capnshellhead

This comic felt kind of like fanfic in a way? Like someone wanted to go on an adventure where they teamed up with their favorite random heroes. The final act is Iron Man working alongside Power Man, Iron Fist, Dazzler, Cyclops, The Human Torch and Yellowjacket. The most random of combinations.

Still, there were some great Tony angst moments in it. I couldn't help but think about poor past!Steve. Demon in a Bottle era when he wanted to help Tony but didn't know how. That Steve that got attached to future!Tony and worried about him. I keep thinking about him trying to take care of future!Tony who hadn't slept or ate in quite some time and clearly looked exhausted.

I also thought about Cabin in the woods!Tony who was desperate and alone. A man displaced from time (like Steve), who'd watched the end of his world. That jaded Tony who'd watched himself make the same mistakes over and over again, come face to face with himself when he was an alcoholic and not been able to stop it. I keep thinking about that Tony, who'd resisted drinking... at first, coming face to face with Steve. I think Steve would jump at the chance to bond with someone who knows what it is to be in the wrong time period and to be so desperate to remedy a tragedy. It was around the Dark Phoenix Saga time and Steve would've still been the hopeful guy Tony knew and loved. I just think about Steve coming out to that cabin, finding Tony and wanting to help him.

It's not a super, super strong recommend from me but, I have ideas.

I'm somewhat (okay, extremely) self-conscious about. I was interested in the concept of Steve Rogers having no clear concept of what PTSD is or even that it's a condition people can receive treatment for. I discussed it a bit on Tumblr.

I'm extremely nervous about it because it always makes me nervous when I actually use some of my psychology knowledge in a fic. I have a degree in it but, I feel like (somewhat ridiculously) my old classmates would read it and have a lot to say about how the condition is portrayed. And with good reason because, in writing fic, sometimes, the only way to get in a disclaimer about varying symptoms is to write it in the A/N (which not everyone reads) or have a character outright explain it. Which... is why I sometimes put therapists in my works because I want it to be clear that not every representation of mental illness is the same.

Something I've noticed on twitter (and sometimes tumblr) that really bummed me out, there's a mistaken idea that there's a right and wrong way to show symptoms of PTSD. As though, it's non-existent if a character doesn't look as though they're suffering. And, that's not only inaccurate, it's actually harmful. There are still several people in the world that don't know/believe they have a disorder because they've been told they "don't have anything to be sad about" or "they look fine". One of the hardest aspects of studying psychology was learning how many people had mild forms of a disorder they could actually get treatment for but, they don't because they've been told it isn't enough of a problem. It was actually heartbreaking because we live in a society that demonizes mental illness to the extent that several people have been forced to hide it.

So, with all of that, I actually tried to write something and I have that self-doubt wherein in I worry I might accidentally get on a soapbox and/or take someone out of the story with too much of the therapist's dialogue. There's also the fact that no two doctors are alike and, in my opinion, that's a good thing because I tried to imagine a doctor Steve would actually share with and it's fascinating how differently I approached that concept compared to the doctor I created for "if you leave".

But anywho, the draft is finished. I am nervous.

I like discussing theories about how different superheroes would respond to therapy and why certain ones have never decided to seek treatment. It's a topic that I actually really like reading about, too. I'm a psych nerd. That never really goes away.