#I want to explore their dynamic more cause I think they'd be cute friends

[lilpomfriend]

WoL Question of the Day

" would your wol/oc fuck their patron deity? " (by @/pixelpinkist on twt)

Pohli and her patron goddess, Menphina

[flyingspicerack]

NO UR OKAY IM THE SAME WAY uhhh gimme like. What mao does in downtime? how she gets along w/ the other matsus?

UAH OK OK OK this is going under cut cause i wrote LOTS

(also just letting u know they use they/them pronouns)

Mao is kind of a closeted otaku, or former? They were a hikikomori/shut-in for almost a decade and while they were in solitude, they were very much into anime and manga, idols, video games and MMOs. So, nowadays, they'll still watch anime and play video games but not to that same extreme. They have one craft hobby that they're not very good at and its needle felting, they love doing it despite nothing ever turning out good and constantly stabbing their fingers.

SO THE MATSUS WOAH MOMMA (Ill be 100% honest, I haven't gotten far enough into development/writing my fic to that Mao has fleshed out relationships with the other boys (its a slow/mid-burn and they hardly know the boys outside of Ichi at the point I'm at rn) so im gonna write how their relationships are now and how i hope i might be able to mold them in the future)

Osomatsu They atm don't have much of a dynamic, he's one of the brothers they know the least, but they've picked up that he's a bit cheeky and... not abrasive, maybe a little pushy? But not in a bad way, a neutral way. In the future, I do really want them to be closer, specifically I want to explore how the two would be drunk together. Mao doesn't drink often because, like Ichi, they're a lightweight but they'll get carried away and also tend to black out, so they don't. BUT they also get a lot more loosey goosey and are a bit more silly and confident, and deep down they're kinda vulgar so I think they'd be able to drunkenly joke together? NOT SURE YET.

Karamatsu OK So this is the dynamic I haven't touched on AT ALL, so I am really at a loss... I think they would find him funny in an ironic kind of way. I think they would want to genuinely be nice to him and encourage him, but would see how Ichi seems to think he's 'cringe' and would probably be like "aw, c'mon Ichimatsu, let him cook' or something to that effect. They're also jealous of the fact he can like, sparkle and shit.

Choromatsu OKAY OKAY AS MUCH as I dislike Choromatsu, I'm kind of excited to talk abt this. So currently they have not a CLUE abt Choro, no dynamic at all, HOWEVER!! These two have the most overlap in terms of interests (see above) so I'm genuinely excited to write how these two will interact abt otaku stuff BECAUSE they are going to rip him a fucking new one, say his fictional waifu is trash (yes i know he's mainly an idol otaku but you cant deny the fucker has some anime/light novel waifu he likes or something), and say his taste in content is sub par, but there is going to be one thing, ONE SINGLE THING that they agree on and its something they both hate and hate watch for the same reasons....

Jyushimatsu EEEEEEE SUNSHINE BOY!!!!! He's one of the ones they're had more contact with atm and they think he's absolutely delightful. They truly don't comprehend how the two are identical but are such polar opposites. Well they do, but they also kinda don't (they're an only child) and they think that their friendship/brother ship is so cute. Jyushi is also the only one Ichimatsu brings up in conversation /pos, any of the others he'll complain about. Mao thinks he is so silly goofy and admires his baseball autism passion. I want them to be closer and sillier friends, like one of Mao's favorite things to do is laugh, and yes Ichi makes them laugh in his own way, but Jyushi's way of doing it is different, not better, different.

Todomatsu He's a bitch. A total... little .... bitch. So, atm, Mao thinks he's a little knife cat bitch who uses his cuteness to manipulate, but ultimately these two are gonna get along great... eventually.... I just don't know how.... Something something fashion, something something hair (I kinda wanna steal/incorporate @ oh-gh0st's headcanon that Totty is into doing hair stuff) so I think he would help them bleach and dye their roots when they come in? Maybe?? I dunno I also just see them gossiping together... about something... i dunno

BUT THATS IT!! THANK YOU

[supermacaquecool]

About my Hairy Matters fic.

