#also even more fun thing he wanted to lose weight for reasons that didn't have anything to do with the weight he probably just can't eat

[coffeeworldsasaki]

Once again chanting in my mind "graphic card" to avoid snapping at my mother saying dumb shit

[chaoticace2005]

Reasons the Mothman should die, collectively written by the residents of the Hazbin Hotel:

Coding for Characters: Vaggie, Charlie, Pentious, Alastor, Niffty, Husk, pretty much everyone

TW: References to abuse

He’s holding back Angel’s progress. (Vaggie, is killing really necessary?) (I am concerned about going after a Vee)

I’m hungry (ALASTOR!)

Ms. Angel gets nervous when on the phone with him.

His coat is tacky.

He’s a bug! And bugs must be DESTROYED!

So Angel stops feeling like he has to be so damn fake. This is getting on my fucking nerves.

HE LICKED CHARLIE!!! (Vaggie, wait it’s okay.)

Color scheme sucks. Purple AND red?!

He makes Angel sad, NOBODY should make Angel sad.

Those obnoxious glasses just make him look stupid.

He’s a manipulative, abusive prick.

ANGEL DIDN'T KNOW BOUNDARIES WERE A THING?!?!?!?!?!? (Honestly that explains a lot.)

NOBODY deserves to be in an abusive relationship.

Too many arms. Nobody needs that many. (...Angel has that many?) (Well maybe he shouldn't.)

Ms. Angel keeps coming home all messy!!

He’s ruining hearts for everyone. Me and Angel already have enough. At least those are on our bodies, what’s his excuse?

Hearts should not even be ASSOCIATED with Valentino, THIS IS NOT LOVE.

I can do without all the sexual depravity. While I am in Hell this is NOT one of the reasons.

If I have to hear that ringtone one more damn time-

The Eggies found some of his films. They should never be exposed to such horrors. Now I have to explain what “a sex” is.

Makes picture shows that are a disgrace to the idea of “entertainment.”

He’s making a bad name for Uncle Ozzie. This is NOT “lust.”

So we don’t have to listen to another one of Angel’s pornos. (Agreed, it’s quite horrifying!!)

So Ms. Angel isn’t tired when she gets home and can save the kinky stuff for then :) (Niff, really?)

So the kid stops coming home with bruises and cuts that I fix up at 3 am. (Husk, what the fuck?)

Because what the FUCK Valentino?

He keeps forcing Angel to do drugs. (HE WHAT?! Like crack??) (That but also I’m pretty sure whatever comes out of him is an aphrodisiac.)

I want to use his antenna as a backscratcher

Has that whole red color thing going on. Only I am allowed to wear red :) (Al, your text isn’t even red.) (My what?)

What is up with his red spit and smoke? Seriously disgusting.

The red stuff from him may be what allows Velvette to create her “Love Potions” which funds Vax’s stupid endeavors (Do you mean Vox?) (Who?)

FOR MY COLLECTION :D (…yeah okay.)

Really is making a bad name for Overlords. And not in the fun way.

Angel’s shown trauma signs of abuse in our meetings. Im pretty sure it’s Valentino.

Make a doll out of his fur so I have a main villain for roach puppet shows!!!

His only purpose is to keep Veks occupied but considering Vixen’s inane attempts to catch my attention it isn’t working.

So Angel can have his soul and he and Husk can run off into the sunset together like in a fanfiction!!! (Ah, yes that would be nice.) (WE WHAT?!) (Oh Husker, denial doesn’t suit you.)

So Angel can get a good boyfriend THAT’S NOT ME to stop these bullshit allegations.

So Angel can admit his feelings to Husker because our cat surely isn’t going to be the first to do it. (ALASTOR I SWEAR TO GOD!)

Who knows how many other people he’s abusing.

Seems to give Vicks confidence. He has enough of that as is. It much more fun to destroy him.

He makes Angel sad which makes Cherri sad!

HE HIT ANGEL!!!

Called my dear Rosie an "old hag" NOBODY CALLS ROSIE AN OLD HAG.

Angel is a good friend and deserves so much better.

I’ve forgotten what moths taste like.

He keeps trying to get Angel to move out :(

Told the kid he had to lose weight. What the actual FUCK. (Ill kill him.)

He’s annoying and looks quite stupid. How has this not been added yet?!

He’s making a bad name for Spanish speakers everywhere. (Yeah it’s embarrassing.) (Wait… what?)

He’s making a bad name for pansexuals everywhere.

He’s making a bad name for wing-holders everywhere. (HE HAS FUCKING WINGS?!) (Oh, yeah, I didn’t tell you?)

Too tall. This is ridiculous.

Won’t admit he’s blind so he’s become even more of a public safety hazard.

If I get one more transmission of him and Box commiting lascivious acts someone will be eaten. I don’t care who. What the purpose of these are I don’t know. Advertisement? (I think it’s to make you jealous boss.) (Ha! Jealous of what? Mediocre sex with a pathetic excuse for a businessman with a TV as a head?)

Because Angel deserves fucking better.

[gabessquishytum]

Had an omegaverse AU idea that feels like it might feel at home in your inbox, so here we go...

Hob is a pretty chill alpha who is happy with all kinds of partners. That's how he ends up in bed with an omega who asks him if Hob might be okay with a special kink of him. The guy likes to act like an alpha, and to make the fantasy complete, Hob acts like an omega. The thing is, while Hob just went along with it, he really really likes it. Oops, kink acquired. Hob doesn't mind, but it's a hard one to do by himself or one he can find a partner for, so Hob goes to a professional instead.

Dream is said to be awesome with roleplay and weird kinks and Hob learns firsthand that it's true. Being with Dream is so much better than it was with the other guy, after all, he really is an alpha and he certainly has a way of making Hob feel like an omega. Over time, Hob gets so into it that he's happy to act like Dream's perfect little slut and he loves when Dream acts like he's breeding him, whispering in his ear how well Hob takes him and how he's going to fill him up with his come.

They have a lot of fun until Hob has to cancel their meeting over getting sick. He felt a little weird for a while, but now he begins to worry over his weird symptoms and almost loses his shit when the doc begins a line of questioning about his sex life to the point of asking if he might be pregnant. Like, he's an alpha, that doctor is insane.

Hob leaves, but when Dream asks how he's doing, he has to admit that he still doesn't know what's going on. When Hob talks about his weird doc, Dream suggests another doctor and offers to come along. That's how they end up in front of Lucienne, who tells Hob that he is indeed pregnant. Turns out that while he has a dick, he also has all the necessary organs to actually have a baby. The only reason he got away with it so far is that he presented as alpha.

Lucienne is actually quite interested how Hob managed to present as omega all of a sudden, and when Hob admits to his "little kink", it all makes sense. Since Hob was so into it and Dream did such a good job with the roleplay, he accidentally bitched Hob so well that they didn't even notice the change, and since they kept fucking like bunnies, they made an oopsie.

Imagine Hob finding out that from one moment to the other he's a pregnant omega because he really loved Dream's dirty talk and getting knotted over and over again by such a nice and hot alpha. Meanwhile, Dream is losing his mind because they can't be serious. Yes, he totally loved the idea of Hob being his perfect little omega but it was just pretend. There's no way Hob would want a messy whore like him as his baby daddy. Right?

This is SO GOOD. Kink acquisition + accidental pregnancy is such an excellent concept.

I'm fascinated by the changes that would happen both in and outside Hob’s body. Now that he knows what's happening to him, he is more easily able to observe his symptoms. Of course the pregnancy kind of heightens everything, but there's also other stuff. A subtle shift in both his appearance and his scent. Wider hips, a difference in weight distribution around his body. People begin to treat him slightly differently, too. In public, alphas hold doors open for him and offer to carry heavy items for him. Instead of avoiding him, young omegas see him as a safe space and will ask him for help in public settings. Hob doesn't expect the euphoria that all of these small things provide, but he truly does find himself living more happily. Being a pregnant omega is maybe exactly what he's wanted to be for his whole life, even if he didn't know it.

The only trouble is Dream. Hob is convinced that Dream doesn't want to have anything to do with him or the baby. He obviously must just see Hob as a particularly weird client. He's been particularly standoffish, almost cold, and Hob is devastated but resigned to the idea that he'll be a single parent. He keeps Dream informed about the baby throughout his pregnancy though, just in case!

They're both very stupid, honestly. They could totally be together, preparing for a happy life with their baby, but both of them have so little self esteem! Neither can believe that they'd be wanted. Lucienne is banging her head on her desk after every doctor's appointment (Dream attends every one with Hob) because she can see that they're so compatible!!! They're basically true mates!!! Dream’s dick was so magic that it changed Hob’s secondary gender, of course they're destined to be together!!!!!

I fully believe that in the late stages of his pregnancy Hob would snap, though. He's SO pregnant and hormonal and overwhelmed. He's only been an omega for 5 minutes and the adjustment is so hard. His patience wears thin and he eventually begs Dream to just give him and their baby a chance. He NEEDS his alpha. He NEEDS Dream to step up.

And Dream, bless him, doesn't have to be asked twice. He does such a good job of stepping up that he sends Hob into early labour by knotting him so thoroughly. That dick truly is magic! Ultimately it all works out fine - their baby is perfect, despite their unexpected entrance to the world. Hob is exhausted and delighted as he feeds his child. Dream will need to look for a new job, but he's never been more content.

Hob really was the omega that the universe made just for him.

[caineinthecorner]

Hi. I binged like 80 chats in a row and I have opinions(tm) about physical strength and general power stuff of the brothers. Mostly just strength related things, but I tried to cover most of their battle stuff.

Yes I know, yes I know, "they're ranked as siblings by power blabla", but that's LAME. So here are my personal takes mostly for fun. Canon is dead and I ate it.

Also I finished the dividers and general aesthetics of this blog woo

★ Lucifer.

Generally the strongest, period, can and WILL kill almost anyone without much issue or even second thought

Physical strength, however? He’s not the best, as he doesn’t rely on it at all for battle / conflict

He didn't need it in heaven, after all

(Beel was his brawns and he was already a powerful angel so it never was a requirement)

I don't see him actively working out (anymore, at least), so most of his strength is merely his baseline

His main tactic conflict wise is intimidation.

Cough giving MC death threats cough

Very prideful of himself in battle, obviously

Rarely would ever use any sort of dirty tricks

Would probably prefer to go down the "honorable way"

Target his brothers though and he WILL play every trick in the book with little regard to his pride or his own life

This fuck looks like he knows swordsmanship and is probably the only of the brothers who does so

(except maybe Satan who is learning just to copy / be better than him)

Either that or he knows fancy sword dances for angel rituals he cannot partake in anymore (and doesn't do them anymore)

Diavolo has photos of him doing said dances but his lips are triple sealed since it is a heavily touchy subject

★ Mammon.

Canonically this man is physically weak (or at least has a weak complexion / scrawny arms)

Probably the most disappointing in terms of strength because he is literally the second born

His saving grace is his unholy speed and dirty tricks, using it to cover his weaknesses / lack of physical strength.

A LOT of dirty tricks and bs magic stuff. So so many. Never ends

He’s the living embodiment of the “random bullshit go!!!” meme

You know Looney tunes? Yeah this man has the Bugs bunny's levels of bullshit

But he has the best stamina out of his brothers (so he can run away from his debts)

Doesn't train because he's already perfect as it is (<- that's his ego talking he can barely pick up the weights at Beel's gym)

Honor is for the dead type of person. Nothing is out of the table in battle

(^ that makes him terrifying to fight against btw)

He either tries to intimidate (imitating Lucifer) or sweet-talk his way out of conflict

It usually just pisses off his adversary more which actually leads to the fights starting, but hey, he tried 乁⁠(⁠ ⁠•⁠_⁠•⁠ ⁠)⁠ㄏ

★ Leviathan.

