#Taizu

[sad-endings-suck]

💕the father, the son, the virgin mother, and the holy spirit✨

(bottom right: art credit to polararts)

[hauntingofhouses]

uhhh thinkin about how mizu and taigen's relationship was described as "this meeting of the minds, this meeting of the swords, that they could not share with anybody else" in one of the netflix articles about the show

and i'm going crazy because YEAH they're both equally invested about swords and fighting in a way that nobody else in their lives are. and that's just. so important considering we're talking about mizu, who sees her sword as her own soul.

and it's not JUST mizu who's obsessed with fighting. taigen is too. cuz like after their duel at the shindo dojo, as taigen is examining his bald spot in the mirror where mizu cut off his hair, he literally interrupts his own turmoil over losing his honour, just to express his awe, openly admiring mizu's skill DESPITE the fact that mizu just beat his ass and stripped his honour and status from him

then in the next episode, mizu says a very similar line when she examines the cut flower that fowler had pinned to heiji shindo's robe.

this was also such a sudden thing to notice in the middle of their conversation (my interpretation of this is that it hints to fowler's own skills with a blade, and gives mizu information about her enemy being a formidable opponent), but the fact that mizu had such a keen eye and managed to hone in on such a tiny detail from like a foot or two away is interesting because it shows us just how attentive mizu is, especially when it comes to blades and anything to do with them

to mizu (when she's not spiralling and agonising over her own self-hatred and the way the world treats her), swords are not a mere tool for revenge, but an art form which she is fascinated by and loves and admires. we see this from time to time, during rare moments of respite, like when she admires the duel in the beginning of ep4

mizu also takes to heart all the teachings from her years training, while taigen is interestingly less strict about them, basically disregarding some of those teachings as mere pedantry, or even if he doesn't actually really think so, he at least tells mizu as much in his attempt to comfort her after her sword breaks

but that doesn't mean he doesn't care for the more formal aspects of his training at all. because in ep3 when he says this

this line about mount sumeru is not talking about the literal mountain in front of them, but is a recitation of a line from the lotus sutra, which is among the mahayana sutras that they learned as part of their spiritual training, as zen buddhism forms a lot of the basis for samurai doctrines and philosophy. the sutra given more emphasis in the show is the heart sutra that mizu writes on her body in ep7 during her rite of rebirth

so taigen saying this line, as i see it, is a way to bond with mizu, or at least make conversation over their shared knowledge, as we see him await a reaction as soon as he says this. but mizu gives him none, and he looks disappointed/annoyed/frustrated or what have you as he watches her walk off without a word

also we see a little more of their shared knowledge of swordsmanship in the last episode when it's clear that mizu has been training ringo in sword fighting techniques

and later taigen recognises it instantly

they're both nerds about swords and fighting!!! they both respect each other's skills!!!

GOD i really hope in future episodes they get to bond some more over their shared passion and common training and just samurai camaraderie in general!!! mizu clearly loves the artistry of sword fighting so much, she deserves to have a confidant who shares that with her, someone she can talk openly about these things to!!!

because like remember when mikio was telling her about the naginata, she looked soooo uwu in love!!! admiring her husband as he showed off the weapon and told her the benefits of using it!!! believing at the time that she'd found a match who she could openly share her love of martial arts with!! she was having so much fun sparring him too. everyone says fighting is part of her love language and YES it IS!!!

except the difference is that mikio—due to, among other things, their large age difference and subsequent gap in life experience—believes he is mizu's teacher, rather than her equal. this is the role he's readily taken throughout their marriage, from teaching her how to throw a knife to cut down fruit (not like she needed that particular lesson), to teaching her equestrian skills.

meanwhile taigen and mizu were both kids growing up poor in the same backwater fishing village, which means that they are and always have been PEERS. and this becomes even more pronounced once taigen is stripped of his giant ego and unlearns his prejudice, allowing them both to fully respect each other and view each other as equals

which is again why it frustrates taigen when mizu admits later in this scene that she basically doesn't care about saving the shogun. like he gets mad because it upends his initial belief in their shared goals and aligned values, believing them both to be samurai of equal standing and honour.

