#akemi tokunobu

[harumanisstuff]

shoutout to akemi stans yall fr said "I support women's rights AND women's wrongs". respect.

[gigawatt-conduit]

A friend called Blue Eye Samurai “Dreamworks doing an HBO” as a dig but it’s not wrong? It’s an apt comparison

I think the show works for me in part because it reminds me of good hbo dramas I’ve seen like Westworld and early game of thrones—or for all mankind, which I’m slowly going through—in that it’s got a bunch of prestige energy and is using it very well

so yeah, the show’s got tits and hog (way more of the latter than I was expecting tbh) but it’s not as a gag and the actual sex is treated tastefully and as a way to define characters. it takes itself just seriously enough but not so seriously that it won’t indulge in some silly humor or go “yeah we know you wanna see this non-binary idiot John Wick their way through so many people, cough up blood, and do it again” at least three times an episode

if anything I wish it was more like hbo in that it was airing one episode a week rather than all at once but hey, the show’s great regardless, so

[kaladinkholins]

im so sorry to my girl akemi for always leaving her out of my posts and headcanons it's just in my mind my ideas about her are just very incompatible with my ideas about mizu&ringo&taigen.

like she deserves to rule japan and she shouldn't waste her time on these silly angry el gee bee tees she should be girlbossing gaslighting gatekeeping it up in the palace and making out with the nightjar girls in her spare time and also making sweet love with her gentle and kind husband as she plays him like a fiddle.

like if they want to do a spin-off for this show it has to be about akemi. like she deserves to have her name written in their history books, her wikipedia page has to be endlessly long listing every single one of her accomplishments, statues need to be built in her image, manifestos and decrees need to be written according to her vision. do you know what i'm saying.

[ad-astra-per-asparagus]

This should be a crime. Only TWELVE? The people (me) are starving!

[abijahfowler]

oh yeah before i start drawing i must say ise is my baby and tokunobu daichi when i catch you. daichi when i catch you daichi. DAICHI WHEN I CATCH YOU.

[hastyprovocateur]

"Your face isn't even so scary.

You're just angry"-

Akemi Tokunobu

[charons-ships]

After Akemi Tried to Drug Mizu

Mizu: You think I don't remember you, Princess Akemi of the Tokunobu clan? You think I could forget the bars of the palanquin casting shadows over your face, the slow sway of the golden butterflies hanging from your hair, the slight parting of your red lips?

[poolsidescientist]

Lord Tokunobu's sexism makes him so ridiculously stupid. He doesn't know his daughter at all. If he'd gotten Akemi involved in his schemes and he was less of an ass to her he'd have both a happier more loyal daughter and a great ally rather than just what he thinks of as an animal to sell off. They could really have a family dynasty but nope, Tokunobu is channeling Tywin Lannister and now the tables are turned.

[hungee-boy]

so

akemi is a noble and her mother died when she was very young

daichi seemed to love his wife (at least his version of love) but still had some things to say about her like how she talked back

daichi also is rags to riches and has connection to abijah (maybe daichi made a deal with the devil to earn his wealth and title)

now

mizu obviously we know is a bastard and mama wasn't her mother, but her maid

mizu is also apparently different than the countless other mixed bastards sired by the four, hence abijah saying "so you're the one?"

he also mentions that mama was paid to keep mizu hidden (did the money running out coincide with the fire? was it set by mama? not important rn but still interesting)

so who's to say that

lady tokunobu, when akemi was young, was either assaulted or had an affair with one of the four, that connection possible perhaps due to daichi bedding with the four politically to gain status

lady tokunobu then finds out shes pregnant and when the child is born visibly mixed, daichi tries to save face and have the baby killed and perhaps lady tokunobu protests this enough for daichi to order for her death as well

and remember the scene of baby mizu's attempted murder

we don't see the man that saves mizu but maybe we know who it is, maybe a man that would consider his inability to kill an infant proof that he's a "lousy warrior"

so yeah wouldn't it be fucked up if mizu and akemi were half-siblings and seki was the one that saved mizu (also daichi totally killed his wife even if the big theory is wrong)

🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔

[cherryblossomlion]

Katsugi

Oh hai, it's a Mizukemi Yakuza AU! Many thanks to @todaywefvight for collaborating with me on this project, it's been so fun!

You can read it after the cut or also here:

🌸

Katsugi (noun): shouldering, carrying, raising, bearing. 

<i>Katsugi is a noun form of katsugu, which means “to carry on your shoulder”. So in katsugi waza, you life your shinai towards your left or right shoulder instead of above your head</i>.

🌸

Akemi's outfit would be completely unacceptable back in Kyoto. Short, tight, blood red, her cleavage on full display-- Akemi looks nothing like either the dutiful Yakuza daughter or the med student overachiever that are the warring counterparts of her identity...

But it’s summer break, the first summer of Akemi's life that hasn't been filled with "family" functions or cram schools or internships. Next year, she'll begin her residency in Florida under a new name and a social security number she’d bought for a hefty price.

Even though she's spent the last eight years in New York, she's only been out maybe a dozen times, always at the behest of Ringo. It's not any different this time.

