#Papa Samhain

[jonasemanuelhp]

Papá Samhain https://a.co/d/fswdx42

Samuel Vivas de Obregón, un joven emisario de la Corona Española, se verá envuelto en rituales ancestrales, disfraces macabros y sombras que susurran secretos en un país extranjero en la víspera del día de Todos los Santos, y todo por enamorarse de la joven Ángela Fournier. ¿Podrá escapar del destino que le depara la noche del Samhain o se verá atrapado en un juego más allá de su comprensión?

"Papá Samhain" es una historia de misterio, magia, romance y valentía, ideal para aquellos que se atreven a adentrarse en los orígenes más oscuros de Halloween 🎃

A la venta en Amazon en formatos digital y físico.

[rillunax]

Happy Halloween and Happy Samhain!

Nihil and Seestor are the ultimate malewife and girlboss duo

[autumnal-blues]

I almost never show my face online these days buuuut I did a Copia costume for Halloween/Samhain!

[dearlymrme]

Y/N: I miss Halloween. Someone tell me a scary story.

Primo:

Mary had a Little Lamb whose fleece was white as snow,

and everywhere that Mary went the Lamb was sure to go.

She brought her lamb to school one day, the kids let out loud jeers,

The children took her lamb away, and Mary choked on tears.

Mary had a Little Lamb, it’s fleece was red with blood.

She took its little body home, and swore she’d hurt them good.

Mary knew the Lambsblood called. Things ancient, hidden, and deep.

As Mary painted signs of old, nevermore did she weep.

Mary had a little lamb.

It made her something scary.

Now I dare you.

Look in a mirror,

and whisper “Bloody Mary”.

Y/N: I love you.

[spacecadet-ticklesinspace]

Tickletober Day 21: Costume

Fandom: Spy×Family

Pairing: Loid and Yor (romantic)

Summary: Anya convinces Loid and Yor to dress up for Halloween, but Yor has a bit of fun with her new outfit.

(Italics represent thoughts in the fic ❤️:))

Anya rushed into the apartment. "Papa! Papa!"

Loid set his paper aside. "Hi Anya. How was your day?"

Anya giggled at the attention from Bond. "Great! We learned about holidays!"

"Oh? Like vacations?"

"No! Holidays like Hallowsteen!"

"I think you mean Halloween, and I've heard of that one before."

Yor leaned forward. "What's Halloween?"

"It's a holiday where people dress up in costumes," Loid explained. "It used to be to confuse spirits, but now it's just for people to have fun."

"Why would they want to confuse spirits?"

"The holiday, celebrated on the 31st of October, was originally called Samhain. It's when people believed the boundary between the living and the dead would weaken. If spirits were allowed to enter our world then humans were afraid they would be hurt by them. So they wore the costumes as disguises so the spirits would think that they were one of their own and leave them be."

Yor tilted her head. "But now people just use it to dress up for fun?"

"Sometimes. People even give out candy for their costumes."

Anya waved her arms in excitement. "Can we dress up Papa?"

Loid turned to his adoptive daughter. "You want to dress up for Halloween?"

"Yes! Yes! Yes! I can be a spy!"

"It might be fun," Yor added. "We can even invite Yuri and Franky to go with us too."

"I don't know about this Yor." I think Anya might be frightened by seeing some of the costumes out there.

Anya's eyes widened as Loid's head filled with pictures of scary looking monsters and vampires. She shook her head to clear the images and puffed out her chest. "I want to dress up and get candy like all the brave kids."

"Well, if you're sure." Loid scratched his chin. "I think I know a couple places we can go if we dress up."

"But what should we dress up as?" Yor asked.

"Easy." Anya pointed to each member as she spoke. "I can be the super cool spy, Mama can be the pretty lady in trouble, Papa can be the scary bad guy, and Bond can be my awesome side kick."

"Why do I always have to be the bad guy?" Loid asked.

"Cause you don't look good in dresses."

Yor giggled at Loid's facial expression.

"Why does the one in trouble always have to be a lady?" Loid asked. "Why can't a man be in trouble and a woman rescue him?"

Anya put her hands on her hips. "Because that's not the way it is on TV."

"That doesn't sound very fair." Loid picked back up his paper. "But if it helps us get ready in time for tomorrow, then I guess it's okay."

Yor and Anya both freaked. "Tomorrow!"

"Yeah, the 31st is tomorrow."

"Oh my goodness!" Yor grabbed Anya and raced to the Master Bedroom. "We have so much to get ready for!"

Loid stared at the closed door. He then shrugged before turning back to his paper.

By the time the next day rolled around, Yor and Anya had managed to pull together three outfits out of what they had in their closets.

Anya raced out of her room after her school day dressed in an all black spy outfit with a cape and mask included. "Ha-ha! I'm the super cool spy here to save the day!"

As she spun around the room, she spotted Loid in the living room. He was dressed in a pair of black pants, a black and white striped shirt along with a long black coat and hat. To top it all off, Yor had taken the time to draw a very big sinister looking mustache on his face with some eye liner pencil.

Anya's face looked absolutely ecstatic over the appearance. "You look great Papa!"

Loid face remained completely deadpan. "Don't feel great."

Bond woofed and rushed over to Anya. He even had a little mask on that matched Anya's.

Anya wrapped her dog in a hug. "Bond!"

"Atleast two of you are happy."

"I'm ready!" Yor called out. "Sorry to keep you waiting."

Loid's eyes went wide. Yor was dressed in a poofy pink and white princess looking dress with no sleeves. Her long black hair had been done up into a curly updo with a homemade tiara to match. "You . . . look gorgeous."

Yor smiled brightly. "Thank you. You look pretty handsome too."

Loid glanced down at his own costume. "Ridiculous is more like it."

"I called Yuri to see if he could join us, but he had to work tonight."

Thank goodness. Loid thought before responding with, "I'm sorry he can't join us tonight, but I'm sure he has something important to attend to."

Yor watched Bond make a circle around the living room with Anya on his back. "Will Franky be joining us?"

"Yes but he's running late. He should be here soon."

A knock on the front door interrupted the conversation.

Loid made his way over to the door. "That should be him."

When Loid opened the door, a figure jumped inside the apartment. He was dressed in an outfit very similar to Loid's with a giant fake mustache plastered on his face. "It is I! The fearsome kidnapper Franky, and I am here to help my fellow bad guy Loid capture the beautiful princess!"

The entire room was silent as Franky's mustache slipped and started dangling on one side.

"Uncle Scruffy looks like a creep," Anya finally responded.

"What!" Franky glared at her. "Do you know how long this took me to put together!"

"15 minutes?" Loid added.

Franky hung his head. "20 actually."

"Well, now that we're all here, we can go ahead and head out for Halloween," Yor encouraged.

"Yay!" Anya cheered as she and Bond hurried put the door.

Franky followed after her, leaving behind Yor and Loid.

Loid held out his arm to Yor. "Looks like your rescue has left you behind dear princess."

Yor held up a hand to her mouth as she turned to him. "Oh my goodness. It does appear that way, doesn't it?"

"Guess I will have to keep you here in my clutches."

Yor giggled at how in character Loid was being. "Guess I'll have to defend myself?"

Loid smirked. "Oh?"

"Don't underestimate me kidnapper."

A moment later, Yor had tackled Loid onto the couch.

Loid felt his heart rate escalate as he looked up into her face. He wrapped one arm around her as she smiled down at him.

Then Yor's hands rested on his ribs.

Loid thought it was a sweet gesture. Until her fingers started wiggling up his ribs.

The blond immediately broke into laughter.

Yor giggled along with him. "Can't keep me hostage when you're giggling Mr. Bad Guy."

Loid tried to reign in his laughter so he could wiggle away. "Yohor, thihis ihis ridiculous!"

"I happen to think otherwise." Yor leaned closer as her fingers kept spidering. "I think this is adorable."

Not wanting to hurt Yor, Loid tried to find a way to get out of the position without throwing her across the room. However, the only way seemed to be using Yor's own attack against her.

Loid tightened his wrapped arms and wiggled his fingers into her sides.

Yor immediately reached back to grab his wrists.

"Looks like you can't escape as well you thought Princess," Loid replied with a grin.

"Yohou fohorgehet Bahad Guhuy." Yor grinned at him. "Ihive battleheled myhy brotheher."

Loid's laughter shot up in volume as Yor's hands dug into his sides, a weak spot he didn't even realize he had.

"Looks like I can get away Mr. Bad Guy," Yor teased.

"What are Mama and Papa doing?" Anya asked.

Both Yor and Loid bolted up to see Anya, Bond, and Franky peeking through the open door.

"Apparently flirting when they think no one's around," Franky shot back as his mustache fell completely off.

Yor and Loid jumped up off of the couch with matching blushes.

Thanks for throwing us under the bus. Loid thought before beginning. "Uh . . . We were just---."

Anya pointed at him. "Papa's being the bad guy."

"Yes Anya," Yor jumped in as she fixed her crown. "That's exactly what happened." Thank goodness Anya wasn't paying too close attention.

Anya grabbed Yor's arm. "Come on Princess Mama! We need to run away from the bad guys!"

"Yes!" Yor took off with her. "We must!"

Franky turned to Loid. "Thought you weren't supposed to get attached during missions?"

"We're not." Loid straightened his shirt as they walked toward the door.

"You know how this will end if you keep going," Franky patted his arm as he passed Loid. "Maybe you could call headquarters about---."

Loid froze in the hallway. "No."

"As your business partner and friend . . . I don't want to see you get hurt."

"I won't get hurt. I let myself go too far today." The blonde brushed past his friend. "But I won't let it happen again."

Franky watched Loid walk away and thought to himself, I think you will.

[nihildenial]

Per Aspera Ad Influenza by nihil-denial

Papa Emeritus IV/Dewdrop/Swiss

Warnings: None, For all Ages

Tags: Sickfic, hurt/comfort, sharing a bed, dorks in love

WC: 4,052

It’s not often that human illnesses affect the demonic entities that play in the band Ghost. They are powerful, elemental beings stuffed into carbon-based forms of meat and bones and blood, but even the connections to the Underworld doesn’t save them from the viruses of humanity.

Papa Emeritus IV, a.k.a. Copia to those closest, was only half-infernal and was much more likely to fall ill while Ghost toured the world.

Mountain Ghoul was always ready with herbal teas and salves for whatever caused the singer to feel sick. It bonded Copia and the Earth Ghoul closer together since Mountain was already the heartbeat of the band.

This time, Copia wasn’t the one who needed a caring hand.

“Dewdrop! Stop hogging the bathroom!” Swiss pounds on the tour bus door after the fourth time the Fire Ghoul had slipped out of the living area to lock himself inside the small room. “I gotta piss and if you don’t finish, I’m gonna pee in the kitchen sink!”

Finally, there was a flush and the noise of the sink running. The overhead vent turns off just as the long-haired Ghoul opens the door and slips under Swiss’ arm. “Sorry,” He grumbles.

Swiss watches him unsteadily climb directly into his assigned top bunk and quickly shut the curtain. An uneasy feeling climbs up Swiss’ spine. Unlike the other Ghouls, Dewdrop almost never discloses when he’s feeling under the weather.

He thinks that Dew is scared they’re going to see him as weak.

Swiss momentarily disregards his need to pee. He steps over to the wall of bunks and carefully pulls back one of the panels where Dew puts his head. The Fire Ghoul’s typical Fireball-esque scent is a bit sour, but what’s causing it is immediately apparent.

None of the Ghouls are due for their heats until the next month during the Samhain, and as far as Swiss can tell, none of their pack have noticed Heat symptoms despite them being stuffed together on a bus.

