#baxter headcanons

[dodgeballstuckonthegymceiling]

I wrote this for myself. Because Baxter is genuinely my favorite character! Despite having only a couple minutes of screentime (as of writing this.)

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Baxter x Reader headcanons

★ He'd be a strong candidate for a queerplutonic relationship. Trusting you enough to share his time and space, while respecting whatever boundaries you set. As you do the same for him.

★ If you see him as something a little more romantic, that works too. But everything starts with friendship! At least, with Baxter it does. He likes people for their personality. Not presentation.

★ He tells you random information you didn't want to know -or even ask for. "Did you know anglerfish will typically absorb into their mate’s body? Fascinating, isn't it?" Baxter says with a smile that almost reaches his eyes.

★ Calling him touch-averse would be misleading. It's not aversion so much as it is him being selective. He's not about to let someone he doesn't know get that close. If you move towards him, he would step aside, giving you some space.

★ He will argue on your behalf. Even if he knows you're technically wrong. Convincing others is surprisingly easy when he acts confident and uses big words.

★ The scientist in him needs to analyze every little thing about you. How you make your coffee in the morning. What jokes make you laugh. He wants to know. Needs to know. Even if the knowledge is useless.

★ You once called his coat a dress. As a joke. Just to mess with him. He immediately launched into a rant about the difference between the two. Firmly denying the idea he'd ever wear a dress. Practically yelling by the end. "It is a coat! DEGENERAT!"

★ Baxter has a strict sleeping schedule. Going to bed at ten. And up by six o'clock sharp. But he stays in his room until it's nearly noon. So you wouldn't know unless you shared a bed with him.

★ Speaking of beds, the one he has is awful. You don't know how he manages to sleep on it. Even calling it a bed is generous. It's more of a cot than anything. If he wants to spend the night with you, I'd have to be in your room.

★ Know what he hates? Being mistaken for a child. Or worse, a teenager. You've seen it happen. Some lady turned to you, with a genuine smile, and said "Your son is so well-behaved!" Baxter didn't correct her. He just walked away. Leaving the conversation.

★ Baxter is trans, FTM, as his design is based on a female anglerfish. In case you didn't already know. He never saw the point in spelling it out for you. If anything, he's happy to have passed as cisgender.

[inkpotgoestohell]

Happy holidays and Merry Sinsmas! To celebrate the time of year I decided to write up a few Sinsmas Headcanons for our beloved hotel staff. I hope you enjoy, and go on to have a safe and fun holiday season!

For Charlie, Sinsmas is the best time of year. She gets to spend time with her loved ones, exchange gifts, but most importantly, she gets to decorate the hotel! And boy, does she like to go overboard on the decorations. Why have just one carnivorous tree taking pride of place in the lobby when you can have ten? Why settle for a few stings of lights in the window when you can deck every wall out in a colourful rainbow of seizure-inducing displays? There is not a single surface of the hotel not covered in tinsel, glitter, and lights, and she wouldn't have it any other way. And as far as she's concerned, everyone else is just as enthusiastic as she is. After all, Vaggi has been hiding the complaints box.

Vaggi spends the majority of her holidays more stressed out than she's ever been. It's overstimulating, there's so much to prepare, so much to do! But always efficient, she'll be damned if she lets it get to her. She's making a to-do list and she's checking it twice, executing each step with military precision. Decorations. check! Food, check! Carol singing, definitely check! She hasn't been in Hell long enough to really be used to the celebration aspect of things yet, but when the day finally comes around and she can finally relax, it's always a nice surprise when for once everything goes exactly according to plan. She's also grown very fond of the tradition since Charlie introduced her to mistletoe.

Lucifer is a lover of homemade gifts, in that he insists on making every gift himself from scratch. He plans ahead, draws up a list of everything he needs to do months in advance, and then proceeds to leave everything until the night before because what's the point of being prepared if you don't wait until the last minute to rush everything in a panic. He ends up sleeping through most of the day after pulling an all-nighter on Sinsmas Eve to get everything finished on time, and yet still insists on making everyone wait for him so he can watch them open their gifts. The wait drives everyone mad of course, but they can admit it's secretly worth it to see the guy light up when they inevitably love what they've been given, even if the glue holding it together is still drying.

Alastor cooks the Sinsmas dinner at his own insistence, and honestly, it's probably best to just leave him to it. He gets territorial about his kitchen when prepping for big events. He's in and out the whole day, leaving a whirlwind of stress in his wake, clutching at his hair and complaining the whole time about how nobody ever helps him prep the veggies. The thing is, literally everyone has offered to help him, only to be chased off the moment they step foot in the kitchen. They probably wouldn't be able to meat (Ha! Get it?) his standards anyway. Sinsmas is a time of giving after all, and Alastor chooses to partake in the season by generously giving his prey a running start. Despite the stress and danger that went into it, the meal always comes out immaculate and Alastor always takes great pride in seeing people enjoy his food.

