#I think mito is a very interesting character

[sapphic-sasuke]

I've read your new hashimada fic and ahhh it pulled at my heart strings, this isn't exactly an idea for a fic, but I'm curious at what your take on mito and madara interactions? And for a hashimada fic would you put them in a poly relationship or is hashirama cheating her and madara is technically his mistress (maybe hashirama only views the marriage as deal to keep the alliance with the uzumaki, poor mito tho since in Minato's oneshot she is shown to genuinely have loved him). THANK YOU looking forward to it

hi!! thank you for reading my hashimada fic ^_^. hmmm mito and madara interactions… i feel like madara doesn’t have any strong opinions on her, he might feel resentment towards her by proxy of sealing the kyuubi but hmmm other than that, she’s just another one of hashirama’s close people.

i do mention mito in my fic since it’s only canon divergence once madara wins the war, i think it’s more like? for back then, hashirama and madara weren’t exactly dating, I can’t imagine them dating… more like a crazy lesbian situationship that dooms the world, yes they’ve kissed and everything but it never crossed into that committed territory. people might have different views to me which is fine but personally i think neither had any conflicting thoughts about the marriage bc even if hashirama loved mito it’s not in the same way he loves madara u get me? mito can be romantic love of decades but madara is his other half and hashirama loves madara in a way that transcends romance, sense, death etc.

i wouldn’t put them in a poly relationship bc i don’t think madara could ever come to love mito (uninterested in everyone who isn’t hashirama) and i wouldn’t have hashirama cheating on mito bc i really think he would never. the way i hc it is that mito married hashirama once madara left, for the konoha uzushio alliance but they also felt genuine love, so if i were to write a fic where madara never leaves Konoha i would have mito marry someone else🤔poor girl I don’t want her to get cheated on, I think cheating can be interesting in fics but im not a fan of that in hashimada. i also don’t think madara would ever allow himself to become any sort of mistress figure; his pride and ego absolutely would not let him. Like to him that’s beneath him you get me? Hahahaha

madara and mito interactions would never be antagonistic to me in aus where madara stays, he might hold some respect for her sealing prowess, and maybe in a world where Madara finds happiness they can get along!

[illubean]

HIHIHI!!! I've been following you for a while and i recently saw your toph! reader HC and I've been wondering if I could request for a katara! reader who's really good at waterbending and specialises on healing and blood bending? Could the characters be Gon, Killua, Illumi and the phantom troupe? Hope you eat well and stay healthy!!!

HXH W/ a Katara!Reader

Characters: Gon Freecs, Killua Zoldyck, Illumi Zoldyck, The Phantom Troupe Type: Headcanons, Fem!reader, Platonic

tried making this gn but then I ended up using fem labels a lot >.< also when I see "the phantom troupe" in headcannon requests im just going to write them collectively unless otherwise specified

Warnings: None

Gon Freecs

your older sister/eldest daughter syndrome is very evident around him

he probably doesn't pick up on it but everyone else sees how fiercely protective you are over him

you have a soft spot for children and Gon is literally the sweetest ever so you can't help but want to keep him safe

before the hunter exams, the only role models Gon has ever had in his live have been maternal figures (Mito and his grandma)

you end up becoming another one

which may also be part of the reason he is so respectful and kind

he's ok with your motherly nature mainly because he's very used to it and he can understand where you're coming from

he cares for you as if you guys were blood related

when he went cray in chimera ant arc you were the first person Killua and Leorio thought to call

yk because of your healing ability

you healed him the best you could before Alluka showed up

and scolded him immediately after he recovered

Killua Zoldyck

he likes someone with Toph's rebellious personality but you?

you're a total wet blanket...

your such a stickler, always trying to stop him when he's feeling mischievous

you remind him of how things were back at his estate...

you are not his mother stop acting like it

but whenever you protect him from getting seriously hurt or heal him he's reminded you have good intentions

he knows you're not trying to be manipulative and controlling but god pls loosen up

despite how distant he might present himself he can't help but grow a little emotionally attached to you

he's never had a healthy relationship with his mom...

you are the only normal motherly figure in his life

he acts like he can't stand how you fuss over him but in reality he cares for you deeply and kind of likes that you feel the need to be protective over him

Illumi Zoldyck

unlike his brother, he likes you a lot more than if you were to have Toph's personality

because you remind him of his mother

he doesn't mind your protective nature as long as you don't get in the way

your 'blood bending' technique is of great interest to him..

you are able to use it on normal days and don't have to wait for a full moon because this is my fanfic and I said so

it just happens to be at it's strongest on full moons

he probs starts keeping track of the moon cycles just to take you on missions and see you in action

with the blood bending technique you could literally stop any enemy

a very OP ability indeed....

which is why he keeps you around

you're strong and have a pretty normal personality so there's really no reason for him to dislike you

The Phantom Troupe

it's pretty 50/50 with them

and by that I mean some of them don't mind your motherly personality while others think it's annoying...

mainly Phinks and Feitan; they feel you're too bossy

but the entire troupe can agree that your nen is impressive

1) they have a healer now and 2) your blood-bending is some sort of secret weapon

you get along well with Nobunaga, bonding over your shared soft spot for children

Chrollo probs personally recruited you for your abilities seeing as he couldn't really steal them..

Machi likes having you around because now she has to stitch people up less often

when Kalluto joins, he becomes the one you're most protective over

the younger members see you as an older sibling figure

aka Shizuku(18) Kalluto(12) and Kortopi(he has no canon age as far as I know but I like to imagine he is a child rather than a small adult...)

[i-heart-hxh]

Hey! This is purely me and my morbid curiosity asking, but you mentioned you buy in to the pregnancy stone oops baby Gon origin story more than an actual mother. Can you elaborate, even if it falls with what others may have already brought up? I'd love to get your take! (also, I sent a review of your chapter 4 hxhbb fic, but I think it might've been eaten!)

Hi!

So, I do buy into it, somewhat! I think, for the time being, it's the best theory we have on Gon's parentage. There are a few interesting details related to it.

First off, Togashi included this woman with Ging in some of his early HxH concept drawings, from November 1997:

People have speculated that the woman next to Ging might be Gon's mother, however there isn't actually conclusive evidence of this--it's just a theory. It could also be an early design concept for Mito, Menchi, or one of the other female characters from the series, as the drawing isn't labeled with a name or description like some of the others. Or, she could be a scrapped concept even if she was intended at the time to be Gon's mother, as clearly this isn't finalized in any way.

You can read about this drawing a bit more here!

However, of course within the series itself we have no info on who Gon's mother might be, and Togashi did bother to include the Pregnancy Stone card:

Now, an interesting connection with this is that Togashi is known to have read the BL manga Patalliro!, as he based Hiei's hair off one of the characters, Scunky:

(From a doujinshi Togashi released, Yoshirin de Pon!)

