#esp now were done with what could be considered the first arc of chance meetings ig!

[bluekayanite]

(SU/SU:F Observations/Theory) More on the SU Moon

So I've been convinced for awhile that the moon appearing in Steven Universe eps (and at least one of the books) is NOT RANDOM.  The first four eps of Steven Universe: Future helped solidify this for me even further.

So here's what I think the appearance of the moon means, as well as a number of my moon-related observations from the original SU.

EDIT (Dec 16, 2019): Corrected a detail that I missed/got wrong. =3 EDIT2 (Dec 17, 2019): Added another detail. ^w^

So, I believe that an important person from the Gem War has been imprisoned in the observation orb in the Diamond base.

(The force field is for extra insurance, filtering out anyone who might intend to do a rescue.)

Like the mirror that Lapis was trapped in, I believe that this prisoner can see what's going on through the orb's observation functions.  When this person is watching, the moon will appear.

When this person is paying closer attention than usual, the moon will often be bright and/or full... it may even be pink.

Sometimes, when this person is watching hard, even the sunset (or sunrise) will be pink.

I believe that - like with the search robonoids in Off-Colors - Rose's sheild wasn't enough to black out White Diamond's mind control powers.

I believe that the prisoner on the moon is the real Pink Diamond.

The Prisoner is Certainly Interested in Pink's Stuff

The reason I decided to write this is because of the moon's presence in the third and fourth eps of SU:F, Rose Buds and Volleyball - eps that would certainly be relevant to Pink Diamond's interests, because they're about Gems that would more-than-likely be important to her.  The moon shows up a LOT in Rose Buds, and is often on the bright side.

Granted, most of the appearances are in the same background of Steven's Room, during the slumber party - I omitted about half the shots because they'd be redundant. XD;  Still, it's quite a bit for the amount of show it's in.

That said, it doesn't start showing up until after the Rose Quartzes came to Steven's house.  And Crewniverse definitely took some creative liberties for *where* it appears.  For example, it's seen in *almost* the same place in the sky for both night and day shots of the house.

The moon doesn't work that way. XD  It's going to appear to go across the sky, just like the sun does, and at about the same rate.  The amount of shift that it does have would only suggest a change of... maybe a half-hour, if that.  Certainly not enough time to go from broad daylight to a dark, starry sky.  Another thing is that, even though the moon is shown on the opposite side of the house from Steven's new sliding-doors, you can see it through the sliding doors. XD

Also: even though you normally see it through the left side of the doors, it switches to the right side, just for this one shot.

So it really seems to me like they're trying to emphasize "the moon is there!"  I can't think of a reason why they would do that, unless it were important to the story... in this case, a story about a few Rose Quartzes, who Pink made.  (I like to imagine that it's like she's trying to press her nose to the door. XD)

Now in Volleyball, while most of the shots are indoors, the shots of the house include the moon... again, in both day (right at the beginning of the ep) and night (right at the end of the ep), and again, in about the same position in the sky for both day and night.

Though this time the moon even changes phases, going from quarter-moon to a full one.  Again, the moon doesn't work that way!  It takes a week to go between a quarter-moon and a full moon.  (It's also one of the times when its on the brighter side.)

So again, I don't think this'd be done unless it were important to the story.  Again, the story is about a Gem that Pink (probably) made, and who is probably important to her.  I've already mentioned that I suspect that a full moon means that Pink is paying extra-close attention - this suggests to me that Pink Pearl really was that important to Pink.

...I could only imagine what Pink would be feeling.  She might be a that the Pearl (esp. the pink one) seem to be doing okay, but what they think about her would probably be awkward at best.  ...more likely it would be painful though IMO - one of the Gems who she was really closest to has forgotten who she really is.

The Moon-Prisoner Seems Interested in Steven and the Crystal Gems

Okay... so I haven't actually scanned through all the SU eps to see where the moon shows up, but here are the things I have noticed:

The moon shows up a lot when Steven and Connie are together - as does the pink-sky thing.

