Julieta Madrigal - Healing Around Disability

[@Shadow1Yaz]

It is my belief that Julieta’s hands embed love into her food which is what gives the food its healing properties. This also means it makes sense that she doesn’t forcibly heal things that people don’t want “fixed” because she loves them for real!!

[@littlered6340]

Lol so if the magic doesn't work on someone, it's because she doesn't love them for real. That's hilarious.

[@theweirdochannel8735]

@@littlered6340 lol

[@CodstersCamera]

so she loves every person in town that comes to her with an injury?

[@Sovereignty3]

@@CodstersCamera there are many types of love, but once upon a time it sounds like it was actually a pretty small community, and as their "doctor" she would have gotten to know quite a lot of them. Probably even been on hand when someone was born too. Child birth is risky business, a lot of women died in child birth from infections picked up after the birth, perhaps her food helping healing tears and heling with all the other things in after birth would mean she was witness to nearly every child's birth.

[@PlatinumAltaria]

I'm pretty sure she only heals injuries and infections; I don't think she can cure every condition ever.

[@someoneawesome8717]

I have a feeling that there had been a bit of family shorthand of "JULIETTA GET THE OVEN READY" to mean something is about to go down that will need physical assistance

[@wren.kitchens]

oh my god yes

[@LoreCatan]

honestly, for an emergency, I wonder if her just toasting bread [that she didn't make in this scenario] would be enough to heal someone. In all likelihood tho Julieta most definitely made the bread, and that would solve all emergencies really quickly.

[@evelynkrull5268]

@@LoreCatan hell, would a chopped salad work?

[@SarahDavisSings]

@@LoreCatan My guess is that those bottles she was searching for post-Casita-collapse were pre-made/shelf-stable magic food. She was probably hoping they still worked, even though new stuff wouldn't.

[@PlatformingCyndaquil]

Julietta: Let me guess, Augestine got stung by the bees… again?

[@zoeb3573]

I've thought about the glasses thing too, and my guess was that she can only heal injuries that HAPPEN to you, not something you were born with/a natural development of your body. She couldn't heal my miopia or degenerative eyesight that comes with age, but she could heal someone's eyesight if they, say, had acid thrown at their eyes. She could heal broken legs, but not someone born with a walking disability. So, my guess is she most likely wouldn't be able to heal cancer because it's your own body working against you, not something "done" to it.

[@gabrielabatista6016]

If I remember right, the producers confirmed she can heal Augustín's and Mirabel's bad eyesight; but she doesn't cause it's part of them and they don't want it fixed. So, I think it's more like, if the person considers the physical part to be broken/damaged/injured/etc. and wants it to be fixed, the food will fix it; if they don't think of it this way and don't want it to be changed, the food won't do anything. Either that or Julieta has some degree of control over what her food will and won't heal, so she chooses not to heal things that people don't want it to or that she doesn't think need healing. Edit: just realised he mentions that in the video. Oh well.

[@kiarastardust]

@@gabrielabatista6016 send me into encanto! i got some god damn cateracts i want healed!

[@rollerturtle]

@@gabrielabatista6016 That sounds like a bad idea to confirm something like that. She chooses not to heal their bad eyesight, a thing that can make your life more difficult, because she just ,,like them that way". How long is she going to wait to heal them, till their eyesight deteriorates so much they won't be able to function normally anymore? That sounds selfish. I wish they confirmed that she can't heal disabilites you were born with, it gives the situation more realism

[@aliciacordero8399]

@@rollerturtle I think it was specifically confirmed that Augustín and Mirabel don't want her to heal it. Which, incidentally, I -would call BS on- do not understand - I would jump at not needing damageable misplaceable lenses to see - but I'll give it a pass because I can appreciate the implications he mentions in this video.

[@kaityr9693]

@@aliciacordero8399 I actually prefer my glasses. I've had glasses since before I can remember, since I was 1 year old. I cannot fathom not wearing glasses and don't ever want to not wear glasses. They're a part of me. I wouldn't want to have my eyes "healed", hell, I can opt to wear contacts or gey Lasik done to only need glasses for reading. But I do not at all want that. I love my glasses and how they're a part of me. I feel naked without them

[@terrylynn7936]

As a disabled person myself, I always am conflicted about the topic of healing disability. Because if someone with a gift that could just magically heal my disability came to me and asked me if I wanted it removed, I would probably say yes, because my body has taken so much internal and external damage over the years because of it, most of it irreparable. But my decision should NOT mean that every disabled person should have to want that. It's an incredibly personal and individual choice to make, so when it comes down to it then yes, consent in what to heal and what not to heal is important.

[@youtubeuserremainsanonymou9022]

This makes me think it might be brilliant to have a story where people can receive a magic reward if they perform special quests. An older mentor like figure has used it to reverse paraplegia, while a protagonist or deuteragonist might decide a different reward as the disability is not something they feel a need to reverse

[@abbystarheart1]

I'm in the fun camp of "thing that is not inherently disabling but side effects of it and society make it a disability". I would not give up being autistic and adhd for anything I think, but getting rid of the IBS, sexual dysfunction, and (sometimes) executive dysfunction would be a game changer.

[@boserboser6870]

​@@youtubeuserremainsanonymou9022 its definatly on the side on in real life. Of course if there was a magical safe way of mitigating disability of course many disabled people would accept it. But there have been eneugh stories where disabled people are magically "fixed". But real people dont have access to magic. And it doesnt work as wish fulfilment either.

[@luvxoxundertalehazbinhotel1835]

Brairlight in the book series Warriors is disabled, her back legs being paralyzed from a tree falling on her. She struggles with her mom being ableist and making her seem like her life is worth less than cats who aren't paralyzed saying things like "you're only hurting her by prolonging her life with the exercises" when a doctor is giving her physical therapy(?) And, "she'll never have kits or hunt ever again!!" Which is horrible but sadly makes sense given that They live in a community where you're expected to be Hunting providing and fighting for your clan and patrolling borders etc constantly, So she feels they need to do something and contribute. She ends up dying later on in the series and in their cat heaven she's healed. (Sorry for such a long comment lmao)

[@andrewgawlik4961]

​@@abbystarheart1 I could definitely agree with that... most of the things I'd want to "go away" for myself would be the stomach trouble (so I'd be more comfortable about say sex and I don't want to have to run to the bathroom worrying about "sitting in it"), allergies (they have bothered me for a long time and I forget to take allergy pills), I already had LASIK (kept forgetting to clean my glasses, kept getting headaches, and often slept with them on), acne/skin problems (I keep picking at my blemishes and can't stop). So I'd say it's mostly about the things that pile upon my existing needs that I don't associate with my identity as an autistic dyspraxic kinky gay leatherman. The stuff that piles up are the things that I tend to overlook for myself because there are too many things going on in my head having to worry about. Side note: LASIK was a nightmare... I learned to research the opthalmologist and never see a franchise LASIK center. They overcorrected couldn't read anything... second opinion came found out that I needed readers to read anything near and far (was having to get new OTC readers every couple of months weaker and weaker), and 9 months after I went under the laser I was given the appropriate correction. Don't know if it made me more sensitive to light or not, but driving at night can bother my eyes with the LED headlights.

[@fuumiku]

I love the note about Julieta accidentally neglecting her other daughters in favor of Mirabel who's the black sheep, reminds me a lot of Avatar the Last Airbender where, since Azula was the golden child of her abusive father, her mother shut her out a bit in favor of Zuko, who had problems with conforming to Ozai's expectations. It happened to me irl, so it's always angst I like to see represented

[@digimonalvatrax2738]

True I wish they explored that more as to why even Isabela might hate Mirabel as well while Luisa plays along and defends Mirabel like a helpless little girl like her parents. It would also put forth the point that parents unintentionally make mistakes as well. Not just Abuela so that Julieta and Augustine can learn from their mistakes as well.

[@itspowers9107]

@@digimonalvatrax2738 I agree. That's why part of me wishes that this was a series rather than a movie. There were so many characters and ideas that I wanted them to explore but didn't or we rushed to explore them. Like how as soon as we discover Isabella is struggling on the inside she is fixed. In real life that takes time and effort. It does a good job bringing awareness but we also need to inform people on how change actually takes place.

[@lucyandecember2843]

this

[@doctorwholover1012]

Literally! I noticed during a rewatch that (to me) it looks like Isabela was Abuela's favourite, Luisa was their father's favourite, and Mirabel was their mother's favorite, based on the amount of attention they get from each adult. It also makes sense that if Isabela is the oldest of her generation, she was the first blessed grandbaby for Abuela to spoil, Luisa likely spent more time with her father than her mother due to her mother's miracle requiring more time/effort than the other (baking/cooking/prepping etc) + as with the miracle of strength, I could see her being asked to help her father with chores like woodchopping etc, then with Mirabel being the youngest, she likely spent more time with her mother than the other two (not having to share with the next new child) + the youngest tends to get a LOT of maternal attention as they're the Last Baby the mother has to baby, and then when Mirabel didn't get a gift, her mother tried to compensate with love instead

[@GuineaPig361]

@@doctorwholover1012 Isabela is confirmed as the oldest grandkid; that's why she's the golden child.

[@phoenixwrites7181]

I agree that Julieta absolutely comes off as an oldest sibling but I think the other two should be switched. Pepa gives of the vibes of a youngest who was fawned over, which comes across in how she also fawns over her own kids, especially Antonio. And it makes sense because her gift is probably the most overtly hard to handle and needed the most time to get vague control over since it’s tied to her emotions. Bruno, on the other hand, reminds me of myself and the common middle child trope of being the somewhat underappreciated one who gets a lot of the blame and doesn’t want to burden others with their problems. While Julieta is getting the praise and attention of taking on the burden of a caretaker and Pepa is getting more attention because of her useful but volatile gift, Bruno is stuck with a gift people see as a burden and feeling like he doesn’t contribute despite the fact that in the movie we see that he really did try.

[@simonsonian8977]

While I agree with this analysis, the director of Encanto has confirmed on Twitter that Pepa is the middle and Bruno is the youngest.

[@phoenixwrites7181]

@@simonsonian8977 yeah but we can still dream lol

[@Zeno11Salazar]

@SimonSonian I mean.... middle and youngest as far as the fact they were all born on the same day. Like I get that they were born minutes apart, but does that really play into how twins or triplets interact?

[@Leafyphox]

@@Zeno11Salazar yes EDIT by that I mean I agree with you

[@IndieFic]

You have to break that idea of age = maturity The whole plot revolves around the grandma learning from her grandchild that she is making mistakes and being selfish

[@AlletaLady]

I think her gift can heal currently unhealed/unscarred wounds. Things that have already healed up with time can't be undone. And genetic disabilites aren't cured because they are not wounds inherently. Something like chronic pain or a migraines from a genetic eye disease can only have their symptoms treated.

