darkness Archives - Author K. Williams

Part-time Demonologist – Open Book Blog Hop #268

April 5, 2021 By Captain Maiel

♦Welcome to another edition of the Open Book Blog Hop!♦

Topic #268
What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done in the name of research?

Welcome back to another Open Book Blog Hop! The authors included in this ongoing series wish to thank you for your reads. We appreciate, even more so, when you share our writings with your friends. If you’re new to the series, welcome aboard. The authors engage and impress weekly. Prepare to become a regular reader.

So far, I haven’t done much weird stuff. I’ve studied Sun Tzu, read history, watched a lot of film. Is marketing weird and crazy? Probably is. I mean it’s so fleeting to understand the market at any one time, and the people who determine what will rise to the top. Tastes change like the weather.

Writing my series, I did take from actual dreams I’ve had throughout my entire lifetime. Books on esoteric subjects were invaluable. Then, I also looked into accepted ideas of which species of alien were out there. But, the thing that sticks out most in my mind, because it still leaves me a bit chilled, was studying demons. Writing authentically about long established beings, real or not, was important to the narrative. Not just any demons or angels would do. Far too many people think they know the topic, but their limitations land on Azrael, Michael, Gabriel, Uriel, Metatron, Lucifer, and the like. There is an entire dictionary that has gathered all of the names of the infernal host known to humanity. A demonologist uses these texts to identify malevolent entities. To this day, people still believe they are as real as you and I. The lore, however, is the point and M. Ballanger does a fabulous job of creating an alpha listed quick and dirty write up.

Many of these figures are recycled deities from cultures that Christianity wished to stamp out, thus called them evil and demonized their esoterica and theology. I won’t argue the validity of that, especially as what was done was imperialistic and white supremacist in 99% of the cases (they did this in Europe, too, so there’s the 1% that waivers). One of the most potent bits of information I digested was: would you know the difference between an angel or demon if you were on the opposite end of their wrath? Almost all humans would not, either because of their own ego or definitely due to ignorance about them. But did I need to become a demonologist to write my series?

When I got my books on the topic, I was put off. I will admit it. I was raised Christian, even baptized, but I had parted ways with the church sometime ago over differences (my gender, it’s use in slavery, and so on). I also knew that I did not need a priest or building in which to commune. Dude is always there, and I feel it in my compassion and gentleness, I feel it in my frustration and anger, too. So, there is this remaining reluctance to engage the enemy, in any way, even as a would-be demonologist. Would reading any word about them cause something? The scientific me scoffed. But, what if…

Anyway…flipping through this text was super helpful in finding details that I would incorporate into the work. Regardless of my reticence, it was useful and will continue to be useful. The point is to call on the ancient texts of humanity and bridge their gaps to create a complete picture of something more tangible and fully realized. A world beyond our, parted by a multiverse but emanated from the source.

Some of the texts I reviewed, such as one on how to waken your psychic abilities, and topics on souls, were a bridge too far for my scientific mind. I may believe in something beyond this universe, but I couldn’t go down this route with the others. It felt fake and fantastical. They seemed to be play acting like children do. Yet, they were deadly serious. I respect their right to believe, but I could not come to agreement, just as I didn’t feel that much of what is believed about demons and ancient deities is true. Any demonologist may have bias, based in their theology and culture, which ignore the origins of some of the named entities.

For instance, I don’t think Stonehenge is more than a frame for a round hut in which stone age peoples met, perhaps kept market. The market angel makes sense because of the solstice angle. Astronomy was used for planting back in the day. Of course, I could be wrong. Maybe it was a temple (seriously doubt this). Markets were major hubs and very important to all cultures throughout history.

Studying bizarre topics is still fun and interesting. You learn a lot about humanity when you go off the beaten path. I’m glad that there are those willing to share their beliefs, and that they are safe to do so with the world. Freedom of knowledge needs to remain paramount to all societies, as it promotes respect and cooperation, thus creating peace. You can’t make up who someone is. You need to let them tell you by their own actions and words.

In the end, I don’t need to be a demonologist to write my series, although it’s teaching me a great deal in that vein. No worries, though. I won’t be calling myself Van Helsing any time soon.

Click on the links below to see what the other authors answered and continue the hop!

The Dark Side – Open Book Blog Hop #266

March 22, 2021 By Captain Maiel

♦Welcome to another edition of the Open Book Blog Hop!♦

Topic #266
Whose perspective do you like to write from best, the
hero (protagonist) or the villain (antagonist)? Why?

