‘Vanguard was a hard man to describe. People didn’t like to look at his face long enough to notice any real detail. If they had looked, they would have noticed the tell-tale signs of a long career in service. They would have seen the scars and the tattoos, the patch on the side of his jaw where the skin had been burnt away. He reached up and ran one finger over the scars, feeling the coarse hairs that half masked the puckered skin. The scars didn’t make him any less attractive. Time had done a good enough job of that.‘

After a brief hiatus, I decided to start a new version of the ‘Dark Thoughts’ blog series. I got some very positive reactions to the last set of posts, so rather than changing what seems to work (so far), I thought I’d give the initial idea something of a tweak.

I love the study of psychology, human nature, culture, and interaction. The way that we (as a collective) tend to work, either consciously or not, is an endless source of fascination. As a writer, I often find myself discovering new psychological traits or phenomena that I could use for character building.

Hence, with the launch of ‘We Men of Ash and Shadow’ being less than a month away, I decided to write a series of ‘Dark Thoughts’ posts that reveal some of the phenomena that could apply to the main characters of the book. Don’t worry – you won’t find any spoilers here. Just a look at some of the characters, and the psychological and social factors that may (or may not) drive them.

Let’s take John Vanguard for instance. As the protagonist of ‘We Men of Ash and Shadow’, ex-soldier turned mercenary Vanguard is used to going unnoticed. Most of the time, his survival relies on it. But for most people, the feeling of being ignored or invisible can lead to some profound psychological consequences.

It may help to know that the feeling of being ‘unseen’ is one that affects many. It can also, in some cases, lead to an unfounded sense of ego or superiority. The ‘Invisibility Cloak of Illusion’ is a psychological phenomenon named in a 2017 study that cites that people often believe they are the observer rather than the observed.

When positioned in a crowded place – for example, on public transport or in a shop – people will believe that they are watching the crowd, but have little perception of anybody watching them. In short, a lot of us assume that while watching what those around us are doing, we are either not interesting or important enough to be watched ourselves. Or, in some cases, we assume that we are just too good at being unnoticed for anyone to see us (that superiority complex creeping in again).

Think about it. You walk into your favourite coffee shop. You go there every morning. You know which servers work on which days, what the specials will be, and at what time that creepy guy who spends just a little bit too much time digging his change out of his pocket will be there. Don’t come at me for that one. We all know every coffee shop has one. You walk in, and you find that there’s a person that you’ve never seen before behind the counter. They’re a stranger to you.

But you sit there with your coffee, and now and then your eyes slide over to the counter. You notice the way they talk to people. The clothes they wear. How they move. You’re watching them, but rarely will it occur to you that perhaps someone is watching you in the same way. To someone else, you are the stranger.  

Simply put, for the majority of times, we fail to notice ourselves being observed. Because you’ve donned your invisibility cloak of illusion. Perhaps this is why it can be so disconcerting – chilling even – to realise that somebody is observing us. That layer of protection has been peeled away. It makes us feel exposed because we are used to considering ourselves the watcher.

Maybe there is an argument to be made that the less we believe people see us, the less they will. It could explain Vanguard’s penchant for lingering in the shadows. After all, nobody pays attention to the guy in the background. In Vanguard’s case, the ability to go unseen is a definite string to his bow. D’Orsee isn’t the kind of place you want to be seen in. But if you want to know more about that you’ll just have to read the book.

Until next time, may your books be dark but your hearts be light.