Physical strength is shit.

he will get his shit kicked if he tries to brawl with almost anyone

Except maybe the lowest hanging fruit (humans)

Magical or general strength is decent, but he's definitely not the greatest in battle out of the brothers

^ he's kinda insecure about this and he wishes he were stronger (he sulks about it)

Wishes that actual irl battles were like Fire Emblem or strategy games bcs he's actually good in those

Update: I didn't make it clear (mb lol) but I see him as the best strategist of the brothers by far, he just isn't good at front-line action

^ Being away from the front lines keeps the pressure away from him for the most part, and it avoids him getting riled up and acting rash

He once tried to workout with Beel but quickly got overwhelmed because Beel shoved 200kg weights onto him thinking it was an reasonable starting point

So he kinda has trauma(tm) about it

Despite his garbage physical prowess, he WILL start fights and get riled up easily

He goes onto his demon form immediately when he wants to fight

^ bcs his strength isn't great, and he needs any boost he can get

Plus, awful anger management

My man will get onto a fist fight with the demon equivalent of a redditor over anime waifus and he will lose

★ Satan.

As the literal embodiment of Wrath, he does pack quite a punch and will maul you to death with only his fists. No problems at all

But that's merely his baseline strength (which is a lot) since he doesn’t really train physically

Probably focuses on other areas (read: intelligence) instead of physical strength.

Which is ironic because he could kick Lucifer's ass in a fist fight if he actually trained more

But oh well. Books do be booking

Surprisingly strategic while in fights, although not above Going Apeshit

Funnily enough the least likely of the brothers to enter a fight

Has read The Art Of War and will quote it just to be a smartass

★ Asmodeus.

Physically? Weak.

Probably the weakest of the brothers, having more or less the strength of a human (and on the weaker side of that).

He doesn’t train whatsoever; Likes his slender figure and muscles “ruin” that.

However, he makes up for it on the "trickster" scale.

As the Avatar of Lust, he will probably go the charm route instead of wanting to directly fight his enemies, or he make someone else do the dirty work for him.

Think of Mammon but make it a bit less scummy, tricks wise.

His go-to is sweet talk.

Something something the Avatar of Lust being physically weak since sex is considered an act of vulnerability and therefore the lowering of one’s guard something something

Something something the poetic narrative of the Avatar of Lust having only power through Communication something something

★ Beelzebub.

Contrary to Asmo; he does lift for days and can pack quite the punch, being one of the stronger brothers physically despite being one of the youngest.

I don't see him caring much for magic or other types of strength, he is content in packing the punch and has the capabilities to back him up.

Fight wise he will probably punch the problems away

Maybe use one or two tricks he’s learned

Mostly relies on his intuition and gut and it surprisingly works out

Nothing fancy; Dictionary definition of all muscle no brain battle wise

Literally one of the scariest brothers to ever fight he will actually beat you to a bloody pulp

And make a smoothie out of it

★ Belphegor.

This fucker doesn't lift at all you can't tell me shit

At MOST he'll accompany Beel to the gym and would sleep at the benches

The strength he has is the strength he was born with

Which isn't a lot, but still above human average by quite a lot

More or less demon standard of strength. Maybe a slightly below it

But he's still above most demons by a mile in other regards, mostly magic prowess

He's stronger than Levi because I think it would be hilarious that the dude who sleeps all day is stronger than him

(or you can make him really physically strong just because it'd be funny to see the sleepy dude kick ass)

(either way is funny as shit go ham)

★ Physical strength chart

Behemoth type strength :

Beel (only barely)

Lucifer

Satan

High / Low above human average :

Mammon

Belphie (low diff w/ mammon)

Levi

Asmo

★General strength chart

Can kill hundreds no effort :

Lucifer

Satan (If apeshit)

Are not as strong but still terrifying :

Mammon

Beel

Belphie

Levi, Asmo (Tie)

[qoldenskies]

i’ve circled around the idea of writing leo’s birthday (the one where donnie’s.. You Know) but i haven’t sat down and done it (yet). BUT it’s given me a terrible cc!mikey hc that i’m not sure is in character but i’m inflicting it on you anyway <3

so mikey has a corkboard of photos on his wall, mostly him with his brothers/april/splinter. when he gets cursed it starts to look off in a way he can’t place, like, uncomfortably off. eventually he realizes the problem and starts cutting donnie out of photos. :)

he’s embarrassed by how much it helps because it’s kind of a childish/cartoonishly rude thing to do but he reasons that it’s *his* room and his decorations shouldn’t make him feel bad when he sees them. also, it’s, like, artistic expression. so he’s entirely justified actually! anyway donnie can be cut pretty easily out of most of the group photos (smiles calmly) but the ones that can’t be saved get shoved into a drawer somewhere

and then he covers the new empty space with people he actually cares about and when the curse breaks he forgets about it for weeks because he has way worse things to feel guilty about until one day he looks at it too closely and is like. Hey. What The Fuck.

NO ACTUALLY THIS FITS INTO THE UNIVERSE REALLY WELL,,, like mikey's attention towards donnie really only extends to when it finds it fun to hurt him, when there's a practical joke to play (and honestly its probably a huge reason he was SO vicious in that one scene where he actually hit him. it was a very final and firm fuck off i dont want you around me, and donnie got the message and didnt go back to the kitchen even ONCE afterwards) but when it comes to his behavior in private i think coming up with an excuse like that to justify his own behavior would make complete sense

like. mikey pathologizing and saying something like that to himself because he's still resistant to the idea of being TOO mean and unnecessarily cruel, especially at first, and then in retrospect realize it was his way of enabling himself with this shitty "oh its just self-care he doesnt need to know ^-^" excuse ,,, little things like that just worsen how terrible he gets later on, because the more excuses he makes for himself, the more normal it gets for him to be cruel upfront.

and christ like the little ways they made donnie feel excluded coming back to haunt them like that. even if donnie never SAW IT it would cause this horror in mikey because he didn't even think about it. so much of the small shit they dont really have a REASON to dwell on. so much fucking happened in those three months and its traumatic for them too, their brains are on the big stuff. like the closet, the family meeting, the physical abuse, the starving him and screaming at him, things like that. its why they dont understand the weight of the gaslighting until it comes back to bite them; they understood it worked, but there was a small childish part of them that just kind of assumed donnie would already KNOW they were lying and he wouldnt completely lose trust in himself like that lolol

i think especially post-cw they're going to be thinking about this a lot, how much little shit they skimmed over now that all the big shit's immediately addressed. the tree remembers but the axe forgets and etc; donnie's memory is shaky, but the effects of it are visible if you know what you're looking for. they feel both the need to address and apologize for everything, even things donnie didn't know about, and the need to micromanage themselves out of fear of doing something like that again. (especially once they learn about the uhhh spreadsheet that dates back to before all of this happened, that's soon)

ALSO I WOULD LOVE TO SEE THE LEO'S BIRTHDAY THING OMG THAT'S SO EVIL ..... a pov from one of the cursed bros is just an inherently interesting thing to explore i think

[yournormalidiot]

Right this thought has plagued me all day so here's what I think the poets would be insecure about (yes these are all mini essay's, no I will not stop and write hc like a normal person)

Todd: I think he used to be a bit chubby as a kid, not fat or anything just a little extra weight that kids lose when they hit growth spurts and shit. (He doesn't have a good relationship with food) I think his peers would have made fun of him and his mother would have been very sad about it, cause Jeff was never like that and blah blah. (It's one of the memories that haunt him) also his teeth and hair. Like this man spends AGES styling it and hair cuts terrify him.

How quite he is, he desperately wants to be confident but can't and lays awake thinking about how he acted that day worrying about it and stuff. (He talks bad about himself.in his head alot)

Neil: how skinny he is, I hc that he was always really skinny even as a kid. And the others kids def thought he was weird and he was also super light and could get shoved around easy so he never played with the boys which made it worse. (He invest into his personality and by the time he was like 9 or 10 he started getting popular)

He also trys really hard to be perfect and used to read books on how to be more likable as a kid.

Meeks: his freakles, I don't think he likes them alot. No particular reason I think he just never sees anyone famous with them and he thinks he'd look sm better with out them. Also his hair, I think he wishes it wasn't curly cause its such a pain to take care of and it can look so ratty somtimes. (Also wants to dye his hair a light brown but can't cause he knows he'd break his mam's heart)

Pitts: fuck me literally everything this man hates sm about himself its not ok. He doesn't like his height at all and how lanky he is. He really wants yo be a bit shorter and have more muscles. Also his hair and how he moves, sense he's so tall he's a bit awkward when he walks and stuff and it's all he can think about somtimes. (Its effect his running performance more than once)

also how he acts, like how loud/energetic he is, his reactions and faces he makes (he's really bad at hiding his emotions). He trys to plan things ahead of time so he won't hate how he reacts/trys to make his self act different but always forgets and can't.

Charile: this isn't so much an insurcerty but he has a desperate need to be liked, it comes from his parents giving him 0 attention his entire life and he definitely lacked friends as a kid cause he just didn't know how to act. So he made up for it by being loud and cocky.

I think he would try act like the popular boys from movies and TV shoes in hopes he'd be liked to.

Knox: I'm not really sure, knox doesn't strike me as a very insecure person. Mabye food, I'm not sure why but he def doesn't like eating alot. I think it stems from his father, like they gain weight more easy due to genes so his dad is very strict about him not eating to much or smth.

Cameron: also his weight, but more his build. He is a normal weight and some 'fat' (its is muscles just not defined) that he hates and trys to get ride of. Also his freakles but mostly his teeth, he def had buck teeth or an overbite as a kid that he got badly bullied for (got fixed with braces when he was 8 cause he cried begging to his parents to) also his hand and ears, he thinks his hands are to fat and his ears stick out to much. Also not exactly insecurity but how scared he is of breaking the rules. He really wants to break them and be reckless, but due to his upbringing and the stress put on him by his family its hard. He's always wanted to even as a kid ans thinks he'd have true friends (and the poets would like him more, specifically Charlie) if he did loose up and tried many times over the years but just can't.

He also really hates himself, like if you heard how he thinks of himself you'd probably cry and hug him and book him therapy immediately.

Mr keating: his height (our short king) not sm sense he got married but as a teen especially it was somthing he was bullied alot for it. (Mostly by his brothers) also his interests, definitely got called girlie and nerdy for his interest by his peers and brothers, so he doesn't talk about them much around his family.

(I'm don't know these characters very well so sorry of there bad/don't make sense)

Chris: how she dresses, she trys really hard to make sure her outfit looks perfect and is up to date with trends. She was friendly with the popular girls as a kid and saw how they treat other girls who they thought look/dressed poorly and how quick they'd switch up on each other if they didn't stay in trend. So now she's terrified of her friends doing that to her.

Ginny: how boyish she is, she's always been a tomboy especially as a kid and as much as she loved it she also hated it. She had a very lonely childhood sense the girls though the was weird so they left her out alot, were fake or just straight up ignored her. And the boys made fun of her alot (so did he brother). And her parents (especially her mother) were very disappointed and made it clear. Her mother wanted a little princess she could dress up

When she hit puberty she kinda became more girlie, like she still perfers comfert over looking perfect but she'll were make-up and dresses now. She had friends now and there lovely but she still feels a little isolated (and feels like she always will) and like she's missing somthing, especially when their all talking about sleepovers and stuff from when they were young sense she never had any of that.

[crusty-chronicles]

The Moon and Sun (Gon/Killua x Big Sib Reader)

Decisions: Alternate Ending

An: The alternative choice to the cannon path in our story. The only reason I didn't have Y/n stay behind is because there would be a lot less story and character bonding moments between them and the boys. Like most of the Chimera Ant arc would've been skipped over and what I have in store for the Chairman Arc wouldn't fit with this path. Buuuut- I do love my angst so here you go 🫴

-----------------------------------

Your eyes widened at the angry spike of Aura from Gon. The power radiating off was a shock to your system. Immediately snapping you out of your shock. Yet you could only watch in horror as that thing turned around with a grin.

