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askhuntik · 2 years

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I had forgotten about this and this and I didn't know I needed this reminder.

For Richer and poorer: Zhante

Ok, So I’ve already done this rant but I’ve done this on my previous blog which I had deleted and people HAD REBLOGGED this but in link which now doesn’t work because well…url doesn’t exist. So here it is again my little rant as to why I ship Zhante. (also this might take long).

Anyhow, I find Zhante to be one of most beautiful and most healthy types of relationship out there in fiction, especially now that a lot of series and movies go for “abusive boyfriend will be cured by pure heroine’s love”.

Firstly let’s talk about Zhalia.

She is one of most three dimensional characters on the show. She is wrong, she is right, she gets angry, she gets unsure but at the same time she knows her own worth. She’s the strongest seeker of whole team too. She is equal to Dante or even stronger than him when it comes to the attack

see? Which makes them good partners, because they can match up and they are stronger there where the other is weaker.

Dante and Zhalia have also a lot of other similarities.

They both treat their jobs and mission as serious business. They never abandon then until there isn’t any other choice. see episode 7 of series one.

Zhalia actually says that running away is abandoning the mission. She also supports Dante when he breaks into a church in episode 6 of series one, telling Sophie that he “does what it takes to complete the mission”.

Both Dante and Zhalia have a father figure and mentor, who means a world to them and for whom they are ready to do anything, and although Metz is a good guy we’d seen that Klaus cares about Zhalia to some extent too. Zhalia shows understanding towards Dante in this aspect in ep.17 s.1 telling him she has such a person as well, when he explains about Metz; which makes Dante confess to her(altho he fails due to a suit).

What is endearing about Zhante is that it doesn’t start as love at first sight. They start out as partners on a mission. Zhalia saves the team and Dante notices her potential so he asks her for help. He simply sees a talented and competent seeker, another adult and his equal who will be an asset in a dangerous mission. Someone he can let onto his plans, unlike Lok and Sophie who are novices. And Zhalia proves him right, so he asks her for another mission and then for another. Because she is good and he respects her for that. In episode six he even lets her in on his plan, and in this episode we see him coming to save her and we see that there might be something; which is proved further in episode 8 when Zhalia worries over Dante being chased by Fenris. In episode 9, we see that Dante feels the same, when he defends her against Sophie and later helps her walk and catches her when she faints, helping her walk later.

In episode 10 we have even more explicit statement of Dante’s feelings when he says

“Despite what Sophie says, in the end of the day I know I can trust you”

to which Zhalia has strong reaction by saying that nobody has told her that before.

Next in episode 12 we have Zhalia worrying over Dante as she dives in, now it’s even stronger point than the one in episode 8 because in episode 8 she was saying the words out loud when Sophie was nearby, and seeing how Zhalia is a spy at the moment someone could dismiss it as an act. But in episode 12 when she dives in she is ALONE, she THINKS this thing. She has no audience to play for. It’s genuine concern.

Now next we have our big reveal. Zhalia is a spy! We see her talking with Klaus and getting her mission to kill Dante. But she is distracted, probably because she already has the seeds of doubt in her mind due to previous events. Dante asks her what’s wrong, again because he is responsible and he cares. Later when they go to the vault she tries to kill him but she can’t. Because he trusts her, she has flashback of their talk in episode 10 and SHE CANNOT DO IT. She later even uses the device on the magical door so Dante can go and help Lok. Dante then tells her that he knew he could trust her and smiles at her, and she smiles back. I think this is the first time she smiles for real. Afterwards we see even more of Zhalia’s internal struggle between her loyalty to her father and her feelings for Dante, she gets more distracted, she tries to even push him away couple of times(episode 14 and episode 16). Dante at this point is probably in love with her because he comes back to her and shows concern for her in a lot of situations and wishing she’d tell him what’s on her mind. Still he doesn’t push her. He respects her privacy and keeps his distance.In episode 16 we also have Zhalia reacting strongly to Sophie accusing her of “hanging on Dante’s every word” In the end of episode she is clearly not willing to do her job, she sighs when Klaus yells at her and tells her to do it.

