smgsyndicate

[smgsyndicate]

Little Galaxy Helps

Self indulgent agere fic. Swiss gets and decorated his crutches and is so big and brave for accepting help, although reluctantly <3

Life is hard. That is one of the first things Swiss learned after his summoning. He learned; life is hard, some things are not edible, play your part in the band, obey the clergy, and Canadian Geese are evil. …. Okay, so not everything he learned was on the same level of importance.

The multi woke up today, feeling fine. After sleepily rolling out of bed, haphazardly putting on some clothes, fixing his hair in the bathroom mirror, and walking into the kitchen, he felt good. Feeling more awake now that he’s out of bed, he starts on a simple breakfast for himself. Just a grilled cheese made within a couple of minutes.

Not bothering with a plate, he sits on the couch and scrolls on his phone. Picking a random video off of one of the many streaming services he shares with the other bandmembers, he eats his food while killing time until practice. When he finishes his breakfast, he checks the time. His eyes widen when he sees that he’s going to be late to rehearsal.

Quickly standing up and ignoring the sudden dizziness from the action, he rushes to his room and changes into his uniform in record time. He quickly walks to the practice, breathing a sigh of relief when he sees Copia hasn’t arrived yet. “Hey guys!” He greets, signature smile on his face. A few of them respond but not really with intention of starting conversation.

Swiss gets onto the small stage, setting up his gear and smiling when Copia arrives. Practice is going well. Everyone sounds great working on the songs until Copia starts sectioning them off. He has Rain and Mountain work on their timing together, Swiss occupying himself by fidgeting with his microphone stand.

His legs ache a bit, but he’s fine. He’s made it through long rituals before, surely he can get through a 2 hour practice. As time drags on, he shifts his weight between his legs. His right leg ACHES. But it’s fine. He’s fine! Swiss was MADE for this!

The multi goes to sit down, legs dangling off the edge of the ministage. The pain eases up marginally, definitely bearable now. Copia suddenly claps his hands together, commencing the rehearsal all together. He gets up with a pained hiss but shrugs off the concerned glances with a laugh. “Stubbed my toe.”

The excuse works well enough, not seeming suspicious. The brief moment of rest didn’t erase the pain forever. The pressure on his leg has him digging his nails into his arms as he sings, making sure to sound good as always. He can’t wait for practice to end. Which.. is awful. He loves practice. Loves being with his bandmates. Loves music. Loves his pack.

Practice concludes and the multi feels like he could lay in bed forever. Instantly making his way to his room, hiding any signs of limping near his pack, he sighs in relief and collapses into bed. The pain. It never stops. He lays there for what feels like forever, biting his lip and hugging a pillow to muffle any sounds of pain. Why does it hurt? He’s not DOING anything! It should stop now, right?

A knock at his door makes him whimper, forcing himself to sit up and wipe any evidence of tears that pricked his eyes. Limping to the door before straightening up, he opens it to Aether’s apologetic expression. “Aeth!” He cheers happily, hugging the bigger ghoul.

The quint laughs gently, holding Swiss securely to his chest. “Hello little blade. How’re you?” Any word Swiss wanted to say felt too… harsh? He’s not bad, it’s just his leg. He’s not in PAIN, … well, he is. But that just sounds worrying! He’s not good but… “I’m doing alright! How’re you doing, big guy?”

Nothing gets past quint ghouls. Nothing. “I’m doing well, thank you for asking. And, I brought you a gift.” Swiss blinks in surprise, pulling back a bit to smile and look at Aether. “Is it you?” The guitarist rolls his eyes fondly, smile on his face despite his attempts to fake annoyance. “Something like that.” He reaches towards the wall, grabbing the ‘gift.’

Swiss looks on eagerly, tail wagging a bit before his smile falls. Forearm crutches. Not a gift. Not at all. “I.. know you hate the idea but Mountain told me he could see you in pain and guessed it was your leg and - don’t give me that look - so I brought you these.” The multi frowns, glaring at the offending objects. “No.”

Aether sighs loudly. “I knew you would do this. So I brought some decorative tape for you, so you can customize them! It’ll be fun and make you look sooooo cool with these!” Swiss isn’t buying it. Arms crossed, mouth pulled in a frown, basically pouting at the quint. “Little one..” The rhythm guitarist chides.

With an exaggerated hand expression, he invited the taller ghoul in. “Fine.” He spits with venom in his tone. Aether smiles, lacing his hand with Swiss’. “This is going to be fun!” They sit on the bed together, crutches sat between them and a small box of washi tape in Aether’s hands. “Pick some out, little spark.”

Swiss’ ears lower at the nicknames, feeling the fuzziness of regression creeping up. “Okay… but I’m not gonna like it!” Aether chuckles at the denial, just smiling and gesturing to the colours. In the end, the multi picks out star and space themed ones. Despite his inital hatred of the idea, the lower he dropped, the more he was having fun with this DIY.

When he finishes them, he trills. “Look! Daddy! They like stars n space!” Aether laughs, pulling Swiss close. “Sure are, good job little one! They look amazing, honey… wouldn’t you like to show them off?” Eagerly, the little ghoul agrees before remembering his hatred of the mobility aids. “Nuh uh! M a big strong ghoul! I don’ need them!”

The guitarist tries again. “But you’d look so cool! And you did so well! Im sure Dew would loooveee to see it!” Swiss stares at the designs he put on them. They doooo look really nice… and no one bullies Rainy for anything he uses to feel better…

“Okay..” Aether smiles brightly. “Come on starlight, I’ll help you.” Aether brings some comfy clothes over and helps change the multi into it. Once that’s done, Swiss stands, favouring his left side as Aether helps him secure the crutches. With a little encouragement, the quint holds the door for Swiss to make his way to the living room in hopes of running into Dew. When he gets there, he frowns. No Dew in sight.

“Woah! Those are so pretty!” Swiss perks up, but his tail tucks anyways. The lingering fear of being seen as … weak… still plagues him, big or little. Rain sits on the couch and smiles as he sees the little, complimenting his crutches. “They look so good, starfire! So pretty! Do you wanna tell me about them?” The multi ducks his head, biting at his lip.

Aether gently taps his nose. “No lip biting, little one.” Swiss pouts but stops, swinging his hurting leg a little bit. “Uhm.. they stars. N galaxy…” Rain’s expression softens more, seeing the anxiousness on such a confident ghoul always shatters his heart a bit. “They look amazing, Swissy.” He says honestly. Swiss smiles a little, shy. “Thank you… uhm. Have you seen Dewy? Wann’ show him them.”

The bassist hums, looking up as he thinks. “I’m pretty sure him and Mountain are in the greenhouse.” He says softly, not quite sure if he remembered correctly. Aether walks over to Rain and gives him a quick kiss. “Thank you, rainbow.” The water ghoul purrs, dragging the quint into another kiss. “Anytime.”

Swiss makes an exaggerated sound of disgust. “Yuck. Cooties.” The two big ghouls laugh at the comment as Aether leads Swiss towards the greenhouse. He watches over him carefully, making sure the multi doesn’t fall.

Though kind of Aether, it makes him feel a bit worse. He shouldn’t NEED to be watched. He can feel himself coming out of that little headspace but a gentle forehead kiss from the guitarist eases him back into it a bit. “Almost there, baby.”

Aether holds the door for him, letting Swiss roam the greenhouse in search of Mountain and Dew. He perks up, tail wagging when he sees them. “Dewy! Moun’n!” He chirps, rushing over as best as he can. He lets out a squeak as Mountain picks him up, cautious of the crutches and trying not to aggravate his leg. “Hi little one.” Mountain says softly, kissing Swiss all over the cheek obnoxiously.

