#autism troupe

[marciequerade]

sakoda yay

[opalwatch]

I used to think The Phantom Troupe was such a niche group of characters and nobody else could possibly be autistic for it but you’ve all proven me wrong

[pannacottababy]

Phantom Troupe but mental illness creatures!

A shared idea with @lostsoul07b!

If you are not familiar with the creatures, don't worry as I will list them below.

Kortopi - ADHD

Nobunaga - Anxiety

Feitan - Depression

Shalnark - Autism

Hope you enjoy!

[kiame-sama]

Sweet Death- (Yandere!Phantom Troupe x Autistic!Chubby!Reader)

Random idea I had and felt like writing down. Tell me if y'all want more from this vein and what direction you think it should take.

Warnings; yandere behavior, obsessive behavior, possessive behavior, troupe tries to cause a lot of mischief, intense masking, fem reader (tell me if y'all want a male reader or non-binary), creepy creature appearance,

~~~~~~~~

"Wait, so you PAID for them?"

"Yeah."

"But, why?"

"Piss off! Lady was nice."

Feitan snapped in his usual short manner of speaking, a glare on his face as Pakunoda bothered him. They had business in the airport and Feitan stopped to swipe some sweets. What they didn't expect was that Feitan actually paid for the food he got and was defending his uncharacteristic behavior.

Feitan was the most easily irritated, so it came as a surprise that whomever he interacted with did not anger him. What was even more of a surprise was that Feitan actually seemed to be behaving in a polite way to someone. The only one Feitan was polite to- and they use the term loosely- was the Boss of the Troupe.

Pakunoda was interested to learn more about the unusual woman that had enthralled Feitan enough to actually get the short-tempered man to pay instead of stealing, but she knew that he wouldn't tolerate any more questions. Instead, she endeavored to find out more about this woman on her own.

~~~~~~~~

"Wait... What was I doing?"

"You were wondering what you wanted to order from here."

"Oh, right!"

It had been at least six times that the soft woman behind the counter had to remind the ever forgetful Shizuku of what she was doing. Six times that Shizuku had also changed her mind on what she wanted.

Franklin, who was accompanying the other Troupe member was actually getting annoyed with her because he just wanted to leave and meet up with the other members. There were certainly times where he had great patience but it was not one of those times for him. Even though he was getting annoyed, the woman behind the counter seemed calm and happy even as she had to change the order yet again.

"Sorry about her, she has terrible memory."

"It's no trouble, truly. There are greater tragedies in life than a bit of uncertainty and adjusted orders."

Franklin felt a pleasant surprise to hear such wisdom from someone he wouldn't even think twice about. The unusual and understanding way she seemed to approach the situation was odd, as most just got short tempered with Shizuku or even refused to adjust with her ever bouncing memory. Though he wanted to just move on, he felt compelled to stay, if only to see how long that patience would last.

"Wait... What did I order?"

~~~~~~~~

"Think anyone would notice if I just stabbed someone?"

"Doubt it. I bet no one would blink if I fell down this escalator right now."

Uvogin had a wide grin even as he shifted his weight backwards, anticipating hitting the metal moving stairs but instead, landed on something soft.

"Woah there! Are you alright?"

He slowly looked up to see a soft looking woman with kind (e/c) eyes and a concerned expression on her face. To Uvogin, he felt as if he landed on the softest pillow to exist, feeling the nice warm body holding him up with a gentle touch. All words and coherent thought left his mind as he slowly blinked, trying to compose himself.

"..."

"Are you okay, sir?"

"Yeah! Yeah. I- uh... Fell backwards. Don't know why."

"No worries! I'm glad you're okay. Usually it's the vertigo that gets people, just don't look up too far and you should be good."

Uvogin didn't really want to move, but as soon as he and the woman got to the top of the escalator, he quickly got up. The woman smiled sweetly and tried to help stand him up despite his rather massive size. When he was upright, she chirped out a farewell and quickly departed, leaving Uvogin standing with a dumbfounded expression on his face.

"Yeah... Bye... See you later..."

It took a rough shake from Phinks to make Uvogin snap back to attention, feeling like he had been dunked in cold water. He had to tear his eyes away from where the woman had been standing, feeling confused as if he was coming out of some kind of haze. Uvogin had to literally shake his head to clear the odd brain-fog that had consumed him, glancing where the woman disappeared to.

"... D'you think she digs tall guys?"

~~~~~~~~

"C'mon sweetcheeks. Just give me your number."

Machi glared at the man who was trying to heckle her into giving him her number. Though the troupe was trying to lay low before they put their plan into motion, Machi had half a mind to just outright kill the man. It was while she was weighing her options that a voice suddenly cut in.

"She said 'no', take that as your answer and leave."

Both looked over to see a soft looking woman with a clear frown set on her lips, seeming as if she were ready to fight at a moment's notice. Machi was surprised to see the feisty woman but the man seemed annoyed and sighed as if he were being told to do something distasteful.

"I get it, Fatty, you want a chance with me too. I don't usually like fat chicks, but-"

"But you're going to walk your happy ass in the direction of your flight or the exit before I get security to drag you by the taint out of here."

"You really think you can talk to me like-"

"I can and will talk to you like the piece of trash you are if you don't leave her the hell alone."

