𓈈💉🖇 🦕𓈈

♥︎ || tkdb side-blog || 24 || ghoul safe-space || jiro? jiro. || ♡

[disturbedheart]

♥︎ MASTERPOST ♡

NOTE:

I'd just like to thank everyone who has given me any kind of support via comments, asks, rbs, or likes-! It means a lot and keeps me motivated to continue writing. That being said, I unfortunately don't take requests. I write when I am motivated, and typically what motivates me is incredibly specific. Hence, why I've only really written for Jiro. I may branch out when I'm feeling brave, though, as I do have a few things I've written for the other ghouls ! ♡ be kind if you see that I have! I'm a one trick kinda pony, and might not be great at characterization, though I value it a lot.

I follow back from my main blog @hystericfae so don't be scared if you see that blog respond to you !! It's just me. I'm also making this on mobile so rip if it doesn't work. Scavenger hunt it is.

PSA: always feel free to talk to me through asks or anons though! I don't bite...unless you ask me to ♡ I promise, I can play nice. And I don't mind anyone sending me their own thoughts, ideas, etc! You never know what might inspire you.

GENERAL . . .

♡ MY SALIVA, YOUR WEB DAY 1-2 ♥︎

♡ DAY 3 ♥︎ ♡ DAY 3 (CONTINUED) ♥︎

Summary: jiro is suffering from the hanahaki disease? || the pronouns I use in this for the reader are she/her.

Note: Still on the to be continued list whenever I catch the fancy to write again.

♡ READER ADMINISTERS JIRO'S MEDS ♥︎

Summary: jiro x gn reader || during one of Jiro's episodes, you're tasked with putting your training to the test.

Note: I'm sorry, a lot of my stuff will lack titles unless I feel called to name my writing something.

♥︎ When telling Jiro you love him goes...wrong? ♡ pt 2 ♥︎ pt 3?

Summary: jiro x reader || implied fem/slight nsfw || you really should not have told Jiro you love him.

SMUT STUFF . . .

Please note that I am not a smut writer and therefore I may be subpar at best. I don't dabble in it often when it comes to writing, since I think whump is more my strong suit, so give me grace and keep me in your prayers if you see I've written any . . .

♡ INFUSED ♥︎

Summary: you're nervous about needles and medical exams, so Jiro....tries to find a solution? || fem/afab!reader

♡ JIRO NSFW ALPHABET ♥︎

Summary: exactly what it sounds like, I suppose—? I can't remember if I used any specific prns...but I know when I wrote it, I tried not to—

♡ YANDERE TEAM-UPS ♥︎

Mortkranken

Sinostra

RANDOM . . .

MARIO KART HCS

ASSIGNING TKDB GUYS SONGS IN MY PLAYLIST

JIRO EDIT ! !

GHOULS AS LIMINAL SPACES

[disturbedheart]

I would adore getting to see these two interact in story

[themostlovelyandlonelyboy]

Same man different font tbh

Jiro laughs when others become scared or grossed out by the dead, ghosts, etc.

Shion loves to see how "happy" things make people AKA when people get scared, upset, etc. Like with MC and the frog

I really hope we see them acting like little freaks together I love my little freak boys

[disturbedheart]

I would adore getting to see these two interact in story

[promise-of-soup]

Unatopabble force vs immoveable object

[yusaling1]

What I love about each character

Hi everyone, I know this is a bit different from my usual content, but with all the discourse that’s been happening lately about character likes/dislikes and mischaracterization… I kind of wanted to ramble for a bit and then share what I personally like about each character (both story-wise and writing-wise.) I feel like the beauty of Joseimuke games like Tokyo Debunker is that there’s someone for everyone. Like there’s that character you can have a big fat crush on, someone you can thirst for, someone you can relate to. A character that just comforts you or irks you (affectionately…or not). And I think it’s really cool that the fandom reflects that.  I’ve seen characters I never expected to have fans have some of the most loyal supporters on this platform. And honestly? I love that. I think it just shows how different all of us are and how we connect with stories in our own ways.  Personally, I don’t have an all-time favorite or an oshi, but I genuinely like all the ghouls. It may be because I write of all of them so often, but I can see the appeal for every one of them. Even the bratty ones. The quirky ones. The red flags. They all have become somewhat…precious? ANYWAYS, enough of this rambling. Let’s go to character rambles now!!!! 

JIN

Oof, the Jin hate hurts me a little (even though I get where it’s coming from). I might get hate for saying this, but I think he’s one of the most misunderstood??? But that’s also the whole point of his character. He’s the cold, isolated king who’s built walls around himself betrayal after betrayal because, deep down he’s a sensitive man who’s terrified of getting hurt again. Can I relate to the fact that he treats and calls the person he likes a servant? Absolutely not 💀 But it makes sense for him. That's how he grew up. He doesn’t know how to be vulnerable, so he uses his position to keep the people precious to him close. He is that good mix of anxious attachment and avoidant attachment all at the same time.  Maybe that’s why I enjoy writing him too. In almost every scenario, I can see so clearly how he’ll react. Cold words ➡️ Warm action. He’s definitely for the fans that love a bit of spice (and disrespect) but is also constantly reminded that you’re a special person to him. AND don’t get me started on the angst potential of this man. He just seems like the type to always end up regretting doing too much…or… not doing enough. Not saying the right thing…or…Saying anything at all. Letting you into his heart…but also…never opening up to you. 