In Sworn to the Sword, the moon is actually full briefly during the Jam Buds song... and then instantly changes to a quarter-moon.  This is extra weird moon-behavior, since it's actually impossible for the moon to be full during the day, since it has to be on the opposite side of the Earth from the sun to be full. XD  She's gotta be paying really close attention - not to mention be very POWERFUL - if she managed that. X3

(And yes, I'm sure it's not the sun.  The sun isn't made of two shades of blue.)

Anyway, the moon is there for two of Greg's stories.

It's also there for Garnet's wedding. ;3

(Looks to me like Pink's a 'shipper. =3 X3  It even shows up during Gemcation, when Connie and Steven aren't talking.)

It's there, full, and bright, for ALL of the wrestling matches.  (Seriously, ALL of them.)

It's hard to see after Tiger and Puma get beaten, but it's there.

It's bright and pink when Steven is having trouble with his cat fingers - possibly suggesting freak-out.

Speaking of freak-out, the moon shows quite a bit during the Heart of the Crystal Gems arc, after "the Reveal" - as do pink sunsets.

In The Question, there's also a higher rate of pink-colored, diamond-shaped stars with a halo around them - something else that I think could be a clue that the prisoner's watching... maybe even trying to communicate.

She also seemed to be watching during the fiasco with the communications tower (where the moon is explicitly used to show the passing of time).

...and may have checked in out of worry, after.  Specifically, on Amethyst.

And seemed to have watched for the resolution. =‘3

It's hard to miss the moon at the end of Rose's Scabbard.

She also apparently watches Beach-A-Palooza - the moon is even noticeably pink during Sadie's Song!

(...though admittedly, the pink may be harder to notice against my marks. XD; )

There's some INTENSE pink-sunset going on in Raising the Barn, when a fellow prisoner is thinking about running away.  (Plus a half-moon, after it's too late to stop her.)

She may have noticed when Lars - a friend of Steven's - went missing.

She may have even followed Buddy’s adventures.

I even wonder if she somehow got Lion to go get Steven out from the ocean in Escapism.

Overall, the impression that I get from when and how the moon appears is sort of a curious, excitable, and supportive (and/or worrying) feeling.  And it would seem to me like the prisoner enjoys entertainment, much like Pink is established to. ;3

The Moon is Conveniently Absent for Certain Plot Points

Like I hinted at, there don't appear to be any signs of the moon in either Little Homeschool or Guidance.  In fact, other than when Jasper first arrives, the moon hasn't shown AT ALL when either Jasper or Smokey have been involved - and even when Jasper first arrives, it's a stretch, because you have to count seeing the moon from the hand-ship, where I'm not sure the orb could look into.

Though I guess the sky could be considered pink after the crash... (I'd say it's more of a light/pale red, though - not quite "pink" range.)

And the sky is definitely pink at the end of Back to the Kindergarten - an ep that Smokey appeared in.

Still, it seems plausible that the prisoner doesn't know much about what's happened with Jasper, and she might not know about Smokey (or the other with-Gem Steven-Fusions) at all.  I'm thinking there's a pretty good chance that there's going to be an ep where Pink meets Jasper, and there's some shock involved (on both sides).

Similarly... one of my theories is that Smokey's freckles are a recessive trait indirectly inherited from Pink, who had to hide her own freckles.  (They're the only truly new trait gained when Steven fuses with one of the CGs.)

I think this might be setting up for a pleasant surprise on a first-meeting with Smokey. =3

There are other points where it seems like she missed something important - for example, there's no sign of the moon during Pearl's most famous song... or anywhere else in Mr. Greg.

I've also yet to see the moon any time when the other Diamonds were on Earth.  (Though it does show up after they've already left...)

And... well, while the sky is pink through much of the movie, I think that's caused by the injector, not the moon-prisoner.  The only time you see the moon during the *actual story* is during Independent Together.  (Plus one of halo'd stars that I think could also be important.)

