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ofthemorningstars · 1 month ago
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Creation of Impossibility
TerzOmega ~ Smut ~ Breeding k!nk ~ Domestic Bliss
5.1k words
Ao3 Version
Terzo and Omega are finally able to start the family together that they have always wanted.
Mostly sweet, tooth-rotting romantic fluff, but with sex.
The biggest thank you ever to @puuuders for beta-ing, workshopping with me, and giving me so many amazing ideas 💖
Content Warning: Pregnancy, breeding, mpreg(cis), brief biting and blood mention
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The room was dim, illuminated only by the light of the full moon pouring in from the window. Terzo was lying on his back with his ass propped up on a pillow, legs hiked underneath Omega's arms as he was nearly folded in half. Omega pounded into him in a punishing rhythm, pinning Terzo to the mattress with the force of his thrusts. Tonight was unlike any other night they’d ever had. Tonight was special: they were on a mission. 
In their thirty-plus years together, Terzo and Omega swore that they had tried just about everything that a couple could do together in the bedroom, or at least everything that was within both of their boundaries. Something that they’d never dared to incorporate, however, was the concept of, well, conception. 
As desperately as they’d always wanted to start a family, they had never brought it up during sex, too afraid of the crushing disappointment and hurt feelings that loomed once the afterglow had faded. There was just too much heartache there, with a myriad of reasons why they couldn’t have children together. 
For starters, for most of their relationship, they'd had to keep their love a secret; ghouls were considered within the ministry to be lowly creatures, and fraternizing with them was frowned upon. They weren’t sure what would happen if they were caught, but they weren’t willing to risk finding out. It had taken Terzo’s death, and eventual triumphant return to the realm of the living, to free the ghouls from their caste, Terzo leveraging every ounce of power he had left to officially cement them as equals. 
A seemingly more insurmountable obstacle, though, was the issue of their biology. Neither of them had the right… equipment to carry a child. At least, that’s what they’d always thought, until one day Primo let it slip that there was a precedent for such matings. Over the next month they’d frantically done their research, performed countless rituals, made their deals and sacrifices in pursuit of something they never thought possible, all under the reluctant guidance of Terzo’s older brother.  
Now that there was hope, all bets were off.
“Nnn… You’re such a little cumslut… My little cumslut… You take this cock so good. Do you want me to breed you? Do you?” Omega growled, feeling himself throb with every word that dripped from his lips.
“Sì! Please, Omega, oh fuck, please, I need–” Terzo choked on a groan as Omega thrust hard into him, his balls smacking against Terzo’s ass as he pushed as deep inside as he could.  They were connected through Omega’s quintessence, shared thoughts and sensations buzzing across their bond.
“I'm gonna fill you up… You’re gonna get so big and round, carrying my kits. They’re mine. I’m the one who’s gonna do that to you, no one else. Everyone's gonna know that I bred you.” He gave another hard thrust for emphasis. His own dirty talk was starting to get to him, feeling feral, possessive. “The other ghouls will smell me on you,” Omega snarled, testing Terzo’s flexibility by leaning impossibly further forward to sink his fangs into Terzo's shoulder, yet another way to mark him. Terzo let out a quivering cry. “You're all mine,” Omega added after he'd greedily taken his fill of Terzo’s blood, his voice graveled with lust.
“Please, please, Omega please…” Terzo’s begging trailed off into a whimper as Omega licked up his neck, Omega’s breath harsh in his ear. 
“I’m gonna cum so deep inside you, you’ll be leaking my seed for days,” Omega ground out through gritted teeth, riding his mate mercilessly until Terzo shattered with a loud, pained moan. Terzo writhing under him, clenching around him, was too much for Omega, and he came hard. Omega supported himself with shaking arms on either side of Terzo, reluctant to pull out, wanting to keep going; pulling out felt like giving up. 
Eventually, though, he could no longer support his own weight and reluctantly withdrew. Omega settled for situating himself snugly between Terzo’s thighs, his tail wrapped tightly around Terzo’s leg and his head on Terzo's flat stomach, lavishing it with kisses and praying with everything in him that it would soon start to blossom. Terzo played with Omega’s hair, his horns, not wanting to let him go just yet as he felt Omega’s quintessence caressing his mind. They fell asleep like that. 
They went on like this for months. As their trysts became more frequent than ever, they both became more and more aroused and desperate, unable to get enough of each other. Terzo became more irresistible to Omega with every passing day. When Omega caught Terzo preemptively online window-shopping for baby clothes, he took him right there on the kitchen counter. 
Despite their exhaustive efforts, nothing seemed to be working. They were hopeful when Terzo started to feel tired and a little nauseous, but when test after test came back negative, they began to lose hope, chalking the fatigue up to Terzo’s increasingly stressful ministry duties. Omega questioned whether conventional pregnancy tests would even work because of the differences between their union and a typical pregnancy. It was hard to keep an optimistic outlook, though, after so many disappointments. Omega kissed Terzo’s belly reverently every night regardless. 
In January, about 6 months into their journey, something peculiar happened. Omega was cleaning up after dinner while Terzo was idly browsing for toys on his phone. When Omega began to feel a tingle at the back of his mind, he paused, analyzing. Without warning, Omega’s body locked up in shock, dropping the glass in his hand. Terzo jumped up from the table, startled, beginning to race over to where Omega stood stock still, but Omega held out a hand to stop him. He stood with his back to Terzo for a long, agonizing minute. When he finally turned around, his eyes were wild and brimming with tears. He stepped over the broken glass, paying no mind to the hazard and picking Terzo up bridal style. Omega sat him down on the sofa and knelt at his feet, his hands shaking as he grabbed at Terzo’s. 
“Amore, what’s wrong?” Terzo asked, voice worried and tinged with fear. Omega’s eyes were full of awe and something else, reaching up to brush the hair out of Terzo’s eyes. Omega opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Flustered and frantic, he reached out to Terzo with his quintessence, needing to share what he couldn’t yet put into words. His tears began to spill over. 
“Omega…?”
As Omega connected their minds, he shared the sensation he’d felt a few moments earlier: a strange, foreign prodding at his consciousness, one that felt eerily familiar somehow. It had reached out blindly, innocently, as though seeking something. It had taken him a moment to process, to pinpoint, but once he did his heart had stopped. It was originating from Terzo, but not from Terzo. Not from his mind, anyway.
Terzo was confused at first. When the realization dawned, he stared back at Omega in disbelief. Omega knew that Terzo didn’t dare to hope, and yet he could feel the warmth blooming in his chest through their bond anyway. 
“A-are you sure?” Terzo stammered out, his voice quivering. Omega couldn’t do anything but nod as his throat closed, choking back a sob. Terzo began to cry then, too. He was so afraid of the joy that was threatening to overtake him, but he couldn’t fight it. There was no other explanation: they were expecting a budding quintessence ghoul kit. The love they made that night was tender and tearful, both of them wanting to be as close to the other as possible. Omega handled Terzo as gently as if he were made out of glass. Terzo felt so emotionally fragile that he may as well have been.
It took a full day to get over the initial shock. They were in disbelief, nervous about the illusion shattering at any given moment. Terzo called Primo, since he was the only one who knew of their efforts, demanding that he set up a private ultrasound appointment. Terzo’s nails were bitten down to nubs by the time they were snuck into the infirmary in the dead of night. The scan confirmed it; their wildest dreams had become a reality. They were having a little girl. 
According to her measurements, Terzo had been pregnant for about 3 months without either of them knowing. They were too excited to mourn the time that they had missed out on. Both of them were glued to the monitor, squeezing each other's hands as they saw her strong little heartbeat. Omega stole a kiss from Terzo on the table, unbroken until the technician impatiently cleared her throat. They hurried back home to their chambers, deciding to take a bath together, Terzo feeling sticky from the ultrasound gel. Omega’s mouth trailed all over Terzo’s body worshipfully, and Terzo couldn’t stop giggling.
“A little girl…” Omega whispered, making Terzo shiver. Terzo leaned back heavily against his husband. Omega’s hands drifted almost unconsciously down to Terzo’s still-flat stomach, and Terzo sighed.
“What should we name her?” Terzo teased. They spent the rest of the night brainstorming and laughing giddily. They had always bathed and showered together, but from then on, Omega treated every evening like a special occasion, pampering Terzo with candles, flowers, fragrant oils and lotions, always taking their time together. It became a part of their nightly ritual. 
Everything about their lives immediately changed, Omega taking every opportunity he could to dote on Terzo. Omega began cooking every meal for him rather than sharing the responsibility between them. Terzo protested to Omega taking on the extra burden, and Omega shot back by pointing out how much of a burden Terzo was taking on by carrying their kit. Terzo was secretly pleased about Omega feeding him, though; while Terzo had been the one to teach Omega how to cook, Omega had quickly surpassed Terzo’s skill level. Omega was whip-sharp, an excellent student and a proficient learner. Now that Terzo was eating for two, Omega obsessively ensured that he was getting a healthy, well-rounded diet.
They held the belief that it was never too early to start on enrichment, and so they would regularly speak and read and sing to their kit. Music was always a regular feature in their household, but now Omega broke out his guitar more regularly, his fingers having never forgotten their rhythm. Terzo would sing at all hours of the day, his voice as haunting as ever. They took turns reading books for new parents aloud to each other, wanting to learn as much as they could before her arrival.
As Terzo’s body changed, they found themselves unable to keep their hands off each other, always touching just to touch. Omega would spoil him rotten, never letting him lift a finger around their quarters. He showered Terzo and his bump with affection whenever he could. Their regular positions on the sofa shifted, now with Terzo reclining against him as Omega’s hands explored his belly. Omega was obsessed, and he knew Terzo loved it.
“Amore, stop sniffing me!” Terzo cried in faux offense as Omega’s nose tickled the spot under his ear, unable to fight back a giggle, giving himself away.
“Mm, never. You’re so delicious.” Omega had always been a fiend for Terzo’s scent, but now he couldn’t get enough, always nuzzling and sniffing, sometimes even stealing Terzo’s worn clothing. He was soaking up the pheromones, Omega loved to say. 
Omega was lovesick. Lovesick, and territorial. Omega had lost count of the number of times that he had growled under his breath as another male ghoul stared a little too long at Terzo, even though they were no doubt simply trying to puzzle out his peculiar scent. It would slip out before he even realized what he was doing, possessiveness turning into aggression and quickly bubbling over. He could tell it excited Terzo. Omega could practically hear his heartbeat quicken, head swimming with electric tension when they’d connect.  Neither of them would forget about the incidents, the day invariably ending with Omega sweating above him, claws digging into Terzo’s hips.
They were shopping online for supplies for real now, together this time. They ordered so much baby stuff that the siblings who staffed the front office knew they were expecting before anyone else did. Whispers began to spread around the ministry. Rumor was, they were adopting. They stayed as quiet as possible about it for as long as they could, wanting to keep it special, between themselves. When they finally made the announcement, it was only to Terzo’s family and their close friends, mostly ghouls. 
They decided to tell everyone together and in person. Secondo rolled his eyes dramatically, to no one’s surprise. Copia had fanned his face to stop the tears from smudging his makeup. Primo, of course, had known for nearly as long as the couple had, but he rubbed at his temples as he watched Omega and Terzo get perhaps a little more affectionate than was called for at a family function.
“I’ve created a monster,” Primo grumbled, pinching the bridge of his nose. Omega ignored what he hoped wasn’t a double entendre. 
“You will feel differently when you have our principessa in your arms, fratello.” Terzo’s smile was smug, his hand resting on his middle. Omega rubbed the back of his neck, trying not to let himself feel uncomfortable at being called out on their PDA. 
At home, Omega connected with their kit with increasing strength and frequency as the weeks wore on, having wordless conversations as they traded emotions back and forth. Omega made a point of sending her wave after wave of love and assurances of safety, strong enough that Terzo could feel the reverberations. Terzo found it too heartwarming to feel excluded.
“What is she saying, mia ombra?” Terzo joked, running a hand through Omega's hair. 
“How much she loves her Papa,” Omega cooed. Terzo scowled.