There is also an unconfirmed but very reasonable theory that Killua may have been based in part of the character Maraich from Patalliro!, as the basis of both characters is similar and we know for a fact from the above image Togashi has read Patalliro!.

Now, how does this connect to the Pregnancy Stone theory? Well, Patalliro! also has mpreg as part of its storyline (with biologically male Maraich getting pregnant twice through unexplained means, with one of these pregnancies leading to a son), and considering Togashi may have used other elements from Patalliro! as inspiration... You can see where I'm going with this. I do think it's interesting he put the Pregnancy Stone card in the series to begin with, and there's also the Panda Maid card ("excellent at taking care of human children"), and Ging has used a panda plush as a substitute for himself in the Election arc. Coincidence? Hmmm...

Image taken from this post, explaining more about the Pregnancy Stone theory.

My personal feelings now that I've laid all this info out are basically... I've talked a lot about how intentional Togashi's storytelling is and how much attention he pays to things, so I think he planted this knowing people would consider it a possibility, at the very least. We don't have any other theories about Gon's mom that have this much to go off of. It's possible he will reveal more info eventually and either make this more likely or explain Gon's origin in some other, totally different way, but for now I think this is compelling--there are enough pieces that it is a legitimate possibility.

I'm not someone who is interested in mpreg (or any kind of preg, for that matter, LOL), so I don't spend a lot of time thinking about this whole situation or the mechanics behind it, but I do think it would be pretty hilarious if this does canonically end up being Gon's origin story after all. Just such a wild way for Gon to come into existence. It'll be interesting to see if we ever get answers with regards to who/where Gon came from, whether it's by Pregnancy Stone or not.

It's a fun topic because it seems so goofy and farfetched initially, but the more you look at it, the more it's like, "Actually..." 🤔

(And thanks again for the review, my apologies that it took me a while to reply!)

[zobae]

hmm something something metero city = black whale. While meteor city created the phantom troup, the black whale will destory it something something....

a state by itself though not officially recognised (have a government, judicial, legistlative system, as well as military...)

'citizens' are isolated from the outside world,

'citizens' are also being taken advantage of by a larger outside force that they have no control over with the Kakin emperor and the Mafia (nasubi explicity states that the 200,000* people on board are sacrifices for the succession war)

Both times the troupe is formed/reunited to hunt down a killer that has unjustly taken their own (Sarasa's killer, hisoka)

Chrollo sets out on a journey that isolates himself from his friends, shouldering the bulk of the burden and responsiblity. His friends express worry for him that he refuses to acknowledge. *this video is really interesting and expounds on the 'ship of state' idea

This is speculation now as the arc isn't finished but we've seen the Phantom Troupe, since boarding the black whale, become embroiled in a much larger conflict that they seem very lacksadaisical about. They are unaware or even indifferent to the impact they are having abroad the ship and seem disinterested in finding out the larger context of the situation. I believe this is going to end up with them being, ultimately, played for fools (or tools...) in the larger conflict to do some other parties dirty work.

This is going to parallel with the 'other side' of the Kurta Massacre which I think will be that they were being used by some other outside force to peform the massacre (potential Tserriednich or Pariston connection...) Similarly, they are unaware of the larger consequences or politics at play and did the massacre without much thought. Hence, why Uvogin didn't remember much about the Kurta Massacre without prompting despite the note left behind indicating a more personal vendeta or agenda related to the killings.

I DO NOT SAY THIS TO ABSOLVE THE PHANTOM TROUPE OF THE MASSACRE. Regardless of the context behind the massacre, I do not think this will absolve them of all guilt or responsibility for the actions carried out.

a) that's boring writing that actually makes the Phantom Troupe less interesting

b) doesn't fit with Kurapika's character arc as it makes the choice between revenge and self-destruction and choosing to live irrelevant

c) works better with the ongoing theme within hxh that entrenched societal forces make individual/groups take certain actions, even detrimental to their own, regardless of how powerful that group/ individual may be (netero dying to kill the chimera ants, the v5 becoming the v6 to stop Kakin, Kurapika having to join the mafia). Your individuality will not save you from being subsumed by SOCIETY. (hmmm something something Gon becoming a hunter which Mito couldn't prevent and killua running away from home, trying to escape his family's expectations...)

The Phantom Troupe ain't making it alive of the ship, regardless of the actual members who may survive. It's all over Phantom Bros...

[moretheta]

Honestly at this point i'm pronouncing "hxh has no noteworthy female characters" to be an ice cold, bottom of the barrel take. 

Come on a journey with me. 

Anyone who knows me in real life (which is hopefully almost no one on here) knows how insane I am when it comes to female characters getting shafted in media- and in shonen manga specifically. No doubt a side effects of being a girl who's favorite character was sakura in the 2015 naruto fandom- but that's another story. The point is I'm not coming at this from a "boo hoo why so woke" standpoint, or an "it's really not the deep" mentality. I care about this shit- truly i do. which is exactly why the way people talk about this issue bothers me so much. 

I distinctly remover being 13 or so when I saw HxH pop up on netflix (or some other streaming service, i don't remember) and looking at the title card with Gon, Killua, Kurapika, and Leorio and thinking "huh. no women?" bc damn, even nart had women (they were written misogynistically, shafted from the narrative, and treated like fucking pariahs by fans... but they were there), and at the time i had a disease where I couldn't dedicate time towards watching something unless it had a prominent female character for me to latch on to. that disease is called ~being tired of misogyny~ and i'm still a carrier to this day. so this past version of me wanted to do some research, so i looked up something like "does HxH have female characters." I saw one of two responses: 1) sadly no. and 2. no, shut up snowflake.

I honestly don't remember what finally pushed me over the edge to start watching it, but i'm so so glad i did. had several queer awakenings. a very formative time for me, etc. aaaaaallll that is to say: I get it. I’ve been there. i don't withhold criticism from a show just because i like it. 

Because it's true that HxH had no female characters... in 1998, when it's started it's serialization. like there were a few background women and also Mito, but that's it, that's all we got. and for a while that's what we would continue to get: every female character introduced seemed to exist as a cog in the wheel of one of the main male characters' storylines. even characters who i love very much and think have a lot of potential, like Canary, only seemed to show up briefly to supplement Killua's narrative and then leave. all of this is true. 

But the thing people need to realize about Hunter x Hunter is that it has been going on for a long time.  The chimera ant arc concluded it's serialization in 2012. and with the hiatuses that became necessary due to Togashi's health, it meant publishing continued really slowly. this current arc of the manga- the succession war- has been going on since 2017- (arguably longer, if you count the expedition arc as a prelude which i personally kinda do), but either way we have over half a decade of real time years that have passed. and one of the things i really admire about Togashi is his ability to grow as an author- to take in feedback and improve where he needed to improve. We can see it, for instance, in his history of writing queer characters- trans characters in particular. See this great video for a further breakdown.

