Have Some Copia Face Studies!!

hello !! i tried to send a request on my fic blog but it wouldn’t let me LOL

ANYWAYS, i read ur Phantom angst w his past and starting from square 1 again and it was so heart breaking, as someone who’s had setbacks like that - i just love how you wrote everyone in that fic so much

i was wondering, and you can totally ignore this if it’s stupid, if you could write about Phantom finally coming out of that and getting better ? i’m a sucker for hurt comfort and wanna see Phantom happy and comfortable with his pack again :)

have a wonderful day/night !! 🦇

Fore sure!

You Came Back To Us. (CW) Phantom/Everyone

CW - Implications of past abuse, sa (but this is a fluff fic!)

Characters: Aether, Dewdrop, Phantom

Divider by @ wrathofrats

The quiet sound of talking bustled in the kitchen and dining room, the pack in their daily routine of getting things started. Mountain stayed at the helm directing Rain and Cirrus for what he needed to cook, Swiss helping to plate each item that was finished, Aether double checking each eating restriction and preference was correct, Dew starting the fixing of the table while just as equally quiet making sure the others made their beds and got the common room cleaned.

It was important to them that they kept their routine, not only setting the pace for that day but feeding ten ghouls was insanity and could quickly become exhausting if not separated equally. Usually, there'd be music playing and humming—but not as of recent. Their little bat who they purposely excluded from working in the mornings to sleep in was still too startled at loud noises.

It had been exactly two months since the 'reign of terror' Aurora called it, Phantom coming face-to-face with his tormentor for the last time. While it had a happy ending, the epilogue didn't. Countless nightmares, regression back to an old headspace, and just an empty look that showed of not only suffering but exhaustion. Phantom had given up completely, relying on his pack to take care of them since they no longer had the desire for anything—even living.

Of course they'd take care of him, they were their mate, their little bug they adored more than anything in this world. When Phantom first became Topside, it was always rocky for a good while, unsure how to approach this scared ghoul that cried and backed away if you dared to get near. Dew knew he didn't make it any better, but they had moved past that. It took so long for their bat to come around, showing their smile and personality, even making friendships with eventual relationships. The pack had worked so hard to influence it, once again with taking care of him.

Just because Phantom lost his progress, didn't mean they'd stop trying again. It was just a set back that with time and patience would be alright again. They'd all been there in some form of way with their own issues and addictions. So, it was important to continue on, show Phantom some normality of routine like before the reign; so that's what they did.

Sunshine had finished first, helping Aether grab each plate and set them down at respective seats. Her smile was contagious, joking under whispers which always got Aether to grab his chest as he laughed, fangs curling past his lips with joy. Aether grabbed a plate that held the design of 'Scream' and a small tumbler with 'Dracula', rolling his eyes at another terrible joke Sunshine made before he walked to a specific door. He used his foot to knock before adjusting the items and letting himself in.

Curled in the corner of his bed, Phantom stayed under the covers but his eyes open to follow Aether's movements. "Good morning cutie!" He had whispered to his successor.

Phantom stayed silent, chewing on his finger but eyes never once leaving Aether as he sat down the items and picked up the barely touched remains of dinner from last night and placed them in a container to the side.

"For your wonderfulness, you have a chicken biscuit with a jelly doughnut. Honestly, bug, I'm jealous of what you got!" Aether teased, sending a wink to the smaller quintessence. "Gonna have to tell our tree out there to make me one too."

The elder showed his palms before getting closer to Phantom, lightly running his magick through his frame, closing his eyes as he searched and felt around. "Your fever dropped, that's good... You hurting anywhere?"

He could feel Phantom rustle, shaking his head no in response. "Good, good."

As he went to move away, Phantom's hand quickly darted out to grab Aether's wrist, the two holding eye contact. "Yes, bug? What's the matter?"

It was silence, Phantom slowly closing his eyes again but his grip on Aether never faltered which made the older quint move to his knees on the floor, letting Phantom do whatever he needed to. He sent a smell of comforting pheromones and his purrs began, equally making Phantom purr in response. It was another minute before Aether felt his ear twitch, their mental link slowly connecting.

"I want a bath..."

"Okay, we can do a bath. Do you want me to get Swiss or Rory?" Aether simply hummed, not denying the smile that came over his face.

