#it’s deleted now because holy fucking christ

[emotionalsupportdman]

had to come out to a guy i haven’t seen in three years over text because he showed up at my work to ask me out

[piplupod]

and i often get upset with myself for complaining and venting as much as i do, or also for being as anxious as i am, but given the circumstances that I live in, I do think realistically I am being ... incredibly "well-behaved", all things considered. i could be acting so much worse.

but i do still wish i weren't so ... [gestures vaguely at this whole mess] because it's off-putting for people! and understandably so! but i wish i could make friends!

[meejijis]

Crazy how a couple of years ago when the dark times from 2016 to 2018 of the dsp fandom vs the dsp critical blogs fandom wars was around, the same anti that used to "call" me out for shipping a height gap pairing spreading misinfo saying im a p word and harassed/send hate other ppl in the dsp fandom alongside the other dsp critical blogs is somehow still an anti and still acts like an anti at the age of 25. That's sad.

[justmeclover]

this.

this is what true bliss feels like.

Not alot of progress is being made on the animation lately ( curse you motivation! ) but i'm getting there

[oceansprompts]

text message prompts

[text] You okay?

[text] GO TO BED!

[text] hey you better be alive in there

[text] SOS save me please holy shit

[text] call me this date is going so bad

[text] I have way too much shit to do.

[text] Honestly I'm really worried about you.

[text] Why are you trending on Twitter?

[text] Please let me come over and pet your (pet).

[text] We are in the same building, you could come talk to me.

[text] It's not going to work out.

[text] This is a terrible idea.

[text] people have fetishes

[text] They really do crucify anyone these days huh

[text] I don't know why but that really means me want to stab you

[text] That movie was awful.

[text] For the love of god please help me

[text] I fucked up. I fucked up really bad.

[text] I'm blocking you.

[text] YOU ONE BRAINCELLED BITCH

[text] I regret swiping right.

[text] Everyone lies on their dating profiles.

[text] That absolutely can't be an actual picture of you.

[text] This forced open my third eye and I saw the devil

[text] I'm like a child in line for the newest fucked up disney ride

-

[text] That's just all fucking sorts of fucked up

[text] Why are we here? To suffer? Every other day I get messages that cause pain

[text] In the department of old man fucking, we've got you beat.

[text] have you gotten any work done?

[text] I am beyond shame, try again

[text] You left your left your underwear at my place.

[text] Don't you dare put this on Facebook.

[text] My brother in Christ you're being haunted

[text] I want to wring you like a wet towel and slap you against a wall

[text] The mind is weak but the body is funky

[text] I'm a zombie the law can't stop me.

[text] Jealous of my massive honkers

[text] We left you to die to play minecraft

[text] She would never ever take away one of these stupid fucking hats

[text] I puked all over the Uber driver's backseat.

[text] I just took a screenshot of that and posted it to Reddit

[text] You said you'd be right back and it's been months.

[text] Can't we talk about this face to face?

[text] Yeah, you'll come learn I just have a thing for milk

[text] Why did you like one of my pics from 2014?

[text] Now's as good a time as any to exchange nudes.

[text] Why would you send me an eggplant emoji?

[text] I write five paragraphs, pouring my heart out, and all you reply with is k?!

[text] Who would dare to lie on the internet?

[text] When I die, please delete all my shit off the internet

[text] He's so hot, I briefly started texting like a straight person

[text] And because I'm god and I've decided that; no, in fact, I'm not done.

-

[text] I know you love bloopy reggae jams, now is not the time.

[text] You better not be standing catatonic in your room again.

[text] God has abandoned his children but unfortunately for you I pay child support and I will smite thee.

[text]: My neighbor just told me he can fix my water heater for 50 bucks. I’m skeptical.

[text]: Do you have any idea how much it costs to buy apples? I paid 10 dollars for 6.

[text]: I mean, I wouldn’t say I have a problem with buying Squishmallows..

[text]: Hey, so you know how you told me no dog? *sends pic* I don’t do well with no’s.

[text] Stuart Little is a bitch and Remy could take him any day.

[text]: My roommate just said that Lola Bunny is hot. I’m moving out.

[text]: Hey I posted that vid of you drunk, singing Ariana Grande, wearing all black and people said not to do it again. Sorry.

[text]: Do you think the price is ever right? Like, I feel like it’s not.

[text]: I booped your nose. Boop the last five people you texted or–nothing happens really.

[text]: I’m actually in the ER and it’s a long story that involves Best Day Ever from spongebob.

[text]: I fucking hate you–wait you’re not my ex. Who are you?

[text]: You ever ask yourself if birds see a bee and just go ‘wow a bee’? im high.

[text]: sometimes all i think about is–sour patch kids. bet you thought it was you.

[text]: I love you—not as much as I love my dog. But still a lot!

[text]: I found a cat on the way home and now it’s mine. But it hates my guts so this should be fun.

[text]: I have questions about the marvel cinematic universe…how long do you have?

[text]: why do donald duck and winnie the pooh not have to wear pants but other people do?

[text]: Hey you know that show floor is lava? I may have turned the apartment into that..this isn’t a joke, btw. the floor is sticky.

[text]: I bought too much soap off etsy and now I don’t know what to do with it…I smell like Captain America.

[text]: On a scale of one to ten, how many drinks would you need to sleep with me? This isn’t a tiktok trend…or it is.

[foli-vora]

hello boys...

^not my gif.

New house, new shit, new fucking vibes. It's great. But enough of that crap, let's get to the shit I know you want to hear about, starting with the most asked about and requested fic...

!'RUN TO YOU' WILL BE RETURNING JULY 28TH! I know it's still a while away but I'm just tweaking some last minute things in upcoming chapters like sentences that make my eye twitch and throwing in more italics for ✨drama✨ because you know I love that shit. I also decided to delete and re-do a bunch of scenes because apparently taking a break means coming back to your WIPS and going "ew wtf is this trash". Also I'm still finishing up the last couple of chapters. It will be updated weekly on Sundays.

'One Step at a Time' will also be returning... ...after a whooping fucking 15 month wait. Fuck me, I'm so sorry. Time is baffling - I swear it doesn't feel that long to me. I hope the story that's coming is worth that wait because holy christ on a bike. I swear you're in for a good time. Unlike RTY. Updates on IDK what day. Once RTY returns, I'll pick a day of the week for Tovar. Tovar Tuesdays, maybe?

Other shit. We know I've got a lot of other shit in that docs folder lmao. Look, I'm just going with vibes. The stories I feel still have something there, I'll continue and finish. The others, I'll just say sorrows, prayers and delete the thing coz it's 2024 and we're getting our shit together this year. 'My Only Wish' will be finished before I miss Christmas in July, and 'Hold Me Down' will definitely be addressed along the line. There'll also be some things I've not mentioned before, either because I didn't want to or because it came during my depressed bean absent period. Sooo... wait and see, I guess?

Alright, so that's that I guess. Actually shit scared of coming back tbh LMAO, but let's see how we go. I am very sorry for the delays with everything though! Honestly wasn't expecting everything to take this long, but now that it's all sorted, I'll just jump back on the wagon and pray I don't fall off.

K, that's enough from me. Sorry for the rambles lmao. Thank you for the love and support while I've been away 💖

[kayhi808]

Billy Mine - Home Sweet Home

Masterlist

After weeks of trying to purge her closet of clothes and...stuff, Juliet is exhausted. Falling back onto the floor, "Billy Russo wants to marry me." This thought has been on repeat for the past few weeks in Juliet's mind. Is this even real life? When am I going to wake up from my dream?