I'm really proud of the opening paragraph for this one because it gets across really really really well how mad Aoi is at the siblings lol

'Miu, Miu, Miu.' Kaito's voice echoes incessantly. 'I told you to do it before you went out.' 'Ugh, you're so annoying, why don't you ever shut up?' And so on. The Shinonome are back at it again. They fight over everything, even about where they sit at the table. Aoi wishes there were a way to make them stop. Whatever the issue is, it surely doesn't warrant all the yelling, all the name-calling, all the tantrums. Is it that hard to listen to each other and cooperate? Should she get involved? If only Takuma were here… In his absence, she has no choice but to step up to the task.

The way their usual song and dance gets recalled is just so irked up. It's not just that they're fighting but that they fight nonstop and that she finds their behavior unreasonable lol

This one was written because of a twitter poll where I asked who cuts Miu's hair, whether it was Miu herself, Kaito, their parents or a hairdresser lol I'm pretty sure this was because I was thinking on another pair of siblings from the game "World's end game club", where hair-cutting was a significant bonding activity between them (plus the cute fanart with Miu retouching Kaito's root). I got some pretty interesting answers that I felt could evidence their complicated dynamic/household situation. Why write it from Aoi's pov? For one, she's my fav. But another thing is that I wished that the Shinonome making their rocky dynamic everyone's problem was more explored in the game, and Aoi is their leader + the one who is the biggest Harmony proponent, so I thought it could be interesting writing her dealing with them.

When writing Aoi's pov for this fic, I wanted to get across a number of things:

Her hidden anger–I quoted in the notes her wrathful line "Siblings should get along" because it really highlights how much she resented them for being so disruptive without saying a peep. She gets really condescending to Kaito and Miu in her debut as Plutomon, so I wanted to explore some of that.

Her near-constant state of complete anxiety and the causes it stems from. Her lack of self-confidence showing through how little faith she has in her speech. Lots of worries about whether she can do it, whether she can pick the right answer to pacify them and reach harmony, whether they'd hear her (I think this can have a bit of a tenous implication about her worries on whether her authority is respected). These anxieties also show her obsession with doing things right, which adds to her tension (my friend remarked that she's so careful with every aspect of her actions, it made her felt unnerved alongside Aoi lol).

Aoi's constant self-monitoring and self-censoring based on being on high alert about others' reactions at all times.

Her tendency to feel deeply for others still pushing her to empathize with them/want to help them.

I was quite pleased with how, despite the intense anxiety, Aoi still comes across as fairly driven, scanning for the next task to tackle.

The conflict between Miu and Kaito lasts a fairly small portion of the fic, which ends up mostly devoted to Kaito's perspective on it. It was challenging to figure out a way to get him to open up and talk about it in a way that felt organic— channeling his protectiveness over Miu's peculiarities was a really effective way to do it. Overall, it felt a sucessful try at capturing the way arguments get complicated between the clashing perspectives and personalities, and using Dracmon to smooth out the interactions via teasing and cheeky remarks was a blast.

Miu's part is very small, and the unwritten and unposted chapter two to this thing is meant to remedy that... At some point. But I still had fun writing her snapping at Aoi. It basically went like this:

Miu: pls pls pls get kaito off my back.

Aoi, missing the cue: idk how to do this thing you're asking me to.

Miu, alrededy furious bc Kaito is bothering her: UGH

It was a really comedic interaction to me LOL

Other things:

I got a good chuckle out of my friend pointing out how stressful living with them sounded bc of the remark of them fighting about their seat at the table LOL She said she could picture Kaito insistently sitting besides Miu and that it irked her really badly. In my mind, he'd do it because Miu is the only one from the group he's truly close to, no meaning any harm lol But Miu'd be fed up with him breathing over her neck, so...

I was pretty proud of how I wrote Aoi's uneasiness to speak on a physical level. Again, my focus on phisicality really comes in handy to show how easily she gets overwhelmed.

There's some nice emotional ambiguity with how strongly her emotions come across in the narration yet are never acknowledged nor named directly.

