Stop speaking facts (≧∀≦)
Exactly it's starting to get annoying now
I actually think her actions seem realistic.
She clearly suffers from PTSD, so I wouldn't expect her to act, or even think, rationally when fear strikes her.
Imo, she was merely acting on her fear and natural impulse to flee. Most likely her mind was so hyper focused on getting out the door, that she hadn't spared a moment to think about what would happen or what she would do once she'd stepped through it.
Her fundamental belief that her world is safe, and that she is safe, has been completely shattered. That would make her hyper vigilant, with no time to relax her mind, while also making rational thought difficult.
As for the seduction scene. That seemed, to me, like pure survival instinct kicking in and she chose the lesser between two evils.
And in this scene, she thinks she's being sold off, which would make taking the chance and running away the lesser of two evils.
At least imo.
Yeah, I know. That's why I just wish she'd think things through more, or at least I hope she starts to do so in the future.
Anyways, we're all still reading this and praying for character development, so fingers crossed(；^ω^）
She definitely needs to learn that world's language, that's for sure. It doesn't help her PTSD and anxiety, that she's unable to communicate.
I doubt there are any therapists in that world who can help her process her trauma, though, so I think it's going to be a while before she can even speak again...
I don't know, something about your post just rubbed me the wrong way and gave the impression that you don't understand how trauma, anxiety and PTSD works.
Meh, I might or I might not, I don't know. But I don't hate her, some of her actions just annoy me.
Hmmm... Well, I can at least try explain how I interpreted your post.
If we use another analogy than trauma, it should be obvious.
Have you ever tried having your head under water with a large object floating above you, blocking you from surfacing?
In that moment, it would be natural response to panic, as the safety of being able to breathe, seems like it has been stripped away. The body has one impulse, and that's to try and get up to the surface - bc that's what the body remembers to work.
As an onlooker you might think:
"Gurl, even if you feel like you're drowning, think about it: You've still got air in your lungs and you learned how to swim years ago. You know that it doesn't work to keep swimming upwards.
Everyone knows that if you get stuck under something in the water, so swim down and to the side to free yourself.
If she'd just thought clearly for a moment, she'd know to swim down and away, instead of up."
Does this analogy make sense?
PTSD may not be the same as drowning, but the panic response is very similar: The brain shuts down and instinct kicks in. The options you might've considered if you were able to think clearly, are completely unavailable to you, and what's left is just one powerful impulse.
My point is, that it comes across as insensitive to criticise someone for not making the best, rational decision at a moment of heightened emotions.
Of course, this is a fictional character we're talking about here, so I doubt any real feelings were hurt.
I just wouldn't want for you to speak to, or about, a real-life person this way, out of ignorance.
Of course I wouldn't say this to or about people in real life. Even if I judge my way of thinking not to be insensitive, after all people can get hurt by the slightest things, so even if it was a topic I was more knowledgeable about, I still wouldn't. But thanks for taking the time to explain this to me, I read it through and I think I understand your analogy, although the FL actually did begin to attempt to think things through, but made a conscious effort to remind herself not to, she specifically said "don't think about it, just run for now" I'm paraphrasing, but that was what I found a main issue with, hence why I said I hope she takes time to do so in the future. So I don't completely agree with the comparison, but thanks to you I've come to see that her situation is one worth trying to understand, or at least worth cutting her some slack.
That's true.
I hadn't noticed that detail, but I see your point that it's weird that she would be thinking so coherently in the midst of a panic attack.
Girl, even if you have trauma, think about it, how far have you gotten on your own safely? I get that it's difficult for her to trust people, but time and time again, he has shown or proven through his actions that he's trying to help her or protect her. No one else has shown her that so far. She could also see that he's clearly never been sided with any of the men that have tried to hurt her, in fact, he's always against them. She's in the middle of a town right now, so the best she could do is run away into a forest but because of Mannock, that's too dangerous, so her only other option is to hide in the town, but she can't speak their language, she doesn't know where she is or where to go and so far every other human being she's met has tried to sell, rape or traffick her for labour. And despite all of this, who has saved her from these threats? Blondie, that's who.
If she'd just think about her actions before acting on them, she'd probably realize that he's at the very least, the lesser of multiple evils.
Side note: not to blame her or anything, but she is the one who initiated any sort of intimacy between them, and she intended to use it as leverage for him to keep her around, so it seems kinda dumb for her to be afraid of him now that she assumes that he might be interested in engaging in more physically intimate things with her. Like, she seduced him with very obvious intentions.