#interrupting the ghouling hour dead

[fvntasmic]

seafoam-colored eyes shoot her a familiar glare, followed by, of course, a smart-ass reply. dark eyes roll in response; it's no surprise that a slight bitterness follows even with their small talk. though it's not the same bitterness they usually associate themselves with, there's a lightness to it. "I didn't know you could read, mads." madeline teases. she wonders if it's the worn-out copy of The Great Gatsby he keeps with him or if something new piques his interest. before she could even ask, madison broke her thought. "the girl next door?" madeline repeated, raising a brow in his direction. "and what exactly does sound like the girl next door to you?"

"my god, you're right. - you're interrupting ghouling hour, madeline." he shoots her a glare over the brim of his coffee cup as it meets his lips to take another sip. he then placed the cup back on the counter, propping up against it himself with arms crossing against his chest. he thought it was rather odd that they could have a small talk conversation, apart from their usual bitterness. "nothing more than finishing up a novel i've been reading." he shrugs his shoulders in return. "i'm curious - a night in doesn't sound like the girl next door to me." he smirks at that.

[thehypnone]

yapped about different university ghouls dynamics with @skele-bunny and @everybodyshusband. part 1/2, swissalps

university teacher swiss who got through his studies high 90% of the time and then one day got the job and now he's the token cool teacher & quiet but passionate professor mountain that shares an office with swiss (they fuck)

swiss "forgetting" to give mountain hickies below the collar so they end up sooo visible and look very clearly fresh

mountain stumbling out all disheveled out of the office a few minutes late for class and swiss following with the biggest grin. they both go to the other side of the corridor where their students are waiting by the rooms for them—it just so happens that they're next to each other. the students know exactly what went down

or rather who went down

mountain would sooo embarrass himself if they had to host a lecture or a seminar together. he just stutters and gets bashful, while swiss is the kind to throw teases and jokes at him that always makes the class laugh

a student comes to mountain like "sorry i missed last class, i've had to retake a test with professor (whatever swiss' last name would be)" and it's more than enough to get mountain blushing

imagine swiss just interrupting mountain in the middle of class "ah i let mine go half an hour early cause i wanted to see what the second most handsome professor here was up to" and he sits in the back of the room for the remaining half an hour and mountain can not keep a straight face

mountain would come into swiss' classes too, because swiss would invite him for a consultation or some other bullshit excuse. he's smart, tho, and he plans the class so that mountains expertise actually is useful and the students are busy, but swiss will be a tease then; bend himself over a table or something to give mountain flashbacks lmfao

I think they jump around each other like that, fucking occasionally, for a few months. like colleagues with benefits

swiss falls in love first, but mountain falls harder

one day swiss goes out to smoke despite it being horrendously cold outside and mountain sees him from the window of their office. he bites his lip and fights internally with himself so hard but finally decides to suck it up and go outside with two mugs of hot coffee

after that it's swiss’ turn to suck it up and he finally invites mountain for dinner—a proper date, and honestly it just goes down from there

a few months later swiss finds out their students had a bet going on for the longest time hfdgdffd

coffee date while they grade assignments together and mountain can't help but laugh and roll his eyes about how careless swiss is with it all "you really did find your phd in a bag of chips, didn't you?"

"no, actually, I stole a dead guy's identity 'cause I saw there was a hot professor I could share an office with and ended up committing to the act"

"do you even remember what your dissertation is on or were you too high?"

"I definitely know it better than you" but then it turns out mountain actually might be more familiar with it than swiss himself because he totally did study his dissertation just so he could find some common points for an academic conversation (because mountain is not social enough to have a conversation about anything else)

mountain standing up for swiss when some other professors that consider themselves better than everyone talk shit about swiss. something something "he's as competent as all of you and yet, unlike you, is still capable of being a decent human being."

swiss could be a sociolinguist and mountain would be a literature guy 100%

students begging mountain to remind swiss he was supposed to grade something or send some materials cause he forgets. mountain with a clean uni-domain email inbox and swiss with 83475742 unread messages from students and management alike

quickie sex in the car before they go in to teach

[brandyllyn]

Silk from their soul (25)

The Ghoul / Cooper Howard x f!reader [no use of y/n]

Rated: E (Cooper needs a primer on consent but it's all good, oral (m receiving), forced orgasms (literally)) Words: 2.4k Summary: Truths

Series Masterlist My Masterlist

Your feet hurt but you refuse to stop.

It’s been hours since you left Nero’s compound, hours of walking without interruption. Cooper’s still there, you can hear his boots on the ground, but he’s been uncharacteristically quiet. 

Good. You’ve got a lot to think about.

Your hands had been steady when you’d ended Galen’s life - but now your whole body seemed to be vibrating. Adrenalin? Shock? It was anybody’s guess, all you knew was that your heart was beating so hard you felt you might burst.

He was dead.

No more experiments. No more games. No more watching women who looked just like you being sold off to the highest bidder.

No more.

You don’t know what you’re supposed to do.

Oh, you know where you’re going. There’s unfinished business to be taken care of. But after that… well, it was complicated now.

“Hate to interrupt a snit, sweetheart, but where exactly are we headed to?”

You don’t falter your stride when you answer, “The facility.”

“The facility,” he hums thoughtfully. “The one that made you?”

“Yes.”

“We gonna find any trouble when we get there?”

You pause and he catches up, looking at you from under the brim of his hat. “Maybe? I don’t think so though. Unless Galen removed me from the security systems.”

“Robots? Lasers? Automated mech suits?”

You give him a rueful look, “Yes.”

“Sounds like a party.”

A snort of laughter bubbles up and you see his grin turn into a warm smile. “You ready to stop for the day or you gonna march that pretty ass all the way there?”

Looking around you spot a partially collapsed building in the distance, “We can stop I guess.”

“Good, ‘cause I got an inkling we need to talk.”

Well shit.

The building is concrete so most of it survived whatever happened in these parts. There’s a wall with a gaping hole, but that looks like it was a roll up door someone has stolen for scrap. Cooper crouches once you’re inside, digging in his pack and eyeing the ground for kindling.

“I’ll get some stuff for the fire,” you offer quickly.

“That’s not necessary, you’re tuckered out. Have a seat.”

“No really I-”

“Sit.”

You do immediately, legs folding under you and hitting the ground with a soft oomph. Cooper eyes you thoughtfully.

“Take your pack off.”

You shrug out of it, setting it to the side and giving him a wary look. He purses his lips and then you see a mischievous light enter his eyes.

“Come.”

The word has many meanings but his tone leaves no doubt which one he intends. Your eyes roll back as the pleasure washes over you. You barely notice when you fall backwards, hitting your head on a small rock but you don’t care. You call his name and suddenly he’s there, leaning over you, his face centimeters from your own.

“Well I’ll be,” he grins down at you, “can’t say that won’t come in handy.”

Your breaths are still shuddering pants when you manage to open your eyes fully, his face coming into focus. He flinches at the fear in them and immediately sits back on his heels.

“Don’t look at me like I’m a monster, darlin’, there’s a host of worse things I could have told you to do.”

You shift away from him, sitting up so you can look him straight on. “And will you?”

His face falls at the question and he bites off a curse. “Sit there and let me fix us some supper, we need to have a talk.” A second later he adds, “That’s not an order.”

The constriction in your chest relaxes and you watch him work, getting the fire going and spearing a couple of pieces of meat to roast. He opens a can of beans and offers it to you and you accept, still side-eyeing him.

“So I reckon you and I need to have a discussion,” he says carefully, “about what precisely is going on here between you and I.”

“I think you figured it out.” You’re sulking, and you know it shows in your tone.

“Maybe I have, but I’d like to hear it from the horse’s mouth, as it were.”

“My sisters and I, we were made to be the perfect partner. Beautiful, loyal, obedient… once we’ve imprinted that’s it.”

“And you’ve ‘imprinted’ on me?” You nod and he cocks his head, “When we kissed, I reckon?”

Another nod, “It’s not as simple as touching mouths, there has to be a… connection I guess? But it’s not hard to get someone to slip, to respond for just a moment.”

“And is that what it was?” He looks hurt. “Just a moment?”

“No, I knew… I knew I didn’t have a choice. If I didn’t want it to be Nero it had to be someone else.”

Cooper huffs a short laugh, “And you got stuck with me.” Before you can say anything he pokes a stick in the fire, glaring into it and saying, “Well I won’t make you stick around. Ain’t got no use for a hanger-on anyway.”

You know he’s lashing out but it still hurts. “I don’t have a choice, if we’re apart too long I’ll… I guess wither is the right word. Eventually I’ll die.”

His eyes shoot to yours. “Loyal, eh?”

“The perfect partner.” You stare at your hands, turning the can to avoid looking at him. “Can I ask you a question?”

“Shoot.”

“Why didn’t you take me in when you found me? You were after the bounty, why’d we go so far out of the way?”

He’s quiet now too, the only sound a distant animal howling. Eventually he sighs. “That was the plan, alright, but then… I dunno. Things changed.”

“Changed how?”

“You did, sweetheart.” With one hand he sweeps his hat off, setting it on the ground near him and pulling his gloves to lay near it. “You acted like I was a still a man and I… well I can’t say I didn’t like it.” You purse your lips, waiting, and after another long pause he continues. “What do you want me to say? I got a soft spot for ya.”

“I seem to remember being drugged and tied up not too long ago,” you point out.

“Well, that was after you ran away from me,” he returns with sardonic look. “Can’t fault a fella for getting a bug up his ass.”

You try to hide you laugh but it slips through and he gives you an answering smile. 

“So,” you say, “if I hadn’t run…”

“Wouldn’t have had to chase you down.”

He makes it sound so reasonable. “And we… I mean, would there have been a we, an us even?”

“The thought did cross my mind.”

You sigh. “Maybe I should have talked to you. I just… I saw the poster and I got so scared.”

“Don’t blame ya. Hell, felt like I was carrying a damn grenade in my pack the whole time.”

“Why didn’t you get rid of it?”

He pauses, frowning at the fire. “Didn’t occur to me.”

You let the silence settle again, feeling out your own emotions and letting him do the same. For a moment it feels like you’re back in that small bunk, the night he’d told you his real name and held you like you were precious. 

“Cooper?” He startles at the sound of his name, eyes flying to yours. “I like you. I probably shouldn’t, given everything that’s happened, but I do. And if I had to imprint on someone, I’m glad it’s you.”

“You sure about that sweetheart?” he asks, hesitation wreathing every syllable. “I can’t say I’m a good man, barely even a man anymore. And knowing you gotta do anything I say… it gives a fella ideas.”

You stare at the small fire. “Would you tell me to hurt myself?”

He seems genuinely shocked by the question. “Of course not.”

