#half the hxh characters

[giyuulatte]

i love looking at fanart in general, but especially for shows im just starting or wanna watch bc i’ll find a character and get attached, only to find out i wont meet them for a while. or even better. they’re dead!

same goes for fics. like am i about to read a bunch of fics even tho im only at the beginning and know relatively nothing about the show? yes!!! will it get me out of a reading slump? let’s hope so

[killugon-truther]

hxh CAA gon rant/analysis

i honestly feel like some ppl judge gon a little too harshly when it comes to his actions in the CAA, specifically what he said to killua in ep. 116.

while i do agree he should apologize (which he did, offscreen and onscreen after killua teasingly mentioned it in ep. 147), i also don’t think that gon’s sole intention was to be cruel and dismissive towards killua.

i definitely agree that that was part of it, he was trying to be harsh in an effort to push killua away. but i do think that he was also trying to push away one of the last good things, the BEST thing, out of his life.

it’s behavior i’ve witnessed in other fictional media and even irl: being a dick in order to push away someone you rly love in order to continue sabotaging and destroying urself w/o them trying to help you. even more so, you can sometimes even see it as protecting your loved one from yourself and the situation at hand.

if there’s one person who can bring gon back from his own darkness or recklessness, it’s killua [ex: ep. 95 when gon literally almost kills morel & killua is able to swiftly snap him out of it]. he can (or at least could, at the time) bring gon back w just a simple touch and a few words, and gon knows that. it’s part of the reason he’s so grateful for killua in the first place— killua is always there for him, esp when he needs him.

but gon doesn’t want killua’s touch or his soothing words anymore, he doesn’t want his help, and he doesn’t want to be saved. and it definitely isn’t bc he doesn’t want killua anymore or doesn’t value him or his friendship, but bc he doesn’t believe he deserves it. he simply isn’t in the mindset to receive any kind of help in the slightest, not even from his closest ally.

gon subconsciously and consciously blames himself and only himself for kite’s death. and gon has shown that while he’s become comfortable and okay with the idea of killua sacrificing himself for him [ex: ep. 70, when both killua and gon are willing to sacrifice killua’s hands during the dodgeball game], he’s NOT okay w killua dying for him [ex: ep. 50, where killua vowed to serve as a distraction for gon to escape, and gon smacks him & seriously seriously tells him that HE’S allowed to talk abt dying like it means nothing like he also did earlier, but killua isn’t]; gon values killua’s life over his own.

gon’s combination of self-loathing and intense misplaced responsibility/guilt and thinking abt keeping killua safe so he can punish himself, while also being in that already very deteriorated mindset during the arc is what lead to those words. gon knew it would hurt, and that was the point.

“it has nothing to do w you” = “kite’s death has nothing to do w you. it was all my fault, so let me suffer for it now alone.”

if he’s at fault for kite dying, then why would he even deserve someone like killua still being at his side? why would killua deserve to be disposed to the same fate as him?

it’s what made me re-think pretty much every “thank you!” gon has given to killua; there seems to be moments of gon being so grateful bc he doesn’t entirely or always believe he deserves killua being at his side and having his back no matter what [ex: ep. 61 where gon felt guilt for killua having a spell on him, walking away from the ppl who could have possibly helped, & helping him in order to find his dad, thinking all of those things are his fault, and then thanks killua whole-heartedly right after: “killua… thanks. i’m glad you came with me. no- i’m glad i got to know you!”].

someone loves him, despite his selfishness (that’s not an insult btw !! all hxh characters can be selfish) and other faults. killua is still staying by his side, refusing to leave him no matter what. killua isn’t abandoning him (don’t even get me started on my belief of gon’s abandonment issues and how it affects his low self-esteem and self-loathing; his guilt often overrides his sense of self-preservation and triggers his black-and-white mindset).

and while i also doubt that gon was aware of the lovers’ suicide (“shinjiuu”) killua planned to commit w him (ep. 121) but if he did, then i can imagine that would influence in actions in pushing killua away even more. i think one of the last things gon would ever want killua to do is die for/w him; why would he, when killua’s life is sm more important to him?

i’ve actually seen how it’s become a pattern for gon to display moments of maturity, intelligence, and self-awareness, but for it to easily become glossed over and he then gets stereotyped as a one-dimensional, black-and-white character when i think he’s more complex than that.

it’s not that big of a deal ofc, but it’s just interesting to see some ppl come to conclusions such as “gon is a selfish monster and a terrible person who doesn’t care abt killua” or smth like that.

if u have any opinions, comments, and/or criticisms, pls let me know !! hope you enjoyed this.

[nartml]

Saw a comment describe killugon as 'born to be brothers, forced to be best friends'.

And I just have to say that, out of all the things that have never happened, that has never happened the most.

[justatree75]

found some hunter x hunter incorrect quotes from two years ago in my notes app. everything is something either i or one of my friends said two years ago

Gon: I’m in cow without the c. wait, that actually works

Killua: ankles are a privilege. not a right

Kurapika: you, too, can be made of beans and spite just for $19.99 a week. because this is a fucking capitalist society

Leorio: this is your intervention. you’ve had too much body cleanser

Hisoka: everyone’s a whore, but I’m a *special* whore

Illumi: those are the laughs of people who don’t want their soul eaten by an eldritch horror and you can’t convince me otherwise

Bisky: if I was a teacher I’d either teach choir or sex ed. there is no in-between

Ging: “health”! “safety”! what, are we Obama now?