Welcome back to another Open Book Blog Hop! The authors included in this ongoing series wish to thank you for your reads. We appreciate, even more so, when you share our writings with your friends. If you’re new to the series, welcome aboard. The authors engage and impress weekly. Prepare to become a regular reader.

Admitting which side of the protagonist/antagonist fence one prefers to write on is a matter of ego. In that case, it can be a trip to the dark side. We all like to think the best of ourselves. It’s important that we do. Otherwise, we risk suffering depression and thus illness that can be exacerbated by negative mental attitudes. Having a positive self-image isn’t a bad thing! Just like anything else, engaging to excess can be a problem.

From The Trailokya Trilogy, Photo by Ramdan Authentic on Unsplash, person on a dark and foggy forest path — Photo by Ramdan Authentic on Unsplash

Exploring my spiritual awareness and improving myself has led me on many introverted explorations. Writing on the dark side has allowed me to see that side of myself that many would prefer to keep secret and unknown (even to themselves). Facing the inner self is fraught with ego threatening pitfalls. Personal growth, however, requires a good long look. It’s easier to say don’t be afraid than to actually not have fear of who or what you really are down to the core.

Human emotions and desires can be quite scary. Finding horrors within ourselves can cause existential crisis, too. But, I’m going to say, there is a way to engage with it on a level that isn’t so frightening and is productive for personal growth: writing. Perhaps, that is why we authors write?

When I’m writing, I love to explore those emotions and feelings I feel foreign and horrific. Of course, that’s easiest in the role of villain. I’d recommend trying to apply the unseemly to the protagonist, though. You know, the one the reader is to identify with most closely. Yes, this creates an anti-hero, which, Lord knows, is overdone to the gills. But, if writing is your outlet, and you feel that there are as yet unexplored elements in such a role–you must still try.

Writing books isn’t just about creating a product for consumption for others. The author engages with writing because they have a need to create a communication. To tell a story is to have a conversation about things that don’t pass in every day conversations. They have no place in chit-chat. Novels and stories explore difficult topics in the human condition, often posing questions (if not answers) to some great questions. They help us to learn to empathize. Stories communicate commonalities. A novel could explain the horrific in detail that makes it understandable (not acceptable but understood).

The ugly feelings and wants that humanity often holds in the dark are safely let out within writing, too. Have you ever been so angry you just want to beat the hell out of someone? I’m sure it was around something very serious that truly upset you. Those feelings have to have a place to go. Why not write them into a character and let them act out on the page? Did you know that exercises in imagination can be very cathartic and provide closure for your mind? The brain can accept a trip through a mind exercise as good as reality.

When writing my villains, the catharsis I seek is seeing justice in the end. They’re often unrepentant, as one review mentioned of the father in OP-DEC. This is because I have never found people who are abusive to be honest about it. My other books focus on paranormal figures, such as Demons, so penitent devils don’t make much sense either. I write them exactly as they should be, in my opinion, and that is consummately evil.

The point of writing villains so fixedly is that they also present archetypes to the reader and myself. For instance, Morgentus is a baron of hell, while Dominic is a narcissistic human. One presents an archetype. The other is more fluid, but still dark. One can write the deepest and darkest into an archetype of hell, while a more fluid villain that is closer to an average human can contain the more nuanced aspects. The latter is harder to write. It’s more uncertain, more sympathetic. It’s upsetting to write an abuser as a sympathetic character, especially when it comes from past experiences. This can feel like making excuses for the person instead of appropriately placing responsibility upon them.

the baron morgentus The Trailokya Trilogy book two burning down

I did not like writing Dominic because of the sympathetic aspect of the character. I didn’t exactly love writing the demons either. There’s always that part of me, the child sitting in the Episcopal pew, worried about what it might dredge up from the shadows. I still know that exploring these thoughts is helpful to uncovering my whole self. Do we fundamentally reject this darkness because it scares us or because we know it is part of us? How much a part of us?

We can all get ugly from time to time, especially in the worst situations. If anyone ever harmed my child, for instance, I would snap. I feel that fear deep in my gut. Doesn’t every mother? Regardless, it shows me that I am capable of scary extremes under the right stress. That part of me is easiest to explore in the guise of a villain. And although I don’t like it, I find it more necessary to my growth than writing the hero (which I feel just strokes the ego).

Click on the links below to find out which way the authors below like to write best…

Cursia – Open Book Blog Hop #252

December 14, 2020 By Captain Maiel

♦Welcome to another edition of the Open Book Blog Hop!♦

Topic #252
We usually interview our good guys and gals when we do character interviews. How about we do an interview with our favorite bad guy?

