#Zenji is dead

[tokutaiseichan]

i know i said Haku is the most suspicious but that doesn't mean i don't have other suspects in my mind. anyway! here's my list of spy suspects → 1) Haku 2) Rui 3) Tohma

if you let me go even more wild with my ass-theories, i'd say even Kaito can be a spy candidates if the writers are into the whole "guy who spents more than half of the story being a cowardly underdog is actually super smart and works for the enemies" trope.

or Haru if they're into the "shady fox eyes" trope.

(※ don't take this seriously, they don't call me Detective Reaching #2 for nothing)

[gottaarc]

Every time the game gives us a stark reminder of Zenji's situation I start experiencing new levels of delulu because I picked Zenji from the get-go and wtf does jumping into roaring flames have to do with being a ghost. Bro would not be making a noble sacrifice, he'd be testing fall damage. Can a ghost really die a second time? Or maybe he'd just sort of pass on/dissipate? I mean maybe but also if he can sacrifice himself maybe he had a physical body to do it with.

And especially after the most recent Mortkranken episode you cannot tell me that Yuri would not build a whole homunculus for his ghost to inhabit just because he's Jiro's brother.

[yuri-is-online]

Hello yuri! How are you? I Hope you have a nice day!

When i play tdk i noticed something in jaberwock chapter that is if im not wrong, towa can control weather! Also his inhuman strenght and his octopus like pupils! Although the inhuman strenght can be justify as him being a ghoul, could it be towa is a non human ghoul? But we all know that non human ghoul are put in obscuary. So that might be a mystery for towa backstory! Also his inability to speak raise some question right there! Then we see towa speaking to mc when night come but, as day come he isn't speaking at all. I can't wait for more chapter to drop!!

Hello friend! It's pretty much a guaranteed thing that Towa is an inhuamn ghoul! Pretty cool right? As for why he isn't in Obsucary, I think the explanation is actually pretty simple:

Towa seems to control the weather in Jabberwock to a degree. When he isn't there it becomes bad, though this could be as simple as it becomes more "natural" when he's not there to keep it like old the windows desktop all of the time. This isn't an uncommon theme among inhuman creatures, powerful spirits are thought to have an effect on the environment around them including changing the weather to their liking.

Towa actively hates Ed. As Ed is the Captain of Obscuary, having Towa there would be problematic. The school is probably very aware that they can't really control either Towa or Ed, so having them both in close proximity where they would have more chances to fight just feels like a bad idea lol.

As for what sort of creature Towa could be... I have some thoughts? The ghoul's stigmas are thought to be anagrams of demons from the Ars Goetia, and while the name slips my mind at this moment one of the proposed ones for Towa takes a form similar to that of a unicorn. Unicorns as we know them are more synonymous with western mythology, but there is a beast similar to a unicorn in Chinese mythology called a Qilin:

I think they're super neat~ They are not described as having the power to control weather specifically? But bringing rain and throwing out lightning are powers often giving to Chinese dragons, which Qilin are sometimes depicted as being similar to. My main problem with this is that uhhh Qilin are usually thought of as being very nice. They can tell good from evil and I saw multiple encyclopedia entries about how it walks on grass without crushing it... perhaps Towa just sees people and anomalies as being less that grass?

They are also associated with the birth and death of "great sages and rulers." Which may of course mean literally nothing at all because there's really nothing saying Towa is/used to be a Qilin I just really like them and think it'd be neat if he was. I hope you have fun with Tokyo Debunker anon! I'm waiting on the next chapter too lol

[zomboivex]

You know I find it odd-

Almost everyone who has their humanity in question in one way or another has link or red eyes. Except Lyca.

Dante (pinkish eyes) - was supposedly killed by Alan

Towa (pink eyes with the black pupil slit) - ????

Zenji (red) - ghost

Edward (red) - vampire

Rui (‘pale ruby’ as described by the game) - reaper curse

Jiro (red) - almost(????) dead (coma-type situation)

Sure, Romeo has purple/red eyes. There’s also whatever is going on with Taiga (who has like very yellow/green eyes). And Haru’s are closed.

And I believe it was stated that MC has pink eyes (she is cursed).

I wonder if there’s- a connection here?

It’s just odd that a lot of them have red or pink eyes and a lot of the ones with those eyes have their humanity put into question more so than the other ghouls.

The only one that doesn’t fit in is Lyca.

I’m probably reaching but the thought has been bugging me for a while, now.

[unhinged-simp]

I’m a new follower haha, I am super happy that you are taking requests! I love the students from hotarubi so much!! I am also a hotarubian (at least according to the house sorting in the early game). Would you mind writing a soulmate AU for the hotarubi characters? Thanks a lot!!!

Soulmate AU with the Hotarubi boys.

I don't mind at all! This was my first time doing a soulmate au, so I hope it turned out good. I was also sorted into Hotarubi, and I love all of them(though Subaru's my favorite). I didn't really change anything except for the soulmate part, so I did skip around a bit.