Kite: welcome to the concrete jungle, can I take your order? ASSUMING IT’S BULLETS

Chrollo: The Bible is the most popular fanfiction in the world

Machi: it’s not murder if they piss on the seats

Alluka: there is a different gender for every molecule of length of hair and that’s just facts

Melody: with fa you’re not pointing down, you’re pointing dahhhhhn

Shoot: some people have a boyfriend and some people have a girlfriend. but you know what we all have? anxiety. but that’s still something

Knuckle: someone needs a dogsitter? that’s too bad I can’t sit on dogs

[swallowtailed]

god. fuck. hxh 116

[orcelito]

OH RIGHT I also got. Actual naruto merch

I found the Sasuke first. Literally laughed out loud at it. Then I found the matching Naruto and was like "Oh, I HAVE to get them." And so I did 😌

I also got these magnets 👍 yes

[grabowskibeepboop]

Wearing a fluffy croptop hoodie rn, so encouraging every artist to draw their comfort character in a fluffy croptop hoodie in the color of their choice please reblog

also i won a cute stuffed unicorn from a claw machine so if you want you can add one too in a color that goes with the hoodie or perhaps the character you ship them with

[hey-heigo]

about to have a fever and watch hunter x hunter (1999)

fascinated by leorio's struggles with sexual identity

have been rereading hxh again...kurapika.......

[junesilk]

hihi can you write abt how sleeping (in the literal sense) with the main 4 would go? separately if you can pls <33

SLEEP TO DREAM

aka: how the hxh main 4 sleep with you!

characters included: kurapika, leorio, killua, gon

kurapika—

He’s a silent sleeper for sure. You could wake up and forget he’s even there.

I think he might be kind of a blanket hoarder, just because he gets cold. He doesn’t mean to, he swears!

Very peaceful. You could watch him sleep for hours, because he’s just a pretty sleeper.

He gets nightmares, sometimes, about everything he’s been through.

Nights like those, the only thing that soothes his pain is being held by you.

On a lighter note, he likes drinking warm tea before he sleeps. It’s a habit he got into when he was in his early teens, and now it’s just instincts.

He always offers to pour you a cup, too.

leorio—

Doesn’t sleep very much due to him being busy studying, but when he does, he’s a mess.

You’ll go to bed cuddling and wake up and he’s on the floor, along with all of the blankets off of the bed.

Speaking of cuddling, he’s huge on having you in his arms. Spooning? Yes. Laying your head on his chest? Of course.

A human heater. It’s nice on those cold winter nights, but in summer.. it can be a bit much.

Snores like a dad.

Goes to bed after you and wakes up before you. He’s naturally more of a morning person, due to school and work.

On the rare occasion he gets to sleep in, he wakes you up by pressing loving little kisses to the crook of your neck.

killua—

Being an assassin and all, he’s expected to be silent and still when he sleeps.

But when he’s around you, he feels a level of comfort that lets him break out of those habits.

He’s a sprawled out sleeper. Takes up over half of the bed when he’s fully relaxed, but you don’t mind much.

Killua doesn’t dream often, but when he does, he mumbles a bit.

You can sometimes hear him say a few words at most. Usually, it’s your or Gon’s name.

Also a clinger, I’d imagine. He just likes to be close to you, so he can protect you! Totally not because he loves the feeling of you in his arms.

Or even, him in your arms. He feels like he’d be a little spoon.

gon—

Naturally, he’s another calm sleeper. He’s still when he sleeps, just because that’s how he’s always slept.

He might snore, but when he does, it’s pretty quiet.

At most, he’d have his arm wrapped around you, but I don’t see him fully clung to you.

You both like your space, and you both don’t need a large amount of physical touch to be happy.

He can fall asleep strangely quickly. It’ll be late at night, and you’re quietly telling him a story about your past.

Look over, and he’s silently slumped over, asleep in minutes.

It’s not that he wasn’t listening, your voice was just so calming that he fell asleep!

When asked about it, he somehow knows the entire story in all of its length, like he was listening in his sleep.

tried to be more even with the length of each one of these this time! reblogs/likes very much appreciated but not necessary <3

[etrsilk]

Hi! Can you do the main four X toph reader ? Like she's blind but can still walk on her own, fighting and do basic things,and how would they react to her using seismic sense and metal bending?

(By the way I love your blog so much,I honestly think this is the best hxh blog I have ever seen! Sorry for my English it's not my native language).

₊✩‧₊˚ ᡣ𐭩 𝐌𝐀𝐈𝐍 𝐅𝐎𝐔𝐑 ⇝ 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫!𝐓𝐨𝐩𝐡 .ᐟ

˗ˏˋ ➛ 𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙡𝙪𝙙𝙚𝙨: 𝘒𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘶𝘢,𝘎𝘰𝘯,𝘒𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘪𝘬𝘢,𝘓𝘦𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘰

˗ˏˋ ➛ 𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 — ✘

˗ˏˋ ➛ 𝙜𝙚𝙣𝙧𝙚 — 𝘧𝘭𝘶𝘧𝘧

⎝ 𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙚:: First, thank you so much, you don’t know how much this makes me happy ♡🥹 and don’t worry about your English! I'm not an English speaker at all either and when I reread the headcanons I published, I notice the HUGE mistakes I made XD and apologies for the delay! I had a very important exam to prepare for!! Then: know that I have very, very limited knowledge of the character of Toph and her universe because I never watched Avatar, so I did my best by learning as much as possible about her, her powers and her character ! But despite that I tried to do my best! ♡ otherwise it was a very fun challenge to do and I hope you like it!! (Also I really like the way you worded your request, I like it when they are specific and precise!! 🥹)

 —𝐊𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐔𝐀ꫂ ၴႅၴ

➘ When he learned that you were blind, he was both annoyed, very surprised and curious. He felt quite a lot of power emanating from you; but can a blind person really live up to the strength he felt coming from you?

