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* LightFeminineDarkFeminine: The reserved, slender Light to Marci's Dark.
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* LightFeminineDarkFeminine: LightFeminineAndDarkFeminine: The reserved, slender Light to Marci's Dark.
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* LightFeminineDarkFeminine: The loud, sensual Dark to Brooke's Light.
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* LightFeminineDarkFeminine: LightFeminineAndDarkFeminine: The loud, sensual Dark to Brooke's Light.
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Super OCD is no longer a trope. Zero Context Examples and examples that do not fit existing tropes will be deleted.
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* SuperOCD: Not for no reason. She has next to no immune system, so even a cold could kill her, and if she passes too much off too often, people will start to notice. She compensates by slathering herself in Germ-X and [[MalevolentMaskedMan wearing medical masks constantly]].
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Shes Got Legs is currently a disambiguation
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* ShesGotLegs
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Disambig. per TRS
* DoesNotLikeGuns: as they're too easy to accidentally hurt someone with, and not nearly personal enough when you find someone you ''do'' want to hurt.
--->''Strip everything away and this is who I was. A man with a knife; feared, respected, able to do or say anything I wanted to.''
--->''Strip everything away and this is who I was. A man with a knife; feared, respected, able to do or say anything I wanted to.''
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* KnifeNut: DoesNotLikeGuns, as they're too easy to accidentally hurt someone with, and not nearly personal enough when you find someone you ''do'' want to hurt.
--->''Strip everything away and this is who I was. A man with a knife; feared, respected, able to do or say anything I wanted to.''
--->''Strip everything away and this is who I was. A man with a knife; feared, respected, able to do or say anything I wanted to.''
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Not considered a trope anymore as per TRS
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* CryCute: He mentions that for a long time, he wasn't sure he could cry anymore. So naturally, it's that much more endearing when he does. Special notice goes to him collapsing into his mother's arms after the climax of book one.
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* SlidingScaleOfUndeadRegeneration: A Type III variant. He can rapidly heal from cuts, gunshots, and the like, but his essence gradually "burns out" his stolen bodies, requiring him to either steal a new body or steal vital organs to patch up the old one.
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Dewicking per TRS.
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* NotSoDifferent: To John. They're both stubborn, want love but are so emotionally clumsy they're more likely to alienate people, and are highly principled but often cause more harm than good in their efforts. See HeroicSacrifice in her tab and ScrewDestiny in John's for how far they're willing to go for what they think is worth it.
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* NotSoDifferent: MirrorCharacter: To John. They're both stubborn, want love but are so emotionally clumsy they're more likely to alienate people, and are highly principled but often cause more harm than good in their efforts. See HeroicSacrifice in her tab and ScrewDestiny in John's for how far they're willing to go for what they think is worth it.
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* NotSoDifferent: A rare example of the hero pointing it out first. John quickly suspects he's NotEvilJustMisunderstood and is drawn to him immediately.
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* NotSoDifferent: NotSoDifferentRemark: A rare example of the hero pointing it out first. John quickly suspects he's NotEvilJustMisunderstood and is drawn to him immediately.
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* PsychoForHire: Subtly deconstructed in ''The Devil's Only Friend''. While getting paid to hunt demons is convenient, [[RealityEnsues he chafes under the restrictions that come with it.]]
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* PsychoForHire: Subtly deconstructed in ''The Devil's Only Friend''. While getting paid to hunt demons is convenient, [[RealityEnsues he chafes under the restrictions that come with it.]]
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* TheSocialExpert: She understands human relationships on a level John, or for that matter most people.
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* TheSocialExpert: She understands human relationships on a level John, or for that matter most people.people, don't.
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* TheFettered
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* TheFetteredTheFettered: He has a set of principles and he sticks with them with all of the "[[ScrewDestiny screw-you-hand-of-fate]]" determination he can possibly muster.
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* EmotionEater: he feeds off the suffering of his victims he particularly enjoys the feelings of hatred and betrayal
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Green Eyes — no longer a trope
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* GreenEyes: Of the volatile, unusual and untrustworthy variety.
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* HeroWithBadPublicity: He spends most of the second trilogy [[spoiler: on the run from the FBI after going AWOL at the end of book 1. As a result most people view him as a drifter at best or a dangerous fugitive at worst.]]
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* VillainWithGoodPublicity: He considers himself this in the first trilogy, since he considers himself a murderer for [[spoiler: killing Crowley and Forman]] and knows that his homicidal urges are barely in check. From the town's perspective, however, he's a hero for [[spoiler: standing up to multiple serial killers, saving Brooke's life from Forman and rescuing 4 imprisoned women from the torture house.]] [[HeroWithBadPublicity This gets reversed in the second trilogy.]]
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* SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan: She seeks out John partly because she knows that he killed Agent Forman and rescued the prisoners in the Torture House, partly because he's the only guy [[ChivalrousPervert who doesn't stare at her tits.]]
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* SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan: She seeks out John partly because she knows that he killed Agent Forman and rescued the prisoners in the Torture House, partly because he's the only guy [[ChivalrousPervert [[CelibateHero who doesn't stare at her tits.]]
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* SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan: She seeks out John partly because she knows that he killed Agent Forman and rescued the prisoners in the Torture House, partly because he's the only guy [[ChivalrousPervert who doesn't stare at her tits.]]
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* TheSocialExpert: She understands human relationships on a level John, or for that matter most people.
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* GoodPowersBadPeople: He's an empath and easily the most despicable character in the entire series.
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* SnarkToSnarkCombat: Getting in snark battles is one of his main ways of showing affection.
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* KnightOfCerebus: You wouldn't think it possible in a series this dark but she pulls it off. By the time she's done [[spoiler: She's killed John's mother and primary love interest and MindRaped his secondary love interest, as well as making it impossible for him to ever go home again. The story goes from being about a snarky, mentally unbalanced SerialKillerKiller in high school to about a snarky HeartBrokenBadass drifter and his mentally unbalanced girlfriend.]]
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* IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy: [[spoiler: He returns Brooke home, against her objections, at the end of ''The Devil's Only Friend'' because he believes it's the best choice for her.]]
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** TallDarkAndSnarky: He seems to get a fair amount of female attention despite (or, perhaps, because of) his rather aloof personality and patchy social skills.
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* AmateurSleuth / OccultDetective
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* BadPeopleAbuseAnimals: A fact he is keenly aware of, which is why rule #1 is "I will not hurt animals".
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* BadPeopleAbuseAnimals: [[GenreSavvy A fact he is keenly aware of, of]], which is why rule #1 is "I will not hurt animals".
* CelibateHero: [[InvokedTrope Invoked]] as his....[[SexIsViolence unusual definition of intimacy]] makes him justifiably leery of getting too attached to any one girl.
* DarkIsNotEvil: Could be the poster boy. He's cynical, reclusive, and obsessed with death, but at heart, he's a good person. Much of the plot revolves around his weaponizing [[HairTriggerTemper parts]] [[LackOfEmpathy of]] [[NightmareFetishist his]] [[TheSociopath personality]] that he doesn't like in order to do good.
* EvilIsPetty: Well, antiheroes are. John's bouts of petulance are a common source of humor. Special notice goes to adopting a dog to annoy his roommate.
* PrettyBoy: His [[LongHairedPrettyBoy film incarnation]], played by Creator/MaxRecords, is a sure example. [[UnreliableNarrator Lit!John]] doesn't think much of himself, but he's hardly hurting for female attention. Elijah describes him as having MessyHair(which he suspects was an intentional rebellion)and a slight frame.
* BrokenBird: Almost as much as her son, and [[DomesticAbuse for the same reason, too.]] Her relationship with Sam clearly took a hit on her self-esteem and sense of identity, compounded by her constant conflict with John and Lauren. [[Literature/IDontWantToKillYou The third book]] confirms her growing despair, loneliness, and confusion.
* ParentsAsPeople: It's not initially obvious, as [[UnreliableNarrator John]] hates her and sees her as a meddling, selfish shrew. As the series goes on, her character comes into focus-a deeply flawed, deeply loving woman trying her best in a shitty situation.
* CuteAndPsycho: Post-DemonicPossession. She's a pretty, fragile-looking teenage girl with millennia of knowledge at her disposal and unstable tendencies. When pushed too far, she'll lash out physically, and does it often enough that the Whiteflower staff have her in restraints about five seconds into a particularly impressive fit that left John with scars across his cheek.
* AmateurSleuth: Becomes one in the third book. She takes to it like a nascent serial killer to demon slaying, verging on BornDetective given her father's occupation.
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* SavvyGuyEnergeticGirl: The playful, social energetic girl to methodical, pragmatic John's savvy guy.
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* NightmareFetishist: Not as much as John, but she's fascinated by her father's police work, to the point of knowing exactly how many bodies have been found in Clayton over the past year(it's nineteen).
* SavvyGuyEnergeticGirl: The playful, social energetic girl tomethodical, pragmatic John's savvy guy.
* SavvyGuyEnergeticGirl: The playful, social energetic girl to
* HorrorHunger: A less literal example, as most of them don't need to consume anything so much as use it, but Elijah's description of his "barely human" low point is highly reminiscent of this trope.
* OurDemonsAreDifferent: They're the "evil spirit/supernatural being" variant, having little to no connection to any formal religion(although it's possible they influenced a few). [[spoiler:They were all human at one point, but conducted a ritual to become immortal]], sacrificing something about themselves(emotions, health, a proper body)in the process. They all have some degree of supernormal power, but not all are offensive. Most of them look and act very human, but the price of their long lives is a parasitic existence-they all require a host or donor to survive. Lastly, even the 100% humanoid ones will dissolve after death, leaving only a small amount of black sludge colloquially called "soulstuff".
* WasOnceAMan: All of them. Verges on TragicMonster with the more sympathetic ones, like Elijah and Hulla.
* OurDemonsAreDifferent: They're the "evil spirit/supernatural being" variant, having little to no connection to any formal religion(although it's possible they influenced a few). [[spoiler:They were all human at one point, but conducted a ritual to become immortal]], sacrificing something about themselves(emotions, health, a proper body)in the process. They all have some degree of supernormal power, but not all are offensive. Most of them look and act very human, but the price of their long lives is a parasitic existence-they all require a host or donor to survive. Lastly, even the 100% humanoid ones will dissolve after death, leaving only a small amount of black sludge colloquially called "soulstuff".
* WasOnceAMan: All of them. Verges on TragicMonster with the more sympathetic ones, like Elijah and Hulla.
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A sympathetic Withered who functions as the antagonist of the first book. He lacks an identity of his own, and body-snatched to stay alive, until he Kay and stayed in one body to be with her.
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A sympathetic Withered who functions as the antagonist of the first book. He lacks an identity of his own, and body-snatched to stay alive, until he met Kay and stayed in one body to be with her.
* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: He has little regard for any humans, but the captives' shock when he brings a boy into the dungeon speaks volumes.
