WAIT WAIT WAIT

WAIT WAIT WAIT

The girl drew herself in a pink dress and with brown hair. Is that Hope (John's daughter)???

Because if so, holy shit that's a sad image in retrospect.

This image is so funny to me why did Patty let a kid in to see their dead mom

Ramses Recommends Special Expiring Kickstarter Edition: Slasher U

So, this is definitely going to be different from a usual RR, in that I'm recommending a kickstarter campaign with only 10 days to spare.

Slasher U started as a few OCs of artist Janie Lee ( @junkmixart ), who you might know for her "counselor Jason" comic.

I eagerly encourage any and all Spooky Month and Hatchetfield (especially NPMD) fans who finds this to back the project. We're on the cusp of the second to last stretch goal (61.4k of 62k), with a final stretch goal at 75k.

With an immediate sense of intrigue and healthy variety to both the slashers and corral of victims, there's definitely some element of this my average follower will love!

Sorry for taking a while to get around to this, but I really wanted to think about your ideas and add some of my own!

First off, I adore Merch and would happily draw so much art of him if I could replicate the style to my satisfaction.

So let's start;

I think Merch would have a pattern similar to the darker pattern in Stella's hair, which could be in his electric hair/mane, also, building of my idea for Mammon having gold claws on his hands and needle-like feet, I think Merch's would be more akin to crystals. Also, I love the general idea of him being a peacock spider, specifically.

Thinking about it, Merch would probably be great at making (and, should the need arise, manipulating) friends, given that both of his parents are extremely extroverted people.

Also, he would have both electric and crystal powers, so he could really make a mess when he feels like it.

I feel Merch would very much be the type of kid to remind a teacher there was homework, he just loves being active, just like his dad.

For his older self, the idea of Merch becoming an imagineer is amazing, but I just want to add the concept of him wearing suits that evoke both glittery 60s and 70s stand up comedians and something to do with electricity, like a simplified circuit pattern.

I'd love to explore the dynamic between Octavia and a slightly older Merch, especially as he would quickly outgrow her. I could imagine they playfully mess with each other quite often. I could see Merch gently resting his arm on Via's head, sarcastically asking where his big sister could be.

You mentioning Charlie made me realize that if Merch eventually found out what the original hotel looked like, he would never let Charlie hear the end of it.

Leviathan would also do everything he could think of in an attempt to be Merch's favorite uncle.

I can't help but think Merch would have a slight soft spot for Andrea, since he might notice how much the time they spend together means to his uncle.

Merch would also take every chance to slip Fizz's hat off in front of others, because he knows how uncomfortable it makes him.

Yeah, I don't think anyone but Stella and Mammon could properly manage the chaos of baby Merch.

When it comes to Stolas, I think Merch would absolutely arrange for some elaborate event as a big front for setting up a humiliating experience for Stolas. Naturally playing dumb about both the prank and the fact he knows what Stolas did the whole time.

So, this brings me to a big idea I haven't mentioned anywhere, I like to think that Mam's palace is on an island just off the coast of Greed's mainland, a part of the island which was previously empty is converted into a bit of an arcade type spot, for Via and Merch to entertain friends at.

Mammon would also make sure Merch knew how to defend himself without using his powers, in case he had to do it in a hidden form, without drawing attention.

In addition to the cent thing, instead of the playing card diamonds, I think Merch would be associated with the more typical 5 pointed from the side view, flat topped diamonds.

Personally, I think Merch would be slightly taller than Stella and Octavia, but still notably shorter than Mammon, mostly as most spiders are a good bit bigger than peacock spiders.

I can't even express how much I LOVE the idea of Merch having a shilling tick, I don't think Octavia would really mind, at this point she'd have long since embraced the "corporate shame" she used to be annoyed by, she can, for lack of a better term, see the appeal.

Merch would also follow his family's tendency towards music, his first instrument would be bongos, again, because peacock spider.

I think Octavia would actually get really invested of taking care of little Merch, because it wasn't until she learned about the egg that she realized she had an internalized wish to have a sibling.