“Tell me to fuck other men?”

His face gets downright scary as he snarls, “No one else is touching you.”

“It’s terrifying,” you admit, “just knowing that you could tell me to do anything and I would have to do it. I feel it here, in my chest, I can’t not. Even… even the theoretically good things. I’m worried.”

“You worried I’ll force you to do something you don’t want?”

“I’m worried you won’t even realize.”

You refuse to lift your eyes to see his reaction. It’s silent in the small room, save the crackling of the fire. After a long pause you hear a heavy sigh. “Get over-” he trips on the words and rephrases, “Will you come over here?”

A choice.

Giving him a wide smile you slide his direction, slipping under the arm he holds up and tucking yourself into his side. He offers you a skewer and you bite into the crisp flesh while he does the same. 

“I ain’t ever made a woman do something she don’t want in bed, I ain’t about to start now.” He says after a moment. “How ‘bout this? I ever tell you to do something you don’t want you say barbed wire. That work for ya?”

It’s a safety hatch, of sorts, and requires a lot of trust. Still... you did trust him. Maybe it was idiotic but you trusted him with your life already… maybe you could trust him with your body too.

“Is that for all the time, or just… you know?”

He grins, settling his hand on your knee. “Well, I reckon you can use it just about whenever, but I gotta be honest I had some bedroom activities in mind that that little gift of your might prove useful for.” 

God you love this playful side of him. “Oh? Like what?”

The hand moves to your thigh, sliding up and under the hem of your dress. “Well I’ve been thinking a few things. Things like, can I just tell you not to gag?”

A flush rips through your body and you’re immediately so turned on you can’t see straight. You’re still wet from your orgasm and you moan when his fingers press to the outside of your panties. 

“You like that idea? I got a few more.” He pets you gently then twists the fabric away so he can press two fingers inside you. “Been wondering if I can order you to relax this pretty little ass and let me slide right in there. Maybe see how many times I can make you come in a row. Get my cock all the way down your throat and facefuck you til you got my cum dripping out of you.”

You nod, fingers gripping his wrist. “Yes.”

“Yes to which one, darling?” He’s leering down, his tongue startling pink against his rough lips. “I’m going to need you to be clear, I don’t want no repeats of a bit ago.”

“Can I-” a soft moan interrupts as he crooks his fingers inside you, “Can I suck on you?”

“Ah darlin’,” he purrs, “anytime you want.”

Hands pull at his belt, both yours and his, and he helps you maneuver between his legs. You hadn’t actually seen him before, and he’s as scarred here as he is everywhere else.

“Does it hurt?” You ask softly, running a finger down his length. He lets out a hiss between his teeth and you jerk your hand back. Just as quick his fingers grip your wrist and pull you back, encouraging you to wrap your fingers around him.

“You feel like silk, darlin’, why don’t you get that pretty mouth down here too?”

You kiss him in response, then lower your head to press a kiss to the tip of his cock. He grunts, one hand coming up to grip the back of your neck. You slide him between your lips, cradling him on your tongue as you bob your head forward. When he hits the back of your tongue you gag, pulling back slightly and blinking up at him.

“Ah darlin’.” He pets your cheek and then says sternly, “Don’t gag.”

You feel the compulsion shiver through you and you push forward once more, feeling him slip further with ease. When he hits your throat there’s a moment of discomfort but a quick, “Don’t choke neither,” from him smooths the way. Your nose presses to his stomach, your mouth full of his heat.

A rough groan rends the air and you glance up to see his head thrown back, his throat working. You suck softly and pull back, feel him slide along your tongue, then take him completely once more.

“I can see why you were worth so much to that fucker.” You let your teeth graze him and he grunts, meeting your glare with a lop-sided smile. “It was a compliment.”

You hum and pull back further, waiting until his hand catches your neck and he stops you.

“Now now, no need for that,” he chides, “why don’t you let me fuck this gorgeous mouth and when I say so we both come. That alright by you?”

A moan vibrates out of you and you lick around the head of his cock. He must take that as a yes because he interlocks his fingers behind your head and pushes forward until he’s deep in your throat once more. It feels strange, but there’s no discomfort. Just the hard length of him moving past your lips.

You love it.

You love hearing him groan and grunt. Hear his breathing speed up and his boots scrape on the floor. Feel his fingers dig into your skin.

“Can I come in your mouth?” he pants and you nod, your healing should take care of it and if not, there was always the Rad-Away. “Fuck,” he grits out, “fuck fuck-”

He’s so deep you almost don’t taste it, salty and burning hot in the back of your throat. It’s sour, but you don’t mind, you can’t get enough of how he holds you to him while he comes.

And then he remembers.

“Come for me.”

It’s instant. Relief and pleasure and sheer bliss rocketing through you. You suck on him harder and hear him curse, your own sharp cry muffled by the cock filling your mouth. He pushes you away, his hands on your shoulders and you blink up at him in a daze. With a sly grin he presses a thumb to your lower lip.

“Do it again.”

When you regain your sense of self - minutes, maybe hours later who even knows - he’s got his arms wrapped around you and a smug smile on his face.

“Now darlin’, I reckon we’re going to have a hell of a lot of fun with that.”

☢ ☢ ☢

For updates follow and turn on notifications for @brandyllyn-writes

[ramblingoak]

Little Hands

I dedicate (blame) this on @nocturnal-birb  and  @tasty-ribz

Mentions of blood, gore and death.  NSFW, 900 words and I did not proofread this because I wrote it in like an hour so...be warned.

A ritual goes wrong and the Papas are being hunted...

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

By the time the screaming started it was already too late.

Copia stumbled into the greenhouse and slammed the door closed.  No lock, of course there wouldn’t be a lock.  Earlier he had thought that there wouldn’t be any way that thing would’ve been able to reach a doorknob but he had been wrong.  So very very wrong.

He squinted around in the darkness, trying to find something to barricade against the door, but the only heavy objects in there were the tables covered in Primo’s plants.  Copia went to the nearest one and mumbled an apology as he shoved most of them off to crash onto the ground.  A hysterical laugh bubbled out of his mouth as he dragged the table over to the door.  

Primo wouldn’t care anyway, he was dead.

His laughing quickly turned into sobbing, thinking of Primo’s body slowly staining the floor of the library.  His throat gaping open and blood spilling everywhere.  He and Terzo had fled then, scrambling to get out of the cavernous room while the creature admired its work.

Copia had no idea where Terzo was now.  They had separated when they reached the chapel, Terzo wanting to go into the catacombs and look for the ghouls.  Copia just wanting to get the fuck out.  The ghouls were gone, that much was obvious, but Terzo refused to believe that they were gone.  That Omega was gone.  

Copia managed to tip the table over and lean it against the door.  The glass creaked ominously at the pressure but held.  He took a moment to catch his breath, leaning forward with his hands on his knees. 

He jumped when lightning flashed in the sky, illuminating the greenhouse for a brief moment.  The glass rattled slightly when the thunder rolled overhead.  He started to walk towards the back of the building, wincing when he put pressure on his left leg.  

The fucking thing had been hiding under Secondo’s car.  The keys were soaked in Secondo’s blood, Copia had found his body face down at the bottom of the stairs outside the entrance.  His neck twisted at an awkward angle and a knife sticking out of his back.  

The keys kept slipping through his fingers as he frantically tried to find the right one.  When a searing pain lanced up his leg he had dropped them and fell back on his ass, watching in horror as the creature crawled out from under the car.  It held a blood soaked knife in the air and had begun to advance towards him.  Copia didn’t think he had ever run so fast in his life.

His shoe made disgusting squishing sounds as his foot pressed down into the blood soaked material.  Another sob left him as the pain began to get worse and he stumbled down and finally sat against the back wall.  Another streak of lightning flashed across the sky and Copia watched as indecipherable shadows danced outside the greenhouse.

What the fuck had happened?  He had been trying to rack his brain since all the mayhem had started.  Something had gone wrong with the ritual, something had come through that should have stayed in hell.  Copia had followed everything to the letter, he had done exactly what Imperator had said.  

He refused to dwell on what Terzo believed, that Imperator had set him up.  That she had altered the ritual in a way to exchange the ghouls for whatever appeared in the summoning circle.  She had no reason to do this.  The church was more popular than ever and Copia’s new tour was starting soon.

Why would she do this to him?

A tapping sound interrupted his thoughts and he froze, holding his breath.  Another flash of lightning and Copia swore he saw a small shadow creep along outside the greenhouse.  Lucifer please, please make it go away.  

More tapping now, getting closer.  It sounded like there was something metallic hitting the glass.  Copia turned and scooted back from the side a bit, watching as the small figure crept closer to where he was.  The tapping turned into a high pitched scraping sound as it dragged whatever it was holding against the glass.

Copia knew it was a knife.

When it stopped directly opposite him, Copia squinted to try to see it in the dark.  He held his breath and gasped when lightning flashed once more, illuminating the thing that had been stalking him and killing his family.

Two small gloved hands pressed against the glass.  A large nose over a painted lip and skinny mustache.  The eyes were dark and emotionless as they peered at him, the black paint surrounding them making them stand out.  It was wearing a replica of his old red cassock.  Complete even with a tiny Grucifix that sparkled when the lightning shone on it.

While the sky darkened again Copia racked his brain trying to think of a way to escape.  Why had Lucifer abandoned him?  He had dedicated his life to his teachings, they all had.  But now he was the only one left and he wasn’t sure how much longer that would even be the case.

The tapping had started again, but now it was coming from the other side of the greenhouse.  Copia jerked his head to look but what he saw horrified him more than everything else he had witnessed tonight.

More tiny figures began to walk up to the glass, countless tiny forms pushing their faces into the sides.  Watching him.  The tapping became unbearable and Copia covered his ears and prayed.  He prayed to Lucifer harder than he ever had, begging him to answer.  Begging for a sign that Copia was still one of his favored sons.

The sound of glass breaking was the only response he got.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

my masterlist

my ao3

[skele-bunny]

What if Albus got his hands on Phantom? How would that go? 👀 I adore your Phantom stories! Please do more!

Oh Anon you're evil..... Please come to my inbox more I beg. I probably will do more when my queue clears up!

(CW - Heavy abuse, slavery, light implications of sa)

It'd go pretty much how you think! If for some reason, somehow, Phantom was alone, Albus would pounce at the first chance he could. Literally drag Phantom away into the most hidden corner he can find.

Phantom is already in just shock, unable to respond and his trauma brain is switched on. Albus already has Phantom's collar back on him, dragging him around and into an even more secluded area. Whispering about how he's so happy to have his pet back, his doll. Getting irritated with the fact Phantom is bonded/mated to others, and of course he has to fix that. Instantly biting on his bond and hands roaming.

