#☽ [ ɪ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴍʏ ᴡᴀʏs ᴅᴀʀʟɪɴɢ

[grimowled]

is your portrayal based on the pilot or current canon version of Stolas? Any differences between your portrayal and canon?

YES HELLO welcome to my ted talk-- okay okay I've already gotten into some of the canon divergence here, but I can give you a brief rundown of the main stuff, and while I'm at it, shamelessly plug my hc page ;>

it is certainly more pilot based than current canon, though we do follow most canon events with our own spin. (however I am willing, eager and able to write canon compliant stolas upon request! just follow your ask or starter or message me with 'give me the sad prince!')

ON STOLAS, THE DARK PRINCE, AS SUMMONED BY GRIMM

apex predator: my default portrayal of stolas emphasises the shrewd, callous, manipulative and obsessive side of the demon prince, similar to the pilot, as well as the darker side of his infernal duties and insight into his powers and knowledge as an ars goetia.

old soul: stolas is pretty ancient, though he's younger than the sins and the og fallen angels, being in the hellborn generation. he's around 5000 years old. in my view hell years work differently from earth years, so it is entirely possible to go with the canon narrative that he is around 37 hell years old.

motivation: yes - he does become terribly infatuated, as he does with blitzø. but he is an ancient demon and this is hell, so it won't be pretty; stolas can manifest his courtship in very skewed, toxic, manipulative and obsessive ways. all of that whilst acting like he is mostly the perfect gentleman.

he is driven and haunted by the typical hunger that comes with the existential dissatisfaction of infernal creatures (banished from the fulfilling light of the creator), and the ennui that usually follows with old age and immortality.

whilst perfectly embedded in the goetia aristocracy way of life, he does wrestle with the desire to break rules and be scandalous. what more can he get away with?

soul collection: more detail here, but the short of it is that stolas does have souls under contract, and he is extremely possessive of them.

a lil' rehash of the juicy stuff below ;)

gender and sexuality: in canon it is confirmed that stolas is gay ; my stolas identifies as a pansexual cis-male.

he does have a cloaca but can also conjure a phallus for breeding or just preference (i mean just try to impregnate someone efficiently via cloacal kiss--)

he is a power bottom-leaning switch.

[grimowled]

Noot that I'm considering it, but what exactly would the benefits of offering your soul to Stolas be?~

IX. ON SOUL BINDING CONTRACTS WITH STOLAS

generally speaking, demonic contracts usually involve the exchange of (1) promisor's soul for a variety of temporary benefits from the demon, who is the promisee; promisors can alternately offer other people's souls, as long as they have genetic connections and dominion over them (ie. scion, spouse or servant bound by contract), or through a ritual of sacrifice.

that being said the benefits and favours offered in the exchange vary depending on the demon's skills and powers, and the circumstances involved; stolas has a set of generic demonic boons, and also a circumstantial and more specific one.

(the demon must always be able to perform and deliver on those favours, otherwise the contract will be null and void.)

depending on their rank, status and power, demons can grant a general array boons to the requestors, such as wealth, resources, a specific talent (eg. artistic, scientific etc) strength, health, beauty, youth, fame, social power and even targeted assassination. the mightier the demon, the more benefits will be offered that will be effective and significant. it is up to the demon to stipulate how many, and for what time period to grant these, ie. if a one-time thing or recurring until the time to pay up. a requestor may enter a contract in order to benefit another.

needless to say, a contract with a prince of the ars goetia will be more impressive than a regular demon's.

stolas' domain is that of knowledge, and specifically that of prophecy and foresight, astronomy, botany and the magical properties of herbs and gemstones and other minerals. these have a very wide range of active and passive application and can be used wisely to the advancement and advantage of the promisor's status on earth and beyond.

for example - if wealth and riches are requested, stolas can use his foresight to accurately predict lottery numbers, or can map out a course of action achieve a desired outcome, based on future events; scientist can claim fame through scientific discoveries provided by stolas; plants and herbs can be used to brew potions that will alter one's state; certain gemstones can be used as conduits for magical properties to achieve certain benefits, ie. health, wealth, success etc. the possibilities abound!

as for benefits strictly perceived in hell, stolas will become the promisor's patron, and grant them protection, wealth, resources and even a certain status among the hellborn; in some very rare and exceptional cases he may grant those he favours above all a limited use of his magical powers and attributes by imbibing his blood.

(that is, of course, in exchange for anything stolas might ask of the promisor, whatever it may be down to his discretion, mood and caprice ... )

more hcs on demons granting boons such as immortality and resurrection to come!