* DiscOneFinalBoss: Of ''[[Literature/TheDevilsOnlyFriend The Devil's Only Friend]]''.
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* StealthPun: Typhoid Mary.
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* SickbedSlaying: Her MO.
* StealthPun: [[MeaningfulName TyphoidMary.Mary]].
* SuperOCD: Not for no reason. She has next to no immune system, so even a cold could kill her, and if she passes too much off too often, people will start to notice. She compensates by slathering herself in Germ-X and [[MalevolentMaskedMan wearing medical masks constantly]].
* StealthPun: [[MeaningfulName Typhoid
* SuperOCD: Not for no reason. She has next to no immune system, so even a cold could kill her, and if she passes too much off too often, people will start to notice. She compensates by slathering herself in Germ-X and [[MalevolentMaskedMan wearing medical masks constantly]].
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* TheCommissionerGordon
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* CombatPragmatist: Like John, it's out of necessity. He lacks the combat experience of the rest of the team, and when put into a dangerous situation, will compensate with sheer practicality. Case in point: he has no problem [[spoiler:shooting Potash after starting a "calm down" speech to get him to lower his guard]], and outright says there was no way he could have done it playing fair.
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* MeaningfulName: "gentry" refers to high-born socialites-Nathan values the finer things in life and often comes off as a modern version of an UpperClassTwit despite his urban upbringing.
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* SelfMadeMan
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* FriendOnTheForce
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* InsecureLoveInterest: Even after Marci verbatim states why she's so fixated on him, he can't understand why somebody as beautiful and beloved as she is wouldn't go for literally anyone else.
* NotSoDifferent: To John. They're both stubborn, want love but are so emotionally clumsy they're more likely to alienate people, and are highly principled but often cause more harm than good in their efforts. See HeroicSacrifice in her tab and ScrewDestiny in John's for how far they're willing to go for what they think is worth it.
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* SeriesContinuityError: In ''I Am Not A Serial Killer'', his first name is Ben, but when John mentions him in ''The Devil's Only Friend'', it's Grant.
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* NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished: Pretty much his entire role in the series. He knows John professionally, but becomes involved in his hunt for Crowley when John uses his psych expertise and natural empathy to construct a more accurate profile. He gains a measure of trust from John, which leads to him calling Neblin when he's scared he's losing control. Concerned for his patient, he drives to John's neighborhood in the middle of the night, where he runs into a desperate Crowley....
* ParentalSubstitute: He goes above and beyond to help John, insisting that he's worth it and running to protect him when the opportunity arises.
* SeriesContinuityError: In ''I Am Not A Serial Killer'', his first name is Ben, but when John mentions him in ''The Devil's Only Friend'', it's Grant. It's also Grant in TheFilmOfTheBook.
* ParentalSubstitute: He goes above and beyond to help John, insisting that he's worth it and running to protect him when the opportunity arises.
* SeriesContinuityError: In ''I Am Not A Serial Killer'', his first name is Ben, but when John mentions him in ''The Devil's Only Friend'', it's Grant. It's also Grant in TheFilmOfTheBook.
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* DefiantToTheEnd: [[OffscreenMomentOfAwesome We don't see her death]], but John's narration makes it clear she wasn't about to go down without a fight. How? There was blood splattered all over the walls and her mirror is broken. ''Hulla was trying to frame this as a suicide.''
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* TheAce: She's beautiful, smart, and everybody loves her. Guys fall in at a snap of her fingers, but she isn't lacking for girlfriends; apparently she's sweet and charming enough that jealousy is difficult. She has a loving family. [[TheFashionista She always looks great.]]
** BrokenAce: Possibly. She's also lonely and resents the objectification she faces on a daily basis for being an attractive girl who knows it. It's also implied that she has HiddenDepths because she's embarrassed to show her messier side or feels her friends wouldn't understand.
* ChekhovsGunman: Appears a few times as a MauveShirt before she steps up to plate in ''I Don't Want to Kill You''.
* DefiantToTheEnd: [[OffscreenMomentOfAwesome We don't see her death]], but John's narration makes it clear she wasn't about to go down without a fight.How? There was blood splattered all over the walls and her mirror is broken. ''Hulla was trying to frame this as a suicide.''
** BrokenAce: Possibly. She's also lonely and resents the objectification she faces on a daily basis for being an attractive girl who knows it. It's also implied that she has HiddenDepths because she's embarrassed to show her messier side or feels her friends wouldn't understand.
* ChekhovsGunman: Appears a few times as a MauveShirt before she steps up to plate in ''I Don't Want to Kill You''.
* DefiantToTheEnd: [[OffscreenMomentOfAwesome We don't see her death]], but John's narration makes it clear she wasn't about to go down without a fight.
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* GoodBadGirl: A somewhat PG variant. It's unclear exactly how far most guys get with her; we just know that even her five-year-old sister is aware she has "lots of boyfriends".
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* SavvyGuyEnergeticGirl: The playful, social energetic girl to methodical, pragmatic John's savvy guy.
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* SnarkToSnarkCombat: The first thing she says just to John is a sarcastic comment.
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* WalkingSpoiler: In case you haven't noticed, it's difficult to talk about his true role without spilling a lot.
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'''WARNING!''' Due to the books relying heavily on mystery and surprise, the pages would be virtually unreadable with excessive spoiler tags. Therefore, all spoilers from the first trilogy are '''UNMARKED'''. Tread carefully.
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'''WARNING!''' Due to the books relying heavily on mystery and surprise, the pages would be virtually unreadable with excessive spoiler tags. Therefore, all spoilers from the first trilogy are '''UNMARKED'''.'''UNMARKED''', and of course, some tropes are spoilers by virtue of entry. Tread carefully.
* AnimalMotifs: Cats, particularly [[PantheraAwesome tigers]]. He's enigmatic, solitary, and [[CatsAreMean most people don't like him.]] His father calls him "tiger", he compares his darker side to a tiger that's scented blood, and thanks to the "what makes a monster and what makes a man?" theme of the first book, it's unclear who is supposed to be the tiger and who the lamb in the poem Crowley recites. His tense, aggressively graceful body language is even reminiscent of an excited cat.
* AxCrazy: He tries to be good, but his temper tends to get the best of him, and [[NoHoldsBarredBeatdown when it does]], it's best to put as much distance between yourself and him as possible.
* BadPeopleAbuseAnimals: A fact he is keenly aware of, which is why rule #1 is "I will not hurt animals".
* BadPeopleAbuseAnimals: A fact he is keenly aware of, which is why rule #1 is "I will not hurt animals".
* CryCute: He mentions that for a long time, he wasn't sure he could cry anymore. So naturally, it's that much more endearing when he does. Special notice goes to him collapsing into his mother's arms after the climax of book one.
* EvilFeelsGood: Evil feels satisfying, exciting, and is pretty much the only way he knows how to relate to others.
* TheFettered
* GoodIsNotNice / GoodIsNotSoft: Principled, determined, courageous-but nice? [[NoSocialSkills Not often.]] He [[IDidWhatIHadToDo does what needs to be done]] and won't apologize for it.
--->'''Diana:''' Normal people can't just turn off their human nature whenever it becomes inconvenient!
--->'''John:''' Sucks for them, then!
* TheFettered
* GoodIsNotNice / GoodIsNotSoft: Principled, determined, courageous-but nice? [[NoSocialSkills Not often.]] He [[IDidWhatIHadToDo does what needs to be done]] and won't apologize for it.
--->'''Diana:''' Normal people can't just turn off their human nature whenever it becomes inconvenient!
--->'''John:''' Sucks for them, then!
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* HeroWithAnFInGood: At times. He isn't exactly cut from the typical cloth.
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* HeroWithAnFInGood: At times. He isn't exactly cut from the typical cloth.cloth.
* ICantBelieveAGuyLikeYouWouldNoticeMe: He's baffled by Marci's attentions, to the point of considering if ''she'' might be Nobody in disguise, just trying to get close enough to hurt him.
* IJustWantToBeNormal: Or, as he puts it, "a real boy".
* InferioritySuperiorityComplex: He doesn't think much of himself, but still tends towards arrogance and is always sure his solution is the best.
* InnocentlyInsensitive: ''Oh so much.''
* JerkassWoobie: He's abrasive, cold, and openly sadistic, but damn if you don't want to give him a hug.
* JumpedAtTheCall: Initially.
--->'''Hulla:''' Kanta. I was wondering if you would survive.
--->'''John:''' He didn't. I killed him. Mkhai too. Thousands of years, gone in a second.
--->'''Hulla:''' Why are you telling me this?
--->'''John:''' [[BadassBoast Because you're next. I'm the demon slayer. Come get me.]]
* ICantBelieveAGuyLikeYouWouldNoticeMe: He's baffled by Marci's attentions, to the point of considering if ''she'' might be Nobody in disguise, just trying to get close enough to hurt him.
* IJustWantToBeNormal: Or, as he puts it, "a real boy".
* InferioritySuperiorityComplex: He doesn't think much of himself, but still tends towards arrogance and is always sure his solution is the best.
* InnocentlyInsensitive: ''Oh so much.''
* JerkassWoobie: He's abrasive, cold, and openly sadistic, but damn if you don't want to give him a hug.
* JumpedAtTheCall: Initially.
--->'''Hulla:''' Kanta. I was wondering if you would survive.
--->'''John:''' He didn't. I killed him. Mkhai too. Thousands of years, gone in a second.
--->'''Hulla:''' Why are you telling me this?
--->'''John:''' [[BadassBoast Because you're next. I'm the demon slayer. Come get me.]]
--->''Strip everything away and this is who I was. A man with a knife; feared, respected, able to do or say anything I wanted to.''
* MeaningfulName: Lampshaded. He shares a name with not one, but two serial killers(John Wayne Gacy and John Wayne Glover)and a large blade used for chopping up meat. [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Berkowitz Also, his father's name is Sam.]] It's creepy coincidences like this that have him convinced the PowersThatBe have it out for him.
* MinoredInAsskicking: He's primarily a strategist, but when push comes to shove, he can do some damage.
* NightmareFetishist: One of the first things we learn about him is that he loves serial killers.
* PsychoForHire: Subtly deconstructed in ''The Devil's Only Friend''. While getting paid to hunt demons is convenient, [[RealityEnsues he chafes under the restrictions that come with it.]]
* MinoredInAsskicking: He's primarily a strategist, but when push comes to shove, he can do some damage.
* NightmareFetishist: One of the first things we learn about him is that he loves serial killers.
* PsychoForHire: Subtly deconstructed in ''The Devil's Only Friend''. While getting paid to hunt demons is convenient, [[RealityEnsues he chafes under the restrictions that come with it.]]
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* TheSociopath / LackOfEmpathy: He is....not great with people. Relating to them, understanding them, valuing them.....
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* TheSociopath / LackOfEmpathy: He is....He's not great with people. Relating to them, understanding them, valuing them.....them as individuals instead of tools.....