No.

Not again.

YOU WERE NOT GOING TO LOSE ANOTHER KID

In an instant you were up and out of Kite's arms. Staggering harshly from the wound on your side. You quickly clasped your hands together, forcing every ounce of nen you had into them.

A mass of nen strings wrapped tightly around the ant. It's malicious aura lashing out. Trying desperately to overpower yours.

And it was working.

"RUN! HURRY! I CAN'T HOLD THEM FOR MUCH LONGER!" Your voice nothing more than a rasp. Straining painfully with the damage done to it.

"NO! WE'RE NOT JUST GOING TO LEAVE YOU!" Gon protested.

His own furious aura not helping you focus. Your strength was fading by the second. If you slipped up now, you were all dead.

It also didn't help to feel the hesitance from all three of them. As if trying to come up with a way no one would be left behind. But that simply wasn't possible.

Your thoughts were interrupted by the ant releasing even more of its aura. Turning around with a bit of effort against your hold. It met your eyes with a childlike glee.

"I can already tell...This is going to be fun."

You could feel your heart pounding against your ribcage in fear.

Those eyes, they had nothing but bloodlust behind them. So empty and cruel.

"GOD DAMNIT! GET OUT OF HERE!"

Kite looked over to the boys then back to you. You would not be able to beat this thing. Maybe if you hadn't been injured you would've stood a chance. If he had been able to see its first attack coming. You were no match for it now.

He prepared to summon Crazy Slots, but a burning sensation consumed his wrist. Your promise. He was supposed to get the boys out of here if you fought. Or else he'd lose his nen.

But he couldn't just leave you when he knew you'd die. Not after everything. Those kids were strong enough to make it out of here if he stayed.

No.

He would just be dead weight without his nen. Nothing but a burden to you in this fight. No matter how badly he wanted to believe the opposite.

You were making a sacrifice, and he had to honor it. He just hoped you would be able to find a way to escape.

With that, he darted forward and tossed the boys over his shoulders. Setting a fast pace just as the ant broke free.

"HEY! LET US GO! WE HAVE TO GO BACK!" Killua shouted, trying to wriggle his way out of Kite's grasp.

"TURN AROUND! WE CAN'T LEAVE THEM WITH THAT THING!" Gon screamed, pounding on his back this time.

But he didn't listen to either of their cries. He couldn't afford to. If he did, then none of you were going to make it out of here. And as the Ant's aura spiked to an overwhelming peak, he pushed himself to run faster.

Kite wasn't nearly as fast as you, but it would have to do for now. At the rate he was going, they'd reach the border by daylight.

He could feel your nen at last vanish from his wrist. The conditions had been met. It was you who had stayed behind after all.

-----------------

When you'd first summoned your nen, Pitou was intrigued. So far, they hadn't met anybody else who possessed the ability to do so. You were a Rare. Maybe the humans with you were Rares too? The possibility made it all the more exciting.

When you broke a tree in half and used it to swing at them, they were thrilled. They didn't know humans had the strength to do that. And when it actually hit them, Pitou found themselves temporarily winded. Another first with you.

But when daylight broke and you collapsed mid attack, they were disappointed. Sure you'd been getting weaker the more you fought, but they assumed your stamina was running out.

This wasn't stamina.

It had to do with the gashes on your side.

How sad. You'd bled out before they got a chance to beat you.

"Hmmm. Seems my new toy is broken. What a shame, I was really having fun." They mumbled to themselves.

Pitou approached your limp body and pulled you up by the scalp. Staring into your now dull eyes with a frown.

"I wanna do it again. I wanna experience that dream like moment again. Where you were my equal, and you made me question if I was gonna win. I want that again."

They let go and watched as your skull slammed against the ground.

"But you're already dying. No, you might already be dead. It's no fair." They whined.

They continued to stare down at you, wondering what to do with your limp body. The last of your red blood leaving your corpse. Then an idea struck Pitou.

"Yes, I think I'll do just that." They mumbled before dragging your body away by the arm.

----------------

"WHY WOULD YOU JUST LEAVE THEM!!! YOU KNOW THEY'RE NOT A FIGHTER!!! YOU KNEW THEY WERE STRUGGLING ENOUGH AS IT WAS!!! SO WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU, YOU BASTARD!!!!"

Gon had to hold Killua back from lunging at the silver haired hunter. The anger was something Kite had been expecting. These two loved you dearly, so to leave you behind wounded...He didn't blame Killua for being upset.

And although he wanted to provide the boys with a bit of comfort, he wasn't you. He wasn't a nurturing person. Never had been. The same words coming from you would be blunt and cold coming from him.

But he had to try.

He promised you.

Whereas Killua was furious, Gon was frustrated. He didn't care if this was for their own good. You were injured, and that thing was still there with you. You all should've fought together or die trying to take that ant down.

He said he wouldn't leave anyone behind, and he had failed. He said he wouldn't leave you behind. A feeling of guilt starting to weigh on his shoulders.

"We have to go back for them. You don't leave your friends behind to die. We have to go back." Although you weren't a friend. You were the protector. Family.

Kite couldn't help but notice the way Gon spoke just like you. 'You don't leave your friends to die if you know you can save them.' It was bittersweet in a way.

If Kite hadn't given you pushback that day, maybe things would have turned out different. Maybe he would've been able to stay behind and help you defeat that ant.

But it was too late to change the past.

He could only move forward. He didn't need the boys to like him, but he needed them to understand.

"When you make a promise to your friend, you keep it. We agreed that if you two were in danger, someone would stay behind to make sure you got out okay. And I'm sorry, I really am, that it was Y/n who chose to bear that responsibility."

You'd chosen to fight.

But it seems his explanation wasn't enough for them.

"Liar! They would never just leave us! If you're a coward, then fine! But me and Gon are going back!" Killua pushed past him, anger radiating in waves.

Kite had tried talking to them like kids, like you. Now it was time to talk to them like adults.

"If you go back there right now, you'd be making a selfish decision. They gave up their life for yours, and you wanna waste their sacrifice for your own piece of mind. You'd only end up getting yourselves killed for nothing."

And once again, his words had gone in one ear and out the other.

"They're not dead. Y/n wouldn't die that easily. So don't you ever say that again." Gon warned.

It was like talking to brick walls. But he couldn't really blame them for being in denial. A part of him believed you'd be fine, too. A hope that somehow you'd stumble your way out of the NGL.

For now, he needed contact his team as well as the association. If he was lucky, an extermination team was already on the way.

-------------------

The amateur hunters were beyond believed to see Kite standing before them. He was okay. And as the seven of them reunited, they couldn't help but feel eyes on them.

The boys.

And their expressions looked almost sad.

It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out why. You weren't there. You hadn't come back from inside the NGL. They weren't as fortunate to have their mentor standing before them.

But before any of them could offer words of comfort, one of the three hunters with them decided to speak.

"What the hell is this? Family outing gone wrong?" The one with sunglasses taunted.

The two boys glared him down, silently daring him to say it again. Kite could only offer a drained sigh. Already dreading the conversation to come.

"We were ambushed by one of the queen's royal guards. It had already learned how to use nen. Judging by the power it demonstrated, I'd say it's about as strong as a zodiac." He explained.

The hunter with sunglasses only scowled. But before he could throw in another sarcastic remark, the one in the suit took over.

"People overrate things that they can't understand. And that is a perfectly natural response."

These men were irksome. Already full of themselves despite not even seeing the ant face to face. But if they were the best the association had at the moment, Kite would just have to put up with them.

However, he was surprised when Killua of all people defended him.

"Overrate? You wanna tell that to our big sibling who could hardly hold them back!!!! You wouldn't even last five seconds with that ant, so shut up!" He snapped.

"So you left them behind to fend for themselves like cowards? Just ran away with your tail between your legs? And you call yourselves nen users." The one with sunglasses chastised.

This wasn't good. They were getting nowhere by arguing amongst themselves.

"It wasn't my choice to run away, and the reason why is none of your concern. Our friend is still back there. Their life is more important than petty squabbling. Destroying the nest is more important than standing around yelling about who's right and wrong." Kite scolded.

Today had already been enough without everyone at each other's throats. A level head was needed. It'd be so much easier if Netero stepped in and kept the two hunters in line.

Luckily, they finally seemed to get a grasp of the situation without their ego.

"Fine. Anything we should know about your friend when we find them?" Morel grumbled.

It was a start.

"They were wounded badly before the fight even began, so if they're alive give them immediate medical treatment."

"And if they're dead?"

However horrible it was, all possibilities needed to be considered. There was a high likelihood you didn't make it. It was wise to be realistic instead of hopeful.

".... Bring back the remains for a proper burial.."

But the mention of you being dead had quickly caught Gon's attention.

"They're not dead." His tone was final.

Like he truly believed you'd be okay. And if the opposite happened to be true, then he'd surely break.

"Now that kid's got spirit." Morel praised.

"Their name is Y/n and they've been injured really badly. They've got three gashes on their side, so please find them and bring them back safe."

There was nothing else he or Killua could do. Out of respect for your wishes. Even if it looked like they weren't listening before.

They had.

But they were still hurt.

--------------

Netero's explanation was simple: in order to enter the NGL, the boys would need to get the other halves of their game pieces. They had exactly one month to do so.

The air became tense once the extermination team left. With Gon and Killua standing away from Kite's team. He knew he wasn't on the best of terms with them anymore, but you left their care in his hands. He owed it to you.

So he had no other choice but to stay with them for that month. Maybe longer depending on if you were found. Well, he did have a choice, but it didn't feel right to leave them by themselves.

To navigate this grief alone.

"We'll see you in a month for sure?" Spin questioned.

"Preferably, but it just depends. I'll need you all to keep researching the Chimera Ants in the meantime. Find out everything you can about them. Especially how long it takes the king to hatch after a royal guard has been born. Can you handle that?"

"You can count on us. Be safe, Kite." Banana assured.

"I will."

Now the hard part would truly begin.

He could already feel the hostility radiate from Killua as he approached. And just when he was starting to warm up to him. But it was a valid response.

They were still just kids, after all.

"What do you want? Shouldn't you be leaving with your team, or do you just wanna rub it in our faces more?"

He had your temper, that's for sure.

And he knew the best way to get around it was to have patience. It would be the only way they were going to survive the month.

"I promised Y/n I would take care of you in their place. So that's exactly what I'm going to do. You can be upset, but that doesn't change the fact you need training." It came out harsher than Kite intended it to.

"We don't need your help. I sure as hell don't want it." Killua spat out.

Yet as he realized his choice of words, he froze.

'Language!'

It was like he could hear you. Your scolding. Damnit. He knew you wouldn't have wanted him to be mad at Kite. No, you liked him too much for that. You probably would have said something about focusing on the future, instead of what was in the past.

But he was just too mad to care.

He took a few steps before he was pulled back. He turned around with a scowl. But it was Gon who stopped him.

"Killua, we're not strong enough to do this by ourselves. We can't afford to be stubborn right now. And Y/n chose Kite. They trust him, so you gotta too. Do you think they'd be happy with you being mean to someone they cared about?"

No, no you would not be happy.

It was frustrating.

Killua wanted to hate Kite for leaving you behind, but he just couldn't. He was mad at himself for freezing up. For being too weak in the first place to help.

He knew it wasn't the silver haired hunter's fault, not entirely. For you. He was gonna give him a chance for you.

"Fine, but mess up one time, and you're out." He warned, making sure to point at Kite.

And that was enough. He didn't need the boys to love him the way they did you. Their trust would be enough to get through this.

It was a proper start.

—----------------

The first few days had been awkward. Trying to settle in as well as cope with your absence. The small home they occupied was quiet. Kite not wanting to press any boundaries yet.

He'd give the boys time to recover mentally before moving forward.