[grimowled]

idk if this has been asked before but how tall is stolas? maybe i skipped over something

hello my curious anon - no, you have not missed anything as I hadn't revealed my stolas' height yet ~

but he is a VERY tall bird, standing at over 10 ft!

[grimowled]

3. a trait they express in the wrong way!

☽ why is my muse hot garbage?? - accepting!!

ooh boy, this one is easy because there are many lmao

VI. ON OBSESSION

the most glaring trait is how he expresses any kind of affection or infatuation. take the latter, for example: when he falls for someone he does so in the most intense, immoderate and unhealthy way; he will not be above using the goetia arsenal at his disposal to manipulate and keep them bound to him: his power(s), social status & influence, wealth, knowledge and cunning. he may even lord something over them, like his grimoire with blitzø if he believes the other to be a particularly tough nut to crack. it is all kinds of wrong wrong wrong!

he does not relent easily and will shamelessly display obsessive behaviours such as keeping tabs on them by means of magic and connections, showing up unannounced, blowing up their phone, courting and seducing them enthusiastically, offering a contract etc. and just generally being rather pushy. he is not always subtle with it either - with blitzø, for example, he is openly scandalous, and in a way it's also because he wants to see how much he can get away with.

it's hunger, yearning, obsession, boredom and desperation all wrapped up in a terrible beast created by aeons of repression / unhealthy ways of managing his emotions, ingrained infernal behaviours, as well as no real examples of healthy relationships. that and ... he is a demon, an apex predator, and therefore indulges in skewed morals by definition. he basically behaves as if he is hunting them, and is not satisfied until they are snatched up and held fast in his claws, until he can devour them metaphorically and irrefutably own every part of them, tear their pretty mind wide open and gaze lovingly at every little detail.

it's a demonic belief that everyone has a price, that he can buy most people's loyalty and company like his own father did for him; but that isn't to say he doesn't appreciate a less transactional relationship: in fact he much prefers it when the objects of his affections willingly choose to indulge him, and he does not need to bind them through contracts or by any other means.

in time he has learnt to appreciate choice (that which he lacked when his own marriage was arranged) : there is nothing sexier than adoring loyalty but he does thoroughly enjoy the hunt.

tldr; he desperately wants to be loved but ... he only knows to offer a twisted imitation of it, like everything in hell.

[grimowled]

"Dad: Do exorcisms actually work, or is that a silly ritual humans do that does absolutely nothing?" - Octavia @a-hell-of-a-time

"THE ANSWER LIES somewhere in between, as it oft does, my heart of darkness."

owl father explains in a smooth drawl, talons gently running through his owlette's messy mane of feathers.

"--for an exorcism to be effective, there are three elements at play; the caster, the ritual and, of course, matching power. let me elaborate."

he gestures with his free hand, effortlessly conjuring a vision of figures made of pretty constellations joined by glowing lines of different colours, representing a demon, a possessed victim and an exorcist locked in eternal battle for the victim's soul.

"firstly, the exorcist must be competent - which means they must be born with what they would call the gift and curse of being attuned to supernatural beings and magic, which some would call faith - and be extensively trained with practical experience; of course they are only 'allowed' to resort to divine magic, which is heavenly by nature, in order to fight and cast out its demonic counterpart - they can use religious artefacts such as icons, crosses, holy relics and holy water to invoke it; in some extremely rare occasions they can even summon and offer themselves as vessels to an angel, but I have never seen that with my own eyes. you can imagine there are not many of those, and a lot of incompetent, money-grabbing quacks."

(those are such fun to absolutely terrorise ! oh, he sometimes he misses those days !)

especially in modern times, when the scientific method has overtaken superstition, save for some pockets of humanity that still believe in the old ways.

"--however it is not as simple as reciting a few lines in latin; the caster must firstly fully understand the language and ritual they are chanting, enunciate clearly and without mistakes, and then ensure to pair the correct ritual with the demonic being at play - which also means they must have gleaned its name in order to attempt a fully effective exorcism - which is why we have a rule to never disclose our names on the mortal realm."

the figures continue their beautiful dance of war above them, like shimmering silk ribbons against a starlit backdrop.

"lastly, an exorcism is only as strong as its wielder's willpower and authority to command by divine blessing. and if there are any weaknesses, even hairlines, be sure that a competent demon will spot them and split those cracks wide open."

the thought seems to amuse the owl prince, memories dancing across the blood-red sclera of his four eyes as he contemplates his own share of danse macabre with exorcists; the ephemeral vision playing on loop above them dissipates then, with a grand finale for the winged demonic force engulfing and devouring the other two.