There’s more to be said on this topic but that’s for another day. This isn’t an “in defense of Togashi” post, he’ll be ok. It’s the female characters themselves that I must rise up and defend. I fight an endless war on an empty battlefield, population Me, and this is my life’s purpose.

What I am trying to say is this: HxH is not the same series it was in 1998. It’s not the same series as it was in 2011. And what we have seen as the series progressed, was the introduction and elevation of more and more interesting female characters. This has culminated in what very well might be my favorite arc in the series -unfinished as it is- the succession war. and, without giving away any spoilers, I just have to say……

THERE ARE SO MANY WONDERFUL WOMEN. DO YOU SEE THEM?!!? DO YOU SEE MY BEAUTIFUL WIVES?!? MY LARGE AUTOMOBILES MY-

I cannot fathom how anyone who is caught up with the manga continues to parrot this take. Why would you say that. Why would you do this to our women. There are soosososo sososoooo many fantastic female characters, old and new, and more are added literally every chapter because togashi loves it when I (me specifically) have to make more flashcards. There are female protagonists, antagonists, supporting characters, antiheroes, etc. women with all different kinds of personalities and motivations that don’t feel like a copy-pasted trope. Women who (gasp!) come in different shapes and sizes!?!? Women who don’t fit the traditional standards of beauty are just as important and just as beloved as those who do. and because I’m a crazy person I have gone around and calculated “screen time” (page time?) as well as ratios of male to female characters and folks the numbers are looking good. There was a point in time when I tried to memorize the names and faces of every single female character on the wiki (see above note on flashcards) because again, I’m a crazy person, and it just made me realize how incredible this ensemble cast is looking right now and how excited I am to see more of them. I am the succession war’s biggest glazer so yes, obviously I come with a bias; but here me when I tell you this: you want more well-written, prominently featured, multidimensional female characters in your little shonens (bad place to look, but unfortunately I am the biggest offender of this) please for god’s sake. For god’s sake read the manga.  

So yeah. Sick and fucking tired of seeing people say “HxH has no women” They’re there babe!!!! They’re there!!! You wanna say some shit like that, at least put a caveat of *up until the end of the anime so that people know that information is eight years out of date. yeah watch me be petty. It just astounds me that someone could look me in the eyes and tell me that Melody, Bisky, Theta, Morena, Oito, Woble, Kacho, Fugetsu, Camilla, Machi, Pakunoda, Alluka, Komugi, Kite(yes welcome), Cheadle, Canary, and now Longhi have no importance in the narrative.

It’s true that there is always a time and a place for criticism…  but why does it seem like there’s only five of us trapped in here in this room who are excited to talk about the potential for Theta x Vorksen work situationship... on the ethics of Morena's class war, or an Oito Phantom Troupe connection, or the thematic implications of the madonna being juxtaposed with the antichrist and also maybe satan. Yeah so we're trapped in this room and it's great but occasionally I'll hear shouting from the outside and it's some horrible take or the same unfunny, super gross joke, or some guy who thinks netero setting off a nuke was "peak aura" or smth. And we're still in here, beckoning, offering shelter from the storm.

All you gotta do is open the doors and start taking notes.

[kurorosanime]

25 Years Later: "Encounter ✕ Hesitation ✕ Departure"

Like how the first episode was framed from Mito’s perspective, the second is primarily framed through the perspective of the character it introduces- Leorio. He quite literally emerges from the background at the start of the episode and our first view of Gon (following the opening recap) is from Leorio’s perspective, of Gon running around in the background.

This becomes, in effect, an episode setting up the later aspects of Leorio’s character, showing his virtue and alluding to his desire for money, while complicating why he has that desire. It’s a different approach akin to the anime’s ongoing depiction of Gon as someone with vulnerability and very obviously a child, rather than someone who goes at his own pace and can often be described as selfish. 

In fact, as if rebuking the more selfish characterization he has in the manga, Gon’s storyline here is one where he helps Leorio and takes pity on animals in captivity, and he is framed as very childlike in this pursuit. Something I only noticed with this rewatch is that Gon never actually introduces himself for one thing, I was trying to examine if he still has the ‘ore’ pronoun so to speak, which he does, but he never introduces himself to Kite or Leorio in these opening two episodes. Rather, his name is learned through other people talking about him.

In this sense, the second episode is delivering more implicit ideas about these characters. Gon is someone who can hyperfixate on one thing, while Leorio will stick his neck out for someone in a bad spot, which is what happens to Gon twice in this episode, it’s very basic character traits delivered in a way I’m only now noticing is a bit interesting.

As for Gon being in a bad spot at multiple points, this is, again, to highlight his vulnerability, something 1999 continually reinforces again and again, and it’s one of the many divisive character alterations the show makes starting from the previous episode. Contrasted to the manga, after the Kite flashback in the first chapter, Gon is never really put in an incredibly vulnerable position again until he is forced to contend with Hisoka in the fourth phase of the Hunter Exam, and it’s a remarkably impactful moment for his character, and it’s a moment that doesn’t truly take effect until the fourth volume. Up until then, Gon is far more of a strong willed and very fixated character, he does not make himself vulnerable and bad situations are only vehicles to further showing his optimism and deeper ambitions, it’s what makes a character like Killua attracted to him beyond Killua’s own lack of friends.

In my research for this blog, I had actually gone through Japanese resources for the original Hunter x Hunter anime, and even learned that they have a specific ‘slang’ term for it, that being ‘Old Hunter’ (旧ハンタ if you want to look for yourself) typically, similar to our own HxH99. But one thing that stuck out to me on a Japanese ‘fanwiki’ (of sorts) was an aside that Gon had been rewritten to be more polite and drive in values that broadcasters and producers would want children to have (this will be explained more at the end of the blogpost). It was of course an uncited claim, but it got me thinking about Gon’s characterization and how this affects his later actions, and of course, how he is to be perceived.

In these opening two episodes of 1999, Gon is curious, he is often brash in not introducing himself but also polite- he uses the affectionate ‘ojii-san’ for Leorio and helps him when he’s down on his luck. Above all else, he is concerned for Leorio and, later on, the animals kept in captivity. While the latter example doesn’t have a direct comparison to the manga, we see that Gon is often content to let people work their own issues out and not involve himself directly, which we will see in the next episode during Leorio and Kurapika’s conflict. 