➘ the reason he was annoyed was because of his childhood and everything he was taught when he was younger, he places great importance on the power of others even when it is just a simple potential mate or a friend (or girlfriend 👀)

➘ Obviously, he has never been around a blind person so he has no idea of ​​the lifestyle of people with this disability and to what extent most of these people are independent or not, so he quite naturally thought that someone suffering from blindness struggles in daily life and needs a lot of help!

➘ And honestly, it would bother him to be in the company of a “weak” person given his lifestyle!

➘ But he remained with you, curious about what you could do in view of the presentiment he had about you and when he saw you fight so perfectly and manage in almost everything without his help, he must admit that even if he suspected that you were not weak, he had no idea that you were so powerful!

➘ To say he admires your independence would be a euphemism...he'll never tell you but he's really proud of you!

➘ You didn't explicitly explain to him the fact that you have powers and how they work, you just use them in front of him like it's normal lmao

➘ He was like "what?? What the hell is she doing"

➘ Needless to say he was particularly surprised and curious, of course thanks to his natural analytical gift he started trying to understand how your powers work….he half understood 😭

 —𝐊𝐔𝐑𝐀𝐏𝐈𝐊𝐀ꫂ ၴႅၴ

➘ The main subject of your arguments: “he thinks you are weak” because he often insists on giving you his help, as if you could not manage on your own; But no!! You are wrong, he is so aware of your independence! He just wants to help you as much as possible!

➘ Thanks to your personality, you help Kurapika to relax and laugh more often, and in general your relationship has good dynamism!!

➘ Kurapika would be really impressed and proud of you, he would really be in “that my girl”

➘ he thinks your power could be useful to capture the Phantom Troupe !!

➘ the demonstration of your powers not only reinforces his admiration for you, but also his affection!

➘ A bit like Killua, he's trying to understand how your powers work

 —𝐆𝐎𝐍ꫂ ၴႅၴ

➘ I can imagine Gon being there saying "such a powerful blind woman? OMG" but not reacting more than that

➘ Gon understands and fully respects your desire to be independent and does not interfere with that, obviously, he protects you enormously whether you like it or not because he cares about you and, obviously if you need his help he will will happily help with no judgement.

➘ Like Killua, he has never been around a blind person and therefore has no idea of ​​the lifestyle of people with this disability and their level of independence. So when you made him understand that you could manage just fine without him, he just let you do your thing.

➘ During your training sessions, you are used to setting yourself a lot of challenges! you are both very competitive

➘ He discovered your powers during one of your training sessions, you did it a bit to impress him because he was showing off his nen and his superhuman strength a bit!

➘ you simply said "so cool! look what i can do too!!"

➘ You placed your hands on the ground and began to describe your environment and these "movements"

➘ You then notice an old rusty metal plate abandoned on the ground. You grab it and start shaping the metal as if it were clay.

➘ he finds your powers really incredible and very interesting, he begs you to teach him and is very, very curious XD

 —𝐋𝐄𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐎ꫂ ၴႅၴ

➘ He would be shocked literally every time you fight or are very dependent like "well if I went blind I wouldn't be like that..."

➘ As a doctor, he has already dealt with blind people and already knows that even if most of them need a little help with certain things, most of them manage quite well. So he didn't force it too much and didn't go too far against your desire for independence! ( So basically he had a very different vision from that of these other friends.)

➘ I think your relationship would be very intense because of your two strong personalities! At first, you didn't really like him (and he didn't like you very much either)

by revealing your powers to him, you only reinforced his admiration for you 😭😭

he thinks your power would be very useful in the medical field !

“I can do a lot of things too, okay?”

—English is not my first language, so sorry for any mistakes!!

/(this made me so want to watch Avatar for the first time lmao, I honestly think Toph will be my favorite 😭)\

[justxtalking]

my thoughts on this hxh ABCD mess

Being a Togashi fan is such a roller-coaster of emotions. I think I went through all the stages of grief in only one day.

Half of me believes he's trolling.

To be honest, it's better to just take it with a light heart. Togashi is known for joking around about himself, his health and his own story. (I wasn't in the fandom at that moment, but I wonder how everyone reacted when he said everyone was going to die). I consider ending D to be so uncharacteristically him for so many reasons I could talk for hours about it. I find it ironic how he gave a stereotypical-shonen-like ending when he talked several times (even in this interview) about how he likes to surprise himself (and his readers) when he writes. Some other times he explained he likes to play with these shonen stereotypes and just do something different. I mean, he's been doing it since the beginning of his career.

And I'll be honest, ending D sounds like a mockery of shounen.

(And I feel a bit dumb taking this so seriously if he's joking.)

(Though, this also may be the case of "the boy who cried wolf" and he's actually saying the truth this time.)

The other half of me thinks he's being honest.

If he is actually giving us a back-up ending, I find it incredibly sad. Not only because of his health, but also because he felt pressured enough to give us an ending, no matter its form and no matter if it's an ending he doesn't even consider anymore. He shouldn't have been on that position.

It is important to take into account that this is not an ending he wants or even considers anymore, it is an ending we can take if he's not able to finish HunterXHunter. We need to realize there's a lot of circumstances we don't know about or may not be considering for him to give us this ending as an option at that moment. And what type of ending too.

I seriously want for him to be able to finish Hunter X Hunter the way he truly wants, not worrying about anything else. He's thinking about three plausible scenarios that may see the light of day or not. And no matter what he ends up choosing, he should choose whatever he wants. It's his story, no ours. And it may even be his last story (I know it's sad, I want him to keep on writing forever, but it's true). Honestly, a part of me wants him to choose the A scenario because that's where seems to be less drama, but actually I want him to choose the C scenario. Even if that ending is Gon married to a lizard with beautiful lizard-babies in the Dark Continent. And that's because that ending is what he would actually want to do with the story.