[@cakenshake]

I like this interpretation a lot too. I like to think that it’d have a soothing effect to help deal with pain and such. Rewriting generic coding would be incredibly dangerous especially the older one would be. To add to the idea of it being soothing I first liked to imagine that her food wasn’t itself healing but giving the body an incredible boost to its own ability to repair and protect itself. But the anaphylactic response seen in the movie would in theory be made worse. Since it’s the body’s overactive response to what it would consider a pathogen.

[@midori_the_eldritch]

so it would heal the damage caused by a malformed joint, but not the joints shape (ex, joints that hyperextend, or bend in a way the mussels and tendons aren't built for, prob some other things i don't know about/think of) so it wouldn't heal my hips, but it could heal any strain or twisting from them.

[@FeyPax]

Yeah that’s kinda how I see it too. Maybe there’s a time frame but I also agree with everyone saying how she can’t heal genetic things.

[@Broeckchen]

I much prefer the idea that it depends on what the person *wants* to have healed. That would mean that Julietta could totally heal a terminal illness like cancer, but things like Autism and many genetic disabilities don't even register as something to fix. There is so much beauty about the idea of a form of magic that obeys *consent* from the person receiving it!

[@UrLocalMultiStan1]

I did not think I would ever find you on youtube, but HIIIIIII. I know you from discord just thought this was a weird coincidence! TBATE server.

[@revanius2213]

Her healing also doesn't seem to affect the mind either since her cooking didn't 'heal' Bruno being OCD, something else that I really like.

[@ilikemoney9206]

I know a lot of people see Bruno as OCD, but have you ever thought he’s just a bit weird and that his superstitions are part of his culture, not a disorder?

[@aikaameya3930]

@@ilikemoney9206 Both can be the case though. I definetely see that he's weird and superstitious and he'd probably be that way no matter what but I feel like it's a bit too obsessive/compulsive to just write off as him JUST being weird and superstitious entirely if that makes any sense. Ofc I don't know enough to diagnose him like a professional would, just my opinion really

[@revanius2213]

@@ilikemoney9206 considering he was written with OCD in mind, I'm gonna have to say no

[@noxiouschocolate9644]

@@ilikemoney9206 I mean he keeps repeating these superstition based routines in order to prevent bad luck because of how often he was told it was HIS fault that unlucky things happened, it would surprise me if it wasn’t.

[@kateulinaa]

@@noxiouschocolate9644 i agree! it makes sense to think that he was very superstitious because of his gift

[@sortingoutmyclothes8131]

In fact, at no point does she cure someone against their will. During the first song, the people literally make a line to be cured by her. And Agustín and Mirabel don't outwardly state they want her to, but it's obvious given the context that they do.

[@AmyoftheFlowerField]

If I'm thinking about it, yes; the people lined up for her cure, Augustin came to her after the bee stings(per usual), and Mirabel held out her hand for the food to heal the cut on her hand. She never healed somebody without consent(or heavily implied consent) to do so.

[@doctorwholover1012]

Yea, it would have been so easy to have her shove food absentmindedly into someone's mouth while doing something else as a joke, but they didn't. Little touches 👌🏻

[@AmyoftheFlowerField]

@@doctorwholover1012 Oh, I was saying it would have been super easy for her to just MAKE FOOD that has healing properties to heal XYZ and take it to a gathering, then mass cure everyone of their ailments, willingly or no. Kinda like poisoning the waterhole, but curing with food.

[@aazhie]

Given how obsessed with perfection Alma was, it strikes me as even more powerful that Julietta doesn't just go about 'fixing' any random things that seem imperfect to someone who doesn't say, need glasses or have allergies. Though I think it might be practical if she could make dried edibles so that her husband could have a magical epi-pen available xD my dad used to be pretty sensitive to bee stings and never carried around an epi pen so as a child I was terrified he would get stung.

[@cheshirenevande4701]

oooh! like granola bars or something! Wait, what if she already does, but he keeps running out?

[@SarahDavisSings]

@@cheshirenevande4701 lol. He probably does but I don't think he's life-threateningly allergic either. Like, his body DEFINITELY overreacts but, even at the end of the movie, he's pretty chill about being stung a bajillion times. He never seems to ask for healing when there's something else that takes his priority (Julieta basically interrupts his conversation with Mirabel by shoving food in his face.) I am willing to bet that he was decently sick during the first few days of the Casita salvage/rebuild though....that many stings with his overzealous immune system has to produce a fever and general blergh feelings at least. Editing to clarify that while Agustín doesn't outright ask for healing, I do think he and Julieta have known each other long enough that she knows he wants the stings to go away. My comment was more of me focusing on him putting other matters before being healed and, therefore, suggesting that while I'm sure those stings suck, he's not worried about anaphylaxis.

[@sneezingcat7656]

Agustin: I got stung again Julieta: what happened to your granola? A: I ate it J: those are for your stings A: But they are so good! Does bring up a question I had about Julieta, which is can it wear off after it’s been cooked. If the food just sits for a while or gets bad will the healing wear off and will it just be normal food? Will it be weaker then before or completely normal? Is it only when the food goes bad does it get normal, because at that point the food is becoming harmful? What if the food is even magic when it’s old moldy? These are the things I need to know.

[@alexjewett7455]

Well, it doesn't seem like his allergy is life threatening, so immediate treatment probably isn't a major concern.

[@ShadoTempest]

I’m curious if you’ve ever watched Barbie: Fairytopia, because my friends and I were discoursing about it the other night and how it handled disability, mostly that it had the potential to be really interesting and fell short in a lot of ways for us

[@Oakwyrm]

I... have actually, but it was years ago. Now that you say it yeah actually there are some things I could really dig into there. Might have to re-watch it actually. Huh.

[@ZeldaWolf2000]

@@Oakwyrm i've never seen it, but if it gives me more of your awesome content, please do it!

[@lynchie2073]

yeah same here!! i was actually really disappointed at the ending, even as a kid

[@darkacadpresenceinblood]

i completely forgot about that movie, what was the ending? didn't she end up getting like, giant rainbow wings? my memories are really blurry about this haha

[@siennahartle9069]

@@darkacadpresenceinblood She gets wings in the first movie. She gets different wings in the second movie after temporarily turning into a mermaid and then she gets rainbow wings in the third movie

[@shalahmattnet]

Love this interpretation of her character! Something I noticed in the movie (love to hear what you think of this) is how Mirabel could be read as disabled. Multiple of her family members tell her, either out right or through suggestion, that she's "in the way" or "useless" explicitly because she doesn't have a gift. In an environment where having magical powers is the norm not having such powers could be considered as a disability primarily in the way she is seen and treated by her magical relatives. Having grown up with multiple chronic illnesses in a Christian home I really related to Mirabel's song "waiting on a miracle". Waiting to be magically fixed and having all the old people at church coming to pray for me and quoting scriptures at me about faith and healing was awful. I really felt the moment when Mirabel realizes that she'll never be good enough for her grandmother. The look of hurt and betrayal on her face, the way her voice shakes as she's saying it just cut me to my core. I felt similar when some of my family were spouting the prosperity gospel healing message at me more recently. Mirabel won't be good enough for Abuela unless she turns back time and gets a gift at her ceremony, and I won't be good enough for those family members unless I'm "fixed" in their eyes. Both are things that can't be helped or changed. Maybe it's just me, but now I'm going to stop thinking about this so I won't cry about being a disappointment due to no fault of my own. Thanks for coming to my tedtalk.

[@cashlyn.s1248]

That’s a really good point. I relate a lot to what u said, but a little bit differently. I was born with a disability, a rare one at that so no one really knew how to deal with it, we all learned about it along the way. It was really unexpected (they didn’t find out until I was born) just like Mirabel’s door disappearing at her ceremony. My family never really treated me as an outsider nor with disrespect, but I always felt like an alien and out of place. At school, people staring, being physically slower than other kids my age, and constantly being underestimated. I feel u tho

[@ZeldaWolf2000]

I can relate to this in a way. I wasn't shunned or anything because I'm blind, but I've always felt a bit out of place. My family tends to do things that I can't do, or grumbles about needing to be accessible sometimes, and it's really annoying. They also tend to be very belittling. My brother, the last time he visited, asked me, a 27-year-old woman, if I could take out the trash, and not in the could I do it right now as a favor, he was asking if I was able to do it. Come on! It's not like I live here or anything! What the hell bro! I also had to have a very long and tough talk with my sister, a special education teacher, about not grumbling when I turn on audio description when watching movies at her house. What?! You're a special ed teacher! What message are you sending to your sons! They don't complain, only she does. It's not like I come over that often anyway. She's better now, but I was just annoyed I had to have a talk with her in the first place. She did not respond while at first, but, after explaining that, how would she feel if she knew one of her students parents were acting The way she was towards me, and I guess she pondered it for a bit, and apologized for yelling at me later. She still a bit annoying, but much better than she was. Also, I don't know you, but I do know you're awesome. Fuck your family. If they come out you were anymore that bullshit. I tell them that if God wanted me to not be disabled, he would've made me that way. We are all born in God's image or whatever, right. ☺️

[@greta_greenteeth]

Sending you hugs

[@aazhie]

Mirabel absolutely read as a metaphor for dealing with a disability, not that her missing gift was the issue, but how everyone pitied and treated her differently, when she was no different than any other villager that wasn't her relative.

[@UchihaKat]

Honestly assumed this is what the video would be on from the title/thumbnail.

[@talithacrow7530]

I’d guess if someone damaged their eyes she could heal them, but if it’s something from birth she couldn’t, like if someone was born nearsighted she couldn’t, but if someone just damaged their eyes through sun exposure or something she could

[@cosmicvoidtree]

The way I see the healing gift is that her food just hyper speeds up the body’s built in healing functions, so it just effectively jumps their body ahead to when they would be done healing naturally. The human body won’t naturally regrow a broken limb, just like it wouldn’t make you able to see, hear, walk, etc. again.

[@SomeoneYouMayKnow]

That's pretty much what I've gathered. Everything healed would have done so on its own, in it's own given time. For all we know, her gift is merely speeding up the process and not really healing to full effect (ie, that guy with the broken arm would still have the scar tissue on his bones indicating that it once was broken). If she did cure any hearing or eyesight loss, it would be because these losses were temporary. Similarly, she may be able to heal completely or partially those with spinal injuries, depending on the extent of damage and based on how much a person would naturally have regained during their lifetime.

[@Decembirth]

Steven 'healing' Connie's eyesight was accidental. The episode presented that he didn't know it was his emotions that activates it.

