#and demon king lore? blood from a stone

[celestialrealms]

Truly, I am so desperate to know what Barbatos and the Demon King's relationship was like during Diavolo's childhood.

Like imagine you come back from a hard day of neglecting your child, only for him to just show up with one of the most powerful and notorious demons in existence and say he's sworn absolute loyalty to him and is going to become his butler for the rest of time like

...and then he just proceeds to become the parent Diavolo actually deserved? Absolutely desperate to know what flavor of wacky this was. Chop chop, Solmare 😒😒

[kirbybecomesastarwarrior]

Lady Celestine: Navigator of the Constellations:

The Forgotten Hero of Yore

The Merlyn of the KBASW (AU) & the love of Arthur's life.

Just to be clear Merlyn & Celestine are the same person it's just her disguise when she goes out.

For: @kirbyoctournament

Character Overview/Personality: She's the combination of Merlin from Disney's Sword & the Stone, Queen Eclipsa from SVTFW, Willy Wonka from (Wonka 2023 ), and Merlin from (the 2008 TV series).

She's an optimist... many of her peers mistake it for being naivety but in reality she's well aware of the darkness in the world... she sees it every day with her powers. Since seeing so many terrible things in the future she treasures the present and is always grateful for the things she enjoys in the now. (Also there's another reason for this....)

And finds the joy in the darkest of times...

She likes to be overly prepared... And tend to keep (*hoard) things they might need... Often tends to hold things she doesn't really need. With Arthus side eying her "You really need to keep that."

"Don't look at me like that Wart... WE MAY NEED THIS HARPOON ONE DAY WHO KNOWS & YOU'LL THANK ME LATER !" *proceeds to carry bloody harpoon home... with Arthur facepalming himself*

They actually did end up using that harpoon 3 months later & Celestine rubbed it in Arthur's face for an entire week. This constant hoarding led her to the first iteration of the Dimensional Cape, which started as a dimensional bag to store all her stuff. (LMAO).

This brings me to Celestine's wisdom & sass: similar to Merlin (the series & Disney) is filled with cleverness & comebacks. When she's doing her diplomatic work and out and about she knows how to do it "gracefully."But when she transforms into Merlyn, she lets loose exactly how Merlin is when he becomes Dragoon. Has no filter and becomes a chaotic old man throwing shade left & right

She hates' cursing so as resulting in hilarious, nonsensical words to place them: Fiddle sticks, biscuits, sweet butter crumpets, etc ~

Her future sight has made her a very empathic person... knowing the suffering of others in her visions. Creating a very kind, caring individual who wants the best for everyone, for them to be happy.

Keep reading for extra content & lore: (Which include spoilers for KBASW so tread carefully!) Other than that please continue...

Lore related content: (If you just want a short read)

In Denial (Oldest lore)

What Kind of King's in My Blood (Background info)

Celestine is Merlyn: (Most Current lore)

And fair warning I low-key wrote a novel... but there's a special prize at the end if you read all of it. (Extended Lore)

Lady Celestine serves as a catalyst for the anime Kirby series...

Now Celestine can't predict the exact future... only show potential paths. But her powers can guide people to the outcome they want and the path that constantly changing.

Absolom made Celestine focus solely on her future vision and trained her personally... He tried to paint himself as this kind saintly father figure towards her... but in reality, wanted to monopolize her ability.

He tremendous amount of pressure on the poor girl...(Mother Gothel Style "Mother knows best) Believing the only thing that made her valuable was her future sight. And one more thing about Celestine... SHE HATED HER FUTURE VISION! She didn't just see the future... she experienced it! Feeling all the raw emotions of the scene.

However, Absolum would guilt-trip her: "Oh you don't want to let everyone down... you're the only one who can do this... you're so special... you can't disappoint everyone..:

Causing her to grit her teeth and bear with it... Absolum was like a father to her she couldn't say "No." Plus it's not like she could let them down... One day she had a terrible vision foreshadowing the demise of Shiver Star...

The people of Shiver Star were infected by Dark Matter's essence... Nightmare & his demons robbed them and stole all the planet's resources... while the people were possessed and had their life sources absorbed by Dark Matter.

Celestine immediately ran to the other Heroes of Yore & Absolum.... for this and assured the worried child they'd take care of this... "don't worry we'll use this information and take care of it."

And they didn't just take care of it... THEY MADE IT WORSE! Seeing an even more terrible vision appeared before her.

~

Celestine: Wait I thought you said you'd-

Absolum: Oh but my child we did you said that planet was a goner anyway... they were already possessed.... it would be so wasteful if all those resources would fall to Nightmare...

Sir Uther: We cleared out the planet before Nightmare did. And killed all of those who were going to be infected & spread it throughout the galaxy... we prevented the problem before it even happened...*gives a wicked smile*

Absolum: Yes we couldn't have done it without you *gives a wicked smile*

Celestine couldn't help but blame herself for the downfall of Shiver Star... A few hours later Celestine's warpstar cracked-

"No problem... I think," Absolum

To remedy the situation, Absolum tried to fame concern for her but in reality was keeping her in the temple to hide that she was "broken." She could still tell fortunes just at random, they just had to keep her near the temple and store them whenever they came to her.

Absolum was still reeling at how could this happen... he didn't want to expose his little mistake. (In truth he knew he was working too hard and put her to work earlier than most, because of her ability... CHILD LABOR AM I RIGHT?!.) It was still too valuable, they can't risk having her break some more...

Thus, Celestine became a caged bird.

Uther felt that she was a failure unbecoming of a Hero of Yore and not deserving of her title. She can no longer do the ability properly and with her body always hurting how was she going to fight on the battlefield!

Along with that thought she be too emotional anyway... always trying to steer them to the future... the least amount of damage... HE WANTED PROGRESS! Often opting for the method that would get him results not caring about the collateral damage!

Icarus shares in Uther's sentiments, with the added notion that she got away with lazying around doing nothing. Just got to sit there waiting for the next prediction to come around. He & Uther were doing all the heavy lifting and she was still being treasured by Absolum... (he wasn't jealous of the attention or anything...)

Thus resulting in Icarus having the brilliant idea of sticking Celestine with all the political fairs (the paperwork). Which seemed like a good idea at the time (a decision they would all come to regret).

Unbeknownst to them... they had given Celestine all the diplomatic power in the galactic court. Managing to win over the galactic council with her charm and grace. Uther had always used his power to intimidate his ideals.

However, Celestine had a softer approach and was seen as far more likable in the... (this was before the council was corrupt and this was due to Celestine's influence...) Often resulting in the members to come to her for their problems. Uther couldn't beat her in this arena... being reminded all too well this was a political battle as well.

For Icarus, you see there was a... certain deal he wanted to part take in... a deal with Halacandra. Where did the GSA partner up with and believe that he could easily impress with his inventions... with their queen?! ( Minerva Mim - Magolor's great aunt)

What happened... the king was supposed to be here whys he spent an entire month sucking up to him who was this queen...

The queen was not impressed & ended up showing technology far greater than his... for the first time, Icarus was forced to eat humble pie... "How could this have, surely this is some sort of mistake shouldn't the king be here-"

"Oh he's dead... and unlike him, I'm not to be won over by pretty words and flattery now you offend me... why would I ever want to do business with a lowlife with you!"

Madam made sure to inform the GSA they would not be doing business with them & Absolum desperately wanted to get that deal. Then Celestine volunteered to remedy the situation & suggested inviting her here.

Absolum agrees seeing there is nothing to lose, Uther believes this was just a desperate attempt to try to be useful while Icarus is excitedly waiting for her to fail.

Meeting arrives Celestine takes care of everything personally and at the end of the day. Queen Minerva is all smiles and arrives with a contract, "Alright I've changed my mind, and I'll do the deal as long as I'm working with her."

Minerva wasn't interested in Icarus' inventions but Celestine's alchemic formulas were revolutionary. And just had to have her on their team.

Absolum was shocked and relieved... (maybe this girl had more than one use after all...) and was constantly praising her. And because of her connections with Minerva... she'll need a bodyguard now when she leaves the GSA base but what the why it was worth it.

And Icarus oh how badly he wanted to be part of the mixing pot, but he had to go through Celestine. Who was more than happy to reject his proposal and experiments. (Icarus never forgave her for this.)

She was becoming too influential now ... This resulted in Icarus scheming with Uther... to get rid of her.

Thus beginning the creations of the Ancients & the Halcandrans, with Celestine & Minerva leading the helm. Alongside Dairus Drosselmeyer (Minerva's right-hand man & Daroach's great uncle)... they created many of the legendary treasures... that were now scattered about the galaxy.

(These were kept secret from the GSA... Minerva knew the truth of the situation... for you see during the meeting she had hidden away Kirby's prediction not of him just defeating Nightmare, but the reawakening of Void Termina & Doomsday... and showed it to the Queen and she understood... that's the other reason why she said yes to her)

Minerva helps Celestine create the Kabu's across the galaxy and presents them as "safe houses for star warriors" but in reality, they were all preset guides to Kirby's prophecy.

And helped her create Triple Star... Thus the creating the vigilante Merlyn.... Her work as Merlyn didn't go unnoticed and the people of the galaxy started to recognize the hypocrisy of the GSA. Which made the Ancients & the other's blood boil.

This resulted in having Uther send in his send three of his best soldiers: Sir Nonsurat, Dame Morgan, and last but not least (you guessed it WART... I mean Sir Arthur.)

Kirby's prophecy spoke of "a match" to start the spark that would flame of a new era of peace...

Arthur- Match/ Meta Knight - Spark/Kirby - Flame

At the time she didn't know who it was; the prophecy was incredibly vague with which one it was. But she wasn't going to pass her knowledge to any of them without being sure. (She didn't want another Shiver Star incident to happen... not again...)

But how would she determine which one it would be... they all seemed the most unlikely candidates as "the match." How could she weed out which one... A TRAIL, A TEST, A GAME!

So like in tales of old, Celestine did these little tests of character... and would secretly tag along during missions. Giving them all a chance to see which one it would participate in... Giving them little riddles of the monster Nightmare would do. But she always gave them a choice... (breadcrumbing) and "can't force anyone to change."

However, three of them all seem annoyed at this except for... Sir Arthur was the only one captivated and interested. It takes a while for Arthur to accept Merlyn's but only after the events of:

What Kind of King is in My Blood:

That makes him actively ask for Merlyn (Celestine to help him change) and pretty much becomes Celestine's partner in crime. And as to become a willing student... merely wishing not to become like his master (Sir Uther).

However, their little sparring match still happening, with the condition that he should win... Merlyn's not allowed to be called him Wart... (Needless to say she fought him twice as hard.)

(This post-Celestine is Merlyn:) It goes into more detail about their relationship here but... I added a few things.

Romantic feelings only start after that...

Basically, before they knew they were head-over-heals for each other their love could never be in reality. Not just because of their positions but something else...

After her warpstar broke... she received a terrible vision of her body eventually breaking and her disappearing into star dust. Foreseeing her early death...

She had initially accepted but after all the friends she made (and falling in love with Arthur) she did everything she could to stay longer for them... Celestine tried to keep herself together as long as she could, and managed to keep herself alive a little longer (than she was supposed to) but now she could feel it... she was running out of time.

How was she supposed to tell her everyone... Minerva would be devastated, who was going to help Darius (& Minerva) with his creations, who would protect her followers, and stop Uther & Icarus from making the galaxy into a wasteland...

And worst of all she'd leave Arthur all alone & heartbroken. Who's supposed to tease him now, make sure he doesn't do anything reckless, keep that ego in check, make sure he isn't a prat, to remind him to smile and enjoy life... to laugh... oh her poor little Wart...

No there must be another way...she couldn't tell any of her friends... she wasn't giving up yet... However, little did she know that was the least of her worries...

Celestine was always careful with hiding her connections with her alter-ego... and Arthur, but there was one person who did figure this out. Sir Nonsurat; after Arthur had saved "Merlyn" from his grasp he started to see a pattern.

Arthur had been an accomplice to Merlyn's along... "HOW DARE ARTHUR, I KNEW YOU NEVER DESERVED YOUR POSITION AND WITH THIS YOU WILL BE RUINED FOR SURE."

Thus, Celestine received numerous horrible visions (she got them all at once)... of Arthur being found guilty in a trial. And at the end of each, Arthur had refused to sell her out, remaining loyal to her, confessing his love for her, and dying. And then she saw her demise as well... her body finally breaking right after... poofing into stardust.

Being completely overwhelmed, she burst into tears. Desperately searching for a future where they could both live... (a future where she could be happy with him.) However, it was either that she & Arthur had escaped and her body would explode and Arthur would be captured (by the GSA) and executed right after for his desertion).