"You finally have some time to enjoy yourself. Live this life you worked so hard for," he'd said.

Ringo knows her better than anyone. Is the only person who's ever been able to change her mind– and Akemi has always been stubborn. Like her father.

The same stubbornness that had elevated the Tokunobu clan to the one of the four great Yakuza families in Japan is what allowed Akemi to escape it. She’d crossed an ocean so she could become the opposite of her father. Someone who helped people. A doctor.

Or, if she wanted, for just one night, an ordinary girl on her way to a club in a dress that was way too small and unsuitable for the weather. Ringo will let her borrow his leather jacket, and besides, he’s picking her up in his car. She can hear him honking the horn for her, so she steps out into the not quite warm spring air.

🌸

The phone rings in the dim apartment, interrupting its owner as she sits at the table, a katana laid out beside a bottle of polishing oil. Sharpening stone in hand, she finishes the remaining strokes with a satisfying vibration, before wiping it down with a lambskin cloth.

She shakes her head and lets the answering machine pick up.

[ We are calling to inform you about your car’s extended warranty- ]

She growls and rolls her eyes. Try as she might to keep her status updated on Do Not Call lists, there’s always some scam or gaudy advert that weasels its way in.

She stands, tall and slender, then strides into the bedroom, where she picks up a pair of slacks, a button-down and suspenders, and heads into the bathroom. The club, O, would be opening up soon.

12AM

Lace-up boots splash in the shallow puddles of a recent rainfall, as footsteps carry her to the famed nightclub, O. Music spills out onto the streets from inside the three-story building, along with colorful and strobing lights. The orange lenses of her glasses filter everything.

Easily dodging a few drunken and unsteady passersby, she wears her sword inconspicuously at her hip. Any other night, such a weapon would draw much attention- but this event gives her a perfect alibi.

Walking past the entrance and into the back of the long line of patrons, she takes a deep breath and waits.

🌸

“What’s the matter?” Akemi worriedly checks her makeup in Ringo’s sideview mirror. It nearly falls off when she tries to adjust it.

“I told you. It’s a masquerade.”

She notices that Ringo is wearing a mask, not what she’d presumed to be a hat, on his head. Probably so he can focus on driving.

Akemi shrugs.

“So what? They’ll have masks there, won’t they?”

Ringo sighs heavily, then gives her a once over. “Take off your stocking.”

“What? No!”

Ringo folds his arms, his prosthetic hooks resting on each bicep. “Trust me. I’m the fashion student.”

Akemi sighs and reluctantly hikes up her skirt in order to unhook her garter belt.

Ringo’s voice startles her. “Are you wearing a fucking knife?”

Akemi looks up and blinks. Right. Ringo doesn’t really see this side of her that often. “Just in case,” she says, then slides her fishnet stocking down her leg.

Ringo shakes his head. “What about security?”

“What about security? O just has four bouncers at the door. They're not going to pat me down. They don't have cameras. There's not even typically anyone at the back.”

“Who checks that kind of thing?!”

Akemi shoots him a warning look. He knows about her family, but he doesn’t. He’s from Kyuushu. “Let me have my little ways, Ringo. We’ve talked about this.” A bit too much, for Akemi's taste. It’s a subject she lacks patience in. She peels her stocking off and and hands it over to Ringo, then moves to take the other one off– but Ringo stops her.

“I only need one.”

“What? I’m not going to wear one stocking–”

“Rip it up in a couple places, it’ll look good.” Ringo reaches into the compartment between him and exchanges his hook prosthetic for a knife prosthetic– a shearing knife, to be exact. Akemi watches him work, but the mess of material in his hands makes no sense to her. She looks down at her remaining stocking, on her right leg, and takes Ringo’s advice. Worst case scenario, she’ll just get rid of the garment.

But it ends up looking good. And Ringo has fashioned a long rectangle of fabric out of the fishnet. He hands it to Akemi. She uses the mirror– which is now definitely tilted– as a guide. She wraps the cloth around her eyes. The strings of thread in front of her eyes are unexpectedly non-occlusive. It looks surprisingly appropriate– modern– but it also clearly fulfills the dress code.

It takes three tries for Ringo to get the car started, but his car always starts on the third try. The day it doesn’t it when Ringo says he’ll finally give up the jalopy he’s had since he came to the States. He parks it far away from the blazing pink O that towers above the club.

Outside of his. car, Ringo looks chic, his suit avant garde and deconstructed, his prosthetics a complement. His mask is similarly deconstructed. With Akemi by his side, a promoter scouts them and takes them to the front of the line.

It’s been a really long time since Akemi’s been on display. Ever since she got to university, she’s been in either sweats or suits, depending on the occasion. It was a deliberate choice, a rejection of everything her father had raised her to be—a beautiful thing, a possession to be leveraged or sold.

The old posture comes back like muscle memory, spine straight, head inclined just so, a graceful step. She attracts attention, especially in a crowd of Americans, especially next to Ringo, who looks like her fancy bodyguard. Especially since they’ve been chosen by the promoter to bypass the line.