* TinMan: As with most TinMan characters, he's less emotionless than he is repressed and bad at dealing with what slips through the cracks. Of course, that repression is for [[AxCrazy very]] [[LovesTheSoundOfScreaming good]] [[UnstoppableRage reasons.]]
* TroublingUnchildlikeBehavior: Apparently when he was seven, he dissected a live gopher, layer by layer. At least, it was alive when he started. Even in the present day, it can be a little disturbing to see a young teenager acting so cold and calculating.
* WhatIsThisThingYouCallLove: Intimacy is....hard for him.
--->'''Hulla:''' Do you love me, John?
--->'''John:''' I don't know what that means.
* {{Yandere}}: Another of the tendencies he tries hard to keep suppressed. He [[CrazyJealousGuy gets possessive fast]], even getting angry seeing Brooke talk to someone else on the phone. Bear in mind, he hadn't even asked her out yet.
* TroublingUnchildlikeBehavior: Apparently when he was seven, he dissected a live gopher, layer by layer. At least, it was alive when he started. Even in the present day, it can be a little disturbing to see a young teenager acting so cold and calculating.
* WhatIsThisThingYouCallLove: Intimacy is....hard for him.
--->'''Hulla:''' Do you love me, John?
--->'''John:''' I don't know what that means.
* {{Yandere}}: Another of the tendencies he tries hard to keep suppressed. He [[CrazyJealousGuy gets possessive fast]], even getting angry seeing Brooke talk to someone else on the phone. Bear in mind, he hadn't even asked her out yet.
* ArbitrarySkepticism: She just wants to forget all about the events of the first book.
* BadassNormal: She has her moments, most obviously when she positions herself between John and a rampaging demon.
* BadassNormal: She has her moments, most obviously when she positions herself between John and a rampaging demon.
* MamaBear: She isn't great at defending herself, but god help you if you touch her children.
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* LethalChef
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* LethalChefDramaQueen: She gets it from Mama.
* LethalChef: She cheerfully agrees with any criticism of her cooking.
* LoveMartyr: In ''Mr. Monster''. She snaps out of it when he tries to burn her little brother alive.
* LethalChef: She cheerfully agrees with any criticism of her cooking.
* LoveMartyr: In ''Mr. Monster''. She snaps out of it when he tries to burn her little brother alive.
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* OnlySaneMan
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* OnlySaneManCoolAunt: Naturally.
* OnlySaneMan: She's the stabilizer to [[CreepyChild John]], [[HotBlooded April]], and [[DramaQueen Lauren]].
* OnlySaneMan: She's the stabilizer to [[CreepyChild John]], [[HotBlooded April]], and [[DramaQueen Lauren]].
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* BrokenBird: After the events of ''I Don't Want To Kill You''.
* {{Fangirl}}: Apparently she really likes manga.
* {{Fangirl}}: Apparently she really likes manga.
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* BrokenBird: After the events of ''I Don't Want To Kill You''.AllGirlsWantBadBoys: Initially. She finds John's TroubledButCute routine highly appealing, and interprets his awkward attempts to keep her away as aloof and mysterious. Of course, she finds his dark side a lot less attractive once it gets her tied to a chair.
* BerserkButton: She ''really'' doesn't like Gidri.
*{{Fangirl}}: Apparently BlackComedyBurst: Not compared to the rest of the series, but to her usual dialogue. Despite being mostly reserved, she can come out with some incredibly shocking humor at times.
--->'''Brooke:''' [[ItMakesSenseInContext That would have to be an incredibly mixed-up squirrel to just wander into a bonfire like that]].
--->'''[[DeadpanSnarker John]]:''' Or just really cold.
--->'''Brooke:''' [[CrossesTheLineTwice They could just build the fire on top of a gopher hole, and then they could pop out pre-cooked, like a vending machine]]. ''[beat]'' [[LampshadeHanging Sorry, that was kinda gross.]]
* BreakTheCutie
* FanOfThePast: Downplayed; she likesmanga.vintage clothes and music, especially from TheEighties.
* BerserkButton: She ''really'' doesn't like Gidri.
*
--->'''Brooke:''' [[ItMakesSenseInContext That would have to be an incredibly mixed-up squirrel to just wander into a bonfire like that]].
--->'''[[DeadpanSnarker John]]:''' Or just really cold.
--->'''Brooke:''' [[CrossesTheLineTwice They could just build the fire on top of a gopher hole, and then they could pop out pre-cooked, like a vending machine]]. ''[beat]'' [[LampshadeHanging Sorry, that was kinda gross.]]
* BreakTheCutie
* FanOfThePast: Downplayed; she likes
Changed line(s) 73 (click to see context) from:
* LightFeminineDarkFeminine: The Light to Marci's Dark.
to:
* TheIngenue: Pre-breaking.
* LightFeminineDarkFeminine: The reserved, slender Light to Marci'sDark.Dark.
* MadOracle: She sees the past, not the future, but her role in ''The Devil's Only Friend'' consists mostly of telling the FBI team nonsensical things that, coming from a sane person, would be instant gold intel.
* NiceGirl: Her defining trait is that she's just a genuine, sweet person.
* LightFeminineDarkFeminine: The reserved, slender Light to Marci's
* MadOracle: She sees the past, not the future, but her role in ''The Devil's Only Friend'' consists mostly of telling the FBI team nonsensical things that, coming from a sane person, would be instant gold intel.
* NiceGirl: Her defining trait is that she's just a genuine, sweet person.
* ShesGotLegs
* ShiftingVoiceOfMadness: Even lucid, she's not all there. Or, more accurately, she is, but so are a lot of other people.
* SplitPersonalityTakeover: As Nathan puts it, she's more Nobody than Brooke now.
* ShiftingVoiceOfMadness: Even lucid, she's not all there. Or, more accurately, she is, but so are a lot of other people.
* SplitPersonalityTakeover: As Nathan puts it, she's more Nobody than Brooke now.
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: Despite being critical to the plot of ''I Am Not A Serial Killer'', she completely disappears afterward.
Changed line(s) 106 (click to see context) from:
* DyingAlone: John seems to hate the fact that he couldn't be with her at the end almost as much as her death, period.
to:
* DyingAlone: John seems DefiantToTheEnd: [[OffscreenMomentOfAwesome We don't see her death]], but John's narration makes it clear she wasn't about to hate go down without a fight. How? There was blood splattered all over the fact that he couldn't be walls and her mirror is broken. ''Hulla was trying to frame this as a suicide.''
* DoYouWantToHaggle: Anyone with enough money can have nice clothes. She's the one who can find them for those prices.
* {{Foil}}: To John. In contrast, she's openly emotional, extroverted, and loves a good party. She also can't stand gore. In comparison, she's dramatic, hides a lot about herself even from herat the end almost as much as friends, and desperately wants somebody to like her death, period.for her real self.
* DoYouWantToHaggle: Anyone with enough money can have nice clothes. She's the one who can find them for those prices.
* {{Foil}}: To John. In contrast, she's openly emotional, extroverted, and loves a good party. She also can't stand gore. In comparison, she's dramatic, hides a lot about herself even from her
Changed line(s) 108 (click to see context) from:
* LightFeminineDarkFeminine: The Dark to Brooke's Light.
to:
* LadykillerInLove: RareFemaleExample. Marci has as many boyfriends as there are days in a year, but John is the first one she really seems to care about.
* LightFeminineDarkFeminine: The loud, sensual Dark to Brooke'sLight.Light.
* LonelyAtTheTop
* LightFeminineDarkFeminine: The loud, sensual Dark to Brooke's
* LonelyAtTheTop
Changed line(s) 110,112 (click to see context) from:
* LovableAlphaBitch: A "social dynamo" and a sweet, principled person.
* SoBeautifulItsACurse: She's widely considered the hottest girl at school, and that means she is seen as a thing to fight over, wanted by her peers for her body, and even sexually harassed by a teacher.
--->''"Listen, John, how should I put this?" She licked her lips. "Girls aren’t stupid, okay? We know when guys like us, and we usually know why: yes, we know we’re attractive, and yes, we notice when guys check us out. I can’t tell you how many conversations I’ve had in just the last month where I have to look at a guy’s forehead the whole time because he’s staring at my boobs. And yes, I admit that sometimes I use them on purpose to get attention. I’ve done it with you. But you’re the first straight boy since sixth grade that it hasn’t worked on. The first one who doesn’t just stare." She shrugged, and looked out at the street. "You’re the first boy in years who’s more interested in talking to me than checking out my rack."
* SoBeautifulItsACurse: She's widely considered the hottest girl at school, and that means she is seen as a thing to fight over, wanted by her peers for her body, and even sexually harassed by a teacher.
--->''"Listen, John, how should I put this?" She licked her lips. "Girls aren’t stupid, okay? We know when guys like us, and we usually know why: yes, we know we’re attractive, and yes, we notice when guys check us out. I can’t tell you how many conversations I’ve had in just the last month where I have to look at a guy’s forehead the whole time because he’s staring at my boobs. And yes, I admit that sometimes I use them on purpose to get attention. I’ve done it with you. But you’re the first straight boy since sixth grade that it hasn’t worked on. The first one who doesn’t just stare." She shrugged, and looked out at the street. "You’re the first boy in years who’s more interested in talking to me than checking out my rack."
to:
* LovableAlphaBitch: A "social dynamo" and a sweet, principled person.
down-to-earth person when you get to know her.
* MeaningfulName: [[TheHeart Mercy]].
* SmarterThanYouLook: Of the "beauty and brains" type. It's easy to dismiss her as a shallow slut who cares about little beyond the next party she's going to. As John discovers quickly, she's actually quite perceptive, considering angles for a psych profile that even he didn't think of. She does skip the first day of school, but it comes off less as a BookDumb thing and more a bad mood. And possibly a chance to find out exactly how right she is about John.
* SoBeautifulItsACurse: She's widely considered the hottest girl at school, and that means she is seen as a thing to fight over, wanted by her peers only for her body, and even sexually harassed by a teacher.
--->''"Listen, --->"Listen, John, how should I put this?" She licked her lips. "Girls aren’t stupid, okay? We know when guys like us, and we usually know why: yes, we know we’re attractive, and yes, we notice when guys check us out. I can’t tell you how many conversations I’ve had in just the last month where I have to look at a guy’s forehead the whole time because he’s staring at my boobs. [[ShamelessFanserviceGirl And yes, I admit that sometimes I use them on purpose to get attention.attention]]. I’ve done it with you. But you’re the first straight boy since sixth grade that it hasn’t worked on. The first one who doesn’t just stare." She shrugged, and looked out at the street. "You’re the first boy in years who’s more interested in talking to me than checking out my rack."
* MeaningfulName: [[TheHeart Mercy]].
* SmarterThanYouLook: Of the "beauty and brains" type. It's easy to dismiss her as a shallow slut who cares about little beyond the next party she's going to. As John discovers quickly, she's actually quite perceptive, considering angles for a psych profile that even he didn't think of. She does skip the first day of school, but it comes off less as a BookDumb thing and more a bad mood. And possibly a chance to find out exactly how right she is about John.
