I have a group called the Praetorians in my WIP novel. They quickly come to the scene after an reality altering event has taken place and investigate. More often than not, they can be found in groups of three. They drive old cars, primarily pre-seventies models. There are practical reasons for them doing all these things.
Later I thought they could serve as the origin of the “urban legend” about the Men In Black. Still later I decided to websearch it. I found the Men In Black are said, of course, investigate after strange happenings, travel in groups of three, to drive old fashion cars.
Now is that eerie or what?
Goldilocks and the Three Bears
Three Blind mice
The Matrix had three agents together most of the time.
The Holy Trinity: The Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.
Three has been an important numerical symbol for ages. It doesn't surprise me that your idea has similarities elsewhere, or possibly identical.
And don't forget subconscious assimilation. You may not be aware of it fully at the time, but you do assimilate a great bit of things throughout the course of a day...
And there's always memory to consider. Sometimes were read something and then forgot we've ever read it. Years later, perhaps, we come up with an idea thinking it is our own and find out at some point that we only remembered it.
But don't let this stop you from writing your story...
Though when I thought about the groups of three, it came about for practical reasons. I didn't think, hmmm, it be interesting if they often are in groups of three. It'd just seemed like they didn't really have a choice.
never give a Japanese person four of anything, it's an insult. basically you are wishing death upon them and their home.
quote:
the number 4, said "shi" in Japanese has the cultural connotation of "death" to Japanese people.never give a Japanese person four of anything, it's an insult. basically you are wishing death upon them and their home.
Interesting. Is it still thought of this strongly in modern Japan? The only correlation I can draw between that and European numerology (that most people would know about) is the belief that 13 is an "unlucky number".
another thing on four in Japan, for the same reason as above, they also prefer to use "yon" when talking about the number, because they think that it somehow decreases the bad connotations of the number. but you still, never, ever, give them four of anything.
In our culture, four table settings or whatever seems about right. Mom, Dad, two kids. I suspect in a Japanese context this notion would be regarded as implying that someone was a fifth wheel, so to speak. It would be interesting to see if the "gift set of four items"="extra person should just drop dead already" dates to the fifties, when consumer goods based on the American nuclear family model were starting to displace and supplant traditional Japanese domestic items.
"Sorry, Obachan. It came in a set of four, but I thought you'd be to old fashioned to like one anyway."
I wonder how many times this would have to happen before grannies all over the country would invent a new rule about bringing home a set of four.
Do these guys drive cars made before WWII? They would attract a lot more attention, but such cars had great names and wonderful ornamentation. The the name of the Ben Hur or the hood ornament on a Stutz Bearcat are examples.
"MIB use large black old-fashioned cars, usually Cadillacs or Lincolns in the United States and Rolls Royce or Jaguars in England."
Use whatever you like, I'm just making a suggestion. If your book is illustrated, the '57 Chevy could look good. Of course, a '57 Studebaker Golden Hawk would look great, too.