The tittle. Is. Really. Funny LOL I usually half-ass the tittles, so the fact it's a corny joke should be taken as a Win

[sugiwa]

Quick question: other than Bakugou, which 3 people would you ship Izumi with?

I would say that the three people I'd ship Izumi with are Shinsou, Nao-Chan, and Monoma.

First, Shinsou because they're such great friends, and I love their duo! Also, I headcanon that if they ever end up together, they'd be like Aizawa and Ms. Joke 2.0!!!

Second, Nao-Chan. It's hard to judge how this ship would work because we haven't seen much of Nao-Chan, and when we did see Nao-Chan and Izumi interactions, there wasn't much chemistry, just an awkward one-sided crush. But even though Izumi is over her crush, and Nao-Chan rejected her, I think they'd be a cute couple if they ever got together. 

Last, I'd say Monoma. Please don't come at me- I don't actually ship-ship them. I mean, the only reason he's my third option is because I think it'd be hilarious seeing Monoma coming up with these crazy plans to get Izumi to fall in love with him... Can't you totally see that happening? LMAO!

I would have said Iida as one of my options, but I think that they're amazing best friends, and I personally think that it's best left that way. 

What do you think?

Sugiwa: So, Shinsou and Izumi is a ship I can definitely see happening. I think they have a good back and forth. Also, Amajiki was her original love interest (she thinks he's super sweet)

I would say Camie and Izumi as well--I have a few scenes I've written of them where the dynamic is just so much fun and really great. Both of them are feeding off each other's energy. I think if Bakugou wasn't in the picture....lol, actually, even when he is...Izumi harbors a small crush on Camie.

Like you said, Nao-chan is Izumi's first awkward crush. It's sweet, but it's also not something I would imagine lasting. All of what we've seen from Nao-chan is throw Izumi's rosy-colored glasses because she was nice to her at school, so it would be a very different story if they were to date.

Lol, to the Monoma and Izumi ship--I secretly love him, so I can totally see him doing this, but I don't see them lasting.

ALSO, DON'T HATE ME FOR THIS CAUSE IT'S MY STORY BUT: I think that Izumi and Bakugou would actually split for a while when they graduate, not because they fall out of love or anything, but because they've only been with each other and are on this point where they both have different goals and ambitions that they want to pursue/support one another in. Izumi would go abroad for a while, date men and women, come back after a couple years as a international hero. Bakugou's shot to the top during this time, explored his own sexuality and preferences and now that Izumi's back and they're more mature, I can see them falling in love all over again in a deeper and stronger way.

[thatpinkbetch]

I'm going to answer it this way, because I'm actually not a fan of some of those, and I've heard this is the way to do it if you don't want it ending up in the tag or the search I think? If i censor any of the ship names it's not out of malice! I simply don't want any of this to end up in front of eyes that just want to enjoy their ships 💖💖💖 if there is anyone who doesn't want to see opinions against t*d*d*ku, k*r*b*ku, or even iz**ch*ka, please don't read any further! Oh my goodness i hope this is all legible...

Anyways, hello!! Thank you so much for the ask!! I love talking about my opinion avkvmsocnaocjsoxks it also makes me really happy you like my blog 🥺🥺🥺 (I hope this answer doesn't ruin that avskvneognsocjs)

I'll start out by confirming that I'm not a multishipper. It makes me excited to see how the act of shipping itself can make others happy, but it's just not that way for me. I actually never read fanfic until I got into bnha (bkdk is just that powerful 😁😁) I'm actually...a little serious when i ship, or when i enjoy media, i analyze pretty heavily, so also, if that doesn't sound like anyone's cup of tea, i would once again recommend to stop reading and enjoy your day please!

I love analyzing characters and storylines and dynamics, but i will admit, I'm not a fan of most of the ships - not romantically. I think all the characters have interesting relationships to each other, all of the kids are great friends, and I love bonds and friendships so much 🥺🥺🥺

Those first two are perhaps the biggest, at least they definitely were the biggest when I first entered. Once i caught up, I didn't really understand the enthusiasm, but people have fun shipping, so that's nice! I think of those two as easy ships, if that makes sense? They're pretty simple, and easy to digest.