Swiss giggles, half-heartedly pushing at his chest. “Stooppppp!” He tries, but the earth ghoul just nuzzles him instead. With a pout on his face, he turns to the fire ghoul. “Dewy!!! Help me!!!” The ghoul in question turns his head and whistles innocently. “I didn’t see anything.” Swiss cries out in indignation, but giggling nonetheless as he’s set down carefully.

“Oh! Dewy! Look at these! M made them myself! … an’ with Aef’s help.” He says shyly, showing off one of his crutches. Dew gasps dramatically. “Those look amazing! You’re so cool! I wish I could be like you!” Swiss trills, tail wagging. “Nuh uh! I wanna be cool like you!” Mountain huffs. “What about me? Not going to show me or call me cool?”

Swiss gasps, horror on his face. “NOOOO! I wann’ show you! See! See!” He moves closer to Mountain, but it was a TRAP! He squeaks as he’s picked up again, but he accepts his fate. Sighing loudly, he rests his head on Mountain’s shoulder as Aether gently takes his crutches away. “Hmph… you cool too..” He mumbles, tired already from the eventful day.

Mountain shushes him gently, bouncing him a little and rubbing soothing circles on his leg. “There, there. It’s alright to rest, little spark. I’ll get you something to help with the pain, okay?” The drummer looks down worriedly when he gets no response but hears Dew snort. “I think he’s fine.” Sure enough, Swiss is fast asleep in the arms of the earth ghoul.

With a fond sigh and a head shake, he makes his way to the multi’s room. He asks Aether to drop off the crutches later, tucking Swiss in to bed for now. Pulling the blankets over him, Mountain presses a gentle hiss to his forehead. “Sleep well, little baby.”

Before he can leave, Swiss peeks his eyes open. Drowsy and half lidded with sleep, he whines. “Stay..?” How could he say no to that? The earth ghoul gets under the covers, pulling the little ghoul onto his chest. “Sleep well.” He repeats in a whisper. The multi nuzzles against his chest, a soft purr leaving him. “Nigh nigh papa… i loves you…” He mumbles sleepily. He’s out like a light before Mountain can respond. With a loving smile on his face, he gently plays with the sleeping ghoul’s hair. “I love you most.”

[smgsyndicate]

for uhm a request, if you're feeling up to it:

regressed swiss feeling a little left out/neglected/anxious and maybe mountain finding a way to spend time with him to cheer him up?

feel free to ignore this if it's too much of a bother !! sorry if it comes off as weird or anything, I'm still a bit new to interacting with this so I'm not... 100% sure how to word things properly <:(

-🪼

I'm sorry this took literally forever. I hope it's ok

Cw: Swiss' bpd, big feelings (based on my own bpd and thoughts I have often)

It happens out of nowhere and all at once. He's in the den with the other littles and he'd been happily watching Powerpuff girls on tv but then…it hit. They are all playing together, laughing and having a great time. Rain is drawing while Dew scribbles and Phantom is building blocks for their shark to knock over.

But Swiss is alone. No one asked him to come play. And sure, maybe he could go ask to get involved, ask if he can play too but…maybe they just don't want him, maybe they didn't ask because they don't like him and don't want him to play with them.

He's too big, too loud, too much .. maybe he scares them.

Swiss feels his eyes water and he blinks hard to clear the tears, clenching his teeth against an outburst that he wants to aim at himself. It wouldn't help anything and they'd definitely be scared of him if he did that.

He stands and storms out of the room and doubts anyone even notices. Aurora was in the kitchen making them lunch and he doubts she will care that he's up and gone, it's probably better that way. It'll probably be a relief to her that he left.

He wanders outside, not able to care that he should probably tell someone. He wants to be alone, he needs to be to shake off the feeling of being unwanted. The tears bubble up again but this time he lets them fall as he kicks the grass as he walks.

He doesn't have a destination in mind, maybe he'll just walk forever and disappear.

He wipes his face on the sleeve of his hoodie, the fabric soft from being so old, it was one of Mountain's and it was swiss’ favorite. Without realizing it he starts heading for the greenhouse.

He doesn't blame them for not wanting him around, he doesn't even want to be around himself most of the time…still hurts though when he sees how much they love each other and he's just sitting on the outside like a shadow.

He cries harder, he never should have been summoned.

He trips over a stone sticking out of the path and lands hard on his knee and he can't stop the tears now. He can't even run away right! He's so stu-

“Spark?”

Swiss covers his face with his hands, still sobbing as mountain gets closer. He hadn't realized how close he'd gotten to the greenhouse.

“I thought I heard something.” Mountain kneels close. “What's going on?”

He shakes his head and grits his teeth, sniffling and trying to stop crying like a baby.

“Can I take a look at your knee? Sounded like you went down pretty hard.”

And he did fall pretty hard so he just shrugs and let's Mountain gently work his pant leg up.

“Ouch. Can you come with me to get this cleaned up?”

“M’ not goin back…” ‘Ever’ hangs in the air.

“That's ok, I have everything we need in here.” He smiles as he stands, reaching his hand out to the little ghoul.

Swiss hesitates before taking it and letting himself be pulled up to his feet. Mountain doesn't let go of his hand as they walk…well hobble toward the greenhouse.

Mountain gets Swiss seated comfortably and grabs everything he needs, switching on the radio as he passes it.

“Ok, let's get that cleaned up and bandaged so your pants don't stick to it.”

He works in silence for a bit, making sure to be as gentle as he can, apologizing any time Swiss winces. Eventually he breaks the silence.

“Do you want to talk about it, spark? I'm happy to listen.”

“No one likes me!” He blurts out. “They aren't my friends.”

Mountain tilts his head. “I like you and I consider you my friend.”

“The little ones they don't….I can't…”

“It's ok.” Mountain holds onto his shoulders to steady him. “Can we take some big breaths together?”

They breathe together for a moment until Swiss isn't so close to panic.

“I'm always by myself. I don't think anyone really wants me around. I'm just…here.”

“We all want you around. I know you can't believe that right now because your brain is lying to you but we love you, you're such an important part of our family.”

“I don't think so. Wouldn't even notice if I was gone.”

“Who do you think texted me that you left? Aurora was so worried when she couldn't find you. Dew tattled on you, he pointed at the door.”

Swiss bites his cheek against a little smile before Mountain takes his hands and gets serious again.

“We notice you, we want you around, always. You're so so loved and important. I'm sorry that sometimes it's hard to see that, I understand, but I promise you we wouldn't be complete if you weren't here, wisp.”

He collapses into mountain's arms, crying into his shoulder. He still can't believe it and the words feel overwhelming and all he can do is cry.

Mountain let's him, rubbing his back in soothing circles. He doesn't talk, he just let's Swiss feel his feelings without him adding more to the mix.

He rocks gently until the little ghoul starts to calm down.

“Feeling a little better?”

He shrugs again. His head hurts and he still feels heavy but being with Mountain helps.

“Want to help me in here for a bit? I've got little sprouts ready to move into bigger homes.”

“What if I mess up?”

“You won't. You're always really good at helping. I trust you.”

Swiss brightens a little at that and nods, letting mountain lead him to the table. He shows him what he needs to do and they work side by side peacefully.

Swiss talks after awhile, hands dirty from the soil. “Mount?”

“Yes?”

“Thank you for always seeing me.”

He hugs him tight, kissing the top of his braided hair. “We all see you. You're our spark.”

[smgsyndicate]

Perpetua meets baby dew

He's on a mission. He'd been napping on the couch, swaddled in a blanket and safely cocooned in pillows while Aether sat in one of the rocking chairs reading. He manages to break out of the swaddle pretty easily and he peeks over the pillows at Aeth who seems completely consumed by his book.

