Guide to 'The Wingman' - The Wingman

The power system of The Wingman may prove to be highly complex and intricate without any guidance.

This section is simply designed to deliver the most clear and detailed explanation possible of:

The 'Assurance' power system

The history of the world that lead to the existence of 'Assurance'

How Fights Occur In This World

These topics are/ will be covered in the real story. So reading this is entirely optional.

Furthermore, if you're looking for an entirely linear experience, including learning about the world more naturally as details come up, this section may contain some significant spoilers for you.

However, if you're the type of reader who would rather know exactly what you're in for… or you feel dissatisfied with the dialogue heavy, mysterious approach I've taken with the prologue— I would advise that you just read this and decide whether you want to continue following from there.

I'll also add to this over time as more details become relevant.

Origin of 'Assurance'

As most people know Humans evolved from the monkey, over hundreds of thousands of years.

Well, seeing as this is a fantasy world, around the same time where monkeys began the process of evolution, there was another species evolving alongside them.

Hobgoblins.

Green skinned, with pointy ears.

The hobgoblins were evolving into their own intelligent species at the exact same time as monkeys evolved into humans.

Making them natural enemies.

In the real world, Humans are the ultimate predator. The most dangerous species of mammal. Of creature. All because of our intelligence.

And so competing against other, less intelligent animals, would not have provided us with much competition.

However, in the world of The Wingman. There are two species of equal intelligence. Both sitting at the top of the food chain.

The Humans, and the Gimen.

And so they competed for food, territory, etc.

Almost completely equal to each other, like looking into a green mirror.

This then lead to natural selection coming into play.

The survival of both Humans and Gimen was hinging on whether they could win this power struggle.

They could not afford to share resources.

There was only room for one to dominate.

And so, Humans and Gimen evolved to go to war against each other.

Developing features over thousands of years that gave them an advantage over each other.

They were adapting to the never ending requirement that they compete with each other.

The scales tipped in each species' favour a number of times.

One era, Humans would dominate. Another, Gimen would come out on top.

Even in different areas of the world, the power dynamic was slightly different depending on where you were.

A battle of evolution. One where neither species could truly call themselves the victor.

That was until humans developed 'Assurance'.

It started out as simply instinct. Tied to adrenaline.

Humans needed to prevail when attacked by Gimen.

They needed to take food when Gimen had food while they starved.

The natural urge to survive is all that fuelled the powers.

And they were much too powerful for the Gimen to compete with.

So with that, Humans won the endless power struggle.

Purely by being the first to evolve.

The pressure of competing with another species drove natural selection to give them an advantage they would not need if they were alone.

The possibility of Gimen also evolving to possess some kind of powers becomes debated within the world.

But truthfully, in the timespan in which the story of 'The Wingman' occurs, it never once happens.

Humans are the only ones born with these powers.

Usurpation and Oppression

As humans became more intelligent, the powers also became more complex.

The reason why will come within the detailed explanation of how they work.

However, one thing that did not change over the years was Human nature.

Humans and Gimen still despised each other, no matter how much their mind and intelligence developed.

And this is ultimately what led to the oppression of Gimen.

The hatred itself was entirely mutual.

But because Humans actually had the means, the power, to act on that hatred, with no consequences, no sense of morality…

That's exactly what they did.

As human society developed they began to use their powers to rule over the Gimen.

To enslave them, to build monuments to their strength, to be their servants.

Whatever they wanted, in truth.

What's more, humans even began to turn on each other.

They began to use Assurance to kill each other.

Fighting for power, for dominance.

Until only the most powerful remained.

That is why, in the time where the story occurs, only the highest ranking, royal families truly possess Assurance.

Which they then allow their troops to borrow in the form of a spell.

Peasants, farmers, lower class humans, do not have any such power.

Modern Explanation of Assurance

The most important rule to learn about Assurance revolves around a saying you may have heard before.

"The eyes are the window to the soul."

This phrase is taken literally.

The hierarchy goes like this:

Eyes are the window to the soul —> The soul bears Assurance —> Assurance gives you the superpowers.

But what is 'Assurance'?

It's how assured you are in your beliefs.

Beliefs are what the system revolves around.

When you have a certain belief, you will take actions that align with that belief.

The powers exist to help you take those actions.

