shewhoeatssand

[shewhoeatssand]

What does Tokyo Ghoul have to say about romance?

I guess the usual, romantic love can give you companionship when you're completely alone, it can make you feel worth something when you see yourself as worthless, it can give you strength, etc etc. It is pretty normal, not to say it is Bad, i actually really like Touka x Ken and Akira x Amon, Touken is probably one of the better romances you will find in action shounen series.

Tokyo Ghoul doesn't say anything revolutionary about Romance, it does the usual, i think it handles the themes of community way better with Anteiku, Hinami and Goat, i actually really love the Karaoke thing Nishio drags Kaneki to. Tokyo Ghoul doesn't have that many moments like this but i think the ones it does are great.

[shewhoeatssand]

“i don’t hate you. i just wish i’d never met you.” + nostalgia + love letters never sent

for the build a fic prompt thing. could you do it with rizekane? or maybe just kaneki if you don't wanna do them both. up to you!

this might end up in Tokyo at some point

She slid into bed behind him and whispered into his unconscious ear, “I don’t hate you. I just wish I’d never met you.”

They had been fighting, earlier. Screaming, crying, throwing things. She had thrown a book at his head. He had begged, “I’m sorry, Rize! Don’t hate me!” with a voice that broke on her name. What had it even been about? 

Probably Furuta. That’s usually what they fought about these days. Ken was annoyingly insecure about the other man, and Furuta only encouraged it. She’d thought it was funny, watching them duke it out like male birds putting on a show – and what was it to them, she’d fuck them both, anyway. They’d get what they wanted.

Rize wrapped an arm around her sleeping lover’s waist. She was tired. Fighting and being angry was tiring at the end of the day, no matter how fun and entertaining it was. All Ken seemed to want to do lately was fight. Maybe he got off on the make-up sex. She wouldn’t be surprised. 

Furuta never fought with her like that. Never tried to control her like that. And, sure, she’d always have him. But she was stuck with Ken now. What had she been thinking, wrapping him up so tightly? Maybe that bitch was right: she was too childish and hedonistic.

In the morning, Rize awoke first. Ken slept the fight off soundly each time. Sometimes she wished he wouldn’t wake up. 

She stripped and turned the hot water on nice and high in the shower. As she stepped in and let it fall over her shoulders, she remembered what they had been fighting about last night.

Ken had used her shampoo.

[shewhoeatssand]

🖍️ 🔦 🧶

last 2 for Hide❤️ I like hearing you talk abou him :)

🖍 - Do you have any art/faceclaims/inspo we can see?

i dont really have any art of my own besides the picrews I make.... a huge inspiration for Tokyo was The Lumineers' BRIGHTSIDE album, which i think i've talked about before. it just has Tokyo Vibes. the fic Daisy Chain was also a huge inspiration.

🔦 - What's something [Hide] is afraid to acknowledge?

ooooooo excellent question... his limits, for one: he doesnt want to admit that he actually has none, although he definitely knows it (he lives in that space after knowing and before acknowledgement). also, I think hes afraid to acknowledge that the intensity of his feelings for Kaneki mean that he would rather Kaneki continue to love while suffering than lose him

🧶 - What kind of provocation or circumstance would get under [Hide's] skin more than others?

another EXCELLENT QUESTION OMG. perfect timing, too, bc i'm working on a very Hide-centric scene for Tokyo... the silent treatment 100%. being ignored/forgotten/chosen over, especially in favour of someone else.

[shewhoeatssand]

so, fanfic author asks

- What is a question that you never get asked about your fics that you really want to answer?

- Happy Endings or Sad Endings? feel like I know the answer to that one

thank you for putting the question in the ask so I can answer it just on my phone without having to fuck around with multiple tabs <333

What is a question that you never get asked about your fics that you really want to answer?

(for Tokyo) How much time do you spend thinking about things before actually writing them?

and the answer is SO FUCKING MUCH. bc its not just about the story, is it? first i have to know what happens and how it connects to everything else that has happened and will happen and its effect on the characters. but then I also have to define to myself what sort of vibe I want it to have and how I want the reader to react/feel. AND THEN THE HARDEST PART: HOW TF DO I DO THAT??? I spend SO MUCH TIME thinking about logistical things like do i tell the scene as the character experiences it or as a memory? do they narrate their feelings or feel them? where is this scene located? is something else happening as a metaphor/scaffolding? it feels like i'm wringing my brain out like a dishcloth sometimes (right now. it feels like that right now bc i'm trying to craft a scene with Hide's Thoughts and Reactions to the dinner with Kaneki and Rize, and now Kaneki's distance).

Happy Endings or Sad Endings?

i am definitely a big fan of sad endings. I just find they wrap things up better than happy endings. again I will talk about Tokyo bc i actually have no idea what the tone of the ending is gonna be.....

[shewhoeatssand]

"I can't sleep either. Mind if I join you?" + exhaustion + a spare bedroom + hidezawa <3

Hide was riding his bike through the dark empty streets when his phone rang. Peddaling slowly and wobbling only a little, he fished it out of his jacket pocket and answered, one hand back on the handlebars to steer lazily. "Yo?"