"Fine, fucking fat bitch."

"That's Ms. Fucking-Fat-Bitch to you."

Machi was surprised that someone so soft was so immune to insults, not to mention the fact that the guy actually fucked off. She made a mental note to single that guy out and get rid of him when she next had the chance, turning to the soft woman for the time being.

"I appreciate it. He was not taking 'no' as an answer."

"Yeah, guys usually think they can bully everyone into doing what they want if they act like their brain is in their testicles. Some don't even have to act."

The flat and almost annoyed tone the woman used made Machi actually let out a soft laugh, more than humored by the odd woman that had helped her. As she looked over the woman she realized that this must be the one the others in the group had been talking about. Certainly, the woman matched the description of the one the other Spiders had been discussing and Machi could see why the other Troupe members she had spoken to were so enthralled.

Perhaps she should tell the others of her similar experience.

~~~~~~~~

Chrollo stood in the line of traveling people, having heard quite a bit about a rather unusual character who the Troupe had encountered several times. He had decided it was time for him to see what the woman was like firsthand. Based off of the testimony of other members, this woman either had manipulative nen or she was a gem among common people. Either way, he wanted to know whatever he could about her.

As he approached the woman in question- she was working the cash-register at one of the shops in the airport- he focused his eyes to see potential nen. What he saw was far from what he had expected.

Based off of her general aura, her nen bled off of her in an uncontrolled way instead of the way it was supposed to. On top of her nen being rather wild- making it clear she had no control over it and likely was unaware of it- something was noticeably wrong. Where abilities often formed as small spirits or beings, a more than intimidating creature stood behind her.

The being was far taller than the woman, even taller than Uvogin. It seemed to be a horribly emaciated humanoid with skin that writhed like worms were beneath the surface and searching for a meal. The skin- as translucent and paper thin as it was- seemed a sickly blue and purple, much like blooming bruises across the surface. It was shrouded in what could only be described as a shawl of shadows, face concealed beneath the rolling darkness. Though it's face was hidden, Chrollo could feel the eyes of the wretch staring out at him. In the beast's hand was a sickle often used for cultivating grain. The curved crescent blade seemed to be soaked in a dripping red ooze that moved slowly and without purpose, the leather handle held by elongated and bony fingers. Everything about the beast was wrong on a fundamental level.

Though the creature was frightening and clearly stronger than most normal nen abilities, it remained a loyal and silent sentinel over the soft woman's shoulder. It was obvious- to Chrollo at least- that the beast was brought to heel by the soft woman even if it seemed she was completely unaware of it. The contrast of the two beings was extreme and made Chrollo wonder just how the woman's nen was released and why it had taken such a vicious shape.

The more Chrollo watched, the more he realized that small amounts of the nen of others was drawn forward and consumed by the being, no doubt fueling the nen of its master. It was difficult to look away from the beast, despite how hard Chrollo tried, noticing the aloof nature of the creature disappear suddenly, becoming acutely aware as if it knew Chrollo could see it. A low hiss came from the beast as Chrollo stepped forward, next in line despite how far from reality he felt.

"Hi there!"

The chirped words paired with the oddly sweet way the woman said it gave Chrollo pause, not expecting such a greeting from someone with a disfigured and distorted reaper as their nen. Though she smiled, the smile never reached her eyes. Chrollo knew a social mask when he saw one, and he had to admit it was rather convincing. He could see why so many of the Troupe had become enamored with her and interested in her, his own observations thus far giving him a similar interest.

Even as he gave a random order he had no intention of keeping, the woman smiled and ensured to behave as if she were truly happy to assist. Chrollo had yet to reach a stage where he was fully believable to everyone with his own social mask, but even he had to admit that her mask was significantly more nuanced than his own. From the short interaction he had with her, he knew the woman was unique and had something to her that seemed to catch the interest of numerous Troupe members, himself included.

When he walked away from the quaint little shop and back to the Troupe, his mind was already working to parse out what he wanted to do. Surely the Troupe would follow his lead, but he wanted to hear their thoughts on the odd woman and her nen. Pakunoda could share the various experiences other members had and it would allow the group to have a more unanimous vote, but he had already settled on what he thought.

It was just a matter of what the Troupe thought now.

[unculturedswine69]

Hey yall! im super late with these (ive been...way too busy sadly) but happy birthday to my fave lil guy ever! juza is a very important character to me so i just had to show my love somehow <33

ive been really into idol things lately so i tried designing an idol outfit for juza! i took some inspiration from some idolmaster dresses and tried to also relate it to his original outfit :) hope you all enjoy!

now i will go back to my inactivity :')

[asexual-abomination]

This is the first part of a rewrite of the series that brought attention to my blog in the first place! When I wrote this series originally, it was at midnight when I couldn’t sleep because I had COVID, so I always wanted to come back and rewrite it with a clearer mind.

It’s been a while since I’ve posted, cause I’ve been real stressed about university, but waking up to new notes on this blog is always a highlight of my day! I have so many WIPs for hxh, Overwatch, ff7, the batfamily, and now the spider-verse movies, but I’ve been struggling to complete them to an extent that I feel is worth posting.

