#special/cowbell

[ashthewaterghoul]

Phil is a Special Ghoul, not a Multi Ghoul.

He’s meant to be a Multi. Any Ghoul can smell all the Elements on him but for whatever reason, he can only harness his Fire (Hence the Fire symbol on his uniforms).

Similar to humans, people called him “Special” as an insult, purely because he was different.

He felt very inadequate as a Ghoul, not only from his Element situation but because as he learned more of the humans’ languages, he started loosing the ability to speak Ghoulish. And he absolutely struggled with that.

When he was selected to do the PR for the band, thanks to his incredible fluency in the human languages, he cried from pure joy.

For finally having a purpose.

It was Cowbell who helped him love being called a Special Ghoul. Taking all the malice he’d only ever heard behind it, and turning it into love for himself.

Because he wasn’t really a Multi, he only had access to one of his Elements.

He’s Special. And he loves that about himself now.

[mebbrrr]

wanted to get this out before i saw the ghovie and i SUCCEEDED!!!!

GHARTISTS FOR PALESTINE

[thelampisaflashlight]

Psaltarian, entering Copia's office: "Your mother's ghouls keep showing up in the mausoleum and-" Copia, putting down his paperwork: "Seestor-Mother had ghouls?" Psaltarian, holding a whimpering Cowbell and Special by the ears: "Who did you think these two belonged to??" Copia: "The old bastard?" Psaltarian: "No, no, Nihil's ghouls were inherited by Primo." -shaking his head- "At any rate, these two keep trying to climb on top of the coffin and sleep on it, so you need to invest in better locks." Copia, looking at the ghouls: "Why would they do that?" Special, sad: "We miss her..." Cowbell, poking the tips of his fingers together: "...Hungry-" All: "NO!"

[scarecrow-collective]

Do you guys think Aether loved Dew like a poet, how he wrote the fire ghoul pages upon pages of descriptive poetry and bables and hid them away just waiting for the right time to give them to him.

Do you guys think Dew went to clean out Aether's now empty room once he was sent back just to find the box of poetry and letters hidden underneath his bed, do you guys think Dew hates himself for not telling the quintessence ghoul how he felt sooner.

Cause I do, I think about it a lot.

[skele-bunny]

So I seen this post about ghouls just being demonic cats but it made me start thinking LMAO it reminded me of red pandas doing that when they get scared.

Swiss is hard to scare. You can't sneak up on him whatsoever. Since he's a shadow walker he can physically feel someone approaching constantly, and if anything he's the one giving out all the spooks! Just pops his head out to scare someone. He's done it to Rain too many damn times. He'll just turn his head all creepy as the other approaches him with that big smile. "Yesss?" Literally fucking boogyman that has glowing eyes under the bed.

Rain who's susceptible to getting scared easily, but always gets his revenge when they go swimming. See, the fun thing about sirens is you don't know they're there until they're right on you. Cirrus just floating before feeling hands yank her down, screaming only to be cut off from the water. Rain just in a giggling fit as she whines about her hair being wet and coughing out said water. Loves grabbing ankles and hearing shrieks.

The others know better than to scare Mountain as he goes STRAIGHT to fight mode. Aether scared him once during movie night, right at the climax and Mountain shrilled like a teenage girl and whipped around, and socked Aether right in his jaw. He felt TERRIBLE afterwards and just held him so tight EJJSJD. Then Phantom didn't know any better when he hid under the table and grabbed Mountain's hoof... It's impressive that quintessence can reattach teeth after being horse kicked!

Cumulus and Dewdrop who LOVE banding together to freak the others out. When you have a ghoul that loses his face when he's in a true form and a ghoulette that can set the mood juuuust right with ominous wind and croaks? YEAH. Imagine the pure scream Sunshine did when she looked up to see a faceless being staring down at her from the corner of her room. Ohh those two didn't hear the end of it for DAYS.

But also!! Dew who's very sensitive to being scared. Loves horror movies, loves the darks, and gore. But a person scaring him? He'll stiffen up instantly and eventually just start silently crying. Fists clenched SO tight and just staring at the other before he's able to break from his trance and just yell how it wasn't funny, but he'll eventually start laughing about it, too.