TOHMA

OOOH MY LORD. I love writing for this man if you couldn’t tell already. He’s the character that’s always wearing a smiley-faced mask to hide the darkness underneath. (I want to believe that the monocle is symbolic of that. Sir…I know you can see just fine.🧐) His character just makes so much sense to me. Like the fact that he used to be in Vagastrom??? That explained SO much. Like how he’s kind of sharp and spiky underneath the perfect Frostheim vice-captain act. On top of that, he's constantly living with that dissonance and it seeps out when he talks. He’s speaking politely with fancy lingo and pretty flowers…but there’s something cutting about it. I just imagine he’s probably judging the Frostheim students so hard 24/7. Also, the fact that he seemingly struggles with anxiety and sleep so much that he needs medication, yet buries himself under piles of work every day?!?! It’s actually heartbreaking. I can’t help but hope that he fulfills whatever he’s working so freaking hard for.  Writing-wise, he’s easily one of the character that I create the most tension with. Like his words can feel like a dagger or a warm hug. Some days he’s the gentlest, sweetest partner, at other times he’s a...😈 Depends on the day…and how thirsty I’m feeling lol. 

KAITO

In the beginning, Kaito was one of those characters that I didn't expect would have many fans/supporters??? He’s basically Zenitsu ⚡from Demon Slayer in every possible way. But the more I progressed through the game, the more he grew on me. He’s incredibly caring…but can be pretty selfish sometimes. Can be superficial…but is also trying to grow to become a better person. The nuance of his character makes him relatable because usually, people aren’t just one side of a coin. Also, he’s one of the easiest to write for because he’s an open book. He tries so hard to hide all his weaknesses, but that's part of his charm too.

LUCA

Lucas is actually the character I picked at the start of the game because he seemed like the kindest one. But honestly, in the beginning, I was pretty disappointed at how rigid he was. (That’s on me though, I should’ve known from the character description.) But I know now, that this personality makes sense considering his past. A strict upbringing. The constant pressure of upholding the family name. And above all, the guilt of failing to protect the most precious person to him–his twin brother. That’s why he’s so uncompromising. Honestly, I think it’s part of his character arc, to really learn what protecting others means. Sometimes it’s standing your ground. Sometimes it’s adapting. And he learns especially being with the chaotic duo.  One of my favorite Luca scenes is when Jin slaps him after fighting in the pit with Sho. Not because he gets slapped 😅 But because Lucas learns very quickly that although a sense of justice is important, it’s not enough on its own. His clouded judgement, may end up hurting the people he vowed to protect. I think his journey is to learn how to be more flexible and nuanced without losing his moral compass.  Writing him is really hard sometimes, but basically I ask, “What would a gentleman do?” And that’s Lucas. (BTW I still don’t know if it’s luca or lucas. The game uses both.) 

ALAN

Ugh. This. Man. Is my ideal type 😭 They really captured the himbo-ness of him. Which according to wikipedia means, “Attractive, well-meaning, but unintelligent or naive man.” Though, I disagree with the unintelligent part. Alan is not dumb at all. He just has his own ways of doing things that might be considered “old school” or the “long way.” That’s why I love the dynamic between Alan and Leo because they fill for what the other lacks. Almost like a perfect puzzle piece...Almost. One of my favorite things about Alan is that he never tries to be cool…it just kinda happens. That’s why everyone in Vagastrom, even the gangs from “The Vanishing Homeroom,” respects him. He lives by his absolute principles. For example, he’s determined not to use his fist to hurt others unless it’s to protect another person. Re-reading Deadly in Love, I noticed how Alan is the first to think about everyone’s safety. Not just MC but the ghouls and the staff too. Like he was always thinking/asking about the staff.  Writing for him, I always have the least amount of dialogue 😁 It’s all in the action (or lack of it). His awkwardness, bluntness, his warm heart, head-pats, silent acts, everything jumbled together creates a giant loveable bear. I especially love throwing him in random scenarios because outside of working out, fixing cars, or going on missions, this man does not know what’s going on. 

LEO 

Oh boy. Where do I start with this one? Leo’s character progression is one of the best parts of the story (imo). But for that progression to HIT…he's absolutely awful in the beginning. The nickname Demon 👹 is literally perfect for him because the amount of times my jaw dropped at the things he said. And the English translation doesn’t do him justice because in Japanese, his words sting much more. I think mean characters are hard to write because their dialogue can come off as cheesy, but Leo’s words are like arrows that never miss 🎯 He knows exactly what to say to annoy, irk, or hurt someone. But as the story progresses, you see Leo use this same skill of ‘understanding people’ to uplift MC or teach something meaningful to Alan. He’s the type of character you can absolutely dislike…but really hard to argue against, because he’s usually right. (He just says it in an unnecessarily blunt/mean way.)  I don’t think I’ve ever been able to make his comebacks as creative as the ZigZa writers. But whenever inspiration strikes, his fics come out so…crispy??? I credit all that to how interesting of a character he naturally is. Also…the tension!!!

SHO

Shohei Haizono. Hmmm. What can I say? He’s perfect!!! JKJK. I mean, sort of? Because of the Sho we know now (flirty, sexy cook, easy-going personality), we tend to forget where he started. This man was RUDE, on-edge, and intimidating too. He hated rules and authority which is pretty Vagastrom of him. And as his senpai, inspector, and someone connected deeply with higher-ups, the contempt was pretty clear. Only after seeing MC’s sincerity, did he start to put his guard down. In this sense, I actually feel like MC played an important role in Sho’s school-life because he’s mellowed so much since then. Maybe that’s why he’s pretty direct when it comes to his interest toward MC??? (...Or maybe I’m just over-analyzing and need to re-read the beginning.) Anyways, he’s still kind of a mystery to me. In the sense that I know there’s more going on (because Hyde exists), but it feels like there isn’t because he isn’t as suspicious as Haku or Elias. He feels…normal??? I don’t know how to explain it. Writing for Sho is like writing spicy fluff. He’s the perfect boyfriend/husband, but his personality and teasing keeps the relationship exciting. He’s sweet. He’s cocky. He’s smooth. AND OMG don’t get me started with the way he says senpai 😤 I swear I include that in every fic I write for him.

