D-5 : cassandra appreciation month ! 🌙 ₊˚ ᡣ𐭩 ˎˊ˗
⤿ 🍓 ⌗ discussion : cassandra's childhood with mother gothel + the captain, and how it shaped her !
omgg i said " tomorrow " and it tooke me FOURRR DAYSS !! 😭😭 this took me a bit to go over with, mainly because i have little evidence to back up my takes aside from the micro-expressions and details i noticed, so im not very confident - and although i remember i had free will - it's also just how ,, sad ,, the overall topic of cassie’s childhood is to me huhu )): ( i can't even count how many times i nearly cried rewatching a few specific episodes for this hahahahahs )
i fear this may have a lot of baggage with cassandra and it might get deep - purely because i feel so much for cass i literally tear up almost every time i see her as a baby ,, 🥹 so i definitely recommend getting into reading this with a stable headspace because this gets sooo loonggg !! 😭 and unlike D-4, i feel it's much better keeping this as one discussion instead of splitting it into two ,,
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gentle disclaimer : when it comes to these discussions, i wanna put ahead of time that a lot of these will be my personal interpretations !
please do keep in mind that my main goal here is empathy - understanding and appreciating cassandra as a character - not as criticizing or insisting my takes onto others regarding her character or writing 🥹🩷
⤿ 🍓 ⌗ 01 : the root of cassandra's hyper-independence ( mother gothel / early childhood)
꒰ ୨୧ ꒱ : we don’t find out until s3 exactly how cassie’s childhood was, especially with mother gothel.
but when we do, we see she was already doing most of the chores + spending most of her time home alone back then until night !! making dinner ! at 4 years old !! )):
꒰ ୨୧ ꒱ : so the build up to cass' hyper-independence i mentioned before, definitely roots with mother gothel, just that it seems the captain might not have been able to soften the damage of it. ( + she started training at 6 !! )
but to be fair, it wouldn’t be easy to heal that kind of trauma response especially if cass had ended up blocking those memories subconsciously because of how much it hurt ,,
i have a feeling she doesn’t communicate very much with the captain once he took her in too, or at least, it took her a while - until she forgot about mother gothel entirely huhu ｡°(°.◜ᯅ◝°)°｡
꒰ ୨୧ ꒱ : on that note, cassie as a baby seems to have very limited verbal interactions )):
when she does try to talk with mother gothel, she’s often interrupted and disregarded. and it honestly aligns so much with cass’ discomfort in s2 “ rapunzel: day one “ when it comes to confrontations revolving what she feels, and she admits this in s3 “ once a handmaiden " too ,, ( ;´ - `;)
꒰ ୨୧ ꒱ : theres honestly so much room for possibilities, but as for what i have in mind, they're all mostly observations with what little i know of shown in the series about cassandra's childhood - but if we consider:
the risks of the captain's line of job, it's not impossible that he taught cass defense and combat in case he isn't able to, regardless if its because of late night castle duties, injuries, etc.
or that it took cass a very long time to get comfortable with him as a father, and took on the same chores she did with mother gothel until she developed the interest for combat training - to be more efficient ,,
and while it is mostly speculations on my end, " waiting in the wings " + other scenes and dialogues validates quite a lot of these possibilities too 🥲
( i talked about the dialogues in my part 2 “ cassandra vs eugene “ discussion - but waiting in the wings will be for next time ! hehe )
regardless !! all of that is a LOT for a child, in my opinion. i mean, its a lot to me and im almost 21 😭 this isnt even my life im discussing and im feeling so many emotions over it huhuhu
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⤿ 🎀 ⌗ 02 : housework dynamics ( + seeking approval )
꒰ ୨୧ ꒱ : on that note, cassie definitely took on chores after having been adopted. as far as we know, she cleans around the house and prepares dinner for mother gothel.
it might have been as a way to please the captain, sure, but i think it was also to prove she was worth the effort taking in and avoid being a burden ,,
but also, it could’ve been entirely an instinct or habit she couldn’t break, with how she’s already gotten used to cleaning up after mother gothel too ,, ( ;´ - `;)
while cass says in “ cassandra vs eugene “ that the captain taught her how to “ earn her keep “ as a child - i have a feeling it wasn’t his idea entirely, but cassandra’s too, after having lived with someone like mother gothel.
perhaps he saw her being so dedicated to chores and thought she was a child with potential and thus began training her, not knowing how her life before he took her in went.
