The Stockholm Syndrome Meme

[cerebel]

THE STOCKHOLM MEME

WARNING: Meme will contain TRIGGERS, including kidnapping, dubious consent, and general uncomfortable content. Please do not click if you don't want to see, and please respect your fellow role-players.

Stockholm Syndrome is a psychological phenomenon in which hostages express empathy and have positive feelings for their captors, sometimes to the point of defending them. These feelings are generally considered irrational in light of the danger or risk endured by the victims, who essentially mistake a lack of abuse from their captors for an act of kindness.

Stockholm syndrome can be seen as a form of traumatic bonding, which does not necessarily require a hostage scenario, but which describes "strong emotional ties that develop between two persons where one person intermittently harasses, beats, threatens, abuses, or intimidates the other."

HOW TO PLAY:
1) Comment with your character and their series in the subject line of the comment. Include any preferences you might have on type of scene/squicks/etc.
2) Comment around to start scenes! Use random.org if you get stuck for ideas.

PROMPTS:
1. KIDNAPPED. You've been taken, either for ransom money or just because you've pissed the wrong people off. Or maybe your kidnapper just wants company. Maybe they need someone to be their companion, to be their confidante, and they chose you.

2. CAPTURED. Maybe you were a soldier, fighting in a battle. Maybe a spy, or a political dissident. Either way, the military has caught up with you.

3. IN CUSTODY. It's a law enforcement agent that has you locked up. Maybe you're a criminal and you're in prison, or on house arrest so that agent can keep an eye on you. Maybe the agent doesn't have enough evidence, so they took matters into their own hands.

4. ASYLUM. This person isn't keeping you here against your will. It's for safety. Maybe you're in the Witness Protection Program. Maybe you sought asylum from your own country. Maybe your criminal life got a little too heated and you had to go underground somewhere.

5. HOSTAGE EXCHANGE. A war, between countries or gangs or even planets, and the two sides have decided to exchange important hostages as a gesture of trust. You're one of them. It might even involve arranged marriage -- a way to unite your two peoples. Hope you enjoy staying with your enemy.

6. HIRED. Someone's being paid to keep you. Maybe a new parent or guardian keeping you at home, or perhaps an evil uncle has had you tossed into a discreet asylum in order to claim your inheritance.

7. SLAVERY. Through birth or misfortune, you've become the property of another. But they're not such a bad master. You might even grow to love them, if enough time passes. If they treat you with the right combination of cruelty and kindness.

8. WILD CARD. For anything not covered by the other options!

Comments

[newboyontheblock]

It was about as much an answer as he wanted, really, neither confirming not denying any deaths. "Great," he says, "Thanks." And if he sounds less than enthusiastic, well, that's not really his fault.

[barsad]

Barsad stills the impulse to apologize, instead just reaching out and letting his hand rest on Robin's forearm. "You mourn for them," he says. "Why?"

[newboyontheblock]

"They were just kids, not even old enough to drive and they were, what. Getting handed guns and bombs and helping take over Gotham." God. What the fuck, seriously. Child soldiers didn't belong in Gotham, in the US of A. "I dunno what it was like for you ninja guys, but kids aren't considered adults until they're 18. ...And most not even then, no matter what the law says."

John remembers being eighteen and angry. Not his best moments.

[barsad]

"They were handed hammers and drills and concrete-pourers," he corrects. "The guns -- they had to ask. They were old enough to know what it was they were doing -- old enough to decide that doing wrong was worth the power of a gun in their hands. I was given no such choice."

These boys -- perhaps they were innocent, after a fashion, but they were part of Gotham. And Gothan was a wound that needed to be burned clean. Gotham was a shackle for humanity.

[newboyontheblock]

And maybe it shouldn't've helped, but it did. Loosened the knot in his chest somewhat, at least. "Right. The tunnels." He glances up, "Who came up with that? It was... It wasn't a bad idea," he admits reluctantly. Partly why now, part of his regular patrols include the sewers.

[barsad]

Barsad doesn't remember, to be honest. He suspects it may have been Talia who first spoke of going among the rats -- or perhaps she meant among the people of Gotham.

"A city is an island -- a ship," he corrects himself, "on a shallow sea of what comes underground. Even a shallow sea is often much deeper than anyone thinks, but it reaches everywhere. If you know your way, it means invisible transport, hidden caches and safe places, access to anywhere in the city -- it was the only way to settle into the city without raising alarm."