I personally am not a fan of romantic t*d*d*ku for a very specific reason; it feels weird to me for Todo to immediately fall in love with the first person who's ever shown him kindness (since his mother of course). Todo had never had any friends, nor any want for friends, obviously because of the abuse he faced as a child. Mido was his first exploration at a life outside of his father, a life he got to make for himself, it just doesn't feel right to me that he should immediately think "oh, is this romantic love? Is this the one and only for me?" Well, perhaps a teenager might think that way, but i don't think that's actually how he feels deep down, and I'm sure that's something a lot of us have to learn as we grow (I've definitely struggled with my own understanding of romance for the past 8 years). I think he still is trying to learn how to socialize and to make friends and to be a friend (and he's doing SUCH a good job!) But to immediately plunge into romance, which can be complicated, i don't think that would be right for him. I hope that makes sense! I know they're a very cute ship, which makes for fun! But again, I can be a little serious when i ship...

K*r*b*ku kind of falls into similar territory for me? Baku definitely had friends growing up, but he's seemed to always have trouble understanding his feelings and where he stands with others, causing trust issues. Kiri is really the first person he knew where he stood with, a person for him to be comfortable with and feel on equal ground, which i think is such a huge and positive role in his life, and i don't necessarily think that it needs to be romantic - for both of these, i think these relationships are incredibly important, to everyone involved, and making them romantic doesn't make them any more important!! In fact, i feel like them as friends actually can offer a more complex, interesting, and human dynamic between these characters, as sometimes people simply default to romance and then end up pushing for the same old tropes and ignore all the intricacies Horikoshi includes in his writing.

Again, I love Mido's friendship with Todo, and I love Baku's friendship with Kiri. I think these relationships are incredibly important, and friends are incredibly important. People who ship them are having fun, which is so lovely, and i hope they continue to have fun! I hope you personally find more fics about them that make you smile and brighten your day 💖💖💖

Iz**ch*ka is a little difficult, because they certainly are cute, separately and together. I thought they were cutest before Ura was told about her potential crush on Mido, when she was simply a source of bubbly energy and positivity that helped Mido open up and feel comfortable around other people. I feel though that, romantically, it's extraordinarily one-sided, and at this point, i have to wonder if they really are "end goal." End goal for shounen, of course, is hardly ever explicit ahzovndlfjsoxo but i feel like a better storyline for Horikoshi to take would be for Ura to realize that she's been confused, and these feelings haven't really been a positive experience for her. I've definitely gone through things like that as a teenager. Now, the ship can be very cute! They're basically the same person, and they're cute and bubbly! But again, it simply isn't for me.

I think Momjirou is very cute!! Of course, as a lesbian, i sense strong lesbian vibes from Momo, and strong bi vibes from Jirou, and I also saw the ship potential ever since the USJ attack - which i think, so did everyone else ahaovndofjsojfsk they're best friends without a doubt, though i have to say, i really like Kamijirou. She just makes him so soft, and he's so in awe of her, and she thinks he's so funny, I love how supportive he is of her, especially since she can be really insecure 🥺🥺🥺

I also think Ura and Tsu are very cute but another easy ship, and i kind of really like Ochamina 🥺 they're both pink and space themed, they're bubbly and energetic and kick ass, and i think they'd be super cute...

I saved todobaku for last, because, you know what they say, best for last! 😇😇😇

I've said it before, but if there was no Mido (impossible obviously, and i would never want that) then todobaku is where my heart would lie. Baku has never really been shown chasing after anyone except for Mido...and Todo, which really gets at my heart. There's a grudging respect there - very, very grudging ahakckdkfjskdk which i find very appealing! Todo is very important to Baku and he has also been able to show Baku some things about himself that he needed to question and reevaluate. Meanwhile, Todo puts up with exactly 0% of Baku's shit, which i find absolutely hilarious. It's funny to me how Baku wishes to intimidate Todo as he does everyone else, and Todo simply does not care. And Baku wants to be mad, and ends up mad that he can't be mad since Todo is a strong and worthy opponent. They just have such an interesting chemistry, there's so much friction, so much tension, and I enjoy it, particularly since they clearly should be friends, would be great friends, want to be friends, but Baku simply won't get over it 😂😂 I do prefer them as friends, but friends that are incredibly close, two people that understand each other on almost a telepathic level, two people that give each other shit while also refusing to take the other's shit.