Akemi’s eyes flicker over—everyone is wearing masks, half the crowd is in costume. You’d never see this sort of thing in Japan, except for maybe Harajuku. It’s too extra. Maybe that’s why the wolf in black catches her eye. As soon as she really looks, she realizes she’s caught their eye, too.

Everything stops, and turns blue—ice blue. The eyes are so bright she can see them even from here, even in the silver lines of a lupine mask. The eyes are the only part Akemi can see. The snarling muzzle of the mask makes the eyes look animal, predatory.

The figure is long, and slim, suited in sharp black lines. Perhaps it’s the posture that stops Akemi—no, it’s more like a stance. It makes sense, because the man is wearing a sword.

And staring right at her, like he knows her, like he knows more about her than she knows about herself. Akemi turns as she walks by, unable to let go of those eyes—until Ringo calls her name, and she realizes they’ve gotten too far ahead of him and the promoter—she rushes after them, towards the entrance of the club.

🌸

The looming neon O bathes the street in a pink glow.

The line moves surprisingly fast for how many patrons are ahead of her, yet Mizu’s patience is quietly waning. Club-goers begin putting on their masks, if they aren’t already eagerly donning them, complimenting each other on their outfits. Mizu is particular about her appearance and is almost always dressed to the nines in any public appearance. She doesn’t have anyone to dress for but herself, and takes a quiet pride in it.

Deft fingers detach the wolf mask from her hip, while her other hand removes the glasses from her eyes as she slips it on. She was lucky enough to find it at a specialty costume shop- it looked much more elegant than most of the novelty items there, and stylish enough not to feel too ridiculous. What’s more, it complimented her dark silhouette as much as any costume could. The shape settled comfortably against her face, a matte black visage dusted with traces of silvery blue. Mizu hadn’t grown up in very social settings, despite dealing with large swathes of people in her line of work. She takes a private delight in the opportunity to remain anonymous.

Even more so, given the task at hand. She’s waited years for this opportunity. Years of gaining information here and there, years of dead ends and trickles of clues, and then… everything is finally coming together, so beautifully orchestrated that it almost feels too easy. Especially to someone like Mizu, ever the skeptic.

Weeks ago– after mercenary jobs were cleared from her schedule and she was able to revisit a long-held personal vendetta– Mizu had tracked down a stateside associate of the Tokunobu clan. Through careful investigation, Mizu unearthed a trail of information on the only daughter of the bastard Lord Daichi.

The temptation to capture and torture the associate was strong, and Mizu could have probably pulled it off. But she wanted to strike closer to Daichi’s heart, and pride.

Akemi. The little princess was privileged enough to travel stateside and pursue an education, the records showed. With clean hands and a clear mind. Perhaps Daichi let her leash out so that she could be sated on her thirst for knowledge, fattening herself in self satisfaction. It was impressive, really.

And the demon in Mizu was that much more eager to strip her of that opportunity.

She’s going to make make his daughter’s life hell, and when she’s finished with her, she ‘s going to draw out her father.

Mizu and Daichi are both sinners, but she intends to make the oyabun of the Tokunobu clan pay for his in full. Mizu is fairly insensitive to greed and corruption in the world, but that bastard was responsible for the collapse of her personal corner of the universe.

She slips her glasses into her pocket, straightens, and stares ahead, letting out a light sigh as she observes everything around her. She cultivates an air of vague disinterest.

She feels, before seeing, the woman who would walk past in just a moment, a fire beginning to smolder in her breast. The loud call of a promoter signals everyone to make way, leading a chosen few past the velvet ropes and weaving through those loitering outside of the line.

Mizu turns without thinking, eyes drawn like a magnet. Locked onto a gaze darker than hers, yet bright with recognition and… just as tethered to Mizu herself as she is to those eyes.

A young woman whose face had stared back at her from low-res photographs on the four walls of her apartment a thousand times before… now it was here, in the flesh, not even five feet away.

In that moment, it feels like she knows. Mizu is not often unnerved, and she tells herself she isn't now, knowing it is a half truth at best as her posture goes rigid, her breath catching in her chest.

She sees in those eyes, opportunity… and, something she cannot yet put a name to. Yet.

And just like that, the spell is broken. She’s staring at the back of her head til it disappears into the crowd.

Mizu blinks, and stills the urge to bolt somewhere to find a back entrance. That would be guarded as well, especially on a night like this.

No matter.

Her prey is in the four walls of the club, and that is more than enough for her purposes.

🌸

Akemi wishes she’d brought earplugs. It's way too loud in this club. It's impossible to hear anything Ringo is saying– she keeps shaking her head at him when he talks. Finally, he makes a drinking motion with his hands, and Akemi nods.

She looks around her as she waits for Ringo. American girls don't dance like Japanese girls– they sweat under the lights, let their makeup run down their faces. Mizu stares at them, a little transfixed. It's raw, muscle under skin… beautiful.

She remembers those eyes, the dark figure in line, wonders if she'll see him in here. Wonders if he’ll hunt her down.

But then, Akemi’s never been into men. So she shakes off that too-long look, accepts a drink from Ringo, and studies the crowd, trying to figure out how to move so she at least didn't stand out like a sore thumb.

