Being Watched: Difference between revisions

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[[File:CatchingANinja 1759.jpg|link=The Venture Brothers|frame|Well, ''someone'' flunked out of "Hidden [[Ceiling Cling]] [[Subject 101|101]]" in [[Ninja School]].]]
 
{{quote|''"Hey... did ya ever get da feelin' you waswuz [[Trope Codifier|bein' watched]]?"''|'''[[Bugs Bunny/Characters|Bugs Bunny]]''', '''''Hair-Raising Hare'''''}}
|'''[[Bugs Bunny/Characters|Bugs Bunny]]''', '''''Hair-Raising Hare'''''}}
 
Don't look around, [[Talking Through Technique|pretend we're talking]] about [[Cool Car]]s or something.
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* GEICO's newest{{when}} campaign involves a wad of money with big old bulging eyes. Its [[Leitmotif]]? A remix of ''Somebody's Watching Me''.
 
== Anime &and Manga ==
* In ''[[Monster (manga)|Monster]]'', Johann Liebert himself is very good at knowing when he's being watched. Case in point is when he made it clear to Tenma that he knew he was sniping him by making eye contact—from hundreds of yards away, mind you—and giving one of his trademark [[Dissonant Serenity|panic-inducing smiles]].
* A vengeful doll spirit [[Showing Off the New Body]] in ''[[Ranma ½]]'' picks up a stick to bash Ranma with. He grabs the stick, but not because he's on to her intentions: he thinks she's giving him a stick to hit his dad who's hiding in the bushes watching.
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* In ''[[Axis Powers Hetalia]]'', during one of the Allies' meetings, six of the seven members of the group get the unnerving sense that an unseen presence is watching them. Theories as to what it is ranges from it being the ghosts of one of Russia's czars to [[The Ring|a video tape that has a lot of static]]. {{spoiler|It's actually the seventh member, Canada, who of course [[Who Is This Guy Again?|they failed to notice entirely]].}}
 
== Comic Books ==
 
== Comics ==
* It's implied that the elves of ''[[Elf Quest]]'' can sense whenever they're being watched, which comes in useful when they're trying to avoid enemies. Also when someone finds them attractive.
* Channon Yarrow in ''[[Transmetropolitan]]'' can tell people are watching when her neck itches.
* Anatidaephobia - The fear, that somewhere, somehow, a duck is watching you...
 
 
== Films -- Live Action ==
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* ''[[The Bourne Series|The Bourne Ultimatum]]'': Impressive for making an entire sequence based around this, with Jason Bourne able to see the line of sight for at least a dozen cameras and avoid them all himself while instructing a journalist on how to avoid them.
* An inversion of sorts takes place in ''[[The Warriors (film)|The Warriors]]'' when Mercy tells the gang that she's noticed being watched. She's then informed that the gang knew all along and thanks to her, their enemies now know they've been spotted.
 
 
== Films -- Animated ==
* ''[[Horton Hears a Who!]]''
{{quote|'''Mayor of Who-Ville:''' Hey, hon, did you ever get the feeling that you were being watched, and that maybe that thing watching you is... ehhh, a giant elephant?}}
 
 
== Literature ==
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** In the forth [[Dark Tower]] novel, [[The Dark Tower/Wizard and Glass|Wizard and Glass]], Roland's love Susan can sense when the witch Rhea is watching them through the eponymous glass.
* In the YA novel ''The Dancing Meteorite'', misfit Kira tries to tell her less-experienced fellow students that someone is watching them... and they think she's crazy and ignore her. Needless to say, it turns out they should have listened.
* In [[Dan Abnett]]'s ''[[Warhammer 40,000]]: [[Gaunt's Ghosts]]'' novel ''Sabbat Martyr'', Baen says this to Varl. {{spoiler|He's right, because Pater Sin and his psyker-[[Creepy Child]]ren are walking between them while psyk-cloaked}}. In ''Traitor General'', the scouts on Gereon know they're being tracked just before the Nihtgane show themselves. In ''The Armour of Contempt'' Mkoll and Eszrah recognise that there's someone out there watching them {{spoiler|1=who the latter gets to see and is strongly implied to be MkVenner}}, while Vadim and Caffran have a similar sentiment at their part of Gereon.
* In one of the ''[[Warhammer 40,000]]'' ''Eisenhorn'' short stories by Dan Abnett, a veteran soldier twice has this feeling, which is good enough to make the titular Inquisitor ready weapons and get into cover. Good job really, as they get fired on almost immediately.
* In ''[[The Wheel of Time]]'', characters in the World of Dreams have a constant feeling of being watched. Often, possibly always, they're right.
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* In [[John C. Wright]]'s ''[[Chronicles of Chaos]]'', this is a magic ability. Unless magically blocked, absolutely reliable, and capable of detecting even magical viewing, from a distance, and often capable of figuring out the intent of those watching.
** This ability can also detect electronic surveillance devices, but only if there is someone monitoring them and consciously watching/listening. If no one on the other end is paying attention to the data being transmitted, then this ability will not pick up on the devices.
* In the ''[[Discworld]]'' book ''[[Discworld/Monstrous Regiment|Monstrous Regiment]]'', it is mentioned that vampires have a highly developed sense of this. As [[The Igor]] says, "In timeth of thtrethth a vampireth perthonal thpace can extend theveral mileth". "Threth-th?"
* In ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'', Gandalf calls Sam out for eavesdropping on him when he is explaining the properties of the [[Artifact of Doom|One Ring]] to Frodo.
* In ''[[Warbreaker]]'', Breath gives you this ability, called "lifesense". With only one Breath (which everyone is born with), it manifests as this trope.
* In ''[[Shibumi]]'', the protagonist Nikolai Hel is capable of sensing when someone is watching him. It is not really telepathy and he isn't wholly sure how he gained that ability but he speculates it is a result of his senses being sharpened to cope with the lack of external stimulus after spending several years in solitary confinement. Considering he has several other [[Charles Atlas Superpower]]s, it's probably not as strange for him.
* [[Heralds of Valdemar|Herald Mage Vanyel Ashkeveron]] convinced the ''vrondi'', a type of elusiveminor and generally harmless minorelemental spirit of air to [[Staring Contest|watch]] any non-Herald that used "true" magic in Valdemar until a he or another Herald Mage told them to stop. Given that Ashkeveron was the ''Last'' Herald Mage for several centuries and the spirits were nearly impossible to ignore, block out, drive off, or even properly locate... most mages either fled or cracked within a week or two of crossing the border.
 