Dew wiggles until he can climb over the pillows and quickly crawls as fast as he can toward the door which is thankfully not shut all the way.

He of course doesn't see Aether shake his head with a fond little smile as he sets his book down to follow behind the baby.

His little hands slap against the floor as he goes, despite being able to walk now he still prefers to crawl, he's faster that way. He looks around when he gets to the stairs and Aether steps out of his line of sight and hears him giggle. He turns the way he's been taught, bum first as he carefully navigates down the steps.

He pauses at the bottom, distracted by a shiny little pebble. Aether watches him poke it around for a bit, picking it up and then tossing it, clapping as it bounces across the room.

Dew seems to remember he had a plan and continues on his way. Aether knows exactly where he's going and he's already texted Copia to let him know Dew's on his way.

The little ghoul pauses again, this time to wave at the siblings and the sisters that are scuttling about doing their duties. The sisters coo at him and he blows kisses before he starts moving again, ignoring the audience that watches him until he's out of their view. The sisters giggle when Aether passes, acting as the baby's shadow without him even knowing it.

Aether can't help but laugh to himself as he watches the determined little ghoul. It amazes him how easily he navigates the way down to Fraters office without getting lost or confused. He knows exactly where he's going.

He thinks he could follow him around all day and be entertained the entire time.

He stays back once Dew gets closer to Copias office, the door cracked and waiting for the little ghouls arrival. Aether smiles at his chubby little hand pushing the door open and crawling in like he owns the place, then he heads back up to his book.

Dew giggles once he's in, crawling directly to Copia but pausung when he sees Perpetua in one of the chairs. He sits and stairs for a long moment, head tilted as he takes in the new man in Papa's office. He crawls over to Copia and lifts his arms.

“Up p'ease!”

He smiles and happily obliges, lifting the tiny ghoul up onto his lap. The baby keeps peeking at the other man, a little scrunch between his brows.

“Speak of the Devil!” Copia laughs, kissing Dew's fuzzy little head. “We were just talking about you, amorino!”

“Me!” He cheers, clapping his hands.

Perpetua smiles at the little ghoul, making notes in his mind about his personality when he's like this versus when he's big.

The baby waves at him, a little backwards but the gesture is understood regardless.

He waves back, whispering a little ‘hello’ just loud enough for him to hear.

“Dew is the youngest of the littles, he's also the most adventurous! Don't be surprised to have a little visitor popping in randomly.” Copia laughs.

“Me Dew.”

“Yes, you're Dew.”

Perpetua can't help the little laugh that bubbles past his lips, the baby is very serious in his introduction.

“It's nice to meet you, Dew.”

Copia points at him. “That's papa Perpetua. You'll be seeing him a lot.”

“Papa peepa!”

They both laugh at the name, both smiling at the babys excitement.

“That's right.”

He seems to think about that, turning to lay his head on Copias shoulder.

“You papa. Mine.”

“I'm still here, just like Terzo and Secondo. We aren't going away. You just get a new Papa too! That means more fun!”

He peeks at Perpetua again who has gone quiet, a slight unease on his face. Dew wiggles until Copia let's him down and he crawls over, raising his arms to the new papa.

He looks almost panicked but Copia encourages with a smile until he scoops the baby up as carefully as he can manage.

“Peepa.” He looks at all the shiny bits on his robes, poking at the grucifix, gasping as it sparkles in the light. “Petty!”

“It's very pretty.” His voice is strained and he feels himself slipping into his silent space.

Copia notices. “He knows sign. He babbles with his hands but he'll know what you're saying. They all do.”

He nods, it's good to know but he's trying to move past it as best as he can.

Dew touches his face and giggles. “Peepa papa!”

He smiles and nods. “That's me.”

He stays in the office while they continue their meeting. He plays with pens, coloring on a sheet of paper, babbling along with them like he's an active part of the conversation.

Copias glad it was Dew first, the sweet little ghoul just has a way with everyone, able to put them at ease. It was exactly what Perpetua needed in that moment.

He eventually crawls over and has Perpetua pick him up again, laying his head on his shoulder, letting his soft, gentle voice lull him into an almost nap. Just contently laying there with his new papa.

[smgsyndicate]

#Phanter Cuddle Buddies Master Post!

Basically all the main parts to it so people aren't having to scroll the entire tag lol

Tag page

The original headcanon

The Full Story (one shot/ramble)

The other Ghouls' reactions to the separation

Copia's perspective/mental state

A small insight to some post-reunion healing

Phantom touring post-reunion

Some anon art

Shitty little sketch I did lol

Fluffy onesie cuteness

Fluffy vacation cuteness

A small coping mechanism for them

During the Re-Imperatour when Copia thought he was gonna die

Pro-Memoria (one shot)

More on Copia's mental state

Feral Phantom

Some mild confusion amongst humans

Feral Dew

Some post-reunion tour hurt/comfort

Phone-free tour

More anon art

Phantom listening to Impera to hear Copia's voice

Tensions that cause a falling out

#phanter playlist on Spotify

Stargazing

Matching rings

Kit thoughts

Fucked up Perpetua

Satanized mv

More fucked up Perpetua and a little clarification

Copia's tummy

[smgsyndicate]

Mountain: I am the dirt you step on and the trees you rest under. I am everything you see around you. I’ve been here long before you were even thought of. I’ve seen countless wither and fade away and I will be here until everything turns to dust.

Perpetua: All I did was ask how long you’ve been in the band…

[smgsyndicate]

[smgsyndicate]

This this this this this this th-

PHANTOM WITH HERDING INSTINCTS!

I repeat!

PHANTOM WITH HERDING INSTINCTS!

[smgsyndicate]

Phantom Ghoul Cookie... CRK and Ghost crossover episode when?!?!?

Phantom Ghoul Con Clavi Con Dio

[smgsyndicate]

Oh ok . So you WANT me to cry at work? I see . (I agree though, that's so cool of a name and idea)

So...if we get a new water ghoul... petition to call them Petrichor?

Because it's what comes after rain...so it makes sense right?

[smgsyndicate]

This isn't anything, this is EVERYTHING

Zephyr calls Cirrus their owlet and Cumulus their dove is this anything

[smgsyndicate]

This is so cute I'm so obsessed with Dew being so kind and ougjhh<3

hi moon,

i've been in a lot of pain and have had a very long, very stressful day. plus, i've started having small accidents recently and it's very embarrassin and upsettin :(

could i maybe request some hurt/comfort? maybe comfort after a little has been havin accidents, more than usual?

m kinda little and i got a headache so i hope this all makes sense <3

-🪬

I hope this turned out ok 🩷

Cw: accidents, Rain's embarrassed and upset

The first time it happens he doesn't say anything to anyone. It's gotta be a fluke, a weird one time thing, surely it'll never happen again. He cleans up his bed and goes about his day as normal, doing what he can despite the pain he's in.

The next time it happens he wakes up little and in too much pain to move quickly and he cries while he strips the sheets and hides them under his bed to deal with when he's big. He cries on the floor for a while, his legs laid out in front of him as the mess starts to cool on his sleep pants.

He's embarrassed. He can't believe this has happened again all because his stupid legs weren't made right! He can't even reach Basil from where he sits so he sobs alone until he's able to scoot toward his closet to grab something to change into.

It's not like he's a baby not like Dew is sometimes. He's bigger than that, he should be able to deal with stuff like this. He bets it's never happened to Mountain, he probably never has accidents and maybe that's why he's Dews favorite, maybe Dew knew about it somehow, maybe he knew and was grossed out and wouldn't want anything to do with Rain anymore!

He only makes himself cry harder but eventually he gets changed and hides his jammies with his sheets under the bed. He gives himself a few minutes before he slowly leaves his room on wobbly legs.