Phantom shook again subconsciously. "No, you."

So, with gentle hands, Aether peeled back the multitude of blankets that swallowed Phantom whole and gently went under his knees and back to lift them. Their head butted against his chest, claws slowly kneading on his shirt. They moved to the bathroom where he was carefully stripped, watching the tub get filled with bubbles. Their baby bat held deeper eye bags and his frame much smaller than they'd like, but he was alive. He leaned forwards against Aether who at first took his affection as a response to trauma, trying to move but that idea was replaced as Phantom kept purring and his hands went back to kneading.

Aether was positive Phantom fell asleep in the tub at least twice, once when his nails carefully raked through the different colored strands on Phantom's head, a second once his wash rag started moving in gentle circles. Aether kept whispering where he was moving even if Phantom was lost in their slumber to even hear it, the retired ghoul adjusting to get his lower half and underside so Phantom didn't have to move. He felt terrible waking the poor thing up to get dried off and in a new pair of clothes, heading back to his bed.

"There we go! One clean bat with yummy food waiting for his tummy, how about that!" Aether cooed, carefully laying him back down. A kiss was placed to Phantom's forehead, his purrs never stopping. "Do what you can today, alright? I may have also sneaked you chocolate milk instead of water this morning."

"Thank you."

Body language couldn't lie as the moment Phantom spoke, Aether's tail wagged like no other. He simply smiled with one more kiss before heading out, inhaling sharply and rubbing his misty eyes. The others were waiting patiently for Aether, looking at him with heightened curiosity.

"Sorry, tommy wanted a bath and... He spoke to me." Aether smiled wide again, watching his packs faces light up in return.

The sound of purrs and little chirps began to fill the room, Aether catching the sight of a few of their tails wagging just as much as his. He sat down next to Dewdrop, with once last glance towards the door, before bowing his head as it was Swiss' turn to lead them in prayer. With the pack joining together for a 'nema', only a single fork was picked up before the sound of a door opened.

Heads instantly turned with bodies, smiles returning as Phantom stood in his doorway with his plate and tumbler in hold. He eyed Aether who got the hint and walked over, crouching down to the bat's height and listening to their link. There was a moment of silence before Aether nodded and lifted Phantom with a carefulness as he held his items tightly. The pack assumed them to be returning back to the room, Phantom getting too overwhelmed—but to their surprise, Aether walked towards them. There was a quick rearrangement of Phantom's chair going between his and the pack leader's, Dew taking his items and welcoming him down.

"Hi there, itty bitty." Dew teased, offering his hand which Phantom took. "I'm happy to see your face."

Phantom's ear twitched before his own tiny smile joined, laying his head on Dew's chest. Dew opted out of breakfast to continue being a pillow for his mate, their tails interlinked but slowly helping Phantom sip his drink and even nibble the top part of his biscuit.

Dewdrop cocked his head as he noticed the straw being darker than normal. "Is this water?"

He eyed Aether who simply looked away. "Oh you're terrible!" He teased.

A giggle.

A giggle sounded and Dew looked down at Phantom, his cheeks a light purple and eyes scrunched as he smiled.

"Is that funny to you?" Dew questioned light-heartedly, scoffing as Phantom nodded with another laugh. "Oh you naughty bat, I can't believe you and Aether would conspire against me."

Swiss perked up, pointing his bacon at Dew while covering his mouth as he talked with food in. "Ohh, let the kid be! If I had to drink bathwater every day, I'd go crazy too!"

"Swiss, I'm positive if one of us offered our bathwater we just bathed in for you, you'd drink it like a dying man." Mountain snapped back, causing eruptions of laughter at the table, even Dew couldn't help himself.

"You guys are terrible to me!"

The fire ghoul warmed himself just a bit as he felt Phantom adjust closer, completely laying his body weight against Dew—closing his eyes and starting to knead once more. After the fact, they knew they'd retire Phantom back to his bed from using the bare energy they had, but for now, they enjoyed their tired company as Dew gently rubbed his back.

There was an unspoken agreement to continue talking at a lower tone, letting Phantom peacefully sleep for once but trying to continue their routine. Their bug twitched some before sighing in his sleep, hands gripping Dew's shirt so tightly while they let out a small trill. Dew moved his hand from Phantom's back to the dip behind his ear, slowly rubbing and watching as Phantom's shoulders released again and his purrs kicked up again.

