pint sized pillars au

the hashira are all de-aged by muzan in an attempt to weaken the demon slayer corps... until they can find a cure and return to normal, the hashira are given a second chance at a good childhood! includes fluff, some angst, some chaos... hijinks ensue! created by @beddybites asks (open) | requests (open) *currently on hiatus

[beddybites]

go my pint sized pillars

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updated refs!

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Is Obi scared of people helping him to bathe or brush his hair? I reckon he probably had bad experiences around that or maybe associates that with "special" bad things happening

definitely. regressed Obanai is always on edge and in survival mode when it comes to baths and his hair being done. i think when he's in his normal headspace he's still wary and on edge and adamant he can do it himself, but regressed Obanai is just a scared little kid who wants to push everyone away

in my mind he's usually paired up with Giyuu and Sanemi in these things, so it works out because Sanemi will take care of his bestie's hair whether either of them are normal or baby mode and lecture Obanai for his poor hygiene

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Has there been an occasion in which every pillar is regressed at once? Like one starts, and then another is next, and then another, and another, and they all end up like fallen dominoes of adult mentality.

i dont have a specific example but this 100% happens all the time

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Do any of the pillars have the urge to be lil mischief makers, even Gyomei, Obanai or Giyu?

they get mischievous sometimes, but Gyomei and Mitsuri always feel fairly guilty afterwards! Obanai takes things really seriously, but an example of him being mischevious might be him doing something like sneaking up on someone then jumpscaring them. Giyuu is only mischevious with Shinobu, and even then he doesn't really do anything. he's just kind of there

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TENNY AND OBI QUESTIONS TRUST

With Obani going to Tengen to seek comfort when he has nightmares regressed (pretty positive it was mentioned somewhere they'll share a futon when Obani has nightmares.) if Tengen ever has a nightmare about his siblings with obani in the futon does he ever get panicky?

With Tengen liking to dress up the younger hashira what does he usually dress Obani in?

i think there's definitely times one of the two has woken with a nightmare, but theyr'e in the same futon, so they accidentally whack the other or scare the other because they're moving around or yelling or something like that. However. it also grounds Tengen in a way. if he wakes up from a nightmare about his siblings, then has that close contact with someone, it brings him back to reality and reminds himself he's with other people that he loves like family, whether that be his wives or the Hashira

he usually tries to "spoil" Obanai by putting him in something "flashy" and "cool," but it quickly became apparent Obanai hates being dressed up and coddled, so Tengen leaves him alone as to not make him uncomfortable. he usually requests Hinatsuru, Suma, and Makio to make Obanai something baggy, soft, and long, and then he'll help Obanai dress up in that. it's simple, and the fashion choices make Tengen gag, but it's what Obanai needs!

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Does Gyomei know about the teddy bear version of him?

he does-- he of course doesnt know what it looks like, but given he's surrounded by small children who can't keep a secret, it didn't take very long for Gyomei to learn that one of the prized stuffed animals Muichiro sleeps with and carries around time to time is based off of him

the kids refer to it was "Gyobear," but Shinobu and Muichiro have been caught calling it something along the lines of "Dad" when they're baby brained. they don't fully recognize the bear and teen Gyomei are the same person, seeing instead the adult Stone Hashira who took them in. so they might show Gyomei and say "Mei-Mei, look, it's my Dad!"

of course, Gyomei's heart melts, and he bawls his eyes out each time

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Might be a bit of an odd question, but who made / gave each of the caterpillars their clothes? Just bcs those obviously aren't their normal haoris and uniforms, since they're babies now.

i think i answered this in the past (before revamping the au) so apologies if information doesnt line up!

but as of now, i like to think the kakushi helped make them, but it was makio, hinatsuru, and suma who really carried, as they wanted to help as soon as they learned what happened. lady amane and her own children also assisted where they could, and senjuro had a hand here and there. it was a group effort overall... they had to quickly sew everything together after making sure the children all approved of the colors, textures, and design, and of course tengen had a say in a lot of it!

there's some instances like with giyuu, shinobu, and kyojuro where the outfits they were given were hand-me downs, so they were some of the first to get all dressed up

the outfits in their refs are the ones i draw them in the most, but they can honestly be put in anything (i imagine the uzui family and etc got carried away making them outfits, so theres just a ton of options for them to wear these days)

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Bite! Can we please get more Gyomei facts pls🥺 he's my absolute favorite and I love him so much in your art style. Please give my underrated king some love

i will ALWAYYYS wanna talk more about gyomei! im sorry this took a while, i wanted to think on the prompt a bit!