He's partly glad that it's not Dew that finds him but Swiss. The multi scoops him up with a kiss to his cheek and carries him down the stairs, setting him softly in his wheelchair without having to ask if Rain needs it, he just knows.

He makes it into the kitchen and almost leaves when he sees Mountain standing there making his tea and talking to Dew. He's at least glad he's not small…

Mountain smiles when he sees him. “Good morning, minnow.”

He looks away and says nothing, the mean thoughts still bouncing around his head. Mountain tilts his head.

“Would you like breakfast?”

“No.” His little voice is harsh and he feels himself glaring but he can't make it stop.

Dew stands in front of him. “Someone is a little crab this morning. What's going on?”

“Nothin.”

Dew kneels and Mountain finishes quickly. “Have a good day minnow, I love you.”

It almost makes the thoughts worse, why's mountain so perfect! It's not fair! He's always nice and kind, he never makes a fuss, he takes care of everyone and everything even when he's little he takes the most care of his stuffies.

Rain's mean and he isn't made right and basil had to get stitches because he didn't take proper care-

“Did you hear me?”

He shakes his head. “No…”

“What's going on, you know you can talk to me.”

He shifts uncomfortably in his chair before he blurts something out. “You like mountain better than me!”

He knows that's not really the issue but it's easier to think about that than what he's actually upset about…

“What are you talking about, amour? I love you both. No more or less than the other. I love the whole pack.”

“But he's your favorite cause he's good and he doesn't make mistakes and he's always nice!”

Dew takes his hands gently into his. “Where is this coming from bébe?”

“M’not a baby! Don't call me that!”

Dew sits back on his feet. “Would you like to talk right now or do you need some time alone to cool off?”

He doesn't really want to be alone but he knows he'll only get angrier. “Alone.”

“Can I help you up to your room or would you like someone else?”

He bites his lip to hold back the tears. “You.”

“Thank you.” Dew lifts him from his chair and carries him back to his room. “I'm going to bring you up some breakfast ok? You need to eat.”

“Ok…”

“I'll be close when you're ready to talk.”

Dew brings up his breakfast shortly after and reminds him that he loves him with a kiss on the top of his head and he leaves to give Rain his space.

He eats and he cuddles with Basil. He doesn't mean to fall back to sleep but he does and when he wakes up he's warm with his face pressed into dews side.

He panics and tries to get up but he knows he's not going to make it.

“Dew-”

He wails when it happens, big tears on his cheeks, red from embarrassment.

Dew sighs and holds his hand. “It's ok. It's ok, amour.”

“I'm sorry! I didn't mean to! My legs-Im…” He trails off in tears.

“Is this what had you so upset this morning? You could have told me, you don't have to hide.”

“But it's yucky and I'm not a baby I..I just can't move fast and…and Mountain's your favorite cause he's never yucky like me!"

“Hey, you're not yucky, things happen. It's not your fault your legs aren't working right now. There's ways around it, my love and it doesn't make me love you less. I don't love mountain more than you so get that mean thought out of your head.”

Dew helps him get cleaned up and rain sheepishly shows him the sheets and jammies under the bed. Dew gathers them up and tosses them down the laundry shoot to deal with later. He texts Aether and asks if he can grab some pull ups from the infirmary in Rain's size.

The quint leaves them at the door to not make Rain more uncomfortable and Dew thanks him through text. Rain isn't sure at first, scrunching his nose at the thought but they have sea creatures and they look like normal undies…just a bit thicker.

He gets them on under his clean jammies and sits on his bed with Basil. “Do I have to wear them all the time?”

“Up to you. You wear them whenever you feel like it. No one else even has to know. It's just easier than having to wash sheets all the time because laundry is really boring.”

He laughs a little at that, grown up jobs really are boring. “Maybe just when my legs hurt real bad…”

“That's a good idea.”

“Dew?”

“Yes?”

“I should say sorry to Mount…”

“You should. Want me to take you to him?”

“Will he…will he know about…” He gestures vaguely to himself.

“Not unless you tell him.”

He nods and allows Dew to carry him to find Mountain. He's back in the kitchen and Rain's secretly glad he's inside, it's cold out and he really didn't want to go out there.

He smiles at the pair and nibbles at his sandwich.

“Hi mountain…”

“Hi minnow.”

“I'm…I'm very sorry for this morning.”

The giant ruffles his hair gently. “Thank you. It's ok, I have grumpy mornings too.”

“You do?”

“Oh yeah! Lots, ask Dew!” He laughs.

Dew nods. “He can definitely be a cranky pants!”

It makes him feel a little better to know that. He gets a hug from Mountain and he clings a little longer than he really need to but mountain doesn't rush him.

They eat lunch together and Mountain leaves after to go idk his chores. Rain snuggles on the couch with Dew, clinging to him with his eyes closed.

“Dew? Thank you for always knowing what to do to help us.”

He laughs a little and kisses the top of his head. “That's my job.”

“And thank you for being able to love all of us so much.”

Dew holds him a little tighter. “Well that parts easy, we've got the best pack.”

[smgsyndicate]

TRANSCRIPT: Terzo talking about the Nameless Ghouls during "If You Have Ghosts" (acoustic version) interlude 🎸🎸🎸

this is a compilation of Papa III's speeches after the guitar solo in If You Have Ghosts. these speeches are notable for being the source of many popular clips where Terzo says a bunch of horny stuff about Omega, Alpha, and Water. he also introduces Earth and Air before the song starts, but i did not include those parts.

here are some highlights / notes:

All that horny stuff Terzo says about the Ghouls was him joking about things he allegedly heard the audience saying.

Omega was originally just called Aether / Quintessence, and Alpha was originally just called Fire. 'Omega' and 'Alpha' were nicknames given to them by fans, and Terzo was initially confused by those nicknames because he did not call them that.

Terzo describes Alpha receiving his nickname as him being christened at one concert and 'un-christened' at a different concert 😂

Terzo's nicknames for Omega include 'Mister Quintessence' and 'The Giant from Gistad', referencing Omega's (real-life) place of origin, Gistad, a locality outside Linköping.

Terzo called Water 'A Nameless Ghoul Called Water' as if it was Water's full name, which is very funny.

Terzo accidentally called Alpha 'Omega' in Indianapolis and then awkwardly pretended like he didn't just do that.

Terzo seemed to think that 'stage right' and 'stage left' was a difficult concept for the audience to understand.

Terzo repeatedly notes that Water was in fact the best six-string guitar player in the band, despite his role as the bassist.

TF would frequently get mixed up about the timeline / whichcharacter he was playing at what time

this transcript includes 21 concerts and ended up being over 7k words, so the full text of this post is under a cut:

PAPA EMERITUS III: Magnifique! Yes! Now what? These guys are Nameless, right? That's how it all started. 'A Nameless Ghoul.' Then people picked up on the fact that they had little things on them, on their clothes. Okay! So uh, then it ended up being that they picked up on the fact that they had been given the elements. You know, you remember Earth and air? But this wasn't enough. Apparently, two of the guys, they have other symbols, too. Especially the girls saw that, because after a while the girls had their favorite ghouls and they wanted to be Ghoulettes for their favorite Ghoul. So let me introduce to you the Nameless Ghoul who just did a solo for you. All of a sudden, we can hear the girls in the front over here saying "Alpha… Alpha!" Ladies and genitals, Alpha! 'A Nameless Ghoul', my ass! What we got here in the middle is a curiosity, I tell you that. He happens to play the guitar! Normally you see him fingering the bass. And I know you wish you was the one he was doing it to, right? Not tonight. Especially not now, because he's doing the axe right now. Because you see, every day we get it smeared in our face that out of all the guitar players in the band, he just happened to be the best fucking guitar player in the band. So please, give it up for a Nameless Ghoul named Water! About here, geographically, there are usually girls standing, looking this way. You see stomps. So usually I hear from here, this part, "Omega... Omega…" Also quite a good guitar player. Please, give it up for a Nameless Ghoul named Omega! So there you have it! Now you have Ghost. We are Ghost. How 'bout that? Eh? Rouen, France (February 5, 2016)

