Doesn’t She Know (It’s The End Of The World) (Skulduggery Pleasant)

New one-shot set in my Sith!Luke and Jedi!Leia AU

reblog this if you're okay with booping spams please !!

“Wow…. People don’t like me? Oh, I have a bad attitude? Well cry me a river and DROWN in it!”

— INTJ (in a friendly intervention about their behavior)

What do you think China’s childhood was like? Every book, her view on it seems to change..

tbh it’s actually quite interesting seeing China’s different takes on her childhood, because in a way I don’t think she’s ever really recovered from it unlike Bliss, who got out at such an early age. Indeed, often when discussing her past, China always compares herself to her brother, portraying herself as weaker, slower in escaping - but the interesting thing is, she never really mentions what it was they escaped from, rather than just the mentioned indoctrination of all believers.

But the first time she really mentions her opinion of her childhood, and not just her general experience as a worshipper, she brushes it off, saying:

It had been a happy childhood. Completely insane, but happy. - MC

What’s even more interesting is through the rest of this extract, China keeps making jokes about her questions of faith + the general situation

True, she had generally had more fun in the old days... and she didn’t have to spend half her day praying. She’d never been able to understand why the Faceless Ones weren’t praying to her. - MC

But then, what I find interesting is the subtext in any of her memories of her childhood - they’re awful and yet she almost normalises them. And even when she admits to some of her troubling memories, they’re pretty watered down:

All though her childhood she’d had trouble sleeping, plagued as she was by the stories her parents would tell her of the Faceless Ones.

Doesn’t that make you feel happy? And China had said, No, Mother, it gives me bad dreams, and her mother’s face had changed in an instant and China had spent the next three days on her knees, praying to the Faceless Ones, begging for their forgiveness. - B

It’s a pretty horrifying image, a young girl (which China is very much implied to be in this extract) being forced onto her knees for three days straight because she dared to voice her fears.

Idk if it’s a coping method or something, but in a way, I see it as China almost blocking out the trauma of her childhood - we see her mention it occasionally, but most of the time she just laughs it off (which is really worrying)

I think something people often forget is that unlike some worshippers of the Faceless ones, China didn’t choose to be one, she was born into it - she had no choice, she was practically indoctrinated and it’s clear that some traumatic things happened behind the scenes that enforced her to stay obedient

What’s even more interesting is that when China leaves the church of the Faceless Ones, she doesn’t go straight to the good guys, she isolates herself and she also has some very interesting conversations about myths/fantastical elements in the world, with this being one example:

“I’ve heard nonsense. I’ve heard something that doesn’t even deserve to be called a rumour. - SP

Seems like another one of her coping methods up until TFO is to deny the existence of these gods, these legends, because in a way China never got over the indoctrination of the Church - if she fled and the gods were real, she’s damned. So if she brushes it off, just like her childhood trauma, pretending it’s not real, then she can cope - she’s not damned, which seems to be a prominent fear of her childhood

untroubled by half-remembered visions of doom and damnation + she had hidden her fears from her parents and suffered those nightmares in silence. - B

It’s interesting to see the relapse of faith in this most recent book - I’ve discussed my predictions for China in this post but I think it’s pointing towards an unraveling mind in many ways, as we also see China having a lot of flashbacks to her past as if she’s starting to relieve a lot of her repressed trauma - that could be because of Solace’s influence or something else, who knows..

My favorite dramatic new Skulduggery headcanon for book 13 is this: 