For example: A Human believes all Gimen are evil.

All Gimen are evil = Belief

So I need to kill XYZ Gimen in front of me right now = Action that stems from the belief

Action —> Activates powers, so you can perform that action.

The power allows you to do what you believe you need to do. What you believe is correct. It adapts to how you feel. What your mind responds to, the powers respond to.

And this applies to absolutely every kind of belief a character can have.

What they believe about themselves, what they believe about someone else, a group of people, the world itself, anything.

Illogical or logical. True or false. Positive or negative. If you truly believe something to be correct, whether it is or not in reality…

That will dictate your actions on a subconscious level, just like real life.

Except now, you have activated superpowers, to perform those actions.

Also, the strength of the powers is based on how strongly you believe something.

These two are directly linked. Completely in sync with each other.

We'll elaborate on that now.

Dynamic of Assurance

Strength of your powers = Strength of your beliefs

But beliefs change in real time.

Every second there is a new event, a new feeling, a new thought, constant external stimuli that slightly sway your beliefs each time. On a micro scale. Every second.

These micro changes don't affect the power system much, but they go to show that:

Beliefs are extremely dynamic.

Because a belief is just a reality you have experienced a certain number of times.

Example: I believe all Gimen are evil because I have always heard from people I trust that they are.

The more they hear or experience this, the more their subconscious stores it.

Subconscious = Soul = Warehouse of Stimuli = Factory where beliefs are created from stimuli.

The more pieces of proof you have stored in your soul that something is a certain way, the more you will start to see that —> The more you will start to believe it.

It's a battle of attrition.

Therefore if there is suddenly more consistent or more convincing proof of even the exact opposite of what you have always believed…

Your current belief will be broken.

This is the crux of combat in 'The Wingman.'

No fight happens without reason. All the characters involved in a fight will have extremely conflicting beliefs.

The fights themselves are just an allegory for which belief is stronger/ which belief will be broken.

Because as I said…

Strength of beliefs = Strength of powers

So losing/winning comes down to how strong your beliefs are.

This is where psychological warfare comes into play.

Characters will try to break each other's beliefs while fighting

(Not in a Talk no Jutsu way don't worry lol the action stays intense)

Because if they can break their opponents beliefs…

They will lose their powers. Or at least, they will be significantly weakened.

And then they can win.

Every fight is a clash of egos, knowledge, understanding of the world, convincing skills, etc.

Even if your opponent is more correct than you, if you can make them think otherwise, you win.

Manipulation, Gaslighting...

It all comes into play while they fight.

Each major fight is a philosophical debate.

Not overly wordy, they don't turn into Aristotle mid fight.

But someone will come out broken. Every battle. Without exception.

Physically and mentally. There's no separation between the two...

Only total devastation.

Also, this often works in reverse.

Adrenaline can kick in. Someone can have an epiphany mid fight that strengthens their beliefs even more. They can start to enjoy the fight, get super into it. = Power ups.

But directly linked to their character development. Not random. The character comes first, the power follows.

But what if a character doesn't know what their opponent believes?

This is where the 'most important rule' comes in.

The Role of The Eye

The eyes are the window to the soul —> The soul contains 'Assurance' —> Assurance gives you the powers.

So we know about the latter two parts of this 'golden' rule now.

But what about the eye? How does that play a role.

Simple.

Because the eye is the window to the soul, you can look through the eye, to look directly at the soul.

Like an actual window.

AKA: Mind reading.

Eye contact plays an extremely crucial role in each fight.

Characters will use eye contact to get a measure, a read of each other.

To simply look at and read their beliefs.

Think stare-downs before a boxing match, but on steroids.

And what's more.

Because the soul = subconscious

A character can see things that another character may not even know about themselves.

Making it easier to 'break' them. = Stripping their powers.

So the eye contact is used to gather enough information to do that.

And the more you can navigate your own subconscious, the more you can understand someone else's.

AKA. Understanding yourself extremely well = Understanding other people extremely well, especially if their beliefs are less complex than yours.

So, self-mastery is the key to mastering the art of destroying someone else's powers.

This leads characters to engage in spiritual, mindfulness practices.

Meditation, journaling, looking inward at themselves.

Navigating their own subconscious, trying to understand themselves in all their complexity.

All so they can crush other characters.