They seemed to be feeling better on the fourth day. Opting to search for clues on Morel's pupils instead of sitting in silence. 

They'd run into a woman named Palm that day. Turns out she was the other hunter's pupil: Knov. Her objective was the same as theirs. And even though she was on their side, there was something off putting about her. 

Especially as she absentmindedly continued adding sugar to her coffee while talking.

All three of them silently agreed you would've disliked her. Something foreboding radiating off.

"And I thought Y/n liked sweet things." Gon noted once she left.

"Yeah, she was just eating wet sugar at that point." Killua agreed with a shiver.

The mood had significantly lightened. Conversation flowing easier now that they had something to distract them.

"You know it's not nice to judge a book by its cover." Kite lightly scolded. 

A quirk of the brow from Killua let him know it didn't come out as blunt this time.

"Yeah? Well I am, and the cover's screaming 'Weird Lady Who'll Probably Kill Us In Our Sleep!'"

He had to disguise his laugh with a cough. Gon other hand, was cackling along with the other one. It was the first time they smiled in days. Things wouldn't be as tense now.

They made their way back 'home' after paying for their meals. Well, Kite had payed for them after much protest from the duo. 

"You can't buy my affection, I'm already rich." Killua pouted.

"Yeah, we can afford it so don't worry," Gon agreed.

"Then you'll get the next one. Think of it as a way of making amends."

It was a plausible explanation, but not the full truth. It was just a habit to take care of those around him. It'd become one after looking after the amateur hunters for so long. He didn't mind it.

It wasn't expected of him, but he preferred to either way.

He stopped abruptly in front of the door. Sensing a dark presence inside. Perhaps an ambush from Morel's pupils.

"Something wrong?" Gon asked.

"There's someone inside." Kite warned. 

"What do you mean there's someone inside? Are we being robbed or do you think it's…" Killua started.

"I can't say for certain, but keep your guard up."

But before any of them could move, the door quickly swung open.

"AHHH! WHY ARE YOU IN OUR HOUSE!" Gon screamed, now hiding behind the taller male.

"I thought it would be better if we stayed together. We'd have a better chance of killing Morel's pupils this way." Palm explained.

"So you just broke in!?!" Killua accused.

"You weren't here, so I decided to let myself in."

Alarm bells were ringing. She really thought what she did was justified. 

"Hey, substitute sibling, do something about the scary lady." Killua whispered, tugging on the sleeve of Kite's shirt.

Now the Y/n response would have been to tell her off and send her away. You always did have a knack for getting people to listen to you when you were mad.

However, Kite wasn't confrontational by nature. He wasn't a fan of the effort it took to argue. And at this point, it might've been a good idea to take all the help they could get. Still, it was wise to be cautious around Palm.

"You'll be staying with us for the month?" He asked.

"But of course, we are teammates after all. Though I have to warn you, I might not be so pleasant by the end of the month. You are positive they'll be able to kill Morel's pupils, right?" 

He didn't like the way her aura darkened. This woman was unstable. No wonder her mentor left her behind.

"Just don't get in the way and they'll be fine."

The boys spared him nervous glances, not exactly thrilled to be sharing a space with Palm. The more on edge they were, the harder it'd be to get them to focus on training. 

The objective just became even more difficult.

—----------------------

The first week of training had gone about as well as Kite thought it would. The boys had potential, they just needed the experience to go with it. Challenging them to a fight only further proved it.

Gon was too reckless, relying too much on his Jan-Ken instead of focusing on his surroundings. The amount of time it took to charge up left him wide open for attacks. It also used a lot of nen to start up. Energy he could've been using for other attacks.

Killua, on the other hand, was too cautious. Hesitating everytime he made a move to strike. Staying purely on the offense to try and read Kite's movements. But it wouldn't make a difference if he kept to the sidelines. Waiting for an opening instead of making one. 

There was a lot of work to be done if they even had a hope of beating Morel's pupils. But it wasn't just their strength they needed to work on. It was also their minds. They were too distracted. Auras weighed down by grief.

They missed you, but they wouldn't get anywhere by worrying about 'what if's.'

The second week had been a bit easier, with both boys making corrections to the way they fought. However, there was still something a bit off with the small assassin. 

While he was getting faster, he was still incredibly hesitant. Going in for a hit and backing away last second. It was during one of 'these attacks' that Kite noticed something.

There was a malicious aura near his forehead. Something dark with a feeling of bloodlust. Was there something planted inside of his head? Who would do something so cruel to a kid?

"Time out!" He called, making sure to unsummon his Crazy Slots.

"What? Did you hurt your hip or something, old man?" Killua teased. 

It was one of the many remarks Kite chose to ignore. Though this one was in more good faith than the previous ones. He gestured to the center of Killua's forehead.

"There's something there. Did your family put a tracker on you by any chance?" Because that was the only plausible explanation for what it could be. It was the only thing Kite could fathom being the reason.

But as Killua's face dropped and he started frantically scratching at his head, he realized it was much more than that. 

Fingers digging into flesh as a needle was slowly pulled out. His first instinct was to try and patch up the new wound. His second was to ask just what the hell that was. What did it do?

"Damn, he really got me," Killua mumbled.

"Don't tell me that's Illumi's?" Gon asked, eyeing the bloodied needle.

"It is. That's why I haven't been able to fight properly. I kept hearing his voice telling me to run away." 

So he knew the person that did this. Kite didn't know if that made it better or worse.

"If you don't mind me asking, who is Illumi?" He questioned.

"My big brother. Y/n would have hated him."

Definitely worse. What kind of monster would implant a needle into their little sibling's head? And why was Killua acting like it was normal? What other cruel things had he gone through to be this desensitized?

Maybe he understood your protectiveness a bit more.

"Hey, don't tell them about this when they get back, okay? I don't wanna stress them out." Killua added.

It was always a matter of 'when' with you. Not 'if.' Because for whatever reason, they refused to consider the possibility of you dying. And maybe Kite started to believe it too. It made things a little easier to pretend you were still okay.

It made moving forward easier.

And unbeknownst to him, that was the moment Killua gave him his full trust. No longer bitter towards him for leaving you. He was finally able to accept that it was your decision to stay. That Kite would be a good match for you.

He already put up with all of his tantrums, after all. Giving nothing but patience. And Killua appreciated it.

He already knew Gon forgave him long ago. How even though he was upset, was still grateful Kite stuck around.

He may not have been you, but he was doing a great job so far.

Kite had called it a day, telling the boys to get cleaned up before dinner. Although he wasn't too fond of Palm's presence, he was thankful she offered to make them food after training. His thoughts couldn't help but drift to you now that he was alone.

Did you ever cook?

It was embarrassing to think about you that way. Your affection for each other was mutual, but it didn't have a chance to go any further than that. So why? Why was he starting to wonder what it would be like to have you as a partner? To be able to explore these feelings.

It was best to push those thoughts down for now. Not to get his hopes up.

He hardly noticed when Plam approached him, her voice slightly startling the silver haired hunter.

"I do hope I'm not rude for saying this, but I'll let you decide how to train them." She started.

"However, if after a month we determine it would be impossible for them to defeat Morel's pupils, I sincerely doubt that I would be able to restrain myself."

At that Kite tensed up. Sensing her aura get darker by the second.

"What do you mean by that?" He was a bit worried about her answer. Especially since she'd given the same warning at the start of the boys' training.

"I must go to the NGL. I want to go right now in fact. If I'm forced to wait and wait and wait and then I don't get to go...Then I may end up killing you all." 

He quickly unleashed a protective aura.

"You won't lay a hand on those boys." Up until this point, he thought Killua's joke was just that. An exaggeration. He didn't really think Palm would act out on violent intentions.

But that was proven to be wrong. If she tried anything, he wouldn't hesitate to put a stop to it. Their safety was priority number one. 

No matter what, nothing would happen to those boys.

"I don't want to hurt them, which is why they should give up sooner rather than later. My rage won't be as bad as it would be then." Palm explained.

"They'll win, and even if they don't, you won't do a thing to them. Not on my watch." He sent her a small glare, singling the end of the conversation.

Palm didn't push any further.

Dinner was an experience that night. It started off with an innocent request from Gon that soon turned into chaos.

"Hey Kite. When we get Y/n back, is it okay with you if we spend the first day with them?" He looked a little embarrassed to be asking.

It made sense. The boys missed you like crazy. Who was he to deny them of catching up with you? Still it was odd Gon was asking for his permission.

"I don't see why not…Why do you ask?"

Nothing could have prepared him for his next choice of words.

"Well, I know you two really care about each other. And Y/n really likes being around you. So I wanted to make sure we'd get to spend a little time with them, too."

Kite sputtered over a response, not expecting the boys to have been so observant of your actions.

"Look, we're not even-" But Killua cut him off with mischief littering his aura.

"That reminds me! We gotta set some ground rules if you're gonna be dating our big sibling."

Kite's face went even redder. The last thing he wanted was to discuss your relationship with a bunch of kids. And you weren't even dating! 

"Please don't."

But did they listen to his plea? No. 

"No kissing or hand holding. None. I'll bite you if I see it."

"And no flirting with other women or men! If you make them sad I'll bite you." Gon added.

There had to be a way out of this conversation.

"I think my team's calling me." He tried to get up and leave, but was once again stopped by the sound of Killua's voice.

"Hey! We're not done talking to you! No stealing them away from us when we wanna spend time with them! You'll have to go somewhere else!"

Yeah maybe he understood why you called them demons so much. They were a bit more lively than he was used to handling. More persistent too.

But he couldn't deny enjoying their company.

He could see why you cherished your little family so much. 

"Dad! Don't leave!" Gon whined before slapping a hand to his mouth. 

Oops. He hadn't meant to say that. It was an honest accident. But Kite really was the closest thing he ever had to a father. He felt it more than ever this past month with the way Kite was taking care of them. 

Stern, yet caring.

Very different from the way you treated them, yet very similar. So while he hadn't meant to call him that, a small part of him felt that way.

Yet Killua's immediate teasing didn't help ease his embarrassment.

"You gonna stop looking for Ging now?"

He'd just barley missed the way Kite's eyes softened at the word.

---------------

They'd won.

They'd actually won and defeated Knuckle and Shoot. Both boys being completely exhausted from the ordeal. But they'd be damned if they weren't the ones to go into the NGL and get you back.

Seems even Netero was surprised by outcome.

Nevertheless, a deal was a deal.

By morning, Kite and the boys, along with Palm, were on their way back to the entrance. Meeting up with the rest of the extermination team before heading towards the nest.

The floors were empty, the ants having already evacuated. The King must've already hatched. They were too late to stop his birth. 

The various 'rooms' in the nest were vacant. Except one, which caught the attention of the boy in green.

"Guys!" He called out. 

The others entered the room, disgust quickly overtaking their expressions.

In that room must've been hundreds of giant meatballs. To the side of them were mountains of clothing and various accessories. Meaning those things…They were made of humans.

Killua picked one of the balls of meat up, inspecting it with a frown on his face. These poor people.

Gon approached the pile of clothes and froze. He picked up one singular article of clothing, catching Kite and Killua's attention.

This was your shirt. The one you'd been wearing throughout the expedition into the NGL. Soaked through with blood. And was that-

Your shoe.

Just one. Because you had thrown off the other one when you crushed that ant's skull. 

But surely it was just a coincidence. And they would've believed that had Kite not picked up what looked like his hat.

The one he gave you when you'd gotten upset with him that night. 

You'd been here.

"Y/n??" Gon cried in disbelief.

"Oh god, no please! Y/n!" Killua shouted, grasping desperately at Gon for support.

Was one of these balls of human flesh you?

Just like that you'd been killed and fed to the queen? Leaving not even your body for them to find. Just the remains of your clothes. 

And what about if you were still in this room? What could they do if they didn't even know which one was you?

All this time fighting.

All this time spent getting stronger.