Each boy has a different soulmate prompt for variety. I’ll label the ones I used. I decided to use the prologue for Haku, since that's when we meet him.

Spoilers for the Hotarubi chapter

Subaru: Same markings

You had always wanted to find your soulmate. The same person that shares the mark you have on your skin. 

Despite your best efforts, you haven't found them yet.

Years passed on, and you just decided to give up.

In the end, you ended up forgetting about your soulmate. Perhaps you’d find them sooner rather than later.

You were on an assignment from Darkwick to inspect Hotarubi. And you were going to meet the Captain. 

He came in and knelt before you, and introduced himself. However you caught a glimpse at the mark on his hand, one that matched yours.

“It's you,” you said, confusing both Haru and Subaru. 

“What?” Subaru asked.

“The mark on your hand. It's the same as mine.” 

You showed him your hand. His eyes widened at the sight. 

“So you’re my soulmate.”

Haku: First word said to each other

“All right. Let's get out of here for starters.” Were the words written on your arm. 

You had often questioned them, like why were those the first words your soulmate said to you?

Then you got saved from an anomaly, and almost got thrown out of the train by the boy who saved you. Fortunately you were saved by another boy.

“All right. Let's get out of here for starters,” he said. You tried to say something, but the boy played his flute and you fell asleep.

When you woke up, the train was back to normal. 

“Sorry, but I’m still here,” the boy said, watching you from the seat beside you. 

“Huh? Aha-” You nearly fell to the ground due to your injured leg. 

“Whoops, looks like we injured a civilian.” 

“Wait a second,” you yell. The boy looks up.

“What is it?” He asks. 

“You're my soulmate,” you exclaim, showing him your arm. The boy looks down at his arm.

“Well, what do you know,” he mutters. 

Zenji: Red Strings

You had often stared at the red string wrapped around your pinky. 

You wondered what your soulmate was like, and how you would meet.

But something happened. One day, a year before you had come to Darkwick, your string turned black, and was cut.

You were heartbroken. Why did this happen? Did something happen to your soulmate?

Then after working on a mission, Haku took you and Subaru to the teahouse, and revealed the third ghoul in Hotarubi.

“Are you Zenji?” You asked the boy now in front of you. He seemed ecstatic that you could see him. 

“You can see me, my dear?” He asked. And when you nod, he grabs your hand in delight. 

Then the dead string that you had on your pinky reacted. It reached out to connect to the dead string on Zenji’s finger. 

“You’re-” you started, before you were interrupted by the happy crying of Zenji.

“My dear.”

[tomikashii]

tokyo debunker: character description in 5 words or less

currently obsessed with this damn game & now im raging cause i can't get pass case 56 + episode 9 is coming out at the end of september ;-; (i haven't unlock ep 7, chapter 11 onwards) but i already read through ep 7 & 8 already online..

STILL FRUSTRATING OKAY PLS

anyways on to the post ::

FROSTHEIM

jin kamurai : depressed with money

tohma ishibashi : loyal secretary who gaslights

kaito fuji : zenitsu's (demon slayer) reincarnation with chifuyu's (tokyo revengers) hair

lucas errant : gullible knight & shining armour

VAGASTROM

alan mido : a boomer (I LOVE HIM BUT IM SORRY)

sho haizono : gordan ramsey

leo kurosagi : sassy twink

JABBERWOCK

haru sagara : zookeeper

ren shiranami : the realest one

towa otanashi : big child who controls weather

SINOSTRA

taiga hoshibami : extreme dementia

romeo lucci : a narcissist

ritsu shinjo : legally blonde

HOTARUBI

subaru kagami : knows too much

zenji kotodama : casper the friendly ghost

haku kusanagi : mr steal your girl

OBSCUARY

edward hart : edward cullen

lyca colt : jacob from twilight

rui mizuki : tamaki (ohshc) but a different font

MORTKRANKEN

yuri isami : narcissistic version of greys anatomy

jiro kirisaki : im alive but im dead ✌🏻

ok thats all i hope yall enjoyed ! i need more tokyo debunker moots pls 🫶🏻

[the-fandom-is-now-my-life]

Because I think I might get around writing for most of the men at some point for the future au I wanted to see or already arrange how many kids they would have

Jin would have two kids in complete accident, he was very happy by his father's discontent at his heir's lack of kids but things happened, the person who celebrated them the most was the grampa. Maybe two boys or a boy and a baby girl.

Thoma screams girl dad, doesn't he? Just imagine him braiding her hair for evening tea and being a menace to any boys she brings home with Alan if they break her heart, he is still a delinquent at heart.

For Luca I'm split between wanting him to have two boys to mirror him and his brother or a spoiled girl he plays knight for, sigh, such a hard decision...

Kaito, how did he reproduce?

Alan, two kids, one of each, no hesitation, he has a ‘little princess’ who he is nervous of hurting accidentally when he holds her but is as much of a wild beast as his brother. They like going hiking and getting chased by their dad when they get too close to a lake or too far away from the path.