or cassie got to see how capable, important, and useful being a guard was - and wanted to be exactly that, so the whole thing with mother gothel doesn’t repeat. ( ;´ - `;)
so i fear this implies cass didnt get to play as much as a kid - especially with mother gothel - but it’s not unlikely this continued with the captain too. though he’s likely to probably have encouraged her to play before - cassie with mother gothel learned she shouldn’t ask for things, or for help, especially with what she’s capable of doing herself ,,
( even tho i think cass asking for her to wind the music box despite being able to do it herself - is purely for love and comfort. like how fake baby cass in " islands apart " wanted the captain to do her hair ,, 🥹 )
also, i mentioned before that i think one of her motivations for becoming a royal guard - is as a way to show her gratitude to the captain - to show that she wants to be just like him and to work beside him.
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⤿ ☀️ ⌗ 03 : cassandra’s fear of abandonment
꒰ ୨୧ ꒱ : with that in mind, cass has seemed to have developed a fear of abandonment, and we can see her almost being raw and entirely vulnerable about it in “ freebird “ )):
i say “ almost, “ because cassie doesn’t let herself cry even though she’s on the verge of breaking down.
she might not have remembered mother gothel around this time yet, but i’m sure she subconsciously remembers the pain of having been left behind by her. and we know how emotionally guarded cass is when it comes to her feelings - so aside from being uncomfy about being vulnerable, she might perceive it as a flaw, or a weakness to her competence. ｡°(°.◜ᯅ◝°)°｡
i know this episode is not focused on her childhood - but it's so important to me that the one moment she nearly breaks, she covers up with frustration and coping by trying to fix it rather than feeling her emotions ,, ( ;´ - `;)
and there’s also these from a brief convo we had at cass’ club server about cassie :
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⤿ 🍓 ⌗ 04 : the captain's parenting style ( + system dilemmas )
꒰ ୨୧ ꒱ : aside from her hyper-independence i also mentioned how i thought cass had this fixation in earning her place and proving her worth - and aside from the trauma, it’s important to acknowledge, without criticizing, that it may be the captain wasnt being enough of a father for her.
( + we learn he holds a TON of regrets about her in s3 after all, and the fact that he wished for cassandra back when she was still 4 years old, means his regrets go way back since he adopted her ,, ( ;´ - `;) will go further on this later ! )
and i don’t mean it that the captain was an entirely bad and neglectful parent, of course. but we know cass isn’t used to:
being nurtured and communicating her distress and feelings,
+ that the captain isn’t big on “ warm and fuzzy “ as cassie mentions in the “ beginnings “
꒰ ୨୧ ꒱ : the captain most likely taught cass everything she knows, which has proven to be amazing with just how skilled and independent of a woman she’s grown up to be. ! but that can coexist with the flaw that cassie was just too young to have started taking on these roles ,,
and i mentioned this in my " great expotations " discussion for D-2, that i found it ironic how everything cass knows by heart now, especially in terms of combat and defense, mainly comes from the captain himself most likely. yet he is also the same person who doesn't seem to believe cassie is, although capable, he's not very confident with her being on the front lines.
꒰ ୨୧ ꒱ : but the thing is, i didnt elaborate on it much and so the way i wrote it by itself kind of came off as criticizing the captain - this whole discussion is my attempt at redemption arc bc i genuinely didnt intend it to be mean and biased towards him huhuhu ,, ( ;´ - `;)
( im only petty about andrew fr / silly )
꒰ ୨୧ ꒱ : cass not being entrusted the position of the royal guards is, despite my choice of words at the time, in fact not a reflection of the captain’s skills - but more of his concerns toward cassie as her father.
i think it’s completely reasonable he had faith in cassandra’s capabilities ( especially when he chooses her to lead the guards against varian over eugene or other guards ) - but it may have been that he didn’t trust the way the system works - to be safe and beneficial for cass.
( and it makes sense, as i have gone over a bit before that its the bias in the system itself that is harsh to cassandra in my D-4 part 2 )
꒰ ୨୧ ꒱ : her dad, being the captain, is more of an indirect contributing factor to that - but he’s not the highest power, of course.