It’s so loud, she can feel, not just hear the music. That helps a little– hard not to keep the rhythm when it’s in your bones. The second she and Ringo enter the crowd, it’s not an option not to dance. So she does her best. At first, she imitates the people around her– then she starts to get it, the way the shoulders go, the hip rolls, the beat– she and Ringo are ensconsed by dancers, and have both done very well not losing their drinks.

Ringo toasts Akemi, and she toasts him back. They dance, mostly with each other, but they open themselves to everyone around them… Akemi has a low-key goal of going home with someone, but being a femme Asian woman makes it hard to go home with who she wants to– white guys in particular tend to get in Akemi’s way.

Not even fifteen minutes in and some guy in a tiger mask is dominating her attention. It doesn't really matter. If she ends up dancing the night away with Ringo, it’ll be the most fun she's had since she remembers.

Besides, the guy’s a pretty decent dancer– she's pretty sure he's foreign, maybe Asian like her, from his movements. He doesn't get into her space, like the Americans. When she copies his movements, he smiles.

Ringo’s been distracted by some girl. Akemi shrugs, follows tiger mask into the crowd– when he goes to place a hand on her waist, she stops it with a hand on his wrist– the dancer takes the hint, thankfully. Seemed to only be pulling her to guide her–

Tiger mask bends closer to Akemi’s ear– she hears: “too loud” and nods in agreement, and follows him off the dance floor. When he guides her down a corner and gestures towards a door, she shrugs. She’s not about to follow a stranger into an unoccupied room at the club. So she just looks at what the door reveals, curious.

The thing is, it's a billiards room. And pool is s Akemi’s weakness. Pool halls were the center of the best and most peaceful times of her childhood.

And she’s damn good at it.

“Wanna play?” Akemi asks the stranger in the tiger’s mask. She realizes she hasn't heard him speak yet.

She heads over to me the row of pool cues anyways. Picks her stick, heavy and short. “Come on,” says Akemi. “Bet you a hundred bucks I'll win.”

“No need to bet,” says the man in the tiger mask. Akemi freezes. She knows that voice– but he’s taking his tiger mask off. “I know you'll win.”

“Taigen,” gasps Akemi.

He’s so different than he was the last time she'd seen him, a high school senior, with a school appropriate haircut, a slimmer physique, and clear skin.

A tattoo of a dragon pokes out of his t-shirt, a nod to the family business–her family business. He’s thick with long-hewn muscle. His hair is long– he wears it in a top knot. He's wearing exactly the kind of shiny suit they used to make fun of when they were young.

It makes sense. He’s her father’s wakagashira now, his second-in-command. The day he told Akemi he was going to work for her father was the last day they spoke.

“Taigen,” Akemi repeats. “What are you doing here?”

🌸

It’s as chaotic inside as expected. Knowing her target is so close, while she’s held up by the crowd, feels like drowning. Mizu keeps her stoic facade as the crowd draws nearer to the bouncers, but she feels something start to stoke the anxious spark inside of her into a fire.

She makes it past the entryway before it ignites. Past the first bar the club opens up to a vast dance floor, nearly every inch of it covered with people. The music pulses in her ears and in her ribcage. Partygoers bump her shoulders as they skirt past.

If she desired, Mizu could cut them all down. It would make her mission easier. But that wouldn’t be the thing to do. Especially knowing that Yakuza from the Tokunobu clan could be nearby. Mizu was more than efficient at tracking, but it would be foolish not to assume that others could be tracking her.

Stopping at the corner of the second, bigger bar, she backed into a small pocket of space to gather herself. Her heart was racing. Every time she blinked she saw those imploring eyes. Mizu’s eyes squeezed shut as if to wrench it from her vision, and she took a deep breath. Held it for a few seconds. She imagined the anxiety within her (a rare element for the swordswoman) as flecks of golden dust in her lungs, swirling around. And with a slow and thorough exhale, she breathed out, through the snarling maw of the wolf. She opened her eyes, and steadily scanned the crowd, patrons moving together like some giant beast.

A hand traced her shoulder. Gripping her sword, she declined to sheathe it as she turned, meeting the masked face of a woman dressed as an exotic bird.

“Hello handsome, can I buy this wolf a drink?” She was forward, only looking to flatter. Mizu’s eyes stared dully back and she calmly brushed the woman’s wrist away. Words weren’t needed; it was too damn loud in here anyway.

She would start on the outside, scanning outlines, silhouettes framed by the strobing lights and swirling colors. This may take a while, and patience was needed now more than ever. Mizu was never sloppy, but she felt the potential, the eagerness as a beast breaking its containment. If anything could make her trip, it was Akemi.

Standing with her back against the wall, she caught sight of the taller companion that was with her when they headed to the front. Gaze sharpened, and she saw her. Talking to a man wearing a gaudy suit and a tiger mask. The body language read that she did not know him, but she was apparently interested enough to follow him. Mizu held her breath as she watched, where they soon disappeared into a hallway, no doubt to another room within. Mizu straightened, grip tightening on her sword. Her eyes narrowed, and she followed. There was no need to rush now. She would tread carefully, with the surety that each step would carry her further to her task.

