Lepidopterophobia is a very complicated fic. The final chapter needs to thread the needle on a lot of different plot points, wrapping things up while putting the pieces in place for the next installment.

The final chapter is going to be a LONG BOI. The draft is sitting at around 30k-40k words. It's basically a small novella in of itself, which is why I keep going back and forth on whether I want to split it in half or not.

My Hazbin muse just isn't there right now! I still LOVE the show, and PolyVees and VoxVel are still close to my heart, but I cannot force myself to write when I'm not enthused.

Even when the final chapter is done, that's when I need to embark on The Big Edit, which I am admittedly very intimidated by. Lepidopterophobia is currently 241,551 words, and that's WITHOUT the behemoth final chapter taken into consideration. So while writing the final chapter, I need to keep in mind the whole time: "I need to keep this open so I can alter it in the edit, don't forget about the edit, remember all the changes you're planning on making while not contradicting the fic in it's current state..."

On a related note, I do need to do both a Big Rewatch of the show and a Big Reread of the fic, which won't happen overnight.

So yes, that is my excuse train.

If I were to try and give an estimate, I'd say that the final chapter is about 60% done. It still needs a little more added to its body, and then several rounds of editing.

I am hoping to get it done before we even hear rumors about Season 3 🤞 but please, as irritating as it is to hear after all these months, be patient with me.

Love you all, thank-you so much for supporting my silly little au. You're all darlings! 💋📺🦋

FOUR GODDAMN MONTHS?!?!?!

...oops...?

Yes, I have been struggling with my old friend, Ye Olde Writer's Block, for quite some time now. However, work on Lepidopterophobia has never stalled completely, it's just been going very, very slowly.

HOWEVER! While I might not quite be at the finish line, it's definitely in sight. I also have a (somewhat) passable excerpt to share with you all! But before we dive into my excerpt, please excuse my waffling:

I've decided to split the final chapter into two parts, mostly because it was growing too long for me to cohesively edit it in a single sitting. Yes, Lepidopterophobia is going out with a bang, and by 'a bang' I mean a lot of talking and even more Emotions (tm). So, very on-brand for my silly little au!

Anyway, I want to keep you guys in the loop, as you've all been waiting so long and so patiently for the final chapter. So here are my next steps:

I'm about to begin my third complete edit of the chapter. Following that (and a quick re-read of my au so far, to reorient myself into the story), I would say it's just two to three more edits and a proof-read before the next chapter is ready to post. Then, I just need to add some meat to the bones of the (actual) final chapter, polish it up, and we're all done!

Then it's a series re-watch, The Big Edit, and finally I can start work on the next installment. If I'm very, very lucky I might even have it all done before Season Four drops! Yay!

Again, I can only apologize for how I've been writing at the pace of a narcoleptic snail. I still love this fic, and I love my readers. Every comment I've gotten during my little hiatus has inspired me to keep going, even while my writer's block and my confidence in my work has been at rock bottom. Thank-you so much, to every last one of you!

Now! I've babbled on for long enough. Please enjoy!

Content Warning: (Off-screen) Non-Con, abuse, body-shaming, Velvette being Velvette. Lepidopterophobia is a very dead dove indeed...

...also, beware the first-draft writing. It's rough, I know.

🦋💋Lepidopterophobia💋🦋

Alright. Maybe Velvette's song-and-dance number hadn't quite been what Vox wanted from her, when he'd sent her to attend the meeting for him-

-no. Fuck that. When he'd recognized her worth as an Overlord, and stepped aside to give her a moment to shine in front of the fossils that wouldn't know talent if it literally danced in front of them with pink hair.

But Velvette thought she'd done a pretty fucking amazing job with wiping that insufferable look of Carmilla Carmine's face. She'd relished in every grimace, every poorly-concealed blush, every heave of her bosom as she'd glowered Velvette down...

She'd also confirmed an important suspicion; that bitch was hiding something. That information was worth it's weight in gold. Anyway, Vox hadn't specifically told her to behave herself, so she was under no obligation.

Also they were in fucking Hell. Who gave a shit how she acted in a meeting between demon overlords.

So all in all, she wasn't weighed down by guilt or concern as she practically danced her way back into V Tower, twirling by the fountain as she passed it and blowing it kisses before skipping through the front doors.

"Haha! You've got it twisted, I'm not the one who needs a new attitude..." she sang to herself as she crossed the threshold, her heels clicking against the shiny floor as she stepped back into her home. Her workplace. Her world.