“That is not funny,” Terzo scolded, suddenly sounding irate and incredulous. 
“I'm not kidding, tesoro!” Omega insisted with a breathy chuckle, looking up from where his head was resting on Terzo’s belly, unable to fight back a dreamy smile. He connected to Terzo's mind, relaying the emotions that he was picking up from their kit. Terzo's eyes began to sting with unshed tears, his mouth agape, for a moment speechless.
After a while, Omega’s touch alone began to make her more active, so much so that Terzo sometimes had to shove him away in the middle of the night just to get some rest. No matter how badly Omega wanted to spoon, needed to touch him, he agreed that Terzo’s rest was more important.
They were getting regular ultrasounds at that point, roughly following the schedule for a human pregnancy despite not knowing if there were any differences in ghoul gestation. Their kit was very much ghoulish, sporting a tail and little horns. Omega couldn’t tell who was more proud of that fact, himself or Terzo. No one was sure what such an unusual delivery would entail, so Terzo was urged to get a C-section, something that he eagerly agreed to. Their estimated due date was August third.
“A leo,” Terzo said with a soft smile as he stared into the monitor, the probe still pressed to his growing belly. Omega raised an eyebrow.
“Is that a good thing?” Omega didn’t know anything about astrology, but he had seen enough realms to have his doubts about the concept as a whole.
“Sì. Mia amata sorella was a leo,” he said, a wistful expression on his face. He shook his head as if to clear it, gazing directly into Omega’s eyes. “You’re going to be such a good father, Omega. I mean it.”
“So will you, Papa.” Omega responded teasingly. They had discussed their titles as parents often, eventually deciding that for Terzo, “Papa” was only natural, that it made the most sense. “Papa” had been an honorific, a symbol of the authority that he deeply resented being forced upon him. But the thought of his little girl calling him that, Terzo had said, seemed to soften its edges, soothe away his bitterness. Perhaps they had the opportunity to turn something painful into something precious. 
From the day they found out about their kit, Omega had begged Terzo to take leave from his role within the ministry and stay home with him. Terzo had refused, not wanting to allow himself to be slowed down. He was a fighter, after all, and there was work to be done. But as he progressed further along, so did his exhaustion. And his back pain. 
Their secret was soon out, too; once Terzo began to show, he could only hide beneath robes and cassocks for so long. The whispers had turned into a roar, rooms falling silent once he entered them. New recruits would openly stare in shock at his figure, and older clergy members would glower in disgust at the Emeritus who allowed himself to be bred by a filthy ghoul. He was all but ostracized, but Terzo refused to be ashamed of his family. He wanted to spit in the faces of those who derided them, to shake them by the shoulders until they understood that ghouls were people and deserved respect. The only friends he had left were the ghouls, and his brothers. 
Between the physical pain and the dirty looks, Terzo shared that he was beginning to feel very run down. Terzo came home a wreck one day in April, having decided enough was enough. One knowing look from Omega was all it took to break him, and before he knew it, Terzo was sobbing in his arms.
“I can’t go back, Omega. I cannot do it anymore!” Terzo wailed. “I cannot take another second of their hateful bullshit!” Omega shushed him softly, running his hands through Terzo’s hair. 
“Shhh. You don’t have to go back, I promise. We’ll talk to Copia. You can stay home as long as you like,” Omega soothed, rubbing Terzo’s back. He heard Terzo try and slow his breathing.
“If this is how they treat us now, how are they going to treat our kit?!” Terzo was working himself up all over again. Omega winced as a pang of sorrow shot through him. That was a good question, one that he didn’t have an answer for.
“Terzo, I–” 
“I want to fight them, Omega! I mean it! I would kill every last one of them myself for our daughter,” Terzo said through gritted teeth, and Omega found it endearing despite the gravity of the situation. Of course his feisty little human mate would want to defend their family with his life. Omega would never let it get to that point, they would run away to a secluded cabin somewhere if they had to. Anything to keep them safe. They’d make it work.
“I know you would, tesoro,” Omega said, his voice hushed. “And…” He paused for a moment, thinking on how best to deliver his next line. “That’s why I know you need to stay home. Even if you don’t get in a fight, all this stress isn’t good for her. Please, mia luce…”
Terzo looked up from his place against Omega’s chest, his eyes red and puffy from crying. Omega could see his internal struggle. He wiped away Terzo’s tears with the back of a clawed hand, and after what felt like an eternity, Terzo reluctantly nodded, gaze fixed on the floor. Omega’s heart skipped a beat, feeling cautiously optimistic.
They spent every day together from then on, Terzo temporarily freed from his duties. Now that Terzo was home full time, he went into full-blown nesting mode, babyproofing the entire house in an evening. They spent the next month meticulously decorating the spare room that they’d turned into a nursery in soft pinks, accented with gold. Omega was grateful to be involved every step along the way. 
Together, Omega and Terzo hand painted an intricate mural of a swirling galaxy on the far wall, hiding little hearts within the stars and peppering sweet messages throughout. They worked nearly every day, pouring endless amounts of love into their project in the hopes that their little girl would one day be surrounded by it tenfold. By May, they stood back and appraised their work: it was perfect. Almost. It needed something else, one final touch. They finished it with two handprints at the bottom, both wildly different sizes, one signed “Papa loves you” and the other “Daddy loves you”.
“Come here, amore, you’ve got something on your face,” Terzo called to him, beckoning him to where he sat resting on the floor. Omega had warned him not to sit down, knowing how hard it would be for him to get back on his feet again, but in typical Terzo fashion, he hadn’t listened. Omega approached, leaning down so that Terzo could inspect him. Before he knew what was happening, Omega felt something cold on his cheek: a wet smear of paint. He growled playfully, leaving a paint smear of his own along the line of Terzo’s jaw. They traded paint smudges until Terzo surrendered under threat of being tickled. Omega had to help Terzo up off of the floor just as he’d told Terzo would happen. They showered together, taking much longer than was necessary to scrub away the paint.
Omega had been working on a project of his own; he shared his plan with Copia, requiring his help to pull it off. He had the man acquire the necessary materials, and arranged for a two-hour work meeting with Terzo twice a week, every week, for a couple months. Initially Terzo was furious at being roped back into his duties, but he calmed upon realizing that Copia had primarily wanted an excuse to hang out. It was a nice outlet for him, after so much isolation. It was also a convenient way to keep up with and influence ministry affairs without going through the stress of his regular responsibilities.
Omega needed the blocks of privacy because, in secret, he had been learning carpentry, picking up woodworking with the ease that he seemed to acquire most skills that called upon his dexterity. The hardest part was keeping it a secret from Terzo, especially when they connected with his quintessence. Omega worked hard to shield that corner of his mind, rather than cut off their bond altogether. That was something he was unwilling to give up.  
When the time was right to bring a blindfolded Terzo into the nursery, Omega was treated to a reverent gasp when he allowed him to look. Before them sat an ornately crafted crib, made from dark cherry wood and carved with a tasteful heart motif. Omega lunged to catch Terzo as his knees buckled, tears streaming down his face. 
“Omega, did you…” Terzo whispered, hands covering his mouth. 
“I did.” 
That night as they sat together on the sofa, their touches became heated, as they so often did. Terzo ended up in Omega’s lap, his ghoul buried deep inside him, caressing him as Terzo bounced.
“Mm, getting tired?” Omega teased in his ear as Terzo’s movements became more shallow, beginning to falter.
“N-no, shut up,” Terzo panted. “I can handle this.” Omega chuckled darkly, one hand coming up to play with Terzo’s oversensitive nipples while the other found his cock. Terzo let out a shout.
“Are you sure, tesoro?” Omega asked oh so sweetly, working him harder. Terzo whimpered in overstimulation, trembling under Omega’s ministrations. To Omega’s surprise, though, Terzo began to move faster, turning the tables on him as soon Omega was begging for him to slow down, to draw things out. Terzo didn’t listen, hungry for Omega’s release, chasing it faster. Terzo only stopped once Omega’s cock kicked inside him, filling Terzo with his hot seed. When Terzo went to move off of him Omega stopped him, still inside of him, gripping his hips firmly.
“Stay,” Omega murmured against his skin, soft but not a request. Terzo listened, leaning back against Omega and craning his head up, lips searching. Their kiss was bruising, burning, Omega’s tongue plundering Terzo’s mouth as his hand returned to Terzo’s cock. Omega swallowed Terzo’s moans as he pumped him. His free hand explored every inch of skin he could access, taking his time to show Terzo’s body the appreciation it deserved.
When Terzo finally came into Omega’s hand with a guttural groan, he slumped heavily against Omega, who buried his face in the crook of Terzo’s neck. He kissed delicately along the deep scars that he found there, thanking every inch of scar tissue for bringing them back together. Omega carried a sleepy and sated Tezo to their bed, unwilling to make his mate move. 
When June rolled around, Terzo was becoming restless. Being unable to sit still and yet also unable to stand for very long was taking its toll. Omega did everything he could to keep Terzo distracted and mentally engaged, but it wasn’t enough. Terzo became testy, frequently snapping at Omega, only to shed guilty tears over his outburst afterward. His hormones were raging, his mood unpredictable at best. Omega didn’t take it personally, feeling far worse for Terzo he did than for himself.
Exacerbating the irritability was his physical discomfort. Terzo felt swollen and achy and exhausted, back pain becoming his new constant companion. His need for frequent naps was a marked change from his previously bustling lifestyle. While they were both undeniably grateful for having the domestic life together they’d always dreamed of, there was no avoiding the fact that Terzo needed an outlet. Omega called on Copia yet again, utilizing his fear of Terzo’s pregnancy rage to get what they needed. 
Talking Terzo into venturing down to the ministry’s indoor pool wasn’t easy. Being as far along as he was at that point, Terzo didn’t much like to go anywhere that he didn’t have to, and it had as much to do with the stares as it did with the back pain. Terzo wanted to enjoy this phase of their growing family, not be made to feel ashamed of it. Being soaking wet and exposed in a swimsuit was the last place he wanted to be seen by disapproving eyes. Omega knew, though, how much Terzo loved swimming. He also knew how good it would feel to get the pressure off of his back, and how much channeling his pent-up energy into easy physical activity would help him.
Terzo allowed himself to be coaxed into the idea when Omega dangled the key in front of his face; they would be going there after hours. Just the two of them. Shades drawn. 
They snuck down to the pool in the dead of night, Terzo wearing simple sweatpants and one of Omega’s t-shirts over his swimsuit. Omega knew his husband well enough to know that he would normally be mortified to be dressed so casually in public, but Terzo had a harder time dressing himself nowadays and needed something easy to get on and off. Terzo’s willingness to give up his dignity in exchange for relief from his discomfort made Omega feel guilty for having done this to his body in the first place. He shook his head, trying to banish the thought; Terzo would hate for him to think that way about their kit. Omega hated it, too. Comfort was a sacrifice that Terzo was willing to make, and Omega had to respect that.
When they got there, Terzo bemoaned not being able to use the hot tub, but they had read that it was bad for developing babies and wouldn’t take the risk. Still, it would’ve felt so nice on his sore muscles. Terzo hesitated in getting undressed, blushing as he went to pull his shirt off over his head. Omega reassured him that they were alone and that the door was locked. It was safe. 
Terzo slowly stripped, and though Omega knew that his intention wasn’t to tease, he felt his heartbeat quicken anyway. His heart stopped altogether when Terzo finally stood before him clad only in his old speedo. Omega had forgotten that Terzo might need something a bit… roomier, now. The garment managed to somehow be even more enticing than before, digging a little into his now wider, softer hips and accentuating his plump ass even further. Omega had to resist with every ounce of his strength not to take Terzo right then and there. He was entranced.
“Please stop staring... I know it is too small, I look awful,” Terzo muttered, his flush deepening. Omega moved behind him, slowly running his hands up and down Terzo’s sides.