Cowbell and Special who are masterminds during Halloween and Halloween only. They're very sweet during the day as it's usually trick-or-treating time with the kits, children and siblings of sin, but nightfall? Ohh it's free range. Bell is tall as FUCK. She knows that very well. Have you ever seen a giant skeletal being standing in the treeline just staring you down and eventually stalking you the further you go in? Phil using the fact he can seperate himself into two... Ever had the shadow in your peripheral look like it's going to touch you but the moment you turn around nothing's there, but then when you turn back around it's right in your face? YEAH!!!

[namelessdumbass]

Meliora/Popestar Ghouls guide

I noticed some people still have trouble telling the Ghouls apart. Specifically Meliora era Ghouls. So i'll try to make things easier for all of you :)

WARNING: lots of text, my silly comments

Happy reading 😏

Learning which symbol/alchemic element (which was Martin Persner's/Omega's idea btw!) belongs to a certain Ghoul is essential:

🜂- Fire, 🜄- Water, 🜁 - Air, 🜃 - Earth, 🜀 - Quintessence. The first Fire Ghoul was also called Alpha and the first Quintessence Ghoul - Omega. Why such names? Because Quintessence/Ether Ghoul had Ω sticker on his guitar and fans started calling him Omega and his counterpart - Alpha. These names just fit them perfectly. Meliora era was unique because neither of previous Papas, nor Cardinal/Papa 4 called Ghouls by their names/elements. Only Papa III did that.

There were few changes of lineups during Era 3 and some Ghouls were given different names by fans. Simply because naming their elements wasn't enough. Examples will be seen below.

Ways to tell them apart when they are on stage:

Their instruments and stickers.

They are placed in certain areas of the stage: Quintessence and Earth on Papa's right, Water in the middle, Air and Fire on Papa's left.

Different body types, eyes, rings, bracelets and tattoos.

The way they behave.

When they are off stage, on promo photos etc just take a look at their chests.

Even though every Ghoul has 5 elements embroidered on their suits, their respective element is highlighted.

HQ pictures are pretty helpful if y'all wanna find your favorite Ghoul.

(from left to right: Air, Earth, Omega/Quintessence, Water and Alpha/Fire)

Also check this video of Papa III introducing Ghouls.

2015 lineup:

Air Ghoul #1. Simply Air. Joined Ghost in 2011. No tattoos, no rings. Usually quite calm on stage, favorite gesture is🤘 . Was the tallest Ghoul till 2017. Had cool keytar solo. Didn't move much.

Pebble aka Earth Ghoul #2. Joined Ghost in June 2015. Smol (yes, smaller than Papa). Has intense stare. Literal beast when it comes to playing drums. Had a special way of throwing sticks to fans (literally footballed them into the crowd lol). Funny one.

Quintessence Ghoul #1 aka Omega. Terzo's favorite Ghoul. His butt was smacked and grabbed by Papa countless times during Year Zero solo. Known for his stomping, graceful guitar playing style, has big silver rings on both hands and pretty eyes. Has the cutest laugh. Did lots of interviews when Special Ghoul wasn't around. Loves Abba. Has been in the band from 2010 till july 2016.

Water Ghoul #4 aka Delta. Slightly shorter than Papa III. Joined in 2015. Sometimes kicks air (literal air, not his fellow Ghoul) on stage, also filled in for Alpha (when he injured his shoulder) and Omega for a few shows. Played rhythm guitar after Omega left. Has no rings, no visible tattoos, but has mad skills. Allegedly he's the one who tried to kick the dude who got on stage and kissed Terzo lol

His regular bass Omega's guitar

Fire Ghoul #1 aka Alpha. Popular among fans. Hangs out with every Ghoul on stage, especially with Water and Pebble. Loves cameras, does✌ a lot, humps his guitar sometimes. Enjoys attention, a bit horny:) Also did a few interviews (mostly with Omega), has strong accent, also speaks Italian. Has rings and tattoos on both hands (had none during era 1 and 2!). Taller than Papa. Joined in 2010, left in november 2016.

2016

Omega left in july, so Water took over rhythm guitar and the first Ghoulette of the Ghost, Mist, was introduced. This lineup toured till the end of the year and nobody returned for Popestar tour in 2017.

Quintessence Ghoul #2. Basically just Water, but with different guitar and highlighted QE symbol on his uniform.

Mist Ghoulette aka Water#5. Tiny💜, unlike Copia's Ghoulettes she wore the same outfit and mask (that looked a bit too big for her) just like other Ghouls. Badass bass player, has a ring, a tattoo on her finger and painted nails. Veeeeery calm. Cute as hell. Alpha liked her a lot.

