History NightmareFuel / OldGodsOfAppalachia

* Just the idea of living in this version of Appalachia in general. The dominant force providing work in this land is [[EvilInc Barrow and Locke Mining Combine]], who treat their workers so callously that the eldritch powers they use seem more incidental than anything. Working for them leaves you borderline in poverty, made fully aware of how expendable you are by your superiors. Tunnel collapse, hardware malfunction, and coal mine explosions are a possibility at work every single day. The people who don't work for Barrow and Locke aren't much better, as the best you can do in this land is keep your head down and hope the [[EldritchAbomination Deep Things]] don't notice you, tending to either a humble farm or [[TheOldestProfession selling your body for coin]]. If you're born with a Gift, chances are you were born into a witch clan like the Walkers! [[SarcasmMode Congratulations! You're going to be hunted by Eldritch Horrors until the day you die!]] Although, at least this way your Sisters and Mothers can teach you how to fight the Dark. If you're born with a Gift but [[MageBornOfMuggles are the first of your family to have it,]] you'd better hope you can find a witch clan before the servants of Those Who Sleep Beneath notice you, lest they mold you to their plans...

** What's worse is the apathy that most of the casualties are glossed over, since they're scab workers and African Americans

* Just the idea of living in this version of Appalachia in general. The dominant force providing work in this land is [[EvilInc Barrow and Locke Mining Combine]], who treat their workers so callously that the eldritch powers they use seem more incidental than anything. Working for them leaves you borderline in poverty, made fully aware of how expendable you are by your superiors. Tunnel collapse, hardware malfunction, and coal mine explosions are a possibility at work every single day. The people who don't work for Barrow and Locke aren't much better, as the best you can do in this land is keep your head down and hope the [[EldritchAbomination Deep Things]] don't notice you, tending to either a humble farm or [[TheOldestProfession selling your body for coin]] If you're born with a Gift, chances are you were born into a witch clan like the Walkers! [[SarcasmMode Congratulations! You're going to be hunted by Eldritch Horrors until the day you die!]] Although, at least this way your Sisters and Mothers can teach you how to fight the Dark. If you're born with a Gift but [[MageBornOfMuggles are the first of your family to have it,]] you'd better hope you can find a witch clan before the servants of Those Who Sleep Beneath notice you, lest they mold you to their plans...

* The prelude to the ''Children of Men'' arc in Season 3 makes clear that in Appalachia, there is a connection between h'aints and human children, either offered up to the Dark by their families or being a result of... {{Squick coupling...}} with them.

* Caleb's encounter with the Dead Queen, a WalkingWasteland who doesn't hesitate to [[KissOfDeath give the boy a very, very cursed kiss.]] She then goes on to obliterate [[KillEmAll destroy his entire family, and his entire settlement.]] What's worse is that at this point in the story, we don't have a single clue [[NothingIsScarier as to why she does it.]]

* The death of Carol Anne Avery. She's just lost her husband and is in no position to defend her daughter from the Swarm, not before he can tie a noose around her neck and hang her. While she manages to [[DyingCurse get the last laugh on Combs]] and her daughter ends up surviving to live with her loving sisters, the narration clarifies that her suffering [[FateWorseThanDeath did not end with her hanging.]]

* Just the idea of living in this version of Appalachia in general. The dominant force providing work in this land is [[EvilInc Barrow and Locke Mining Combine]], who treat their workers so callously that the eldritch powers they use seem more incidental than anything. Working for them leaves you borderline in poverty, made fully aware of how expendable you are by your superiors. Tunnel collapse, hardware malfunction, and coal mine explosions are a possibility at work every single day. The people who don't work for Barrow and Locke aren't much better, as the best you can do in this land is keep your head down and hope the [[EldritchAbomination Deep Things]] don't notice you, tending to either a humble farm or [[TheOldestProfession selling your body for coin]] If you're born with a Gift, chances are you were born into a witch clan like the Walkers! [[SarcasmMode Congratulations! You're going to be hunted by Eldritch Horrors until the day you die!]] Although, at least this way your Sisters and Mothers can teach you how to fight the Dark. If you're born with a Gift but [[MageBornOfMuggles are the first of your family to have it,]] you'd better hope you can find a witch clan before the servants of [[UltimateEvil Those Who Sleep Beneath]] notice you, lest they mold you to their plans...