🌸

Akemi can’t help it—she’s glad to see Taigen. After all, he was her oldest friend, her childhood sweetheart who didn’t hold it against her when she figured out she was gay, kept her secret for her—even after he joined her father, even now. He gives her one of his old bear hugs, lifting her off the floor—even with five inch heels on, Taigen still towers over Akemi.

“I thought you were supposed to be in med school,” teases Taigen, gesturing at Akemi’s club wear.

“I thought you were supposed to be committing crime with my father,” says Akemi, folding her arms. She’ll always love Taigen, but the old betrayal still rankles. Half their friendship had been dreaming their way out of the world they were born into. She’s even had a plane ticket ready for him. It would have been that easy, not to become a scumbag like her father.

The smile has long since faded from Taigen’s face. There’s something new in the set of his features. Akemi has a good guess about some of the things he must have done by now. He sighs, and blinks, and all of the sudden, his eyes are completely cold. “He wants you back.”

All of the sudden, Akemi knows it’s very important to pay attention. “We have a deal,” she says. Not one she intends on keeping. And, apparently, not one her father intends on keeping, either.

She looks around. Only the one door, and the windows are too high for her to access before Taigen can get to her.

Taigen shakes his head. “Not anymore. Your father’s brokered a merger with the Ito clan. You’re a doctor, like you wanted. He did his duty to you. Now it’s time for you to do your duty.”

Akemi has been dodging her “duty” since she was 13 years old, when it was obvious that she was going to be beautiful. The only thing that kept Tokunobu from selling her off was the idea that a virginal, well-educated wife was more valuable than a whore he could use to placate his contacts with, like his friends did with their daughters.

Akemi had insisted that her education be overseas. She had a whole new identity waiting for her in Florida. She wonders if there was a leak, if this is why her father’s making his move now.

Akemi backs away from Taigen. There’s a door set in between the empty bookshelves that line one wall of the billiards room. “If I say no?” she says, eyes flickering towards the door they’d come in through.

“I’ve got two guys waiting on the other side of that door. Twenty three more in the club.”

Akemi nods. “So you were expecting a fight, huh?”

“There’s more going on than you know. You have eyes on you. Your father wants you back under his protection.”

Akemi laughs bitterly. “You actually believe this bullshit now, don’t you?”

Taigen shakes his head, has the audacity to give her a pitying look. “You know how this game is played, Akemi.”

At that moment, they’re both interrupted by a shout and a crash coming from the other side of the door. After a beat, the door crashes open.

The man from outside—the wolf, the one who’d been standing in line, the one who’d been staring at her— steps into the room, utterly calm despite the fact that there are bodies behind him—Taigen’s men. He steps into the room, and brandishes a blood-covered sword, pointing it at Taigen.

The swordsman speaks in Japanese, in an oddly musical voice. “She’s coming with me.”

🌸

The second she turns into the hall, she spots the two men in well-fitted suits, the blades at their sides similar to hers. Mizu’s hackles raise, and she draws her blade. Unmistakable Yakuza. She wonders how many may have infiltrated the club.

The question is, are they for Akemi’s protection, or to kill her, or something else? Something in Mizu’s chest leaps as the thought crosses her mind– what a terrible irony it would be if her chance at revenge was lost like that– an image flashes in her mind, the woman’s body splayed on the floor, red dress stained with a darker red.

Focus.

The guards step in front of the door, hands reaching for their weapons. One manages to shout a warning into the inconspicuous earpiece that he wears, his eyes wide. She cuts in high wide arc, slicing through their tracheas and external carotid arteries before they can attack– before they can say anything further.

The door is locked. She severs the handle and thrusts to crush the mechanism inside, then delivers a strong kick to take care of the rest.

Mizu finds Akemi inside. Shocked, of course. She’s still alive.The man is leaning toward her, but he straightens defensively as Mizu walks inside. A trickle of blood that is not her own runs down the ridge of her mask. Her sword–its blade a brilliant blue, covered in red– raises and points to him. A drop falls onto the pool table that sits between them.

“She’s coming with me.”

The man steps forward with his weapon, his proud chest out, waist coiled. He’s tense. A juxtaposition with Mizu’s controlled but open stance. Mizu notices the shape of his tattoo, peeking out from between the open buttons of his shirt and recognizes it immediately.

Tokunobu.

Her eyes narrow and her head lowers like a predator.

He opens his mouth to retort, but Mizu disregards it as unimportant. Futile.

Mizu watches carefully. It’s often predictable that her opponents make the first strike, and she is waiting for just that.

But the next to move is neither Mizu’s, nor the man’s.

A knife flashes behind him in the flourescent light, Akemi’s pale fingers curled tightly around the handle. It happens quickly, her features twisted into something vicious as she sinks it into his body.

“I do know how this game is played, Taigen.”

Mizu’s eyes widen in surprise. Daichi’s prized daughter is dangerous. Heavy footfalls crowd the doorway, and she feels Akemi turn with her in unison as more Yakuza rush in, weapons ready.