Then we have probably the most important episode, especially in regards to Zhalia’s arc. She is about to betray the team and kill them. She walks out on the bridge of the train to think. Dante, comes out after her and asks her what’s wrong and is concerned about her. Zhalia then points out he’s been acting distracted as well. Dante tells her about Metz and how he means so much to him and that he’s dying. Zhalia’s mask and coldness melts then and she even reaches out to Dante and tries to comfort him about it, telling hims he understands.Because she does. Then we have 100% proof that Dante is in love with her, because he turns to her and says

“There is something I’ve been meaning to say…”

and during this scene the screen fades away and we get those flashy white dots floating about which is indicating that this is a moment where both of them are in their own world, the outside one doesn’t matter to them. But Dante gets distracted by a suits attack and he never tells Zhalia how he feels. They don’t talk at all or meet until the moment of her betreyal. Now Dante is down but he could get up, he could fight Zhalia. He doesn’t, he is clearly shocked and he stares at her and whispers her name. We see Zhalia breaking at this point, her hands are glowing with spell but she has a sad look in her eyes. Her resolve is breaking. She attacks, and then she remembers her life, and Klaus and Dante and…she slams her fist into the roof. She chooses Dante, and she defends him. They fight side by side and Zhalia tells Dante who Klaus is for her. And Dante understands. Because he has Metz, and because he sees she’s chosen her sides. He understands and fights Klaus. Because he knows she cannot fight her father, someone who saved her in some way. But he falls, so she is forced to do this. and she does, once more she chooses Dante and this time she is more sure about it. She knows that Dante cares about her, understands her and that she has a place she truly belongs to. Place where she can be herself. In the end of this episode Zhalia leaves, and Dante lets her. He doesn’t argue he doesn’t try to stop her. He lets her go because he understands she needs time, he knows her life is in ruins and that she is this kind of woman who needs alone time, instead of being nagged. He lets her go but he misses her. He says so in episode 19. Now in episode 19 the team is ejected by amazons, they have to leave without Behemoth. But then Zhalia appears and fights for the ring. She then saves Dante by tossing it to him which allows him to defeat Rassimov. This episode shows us even more of Dante’s understanding of Zhalia. When Metz offers her a place at Foundation, Zhalia breaks down and Dante puts his arm around her. He understands that now she needs support, that now she needs closeness and she leans against him accepting it.

Now many may disagree with me but for me the moment Zhante became canon is episode 20. Zhalia blows up her own flat and goes to Dante. He shows concern and worry for her, and gives her his coat and a cup of tea, In this moment she comes up to him on her own will. She says she’s sorry, and she comes into his arms OUT OF HER OWN NEED AND OWN FREE WILL. She WANTS the physical contact. Dante comforts her then and hugs her and tells her everything will be alright. Because that is what she needs. and then we have the almost kiss. Now they BOTH LEAN IT AT THE SAME MOMENT. THEY BOTH SMILE AND THEY BOTH UNDERSTAND THAT THE OTHER WANTS IT. THERE IS NO ‘WILL HE WILL SHE’ in this. That’s why I think they know what the other feels, because they don’t hesitate. They do it at the same moment. They are sure. Later in that episode we have them fighting together and Dante geting upset over her getting hurt and in episode 21 we see him catching her and they share a smile.

Next episode in line is episode 22, or rather the last moments of it. The team gets separated and Zhalia is missing. Dante is clearly worries about her, it’s evident in his voice, he asks about her straight away and then calls her. and then…then we have the moment when Zhalia is caught by Professor and he uses his powers on her. She screams and Dante hears it and he turns around and is HORRIFIED. Now, Dante is NOT a man to show his fear. Not at all. He is a team leader and as such he usually is the support of his team. He is always cool, but he looses it when Zhalia goes missing and later when he hears her scream. In next episode, we have a proof of what I call ‘telepathic bond’ because Zhalia makes just one wave of hand and Dante at once catches that she

-is not under control

-she’s going to distract the Organization and cover the escape

Later on when she explains how she wriggled her way out of being put under control, and Zhalia says she’d told Professor that she’s a double agent he defends her again when Sophie asks if Zhalia betrayed them. He says she didn’t have a choice.

