Jersey Devil Moving CO! (Patreon)

I don't know if I've ever made something this....complete? Elaborate? I don't know what the word is, but I feel like this makes for a milestone in my art somehow! This was something I always wanted to do, but always intimidated myself out of actually properly THOROUGHLY tackling. Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to sit down and make this happen! It always feels wonderful to finally put some concepts to paper.


The way "Hell" works in my little fiction realm is that it is known to exist, but perhaps not in a way anyone is completely certain of. Organized religions can try to conceptualize it, but no one seems to have nailed its truth, and even denizens who herald from its chaotic abyss can seldom remember it clearly enough. All that is known is that it is some type of nexus dimension between realities, unformed and surreal, manic and untamed, with only raw primordial energies and lost roaming souls as its occupants. Occasionally, some entity will manage to manifest itself willpower, a sense of self, and latch onto one of the mortal souls that pass on through in the chaos. Intertwining with this other essence can allow it to solidify a physical form in the mortal plane, one based on the previous life lived by the consumed soul. These are often known as "Greater Demons," such as Paulie. Greater demons typically seek to expand their power, influence, or general territory on mortal planes. When they've amassed enough, they can choose to expand their collection of thralls/staff by willfully summoning a wayward soul out of the Hell Abyss and into their service. Such "lesser demons" are joyously at their command, and tend to be reflections of whatever last life gave the seed-soul mileage. Paulie doesn't have a lot of grand ambitions, but still loves the thrill of managing much of the city's seedy underbelly with his rambunctious running crew. They come into the world without a designated identity, so Paulie just names them after whatever he was eating at the time of filing their paperwork.

SO WITH THAT BIG LORE DUMP OUT OF THE WAY, allow me to give you a little fact about each of the "mains" in his immediate employee circle!

Cornbread / "CB" :
Paulie's lefthand man, and likely his longest and most loyal summon! Enough so that he's allowed to run his own racket. He works as summonable service-top / incubus to mortals that conduct his ritual. Very chill, surprisingly good listener.

Rigatoni / "Toni" :
A man of few words. He speaks very little, and what he does say is often short and simple. People think this makes him mysterious and intimidating, but the crew knows it's only because he's not the brightest and typically isn't paying attention. Usually takes up bouncer / bodyguard roles.

Meatloaf / "Loaf" :
Second-in-command next to Cornbread! Fantastic mechanic, usually found working on cars (when he's not stripping them for parts). Loves cooking up all manner of schemes, however the wisdom and success of them certainly varies.   

Ziti / "Zee" :
Utterly batshit woman that will disappear for lengths of time before returning with some kind of bizarre yet wildly valuable treasure where she insists the less questions you ask the better. Can turn into a cloud of smoke. Prone to kidnapping celebs to "see if she can do it," but has no plan and loses interest easily.    

Keychain / "Keech" :
Runs most of Paulie's hole-in-the-wall stores. Liquor store, gambling parlor, strip-club manager— despite wearing so many hats, he's somehow able to occupy all these positions simultaneously all at once. Pretends to not know what you're talking about when you comment on it. Gaslights about the weirdest shit because he's bored.

Sriracha / "Siri" :
Handles the "customer service" end of most of the businesses, despite the fact that she is  blunt, impatient, and in extremely feisty. Somehow seems to have like six switchblades on her person at all times. Biggest gossip. Also bites.

Cole Slaw / Attorney at Law :
Cutthroat lawyer— if a legal loophole exists he will exploit it. Viperous, greedy, loves taking on cases out of spite. Can speak snake. Explosive temper, but he manages it by scheduling a day just for destroying things like going to town on an dilapidated old car with a metal bat.

Tiramisu / "Tira" :
Unreasonably physically strong, bounty-hunts as a side-gig. Does parkour and can scale walls with ease. Despite her competency, she's fussy about the jobs she's asked to do and only wants the ones she thinks will be challenging/entertaining. Will only take orders from Paulie, everyone else can get bent. Laughs like an unhinged villain.  
 

I don't think this is ALL the demons by far, I love leaving room for other ideas to flesh out, but it was nice getting to sit here and design these dastardly doods. 💖