I do agree that many people in this fandom seem to think their ship stands on some moral high ground? It could be a disconnect from the previous generations of fandom, or it could also be the growing mentality on this site that everything needs to be a battle of moral superiority, and also that what you like is part of your personality, and if someone doesn't like what you like, then they don't like you or that they think you're factually incorrect. I personally have stopped going into the bn/ha tag simply because I don't enjoy, well, many things i find there, and I'm happy with those that i follow. I've definitely seen hatred and invalidation for both LGBT ships and m|w ships, neither of which I'm comfortable with. I definitely don't go off tumblr for fandom stuff because there's practically no acceptance for any same gender ships, or any queer headcanoning, which, I'll be honest, makes me scared, as i am a very anxious person avdkvndkfje i do think it should be noted that we should be as accepting of cishet ships as we are of queer ships - no debate on this one - but again, you are right when you say that many cishet headcanons have been used to invalidate LGBT voices, and any and all allies must always be aware of this! It is much more often that queer voices are silenced, that queer ships are ridiculed, that queer shippers aren't allowed to enjoy or see themselves. And to anybody that doesn't want to be an ally... Whelp ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ what are you doing here ajxkvmdogjdicjsicjsodj I'm gay

I haven't really read much of anything recently, let alone other ships, platonic or otherwise, because energy has been low for me for a long time. I wish i could participate more and support all my friends and other fans, but it's been a bit of a struggle 😣😣😣 I'm so sorry! Something that I can do is make posts and analyses and metas, as those are quick and make me excited, so I'm always happy to respond to asks like these! (I say as i take two hours to write this response...)

I hope people have been taking care of themselves and remember that tumblr is really good at letting you cater to your own interests! I hope if you've made it to the end of this response that you enjoyed it, and you're not mad at me ahsovjekgjsocjwodkso if you are, that's fine, I'm sorry, I probably am really bad at social/internet etiquette and such that help you filter 😣😣

To any who are curious, you cannot change my mind ahdogmdocjdidk thank you to whoever sent this ask!!! A lot of this is a bunch of rambling I've always wanted to talk about but was frankly too scared to post! I hope I made sense and answered everything you were asking!! Please have a good day/night/life!!! 💖💖💖💖💖

[claymorecut]

Journey of a shipper: Kontae and how I fell for this ship?

OKAY! SO I'M FINALLY DOING THIS. Writing a long ass meta about this ship because hell, I love them and this ship is beautiful and I just need more content for this ship, so I'm making some myself! Before I start, it's just my opinion and I don't mean to offend anybody and second, I'm not a great analyst. I'm just going to ramble about stuff here and it's pretty long. So, enjoy!

I remember making this post about gintama ships back when I first started watching Gintama and I remember mentioning Kontae there. The sweet and kind guy falls for the hard-core and strong willed woman. A ship dynamic I really love. And their interactions, so damn funny I can't even say! And the 10 years gap didn't look like a big issue to me; they are both adults so I was okay with it. This ship looked funny to me, Kondou blushing, asking her to marry him, butt hair and all xD but also made me feel like "it may not get too far". But Idk why, I decided to stick with it. Because i was just so much in love with Kondou and Otae's characters. But in between all that, I really didn't see any kind of romance happening between these two and I was like maybe in an AU, they'd make a really good couple. It's not happening in Gintama 'cause I really don't see any kind of romance happening in this universe (and yet, I continued shipping xD)

But, I was wrong.