A final note on the ‘vulnerable Gon’ idea as I will refer to it, is a very short but significant moment. Towards the end of the episode, Gon is at a zoo essentially and finds a foxbear mother, and meets the hunter who captured her who has a foxbear cub. This rings familiar of the first episode’s Kite flashback, but for Gon it makes him question himself and pause. He asks “Is he really a Hunter?” and recalls Ging, his whole reason for setting out on this journey. In that moment, we hear a character theme play several episodes in advance, one fitting for a scene where he questions his goals- that is Hisoka’s theme, ‘Waiting For Light, For Some Reason…’, and it gives these early moments a layer of intentionality. 1999 won’t stop changing characters anytime soon and Gon is the biggest victim of this, and we hear an echo of one of the most significant changes to come right here.

Now, away from the topic of Gon is Leorio. Despite myself framing him as a key player and the perspective character for the episode, I really didn’t say much on him and focused more on a character who hasn’t even introduced himself yet. That is because a lot of what Leorio gets up to in this episode is not that noteworthy. It’s character establishment and his character is one I already explained. He comes off as shrewd and snobbish but it is continually made known that he is not affluent despite what his ‘all business’ like clothes would suggest. He’s hungry, he has to participate in gambles to get money, he steals, and he doesn’t want to get close to someone like Gon. At the time, we don’t get the full grasp of that last idea, but most of this establishing stuff is done to contrast his negative traits with his more virtuous ones. How he saves Gon from getting trafficked (yes, really), how he later on saves Gon again after he gets captured by the fake Hunter, and how he does all of this both expecting nothing in return as well as to his own detriment at the end when he misses the boat to the hunter exams. 

Leorio’s introduction here is very effective and foretells much of his later characterization, maybe even too much of it, and it creates interesting questions for his character, like why he helps Gon but doesn’t want to tell him about the boat to the Hunter Exams? We understand why he wants money, he has literally none per the episode opener, but why does he dress and act the way he does despite that? It’s setup for further characterization, something for the more attentive viewer to latch onto since we won't be getting that full backstory for a while.

Beyond our two major players, there is a third. A certain blond boy from the OP makes his debut here but without any speaking roles in a handful of scenes that all dabble in their own setup. The most intriguing scene to a new viewer is one I even included in my grid for the episode, that being an early reveal. His crimson eyes and distaste for spiders is something that will come up next episode, but it’s shown here first and partakes in some odd foreshadowing. A venomous spider crawls near him and he dispatches it, but the spider ultimately survives. I’ll leave that thought there and highlight another odd element of his early character, that being the very first shot he appears in, one of him and Gon walking past each other in opposite directions. Maybe it’s foreshadowing (which, honestly would be a bit insane), or maybe it’s all coincidence. Either way, the setup for this character overpowers much of the episode and sticks out as one of the more interesting parts of it, though that is not to say I dislike the rest.

Overall, this first of four completely anime original episodes was one I still kind of enjoy. I gained a bit of deeper appreciation despite my reservations about its lacking visual quality- our precious blond boy often has Last House style Goku-Banana-Hair (Dragon Ball Z animation jokes that nobody will get) instead of detailed locks, characters often go off model, and the poor preservation of the anime does little for its visual quality here, much of episode appearing ‘bleached’ at times. I honestly struggled to choose eight pictures I was satisfied with for my grid this time, but production troubles are the name of the game with longrunning battle anime. We’ll address deeper aspects of those later, a few in particular I’ve never even seen discussed before looking into Japanese communities. 

Next time, we’ll finally get a name for our blond boy, a motivation for Leorio, and it seems Gon will finally introduce himself. Maybe he’ll even be the main character.

As a little bonus, this episode was pretty... "derpy". The animators were still coming to grips with the character designs and it causes Gon to have a lot of weird faces. Here's my personal selection of them as a parting gift:

Okay, now about that Japanese wiki stuff I mentioned earlier.

When revising this, I actually couldn't find my source. I went through a lot of the ones I had down but I had failed to label which one had this specific piece of info and there were a lot of Japanese language sources. In exchange, I have a different piece of uncited but probably true information from a different Japanese "wiki". The exact site is weblio, which is kind of a wiki and kind of a resource- the 1999 anime itself is in fact filed under "Dictionary/Encyclopedia > Encyclopedia > Hunter x Hunter (1999 anime)". I don't know Japanese too much, so I'm reliant on machine translations for now, and this is what it says (hyperlink here):

In this anime, there are almost no original stories that deviate greatly from the original work. The only completely original stories are episodes 2 and 18-20, which were added at the request of the original author, who asked that the anime depict parts that could not be depicted in the original work, and Anita , who appears as an additional character in episode 11.

For those familiar with 1999, the only filler arc of the anime should be well known- in my searches it seemed to be a fan favourite in Japan and was, reportedly, when the anime had its highest ratings which is fascinating for me. There is also Anita, but we will talk about those later.

Thanks for reading this post script and sorry I couldn't get all my sources in order. It's very difficult to get production info on the original anime since almost all of it, inevitably, will be in Japanese and not cited most of the time, but thanks for bearing with me.

[jewlwpet]

Space Pirate Mito is weird because it has a very clumsily handled sex change of its protagonist where it's like "Your body is female now so you have to be a girl" and nobody ever seriously challenges this. Iirc season 1 ends with the protagonist trying to "find a planet where I can be a boy," but this goal has been abandoned by season 2 with no particular explanation as to why.

...However, there is a character who challenges this attitude with regard to himself, as he has a gender identity (male) that is at odds with how he is perceived by those around him (neither male nor female) due to his physical body. and he is a villain but he is never vilified for this; if anything, it seems like it's meant to make him more sympathetic.

It's kind of interesting that there are no parallels drawn between their situations. I think the two of them having a heart to heart, whether in between seasons or post-series, would make for a very interesting fanfiction, although I don't plan to write it and I doubt anyone else will as the series is quite obscure.

[blooming-water-roses]

Tobirama for the ask game plss

Yayyy comin' right up!

favorite thing about them

His intelligence & skillset. Also his self-control & discipline. It commands respect. His voice too, whew it's so authoritative. I also think his character design is so cool! The blue wardrobe against his pale skin and hair (I support the headcanon that he's albino, I think it adds so much depth) with his red eyes and face marks. How prettily his eyes are shaped too. His sarcasm and dry humor. And (last thing I promise) when he gets so indignant after Nart mistakes his jutsus for Minato's. (i literally named almost everything whoops)

Cont. below cut:

least favorite thing about them

His stubbornness & huge ego. The man will never admit he is wrong out loud even when he knows he is.

favorite line

"First you must take a hard look at yourself and come to understand who you are objectively."

This speaks to who he is as a person. Look at yourself unbiased, with all of your shortcomings, your flaws, and your weaknesses as well as your strengths, know your limits and know what you're willing to do to lessen your faults. It's how he came to be who he is, and man if it isn't good advice.

brOTP

HashiTobi obvs. I think their brotherly relationship is cute. Hashirama is the older sibling and yet the one who is more responsible and level-headed is Tobirama. Also the fact that Tobirama lived his life to realize Hashirama's dream of his village--as he knew Hashirama was a visionary but lacked the concrete know-how to actually execute his vision.