And what was it all for if you were already dead?

"I'm so sorry boys." It was the only thing Kite could think of to say. Too shocked to properly give them any comfort. Because he'd believed you were alive too.

He figured if you died, there would at least be remains to bring back. Or maybe it would have been better if they found nothing at all. Because this...

Seeing what the ants did to humans to prepare them for the queen's consumption.... Horrific was the only way to describe it. 

This was your fate.

He should have stayed.

He should have gotten you out of there.

He should have tried to fight with you.

You didn't deserve this.

And the ant that did this to you would pay.

---------------------

They spent another two months training. The boys inconsolable after finding out what happened to you. The only thing keeping them going was the thought of defeating the ant that killed you. 

And once again Kite had stayed. Sharing their ambition, but not wanting them to be consumed by it. Killing that thing wouldn't bring you back.

It might help them feel better, but you wouldn't have wanted them to dirty their hands with revenge.

Yet their resolve grew along with their strength. Preparing to enter East Gorteu and finish off the Chimera ants once and for all.

—-------------------

Knuckle and Meleoron were fighting with Youpi. Morel was distracting Pouf. And Netero just left with the king. Meaning Pitou was by themselves. The cat ant responsible for your death.

"Keep your guards up, and don't let your emotions get the best of you. The ant will use that as an opening to end your life. Got it?" Kite instructed.

Both boys nodded before starting to approach the turret's entrance.

But something was off. It was eerily quiet. The night still…until a being jumped down from the top of the tower.

All three of them immediately jumping back as the debris cleared. It was another ant. This one dressed head to toe in armor. It produced a strong Ren, yet it wasn't malicious. 

"Go any further than that and I'll stop you. I would prefer not to end children's lives, so run on home." It spoke.

And although the voice was muffled, something about it was familiar.

"We're not going anywhere, so get out of our way!" Gon shouted before lunging forward with a punch.

The ant easily dodged it, jumping to the side from another attack by Killua. 

"You two should've waited," Kite scolded before summoning Crazy Slots.

"TWO!"

Kite glared as his scythe appeared.

"Damn, not a good spin." 

But before he could use Silent Waltz, the ant jumped on top of the gigantic blade and kicked him square in the jaw.

They were fast.

He skidded a few feet before charging forward. The boys following suit, yet this thing was very skilled.

Ducking away from a slash and skittering back from one of Killua's lightning-based attacks. Grabbing both of Gon's hands and throwing him across the bridge.

"We'll never get past this thing!" Killua shouted, glaring the armored ant down.

Kite couldn't help but notice something about this enemy.

It didn't make a move to attack them from a distance. It stood guarded, yet still as Gon approached once again. And when he passed a certain point, then and only then did the ant strike.

But not with the intent to injure him. 

Just keep him back.

It was protecting something. Pitou perhaps? If they could just distract it long enough…

"Boys, you know when to jump, correct?" 

"You have an idea?" Gon asked after getting tossed back for the fifth time.

"Yeah, just be ready." 

With that, Kite brought his scythe back, preparing to swing it. And just like last time, a heavy fog rolled in. But the ant didn't seem fazed. 

Almost like it could see through it.

Kite took a few steps forward before letting his scythe slash through the air. A cyclone of wind encompassed him. 

But it dispersed before it could do any damage. The ant making one swipe with their arm. The power from it canceling out his attack.

"That won't work on me!" It shouted.

"But this will! Jan-Ken-Rock!" 

A fist coated in a fiery nen made contact with its helmet, knocking it off. The ant tumbled to the side, not expecting Gon's punch. However, that wasn't enough to keep it down.

It got up with a scowl, and as they got a good look at its face, their hearts dropped.

"No…It can't be." Kite whispered.

"You-You-Why are you here!?!? We thought-!" Killua had to stop himself. Unbelieving of what he was seeing.

"Y/n!?! You're okay!?!?" Gon exclaimed. His being lighting up with relief, but before he could approach you, Kite stopped him.

"That's not Y/n."

Because even though it had your eyes, your tired eyes with familiar circles under them…Even though it had your face…. Even though it had your voice…. Even though it had your speed…

This thing was not you.

It couldn't have been.

You would never fight the boys. You never would've attacked them. You would've rather died than hurt them.

The fox-like ears on the side of your head were a telltale sign that even if it was you, you were a chimera ant now. Your purpose was to serve the king.

So for the sake of keeping his sanity, this thing was not you.

"Y/n, c'mon! Why are you fighting us!?! Why didn't you try to get away!?!" It was Killua who was pleading with you now.

But you didn't react. 

You didn't move an inch until the boys tried getting closer to you.

"I already told you not to come any closer. If you do, I'll have no choice but to kill you."

Your words felt like daggers.

You never would have threatened them.

"Don't you remember us!?!? You're supposed to be the big sibling and we're your little brothers! Stop pretending, Y/n!" Gon pleaded.

You gave an uninterested stare. Blank and emotionless.

"Why do you keep saying that name? Was that perhaps related to my human life? I'm sorry to tell you the person you speak of no longer exists. I am simply known as The Knight." 

It was your voice, but it didn't sound like you. 

"What did they do to you!?!? The Y/n I know never would have allowed these things to brainwash them, so what happened!?! Be mad at us! Something! Just stop acting like you don't know us!" By this point Killua was sobbing. Gon crying with him.

And the more you just stood there, the more they broke. They expected everything except this. Except seeing you face to face.

"Boys, stand down." Kite ordered.

He told them not to let their emotions get the better of them. He warned them to be prepared for anything. And if they couldn't fight something that looked like you, then bringing them here was a bad idea.

They just couldn't handle it. 

The both of them backed away from you hesitantly. Wishing for a way to get you to remember. 

"I'll distract them. You two need to be able to get past them. Pitou is definitely inside. If you can manage that, you'll be fine. If you can't, go home while you still have a chance."

The duo nodded begrudgingly. Wiping away their tears before preparing to run.

Kite lifted up his Scythe once more, eyes piercing through your own. He watched you prepare to attack, no longer defending.

Your familiar aura radiating off. 

But it wasn't you.

This wasn't you.

And even if it was, he had to do this. He couldn't afford to hesitate. He couldn't-

"I think I like you…Is that bad?"

He froze mid swing, giving you the opportunity to swipe his legs. Your hand poised to pierce his throat. Of all times to hesitate, it had to be the one where you intended to kill.

Time seemed to slow.

Seconds feeling like hours as the boys ran past before stopping. Turning around and watching as your hand inched closer and closer to Kite's throat.

He prepared himself for the pain, yet nothing came. He glanced up at you confused. And to his surprise, your expression matched his.

"Huh. That's strange. My body won't let me kill you." Your hand shook, fighting with yourself to move. Yet for some reason it didn't.

"Tell me, what kind of trickery did you use to stop me?"

And it was at that moment Kite realized even if you didn't remember, your body did. Your body knew him. It was why you never really hurt the boys when they were fighting you. He wanted to fight off the hope it gave him.

To kill you while you were distracted, but he just couldn't bring himself to do it.

"Because somewhere inside, you do remember. No matter what the ants did to you." 

The ears on your head flickered for a second. Your expression thoughtful. The hand ready to kill him being set down for the time being.

"What was I to you then?" 

Not what were you. Not who did you used to be. But what were you to them. To the boys, you'd been their big sibling. Family. To Kite, you'd almost been a lover. But undoubtedly, you'd been important to all three of them.

"Our friend...We were almost more than that."

You backed away completely. 

"Then I'll give you one more chance to turn back. I won't stop next time." 

All the hope gone in one full swing.

You were gone.

"Hahaha! Aww, did we break apart your family!" A voice laughed out. One that you tensed up at. Immediately kneeling on the floor.

"Lord Pouf." You addressed. 

The butterfly ant was much smaller than he'd been previously. Using his ability to split off into clones. He fluttered from above, cackling at the events that just transpired.

Kite glared at him while Gon and Killua prepared to kill him. Their current objective on hold. 

How dare this thing.

"Did I strike a nerve? Don't you three get it? No matter what you say or do, they'll never remember! We altered their brain to get rid of any memories they might've retained in their past life! It truly is a fool's game at this point!" Pouf explained with a wide smile.

But he really should have kept his mouth shut.

"You altered their brain?" Gon asked slowly. The darkness hidden away in his aura rising to the surface.

"It's your fault they're like this?" Killua added. His own anger leaking out.

This.....this was you.

And the ants had done something to your brain. The faint line of stitching across your forehead clued them in enough on what they had done.

All at once, three furious nens spiked. Consuming the entire top of the palace.

"Can you two promise me something?" Kite started. His voice eerily calm.

"If I'm able to restrain Y/n, promise me you'll take care of the royal guards. All of them."

"I'll take the cat," Gon said, crackling his knuckles as he stepped forward.

"And I'll take the butterfly. The real him." Killua wasted no time powering up to God Speed.

These ants really shouldn't have messed with you.

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MASTERLIST

Tags: @fandomhoe101 @justxiao @bekataylorgriggs

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An: Nothing but fluff for the halloween special. Y'all deserve it after this one 💀💀💀

[innocentimouto]

Positive ways to explore Jet

The Older Sibling

Him being very good with kids. Not to the point of shielding kids entirely from war because...war. Also him taking the role of the adult to the point he ignores a lot of his emotional needs and possible ways he could be wrong. Swearing to protect kids under his care at all costs.

Jet walking into a village and seeing some kids suffering and wanting to help, but if it would endanger the kids he already has with him, he won't risk it.

Jet actually falling for Katara and the Freedom Fighters noticing and wondering if he'll back out from the plan and Smellerbee getting angry and Jet promising that they always come first even though he likes Katara.

(I said positive, not healthy)

Not having faith in the Avatar

What's his view on Aang? Is he a kid to him, or does being the Avatar make him an exception?

For someone constantly painted as an extremist by the fandom, he's not interested in getting Appa to help them or in the fact that Aang's the Avatar. None of the kids are excited about it either. Book 1 had a lot of characters treat Aang differently just because he was the Avatar, whether positively or negatively.

Jet didn't care. There has to be many people who gave up hope on the Avatar. What did they go through? Did they lose hope or did their parents lose hope and so the novelty of the Avatar was never passed on to them?

Exploring that along with Aang's heavy weight of having to save the world and then learning some people gave up hope and the guilt he could internalize from that.

Also Aang bringing hope to people! Aang trying to get Jet to be a kid like he did to Katara. Aang's habit of having fun and bringing joy to others.

Fine with being a villain

I'm interested in the idea that Jet could recognize how bad it is to hurt innocent people and children but seeing no other way to save the kids and himself. Jet ignoring the wrongness of his actions until confronted again and again and then he snaps that it's war, who actually believes anyone isn't getting their hands dirty. War isn't a cute little hero story where you have the power and luxury to always do the right thing.

Jet never allowing himself to sit with his thoughts because then he'll look at the kids around him and then look at himself and then look at how much land his people lost and wonder if he will ever recognize himself again, wonder if it's gotten to a point that he can't remember who he was before the war destroyed his home.

Freedom Fighters not being manipulated

Tired of the gang take. He's 16. He's in the same boat as them. Develop the Freedom Fighters more and their relationship with Jet. Show their reasons for hating the Fire Nation. Jet thought Sokka would understand his actions. There's no way he then assumed the people he lived with wouldn't. The Freedom Fighters knew what they were doing.

Well knew to the point that Jet knew, which is to say traumatized children in war.

Give reasons for why these kids didn't choose to live in other villages. Trauma. Talk about the trauma. They weren't kids playing at being vigilantes under some brainwashing cult leader. They lived in trees, near a village that we still don't know if it was occupied or taken over. Trees. Imagine the winters. How many of them died from the elements? How dangerous was it to simply stay in a village instead?

Have the Freedom Fighters be morally gray too. The show could have used more of what could cause kids to ever do something so extreme something something tragedy of war something something judge the victims less than the perpetrators.