(I really am curious about it, though. I know I wouldn't be able to guess even in a million years, but I'm still curious. And I so want to read the whole interview and see the whole episode, since there were more questions about other things.)

For the shippers

I know this feels like a punch in the gut or something even worst. I felt it too. And it's totally valid to feel like we do and not agreeing with ending D. Even as a non-shipper because what do you mean, Gon did what?

Everyone who follows me knows I'm a proud Killugon and Leopika shipper. And I will keep on being one even if Hunter X Hunter transforms into Boruto and I have to see Grandpa Gon (the more I say it, the more it sounds like a joke).

Honestly, I always considered the gay ships were never going to be explicitly canon.(Kishimoto traumatized me). Not because of lack of material, but because there's a whole context and a lot of external circumstances we sometimes forget about (and Kishimoto traumatized me). There was a reason why Togashi couldn't make his queer manga in the 90s, which, I'm sorry, I don't consider it to be that long ago. And there is a reason why he can't explicitly say that characters like Pouf or Hisoka are gay (despite being totally obvious and them being villains).

I still find it admirable how Togashi included so many queer elements in his stories and got away with it. And he's a mangaka that does shonen. And not just any shonen, a battle manga in Shonen Jump. (He included a trans man in Level E and made him transition. The way Togashi explains some things about this character may be a bit problematic, but Togashi still did this). And those queer elements are still there and are still as canon as when he wrote it the first time. Pouf is as gay as he is dramatic. And Ging and Pariston still have that sexual tension (and I'm 100% sure they fucked or they are going to fuck in the near future or both). And Killua is still the queerest boy I've seen in the longest time.

Sometimes, I think there's a possibility of Killugon being canon. But only because of Togashi's history and tastes. He may feel a bit rebellious and just go with it, he's so unpredictable that I'm always expecting anything and everything from him (I mean, he did what he did with Hisoka and Illumi and so many other things). However, he's an introvert, I'm not sure if he actually wants the attention he would get if he actually goes with it. And that is something we should also respect. (I do think the most plausible option is Killugon to be as ambiguous as they are now.)

In relation to ending D, I don't think we should worry that much. At the end of the day, it is an ending he doesn't consider anymore. (At least we can sleep well knowing that the ending he wants to do doesn't have to do with Grandpa Gon). What's important is what he writes and does in the manga. That is what speaks louder than anything.

Though, I do think it's going to be a pain in the ass interacting with other fans. I'm not looking forward to it. (At least they are going to stop saying that Kurapika will die, I hope!). What I'm looking forward to is the new Killugon content in the fandom.

My personal take

Gon =/= Ging. I could say a lot about this, since one of the things I love the most about Hunter X Hunter is what he did with these two and Gon's arc, but I think this is clear enough.

So!

After saying all of this, I think the only thing we should consider as canon is the manga. If he doesn't write it, it didn't happen.

If he's saying the truth, he may be thinking about how to finish Hunter X Hunter sooner or later. Even though so many fans say that they want an ending, I feel like we are not ready. Not even for Gon marrying a lizard and having beautiful lizard-babies in the Dark Continent.

I hope I was coherent enough. I have no answers, only thoughts and thoughts! I feel like we can only speculate and ending D is so confusing because how did we even get there?

I may be going through all the stages of grief again tomorrow, but I wanted to share my thoughts (at least partially). I may erase it if I feel too uncomfortable, but yeah!

Conclusion: Let's just take it with a light heart and wait to see what happens! (I know it's hard).

[i-heart-hxh]

Is there really a married couple dynamic between Killua and Gon? If so, any examples of similarities to other couples in the anime?

The director of the 2011 anime thinks so!

I agree with what he said, although of course there's a limited degree to which this comparison applies because we are talking about two young boys (who aren't even in an actual romantic relationship yet), after all. :p The ways they resemble a married couple in my opinion include, but are certainly not limited to:

Extreme trust between and reliance on one another

Being synchronized in their actions and thoughts in many cases (as if they've been together a long time)

They have a good understanding of each other and insight into how the other thinks

They bicker over silly things, but quickly go back to getting along after disputes

They essentially lived together in the around two years they were together. They were with each other almost constantly during that time, and there's a degree of domesticity and closeness/comfort to their relationship as a result

They talk to each other almost non-stop, to a point where we see them chattering away in the background frequently

They work together towards common goals by default and generally only compete for fun

To quote Hiroshi Koujina (from the post linked above), "Gon is the free-spirited husband, and Killua is the wife who silently supports him" <- I think this is a good summary of their dynamic within this context, LOL

It's hard to compare them to many couples in the series because honestly, HxH doesn't have many actual romantic couples to begin with. Togashi tends to kill one half or more of the romantic couples he sets up, often before they get to have a good life together. Think Squala and Eliza, Pokkle and Ponzu...

However, Meruem and Komugi are parallels to Gon and Killua, and that's essentially undeniable with how many layers of parallel/similarity exist between the two pairs. That's a topic for a whole other post (I could go on and on, and it's hard to summarize), but the way Meruem and Komugi's relationship develops is also telling of Gon and Killua's dynamic because the two are intended to exist in comparison with each other and reflect each other.

One of Komugi's final lines to Meruem was essentially an old-fashioned way to accept a marriage proposal ("I may not be much, but please, let me accompany you"), and Meruem and Komugi complete a lovers suicide (like Killua was considering doing with Gon). Obviously these character pairs are separate, and it's not as though I think Gon and Killua will suffer the same fate, but I do think it's very meaningful (especially in conjunction with the loads of other subtext present in the series) that Togashi chose another pair with obvious romantic subtext to mirror Gon and Killua, and that that relationship ended with "marriage" in an abstract sense.