* SoBeautifulItsACurse: She's widely considered the hottest girl at school, and that means she is seen as a thing to fight over, wanted by her peers only for her body, and even sexually harassed by a teacher.
* StepfordSmiler: A somewhat milder case. She comes off as more sensitive than outright depressed, but her "I remember being that happy" comment about her younger sister hints that she's hiding the depth of her problems even from John, who she instantly clocks as "different".
* TheWatson: Functions as a sounding board for John initially.
* TheWatson: Functions as a sounding board for John initially.
Changed line(s) 119,121 (click to see context) from:
[[folder: Bill Crowley / Mkhai]]
A sympathetic Withered who functions as the antagonist of the first book. He lacks an identity of his own, and body-snatched to stay alive, until he Kay and stayed in one body to be with her.
A sympathetic Withered who functions as the antagonist of the first book. He lacks an identity of his own, and body-snatched to stay alive, until he Kay and stayed in one body to be with her.
to:
[[folder: Bill Crowley / Mkhai]]
As A sympathetic Withered who functions as the antagonist Whole]]
A group ofthe first book. He lacks an identity [[spoiler: formerly human]] entities that go by a lot of his own, and body-snatched to stay alive, until he Kay and stayed in names-god, demon, Withered, Cursed. They all have different attitudes towards their existence, but one body to be with her.thing holds them together: they are defined by what they lack.
A group of
Changed line(s) 123,124 (click to see context) from:
* AntiVillain: Type II.
* LoveMakesYouEvil: Somehow manages to be both this and LoveRedeems. He turns his back on the Withered to live a human life with Kay, but panics and falls off the wagon when he realizes his body is deteriorating and he's going to die and leave her alone.
* LoveMakesYouEvil: Somehow manages to be both this and LoveRedeems. He turns his back on the Withered to live a human life with Kay, but panics and falls off the wagon when he realizes his body is deteriorating and he's going to die and leave her alone.
to:
* AntiVillain: Type II.
* LoveMakesYouEvil: Somehow manages to be bothDealWithTheDevil: Rack, Elijah, and Brooke all heavily imply that this and LoveRedeems. He turns his back on is how they got their powers. The result is certainly Faustian for a lot of them. They got what they asked for, technically, but not necessarily what they wanted.
* WhoWantsToLiveForever: Most of the Witheredto live we've met have become weary of existence, although they aren't all actively self-destructive. Some, like [[VainSorceress Gidri]], simply have a human life with Kay, but panics and falls off the wagon when he realizes his body is deteriorating and he's going to die and leave her alone.nihilism about them.
* LoveMakesYouEvil: Somehow manages to be both
* WhoWantsToLiveForever: Most of the Withered
Changed line(s) 127,129 (click to see context) from:
[[folder: Clark Forman / Kanta]]
A hedonistic, sadist Withered who goes toe to toe with John in ''Mr. Monster''. He lacks his own emotions and tortures women to feed off theirs.
A hedonistic, sadist Withered who goes toe to toe with John in ''Mr. Monster''. He lacks his own emotions and tortures women to feed off theirs.
to:
[[folder: Clark Forman Bill Crowley / Kanta]]
Mkhai]]
Ahedonistic, sadist sympathetic Withered who goes toe to toe with John in ''Mr. Monster''. functions as the antagonist of the first book. He lacks an identity of his own emotions own, and tortures women body-snatched to feed off theirs.stay alive, until he Kay and stayed in one body to be with her.
A
Changed line(s) 131,134 (click to see context) from:
* TheEmpath: A rare evil example. He's addicted to intense emotion, and betrayal is his favorite.
* FullyEmbracedFiend
* HumanoidAbomination
* ShadowArchetype: Of John. Forman represents the kind of person he could be if he let himself stop caring about morality.
* FullyEmbracedFiend
* HumanoidAbomination
* ShadowArchetype: Of John. Forman represents the kind of person he could be if he let himself stop caring about morality.
to:
* TheEmpath: A rare evil example. He's addicted AppendageAssimilation: His purpose for the stolen organs that would be simple trophies to intense emotion, your average human serial killer.
* AntiVillain: Type II.
* EvilOldFolks: As John says at the end of book one, he's not exactly what you think of when you hear "brutal, opportunistic serial killer".
* LoveMakesYouEvil: Somehow manages to be both this andbetrayal is LoveRedeems. He turns his favorite.
* FullyEmbracedFiend
* HumanoidAbomination
* ShadowArchetype: Of John. Forman representsback on the kind of person Withered to live a human life with Kay, but panics and falls off the wagon when he could be if he let himself stop caring about morality.realizes his body is deteriorating and he's going to die and leave her alone.
* AntiVillain: Type II.
* EvilOldFolks: As John says at the end of book one, he's not exactly what you think of when you hear "brutal, opportunistic serial killer".
* LoveMakesYouEvil: Somehow manages to be both this and
* FullyEmbracedFiend
* HumanoidAbomination
* ShadowArchetype: Of John. Forman represents
Changed line(s) 137,139 (click to see context) from:
[[folder: Nobody / Hulla]]
Another body-snatching Withered; she gave up her original body because she hated it, but is never satisfied with her hosts and ends up killing them to find new ones. She falls in MadLove with John after he threatens her in ''Mr. Monster'' and attempts to gain his affection by possessing Marci.
Another body-snatching Withered; she gave up her original body because she hated it, but is never satisfied with her hosts and ends up killing them to find new ones. She falls in MadLove with John after he threatens her in ''Mr. Monster'' and attempts to gain his affection by possessing Marci.
to:
[[folder: Nobody Clark Forman / Hulla]]
Another body-snatching Withered; she gave up her original body because she hated it, but is never satisfied with her hosts and ends up killing themKanta]]
A hedonistic, sadist Withered who goes toe tofind new ones. She falls in MadLove toe with John after he threatens her in ''Mr. Monster'' Monster''. He lacks his own emotions and attempts tortures women to gain his affection by possessing Marci.feed off theirs.
Another body-snatching Withered; she gave up her original body because she hated it, but is never satisfied with her hosts and ends up killing them
A hedonistic, sadist Withered who goes toe to
Changed line(s) 141,143 (click to see context) from:
* ClingyJealousGirl: She's very insecure, to say the least.
* CombatTentacles: Her true form seems to be made up entirely of these.
* VillainessesWantHeroes: As a self-hating demon, she loves John's passion for killing them. Unfortunately for her, he doesn't see the kinship.
* CombatTentacles: Her true form seems to be made up entirely of these.
* VillainessesWantHeroes: As a self-hating demon, she loves John's passion for killing them. Unfortunately for her, he doesn't see the kinship.
to:
* ClingyJealousGirl: She's very insecure, ColdBloodedTorture: His methods aren't terribly sophisticated, but that doesn't mean they aren't effective.
* TheEmpath: A rare evil example. He's addicted tosay intense emotion, and betrayal is his favorite. Fear can come pretty close, [[TortureTechnician if you know what you're doing.]]
* FullyEmbracedFiend
* HumanoidAbomination: Moreso than any of theleast.
* CombatTentacles: Her trueothers. We never see him change his form seems to be made up entirely of these.
* VillainessesWantHeroes: As a self-hating demon, she loves John's passion for killing them. Unfortunately for her,at all, like Crowley, and he doesn't see have any [[RedRightHand kind of obvious deformation like Rack]]. He just looks like a regular, mid-forties FBI agent. Who happens to be ''pure evil.''
* ShadowArchetype: Of John. Forman represents thekinship.kind of person he could be if he let himself stop caring about morality.
* TheEmpath: A rare evil example. He's addicted to
* FullyEmbracedFiend
* HumanoidAbomination: Moreso than any of the
* CombatTentacles: Her true
* VillainessesWantHeroes: As a self-hating demon, she loves John's passion for killing them. Unfortunately for her,
* ShadowArchetype: Of John. Forman represents the
Changed line(s) 146,148 (click to see context) from:
[[folder: Mary Gardner / Agarin]]
A Withered who gave up her health in exchange for immortal life. She works in a hospital, passing off her illnesses to patients.
A Withered who gave up her health in exchange for immortal life. She works in a hospital, passing off her illnesses to patients.
to:
[[folder: Mary Gardner Nobody / Agarin]]
A Withered whoHulla]]
Another body-snatching Withered; she gave up herhealth in exchange for immortal life. She works in a hospital, passing off original body because she hated it, but is never satisfied with her illnesses hosts and ends up killing them to patients.find new ones. Falls in MadLove with John after he threatens her in ''Mr. Monster'' and attempts to gain his affection by possessing Marci.
A Withered who
Another body-snatching Withered; she gave up her
Changed line(s) 150,153 (click to see context) from:
* GlassCannon: She snaps [[spoiler: Kelly Ishida's]] spine nearly in half and takes [[SuperSoldier Potash]] down without breaking a sweat, but John kills her with one strike.
* PoisonousPerson: An ancient goddess of plagues, passing pneumonia off to a grown man and intensifying it to destroy his lungs in less than a minute.
* StealthPun: Typhoid Mary.
* WouldHurtAChild: She's an angel-of-death serial killer, giving her most lethal illnesses to babies weak enough that nobody will think anything of it if they die under her care.
* PoisonousPerson: An ancient goddess of plagues, passing pneumonia off to a grown man and intensifying it to destroy his lungs in less than a minute.
* StealthPun: Typhoid Mary.
* WouldHurtAChild: She's an angel-of-death serial killer, giving her most lethal illnesses to babies weak enough that nobody will think anything of it if they die under her care.
to:
* GlassCannon: She snaps [[spoiler: Kelly Ishida's]] spine nearly in half and takes [[SuperSoldier Potash]] down without breaking a sweat, but John kills her with one strike.
* PoisonousPerson: An ancient goddess of plagues, passing pneumonia off to a grown man and intensifying it to destroy his lungs in less than a minute.
* StealthPun: Typhoid Mary.
* WouldHurtAChild:ClingyJealousGirl: She's an angel-of-death serial killer, giving very insecure, to say the least.
* CombatTentacles: Her true form seems to be made up entirely of these.
* TheEeyore: On a down-beat, she becomes inescapably negative, insecure, and gloomy.
* PuppeteerParasite
* MadLove: Near-literally, seeing as she's basically a walking, talking mood disorder. She's not just NotGoodWithRejection; she doesn't even seem to know what it means. John tries to ''light hermost lethal illnesses on fire'' and she still insists she loves him and wants to babies weak enough that nobody will think anything of it if they die under be with him forever.
* MoodSwinger
* VainSorceress: A somewhat more sympathetic and realistic variation. Brooke says she gave up hercare.body because she hated it, but ended up hating every new one she stole, because [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything her body was never the problem. It was her mind.]]
* VillainessesWantHeroes: As a self-hating demon, she loves John's passion for killing them. Unfortunately for her, he doesn't see the kinship.