Celestine couldn't help but believe that she had destroyed Arthur's future all because she had gotten involved... (it was Shiver Star all over again.) Just like in the other futures... what could she possibly do...

Perhaps...she could solve one problem with another...

So, before the day Nonsurat was going to turn in his report of evidence... Celestine had stolen it away. And with the help of Darius, they manipulated the information to frame someone else...

Nonsurat was infuriated once he found his evidence to be stolen... But he didn't want to cause an uproar, so he demanded a completed search of every squadron. Under the pretext "there is a traitor among us, and they've stolen my documents..."

A complete search required every general to be accounted for. Nonsurat observed Arthur carefully only to find him especially giddy!?

Arthur: I do hope the search is finished soon... The sooner we finish here the sooner I can give Celestine this-

Kit Cosmo: Code red! Everyone needs to come to the Courtyard immediately! Were under attack!

Arthur: By who?!

Kit Cosmo: By... Lady Celestine...

~

(She had already known Icarus was trying to take her down... so using her Nonsurat's evidence, she had successfully framed herself... handing it in in the guise of one of Icarus' informants.)

With the information he had put together and received, Sir Icarus concocted a false trail that Celestine was leaking information and was secretly in cahoots... with Merlyn.

Since it was a trial that involved someone as high-ranking as her... she knew the trial would exclude a select few. And since she knew Nonsurat would warrant a search... she knew it would be the perfect thing to keep Arthur out of the trail.

Celestine: Well, if I am going to get locked away... I might as well make it worth the sentencing.

It was at this moment that Celestine unleashed her demonic owl (she had hidden away) and bit off his head Absolum; killing him instantly. (Madoka Magica style). Icarus tried to stop her but failed Celestine resulting in his wings being ripped off. And officially went on a rampage letting out all those years of unbridled rage & sorrow she had kept in.

Then she remembered quickly about Kirby's prediction... quickly she created her own army of Hydro Clones... to leave them all at bay.

She went into her lab and quarters and destroyed every piece of magical research and Alchemic formula. She wasn't going to let them benefit & use her research any longer and most importantly to keep Kirby's predictions... but one person who managed to get through the army... it was none other than Uther.

Uther: I always knew you were a little witch~

Celestine: That was a sham trial & you know it ... You forced my hand

Uther: You should; 've stayed in your place, someone weak as you, you are not worthy of your spot as a Hero of Yore-

Celestine: Well you are not worthy of your spot as leader! You never were and one day you'll fall you'll see *at that moment Celestine received another vision-*

At that moment Uther thought this was the perfect chance to lung at her but this backfired... he accidentally ended up seeing Celestine's vision too... And it visibly shook him to his core.

Being overwhelmed by the very visions that plague Celestine, (claiming before she was emotionally weak, was causing him to be paralyzed by fear...) It was a vision of his throne crumbling down& everything he built and it was being led by one astral... he couldn't make out the face... was... was it pink...

Celestine tried to pull away so he couldn't see the rest of the vision... and ended up striking his right eye to stop him... Uther was left frozen while Celestine could feel her body about to break and desperately made her escape... But as she stormed out...

Uther: Will make sure you're vision will not come to pass I will find that pink warrior if it's the last thing I do... And I'll- you'll die by my blade gah- *Still paralyzed because of the vision & couldn't get up

Celestine: Sorry Uther... but I'm afraid that honor won't go to you...*runs out to find Arthur* I've already selected my champion...

In the commotion, Arthur manages to find her, desperate he reaches, Celestine:

Arthur: We have to... you need to run-

Celestine: Graduation time Wart *sees a cast of other soldiers & on-looker watching* - Let's see what you're made of! Just treat it as one of our sparring matches and we'll be fine-

After all the losses in their sparing matches, Arthur finally manages to beat Celestine... "Well done, Arthur- you've finally done it, you've w-" * Visibly starts to break... and falls- and Arthur catches her

(Celestine pulls up a smokescreen so no one can see them... however, three people manage to sneak in)

Arthur: Celestine, what's happening to you-

Celestine: I've come to the end of my time- due to my condition my body was bound to break... I didn't mean to hide it... I really thought I could beat the odds... I'm sorry War- Oh I guess I can't call you Wart-

Arthur: NO! If that's the case you weren't in the best condition- *starts crying* I didn't really win-, you have to stay *sobs profusely* You have to stay and call me Wa-Wart!

Celestine: Figures *chuckles...* it takes you this long to finally admit you like the nickname ... Thank you Arthur you made my life short all the worthwhile... I hope you can forgive me

Arthur: There's nothing to forgive Cel- Celty, *cries* I love you, please there is always something... There's always, you told me that... You're the greatest mage in the galaxy... there's got to be...

Celestine: I surely hope that light of you doesn't get snuffed out *smiles warmly* it's going to be hard Wart but remember this...

Keep your eyes open and beware of the bad in the world... but also hold on to the good as well... you don't have to look, just know that it's there... it'll keep you from falling...

(the quote that Meta Knight said to Kirby originally came from Sir Arthur... that was told from Celestine...)

And even should you lose your way I know you'll find it again... you'll always be a worthy king to me. I love you too Arthur... and I always will.... (*they share one passionate kiss*)

It was a kiss Arthur had so longed for, but it was laced with so much sorrow and joy all at the same time...

Arthur: I don't wanna let you go-* Gets knocked out by Minerva...

She had informed Minerva before the trial (and of course was devastated but was willing to fulfill her last request). And who stood behind her were Darius & Kit the only three witnesses to what really happened. Kit realizes that Celestine is Merlyn... She then handed off and knocked out Arthur to Darius & Kit Cosmo.

And made sure they promised to paint Arthur as the hero who defeated her. And fled the scene and Minerva went to her best friend and hugged her one last time... and fled with the others.

When they had all left to safety... she lifted the smoke screen only to see a hoard of Ancients led by Uther try to arrest her. She flew into the air Celestine had her Gravity wicked moment... as her body finally was about to shatter into pieces.

Celestine: I curse you all, *putting one final spell cursing the Ancients* (basically she's the reason why they all disappeared)

As her body started to implode they mistook it to be a suicide bombing and she was planning to take them all down with her... thinking quick the Ancients Crystalized to prevent the explosion...

But in that moment she has one final vision of Arthur taking the seat as leader of the GSA. She smiles and says "I always you could do it Wart *starts cry* It's just too bad I'll never be able to see it in person".

Arthur woke up in the hospital wing hearing... Darius & Kit recount the story of the incident. With the way Kit & Darius spun it was Arthur who saved the day... (Arthur realized this was all part of Celestine's plan: to give him a title that would protect him even when she was gone...) Arthur * began to weep* with Kit trying to comfort him the best he could...

Making Arthur (to the Ancients) irreplaceable... being able to take down a Hero of Yore when they (Icarus & Uther) could not. Being extremely grateful (and needing a new holy figure), gave him the title of "Holy Knight," and said they owed him one favor...

(So basically he got credit for defeating the love of his life & took her place as the GSA's holy figure...)

So in summary:

Before being detained, she managed to rip off Icarus' wings, blind Uther in his right eye, and kill about 500 Ancients. She was trying to escape only to be stopped by Sir Arthur, who defeated her in battle. But tried to escape only to be cornered by the remaining soldiers... and seeing she had nowhere else to run...

Despite the efforts of the Ancients to paint her as wicked, people could not believe in the shame of a trial. Especially Minerva, when she heard this false slander on her best friend (she had enough of it)... she declared Halcandra's formal separation from the GSA. Cutting them from Halcandra's advanced technology caused an even bigger scandal. And had put her down to silence her as well... removing her...

(What happened to Darius... well that's a story for later)

Ruining their reputation even further... destroying the pristine image they had built up until now. And those who were at the trail were split in the middle... On one hand, it seemed like she had gone on a rampage because of her unfair judgment and merely reacted because she was pushed into the corner. On the other hand, she had always been hiding away her true nature & hatred for all of them, and once she had been found out... she unleashed all of it.

Were both true...

As a result, the Ancients tried to erase her from existence... from the galaxy, with only the remaining Ancients & the Heroes of Yore remembering her... Celestine had become forgotten.` Basically, she was described as (by the Ancients) the unspeakable third who tried to destroy them all & maliciously take them down with her. And she had to be erased...

However, this did not remedy the situation... Uther was still haunted by Celestine's vision he must hunt down the pink warrior... he will not have his reign end. Icarus was all too happy to take over the Halcandra projects... however, was always constantly reminded of being reduced to flightless astral and still hates her to this day.

While everyone had forgotten Celestine: they all remembered Merlyn. But even though, "Merlyn" had become a legend, many doubted the actual existence... of this supernatural being.

However, there was one person who managed to remember her... and that's where her story ends...

Or maybe not...

Her crystallization saved her preventing her from exploding... So she was still alive in there. They tried to hide her crystal in a cave and seal it off so no one would find her... Little did they know that the cave held one of the dark portals of Morpho accidentally ending up in the underworld...

And guess who ends up accidentally winds up there.

BTW they got married in the Underworld

I actually planned this out to be a tragedy, but I ended up making them have a happy ending... (that I can't reveal just yet how it happens in the story)

BUT BEST BELIEVE OUR GIRL GETS EVERYTHING SHE DESERVES AND SITS ON THE THRONE WITH HER KING WHERE SHE BELONGS!

And if you read this long thank you for reading! <3

[theworldofotps]

The Lore of The Demon King

Description: The story of how Finn Bálor came to be Bálor. Word Count: 1,067

Wanted to get a few Halloween type stories out! Massive thank you to my beloved Kay for her help with this. ________ Tag list: @omg-im-such-a-masochist​ @melissahausen @new-zealand-chic @writtingrose @99hook @madhatterbri @sassymox @mrsacklesevansmgk @xladyxfatex @adamcolesbaybay @irish-newzealand-idian-dutch @demonqueen29 @itsicantbelievethis666 @lilred91 @rebellious-desires @surdelcielo @letsgivethisonemoreshot @ava-valerie @shortyiceheart @serpantscorpio8497 @thatpanpal @wrestlersownmyheart @vebner37 @seeingstarks @whenimakeitshine1234 @legit9thlunaticwarrior @blaquekitty @ironshamelessyouth @unoficialy-married-to-ace-austin @ripleyswhore @moonrosekk @xbreezymeadowsx @terrortwinunicorn @alyyaanna @elevennbloom @melblacc @alliwant456 @mcreignsera @auburnwrites​ @aews-four-pillars @thatnerdwriter​ @sjwrites22​

If you wanna be added to the list lemme know. _______ In the dead of night, when the veil between worlds thins, the legend of Bálor the Demon King awakens in whispers. Many believe Finn Bálor, the enigmatic Irish wrestler, harbors within him a power darker than the ring has ever known. But very few know the true story of how he became to be the demon king. How a mere mortal came to hold some of most powerful ancient abilities at his fingertips. The most common story tells of Finn stumbling upon these powers by accident.

It was Halloween night, years ago, when Finn found himself lost on an old country road in Ireland. Mist blanketed the ground as a chill settled over him, the crisp autumn air turning stale with every breath he took. His headlights barely cut through the thick fog that seemed to be everywhere, his phone had long since lost signal. He was searching for a way back to Bray when he stumbled upon an ancient stone. One marked by symbols that twisted like snakes, old and weathered by centuries of rain and ruin.  

Ever the curious man and not one to pay much attention to the stories of his childhood Finn climbed out of the car. Taking careful even steps towards the large stone, the moon barely peeking out from the clouds seemed to draw a signal to it. The stone whispered to him, low and relentless, in a language he didn’t understand. Drawn by an unseen force, he traced his fingers over its jagged edges. The stone was hot to the touch, in that moment, the ground opened, and Finn fell, spiraling down into darkness.

When he finally woke up Finn realized that he was no longer in Ireland. He was in a world of shadows, in the forgotten lair of Bálor, the mythical demon of Irish folklore or the original Demon King. Red eyes glowed from every corner of the darkness, watching, waiting. A heavy, suffocating pressure filled the air as Bálor's voice, cold and ancient, drifted toward him. Seeming to come from every direction around him filling his head.

“You’ve called me, haven’t you, Finn?”

Bálor’s voice was a deep, echoing growl that sent shivers through Finn’s body and his heart racing as he tried to gather his thoughts.

“You want to be a king. But to be a king, you must face the darkness within and believe when I tell you the darkness is more than a mere mortal can handle.