OTP

I have two.

TobiIzu in the way that they were true equals and I headcanon the idea that while Tobirama harbored the generational mentality that Uchiha were evil, he was also very fascinated by the Uchiha in general because of their traditions/prowess, and Izuna's strength and abilities in particular were so intricate, it was his favorite thing to study. Izuna got under his skin (which amused Izuna) and Tobirama couldn't help but be interested and in awe of him despite his pesky beliefs about the Uchiha. I believe he felt heavy guilt when he killed him.

TobiKaga in the way that Kagami was the only Uchiha ever to gain Tobirama's utmost trust. I want to know so badly how Kagami was able to obtain it. I believe Kagami was a very sunny-personality-type, who inherently understood where Tobirama was coming from and had unwavering respect for him. The beautiful "you are my exception" trope. I support the headcanon that Kagami got his Mangekyo after Tobirama left to be the decoy.

I do enjoy me some MadaTobi/TobiMada, after all they are very similar and they butt heads to it's always fun to read fics where they're stubborn in admitting they're attracted to each other.

nOTP

TobiMito, I just don't see it. Mito is Hashi's wife &...why would they be attracted to each other?

TobiSaku...I see so many Sakura-self-insert ships that make no sense and this is one of them.

Just bc I don't ship/understand doesn't mean I judge you if you like it tho, by all means ship what u ship

random headcanon

I have SO many

the lines on Tobi's face each represent a fallen loved one, and the last line for Hashi is on his forehead underneath the protector

he created the Reanimation Jutsu to bring Izuna back

He hadn't meant to kill Izuna, he believed he would counter his Flying Raijin slice and was shocked & horrified when it actually worked

That he is albino & autistic (I love these hcs)

unpopular opinion

I don't believe he is prejudice against the Uchiha, I believe his misgivings about them are so ingrained (from growing up as Butsuma's son, having to view them as enemies all his young life) in his mentality that he refuses to give them up because that would mean admitting he's wrong which he never does.

I believe he did his very best to make sure Konoha would be successful and strong (creating the ANBU, delegating roles to clans, etc.) and the fact that some backfired was not his fault. He's only a person and did the best he could with what he had.

song i associate with them

R.I.P 2 My Youth - The Neighbourhood

favorite picture of them

Pretty, pretty, and pretty.

Ask me here!

[toshiro-taichou]

The Immortal Shinobi

Konoha has made a magazine interview about the Second Hokage's son: Shinkei Senju.

Page 116:

The interviewer had went to the Senju Prince after a peace treaty between Konohagakure and Uzushiogakure. The interviewer had asked Shinkei some questions.

I = Interviewer. S = Shinkei.

I: "Shinkei-sama, with the recent war and peace treaty, you revealed your parents. While many knew Lord Second was your father, it came to a massive surprise for everyone that the Second Hokage is actually a female and was secretly married to Madara Uchiha. How did it feel to grow up with a unique and fascinating heritage?"

S: "It was interesting. Truth is I haven't been bothered. I was made in Konohagakure but was born in Uzushiogakure when mother went on a business trip with Aunt Mito-sama."

I: "When you defended Lady Uzukage during the Kage summit and Lady Hokage was surprised to see you, she stated surprised that you were alive this entire time and that she revealed your relationship with Lord Fourth as his father. Can you go further into detail?"

S: "Minato huh? I keep forgetting the kid was a Kage, must run in the family." Shinkei had chuckled slightly during the interview. "I wasn't with Minato-chan for very long. I always had a feeling Minato-chan was going to be powerful and well known when he grew up. Minato-chan is a lot like his mother, in looks and personality. I'm just lucky he got my brain."

I: "During the Fourth war, you revealed you were immortal, can you go into further detail? Was it because of Madara Uchiha or did you aquire it through a technique or experiment?"

S: "Nope. Pure luck and stupidity. While on my mission, I was fighting someone far much stronger than me. I used a seal explosion in a last attempt, I had attempted to end myself and my enemy. However I woke up, still breathing. I have no idea how I became immortal but it became very clear to me."

Shinkei had gone on saying that he is not bothered on what people think about him and he'll remain on the world until he finds a way out.

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

I made Shinkei around 4 years ago after I left High School. He was created for fun and he just stuck with me. After making some lore for him just to distract myself (I wasn't in a good state during 2021), Shinkei just stuck onto me and is now one of my favourite Naruto/Boruto Ocs.

But I like rewriting lore in animes/games to make it unique to my characters because I don't want to erase the original creator's work and ruin it for myself, so I make a seperate universe and change characters and make them different.

Shinkei Senju belongs to me Naruto Anime belongs to Masashi Kishimoto

[dprian-notes]

So who is Hybrid?

DISCLAIMER again! These are just my thoughts and theories, please do comment with your own ideas, it would be so helpful in figuring out the story Christian is telling.

From what I saw on Christian's Insta live and the music video for LIMBO, it looks like Hybrid is most likely the in-between of Mito and Insanity. The transition from one character to the next. Christian did outright say this in his live, but it is interesting the way he depicts the change in LIMBO's music video.

In the first scene of the mv we see a shirtless character, and from what I know and in my opinion I believe this is Hybrid. It switches scenes rapidly but in them I believe we see a shot of Mito as well. The character that seems to be Hybrid wears a striped suit with a red or purple tie, which I think would tie Mito and Insanity together. You can also see faint makeup that resembles Insanity's. The scenes constantly switch between color and monotone, which would also resemble both characters. I haven't yet noticed Mito's signature grey eye, but there is a scene in which we see the character's eyes change between orange and blue. I'm still pondering over what that could mean, but right now it also seems to tie into the transition between the characters.

I also found it interesting when the outfit slowly switches from plain black, to a black suit with purple or red. We know that Mito is mostly dark colors and Insanity is the complete opposite of that - him having many bright colors to his outfit and makeup, but the most noticeable color is the purple suit.

Christian made an important point in one of his lives, saying that the wolf is very symbolic to Insanity. I found it interesting that a verse of the lyrics is "throw me to the wolves, it's where I belong". Also, at 2:03 in the music video we can hear a wolf's howl. This sets off a scene of chaos in the room, papers are thrown and the character seems to be struggling or fighting something. I think that this point is the beginning of the transition to Insanity. It would make sense for it to look painful and for Mito/Hybrid to put up a fight as they go more insane.

The end of the music video is what caught my eye the most. There is a change from Hybrid to Insanity, as he sits on the bed looking at his hands. This is the exact scene from the Don't Go Insane music video, which leads me to believe that this song/album (since we don't know how many songs will be released or how many of them will pertain to Hybrid) is a prequel to Dear Insanity.