[@Someone-or8tp]

True. I think the idea that the OP was getting at was that if someone with glasses broke an arm or something, Steven would heal them and unintentionally "fix" their eyesight as well without their consent. Even though Connie's eyes were accidental, it presents issues should Steven want to offer help to another disabled person, for he would unintentionally "fix" their disabilities as well, without their permission. If that makes sense? Like, he couldn't help a disabled person out with a scraped arm without also "curing" their cerebral palsy, ect, ect.

[@simonholmes841]

Considering the special transformative role that Steven plays in the life of every other character, I like to think Connie wanted her vision to be transformed. She sees her glasses as a part of her identity that she wants to grow away from, i.e. the demure, studious daughter and the reader who escapes through fantasy. She still wears the frames for a while just to keep with her parents' expectations, until she gets the courage to stand up and be noticed.

[@AM12399]

SPOILER WARNING FOR STEVEN UNIVERSE @@Someone-or8tp ye steven potentially healing ppls disabilities w/o their consent is imo set up pretty well by canon? his powers are INCREDIBLY strong and there's a running theme that he's so used to playing the savior role that he tries to fix things he shouldn't (like, he tried to meddle in and "fix" lars and sadie's relationship a bunch of times, most notably by seizing the moment when he accidentally body swapped w/ lars). i kinda feel like all the diamond powers are supposed to be "bulldozers" in a way or another bc they're so used to walking all over ppl.

[@Someone-or8tp]

@@AM12399 true true! That's a good way to look at it!

[@eleazaleaza]

I’d like to think that once Steven got a better handle on his powers that he wouldn’t accidentally be doing things like that. Also we do see that there are limits; he can’t fix Pink Pearl’s eye because of the mental trauma associated with the injury.

[@t.errapinart]

This was a great video

[@Leolion20225]

Ever since I was a small child I’ve always worn glasses and seeing a main character who wears glasses means a lot to me and maybe finally I won’t get the “why don’t you just wear contacts😒” comment. it’s nice to be represented in a positive light and it’s only mentioned once as a compliment 🥰 I love this movie for all it has to offer.

[@BlankPicketSign]

As someone who has a genetic disorder... I will say that going in and rearranging someone's genes isn't "eugenics", it's Gene Therapy. And my doctors have talked to me about it. The tech isn't there you for my conditions, and mine are so wiiiiiide across my system that it's the realm of Sci-Fi for now... But I WILL say that if there was a Gene Therapy to help me, I would jump at the chance! My genes could absolutely do with some fixing! But until then I am equally happy being Me ❤ OTHER than that: Yes! I 100% agree with you about Julieta, She's the best ❤❤❤

[@chanterelle483]

It's especially important if someone's gene gives them untimely death, like in case of spinal muscular atrophy for which there are already two gene therapy options. There's still a lot of ethical concerns about gene therapy that will have to be adressed, eventually. I think the important part is that it'd be your choice, not the choice of someone else.

[@hbsupreme1499]

The thing is eugenics is talking about racial superiority and engaging in aspects of false hierarchies. That history is different from people trying to find out what genetically causes people to have certain issues and problems and fixing them not causing people death

[@Munchkin.Of.Pern09]

My understanding of eugenics is more to do with “selective breeding”; namely, ensuring that only “desirable traits” were allowed to enter the gene pool for the next generation. What made something a “desirable” or “undesirable trait” was entirely dependant on the eugenicist in question, but considering that they were usually old white men, it was typically whiteness, intelligence, able-bodiedness, neurotypicality, and other such things that were favoured. In terms of how that would impact people with “undesirable” traits, the primary goal of the eugenicist would not be to “fix” us, it would just be to prevent us from reproducing. Forced sterilization wasn’t uncommon in this field.

[@rachelpoulten6932]

Another issue that contributes to Julieta's struggle with work life/family balance is with the nature her power is presented in. We see that Julieta is healing people with her food but only with fully created food, meaning that she is likely also the one making the food. I cook and bake as a hobby and can affirm that even the smallest meals require time commitments to make, for examples recipes I've looked up say making Arepas con queso can take anywhere from 20 to 60 minutes. Not to mentation in the time period Encanto is set in there are no grocery stores or other such convinces to allow easy access to ingredients, meaning Julieta needs to somehow source the ingredients to everything. And yes best case scenario Isabella can create and maintain a garden/orchard for Julieta to source her plant based ingredients from but that still wont cover anything else, what about meat dishes, WHAT ABOUT THE QUESO FOR AREPAS CON QUESO. She would likely have to seek out someone with livestock or the products she needs and then barter/buy the product. And I know Antonio could just keep some livestock near the house but that would still mean that the raw ingredients (ie milk for cheese, uncured meat) are not in their final form yet and need to be processed to fit the dishes or at very least be edible. And who would that responsibility fall to, our poor poor Julieta. That being said Antonio only just got his powers at the beginning of the movie meaning Julieta has had to deal without him for a while already, same with Isabella. Finally when all of this work is done there is one more step, moving the food. We only ever see Julieta giving her food to the villagers in the middle of town which makes some sense because it is easy access for most of the village. Unfortunately this means that Julieta need to get all of the food she has made and the table she puts it on down from their house, away from the kitchen which she must practically live in, and into the middle of the village. And yes if Luisa wasn't busy she could help but again there was a time where Julieta had powers before Luisa could help. And so finally she is down there as you say "improving the quality of life" for the entire village hand feeding them here painstakingly made creations and what does she get, not a hug, not a thank you, barely even an acknowledgment in the way of them opening their lazy mouths for her to work miracles on them and then they just leave. And at the end of the day again no thank you or appreciation she just goes home and gets to work to do it all over again. It is a miracle in itself that she still has a relationship with her family, let alone that she hasn't died from over exhaustion or snapped. Okay this just started as a way of explaining how much work really goes into Julieta's power but now I am mad really mad. Julieta does so much and deserves so much better than she gets from the village, all of the Madrigals do. Sorry I know this wasn't in the topic of your video and I went on a much longer rant than needed. I really like your stuff and watch your videos whenever I see one. Sorry again for the rant but Julieta deserves much much better.

[@ronjaj.addams-ramstedt1023]

Could you please edit your comment to add a few paragraph breaks? I am dyslexic (and hyperlexic, but that doesn’t help with this problem) and would like to understand what you wrote, but I cannot process a continuous "wall" of text. 30-50 words per paragraph and an empty row between paragraphs should make it possible for dyslexics who have this same problem to read your comment. With the current number of subscribers on this channel, there likely are a few hundred of us here already.

[@rachelpoulten6932]

@@ronjaj.addams-ramstedt1023 sure thing, I am so sorry and in my rant I forgot completely about grammar and spacing. That being said I did not know that proper spacing could help people with dyslexia but that you for sharing that information. I will do my best to consider that in future comments.

[@ronjaj.addams-ramstedt1023]

@@rachelpoulten6932 Thank you!

[@rachelpoulten6932]

@@ronjaj.addams-ramstedt1023 No problem, thanks for telling me.

[@starmic1852]

The jury is still out when discussing what time period Encanto takes place. I personally believe it's 1950s which probably had grocery stores. I assume that technology hasn't advanced b/c they were closed off from the outside world for 50 years and the Town relied solely on the gifts so they didn't need things like cars or TVs

[@shadowhunter0815]

Great video And it reminds me of a discussion i had years ago about one episode of MLP with a fanfic author. Okay alot of people had that discussion with him because he was/is a good author but he had... let's call it "strong opinions". For the background: In that episode they added the OC of a disabled child via Make a wish as a cameo with a short speaking role. Said OC was in a pony version of a wheelchair, like the child was. And said author didn't like this. At all. He basically started ranting about Hasbro, the showrunners and the Ponies being evil for alowing a pony to be disabled and not "fixing" it with magic (yes he wrote fixing, not healing) despite the fact that the show made several times the point that magic has it's limits and it's not allways the solution, if not that it can make things worse but that's another point. Anyways alot of people were confused why he had such a problem with the cameo of an OC others kinda noticed the rather harmfull point he was making. Discussion broke out, he doubled down on "disabled people need to be fixed if possible and not doing so would be evil" and a lot people, and i mean a loooooot of people started to point out that he kind of was a dick to the child and owner of the OC. At one point that seemed to get that point and he admitted he didn't know, that it was an OC of the child the show runners asses via Make a Wish, or rather pretended to not know because there were pages worth of comments (some of he even replied to prior) pointing that out to him. And then he added an "but" followed by the sentence, "that if it would be him, he wouldn't want to be depicted as disabled". Which kind of summons up the entire issue: Whenever someone has an easy fix for disabilties in a story, it's not for the disabled. Its not for the people who live, work or be friends with disabled people. It's allways for the author and any reader who doesn't want to deal with disabled people because they can't see past the disability. Which is why the way Encanto handled it was so great, even if it was just in the background of the story. Sorry for the long comment. ^^"

[@Shadow1Yaz]

Holy smokes was that guy out of line! I’d feel like garbage if I was that Make a Wish kid. But you’re right about people not wanting to deal with disabled characters. I noticed this with female and LGTQIA+ characters too. It’s like the group of people used to being represented all the time feel weird when someone else is given the spotlight. Which I feel is really kind of mean. Like they’re essentially saying that if you’re not a cis-white-het-neurotypical-able bodied man, you either need to be fixed or your too “sexual” to count which sits very poorly with me.

[@firebladeentertainment5739]

I havent actually seen anything of MLP yet and only know stuff about it due to osmosis from my schoolfriends who were or still are huge fans of the show but was the wheelchair similiar to how dogs get wheelis for when their backlegs are not working anymore?

[@shadowhunter0815]

@@firebladeentertainment5739 Yeah, it was something like that.

[@jadecoolness101]

"Whenever someone has an easy fix for disabilties in a story, it's not for the disabled" Because disabled people have never wanted to have a normal life, right? If you went up to a disabled person and said "take this pill and you will be 100% able-bodied" almost ALL of us would take it. This comment feels like it's from someone who's just barely disabled enough to claim to be disabled because damn. There are stories that feature disabled people, like How To Train You Dragon, where it makes sense that the disabled people must live with their disability, since there is no cure. But when there is a story that very obviously has a cure, but chooses not to use it, it seems very pandery. Like "Look, our story has one of YOUR disabled kind. She COULD be normal, but she actually LIKES being disabled and chooses to stay this way! ...What do you mean real people don't like to be disabled???"

