An exerpt of God sharing creation with the humans in Eden. ⚠️TW: discussions of fertility, maternity, and other such themes

I wrote 1000 words just now in my notes about Lucifer! I figured out why he and the fallen angels fell away from God (it was not choice and no one was happy about it) and I am super happy with everything I figured out for my story!

Well it's "lost" instead of loss, but I still feel like it fits This is from a poem/series of poems called "Famous Last Words of a Queer Christian" that I wrote after a Good Friday poetry night. ⚠️TW: SH metaphor, religious trauma, and swearing

“Well…” Eve reasoned. “You ate of the fruit many days ago, and nothing bad has happened. You can speak with me, and walk with me, and hold me when I hug you. Surely, God's gifts will only do us good.” She bid Leviathan to take her hand in his, and they walked side by side to Adam for console.

One of the biggest challenges of writing a book that challenges religious trauma, and the consequences that result from it, is every so often some terrible series of events will come along and all that trauma will stop my heart. I just hope that this book helps one person. #writing

Okay this is exactly what I have been writing tons of notes on 😁😁😁 I've been exploring if the deadly sins were created by human depravity and emotions rather than an outright revolt against God. Take Asmodeus for example: he has the head of a bull, a man, and a goat, so I started exploring:

There are 9 choirs of Angels: Seraphim, Cherubim, and Thrones are the highest choir, and surround God as Their warriors, students, and travelers Dominions, Virtues, and Powers are next, regulating duties of the other angels, controlling elements, and defending the cosmos and humans Catholic.org

The angels & demons are from Catholic & Orthodox traditions of Christianity (ironic bc I'm Methodist and don't believe in demons) I am currently writing notes about each of the deadly sins, connecting them each to Biblical stories and exploring how these characters could have been corrupted

The demons are interfering HEAVILY on earth, but typically in very small ways. Spreading disease then misinformation, encouraging apathy and then causing a fuck ton of chaos. So it's a critique on reality that I hope will be cathartic for everyone who reads it

Well Solomon, of the Greater and Lesser Keys of Solomon, is in my story, so those texts can be used to summon demons. And angels are typically unwittingly summoned whenever something unholy attempts to interfere with Maggie's journey through the Inferno.

Modern day Irish American curse, based on my horrible hypermobility: "When you die, demons will harvest the collagen in your body to make jello for the hospitals of Hell!" St. Lamashtu's Research Hospital approves of this message

#Mememay 24 This sums it up surprisingly well! 💥

Her name is Lydia and she helps me take notes on my phone! Outlining as been going super smoothly lately!

*hits my ballpoint pen like a vape* Let's write!

First step of the rewriting journey is mapping out the timeline and back stories of the most powerful characters in The Inferno! Very excited to have my pagan friends read my notes! Imagine a Heaven where all the children of the world built the mansions, libraries, and wonders alongside the Angels!

New book to inspire me, and new plushie to squeeze for emotional support!

Need to listen to something to get into the flow state. Once I'm in the thick of the writing process, I normally turn it off. Right now, the Infestissumum album by Ghost does the trick. Medieval doom vibes without going so hard I need to headbang like with their Opus Eponymous album

My pastor has said that he would love to see my wip as a graphic novel. And honestly, with some of the descriptions of demons with all their multiple heads, animal appendages, etc, it would probably be easier to keep track of certain things if it were in graphic novel format.

Right now it's all English, because first draft. But when Maggie loses her hearing she starts to...I suppose get in touch with the Holy Spirit within her, and she speaks in tongues. Right now just Spanish, but eventually French, ancient Greek and ancient Egyptian. Need to figure out those last 2

Most of the demons in Hell already recognize Maggie as "The Poet" and Grannie as her spiritual guide. When Grannie introduces the group, she says they're on a mission from gawd, a la the blues brothers.

I personally hope that Pazuzu is a fan favorite. I just have a lot of fun writing him. Alongside being a good tour guide for Hell, he also has some ancient wisdom to impart, and he's a good bodyguard. On top of all of that, he's got this desperate to please personality that I love writing.

Roe's weapon of choice is good ol fashioned arson 🔥 just burn it all! But of course, they would much rather talk things out over a nice fish dinner. Isn't that right, Beelzebub? Beelzebub:

Honestly, I struggle with writing Belial. I've mentioned in another thread that he wasn't supposed to be in the story at all originally, but he just fit so well with Maggie's mindset. I may have his motivation locked down, but actually characterizing him is hard

Takes off my Ghost hoodie to reveal a Ghost T-shirt, then replace that T-shirt with my Ghost pajama shirt.