The end scene for LIMBO is the beginning (after the initial credits) of Don't Go Insane. The music video for Don't Go Insane even shows a character to the likes of Hybrid in the same position on the bed at the end of LIMBO! One of the beginning verses in Don't Go Insane mentions wolves as well: "Oh bless my heart, when the wolves take me away".

This seems to make it more likely what I said before, that LIMBO is the prequel to Dear Insanity, but like I've said, these are just my theories.

Below is a screenshot from the end of LIMBO:

And then here is two shots from the beginning of Don't Go Insane:

Here we can see what looks to be Hybrid, as he has the same outfit as in LIMBO and is in the same struggle. The second picture is the very next scene in Don't Go Insane. He is in the exact same position that LIMBO ended in.

I hope this all makes sense, I'm planning on trying to go through Dear Insanity and write about what I think the story is through that album, but it may be a bit :).

[schneereggen]

I saw another anon's question to nayruwu abt whether or not shinya is imp to guren and then I read you analysis on shinya'd character.

I see why shinya thinks so highly of guren, becoz he gave shinya a reason to live. But then why does guren care abt shinya. I mean when they met shinya was just a person who had killed all so many and if it's abt someone he can trust then guren had mito, goshi and his subordinates, then why is shinya so important?

I mean there must be something abt shinya right? Something aside from him being a killing machine and just spitting some life morals. You said shinya realised that human bonds are important after he became close to guren, but then why would guren care abt befriending shinya if shinya didn't care much abt human bonds before meeting guren.

Ok I guess, how shinya admires guren, guren does not or does? And if he does then what exactly does he admire abt shinya?

I know this can be really basic question, but it would be great if you could answer my question🌺🩵

That's a very interesting question and I am glad you are asking as I have a headcanon foe, that I just never specified. Maybe briefly in another analysis. Thanks for the question ☺️ Here we go!

What does Guren make him so attached to Shinya specifically ?

We know that Guren - despite being around many people before - was always trying to keep others away and not build any bonds. Sayuri and Shigure try to get closer to Guren but he doesn't want them to be close. We see him constantly pushing them away and lying to them. Though he kind of likes their company, he doesn't want to get too attached or let them see any of his true feelings and nature. Guren puts on a mask around them. He tries to fulfill the role to be their master, their leader rather than be himself. Which probably is very exhausting for him in the long run.

The only person Guren seems close to at the beginning of the novel is his father. Though Guren also tends to put on a mask around him, they both know each other long enough to notice when something is up.

But back to Mito and Goshi. Mito was always described by Guren as being annoying and Goshi is... Well... over the top to say at least. Goshi has little to do in common with Guren though he works really well in their friend group as the "clown", the one to make jokes and lighten up the mood.

In the case of Mito Guren notices that she didn't have many friends or rather none before she met Guren. She bonded with Goshi in the first few weeks of high school (rather a competitive relationship but that counts) but as they all meet up at Guren's place, it is said that she never had friends before. To me it feels like Guren pities her for that. Mito's and Guren's relationship is kind of complicated but we can say in the end Guren values her a lot as his friend and don't want to hurt her just as he tells her when she confessed to him.

In general, Guren mainly enjoys being around Sayuri, Shigure, Mito and Goshi. He likes that they are lively and joke around. Guren likes being around people that are enjoying themselves. And that's also probably one of the reasons why he enjoys being around Shinya.

But how is Shinya different from the rest? What makes him special for Guren?

Though Guren enjoys the company of his friends, he still keeps a lot of his feelings and thoughts to himself. His friends accept that and don't question that. And Guren seem to like that he isn't judged for his behavior. But in my opinion, though he's accepted by his friends he still tries to keep up an act around them.

That's the part where Guren's relationship to Shinya differs from the rest.

Shinya not only doesn't judge him for his behavior, but he actively calls him out for it. In the first novel Guren was very fond of his acting skills but Shinya saw right through him. Shinya kept pushing him, trying to get him out of his comfort zone. Shinya is one of the few that is able to actually challenge Guren not only on a physical but at an emotional level. This made Guren try harder to keep the mask and get the upper hand over him and Guren seems to enjoy this competition that only Shinya imposes on him.

By having found an equal on Shinya, Guren starts trusting him very early on without knowing why. If I had to guess I would say it's because of their very open conversations. Shinya is very honest and Guren is not able to hide anything from Shinya. Yet Shinya never makes use of this knowledge apart from teasing Guren.

During the novels this develops into a trustful relationship where Guren starts to understand that he can actually tell Shinya everything. Shinya would understand, Shinya would even understand if Guren would not fully be able to express it verbally.

Shinya is the only person that Guren feels understands him. He doesn't have to lie or act differently around him. Shinya understands his emotions and most of all - Shinya knows how to respond to them.

Whenever Guren doesn't know what to do, Shinya will be there and help him find a solution. He would push Guren in the right direction. That's most visible in Resurrection where Shinya exactly knows what to say to make Guren feel better.

If anything Guren admires Shinya's way of talking honest with him. Shinya would always tell him straight forward what he needs to hear. And Guren values his opinion. Plus, Guren doesn't have to pretend because it's useless anyway.

Shinya is the person that will always help him when he's in need. He's Guren's anchor when he lost directions - and Guren doesn't even ask for it. And his moral compass because Shinya is the one that made him believe in human bonds in the first place when Guren didn't even wanted to have bonds or friends.

It would be nice if Guren would realize that he can also always actively come to Shinya and not make Shinya do all the work. But we might see that in Resurrection one day? At least I hope because Guren knows he needs Shinya. He just can't say it out loud. Tsundere *cough*

Guren is lost without Shinya. Shinya is the only person that understands him - even without words. In a world of lies, Shinya is the only person he can open up to and fully trust.

Remember when in chapter 83 Shinya said "You want me to stop you."? That's basically it. Guren wants Shinya to see his true self when he can't show it himself.