* PoisonousPerson: An ancient goddess of plagues, passing pneumonia off to a grown man and intensifying it to destroy his lungs in less than a minute.
* StealthPun: Typhoid Mary.
* WouldHurtAChild:
* CombatTentacles: Her true form seems to be made up entirely of these.
* TheEeyore: On a down-beat, she becomes inescapably negative, insecure, and gloomy.
* PuppeteerParasite
* MadLove: Near-literally, seeing as she's basically a walking, talking mood disorder. She's not just NotGoodWithRejection; she doesn't even seem to know what it means. John tries to ''light her
* MoodSwinger
* VainSorceress: A somewhat more sympathetic and realistic variation. Brooke says she gave up her
* VillainessesWantHeroes: As a self-hating demon, she loves John's passion for killing them. Unfortunately for her, he doesn't see the kinship.
Changed line(s) 156,158 (click to see context) from:
[[folder: Elijah Sexton / Meshara]]
A Withered with no memory of his own, he subsists on the recently dead, drinking the minds of bodies sent to the mortuary where he works.
A Withered with no memory of his own, he subsists on the recently dead, drinking the minds of bodies sent to the mortuary where he works.
to:
[[folder: Elijah Sexton Mary Gardner / Meshara]]
Agarin]]
A Witheredwith no memory of his own, he subsists on the recently dead, drinking the minds of bodies sent who gave up her health in exchange for immortal life. She works in a hospital, passing off her illnesses to the mortuary where he works.patients.
A Withered
Changed line(s) 160,163 (click to see context) from:
* AGodIAmNot: Most other demons don't understand his affection for and identification with PunyEarthlings. He explains that he's been one by proxy so many times he can't help it, and prefers their company to the self-important, destructive Withered.
* MyGreatestFailure: Draining Merrill Evans' mind and leaving him with what is effectively a crippling case of Alzheimer's before he was ever out of his forties.
* RidiculouslyAverageGuy: Physically. When asked to describe him, all Brooke could come up with was "sad".
* TouchOfDeath: Well, touch of coma and EmptyShell-ing. He takes down ''three'' other Withered unprepared, including draining one who was restraining him by pressing their cheeks together. We later see their remains being studied by a local hospital. It isn't pretty.
* MyGreatestFailure: Draining Merrill Evans' mind and leaving him with what is effectively a crippling case of Alzheimer's before he was ever out of his forties.
* RidiculouslyAverageGuy: Physically. When asked to describe him, all Brooke could come up with was "sad".
* TouchOfDeath: Well, touch of coma and EmptyShell-ing. He takes down ''three'' other Withered unprepared, including draining one who was restraining him by pressing their cheeks together. We later see their remains being studied by a local hospital. It isn't pretty.
to:
* AGodIAmNot: Most other demons don't understand his affection for GlassCannon: She snaps [[spoiler: Kelly Ishida's]] spine nearly in half and identification with PunyEarthlings. He explains that he's been one by proxy so many times he can't help it, and prefers their company to the self-important, destructive Withered.
* MyGreatestFailure: Draining Merrill Evans' mind and leaving him with what is effectively a crippling case of Alzheimer's before he was ever out of his forties.
* RidiculouslyAverageGuy: Physically. When asked to describe him, all Brooke could come up with was "sad".
* TouchOfDeath: Well, touch of coma and EmptyShell-ing. Hetakes [[SuperSoldier Potash]] down ''three'' other Withered unprepared, including draining without breaking a sweat, but John kills her with one who was restraining him by pressing their cheeks together. We later see their remains being studied by strike.
* PoisonousPerson: An ancient goddess of plagues, passing pneumonia off to alocal hospital. It isn't pretty.grown man and intensifying it to destroy his lungs in less than a minute.
* StealthPun: Typhoid Mary.
* WouldHurtAChild: She's an angel-of-death serial killer, giving her most lethal illnesses to babies weak enough that nobody will think anything of it if they die under her care.
* MyGreatestFailure: Draining Merrill Evans' mind and leaving him with what is effectively a crippling case of Alzheimer's before he was ever out of his forties.
* RidiculouslyAverageGuy: Physically. When asked to describe him, all Brooke could come up with was "sad".
* TouchOfDeath: Well, touch of coma and EmptyShell-ing. He
* PoisonousPerson: An ancient goddess of plagues, passing pneumonia off to a
* StealthPun: Typhoid Mary.
* WouldHurtAChild: She's an angel-of-death serial killer, giving her most lethal illnesses to babies weak enough that nobody will think anything of it if they die under her care.
Changed line(s) 166,168 (click to see context) from:
[[folder: Rack]]
The demon king. He doesn't have a mouth or a heart, and subsists by stealing human hearts and then puppeting the corpses to speak.
The demon king. He doesn't have a mouth or a heart, and subsists by stealing human hearts and then puppeting the corpses to speak.
to:
[[folder: Rack]]
The demon king. He doesn't have a mouth or a heart, andElijah Sexton / Meshara]]
A Withered with no memory of his own, he subsistsby stealing human hearts and then puppeting on the corpses recently dead, drinking the minds of bodies sent to speak.the mortuary where he works.
The demon king. He doesn't have a mouth or a heart, and
A Withered with no memory of his own, he subsists
Changed line(s) 170,172 (click to see context) from:
* BodyHorror: He doesn't bother with disguises like the other demons, and his true form is some of the best NightmareFuel in the series. From his nose to his sternum, he has just a gaping hole, showing roiling black soulstuff and dirty ribs.
* HeroKiller: He murders [[spoiler: the entire strike team save John, who he was saving for later, and Elijah, who he couldn't get close to for fear of getting mind-sucked.]]
* WeCanRuleTogether: Offers to turn John Withered, to be his ruthless warrior right hand.
* HeroKiller: He murders [[spoiler: the entire strike team save John, who he was saving for later, and Elijah, who he couldn't get close to for fear of getting mind-sucked.]]
* WeCanRuleTogether: Offers to turn John Withered, to be his ruthless warrior right hand.
to:
* BodyHorror: He doesn't bother with disguises like the AGodIAmNot: Most other demons, demons don't understand his affection for and his true form is some of identification with PunyEarthlings. He explains that he's been one by proxy so many times he can't help it, and prefers their company to the best NightmareFuel in the series. From his nose to his sternum, he has just a gaping hole, showing roiling black soulstuff and dirty ribs.self-important, destructive Withered.
*HeroKiller: He murders [[spoiler: the entire strike team save John, who ProHumanTranshuman: As a result of his very literal empathy for humans.
* MyGreatestFailure: Draining Merrill Evans' mind and leaving him with what is effectively a crippling case of Alzheimer's before he wassaving for later, and Elijah, who he couldn't get close to for fear even out of getting mind-sucked.]]
his forties.
*WeCanRuleTogether: Offers to turn NotSoDifferent: A rare example of the hero pointing it out first. John Withered, quickly suspects he's NotEvilJustMisunderstood and is drawn to be his ruthless warrior right hand.him immediately.
* RidiculouslyAverageGuy: Physically. When asked to describe him, all Brooke could come up with was "sad".
* TouchOfDeath: Well, touch of coma and EmptyShell-ing. He takes down ''three'' other Withered unprepared, including draining one who was restraining him by pressing their cheeks together. We later see their remains being studied by a local hospital. It isn't pretty.
*
* MyGreatestFailure: Draining Merrill Evans' mind and leaving him with what is effectively a crippling case of Alzheimer's before he was
*
* RidiculouslyAverageGuy: Physically. When asked to describe him, all Brooke could come up with was "sad".
* TouchOfDeath: Well, touch of coma and EmptyShell-ing. He takes down ''three'' other Withered unprepared, including draining one who was restraining him by pressing their cheeks together. We later see their remains being studied by a local hospital. It isn't pretty.
Changed line(s) 175,179 (click to see context) from:
!FBI
[[folder: Linda Ostler]]
The tough-as-nails leader of the secret government kill team devoted to tracking demons.
[[folder: Linda Ostler]]
The tough-as-nails leader of the secret government kill team devoted to tracking demons.
to:
The
Changed line(s) 181,182 (click to see context) from:
* ParentalSubstitute: Potash says she has a "maternal attachment" to John. Humorously, they don't get on any better than John and his biological mother.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: For all of John's resentment towards her, she does a good job keeping a handle on her team.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: For all of John's resentment towards her, she does a good job keeping a handle on her team.
to:
* ParentalSubstitute: Potash says she has a "maternal attachment" to John. Humorously, they don't get on any better than John AGodAmI: To be fair, he's not totally wrong.
* BodyHorror: He doesn't bother with disguises like the other demons, and hisbiological mother.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: For alltrue form is some of John's resentment towards her, she does the best NightmareFuel in the series. From his nose to his sternum, he has just a good job keeping gaping hole, showing roiling black soulstuff and dirty ribs.
* BondVillainStupidity: A minor case. He has John, ahandle on her team.known demon slayer, helpless and alone save Brooke, a vanilla human with no combat experience, and he wastes time trying to seduce him to the dark side, and then yelling and destroying things in a rage once John makes it clear that's not gonna happen.
--->'''Rack:''' I have lived ten thousand years! I will not die here, like this, like ''nothing''! I will have the death of a god!
--->'''[[CombatPragmatist John]]:''' This is the other big difference between you and me. If I want something dead, I kill it. [[LampshadeHanging No pointless]] [[EvilGloating monologuing]].
* HeroKiller: He murders [[spoiler: the entire strike team except John, who he was saving for later, and Elijah, who he couldn't get close to for fear of getting mind-sucked.]]
* WeCanRuleTogether: Offers to turn John Withered, to be his ruthless warrior right hand.
* VisionaryVillain: He was the one who came up with the idea of eternal life in the first place, and the de facto leader of the Withered in the war against those hunting them.
* BodyHorror: He doesn't bother with disguises like the other demons, and his
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: For all
* BondVillainStupidity: A minor case. He has John, a
--->'''Rack:''' I have lived ten thousand years! I will not die here, like this, like ''nothing''! I will have the death of a god!
--->'''[[CombatPragmatist John]]:''' This is the other big difference between you and me. If I want something dead, I kill it. [[LampshadeHanging No pointless]] [[EvilGloating monologuing]].
* HeroKiller: He murders [[spoiler: the entire strike team except John, who he was saving for later, and Elijah, who he couldn't get close to for fear of getting mind-sucked.]]
* WeCanRuleTogether: Offers to turn John Withered, to be his ruthless warrior right hand.
* VisionaryVillain: He was the one who came up with the idea of eternal life in the first place, and the de facto leader of the Withered in the war against those hunting them.
Changed line(s) 185,187 (click to see context) from:
[[folder: Albert Potash]]
A no-nonsense assassin who performs most of the kills Ostler orders.