"It's me."

"Hey, Taki." They knew each other intimately yet he still called him by (a shortened version of) his family name. "What's up? It's, like... 3 in the morning."

"I couldn't sleep."

Hide tried to chuckle, but it was more just an extended, shaky breath. "I get that."

"Are you out? I hear cars."

"Yeah, I'm out on my bike." He had wanted to sleep. He really did. He was exhausted. It was as simple as that, no metaphors, no description. Just exhaustion. We all know that feeling. "I don't want to go home... y'know what? Since I can't sleep either, mind if I join you?"

Takizawa was answered quickly. "Sure. C'mon over. My apartment has a spare bedroom, you can stay and we can go into work together tomorrow."

Hide didn't have to ask where he lived; he already knew. When he got there, no one slept in the spare bedroom.

[shewhoeatssand]

Hidezawa + "I say this with all the love in my heart, you look like shit." + fondness + the war room of a military blacksite or cochlea or a normal prison if its for Tokyo universe

of course I chose Tokyo-verse <333

Takizawa lingered while everyone else packed up. The meting had been held in what was jokingly referred to as the War Room - it was the only meeting room big enough to seat both sectors, social workers and police. Thus, war inevitably broke out in there.

When everyone was gone except him and Hide, Takizawa spoke, "I say this with all the love in my heart: you look like shit." His smile was fond and it grated on Hide's ears.

"Yeah? Well, I feel like shit."

Takizawa flinched. Hide mentally kicked himself for not making more of an effort.

"Wow, someone's grumpy. Is it your time of the month or something?"

Hide sighed and tried to offer his friend an apologetic smile. "Sorry, buddy. Just... We're not vibing, right now, y'know?"

[shewhoeatssand]

Of course they were curious. Of course as soon as they saw him next, they were crowding around him, bombarding him with questions. Coworkers are always notoriously nosy. 

Amon, first, politely inquiring, “So, how did that dinner with your friend and his girlfriend go, Nagachika? As bad as you expected?”

Then Akira, bluntly, “Probably worse. Look at him. Did your parents not like her? Or worse- they loved her?”

And finally Takizawa, crossing boundaries like an Olympic long-distance runner, “Give us all the details, man! Were you totally third-wheeling? What did she wear? Can I come next time?”

[shewhoeatssand]

uhhh yh sure u can go back but no one will be waiting for you there

[shewhoeatssand]

[suffering consequences of her actions voice] how could this possibly have happen to me..,

[shewhoeatssand]

[suffering consequences of her actions voice] how could this possibly have happen to me..,

[shewhoeatssand]

[shewhoeatssand]

Hi, I really enjoyed your new symbiote TG AU. I never thought about this kind of crossover before, but it was so wholesome and grotesque at the same time that it’s stuck in my head and has been roaming around in my brain for the past few days. It sparked an idea in my head that mixes a bit more classic TG into it, and I wanted to share it with you.

One of my favorite aspects of TG is its body horror, particularly the scientific side of the transformation. I’ve always thought there was missed potential in how Kaneki never truly realized something was growing inside his back until he wasn't able to rat.

So, here’s where your AU comes in. What if being connected to the symbiote for an extended period of time had consequences that couldn’t be controlled by either the host or the symbiote? I had this idea that, because of Ken’s presence, Hide’s body starts overproducing RC cells and gradually begins transforming him into a ghoul (though maybe not cannibalistic, since his body doesn't need more cells—just some mechanism to handle them). They both sense something is happening, but neither can stop it.

It starts off subtly—with random migraines (because the kakugans are forming, causing photosensitivity when underdeveloped) and faintness (because RC channels are growing through his muscles and organs). Over time, Hide begins to feel a strange aching spot on his back that eventually develops into pressure on his spine, along with something resembling a peristaltic movement or an arhythmic heartbeat. Every now and then, he gets excruciating muscle spasms in that area that Kaneki can’t stop with his abilities, but he knows it’s related to this new organ preparing for something—although Kaneki himself doesn’t know what yet (which will later turn out to be the formation of a kagune).

Of course, both of them feel terrible. Kaneki is consumed by guilt and does everything he can to alleviate Hide's suffering, but Hide still ends up curled up in bed because of pain. Kaneki knows this is all his fault, but if he leaves now, Hide will be in even worse condition. Meanwhile, Hide feels guilty for different reasons. He was supposed to protect Kaneki, but his own body has betrayed him. Now, he’s terrified that both of them will die, and he fears he’ll start resenting his best friend for it when he himself allowed him to stay.

So, in conclusion, thank you for the inspiration and for your work in general. It really got my imagination going.

Thank you so much!! I love the phrase "wholesome and grotesque" and that is absolutely what I was aiming for, so I'm glad it came across!

TBH, my au was one of those ideas where like. Technically this doesn't need to be TG. It could just be an original story. The only thing I was pulling from TG was the characters' names and personalities. And that was kinda purposeful - I was coming off the love and hype of Venom 2018 and all those "i want my own symbiote" posts, and it reinvigorated my love of the trope and I just... started writing. And why make your own OCs when you're obsessed with existing ones and just writing for fun? Then when my love of Venom 2018 went dormant, my older love of the general parasite trope remained (Alien, Stargate, Star Trek, etc) and I ended up trying to lean more into the gore and horror of it — as having a physical alien creature inside you is a lot different than just a blob sinking through your skin.