Then when the bliss from Albus wears off, it's nothing but rage. Wrapping his hands around Phantom's throat, screaming and hitting him. How dare he mate with another, how dare they leave (not like phantom had a choice), more importantly how dare Phantom remove his sigils.

"After everything I've done for you, you do this? Do you take me for a fucking fool?!"

It's not pretty. It's not a happy reunion.

It's about an hour in when Albus' mind switches again, simply lifting Phantom's dead weight up and slowly sneaking his way to the summoning room. Humans are fools, letting any ghoul with magick knowledge know too much. Letting them see too much. Albus knows how to open the summoning portal to the pit, and he also knows how to reverse it. It's late at night, there's no interruptions whatsoever while Albus starts working on the portal back to the pits.

Doesn't take him long to open it, and grabbing Phantom in his arms again. He's starts the slow closing before simply stepping forwards.

When Phantom wakes up, his body covered in his decorative chains, the sound of a fireplace with wind chimes, he can only start sobbing in anguish. Clawing at his collar in desperation to leave. But they're stuck again. And they're not going anywhere this time.

BUT GOOD THING THAT ITS JUST A NIGHTMARE AND THAT WOULD NEVER HAPPEN 💪💪🩷

[outfromthesmokestack]

Concept #7

CW: GNSoftYan x GNreader, mentions of size difference, Yan is bigger than reader, pet names (baby, sweetheart), fear of the dark, reader can't sleep, anxiety mention, not really yandere content but we can pretend lok

It was pushing two in the morning, and you still had not fallen asleep. You tossed and turned, but no amount of cold spots in your bed could lull you to rest. Not that there were many anyways, you only had half of the bed as your larger spouse lied next to you, also attempting to sleep, but is constantly interrupted. You threw the blankets off of your body, as the night was warm anyways, but the feeling of no barrier between you and the world was causing anxiety, so you threw the covers back on.

"Baby. Go to sleep," Your lover grumbled out.

"I can't." You felt like a child, waking up a parent because you couldn't sleep.

"Why not?"

"I'll die."

They turned to look at you, pausing, and staring at your general direction in the darkness. They could see your eyes just barely, their eyes having adjusted to the night. You were staring right back at them, getting nervous as your brain played tricks on you, making their eyes look fully pitch black.

"Are you afraid of the dark again?" Of course they figured you out, they know you so well. Embarrassed, you flipped over, turning your back on them.

"No," you lied.

"Sweetheart," your spouse latched themselves onto you, spooning you, "I thought you had gotten over it, what happened?" They nosed your neck.

"I saw a scary video earlier today, and I thought I would be fine because it was hours ago. But trying to fall asleep reminded me of it," you lowered your voice bashfully, "and now I'm scared."

They hummed, sleep weighing them down. "Here, turn over and face me."

They gathered you in their arms and had their chin resting on your head. Your face was buried into their chest and their arms wrapped around you protectively. One of their hands slipped under your shirt and ran up and down your back, soothing you.

"Shhh, shhh, it's gonna be okay," they cooed, voice sleepy and raspy, as if it came straight out of the chest, "You know I will always protect you. I would never let anything hurt you. No matter what scary monster you're afraid of, I'll kill it. I'm fucking crazy."

You giggled, already feeling relaxed.

"I love you so much, you're so special too me, did you know that?" They continued, "Nothing's gonna get to you without getting through me first, and I'm a big bitch. I'll lay somebody out. Anyways, you're safe here, nothing can get you. You're not in a horror movie or a scary YouTube video, you're in our bed, safe and sound with me. There are no ghouls or intruders or creepy crawlies coming after you. You're safe, baby, you're safe."

They rambled on for a few more minutes, until they heard the sound of your soft snores. Instead of the tense, anxiety ridden body you had before, it was now relaxed into dead weight, putty. They kissed your forehead, whispered a soft, "Goodnight." And drifted off to sleep themselves, content with you in their arms.

[lilypadlys]

Domestic December Day 21 - Massages

Terzo massages your back while you do paperwork

Notes: Prompt list by comp-lady. See prompt list here

Massages below the cut or on AO3

Today was, for lack of a better phrase, hell. Your day started at five A.M. when you were woken up by a missett alarm on your phone and you couldn’t get back to sleep. It wouldn’t have been as bad if you’d gone to bed on time but midnight mass saw to it that you were up until two. Running on three hours of sleep, you just decided to drown yourself in coffee and pray to Satan that you could get through the day.

You make your way to the kitchens and attempt to make pleasant conversation with the kitchen ghouls and medical wing staff, the only other souls awake at this unsatanly hour. Stardust, one of the quintessence ghouls who works in the infirmary hands you a huge mug of coffee which you gratefully accept. She also gives you a blueberry muffin and a sympathetic look.

“Didn’t sleep well?”

“Nah. Got about three hours. I’ll be fine though.” You shrug.

You thank her for breakfast and head out while munching your muffin. The caffeine helps marginally and feeling slightly more alive, you make your way to Sister Imperator’s office for the day’s chores. To your sheer delight (not) she hands you a huge stack of the ministry’s paperwork and tax forms which you take back to your office with a sigh.

It’s just one of those days.

You get started on your work as best as you can, but by lunch your head is nodding and eyelids drooping. You’re not sure you can make it through the rest of the day.

Just then you hear a knock at your closed office door. Your door policy is explicitly clear. If the door is closed, it better be an emergency for you to be interrupted. Siblings and ghouls alike have learned that lesson the hard way.

“Come in!” You call.

“Ciao amore.”

“Hullo Terzo.” You can’t help but roll your eyes good naturedly and smile. Your lover is the one exception to the emergencies only rule.

“And what emergency have you brought for me today?” You make little air quotes.

Terzo puts on a playful pout. “Just that I miss you oh so very much my dear.”

“You saw me at mass. And we share a bedroom”

“But that was hours ago.” He whines. “Then to wake up with the bed cold and empty!” He fakes a swoon.

“Not my fault you sleep like the dead and didn’t hear my alarm.”

He scoffs and waves his hand. “Beauty sleep is important. Besides, I hear you didn’t get enough rest last night.”

You sigh. “Did Starry send you? I told her I was fine-”

“Ah ah ah,” He stops you. “She was just looking out for your wellbeing. And now that I’m here I can see it for myself. You must rest tesoro. You are exhausted.”

“But I need to finish this.” It’s your turn to whine as you gesture down at the paperwork scattered on your desk.

“So stubborn.” He tuts, already crossing to you. “At least let me help you relieve some tension, hmm?” He mimes rubbing your shoulders. “That way you can still work but at least feel a little better.”

You consider his offer and nod. A massage does sound amazing. And if it would get him to let you get back to work all the better.

“Okay. Thank you.”

“Of course amore.” He removes his gloves and sets to work rubbing your neck and shoulders.

Almost immediately you melt into his gentle hands. He starts slow and easy, just running his hands over your shoulders, feeling out the tight spots. Then with a tap to your shoulder blade as a warning, he digs his fingers in slightly and begins to work your tense muscles.

Your pen falls out of your hand and your head droops as he presses the heel of his hand into a particularly sore area. You can’t help a slight groan at the pressure and ache.

“Hurts? I’m sorry cara. This will make it feel better I promise.”

“Isfine.” You slur, not even looking up. You wave a hand to tell him to keep going. You’re not getting any more work done, you can already tell.

One shoulder loosened up, Terzo moves to the other and repeats the process of gently massaging your sore muscles. He alternates using the tips of his fingers and his palms, as well as modulating the pressure.

By this point you’re slumped over your desk, chin resting on your folded arms.

“No wonder you're sore if this is your idea of posture.” He teases.

It’s a testament to how tired you are that you don’t snap back with a playful snipe of your own.

“Up.” He pats your shoulder. “We’re heading to bed. I’ll finish massaging your back and then you’re taking a nap.”

You make to protest but he shushes you.

“Ah ah. I don’t want to hear any excuses. See, you're yawning.”

You stifle your yawn too late and roll your eyes. All the same, you stand and let Terzo guide you to the door.

“After you’re rested, I’ll send a ghoul to assist you with the rest of your work. Until then,” He scoops you up effortlessly and you hum happily. You press your cheek to his chest to feel his steady heartbeat. After shutting your office door behind the two of you, he carries you back to your shared quarters. He lays you on the bed before turning to rifle through your dresser. When he returns it’s to hand you a change of comfy clothes.

The both of you change into lounge clothes, and Terzo even washes off his papal paints. You raise a brow.

“I wouldn’t want to smear the sheets now would I? I’ll reapply them later. Now get comfortable, amore.”

You lay on your stomach as he stands next to the bed. As promised, he resumes the massage, paying special attention to your back. You sigh contentedly as he works out a knot that had been plaguing you for a week. You’ve completely melted into a puddle by this point, relaxed and sleepy.

“Nap time then?”

“Uh huh.” You agree without protest.

“Rest well tesoro. Sweet dreams.”

Terzo joins you on the bed and pulls you into his arms. As you settle down, head on his chest and arms around him, he pulls the covers up over the two of you.

[webbywatcheshorror]

Webby Reviews Horror: Hell House LLC. (2015)

Hell House LLC. is a mockumentary style movie centered around a haunted house attraction, and the mystery surrounding the tragedy that occurred on its opening night. 

Hell House LLC. is tense and atmospheric, despite being fairly frequently interrupted by sequences of interviews and the mockumentary’s narrator providing commentary. 

This one has a lot of tropes and concepts I like, and a couple that I don’t, so let’s talk about them! Review under the cut, and as always, beasties and ghouls, SPOILERS ahead!

To start off with, I love a mockumentary type movie, especially when well-made, and this one IS well-made. The news segments look great, and the talking heads portions do a great job of making me curious about what REALLY happened on the night Hell House opened its door to the public. I’d probably even have watched this if it had been a real documentary, and that’s saying something, as I much prefer fictional horror to real life horror. 

The small town setting of the movie, a place called Abaddon, feels so familiar. I lived in a similar town for many years, and can say with utmost certainty that Hell House would have been PACKED on opening night. That part is 100% legit. There is never anything to do in a small town like that except hang out in Walmart parking lots (because you’re not allowed to hang out in gas station parking lots anymore), so when the fair rolls around or there’s a parade (or a haunted house), people jump at the chance to finally shake off the monotony, even if only for a couple hours.

Now, I’m a simple ghoul. I love a good cast of characters that get absolutely wrecked, I’m a sucker for an ‘Oh Shit It’s Real’ story beat, and a Halloween Event Goes Wrong? Forget about it, I’m THERE. Are these tropes overused? Who cares! They’re fun, and I enjoy them, and that’s all I care about.