PAPA EMERITUS III: Right on! It is... Alright. The guy who just did a very good solo– technically, he's referred to as 'Fire'. [APPLAUSE] Don't clap too much yet. That was a big one. It just so happens that on his other guitar, there's a little symbol. And fans –especially female fans– paid attention. So we were out touring. All of a sudden, from this side there were voices: "Alpha… Alpha… Alpha!" the girls screamed out. So ladies and gentlemen, he became 'Alpha'! Not bad! Now this fellow. Usually, he plays –he fingers– the bass. [AUDIENCE: IT'S SEXY AS FUCK!] Yeah! And he does so very good. Now ladies, if you find yourself at the show feeling your bottom, like, moving like this, it's because of the bass and the drums. That's where it feels, y'know– here. He's also one hell of a guitar player, to the annoyance of all of us. Please, give it up for a Nameless Ghoul named Water! Over the years, on my right, here, I started hearing another word that– I knew the word,but I didn't truly know the meaning of it until I heard it loud and clear from female voices: "Omega… Omega! I want you, Omega! I want to be your Ghoulette, Omega!" And for me, I was like, eh? Omega? I don't know you as 'Omega', but fine. On the axe here, please give it up for Omega! La Rochelle, France (February 6, 2016)

PAPA EMERITUS III: Right on! He's a pretty able guitar player, isn't he? Yes… Bon, bon! Let me tell you a little story. Obviously, the band is supposed to be nameless. For some fucking reason, I have a name– there was no way around that. But first off, it was 'a Nameless ghoul, a Nameless Ghoul, a Nameless Ghoul, a Nameless Ghoul', and so forth. You had to have something, so they all were wearing signs: Earth, Air, et cetera. So there was this guy who played guitar. His name was Fire. But he also had a little sign on his guitar. And once we had been on tour for a while and we were starting to get a little bit popular, so there were peoples on our shows and there was a lot of girls on the shows. You can hear from that corner there: "Alpha! Alpha… I want to be your Ghoulette, Alpha!" So apparently, here we have a Nameless Ghoul named Alpha! You see… usually this guy in the middle here fingers the bass, the four-stringed instrument. That is the thing that you feel in your crotch and in your ass when we play. You know the boogie-woogie? Bass. That's the trick. But see, this is not a fucking bass he's handling right now. It's a guitar. It just so turned out –he likes to point out every day– he sort of smears it in the faces of everyone, how fucking good of a guitar player he is, too. Not only does he make the asses move, he also plays the guitar like a devil! Please, give it up for a Nameless Ghoul named Water! Around the same time when we heard "Alpha! Alpha!" sounds from over there, amongst the stomping, which I heard, obviously, I also noticed something else from that corner: "Omega… Omega! Omega…" Eh? Alright. It was the women calling out: Omega… Stomp me, Omega! Treat me like you treat your guitar." So he did. Please, give it up for a Nameless Ghoul named Omega! So there you have it: Ghost. We are Ghost. Fantôme! Grenoble, France (February 8, 2016)

PAPA EMERITUS III: Word! What a good solo, right? Yeah. I'm uh... I'm gonna stop fiddling with my pants now.  You know we started  with the idea of being completely nameless. You know… it was such a good idea on paper. It didnt fucking work at all. It didn't go into people's psyche that you can have something that you cannot name. Okay. Let's have names. Okay so we had Earth and Air. That's a good start. So, y'know, we came up with, like, 'Fire'. Fire! That's good. So everybody got their little element, right. It makes things easier. You can sign something– if someone wants your autograph you can just like, [DRAWS A TRIANGLE IN THE AIR]. Good. Autograph. But then uh, this person on stage that I'm referring to also had a little symbol on his guitar. So he's standing here in the middle, most of the time, and I was standing there and I was thrusting and I was dancing and ehhh and I hear, over here: "Alpha…" Eh? It was the ladies in the front, around here, saying "Alpha.. I want to be your Ghoulette, Alpha. Alpha…" So let me introduce to you… a Nameless Ghoul called Alpha! Now… the tormentor of the bass… busy fingering, for one-and-a-half hour every night, the bass. The bass is the four-stringed instrument that makes your ass move, together with the drums. But it is a very, very important tool if you want people to dance– it's the bass. if you want to be a guitarist that's cool but the bass. and the drummer… That's it! This bass player happen to be also a very very good guitar player, to the annoyance of everyone else. That's why he's playing the guitar right now, but he's holding back because he's a tormentor of the six-string too. Ladies and gentlemen, a Nameless Ghoul named Water! Around the same time that I was standing there in the middle, I was doing my mating dance, singing all female-like, being a little bit too shorter than people thought as soon as I took my hat off– thank you very much, I also noticed another sound from that part of the audience: "Omega…" Eh? What? What, what, what, what? What was that? That was the ladies here in the front. They were saying what? [AUDIENCE: OMEGA!] Yes. And they were flashing and they were sweating profusely, in… in heat! and they were flashing it for… Omega! Bordeaux, France (February 9, 2016)

PAPA EMERITUS III: Good solo, eh? You might know… that we are –or let's say they are– supposed to be nameless. But uh, you know, why make things difficult? Maybe they can have signs so they have something to sign if someone wants an autograph. Okay. Alright, let's do that sounds like an interesting idea. So obviously, y'all already know Earth and Air. Simple triangles. So does the other guys have symbols too, so they can sign shit. But the guitar players here on the sides, they also had small sign– things on their guitars. And y'know, we have Fire… And that was good. But I was standing here in the middle doing my charade. I was dancing, I was singing, I thought I had it going. And I heard an occasional "Papa! Papa!" But I heard from over here, the girls whispering "Alpha… Alpha… I wanna be yours, Alpha. Make me your Ghoulette!" Okay! So uh… here he is– a Nameless Ghoul named Alpha! Are you familiar with the bass? It's four strings. the thing that you finger.. you can pick it too but if you finger it it feels even better. The bass is the thing that makes your ass move. That is the part you feel. No rock and roll without the bass. Here we got a bass player. He's doing a really good fingering on it. But it just so happens that he's even better at playing guitar, as you can see. Yes. Ladies and gentlemen give it up for a Nameless Ghoul named Water! About the time when I was standing here doing my mating dance, I thought I had everything and I was expecting someone to yell "Papa!" I hear from over here… something different: "Omega… Omega… I want to be yours, Omega! Omega! Omega man!" Was surprised! Eh? Omega. So here you have it: a Nameless ghoul named Omega! There you have it. Now you have Ghost. We are Ghost. Thank you. Nimes, France (February 10, 2016)