Next we have episode 24. The team goes out to find out about the last titan and they find out truth about Organization and Professor. The Professor attacks them and a fight breaks out. and again Dante informs Zhalia of his plan and she takes the team away to Sophie’s house. When Dante comes in later, Lok and Sophie worry that he might be under control but he reveals that he isn’t and Zhalia cheers because their plan worked. Once more, he had somehow managed to tell her about this. They later head for the safe house and are attacked by Rassimov, Dante gets hurt and Zhalia at once jumps to defend him, she gets protective and later she helps him walk.

Now, the next most important moments are in the series final episodes. When team reaches the castle Dante tells Cherit to “proect Zhalia, no matter what the cost” and later when Dante gets tricked and Sophie attacks him, Zhalia fights her to defend him again and says that Dante is most important in the world for her. She says it out loud to another person. She is frigging sure of it, and later she stays to defend him still. She defends him to last titan, ready to die for him. She later confesses her love to him but he interrupts her by coming back. He says he’s sorry and they fight side by side, defeating their enemies and later he walks in with her, and puts his coat over her. Now this is my personal thought but I think that at this point they are in a relationship or get together. In season two we get a lot of their usual antics, saving each other, protecting each other, Zhalia playfully saying she can handle herself. We have her sleeping in his coat on the plane and him letting her in on his plans and working with her. And then she leaves, she goes to spy on the Blood Spirals. Now, Dante could try and stop her but once again despite worry he shows understanding and trust in her, by letting her go. In next episodes we have more proof of it, he even tells Lin he worries about Zhalia. and then…we have his vision. He is upset, but why? He isn’t a man to worry often. So many of us had thought at the time that well…he saw Zhalia die. But no, he sees himself dead and her crying over his grave, which leads me to episode 52. Dante sacrifices himself in episode 50. In episode 51 Zhalia finds out about it and is naturally crushed. She then drops her disguise and goes out to fight the Betrayer after Lok and Sophie get knocked out. This is an act of despair, similar to when Eowin threw herself at Nazgul after Theodens death. Zhalia is broken but she’s going to fight and die for her friends. She’s going to try and defeat the guy who is responsible for this. In episode 52, the last one of the series we have Dante coming back and once more he tells Zhalia ahead, he sends her a text message on her Logosbook “you can’t get rid of me that easily” he PREPARES HER FOR HIS RETURN. Which makes me think that he came back because of her. He had faith in team after all, but he saw her crying in his vision and he didn’t want to leave her behind because he knew she cares and it’s going to break her. HE COMES BACK TO LIFE FOR HER, PEOPLE HE COMES BACK TO LIFE FOR HER AND INFORMS HER AHEAD SO SHE’ DOESN’T WORRY. HOLD ME PLEASE.

I also love them and am so invested in them and ship them so hard, apart from the friendship and trust angle…because they actually have some conflict to them. In first series it’s building their friendship and Zhalia fighting with herself, and her internal struggle and her reveal. They are getting there but there is a barrier between them because she keeps secrets. But they conquer it. They defeat this and the air clears and they can now go further. Then we have her leaving, and they miss each other but survive and then she comes to their rescue, she sort of comes to terms with it and decides to do something about it and redeem herself. Say sorry for sure. And she’s back for sure. And we see that they have more open relationship. She no longer pushes him away, they hug, they are more open. Then we have another obstacle with her leaving again but they manage it. They talk to each other through their Logosbooks and they talk about more than just a mission because Tantras comments on Zhali caring for Dante. SO THERE WAS MORE IN THE LOGOSBOOK THAN JUST REPORTS. But the point is, they are faces with long period(almost a year) of being apart, of long distance relationship and they pull through it. and then we have the last thing I’ve mentioned. Dante’s death and return. So we can add loss to the obstacles they had before them. Now I know people don’t come back from dead but think of someone going missing or someone getting into an accident and ending up in a coma. Dante and Zhalia went through something like that. They got thrown into a deep water of REALLY LOOSING SOMEONE, OF SOMEONE NOT REALLY BEING THERE THROUGH ALL THIS EMOTIONAL STRAIN AND THEY CAME OUT VICTORIOUS. I’M SORRY I’M SHOUTING BUT THIS IS JUST SUCH A STRONG LOVE AND SUCH A STRONG RELATIONSHIP AND TRUST AND FRIENDSHIP AND CONFLICT AND MATURITY AND THEY ARE REALLY LIKE IN THE WEDDING VOWS. THEY ARE THERE FOR EACH OTHER THROUGH THICK AND THIN, THEY SUPPORT EACH OTHER, KEEP THE SAME LINE, THEY LOVE EACH OTHER TO DEATH BUT AT THE SAME TIME THEY ARE THEIR OWN PEOPLE AND THEY CAN BE WITHOUT EACH OTHER FOR A YEAR WITHOUT STOPPING CARING ABOUT THIS PERSON AND I HAVE SO MANY FEELS