In Leo’s scenario i see him with a daughter that managed to soften out his meanness (while she is around so she doesn't pick up on much of his sass, kids don't make miracles) and left him with another on the way that I also feel would be another girl. He is just a bit annoyed he doesn't have to redo the nursery for content but whatever.

Sho I KNOW that in his fic I said ‘nephew’ but imagine a baby girl that was playing with her family before she was even born and had you two scattering to find a girl's name at the hospital. It's just the beginning of her mischievous streak. Sho thinks it's his karma from being a thug as a teen.

I don't know why but I can see Romeo having three kids? Maybe because Gucci had like five kids or it's to a certain degree to assure himself the MC wants to stay with him and wouldn't leave out of the blue 💔 attachment issues bb.

Ritsu originally only wanted one child, he was an only child and was happy getting all the attention, but not everything went as he planned so he got twin boys.

Taiga, why would you do this to yourself??

Haru already has a son, peekaboo, but when he grows up he accidentally has a boy who he starts giving some minor tasks around, separating some leaves for the animals, brushing peekaboo’s hair, plucking weeds, etc etc. Don't look at him like that! He need all the help he can get.

Towa has girls! They like fairy tales with happy endings and always bother their dad to tell them your love story. When they become toddlers they go through a vegan phase to mimick him and will cry if they have meat or egg on their plate.

Ren was 99% sure he was going to die a virgin. He ends up with a girl he plays games with everyday after work. Borderline ipad kid.

Can grandpa Ed even have kids? Lol if he has I think I could see him with just one vampy baby that sits next to him and drinks tears off a sippy cup while his dad watches iceberg videos. Another ipad kid.

Rui (if somehow you broke his curse) is someone who I don't think would have kids, or at least not planned jajs but maybe one girl that he ends up overprotecting from playboy men like him in his youth.

Lyca I want to say they have a litter just for the joke of him being a werewolf but he doesn't seem to have any siblings so the joke doesn't get far :(

I see Subaru with only one child if any. He loves the little thing but feels he is intruding on their privacy, whenever he touches his preteen/teen kid he feels sorry enough to apologize.

I see Haku as someone who would be pretty chill with his life after Darkwick and go along with it as it happened. If you two had a child, great; if you didn't, great too. Very go with the flow parenting too.

Zenji he is dead wth jajajaj

Yuri NEEDS a little child that is always so impressed with their papa and he gets to brag about being the best or something. Please just don't let him be a strict teacher so your kid will follow his steps, he thinks it's for the best of their future but you can coerce him into just giving a very lengthy lecture about anomalous medicine without tests.

Jiro HAS to have a boy that is so similar to his uncle 🥹 always cooing since he is able to vocalize and chasing his dad around to get uppies while he tends to the backyard filled with herbs.

[aayakashii]

❤21 with Zenji please!

❤️21 writer's choice!

Being a ghost came with some habits that were quite hard to break. Kinda surprising though, how one could create new routines despite being dead. You’d think they’d become a still frame of who they were before, but no; apparently ghosts could very well develop new mannerisms much like a living person.

Zenji’s little habit was getting way too close to you.

He didn’t see the harm in it; it’s not like he could touch you at all. His presence had no weight to it and his words had no warm breath in them, so he would just enjoy the opportunity and lean over – talk to you barely a few centimeters away from your face and lay down next to you at night, inspecting every little pore of your face like you were a little rare specimen and he was an electronic microscope.

You tried telling him time and time again that he should give you a little bit of space, but he went on with some flowery and convoluted explanation as to why he just had to be close to you, and he took great pleasure in the fact that you couldn’t physically push him away.

Well, at least not until you found that little new pet of yours.

It seemed harmless, the little thing. It was like a much smaller version of a sheep. It had the size of a hedgehog, with a pitch black coat and piercing purple eyes. You had told Zenji you had found him (him?) at the woods, then taken him to Jabberwock to be properly attended to, but the darned little anomaly just wouldn’t leave your side. Isn’t Bopeep cute, though? (Bopeep? You had already named it?!)

Zenji fretted for a little while, as the anomaly slept on your shoulder.

“My dear! What if it is dangerous? We can never know when it comes to anomalies! What if it opens its mouth and sucks you into a black hole! Oh, the thought alone brings tears to my eyes!”

You laughed at Zenji’s worried speech as you pet the small head of the sheep anomaly.

“I talked to Haru about it, Zenji! He assured me Bopeep is human safe, but I have him on speed dial if anything weird happens.”

“I see!” he exclaimed, putting one hand over his chest in relief “So he knows the species of this new friend of yours?”

You nodded.

“Apparently it’s called a Duttur. He showed me a book about well-known anomalies, so I could read about it too, since I didn’t have all the beginner 1st year classes, after all.”

Zenji sighed dramatically and sat right beside you. The small yard besides your dorm was small but cozy, and you two had taken a liking to hanging out together in that calm, private place.

“That’s a relief! So I presume you read all about this new little friend of yours, yes?”