Gyomei Fun Facts:

he’s 13 years old and VERY tall and lanky, but he has a baby face. if it weren’t for his height, he probably would be mistaken as being a few years younger

his voice cracks when he talks sometimes. it always embarrasses him, and he’ll politely mumble “Excuse me” before correcting himself and continuing

he loves getting to hold people! it’s his absolute favorite thing. he loves carrying the other kids so much!

on that note, he’s a little surprised whenever people hold him, since he’s never really been held before. one time genya picked him up mid-game and gyomei teared up from how warm and soft and frazzled and etc he felt

since then it’s become a contest to see which kid can pick him up first. tengen and sanemi both are able to lift him up, but cant carry him

he’s never had a maternal or paternal figure, so amane and kagaya being around sometimes does fuzzy things to his brain and often triggers him to regress

i like to think if kanae was around (and wasnt part of the shrinking) she would act like a maternal figure. it’d be her way of giving back to him after he raised her and Shinobu, and ofc she’s very happy to see her old mentor/father figure so sweet and little

he gets along with Tengen’s wives very well, and usually aligns with Hinatsuru. Tengen likes to joke that they like Gyomei more than they like him

he has never fallen asleep first. The other kids always have to be asleep before he even gets close to it. likewise, he always has to be the first one up. he worries what could happen if someone snuck away and pays attention to every single one of them

he’s accidentally called the others the orphan’s names out of habit. he one time called a regressed Shinobu “Suma,” who was VERY offended by the mistake, and made him repeat “Shinobu” over and over again until she knew he wouldn’t forget

he sits with Obanai and Muichiro whenever the kids rough house, since neither of the two can get involved. (technically Shinobu too, but she likes to be the “Doctor”, or the boys will just let her win by default)

he may regress younger sometimes. it’s hard to notice but it happens!

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Mui is verry small and usualy regressed but is there ever a time when he isnt? And can antone tell when hes not

(i love all the babies so so so so much the make me smile and giggle they're so sweet)

he isn’t regressed a good bit! it can be pretty obvious because he’s usually looking bored and irritated about his situation, and he’s more sassy and grumpy. sometimes people assume he’s just fussy and will baby talk him and coo at him, resulting in Muichiro spitting on them or throwing something at them

he can be very sweet even when he’s not regressed though— its usually just in more private moments. for example he’ll snuggle with Gyomei if either of the two show any sign of distress, and he’ll smile and babble at Obanai and Kyojuro a lot. he also likes to sit with people and try to talk with them— some people can make out what he’s saying, but Gyomei is the only one who can basically read his mind, and he’s always happy to translate for the boy

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Hello There, I couldn't help but wonder how does the pillars react to being hugged with love! I don't know if this was already ask

Also love you art and hope you have an amazing day 💖

Gyomei: his brain short circuits, and he’s so overwhelmed with emotion he starts to weep. sometimes he ends up regressing because of it

Tengen: starts laughing and hugs back, but jokes and brags about being the chosen one to make it less awkward. depending on who hugs him he ruffles their hair and might even kiss their face to embarrass them

Sanemi: gets annoyed and angry, tries to wriggle out of the hug. if he’s regressed, he is awkward about it, but he always hugs Genya, Obanai, and Shinobu back

Giyuu: just stands there and blankly stares. slowly returns the hug but is really awkward about it. if he’s regressed he’s smiling wide and squeezing whoever he’s hugging

Obanai: it always takes him aback and makes him freeze as he processes the affection. like Gyomei he short circuits and often regresses because of it, the telltale sign being him leaning into the hug and clinging to the other. he has no idea when to let go

Kyojuro: GIANT smile, happy giggles and laughter, squeezing the person even tighter and picking them up

Mitsuri: like Kyojuro she immediately gets all giggly and excited, and will genuinely pick them up and hold them above her head. nearly squeezes the life out of them

Shinobu: calmly returns the affection with a soft smile. if she’s regressed she’s whining and groaning and asking to be let go, but depending on who it is she’ll melt into the hug and refuse to be put back down

Muichiro: doesn’t really give a fuck since he’s always being held and coddled anyway, and at this point he’s accepted it is what it is. if he’s regressed he’s squeaking and squealing and pawing at the person and snuggling up to them. often falls asleep mid hug

thank you!! this was a cute prompt!

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who's your favorite relationship dynamic wise?

Does my poor boy Gyomei ever have panic attacks most kids ik his age irl have panic attacks and high stress levels :<

does Tengen ever get reminded of his brothers if so, I can imagine him distancing himself from the younger hashira in fear he might hurt them accidentally

1. Tengen and Obanai are a lot of fun for me to write, and I enjoy exploring the Shinazugawa brothers and Gyomei with Shinobu and Muichiro… my favorites change day by day!