@the-stray-liger, @pakiramdaman @sarkazmwherbacie @lilium-heart @emyy250 @s-nero @askhuntik @secretsandseekers @fablewolf44

because I need more people in my pit.

#huntik #zhante

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askhuntik · 2 years

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hello!

I’m starting a draw this in your style challenge based on my iabl huntik au!

I’ve already posted on insta about it, but I thought maybe you’d e interested, too

🌙 RULES:

- draw any of these three characters (or a combination of them!)

- for dante and zhalia those gotta be in my timeskip designs which you see here (you can find more under #huntik timeskip tag)

- reblog this post, tag me in your post and use the #DrawThemIABL hashtag

🌙DEADLINE:

- technically none

- but there will be raffle I’ll be holding on September 1, 2022 among the participants

🌙PRIZE:

there are two options for the potential winner

OPTION A: they’ll get a free portrait in the iabl style

OPTION B: they or they’re oc will appear in the iabl game as a cameo of a sort

have fun!😉

here are some closeups btw!

#huntik #huntik secrets and seekers #huntik fanart #zhalia moon #dante vale #zhante #dtiys

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askhuntik · 2 years

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The Huntik Academy OC Submission

I have a whole cohort of Seekers to populate, so I got the idea to ask if anyone wants to have their Seeker OC attend the Academy along with Lok and Sophie.

These will be characters I will use to make the Academy feel like a real place and to have other Seekers for Lok and Sophie to interact with.

There is a Google Forms link in this post if you want to submit an OC.

Once again, thank you to everyone who has been giving me ideas and feedback on how to improve the story.

I now have to go get writing because I got my Academy structure critiques and I have to fix it!

#huntik #huntik secrets and seekers #huntik fanfiction #huntik oc

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askhuntik · 2 years

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Episode 2 of The Huntik Academy

Episode 2, Chapters 1 and 2 are up now.

I went a lil overboard this time but what's new.

I hope you enjoy it. I wrote and edited this in 2 days, but I hope it doesn't show that much.

My dms are open if you want to talk Huntik or fanfic or anything.

As always my beta reader, Grammarly, was working overtime.

I want to thank everyone who's been hyping me up and answering all of my questions and listening to me ramble on Discord. I wouldn't be here without you.

#huntik #huntik fanfiction #huntik secrets and seekers

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askhuntik · 2 years

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The Huntik Team Watching Eurovision

Part 1: Who likes what performances? Who supports which country?

Sophie would always support France cuz I don't think France ever completely misses when it comes to Eurovision but she will never vote for France and will always be objective about the best song of the year. She would have a predictions sheet with her and will rank the songs while she watches . Would allow Lok to convince her to do the Eurovision Bingo, but wouldn't do the drinking game though.

Lok would be all for the intentionally bad or meme entries and would try to convince Sophie that they aren't a meme or intentionally bad and see if she cracks. He doesn't care that much about the contest so he tries to find the humor in it and cracks jokes all night. Would probably go on r/eurovision and use some jokes from there. Would play Eurovision Bingo or do the drinking game for the fun of it.

