#Enigmatic protagonist

[blueheartbookclub]

"The Mysteries of Gloria: A Review of G. Frederic Turner's Captivating Tale"

G. Frederic Turner's Gloria is a literary masterpiece that mesmerizes readers with its intricate plot, compelling characters, and thought-provoking themes. Set against the backdrop of a small New England town, Turner weaves a tale of mystery, intrigue, and hidden secrets that keeps readers on the edge of their seats from beginning to end.

At the heart of Gloria lies the enigmatic character after whom the novel is named. Gloria is a woman shrouded in mystery, her past veiled in secrecy and her motives unclear. As the story unfolds, readers are drawn into Gloria's world, where nothing is as it seems and every revelation only deepens the intrigue surrounding her. Turner masterfully explores the complexities of human nature through Gloria's character, leaving readers questioning the nature of truth, identity, and the masks we wear to conceal our innermost selves.

One of the most striking aspects of Gloria is Turner's skillful storytelling and evocative prose. His vivid descriptions of the New England landscape and its inhabitants create a rich tapestry of imagery that transports readers to the heart of the story. From the quaint charm of the town square to the eerie atmosphere of the surrounding forests, Turner's writing immerses readers in a world filled with beauty, danger, and uncertainty.

Moreover, Gloria is populated by a cast of characters as complex and multifaceted as the town itself. From the enigmatic Gloria to the town's quirky residents, each character is rendered with depth and nuance, their motivations and desires driving the narrative forward. Turner deftly explores themes of love, betrayal, and redemption through the interactions of these characters, weaving a web of relationships that adds depth and complexity to the story.

As the plot unfolds, Turner masterfully builds suspense, leading readers on a journey of discovery as they uncover the secrets hidden beneath the surface of Gloria's seemingly idyllic existence. With each twist and turn, the tension mounts, culminating in a gripping climax that leaves readers breathless and eager for more.

In conclusion, Gloria is a literary tour de force that captivates readers with its compelling narrative, intriguing characters, and atmospheric setting. G. Frederic Turner's masterful storytelling transports readers to a world filled with mystery and suspense, where nothing is as it seems and every revelation only deepens the intrigue. With its blend of suspense, romance, and psychological depth, Gloria is a must-read for anyone seeking an unforgettable literary experience.

G. Frederic Turner's Gloria is available in Amazon in paperback 18.99$ and hardcover24.99$ editions.

Number of pages: 432

Language: English

Rating: 9/10                                           

Link of the book!

Review By: King's Cat

[blueheartbooks]

"The Mysteries of Gloria: A Review of G. Frederic Turner's Captivating Tale"

G. Frederic Turner's Gloria is a literary masterpiece that mesmerizes readers with its intricate plot, compelling characters, and thought-provoking themes. Set against the backdrop of a small New England town, Turner weaves a tale of mystery, intrigue, and hidden secrets that keeps readers on the edge of their seats from beginning to end.

At the heart of Gloria lies the enigmatic character after whom the novel is named. Gloria is a woman shrouded in mystery, her past veiled in secrecy and her motives unclear. As the story unfolds, readers are drawn into Gloria's world, where nothing is as it seems and every revelation only deepens the intrigue surrounding her. Turner masterfully explores the complexities of human nature through Gloria's character, leaving readers questioning the nature of truth, identity, and the masks we wear to conceal our innermost selves.

One of the most striking aspects of Gloria is Turner's skillful storytelling and evocative prose. His vivid descriptions of the New England landscape and its inhabitants create a rich tapestry of imagery that transports readers to the heart of the story. From the quaint charm of the town square to the eerie atmosphere of the surrounding forests, Turner's writing immerses readers in a world filled with beauty, danger, and uncertainty.

Moreover, Gloria is populated by a cast of characters as complex and multifaceted as the town itself. From the enigmatic Gloria to the town's quirky residents, each character is rendered with depth and nuance, their motivations and desires driving the narrative forward. Turner deftly explores themes of love, betrayal, and redemption through the interactions of these characters, weaving a web of relationships that adds depth and complexity to the story.

As the plot unfolds, Turner masterfully builds suspense, leading readers on a journey of discovery as they uncover the secrets hidden beneath the surface of Gloria's seemingly idyllic existence. With each twist and turn, the tension mounts, culminating in a gripping climax that leaves readers breathless and eager for more.

In conclusion, Gloria is a literary tour de force that captivates readers with its compelling narrative, intriguing characters, and atmospheric setting. G. Frederic Turner's masterful storytelling transports readers to a world filled with mystery and suspense, where nothing is as it seems and every revelation only deepens the intrigue. With its blend of suspense, romance, and psychological depth, Gloria is a must-read for anyone seeking an unforgettable literary experience.

G. Frederic Turner's Gloria is available in Amazon in paperback 18.99$ and hardcover24.99$ editions.

Number of pages: 432

Language: English

Rating: 9/10                                           

Link of the book!

Review By: King's Cat

[itsfrenchfornothankyou]

The thing about Trafalgar is that he is determined to be the angsty emo in a series which is, unfortunately, a found family comedy

[darthsuki]

have you ever thought about a character idea/concept so hard that it became ingrained into your soul and you briefly considered crafting an entirely new ttrpg campaign setting or book plotline just to have an excuse to create said character?

[mariocki]

Thirty Minute Theatre: Not Counting the Savages (BBC, 1972)

"I didn't look round, of course, but when I went round to tidy the other side of the grave, I... became aware of a man standing up against the wire fence. At first I thought that he'd caught his handkerchief or something white on it, and then I realised what it was."

"What?"

"He was exposing himself. Exposing himself to me."

"Well, you've seen one before."

"But I was... I was terribly upset. You can't know how distressed I was! I still am."

"Why? You're an old woman. Why should you be upset? It was play-acting. You're an old woman."

[joncronshawauthor]

Guild of Assassins: A Tale of Vengeance and Secrets – Available Now!

I am thrilled to announce the release of my latest novel in the Ravenglass Universe, Guild of Assassins, is now exclusively available on Ream. This new assassin fantasy tale promises to immerse readers in a world of intrigue, moral ambiguity, and relentless pursuit of justice. Set against a backdrop of artistry and turmoil, Guild of Assassins follows the story of Soren, whose life as a sculptor…

[web-novel-polls]

Have You Read This Web Novel?

Kim Dokja does not consider himself the protagonist of his own life. Befitting the name his parents gave him, he is a solitary person whose sole hobby is reading web novels. For over a decade, he has lived vicariously through Yu Junghyeok, the main character of the web novel Three Ways to Survive the Apocalypse (TWSA). Through Junghyeok, Dokja has experienced secondhand the trials of repeatedly regressing in time, in search of an end to life-threatening “scenarios” that force people to act out narratives for the amusement of god-like “Constellations.” After reading 3,149 chapters—long after all other readers lost interest—Dokja finally resigns himself to the story ending. However, he receives an enigmatic message from the author, stating that the story will soon be monetized, before his surroundings suddenly go dark. He swiftly realizes that fiction has become reality and he is now living through TWSA. Although he is the singular omniscient reader of the events yet to come, his success in the scenarios is not guaranteed—but perhaps his advantage will empower him to step into the protagonist role that never suited him before. - Novel Updates

If you’re in the process of reading this web novel, please choose whichever option best fits your situation. You do not have to be completely finished with it to answer “yes.”

[sonnet009games]

COMING SOON:

You are a demon hunter. He is an incubus. A fateful meeting, a deal struck, and neither of your lives will ever be the same.

Demonology: Incubus is an episodic interactive fiction (NOT a visual novel) series, featuring:

a customizable male/female/non-binary protagonist

a male love interest

explicit, interactive sex scenes

Chapter 1 will be 10,000+ words (30 minutes approx) and introduces the protagonist, a private detective by day and demon hunter by night, and their soon-to-be-partner—a capricious, enigmatic, hyper-sexual incubus.

Platform: PC/Mac

Rating: 18+

Price: $1.00 per chapter (Chapter 1 will be free)

THIS GAME IS FOR ADULTS ONLY

(Note: Unlike previous games, the sexual content in Incubus is not optional. Player discretion advised.)

CHAPTER 1 COMING: 13 April 2024!

[disinherited-dornishman]

I will never forgive HotD for robbing us of the cunning, lethal Criston Cole who assassinated Ser Joffrey Lonmouth legally in front of the entire royal court without consequence by framing it as an accident in a tourney, shattered Harwin Strong in a melee so bad that he was called "Brokenbones" from his nickname "Breakbones", and without hesitation started plotting with his Queen over the corpse of King Viserys. The same one whose words swayed Aegon II over the edge to finally usurp Rhaenyra.

Hell, even Fire and Blood made his character lesser than his first mention. The first time we hear about him is as this obvious foil mention in Jaime's chapter in A Feast For Crows, this enigmatic historical figure with a badass nickname who seemed the lynchpin of a devastating event that killed the dragons, and gods alone know for what reason. Was he embittered against Rhaenyra? Was he duplicitous scum who in his vying for more power embroiled the entire realm in its single most ruinous war? Or did he, like Jaime who too murdered a "dragon", have a noble reason that history never knew? The speculation alone made him one of my favorite characters.

But at least F&B, lesser though it made his character, gave us something alternative. He just turned out to be a vengeful, conservative general who, although extremely competent, got his comeuppance eventually in the field of war, but okay.

Now, the show did something right by making him Dornish, and highlighting his lowborn status, but then they just... went nowhere substantial with it. And then they also turn him into an emotional psycho who accidentally kills Lord Beesbury, while Joffrey Lonmouth is blatantly beaten to death in the middle of a wedding. Like what???

Criston Cole fails upward into becoming the Hand of the King while being given looks of disbelief by Otto rather than coming into the position because of his competence in ruling a wartime realm, much like how Churchill became PM during WW2 to replace the previously incompetent PM (only to lose the position post-war when people realized he wasn't cut out for peacetimes.)

They really could've given us the best of both worlds. A lowborn, Dornish Criston who is still humanized in his struggle to keep to the ideals of honour while feeling inappropriate things for Rhaenyra/Alicent, but who reluctantly (or vengefully) takes to the schemes of the court like fish to water, and who eventually sheds said ideals to fully embraces his role as a Machievellian warlord in order to save the family he's come to love and cherish (the Greens).