"--but remember this, my starfire: as above, so below. the forces of heaven and hell are sisters, perfectly matched and balanced. for every demon summoning there is a ritual of exorcism, for every holy relic a cursed artefact ... and so on, so forth."

[grimowled]

random reminder that Stolas can spontaneously burst into magical flames as of the last episode

anon I *whispers seductively*... love you. that also reminds me I need to finish a long ass and probably non-exhaustive headcanon post on stolas' powers, and it shall certainly include this. stolas has an incredible mastery of and lives and breathes magic, with or without grimoire, and that means he can DO MANY THINGS ... including dramatically bursting into flames, because he is a thespian at heart.

[grimowled]

the formidable @strikers-saloon said: It had been a choice of time and date for his return to see the Goetia that he almost finished off. In the end, it was his need for a job that kept him from ending Stolas that evening, that and M&M that attacked him, sending him running off. Sneaking past security and spells were natural, though he felt a prince who's got a contract out for them, even if it had been suspended for a moment, would have done better to protect himself. Finding a moment where no one else was around, he'd keep himself hidden in the dark, away from direct sight in case Stolas felt vengeful, and with a soft hiss, he'd begin to speak. "Such a wonderful thing to see, you're up and about as opposed to that hospital bed, or the tracks." He kept himself still to the sound of his boots, hoping his voice would echo enough to keep him safe until he could gauge their response. "I take it you feel safe enough with your banshee of a soon-to-be-ex called off the contract. But you do know who's she's got keepin' you safe from the other killers?" He couldn't help but smile, the killer turned pseudo-bodyguard, as now he was more worth to her alive than dead, while she was hatching a plan to acquire all of the wealth.

THE MANSION WAS DEATHLY QUIET, cloaked in shadows and mist as it once had been before his doomed arranged marriage came to pass, when he was a mere owlet raised by imp servants; only they remained to give it a faint semblance of life during daytime, with his prized daughter currently spending time away with her mother (she had been reluctant to leave him alone considering the recent events, but he'd needed some time to reflect in solitude). but at nightfall a thick silence engulfed it but for the tinkling of slow-revolving astronomical models and the crackling of the fireplace, which he stared pensively into as he sipped a glass of deep-red wine.

(it was a rather exciting time, for various events were finally set in motion!)

owlish senses had picked up on a certain shadow intruding upon the magical field surrounding his regal home, setting off the warding glyphs he'd placed around; he'd always been pretty lax when it came to personal security, having erroneously believed himself and his family untouchable - hiring blitzø as a bodyguard had been a thrilling little game meant to delight him, a mere excuse to keep the object of his obsession closer; and of course sponsor his charming little start-up business like any good patron of great wealth should.

but he had made a grave mistake, underestimating the unmatched resourcefulness and sheer determination of imps. a particular imp, to be precise: the very same who'd managed to sneak into his abode in the dead of night - a hitman with exceptional skill and courage in spades, enough to go confidently against an ancient eldritch demon of his caliber, now in his own territory.

but this? it was quite the turn of events - for stiker hadn't come to finish the job, this time. perhaps he'd finally realised what a damnably wasted talent he was in the hands of one so uninspired as stella.

the fire cast eerie dancing lights upon his pale strigine features, imbuing the four embers of his eyes with a fierce glow that stood out against the bleak slate-tinted background of creeping shadows. a subtle smile curled his beak as the unmistakably accented voice rose like a ghostly echo in the vast chamber. the prince himself was seemingly relaxed, silk-robed and languidly laying back in a plush armchair with his long limbs crossed, glass held between his talons, musing as he idly swirled the dark liquid within.

"--well, well. a little late for a visit, hm? I expected some flowers, or at least a get well card, after everything we've been through together ... really, I was terribly disappointed. but go on ... humour me. who is keeping me all safe and sound when it's dark outside?"

he could easily guess the answer - but he didn't mind the surprisingly pleasant chill that snaked down his spine prompted by the other's deep voice, pulsing like poison in his recent wounds.

[grimowled]

pros: extremely passionate

cons: stalker

☽ a night with the prince - one pro and one con !! - accepting

you have no idea how passionate about fornication he is.

and if he liked what you had to offer he may become rather ... enthusiastic about seeing you again. think blowing up your phone, showing up unannounced, demanding your time without any regard for your day-to-day, longing and lusting for you constantly, watching you from afar and through scrying magic, being aware of your whereabouts at ALL times, finding something to manipulate you with, using his power and influence to do all these things and so much more ... you know, your classic deluded obsessive stalker ways - he would call himself a romantic.