Welcome back to another Open Book Blog Hop! The authors included in this ongoing series wish to thank you for your reads. We appreciate, even more so, when you share our writings with your friends. If you’re new to the series, welcome aboard. The authors engage and impress weekly. Prepare to become a regular reader.

Reluctantly, I’ll open the door to let in a character that is better off deceased and away from anyone they could impact. That may seem like a cruel thing to say, but you don’t know this particular individual unless you’ve read the books, of course. If you’ve read the series, then you understand the sociopathic nature, the malignant narcissism. This could get quite brutal–like interviewing a prolific serial killer.

Before we begin, I’ll ask that you take precautions in protecting yourself. Take warnings that some responses could be triggering. Do not let what goes here influence your mind beyond providing information about a the individual. Opening this door could open you to Cursia.

The Shadow Soul, The Danava Races of The Trailokya Trilogy, cursia plaque

Discovered intertwined with the souls that make Kharon’s skiff, Cursia was taken in by the Lord of the Labyrinth of Acheron (also called the Pit of Acheron). Her mind had been locked in a damning sleep, like a bio vessel may experience a coma. Once awakened, so were her ambitions.

Let us tread carefully forward with our guest…

Good afternoon, Cursia. Thank you for taking the time to be interviewed for our readers today.

(Her eyes are so dark that I can hardly tell if there is a pupil, and there is something unsettling in such a stare. Her smile curls to the side and I have the sense that I am a mouse before a rather hungry cat.)

Good afternoon.

(The response is simple and unassuming but for the tone that promises something just out of reach. A warning?)

Shall we get started, then? As I am sure you are aware, the blog has interviewed several individuals that you’re familiar with, who have been granted the opportunity to tell more about their stories. What would you like to tell readers about your role in the events surrounding Captain Maiel?

See, that’s the first mistake you make. You think this is just about Captain Maiel, but it’s far more than that child’s tantrum that matters.

What things?

The balance between all planes. Captain Maiel threatens the solvency of Zion, and risks war with Jahannam. She declares it to be the opposite, but it is she who encroaches upon the borders of our world.

Earth is not your border, though.

Isn’t it? The entirety of Samsara, as small as it is, is all that stands between the danava kingdom and those controlled by duta. The duta continually meddle in the affairs of souls living there. They skew everything they believe to favor them. The danava have been unfairly maligned. Thus the soul races have been inclined to commit violence against us–preemptively they call it, but it’s just fear–the fear they’ve been taught by another race attempting to destroy us.

If I have my story straight, are the danava not former duta? Did they not commit horrendous crimes against Zion and the souls of samsara that required their being isolated away from others–a mercy, quite frankly, when most laws at that time called for death?

Cursia holding an atman, fire descends from her hand as it glows. — Cursia, Marditavya, Jahannam, Morgentus’s slave

Danava, as was I, were condemned for making free choices. They chose mates from among the souls, offending the king of Zion and his council. They did not murder, they defended themselves against the violence of others.

Their were accusations of rape by victims–

Were there trials? None. The king declared them guilty without fair trial.

The King has the kappalanum to tell him of what transpired.

Are you kidding me? Did you see any of it yourself? You just take him at his word?

I believe survivors. What do they have to gain from coming forward? They’re often further abused and revictimized by a public that seeks to preserve those they prefer to align with for often very shallow reasons.

No one believed me. I was put to death and imprisoned with the rest. If it were not for the Baron and our prince, I’d also have remained the prisoner of that pervert Kharon. That bastard takes whomever he finds to be pleasing for his weird pastimes.

How did you come to Jahannam. Tell our readers what happened to you.

As I just confessed, I was raped by a nobleman and my status did very little to protect me. My husband called it adultery. I birthed a child and he had it murdered, even though it could have been ours. Then, he put me to death. All of this directed by Zion’s hand.

The Baron tells us another tale. May I quote him? (She stares at me, a wrath rising in her eyes. I proceed not heeding my own sense that I am treading close to danger.)

“You betrayed those who loved you by lying with another. For this you were punished and you sought to punish your lover for being caught, insisting you were raped. He went to the gallows protesting innocence. He never raped you, did he? And when you bore a bastard you killed the infant to appease the wrath of your husband. You set up the one you loved and killed his son to hide your shame. The shame of a whore. Well, now you are my whore.”

What do you have to say to this, Cursia?

Cursia responds with great distaste, sitting back with her arm folded. She casts her eyes aside, caught lying or having caught a liar.

The Baron and I have had a falling out.

Over?

He did not tell you? I thought you spoke to him about the matter? (She glances at me with slant to her mouth. She’s reengaged now.) We differed in opinion on the matter of Dominic Newlyn.