But that wouldn't make the writers' favorite protagonist perfect enough, because in their minds, in order to make the most likeable protagonist, they need to be facing someone cartoonishly incompetent/villanous??

I just don't get it...

[nouverx]

Guys maybe it's time for me to introduce my ocs 💥

Lehti is my main oc and the protagonist!! I created him in 2019 and he's the one I drew the most in my life. He's a human, though he doesn't look like one. He's very ostracised from society because of his appearance and his disability, the other humans even want him dead for reasons I can't really explain yet. He can't have any real job so he lives of thievery and decided to actively become a menace to society as vengeance 😈

Melek is his sign language translator/interpretor! She is his voice and his ears. She was an homeless orphan, he took her in and provides her housing and food in exchange of her services. She follows him around everywhere to translate everything for him. She wears a mask because helping out Lehti one way or another is seen as treason and is punishable by death by the other humans, so he makes her wear it to protect her identity.

At first their relationship was only transactional, with time they became more like siblings.

Maybe one day I'll turn those ocs into a real fantasy story, who knows

Some more rambling about my ocs teehee

Lehti is very fun but also enigmatic. He doesn't seem to mind being a wanted man, even pulls of the theatrics when he's being chased. He's very similar to Lupin the Third in that regard, very playful, loves the attention and likes to taunt and have fun while thieving. He has very low empathy and doesn't really get sad or angry easily. It's like "Oh everyone wants me dead for no reason? Fun!" kind of chaotic neutral. He does have a darker/more sadistic side sometimes when interacting with the humans, so he might be motivated by vengeance in a deeper level 🤷 who knows

Also he's transmasc!! If that wasn't obvious enough lol. Medical transition isn't a thing in their fantasy universe, but it's ok he's not dysphoric or anything. He gets misgendered a lot but Melek is the only one who hears it and she always corrects people so it's a win for him

I don't usually take the time to post or talk about my ocs because I always end up brainrotting about something else, I really want to try and draw them more!

Melek on the other hand is very timid. She doesn't speak much outside of her job and was really just following him around like a shadow at the beginning. She didn't really have any goal in life before and was just surviving, now that she has a more "secure" situation (aka not having to worry about food or housing anymore), she's learning how to enjoy life again and even create a future for herself. I love her and she's a character that I'd love to develop more!

[truevedicastrology]

🌟 The Radiance of the Sun in Different Houses 1-12

Astrological observations, while insightful, may not resonate universally, considering the multifaceted nature of celestial influences.

Sun in the 1st House 🌞

Individuals with the Sun in the 1st House often project a Leo Rising aura, radiating optimism. Their life's essence revolves around self-expression, creativity, and inspiration. While exuding confidence, they may verge on narcissism. Dressing impeccably, they project an unwavering self-assuredness, occasionally bordering on overconfidence. These personalities perceive themselves as protagonists, subtly guiding others according to their convictions.

Sun in the 2nd House 💰

In the 2nd House, the Sun endows individuals with a sense of self derived from financial pursuits and possessions. This placement kindles a love for art and a refined aesthetic. Their material confidence and self-worth manifest through an elegant demeanor. The 2nd House sunbearers may exude possessiveness and control. Notably, their voices often carry authority, and they may harbor a penchant for glorifying family history, irrespective of its nature.

Sun in the 3rd House 🗣️

For those with the Sun in the 3rd House, communication is key to self-identity. These chatter virtuosos thrive on expanding their intellect and knowledge. Trendsetters and courageous thinkers, they might encounter challenges in sibling relationships but excel in journalistic, writing, or influential roles.

Sun in the 4th House 🏡

Sun in the 4th House cultivates a secretive homebody persona. Drawing self-worth from home, family, and close friends, these individuals are adept at creating an aesthetic haven. Guarded and protective, they resist intrusion into their personal space. Early life struggles shape their creativity, with maternal influence being pivotal. A culinary inclination is also noteworthy.

Sun in the 5th House 🎭

Creative exuberance defines the Sun in the 5th House individuals. Expressing themselves becomes a source of self-identity, often with a touch of showmanship. Social butterflies and history enthusiasts, they effortlessly combine academic excellence with entertainment. Parenting becomes a profound aspect of their self-concept.

Sun in the 6th House 🌿

Health-conscious and routine-driven, those with the Sun in the 6th House derive self-identity from work and daily regimen. Workaholics with meticulous habits, they maintain good health and often pursue careers in service-oriented professions. Resolving conflicts and helping others are innate qualities, occasionally leading to friendly competition.

Sun in the 7th House 👫

Individuals with the Sun in the 7th House seek self-identity through relationships. Friendship and partnerships magnify their existence, albeit with a tendency towards dependency. External validation and projected insecurities may complicate their dating life.

Sun in the 8th House 🔮

The enigmatic Sun in the 8th House exudes magnetic allure, drawing others like obsessive fans. Veiled in secrecy, they navigate life's transformations with finesse. Occult interests and a love-hate dynamic characterize these individuals. Career paths may involve politics, research, or the paranormal.

Sun in the 9th House 🌐

Influenced by paternal relationships, the Sun in the 9th House imparts righteousness and a disdain for confinement. Adhering to principles, they resist being pigeonholed, seeking expansive experiences. Travel and exposure to diverse cultures may shape their lives, occasionally leading to perceptions of being a "know-it-all."

Sun in the 10th House 🌟

A coveted placement, the Sun in the 10th House signifies popularity and leadership. Revered by many, these individuals eschew subservience and thrive on independence. Potential clashes with authority figures stem from their innate leadership qualities. They effortlessly influence groups, embodying trendsetting charisma.

Sun in the 11th House 🌐

Ego-driven and challenging, the Sun in the 11th House signifies a struggle with friendships and authority. Dreams and ambitions drive them forward, even as relationships with family and friends undergo strains. Material wealth and longevity become consequential.

Sun in the 12th House 🎭

The Sun in the 12th House bestows creativity and imagination, often hidden beneath a shroud of secrecy. A potential source of conflict with the father figure, this placement fosters a proclivity for foreign settlement. Hidden talents and a nomadic existence characterize their lives, contributing to a unique talent for creative pursuits.

Thanks for reading! Please like, reblog, comment! <3

Follow our Facebook page Mage Magic Touch for personal consultations https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61565561190268

[thewriteadviceforwriters]

Character Development in Different Genres: Tailoring Personalities to Fit Your Story's Needs | Part I of Character Development Series

When it comes to writing, one of the most exciting and challenging aspects is creating compelling characters. Whether you're penning a thrilling mystery, a heartwarming romance, a gripping fantasy, or a thought-provoking literary novel, the characters you bring to life play a pivotal role in captivating your readers. However, not all characters are created equal, and tailoring their personalities to fit the specific requirements of your chosen genre is essential for a successful and engaging story.

So, how can you ensure that your characters shine in the context of their genre? Let's embark on an insightful journey into the art of character development across different literary landscapes.

The Foundation of Genre-Specific Characters

Before delving into the intricacies of character development, it's crucial to understand that each genre comes with its own set of expectations and conventions. While a hard-boiled detective might thrive in a gritty crime thriller, they might feel out of place in a whimsical fantasy world. Therefore, the first step in crafting genre-specific characters is immersing yourself in the nuances and tone of the genre itself.

For instance, in a fast-paced action-adventure novel, the protagonist is often characterized by their resourcefulness, courage, and determination in the face of danger. On the other hand, a character in a cozy mystery may possess a keen eye for detail, a sharp wit, and a knack for uncovering secrets amidst the charm of a small town. By understanding the core elements of the genre, you can lay a sturdy foundation for building characters that resonate with the expectations of your readers.

Investigating Character Traits Across Genres

Let's take a closer look at how character traits can be tailored to suit different genres:

1. Adventure/Thriller:

Courage and Resilience: Characters in this genre often face high-stakes challenges and adrenaline-pumping situations. Their ability to confront danger with courage and resilience is a defining trait.

Quick Thinking: Whether escaping a treacherous trap or outsmarting a cunning adversary, characters in adventure and thriller novels are often marked by their ability to think on their feet.

2. Romance:

Emotional Depth: Characters in romance novels thrive on emotional connections. Their vulnerabilities, hopes, and desires form the cornerstone of their personality.

Charm and Passion: A touch of charisma and passion can elevate romantic protagonists, making them irresistible to both their love interests and readers.

3. Fantasy:

Imagination and Wonder: In the realms of fantasy, characters embody boundless imagination and a sense of wonder. Their belief in the extraordinary and the magical defines their essence.

Epic Journeys and Destinies: From chosen heroes to enigmatic wanderers, characters in fantasy often carry the weight of epic destinies and monumental quests.

4. Mystery:

Curiosity and Intellect: Mystery protagonists are marked by their insatiable curiosity and sharp intellect. Their inquisitive nature drives them to uncover the truth hidden within the enigmatic plots of their stories.

Intrigue and Suspicion: Characters in mystery novels often harbor secrets of their own, adding layers of intrigue and suspicion to their personas.

Crafting Characters with Genre-Specific Flair

Now that we've glimpsed into the distinctive traits that define characters across genres, it's time to infuse our characters with that genre-specific flair. Here are some creative strategies to tailor your characters to fit the unique demands of different genres:

1. Know Your Readers:

Before sculpting your characters, get to know your intended audience. Understanding their expectations and preferences within a particular genre can guide your character development process.

2. Subverting Tropes:

While adhering to genre conventions is important, don't shy away from subverting tropes to inject fresh and unexpected elements into your characters. This can breathe new life into well-trodden genres.

3. Embracing Authenticity:

No matter the genre, authentic and relatable characters are the cornerstone of captivating storytelling. Infuse your characters with genuine emotions and experiences that resonate with your readers.

4. Reflecting the Setting:

Characters are not isolated entities; they are shaped by the worlds they inhabit. Reflect the essence of the genre's setting in your characters' mannerisms, speech, and worldview.

5. Dynamic Character Arcs:

Consider how your characters' arcs can align with the thematic essence of the genre. From personal growth in literary fiction to valiant heroism in fantasy, tailor their journeys to harmonize with the genre's spirit.

The Power of Balancing Familiarity and Innovation

While it's essential to cater to the expectations of your chosen genre, it's equally vital to infuse your characters with a spark of innovation. Readers are drawn to characters who feel both familiar and refreshingly unique. By blending genre-specific traits with innovative twists, you can create characters that stand out while remaining rooted in the essence of their genre.