It had been so long since the table was full and the last time anyone heard his mewl-purrs. Oh, how they all missed it so much. Dewdrop couldn't help himself as he gave Phantom's body a light squeeze, his own eyes becoming misty as he held his bat in his arms again like he had prayed and craved for.

Their collective wish had been granted.

FUCK YEAH

thanks to @cirrus-ghoulette for organizing whumpmonth!! also i'm using @wrathofrats beautiful dividers!!

so i wrote this thing a while ago and decided to write some parts of it from someone else's point of view for today :)

Day Four: Scars

TW: blood, violence, scars, vomit

It was hard, harder than Dew thought.

And it might have looked so easy for him but still, it was really hard for him to hate Phantom.

Or at least, it was easy at first.

Dewdrop can see himself in the little quint, he knows that he's a runt just like him, he knows that they both never had packs in the pit, he knows the want, the yearning for a pack.

He knows that they can't give it to Phantom.

He keeps finding reasons to hate him, stupid ones really, he can't hate him for Aether's leaving for long, hasn't ever really.

And maybe it's just because he can still feel the soft skin under his claws, maybe it's because he can still smell Phantom's pain in the air, still can taste it on the tip of his tounge, still can feel his lips moving to form the words "Oh, sorry." that Dewdrop started to look for the new quint ghoul more.

He notices how Phantom doesn't heal himself, and it hurts Dew to think that maybe Phantom thinks that he deserve those scars on his face, but he gives him time.

He keeps watching from afar.

And maybe Dew ignored all those rumors about Phantom getting sent back for his own sake, because it was obvious that Phantom took them to heart, but it'll be okay, Dew knows that this too will pass.

He never got too close, but never took his eyes off of the quint.

Dewdrop was awake, he couldn't really sleep that night, something about not being able to see the stars.

He flinched when he heard Phantom vomiting, his face curling in worry when he smelled the blood.

It's okay though, Phantom will be okay.

Dewdrop never approached the other.

Maybe it's because he knew that Phantom will make it to the end of the tour, maybe it's because he secretly prayed to Satan for the quintessence ghoul.

Maybe that's why he felt that tingle in the back of his head, maybe that's why he knocked on Phantom's door relentlessly.

Maybe that's why he broke it down.

And maybe all what Dew ever saw in Phantom was the same passion to burn without dying that Ifrit saw in him when he was water.

And if Dew promises to the stars that danced on Phantom's floor before fading away to always have Phantom as a part of his pack, well.

It's not like Phantom knows that.

Some people had questions for the new era about how to tell the ghouls apart. So I made a handy flow chart! I hope this helps (:

YouTube

66th GRAMMY Awards Premiere Ceremony

About the Recording Academy / GRAMMYs: Recording Academy is the world's leading society of musical professionals and is dedicated to celebra

Grammy Awards are approaching fast, so here's a kind reminder that metal & rock awards will be, as usual, handed out during the Premiere Ceremony, not the main event. You can watch it on YouTube linked above or live.grammy.com. YouTube should show you the starting time based on your timezone, if you open the vid in the app.

Before the show, the Grammy's website will also have a multicam stream of the red carpet arrivals, so you can keep an eye out on our favourite Swede, in case he attends.

Hyp. Your awesome. Your writing is awesome. Could be kinda awesome if you wrote some good ol' RainDrop in a bit of an enemies to lovers or a classic hate fuck situation? Only awesome if ur feeling it, obviously. If not that's cool. Just thought I'd ask to see if your awesome brain came up with anything 🤭

heheh thank you! i had some lore kinda thoughts and it turned into whatever this is. they're not fucking (yet) here, but the enemies to lover vibe is strong. I hope it's okay :3

(and look at my new divider by the amazing @ghuleh-recs!!!)

“What on earth are you doing with that bass?”

Rain jumps at the harsh voice of the other ghoul. He thought he was alone in the practice room—and maybe he was, but obviously not anymore.

“Playing,” he replies, trying his best to sound sure of himself and confident, but it comes out more as a question.

“Making an even bigger idiot out of yourself than you already are is what you’re doing,” Dewdrop scoffs. Rain tries to ignore that pang of hurt in his chest at his words, but it’s hard when every single day for the last weeks all that the fire ghoul’s been doing is showering him in hate. He thinks he may just about have had enough.