A Golden Goose Idea

After putting some thought into it, I’ve decided to hop back online for a moment and share some ideas I’ve had for a Mammon X Stella fan kid. I probably won’t do much of anything with with the character, but I felt like sharing my vision of a gremlin child for this glorious ship, while also borrowing from some of the ideas posited by @prof-ramses.

Ideas Under The Cut:

While Stella had experience from when Octavia was still an egg and was for the most part pretty reserved during the incubation period, Mammon’s nerves were shot and his dread over something going wrong before the egg hatched led him to act (more) aggressive and impulsive towards those outside his family. During the months leading up to the hatching day, Greed as a whole was walking on pins and needles for fear of provoking its ruler’s fury.

When the day finally came, Mammon and Stella welcomed a bouncing baby boy into the world and in that moment both felt like they were at the top of Hell.

They named him Merch.

Physically, Merch takes heavily after his father (same general build and four arms, but his head is more blocky and he has four visible eyes), with some attributes from his uncle Andy (he has some sparse crystalline/icy feathers). Overall, he draws a lot of inspiration from a Peacock Spider (Arachnophobia Warning).

Personality wise, Merch has the innocent, but chaotic energy of Spooky Month’s Skid and Pump mixed with the scheming and quick thinking of Louise Belcher. Merch is also possessing of a boundless sense of curiosity and a complete lack of understanding of boundaries or warnings, often resulting in him leaving chaos in his wake when left unattended.

Has a really close relationship with both of his parents, often helping his mom with her art projects and being overjoyed whenever his dad takes him to any of his various businesses (especially Loo Loo Land).

I like to think Merch eventually grows up to be an architect/engineer/imagineer that specializes in making fair rides and amusement parks as a tribute to both of his parents’ interests.

His relationship with Octavia is a bit distant given the significant gap in their ages, but the two get along pretty well and often turn to one another as someone they can vent to.

When it comes to his extended family, the Sins are (for the most part) overjoyed to have another little one running around they can dote on and guide towards eventually becoming a new superpower in Hell and Charlie just lights up whenever she sees him and he’s always excited to hangout with his cousin.

As for uncle Andrealphus, Merch follows in his dad’s footsteps in stringing him along and subtly insulting him to his face. Mam has definitely taught him to do the same to Ozzie and Fizz under the guise of it being a game.

While Camio and Furfur are overjoyed that Stella and Mam have another kid and they do genuinely care for Merch, after their first (and last) time babysitting him, they prefer to be around him with his parents or sister also being present.

The only person Merch legitimately dislikes is Stolas because, even if Merch doesn’t know all of the details, he knows that Stolas hurt his mom and sister. Stolas is probably the only person Merch actively schemes against in the hopes of making his life more difficult.

While Stella and Mammon are pretty involved and present parents, Merch is pretty much free to wander and explore Greed unattended, the same applying to Octavia, with no fear of either of them being in any real danger. Everyone in the ring knows better than to mess with them because, unlike Ozzie, Mammon would be far more active in ensuring either of his kids’ safety, even if it means cutting a bloody swath through his own territory.

In terms of voice, I can only really picture him as sounding like Pump.

I really like the idea of Merch wearing clothes emblazoned with a cent sign as a nod to Mammon’s design incorporating dollar signs.

I also like the idea of Merch just generally being larger than the rest of his family as an adult, while keeping most of his easy going and cheerfully chaotic personality despite maturing.

Merch has a tendency to say corporate buzzwords and shill Mammon brand products. He doesn’t really understanding what he’s talking about, he just wants to imitate his dad. Mammon and Stella find this habit adorable, while Octavia is left more than a little exasperated by it all.

Merch is every bit as touchy-feely and has the same personal space invading tendencies as his father.

More proof of the Tree Banshee theory

So, we know that the cult influenced the appearance for the church, with the diamond shaped window on the front door, so there's good odds they were responsible for this

A stained glass window depicting what appears to be a crucifixion as a person being turned into a tree, which further fits my idea of the banshee acting as a warden of sacrificed souls.