[maagicmushies]

Nen Talk #2 Hisoka Morrow

As a character who had their ability revealed relatively early into HxH, Hisoka's Bungee Gum is very simple which I think works because he is fundamentally a simple character. Hisoka is an unpredictable maniac only motivated by what piques his interest in that very moment and Bungee Gum captures his toxicity really well. Say it with me, y'all. It. Has. The. Properties. Of. Rubber. And. Gum. It can stretch and snap if Hisoka commands it to or stick to something if that is what he is in the mood for. The rubber is that unpredictability and violent streak while the Gum is the clinginess and the way he gets overly attached to anyone who he thinks can add some form of interest into his life (particularly Chrollo and Gon). While this ability is unpredictable it could also be called flexible. This is really useful for someone who only cares about fighting, any time any place but also describes Hisoka who has no inherent allegiance. Is he on the side of good or side of bad? Hisoka is ultimately on the side of whoever he has to be in order to be entertained. He will help Kurapika kill troupe members and then help the troupe get Chrollo back and then be besties with Ilumi and then sabotage Illumi's plans to retrieve Killua and Alluka. That also leads well in Hisoka's secret ability - Texture Surprise. He can alter the surface of anything that he covers in Bungee Gum. This is sort of a weird ability for someone who is all about fighting strong dudes, but probably the second most important thing about Hisoka is that he is a habitual liar. Like, he lies about stuff that he doesn't even need to lie about. Texture Surprise makes the lies more convincing while also playing into his magician motif (and honestly, what is a magician if not a liar?)

The last thing I have to say about Hisoka is that Bungee Gum gets its name from a brand of chewing gum that Hisoka liked when he was younger and Texture Surprise is similarly named after a series of snacks that came with novelty gag stickers. Hisoka really is a manchild who was never able to let go of that juvenile behavior, something that is very clearly seen when he sees all strong nen users as toys for him to play with and if they break... they break! It's also a bit of a cautionary tale for Gon, whose story is tied to Hisoka and also colored by his childishness. Hisoka is what lies at the end of someone who is never allowed to naturally leave that childish phase behind and hopefully taking a break from hunter business back with Mito at Whale Island has completely killed that possibility.

Also I was going to include Machi in this post, since I could describe her ability in like 3 sentences, but she does not deserve to be near this man any longer than she already has.

[i-heart-hxh]

How does Gon feel exactly about Ging?

Hi anon, this is an interesting question to explore, because (at least in my opinion) the answer isn't straightforward. The complexity of how Gon thinks about Ging is one of the beautiful things about HxH, and it says a lot about Gon as a character. It's a hard thing to summarize, but I'll do my best!

Of course, at the beginning we find out Gon is seeking Ging in order to find out what makes being a Hunter so great that someone would leave their own child behind, so even from this point it's not entirely about Ging himself or trying to "regain" him as a family member. It's more about Gon's own worth and how that was damaged by Ging choosing not to stay with Gon, and figuring out what job could be so fulfilling that someone would choose that over raising him. I think the urge to find Ging comes partly from Gon wanting to better understand the context of his existence, but the way he considers this is unusual--it doesn't seem to be so much about the circumstances of his birth or even to confront Ging about why he was left behind, but more along the lines of, "I want to meet the person I came from so I can better understand why my life is the way it is, and learn what it means to be a Hunter like him."

Clearly, Ging leaving him behind has affected Gon deeply--we see this with his self-esteem issues and extreme desire to prove himself, and he tries hard to be as self-sufficient as possible, doing whatever he can to prove that he's worthwhile. I'm sure he's tried his best not to be a burden on Aunt Mito, which might be part of where his self-sufficiency comes from. But at the same time, it's clear Gon has a degree of admiration for Ging, and with how the people he meets on his journey talk about Ging, it makes sense that Gon gains this deep respect for him as a Hunter and wants to know more about who he is and what he's done in his life.

An attribute of Gon's character that I think is interesting and unique to him is that he accepts people as they are, generally without expecting them to change or being particularly concerned about their morality. He has this immense respect for peoples' agency and free will, and he's super curious about people regardless of what kinds of people they are. Hence why he's immediately able to accept Killua without issues, even with Killua's background. This applies to Ging, too--rather than resenting or hating Ging for leaving him behind, he assumes Ging must have a good reason and he's more interested in understanding that good reason than trying to force Ging to take a role in his life that he clearly doesn't want. He must have grappled with this at some point I think, but by the time we see him in the series, he doesn't seem to have framed the issue in ways you would normally expect from a child who was left behind, blaming or resenting the parent.

It's telling that Gon switches over to using "Ging" instead of referring to him as his dad during the Whale Island visit. This makes it even more clear that what Gon's seeking is not really "his dad," but rather finding Ging is a more abstract goal, and he sees Ging less as his relative, but more as his own individual. Gon even says something along those lines after he meets Ging.

And indeed, when he does find Ging he enjoys talking to him, trading stories and getting advice, but Gon doesn't ask to stay with him or really impose upon him much at all beyond getting to know him better and learning what kind of person he is. It's interesting to me that Gon says (twice, even) if he could have felt Ging's aura he might have stayed with him, but I wonder if that's really the case. Would Gon have really insisted on that, and would Ging have accepted it? There's no way to know, but I wonder. It's hard for me to picture, personally.

But Ging is who Gon calls about losing his nen, so they must have traded contact info and agreed that they could stay in touch at the very least. So, Gon has some desire for a continuing relationship, even if it's not a very close one.

I think Gon is aware that his view on Ging is unusual--there's this scene:

Of course Gon says it's a joke, but I think this is more a comment on how he doesn't really see Ging as a father or feel a strong desire to stay with him, and it's also maybe a bit of a jab at himself for leaving Aunt Mito behind to find Ging in the first place.

I love how unconventional Gon's views on Ging are--it's something that makes the series unique, and gives Gon's search a different nature and meaning than if he were a kid simply looking for his parent because he misses him and wants his dad in his life. And I love that, in the act of finding Ging, he ends up with the message of the series, both from Ging's mouth and in the abstract--that ultimately the journey and the people he spent time with on his journey have more meaning to him than the person he spent all this time seeking.

Thanks for asking!

[navy-heart]

I think we've already done "what would kwko do if they got confessed to" but I wonder how other radiant stage characters would respond to it. Especially the eidolon girlies. You could say it's a valentine's special

I don't think we did it actually! At least I didn't recall :O but sure I'll do it! I'll put kwko last thought for this and in case their reactions have changed. Also in many, many cases it depends, so I'll try to cover the most basic ones. Also consider this a generic NPC confessing lol

Tomori: this isn't the first time it happens to her and it won't be the last and she will never believe even a fraction of their feelings is genuine. They think they know her but they don't. She politely tells them she doesn't feel the same way and then feels bad about it for a time.

Eimi: just about the same internal monologue, but much more harsh inwardly and outwardly. She rejects them sternly but without cruelty, but the more it happens the more she starts to feel like she won't ever be able to have a normal relationship.

Juri: she's excited, but she also can't see it working out. In her eyes, she's too immature to have a relationship. She'll make up an excuse to avoid going out.

Hisane: she just says she's not interested, quite softly. In reality, she knows people only like her because she's pretty, so she's sure their feelings will pass sooner than later.

Sumiko: I think Sumiko would be the only one to even consider giving dating a honest attempt, just for the drama of it all. But she values her group and their reputation too much to do anything but nope out of it.