[grimowled]

6. a bad habit

☽ why is my muse hot garbage?? - accepting!!

okay so I already spoke about how obsessive stolas is when he's infatuated here and just ... a whole smorgasbord of terrible habits, like stalking, pestering, cornering and attempting at owning the objects of his affections!

but another horrible habit which overlaps with what I've previously shared, is not respecting personal boundaries. for example how he treats his tiny sad and wide-bug-eyed butler imp, pringles impington; he basically takes him everywhere he goes, and manhandles him constantly. even stella is shown to be quite rough with him, in my mind because he's stolas' personal valet and confidante.

truth be told stolas is extremely attached to him, and dislikes not having him following him around like a shadow and picking up after him. his butler in fact is loyal, smart, hard working, discreet and exceedingly patient, and never fails to meet his every need without a single complaint. he knows where stolas stores the bodies, so to speak, and has been privy to some of his secrets. in canon he is also seen making appearances elsewhere stolas has been, which i hc means that he is often his eyes and ears on the ground for special occasions. the trust he has in him is absolute.

I think it's telling of stolas' twisted outlook on what an intimate bond of friendship and trust looks like, that has him treating pringles with gross familiarity and even disrespect. even if he's paying him handsomely for his services and pretty much buying his loyalty and discretion, and possibly through fear, pringles is the closest to a friend he has.

[grimowled]

While exploring an old spellbook, Stolas turns himself into an imp by accident. What's the FIRST thing he does?

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"oh dear ..."

the more serious answer is that, with any accidental curse, he'd check whether it's reversible and if he still had his magical powers, or if those were also affected by the transformation

... before having some fun.

the crack answer? call it scientific curiosity but he'd check his anatomy thoroughly and verify everything he's read, studied and observed about imps. what kind of academic would he be if he didn't ?

and then he'd start buying pretty outfits to try out.

[grimowled]

Has Stolas ever eaten an imp before? (no not in that way)

it may come as a surprise but no, stolas has never eaten an imp ! he is terribly fond of them in general, and likes to be around them as well as study and observe and molest them - more on his relationship with imps here.

but that's not the whole reason - while he is still an apex predator above all, and known for eating who he might consider prey, over the ages his penchant for hunting and his taste for raw, quivering meat from a fresh kill have mellowed, rather becoming accustomed to the comforts of readily prepared food; instances where he will consume meat directly from a victim are rare, few and far in between and are usually reserved for ritualistic sacrifice - when he is summoned by a cult with a sacrificial offering - there he will keep his consumption to the most delicate and delicious of morsels, such as select few internal organs. he keeps his feral side at bay

as for hunting - well, it has become a far more intricate and sophisticated affair, but he still enjoys it in a variety of forms which have developed and evolved from its primal one.

stolas generally does not eat hellborn, demons or hell-dwelling sinners.

he may occasionally want to eat them out of instinct if they look particularly delicious, but in a more ... (con)sensual way. he does fantasise about it too, to him it's a weirdly intimate act.

[grimowled]

Dear MIGHTY and TERRIFYING LORD STOLAS, PRINCE OF OWLS, MIGHTIEST OF MINDS, HE OF THE SOFTEST FEATHERS. We are sorry for not giving you cake before. Here, please enjoy this nine layer mint and chocolate cake encrusted with crushed oreos. Please don't reap our souls. Love, Your Friendly Neighborhood Cult Bros

"OH, HOW TERRIBLY kind of you, you shouldn't have ... "

the curiously worded praise is enough to reap a delighted hoot from the amused owl, and pull his beak into an amiable smile and his eyes into pleased crescents; the dark prince is aptly sated by the sweet offering from this ... cult.

"--really. I do not care for mint with chocolate. but your efforts are highly appreciated, and you are forgiven any past shortcomings, hoo hoo! I shall certainly be inclined to visit again.~"

[grimowled]

What does Stolas think of his father?

