Here you can find a small collection of OC-related artwork I’ve commissioned based on their appearance designs. I hope this is helpful for those of you that enjoy reading about them or would like to make art of your own. Feel free to DM me if you have specific questions about their various outfits/angel or demon form appearances.
You can also find a complete gallery for each OC on my Toyhouse page.
Please note: the following images are all SFW but this post is image-heavy so they're all listed below the Read More link. Each artwork has credit for its respective artist.
On the subject of your latest world building post: fallen angels…
Can we talk about what happened when Azra fell? (If we wanna chat AU - Meta as well POOR SWEET BABY META) And how when the brothers fell it impacted Azra’s relationship with Lucifer (especially where it concerns Meta if we’re talking AU)? We got so much to unpack here with the fallen angel OCs. 😭😭
Firstly, I love exploring fallen angel lore because it's like the perfect way to view all sides and history of the Celestial Realm and Devildom. They're perfect if you want to explore the perspective of someone that has lived in both realms and who loves and hates them for different reasons.
We got a peek at old timey Devildom history when we got to see how the realm reacted after Lucifer and his siblings fell. The problem is that the game doesn't really go into a lot of detail exploring the history before that happened, and some of those new additions to the story weren't explored in much detail. That means I have a lot of gaps to fill with my own world building while I cherry pick the stuff from Nightbringer that makes sense and disregard the stuff that doesn't fit.
The fact that angels and demons have insanely long life spans also means that social norms and attitudes probably shifted over time. "Older" fallen angels and "newer" ones (like the demon brothers) would have completely different experiences that shape their perspective. We got to see the Devildom through the eyes of Lucifer and the others as they adjusted to life as demons - we have no idea how other fallen angels managed to cope with their own personal hardships or trauma from the fall. In general, I think most fallen angels (that survived the fall) think the demon brothers had it easy.
Anyway, to explain why that's the case, I should probably explain some of the fundamentals. I don't think the demon brothers were the first angels to be cast out to the Devildom, and I don't think they were the last. I do think that Diavolo being in charge shifted the realm's attitudes and treatment of fallen angels to some extent, but angels who fell before that time were at a clear disadvantage.
(Some of the discussion below contains vague references to violence/blood and other demon-typical behaviours.)
The Devildom was far from welcoming. Why would it be? It felt less like a mutual agreement that the Devildom would give fallen angels a home and more like Father ruthlessly discarding his disgraced angels to a place that didn't want them either. not me comparing it to Dumbledore abandoning baby Harry on the Dursleys' doorstep and ignoring the years of abuse and neglect that followed as the boy was clearly unwanted For world building purposes, Purgatory isn't the realm that separates the human world from the Devildom, but the realm that separates the Devildom from the Celestial Realm. Falling isn't stepping through a portal and being greeted safely at the Demon Lord's Castle, it's plunging through a no-man's-land plane of existence, the metaphysical barrier that's supposed to keep the two realms apart, and crash-landing at some random location with no promise of survival (or safety should they live that long).
Before I get to that, I should probably clarify how the various OC stories overlap and connect to each other. Even though I originally wrote most of them so they could be independent characters in their own version of the OM narrative, they all have the potential to coexist in the same world. While some of them know each other personally because of their shared history, some of them don't - but the potential for them to live in the same universe is there, because I've tried to write the missing lore for the Devildom in a consistent way for all of them. They all do things that directly or indirectly affect each other and don't even realize it.
I probably need to do a timeline/order of events in another post but to give you an idea of how their stories intersect:
Azra, as my first OC, has the most connections to other characters. A lot of the world building relates in some way to his experiences living as an angel in the Celestial Realm and his life as a demon in the Devildom. The angel OCs (Metatron, Seraphiel, Gabriel, Uriel, Habuhiah) and the demons Belial and Zekhan are all important to his backstory, and in a small way, he also interacts with the Demon King.
Belial, who would become one of the most powerful demon lords, has directly and indirectly shaped a lot of the past Devildom history and continues to influence the realm's social structure and economic sectors. At one point during the Demon King's rule, Belial is responsible for creating conflict with the Celestial Realm and shortly after, Azra falls. However, the outcome of his interference has direct consequences that affect Tenebris' own story as well.