Please leave a comment if you want me to rewrite the rest of the series!

Platonic!Yandere!Phantom Troupe X Autistic Reader (Soulmate AU)

Content warnings: Yandere, vague mentions of violence. Read at your own discretion.

“To my dearest soulmate.-“

No, too affectionate.

“To my soulmate, I am incredibly excited to welcome you here-“

The sentence is jarring, start with an introduction.

“To my soulmate, my name is YN, and I am so excited to finally have the chance to communicate with you!”

Good enough. You were so happy to be writing a letter like this, being able to rewrite and start over as often as needed, without the pressure of saying it right in the first try.

Having finished one sentence, you sighed as you looked down at the number of things you had crossed out before it seemed right. Then, you turned to your notebook, where you had spent years collating everything you wanted to put into this letter, trying to find some inspiration for what to do next.

“I have been awaiting this day, carved into our bodies, for my entire life.”

Was that too formal? Too strong?

Ugh. This was hard.

You despised knowing nothing about your soulmate, the enigma of their identity making them feel otherworldly and strange. Without knowing even the slightest bit about who they were, you had no frame of reference for what they would consider too much or too fast, leaving you to blindly feel your way towards a half-coherent letter.

Jo was sat across from you, in their favourite shabby armchair, pretending to watch the football you had put on for background noise, and not-so-secretly keeping an eye on you. From your dejected sigh as you curled up on the sofa, your childhood friend could tell what was bothering you from a single glance.

“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, they’re your soulmate, they’ll love you no matter what.”

“But they shouldn’t!” You sighed, “I want to impress them, make them feel welcomed and happy!”

“And that’s what I’m gettin’ at! Their personality must be suited enough to yours that they’ll find your way of doin’ things loveable!”

You grumbled with no coherent response, looking again at your paper.

They’d find your way of doing things loveable.

You could work with that.

“I hope that I, and my friends, can make you feel happy and welcomed in my home. The time we will spend, with our bodies swapped, will be precious, and there will never be another time like it in our lives. You are precious to me.”

Your lips tugged downward in a frown at the last line, the irritating thoughts about potentially annoying your soulmate flooding you again. You had just let the pen run wild, trying to encapsulate even the smallest fraction of your feelings about the situation, which always ended up feeling like too much as your emotions overwhelmed you.

Just as you considered scrapping the whole thing and starting again from scratch, Jo caught your eye with a stern glare, as they always did when you doubted yourself.

“I have longed to know who you are for years; your mystery has entranced me. I want to see the destiny the universe has seen fit to bestow upon us both."

As you relaxed into the motions of the pen, the waterfall of words falling from your fingers, you stunned yourself with short poetic verses.

"Even though romance holds no place in what has been destined for us, I want to make you so happy that you may bear your heart to me as I may for you. Please take care of my body while you have it. I hope that one day I might trust with this on more than just blind faith.

All my love, from the bottom of my heart, your soulmate."

It felt weak. You felt weak.

Was it really right to say you loved someone you hadn't met? Even as soulmates, it felt like a betrayal.

"Hey Jo, do you mind reading through this for me? If I keep looking at it, I'll either throw it away or throw up."

"Ahh, YN, you know I'm not so good with words and that stuff, yeah? That's your job, ain't it?"

"Oh, hush, I've read your poetry, you big romantic!"

"What?"

You quickly hurried past them, dropping the drafted letter onto their lap before heading to the kitchen. Your hands were shaking; you needed to get some water before you passed out.

Your breaths were coming short as you downed a second glass of water, one arm shakily holding the lip of the sink for support as the anxiety began to weigh on your mind. You had less than a week; on this Sunday evening, you'd lie in bed and wake up in the body of your soulmate. It was Tuesday evening, the soft autumn air swirling dead leaves outside your window.

A phone began ringing in the living room, so you set down your glass on the draining board and began heading back through, only to realise the call wasn't for you when you heard Jo's voice.

"Yeah, I hear ya. No need to yell, old man... Oh, shut yer trap; you know I'm only half joking... You know I said wasn't working tonight... Yeah, yeah... You piece of shit! Fine, I'll be there, but you better be payin' me double time for this shit."

Jo rounded the corner, grumbling under their breath. They paused at your side, leaning in slightly to speak, the smell of beer on their breath and thankfully not overwhelming.

"Listen, yer letter was grand, okay? You've got a talent for these sortsa things. I've gotta head out, alright? Probably won't be back until morning. I'll bring you back something nice alright, repayment for skipping what should have been a nice night together."

"It's alright, really. Just take care of yourself, okay?" You reassured them.

They walked out into the biting chill, heading down a dark alley like it was their own front door.

--//--

Chrollo looked himself in the eyes, the cold water he splashed on his face dripping from his hair.

He had felt strange the past few days, like something was clinging to the back of his mind, tugging his attention away from his work. As if a song was stuck in his head, but he couldn't remember the melody.

The Mediterranean heat must have been getting to his head; that was the only explanation. He composed himself, wiping his brow before he went to slick his hair back, turning his focus to the heist he and the Troupe would be carrying out that Sunday.

--//--