*****

"Jules? You home?" Bill let's himself into the apartment. Scanning the living room, he sees her bag on the couch. Upon entering the bedroom, Billy's heart stutters to a stop. Little over a year ago, his girl was the target of a kidnapping attempt. Scattered amongst clothes and boxes, Juliet's bare legs are half visible on the floor of her small walk-in closet. "Bunny!!!" Bill shoves boxes to the side to get to his girl.

Bill's roar jolts Juliet out of her reverie. She screams as Billy hurls into her closet grabbing her. "What the fuck, Bill?!"

"Jesus Christ!!" Standing, Bill turns & punches the door jamb, resting his forehead against it, trying to take calming breaths. Juliet backs away, distancing herself from Bill, moving deeper in to the closet. He's furious! Scary mad.

Trying to be as soft and calming as possible, "Bill?"

He holds up a finger at her & shakes his head against the doorway. After a minute, "Your room looks destroyed, and I see you on the ground unmoving."

She moves closer to Billy, "I've been trying to clean out my closet and get rid of stuff, since we're moving in together. I got overwhelmed with it all & took a break." She hears a growl rumbling in the back of Billy's throat. "You aren't even supposed to be here. You didn't say you were coming over."

"Do I need an invitation now?" Straightening to his full height, glaring down at her.

"No, but you can't be mad at me. It's not my fault." Slowly moving closer to Billy, like she's trying to calm an angry panther. "If I knew you were coming over, I wouldn't have started on the closet & I definitely wouldn't have been laying on the floor waiting for you to find me like that." Billy pulls her to him, resting his head on the top of hers. Settling her palm over his rapidly beating heart, "I'm sorry I scared you."

"I thought you were fucking dead." BIll squeezes her even tighter.

Pulling him down into a kiss, "Oh, Billy Mine, you should know you can't get rid of me that easily. "

*****

Juliet can't deny that Billy's penthouse is impressive. It's very modern, very sleek and very stylish. Very minimalistic. And yet she doesn't feel at home or relaxed in a place like this.

Neighborhoods, homes, floorplans, decor have been occupying her mind since they decided to find a place together. Weekends are spent looking at websites trying to agree on places to see. Cuddled up on Billy's couch, Juliet has her tablet out scrolling through homes. "Morningside?"

"I'm not living in Harlem!"

"It's not..."

"It's Harlem. Next!" Bill reaches over & deletes the neighborhood from the filter. "Kips Bay, I like."

"No, that's where my parents tried to stick me. Chelsea? Hell's Kitchen? You'll be close to Anvil." Billy gives a non-committal shrug, because it is close to Anvil, but it's really just outside of the Village. "So, you're open to those neighborhoods?"

"Do you know how much a townhouse costs in Chelsea?"

"Townhouse? I've been searching condos. You want a townhouse?"

"Do you want to raise our kids in a condo?"

"Whoa!" Pushes against Billy, to sit up, "Where did these kids come from?"

Smiling up at Jules, shrugging, "I'm not doing this again with you. This move is it." She nervously laughs. "Are we not on the same page?

"Um...holy shit." Billy gives her a minute before pulling her down against him. Cradling her against his chest. "I didn't think 'big picture'. I was just thinking us moving in together, getting married...later."

"Do you not want a family?" His arms tightening around her, waiting for her answer.

Turning to look at him & whispers, "You know I do." It was a dream that Jules was always scared to voice.

"Do you want a family with me?"

Her voice breaking, "You're the only one I've ever dreamed of having a family with, Billy Mine." She buries her face into his chest & cries. They both grew up in the foster care system, but only Juliet was fortunate enough to escape it. Bill suffered abuse from his mother & through the system. For him to admit that this is the future he wants with her, it's like a sacred promise. Billy is in this relationship for life and beyond.

"Well then," clearing his throat, "Maybe you should be looking for something a little bigger than a condo, hmm?"

*****

On a bright sunny morning Billy got his wish. The loan officer and realtor just left his Anvil office. They just signed mortgage papers to a townhouse just outside of the Upper East Side, Lenox Hill, to Jules chagrin. They ended up selling her condo and his penthouse to afford it, but it's an investment for their future. Their forever home.

Popping a bottle of champagne, "We did it!"

Laughing, "It's 10am, Billy!"

"I got orange juice in the fridge if you want to make this a mimosa," handing her a glass.

Holding out her glass, "To us."

"Not too bad for a couple of orphans." Touches her glass and sips his champagne. Juliet wraps her arms around his neck, pulling him in for a kiss. Burying his face in her neck, "We finally got our Home Sweet Home, Bunny." Deep within the confident businessman, a dark eyed foster boy, who never thought this dream would ever come true for him, is overjoyed.

@imagine-a-fictional-boyfriend @snowkestrel @e-dubbc11 @bustlingcrowdsxorxsilentsleepers @jvanilly @k-marzolf

[insufferable-homestuck]

nuttydestinieallli/fatuma ali (now luckieangelali) is a documented scammer profiting off of the genocide. they are not diabetic and they are not palestinian. search the other names they go by on here: leila rajab, remmy cheptau, tasneem r'm, leila mohammed rajab, tasneem remmy rajaab, valentine rajaab, wafula valentine, salima abdallah, tasneem abdalah, Tasneem Majuma, Marystella Majuma, Magandalina Auma, taheera abdallah, Dorine nanjala, dorine rajaab, Jastus Kimanzi, daisy akinyi, daisy rahaab, taheera mohammed, Mutsui Martin Mohamed, merrine sussy rahah, merrine atieno, merrine rahah, Sussy Wamela, merrine fatuma ali

https://www.tumblr.com/mangocheesecakes/751109520094281728/chiefarcadedreammer-giftedheartgiver

https://www.tumblr.com/mangocheesecakes/750229006118420480/here-is-a-convenient-post-you-can-show-to-convince

here’s the source of one of the images they’re using as proof of their condition https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Sample-chart-for-recording-blood-sugar-values-the-chart-title-is-inappropriate-and_fig1_338131147

would you mind deleting their scam from your blog, or clearly labeling it as a scam so it doesn't spread to others? in the future, please remember to search the username/paypal account name/text used by the people asking for money in your inbox

please familiarize yourself with the posts of some current scammers while they are still under these usernames: fancystudentyouth, smwitais, glitteryfesthaks, tacofriends, millicah, mallycahs-blog, holiyfarrtfatuma, luckyprincessblog, dhrogou, beatriceegiveer, nako700, marryum-aljabill, kawaiipeachpainter, burningvoidbird, chieffurygiver, luckieangelali

i really recommend looking at their pinned posts in order to better recognize scams, not just using this list as a blocklist, because once they are terminated they each will immediately remake their scams under a new username

holy shit. i knew people did these types of scams, and i knew it happened on tumblr, but Jesus fucking christ lying about being in palestine and having diabetes?? i checked their profile to be sure they were legit before replying but it looked fine!! thanks for the ask anon

[sharkneto]

now that joining together is coming to a close (which, holy moly, congratulations!!!), were there any ideas or drafts that ultimately had to be cut for whatever reason, things that didn't work out in the flow of your story that you wish you had time to explore further? conversely, were there any major last minute changes you made that surprised you? thanks for your work, as always!