Tenebris and Bathin's history share the most overlap and influence. It's mostly told from Tenebris' perspective because Bathin is...well, he's dead for most of it. But his death is an important part of that history (and Mephisto's own character/story, especially once Bathin is reborn later on).
A lot of the events leading up to the demon brothers' fall is overseen by the Demon King, Diavolo's father. Tenebris and Belial have the most direct, personal interaction with him above all the other OCs, but it's actually through the Demon King's eyes that the shared history across nearly all the OCs is consistent. The last part of the story I had to flesh out was how Diavolo came into power and why the Demon King appointed the Avatars of Sin, an act of such significance that practically all of the Devildom (including the different OCs) were affected by it.
I've talked about Azra's backstory in detail now (a very brief TL;DR version of it is on his biography page) but I should probably explain Belial's history a bit too. Even though he and Azra have some similar opinions about Diavolo and the demon brothers, their experiences as newly-fallen angels were wildly different and that affects their opinions later on.
BELIAL
Belial wasn't the first angel to fall, but he's one of the oldest. He's also one of the first ones to make waves in the Devildom considering how ruthless he would later become. He wasn't too badly injured after the fall, all things considered - if you ignore the missing wings - but he was furious when he realized what happened.
I've mentioned how previous demon rulers had their own eccentricities and way of governing things. Some of them were fueled by the chaotic nature of their sins and the realm had periods of unrest and instability because of it. Unhinged rulers encouraged or even participated in things like "hunting" fallen angels for sport, for no other reason than their existence and misery were fun to exploit.
Anyway, Belial fell during a time when that sort of thing was accepted. Angels falling to the Devildom were visible to the naked eye, like a comet plummeting from the sky. Observant demons simply had to travel in that direction. Part of the fun was catching disoriented or wounded angels off-guard. Belial was found by one of those hunting parties but he still had his wits about him, and thankfully he was armed when he was cast out. Most angels aren't given a chance to pack their things when they're forced to leave and whatever they have with them - their clothes, maybe some weapons if they're lucky - is all they're left with. Belial's worst crime, aside from his last explosive argument with Michael, was being a powerful warrior that was too arrogant and prideful for his own good. The demons that found him never stood a chance. Belial made a mockery of them all by pledging his loyalty to the Devildom's ruler at the time. He offered the heads of his slain would-be murderers and grinned manically as their blood stained the throne room floor. He was able to walk away despite the insult because keeping him alive proved to be more entertaining than killing him outright.
That's how Belial got his start. After earning his initial windfall - inherited from the first demons he defeated - he set on a reckless path of overthrowing weaker demon lords than himself and creating an unbreakable foothold in the realm. Stories of his deeds were still exaggerated beyond imagination and he had a reputation for being bloodthirsty, power-hungry, and insane. He was considered aggressive and wildly unpredictable, but that's only partly true: he hides his intelligence and manipulations behind the guise of being chaos incarnate. He became a demon lord that was respected and feared almost in equal measure, and that's why it was important for the Demon King (and Diavolo to a lesser extent) to manage his temperamental behaviour while ensuring he remained loyal and kept his legions in line.
AZRA (and META's AU)
Azra falls partly because Belial is a manipulative bastard. Unlike most fallen angels that are alone and left to survive on their own in the Devildom, Azra has the unique advantage of having Belial's assistance. Even though their relationship is tense at first (since Belial wanted Azra to fall and worked hard to make that happen) it's still beneficial for both of them in the long run. It's ironic that Azra and Lucifer share that parallel that they're both protected by a powerful demon benefactor where most other fallen angels struggle without one.
Still, Azra faces a lot of hardships that the demon brothers can't relate to. Even though Belial helps Azra, that help isn't free - he wants something in return, and with nothing else to do but to try and make a name for himself, Azra feels obligated to obey him. Meeting Zekhan makes it easier for Azra to forge an independent life so he doesn't have to work for Belial long-term. Azra works hard to quickly stake a claim in the Devildom for himself. It's no surprise that the fallen angels like him, who were literally stripped of their former identities and forced to start new lives in such a hostile place, would want to gain enough power and security so that their lives can never be broken like that again. Azra's goal isn't fame or wealth, it's the power to ensure his own survival and live the life he wants.