Fascination with waterbending or bending in general

Just sleeping on Hakoda adopting Jet. Or just Jet forming a relationship with any Water Tribe people. The Fire Nation tried to wipe out firebenders, and Katara survived against all odds. Even if we didn't have his quick thinking over how bending could work, out of pure spite he may just be interested in waterbending or airbending.

Maybe have him work with benders. Another contrast to Sokka who disliked bending in the beginning but could still find ways for it to be useful while Jet is fascinated by bending and also good at utilizing it.

Loss of culture

Contrast how much Katara strives to preserve and talk about her culture while Jet forgot everything. The idea is so foreign to him that he questions why it would even be important. Que Katara passionately talking about how it's their identity and a way they're connected to their people which inevitably leads to Jet understanding this is another thing the Fire Nation took from him, which he subconsciously always understood.

And then we have Jet, Katara, and Aang and conversations about importance of culture

Earth Kingdom Nonbenders (and Haru)

I've posted this before, but have Jet, Haru, Teo, Jin, Song and maybe some Freedom Fighters band together. Explore their different traumas and personalities. Will Jet take the leader role? How will Jet and Song feel being the only two without fathers?

Will Song's soft approach to everything rub Haru or Jet the wrong way? Does Jin remember the war or was she brainwashed? Will Teo hide how his father helped the army? Will anyone pick up on the fact that teasing Haru for his bending is triggering?

Having Jet in a group where he isn't the automatic leader seems like new territory and a good way to explore his character.

Also have Jet befriend and clash with people he's not directly responsible for.

[tyrannuspitch]

thinking about endgame thor again... with all appropriate caveats, i think there's a possible universe in which a) he's skinny thor rather than fat thor, and b) it's good.

like, i think it would be genuinely quite arresting to see a character so defined by his strength, as represented by his physical size, literally diminished. it would be a reminder that thor is not a god, just a person from another planet - he has needs, he gets sick, he can die.

and to be clear, i know that using thinness to represent vulnerability and tragedy can play into fatphobia, and it's absolutely fair to criticise canon for simultaneously using fatness to represent serious ill health in thor and treating it as a joke. fat thor should have been a tragic and arresting figure too.

but the thing is, fat thor's actual size is not that big of a deal. his mental illness and addiction certainly are, but his body type is not, in and of itself, unhealthy. of course laughing at fat thor is fatphobia, but making a huge tragedy out of the fact that he's got a bit of a belly wouldn't be any better.

thinness, on the other hand, gets dangerous much faster than fatness. if thor had lost the amount of weight canon had him gain, he would be in imminent danger of death. and considering that thor had a body-builder physique to begin with and therefore basically only had muscle to lose, it's even more alarming. (i'm not necessarily suggesting that they should have gone for weight loss that extreme, just trying to demonstrate the contrast in the core concepts here.)

and with all that in mind... they would have to get more creative with thor's plot and character than just winding him up like a toy soldier again if he were actually too physically unwell to fight. the idea of thor "still being worthy" would hit harder if thor's worthiness didn't have to take the form of killing people with hammers yet again, and what he contributed to the cause came instead from his heart or his mind.

and this would also probably not involve undoing the destruction of mjolnir, but even if it did, it would probably *feel* less like simply undoing it and more like completing an arc, because it would mean saying several related but distinct things:

mjolnir does not give thor his power.

mjolnir does not define thor's worth.

thor's power doesn't define his worth either. he doesn't need a magic hammer or lightning powers to be able to help his friends or to have a reason to go on.

oh, and finally, for the gimmicky marketers and easter egg nerds: it could be a fun callback to skinny steve in ca:tfa. cmon kevin, i know you want to do an eight-years-later cgi comparison! it would still be a little silly, but at least it wouldn't be a fat suit. and if there was a story with heart behind it, i think they could get away with it again.

[away-ward]

Rank the compatibility in real life of the DN couples. Suppose if they were not based in Thunder Bay which was their "playground ", would the dynamics change... like if Banks and Emmy were on financially equal level with Kai and Will... would the stories still play out the same way?

Hmmm. That's a difficult one. You're asking to change some of the fundamentals of the characters. At the same time, there's an element of 'fated', as there usually is with these types of stories.

I mean, there's no logical reason as a three-year-old, Michael would be completely obsessed with a new born and remain obsessed for the rest of his life.

So, of course changing some of the fundamentals is going to change some of their compatibility. But. . .

Kai and Banks are probably the most compatible.. At their core, Kai likes to hunt and Banks needs to feel wanted and desired. Whatever else is going on with them, that will always be true. Kai and Banks also have had the most changes in their lives. Both had a life in Meridian, a much larger city, before coming to Thunder Bay, and both had a period in life when they didn't have money. Changing their finances or location wouldn't be anything they couldn't deal with.

Taking them real world, I think they'd be fine.

But I now love the idea that even in Meridian, even without money, these two would have found each other. In the bonus scene, Kai mentioned that he went to a party in Meridian. That's the perfect set up for an AU.

-

Removing the abuse, the financial inequality, I still think Will and Emory are fairly compatible. They fall into the golden retriever bf/black cat gf. This is a very real dynamic and usually works pretty well. I've talked about how Will is more of a nerd than he appears at first read. They're both movie lovers, both like adventures, and are artistic. Giving Emory less of a reason to be angry and defensive just means they get together even sooner and without all the drama. Check out my high school willemmy headcanons because I think they're fun.

I think Willemmy can go the distance.

-

Rika and Michael are your typical power couple. They're both rich, both did fine outside of Thunder Bay, both have degrees in business. They don't need the town to make them work. Not really understand Rika and Michael means that I don't get what makes them compatible, but they don't have many incompatibilities.

They're also the most basic of all the couples.

Still, I think they might suffer from Michael's ambition, and Rika's lack of direction but refusal to be controlled. Taking away the obsession aspect between them, the friction might be too much for them. They also suffer from huge communication issues. Those two things might make it difficult if they were trying to live anywhere that wasn't Thunder Bay, where they feel comfortable and at home. They need the chaos that is Thunder Bay for them to lose control, which usually leads to them clearing the air. Without the occasional night of revelry that only Thunder Bay can safely give them, those problems would build up as we saw in Conclave.

The might not survive if they were anywhere else.

-

Damon and Winter need Thunder Bay the most to make them work. You start removing the foundation of their story, they start to crumble.

Part of Damon's obsession is because of their interaction as children. But if his father isn't throwing his weight around a small town and intimidating the other families, Damon is not hiding in a fountain and Winter has nothing to teach him.

If she's not blind, she doesn't get sent away and then she's not brought back to be the shiny new thing in TBP. At that point they're more similar to Rika and Michael, in that they grew up watching each other. She would also be much more independent, which is not something Damon would love. He likes that she is strong and outspoken with other people; he needs her to need him.

Even removing the town dynamic, Gabriel is still Gabriel and Damon a Dark Prince and Winter his ballerina. I think they'd be a couple that worked, but you wouldn't know why just by looking at them. On the surface, they're incompatible.

However, Winter being a successful ballerina might take her away before they could really fall for each other, and if Thunder Bay isn't a place that Damon has a particular draw to, he might not be inclined to stay. It brings their relationship and it's longevity into question.

-

I try not to let my biases get in the way, but having a better understanding of Willemmy and KaiBanks is kinda why I like them more, so it's probably inevitable that it seeped in. I also just see more problems with MichaelRika and DamonWinter. I

'd be interested in knowing how other people are ranking their compatibility as real world couples.

Ko

[300iqprower]

Honestly, I respect your opinion on Tezcatlipoca, but I can’t help but feel that killing him off before your rewrite of Lostbelt 7 even begins is just petty.

But ignoring that because it’s ultimately your decision, Daybit will lack a purpose without ORT (assuming he has a purpose that relates to his mission) and will have no servant. Not that he needs a servant per-se, since he can handle himself well enough, but he does lose out on someone to talk to. Every other Crypter had someone to interact with, so it would be a loss to not give Daybit someone to interact with in absence of Tezcatlipoca.

Well, if nothing else, the only thing pettier than killing off Tezcatlipoca before the Lostbelt begins is having the reason for his death be the bad meat he ate in India.

Dont worry the pettiness is very much the point lol. I actually didn't plan for him to die because I wanted to try and use as many of the same servants as I could, since the point is to make a better version of the existing story. The way things lined up though it ended up making the most sense for Tez to not appear at all, and at that point I know how I'm already seen well enough to embrace the pettiness.

So that said while a funny coincidence it actually is just how the cards ended up falling, and that's shown in the whole reason he's already dead as well as the consequences of his self-sacrifice having actual narrative weight (TLDR it both was the reason the lostbelt didn't collapse in on itself, but also something that IMMENSELY backfired in a way no one expected)

As for Daybit....what makes you think I didn't give him a different servant? Someone much more fitting Grand Berserker at that (hint: ask @agnerd-bot who their Grail War Berserker is).

Same goes for his purpose! ORT being there doesnt mean he's meaningless, it just means he has a different meaning. I will definitely say that Daybit has been the one consistent thorn in my side in trying to rewrite Lb7, but that's cause there's a lot of stuff that isn't easy to work with, not because there's nothing to work with at all.

For all my complaints about the official lostbelt, I am grateful if nothing else for it inspiring me through sheer spite to make this rewrite because it's some of the most fun i've ever had as a writer.

[nana-kom]

Hi 👋🏻

So this is a new kind of fic that im trying to do, it’s still a wg fic but it will be in more part. So this is the chapter one, I hope you’ll like it 💜

This is a weight gain fic, if you don’t like don’t read. This contain, weight gain, weight loss, magic weight gain/loss, bullying, and humiliation.

Jisung’s mix up

Chapter 1

Jisung didn't feel like getting out of bed that morning; he already hated getting out of bed, but on top of that, it was too much for him for the start of the new school year. See, today was the first day of Jisung's last year at university, he'd already been through so much there, and to be honest he was relieved that it was the last year, but he would have preferred never to set foot there again. It wasn't that he hated the classes or wasn't good at what he was doing; on the contrary, Jisung was studying music and was very good at composing music. The truth was that socially, Jisung didn't really have any friends. His only friend was Changbin, whom he'd known since childhood, but he'd stopped studying an choose to work and because of that Jisung was on his own. So going to university became a bit of a nightmare, not only because he had no friends, but also because some people spent their time making fun of him. Ever since he was young, Jisung had always been overweight; he'd made many efforts to loose weight, but he always ended up putting it back on. So he'd simply accepted his body and didn't hate it, just lived his life with it without really caring. Yes, he was fatter than most people, which also created another reason to make fun of him, but other people's looks didn't affect him as much as they used to. Jisung then got out of bed and headed for his kitchen to have breakfast, he was really grateful to have stopped dieting because his little secret was that he loved eating, he loved the feeling of being full, he felt better that way and even if he sometimes put on weight it always made him feel better than anything else that could happen to him. He finished his breakfast before getting ready, and when he was ready, he looked at himself in the mirror, checking that his outfit fitted him well. He smiled as he looked at the mirror, which made his double chin stand out, but he thought he looked cute, and left his apartment with his bag on his back. Jisung headed for the bus stop and waited for the bus, at which point he received a call from Changbin.

« GOOD LUCK FOR TODAY SUNJIIIIE ! » then shouted this one from the other side of the phone and Jisung was surprised and pulled the phone away from his ear not wanting to lose his hearing.

"Thanks, but there's no need to shout..."

"Stop it, I know you must be stressed! But I'll be fine! I'll come by your place tonight if you want!"

"You're really too nice Binnie..."

"That's normal! And I'm bringing food!"

"There you go, gaining even more respect in my heart!"

"What, I didn't have your esteem?"

« Hm…oh...the bus is coming! See you tonight!"

"Yeah right...have a good day! Love you. » Say Changbin before hanging up.