[@Shadow1Yaz]

@@jadecoolness101 I think your feelings are valid. I probably would take a pill that factory reset my ankle back to before it was messed up. But the truth is that nothing will fix my ankle and I think it's important that in media we show kids and adults alike that it is ok for them to exist as they are and they shouldn't be required to be fully-able-bodied to have worth. I think that's one of the reasons "magic cure that fixes everything!" can be so controversial, because being disabled does make life harder and I think anyone would at least consider a magic anything that makes life easier. It's also a bit complex when you consider that some people's disabilities for a part of their identity and it'd be devastating for that part of them to be "fixed" without their consent. TL;DR: I think you're right (especially in your last point. That really does feel like pandering). I also still don't like how the situation regarding the Make a Wish kid was handled. I would have cried and asked that my cameo be removed if I were that kid. Because I'd feel like my existence tarnishes the world, in the MLP world at least.

[@skyhideaway]

A lot of people managed to watch Encanto and _entirely_ skip the theme and the message, and it frustrates me so much. I saw so many people complaining about how Mirabel didn't get a gift by the end of the movie, when the whole point of the movie is that she doesn't need a gift to be valued as a person. Mirabel not having a gift doesn't make her lesser than, and the entire story is about her _and_ her family learning to accept that. Mirabel is still a capable and lovable character - she doesn't need a gift as a, well, "gift" for saving the day or helping people. But regardless, people kept saying how unsatisfying it was or how unfair it was for Mirabel. Mirabel only wanted a gift because of the way she was treated as someone without the gift. Similarly, with her glasses. A lot of people said it as a joke and I've heard the same thing with a few ATLA fans who say "why didn't Katara use her healing to fix Toph's eyesight?" The answer is simple there; either because it doesn't need healing, or because the person doesn't want it. They are fine and comfortable with it, they can function well and they don't need their eyesight to be healed in order to be valued as a person. It's so easy to understand yet people still don't even try.

[@Nurichiri]

"Disabled people still get to exist." As someone with GAD and a myriad of physical issues, this line brought me to tears.

[@BlackReshiram]

As someone with OCD im so happy Bruno is explicitly stated to have it qwq

[@elizaalmabuena]

Hope I'm not being intrusive, would you say it was accurately portrayed in him?

[@BlackReshiram]

@@elizaalmabuena Not necessarily always, at least not for the way my own OCD works, but I do feel a connection with him, especially the knock on wood kinda thing

[@avenvhs]

@@elizaalmabuena I feel like it was personally. My OCD is very much like Bruno’s and my friends while watching the first time teased me a lot lovingly because I do similar rituals

[@tomatertate]

Wait where was it directly/explicitly stated? /gen

[@avenvhs]

@@tomatertate Page 61 at the bottom of the page in the official Encanto Script.

[@KaiahAurora]

As a fellow disabled, chronically ill, and ace person (judging by the colour-coded rings in your animation, I just found your channel) absolutely, this depiction of healing is how it should be in all magical settings! I definitely play with the idea in my creative writing a lot

[@pokemoncat976]

I actually like how Julieta's gift won't be able to heal my Autism, ADHD, or poor eyesight, it'll just help with my body being hurt without my knowledge and a family member making me go see her for said injury, but I also think her gift might be able to heal head injuries that doesn't lead to a disability

[@rachelm.4741]

First off, I love your videos. I found your channel thanks to your Magnus Archives video (or maybe it was the Mechanisms one, I'm not sure anymore), and I stayed because I seriously love your content! About Julieta, I remember hearing of a headcanon where it isn't really the food itself that heals, but her act of giving the food. Someone had pointed out how she has never simply let the food lying on a buffet and let people (literally) help themselves. She has to give them the food directly. It is almost as if she has to know what the ailment is before she could actually heal it. So, I really dig the idea that she is limited to what she knows how and what to heal.

[@Oakwyrm]

aaa, thank you, that is so great to hear!!! I hadn't heard that hc before you brought it up, but it does make a ton of sense both thematically and with what we see in the movie so it fully has my stamp of approval, I love that interpretation.

[@SquirrelGirl13]

I don't know why, but Mirabel being a Disney Animated Feature Film "leading lady" *with glasses* was just... something about it made me absolutely like... tear up watching the opening of the movie. And realizing the "healing" power didn't "fix" it just... After years of a parent going "oh but you would be so much prettier without your glasses" and making me take them off for family photos... it just... felt so nice to see.

[@briannenurse4640]

YES! I'm so excited for this video. As an empathetic type, I LOVE Julieta and she doesn't get a whole lot of screen time, so I'm glad to see you tackling her as a character. Also: the part about Augustin and Julieta's relationship and how it must have developed is something I've thought a lot about too! Just imagine this cute, bumbling twig of a man constantly showing up with a sheepish grin to Julieta's stall and the quiet love that blossoms between them over time... so cute! And the way Augustin looks so proud of himself for comforting Mirabel until he looks over and sees Julieta is still worried, so his expression changes... it's the cutest freaking thing!

[@hannah3662]

Thank you for this! My family doesn't understand why I wouldn't take on a thereotical brain surgery to fix my neurological physical disability. There are multiple reasons. Brain surgery in itself is risky so why would I willingly put myself in danger if I don't need to. It could go wrong and further disable me, or worse. My symptoms for my specific disability are actually pretty mild. I can still walk with the help of a walker, I can speak, I can eat solids, I don't have a history of seizures, my intelligence is pretty on par with most humans. Why would I want to chance losing what independence and life I do have when my quality of life isn't that bad to begin with? Plus, why should I, or anyone else, want to change who I am. I'm disabled and I accept myself for it. Why should I want to change just because you don't feel the same way? I wish more people realized this. By no means, am I saying any of these things are inherently bad. I just want to emphasize on the things I don't have to struggle with.

[@helalokischild6316]

I think Julieta's power works because it heals pain and hurt, not just "damage". Which also fits with the "Mom's cooking makes everything better" theme. If something is causing pain or distress, Julieta will heal it. She won't heal disabilities because those things don't need to be cured, she will simply improve quality of life by healing any pain or discomfort caused by the disability. For example, I like to imagine Mirabel and Augustine never get headaches from straining their eyes too much because Julieta is right there with an arepa if they ever do happen to get fatigue.

[@Zeno11Salazar]

As a Colombian-American, that does eat food from my parents' culture, arepas con queso are very tasty. The arepa is like an oily, salty, corn dough that's stiffer than a pancake, could be salty or sweet with nice melty, salty cheese. The cheese would likely be queso blanco, which comes in various types, but the kind used in the arepas is typically softer than mozzarella. Also if you meant to stock up on snacks, there are a few Colombian snacks or food that can last longer than bread and such. So you could possibly be well off for a couple of days before having to restock. Also given the fact they could grow various potatoes because the dish shown in the engagement dinner, ajiaco, is made with various potatoes, there's access to a cold enough climate. Not sure if that could help keep food fresh.

[@StormyTheFairyHD]

I’m not Colombian but I love arepas

[@CreativaArtly]

As someone who has disabilities myself (epilepsy and autism), I’m also a glasses wearer because my eyesight sucks. I like this idea. Thanks for sharing this. It’s truly truly much appreciated.

[@nevesp.7777]

I love the idea of her healing a wheelchair user's bedsore, alleviating phantom pains, etc.

[@radicalpasta7040]

4:05 of course she has a lot on her plate. Its the best place to keep her food /J

[@Yourlocaltrashgoblin]

I really became aware of a lot of my internalized abilesm while watching this, and frankly it’s helped me mentally a lot, I’m disabled and we keep trying to find a cure, and as I’ve told most of the people in my life idc if I’m disabled as long as I’m functional (I’m currently bed ridden and can’t do school or anything really so id like to be functional) but honestly with a lot of my issues, if there was a magic cure id take it (only the pain and safety conditions) so part of me doesn’t understand why one who’s disabled wouldn’t want a cure, but I kinda realized (still a little iffy, it’s been said to me but still kinda confuses me, not the point) but part of my brain for a long time has assumed “I need to be fixed” and it’s refreshing to not feel like I’m completely broken on everything so thank u (Idk if this was cohesive and understandable 😅 sorry if not)

[@storm3927]

like you have bad days with being bedridden? and good days? and you wish our society would be more inclusive instead of surface level awareness? reply when you have energy 🖤

[@Yourlocaltrashgoblin]

@@storm3927 yeah today was a horrible day, people don't realize bed ridden doesn't mean inable to leave a bed, it means inable to be out of bed often or long. Today I could barley leave bed, it took a good minute to get to the br (it's 3 ft from my room), yesterday I had dislocated my hip, and the day before I dislocated my shoulder like ten times, both legs were extremely swollen from the hips down, my left arm was horribly swollen, and it was so hard to even roll over in bed (I still had to get up and do things, but it was so bad my teacher left early cause I couldn't function at all) some days I can sit up all day, but Usally I'm able to sit up (with support) for 6hours tops, I wish that society would be more accessible to me, I wish that people wouldn't argue against me using a cane (I honestly need a wheelchair but the closest I got is crutches and a cane) I wish that people wouldn't see a sick kid and go "phycosymatic" I wish that people would listen to me when I say they're being rude or making things far too hard for me. I hope that answered ur questions but if u had more I'd be happy to answer (I'm finally doing semi better so I can answer)

[@SarahDavisSings]

@@Yourlocaltrashgoblin Just popping by to give some validation. I have an immune disorder and there definitely are times when I want a cure too. I think the difference between that and internalized ableism comes from believing that a cure is the only acceptable option...aka you don't have a choice in the matter and you can't accept and enjoy yourself with a disability. Society doesn't make inclusion a priority, it doesn't distinguish well between good and bad days (puts blame on you, faking it accusations, etc), and it pushes the idea that we are worth less than others because of our disabilities (* laugh-cries thinking about the recent pandemic messaging *). Remember to be gentle with yourself and I hope today is a good day.

[@Yourlocaltrashgoblin]

@@SarahDavisSings thank you 😊

[@jadecoolness101]

I don't think wanting a cure is ableism though, and tbh it just feels like a way to shame disabled people for feeling rightfully angry with what life has thrown at them. Being disabled SUCKS. Yes, society being less-than-accommodating also doesn't help, but even in a perfect 100% accommodating society, it still SUCKS. It sucks being in pain, it sucks being unable to run without a running blade. It sucks being unable to see or hear. This isn't because of some ableist "well being disabled is just a bad thing" this is because you miss out. Even in a perfectly accommodating society, a deaf person cannot hear music, a blind person cannot see art, not without some sort of cure or treatment or being ""fixed"" in some way. Wanting to have an ability that should rightfully be yours by birth is not ableism.

