Demon Culture/Culture

General

History

**Culture**

Abilities

Original

## Language and Dialects

Demon's have their own written language known as demon script. According to Holly demon script tends to be taller, thinner, and more spindly than most other runes. Holly also claims the symbols have a certain sharpness to them (Ch 173).

Demons also have their own version of sign language that is taught to them while they are in school. It is used to communicate with Demons that do not have mouths or voices that can be used to communicate with others understandably. Roya states it is their original language (Inky Extra's Series Part 9 Chapter 2).

## Social Hierarchy

Demons operate under a strict social hierarchy in Hell, based around the earned titles an individual acquires, strength and the territory they control. The current titles known to be in use during the modern day are Devil, Princes, Lords and Dukes (Ch 151). It is important to note that a Demon can receive a title at anytime in their magical development. For instance, Bendy has been pre-emptively granted a title which he will gain once he completes the Fledgling stage of development. This event also shows that a Demon does not necessarily need to work their way up through the titles but instead can simply ascend to any of these titles as the Devil see's fit (Ch 239). It has also been mentioned that, back during the time of the War, there was other possible titles for Demons such as Knights, Kings and Marquis. It is currently unknown what responsibilities/powers came with these old titles and why they no longer appear to be in use (Ch 221).

As mentioned previously the social hierarchy is based mainly around strength, though Black Hat mentions that Demon's also respect wisdom (Ch 97). The stronger a Demon is, the higher ranking they are and the more likely it is that they will receive higher ranking titles from The Devil. This means that weaker Demons usually "cling" to more powerful ones, trying to become as useful to them as possible so that the higher ranking Demon will protect them/keep them alive. Once a lower Demon becomes associated with a higher ranking one any harm that comes to said lower Demon could lead to retribution from the higher ranking Demon, although this depends on the higher ranking Demons judgement of the situation. For example, if the higher ranking Demon believes that the lower one deserves what the other Demon wants to do to them because of their own mistakes the higher Demon can simply leave the lower Demon to fend for themselves (Ch 242).

### The Devil

The Devil is the title of the current king of Hell. The Devil is generally the strongest and most clever of the Demons. All of Hell is considered part of his territory and thus he is in charge of managing all of it (Ch 151). All other Demons must follow his orders and he is the one who awards titles to the other Demons, which also gives him the power to strip them away as punishment like he did to Ava and Azazel (Ch 155). The Devil can also revoke a Demon's territory and free their debtors as punishment. Any Demon can theoretically become The Devil but they must defeat the current Devil to seize this title (Ch 97). The current Devil came into power after the end of the Angel-Demon War, as evidenced by his reference to having helped write the Treaty (Ch 155). Ava has also noted that The Devil is the only Demon allowed to "mess with" other Demons souls and even then it is very rare, only being used as a very serious punishment for unforgivable crimes (Inky Extra's Ch 89). Thanks to the Cupbros the current Devil also owns the Phantom Express's soul and thus can control which spirits are able to ride it, thus controlling who get's to cross over to the beyond (Inky Extra's Ch 107).

### Princes

Princes are Demons who manage the largest amount of territory short of The Devil himself. They are also the ones who deal with the various Lords and Dukes that operate within their own large territories. The only Demon capable of overturning a rule made by a Prince is The Devil (Ch 151).

### Lords

Lords are the Demons in charge of managing the various farmland and rural areas in Hell, as well as dealing with matters of trade. They answer to whatever Prince happens to rule the larger territory that the land they manage sits on (Ch 151). They are also usually assigned a specific job by The Devil, such as how Ava was in charge of managing the beastly demon population (Inky Extra's Ch 89).

### Dukes

Dukes are the Demons charged with managing public areas and units of the cities. While having different Dukes managing various public spaces means that the rules in public places may be different depending on who is in charge any rules deemed unreasonable by the Prince who rules the area can be overruled by said Prince (Ch 151).

### Higher Demons

Higher Demons are powerful beings who have strong magical abilities. While not all Higher Demons have territory, followers or titles it is almost always the Higher Demons who manage to obtain them. Higher Demons often times bring in lower class Demons to serve them in exchange for protecting them. Almost all Higher Demons are full fledged Demons that successfully completed their Fledgling stages. These Higher Demons are usually the ones enforcing order in Hell and preventing the lower class Demons from ripping each other to pieces (Ch 102).

### Middle Demons

While Middle Demons are considered stronger than Lesser Demons there is still a good portion of this group that are considered Budlings, which are what Demons who have not awakened their magic abilities or their true inner nature, are called. Many Demons never move past being a Budling into a Fledgling (Ch 97). For the Demons that do not become Fledglings, chances are if their parents are Middle Class Demons then they too will be considered Middle Class.

