Mera

Belos is going to need a new host, but first he got to use up the mean neighbour lady.

So, I wanted there to be a fight between the Hexsquad (mainly Vee, Gus, Willow and Masha, actually. For drama reasons.) and Mrs. Stout/Belos.

Belos loses, but the kids realise he is regaining his powers. And he got away because Willow got too angry. He escapes in a car with Kiki and Jacob. So Masha now knows that Jacob is with the bad guys and are worried. They also got in Willow's way when she tried to attack the car.

I've been building up that Masha is afraid of Willow: sort of as a rep for humans having legit reasons to be fearful of witches powers. This is not set up in a way to make Masha evil, just a counterargument to continue having the kids hide their magic in the open.

Vee is on Masha's side, and Gus can see that Willow is not okay but Willow wont open up to him when he offers her to rely on him. This makes her feel weak, and she buries her feelings even deeper.

And I want this to build up to Willow's nervous breakdown, too.

Im unsure where the fight would take place. I was thinking a grocery store or a parking lot. Someplace open enough to be dangerous, but with enough hiding spots to obscure the view of cameras. I was thinking the group had been at the Hex-House to work on the portal, and show Masha around. Then they went to go grocery shopping.

Belos is unhappy, of course, that Mrs. Stout isn't strong enough as a host. Jacob drives them to the hospital, thinking both Mrs. stout and Belos needs help. Belos abandons Mrs. Stout there, though, it's upon Jacob's insistence that he doesnt want her to be hurt anymore, not because Belos suddenly grew a heart.

Kiki makes some suggestive words, quoting Jacob's monster comic "the parasite" and Jacob immediately jumps to sacrificing himself to take Mrs. Stout's place.

And it happens. Belos enters through the wound on his shoulder that Hunter left him as a grimwalker. Kiki is delighted.

Hunter, Amity, and Luz were not there due to Hunter wanting a house watch, a group of at least two has to stay at the main house. Camila was at work.

Camila sees the news about a thing going down at a grocery store/parking lot, and the blurry image she sees is immediately recognised as her kids.

the gang recoup, tell each other what happened and they all decide to downplay it for Camila, or shes going to get too worried and forbid them from leaving on their own like that.

---

Belos is getting used to controlling Jacob around in his home. But lets him go now and then to let Jacob rest. I intended to build this up as Belos manipulating Jacob into believing he is a true hero. This is to mirror Belos' own grandiosity about himself, and his own delusion of being humanities saviour.

We see Kikimora reflect on Belos words, and realise that he's sold her the same song and dance too. She decides she doesn't care she was tricked, because she is HERE now and emperor Belos NEEDS her. So that's the card in the game she wants to play.

When Jacob is elsewhere, Kikimora finds Belos in the livingroom in his grotesque form, watching TV to sort of catch up with the modern world. Kiki interrupts him, and makes it clear to him that she wants to blackmail him.

Her offer is that; once theyre back in the demon realm, that he gives her a position of great power. A bishop type position. If he doesn't, she'll tell Jacob he's a disposable pawn and that Belos is here to destroy humanity.

Which, y'know, isnt at all Belos plan. So he laughs, and tells her the real deal. And that, in fact, he doesn't need her. She needs him. Because the only reason he wants to get back to the demon realm is to finish his destruction.

Kiki realises that she stupidly believed his lie about it having been a doppelgänger that told her to go find a hole to die in.

But he's right, she's stuck here. And to keep using her, he offers to not kill her with the rest, as thanks to her loyalty. She agrees and escapes to Jacob's study room (full of comics and conspiracies) and isn't sure what to do.

My intentions with Belos and Kikimora, was to show how an abusive relationship works. Like, even if you know the person is harmful, and doesn't care about you, you choose to stay. Even at the opportunity to run away, Kiki returns to Belos out of fear.

I wanted this to be something Hunter and Luz notices.

After a failed attempt of coaxing her to escape, she refuses. Attacks them and returns to Belos to show her loyalty. This is also to mirror how Hunter used to behave.

So, I want Kikimora to be a grayzoned character. She's not nice, she doesn't join the hexsquad in the human realm. She sticks with Belos all the way into the demon-realm. I want the reader to feel empathy for her situation, but also realise that you can't save everyone. This is an important lesson for Luz, in particular, to learn.

By having Kikimora represent a character who's stuck in a terrible situation and actively choosing to remain (even if it's out of fear and distress and a false idea of self-perservation) that you cant force someone to see things for what they are.

This is an important emotional and visual step for the viewer/reader to then later, when Luz understands that Belos is not somebody who is going to let go of his delusions or fantasy. That he is actively fighting against anything that can bring him out of it and make him see things for how they are....

...Her stepping away from him trying to pathetically manipulate her in the final episdode will feel more impactful. Because then we get this character who has tried to rescue people. Redeem villains - because she CAN redeem them, right? Look at Amity, Lilith and Hunter! It's possible! So she think it will always be possible, with everyone. And then it doesnt work with Kikimora, and she takes it personally. It beats her up that she can't save people.

And the more she learns about Caleb and Philip, and Evelyn, the more she feels empathy for Philip (as a kid). After all, Belos said they were similar, and Luz begins to see it. She relates to him wanting to save his brother, she relates to him wanting to be chosen and heroic and sacrificing herself for the greater good or for people she loves. She gets it. So maybe they are the same?

Of course not.

But that's the journey. And Luz needs to encounter characters like Kikimora and Jacob. One who chooses to stay in a bad situation out of fear, and someone who wants to save people even if it means by self-sacrifice or methods of evil. Because Luz needs these situations/relations to reflect on herself and her own helplessness, and with her trauma of her dad dying.

She ultimately understands that Belos, who maybe at one point was an innocent good kid, but he made selfish decisions to feed his self-serving fantasies and ego. Luz has never done that. They are not the same.