[conchaceptive]

MY president (princess) tokunobu ito akemi is NOT a sub

[rithalie-art]

I was inspired by the “BES with wings” au, so I went a lil bit wild with my hcs for it. So, here’s my take on what kind of wings the rest of the cast would have!

Ringo- Little Ringed Plover

Madam Kaji- Japanese crested Ibis

Daichi Tokunobu- Gray Wagtail

Kinuyo- Water Rail

Ise- Horned Lark

Takayoshi Itoh- Pryer’s Woodpecker

Heiji Shindo- Black Drongo

Bloodsoaked Chiaki- Northern Shrike

Seki- Goshawk

Abijah Fowler- House Sparrow

Ooooh! I have to check these out! I already love the choices for Madam Kaiji and Ise, since I somehow recognize these birds!

It would fit that our poor Ise has the wings of the same species as Akemi, since she had to act „the princess” often. And now I’m torn with how big Madam Kaiji’s wings should be. On one hand, they should not throw off her elegance with being too big but the ability to hug her girls and literally swipe them under her wings would work sooo well.

[luuthebrute]

I feel bored so I’m gonna post abt my silly ideas for my Blue Samurai Insert oc, Hana.

Also TW in the third paragraph for physical abuse if you don’t like that stuff, also brief mention of murder

Hana is a half breed like Mizu. So she has very dark brown hair, and hazel eyes. Plus freckles. She often wears a beat up mask and a kimono as a way to cover her imperfections. She is also very curvy.

She is a very reserved and sweet girl, and prefers to be alone. She also is very self conscious about her face. She used to wear makeup, but it never worked well. So she gave up quickly and wore the mask as a way to cover herself. She quite likes the ocean and nature in general. She also draws and paints sometimes.

Her father was Japanese and her mother was white. The dad basically just fucked the mom out of pure adrenaline and then out popped little Hana. Hana was named “Rose” by her mother, but her father quickly changed it to Hana. Her mom was disabled and couldn’t walk. And basically didn’t leave purely for Hana’s sake. She didn’t want to leave her child with her abusive husband. This abusive husband still managed to harm her and such, which is why she has the ugly scar. She has more, but she covers them over her clothes. Her father used to take her to a shrine and made her pray for several hours to “get rid of the demon” as he put it. Eventually, Hana broke and murdered her father, but she can’t remember it. Her mom then sold her to a priestess to avoid her daughter being killed for the crime, where she lives in a shine/inn thing

. The priestess, whose name is Tenshi, is very controlling. You see, Hana when she was younger got along with Tenshi very well sense she was at the shrine so much. Because of this, Tenshi often sees herself as her mother and feels a sense of entitlement to her sense she saved her from her father. So she is very controlling and manipulative. Tenshi did used to somewhat work for lord Tokunobu Daichi. So Hana and Akemi were friends. But it ended quickly cause the dad didn’t like Hana’s existence as a half breed. Tenshi of course, doesn’t work for him anymore and is now a simple priestess.

(Side note, she actually does have really intense lore outside of this. I do wanna talk about my characters lore so if this is well liked enough I’ll talk abt it more)

Now Hana’s brother, named Kotaro, is Tenshi’s child. He is a 18 year old boy with anger issues and is just a mad teenager. He wants to be a Samurai, but Tenshi doesn’t like them a lot due to her one personal trauma. Hana does practice Archery, so she will often take her brother with her and they both will practice for awhile in the woods. They are quite close but Kotaro often makes fun of her for a few reasons. He doesn’t really make fun of her race but he does think it’s funny to make fun of Hana being a hopeless romantic

I forgot to mention that, I made Hana a hopeless romantic. Through her life she reads really romantic and graphic poetry about love and adoration. She loves it so so much. Her main goal is to find someone to love her and to hopefully marry them and become a wife.

Hana is also bisexual with a pref for women (not like she will ever admit it) and autistic. But of course she doesn’t know about it. Maybe the gay part.

I think that’s it, I do wanna write abt her with Mizu or Akemi but idk if you guys wanna see me rant about the idea of my insert being a homosexual with other characters.

[kaladinkholins]

guys cmon. be ffr please. akemi did Not love taigen. the only reason why she was desperate to search for him to the point of putting herself in danger is because she didn't want to get married to an abusive man (which she believed at the time that takayoshi was). when seki tried to dissuade her from running off, her reason was not "but i love taigen and wanna be with him 🥺" it was because she refused to be controlled and have her autonomy taken from her; she literally says "i won't be locked away in edo married to a stranger." and when seki still tries to argue that getting married to the heir of the shogun would be better than getting caught by brigands, she then says "that kind of man"—referring to takayoshi—"treats women like animals. they say he's a tyrant." and when seki chuckles and says "what man isn't?" her response is "you." she doesn't even talk about taigen. she is using him as much as he was using her. they both see—or, well, saw—each other as means to an end. for taigen he saw that marrying into the tokunobu clan would elevate his status and wealth. for akemi she wanted the right to choose who she married, and she wanted that person to be someone kind. that's it! neither of them loved each other. but since they were courting of course they acted sweet to each other, and they do still care for one another, especially due to their romantic history. but let's be real! akemi is a boss bitch who dropped taigen and forgot all about his ass as soon as she saw takayoshi was a nice guy. because duh? not only is takayoshi a better lover (it's implied their lovemaking lasted a long time) but he's also kinder towards her and presents her with an opportunity to claim power and freedom, which she would not have if she had married taigen, as she would have still been stuck under her father's thumb. so literally why should she settle for taigen's stupid ass! she may be a little naive at times but she's still incredibly intelligent. she would not do something stupid for the sake of "love." you know who would though? taigen.