Captain Maiel’s husband? (She nods.) The baron considered entrapping him, so that he would become marditavya.

No. See that’s the twist. The baron wanted to save him from Zion before he was killed. He knew his wife, once upon a time. He nearly brought her to our cause, as I recall him saying. Ultimately, it was his goal to complete that task, and save them both.

And you disagreed with this? Why?

Because the baron thought that once the Captain realized Zion had arranged the ketu between them, that she would be free to choose him.

But the baron already has a wife.

As a wife betrayed by her husband, you can see why I stood against this. Besides, he was foolish to bring a duta and her toy to Jahannam. The Captain would never betray her homeland. It would be disastrous letting her in only to let her sell us all out.

If that’s true, Cursia, I think you’re very wise, in fact. Captain Maiel would never betray Zion. Returning to what the baron said about you, is it true that you killed your infant, not your husband? That you lied about the rape to save yourself, which ultimately did not work?

Kill my own flesh and blood? You are insane. I did not lie. The man I lay with had manipulated me. When the deed had been done, I realized the terrible tangle I was in. Ashamed of it, I avoided my husband. Our relationship had been quite passionate. I came to find out, however, that his jealousy had a devilish streak to it. Eventually he sussed out what had happened. He executed the man on charges of rape. I, after all, had to confess this to him, to tell the truth. However, it wasn’t enough. My husband had a worm in his brain now. He started to believe me willing. As my belly grew with our child, he also believed it was fathered by the dead man.

Was it?

In those days, there was no definitive way to tell. I felt the child was my husband’s. A mother just has a way of knowing.

You could not convince him, though. He made you bring the child into this world, and then he killed you both. Have you ever seen him again in Jahannam?

No. I have never seen him since. For that I am thankful.

Why are you so willing to help a danava who would lie about you, after experiencing the terrible repercussions of lies that ended in your death?

Burning Down, The Trailokya Trilogy, author K. Williams, book series, fantasy books, cursia's black eyes — Cursia, Marditavya, Jahannam, Morgentus’s slave

You clearly see her as your enemy. What of Dominic? There are rumors that you have taken interest in the soul. He’s one of your own.

It would be nice to have someone of my own kind with which to speak. Can you imagine being so isolated from your own kind for such an eternity and to finally have the opportunity to connect once more? I only wish he were not so devoted to his bride. She betrays him.

The baron and I have the same goals. We just don’t see the same steps to those goals the same. I would never attempt to turn a duta. If a soul or a duta come to us on their own, that is one thing. Reluctantly, they can be trusted. They prove themselves. Maiel–she would end us. It’s certain.

In what way?

They’re not the same. She cannot help him.

Cursia, Duta pride themselves in helping souls reach ascension–

They pride themselves in assimilating us. Erasing and eradicating. It’s genocide.

Isn’t it the natural progression of the atman?

The natural progression of an atman is whichever path it wishes to take, and there is no evil in being true to that call.

You mean dharma?

Yes, but true dharma. That one should be able to do whatever satisfies their hearts desire. That is true dharma.

Duta claim that this belief is a deception. That entertaining all your desires leads to destruction. It’s reflected in Samsara, for instance, in how certain behaviors over indulged can lead to death–whether that is through violence or disease.

(Sneering) The duta claim.

You clearly don’t see it their way.

Clearly.

Thank you for taking this time to air your opinions and give more insight into both yourself and what it is like to live in Jahannam, Cursia.

You and your readers are most welcome. If there is anything I can do to help them hear the truth, please don’t hesitate to reach out. Both our salvations hinge upon cooperation between Jahannam and Samsara.

I hope you’ll pardon my reluctance to just accept that at your word.

Propaganda is difficult to unlearn. There are more voices than the Captain’s. You should hear them all.

That stare locks me in again. I feel a bit sick inside, frozen to my seat, but I eventually mumble further thanks and take my leave of Cursia.

I am left wondering what of the things said could be taken seriously. The sense that I have been manipulated successfully hangs heavy on my shoulders. My stomach feels better, but my mind is uneasy. This woman, after all, is a slave of the baron. It surprises me that she sees herself more on the same level as him, and not a subjugated person. Yet, she still holds animosity toward Morgentus. Perhaps it is just the fear of her words getting back to him that created this weird juxtaposition between her status and words. It’s not unheard of, now is it?

If you want to learn more about Cursia and Jahannam, or any of the characters and places mentioned above, read The Trailokya Trilogy.

Hop on over to one of the links below to continue the hop. You might just find a new book to read…