You grinned mischievously, nodding again.

“I read all about him and that’s exactly why I wanted to show him to you.”

Zenji tilted his head curiously as you scooted to the front of him, the sudden movement waking Bopeep up.

“Oops, sorry little guy.” you murmured apologetically to the miniature sheep before turning to Zenji. “Anyway, I read something about him and I had to make sure it was true. Stay still for a moment, please.”

The tall man straightened his back, still tilting his head as he had no idea what you were trying to do.

You had positioned yourself right in front of him. Both of you had your legs crossed, knees just a few millimeters apart. You swallowed hard as you raised a trembling hand towards Zenji. Despite the few seconds of hesitation, you mustered up the courage and went for his hands, folded on his lap.

You could feel the cold texture of his skin against your fingertips.

Smiling brightly and relieved, you turned to face Zenji, who couldn’t take his eyes off of your hand touching his. Mouth agape, he opened his palm and slowly intertwined his fingers with yours, feeling the cold sweat of your palms dampen his own.

He turned his head towards you, still in disbelief, despite the few tears that seemed well up in his eyes.

“My dear… How is this possible?” he murmured, voice hoarse.

You couldn’t stop smiling while you grabbed his other hand and held it tightly.

“Apparently Bopeep does have a little danger to him, after all. It allows humans to see and touch spirits and other entities like that” you snickered, “It’s pretty useful for someone who’s friends with a ghost, though, don’t you think?”

Zenji blinked, dumbfounded.

In a brief moment, however, he tackled you into a hug, harshly throwing you to the ground. He ended up tumbling onto the grass after phasing through you like he usually did.

“What?! Why?!” he cried out, frustrated.

You laughed at his outburst.

“I have to be touching Bopeep in order to be able to touch you too. If you knock him out of me, we won’t be able to touch.” you pointed at the small anomaly that was bleating in anger, after being thrown to its back on the grass, little legs struggling to turn itself upright.

“Oh! My apologies, my little sheep friend” Zenji exclaimed. He got up on his feet and went to help the anomaly, hesitating for a moment before holding it in his hands and looking ecstatic that he could touch it.

You rose as well, approaching the tall man.

“So... do you want to try hugging now?” you bashfully suggested, feet kicking the ground.

Zenj quickly turned his head towards you and, after carefully putting the anomaly on your shoulder, he circled his arms around you while you tightly hugged his waist, both sighing happily at the feeling of being in each other's arm.

He was much taller than you, so you had to rest your cheek against his broad chest, while he laid his on the top of your head. You could make out a faint scent of jasmine wafting off of his skin and clothes as you pressed closer to his body.

The absence of his heartbeat didn’t go unnoticed by you, but you could feel his deep breathing – his chest moved up and down slowly, a pace so comforting that made you sleepy, despite him not needing to breathe anymore – an unconscious habit he probably could never let go of, even after death.

And speaking of habits…

“You won’t be able to stay super close to me at all times now that we can touch, you know? That will be very disconcerting if you do” you said, voice muffled against him.

“No, no, my dear! You must know that old habits die hard!” he protested, rubbing his cheek against the top of your head and successfully messing up your hair.

You could feel the way he nuzzled his nose against you, shamelessly feeling the scent of your hair and sighing loud and happy.

You exhaled softly, relaxing in his arms despite his stubborn words. You were willing to let that be a little problem for later.

Right now, you just wanted to stay close to the one person you so desperately wanted to touch.

Writer's notes:

Duttur: Mesopotamian sheep goddess best known as the mother of Dumuzid. She frequently appears in texts mourning his death, either on her own or alongside Geshtinanna and Inanna.

Bopeep: comes from the nursery rhyme Little Bo Peep:

Little Bo-Peep has lost her sheep,

And doesn't know where to find them;

Leave them alone, and they'll come home,

Wagging (bringing) their tails behind them.

I honestly just wanted to give the anomaly I made up a cute name like Peekaboo lol

p.s.: if anyone decides to draw Bopeep by any chance, please tag me 😭

Full masterlist

[ox-imagines]

The One That Got Away

Zenji x reader, wc: 623

cw: death

“I am yours, my dearest, always and forever. I swear it.” 

Zenji had said those words like they were the one real truth, the gospel he lived by, not once but many times and always with the brightest smile on his face while he looked at you as if you hung the very stars in the sky.

It was a lie. He couldn’t be yours forever if he was dead, after all, no more than he could pick you up from the kitchen floor out of the despairing mess you were in. Your eyes burned and your throat was raw. You were pretty sure you physically couldn’t cry anymore. At your side, your phone rang. You hadn’t been answering the countless calls you’d received the last few days, but for reasons you couldn’t even explain you hadn’t silenced it. Maybe it served as a reminder there was a world outside your home, outside your grief; a world that somehow kept moving despite lacking the soul that, you thought, shined the brightest of all. Maybe you didn’t want to look at your phone because you knew you’d see him. On your lockscreen, on your homescreen, on your social media, in your messages. You couldn’t look at him. After his wake, you’d taken down the pictures of him you had up in your room. Seeing him was like a reminder you couldn’t see him in person any more. 