When the Yagyuu arc came and I watched episode 81. And my faith in this ship was restored. I know there were some ship-tease moments for gintae in the benizakura arc and the yagyuu arc but then this scene came:

I know, I know, it wasn't literal but what if it was? Well, that's not the question here. I was pretty surprised to hear this myself. Gintoki saying "She'll make it up to him" and Hijikata saying "She loves him. She's just playing hard to get" and all then Otae comes and saves Kondou from his Gorilla marriage. I got the verdict here tho. Maybe it was just for comedic purpose, maybe not. But still, it was enough for me to continue shipping them coz they looked hella cute and I just thought I'd just stick to it. Maybe, I'm gonna find something big soon. I found other ships like Hijimitsu and Gintsu! But that's a topic for another day.

AND, YES. I DID!

The pool arc came, which is like ep 217 and yes, nothing huge happened but remember how Gintoki was a making fun of Otae's breasts and how he wasn't interested in looking at her flat chest but Kondou, who was, like always, stalking her, then says he's ready to explore every part of her to find the nipple xD and Otae just punches him. Yeah that was funny. And then Tae later again comments that she can see right through Gintoki's actions and Gintoki retorts again by saying that he's not interested in her camel toe. Then this scene happens:

Kondou says he has no interest in camel toe and Tae again punches him while yelling "YOU DON'T?!"

Weird, right?

I know, it was weird for me too! But what can I say, these short details were what made me feel like maybe, JUST MAYBE, Tae has a thing for Kondou. Just look how offended she is. I know Kondou didn't mean to disrespect her neither was he rejecting her but I think Tae feels like he is. And so she goes like "what do u mean u don't?! Don't you love me!?" Even if it was just a sexual reference, it made me think that maybe, Hijikata was right. She does try to play hard and that there is something.

Then came the love choriss arc and I got a major hint.

How Sayaka-chan was Kondou's virtual girlfriend and how he introduced her to everyone in the Shimura residence. Yup then this happens.

This was stupid and weird and funny and my Kontae heart screamed "YER JEALOUS TAE!"

Just look at her going all dramatic while getting worried about Shinpachi. Well, of course she'll be worried about Shinpachi's well being and how her brother is just drowing into his own virtual world but Why. Throw. Kondou's. Game? If she really doesn't feel anything for him then there's no reason for her to throw Kondou's game. Why not let him stay in his own virtual world with his own virtual girlfriend? What were you planning, Sorachi-sama?

It was the very first time when it looked very evident to me that Tae has something for Kondou deep inside. That whole dramatic scream "THIS CAN'T BE!" just after Kondou introduced Sayaka-chan. I listened to that dialogue very closely and it first started with Kondo introducing her then Gintoki saying something like you're in this shit too? And soon was followed by Tae's dramatic "this can't be! Is Shin-chan going to be like this too!?" while throwing Kondou's game out and Kondou screaming "Sayaka-chan!!"

Tae's jealousy is still a mystery here but I still feel like, somewhere she was.

Moving on!

They went out on a date, which was a disaster and then alongside Kyubei in the Beam Saber arc, how Kondou fought for Otae I started to feel a lot more from Kondou's side. Yes. The stalking is a running gag but Kondou's feelings were given more comedic effect rather than highlighting it in a very serious tone. But that's how Sensei does his work. Gintama is supposed to be funny and this ship is supposed to be funny and I really wasn't expecting any intense and serious Kontae moment in the series.

Well, Sorachi-sama proved me wrong. AND I THANK HIM SO, SO VERY MUCH!

The Genderbender arc came, Kyubei is now this handsome hunk and Tae is blushing furiously and Kondou is this blond bombshell which is his too good! It's been shown over and over again that even if Kondou is a stalker, he just wants to see Otae happy. That's what he always wanted even if he isn't the reason for her happiness. When Jyubei and Tae starts meeting frequently, Kondou comes and encourages Jyubei to stop worrying about other and enjoy himself with Tae. He even says that he's happy with just being her friend and I think this proves how much he cares for her. He gives them those movie tickets telling he actually wanted to ask her out but now that he's like this, can't be with her like the way he always wanted to and now Jyubei is the only one who can take care of her. He was genuinely hurting but what matters most to him is Otae and so he leaves them while saying "if you make her cry, I'll arrest you". Even Kyubei later mentions it that it was him who was hurting and crying and he just happily sacrificed Otae so that she can be happy.