Cherit would be really into the songs with ethnic vibes and would be a snob about them. Cherit also would learn all the songs for the year beforehand and sings along all night on the Grand Final night. He is probably the only one that would go out of his way to watch the semi-finals and will complain about songs that didn't make it to the Grand Final. He would be stealing small amounts of everyone's snacks whenever they got up to use the toilet.

Dante would watch just to enjoy the music and is the biggest sucker for the interval act from the host countries because he thinks it is such a cool tradition. He would like the 2016 one so much. He just wants to celebrate European unity and peace, you know? He isn't the biggest fan of the whole thing but thinks watching Eurovision is a cool tradition. Who am I kidding, he probably makes his own drinking game/Eurovision bingo to entertain himself during the whole thing.

Zhalia would be a fan of the Nordic countries, cuz they are always either sending rock or ballad entries and she is a sucker for both. But she would be one of the people that would never vote and just enjoys the show. Dante would try to get her to do the drinking game with him but he is never successful.

Den and Harrison will probably be on the bandwagon of UK hate but for different reasons. Den genuinely doesn't like the half-hearted entries but doesn't think they are actually trying to sabotage the entry, while Harrison is into the conspiracy theory that the BBC doesn't want to win cuz it will bankrupt the tv station so they send the worst stuff and then with Brexit and everything he thinks the UK is sabotaging it even more so the contest would lose popularity in the UK and sever more ties with the EU. They would bicker about this all throughout the Uk song for that year.

Bonus Den and Harrisson: Den is a supporter of Australia being included in the contest, while Harisson thinks it's stupid and rolls his eyes whenever Australia is mentioned by the hosts and screams that they aren't even European.

#should i write this as a one-shot?#which Eurovision year should the team watch if i write this?#huntik secrets and seekers #huntik #ask huntik

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askhuntik · 2 years

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Reminder to check your asks and drafts because I just discovered something that has been rotting there for years and now I HAVE to write it.

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askhuntik · 2 years

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I think there’s this tendency where kids and some tweens liked Sophie better, while teens and some tweens - not to mention adults - liked Zhalia better so please write in the tags your age when you got into Huntik and whether your OG fave was Sophie or Zhalia and if it changed as you’ve grown up

#I loved Sophie at first #then i fell for Zhalia HARD #like for years Zhalia was IT #i was 13-14 when i watched it at first #then i went back to Sophie #i seriously appreciate the way Sophie was writing as a personality and a character #could her storyline have been better sure #i dont care I am a Sophie apologist to my grave #me still holding out hope for a reboot of the show #i also just realised i dyed my hair the corresponding color of my comfort characters over the years and I've been back to strawberry blonde #yeah no I love all Huntik girls so much but Sophie will always have a special place in my heart

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askhuntik · 2 years

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[EN] Fans are really talented! Here some pictures of the new amulets made by Big Jacko Lil Minis on Instagram. They are so well done they look like real amulets!

[FR] Les fans ont vraiment du talent! Voici des photos des nouvelles amulettes réalisées par Big Jacko Lil Minis sur Instagram. Elles sont tellement bien faites qu'on dirait de vraies amulettes! =D

#huntik #huntik secrets and seekers

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askhuntik · 2 years

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The Huntik Academy fic

I finally feel ready to post something about this on here.

The fic has been a long time coming. I've finally finished draft 0 and now I'm able to post at least 2 chapters every weekend.

Episode 1 Chapters 1-5 are currently up on AO3. For now this is the only place that I will be posting it.

I hope it brings you as much joy as it brings me! I would love to hear your feedback!

Art for the image is from the amazing @ktlnz

#huntik #huntik secrets and seekers #huntik fanfiction

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askhuntik · 2 years

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The incredible TCK representation in Huntik makes the show timeless and more relevant than ever.

or "I convinced my 13-year-old brother to rewatch Huntik with me and he opened my eyes about why I keep coming back to this show all these years later"

Question: Are Lok and Sophie the ultimate Third Culture Kids? An analysis.