Along with him, all your plans for your future together had died. The extravagant wedding he’d wanted, the house you were going to build complete with a music room and a big koi pond, doing one of those couples’ YouTube channels together, traveling the world in search of all nature’s fantastical hidden oases and all the inspiration to be derived from them: none of it would happen. He brought a sense of grandeur to your life that was just gone now, like the color had been drained from everything. You were adrift in a sea of misery and uncertainty with no idea how to get out of it or where to go from there.

A unique notification sounded from your phone, different from the ringing that seemed to plague you. You checked it. A calendar notification. In half an hour, you were supposed to have a picnic date with him, one of the ones where he’d undoubtedly bring along his biwa and regale you whilst accidentally driving away everyone nearby trying to enjoy a peaceful autumn day. A strangled sob wracked your body and you threw the device across the room, hiding your face in your hands as your eyes heated.

“You lied!” You shouted, tears pouring down your face unchecked. “You broke your promise!” You wiped at your face with trembling hands, your voice growing softer with your next words. “You should be here.”

Zenji watched you. It was all he could seem to do. You were broken, and there was nothing he could do to fix it. Even worse, it was his fault. He tried everything he could think to let you know he was there but none of it was working. No matter how many times he called to you, you couldn’t hear him.

So, he watched. Watched you cry and throw things and put away everything that reminded you of him. He watched you scream at him without even knowing he was right there and he hated it. Death had embraced him like a wicked temptress and he’d been unable to claw himself free from her grasp. He knew he hadn’t broken his promise, though, even if you didn’t. Just as in life, he was still yours, waiting patiently by your side until you either noticed him or joined him. Forever and always.

[bingeate-r]

Hello helloo!!

The Zenji headcanon/oneshot has me on a deathgrip. I absolutely love the way you wrote him<3

So I'm here to humbly request possible Kaito headcanons or a drabble. Literally anything for the beloved boyfail. Maybe some comfort? He deserves all the cuddles, headpats and forehead kisses for the shit hes put through for simply being a little pathetic :[ That is all

feel free to ignore if you don't wanna write it <33 okok byee<3

thank you for doing gods work fr <3

WITH A REQUEST THIS DELIGHTFUL HOW COULD I REFUSE? YOU ARE SO KIND. I was lowkey scared I didn’t do Zenji justice, so I appreciate all of your kind words!!

Here is my take on a lil Kaito fluff/comfort!

Kaito Fuji

You had finally just made it out of class, an armful of books piled within your arms as you trailed through the halls, ready to return to your makeshift home and die for the night. You barely stepped outside when your phone began to buzz from within your pocket.

A soft hum escaped your lips as you retrieved it from your pocket, seeing a series of texts from Kaito.

‘I’m sick 🥵🥵’ the first one read.

‘I can feel my body growing weaker… the end is near 😵‍💫’ was the second one.

‘If only there was a pretty girl that could nurse me back to health 👀’ there it was, his true request.

You had to stifle a laugh as you pulled up his contact, dialing his number as you changed direction, heading towards his room instead.

‘Wow, took you long enough! What if I was dead?! This sickness could have taken me, and I’d never get to see your beautiful face again!’ His voice was a flurry of pure word vomit the second he answered your call, sobs in between each sentence.

“I’ll come take care of you, just rest Kaito!” You pleaded, hoping the tears would subside. However they doubled, the sound of him sniffling now accompanying the cries.

‘YOU ARE SOOOO NICE!’ His voice rang through the phone. As you neared his room you could hear the very same sobs echoing down the halls.

“I’m almost there. Try not to die, okay?” You offered, hanging up the phone before he could protest. When you reached his door, it flew open before you could even reach out to knock.

Kaito stood in the doorway, visibly sick; at least he wasn’t lying about that part. His face was all red, and puffy, his uniform a mess like his sweat stained hair. He was still crying, cheeks wet with fresh tears. He looked like a sad little puppy.

“Oh, my poor baby!” You cooed, voice dramatic as you swooped him into your arms. He embraced the affection, giving just a moment of side eye before diving back into your shoulder.

“Are you mocking me?” Came his muffled voice. You shook your head insistently, taking baby steps to guide him back to bed.

“Kaito! I would never! You are clearly on the verge of death!”

That was it. With a huff and another dramatic sob, he tore from your arms, body flying into the bed. He bundled into the blankets, hiding his face from you.

‘Im so pathetic even my own girlfriend makes fun of me!’ He sobbed out. What a poor, poor, dramatic boy.

You took the moment of his pouting as an opportunity to kick off your shoes. Careful not to step on any rogue limbs, you climbed into the bed next to him. Kaito looked up, his head peeking out from the blanket burrito he had turned himself into. When you met his gaze he began to inch closer like a little worm, nestling his head in your lap with a huff.

