Application of entranceway
Name: Julio
LJ: n/a
E-Mail: julioigk91@yahoo.com
IM: julioigk91
Character Name: Goss and Subby
Series: Kraken, by China Mieville
Timeline: When Goss and Subby die.
Canon Resource Link: Gonna have to go a bit quantity over quality here…
Short Wiki with brief intro: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kraken_%28novel%29
professional book reviews that give an overall feel:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2010/may/15/china-mieville-kraken-novel
http://www.syfy.co.uk/news/2010/06/china-mieville-releases-kraken
Consumer reviews: http://www.amazon.com/Kraken-China-Mieville/product-reviews/034549749X/ref=cm_cr_dp_all_summary?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1&sortBy=bySubmissionDateDescending
Character Background:
According to one reference in the book, Goss and Subby have been actively terrorizing London since 1605. They’re names are infamously tied with several notable murders that happened from the 1600’s to the early 2000’s. By the time of the book, they’ve earned enough of a reputation that their names are said in fear, whispered as though in warning. Not knowing who they are often earns a look of pity or disgust. More often than not, being hunted by Goss and Subby is a black mark, and people won’t touch you with a ten foot pole. You’re considered dead, and they’d rather not get in the way.
Although the two of them can probably do whatever they want to do without too many people getting in the way, they always seem to be in the employ of someone who can pay big bucks. It’s never mentioned or hinted as to what the two do with all the money they earn. They certainly don’t spend it on clothing. They appear once in a while, after decades or centuries of absence, find an employer, do some crazy stuff, then disappear again.
Part of their reputation is that they’re totally batshit crazy. Goss is the extremely talkative type, who likes saying things that don’t really make sense to anyone except him and Subby. And Subby is the very silent, obedient type who will hold your hand soothingly while Goss eats you. Literally, eats you.
Their first objective in the book is to capture the protagonist, Billy Harrow. They do this by employing an expert of a tricky, deceptive magic that Goss isn’t too proficient at himself. In the process, Goss eats Billy’s friend, Leon, because Leon was starting to annoy him and he wanted to make a point.
Under the directions of their employer, Goss and Subby almost bring Billy to a place known only as the workshop, to do horrors so unspeakable they’re never actually mentioned in the book. Billy is rescued, however, which pisses off Goss very much. He spends the majority of the rest of the book trying to track down Billy.
He does this by harassing Leon’s girlfriend, killing someone who told the police about them, and killing someone who was doing a favor for Billy.
In order to understand how gruesome Goss and Subby are, I’ll explain briefly how he killed that last person. The person’s name was Jason, and he was being held in an interrogation room by the police. Goss threatened his way into the interrogation room, then proceeded to be batshit crazy, like usual. He asked Jason where Billy was. Jason didn’t know, and was wailing very badly, so Goss put a finger to Jason’s lips in order to silence him. Jason kept insisting he didn’t know where Billy was, so Goss started pressing with his finger, slowly cutting Jason’s lip and snapping out one of his teeth. Jason kept insisting he didn’t know, and was at this point begging for his life. So Goss very slowly pushed his other hand into Jason’s stomach, and then up his chest into his throat. He then made finger holes in Jason’s mouth with the same hand, effectively turning Jason into a hand puppet (yes, Jason was dead at his point) with a hole leading from Jason’s gut to his mouth. Goss then had a pretend-conversation with the hand puppet/corpse, and then left. Yeaaaaah, pretty insane.
Goss and Subby almost catch Billy at one point, but are fooled by a spirit named Wati into letting Billy escape. So Goss and Subby leave for a few days to find Wati’s weakness (a statuette left in Egypt), return to London, and try to kill Wati, almost succeeding. Having used Wati as bait to draw Billy to them, they only had to wait and restrain some of Billy’s other friends. It was at this point, however, that someone named Paul, who was- let’s call him an acquaintance of Goss and Subby (it’s a lot more complicated than that, but it’ll do), had figured out that Subby wasn’t actually a real child.
Subby is in fact a receptacle for Goss’ heart. Goss made him, and hid his heart in Subby’s throat, which is why Subby can’t speak. All Paul had to do was stab Subby’s throat repeatedly after having separated the boy from Goss, and both Goss and Subby died. It’s hinted at this point and previously in the book that Goss does care very much for Subby, in a fatherly way. His expression is described as so aghast it made your heart break to look at it, when Subby was being stabbed. Probably quite a bit of that is because he was afraid for his own life, but throughout the book Goss does treat Subby like his son, smoothing out his hair and telling him silly stories.
