mediterraneanmenace

[mediterraneanmenace]

Something something about being raised to be the best soldier, having wings and bright blue(ish) eyes, not accepting your origins and having a nemesis... I just had to sketch my Raksha and Sephiroth shaking hands. :9

[mediterraneanmenace]

The day of Raksha's "divorce" - Page 1 of 4. It would take too long to make everything fully rendered so I'll keep the pages in a "colored sketch" style.

In the next page they take off their wedding ring and let it fall in front of him. Because Raksha knows what he fears the most. After all, he admitted through gritted teeth that *they* are his weakness. :)

You can find more art over my Twitter and Bsky. Be aware both those accounts are 18+ as there's more explicit art and talk, minors dni.

[mediterraneanmenace]

The day of Raksha's "divorce" - Page 1 of 4. It would take too long to make everything fully rendered so I'll keep the pages in a "colored sketch" style.

In the next page they take off their wedding ring and let it fall in front of him. Because Raksha knows what he fears the most. After all, he admitted through gritted teeth that *they* are his weakness. :)

You can find more art over my Twitter and Bsky. Be aware both those accounts are 18+ as there's more explicit art and talk, minors dni.

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“How stupid have I been… Believing, deluding myself, that you were different… That the debtors you’d torment were all but unrepentant sinners!”

Wip for some colored sketch pages for my (pre) BG3 lore. Raksha’s an Archdevil with a very arbitrary (and sometimes hypocritical) moral compass and they didn’t take well finding out Hope’s only “sin” was to refuse Raphael. Especially when he painted himself as someone “punishing” evil souls.

(For reference: Raksha won’t bat an eye for someone being forever indebted to Raphael for egoistical/petty reasons, they’d call it a “just punishment”)

After freeing Hope, the two devils fight, but it’s pretty one-sided: by the end of it, Raksha’s uniform doesn’t have a single scratch. They tell him how they never want to see him ever again - and drop their marriage ring before his eyes as they disappear in a vortex of flames.

And you know Raphael he did NOT give up on them. Toxic yaoi, everyone.

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What if I told you this is actually from a page where Raksha's absolutely going to wreck Raphael. I really need to draw them in their human forms more.

(There's more explicit stuff over my 18+ Twitter, minors dni)

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POV: dual fight at the HoH except it's not just singing, there's ballet too. Because both Raksha and Raphael are theatre nerds. 🤡 This would play exactly the same if it was them fighting against each other. Love and war are the same for them.

This thing is so far from done, I still need to add so many details on Raphael's fit. :,D

(Rambling below)

Raksha's powers are connected to their bloodline (Archdevils Baalzebul and Lilith). Part of their abilities are related to shadows (like their mother's): for example, they can cover vast areas in pitch darkness where even magic light is ineffective or "hide" in the shadows of people or objects. They also have a moon piercing on one of their wings.

Raphael portrays himself as a savior and he mainly uses Hellfire, so what's better than the sun to represent himself? It brings light and warmth, but it can also be deadly. :)

The fits are Tarot-inspired:

This mirrors their relationship pre-BG3 events, because Raksha was raised by humans to loathe their Infernal nature until Raphael becomes obsessed with them sees their potential and takes them under his wing.

On their part, Raksha wants to "fix him". Yes, they genuinely think they can make him less evil (they will realize their mistake dw). Also unrelated but Raphael's still bitter about them being 6000+ years younger than him and still able to easily best him in a fight. Oh, and the divorce drama they have throughout the entire storyline of BG3.

On their side, Raksha's furious they still love him despite Raphael being everything they always fought against. :D

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Sometimes Raksha and Raphael (play) fight and Raksha actually *lets* him win most of the time because they like to see him happy and yapping about it 😭 They're both so deep in the trenches lmao (It's a different story when they're actually serious)

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The devil you know.

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"O mortals, prove you're worthy of salvation! Stand tall and fight with fearless dedication Let blood and sweat be signs of your contrition Earn your redemption through fire and fierce conviction!"

Another sketch from my WIP folder but SFW this time. :) In BG3 Raksha would be an "on and off" teammate who leaves and joins back as they please. During some battles, instead of having a game over, you'd have an option to "accept salvation".

Enter Raksha being disgustingly OP and saving the party (and have a little cutscene on how they were "entertained"). Basically a Deus Ex Machina - if the party managed to catch their interest, of course. (Alternatively, they'd be a secret boss that makes you ragequit real hard :D But still beatable)

As for the art itself, I decided to show a bit of Raksha's shadow powers. With the hair blending into shadows/forming rose thorns, since that's their flower. :)

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"As you approach the imposing painting, your eyes are drawn to the sole protagonists of it: Raphael and Raksha, standing side by side, their posture stiff with a hint of formality - yet their tails betray them, entwined in a quiet, intimate tangle. Beneath the scene, a golden plaque bears an inscription:

• Raphael and the prince consort Raksha • To a prosperous alliance and to a union to last for millennia to come"

Finally got myself to work on something that can be *fully* posted on here. The notes added on it make it seem like one of those book ads :^)

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Raphael

commission post

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Raksha trying to convince themselves that a little kiss can't possibly be *that* bad, can it. (Spoiler: it was not just a kiss)

Wip thing.