The week had been long and stressful for everyone involved. You tried not to be too much of a perfectionist, but you wanted to make the best impression possible.

The morning of the day you would switch was upon you, and you came downstairs to find Jo asleep on your couch, as they often were. You smiled at their sleeping face, very peaceful compared to their usual furrowed brow.

Their face was made up of sharp lines, almost geometric perfection, except for the mess of freckles covering their cheeks and forehead, adding just a hint of softness.

As you prepared breakfast for the two of you, Jo woke up with a sleepy groan, trudging over to the kitchen counter.

"Today's the day, huh? The last day of me being your best friend?"

"Jo! Don't say it like that! I'll always love you, you know that!" You defended yourself.

"Oh, don't worry, I'm just joking. You deserve to be happy with your soulmate."

You frowned at that again, remembering the situation with Jo's own soulmate. You had both been so excited to look her up after the switch, only to discover that she had died in a sudden car crash within an hour.

After that, they became much more clingy with your time. When they were around, at least. They had also begun taking on many more "jobs" that took them far away.

You sympathised with their situation, but you could tell they harboured jealousy for your soulmate.

You sat down on the couch, breakfast in hand, as Jo came to sit at your side. You flicked through channels on TV, trying to alleviate the awkward tension that fell over the room.

"Listen, I'm not jealous."

"It's okay to admit it; I can understand your perspective! But you can't keep me from my soulmate!"

"No, it's not that! It's more that I'm... paranoid."

"Paranoid, about... what, exactly?"

"About your soulmate! I can't explain it, but I've got this bad feeling!"

"A bad feeling? What kind of bad feeling?"

You learned a long time ago that Jo's intuition was often correct, but were they really concerned or just trying to pull you and your soulmate apart?

"I just said, I can't explain it! I just don't want anything bad to happen to you!"

You sighed as you felt that both of you were becoming too worked up.

"Okay, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to accuse you. I think... we're all quite stressed right now. Let's have a proper talk when we're not all so high-strung."

"Yeah, yeah."

Today was gonna be fun.

--//--

Chrollo smiled at the carnage surrounding him, watching as his friends unleashed their power on these pathetic guards. They heard the approaching rumble of reinforcements, which, by their calculations, should contain the man they were after.

His incredible enhancer ability would be handy for Chrollo, so they had spent days sieging the fortress he defended. As Nobunaga took to whittling down the primary reinforcements, Chrollo found himself distracted once again. That strange feeling in the back of his head, the itch he couldn't scratch, saying that something was wrong.

He shook his head to free himself of these thoughts, as the intimidating man faced him, seemingly unaware of exactly who he was fighting.

--//--

Despite your small fight with Jo, the day had gone well. You had prepared several cakes, which you poured plenty of love into. You also wrote your letter into one coherent piece and placed it in an envelope, which you taped to inside of your bedroom door.

A group of your friends arrived, all bearing various snacks and drinks to add to the table. As the conversation began to flow, you anxiously reminded them of the careful limits you had gone over for what they were allowed to say to your soulmate. They all laughed and smiled, promising to go along.

Almost on autopilot, you turned to Jo for reassurance, and they were in a good enough mood to laugh softly and promise to keep the others in line.

You knew Jo wouldn't go back on their word, no matter their personal feelings about the situation.

With everything laid out enticingly on a coffee table, you retired to your bedroom for the night, your gut swirling with anxiety and excitement.

You laid back on your bed, crossing your hands across your stomach. You had until exactly 21:29 to wait for the switch.

Looking over at the clock you had bought for this express purpose, you saw 21:27.

It'll probably feel like forever, you thought, plenty of time to get comfortable.

21:28

That's fine; you took a few deep breaths, settling down into your pillows. You closed your eyes softly.

Breathing deeply. With your eyes closed.

In, and out, in, and out.

Curiosity got the better of you.

Your eyes snapped open, turning back to the clock, getting to see just the slightest glimpse of 21:29 before everything changed.

--//--

Chrollo sighed from the driver's seat, just a straight highway unfolding seemingly infinitely in front and behind him. Confident in his ability to avoid traffic by instinct, he allowed his eyes to drift to the clock on the screen, 00:28 blinking back at him.

That time bothered him.

It wasn't unusual for him to stay up past midnight, more common than not, in fact, but that itch he couldn't scratch, that sweet song that slipped his mind's grasp, was back in full force, making him grit his teeth in irritation.

He returned his eyes to the road before him, though he only caught a glimpse of the asphalt-laden horizon before everything changed.

--//--

In a moment, you felt everything shift. You could feel it down to the change in the structure of your skeleton. Every muscle was different, every sensation infinitely sharpened by the new body you inhabited.

You felt that you were sitting, not lying down. You saw that you were looking out at a road.

And then, finally, you realised you were driving the car.

It was common knowledge that the swap allowed people to speak in the native tongue of their soulmate, but you wondered if you would be the first to discover that the same thing applied to driving skills.

You focused on the road and on keeping your breathing steady, aware that a panic attack here would result in much more than a headache and a sore throat in the long run.

Once finally began to calm down, you briefly peeled your eyes off the road to look your soulmate in the eyes in the rearview mirror. His grey eyes were striking, and his raven black hair was slicked back to his head, revealing a strange tattoo in the centre of his forehead. He was quite attractive, all things considered.