Husk is the worst person to buy gifts for. Just awful. Refuses to tell anybody what he wants, most of the time insists he wants nothing, and then grumbles all day if people actually don't include him. Very much a typical grandpa. He would quite happily spend the entire holiday, feet propped up on the couch, drink in hand, watching the Sinsmas specials if only Alastor would let him near a TV. On the other hand, since starting at the hotel he's also found he quite enjoys his time behind the bar. He gets to experiment with different seasonal mixes and despite how busy it can get, he also sees plenty of the people he cares about without the expectations of a regular social gathering. All in all, he likes to keep things chill and soak up the atmosphere. Just give him four to six weeks after to recharge his social battery.

The only one who can rival Charlie's enthusiasm for the holiday is Angel Dust. The lights! The colours! The ugly sweaters! Any excuse to dress Fat Nuggets up in cute little outfits. It also just happens that this time of year it helps a lot that he's so good with his hands, and for once that's not a euphemism! Angel is great at crafting; fixing broken ornaments, cutting out decorations, styling clothes. Whilst everyone else is running around getting the lights up, he's following after to make sure they actually work. And on the very, very, VERY rare occasion Alastor let's anybody near his workspace, Angel is the only one he will allow to handle the food. The guy knows how to season. Sinsmas may be a busy time of year for Angel but it's all fun and fulfilling work, and it definitely helps that he gets to dress up all fancy for it.

Cherri Bomb is the party animal of the group. If there's a celebration to be had, she's there! and she's going all in. Sinsmas Eve is for hitting the clubs, partying into the early hours of the morning, drinking her body weight in liqueurs, and embracing the social aspect of the holiday for all it's worth. The best part of the season for her is the opportunity to really let loose and enjoy the company of friends and strangers alike. By the time Sinsmas day comes around she's running on fumes and happy to spend her time lounging around and napping away the hangover. She's learnt since joining the hotel that not every party has to be a rager, it can be just as enjoyable to spend the day chatting at the bar and hanging out with those closest to her. If only she could remember which gift box she hid her new explosive prototype in.

Niffty is the entertainer. She's into the party games and is insistent that everyone joins in. Pass the parcel of dead rats, 20 questions you wouldn't want to answer in front of your mother, monopoly. She also hosts an annual roach puppet show where she reenacts all the best classic seasonal stories. This year the parts of the ghost of past, present and future Sinsmas were each played by the actual ghosts of her slain roach enemies, reanimated with Baxter's help. The storytelling was original and entertaining, the prop work was phenomenal, the special effects were inspired. The dead bugs might not be to everybody's taste, but Niffty would argue that if it were any less disturbing, it wouldn't be nearly as enjoyable.

Baxter, preferring to stay in his lab as much as possible during the holidays thanks to his low tolerance for sustained social interaction, once attempted to create his very own biologically enhanced reindeer to deliver gifts for him. This plan backfired when the reindeer, having somehow developed a ravenous taste for festive spirit, instead began roaming the hotel, eating every present they came across. Rounding them up and catching them ended up taking most of the day and by the time they had all been accounted for almost every gift had been devoured, all but one of Niffty's which even the reindeer seemed to have enough sense to be wary of. Of course Baxter was forgiven, it's not like it had been his intention for things to go so awry. And besides, it certainly made for the most memorable Sinsmas in hotel history.

[dodgeballstuckonthegymceiling]

I like Baxter. He's a pretty cool fella! A shame Pentious took the eggs in the divorce.

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Assorted Baxter headcanons

★ He's the type of person who responds to random trolls online. Falling for pointless rage bait every time. He never knows when to walk away. It's honestly hard to watch. And is the reason Baxter swore off social media.

★ As a sinner, he can't leave the pride ring, which makes finding new specimens difficult. Thankfully, imps looking for odd jobs are easy to come by. Allowing his research to continue. With stranger and more dangerous animals to test.

★ Before checking into the hotel Baxter had to release several creatures that should never have existed. Leavening them behind in some alley. Now, the most he's allowed to have is a plant or two -and not even the carnivorous type!

★ Niffty has taken to stealing syringes he sets aside for later. For what reason, we'll never know. She might be doing it for attention. But it's starting to become a problem for Baxter. Who can't tell if he lost them himself or if he's being sabotaged.

★ Despite being very intelligent, Baxter is terrible with grammar. And has not figured out the different versions of their/there/they're. Only typing in capital letters to add emphasis to what he's trying to say. 

[inkpotgoestohell]

Yello! I heard you were looking for hazbin requests.. Sooo

Can we get some Baxter × reader stuff (I'm not sure if you do headcanons or stories and it's not on your pinned so.. Do what ya want? Thx!) :)) he's such underloved characterrrrr..

I want more of my boy :(

Thank you! - Dwell

Hi!!! I'm so happy to see the Baxter love, he's such a fun character and you're sadly right about him being a bit underappreciated. This blog is really only for meta and headcanons, so I'll stick to those for now, although I do write fic on AO3 and am currently working on some Hazbin stuff, so maybe I'll make something a bit more substantial for Baxter in the future. I'll confess, I've never written X reader before, but I'm willing to give it a shot!

