#and. well. that's taigen

[waitineedaname]

the contrast between mizu's husband calling her a monster after she beats him in a lighthearted spar vs taigen getting a goddamn boner because mizu was wrestling with him. incredible.

[hauntingofhouses]

the face of a man when his fiancee—a GORGEOUS PRINCESS whom he claims to be in love with—stands right in front of him, naked and trying to get him to have sex with her:

VS

the face of a man looking at his "enemy" whom he wants to kill and who constantly beats him in fights:

but i don't blame him, because just look at the "enemy" in question:

that's an angel. a beautiful, murderous angel sweetiepie pookie bear babygirl covered in dirt and the blood of her enemies 🥰🥰🥰

[libbyrequiresescapism]

*flips table* mizu

[teartra]

Waiting for “she fell first but he fell harder” from Blue Eye Samurai

[loptrcoptr]

The blue eye samurai fandom, for some reason

[starry-nights12]

If someone draws mizemi like this I would love you forever.

[irellia]

are people aware of the fact that Mizu is not canonically in any way shape or form.............. queer....bi.....

(quick note here because reading comprehension stays dead and people may not read the tag novel: I want bi Mizu! I hc her as sapphic! I love sapphic Mizu)

[pumpumdemsugah]

are you transphobic or just ignorant? no one is mad that mizu is being called a girl in interviews because they are sexist. They have just watched the show and seen that the writers are clearly implying Mizu’s gender isn’t something as simple as a mulan situation, and are disappointed to see them turn around and deny any non-cishet reading of the show.

There are already a number of very strong and well written female characters in the show, such as Akemi!! And for the record, I do not ship akemi with mizu or any of that nonsense, it has clearly been shown teh few times mizu did feel attraction it was towards men.

Lmao like clockwork. I made that post because I thought people would become immediately and increasingly stupid about this so let's pour cold water on it. The minute ppl have an attachment to a character they start being ridiculous and I've seen people feel bad for saying she's a woman. Why? Because someone thinks differently?

You're essentially saying 'you have Mulan' is there a quota lol ? Mulan is a kids movie, this isn't. Might as well bring up Steven Universe next. You bring up Akemi like ' here you go' Akemi is cool but again, is there a quota? The creators made that behind the scenes before most people were even aware of the show & some are acting like they said what they said to personally spite them. Disappointment is fine but come on! Ppl are being extra.

Some need to relearn appropriate reactions. Have your theories, headcannons and memes but others aren't obligated to go along with that. The creators are mixed race with a mixed daughter with blue eyes and wondered how the world will react to her and took it from there.

How is someone " denying " something they never wrote about their own creation in the first place? Do you understand how insane that sounds ? No one is or can stop you from reading her differently, many are without being annoying.

" there are already a number of well written strong female characters in the show" again! IS THERE A QUOTA?? Lool please I'm just waiting for more cool fanart and find some people's behaviour silly.

Desist!!! And relax!

We can all hold hands and sing kumbaya! Have you tried having fun?

[foojooktong]

I think it's so funny that Mizu called Taigen trash. After years of him calling her trash. LOL

[genericgirl420]

Listen, I'm all for nuanced characters who are bad people but grow throughout the show as individuals, but I genuinely cannot stand this man.

He is the bane of my existence. I want to bash his head on the side of the road, every word he said, every time he was on screen made me roll my eyes so far back that I could see inside my skull and groan dramatically in profound disdain.

Live laugh and love taizu shippers but I can't stand the thought of them being together it makes my blood boil, I love mizu too much to subject her to the unsightly presence of this man.

Please die taigen, please.

[hauntingofhouses]

(concept art of young taigen - source ; art credit: @abigaillarson)

i cannot get over this concept art of young taigen. god.

just look at this angry bratty boy, too many feelings that he doesnt know what to do with! an abused 9 year old kid in poverty always playing with sticks in the dirt, obsessed with greatness and dreaming to escape his decrepit village—and he does!

he does escape. he runs away. this angry little boy, all claws and teeth and biting words uttered with a lisp, going on the run into a world he's never seen before until he makes his way to kyoto. and knowing him he probably forced his way in to be accepted by the dojo, growling and kicking even as he's thrown out, back into the streets, too stubborn to take no for an answer and never knowing when to give up.