So... depending on where her focus was, the prisoner may, or may not, have noticed Spinel.

...And even if she did, she probably hasn't seen Spinel's newer form.

(It also shows during Steven's recap - one place where it seems like she might be watching proudly. =3)

(...Come to look, it really looks like the rings of light coming off the moon are focused toward Steven, too. 83)

I think it's also possible that the moon disappearing could mean that the prisoner's stopped watching.  For example, while the moon was clearly above the communications hub near the end of Cry For Help, it disappears when Sugilite knocks it down.

I also realized while gathering screenies that the moon isn't found in Sadie's Song after Barb goes to get more glitter.  (I'd previously assumed that Pink was watching all the way through, but now I'm not so certain.)

Granted, it's possible that both these cases were meant to declutter...  I certainly don’t think that just because the moon is missing in a specific shot means that the prisoner isn’t watching at that very second.  For example, there are a number of moonless shots in The Question that come in-between shots with the moon.

(In general, I believe that if the moon shows up outside, before an important scene inside, then it means that she’s watching throughout the indoor scene - possibly throughout the whole ep, even.)

It's also possible that, since they actually were keeping track of the moon's position in Sadie's song, it just didn't show after the glitter-run because the camera never faces toward it.  Still, it did seem like they fudged its location when they showed the empty stage, so that seems like a stretch.

Though now, I'm thinking there's a really good possibility that, since they both looked like they were leading toward trainwrecks (even if it was only the case one of those times), she couldn't bring herself to watch. =D;

Maybe she has even more trouble with anxiety than I realized...

The Moon is in the Openings

So I couldn't find any sign of the moon in the first two eps of SU:F, but you can see it in the opening.

((SIde note: I really love when Peridot is doing cute stuff. =3))

The moon has always been in the SU openings - you can find pink sunsets in them, too (though not the one for SU:F) - it's one reason why the moon and the sky seem so important to the story, to me. =3

EDIT: It took me awhile to notice, but you can also find some pink sky in the SU:F opening! =D

It’s just mixed in with a blue sky, during the day, instead of a sunset, which usually has orange.

(The way I read it, I guess you could say that Pink was part of the group shot, too. =3  Anyway...)

I find it kind of odd that the moon only shows up for Amethyst in the first intro... though I guess it makes sense that it'd at least show for one of Pink's Gems. XD;

EDIT2: Oh!  And not only is there pink sky during the songs, but you can sometimes find it during the ep title. =3

But yeah, this is another one of those places where it seems to me like Pink's offering support, following Steven's adventures.  In a way, it kind of feels to me like she's always been a part of those adventures - or at least, like she wanted to be. 3′=

#su:f theory #su moon #su:f moon #su:f #steven universe: future #rose quartz wasn't pink diamond #image heavy

[facialgirl2017-blog]

Kala and Wolfgang: Why they were supposed to be “Ride or Die” (and why Love Did NOT Conquer All)

I know there is war right now among the fandom: those who loved every bit of the finale, and those of us who are bitter, angry, and feel betrayed over what happened with 1 of the 2 left unresolved story arcs going into the finale.

As we all know, the two major story arcs going into the finale that still needed to be finalized were: The takedown of BPO/Freeing Wolfgang/Revenge on Lila and Whispers. You could possibly break these into 3 sep arcs but I consider them to be 1 since Wolfgang was being held hostage and tortured by BPO and Lila and Whispers although working for their own self interests, were also working for BPO.

Overall, I think the resolution of this was good, I give it a rating of 7/10. There were a few things I was not crazy about: First, who was the chairman? When his face was revealed, he was no one we had ever seen, so why the big reveal? Second, before we could possibly find out who exactly he was and what his true motivations were, his brains were blown out. Really, we couldnt have gotten some info there, first? Also, I felt the killing of Lila and Whispers was somewhat anti-climatic. Though I love that Will/Wolfgang ended them together and I love the reappearance of Wolfgang’s rocket launcher, I was expecting or would have preferred some dramatic words exchanged first between them, some words of goodbye before killing them. Or even better, for Kala/Wolfgang to have killed Lila together. That would have been poetic. And 3rd, I felt the reason given behind Whispers zombie project, his motivations was weak and didnt make sense to me, JMHO. Though IMO what did happen wasnt the best, it was still decent.