A no-nonsense assassin who performs most of the kills Ostler orders.
to:
!FBI
[[folder:Albert Potash]]
A no-nonsense assassin who performs mostLinda Ostler]]
The tough-as-nails leader of thekills Ostler orders.secret government kill team devoted to tracking demons.
[[folder:
A no-nonsense assassin who performs most
The tough-as-nails leader of the
Changed line(s) 189 (click to see context) from:
* SuperSoldier: John calls him a [[NotSayingTheZWord "special forces soldier"]]. He has heightened senses, strength, and endurance.
to:
* SuperSoldier: ParentalSubstitute: Potash says she has a "maternal attachment" to John. Humorously, they don't get on any better than John calls him a [[NotSayingTheZWord "special forces soldier"]]. He has heightened senses, strength, and endurance.his biological mother.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: For all of John's resentment towards her, she does a good job keeping a handle on her team.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: For all of John's resentment towards her, she does a good job keeping a handle on her team.
Changed line(s) 192,194 (click to see context) from:
[[folder: Diana Lucas]]
A FriendlySniper who works with John in book four. She's the only FBI agent he doesn't actively dislike.
A FriendlySniper who works with John in book four. She's the only FBI agent he doesn't actively dislike.
to:
[[folder: Diana Lucas]]
Albert Potash]]
AFriendlySniper no-nonsense assassin who works with John in book four. She's performs most of the only FBI agent he doesn't actively dislike.kills Ostler orders.
A
Changed line(s) 196,197 (click to see context) from:
* AffirmativeActionLegacy / TwoferTokenMinority: She's black and a woman.
* AnArmAndALeg: [[spoiler:Rack pulls off one of her arms and leaves her to bleed out.]]
* AnArmAndALeg: [[spoiler:Rack pulls off one of her arms and leaves her to bleed out.]]
to:
* AffirmativeActionLegacy / TwoferTokenMinority: She's black ShroudedInMyth: Even Rack can't find anything on him and has to resort to making vague, sweeping threats.
* SuperSoldier: John calls him awoman.
* AnArmAndALeg: [[spoiler:Rack pulls off one of her arms[[NotSayingTheZWord "special forces soldier"]]. He has heightened senses, strength, and leaves her to bleed out.]]endurance.
* SuperSoldier: John calls him a
* AnArmAndALeg: [[spoiler:Rack pulls off one of her arms
Changed line(s) 200,202 (click to see context) from:
[[folder: Dr. Martin Trujillo]]
An FBI psychiatrist who is assigned to John and Brooke in ''The Devil's Only Friend''.
An FBI psychiatrist who is assigned to John and Brooke in ''The Devil's Only Friend''.
to:
[[folder: Dr. Martin Trujillo]]
An FBI psychiatristDiana Lucas]]
A FriendlySniper whois assigned to works with John and Brooke in ''The Devil's Only Friend''.book four. She's the only FBI agent he doesn't actively dislike.
An FBI psychiatrist
A FriendlySniper who
Changed line(s) 204 (click to see context) from:
* DarkAndTroubledPast: When Rack digs up dirt on the team, it's revealed that he [[spoiler: is a statutory rapist.]] John is understandably angry that Ostler trusted him with Brooke.
to:
* DarkAndTroubledPast: When Rack digs up dirt AffirmativeActionLegacy / TwoferTokenMinority: She's black and a woman.
* AnArmAndALeg: [[spoiler:Rack pulls off one of her arms and leaves her to bleed out.]]
* FriendlySniper: If you met her on the street, you'd have no idea she was a capable enough to killer to be on a specialized supernatural hit squad.
* TheHeart: To the FBI team. She jokes often, likes animals, and is the only member of the team to protest John's cold pragmatism in the attack on Cody French. It borders on....
* TokenGoodTeammate: Out of the Withered strike team,it's revealed that he she's probably the most solidly good. Compared to a drug dealer, a rapist, a war criminal, and two borderline serial killers, her offenses are pretty minor. [[spoiler: is She was dishonorably discharged from the military for beating up another woman in a statutory rapist.]] John is understandably angry that Ostler trusted him with Brooke.gang initiation.]]
* AnArmAndALeg: [[spoiler:Rack pulls off one of her arms and leaves her to bleed out.]]
* FriendlySniper: If you met her on the street, you'd have no idea she was a capable enough to killer to be on a specialized supernatural hit squad.
* TheHeart: To the FBI team. She jokes often, likes animals, and is the only member of the team to protest John's cold pragmatism in the attack on Cody French. It borders on....
* TokenGoodTeammate: Out of the Withered strike team,
Changed line(s) 207,209 (click to see context) from:
[[folder: Dr. Nathan Gentry]]
A self-important prodigy who has ''four degrees'' (two masters, two doctorates) at the age of twenty-seven. [[spoiler: He betrays the team in favor of Rack.]]
A self-important prodigy who has ''four degrees'' (two masters, two doctorates) at the age of twenty-seven. [[spoiler: He betrays the team in favor of Rack.]]
to:
[[folder: Dr. Nathan Gentry]]
A self-important prodigyMartin Trujillo]]
An FBI psychiatrist whohas ''four degrees'' (two masters, two doctorates) at the age of twenty-seven. [[spoiler: He betrays the team is assigned to John and Brooke in favor of Rack.]]''The Devil's Only Friend''.
A self-important prodigy
An FBI psychiatrist who
Changed line(s) 211,212 (click to see context) from:
* {{Greed}}
* SixthRangerTraitor
* SixthRangerTraitor
to:
* {{Greed}}
* SixthRangerTraitorDarkAndTroubledPast: When Rack digs up dirt on the team, it's revealed that he [[spoiler: is a statutory rapist.]] John is understandably angry that Ostler trusted him with Brooke.
* SixthRangerTraitor
Changed line(s) 215,217 (click to see context) from:
[[folder: Kelly Ishida]]
The FBI's police liaison. She worked homicide for six years and is a bit twitchy as a result.
The FBI's police liaison. She worked homicide for six years and is a bit twitchy as a result.
to:
[[folder: Kelly Ishida]]
The FBI's police liaison. She worked homicide for six years and is a bit twitchy as a result.Dr. Nathan Gentry]]
A self-important prodigy who has ''four degrees'' (two masters, two doctorates) at the age of twenty-seven. [[spoiler: He betrays the team in favor of Rack.]]
The FBI's police liaison. She worked homicide for six years and is a bit twitchy as a result.
A self-important prodigy who has ''four degrees'' (two masters, two doctorates) at the age of twenty-seven. [[spoiler: He betrays the team in favor of Rack.]]
Changed line(s) 219 (click to see context) from:
* SacrificialLamb / WeHardlyKnewYe: [[spoiler: Mary Gardner]] kills her to show how badly the plan has gone off the rails.
to:
* SacrificialLamb / WeHardlyKnewYe: AssholeVictim: Nobody felt bad when [[spoiler: Mary Gardner]] kills her John stabs him to show how badly death.]]
* EvilPaysBetter: [[spoiler: His motivation for joining Rack. Turns out, a guy who's lived ten thousand years has a lot of money to spare luring proud intellectuals in.]]
* {{Greed}}
* InsufferableGenius
* NonActionGuy: When Ostler says civilians are their first priority in a crisis, he yells "I am a civilian!"
* SixthRangerTraitor: He's theplan has gone off newest member of the rails.team, and [[spoiler: ends up helping Rack in exchange for money. A lot of money.]]
* EvilPaysBetter: [[spoiler: His motivation for joining Rack. Turns out, a guy who's lived ten thousand years has a lot of money to spare luring proud intellectuals in.]]
* {{Greed}}
* InsufferableGenius
* NonActionGuy: When Ostler says civilians are their first priority in a crisis, he yells "I am a civilian!"
* SixthRangerTraitor: He's the
Added DiffLines:
[[folder: Kelly Ishida]]
The FBI's police liaison. She worked homicide for six years and is a bit twitchy as a result.
----
* SacrificialLamb / WeHardlyKnewYe: [[spoiler: Mary Gardner]] kills her to show how badly the plan has gone off the rails.
[[/folder]]
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
%%
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%%
%% Zero Context Example entries are NOT allowed on wiki pages. All such entries have been commented out. Add context to the entries before uncommenting them. %%
%%
%%
%%
'''WARNING!''' Due to the books relying heavily on mystery and surprise, the pages would be virtually unreadable with excessive spoiler tags. Therefore, all spoilers from the first trilogy are '''UNMARKED'''. Tread carefully.
----
[[foldercontrol]]
! Cleaver Family
[[folder: John]]
A lonely young man diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder early on in book one. It's his mission to prove everybody(including himself)wrong about his future and be a good person.
----
* AntiHero: Type IV.
* BloodKnight: He's always down for a good fight. Or murder.
* BrokenBird: RareMaleExample. His sociopathy was caused, or at least catalyzed, by his father's abuse and abandonment. [[TruthInTelevision He pushed away all emotion and intimacy to get rid of the hurt, but got stuck that way as he grew up.]]
* DefrostingIceQueen: Becomes more openly vulnerable and affectionate as he learns to cope with his emotions.
* EeriePaleSkinnedBrunette
* EnemyWithin / GollumMadeMeDoIt: How he personifies his own anger as "Mr. Monster". It's a coping mechanism, distancing his flaws, and when calling Dr. Neblin in a panic, he even says "it wasn't me, the monster did it". [[CharacterDevelopment Tellingly]], he's stopped using it as of ''I Don't Want To Kill You''.
* GreenEyes: Of the volatile, unusual and untrustworthy variety.
* HeartbrokenBadass: In ''The Devil's Only Friend''.
* HeroWithAnFInGood: At times. He isn't exactly cut from the typical cloth.
* KnifeNut: DoesNotLikeGuns, as they're too easy to accidentally hurt someone with, and not nearly personal enough when you find someone you ''do'' want to hurt.
* LoveHungry: In the first two books especially. He admits that his definition of love is closer to a need to possess someone and have their whole attention than anything else.
* LovingAShadow: To Brooke. After genuinely falling for Marci, he realizes he wasn't really interested in Brooke-just some abstract ideal of innocence, purity, and beauty he projected onto her.
* RealMenWearPink: He cooks often and is a militant vegetarian.
* ScrewDestiny: His ''raison d'etre''. He feels like fate wants him to be a serial killer, and that future even appeals to a part of him, but he refuses to let fate/destiny/his own baser instincts control him.
* SerialKillerKiller
* TheSociopath / LackOfEmpathy: He is....not great with people. Relating to them, understanding them, valuing them.....
** SociopathicHero: But he's also committed to being more than his illness.
* StepfordSnarker: Multiple characters point out his tendency to deflect serious emotion with jokes and sarcasm.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: April]]
The emotionally inept matriarch of the Cleaver family.
----
* DesperatelyCravesAffection: She loves her family, she really does, but is terrible at communicating it.
* HeroicSacrifice: Convinces Nobody to possess her and retains control long enough to crawl into a burning car.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Lauren]]
John's older sister. She has a thorny relationship with April and has moved out, but continues to offer her support in his own altercations with their mother.