The characters are, for the most part, just fairly decent people, aside from Paul, who I hated so, so much. He’s a fucking creep and a sex pest, and an unapologetic one at that. His friends know about it too, calling him out a few times to which he responds with pride. He’s also the main cameraman for the main story, so we get to spend just. SO much time with him. Hooray.

However this means we also get to see him be the first target of the evil that inhabits the abandoned hotel they’re fixing up, which is satisfying. His descent into indignant terror is fun to watch. He goes from this cocky asshole making fun of his friends, to cowering beneath a blanket from a dead woman. He seems to be the only one targeted, over and over, until he disappears, and then after that is pretty much when shit pops OFF.

There are some really good scares, mostly focused on one of the clown mannequins, but there’s also a good one during the test run scene, which I would have enjoyed more but the intensity of the strobing effect was dialed way too high. I also feel that it would have been scarier if they hadn’t shown the freeze-frame of the demon like, right after.

Other things about this movie I enjoyed are: the concept of Lucifer with a New York accent; a man possessed by the ghost of capitalism and then by an actual ghost; the piano tune that Paul plays; the foreshadowing from Sara in the beginning; and how we never get a clear look at what happened to most people involved in the tragedy. 

Now for the stuff I was less enthused about, which isn’t a whole lot. I’m not impressed when media uses pentacles and upside down crosses to imply Satanism/evil, it just feels, I don’t know. Uninspired? I also felt that some of the characters’ decisions were flat out stupid- primary example being the fact that they used actual, locked shackles for their basement actress, and put the only set of keys in someone else’s hands. There’s no universe in which this is a good idea.

I give this one eight ghosts outta ten, for really good scares and intense atmosphere and a nicely wrapped up ending. It did contain a few tropes that bug me, not to mention how long I had to endure Paul, but overall it’s a fun movie that I could see myself enjoying now and again.

[chasindtrevelyan]

Max is thirteen when news of a Blight spreading across Fereldan reaches Ostwick…along with a number of refugees who’d fled for their lives. While rumor had it that Kirkwall was the harbor for most refugees, it didn’t mean the other city states didn’t see their own stragglers. For the most part, the people of Ostwick were tolerant of the newcomers, so long as they were willing to work and whether it be on the farms or as servants at the noble houses, or wherever they could apply their skills. Not all of them were agreeable, some turned to banditry, others turned to living on the outskirts of society and begging for scraps.

Max himself knew little of them, only that they were strangers to their lands, and that he should treat them with kindness, but also with caution. He thought little of it, going about his days the same as he ever had.

However, there came a day when the whispers in the halls turned into a panicked meeting. Pockets of blight had been discovered and ghouls spotted roaming about the woods nearby. A search party was formed, and though he was young, Max was allowed to join on the promise that he remained with his brother. Aden was only two years older, but he was bigger and stronger and had more formal training and so it was deemed that Max would be safe enough in his company. The brothers were not about to complain, and off they went to search in the direction they were ordered.

For hours they combed the woods, but as time passed they began to suspect that they’d been sent in the least dangerous direction. Still, they kept looking…even as they began goofing around and acting the way young boys tend to when not being monitored. Their fun was interrupted when Max slipped and went tumbling down a hole, Aden jumping down after him to check that he was alright. Beyond some dirty scratches, all was well, and they turned their attention to getting back out. The lip of the hole was just beyond reach, and what roots stuck out from the ground proved too weak to be used as a means to pull themselves up.

There was a cave several meters further in, which they considered as another possible exit, but with no clear idea where it might lead other options had to be considered first. They were discussing the possibility of Aden boosting Max out of the hole and going for help when they heard it. A shuffling noise, followed by a low groan. Turning, they both froze.

A ghoul.

It appeared to be a woman in a dirty, tattered dress, but her face was clearly disfigured by blight, her eyes milky and dead looking. They’d been told what to look for, and she certainly fit the bill. More shuffling from deeper into the gloom of the cave told them that she was not alone. They couldn’t stay here. They had to get out.

Aden crouched, hands cupped in front of him.

“Get over here!”

Max didn’t try to argue, he went, bracing a foot in his brothers hands and reaching for the lip of the hole as he was hefted upwards. He dug his fingers into the dirt and stone and clawed his way forward until he could stumble to his feet. He twisted back around, reaching down, but Aden shook his head.

“I’m too heavy, you’ll just be pulled back in. Go find father and the others!”

He wanted to argue, to beg, but he knew better. Aden was right, and the only way to save him was to find more people. He scrambled to his feet, and took off in the direction he knew the others had gone, yelling for help as he went. Adrenaline and fear replaced fatigue, and he ran even as his legs began to ache and his lungs began to burn. He didn’t know how far he went before he found the others, but he all but knocked his father over as he stumbled into him. His concern was plain, but Max had no air to explain, so he simply yanked on his fathers arm and pulled him back the way he’d come, gasping Aden’s name only once.

It was enough, his father remounted his horse, hauling Max up behind him and he and the others set off in the direction the youngest Trevelyan indicated. He was not allowed near the hole once they reached it, held in place by one of the soldiers as a precaution while his father and another soldier reached the lip and reached down, hauling Aden up only moments later. He was alive, if a bit bloody, and though it clearly pained his father to do it, he ordered everyone to keep a distance as they escorted the boys back home. Another contingent would be sent out to deal with the remaining ghouls.

Once they arrived, Aden was whisked away out of sight and Max was led to a separate room to be checked over. When it was clear he was unhurt, he was sent to his room with strict instructions to eat something and get some sleep. Wearily, he agreed, though his sleep was fitful and broken up by nightmares. When morning came and Aden was still nowhere to be seen, he went looking for his father and was told that Aden had been quarantined in the infirmary until further notice. Until they could be certain he had not been infected with the Blight, they could risk no others going near him.

Max’s protests fell on deaf ears, and when he refused to relent, he was ordered back to his room. He opened his mouth to argue further, but a sharp smack had him closing it and spinning on his heal to leave the room. Message received.

Unfortunately for his father, he seemed to have forgotten that Max was not one to listen to rules when it came to his closest sibling. Once out of sight, he made his way to the halls used primarily by the servants, one of which contained a back door to the infirmary. To their credit, the door was locked, but Max knew how to get into places he shouldn’t and he had the lock undone in a matter of minutes and he slipped inside the room after making sure it really was deserted. He could see Aden sitting next to the window and he darted in his direction without a moment’s hesitation.

It was foolish and reckless. Aden could be tainted, and by exposing himself, he very well could become so too if that were the case. But he didn’t care. If Aden was tainted, they would leave him hear until he died, and then deal with his body afterwards and Max refused to let that happen. If Aden was tainted, he would not let his brother die alone.

Aden was, understandably, furious with him. Yelling all manner of things about how much of an idiot he was being, things he knew their father was likely to parrot later should they both survive this ordeal. But eventually he ran out of steam, and though clearly still angry, he did not turn Max away when he tucked himself against his side.

He would stay, for better or worse, he would stay.

[papasmicstand]

Tied as One Infernally - A Dracopia Story

Cardinal Copia is really struggling to be a vampire. He's disgusted by blood and by himself. Did I mention he's in charge of the infirmary? To combat his feelings he starves himself, or sometimes he is able to feed but purges later.

You walk into is life and fuck things up for him (/positive). --- I have Bulimic/Suicidal Dracopia brainrot. This might be reminiscent of a Carlisle-esque character (Twilight). No Papas are dead except Copia who is undead. I expect this story to have serious themes (heed the TWs), but also plenty dark humor and romance. I'll try to make it a slow-burn, but if you know me, you know my characters have trouble keeping it in their pants.

TW: Slow Burn, Bulimia, Anorexia, Eating Disorders, Rape/Non-con Elements, Suicidal Thoughts, Mental Health Issues, Medical Procedures, Vomiting, Blood and Injury, Drug Use, Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Self-Hatred

Chapter 1 - The New Assistant

Don’t pass out.  Don’t pass out.

Copia’s hands were shaking.  It had been days since he last fed.  He shuffled back to the blood refrigerator that was nestled in the shadowy corner of the infirmary’s supply room and struggled with the handle.  Success.  The blast of cool air brought a hint of relief and he held on to what little strength remained in his weary muscles as he peered inside. How long have I been on duty?  Eighteen?  No, twenty hours . His shoulders sagged as he stared at the bags of blood.  Type A, Type O, none of it appealed to him.

Reluctantly grabbing a bag of O, he cursed and hurried down the hall.  His vision was already going dark, he might keel over at any moment.  He wondered if he could die from this?  What if I black out, and just ceased to exist?  The thought buzzed around in his mind as he paused inside the door of his office.  Maybe that would be best?  There was nothing here for him.  He tried to tell himself that he was making a difference in the infirmary, but to be honest there was rarely any life-saving.  Only once when Brother Thomas was exposed to peanuts, but that was merely a blip in what had become an otherwise inconsequential vocation.

The bag felt heavy in his hands as he wrestled with himself.  His stomach protested the thought of having to process the necessary sustenance.  It was like a metallic syrup, coppery and rich.

A dry heave wracked him as he thought about it.  He really was the world’s worst vampire.

“Copia, there is a walk-in patient that needs to be seen.  It’s your brother.” Aether interrupted from the doorway, not bothering to knock.

Merda .  “What’s his problem today?”  Copia asked, knowing he meant Terzo, and aware that his brother was a bit of a hypochondriac.

The ghoul came in closer, “He says it’s personal, won’t tell me.  His new assistant brought him in.”

Copia rolled his eyes, “Take him to Exam Room 2 please, I’ll be there momentarily,” he called to the door.  He ripped the corner of the bag and forced himself to drink the whole thing.  I can always try to kill myself later , he shrugged to himself mirthlessly.

The blood was bitter as all hell, and he struggled to get it down.  Satan’s taint .  He paused for a moment, unsure if it would all come back up.  The distinct aftertaste clung to his tongue and throat uncomfortably, but he didn’t have time to focus on it.  What kind of vampire hates blood?   He hung his head, a deep sigh escaping him as he made his way to the exam room.  

He opened the door to see his brother curled in on himself on the exam table.  It didn’t take a supernatural being to sense the pain radiating off of him.  And in the chair next to him a woman he had never seen before.  A glowing, beautiful Sister who took his breath away... You.  You with your dark hair and hypnotizing curves.  From that first moment he felt his whole reality shift.  You laid a comforting hand on Papa’s shoulder as he whimpered on the table.  The scent of you sent a jolt of energy down Copia’s spine like lightning.  He’d never smelled anything close to the delectable ambrosia that was you.  Not in his earlier life, nor in this husk of existence that he was suffering through currently.  He cursed internally at how he must look to you; unrested, unwashed, undead.  Oh, and on the brink of starvation.  Never had he been more thankful to be full of the trash blood that he had chugged, because if he had been remotely thirsty he wouldn’t have been able to keep himself from you.  It also helped that he barely had the energy to stand.