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That one trend that's going on Twitter. Archdevil twunk vs old man Cambion make your bets.

Would the hierarchy still apply if Raksha wasn't raised in the Hells? As far as they were raised (by *very* religious mortal rules) they tend to respect age and experience more than anything else...

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Describing the "love" Raphael feels for Raksha

Or at least, trying to - I try to not stray too much from canon while also changing some DnD lore because I'm personally not too fond of the whole "x race is inherently evil". Enjoy the yapping. :D

Let's start with some basics - aka "what about them caught his attention":

Raksha is an Archdevil, son of Baalzebul and Lilith (he projects on them, ignoring his human half). (According to DnD lore, Lilith had "an aura of desire" and "as a result of her attractiveness, many devils were willing to do small favors for her". Baalzebul himself was described to be beautiful before Asmodeus cursed him... So this might be an extra reason)

Their skill in killing demons and other devils alike, which made them quickly rise to the position of Holy Inquisitor at just 20 and let their name be known throughout the Cold Lands and Avernus. An Archdevil denying their nature was something quite uncommon to see. An enigma.

The possibility of an alliance. With their fathers being sworn rivals...

... The drama of it all. The Romeo and Juliet vibe. Although, to be fair, he did not plan/expect to feel anything for them.

Some more details: Raksha wanting nothing to do with him at first made him all but desist towards stalking them - even sending Korrilla to follow them around whenever he was busy. It's rare for someone to resist Raphael's charms, so getting their attention became quite a fixed thought in his brain.

Raphael could also successfully hide his Infernal nature to Raksha: he's older (around 6000 years old) and his Infernal abilities are much more refined - they are just 20 and have always been forbidden from doing the typical devil stuff (absorbing souls, doing contracts, etc.) by their adoptive parent. (Had he not been able to do that, Raksha's holy sword would have pierced his heart without a second thought. :) )

This is something Raphael will do a lot to Raksha: lying. Before they get into the actual relationship and after. Once they are in his clutches, he will say (and do) anything in his power to keep them, even marrying them with a binding contract. At least until Raksha finally gets enough of his bs. Initially they are very naive and inexperienced - and Raphael takes advantage of that.

What he feels is... Something like love and hate. The "love" stuff:

Raksha genuinely likes his poetry, they share the love for the arts and willingly listen to him yap about whatever goes in his mind.

When he finally revealed his true self, they did not abandon him, nor tried to kill him. If anything, it made them closer - for he also became their mentor.

Raksha's not afraid of speaking their mind, they are not a "yes dear" type of lover. Raphael finds their conversations and debates intellectually stimulating.

Raphael enjoys the chase, as they keep playing hard to get (yes, even with the mutual pining).

They torture the debtors sinners at the House of Hope together, even sharing tips on how to. Top 10 couple activities for sure.

(Raksha is... Also quite willing to fool themselves about being able to "change" Raphael the same way they are an Archdevil refusing their nature. It will take some years for them to realize their mistake, because they crave to love and be loved and closed an eye to what he did/does...)

The hate part:

Raphael thinks himself weak because of his fondness for them: he's lived long enough to know that caring that much for someone will always be a liability. This is a point of debate for the two of them, because Raksha will insist that someone can be your strength instead.

Raksha is stronger than him, which for his controlling self is infuriating. As far as sheer strength goes, they best him easily - except when their own arrogance gets in the way.

How they're not letting him "tame" them. The chase is fun but Raphael wants to end it with himself as the winner - and Raksha's unwilling to be "chained" in any way.

How well Raksha knows what buttons of his to push to have a specific reaction. They can be a brat. :)

Old man's obsessed by the thought that Raksha has to be his, and he's not afraid of eliminating competition so that they're forced to "choose" him too. He doesn't feel good about it, but any other alternative that doesn't involve them together brings him so much more pain. :)) Oh and he's very manipulative, telling them how no one else but him will love them as much as he does. How mortals are a waste of time, because they will die in so little time (decades, or a few hundred years, are nothing for an immortal being). And as far as other devils go... Nothing's better than one you already know. ;)

We all know that if he really loved them, he'd let them go and find happiness with someone else. I feel like he's too egoistic to do that tho.

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I love writing the more tender moments between Raphael and Raksha but let it be know that the latter has been a naughty boy and removed the former's heart from his chest multiple. Times. When they were particularly angry about something he did.

(I am going by fantasy logic here, so even if it's removed as long as it's not damaged it keeps working... Think of it like Davy Jones')

The last time they ever did it was when Raksha found out about Hope and freed her before leaving the House of Hope and hiding from Raphael for years. They hid it, too, so he'd have to look for it.

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"We should have been, you and I, each other's executioner"

Added some very basic coloring to that one close-up sketch of Raksha and Raphael in their human forms because I do love the way they look into each other's eyes. The full (grayscale) piece is too spicy to be posted on here however. 🙃

Don't get fooled by their moments of tenderness they're both terrible for each other.

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I imagine Raphael (still not realizing he's got the Big Feelings for Raksha) trying to rizz them up start a talk with them like

"Aren't you a bit too young to be an Inquisitor?" And Raksha replying "Aren't you a bit too old to walk around without a caretaker"

All the while said Inquisitor is on a big enough tree doing upside-down crunches. Man

He had to send Korrilla to test the waters first. MAN #2