“Fuck off,” Dew immediately turns onto his other side to escape his view. A little cough escapes his tightly-shut lips.

“Hey, I just wanted to see if you were feeling alright,” The Multi-Ghoul moves a strand of pale, blond hair off Dew’s pillow. “Sorry I rushed you.”

Dew’s body curls up tighter under his blanket. “I’m just tired. I’m trying to sleep before the ritual.”

“You sure? It’s okay if you’re sick.”

Dewdrop just nods, pressing more into his pillow.

Swiss knows a dismissal when he sees one. He’s not going to get any more out of the Fire Ghoul without a fight erupting between them. He sighs and closes the black out curtain.

Copia appears in the hallway just then, opening the door to the small bedroom at the back of the bus. “Good morning Swiss,” He says softly. He’s always aware of the possibility of his Ghouls resting in the bunks.

“Good morning, Papa,” Swiss glances at the closed curtain before meeting Copia’s mismatched eyes.

Copia follows and quirks an eyebrow. “Everything alright? Did Dew kick you out of bed again?”

Swiss opens his mouth but closes it when he realizes how Dewdrop could hear them. That would definitely cause an argument. He shakes his head and allows Copia to slide past him in the hallway. “Everything’s fine…I think.”

-

The last handful of hours before the group’s destination was spent packing their things to transition quickly to the hotel after the night’s ritual. Nobody wanted to pack their bunk after a three-hour performance.

Dewdrop is quiet, staying to himself except for when Papa calls them all to the living room to prep them about the venue. He clears his throat in the way an old lady would, though black tendrils of soot and smoke come from under his fist.

Thankfully, tonight was a stadium most of them had played on while Copia was a Cardinal, so they only had to catch Phantom and Aurora up to speed on the backstage layout.

The tour bus pulls up behind the large venue and the group is ushered off and into the building as cameras and people try to get shots of them.

Copia lets out a steadying breath as they’re guided to the three dressing rooms. ‘Still not used to all the cameras, heh,” He says to Dew quietly walking beside him.

Dewdrop shrugs and flips a chunk of hair over his shoulder. He escapes into the green room before Copia begins his usual spiel of how long they have until curtain.

The singer looks to the Multi-Ghoul for an explanation, but Swiss can only answer with a shrug. “Please make sure everything is alright with him,” Copia says quietly to Swiss as the group disperses.

Swiss takes the words into his heart and ignores the setup area for him to apply his black face paint. He beelines for the locked bathroom door, seeing that Phantom, Rain and Mountain are still filing into the room.

He knocks.

“Just a fuckin’ minute!” Comes the annoyed call from inside.

The Multi-Ghoul sighs. He decides to take the vanity closest to the bathroom and begins the process of tying up his locs to fit under his helmet. He’s able to get dressed, apply makeup, and even put on his tall boots before Dewdrop is stumbling out.

The small Ghoul’s t-shirt and jeans are soaked in sweat. His scent has somehow soured even more than it smelled earlier, resembling a rotten cinnamon plant. He takes the last vanity open, between Swiss and Mountain. He doesn’t say anything and begins his usual routine.

Mountain notices immediately. It would be impossible not to be in this small room. “You usually don’t sweat this much Dew.” He reaches a hand out to press against the Ghoul’s gray forehead when Dew recoils like Mountain is a stranger.

“Hey! Watch where you’re fucking touching!” He snarls, fangs bared.

“I’m just worried—”

“Worry about your own damn self for once, Mountain! I’m not sick, I’m not sweating more than usual, and I’m fucking fine.” A small plume of smoke curls from his mouth as he coughs into his fist. He avoids their concerned gazes in the connected mirrors, mopping his forehead with his t-shirt and changing into his Impera uniform.

Swiss watches uneasily. He can’t watch too much, or the Fire Ghoul’s anger will be directed towards him, but if he doesn’t watch enough, he’s scared he’s going to miss a tiny detail that will explain why Dew is feeling this way.

Kevin sticks his head through the doorway and calls for them to head backstage.

Dewdrop is just finishing putting his hair in tight plaits and pulling his balaclava over his head. He’s the last to leave, his right shoe still untied.

Ashley meets them at the backstage entrance, her checks over Copia’s sparkly outfit already completed. She rakes a keen eye over the eight Ghouls, her gaze landing on Dewdrop’s disheveled appearance. She crouches before he can, tying his shoes with ease. She also tightens the strap under his chin for his helmet, pausing so she can get a look at his eyes.

His mismatched blue and red eyes are bloodshot, teary and he has a miserable expression visible even as his face is covered.

She shakes her head, pulling away. “If you need something, just head backstage where Papa goes,” She says as low as she can. Ashley is that close to them to understand all the strange rules the Ghouls have with each other, but she can tell when one of them isn’t up to snuff (especially a Ghoul that usually holds himself with the utmost confidence). Whatever it is, it’s too late to deal with now.

He nods, gives her a grateful smile, and heads out on stage behind his packmates.

-

Copia notices something is really wrong right before the encore.

The house and stage lights have gone down so Copia can slip into his red encore jacket, and he takes a quick second to meet the gazes of each Ghoul as they trade instruments for the last three songs.

Everyone is tired but has the usual glow of excitement. Except for Dewdrop.

Kevin exchanges guitars with the Fire Ghoul and Dew immediately goes back to his mark rather than passing by Copia.

Thankfully, Dew is the last Ghoul back on, so he can catch up with him. His mic is back on the stand so there’s no need to worry about if the crowd can hear them over their cheers as Rain holds a bass note over the arena.

“Dew, you don’t look so hot,” Copia has to shout. The Ghoul looks more sweaty than usual and the smoke around his helmet isn’t the usual white of Swiss’ joints. It smells acrid, like a wildfire taking over a vineyard of sour grapes.

He shakes his helmet. “I’m fine. Stop worrying.”

“Swiss looked like there was something bothering you—”

Dewdrop’s eyes are blazingly visible through the goggle lenses. “I’m fine, Papa. Let’s just finish the fucking concert and get to the hotel, okay?!”

Copia’s mouth snaps shut at the angry tone from his most beloved Ghoul. He wants to figure this out, but this is neither the time nor place for it. The crowd is actively getting louder in front of them as their eyes adjust to the lowlighting. “We’re talking about this after,” Copia squeezes Dewdrop’s shoulder before heading to center stage as the lights come back up.

Kiss the Go-Goat is first on set and Copia uses it to his advantage. When he saunters over to the Fire Ghoul to swing a hand between his legs and hug the Ghoul’s thigh, Copia focuses on his gut instinct to feel what’s going on with Dewdrop.

He smells like sweat (of course, they’re performing) and a soured, high smell far off from his typical scent. Copia doesn’t have enough time to ponder it anymore as he releases Dew’s legs and moves back to his position.

They finish the three encore songs and line up together for final bows. Swiss makes sure to press himself on Dew’s left when he puts himself on the end of the row.

They bow once.

They bow twice; and when their heads face downward, Dewdrop sneezes so hard his helmet shakes and the white covering for horn pops off.

An echo of ‘bless you’ and ‘gesundheits’ come from the fans at the barrier. Dewdrop uses his dirty guitar rag to wipe under his mask as the group makes their way backstage. It further smears the sweaty black face paint and rubs on the conditioning oil from the fretboard.

Mountain’s sharp ears detect the latest cough and suddenly there’s a large hand grasping Dew’s shoulder and stopping him from fleeing into the bathroom. “Dewdrop.”

“Let me go, motherfucker,” Dewdrop snaps nasally. It draws the attention of the rest of the Ghouls and even Copia. “I’m fine!”

“No you aren’t. You’ve been coughing, sneezing, and now even your voice sounds stuffy,” Swiss steps forward.

Dewdrop glares at him through his goggles. “Stop prying!”

Rain uses his most gentle voice, one that never fails to tame the Fire Ghoul’s brattiest episodes. Maybe it’s just their connection as Water Ghouls that makes Dewdrop fold so easily to his voice. “Droplet, we just want to make sure you’re okay. You don’t look healthy and I’m concerned you’re neglecting yourself.”

“Neglecting myself? Like a pathetic little kit? No way. Like I told this brute of an Earth Ghoul, I’m perfectly fine and strong.”

“I didn’t say anything about your strength,” Rain says.

Dewdrop’s helmet passes over all eight concerned gazes, even Ashley and Kevin standing a bit away with the rack of guitars. “Fine. I’ve been sick with some pathetic little human cold for the past couple nights and it hasn’t gone away and now I’m going to ruin the tour so thank you very much for exposing this.” His lower lip wobbles and the heartbreaking sound of a sniffle comes from under his mask.

Copia cocks his head, “Why would this ruin the tour?”

“I see those posts from artists that cancel shows because one of the players is sick. I see the disappointed comments from fans, the loss of revenue,” The Fire Ghoul snaps.

“Dew, we don’t have another ritual for three days. That’s plenty of time to use Quintessence and medicine to heal you. Not to say you should’ve worked through this illness without any help, but you’re a Ghoul. There are plenty of ways we could’ve given you rests on stage,” Copia rubs Dewdrop’s back.

Dew makes a noise close to a whimper. “Can we just get to the hotel already?”

Copia guides Dew back to the male Ghoul’s dressing room. Once seated, Dew bats away Copia’s hands. “Go pack up, Papa. I can do this on my own.”

The singer hesitates until Swiss and Mountain give him a nod. He leaves with one final squeeze to Dew’s arm.

Swiss takes a knee in front of the Fire Ghoul’s chair. “Give me your foot.”

“I don’t need to be babied just because I’m sick.”

He shrugs, “Maybe I just wanna suck your toes. Gimme.”

Dew can’t help the small laugh that comes at the tail-end of his smoke-filled cough. He lets Swiss quickly unlace and undo his boots, setting them aside. Socks, then helmet, hood, and wig cap are next. Rain steps up behind him and lets down the blonde braids, undoing them but tying a loose ponytail to keep the hair off Dew’s sweaty forehead. He wipes off the grease and makeup with a cloth while Swiss unbuckles Dew’s waistcoat.

He’s stripped and put in sweats, a shirt, and flip flops then ushered onto the tour bus without lifting a finger. Ashley and the Ghouls clear the dressing room and pack things under the bus.

With everyone packed up, the group settles on the bus for the two hour trip to the hotel. They would’ve gotten one closer, but this one is perfectly between this arena and the next stadium.

Dew accepts a to-go tumbler of tea from Mountain and retreats to the Earth Ghoul’s bunk for snuggles until they arrive.

-

Hotel rooms are usually split with three Ghouls to a room, with one of them sharing with Copia. This time the schedule was Swiss, Dew, Copia; Cirrus, Cumulus, Rain; and the last room being Mountain, Phantom, Aurora.

Copia doles out the key cards and looks to where Dew is sitting on a lobby couch with Phantom pressed into his side. “Mountain, would you come with me to the store to get some medication?”

“All of us want to come!” Aurora proclaims from her place between Cirrus and Cumulus. “We want to make sure we get the right medicine for Dew.”

The singer sighs, knowing he can’t resist the Ghouls’ puppy dog gazes, even while still helmeted. He waves them towards the elevators, “We need to change first. There’s no need to drag cameras and paparazzi around.” He eyes the waiting crowd by the hotel entrance.

They agree and pile into the mirror-encased elevator. Dew sags against Mountain’s strong grip, falling asleep standing up until he’s wracked with a smoky cough. Thankfully all of their rooms are grouped together on one of the higher levels, so there’s not many other guests that will bother them (or be bothered by a bratty, sick Fire Ghoul).