I know you’re on a Spooky Month kick and I’m mostly offline due to classes and work, but here are some Hellaverse ideas/headcanons I’ve come up with:

Satan and Mammon are both hoarders, but their reasons, what they hoard, and how they store it differs greatly. Satan’s hoarding tendency is related to how imps (which are associated with him) have a hoarding instinct according to Viv. He typically collects battle trophies and has all of them displayed throughout his personal dwellings, with his favorite trophies being displayed in his man cave/in home gym. Mammon‘s hoarding tendencies are an offshoot of him being the Sin of Greed. He collects pretty much anything that he has even a shred of sentimentality towards, ranging from old performing outfits to drawings a young Charlie gave him to the beta models of Mammon brand products. Mam’s collection is so big he stores it in a series of heavily guarded warehouses.

After Stella divorces Stolas and gets together with Mammon, they refuse to let Asmodeus live down how he unwittingly helped and enabled the prince beforehand. To Ozzy’s credit, he doesn’t offer much of an argument against them.

I’ve sort of always in visioned Mammon and Stolas first interaction going like that meme/video where a guy blows an air horn at a goose and yells “Get fucked!”.

The rare instances Belphagor actually talks instead of using her text-to-speech device, the other’s immediately start listening.

Sort of building off of the idea of Baphomet dressing like a tourist, he has a collection of different hats (primarily fishing, bucket, sun, & straw) that he’ll cycle through. All of them are specifically designed to accommodate his head candle(s).

I had an idea on how to (sort of) power scale the Sins: barring Lucifer who is on a different level by virtue of still having his angelic abilities, the Sins are more or less equal in terms of power, with each possessing specific areas that give them an edge over the others. To elaborate, Satan=physically the most powerful & durable, Leviathan=propaganda (I'm honestly not sure what to put here), Belphagor=smartest on a technical/mechanical level, Asmodeus=smartest on a magical level, Beelzebub=smartest on an emotional level, and Mammon=the single wealthiest demon in the entirety of Hell.

My idea for the Sins ages from old east to youngest: Lucifer, Belphagor, Leviathan, Mammon, Satan, Bee, and Ozzie.

Since we agree Levi is probably based on deep sea life, I really like the idea of him having bioluminescent markings all across his body that he can use to mesmerize weaker demons and possibly even use as a sort of built in light show whenever he performs.

Speaking of performing, I like to think that whenever the Sins get together, Baph doesn’t actually perform with them and is instead placed in charge with organizing and running the events.

I really enjoy the idea of their being a massive gallery in the Morningtars’ castle that contains nothing but the family portraits and pictures that have been collected over the millennia. The twist being that since the Sins, Lilith, and Charlie are some of the oldest beings in existence, these “portraits” range from cave paintings, to ancient mosaics, to intricate tapestries, to antique oil paintings, to monochromatic photographs. Naturally, each depiction has them in (mostly) period appropriate attire.

At the heart of the gallery is a massive painting that is essentially a cursed artificer in and of itself. It looks as surreal as a Hieronymus Bosch painting and has brutal imagery comparable to Francisco Goya’s Jupiter Devouring His Son. Any demon below the Ars Goetia that gazes upon it are stricken with an intense feeling of existential dread, as if they are getting a vision of their truest, final death. The members of the Ars Goetia themselves feel an intense, primal unease that stays with them for months on end just from looking at it. By contrast, the Sins, Lilith, and Charlie look at it as little more than a kitschy family photo that holds a special place in their hearts despite no one else getting the appeal.

I’m just going to say it, Ozzy probably has more than a few kids running around… and I’m not entirely convinced Fizz is aware of the fact.

I think I remember you suggesting that Mammon had a hand in Charlie’s education, and I think that could be built upon by the other Sins similarly aiding in it or otherwise imparting wisdom to her while she was growing up… with mixed results of effectiveness (Bee and Ozzy didn’t do a great job teaching her get what she wants through charisma alone).

Related to the above point, Mammon is an undisputed mathematic and analytical genius. Like, with a cursory glance at a jar full of jellybeans, he can tell the exact amount in the jar and the jar’s total volume. I also like the idea of Mam’s approach to calculating being pretty old school, with him being able to do the work of a whole team of mathematicians with little else but an abacus and a notepad.

