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Slightly higher quality version of the Blu-ray art shared here.

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“I’m so sorry!”

“…blame us police, who couldn’t do anything.”

“Hijikata-san…”

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3Z Hijikata & Tae

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New Character Visuals as drawn by Sorachi: Hijikata & Tae

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So I'm getting the HijiTae community ready. I don't think it's going to be an active place, but I thought I'd make it, anyway. It will give fans a place to discuss anything HijiTae and Gintama in general, too, as a result of that. I'm still sprucing up the place.

Anyway, when the time comes, I'll let you all know!

(May autumn and winter bring more new HijiTae fanworks. 🙏 I'm 60% done that HijiTae Christmas fic I started 3 years ago, lol...)

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How do you imagine HijiTae happening considering Hijikata respects Kondo to the extent that he does? I have been reading your HijiTae posts and have been intrigued / thinking about writing a fic for them, but I would love to know your thoughts about what he would do to not hurt Kondo.

Hi, thank you for your question. I’m glad you’re interested in writing a fic for them, especially since they are a tiny fandom and not a generally accepted rare pair in the fandom to even be a side pairing in a story. New content is always appreciated!

Before I continue, I just want to quickly note to any unaware HijiTae fans who may be scrolling by: please vote in this poll here before it closes on Oct. 31! And check out this list of prompts if you also want to create content for them!

Moving on: I’ve encountered this question a lot over the years, either directly or from afar, observing the discussions people have about HijiTae. Sometimes people (not you, but others from past experiences) assume that HijiTae fans are out to hurt Kondou, to erase Mitsuba, and to generally wreak havoc by not conforming to fandom’s status quo when it comes to popular ships. That is not the case – at least, not for me.

Personally, I always envision possibilities that occur after Tae and Kondou embrace their friendship instead, so that both have moved on from any residual feelings for each other, particularly Kondou. I do not believe Hijikata would go behind Kondou’s back or pursue a relationship with Tae while knowing Kondou still loves her. Even if Kondou moved on, I still think Hijikata would talk to Kondou first in order to put his mind and heart at ease. Hijikata doesn't exactly need permission to love Tae (and vice versa with Tae), but Kondou would probably appreciate Hijikata's consideration, nonetheless. If Kondou was uncomfortable with it, Hijikata, without a doubt, would step back and not act on his feelings. If Kondou was okay with it, then Hijikata would feel better about moving forward. Hijikata would never blindly pursue a relationship with Tae without considering the fact that his oldest and closest friend has or once had romantic feelings for her.

That said, I don’t think Kondou would like it if Hijikata’s devotion to him was taking precedence over Hijikata’s own feelings and desires. It’s similar to where Hijikata did what he thought was best for Mitsuba without taking into account her feelings, her thoughts, and her ability to make her own decisions. He did so without communicating directly with her. If Hijikata did what he thought was best for Kondou by not considering what Kondou thinks or decides in any way, it’ll be a repeat of the past where more than one person can be hurt. Communication is key in any relationship, and, fortunately, Hijikata has learned and matured since then.

Kondou cares deeply for Hijikata, and knows him better than most, what he’s been through with Mitsuba and life in general. If Kondou saw that Hijikata had feelings for someone else, I believe he would support Hijikata. If that someone else was Tae and she returned Hijikata’s feelings, then I believe Kondou would want them to be happy because he cares for both of them. Most of all, Kondou wants to see Hijikata happy again, regardless of whether that happiness comes in the form of a romantic relationship or feeling unburdened by the past (I believe Mitsuba would feel the same way). Plus, both men have to respect Tae's decision and consider her feelings as well.

Sometimes people forget how kind and generous Kondou is. In the Dekobokko Arc, when Kondou saw that Tae was showing obvious signs of attraction toward Kyuubei instead, what did he do in the end? He gave them a pair of movie tickets and told them to live how they want – essentially, giving them his blessing when they all knew that he has feelings for Tae, too. That spoke volumes about Kondou’s character.