### Lesser Demons and Imps

Lesser Demons are considered fairly weak Demons, with many of them even still being Budlings whose powers have never fully awakened.

Imps are considered the weakest Demons there are and are usually treated as easy prey by the stronger creatures of Hell or as servants to stronger Demons. While they do have magic it is usually very weak and there have only been a couple known cases of imps becoming Fledglings (Ch 97). The main magical ability imps possess is the ability to escalate or repress one emotion, which is the emotion they are then named after. However, since imps magic is ultimately fairly weak, there are many limitations to this ability. First of all, the imp must stay physically close to the individual who they are using their magic on. There is also the issue that they can't use this ability on someone long term without issue. For example, Disgust was able to repress the intense disgusted reaction Bendy had after killing another Demon in self defense but after holding back this large wave of emotions for a few hours when Disgust released his hold Bendy became extremely nauseas and began shivering. Bendy also experienced emotional backlash as not only did the disgust from the initial incident return but also all the related fear, guilt and self loathing. This emotional backlash continued after the physical symptoms had mostly cleared up. Disgust also mentions that there are issues if a Demon is over exposed to this magic and that, especially when repressing a big emotional reaction, the person in question will feel numb until the imp releases their magic (Ch 242). Imps are generally very small Demons.

### Fledglings

Fledglings are Demons whose magical abilities are in a state of flux, getting more and less powerful in spurts until it finally stabilizes (Ch 97). This can happen at any point in their development, even when they're still a child since it depends on when their magic decides to grow instead of physical maturity (Ch 300). Fledgling stages can also be triggered earlier then expected if the Demon is under extreme stress. This usually causes more extreme reactions as the body isn't ready when it triggers and the Demon can even become sick during this time (Ch 301). During this period Fledglings react strongly to their emotions, their senses sharpen sometimes to the point of being overwhelming and they often experience bouts of intense bloodlust. All of this can overwhelm the Fledgling and send them into a killing frenzy or a "flux", although older Demons can almost always take care of this when it occurs. According to Black Hat almost every Demon goes on at least one rampage. It is not uncommon for Fledglings to sign contracts with older Demons so that they can help keep them in check during this phase of development. The mentor is fully responsible for the Fledgling during this time, meaning that if the Fledgling get's in trouble it is up to the master to deal with it. If the trouble is severe enough the master themselves can even suffer consequences for the Fledglings actions, if only due to their failure to deal with it before it became a problem (Ch 97). Many Demon's mentors end up being their own parents, although this can change if the Fledgling happens to catch the eye of a higher class Demon (Inky Extras Series Part 8, Ch 1).

Only higher and middle Demons undergo a Fledgling state and how powerful the Fledgling ends up being when there magic finally settles can determine where they end up on the hierarchy afterwards. If a Fledgling fails to complete this stage of development and instead loses their mind in the process they are considered beastly Demons and will usually be killed or eaten by other Demons (Ch 97). The current success rate of Fledglings is at an all time low, with only a 35% success rating (Ch 102).

### Children/Budlings

   Children in Hell are protected by the older Demons and considered "off limits" in a way. To show that they are still under the age of protection all children wear the Demon script symbol for child on their clothing. Children are the most protected Demons in Hell and, as such, don't show the same fear or posturing older Demons do. Many children are carefree and look forward to the day they no longer have to wear the protection symbol as they don't understand what becoming an adult Demon really means (Ch 151). That being said, no system is perfect. In the city of Hell the Devil and other high-class Demons have enough influence to enforce these expectations but when one travels to the more isolated outskirts it is harder to enforce such laws. This means that a child in the outskirts of Hell is at risk of being attacked by adult Demons as long as no high-class Demons are around to enforce the rules (Ch 313).

It is important to note that, while it is illegal for adult Demons to kill children, there is no law about children killing each other. Even if a child really does succeed in killing another child it is highly unlikely anything will be done about it. Demon children attempting to kill each other is actually considered a fairly normal part of childhood in Hell ( Inky Extra's Ch 89).

All children, as well as any weaker Demons who never awaken any of their innate nature/powers are also referred to as Budlings. A Demon can awaken these abilities at anytime between eight to one hundred years old. Budlings make up the large majority of the Demon population. Due to the fact that they are weaker when compared to others many Demons will try to protect Budlings from others to an extent (Ch 97).