PAPA EMERITUS III: So we started out as a nameless band, except for myself, who was given a name. We thought that everything would be okay, but we came up with something that would not work very well, and that was, 'what if they ask for an autograph?' OK, well maybe every member of the band can be the elements, yeah that makes sense, that's smart! Uh-huh. OK, so you've met Earth and Air yeah? So the other ones gotta be similar, right? Fire, yes? Easy. But the little thing is that Mister Fire here had a little 'A' correlating with something else on the stage. One night, a little bit into our career, we were getting a little popular. Girls liked us. There were many girls over here. And I was doing my dance and I was flirting and I was thrusting and I [THRUSTING NOISES]. I was doing everything I could and then I heard over here: "Alpha… Alpha… I want to be your Ghoulette, Alpha!" Alpha? Alright. What happened to Mister Fire? So now, ladies and gentlemen, on the solo guitar, here… give it up for a Nameless Ghoul named Alpha! Ladies, do you know what the bass is? That's the four-string instrument that makes your ass move sideways… frontways… feels good. Unfortunately, we have no bass on the stage right now because it just so happens that the guy who fingers the bass is also one motherfucker on guitar. So please, give it up for a Nameless Ghoul named Water! Wasser! About the same time as I was standing here thrusting and doing everything I could in order to get somewhere, I heard another sound from over here. For me, I recognized the word but I didn't really fucking– What are they saying? Do you know what they said? Anybody had an idea? "Omega… Omega… Take me right here, right now, Omega…" Eh? Okay! Mister Quintessence here, the giant from Gistad, Ostrogothia, outside Lincopia. Give it up for a Nameless Ghoul named Omega! There you have it. Now you have… Geist. Dresden, Germany (February 19 , 2016)

PAPA EMERITUS III: Right on, man! Not a bad solo, no? It's a good one! Very good. You know, maybe you already know the story, you have figured it out, but y'know, we started out as a somewhat ehh– it was supposed to be nameless. Well, my brother who was in the band obviously, he got a name but uhh, oh wait a minute, it was the guy before that. Fuck it. Anyways– [SHUSHES THE AUDIENCE] I'm gonna tell you a story. Thank you for the enthusiasm, though. We figured that if we were nameless, all would be okay. Then rose a problem: what the fuck are we gonna do for autographs? Not sign it? Heh. It's a funny idea but it didn't really translate very well. So we figured that well all the members are like cornerstones, like elements. A-ha! Elements! We can use the elements and they can sign it with elements. Oh, what a fucking brilliant idea! That is perfect. Alright. Said and done. So you all met, obviously, Earth and Air. So on. So we did like, Fire. So there was this guy, Fire, but on his guitar there was another symbol, too, to correlate with another guy on the other side of the stage. So one night in our career, we had just gotten to be a little bit popular. There were girls coming to our shows. And they made sounds. I couldn't really hear what they were saying, but one night I heard, over here, something along the lines of "Alpha… Alpha… Alpha! I want to be your Ghoulette, Alpha!" Were they talking about fire? Ah-ha! OK then. Please, give it up for a Nameless Ghoul named Alpha! Ladies, do you know– Yes, you. Ja. Say 'ja.' That is the four-string instrument that make your ass, like, move. Like a… Maybe you didn't know that before, but it is the bass. We happen to have one bass player who normally fingers the bass very well. but he just so happens to be a very, very good guitar player, too, to the annoyance of everyone else because he's so fucking good. Please, give it up for our eminent bass player, a Nameless Ghoul named Water! Wasser! Yeah man, you rock! About the same time when I heard that Alpha stuff over there, I also heard another noise coming from this side. And it was stomping like a [STOMPING NOISES] But also something from the crowd. Do you have any idea what they were saying over here? What do you think? Not a clue. Is it "Omega?" Yes, "Omega… Omega. I want to be yours, Omega. Look at my… Just look at me, Omega… Omega…" So apparently, the guy over here had changed names into something else. So I give to you here in Herford, the giant from the Ostrogothian fields, from Gistad outside Lincopia, Omega! There you have it: a nameless band. Now you have ghosts. Herford, Germany (February 20, 2016)

PAPA EMERITUS III: Right on! That was a good fucking solo. Very soulful. This band started out, once upon a time, with the idea of not having names. Um… But my predecessors had a name. My brother had a name, now I've got a name. But the other ones– Nameless Ghouls. One day rose a problem. What if people want an autograph? Ah! Now, there was this smartass who came up with "Maybe all the different members can be elements!" I said that seems reasonable and it's a simple sign and it will be quick. Great. OK, so you've already met Earth and Air. You know the other ones, yes? So we have Fire. But this Fire guy– on his guitar, there was a sign, obviously, that sort of correlated with the other guy on the other side. So people picked up on that. One night in our successful career, I was standing here in the middle. I was thrusting and I was dancing and I was doing everything I could do to get the– the meows, eh? Then I heard, from the– my left– I heard female voices that yelled… whimpered "Alpha… Alpha… I want to be your Ghoulette, Alpha!" Alright! Well, my buddy Fire here has a new name, apparently. So please, on the guitar, give it up for a Nameless Ghoul called Alpha! Ladies, do you know what a bass is? I know you do. Four strings. And that is usually the thing that makes your ass wobble like that when you hear music. That is the good part, actually, the bass. Normally fingering the bass, but currently playing guitar– very good, actually, just to insult us, the rest of us. Give it up for a Nameless Ghoul called Water! About the same time I was standing there in the middle and I heard that Alpha crap, I also heard something else from this side of the stage. It was women– busty women, who said something I hadn't really heard before. Can you guess what they were saying? Yeah. "Omega… Omega… I want to take you home and rip you apart, Omega." That's what they said, actually. It's weird. But he has a way to not leave one seat in the house dry. Please, from the Ostrogothian fields, from Gistad outside Lincopia, give it up for a Nameless Ghoul called Omega! Alright, there you have it! Now you have Ghost. Thank you. Malmö, Sweden (February 25, 2016)

PAPA EMERITUS III: Yeah! What a good solo! I'm telling you a story. When we started out, the idea was for us –except for myself and my predecessors, obviously– to be nameless. We thought that would sort of work with the human psyche, but it did not. And there was a practical problem as well, because people wanted autographs. Oh! And there was this smartass in the band who came up with this idea: "Maybe we can– here, the band, we can represent the elements, right? And then we hav a little sign that we sign." Problem solved! Voila! So, you've already met, obviously, Earth and Air, and so we went on with Fire, and so forth. But there were other symbols, too– heathen, clandestine. One was on one guitar and one was on the other guitar. The thing was, we were getting bigger. We started to attract girls to our shows. There you are. One night, I was standing here in the middle –or maybe it was my brother, I dont know, fuck it– and there was this noise, this sound that I've ever really heard before, coming form this side. It was girls saying "Alpha… Alpha… I want to be your Ghoulette, Alpha." Fire? Alright! It was the sign they saw– the alpha sign. So please, give it up, christened by our female fans, a Nameless Ghoul called Alpha! Do you know what the bass is? You do, OK, good. For the rest of you, that is the four-stringed instrument that makes your ass wobble when you hear good music. That is it. It is basically that simple– the bass… Normally tormenting the four-string axe, but currently insulting us all by being the best guitar player in this fucking band give it up for a Nameless Ghoul called Water! About the same time I was standing here at the show, at that time long gone, there was also another sound that I heard from this side. Girls, do you know what I heard? Can you say it? "Omega… Omega…"  Yes. It was the women, yelling out to be ravaged by… a Nameless Ghoul called Omega! And so the ravaging continues… So there you have it! Now you have ghosts. Uppsala, Sweden (February 26, 2016)