Anyway, moving on, the other story arc going into the finale: Wolfgang and Kala finally truly being together at last and Rajan discovering the truth! Being that I am a GIANT Kalagang fan (literally my favorite tv couple of ALL TIME), I must say that I do love EVERY couple in Sense8, but Kalagang reigns supreme. And from everything I have seen on social media, they seemed to be THE MOST POPULAR COUPLE ON SENSE8. Surely Lana had known this, even though she doesnt do social media. They were also the only couple (except for Sun and Mun) that were not a solid couple still yet going into the finale. We had no worries of all the solid couples breaking up. Which in a way, is refreshing for a tv show cause so often couples are constantly torn apart and if you are lucky, put back together or always in angst. It was great that Nomi/Neets, Hernando/Lito, Will/Riley, etc never were in jeopardy. So I, like myself, expected a HUGE payoff for Kala and Wolfgang in the finale. They were the only couple that were in constant angst throughout all of season 1 and 2. And bravo to Max and Tina, for being able to keep that explosive chemistry alive throughout all 2 seasons.

Why should there have been a huge payoff for this couple you might ask me? Well, because of their character dev throughout both seasons. From the moment they saw each other for the first time, just like Will and Riley, they were in love (that is because in sensate world, some cluster mates are predestined to be together, I think so anyway) BOTH of these couples were predestined to be together in this cluster. Why was it so much more difficult for Kala and Wolfgang to be together than it was for Will and Riley? Because Kala was already about to be married to someone else, and Wolfgang was entrapped in a life of mob danger and a life of being treated like garbage by his crap abusive and violent family. Like he said in the finale, he always thought he was not worth it. Which is the main reason why he never loved a woman before, until Kala.

Kala was a woman who was afraid of herself, afraid of all the facets of herself and what and who she wanted in life. she was a people pleaser, and a very moral person (nothing wrong with that!). A person of faith (I really liked btw that at least one of the sensies was religious, though in reality more than 1 of them should be. And I am by no means a religious person, but that would have been more realistic since 95% of the worlds population is, but I digress).

These two characters could not be more opposite, but yet were perfect compliments of each other. From the very beginning, they were constantly drawn to each other while (in season 1 esp) having not much sensate connection with the others in their cluster. They each gave the other what they were lacking. And through this growing love and attraction to each other, Wolfgang was opening up to being more of the good person he truly was inside while Kala was growing more into being the brave, firey woman she truly was inside.

The only logical and expected conclusion to what was going to happen in the finale was that they would save Wolfgang. Kala and Wolfgang would finally meet in person, they would finally consumate their love in person, and after Rajan found out everything that was going on, Kala would nicely break up with Rajan, ending their marriage but probably remaining friends. But nope, that is not what we got.

At the end of ep 2x11, we had Kala finally CHOOSE WOLFGANG CHOOSE THEIR LOVE FOR EACH OTHER. She was brave, and she was totally going to tell Rajan except that Rajan didnt give her a chance to say anything and shipped her off. Never once during any episode did Kala ever tell Rajan that she loved him. It was obvious she cared for him, but we were never led to believe she was also in love with him as well as Wolfgang. Everytime she was conflicted with her choice, what she was always saying about this conflict was: choosing between her love for Wolfgang, or choosing the life and obligation she had with Rajan. Also that she doesnt like to hurt people and felt bad about hurting Rajan because he was a good man. Never once did Kala EVER say she was in love with both and that was her dilemma. Had that been the case, then I could totally understand her in the finale, choosing both. But that was not the case.