Your hand dropped down, rubbing idly along his blanket clad back. “Take a nap, Kai, I bet you’ll feel better when you wake up. I’ll stay here the whole time, pinky promise.” Your voice was convincing, as was the pinky you jutted out in his direction.

Kaito wiggled for a moment, unburying his arm to link his pinky with yours. Once he was satisfied he reburied it, resuming his burrito position on your lap.

“Nicest… girlfriend… EVER.” The words were accentuated with soft sobs, only calming down once your hand met his head. You raked your fingers through his hair, eyes focused on what little of his face was visible. Slowly the sobs died down, turning into soft snores. His body relaxed further into your legs, his messy blonde hair poking out of the blanket as drool dripped from the corner of his lips.

Kaito was a handful, but it was undeniable how cute he looked bundled up and in your lap.

[dreamieotome]

Finally finished the Hotarubi Story! Right in time for the new chapter coming out soon!!

Thoughts on the chapter under cut because spoilers in case anyone's not caught up!!!

The WHOLE time i was like. Damn. Zenji's pale af huh. WELL NO WONDER. HES DEAD.

No fucking way he was a ghost the whole time and we actually never saw him or interacted with him holy shit this game really pulled a fast one on me omfg,,,,

Need to go back and reread it to see if they actually never acknowledged him coz wtf...

Also the red herrings they kept throwing at me. I was 100% sure Subaru was sus. And well I guess he was, but not really. And then when the MC sees Haku with the doll, i was like NOOOOOO I TRUSTED YOUYUYUUY but turns out he wasn't being sus either.... i keep getting bamboozled..

neway ya gud game excited for the next chapter

[tokutaiseichan]

I’ve pointed this out before but so far, Hotarubi is the only chapter where a Like Dove never made any appearances. Thanks to Taiga, we know that Like Dove is probably some kind of a spying device and everything points to the possibility that its duty is to monitor missions involving ghouls.

Yet it never made an appearance during the course of Hotarubi’s mission. Why is that? At first, I thought it’s perhaps because Taiga had killed and eaten the one that appeared during the Sinostra chapter. In the first place, we never found out if there are more than one Like Dove. It’s an anomaly—and a rare one at that. It might be the only one or maybe not.

But then I started thinking: what if the reason a Like Dove didn’t appear to monitor the ghouls’ mission this time is because they already have an “Insider” involved in the mission?

Zenji is automatically out. My man’s dead and Darkwick doesn't even know his ghost is still wandering around. Subaru? Makes sense since he has already lied to everyone before. What’s another secret? But after all that happened at the Ultio prison and considering his personality, I feel like what he confessed that time was everything he was involved with. Subaru’s awful at lying and hiding things, if he’s the spy he’d be a bit more obvious and feel even more guilty. So hmm… I wonder who we’re left with……

Remember how during that one time MC was trying to escape again, Haku was the one who just conveniently showed up and successfully convinced her to not defy Darkwick anymore?

Sure, we can see it as simply a considerate gesture of a senior looking after his anxious junior. Especially when it's so blatantly implied later that he had experienced the consequences of going against the rules. Still, the timing is just… too perfect…

MC trying to escape → Bumped into Rui who's about to head to a mission → Haku suddenly appeared (Rui: “But Moby said no one usually rides around this time of the day~”) → Haku scolded both MC & Rui一brought up the clause of disciplinary actions if one were to do anything funny during missions and reminded Rui of his standing (Haku: “You know it's even worse if you're the one she's with, right?”) → Haku got MC away from Rui → Haku reassured MC and convinced her to stay at Darkwick to break her curse first instead of running away (like what he did before?)

It's almost as if he was purposely sent there for damage control.

“I'll keep this incident a secret from the Academy,” when the reason MC can't even escape in the first place is because Darkwick already knows what she's trying to do? Yeah, right. If you have tried to run away before, you'd know Darkwick has eyes everywhere.

I also found his responses from chapter 2 of his Personal Story rather interesting.

If MC thanked him → “…You shouldn't put too much stock in what I said, you know.” (He acts like the ever dependable and reassuring senior to MC but when she expressed genuine gratitude, he immediately backed off. Does he feel guilty because of how MC seems to always trust his words now? Because he’s keeping something from her?)

If MC shook her head → “Looking at you trying so hard made me realize how underhanded I am.” (Now he just sounds so bitter here…)

There's also the bait and switch with Hotarubi.

During Sinostra, MC found out the existence of a spy among the ghouls. And immediately at Hotarubi early chapters, Moby told her that the Hotarubi ghouls are hiding something. This planted seeds of doubt in MC一she thought one of them might be related to the spy. But at the end of the book, it was… in a way, disproven.

The secret they kept was Zenji's existence一for Haku & Zenji一and Subaru's mission regarding Lyca and his true stigma. This, ironically, leads up to MC being much more determined to trust the ghouls and be more wary about the Academy and Institute一even more than she originally did.