Changbin always found the right thing to do to make him feel better, and it certainly worked. Since the know him, they are always been together and take care of each other, so having Changbin by his side really help him. Then, the bus arrived and he got in, the pressure had already eased a little, so he sat down in his usual place and put his phone in his pocket, and then he looked up looking at the people on the bus and suddenly; he saw him. He was surprised to see him on the bus and his eyes widened. Hyunjin...Jisung bit his lip and looked away, not wanting to meet his gaze, Hyunjin had been Jisung's crush since high school, surprisingly they'd both ended up at the same university and for three years Jisung had seen him every day and he couldn't really keep his crush off him. He'd obviously had dates and small relationships, but Hyunjin was something else. But he also knew he'd never be interested in him, for the simple reason that Hyunjin was in a relationship. And not with just anyone...Minho, Jisung suddenly thought. Minho was one of the people who made fun of Jisung most often, and he couldn't understand how someone as nice as Hyunjin could go out with an asshole like Minho, but there was nothing he could do about it. He got off the bus and started walking towards the university, when he heard a voice calling behind him.

"Jisung! I didn't know you took this bus too!" said Hyunjin, coming up beside him.

« Yeah…I take him…it's rather me who's surprised to see you..."

"I moved recently, Minho was supposed to pick me up but he had a problem with his car, so it's no big deal...how are you? Did you have a good vacation?" he smiled, a smile that had the power to make Jisung feel like he was dying, how could anyone be so beautiful and his heart began to beat faster and faster.

"Yes...I had a good rest...and you?"

"Yes it was great and then..."

"What are you doing with the campus pig, baby?" then asked Minho coming up to Hyunjin looking Jisung up and down.

"Fuck off Minho. Im leaving, have a nice day Hyunjin.... "

Jisung started walking a bit faster, wanting to get away from him as quickly as possible; it was bad enough seeing him with him, but he didn't need his remarks, which only served to make him suffer. Jisung returned to his classroom and did his best not to think about Minho's reflection. But he was so mean to him and it was only the first day, he didn’t understand why he was doing that, but he started feeling anxious for the rest of the day not knowing if Minho would keep him in mind to make him suffer even more.

Luckily the morning passed without a hitch and at lunchtime Jisung decided to go to the cafeteria, where he collected his tray and sat down as usual on his side of the room. And he began to eat, while he was watching what was going on around him, his gaze obviously drawn to Hyunjin, like a butterfly to light. Hyunjin was sitting at a table with his friends, chatting and laughing as Minho cuddled him. Jisung's heart began to beat faster and faster, he would so much like to be in his place, a part of him loved Hyunjin sincerely but a part of him could only envy him too. He was handsome, kind, sociable, slim and talented, he had it all and Jisung was just envious of having a life like his. He then continued to eat on his own, bowing his head, not wanting to feel sorry for himself any longer.

« I thinks you shouldn't eat so much...you'll end up overflowing everywhere..." then said Minho in passing after finishing eating while his boyfriend was still at his table.

"Seriously, what's your problem?"

"Maybe the fact that you've been checking out my boyfriend every day for three years. Hyunjin will never date a pig you know that right?"

"Shut the fuck up Minho!" said Jisung as he stood up to face him.

"What are you going to do put all your fatness on me to try to kill me ? » laughed Minho as Jisung's heart pounded and he clenched his hands to keep from weakening, as the others' gazes fell on him, he felt he needed to leave.

"Don't talk to me again!" said Jisung, wanting to try and leave, but suddenly he felt his tray of food tip over on top of him.

"Perfect! Now you really look like a pig, in your element at last!" laughed Jisung, and the others started laughing too.

Jisung then ran out of the cafeteria and, after collecting his things, decided to go home. It was only the first day and Minho was already giving him hell, he hated him, he didn’t even bother him or talk to him, he was just living his life asking for nothing but Minho was still there to reminded him, that he was fat and that nobody will ever loved him. He had never been friends with Minho but the truth was that Hyunjin and Jisung had been close for a while, since they was some course in common, but then he started dating Minho andJisung had decided to move away, feeling to sad about the situation. It was all too much for him, he was fed up with his own life, especially as the year was just beginning, so when he got home Jisung went straight to his room and lay down in his bed and closed his eyes trying to forget it all.

"Why is this happening to me?" he thought, rubbing his face. "All I want...is just to be happy, if I had Hyunjin's life everything would be so much easier for sure, I'd so much like to be him..." he closed his eyes and let the tears roll down his face. "Please let tomorrow be a better day!" he said as he rolled around in his comforter, and decided that for today he'd done enough. He closed his eyes and decided to sleep anyway, as it was all he had to do to feel good and just forget. He was feeling to bad and even if it was still too early to go to bed he didn’t care, he just wanted to sleep and forgot and pray for tomorrow.

When his phone vibrated Jisung woke up and looked at the time 8:30AM, fuck i sleep all day and night...he said to himself as he sat up, rubbed his face and looked around, frowning. When did my bed get so big? He thought, feeling a little bit weird, but not taking to much attention since he was too tired from sleeping that much. He got out of bed and told himself that he must have rested well last night, because he felt relieved and...light. He then walked past his mirror and a few seconds after passing it, he froze. He then took a few steps back to the mirror and his eyes widened, he let out a cry of surprise and fell to the floor, looking at his body. He was...slim, but really slim, his waist was so slim and his arms were svelte and he was even muscular. He frowned and lowered his eyes to look thinking it must be a nightmare, then straightened up and pinched himself trying to understand before he heard someone knocking on his bedroom door. He then go closer to the mirror and watched his face, his double chin had disappeared and he even had a smooth, beautiful jaw. He admired his face, but the panic was too much for him to breathe. He then hear a noise, behind the door and started looking at it.

"Are you all right, Jisung?" asked Changbin, whose voice he recognized. Changbin? What's he doing here? Jisung asked himself.

"Binnie...I...okay I'll come out of my room but...don't panic okay?"

"Stop scaring me please and open the door ! »

Jisung moved towards the door and after a few seconds opened it to face his friend. Changbin didn't really react, but Jisung frowned again. When did he get so muscular? And since when did he have more muscle than fat? Jisung didn't understand anything, he felt like he was lost or dreaming. He approached Changbin and look at his apartment who was much bigger and prettier that yesterday.

"Binnie I don't understand what's going on, and what are you doing here?"

"I...live here? Are you sure you're okay, Jisung? Minho told me you looked weird yesterday!"

"Minho? You're talking to Minho? And how that ? you live here?"

"How long did you sleep exactly? Anyway, get ready, he's going to pick you up soon and tonight I'll be back late, im seeing Felix, okay?"

"Who's Felix? And why would Minho pick me up? Binnie don’t leave me alone, I'm scared!" said Jisung, moving closer with panicked eyes.

"Felix my boyfriend? Sometimes I think you're not listening when I talk!"

"You...you..."

"Go get dressed, you're going to be late!"

He then pushed Jisung into the bathroom and Jisung found himself once again facing a mirror, completely lost and without any information on the situation. He ran water over his face, praying to wake up, but nothing changed. He then go in the shower and clean his body, it was so weird being so skinny, he doesn’t have to lift his belly to get underneath or have trouble bending down to wash his legs, and he could even reach his finger without any problem. When he had finished, he went to his room and prepared some clothes, for the first time in his life, his clothes were almost too baggy and his pants didn't hug his stomach. The whole thing felt weird and he wasn't even sure he liked the feeling. He grabbed his course materials and decided to leave the apartment to find some answers. But as soon as he was out the door, he ran into Minho, who smiled at him before putting his arms around him and his lips on him. Jisung froze and swallowed as he pushed Minho away.

"What are you doing?" said Jisung.

"I'm saying good morning like everyday babe…I see someone's up on the wrong side of the bed today!" he said, laughing lightly, before opening the door of his car to Jisung; he hesitated for a moment and climbed in - he had to find some answers.

Minho then started the car and the two of them arrived at the university. As they got out of the car, his apparently friends arrived and they started chatting with Minho together. Jisung looked at the situation without understanding. What's going on? He greeted Minho before hurrying off to the bathroom to breathe. This was all too much for him, he didn't know what to do or how to get out of this situation, Changbin was different, his life was different, even his body was different, what could happen? he asked himself, catching his breath. Suddenly he heard the toilet door open and his gaze met Hyunjin's. Jisung was stunned to see that his lifelong crush, whom he'd always admired, was different too. He passed his eyes over Hyunjin and it didn't take him long to realize that he had wished to have Hyunjin's life, so if he had succeeded, then Hyunjin should have his life. And indeed Hyunjin stood before him, blushing and shy in clothes barely his size, not daring to speak to him. Hyunjin's body had changed too; he was no longer the slim, svelte man of yesterday, but an overweight boy with his belly sticking out in front of him and a prominent double chin. And he was still so beautiful, that Jisung heart began to beat faster, he was still the man he likes and now he was feeling guilty for this things happening to him too.

"Hyunjin?" asked Jisung and he looked up.

"Yes...?" he said, lowering his head, Jisung then moved closer and pursed his lips.

"How...? Why did...? Do you...remember yesterday...?"

"If you want to apologize because of what Minho said don't worry...I'll get over it."

"No...well I'm sorry about that but...did you forget too?"

"Look Jisung, I've got class, so do you, if you don't want to be friends with me that's fine but for my sake it's better if I don't get too close to you."

Hyunjin get out of the toilet, leaving Jisung alone and closed the door behind him, Jisung was now also troubled once again by this conversation and decided to get out too and go outside of the university, going to sit on a bench to take a time to think about all that. He'd never imagined that his unrealistic wish would come true, and he also realized that he didn't necessarily want Hyunjin's life, but just a minimum of attention.Of course he loved watching Hyunjin life, as if it was perfect, but yesterday he was just sad and kinda desperate but in the end; he also liked certain aspects of his life, so why find himself in this situation? All this frightened him, and on the other hand he thought maybe he could change things, because if that wasn’t a mistake maybe it was an opportunity. He didn't want to sit around depressed like that until something happened next, that wasn't his style, so he got to his feet and, more determined than ever, decided that maybe he had a chance to make something of his life and thanks to a surge of self-confidence, he decided that he wasn't going to give up now, that he was going to change things and that he would do everything to take advantage of this situation, even if it meant changing things.

[suekreandtheidiots]

Some Lowell (and Kip 😆), starting with a noseless two-parter of the young dad and his son being very wary of each other. 🤣 (Don't worry, Kip, he's a lot more scared of you than you are of him.) This is just a silly noseless sequence, of course, but it was essentially this for a while. I really want to get into the 'Fozzy and Kip growing on each other' phase more, though. Hopefully soon!

A silly redraw of a post I saw on IG and that screamed "Fozzy", at the time a two-year-old boy (that looked suspiciously like him) was dropped on his figurative doorstep. 🤣

He's watching Kip play and he's not hating it! 😂

I scribbled a little "Fozzy/Lowell through the years" kinda thing to wind down. I have zero business loving this trash man the way I do but here I am. 😅😂

Some more lore bits under the cut:

I really love how some things just stuck around, such as the black nail polish! The notable weight loss kinda gets to me, there was more behind that than just losing some baby fat, as we all know. Post-rehab-Lowell put on some weight again, sure, and he was never actually skinny anyway, but still. Things really went downhill for him in his late teenage years and I'm really just happy that he didn't accidentally kill himself. 😅

Lowell has a bad knee that still acts up here and there nowadays. He fell down the last few steps of a staircase (at 16 or 17; drunk) and hurt himself real bad. Unfortunately the injury didn't get treated properly due to a myriad of reasons, so on top of experimenting with drugs from an early age on, he also developed an addiction to painkillers. Lowell had surgery on his knee some time after rehab, there were at least some things that could be fixed.

Lowell suffered from hallucinations, paranoia and occasional panic attacks during his worst phase of addiction. That lingered around for a while, even during recovery.