“You’re so beautiful, Terzo. I wish you wouldn’t feel ashamed of your body. You’re perfect,” Omega assured him, kissing along Terzo’s neck and shoulders. Terzo huffed, clearly not believing him. Reaching out with his quintessence, Omega brushed against Terzo’s mind, asking to be let in; Terzo hummed, yielding easily to the familiar sensation. Omega flooded his own attraction to and desire for his mate through him, although perhaps a little too quickly, he realized, as Terzo swayed on the spot. Omega guided him to the water by the hand once he had steadied, inviting Terzo to join him. It took a long time before they got to the actual swimming part of their excursion. 
They fell into a routine of going to the pool to swim lazy laps every other night, giving Terzo breaks to recover from the exertion. Both his mood and his pain improved immensely. Omega was happy to see Terzo growing more content by the day. By the beginning of July, the two would often simply relax together and watch their kit, able to see particularly strong movements now. Their hearts ached to hold their baby girl in their arms. Less than a month, Omega would often have to remind Terzo. They were so close. 
One evening in late July, while they sat together in one of the ministry’s gardens on a brilliant, cloudless night, admiring a sky that looked so much like the one they got married under all those years ago, something big happened. The pair had been agonizing over their kit’s name for the entirety of Terzo’s pregnancy, adding and crossing off names on their list nearly every day. Nothing seemed to fit, was worthy of such a precious being, but the date was quickly approaching. As Omega was studying Terzo’s face in the celestial glow, thinking about how often that glow had guided their lives, an idea occurred to him. One that ended up sticking this time.
In that moment, Omega knew her name: Starlight.
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ghcstcd · 2 years ago
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the forbidden knowledge I live with that is fluffy void kit Omega
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hollywithghosts · 7 months ago
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Aalto is the sweet little kit of Alkali and SeaGlass.
[go follow a_cardinal.sin on Instagram, Alkali is their OC]
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crowsfinal-thought · 3 months ago
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It’s Written in the Stars
Pt. 1: The Summoning
First fic! This will be following the stories of Orion, Pyxis and Alpha and will have mentions of my other Ghoul OCs
Read on Ao3!
Note: more edits found on Ao3
Panic. That’s all he could feel. Pyxis had vanished, pulled out of his arms by a force greater than him, a Summoning. Someone had summoned his little girl right out of his arms. His panic morphed into rage, the edges of his silhouette blurring. They’d taken his kit, the only thing he’d had left. He wasn’t going to let them take her.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Summoning was going smoothly. They’d opened the portal, they’d found a quintessence ghoul. But something was wrong. Alpha had noticed it first, that milky scent. A kit? There were no kits in the ministry. Then he heard it, the wails coming from a bundle of furs in the center of the summoning circle. Alpha rushed forwards, they’d summoned a kit, and it had survived. Seconding stepped forwards.
“Stay back, ghoul. I will handle this.” Alpha huffed, staring at the little creature. It was definitely quintessence, but it shouldn’t be here. It should be in its nest with its litter and parents.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Orion had heard of the strength someone could muster when their kit was in danger, but he’d never experienced it himself until now. He channeled the energy of the ether, clawing his way through space and time, determined to find Pyxis.
With a final push, he ripped himself into the summoning room, his entire body inky black, covered in the essence of the ether. There were ghouls here, and the rushed to shield a human.. the human carrying his kit. He growled, baring his teeth and pushed past them.
“Give me my kit, before I tear your throat out,” his voice was unrecognizable to him, but he didn’t care. His daughter was his only concern.
The man looked up at the ghoul, holding the kit tighter to himself. He had a stoic face, but Orion could smell the fear seeping for him. “We summoned this kit, she belongs to the ministry” He asked, his voice betraying his facade
“You took her from me, you stole my daughter out of my arms. I don’t care who you are, give me my daughter.”
“Secondo.” a voice spoke, a fire ghoul. “Give him the kit. He will kill everyone in this room, because he sees us as threats to her safety.”
The man hesitated, but handed her over. Orion calmed immediately when he held her, sighing in relief that she was safe. The essence of the Ether slowly seeping from him.
“How did you get here?” Asked the human once he saw Orion was calmed. “We only intended to summon one ghoul.”
“..I followed Pyxis. She called to me, and I found her.” Orion didn’t know behind that. He’d been so blinded with rage and panic that he didn’t know. But he was here now, on earth. Maybe they’d let him stay a while
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cowboybabeop · 8 months ago
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Vault-Tec Vaults; Game Origin & Location
Hi I'm going to back to my "Fallout Blog" roots. Here is a summary of all of the vaults and experiments (starting with a timeline) because I'm insane ^_^ I had to add a weird break bc I literally hit the tumblr character limit, but I used it to section off the major spoilers for the TV series :)
Timeline
The Great War: October 23rd, 2077
Fallout Bible: Compendium of added lore by the creators.
Fallout 76: 2102
Fallout 1: 2161 
Fallout Tactics: 2197
Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel: 2208
Fallout 2: 2241
Fallout 3: 2277
Fallout: New Vegas: 2281
Fallout 4: 2287
Fallout TV Series: 2296
Corporate Vault - Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel - Texas 
A control group vault meant for Vault-Tec employees to continue research, primarily on FEV (Forced Evolutionary Virus) during the war.
Vault 0 - Fallout Tactics - Colorado 
A control group vault with geniuses kept in cryogenic stasis, with their minds interlinked into an entity called The Calculator.
Vault 3 - Fallout: New Vegas - Nevada 
A control vault. Residents ended up opening the vault doors when the lower levels flooded. Eventually the vault was overrun by Fiends.
Vault 4 - Fallout TV series - California 
A test vault that was filled with residents prior to the bombs dropping. Experimentation on human subjects led to most of the original residents being killed in a revolt. In 2296 the vault is still thriving, while kidnapping surface survivors and continuing to experiment on them. The vault offered refuge for many inhabitants of Shady Sands.
Vault 8 (Vault City) - Fallout 2 - Nevada 
A control group vault that remained closed until 2241. Instead of receiving two G.E.C.K. (Garden of Eden Creation Kit) devices, Vault 8 received just one and a replacement water chip that was supposed to go to Vault 13.
Vault 11 - Fallout: New Vegas - Nevada 
Every year the residents were told to sacrifice a fellow resident, with the threat of everyone's death if they did not. In reality, the system would praise them for NOT sacrificing an individual and the vault door would be unlocked. This message finally played after only five residents remained.
Vault 12 - Fallout 1 - California 
A seemingly normal, safe vault with an ulterior motive to study the effects of radiation on the inhabitants. The door never fully sealed, and in 2083 the ghoul residents left to found Necropolis.
Vault 13 - Fallout 1 & Fallout 2- California 
Your home vault as the Vault Dweller. A rather normal vault, however due to a shipping mishap Vault 13 received an additional G.E.C.K. device (that was supposed to go to Vault 8) instead of a replacement water chip. Thus, leaving the Vault Dweller to leave the vault in search for a replacement when their only water chip breaks.
Vault 15 - Fallout 1 & Fallout 2 - California 
A vault that experimented with incredibly diverse ideologies and backgrounds. The vault became severely overpopulated in 2097 and the dwellers decided to open the door. Shady Sands was created using Vault 15's G.E.C.K. and the local raider gangs all have origins from this vault.
Vault 17 - Fallout: New Vegas - Mention Only 
Inhabitants were kidnapped and transformed into Super Mutants. Lily originates from this vault.
Vault 19 - Fallout: New Vegas - Somewhere in CA/NV/AZ/UT 
Paranoia was induced by noises, lights, and segregation. The vault was divided into two sections, Red and Blue, with a separate overseer for each sector.
Vault 21 - Fallout: New Vegas - Nevada 
An almost normal vault, with the exception of a culture and society built around gambling. All major decisions were made through gambling, with the decision to open the doors and become part of New Vegas being "won" in a game of Blackjack.
Vault 22 - Fallout: New Vegas - Somewhere in CA/NV/AZ/UT 
A vault dedicated to studying agriculture. A fungus designed to kill pests on plants became capable of infected human hosts. Vault 22 is curiously green on the outside by the time The Courier arrives at the location.
Vault 24 - Fallout: New Vegas - Mention Only 
Remnants of a Vault 24 jumpsuit are found in the FNV game files.
Vault 27 - Fallout Bible - Mention Only 
A vault designed to be deliberately overcrowded with not enough means to sustain the inhabitants.
Vault 29 - Fallout 76 - Mention Only 
Only children younger than 15 were allowed in this vault, with their parents being sent to other vaults. Harold is believed to originate from this vault.
//TV SHOW SPOILERS//
Vault 31 - Fallout TV Series - California 
Part of 3 interconnected vaults, serving as cryogenic home for the managers and higher ups of Vault-Tec.
Vault 32 - Fallout TV Series - California 
Part of 3 interconnected vaults, serving as a healthy breeding pool for Vault 31 and 33. Somewhere around 2294, Vault 32 failed and the residents resorted to murder, cannibalism, or suicide.
Vault 33 - Fallout TV Series - California 
Lucy MacLean's home vault. Part of 3 interconnected vaults, serving as a healthy breeding pool for Vault 31 and 32.
//END OF TV SHOW SPOILERS//
Vault 36 - Fallout Bible - Mention Only 
The only food in this vault consisted of thin, watery gruel.
Vault 34 - Fallout: New Vegas - Somewhere in CA/NV/AZ/UT 
The vault was purposefully overstocked with guns with the overseer being able to give/deny access to residents. This inevitably led to it's downfall, and those who revolted and raided the armory relocated above as The Boomers in 2231.
Vault 42 - Fallout Bible - Mention Only 
No lightbulbs over 40W were provided.
Vault 43 - Fallout Bible - Mention Only 
A vault containing 20 men, 10 women, and one panther.
Vault 51 - Fallout 76 - West Virginia 
A vault with a supercomputer as the overseer. Interference from the computer led to most of the residents being murdered by other residents.
Vault 53 - Fallout Bible - Mention Only  
Most equipment was designed to break down every few months in order to stress out inhabitants.
Vault 55 - Fallout Bible - Mention Only 
No entertainment tapes were provided.
Vault 56 - Fallout Bible - Mention Only 
The only entertainment tapes provided were of one terrible comedian.
Vault 63 - Fallout 76 - West Virginia 
The inside of the vault remains sealed, with the outside door being all that is accessible to the player character. Other parts of the vault are revealed through cut content.
Vault 65 - Fallout 76 - Mention Only 
Remnants of the vault remain in Fallout 76 cut content.
Vault 68 - Fallout Bible - Mention Only 
The vault contained 999 men and 1 woman.
Vault 69 - Fallout Bible - Mention Only 
The vault contained 999 women and 1 man.
Vault 75 - Fallout 4 - Massachusetts 
A secret experimenting in refining human genetics through selective breeding, genetic modification, and hormonal treatments. The vault's concept was made by Stanislaus Braun.
Vault 76 - Fallout 76 - West Virginia 
The home vault of the player character in 76. It was a control vault, set to open after 25 years. This is when the player character leaves the vault.
Vault 77 - Fallout 3 - Mention Only 
Mentioned by slavers in Paradise Falls, this vault was rumored to only contain one man and a box of puppets.
Vault 79 - Fallout 76 - West Virginia 
A vault dedicated to hoarding the country's gold reserves.
Vault 81 - Fallout 4 - Massachusetts 
Designed to develop a cure for every possible sickness or ailment. Residents were unknowingly sprayed with diseases by nozzles hidden in their rooms. The first vault overseer had thought this to be cruel, cut off the scientists from the rest of the vault and cut the nozzles from spraying residents before the experiments could begin.
Vault 87 - Fallout 3 - Somewhere in VA/PA/MD 
The original vault experiment for 87 was scrapped, and it became a research center for FEV, leaving the vault wildly radioactive and inhabited only by super mutants by the time you access it as the Lone Wanderer.
Vault 88 - Fallout 4 - Massachusetts 
An unfinished vault inhabited by ghouls.
Vault 92 - Fallout 3 - Somewhere in VA/PA/MD 
The best musicians were sent to this vault to "preserve musical talent", but truthfully residents were subjected to subliminal messages mixed into white noise. Eventually some of the musicians went into random, murderous, psychotic rages that led to the end of the experiment.