Everyone splinters off to unpack and change. Copia holds open the door for Swiss and Dewdrop, then wrangles their three suitcases inside. “I think a shower will do you good. That’s what helps me,” He nods to the spacious bathroom.

Dewdrop must be really bad off to not complain and simply walk in and start the shower.

Swiss shoots Copia a worried look.

Copia sighs, stepping into the bathroom, “Dew, what are your illness symptoms? Swiss will stay here with you while we go to the store.”

“You don’t need to risk the paparazzi for me--” He tries.

“Nuh uh, we’re getting you medicine. Symptoms, please.”

He can see the outline of Dew standing under the steamy spray through the frosted curtain. “Cough, sore throat, stuffy nose, body aches.”

Copia types them into the text field to send to Mountain. “Good, good. Do you like a certain flavor of electrolyte drinks?”

“Red.”

He pauses typing the next message. “What the fuck kind of flavor is red?”

“I don’t know the name, it’s just fucking red,” Dew snaps.

Copia sighs, “Okay, I’ll figure out whatever the hell that means. Anything else?”

It takes a moment, but just over the rustle of the shower and the sound of Swiss watching tv comes the timid request, “...Can I have some beef jerky?”

The Anti-Pope’s posture softens. He has to remember that through all the brattiness and backlashing is a scared Ghoul who believes he’ll be sent away if he’s too sick to perform. “Of course. I’ll change and then we’ll get you things to make you feel better, alright?”

Dew pokes his head around the shower curtain. “Thanks, Papa.” He looks like a pathetic, drowned rat.

Copia presses a kiss to his wet forehead. It leaves a smeared gray stain. “Oops. Good thing you’re in the shower,” He grins.

Those mismatched red and blue eyes cross as he looks up to his forehead. An affectionately pissed off frown crosses his lips. “Get out, you old perv. I’m trying to jack off.”

Copia laughs and shuts the bathroom door as he leaves. “I think the shower is helping him.”

Swiss looks over from where he’s sitting on the corner of the large king-sized bed. There’s a documentary about some type of ocean animal playing on the tv. “Snappy?”

“A bit, but less than earlier.” Copia hefts his suitcase onto the stand and pulls out one of his favorite red Adidas track suits. He changes and does his best to ignore the amber eyes hungrily watching him. He wipes off his papal paint with a makeup remover wipe. He pulls on his “Dad” sneakers and holds out his arms for Swiss to look him over.

“Congrats, you look like a douchebag father and not a compassionate Satanic pope,” Swiss snickers. The shower turns off. “Shoo, I want Dewdrop cuddles.”

Copia grabs his wallet and leaves with a smile on his face.

-

Tiffani has seen a lot of bullshit during her time as a night clerk at the CVS on Azalea Avenue. She isn’t fazed by anything anymore, and the police that would respond to her getting robbed are hanging out in the Bojangles parking lot next door. Tonight is another boring, muggy night at her part-time summer job.

She doesn’t even look up when the doors shuffle apart for a visitor. However, when she hears the large amount of chatter, she looks up just to see that it’s not a full group of gang members coming to hit this CVS like the one on the other side of town last month.

It’s a gang…but not one that’s going to rob her.

Coming through the doors are the weirdest group of people she’s ever seen. There’s a normal looking white dude in a tracksuit, then six people dressed in all black with steampunk-inspired goggle helmets. They vary in body size and height, but all of their helmets are identical.

They shuffle inside, looking around at the signs hung over each aisle.

Suddenly, they’re all looking at her as the normal guy approaches the counter. “Scusi , miss, where do you find illness medicine?”

Well, he looks normal until she sees that he has one normal green eye and one that is devoid of an iris, simply a black pupil in a sea of white. His nervous demeanor makes her a little less freaked out, but the odd name for cold medicine brings that feeling right back. Is this guy human?

“Like for the flu?” She asks dumbly.

The guy looks to the tallest of the cult members, who nods. “The Influenza, yes.”

She points to aisle ten, “It’s down at the far end.”

The guy waves his cult members in that direction. As they walk away, Tiffani can hear them chirp and chatter to each other in the same way cats do when they see birds out a window.

It takes them only a few moments before the group is heading back towards the counter, a pack of Sudafed and Mucinex medication in the tallest cult member’s hands. In two of the shorter, possibly female members’ hands are a total of eight different colors of Gatorade, then three large packs of beef jerky in the skinniest member’s hands.

Tiffani actually gets a bit excited because buying Sudafed means she’ll have to check one of their IDs. Maybe she’ll get a name and can look these guys up to see what weird cult they’re a part of.

The white guy takes the medication from the helmeted guy and sets them on the counter. The others set theirs too.

She scans them both. “Can I see a form of ID?”

His eyebrows furrowed together. “ID? Why does medicine require a driver’s license?”

“People use Sudafed to make meth, so the store requires us to make sure people aren’t buying too much,” She says and takes his offered identification.

STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS

Copia Samael Emeritus, IV

Born June 6, 1970

Height 5’11”

Eye color L BLIND, R GRN

So he’s not wearing contacts, he just has a blind eye. He’s just some dude.

He pays for the medicine with a credit card that has a design of an upside down cross with a semicircle around its intersecting lines.

“Do you want a bag?” She asks. It’s a lot of things for them to carry.

The tall cult member behind him coughs out an immediate, “NO.”

“Yes, it’s better to not use single-use plastics, no thank you, dear,” The human man says. He takes the two boxes of medication and the long receipt from her. The others come forward and grab their respective items, then shuffle off towards the exit.

Tiffani is immediately pulling out her phone texting her best friend as soon as the doors shut behind them.

Dude I think I just saw aliens!!!

-

“We’re back!” Copia calls as he opens the door to his shared hotel room. The Ghouls shuffle in and place their items at the foot of the bed, acting as if they were special offerings to an altar like they do at the Ministry.

Dew blinks awake from his spot pressed into Swiss’ collarbone. “Hey guys,” He croaks.

Mountain rounds the side of the bed, cracking open a Fruit Punch-flavored Gatorade and one blister pack of Sudafed. “Here, Firelilly. Sip carefully.”

“Shit we forgot tissues!” Aurora cries. “I was supposed to grab them! I’m so sorry, Dew.”

The Fire Ghoul gives her a weak smile after he swallows the pills. “It’s okay, Rory.”

Copia puts a comforting hand on her shoulder. “We can get them delivered to the front desk. No worries, it’s been a long day for everyone. Please rest. I’ll see all of you at breakfast in the hotel’s restaurant at 9:30am tomorrow morning.”

They all give some sort of comfort touch to the Fire Ghoul and separate to their own hotel rooms. Copia kicks off his shoes and strips down into just his VVLGARI shirt and briefs. He puts all the medicine and drinks on Swiss’ nightstand, then climbs into bed, sandwiching Dewdrop between them.

“Come here, piccolo,” He says softly. “I’m not upset that you’re sick, and you’re most definitely not going to be banished. Soon, we’ll be back at the Ministry and Aether will tell you how brave you are, just like I am right now.”

Dewdrop sniffles (whether from illness or tears, he won’t comment), and carefully nestles into Copia’s chest. Swiss brackets him from the other side.

Swiss’ connection to Quintessence will keep Copia from getting sick and his fireside will help the medication to sink into Dew’s Fire energy.

Tomorrow he should be feeling one step closer to his normal self, but for tonight, Copia enjoys the way Dew clings to him, safe and vulnerable.

“I love you, Papa,” Dew whispers.

A soft purr vibrates through his chest from the mingling contentment of his Ghouls.

“ Ti amo , Dew and Swiss.”

[bittybat28]

What i think the papa’s would be for halloween!

(i haven’t done one of these in a while so happy halloween/samhain everyone!)

PRIMO: primo is too old to do intricate costumes anymore but he would dress up as a classic devil! he’ll put on a red suit, the little devil horn headband and carry a pitchfork around to poke people in the ass with it

SECONDO: good luck getting him to dress up! Secondo loves halloween for the rituals and sexy things that go on but he’s not wearing a costume and the furthest he’d go is pinning a spider or pumpkin brooch to his suit

TERZO: 1920’s flapper girl! this is his time to shine and he’s going to go all out with the most elegant flapper dress you’ve ever seen. He’ll wear black silk gloves and carry a cigarette holder all night while he recites 1920’s movie quotes and tries to do a transatlantic accent. (yes, he dresses Omega as a mafia boss!)

COPIA: He’s a vampire. and yes he dresses as a vampire every year no question about it. Copia doesn’t like change and that includes his halloween costume! he’ll try and make it scarier every year but he’s never scary and everyone just thinks he looks cute!

(bonus!) MARY GOORE: Mary goes as himself because he believes he’s the scariest thing out there and he spends the night jumping out of graves to scare unsuspecting siblings walking around at night!

[pagan-sloth-witch]

Happy (late) Halloween and a Blessed (also late) Samhain! I hope it is/was a wonderful time for everyone, and if not, I hope the next one is better

I’ve got plans tonight to spend time with Hecate, communicate with my Papa using a spirit box app, and see if Gerald (the ghost I joke about sometimes haunting me) really exists

I have a crystal for protection, and I’ll be asking Hecate for her help as well in looking out for me so hopefully nothing goes wrong

[cowboyemeritus]

Day 31

Prompt: Aftercare

Pairing: Secondo/Reader

Tags: aftercare, vaginal fingering

Notes: It's finally the end! What a crazy few weeks it's been. This was my first time participating in Kinktober, really any fandom challenge, and I think it went well! Thanks for sticking around -- you all are awesome. <3

Definitely need to take a break after this, but we should be back to regularly scheduled programming soon.

Happy Halloween!

You’re already half-asleep by the time Secondo returns, wet washcloth in hand. Limbs heavy and loose, your afterglow is still in full-swing, a pleasant buzz radiating out from your center. As the faint sheen of sweat on your skin begins to dry, your core temperature drops. The autumn chill seeps in through the ancient, uninsulated windows, and if not for the fire blazing at the other end of the room, you would without a doubt already be shivering.

“She is exhausted,” Secondo muses. Slowly, you open an eye, watching as he sits down on the bed next to you. While you were dozing he changed into a pair of boxers and removed his paints, though traces of it linger in the creases around his eyes and smudged across various parts of your anatomy. You yawn, smiling up at him.

“She is,” you say, face contorting with pleasure as you stretch. “And you’re insatiable.” Secondo chuckles, brushing a few loose hairs away from your eyes.

“With you, I cannot help myself.” The simple admission has you flushing, reveling in the echoes of your most recent climax.

“The great Papa Emeritus, brought low by a common Sister? These must be the end times-” Silencing you, Secondo presses his lips to yours. He smells of exertion and his smoky, spicy cologne. His mustache tickles you faintly and you hum, content, wrapping your arms around his neck. He could have anybody, you think. And yet…

He breaks the kiss, bringing the washcloth up to dab at the smears of paint around your mouth. “I am quite impressed, Sister.” You roll your eyes, cracking into a smirk. “The Samhain Mass is a challenging program. You handled it expertly.” 

“I handled you expertly,” you laugh, deflecting. “Thank you. It was an honor to-“ The washcloth runs across your lips, and you break out into giggles once more.

He kisses you again, bringing the cloth to your neck. “None of that. Not here.” The steaks of black and white wash away, but the splotches of pink and purple beneath them remain. You’ll wear his marks with pride, he knows just as well as you. Though his touch is gentle, his hand feels remarkably strong around your throat. You’re not ashamed of the way it has your arousal flaring up again.