Unleashing Genre-Defying Characters

In the ever-expanding universe of literature, the art of character development is a dynamic and thrilling endeavor. As you embark on the journey of crafting characters for different genres, remember to immerse yourself in the heart of each genre, cultivate characters with depth and resonance, and balance convention with innovation.

Ultimately, the characters you create have the potential to transcend genres, captivating readers across a diverse spectrum of storytelling. So, unleash your imagination, breathe life into your characters, and watch as they navigate the rich tapestries of diverse genres, leaving an indelible mark on the literary landscape.

So, fellow writers, as you embark on your next literary odyssey, may your characters be as diverse as the genres they inhabit, and may their stories resonate with readers far and wide.

Happy writing! Warm regards, Ren T.

[tobiasdrake]

Fun Fact: Goku is not the main protagonist of the 21st Tenkaichi Budokai. My favorite thing about this arc is its perspective flip on who Goku is and what he means to the story.

The Muten-Roshi first introduces the idea of the Tenkaichi Budokai at the start of Goku and Krillin's training.

In typical Goku fashion, Goku doesn't understand what they're talking about and yet is probably gonna win 'cause. Y'know. Goku. The arc leading into this made a pretty compelling argument that Goku's all but invincible and unstoppable. He's a strange little monkey boy who breaks everyone that goes against him.

Fitting his role as an adaptation of Sun Wukong.

Going into this, the Muten-Roshi lays out what he wants the boys to learn:

Roshi doesn't want this to be about vanity or self-indulgence. The tournament on the horizon is simply a motivator. The philosophy he wants to instill in these boys is Dragon Ball's core theme: The yearning for self-improvement.

Having something you're improving yourself for can be useful in keeping you on track but the focus is on the journey to get there, not the destination. Goku and Krillin aren't supposed to win the tournament. They're supposed to sharpen themselves into the kinds of people who could win the tournament.

...but it quickly becomes apparent that Roshi's methods will need some adapting to work with Goku's... Goku-ness.

Goku is a beast. Teaching him is going to be an ordeal.

This sets up a significant conflict to come. Not a conflict for the characters, but for the story: How do you even have a tournament arc for a character like this? Goku was created to be a funny little guy who eats challenges for breakfast.

So the day of the tournament comes to pass, and we're introduced to the "enigmatic" Jackie Chun.

It's not hard for the audience to tell who this man is, but the kids are fooled and that's what counts. At this time, we're still primarily in Goku and Krillin's perspective. Hoo-wee, this here tournament sure is gonna be a humdinger!

(That's Goku. That's what Goku sounds like. He's a backwoods hick who speaks informally and irreverently with a rural accent. I genuinely wonder what Goku's reception would have been like if his dub acting had faithfully reproduced his dialect.)

We stay with Goku through Krillin's first match.

While Jackie's first match seems poised to set him up as the archrival to be beaten.

Roshi's first match here seems set up to demonstrate how tough he's going to be to beat. He's the final boss of this tournament. Goku's going to need to take him out in order to overcome.

But Goku's first match, on the other hand, reminds us that Goku's been nerfed ever since the end of the previous arc. Losing his tail messed up his balance and he's been off ever since.

Everything we've seen from him during their training and the preliminaries was Goku fighting at a handicap. As of this moment, the gloves are off. The Monkey King is back in full form.

This is all good tournament stuff. We have a powerful rival, the strongest opponent around that Goku could possibly take on, but we've been given more than enough reason to believe Goku's up to the challenge.

We're inclined to root for Goku because he is our main protagonist. We're experiencing this world through his eyes. He wants to win the tournament. So we want him to win the tournament. We like it when characters we like succeed.

The semifinals are... interesting, through that lens. Four contestants are left: Goku and Krillin, as well as Jackie Chun and Namu. But Jackie's match with Krillin doesn't go by so easily as his fight with Yamcha.

Against Krillin, the Muten-Roshi has to work for it. Krillin's underhanded style brings him a hair's breadth away from victory. To win, "Jackie's" forced not only to reveal his ability to perform the Kamehameha, but also to introduce the Zanzoken/Afterimage technique for the very first time.

Though Goku pierces the illusion instantly. This fight shows us that the Muten-Roshi has his limits. Krillin didn't tax those limits too hard but this was still a harder fight than you might expect. Further, nothing he did here is shown to be truly threatening or ominous for Goku's chances.

Quite the opposite, even for the Zanzoken that clinched the match, we see Goku follow along just fine. He's gonna be alright in the finals.

By contrast, Goku's match with Namu sees him effortlessly dominate. He's invincible, he's unstoppable, and the closest he ever comes to defeat is when he accidentally dizzies himself from spinning around too much.

Goku eats Namu alive. He takes the best Namu has to offer and gets right back up without a care in the world.

It's the end of this match that lays out who the underdog in this upcoming match actually is.

Roshi watches Goku eat Namu for breakfast and he comes away shaken. Rather than wondering if Goku has a chance at winning this, we're left with the impression that he can't possibly lose. Goku is too strong, he's too invincible, to ever possibly lose this.

And it's here, in the wake of Goku's unbelievable shitstomp of a semifinal round, that the switch occurs. Because now that we've laid out that Goku is invulnerable, that Goku is almighty, that Goku's triumph is inevitable... suddenly, Roshi lays out the stakes of this arc.

If Goku wins this tournament, Roshi fears that victory will go to his head. He'll become proud and complacent. An arrogant brat with more power than he knows what to do with and no will to learn. Looking ahead to characters like Tenshinhan or Piccolo or Vegeta, characters who only began to work on themselves once Goku humbled them and gave them mountains to climb, it's easy to understand what he's talking about.

Though Roshi later questions whether this was really necessary, right here in this moment, we feel it. Just like that, the entire perspective of this arc has flipped. We move into the finals not wondering if Goku will win, but staring down the barrel of the invincible and unbeatable protagonist we've known from chapter 1.

The Monkey King Son Goku breaks every opponent that comes before him. He can't be beaten. He can't be stopped. He is all-powerful and invincible and an instant master of any technique you come at him with. He's absolutely favored to win this thing after that semifinal.

And for the sake of his development as a person and as a martial artist, the greatest master that our world has to offer, the man who would seek to educate the impossible, must. Take. Him. Down.

Jackie Chun is not the final boss of this tournament. The final boss is Son Goku.

The final match of the tournament is a Sisyphean ordeal, as Roshi breaks out every tool in his toolbelt only to be stymied at every turn by the sheer impossibility of Son Goku.

You can feel Roshi's growing frustration as Goku matches and overcomes everything in his path, devouring Jackie Chun as he devoured Namu in the preceding match. Whether that means matching his, the old master's Kamehameha:

Or one-upping his Double Zanzoken with a Triple Zanzoken:

With each passing chapter, we are experiencing Goku through the lens of an adversary. Rather than being privy to Goku's private monologue, it's Roshi whose thoughts we sit with as he tries again and again to find an answer to this impossible foe.

Every chapter (but one) ending the same way: Roshi tries. Roshi fails. Goku learns and analyzes and internalizes Roshi's abilities, making himself stronger. And Roshi's back gets closer and closer to that wall.

A fun playtime for Goku and the fight of his master's life.

And when Goku finally, finally goes down, we feel, viscerally, how hard this battle was fought. Roshi pulls this off only by the skin of his teeth; A victory that is, in its own way, as desperate and nail-biting as the battles with Vegeta or Piccolo or Majin Buu, despite the smaller scope.

You can feel Roshi's spirit dying inside as Goku asks that. But the job's done. The lesson has been implanted. The shape of Goku's future has been forged.

And the things he learned here today are values he will carry with him for the rest of his natural life (and beyond). That is the triumph of the 21st Tenkaichi Budokai.

...whether or not it was actually necessary to go this far, on the other hand, is left up in the air.

We can't ever truly know the results of the choices we didn't make. But the choices Roshi did make on this fateful day would become the first step in shaping the greatest martial arts master in the universe.

[ineffable-endearments]

Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell

Wow. There is...there is so much here.

First, a caution about the book itself: there is significant sexually violent narration, and lots of torture as well. This post is going to discuss these topics only in general terms - I don't think I need to go into detail to discuss what they mean for the story - but take care of yourself when you're deciding whether to read it. If you have any questions, always feel free to send an ask or message.

I am going to need to make multiple posts about this book. For this first one, I'll focus on summarizing the book and its main themes, especially the ones that I think relate to Good Omens. As always, I can't summarize it in a way that will give you a better understanding than simply reading the book, but summarizing it will help me put my own thoughts together and hopefully help you follow along as I try to articulate them.

Because it's impossible to miss, I think it is best to confront this issue at the outset: there is a lot of especially blatant misogyny on Winston's part in Nineteen Eighty-Four. This is not meant to be a good or sympathetic thing. It is a demonstration of how messed up he is, and how messed up everyone in that society is.

The Society

The plot of Nineteen Eighty-Four is tied up very much in the story's world. The characters are at the mercy of their society in this story, much more than in most. It will make sense to describe the world first. Indeed, a massive portion of the book is just information about Oceania itself.

In the world of Nineteen Eighty-Four, the entire planet is supposedly ruled by three perpetually warring authoritarian states: Oceania, Eurasia, and Eastasia, conglomerations of Earth's former independent nations. Through the novel, it is revealed that all three states have governments that are structured in largely the same way with approximately the same quality of life for their people, and the perpetual war is itself a way of controlling each population.

Technically, we don't know for sure that the war is really happening. In fact, we don't know that anything is true, because almost all the information the characters have comes from the Party, the government of Oceania, and the Party's operations revolve around reality control. The Party's "leader" is an enigmatic figure referred to only as Big Brother, who, of course, is watching.

Our protagonist, Winston, lives in Oceania. There are Inner Party members, who are the highest-ranking, with the highest responsibility and the highest quality of life. There are Outer Party members, who work for the Party, are heavily surveilled, and whose daily needs are all provided for with low-quality supplies; they have a highly regimented daily schedule. Inner and Outer Party members have telescreens, which broadcast Party propaganda but also have cameras to monitor all Party members. It is incredibly difficult to get away from telescreens, since there's at least one in every home and they're everywhere in public. Altogether, the telescreens form a panopticon that is hard to evade.