 Vault 94 - Fallout 76 - West Virginia 
A vault with non-violent faith-centric inhabitants. The vault opened one year later to search for survivors. The vault became overrun by wastelanders and raiders that destroyed their G.E.C.K. and their nuclear reactor. The vault was swarmed with radiation and is now overrun by mirelurks.
Vault 95 - Fallout 4 - Massachusetts 
A vault designed to get people clean and sober. After a successful 5 years, a Vault-Tec agent brought out a hidden stash of drugs for other residents to find.
Vault 96 - Fallout 76 - West Virginia 
A vault with a focus on agriculture, animals, genetics, and mutations. The original residents were killed in a failed escape attempt, and the vault was then used by West-Tek scientist Edgar Blackburn to continue research on FEV.
Vault 100 - Fallout 3 - Mention Only 
Remnants of Vault 100 can be found in game files and cut content.
Vault 101 - Fallout 3 - Somewhere in VA/PA/MD 
The home vault for the Lone Wanderer. This vault was meant to never open and Vault 101 did not receive a G.E.C.K. However, the overseer of the vault pretty quickly broke this rule and occasional survey teams were sent to the surface. Several residents of Megaton are the result of these survey teams. Daddy James found the vault after the birth of the Lone Wanderer and negotiated his doctoral services in exchange for shelter.
Vault 106 - Fallout 3 - Somewhere in VA/PA/MD 
Psychoactive drugs slowly released into the air of Vault 106, causing the vault to be filled with psychotic survivors by the time the Lone Wanderer visits.
Vault 108 - Fallout 3 - Somewhere in VA/PA/MD 
A slew of experiments occurred in this vault. The elected overseer was dying of cancer, the primary power supply of the vault was scheduled to fail after 20 years, the backup power supply would not be enough to power ALL of the vault, the vault was given three times the normal amount of weapons, and the vault was not given entertainment. With a majority of scientists, one of the inner experiments involved repeatedly cloning the same man... Gary.
Vault 111 - Fallout 4 - Massachusetts 
Your home vault as the Sole Survivor. All residents were meant to unknowingly stay in cryostasis, with scientists overlooking them. However, conflicts arose among those unfrozen, leading to the vault door eventually being opened.
Vault 112 - Fallout 3 - Somewhere in VA/PA/MD 
Residents lived in a virtual reality simulation to create their "perfect life" with their overseer, Stanislaus Braun, a scientist who proceeded to use the residents as playthings. Braun continuously murdered residents, then wiped their memories and reset the simulation.
Vault 114 - Fallout 4 - Massachusetts
 An unfinished vault meant for only the wealthy. Vault-Tec exaggerated the luxury of the vault, gave residents very small rooms, communal bathing and dining areas, and a homeless drug-addicted overseer named Soup Can Harry.
Vault 118 - Fallout 4 - Maine 
An Unfinished Vault meant to house both a handful of ultra-rich and hundreds of working class individuals to observe how they would interact within the same space.
Vault 120 - Fallout 4 & Fallout 76 - Mention Only 
The vault itself was meant to mimic the underwater atmosphere of Bioshock. The game was cut from Fallout 4, but remnants can be found in Fallout 76 game files.
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thehypnone · 7 months ago
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absolution live 2017/2023
here I am with my over 1,5k word autistic ramble about the differences between absolution live from 2017 and 2023. at the end there is an audio file of both versions put together, if anyone would be interested in that. it sound very cool heh
also tags for people who showed interest in this: @forest-rot @ghuleh-recs @counting-eyerolls @ngnt-writes @ghnosis @rain-ghoul-appreciator @sister-rosemary-marie
anyway, under the cut
I will start with an analysis of instruments and players separately, one by one, and then I’ll talk about the whole thing a little bit. Also I’m using only ghoul names in there, but when I’m talking about styles and skills I obviously mean the unmasked folks.
Both in 2017 and 2023 we have Mountain on drums, which gives us a very fun comparison opportunity. In 2017 he goes heavy on the cymbals—according to the original version of the song—but it makes the whole thing a bit too crashy and too clogged. The drums are very widely mixed and set—slightly focused on the left side following the stage layout from then—but I think the cymbals could be a bit quieter in comparison to the actual drums, especially the floor tom. In general we can hear how smaller Mountain’s kit was in 2017. In 2023 the entire drum part is sharper and deeper, more bassy and it’s focused more in the middle. The way it feels to me, in 2017 the drums are the background and in 2023 they are the core. Mountain has better fills in 2023, he obviously got more comfortable just jamming in there and having fun over the years.
Dewdrop on bass in 2017; we can hear (or at least I can) that he is not a bassist. He scrapes his pick on the strings a lot which is connected to him being primarily a guitarist—it’s about the picking hand placement and angle. The bass is pretty quiet and it has overdrive on it. It helps conceal his buzzing a little bit, because it happens a fair amount for Dewdrop. Again—bass is not his main instrument. We can also hear exactly when he slams it, like we know he loves doing. In general sometimes he’s quieter and sometimes he’s louder and it’s mostly caused by his picking; how he angles his hand in certain moments and how much strength he puts into it. At the end he goes absolutely feral. Not surprising.
Rain in 2023 is amazing. He’s very skilled, and it’s a huge shame Ghost doesn’t have any songs that could really allow him to show off. He hit his cue a bit too fast at one point, but it might as well be intentional. He’s so much clearer and cleaner, both due to his skills and the settings. Rain has more drop, he most likely has his bass on a different pickup setup than Dewdrop, plus they used different basses—Rain’s with additional mods. One of those mods is a very heavy bridge—Badass Bass—and I bet we can thank that piece for the sustain and note definition in Rain’s playing. In general it flows more, fits into the whole image better. His changes in volume are controlled, not accidental like it happens for Dewdrop. Rain puts more slides, tiny additions and note changes into his live playing, it makes it a bit more lively to me. He’s put perfectly in the middle, nicely blended with the drums.
Unfortunately there isn’t much I can say about Ifrit, Dewdrop, Aether and Phantom mainly because “Absolution” isn’t really a guitar focused song and so it isn't the best song to compare guitar skills, either. The most interesting part—guitar wise—is the solo and little fills on the rhythm now and then.
Ifrit is very precise, I couldn’t hear any mistakes from him, but also the lead is surprisingly quiet in general. His palm muting is on spot, pull-offs and hammer-ons both in the chorus and the solo are very clean and he is simply a pro, he’s got super skills and I wish we could’ve gotten more (</3). He makes the whole song as lively as his stage personality, it sounds flowy but packed with emotions and still so precise it hurts.
Dewdrop’s sound is way better, though he and Ifrit are close skill wise. The difference between Hagstrom Fantomen and Fender Stratocaster is a big one, the main aspect that we can hear is the sharpness of the former and more grounded sound of the latter. Those two guitars also have a very different pickup arrangements—Dew’s strat has SSS (3x single-coils) pickups and he uses the bridge one (which is a Seymour Duncan Hot Rail), and the Fantomen’s has HH (two humbuckers that can be slip, but as far as I’m aware no ghoul used that feature), also with the bridge one used more frequently. In “Absolution” Dewdrop doesn’t add very much—as he does to some other songs—so it’s pretty much the same as the original version. There are small differences that inherently come with his style and that is what makes his version differ from both Ifrit’s and the album's, but it’s all very slight. Dew also makes a very good use of his pedals, mainly wah—especially at the end.
Aether is a bit off tempo in some parts. He plays well, mostly clean, but we can pick out some slight mistakes—mostly sounds that aren’t supposed to be there. His palm muting is a bit too light. He goes heavy on the pick which makes his part of the solo a bit sharp (especially that he’s playing the higher harmony) and square-ish. The sharpness is, again, something we can partially blame on the Fantomen. Only partially because both Ifrit and Phantom prove that it’s manageable. 
Phantom is very clean, he adds a lot of slides which is a feature of his personal style. Said style of his is very lively and fun, to me it sounds and feels like a slinky (don’t laugh at me it’s the autism). He’s more fluid both in the solo and the rest of the song than Aether, but makes one—barely noticeable—mistake in the solo where he misses a note.
Also Phantom and Dewdrop in 2023 are more in sync than Aether and Ifrit in 2017. For whatever reason.
Now keyboard; Zephyr goes absolutely ham on the keys, but it is a piano song so that’s not only understandable, but also desirable, I would say. Key’s are in the right ear with slight migration to the middle when it matters, again according to the stage layout. Their precision and speed and overall skill is insane, the ending when they go wild is the most impressive part, because the song itself doesn’t give many opportunities. If you haven’t seen a video of Zephyr playing that ending you gotta do it now because it really is insane (RIP to that Nord Stage 2 though). The synth fill before the solo in 2017 is played back, in 2023 it’s played live by Cirrus.
In 2023 Cirrus plays the main chorus keyboard part, it can be heard easily on the left side (so once again stage layout accordingly). It’s clean and precise, she’s also very skilled, but unfortunately doesn’t really show off at the end like Zephyr does. Cumulus plays some chords before the solo while Cirrus plays the synth fill.
Vocals are not my thing so I’m only going to say what most of us can hear; Terzo is very nasal, but cleaner, and sings a bit higher. Clear pronunciation, good flow. It’s closest to Tobias’ normal singing voice. Copia is even more nasal, more growly and raspy. They’re both, obviously, in the middle in case of mixing.
Backing vocals in 2017 are all play-back for obvious reasons—pretty simple, taken straight off of the album recording. It’s put on the left, but it could be more favorable in the middle. 2023 is way more spectacular thanks to—mainly—the backing vocals. They are 90% Aurora and Cumulus, with lower levels of Cirrus and barely anything of Swiss. He’s louder by the end. I’m still conflicted about the growls—if it is Swiss or Papa’s play-back—but it’s a great addition that was very mild in 2017’s play-back. The backing vocals are on the sides, accordingly to the stage layout. It all just adds more spice, I adore them.
Sound engineering and mixing is so much better in 2023. We can easily tie it to the budget (though I’d like to “blame” it on Hayden’s part in the engineering, he’s a mastermind, too). The sound is much clearer and fluid than in 2017, it highlights all the instruments perfectly at the same time. Mixing in 2017 is more blunt, it’s a bit duller and some changes in volumes and placements of instruments could—or even should—be made. It doesn’t mean 2017 sucks—far from it—it’s just a technical difference which actually warms my heart if we look at how far has Ghost come. So, once again, considering the budget in 2017 vs. 2023 it’s all understandable. Also the crowd sound control in 2023 is very fun; it makes a great use of all the yelling causing the whole song to sound warmer and fuller.
Both 2017 and 2023 are on the exact same tempo, they can be put over each other perfectly (which I did). They slide apart at the end and the break before the outro is longer in 2023. The 2023 outro itself is pretty boring in comparison to 2017, most likely because in 2023 it’s not a closing song. Below there’s both “Absolutions” over each other; 2023 in the left and 2017 in the right headphone.
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forlorn-crows · 8 months ago
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𝒎𝒖𝒔𝒉𝒚 𝒎𝒂𝒚 𝒅𝒂𝒚 14: 𝒔𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒃𝒂𝒃𝒚 𝒕𝒂𝒍𝒌
pairing(s): mountain/cumulus words: 829
special shoutout to @belle--ofthebrawl for the original inspo for this prompt. cause we all want snackies from a big schweepy guy <3
“Luluuu . . .” Mountain’s congested voice carries weakly down the hallway. The bed creaks as he no doubt flops over to the other side of the mattress where she once was, his whine of disappointment sounding soon after. The air ghoulette shakes her head, pushing the door open. 
“What’s wrong, sunflower?” she coos, placing the steaming mug of honey green tea onto the nightstand. 
Mountain’s face scrunches up into a frown, eyes squeezing shut. His cheeks bare imprints of his pillow, and when he lifts his head up she can see his upper lip is shiny with mucus, and the corner of his mouth coated in drool. His ear flicks at the disheveled hair falling over it.
“You lef’ me,” he mumbles. “Woke up and you weren’ cuddlin’ me.” Clearly, he’s still highly feverish, if his combination mumbling/whining is anything to go by.