I think the only officially cut thing from JT is this deleted scene from Chapter 23. Other cuts that happened very early on in getting JT ready to start sharing was that there used to be a couple more people in Sarah's lab - a post doc and a second grad student. It was too many people and Megan's role absorbed them both. The fic is better for it. Another cut thing I played with was that, during the Extra Ordinary arc, Rick would have had a talk with Sarah about the book because he read it, becoming the only Lab Member to have read it and finally kind of getting Number. I liked the idea because it let Rick be a bit more of a character, but ultimately didn't add enough and the pacing was so much obviously better to keep the focus tight on Sarah and Five, so I never even wrote any of it. Rick gets to continue hanging out as a quarternary character with the defining character trait of Tall.

As for how things have changed, I've had the basics of the final chapters written for like two and a half years, so I've always known where we were headed. But, the exact Vibe of them and how we got there shifted. It was originally just Extra Ordinary drama - the Sarah Argument was a relatively last-minute addition, but I think it's better for it and better supports the rock-bottom of the rock bottom Five is at.

Another thing that surprised me, just overall in writing it, was how goddamn long it took for Five to be friends with Sarah and Rob. It took like 60k words. Jesus fucking Christ. I just wanted to write them as friends already but Five was Not Ready and I wasn't going to rush it and cheapen the development even if I just wanted to write them all hanging out already.

I think the largest oversight I had (and cannot believe I missed!) was that Five could have taken a class from Sarah. I've been thinking about this series and Number and Sarah for over three years, and this only occurred to me a couple months ago. It's too late to go back and add it in, now, but I might have to write that one of these days as a little bonus. It's just so fun and would have been perfect to slip in in their early days, when they're Friends but before Five is really part of the Walters family. The beats for this chapter would be as follows: Second semester of Five in Sarah's lab, he signs up for one of her classes. He incorrectly assumes that, because it is Sarah's class, it means he doesn't have to go to it and can just work in the lab through her lecture and discussion. When she tracks him down to yell at him about skipping, he is disappointed that he has not found a loophole to the Agreement. He has to go to class. He sits in the back and grudgingly participates when Sarah forces him to, otherwise spends the class texting Sarah his thoughts about what she's teaching but mostly about the other students. He has a good time and does learn some things despite himself.

[eeefroggyeee]

Ok so I’ve got some Monument Mythos thoughts that I want to dump on someone. I have a theory about the “more perfect union” that mostly has to do with what it represents within the story. I might delete this post later. If it for some reason blows up, I won’t, but for now it’s just ramblings. SPOILERS AHEAD!!!!!_______________________________________________

So at the end (so far) of the series, we see Everett, Freedom, and the Angel fuse into a single being referred to as “a more perfect union”. This being defeats the Martian serpent thus saving the Earth and then it becomes the Manticorn constellation. I think that there’s more to come from this constellation in the future but aside from that I have an idea about what the union represents. Monument Mythos focuses largely on American ideas and places as a sort of parody and one factor of this is its Christian religious references. The obvious one is the Angel being titled that as well as America using the twisted image of Christ on the cross to just fucking bomb a place and then act all love and peace about it. It also refers to James Dean as a devil, specifically THE devil but I don’t think he’s meant to literally be Satan, just an evil person. Instead, I think the actual devil in this case are the serpents. Satan is famously associated with serpents and with the destructive, Earth/universe ending power ascribed to the serpents in the story (The George Washington serpent hatching from the earth and destroying the universe and then later when the universe is reformed by the Angel, the Martian serpent comes to destroy earth after being disturbed by Elon Musk mining through Mars) This is all important because I think the reason Everett, Freedom, and the Angel came together to defeat the Martian serpent is because they represent God. The Father is represented by the statue of Freedom who contains the souls of a father and daughter. Also, she was created first which lines up with the order that the three parts of god were created.

The second to exist is the Angel who I believe represents the Holy Spirit. The Angel is made up of the consciousnesses, or the spirits, of 17 soldiers. This differs from Freedom containing the father and daughter because the statue acts as their body, where the Angel is only comprised of the consciousnesses. Also, the Holy Spirit is meant to be a guide and protector which is often the role the Angel takes. In early episodes it tries to warn people through graffiti that the monuments are not what they seem and when the horned serpent initially destroys the Dean universe, it’s the Angel who divides itself to protect humanity.

Everett then, is the Son. He is after all, the son of Virginia which is incredibly important to his character. Also *Virgin*ia and *Virgin* Mary are kinda similar. I don’t exactly think that Virginia was impregnated by some other force or whatever, although at this point I wouldn’t be surprised. I just thought it was an interesting comparison. Anyways, yeah I think that those three figures joining together represents the the father, the Holy Spirit, and the son all coming together and becoming god and basically sort of defeating Satan (for now at least since there is still the horned serpent and the third one which is likely still in Venus). I don’t believe that these characters are exactly their Christian counterparts or whatever, I just think narratively it’s a fun idea and it fits with the other mentions and twisting of religion that the series often indulges in.

[androgynousblackbox]

not the original anon, but I'd go check Kat Lo's twitter. There's a whole storm over there rn because she didn't just accept what james somerton was saying at face value and now he's deleted his twitter.

I did and holy fuck, this guy really even went after JessieGender after she tried to tell him he was being an ass.

Like holy fuck, this is WAY of a disppropotionate response to what is ultimately such fucking mild criticism. Literally what this fuck had to do was say "yeah, you know what, that wasn't cash money of me to say, sorry" and done, but OH FUCKING NO, that would be too fucking easy. Instead this guy wants to involve the fucking police while putting a trans woman in blast, jesus christ. Chill was just never a thought on the mind of this plagiarist piece of shit. Although, I shouldn't be surprised since this is the same fucking guy who brought up the terminal cancer of his mother as a response to people criticizing him for a thumbnail option and even blamed people to him becoming an ass to his partner. Like dude... what the fuck. Who the fuck does that. This guy is fucking unreal, I swear. He always does this every time he gets criticized for anything. He escalates way more than it was ever warranted just to try to guilt trip people into feeling bad for criticizing him at all in the first place. What a slimy fucking ass.

The worst part is that this shit works. So many mentions about him right now are just being concerned for his well being, and how much harassment he gets, and how poor little Somerton baby boy needs to be protected from the evil mean JessieGender fans, like this is actually disgusting. No one can convince me that Somerton isn't having the biggest smuggest smile ever reading those.

[myuntoldstory]

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Let’s spread the self-love! ❤️

aw, thanks jayne! i appreciate you sending this. i'm a little embarrassed about this, lol, since self-promotion is not really my thing. anyway, here are the fics in post order (oldest to newest):

bitter, beloved, rebellious (3.9k words, one-shot, complete)

“Only call me Mary when it’s important. Then I’ll listen to only you.” As the war escalates, Sirius faces a future vastly different from the one he didn't mind living in.

commentary: this is a favourite of mine because it's one of the fics that made me teary while writing it. 50% is because it's macblack/blackdonald. the other 50% is made up of everything else i felt while writing it, like existential fear, grief, loss, mourning, all those good things. like, i distinctly remember thinking about this story while waiting for a bus. imagine getting teary-eyed while waiting for a bus, jesus christ lol.

lento con gran espressione (before the end) (2.6k words, one-shot, complete)

"This was what peace felt like, this quiet moment with nothing but the rain, tea, and both of them wrapped in each other." 1979. James and Lily spend a quiet Halloween night at home.