Even Komugi's phrase I mentioned above has similarities with Gon and Killua, with Killua's, "Gon. You are light. Sometimes you shine so brightly, I must look away. But even so, is it still okay if I stay at your side?" It's essentially saying the same thing as Komugi's phrase.

I'd argue there's also some degree of parallels with Ging and Kite, Knuckle and Shoot, Kacho and Fugetsu, Kurapika and Pairo, and most likely others, though of course those aren't romantic in nature. I do think the fact that there are so many points of comparison is interesting, though, it reinforces the themes of the series that Gon and Killua exemplify.

Also, just a silly little sidenote, but Nagareboshi Kirari from the 2011 anime does have wedding bells in it. Take that as you will!

I hope that's helpful!

[boy-pussyyy]

hunt you down eat you alive

yanderes: Feitan (hxh) or shigaraki (bnha), uvo (× male reader) or endeavour (× male reader), chrollo (hxh) or aizawa (bnha)

tw: dubcon, future noncon, omegaverse, ABO behaviours, dehumanisation, sexism, violence, noncon spanking (for aizawa/chrollo), unnamed character death(s), use of "you", no gendered terms besides "pussy" and "cunt", uvogin/endeavour's mate is male.

approximately 500 words per character

Unmated omegas are dangerous. that's what the current president said during his campaign. they tempt upstanding alphas into doing things they normally wouldn't, and it can ruin the alpha's life and career.

and the whole world agreed with him.

the government enforces an annual "Run" to help force Unmated find partners. Unmated omegas and betas (if they choose to do so) have an hour to try an escape from a secluded area covered in (non-lethal) traps.

if an alpha or beta finds them within an hour, the omega is legally theirs. if the omega manages to escape the area, they are free to go... until the next year when they have to Run again.

an underground syndicate decides they want to take matters into their own hands and kidnaps a bunch of Unmated for their own Run.

feitan/shigaraki:

❝𝐂𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐦𝐲 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐨. 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮.❞

the girl's pale face stares at you, betrayal creeping into the shock. blood pools under her, jagged metal teeth digging deeper into her flesh at each minute movement.

a apology lingers on your tongue, but you didn't voice it out. what would've been the point? you weren't sorry. the rules had stated that only one person could leave. and you picked yourself.

never mind the fact that the two of you had worked together to outwit the countless traps in the previous stages; witnessed your fellow omegas fall by your side, choking on their blood or being crushed by whatever strange contraption your cruel captors had set out to cull the weaker ones.

the final task had been different. instead of wild beasts or death traps, all that greeted you was a pristine room; empty save for a table of weapons glinting in the florescent lights, a bear trap embedded in the floor, and a sign sealing your fates:

Only one may leave.

she'd hesitated and that one second was all you needed. you shoved her forward, barely flinching as the trap clamped shut over her delicate leg, tearing through sinew and bone.

The silence seemed to stretch on forever, the girl staring, and you rooted to the ground.

“That was fast.”

The both of you whip your heads around at the sound of a new voice. it sounded foreign, as if he weren't used to speaking the language.

The man was clad in a strange cloak, the collar swallowing the bottom half of his face, sharp eyes accessing the scene before him, drinking in the calculative violence.

When had he come in? You didn’t hear a door open and despite his small stature, you were sure you’d have seen him enter.

“I won.” You voice didn’t shake—it didn’t—as you addressed him. “I won so let me go.”

He turns to you consideringly. You initiatively take a step back, not liking the glint in his eye.

In one breath and the next, he had moved from the far corner of the room to right beside you.

A disgusting squelch reaches your ears. Your eyes follow the man, inching from the top of his head, down his shoulders, to his fist, which was buried deep in the girl’s chest. A beat passes. Then he yanks his hand out, a bloody mass pulsing in his clenched fist.

The girl’s mouth forms an ‘O’, her face spasming before death shuttered over her, wiping her expressions clean. 

You flinch as her body crumpled in on itself. The man huffs, pushing her still-warm corpse away.

"you killed her."

he tilts his head to the side, as if confused. "yes."

salt prickles in your mouth, a foreign sensation trailing down your cheeks. belatedly, you realise they are tears.

expressionless eyes peer at you over the fabric covering his mouth. "why sad? you pushed her."

“She wasn’t supposed to die!”

“But you let her be caught. If me not here, she bleeds out. Same result.”

“That’s not... I didn’t—“

“Good watch. Entertaining.”

He pulls out a sleek tablet from his fathomless robes and you catch a glimpse of the previous rooms you had escaped from. The sight of the omegas left behind, their bodies bent at unnatural angles, unmoving.

You had been taken from your home in the middle of the night, forced to withstand such senseless violence and hardship and all he could say was that it was entertaining?

Tears burn behind your eyes and you can feel your dinner threaten to come back up.

He grasps your hand, and you have to suppressed a flinch as he reaches out to wipe your tears away. "don't cry. we're the same."

uvogin / endeavour:

❝𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞. 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞. 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐛𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤, 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐩 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞. 𝐈'𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮.❞

you're running down the corridor, heart pounding in your chest. it's almost been an hour since you woke up in this creepy abandoned building and told that you've been cherrypicked to participate in the syndicate's first Run. yay.

that's all fine and dandy if it weren't for one small detail.

you're a male beta.

arguing with the man in charge did nothing. so you had to suck it up and run with everyone else.

"over here!" you whisper-yell to the omega-girl. she had latched onto you as soon as the starting gun went off and you didnt have the heart to abandon her.