Finn tried to speak, but his voice caught in his throat as his eyes quickly flicked around the room before stopping in a corner where there was movement. Bálor’s form emerged from the shadows one that made Finn’s blood run cold. He was a towering figure with a single, massive eye in the middle of his forehead, flickering with a hellish light. His skin was a tapestry of ancient scars and painted symbols, his hands ending in claws. The tips seeming to drip black from what Finn could only assume was the essence of lost souls. Without warning, Bálor lunged forward, binding Finn in chains of shadow that tightened around him.

“Feel it, let the darkness consume you, become one with it.”

Each link of the chain sank into Finn’s skin, burning, twisting him from the inside out. The pain was unbearable, the sound of his own screams echoed in his head. But as it took hold, Finn felt something inside him awaken. Something feral, powerful. His body grew heavier, his skin darker, and strange markings appeared all over him, searing into his flesh. His mind teetered on the edge of sanity, but he could sense the power flooding through him, a dark gift from Bálor himself.

“Now you are one of us.”

Bálor hissed, his monstrous smile spreading wide as he watched Finn fall to his knees the power pulsing around him.

“Take this gift back to your world but remember that the darkness will follow you. It will consume you, piece by piece. Until you are nothing… but the Demon.” 

In a flash of blinding pain, Finn was thrown back to the surface, gasping on the cold, misty road. He was alone, but the symbols, the darkness, the feeling inside of him, they all lingered. When he glanced in the side mirror of his car, his face was his own, but in his eyes, instead of the normal blue he saw it. Bálor, lurking in the depths, watching, waiting for his next emergence.

And each time Finn dons the paint, each time he calls himself The Demon King, and wields those ancient powers. The darkness slips a little further into his soul, threatening to take him once and for all.

So, this Halloween, if you hear the echo of chains in the shadows or see a flicker of red eyes staring from the dark corners of the ring. Remember, it’s not just Finn Bálor no it’s the Demon King, the cursed soul of Bálor himself, still lurking, still hungry for a new host.    

[m3-kk]

Sharing my TCF notes because sharing is caring 😬 ⬇️. (All of them… so far)

Ch. 086- sad time for Raon :(. REVENGE HAHAHA LETSGOOOO

Ch. 335- Eruhaben protect Roan & Cale from ugly WS 😆

Ch. 352- Cale’s greatest fear…😭

Ch. 378- Choi’s uncle (DS) left info book written in KOREAN?!?! 😵

Ch. 394- Letter from Death & shiz show😬

Ch. 395- CALE IS AFRAID?!?! 😱

Ch. 401- “Plavin was laughing on the outside but crying on the inside.”😌

Ch. 404- “And Miss Cage, please cuss out the God of Death for me.” -Cale 😇

Ch. 411- They were talking about the Lion King (person) and I thought they were talking about the movie 😭

Ch. 414- Choi Han woke up crying “Kim Rook Soo” 😰

Ch. 415- “What am I supposed to call the friend of my nephew once removed?” -Choi Han 😳

Ch. 423- “Oh, by the way, the original owner of your body is living well too. He said he is happy.” -Lee Soo Hyuk ☺️

Ch. 423- CALE CRIES! BABY NOOOOOOOOOOOOO! 😰

“It's a new record! You were unconscious for 20 days, 1 hour, 32 minutes, and 19 seconds!”- Roan Miru🤠

Ch. 431-

“You son of a bitch!” -Bear King

"Why am I your son? Such an idiot.”

-Whale Archie🫡

Ch. 434- Which Henituse sibling wants to become what?🥱👑⚔️

Ch. 435- Sworn brothers 🤞

Ch. 455- Ron says he has a cute young master (Cale) who he doesn’t want to disappoint.🥹

Also that Roan is cuter than Cale 😂

Ch. 457- “This is nice.” Beacrox commented before swinging his greatsword horizontally.🙂

Ch. 461- Cale’s merchant name is Bob XD

Ch. 465- The Sound of the Wind was a top underneath a boulder surrounded by whirlpools.

The Indestructible Shield was a pit under the tree.

The Scary Giant Cobblestone was a stone in the Super Rock villa.

The Fire of Destruction was a sculpture at the center of the magma.

The Vitality of the Heart was a stone pillar at the center of a whirlwind.

The Sky Eating Water was a chained spear.

Ch. 476- More Dragon Family Drama wtf

Ch. 481- To the Fake World Tree

Ch. 501- Illusion of Other World..RAMEN!

Ch. 504- Stick from World Tree (Cale’s blood is special?!)

Ch. 515- Vampire Duke Fredo (seems nice)

Ch. 516- Demonic Race, Rosalyn, White Star after cookie prince?! NOOO

Ch. 520- WEAKLING. Alberu is a mage swordsman badass dark elf

Ch. 526- These brothers are so cute OMEGALUL

Ch.555- Sealed god test, wtf this is so sad I’m crying I’ve never been so genuinely sad

Ch. 559- CHOI HAN OUR LOVE THANKS🙏

Ch. 581- AWW BESTIEEE

Ch. 584- Cale saying he could beat 3 strong peeps

Ch. 589- Alberu goes to Blood Boulder

Ch. 601- AHH CALE BDAY AHHH

Ch. 612- THEY GAVE ALBERU A GUN!!

Ch. 618- Cale explains to LeeSooHyuk the truth

Ch. 622- HOMEEEEEEEE AYYAYAAY

Ch. 627- @Capital w/ Dad y Alberu YAY

Ch. 628- BUBBLEGUM PINK DRAGON

Ch. 629- We are a big family!

Ch. 631- 5 FUCKIN DRAGONS AHHH-

[THE AUTHOR STARTS SAYING SHIT LIKE “IN THE FUTURE.. “ LIKE F U MAKIN ME ALL SAPPY N STUFF WTH UGHHH!!!]

Ch. 640- 2 Cats are Molan house’s future 🥹.. They can’t go berserk?..

Ch. 645- Roan & Cale Solo Fight letsgo!!

Ch. 646- Cale uses ‘instant’ to destroy 2 unranked monsters.. I’m crying actually..

Ch. 647- wtf I’m crying, goosebumps fr

Ch. 649- Roan has grown so much 🥹

Ch. 652- COM. WITH EARTH 2 AHHHH—

Ch. 655- Cale is healing❤️ OG Cale!KRS

Ch. 656- SOO much info from OG Cale!!

Ch. 658- CALE IS AWAKEEE YAYA

Ch. 662- OMG Cale’s BioMom was cooking

Ch. 663- WE KNOW HOW TO KILL HIM HA

Ch. 670- World Tree-nim

Ch. 677- Explaining ALOT lore dump!!

CB. 681- WOW the end of that chap tho

Ch. 682- I stan Cale’s hatred for the White Star. We love the PJs! Alberu is moon that’s so *legs in air kicking*

Ch. 683- So are we gonna kill WS or whatt?

Ch. 684- HAHAH OMG CALE’S BDR POWER IS SO SCARY EVERYONE THINKS ITS THE WS!! HAHAH ITS CALE’S THOOO

Ch. 685- omg.. DANGGG!! Our Cale is truly terrifying! New Pokémon acquired! White star!! 😏 wait we have a tiny WS in our pocket how cute! 🥰

Ch. 686- HAHA BOOM BOOM 💥

Ch. 688- Rashell says he wouldn’t be able to sleep if many humans died 🥰

Ch. 689- ROCK SHEILD LETSGOOO

Ch. 694- DEAFEATED! Alberu faints and thinks he’s like Cale now 😭

Ch. 695- NAHH WE LOVEEE

Ch. 699- ENTERED THE TEMPLE! We can’t leave…? CALE IS GHOST AND WATCHING OTHERS TESTS HUHHH?!! (DespairTest2)

Ch. 700- This chapter is just amazing, these people are so smart ughhh I’m screaming! In a happy way tho

Ch. 701- OK we have Choi Han, Clopeh, Rosalyn and Cale so far.. MARYYY

Ch. 702- +1(Roan) Cale can use the cintamani to contact other world. PEOPLE CAN SEE HIM YAY!

Ch. 705- Talking with Cale & others through the Cintamani :>

Ch. 706- Tonka! And Dark elf Tasha&Alberu

Ch. 707- My heart, Alberu was so sad and lonely back then…

Ch. 709- Eruhaben! WS is badddd

Ch. 710- Whyyyy I’m actually feeling despair it’s so complicated ugh and no ones receiving correct info ughhhhh

Ch. 713- Mary is #GIRLBOSS for not being tricked! ❤️❤️

Ch. 717- So glad that was settled 😮‍💨

Ch. 718- So the test Cale was in wasn’t the original one so now we are doing the actual sadness test ok 👍

Ch. 719- WOW NOT CALE ALREADY FINISHING BLUE TEST.. also someone else?

Ch. 721- Toonka left the test, Cale met Choi Jung Gun, I’m I’m scared 😶

Ch. 722- Rosalyn finally put the tests goals into words! She’s so smart. I love herrr

Ch. 726- Cale confronts CJG and he’s being used as bait bc a hunter is here oh no. Cale is going to cause chaos ialrk

Ch. 727- WOWW Cale was about to be isekaied lol. Good thing we have ancient powers! 2 Hunters?! 🫣

Ch. 730- Cale actually skipped a level bfr

Ch. 731- Cale has to observe past Roan (during the night) and Alberu (during the day)

Ch. 732- FLIPPING OVER THE FIRST PRINCES PALACE HAHAHAHAGA

Ch. 735- Freeing Roan! Again Again?

Ch. 739- Still loving how Choi’s test is taking care of tiny KRS. Alberu test completed!!

Ch. 740- I’m loving Clopeh during this test so far. He knows his goals and he sticks to them. He’s crazy!

Ch. 744- Damn Dodam Miru. I think DM’s world is not an illusion. Cale “tricking” the Wrath test is crazy I love that sly bastard!

Ch. 745- Cale hates when the children hate their side dishes ahah! The Wrath test is actually really difficult it surprised me frfr! Clopeh & Cale are angy

Ch. 749- How dare this low-life Dorph ever consider sacrificing the great and mighty Roan Miru. I pour all of my hatred and anger toward him. He needs to die. 😡

Ch. 750- Finally! Flipping every over heh!

[keter-kan]

Okay!! I've been working on something for a really long time with some oc's that are near and dear to my heart ♡ I've gotten quite a bit already written, a bit less edited. I'm thinking of doing some more in-depth posts about the characters and their lore, if anyone would be interested! Possible first chapter post tomorrow?

Also, you're not allowed to make fun of me for the shit formatting of this post. I'll figure it out eventually, I swear.

tw: heavy mentions of sa, p*dophelia, abuse, death, murder

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Broken Legends

Prologue

Leandra’s father abused her as a child, but everyone could see that clear as day. The people knew of the king’s predilection for little girls, but none seemed to care enough to do much about it. Either that, or their fear was too great to intervene. Blood right, birth right, sovereign right, whatever they wanted to use as an excuse for the deranged, disgusting behavior of the man whose father’s father staked his claim on the coastal kingdom of Aphoreum.

He never touched his son; little boys weren’t his taste. He rarely touched his wife—may her soul flow freely—but she certainly seemed to keep him in line. Until her death, there was a restraint to him that withered away as she did; rotting and leaving a smell no one could erase from his soul.

Queen Imogen died under seemingly un-mysterious circumstances. She didn’t fall suddenly ill after a lifetime of health, she didn’t claim abuse, and she certainly didn’t suspect that someone quite close to her could be the cause of her failing body. Everyone mourned for the appropriate period of time.

Everyone except the children, of course. They still find themselves mourning the idea of a mother they could barely remember. To Leandra, her mother was strong and wise, the way a woman should be. To her older brother, Callum, there was the abandonment of the only woman who would unconditionally love him. She chose to remember a legacy, while he was bound to the anger he felt towards the undeserving dead.

The first child, the original heir, was sickly; an affliction seen often in the more recent royal blood. Really, though, the only difference from the royal blood and that of all peasants was its incestuous nature. That was something the Terrance Reign brought back to the royal line after nearly a century of free marriages.

Heir to Aphoreum, Prince Terance VIII, died peacefully in his sleep on the night of his tenth birthday. Those who said his mother killed him to give him a better life soon found their heads in burlap sacks, so not many say that anymore. It was soon after Terance was dead that their mother went to join him.

Callum was named the successor to the throne just a day after his mother’s funeral. After the grand ceremony, as the succession of High Councilors and Noblemen kissed the stones at Callum’s feet, Leandra’s father took her away where no one would see for the first time.

From that moment forward, Leandra had a new understanding of her place in the palace. While her brother grew up to become the king he wasn’t meant to be, her father taught her what being a woman of royal blood really meant: when her brother left on his journey to become a man, she would go with him and ensure pure heirs.

