Crowley is a demon. Since coming to St Canard, however, both he and his former angelic rival Aziraphale managed to sever ties with their respective Head Offices. Being a free agent after thousands of years under Hell's thumb has taken… some adjustment. While Crowley would like nothing better than to laze around the gardens, life always seems to have other plans.
As long as it doesn't involve the Great Plan, the End of Days, or even the end of radio, Crowley still counts himself one lucky devil. Not out loud though, because that would be sappy.
Originally an angel, Crowley fell during the rebellion, although typically plays it off as a “saunter vaguely downwards.” He was never highly ranked in either capacity, more a low level worker bee, if bees drank too heavily and lied about their pollen count.
Despite this, his demonic career had kicked off quite fruitfully as the serpent who tempted Eve in the Garden of Eden. There he met Aziraphale, the angel of the Eastern Gate, and the two began a long history of acting as representatives of their sides on Earth, a sort of rolling contract where they could use their own initiative in between the occasional direct assignment.
They were opposites in ways you might expect, and rarely agreed on anything. Crowley, who was effectively been thrown out of Heaven for not stopping with the questions, would challenge Aziraphale regularly on official policy, who liked to write off anything he couldn't explain as 'ineffable.' In other ways, however, they had more in common with each other than with their supernatural counterparts: not taking busy work seriously and a willingness to snub orders or at least fudge the paperwork where required, for a start.
Over the years, this developed into something of a friendship, and around the 11th century the Arrangement was formed, basically a Ye Olde Jobshare. They were both of angel stock, after all, and capable of performing each other's tasks where it made sense, as well as a tacit non-interference agreement. This meant less time working and more time to enjoy what mortals were making of the world.
This became a problem when the world was meant to end.
His failure to do his part properly towards this goal eventually landed Crowley in extremely hot water with Hell. Unsure of what to do with himself afterwards, and unclear where he stood with Aziraphale, he absconded to St Canard for an overdue vacation, figuring it an easy location to blend in with all that background evil. Aziraphale tracked him down mid-grilling Malicia about being an 'untethered' demon, the two made amends and settled down to explore the city, quickly becoming entangled with the various colourful characters in the area.
Agreeing to feign obedience to Heaven and Hell to maintain their old positions, thereby keeping track of any continued designs to restart an apocalypse, Crowley was soon tasked with sticking Scrooge McDuck with an enchanted prawn-shaped necklace that would force him to open a bridge to the earthly plane. Their former employers had wised up enough to also keep Crowley and Aziraphale out of interfering by making them both attend a compulsory Sports Day (a story of horror in itself). Leaving the Duck family with all the inside information they could, they pulled on their joggers and hoped for the best.
Fortunately, the Duck family got it together, and their bosses abandoned their desires for Earth upon sight of Mitzy, the enormous mutated krill. Confident in both the safety of the world and themselves, Crowley and Aziraphale finally threw in the gym towels and quit for good (or evil).
Able to enjoy their freedom and being on the same side together for the first time, Crowley found a place assisting protecting mortals in other capacities, although only as a last resort and usually if the requestor has no other options. After meeting Morgana Macawber, he was also offered a position at the Eldritch Academy lecturing members of the Ghoulish community on Normal culture. His primary focus remains, as ever, looking after Aziraphale.
An earth-based demon, Crowley's assigned corporation or body is a tall, red feathered duck with dark hair and a snake tattoo by his right temple. He usually wears a black suit, snakeskin boots, designer sunglasses and impenetrable veneer of confidence. The sunglasses are arguably to shield his eerily serpentine eyes and habit of failing to blink, but they do have the advantage of shielding feelings too. Capable of seeing in the dark, he consequently wears them constantly.
Like many demons he is a shapeshifter, and can change form and size as required. He doesn't like to do it often though, worried he'll forget how to go return to Normal, which isn't unreasonable given how much he drinks. The snake thing was hard to shift too, and he'll slip into it unintentionally the more stress he's under.
On his back, he also has a set of enormous black feathered wings but keeps those hidden from Normal sight for the most part. No other typically evil marks - no horns, no claws, totally normal duck tail which he'd rather cover with a suit. Wagging upon seeing your supposed enemy is decidedly undemonic.
While this character is based 80 per cent off the TV series Good Omens, 15 per cent off the book version and 23 per cent off idiocy made up on the spot, prior knowledge isn't mandatory for interaction. Threads containing spoilers will be marked appropriately.
Consider Crowley as cosplaying the type of mortal he wishes he was: devastatingly cool, suave, stylish and intimidatingly capable. That isn't him, really, underneath. He frets, he cares, and ultimately he wants good things for people, or for people to be good things. All terrible things for anyone to know about a demon, so he keeps that fiercely guarded. Despite his role as an embodiment of evil, he's a minor nuisance at worst.
By Normal standards, he is ridiculously overpowered and can make almost anything happen with a snap of his fingers. Luckily he is too indifferent and too lazy to do much real harm so it mostly balances out.
Adding to Crowley's background has been bad habit so throwbacks to previously never referenced things do occur at random. Such tidbits have included:
Crowley doesn't generally bother getting to know mortals - they're lucky to get a basic descriptor if anything - but those in the Duckverse have proven rather unique. Of course, there are plenty of supernatural entities around too.
Not so much Crowley's direct opposite as his counterpoint, there is one word to describe Aziraphale: infuriating. From his righteous pontificating to his habit of blundering naively into trouble, the angel knows exactly how to wind him up. The most irritating part of all, however, is the fact that Crowley would do absolutely anything for him.
They eloped secretly about a year after their arrival in St Canard, basing at Duck Key for an extended honeymoon while Faustina, one of Death's daughters, minded Aziraphale's bookshop. After Crowley's St Canard flat was compromised, they moved in to a cottage in an immense tree, like normal bird people, in the same neighbourhood as Mother Goose.