Still, he lacks the courage to do anything about it, anyway. When it comes to flight or fight, Rain chooses the former over and over again.

“I’m just gonna go if you need the room,” he says quietly and turns to put his bass away.

“Sure, go abuse that thing somewhere else.” The water ghoul has no idea what Dewdrop is on about. Maybe he is doing something wrong, but how would he know? He doesn’t have a mentor to teach him like all the other ghouls that were summoned to their pack with him.

Rain sighs, packs the bass and turns to leave with his head hung low.

Before he can actually leave, though, Dewdrop stops him. He stands in front of him with his arms crossed over his chest and he’s glaring up at Rain as if he has expected him to do something else.

“Who told you to pick like that?” he asks. Rain’s eyes are dragged to a wrinkle between his eyebrows. It seems permanent, always there with his frown, but the water ghoul thinks he could actually be really pretty if he just…got rid of that everlasting anger etched in his features.

“No one,” Rain tells him the truth. “I’ve been trying to figure stuff out on my own.”

“Why?” Dewdrop asks, seeming completely oblivious. Rain gets a little confused now, too. He knows the fire ghoul’s history, he knows it should be him teaching him his instrument. Did Dewdrop himself forget?

Suddenly Rain gets bolder.

“Well, I don’t exactly have a teacher,” he says louder, straightening up. “I’m doing my best, unlike someone.”

“The fuck’s that supposed to mean?” Dewdrop growls and takes a step forward. He’s small—way smaller than Rain—but the pure fire in his eyes can intimidate. Still, the water ghoul doesn’t move.

“You know what! You can’t call me an idiot for not being great at something I have zero idea about just because the person who was supposed to teach me decided to…I don’t know, hate me for no reason!”

Dewdrop’s eyebrows shoot up.

He looks like Rain’s words…got to him and the water ghoul doesn’t know how to feel about it. Is it just a calm moment before the storm, is he about to be burned to the ground with Dewdrop’s anger? His anxious brain manages to come up with a multitude of doomsday scenarios in those short moments.

But what happens is so very different from all of those scenarios.

Dewdrop looks down and scoffs as if he’s regretting what he’s about to do, before he swiftly reaches out and grabs Rain’s arms to keep him close when he stands on his tiptoes and presses his burning lips against the water ghoul’s cold ones.

Rain huffs into the kiss in surprise, but quickly finds it…nice. He relaxes and kisses back and it’s getting more and more heated with every second.

A few moments later it’s Rain who begins to peel the other’s clothes off piece by piece. Neither of them knows what happens, it’s like they black out and in the next moment they’re tumbling on the floor naked.

“Fuck me, Rain,” Dewdrop pants and the water ghoul likes the way his own name falls from his lips. His voice is pretty. “Fuck the hate out of me.”

Well, Rain can’t exactly waste a solution to fixing his own problem?

Can he?

Mushy May Day 6: "You're Blushing"

Aeon and Swiss wake up after the first time they spent the night together.

Mushy May is put together by the lovely @forlorn-crows, and the divider was made by the wonderful @ghuleh-recs

This one does get a little suggestive, but other than that, no content warnings

The light filters in through the gap in the blackout curtains, a strip of sun landing square over Aeon's eyes. They whine, shifting as they wake, hissing when they open their eyes, the long injured one stinging in the light.

Aeon turns, burying their face into the warmth underneath them to try and hide from the rising sun when they realize it. Their mattress is a lot warmer than it normally is, even after a full night's worth of their body heat warming it. They open their eyes for real and just barely manage to bite back a squeak.

Swiss's staring down at them, golden eyes half-lidded and almost glowing in the early light, his bottom lip pinned between his fangs. He's been watching them sleep on his chest for Lucifer knows how long. "Mornin', buggy. You sleep well?"

Aeon feels a shudder run down their spine, all the way to the very tip of their tail, at the gruff sound of his voice, raspy with sleep. "Mhm," they hum, all of the memories from the night before filtering into their brain as they wake up a little more.

The way Swiss had wrapped his big hands around their hips. The just this side of pleasant soreness between their thighs. The ache of bruises on their neck and collarbone, trailing down their chest. The way he had made them show him just how flexible they were. The way both of their bodies are still bare, their clothes tossed in a haphazard pile on the floor.

