#preferably Mephisto but at this point I'll be happy with any demon XD

[purple-chaos-clown]

Demons' Emotions & Body Language

Because why the hell not talk about something that has probably been written/talked about a hundred times before? XD I'm in the mood to write about Mephisto because my brain is occupied by thoughts of him in some way 99% of the time.

This was spurred on by once again seeing Mephisto's great teeth appreciation and it reminded me of how much I actually love looking at his facial expressions in general.

He's just so fucking good at expressing himself, lol. And then I begin to wonder...

How much of it is staged/faked/put on, how much comes natural to him? If even at all?

Did he have a period where he tested out all the different facial expressions humans tend to make in certain situations? Did he go and study them? Is it like a game for him? Knowing the Human-Emotions-101 better than even humans themselves, just to have even more power and control over his cute toys?

^Ch. 46 We know he's a little stalker gremlin, so people watching is one of his greatest hobbies - it would certainly help him out with accurately mimicking their body language.

Did he have a rough time when he first started to make contact with humans face to face? :( Because I know that even humans struggle with body language and facial expressions. Totally not looking at me, who's often laughing and smiling, simply hoping it's appropriate because I often don't fully understand what's going on. :')

Considering Mephisto is a pro at acting all human or demon (depending on which outcome he wants to reach, making certain behaviors necessary to manipulate everyone's actions) with how much time he has spent with humans and his obsession with them and their creations...

What is it like for all the demons possessing human bodies?

Amaimon seems to struggle a lot using the muscles in his face, if that side-story panel is anything to by. XD

Moving a sack of flesh can be rough, buddy. I feel you there, my resting bitch face often scares strangers and I have to always check in to make sure I don't look as dead as I feel.

Amaimon is obviously able of actually showing emotions, evident in the manga, but I think there's one he expresses more often than others: anger.

Thinking of anger... There's Satan.

^Ch. 105 Before he came into (regular) contact with Yuri he could only show anger when threatened/searching for Yuri. All other expressions seem to have been actively taught to him over a certain span of time.

Same with Rin when he was born.

^Ch. 109 Though the threatening circumstances might have triggered/amplified that little ugly burning potato's anger. :x

Looking towards Lucifer is pretty much the same, though his anger is often more of the hidden kind and not as openly expressed. Same with Mephisto though. Maybe it's their age (though their behavior doesn't exactly reflect maturity, both of them are brats in their own rights) or simply who they inherently are.

The rest of the demon kings are... definitely emotional and expressive too, which is weird because why would they feel the need to mimic human behaviors and expressions? (Might be reason for another ramble, this post is already so much longer than I intended for it to be XD)

In conclusion...

All of it makes me think that anger is the one emotion that demons might inherently feel and express, anything beyond is something they need to actively learn about over time.

Which is incredibly sad the more I think about it.

I also think most demons (possessing human bodies) have to consciously think about what kind of facial expression/body language goes along with whatever they're feeling - if they want to outwardly express them.

Do they even feel the need to do that in the first place though? And if yes, why? Considering they don't have bodies in Gehenna, it wouldn't make much sense for them to inherently have some body language if they don't have bodies that support it, would it?

And yet we've seen how feral demons can be, Rin is a prime example when he gets overwhelmed by his demon side. All snarling, showing teeth and growling and it's something I (and many other people) love incorporating in our writing all the time because feral demons and the way they threaten each other is just peak content that I desperately need to continue living. XD

[thebeingofeverything]

I'm primarily a Mephiro shipper but I know you like MephAmaiRin and I'm curious about how you feel about your OT3 in these scenarios: 9, 27, 29, 31, 36 and 45 (This is for that "Send me a ship and a number and I'll tell you" ship post) and sorry I know it was supposed to be one number but I was curious about all of these haha

I will also gladly do a mephiro too ;D don’t hold back, I’m a multi-shipper at heart. But hell yeah ot3 :D

9. Do they discuss big issues? Religion? Marriage? Children? Death?

-Religion probably not, or in the vein of what goes on in canon so it’s nbd to any of them. Marriage, Rin is pretty much well if they’re happy with whatever we’ve got going on, it’s cool (tho he’d also be thrilled for an actual wedding, if only as a reason to get all his friends/family around for a celebration bc he’s sociable like that). But it’s right up there with the “love” topic and something Rin edges around bc he knows they’re not quite ready to hear that stuff. Children never really come up bc Rin doesn’t realize it’s even an option (tho given certain demons’ shapeshifting abilities~). And again, all things human concerns so Mephisto/Amaimon don’t look at them the same way Rin does so when the topics do come up, it’s usually Rin being the odd one out with his human upbringing making something like death more of a big deal. Mephisto knows to handle heavy topics a bit more delicately in a way that Rin understands if only bc he’s used to humanity by now. (I could write like an essay on how they each approach these topics and heavy issues in general but I just realized how many questions I have to get thru yet XD).