There is a brief, very beautiful poem that tells us that for one moment, when Goss died, every tortured and abused and picked-on soul in London, from 1605 to the present day, felt a brief moment of joy.
It’s important to note that for the majority of the book the world was on the brink of imminent apocalypse. And as you can see by the fact that I’m only mentioning this now, Goss and Subby didn’t give a damn.
Abilites/Special Powers:
Magic in Kraken’s London is actually called knacks. So for example, if you have a knack for fire, you’re a pyromancer and can control it. Or if your knack is investigation, you can do things like summon sniffing dogs and police spirits.
It’s mentioned repeatedly in the book that Goss’ knack is being an evil bastard. He has no specific ability, though in the book he displays incredible strength, as well as being tough as a steel wall (he actually makes a hitting-steel sound when you strike him). The book specifically says that he might eat one person, spit fire at another person, kill another person with his own eyeballs, etc etc. Basically, if it helps Goss be an evil bastard, he can sort of do it. I say sort of. The trade off for his wide range of abilities is that he isn’t particularly inclined to master one of them. It is repeatedly shown in the book that he can smell and taste things to know more about them (who they’ve been talking to or touched by, etc.) He also exhales smoke once in a while at random, even without a cigarette.
Subby is just about a normal kid who never talks, but is 99% of the time protected by Goss.
Third-Person Sample:
[[OOC: Tecnincally this happens in canon, but it's only ever mentioned in passing. Goss and Subby disappear for a few chapters then reappear later, and only then do you find out what they were doing. It was never written out in detail.]
It was damn hot, though Goss barely felt it, trudging along through the sand. Egypt was the mistress of magic, and he could smell the trails of it all over the place, could taste it. It was like a permanent high, the crunch of it between his teeth like M&M’s, or fingernails. This was a rolling patch of desert no one had walked in so very long a time. Its story was done. But Subby loved good stories, just absolutely adored them. And this is one Goss would steal for him.
Goss lifted a boot, shaking sand from it. “It’s everywhere. Be careful Subby, or it will crawl its way into your eyeballs!” Subby only looked on blankly ahead in response, before stopping abruptly and staring at his feet. “Oh yes,” Goss sighed, gray smoke curling out from between his lips. “Yes, yes. The little bitch thinks he can count to fifty and play hide-and-seek, but we’re too good at this game.”
It was here. Goss dropped to his feet and began digging with his hands, digging at a speed no mortal man would ever believe. He dug with fervor, spraying sand everywhere, sweat pouring down from his forehead, until his hand clasped around a small figurine. He brought it up, clutching at it, raised it to the sun. Though it was blindingly bright, he stared at the wooden statuette. He brought it down to his face and sniffed it, licked, his face contorting into a grin of joy. “We’ve struck oil! Stop the presses, stop!” He ruffled the boy’s hair affectionately, handing him the figure. “Clutch the little puppet like a rabbit’s ear.”
The chunk of wood was the only weapon they needed. Goss knew to ascribe meaning to little things like that; he had tasted it, and knew that the statue was where his enemy had been born. He tugged Subby along back the way they came, draping his arm around the boy’s shoulders, staining his suit with sand. “Subby, m’boy… This is the start of a beautiful friendship.” He laughed at his own joke, while Subby only stared blankly ahead.
First-Person Sample:
[Video]
[A tall, dirty and disheveled man is speaking to a boy in a suit. From the looks of it they’re somewhere in the forest, though the Mansion is barely visible through the trees.] You see that, Subby? The castle of the fairy kings was real, and the little sparkle dragons have flown us all the way here. I know you love to chat but don’t say num until I’ve talked to thems in charge.
[The man adjusts the boy’s tie and smiles at him, before turning to face the camera.]
Good morning! It’s charming, this, this lovely place. If you like the whole medieval swing, because I can do some redecorating, put some lovely French curtains over there and there, if you please. I can’t promise there won’t be some collateral damages.
[He unfurls his tongue from his mouth and… licks the screen. His face contorts into an expression of disgust as he smacks his lips.] Because there’s naught but shit here in terms of things I need to know. So where am I, eh? Is it Time’s Square, I’ve never been, or maybe it’s the hereafter. It doesn’t look too squiddy to me! [And he breaks out into loud, cackling laughter, as the boy opens his mouth wide and moans.]