Sorry...I only got through Frostheim and Vagastrom. If you actually read all of that, thank you for putting up with my ramblings. It may be a bit pompous of me to talk about all this but I had to share my love for the characters. I may or may not do the other houses...we'll see. This took way longer than I expected 😅

[yusaling1]

@disturbedheart thank you for the reblog! I actually made this post inspired by your recent posts about loving tkdb, all the characters, and their quirks. And writing really does help with approaching the characters with love first before anything else. Anyways wanted to tell you I always appreciate your posts and thoughts!!! ❤️❤️❤️

[disturbedheart]

Of course!! I'm glad that post inspired you to gush about these silly guys! I have found that writing for characters, even the one's I've disliked previously, can greatly change my perspective on them and I deeply appreciate the tokyo debunker characters specifically because they're all uniquely themselves, though there's so many of them. There is truly a character for anybody and everybody in this game!

[kongozas]

thinkin about shion finding out that you’re dating mio and going from trying to slit your throat to cornering you in a tent and licking into your mouth like he’s trying to subsume you send tweet

[kongozas]

shion/mc, referenced established mio/mc. warnings for nonconsensual kissing, tear licking, and general predatory freak behavior from shion. possibly ooc shion (it’s been a while). dead dove do not eat

"Shion—"

"Quiet."

You swallow a cry as he seizes your jaw between gloved fingers. The air bears down on you, thick with dust, a cloying weight that presses itself between your bones and renders you immobile. Shion is statue-still before you, his eyes solitary, unblinking pinpricks of light suspended in the darkness.

"You talk so much." His breath ghosts over your lips. "So many excuses. You never quit. But he wants you." He presses closer. "Mio wants you."

If you could fight, you still wouldn't dare. Not when the fear puncturing your spine has your limbs dangling uselessly at your sides. Not when his grip threatens to rend the flesh of your cheeks like paper, tears prickling hot in your eyes. You pray, instead, when he tilts his head, slow and hawkish, for someone, anyone to come—

"My wife," he drawls, a thick, singsong lilt. "My wife, and my little brother. My little brother and my wife. That doesn't make sense." The tears threaten to spill over as his nails break flesh. "That doesn't make sense at all."

“Please, Shion,” you whisper, the words ill-formed and pathetic as your heartbeat hammers in your ears. “Please, I never wanted to take anything from you—“

“Ah?”

The whites of his eyes stretch around his narrow irises. A comical sight, if not for how it sends every nerve ending in your body flaring with the same animal urge to run. His grip on you is ironclad. You dare not breathe.

“‘Take’?” He rolls it over his tongue like a tasting. “Take.” Again. “Take, take, take. You would concern yourself with that, wouldn’t you, sweet little Inspector?” His nose brushes yours. “If you never wanted to take, wouldn’t you agree—now’s the perfect time to give back.”

He lunges forward. You flinch away, expecting a bite, a blow, a flash of pain—just as his mouth collides with yours.

Revulsion rears up in you. As soon as your lips seal shut he wrenches your jaw back open, tongue dragging over the ridges of your gums as it forces its way inside. His teeth clash against yours when he angles your head to probe at the sensitive webbing that anchors your tongue, sticky and invasive as his other hand wrapping around your neck. He's not letting you breathe, you realize faintly. A distant panic grips you; nausea whirls in your gut as your useless hands hook on his collar, claw at his neck, head growing dizzy as spittle pools on your tongue and leaks from the corners of your mouth—

When he finally releases you, the rush of air into your senses is agonising. Immediately you double over retching, throat raw, head threatening to split open in your hands, and only realise that you are crying when you wipe haphazardly at your mouth and feel tears as well as saliva smear across your skin.

"You didn't like that?" His voice pierces through the din. You heave another sob, the sound obscene. "Mio did that. I saw you two in his workroom." When your trembling eyes flicker upward, his nose is scrunched, chin still gleaming with spit. "It smelled like bog water. I didn't stay long."

It seems a million years ago, now. A tainted memory. Waning sunlight and Mio’s soft smile, his fingers slipping over your own.

(Where else has Shion been lurking, a voice whispers in the back of your mind. What else has he seen. What else could he use to bruise you, here and now. Did Mio know this would happen; the world tips before your eyes at the thought—)

“That’s not a bad face you’re making.”

In a flash Shion is crouched before you. You don’t know when you collapsed to your knees. You can only squeeze your eyes shut and hold back the bile in your throat as a papillated wetness drags a long strip up your cheek, viscid residue cooling rapidly in its wake.

“But Mio doesn’t like it when you cry,” he murmurs. His long fingers snake around your wrists, shackle you to the ground while he continues lapping at your skin. “I don’t get it. Nothing about you two is right.”

The rush of fear that had seized you earlier has dulled, now, into a hollowing kind of despair. You squirm weakly beneath him, filthy.

"You're so nice. You give so much." He inhales, long and slow, against you. "Our perfect, charitable little Inspector. You'd do anything to help us out, wouldn't you?"

Let me go. Let me go. Someone help me, someone help me, please please please—

"Until I understand," he repeats. When he draws back the glint in his eyes is something violent, wanting. Dread pools in your every crevice. “Touch me how you touch him. Until I understand."

[tkdb-confessions]

It’s a bit disheartening to see people “write” fics with AI. I noticed that a writer had heavy AI writing patterns, and I asked about it out of curiosity, then the writer passive aggressively reblogged something about witch hunts. I started blocking people that I suspect using AI, but it still sucks, because I know a lot of fic writers that put all of their time and energy into what they do for fun.

I hope that people know that it’s easier to tell if somethings AI than they think. AI is not flexible, it repeats phrases that it thinks are novel, certain words are overused for this reason as well.

I’d rather read something you spent a couple hours on, and not being that great, compared to something with no soul 🫤 I love so many tokyo debunker writers, and I hope they all know that I appreciate how much time they put into their fics!