He pushed all of that aside.  “Hello, Sorella,” Copia greeted stiffly, trying not to leer but his eyes were glued to you.  “I don’t believe we’ve met, I’m Cardinal Copia.”

“Hi Doctor, I mean Cardinal, Copia, I’m Sister Y/N, I’ve only been Terzo’s assistant for about two weeks.”  You paused, unsure if you should keep speaking for Papa, and distracted by the oddly entrancing figure of the quasi-doctor.  Ultimately you decided to keep talking, “I found him doubled-over in his room when he didn’t show up for his first meeting.  I could tell he’d been vomiting and in a lot of pain,” you said softly.  “I’m sure it was a UTI… I have a medical background from before I came here, but I think now he has a kidney infection.  I tried to get him to come in days ago.”

Copia hung on your words.  “I see, Papa here can be quite stubborn.”  

Terzo moaned, reminding both of you that he was still in the room.

Trying to recenter himself, the Cardinal took a seat on the stool and wheeled over to his brother.  Another scent invaded his nostrils, stale bacteria-laden urine.  He almost heaved again, and cleared his throat.  “How long have you been in pain like this?” he asked his fratello.

“Close to a week,” Papa managed through clenched teeth.  Unkempt black hair framed his uncharacteristically bare and sweaty face.  Terzo had been trying to hide his symptoms.  He thought he might have gotten chlamydia again and didn’t want to have to face his brother’s judgemental attitude.  He had been hoping that whatever it was would have cleared up on its own, but today was worse than it had been the last few days.  Much worse.

Copia sighed, surely this ailment stemmed from too much sex.  He wondered to himself if you were the one on the receiving end of his passion.  Terzo had been known to sleep with his assistants, also his bandmates, his ministry colleagues, basically anyone in his path.  Irritation flooded his mind and he shook his head to clear it, “I believe you are correct, Sorella.  We’ll do a quick test, then start him on IV antibiotics.”  He turned back to his brother, “You really did it this time.  No sex for at least two weeks.”

“Wait,” Terzo implored.  “That’s too long.  If it’s not an STD, why can’t I have sex?”

“I’d bet you can’t even stand up straight,” Copia assessed, though the same could be said of himself.  “And some celibacy will be good for you.  You could probably write a whole album if you spent some evenings alone for once.  Now, settle down and give me a sample.”  He handed Papa a specimen cup.

Terzo scowled, but he didn’t have any fight in him.  He took the cup and hobbled over to the closest bathroom.  Indeed, he couldn’t stand up straight.

You pretended not to be able to hear the crying coming from the bathroom as Papa peed what felt like razor blades.  “I’ll cancel the rest of his appointments,” you offered.

“Grazie, Sorella, keep his schedule clear,” Copia unconsciously had moved closer to you.  “I’m going to fill in Aether as I’m leaving soon.  But he’ll test the sample and start the medicine.  I’ll be back in a few hours to check on him.”  

Aether was competent to handle things, and Copia said his goodbyes and made his way back to his suite.  He couldn’t stop thinking about you.  He was going to sleep so the next time he saw you he didn’t look quite as dead as he was.  The blood he had ingested sloshed uncomfortably inside him.  He knew he needed it, knew it would help him, but the fullness was revolting.  He knelt in his sparse bathroom and stuck his finger down his throat in a practiced way.  Shame rolled over him as he gagged and expelled the remaining blood.  Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand he stayed on the floor until he could trust himself to make it to the bed.  

The crimson sheets of his bed enveloped him and his eyes immediately began to close.  If you knew who he was, what he was , there was no way you could ever even tolerate him.

After clearing Papa’s schedule and making a few phone calls you made your way back to the infirmary.  It was still early and you weren’t really sure what to do.  You brought Terzo a few books and magazines and his reading glasses in case he felt better and was bored.  

The infirmary was quiet when you arrived.  Aether was seated at the small reception desk.  There were only a handful of rooms in this front section, and then the waiting area, which was empty.

“Hello again, Sorella,” he greeted.  “I’m afraid your Papa is asleep.”

“Oh, well that’s good I suppose,” you responded.  “I brought some things for him.”

“That’s very kind of you, I can take them,” Aether offered.

“Well, I don’t want to lose my job… I just started.  And Terzo is probably mad that I made him come here,” you admitted.

“He needed to come in regardless, don’t worry about him.  He’ll get over it.  He just hates being seen when he isn’t in sexy Papa mode,” Aether grinned.  “If I know him, he’ll want to fuck right away for his self-esteem.  But stay strong, he really needs to wait.”

“Oh, I’m not,” you stammered, “I mean, we’re not fucking.”

Aether’s eyebrows shot up, “Really?  Hmm… well stay on guard.”

“Will do,” you gave a salute.  “But I had a question for you?  About the Cardinal.”

“Sure, what’s up?” Aether asked.

“Is he well?  He seemed more than just tired today?  I know it’s none of my business, I don’t even know him, but since he’s running the infirmary I wasn’t sure if there was anyone to check in on him?”  You felt like you were starting to babble.  Why did you even care?  But you cared a lot it seemed.

“Oh, it’s true, he does have a condition, but he doesn’t like to talk about it,” Aether looked away.  Of course, all of the ghouls knew what he was.  Primo too, but that was all.  There was a story in place in case anyone else asked questions.  “It’s rare and makes him anemic.  A few siblings donate blood so that he can have regular transfusions.  But don’t worry, it’s well-managed.”

“But is it cancer?” you asked, eyebrows knitted.  “I was attending med school before I came to the abbey, I know several oncologists that practice not far from here, maybe there’s more that could be done?”

Aether gently touched your shoulder, “I’m afraid he’s already seen the top specialists.  It’s something that has no cure, but don’t stress about it.  He won’t be running any marathons, but he manages well enough.  We could use more coverage during the busy times, he works too much, but aside from that there’s nothing that he needs.  You are kind to worry about him though.”

Your stomach twisted.  It didn’t seem like everything was really under control.  You decided to find out more.  “I could help out here when you are busy if you’d like?  I don’t think Papa would mind.”

“Really?  The Cardinal has been looking for someone to train.  He’s not legally a doctor, but he’s the closest we have and his knowledge is unmatched.  But even with help from us ghouls and the Siblings, there are procedures that only he can perform.  I know it wears on him.”

“I’d be honored to learn from him, and you, if you’d have me?” you had missed the medical part of your life that you’d set aside to come here.  You didn’t think that you could have both, but maybe you could?

“I’ll talk to Copia when he’s back.  In the meantime, you should enjoy your day.  Papa will be out of it for a while so take advantage of the quiet while you can.  He winked, and you nodded and left, excited about where this could lead.

[221btardisimpalawithloki]

eat your dirty laundry - the hot mic au

Dean pulled into the KAZS station parking lot in the dark of early morning, headlights cutting through the inky blue. His four hours of sleep were doing him no favors, and as he walked in he knew the station's space-age coffee maker would be the only ting keeping him alive this morning.

If nothing else, waiting for the pressure boiler to heat up and espresso beans to grind gave him a moment to collect his thoughts. Only two more monthis til his contract was up, and he could renegotiate to move to dayside and maybe even get paid enough to move out of his brother's guest room. Only two more months and he could get to a market in the top 150 and get paid the same peanuts but get broadcast beyond northern Kansas and central Nebraska.

Grabbing his horrible coffee concoction from the driptray, he made his way to the bullpen to grab a rundown and bother whoever was in there. He brightened up seeing it was Cas, his favorite meteorologist.

"Mornin', sunshine," he said, leaning a bit too far into his space.

Cas didn't react. "Good morning, Dean. What does this sounding look like to you?"

Dean choked a little on his coffee. "Sounding?"

Cas sighed and turned around, rolling his big blue eyes. "It's when they send a balloon up and it measures air temperature and humidity."

Dean looked at the graph thing on Cas' computer. "It looks like a graph thing. And one of the lines goes up, and one of the lines zig-zags a lot?"

"That's what I was afraid of," Cas said.

"Yeah?" Dean asked.

Cas pointed a long finger at one of the lines on the graph. "When the lines intersect, it means the atmosphere is unstable, and severe storms are more likely. The more unstable the atmosphere—"

"The more severe the storms," Dean interrupted.

Cas slumped a little. "Yeah."

"Has the National Weather Service said anything?" Dean asked.

"The Hastings office is monitoring it, but it's not even 6 a.m."

Dean looked at his watch. 5:47. Shit. "I gotta get on the desk. I trust your judgement though. Knock 'em dead."

With that, he gave Cas a rough pat on the shoulder and headed out to the studio. Billie, the floor manager, waved him over.

"You read the rundown yet?" She asked.

Dean glanced it over. In the A block, his rights were getting stripped away, in the B block a kid broke a fishing record with a Barbie fishing rod. At least in the C block he would get to improv banter with Cas before doing it all over again at 7 a.m.

"Remember to smile this time," Billie reminded him.

Dean grimaced with all his teeth. "You got it." He walked backwards to take his place next to Jo behind the desk, clipped his lav mic to his blazer and put in his earpiece.

But the thing was, he could deliver all the vile news every morning with a smile. It was his job. Be careful not to alienate the geriatric ghouls who actually watch the 6 o'clock news, because it was his practiced neutrality or fuckin' Fox News. And as they came out of the B block into commercial, he didn't feel any more disillusioned than usual. And his favorite part of the morning was coming up: Cas.

Dean could see him in the control room, sharing a heated discussion with Naomi the news director. However it ended, it meant Cas came into the studio in a mood. As he took his place in front of the chroma key, the reflected green light set his features into a sickly pallor.

Cas looked over at him. "Dean. As journalists, our job is to tell the truth, right? Even if it's inconvenient?"

Dean didn't like where this is going. "Yeah, man."

Cas nodded, having made up his mind. "You've been a good friend at this station. Thank you for your support."

"Of course, I trust you. Cas, what—"

Billie cut in. "We're back in five, four—"

"Thank you, Dean."

"Three, ✌🏾, ☝🏾"

"I love you."

[paperanddice]

The Signs of Atropus

This week is going to be a special set of updates. With a stat block as big as this to end off the look at Atropus and its agents, I'm going to be splitting it up into 3 updates. The first one will cover the campaign elements for Atropus, the build up to its arrival and some additional useful features for when the final confrontation with the World Born Dead happens. After all, the way to stop it requires you to deal with Caira's apocalypse from the sky and Gorguth's siege at the same time, and either of those events alone will stretch a high level party to their limit. Stopping both at once is exceptionally unlikely.