Cumulus just smiles. She thinks it’s cute, Mountain complaining like a human man with a cold. He’d never be so whiny otherwise.
“I went to get you more tea, baby,” she soothes, whipping up a cool breeze to waft over his forehead. He hums and plops his chin down onto the pillows. Cumulus huffs a laugh and sits down beside him. “You were snoring up a storm, didn’t think you’d wake up before I got back.” 
“Hmpf.” Mountain tosses the blanket over his head and turns around dramatically, pretending to shut her off. 
“I bring you tea, and this is the thanks I get?” she says, mock offended. 
There’s a pause. The earth ghoul peeks his head around his shoulder, side-eyeing her and the mug. “ . . . wha’ kind?”
Cumulus smiles softly. Leans in a little like she’s telling a secret. “Green tea with honey. A lemon slice. Don’t tell anyone, but I also put a dash of honeysuckle syrup in it, because I know my baby loves it.”
Mountain trills, ears perking up. “Gimme,�� he demands, shuffling to sit up against the approximately five different pillows he’d stashed for optimal sleeping. He holds his hands out and scrunches them in the air. Cumulus hands the mug to him carefully to make sure he doesn’t drop it.
“Aethe warmed the water for me, so if it’s too hot, I’m innocent,” she chirps.
Mountain’s mouth turns down and his eyebrows turn up in the middle. “Aww,” he says appreciatively. He smiles down at the steaming liquid. “Aef . . .” 
“You know he always has to help.” 
Mountain hums in agreement. He takes an experimental sip, groaning when the hot tea slides easily down his throat. He takes a big gulp and closes his eyes after, sighing heavily and smiling at the ceiling. “Yummy,” he compliments. “‘S nice. Warm.” 
“I’m glad, baby,” she lilts, running her nails through his hair. It earns her a happy rumble, Mountain’s tail pitching up the blankets where it’s buried under the many layers. They share a pleasant, quiet moment: Mountain sipping on his tea and Cumulus scritching in all his favorite places. 
The peace of it is nearly broken, however, when Mountain’s eyes start to droop, and he nearly tips the mug over into his lap when his grip starts to go as lax as his jaw. 
“Oh!—hun, you’re gonna—” the air ghoulette saves the mug just before it slips from his fingers, hardly spilling a drop. 
Mountain snorts and jolts his head upright. “Huh?” 
“Didn’t want you to spill,” she says, setting the mug back onto the nightstand. “Sleepy boy.”
He blinks slowly, eyes lingering shut for just long enough that Cumulus is momentarily convinced he’s fallen right back asleep sitting up. “You made me seepy,” he accuses. Leaving out the ‘l’ like a kit unable to pronounce it any other way. 
Cumulus cuddles up, tucking him back into the blankets and pulling him to her chest. “Maybe seepy pup needs his rest then,” she says softly, scritching around his horns this time. He grumbles, but goes down easily. “There you go, baby,” she smiles. The grumble turns into a purr soon enough anyway, so it’s safe to say it was all token protest. 
Mountain mumbles something, twisting his body so he faces her instead. He looks up at her expectantly, despite the fact he aimed all of his words directly into her belly. 
“Yeees?” 
There’s that pout again, fever-addled brain continuing to render him as hopelessly cute. “Kissy, Lus,” he says, as if she heard him perfectly clear the first time. He wriggles his face closer to hers. 
“You’re sick. Nooo kissy on the lips.” She boops him on the nose with her finger. “You may have an air kiss, and I’ll make it feel just like the real thing.”
Mountain grumbles again, squinting at her.
“Sicky equals no kissy. I promise you as many kisses as you want when you’re better, okay, baby?”
The earth ghoul flops onto his back with a sigh. The end of it catches in his throat, though, and he’s sent into a coughing fit, squashing any further complaints. 
𝒑𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒓 𝒓𝒆𝒃𝒍𝒐𝒈𝒈𝒊𝒏𝒈 ✿
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ourfatherwhoartinhell · 6 months ago
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Love, Eternal // [Part II]
Pairing | Phantom x Sister!Reader
Word count | 881
⚠️ Warnings | Reader uses she/her pronouns, (y/n) is used once. There is a small ritual scene. TW for murder ghouls, blood, injuries, assault, violence, and death.
Plot Summary: Today was Phantom's summoning day, a special occasion akin to a birthday. Eager to surprise him with a homemade cake, you realize you're missing ingredients and head into town. On the way back, you encounter trouble with some members of the Catholic church that changes the course of your life in the Ministry - and with Phantom - forever.
A/N: I'm so sorry Phantom, no one deserved this. It was supposed to be a fluffy birthday fic I swear!
[Prev] [Next]
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“Peace be upon you, Sister. If we can even call you that.”
Glaring over your shoulder, you saw two members from the Catholic church up the road approach behind you. They loved to take turns hanging around the front gate and tormenting the Siblings. The first nuisance was a few inches taller than the other, both still being larger in stature than yourself. The taller one was thinner in frame, with short curly hair. While the smaller one clearly hit the gym, his biceps straining against a shirt you knew was definitely a size too small.
“Where’s your gang of freaks? I thought you people always had guard dogs when you went to town?”
You just ignored them, as you were taught to do, and kept walking. The sound of their shoes on the gravel getting louder and louder. Their pace hurried as they continued to stalk behind you.
“C’mon, we just wanna talk!” The taller one yelled. 
“Yeah! We want to convert!” The shorter one snickered, “you wouldn’t turn away willing converts would you?”
You suddenly stopped in your tracks, unwilling to put up with their taunts any longer. They were not going to ruin Phantom’s big day. 
“You know what–” 
Unfortunately, as you spun around to confront them, they happened to be a lot closer than you originally thought. The taller one already making his way behind you. His shorter accomplice roughly grabbing the bag off your shoulder and laughing as he threw it on the ground, crushing the newly bought ingredients under his boot. The purple food colouring appearing black in the moonlight as it splattered over the stones of the driveway, not unlike blood.
The shorter assailant grabbed your wrists and held them tightly behind your back with ease. The taller fiend wrapped his arm across your collarbone and around your neck, holding you still. You tried to wiggle and break free, you tried to bite or scream but a hand quickly found its way over your mouth as a third man slowly approached. 
The third assailant was different from the other two, clearly the leader of this gang. He was a larger, well-built man with short hair you thought to be blonde (though it was too dark to really tell). His hairstyle looked like it belonged at a country club. His face was covered with a black bandana, leaving only his hazel eyes visible under the night sky. He stood before you and stared, not a single emotion to be found on his face as he adjusted the black leather gloves, placing brass knuckles through the fingers of his right hand.
You shut your eyes, tears beginning to fall down your cheeks. Silently pleading, no... desperately praying you were close enough to the Abbey for somebody to hear your muffled screams.
Swiss and Rain were slowly running out of ideas to keep Phantom distracted. Taking care of the small ghoul, in general, was as bad as trying to look after a kit. However, because it was his summoning day, he was insufferable - and they were powerless to do anything about it. 
The two ghouls in charge of him looked at one another, silently wondering what was taking you so long. You had been gone for over 2.5 hours and they both knew it only took an hour to get to town and back. Shrugging it off, they figured you had forgotten to tell them you were back and went straight to the kitchen instead, to avoid further delays to Phantom’s surprise.
Midway through enthusiastically telling the older ghouls a ‘fascinating’ story, Phantom suddenly froze. His nose pointed high as he sniffed the air, tail twitching as he looked around with worried eyes.
“Guys,” he said, looking at his brothers with a concerned expression. “I think (y/n) is in trouble.”
Swiss casually leaned back into the couch, “Ha, that’s a good one! I don’t smell anything except for the kitchen staff whipping up some mean lamb chops for dinner. I know you’re itching to see her, she’s probably just busy, Bug.”
“Trust me, she hasn’t forgotten.” Rain chimes in.
Phantom squeezed his eyes shut as he exhaled in frustration. Sniffing around again to confirm his suspicion, his tail went rigid as he picked up that strange scent once again. 
“No, I’m serious, something's not right. I have to go.” He said before rushing out of the den, following a faint wisp of your scent mixed with fear…
And blood.
Swiss and Rain immediately jumped up, not smelling anything out of the ordinary themselves, and ran after the spooked ghoul. Passing by Dewdrop, they dragged him along just in case the young ghoul was right. Dew was more than happy to tag along if it meant the possibility of discarding some ungrateful souls.
Phantom, well ahead of his packmates, threw open the large double doors of the Ministry and jumped over the front steps. The gravel spitting behind him as he sped down the driveway, your scent growing stronger with each step.
He skidded to a halt as he saw your visibly lifeless body laying near the gated entrance of the Abbey. Quickly making his way to your side, he gently picked you up and cradled your broken body in his lap. Ignoring the pain of the rocks and stones cutting into his legs, he attempted to calm his breathing once he noticed the rise and fall of your chest. Thank the dark Father you were still alive.
“Oh, Satan,” he choked out, his lavender eyes welling with tears as your face turned towards him. Your one eye swollen shut and your face adorned with all kinds of bruises and cuts.  Blood decorating your face like a painting and seeping through your outfit onto the gravel underneath.
“Hi,” you wheezed, trying to force a smile through the swelling.
“I can fix this,” Phantom sobbed as he frantically looked at the extent of your injuries. “I can fix you. You’re going to be just fine. Aether has been teaching me a lot, I know I can fix this,” he rambled.
Phantom’s violet Quintessent glow illuminated under his grey skin as he carefully ran his hand over your many wounds. The smaller cuts closing and reopening as he worked against his emotions. He placed his hand with the utmost care over a large cut on your cheek and forcefully shut his tear soaked eyes. Willing the Dark One to give him the power he needed to save you as he felt your essence begin to slowly slip through his fingers.
The other ghouls halted their run, looking on in horror as they saw the scene before them.
“Help me, please!” Phantom screamed in anguish.
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thelampisaflashlight · 9 months ago
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Thinkin' 'bout ghouls bein' raised from kits on the surface. Like, all the pack ghouls were born topside except for the originals, they were summoned, and the rest were, like, the result of humans "mingling" with demons and such, or those first ghouls deciding to make their own little families.
For example, Omega, despite having been around for the longest out of the known ghouls, was born topside to ghoul parents, and was raised amongst humans, and so was Aether, but Aeon was the result of a human and a ghoul having a baby together, which is why he's smaller than the others.
Sunny is a human/ghoul hybrid, who only learned about her demonic nature as an adult, because she was adopted and didn't display any outward signs until much later.
Dew was born to human parents, but with demonic ancestry, so he also grew up not knowing about his heritage like Sunny did, but he found out purely by accident, since his powers were dormant until he partook in a ritual.
Rain always knew/came out very much looking like a kit when he was born, and was taught how to glamour himself early on as a result.
And, my last thought on this for the evening; Mountain was born and raised on the abbey's grounds, so there are a LOT of pictures of him as a kit floating around the place.
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selkiechild4998 · 5 months ago
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And Im back with ghoul head cannons! This time building off one of my previous posts on ghoul kits but this time, I wanna talk about the ghouls I think were born topside!
So first up, I immediately think Omega was born topside. His mother and father were one of Nihil’s original ghouls. I can also imagine Omega has an older brother born topside as well (totally not a Ocs I made). It was funny when Omega was first born since quintessence ghoulettes separated from their packs around a week before they are due, then stay hidden away for six months to ensure the safety of their voidlings. Omega’s mother made her nest within the bell tower of the Grand Church and a unlucky brother of sin (rip Mikey you will be missed) found her. Omega was born a few days after Terzo was born and he was a runt, and his mother didn’t think he’d survived the first few days. But we know Omega did survive and grew to be one of the biggest ghouls in the Ministry!
Now, the next ghoul I like to think was born topside is Ifrit! He’s just such a ball of good vibes and energy, he doesn’t match up with the other grumpy fire ghouls! What I think happened with him is that he was born topside but the fire ghoulette rejected him. This also ties into some headcannons I have for Secondo but thats for another post. Long story short, Secondo got Ifrit to take care off and raise! It was then the Ministry most likely learned the hard way that there is a mountain’s worth of differences when it comes to raising a ghoul kit than a human baby!