🧬'

[bakdbfi]

He's always covered in blood

And he looks great in it

[disturbedheart]

I’ve had this floating in my brain for a while and I just don’t where to set it free but I wonder if in reanimating Jiro, Yuri needed to find an organ donor that would be a match, and oh look his freshly dead brother comes along with perfectly good organs. That would maybe play into why Jiro has such bad physical reactions whenever he comes close to remembering about Zenji. If he knew what had to happen to bring him back and whose body parts he relied on to live then his body might reject them. Maybe those memories HAVE to be blocked out for his continued functioning and that’s why Zenji doesn’t want Jiro to know he’s still around. Just a baseless musing, I have literally nothing to back this up lmao

Always feel free to set your ideas loose on me! Especially if it has anything to do with Jiro and Zenji, as these two are the butter to my bread.

I've seen this theory before and I think there's reason to believe it to be true..! Considering the spots in which Jiro has those massive scars.

And while I believe this theory to possibly be true, I also believe the theory that both Zenji and Jiro had a third, younger brother! I think @danieyells has mentioned it in a post of their own, but Jiro mentions in a home-screen line that he doesn't remember how or why he got into anomolous medicine, just that he did one day and kept going!

Zenji, throughout the story has hinted several times at having turned a blind eye to something and that he can't do it anymore. And it is pretty obvious that he doesn't like being confronted with certain bad news...or would prefer to ignore negative things.

I've always thought that their younger brother was sick, and maybe due to circumstances, they did not have the means it would take to keep up with doctors, or even if they did, they were getting nowhere with it....so Jiro picked up anomolous medicine to pretty much save his youngest brother's life. While Zenji, turned a blind eye to it because he really could not bear the thought of losing someone close to him, maybe even denying Jiro's work or downplaying the severity of their younger brothers condition just to cope. In turn, Jiro started to resent Zenji for his behavior because instead of helping, it was actively causing tension in their motives.

I'm not sure how old they would have been when their younger brother died either, but if they were young enough, I could imagine Jiro possibly blaming Zenji for the outcome of their brothers death because again, he was ignoring that it would happen instead of trying to change the trajectory.

I've also always wondered what kind of demon they made a pact with...? How did that all go down?! Like, did Jiro and Zenji make a pact together? Separately? Did their wish have something to do with their youngest brother and ....that's why Jiro's condition is so poor? Like did he wish to take on his brothers ailments..!? And now he lives with them while they're both dead....which is sadly tragic, but also counterproductive.

I honestly think that Zenji knows Jiro resents him and that knowing about his presence would cause some kind of mental or physical breakdown to occur. I also believe that they may have used Zenji's organs to revive Jiro! If he resented Zenji beforehand.....of course his body may reject Zenjis organs altogether and refuse to work-? Until he makes peace with his past.

I do wanna argue that I still think Jiro loves Zenji.... and I know its okay for siblings to grow apart or hate each other... but I somehow feel like both of them were caught in a situation that caused tension. I know Jiro is neutral towards death, but,...based on some of the things he tells the MC, it makes me think he's a little less neutral to it when it comes to family, though he's used to dealing with it.

[danieyells]

Zenji died after Jiro woke up. Jiro was awake before and during the Clash(can't really be a murder suspect if you were unconscious the whole time.) Zenji died during. Zenji's body is also cryogenically frozen to be revived later. A little hard to do that without organs?

[disturbedheart]

Oh! Okay. Do you remember which ep they explained that he died afterward?! Because I must have forgotten. Fun theory regardless, my point still stands about why I think he resents Zenji. I guess I was confused about the timeline?

[me0wdy-pardner]

Ah I must have missed those details about Jiro waking up before the clash and Zenji’s body being frozen! I had assumed that something during the beginning of the clash had been what caused Jiro’s coma to begin with (also why he didn’t have any memory of it), and that he was awakened after the clash.

Also interesting musings about Saburo (as a placeholder name for the youngest brother)!! I’d gotten the hints that there was more to it than just a doll that reminded Zenji of Jiro, but I hadn’t thought of it beyond that! I think that theory fits really well with everything in there!

[disturbedheart]

I totally missed them, and thought something similar! Which causes me to wonder how many others may think the same thing...? Or thought it at one point? All cleared up though and regardless, I do super enjoy this theory even if the timeline doesn't allow for it. Time-loop theory, might...? What if in another universe this is exactly what happened —

The theory of them having a third, younger brother is my favorite, by far. My favorite dynamic in any & every media ever is doomed siblings, so I'm practically bouncing off the walls anytime Zenji or Jiro drop hints about their past together

[disturbedheart]

I’ve had this floating in my brain for a while and I just don’t where to set it free but I wonder if in reanimating Jiro, Yuri needed to find an organ donor that would be a match, and oh look his freshly dead brother comes along with perfectly good organs. That would maybe play into why Jiro has such bad physical reactions whenever he comes close to remembering about Zenji. If he knew what had to happen to bring him back and whose body parts he relied on to live then his body might reject them. Maybe those memories HAVE to be blocked out for his continued functioning and that’s why Zenji doesn’t want Jiro to know he’s still around. Just a baseless musing, I have literally nothing to back this up lmao

Always feel free to set your ideas loose on me! Especially if it has anything to do with Jiro and Zenji, as these two are the butter to my bread.

I've seen this theory before and I think there's reason to believe it to be true..! Considering the spots in which Jiro has those massive scars.

And while I believe this theory to possibly be true, I also believe the theory that both Zenji and Jiro had a third, younger brother! I think @danieyells has mentioned it in a post of their own, but Jiro mentions in a home-screen line that he doesn't remember how or why he got into anomolous medicine, just that he did one day and kept going!

Zenji, throughout the story has hinted several times at having turned a blind eye to something and that he can't do it anymore. And it is pretty obvious that he doesn't like being confronted with certain bad news...or would prefer to ignore negative things.