In the finale, Rajan was such an after thought to her that in the first couple of weeks they were in Paris trying to rescue Wolfgang, she NEVER CONTACTED RAJAN IN ANY WAY. It apparently didnt even occur to her, nor did she care enough to do so. Rajan had to contact her, and when he did, she panicked. He shows up, and is very understanding of the whole sensorium reveal, but now suddenly Kala does not have the courage to tell him about her love for Wolfgang? When she was going to tell him before she left for europe?

When Rajan arrived and Kala talked to him, we are left with the impression that she left out that her and Wolfgang were in love with each other. Then later as we see, Rajan seems to know what is going on, though we dont know how. Did she tell him but that part got cut from the ep. or did he figure it out on his own by watching everything that was playing out? Or did Will or Riley or someone else tell him? We dont know, but I assume he either figured it out on his own or Will or someone spilled the beans, cause in that moment of opportunity, Kala choked. This was the start of Kala inexplicibly reverting back to her season 1 self.

Rajan decides to stay and help (or more like tag along) with the cluster to help them on their mission. During this time, are we supposed to believe that Kala has somehow quickly fallen in love with Raj as well? She still never tells him that she loves him, and he has done nothing extraordinary for her to do so. The only thing I see is Kala developing more appreciation and admiration for him for being so understanding, supportive, and taking everything in stride. And Raj should be commended for that. but that is not true love. Sorry but it is not.

Kala again has the opportunity to really tell or show Raj her true heart for Wolfgang, to truly reveal her truth and herself to him. When she arrives at the chateau to greet both him and wolfgang. She could have and should have redeemed herself here, and give Wolfgang the greeting he truly deserved. But nope, cowardice completely consumes her again. But I have to ask: WHY? There is no reason for this cowardice. Rajan already knows (somehow) at this point about Wolfgang. It was nice that she hugged and kissed Raj, but then she gives Wolfgang the kiss she wants to give him via visiting instead of in person. This made me so angry I wanted to throw a shoe at the tv! (I almost did!) yes she did give Wolf a really great hug in front of Raj, but she should have kissed him as well (and maybe at this time also tell Raj adios? In a nice way, of course). But she didnt. Second opportunity gone.

After that we get no real life physical love-in between Kalagang until Kala is shot and almost dies. Finally she and Wolf kiss in real life. But Raj is there (seriously?) and she has to make him feel good and important. To me that ruined the entire intimate moment of love between Kalagang. (another imaginary shoe thrown at the tv)

Last real opportunity for Kala to find her courage was at the wedding. I really expected it to happen here. I expected there to be a romantic scene between Kalagang, a grand gesture of love for everyone to see. Nope, didnt get that. All we got was them dancing together in the distance, Kala holding hands with Raj during the ceremony, Will asking Kala what is her choice and Kala shrugging her shoulders as if this is just a silly little choice (A CHOICE SHE ALREADY MADE BEFORE LEAVING FOR PARIS) and then one of the other clustermates ( I forget who) asking Wolfgang about it and him shrugging his shoulders as if it is no big deal to him who or when Kala finally chooses! WHAT??? This makes ZERO sense! This honestly ruined the whole wedding for me. It really did which also makes me mad!

This is long so I will briefly touch on why Raj and Wolf were also out of character for this whole thing. Wolfgang throughout the season is a Ride or Die kind of a guy. Extremely loyal and will do anything for the people who truly loves. he shows this over and over. He is like that with Felix, with his mother(in the flashback)  with all of the cluster, and with Kala. He is so ride and die that he has killed several of his close relatives for justice. He pressured Kala into choosing at the end of season 2. He basically said to her “stop playing games, now or never” (not a quote from him, just the feeling behind what he actually said) and he even told Kala “pretending isnt a life” this man has NEVER pretended who he was EVER in his life. But now he is going along with this pretend threeesome? Umm no that makes ZERO sense. The love between him and Kala was so deep, they were both willing to Romeo/ Juliet duo suicide for each other, but suddenly “meh, she can stay married to Raj and I will share her on the weekends”? No, I dont think so, that completely goes against everything Wolfgang is and always has been.