-

Megumi: "I'm impressive, aren't I? ;)". Megumi's a bit of a flirt, and wouldn't actually mind going out if she wasn't so focused on band. I don't think she wants anything serious yet though.

Izumi: she's visibly uncomfortable. So far these confession haven't gone well for her. She'll probably start trying to avoid them. It's awkward for everyone involved.

Hiiro: he immediately starts evaluating how he could benefit from being in a relationship and if they're not trying to use him for his own means. He concludes it's probably not worth it either way. Thought you wouldn't tell by the look of him, he wants to have a relationship he can actually commit to.

Kazuhi: flat out assumes the other party is joking. Nobody ever says that to him, even less so in "real life".

Chizuru: she's offended her efforts to distance herself from people actually made her more attractive to them, but she'll reject the other in a way that actually stings on purpose.

-

Eiko: stranger danger alert. She's not sure what to think, but she's not happy about it. She just kinda laughs it off and pretends it doesn't happen. Nobody ever knows her for long enough to have actually connection to her anyway.

Sayu: she would be someone who would go out on a couple days and then ghost you. Or at least break it off very nonchalantly. If someone confessed to her, it would ultimately fall to how much she likes them as for how she'd react.

Sora: she would be so excited. Sora daydreams about romance and confessions and courting and dates and gentleness of it. If they're smart enough to lean into that side of her, she'll bite. If they're crude or blasé about love, she'll be grossed out.

Akane: "sorry, I'm not seeing anyone right now". She's more concerned about the other party's feelings, but she really does have too much on her plate. And besides, she knows she'd be a nightmare to date, so really she's doing you a favour.

Risa: quietly slips off and tries to pretend she didn't hear it. The idea of romance and commitment is pretty terrifying to her. She might want to try at some point in the future, she thinks, but only with someone she already knows.

Mito: like Kazuhi, she also assumes she's being pranked. Her reaction to it is much more volatile, though. She'll probably hide somewhere and cry it out.

-

Yuzu: she doesn't consider dating anyone who she can't consider her rival, so she'll just laugh it off. No harm no foul though, she just think they should try harder. In reality, she doesn't want to date at all, and knowing someone is having romantic affection towards her is weird at best, but she can't really do anything about it.

Ren: he has been confessed to before. He also knows most people aren't good enough for him, and people that are aren't within his reach. He also considers dating before adulthood juvenile and a waste of time.

Atsu: would go for it only to mess with them and leave them heartbroken. Not anything horrible, and not even entirely purposely, he just doesnt know anything other than that.

-

Maki: flattered, but knows she can't commit at all and will end up disappointing them, which she tells them directly. You can't change her opinion on it. She can't control her life's direction all that well.

Karin: also has been confessed to before. She'll leave you on read in any possible way, and flat our reject it if she can't. She does, however, like the feeling of knowing people like her romantically.

Kairi: blue screens. He hadn't considered the possibility before. Romance is the last thing on his mind, by a very wide mile. He'll make up a polite excuse about now having feelings back on the spot.

Suzuka: tells them she's flattered as well, but she's dry. No details, pretty much just "sorry, but no".

Akari: *nervous laughter*

Reishi: not sure what to think about it, honestly. I don't think he considered the possibility either. He'll sweet talk his way out if it, but then regret it and wonder if he should have went for it. But then again, his romantic nature has been used against him once too many times.

[rex101111]

I don’t think Anji’s flirting with Asuka, at least not seriously. You guys do remember those two worked together in the x-xx games, right? His other two intros with Asuka have him wondering if the guy has eaten lately, and him cheekily asking him “No agreement necessary, right?”

That last one is a direct reference to those two working together way back when. Asuka had something Anji wanted, and Anji was still very much in his “avoid death at all cost because mortality scares the piss out of me” phase in his character arc so he jumped at the chance, literally not giving two shits about Asuka did or didn’t do to Japan.

They didn’t have a relationship, they had an agreement, and this is back before Arcsys suddenly tried to convince us that Asuka had goodness in him at every turn, back when he was really fucking shady and we had no idea what his goals were. And Anji, oh boy. Anji was on his shit when he first showed up. Not a single honest word out of his mouth for that entire era of Guilty Gear.

“If you’re up to something, let me in on it!” “Hey there, handsome.” Anji is reverting to old, bad habits. He’s dancing (heh) around the issue, being flippant and catty and lying. Because he knows to do otherwise would make him a hypocrite. He knows more about Asuka now, sure, but back then he didn’t give enough of a damn to ask. Sure, learning later that he’s the one who, STILL NO MATTER WHAT RETCON YOU CARE TO MENTION, was responsible for Baiken’s pain and anger made him split ways with Asuka, but, still.

He doesn’t have the moral high ground, he and Asuka were never friends, leaning over the Devil’s shoulder while he worked doesn’t count for a relationship, it was an agreement they had for a while. And then it ended, so they don’t need it anymore. But, still, Anji’s hands ain’t clean and no one knows that better than Anji. He can’t act like he’s acting in Baiken’s interest here, can’t just hand Asuka over on a silver platter. Whatever chance he had to do that went out the window years ago. 

So, he does the next best thing, he fucks around with Asuka a little bit, makes sure he knows and remembers what happened all those years ago, and then just lets it go and fights him.

Its actually really interesting, like a mirror (HEH) of Asuka’s interaction with Raven back in Xrd, when back there Asuka had the chance to say goodbye properly, and thank Raven for everything he did so they could both properly move on. Here, Anji is unfinished business, Mito fucked around and then he fucked off and that’s just a dangling thread that Asuka never had the chance to properly tie up so here it is, and now he has to do something to close the book on it so they can both grudgingly move on and forget it ever happened.

Anji is more than just a dude without a shirt on you guys.

[sukea69]

Madara for the character ask pls !

BELOVED MADARA

An aspect I love

I love how much he just loves a fight and his pretty, grumpy face, and his body language

One aspect I wish more ppl understood

Man is so gullible omggg, with enough certainty behind ur words u could convince him of pretty much anything

A hc I have

the only person he's ever been sexually or romantically attracted to in his whole life is Hashirama, and he is VERY confused as to what those feelings are. idk if he ever figures it out

A character I love seeing them interact with

Hashirama bc I am obvious. But also I would have loved to see some interaction w, like, Kakuzu, Hidan, Sasori, Deidara. The akatsuki favs.

One character I wish they interacted w more

Mito... I answer Mito to this question almost every time. I think their relationship could be very interesting, esp in regards to how Hashirama belongs to both of them. I'd also have loved to see more Madara and Izuna interaction. It'd be nice to see some big brother Madara

A hc w him and another character

He and mito have so much to fight over. They have different political and moral beliefs, they're in love with the same man, they have different major priorities in life, but. They just don't. They're so different they've swung all the way around to being cool with each other