----
* BrattyTeenageDaughter: Can come off this way sometimes.
* LethalChef
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Margaret]]
April's twin sister and the primary arbiter of the family.
----
* OnlySaneMan
* SiblingTriangle: When he first entered their lives, she and April were both interested in Sam. It didn't end well for either of them.
[[/folder]]
!Other Clayton Residents
[[folder: Brooke Watson]]
The Cleavers' next-door neighbor who John develops a crush on in book one. His influence forces her between humans and demons in a burgeoning supernatural war.
----
* BrokenBird: After the events of ''I Don't Want To Kill You''.
* {{Fangirl}}: Apparently she really likes manga.
* HairOfGoldHeartOfGold
* LightFeminineDarkFeminine: The Light to Marci's Dark.
* TheOphelia: Post-''I Don't Want To Kill You''.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Kay Crowley]]
A kindly old lady who lives across from John.
----
* HappilyMarried: To Bill/Mkhai. Partially because she has no idea he's a demon.
* LoveRedeems: She singlehandedly stopped Crowley's killing without even knowing it.
--->''This was the angel who had tamed a demon.''
* ParentalSubstitute: Well, grand-parental substitute. She and Crowley are both very affectionate with John, and he returns it as best he can.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Dr. Ben/Grant Neblin]]
John's patient, dedicated psychiatrist.
----
* InnocentBystander: He's only murdered because [[NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished he came to find John after receiving a panicked phone call that indicated he might be unstable]].
* KilledOffForReal: By Crowley.
* SeriesContinuityError: In ''I Am Not A Serial Killer'', his first name is Ben, but when John mentions him in ''The Devil's Only Friend'', it's Grant.
* YouAreBetterThanYouThinkYouAre: One of the few people who has unswerving faith in John.
--->''"Listen to me, John." said Dr. Neblin, more serious and intense than I'd ever heard him. "Listen to me. Are you listening?"''
--->''I squeezed my eyes shut and gritted my teeth. "It's not John anymore, it's Mr. Monster."''
--->''"No, it's not," said Neblin. "It's John. It's not John Wayne, or Mr. Monster, or anybody else, it's John. You're in control. Now, are you listening to me?"''
--->''I rocked back and forth. "Yes."''
--->''"Good." He said. "Now pay very close attention: you are not a monster. You are not a demon. You are not a killer. You are a good person, with a strong will and a high moral code. Whatever you've done, you can get through it. We can make it right again."''
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Marci Jensen]]
A smart, popular girl who takes an interest in John in ''I Don't Want to Kill You''.
----
* DyingAlone: John seems to hate the fact that he couldn't be with her at the end almost as much as her death, period.
* HiddenDepths: For the first two books, she's mostly an object of tawdry teen lust from Max(and occasionally John). In book three, she's profiling a serial killer.
* LightFeminineDarkFeminine: The Dark to Brooke's Light.
* TheLostLenore: For John in ''The Devil's Only Friend''.
* LovableAlphaBitch: A "social dynamo" and a sweet, principled person.
* SoBeautifulItsACurse: She's widely considered the hottest girl at school, and that means she is seen as a thing to fight over, wanted by her peers for her body, and even sexually harassed by a teacher.
--->''"Listen, John, how should I put this?" She licked her lips. "Girls aren’t stupid, okay? We know when guys like us, and we usually know why: yes, we know we’re attractive, and yes, we notice when guys check us out. I can’t tell you how many conversations I’ve had in just the last month where I have to look at a guy’s forehead the whole time because he’s staring at my boobs. And yes, I admit that sometimes I use them on purpose to get attention. I’ve done it with you. But you’re the first straight boy since sixth grade that it hasn’t worked on. The first one who doesn’t just stare." She shrugged, and looked out at the street. "You’re the first boy in years who’s more interested in talking to me than checking out my rack."
--->"But I’m just-" How could I explain this? "I’m just following my rules. I’m trying to treat you like a person. With respect." The alternative is to treat you like the bodies in the mortuary, like a doll to play with, and I don’t dare allow myself to think like that.
--->“With respect," she repeated. "One of the best things about you, John, is that you have no idea how rare that is."
[[/folder]]
!The Withered
[[folder: Bill Crowley / Mkhai]]
A sympathetic Withered who functions as the antagonist of the first book. He lacks an identity of his own, and body-snatched to stay alive, until he Kay and stayed in one body to be with her.
----
* AntiVillain: Type II.
* LoveMakesYouEvil: Somehow manages to be both this and LoveRedeems. He turns his back on the Withered to live a human life with Kay, but panics and falls off the wagon when he realizes his body is deteriorating and he's going to die and leave her alone.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Clark Forman / Kanta]]
A hedonistic, sadist Withered who goes toe to toe with John in ''Mr. Monster''. He lacks his own emotions and tortures women to feed off theirs.
----
* TheEmpath: A rare evil example. He's addicted to intense emotion, and betrayal is his favorite.
* FullyEmbracedFiend
* HumanoidAbomination
* ShadowArchetype: Of John. Forman represents the kind of person he could be if he let himself stop caring about morality.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Nobody / Hulla]]
Another body-snatching Withered; she gave up her original body because she hated it, but is never satisfied with her hosts and ends up killing them to find new ones. She falls in MadLove with John after he threatens her in ''Mr. Monster'' and attempts to gain his affection by possessing Marci.
----
* ClingyJealousGirl: She's very insecure, to say the least.
* CombatTentacles: Her true form seems to be made up entirely of these.
* VillainessesWantHeroes: As a self-hating demon, she loves John's passion for killing them. Unfortunately for her, he doesn't see the kinship.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Mary Gardner / Agarin]]
A Withered who gave up her health in exchange for immortal life. She works in a hospital, passing off her illnesses to patients.
----
* GlassCannon: She snaps [[spoiler: Kelly Ishida's]] spine nearly in half and takes [[SuperSoldier Potash]] down without breaking a sweat, but John kills her with one strike.
* PoisonousPerson: An ancient goddess of plagues, passing pneumonia off to a grown man and intensifying it to destroy his lungs in less than a minute.
* StealthPun: Typhoid Mary.
* WouldHurtAChild: She's an angel-of-death serial killer, giving her most lethal illnesses to babies weak enough that nobody will think anything of it if they die under her care.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Elijah Sexton / Meshara]]
A Withered with no memory of his own, he subsists on the recently dead, drinking the minds of bodies sent to the mortuary where he works.
----
* AGodIAmNot: Most other demons don't understand his affection for and identification with PunyEarthlings. He explains that he's been one by proxy so many times he can't help it, and prefers their company to the self-important, destructive Withered.
* MyGreatestFailure: Draining Merrill Evans' mind and leaving him with what is effectively a crippling case of Alzheimer's before he was ever out of his forties.
* RidiculouslyAverageGuy: Physically. When asked to describe him, all Brooke could come up with was "sad".
* TouchOfDeath: Well, touch of coma and EmptyShell-ing. He takes down ''three'' other Withered unprepared, including draining one who was restraining him by pressing their cheeks together. We later see their remains being studied by a local hospital. It isn't pretty.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Rack]]
The demon king. He doesn't have a mouth or a heart, and subsists by stealing human hearts and then puppeting the corpses to speak.
----
* BodyHorror: He doesn't bother with disguises like the other demons, and his true form is some of the best NightmareFuel in the series. From his nose to his sternum, he has just a gaping hole, showing roiling black soulstuff and dirty ribs.
* HeroKiller: He murders [[spoiler: the entire strike team save John, who he was saving for later, and Elijah, who he couldn't get close to for fear of getting mind-sucked.]]
* WeCanRuleTogether: Offers to turn John Withered, to be his ruthless warrior right hand.
[[/folder]]
!FBI
[[folder: Linda Ostler]]
The tough-as-nails leader of the secret government kill team devoted to tracking demons.
----
* ParentalSubstitute: Potash says she has a "maternal attachment" to John. Humorously, they don't get on any better than John and his biological mother.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: For all of John's resentment towards her, she does a good job keeping a handle on her team.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Albert Potash]]
A no-nonsense assassin who performs most of the kills Ostler orders.
----
* SuperSoldier: John calls him a [[NotSayingTheZWord "special forces soldier"]]. He has heightened senses, strength, and endurance.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Diana Lucas]]
A FriendlySniper who works with John in book four. She's the only FBI agent he doesn't actively dislike.
----
* AffirmativeActionLegacy / TwoferTokenMinority: She's black and a woman.
* AnArmAndALeg: [[spoiler:Rack pulls off one of her arms and leaves her to bleed out.]]
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Dr. Martin Trujillo]]
An FBI psychiatrist who is assigned to John and Brooke in ''The Devil's Only Friend''.
----
* DarkAndTroubledPast: When Rack digs up dirt on the team, it's revealed that he [[spoiler: is a statutory rapist.]] John is understandably angry that Ostler trusted him with Brooke.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Dr. Nathan Gentry]]
A self-important prodigy who has ''four degrees'' (two masters, two doctorates) at the age of twenty-seven. [[spoiler: He betrays the team in favor of Rack.]]
----
* {{Greed}}
* SixthRangerTraitor
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Kelly Ishida]]
The FBI's police liaison. She worked homicide for six years and is a bit twitchy as a result.
----
* SacrificialLamb / WeHardlyKnewYe: [[spoiler: Mary Gardner]] kills her to show how badly the plan has gone off the rails.
[[/folder]]
----
%%
%%
%% Zero Context Example entries are NOT allowed on wiki pages. All such entries have been commented out. Add context to the entries before uncommenting them. %%
%%
%%
%%
'''WARNING!''' Due to the books relying heavily on mystery and surprise, the pages would be virtually unreadable with excessive spoiler tags. Therefore, all spoilers from the first trilogy are '''UNMARKED'''. Tread carefully.
----
[[foldercontrol]]
! Cleaver Family
[[folder: John]]
A lonely young man diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder early on in book one. It's his mission to prove everybody(including himself)wrong about his future and be a good person.
----
* AntiHero: Type IV.
* BloodKnight: He's always down for a good fight. Or murder.
* BrokenBird: RareMaleExample. His sociopathy was caused, or at least catalyzed, by his father's abuse and abandonment. [[TruthInTelevision He pushed away all emotion and intimacy to get rid of the hurt, but got stuck that way as he grew up.]]
* DefrostingIceQueen: Becomes more openly vulnerable and affectionate as he learns to cope with his emotions.
* EeriePaleSkinnedBrunette
* EnemyWithin / GollumMadeMeDoIt: How he personifies his own anger as "Mr. Monster". It's a coping mechanism, distancing his flaws, and when calling Dr. Neblin in a panic, he even says "it wasn't me, the monster did it". [[CharacterDevelopment Tellingly]], he's stopped using it as of ''I Don't Want To Kill You''.
* GreenEyes: Of the volatile, unusual and untrustworthy variety.
