How do you torture your characters?

[Anya the Purple]

We've all talked about how we love to torture our characters and how it's necessary to the plot. Here's the thread to ramble about what exactly we do to them!

I have this secondary character who, after his village was burned down and the woman taking care of him and a group of children died, joined a gang of thieves and had to watch his best friend become the group prostitute. Then she was abandoned after she got pregnant and he stayed with her, only to have her run away from him after the baby was born (already dead). He later has to kill her, after finding out she's become the wife/sex slave of the antagonist.

I also have two characters who are the last of their species. They were already mates before their species was exterminated, but I kill off the male before they can reproduce. So now the female not only has to live with her mate dead, but also with the knowledge that as soon as she dies, her species will be extinct.

How 'bout you?

[Story Keeper]

If you're talking about psychological torture, the figure that invades my main character's dreams makes James (that's the character's name) see and be involved in dreadful scenes. Most of the plot of the book is James trying to figure out what the truth is and to be secure again.

Physically speaking, when the castle is seized by the villain Aldrin, James is questioned and gets beaten and cut for refusing to answer.