Atropus’ effect on the world doesn’t start when it is summoned. The being can sense when death is imminent and its attention starts drawing in, though it doesn’t know the exact location of the world yet. As it gets closer, following the faint call of those who seek to summon it, its effects on the world grow more powerful, the powerful draw it exerts on positive energy sapping the world and leaving behind a surplus of negative energy. This chaos helps distract the inhabitants from interrupting the attempts to summon it, and helps cause additional death and destruction to mark the path, until it arrives to devour all life upon the planet.

The approach of any Elder Evil brings with it a great sign that blankets much of the world, causing chaos and destruction on a massive scale. The World Born Dead causes a plague of the living dead, and formats the world in ever greater ways to benefit and aid the dead, strengthening their constant assault upon the living until eventually they outnumber life and are effectively laying siege upon the world. The sign has 4 levels, getting stronger as Atropus gets closer, until it reaches the Overwhelming stage when Atropus arrives in the sky above the planet and starts its final descent.

5th Edition

Faint: As Caira researches the apocalypse from the sky spell in the book of vile darkness, the World Born Dead first turns it attention in the vague direction of the world. Necromancy spells gain a +1 to attack rolls and save DCs, and whenever a living creature dies it has a 20% chance of spontaneously reanimating as a zombie 1d4 rounds after death.

Moderate: With the plague of undead beginning to spread, Gorguth makes its move. Breaking free from Orcus’ service, it finds its way to the material plane through a massive gate ritual directed by Caira’s agents. She leaves the bodak and its armies to cause great destruction, relying on that to keep attention away from her and her mission. This also calls out stronger to Atropus, and its slow approach strengthens the sign. The chances of a creature spontaneously arising as a zombie after death increases to 40%, and some people and creatures begin animating as more powerful undead, such as ghouls, ghasts, wights, mummies, and even wraiths. All undead get the following trait: Turning Defiance. The creature has advantage on saving throws against effects that turn undead. Creatures that already had resistance on saves against being turned are instead immune to being turned.

Strong: In the last few days before Caira starts her casting of the spell, as Gorguth makes its final approach on the major city it has chosen as its target, Atropus can almost see the world. The chance of spontaneous animation after death increases to 80%. More powerful creatures start reanimating as even greater undead creatures, such as vampires, mummy lords, or one of the many homebrew or third party CR 10-15 undead out there. Even creatures that died before this sign manifested have an 80% chance of spontaneously arising as skeletons or zombies, depending on the condition of the corpse. Additionally, the entire world is cast under the effect of a hallow spell, keyed to block celestials. As the effect is cast and for every 24 hours after, every creature in the world except undead must succeed on a DC 20 Charisma saving throw or gain vulnerability to necrotic damage. Additionally, magical healing is suppressed. Any time a creature casts a spell that would recover hit points it must make an ability check with its spellcasting ability score against a DC of 10 + the spell’s level. On a failure, the spell is lost without effect. The effects of this are only suppressed within areas of hallow spells that are set to protect against the undead.

Overwhelming: If either Caira or Gorguth is successful, Atropus finds its way to the world and hovers in the sky overhead, slowly descending as it orbits. Any living creature that dies animates 1 round later as an undead creature, and every previously dead corpse rises as a zombie or skeleton as appropriate. Exceptionally powerful creatures may reanimate as even greater threats, with death knights and liches among other CR 16+ undead being possibilities. All undead creatures are immune to being turned, and their maximum hit points are increased by 2 per hit die. It is only a matter of time now. If Atropus is not somehow stopped, the world will be overrun by the dead and all live devoured by the World Born Dead, leaving an empty husk of a planet behind.

13th Age

Faint: Caira begins researching the apocalypse from the sky ritual from a book that not even the Archmage will risk opening. Just the intent of this starts drawing Atropus’ gaze to the world. Attacks that deal negative energy damage gain a +2 bonus to the attack roll, and each creature that dies has a 20% chance of animating as a zombie mook of its level 1d4 rounds after death.

Moderate: Gorguth rips out an entirely new Hellhole in its rebellion from the Diabolist, unleashing a horde of demons upon the world. The Crusader is distracted from this particular breech as he lays siege to the Hell Marshes, seeing this as a weakness in her forces that will allow him victory. As more undead spontaneously animate, the Lich King seeks to try and gain control of them, only to discover another powerful will that outstrips even his. Undead begin betraying the Lich King, joining Gorguth in its rampage across the land. The chance of spontaneous animation increases to 40%, and the mook may instead be some kind of incorporeal undead, or a ghoul, wight, or other type. All undead lose their vulnerability to Holy damage, unless in some kind of blessed ground or if an appropriate Icon benefit is used.

Strong: Caira has her ritual complete and is preparing to begin it under one of the major cities, such as New Port or Concord. Gorguth descends upon Glitterhaegen in a wave of blood and undead. The Crusader and the Diabolist are both being overwhelmed by endless undead rising from their own dead, the Crusader’s push into the Hell Marshes coming to a slow as his forces are bogged down. The Priestess and the Great Gold Wyrm desperately try to find ways to contain the spreading stain of undeath, while the armies of the Empire contend with unending swarms of undead overwhelming everywhere. No one can rally the forces to hunt down Caira or stop Gorguth. There’s a 60% chance of any creature that dies reanimating 1d4 rounds later as an appropriately leveled undead mook, and a 20% chance that they reanimate as a full enemy. All living creatures gain vulnerability to negative energy damage, and all healing that doesn’t spend recoveries is halved. These effects are only suppressed within consecrated ground or through the power of an Icon benefit.

Overwhelming: If Caira or Gorguth succeed, one of the great cities of the Dragon Empire is destroyed. Tens of thousands die, the wards that protect the Empire are shattered and the World Born Dead descends to see the surface itself. The Icons are forced to work together, banding their remaining strength in a desperate bid to hold off the end for as long as possible while a force is sent to the moon in the hopes of somehow driving Atropus away. All creatures that die reanimate 1 round later as an undead, with a 60% chance of being a mook and a 40% chance of being a regular monster. All undead gain resist holy 12+.

Confronting Atropus

Atropus is literally a moon, but that is its corpse. The animating will of it is much more concentrated, and creatures that travel to the moon can draw out this aspect to fight. Surviving upon the surface of the World Born Dead is no easy means however, as every part of it is hostile to life. Atropus keeps the planet between itself and the sun, shrouding its surface in utter darkness. Also, it’s literally in space and has no atmosphere around it, so those attempting to confront it must find powerful spells or magic items that will protect them from the dangers of the void.

5th Edition

The surface of Atropus has the following traits:

Low Gravity. All movement speeds are increased by 5 ft. Carrying capacity is doubled and all creatures have advantage on ability checks to lift or move heavy objects. Jump distances are increased by 50%. Falling damage is reduced to 1d4 damage per 10 feet fallen. Ranged weapons have their short and long range distances increased by 50%.

Negative Energy Dominant. Each time a creature starts its turn within 60 feet of the surface, it takes 3 (1d6) damage. Any necrotic resistance, or the death ward spell negates this damage. A creature reduced to 0 hp by this damage dies immediately and its body crumbles to ash. Spells and effects that deal necrotic damage automatically deal maximum damage. When a creature casts a spell that deals radiant damage or heals hp, it must make an ability check using its spellcasting ability score, with a DC of 10 + the spell’s level. On a failure, the spell is lost. Creatures have disadvantage on saves to avoid having their maximum hit points decreased.

The Void. Atropus has no air. Creatures that breath must hold their breath or begin suffocating.

13th Age

This system doesn’t focus on as many of the nitty-gritty details that 5e does, so most of the effects of Atropus can be waved off. The key one of low gravity would be to increase the range of all ranged weapon attacks. Ones like knives that can normally only target nearby enemies can now target far away enemies with a -2 penalty to attack, and weapons like javelins or thrown axes can target far away enemies with no penalty. The negative energy dominant trait could instead deal negative energy damage to all characters for an amount equal to double the escalation die each round. I’ll assume your characters have used some Epic level magic to survive in the void, or an Icon has done so for them.

Coming up next: The stats of the Aspect of Atropus for 5th Edition.

[raulf-o]

Dragons, Blood and Gold - Ghouls

Living, breathing, husks… Ghouls!

Between gold, fire and gemstones, the dragon is buried and slumbering peacefully in the night. Surrounded by tall walls and towers, they sleep beneath the clear stary sky. But inside the walls and towers there is movement. An uncanny sound is heard as they move from place to place as they drag their feet on the ground. With a torch in hand they move from side to side, bored, yet purposeful.  From the forest a small light is seen approaching the walls. Through one of the many windows in the walls and towers one of the ghouls sees the light approaching. It drops its torch and starts running. Through the dark corridors of the walls they run as fast as possible towards the stairs at the end of the hallway. As it goes down they pass another and another and another ghoul. It reaches the door and flings it wide open as it breathes heavily looking towards the light approaching. From behind him other ghouls push him as they run towards the light. They keep pushing and tripping each other as they slobber while running towards the light. A group of four knights with their hunting dogs is ambushed by the starving ghouls. As the dogs jump towards the necks of the ghouls trying to bite them. They stick stick their hands down the dogs’ throats and directly onto their hearts. The knights try to cut them down, only to hit the dogs and get blinded by blood. The ghouls with their bloody hands push and tackle the knights to the ground and strangle them. Some of them pull on their limbs trying to get the armor off, as they can’t bite through it. As the twenty ghouls dismember the dogs and knights, to sun starts to shine. Hours later only a bloody patch of grass remained as the ghouls resumed walking the halls. With dried up blood on their hands and faces they walk the halls, patiently, waiting…

The dragon awakes from his slumber. As he slowly gets up, he tries not to waste any of the gold or precious stones by throwing them outside the walls. From a door in a wall a pale white figure emerges. Sire, how can I assist you today? asks the pale figure. How many years have you been in my service now? asks the Dragon. Thirty years, sire, responds the pale figure. Thirty years, that is a long time for your kind, yes? I feel like you deserve a treat. Sleeping beneath all this gold makes me feel magnanum… Makes me feel good. So why don’t you go into town today and get yourself a woman? asks the Dragon. I appreciate your kindness, sire, responds the pale figure as he bows down. Good, as you should. I feel like we need some new faces around. They all look so ghoulish, says the Dragon. As you wish, my sire, says the pale figure. What do you think? asks the Dragon. We can… the pale man gets interrupted. It is not of any matter, I decided, as long as this works, it does not matter, says the Dragon. Wise decision, sire, says the pale figure. I have a problem needs solving. There are these humans that I wish they would hurry a bit with their delivery of gold and precious stones. And I would like you to go gather some of my loyal humans from within the walls to be sent to these towns, says the Dragon. Understood, sire, says the pale figure as he goes within the walls.