commentary: this is a thematic sequel to the first ever fic i "officially" (because i have posted things way back, like 2004, dksfjldksfjdfls but i deleted them out of self-doubt) posted in a03/ffnet. i guess with this fic, i'm happy with my descriptions, how self-contained it is, and the cosiness of autumn that has that undercurrent of hopelessness because of jily's situation. (sorry wow lololol)

water of the womb (6.3k words, one-shot series, complete)

Coalescence: verb. come together to form one mass or whole. Divaricate: verb. stretch or spread apart; diverge widely This short series is an exploration of Andromeda Tonks and Narcissa Malfoy—the choices they have made and what led to these choices. In Coalescence, Narcissa's past and present combine, focusing on her ultimate choice in the Second Wizarding War. In Divaricate, Andromeda's choice has led her back to the past… but would she be able to reconcile with it?

commentary: sorry i cheated a bit with the series, but i can't really self-rec one without the other. happy with the cohesiveness of these two fics, how (i think) i managed to present the tenuous connection between andromeda and narcissa. i like how i ended it as well because it was realistic and right, i feel. i was also proud of how i wrote teddy lupin and the golden trio kids, i think.

sillage (2.1k words, one-shot, complete)

On the day before his exhibition opened, V finds MC staring up at his work with tears in her eyes. It was a reaction he never saw before. So he approached her to find out why.

commentary: i'm proud of this purely because i managed to wrangle the huge philosophical and metaphorical story that is kim jihyun's in mystic messenger. even now i still get confused by some of the metaphors in his storyline. but anyway this fic was during my (still ongoing) phase of "justice for jihyun kim". because why does everyone get forgiveness and love except him? and i'm still super salty about things like saeran's after end and finally getting a kiss cg but not during gameplay, but after the fact, like as the game's app intro cg like sldkjflsdj nah dude, i ain't taking that as a win.

carry on, carry on (1.6k words, one-shot, complete)

"So whatever happens. No matter what the future has in store for us. You carry on, Dromeda. You carry on." Andromeda learns of Ted's death.

commentary: i just read this right now and... holy fucking jesus christ why is it so sad??? ahahaha. and my end note is "i hope you enjoy". uh. wow, i'm so sorry to those who read this way back. i guess i'm sorry to those who might read this in the future also. again, i like how this is self-contained. i said in my end notes that i've developed a strong curiosity for off-camera moments. and that's still true. one of my prouder moments is the letter because in ffnet you couldn't strikethrough (i don't know if that's still true now); so with strikethrough being allowed in ao3, i could properly write the letter and bring to life ted's obvious mistakes (read: honesty) when writing his "last" letter to andromeda.

[piratecaptainscaptainpirates]

Before anything else you have to know I am absolutely smitten with your fics- I love to be dramatic but I am 100% dead serious when I say I have cried real tears, gasped out loud, thrown my phone so I could pace, full on out loud cackled, and ETC to your fics. (Also they are as sweet as they are hot. Jesus CHRIST HELLO heart boner and other boners thank u) I called my cat sweet pea the other day and had to stop and laugh because HEY I know exactly where that came from. STEDELE?? GODDD. They are so special to me. You live in my head rent FREE and I’m so so grateful you’re here and you share what you write/your thoughts and metas with us. 🖤🖤🖤🖤

ALSO. I don’t know if this is weird?? (And if it is I’m sorry in advance and absolutely feel free to delete) I’m also very grateful for your fics because I’m working through some major gender fuckery right now and they honestly make me feel so much better about my body. The way you write Ed’s (and Stede’s too actually, now that I think about it.) relationship to gender and sex and the way they experience that with each other has made a couple things click for me that I don’t think I would have gotten right now otherwise. So thank you!! I look forward to every fic!! :^)

Oogh tldr they are in insanely in love and they lovingly, tenderly, life changingly fuck nasty about it and you get it. 1 MILLION KUDOS 🖤

Ahhh you wrote me a lovely letter!!

I am genuinely so, so flattered that you like my fics! When I first started posting them, I wasn't sure what I was hoping for, and writing fics can sometimes feel like just screaming into a void - but holy shit do comments and messages like this just make my entire month. Knowing that people read my little fics and like them is just...incredible, genuinely, and I'm so thankful that you shared. It means so much to know they mean something to you.

This is the second time someone's told me my fics helped them figure out some gender stuff about themselves, and I'm just so happy and grateful that they helped you! Writing Ed and Stede's relationships with gender, sex, gender expression, and sexuality and how they support each other has been so healing and affirming for me, so I'm so happy it's been good for you, too. It means a lot.

Thank you so much for giving my fics a shot. <3

[reflectiondetonation]

ty tumblr for deleting one of my blogs for no reason but i was able to find the text

THIS SCENE WITH RIN IS. SOOOOOO FUCKING FRUSTRATING BC ITS CLEAR WHAT THEY -MEANT- TO DO BUT BOTCHED IT HORRIBLY

i’m copying and pasting this but

so i think this is like. Rin’s second most controversial scene in this entire anime. literally only episode 15 and the fandom war that followed that’s STILL raging to this day can possibly compare, but holy shit nothing else Rin does makes as much discourse as this scene because this one has both people who hate sessrin and people who love sessrin coming togethee to say “hey what the fuck-”

this is such a weird scene because i feel like. it is simultaneously misunderstood while also really deservedly called out on how it makes Rin look almost borderline sociopathic regarding the fact she’s talking to her kids about the fact things are literally always gonna kill them and i feel like this is a great example of “there are almost two separate characters named Rin in this show” and this one is endemic of like, a kid that never grew up, the one I don’t really like.

so it’s like this

i UNDERSTAND what this scene is meant to convey. that she’s not afraid because she knows her kids are always gonna come out on top.

the fact is: being Towa and Setsuna kinda sucks and it’s always gonna kinda suck even if things are better now. i’ve talked about how much i LOVE when Jakan refers to them as “Rin’s daughters” and not “Sesshomaru’s daughters,” but the fact is to the world at large outside of their social circles- until they build up their own legends properly, they’ll always primarily be “Someone’s” daughters, and more specifically “Sesshomaru’s daughters.”

there’s always gonna be an entire conga line of pissant demons that are gonna wanna take a shot at them for the sole reason that it’ll give them clout. in Final Act Jaken noted that a lot of demons wanted to take on Sesshomaru when he had no sword because even though he was in a severely weakened state with no weapon it’d STILL give them recognition if they killed him. killing his kids give them clout in some capacity. and even if they weren’t his kids, they’re still hanyou- free game to kill for fun and laughs.

so this scene. like.

the intent to me is clearly that she’s this relaxed because she knows there’s nothing they can’t overcome. there’s no need for Rin to be afraid or show fear because they’ll be safe. i truly believe that’s what this scene is meant to convey- laughing at the very concept that Towa and Setsuna can’t overcome an enemy that would challenge them- they’re their fathers kids, her beautiful and beloved children who along with moroha literally saved the entire world twice, once in the modern era and now in the sengoku jidai.

so this scene is mean to be her laughing it off and showing joy despite the macabre subject matter. i totally get it, and i think because of that, i’m less harsh on this scene than some others are. but also. 

JESUS CHRIST, RIN

look at her! she looks like she’s a cheerleader at an event or something! it looks joyful! if i was Towa i’d be fucking disturbed beyond words!!! like hey, you just saved the world twice, you had to have a tearful and sad goodbye with your adoptive family maybe forever- and THIS is how your mom talks about things always trying to kill you!? i’d probably ask Moroha, Kagome, and Inuyasha if I could crash at their place for a few days while trying to figure out what the FUCK is my mom’s deal!