taigen calls mizu a dog, weak, an orphan, a scrawny street urchin. but i can't help but think that he feels so bold to use those words because he had them spat at him too.

because taigen had the idea of "this is how the world is" beat into him from birth. he learned quickly that if you couldn't beat the world you could join it. but that meant losing your way, your values, your principles. and isn't that what true honour is? not just titles and status and glory?

we don't get to see what taigen, as a child surrounded by peers encouraging and goading him on, would've actually done if that meteor hadn't fallen right in front of them at that very moment. would he have really tried to throw that stone on mizu, killing her? we don't know.

but we do see what taigen (his true self, with no one around) does, when presented with the same opportunity. when mizu passes out in front of him, unconscious and near death, vulnerable, the path to restoring his honour lays itself out for him on a silver platter. and he wants to take it, wants to kill mizu, to claim what is his and return to kyoto and get back everything he'd worked tooth and nail for. he feels like it's what he should do. but he doesn't.

and later, again he is presented with the chance to betray mizu, likely offered by heiji shindo to get his rank reinstated within the shindo dojo. and again, taigen doesn't take it. he refuses. "stupidly loyal," fowler calls him later. loyal, like a dog.

because now, pulled away from the sneering looks and jeering words of people around him, telling him that this is what the world is, taigen had met ringo and mizu, two outcasts who refuse to follow a predetermined path to greatness. and so inside something blooms in him. something like hope. a chance to live in a world that doesn't kick you down every chance it gets, to live in a world where genuine kindness and and love and friendship and even weakness is possible, allowed to simply exist without fear.

because he'd been running away from the very idea of it the whole time. when he ran from kohama, he never looked back, never wanted to remember what it was like to be a child, afraid and hungry and angry and hurting, without the words to make sense of it, desperately wishing for something. something more. he doesn't know what. but he hears stories of great swordsmen and decides, yes, this must be it. this is what i want: glory, greatness. the twisted seed gets planted and thrives in this barren land.

and when he returns to kohama with mizu and ringo, he at last is forced to stop running. he must face the child within him again, and he tells that child to put down the stones in his hand, tells him to stop barking at anything that moves or looks at him wrong.

the child drops the stone, and taigen buys dumplings instead, gives them to mizu. the child within him, wide-eyed at the prospect of friendship, moves him to pick up a hammer and toss it to mizu. he's smiling inside even as he does it; giggling like a kid hiding a silly prank. as soon as mizu drops the hammer after him, he leaps at her, tackling her to the ground and they wrestle and laugh unbridled like two children playing while the adults aren't around to barge in and yell at them.

and then his gaze catches on mizu's lips, he stares into mizu's eyes, a sparkling blue, inviting like the open sea in good weather.

it's a man's desire that takes hold then, the child in him sinking away again, and he curses himself for it, because it ruins the moment.

everything goes to shit from there, and then it's back to being a man, back to putting on his grown-up's armour to play hero.

it fails. the shogun dies. fowler's beatings reopen all the wounds left by heiji shindo's torture. "honour is meaningless," mizu tells him. "nothing comes from being a samurai but death."

the words follow him, and he follows the words.

as everything burns down, he runs, leaving the fire behind him, and sees akemi, as well as the verdure of spring behind her, calling him. he does not hesitate then to hold his hand out to her, inviting her to come with him. "i don't want to be great," he says. "i just want to be happy."

what is happiness to him? perhaps he doesn't know it yet, or perhaps he does. but really, i believe happiness is what the child in him always wanted but never received. happiness is a home.

[libbyrequiresescapism]

Under Moonlight 🌙

More Colour Edits Underneath ☺️👇

[sukibenders]

Not someone getting mad at me because I called Mizu a bisexual baddie. She is, and there's nothing wrong with that! 😭

[venusonvellum]

I am FINALLY drawing Taigen and wow. I just love his stupid square face... his ridiculous pouty lips... that haughty ass mug... ugh why is he perfect?

[karinyosa]

i can't go into the tag rn bc i'll get spoilers but the other show i'm going insane about is blue eye samurai and oh my god. the scene where mizu has a flashback to the fight w taigen while watching a threesome. my god

[loptrcoptr]

sometimes I doodle stuff and anyway everyone should go read @kaladinkholins bes fic A New Ember and appreciate Goma the cat and Mizu’s new Barbie dream horse 🩵🩵🩵