PAPA EMERITUS III: Right on! Good solo! We started out once with the idea of being nameless. It went so-and-so. One early problem that appeared is that, as we grew popular, people wanted their records signed. Well, I got to– Well, my predecessors got to sign shit. Fuck. You know how it is. Heh! But the other guys, they needed to sign something, too. So there was this smartass in the band who came up with the idea of "Maybe everyone in the band can be elements, right? That's a simple way to get out of that problem." OK, so as you already met Earth and Air, and so it went with Fire and such. Ehh. Problem solved. In addition to these symbols, there were other little details that was incorporated. As we grew a little bigger, people picked up on that, too, especially the signs that was on the two guitars. I was standing here in the middle, somewhere, someplace, in the middle of our successful career, and I was dancing and at this time, y'know, we were starting to attract not only dudes, it was a lot of girls at our shows, too. So it was beginning to be really funny, huh? And one night, I was dancing and thrusting and doing all the moves I could in order to get everybody in heat. And I heard something that I never really heard before, at least not at our concerts, and it came from this side. And it was –I guess mostly female– voices saying "Alpha, Alpha, Alpha, Alpha, Alpha, Alpha. Alpha, Alpha! I want to be your Ghoulette, Alpha!" Fire? OK? So Fire got a new name. So please, give it up, on guitar, for a Nameless Ghoul called Alpha! I am sure you're familiar with the instrument called bass. If anybody saw us in Utrecht last time, you might remember that we actually have a bass player who is one motherfucker on guitar, too. Remember that? When poor Alpha had to stand out on a show or two –I don't remember how many– where this dude over here played the guitar. So please, give it up for a Nameless Ghoul called Water! Looking sharp! Do you remember when I told you about when I noticed the whole alpha shit going on on the other side? Around the same time, I heard a new word coming from this part of the crowd. Yeah. All I could see, these big whoppers, women casting them forth, yelling something. Do you know what? [AUDIENCE: OMEGA!] Yeah… That was what they yelled. So please, peoples of the Netherlands and beyond, give it up for a Nameless Ghoul called Omega! There you have it. Now you have Ghost. We are Ghost. Thank you very much. Tilburg, Netherlands (March 1, 2016)

PAPA EMERITUS III: Yeah! Right on! Good solo! Y'know, originally, the idea– I'm not grabbing my ass, I'm adjusting my pants! Originally, the idea was for us to have no names. 'A Nameless Ghoul.' Except for myself then and my predecessors. One day rose a problem. People want shit signed. Alright. We can have signs! Each and every member of the band can have signs. Problem solved. Great. So they were the signs of the elements. And you know, you've already met those– you've met Earth and you've met Air, and then you get so on, y'know. But there was also smaller symbols around, especially two that sort of correlated on the guitars. People seemed to have picked up on that, because one night, I was standing about here. I was dancing and I was singing and thrusting. I heard a noise– female voices over at that side, saying something. Do you know what they yelled? "Alpha… Alpha…" So our multi-talented guitar player here, whose name is Fire, had a new name. Give it up for a Nameless Ghoul called Alpha! You do know what a bass is, right? That's the four-stringed instrument that makes your ass wobble. It's easy as that. You need a good drummer, too, but if you have a good bass and a good drums that has their shit together, it really feels good. Our bass player is very multi-talented, and as you can see, there are– there's a six-string axe in his hand right now. Please give it up for a Nameless Ghoul called Water! About that same time when all that Alpha shit was going on on that side, it turned into a murmur for me in the middle because there was– they were saying other things on this side. [STAMMERING] Do you know what they were saying here, neighbors of stage right, as they say? I saw whoppers all over the place, women screaming "Omega…" So please give it up for a Nameless Ghoul called Omega! There you have it! Now you have Ghost. Thank you very much. Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, USA (April 14, 2016)

PAPA EMERITUS III: What a good solo! Yeah! Good work, dude! Y'know, we started out with our thing– They started out– fuck. This band started out with the idea of everybody, except myself and my predecessors, to have no names. It seemed like the right thing to do. And so far it has worked okay. One day, quite early in our career, we had gotten a little bit of recognition. We had an album out, and there were a few fans that wanted signings on the record. We do not have names, so uh…  What are we to do? I said, "I dont give a fuck! I can sign it!" Again, where's my head here– obviously the other guy… Fuck it. Alright, there was this smartass who came up with the idea that maybe we can have signs, kind of like the elements, maybe. That's brilliant. I mean it's easy, it's fast, we can do stamps. Fantastic! Great idea! OK, so what do we have here? Obviously, we started here with Earth, and then we have Air and Fire and so on. So everyone had this little names and their stamps. Very good business model. But see, on their spare time, they also decorated guitars with other signs, very similar to the ones that we already used for them. So one night, when my predecessor was standing around here in the middle, he was thrusting singing and dancing and throwing kisses all over the place, there was a sound over at stage left. Confusing, eh? Stage left? Do you know what that sound was, over here? It was ladies' voices –and I guess a few guys, too– that said "Alpha… I want you, Alpha… I want to be your Ghoulette, Alpha." Eh? You talking about Fire? So Mister Fire had a new name un-christened by the girls in our audience. So please, give it up for a Nameless Ghoul called Alpha! We have a guy in our band who usually plays the bass on stage, but on his spare time he likes to insult us all by showing off how great of a fucking guitar player he actually is. Please, give it up for the multi-talented A Nameless Ghoul called Water! Around the same time I heard those noises from stage left, there was also a little murmur from stage right– that's your part of the audience. I saw voluptuous women… was heaving their breasts, and they were chanting the same word. Do you know what that word was? Yes… "Omega… Take me right here and right now, Omega!" So please, ladies and genitals of Long Island, give it up for the Nameless Ghoul called Omega! So there you have it: Ghost. Huntington, New York, USA (April 15, 2016)

PAPA EMERITUS III: Right on. Not so shabby eh? What a good solo. I'm gonna tell a little story. When this band started out, the idea was simply for the band to have no names. Well, one person needed a name, so myself and my predecessors could have a name. We never really thought we would be popular enough to write autographs, but when time came to write autographs we had a fucking problem. So someone came up with the idea that maybe we could have the signs of the elements to sort of symbolize the different elements in the band. [PAPA NOISES] Not so dumb, actually a little bit clever. So you've already met, obviously, Earth, the drums, and Air being like the ambience, huh? Right? See? Clever. And then we continue, like, with Fire and such. Everybody got their names, and in times of boredom they started doing shit. One thing led to decorating their guitars with, actually, the sign of Fire– triangle. And that was to correlate with the sign on the other side of the stage on the other guitar. But we will get to that. Bear with me. On one of our tours, sometime into our career –our successful career– we were attracting dudes, men, girls, and women. Everybody was having fun. I was having fun! I was dancing, I was singing –for the best of my ability– and I was thrusting, doing my best to scare you all. Then I heard this little noise. It was, I guess, mostly female voices here on this side of the stage. [AUDIENCE SCREAMS] It sounded kinda like that. But do you know what they said? [AUDIENCE: ALPHA!] Exactly. They said, "Alpha… Alpha… Alpha… Little triangle sign on the guitar, Alpha!" OK, so Fire had a new name, apparently. So, peoples of New Haven, give it up for a Nameless Ghoul called Alpha! Do you know what a bass is? That's the four-string guitar that makes your ass wobble. Good drums, good bass– that's usually the key to writing a good song. Our bass player likes to spend his time off stage by showing off how fucking great he is on guitar, to discontent of everyone. But please, give it up for the multi-talented a Nameless Ghoul called Water! Around about the same time we heard the Alpha nonsense over there, there was this murmur, lets just put it that way, over here. And then there was chests. Voluptuous women heave themselves against the railing. And they yelled what? [AUDIENCE: OMEGA!] Yes. "Omega… take me here, right now, Omega…" You're getting it. Right now! So please, Connecticut, give it up for a Nameless Ghoul called Omega! Are you not impressed? So-and-so. OK, we'll get to the good part now. New Haven, Connecticut, USA (April 16, 2016)