“hey moroha uh. my mom kinda… cheered and laughed when talking about things wanting to kill me? think i can like. crash here for a few days or something? think the old guy who gives you bounties would let me stay at his place a few days if i agree to do some work for him?”

like. here’s how i think it should’ve been. and i’m just one western fan with no stakes in anything but like… i kind of imagine something that would’ve been significantly less controversial would’ve been her still smiling at the beginning when giving them gifts, and then her expression getting more serious when talking about the unpleasant stuff, like this:

and putting on like, a serious face about it. because yeah, it sucks. they can’t JUST live in peace. there’s always gonna be these assholes that are always gonna try to kill them. just because the most dangerous conflict (God willing) in Kirinmaru and the Grim Comet has ended doesn’t mean there won’t be danger- they’re going to be in danger for literally the rest of their lives, and she gets serious when talking about that to her only kids…

… but they’re both gonna be ok. she smiles again when expressing that. we’re not gonna pretend it doesn’t fucking suck. but they’re always gonna be ok. she has nothing less than complete confidence that they’re always gonna rise above and against everything that tries to harm them. she’s not fucking borderline cheering about it, but she has so much confidence in that, it’s not an opinion to her, it’s a fact.

so she smiles not only knowing her kids are OK, they’re gonna be OK even if things does, but to assure them that they’ll always be ok in the end. at most, there’s a little laugh at it all- “You really are your father’s children, you know? You inherited his power… you’ll be OK no matter what!”

and i feel like that would’ve conveyed what this scene was TRYING To do while also not making Rin seem borderline sociopathic about this fact and treating it like a game little kids are playing or a complete and absolute disregard for her children’s safety just so she can gush about her husband, the husband that Towa literally JUST confided in with her mother that she kind of. resents him a bit for not helping them out (WHICH IF THERE’S A CONTINUATION I WANNA SEE HAPPEN MORE)

i get this scene. i really do. so i’m not as hard on it as others are. but also holy fuck what the FUCK was the animation and voice acting direction with this scene? what the fuck? it would’ve been EASY to make it better!

thank god i found the text its just. SO frustrating bc i LOVE Yashahime, i love Rin so much i don’t CARE what anyone says or even if it’s not that great or anything, its just. i feel like there was a big intent in this scene, but holy shit it was so. bad. it’s executed SO BAD and i can’t get over it

(ALSO ANYONE THAT SAYS TOWA DOESN’T HAVE A RIGHT TO BE KINDA RESENTFUL AT SESSHOMARU CAN FIGHT ME)

[ask-the-friendly-ink-demon]

small announcement

okay so uh... first things’s first- i have spent basically all day deleting various old posts and what not to clean up my blog, mainly for my own mental health but also to get rid of the clusterfuck that i was doing like... JESUS christ, i mean i know for some people it’s nice to look back at the past and what not and see how much you’ve improved, and i mean i do that too! but like... holy cow there’s a lot like i dunno if i’ve gotten rid of basically half the old stuff, and that- weird event thing i did with something about a reptile or something... what the fuck was i on? christ almighty.. i dunno if i deleted every post of that event but hopefully i did... good lord. also i did take notice of some old asks having either no tags, or were from the phase when Prowler was still known as Modern, i am lowkey planning on reworking those asks to better fit into new lore and what not. why? because i can, and i want too, probably not all of them but, eh. we’ll see. But that ain’t the big shocker. guess who has Covid? That’s right, ya boy. supposedly but it’s very likely i have it. we think that i got it after i had my calvatives filled in recently, and supposedly my dad also got covid, so yeah. this has been a very ‘interesting’ month so far. anyways, im saying this now so that you all can expect some sort of a hiatus until i feel better enough to go back on, cause i am exhausted right now, spending nearly all day on here deleting old post after old post and what not (mainly reblogs that shouldn’t be on this blog, old prompts, musings, you name it) so yeah. i am heading off for the night, wish me well in trying to recover from covid

[the-girl-who-didnt-smile]

Baron de la Mort

Here is my take on a “Baron Samedi”-type Hazbin Hotel character (take two)

His name is often shortened to “The Baron” or simply “Baron”. In terms of character design, this is just a rough draft.

This doesn’t even begin to look like the art style of the show! Jesus Christ…

The previous, scrapped concept was deeply offensive, on many different levels. In a nutshell, I erred in taking Denise Alvarado, Randy P. Conner, and Wikipedia as reliable sources for Haitian Vodou. I’m that fucking stupid! It was also a mistake for me to include a reference to Sosyete Nago, given the recent controversy. The reason I have not just deleted it is because it illustrates exactly what not to do, and mistakes are a learning experience.

Baron Samedi is one of the most misrepresented lwa in popular media, which I previously discussed here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/54861145/chapters/150245212 

To correct past mistakes, I attempted to style him after Andre D. Pierre’s portrayal of Baron Samedi, with some deliberate changes. This is why he smokes cigars, and in his human form he wears sunglasses (although, his sunglasses are styled after Gustavo Fring)

Andre Pierre painted this incredible mural of the lwa, and I genuinely think Baron Samedi is the single most stylish man in this entire pantheon. I’m a little sad that his immaculate, anime-esque facial hair never made it into the public consciousness… 

In all seriousness, I actually think one of the coolest things about Pierre’s rendition is how he depicts Baron Samedi carrying scales, because he’s the Supreme Judge over the human soul. That’s so fucking cool!

My brain is so rotten on One Piece, I just immediately connect him to the Holy Knights and Peak Stylish One Piece Man: Impel Down Crocoboy

This is how this man dressed in prison!

Funny story… Baron is actually supposed to be Donquixote Doflamingo. 

Because I am insane, I genuinely think Doflamingo is the only One Piece man who has better drip than Crocoboy.

His drip is so horrible, ugly, and evil, just like everything else about Sir D. Onquixote D. Oflamingo

He is the most evil drag king who will ever fucking live.

This guy is not nearly as evil as Doffyboy, but this is why he always wears sunglasses… he for sure has a second pair of sunglasses underneath his sunglasses… Lanmò is supposed to be Bellamy… Lavi is supposed to be Monet...

At that, this is actually the reason for the inclusion of Lanmò and Lavi. TAKE ONE PIECE FOR EXA– So you know how Baroque Works was introduced before Crocoboy, and Bellamy was introduced before Tanjiahdo Lofulamingo Sama. If you put a ‘boss’ character into a story, you have to give him henchmen and introduce the henchmen, otherwise the bossman doesn’t seem cool… There’s a sequence to things. Lanmò and Lavi demo ‘henchmen’ types characters you would give this guy.

Anyways, you know how Doflamingo - ugliest man in all of One Piece - is WAY stronger than Crocodile (the Suna Suna no Mi is complete dogwater) but plagiarizes the shit out of his look… This other guy is stealing Doflamingo’s look. This is why elements of Dofla D. Mingo and Croco D. Boy are both present in his design.

So “Baron of the Dead” was just a placeholder name. That name sounds so bad. I decided to give him the name “Baron de la Mort”, which is also kind of a stupid name. He and “Maman de la Vie” break the Jojo-ass naming scheme to signify their unique importance, as the gods of the dead.

He is not actually Baron Samedi, but a human from another universe. In the universe he comes from, there exists something like Baron Samedi. In fact, this is actually how you reveal the identities of THE GODS themselves, through the backstory of THE GOD OF DEATH! The added element of them being from another universe just makes it more fun, because you can make them human souls from any time period and alternate history imaginable - including the future!

