s capable of making his own decisions without input or interference from his sibling.
So why does this trope pop up so much? Is it because it’s funny? I don’t think it’s very funny at all. Newt is an autistic-coded character—and I am saying this as an autistic person myself—it’s frankly obvious from the avoidance of eye contact to the difficulties with social interaction; hell, you could make an argument that magizoology is a special interest. And through the movie he’s portrayed as nothing less than a hero. Do you have any idea how rare that is? That an autistic character is treated like an adult in their canon material, let alone as a protagonist people root for?
Irl me and the people like me have already had issues with neurotypicals treating autistic adults like young children. And it infuriates me that once we get a character that ISN’T treated like that, the fandom turns right around and does the. Same. Exact. Thing.
Td;rl: overprotective Theseus fic trope is gross and ableist, and I really wish the fandom would think about these things.
ravens-ink:
I really hate how Theseus Scamander is portrayed in most of the fics I’ve read. Like, ok, we’ve got not to nothing on him, artistic license all the way, but the majority of people tend to do this specific type of way overprotective older sibling, “how dare you show interest in my innocent little brother, you pervert” Theseus.
and that is the quickest way for me to go NOPE, and I think I’ve finally pinned down why.
When Theseus is portrayed like this, it infantilizes Newt. It robs him of his agency in romantic matters (I see this portrayal of Theseus and Newt most often in Gramander ship fics, for some reason???) I mean, for fuck’s sake. Newt is a grown ass man, he’s been through a war, and travelled around the world, probably twice. He’s capable of making his own decisions without input or interference from his sibling.
So why does this trope pop up so much? Is it because it’s funny? I don’t think it’s very funny at all. Newt is an autistic-coded character—and I am saying this as an autistic person myself—it’s frankly obvious from the avoidance of eye contact to the difficulties with social interaction; hell, you could make an argument that magizoology is a special interest. And through the movie he’s portrayed as nothing less than a hero. Do you have any idea how rare that is? That an autistic character is treated like an adult in their canon material, let alone as a protagonist people root for?
Irl me and the people like me have already had issues with neurotypicals treating autistic adults like young children. And it infuriates me that once we get a character that ISN’T treated like that, the fandom turns right around and does the. Same. Exact. Thing.
Td;rl: overprotective Theseus fic trope is gross and ableist, and I really wish the fandom would think about these things.
