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i can’t stop thinking about this particular scene

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Riverside, 25/02/25

go on walks :) its worth it, i promise.

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"I'M A SICK MOTHERFUCKER WITH A VIOLENT NATURE" - I hum while updating spreadsheets and sipping on hot tea because hot chocolate makes my tummy hurt

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finally, a team 7 to complete the set!

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The Representation You Want, but not the Representation You Deserve: Tokyo Ghoul, Gender, And Sexuality

I’ve been around fandom for awhile now, and in each fandom that I join, I hear a common refrain…that we need more representation of gender, more representation of sexuality, more representation of bodies and types of people, more representation of female characters with depth and variety. And I have always agreed. After all, the merits of representation are proven and powerful, and very few popular series show anything beyond heteronormative and cisnormative characters. Then Tokyo Ghoul came along. 

In Tokyo Ghoul, we have, in canon, queer characters, transgender characters, interesting and varied female characters, characters who have suffered traumas both mental and physical, characters with non-traditional gender expressions…a great deal in other words, of the representation that’s lacking in so many other stories. The result is a rich diversity of cast that lends a great deal of interest to an already complex, intriguing story. And yet, the fandom has responded to many of these characters either by misgendering them (Juuzou and Mutsuki), or downplaying their gender identity in lieu of imposing fanon over them. In other words, these characters are treated by fandom in more or less precisely the same way they would be treated if they were actual people–with misunderstanding and varying levels of disgust.

Just today, I saw a piece of art that depicted Haise, Urie, and Shirazu. It was a cute art, and I nearly reblogged it…until I saw the caption reading “The boys of the Quinck Squad.” Really? Where was Mutsuki? He’s not longer a boy, now, simply because we’ve found out he’s a trans boy? It certainly can’t be because he cross-dressed. After all, Haise and Shirazu did as well, and no one seems to be questioning their gender identities or excluding them from the “boys club.” One isolated piece of fan art wouldn’t be such a huge deal if that were the only issue, but venturing into the tags reveals a tremendous amount of ambivalence regarding Mutsuki’s gender. 

As a reminder, in the canon we see Mutsuki emphatically declaring his gender identity-he’s a boy. There’s no ambiguity in his statement. He was not assigned male at birth, but he wishes to live as a male. End of story. In the CCG, he is treated as a male. He is addressed as a male and his role in the squad is the same as any of the other boys. When he has to cross-dress for a mission, we see clearly his discomfort. It’s mentioned that he looks better than Shirazu, but the reasoning given isn’t “He wasn’t born male,” but rather, “he’s better looking.” When Haise tries to comfort him by telling him he looks cute, Mutsuki appreciates the gesture, but states, “That isn’t really the problem.” Like many trans men who’ve had to go out in public in clothing that doesn’t align with their identity, he’s uncomfortable because he’s being looked at and read as female. To state it plainly, Ishida’s handling of Mutsuki’s gender has been pretty damn accurate, and a really solid example of representation.

Yet, in the fandom, he’s constantly misgendered. People refer to him with “they/them” pronouns, female pronouns, or leave him out of representations of the “boys.” And he isn’t the only one. Juuzou was forcibly castrated (with a hammer) as a child after being forced to cross-dress and endure torture and brainwashing. He was castrated so that he would always remain beautiful, “like a girl,” and was given a female name. But after being rescued from his captor, he chose to reclaim his male identity. He chose to use the name “Juuzou” and wished to be addressed as male. When characters have questioned or challenged his identity (or just misgendered him), he’s reacted poorly. And yet many in the fandom still call him by “Rei,” the name he rejected, call him “trans” (he’s not), use gender-neutral pronouns for him, crack jokes about his ability to participate in sexual situations, and nearly all of the nude or sexual depictions of him are with unmutilated male genitalia. The message implicit in these fanon representations is that if Juuzou is to be sexual, he must have “normal,” unmutilated genitalia, that he is somehow not a cisgendered male, that his slight form and his non-conventional gender presentation somehow preclude him from being accurately recognized as male. 

These are just two characters from the diverse pool that Tokyo Ghoul has offered. They are certainly not the only character mischaracterized by fanon, but their specific make-up of physical characteristics and gender identity seem to be baffling to one of the only fandoms who’ve been given such a diverse spectrum to play with. Nico, who is clearly a cross-dressing, masochistic gay male is more or less entirely ignored by fandom, though it’s unclear why, I think it’s reasonable to hypothesize that it has to do with being a cross dresser who lacks conventionally attractive features. 

And honestly, more than anything, it’s tremendously disappointing. I’m an advocate for far more inclusion, diversity, and representation in fiction, but if there’s anything I’ve learned from participating with the Tokyo Ghoul fandom, its that a significant portion of fandom can’t understand this representation, even when it’s clearly laid out before them in the story line. A similar pattern has been shown by the Black Butler fandom, but that’s another rant for another day. I would like to naively hope that these sorts of representations could catalyze important conversations about respecting and recognizing gender identity, but after seeing the way these characters and other are treated in fandom chatter, art, tags, and commentaries, it’s almost impossible to believe that will be the case. 

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Centipede, watercolor and ink on paper by nickbleb

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Get these ai writing assistants out of my face!!!! I don't care if my writing is bad at least it is mine!!!!

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Wolfstar is my serotonin, dopamine, endorphins, and emotional support illegal substance.

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gryffindor class of ‘98!

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nature has never been binary

gynandromorph stag beetle; an organism with both female & male characteristics 🩵🩷

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isopod<3

|| prints! ||

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