Then there are the proles, a shortened term for proletarians, who are the lower classes of Oceania and make up the majority of the population. The proles live in poor conditions and are constantly manipulated by State-generated propaganda. However, they have more freedom than Party members, in the sense that they are also largely ignored by the Party because they have no real power and are assumed to be incapable of engaging in revolutionary behavior. For this reason, proles get to have human relationships and enjoy pleasures, wherever they can find pleasures, in ways that Party members are not allowed. In reality, the Party's perpetual war is a way of grinding through resources in order to keep people, especially the proles, buried under work without improving their quality of life. This is because when people have free time, they can use it to learn and organize, and they might become a threat to the Party.

Winston is one of the Outer Party members. He works in the government department that rewrites history. See, every time a fact or anecdote in the media is inconvenient for the Party, the Party goes back and destroys all old copies of newspapers and books, all old video content, all paperwork, any scrap of evidence that anything was different. Newspapers are routinely reprinted with "updated" (falsified) information. For example, Oceania is always either at war with Eurasia and allied with Eastasia, or at war with Eastasia and allied with Eurasia, and as far as the Party is concerned, this has never changed. Every single time Oceania's alliance changes, the newspapers are updated so that the current alignment has always been true. Every time someone becomes a disgrace to the Party, their previous deeds are rewritten.

On the surface, this sounds difficult to implement, but over the story, one realizes the vast majority of the Party's operations revolve purely around the constant reshaping of history, control of people's memories, and control of people's emotions for the purpose of maintaining power eternally. Art produced by human beings is actively discouraged; instead, the Party mass-produces art, including novels, using machines, to control what kinds of ideas people are consuming.

The Party is essentially a machine that controls reality, or at least, what the people inside it consider to be reality. There are people who specialize in managing the thoughts of the public: the Thought Police. While they may technically not be able to literally see inside one's mind, they watch everyone carefully and are excellent at noticing everything: every facial expression, every eyebrow twitch, and every breath.

The Party rules through a series of four "ministries." These are the Ministry of Truth (like an educational ministry, responsible for producing propaganda), the Ministry of Peace (like a military, responsible for warfare), the Ministry of Love (like the correctional system, responsible for jailing and torturing dissidents), and the Ministry of Plenty (like the treasury, responsible for rationing).

When it suits the Party, anyone can be "vaporized." This means they are secretly murdered and all evidence of them - any existing record whatsoever, any news story, any list or database entry - is erased.

The Party has a new language they're developing as a method of thought control called Newspeak. The purpose of Newspeak is to make it impossible to articulate certain kinds of thoughts. The following is a character named Syme describing Newspeak:

"Don't you see that the whole aim of Newspeak is to narrow the range of thought? In the end we shall make thoughtcrime literally impossible, because there will be no words in which to express it. ... In fact there will be no thought, as we understand it now. Orthodoxy means not thinking - not needing to think. Orthodoxy is unconsciousness."

It's worth noting that Syme is later vaporized, presumably just for being too insightful out loud about Newspeak. In Newspeak, people who have been vaporized, if they must ever be referred to at all, are called "unpersons." In this way, no one has ever been killed by the Party, because those people have never existed in the first place.

There's a key Newspeak word that appears over and over: doublethink. It's the ability to believe two contradictory things simultaneously, and unlike the way we usually experience cognitive dissonance, there is no urge or attempt to reconcile what is really true. With doublethink, the existence of two contradictory ideas at once is itself exploited to help Party members serve the Party.

The Party (and its equivalents in Eurasia and Eastasia) uses perpetual war to control the population by squandering the resources produced by human labor and keep people in a perpetual combination of patriotic fervor and fear. The war is infinite and can never be won; the whole purpose of the war is to be at war.

Socially, the Party has destroyed family life. Winston was married years ago. He and his wife are so estranged that he is no longer sure if she is alive. They did not have a good relationship. The Party does not want close emotional relationships between its members, so while they are strict about who is allowed to marry (not for love, strictly for procreation), they don't care if people continue to live together. However, the Party does not want people forming new relationships, so divorce and extramarital sex are also illegal. The Party has also turned children against their parents by encouraging children to report their parents' potential thoughtcrimes. All in all, family members are generally afraid of each other.

We see, over and over again, how the Party does its best to frame human beings as both inherently untrustworthy and as objects to be used. Pitting people from individual family members to entire classes, sexes, and races against each other is one of the Party's many techniques for controlling people, and it has seeped into Winston's everyday thought processes. Only actual experiences with other human beings even begin to break these ideas down.

Eventually, it becomes apparent that the Party's motivation is immortality through the denial of the individual. Human beings are denied their own personal thoughts, feelings, and bodies. Only their ability to be assimilated into the Party is permitted. Even thoughts and feelings about the greater good are unacceptable because these lead to regime changes and interfere with the raw totalitarian power of the Party. Every Party member in Oceania is meant to strive exclusively for the continued power of the Party. Dissidents are denied even the ability to be martyrs, because the Party does not kill people while they carry hatred for Big Brother; they simply change their thoughts until they are good Party members again, and then kill them later, when they are no longer dissidents and have no legacy of resistance to leave behind.

Winston's Plot

Winston has a secret desire to be free of the Party. He does get swept up in the Party's fervor when he's in the middle of it, but he also longs for the extremely basic pleasures and freedoms that have become taboo. For example, Winston secretly buys an old pen and journal to write in - a completely forbidden act that he has to conceal from the telescreen in his own apartment. He finds himself almost unconsciously writing things like "DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER" in that journal.

There is an Inner Party member named O'Brien who Winston admires greatly from a distance despite knowing only his appearance: "intelligent" with a "prizefighter's physique." Winston perceives that he and O'Brien "understand" each other somehow, and even believes O'Brien has spoken to him in a dream, saying they "shall meet where there is no darkness." Eventually, Winston imagines he is addressing his journal to the mysterious O'Brien, believing him to be an ally.

Winston has an acquaintance at work named Syme. Syme is very passionate about revising the Newspeak dictionary. However, he is a little too openly insightful about the true purpose of Newspeak for his own good. Even though Syme does not seem to have any intention of betraying the Party and in fact is extremely taken with Newspeak, Winston is convinced he will be vaporized, and sure enough, he is.

There is a woman Winston thinks he hates because she looks like the perfect Party member who would turn him in to the Thought Police. Actually, the narration outright states that he doesn't like women entirely, because he thinks they're too committed to the Party and enjoy betraying men. However, it turns out that this woman observes Winston by the shop where he bought his illegal notebook. By simply observing Winston in that shop, the Party would suspect he's committing thoughtcrimes, and Winston panics. However, the woman later bumps into Winston at work and passes him a note that says, "I love you." Winston then instantly decides he wants to be with her; the idea of not being with her never even occurs to him.

The woman's name is Julia. It turns out Julia is putting on an incredibly convincing act, but she hates the Party, too. Winston is technically married, so he can't legally marry Julia, and any kind of non-procreative sex is illegal anyway, so their relationship is entirely forbidden.

Winston and Julia meet up and have sex in secret. It's worth noting that during their first meeting, they enjoy listening to a thrush singing. During this first meeting, they go out to the countryside, where there are fewer telescreens and microphones; Winston comments that it's like the "Golden Country," his symbolic dream-place where people are free.

A man named Mr. Charrington owns the shop where Winston had bought his notebook, and he also owns a room for rent above the shop. It's an old-fashioned prole room without telescreens and with a great number of old-fashioned fixtures. Winston and Julia rent it to get away from Party life for a few hours every now and then. When they first start staying in the room, Julia observes a rat and throws her shoe at it. Winston is utterly terrified, showing that he has a serious phobia of rats; it is vaguely implied that he had a traumatic moment related to them as a child. Julia takes the rat in stride; they are everywhere. She promises to block up the hole so the rat does not return.

Julia and Winston spend time in their prole room knowing for sure that it will eventually lead to their capture, torture, and death, but they decide it will be worth it. Winston voices some interest in trying to work against the Party; Julia does not believe this is possible whatsoever, and is not interested in trying. She believes people are better off putting on a convincing act and getting away with as much as they can for as long as they can.

Meanwhile, during the workday, O'Brien speaks to Winston. He mentions Syme without using his name, which is incredibly unusual, since people who are vaporized are never ever acknowledged again; all their work is erased from history. But O'Brien mentions Syme's work on the Newspeak dictionary and gives Winston his home address so that Winston can borrow the dictionary. Party members also don't often give each other their addresses. Because of these unusual cues, Winston infers that O'Brien is inviting him over to conspire against the Party.

While Winston and Julia meet up and have sex, they also indulge in other pleasures of the world, like real coffee and chocolate, and proles singing outside their window, and art that hasn't been generated by the Party. Observing the proles and their richer emotional lives, Winston and Julia decide they are going to worry only about their feelings. The Party can coerce them to do anything, including to confess, but as long as the Party can't make them stop loving each other, they agree, they will never have betrayed each other. Julia says that for all the things the Party can do, they can't get inside their heads.

So seized are Winston and Julia by their conviction that they decide to go visit O'Brien together and confess to wanting to destroy the Party. O'Brien tells them they may join the Brotherhood, a mysterious group of dissidents working to bring down Big Brother, but they must be willing to sacrifice everything; they must be willing to not only suffer and die, but to murder civilians, to spread disease, to sow discord, to do anything the Brotherhood asks of them. They even, O'Brien says, must be willing to "separate and never see one another again." This is the only thing Julia and Winston are unwilling to agree to. O'Brien accepts them anyway and, many days later, gives Winston a book through a secret messenger.

This book contains the writings of Goldstein, the supposed leader of the Brotherhood, outlining the Party's core philosophy. Winston reads this to Julia, who is hinted to not be all that interested, but she does listen a little.

While they look out the window and contemplate that the proles are alive and the Party members are already dead, Winston and Julia are captured. It turns out Mr. Charrington was a member of the Thought Police and the room had surveillance in it. Winston and Julia are separated and dragged to the Ministry of Love.

While at the Ministry of Love, Winston spends a lot of time waiting, watching other prisoners pass through. Some of them are proles, and some of them are people he knows. The waiting room is enormous and brightly lit with telescreens on all walls. There are essentially no shadows.