Aphoreum’s soul was born of the blood shed by those who fought and killed the demons plaguing the land. Countless villages were saved, small kingdoms sprouting throughout. As men pushed forward, demons fled back to the oceans, leaving Aphoreum to be conquered by whoever was left. At least, this is what was taught to the people.

There are thousands of dusty and cracked scrolls of parchment scattered throughout all cities and towns in Aphoreum containing the history of the land; how the Gods rewarded us with lush fields and bountiful rivers for banishing all of their enemies to the sea. That is, to this day, where they are said to dwell.

Things started crumbling at the end of Aphoreum’s War, started by none other than Terrance the First. It took five generations, yet they reigned victorious. For the first time since anyone could remember, the entirety of Aphoreum was ruled under one king. None of the other prior kingdoms were proud of that. With their previous rulers executed during the Reckoning—the day Aphoreum’s War was officially won—they fell into disarray. Villages plundered, women sold to richer men, entire ways of life decimated under the fist of a barbarian king. For King Terrance VII, the duty to uphold total power over all of Aphoreum was a goal only completed by the iron fist of his forebearers. He held to the pride of men who fought for honor while he sat upon his plush throne.

Leandra was literate thanks to an old wetnurse that her father had killed when she was eleven. Once she was no longer needed to feed Leandra’s bastard half siblings, she was sent with the Wind. After that, the only person ever present in Leandra’s life was High Councilor Jonas, a man who never touched her unless to pat the top of her head. He taught her of Natural Chaos and what tarnishes the soul, but he also taught her that there are good odds and ends in the world, too. She just had to look very hard to see them.

Jonas was the sole educator of both Leandra and Callum, but also their father before them. He was a truce sent from the church to Terrance VI, begging him to forgive them for not modifying their scripture the first time he asked. After Grandpa Terrance killed the High Priest residing in the palace chapel, they changed their tune. Jonas, however, understood the weight of the duty he’d been assigned. To teach the young is to mold the innocent in whatever way you see fit. But not every child is as easily molded. Terrance was a child full of hate, instilled in him by his own violent father. Callum seemed to be taking after his father in more ways than one, although Jonas continued every day to try to stray him from that path. Leandra, however, was different.

Before being sent to the palace, Jonas’s congregation of High Councilors—beknown to him or not—swore upon themselves that they would right the wrongs of the Natural Chaos afflicting the royal blood, whether that be by violence or sacrifice or any other means necessary. This was a promise the church sat upon for far too many generations to count if it hadn’t been for the numerals after each king’s name. But they had to bide their time. They had to bend their rules, change their faith, modify their scripture, all to appease the man they planned to overthrow. Another mighty aspect of the Terrance Reign was the slow and steady separation of the church from the crown, an unspoken duty bestowed to each heir as the generations passed.

It was through Jonas that Leandra learned of the world, the scrolls of scripture being her main escape, but not the modified texts of the Terrance Reign. Jonas was molding Leandra to be the savior Aphoreum needed, and this was the beginning.

Leandra would read the stories of the Gods who seemingly abandoned her. She found solace there, between the pages of their legends. The comfort of long forgotten rules set by wrongly worshipped Gods was the only kind of comfort she could afford.

Terrance was of a breed of man who more closely resembled their primal counterparts: feasting, fucking, and fighting. Not much else crossed his mind.

There are those who know better, despite class or background or who sits upon Aphoreum’s throne. But the rage projected by King Terrance found a home in the hearts of his men, creating a society of violence. There were few pockets throughout the kingdom where none could be found, most of which were under attack by those taking after their king.

On the day Callum turned twenty he found himself embarking on just such a conquest, yet one of a much different scale. A Wandering is any man’s rite of passage, giving him a year to stake his claim away from his family someplace else amongst the Waters and Winds. If they never returned after a year’s time, they weren’t ever meant to be a man. With Callum, however, his Wandering was an expedition into the known world with an army at his back and a ship full of wine. As were the odds of all those who could afford it, he would likely return more of a man than those without the gold in their pockets.

It was a simple plan with a grandiose design, allowing a full year of celebration for the future king of Aphoreum. Ships made of the finest timber harvested from the southern coasts, casks of wines and spirits shipped from around Aphoreum, clothes and finery made by request for his highness. With him would go his soon-to-be wife, Leandra.

The relationship Leandra shared with her brother wasn’t one of solidarity. He was to be his father’s spawn as Leandra was to be an instrument in his success. The moments of torture and humiliation caused by her father were in preparation to be used by the future king. Knowing this, she harbored many emotions for him, none of which she understood. She knew he was tainted the same way their father was before him, and their children would be after them, and she prayed that something—anything—could steer her fate in any other direction, for she knew his never would be.

When Jonas approached her after class, crumpled parchment in a High Councilor’s shaking hands, she took it without question. She looked in his eyes and saw the pain he felt, the longing for the Gods to make the world what it once again should be.

When she unfurled the note, she needed no further explanation than what was found there. Stained with the sweat of her mentor’s hands, four simple words bleeding into the page; Jump. You’ll know when.

The final weeks leading to her brother’s Wandering were full of tension. Leandra unfurled the parchment in her hands night after night, feeling the scratches of ink fade away as she rubbed it between her fingers.

Jump.

She could barely contain her excitement. She was going to weasel her way out of the chain of command. The only man who ever truly understood her the way the Gods intended had devised a plan for her to escape.

You’ll know when.

Stiff in her seat at the Grand Table, Leandra watched her plate as the men feasted around her. Tomorrow morning the Wandering would begin, and as the fleet of Aphoreum’s ships left the harbor, she would have to be ready to flee at any moment. She knew what Jonas meant about knowing when: she needed to wait for a message from the Gods. She would pray and worship and fast and deny herself the pleasures of life to prepare herself for the message she knew the Gods would give her. She would be ready.

When the sun rose over the harbor the following morning, Leandra was at peace for the first time since she was last held by her mother. She felt as though there was finally a real purpose to her plight in life and that she would be able to break the mold that her many greats-grandfather had created here. She felt as though she—alone—could crumble the system built by generations of the world’s most appalling men.

They set sail on a glorious day. Callum made a speech just after King Terrance, pushing the entire kingdom into a week-long celebration. Bottles broken, oars heaved, sails unfurled, and they were out of the mouth of harbor in just a few hours’ time.

For the first week of their voyage, Leandra didn’t speak with Callum. Not that he had much to say to her, anyway, besides the remarks of needing to secure an heir before the year’s end. Every night he’d mention it, and every night she’d comply, silently awaiting the sign promised her.

After that first week, Leandra grew a bit restless. And the week that followed that one made her even worse. The further they traveled from Aphoreum, the more the bruises left by her father healed, the more Leandra thought that there wouldn’t be a message, or maybe she had missed it… She started toying with the idea of living a life with her brother and what that could entail for her. She couldn’t stomach the thought of living in a world that her Gods had forsaken, but if she could make her brother see things the way Jonas had intended, maybe there could be a change.

When she finally spoke to her brother, she asked him if he’d care to know her, because, really, they just knew so little of each other.

He said he very much would. He was strong, but he was nervous. He couldn’t ever rule the way his father intended, but he wanted to try.

She said she could help him, if he’d let her.

They were children. What little they could have learned through life was filtered through their father’s vision. But he wasn’t here with them now.

The storm hit just three days from where they would dock. As the rain pelted the decks of the ships and the waves swelled, Callum’s men remained calm. They knew how to work a ship in a storm. For a while, everything remained intact. The fleet, the men, even Leandra.

But the storm became something else. After countless hours of toiling under the whip of rain and wind, the air started to become heavy with the stench of something bigger. As the waves turned from rolling hills to staggering cliffs and the raindrops into daggers, the men started to lose themselves.

The young ones jumped first. Callum was called from his cabin, forced to peel Leandra from his side. As she huddled amongst the furs adorning the mattress, Callum entered into a scene from the pits of the Gods’ hatred.

He was met with a force of nature never defeated by any king. As the ship was flung from one wave to the next, Callum’s men were dropping to their knees and scraping themselves towards the rails, throwing themselves into the raging sea. As he inched over the deck, grabbing the rigging and buckets dropped by his men, he saw a look on their faces that reminded him of his mother’s corpse in her ornate casket; there was no soul within them. Not anymore.

Screams were swallowed by the waves and the winds, words lost and breath wasted. As Callum pleaded with his mean until his throat was bloody and cracked, it overtook him.

She was calling to him. No, no…

Singing.

It was subtle at first, a slow drone playing at the base of his skull, humming away as he grabbed at his men bent on suicide. The more he pleaded, the harder his skull thrummed, filling his head with a desire unknown to man. As the irritation started to spread and his screaming and howling continued to fail, the soft beads of sound started to poke pin-pricks in the humming, driving Callum to gasp and shake with momentary relief before again being swallowed by the desperation. As another wave threw the ship far off course and doused the men in water colder than ice, he broke.

“Mother?”

She was there. Her golden hair cascading down her shoulders, her naked form hovering above the railing of the ship, situated the way a God would be. When Callum locked eyes with her, he felt that she was truly there, waiting for him to reach her.

She called to him, sang to him, cooed over the man he had become. Tears mixed with the rain and sea as they poured down Callum’s cheeks. He slowly made his way towards her.

Leandra emerged from the cabin as the thrumming started to overtake her. Her shift whipping in the wind and her hair matted to her head from the rain, she saw the horrors on deck.

The Gods had sent their message.

Tears brimmed in her eyes, too, but they didn’t get the chance to meet the wood of the ship. Leandra trusted her Gods. She trusted Jonas.

She jumped.

There was no sound as she hit the water. There was no cold embrace of the ocean, no being swallowed by the waves. She let herself be taken fully, succumbing to her fate.

Although she wasn’t expecting pleasure, nor was she expecting the pain.

Hands grabbed at the shift plastered to her skin, ripping it from her body in mere seconds. As the thrumming ceased in the back of her skull, she was taken in a way no one had taken her before. Not the man slaves who lurked after her in the palace, not her brother who she grew to love, not even her father, who defiled her in a way no other living thing could.

While her soul was ripped apart, shredded down to the sand that littered the ocean floor, she knew her Gods had forsaken her.

-

Leandra had no recollection of returning home. One moment she was suffering the pain of all the Natural Chaos, and the next she was dragging herself across the wharf, blood trailing in her wake. The moon was full.

Jonas found her and took her back to her father at the palace.

Her skin was burnt, her hair missing in chunks. Her bones poked through her skin like they wanted to free themselves from its cage. Her eyes drooped in their sunken sockets, unable to comprehend the world around her. She cried her story to Jonas, who begged her father to let a healer see her, even just one from the church. He refused.

For Leandra was with child, and heavily so. Her body, slowly failing her, was feeding something inside of her that wasn’t human.

She was pregnant when Jonas lifted her from the harbor, but the progression of her state was faster than it should’ve been; her stomach bruising and aching and protruding more every day. Her bones became brittle, her legs sitting at crooked angles and her neck unable to support the weight of her head. Upon the next full moon, when the tides were high, Leandra called for Jonas with what little strength she had left.

He leaned down to her ear, her breath almost too light to decipher the words.

“Please,” she whimpered, “don’t let him kill my daughter.”

That night, as her screams of labor began, Jonas pleaded once again with the king. Terrance, with a glare in his eye, allowed for a wetnurse from the palace chapel. He wouldn’t permit anyone besides himself and Jonas in the chambers, let alone a practiced healer. The nurse was the most she would get.

When she arrived, the horror that overcame her hit a part of her soul that hadn’t ever been touched before. The king demanded death to the child upon delivery, bolting the door behind them as he left.

When Jonas asked her to defy him, her soul said yes, as the woman had done for him many times before.

She died without seeing the full moon that night. As her child took their first breath, Leandra took her last.

Her child was a beautiful monster. A writhing mass of body, shifting in form while the wetnurse clung to his mottled skin. Within a moment, the child opened his eyes, and ceased being a monster. He was a baby, covered in his mother’s blood, eyes peering into those of the woman who held him.

When the king asked for proof of the death of the monster upon the following morn, Jonas provided a mangled piglet’s corpse. The wetnurse, covered in cattle entrails, told Terrance it took more work than she’d have thought to kill such a small beast. He was satisfied.

Leandra’s body was burned in the kitchen fires by Jonas’s hand, as Terrance commanded. There would be no funeral. There would be no knowledge of the children who failed at their Wandering. That would be the end of their stories. Terrance would find a concubine to produce a legitimate heir amongst the few cousins he had left. Aphoreum would live on.

But so did Leandra’s child, deep in a forest untouched by man, left in the hands of powerful women that the Gods would grow to fear.