The reason I brought this up? Because the narrative has now painted Hotarubi as the “innocent” house. They made us (both MC & the readers) think how the ghouls over there are just trying their damn best to protect their friends… so that you'd suspect it the least for housing any spy (whom, in Taiga's words, is supposedly trying to screw other ghouls over). They made it seem like Hotarubi must've shown all their cards by now and gave us a sense of… relief? In a way.

(Obviously, there's still the mystery of Haku's dorm transfer. But that's for another day…)

Last but not the least, I'll bring you Haku's last words he told MC before jumping into the fire:

EN: Sorry, I guess I couldn't be the guy you wanted me to be. Ha ha… Don't look like that. Never lost faith in me, did you?

JP: ……すまんね。おまえさんの期待に、応えられんかったわ。はは……そんな顔しなさんな。最後におれを信じてくれて、ありがとね (Direct, almost word-to-word tl: ……Sorry. Looks like I couldn't meet your expectations. Haha…… Don't make that face. Thanks, for trusting me even at the bitter end.)

“Thanks for trusting me to the end,” are you Implying MC has reasons to lose her faith in you, Mister Haku Kusanagi? 🤔🤨

This is probably just me reaching but, has anyone noticed how “trust” seems to be a recurring theme with MC and Haku in particular? “Trust me. You'll be fine here,” and “If you need any help, I'm always happy to lend you a hand,” but also, “Don’t take what I said too seriously.” Which is it???

Anway, since Obscuary is just around the corner, I just wanna say that: 

1) If a Love Dove doesn't appear then it means I'm just looking too much into things and that the reason it doesn't appear is simply because Taiga has killed the one during Sinostra. And everything I wrote up to this point are hogwash.

2) If a Love Dove does appear again, I'll add +1 sus point to Haku.

“Why are you so suspicious of Haku anyway?” Years of watching anime and reading manga/visual novels/etc has taught me that you should always be wary of the sawayaka oniisan type. =w=)b

If you read until this point then thank you for giving my 2 a.m. rambles a chance! But please keep in mind that they don't call me Detective Reaching #2 for nothing. 🤧 For now, I'm going to log off so 🫡 Ciao!

[ghoulspaw]

FINISHED READING THE EPISODE GGHJFJDJDJD THE AUDITORIUM PART 100/10 GOT ME LAUGHING GASPING SCREAMING AND BANGING THE TABLE OHHH GIVE ME MORE GHOUL ON GHOUL CRIME!!!!!! GIVE ME ALL THE INTERACTIONS IM BEGGING!!!

Mission wise, i enjoyed it!!! Tho it made me feel a little like the hotarubi episode where they kinda summed up the conclusion pretty quickly and then shit hit the fan. Nonetheless, i liked it! Working with yuri and jiro was fun?????? which tbh i was pleasantly surprised (sorry kings i've misjudged u). Yuri might have a praise kink and have his ego the size of a planet but !! there's no denying he's passionate about his work and so far YEAH he is the only who got mc the closest of finding her cure so !!! (and i love seeing him fighting for his life when he isn't right about something)). Jiro...jiro 🫂 i love that autistic man etcetcetc

SO HAPPY WE GOT CANON CONFIRMATIONS!!!!! KIRISAKI BROTHERS!!!!!!! ohhh i was CHEESING!! zenji's (or should i say taro🥹) love for his baby bro is precious❤️‍🩹 a dead man saying he would not survive if something were to happen to his brother...if thats not the purest form of love then idk what is.

From one sus professor to another.. (it seems to be the pattern on every episode so far). Personally i dont think it'll be as bad as the game lead us on (as we've seen with nicolas on this episode), but it definitely raises more questions. Why romeo? What deal do they have? Is money the root of it? Or something else?? And if hyde is lying to both romeo and sho about being the only ones who know about this "mission", could he have asked other ghouls as well??? Anyways, we'll most likely get this answered next month.

((the janitor making a brief appearance and dropping a comment so ????????? was that a "yeah lets bring every character we've introduced as of now" or is it foreshadowing something ??)

Ofc there is a mermaid (alive!! alive?). We have the vampy, the wolfy, now mermaid (elf/fairy 🔜) . Cant wait for us to meet him and what he'll bring to the plot (and his relationship?with haru)(when will they mention his hand and what happened to it??)

Im still puzzled about the whole ordeal with the tree.... i'll leave the theories for the smart ppl in the fandom hgjdjd

Back to the auditorium scene, aside from me being biased loving ed's old man antiques, i absolutely loved his move of putting on blast the academy/chancellor lies and once again making the statement that he Knows Everything and won't hesitate to reveal stuff if necessary. And then taking his leave like a bad bitch!!!

UGH, cinema... 🚬

And speaking of cinema. Jin's "imma let you finish" moment and taiga "open your purse boy!".. 🚬🚬🚬🚬

I have way more commentary and thoughts and i cant mention everything rn, but yeah!!!!! Not the best episode, but definitely had some top tier moments.

Last,but not least AT ALL:

???$?@?#&@#%@//##//#

Haku when he spends 2 seconds without flirting: 😵😵😵😵

BACK TO WAITING FOR A MONTH!!!

