The Raben Project
By
Agent X
The Changeable
A/N: Sorry for the delay everyone. Things have been pretty hectic for me but now I finally have some peace and quiet to move on with the story. I hope everyone has had an enjoyable year so far.
With super thanks to my steadfast beta DrewMay.
Moment: Episode 24 (Fractured) – Raven heals Robin's arm.
Her lips didn't press. Her eyes didn't narrow. No flicker of emotion passed across her face: there was nothing about her to suggest she was in pain.
The Titans didn't realise – and Raven would never tell – but her healing ability wasn't so much a gift as it was a trade. Accelerating the process of bone knitting and muscle regeneration hurt, and even Raven could not dispel pain.
She did, however, have other abilities within her repertoire. As it happened, whenever Raven placed her periwinkle hand upon a wound she did so with the knowledge that although she may not be able to shield her friends from suffering, she could certainly bear it for them.
I was once told that a good author need never explain anything, because their story is told in such a way that their thinking and message are made clear. Unfortunately, I am not yet that confident nor that talented.
Therefore, an explanation: I think I recall once reading that in the original Teen Titans series Raven would heal someone by absorbing the injury from them and experiencing it herself. I liked this idea, as to me it seemed to fit with Raven's self-sacrificing nature, and it was strange that she had a wholly benign power in the first place (considering their source). So I tried to adapt it, but rather than her transferring the whole injury - which didn't make much sense to me, and didn't fit the visual - I adapted it to her siphoning the pain that would arise from rapidly repairing body bits into her own mind. Actually, I have so many theories and ideas about Raven's powers that I could spend ages trying to describe how it all works in my mind. It's kinda necessary to have these when you see how wildly her abilities fluctuate between episodes.
And not surprisingly the Author Note is longer than the text. Sorry. I know this hardly makes up for the wait, but I hope it somewhat amerliorates you until the next chapter.