27. Do they have kids? Grow old together? Split up?

--I see Rin either adopting various strays he’s picked up and imprinted on over the years and Mephisto/Amaimon just huff and accept that they’re gonna have to share Rin’s attention with others. (Tho again, fun with shapeshifting vessels means I’d get to play with the ot3 and their horrible eldritch abominations/children and Rin being trailed by a flock of monsters he refers to as his babies lol). I tend to take that Rin’s demon heart makes him more like a demon king/satan than a typical nephilim that only live for 200 years so they definitely grow “old” together in a sense of the word lol But for splitting up, I’d say that in the end, it becomes a good-natured relationship between them and Rin throughout the ages. They might spend some centuries closer than others, and some more apart as they enjoy their various hobbies but never really “break up”.

29. How do they handle disasters or emergencies? Minor injuries? Sickness?

--Oooh well they’re really going thru it rn in canon XD So much like that, Mephisto’s probably got a plan, Amaimon’s a one-demon battering ram, and Rin is out there in the middle of things totally clueless but ready to throw hands  lmao Minor injuries are made a big fuss of by Mephisto for himself, those giant bandaids and requests for someone to kiss his owies better while Amaimon just stares into the camera like he’s on the office and Rin sighs and complies. Sickness is just an excuse for attention and they all take advantage of it since it happens so rarely (if ever, do we even know if demons can contract an illness? Maybe a demonic one like I did for the Quarantine Au lol). Thus, Rin becomes a living space heater and provider of hot soup, Amaimon is there with the absentminded hair brushing and tea, and Mephisto is awful but he might carry them to bed or help them take a bath/order Belial to give them a bath when he’s especially lazy lmao

31. Do they finish each other’s sentences? Pick up any phrases or habits from each other? Know when the other is hiding something?

--Rin and Mephisto are kings of being teasing shitheads to each other and definitely not above poking at inside jokes or little things like finishing sentences. Amaimon picks up habits all the time, constantly watching Rin/Mephisto bc he’s curious about the things they’re interested in and why. Rin is a terrible liar and they both know when he’s hiding anything, rip to him lmao Though they might guess he’s hiding something, but not what and he surprises them all the time. Amaimon is another open book, but only bc he doesn’t see the point in lying and will be blunt about most things or clam up and not say anything when he doesn’t want to answer. Annnd Mephisto is a horrible/perennial liar and at this point it’s safer to assume he’s hiding something than not. Tho he rarely fully lies, preferring to lie with the truth or let ppl lie to themselves. Rin/Amaimon are used to picking out when he’s masking things he’d rather not talk about, tho cornering him is the tricky part.

36. What’s their greatest strength as a couple? Their weakness?

--These guys are a power ot3 100% :D Rin doesn’t humanize them so much as bring out the best aspects of them, and they repay it with meeting him halfway. It’s all about getting Rin to recognize his role as Satan’s nephil/ the new godking of gehenna while also accepting the human piece of Rin and accommodating it into their lives. Their weakness is definitely that Mephisto refuses to let anyone really know his plans, and those can be unintentionally self-destructive, plus he tends to displace all his stress onto Amaimon as a convenient punching bag and Rin isn’t cool with that. They’re all incredibly stubborn too, so arguments aren’t always about changing each other’s minds, so much as letting them know what they’re going to do and doing it anyway.

45. Any special dreams or goals they have as a couple? Any heartbreaks? Regrets?

--Annnnd last question~ This is fun lol Mephisto just wants what he always has, to have the freedom to play with his sandbox/Assiah without someone trying to take his toys away or mess with them, as long as he has that, he’s happy playing with his toys and enjoying the excitement Rin and Amaimon bring to his life. Rin mostly just wants to explore the world (I’m thinking end of the series he goes off and takes Amaimon with to see all the cool places he’s always wanted to travel to, possibly picking up new cooking techniques along the way lol). He probably sticks around as paladin and mephisto sends him on fun missions to pick up haunted dolls for his prank collection XD They live it day by day, eternity makes it less crucial to have an end goal. Tho Rin’s biggest goal is to get them to the point where they can hear him say love without it making them act weird lol Heartbreaks probably come into play when the people closest to Rin begin to die from old age, leaving Rin to come to terms with it. Mephisto/Amaimon can logic it out why he’s upset, and they’ve seen enough humans die/react to death that they understand it’s difficult for them, but they still lack the compassion/sympathy to really help him and he’d have to do the emotional brunt work.

Ooh man this ended up long lmao There’s so much more to add too T.T

Thanks for the ask~ @entitycreation