### Beastly Demons

These Demons are so low in the social hierarchy that they are not even considered part of Demon society anymore but are instead placed only slightly above rabid animals. Beastly Demons are created when a Fledging Demon loses control of themselves during the Fledgling process and falls to their most base instincts (Ch 97). This can be due to a variety of reasons, such as stress or the Demon being in a highly emotional/traumatizing situation that causes them to lose themselves to their emotions (Ch 199). In the Beastly state they have lost their minds and most of their reasoning, becoming equivalent to very dangerous, rabid animals. Hat explains that they are driven almost entirely by bloodlust and instinct, always hungry. Despite this, Beastly Demons are still Demons who have access to their magical abilities and are incredibly dangerous even for other Demons to handle (Ch 97). Their power level matches the level of Demon they were before they changed, so a low-level beastly could be defeated by a pair of experienced, magical fighters like the Cupbros while a higher-level beastly is almost impossible to survive against even with all the Questers working together. Even if one manages to knock out the Beastly Demon it can still continue its rampage the moment it awakens if not contained/killed while it is unconscious. It should be noted that despite their lack of reasoning skills it's possible that a Beastly Demon may have a goal in mind after its transformation, such as killing the thing that caused it to go beastly in the first place. However, once it completes its goal a Beastly Demon will often just begin the mindless killing sprees expected of its kind (Ch 200).

When a Demon goes Beastly it usually transforms into a form starkly different from its original appearance. Given Demons shapeshifting abilities this form could be almost anything but, from what we've seen in IM, is usually fairly monstrous in appearance. For example, Bendy's normal appearance isn't particularly threatening but when his body transforms into his Beastly form he suddenly becomes much bigger, more muscular and has larger teeth and claws. It leaves his body barely recognizable as the same being unless one witnesses the shift. The transformation itself is also fairly dramatic and can act as a brief warning to those around the Demon that they will soon be rabid, thus potentially giving those close by a few moments to prepare for the inevitable attack (Ch 117).

Once a Demon goes Beastly, especially if they are in Hell, they are usually immediately hunted down by other Demons since at that point the only thing they are likely to do is to kill and destroy the already limited resources in Hell. This is part of the reason Demons have the mentor system in place for fledglings since then there is a stronger, more experienced Demon watching them and ready to take them down should the need arise. After they are killed in Hell it is not uncommon for other Demons to eat them given that it is one of the few sources of meat available in Hell (Ch 97). If they are on the Surface it's possible for either Demons or Angels to hunt them down and kill them, depending on which faction discovers the Beastly Demon first. However, it is also possible to catch a Beastly and potentially revert it back to its original form as well as allow it to regain its mind (Ch 117). This is done by the Demon calming down and regaining control of themselves, though this process can be aided by the support of loved ones. An example of this can be seen in Book Eleven, when Alice and Cup talk Bendy down from his grief-fueled Beastly state (Ch 200). The amount a Demon stays beastly varies greatly from individual to individual. It can last anywhere from a few minutes to months before they regain control of themselves, though the longer periods are far more common than just a few minutes worth of rampage. Every time a Demon goes beastly there is a chance they will not return to normal. Luckily, most fledglings only go beastly one or two times during the fledging process (Ch 312).

## The Legion

The Legion is a group of powerful Demons in Hell charged with handling beastly Demon rampages. The membership changes based on availability, personal circumstances and various other factors. Some Demons frequently work for the Legion while others simply pop in and out as it suits them. The only real requirement for membership is that a Demon be powerful and not a fledgling or child (Ch 310).

## Symbols

As mentioned above, Demons will use symbols to designate certain individual status in a easily visible way to the rest of the population. These symbols are all generally protective in nature and it is generally understood that if a Demon is wearing any kind of symbol you should not mess with them. There a three main ones currently known, the most common of which is the child symbol. This symbol protects children from adults and, by extension, a fair amount of the violence in Hell. This symbol also allows Angels and any Surface toon that knows of it to quickly identify who is a real child and not just someone pretending to be a child (Ch 310). There are extreme consequences if an adult attempts to lie and wear the child symbol, which discourages the majority of Demons from doing so (Inky Extras Series Part 13, Ch 5). Please reference to child section above to see an image of what this symbol looks like.

The next two symbols are extremely rare and rarely seen. The first of these is the symbol the ancients. This is for Demons that are so old they pre-date both Hell and the Angel-Demon War itself. The ancients are given this symbol both as a sign of respect and as a warning to other Demons as any Demon that old is likely to be terrifyingly powerful. Luckily, the ancients that do exist are few in number and generally reclusive individuals. The symbol of the ancients looks like a circle set in a diamond with a tail coming off of it (Ch 310).