Then came the roach motel arc and OTAE WEARS THE KIMONO THAT KONDOU GAVE! Yes, not in the episode but in opening 15 she does and even in the manga cover! Ah..the feels. Well, coming back to the point, this episode was basically everybody bullying Kondou but the good part here was the ending of this episode. Kondou knowing that he was getting bullied and that Tae was a part of all this but he still says "that's how Otae-san is. This is what makes her, her." That was beautiful; he accepts her for who she is. He knows that she's brash and manipulative and even abusive but she's also kind and strong and beautiful; even after all her flaws he still continues to accept and love her. That's true love. And then comes Otae's part. She slowly starts to learn more and more about him, I think she knew he wasn't stalking her. And then she finally admits that she actually had fun with Kondou and that she got to see a new side of him while hugging that roach mask. She was happy to discover a new side of him, no stalking attached. I was so amazed to see this happening coz like I said, I wasn't expecting all these serious Kontae moments but these were actually happening. It was a breath of fresh air and I was really happy to see a developed relationship between these two characters which just made me ship them even more.

Then comes the love incense arc which was just....bizarre. What was Sensei thinking while writing this arc? Why would you do that to my poor kokoro!? But whatever, nothing is properly explained here, everybody is falling in love with everybody, Kondou turns gay, Gintoki just loses his senses and is sleeping with practically everybody, Tsukuyo's feelings for Gintoki starts to go havoc. But then, Tae and Kyubei comes in the picture. And they're in love with Gintoki too. But then, things change. Take turns out to be in love with Kondou! Hell, she was actually JEALOUS! Yes, it was the love incense and yes, this arc is just too crazy to explain anything properly but hear me out. What if, the love incense actually triggered some of Tae's hidden feelings for Kondou? Just like Tsukuyo's. Coz she actually saw Gintoki's dick first when she inhaled that smoke. Not him. But she ended up discovering her own feelings towards him. So what if this was the same case with Tae? We all saw that she was under the effect of that drug and was in love with Gintoki so Sensei, why this change of plans?

No answers, right? I don't have them either. It's just the little theory I came up with. What was Tae's real feelings? But soon the Shogun Assassination and the Farwell Shinsengumi arcs are followed after this.

And GOOD LORD! Sensei actually proved me wrong! By giving one of the most beautifully written scenes between these two characters.

It isn't always when Sorachi-sama actually decides to go for the romantic plot but in Kontae's case, I felt like he actually hinted a LOT. The very first ship in Gintama where I felt like no, this isn't just one-sided but actually, feelings were shown from both the sides, especially Tae. Like everyone, she misses him. But Tae remembering him like this and crying when she's about to get her neck slashed:

"A real man, a real samurai would never do something like this. That man, would never do something like this."

She knows him, she knows what kind of a man Kondou really is. And even at a time like this, Kondou is the man who comes in her mind. A true man, true police, a true samurai who not for once tried to force himself upon her. Not for once showed any kind of disgrace towards any other people or her. All this time, she comes to learn more and more about him and you know, it was worth the time.

Even Shinpachi sees it.

"I'll bring that man, and everyone, back to you for sure. So wait for us with the same old smile on your face, Sis."

Why exclude him from everybody? There has a meaning behind this and a deep one and tbh, I see a romantic meaning behind this. Shinpachi addressing Kondou like this, it was new. It's not always when Sensei uses such points to evoke a romantic gesture but when he does, it sure leaves an impact.

And this is not the last time he used such implications for KonTae. Fast forward to ep 316, Tae is at Kozenigata's place and she's now leaving. Haji and Konzenigata both tries to stop her because it was dangerous outside and the police organisation isn't working properly and she replies,

"That's exactly why police need to go back to their jobs, and cabaret girls have to go back to their job."

It's like foreshadowing their relationship- the police and the cabaret girl. And then Kozenigata just simply puts a cherry on top.