With long nails, pale skin, long hair and a torch in hand, these are humans. Their gaunt features, dead eyes, lust for blood if anyone even dares to get close to their walls, these humans have been long lost to the allure of gold and power. They roam the empty halls of the castle walls guarding the dragon’s bounty. What they eat, no one knows anymore. Rumors of cannibalism, of eating raw flesh of rats that gather around the castle walls are abound. Yet no one survived to get close enough to a castle in order to observe them, without losing their lives. And if you see them around your village, settlement, town, that is a bad omen. No towns survived seeing these ghouls anywhere near them. So, children, if you ever see a ghoul. Run! And please remember, gold, precious stones and the power to breathe fire, is not what is all there is to life. Do not let yourselves get corrupted and become ghouls… says the teacher as a Ghoul passes by the window of the school.

[ms-kio]

Pink C A R N I V O R E!

Mina Ashido X Tokyo Ghoul! 2139 Words

CW: Mentions of blood, gore, nuclear warfare, death

Mina Ashido died in the field of work, the acid coating her skin not enough to shield her from the radiation in the air, released by explosives launched at the Japanese military ship off the coast.

Then, she woke up. Mina found herself intact, but her skin was a ‘normal’ color and her horns were gone. She looked at her glassy reflection in the water to see her eyes and hair were the same as before, remaining in their natural state. Because of years of experience and superb observational skills, Mina quickly realized this wasn’t her Japan. No quirks, no heroes, no villains. Information was then painfully packed into her head in the form of a headache: Wards, ghouls, CCG, and the general laws of this society.

‘Damn, my eyes.’ Mina internally swore, giving a very Bakugo-esque “Tch”. At least she wasn’t wearing her hero costume. Mina checked her quirk to make sure it functioned properly, testing its range of corrosiveness, etc.. Everything felt fine, so Mina went over her situation in her head.

Since Mina had no identity or assets here, she got to do what she did best. Thievery. Lots of it. Mina spent the next few hours taking peoples wallets, pocketing the cash, and returning everything else. But, before that, the first thing she did was steal a pair of heavily tinted sunglasses from a black haired man, who had a whole bunch of tattoos. I mean, seriously. He had two pairs of sunglasses! One on his face and one in his back pocket.

: : :

It had been a few hours and from what Mina could tell and with what information she had gathered, she was in the fourth ward. Currently, she was leaning against the wall of an alleyway, pondering where to go next and her current situation. So far, the only thing she could eat was meat. Any red meat, but only red meat. Any other foods tasted revolting to her. Mina also discovered she had hyper regeneration, much like the Nomu at the USJ. But unfortunately, unlike other ghouls, her skin toughness was the same as her former self.

Then, suddenly, distracted by her deep thoughts, Mina found herself being held captive by a ghoul, one kagune around her neck and another pinning her arms to her sides. “Drop your quinques, or the girl gets it!” The ghoul threatened, holding Mina between himself and his two pursuers.

“You-Damn!-”

“Calm down Amon, this ghoul is only a little smarter than I thought.” The older investigator interrupted. Mina slowly shifted her right foot, getting the two humans' attention, before quickly sweeping it back and lurching forward, exposing the ghouls neck to said investigators, the younger promptly crushing the ghouls head. Blood splattered on Mina's shoes, and that's when she realized how fucking good that body smelled. Mina froze, all her attention going to that bloody corpse on the floor. She was hungry. Sure, animal meat may sustain her, but it tasted bland, and wasn’t nearly as filling as what was lying before her. She didn’t kill the ghoul, right? A few bites should be fine… Mina felt herself salivating as she crept towards the body, the only thought in her head quickly becoming 'Hunger'.

~ ~ ~

“Mado-san, shes-” The younger investigator exclaimed as he prepared his quinque.

“I know, Amon. But look, she doesn’t even know we’re here.” The girl was salivating, staring at the dead ghoul and paying the humans no mind. Her sunglasses had fallen off, revealing what would be a ghouls’ eyes, aside from the fact that they were bright yellow, instead of blood red. Transparent liquid began dripping from her fingertips, falling to the ground and creating a sizzling sound. "Acid." Mado muttered, seeming to take notes in his head as he watched. Amon flinched as the anomaly lunged towards the ghoul body, her hands plunging into its chest and pulling out a heart, biting into the warm muscle. Blood dribbled down her chin, still paying the investigators no mind as she devoured more of the flesh. "So we've found ourselves a Ghoul hunter." Mado cackled, walking up to the creature unawares and knocking it out. The man turned back to his junior, a wild grin on his face. "Let's take it back to headquarters, Amon."

: : :

Seeing as Mado was caught up in technical work when they returned to HQ, Amon was assigned to keep an eye on this new 'species', which was already being called the 'Wasp-Ghoul', referring to its eyes. The higher ranked investigators had all been called into an emergency meeting regarding said Wasp-Ghoul, So Amon could be expecting them to come along soon. Labs had already been sent up, so the doctors had left and Amon was now alone, watching an unconscious humanoid.

It wasn't much longer until she woke up, looking around. With a start, Amon turned on the audio recorder, which would send a signal up to the investigators in the meeting. The Wasp-Ghoul tilted her head at a speaker, before looking around the room and standing up. "Uh. Hello?" She asked, continuing to examine the room.

She jumped as Amon spoke over the microphone, snapping her head back to the speaker. "This is Investigator Amon speaking, at (time) of (date) in interrogation room nine. Subject: Wasp-Ghoul." Amon paused, before speaking again. "What is your name?"

"Ashido, Mina." The Wasp-Ghoul replied, walking up to the glass. Amon put a hand on his quinque as she put a finger on the glass between them. "I can melt this, ya know?" She commented. "This is not a threat, by the way. Just lettin' ya know."

"...Good to know, Ashido." Amon said. "Anything to say before I start the interrogation?" The creature lifted her finger off the glass, shaking her head as she sat criss-crossed on the floor. "First. What is your date of birth?"

"July 30th."

"Age?"

"Twenty-nine."

Kotaro Amon was somewhat relieved, and somewhat worried. On one hand, the Wasp-Ghoul was being extremely cooperative and docile. On the other hand, he had a gut feeling that the other shoe was about to drop. "Others will be coming down soon as well, with the doctors. They'll also want to ask you some questions." The woman flopped back, lifting a thumbs up.

"Oki-day. As long as I'm able to reserve the right to refuse to answer certain questions."

"I'll be honest, I cannot confirm or deny. I was just sent here to supervise you." Amon admitted.

"You can refuse three." Another voice spoke, Kureo Mado. He had that typical deranged expression on his face as he was tailed by Shinohara and Juzo, with the doctors right behind them. "No more than that."

"Understood, sir!" Mina said with a casual salute as she sat up, grinning. "Lets get this started. Hit me."

"Does your species have a name, and are there more of you?" Shinohara started, stepping up.

"Both no." She replied. "As far as I'm aware, anyways. Both my parents are dead- I made sure of that- unless they somehow came back."

"Made sure?" Shinohara asked. "Elaborate."

"As per Ashido family tradition: Train, grow up, murder the family, have a kid, rinse and repeat. How do you think we stayed hidden for so long?" Mina pulled that right out of her ass, but no one needed to know that.

"Do you enjoy human flesh?"

"I've actually never had it. Have any in the morgue?" Mina asked. One of the doctors pulled out a parcel, sending it through a slot beside the glass screen. The girl picked it up, unwrapped it, and bit in. Blood dribbling down her face. The woman's face scrunched up in consideration, before setting the parcel down and swallowing. "Meh, it's edible. A little better than steak. I much prefer Ghoul."

"That is consistent with our studies." One of the doctors spoke up. "The tests we took suggest that the Wasp-Ghoul requires a lot of RC Cells to survive, but does not generate any on its own. Since Ghouls have many, it makes since that they would taste the best." Mado nodded, before turning back to Mina. "If we let you out, you have to promise us one thing." He started. "If you ever start getting hungry, and there's no ghouls to feed you, you have to come to us to be fed. If we catch you praying on humans, you will be treated and hunted as a ghoul."

~ ~ ~

“Yes sir!” Mina chirped with a casual salute. Mado nodded to Amon, who pressed a button to open the cell door. Mina strode out, cracking her knuckles. “Are there any ghouls in particular I should go after? Keep in mind, I’ll only kill the ones who are a threat to living humans. If one happens to feed off corpses, I won’t touch them.” The CCG workers glanced at each other, before the one labeled ‘Shinohara’ spoke up. “I think we can all agree to that compromise, yes? Our goal is to keep humans safe, after all.” Next to him was a blonde boy, decorated in red stitching. He seemed a little unhinged, if only because he was adding more stitches on his arm with an unsterilized needle. “There's no ghoul in particular you should look for."

“Okay! Imma head out. I bring y’all back a ghoul or two!” Mina skipped out the doors, putting on her new sunglasses as a PSA went over the comms.

- Subject: Wasp Ghoul is out for hunting. Do not interfere. -

Other investigators threw her glances as she left. Dang, word spread fast. What looked like senior investigators had to guide their juniors away from her as she passed through, telling them in hushed tones that she was said ‘Wasp Ghoul’.

: : :

Later that afternoon, Mina had dragged no less than five ghouls to HQ, including a pretty purple haired girl -her latest catch- who was about to eat a collage student. Mina had pushed him out of the way of the falling beams, escaping via the chaos as she hauled the unconscious ghoul back to the ‘doves’. The favorable- if somewhat terrified- reactions she got from the doves for bringing in the other four dead ghouls, were nothing compared to the chaos that ensued when she brought in the live girl. “Is that- Wasp got the binge eater!” The no-name investigator that had been assigned to the ‘receive ghouls-from-Mina’ door shouted into his comm, two more higher-ranked investigators appearing not fifteen seconds later to take the girl. Had she captured a big-shot? Cool! The two investigators gave her a look- was that a nod of approval?- before they disappeared.

Wellllllllllll-

“Miss Ashido?” Mina snapped her head to the new arrival. It was Shinohara! She grinned. “That’s me! How can I help?” And what’s with the sudden formalities?

“The labs have successfully harvested the Kagune of the other four ghouls. We appreciate you making them exposed. The bodies will be stored for you in the ghoul morgue on sub level five when you need them.” He said in a matter-of-fact tone. Mina flashed a thumbs up before heading down to the said level, absolutely losing her shit over half of the fresh corpses.

~ ~ ~

Shinohara had been tasked with watching Ashido, the Wasp Ghoul, for the entire day, in case he needed to intervene. However, that was not the case. He and Juzo observed as the girl tracked down and hunted the ghouls, before dragging them back to headquarters. As she stated earlier, she only went after the ghouls who were an immediate threat to humans. If she happened to notice a ghoul that wasn't actively hunting, Ashido didn't go after them.