It lasts for only a few more moments. Your chest is next. Secondo sees your nipples are already pebbled and quirks an eyebrow. Experimentally, he runs the cloth over one of them, and seems satisfied with the noise you make. He does it again and your thighs press together. “So soon, gattina?” You shrug.

“Can’t help myself either.” 

He doesn’t dally, finishing the work on your breasts and tossing the washcloth aside. His hand immediately finds your center, two fingers sliding into your slick cunt while his thumb skims over your clit. Though you’re exhausted, most of your energy sapped by the ritual, your sensitive nerves immediately alight. Moaning, your back arches off the bed. There is a focus, almost a reverence on his face as he works you. It makes your heart thump in your chest.

It’s comfortably quiet until you tumble over the edge, jerking and gasping quietly. Secondo presses one more chaste kiss to your lips, then resumes his work. Now oversensitive, you grimace as he cleans between your legs. There is an interested glint in his eyes, but seeing how yours droop, he leaves you be. When he’s finished he tosses the wet cloth to the side, then reaches over to the night stand and hands you your nasty, plastic water bottle that only sometimes smells like a fish tank. He watches you take a few sips then stands, sauntering back over to his dresser. From the top drawer he produces one of his ancient Iron Maiden shirts and a pair of your underwear. He’s been building a collection of your things, you note, trying to entice you to stay.

You’ve already decided you’re not going anywhere. Eventually, you’ll tell him, but right now it’s just too much fun watching him squirm.

[conversacomsmaug]

Samhain era um festival celta que marcava a transição do verão para o inverno, e o fim das colheitas: 

Samhain

Significado

"Fim do verão"

Pronúncia

"Souen"

Origem

Palavra gaélica composta por "samh" (verão) e "fuin" (fim)

Celebração

Acontecia entre comunidades celtas da Europa, como a Irlanda, País de Gales e Escócia

Tradições

Honrar antepassados e espíritos, acender fogueiras, adivinhação

O Samhain era um ponto crucial na Roda do Ano Celta, simbolizando a passagem da luz para a escuridão. Os celtas acreditavam que os espíritos dos mortos visitavam as casas das pessoas durante o Samhain, e para honrá-los, as famílias colocavam lugares à mesa e acendiam velas. 

O Samhain é a origem do Halloween, que surgiu da mistura de tradições pagãs e cristãs: 

No século VII, o papa Gregório 3º mudou a data do Dia de Todos os Santos de 13 de maio para 1º de novembro, a data do Samhain. 

A noite anterior ao Dia de Todos os Santos, 31 de outubro, ficou conhecida como “All Hallows' Eve”, que com o tempo se tornou “Halloween”. 

[jonasemanuelhp]

Los cuentos de la bruja Lismena https://www.amazon.com/-/es/dp/B0CXBXJXH6?binding=paperback&qid=1729419759&sr=1-3&ref=dbs_dp_rwt_sb_pc_tpbk

Colección de cuentos donde Lismena, una bruja muy poderosa, aparece en diversas historias.

Estos libros contienen ilustraciones en blanco y negro. Cada uno de ellos tiene un libro homónimo donde se cuenta la misma historia pero con multitud de ilustraciones a todo color.

[ghuleh-witch]

And We Are Tied As One Eternally-XIII

Fandom: Ghost Rating: Explicit Warnings: none for this chapter Relationships: Papa Emeritus IV/Copia x OFC Additional Tags: soft!dom Copia, eventual smut, developing relationship, kind of a slow burn, no beta reader Chapter Word Count: 2734 Summary: Ellie Moran just wanted to make a new life for herself. Running to escape the people in her past, she ends up in a small town in the middle of nowhere that happens to be home to a Satanic church. She never expected her life to change again after she started attending the public masses at said church. Ao3 || Masterlist Chapters: 13/? Previous Chapters Tag list: @sodoswitchimage Fic Divider by gothdaddyissues

Between lessons with Gemma on the Ministry and visiting Copia during her stops at the abbey, the next week flew by. Ellie could hardly believe this was her life now. Now that Ethan was gone, a tremendous block of weight had been lifted and the shadow keeping her down had disappeared. She kept a close eye on the news, and after four days, “Ethan’s” body was discovered on a remote hiking trail in the mountains. According to the newscaster, the coroner ruled he died from exposure. 

It was now the day of the Samhain ball, and Gemma brought Ellie up to the abbey to help her get ready for that night. Ellie sat in Gemma’s room in front of the vanity as Gemma artfully applied makeup and did her hair. 

“You look stunning,” Gemma said as she helped Ellie zip up her dress. “Papa isn’t going to know what hit him when he sees you.” 

“Thanks,” Ellie said, blushing as she looked at herself in the mirror. She allowed Gemma to guide her to sit on the bed and watched as the other woman slipped a pair of black strappy heels onto her feet. “You look gorgeous too.” Gemma was wearing a strapless bottle green dress that hugged her every curve and had a split running all the way up to her waist. 

“Thank you,” Gemma grinned. “Secondo is going to be very pleased that he picked this dress out for me.”

“Secondo?” Ellie asked with surprise. She knew someone was taking Gemma to the ball, but Gemma never revealed who her date was. 

“Mhm,” Gemma hummed in response. “He asked me a few weeks ago and then bought this dress for me.” 

Ellie smiled. “That was sweet. You said he did your initiation. Have you two…you know…since then?”

“Oh, yes,” Gemma grinned but the smile slipped from her face a moment later. “A couple of times…but it was only ever sex. He’s never asked me to any balls like this before as his date. He usually goes on his own.” 

“You like him?”

“I love him,” Gemma confessed. “But he…isn’t one for getting involved with Siblings in that way. It’s only ever hook ups…but I’m hoping because he asked me to this that maybe things have changed?”

Ellie nodded. “I hope so,” she said taking Gemma’s hand and squeezing it.

Gemma smiled and squeezed her hand back before returning to work on Ellie’s hair. “Now, do you want a more casual or elegant look?”

“Do whatever you want,” Ellie said. “I’m sure it will look stunning either way.” 

When Gemma finished, Ellie’s wavy shoulder-length hair was looking more curled and down in a half-up-do with little silver bedazzled gems scattered over the hair that was pulled back. “You really went all out?” Ellie said as she looked over her reflection.

“This is the biggest night of the year,” Gemma said. “Well, besides Ghost album release nights, but there’s not going to be another album for a couple more years.” 

After finishing helping Gemma get ready, the two began the walk down outside to a clearing just beyond the gardens where the Samhain ritual would take place. They stood in a semi-circle around a wooden altar with other Siblings, Clergy members, Ghouls, and local church members. On top of the altar, Ellie could see goblets, candles, some type of bowl, a fancy-looking dagger, and a number of different herbs and crystals. As the sun disappeared from the sky, the four Papas, dressed in their formal chasubles and vestments and donned in papal paint, approached the semi-circle of people. 

Ellie watched in fascination as each of them drank from the goblets on the altar and spoke in Latin. They were contributing items to what Ellie realized was a stone bowl. She watched as Terzo lifted the dagger and pointed it in four different directions before cutting it into an apple and putting it into the bowl. 

“And now we ask each of you to take a moment and reflect upon the last year. Thank the One Below for the good and the bad and let go of the things that no longer serve you,” Primo said in English. 

The already silent crowd seemed to bow their heads for a few minutes. Ellie reflected on the last year and everything that led her to that moment. She thanked whoever might be listening for all the good things that happened, but had a hard time thanking them for the bad. She understood that you needed the bad to understand the good, but the idea of being thankful for negative things in her life was foreign to her. She then released as much of the negativity as she good before looking back up at the altar. Copia was setting the contents of the bowl on fire while chanting something in Latin. She watched as the flames died down before Terzo took the dagger again and pointed it in four directions again before returning it to the table with a simple “Nema.” 

“That concludes our Samhain ritual,” Secondo said. “Please join us for the festivities inside the sanctuary.” 

Ellie walked with Gemma back into the abbey and to the sanctuary. The pews had been removed and it was decorated with red and black streamers, lights, and other decor. A stage was set up where the pulpit and altar usually sat and Ellie could see ghouls setting up instruments.

“The Papas usually sing a couple of songs each,” Gemma said. “Typically ones off whatever albums they’ve done.” 

“So Copia will be singing?” Ellie asked, looking around the crowded room for him. They agreed to meet in the sanctuary, but Ellie hadn’t seen him yet. 

Gemma grinned. “You’re in for a treat.” 

Ellie felt a tap on her shoulder and she turned around. Standing there was Copia still done up in his black and white papal paints and wearing his black and gold vestments and bat wing miter. His eyes widened as he looked her up and down and Ellie couldn’t help but blush.

“Sei stupenda (You look stunning),” he said with awe in his voice. 

“I don’t know what you said but I’m assuming it was a good thing?” Ellie questioned with a laugh.

“Si, I said you look stunning,” he said.

“Thank you. You look amazing yourself.” 

“Bah,” he said waving the comment off. “I look like this every mass.” 

“Still looks amazing though.”

“Well thank you, tesoro.”

“Good evening, Papa,” Gemma greeted and Ellie forgot she had been standing next to her. “I was just telling Ellie that you and the other Papas would be performing tonight.”

Copia nodded. “Si, we are,” he said. “I’ll be up last.”

“What are you singing?” Ellie asked.

“Dance Macabre and Twenties. That will get the asses wobbling, no?”

Gemma laughed and nodded. “It will. Oh, I see Secondo. I’ll see you later Ellie.” 

Ellie watched Gemma go to the other Papa also in papal paints and his black and green chausable before she turned back to Copia. Just as she was about to ask when everything was going to get started, music started to play in Ellie recognized Primo on the makeshift stage.

“Do you want to dance?” Copia asked, holding out a gloved hand to her.

Ellie grinned and took it. “Yes!” 

Ellie wasn’t sure how much time had passed and she didn’t care. She was having the time of her life. She danced with Copia while he made jokes and twirled her around. When it was his turn to perform, Ellie got herself something to drink before making her way to the stage. There were a number of sisters standing there waiting and they all looked at Ellie with a mixture of jealousy and delight. She did her best to ignore them and when Copia came onto the stage and up to the mic, the room erupted in cheers.

The familiar beat of Dance Macabre started up and Ellie watched as Copia bobbed in time with the music.

“I want to see each and every ass in here wobble,” he said into the mic as he launched into the first verse.

Ellie could see why so many people claimed Copia was their favorite of the Papas. The way he commanded the stage and audience was awe-inspiring. Ellie couldn’t help but stare as Brianna and Micah joined her.

“Having fun?” Micah asked over the music.

“Yes!” Ellie said as Micah took her hands and danced with her. She didn’t mind. She knew it was all friendly, but when she caught sight of Copia on stage, she could have sworn a look of jealousy passed over his face.

When the song ended, cheers and screams filled the sanctuary before Copia started into Twenties. Ellie hadn’t had a chance to listen to the Impera album in full, so she did her best to pay attention to the song as Brianna and Micah danced with her. When that song ended, she watched Copia leave the stage and the ghouls took over providing music for the rest of the night. Ellie excused herself from the two Siblings and went to find Copia. 

“That was amazing!” Ellie gushed when she met up with him near the refreshments. 

“Thank you, cara,” he beamed. “That was nothing. You should come to one of the shows while we’re on tour. That is quite the sight.”

“Maybe I will,” she said.

“We’re going to start touring again in May,” he said as he poured two glasses of punch. “I’ll arrange for you to come to a few shows.”

“I’d like that very much,” Ellie said as Copia handed her a glass. “Thanks.” She sipped the fruity drink and looked around at everyone dancing. “Not that I’m interested in joining, but when does the orgy start.”