* HeartbrokenBadass: In ''The Devil's Only Friend''.
* HeroWithAnFInGood: At times. He isn't exactly cut from the typical cloth.
* KnifeNut: DoesNotLikeGuns, as they're too easy to accidentally hurt someone with, and not nearly personal enough when you find someone you ''do'' want to hurt.
* LoveHungry: In the first two books especially. He admits that his definition of love is closer to a need to possess someone and have their whole attention than anything else.
* LovingAShadow: To Brooke. After genuinely falling for Marci, he realizes he wasn't really interested in Brooke-just some abstract ideal of innocence, purity, and beauty he projected onto her.
* RealMenWearPink: He cooks often and is a militant vegetarian.
* ScrewDestiny: His ''raison d'etre''. He feels like fate wants him to be a serial killer, and that future even appeals to a part of him, but he refuses to let fate/destiny/his own baser instincts control him.
* SerialKillerKiller
* TheSociopath / LackOfEmpathy: He is....not great with people. Relating to them, understanding them, valuing them.....
** SociopathicHero: But he's also committed to being more than his illness.
* StepfordSnarker: Multiple characters point out his tendency to deflect serious emotion with jokes and sarcasm.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: April]]
The emotionally inept matriarch of the Cleaver family.
----
* DesperatelyCravesAffection: She loves her family, she really does, but is terrible at communicating it.
* HeroicSacrifice: Convinces Nobody to possess her and retains control long enough to crawl into a burning car.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Lauren]]
John's older sister. She has a thorny relationship with April and has moved out, but continues to offer her support in his own altercations with their mother.
----
* BrattyTeenageDaughter: Can come off this way sometimes.
* LethalChef
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Margaret]]
April's twin sister and the primary arbiter of the family.
----
* OnlySaneMan
* SiblingTriangle: When he first entered their lives, she and April were both interested in Sam. It didn't end well for either of them.
[[/folder]]
!Other Clayton Residents
[[folder: Brooke Watson]]
The Cleavers' next-door neighbor who John develops a crush on in book one. His influence forces her between humans and demons in a burgeoning supernatural war.
----
* BrokenBird: After the events of ''I Don't Want To Kill You''.
* {{Fangirl}}: Apparently she really likes manga.
* HairOfGoldHeartOfGold
* LightFeminineDarkFeminine: The Light to Marci's Dark.
* TheOphelia: Post-''I Don't Want To Kill You''.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Kay Crowley]]
A kindly old lady who lives across from John.
----
* HappilyMarried: To Bill/Mkhai. Partially because she has no idea he's a demon.
* LoveRedeems: She singlehandedly stopped Crowley's killing without even knowing it.
--->''This was the angel who had tamed a demon.''
* ParentalSubstitute: Well, grand-parental substitute. She and Crowley are both very affectionate with John, and he returns it as best he can.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Dr. Ben/Grant Neblin]]
John's patient, dedicated psychiatrist.
----
* InnocentBystander: He's only murdered because [[NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished he came to find John after receiving a panicked phone call that indicated he might be unstable]].
* KilledOffForReal: By Crowley.
* SeriesContinuityError: In ''I Am Not A Serial Killer'', his first name is Ben, but when John mentions him in ''The Devil's Only Friend'', it's Grant.
* YouAreBetterThanYouThinkYouAre: One of the few people who has unswerving faith in John.
--->''"Listen to me, John." said Dr. Neblin, more serious and intense than I'd ever heard him. "Listen to me. Are you listening?"''
--->''I squeezed my eyes shut and gritted my teeth. "It's not John anymore, it's Mr. Monster."''
--->''"No, it's not," said Neblin. "It's John. It's not John Wayne, or Mr. Monster, or anybody else, it's John. You're in control. Now, are you listening to me?"''
--->''I rocked back and forth. "Yes."''
--->''"Good." He said. "Now pay very close attention: you are not a monster. You are not a demon. You are not a killer. You are a good person, with a strong will and a high moral code. Whatever you've done, you can get through it. We can make it right again."''
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Marci Jensen]]
A smart, popular girl who takes an interest in John in ''I Don't Want to Kill You''.
----
* DyingAlone: John seems to hate the fact that he couldn't be with her at the end almost as much as her death, period.
* HiddenDepths: For the first two books, she's mostly an object of tawdry teen lust from Max(and occasionally John). In book three, she's profiling a serial killer.
* LightFeminineDarkFeminine: The Dark to Brooke's Light.
* TheLostLenore: For John in ''The Devil's Only Friend''.
* LovableAlphaBitch: A "social dynamo" and a sweet, principled person.
* SoBeautifulItsACurse: She's widely considered the hottest girl at school, and that means she is seen as a thing to fight over, wanted by her peers for her body, and even sexually harassed by a teacher.
--->''"Listen, John, how should I put this?" She licked her lips. "Girls aren’t stupid, okay? We know when guys like us, and we usually know why: yes, we know we’re attractive, and yes, we notice when guys check us out. I can’t tell you how many conversations I’ve had in just the last month where I have to look at a guy’s forehead the whole time because he’s staring at my boobs. And yes, I admit that sometimes I use them on purpose to get attention. I’ve done it with you. But you’re the first straight boy since sixth grade that it hasn’t worked on. The first one who doesn’t just stare." She shrugged, and looked out at the street. "You’re the first boy in years who’s more interested in talking to me than checking out my rack."
--->"But I’m just-" How could I explain this? "I’m just following my rules. I’m trying to treat you like a person. With respect." The alternative is to treat you like the bodies in the mortuary, like a doll to play with, and I don’t dare allow myself to think like that.
--->“With respect," she repeated. "One of the best things about you, John, is that you have no idea how rare that is."
[[/folder]]
!The Withered
[[folder: Bill Crowley / Mkhai]]
A sympathetic Withered who functions as the antagonist of the first book. He lacks an identity of his own, and body-snatched to stay alive, until he Kay and stayed in one body to be with her.
----
* AntiVillain: Type II.
* LoveMakesYouEvil: Somehow manages to be both this and LoveRedeems. He turns his back on the Withered to live a human life with Kay, but panics and falls off the wagon when he realizes his body is deteriorating and he's going to die and leave her alone.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Clark Forman / Kanta]]
A hedonistic, sadist Withered who goes toe to toe with John in ''Mr. Monster''. He lacks his own emotions and tortures women to feed off theirs.
----
* TheEmpath: A rare evil example. He's addicted to intense emotion, and betrayal is his favorite.
* FullyEmbracedFiend
* HumanoidAbomination
* ShadowArchetype: Of John. Forman represents the kind of person he could be if he let himself stop caring about morality.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Nobody / Hulla]]
Another body-snatching Withered; she gave up her original body because she hated it, but is never satisfied with her hosts and ends up killing them to find new ones. She falls in MadLove with John after he threatens her in ''Mr. Monster'' and attempts to gain his affection by possessing Marci.
----
* ClingyJealousGirl: She's very insecure, to say the least.
* CombatTentacles: Her true form seems to be made up entirely of these.
* VillainessesWantHeroes: As a self-hating demon, she loves John's passion for killing them. Unfortunately for her, he doesn't see the kinship.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Mary Gardner / Agarin]]
A Withered who gave up her health in exchange for immortal life. She works in a hospital, passing off her illnesses to patients.
----
* GlassCannon: She snaps [[spoiler: Kelly Ishida's]] spine nearly in half and takes [[SuperSoldier Potash]] down without breaking a sweat, but John kills her with one strike.
* PoisonousPerson: An ancient goddess of plagues, passing pneumonia off to a grown man and intensifying it to destroy his lungs in less than a minute.
* StealthPun: Typhoid Mary.
* WouldHurtAChild: She's an angel-of-death serial killer, giving her most lethal illnesses to babies weak enough that nobody will think anything of it if they die under her care.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Elijah Sexton / Meshara]]
A Withered with no memory of his own, he subsists on the recently dead, drinking the minds of bodies sent to the mortuary where he works.
----
* AGodIAmNot: Most other demons don't understand his affection for and identification with PunyEarthlings. He explains that he's been one by proxy so many times he can't help it, and prefers their company to the self-important, destructive Withered.
* MyGreatestFailure: Draining Merrill Evans' mind and leaving him with what is effectively a crippling case of Alzheimer's before he was ever out of his forties.
* RidiculouslyAverageGuy: Physically. When asked to describe him, all Brooke could come up with was "sad".
* TouchOfDeath: Well, touch of coma and EmptyShell-ing. He takes down ''three'' other Withered unprepared, including draining one who was restraining him by pressing their cheeks together. We later see their remains being studied by a local hospital. It isn't pretty.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Rack]]
The demon king. He doesn't have a mouth or a heart, and subsists by stealing human hearts and then puppeting the corpses to speak.
----
* BodyHorror: He doesn't bother with disguises like the other demons, and his true form is some of the best NightmareFuel in the series. From his nose to his sternum, he has just a gaping hole, showing roiling black soulstuff and dirty ribs.
* HeroKiller: He murders [[spoiler: the entire strike team save John, who he was saving for later, and Elijah, who he couldn't get close to for fear of getting mind-sucked.]]
* WeCanRuleTogether: Offers to turn John Withered, to be his ruthless warrior right hand.
[[/folder]]
!FBI
[[folder: Linda Ostler]]
The tough-as-nails leader of the secret government kill team devoted to tracking demons.
----
* ParentalSubstitute: Potash says she has a "maternal attachment" to John. Humorously, they don't get on any better than John and his biological mother.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: For all of John's resentment towards her, she does a good job keeping a handle on her team.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Albert Potash]]
A no-nonsense assassin who performs most of the kills Ostler orders.
----
* SuperSoldier: John calls him a [[NotSayingTheZWord "special forces soldier"]]. He has heightened senses, strength, and endurance.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Diana Lucas]]
A FriendlySniper who works with John in book four. She's the only FBI agent he doesn't actively dislike.
----
* AffirmativeActionLegacy / TwoferTokenMinority: She's black and a woman.
* AnArmAndALeg: [[spoiler:Rack pulls off one of her arms and leaves her to bleed out.]]
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Dr. Martin Trujillo]]
An FBI psychiatrist who is assigned to John and Brooke in ''The Devil's Only Friend''.
----
* DarkAndTroubledPast: When Rack digs up dirt on the team, it's revealed that he [[spoiler: is a statutory rapist.]] John is understandably angry that Ostler trusted him with Brooke.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Dr. Nathan Gentry]]
A self-important prodigy who has ''four degrees'' (two masters, two doctorates) at the age of twenty-seven. [[spoiler: He betrays the team in favor of Rack.]]
----
* {{Greed}}
* SixthRangerTraitor
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Kelly Ishida]]
The FBI's police liaison. She worked homicide for six years and is a bit twitchy as a result.
----
* SacrificialLamb / WeHardlyKnewYe: [[spoiler: Mary Gardner]] kills her to show how badly the plan has gone off the rails.
[[/folder]]
----