Fire, Earth and Air Ghouls were same as in 2015:

(from left to right on this picture: Mist, Quintessence #2 (aka Delta/Water Ghoul#4), Alpha/Fire, Earth/Pebble, Air)

2017

All of the previous Ghouls left and the new pack replaced them. If you see Ghouls who are +- same height as Papa, that's them!

(Dewdrop/Water #7, Aether/Quintessence #3, Zephyr/Air #2, Ifrit/Fire #2, Ivy/Earth #3)

Ifrit aka Fire Ghoul #2. Chaotic, hyperactive, Papa's hype man. Same height as Terzo, sweet bean, has wiiiide chest dorito shaped No tattoos, no rings. Spins, dances, jumps a lot. Gets "shot" during Ghuleh/Zombie Queen. No 🜂 sticker on his guitar. Only toured till 2018.

Aether aka Quintessence Ghoul #3. Beefy, jumps a lot, has rings and a bracelet. Always looks friendly. Plain black guitar with no QE symbol. Also pretty active, especially with his pal Ifrit. A bit taller than Papa III. Ran after Terzo when he got gragged off the stage by Papa Nihil's people. Joined in 2017, left in 2022.

P.S. since he's not Omega, his butt was safe during Year Zero solo 🙃

Dewdrop aka Water Ghoul #6 aka Sodo. Smaller than Terzo. Has an aggressive guitar playing style. A bit horny (it got worse). No visible tattoos. Proudly played bass with someone's panties. Syncs with Ifrit and Aether during Ghuleh/Zombie Queen outro. Became Fire Ghoul #3 in 2018. He's still in the Ghost (as of february 2024).

Zephyr aka chAir Ghoul #2. Sits on chair, a lot :) Charming, more active than previous Air ghoul. Loses it during Monstrance Clock, Per Aspera Ad Inferi and Cirice. Could be a great DJ. Almost the same height as Papa. Has a ring. His Mummy Dust keytar solo -[X]. Only toured till 2018.

Ivy aka Earth Ghoul #3. Underrated, many don't know much about him. Was present only during European leg of the Popestar tour (from march till july). Has brown eyes, a tattoo and bracelets. Same height as Ifrit. Wasn't around much, but still did a great job. Was later replaced by Mountain.

Mountain aka Earth Ghoul #4. Joined Ghost in july 2017. The tallest Ghoul. Hates shoes. Has a tattoo on the finger of his right hand, but you won't see shit on photos from this era because he wasn't photographed much and drummers usually get less attention than others in general:/ Quite calm comparing to Pebble. He's still in the band (as of february 2024).

Honorable mentions:

Special Ghoul aka Phil. Has green eyes, speaks Swedish. Did lots of interviews, showed up to grab a few awards for Ghost, worships cats and loves Abba. Literally Papa in disguise (aka Fire Ghoul's uniform and mask). Has been in the shadows since 2017.

Cowbell Ghoul. The myth, the legend. Played cowbell during "Ritual" and "If You Have Ghosts" a few times at the end of the Popestar tour in 2016. Tall, has a posture of a shrimp, always got shooed by Papa. Many want him back.

Aaaand that's it. I hope it was helpful. Thanks for reading :)

🌈👻

[static-kills]

Was inspired by @bloodonmysqueegee to show off all my ghoul designs^^

[upirium]

special bell or whatever it's called. is that the ship name? idk.

trying to branch out on the pairings and ghouls i do

[puppsworld]

Cowbell and Special <3 :3 :D Special cannot know peace when he sits anywhere, Bell just has to dig his elbow into the top of his head.

shout out @dewdrops-whammy-bar for making me think abt these dummies (and also giving me a reason for redesigning bell)

[switchplate-2]

Cause we all would absolutely ride a ghoul or twelve given the chance to!

[farter-imperator]

I think that when Special Ghoul and Cowbell are in the Ministry, they're nonverbal. They just don't like speaking out loud unless necessary.

Instead, they communicate through telepathy.

This often leads to Terzo doing something on his own and then his head is filled with "FATHER I CRAVE SUSTENANCE" and "FATHER PLEASE GRILL ME A CHEESE" until Terzo goes and makes Special and Cowbell some food.