Another familiar face appears at the Ministry of Love. It's O'Brien. Winston first thinks O'Brien has been captured, but it soon becomes apparent that O'Brien was masterminding this whole operation and is in charge of Winston's torture. They have, indeed, met "where there is no darkness" - because of all the telescreens and artificial lighting. O'Brien and other Party members even wrote Goldstein's book as yet another propaganda piece. O'Brien states the description of the Party in the book is true, although the book's implication that the Party can be defeated through a prole uprising is false because a prole uprising will never happen. (Note that Winston did not actually read the part of the book where "Goldstein" outlined how the Party should be defeated.)

Winston is tortured for an undetermined amount of time. He discovers that he is a prisoner of his body; his torturers can get him to say pretty much anything through punishment and reward. In fact, they can force him to feel certain ways, too. O'Brien and the Party aren't only trying to get Winston to give away information; they want him to really internalize sincere belief in the Party doctrine, like doublethink, symbolized by the concept that 2+2 equals 5.

Winston starts out promising to himself there are certain things he will never agree to or say out loud, but torture proves an effective method at getting him to say whatever O'Brien wants. Winston vows that he will recite the Party lines, but will not actually believe them. If he lies to get the torture to stop but still retains his ability to reason for himself, Winston believes, then he can beat the Party.

However, O'Brien and the torturers are slowly able to break that down, too, as they are good at reading Winston's emotions, and they torture him every time he recites their desired lines without the sincere belief they're looking for. Winston is highly resistant to the 2+2=5 idea, but as he is tortured over and over, he does come to believe that because the Party can define his reality through brute force, then 2+2=5 could very well be true. They can force it to be true. He has no choice but to believe it, because only believing it might possibly end his torture, and the torture must end.

In other words, Winston and Julia were wrong. The Party can, in fact, get inside your head.

When Winston starts to believe 2+2=5, O'Brien does indeed start to improve his treatment of Winston, providing him with food and comfort, allowing Winston to become much healthier over time. This bonds Winston to O'Brien and makes him feel attached. However, Winston has not forgotten Julia, and in an unguarded moment, he cries out for her. This prompts O'Brien to ask Winston his feelings, again, about Big Brother. Winston states that he hates Big Brother.

It is at this moment when O'Brien sends Winston to the notorious Room 101.

In Room 101, prisoners face their worst fears - which, of course, the Party knows, because they know everything about everyone. Winston, who we know has a phobia of rats, is shown a pair of cages with starving rats in them. He is told that the rats are, as everyone in this world knows, flesh-eaters, despite being rodents. Winston is restrained, his head held in place, and O'Brien informs him that the rats will be released to eat his face.

Winston realizes what O'Brien wants to hear: he realizes his torturers will probably not allow the rats to eat him if he is willing to inflict the torture on Julia instead. They want Winston's betrayal of Julia to be complete. They want him to stop caring for her, the one thing he and Julia had once agreed they would never, ever do. And Winston has reached his limit: he cannot tolerate the idea of being eaten alive specifically by rats. So Winston says, "Do it to Julia! Not me! Julia!"

And then he is finally let go.

We continue with Winston once again living on the outside. He has seen and spoken to Julia, who was also let go. But the bond between them is completely broken. Julia admits she also betrayed Winston when she was faced with Room 101.

"Sometimes," she said, "they threaten you with something---something you can't stand up to, can't even think about. And then you say, 'Don't do it to me, do it to somebody else, do it to so-and-so.' And perhaps you might pretend, afterwards, that it was only a trick and that you just said it to make them stop and didn't really mean it. But that isn't true. At the time when it happens you do mean it. You think there's no other way of saving yourself, and you're quite ready to save yourself that way. You want it to happen to the other person. You don't give a damn what they suffer. All you care about is yourself." "All you care about is yourself," he echoed. "And after that, you don't feel the same toward the other person any longer." "No," he said, "you don't feel the same."

In other words, by demonstrating to Winston and Julia that they ultimately cannot escape their own self-interest, O'Brien has caused them to reject each other.

At the tail end of the book, Winston is sitting in his usual spot at a place called the Chestnut Tree Café, pondering a happy moment from his childhood before pushing the memory away, believing it to be a false memory. When an enormous military victory is announced on the telescreen, Winston realizes that he finally, truly loves Big Brother.

Interpretation of the End

Although the events at the end of the book are pretty straightforwardly described, I found them slightly confusing on an emotional level. Winston and Julia aren't really angry at each other for their betrayals, it doesn't seem - in fact, they admit to each other that's what happened, and they agree on their mutual experience. But they don't love each other anymore, and Winston loves Big Brother instead.

So, here is my initial thought on what the characters went through:

For people to love each other, both need a sense of individuality. There needs to be a connection, but there also needs to be a specific You and a Somebody to love, to connect to.

Through torture, O'Brien has effectively torn away Winston's individual sense of self. I know that's a weird thing to suggest when the book repeats "all you care about is yourself" multiple times, but I think that by so completely obliterating Winston's ability to make anything resembling his own decision, O'Brien has essentially made "Big Brother" and "Winston ('yourself')" the same person. Big Brother's wishes are Winston's wishes. Winston has been assimilated into Big Brother. Winston and Julia's conversation at the end describes what it feels like to be liquidated as a person and assimilated into a collective.

Winston now knows that the one core impulse he can never escape is self-preservation, and the only one who can provide that, with infinite military might and an infinitely-deep torture repertoire, is Big Brother. Julia represents the ideal that caused Winston to estrange himself from the safety of embracing and trusting Big Brother. And because Big Brother is both eternal and almighty, giver of both life and death, he is the only one it is safe to trust.

By betraying Julia, Winston discovered that his own will inherently had limits; because he would always, eventually, revert to self-preservation, his will and therefore his identity became synonymous with the force that decided whether to preserve him. That's why the end of the novel involves Winston imagining that he has finally been shot in the head and killed; he has experienced the death of his sense of self. And this is exactly how "Goldstein's" book indicated the Party's operations work: eliminate individuals and assimilate them into a collective to achieve immortality.

Character and Faction Parallels Between Nineteen Eighty-Four and Good Omens

The Party and Heaven and Hell

They're both the one overarching power over everyone's existence. The inner workings of it are mysterious to the characters and even moreso to the audience. The main characters are agents working for these entities, and they are controlled through surveillance, punishment, and reward.

Although Heaven and Hell give the impression of being two large overarching powers, it seems apparent to me that the whole thing is really just one system that has intentionally split its workforce into factions. Ultimately I think we will see in the most explicit way possible that whoever is actively calling the shots in Heaven is also actively in charge of Hell.

Winston and Julia, Aziraphale and Crowley

Both pairs are agents who are in love with each other even though they're not supposed to be, who enjoy Earthly pleasures and experience the joys of humanity before getting arrested and dragged away by their authoritarian "employers."

It's tempting to try and figure out which character mirrors which - Aziraphale mirroring Winston, Crowley mirroring Julia? - but I think, sort of like with Nina and Maggie, the reflections work in every direction. The characters aren't literal stand-ins for each other, but they are exploring similar themes, including what happens to people when a society forbids intimacy.

O'Brien and the Metatron

"More even than of strength, he gave an impression of confidence and of an understanding tinged by irony." This line describes O'Brien from Nineteen Eighty-Four, but it sounds quite a lot like the Metatron's manner as he enters Aziraphale's bookshop. Confidence and an understanding tinged by irony indeed.

O'Brien seems to appeal to Winston's ideal in authority figures, appealing both intelligent and physically strong. The Metatron seems to have tailored himself to appeal to Aziraphale's ideal of an authority figure: someone who is calm and in control, but also has an exceptionally gentle manner (and this isn't really true of the Metatron, but he can make it look like it is).

There are more similarities. Winston thinks and hopes O'Brien will be a helpful figure, and O'Brien convinces Winston he's a helpful figure, but in the end, O'Brien is the mastermind behind Winston's capture and torture. Additionally, Winston assumes, during his torture, that the Party's drive for power is for the Greater Good. But O'Brien tells him this is stupid, and the Party's drive for power is just for the pure sake of having power, because that's the only thing that will guarantee the Party's immortality.

This reminds me a little bit of the Metatron telling Aziraphale the point of the war is to win it, not to avoid it. It also hits me as a potential motivation for Heaven - like, why do they do what they do instead of doing something else, since the universe seems perfectly capable of running itself? "Power" or "immortality" could be a reason, and it would also be a reason that would resonate with very human themes, since power and (symbolic) immortality are among the motivations that can drive real-life authoritarians.

The Proles and Humanity

The common people. The populations who are considered by the main characters' societies to be "beneath" them, but who the main characters become fascinated by, and whose lifestyles the main characters come to prefer.

Both Nineteen Eighty-Four and Good Omens contain in their narratives the notion that the prole or human way of life is where true meaning can be experienced. Winston and Julia go as far as to announce that proles are alive and Party members are dead. And at the end of Good Omens Season 1, Aziraphale outright tells Adam that being "human incarnate" is better than being Heaven or Hell incarnate.

This mirror is probably the one that brings up the richest speculation possibilities for me. I won't go in-depth here, but I see in both stories the main characters developing this love for the proles and humans while continuing to separate from them - even trying to turn around and exploit the very power structures that have oppressed them in an effort to fight against the oppression.

It's worth noting that in Nineteen Eighty-Four, Mr. Charrington, the man who Winston and Julia rented their secret love nest from, and whom they thought was a prole, was actually a member of the Thought Police who helped capture them, whereas in Good Omens, so far, the humans have just been humans, and while Adam Young started out as an incredibly powerful non-human, he later chose to be a human and used his power to reject authoritarianism.

The Themes

Authoritarianism and Power

Obviously, the whole overarching cautionary tale in Nineteen Eighty-Four is about authoritarianism and the insidious ways it affects populations. The Party's power is almost as absolute as it can possibly be. Big Brother really is almost always watching; there is almost always a telescreen somewhere nearby. Even when there isn't a telescreen, there are microphones. And unorthodox ideas and behavior are punished with annihilation - not just death, but the total annihilation of the self.

Doesn't this sound like a version of Heaven and Hell in Good Omens?

At first glance, it appears Oceania's Party is more aggressive about surveilling its Party members than Heaven and Hell are about surveilling Aziraphale and Crowley. One has to wonder if perhaps Heaven and Hell are just as aggressive with surveillance in the Upstairs and Downstairs themselves, but are less aggressive or maybe even less capable on Earth, just like the Party's surveillance is less in the countryside (although it is still a significant threat there).