And it helps her let go of wanting to be like Azura. She appreciates that she served as a great role-model to her, but it's just not how the real world works. And unlike Belos, her dad didnt die because of her. Caleb died because of Philip. Belos tries to twist it as much he can, but Luz knows better now, she's wiser.

ANYWAY.

At some point in the story, Jacob/Belos stalks Hunter and Hunter is eventually cornered and they make a deal. Belos wont hurt any of his friends/family if he lets himself be possessed and get through the portal door. Use the portal, leave the others behind in the human-realm.

SO, SKIPPING TO THE DEMON-REALM. because you asked about Kiki, not the other stuff.

so.

Demon-realm.

Kikimora is loyal to Belos until she's left to fend for herself and is rescued by the school. There, she establishes herself again, but she doesnt pretend to be anyone else than herself.

In this version, Kikimora becomes the school's leader because she's Kikimora, and the school doesn't know what happened at the day of Unity in detail. So they believe Kiki when she lies and tells them Belos betrayed them all, and that she wants to help the school now.

Her story makes sense, it fits with what they know, and the bits they didnt know are plausible enough. For example, she says she was in the human realm, and was friends with the Hexsquad. She had fought them after all, and knows enough about them and the human-realm.

So they trust her. Except Matt, who feels it's off.

And then, yeah, it goes as it goes in season 3 more or less. I just wanted to expand more on the Amity, Willow and Boscha situation. Develop Matt as a leader and let him reconnect with Gus.

I wanted Kiki to remain un-redeemed. Even after being de-throned at Hexside, she doesn't want to help unless it serves her. The only reason she winds up helping in a corner is because Darius presents her with the legality of what might happen to her if they win.

So, to not get in trouble, she chooses to help at a minimum by telling them everything about Belos and what she knows. His secret lab, what he and the Collector used to do/talk about, anything that can help them defeat the collector and rescue King (who is a Titan, and a selected trusted few knows.)

At that point, Hunter is also free from the possession. My thoughts were that Hunter remained possessed for longer and into the demon-realm. And that perhaps the only reason Belos could actually possess the Titan's corpse now was because he was possessing a grimwalker.

Luz pulling on Belos ribs, is instead Luz pulling Hunter out of him. Flapjack still has to sacrifice himself for Hunter.

But the one who wakes up isn't Hunter.

Because when Hunter was being possessed, he was down in the dunes with Caleb. Caleb was helping him. And when Flapjack came in to give Hunter life again, Caleb let them have their moment while he came to the surface.

Belos, melting and pleading with Luz to believe him that he was just cursed by some evil whatever, sees Hunter. But he knows it's not Hunter when he calls him "Pip."

Belos after a moment of silent shock, instead of apologising or being mournful, starts to blame him. Curse him. Yell at him the same vile things he's been repeating for years.

And the boiling rain's acid melts him away. The island itself removes him like an illness. And then he's no more.

Caleb looks at his brother's skull, turns to Luz and smiles. He doesn't say anything, Luz gets it anyway. Caleb is glad Hunter has a real family. He can be at peace now, knowing Hunter won't be in harms way.

He sinks, which of course collapses Hunter. And Camilla is there, and Darius too. Luz hugs King and Eda. Their friends join. And when Hunter is ready he comes back. Darius is uncharacteristically SOBBING SOB HUGS at Hunter.

Because Flapjack gave his life for Hunter, Hunter doesn't need Caleb anymore.

Caleb is surprised when he "sank down" again because he... didn't?

He and the boys are out there now, ghosts. Flapjack isn't in there, either. He's with Caleb. Hunter is free. Caleb is free.

At this point I wanted there to have been an arc with Amity and Gus getting into Oracle magic, and I wanted Gus to be wearing his amplifier and see Caleb as a ghost standing there, and how he turns.. And sees Evelyn.

And after 300-400 years, they're back together. And the vision fades.

Luz and Hunter share some words. King says they should rebuild society as someting better and cooler. And theres a small joke where he declares it as a titan and some people who didnt know freak out lol.

The rest goes as season 3 ended.

I'd like to go more into exploring King and the collector, obviusly. Darius, Eda, Raine and Lilith too. The Demon-realm crew, in Hexside too, felt like they also had things to do. I mean, most people became puppets, but I think that was a more quick-solution with the time restraint they had for the show. So they needed characters out of the way. I still like the puppetting stuff, but I want to cater it more narratively.

As for Kikimora, she winds up as she winds up. Working in construction. A luke-warm ending feels fitting for someone like her. Not a bad ending, not good, just... in the middle, as she lived.

ANYWAY.

It burned me out, and I got a lot of (surprisingly aggressive) pressure from people - positive and nice feedback too! But the negative demands took a bit of a toll. So I got some unfortunate associations with the fic, too.

I re-read it recently, and I'm cringing a little over my writing. I wrote it as an exercise to improve, and I have. So I feel a little odd about it, lol.. I'd definitely re-write some things.

I feel kinda bad, I never expected the fic to get popular or liked. I just wrote it for fun and as an exercise, so I never had much of a goal in mind. I invented as I wrote. Which, in hindsight, has not played in my favour.

Especially since I've given more thought to what a season 3 would contain, and what direction.

I began taking the fic too seriously and it stopped being fun.

I also no longer think my original ideas work, but they're already written into the chapters to be leading towards those original ideas. I wish I could shuffle things around a bit. But that would take time and effort I don't have to spare,

So it's difficult to back paddle things like that, and I don't have time or energy to spend on a fic that, really, I'd only continue to appease those who liked it.

I don't really like it much anymore, if I'm honest. I much rather write something new, or similar, that I actually would like or enjoy.

But, yeah, I tell people it's discontinued for now.