Annanan1

Hi,

I need help i have a scenerio in which i have a 17 year old prince in a (very loosly) medieval society although it is actually another world. he is very unruly and needs reining in. i need a scene where is gaurdian or someone admisters some kind of disipline to him. He has a lot of pyshological probs steming from abused childhood. could i reasonably have him flogged or something and who do you think would do it.

ta

Wendy

Jeff Colburn

Flogging isn't a great idea as it's rather extreme. Besides beating a psychologically wounded person will just compound their problems.

You need a mentor that can gain his trust, like a father figure. Then have this mentor shape and mold him into a decent person. Or you could have a person he cares about become severely injured or killed because of something he did, or didn't do.

There is no real quick fix for a damaged psyche.

Have Fun,
Jeff

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Annanan1

Hi thanks for your advice,

All that dose happen later on, but at this point in the story they are not aware of the problems. They have tried everything else and are tired with his behavior. in fact this whole scene needs to be a catalist for pushing him so low psychologically that he will disclose all in a couple of chapters.

how could i do it. i need something between a childhood beating and formal flogging, but not sure just how to go about it.

ta

wendy

Erik Buchanan

The first question is, what has he done this time which results in him getting beaten?

Next, what lesson is meant to be given by the beating? Is it an enraged parent lashing out, or a plan to show him what happens to miscreants? Is flogging a regular judicial punishment in his world? Is it because he has been allowed to run wild and needs to be reined in, or is it part of the King's plan to remind his son that he is still under royal command and not to get uppity?

Would the punishment be public or private, and if public, how public (family, retainers, courtiers, general populace)?.

Also, how humiliated is he supposed to be from this? Are they flogging his back or his backside or his legs or his belly or his feet? How degrading do you want this beating to be? Will it just hurt or actually damage him?

I would think about these things first, then decide from there.

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ieuan

A prince wouldn't be flogged but discipline would be applied . He would probbaly be sent away on some raid or task of some kind, taking him away from the comforts of home and allow him to gorw up.

Ieaun

Alex R

They could banish him from the kingdom. The mentor doesnt have to be a highly appreaciated or intelligent-by-proffesion person. It could be a simple homeless guy or someone who is going with him with street smarts.

It would give you a chance to describe the world more, and he would be able to mold himself by some of the experiences he gets from being out in the world. When he comes back he would then be molded to be whoever you want him to be.

If you want to write it over more books, you could just lightly express what happens to him, but not go into so much detail about it, but save all of his adventures there for a later part in the story

Erik Buchanan

He could be flogged. it depends on the point of the lesson. Also, it depends of the brutality of the justice system and the person applying the flogging.

If you answer those questions I posed earlier, it may help you figure out what is to be done with him.

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Mike C

Flog, don't flog, banish, send on a raid... it's all bullshit.

Annanan1, you're the writer. If you want the prince flogged (and yes you can, and yes real princes have been flogged, many times) then flog him. It's up to you to make it work.

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Writer Kitten

I have to say, I both disagree and agree with this. Nobility, and royalty, have been flogged for punishment. However, they were also sent away on an errand of some sort to give them responsibility, or kill them off (accidents happen).

I've written one scenario where the noble can disown anyone else in the family (including his mother!) as long as he follows a strict ritual. There are, of course, ways to make that ritual the most unpleasant thing ever, but there are rules. As long as you've got the rules for your particular monarchy in mind, you can do pretty much anything you want.

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ClancyBoy

Sorry to be the bad guy here, but this premise has really been done to death. "Abused childhood" is already very very chiche.

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JHB

How about if he is whisked away to a land of wizards for five years? That'd work.

Annanan1

thanks guys all very helpful stuff. not quite sure what i am going to do yet but i guess i will figuar it out.

ta for advice.

Amara-J

For the record, you might want to mull over whether flogging in the context of the monarchy (or whatever societal structure passes for the ruling class or nobility) would be a natural thing, or the first of its kind, and the repercussions. As to whether it's logical... what the consequences are, etc.

Apart from that, I'm not sure if you know about the origins of the term "whipping boy" - This is Wikipedia's explanation.

A whipping boy, in feudal times, was a boy of the same age but lower rank raised with a prince or nobleman as a playmate, who was whipped in his place when the young nobleman -- too high in standing to be beaten by anyone below his father, who was often unavailable -- misbehaved or slacked in his studies, as a psychological 'indirect punishment'.

May be something to think about. Cheers.

~Amara-J

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Aranor

Perhaps post a couple of chapters before and after to give us an idea as to what is happening?