2. all the time. He tries to keep them hidden so he doesn’t upset the other kids. usually that’s what leads into him regressing, and it was a whole mystery for a while, since most people only ever saw him Regressed after the fact and never knew what really caused it. safe to say once people saw what happened they were really worried

3. definitely. i think he might have times where he pushes the other kids away, but he always folds as soon as someone gives him puppy dog eyes or starts crying

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You said Gyomei can be sassy at some times 🥹, what do these sassy moments look like?

scoffing and rolling his eyes when he’s asked to do something . this happens VERY rarely, usually it’s because he hasn’t slept or eaten

a lot of witty and snarky comeback. if he and Tengen ever argue its a sass off. somehow Gyomei always wins and Tengen sulks in a corner for a bit

going “stopppp” or groaning when covered in affection, embarrassed and not wanting to make a scene

raising his eyebrows in a “i told you so” fashion

he doesnt get Too sassy often, usually its tame… more than anything he just gets really overwhelmed and sad and will start crying

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When the psp ever have nightmares/anxiet/js feeling down who do they go to first<?

Regressed/baby mind | Not regressed | Both states

Gyomei: Genya, Kagaya + Amane

Tengen: Kyojuro, Gyomei, his wives

Sanemi: Obanai, Genya or Kagaya

Giyuu: Urokodaki (if available), Tanjiro, Shinobu

Obanai: Sanemi, Tengen or Gyomei

Kyojuro: Tengen or Obanai, Senjuro

Mitsuri: Kyojuro

Shinobu: Sanemi or Gyomei, Kanao or Aoi (Inosuke if she needs a distraction specifically)

Muichiro: Gyomei

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Has any of the Hashira tried to sneak off at night to fight demons? Has Shinobu tried to continue to do her research?

Sanemi is the prime example— he used to always sneak off and try leaving until he got in trouble , having scratched himself up after accidentally slashing himself with his own katana

Shinobu often has to be dragged out of her office kicking and screaming since a four year old absolutely can not be around chemicals and pointy syringes and etc!

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Hello!

Do the pillars ever go on days out or would that be too dangerous what with Muzan trying to find them and everything? (Just imagining the absolute chaos of all of them out together ... kamaboko squad terrified that someone's going to run off etc.)

Also idk if someone's asked this before but did Kaburamaru shrink too or is there a tiny Obanai trying to carry a heavy snake everywhere? And does regressed Tengen get upset about him eating mice?

Hope you have a good day!

they make a point of keeping the kids in place, but of course they get bored and antsy, so they’ll beg the others to let them out. one time the Kamaboko Squad gave in and took the children to town. the following happened:

they lost Sanemi, Shinobu, and Kyojuro within 5 minutes and had to frantically search for them, even needing to call in Senjuro and Genya to locate them while Inosuke and Tanjiro had to try and keep Kanao and Aoi rom finding out they lost Shinobu

Tengen and Mitsuri had so much sugar they got sick… the wives were NOT happy about it when they found out later

Gyomei ended up regressing and had a nervous breakdown when he got caught up in a crowd. the rest of the event he was sticking close to Genya, and would break down all over again if a stranger tried approaching him

Muichiro was like a teddy bear to Gyomei. he was chilling. but he made a point of spitting up on strangers if they made Gyomei cry

Obanai climbed up a tree and refused to come down for an hour or two while Sanemi was missing

Giyuu was genuinely the most behaved, albeit he was a little shit because he didn’t want to do ANYTHIN

The Kamaboko Squad was exhausted, and ofc got in a lot of trouble later

and to answer your other question— Kaburamaru didn’t shrink, as the Blood Demon Art (demon ipad baby) doesn’t affect animals. he does still eat mice, and it upsets regressed Tengen and other children, so they make a point of feeding Kaburamaru privately

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Which Hashira would cry the most? And who’s the pickiest eater?

Cries the most: Mitsuri… tears of joy, gets overwhelmed easily, gets sad… etc!

Pickiest eater: Obanai… it’s a miracle if you can get him to eat something new

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How’s Tamayo been during all this? Does Shinobu still try and work with her when she’s big?

she’s managing… there’s a lot of pressure finding a cure so she gets stressed time to time. when she does occasionally interact with the children she becomes emotional and tries to distance herself. she broke down when little Obanai asked fearfully if she would eat him and Sanemi and Shinobu both initially reacted out of anger and vengeance and tried attacking her

once everyone adjusted things settled… Shinobu is always trying to work with Tamayo, but Yushiro usually shoos her away (assuming Gyomei or Kanao don’t grab her first). Tamayo thinks she’s amusing and adorable