[ad-astra-per-asparagus]

Now I might be reading too deep into the subtext here, sue me I’m gay,…but the fact that when Mizu was subduing Akemi in this scene Akemi’s floral kanzashi got knocked off… in other words, you might say she got “deflowered.”

[hastyprovocateur]

I have seen many calling Akemi an annoying brat for running away from her father's guardianship. And I laud their critical thinking abilities on this because really, why would a girl whose father is forcing her to marry a stranger openly known for being a sadist and killing his first wife over an unhappy marriage want to do anything but jump gleefully into the union, right? Especially when all Akemi's father has to say for her life-or-death situation is "Hey learn these sex positions and keep him happy like your dead mother kept me happy lol."

Akemi loved Taigen for a set of reasons. First and foremost, he was the path she chose and finally got her father to agree with in part for his honorable stature, aware that Taigen, though imperfect, isn't as cruel or selfish as men in said period typically were. You have to understand that women were rarely afforded the choice to love without having underlying motivations. They have to choose the lesser of evils. Which in this case, is Taigen. Akemi has far greater chances of survival with him than any other man she knew. Marriage wasn't a tic-tac-toe game for her, she was ensuring her survival. To ensure she wouldn't get violated or killed or tortured or forcefully impregnated for not falling into the narrow set of rules aristocratic women especially had to follow.

Come to Taigen and Mizu's duel following which he loses his honour and possibly his engagement. Akemi stayed undeterred because regardless of what Taigen felt about his honour, Akemi didn't have a backup option that she knew would ensure her security as much as being with Taigen would. She tells him that his chonmage being cut is no obstacle as he can style it to suit other noble men, that she will convince her father to maintain their engagement and that his honour was intact as Mizu hadn't officially challenged him. Her sexual advances are a calculated move, she narrates to him a version of events where he defeats Mizu to massage his bruised ego. And while Taigen is her singular route out of her imminent marriage to a stranger, Taigen, ignorant of the same, claims he'd rather commit seppuku and sets out to trail Mizu.

With Taigen gone, she is in deep water, and naturally, her father quickly sets her up with a fresh suitor from a family he chose for the sake of furtherance of his political expansion over any concern for his daughter's life. When she tries to escape, Seki sees it as another funny haha situation, making it a teachable moment where he profoundly tells Akemi, already fearful of her bodily autonomy and life: that a woman has 2 paths "to be an improper whore or a proper wife." To which Akemi very wisely responds that they are one and the same thing, only one is shrouded with aristocratic niceties and huge houses that women are an extension of. Regardless of her (father's) wealth, status, and relative comfort in life, no woman deserves to be put in a position of ownership under a man, vulnerable to assault, coercion, intimidation just because "at least she'll be assaulted on a nice bed."

Akemi wasn't enjoying her round trip searching for Taigen, selling herself out to flesh traders and getting betrayed by Seki, her confidante, for funsies. Seki had seen her plight and only given her the singular choice to be a proper wife to a stranger after Taigen had already left her to her own fate. She was still determined to do right by him because she wanted to live. Her seeking out Mizu was key to saving her marriage. Thereby trying to drug and bring Mizu to Taigen so she could restore his honor and go back on their engagement and live somewhat peacefully. Which we now know wasn't going to ever be because Daichi Tokunobu had already schemed to compromise the Shogunate by wagering his daughter as an alliance.

I am convinced that most people can't understand complex female characters outside of "ruthless. fighter" or "perfect victim." Akemi's fault, it seems, that through her process of running from a dangerous marriage, a callous father, getting brokered by Goro, joining Kaji's brothel, seducing her first client, trying to subdue Mizu is that she didn't get brutally violated in any of scenarios. Because I'm sure if she had, not half of y'all would be crying about her being annoying and bratty or "having it too easy." As for her trying to attack Mizu, what else was she supposed to do? Be told that this stranger robbed her fiance's honor, ruined their engagement, and killed him, and what? Pat him on the back? Or was she supposed to have a prophetic vision that Mizu is going to save them from Hamata's men?

And no she did not resort to name calling, abusing, threatening after she was tied down, she was far more benign in assessing Mizu's disposition as opposed to Mikio or Taigen who straight up called Mizu monster, dog, beggar, scavenger and what not. Mikio sold Mizu's favourite horse to get back at her, abandoned her for the bounty hunters to get her, killed her mama. Taigen was a bully who accused her of digging through his trash and near damn killed her with a rock with his friends. Yeah, him being a kid makes no difference to the one who was traumatised because that'll last Mizu a lifetime. In both cases Mizu posed no threat to them as opposed to Akemi who truly believed that Mizu had killed her fiancé.