"where are we going?" her wide eyes were wet with tears, the poor thing shivering in fear.

you didn't blame her. the last omega the both of you had bumped into had fallen on a bear trap, her leg mangled and torn at the ankle. if the shock didn't kill her, the mating she'd have to endure just might.

you tug her down an empty corridor. "away from the screams. we should be safe if we—"

splat.

something wet hit your eye, blinding you. you bring your hand up, rubbing the hot and sticky liquid. your vision burns, your left eye irritated by the mysterious substance. "hey, are you alrigh—"

your words die in your throat.

the omega lay on the ground, unmoving. if you weren't paying close attention, you'd have thought she was sleeping, her body twitching from a nightmare. but you couldn't deny the sight before you; her spine protruded from her neck, what was left of her head embedded into the wall in a gruesome smear.

a guttural voice snaps you out of your shock. "damn. i was hoping she'd put up more of a fight." he was a behemoth of a man. you were considered pretty tall for a male beta but this man monster towered over you as if you were the omega. his unruly hair stuck out at all ends, eyes shining with unrestrained insanity.

you heart seemed to stop when his gaze landed on you. his lips split into a grin. "how about you? gonna make me work for it?"

instinct kicks you into action, your feet taking you down the hall in a frantic sprint. you skid to a stop by an open door, throwing youself under one of the many tables covered in burlap.

you slap your hand over your mouth, heart threatening to burst out your chest. he killed her. he killed an omega. an omega. ohgodhe'sgonnakillmeandwearmyskinasacoat—

BANG. the sound reverberated across the room, the very ground shaking as if he crashed through the wall.

"little mouse, where did you go?"

debris rain down the ceiling, and you held back a yip as one of them landed on your table.

he sniffs deeply. "don't bother hiding. i can smell your fertile scent from miles away."

a chill runs down your spine at the reminder. the people who kidnapped you had removed your scent suppressors, you may not be an omega but any alpha with half a nose would be able to pinpoint you in a dusty room fulled with broken furniture.

maybe he's just trying to scare me. he couldn't possibly be—

a shadow loomed over the table, blocking out the meagre light.

"found you."

a scream tears itself from your throat as you are yanked out by your ankle. the behemoth holds up high in the air, a grin on his face as he watches you dangle upside-down.

"put me down!" you scratch his face, teeth snapping when he reaches a meaty hand out to stroke your lips. it hardly breaks the skin and you can't decide if it was terrifying or humiliating.

"you asked for it."

you barely registered his words before the grip on your ankle disappears. you hit the ground hard, immediately scrambling to your feet. but the man was on you before you could take a step, fingers wrapping around your throat.

if you were in the right frame of mind, you'd have known you were beaten when he easily pins you down with one hand. but you were too pissed off to think clearly.

you grab his wrist, pointedly ignoring the fact that his palm was almost the width of your torso. "get off! I'm not even an omega, i can't give you pups!"

his shoulders shake with unrestrained laugher. "feisty. I'm glad you didn't die so easily like the others."

"you're insane!" you snarl. "omegas aren't property, and betas can't have pups."

his other hand slides down your chest. you choke on a gasp, paling as he fondles you through your jeans. "w-what are you doing?"

"silly little boy. you think your yelling and fighting will get you anywhere when all it does is turns me on." his fingers cup your bulge, rocking against you. the heat sends tingles down your spine, your stomach churning. "and you're wrong, you don't need a womb for me to breed you."

the room seemed to swim around you, darkness creeping into your vision. the last thing you felt before you passing out was rough lips brushing against your neck.

"don't worry, little mouse. I'll take good care of you."

chrollo / aizawa:

❝𝐢 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬. 𝐰𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐞.❞

You curse the universe for your rotten luck.

Of all the days to get kidnapped, trafficked, whatever, it just had to be on your first day of Heat.

A wave of dizziness nearly knocks you over, your hand flying up to catch your fall. The fever had yet to set in, but it didn’t matter. Five minutes, five hours. It didn’t change the fact that you were completely and utterly screwed.

You shiver at the thought of a pack of alphas finding you like this.

Years ago, before the government made The Run mandatory, there was an unfortunate omega who’d passed out on the streets when his Fever hit him.

He died of dehydration, left all alone in the dirt for the cleaners to find.

It was on the news for weeks, everyone blaming the omega for not taking his heat suppressants or for not already being mated, or, or, or.

It made you sick. No matter which angle they twisted it, it was the alphas’ fault for what happened.

You doubt your kidnappers were any different, and you’d be damned if you let them pass you around like some broodmare.

Shrill screams from a nearby room spurs you into action. You crawl up a decrepit bookshelf, praying the wooden boards are strong enough to hold your weight.

Concentrating all your energy, you will your claws to sharpness, using it to half-unscrew, half-pry off the grate.

Your shirt is soaked in sweat by the time you manage to remove the screws and haul yourself up into the vents.

You lose track of time navigating the maze of corners and dead ends. At some point the fever had peaked, delirium setting in as you forced yourself to keep moving forward.

You can do this. You’ve played horror games before. How hard can it actually be?

Screams reverberate from outside, echoing through the vents, the noise louder than the pounding in your head.

The alphas who'd gathered you said that you were free to go if could you escape but they didn't say anything about outlasting the others.

if they didn't know you were here then maybe you could get out of this unscathed.

Hope blossoms in your chest, and were beginning to believe that you could make it out—

When the metal beneath your hand screeches, sending you plummeting down a chute. You hit the dirt-packed ground hard, the world spinning when your eyes finally focus.

You made it. You're outside.

The fall had left you worse for wear; cobwebs in your hair, tears and nicks running down your arms but none of it matters. you were free.

Groaning, you drag yourself to your feet, knees immediately buckling as a wave of cramps wash over you, the fever hitting at full force now.

Get up. Just get up.

You couldn't stop now. It didn't matter how far the nearest town was. You'd crawl to civilisation if you had to.