I've always thought that their younger brother was sick, and maybe due to circumstances, they did not have the means it would take to keep up with doctors, or even if they did, they were getting nowhere with it....so Jiro picked up anomolous medicine to pretty much save his youngest brother's life. While Zenji, turned a blind eye to it because he really could not bear the thought of losing someone close to him, maybe even denying Jiro's work or downplaying the severity of their younger brothers condition just to cope. In turn, Jiro started to resent Zenji for his behavior because instead of helping, it was actively causing tension in their motives.

I'm not sure how old they would have been when their younger brother died either, but if they were young enough, I could imagine Jiro possibly blaming Zenji for the outcome of their brothers death because again, he was ignoring that it would happen instead of trying to change the trajectory.

I've also always wondered what kind of demon they made a pact with...? How did that all go down?! Like, did Jiro and Zenji make a pact together? Separately? Did their wish have something to do with their youngest brother and ....that's why Jiro's condition is so poor? Like did he wish to take on his brothers ailments..!? And now he lives with them while they're both dead....which is sadly tragic, but also counterproductive.

I honestly think that Zenji knows Jiro resents him and that knowing about his presence would cause some kind of mental or physical breakdown to occur. I also believe that they may have used Zenji's organs to revive Jiro! If he resented Zenji beforehand.....of course his body may reject Zenjis organs altogether and refuse to work-? Until he makes peace with his past.

I do wanna argue that I still think Jiro loves Zenji.... and I know its okay for siblings to grow apart or hate each other... but I somehow feel like both of them were caught in a situation that caused tension. I know Jiro is neutral towards death, but,...based on some of the things he tells the MC, it makes me think he's a little less neutral to it when it comes to family, though he's used to dealing with it.

[danieyells]

Zenji died after Jiro woke up. Jiro was awake before and during the Clash(can't really be a murder suspect if you were unconscious the whole time.) Zenji died during. Zenji's body is also cryogenically frozen to be revived later. A little hard to do that without organs?

[disturbedheart]

Oh! Okay. Do you remember which ep they explained that he died afterward?! Because I must have forgotten. Fun theory regardless, my point still stands about why I think he resents Zenji. I guess I was confused about the timeline?

[danieyells]

I realized that the way I emphasized my response may have come off as rude or judgemental--I'm sorry if it did! I meant it as more of a silly emphasis, like "imagine being brought back to life but they took most of your organs out lmaoooo", not something like "why would you think that Zenji's organs were removed when we know they wanna try and revive him" 🙇🏾)

Yeah you were probably just confused about the chronology since it's all over the place lol. S01e05c31, and you see the staff talking about it shortly after the Clash in s01e22c04

I do agree that Jiro's resentment of Zenji probably relates to Saburo, though! I think he must have been sick--possibly with an anonalous illness--but since they were poor they couldn't get him to a hospital. So Jiro took to studying folk/traditional medicine, desperate to find something they could do for Saburo. Meanwhile Zenji tried to play everything off or ignore the seriousness of it rather than confronting it(Jiro even says he's unbothered by noise while he's reading, which I took to mean Zenji playing music or singing or reading poetry aloud, but arguably it could be related to Yuri singing too lol) maybe in an effort to be comforting if not because he's too skittish to confront negativity. While searching for a cure Jiro must've stumbled into anomalous medicine.

I assume that his affliction with Eternal Slumber Syndrome was from continuing to explore anomalous medicine. Maybe Zenji brought him to the hospital, they eventually ended up at an Institute hospital, they shipped Jiro off to Darkwick because his stigma prevented anyone from operating on him so DW would be his best bet at survival since they know so much about ghouls, and Zenji went along as a ghoul student in hopes that he could be there when he woke up--unfortunately there would have only been eeh a couple of months that they would get to be together? And Jiro didn't want anything to do with him. And then he died, so there was never a chance at reconciliation.

As for when along the way they made their pacts. . .they both would have been in distress around the same time. Pact-making isn't really deliberate, it's something that just can happen when you wish for something while stressed as far as we can tell. So I wouldn't be surprised if they both made their pacts around the same time just because idk they both felt helpless and wished. . .idk that there was something they could do. Part of me thinks Jiro must have made a wish and Zenji, seeing Jiro's wish come true, wished for an end to Saburo's suffering hoping that whatever granted Jiro's wish was still listening(he did after all say he'd never make a wish on skmething he couldn't see again. . .which sounds deliberate, unlike everyone else's so far which were coincidental.) and the demon responded with just flat out killing Saburo? And Jiro is maybe angry because Zenji used his wish carelessly--why make such a vague wish? Why not wish for him to be alive and healthy in no uncertain terms???

There's also the possibility that Jiro made a wish much earlier to protect Saburo--Zenji said, seeing Jiro acknowledging Saburo(doll) having protected him, that "you've always been there for him when he needed it most." which means that Saburo was always supporting Jiro or vice versa(since Jiro was so nonverbal when he was young I assume Saburo was the one always standing up for Jiro despite being younger.) So maybe Jiro, wanting to protect Saburo or reduce how much Saburo had to protect him, wished that anyone who hurt him would be hurt as well. And, learning that Jiro had made a wish, Zenji eventually attempted to do the same, hoping that Saburo could be saved, but maybe Saburo died or that's how he ended up sickly to begin with.

BUT THAT'S JUST A THEORY. We don't know nesrly enough about the Kirisakis to put all the pieces together. Considering the doll doesn't react negatively to Zenji or Jiro but goes oni mode if anyone else even suggests touching it, not to mention that it even reacts to things that Zenji points out that Saburo liked and apparently responds the same way Saburo did(Zenji pointed out what he thinks resembles the "red powerful ranger" mask at the festival and Saburo(doll) got angry at him because that's not what it was, to which Zenji said that he always had trouble with them and he just remembered Saburo had always given him a hard time about it), I heavily suspect that it is or contain's Saburo's spirit in skme capacity. But. Y'know. Theories.

