It's *easy* to dunk on Derision. I won't rehash all the holes here. What is harder is actually doing better... or so you would think.

What follows is a back-of-the-napkin idea I threw together in about 5 minutes. So I hope it doesn't meet with universal... derision. 🐈‍⬛

Reworking this episode reaches back earlier into S5 and recasts one of the side/new characters... but bear with me it's to good purpose. When you're creating a pivotal pre-canon character moment 5 seasons in, there's going to be a little collateral.

It begins with... Socqueline.

Socqueline was NOT Marinette's savior at FDP. In truth... she was Marinette's bully. She was everyone's bully in fact. She ruled FDP with an iron fist. Teachers were afraid of her, and no not her dad, her. Socqueline is the one who terrorized Marinette and pulled the awful prank. The prank that was bad enough that she was expelled. Marinette meets her unexpectedly at the craft store, and is instantly a yr younger and in shock.

HOWEVER

Socqueline is still the one pretending to be Ladybug. She's still the one trying to help people. She's still kind and helpful and Marinette is so very confused! You see, being expelled, having to be in an entirely new environment, and even just a year of change and reflection has made Socqueline a different person. She has grown and is trying to do good to make up for being bad before. Why is she done up like Marinette? She's not! She's done up like Ladybug. She's emulating her hero and inspiration. (who is of course, Marinette).

This already gives us some really good changes.

1)We have a valid reason for Marinette to not have seen/wanted to see Socqueline until S5. you don't go seeking out your former bully.

2)We have a cover for why Marinette hasn't reacted to stimulus before now. She was 'doing good' until she crossed paths with Socqueline and after that. *bam* right in the Trauma. It doesn't matter that Socqueline has changed, trauma is trauma. Marinette hasn't processed it yet, so it gets stoked.

3)Have Kim think Socqueline's pranks were funny. He's Kim, he's thick as two boards, at least he's not gushing about how hot another girl is right next to poor Ondine. It leans into Dark Humor just fine on it's own. Skip the Adrien/Chloe scene for a Marinette/Socqueline scene where Marinette brings up the event to Socqueline and how much it impacted her. have Socquline apologize(she did back in Jubilation for everything, but have her also for this specific thing) have it end on a hug, how nice.

Already we're doing much better! But wait, there's more!

We cut Chloé out of Derision! What does this mean? If she wasn't Marinette's bully doesn't this mess everything up?

No, not really.

Chloé wasn't Marinette's bully pre-canon in any meaningful way. She didn't rule the roost. She only stepped up once Socqueline was expelled, trying to fill the power vacuum/rule the roost/be the new Queen. She's just really bad at it. This explains why the class and even Marinette react to Chloé even in S1 with a sort of exasperated resignation and Marinette isn't even remotely afraid to snap back at her. It's not 'Oh no she is such a bully' it's 'oh God, Chloé's on her shit again.' She's still a brat, mean, and entitled. We're not rewriting any of that. She'll even be an antagonist in S5, but we're going to lean more heavily into Lila/Gabe/Tomoé actively manipulating her, much like in S3. She's not evil, but she's very easily persuaded to be bad.

you see- What we've done with Socquline is foreshadowing. We've shown someone who WAS a bully, who changed when their environment changed and they found the right motivation/inspiration. So when Chloé is going down in flames in S5 we're going to build organically on the parental abuse into the manipulation by villains. We seek to inspire frustration with her, revulsion with those manipulating her, agony that the manipulation all goes unseen, and of course sympathy for everyone who has to deal with it. However, we've also set up the seeds for a future where her environment changes, where a new motivation/inspiration comes in, and where we get convert her from brat to ... okay maybe not GOOD person but at least a decent little porcupine. 🤣

We've even given Marinette a firsthand experience that change CAN happen. Which is something she didn't have the first time around with Chloé during S2/3.

Especially with how it does not take that much effort to instantly destroy all of their arguments.

Like it was Marinette experiencing latent trauma over the last time she had gotten close to boy she liked. One that's linked to how she often self-sabotages herself around Adrien.

The reason it began to get worse was because of how closer she'd gotten to him AND them going to the pool in a perfect storm of emotional turmoil.

And Believe it or not, trauma works in erratic ways that affect people differently without a one-size-fits-all even for how symptoms arise.

Also... Chloe WAS that bad in Season 1 and before, considering how she was an active tormentor of Marinette with how Origins Part 1 had her bemoaning another year with her.

Bare in mind how in Season 1 alone, how she'd often incite Akumatizations despite the establish threat of Hawk Moth. A running theme that Alix riffed on in Season 2.

Hell, with Kim, it's clear Marinette held no hard feelings towards him down the line as he was Chloe's pawn in that moment. Odds are that she's met others like him. I'd also say that Master Fu's endorsement of him as the Monkey Holder probably helped down the road.

And, most importantly, it's one thing to identify a mental problem you have but it's a WHOLE other thing to full over come it. Old habits die hard with some still trudging along like zombies.

Add in learning that your boyfriend's father is your arch-nemesis AND seeing him die as his life-force is wished away to the assistant he totally loved (GabeNath FTW), well, those old habits were probably wished back to life by Gimmi itself.

I'm sure y'all already thinking 'oh yea ofc its the mari stan and the chloe hater who doesnt like him she needs to sybau' BUT let me finish first, if you disagree after fine yea thats all well and good, opinions are opinions idrc if urs are different to mine but I digress

So obviously, everyone knows about him atp, he's pretty popular, he's a Marinette hater, a Chloe stan and a Lila fan. And yes I admit when I first found his account i was like nah😭🔫 because yes I am a Maribug stan and a Chloe hater (but I do like Lila js so yk)

Anyways I tried to watch through his vids with an open mind, not all but I binged a couple to get a read on this dude since well yea he was starting to get popular I needed to look like I knew my shit and there were two things that made me hate him

First, in a thumbnail, he called Lila his waifu. I just think thats disgusting. Sexualising minors is a not a line anyone should cross, and applying SUCH a sexualised term to Lila, who yes, is in fact a minor despite the theories of her being an adult circulating, is gross. Even if she WAS an adult it would still be weird

Second, I was watching one of his Chloe vids and in a line he said smt like "does Chloe's past excuse her behaviour? yes" (not exact words but yea you can go watch it urself if you want the line) Chloe's past does NOT excuse her behaviour. It does EXPLAIN it, it doesnt excuse it, and clearly you all need to learn the difference.

Not to mention its hypocrital with all you Maribug haters saying that Mari's trauma doesnt excuse her actions. Yes Derision was a retcon and cant excuse Mari BUT she was bullied by Chloe since they were kids and STILL gave her a miraculous and tried to do good by her.

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