[justalittleguest]

Unleash your demons, let me dance with them and know them better

Ok so I’m a bit (a lot) embarrassed about that post but it’s not like I forgot the AU. It’s the quite opposite, so thanks for letting me rant a bit @kredena-dark.

The background + town lore (or what I have of it)

SO the setting of the AU is in a bigger town than the Dreamtale village was, built from its ruins, and it takes place in the early 1800s cuz I said so. The tales of the Tree of Feelings that occasionally attracted travelers and opportunists to the village did so even after the apple incident, which is how its residents’ remains were found. No one knew what happened, but they recalled being told about the twin guardians of the Tree, now a stump without fruit, that were a young golden eyed saint and a spawn of all the world’s evil. The demon must’ve taken the golden apples, then killed the villagers and his brother who tried to stop him, only to disappear. In the aftermath, the relatives of the dead came to bury the human bodies and unidentified dust. Most of them stayed, the journey back being too long and hard to justify going through twice. The generations after didn’t forget the reasons given for their living there or the stories of the demon that feasts on their flaws and fears that will one day come back for them. The world was soon to deny the Tree of Feelings ever existed, despite many future scholars finding the “myth” interesting enough to investigate. But after so many centuries, the townspeople forgot the way to their Tree, and never honored it, having arrived after it was dead and useless.

(When the trio finds it, it becomes a place of worship)

The cult beliefs

I haven’t organized my thoughts very well, but I thought it would be cool for the belief system to be rooted in positivity, though twisted. A kind of “It will get better” mindset, but with the addition of “when all our sorrows are 6000 feet deep”. It’s a guarantee of a kinder world, and one they can achieve with their own actions. The idea is, they can wait until humanity and monsterkind run themselves into the ground, the scars they left on their home and each other invisible thousands of years ahead, buried under new stone and soil, and only then can life begin again- right this time. Or they can end it before the world has to come to that, and choose who gets to make it to the new one.

The mechanics of it are based in an interpretation of the Tree of Feelings.

᯽ They believe that the death of the Tree of Feelings gave the start to a slow decay of their world, and that the entity, guardian, which had caused it has the ability to finish their job. They need a call to come back from slumber.

᯽ They believe that the villagers killed as the Tree was are still roaming the earth as spirits, tainted and disallowed from entering heaven or hell.

᯽ They believe the spirits will be allowed into bodies when life starts again.

᯽ They believe that the event can be repeated, that blood spilt where it had been 300 years ago will be the only way to call out to the dark guardian.

᯽ They believe the guardian will need a body, a lack of which kept them away.

They also believe in fate. Bad things happen for a reason, so make them worth it. No, Horror hadn’t been chased out of his home with his brother by a cruelly calculated famine to feel guilty the rest of his life, he was led to a God who needs his compassion to save the world from itself. No, Dust hadn’t been placed in an asylum and forced into men’s clothes for fun, she was given the strength to do what must be done. No, Killer hadn’t lost all of himself so he could serve some king, he learned thought to overthrow more than monarchy.

(You see how that mindset works if you have unprocessed trauma)

The characters & what’s their deal

So you know how cults all have a charismatic liar to follow? This one has three!

Horror is first because in the story I could but won’t write, he’s the first we get to know. He was the unofficial leader of his rural community, which in the past several years had more and more of its resources taken, and their supplies cut off. They’ve managed small rations for 7 years before the shortage became a famine. Many died giving their limited food to the children, like Papyrus did. Horror couldn’t control that, and he couldn’t live with it. When he got the chance, he left his people without a leader, and took his brother with him. Currently, his contribution to the cult is recruitment and keeping followers in line with his warm and knowing air, his experience giving people hope and giving them confidence to believe what he believes. If you have doubts, you’ll end up by his side, soon newly energised to continue your mission.

Dust had carved out a little life for herself two towns away from her childhood home, after her parents kicked her out a decade ago. She didn’t know they had another child until after they died, and he was sent to live with her. Dust and Papy were a small but happy family for a couple of peaceful years, preceding her many restless months at the asylum. Yes, she ended up “recovering” and was let go back to Papy, but she couldn’t stay recovered for long. And they’d use it against her, they’d take her from her little brother, permanently. So Dust took her deceased parents’ house and moved back. Papy was going to public school again, and Dust was back on the farm, spending her working hours contemplating the life that she dipped into in the madhouse, a life without her baby brother. Her duties in the cult are mostly “blood” rituals and dirty work.

She hikes her skirt to hide stains, since she needs to hike it for work anyway.

I’m not going to write much about Killer, since we should know less, at least at the start. He doesn’t come from a noble family, but ended up serving at the palace as a young man, at some point his job becoming to pour the drinks. When the king died prematurely, and his throne was taken, the new monarch sponsored Killer’s education and many of his trips around the land as a kind of ambassador, but mostly as a scholar. His latest studies led him to the origin town of the myth of the Tree of Feelings, to play a guest to some nobleman who wanted to live farther from politics. He’s the one who first developed his beliefs based on the scriptures and documents and stories he found, and the only one of the three to be able to read them. He preaches the cult, writing & reading out their texts, and knowing the most about the God they pray for.

There’s also Dream and Nightmare (and Blue), but I’m tired, haven’t eaten, and I have too much to talk about, plus this post is too long already…

[jazzy-dreamer]

Yo hold on. The Archivists were never defeated. They left because they thought their job was done, but King is still alive. The titan trappers were never truly defeated either and we never see what happened to them. And we didn't exactly get to see what happened to Collector (I hope he gets an actual name eventually because he deserves more!!!!)

There's still so much of this world we can explore but we didn't get the opportunity because of the shortening. But what if there's a new opportunity? An opportunity to explore the new glyphs, and to possibly explore the rest of the demon realm (since we clearly saw there were other places) Speaking of, did Belos forget about all the other witches and demons all over the world or is the Boiling Isles the only populated place in the Demon Realm?

Maybe in this new opportunity we could finally see what the whole thing with "Seek the key fear the lock" is, because there was clearly meant to be something important there.

The Owl House is known for its lil riddles and Easter eggs and as far as I’m aware everything has led up to something and has had some sort of purpose, such as the first code in season 1 “Two Witches Torn Apart Now Alone Two Hearts Of Stone A Curse Of Feathers And Mud A Betrayal Of Blood”

And don’t even get me started on the lore of The Collectors. I mean look at that book!!!!! Yes it’s got thick pages but look at how the shot specifically wants to point out to us how big it is.

There’s still so little we know about them, but because of them everything in The Owl House is kicked off. Collie (Short for our Collector) is trapped because of the other Collectors tricking them and leading them to the Boiling Isles. Because of them, the Owl Beast is turned into a curse and Eda is cursed. Because of them, the titans were completely wiped out (apart from King) and because of them abandoning Collie on Earth, Belos finds them and well, ya know where that went. How long do ya think Collie was trapped for? We know it’s been hundreds of years. And the other Collectors haven’t seemed the slightest bit interested in finding him. It seems the moment they thought all the titans had been eradicated they figured their job was done and left. But where the what are they now? Off to other planets to eradicate or “collect” others? What if they were to come to the Human Realm? If they’re still in the stars, would Collie reunite with them after hundreds of years or would he still be alone up there? (Don’t get me started on Collie leaving that is literally the one thing I don’t like about the finale) Even if they did reunite, how would Collie react? How would the others react? What the actual what would happen?

ANYWAY THANKYOU FOR COMING TO MY TED TALK ABOUT WHY THE OWL HOUSE DESERVES A MOVIE WITH ALL THE ORIGINAL CHARACTERS FROM THE SHOW INCLUDING THE ARCHIVISTS AND OF COURSE COLLIE KAY BYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-

[childlikegoblinqueen]

Grimwalker Lore: The Boy of Clay and Bone.

Another in universe Grimwalker Scary Tale with an afterword by Flora D'Splora.

TW for gore and other nasty stuff.

THE BOY OF CLAY AND BONE

Once a married couple sent their only son to war. It was a demand of the ruling king that one child of every peasant family between age 12 and 21 be sacrificed to the service as a soldier. 

They prayed every night that the Titan would grant his safe return – and one night a knock came to the door that they hoped was their child, but instead it was a castle guard. 

“Your boy has been lost in his noble service to the crown.” The guard bowed their head and handed the mother a small blue stone. “In return the King offers you a gift.”  

“We have lost our only joy in the world.” The father growled, “In a war we did not begin and the King repays us with a gemstone? The life of our child cannot be bought!”

“In return for your sacrifice, the King has given you a galderstone. It can be used to make your spells more powerful – or you may sell it for a sum that will grant you a life of luxury.”

The guard then drew three more spell circles, and out popped a box wrapped in gold, a box wrapped in silver and a box wrapped in a shiny red. 

“So the King wishes to bribe us for our grief.” The mother sighed. “I suppose the three boxes are filled with gold, fine silver, and silk for fine clothing?”

The servant shook their head and gestured to the golden box. 

“In this package, you will find the skeletal remains of your son. Bone of Ortet.” They said.

The servant gestured to the silver box. “In this box you will find the lungs of a stone sleeper.” 

The Servant gestured to the ruby red box, “In this box you will find the scales of a selkidomus. If you head into the forest under the full mood and retrieve a branch of a palistrom tree, you may use the galderstone and these ingredients to recreate your lost child in the form of a grimwalker servant. But heed this warning. If you do so, you must add iron ore to the soil so its bile sac shrinks to the size of a goreberry. He may rise and look like your son, but these werms* are not true witches. It is forbidden by the rule of the land to raise one with magic like a true witch.”

“And if we do, will the King Strike us down?” The father asked.

“If you do, you will seal your own doom.” The servant replied. And with that, he turned and left the couple behind. 

The couple mourned their child for three months and often passed their neighbors at market – many others had perished in the battle and it had become more common to see a family out for a stroll with a replica of their dead child in tow – nearly identical were many to the originals, though some variations did arise – but each one shared a particularly unsettling feature with the next. Each one had eyes as red as blood that glowed when it was dark. 

After a while the couple relented. Overcome by the void of loss they harvested a palistrom branch and buried the galderstone along with a rib bone of their lost son and the other ingredients in the clay beside the grave they had made for the original. 

But they had forgotten to add the iron ore as instructed.

After the allotted time, a hand rose from the pit of clay twisted as a rotten vine. It was followed promptly by a head. Then a body, full grown and naked and bathed in the full moonlight.

The couple were overjoyed! This creature had an uncanny resemblance to their son as he had been before death at age 13! The mother and father rushed to embrace the creature – but when it opened its eyes it locked the parents in place with a hypnotic red glare. 

Without a second thought the creature ate them from head to toe and headed into town where it  met a trickster kitsune* demon on his way to market to sell his wares.

“Well, what have we here?” It crooned. The creature just stared back with blank red eyes that the kitsune just knew meant this was a lost grimwalker. “So someone has misplaced their servant!” His tails waved with interest, “I’m sure you are needed around your master’s home for chores – but you have crossed my path and I know you will fetch a good price at the market.” 

The kitsune waited for a word of protest from the creature, maybe a declaration of that its owner was down the road, but nothing came.

“Not a bright one I suppose,” The kitsune shrugged. “Well,they often prefer it when you creatures mind your voices. Submit to me and we will find use for you in the home of a wealthy noble.” 

So pleased was the kitsune with its find that even its very keen ears missed the sound of the grimwalker’s growling stomach. The creature locked the demon in place with the magic in its eyes and ate it, leaving only a rib to pick the flesh out of its teeth. 

Eyes redder than ever, the monster moved towards the walls of a castle garden. With magic from its cursed bilesac it summoned the ground below to form steps on which it climbed the wall in two leaps. 

Now this was the king’s favorite garden where only the royal family was welcome – and on this night it happened that the young princess had snuck out to play amongst the red roses that bloomed only under a full moon. 

Foolish was she that she defied the king the last three times he had caught her in his garden after dark – and so confident was she that her magic would protect her from harm that she barely flinched at the sound of footsteps that approached – until a savage roar filled the air. 

The princesses head snapped up to meet two hungry eyes – red as the roses she loved so much. 

“Hello,” she greeted. The creature didn’t answer as the princess made out the shape of its body. Now the princess had been sheltered and raised by a nanny of a daft stack of scary tales where girls such as she were spirited into the night by mysterious suitors – thus she could not sense the intention of the vile thing that approached. 

“Why you’re just a boy!” She laughed. “And you are no older than I am!” 

The creature cocked its head at her curious tone, it did not approach – but the princess closed the space between them. “Your eyes are the prettiest I have ever seen! Come into the light, I bet you are my one true love come to take my hand in marriage.” 