A peal of laughter breaks Aeon out of their reverie. "Oh, I know what you're thinking about. You're blushing, buggy."

They dive back down, burying their face against Swiss's chest as they try to hide the way their face is flushing, probably nearly fluorescent violet at this point. His hand rests at the small of their back, his chest rumbling as he laughs softly.

"Aw, buggy, you slept so good you forgot, huh?" he croons, running a knuckle along the shell of their ear; it flicks against their head.

"Shuddup," they whisper, his chest hair coarse against their cheek. He smells of cinnamon and cloves and honey, and it's so intensely Swiss Aeon could almost cry.

"Nah, you're pretty when you blush. Wanna see it more."

"You're a sap, you know that, Swiss?" Aeon complains, though there's the obvious undercurrent of laughter in their tone.

"Course I do," he says, hand skating up their back to card through their dark hair. Aeon chuffs, shuddering as he gently rakes his claws against their scalp. "No point in hiding how I feel, bug."

He reaches with his other hand, carefully taking their chin between his fingers and tipping their head up. Aeon sputters before he catches their lips with his, soft and tender. When they break, Swiss pushes a strand of hair off of their forehead, and the look on his face is so fond it makes Aeon's chest hurt.

Aeon stretches, tail curling up like a cat as they bare their fangs in a yawn. Swiss curses as he yawns, Aeon's yawn contagious. His hand slides down their back, fingers just barely brushing the base of Aeon's tail. They jolt as electricity races up their spine, almost as if he had dosed them with quintessence, before bursting into laughter.

Swiss grins, nose crinkling up as he smiles. "Thank you for letting me into your bed, Aeon," he says, suddenly serious, but still smiling. "For letting me stay the night."

They chuff, ducking back down to tuck their face into the crook of his neck. He smells the sweetest here, skin warm with sleep. "Would you wanna stay?" They stammer, the blush coming back in full force; they bet Swiss can feel just how hot their cheeks get.

He tilts his head, rubbing one of his horns against Aeon's. "'Course I'd wanna stay," He hums, chuffing into their dark hair. "I had a good night last night, I'd like to do it again."

Aeon's tail wraps around his shin, squeezing the muscle gently, and their eyes flick up to meet his, one violet and the other a milky white. The spade of their tail taps against the mattress. "Me too."

Swiss doesn't reply, just stares down at the quintessence ghoul clinging to his chest, that same warm smile that makes Aeon feel like they're going absolutely insane.

He growls playfully, and Aeon yelps as they're flipped, Swiss leveraging his weight to pin Aeon on their back underneath him. Their chest heaves, staring up at him with wide eyes.

There's a glint in the multi-ghoul's eyes, and Aeon doesn't have a moment to process before Swiss lunges down, blowing a raspberry on the hinge of their jaw, just under their ear.

Aeon cackles, batting at his shoulders as he presses playful kisses up the line of their jaw. They can feel the scrape of his stubble against their skin, the way his cheeks dimple as he can't stop smiling. They don't mind waking up like this. They want to do it again, and again, and again, as long as Swiss will have them.

The way he's kissing them makes them think he wants it just as much.

Tale from the Green Room

Ever wonder what Copia has to say during the pre-Ritual Ghoul meeting? Yeah? Me too!

I feel it goes a little something like this…

The Green Room was noisy and smoky as Papa walked through the door. The Ghouls stopped their conversations as the leader of the Satanic Church cleared his throat to gain their attention.

“All right, my children, we will go on stage soon and here is what I want for tonight. Rain and Dew, I need you two to choke each other at some point. I don’t care when or who goes first, I just want to see hands around your throats at some point.”  

“Sure thing, boss!”, both Ghouls answered.

“Phantom, sweet Phantom. I’m going to need you on your best cat-like behavior. Seems the fangirls go crazy for cats. Oh, and do the bendy thing with Rain.”

Phantom raised his fingers in a mock salute as he continued his preparations for the upcoming Ritual.

“Cumulus, Cirrus, and Princess Aurora, my lovelies. Please just be your awesome self. You ladies know what you need to do.”

The Ghoulettes did not bother to answer as they knew they were awesome.

“Mountain, you are perfect in every way. I just need you to be ready to lead us into the night with your rhythms.”

