Post
by koske1 » Wed Sep 04, 2013 3:53 pm
Registered to post:
I will try not to use any jargon, but this post may be disturbing to some.
I'm a training child psychologist, and though I'm fairly new to the field (3 years coming up) and not particularly far out of university (only 5) I've met enough cases to say that there are a huge number of ways to deal with rape, and that different people can deal with it faster or slower than others.
To put things in perspective of my work place we grade abuse as a number 0-5. I consider Kin's rapes to be an extensively prolonged grade 4 sexual act, grade 2 physical act and 5 mental act (I would possibly create a grade 6).
[I would like to point out these codings are used for information only, not for assessing needs; personal needs are worked out through therapy and observation]
Sexual 4 tends (but is not exclusively) to be for sexual acts with orifices incapable of safe receipt due to age, but Kin's different anatomy lends to this in my opinion. I shy away from 5 which is orifices incapable of receipt due to anatomy because ultimately Kin's vagina is a vagina, and mentally this is easier to cope with than say eye socket (sadly an example I'm aware of).
Physical 2 because I see no significant scaring, while other healing effects have been shown to leave scars. She also has full bodily ability as far as I can tell, she is able to walk (slither?) and communicate without issue, and has full limb mobility. Further she retains her breasts, which are often cut off in the earliest stages of higher grade abuse (in sexual circumstances). She has however been beaten beyond her life which would normally be a grade 5 so it's a lot harder to narrow down.
Both of these are extreme. But the rape I have seen lessened by a strong will, logical mind and correct support in around 4 months. At this such stage physical contact with the opposite sex was possible without fear and she was beginning to develop feelings for another young lad in our care. Obviously in children this is more complicated due to discovering sexuality, and psychological help in attempts to lessen and control the paedosexual tendencies that tend to follow young rape incidents. Note that sex itself is not an issue I've dealt with, or any sexual contact such as kissing, so my understanding there is under-developed.
Given that Kin is beyond human intelligence and wisdom, and that the life and death circumstances post trauma are an unknown quantity to me I believe it possible (if a stretch) for her to be well equipped to deal with physical contact by this point in her recovery; I feel the kiss may be a bit too far, but this is baseless, and as we have not seen how she would have reacted post lip-lock it could still have caused a serious psychological incident that she was not equipped to deal with.
The physical abuse seems to add more, but given the violent nature of the world she has likely dealt with wounds plenty, and even death, plenty prior to Dellyn. This would give her a greater ability to deal with physical abuse, and could somewhat mitigate the psychological impact of it's inclusion in the rape [this sentence was particularly hard to put into regular english]. Assuming she's dealt with torture and killing of Yuan-Ti before she could have created coping mechanisms and mental barriers helping her deal with Dellyn's physical and sexual onslaughts. Add to this the different mating nature of Yuan-Ti and it's unknown effect on sexual mental health, it could further support her speedy recovery.
Sadly where I feel Kin's story falls apart is the mental aspect. I also don't think it's disrespectful, simply incorrect in some ways.
Type 5 mental onslaughts involve complete dehumanization of the target, and result in a feeling of helplessness. The target often believes they'll never be saved while held captive, and believe they are lesser to their 'masters'. 2 years of this sort of onslaught even against a mentally super human Yuan-Ti should have made some sort of significant effect. Add that she was forced against her will to do horrible things, and could not control her actions, and that she literally is a monster; I think the fantasy elements have made for mental abuse far beyond anything any human will have to deal with.
I find it extremely hard to imagine her speaking full sentences to new people let alone acting as she does. Thunt hit it on the head when he said "there is a huge difference between 3 days and KinÔÇÖs 2 years". By 2 years you'd start to believe what you'd been told. By two years you would have gone way beyond hope for rescue. I studied slave testimonies for my university theism, studying African American opinions of themselves, and comparing it to the way they had been treated. The accounts where few and far between, but particularly the women felt they where lesser to the white man after systematic mental physical and sexual abuse. This in a society where black people outnumbered whites. In Brassmoon Kin is the only Yuan-Ti (as far as I could tell). I struggle to even imagine the mental ramifications of the systematic mental abuse she would have received.
Kin is super human, and she's shown fantastic coping mechanisms, I think had it been 8 months I would have accepted it with a shrug on the Yuan-Ti-ness, but the 2 years make for scissors cutting down my disbelief every time I think about it. Rape is a big deal, and I think Thunt is dealing with that as much sensitively as he should in a fantasy setting; there are conveniences taken, but none that I feel belittle the trauma; I however believe the systematic dehumanization has been underplayed... and with obvious reason: we don't have to face it anymore... and I don't think any real person has had to deal with it quite the way Kin has had to.
Do I think Kin would act the way she does? No.
Do I think it's insensitive? No.
I also apologize for any poor English, it's late and I'm tired.