But still, we see Michael pull out those photos of Crowley and Aziraphale through the ages, and we hear the Metatron refer to reviewing Aziraphale's "exploits," and we see Hell drag Crowley down in 1827, and we see both Crowley and Aziraphale anxiously glancing around throughout history with the assumption that someone might be listening, and we see how ready Heaven is to erase Gabriel's memories (his identity! his entire self!) from existence. We also watch Heaven and Hell try to make Aziraphale and Crowley disappear in a gout of hellfire and a tub of holy water after realizing that Aziraphale and Crowley do represent a threat to the current celestial order. Heaven and Hell's Nineteen Eighty-Four-esque insidious threat is clearly established in both seasons.

Vaporizing Dissidents

In fact, Heaven and Hell's arrest of Aziraphale and Crowley reminds me a bit of Winston and Julia's arrest, in the sense that the protagonists knew what was probably coming but not exactly when. And Heaven's attempted execution of Aziraphale in particular reminds me very much of the Party choosing to vaporize a dissident. They were going to try to disappear him. No angel or demon other than the ones who were involved would have known what happened to him. Hell's attempted execution of Crowley, meanwhile, reminds me of the Party's public executions of war prisoners.

Finally, the Party will attempt to erase people from existence by killing them and then erasing all records related to them, down to the very last detail. Meanwhile, the Archangel Michael threatens Aziraphale with being literally written out of existence in the Book of Life. There's lots of speculation about how possible this is. I wonder if maybe, it's a flawed process. Maybe erasing someone from the Book of Life can cut a hole shaped like them in the universe - but maybe it isn't that simple, and they don't actually get taken from anyone else's memories. Maybe, as people in Oceania haven't quite lost the ability to remember their dead, Heaven cannot actually erase the fact of anyone.

Social Disconnection

I see a lot of complaints online about the characters of Nineteen Eighty-Four being impossible to like. What tends to make characters likable? Their behaviors toward others, especially humor, compassion, individual quirks, and affection. Their moral strengths, like a sense of justice, might appeal to us, too. And what has the Party been systematically beating out of people for decades now? Anything that could possibly make fictional characters likable.

One of the Party's primary modes of social control is to keep people from having individual, intimate relationships outside of the Party. Each individual regards every other individual with distrust at all times, and only the Party is capable of providing safety. Winston mentions many instances in which he believes parents are afraid of their children, for example. There are also a number of people who he thinks would report him for thoughtcrimes.

This is getting into heavy speculation territory, but it hits me as a major motivation for the Fall in the first place. It's a great way to instantly divide Heaven itself in half, make everyone instantly suspicious of everyone else, and set up a whole bunch of rewards and punishments to hold over people's heads related to Falling.

One thing that's obvious, though, is the total lack of social connection in Heaven. Michael and Uriel are constantly treating each other with barely-suppressed contempt. Muriel wants approval so badly, but nobody has any patience for them. The "friendliest" any angels get are Gabriel and Sandalphon in Season 1, and that's still like, corporate-coworkers-style friendliness. Gabriel outright tells Beelzebub that no one has ever given him anything. Although it's...theoretically possible Gabriel is an outlier, I think his experience is probably representative of all the angels.

Bodily Experiences, Physicality, Gross Matter

There is a moment that made a big impression on me. Winston observes a prole woman outside singing a silly popular song at the top of her lungs as she works. This woman is not an attractive person by Winston's or Party standards; she is older, she is fat, she has a "lower-class" accent, her skin is weathered and reddened from working outside. But Winston, self-admitted misogynist who came of age on the Party's feminine ideal, thinks she is beautiful. He has a moment of realization that she's beautiful because the very things that theoretically would make her "unattractive" are evidence of a human life fully lived.

We also have Winston and Julia enjoying the world through their senses together in a way that they simply cannot in the grips of the Party. From listening to a thrush in the countryside to drinking real, delicious coffee, they experience pleasures that are denied to them and cause them to feel peaceful in a way that is denied to Outer Party members. As they experience life in a way that is much closer to the ways of the proles, they decide that only proles are alive; Party members are dead. It is at the moment when they speak this out loud that the Party chooses to capture them.

There's a darker side to the bodily experiences explored in Nineteen Eighty-Four, and that's experienced in the Ministry of Love. Here, Winston and Julia discover that their thoughts and feelings are indeed controlled by their bodies. There is only so much pain a human being can withstand before they will comply with their captors just to get the torture to stop. In fact, if the Party's psychological manipulation tactics haven't worked thus far to indoctrinate the population, then the body can be used to brute-force an attitude change.

The connection to Good Omens here is obvious. Aziraphale and Crowley are just like a couple of Outer Party members who haven't experienced real pleasure before, and then they discover wine and ox ribs and music and nice clothes and all those delightful human experiences that the other angels sneer at. It seems Heaven looks down on Earthly pleasure as a morally inferior, dirty pursuit, while Hell looks on Earthly pleasure as a kind of weakness, a pathetic softness. But Earth is where Aziraphale and Crowley have found meaning. Physical existence is where they've found themselves, where they've connected with each other, and where they've connected with the stuff of the universe itself.

Memory Manipulation and Thought Policing

In Nineteen Eighty-Four, there are massive governmental departments dedicated to revising all printed records, including reprinting newspapers as needed. Private writing is also not allowed. This means that even if a Party member has a memory, there is no physical evidence of it. Even if there were physical evidence, something a person had stuffed away in a safe place, there would be another, more "official" source to prove one's personal source wrong. Of course, anyone trying to make any kind of fuss about official sources being wrong would disappear, too, so no one will even try.

Winston mentions often in his narration that he has trouble remembering large portions of his life because of the way the Party has controlled the public narrative and obscured any fact that would once have been a point of reference for him. For example, Winston estimates that the date his journal starts would be April 4, 1984, but he actually isn't certain, not even about the year, because time isn't kept track of by those dates anymore. Historical facts, like events that led to the Party's ascent to power, have been rewritten so many times that Winston can no longer know what really happened. He can be sure there was chaos in the streets, followed by violence, and then proclamations from above about what was supposedly true, but one individual human being usually can't judge the big picture of what's going on in their entire society without a relatively objective source of information for major events.

Nineteen Eighty-Four also has literal thought police, Party members who study their fellow citizens for any sign of even the most remote disagreement with Party doctrine. If someone proves to be a problematic thinker, as Winston and Julia both did, they are dragged to the Ministry of Love to be violently re-educated. Using a series of punishments and rewards, prisoners are slowly broken down until they are unable to think for themselves at all.

Although it's unclear what Heaven is like in regards to spreading information, we've got the Metatron and the Archangels literally ready to erase Gabriel's memory. In Good Omens, since it's all dressed up in Heavenly attire and the characters have their unique attitudes, it comes across as less dystopian, more quirky and fantastical. But they are fundamentally threatening exactly what is done in Nineteen Eighty-Four. And based on Beelzebub's comment about how Gabriel's memory is "all your...you," the same identity issues would be at play. To erase Gabriel's memories would be to erase everything that makes Gabriel himself - an execution by another name.

Reality As A Construct (Or Not)

The Party's stance on reality is fairly simple: human beings perceive reality, so if human perception can be altered, reality can be changed and turned into whatever the Party wants it to be. This sounds wrong because it is wrong, but people who the Party has targeted for thought control don't get to think for themselves about it, because they can't withstand the torture.

This might be Heaven's approach to reality as well. Look at how questioning is discouraged, and how the angels choose to believe whatever is most convenient for Heaven, or whatever they believe should be true ("there are no back channels").

More importantly, though, we have characters in Good Omens who actually can change reality. In particular, this is what Adam Young does - and what he actively chooses not to do for the majority of the world, in the end. He only adjusts reality enough to be allowed to make his own decision: he's not the Antichrist anymore. Otherwise, he restores the world to its state from before he ascended to power (aside from a couple of tiny little eleven-year-old-boy-ish tweaks here and there; hey, you can't blame a kid for adding a few extras of his favorite books to the world).

Proles as the saviors of society

So this one is complicated because repeatedly through Nineteen Eighty-Four, we come across this feeling from WInston and Julia that the proles have some almost mystical connection to True Humanity which Party members have lost. However, there is also the repeated assumption that the proles are incapable of revolution on their own. And in a practical sense, this appears to be true. The intellectuals of their world look down on them for it, but the truth is that just as in real life, the proles are living in poverty and are far too desperate for their basic necessities to ever gain the class consciousness needed to overthrow the Party. This is, of course, by design.

Winston goes as far as to believe the proles might possibly rise up and overthrow the Party, but he never considers working with them. He goes straight into the jaws of the Inner Party instead! This seems to be for a couple of reasons, but primarily because Winston has formed this sort of attachment to O'Brien, his Inner Party member of choice.

In Good Omens, Season 1 and the book, humans do eventually save the world. Well, Adam - technically an Antichrist - saves the world by thinking like a human and accepting humanity as his true "side."

Free Will

"Free will" as a theme really ties into humanity as a theme in Good Omens, since Earth is neutral ground between Heaven and Hell and humans aren't born to a particular Side. In Nineteen Eighty-Four, of course, the Party's goal is to eliminate free will, while in Good Omens, Heaven and Hell are looking to eliminate humanity.

Individualism Versus Collectivism

Oh there it is! There's my pet theme!

I've always argued that in Good Omens, the core of the dualism explored between Aziraphale and Crowley is individualism and collectivism, with Crowley the dedicated individualist who nonetheless would like to belong somewhere, and Aziraphale the nervous collectivist who is secretly desperate to have an identity and belongings to himself. Good Omens has already touched on the notion that working together as a collective is necessary to keep the world turning, but it's also important to preserve individuality, so we have people to keep us company and meaning to live for. I think this will come up again.

Meanwhile, Nineteen Eighty-Four explores an authoritarian and destructive form of collectivism in which human beings are not allowed to have individual interests or experiences; everything flows toward the power of the Party. Individual identity is viewed as a weakness. With that said, Nineteen Eighty-Four does consider the potential power of collectives to overcome authoritarianism.

