John Doe (The Entity)

Art by @Corzev

John Doe, initially only known as the Entity, is a creature who was bound to a book in The Dark World. This book was sent to Arthur Lester who opened it and bound the pair of them together. John acts as Arthur's eyes and narrates the sights to Arthur as well as advising him on what to do next.

## Personality

In the beginning of the story the Entity is manipulative, deliberately using a gentler tone and pushing Arthur to do things that Arthur expresses doubts and fears about. However, he also shows appreciation for humanity and the vibrancy of the city.

Since the beginning, he expresses the opinion that all creatures can be redeemed, which he has carried throughout.  As the story progresses, and especially after renaming himself as John, he becomes much more blunt about his opinions on the actions that he and Arthur should take. He shows to be quick to anger, especially when feeling cornered, but also to have the ability to experience vulnerability and loss.

John claims to be trying to become a better version of himself, what he should have been a long time ago. He claims that this is not without conflict, and he is going to make mistakes in the process, but that this is what makes him human.

He enjoys poetry,   and is terrified of not being able to see  and the darkness in general. He seems to enjoy mundane things like watching a movie, and gets excited when he can apply the investigation techniques that he's learned from Arthur.

## Description

John does not have a physical form, being confined to Arthur's body. Although he sees his form in a mirror in the Sleeping City, and the Trader can perceive him in the Dreamlands, what he looks like is not described.

John is in control of Arthur's eyes, left hand as far as the elbow, and foot.

## History

### Early History

The Entity initially introduces himself as someone who previously died in his own world, and ended up in The Dark World. While there, he claims to have somehow been bound to the book that Arthur received before the start of the story, but to not have a clear memory of his own identity or previous history.

It is later revealed that he became trapped in the book due to being bound by one of the participants who witnessed the ritual of the Cult of the Black Goat to summon Shub-Niggurath in the basement of 58 Pelican Lane in 1924, ten years before the book was sent to Arthur.

Before being bound to Arthur, John tried to get Emily MacFarland to open his book, but was unsuccessful and so he killed her, though how he accomplished that remains unexplained. Immediately after being bound to Arthur, John killed his partner Parker.

### Season One

Since the beginning, the Entity appears fascinated by Earth and the people that inhabit it, explicitly contrasting it with the bleakness of the Dark World. He also looks interested in the concepts of redemption, claiming that since he doesn't know who he is, he needs to believe that all creatures can be redeemed.

The Entity and Arthur have to work together to learn what has happened to them and how to separate. In the beginning the relationship is fraught and full of misunderstandings, for instance when Arthur doesn't heed the Entity's warning and asks for a lift to the wrong truck.

After Arthur wakes from a month-long coma after being stabbed by Kellin, the Entity asks him to refer to him as 'John Doe' and explains he chose the name after spending a month being greeted as 'John' by the nurse at Harper's Hill Hospital, Lilly.

John becomes distant and distracted when looking at certain symbols, or when reading certain words, especially those referring to The King In Yellow. In the hotel in Leerie, he claims that a pallid mask worn by a cultist is familiar and comforting,

In the Sleeping City under Leerie John learns he is a fragment of The King In Yellow, and the cult in the pale masks are trying to help him finalize his ascension by taking over Arthur's body in full. John refuses to complete the ritual and return to the King, who transfers both him and Arthur to the Dreamlands.

### Season Two

John continues to act at Arthur's guide in the Dreamlands. As they are trying to navigate the landscape he claims to remember some details, not everything, of being the King in Yellow and what that entailed, and of how, while he was not hostile to human life, he found it insignificant. However, he says he's found meaning during the month he spent at the hospital while Arthur was in a coma, and that he didn't want to abandon that purpose to reunite with the King and become whole. He also claims to be trying to rewrite parts of himself, and to want to be more like an investigator, but he agrees with Arthur that he is still the King, and he has to own that if he wants to grow and change.

John claims he doesn't want to be reunited with the King in Yellow - him and Arthur decide that Arthur will commit suicide rather than allowing that to happen.

During the journey in the Dreamlands his relationship with Arthur improves and they reach a level of mutual trust, so much so that Arthur shares the details of the death of his daughter Faroe.  However, they still have arguments and misunderstandings. The King in Yellow exploits this by influencing both Arthur and John under the guise of Frank, leading to an heated argument when John admits to have killed Emily and calls Arthur a murderer and an unfit father. As a consequence of this, Arthur is captured by the King.

In the Prison Pits, John and Arthur seem to have reached an understanding and they manage to flee. In the final confrontation with the King in Yellow on the plateau at the end of the ten thousand steps, John vows to never forget Arthur no matter what happens. In the end, he decides to return to the King to save Arthur from torture and from the throat wound that Arthur self-inflicted to deny the King his reunion.

### Season Three

In the immediate aftermath, Arthur is sent to Addison by the King and John is absent from his head for the first time, being replaced by Yellow due to Kayne interference. He returns after Arthur plays Faroe's song on the piano in Larson's estate, and claims to not remember anything from the point of their separation. Arthur comments that he seems more fragile, while John empathises with Yellow and argues with Arthur on him and Yellow having the same nature, only being different for their lived experiences. John and Arthur have a fight but reconcile after Arthur kills Uncle, when John acknowledges Arthur's trauma and vows to support him.

When Arthur is impaled by the creature in the mines underneath the Larson estate, while John is trying to save him, Kayne appears and references a deal. The exact details of this are unknown, but involve Arthur heading to a specific location in New York.

Arthur and John manage to defeat the monster, but a degree of trust is needed as Arthur is not able to communicate his plan before executing it. Later, John asks for trusts when he convinces Arthur to go to New York to find Larson.

### Season Four

On the journey to New York, John and Arthur seem to be comfortable with each other, bickering about trivial things like food and movies. Once arrived in New York and taken residence in Marie's house, John starts behaving oddly, having an episode in which he seems to zone out and be lost in a waking dream, claiming to see darkness and someone under the ceiling. He also starts to become distracted, unusually quiet and forgetful. Arthur calls him out on this but John dismisses his concerns.

## Known Abilities

* After Arthur's coma, John acquires the ability of visualising the dying moments on any human remain he or Arthur touch, as long as there is still flesh on the bones.

## Trivia

* John cannot read lips.
* The editing used to achieve John's voice have been referred to by Harlan Guthrie as a "trade secret"
* Harlan has revealed John's birthday to be June 3.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Part One
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Part Three
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Part Twenty Five
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Part Five
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Part Eighteen
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Part Twenty
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Part Nineteen
8. ↑ Part Sixteen
9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Part Twenty Six
10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Part Seventeen
11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Part Thirty
12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Part Twenty Nine
13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Part Thirty Three
14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Part Twelve
15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 Part Thirteen
16. ↑ Part Two
17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Part Seven
18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 Part Eight
19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 Part Four
20. ↑ Part Eleven
21. ↑ Part Fourteen
22. ↑ Part Fifteen
23. ↑ Coda
24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 Part Twenty Three
25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 Part Twenty Four
26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 Part Twenty Eight
27. ↑ Official Malevolent Tumblr, 11/11/2022
28. ↑ Official Malevolent Tumblr, 12/6/22