You were so caught up in your predicament that you hadn't noticed the pale figure leaning again the tree.

"Well done."

You still, the hairs at the back of your neck pricking.

No. No, you were so close.

Polished shoes come to a stop before you, shadows blocking your gaze. "None of the others made it out." He sounded impressed. Like the whole thing was designed for you to fail.

You clench your fists, nails digging the into skin, drawing blood from your palms.

You weren't going to be taken here. Not after everything.

He draws your shaking form into his arms, heedless of the dirt getting on his neatly pressed suit. "Poor thing. Why do you insist on fighting when you've already been beaten?

"It's okay, little one," he croons. "You can give in now. Your alpha is here to take care of you."

Red clouds your vision, and you lash out, nails raking across his cheek. Or, it would have if he hadn't grabbed your hand mid-air.

He chuckles, shoulders shaking. "So much fire in you. I'm sure you'll give me strong pups."

"No—fuck off!"

"Now, darling, is that any way to talk to your mate?"

You ignore the warning bells ringing in your head, continuing to trash in his hold. "You're not my fucking alpha. You're a just a pathetic knothead."

He tisks. "Such crude language. We'd better fix that now."

His hands creep over your body, yanking your shorts and panties down in one go.

"W-What are you doing? Stop!" You try to kick him but something snags your legs together, the material rough and unyielding. Eyes dart down, fear giving way to a twinge of confusion when you spot ropes winding around your legs, moving with a mind of its own.

A question forms on your lips, only to die when his fingers brush your cunt.

No.

He teases your clit, fingers trailing up and down your ass. "Apologise and I'll go easy on you."

You balk, forcing every ounce of hatred in your words. "Fuck. You."

He sighs. "The hard way it is then."

You hear more than feel the first spank. The pain doesn't register until he draws his hand back, fire lacing down your ass. You shriek, curling in on yourself.

But he keeps going, bringing his palm down in quick succession, the pain blinding you.

Tears stream down your face, your lungs struggling with each inhale. "Stop, stop—"

"Are you ready to apologise?"

Your hesitation is enough to doom you, and he brings his hand down before you realise your mistake. Your legs kick weakly but the ropes keep you from squirming out of his hold.

He keeps going long after the fight has drained out of you, occasionally landing strikes on your cunt until you're choking on broken sobs, unable to do anything but gasp and cry.

After what feels like forever, he stops. You don't give him the chance to ask before you're babbling uncontrollably, "M'sorry. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I'm—"

"Aw, baby." He gathers you back into his arms, mindful of the angry marks on your ass as he strokes your hair. "Come here, your alpha's got you."

he rocks you back and forth, stroking your head with gentle touches until your breath evens out, sobs quieting into sniffles. "there, doesn't it feel better when you give in to me?"

you shake your head weakly. “Y-You’re supposed to let me go. You—“ The words die in your throat, an angry flush blooming across your face.

You can’t do this.

A bemused smile tugs at his lips, the kind one would give a child who hadn’t quite understood the rules. Indulgent. Patronizing. “I'm an alpha, darling. i take whatever i want."

ꜰɪɴᴅ ᴍᴇ ᴏɴ ᴀᴏ3

[idkman-ijustwannamakeatournament]

Round 2: Match 1

"Two Sides of the Same Coin"- Two things that are regarded as part of the same thing. Even if they're very different, they have at least one common thread that helps them fit into this trope.

Propaganda:

Merlin and Arthur Pendragon:

"I mean it's like literally half the plot. That dragon ass bitch cannot stop reminding everyone about them being two sides of the same coin"

Gon Freecss and Meruem:

"HxH fans are gonna want my head for picking Meruem over Killua but you know what just because they're besties doesn't mean they have character arcs that are the exact opposite of each other. 'When you flip a coin one side shines brighter while the other grows darker'. The entire point of this arc is that Meruem (main villain in this arc, guy who was born to kill and conquer and be the strongest lifeform) is discovering the value of life and learning how to love, while Gon (12 y/o shonen protagonist who up to this point has been cheery and optimistic) is sinking into despair and revenge obsession after his one parental figure gets killed and turned into a flesh puppet. This arc does not have a happy ending for either of them but in terms of characterization each of them ends up where the other started. Genius writing tbh."

[ragde890]

HxH chapter 408 commentary and pseudo-analysis

There's a lot to say about this chapter, so let's analyze the information we've got bit by bit:

Heil-Ly and the Spider

The paralelisms between Heil-Ly and the spider are way too many not to be intentional.

Nobunaga states that Heil-Ly reminds him of the begginings of the Spider, when they were driven by rage

Both groups are made out of outcasts and people who have been rejected by society. Both the Carnival Children and the Meteor City inhabitants are "non-existant" according to official records.

Both groups are murderous, with Heil-Ly maybe being more chaotic

Both have specialists as their leaders. Both Morena and Chrollo have christian symbolism in their character designs and both isolate mentally from other human beings.

The human trafficking backstory. We'll get to that later.

This makes the incoming meet-up between the spiders and Heil-Ly more interesting. Not only that, but it also makes some improbable events possible. For example, what if Morena has the ability Chrollo is looking for? This chapter has established that Morena knows about Chrollo. What if there's a team-up between the spiders and Heil-Ly? Again, this is improbable, but it's possible given the context we're in right now.

About Contagion

This is unlikely, but the Card Game could be a new ability that Morena developed by reaching level 20 of Contagion. This would mean that Contagion can awaken abilities in people that already know nen. Again, this is very unlikely. But not completely nonsensical.

A less farfetched theory is that Contagion can keep up to 22 members because that's the time that happened between her "class" and the most recent (22 years). Therefore, the more Kakin's evil continues, the more powerful Contagion becomes.