Mortality, Immortality, and Change

In Nineteen Eighty-Four, O'Brien eventually reveals that the goal of the Party is to become immortal through collectivism. While the fate of an individual human being is always to die, the Party believes a collective that is single-minded enough about maintaining power can live forever. In that way, people who submit to the Party's power can live forever, too. One has to wonder about the real point of all this, of course. The Party regards change as its downfall. For the Party to succeed, it must keep everyone moving toward the exact same goal of maintaining power forever.

In Good Omens, many of the characters are naturally immortal, as angels or demons. They don't have to change, and Heaven and Hell don't have to change. However, existing as immortals in Heaven or Hell, not experiencing any of the things mortals do in the physical world, all seems pretty obviously pointless. Aziraphale and Crowley, and then Gabriel and Beelzebub, and then Muriel, all start to find meaning on Earth among mortals. And I think this is all yet to be expanded upon, especially with the looming Second Coming.

Where Good Omens is concerned, the notion of change as a type of death and/or death as a type of change may be important (and ties into The Crow Road by Iain Banks as well).

By coming to Earth, the immortal characters are essentially doing the reverse of assimilating with the Party or Heaven and Hell: they're discovering themselves. With self-discovery comes the risk of change - changing from who they used to be in Heaven or Hell - and the reward of meaning.

The Party of Oceania wants to assimilate everyone into the same goal of maintaining the Party's power in order to make the Party immortal. While "maintaining power" is a "purpose" of sorts for the collective, on an individual level for any specific human being, it is nihilistic, since there is no place for the individual other than ensuring the success of the Party's destruction of the individual.

Freedom in the Natural World

In both stories, we've got the notion of nature as a place of freedom. The countryside where Winston and Julia first meet up lacks telescreens, and there are fewer microphones as well, allowing them to act naturally in a way that isn't usually permitted in the city. The room that Winston and Julia rent from Mr. Charrington is also so old-fashioned that it doesn't have a telescreen; they believe themselves to be momentarily safe in their own little world there. Unfortunately, Mr. Charrington is not really an ordinary prole, but a member of the Thought Police, which allows the Party to invade Winston's and Julia's space.

Of course, in Good Omens, Earth is the ultimate place of freedom. Heaven and Hell are both awful in their ways, hyper-controlled and devoid of real meaning. It's on Earth that Aziraphale and Crowley can begin to truly live. Of course, the safe little place they create together, the bookshop, is eventually invaded by Heaven and Hell.

I'd like to leave you with a pair of quotations.

"If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face---forever. ... And remember that it is forever. The face will always be there to be stamped upon. The heretic, the enemy of society, will always be there, so that he can be defeated and humiliated over again. Everything that you have undergone since you have been in our hands---all that will continue, and worse. The espionage, the betrayals, the arrests, the tortures, the executions, the disappearances will never cease." O'Brien Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell Part Three, Chapter III

"If you want to imagine the future, imagine a boy and his dog and his friends. And a summer that never ends. If you want to imagine the future, imagine a boot . . . no, imagine a sneaker, laces trailing, kicking a pebble; imagine a stick, to poke at interesting things, and throw for a dog that may or may not decide to retrieve it; imagine a tuneless whistle, pounding some luckless popular song into insensibility; imagine a figure, half angel, half devil, all human . . . Slouching hopefully towards Tadfield. . . . . . . forever. Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett

[johnwickb1tsch]

graphic by @treedaddymcpuffpuff 😍😘😘😘

~ Enigmatic Stranger ~ Part 2

a young!John Wick x fem!Reader roundrobin fic… by @sweetwolfcupcake , @treedaddymcpuffpuff , & @johnwickb1tsch

part 1

johnwickb1tsch

He’s following you. 

You know it’s the only explanation. 

You don’t really think he means you any harm, but…isn’t that how all those creepy stories on DATELINE begin? 

A neatly packed giftbag appears on your doorstep a few days later, containing your notebook and all your favorite pens. No note, but you know. 

He knows where you live.

You can’t call the cops–even if you wanted to. You just know it won’t do any good. 

And…you don’t really want to get him into trouble. You just want…

Well you don’t know what you want, dammit. A properly functioning brain around him, maybe. That would be helpful. 

The next time you’re in your favorite corner cafe, the barista tells you that your usual order has already been paid for. Happy holidays to you! 

Not nearly as thrilled about it as the nice girl was clearly expecting, you look around frantically. You know he’s here somewhere–in the corner? Across the room? That’s when you spot a flash of mocha dark eyes meeting yours from the other side of the window–outside. He gives you a smirk, and a little finger wave. 

Coward. 

You don’t know where you get the courage to march back out to the sidewalk with your fists clenched–maybe because deep down you know by the time you get out there, he’s already gone.

Sweetwolfcupcake:

It's a bit silly but you are the type to get excited when your breath clouds in front of you. You know how childish it is, and if someone would point that out, it might make you a little embarrassed. But for the most part, you barely care. The world is already miserable, last year, in retrospect was brighter and lighter than this year and life in general, is never going to be a fairy tale. So, why care?

You blow out your breath with a deliberate heaviness, smiling at the sight of the puffs of clouds escaping your nose and mouth as you make your way towards your apartment. It's freezing and you are reminded of your pending grocery shopping.

Oh right, you want to make the perfect cup of hot chocolate and eat healthy for once. It was...what? Your last year's resolution?

New Year resolutions are stupid anyway...

You think as you put the needed items in your cart. Where was the---Your car bumps into a surface before it is held firmly still. You look up immediately, ready to apologise when your eyes meet a similar dark pair. His hair is slightly tousled, and it's unfair because now, besides being devastatingly handsome, he is also cute. To any passerby, he would be an attractive and cute stranger.

He is technically a stranger to you as well. But your eyes are not tricked by this. A panther looks adorable too, as long as it's on the TV screen, in the zoo or far away. A panther right in front of you will make your life flash before your eyes.

He is the panther. Dressed in black, he reminds you of a black panther---dark, majestic, rare, almost mystical. But the eyes...They are everything you fear and crave. You see the quiet melancholy, the yearning, the kindness, and then the depth, the darkness, the...hunger. You have never seen so many contradictions at once.

(ref image)

"Be careful."

There it is, the slight curl of his lips and your cheeks are heated again.

"I'm sorry." You manage to whisper out and attempt to pull back your cart. But he holds it in place.

Why are you reminded of the wildlife adventure tale where the protagonist comes face to face with a wolf and begins to back away? Why does it make so much now?

"Please excuse me." You frown at his hand holding your shopping cart. It's not as assertive as you would have liked it but at least you show your displeasure.

"Oh, my bad." There is an amused gleam in his eyes as he lets go of your cart. "You should be careful walking around," he adds after a moment of pause and a little twinkle in his eyes which grow slightly softer.

In silence only nod and back away,  waiting for him to pass by as you pull your cart aside. You sigh when he makes no move. He just observes you, standing without even a basket, you notice.

Just pass by, it's not like he's going to pounce or something.

You tell yourself before gathering enough courage and breezing past him. All the while, your heart thumps in the way you are familiar with. you have got a fat crush on him, but he also scares you.

He is this mysterious, brooding stranger who has been kind to you. But he carries an aura that makes your sixth sense stand still and stiff in alert, and have your body pumping adrenaline for a fight or flight response.

No, this man is not good for your health. Besides, you are sure he has been following you around and if this doesn't make you run in the other direction or activate your self-preservation, you don't know what really will.

Such men look good only in fiction.

You tell yourself as you grab the first item you see on the shelf, disregarding your brand preference and rushing towards check out.

Treedaddymcpuffpuff:

This is ridiculous. You are a grown woman. You shouldn’t be pining after some boy like in the school playground when your hormones were raging, out of control beasts. You have your own place, your own car, take care of yourself quite well, actually, thank you, and it kinda sorta maybe feels like you’re being intimidated by a man right now.

That will just not do at all. 

However, you don’t want to make assumptions. Sure, every part of this dance with handsome, dangerous, sometimes blood speckled stranger seems like you’re being hunted—followed, but what if it’s just a coincidence? What if your paranoid and anxious, creative mind has gone too far—again?

These thoughts, the flimsy ones that protect your pride and sanity, are also the ones that make your tongue dry up and your voice shrivel the next time you see him at the library. He’s sitting at your usual spot, nestled into one of the big stapled chairs with the huge tome of Aesop’s Fables looking way too tiny balanced in his big hands. 

Before you can turn on your heels and put your tail between your legs, he speaks, a speck of amusement tinkling in his dark, velvet voice that makes your tummy hurt. “Are you ever going to ask me why I’m following you?” 

Oh. Oh. There it is. Your suspicions confirmed. Or maybe he’s just fucking with you. Either way, what a dick move, and that nervous boil in your belly turns sour with anger in seconds. 

“You’re…following me?!” You try it as a roaring demand but it comes out like a timid squeak.  

He shuts his book softly, and looks over at you, eyes roaming once over your body—stiff shoulders, little Pride and Prejudice book clutched white in your knuckles, legs twitching with the urge to run. “That’s what I said, yes.”

“Well—I’m—“ your voice crescendos into a tight, high whine, wheezing and struggling to escape from your bone dry throat. “I’m calling the police, then.”

A couple people are looking over at the two of you now—he notices and you don’t. And, he should get you out of here before this escalates any further, but Jesus Christ you’re so delectable and sweet and too innocent for even that book you’re holding, so instead he chuckles at your threat. Laughs at you. 

Your hand twitches to slap him, and you think maybe this is how it feels when the tiny mouse bites the big hungry snake in a last ditch effort to escape death. “I’m not kidding, stay the hell away from me. I will—“

How in the world does he move so fast—quietly, too, pressing you back into an alcove of shelves before you can scream or think or fight. You feel the worn spines of adult fiction digging into your back as he settles his hand over your mouth.  “I am following you,” he says again, “because someone else is trying to hurt you, and I need to know why.” 

You barely hear or care what he’s saying, before all of your teeth sink into the hard flesh of his palm, and you bite. You bite like the mouse, and the serpent curses and loosens just enough so that you can wriggle out of his grasp and run for your life.

Johnwickb1tsch:

You’re not stupid. 

Usually you would never be out alone this late at night, but you had a bad day at work, so you decided to treat yourself seeing a movie, and then your subway train broke down. You had to walk for blocks, and you are exhausted, and freezing, and your feet hurt. 

It’s like this man can just materialize from the shadows. Like he’s some kind of fucking ghost. 