“In a half hour,” Copia said. “Terzo will make an announcement and they’ll start bringing in mats to cover the floor with as well as some furniture pieces. That gives enough time for anyone who doesn’t want to participate to leave.”

“Are you participating?” Ellie asked, almost afraid to ask.

Copia shook his head. “No,” he said. “I have no interest. I’ve participated in past years, but I don’t want to this year. Besides, I have someone I want to spend time with.” 

Ellie felt her face flush once more. “Don’t skip out on my account. If you want to participate-”

“I really don’t,” Copia said, not letting her finish. “I want to spend that time with you.”

Copia led Ellie out of the Sanctuary just as Terzo got on stage to announce the orgy would start soon. They wandered outside to the gardens behind the abbey. There was a slight chill to the late autumn night, but nothing uncomfortable. 

“I had a really fun time tonight,” Ellie said as they walked side by side down the paved path. “I never got to go to dances growing up.”

“I’m glad you had fun, cara,” Copia replied. “Did it live up to your expectations?”

Ellie nodded and smiled. “It did. The only thing that didn’t happen that I’ve seen in movies and TV shows was a chaperon coming around telling us all to ‘Leave room for Jesus.’”

Copia laughed at that. “Nor will you find anyone here who will say that.” 

“I guess not,” she smirked. 

They came to a gazebo at the end of the path that was surrounded by bushes. Copia knew in the spring and summer the bushes would be abloom with colorful flowers, but it was fall so they stood bare. The gazebo was light with fairy lights around the edges giving it a soft warm glow that stood out in the dark, cloudy night. 

“There is one other thing I was expecting though,” Ellie said stepping into the gazebo and leaning against one of the banisters.

“What’s that?” He asked as he followed her inside.

“There was no slow dancing,” Ellie said. 

“Oh, I suppose there wasn’t,” Copia said. “To be fair, I left Dew and Rain in charge of the music with only the stipulation that all the Papas had time to perform.”

Ellie laughed softly and Copia wanted nothing more than to bottle that sound up and keep it forever; listening to it whenever he was down because he knew that sound would bring him joy whenever he heard it. She quieted and looked at him. Copia could practically see the gears in her mind turning. He suddenly felt nervous under her gaze.

“Dance with me?” She asked a second later, pushing herself off the rail and holding out a hand to him.

“There’s no music,” Copia said, immediately berating himself at the stupid comment.

“So? We can just pretend,” Ellie smiled. 

He chuckled. “I suppose we can,” he said taking her hand and drawing her close. Her scent, something he couldn’t make out, was intoxicating and filled is senses as he rested a hand on the small of her back. He began to sway in time with unheard music. She followed his lead and moved within him, stepping back and forth, side to side. 

“Now all my expectations have been met,” she joked with a smile as she looked up at him. Even in the warm, dim light, her eyes seemed to sparkle.

“I’m glad,” he said as he spun her out and then back into him. “Seeing you enjoy yourself makes me happy.” He held her impossibly close, their bodies pressed together as they swayed in place. Copia wasn’t sure what happened next. One minute they were just staring at each other and the next was letting go of her hand and sliding his under her chin, tilting it upward before kissing her.

And she was kissing back.

He kissed people before—many, many people, but it never felt like it had just then. To be cliche, it felt like fireworks were going off. Everything in him erupted and felt so right as his lips moved against hers. Her lips were so soft against his own and they fit perfectly slotted together. His hand moved from under her chin and into her hair, holding the back of her head to him. She let out the softest of sounds, making his brain go haywire. He knew if they continued he wasn't ever going to let her lips leave his.

All too soon they were pulling apart, both of them slightly panting as they stared at one another. “That was…” Ellie began, seemingly losing the words to finish.

Copia chuckled and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “That was okay to do?” He asked, needing reassurance he didn’t cross a line.

“Yes,” Ellie said quickly. “More than okay.”

They stood like that for a while before a gust of wind blew through the gazebo and made Ellie shiver. “We should go back inside,” he suggested, wishing he had a jacket he could shrug off and put around her shoulders. He regrettably stepped back from her, already missing the feel of her body pressed against his.

“Copia?” She asked softly.

“Si, tesoro?”

“Where does this leave us?”

“What do you mean?”

Ellie shrugged. “Well…I like you…a lot actually. I know that sounds like I’m some 16-year-old confessing to a crush…but I have feelings for you.”

“I have feelings for you as well,” he confessed. Feelings weren’t the word he’d use though. He knew he loved her but he didn’t want to admit that just yet and scare her away. Slow and steady wins the race, he told himself. 

“So where does that leave us then?” She asked again. “Are we just exploring or what?”

Copia looked her face over. “What do you want this to be?” He asked. “I don’t want you to feel like you’re rushing into anything. You set the pace and I will follow.”

Ellie thought for a moment and nodded to herself before speaking. “I’d…I’d like to explore a relationship,” she said. “I know I don’t have a lot of experience given my history…but I’d like to call you my boyfriend or partner.” 

He felt his heart soar at that. “Then a relationship it is,” he said. “I have one condition though.”

“What?” Ellie asked, looking nervous.

“Let me take you out properly,” he said. “I want to take you on a proper date.”

Her eyes lit up at that. “I’d like that a lot.”

“Then it’s settled. How about two nights from now? I’ll pick you up from your apartment around 7?”

“Perfect.”

[revelforevermore]

How the Ministry Spends their Halloween 🎃 Featuring Potential Costume Choices and What They’d pick out of the Candy Bowl 🍬

Long time no see! Here’s some ideas I had floating around in my head today; hope you enjoy, Happy Halloween!

Papa Nihil: In the 60s, this would be a chance for him to hang loose and indulge in some drinking (and maybe throw together a costume). He’s not as concerned with Halloween as some of the others but he still enjoys it. In old age, he’s more focused on making sure his sons stay in line or use the holiday to promote the Project. He doesn’t like trick or treating; he will turn the lights off and hoard the candy bowl for himself which gets him scolded.

If he ever wore a costume, it would’ve been a dynamic duo costume with Sister. (Edit to add: I could see them creating costumes from popular films such as Dracula, Bride of Frankenstein, etc.)

His candy of choice would be chocolate-covered raisins or a classic Snickers.

Sister Imperator: When she was younger, she loved Halloween for the same reasons that Nihil did. She took it a step further and fully celebrated with decorations and even a few private rituals on the special day. In older age, she’s more concerned with how the Ministry operates on Halloween, making sure tasks are still completed. She’s not a complete stickler, though. She lets the Siblings and ghouls dress up in costumes if they wish and she turns the other cheek to Halloween parties and trick or treating.

She would be the one coordinating costumes for her and Nihil. I think she would’ve been more concerned with what Copia was wearing for Halloween when he was little and only dressed up then when he asked. In her older age, I imagine she’d dress up as powerful historical figures.

She isn’t a big fan of candy, but she indulges with dark chocolate on Halloween. She prefers candy apples.

Primo: All about the ceremony on Halloween; while he enjoys the child-like wonder surrounding the holiday, he still refers to the day as “Samhain” and actively participates in rituals specific to the day. He will gladly share these rituals with anyone who asks to join. He holds a special service in the chapel on Halloween for this reason.

But just because he prefers the more traditional route of Halloween doesn’t mean he doesn’t enjoy it. He particularly enjoyed carving jack-o-lanterns as a boy. He likes seeing the costumes that everyone wears.

Doesn’t really dress up anymore; hasn’t since he was little.

He enjoys caramels - the hard kind, not the soft.

Secondo: He’s not found throughout Halloween day. He treats it as he would any other day, working on things that needs to get done. He doesn’t let it change his routine. If Halloween falls on a weekend, however, or if he has someone in his life that enjoys it, then it’s a different story. He doesn’t mind the parties and he’ll participate in the pageantry if he needs to. He might grumble about it but he secretly enjoys it. On Halloween weekdays, he’ll spend the evening watching spooky movies and the like (and attending a party on the weekend). When he’s Papa, he goes through the motions to keep the spirit alive in the Ministry.

He doesn’t dress up, but if he does–it would be something like a 1920s gangster. Something that he could wear a nice suit like he usually does, just with some added accessories.

He’s got a (surprisingly) big sweet tooth. He likes things such as chocolates, he’s not big on fruity sweets. He’d probably enjoy a Crunch bar.

Terzo: He loves Halloween (not as much as Copia, though). He likes the buildup to the holiday and likes to spread the Halloween spirit to others. His favorite part is Halloween night where he can dress up in a costume and attend a huge party. He’ll spend a good amount of time brainstorming and getting his costume ready; each year has to be a different one, it can never be the same thing twice. He works hard on Halloween when he’s Papa to make sure rituals are complete and Siblings know where to find the party (everyone is invited).

His costume (to no surprise) would be Dracula-related. (Side note: Omega teased him once that his Dracula looked like Count Von Count from Sesame Street.) Like Nihil, he would choose costumes from classic monster films. He likes costumes that enhance his features, doesn’t dull them.

His candy would be something like a Kit Kat or a Twix.

Copia: He LOVES Halloween. It’s his favorite holiday of the year. He makes it his goal to do every tradition there is and makes sure his office is stocked full of candy for visitors on Halloween day. His favorite part of the holiday is seeing all the costumes around the Ministry and sharing in the festivities. As Papa, he focuses on spreading the Halloween spirit far and wide, whether that’s encouraging trick-or-treating in the Ministry halls, encouraging a haunted house, or holding a costume contest. He spends Halloween night handing out candy to trick-or-treaters, enjoying a bowl of popcorn and too much candy.

He ALWAYS goes all out with his costumes. He never misses a detail. He likes costumes that reference popular media.

He really enjoys sickly sweet fruity candy; his favorite are Nerds Gummy Clusters.

Aether: He’s been around long enough to get a full understanding on Halloween and its origins (he snuck into one of Primo’s sermons about it one year to learn more). He likes Halloween - it’s not his favorite holiday, but he enjoys some of the things that come along with it. He likes handing out candy to the little ghoul kits that dress up and go trick-or-treating; one year, he offered to take a group around so they could experience it which led to the ghouls celebrating year after year.

When he dresses up, he usually lets the ghoul kits decide what his costume is going to be. He was a dinosaur one year. But to avoid getting heckled by some people (Dew), he goes for costumes that will fit him comfortably. He dressed as a cop one year when he discovered Dew was dressing as a prisoner.

He likes all the candy, but he’s a sucker for the Reese’s Pumpkins (to be honest, who doesn’t?). He likes Lifesaver gummies, too.

Dewdrop: He pretends he’s “too cool” for Halloween…most of the time. He does enjoy it, not dressing up, but he likes the shift in mood around the Ministry and the embracing of “all things ghoul”, at least for a little while. He also likes the candy. For the buildup to Halloween, he likes to go to haunted houses or visit “haunted” locations. He doesn’t do much for Halloween like some of the others, but he’ll sneak into the candy bowl while the others hand out candy.

He doesn’t really dress up; he did one year and “Aether ruined it” (see Aether’s costume for context). If he does dress up, it’s usually as a musician he really enjoyed since most of his wardrobe covers that.

He likes Starbursts and Reese’s.

Swiss: He has too much fun with Halloween; he’s the reason Halloween candy has to be hidden before the holiday, because he will steal the bag and get all the candy eaten right away. He’s fond of the costumes and likes the stories around Halloween. He uses it as an opportunity to pull pranks some of the others (never harmful pranks, mind you). He likes any excuse to have fun and indulge so Halloween is right up his alley.

If he dresses up, it’s usually something he thought was a great idea. Dressed up as a shark one year.

He enjoys all candy, but he frequently seeks out Sour Patch Kids and Skittles. Also likes the little Spongebob Krabby Patty gummies.