God, she loved the eyesore of a building, almost as much as she loved the men she owned and operated it with.

Velvette simmered down slightly once more eyes were on her. She could do or say whatever the fuck she wanted, but she didn't really want her or her boys' underlings thinking she was on drugs in the middle of the day. That was more Valentino's brand.

She only half-danced her way over to the elevator, coming to a halt when she noticed one of her models loitering nearby, sipping out of a can of diet soda while chatting with one of Valentino's interchangeable sluts.

"Diet? Don't make me fucking laugh, the only diet you've ever been on is cutting out salads" she said, snatching the can out of the terrified girl's hands and tossing it over her shoulder and onto the floor "You want to make your fat ass even fatter? Fine. But that's not my department, pet, that's Valentino's"

The model started to tremble, her rail-thin legs buckling. Valentino's starlet looked too scared to move, her ridiculously oversized bosom heaving under her skimpy bikini.

"I'm s-sorry, Miss Velvette" she stammered out.

Velvette tapped at her phone, ignoring her as she jerked a thumb over she shoulder at the fizzing mess of soda that was now splashed across the atrium's floor.

"Clean that shit up and then come see me later. You need a few more needles in that face, you look emaciated, it's disgusting"

"Y-yes, Miss Velvette"

Velvette patted the side of the model's face so hard it was more of a slap, before sauntering into the elevator. Once the doors closed, she continued singing, checking her phone.

"Maybe you missed it, but I'm that #bitch..."

The elevator doors opened several floors below the one Velvette wanted, causing her to curl her lip in annoyance as she glared at two more of her skeletal and trembling models. One of them was clinging to the other as she sobbed, her legs shaking even more that Diet Soda Bitch's.

"It's okay... everything's okay... she'll never find out. I think Miss Velvette is out today anyw-" the calmer model started to say, freezing when she saw Velvette standing before them.

"I'll never find out what?" Velvette asked, sending off a few well-placed barbs on Sinstagram before glaring back up at the two girls.

The crying model stumbled away from her friend, before throwing herself at Velvette's feet and wailing, clinging to her ankles with tear-dampened hands.

"V-Valentino m-made m-me drink s-some of y-your l-love potion and he d-dragged me into h-his bed and... and he... and he..."

That was when Velvette noticed the four hand-shaped bruises on the girl's arms, positioned as though her assailant had been pressing down on her from behind...

Something uneasy twisted very, very deep down in her gut. But she ignored it. Whatever. Val was Like That and she had no problem with it. He did whatever he wanted to the low-life sluts, and treated her and Vox like precious gemstones. She was happy with that arrangement.

The model kept sobbing and clinging to her ankles, her hands wet against Velvette's skin...

Did she cry when Valentino raped her? Were there tear stains on Val's pillow, the same pillow she'd woken up on that morning, safely cradled in Val and Vox's arms. Vox had cooked everyone breakfast, spoon-feeding Velvette eggs while she'd giggled, leaving crumbs on the sheets. Had they still been there during the assault?

"Miss Velvette?" the crying model's friend asked nervously.

Velvette gathered herself, rolling her eyes and pulling herself out of the model's grip.

"Did he film it?" she asked tersely.

Trembling, looking like she expected to be kicked at any second, the girl shook her head.

Velvette hummed non-committedly, swiping at her phone, little emojis flickering in and out of existence around her fingers while she worked.

"Vox will be pissed that Val interrupted one of my girl's workdays and didn't even monetize it... but I'd rather not see any of my models be brutalized on camera, it's bad for my brand. So hush, no need to cry. It's all over, and no harm done, my flower" Velvette said more softly, putting her phone away and pulling the trembling model to her feet with both arms, brushing her down with a gentle smile "You probably put Valentino into a better mood, so if anything I'm grateful. Why don't you go fix yourself up, and I'll find something pretty for you to model later?"

Kneeling at her feel, the model gasped with comically wide eyes, her fear replaced by elation as she slowly smiled.

"Oh thank-you, thank you!" she said, grabbing Velvette's ankles again, this time to kiss her feet.

Velvette laughed awkwardly, pulling the girl back to her feet again with a shake of her head.

"Don't be silly. I don't need all that. There, feeling better?" she asked, wiping the smudged mascara out from under the girl's eyes.

The model nodded eagerly, and Velvette ignored the dubious way her friend was staring at them both.

"What sort of an outfit would you like to model, my precious?" Velvette asked, flicking through her phone again as she started to jot down ideas.

The formerly-crying model was a feline Sinner, looking mostly human asides from her whiskers, cat-like eyes, and the oversized ears on the top of her spread.

