Where do you prefer your Devil to dwell in?

As in, what do you like better for the Devil or any character based on him to have a lair? Right in the deepest bowels of Hell? Or somewhere on Earth? (Though they may still have access to Hell)

Were I to write a story that included the Devil as a character, he would dwell within the hearts and minds of all sentient beings.

Well...how are we using the Devil? As a kind of End Boss who either must be kept sealed away at all costs or a villain who must be defeated? The punisher of sinners or the tempter of good men?

Frankly, I'd have him in a luxurious penthouse apartment, ready to negotiate a deal with any foolish mortal who seeks him out.

Edited by Belisaurius on Oct 14th 2020 at 10:15:51 AM

As a metaphysical concept, the Devil can be wherever it serves the purpose of the narrative. As a corporeal being to which a physical location is in any way meaningful, one must ask if the Devil is intended to be seen as a Sufficiently Advanced Alien, a Physical God, or a projection of a real supernatural entity.

At that point, what matters is what powers or influence this being is supposed to have in the story. As noted above , if the characters are expected to confront it or fight it in person, then it must be somewhere they can reasonably get to (or be transported to). In other words, it must be in a real place, not a metaphysical one (unless the battle/confrontation is itself metaphysical).

If it's a Greater-Scope Villain that drives conflict without participating in it, then the Devil can be anywhere. It doesn't really matter. Pick a place that's impossible for humans to get to: the center of the Earth, inside a black hole, Literal Hell, or whatever.

There's a more-than-baseline terrifying two-part episode of Doctor Who [1] [2] in which the characters find a being with the physical characteristics of the Devil imprisoned on a planet that is locked in stasis near a black hole. The implication is that this being was sealed away long ago and is trying to use humans to escape. It has powers straight out of any horror film, including reality manipulation and possession, and the story intentionally leaves the question open of whether it's the actual Devil or not.

Edited to add: The most concise way of looking at this that I can think of is as follows.

Can the characters stick a knife in the Devil and kill it, presumably ending all metaphysical evil? If not, then either (a) where the Devil physically resides is irrelevant, or (b) it's not the literal Devil and so the question is moot.

Edited by Fighteer on Oct 14th 2020 at 2:11:42 PM

I have an idea of a Satanic Archetype in which physically he roams the Earth but his real self is incorporeal and on a higher plane of existence. His physical form would have godlike powers, is an adept shapeshifter, and often appear in the form of a devilishly handsome man with a fancy suit. Meanwhile, his true form would be incomprehensible to the human mind and anyone who looks directly at it dies from shock.

My idea for a Devil would more or less combine both types of villains together. He would have a physical manifestation on Earth while his true form would be in a metaphysical realm due to being too brain-melting for humans. Think of him as a mix between the Beast from Doctor Who and the titular monster from Stephen King's It.

(Though I'm not sure if he would be a lone worker like the Beast and It or if he would have minions directly serving him...)

Edited by superboy313 on Oct 15th 2020 at 12:38:25 AM

It sounds like a completely reasonable idea.

The reason why I'm unsure on whether or not the Devil should have minions is because he's so powerful that I can't decide if he would have any point in having them.

As for the cosmic plane his true form resides in, it would probably be Hell, where other demons also dwell in. And I'm not sure what his status would be in Hell's hierarchy; if it would even have one.

I very much agree that it depends on what exactly you want your devil to represent. Personally i'd have the devil dwell in the hearts of man, as a metaphysical force.

Since you chose to go with a sort of demonic avatar (TBH i'd suggest demonic possession here, IE the devil is too powerful to exist on earth but can take a temporary vessel as a sort of window), i would suggest him having minions in the form of fragments of himself. Essentially, the devil could use a tiny fraction of his power to turn people to his cause, which would both help the greater goal (he can manifest more of his power) while also allowing minions and minibosses.

Similarly, the devil could essentially be the ur-demon, the source of such power that forms new demons in hell (as an extension of his will, like Sauron or Melkor did) or as the source of demonic possession on earth

Edited by devak on Oct 15th 2020 at 10:53:02 AM

Satan have taken many form in the narrative: sometimes he is the anti god, the beast that threat all life against god, others he is the tempter and acuser and is more earth down as he represent vice and corruption and sometimes he is luficer and represent the fallen angel.

In this case you see to go for a split personality or avatar, I ask you something: why not have more than one? as sort of avatar each representing a part of satan but not all of it because is imposible, int he same way "fighter" "unknowing" represent part of it but only a mare fraction.

In my opinion your devil should a place between the real one and earth, a between world so to speak.

What do you guys think of Devil-like characters dwelling in interdimensional netherworlds like Mephisto? Do you think it fits or is it cliche?

I don't understand the point of the question. Is there a story reason for the Devil to dwell in an interdimensional blah-blah? If so, go for it. Don't sweat about whether something is cliché unless you actually put it into your story for the cliché.

Edit: I mean, it's the Devil. Where should we expect him to live: a downstairs flat?

Edited by Fighteer on Oct 27th 2020 at 11:36:26 AM

I mean, downstairs is one way to describe it.

I like my devils big and red. If he's not sitting on a big throne in Hot Topic cartoon hell, what's even the point?

I’ve always liked the joke of the devil and god being one in the same. In fact I’ve always depicted the devil as someone who will intervene against mortals they’ve grown fond of. While god is.... uh.... where is he?

The Devil's spot is the one right behind each and everyone's back, through our entire lives, never to be seen no matter how fast we turn our heads around as it resides in the very back of our minds.

How else would it be able to whisper into all of our ears all the time?

I've always preferred the idea that "Hell" is a state of being that we create for ourselves in life by committing bad acts and failing to make amends for our errors. The idea of a soul as a literal entity that exists independent of our minds and bodies is mystical crap.

Of course, this isn't very useful if you want to have a physical fight with the creature in charge of a literal Hell.