LJ: n/a
E-Mail: julioigk91@yahoo.com
IM: julioigk91
Character Name: Goss and Subby
Series: Kraken, by China Mieville
Timeline: When Goss and Subby die.
Canon Resource Link: Gonna have to go a bit quantity over quality here…
Short Wiki with brief intro: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kraken_%28novel%29
professional book reviews that give an overall feel:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2010/may/15/china-mieville-kraken-novel
http://www.syfy.co.uk/news/2010/06/china-mieville-releases-kraken
Consumer reviews: http://www.amazon.com/Kraken-China-Mieville/product-reviews/034549749X/ref=cm_cr_dp_all_summary?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1&sortBy=bySubmissionDateDescending
Character Background:
According to one reference in the book, Goss and Subby have been actively terrorizing London since 1605. They’re names are infamously tied with several notable murders that happened from the 1600’s to the early 2000’s. By the time of the book, they’ve earned enough of a reputation that their names are said in fear, whispered as though in warning. Not knowing who they are often earns a look of pity or disgust. More often than not, being hunted by Goss and Subby is a black mark, and people won’t touch you with a ten foot pole. You’re considered dead, and they’d rather not get in the way.
Although the two of them can probably do whatever they want to do without too many people getting in the way, they always seem to be in the employ of someone who can pay big bucks. It’s never mentioned or hinted as to what the two do with all the money they earn. They certainly don’t spend it on clothing. They appear once in a while, after decades or centuries of absence, find an employer, do some crazy stuff, then disappear again.
Part of their reputation is that they’re totally batshit crazy. Goss is the extremely talkative type, who likes saying things that don’t really make sense to anyone except him and Subby. And Subby is the very silent, obedient type who will hold your hand soothingly while Goss eats you. Literally, eats you.
Their first objective in the book is to capture the protagonist, Billy Harrow. They do this by employing an expert of a tricky, deceptive magic that Goss isn’t too proficient at himself. In the process, Goss eats Billy’s friend, Leon, because Leon was starting to annoy him and he wanted to make a point.
Under the directions of their employer, Goss and Subby almost bring Billy to a place known only as the workshop, to do horrors so unspeakable they’re never actually mentioned in the book. Billy is rescued, however, which pisses off Goss very much. He spends the majority of the rest of the book trying to track down Billy.
He does this by harassing Leon’s girlfriend, killing someone who told the police about them, and killing someone who was doing a favor for Billy.
In order to understand how gruesome Goss and Subby are, I’ll explain briefly how he killed that last person. The person’s name was Jason, and he was being held in an interrogation room by the police. Goss threatened his way into the interrogation room, then proceeded to be batshit crazy, like usual. He asked Jason where Billy was. Jason didn’t know, and was wailing very badly, so Goss put a finger to Jason’s lips in order to silence him. Jason kept insisting he didn’t know where Billy was, so Goss started pressing with his finger, slowly cutting Jason’s lip and snapping out one of his teeth. Jason kept insisting he didn’t know, and was at this point begging for his life. So Goss very slowly pushed his other hand into Jason’s stomach, and then up his chest into his throat. He then made finger holes in Jason’s mouth with the same hand, effectively turning Jason into a hand puppet (yes, Jason was dead at his point) with a hole leading from Jason’s gut to his mouth. Goss then had a pretend-conversation with the hand puppet/corpse, and then left. Yeaaaaah, pretty insane.
Goss and Subby almost catch Billy at one point, but are fooled by a spirit named Wati into letting Billy escape. So Goss and Subby leave for a few days to find Wati’s weakness (a statuette left in Egypt), return to London, and try to kill Wati, almost succeeding. Having used Wati as bait to draw Billy to them, they only had to wait and restrain some of Billy’s other friends. It was at this point, however, that someone named Paul, who was- let’s call him an acquaintance of Goss and Subby (it’s a lot more complicated than that, but it’ll do), had figured out that Subby wasn’t actually a real child.
Subby is in fact a receptacle for Goss’ heart. Goss made him, and hid his heart in Subby’s throat, which is why Subby can’t speak. All Paul had to do was stab Subby’s throat repeatedly after having separated the boy from Goss, and both Goss and Subby died. It’s hinted at this point and previously in the book that Goss does care very much for Subby, in a fatherly way. His expression is described as so aghast it made your heart break to look at it, when Subby was being stabbed. Probably quite a bit of that is because he was afraid for his own life, but throughout the book Goss does treat Subby like his son, smoothing out his hair and telling him silly stories.