Baxter has always been a private person, far more invested in spending time with his work than spending time with people. This isn't because he dislikes people necessarily, it's simply that he very rarely comes across anyone who is understanding of the single-minded dedication he can have for his experiments, and is willing to overlook his many eccentricities to keep him company. Of course, his eccentricities are what attracted you to him in the first place. There's something so delightful about watching him throw himself into his work, seeing the love and passion he pours into every project. You greatly enjoy watching him lose himself amidst his fervour, but far more enjoyable is the knowledge that he is happy for you to be there. Baxter trusts you in his space, respects your curiosity, and finds it easier to focus in your company. He'd never say any of that out loud of course, but good thing there are other ways for a scientist to show their appreciation.

Baxter is a gift-giver, and what greater gift is there than knowledge! It was clear he had started growing fond of you the day he finally invited you over to help him with one of his experiments. After what you claimed was really a rather small explosion took out nearly half the lab, this very quickly turned into a lecture on workplace safety, how to handle and store dangerous chemicals, the delicate basics of bio-warfare. This led to a series of other lessons which Baxter really took to the next level when you showed up at the lab one day to find your very own gloves, goggles and lab coat laid out readily at your disposal. You gladly accepted them. You're as excited to learn as he is to teach and if it means getting to spend more time together, well, even better!

Baxter has bit of an obsessive streak. There's nothing sinister about it and in no way would he ever seek to intentionally overstep your boundaries, but he has the tendency to approach everything he loves with a sense of focus. He wants to know what you're doing, what you're thinking, how you're feeling, you're favourite food, your hobbies, your interests and your aspirations. There's a certain scientific methodology to the way he wants to pick you apart, to pry you open and figure out what makes you tick. You aren't oblivious though, and after one too many poorly disguised social experiments you were happy to inform him that you would gladly answer any questions he had if he would only have the courage to ask them. Appropriately told off and blushing in embarrassment at being caught out, he began asking you little things here and there. Strange how easy and fun it can be getting to know someone when they are a willing participant in the process.

As a man who is so fervent about his work, Baxter admires that same sense of eagerness in the people he cares about. He understands what it's like to have his enthusiasm pushed aside, to be so excited about something that nobody else seems to enjoy or care about in the same way he does. In contrast, you always put effort into showing your interest in his work and validating the way he feels about it. He truly appreciates this for the show of care it is and he wants to do the same for you. He is invested in your hobbies and anything you find fulfillment in and is always asking you to expand on how things work, why certain things appeal to you. This form of bonding is a sacred things to him and he feels genuinely honoured to share in the love you hold for your passions, just as you feel honoured that he enjoys sharing his passions with you.

[inkpotgoestohell]

Baxter headcanons?

Baxter!!! I love him so much, of course I have a few XD

He glows when he feels strong emotions. Bioluminescence has many practical applications and is used by anglerfish primarily as a form of aggressive camouflage to attract prey. Baxter utilises his esca in much the same way, using it to stun and wrangle in the unfortunate creatures that become his experiments. As useful as this can be when working in the darkness of his lab, unfortunately a similar reaction can occur when he is feeling particularly flustered or excited, at which point any control he has over the ability flies out the window and he lights up like a glow stick.

Another unfortunate quality of his biology is absolutely terrible eyesight. He can pick out colours and shapes but when it comes to the smaller details of things he tends to struggle unless he has his glasses. The tinted glasses he wears were actually created for him by Pentious when they started working together after he took notice of Baxter struggling to read his loopy ass Victorian handwriting. Of course Baxter took this gift as a sign that they were best friends and thus prompted the creation of the Egg Boiz as a favour in return.

He's a huge internet troll. I don't even know how to explain this one. I just know he absolutely thrives on drama. You'd think with an intellect such as his so primed to dispense rage bait he'd have the capacity to not fall for it himself. But no. He falls for it every time and will quite happily spend hours arguing with strangers online about the ethical constraints of biological science and musical theatre. This was actually a key factor in his decision to work for Voxtek for as long as he did. With Vox's access to Earth's internet he had prime pickings of all the best Twitter discourse to keep him enetertained.

The reason he doesn't drink is because of an incident involving a bit too much alcohol, a prototype of Shock.wav, and a suggestion from Pentious to start Hells very first petting zoo, which really did seem like such a good idea at the time. It took a while for the blood mist to clear but by the time it did Baxter was thoroughly sober. A strict rule was implemented from that point on that no drinking alcohol be allowed in the lab and since Baxter spent the vast majority of his time there, it seemed easiest to just stay sober permanently. It was a shame to lose such a fun method of relaxation, but on the plus side, at least they now knew what Shock.wav liked to eat.

There's nothing that man enjoys more than a good info dump, and that goes both ways. Of course he enjoys talking about his interests and studies, but he also very much loves to listen to other people talk about what excites them. He's an inquisitive guy and he views the exchange of information as extremely precious, so taking turns to ramble about fixations and special interests with someone is really the ideal bonding activity. Charlie wants to rant about the hotel? Sure! Maybe she'd like to know his findings on how statistically improbable redemption is. Niffty wants to put on a roach puppet show? Great! Maybe she'd like to know how to really bring it to life. Baxter's not the most sociable guy, but more than anything he appreciates passion and sincerity from the people he interacts with. At least in terms of that, the hotel is really the best place for him.