// Happy Munday! Instead of rbing another meme while I’ve still got drafts and asks to answers, i thought it would be far more interesting to talk about the evolution of Alu. More specifically, the evolution of his design over the years!
// My first ever drawing of the bastard was all the way back ~2019-2020 (I think??). As you can tell, it was less a concept of my own interpretation and more a way of directly translating what little of him we see in game. (I’m not kidding when I tell you that THIS is literally the most development we get. Just a 3 minute minigame of exorcising him from a woman multiple times while he possesses a priest over and over)
// It wouldn’t be until later, through fanfics and independent lore creation and development through threads, that he’d start to branch off from the strictly-canon interpretation of him from the game and blossom into my own little monster.
// Another thing you’ll notice about his early concept art is a lack of consistency in his horn shape. Initially, I tried to stick to the shape I perceived to be canon because I liked it. But at the time, I didn’t know how to adequately portray the horns at different angles, so I ultimately moved to using traditional curved horns that were more in line with Charlie’s/Black Philip’s. I even toyed with the concept of adding a second set of curling horns to really capture that “satanic imagery” vibe.
// In the end though, changing his horn shape for convenience felt disingenuous, like I was taking the easy way out instead of taking the chance to push outside of my comfort zone artistically. Plus, as his character lore developed and mixed with my own independent lore for other demon OCs, I decided to lean away from the more stereotypical demon traits. The secondary horns became something I reserved for specific appearances, like him going full-demon mode/ biblically-accurate angel mode when he rampages.
// Meanwhile, the original shape became the default, with the the extra tine on one side being changed from an inexplicable odd growth, to a feature that highlighted that he used to have the feature on both horns before the other was snapped off in combat, keeping in line with his characterization as a warrior, general type in his story.
// Despite the decision, his horns have not become easier to draw by any means, and you can certainly continue to notice many inconsistencies in how I draw them even today. Despite the struggle, I’m committed to practicing until I can get them down exactly how I want them to look. Even if that means studying various references for hours on end-
// Other features that were always present but updated included him gaining more consistent scars and more notches in his ears to showcase that he’s a fighter. His tusk-like fangs got longer, and developed the headcanon that they were somewhat retractable (think Deathgrippers from HTTYD). His wings, which are skeletal in the original version, were going to have a membrane but that idea was scrapped to support the lore that where once they were covered in feathers, he slowly lost them over time, primarily in combat- thus supporting his backstory of him being a Fallen Angel. It also became a visual narrative tool to showcase that he remains a powerful archdemon, as he can still fly perfectly even without his wings.
// Another aspect that was changed more subtly over time were his eyes. He was always going to have horizontal pupils, but I was at odds for a while about giving him dragon or cat-like eyes, or sticking with the unsettling goat eyes. Then one day, it struck me that I could give him both— horizontal pupils that were shaped like a cat’s rather than a goat’s. And somehow, that became even more unsettling - therefore, it was perfect.
// By comparison, the tattoos were a very spur of the moment choice developed quickly. It started with just a tattoo of his seal to represent his status, but it evolved as I realized that his age and experience would likely mean that he has MULTIPLE tattoos showcasing a lot of his history and infernal history/features. Plus, I felt like it added to his “bad boy/forbidden fruit” aesthetic.
// Overall, Alu’s character has changed a lot over the years - and his appearance has changed right along with it. While nailing every little detail