* What Glory Ann had to do to her [[BastardBoyfriend horrible drunk of a husband.]] We don't hear exactly what went down, but we know that he was [[AnArmAndALeg buried in pieces.]]

Here in this [[CosmicHorrorStory twisted Appalachia]], no one is safe. Not children, not grannies, not witches, [[EvilerThanThou not even the monsters themselves.]] Hell, [[PeoplePuppets even dying]] [[AdultFear won't protect your loved ones from the Things]], even if they [[EvilIsPetty pose no threat to their grand plans.]] In this world, [[TheBadGuyWins the Old Gods of Appalachia reign supreme]], and you can only hope you're lucky enough to die in silence, [[DealWithTheDevil lest you attract the attention of their servants.]]

* [[AdultFear The death of Carol Anne Avery.]] She's just lost her husband and is in no position to defend her daughter from the Swarm, not before he can tie a noose around her neck and hang her. While she manages to [[DyingCurse get the last laugh on Combs]] and her daughter ends up surviving to live with her loving sisters, the narration clarifies that her suffering [[FateWorseThanDeath did not end with her hanging.]]

** From their perspective, it gets even worse. Imagine you run off into a mine to save your fellow miners, regardless of if they're scabs or not. Imagine you're caught in the mine explosion, [[CruelAndUnusualDeath your teeth melting into your cheeks and your flesh charring off your bones.]] By any and all rights, you should be dead by this point. [[PeoplePuppets But the forces behind the disaster have more use for you.]] You're kept alive, in constant shuddering pain, trying to hunt down your only daughter for reasons beyond your comprehension. You will not be allowed to simply die, not until they've [[AdultFear got your little girl.]] The idea of being in constant, agonizing pain is bad enough, but knowing that you will NOT be released until you hand your only daughter off to a FateWorseThanDeath makes it much worse.

* Glory Ann Boggs' [[DreamingOfThingsToCome dreams of her upcoming death,]] and what the Things are [[DesecratingTheDead going to have them do to her corpse.]] What's worse, she has visions of her family being perverted, manipulated, and sculpted by the Things in her absence. While all of this may seem distant to the listener, the idea of not being able to protect your family from those who might want to hurt them because of your actions is [[AdultFear very familiar indeed.]]

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bonesandshadow_7.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350: [[EldritchAbomination You do not have a name for what they are...]] [[note]] But feel free to come up with one, so you may have something to scream when they find you, [[TermsOfEndangerment Family.]] Feel free. [[/note]]]]

-->'''Narrator:''' Marianne was dead. Huge chunks had been torn out of her neck and shoulder, her face with a frozen scream of agony and fear. The space between her ribs and hips was a vacant cavern of gore. The crimson shroud that poured from that wound had covered her nethers in a mockery of modesty. Most of her right leg, bones and foot included, were just gone. Blood painted the walls and the bedclothes and the customer's inhuman face that she could now clearly see. He was pig-like in his appearance—full snout and maw with a boar's tusks, covered in viscera, his blood-spattered, piggy ears twitching in his dreaming.

* Skint Tom's DarkAndTroubledPast is nothing to skip over, either. Sure, he [[FromNobodyToNightmare becomes much worse in the long run,]] but one can understand how he might be bitter. Tom starts off as a trickster, sure, and a [[YourCheatingHeart homewrecker and serial cheater.]] But when he finally falls head over heels, it's with the local Pastor's wife. [[ForegoneConclusion The Pastor catches them.]] And you find out [[CruelAndUnusualDeath just how Tom got skint in the first place...]]