== Live -Action TV ==
 
== Live Action TV ==
* ''[[The Rockford Files]]''
{{quote|'''Karen Hall:''' That's why I had that horrible feeling I was being watched.}}
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* Rule number one of ''[[The X-Files]]'': Someone is ''always'' watching.
* At one point in the original-series ''[[Star Trek: The Original Series|Star Trek]]'' episode "Devil In The Dark", Spock is able to tell when the Horta is watching him and Kirk.
 
 
== Music ==
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* "Somebody's Watching Me" by [[One-Hit Wonder|Rockwell]].
 
== Newspaper Comics ==
* From ''[[The Far Side]]'' comes Anatidaephobia: - Thethe fear, that somewhere, somehow, a duck is watching you...
 
== Tabletop Games ==
* ''[[Dungeons & Dragons]]'', [[Troperiffic|surprisingly]], omitted it... until [[Dark Sun]] [[Sourcebook]] ''The Will and the Way'' introduced "Sensitivity to Observation" [[Psychic Powers|power]].
** Not entirely accurate: The rules for the Scrying spells allow the person being observed to notice the scrying sensor. This has been around ever since the Scrying spells existed.
** In 5th Edition, this is a Regional Effect caused by a beholder; anyone within a mile of the beholder's lair has the uneasy feeling of being watched, even if they aren't.
* ''[[Paranoia]]'' has security cameras (with integrated laser guns) all over the place. (Rumors of security camera malfunctions are treasonous. Report all rumors.) Oh, and spies planted by Internal Security, secret societies, other service groups jealously guarding their spheres of influence... you get the idea. The XP edition introduces a standard game mechanic for just ''how'' closely any given area is being monitored.
 
 
== Video Games ==
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* Apparently, [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5DdD2dTDBo Gabe Newell is watching you!!]
* In [[Oblivion]] and Fallout3 you can tell if you are being watched. Also most games with a stealth system.
* In ''[[Planescape: Torment]]'', Monte will often tell you this when your party is in [[Wretched Hive| the Hive]]; whether he's right or not is kind of moot, as the Hive is full of thugs who can - and will - attack you for no reason.
 
 
== Visual Novels ==
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** In a Double Subversion, it turns out that {{spoiler|the footsteps they hear are in fact real. The problem is that they ''hear'' someone following them, but can't ''see'' them. The paranoia from the brain dysfunction (which was caused by parasites) that allows them to hear it is, in fact, caused by extreme stress. The "shadow" in question? Never intended any harm.}}
* The group suspects they are being watched by "Zero" in ''[[Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors|Nine Hours Nine Persons Nine Doors]]'' and thus decide to give themselves aliases, lest he/she find out and come after their families.. {{spoiler|Zero is one of the group, and knows their names..}}
 
 
== Web Comics ==
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* ''[[Gunnerkrigg Court]]'' does not [http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/archive_page.php?comicID=726 track] Zimmy even though she's a bit unsafe to be around. Because she feels even the staring of a robot's camera and it ''[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/archive_page.php?comicID=196 annoys the hell out of her]''.
* Based on [[Real Life]] events, [https://web.archive.org/web/20101123233412/http://humoncomics.com/i-spy-with-my-little-eye This] ''[[Scandinavia and The World]]'' comic.
 
 
== Web Original ==
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** I see what you did there.
* The cast of [[Sevenshot Kid]].
 
 
== Western Animation ==
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* ''[[The Venture Brothers]]'' pilot in the image above, played for laughs of course.
* In ''[[Gravity Falls]]'', {{spoiler|depictions of [[Big Bad]] Bill Ciper seem to be everywhere, the eye-in-triangle design present on buildings, artwork, sketches, and the like, giving the feeling that he's always watching the town. ''And he is'', being able to see through any depiction of himself. This makes [[Rewatch Bonus]] even creepier when you realize he is seeing ''everything'' the twins are doing even before he "officially" appears.}}
* [[Samurai Jack]] learned very quickly that his enemy Aku was watching every move he made; in fact, at the end of the episode "Mad Jack", after he has vanquished his [[Evil Twin]], Jack stops, looks upward, and says to no visible person, "I know you are watching. These tricks, they are starting to annoy me."
 
== Real Life ==
* The inexplicable sensation that someone is staring at you is a real phenomenon that people experience in everyday life. There are even scientific studies corroborating it. Evidence tends to support that the ability to sense directed attention from other people is a real sense and it's surpisinglysurprisingly accurate, being correct more often than not.
 
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