[disturbedheart]

It's all good! I appreciate your clarification, as I will admit sometimes I'm not the best at reading tone..! So basically, this whole theory was a humor me for a moment idea. I'd read the theory so long ago and thought hmm makes enough sense! And I enjoy it so I didn't question the time-line, assuming the person I read it from had. That is my bad! No critical thinking skills guys. This is why I write fanfic, NOT fan theories. I am just. So bad at time-lines, and while I love theories, I don't make my own.

Big yikes on Zenji's part though, I really do enjoy your theory/take on the matter.

Aside from the time-line not lining up for this theory though, the idea of being revived from being cryogenically frozen is so far-fetched in my opinion, especially after already having died, it wouldn't surprise me if they did somehow find a way to do it without certain organs or by taking the organs of ....someone else, too. Is...that a crazy thought to have? I've read far more insane things in fantasy stories that I guess in my own head, its not even out of the question (aside from the time-line not allowing for something like that to be in question). Lab grown organs baby! Although that's...not even a fantasy thing. That's something they're really doing.

Thank you for informing me..! I have been further enlightened by both the time-line and my lack of keeping track of it 💀

[disturbedheart]

I would adore getting to see these two interact in story

[tokutaiseichan]

I’m very confused about the timeline from a jiro perspective. He said he woke up just before the clash, and it’s been mentioned that he was violent during the clash as a mortkranken ghoul who sent both general and ghoul students to the infirmary. But in 4/4 the day zenji died (see who killed robin pt 2) it seems like he was the last casualty and nicolas talks like jiro had just woken up. The title also says he’s a freshly awakened monster. Nicolas even says that jiro is a new student to darkwick?! So he wasn’t there when the new ghouls were assigned to their houses? And in the same flashback, it’s mentioned more than once that the clash is over. How does this work? The clash started bc an ultio student died, and jiro was one of the subjects. Here mid-year in april the clash is said to be done. Jiro is freshly awakened and a new student. The academic year starts in september. I’m confused when did the clash happen? How is jiro involved in all of this? How and why is he a new ghoul? So many questions… you made a post about it before so i decided to ask you

(Referring to this post) Hello, Anon! Below is my personal theory on what happened to Jiro in chronological order:

Jiro made his demonic pact and shortly after that, fell into a coma (the Eternal Slumber Syndrome). Darkwick relocated him into one of their facilities to be treated.

Kaito, Yuri, and Mio joined Darkwick in September (this and the previous↑ event are chronologically interchangeable as we don't know yet which happened first).

Yuri transferred to Mortkranken mid-academic year.

Yuri revived Jiro (this and the previous↑ event are also chronologically interchangeable as it's unclear which happened first).

Jiro is a ghoul so his invitation to Darkwick is inevitable but he was also given a screening test to gauge his academic ability. As it turns out, Jiro is a very brilliant man. His academic gift warranted him an advanced placement so instead of waiting for the next academic year, he's allowed to join Darkwick immediately as a first year一even though by that point he would've missed like, around six months worth of academic term. Jiro was later sorted into Mortkranken and Yuri took him under his wing as an apprentice doctor. [Who Killed Robin? Act II - Chapter 8]

Possibly at around the end of March, the One-Eyed Sleeping Beauty Murder incident occurred. A male Ultio general student, Irori Tomura, were killed in a manner that's impossible to be done by a normal human.

This lead to the Clash happening.

Zenji died as one of the casualties of the Clash and at April 4th, his ghost met Towa for the first time (April 4th wasn't the day Zenji died, he's been wandering as a ghost for some time when this event occurred). [Who Killed Robin? Act II - Chapter 9] By this point, the Clash have ended and all students injured during Clash have been fully recovered.

Rui was the prime suspect of the murder due to the fact that he discovered the victim's body but Alan, Towa, and Jiro were also suspected as perpetrators because the general students have become even more frightened of ghouls and those three are all particularly dangerous ghouls in their eyes. But according to Hyde, the evidence against those three were all circumstantial at best [Who Killed Robin? Act II - Chapter 5] and due to Jiro's condition after he just woken up from his coma, his memories from this period of time are vague thus, he can't deny nor confirm his involvement in the murder case (and by extension the Clash too, I assume). [The Reanimated Dead - Chapter 5]

Edward came forward and confessed he's the killer. This made the investigation on the other four suspects came to a halt until Darkwick can prove Edward's innocence. [Who Killed Robin? Act II - Chapter 5]

Now to address some of your questions...

First I'd like to point out that as far as I could remember, all accounts of Jiro being particularly violent during Clash came from the general students and hearsay.

The Reanimated Dead - Chapter 4

There's a chance that Jiro being violent during Clash was all just an exaggerated rumor or a misunderstanding, stemmed from the general students' fear and paranoia. Exacerbated by his own jumbled memories, Jiro probably couldn't defend himself from accusations nor provide alibis to disprove it and that's how the rumor became like that. As long as they haven't shown us flashbacks of Jiro being actually violent during Clash, I think it'd be wise to take the statement with a grain of salt.

Also this is just me bulshitting so don't take this particular argument seriously but: the rumor is that Jiro have sent multiple ghouls to the infirmary but... none of the other ghouls who saw and interacted with Jiro have ever hold animosity towards him? Like, you can see senpai ghouls of different Houses/factions still get a little heated and wary of each other (Jin and Alan, Taiga and Haku, Alan and Haku, etc). The only ghoul, present during Clash, who is wary of Jiro is Kaito but Kaito is like a scared dog一he's wary of everyone who holds more power than him. Sure, maybe the ghouls that Jiro hurted during Clash just haven't got the chance to interact with him yet but I feel like if Jiro did hurt any ghouls, we'd at least already got a little hint by this point. (If I want to be even more cheeky, I'd even argue that since Jiro is part of the team who treated the injureds, of course he'd be sending students and ghouls to the infirmary. Why wouldn't he? Haha... Okay, I'll walk myself out...)