And I also dont believe Raj would go along with this. Yes he has always loved Kala even though he has always known that she did not reciprocate the same intensity of feelings for him and he just went along with it anyways. But we must remember, he did try to give her an out a couple of times in season 1 and also during their honeymoon. he also even said in 2x11 that he fully understands the future of their marriage is uncertain and he is fine with that. Also, I am pretty sure that indian men are not accustomed to sharing their wives with other men. Not to mention, I think Raj has enough self esteem to want a better and more complete love from a woman for himself. And being he loves Kala so much, he should love her enough to want her to go with her true love. I honestly think he would want that. Raj would not settle for this limbo, either. He could not be happy in the short or long term, taking turns with Wolfgang for Kala’s affection and attention.

So this shotty conclusion is just so wrong in so many ways and goes against all 3 characters and their entire story arc. Lana throws all of that away that she did with these characters previously, just so she can shatter societal norms by saying “why should a woman have to choose?” If that was your true intentions all along, Lana (which is obvious it was not) then you would have written their story development A LOT differently throughout the two seasons. Kala left immediately to go rescue Wolfgang, she cared less about her husband until he showed up. She broke through blockers and sedatives to connect with Wolf, she was willing to kill herself for him, Wolfgang felt he was not worth it and Kala assured him that he was, but yet despite all of that she cant find the courage to tell Rajan I want a divorce, I need to be with the man that I love? You titled the episode “Love Conquers All” yet you contradict yourself in the finale with this story, but showing that love does not conquer all. It was not even able to conquer a silly fear of speaking the truth and letting another person down. In the end you did a great disservice to all 3 characters, but Kala in particular. You who say are a champion for strong women, made her weak, cowardice, and selfish in the end. You had her basically show Wolfgang through her actions (or lack of actions) that he actually was not worth it. Shame on you, Lana. And that is why we kalagang fans are really let down by the finale.

[renamusing]

reuenthals replied to your post: reuenthals replied to your post: ...

in the folder re: konhiji like we’re not told how old toshi was when he met kondo but probably a teenager considerin sougo was 6-8 so i always thought toshi’d place kondo in a place similar to tamegoro but misunderstand those feelins as smth else bc he’s just a baby + kondou’s the first to show him real (or any) affection outside tamegoro n not fear or resent him in any way but actually want to help him (he later in life realizes hed just misplaced/misunderstood their 

nature). from that same era, i think his feelins for mitsuba would fit a similar narrative as in bc of circumstances she HAD to be the woman he loved bc all men must love a woman plus she had feelins for him (tho tbh i also dont think hers were any different from the familial love she had for kondou and it was also a matter of circumstance but thats another matter) so it was a done deal but still easy to leave behind for a new life n have as backup/excuse for any other

woman hed meet or more like a shield from havin to open up w/unravel to any feelins of love of a non familial nature for anyone. his take on love is rly naive n pure (contrasted to ofc my baby whos smart n no fool) bc it also serves as shield n hes also said to be unable to relate/open up to women multiple times but is defenseless towards men (n sorachi loves that trope esp w toshi n gin chan in which theyre ‘men that are more attractive to other men than women’) which

i think is why hes so well defenseless towards gin chan durin their duel in the rooftops like for gin chan thats just a ‘crazy cop attacked me again’ moment but for toshi it like shakes the foundations of his whole bein he like lies there all wistful like wtf…..im gay? no… w a blossomin crush that only gets worse the more he interacts w gin chan (cant blame him tho gin chan is an angel) but like the way hes constructed specifically as an archetype hes too set in

performin masculinity (kyuchan says this but he also says this abt himself also multiple times) n sorachi is aware to an extent (plus hes drawin from men who were practicin mlm themselves) what this trope entails wrt sexuality n its expressions like for toshi its comfortable not to think abt love or any of that bc he has a goal n the excuse of a dead woman but its impossible to read him as anythin but not straight no matter the degree to which he is aware of it (which

