#psy onic

[zap-the-raichu-hero]

what's even going on why did you have a character arc all of the sudden

i don't mean offense i just wanna know what happened

... a lot has happened... I don't really want to talk about it... and I'm not Zap, who you normally know from this blog... I'm Psy, another facet...

... a lot of traumatic stuff happened to Zap and i...

[i-heart-hxh]

is Killua truly jealous of Palm?

Yes, I absolutely think he is!

It's never explicitly stated, but the subtext is so in your face in a few different ways that it's essentially not even subtext any more.

Togashi could have chosen so many different ways to portray the way Killua feels about the Gon/Palm date subplot, but making it clear over and over again how bothered Killua is by the whole situation absolutely reads as jealousy, especially within the larger context of the arc. Look at these especially!

Togashi puts so much emphasis on Killua's expressions and distress throughout the whole subplot. Of course it's partly intended to be comedic, but this situation with Gon and Palm does have serious emotional weight for Killua as well--pulling out the needle, his breakdown in front of Palm, what she ends up saying to him after that, etc. I do think the exaggerated and extreme ways Togashi expresses Killua's feelings are intended to make the audience go, "Oh, he's really jealous, isn't he?"

People can argue Killua's reactions are just because of who Gon is on a date with (someone unhinged/violent and much older than him), or that it's just "concern" about Gon because of his nen situation, and those are both definitely aspects of what's going on here--but to reduce it down to only that ignores those deeper emotional impacts it has on Killua. I think the protectiveness aspect is something Killua uses to veil some of the other things he's feeling about it even though of course he is legitimately protective of Gon in this situation (and he has good reasons to be so). I also think Togashi himself uses the ambiguity to his advantage here, because if he put in romantic jealousy that was any clearer, would Jump allow it?

The way Killua goes immediately from the topic of going on dates/being freaked out about the prospect of Gon having been on dates before to feeling heartbroken because he wants to be with Gon forever the next panel is telling, in my opinion... (The English translation is a little vague, seems like it was intentionally toned down. In the original Japanese version he says he wanted to be with Gon forever.)

Here's a post where @tjlnn22 and I discuss this weightlifting scene in more detail.

I firmly believe that a big part of Palm's role as a character is to get the audience to question the nature of Killua's feelings for Gon. Without considering this context, the way her character is set up from the beginning and what role she's intended to play in Chimera Ant Arc is confusing. But when if you look at her character as having been built for that role, suddenly her entire character and subplot makes sense. Here's an older post where OP talks about some of the framing of Palm's character, and then I talk in more depth about why Palm is written the way she is.

It especially makes sense when you consider that the date with Palm is one of the factors that destabilizes Killua's faith in his relationship with Gon, leading to him wondering if they're acting together as friends or just as teammates. Here's an awesome post @tjlnn22 put together and submitted to me on this topic, with specific details supporting this argument. I think this is an important part of the arc that gets overlooked, and I love how clearly it's laid out in the linked post.

Killua also acts dismissive of Gon worrying about Palm to the point where other characters comment on his behavior, which to me seems like another sign of jealousy and bitterness on Killua's part. Then when he encounters Palm again after her transformation, this is how he behaves towards her:

Hands on his hips, full sass mode here. Again with the jealousy...

...And then shortly after this he proceeds to have a total emotional breakdown when he admits to himself that he thinks maybe Gon cares more about Palm than him, and that Palm might be the only one who can help Gon, rather than Killua. Of course there are more factors than this behind his breakdown, including him getting pushed away by Gon prior, but this is DIRECTLY the thought that leads him to start crying and then sobbing on the ground.

The Palm subplot is one of the biggest things in the series that makes me confident that the romantic subtext around Killua's feelings is completely and utterly intentional. The way the whole subplot is constructed, the decisions Togashi makes around Palm and how she's presented as a character, the way Killua's reactions and emotions are emphasized with regards to it, and the significance of this subplot in the greater arc of Killua's character all show a great deal of thought and care, and it's hard to come to any other conclusion when looking at it carefully.

Thank you for asking!

[n0sewise]

Hey Nosewise!! Why do you think Killua stood up on the horse? To look cool? Or something else? 😂

psy-onic! hey!

I always took it as Killua being an awkward thirteen/fourteen year old kid. Like you know when you were around that age and the idea of being too close to your crush was humiliating?

What if you breathe weird? What if you blush? What if you do something horribly awkward and give it all away and they can hear your heart beating and maybe your deodorant stops working and oh god they’ll think you’re so uncool

No? Just me? But um, yeah, I think that’s why Killua stands up on the horse, because otherwise he’s holding onto Gon from behind and I think by that point he was fully aware of the extent of his feelings. I’m sure he thought it would be cool and impressive too because he’s a little show off, but I’m leaning more toward the first reason.

Thanks as always for your asks 💕

[grandmasteryoshimitsu]

THE OCCULT PSYCHIATRIC CODE UNDER PSY HAPPENS IN NHS FACILITIES, ITS CODE WRITTEN BY STAFF & PATIENTS WITH RADIO VOICE REALICATION OF ACCENT LOCAL TERMS, PATIENTS & STAFF COMING FROM OTHER REGIONS TO SPEAK CODE AT LLANDOUGH. A EXTRA LARGE TEAM IS NEEDED TO GO OVER THE ONIC & EQUPITMENT READ OUTS. THIS TRULY IS THE ARMERGEDDON & IT STARTS WITH THE SOUTH WALES CONTROLLER TEAM, MI6 MI5 & GCHQ BELIEVED OCCUPATION OF OCCULT RADICALS IN GREAT BRITAIN UK

[zap-the-raichu-hero]

(@tandoriantrainer)

Hm, apologies since we’ve only really conversed once, but I must ask if your alright? You don’t seem to be… in the right headspace at the moment.

... I'm not doing great... the anons are harassing me... I'm not Zap I'm her other facet... and I'm just trying to defend myself...

[zap-the-raichu-hero]

Anon use static shock!

Owwww!

[zap-the-raichu-hero]

Of course they were! Those things are too loud and bright.

Yeah, plus we had the windows open because it was cool outside, and we could smell the smoke from the tree they caught on fire :(

[zap-the-raichu-hero]

Oh, hey, it's been a bit, I'm coming out when we're not traumatized for once

[zap-the-raichu-hero]

Oh... It seems like I've gotta go... nice talking to you all!

[zap-the-raichu-hero]

Pelipper un-mail! Wait... what's being un-mailed exactly? And why are there a group of Pelipper flying overhead again?

Huh? That's a lot of pelipper...?

[zap-the-raichu-hero]

I thought it was a TM Alolan Raichu could use? Or, like, do they interact weird with hybrids?

... to be well and truly honest, I do not want to test it out... so will you please leave me alone about this

[zap-the-raichu-hero]

Mass polling was about ship of theseus

Ahh okay

[zap-the-raichu-hero]

✉️ Thank you for helping Alola. In particular you got me out of a few pickles, mostly the removal of evil teams, as business goes down whenever they show up.

-Pokédoll Penelope

Attached is a Pokédoll of a Alolian Raichu, in a more chibi style.

Zap's not around right now, but I'll leave this where she can see it. Thank you very much from Zap and myself.

[zap-the-raichu-hero]

can you go eat gas station sushi

specifically by the nearest water processing plant

trust me

um yeah no...

[zap-the-raichu-hero]

What you are is wrong.

no I'm not!

[zap-the-raichu-hero]

Hi Psy, how are you today?

I'm good