Ghoul Lore - Blog Posts

I like the idea of Kakuja/Half-Kakuja play fighting.

This entire idea happened because of a cute dream of Centipede and T-Owl getting caught play fighting on camera or something.

Opinions?

(plz ask abt the dream, I have it written down!)

[I also refer to Centipede as they/them (Genderfluid)]

YOUR BEAUTIFUL MIND IS SO CORRECT TELL ME YOUR DREAM

Ghouls are known for their violence and instinct to kill, but that same instinct is present when they’re having fun. Ghouls play fight, they need to play fight. Any time ghouls are friends they have that instinct to make eye contact and drop into a mock-pounce stance to signal its TIME. If you’re around a group of ghouls for even a few minutes inevitably some will be launching themselves at each other like cats

This happens for a few reasons, a lot of energy, overactive hunting instinct, the stress relief offered by wrestling and biting, and of course their biological need to be injured from time to time. Based on this headcanon from @just-another-tokyo-ghoul-fan (they are so very smart and cool with amazing ideas and they inspire me to write more please check them out), ghoul’s healing factor can get overactive and go overboard “healing” things that aren’t wrong if they don’t have minor injuries to work on from time to time, and the safe, controlled injury of play fighting is necessary for a ghoul to stay healthy. It’s the regenerative equivalent of rabbits chewing on wood to file down teeth that never stop growing

Most of the time it’s chasing, pouncing and small quick bites. Not enough to do real damage or leave scars like marriage bites, but enough to kick in the healing factor. The CCG often finds ghouls covered in small, shallow bites and reports it as a sign of constant fighting due to their violent territorial behavior, but in reality it just means that that ghoul has friends and was having a fun time

Kakujas, being both far more controlled by instinct and way more regenerative, NEED TO PLAY FIGHT SO BAD. In fact, one of the major factors of how well a kakuja transformation goes is whether or not they are having survivable fights to help them form better kakuja structures, learn how to use it, and get enough small injuries that their bodies redirect some rc to heal instead of forcing it all into the kakuhou

Even once fully formed, kakujas are very quick to drop into the play-stance at people and get twitchy without that comfortable method of controlled violence. With how often they’re shunned and feared by their communities, they sadly tend to have few or no people to spar with, and it’s a factor in their mental state. One of the reasons kakuja are so aggressive is that they don’t have non-lethal outlets for that energy and it stresses them even more

Ghouls in their full kakuja form, especially those that aren’t used to it yet, are almost like dogs in how they play. Being so lost in instinct may make them incredible fighters, but it also makes them downright ridiculous when playful. It’s all splaying limbs and flapping kagune structures and strange happy growls. It can be terrifying to watch kakujas playing because it looks so bloody and violent, but they’re having a great time. It’s enrichment that they need and benefits both their mental and physical states

You better BELIEVE Eto and Tatara were play fighting constantly when they were becoming kakujas. Renji had to come over daily to kick Uta’s ass while they were transforming. Now with kaneki becoming a kakuja, he’s going to need someone to playfully kick his ass too. Centipede vs the Owl? I’m imagining the monster equivalent of an overly hyper kitten being easily shoved down by a big dog and they’re having a great time

Ghoul Worldbuilding Headcanons:

Ghoul kitchens are always clean. Very few ghouls actually cook to begin with, which makes most of their kitchen indefinitely clean. And all of them can’t afford to leave evidence of their meals, so they clean up immediately.

Because of this, ghouls are commonly known as very tidy people among their human friends.

Koalas and Panda Bears are common favorite animals (or at least, animals of heavy interest) among ghouls for the fact that they also live on a single food source (albeit both plants — eucalyptus and bamboo)

Carnivorous animals that get demonized as “eating machines” like Sharks are also common favorite animals / animals of interest

Because of this, a lot of ghouls take interest in animals and want to go into a work field of either studying or working with animals. (If you can't work against the demonization of your own species, might as well work on helping other species!)

Given that Hide can keep Cain’s mouth shut in the novels to make him swallow human food, what if ghouls are like crocodiles and alligators? Incredible bite strength, but the muscle that opens their mouths is really weak.

Acting human requires a lot of suppression, far beyond what canon covers. Think about it: They have to ignore the scents they smell, everything they overhear, keep their strength and agility in check, avoid dangerous objects because they can't be harmed by it. And they have to guess and estimate all these limits, because they can't just ask. They even have to play dumb and fearful about knowledge of their own species, as public knowledge on ghouls and even the CCG is very low.

And it requires a lot of supplementation, too. They have to catch up on the importance of food in human culture, from favorite foods to grocery shopping. And be able to recognize the variety of human food, and pay attention to and prepared for common eating times. They've probably never experienced a true human restaurant besides coffee shops. They also have to make up family history since most ghouls are orphans, and stick to a single believable backstory.

Given that the CCG take ghoul bodies after killing them and turn them into quinques, having a body at all is a big deal amongst ghouls, and in recent history makes their death ceremonies not entirely unlike humans'

Having a real disconnect when it comes to the blood and gore side of horror. They can tell its meant to be terrifying and disgusting, but it gives them the complete opposite reaction. Which could either be really fun and enjoyable, or the source of alienation and guilt, depending on the ghoul

Whether its through chemosignals or simply overhearing heartbeats, ghouls can sense fear

(And lying too, probably)

If they can sense chemosignals, then that would make communicating through masks easier for them, as they don't need to read each other's expressions to tell emotions

Cats don't just purr from contentment, but also often purr when stressed, and there's a theory that cat purring aids in healing, which feels really ripe for worldbuilding considering that ghouls have regeneration. Maybe they go hand-in-hand — purring whenever their regeneration kicks in, or maybe they tend to purr when their regeneration gives out — instinctually using a more primative form of healing

(The theory also says that cat purring can lower stress and aid healing in humans too, so consider that for your ghoul x human ships! It wouldn't be an enhanced form of healing for humans, but it would still be comforting and have minor healing properties like the cat purring theory!)

Ghouls' eyes glow. Their kakugan glowing is pretty accepted as canon, but what if even their "normal" eyes glow too?

(Examples of :re Donato because I thought it was cool)

Also bonus headcanon for this specific scene: Donato really likes to sit in the dark and let his eyes glow creepily, just another fun little way to freak out cochlea's doves. But they quickly caught on to this and started keep the lights on. As Donato's friend, Haise's the only one who lets him sit in the dark during interrogations anymore. Enrichment :)