#the quick shifts from stoicism to revealing how terrified harper actually is underneath

[lansangprincess]

In defense of Harper McLean

I know that so many people still really hate Harper over what she's done last season and I totally get it. She blamed Amerie for things that absolutely weren't her fault and she tried to comfort Malakai in a really terrible and misguided way but as someone with C-PTSD, she's probably the character I relate to the most on this show (despite no canonical confirmation that she has it).

After the night of the festival, Harper had so much rage and it had nowhere to go.

Amerie was a person who she could count on, who she couldn't count on that night and though Am unfortunately became collateral damage, it was unknowingly safer for Harper to direct her rage at Amerie rather than Chook, the other eshays or her father—the people who actually made her fear for her life because she literally could have died at the hands of them.

Sometimes people act out in irrational ways to make sense to what's happened to them and though that doesn't excuse their actions when they hurt others, it doesn't mean they should be put away forever. Harper's clearly trying to work on herself this season with trying to be a good friend again to Amerie and the gang. She still had to process so much and I don't think most people truly understand how triggering it could be to go through with a legal case and I'm so glad that when Harper had made the decision to drop it, no one close to her had pushed her to go through with it because it is a decision that requires bravery despite what people may think.

For her, the world at this point is pretty much a field of landmines, not knowing when she'll be faced with the next thing that will set her off

It's terrifying to trust new people after going through events like that and oftentimes, she may do certain acts trying to overcompensate for the lack of safety she feels. She is doing her best. And as shown with S2, she's deliberately trying to take things slower now with new relationships as to protect both herself and the other person. I think she deserves a bit more grace than what some people of this fandom is currently giving her, and as someone who sees themselves in this character, I really hope that they do.