And the monster seemed tame for the moment – and some may say that it was the princess’s gentle nature, perhaps her gentle tone, but alas – it was the smell of flowers that rendered the creature still, momentarily unable to smell the stench of its own rotting flesh. 

But the princess laid her bare hands on its cheek and reminded it of its insatiable hunger, and it did not hesitate to leave her a pile of bones for her father to retrieve at sunrise. 

______________________________________________________________________________________________

*"Werm" is an old Lovoeden word for "vermin", often associated with grimwalkers in the pre-Deadwardian times. Some texts suggest this term was used even earlier in reference to Basilisks.

** This tale is quite unfair to kitsune! We no longer see them as trickster demons. -- FLORA D'SPLORA

[octahedral-chaos]

So... I have the urge to lore dump.

GET READY

Alright, so Dreams, Nightmares, Magic, Stone and Blood is an alternate Universe set in the mess that is League of Legends. And also the less of a mess that is the Mageseeker.

It all starts post canon. And by post canon, I mean after what ever the mess that is the plot and lore of Demacia.

So Valorant comes into play in an timeline that has already diverged from the original mess of a timeline. She was born some years after everything by a Rebirth Nexus.

A Rebirth Nexus is essentially an artifact made up of other artifacts that reacts with blood. And depending on how much blood is spilled, a kid will essentially spawn in.

Ask me how later, anyway, her parents' blood mixed with the Rebirth Nexus made from the very things that nearly nuked the entire continent a few thousand years prior.

By this point mages should be still integrating back into society as the laws are being rewritten to account for the magical population.

Time passed... And she didn't.

It because obvious that she stopped aging after two decades after she turned twenty-four. It became obvious that she was immortal.

Year passed again, she opened her own street food shop, took up glass work as a hobby, and she also tried her best not to get dragged into politics.

Then her Father died.

Then her Dad.

She disappeared for a decade.

Then she came back thankfully.

Several centuries passed, mages have their rights, the current monarch was having a field day with the heir issue, and Valorant is hanging up AroAce colors in her shop to terrify everyone with. Because she managed to stuff her Demon Cat (Fiddlesticks) into a matching AroAce color scheme outfit.

And then she got kidnapped and two days later, she was crowned Queen of Demacia.

You know how I said that the current monarch was having a field day with the heir issue?

To explain, Demacia has a Feudal Monarchy system. Originally before the Dynasty, Kings and sometimes Queens and Monarchs were voted into the life long office of royalty by the council of Nobles. Heirs are also voted to be eligible and capable. And then the Dynasty had four kings in a row before the last one abdicated and returned it to a Feudal Monarchy system.

Valorant's Father was the last king of that Dynasty.

Originally, he had passed a law that essentially forbid any decedents or his daughter to rule.

Jokes on him she has two stomach and no womb.

And jokes on her cause the current monarch is tired of the shit the council is pulling off with trying to put a member of individual Houses on the throne and plans to abdicate. Not with out a plan though.

So two years earlier they conducted a search for Valorant after finding an old journal that was the registry for the Dynasty, recording births and deaths and marriages.

Valorant was registered.

So after a bit of ignoring old laws and overturning that one specific law, Valorant was essentially thrown onto the throne.

How did the Council even agree to this?

Simple, the previous Monarch was rumored to be very persuasive. (Blackmail. Infinite blackmail.)

Anyway, Valorant was Crowned and the moment that crown touched her head, that's when the extreme hyper-empathy disorder started to develop.

Being essentially born from the very Runes that possibly made and nearly destroyed the continent, and considering the Rune's magic was spread across her kingdom because of Peticite (White stone like material that can drain magic) structures, buildings, shrines, ect. Valorant started to feel what her people felt.

Everywhere.

It made her one of the most successful Queens to date because she knew exactly what was happening in her kingdom.

It came at a price.

She started to loose more control over her emotions, especially anger and her impulse control was practically zero in the first few months. It was only because of her Demon Cat that she managed to not blow her kingdom to kingdom come. Her dual sides came out later after several wars. It was a trauma response, a coping mechanism. And a good one at that.

Soon enough the problem of her immortality rose, so Valorant proposed an idea. She would rule for eighty years and take a twenty year break. So that way she gets a vacation and that some people can take the reigns for a while.

She always gets called back early because shit always seems to go down when ever she's somewhere else.

It went on like this until the end of the world.

And guess what?

SHE FUCKING SURVIVED IT!

Because she survived, Fiddlesticks and few other demons that feed on human emotion still exist with her, albeit very weakened and barely sentient on Fiddlestick's level.

She spent like a few hundred thousand years in emptiness. No longer plagued by an emotional over stimulation. But still dealing with deprivation. And boredom.

And then one day, the Creator that made her diverged timeline, decided to YEET her back into the past YEARS before her birth and INTO AN ERA WHERE HER OWN KINGDOM WANTS HER DEAD CAUSE SHE IS A MAGE.

All of that hate and anger after so many years of nothing...

It was not a good combo and she nearly blew up her kingdom again!

Fiddlesticks is the best Demon Cat and calms her down, and now Valorant has to navigate a world where her Father and Dad are alive, but one of them is pretty anti-magic and the other is stuck somewhere in a prison.

Joy.

So now here she is trying to stop the genocide and save everyone that died. She does not want to deal with this. But she has to.

Also she gets to bond with her Grandfather! Yay! He's surprisingly funny and is so in on the betting over love lives with her.

Sorry for not answering this sooner-

Anyways, poor Valorant... she needs a hug-

[just-a-bored-writer]

Between The Pages, I Found Your Heart | Crowley X Human Reader, Part 2

Gift for @orangegaytorade

You had devoted your studies, and honestly to this extent, your life, to the study of Judeo-Christian lore. You were one of the best in your field, a dedication of hours of work, blood and tears. And if your thesis advisor hadn't noticed, others had. Beings far older, far more powerful, whose existence you had studied but never believed were real. Oh but they were very real, and the King of Hell, in his war against Heaven and the Winchesters, would have great use for your knowledge. Knowledge was power after all and among mortals, you were the most powerful.

Fandom: Supernatural

Relationships: Crowley/Reader

Characters: Human Reader, Crowley, Dean Winchester, Sam Winchester

Additional Tags: Reader-insert, Crowley-centric, Beauty and the Beast Retelling, Meet-Cute, (kidding Crowley kidnap the reader. there is nothing cute about it. don't try this in real life), Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Bickering as Flirting, Domestic Fluff, Late Night Conversations, Slow Burn, No Smut

Warnings: Canon-Typical Violence, Kidnapping, Mentions of Torture, Blood and Injuries, Blood Sharing

Set during Season 8 and 9.

Chapter 1 , Chapter 3

Chapter 2: The Allure of the Forbidden Fruit

You woke up, drowning in pillows and satin sheets and honestly? You just wanted to close your eyes and fall back asleep. It was the best sleep you had in your entire life, a dreamless one. No stress-induced fever dreams, no nightmare scenarios where your family forgot about you. Only the bliss of nothingness.

And then you remembered. 

Crowley, his offer, the chase in the library. Furious red eyes glowing in the dark. 

You've never gotten out of bed so quickly. You practically jumped to your feet, black blankets falling behind you like a waterfall. You were still in the same clothes as the day before, or the last time you were still conscious, but your phone was gone from your backpocket. Raising a hand to your temple, you noticed the trail of dried blood spreading down to your neck. Crowley must have knocked you out, pushing your head against the bookshelves. And considering the searing pain that was throbbing in your skull, he must have put more force into it than necessary. Asshole. 

But you weren't dizzy and you weren't seeing stars yet, that was something. There was no sign of your captor in the room you had woken up in. The walls were high, like a cathedral, and lit by candlelight. There were no windows or doors on the cold stone walls, just carvings depicting the nine circles of hell. Damned souls burning for eternity, their faces contorted with pain. You approached slowly, as if hypnotized. There was a certain beauty, a certain purity in this suffering. You brushed the stone with your fingers, stopping on a demon wearing a crown.

The stone sank in on itself a few inches with a resounding click, before revealing a hidden door. You blinked, unsure of what had just happened. Was this a trap or was Crowley just that arrogant? When you hesitantly stepped out of the room and no blasting alarm or red light went off, you decided to take your chances. 

The rest of the place Crowley had taken you to was similar to the room you had woken up in. Sinuous hallways that spiraled endlessly into the shadows of the building, your every step echoing in the stifling silence that surrounded you. Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to leave the mirage of security that your room offered you. But when you tried to retrace your steps to go back, you realized that you had absolutely no idea where you were. 

Well, shit. 

Most of the doors on your path were closed but that didn’t stop you from trying to open them, foolishly hoping that one of them would lead to your freedom. You had no idea what Crowley truly wanted of you but you had no intention to find out. Until suddenly, one of them opened. Not to your freedom but something so much better, your own version of Heaven. The largest library you've ever seen, books as far as the eye can see. The room practically hummed with dormant power, the knowledge of the entire world just at your fingertips.

“I see you already found your way to the library,” a voice whispered in your ear, so close to your skin it made you shiver. “I should have known I would find you here.”

You jumped and scrambled away as far as possible from Crowley, not forgetting how your last encounter had ended. Crowley watched you intensely but didn’t stop you, his hands in his suit pocket, completely at ease. You couldn’t help but let your eyes be drawn to his face, searching for a trace of the wounds you inflected him, searching for proof that he was in fact vulnerable. There were none. 

It made you all the more conscious of your fragile, of the blood staining your skin, of the fact that you – unlike Crowley – could die at any moment. And Crowley knew that too. 

“Don’t act like you know me,” you snapped, hating the smug look on his face. 

“Don’t I?” Crowley drawled. “I could tell you where you were born, the college your little sister goes to or the social security number of your ex. But that’s not what’s interesting about you, no. I misjudged you at first, I thought it was arrogance, pride in your work but it's different. It's more. You're a curious little human, willing to trust the Serpent if the price is the knowledge of the world. You're aching to know.”

Crowley slowly walked up to you, backing you into a bookshelf. He was slightly taller than you, just enough that you had to look up to stare at him in the eyes. With a snap of his fingers, an apple materialized into his hands, red and tempting, and he held it between the two of you in invitation. 

“So what will it be Eve? Will you trust the Serpent?” Crowley asked sulphurously, his hand sliding up to your neck. He squeezed, slowly killing your breath. “Or will you breathe for the last time while it wraps itself tightly around your neck?”

“What do you want?” you managed to articulate with difficulty. 

“Good girl,” Crowley praised you, releasing you and biting into the apple, juice running down his jaw. “Now let’s talk business.”

Crowley sat down at one of the long ebony tables, inviting you to do the same with his eyes. You complied, glaring at him, a hand massaging your sore throat. 

“Let me reintroduce myself,” Crowley started. “I’m Crowley, King of Hell.”

“I thought Lucifer was running Hell,” you couldn’t help but jab at him. 

“Not since I put him back in his Cage,” Crowley snarled, static power crackling in the air. “Make no mistake, I’m neither merciful nor patient. I won’t hesitate to dispose of you if your petulance outweighs your usefulness.”

You looked down, not wanting to piss him off any more than you had. There was a time for everything, and right now, it was about survival. 

Crowley seemed satisfied by your reaction and he continued. “I am looking for a Word of God. Before his fall Lucifer stole it and hid it on Earth. I need you to find me its location.”

“How do you want me to do that? I don't know anything about Lucifer. A few days ago, I didn't even know demons were real. Surely one of your minions could do a much better job than I,” you said, puzzled. 

"Don't underestimate yourself, darling. This is your moment, you've studied this your whole life. And every book in this room is yours to browse to help you in your task. A copy of every book that exists and has existed is within these walls. My personal pride,” Crowley answered. “Besides, I trust you more than my minions as you so kindly put it.”

“Really? You trust me?” you asked, still not convinced. 

“Well, you won’t get out of here anytime soon,” admitted Crowley, smirking. “But that doesn't mean your stay in my home has to be uncomfortable. You are free to use and explore any room you manage to enter.” 

“Will you ever let me go?” you finally gathered the courage to ask. 

“That's what we'd all like to know, wouldn’t we?" Crowley answered, smiling mischievously. 

You weighed your options, Crowley wasn't letting you go anytime soon and had the power to make your life hell. Literally. The safest option was to accept, for now.

“You’ve got yourself a deal,” you sighed, holding out your hand across the table to Crowley. 

Crowley grabbed your hand but instead of shaking it, used it to pull you to him, kissing you forcefully. His lips were cold and hard, devoid of any passion. It was like kissing a dead man. 

Crowley bit your lower lip playfully, smiling lazily against your mouth. “Delighted to do business with you.”

