A choice of demons - choose poorly/wisely

The Chatters
1

I read a story about a dude who accidentally summons a demon when he get pricked by some thorns on a tree, and gives him his soul to be good at magic.

The demon featured is name Mulok, which sounds like Moloch, but can’t be because 1. he doesn’t talk about eating babies 2. I don’t think you summon him for magical power.

But let’s pretend that you suck at magic. Like, your average grade is a G because F- was too high. And let’s assume that you are dumb enough to not consider the risks of summoning a demon because you are a dumbass YA book protagonist.

You have these options:

Asmodeus/ Asmoday: The only good thing he ever did was building Solomon’s temple, and that he had to be forces into. Teaches people how to turn invisible, answers all questions truthfully, and his favorite hobby is breaking up young couples. Either a fallen angel or the son of a human woman and an angel.

Astaroth: Very good at teaching wisdom and knowledge, magical or otherwise, but his breath is a noxious poison that you need a silver ring to protect you from and he will recite the story of the fall because he still thinks he has a shot at being an angel again.

Paimon: Loyal most to ol’ Lucy of all the demon kings, teaches occult knowledge and provideth good familiars. He is pretty neutral on humanity, though, and if you don’t hold up your part of the bargain, he will retaliate. I think he also wants to be an angel again.

Vine/Vinea: He is a black horseman that specializes in teaching the magical
arts. He can also make waters stormy and built towers. Also neutral feeling towards humans.

On Moloch, he appears to be a corrupted version of Ishtar’s consort, Adad, so you don’t have to find him so much as he will have to find you.
Then again, he could just be Tlaloc in disguise, he’s ugly enough to feature in the Ars Goetia. Jaguar Teeth, Buldging Frog-Like Eyes, Blue Skin, etc.

You can take this for further research:

@Akje
@JohnnyTuturro
@J.L.O
@HKelle

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Enh, never been one for messing with demons. They really haven’t got a power I want. At least Astaroth will give a good “I was framed, officer!” attempt.

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I know that you would not, of course, but if you were a protagonist in a YA novel set in a magic school who was desperate to get magical power because you failed the entrance exam, what would you choose?

Also, the book you’re in is oatmeal. So you are on a collision course with the demon you summon.

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I don’t read YA so I don’t know just what tropes you’re going for here, but this Astaroth character seems the most interesting to me, and he has a built-in reason to want to help a human loser. I can see a lot of potential laughs in the noxious breath too. (>‿◠):v:

Whatever you do, I’d stay away from Molech because of his current connection with the fundy movement. It’s a common theme these days to portray the children of right wing Christian fundamentalists as being sacrificed to Molech, so it might create some confusion in your readers. I don’t mean that Christians portray him that way, but that the spiritual abuse community frequently compares the abuse of these children with ancient rituals for Molech, so it might get confoozling, depending on where your readers are coming from. ¯\_(ﭢ)_/¯

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5

Damn oatmeal.

Vinea. I’d call him a Vienna Sausage to keep the story from smothering me.

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either asmodeus bc if he’s the child of a human woman and an angel then he’s actually a nephilim and i don’t have any qualms about fucking around with a grouchy nephilim for invisibility.

or astaroth, the wisdom would be nice and other people wouldn’t be able to bother me if they died of his poison breath lolol

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He is a horse-man so it would be somewhat morbid

8

There is the problem where he is afraid of water, hates fish, and likes women a lot. So if you are a woman who has suitors, he’s going to be a problem.

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9

intrspecies erotica …damn it, Clerks!

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10

That’s just harem shenanigans, though, and can be fun to write when you mess with everyone.

But see, this is why I choose fake creatures for this end of things (Something where the presumption is that it couldn’t ever be real.). Too close to real and I’m like hell no.

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11

The book of Tobit gas a higher body count than most harems but I see your point

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12

so if i want him to leave me alone i can just sit in the shower? :thinking:

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13

If I was smart, Astaroth
If I was dumb, Vine/Vinea

And cool looks like you know your Ars Goetia.

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14

I honestly know nothing about Demons other than the Doom Games (Which horrify me at times with their organic forms (Doom 2016 here), the Hell Knights fuck with my mentality, they really do…

This one… Seems like this one has more to lose… Want’s to become an Angel again… Defined regret for things which did his/her downfall… Both kind and yet will retaliate in kind also… I respect that.

SD

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15

I always make sure to research my ideas.

But nobody likes Paimon :cry:

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I’d like to see an Ars Goetia done in the Style of Doom, most of the demons you summon are the upper crust of society.

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Like I have said, I don’t know much about demons as such, but whatever this Ars Goetia is I’m fucking sure that id Software would do it justice if they ever go back to Doom 2016 style of graphics…

And that frightens me deeply… Thanks for my dreams tonight @NotARussianBot I will seek you out and destroy you in inventive ways…

Joking aside, I’m sure you will figure a look for each of your demons equally too… I just hope that they never reach my dreamscape… Ever!

SD

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18

i blame hereditary. Plus compared to the other demons, other than Vinea, Paimon doesn’t give much to offer you.

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19

He is more specialized, I admit.

But it’s better than the Exorcist 2 featuring Pazuzu. Gods, that’s such a silly name.

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20

It sounds like an attempt to bring in an Aztec sounding name.

Jews of Christ’s era and thereby most Christians assume that if there is a real deity behind a pagan god, that its a demon. Ergo, Zeuz is a demon strutting around as if he was a god…

Which would really bring an interesting mutation to writing within a Greek mindset while knowing that, at the same time.

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