You felt a brush of air across your chest and again glanced down to notice you were completely shirtless, other than a feathery collared jacket that did nothing to hide your soulmate's toned body. Definitely a bold outfit choice, but you couldn't deny that it suited him well.

After a few more moments assuring yourself of the safety of the road, you tried to look at the other passengers of the car. You had seen them when you looked at yourself in the mirror, but you couldn't bear to think about them at that moment.

In the passenger seat was a pink-haired woman, her face stoic as she stared ahead. Behind you was a grumpy-looking man with black hair leaning into the window. In the centre of the backseat was a blond man with a cute face, tapping away at a modified phone of some kind. Furthest from you, behind the passenger seat, was a gruff-looking man with slicked-back blond hair.

None of them seemed to have noticed a change in their driver's behaviour, so you had a few more moments to collect yourself before you spoke up. Although you were still grappling with the fact that your soulmate had entirely forgotten about your switch, you didn't want to waste your time.

"I don't know... quite what's happening here, but I'm this person's soulmate."

You could taste something sweet with just the slightest hint of bitterness on your own breath.

The car had been silent before you spoke, but the silence grew heavier. Now every eye was on you, and you almost wished you hadn't said anything, that you had let the switch play out in complete silence before returning to your own body.

"What?" The taller blond man finally replied.

"I'm... their soulmate? Did they not tell anyone?"

"Boss had a soulmate?" He turned to the other blond man, ignoring you completely.

"Not as far as I know!"

"Look at me."

That last bit was said by the pink-haired woman next to you. With no small amount of fear in your heart, you ripped your eyes away from the road to look her in the eyes. Her cold, calculating eyes pierced you through and through. After what felt like aeons that she spent observing you, she let out the slightest gasp.

"You're not lying."

As soon as you had the reassurance that they believed you, you looked back at the road, relieved to see no danger.

"Are you serious? Are you messing with us, boss?" The black-haired man spoke, his tone rising to aggression.

"Calm down, all of you! This is the boss's soulmate, obviously!"

"But why wouldn't he tell us at all? This is crazy!"

"I don't know! Maybe he wanted to test us?"

"Sorry to interrupt, but what's going on here?"

The pink-haired woman turned back to from where she had been scolding the other passengers, sighing before she spoke.

"Look, sorry about all this ruckus. It's just that we're pretty close to our boss, and he never even told us he had a soulmate!"

"Seriously? Weird..." You trailed off, unsure of how to fill in the dead air.

"My name's Machi; what's yours?"

"I'm YN. Who is this?" You asked, gesturing slightly at your own body.

"Oh right, our boss's name is Chrollo. In the backseat, there is Nobunaga, Shalnark, and Phinks." She pointed each one out to you.

Behind you, Shalnark and Nobunaga were whispering to each other as they looked intently at Shalnark's phone.

"And where are you from, YN?" Shalnark spoke up again, a bright smile on his face as he watched you through the rearview.

"I'm from CN; where are we right now?"

The conversation continued like that for some time, with simple back-and-forth questions. Jo had advised you not to share too much sensitive information, and you couldn't help but get the inkling of a feeling that they were right.

The way that Shalnark would ask you questions before he immediately turned back to his phone alighted some anxiety in your gut, so you tried to turn the conversation back on them.

"So, you say that my soulmate here is your boss? What do you do?"

You didn't miss the beat of silence, but you tried to give them the benefit of the doubt that they had been put on the spot.

"We're traders, mostly," Shalnark started, "We travel around, buying and selling antiques and treasures and stuff!"

"Wow, that sounds like fun!"

"It can get tiring sometimes, but it's really fulfilling!"

There was a breath of relief from the car before Nobunaga spoke up, excitedly telling you a story of a time they had visited your home country for their business. Finally, it felt as if the atmosphere was relaxing, with everyone joining in to add details to the story.

You smiled softly, relieved that you no longer felt like an insect under a magnifying glass. It was pitch-black outside the car, and there were very few other cars on the road, so you felt safe enough to relax your grip on the steering wheel just a touch as well.

As you leaned back in the driver's seat, listening to Phinks avidly tell you about the food they had enjoyed in the capital of your home country, you felt the night's excitement finally hit you.

And how unlucky that you had just relaxed when you suddenly found yourself back in your own living room.

--//--

Chrollo snapped awake in his place, feeling that he had gone from his spot sitting to lying down in the blink of an eye. Immediately, he threw himself into a standing position, assuming the car had been surprise attacked.

At the same moment, he reached for his knife while attempting to summon Bandit's Secret. His anxiety only heightened when he realised that he had neither.

Finally trying to observe the situation and pinpoint his potential attacker, he slowly began to piece together what was going on.

He was in a neat bedroom and had been lying in bed. On the bedside clock, he read 21:29 in red blinking letters.

Oh shit.

Oh fuck.

His soulmate.

Ten years ago, he had made sure that his soulmate date was entirely obscured by his spider tattoo, going as far as to go to a different tattoo artist than the rest and killing them afterwards. He had to protect his soulmate, lest they be used against him. But in his attempt to defend them, he had completely forgotten to prepare anything.

Shit.