A persisting thought regarding the Sins true demon forms I’ve had is that what we see in canon is only a “game face” the put on when sufficiently pissed off. My idea is that the Sins True Demon forms sees them turning into mind breaking eldritch abominations that cost them the use of their higher mental faculties. My ideas for each one include: Lucifer=a biblically accurate Angel that exudes blinding light, Satan=a dragon made of volcanic rock, Bee=a huge queen be with sparse fox features, Mammon=a massive, electrified spider made of gold that has elements of Moana’s Tamatoa and Yo-Kai Watch 3’s The Goldfather, Asmodeus=a three headed beast wreathed in flames, Leviathan=a titanic, rotting eel/whale fall that can encircle the Pride Ring, Belphagor=takes a page out of Akira’s Tetsuo’s book. Before you ask, yes, I was watching anime when I came up with this headcanon.

On a more lighthearted note, I like to think each Sin has an affectionate nickname for Charlie. The only ones I have in mind are Mammon (Little Dingo), Belphagor (My Favorite Patient), Satan (Pardner), and Bee (Sweetie).

This is a lot more words than I thought it would be, but I hope you like it.

Sorry for the slightly delayed response, I've been all over the places in the last few days

I really like these ideas, but especially their contrast. One has a very personal view on it and is keeping things with a set intention, the other is hoarding from an intuition and with a general sentimental attachment.

Realistically, I think Ozzie would personally take the most offense at Stolas' actions, I definitely spends some time focusing on making sure Stolas is never in a position of authority over someone again. But also, yes, I do feel they would occasionally use it to annoy him.

Accurate

Oooo. Yeah, the idea of Bel suddenly speaking is scary because she either thinks the thing is very important, or, the worse alternative, it's somehow managed to provoke and intense emotional state from her.

Baphomet having multiple candles on his head is a really interesting visual. This gave me the idea of his horns having a similar texture to the candle wax, this might extend to candleheads in general, but it's more pronounced with Baph.

I actually have a completely different take on this topic. Basically, the rings are laid out in the order of the Sins' power levels (which have quite a variance between them) at the time of Hell's formation. Bel got the bottom ring on the grounds she didn't want to participate in the activity that was used to scale them. Since then, the differing values of society lead to different sins proliferating differently. Ozzie is now the weakest, then Levi, Bel, Bee, Mammon, Satan, Luci. I'm still working out the kinks on Levi's whole deal on this front, but that's for another time.

I would consider Satan the second oldest and Bee the youngest, and Mam and Levi switched, but other than that, I agree.

My take on this is Levi's skin being partly translucent, also works with his design being highly metaphorical of a scummy reviewer/publisher, in that one can literally see through him if they squint a little.

I also share the view that Baphomet wasn't a member of the Sins troupe, now that think about it, by our logic, Baph would be one of, if not the first non-sin goetic demon.

I love this. Luci always complain about inaccuracies of human portrayals of his family. Somewhat related to this, Lucifer, Satan and Beelzebub despise being conflated. The other Sins sometimes mess with them by doing exactly that.

Can't remember where I first saw it, but I remember coming across the idea of Ozzie being barren as a sort of ironic punishment upon his fall. As in some contexts, lust is viewed as anything sexual outside the context of procreation....... ..... That or you could do the Quagmire joke of him realizing too late that someone is one of his bastard children.

Again, nothing to add, just an idea I agree with.

YESSS. I live for the idea of Mammon "secretly" being a genius, I put secretly in air quotes because it's common knowledge, it's just a bit hard to take seriously when you're around him, because of his eccentricities, but that exactly what he wants.

I like your ideas, but I have some concepts of my own on the Sin "truest" forms which I'm saving for another occasion.

I love these!!!!!!! I'll add on Asmodeus calling her Char-Char, to go with his fire motif.

LET'S GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Join us this upcoming Saturday on Youtube as we Explore The Lands That Are!

We will be diving into the world of Cinderella's Castle and previewing the incredible synth-pop score by Jeff Blim!

See you this Saturday at 12pm PST on Youtube!