the gang (which will def consist of Tanith, Dexter, Saracen, Skulduggery and Valkyrie right) finds out that Darquesse is still existing, still apocalyptically dangerous, still linked to Valkyrie. There is a grave silence upon them after they find out. Then suddenly Dexter grabs Skulduggery’s gun and points it at Valkyrie’s head. Her face shows signs of shock, but it vanishes quickly to make space for another emotion: resigantion. She understands. She agrees. The crew reacts less understanding. Saracen gasps and makes a step forward. Tanith jumps to them and puts her sword under Dexter’s chin. Skulduggery pushes Valkyrie back with a rush of air, but she blocks it. She shouts STOP very loudly, making everybody freeze. The only sounds that can be heard anymore are the sounds of heavy breathing from everyone. Dexter’s blue eyes are hard. But his voice cracks when he speaks. “We can’t make the same mistake.” Saracen steps up to him very closely, sweat running down his temple, sheer panic in his eyes. “How can you know that killing Val will do any good? How can you know that it will destroy Darquesse, Dexter? How can you know this? Please. Lower the gun.” Tanith keeps the blade on Dexter’s throat, she doesn’t budge, her look is stern. But her nose is twitching and her lips are trembling slightly. Dexter is her friend. They are all friends. Dexter and Valkyrie have danced together, they have laughed together. Skulduggery is very quiet. But the wind he is conjuring and ready to toss at Dexter is pulling at his clothes. There are fireballs in his eye sockets. Never has that happened before. “Dexter. Drop the gun.” Tanith urges. In Dexter’s eyes is reflected everything and everyone he has lost already. There is the fear of losing even more. And there is the fear of everyone who has lost just as much and more. People he thinks he must protect from even more harm. He lowers the gun. Valkyrie looks at him with surprise and hurt. Surprised he didn’t shoot, hurt he even considered it. “It is not your fault.” He says with a sudden conviction and drops the gun. He looks sad, so tired and sad. “None of this is your fault.” Tanith pulls the sword away and takes a deep breath. Saracen closes his eyes in relief. Skulduggery is still raging with wind and fire. Valkyrie takes a shaky breath and raises a hand in Skulduggery’s direction. “It’s okay.” She whsipers and Skulduggery’s rage disappears almost instantly. Dexter looks at her with a grief-stricken expression. “Val…” He starts and is cut off, when she steps close to him and pulls him into a hug. They stay like this for a long time. When they let go off each other, everyone is still in shock. Skulduggery walks over, pushes Dexter out of the way and picks up his gun. The wind starts to ripple through his clothes again. Valkyrie takes his hand and pulls him back slightly. “Calm down.” He looks at her and the rippling stops again. He wraps an arm around her waist. “We’ll be back in an hour.” then he flies away with her to talk in private about the Darquesse situation. Mostly because he knows he won’t kill Dexter then. 

this turned out longer than planned

this was a start of something that then got derailed and i abruptly stopped. but what a waste of words if i don’t share it, you know??

Weiterlesen

you vs. the guy she tells you not to worry about

Abyssina : I treat my body like a temple~

China: Open all hours and to the general public?

Skul: Visitors leave gifts?

Serafina: People made sacrifices in you?

Val: No maximum capacity?

As a Jew, telling us that we shouldn't expect you to stand for us and condemn Hamas while also expecting us to stand for you and fight against Israeli apartheid is gross. We should be standing for each other.

And don't whine about 'transactional activism.' I have no reason to support you if you want me dead or at the very least powerless and silent.

to be clear, i have no opinion on what you want as a jew. hamas also has no interest in you as a jew. hamas is explicitly an islamist, militant liberation movement that is borne of and focused on the israeli occupation. broadening it to "jews" is israeli propaganda, which has consistently declared all jewish people the enemy when hamas has not, and held palestinians responsible for (very real) global anti-semitism when they are not. the issues of global anti-semitism and jewish safety are the responsibility of their respective european, north american, african and asian governments. they do not rest on palestinians, the victims of zionist ethnic supremacy.

but if you are an israeli jewish citizen who supports the occupation and the idf that is currently enacting a genocide, then you have no right at all to demand anything of palestinians nor their allies. you have missed the entire point of saying "palestinians understand that condemning hamas is a dogwhistle for justifying their own death" and are attempting to imply that palestinians and israelis are equal parties who just don't get along. you are also (incorrectly) equating not condemning hamas to supporting violence. you are attempting to imply that ending israeli apartheid is a favor to us, when it is in fact the only way to end hamas. it is for your own good before it is for ours, because i don't think you as a human being should believe that only a genocial, fascist, apartheid regime can keep you safe.

this is not about transactional activism and the fact that you think an occupation can be reduced to transactional activism is worrying. your apartheid regime has just killed over 8700 people, including 3000 children. take some responsibility for yourself and time to reflect. you do not have the currency to ask for transactional activism.