Kitten? Spoiled kitten? Purr-fectly purr-fect? Leopard/cheetah print? Collars? Cat toys? Keep it innocent and playful, pet-play is Val's area.

"Oh! Oh! I know! I want petticoats and sparkles and ribbons..." the model started babbling, her ears perking up as she happily listed off her dream dress "...and pinks, lots of pinks, and glitter all over my face and- and-"

Velvette took the girl's hands again, laughing. It wasn't as kind of a laugh as it should've been.

"You are just the cutest! Of course! We'll make you a pretty little princess and give you a whole splash! Nobody will ever know that you let Val ruin you in the middle of the work day, not even Vox. It'll just be a little secret between us girls, sound good?" Velvette ignored how the girl's smile twitched.

"Oh. Good. I'd never want Vox to know... between you and me, I've always had a bit of a crush on him" she giggled, squeezing Velvette's hands as she spoke.

Velvette felt her expression freeze.

The Sinner was obviously very young. Not only did she have the ill-advised wide-eyed idealism of the recently deceased, Velvette would eat her had if she'd been any older than twenty when she'd died. Younger than Velvette had been. Younger. Cuter. Bouncier. More desirable.

Just like every brain-dead bimbo who'd dethroned her in life...

...and Val clearly thought the dumb slut was desirable, and this fucking flea-ridden bitch had designs on VOX?! Her Vox?

She hadn't said a word, but the girl had started trying to pull out of Velvette's grip, looking uneasy.

Velvette tightened her hold, not stopping until she felt something break under his fingers. She wasn't physically strong on her own, but she was an Overlord and she owned the cat-girl's soul. She could do what she liked to her with little to no resistance.

"I'm sorry. I know it's inappropriate. I just love his voice..." the girl pleaded "I'll never bother him, I swear!"

"Mister Vox wouldn't look twice at her over you, Miss Velvette!" her friend, a more fishy-looking Sinner with massive eyes, started to plead "Everyone in Hell knows it!"

But Velvette wasn't listening. She could only see red.

She used a blast of searing-hot magic (the sort that Vox did not like her using, but fuck you Vox, nobody could tell what was and wasn't Witchcraft anyway) to shove the girl away from her. She fell into her friend's arms, staring up at Velvette in hurt betrayal.

"You're fired, bitch. For fucking around on the job, distracting Valentino, and making inappropriate remarks about Vox on the job" she snarled "Piss off and... actually"

She started to smile, a shark-like smile that would've made even Vox take several steps back.

"...maybe I do have a use for you. You're reassigned to The Potions Floor. We always need new test subjects" she said, rolling her eyes at the whimper the girl let out "What? Would you rather I give your contract to Valentino? Because those are your only options, you little cunt"

"Potions floor! Potions floor!" the girl blurted out as the elevator doors slid closed on the model's faces, and Velvette wriggled her fingers at her in a mocking goodbye, relishing in the look of despair on her catty little face.

"...and I will do nothing less than what I please, woo!"

She twirled around in the elevator as she sang, shaking her hips in time to the rhythm of the song that was playing in her head.

"I'm the backbone of the Vees!"

As the elevator continued upwards, she put the cat-girl out of her mind, happy to never think about her again.

Once the doors slid open again on Valentino's floor, she practically skipped out, ignoring the two door-bitches on duty as she strutted into Val's penthouse like she owned the place.

"Hey, fuckfaces, Mummy's home!" she called out, cringing at how Val-like it sounded. She sauntered over to the bar, moseying around for a drink while she kept singing.

"Mad that I'm actin respectless? Well it's 'cause no one could respect this..."

She started to make herself a Long Island iced tea, pouring liquor generously into the glass as she sang.

"Sorry group attendin', since when are overlords too scared to fight?You're long past trendin'. Sorry babe but I ain't swiping right! You lost your releva-"

She started to walk out from around the bar, nearly dropping her drink when she suddenly realized she wasn't alone.

🦋💋Lepidopterophobia💋🦋

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING YOU MOTHERFUKERS!" It was...........Dumbledore!

...I mean, I feel like my first-draft writing is pretty on-par with the legendary Tara Gilesbie, sometimes...

Anywhore! Back to editing! I can't give you an exact timeline, but I do promise that the end is in sight. My hope is that the next chapter will be up by The Ides Of March (March 15th).

Take care, beloveds! As always, I am all ears for any questions about or comments on my silly little au. Love ya all!

Mwah! 💋