Yes yes, this is a new chapter! Winter break + Teen Titans on Youtube = Me thinking & writing like crazy!
I'm not going to give you much info, other than be ready to be floored...
Violate
"Fathers are supposed to destroy the monsters, not be the monsters."
Good morning, Dick.
...'morning.
How are you feeling today?
...okay, I guess.
You guess?
I feel almost... normal. I slept pretty good last night.
I can tell. You're looking a little better today.
...
Dick, I think today might be a good day to talk about what happened with Slade.
...
I know it sounds scary... but I think it would be really good if we could talk about it. It will help you accept it and begin to heal. But, if at any point you're feeling too scared to continue, we'll stop.
...
Is it okay with you if we talk about him?
...what do you want to know?
Well, let's begin with the apprenticeship.
...what about it?
I understand the gist of what happened... but, I'm guessing that a lot of other things happened during the parts of the apprenticeship that were not publicized.
...
Did he put you through a lot of training?
...yes.
What kinds of training?
...
Dick?
...he trained me in every way possible.
Physically, you mean?
Yes.
How?
Mostly through sparring. He also had me do a lot of endurance training.
I see. Was it difficult?
...I guess. It wasn't much different from the training... the training I had been through before.
With Batman?
...yeah.
How did Slade train you mentally?
...
Dick?
He... he wanted to sort of act as a teacher, a mentor... a father.
I see. What did he teach you?
He taught me everything... How to kill. How to steal. How to fight, see weaknesses in others, to manipulate...
How did he teach you how to kill?
We started with hunting first... but I knew what it was leading to.
Did he ever force you to kill a person?
...he planned to.
But, you never actually had to do it?
No. I got out before he started me in on that.
That's good.
(nods)...
But, that's not all he did, is it...?
...
From what I understand, he was a master of brainwashing.
...you could say that.
May I ask how he went about this?
He... he would be really horrible to me for a while. Make me spar for hours on end, with no rest or anything. Said I had no stamina. He would take every single opportunity to say how weak and worthless I was, how Batman didn't train me correctly, how I needed his guidance... and then, right when I was close to giving up, he would let me stop and rest. He would give me food and water, and tell me how much better I was doing when I pushed myself.
He was making what he was doing to you okay, in other words...?
...I guess. It kept going... training as hard as I could, taking all his shit, and then him giving me rewards for working so hard. He was forcing me to learn to accept what was happening, to embrace what he was giving me.
I see. What kinds of rewards did he give you?
...
Dick?
...I don't want to talk about that.
Why?
I just don't, okay? You said we don't have to talk about things I don't want to.
I said that, yes... but-
Then leave me alone.
Dick, I promise... talking about it will help-
No, it won't.
How do you know?
...
Just give it a chance. Give yourself a chance.
Please, please don't...
Let's just talk about it a little bit. If you're feeling too frightened, we'll stop. I promise.
...
Tell me what happened.
It started out with just satisfying needs... food, water, rest. Then, compliments. Then, new weapons...
Then what?
...the rewards started to get... strange.
Strange, how?
The third day... We were sparring when he slammed me really hard on the floor, and my shoulder got dislocated. I was okay, but I was in too much pain to fight. He was angry, said that it was my fault because I didn't fall on it correctly... so, he sent me off to bed. Later that night, he came to see me... with some medicine for the pain.
What kind of medicine was it?
He apologized for being too hard on me and said it was some kind of painkiller... the pain was so bad, I knew I wasn't going to be able to sleep and would get injured worse the next day... so, I just went ahead and took it. But, there was something... something wrong with it.
Was it a poison? Did it make you ill?
No... it made me really drowsy within a minute or two. Before I fell asleep, I remember thinking how weird it was that he was so insistent about rubbing my shoulder. He said that it would help it heal faster and that I would be fine by the next day... but before I could do anything, I fell asleep.
And?
...
Dick, do you want to stop?
(shaking)...all the sudden, I woke up a little... I could barely tell where I was... everything was spinning. But I realized that he... he was still there.
What was he doing?
(hyperventilating)...
Dick, it's okay-
(sobbing)...he had me... on the bed. He was... on top of me... and he... he was...
Oh my god...
(violent sobbing)...
It's okay, it's okay. Let's stop now-
...I... I j-just wanted him to s-stop... he... he s-said I would n-never have t-to be alone again...
Author's Note:
Two things:
1.) Stockholm Syndrome. Quite an interesting phenomenon- A captor or abuser using a cycle of abuse & kindness (whatever the kindness may be) in order to brainwash the victim into developing a companionship with the captor. "[Stockholm Syndrome] is partly based on Freudian theory. It suggests that the bonding is the individual's response to trauma in becoming a victim. Identifying with the aggressor is one way that the ego defends itself. When a victim believes the same values as the aggressor, they no longer become a threat." I believe that our Boy Wonder was on the brink of beginning to bond with Slade when Apprentice Pt. II ended. Had his stay with Slade gone on much longer, worse things could have resulted. From what we saw in the Apprentice era, in Haunted, and even during the Terra arc... and of course, after reading some really fabulous FF on here, Stockholm Syndrome seems to be quite apparent in terms of Slade's maneuvering. Keeping that in mind, rewatch the episodes I mentioned. They really gain some depth. ;)
2.) The slash-ish scene towards the end. I had considered this idea when I was writing this tale last summer, but I chickened out and dismissed it as too much on the dark side... No graphic detail of course, but you get the picture. Indeed, I am one of those who are convinced that some pretty horrible "things" happened during the apprenticeship... I mean, why else would Robin be as affected as he was by what happened? Of course, there are a number of (less despicable) reasons outside of slash, but I went with it... I know, I know, it's a kid's show, but still.
Thoughts?