He looked around the room, trying to get his bearings now that he wasn't in danger. A mirror poised on one wall allowed him to observe his soulmate. He ran a hand over his cheek as he watched the skin move in abject fascination. All these sensations were raised in intensity; even in this body without Nen, he felt everything to a pinpoint. He suddenly became aware that he could taste a tiny bit of mint; they had even taken the time to brush their teeth to ensure his comfort.

There was an envelope taped to the inside of the door, obviously meant for him. Picking it off the door with an uncharacteristic level of gentleness, he sat back down on the bed to read.

The letter nearly sprung tears to his eye; how blessed was he to have someone so passionate! He could feel the depth of emotion poured into the letter, the way you spilt your heart out on the page.

He sat on the bed, eyes scanning over every line, reading and rereading the poetry before him.

"Do you think they're okay? I heard some movement inside, but it's been silent since. Do you think they fell and hurt their head?"

"Ugh, I'll knock and go check."

It hadn't occurred to him that there would be other people here - just another example of the care and thought you had put in.

He opened the door to a freckled face, who wore an expression of surprise as their hand was still in the air, having been about to knock. Immediately, he turned on the charm, knowing he could at least cover up for his lack of planning on this end.

"Oh, sorry about that; I didn't realise I was expected!" He added his best chuckle, followed by, "My soulmate is quite the poet; I've been entranced!"

He waved the letter to show it off before stepping past the newcomer. But he stopped briefly while he was right next to them. He could feel it.

The cold, calculating look in their eye, the robust build, the scars along their hands. They were from Meteor City.

With a polite nod, he continued into the living room, though he could feel that person's eyes on him the whole way. He was greeted with three cakes and a wide selection of snacks and drinks. He cursed that you wouldn't be getting such a cosy reception on your end.

The conversation flowed easily as soon as he introduced himself; everyone was excited to tell him things or ask him questions. He easily lied his way through questions about his profession; it was like second nature to the charismatic thief. Everyone in attendance was charmed by him except that damn person from Meteor City. Just as he began considering if he might have to kill them, they leaned forwards, interrupting another one of your friends.

"You smoke?"

Chrollo had smoked once or twice in his youth but had never had a taste for it. He shook his head no, hoping they would drop it there.

"Too bad, 'cause I do, and I want a private chat with you. Step outside."

With their authoritative voice, he knew he was not avoiding the following conversation.

The biting chill on his cheeks felt much sharper than usual, his own body having learned to withstand much harsher conditions. However, he was scarcely given a moment to enjoy the sensation before Jo interrupted.

"You're from Meteor City."

"I'm aware."

"Hmph. Are you a thief?"

"Of course, aren't you?"

"My work isn't the prettiest, but I'm not that low. I owe that to YN."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"They lifted me up and out of that place of their own goodwill. When I escaped that place, we met by chance, and they offered their hand to give me a new life. They're the reason I stay on the straight and narrow. I'll do anything to protect them; you should know that."

"I will, too; surely you should know that. I'm their soulmate."

"And you're also a thief. Probably a prolific one, from how easily you lied about your career. I want to protect them for their sake; you just want to protect them for your own sake. You won't be taking them anywhere; I'll steal them away where you'll never find them again if you try."

"That's quite the threat; are you sure you can follow through?"

"I'll have to, for them."

Chrollo chuckled at this silly notion. As if they could really do anything to take his soulmate away now that he knew they were here.

He watched Jo's silhouette retreat back into the warm light of your home, a smirk spread across his face at their sheer bravery, before everything changed.

--//--

Snapping back to your own body, now standing, was jarring, to say the least. Jo looked over their shoulder at your gasp as you nearly lost your balance, rushing over to catch you before you hurt yourself.

"Oh, hey there!" You laughed, looking up at them.

"Hey." They sounded standoffish, but their smile was undeniable.

"What are we doing outside?"

"Oh, I just wanted a smoke, and he followed me to chat."

You couldn't smell any smoke in the air, and you felt like something was being hidden from you, but you were just so tired and happy to be back that you chose to push that down for now.

"I'm gonna go to bed. Can you tell the others to go home? I need to just lie down ASAP."

"You got it. I'm gonna have to head out again soon as well, so I'll see you again whenever I get back."

--//--

"So." Machi started, addressing the newly-returned Chrollo, "What was that all about?"

Everyone was hushed, awaiting the boss's answer.

"You already know that was my soulmate. I had... forgotten to tell anyone."

More silence flooded the car as the other members of the spider internally debated whether or not they wanted to risk their necks by making a joke.

"Well, you'll be glad to know we're on the right path to get to them!" Shalnark cut in with his usual cheer, hoping to distract from the current situation.

"Really?"

"It'll be a few days even if we pick up the pace, but Feitan is currently in that country and can start keeping an eye on them ASAP. I'm concerned about their safety, especially considering their medical records."

"There's no need for too much worry," Chrollo said calmly

"What do you mean?!" Nobunaga was incredulous; how could the boss take his soulmate's safety so easily?

"Someone is protecting them already, someone we'll have to take care of, but a valuable protector, for now, all the same."

--//--

Thanks for reading!

[xcl0wningar0und]

WONDERHOY!!!

I'm so normal about these clowns. They are all autistic.

[chicago-geniza]