The last ghouls I can see possibly being born topside is a tie between Rain or Phantom, but I lean more towards Phantom because I love that silly little bat! I’m still workshopping those headcannons though so I’ll make a post in the future going over them!
Till next post x3
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genderlessghoul · 1 year ago
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A bit of Phantom headcanon with a side of Dew angst at the end.
Phantom was never meant to be Aether's replacement. He knew the rhythm guitar parts, yes, but that was required of him as a Quintessence ghoul living at the Ministry. He also knew drums, as expected of him for being part Earth ghoul.
He was originally only summoned to help around the Ministry when Copia first started touring in 2018. Quite a few new ghouls were summoned back then to make up for the 7 ghouls the Cardinal decided to take on the road with him. Such a large number made a big gap in the ghoul staff, not to mention all the ghouls who decided to go back to the Pit after the little... Accident... With the 3 previous Papas.
Ghouls are very loyal creatures after all and did not take kindly to the news of their favourite humans' departure from the mortal realm.
So Phantom learned his part, doing the tasks expected of him around the gardens and the infirmary, spending his free time with a guitar in his hand or sitting behind a drum kit. And he'd wait for the touring ghouls to come back. They'd be back with trinkets from various countries as gifts for their friends and lovers, and of course a thousand tales from the road.
Phantom could spend hours listening to Dewdrop talking about his and Aether's antics on stage, about the adrenaline rush, about the screams and adorations from the fans, the precious gift that were made for them. He'd watch the way all of them came back closer to each other than when they left. He loved them all but it's oh so hard to carve yourself a place when all the touring ghouls have been so tightly knit together by their adventures.
He longed for the stage, for the attention and adoration of the crowd, for the chance to see the world and serve his Lord in such a special way. But more than anything he longed for that bond shared between all of them.
It wasn't the same at the Ministry. Yes he had ghouls he cared for but they would barely speak in a day, all too busy with the chores appointed to them. And they would spend most of their free times alone in their room, trying to relax in whichever way they could.
His heartbreak only grew stronger when Sunshine, one of the ghoulettes who was summoned around the same time as him, got to join the band. Because they were able to make extra space for another hell creature but it wasn't him. He desperately craved to be a part of the band and he knew he could never share those feelings because that would be asking for Mountain or Aether to leave and he simply wouldn't do it. Could never do it.
Aether's always been very intuitive about other people's feelings. It's a blessing and sometimes curse that comes with his elemental affiliation. He sees the way the small ghoul looks up in awe at him and his pack. The way he's hung on their words when they tell him stories. He can almost hear the other ghoul's heart ripping when he watches his mates interacting in the closest ways.
Aether's the one who goes to Imperator and asks her to take him out of the Ghost project. Touring is fun and all but he's not getting any younger and those bus bunks, sleepless nights and rough mornings are really starting to take a toll on his old bones. Maybe she could find him a place in the infirmary? He's even willing to just sit around and do taxes all day. Surely they would have no hard time replacing him, they already have this Phantom guy who knows his part. Oh and if it could stay a secret between them, he doesn't want his mates to worry about him.
Phantom is both ecstatic and terrified at the news, what if he's not good enough? What if his bandmates hate him? What if the fans hate him? What if he disappoints Papa? All of his cares melt away the second he first step into the band practice room. Everyone there is so warm and welcoming, even Aether is there to show him a thing or two. He looks very happy for someone who's just been replaced and has to teach the guy taking his place.
Everyone welcomes him except Dewdrop. Dewdrop never liked change. He didn't like having to take on Ifrit's role, being the only ghoul part Fire still in the Ministry at the time. He didn't like his costume being changed two times. He didn't like when Sunshine first joined them. He doesn't like when new ghouls are summoned, they always want to be all up in his business. More than anything, Dewdrop doesn't like Phantom.
Aether, his Aether, has to leave the band and do taxes all day because Phantom somehow impressed Imperator enough. He's not even that good, he's heard him play before. Nothing that even comes close to Aether.
Dewdrop bottles those feelings and opts fot ignoring Phantom's existence for as long as he can, which happens to be a little after they were officially on the road again.
Dew's had a particularly long day and even longer evening. He's barely slept, he ran out of cigarettes, he misses Aeth and the food is terrible. He keeps missing his cues during the ritual and he knows everyone knows. So when Phantom makes the mistake of accidentally bumping into him in the hallway, every word comes flying out and he's screaming at the poor ghoul before he can even process it.
Why does he has to constantly ruin everything? He can't even keep his shoulders to himself, as to take up everyone else's space. Life would be so much easier if Phantom had just stayed at the Ministry instead of trying to play rockstar. He's clearly not cut out for the road or for Dew's pack so why does he even bother trying? He's supposed to be Aether's replacement but he'll never be him so what's the point?
By the time Dew's voice runs out, both small ghouls are crying. Phantom's shocked by Dew's words and is carried into his locker room by Swiss while the Fire ghoul locks himself in a bathroom.
Aether hears about the incident from Mountain. He gives Dewdrop a call the following day. He explains everything to him and begs him to stop hurting the new ghoul. He wanted Phantom to take his place.
Dewdrop leaves the call a complete mess. He's confused, doesn't know which emotion to feel first. All he knows is a truth he'd rather have never known. Aether wasn't kicked out of the band. Aether left him.
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ofthemorningstars · 9 days ago
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Thank you so much for bringing this scene from my fic A Black Heart to life @puuuders
Terzo and Omega's first child, Starlight, drawing a heart on her Uncle Secondo’s cheek 🖤
I love them so so much 🥺🥺🥺
Support and commission Puders here
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rose-morose · 4 days ago
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well gang, I thinks it's time we had another chat about Kit from Jentry Chau vs the Underworld
this will be a lot less serious than the last post I made, it's less of an analysis and more just me gushing about how neat Chinese mythology is and my love of how it's portrayed in the show
if you only read one of my posts today, you should make it that one which can be found here
there is another post that someone else made about Kit and how his winged portrayal in the intro relates to Chinese mythology that you should totally check out and you can find it here
anyways...
(long spoilers under the cut as per usual)
I'm gonna preface this by mentioning that I am an aroace adult and I mostly hang out with queers, so I find most allo(especially teen hetero allo)romantic relationships to be cringe and weird, so when people are saying that the romance in this show is poorly written, I don't really see any difference between it and other romantic writing so I'll just defer to the popular opinion in this case
anyways, regardless of the quality of the romance, there is one point that everyone seems to agree on, and that is that Kit's violent and threatening behaviour towards Jentry after she rejects him in favor of Michael is seemingly uncharacteristic and entirely out of left field
now personally, I mostly agree and don't necessarily think that it was the best writing choice for his character, but I do think there is a pretty good explanation for this portrayal
so for those of you who don't know, painted skin is not a type or classification of demon in Chinese mythology nor is it the name of a demon, it is instead a reference to a short story titled "畫皮", which in English directly translates to "painted skin" where a single unnamed demon disguises itself as different humans by wearing painted skin over its demonic form
so a quick summary of the story is that a man finds an attractive homeless woman and agrees to let her stay with him and they have sex, his wife is upset by this affair but he won't change his mind, then one day he finds the door to his home locked, but when peering through a window he sees the pretty woman's skin with attractive features painted on to it separate from a horrible ghoul looking monstrous demon, the man panics and gets a charm to ward off demons from a Taoist priest but it doesn't work, enraged by the man's attempt to ward it off the demon kills him and rips out his heart, it then flees and pretends to be an elderly servant where the man's wife and the Taoist priest find it and kill it, then the man's wife brings him back to life somehow
now Kit's character being based off this story would of course draw many parallels between him and the demon from the story
he is seductive and manipulative, he is afraid of showing his true form, he pretends to be an attractive human to get what he wants, he becomes enraged when he isn't accepted, he dies at the end of the story, and he has historically killed people that do not accept him because he isn't human
setting his character aside, if you were purely going for a parallel to the original story, Kit's enraged and violent behaviour towards Jentry actually makes a lot of sense
however in this case, Kit is not exactly the same as the demon from the story, he is motivated by a want to be human, despite the fact that he has killed humans for centuries his method of killing is far less gruesome and impulsive, he requires qi from other living creatures to survive, he doesn't turn to smoke when he dies, he (mostly) voluntarily reveals his true form to Jentry, he never physically harms Jentry, and he does have actual feelings for Jentry (I actually can't remember if the original demon had feelings for the man but I don't think it did)
so while his behaviour makes sense when drawing parallels to the story, not having the context of the story and solely relying on information from the show makes it seem completely out of nowhere
and like I said, I think the show probably should have made this one of the parallels of the story that they ignored and it would have been better for his character to not be this toxic, but it doesn't ruin the show and is laregely resolved (but not necessarily justified or made up for) by Kit's sacrifice to save Jentry's life
additionally, since the original short story is the only recorded case of a demon wearing painted skin, I'm not sure if Kit is supposed to be the original demon or not
the demon's death at the end of the story would imply otherwise, but the fact that Kit has lived for centuries would place him in the right timeline for being the same demon, and the implication that it seems like he is the only one of his kind (I don't think his "parents" were meant to be painted skin demons but then again there is an entire painted skin entry in gugu's bestiary so maybe he isn't the only one) leaves no other options, and this all seems especially plausible if the story teller was exaggerating true events
and while the story demon is largely femme presenting in contrast to Kit's typical masc presentation (even in demon form), his ability to change his voice and appearance to match Jentry would imply that gender identity and sex are not limiting factors to his transformation
anyways I just thought it was a fun thing to think about, and it could explain certain writing choices that made less sense to the audience
I just love Chinese mythology and I love this show and how it uses that mythology to create complex and interesting stories and characters
not to mention the fact that I love the subversion of the "femme fatale"/"sexually promiscuous women are evil" trope/theme by instead making a (seemingly) male character also seductive and able to use his attractive features to manipulate people, and the idea that seductive and manipulative people are shown to in fact also be people that have their own complex motivations and dilemmas and who, despite their selfish behaviour, are not inherently "evil"
I mean, Kit even uses his looks to manipulate the fandom into not examining his character in an objective light /lh (just a joke please don't hurt me)
honeymoon phase still isn't over, so I still won't be examining this show quite in an objective light yet, but maybe one day...
anyways, thanks for putting up with my rambling, I love any opportunity to educate people on Chinese culture and mythology and this show is the perfect excuse to do just that
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its-in-the-woods · 5 months ago
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The Woman Who Couldn’t Die Part 10
master list
Part 1 , Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9,
Pairing: The Ghoul/Cooper Howard x Original Character
Synopsis: An eerily familiar call rang into the woods. Her whole body stiffened at the call, the missing digit on her left hand screaming like they were fresh.
MINOR GET OUT. Rating/Warning: This is based on Fallout expect typical horror as well as: Blo0d, G0re, Death, Bodily injury, mentions of SH, death, drugs use, soft!cooper, angst, slow burn, hurt/comfort, Dead dove,
Note: that I will not be spoiling any of the reading. I will keep my tags relevant without spoiling what is happening in the story.
*here we are ten chapters in, think we've hit our halfway point.
*lots of angst, can't say there won't be more
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
By the time they found the small shack to hole up in the sun was nearly gone, the Ghoul kept himself busy making a fire. Trying his best not to think too hard about his breakdown with Jade, avoiding the emotional turmoil that had been ringing in his ears. No amount of chem was going to take the edge off of that. Jade hadn’t said much, just walking beside him, heading west. Her words banging around his head, ringing the bell over and over. 
It had been too many years since he had let someone in, too many years of walking this place alone. All for it to be turned upside down by this tiny killing machine, who liked to hold his hand, and lean into his side. Who refused to back down from just about anything put in front of her. He had half a mind to try and knock her out, and leave. The thought of leaving her here was worse. How do you leave someone? How had he ever left anyone? He was getting too old for this bullshit. At least the fire was going, maybe some warmth and light would make the future look less bleak.  