The second chapter is here and there was a kiss! Reader has agreed to work with Crowley, for now. But will they succeed in cohabiting in the long term, nothing is less certain. Especially considering Reader's propensity to try to kill Crowley.

I'm done planning this story and I'm sorry if it's something you don't like, but it's definitely going to be a slow burn. I want to avoid their love story being due to Stockholm syndrome so nothing romantic will happen between them while Reader is kidnapped. But that doesn't mean they won't get closer during this time ;)

Last thing, Crowley doesn't call Reader Eve because it's their first name but as a nickname and a taunt to their curiosity.

[curseofpower]

Though it's not discussed yet probably obvious, I'll make this my first little lore post.

Ganondorf did not attack the Gerudo in cold blood for no reason. It was clear he was a good leader, a hero to his people (as stated). As strong willed as they are, I don't think the Gerudo would have tolerated him otherwise, but thats just my opinion. I mean.. He was clearly their king for at least 40 years if not more.

It was after he took the stone and transformed into a demon that their alliegences changed. There was a split, some following him still, some fleeing to try to make their own settlements away from him and his monster swarm. Of course he wouldn't stand for that. Being who he is, he saw no other choice but to group them all back together by force. Once that was done, we hear of the last free settlement falling, and that's literally all we hear. To me it was pretty obvious... the answer was civil war.

This post is largely bc I saw someone claiming he just attacked them first for no reason. But there was one. He's stated as being their sole chief before he 'changed'. That's a pretty clear indicator to me. Feeling betrayed, knowing the Gerudo wanted to side with hyrule or largely did because of his new power, he did not leave them free of his wrathful curses. If anything I think it'd feel more personal... He was cast out of his home due to what he became. He had nothing left to go back to even before 10,000 years passed.

That combined with Hyrule's stubbornness and an ingrained hatred for the kingdom likely turned his goals from conquering to take it for his people to razing it to the ground. He felt the world betrayed him so he wanted it all to burn. Even if it meant killing himself in the process.

[artistrichardhfay]

Article "Vampiric Creatures of Ancient Myth and Legend"

Ever since mankind first imagined mythic threats alongside the mundane, creatures that feasted on the blood or life-force of humans haunted the long, dark night. Blood-sucking monsters, life-draining fiends, and the revenant dead featured in the myths and legends of many diverse cultures across the globe and throughout history. Even though the concept of the vampire as an animated corpse feeding on the blood of the living became most fully developed in medieval Eastern Europe (Curran, 2005, p. 33; Richardson, n.d.), the idea of strange and supernatural creatures sustaining themselves on human vitality goes back centuries.

The great-great grandmother of vampiric creatures in Western lore may have been the winged female entity known as Lilith. This spiteful demoness entered early Hebrew tradition through Mesopotamian mythology about beings such as Lilitu, a wind and storm spirit (Matthews & Matthews, 2005, p. 366). Lilith was either Adam’s first wife or became his lover after the expulsion from the Garden of Eden. Jealous of the fruits of marital unions and angry over God’s destruction of hundreds of her own demonic offspring, Lilith became the vampiric bane of women in childbirth and newborn babes (Guiley, 2005, p. 181; Matthews & Matthews, 2005, p. 367.) She also sought sexual intercourse with lonely and vulnerable men, leaving her male victims exhausted or even dead after their night of sinful passion (Curran, 2006, p. 23). In an interesting parallel to vampire lore regarding the crucifix as a potent protection against the predatory undead, magic amulets and holy talismans could thwart Lilith’s unholy advances and infanticidal attacks (Guiley, 2005, p. 181; Matthews & Matthews, 2005, p. 366).

According to the apocryphal text Testament of Solomon, King Solomon encountered and eventually controlled a vampiric, shape-shifting demon named Ornias. During the construction of Solomon’s Temple of Jerusalem, Ornias appeared every day at sunset to steal a portion of the wages, food, and very soul of the head workman’s boy. The lad wasted away as the demon drained his life by sucking on his thumb. Given a magical ring by the archangel Michael, Solomon subdued the demon and ordered him to cut stone for the temple. Terrified to touch iron tools, Ornias begged to be freed. Solomon then sought the aid of the archangel Uriel, who commanded the demon to obey. Once his work was completed, Ornias was delivered to Beelzebub, the Prince of Demons (Guiley, 2005, p. 223; Peterson, 1997).

Babylonian and Assyrian storytellers told tales of the revenant ekimmus. Individuals that died violent deaths or suffered improper burials would be denied entry into the underworld. Doomed to walk the Earth, ekimmus troubled mankind by wreaking misfortune and destruction upon the living. These restless souls could also possess mortal bodies and proved to be very difficult to exorcise (Guiley, 2005, p. 117).

Ancient Greek mythology spoke of several blood-thirsty beasts and beings. Empusae, ghostly daughters of the goddess Hecate, frightened travellers to death and lured young men to bed to drain their life energies (Atsma, 2000, Empusa & Lamiae; Guiley, 2005, p. 117). Dark, grim-eyed keres, female death-spirits, hovered over battlefields to drink the blood of the wounded and dying. Some of the keres also personified plague and pestilence (Atsma, 2000).

The half-serpentine monster Lamia was yet another mythic beast that stalked the Grecian night. Once a mistress of the god Zeus, Lamia suffered a fell transformation at the hands of his jealous wife Hera. The goddess also destroyed all of Lamia’s children that arose from her illicit union with the lord of Olympus. Angered by her terrible fate, Lamia swore to kill the children of others. The lamiae became a class of female demons who stole newborns and seduced young men to feed on tender flesh and pure blood (Curran, 2006, p. 19; Guiley, 2005, p. 175; Matthews & Matthews, 2005, p. 361).

The Greek dead did not always remain in their graves. Dead men were known to shout abuses, torment passers-by, attack descendants and former neighbours, and even seek sexual intercourse with their grieving spouses. The Greeks that crossed between the worlds of the dead and the living appeared not as wispy phantoms, but rather as corporeal revenants, fully capable of maiming or even killing those around them (Curran, 2006, p. 17).

The Romans adopted many of the same terrifying beings found in Greek mythology, but they also added a few nightmares of their own. Along with the erotic night terrors known as incubi and succubae, Romans feared encountering horrible striges, female avian monstrosities that drank blood and spread disease (Curran, 2006, p. 20). Possibly born through the metamorphosis of hags into dreadful birds of prey, striges possessed misshapen heads and plundering claws. Poisonous milk filled their ungainly breasts. According to certain accounts, striges would peck at infants to feed on their blood and bowels or cause illness by offering children their poisoned milk (Curran, 2006, p. 20; Guiley, 2005, p. 268; Simboli, 1921, p. 33). Carna, the goddess of door hinges, could chase them away with magical incantations and rituals involving an arbutus branch, “drugged” water, and a white thorn twig (Simboli, 1921, p. 33).

Ancient cultures created a host of foul entities that exhibited many of the characteristics found in more recent vampire lore. Lilith, Ornias, empusae, keres, Lamia, and striges all dined on the blood, flesh, or life force of hapless humans. Striges and keres were also associated with disease, a trait shared with later vampire traditions. Ekimmus and Greek revenants returned from the dead to wreak havoc upon the living. Furthermore, some of the devices effective against many of these marauding beings, such as holy symbols and charms, were similar to what might be found in a vampire hunter’s array of armaments. Although certain aspects involving their creation and appearance differed from those found in later vampire beliefs, ancient vampiric creatures were thought to be as much a threat to humanity as their more recent cousins.

References:

Atsma, A. J. (2000). Keres, in theoi greek mythology. Retrieved Feb. 20, 2008, from http://www.theoi.com/Daimon/Keres.html

Atsma, A. J. (2000). Empusa and lamiae, in theoi greek mythology. Retrieved Feb. 20, 2008, from http://www.theoi.come/Phasma/Empousai...

Curran, B. (2006). Encyclopedia of the Undead: A Field Guide to the Creatures That Cannot Rest in Peace. Franklin Lakes: The Career Press.

Guiley, R. E. (2005). The Encyclopedia of Vampires, Werewolves, and Other Monsters. New York: Checkmark Books.

Matthews, J., & Matthews, C. (2005). The Elemental Encyclopedia of Magical Creatures: The Ultimate A-Z Guide of Fantastic Beings From Myth and Legend. London: HarperElement.

Peterson, J. H. (1997). The testament of Solomon (F. C. Conybeare, Trans.). In twilit grotto: Archives of western esoterica. Retrieved Feb. 20, 2008, from http://www.esotericarchives.com/solom...

Richardson, B. (n.d.). Vampires in myth and history. The vampire’s vault. Retrieved Feb 20, 2008, from http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/~vampire/vh...

Simboli, C. R. (1921). Disease-Spirits and Divine Cures Among the Greeks and Romans. New York: Columbia University. Retrieved Feb. 20, 2008, from http://books.google.come/books?id=Nvs...

(Article originally published in Hungur, Issue 6, Walpurgisnacht, 2008.)

[devilsurvivor-2-recordbreaker]

How does one do this for a oc they've never introduced.

So, Samuel Maxweld The 51st:

Son of Maxweld the 50th, current president of the Maxweld Corporation and Leader of the Nation of Apocalypse. His family is of ancient royal blood which has overseen ruling of Apocalypse for nearly as long as there was a Apocalypse, which formed after the conclusion of The Thousand Years Strife.

The family has over time reduced their political standing to mostly ceremonious and culturally significant standing. The natiom transitioning from monarchy to democracy as declared by King Maxweld the 30th. Since then the family has taken the role of being a aid group with the Maxweld Corporation, using its resources to better the lives of Apocalytians.

Samuel Maxweld is the next in line of succession as the only child of The 50th. But there is something much more sinister beyond the walls in the home of the Maxwelds.

To make a very long story short of it: Samuel lost his mother after he was born, technically 'died' during child birth, father is a demon who used science and magic to create clones of his son, but because he needs a new physical form about every century to maintain his presence in the physical world he used the cloning operation to create a sustainable and infinite number of host bodies. Not only that but that the bodies were all discarded to something known as The Throne, a giant stone monolith said to grant power to those who weilded it.

Samuel understandably freaks the fuck out about this and his only rational thought is to confront his father, if he even is at all his father, about this. Maxweld the 50th then goes 'yeah your correct' and either flings him or banishes him to the edge of the world where no one would find him and where he couldn't reveal the truth.

*Footnote: the edge of the world is known as The Pink Plastic Beach, both because it's a pollution dumping ground that has a ocean made of oil and beach of grinded plastic but also because it literally borders on the edge of the world. Like kingdom hearts space between worlds style void is beyond the beach.

There in his moment of darkness he makes it his life goal to kill or overthrow his father. Upon which a mysterious voice tells him that it will give him the power to do so in exchange that Samuel win it The Throne. Samuel agrees and the voice summons him a sword and tells him to complete the pact he must weild this weapon. Upon doing so revealing the spirit was infact Apocalypse himself, one of the two gods which clashed in the Thousand Years Strife.

And so Samuel goes on his mission with the aid of Apocalypse to beat the shit out of his Dad.

Authors note: there's so much Lore to all my blorbos. Samuel was one of the first ocs I really ever made next to another but that's for another time. This was fun and I may continue to these sorts of oc posts in the future. That or write a full on story Bible so I can finally put story I've made about my blorbos from my head down on paper in a proper format.

[theoretical-tactician]

In the Three Hopes trailer, Dimitri and Claude have their relic weapons, and Edelgard doesn't, it's intriguing

For sure. This probably means the story takes place at a point before Aymr is created, which would suggest the relic was built sometime late in the war.

I think it's a really cool detail they included, because there's a lot of lore/information related to Aymr that is never explicitly told in the game, but rather heavily implied and pointed towards. I'll put my whole explanation about Aymr under the cut.

For those unaware about the whole Aymr thing, give me a hot sec to divulge the info about it. Since the relics are all made of the bones of dead Nabatians, there can only be usable relics for those with crests of the dead dragons. Aymr uses the crest of Seiros, but we all know Seiros is alive as she is Rhea. This leaves Edelgard with no relic to give her an advantage in battle, putting her at a distinct disadvantage against descendants of the 10 heroes.

However, Edelgard also has the crest of flames. When the assault on the tomb happened, it was likely intended to obtain the sword of the creator for Edelgard to use. But since Byleth took it and was able to resonate with it (due to the crest stone in their heart), she was unable to take it for her own use as originally planned.

Without a relic and with her knowing how powerful her enemy is (in Crimson Flower she outright states that even with numbers at their advantage, the best of Adrestia are no match for the best of the Kingdom), she would need anything to push her advantage. Hence why she would work with TWSITD, as not only do they have a lot of puppets in the Empire, but they also are necessary for her to match up to her enemies.