Walk with me, friends. Theatre des Vampires production of Grotowski's adaptation of Wyspiański's Akropolis

[moonsporemoth]

My Fav Genre of Men

(In no particular order)

Old Dilf that's rugged and hardened falling for someone younger that reminds him of himself

2. Quiet dark guy with his eyes obscured by hair or a hat

3. An awkward artsy smart guy that's feminine

4. A powerful omniscient trickster falling in love with the person he's watching over and "helping"

5. Villains. That's it.

[awetistic-things]

awetistic things: people close to you love teasing you since you take everything they say seriously by default and deep down you don't like it but it's apparently amusing how you genuinely can't tell whether they're joking or not

awetistic things {893}

[tigresslanzhu]

Artica’s Adoption

Suki: Miss Kennedy, Mr. Moon is going to come in here any moment and do that bit where he says he’s adopting a girl, then he puts the papers in front of you and says “It’s you, sign here!”. I suggest that you act surprised, but not freak out. You can’t tell him no or say you’ve already got three parents.

Artica: Three?

Suki: Your mother asked me to be your guardian should she and your dad pass away. Please sign here.

Artica: Trying to beat him to it this time, eh, Ms. Lane?

[i-like-too-many-things-rip-lmao]

IM FROTHING AT THE MOUTH IM BARKING IM GROWLING QWEORUOFIASF

Runs in the family

[opalwatch]

posting just some of my feitan headcanons to put off my anxiety about an impending zoom meeting

-he's autistic and has sensory issues. i fear this is common sense

-he can't stand loud noises. that's why he talks so quietly. the mask he wears helps to muffle loud noises, but if it's not enough, he has noise canceling headphones

-the only loud noises he can stand are the screams of people he tortures (fbi look away)

-he has two safe foods. the first is monster energy. he prefers the original flavor but any other flavor will do (except zero sugar). it's too bubbly for him (sensory issue) so he stirs out some of the bubbles but not all of them

-his other safe food is french fries, but from mcdonalds. he wont give that company money tho so he steals them

-when he's anxious/overstimulated, he'll knead biscuits into his thighs with his retractable claws (he has them because he's a zoldyck). if he's around other people, he'll try to hide it.

-said this in my pt music post but he listens to vocaloid and heavy metal. he likes poppy's latest albums. he likes maretu.

-he only listens to the same music over and over. he doesn't like discovering new music.

-he drinks extra monster when he's out on missions with the troupe because he has trouble sleeping in new places. change is hard for him.

-at his home, his bed is just a giant mound of pillows and blankets and soft things. he has to sleep curled up into a ball.

-when he's extremely anxious, he crochets. he either crochets matching sweaters for all the troupe members or voodoo dolls for torture. there is no in-between

-his english(? or whatever language is common in hxh) skills aren't too great because when he was growing up (critical period for language acquisition AAAAA I love being a psych major i love developmental psychology), his social anxiety was so bad that he didn't get to practice conversationally with others.

-machi saw him being a bundle of anxiety and didn't want him to be alone, but she saw that talking to him made him anxious. so instead of trying to play with him, she would just play on her own next to him. (sorry i didnt mean to make this about machi)

-again his special interest is monster energy. he collects every can he drinks and makes them into intricate towers. the other troupe members know not to make the tower fall because it'll cause him to lose it. that's how phinks found out what rising sun was

-last one for now i have to join my zoom meeting. the other troupe members sometimes help him build the monster can towers and shit. feitan doesn't really like it all too much because he likes to think it's his own special thing, but he doesn't say anything because he doesn't want to hurt anyone's feelings

-when hisoka was in the troupe, though, he offered to use bungee gum to secure more cans together. feitan did NOT allow this.

[sqvirely]

IM NOT. NORMAL ABT KNIGHTS. AAAGH!!!!!!

[gammaliminal]

Neon Troupe: Meet The Cast

(project intro) (written by an in-universe character, you'll see who they are :3)

I'm obligated to do this for... New hires. Here's everything which is need-know about the Contractors and some notable non-battlefield staff.

Alright first up, the Contractors, the people we've hired to fight the turf-war.

Offense:

The Recon (he/him) A calico house cat from Scotland, their owner uplifted them in a bid to compete in cat shows of fellow uplifted cats. When it was obvious that his lust for blood and annoying attitude was too much, his owner instead trained him in firearms and flying to become a hired gun.

The Chemist (he/him) He had always been an odd fellow. Having a tenure for a university in Russia, doing various under-the-table experiments and backalley chemistry projects, most of which were homicidal. When he needed money for said experiments, he decided to become a Contractor.

The Demolisher (she/her) A quite large and friendly(ish) woman from Mesoamerica, she was conscripted some time ago into the military, then afterwards she used her demolition skills for a more productive purpose. After then getting replaced by robots, she gone and started blowing up production lines and robots left and right. We convinced her to take out her rage for a pay check.

The Charger (he/him) A strange German man who seems almost hesitant about murder. From what we can tell, he invented his jets some years ago in a weird jousting competition hosted by him. After it got bloody, he decided his deadly skill in swords could be sold…

Defense:

The Spark (she/them) Coming from Japan, we observed she had a flagrant disregard for other's safety if it fed her curiosity, or for her need to rant about electricity in others' ears. Despite quite a few of our staff objecting to having her hired, we decided the noise was worth it for a skilled contractor and someone who could fix the office's lights.