+ he was eager to give her more guard assignments after her first one in “ great expectations “ - so it shows he wasn’t entirely against her being a guard !
just more of that he was worried about her - and wasn’t confident in entrusting the system with his daughter, rather than the other way around.
also, its a realistic and common worry for a parent to carry about their child “ growing up too fast “ + the difficulty of perceiving them as the capable adults they are, when they are, and always will be, their precious babies in their hearts 🥲
꒰ ୨୧ ꒱ : and its important to consider that cass’ fixation on her duties isnt just focused on impressing her dad - but also for her own self-validation.
he’s told her he’s proud of her in “ great expotations “ yet cass continues to carry the need to prove herself - and she backs it up by saying its because she messes up again.
it feels more like it was her own inner critique she’s having the most hard time showing she’s worthy ):
aside from the secret of mother gothel, cass never outwardly blames the captain for the way she is now - because it’s not his fault.
so my goal was definitely not to label the captain as a bad father ! he wasnt perfect, of course - but its not hard to see he had good intentions ,, 🥹 i was just too focused on the main prompt i didn't elaborate on it at the time
( and to criticize a major part of cassandra’s character would be contradictory to the purpose of empathizing with her in these studies i write ,, huhu )
in fact, the captain is one of the few parents in the series who actually tries and cares - especially if you keep in mind that cass is his adoptive daughter, and he seems to be the only parent figure present for her since then. let’s go further on that !
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⤿ 🎀 ⌗ 05 : the captain as cassandra’s father ( + the betrayal and confrontation )
꒰ ୨୧ ꒱ : first off, cass having taken on chores as a 4 year old with mother gothel - i feel is enough to show us that she didn’t get to have as much fun or play much during her childhood.
we do know she got to play with stuff like those tops in the “ house of yesterday’s tomorrow “ - but we also know the captain isn’t “ warm and fuzzy “ as a parent, in cass’ perspective - so maybe he got her toys to play with, but didn’t play with her actively as much 🥹
꒰ ୨୧ ꒱ : which is reasonable ! he’s the captain of the guards and he didn’t expect to become a parent figure suddenly. it must’ve been difficult taking on both roles, which is likely why his protective instincts as a dad constantly overlap with his standards for cass as a captain.
and it makes sense for him to have wanted to step down the captain role, so he could focus more on being a father to his daughter.
( i go further on this in the end too hehe )
꒰ ୨୧ ꒱ : especially if we consider the fact that once he saw cass again after her betrayal, his first concern to her was to interrogate and accuse her of “ turning her back on the princess. “
not to show concern for if she's okay, or to ask what happened in cassandra's perspective, or to just comfort her.
he prioritized being a captain over being a father at the time ,,
꒰ ୨୧ ꒱ : and i think this was definitely the nail in the coffin for his guilt towards cassie pouring out like a dam breaking, or a reality check at least. not just because of the fact that cass now knows he intentionally kept her real mother’s identity a secret - but also the realization of exactly how much he’s neglected his own daughter to put his duty and kingdom first, all because she seemed fine and capable, and in raps' words, " put together " - and how much of that work ethic has influenced cassandra so deeply it became the structure of her self-worth until it drove her to a breaking point.
꒰ ୨୧ ꒱ : so while he may not have been the best and perfect father, i do think the captain was a genuinely good one - for trying and doing what he could with the other responsibilities and limitations he had at that moment. i doubt it was easy for him to let go of his captain status, but it was definitely much harder to let go of his daughter and leave her lost and angry ,, 🙁
꒰ ୨୧ ꒱ : he didn’t choose to stop being a captain because his daughter becoming a villain was vain to his position - but because he realized how harmful it became to cass.
he chose to prioritize actually being the father he thought he was all along, and what cass needed but couldn’t ask for nor have - even if the second chance was a delusion - it was visual proof of his true heart’s desire.
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⤿ ☀️ ⌗ 06 : cass and eugene's dynamic ( = shared outcast experience )
i also talked in part 2 of my “ cassandra vs eugene “ discussion about how their blunt yet silly banter towards each other is a great part of their development beyond their dynamic - and although their friendship isn't a part of cass' childhood - i really wanna go over it for a bit because they can both be considered as “ outcasts “ in their environment.
꒰ ୨୧ ꒱ : the details to elaborate : i say “ stretch, “ because we never got to know whether there's any citizens that are aware of cass' background, except a few guards and the captain himself who personally chased after mother gothel after she kidnapped raps.
maybe it was agreed upon to be kept a secret considering cass doesn't remember anything about mother gothel at all until s3, so it seemed she wasn't reminded either after she forgot
but knowing the guards, who's to say none of them have gossiped about it at some point ? 🥲 i mean, even little seth and the other kids know who mother gothel is. and the king and queen literally saw her steal their baby - only for their captain to return with the kidnapper’s daughter ,,
( i read about someone saying arianna and frederick knew cass longer than they knew their own daughter and im. so sad ,, ｡°(°.◜ᯅ◝°)°｡)
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⤿ 🍓 ⌗ 07 : the weight of the secret
꒰ ୨୧ ꒱ : which leads to the question “ why “ the captain kept mother gothel’s identity from cass all this time.