The final symbol is the symbol of pardon, the rarest of them all. This is a symbol given to Demons who did something/are known for something and have been given an official, personal pardon from the Devil. This means that no one can touch this individual without invoking the wrath of the Devil himself, regardless of how much they are hated by the rest of the population of Hell. There are no Demons currently known to wear this symbol. The symbol of pardon is a circle inside a broken oval, resembling an eye with a gap at the top (Ch 310)

## Cultural Events

### Gradus

Gradus is the day that The Devil assigns new titles to various Demons. In order to obtain a title at Gradus the hopeful Demon's, mainly high Demons, compete in battles to prove themselves in front of a crowd. Azazel compares the event to a medieval festival. All participants must be fully fledged before they can compete (Ch 151).

## Relationships/Courtship

Thanks to their shapeshifting abilities Demons put less of an emphasis on things such as physical form or gender when it comes to dating, something Bendy is surprised to discover when he sees a lesbian couple walking together in Hell with their tails wrapped around each other. As later explained by Ava tails are considered a sensitive weak spot to Demons and trusting another Demon to touch your tail, such as wrapping it around each other, is a large display of how much a couple trusts each other. This is such an intimate action in Demon society that Ava claims it is only a half step below kissing in terms of intimacy. Ava also notes that this kind of gesture is not something one would do on a first date and that if a Demon were to do this their date has every right to be upset if they weren't ready for it (Ch 151). Murklin later explains that commitment in Hell is difficult in general. Making a high level commitment to another, such as marrying them, is very risky and not usually seen (Ch 301).

While things like same sex relationships may be more common in Hell there are still romantic relationships that are seen as rare or strange among Demons. For instance, a relationship between a high class and a mid class Demon isn't common due to the imbalance in magical power between the two and the difference in lifespan as the mid class Demon is likely to die before their high class partner. The some of the rarest types of Demon relationships are ones that are not between two Demons but with a Demon and a Surface toon. Demons in these relationships usually keep their partners on the Surface and if something happens that prevents them from staying on the Surface they will usually break off the relationship entirely. The few that do bring their Surface partner down to Hell usually have to move out of the cities into the more isolated parts of Hell as it is to dangerous for a defenseless Surface toon to live in a Demon city. There are also special medicines they would need to give the normal toon so they could survive living in Hell without things like sunlight long term (Ch 301).

### Jewelry

The jewelry that a Demon wears can have various meaning attached to them and can be used to tell at a glance things such as placement in the social hierarchy or ties with other Demons. For social status, a Demon wearing horn rings usually hint that a Demon is very high level aka "nobility". Meanwhile, tail rings are usually used to showcase connections between Demons. Reide notes that the fancier the tail ring the higher the level of the Demon the tail ring is representing the connection with. One piece of Demonic jewelry of particular note is the link rings, which are a type of tail ring that show that the Demon wearing one has a direct link to The Devil. All of the Princes of Hell have one of these, although some choose to hide them while others wear them openly. These link rings have a long history behind them but we currently don't know their exact story besides the fact that they are supposed to represent links in a chain that are in some way connected to The Devil. Of course, since not every Demon has things like horns or tails the jewelry is not always worn on that exact limb but those are the placements most associated with each of these various types of jewelry pieces (Ch 242).

The Demon isn't the only one who has a specific type of jewelry that denotes those who are close to him. In fact, most powerful Demons, from lords to princes, and influential Demon groups have a specific gem set/arrangement that acts as their logo of sorts. This gem set becomes more well known the more powerful the Demon associated with it is and will often be worn by those under that Demon. For example, fledglings often where a piece of jewellery that has the gem set of their master on it to show others who they are mentored by. However, it is important to note that not all gem arrangements actually have meaning tied to them so Demons have to keep up to date with which gem sets have meanings and which don't (Ch 302).

## Holidays

### Day to Forget

First mentioned in the Inky Extras Series story of the same name, it was likened to the idea of "Demon Christmas". At sunset, all casino's owned by Demons close and a giant gambling tournament begins. Both debtors and Non-debtors can play, though there are slightly different rules for each group. For Non-debtors, if they win the Demon will grant their wish. But, if a Non-debtor loses then they lose their soul to the Demon. For debtors, if they win then they could reduce or even completely eliminate their debt. However, in order for a debtor to play, they have to match their debt by wagering something of equal value. If they lose then not only does the original debt remain but whatever is bet is also lost. The best gamblers are taken to Hell for a final game where the winner gets one wish granted by The Devil himself with no strings attached. Demons will also gamble territories, wealth, servants, debtor contracts, etc, between one another. On the Day to Forget, Demons are notably happier and more forgiving/charitable then normal (Inky Extra Series Part 2).