IV. ON KING PAIMON OF THE ARS GOETIA

as a king of the ars goetia and one of the fallen closest to lucifer, following him in his banishment from heaven, paimon commands the utmost respect and is revered as one of the highest ranking lords of hell; therefore, as his undisputed sire and better, stolas displays absolute deference toward him, although he is keenly aware that he does not place highest in his father's estimations.

paimon's infernal lordship is nigh impeccable and stolas greatly admires his power, arcane knowledge of the mystic arts and sciences, and everything in between; he is the example goetian children should aspire to. he is the one who passed onto and entrusted stolas with his domains, grimoire and palace, and pretty much everything in his possession, making him a great prince of hell worthy of carrying forth his legacy.

in my view he was minimally involved with his son's studies of magic and grimoire, certainly not as much as stolas would be with octavia's education, instead mostly trusting it into the hands of loyal imps granted with such knowledge (as per my previous headcanon here).

that being said, on a personal level stolas isn't close to his father, not in the way he is close to his own daughter octavia; the owl prince has in fact taken a very different approach to siring an heir, making sure to be the her primary educator and displaying affection and being attentive toward her - of course easier to do as she's his only chick and they reside together in stolas' palace, whereas paimon has never spent any time actively raising the owl prince save for the occasional check-in. however he doesn't really begrudge paimon for being an absent, very different kind of father. for one he has many children, unlike stolas - whatever he has received from him he is grateful for, and he has no illusions of being special among the many goetians who have sprung from the king. secondly he acknowledges that his ancient sire has very different origins, and has seen things unfathomable and incomprehensible to him, placing him on an entirely different level to the second, hellborn generation. the goetia are like pieces on a chessboard rather than the concept of family borrowed from the second children of god, and paimon treats his children like useful extensions of himself onto which he can delegate.

stolas will therefore always welcome his father's visits with regard and show polite obeisance, accepting any tasks and additional duties he may have for him; that isn't to say he is always enthusiastic or even willing to, especially if they go against his interests and inclinations and he sees them as a vexing detour from what he really wants to do. there may be some simmering resentment overall for being made to feel like an expendable soldier, but stolas will be careful to conceal it. despite himself he still vies for king paimon's impossibly won approval.

the truth? he yearns to be privy to paimon's secrets, to see deep within the great abyss in the transcendent king and explore the unspeakable memories of his time as a celestial being, and the fathomless extent of the occult mysteries of the universe he is a monstrous guardian of; stolas in fact feels that the studies entrusted to him are only a smidge of the boundless knowledge his father possesses, and he is desperately hungry for it.

the short of it is that stolas wants his daddy to notice him and resents him for it.

[grimowled]

Does Stolas have a favorite plant?

he has many cherished plants !! too many to list !!

he likes alien carnivorous plants and orchids the most, but if he were to choose one plucked from the mortal realm he particularly enjoys growing and caring for, and it is as rare as it is demanding, but yields extraordinary results, it would be amorphophallus titanum / titan arum - also known as the corpse plant.

it is the largest kwown inflorescence on the mortal realm and can grow into an impressive height, weight and overall size (up to 3m/ 10.5 ft in height and 150 kgs / 340 lb weight), but its most defining and peculiar feature is that it emits a most foul stench that resembles a decaying cadaver to attract insects for pollination.

other than the sheer reward to making one flower successfully, stolas is enchanted by the fascinating dichotomy of sheer beauty and decay it represents.

he keeps these in a separate greenhouse due to the odour they emit when flowering.

on a related note, he gets a lot of his seeds and plants from the gluttony ring, which houses the largest areas of forests and vegetation in hell. he also gets them from the mortal realm and other planets where peculiar flora grows.

[grimowled]

@a-hell-of-a-time said: "Have you ever considered redecorating?"

HAH. WHAT KIND OF FOOL would be content with keeping everything as is, unchanging for aeons like a mausoleum? the moment paimon officially relinquished the mansion to the prince of stars, he'd in fact made it in his own image and he'd kept doing so until satisfied, which is pretty much hardly ever.

"hm. periodically, in fact. why, don't you? for, you know ... variety." he retorts in a casual tone, sharp eyebrows arching in challenge across even sharper slits of crimson, ignoring any possible sting meant in the question, as if to give the infuriating glacial peacock absolutely no satisfaction. he's certainly not taking any cheek from a bird whose entire colour scheme is gradients of ice. but, as irksome as he is, andrealphus is actually one of the few people who can keep up with the owl prince, at least verbally.

[grimowled]

BEGONE, FOUL DEMON! THE POWER OF CHRIST COMPELS YOU!

"AHEM. FOUL? I am hurt, truly."

look at me, he seems to say with the elegant way he poses his impossibly sinuously leggy form, I'm the furthest from foul you'll ever see.

"--anyway, good effort, my dear. that may well work with some lesser demons - but it's not that easy to get rid of me."

(ah, amateurs. always so much fun to play with!)

"--now, why don't you be a good sport and let me do my job?"