[newboyontheblock]

"Right..." He says, because that is unfortunately true. "Was blowing up half the city really necessary?" It's still a sore point.

[barsad]

"Yes." It was under orders. Of course it was necessary. He says it like he's surprised Robin would even ask. "The end was for Gotham to be destroyed." Matter-of-fact.

[newboyontheblock]

"Are you still into the whole Destroying-Gotham thing? Cause... That's not okay with me." He's surprised at how much Barsad's willingly shared. It's good for him, he thinks, to know a little more about what happened. But there are someones he's not willing to cross. "Gotham's mine to protect now."

[barsad]

"Then its protection will be mine, too."

He looks away, as he says it. Not because it isn't honest -- it is. But because it hurts, to say.

[newboyontheblock]

John frowns. "Why are you doing this? You're pretty obviously still Bane's man, even if he's dead, so shouldn't you be trying to finish what he started?" That's what John's doing, essentially, carrying on Bruce's legacy even though tw man himself is gone.

[barsad]

He forces himself to turn back to John, to let the pain and truth in his eyes be exposed. "If your lover dies, do you forever pledge yourself to their memory? Or do you learn to fill the lack?"

[newboyontheblock]

"You were lovers?" Because that's not necessarily the most important part of what Barsad's said, but it's the part hardest for John to wrap his mind around. "How? What--how? He's --huge." And, of course, his mind then took that in entirely the wrong direction he meant for it to.

[barsad]

A laugh. "He was," admits Barsad, "and yes, we took comfort in one another, as warriors. But that wasn't what I meant. I meant to tell you, in a way you would understand, why I seek another. Men like him -- like you -- are rare indeed."

He knows Robin won't approve of the comparison, but it's true. That kind of drive, that kind of need: there is something the same, between them.

[newboyontheblock]

"There's nothing similar about me and Bane!"

Though that can't be entirely true, can it. Because John recognized something in Bruce Wayne that reminded him of himself, and it's impossible not to see some sort of similarity between Bruce and Bane, so by that logic... John grimaces.

[barsad]

"You don't believe that," he says, softly. A statement of fact: he can see that Robin doesn't believe it.

A pause, then, "I would offer myself the same way, to you, freely," he says, "if it would help you to understand."

[newboyontheblock]

How is he supposed to respond to that? John stares in stunned disbelief for a long moment, then vehemently shakes his head. "It's not that you're a guy," he hastily adds, "I just. Uh. We just met. That's weird." And why does he feel like he needs to defend himself at all? There's no reason he should have to explain himself.

[barsad]

"You're afraid of me," says Barsad. "You should be."

He moves to his feet. "What next, Robin? What must I do?" To prove himself.

[newboyontheblock]

"How am I supposed to know?" John's never lead anyone before. He's always either been in a group or worked on his own. "I don't know what you expect me to do." It's frustrating. He both wants to prove himself and--not. Because it's true, what Barsad said. He's terrified.

[barsad]

"And the power that I put in your hands -- that you fear, too." There is a hint of mockery, this time, but it's calculated: to get John angry. "If I can beat you without laying a hand on you, will you let me tell you what comes next?"

[newboyontheblock]

"Don't make fun of me." He really is getting riled up, despite knowning it's a bad idea. "You'd just shoot me."

[barsad]

"No hands, no weapons." He holds his hands up, palms-out. "I won't even touch you." It's not a sure thing that he'll win, but he's confident. He has a lot of endurance. He can hold out for hours doing nothing but evading Robin's grasp.

[newboyontheblock]

His balance is a bit off still, as he gets to his feet, the soles of his feet strangely tender, but he rolls his weight back and forth a few times. "That's ridiculous." But there's doubt creeping into his voice; what does Barsad know that he wouldn't even think of?

[barsad]

There's a lot of open space in the cave, places ideal for sparring. Barsad retreats; he pulls out the knives hidden on his form, places his smaller handgun on the table. And then he steps out into the open space.

"I swear to you, Robin, I won't hurt you," he says. A pause, then, "too badly," the last two words a hint mischievous.

[newboyontheblock]

"Great. That's really not very reassuring." Somehow he gets the feeling that they have very different of what constitutes 'hurt too badly'. Regardless, he follows Barsad over, hopping in place a few times to warm up as he raises his fists.