In the AU where Metatron falls with Azra, their beginnings in the Devildom are very similar to Azra's story where he falls alone. However, Azra's motivations shift slightly because he has Metatron to care for, and despite his best intentions, things aren't easy for them even if they're in the Devildom together.
Meta's experience as a demon is also significantly different from Azra's. Where Azra is a rising socialite and quickly gaining popularity after opening The Fall, Meta's presence is much smaller, almost to the point where most demons don't know (or forget) that he even exists. It's almost a complete role reversal from their lives as angels where Metatron was popular and one of the most powerful Seraphs and Azra was just an ordinary angel in comparison.
Azra's reputation and social standing in the Devildom does protect him from some criticism and anti-angel sentiment that still exists, but unfortunately, Meta faces a lot more ridicule and criticism. He's treated almost like a leper because he struggles to blend in and play the part of a "real" demon - there's still something Celestial about him that rubs a lot of demons the wrong way at first. The fact that he was a Seraph doesn't help much. Azra fails to notice this and it's actually Solomon's appearance in both their lives that causes things to change, for better and for worse. The next shake-up for the status quo doesn't happen until they learn about the demon brothers coming to the Devildom, and that causes a lot of new problems for both of them.
WHEN LUCIFER FALLS
Nightbringer gave us an idea of what it was like in the Devildom in the aftermath of Lucifer and his siblings being cast out. A lot of uneasiness, a lot of prejudice, and they were protected by Diavolo who took them into his personal care and helped them acclimate to their new lives as demons.
Angels that fell before them have a lot of complicated feelings on the matter, some of which aren't positive. Some of them are downright hostile because of it. From their perspectives:
Lucifer is a hypocrite. He probably helped condemn a lot of them personally. None of them were worth the fight to save, until it came to one of his siblings, and he was willing to start civil war to defend Lilith from persecution.
Related to that, a harsh but unspoken feeling amongst fallen angels: Lilith knew the rules and broke them and should've accepted the consequences like they all had to. Nothing made her more special or deserving of another chance, except that one of her brothers just happened to be Lucifer who seemed willing to bend the rules when it affected someone close to him.
The demon brothers had an easier time after the fall because of the Demon King's actions and Diavolo's interest in them. They all suffered injury and trauma from the fall. They all lost their home, they all lost someone or something they loved. That shared pain is universal, but the demon brothers were coddled through it.
Some of the demon brothers didn't deserve the power the Demon King bestowed upon them. While Lucifer, Mammon and Beel were uniquely powerful in their own right, the fact that the other less powerful siblings were elevated to such an extreme rubs some of the fallen angels the wrong way. Part of it is petty jealousy, but they see it as another form of nepotism - their relation to Lucifer gives them an unfair advantage in the Devildom as much as it did in the Celestial Realm.
Belial's mostly baffled by the hypocrisy of it all and pretends (badly) that he's not bitter about it. He was one of the Cherubim before he fell, he wanted to be a Seraph - he was well aware of the formal rules and intricacies and hidden politics involved with governing the Celestial Realm. He also doesn't share a lot of sympathy regarding Lilith's fate either. A lot of his earlier interactions with Lucifer and his brothers are met with condescension and and contempt.
Azra's anger is mostly directed at Lucifer for very personal reasons. As an angel, Azra asked Michael and Lucifer for help (with a situation regarding Metatron) and neither of them did. Michael acted like there was no problem, and Lucifer reinforced that by refusing to get more involved. As far as Azra's concerned, their disregard forced his hand and ultimately led to him falling; seeing Lucifer willing to rally against Michael for his own personal problems feels like a slap in the face.
When Azra and Lucifer meet, a lot of that bitterness comes out. Lucifer sees the sort of demon Azra has become (in order to survive a situation he never wanted), and Azra sees Lucifer as a hypocrite who was willing to risk everything to protect his siblings and couldn't even do that right. So yeah, they're not on great terms.