The gentle giant flushed at his Papa’s praise and continued to fidget with the drumsticks in his hands.

“And last but not least, Swiss, my multi-Ghoul, during Watcher in the Sky, I need you to…”

I got tickets! I'm going to KC in August! I can't believe is spent that much for The Ascended VIP!

Available for pre-order on Apple

Mushy May Day 14 - Silly Baby Talk (Aether/Dew)

Thank you for giving us Mushy May again this year, @forlorn-crows and thank you @ghuleh-recs for the dividers!

Mushy May Day 14 - Silly baby talk, Aether/Dew, no warnings, 701 words. The return of Chicken Nugget!!

Aether closes the door to the bedroom with a weary sigh. He’d just finished a double shift in the infirmary, working through the night and was only just getting back at nearly noon the next day. He makes a beeline for the shower, stopping at the bed where he’s greeted by the sight of Chicken Nugget, their little orange rescue kitten, curled up in a pile of blankets and fast asleep. He leans down to plant a kiss on the kitten’s tiny head, receiving a sleepy little mew in response, before snuggling back down into the soft blanket.

Aether showers and dresses quickly, exhausted and very eager to join Chicken Nugget for afternoon naptime. He’s finishing toweling off his hair when he hears their bedroom door open and shut. Dew must be back from band practice.

As he makes his way to the bathroom door he hears what sounds like the fire ghoul’s voice. He can’t exactly make out what Dew’s saying, but he’s talking with a high-pitched voice in what Aether can only describe as baby talk. A tone he has most certainly never heard coming from the lips of his fiery little mate. He pushes the door open quietly, and hangs back, watching.

There he finds Dew kneeling on the floor and bent over at the edge of their bed, nuzzling his nose into the soft fur of Chicken Nugget’s belly while the little kitten watches him curiously with sleepy eyes.

“Ohhh my cute little nugget, I missed you so,” Dew coos, high-pitched and sweet. He stops his nuzzles in favor of delivering a string of loud smooches to the little kitten’s tummy. Dew coos again, telling Chicken Nugget just how cute he is in that same little baby talk voice. He scratches under the kitten’s chin with a finger before booping him on his little pink nose.

“I love you, sweet little nugget,” Dew says, and Aether could swear that “love” came out sounding a lot more like “wuv.”

Aether has never seen anything cuter in all his life.

But as much as he wants to keep watching this rare little display, he steps out into the room, clearing his throat to let Dew know he’s not alone.

Dew and Chicken Nugget both whip their heads towards Aether, wide-eyed and startled. Aether can’t help but laugh out loud at the similarity of their expressions. 

“If you make fun of me, I’ll kill you,” Dew says, completely deadpan.

Aether places a hand over his heart. “Are you kidding me? Dew, I think I might freaking cry. That was the cutest thing I think I’ve ever seen in my life.” He pretends to wipe a tear from his eye.

Dew grumbles. “Sounds like you’re making fun of me…” He bends down to scoop up the little kitten into his arms, pressing their faces together. “What do you think, CN, is mean old Aether making fun of us?”

Chicken Nugget reaches out with a tiny orange paw to boop Dew on the nose in response.

Aether laughs, “Sorry Dew, looks like he’s taking my side on this one.” 

“Wow, are you two little shits ganging up on me now?” Dew asks in mock outrage.

Aether gasps, covering Chicken Nugget’s fuzzy ears with his hands. “Dew! Don’t cuss in front of our kit!” he jokingly scolds the little fire ghoul with a laugh. 

Dew waves him off, but Aether slings his arm around his shoulders, pulling him to his side. He reaches out to scratch Chicken Nugget behind the ears until he’s purring away happily in Dew’s hands. 

“He really is like our kit, isn’t he Aeth?” Dew contemplates later, snuggling into Aether’s side on top of the blankets. Beside his head, Chicken Nugget kneads at the pillow, very happily getting ready for naptime round two.

“Yeah,” Aether agrees, pressing a soft kiss to Dew’s forehead, then leaning over to give the same to Chicken Nugget. “Think he takes after you more than anything though.”

Dew hums in agreement, and Aether pulls him in close, already falling asleep to the sound of a purring kitten and the warmth of his mate, happily holding his perfect little family in his arms.