[@bdariamihaela]

I think Steven fixing Connie's vision has some advantages in the over all story. 1. Fights Connie is a very skilled fencer, her glases could have been a little inconvenience 2. The relationship with her mother In the episode when Connie reveals the truth to her mom she said that she doesn't need galsses any more and her mom didn't even noticed, I find that as a very important line and I can't inagine it being replaced 3. Steve's powers There had to be a way he would descover his powers. Accideltaly healing someone was the best option and Connie being his best friend who would be more suited than her.

[@CozyGhost]

I have a dnd character like Julietta, except he can only heal things that have broken after birth, and only during a certain period. For example, we have a player who was born with one arm so she can't get it back, but when she loses her magic eye in battle, my character just rewinds the person's physical body back to how it was 20 minutes ago. Maybe that's what Julietta can do?

[@triccele]

If Bruno in fact has OCD, and we can asume Julieta healed Bruno in the past, his OCD was also never "cured".

[@MegaRambit]

I would absolutely love to see you cover the Animorphs book series. They cover a lot of disabilities (sometimes well, mostly questionable), but the process of morphing relies on DNA. If someone is disabled through an accident, it cures them. If someone is disabled through genetics, it won't change them.

[@quincyquiz]

when I first heard about the glasses thing with Encanto, I thought 'yeah but wouldn't it be easier for them if they didn't have to wear glasses?' and then I immediately remembered that I wear glasses and would never want lasik because wearing them for too long and in certain circumstances gives me a headache because everything is TOO clear and it can be overwhelming...I can't even wear contacts because I don't like that you can't get rid of them easily and quickly like you could have with glasses it really sucks how many people go through life with the assumption that everyone with glasses would get lasik if they could and society drills into you so much that it's better and easier for people's lives when they don't need glasses, that even when I am actually someone that personally knows I would have more trouble that way, my initial reaction is to not even consider people similar to me who would have issues with having "perfect" vision

[@toriibarlow]

Pretty sure the creators came out and said that her gift is limited to like actual injuries and illness. Meaning it wouldn't work if a body part is removed or a disability. Because for a lack of better words the disability is just a part of who you are

[@ladyscarlette6289]

As someone who wears glasses, trying to explain that Julietta's healing won't heal Mirabels eyes because there is nothing 'wrong' with them, is exhausting. And if she isn't able to 'cure' OCD, she won't be able to 'cure' depression or anxiety either. I think it's mainly about reverting the body back to what it was before the injury or the allergic reaction? But only up to a point. Like when you mentioned healing a severed limb, but not by growing the limb back. Augustine and Mirabel are probably short sighted (because we hardly see them without their glasses), which mostly just affects the structure of the eye. There is no physical damage to the eye. 🤷

[@jadecoolness101]

I wonder how her healing would affect degenerative problems, like say, eyes that ARE damaged over time, or something like rheumatoid arthritis (in essence: the immune system damages the cartilage in the joints) Because sure, it's "the body's natural condition" But it's also damage... Curious to think about.

[@TRexRAWWR1]

I think even if she could 'heal' disabilities, she wouldn't. She'd do as much as the person wants her to do and care about them regardless

[@ooooooouououo]

Julieta is actually my favorite character ngl. I really hope we get more of her in the future

[@digimonalvatrax2738]

Yeah, she's uniquely pretty, also for her age. Hope we see more of her and her interactions with her other daughters

[@Exer_Dragon]

I have a character who is basically a god, and can regenerate. But if her injuries get wet while healing (water is basically poison to her) they don't heal properly. Her wings are disfigured because of this, and she has a very painful frostburn on her shoulder. Even if she regrows her limbs (lengthy, painful, tiring) the scars will still be there when it regrows.

[@elrohirshouldercheaptrick9452]

It is my headcannon that Julietta's gift requires consent from both parties

[@lahlybird895]

Mirabel is the closest thing I will probably get to a blind Disney protagonist and I love it!

[@Zeno11Salazar]

Well, I still want to hold out for hope of that. That would be a very interesting protagonist to have.

[@lahlybird895]

@@Zeno11Salazar we can always hope

[@zoeb3573]

So, it's not Disney, but there is an animated movie called Quest for Camelot where the deuteragonist is blind. It's not an amazing movie (a lot of its humor is very dated) but it's rare to see animated content, especially from that time period, where a main character or love interest who is disabled doesn't get "fixed" by the end. Especially since there IS magic in the movie.

[@lahlybird895]

@@zoeb3573 interesting

[@lacewinglml]

Those arappa caso do tast good. one of my favorite snacks and super easy to make.

[@Zeno11Salazar]

Arappa caso? Is that a different snack to arepa con queso, or was that just a mispelling? If so, yeah they are so good.

[@lacewinglml]

@@Zeno11Salazar likely misspelling lol. I mean my spellchecker was constantly changing it, so I gave up, was way too tired lol

[@Zeno11Salazar]

@@lacewinglml Ah, I see.

[@bluebird8677]

I feel like with Steven universe the reason it healed connies eyes was because his healing powers were so potent and he had absolutely no control over it unlike in encanto

[@cha0ticneutralbigs]

Just wanted to note that “congenital limb difference” is the proper term instead of “congenital amputees” since they usually don’t have their limbs actually amputated

[@TricksterModeEngaged]

My read was that it seems to be a supercharge/fast-forward of whatever natural healing could manage to accomplish under ideal circumstances. Closing wounds, mending fractures, relieving pain, curing infections, stopping allergic reactions, lessening inflammation BUT not changing the fact that her husband and daughter wear glasses or that Bruno apparently does have OCD according to the script would be consistent with this.

[@maris5058]

I just watched your why you shouldn’t heal disabled characters video and I just wanted to thank you for making the videos you do and for changing my perspective on how I see my skin condition and my other chronic health problems. I always felt like there was something wrong with me and that I should wish to be like everyone else because of how I was treated. I was bullied because I had eczema and people used to run away from me. (Because they thought it was contagious). I have atopic eczema and it comes with other conditions like asthma, hay fever and allergies. I feel embarrassed when I whizz when my asthma starts acting up and when my skin becomes inflamed and itchy in public so I will try and hide it. I don’t want people to see my scratching as they will tell me to stop and I have even had some people grab my hands to stop me from scratching because they think they are helping. All and all your videos have helped me open my eyes to not see my body and conditions as wrong and it makes me sad that I saw myself as a genetic mistake because I have these conditions. Thank you and I wish you the best. Maris

[@ernestoernestez6537]

Lovely video! I was talking exactly about this with my partner after watching the movie, and the way you put it into words is just perfect

[@ShadowEclipex]

Steven Universe has a lot of issues like that which really add up when you start to analyze it. Like the fact the show preaches independance, but pretty much shows that Gems are dependant on a Diamond for direction.

[@ftrgstudio2254]

I personally dont see that to be the case, as gems who aren't part of homeworld dont need a diamond to tell them what to do.

[@ShadowEclipex]

@@ftrgstudio2254 Just look at how dysfunctional the Crystal Gems where until Steven (who is a Diamond) helped them work things out. They were only doing the last think Rose (who was a Diamond) had them doing. This keeps going. Lapis, Paridot, even Jasper eventually. They only case counter to that could be the Off-colors, even then they needed Steven's influence to escape their trapped cycle.

[@ftrgstudio2254]

@@ShadowEclipex While the crystal gems are dysfonctional, only pearl knew Steven/Rose was a diamond. Jasper never listened to Steven until he managed to best her in a fight by himself. The off-colors where helped by lars. Steven was the only person lapis could have considered as a friend to get help from since he was the one that saved her from being stuck in a mirror. and peridot joined because she insulted yellow diamond and became a rebel.

[@ShadowEclipex]

@@ftrgstudio2254 They didn't need to know Rose/Steven were Diamonds, but they were still pretty aimless without the influence of a Diamond. I did say Jasper eventually, but no matter the method she was aimless until Steven gave her direction. The off colors were more helped by Lars, but Steven was still the one to start them on that driection. And again, look at Lapis' and Peridot's archs. They only started changing because of Steven's influence. I'm not claiming this is intentional, and not hating on the show. Just pointing out a bit of a contradiction/oversight that I noticed.

[@ftrgstudio2254]

@@ShadowEclipex Thats fair. I havent though of it that way in the past.

[@bisexial_disaster2795]

I have usually always counted myself out of the disabled community because im "not disabled enough", but recently I've been diagnosed with scoliosis, and my doctor is testing me for a chronic illness and I'm realizing that my glasses usage is as much of a disability as anything. it really comes down to what would happen if I didnt have them, which is a constant worry, because I take them off and then cant find them again. one time I was getting ready for work and couldn't find them and realized I wouldn't be able to do anything without them. I spent a good long moment to recognize my vulnerability. luckily, no one would be able to use that as a weakness physically, as I trained in taekwondo without them (fear of flying kick to face would break them), but my ability to function in society would be... questionable tldr; after a few brushes with lack of glasses and insight into what it's like to be disabled in other ways, I've come to accept that my vision is a disability.

[@jax_firestorm9689]

I always saw Mirabel's lack of a Gift as a disability. But Julieta never healed it. And I really appreciated that. I’m autistic, and the family’s treatment of Bruno and Mirabel reminds me a lot of my family's treatment of me and my autistic uncle. Julieta never "fixes" Bruno's OCD, or Mirabel's lack of Gift, or any of that. I think it's amazing.

[@jordanzazulak4375]

Permission is important, and I like to think that julieta understands how much a change she could give to people, and how they may be uncomfortable with that. So she doesnt go to that extent without anyone telling her otherwise. Like how she doesnt heel mirabelle's eyesight. Which makes her so wonderful because she doesn't just think about the physical, but emotional effect she can have on others. That shows that she doesnt value making someone "normal", but instead values the person themself and who they know they are comfortable being, or at least know who they want to be. She doesn't demote anyone

[@nichtschwert3307]

Great vid! Healing magic and disability is a total quagmire that I have been thinking about here and there in the past and your take on it was very valuable, so thank you.

[@mysryuza]

Idk if it’s just me and why, but Julieta’s appearance reminds me of Elizabeth Taylor. I’m glad you brought Julieta up. Surprised that one dude didn’t feel a pinch of pain during the transition of healing.

[@LenaMel]

The way I like to see healing magic (and how I do it whenever I get the chance) is that it just supercharges the bodies regenerative abilities. If its something that can go away on its own, however unlikely, magic can heal it. Probably also leaving as little scarring as possible because hey, magic, it may as well push your body to the fullest extent of what its capable of. You could even justify stuff like pain relief for chronic conditions that can't heal that way, and neatly avoids the whole curing disabilities issue.