You don’t try to run this time. You just freeze, looking up at him with your big woodland creature eyes. You notice he has a bandage on his hand, and you wonder if he’s going to pay you back for that. 

“Please don’t hurt me.” You hate how small your voice sounds. 

“If I was going to, wouldn’t I have done it by now?”

“Unless you like playing with me.” It leaves your lips before you even realize what you’re saying, and the sardonic curl of the corner of his mouth floods you with agonizing embarrassment. 

“I do, but you still shouldn’t be out here alone this late.”

“Subway broke.”

“Then take a taxi.”

“I’m broke.”

He just growls in response to that, maybe understanding all too well. “Come on. I’ll walk you home.” 

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” 

“I can walk beside you, or behind you. Pick one.” 

Sweetwolfcupcake: 

You try not to steal glances at him as he walks beside you. You are keeping an eye on him. At least this is what you tell yourself. The silence is nowhere near suffocating, but it is tense. Not the confrontational type of tense but with the kind that comes with the acknowledgement that the man you have a fat crush on, claims that some other people are following you, and now, he is walking you home, being all gentlemanly after almost creeping the daylights out of you with his antics.

Well, for someone very comfortable with her mundane life, this is a lot to take in for you. And yes, you would admit that seeing him so often and the way you can't seem to stop yourself from thinking of him every now and then, you realise that you love your solitude, but you also are lonely and crave as just as much as love, shelter and support that any normal human around you. No matter how many philosophical texts you have come across, and understood, you know that you are not above the person you pass by. Your needs are just as humane, you are still bound by the social expectations, your thoughts, your doubts, your dreams and your emotions. You are no saint.

But you also know that the least you can do is to avoid a man like him who exudes danger and yet holds an allure so strong that it makes you weak on your knees. You know that men like him are either a lesson or a lifetime's worth of wait. You should not allow your heart to flutter the way it does when he stands close behind you while you unlock your apartment door.

Is he going to follow you in?

Should you even allow that?

Thankfully, your rational mind kicks in at the right moment.

"Thanks for walking me home." You turn around, keeping the door closed. A clear indication that you do not want him following you in.

You really don't, right?

Stop reading foolish novels!

Mr Enigma, as you come up with the name, raises an eyebrow with that amused twinkle that makes your lips twitch, itching to smile for some reason.

It's not that the fear magically vanishes from you. No, it is there, but somewhere, you are growing comfortable with him. Not too comfortable, but enough to be able to stand your ground and try not to chicken out. Even though you find it hard to believe that there will be no repercussions for the bandaged hand.

"Isn't it rude to not invite your guests in?"

"You are not a guest."

His lips curl up again and even though it is faint, you can bet that he has a heart-melting smile.

His dark, deep eyes assess you for a moment before he relents and steps back, but it feels like a chess game trick. The type of move that makes the opponent feel at ease, while the person comes up with a check-mate.

"Okay, good night then."

You are relieved and partially scoff at your train of thought. Maybe you have been watching too many crime shows.

"Good night" You nod and turn around, opening your apartment door.

"Do not forget to lock the kitchen window."

"Yeah, thanks." You mumble as you enter your home before shutting the door.

The sigh of relief bubbling in your throat stops at the realisation that leaves you cold.

How the hell does he know about your kitchen window?

Treedaddymcpuffpuff: 

You really do plan on locking it initially, in your defense. That little rusted latch with the white paint chipped off—you wrap your fingers around the unpleasant texture of it and start to slide the lock into place, but then stop. It’s a bad idea. Terrible, even, to leave your window unlocked, to go specifically against Mr. Enigma’s word. 

You smile a little bit, probably out of sheer insanity, as you grab the ledge of the pane and tug that window fully open. Cool air is not the only thing that perks goosebumps on your skin as you look out into the street-lamp yellow night for a slinky black figure lurking just out of sight. 

You’re only going to leave it open for a few minutes, you promise yourself, bundling up on the couch with a thick blanket and cup of warm, spicy tea. Otherwise your heat bill will be astronomically high on this month’s statement, and you definitely can’t afford that again. 

You don’t have to wait long with that rapid expecting beat of your heart before a cold weight settles heavily into the couch beside you. You refuse to look up from Pride and Prejudice—the childish games we still play—as if you’re the 16 year old again with a mad crush on the guy that wears leather jackets and smokes behind the bleachers and trying desperately not to prove it.

“It’s okay,” he assures, “I have all night.” 

“Just a couple more pages.” Trying banter with him feels so oddly natural that it scares you, much like everything else about this man. You try to swallow and have 0 saliva to do it with.

You have no idea what the last five pages even say, no matter how many times you try to read the lines over again, because it’s impossible to focus on anything but his increasingly warming body on the other side of your little sectional, still as stone.

When you finally shut it and look over at him, he’s smiling a little bit again, like he can’t help but be entertained by your shy demeanor. You purse your lips to avoid nervous giggles—or maybe terrified screaming—whatever works. 

“I told you to lock your window,” he says. 

You open your mouth to say something witty, but instead the insolent child comes out. “You’re not the boss of me.”

Johnwickb1tsch:

“Oh no?"

"No." Where you get the pluck to lift your chin at this man, you don't know.

"I’m just trying to keep you safe. You’re not helping, by the way.” He still seems amused, but there’s a hard undercurrent in his words.

“Why?”

“Why?”

“Why do you care? Why did you warn me, that day in the park?”

“Because I could tell you’re innocent.”

“You don’t know that. You don’t know anything about me.”

The corner of his mouth turns up at that. 

“Okay. Have you ever killed anyone?”

Your heart stutters. “No…”

“Right. You wouldn’t hurt a fly. You even give the pigeons right of way on the sidewalk.”

You sigh resignedly. Maybe he’s got your number after all.

“And I know you love books. I know you like vanilla roast with so much milk and sugar in it that it barely passes for coffee.”

You stick your tongue out at him for that. Maybe it’s a mistake, because you see the glitter of laughter in his dark eyes…and they fixate on your mouth for a long, pregnant, second.

“I know that in a different life, I would have liked to meet a girl like you.”

You’re not sure why you feel sorry for him in that moment. He’s practically a stranger, and he broke into your apartment. You should be scared, not wanting to hold his hand. You shouldn’t be excited, that he is still looking at your mouth. 

When he touches your chin lightly with one long finger, angling your face towards him, you freeze. Can he feel you shaking? You don’t even know if it’s anticipation, or fear. If he actually kisses you…you might implode.

This is it, and there isn’t anything you can do to stop it.

Whether it be resignation, or surrender, you close your eyes, and you feel him lean in, the warmth of his mouth hovering over yours. 

“I’m a bad man, y/n,” he says quietly, so close you feel his breath on your lips, and you swear your heart stops. “So lock. Your damn. Window.”

Then he’s gone, as though he disappeared into thin air like a ghost–or The Boogeyman. Only the flutter of your curtains indicates that he was ever actually there.

Suddenly, your limbs feel numb, and you can’t tell if you’re relieved–or disappointed.

Sweetwolfcupcake:

For once, you take out the tea bags and prepare a cup for yourself. It has been four days since the eventful night and there is no sign of your Mr Enigma. You're not counting, you just have selective memory.

You pause, realising that you thought of him as 'yours'. Nothing could be further than the truth, which should not bother you.

It does not upset you to the standards of being truly upset, but there is this disappointment. He clearly said that he wished it were in another life that he met you. And you take it as a sign that he clearly does not want to be involved with you. If he can't or if he was being just kind at the moment, you don't know.

The universe has its funny ways---wait, you don't believe in these silly theories.

You do not want to think of why you closed your eyes that night. What were you expecting? A kiss?

You smile sardonically as you fill your cup with warm water before dropping the tea bag. Has life not taught you enough? People like you are not made for 'love stories', or even 'miracles'. No, people like you see through the shit the world has built around. All those couples smiling and lying to each other. All the aged-up 'perfect' pairs resenting one another till the day of their death when they wish they had never met each other.

You see that all around you. No matter how much effort one puts in, the other somehow manages to smash it all. You love too much, you end up hurt, you love with restraint, and regret kills you from within.

Love isn't for people like you. You do not believe that you have anything to give after what you already lost a few years ago. The night when you waited in the rain for that one man you loved to turn up.

Something turned numb in you eventually.

One man with haunting eyes can not hurt you. You decide and sip your tea, trying to shove his thoughts somewhere far away.

-----

You find yourself at your favoured corner table in the cafe again. The sun set a while ago and while you are tired after work, the Christmas special offer on the hot chocolate chimed its bell for you.

Okay, you love hot chocolate and even if there were no offer, you would have gone for it.

Taking out your notepad, you begin to scribble out the words that refuse to leave your mind until they bleed into paper. A short poem of six lines. But as soon as you read it again, you know it is all about him.

Wow.

You are one messed up woman.

You sigh and put your head down on the table. Along the internal monologue of self-slander, the aroma of hot chocolate wafts through and it has your attention already. You look up to find a steaming cup of hot chocolate in front of you before you hear the chair scrapping. Y

You blink. There he is again, sitting in front of you with your notepad in his hand.

Shit!

Treedaddymcpuffpuff:

”I locked my window,” you say.

“But not your door,” he muses, a dark eyebrow raising.

“Shit.” 

“If you keep being careless, I might have to take you home with me to keep you safe.” 

“You said you’re dangerous, so how would I be safe with you, exactly?” To your credit, the sarcasm is biting a little harder through your tone, now as you grow accustomed to his presence.

“Safe from everyone but me,” he revises.

“Then how is that safe?” You ask, even growing the balls to roll your eyes. You bring the steaming mug up to take a rich, chocolatey drink, and the liquid almost spills over with the nervous quake of your hands. 

“Safe in the sense of being alive.” 

“So…you don’t want to kill me?”

He snorts. “Far from it.” 

You have to think about that for a minute. What in the ever loving hell is he talking about? He’s dangerous, so you have to lock your window. He’s safe, so you might have to go home with him. He doesn’t want to kill you, he was to do the opposite? He’s so very fucking handsome with that dark scruff just edging on unruly, curling over his sharp face. That heavy, angled nose and those fucking cheekbones. 

“Something you want to ask?” He goads, leaning a bit more toward you, that pretty mouth curled into a serpent’s smile. 

“What..” You swallow sand. “What’s your name?”