ALSO i'd like to add, that though mizu is the better swordsman as we see her win all their brawls and matches, she doesn't surpass him by that much, and mizu knows this.

these words coming from mizu is such a huge compliment all things considered, acknowledging that he was strong enough to deserve fighting her, because shortly before this mizu was just about to say "no one has given me much of a challenge" only for taigen to enter the scene and, well, challenge her.

now combine this with her saying that chiaki's broken blade suits him well, giving to him HER sword which SHE made AND won, as a surety, promising him a duel that he "deserves". it's proof that even though she finds taigen an annoying brat and oftentimes an obstacle to her mission for revenge, she DOES respect him and does value his skills.

IN CONCLUSION nobody else is on their level, nobody else shares their love of swordsmanship and that is such an important factor to their bond and the way they relate to each other. i rest my case your honour

[valensitaaaa]

Eternal Complicity

Scene redraw from episode 8 (the best and most romantic episode imo 🤷‍♀️)

I hope yall like it 🙋‍♀️❤️

[8-0mph]

Sassy men apocalypse

[haydardotjpg]

Blood sticks, sweat drips Break the lock if it don't fit A kick in the teeth is good for some A kiss with a fist is better than none

———

wait what do you mean a red string of fate ties us together but all we do is strangle each other with it. what do you mean this string can only stretch and tangle but never break and yet we keep biting and gnawing on it to try to free ourselves from it anyway.

[lillymakesart]

ones on ao3 and the other ones on aita reddit

[ethicalcannibalisms]

blue eye samurai + text posts (part 4/?)… MIZU x TAIGEN EDITION BABYYY here have some food <3

[libbyrequiresescapism]

taizu doodles 👍

[rotzcakedraws]

A commission I did a couple of days ago 🥰

That was so fun!

[ratcash-wasgud]

Sorry, I'm frustrated again. I have to write this out.

But let's just like...talk. You and me.

So, Blue Eye Samurai is supposed to be about this strong, undefeatable woman, finding the men who wronged her, struggling with herself and her trauma, and basically becoming a legend, right?

So...tell me, why, we as a fandom decided, that the best person she could end up with, was the guy who told her to kill herself when she was at her lowest, who made her childhood hell, who STILL calls her a dog??

...

Why though? Because he's the only man who was written to be conventionally attractive? So, a jawline is enough to look past clear abuse? Mhm.

"No, bc he changed." ???

The last time they spoke in the first season, (if I remember correctly) ended up with him having a boner, then calling Mizu a demon before storming off.

I don't want to offend people, really, this fandom is lovely but...

I kinda feel like some of y'all only see looks. If Taigen and Ringo would swap roles, I'm sure none of y'all would like the ship anymore.

I'm sorry, really, I'm usually not one to trash ships, but this one is just wrong to me. And the fact that there are clear signs in the show that they wanna make this canon?? Makes me want to drop the whole show.

I know this sounds really dramatic, but this is eating my brain. Like, it genuinely gives me distress when I think about the fact that those two could be canon one day.

Bc I know, the show's creators are a couple. Obvi, they will end up writing a straight couple to win in the end. So this is reason I'm probably not gonna tune in for the second season. I'm afraid shit gets ruined.

(this is also the reason why I've been inactive. kinda lost motivation to write or do work for bes. but i'm on my way to finding motivation and will again.)

(lol.)

[acoughingbaby]

I made this in five minutes I'm sorry

[sad-endings-suck]

“ew no, 😫 i hate that ship!”

okay?? so go cry about it. tf you want from me?

[hauntingofhouses]

taimizu + tweets/textposts part 6/?

[part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

[valensitaaaa]

Some old drawings in traditional 🎨😽

[starlight-bread-blog]

Going to get off the mountain, from a high place, down to "look at the fun", to do something she'd enjoy, to seek out pleasure for once, is what saved her life.

By the end of the season, I interpreted Akemi and Taigen's relationship as over. It appeared to have been doomed when Akemi married to a man she actually liked, but if I had any doupt, it was cemented by them growing incompatible to each other.

(Notice how Akemi is on one side of the shot, with intense orange fire in the background, while Taigen is on the other side, with the blue sky and the calm forest in the background. Everything from the colors to the atmosphere signifies incompatibility).

Taigen used to value greatness, the show makes references to this all the time.

But something changed. Isolating his lines from the previous scene:

He chose happiness over greatness - the thing he valued, but ultimately had no value if it means he's not happy. Just like Mizu's quest for revenge. It is undoubtedly unhealthy for her and for those around her. She must choose happiness over it, she must dodge the sword.

[haydardotjpg]

🌳🌊 happiness 💚💙

their height difference is perfect for taigen to give mizu nose kisses :]