i can't think of a better url

the love between siblings that can transcend even death (kachou and fugetsu). the love between friends (the phantom troupe). the love a mother has for her daughter (oito and girl woble).

and quite honestly? even love for ideals, nations, and nonhumans is treated equally. benjamin’s warped love for his country makes him increasingly more powerful. halkenburg’s love for his country literally allows him to bodyhop. hinrigh and zakuro love their dead friend the only way a bunch of gangsters know how to, and now they might die trying to avenge her. even kurapika’s love for his clansmen is never forgotten, because he’s here for them. then there’s senritsu, a woman who doesn’t think she has anyone in her life worth sacrificing herself for, but has been repeatedly shown to lay down her life for people who need her help.

but love has consequences. it has consequences in the form of postmortem nen. nations can crumble because of love. kings can be defeated. women can put themselves at the mercy of a despot so their little girl doesn’t become meat for the succession war.

i still think the boat is destined to blow up/sink, much like meruem was always destined to die, but i think the fact that so many characters in the succession war can love is the single thing that makes it so hard to figure out where things are going.

because love is and isn’t eternal! it is and isn’t unconditional! nen might not have gone global just yet, but the love is still there. it’s why reina can go home, and gyro survived his forced rebirth as a chimera ant.

it’s also why gon has a home, while killua has to make a new one with alluka. and it’s why ging’s on the murderboat. no one said hunters couldn’t love. no one said predators couldn’t love.

I started this manga for the #yearoftheant's February prompt… It was more challenging than I thought for my first try! Please read from right to left, more notes at the end.

Thank you so much for reading!

I've actually envisioned this scene in my mind for a long time, ever since publishing the Art Museum chapter in my fic. Which I realize is a bit funny, since the chapter itself is very Pouf-centric. But I had a specific vision in mind, and I really wanted to find the right way to capture it.

After spending over a year poring over Philipさん's beautiful 王ムギ works on Pixiv, I thought to myself, 'Can I maybe try to do this too?'

I realize asking that question may come across as presumptuous, but the idea wouldn't let go. There were so many more challenges I hadn't anticipated - the flow of the page itself, laying out panels and visually signalling to the reader who is speaking, and most importantly (to me) - preserving the 'essence' of the characters.

Actually, what wound up being the biggest headache was my own inexperience. My hands are not very steady, and I use a super cheap pen tablet. I changed brushes several times in between. Since it took several months to draw this out, I can see my inexperience shining through in some panels (haha).

Anyways, here's my art for the fic 'Wouldn't it be Nice' by the incredible @iwroteyoualoveletter

You can read the fic here on ao3💕