Granted, it mainly occurred because Kondou believed that, as Goriko, it would be impossible to love Tae with both of them being women, and Kyubei as Jyubei made them the only person left for Tae to love. Kondou was, of course, mistaken, and also, I didn’t like the arc’s reinforcement of the idea that everybody else except Tae gets to decide whom Tae should love. I find this mindset frequently in fandom where people look at Tae’s het ships and their first thought is whether Tae is good enough for the man or not. I’ve seen arguments about how Tae is better because she does this, this, and this for a man while ignoring Tae’s desires, never asking if the man is good enough for her. Anyway, I digress; that’s another subject, and your question is chiefly concerned with the Hijikata-and-Kondou aspect of a potential HijiTae relationship.

Going back to the Dekobokko Arc, I don’t think it’s a stretch to believe that Kondou loves Tae enough that he wants her to be happy, even if it’s without him, even beyond that arc.

In conclusion, I think Hijikata would think carefully about the situation, if he happened to develop feelings for Tae while Kondou still loves her. I don’t think he’d act on them because Kondou comes first in this case. Still, Hijikata also has to consider Kondou’s choices as well in the case that Kondou gives his blessing. Tae probably wouldn’t want to come between two old friends, either, but if she did love one of them, then the other would need to respect her choice.

Maybe all three of them might simply remain friends and move on, preferring not to get involved in complicated relationships. Maybe Kondou doesn’t want Hijikata to deny himself forever just for his sake, because it wouldn’t make Kondou feel good, either, if Hijikata’s devotion grows blind and robotic.

And if Kondou has already moved on from her, and Hijikata suddenly finds himself falling in love with Tae and she with him...then I think Kondou would be happy for both in that situation, too. Surprised, but happy that Hijikata forgave himself and allowed his heart to heal and love again; and happy that someone loves Hijikata in return.

Anything is possible.

This is a subject I explore in an unpublished multi-chapter fic of mine (that has been in progress for I don’t know how many years now; someday it’ll be finished) as well as a one-shot that will complete a series of fics I have on HijiTae’s journey from allies to friends to lovers with Kondou still remaining a solid presence in both of their lives. Do I want Kondou to be alone forever? No, my future head canons always include Kondou happy in some way, whether married, with a family, or single (but he's usually a happy husband and father in my universe).

I hope this satisfactorily answers your question. I've reread this post several times over to make sure I've covered the main points. It's a lot of speculation, lol, but that's where our freedom to explore in fic and art becomes fun.

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Gintama || Hijikata & Tae || 2003 — 2019

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Please! Take us away!!! To a world without gorillas!

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花火と蛍

Hijikata and Otae Commission for bossladytae! I truly enjoyed this art and it’s so nice working with you! 

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Tae and Hijikata comission for @bossladytae 💙

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i will say, the worst thing that happened in fandom was when shipping just became “i ship this bc it’s gonna be real” and not just “i ship this bc i think it’s a fun dynamic to explore idc what the writers are doing that’s not my business”

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Gintama 3Z: Tae and Hijikata, and their food obsessions.

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fanfic writers who write for rare pair ships are treasures and I hope they all know about the impact they have on fandoms. like… they’re the ones bringing these ships to lives, they’re one of the few people who saw the potential between two characters whose dynamics, whether or not they interact in canon, were overlooked by most fans, and they created something beautiful out of these potential dynamics. like??? hello???? that is pure genius.

not to mention how they’re the lifelines for other people who enjoy these ships but didn’t have any fics to consume until these tireless writers spent hours or days or weeks or months or years writing about these characters and their relationships, and just shared the worlds they created with their audiences for free.

or how they singlehandedly introduced the ships to new people who would’ve otherwise never thought about these ships before.

how they could just make people fall in love with the dynamics between characters who have little to no canon screentime together.

how they could just make people fall in love with the dynamics between characters who aren’t lovers in canon, characters who don’t indicate any clear hint of romance in canon.

how they see what most fans don’t and how they create such beautiful worlds for these characters are simply insane.

fanfic writers who write for rare pair ships are treasures.

shoutout to every fanfic writer who writes for rare pair ships.

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Fic: Love is Stranger Than Fiction, Stronger Than Dark Matter, and Sweeter Than Mayonnaise

A collection of Hijikata x Tae drabbles, vignettes, and short stories with various genres and settings exploring the friendship and romantic relationship of Hijikata and Tae. In essence, a place for "scraps" or unfinished and unpublished works by yours truly. This collection will be updated as the muse strikes.

Click the title for the link to AO3 if you're interested in reading.

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