Rain: He likes the history of Samhain/Halloween. He likes reading all the scary/spooky stories around this time of the year, helping with the ghoul kits so they have a good holiday, and overall having a fun time. He’ll go with the others to Halloween parties, but he doesn’t enjoy them as much as his friends (he still enjoys them, though!). He’ll help pass out candy to ghoul kits (and humans if they chance into the ghoul wing), encouraging their costumes and complimenting them. He’ll end the night with a scary movie.

If he dresses up, it’s usually something he saw in a movie or a costume he saw someone else wearing and liked (or a group costume). He was Shaggy from Scooby-Doo one year.

He likes lollipops, specifically Tootsie Pops, and York Peppermint Patties.

Mountain: He’s been around longer than Aether so he’s seen a lot of Halloweens in his time. The novelty’s mostly worn off, but he doesn’t let that show to the newer ghouls and ghoulettes. He likes pumpkin carving on Halloween and the decorations–he loves going into stores when they’re selling decorations just to see what they’ve come up with. He isn’t a fan of scary movies so he doesn’t watch them, even around Halloween, and opts to treat Halloween night like any other.

He wouldn’t dress up unless there was a party or a group costume coordinated.

He likes a small Butterfinger, also enjoys Twizzlers.

Phantom: He’s only seen one or two Halloweens, but he’s learned through observation that it’s an important holiday to some of the ghouls and humans. He likes it–he likes the candy more, but he likes seeing the costumes, too. His favorite part isn’t even the holiday itself but going to stores to see all the themed merchandise he can add to his room decorations.

He hasn’t been around long enough to wear a lot of costumes, but he’s always wanted a hot dog one.

He likes sour candy; he’ll eat it until it burns his mouth. Warheads and Sour Patch Kids are go-tos.

Cumulus: Halloween is her NFL Superbowl, FIFA World Cup, etc. She LOVES Halloween and actively researches every tradition and story she can find on it. She’s the one who insists on decorating the Ghoul Den on September 1st. She’s the one who will pick out what candy will be handed out on Halloween. She is in charge of what the group costume will be (one year it was Scooby Doo, another it was characters from Inside Out). Her favorite part, however, is handing out candy to everyone. Her and Copia bond a lot over how much they enjoy Halloween (or any holidays, really).

She dresses up with group costumes; on the chance that she doesn’t, it’s usually something like a fairy, a witch, etc.

She likes marshmallow candies of all kind. Also enjoys peanut M&Ms, Twix, etc.

Cirrus: She’s not as excited about Halloween as Cumulus, but she finds it interesting - really, any human holiday fascinates her. She never really understood the commotion about Halloween and treats it the same way that Mountain does. She likes watching movies like Rocky Horror on the holiday, though.

Only dresses up if the others want her to. Usually superhero characters.

She likes Crunch bars, Almond Joys, and 3 Muskateers. Doesn’t like peanut butter so doesn’t like Reese’s.

Sunshine: Pretty neutral about Halloween since Christmas is her favorite, but she likes some of the traditions that come with the holiday. She likes the traditions to be found in Samhain, such as making protection wards, and she likes learning about spirit work that’s done on Halloween (she wouldn’t do it herself). She’ll help Aether with the ghoul kits if they need an adult to help them trick-or-treat, otherwise, she’ll spend the night in.

She’ll dress up in pretty costumes, usually as princesses.

She enjoys Milk Duds and Airheads.

Aurora: She’s still very new to all this. She likes the chance to party and the themed food and drinks that come with the holiday. She doesn’t fully understand dressing up, but she understands why other people would like it. She particularly enjoys the candy; her first Halloween, she tried every single type she could find. She ended up joining some other ghouls in trick-or-treating so she could do this.

If she dresses up, it’s something cute. She wants to dress up as Glinda from the Wizard of Oz at least one Halloween.

She likes sweet candy like Skittles and gummy bears. Loves Laffy Taffy.

[minimag1c]

Posting two in one day because I've missed a day fuck my life

Why not both!

Day 5 ----->ᵍᵒᵗʰⁱᶜ/ᶜᵒᵘᵖˡᵉ ᶜᵒˢᵗᵘᵐᵉˢ

𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐭 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐧 ✏ Well like the title suggest both so- uh yeah lmao

Also swap au yipeeee 🎉🎉

Rushed out and short like always because I didn't timed my writing well rip anyway enjoy

Fun fact: I accidentally wrote the 30th October prompt before this. Anyway

Edit: Okay I lied the aren't actually gothic in this more edgy/emo and that's it lol. Also this thing doesn't make sense at all and if y'all have any questions asks and let's see if I will be able to answer them. And I'm talking about the swap au not- not the one-shot please even I didn't understood what shit I was trying to write-

•• <<────≪•◦⚜◦•≫────>> ••

Cherri bomb slightly gawked, holding firmly her drink.

"Wait- Halloween actually existed during your time???" Cherri bomb asked to Vagatha as the two women sat on the bar, bewildered. Vagatha raised an eyebrow at her question, scoffing slightly at such obvious question, her permanent smile wavering slightly.

"We actually didn't called it "Halloween", especially when people would go crazy over the smallest new things and would scream witchcraft and heresy at the top of their lungs. It was either labelled as "Samhain" or just "pagan festivities" in general." The captain explained before adding quickly. "But yes Halloween actually existed during my time of living on Earth."

"Technically Halloween has already existed many centuries ago, if I'm not wrong." Pentious piped in, cleaning up the bar and the remaining shots that weren't being used. Cherri turned her head to look at the barman, raising an eyebrow, even more surprised. "Wait really??"

"Actually it was even already present after Charlie's and Sera's fall!" Luce's voice butted in as he was holding Keekee's food bowl in which the one eyed cat kept demanding her food, meowing loudly and scratching her papa's pants. The hotel owner couldn't help but chuckles a bit at the cat's antics as his tail picked up the small female, earning a startled meow from her, however she quickly relaxed upon recognizing the pattern, her own tail swishing in impatience.

Luce then continued, using magic to pour down kibbles in the bowl. "Sera was not really fond on the holiday itself, since it wasn't supposed to be a religious holiday in the first place but more like an esoteric one, despite her being officially recognized as a fallen let's say. Still, it was those times where she would actually let me go outside of the temple since it was dedicated to other beliefs so I was freer than other days and holidays primarily." The prince said the last part with an almost nostalgic tone, laughing slightly.

Vagatha raised an eyebrow at him but didn't added a remark as Cherri rolled her eye, her tone sarcastic.

"Wow. Sera must be really fun at parties."

Luce winced at the words.

"She was not actually that much of a killjoy. It's Just- Halloween was not her thing."

"I'm even surprised this kind of holiday is something Vagatha is into too if I have to be honest. You know, being the whole angel thing and stuff." Alastor added, looking up from his book. Said Vagatha hummed, shrugging her shoulders while her finger traced the shot on her place. "I cannot really blame you, dear. After all, we were taught above that Halloween was a demonic and antichrist festivity that needed to be erased at all costs."

The atmosphere in the hotel's lobby suddenly became thick before Vagatha laughed out loud, the rest of the hotel's residents, except Kitty who was who know where, looking at each other with concern.

"Oh but us exorcists weren't even supposed to exist in Heaven in the first place! Why should we even follow this doctrine even though we already purge those antichrists?? Not celebrating their festivities was something wimpy compared to what we do to them! Pff what an idiocy."

No one didn't really seemed to follow her own jovial and jokey tone as Luce coughed up, trying to shake off the awkward moment that occurred.

"Uhm- anyway- why the sudden question though? Halloween is barely a week later." The hotel's owner asked.

Cherri made a sound with her mouth, waving her hands around. "Well we are in the season of it! We're supposed to be in Fall if we refers to Earth's weather." She then added, smiling mischievously and in excitation. "Oh oh! I remembered me and my friends used to scare people or scam them during this time of the year where we could threatened them with false ransom." She then sighed in content, crossing her arms, smiling lightly. "Good times really."

"I didn't understand half of the things you've said but I suppose it's what mainly make you stuck here." Alastor deadpanned at her before Cherri blinked innocently. Pentious stared at the woman, midly concerned.

However, before she could add anything else, Luce suddenly beamed as he gasped loudly, grinning.

"Wait guys I have an idea!" He said, almost dropping the now full bowl as he quickly apologized to Keekee before continuing, letting the cat eating her food quietly. "Why don't we organize a Halloween theme costume party it in the hotel?? Plus it's also a way to celebrate its reopening AND our newest member Hu-!"

"Crymini." Everyone corrected.

That took the prince a back before he rubbed his neck, chuckling awkwardly before continuing. "Yeah. Right. Crymini not Husk. Sorry. Anyway! What do you guys think about it??" He asked, looking at everyone.

For a moment, no reactions until Alastor spoke, pursuing his lips at the idea. "Yeah I don't see why not? Plus it can be a way to bond with others." The deer argued. Then, Cherri hummed, considering it before the rest agreed to the prince's concept, much to Luce's joy...

•• <<────≪•◦⚜◦•≫────>> ••

"Holy fucking shit Alastor WHAT DO I DO??!"

... Or not.

Alastor and Luce were in their shared bedroom, the deer waiting patiently for the prince to stop pacing and creating a hole on the carpet. After realizing that it would have been fruitless, the taller sighed and reculantly got up to calm down his prince.

"I just said that out of impulsion! I don't even know how the fuck Halloween is even supposed to work! Wait Cherri said she would scam people during that time- but what if no one actually like this AND-!!"

"-No one is going to die if you don't actually follow the same traditions." Alastor piped in, going behind Luce as he put his hands on his shoulders to calm the anxious little blonde. However, before the later could say anything else, the deer added furthermore, his tone indicating that he was already used to this kind of outbursts, whatever its degree of negativity it was. "And no. No one is going to hate you forever because of a failed party."

"But-"

"No. Cherri will not abandon you nor myself."

"And-"

"Yes I would still love you even if you make a complete fool of yourself. Yes Vagatha will still stay by your side. Yes Charlie too no matter what because she really wants to bond with you again and NO-"

Alastor then proceeded to turn Luce around as to face him before finishing his sentence, firm.

"You are NOT going to throw yourself in a ditch if it doesn't go as planned."

Luce pursued his lips, feeling a bit embarrassed at how Alastor could read him so easily like an open book. However, the deer couldn't help but chuckle slightly without malice but more of fondness as he let go of the prince.

"Luce mon ange everything is going to be alright. It's just a party between friends and acquaintances! Not some-" the deer made vague gestures with his hand before continuing. "-Official royalty kind of ball of whatsoever. Just a costume halloween party let's say? Uh whatever you get it."

The deer stopped as he straighten his back while Lucifer was processing the other's words, getting calmer although he still had an weird feeling about it.

Then it hit him.

"Shit I don't even have a costume-"

"What did you say-?" Alastor asked as he was going through his wardrobe, not looking at Luce who seemed to feel another wave of panic going through him again.

"Shit shit shit shit shit FUCK-!"

"Probably you should stop swearing that much first thing first you know how the butterfly effect with curses and stress works on you Luce." Alastor calmly adviced, while he himself was looking for any inspiration or what to exactly wear.

And, if he had to be honest, even himself didn't really knew WHAT was the clothing he needed to put on-

Well technically he knew! But his own choice of style was actually adequate for it-? During his time of living as a human, his mother was actually religious thus it was unsurprising that he wasn't familiar with all of this even if being around horror was something he was used with.

While he was still rummaging through his clothes with Lucifer having another stressful episode, he accidentally bumped on a black cloth that he almost forgot its own existence.

