Have a super messy write-up of some of my more recent thoughts. @murroyilodel and I are always brainstorming to further flesh out and develop the nuances of our muses. Despite my publishing very little of it, things seem to grow and change every week. Be warned that ahead will include some things quite personal to mun.
All of this is regarding my modern interpretation of Frollo.
A trigger warning for child abuse and substance abuse ahead.
I determined long ago that I wanted my modern interpretation of Frollo to experience rather severe child abuse. Initially, this was an uninformed choice, understanding little about how that can affect one’s behavior long term. But I began to do more and more research and came to the conclusion that this could contribute to his aggressive behavior and his more solitary lifestyle.
Years after that, I realized just how much I gleaned from my own personal struggles while writing for Claude. How much pain and distrust of others I was pulling from myself to write him. Unfortunately, I was one of those ignorant people who thought my punishment as a child never affected me. Only recently have I put together that my whole life began to change after my parents’ punishments became more severe. I remember distinctly that my dad told me they stopped using the belt on me when they figured out that humiliating me in front of family members or putting me in time out in a public space was far more effective. Over the course of these faded memories, I do remember how anxious and insecure I became.
Projecting my own pain, insecurities, jealousy, anxiety and distrust through Frollo really helped me when I was younger to work on my emotional intelligence and try to be more confident. Even now, I still have these struggles, but at least I am not as much of an asshole anymore.
That being said, I’ve learned more about attachment styles. I believe that Frollo has a dismissive avoidant attachment style, especially when he was younger, but as he has aged, and with certain people he began to fall into fearful avoidant.
As the first one implies, they are more dismissive of others’ feelings. They were forced to become self-reliant. Have trust issues. A negative view of peoples’ intentions. They repress their needs and emotions. when they feel hurt or angry they withdraw entirely. Becoming too close with others makes them feel trapped. Being independent is the most important thing. <-- this is all disney Frollo btw
and with Frollo’s very intimate relationships, he leans toward fearful with some anxious tendencies. He is often afraid if he gets too close, they will leave. If he makes too many mistakes or disappoints them, they will leave. disappointing his family at all brings him an overwhelming amount of shame, embarrassment, and self-loathing. He will withdraw when feeling rejected or overwhelmed. There will be a time with Esmeralda where he flees for months, then upon his return, potentially suggest they break up in a fit because he thinks she wants to break up anyway. He works very hard to avoid intimate conversations. The few times his loved ones have serious talks with him, he shuts down completely. Feels like it is the end of the world cuz he’s not perfect.
Besides Lucy and the Judges, Claude managed to screw up every close relationship he has had, and fully believes it is just a matter of time before people grow apart/abandon him.
IF my Claude were not a virgin, my Claude would most likely be a compulsive sex-addict. The dysregulation of emotion, the lack of respect for others’ feelings, the impulsive tendencies when he’s feeling depressed, turning to alcohol abuse and pill abuse etc, all lead me to believe there would be no stopping him. The lack of real intimacy and the fear of real intimacy, yet the craving of intimacy would lead to the cycle of fucking anything he could. Which would also lead to more alienation, shame, and believing he is unlovable.
Meanwhile his brother Jehan is dismissive avoidant as well, except for when it comes to Claude. Claude is the only person Jehan feels even more anxious avoidant than fearful avoidant because of Claude’s neglect.
For the most part, Claude is confident in himself, his work, his worth. However, over time he is made aware of how different he is. As an INTJ, my modern Frollo tends to pride himself on his independence and logic. Although he can be charming and witty if he wishes, there is little, to no emotion in his day to day. Everyone is laughing and he can’t laugh with them. It’s not always about being stuck up or uncomfortable, he just can’t feel the same way as them. He cannot partake. These doubts also extend to his personal relationships. Claude knows he isn’t fun, or the life of the party and doesn’t think he could contribute or relate to these kinds of social gatherings. Claude dated a lot in his 30′s and was confident and uncouth, but no one was able to catch his interest.
His status as a confirmed bachelor, his brilliance, and his inability to relate to those around him have convinced him that he is an oddity that no one understands, particularly in his 40′s.
By the time Delice comes in, Claude wants to lose his virginity. He finds her charming, smart, engaging, and beautiful. He likes that she is a snob like him. She makes him laugh. She knows how to tease him and talk to him and repartee.
Despite not wanting a woman to fuck him for status, Delice was the one girl who made him think it would be worth it. She wanted him and she wanted to marry him. She was the solution to his problems. Companionship, sex, and most importantly, no intimacy. That’s right. Frollo got stars in his eyes because he knew the nature of their relationship would not be intimate. There would be no love. It would be like an arrangement. It would be business. It would have mystery. No hard conversations, no way to get hurt. (except he doesn’t think at that time how she could hurt him. Which essentially is just her never wanting to sex him ever again, being passive aggressive, condescending, humiliating him, and cheating on him. but anyway)
However, Lucy and the judges are very confused. Delice is a horrible person and Lucy eventually puts an end to their flirting period. Claude is super humiliated and upset that he didn’t make his own mistakes. He wanted that fuck up for himself and he resents Lucy for it for around 6 months.
This event made him snap at Lucy for wanting him to go on yet another date. Frollo’s tired of new beginnings, he’s tired of trying. After they don’t let him fool around with Delice, he is convinced he won’t like another girl. He’s upset and reluctantly accepts that he will never experience a partner.
No one in the family understands why Claude would even look at her. They’ve introduced him to plenty of great women, and he picks a snobby bitch who would divorce him for his money. Having no idea the reasons behind Frollo’s feelings, they often all still worry about Delice or tease him about Delice, which causes Frollo to become very upset, but he hides it well. They think it is a joke, but Frollo feels overwhelmed and humiliated every time.
By the time Esmeralda arrives, Frollo is more cynical, jaded, and sexually frustrated than he has ever been. Having a superiority complex over women already, he thinks very lowly of her, which bites him, since Esmeralda has managed to woo everyone in his close circle of friends. Yeh, so Frollo’s lust and anger are out of control for about 6 months until he realizes he’s in love with her. Completely in love. Which makes him even more depressed and spiral even more.
~End