Taigen continued to be a bully in the present time (growth in latter eps aside), calling Mizu a dog, monster boy, whore mother, scavenger of Kohama's gutters, reminding her of her house burning down. He stalked her, threatened her to duel, gave her consistent trauma reminders. Oh btw- Akemi called Mizu "nothing special" and "angry" and yall decide she has mentally abused this woman after knowing her for a good 3 hours. Yall fr just hate women.

She didn't know about Kinuyo either, or anything about Mizu's past. Despite only knowing her in the worst way, she largely softens towards Mizu knowing she's helping save Kaji's workers. She could've easily stayed tight and comfy in the cellar. She doesn't know a thing about fighting yet stands by Ringo and later saves him. Not for her sake because she says "Now they have to get through the both of us." She didn't fear death either, only being helpless. "I'm not brave" she said "I've been a captive my whole life. If I die today, I die free."

She didn't stop there "Mizu can't possibly hold them all off" and then goes up to save Mizu when the assassins attested that "The samurai has been cornered." And yes Mizu was unconscious from being choked until Akemi intervened. She just had to stay low like the others and not give a FUCK, especially not Mizu, someone who shittalked her as far as she knew, but she did because she saw the honour in Mizu's actions.

Unfortunately, Akemi didn't magically mind read Mizu's ptsd and all the flashbacks she's been getting about her past betrayals, what happened with Kinuyo and made the mistake of trusting Mizu, WHO SHE THINKS IS A MAN, to fight for her when the guards come. All but 3 men. This isn't about numbers because Mizu totaled an army and has the plot armour of Jesus, it's not about being innocent, because Mizu killed that clawed dude she spared initially, not to mention Kinuyo who was just a means to get to Fowker. And some people talked about Mizu not wanting Daichi's men coming after her... um... are you sure you're watching the same show because as far as I know Mizu doesn't give a flying FUCK about being careful or who comes after her because she's recklessly creating collateral all down her path of revenge. That's the wholeass point.

Akemi wasn't ordering Mizu around, cuz she asked "I'm not going anywhere, right Mizu?" She wanted her approval, her support in that moment. To fight for her because she doesn't have the agency to fight for herself. What did Mizu do in this crucial moment? She doomed Akemi to an arranged marriage and made her choice FOR her. Especially being someone who's always been shown to do exactly what she wants and then fight whatever consequences come her way.

Mizu "thought" Akemi's better off with being married to a stranger because "atleast the abuser is rich, not everyone gets a rich abuser." And yes she assumed hella things because Akemi's reasons for chasing Taigen are literally so she can live by an iota of her choice and not because she's "begging to eat trash." And Mizu didn't consider the reputation of the Shogun's son, regardless of if he's a horrible person, how is being forced to marry a stranger justified?? Another day, another man Akemi trusted, dooming her to a path with no cognizance of how much apprehension of death or joyless life she actually faces in that position.

Mizu was no different from Daichi, Seki, Taigen in that moment. Akemi had no one. Despite doing all in her power to turn her fate, she was unsuccessful because she wasn't able to physically fight for herself and no one chose to step up for her. She was about to solve her own problems by throwing herself off the balcony, evident in how much she didn't desire the marriage. Takayoshi not being an outright brute chauvinistic killer is no justification for "hey didn't turn out to be so bad, huh." Would you rather she have gotten brutalised? Been treated like absolute shit? Would you then believe how scary the marriage could have been for her? Kaji herself told Mizu that "if you killed every man I've seen who couldn't come till someone bled... you'd wear your blade to a stump."

Ringo was justified in criticising Mizu. While Mizu doesn't care about anyone in her path of revenge, Eiji, her own father figure struggles to teach her that she NEEDS people to fight. To strengthen her blade and resolve. Mizu did return to save Akemi as her conscience would have it, Seki also came around and Taigen was finally ready to pursue a life with her over his honor and greatness but it was too late. I don't blame Akemi for asserting twice to Mizu that "We're not friends which Mizu showed too in her actions prior. I don't see it as Akemi being ungrateful but asserting the truth before Mizu slams it in her face. Mizu doesn't want friends so she doesn't get any.

I also don't blame her for rejecting Taigen, I too wouldn't ever wish to be blindsided like that again. It's better to choose your own reality than rely on love or friendship only to get betrayed. As for Akemi's new venture, I laud her for taking Kaji's word and to fight with the agencies she has even though I feel that Kaji shared Mizu's tone deafness in terms of seeing Akemi's (father's and now husband's) wealth as a neutralizer to the abuse she could face which could've been much worse than it was shown to be.

I do agree that having free choice, even after Seki tells her to pursue her own path, is a tad too idealistic for the place and time. She basically just complied to the choices Seki, Taigen, Mizu's made for her. So I loved seeing Akemi make the best of the cards she was dealt, choosing to use her body and mind to seduce, manipulate and progress. To make her choices whether she is loved in the process or not. . To exploit her meek husband's position, to subdue her scheming (now hopefully crispy) father and be great.