Curious, he pulled it from the other and couldn't help but frown albeit it wasn't out for any negative emotions.

A black creole dress.

Uh. Weird. He didn't remembered having this in his wardrobe, especially this unique with that color. Was it grief? Probably during her mother's death anniversary? There were chances, plus it was still his size surprisingly. Now it has been a while since he wore any considered feminine attires but maybe he could do something with th-

"Al I finally found it!"

The concerned one couldn't help but bleat slightly in surprise, finally turning back to look at Lucifer as he calmed down, pretending to not have been startled, as he lightly smiled in curiosity.

"Really Luce? What is i-" he stopped on his track when he saw the toned down purple almost pitch black toga with golden motives sewed on it with a golden apple pin. Said Lucifer was smiling widely, feeling victorious until his eyes widened his surprise at Alastor's own choice.

"Wow-" he siffled out, his eyes sparkling in wonder. "It's- this dress is actually really pretty Al! I love it!" The prince beamed before growing confused. "Wait- but where do even got that? I've never seen you wear it before?" He asked, titling his head to the side. Alastor looked down at the fabric before shrugging slightly.

"Have no ideas either. Probably when I was grieving my mother but either forgot about it or just couldn't bear myself to wear it." He said, not missing the flash of sympathy going through Lucifer's eyes but he nodded, understand.

"Well I think this can be an opportunity then! Augh- I mean if you want of course-" Lucifer choked out and said in flushed embarrassment before he continued. "Well- I don't know exactly how can you work with it- but for me it's more the angel of death let's say" he justified, holding up the toga in his arms with a wider grin

Alastor couldn't help but also mirror the same expression, the prince's excited energy infectious.

"Well you sure are having ideas don't you?"

"I need to. After all, I'm the idiot who impulsively requested a costume party even though I didn't even had one." Lucifer shook his head, still not over the fact that he did that.

Alastor suppressed a laugh before pondering as he was contemplating the creole dress.

Maybe he could try and dress like those ladies during carnivals in New Orleans? Or just doing a more over exaggerated caricature of those voodoo priestess or a queered version of... What was his name again? In the movie about the frog? Faciler? Whatever. Probably something among those lines but either way, the deer was mainly just trying to find a spark of imagination.

Until.

"Maybe an allegory of Clémentine Barnabet?"

Lucifer blinked his eyes in surprise.

"Clémentine Barnabet-?"

Alastor shrugged.

"Yup. The serial killer. Now the photos of her were in black and white obviously this her dress was definitely not this color but-" he sighed. "Meh. It's just a costume so why not. Might as well just play it." He said.

Lucifer listened to his explanation before he nodded slowly. "Oooh I understand-"

When he realized that Alastor had nothing else to say, he continued, now smiling again. "Well. I think you would be really amazing as a costume of Clémentine Barnabet."

Somehow Alastor couldn't help but blush, despite finding his own idea ironically stupid.

•• <<────≪•◦⚜◦•≫────>> ••

"..."

"..."

"... Guys let's be real these two tried to do some matching or not?" Cherri asked, wearing her Harley Quinn outfit while sipping on her weirdly good but nonalcoholic punch drink while she watched from afar the owner and the manager discussing with Vagatha who wore a bloodied nun outfit while holding her spear, under the suspicious gaze of Crymini.

Anthony, who decided to tag along and mainly because Cherri invited him, hummed at the cyclops's observation before watching the two as well.

Pentious, who only found himself tracing a cut line on his neck, slowly slid between the two at the counter, squinting his eyes as to analyze before the snake approved. "Uh. Now that I think about it... And that you bring that up... They both did wore black!"

Cherri deadpanned at him while Anthony raised an eyebrow. Pentious looked at the two, wide eyes. "What??"

"Uh forget it-"

"It's actually not just the color theme. Isn't that also the same jewelry they also use?? Okay what the fuck even shortie here has the same ring as Bambi-" the spider realized, also squinting his eyes to see more details.

"Almost looking like Morticia Addams and Gomez... Except it's a Louisianan guy and his greek demigod."

"So basically just Clémentine Barnabet and Icarus." Pentious concluded.

"I have no ideas who's that Clem but I guess so" Cherri added, still finding it cute that he two were trying to be seen as the couple of the party.

Well. Party was a big word there weren't that many and the queen Charlotte even had to recluse herself for an apparently important matters but hey, as long as Lucifer seemed content with it, the first patron of the hotel would say nothing.

•• <<────≪•◦⚜◦•≫────>> ••

I'm really not proud of this one. Probably redo it with more love and passion but for now have this shit

Anyway uhm bye I'm tired af

[29/10/2024]

(2418 words)

----

Wattpad version

Archive of our own version

[gothdaddyissues]

Ghoulies Shouldn't Play With Dead Things

For the @petrifyingpapas challenge - Week Two: INCANTATION

SUMMARY: On Walpurgisnacht, the Ghouls attempt to summon the spirit of Papa Emeritus III. Will it go wrong? Probably.... But it might not be a bad thing after all (~2600 words)

TAGS: Cumulus, Aether, Rain, Swiss, Mountain, Cirrus, Dewdrop, Sunshine, The Ghost of Papa III, summoning spirits, Ouija boards, everybody wants to protect our boy Copia (including me)

Also available on Ao3 HERE

⛧ ⛧ ⛧ ⛧ ⛧ ⛧

Deep in the bowels of The Ministry, where Siblings and Clergy alike feared to tread, lay chambers full of mystery. Well, really it was just a maze of cobwebs, damp, and empty rooms. But there were no humans brave enough to venture down there to find that out.

It didn't stop the Ghouls though. It was their favorite place to go, in fact. Away from prying human eyes, they could do whatever they pleased -drink, dance, fuck, play Monopoly, or have paintball tournaments -  with no consequences.

But sometimes, just once in a while, they got themselves into trouble.

One particular night - an hour or so before dawn on Walpurgis Night, to be exact - Aether and Rain found themselves hurriedly descending the steps into their secret basement hideaway, late to meet with the others. Cumulus had "an idea" (her words, not theirs) of how to celebrate the event. But she needed a particular object that the two of them were tasked to acquire. And it took them longer to get a hold of it than they anticipated.

Aether pounded on the ancient wooden door to the farthest room, knowing it would be locked. They were greeted by the sound of scraping metal and creaking hinges before Swiss slowly swung the door open.

"Good evenink. I am Sveess," he said in his best Count Dracula impersonation, "I bid you velcome." He bowed deeply, laughing as they entered.

The windowless room within was lit only by candlelight. The rest of the Ghouls sat cross-legged on the floor in a circle around a large pentagram Cumulus had drawn there with red... paint? Blood? Aether wasn't about to check. There were other magical symbols scribbled in each corner of the room, one in the middle of each wall, and also one on the back of the door.

"Please tell me you got it?" Cumulus asked eagerly.

"Yeah," Aether replied. It had involved a trip to the party supply store and a Mission Impossible-esque operation to break into Sister Imperator's office at nightfall. She kept their prize on the shelf behind her desk, propped up on a small stand like a trophy. Because to her, it was. Hopefully, she'd never notice they'd swapped it with a cheap, plastic replica. He walked over to Cumulus while reaching into his jacket to produce the yellow toy. "Here ya go - the Kazoo of Destiny."

Cumulus clapped her hands in glee. "Excellent! I knew I could count on your guys! Thank you." She took it from Aether and placed it carefully in the very center of the pentagram, atop a Ouija board. "Okay, sit, sit. We don't have much time before sunrise."

"And why are we doing this again?" Mountain wondered aloud. "This feels like a really bad idea..."

"Because if we don't do it now, we'll have to wait six months until Samhain," she said.

"But WHY?" Mountain asked again. "Why are we summoning Terzo's ghost? We didn't even know him."

"Because we want to know who killed him, remember?" Sunshine reminded him.

"Yeah, and maybe have him scare the shit out of Imperator while he's here," Dewdrop added, a fiendish smirk on his face, "That'd be fun."

"Now's your chance to leave, if you don't want to do this," Cirrus said gently.

Mountain looked anxious, fiddling with his hands as he sat.  "No, no... I'm good. I'll stay."

Once all the Ghouls were in place around the pentagram, Cumulus explained the rules. "No fussing, no moving out of the circle until I say it's okay. Don't let go of your neighbor's hands, no matter what happens. We have to keep the circle intact. First thing I'm gonna do is cast a protective barrier around us. Then we'll summon him. Y'all remember the incantation?"

They all replied with a chorus of affirmatives.

"Okay." Cumulus took a deep breath to steel herself. "Here we go."

She stood and walked around the circle three times, invoking the spirits of the old ones at each quarter. She asked for protection and guidance for the ritual. And when she finally returned to her spot at the bottom of the pentagram she raised her arms over her head, creating a swirling purple cloud out of the air. As she sat, she swooped her arms down with her, bringing the mist down as well, enveloping them all in a safe, shielded bubble.

She took the hands of the Ghouls on either side of her, and the others followed suit until they were all linked together.

"Greetings to our companions from the other side," Cumulus began in a clear, steady voice. "Tonight we gather here to contact the spirit of our lost brother Terzo, Papa Emeritus the Third. We seek your indulgence. We wish to offer you understanding and justice, Papa. We seek to avenge your untimely death. Please, Papa, make yourself known to us. Amate spiritus obscure te quaerimus. Te oramus, nobiscum colloquere apud nos. Amate spiritus obscure te quaerimus. Te oramus, nobiscum colloquere apud nos."

That was everyone's cue to join in. They chanted in unison: "Amate spiritus obscure te quaerimus. Te oramus, nobiscum colloquere apud nos. Amate spiritus obscure te quaerimus. Te oramus, nobiscum colloquere apud nos. Amate spiritus obscure te quaerimus. Te oramus, nobiscum colloquere apud nos."

The incantation was chanted 13 times and then the Ghouls fell quiet. They looked at each other, looked around them, up at the ceiling, and at the yellow kazoo lying in the center of the pentagram.

Nothing was happening.

"Did it work?" Cirrus asked in a whisper.

"How long does it take for him to show up?" Swiss asked, getting impatient.

Culumlus shushed them. She was trying to keep focused. "Papa Emeritus the Third," she called out, "Please let your presence be known to us. If you are here, we ask that you give us a sign."

A sudden whoosh of air blew through the room, extinguishing the candles around them all at once, plunging them into near darkness. Rain startled and yelped like a frightened animal.

Dewdrop gripped Rain's hand tighter, trying to keep him steady. "Fucking hell, Rain! Don't let go."

"Guys, stay still!" Cumulus was trying not to panic. Once her eyes adjusted to the dark, she realized the purple, iridescent mist that surrounded them provided a dim luminosity, like a black light. She could see the yellow kazoo in front of her practically glowing fluorescent.

And then it started to move, jittering and spinning as if someone was fidgeting with it.

"Oh shit oh shit oh shit," Rain mumbled.

Cumulus was giddy. "Papa?? Papa is that you?"

The kazoo slid across the Ouija board seemingly of its own accord, pointing to the YES in the top left corner.

The Ghouls exchanged looks, some of them full of excitement, some of them terrified. But all of them sat in suspense, leaning forward to gaze down at the Ouija board in wonder.

"Hello, Papa," Cumulus said softly. "Thank you for coming."

Again, the kazoo moved, slipping from letter to letter as the small end spelled out the next response: H - E - L - L  - O.

"You are greatly missed here, Papa," she told him.

A - M... I?

"Yes! Very much. Please tell us, are you okay? Where you are, I mean?"