[thehypnone]

Please sir hypno, any spare headcanon for us starving Special/Phil and Cowbell lovers? I will give you my whole pancreas in return /nf /p

absolutely. no need to give me your pancreas

okay so i think they are like the most creechur couple to ever creechur couple in the history of creechhur couple maybe ever

they're like the creeps that lurk in the shadows and it takes ages for anyone to get used to their presence. other ghouls of course adore them and their strangeness but fresh ghouls like phantom or aurora and fresh siblings joining the ministry are walking around with the sense of unease for months

HOWEVER, the truth is that cowbell and special are absolutely adorable and sappy and probably their relationship is probably sickeningly heatlhy. and its all because they found ghouls that understanf their quirks and are not afraid to embrace them and they're just perfect for each other in their weirdness

they just match each other's freak!!!

[thelampisaflashlight]

I present to you, the abbey's weirdest little pack:

Yeah, I ended up going the bird route for Zephyr, and messed around with Special and Cowbell a bit, too.

In the current lore I have for the ghouls, Special is a fallen angel/some other form of demon, not actually a ghoul, and falls somewhere in the uncanny valley in terms of his humanity.

Cowbell is some kind of lion thing.

Anyway.

[scarecrow-collective]

Special who's super anxious to be regressed around anyone?

Absolutely I can do that!! Lil guy Special and Cg Cowbell thoughts below<33

Cw/tw?: none!! Just Anxious Spec!! (With a hint of my DID cowbell headcanon)

Okay starting off Cowbell would be super patient with him, taking their time to work things out with Special and working out a schedule for the both of them. If Special had a bad day, Cowbell would be right by his side ready to baby him and make him feel small.

He'd need loads of reassurance from Bell as he's nervous he's too much for the ghoul to handle, but with the right words Special is little in no time. He would constantly be asking if he's too much, always wondering if he's bothering the big ghoul with how small he is.

But Cowbell loves it and loves to handle the little, Cowbell switches a lot since everyone from his system loves to handle little Special and is always ready and happy to reassure the little ghoul that he isn't too much for them to handle.

Special anxiously bites his nails so Bell has a teether for the little ghoul to bite on so he doesn't hurt himself, it's a little cow, Special said it reminded him of Bell so he got it. Special loves it and it's always in his mouth, or in his hands.

Cowbell knows that Special is anxious when regressing so their door is always locked so Special has free reign to do whatever he pleases, which usually consists of cuddling up to Bell and watching finding Nemo for the upteenth time.

Special is still nervous to use little gear like pacifiers and bottles and sippy cups, but Cowbell has them on hand at all times and is ready to give them to Spec whenever he needs and is ready. Special's favorite pacifier is a decorated one that has a bear in the middle with the words "small cub." On it.

When it's bedtime Cowbell once again reassures Special and praises him for being so brave during it, they lay in bed with a pacifier in Special's mouth and they cuddle til they're both asleep.

Hope this is what you wanted!! Thank you for asking<33

[skele-bunny]

Silly little headcanon I have...

Since Cowbell and Special were summoned as kits and had to learn Ghoulish through books, they have an "accent" when speaking Ghoulish LMAO

Kinda like when a Texan tries speaking Spanish and you can just hear it so clearly wjjsjxj

Teased about it so often, lovingly. Just fuckin;

Special: Yeah, I was raised human but I don't really think it effects how I speak.

Omega: Say fire in Ghoulish.

Special:

[rain-ghoul-appreciator]

ghoul gender headcannons

unless i decide to pull a silly, this is what i generally headcannon the ghouls identities as

under the cut cause theres a lot of these bitches

rain: transmasc nonbinary he/they

dew: libramasc he/him

phantom: transmasc demiboy he/they/it

mountain: genderfluid she/he

swiss: unlabled he/him

aether: bigender (in a agender/male kinda way) he/him

sunshine: transfem librafem she/they

aurora: pangender she/her

cirrus: genderfluid she/they/he

cumulus: girlflux she/her

mist: transmasc agender she/he/they

pebble: transmasc they/them

delta: bigender he/they

omega: nonbinary he/him

zephyr: transmasc genderqueer they/them

ifrit: transmasc he/him

alpha: man he/him

chain: boyflux he/him

lake: transmasc agender he/it

river: nonbinary he/they

cowbell: fucking weirdo they/it

special: also a fucking weirdo he/him

earth: genderqueer they/he

air: unlabled he/him

ivy: transfem they/them

if i forgot someone i will walk into oncoming traffic /j