I was mostly playing around in that "i want a symbiote" and monster lover space, because that's my preference and man i want a monster friend and having a symbiote would be that but on a whole new level of intimacy. 🥺

(Half the AU is me writing horror, the other half is me going "hhhh i wanna hold and cuddle a symbiote so bad!!!!!" and writing Hide in that position to cope)

But your idea and how you connected the more Tokyo Ghoul-specific lore is a really neat idea!! And I think that could absolutely be connected back to my original inspiration of Venom.

Because Venom eats people. He has to eat humans, biologically. He requires the chemical phenethylamine in human brains to survive.

So what if the ghoul symbiotes in this au... were in fact named that because yes they do go around eating people?

(Which actually makes my stolen-from-stargate Goa'uld name make sense in such a funny dark way. Imagine if aliens came to earth and said "we're called [clearly alien word that sounds scarily close to "flesh-eater"]". You laugh awkwardly at the weird (scary) coincidence. And then a few days later you find out their species is in fact dining on people.)

When Kaneki has to take Hide as a new host, he thinks he can just take care of that need himself. Make Hide blackout, take full control, and go find a way to eat. (Imagine Anteiku but like,,, storing human brains like in iZombie) (Or don't have an Anteiku and force Kaneki to kill humans to live if you want a true horror and also to torture him and Hide emotionally and morally. Whatever.)

Maybe it's a deal they make and Hide reluctantly accepts that Kaneki doesn't want him involved in the cannibalism aspect. Maybe Kaneki does it sneakily while Hide is sleeping so he won't even realize and won't ever know how much of a monster his species is. (You know Hide notices anyway, but doesn't say anything. He feels guilty enough about taking away Kaneki's ability to live as a person. If Kaneki wants to go on secret nightly outings every month with his body, he's more than allowed to! And then Hide finds out that ghouls eat people and puts 2-and-2 together and. Well, the guy's gotta eat!)

But then... as time goes on, Hide begins to physically change too. And the end result... is that he kind of ends up as the equivalent of a half ghoul — craving human flesh himself.

When I was coming up with Kaneki's symbiote design, I was trying to reflect as many ghoul features as I could. One of which was that split tail, to represent 2 of his 4 kagune.

So what if... ghoul symbiotes have the ability to stick their tails outside their host's back, and use them as weapons? This could probably be used as the equivalent of when Venom coats Eddie and becomes their monster form together.

(It was challenging and I never designed anyone else, but I was planning on reflecting every kagune in every ghoul symbiote design. Touka, for example, would be a very spiky symbiote, reflecting her sharpened ukaku. Nishiki retains his dolphin tail. Hinami's might be more of a barb. Etc.)

...And, actually. I also had an old idea where Rize was the symbiote, living in a fully-suppressed random human girl, going on a date with Kaneki (using him in some way, surely) and an accident happens and V or Furuta or someone found out and needed/wanted her to live, so they just... surgically put her in Kaneki. Kaneki wakes up having his ex-girlfriend in his head and living in his guts and Rize is Not Happy about it because she has her canon personality and she wants to be a wild and free girl with her own 'human' life, not be stuck in some dweeb and she's too weak to fully suppress his mind like she usually does with her hosts and now they have to learn to co-exist.

And now... I'm intrigued by a subplot where her being there is slowly transforming Kaneki into essentially a half ghoul. I could even lean into the anime version of Tokyo Ghoul, where Rize haunts and tempts him. (She just wants some good food, man! It's been months!)

So... Thank you for the inspiration in return! 😊

And for the record, you're more than welcome to write and post your own AUs based on or inspired by mine! I'd be honored and love to read it!!

[shewhoeatssand]

So thirsty, is he going to be like that the whole time during this whole new quest? Hope so XD Dramatic passionate Tsukiyama, love you. Scene stealer. Is he even going to have a great character arc?! Is he going to have it all (except Kaneki)?

Also: angsty Kaneki is pretty cute; so, Yoshimura's popular, people at anteiku know him in his ghoul form or? Touka-chan ;_; what will they say to Hide when he'll go asking about Kaneki? Noro seems fun.

[shewhoeatssand]

By Alphonse Mucha, Paris, 1899.

[shewhoeatssand]

Carmilla, Castlevania Judgement

[shewhoeatssand]

"Tell me to stay, and I will." + guilt + mutual pining

another continuation if the etoken torture au

He slumped in the chair, panting. Horrible things were happening inside his body. All things he had done to himself of course - it was better to be hurt than to hurt others, of course.

She watched him and felt the pain inside herself. The sweat on his brow. The bulges and growths under his skin. The weeping sores. Every day she offered him the choice: the human meat that would heal and strengthen him, or this rat poison. Guess what he chose?

She lingered. "Tell me to stay, and I will." The least she could do?

"Why would I want you to stay?

"Why would I want you to stay?

"Why would I want you to stay?

"Why would I want you to stay?

"Why would I want you to stay?!"