[yuri-is-online]

If we think of the tree as symbolic of the health of the individual dorms and the trust the ghouls have in one another, I don't think the distrust needs to be something the individual ghouls are aware of, but here's what I can think of might be the root of the problem with each of the dorms:

Clementia, Ultio, and Dionysia are obviously no longer part of the school, so their fruits could be outright dead.

Frostheim- the captain isn't doing his job so the students have lost faith in him, Tohma's loyalty is probably not to the house but his own personal interests and Kaito isn't acting as a "champion" should

Vagastrom- Sho is working with his brother for an unknown goal. The others may or may not be aware of this, but regardless if we assume intent to betray trust can be sensed by the tree (which I think it can) then Leo and Alan don't need to be aware of it

Jabberwock- Towa's hostility to Ren and Ren's hostility to Haru. Pretty self explanatory.

Sinostra- whatever is going on with Taiga's memory loss and lack of motivation. Also we know from Romeo's bond stories there is a faction war between the two that Taiga is doing nothing to stop.

Hotarubi- Haku isn't originally from that house and his intentions in general are suspect. Also Zenji is literally dead, I can't imagine the tree was happy about that.

Obscuary- With the exception of Lyca, the intentions of everyone in that house are suspect as is its existence.

Mortranken- While Yuri and Jiro seem to get along well, it's clear the general students don't respect them at all and might even hate them. Also Jiro is dying.

I think that the competition in the coming chapters might actually make things worse, unless Towa and the MC peice together what we have, or stumble on a better solution. Either way I'm curious about what's next and hope Mama Tree can hang on a bit longer

[bubblegumjudas]

Spoilers for the mortkranken chapter

I know most people think Zenji is the one afraid of dead bodies but I really think it's Yuri. The way he acted about the autopsy, how it was so short and surface level, how Jiro was probably the one actually touching the body.

Yuri is afraid of dead bodies.

[unhinged-simp]

Hey, can you write more hcs for TD characters courting mc? Really love your work

Taiga, Ritsu, and Zenji courting hcs

Yes of course! Thank you for the wait!

Sorry for the disappearance, I got a bit busy so it took a bit to finished! You didn't specify any characters, so I just put them in a generator and it gave me them.

Spoilers for the Hotarubi chapter(Zenji's under the cut)

Honestly it's a surprise that Taiga even remembered that you existed, and especially so that he's courting you. He doesn’t even ask if you want to be courted, he just starts doing so.

You find out pretty soon that Taiga means to court you though.

His texts with you were filled with pickup lines, misspelled words, and the occasional ‘who is this?’ if he doesn’t remember.

His gifts are almost cat life, as he brings you dead anomalies and raw meat. He doesn’t care much for romantic gifts, like flowers unless you give him some.

Dates with Taiga mostly happen at the casino with him gambling while you watch. There is a chance you could convince him to come to your place for a home date.

He doesn’t really care much about boundaries, unless you make it a big deal.

He's super into physical touch, he likes having you in his lap and using you as a pillow for his naps.

Taiga is super into kisses and making out. Though make out sessions often means that you'll have multiple bite marks near and around your neck.

When you first get marks from Taiga, the other ghouls were concerned, now it's just kind of a regular occurrence.

Taiga would invite you over to the casino to watch him gamble, since he secretly considers you his lucky charm.

Ritsu is one of the best when it comes to courting. Although he’s very by the book.

When he learns he can’t ask your parents, he asks you instead.

His texts are usually formal and polite, usually asking you if you wanted to go get dinner or lunch, or asking about date times.

He texts you in the morning and after work ends.

Ritsu mostly gives flowers to you, but he does give you jewelry sometimes.

He's more traditional when it comes to dates, preferring fancy dinners to any other.

Ritsu is very respectful of your boundaries, if you don't like to be touched, he wouldn’t touch you. 

He's not that big into physical touch, but if you wanted to cuddle him or kiss him, he would let you. Though he wouldn't like it when he's working, as he considers it unprofessional.

He would like you to give him kisses every morning before work and class. 

You’d invite him over for little parties on the weekends.

He first thought about courting when Haku brought it up. He’d start courting you without asking you first.

When he started doing random things, like giving you things or texting you everyday, you were confused. So you went to Haku.

Haku found out that Zenji was trying to court you, and chewed him out a bit about not letting you know. And so, Zenji went to ask you.

Zenji texts you everyday, wishing you a good morning, wondering how your classes are, and how your day has been going. He uses those sparkly good morning gifs every morning.

Zenji loves giving you flowers, although he can only give you flowers he finds in the grass since he's you know.

Dates with Zenji usually consist of listening to him play the biwa in various places, or stargazing occasionally. He's content with just sitting beside you and watching you eat.

Zenji is the most respectful person when it comes to boundaries. Since he can’t touch you, he's content with just looking at you.

He longs for the day he can touch you.

Whenever you talk to Zenji, other people stare at you like your crazy, but you ignore them.