Definition:

Third culture kids (TCK) or third culture individuals (TCI) are people/kids who were raised in a culture other than their parents' or the culture of their country of nationality, and also live in a different environment during a significant part of their child development years.

Part 1 - Lok:

Lok is Irish/British presumably due to where his mother lives, his last name, etc. We meet him while studying at Venice Prep Academy. Presumably, he has studied there at least 3 years, because he has been in the same class as Sophie for those, by his own account.

Canonically in the show, they are 15, meaning he also spends the next 2 years traveling the world. He doesn’t ever return to his (presumed) home country for an extended period of time and mostly associates with other TCIs such as other seekers.

Lok is known to be very adaptive to any situation he is thrown in. He has no fear of change and actually embraces it. He attends a multinational/international school, and it is very typical for schools like that to value such qualities in their students (source: attended 3 of those). It is not at all uncommon that he remembers Sophie sitting in front of him for 3 years, because it is pretty unusual to have the same people in class with you for multiple years, due to people constantly moving. Most stay for either 1,3 or 5 years - maximum at the same school/in the same place.

Also his skill at solving puzzles could have helped him get into the school - the entrance tests for schools like that are those stupid IQ tests, either with the paper that you fold then punch holes in then unfold, or the ones with shape codes that make you dizzy if you stare too much at them.

(source: have taken those tests to get enrolled in school like that and my mom was a teacher at several of those schools)

Part 2 Sophie:

While she was born and partially raised in France, we don’t actually know if she is French per say. But her larger family is from an incredibly diverse background, which explains why we also find her at Venice Prep Academy. Same thing with the skills and characteristics like with Lok.

It is absolutely probable she never noticed Lok because people come and go all the time in those schools. Because she has lost her family it is entirely possible she never tried to make many friends because she knew she would lose them in 1/3/5 years' time anyway.

Her typical book smarts are a normal and expected characteristic given the school environment I previously mentioned. Most TCKs also speak multiple languages and know how to travel alone/look after themselves at a younger than expected age, as she displays in the show.

This is also why no one, in particular, may bat an eye at Sophie and Lok missing school or traveling a lot - it is normal in schools like those to randomly disappear for weeks at a time, you do have to alert the school, but strict attendance is never a requirement as long as you aren't falling behind and makeup all the test you missed while you were gone.

Argument: Are all Seekres TCIs?

While most Seekers seem to be TCIs, it isn't all of them, as indicated by “regional” seekers we meet through the show, like the team in Rouen - Peter, Billie and Annette, who are portrayed as profilers and are shown to be pretty clearly French and nothing screams TCI about them to me, personally. I might be wrong to think that though.

Final notes:

Look at those two, Lok and Sophie, breaking all the stereotypes, not one British hate the French joke throughout the show.

They are both citizens of the world and for sure qualify to be “TCK”s and they are portrayed as such really well, starting with the way they adapt to situations to how they act when faced with other cultures or their “own” cultures. It is also very typical for TCKs to stick together, even if they don’t come from the same “original” culture, like those two have shown throughout the series.

Personal Connection:

This show came into my life when I first had to adapt to the TCK lifestyle. I was 12-13 and had just moved to a new country and was thrust into the 'international school' system with people coming and going all the time. I related a lot to the characters in this show, especially Sophie and Lok because I saw a lot of myself and what I was trying to grow into mirrored in them. I think this is the only show that I have ever seen that shows even a little bit of this lifestyle and this system.

My brother is now the same age as when I started watching the show, 13. He watched Huntik with me back in the day but couldn't really grasp it. He was 4, when he was thrust into the 'international school' system and he is so happy to see himself in Lok now that he is older. The show is littered with small easter eggs that are so relatable to both me and him, aside from being huge history nerds, but also we recognize skills and behaviors that we have developed due to how and where we were raised mirrored by the main characters and I feel like that is why Huntik will always be timeless to people like us, because no matter how choppy the animation could be, no matter the fact we will probably never get a season 3 or a reboot, it represents us in a way nothing has ever been able to.

#huntik #huntik secrets and seekers

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