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..
Kinda gives me Patrick Jane vibes 💔
okay but what if skulduggery wears gloves to hide the fact that he still has his wedding ring on
psst. hey
people who are legal adults who want their tubes tied or top surgery etc etc should be able to do so full stop.
"oh but what if they regret it for the rest of their lives"
okay. so what.
Adults make decisions about our lives, that's what being an adult is. We may decide to get a face tattoo, or quit a promising job, or join the army, or move to another country.
That's practically all we do as adults. We make decisions that effect the rest of our life, and then we live, or sometimes die, accordingly. Maybe i'll spend the rest of my life regretting telling my influential boss he doesn't know his ass from a hole in the ground, but, as an adult, that's the kind of life decision i am allowed to make for myself. And after all, it might be the best thing i ever did. It's my life, and i get to do all the fucking around and all the finding out i want to.
surgical transition, or sterilization, or whatever... is exactly the same. If you aren't going to let a legally adult person decide for themself about that stuff, then you can't let them get a tattoo or move to Florida either
I think Pierce Brosnan may be my new face claim for Baron ♥w♥
Listen I know I’m more than ten years late to the party but I finally have some some Ghanith because they deserved so?? much?? better??
I can't stress enough how much I miss StumbleUpon
#he really said we cope through humor
Blake Carrington answers to no one ... and consequently has to reap what he sows. Or rather Fallon does.
AU of s01e11 I answer to no man - Because the writers downplayed not only the side effects of being knocked out with chloroform but also Alejandro´s violence.
Habt ihr schon alle das cineastische Meisterwerk der Bundesregierung genossen? Inklusive dramatischer Musik! (Gibt sogar einen zweiten Teil)
https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=krJfMyW87vU
Honestly in hindsight skulduggery making Val think he was going to sacrifice himself at the end of phase one was like....man what the fuck. Imagine traumatising ur friend for a laff what a lad.
Skulduggery headcanons that I love and need to share
- Dexter giving Valkyrie piggie back rides, when Sulduggery doesn’t oblige to do it - “DExter, you undermine my auThorITY!” - “What authority?” - Tanith and Dexter are punch line people who sit in the back and high five each other whenever they say one - Ghastly once got super drunk because of the whole Tanith situation and Skulduggery accompanied him, listened to his sorrow and afterwards drove him home and tugged him in. He’s a friend like that. - Dexter Vex is ticklish af - Valkyrie first sees him get tickled by Saracen and she finds it adorable especially bc Dexter is like the most flawless looking guy on the team - Skulduggery actually adores hugging and cuddling Valkyrie, but he is self conscious bc of his bones - China and Saracen are the only ones who have absolutely no doubts about Dexter’s sexuality - Everyone else keeps wondering - “He never tells us anything!” “Well, maybe, he doesn’t want to!” “Ghastly, that’s not the point! We’re his friends.” “What if he has a thing for… monsters.. and aliens?” - Saracen laughing nervously in the back after he’d just spent night #120053 with Dexter - China remembering that moment she’d realized Dexter was like the only person in existence who doesn’t crush on her in the slightest bit and sighing - on Dexter’s and Saracen’s wedding Dexter slowdances with Tanith and she cries bc for some reason it reminds her of Ghastly and of all she was robbed of - Skulduggery and Valkyrie watching crappy TV and Skulduggery tugging her in afterwards when she fell asleep - Ghastly gives the best hugs and Valkyrie keeps stealing them, especially when a mission took an extra toll on her - “Val, I’m a very respectful member of the Elders…” “I respect and cuddle you!” - He can’t help loving it even tho he keeps making a show of how big of an exception this is it’s not - Dexter gets tired when drunk, Ghastly gets mad, Saracen gets funny and Valkyrie causes riots - we don’t talk about tanith, she rarely drinks for good reasons - Saracen is basically Valkyrie’s mom when Melissa isn’t around - “have you had any breakfast yet?” “are you alright?” “should we call a doctor?” “write me a message when you got home safely.” skulduggery: “I’m literally driving her to the front door!!!” Saracen: “I’m painfully aware!!” - tanith and saracen have this amazing vibe that only people who used to have a thing going on but mutually decided it doesn’t work out have: they wear sunglasses and judge others and it only takes one meaningful look for them to communicate - it drives Dexter crazy - “What are you guys telling each other???”
I write stuff, sometimes I post it ~ Star Wars side blog: @leia-organa-fics ~ Criminal Minds side blog: @special-agent-prentiss
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