In the AU where Meta and Azra fall together, some of Azra's bitterness is gone because at least in that story, he and Meta are still together in the Devildom even if their circumstances are...not great. Because Meta's made it more obvious that the Devildom's treatment of fallen angels was sorely lacking in the past, it's implied that Diavolo makes more of an effort to help the demon brothers adapt so they can avoid the same difficulties Azra and Meta experienced themselves.
Another consequence of Lucifer and his brothers coming to the Devildom is the almost instantaneous outrage among some of the demon lords and the legions they command. Many of them had to fight Lucifer or his siblings in previous wars with the Celestial Realm, and some undoubtedly lost friends or loved ones during those conflicts. Having your former enemy and his family being treated like royalty by the newly crowned prince, who is controversial in his own right, created a huge social upheaval. Anti-angel sentiments grew among the demon lords that were upset that the Demon King established the Avatars of Sin and gave them so much power. The lesser demons who were part of the realm's armies were furious that they suddenly had to obey the whims of the naïve prince and his pet angels.
(Diavolo was right to shield the demon brothers within the Demon King's Castle until he could ensure that public tensions had died down and they could live safely on their own. Fallen angels such as Belial and Azra were popular and strong enough that most demons wouldn't dare attack them, even if they insulted them privately. In the AU where he falls too, Meta doesn't walk away from that ordeal unharmed.)
oh jes! hypothetically, what would your demon ocs look like if they were angels and what would your angel ocs look like if they were demons?
Some of the OCs have alternate appearances already because I live in a constant state of OC brain rot hell.
Azra and Meta actually have art for their alternate appearances: Azra's angel form before he fell, and Meta has a demon form that makes an appearance in The Fall, or the AU story where Meta falls when Azra does. (Meta's hairstyle probably changes the most appearance-wise: around the time RAD opens, he has long hair. In modern types, he wears his hair very short because his popularity skyrocketed after the first and only time he agreed to be a dame during one of Queen Rose's visits and he's regretted it ever since.)
The alternate forms for most of the OCs involve different physical characteristics (ex. hair style/length, more or less scars, etc.) as well as their new angelic (wing count/colour) and demonic (horns and tails/wings) traits.
DEMON OCs as ANGELS
Karasu: The biggest change would be his eyes (no dark sclera as an angel) and he might wear gold jewelry/accessories with a bit more confidence. I think he'd still prefer to wear dark colours which might not be common in the Celestial Realm, but he would blend in easily among humans. Rank: Throne (two pairs of wings, dark grey).
Zee: No longer has the scars on his face/body or physical limitations that exist in his demon form. Rank: probably a Power (two pairs of wings, similar golden-yellow colour as his eyes).
Belial: Prefers longer hair that he keeps tied back or worn up. As an angel, he likes to wear a lot of gold jewelry and ornate clothing that rivals the highest ranking angels - a nod to his own sense of self-importance. Rank: Cherubim (two pairs of wings, light grey tipped with red).
Tenebris: Similar to Karasu, he wouldn't have dark sclera as an angel but otherwise I think he would look similar to his (human) demon appearance. Rank: assuming Diavolo were a Seraphim as part of this species-bend AU, Ten would probably be a Throne that works with him (two pairs of wings, copper-coloured wings).
Fleurety: He wears a lot of his demonic features proudly, but unfortunately, those are all gone as an angel. His appearance still has an otherworldly vibe and he doesn't easily pass as human even in disguise, but most of that is by choice - he's still a bit of a sneaky trickster when he wants to be, even if he's also well-respected for his academic pursuits. Rank: Dominion (two pairs of wings, same colour as his hair).
(Karasu, Zee and Fleurety as angels. I can't find Zee's OG picrew template anymore so I had to make a new one for his shorter hair style. QQ)
ANGEL OCs as DEMONS
Gabriel: His appearance remains mostly unchanged. Demonic trait: a single pair of wings with black and dark-blue feathers; gains the art of shapeshifting (demonic owl).
