I'm nearing a section of my latest story where the main character is going to kidnapped by a rather sadistic guy. It's a fantasy universe and the MC has just seen his master killed in a rather gruesome way by a magically animated tree - that the villain controlled and set on the master, specifically so that he could kidnap the MC. I already know that this will set up a life-long fear of said trees (which are somewhat common in this fantasy world.
The MC has a great deal of magic, but very little control of it, so the villain is looking to exploit his power. He also knows that, if he can make the MC accept him as a master in magic, they'll be magically bonded, so that the MC will have to obey him. My problem is... I'm not sadistic or abusive (aren't you glad to hear it?), so I'm not sure what the villain would do once he's got the MC in order to scare him into obeying his orders and/or accepting him as a master.
Whatever I do, the story is being told in the first person POV, so it'll probably be light on actual details and heavy on what the MC is feeling (both physically and emotionally) for those scenes. Any help would be greatly appreciated...
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NaNo 2006: Steel Bars - 59,233 words
Screnzy 2007: The Enchanted Forest - won
NaNo 2007: Turning Beetles into Buttons - 51,949 words
Screnzy 2008: Simple Gifts - 43 pages total & Butterfly - 9 episodes
0 / 50,000
Mayo 16, 2008 - 07 01
It appears that the main goal of your villain is to convince the MC that he is a lot more powerful than he really is. Some research on brainwashing techniques may get you started:
Wikipedia: Brainwashing
How Stuff Works: Brainwashing
Six Brainwashing Techniques and the Decognition Process
After you have learned about brainwashing, think about your villain's powers. Can he use fire? Ice? Telekinesis? Think about the small ways these can be used to hurt or otherwise manipulate someone. Just make a list, don't worry at this point about what he's actually going to do or your hero's reaction, just make a list. Do this for each power You don't have to be sadistic to create the list, just creative.
Another thing you can do is use mundane techniques but give them a magical spin, the traditional torture thread is loaded with these, as are a handful of threads in the horror forum. Add these "magical spins" to the appropriate list.
You should have a number of ways to make your MC suffer (probably a LOT more than you need). At this point, eliminate all the ones the villain will NEVER be able to do (or fake doing), then categorize them into "things he can do right away," "things he can't do right away, but he'll learn over time," "things he can kind of do, but with a little slight of hand he could fake it," and finally, "things he can't do at all, but are pretty easy to fake."
Then, mix and match until you have a combination that works for your story. Good luck. :)
54,200 / 50,000
Mayo 16, 2008 - 07 40
Torture, I'm guessing.
Erm, parts (fingers, toes, genitalia) chopped off, skin scraped, eyeballs plucked, electric shocks, sleep deprivation, loud noise, forced to stand for hours, humiliation (no toilet, food etc.), shocks of magic, the magic tree sodomizing him, kidnapping a loved one and threatening to torture/kill him/her if your MC doesn't obey.
Yep. Personally, I like the last two. :)
(I really do need to stop watching all these R-rated movies)
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Mayo 16, 2008 - 07 57
Thanks for the links and the ideas. Those will be very helpful when it comes time to actually write this section. The main character isn't going to actually be completely worn down - but he'll play along to avoid further abuse at this guys hands. He also is set to appear in later stories and have children... so I can't do anything to graphic or physically permanent to him.
I can't really see Malloran (the bad guy) actually cutting off fingers, etc. However, I can definitely see him threatening to and maybe even blindfolding Keenan and making him think he's cutting them off - psychological torture, yes?
By the way, keep the ideas coming, please?
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NaNo 2006: Steel Bars - 59,233 words
Screnzy 2007: The Enchanted Forest - won
NaNo 2007: Turning Beetles into Buttons - 51,949 words
Screnzy 2008: Simple Gifts - 43 pages total & Butterfly - 9 episodes
63,003 / 50,000
Mayo 16, 2008 - 13 06
try this... this has plenty of suggestions.
traditional torture thread
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my mind got sucked into a plot hole.