"Crabs: The Hideous Sea Bugs I" In Asterleeds, refusing to eat crab has long been an unwritten rule.
Yet lately, some have begun to flout this tradition with reckless boldness.
It's not just that these shelled creatures are hideously ugly-they also violate many taboos, which is why crabs remain unwelcome here.
Here are three popular tales from around Asterleeds, all oddly involving crabs.
Hear them first-then decide if you still want to eat crab.

Story One: Vivian's Son
Lady Vivian of the Entertainment District was kind-hearted and well-loved by her neighbors. Last year, her son returned from a fishing voyage with a basket full of crabs, claiming that people from the outer seas prized them highly. The crabs scuttled noisily across her room, their eight legs scraping the floor like giant cockroaches magnified a hundredfold.
Unfortunately, her neighbor Matilda came over to borrow some spices, caught sight of the creatures, and immediately fainted. She remained unconscious for seven days and nights, only waking to scream that she had seen "sea bugs".
Word of the incident spread swiftly across the city. Everywhere, people whispered in disbelief, "Crabs? They're basically bugs! How could refined Asterians stoop to eating something so vile?" --- "Crabs: The Hideous Sea Bugs II" Asterians' Tradition of Not Eating Crabs - Rumor #2

Story 2: The Cursed Crab Ship
A few years back, the Fishers' Guild seized a smuggling vessel-an eerie one. Not a single crew member remained aboard. The only thing left? A cargo hold filled with crabs.
The fishermen were horrified. No one knew what to make of it, and in the end, the guildmaster himself had to step in.

He showed no fear at the sight of a ship full of crabs. Instead, he calmly produced a magnifying glass and began inspecting them one by one. Finally, with a pair of tweezers, he extracted a half-inch-long red threadworm from between a crab's legs and declared, "This is the culprit."
He theorized that the crabs were riddled with parasites-and perhaps the captain had eaten one, become infected, and in a delusional frenzy, threw himself into the sea.

Gasps all around.

Later, the guildmaster went on a citywide tour with the specimen. In the cloudy jar, settled in a layer of dark silt, was a small, sluggish crab-and the infamous red worm crawling beside it.

"Look closely!" he cried. "Every crab carries one of these. Still hungry? "

--- "Crabs: The Hideous Sea Bugs III" Asterians' Tradition of Not Eating Crabs - Rumor #3

Story 3: The Boat That Never Turned Back Over
This tale comes from the veteran captains of Asterleeds' port area. There was an old fisherman named Johnny whose boat sank last year.
When they finally salvaged it, they found the cabin crawling with crabs.

A fortune-teller from Entertainment District pulled a few cards, then burst from the room, shouting: "These crabs are cursed! Once a crab flips onto its back, it never flips back over! No wonder the boat capsized! "

To this day, dockworkers still spit at the sight of crabs.
Eat one? Unthinkable!

In Asterleeds, you can pay on credit or talk big, but there's one thing you absolutely must not do: eat crab.

Just last month, a visiting poet wrote a piece titled "Starlight on a Crab Shell". That very night, someone dumped shrimp paste all over him. Shrimp paste isn't expensive, but the smell sticks for three days.
(Note: The author has been banned from the seafood market for three months for writing this article.)