The Exosuit (she/her) A quite lithe woman from Australia, she had been a computer scientist in college. Needing to do manual labor for money, she got her hands on an exosuit, but eventually that wasn't enough. Calling up one of her more physically minded friends, she slowly modified it into a killing machine. We also note she has a smoking problem…

The Technician (they/them) Always the overachiever, they graduated from all branches of engineering in a university from Britain. Then they got drafted into the war, and used those PHDs for military research and military hardware. After it ended, and with a new taste for blood, they decided to hire their miracle skills out. We won't judge their financial decisions.

The Caretaker (they/them) Alright, we honestly don't have much of an idea where this guy came from. Tracking the breeds of their animals, their clothing, and their equipment, they seem to be from the Exclusion Zone in Ukraine. The few times they speak, it's through a voice changer and either emotionless or highly passionate. We do know they spend their paycheck on their animals though.

Support:

The Hunter (he/him) We've received multiple complaints about this guy. From the east coast of the US, he was a pro airsoft player. Eventually, he got bored and, after getting banned from tournaments for his modified rifle and his massive ego, hired himself into actual warfare. No, we're not firing him.

The Nurse (she/her) From somewhere in the Caribbean, she became a pretty successful nurse, even when she had to take a week off for a drug trip. After losing her license through a count of murder, multiple counts of drug dealing, and a lot of drug (ab)use; she got into mercenary work despite seemingly having a genuine heart.

The Trickster (they/them) From the few bits and pieces of history we can gather, this enigma seems to previously be a dancer from Canada. At least, we think, could be another of their tricks. Anyways, their skills in trickery and espionage seems to be unmatched. As their ingenuity, if their cloak and disguise tools are made by them.

The Vandal (he/them) From the west-coast of the US, of our operating territory, comes this delinquent. His rage at the system landed him with a life sentence in prison. Though, our headhunters saw potential in him. We decided it was worth making various deals so as long as he's still with us, he isn't being hunted by the cops. Noted for his drinking problem, though, it seems he's mindful of not being drunk on the battlefield.

Special:

The CEO (he/him) CEO of an oil company allied with us, small time politician, and the 37th recipient of the miracle body replacement. His faux-adventurous attitude is only superseded by his paranoia about how much money he has. While his consciousness is transferable, your paycheck is getting docked each time he has to replace his body.

Now as for our non-combatants, well, you might see some of them in the background. Please don't disturb them as either they're doing important work or on break.

Starting off with ones hired by ORG and PNK we have

The Hack (they/them) A small-time IT expert and cybercriminal in the newly made frontier of the internet. After they got into hot-water with too many international entities, we bailed them out in exchange for working with us. Got to cover all our bases (and we desperately needed someone who could navigate our server room).

The Janitor (he/him) A quiet man without too much to say, drifting through the building cleaning up any mess that appears. He previously worked as a hired gun in the 60s, but those days are long passed and asking him about it gets nothing besides side-eye and a light grunt.

The Secretary (she/her) A women hired by the CEO for his busy work and bookkeeping, she's barely out of college and already doing such big work. She seems always overworked and underpaid, relinquishing the moments of break she has. Also seems to like me a lot for no particular reason.

The Courier (she/them) A crafty women, while quite young she is very good at what she does. Ie: Piloting drones for deliveries, mail, and notes from upper management. She's really quite jovial, gratingly so. While they haven't met yet, I expect her to be good friends with the Spark.

Now for the ones on our payroll, we have

The Public Announcer (PA) (they/them) I'm not allowed to say much here. They're the one over the speakers managing the rounds and matches, announcing the state of the battlefield to our Contractors. (Though, off the record, I kind of hate them, and love them? I've said, too much so, will not be elaborating)

The Proxy (he/him) That's me, hey there. I act as a middlemen and body guard for the PA, doing their wetwork and speaking directly to the Contractors. Off the books, I'm probably the most reasonable one here, even if that includes liking my (mildly homicidal) boss. Please… Don't let that get on record.

The Therapist (one of: he/him, she/her, they/them) The company hired them more as a kind gesture then anything else really. This varying-gendered person does seem to be genuinely qualified and reasonably successful. Though, they seem overly unprofessional with our Contractors, and do a large amount of check ins with them without reason.

The Dispatcher (any/all) Our quartermaster, tactician, strategist, and middle manager. She's quite an old hat in the business, having been in the parent companies to ours and even being the previous PA, til [REDACTED] took over. Nowadays they mostly drift around the office making small talk and constantly organizing and planning stuff.

The Driver (he/him) Ah yes, the guy who picked you up. He's the one who transports important personnel and important packages with his quite fancy car (it's bulletproof too, don't ask me how i know). He's an ex-Mafia actually, but then he decided to look for bigger things...

Oh, and finally, there's someone I need to caution you against

The Eye (???/???) Alright let me go off the books one more time, has anyone else seen this guy? Faded green suit, suitcase, fedora? I swear I've seen them watching the battlefield from a distance but besides faded Polaroids I haven't seen anyone mention them…

(and that's all of them! hope you like them and their emblems, as provided by @schmegaman-x!!) - Ξλ

[unculturedswine69]

waaah...juba hyodle...hes the tism ever (blushes)