Still, a part of him would absolutely do it all again. The fun parts, that is. The sex/parties/rock'n'roll-combo. Even the drugs, but only the absolute highs that come with using. Not the withdrawals, those weren't fun enough to be relived. 🙃

Lowell never relapsed, but occasional temptation and desire lingered around. There are still some moments nowadays that bring it all back, and it's not just awful memories after all. Not at all. He loved the those times for what they were. However, his self-preservation drive kicked back in during rehab, and that's good, he wouldn't want it any other way. Lowell was never unhappy or even suicidal after all, quite the opposite. He's a hedonist, he always wanted the most from his life. And despite how fun those times were, he has long understood what he has done to himself and also to the people close to him. The temporary loss of his own humanity was scary in hindsight, he would not want to bring that back either.

[vickyvicarious]

Ignore me if I got the wrong person to pester, but I thought you were the one or one of the people talking about Mina following a routine and paying a lot of attention to time and clocks and schedules. Anyway I was catching up and saw. August 10 11 o’clock p. m.—Oh, but I am tired! If it were not that I had made my diary a duty I should not open it to-night. And I thought she thinks that her a diary each day is a duty? And also, then some of the dates she wrote are not included.

I think I have mentioned it a little, but I believe @thegoatsongs has talked about it more!

But yeah, I agree that Mina definitely seems to do this. And her diary specifically is a self-assigned duty for the summer. She talked about it in her letter to Lucy on 9 May, when she said she was going to write more substantially than "one of those two-pages-to-the-week-with-Sunday-squeezed-in-a-corner diaries [...] it is really an exercise book. I shall try to do what I see lady journalists do: interviewing and writing descriptions and trying to remember conversations." That doesn't specify daily entries but it does seem like she wanted to have them. Otherwise lines like you quoted above, or her 17 August "No diary for two whole days. I have not had the heart to write." lose a lot of weight. And I do think they're important.

Mina will try and squeak in an entry at the last minute to make sure she gets one for the day. She feels guilty or perhaps disappointed in herself when she's too beaten down to write for two days in a row. What began as a fun challenge to herself has in some ways become another burden, another responsibility. Just because it's self-imposed doesn't make that less true I think. Of course, it's hardly only a burden and I don't think it's overall or even mostly negative for her, only incidentally. She is able to track Lucy's health which is useful, she is able to express her emotions and talk about the secrets surrounding her. It gives her a place to vent, even just a little, and that's huge. But I do think Mina does have a tendency to blame herself and that shows up a little in that line about missing days.

And speaking of missing days... obviously all I've said assumes she has been writing every day, which would mean we haven't gotten all her entries. I think we are only seeing Mina's Dracula-relevant entries. So she has been writing every day... it's just, some days only talk about the play they went to see, or someone she interviewed in town, etc. Those aren't relevant to the story. Lucy's health and sleepwalking is, her fears about Jonathan are, the Demeter is, Mr. Swales is, that bat definitely is... every single one of her entries includes at least one of those topics. Usually multiple.

And this is the case throughout everything. We get an establishing letter or two to explain where/who people are/what their relationships are to one another, but then everything else must be relevant to Dracula or it doesn't appear. Hence Arthur and Quincey vanishing from the narrative, despite us knowing Arthur at least has written to Lucy. We knew Mina and Lucy exchanged other letters in the beginning as well, which we didn't get to see. Seward presumably might have phonograph records discussing other patients too, but we don't get those, just the ones about Renfield (and also his feelings for Lucy).

I think the only person who we've seen everything from is Jonathan, and that for the simple reason that everything he wrote was relevant. He didn't have any opportunities to write anything totally separate from the topic of Dracula since arriving at the castle. And mileage varies on whether he wrote Dracula-relevant things that have been censored out (or chose not to write them in order to self-censor), such as getting bitten, but I personally look at the timing I think it happened and also Lucy being unable to fully remember being drunk from, and I don't think he left anything out of his diary on purpose. But Jonathan was in a pretty unique position with no freedom to write otherwise. Everyone else can and probably does - maybe they don't all keep diaries (we can pretty firmly say Lucy at least doesn't currently because that would absolutely be relevant) but they must be writing letters at the least. And we don't get those.

Of course, there's a reason for this: [spoilers!]. But also, it just makes sense not to clutter up the novel with tons of irrelevant letters and is kind of just a staple of the epistolary genre to only present the reader with plot-relevant documents.

[fox-from-fairytale]

Doesn't matter if I already know how it ends, this game will never fail to make me cry.

It's so good that I'd replay it even if I've just finished it, but thankfully there are the other seasons. The thing is, the first one really is the best one. I've always found all the characters so well written and the story is so compelling, even if there are some awkward moments. Couldn't Clem kill the walker with the bat before trying to take the gun/keys? Why didn't the bandits follow Lee and Mark through the open fence? Did Ben really not see the walkers on the other side of the door? Still, those are little things compared to everything else.

The first time I was so focused on Clementine that most of the characters were just background noise to me, but this time I had the possibility to appreciate more of the game since I already knew it, and who shined the most was Lilly. I love that woman for both her good and bad traits, and I'm afraid to replay TFS now lmao 😰

It was a bit annoying how the game seems to try and antagonise her through the other characters bitching about her, but it makes sense since that's something that of course would happen to the only person with the guts to distribute food rations. But still, having Lee as the only one who can say something positive about her and what she has done when the player has absolutely no idea about how things are in the group because it's the beginning of the episode? Lmao fuck you. Also, why does she accuse Carley but if you save Doug she kills him as a mistake? Let my woman show no remorse towards both of them.

She's already hurt for losing the only family she had, so losing the other thing she was protecting so desperately because someone within the group betrayed them is the last nail in the coffin, along with being dismissed while she was trying to find out who did it. I'm not saying it was right to kill Carley/try to kill Ben (who did what he did for understandable reasons from his side), but I still see why she snapped and I can't hate her for it.

It's a pity the game gets rid of her, because seeing someone who still didn't lose her humanity (sure, she doesn’t want other mouths to feed, which should be obvious why since she is the one giving food and knowing they can barely survive with what they can find, but she shows it when she doesn't agree with Kenny if he says that Lee made a mistake putting the girl in Macon out of her misery or when she doesn't want to steal from the stranger - she doesn't want to bear the weight of more people because it would be impossible to take care of them too and she prioritise her family and then her group, but this doesn’t mean she wants to survive on other people's expenses, which, ergh... kinda changes) doing something so ruthless it's so interesting, and I would have loved to see her progression through the game. I guess we do in TFS, but at the moment I'm torn about what they did with her in that season... Also, I simply wanted more of her in the game lmao

Protecting Duck and Katjaa as much as I could + trying to save Larry was a good combo for Kenny, I genuinely think those choices gave me the best of him. I like to make fun of him for being a pain in the ass if you agree with him about everything but a single choice is what makes him despise you and even avoid to save your ass when you need, but I really liked how things evolved in the final episode.

Kenny isn't a bad person, no one at the motor inn and who can join the group later on is, and killing someone (who at the moment is defenceless) because it's what you think is the right thing to do to protect yourself takes quite a lot, and Lee not helping him surely would make him feel like being left alone in such a hard moment and would divide them. But in the last episode, after seeing the worst of him (I mean, I believe that's in s2, but that's another story) because of his loss, the fact that he comes around when Clem is taken and treats you as a pal and uses the last bullet for Ben? I loved that, I think it showed the best of him. I thought he was going to be an asshole till the end, but I'm glad I can be on Lilly's side without having to be hated by Kenny for the whole season. I still loved to kick his ass in the third episode though lmao

I've made some pretty different choices compared to the first time, putting more thoughts behind them, especially when it came down to end someone's life.

Lee is a man who killed before it was necessary to survive, but it wasn't premeditated (or so I believe at least), and still has the heart to take care of a random kid as if she was his own. In the end, I only made him kill the girl at the motor inn who was bitten, the one screaming in Macon, and the stranger. Following this, I didn't let Clementine shoot him, and I'm glad the game made me give the actual reason I thought about: killing changes you, and I don't think a parent (that's who he is in the end) would make their child go through that, especially when said parent knows what it's like, and not only after the apocalypse.

It's clear that in the world she lives in she'll end up doing it, but it wasn't necessary to her safety, and Lee is no coward, and I like to think that he would keep prioritising Clementine over himself even in such a moment. Yes, it's sad for Lee, and Clementine surely is going to regret this, but I wanted to make the choice as Lee, not as the player nor as Clem.

These aren't all my thoughts on the game but the rambling got a bit too long, so I'm going to end it with the love of my life being pissed:

[leonawriter]

When I think of all the different detco pairings, I usually think of the main ones, and so I'm all "yeah I ship all canon plus a few non-canon (AKA queer) on the side!" and actually I just... when I think about it?

It's funny, but there are a few side pairings that I'm not a big fan of. Some not as bad as others, sure, but still.

(under a cut for criticism and salt)

Shiratori, for instance, has changed a lot ever since he was introduced. Not talking about M3, more his initial plot line where he's basically only there to act as a roadblock to Takagi and Sato getting together. He wasn't especially likeable, mostly throwing his weight around as a "marriage candidate" and stalking anything potentially like a date.

I have to wonder if Gosho's views on his earlier characterisation of certain characters and plots has changed, since then. I was already in the fandom when the Sato/Takagi kiss happened, which would mean the other officers couldn't keep pursuing Sato in the same way and Gosho would have to figure out what to do with the ones he'd previously only used for that purpose.

But then we have things like the bookend gags in Bride of Halloween only a few years ago where there are fake "wedding" and "funeral" events that are gatecrashed by Sato's... "admirers," and I wonder how much has actually changed.

Shiratori himself has Kobayashi, the kids' schoolteacher, but... the fact that he'd only met her for a short time as a kid to the point that he thought someone who turned out to be a murderer was her just because they did the same sort of paper craft with their cup holders was a little... frustrating.

Every time I've gone through that I've been "that could have been her. That literally could have been her. She could have changed, and her life experiences could have shaped her and made her a different person, and you would have to live with that." It'd be such a great story to tell, that sometimes that just happens. And he could meet Kobayashi and get to know her as an adult, as a new person, with no assumptions and no sense of her being a replacement goldfish for someone who was a replacement goldfish for.... her.

Overall I don't have anything with regards to those two that makes me actively dislike them, it's just... "man, that could have been SO much better written."

The other one I'd say I have salt over - and for similar reasons, too! - would be Chiba and Naeko. Because again, they met as small tiny children, and never forgot each other, and grew up, and... haven't changed one bit.

Honestly, just... he could at least spice that up by making it so that one of them had attempted to date other people, and it didn't work out because they're hung up on a memory. But that just makes me think of them finally finding each other, and they're so caught up with how they remember the other being, that they don't even recognise each other at first! That? That'd be fun.

The thing I really dislike about Chiba/Naeko is that she tries to effectively control him for her own purposes; she pushes him (anonymously, which is even creepier!) to lose weight (which because we're in comic book time happens really quickly, which is concerning) and then when other women start finding her guy attractive, she encourages him (effectively) to put that weight back on and be unattractive to others again. Never mind whether or not he's healthier or happier either way, oh no! It's all about her feelings, insecurities, and not wanting competition.

It's like - the pairings are so very hit and miss. He'll either write something so good, or he'll write something and you wonder if he's ever been able to experience the world outside of his art studio in order to have friendships with women, or learn about modern issues and so on.

...I also dislike Kyougoku's misogyny toward Sonoko, which is a much bigger issue, what with him policing the way she dresses and being way too controlling of who she hangs out with, projecting his insecurity that she even might date other men onto her, no matter what she'd say about it, no matter if it's her idol-crush on Kaitou Kid (which is different from romantic love), or just... hanging out with friends who aren't girls.

Dude needs to lay off, seriously.