The backstory for “Baron de la Mort” is described here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/55065466/chapters/151062802  

Here, it is crucial not to collapse his moral complexity. He cannot be described as “pure evil” or “a hero”; for his extraordinary ruthlessness and moral neutrality, he was the perfect candidate to become Mortality itself.

I genuinely think this makes for a very interesting fictional character; however, the subject matter must be handled with the utmost maturity. Hazbin Hotel is not exactly a show known for its maturity… If he were ever to appear in a show like Hazbin Hotel, this aspect of his backstory should only be implied, and not addressed directly. If a flashback is shown, it should not involve his criminal history, but his relationship with his son, who came out as homosexual to him.

This is a key part of his past human life. He is designed to contrast with Moxxie and Angel Dust’s fathers, in that he did not reject his son and loved him unconditionally. Unlike his wife, his son’s soul was not used to create a god. He doesn’t remember him, but on some level he misses him.

Recently, I watched the documentary Des Hommes et Dieux (2002) [Vimeo] [Kanopy]. One of the things that really moved me was the parents in this documentary, who didn’t reject their children. This is in part because of their religious beliefs - that they were born that way to serve the lwa. It’s remarkable… Haiti - the nation that did the right thing, and paid the price for it - is one of the most impoverished places on the Earth, and yet there’s this side that’s accepting of this. The culture I grew up in is WAY more affluent, but there’s no equivalent to Vodou; homosexuals and transgender people were just hated, “better off dead”... 

In terms of media representation, it is important not just to show characters who are themselves LGBT, but the parents of those characters. Importantly, this representation cannot just be superficial (e.g., the “lesbian” or “gay parent” background characters, who have no speaking lines and are easily censored) You have to actually show how did these parents grapple with this reveal? How did they handle the shock of it, and why didn’t they reject their children? This matters because it might be able to change the minds of some parents in the real world. Family rejection has a huge, negative impact on LGBT children, and several minority communities are disproportionately affected by this trend. Intersectional representation is scarce, and often feels inauthentic - especially when a creator takes characters who were clearly originally planned to be white, racebends them, and doesn’t account for cultural differences. This would be a unique opportunity to show this side of Haitian culture, in an authentic way.

What I had actually envisioned for this character is a darker spin-off of Hazbin Hotel - a story that takes place in its world and expands on Earth and the afterlife. He is best utilized there. Barring this, he still makes for a fun character as the “grim patriarch” over a motley crew of henchmen / “capricious children”. In terms of personality, he’s supposed to be a cross between Gomez Addams and Gustavo Fring.

This aspect of his character was inspired by Donald Cosentino’s Sacred Arts, in which he characterizes Baron Samedi like so: 

“Bawon Samdi is a family man, presiding over a whole clan of related spirits who bear a startling collective resemblance to the Addams family…There is, for instance, Bawon Lakwa, the imbecilic brother who keeps the cemetery grounds, and Gran Brijit, the ghoulish, red-eyed wife, and the wise Bawon Simitye. But it is their capricious children, known collectively as the Gedes, who are the truly beloved of the Bawon’s family. As sacred children, the Gedes merge with the other dead, and the other lwa, to form the holy trinity of Vodou. Everyone seems to love the Gedes, for in linking the cemetery to the phallus, they celebrate our common sexual victory over death.”

SOURCE: Cosentino, Donald. Sacred Arts of Haitian Vodou. United States, UCLA Fowler Museum of Cultural History, 1995. p. 405 https://archive.org/details/sacredartsofhait0000unse/page/404/mode/2up? 

If Milo Marcelin’s Mythologie Vodou, Vol. II is to be believed, Baron Samedi really does have this band of “capricious children” following him around. This is a scary ass lwa, described as The Supreme Judge over the Earth and The Lord over the Dead, who bewitches people and turns them into zombies, also has a bunch of kids with these hilariously clashing personalities, who sing funny songs where they call Baron Samedi “papa”... Not to mention that several of them may or may not be gender non-conforming / non-heterosexual… I think that’s fun!

Didn’t you love Baroque Works?

Baroque Works was so fun… it was literally just:

The Donquixote pirates were even better. 

Just:

Several aspects of Baron are actually inspired by Don Corleone, but it’s a mistake to make him visually resemble the Godfather, as it makes him look too much like Francois Duvalier. This is why I think he should adopt a Victorian era-esque style - to make it obvious he is not “Papa Doc”. It is also why he should not speak in a nasally voice; I was picturing him with a super deep voice, or an effect layered over his voice. He needs to have a distinct and intimidating voice. Ideally, he is voiced by a Haitian voice actor.

(in the Japanese dub I was totally picturing him sounding like Ryūzaburō Ōtomo)

To summarize his powers (his stats are not changed):

He is the Grim Reaper of Hazbin Hotel; he is tasked with escorting human souls to Heaven or Hell (your ass probably didn’t get into Heaven…you’re probably going to Hell)

He exerts pure Death Anxiety on humans, making him appear Scarier than is visually conveyed… (I know my art is bad! LEAVE ME ALONE!!!)

Like all other Loa, he can possess humans and communicate with them through their dreams; he can be petitioned to bewitch another human and/or give them horrifying nightmares.

He alone has the power to create zombies; all zombies are created through him, in some way.

His black-colored magic is Death itself; a human does not die until he kills them; he can be petitioned to postpone a human’s death.

His signature move is where he rips apart a human soul but slows down time while he’s doing it, so the person experiences torture forever (this attack looks WAY COOL but it’s not very strong… four-dimensional confetti is a lot stronger than this…) This is extremely easy for him to do; he can make millions of these without breaking a sweat.

He has the highest Attack Power of any god; this means he can kill everything in a given universe, in an instant.

When he fuses with his wife, she basically gives him infinite Healing. They become the most powerful thing underneath uppercase God.

If somehow figure out a way to kill his unkillable wife, he goes BERSERK where he gains the power to do things that are completely impossible, at the cost of all his Battle IQ

Although he is forced to assume a human form, he shapeshifts to look like a skeleton when carrying out his duties as the undertaker. When he does this, his sunglasses become his eye sockets, the skull painted on his face becomes an actual skull, and the rings on his fingers become bones. He wears a small black cross, which is not inverted, and black gloves to hide his Scary Skeleton Hands. 

To be honest, there are a lot of Scary Skeleton Men who look Scarier than this, but I think his powers are Scary as fuck. If this was something you could encounter in the real world, I would just about shit my pants!

In two regards, I may or may have massively played myself. 

Firstly, I previously assumed that God (Hazin Hotel) exists, but it dawned on me that we’ve never actually seen God. Walk with me here, but what if God doesn’t actually exist, and it’s just a conspiracy made up by the angels in Heaven? In which case… Bon Dieu isn’t actually God. He’s just this horrifying Eldritch Abomination who created The Boys, then fucked off into hyperspace (or, hyper-hyperspace) I guess! …Can you see why it’s a problem to call them “Baron Samedi” “Papa Legba” etc…?

Actually, this is not that big of a deal. It’s kind of funny if “Bon Dieu” is this just Bill Cipher-ass, super-powered Abomination.