[@emcustard]

Before I watched Encanto, I was told by my close friends that I would absolutely love Bruno. Green? Rats? Long hair? Black sheep? Sign me up! Then I saw how he acted and had to ask my friend if she specifically left out mentioning his OCD to me. She did because she wanted my unbiased opinion on it. I relate to Bruno so much, and I do absolutely love him. His compulsions are still treated in a joke-like manner, but it’s fun and respectful.

[@ronjaj.addams-ramstedt1023]

I hope you enjoy Oakwyrm's video about him!

[@palomarivera5475]

I was struggling with understanding this because I thought, if there's a magical way to instantly make your life easier, why wouldn't you take it? Then I remembered I literally had/have the option to get operated for my strabismus (I don't consider myself disabled but it's very noticeable and I have been bullied for years for it) and I chose and I still choose not to get it. I love my eyes, I don't think there's something wrong with them, I wouldn't like to go through a procedure just to have "normal" eyes (My eyesight would still be bad, the operation is just for aesthetics) of course my situation is not the same as being deaf or an amputee, but I think I understand more now. I learned a lot thanks to this channel, I'm sorry I thought ableist things at first :') still learning

[@ronjaj.addams-ramstedt1023]

PSA: If you wonder "Why would a disabled person not want a cure?" or "Why is it bad that a disabled character gets cured in this story?" while watching a disabled person critique media representation of disability, you may have gotten some issues mixed up. This is not uncommon and it is also pretty understandable, so please read on. TL;DR: It's complicated. Which is why this answer / essay is long, and still only scratches the surface. If you are a fellow disabled, chronically ill and/or neurodivergent person and can spare the time and energy, please reply with your own experiences and insights. Because we are all individuals and I can only speak for myself. I wrote this essay / "public service announcement" because I have read at least a dozen variants of those two questions under several of Oakwyrm's videos, and such questions pop up also elsewhere on KZbin. 1) Many if not most of us disabled, chronically ill and/or neurodivergent people -- and no few abled ones as well -- want to experience media with characters like us who have an arc that lands in a more creative and interesting way than in either death or a cure. We have experienced the Death Or Cure trope _so_ many times; it was old, trite and boring already in the 1980s, by now it is dry as sawdust. This trope is something that many media analysts are critical of -- disabled and abled alike, Oakwyrm obviously included. Heck, _TVtropes_ describes with deep sarcasm "Magical Disabled Person," "Bury Your Disabled" and "Throwing off the Disability" and many variations and mixtures of those tropes. Most people realize that killing off a disabled character is ableist AF, but curing a disabled character is in fact ableist as well. Reason: the end result of both is the non-existense of disabled people in the story (because we usually get only one, token disabled character, which is a problem in itself). Moreover, the cure is almost always presented as a good thing. So am I supposed to _enjoy_ that always implied and sometimes explicit message? Which is: "The world would be a better, happier place if people, who resemble how I am in reality, did not exist." Excuse my language, that gets a loud HELL NO from me. 2) Does the above mean that I or other disabled, chronically ill or neurodivergent people never ever wish for a cure for anything that ails us? Of course not -- and this aspect of this topic is complicated in its own right. What we want / wish for ourselves and daydream about in our real, everyday lives is highly personal. There are few things -- if any -- that _all_ disabled people want or welcome. So nobody should assume about any disabled person what they feel or think, one way or another. Some of us who are very similarly disabled (eg two blind people who went blind in adulthood) can feel very differently about the idea of a cure, while others whose disabilities / conditions are very different (eg a wheelchair using above-knee amputee and autistic asthmatic) can agree about almost everything. It depends on the values, interests, temperament, available aids, communal support, etc. etc. of each person. Moreover, asking a specific disabled individual if they wish for a cure almost always puts them awkwardly on the spot, especially if the question is asked in public. So please don't, if they haven't explicitly welcomed such questions in a specific context. And if you already did ask someone in particular and outside a questions-are-welcome context, don't worry too much or make a huge apologetic scene, it is much better to just learn and go forward with that learning. There are plenty of disabled KZbinrs and bloggers. By following a few and by searching you can get answers to pretty much any questions that you have. 3) For us, disability is not a thought experiment or something hypothetical to ponder about & opine on just for fun. "Would you want a magical cure if you lived in (insert some fantasy universe here)?" is pretty difficult, if not impossible, for a disabled, chronically ill and/or neurodivergent person to consider purely in theory. Because for us our disabilities / conditions are real, everyday and ever-present. Compare that question with a vvhite person asking a BI/POC person "Would you choose to be vvhite if you could in (insert some fantasy universe here)?" If that blatantly rac ist question makes you cringe but the blatantly ableist previous question doesn't, you have something to unpack in your proverbial knapsack of emotions and attitudes. 4) An abled person's way of thinking about disability is usually markedly different from ours. In my experience, most disabled, chronically ill and neurodivergent people are keenly aware of how temporary being abled or passing as abled is. We grok the fragility of the human body, including the brain. Here's the thing: if you live long enough you will become disabled or chronically ill. That's just reality. And yet -- I have in my almost 60 years on this Earth met precious few fully abled people who have a deep understanding and acceptance of that their condition is temporary. All whom I can recall had one or more disabled, chronically ill or neurodivergent loved ones or had experienced temporary disability themselves. Disabilities, chronic illnesses and neurodivergenses are not aberrations. We are a natural part of the vibrant diversity of humanity. So when abled people meet us, it would be nice if their first words weren't "What happened?" or "But you don't look like (condition)!" or "Will you get better?" Continued in reply...

[@ronjaj.addams-ramstedt1023]

... continued: 5) If an abled person considered what it might be like to become disabled, they would likely imagine a sudden change that they would need to adjust to (at least this is how I thought when I was young and passed as abled). They would require help to begin with, and need to adapt and learn new ways of doing things. They would undoubtedly also imagine no small amount of mental load and emotional anguish, partly because of sadly predictable pity and lack of respect from abled people around them. Guess what: for a disabled person to imagine becoming cured has many of those same elements! If a disabled person were magically cured it would indeed be a sudden change that they would need to adjust to. They would require help to begin with, and need to adapt and learn new ways of doing things. They would undoubtedly also imagine no small amount of mental load and emotional anguish, partly because of the sadly predictable expectations of (immediate) happiness from abled people around them. There are very few people who do not find the idea of sudden, drastic change -- even (mostly) positive change -- stressful. And that's without considering that... 5) Real life treatments (a) even when they succeed fully, are not magic. Seriously. They are often painful, or cause e.g. nausea or dizziness, which may or may not abate with time. Many are time-consuming and effortfull. Or the solution is not fully permanent, but requires adjustments, repeat surgery, checkups and/or medication for the rest of one's life. (a) surgical, biochemical, physio- or occupational therapy, guided meditation, counseling, etc. etc. For example, surgical treatments to correct vision or hearing loss, if they are successful, often cause sensory overload as a side effect, if the brain (b) has not recently enough been used to handling that much visual or auditory input. This side effect can lessen with time, but there are no guarantees. To add insult to injury, patients are still today too seldom informed beforehand or in sufficient detail that this is very likely to happen and that some people never grow used to the new level of sensory load. So a credible risk with such surgery is that the enhanced seeing or hearing will remain confusing, exhausting and/or painful until the "cured" person dies. How's that for irony of life? There have been cases where the formerly blind or deaf person has ended their life because of the intolerable sensory bombardment after the operation. And many deaf / hard of hearing and blind / visually impaired people learn about these cases, and grow understandably wary of "miraculous" cures. (b) we vertebrates do almost all of the hard work related to seeing and hearing with our brains -- eyes and ears are basically extensions or outposts of the brain -- necessary and lacking in processing power 6) Notice that above I have only discussed how fully successful treatments can have side effects ranging from uncomfortable to intolerable. We have yet to consider the risks if something actually goes wrong. Both surgeries, medications and other treatments can go wrong for anyone. All human bodies, brains included, are subtly different, and disabled, chronically ill or neurodivergent bodies almost always differ at least somewhat from the "standard" that doctors and other health care professionals are taught. Also, all healt care professionals are fallible humans. We all make mistakes. It's just that the price to pay is so much higher when it's about a person's life and health. 7) There are hundreds if not thousands of conditions, illnesses and disabilities that cannot be cured with the treatments that exist today, only more or less managed. Many of those conditions are of such nature that we cannot yet even imagine how they might ever be cured. For example, my joint and muscle aches almost certainly stem from some kind of genetic fault: my body apparently does not know how to build proper collagen. But we don't know which genes are involved in my case, only that at least every other blood relative on my mother's side, including those already deceased who I knew, is currently or was in their youth unusually flexible, some even "double-jointed" (there also are faulty collagen conditions where the genetics are understood). The only thing current research seems to show is that this is not about one single gene. So even if they do find one or more gene combinations that cause this kind of hypermobility, then what? Genes, and especially gene combinations steer so much more than just one aspect of us that messing with them would most likely be extremely risky. 8) Especially for many neurodivergent people, myself included, some of our conditions, which society typically labels as disabilities or disorders, are such an integral part of our identities that we would tryly not be ourselves without them. For example, I am an autistic, dyslexic & hyperlexic ADHDer. I am also a Mensa member, fully fluent in three languages and knowledgeable about two more, and have complex post-traumatic stress disorder (C-PTSD). After I got effective meds for the C-PTSD anxiety and the worst parts of my ADHD, I absolutely do not want to meddle any more with my brain. I remain dyslexic (it has taken me over two weeks to write this essay, for example -- autocorrect is my bane). I still have ADHD related memory problems and autism related sensory sensitivities that require accommodations even at home. The upside is so much tenacity (hyperfocus feels fantastic), enjoyment of myriads of small details of life (tastes, textures, colors; observing animals, plants and insects; learning new recipes; etc.) and so much creativity and lateral thinking that I absolutely do not want my brain to change at all from this. And I am happy and thankful to take meds for the rest of my life, they were and remain positively life changing. 9) The existing treatments are not necessarily accessible. Those limitations in accessibility some of us have the interest and resources to fight hard, and more power to them. However, many of us have also accepted that in our individual cases success would be too uncertain, risks realizing could be catastrophic, insurance will not cover, travel and other arrangements would be too taxing, and/or any other of several circumstances just won't allow us to safely and affordably pursue something alike a cure. So we are making the best of our lives in the here and now, as we are. All these^ are (somewhat) separate, more or less intersecting issues (and there likely are more that I haven't come to think of yet). And every disabled individual has their own experiences of and views about each. Finally, with what authority do I claim all the above? I am a disabled, chronically ill and multiply neurodivergent ex-nurse and fantasy + sci-fi geek, who has been hanging out in disability themed Internet discussions on various social media platforms since 2011.

[@Eloraurora]

This is incredible, and deserves to be a pinned comment. Thank you for writing it.