There is a brief, very beautiful poem that tells us that for one moment, when Goss died, every tortured and abused and picked-on soul in London, from 1605 to the present day, felt a brief moment of joy.
It’s important to note that for the majority of the book the world was on the brink of imminent apocalypse. And as you can see by the fact that I’m only mentioning this now, Goss and Subby didn’t give a damn.
Abilites/Special Powers:
Magic in Kraken’s London is actually called knacks. So for example, if you have a knack for fire, you’re a pyromancer and can control it. Or if your knack is investigation, you can do things like summon sniffing dogs and police spirits.
It’s mentioned repeatedly in the book that Goss’ knack is being an evil bastard. He has no specific ability, though in the book he displays incredible strength, as well as being tough as a steel wall (he actually makes a hitting-steel sound when you strike him). The book specifically says that he might eat one person, spit fire at another person, kill another person with his own eyeballs, etc etc. Basically, if it helps Goss be an evil bastard, he can sort of do it. I say sort of. The trade off for his wide range of abilities is that he isn’t particularly inclined to master one of them. It is repeatedly shown in the book that he can smell and taste things to know more about them (who they’ve been talking to or touched by, etc.) He also exhales smoke once in a while at random, even without a cigarette.
Subby is just about a normal kid who never talks, but is 99% of the time protected by Goss.
Third-Person Sample:
[[OOC: Tecnincally this happens in canon, but it's only ever mentioned in passing. Goss and Subby disappear for a few chapters then reappear later, and only then do you find out what they were doing. It was never written out in detail.]
It was damn hot, though Goss barely felt it, trudging along through the sand. Egypt was the mistress of magic, and he could smell the trails of it all over the place, could taste it. It was like a permanent high, the crunch of it between his teeth like M&M’s, or fingernails. This was a rolling patch of desert no one had walked in so very long a time. Its story was done. But Subby loved good stories, just absolutely adored them. And this is one Goss would steal for him.
Goss lifted a boot, shaking sand from it. “It’s everywhere. Be careful Subby, or it will crawl its way into your eyeballs!” Subby only looked on blankly ahead in response, before stopping abruptly and staring at his feet. “Oh yes,” Goss sighed, gray smoke curling out from between his lips. “Yes, yes. The little bitch thinks he can count to fifty and play hide-and-seek, but we’re too good at this game.”
It was here. Goss dropped to his feet and began digging with his hands, digging at a speed no mortal man would ever believe. He dug with fervor, spraying sand everywhere, sweat pouring down from his forehead, until his hand clasped around a small figurine. He brought it up, clutching at it, raised it to the sun. Though it was blindingly bright, he stared at the wooden statuette. He brought it down to his face and sniffed it, licked, his face contorting into a grin of joy. “We’ve struck oil! Stop the presses, stop!” He ruffled the boy’s hair affectionately, handing him the figure. “Clutch the little puppet like a rabbit’s ear.”
The chunk of wood was the only weapon they needed. Goss knew to ascribe meaning to little things like that; he had tasted it, and knew that the statue was where his enemy had been born. He tugged Subby along back the way they came, draping his arm around the boy’s shoulders, staining his suit with sand. “Subby, m’boy… This is the start of a beautiful friendship.” He laughed at his own joke, while Subby only stared blankly ahead.
First-Person Sample:
[Video]
[A tall, dirty and disheveled man is speaking to a boy in a suit. From the looks of it they’re somewhere in the forest, though the Mansion is barely visible through the trees.] You see that, Subby? The castle of the fairy kings was real, and the little sparkle dragons have flown us all the way here. I know you love to chat but don’t say num until I’ve talked to thems in charge.
[The man adjusts the boy’s tie and smiles at him, before turning to face the camera.]
Good morning! It’s charming, this, this lovely place. If you like the whole medieval swing, because I can do some redecorating, put some lovely French curtains over there and there, if you please. I can’t promise there won’t be some collateral damages.
[He unfurls his tongue from his mouth and… licks the screen. His face contorts into an expression of disgust as he smacks his lips.] Because there’s naught but shit here in terms of things I need to know. So where am I, eh? Is it Time’s Square, I’ve never been, or maybe it’s the hereafter. It doesn’t look too squiddy to me! [And he breaks out into loud, cackling laughter, as the boy opens his mouth wide and moans.]