As for Nicholas's claim...

Who Killed Robin? Act II - Chapter 8

Well, time can be relative. "Recent" can range from a few days ago to weeks or months ago depending on the context. I don't think Nicholas saying "just joined Darkwick" and the chapter title being "Freshly Awakened" necessarily means that it happened "very recently". He brought up Jiro's admission on the same breathe as Yuri's transfer so I suppose you're meant to take that those two events happened in near succession. TL;DR Jiro got admitted to Darkwick at around March, not in September like Yuri and the other ghouls in the same grade as them.

I think that's all. I tried explaining it as succinct as I could but if there's still anything you're bothered about, feel free to send me a follow up. Have a good day!

[disturbedheart]

I’ve had this floating in my brain for a while and I just don’t where to set it free but I wonder if in reanimating Jiro, Yuri needed to find an organ donor that would be a match, and oh look his freshly dead brother comes along with perfectly good organs. That would maybe play into why Jiro has such bad physical reactions whenever he comes close to remembering about Zenji. If he knew what had to happen to bring him back and whose body parts he relied on to live then his body might reject them. Maybe those memories HAVE to be blocked out for his continued functioning and that’s why Zenji doesn’t want Jiro to know he’s still around. Just a baseless musing, I have literally nothing to back this up lmao

Always feel free to set your ideas loose on me! Especially if it has anything to do with Jiro and Zenji, as these two are the butter to my bread.

I've seen this theory before and I think there's reason to believe it to be true..! Considering the spots in which Jiro has those massive scars.

And while I believe this theory to possibly be true, I also believe the theory that both Zenji and Jiro had a third, younger brother! I think @danieyells has mentioned it in a post of their own, but Jiro mentions in a home-screen line that he doesn't remember how or why he got into anomolous medicine, just that he did one day and kept going!

Zenji, throughout the story has hinted several times at having turned a blind eye to something and that he can't do it anymore. And it is pretty obvious that he doesn't like being confronted with certain bad news...or would prefer to ignore negative things.

I've always thought that their younger brother was sick, and maybe due to circumstances, they did not have the means it would take to keep up with doctors, or even if they did, they were getting nowhere with it....so Jiro picked up anomolous medicine to pretty much save his youngest brother's life. While Zenji, turned a blind eye to it because he really could not bear the thought of losing someone close to him, maybe even denying Jiro's work or downplaying the severity of their younger brothers condition just to cope. In turn, Jiro started to resent Zenji for his behavior because instead of helping, it was actively causing tension in their motives.

I'm not sure how old they would have been when their younger brother died either, but if they were young enough, I could imagine Jiro possibly blaming Zenji for the outcome of their brothers death because again, he was ignoring that it would happen instead of trying to change the trajectory.

I've also always wondered what kind of demon they made a pact with...? How did that all go down?! Like, did Jiro and Zenji make a pact together? Separately? Did their wish have something to do with their youngest brother and ....that's why Jiro's condition is so poor? Like did he wish to take on his brothers ailments..!? And now he lives with them while they're both dead....which is sadly tragic, but also counterproductive.

I honestly think that Zenji knows Jiro resents him and that knowing about his presence would cause some kind of mental or physical breakdown to occur. I also believe that they may have used Zenji's organs to revive Jiro! If he resented Zenji beforehand.....of course his body may reject Zenjis organs altogether and refuse to work-? Until he makes peace with his past.

I do wanna argue that I still think Jiro loves Zenji.... and I know its okay for siblings to grow apart or hate each other... but I somehow feel like both of them were caught in a situation that caused tension. I know Jiro is neutral towards death, but,...based on some of the things he tells the MC, it makes me think he's a little less neutral to it when it comes to family, though he's used to dealing with it.

[danieyells]

Zenji died after Jiro woke up. Jiro was awake before and during the Clash(can't really be a murder suspect if you were unconscious the whole time.) Zenji died during. Zenji's body is also cryogenically frozen to be revived later. A little hard to do that without organs?

[disturbedheart]

Oh! Okay. Do you remember which ep they explained that he died afterward?! Because I must have forgotten. Fun theory regardless, my point still stands about why I think he resents Zenji. I guess I was confused about the timeline?

[disturbedheart]

I’ve had this floating in my brain for a while and I just don’t where to set it free but I wonder if in reanimating Jiro, Yuri needed to find an organ donor that would be a match, and oh look his freshly dead brother comes along with perfectly good organs. That would maybe play into why Jiro has such bad physical reactions whenever he comes close to remembering about Zenji. If he knew what had to happen to bring him back and whose body parts he relied on to live then his body might reject them. Maybe those memories HAVE to be blocked out for his continued functioning and that’s why Zenji doesn’t want Jiro to know he’s still around. Just a baseless musing, I have literally nothing to back this up lmao

Always feel free to set your ideas loose on me! Especially if it has anything to do with Jiro and Zenji, as these two are the butter to my bread.

I've seen this theory before and I think there's reason to believe it to be true..! Considering the spots in which Jiro has those massive scars.

And while I believe this theory to possibly be true, I also believe the theory that both Zenji and Jiro had a third, younger brother! I think @danieyells has mentioned it in a post of their own, but Jiro mentions in a home-screen line that he doesn't remember how or why he got into anomolous medicine, just that he did one day and kept going!

Zenji, throughout the story has hinted several times at having turned a blind eye to something and that he can't do it anymore. And it is pretty obvious that he doesn't like being confronted with certain bad news...or would prefer to ignore negative things.

