#sorry i meant to polish up that coffeeshop au to post but i got sidetracked sdkfjhsdkj

[gentil-minou]

There are plenty of posts going around about Adrien and his responses to trauma, and in light of the recent trailer @flightfoot made this great post about how Kuro Neko highlights Adrien's trauma response

But I want to explain how Marinette's actions this season are also trauma based. Which is why I'm here because you cannot tell the story without both sides.

IMPORTANT: if you like what I wrote and want to share it somewhere else, PLEASE ask me first so I can get credit and monitor the post. I have seen this post on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Reddit, and those are just the ones I've found or have been shared with me. I'm flattered you like my post but please ask me first. I've come across people making extremely cruel and invalidating remarks and I am trained to handle that but you might not be. Trauma is an extremely sensitive subject and needs to be handled with care and I don't want to be responsible for causing someone harm without even knowing it.

First a refresher of Mari's trauma: Pressure related to being Ladybug, Losing Master Fu (aka the only person she could trust), and most notably in this instance: Chat Blanc and recently Ephemeral (where she doesn't know what exactly went wrong, only that something did when identities were revealed)

I wanted to find an infographic that had everything I wanted but I couldn't so here's a link to the US Department of Veteran Affairs and common reactions after trauma.

Specifically, I'm looking at this list, where I've highlighted what Marinette has shown in canon since the events of Chat Blanc/S3 finale

I explain each of these with examples under the cut

1. Losing hope for the future: Truth and Gang of Secrets where Mari actively stops pursuing all romance. (Though Mari has managed to heal from this in Mr Pigeon 72, but she doesn't know Adrien is Chat yet so that will likely change things)

2. Feeling distant, detached: Distancing herself from Chat, whether this was intentionally or intentionally done.

3. Being unable to concentrate or make decision: could also be ADHD but she usually is able to figure out akumas even then. Ephemeral was the best example where she appeared all over the place (remember the notable absence of Chat)

4. Feeling jumpy/getting startled easily: Truth and probably other instances.

5. Feeling guard and alert all the time: Gang of Secrets, likely other episodes as well

6. Having dreams/memories that upset you: Sentibubbler nightmare

7. Having problems at work and school: Gang of Secrets and one can argue being Ladybug is her "job" and she's also had challenges there.

8. Avoiding people, places, things related to event: See Chat Noir, putting more on Alya instead (possibly due to worries of letting Chat too close or reveal to him)

9. Trouble sleeping: Low energy early in the season and canonical nightmares

(There are less physical symptoms because Mari doesn't complain about those much and the show doesn't focus on it, but if it did I can bet she has some of those)

10. Feeling nervous, helpless, fearful, sad: See pretty much the entire season but especially early on and what I suspect we will see more of in Kuro Neko

11. Being irritable or having angry outbursts: Kuro Neko, as well as other instances. There are also unconfirmed spoilers as well, I can't remember if that one leak from the VA was the finale or Kuro Neko but that is there as well.

12. Getting easily upset or agitated: See above, also Gang of Secrets and a little bit of Mr Pigeon 72

13. Being unable to trust, getting into fights: See, Chat Noir, especially Ephemeral and Kuro Neko.

14 (made this its own one) trying to control everything: Mr Pigeon 72 where she tries to fix adrigami. Also Hack-san and her 500 tips to care for your catboy. In general, she feels and does this alot and partially it's her being the leader but she does it to the extent that it seems physically impossible for her to relax

15. Feeling detaches, not wanting intimacy: intimacy can have more than one meaning and if you ask my her relationship with Chat Noir is incredibly intimate. She's pulling away.

If I did a trauma screening for Marinette, I have no doubt she'd meet criteria for PTSD. So folks, please don't salt on EITHER of these characters. They've been through so much at such a young age and I cant be surprised at the result.