"They must have come back. Her police."

And Kondou pops out of that dustbin!

FREAKIN' POETIC CINEMA!

And then come the dialogues.

"Don't you think it's high time you stop doing this....You'll catch a cold."

"Why did you have to say that out of all days? I wish you had acted like always, called me a perverted stalker and hit me like you always do. You're....making it hard to say goodbye."

The voice acting, the dialogues, the animation, honestly everything screams romantic here. And yeah, the close-up happy-sad faces, if you've seen/read romantic anime/manga, you should know it's a shoujo trope used to display romantic feelings between two characters. And if I'm just making speculations, they're sharing the same umbrella...

Two people, especially a man and a woman, sharing an umbrella in rain is considered as a symbol of romance in Japan.

This kinda proves that romance is present in this scene.

And then finally this.

ANOTHER SHOUJO TROPE. THE CLOSE-UP EYES!

These eyes literally says it all. It's like Tae saying I'll wait for you and when you come back, I'll happily welcome you and then we can go back to those old days. Just like how Shinpachi said.

And I think, this is the very first and the only time, Sensei used this gesture. And this is just too much for me to not ignore it!

The way Kondou looks at Tae while talking to her, it almost feels like he's telling her to not look so sad. Like I've mentioned before, Kondou wants to see her smile. And i think, in this scene it's crushing for him to see her with such a sad smile on her face. That is the last thing he wants to see. That's why he said he wanted to see her react the way she always did. And Tae not acting like that and instead showing such emotions towards him, it's too overwhelming. Just think how Kondou would be feeling there. Tae seeing him off, her eyes glistening while she sees him walk away but also waits for his arrival in the near future, its simply poetic.

The reunion between these two is as funny as ever, Kontae was back in its own color. When Okita said Kondou was always okay with their usual type of setting, he meant to say that Kondou was happy in those old days. That's what he said in the FS arc, he wanted to see her in her usual self, no sad face, no crying, just a happy Otae who loves to beat the crap outta him but also respects him. Things really were pretty intense in the SA and FS arcs but I don't think Sensei wanted to continue this for long. It was like Sensei saying, we're back to the old days, happy days. The Silver Soul arc and the ongoing arc isn't as intense as these two arcs and that's what Sensei wants to say "we're back to those good ol' day". But that doesn't mean he threw away all those meaningful moments between these two; it was so heavily implied. Just because of a troll scene, one cannot disregard the whole development and say "it was never there" because of course there was something which was very much visible to the viewers/readers, even if it isn't present now doesn't mean it was all a joke or just some i-just-wrote-it-but-now-it-doesnt-mean-anything bullshit. Yeah, the ship isn't canon but that also doesn't mean it sank. I mean, Kondou is not gonna marry that gorilla anymore so....

Imo, KonTae is the only ship in Gintama where romantic feelings are implied from both the sides. It really didnt look unrequited. It's not only Kondou or Tae, it's both of them and both of them have actually shown interest in each other in a way which I won't say is completely ambiguous. The FS arc was the part where it is shown how far their relationship has come and how they have come to learn and respect each other, maybe even love each other. I'm not forcing these ideas on anybody, these are facts and I'm sure even non-shippers must have noticed these moments as well. Honestly, the romantic implications were heavy here, the scenes, the dialogues, the "Take care" which is just too beautiful to not to be ignored. Even if I don't see canon pairings happening here, I still somehow hope for this ship.

My love for Gintsu is eternal but Kontae, this is the only ship where I feel like has come a lot far. And even other characters have mentioned their relationship and in a serious note. Check all those subtle hints, pick up the whole FS arc, it's there. A relationship that started with a gag but now is fully developed where I can see loads of potential. It's a ship that's been here from the very beginning of the series and it didn't look rushed at all. Another universe of how I met your mother lol.

People can ship whatever they like and I'm really not trying to push my thoughts onto anybody here.

But KonTae, this ship is no gag or joke and it deserves more love.

It's stupid, it's hilarious, it's beautiful and it's properly developed and that's why I fell for this ship so hard.