tbh i think its a lot more than what ppl in fandom give him credit for) i have more detailed backed up analysis of this somewhere but i cant find them but basically at the end of the day i think toshi meetin kondo n at least havin some mixed up feelins abt what he feels towards him that hes able to resolve as bein brotherly later on in life set the path for him realizin he can love other men not in a brotherly way n in the way he (as a man) is supposed to love women

wow long but yes like toshi’s archetype in other manga/literature is easily read n can be coded as mlm/gay n is often the case but his issues run too deep for him to even consider that part seriously (at least tbh until 551 maybe baragaki but i dont think that early) so he has to suffer for it he deserves the worst the only reason gh is okay is bc he provides economically for gin chan n would be willin to pay any outstandin debts as shown in the soul switch arc. the end

i feel like this was just a sneak peek into that folder, but I loved it 200%! it’s super hard for me to reply without going into my own headcanons about gh and how they relate to one another, cause the way toshi relates to gin is so different from kondo in my perspective; in fact, it’s why i can’t get romantic konhiji at all, though i admit you make a fair point when u address the transition of toshi’s “most important person” from tamegoro to kondo (at that young age mixed feelings would be acceptable) plus, i always saw kondo as the character that ‘saved’ toshi, while gin was the one that ‘healed’ him. ofc both relationships go way beyond these dynamics, but without any actual canon romantic proof it’s difficult to postulate from toshi’s limited pov. 

so, while the shinsengumi became his substitute family and kondo tamegoro’s substitute (the family core), it’s a given that toshi perceives this love as unconditional, would-die-for etc. however, it would be interesting to explore his feelings for kondo back then in relation to mitsuba; like in an effort to answer the love of a woman (as you so brilliantly put, that in those circumstances toshi HAD to love a woman) he tried to shift his romantic feelings/attraction to kondo’s masculine figure to her ? (IM ONLY  REALIZING NOW THAT THIS WAS PROBABLY WHAT YOU MEANT BEFORE? IM SORRY) tho i don’t agree that mitsuba’s love for him was familial cause ponytail toshi, mack, like pls, she had to be blind ???

then we come to ginchan, whose whole relationship with toshi is based, imo, in the fact that they not only see a part of themselves in each other (the guilty, self-hating, rebel part) but that in seeing it they understand themselves better and are able to open up, share their experiences and encourage one another; not to mention protect what’s dear to them. aka they love each other. there is literally no other explanation for ginchan waiting in the rain for toshi so they could go out for a meal? i mean, sakata gintoki sat in the rain, under his umbrella, looking all complacent & shit. ALRIGHT. 

btw i bolded some of your bits cause i rly relate to them in the way i see toshi, especially the ones about him putting up a shield. toshi has always had problems dealing with his feelings, even before we knew of his past with his brother (which for continuity’s sake was probably what triggered him to bottle  everything up), he had always been written/regarded as a cold, level-headed character who doesn’t let emotions get the best of him. his rank in the shinsengumi further emphasizing this (and his otaku persona as well). so, without disregarding ginchan’s merits, i think that kondo’s influence (and even mitsuba’s to some extent) may have contributed to lowering toshi’s shield enough that he was able to give himself a chance to connect with someone outside his comfort zone/past. the fact that that person happened to be a man only makes more sense given his background and the hints that tell us he was never able to relate to women or feel like he could make them happy. it’s Tough on my heart to say that ginchan is basically ideal because, even though he is the mc, it’s like he was made to play that role in toshi’s life. he doesn’t bring all the answers but rather more questions cause there’s no way toshi can be confused now because his attraction to ginchan cant be excused with the role of ‘brother’ or ‘fated woman he was supposed to love’, gh bond is their own, their closeness in canon SHOULD raise suspicion cause it sure doesn’t seem straight.

well, i digressed WAY more than i should, but yeah that’s it, kudos on that folder. 

#reuenthals #lost my track a couple of times #\sigh