I've always thought that their younger brother was sick, and maybe due to circumstances, they did not have the means it would take to keep up with doctors, or even if they did, they were getting nowhere with it....so Jiro picked up anomolous medicine to pretty much save his youngest brother's life. While Zenji, turned a blind eye to it because he really could not bear the thought of losing someone close to him, maybe even denying Jiro's work or downplaying the severity of their younger brothers condition just to cope. In turn, Jiro started to resent Zenji for his behavior because instead of helping, it was actively causing tension in their motives.

I'm not sure how old they would have been when their younger brother died either, but if they were young enough, I could imagine Jiro possibly blaming Zenji for the outcome of their brothers death because again, he was ignoring that it would happen instead of trying to change the trajectory.

I've also always wondered what kind of demon they made a pact with...? How did that all go down?! Like, did Jiro and Zenji make a pact together? Separately? Did their wish have something to do with their youngest brother and ....that's why Jiro's condition is so poor? Like did he wish to take on his brothers ailments..!? And now he lives with them while they're both dead....which is sadly tragic, but also counterproductive.

I honestly think that Zenji knows Jiro resents him and that knowing about his presence would cause some kind of mental or physical breakdown to occur. I also believe that they may have used Zenji's organs to revive Jiro! If he resented Zenji beforehand.....of course his body may reject Zenjis organs altogether and refuse to work-? Until he makes peace with his past.

I do wanna argue that I still think Jiro loves Zenji.... and I know its okay for siblings to grow apart or hate each other... but I somehow feel like both of them were caught in a situation that caused tension. I know Jiro is neutral towards death, but,...based on some of the things he tells the MC, it makes me think he's a little less neutral to it when it comes to family, though he's used to dealing with it.

[blossombabbles]

"hot take" apparently idk why everyone was so mean abt the "Jiro doesn't like Zenji" take when it was pretty founded in reality.

Not every sibling relationship is built equal and while Zenji might see him like an older sibling does, wanting to look out for and take care of his brother, Jiro doesn't (currently) and maybe didn't return that feeling. He doesn't have to. Lots of younger siblings and older siblings don't get along even if one's trying their hardest to make it so. I genuinely don't know why that person was sent so much hate when it's not that hard to believe.

[r7v3n]

alr Edward we all know its you

[disturbedheart]

THATS PART OF HIS CHARACTER. HE'S WRITTEN THAT WAY BECUASE THAT IS WHO HE HAS BECOME AFTER ALL THAT HAD HAPPENED TO HIM!!!!! IT IS THE AFTERMATH OF THE PERSON HE ONCE WAS AND WILL NOW BE!!! HE IS WRITTEN TO DETER YOU ON PURPOSE AND YOU'RE FALLING FOR IT BECAUSE THEY DID IT ON PURPOSE *I scream as they drag me away*

[disturbedheart]

You all must understand first and foremost that pushing others away is a self fulfilling prophecy. Once you learn that you will be left behind and betrayed enough times, you start to believe it and your actions start to reflect it until you really are, alone

[disturbedheart]

Okay after this, I really should be done. But if you find yourself blocked its probably just because you post hate of a character I personally love or find interesting. I unfortunately love when characters are traumatized and act out in ways that are unpalatable because it's, yes...unfortunately, to some extent, extremely realistic.

[tkdb-confessions]

IDK but I've always felt like people who hate characters like Haku, Leo, Jin, Hyde or Shion can be pretty hypocritical. Especially when they say they hate Leo and Jin but love Haku or Shion. Same goes for people who hate Taiga and Ed.

Like... are we even playing the same game? We literally have the perspective of a god as the player and some people still miss the subtext.

Personally, I don't even like Leo or Jin but that's because of their personalities and how they react to certain situations. As characters, I think they're really interesting. Leo especially has so much deep lore going on that we haven't even gotten to explore yet.

It's also funny when people say Leo would totally be the type of influencer to use generative AI. His entire story revolves around hating the rich and systematically scamming predatory old rich men. He despises Darkwick's hierarchy and probably only enrolled to dig up dirt on the institution. He hates being associated with the elite, so why would he support a product created by billionaire corporations that exploit people and resources? Tell me you skipped the story without telling me you skipped the story. 

As for Jin, I think he's another deep lore character whose execution suffers because ZZG hasn't done the best job of conveying his concept yet. That's disappointing but I also think a lot of the hate comes from how popular he is, how much ZZG pushes him, and the fact that he's from an elite bloodline. People judge him before trying to understand his character as a whole.

And I can understand disliking Jin. But then some people decide they hate Frostheim, so they automatically hate Luca and Kaito too. (I love Yuri and my baby used to be a Frostheim also, not everybody is the same that's what I'm trying to say but many people are not ready for that conversation.)

...Why?

Those two have barely any information available. We know very little about Luca and even Kaito still has plenty left unexplored.

Hyde and Elias. We know practically nothing about either of them.

Hyde barely has enough information for anyone to know what's actually going on with him or the Institute, yet people are already determined to make him the villain.

Elias has technically been around for a long time, but we've barely gotten to know him, and people have already written entire villain arcs for him in their heads.

And hating Ed while liking Taiga is also kind of funny because they operate on very similar concepts and methods. I love Taiga but let's not pretend everything he does is okay. The man literally pointed a gun at MC. I'd put that on the same level as Jin throwing the ashtray. MC could've gotten hurt regardless of how "careful" the ghouls think they were being.

At that point, just write fanfiction instead of treating your headcanons like canon. I was genuinely confused when I first joined this fandom because of how much people villainized these characters when we barely have any information about them.

Maybe it's the influence of short form content, but it feels like people don't want to read between the lines anymore. They want everything spoon-fed to them.

People always say they love layered and morally complicated characters.

But some of them can't even handle Jin, Shion, Leo, Taiga or Ed, and those characters aren't even that difficult to understand. ZZG just hasn't revealed everything yet because their backstories would probably spoil the main plot.

🧬