[@ij4927]

Thank you for this! I really appreciate it

[@strawberrysangria1474]

I've been struggling with my own disability a lot right now, begging the world to change me so I'm not bedridden or barely able to move. Your video really helped my perspective of the situation. Being chronically ill has made me more empathetic to the struggles of others, and lit a fire inside me to continue fighting for better. Like you, I'd love the pain to subside, but would I really want to erase all I've been through to make me who I am? It would be nice to keep my battle scars and I love that Julieta recognizes that for her village and family.

[@nerdcuddles7731]

I'm thinking of giving the protagonist in my scifi story a facial burn disfigurement and a missing bottom jaw and than cognitive analgesia on top of that. And probably also making them need a prosthetic to eat solid food. The protagonist is a traumatized super-soldier. But I don't want to mess up the representation and I would have to do a lot of research into the topic as ill already have to do research into PTSD for the protagonist

[@griffith5704]

Do you post your writing anywhere :0

[@zoeynightshade5550]

Hey so fun tip on PTSD dreams. Your brain will put together places you have been before, the trauma you endured, and use a face your brain has kept even if it's someone you hate, or neighbors. But most of the time it usually is someone that is close to you is who it decides to pick. So for example character A was part of the civil war and he is very far from his home. He had a friend who saw a cannon shot was going near them, and took the decision to push the character out of the way. The character loses his foot and he looks up to see his friend is gone. Now in a dream it'll be right outside his house, and the friend is replaced with his mom. And there you go, you still have the same events just start switching the details every now and then if it is reaccuring for the character.

[@catherinesheffield8093]

Maybe you could also play around with using a feeding tube rather than a prosthetic all the time? I don’t have a physical disability (I do have a disability, just not a physical one) but one of my close friends does and she doesn’t always have the strength or is comfortable with using her prosthetics (which are quite heavy). Your story could be really cool to read if you’ll post it (no pressure to do so).

[@jayemover_16]

@@catherinesheffield8093 It is a sci-fi story, so perhaps the prosthetics are much better in the time of the story? If not, the feeding tube would work better for sure.

[@jolynejoestar2106]

just a note: if youre gonna do a character with facial burns/disfigurement, avoid calling it ugly or any synonym of it, try to make light of it as either something of pride (even if it needs to be done through character development), or something to not be worried of.

[@stardust7104]

Hi I am Addie. I love your content on disability. I’m 15 years old and last year I was diagnosed with ulcerative proctitis. I’m also autistic. Your content really helps.

[@andywreckplayer1558]

Also, if I remember correctly, the cells in the retina cannot be repaired, so it makes sense that she can't heal a part of the body that cannot regenerate.

[@msteerie]

BRUNO HAS OCD??? OH MY GOD! I NEED TO WATCH NOW! I'm currently watching 10000 movies I just haven't yes (because I've barely watched any movies in the past few years). Now Encanto is at the top of the list!

[@Pandie2828]

I always got the vibe that her powers speed up the healing process like the broken wrist example that would heal with time but her powers speed that up to as long as it takes to chew and swallow I do also like the idea that she could make really effective pain killers

[@BasilBard]

I absolutely love the interpretation of symptom management through her gift, 'cause it's a lot more fun to play with that from a writing perspective and a lot more comforting to consider that from a disabled perspective. And even considering what kinds of foods might best be used for different kinds of ailments or symptom management, like hard candy for someone who has muscle tremors, so they can help reduce their severity. A panacea "Everythings better now :)" approach is just so... LAZY and hand-wavy, even before we unpack the eugenics side of it that makes me feel like I need a shower.

[@riverofdreams3299]

I can't believe I just found your channel thru this! I'm so gonna be hanging around

[@GaleGrim]

Okay, Lets have a little check in I'm at 0:59. I've interpreted Juliet healing as regenerative and accelerateive, not corrective, it triggers the bodies natural healing to accelerate, we do see it on one bit heal an out of alignment broken bone, but I always chalked that up to stylistic decision of not wanting to show the bone being realigned. If you vision is impaired through a mis growth, or you have a mental disability or something like that it doesn't work. It probably also has physical symptom easing properties, like anti-inflammation and antipyretics. It might even act as a antitoxin to poisoning and venom and the like. but if it has to due with how you naturally grew or have grown it's doesn't work, which side steps the "cure the disabled cause they are bad/wrong/broken" message land mine that many "healing abilities" can step on. I never gave thought to that on a narrative level, or thought about "why" her healing was like that. So this will be super interesting to hear.

[@SingingSealRiana]

I struggled with part of this. Why would one want to be vision impaired if given the choice? What is bad about wanting people not to suffer or be restricted? Wanting to find cures does not seam to me as invalidating someones right to exist, but wanting them to exist without pain or missing out . . . But on the other hand, the choice of whatever it is to fix or not should obviously lie with the person afflicted and from being neurodivergend and ace I know the frustraition and misery that comes with people trying to fix, what you really do not feel needs fixing. I am not suffering from being different, I am suffering from people not acception and problematising it! I dont want to be normal, I want to be me . . . so even if the trigger is quite a different one, I now get the sentiment and why the message of "you do not need fixing" feels so cathartic to you. No one should feel like their right to exist as they are is invalid and who are people not in someone elses shoes too judge what is best for them? Yes, I would like to get rid of my physical limitations, they suck, and I do not like them, but just cause I feel that way, does not mean that someone else not feeling the same is any less valid in how they feel about their own. . . .

[@laynemartin7914]

I heard it described as a reset power, she can undo things that have been done but can't change who someone is

[@joaovitorfarinabraga690]

I think that Julieta’s healing abilities are more like crazy diamond’s one from JoJo’s bizarre adventure, where they don’t necessarily heal in the traditional sense, they take things back to their original state, that would explain why she can heal broken bones and allergies but not eyesight as this is a genetical thing that can’t be “fixed” because is already the natural state of a person’s body

[@olivialeger3647]

As a disabled person myself, I can't believe I never thought about how Julieta's powers might affect disabilities

[@joaovitorfarinabraga690]

3:19 it makes sense that she has paid the least attention to her, not only recently but probably every since she was younger and that only increased with time, as her other 2 daughters needed a lot more caring and attention, Luisa needed to learn from a very young age how to control her strength and probably needed a lot of supervision and well mirabel is the only one who’s different from the others, she needed A LOT of emotional support to not feel to much out of place and with a victim complex, of course that Augustin helped but 3 kids and a whole town need way too much responsibility, one of them is gonna get the short end of the stick

[@ChestersonJack]

The glasses is such a good point. Honestly I thought this was gonna be about how her husband is still allergic to bee stings, even if it can calm the reactions.

[@emmasilver2332]

When I write healing magic, I do it to various degrees depending on the character, genre, or other factors. For one of my books I've written, my protagonist develops the ability to essentially transfer people's pain to herself. She can't take it away completely, nor can she actually heal any injuries, but with intense focus she can transfer some of that pain from the person with the injury to herself. I wrote her with that kind of power because at the time in my life when I wrote that particular book, I felt like I was essentially the family pain sponge. Everyone would vent to me about their problems, and they'd feel a bit better at the expense of me feeling worse because now I'm worried about all of their problems on top of my own. I wrote that into her character as a way of coping with and processing what I was dealing with at home. Another type of healing ability that I have used before is regeneration, being the ability to heal unnaturally quickly from your own injuries, but not being able to heal anyone else. These types of healing I often tie to a more combative and/or utility type of power that the character also has. My most prominent example is a sea sorceress who can heal any injuries to her soft tissues (not bones) when she either drinks or fully immerses herself in water. She can't use water she conjures up in such a way, only naturally-occurring water. This regenerative ability has saved her life, but it has also been something that the primary antagonist of the book has exploited against her. I added that last bit in because I often felt like people have taken advantage of my perceived hardiness, using me to lash out at because I'll just "walk it off" anyway, rather than actually addressing the actual problem. The most powerful types of healing magic I've incorporated is the healing at a cost. Characters with this ability can heal virtually anyone of anything that's not an inherited trait, but at some sort of cost to their own health. For example, a child character I've written can heal severe bleeding, mend broken bones, and even regrow someone's lost appendage, but doing so more than once before she rests makes her extremely lightheaded. She worries that if she overexerts herself too much it could be lethal. Consequently, she doesn't utilize her magic during high-combat situations unless it's an absolute emergency (i.e. someone is aggressively bleeding out their neck, someone's brains just got bashed in, etc.) in which they have literally seconds to live if she doesn't immediately intervene. And if more than two of her friends are in need of healing during the aftermath of a fight, she has to triage the ailments and heal in order of severity; if it can wait until after she's well-rested, then she waits, electing to use simple first-aid techniques to help buy them some time. I have never written a character that can straight-up heal anyone from anything with no strings attached. Generally speaking, the more powerful the magic is, the greater the cost to the user. It still shakes out to be a net positive outcome (with the exception of when the power is exploited), but it's never infinite.

[@ronjaj.addams-ramstedt1023]

Could you please edit your comment to add paragraph breaks? I am dyslexic (and hyperlexic, but that doesn’t help with this problem) and would like to understand what you wrote, but I cannot process a continuous "wall" of text. 30-50 words per paragraph and an empty row between paragraphs should make it possible for dyslexics who have this same problem to read your comment. With the current number of subscribers on this channel, there likely are a few hundred of us here already. Thanks in advance!

[@Crim7708]

Hey, are your books published? I'd love to look into them, especially the concept of the water sorceress really speaks to me 🍀

[@emmasilver2332]

@@Crim7708 they're not published yet, but I'm hoping to get them published soon

[@Crim7708]

@@emmasilver2332 it sounds like you put a lot of thought into your stories. I'm glad that you've come so far, ah i hope you're able to get them published, I'm definitely interested in reading them. Maybe you want to drop their names here so i can keep an eye out for them when the time comes?

[@emmasilver2332]

@@Crim7708 working title of the one closest to publication is: Andromeda Adventures (title of the series): The Quest for Freedom (title of the first book). I haven't gotten far enough into the others to know how to title them yet.

[@mattistooshort9923]

A note on the vision thing: it could be about the reason behind the myopia. Say, serious genetically inherited vision impairment is a no go, but myopia developed as a result of lack of UV on the retinas would probably "easily" heal. One is meant to be, the other happened.

[@kaityr9693]

As a person that's had glasses since being an actual baby, I understand not wanting to get your eyes "healed". They're my reality and part of me. I can't even imagine not needing glasses and chose them over Lasik and contacts. Glasses are so mich a part of me at this point, I feel naked without them on.