Uriel: Like Gabriel, he has a single pair of wings after the fall and his demon form has avian qualities (razor-sharp talons and better-than-average speed and sight).
Seraphiel: A single pair of his wings remain, but they're ripped and singed from the fall and his days on the battlefield. He's exceptionally gifted as a soldier and terrifying in appearance, usually seen wearing a full set of demonic armor with multiple weapons strapped to his back and waist guard.
Habuhiah: Honestly, there are two paths for her as a demon. She could become some sort of insect demon (probably a bee) or some sort of snake demon, like a naga. Her interest and abilities in alchemy and medicines naturally veers to poisons, toxins and enchantments as a demon.
i physically, mentally, spiritually NEED tenebris- PLEASE give me ANYTHING you have to spare involving him
POV: Your half-brother is the demon prince and won't stop bugging you to attend his fancy new school.
Fun facts about Tenebris attending RAD:
Diavolo invited him to join the faculty and teach, but Tenebris declined because he didn't want the extra responsibility
Tenebris didn't want to wear the same RAD uniform as Dia, but he agreed to wear the blue RAD medallion instead of the red one most students wear. (The white tie is a coincidence, or so he claims)
His spellbook appears and vanishes at random. Sometimes it floats behind him in the hallways when he walks between classes, sometimes he's seen reading from it in place of whatever standard-issue textbook other students have, sometimes it's nowhere to be seen at all
His best classes are Curses & Hexes and Seductive Speechcraft. His worst classes are Art and Music (he's not skilled at either)
There's a portrait of him in one of the history textbooks because of his extraordinary magical feats. He is still trying to convince Dia to have the book republished with his picture removed
Everyone deserves a friend that doesn't hesitate to call you out on your bullshit and will help you destroy your enemies when the situation calls for it. :D
Seeing as I dug up my notes on the summoning incantation again... Regardless which variation you use - What would the correct titles for each of your demon OCs be to summon them if you have a pact with them? (Yes, I know Karasu doesn't make pacts but I still wanna know)
"Hear me, denizens of the darkness, you who are born of shadow and you who give birth to it. Hear me and do as I command!
I call upon you to send forth one of your number!
I summon the Avatar of Lust, Asmodeus -"
That's the incantion used to summon Asmo the very first time in the castle, but I remember it being drastically shortened later on (might have been in NB).
Either way, gimme titles pls~ <3
Some of the demons have formal ranks or titles in the Devildom that will work in addition to the names human conjurers know them as.
AZRA — The Scapegoat (only works with his given name, Azazel).
Maybe mc doesn't dislike the food, they actually like/love the food but chose to "dislike" it to give them to the ocs because mc knows they like it too
I love sharing food as a love language and as it turns out, the OCs are not immune to its charms either!
This is where culture clash can kick in though, if MC's not careful. Sharing/providing food and cooking is an important part of Devildom courtship customs, and it's also one of the many acts of service angels show affection to their bondmates.
MC offering them food off their own plate, or making the OCs a special meal with their favourites (or even picking up a small treat on the way to visit) is going to give a certain type of impression.
If they’re casual acquaintances or friends at best, they might react with surprise, confusion or be reluctant to accept a gift even though MC might not understand why.
If they’re already dating or skirting the line between friendship and more-than-friends, their thoughts turn to the romantic: that MC is trying to court them, how wonderful, and now they need to step up their game and reciprocate.
Food is nourishment, food is sacred. Sharing food is trust. Hopeful demons provide their intended spouse(s) with food to demonstrate their worthiness.
Whether MC means it or not, the demons are going to jump to that conclusion purely on instinct because none of them have courted or been courted in the past and they're a little stunned and overwhelmed at the prospect. The angels will be a bit more hesitant but curious to test the waters to gauge MC's true intentions. Does MC want to be friends? More than friends? Please say MC wants to be more than friends!
As things between realms can go astray when cultural norms are misconstrued, there's a lot of of funny or cute moments bound to happen when the OCs think they're being wooed while MC is oblivious.
(Wait 'til MC finds out their halfway engaged to a demon purely by accident by acting out a bunch of customs without realizing it rofl.)