Turning to look at Jade he saw that she had dug out a sewing kit, a small knife, and metal tweezers on a somewhat clean piece of cloth. His brows furrowed at the sight, wondering what the heck she had planned for the evening. He’d never been much of a masochist, even in this world.
“What’s that for?” The Ghoul gestures at the layout of implements. Jade looking back at him confusion written in the lines of her face. 
“You got shot several times, I figured I could dig them out for you,” Jade said, moving over so he could sit beside her. “It’s got to hurt.”
He stood for a moment longer, before looking down at his chest, there were, in fact, a dozen new holes. He had felt it when the bullets had impacted him, but after that, it was just numbed by the chems like everything else. 
“Ahh-” He sighs, sitting beside her, the fire providing enough light for her to see what needed doing. “Usually the bullets come out on their own. Or I dig them out when they get itchy.” 
Jade’s mouth fell open, eyes narrowing at him.“They just come out on their own?” 
The Ghoul shrugs, pushing his jacket off, dropping the bandoleer on the ground beside him. Noticing how her eyes followed the movement of each piece, trying not to think too much about how it made his teeth clench. “Yah, the Ghoulification process speeds up regeneration. So the shrapnel comes out eventually.”
Her brows scrunch, her eyes going to his vest that was dotted with holes. “Would it heal faster if they were taken out?”
She wasn’t going to let it go, Cooper sighing as he nods, if the shrapnel was out they'd be healed by morning. He still didn't move to remove any clothes, he doesn’t have to. Jade is moving watching him with those brown eyes. Her hands work surprisingly well considering she is missing two on one side. He’d needed to return the favor and check the stitches on her hand. Stim-pak worked incredibly well, but she had still lost two fingers. His stitch job was good, and they should heal fine, but it didn't hurt to check.
“There is nothing pretty under there,” The Ghoul swallows, his heart pounding in his chest as she pushes the vest open, moving to work on the button on the worn blue shirt underneath.
“I would be sorely disappointed if there was,” Jade jested, the firelight making the yellow in her eyes sparkle. The Ghoul’s skin itches to get up and walk away from this situation, to ignore the way his stomach got hot as she moved the clothes off of him.  
The Ghoul stops her on the third button, “I mean it Jade, I’ve been walking around this world for a long time.”
Jade carefully grabs his hand, moving it away from the other buttons, and placing them on the dirt beside him. Continuing to undo the rest, she doesn’t flinch when she peels it open. He’d expected some kind of reaction, something that would make it easier for him to push her away. Instead, she looked more curious than not, his skin underneath isn’t as red, more a marbled mix of tans, pink, and deep red streaks. A patchwork of scars covers his chest, dotted with many new holes. Her fingers run over each, eyes never straying from the work ahead of her. 
His mind wandered to that night she had crawled onto his lap to dig radroach guts out of his nose hole. How she had pressed her body against his, the way she had looked down at him before kissing him. How he’d taken off like a bat out of hell, leaving her there in the dirt. Yet she was still there, reaching for tweezers to work out the shrapnel. 
Cooper dug into his bag and pulled out a small flask of moonshine he kept for occasions like this. Taking a swig he offered some to Jade. She took a small sip, looking directly at him without flinching, before going to work. 
It hurt like a son of s bitch, Jade was careful doing minimal cuts, mostly using the tweezers to grab metal and fabric out of the holes. The Ghoul had less nerves, skin hard and calloused, but the cutting still hurt. Her hands worked steadily as if this was a nightly ritual. He wondered how many times she’d sewn herself up over the year. The Waste is awful, but most still squirm at the sight of bleeding wounds, not Jade. Jade never seemed bothered by anything, wise and hardened well beyond her years. 
Each wound would bleed, Jade instructing him to hold a clean piece of cloth against the hole, before going to the next one. The Ghoul does as she asks, even if it wasn’t necessary. She was bound and determined to care for him, and at the end of the day, he really didn’t mind. He couldn't remember the last time someone took the time to make sure he was okay. As she pulled out the final piece, Jade reached for the sewing kit. 
“No need for stitches, it’ll be closed by mornin’.” The Ghoul states, tossing the cloth onto the fire, before starting to button up his shirt. 
Jade stops him, her hand firmly on his chest. Eyes glancing up at him, he can’t help how he licks his lip, she is pushing him back down. He ain't stopping her, watching as Jade crawls onto his lap, looking down at him. Feeling the weight of her thighs on either side of his hips, the flush of her face made his whole body heat up. Could feel the heat radiate from the center of his body, making him yearn to feel just how hot she was. His hands go to rest on her covered thighs, as her fingers push the material further off his chest. Trying not to move, to not take her the way he wanted to.
The tiny shack they were in wasn't being heated by the fire anymore. Jade leaned down to kiss him again, her lips pressed against him as her fingers moved over the wreckage of his body. Cooper opened his mouth just enough to suck her lip into his, Jade keening, her hips rolling as he licked at it. He tried not to react, letting her set the pace for whatever the hell they were doing. Could feel the way he was reacting, her hips grinding down as she felt him underneath her. Her tongue teases inside his mouth, it felt so good, too good.
The Ghoul pulls away, chest heaving from the sweet taste of her on his tongue. “Jade,” He tries to warn her, but she is more than a little persistent. “Stop.”
He can’t do this, it’s too much, despite the fire brewing in his stomach, he couldn’t let her continue. Being what he was, who he was, they were already in a dangerous spot. There wasn't even a proper bed for either of them. He’d drawn a line, kissing, cuddling, holding hands. Sure. But being intimate, he wasn’t going to cross that. Not here, not in this shitty little shack. Jade might have been made in this land, but she deserved something a little nicer than this. 
“I told you,” Jade said quietly, “I am not a child, you don’t get to make choices for me.” 
Cooper looks away, his hands still lying on her thighs, her hands still warm on his chest. His words were lost somewhere under her fingertips. 
Jade nods, lips tight as she looks away, moving off him. To lean her back against the wall. She looks defeated, bags under her eyes prominent in this lighting. She looked both older and younger at the same time. The Ghoul immediately regretted pushing her away, but at the same time, he didn’t. Whatever was going on between them, now was not the time to move that forward.
“It's okay.” She says quietly, fingers rubbing over the bandage of her hand. “Probably safer not to.”  
He sits up, feeling strangely empty without her at his side. He wants to button up his shirt but doesn’t. Jade had pulled out a sweater making a makeshift pillow from it, before rolling away from him. Her back turned to him feeling like a slap to the face. A slap would have been better than this. Cooper wants to touch her desperately, to pull her back against him, to say he was sorry. That he just needed more time or something. 
Instead, he kicks the fire out. His hand moves to grab his inhaler, they falter and he drops them. Rather he reaches for his jacket instead and covers Jade. She thankfully grabs it and pulls it around her, as he sits beside Jade staring into the black void of the space. 
***
Jade wakes to the early morning light, her sleep having been restless without the comforting heat of the Ghoul. She rolls onto her back, staring at the hole-filled ceiling, at least it hadn't rained on them.  She pushes herself up, doing her usual stretches checking that all her bones and joints are still moved. It's just light enough for her to see what she was doing, the sun’s red rays cutting through the green leaves outside the building. 
Satisfied, she lets herself look around the space more. It was empty of any sign of the Ghoul, beside his jacket that had covered her. Letting out a huff she shoves her sweater into her overflowing pack. Before taking a swig of water as breakfast, pushing herself onto her feet. Jade draping the jacket over her arm to give back to the scar-covered asshole that was her companion. 
Slowly moving herself outside, joints still aching from the ordeal and endless walking. Jade figured that the Ghoul was probably outside sucking chem or checking the path for any activity. Rounding the corner of the shack she checks the narrow pathway, the outside is just as empty as the inside was, Jade looks around the whole building twice just to be sure. He isn't there. Looking left and right trying to see if he is off in the distance somewhere. Nothing. Her heart twists as if she has been stabbed. Mind reeling at the realization that she was alone, the Ghoul was gone. 
Jade is paralyzed with fear, heart trying to bang its way out of her chest. She’s paced up and down the walkway a dozen times now. Nothing. No signs of him, the ground too hard to leave tracks. The birds were too loud to hear footsteps. It all felt so wrong. The morning light is now bright enough to see everything around her.
“Okay Jade, got to pull yourself together,” She says to no one, “How far could he have gone?”
Pacing twice more Jade is torn as to which direction she should be heading. Go back to the crossroads and go south? Would he have gone back that way? She had no idea how far she was from anywhere. This was the furthest she'd ever traveled, it wasn't like she could pull a map out of thin air. The Ghoul had always known these things, he had probably walked these paths hundreds of times considering how old he was. 
A panicked voice in the back of her head screamed that she was being dumped on the side of the road. Jade forced herself to stop moving and really think. Had she been duped? Even after traveling together for two weeks, would he dump her on the side of the road?
“So do I go that way? Do I hole up here? Go back?” None of the ideas appealed to her, none of them made a lot of sense either. 
Why would he leave her here after everything they'd been through? He had ample opportunity to ditch her. The Ghoul could have left her for dead a dozen times, there was no good reason for him to disappear. 
Jade’s mind wandered to the bounty, she'd seen how upset he was last night. The way he'd pinned her and kissed her like he'd never get to again. Tears pricked at her eyes, she wiped at them angrily. Hoping that he hadn't left her out of some form of chivalry, trying to put her out of danger. Which sounded just like something that stupid asshole would do.
An eerily familiar call rang into the woods. Her whole body stiffened at the call, the missing digit on her left hand screaming like they were fresh. The woods silence had her hair standing on end, as gooseflesh rippled over. The creature. Another call, the ringing echoing in her ears. It was coming from southeast of where she stood. Looking ahead of her, Jade realized with a twisting stomach that she needed to head west. She could not risk running into it again, Jade needs to leave. Now. 
Jade stood unsure of what to do or where to go. Her whole body screaming at her to stay. Even though she knew she didn't have a choice. So she heads in the opposite direction of the sun and the scream. West. Their body protested as Jade started to move as fast as she could away from whatever it was. 
***
The Ghoul stood in the doorway staring at the empty space confused. Jade was gone, he’d searched the area, and called out her name several times. There were no signs of struggle, but that didn’t mean shit. She’d taken her stuff and took off, or worse someone had taken her. He kicked some rocks at the thought, feeling stupid that he’d left her here alone.
“Fuck.” The Ghoul breathes out, “No, she’d have fought back. Woulda put up a struggle.”
Rubbing his gloved hands over his face he sighs, realizing that she probably left when she woke up and heard that damn thing shrilling out its call. Or maybe she was just fed up with being turned down by him and took off. He grits his teeth, despite everything he knows, somewhere in the hollowness that is his body, Jade won’t have just left. Staying wouldn’t have been wise either, moving was the best choice. Jade was smart, he just now needed to catch up to her. 
***
The Ghoul had left hours before the sun had come up, after Jade had sat on top of his lap he hadn’t been able to sleep. He also refused to wake her just because he couldn’t shut his eyes for more than five minutes. So he had left, deciding to go back to the crossroad to see if his instincts were tingling in that direction; it had bothered him that Jade hadn’t sensed it when he did. She wasn’t a Ghoul, but she often felt the same things he did. Maybe it was medication, even if it had been a few days since she’d had any. 
As he stood there looking south, the sun starting to light up the endless sea of green, the Ghoul wasn’t feeling much of anything. He was about to turn and go back to tell Jade that he was wrong. When everything went silent. The long eerie call of the creature shook the earth underneath his feet, the distinct sound of trees parting ringing out along the sun's rays. He stayed long enough to try and see if it was close, when he saw nothing he’d turn and go back. Determined to keep putting a large space of distance between him and whatever that thing was. The Ghoul desperately needed to get him and Jade out of this forsaken place. 
***
Jade had started to cry, she wasn’t sure exactly when, but at some point walking along this dust-barren dirt road a damn had broken, She rubs at her eyes feeling ridiculous for the tears that fall. It wasn’t just because she’d left without the Ghoul, it was tears for everything that had happened over the last two years. She missed her Mom, her Dad, her Brahmin, she even missed the old drafty house. Swallowing she did her best not to make too much noise, the last thing she needed was to draw attention to herself. So they rolled down her face, into the dirt and grim from travel making her eyes sting. 