This is why she would make use of demonic beasts and any advantage TWSITD would provide her in any non-Crimson Flower route. Without anyone to ground her and being at a disadvantage--as while the Empire had greater numbers than many, they were up against three different enemies--she needed anything she could get.

This brings about Aymr, as while she can stand her ground against any relic holder thanks to her two crests, she would need something more to stand against 10 relic holders (and Byleth if she were to cross such a path). Aymr is made for a user with the crest of Seiros, however, no crest stones of hers are readily available as Rhea keeps a close guard on them, only giving fractions of her crest to cardinals whose identities are kept secret.

Since Rhea's crest and blood are kept hidden and the only reliable supply of such blood would be from Edelgard, whose crest is weak and blood tainted with a second crest, the Agarthans would have to do some interesting work to create a relic for Edelgard.

If you look closely at official artwork, you might notice that the stone in Aymr has the crest of the beast. The Agarthans no doubt took what bones and crests they had from the dead Nabatians and worked hard to create a weapon specifically for Edelgard. I don't know what they did, but they managed to make Aymr specifically for Edelgard, no doubt thinking in would make her a more powerful puppet (yet a puppet nonetheless, who they would have to put in line at times).

Because this is a relic made specifically for Edelgard, I have no doubts it took the Agarthans a long time to make it, so it could have taken them a decent chunk of the 5 year timeskip.

It also makes this interesting parallel between Edelgard and the other lords. While technically, the Adrestian emperor should probably learn swordmanship to use the sword of Seiros or the like, Edelgard chose to learn using an axe and had a relic made for her. She's all about breaking traditions and making her own path.

Dimitri, on the other hand, would be set to inherit his relic and was likely made to learn the lance out of tradition, for all Kings to be able to wield the relic and know how to use it, as per the way of the Kingdom.

Claude is also kinda interesting. He has a bow relic that he's set to inherit, only learning of it recently in his life. He has to learn the bow, though he's lucky that bowmanship is a staple of his culture. However, he breaks traditions in a way, showing his desire to move slowly towards a future that Edelgard envisions bringing quickly. He breaks tradition by using a bow on a flying mount, making use of the very thing weak to his weapon. It's like a mixing of cultures: mixing his relic from the Alliance with the wyverns of Almyra.

Anyways, that's all on my tangent. I'm sorry if you read this all. I just had to infodump because this game is my brain rot and the combination of me streaming Three Houses with the Three Hopes announcement has made my brain rot flare.

[illusion-of-evil]

King and Slave

Also on Ao3

Fate's Game of Life Masterlist

Summary: A little snippet into the past, thousands and thousands of years ago. When magic was more well known and Patton was merrily a human servant.

Author's note: Had to write a short story for class, it turned into this! Hope you enjoy some lore, lol

Pairings: King Romulus/Patton. Roman/Patton. Background Virgil/Logan. The full story is DRLAMP, DLAMPR

Warnings: Violence, blood. Someone killed themselves to not be a pawn.

Word Count: 1307

----------------------------------------------------

The sword slid so perfectly into the flesh of the final enemy below him, his body shaking as he forced it harder and deeper into the lord until he could tug it down and slice the man open, charcoal mist escaping the lord as he slumped over before completely dissipating into ash.

Patton stands up, quivering and panting as if he ran a marathon. His body ached with all the wounds that were ripped through him. His blood trailed down his skin in waterfalls from each cut in his pale complex. He was bruised and his skin was slowly peeling beneath his tunic and dirty slacks. His feet were still bare on the stone floor, rocks digging painfully into the soles, but he barely noticed its contribution.

Dead, the lord was dead, the long-winded battle was over, the war was won. He stood amongst the bodies of the failures and evil, the sword to kill immortals in hand.

He was 18 years old and he killed so many people.

There will be more after this traumatic event. He’ll have to return the sword to its rightful owner. He’ll have to go see if his father survived the attack or if he was once again an orphan. He has to see how many funerals he’ll have to attend or if the city will do one big one directed to those who lost their lives in this temporary final battle. He has to see if his Soulmates survived...

He won’t cry.

He hasn’t cried, he hasn’t mourned, he hasn’t cracked. When the Lord threatened and killed hundreds of people around him, he was engulfed with burning rage and determination. He wanted revenge for all those who have died, he wanted revenge for being forced to kill his brainwashed best friend thanks to the evil witch. He wanted revenge for all the warriors who failed to defeat this monster.

He’s 18 and he did what no warriors have accomplished.

Patton had help, of course. There are the people who stand behind him right now. His friend who’s sitting on the floor, inches away from death, their brother who is trying to nurse that friend to health. His cousin lies dead, brains splattered across the ground as his final stand against the Lord, refusing to be put under his control like the others. There are the ones who lent their strength to him and his friends, the ones who let them borrow their weapons, but couldn’t do the fight themselves. No, Patton needed to be the one to fight. He needed to be the one to kill.

“Wait, the Lord killed gods and you expect some random little human boy to finish the job? Are you crazy?”

He thinks back to what his mentor said, flashes of her corpse on the ground merely an hour later. He wonders if she’ll be proud of what he accomplished today. He did something fantastical after all.

He wonders if she went to heaven or hell.

It was time to go. He smiles at his friends, walking over and kneeling down. He looks over at the one on the floor first. Anx was a bloody mess, he lost multiple limbs already, most of his spider legs splayed out and were severed from his body. His eyes were foggy, but he was able to look at Patton, a small smile covering his tired face. Patton then looks to Logos, seeing the man fully concentrated on the wounded demon before him. The worry for his soulmate was clear on his face, tears barely being held back. Patton left the intelligent man to work, turning to his dead cousin. He reaches down and does his best to lift up the corpse, leaning the body over his shoulders and huffing at the excursion. They leave the realm and bring the dead back to their families and he watches with a stone face and a plastered caring smile as they sobbed and grieved like they were supposed to. He’s told to keep his powers, so he thanks them and moves on. He wasn’t planning on using these powers though, he was just a human. A slave boy who was randomly chosen by the King.

He’ll be a hero, he realizes on his walk to the castle, escorted by guards. He’ll be in history books as one of the few who managed to save the magic world. He’ll be with his cousin who died to save the world and he felt bad for him because if he died before the final battle, there’s no way he can know if his death has been in vain or not. He’ll just have to have faith in the survivors and hope. Be lucky.

They’ll say that Patton is lucky.

He’s 18 as he stands in front of the King with his sword in hand. His body shakes as the placebo feeling of adrenaline escapes him, leaving him tired. He locks his knees so he doesn’t collapse in front of royalty. The King beckons him closer, causing Patton to take a deep unneeded breath and walk forward, stumbling a bit but trying to keep his dignity. He holds out the sword and he takes it into his hand, looking over the immortal slayer before putting it to the side.

King Romulus stood tall, green eyes sharp, crown sitting firmly on his brown locks. His attire was messy, easily explaining the cause of all the bodies in the room. Patton heard that the King was an excellent fighter, Romulus was a skilled magic user and could use any weapon given to him. If it wasn’t for the Dragon Witch interfering, the royal man would have gone to fight the Lord instead.

But that’s not how it went. Patton was given the weapon. Patton was told to kill the Lord. Patton did it.

At any time, Romulus could kill him. He could permanently end the pain and sadness and grey that filters through the human’s brain and body. That sword can kill almost anything, even a small slave like himself. The King can decide that he has done his job, done everything he needed to do so he may rest now...

But he didn’t want to.

No, after everything that happened, he can’t die now. He needs to be around for the next biggest threat, he already promised that he will protect until he can’t any longer. He has to, he needs to. It’s his job, it’s his purpose, it’s why he exists, or… at least, that’s what he’s telling himself.

He needs to be there for his friends, family, and soulmates.

Then the king stands from his throne and steps forwards, dragging the smaller man into a tight hug.

“It’s okay now.”

Patton raises his arms and grips the man’s silk cloak. He presses his face into his chest soon after and chokes out a sob.

Patton is 18 and he allows himself to be a child again.

-

Patton jumps slightly and looks up at the pair of green eyes staring at him. The fae being dragged out of his memories by Roman’s pouting face.

“Were you listening at all?” He whines, crossing his arms over his chest. “I only have until midnight to do that Padre! I need your focus!”

The fae stares then nod, sitting up. “Right, I’m sorry. Go again and I’ll listen.”

Roman’s face lit up and he straightens his back before letting the soft lyrics for his theater assignment flow across the room. Patton sits back and watches his soulmate, one-half of his old soulmate. He couldn’t help the smile crossing his features as the music pushed the thousands of years old memories out of his mind for the moment. That was all in the past now. He was here, in the present, the 21 century with his family.

His Kings.

----

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[azomi]

The Curse of the Oracle: Corvids in Myth and Lore

by Giles Watson, A Witch’s Natural History

There are cultures in which corvids are revered. For the Koryac, and other tribes from within the Arctic Circle, Big Raven is at once the world’s creator and denizen. It is often remarked that the mischievousness of corvids is derived from boredom, like an intelligent child deprived of toys; Big Raven and his wife cure their ennui by becoming demiurges. The mountains are his excrement, and Raven himself is both celestial and earthy. His human weird is cantankerous, swallowing the sun in anger when his love-designs are thwarted, and puking it out again when he is tickled by his beloved. During a deluge, he resumes the form of a raven in order to fly to the heavens, so that he can plug up the vulva of the universe’s wife, which is shedding unremitting rain. This Siberian mythos has its counterparts across the Bering Strait, for the Raven is also regarded as creator amongst the Inuit and the Haida tribe of the Queen Charlotte Islands.

Pre-Christian myths about corvids are characterized by not hatred, but by awe. Crows have always had the dubious honour of carrying the curse of the oracle, baring uncomfortable truths to those with too much power. In Greek mythology, the crow, originally white and personified as Cronus, was an oracular bird, and was said to house the soul of a king after his sacrifice. The crow was cursed, blackened, and banished by Athene after he reported to her that Herse, Pandrosos and Agraulos had plunged to their deaths from the Acropolis. Variants of this story, reinterpreted by Ovid, remain sympathetic towards the crow or raven, who is turned black for telling Apollo quite truthfully, that his lover was unfaithful, and given a croaky voice for being tardy in fetching a cupful of water after being distracted by a meal of figs. A Christianized variant from the Tyrol has the child Jesus blackening the raven for soiling water he was about to drink. Perhaps this in turn was part of the genesis of allegations about Jews and witches poisoning wells...

A thirteenth century bestiary insists that “the raven signifies the blackness of sinners”, but rather than dwelling upon this notion, proceeds to contrast the raven’s supposed neglect of its nestlings with assiduousness of the crow: “Men should teach themselves to love their children from the crow’s example.” However, the bestiaries were quick to deride the classical reverence for corvids: “[The Greeks] say that the crow can reveal the purpose of men’s actions: it can disclose the whereabouts of an ambush, and predict the future. This is a great offence, to believe that God entrusts His counsels to crows.” Christian hegemony ensured that corvids, once the oracular birds of classical and Celtic paganism, were now suitable only as auguries for the heterodox. For Shakespeare, a fearful faith in the prophetic utterances of corvids could only be suitably expressed by a villain:

Stones have been known to move and trees to speak;

Augures and understood relations have

By maggot-pies and choughs and rooks brought forth

The secret’st man of blood

(Macbeth, Act 3, Scene 5)

Macbeth feared that corvids would denounce hi as a murderer, as in the case of the child-murderer Thomas Elks in Knockin, Shropshire, in 1590, but it was now left to witches to consort with them directly, or even to become them. Isobel Gowdie’s confession (1662) included crows amongst her favourite forms taken by witches for the flight to the Sabbat. Possession of familiar crows was a sure sign of an old woman’s isolation, a folk belief summed up neatly by Seldiy Bate’s lyric:

There was a woman by the hill, if she’s not dead she lives there still.

The henbane all around her grows, her only friends are big black crows.

Most damning for corvid reputations was the advent of the Black Death, which swept Europe in the mid-fourteenth century, killing between a third and a half of the population of England. Whole villages were wiped out, and survivors were often to few, or too terrified of contagion, to bury the dead. This unprecedented human tragedy can only have been a boon for carrion birds, whose taste for human flesh had previously only been indulged on battlefields and hangman’s gibbets. The sight of great flocks of black birds descending on the waste land, and picking the eyes from the skulls of one’s neighbors or relatives can have done little for the estimation of corvids in the minds of survivors…

By the nineteenth century, it seems, the demonization of ravens was complete. The Romans had interpreted its call as “cras”, Latin for tomorrow, an expression of hope. Poe’s raven only says “Nevermore”, a prophecy of doom.