The toy slid back to the YES, pointing to it briefly before it began to spin. It was the spirit's turn to speak. Slowly, it began to spell: W - H - O... I - S... P - A - P -A... N - O - W?

"Um," Cumulus began. This was odd. She'd conducted many a seance in her time but had almost never seen a spirit ask its own questions like this. Even in death, Terzo was still a force to be reckoned with. She couldn't help but worry that her answer would upset him. "Copia. Copia is Papa now."

For long moments, the kazoo did not move. Had they rendered the spirit of Terzo Emeritus 'speechless' with this news? The air in the tiny room was thick and hot, and she could feel the tension in her companions as they waited. Then, suddenly, the toy shot across the board to the word NO.

The Ghouls looked at each other again, all of them growing more unsettled. "Yes, Papa. It's true."

The kazoo moved quickly this time: P - U - P - P - E - T.

"Puppet? Who's the puppet? Copia?" Cumulus asked, her voice shaky with worry. "What do you mean?"

P - R - O - T - E - C - T... H - I - M.

There were audible gasps amongst the Ghouls, and Aether tightened his grip on Cumulus' hand. "Protect him from who, Papa?" he asked.

T - H - E - M.

The faint sound of bells could be heard in the distance. Morning had come, the sun was rising, and all the residents of the Ministry were being called to begin their days. Time was running out, but Cumulus wasn't done...

"Papa, please, tell us. Who do we protect him from? The ones who killed you?"

Once more, the kazoo pointed to YES.

"Who?" Swiss asked. "Who killed you, Papa?"

They watched as the toy darted across to the alphabet once more, stopping first at the letter S. As it moved to the next letter, the shrill claxon of a cell phone ringtone echoed throughout the room, each one of the Ghouls' phones going off in unison. So jarring and sudden at a moment when they were all wound as tightly as springs, that was all it took to set them all off. Cirrus and Sunshine screamed and grabbed at each other. Dewdrop and Rain jumped to their feet in alarm, knocking the Ouija board across the floor. Aether, Swiss, and Mountain frantically searched through their coats to find their phones and silence the noise. Any semblance of keeping to the seance rules went by the wayside. The circle was broken.

"NO!" Cumulus cried. "Oh no! No no no no!" The misty purple bubble of protection evaporated around them, and the eight Ghouls were left in the darkness.

Aether's face was quickly illuminated by the light from his cell phone. "We missed Sister Imperator's morning call," he announced, "She's gonna be pissed." He turned on his flashlight, shining it around the room at his companions, all of their reflective eyes wide, thoroughly freaked out and looking like deer caught in headlights. "Is everybody okay?" he asked... knowing full well they weren't.

"I need to get outta here," Mountain whined, his voice trembling, "Please let me out."

With their phone lights as guides, the dazed Ghouls managed to find their way to the door, and Mountain sprinted away the moment it was open. A few of them muttered apologies before making their way out. Only Cumulus remained in her spot, staring down at the upended Ouija board and the kazoo laying in the dirt.

Aether approached her slowly. "You okay, sweets?" he asked, his hand dropping to her shoulder.

She shook her head sadly. "No. No, I'm not. I messed up bad. We didn't send Papa back... we didn't close the circle. What if..." She sniffled back her tears. "What if Papa is stuck here now? This is horrible. We've doomed him to wander this place as a ghost."

"Well, we already have to deal with the ghost of Nihil. What's one more, eh?"

Cumulus managed a small chuckle and placed her hand on Aether's before looking up at him. "And what about Copia? We have to protect him, he said. But he didn't get a chance to tell us who from. All we know is it started with an 'S.'"

"Sister Imperator? I mean, everybody already suspects that."

"Or Saltarian?"

Aether gripped her hand tight. "Or both? He did say 'them.'"

"Shit..." Cumulus sighed.

Again, their cell phones jingled. A text message this time, from Sister Imperator: "Where are you?? You're late for the morning meeting!"

"Come on," Aether said, helping Cumulus to her feet, "Let's go. We don't want them to come looking for us down here and seeing what we've done, or we're fucked. Don't worry. We'll figure this out, okay?"

Arm in arm, they left the room, shutting the door up tight behind them.

⛧ ⛧ ⛧ ⛧ ⛧ ⛧

Moments passed. Terzo waited until they were safely back on the main floor before he floated into the room. This was entirely unexpected. Torn away from the blissful void of the afterlife back to this mundane place, not a physical part of it, but still in it. He looked down at himself, glowy and ethereal, dressed in his finest chasuble, his hands encased in the black gloves with the golden claws...a nice outfit to spend eternity in. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad.

His kazoo sat at his feet.

"Hmmmm..." He reached down to see if he could touch it. The first test of his incorporeal-ness. He wasn't sure what to expect. Placing his hand over top of it, he watched in wonder as it melded into him, absorbed into his ghostly form. The Kazoo of Destiny was his once more.

He couldn't help but giggle.

⛧ ⛧ ⛧ ⛧ ⛧ ⛧

The Ghouls never again spoke about what had happened that night.

It's not that they didn't acknowledge it. They most certainly did. But not to each other. It simply became a tacit duty, an implicit agreement between them all to protect Copia with their lives. There was always at least one of them keeping an eye on their Papa at all times, never letting him linger with Imperator or Saltarian too long out of their sight.

The Ministry, and the Ghost Project, were thriving. More popular than they had ever been, with legions of new, devoted followers. The Ghouls knew that was all because of Copia's hard work and dedication. They showered him with love and affection, never letting on that they knew what had happened to his predecessors, or what they were prepared to do to keep him safe.

Cumulus spent days searching the halls for glimpses of Terzo's spirit. She lit candles for him in the chapel, asked for him to make himself known, and spoke prayers and incantations from ancient ritual books, all in hopes that he would be safely shepherded back to the shadow realm. As time passed and she saw no sign of him, she assumed that he had returned there.

But no. Terzo was just really good at being sneaky. He never appeared to anyone. He kept himself hidden as best as he could - including from the foul spirit of his shithead father that also wandered the halls. He was still around though, keeping watch over his favorite Sisters of Sin, causing upset with Sister Imperator and Mr. Saltarian every chance he could, and growing very fond of the Ghouls that had summoned him. Perhaps one day he would reveal himself to them...

And as for Copia? Terzo was so proud of him and of how far he had come. He was exactly what the Ghost Project needed. It was too bad Terzo had to die for Copia to take the mantle, especially when he recognized all the struggles this new Papa was going through: the self-doubt, the pressure, the loneliness. If only he could be there, physically, to help guide him. Instead, he did what he could.

Terzo was with him in spirit on the stressful days, on the cold, lonely nights. Sometimes he would play a tune on his kazoo that only Copia could hear. Copia would never startle or wonder where the sound was coming from. He would smile, relax his shoulders and close his eyes, and just for a moment, enjoy the company.

[zombie-rott]

Survival Is A Talent: 4.5

Part 1. Part 2. Part 3. Part 4

Pairing: Gen. None.

Rating: Mature for difficult themes throughout.

Summary:

“Weakness was not something Phantom had ever been permitted to show back beneath the ground. His father, a tyrant leader of their pack, came down harshly on anyone who dared to show an ounce of discomfort or disdain. Male or female, grown or child; he was a brutal man with brutal ideals. But despite Phantom’s inept ability to hide his pain, he’d never felt quite like this before. Nor had he trembled quite as much as he had done since coming to the surface.”

Or

Phantom, the new quintessence ghoul, is struggling to adapt to live on the surface. What started as surface sickness has quickly developed into quintessence burn out. And with a reluctance to ask for help, Phantom finds himself down a dark path. It’s up to Papa, Aether and the pack to drag him back; kicking, screaming but alive.

In full on A03.

Over the following days, Phantom grew more confident that Copia was genuine in his concerns. While he hadn’t quite returned to a place where he was comfortable enough to seek solitude in the clergyman’s arms, he began to at least respond to his texts. His one-word answers slowly grew to something more akin to a conversation, and soon he was attending yet another meeting with the man. This time, the dinner Copia suggested, a meal Phantom felt his stomach wasn’t quite ready for. 

That afternoon, as he prepared to meet Copia, he contemplated cancelling. His fingers fidgeted with his phone as he mulled over how he could get out of this but nothing felt right. Everything sounded like a cop-out because it was, and Phantom didn’t quite know how to go about disguising it as anything else. 

Instead, he focused on pulling his hair back into a ponytail, and how he could possibly cover the dark circles beneath his eyes. As he studied himself in the bathroom mirror he couldn’t help but cringe. The ghoul staring back at him was a stranger, an impostor zipped up inside a vaguely familiar skin suit. There was no sparkle in his violet eyes, his hair was listless and even his horns had lost their glimmer. But the body beneath his clothing was the most jarring of all; Thin, with bones protruding where flesh should be, and carved up like a pumpkin during Samhain. 

Yet, despite his obvious disorder, Copia still wanted to associate with him. The clergyman simply wouldn’t take no for an answer. He’d sent pastoral texts daily, and offered things such as ‘calming’ walks or an evening watching something called ‘Schitt’s Creek.’ While Phantom knew it was from a place of genuine concern, he couldn’t help but feel like a burden specifically when Copia had arranged for him to take adequate time off from laundry duties to aid in his recovery. 

Recovery.

A word Phantom had heard before but could never quite grasp in his situation. He knew what it meant regarding a physical ailment, but what did it mean in his circumstance? How could one recover from the darkness creeping within their own mind? 

His phone rang, alerting him to the time. It was almost time to leave if he didn’t want to keep Copia waiting. Despite this knowledge, Phantom couldn’t quite encourage himself to pull on his shoes. It had been a struggle enough to get dressed in something other than his usual sweatpants and oversized hoody, but he had wanted to at least appear to be trying. It wasn’t until he zipped up his pants, the same he had been wearing since he was summoned, that he realised just how big they’d become. He’d been forced to text Dew to ask for a belt and almost cried with embarrassment when he’d promptly arrived at his door with several to choose from. The fire ghoul had been overtly kind, making sure that Phantom picked the right one to match the colour of his jeans. He’d even refrained from saying anything about the weight the little ghoul had lost. But it was written all over his face, and Phantom was in no doubt that several pairs of eyes would be watching him as he walked through the common rooms and towards Copia’s chambers. 

Six twenty. He had ten minutes to will himself to put on his sneakers and get to the other side of the ministry if he didn’t want to be late. With shaking hands he worked at lacing up his sneakers, all the while whispering to himself. 

“It’s just dinner.” 

He did one final check in his mirror, hating the image reflecting back at him before gingerly sliding out into the hallway. There was the distant din of the ghoul pack from the common area, a sound that in the past would have sent him running to their embrace. But not now. Now he wanted to run back to his room and bolt the door, their worrisome looks too much to bear.

“Hey, little bug.” The familiar baritone voice of Swiss greeted him as he shuffled through into the living area.

Phantom forced a smile so small it would easily be missed by anyone else. But Swiss crossed the room and gently patted the fellow ghoul’s shoulder.

“Do you want me to walk you to dinner?”

While Phantom appreciated the offer, he couldn’t stand the thought of holding a conversation. Yet, he also loathed to be alone; Open and exposed to the world around him. Despite every fibre in his body begging and practically pleading for company, Phantom shook his head.

Swiss continued to smile, but his eyes told a different story. He reluctantly let the little ghoul go and affirmed his decision.

“If you want one of us to come walk you back, just text. Okay?” Cumulus chirped from where she sat on the rug by the fire.

“S-sure,” Phantom muttered. He excused himself and hurried out the door before any of his other pack mates could offer their assistance. Or sympathies. Or anything akin to pity.

~ Read In Full Here ~