we get to have cass confront him directly about it but we never got an answer. but to be honest, i dont blame the captain for making that kind of choice, even if it didn't turn out well.
cassie’s self-worth and self-esteem is already so damaged just by the fact that she was - adopted.
she’s hyper-independent and fixated on proving herself worthy based on how capable and competent she is.
she’s emotionally guarded and refuses to talk about her inner conflict and feelings most of the time.
this is everything we have of cassandra so far, all before she found out about her suppressed trauma with mother gothel.
i can only imagine how much worse her self-loathing and “ debt “ could get if she grew up knowing she was the princess’ kidnapper’s daughter all along ,,
꒰ ୨୧ ꒱ : although ofc, again these are all my interpretations !! sooo take it with a grain of salt please hehe
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⤿ 🎀 ⌗ 08 : parental pride despite her mistakes ( + finding their path post-corona )
i definitely think the captain remained proud of cassandra despite her having turned to villainy. i briefly mentioned earlier that the episode “ islands apart “ in season 3 shows us that cap’s guilt towards cass goes way back from the start the moment mother gothel left her.
꒰ ୨୧ ꒱ : whether that was because he knew he had to keep it a secret from her or that he just genuinely felt bad for her - the fact that the captain wished for a second chance with 4 year old cassandra specifically, instead of other age or from the more recent events - to me, shows how badly he wants to start over in the exact moment he became the parent figure who stepped in for cassie.
he didnt stop caring for his daughter just because she turned evil, he just didn’t know how to reach her. maybe because he never knew how deeply cass held all that resentment, anger, and pain to herself - and that he felt deep down, if he could have done more for her as a parent - she wouldn’t have needed to end up the way she did as moon cass. ｡°(°.◜ᯅ◝°)°｡
꒰ ୨୧ ꒱ : so yes !! i think he’s proud of her - even if it’s just for the fact she woke up from her wrongdoings and came back to redeem herself - instead of staying astray. and maybe this might seem controversial, but letting cass go instead of punishing her, i feel was an important step to her possible character development ,, please hear me out 🥹
( because this is not to say the writing was not flawed and that cass shouldnt face consequences at all ! )
꒰ ୨୧ ꒱ : but her entire character arc before her villain arc was already revolved around punishing herself for not being good enough. i think no one hates and punishes cassandra more than she already does with herself - so even if the kingdom “ let her off the hook “ - it’s without a doubt she’ll carry guilt over the damage she’s caused for a long time.
꒰ ୨୧ ꒱ : and because the captain has been an unintentional source of this punishment cass kept herself looping around - by denying her the royal guard status she desperately needed to validate herself - which then ultimately became a layer to cass constantly feeling second-best at most that then led to her villainy -
꒰ ୨୧ ꒱ : what i’m trying to say is, him stepping down from being the captain means he’s letting go of the loop he’s indirectly kept cass running around. and instead, he’s chosen to focus on be the father she needed all that time - to support and be by her side unconditionally, after everything has been conditional for cass.
( “ and when it came, it came with strings “ - the strings attached, is the love that comes with conditions for cass )
because even if the captain got to start over with 4 yo cass, i dont think he couldve prevented her self-loathing entirely - but i think he can minimize the damage by contributing less to it. and with his baby girl back, why should he give up on her now ? 🥹🫶
just because it took a long time, doesn’t mean it’s too late for both of them to grow and start over as individuals and as family. and so i definitely think they get much closer as father and daughter throughout their journey, even if we don’t get to see it <3
please take my personal thoughts with a grain of salt 🫶 and not as a factual / canonical source, i will freaaak outt 😭😭
tl;dr - gothel is hot and thank you to her for leaving cass with the most LETHAL facecard if only she hadn't also left cass with TRAUMA - so she sucks </33 and cap gets best dad of the year mug !! 🥹🫶
wowww this was LONG overdue ,, i really wanna do a little bit of prompt week if i can huhu
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gentle reminder : none of my discussions for cassandra's appreciation month are meant as harsh criticisms against her character !!
i want to emphasize that when it comes to discussions or studies, i often focus on empathizing, and putting myself in cassie's shoes to consider what could be her perspective and feelings !
this month is dedicated to appreciation for cass after all !! ✨