[@crucialHeight]

I would argue theres a difference between Steven and Julieta though. Stevens powers work through his feelings, now he doesn't view disability as a bad thing, but through the show he's had a running problem controlling his powers. He didn't MEAN to heal her eyes, it just happened. In Future (the off shoot after the movie) shows him healing gems for their specific needs, the volleyball episode specifically. Julieta has had this power since she was 5 (as you mentioned in your first Encanto video.) and I would assume didn't have to trouble shoot except for when she couldn't figure out WHAT needed to be healed. While I understand you're looking at this from a narrative perspective, they're two different stories and the abilities couldn't work on the same principle. Steven's is genetic and something he had to learn how to use, Julieta was blessed and had to just learn a few recipes, the human anatomy and its functionalities (to the best of the timeperiod of course.) then it would work without a hitch.

[@pretzelcat581]

What I find kinda funny is that any way you look at or head-cannon Julieta’s power, she was just silently refusing the heal Mariano’s nose after her daughter basically punched him in the face.😏

[@CatsandDragons7]

Julieta is a fantastic mom, In spite of her flaws. Her flaws make her so believably human!

[@cortneylane200]

Also to do with Julieta and how she communicates with the person she's trying to heal, this could mean she would most likely take in consideration of the person's safe foods. I'm mainly referring to neurodivergent people who have foods they enjoy for one reason or another. Because as a person who has a lot of texture issues, it's nice to think she'd take into consideration foods I feel comfortable eating

[@picklestickle2274]

I love both Julieta and Steven's healing capabilities, and I wouldn't necessarily criticize healing Connie's eyes in SU. After all, Rebecca Sugar herself wears glasses and probably had a hand in choosing that route. I've worn glasses since elementary school and while I have accepted them as a part of myself, I would absolutely get magic healing done without hesitation. While I understand narratively Connie didn't have a choice in the matter, I personally would have been delighted to be in her shoes and have my eyes magically fixed in one afternoon. Not everyone has to share this same opinion, I just wanted to give my own insight

[@galadrinihrinor4863]

I would beg this woman to cure my diabetes I miss not having to deal with needles every time I eat and all that would mean is bringing back my dead beta cells Diabetics are screwed often by the United States government and medical supply companies it would help my family with our money problems and my hatred of this part of my body because I just got sick as a kid and my pancreas killed itself

[@bandana_girl6507]

Hearing your thoughts on this good healing being done well makes me sort of want to hear your thoughts on perhaps the opposite situation (though also potentially handled well). Doctor Who S1E9/10 (The Empty Child, The Doctor Dances) has the big twist be that the force creating the horrifying zombie-creatures is actually a bunch of medical nanobots trying to "fix" people who were just fine. I just think it might be interesting to get some other thoughts on those episodes.

[@RainbowEssence-c3w]

Julieta and Agustin remind me a bit of my own parents haha. My mom isn't quite as "nurturing" or traditionally feminine as Julieta (though don't get me wrong, she is still a wonderful mother) but she has always been there for my dad, keeping an eye on him and doing her best to keep him healthy (and drive him to the hospital when he cuts his hand on a power tool lol). My dad is somewhat accident prone himself, unfortunately, often because he is rushing so yeah Agustin reminds me of my own father. As for Julieta's gift, that comment about her being able to heal disabilities but choosing not to is one of the few tweets I don't really agree with. I'm on board with pretty much everything else Jared Bush has said on Twitter but the thought that Julieta COULD heal her husband's and daughter's eyesight but chooses not to just doesn't sit right with me. For one thing, I think giving her the ability to cure disabilities like that is making her gift too powerful and in a sequel or tie-in TV series that could be problematic. If Julieta can cure just about anything with her cooking, that takes away a lot of potential and interesting drama. It's the same reason people don't like Mary Sues (not that I'm calling Julieta a Mary Sue, mind you) because Mary Sues are boring. They have no struggles, and struggle is the heart of every good story. Without struggle there can be no plot. Besides that, if Julieta can heal things like vision problems that also implies her powers can alter genetics which is... rather complex and probably could confuse the matter more. I also don't personally think Julieta can heal disease (even though she's able to cure Agustin's allergic bee stings) because disease is caused by the body fighting against foreign pathogens. Her cooking might be able to reduce symptoms maybe, as they did with Agustin, but I doubt they could instantly kill/neutralize every single harmful pathogen within the human body. The immune system still has to fight off whatever foreign invader is attacking the body and in fact certain symptoms commonly associated with illness (such as fever) are the body's way of fighting back. This is also why there's debate among doctors as to whether one should treat fever or not. It's theorized that fevers are the body's way of turning up the temperature so as to create hostile environment for the pathogen. Now obviously if the fever gets too high you want to bring it down or else the person could die or suffer irreversible brain damage. But for your average run-of-the-mill fevers, doctors are still not sure if they should be treated or not. Taking cold medicine and other fever reducers probably doesn't hurt, but they probably don't help either. Finally, Julieta's cooking can't reverse the effects of aging because there are several elderly people in Encanto and Julieta herself along with Pepa and Bruno are said to be in their fifties. Maybe it can slow it down though? My other issue with Julieta having the ability to cure Mirabel's and Agustin's visions problems but choosing not to do so is more personal. Don't get me wrong, I'm so glad they didn't show Julieta "curing" someone's disability and I'm grateful for the representation in Encanto. Steven curing Connie's eyes rubbed me the wrong way, too. That being said, having the ability to cure vision problems but purposely choosing not to because it's "cute" or whatever seems like kind of a dick move and it implies that disabilities are adorable quirks instead of the debilitating conditions they really are. If Julieta could cure Mirabel's eyes but chose not to because she likes her glasses, that to me feels sort of dismissive and condescending. As someone with glasses I can tell you that vision problems aren't just endearing quirks, it can be a pain in the ass sometimes. For me personally my vision isn't so poor as to be debilitating, but it can still be annoying and wearing glasses can be annoying. And if Mirabel is one of the few or only people with glasses in Encanto, then that just makes her stand out more and might make people ostracize her more. I notice none of the other characters besides Mirabel and Agustin wear glasses. Also to me it seems like making that decision for your child is a little unfair. Why doesn't Mirabel get a say? What if she doesn't want to wear glasses, and wants her eyesight cured? Would Julieta agree or would she just ignore Mirabel and tell her that her glasses are "cute"? I have congenital hearing loss, and I would be thrilled if eating a magic arepa could fix my hearing! I suppose it reminds me of the real life issue some parents have and the decision they must make regarding their deaf or hard of hearing infants. For some deaf/HoH children cochlear implants can somewhat fix the issue and restore a degree of hearing. But is it right to make that decision for your child? Is it right to have them undergo surgery to "correct" their hearing before they're even able to decide if that's what they want? Or what about the opposite, is it right to choose NOT to get surgery for your child that could potentially improve their lives and have a huge impact on their language-learning abilities, just because you don't think their disability needs to be "cured"? I don't know, this is an issue that I still grapple with tbh. My hearing was never bad enough to need a cochlear implant and no surgery would improve my hearing, so my parents didn't have to make that decision. But I know there are parents that grapple with this and I wish I had the correct answer...

[@crybabydemonboy]

I’m not disabled, but I do have a poorly-working circulatory system, a limit on the time I can stand without being in pain, and nutrition issues. I would go to Julieta for pain meds and nutritional aids.

[@crybabydemonboy]

@sewer~rat it’s more of a thing I inherited from both parents. My mom’s side has body pain and poor circulation whereas my father’s side has poor blood circulation and nutritional issues. But, couple that with a horrible immune system and you get me.

[@SariaSchala]

I really like this, and it helps me think about my character with a similar power's ability (she heals by singing). Part of her story is her father became so ill she couldn't save him even with her power.

[@theartpuppet4220]

Having the main character wear glasses and not have it be used as a joke at some point or have a 'oh no! she lost her glasses and is in danger' moment was really nice for me, who needs glasses :) I love your videos.

[@OrangeColt]

I feel like I have a 'oh no! she lost her glasses and is in danger' moment every morning when I wake up and can't find my glasses lol, but yeah super nice to not have it used in the normal way.

[@dylansarris4658]

When you brought up the Which came first the personality or the Gift. It got me thinking that perhaps the personality of the Madrigal may have an influence on what gift they will have. Julieta as you described being the eldest definitely had to fill the role of taking care of her younger sister and brother, when her mother isn't around and most likely had to cook for her siblings. So she is given the power of healing through her cooking. Pepa is a very emotional and capricious individual, who can go from happy to irritated at the drop of a hat. At her best she lets everyone knows how she feels. So, she is given the gift of weather manipulation based on her emotional state. Bruno perhaps a combination of his definitely undiagnosed OCD and possibly being the youngest brother worried for his family and felt he had to help his community in some way was given the gift of prophecy. Isabella being the firstborn grandchild was most likely the golden child and so was given the gift of plant manipulation, a very flashy power that can mesmerise her family and community. Luisa is definitely a people pleaser and wanted to help her community in anyway she could even at her own detriment, so she is given the power of superhuman strength. Dolores is a quiet individual and probably listened to a lot of gossip and rumours, so she is given the power of super hearing. Camilo loves to make others laugh and likes to play tricks and pranks on others to entertain others or himself, so he is given the gift to shapeshift. Finally Antonio is a kind and empathetic kid who has the closest relationship with Mirabel besides her parents and despite likely never meeting Bruno at all and has heard legends and rumours about him being a doomsayer. He and Mirabel extends a hand to him. His Gift to communicate to animals may have reflection of him being able to look past how others see Mirabel and Bruno.

[@VikkiVibe]

JULIETA IS THE MOST AMAZING DISNEY MOTHER OTHER THAN PEPA, CHANGE MY FREAKING MIND-

[@Silly_Sulky_Seli]

I can already imagine the priest coming to Julieta like "please all my hair fell out can you fix this?"

[@fuumiku]

Pleaseee the one OCD-ish character from a children's movie or show I remember is Trent in total drama's season two and?? It was portrayed as some kind of creepy insanity thing and oh my god?? Bless Bruno

[@serenepastel]

This is a really neat look at healing powers in media. New sub coming through!

[@flutterc4t458]

I think when it comes to amputations i think it can prevent you from loosing a limb but if its gone. Its gone.

[@THATGuy5654]

Thank you for replaying that clip of a guy's broken arm snapping back into place over and over. Needed that in my life.😋 And I'm going to try to call it- both her husband and daughter wear glasses, implying that their eyesight isn't something that requires "healing." I thought that was cool, as well.

[@GoingSwimmingly]

I hh Dude I just,,, I didn't realize that wanting to keep glasses was not wrong to do until this video, thank you. My family was incredulous at the idea of me not being on board with removing them, anD APPARENTLY I WAS RIGHT TO FEEL THIS WAY WHOOO-