Who killed Risnorth?

Let's start by saying that, in this chapter, we've learned just how isolated Kakin is from the rest of the world. With this in mind, if Risnorth, the one responsible for Sarasa's murder, is being talked about in the boat's news, we can ascertain that he's from Kakin. The panel with the news about Risnorth and Chrollo giving it his back seems to indicate that they were the ones to kill him. However, we don't know this. In fact, if the Spider killed him, then why was there no revenge note, unless with the Kuruta clan? Why hide themselves, if it goes against their whole shtick?

Both the Ryodan and Morena have backstories related to human trafficking, with Heil-ly being involved in the latter. Going back to the van scene where we see the kidnapped children at the back and Risnorth and the tattooed man (who could be Tserriednich's) in the front, there was also a third criminal sitting where the children are, whose face was hidden. Who could he be? A young Tserriednich, maybe, as he's the one who funds Heil-Ly? We don't know. But if he's related to this plot, damn, it's gonna get very bloody. And, anyway, it would mean that Morena and the Spider would have a common enemy — which doesn't necessarily mean they'll become allies. Who knows, maybe their backstories intertwine even more (with Sheila being related to Heil-Ly or Kakin somehow or something like that).

Tserriednich and the Carne Levare

Do the princes know about Carne Levare? Obviously Wobble, Marayam, Fugetsu and Kacho are too young to be in the know. But what about the others? What does "royals" refer to? Obviously to Nasubi, but he can't be the only one. His half-siblings? Followers? If Tserriednich knows about the Carne Levares and, thus, has participated, then why keep his "hobbies" a secret to his family? It doesn't make sense. It's not like these Carne Levares are top secret: if Borksen knows about "Carnival Children", then it must be an open secret.

As a side note, the act of separating festival orphan's in Meat and Track Fakers is similar to how Tserriednich wants to segregate people into two bins: useless trash and useful trash. When we add his nen beast, the "inside face" of which has a two slash mark reminiscent of the second class faker's, it looks like we've got a connection (specially considering that Tserriednich funds Heil-Ly).

Some people said that, going by interval and occurance of the carnivals, it might happen each time a new legal prince is born. Not much to speculate about this, but worth mentioning.

The real Morena Prudo

This chapter revealed that Morena doesn't belong to the royal family. This creates the mystery of what happened to the real Morena Prudo: why is she in Fake-Morena's grave? The fact that we don't even know Fake-Morena's real name really accentuates her dehumanization. In any case, exactly what happened to Morena Prudo (was she Fake-Morena's friend? Did Fake-Morena kill her?) might remain a mystery.

What we know is that Fake-Morena occupied Morena's placed and then murdered the Heil-Ly boss, a real Fake Tracker (who was maybe, following the pattern of the other mafia bosses, Tserriednich biological father).

Martial Law

The martial law announcement was sublime. Despite having built up to this for several chapters now, it still felt unexpected. I see Togashi wanted to convey the surprise and impact of martial law being suddenly imposed without warning, just like a random citizien from the ship would experiment it.

Martial Law actually benefits Borksen here: with a curfew, Dogman can't move around, so he can't search for specialists. This means Borksen can now stall time (unless Feitan and Phinks show up).

Also, we still don't know why was Martial Law enacted. The possibilities are:

Benjamin saw through Halkenburg's trick.

One of the mafia benefactors was murdered (unlikely).

Halkenburg took over Benjamin and declared it himself (very unlikely).

Something else entirely.

Borksen's and Morena's ideologies

Borksen's line of reasoning is very human. She knows about Kakin's depravity and crimes, but she hasn't experienced it first-hand. She can sympathise with Morena, but her main concern is her mundane life not being affected. She doesn't want no violent revolution. And, on the one hand, it's understandable: she's not out of line for refusing something so extreme, specially considering Morena's misanthropic and chaotic goals, which wouldn't solve anything. But, on the other, it's because people like Borksen exist, who are not monsters but will not do anything about them (so that they can mantain their relatively privileged quiet life), that things have become the way their are. It's the reason Kakin hasn't changed.

On the other side of the spectrum, we've got Morena's radicalized ambition, so big that it has become hypoctricial in itself. One of Morena's followers, Baconte, is a human trafficker. Does she not care about this? Have her motivations blinded her to the point that she accepts to collaborate with the kind of person that caused her to experience all that suffering if it's for revenge? Don't take me wrong: I'm not criticising her character for this. In fact, I think her whole deeply contrasting and contradictory character is very well written. I also love the way Togashi portrayed her more "human" side: her reactions to Borksen's actions, her fixation on games... It all shows the kind of person she could have been if Kakin didn't steal that from her. It makes her very easy to sympathise with.

Miscellanious Stuff

Morena never explained to Borksen the punctuation system (normal people = 1 point, princes = 50 points etc.). She might have omitted this so that Borksen doesn't suspect that Morena's real intention (maybe) is to use her to kill Tserriednich. The specialist talk was not a lie: she merely omitted some information, which is different. If she's omitted this, it's likely she's also hiding key details about her past and motivations.

Some people are confused about specialists not following normal affinity rules, although this is something we've already seen before (Pitou's abilities would make no sense if they were restricted to standard affinity rules). Basically, specialists can master any given category via training, but that doesn't mean that they have full eficiency on them: that's unique to Kurapika's emperor time.

The panel with the binary code background has multiple interpretations. It could be a reference to Matrix, with Morena considering her followers have "awakened" from the simulation that is Kakin/the world. It could also be another RPG reference meant to symbolize their detachment (like the "grinding area"), or just refering to how "binary" their reasoning is ("either you're with us, or you're against us").

[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.