Ashido had been very successful throughout the day, bringing in a total of five ghouls, plus the Binge Eater, who she had captured live. Of course, he and many other investigators were heavily wairy of the girl, but her performance today ebbed away some of that suspicion in Shinohara's eyes. However, there were still things about the girl that Shinohara couldn't deny. She was ruthlessly savage in her attacks, as well as when she fed- as he saw when she headed down to the morgue. She acted like a starved ghoul when she ate, overcome with blood lust and insanity. Unlike other ghouls, she split the bones of her prey and drained the marrow as well, leaving nothing but hollow ivory in her wake. Shinohara didn't want to know how fast her digestive system was, to eat two full corpses in the span of fifteen minutes.

According to Mado, Ashido could produce an acid-like substance from her flesh, that could even eat away at glass and concrete. If that stuff was in her stomach, Shinohara would be less surprised at her rate of consumption.

After the Wasp Ghoul was locked up safely in her sleeping quarters, Shinohara left the security room to make his report.

[italianwithanattitude]

The Fourth Emeritus

Hiiiiiii Ghesties, this is my first ghost fic so don't come after me if it sucks balls. Anyways love ya’ll...xoxoxoxoxoxo

Papa IV x Fem!reader

(FOR THE SAKE OF THE FIC TERZO IS STILL ALIVE!!!)

Warnings: talk of blood, 

Primo, Secondo, and Terzo. Those were the three Emeritus brothers. The end of the blood line. Each one had their rein. Two dead, one still living. However, what people didn't know was there was always a fourth, but she was a sister. You were the youngest of the Emeritus’s, always being thrown into the shadows of your older brothers. You spent most of your life wandering around the Abbey, forbidden from leaving. You lived a boring life, forced to study your religion for hours on end, the Clergy’s designated house keeper, and the future right hand lady of Sister Imperator. Even though you lived a sheltered life, that didn't mean you kept from getting in trouble. Oh, on the contrary, you were the churches #1 hell-raiser. 

“Y/N! Y/N EMERITUS!” Sister Imperator screamed after the you as you ran down the Abbeys dimly lit halls. You sprinted past ghouls and sisters as you headed for your destination. Your fathers office. As you rounded the corner your nose was suddenly met with a shoulder. 

“AHK, Fuck!” You yelped as you bounced back, reaching up to clutch your now bleeding nose. 

“Oh! Oh no. I’m sorry- I- Hold on.” The man you had run into was Copia, to say he was awkward, was a great understatement. He fumbled through his pockets searching for the handkerchief he shoved in there earlier. “Aha, here.” He moved forward cautiously. You stood still, your hand now soaked in blood. “May I?” Copia questioned. You just nodded. Copia gently placed the cloth over your nose, pinching it, and tipping your head back gently with his other hand. 

“Y/N Emeritus I’m going to- Oh! Papa.”Sister Imperator had finally caught up, giving Copia a curt nod upon her arrival. 

“Sister.” He nodded back, still awkwardly holding your nose. 

“What are you-?”

“I ran into him while I was running from you. Then my fucking nose started bleeding.” You spoke gesturing to your face. 

“Language!” Sister Imperator tutted.

“We worship the god damn devil. Forgive me if I don't mind going to hell.”

Copia let out a chuckle at your statement. Sister Imperator gave him a look and he shut his mouth like a little boy getting scolded by his mother. 

“Thanks.” You said taking the cloth from his hands and off your nose, which had stopped bleeding. Copia quickly stepped back and decided he had overstayed his welcome in the conversation. 

“Sister. Sister.” He gave a slight bow to each before hurrying away. 

“So awkward.” You giggled. Sister once again threw daggers at you before grabbing your arm and dragging you back to her office. 

Once Sister Imperator had decided she reprimanded you enough she sent you back to her quarters for the night. Obviously, that's not where you went when you left. You are the trouble maker after all. You still had Copia’s handkerchief so you decided to return it to him before heading to your room. Copia’s room was stationed on the oposite side of the Abbey so it was a long walk, but quite peaceful. The halls were dimly lit, and it was late so no one was up except for a few Ghouls completing their final tasks for the day. On the way to Copia’s quarters you pasted your brothers office. The light was still on so you figured he was busy with paper work, and decided not to interrupt like usually. Eventually, you made it to the deep red door that belonged to Copia. You knocked and within seconds the door was being swung open. 

“Terzo I told you I’m gettin- Oh! Ehe, hello Sister Emeritus.” Copia looked disheveled. His hair askew, the skull paint smudged, and wearing nothing but pajama pants and a worn out t-shirt that hung loosely around his frame. You let out a hushed giggle, causing a blush to grace the mans cheeks. “Can I er- do something for you Sister.”

“Oh, yes I wanted to return this.” You handed him the freshly washed cloth.

“Ah thank you, Sister.” He smiled, tucking it into his pocket. He was wearing, what looked like, kids pajama pants but in an adult size. The pants were deep, red with little bats splayed across the fabric. How cute. As your eyes traveled they landed on his crotch, which you now noticed the very obvious bulge hidden behind the fabric. That smug grin that most of the Clergy knew by now graced your lips. 

“Did I interrupt something, Papa?” You spoke in a sultry tone. His eyes went wide. 

“No- I mean- I- Er-” He looked frantic.

“If I did just say so, Papa.” The air between you two had changed. You had never seen papa as a potential bachelor to fuck around with, but now something had changed. Seeing him out of his Papa garb, and finally speaking with him about something other than work made him seem real. Achievable, if that made sense. “Would you like me to help?”

“I- That wouldn’t be very appropriate Sister-”

“Call me Y/N, Please.” You smirked yet again. He looked as if he was actually considering for a moment. You weren’t a bad looking girl at all. You had a beautiful figure, toped with black silky hair complete with blood red streaks. 

“Eh, Y/N, wouldn’t Papa Nihil find-”

“Who gives a fuck about my father- I’ve done worse. Trust me.”

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Okay so idk how I feel about this. If you like it lmk and I’ll make another part, but idk if ya’ll will like it, so lmk.

Bye ghesties :) 

[one-winged-dreams]

Ghouls Being Dudes Part 1

ship: just ghouls being dudes (Knox Harrington, Vandal Cleaver, & Adriel Wrynn) word count: 827

Vandal kills a man and it’s shenanigans all the way down the board.

It was not the first time in Santa Monica that three men stood over a dead body literally red-handed with guilt, and by God, it would hardly be the last. Especially if these guys had anything to say with it.

"VANDAL, WHAT THE HELL, MAN?" Knox was currently gripping his hair as if the mind-blowing train of events that had transpired threatened to pop his skullcap clean off. 

"FUCK!" Adri had taken the splash zone seats, and baby, Shamu the murder whale had delivered. There was a clean arc of blood sprayed almost suggestively across his face, his eyes clenched and his nose scrunched. "My eyes! I think he's in my eyes!"

"Shut up! Both of you shut up!" Vandal was using his big boy voice, someone currently had to corral these idiots, and if it had to be him, so be it. "What is this, amateur hour? Have neither of you infants experienced a simple singular homicide before? WELL?"

"Why is that even a question, we spend this much time around you, don't we?" Knox was currently trying to hand Adri a wet wipe from the desk he found while he had been rifling through the hospital drawers. The Malkavian ghoul swatted in his general direction, making sputtering noises and smacking him once across the face before receiving his damp, limp prize. 

"It was rhetorical, Knox, goddamn! And he's still got my pen! Go get it!" Vandal pointed down at the corpse's neck area where the office supplies reached proudly for the heavens, not unlike the sword in the stone.

"I'm NOT goin-"

"Gimme that!" 

Knox was quickly beaten by Adri straddling the dead man, firmly grasping the pen and pulling it FREE!

… Of its cap, which remained lodged in the man's jugular. 

"You stabbed him with the BLUNT END??" Knox sounded equal parts exasperated and impressed.

"I wonder if I sucked on the end if blood would come out like a fucking Capri Sun-"

"Take it OUT that was an expensive pen. Janet's been trying to steal it from me for WEEKS, I won't give that bitch the satisfaction," Vandal was getting impatient now, crossing his arms, tapping his foot, the whole shebang.

"Respect the Pouch," Adri whispered as he yanked the pen cap out aND WAS THUSLY CROWNED KING OF ENGLAND AS ARTHUR PENDRAGON BEFORE HIM, ALL HAI-

"Stop fooling around, you guys! We gotta do something about this or-"

"Or Therese is gonna kill Vandal," Adri interrupted Knox, who was almost less enthusiastic about this as Vandal was. But only almost.

"THERESEISGONNAK- WHAT!? Why. Why me," Vandal blinked rapidly as he waited for an explanation that would successfully keep him from escorting the other Malkavian ghoul from the premises by his hair clip.

"Because it's on HOSPITAL GROUNDS, which will be traced back to YOU, which will be traced back to HER, which means she'll kill you, and you'll be DEAD DEAD DEAD!"

"SHUT UP!" Vandal slapped away the finger jabbed with each 'DEAD!'. "You know I'm taking you all down with me if I do," his tone was low and dangerous again, as it usually was.

"AW, C'MON! Why me too, man?" Knox whined as if they were teenagers to be grounded for egging the post office. 

"He's got a point, you think Therese isn't gonna tell Bertram and Malachi to make it look less embarrassing for her that we weren't all the way up Vandal's ass babysitting him?" Adri crossed his arms and nodded sagely. 

"Be the first time you'd be up ANY man's ass, wouldn't it, Wrynn?" Vandal taunted for absolutely no good reason other than that they were Malkavian probably.

"THE UNKNOWABLE ENTITY neglected to give me the proper bits for that, who am I as a faithful servant to question it? The very concept of me being a top is a grotesque crime against natu-"

"GOD you sound like Malachi now, help me drag him out back," Vandal hissed, snapping on some latex gloves and neglecting to offer any to anyone else. 

"Aw man, what are we gonna do THEN?" Knox prematurely wiped his hands on his pants and bent down to grab one of the corpse's legs.

"Car trunk trunk trunk..." Adri muttered under his breath as he took the other leg.

"NO WAY, REALLY?" Knox dropped the leg, setting the body off balance and propelling the other two to stumble nearly into a wall.

"Keep. Your voice. Down," came Vandal's usual low, but again, still very dangerous tone. "My car is already out back like it always is. We're just taking out some trash, hm? Some perfectly innocent little trash." 

"Hurry up, the innocent little trash is JACKED and heavy as fuck," Adri grumbled, shaking the leg he still held onto before Vandal scolded him to 'Stop that'. 

"Aw mannn, this SUCKS," Knox sighed, then proceeding to escort the corpse to Vandal's car like some sort of hearse valet.