She felt stupid, but Jade couldn’t stay and she couldn’t go towards it either. Instead, she just had to walk away. Maybe she’d stumble across a town, do bar work, or maybe grow things. She rolls her eyes at the thoughts like she’d last a season growing anything. What Jade wanted was the Ghoul, to have him show up, and catch up. To keep being her companion, and teaching her how to bounty hunt.
Pushing her finger against the side of her nose she shot snot onto the ground, it was a gross habit but at least she could breathe now. She wiped at her eyes, pushing down the rest of the sorrow, nothing good would come from the tears. Adjusting her bag she kept moving, even if her footsteps frustrated her. They were loud and uncomfortable. Her mind wandered to the first few days with the Ghoul, and how grumpy he was about everything. How she was sure he’d have left her once they hit the town. Her heart ached at the thought, that crooked grin, the way his eyes shone first thing in the morning. Or during the night as the fire cracked, leaning against his warmth.
She clenched her fist against the straps of her bag. Cursing her own sappy nature feeling like she had made another bad choice in a string of bad choices. Jade’s head is too muddled to make sense of any of it. She kicks at some rocks watching them fly down the road. Listening to it clatter, the noise bouncing off the trees. Almost stopping when she thought she heard her name. Jade kicks another stone down the road, maybe a creature would jump out and eat’er least she won’t be alone anymore.
Jade
This time she did stop, feeling her pulse speed up. It couldn’t be, right? Turning she initially saw nothing, then far off through the filtered light of the trees she saw the unmistakable outline of the Ghoul. The unmistakable outline of that stupid hat and long jacket.
“Jade,” He hollered at her, Jade freezing in place as she heard her name for the third time.  Wondering if maybe this was all a messed-up dream.
He was moving quickly, stride nearly kicking up dirt as he moved towards her. Jade finally found her feet and started to move back towards him. Briefly, wondering if she should draw her weapon and shoot his ass. Not that it would do much, she’d witnessed his regeneration abilities firsthand. The shot would probably piss him off more than anything. Maybe she wanted to piss off, wanted him to snap a little, instead of being this unemotional mass of stone
He was in front of her before she had a chance to pull out a weapon. He stops a few feet away from her, chest heaving under the many layers of clothing. She could make out his eyes, the stupid hat in the way of his face as always. 
“Jade,” He said again, voice fused with warmth around her name as he moved forward, Jade’s body shaking as his arms caught her. Dragging her against his chest. “Fuck, why'd you run off on me.”
Jade pushed back tears burning her eyes, “Me? You’re the one that was gone this morning.”
The Ghoul’s eyes narrowed, “I went t'check on the southern path. To see if we could go thatta'way.”
“So you just left me in the shack? That thing started howling again.” Jade cusses out getting right up into his face. She was pissed, this whole ring around the rosy bullshit was getting old. 
“T'was in the middle of the night,” The Ghoul huffs back, not backing away from her advances. “You can’t see in the dark.”
“So you tell me you’re leaving!” Jade hollered back, not caring what came out of the woods, "You don’t just walk away, what was I s’pposed to do wait to get eaten?”
The Ghoul threw his hands up, “I don't know, maybe the dude who dragged you across a goddamn hallucination-inducing forest would come back for you?”
Jade folds her arms over her chest, still glaring back at him, “This isn’t the first time you ditched me.”
Letting out a breathe, looking away from her, the Ghoul's face tightened with anger at her dismissive, but true, words, "Fuckin christ Jade,” 
“I don’t know who the fuck Christ is, but I am not fuckin'im,” Jade was nearly vibrating with anger at this point. He could make up all the excuses he wanted to, but he had still left there alone.
The Ghoul’s head tipped back, a real laugh rolling out of his chest at her comment. Jade was taken aback by the laughter, her anger breaking at the genuine noise. 
“What the fuck you think is funny,” Jade tries to glare at him, but fails, a smile touching the corners of her lips. 
“That’d think Christ would fuck you, I hope some preacher is rollin; in his grave,” The Ghouls smiles, his shoulders relaxing, before he places a finger under her chin and looks right at her. “I am sorry.”
Jade is surprised by the words, looking at him, and feeling like he is being truthful to her. He was sorry, the pain flickering at the corner of his eyes as he watches her. She leans against the leather gloves, soft against her face, the feel softening her even further. 
“You’re right,” He whispers, “Should have woke you, told you I was going.”
“Promise me you will tell me next time,” Jade says equally as quiet, her hand touching against the wrist of his hand that was cupping her face.
He nods, “I promise. Also. Don’t leave me. Kay?”
Jade nods, before wrapping herself around him, not caring anymore that she was now sobbing into his chest. The last two weeks had tested every bit of her, and right now she needs to let it out. The Ghoul hesitated, for a moment, before holding her against him. His hand rubs at the back of her head. She is not sure how long they stay there, but the Ghoul’s shirt is soaking wet, and her face is covered in fluids.
The Ghoul pulls out a mostly clean rag and carefully cleans her face. His brows furrowed as he does so. She sniffles a little, feeling better now that it's out of her system. He tucks the rag away, Jade tries not to think about when the last time it was cleaned. 
He leans down cupping her face with his hands, before leaning down to kiss her, Jade is taken back but doesn’t pull away. If this was the way he said sorry she wasn’t going to complain. He broke away, leaning his forward against hers. 
“Thought I’d lost you,” He whispers against her, eyes closing before he moves away. 
Jade hates him a little for moving, but she lets it go, following behind him, never more happy to see that stupid coat billowing behind him. 
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Chapter Eleven
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blacklight-creature · 7 months ago
Text
☆IF IT ALL BURNS DOWN☆
Chapter 1:
Description: Phantom is summoned that's really it for this chapter
Tw: panic, brief depiction of burns
☆-☆-☆-☆-☆-☆-☆-☆-☆-☆-☆-☆-☆-☆-☆-☆-☆-
Everything was suddenly dark but also blindingly bright it was freezing but also burning hot. It was quite deathly silent all of this happening within moments. Phantom's life in the pit although painful and lonely was familiar.....all of this so violently ripped from his claws in seconds.
Phantom's body was freezing only being covered by a tattered set of trousers, bandages and a shirt. The ground under him was frigid the cold seeping into his bones painfully as he became aware of his surroundings.
He looked around noticing that he was in a stone room that was only lit via candle light surrounding the circle he seemed to be in the middle of.
Adrenaline began to pump through his body as he looked infront of him and saw a man adorned in robes and skeletal paint towering over his body. Instinctively Phantom dashed to the back wall of the room knocking a candle over and onto his tail in the process, shrieking at the pain the flame cause by making contact with the sensitive skin of his tail. He looked back to where the man was and to Phantom's horror saw the figure approaching him. Phantom pressed his back against the cold stone wall hissing aggressively as his frills opened, scales mimicking eye patterns that some butterfly species are known to use to scare off predators, in an attempt to make himself look bigger as his tail lashed defensively.
Phantom made eye contact with the strange skeleton creature who knelt before him. The creature made no indication of aggression looking back at him with an expression with the only explanation too is that of sympathy.
The creature then spoke to Phantom "Hey, hey calm down I'm not going to hurt you little one, just breathe ok"?
Phantom calmed down after a minute or 2 of the man anxiously rambling in an attempt to help the kit, although Phantom was still incredibly suspicious of this unknown perso-
His thoughts were cut off by the man "Oh Satanas I forgot to introduce myself please forgive me for that. My name is Papa Emeritus IV but you can call me Copia" he nervously exclaimed with an even more nervous smile on his painted face. "You are currently in the summoning room, where you have been summoned to serve the dark duties of the Satanic ministry, you will accomplish this by helping around the ministry and performing as rhythm Guitarist for the ghost project!"
Phantom looked at the man he now knew as Copia with a confused gaze although he still nodded as if he had completely understood the man.
Copia smiles at the small quintessence ghoul infront of him "Now my Ghoul I must ask you a few questions if that's ok with you"?
Phantom looks unsure but mumbles a barely audible confirmation in response.
"Alright!" The man happily speaks "I only need to know 2 things off of you for now that being your name and age and don't worry this will only go on your file you can introduce yourself properly to the others later."
Phantom freezes at the mention of other not knowing what Copia could mean by other, but nevertheless tells Copia that his name is Phantom and he is 15 years old.
Copia looks at Phantom with what seems to be concern after the mention of him being 15 but doesn't say anything.
"Now Phantom I am a very busy man sadly, so I cannot show you the sights around the ministry at this moment so I will quickly leave to get a Ghoul who can give you a tour" with that Copia leaves Phantom alone in the summoning room shaking in fear at the thought of their being other Ghouls in the ministry, in the pit other Ghouls were a death sentence let alone a full pack of them. Phantom never had a pack in the pit being kicked out of his original pack at 5 then adopted by another quintessence ghoul a few weeks later who would later die in a fire which left Phantom with the scars that covered half his face turning the purple and blue of his skin bone white these scars also made one of his once bright orange eyes milky and blind. Ever since then its been Phantom alone against the whole of hell. Needless to say he did not like the idea of other Ghouls who could very easily kill hi-
Phantom's panicked thoughts are interrupted yet again by Copia joined by another much larger Ghoul.
The Ghoul in question had multicoloured locks that consisted of bright cyans and warm pinks, contrasting with the honey and copper patternings of their skin.
The Ghoul seemed to have noticed Phantom staring and smiled brightly at him, this appeared to Phantom though more as a snarl in attempt to intimidate him this caused Phantom to sqeak rather embarrassingly.
"Phantom this here is our multi Ghoul Swiss he will be showing you around today" Copia said motioning to the Ghoul who was now waving at Phantom politely.
"Now Seestor wants me to send her even more paperwork so I must go now Ciao!"
Notes: SORRY IF THIS IS BAD THIS IS TGE FIRST FIC IVE EVER PROPERLY WRITEN ALSO REALLY NEW TO TUMBLR SO IDK IF ITS WRITTEN RIGHT
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ask-enso-ghoul · 3 days ago
Text
lore drop
In the pits Enso was a runt. Small skinny and scared of a pebble that sat still for too long. He would always get in fights with other kits over food or a dominance battle where a kit fought another to show they were strong and no one should mess with them. Enso frequently was chosen since he was small and couldn’t fight back. So he has multiple scars from these fights embedded in his like eldritch ghoul form.
Other ghoul adults also didn’t really like him since I see the pits being like survival of the fittest feed the strongest and most promising looking child and let the others fight for food or the right to be seen and cared for. Enzo’s mother was a multi ghoul and his father was an earth ghoul. They both loved each other dearly but weren’t ready for a lot so they kind of pushed him into the wild. His ear was deformed and looks almost broken if you look at it for a short second his tail is the normal shape an earth ghoul would have just his ear was deformed.
when he was summoned he was seconds first ghoul that he had summoned on his own as papa (with help just independently) he truly looked dead. Malnourished, dehydrated , and bleeding in some spots since he had been pulled while other ghouls were attempting to eat him alive. Few chunks of skin were missing but after a couple months of healing he was okay.
Enso originally was meant to be a tour ghoul, (drums but he knows how to play the harp!) but one day Enso and secondo got into a liiiitttllleee disagreement over Enso not preforming his daily chores on time. To which he was in fact he was doing others chores by accident. Enso fought back (probably for the first time ever bros a people pleaser) and Enso revoked his privilege to be a tour ghoul. Making him do paintings of the papas instead.
(I have a hc that every time a new papa or leader of the church or head honcho of the clergy ((in my opinion who are higher in power then the papas)) will have a very sacred ceremony with portraits painted of them in uniform. So Enso was put in that spot before he was also made to do murals in the church.))He did do a few sculptures)
I thinkkk that’s everything currently drawing out a new thing of Enso since the old once don’t really fit him anymore? I also may bring my old oc in his names thunder:3 so maybe!!
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