Question on Psychology of Torture for a Star Wars fan fiction

LoneRider

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I am working on Star Wars fan fiction where a plot point is a Mandalorian warrior, who tried to settle in the New Republic paints his armor Gold for the color of vengeance. He seeks vengeance because of the rape of his beloved (a naval officer) she wanted to report her accuser, a fellow officer but he killed herby making her death appear an accident.

My MC, a war weary sort, and an expert in explosives, dons his armor to seek his revenge. His first victims are the lawyer of the accused and the accused rapist himself.

After abducting the pair (the lawyer having been wounded both his legs being amputated by an explosion) the Mandalorian avenger takes them to his safe house to dispose of them

I plan for the accused to wake, strapped to a bed, looking at a mirror, nude and hearing the screaming of his lawyer who is being eaten alive by a Nexu (basically a jungle cat on steroids creature the Mandalorian tamed as a beloved pet and home protector). The next thing he sees the gold uniformed Mandalorian approaching and recounting the officer's name and rank and mentioning in formally legal terms he stands accused and convicted of the Mandalorian's beloved's rape and death afterward. And icily he adds, "Your sentence is death...your counselor's pain is nothing compared to the pain you will feel..."

And this time the guy s uninjured, but restrained, the Mandalorian had taken pains to knock him out with a paralytic agent that is wearing off.

"Let us see how the counselor is doing while the paralytic wears off..." He would say and then he turns on a monitor where the lawyer is being eaten alive by the Nexu.

He then unrolls his bag of instruments for the officer's imminent demise and starts to show them and describe each blade, in a seemingly academic tone, not expressing his rage but seeming to be a professor delivering a lecture.

He would probably start with the man's eyelids, removing them so he can see everything the Mandalorian intends to do. The man unmasks and states his name and says he is the fiancé of the woman he raped, and that the officer is looking at his death.

Basically my MC would keep this fellow alive for as long as possible, cauterizing amputations for example with a hot brand saying, in an almost genteel host of party voice, "I can't have you bleed out now can I?"

I'm curious as to how psychologically terrifying this might be to the naval officer the Mandalorian is torturing to death, all the steps he sees his executioner taking (my MC does everything in a precise and unhurried way)?

Also I'm curious about psychological repercussions for the Mandalorian? I intend to make him a more than one dimensional character, he remembers the woman he loves and hates her murderer but recognizes the monster he turns into taking his vengeance. But in some perverse manner he takes a sort of catharsis in his adversary's screams and inane babble.

I had him written as a warrior and an engineer by trade, but also with a capacity to love deeply. But when his love is lost he looses vengeance upon her attackers...
 

skylark

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I'm curious as to how psychologically terrifying this might be to the naval officer the Mandalorian is torturing to death, all the steps he sees his executioner taking (my MC does everything in a precise and unhurried way)?

I'm not sure how this can be answered. 42? What is a measure of psychological terror?

Also I'm curious about psychological repercussions for the Mandalorian? I intend to make him a more than one dimensional character, he remembers the woman he loves and hates her murderer but recognizes the monster he turns into taking his vengeance. But in some perverse manner he takes a sort of catharsis in his adversary's screams and inane babble.

I had him written as a warrior and an engineer by trade, but also with a capacity to love deeply. But when his love is lost he looses vengeance upon her attackers...

What's a worse psychological repercussion than having already turned into the sort of person who'd do this? I think they've already happened. He's a deeply unpleasant monster. The "oh it's because my wife was raped" stuff is just justification. If all he wanted was vengeance, he'd shoot the guy dead, and I'm not sure why the poor old lawyer is considered guilty here - surely rapists are allowed legal representation in the SW universe?

What really makes me twitch about this is the way it's presented. You may not have meant it to come over this way, but I'm getting the impression that you think having your character be cool and suave about being a torturer makes him a more attractive character, and the more terrified his victim is, the more attractive he becomes. I struggle to empathise with someone who does this and enjoys it. No matter what their excuse is.

So - yes, it would be terrifying for his victim. Now what you need to consider is whether you want your MC to come over as a psychopath, or whether setting an animal to eat another human being and watching him scream is going to make him come to his senses as to what he's doing.
 

aimeestates

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I disagree the warrior has to come to his senses, but if he enjoys the process, I agree that is less than empathetic. It's well covered quandary. Voldemort who we felt sorry for because he was an orphan, but then realized he's clearly straight evil vs. something like Scarface, where we never have to totally bail on the character as a human being. The antagonist isn't required to be a person...it can be internal forces as well, and any number of things. Your Protagonist can fight what he's chosen to do without actually halting his actions. Unless you WANT this to play out as straight antagonist gets revenge.
 
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LoneRider

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Good points brought up, I had him target the lawyer because this particular officer he killed off was guilty of at least half a dozen rapes of female subordinates and the lawyer was his main way of getting off from these charges.

I am choosing to portray him as becoming the very person his beloved wouldn't have wanted to be within ten meters of.

I was inspired by the Nietszche quote on fighting monsters by this particular one.

As far as making him suave meaning he's more attractive? Not hardly. My intent was to contrast his almost academic mannerisms with the sheer brutality he meted out his brand of justice on the officer he killed.

I even now added that he is killed fighting a Jedi (incidentally said Jedi would have been his sister in law if his fiancée weren't murdered). And in keeping with the fighting monsters but avoid becoming one theme, I figured the Jedi can feel conflicted too, after all the man murdered was no saint (he raped and murdered the Jedi's sister) but her quarry is an equal monster who would have been her future in law if her sister had lived.
 

veinglory

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I personally don't see violence as being innately thuggish and imprecise. the human race has a long history of mannered torture so I find it no more or less surprising than any other kind of torture.
 

cornflake

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Wait, someone is torturing and/or killing someone's lawyer? That's like eight shades of fucked up.
 

aimeestates

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...in keeping with the fighting monsters but avoid becoming one theme, I figured the Jedi can feel conflicted too, after all the man murdered was no saint (he raped and murdered the Jedi's sister) but her quarry is an equal monster who would have been her future in law if her sister had lived.

And the questions roll on, because would he have become a monster at all but not for his loss? I think this plays well with the idea people are capable of worse than they suspect if driven far enough.
 

ironmikezero

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Misguided and unbalanced, your MC is...

Otherwise, suffer perpetual pangs of conscience, he will...

Care that he may be redeemed, readers will not...

Rethink prolonged torture as a means to a vengeful end, you should...

A bad taste in one's metaphorical mouth, it leaves...

Unless a tale this dark, you fully intend...

A narrow market, you will find...
 

SBibb

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What's a worse psychological repercussion than having already turned into the sort of person who'd do this? I think they've already happened. He's a deeply unpleasant monster. The "oh it's because my wife was raped" stuff is just justification. If all he wanted was vengeance, he'd shoot the guy dead, and I'm not sure why the poor old lawyer is considered guilty here - surely rapists are allowed legal representation in the SW universe?

This is what I was thinking. If I remember right, Mandalorians are deeply rooted in honor and personal honor. I'm not sure they would be likely to flat out torture the accused (and especially the lawyer) without turning back on those principles.

Even if he did go after the lawyer, I imagine he wouldn't necessarily torture him.

The psychological ramifications would likely be that he sounds like he already snapped (admittedly, I kind of skimmed over the whole description because it was not at all comfortable to read for me), and has already turned his back on what the Mandalorians value.
 

Old Hack

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I'm going to lock this, pending the room mods' review.

We don't do fan fiction at AW.