🎶 comic sans is awesome!🎶 🎵 Comic sans is cool when you're writing a scene!🎵 🎶Comic sans is awesome!🎶 #writesky

Sleep used to be hard for Maggie, anxious tossing and turning all night long, coupled with headaches and stomach aches. But now that she's walking like thirteen miles every day, and running for her life for half of that in Hell, she sleeps like a baby. If only the nightmares would stop

TW: Reference to abuse This actually makes me wonder: If Maggie has such a distorted view of herself, fueled by gaslighting, cycles of theological shame, verbal, psychological, and emotional abuse, and a myriad of other traumatic junk...would she even be a reliable narrator?

In this current draft, Maggie is taught about Dante's Inferno, Milton's Paradise Lost, and Anatole France's Revolt of the Angels by the witches in Limbo. The Inferno is really the only one she uses in The Infernal Rose. I'm thinking of changing when she learns all this information

Maggie hates asking for help. The main reason is because she already feels like such a burden on others. She's scared of being too anxious, depressed, and traumatized for the people in her lives to handle. So she doesn't reach out when she needs help, pushes herself to work when she needs rest, etc.

Roe has the patience and grace of an angel 😇 they live to heal and help others, and guide them through their tough journeys. They believe in connection through "communion", or a shared meal. They'll make Maggie a fish supper and help her with her anxiety as much as they can

I'm just going to share that one of my favorite bits of body horror that I wrote about recently was a reference to this scene in The Exorcist. An amalgamation with 6 mismatched limbs comes running for a sinner just like this

#QueerPrompts LGBTQ+ Dates in April

Maggie's most annoying habit would be her complete inability to accept complements, praise, or affection. Her "goals" for earning worth are constantly moving out of her reach, which is very exhausting for her and her loved ones.

I'm playing with the idea in my mind of adding a third sister to my story. An older stepsister for Maggie and another older half sister for Ana. This oldest step sister would be a foil to Maggie, a "flying monkey" of sorts for Maggie's stepfather, and a gaslighting extraordinaire

Honestly, I don't believe in demons, specifically because they're used to harm Othered individuals, excuse abhorrent behavior, etc, etc. For that reason, I would rather live in this world where demons are metaphors for internal struggles, characters to relate to, and personified lessons passed down

The demons in Hell are queer normative, and scoff at the idea of any consensual sexual activity. (Fun fact: many biblical scholars believe that Paul is homosexual, that Jesus healed a Roman centurion's homosexual partner, and the Bible does not condemn polyamory, but instead, heterosexual divorce)

This is a mix. So while there are the Ten Commandments, the Sermon on the Mount, and a plethora of denominational doctrines to pick from in this universe, the demons in The Infernal Rose would argue that morality is decided not by God but by man. Cont.

Welp, we're just going to chalk up this past week as one of the worst in my life, and attempt to move on. Hopefully come April I can attempt to write a few pages every week

I'd forgotten what it was like to wake up refreshed. My lungs greedily sucked in air after a year of hyperventilating. My head was buzzing with oxygen and endorphins

Well, I guess running for your life on a treadmill is one way to get the creative juices flowing, because I just wrote 3 pages of notes for the coming chapters and I'm excited to see how it turns out.

The God of Hell is Under Construction is the Christian God, but with some twists. They are exclusively referred to with NB pronouns. They aren't fickle about how you worship, just as long as you follow the Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you, God will build a place for you

Maggie is a headstrong, but disenchanted Christian who is going on a journey through Hell to confront her fears about her sexuality, mental health, and eternity

Aww well Roe is quite adept at healing! They would make fish stew for Maggie whenever she got sick (or when her mental health was in decline). They would also do the normal things: make sure she's getting lots of sleep, give her lots of plushies to cuddle, put on her favorite movies. Roe is the best

I try to break them up with little interruptions from Maggie or sinners. Beezlebub was eating throughout his entire monologue, and drooling all over the place as he looked for more food. Asmodeus was pelted with gore from the Blender the entire time he talked to Maggie

Pazuzu is jealous of all the other demons who (seem to) have all the popularity, cult followings, and respect. He's jealous of their power over souls in Hell. Pazuzu doesn't see how sadistic demons like Belial or Beezlebub can be when they're bored or vindictive 🧵

Well my favorite is strawberry rhubarb, and a core memory from childhood is munching on rhubarb stalks as tall as myself. So Maggie's favorite pie would probably be strawberry rhubarb pie too.

Well for any newcomers, I'm writing a modern day Dante's Inferno, so there are Christian Bible stories and rituals that are practiced. But there's also new age practices mixed in. So when Maggie goes to get her fortune told to her in Limbo, the witch Alexandra uses a Bible to perform bibliomancy. 🧵

On the bright side, I definitely popped the bone back into place last night. It feels much better this morning 🦴