But secondly, I think it is likely that “Double Hell” exists. EXPLAIN YOURSELF. Well, I think it is likely that there’s some other zone(s) outside of Heaven and Hell, because of the existence of Roo. They’ve shown the various Rings of Hell in Helluva Boss, but Roo does not seem to be in any of them. So where is she? In Dante’s Inferno, there are actually more than seven Circles to Hell; perhaps there are secret levels to Hell, and Roo is in one of the secret levels. Another possibility is that she dwells in a zone outside of Hell proper! Then you have to consider the fate of the souls destroyed by the Exterminators. What happens to those souls? What happens to souls that have been ripped apart? I think it’s doubtful that they merely cease to exist. Otherwise, there would probably be many people seeking out this “exit” from whatever horrors they are experiencing under a Soul Deal with a Demon Overlord. The more likely answer seems to be “Double Hell”... which probably isn’t called “Double Hell”, but it’s existence is implied in the pilot. Basically, instead of respawning in the Pride Ring, you respawn here, and this is just torture for eternity. Something like every cell in your body burns forever… Real Hell, if you will. If I had to guess, I think this might be where Roo dwells, and she somehow feeds off of torturing these souls forever… that would be SICK!

If this turns out to be even partially true, I think this ROCKS I’m down, but it does completely undermine the concept of the Real Hell attack... The Real Hell is way less cool if Double Hell exists. However, I still think it’s a little cool in that it’s more ancient than even Double Hell. Charlie is such a sweet girl that if Double Hell exists, she might make it her mission (and succeed) to free all the souls from “Double Hell”.  So I guess a cool thing about Real Hell is that nobody ever gets out of it. Baron is the only thing that can free a human soul from this torture, and he never does. He never goes back on his decision.

I thought about changing his powerset, but no… the mental image of Gustavo D. Fring going BERSERK is so goddamn funny to me. This guy is so fucking smart too! But no… Santa Claus and Nina Simone are smarter than him… 

In the Santa Claus v. Gomez Addams/Morticia Addams showdown, it is actually a very close fight. So you’re thinking to yourself “How does Santa Claus kill the Dyad with INFINITE ATTACK and INFINITE HEALS?” Basically, if he blows up the entire multiverse, there is no more space for anything to exist but himself. This is how he fucking wins… there is a 50% chance Mr. and Mrs. Corleone win, but a 49% chance Louis Armstrong (underdog) wins instead… 

The one thing I did tweak is the impossible battle scenario between him and his wife. I think it’s kind of pointless for purple-colored magic to destroy black-colored magic; rather, it’s that the two cannot harm each other. Life cannot kill Death; Death cannot kill Life. So basically they are just locked in an infinite stalemate. But if he was fighting someone other than his wife who somehow has purple-colored magic, he does win solely because he has the Berserk mode. He’s a bit of a Stu in this regard… It takes him forever to figure out the condition that triggers it, making this one of the most boring fights imaginable.

He is sometimes seen carrying a staff, which was visually inspired by the In Extremis display at the UCLA Fowler Museum. The staff would look unsettling if it existed in real life. As it is not made out of materials that exist in the real world, it falls into the uncanny valley of “organic vs. inorganic”. The black portion of the staff is supposed to resemble a human aorta.  

Also inspired the In Extremis display, “Baron de la Mort” and “Maman de la Vie” are figured as skeletons, while “Lanmò” and “Lavi” (demons who sold their souls to them) are rotten flesh. It should be immediately visually obvious that former pair are “the boss” and the latter pair are “the underlings”. 

In addition to Baron Samedi, “Baron de la Mort” is also inspired by a “Devil” figure who appears in American folklore. There is a very fun theory that this “Devil” is actually Baron Samedi. I do not know if it is true (it could turn out to be bullshit), but I think it makes for a fun story in a fictional setting. This is why he has a minor black cat motif, as this “Devil” is associated with black cats. He is occasionally seen holding a black cat Godfather-style, to contrast with “Big Papa”’s dog motif.

See also: Jacobsen, K. (Nov. 1, 2002). The Society for the Study of Southern Literature, Volume 36, Issue 1: https://southernlit.org/volume-36-issue-one-fall-2002/ 

Selling your soul to “The Devil” is a big thing in American folklore, which is why a human can sell their soul to “Baron de la Mort”. Unlike “Big Papa”, Baron is not much of a Dealmaker. He does not seek out humans to make contracts with; they seek out him. This is very rare, as only the most desperate humans (living or dead) ever seek him out. His soul deals are extremely brutal - some of the worst to enter. Unlike “Big Papa” he also makes deals with souls in the afterlife, as he moves freely between the realms of the living and dead. (Papa is powerful enough to do this too, he’s just not interested in it)

Baron is also sometimes seen carrying scales, but he’s technically not the Judge. He does not decide who goes to Heaven or Hell, but he is the Supreme Executive Authority. Because he wields Executive Power, he can override the decision on a human’s final destination. For this reason, he is extremely powerful, outranking the Archangels in Heaven and the Seven Deadly Sins.

He rarely exercises this power, as he has so little regard for human lives.  If he abused his Executive Authority, he would have been removed from his post. On rare occasion, he overrides the decision and adopts human souls into his personal domain - a third option outside of Heaven or Hell, called “The Underworld”. 

Previously, I defined a set of criteria to join the Underworld. Baron de la Mort is a lot more elusive about his criteria. It seems to be something he does on a whim, and appears to happen pretty randomly. 

The real reason for this is because, in his past human life, he had a large family of several children and grandchildren. Upon becoming a god, he lost his memories of his past human life, but he occasionally gets glimpses of it in a process similar to dreaming. He cannot clearly remember this, but on some level he misses his children. 

The irony here, is that unlike SOME OTHER PEOPLE IN THE ROOM this guy is actually a good father figure. This serves to humanize him, and make him more fun (Don’t you love Gomez Addams??)

He is designed to contrast with “Big Papa”. “Big Papa” is inspired by Papa Legba of New Orleans Voodoo; “Baron de la Mort” is inspired by Baron Samedi of Haitian Vodou. In spite of his name, “Big Papa” is not a good father figure; “Baron de la Mort” actually is. “Big Papa” is the only one who doesn’t have a spouse/ex-spouse; “Baron de la Mort” and “Maman de la Vie” are the only two who were married, not just in their present lives as gods, but their past lives as humans. They are also the only two who have children (adopted, as they are not allowed to conceive another Loa). 

On the subject of “Port-au-Prince”... this is a character I designed to be the adoptive son of Baron de la Mort (I need to rewrite his bio at some point…). He was originally designed to resemble Guede Nibo, as portrayed by Andre Pierre. However, this was a misguided decision, as Andre Pierre himself took offense to the notion that Guede Nibo is gay.

Having pondered this, I think the most respectful course of action is to eliminate the association between “Port-au-Prince” and Guede Nibo. If you look at his character design, “Port-au-Prince” really doesn’t look like Guede Nibo. Sure, they both wear purple, but he just looks like a cartoon twink version of Prince, the singer. “Port-au-Prince” is so early in development, I didn’t even draw a full body image of him. I’ve decided to scrap any association between him and Guede Nibo, to avoid making him physically resemble Guede Nibo, or equate the two on any level.

Rather than being a tribute to Andre Pierre’s artwork, he is now a tribute to Milo Marcelin’s Mythologie Vodou, in which Marcelin describes how Baron Samedi has many “children”. “Port-au-Prince” is just one of these children. In fact, he is actually the youngest one, as he is the one who was adopted most recently. For this reason, he is the least powerful one, but he is still a lot more powerful than the average angel or demon. The Hazbin Hotel version of Guede Nibo would be his older brother - the most powerful of his siblings. However, this character would not receive as much focus as “Port-au-Prince” himself, who receives the spotlight because he has some sort of connection to Angel Dust. 

