guss 🐾 NOOOO THE BLUE CHECK NOOOO@whiskersnoirr
DERISION + MARINETTE'S BEHAVIOUR (TRAUMA) + S5 FINALE DECISIONS + QOTDZ
⚠️ ridiculously long tweet ahead, sorryyyy
First of all, let me say upfront that I'm not trying to force my opinion on anyone, ok. So if you somehow feel personally attacked by an analysis of a cartoon, maybe take a moment to think about it lol
Anyway.
From the very beginning of the series, we're shown that Marinette is a socially awkward, anxious and controlling teenager. Maybe that sounds a little harsh, but I think it's important to call things what they are without being afraid to do so. Marinette IS controlling. It's a personality trait of hers (and honestly, same lol), and it makes a lot of sense when you take a closer look at her character... and honestly, not even THAT close.
If we want to start from the very beginning, then we have to go back to Derision. A lot of people blame it for being an episode full of retcons that made the characters act out of... well, character. And while mlb definitely has a tendency to mishandle its characters at times, I don't think this was one of those cases.
In the flashback, we're shown the same Marinette from Origins, except this time without a support system around her. Tom and Sabine don't really function as one because, while I think calling them terrible parents is excessive, they are absurdly optimistic about Marinette's situation and, truthfully, they don't act as authority figures. So what we have is a Marinette who doesn't want to go to school and looks for excuses to stay home, who attends school while acting shy and insecure, and who is surrounded by adults who are NOT validating her feelings: from her parents (her parents!!!) to her teachers and even the principal.
There's that scene where Chloé ruins her pants as part of a prank, and somehow it's the VICTIM, the one who was publicly humiliated in front of the entire class, who gets scolded. Not once, but twice (i'm not going to explain every single detail of the ep, this tweet is already long so go watch it yourselves, you lazy)
In a situation where her abuser is the one receiving excuses for their behavior ("well, she's like that because her mom abandoned her"), where people are basically telling Marinette that she has to endure and accept the bullying because nobody is going to help her (except for Socqueline), Marinette internalizes the idea that she has to carry everything that happens to her ALONE because the situation is never going to change.
In psychology, we call this LEARNED HELPLESSNESS: repeatedly experiencing a situation where you constantly look for solutions or ask for help and receive neither eventually teaches you that there is no solution at all. So why ask for help? Why depend on other people when the weight you're carrying is already threatening to crush you? You've already learned that you can't trust anyone to do anything. You have to handle it YOURSELF.
Of course, with Alya's arrival, Marinette begins to build a support system. Seriously, Alya changes everything for her, and that's what allows Marinette to gain confidence because she finally feels like there's someone who is ACTIVELY on her side.
Alya isn't making excuses for Chloé. She's validating what Marinette feels about her. Alya basically says that Chloé is a bad person. Period. She doesn't start listing reasons why Chloé is the way she is, because Marinette DOESN'T need to hear that. She's Chloé's VICTIM. She doesn't even have to empathize with her in the first place, please... And if she chooses to do that later, that's HER decision. But don't act like she was somehow obligated to empathize with her bully. Don't make me mad 🤣🤣🤣