Presently, I figured “Port-au-Prince” as a Haitian American. He was born to a Haitian mother - a sex worker - in New York. Because he physically resembled his father - who abused and abandoned his mother - she was cruel to him from the earliest age. She and her boyfriends abused him throughout his childhood. Their relationship was so sour, that he ran away from home during high school. He was taken in by a gang, who got him hooked on crack. As he experienced homophobic bullying as a small child, he was closeted his entire life. He died violently, at a young age. 

He was supposed to go to Hell, where he would have become Angel Dust 2.0, but Baron de la Mort decides to adopt him instead. For this reason, he is far more well-adjusted than Angel Dust. Because these two have very similar interests and personalities, they would get along swimmingly, but Angel Dust would probably feel intense jealousy and grief upon seeing his loving family.

This is the direction I decided to go in, but I can see how this could still be taken the wrong way, especially given my track record… If deemed controversial, another option is to remove his drag persona (or, make her a different character from him) and leave his sexuality open to interpretation. In terms of media representation, it is also important to show cisgender heterosexuals who are not traditionally masculine / feminine, and have gay or trans friends. In this alternate scenario, he would have several friends in the LGBT community, but his own sexual orientation would be unconfirmed. 

I might change his backstory to make him Haitian - not Haitian American. The reason he is Haitian American is to establish a parallel between him and Angel Dust, who is also from New York. I think it also makes for an interesting contrast with him and Lanmò, who was born in Haiti, but grew up on the West Coast. These make for interesting settings, but I might make changes to his (and possibly Lanmò and/or Lavi’s) place of birth / growing up.

Baron de la Mort’s special move is still The Black Hole of Torture, but the attack is called Judgment now. It’s the same attack, but he’s classy about it. 

I associate him with black holes because I FUCKING LOVE THE BLACK HOLE MULTIVERSE THEORY!!!

…It’s actually called Schwarzschild cosmology.

I just love that this is a real theory that scientists genuinely think might be our reality. Our universe is inside a black hole and the black holes inside our universe are portals to other universes. That would be SO NUTS!!!

Imagine this: You fall into a Black Hole, get spaghettified, wind up in the fictional One Punch Man universe, millimeters away from Saitama’s fist. That would suck balls…

So I put this into my fanfiction, but I implemented it in the dumbest most pop science way ever. This is an aspect I am probably going to change, as it places an unnecessary constraint on the creativity of this story. I’m probably going to revise this so it just conforms to Michio Kaku’s conceptualization of the multiverse.

Doesn’t this piss you off, though?

On top of everything else about Big Papa, he’s the character you introduce multiverse bullshit through.

BOOOOO!!!!! 🍅 🍅 🍅 🍅 🍅 🍅 🍅 MULTIVERSE PEAKED WITH MILES MORALES!!!!!!

…I imagine Vivziepop has zero plans to canonize the Hazbin Hotel multiverse. At this point, the world at large is experiencing Multiverse fatigue. But because I am terrible, I genuinely think this would be a fun way to implement the multiverse.

CANON ALASTORIA

CANON ALASTOR 2P

THINK IT OVER VIVIENNE!!!!!!

…And now to address a serious topic. MAN is this Wikipedia article bad: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haitian_Vodou_and_sexual_orientation 

Zora Neale Hurston was correct in identifying the Gede spirits with the Black peasantry of Haiti, but she was incorrect in describing Gede as the only lwa indigenous to Haiti, and assuming that he has no African counterpart. The name Gede is derived from “Gede”, a vodún from the Dahomean pantheon.

See: Herskovits, Melville Jean, and Frances Shapiro Herskovits. Dahomean narrative: a cross-cultural analysis. Vol. 1. Northwestern University Press, 1998, p. 124

https://archive.org/details/hersokovits-dahomean/page/n189/mode/2up?q=gede

The Gedevi were the original inhabitants of the Abomey plateau who were imperialized by the Aja-Fon kingdom of Dahomey. They became something akin to an “untouchable” class, subjugated at the bottom of the social hierarchy, and enslaved circa 1625-1724:

“The Gede reflect the abject in that their experience reflects the worst of the Dahomian conquest, capture, and sale; the Middle Passage; and the stigma and torture of Saint-Domingue. The Gede Rite is suited to the traumas of economic globalization, including the plight of boat people and disposable migrants, separation from family in diasporas, and the ordeals of sex work in the sexual economy.”

SOURCE: Hebblethwaite, Benjamin. A transatlantic history of Haitian Vodou: rasin figuier, rasin Bwa Kayiman, and the Rada and Gede Rites. Univ. Press of Mississippi, 2021.

In other words, the Gede are so closely associated with the oppressed race/class of Haiti, their history can be traced back to the original oppressed ethnic group from before the Transatlantic slave trade.  

It’s really fucked up that this category of spirits has been twisted by white people to fit into the international LGBT agenda. The Wikipedia article is a prime example of this. I’m saying this, as someone who is both queer and transgender. I already said this, but shit like this fuels animosity against the LGBT community. It doesn’t help but harms “the LGBT community” native to Haiti - which is not called that, but “La Communauté M”. 

I have previously misrepresented “LGBT inclusion” in Haitian Vodou. Normally when this subject comes up, it’s about the inclusion of white people, not Haitians themselves (see: Randy P. Conner). It’s fucked up! I have attempted to correct this by focusing my research on “La Communauté M” - not the white LGBT community - but it is possible misrepresentations are still present.

This is why you have to be very careful in attempting to work LGBT themes that involve Haitian Vodou. DON’T DO WHAT I DID!!! It is also why this concept still might be misguided. The best approach might be to eliminate these characters entirely.

Haitian Vodou - sacred to the Haitian people - has been appropriated to Hell and back, to the point that a bastardized version of it is frequently passed off as “New Orleans Voodoo”. Popular media influences what people do in the real world. Images from American Horror Story still pop up when you search Google for “Papa Legba”. Hazbin Hotel has fans of all races, but it still has a majority white audience. If the lwa are haphazardly put into this story, it could directly contribute to people appropriating and disrespecting the culture. 

The purpose of Baron de la Mort’s backstory is to deal with a mature subject matter - the historical factors that led to the current crisis in Haiti. Why is Haiti - the first nation to permanently ban slavery - on the brink of government collapse? It says a lot about the world at large, doesn’t it? This is something that could be addressed in a darker, more mature spin-off series (one that does necessarily have to be a cartoon). Even in a light-hearted series, this character could be used as part of a donation effort to Haiti and/or Haitian refugees. On the other hand, it might be a mistake to include this character at all. Unless you radically change his appearance, people are inevitably going to think he’s supposed to be Francois Duvalier… it’s just so easy to slip and make this guy offensive.

Another option is to replace ‘Baron de le Mort’ with a character inspired by Grand Zombi. Grand Zombi was associated with death (“Li grand Zombi qui fé muri”) and was one of the most important Spirits of Louisiana Voudou. The lyrics of a song sung for him went:

“L’appe vini, li grand Zombi, pou fé mouri, pou fé gri-gri!” 

SOURCE: Anderson, Jeffrey E.. Voodoo: An African American Religion. United States, LSU Press, 2024.

These are all factors to consider. 

(as a daily reminder, I am in fact crazy enough to think about “what if my ORIGINAL CHARACTER DO NOT STEALS were in the canon of Hazbin Hotel”... it’s just a really fun hypothetical, I SAID LEAVE ME ALONE!!!!)