PAPA EMERITUS III: Yeah! Very, very good. I'm gonna tell you a story. This band started out with the intention of being, as far as the members went, nameless. Which didn't pose a big problem until the day came that we had a record out that people liked, so they wanted names to be written on the record. Well, maybe we can have like signs. Oh, wait a minute, wait a minute, we can even have signs that are representative of the elements. Ah! Great! Fucking brilliant! [PAPA NOISES] Simple, too. Maybe it can even have stamps and we can save a lot of time. Said and done. So I know we had Earth, air, and Fire, and so on. So it worked like a charm. On endless treks around the world, with nothing to do but work and roll, we did other things too. Well, they did other things. So they started decorating their guitars. One with the sign that also says fire. But it also correlated with a sign on the other side of the stage, so that makes it seem something different. Hold on there. One night in our ever-so-prosperous career, we had started to attract a lot of ladies. I was standing here in the middle doing my spiel and I heard this noise coming from stage left, as we say in the business. It was ladies who said– what do you think the ladies of stage left said? they said, "Alpha… Alpha… I want to be your Ghoulette, Alpha." So Mister Fire had a new name, because of the sign on his guitar. So, ladies and gentlemen, please give it up for a Nameless Ghoul called Alpha! We'll get to the other symbol on the other guitar very, very shortly. But speaking of another guitar… Holding in his guitar, right now, a six-string axe when he's actually supposed to play something that has four strings on it, but he likes to insult everyone with the idea and the fact that he's a better guitar player than all of us. So please, give it up for the  multi-talented a Nameless Ghoul called Water! About the same time when we heard that Alpha nonsense over there, I was thrusting here. I heard something else from stage right. There was a murmur. It came from voluptuous women.. who'd put their whoppers on the rim, and they'd say something very very strange for my ears. "Omega… Omega… Take me right here, right now, Omega!" So please, give it up for a Nameless Ghoul called Omega! Thank you. Niagara Falls, New York, USA (April 17, 2016)

PAPA EMERITUS III: My god, what a shredder! Alright… You've already met Earth and Air, so you get it, right, yeah? Elements, and so on? Fire? But some of them goes by additional names. Do you know what they usually yell, mostly female voices around here? [AUDIENCE: ALPHA!] Yes… So please, give it up for a Nameless Ghoul called Alpha! This tormentor of the axe usually torments the bass with his fingers of doom. Have you seen what his fingers can do? I'm sure you wish you were the one he was doing it to, huh? But now he's playing guitar, so please give it up for a Nameless Ghoul called Water! Ladies of stage right flank, what do you usually say over here? What I usually hear over here is "Omega.... Copulate me right here, right now, Omega." But unfortunately, ladies, he's occupied playing the guitar. So please, ladies and genitals, give it up for a Nameless Ghoul called Omega! Houston, Texas, USA (April 27, 2016)

PAPA EMERITUS III: Yeah! Look at Mister Guitar Guy, here. Alright… I guess you smatasses understand what it's all about, right? Earth on the drums, Air on the keyboards, and so on. Do you know what ladies over here usually yell during our shows? Do you have a clue? What is your guess, darling? [AUDIENCE: PAPA!] Some of them yell 'Papa' too, but they usually yell something else, too. Are you clueless, all of you? "Alpha…" [AUDIENCE: OMEGA!] No, say 'Alpha', you stupid! There you go… They say "Alpha… I want to be your Ghoulette, Alpha!" So please, people of Alabama, give it up for a Nameless ghoul called Alpha! You know what a bass is, right? However, that is no bass. I assume that you know. This guy perfectly knows that he's not playing the bass right now. Because you see, he is very multi-talented. His fingers can do magic to basses, guitars… you tell me. So please, give it up for a Nameless Ghoul called Water! Alright, let's see if, uh, peoples of stage right is smarter than people of stage left. What are you yelling? [AUDIENCE: OMEGA!] Yes! It's usually accompanied by "Take me right here, right now, Omega!" Is that what you're saying? I see. Ladies and genitals of Alabama, give it up for a Nameless Ghoul called Omega! Birmingham, Alabama (May 2, 2016)

PAPA EMERITUS III: Yeah! Alright, have you understood the drill now? On the drums, Earth. On the keyboard, we have Air. And so it goes on according to the elements… correct. However, usually around this time of night, we hear women in heat from this side of the stage, and they're yelling out a name that doesn't really fit into the chemistry lesson, but it belongs on a campus– usually between the sheets. Do you know what these girls are yelling? [AUDIENCE: ALPHA!] Yes… that's exactly what they were yelling. They say "I want to be your Ghoulette, Alpha. Don't do the show, just come down here with me and make me happy." Please give it up for a Nameless Ghoul called Alpha! We do have a bass player in the band, but he's kind of an overachiever, so he likes to spend his days in front of us playing guitar because he's really good at it. Please, people of Tennessee, give it up for a Nameless Ghoul called Water! When I look to my right, because confusingly that is stage left and that is stage right – for us– so when I cast an eye on stage right, I usually see big, big, big, big boppers. And they're yelling something… You girls know what that is? [AUDIENCE: OMEGA!] Yes… Yes… "You can breastfeed on me, Omega!" That is what they say! All of them! For some reason. So please, Tennessee, give it up for a Nameless Ghoul called Omega! Knoxville, Tennessee, USA (May 4, 2016)

PAPA EMERITUS III: Yeah! Alright… I know you have your heads screwed on here in Maryland, so I take it that you figured it out by now, right? It's the elements. Earth, Wind– Air, yes, and so on! But somehow… I heard different things coming out of the crowd every night, usually about here, the so-called stage left, because we see it the other way around, so we say stage left. There is a sound coming from the female parts of the audience of stage left. What do you think they say? Eh, no, they actually say something else. Can you try it again? You say "Alpha… Alpha… I want to be your Ghoulette, Alpha." "On the floor, right now," they say. "Come down here. Fuck that guitar shit! Come down and make me happy woman." So what do they say? [AUDIENCE: ALPHA!] Ladies and genitals, give it up for a Nameless Ghoul called Alpha! Our four-string axe tormentor… is now tormenting a G string. He does it very well. Please give it up for the multi-talented Nameless Ghoul called Water! Usually there 's murmur over at this side, too. You know what they're saying over here? Busty women, you say– what do you think they say? They're saying "Take me right here, right now, Omega," they say. Can you say that? Once more, give me one more try! [AUDIENCE: TAKE ME RIGHT HERE AND NOW, OMEGA!] Yes! That's what they say. So Baltimore, please give it up for a Nameless Ghoul called Omega! Very good. Baltimore, Maryland (May 8, 2016)

PAPA EMERITUS III: Yeah! Eureka! What a fantastic solo! Alright… It is early in our relationship, but I think it's time that I test your mental powers. You're a smart bunch! By now, you figured it out, right? Earth, Air– elements, yes! Hon hon hon! Yes! Fantastic. However, to my confusion, one day I heard another name from this part of the stage. Do you know what they were calling out from here, stage left? Do you know what they say, what they yell, the females to our guitar player standing here? What? [AUDIENCE: ALPHA!] Yeah that's half of it. They say "I can take both shlong and balls at one time, Alpha! Just drop that guitar and give it all to me, instead." That's what they're saying, collectively, to my confusion. Richmond, Virginia, please give it up for a Nameless Ghoul called Alpha! You're such foul mouths! I'm trying to keep it decent here. And speaking of nasty things, just look at this fingerwork! Not your fingers, your fingerwork. Our bass player here, who usually plays with four strings, he can handle six, he can handle 12… as if it was a vagina. Give it up for the multi-talented a Nameless Ghoul called Water! Magical fingers… What makes things even more confusing for me is hearing different things in my ears. Do you know what they're saying at this side of the venue –stage right, for us– do you know? You know what the whole sentence is? "Impregnate me right here, right now on this floor, Omega!" And that combined with the other sentence at the same is just fucking grief to me. Sounds fucking weird. But ladies and genitals, give it up for a Nameless Ghoul called Omega! Richmond, Virginia, USA (May 9, 2016)

PAPA EMERITUS III: Yeah! Alright see how smart you are… Have you figured it out now, then? If we have Earth and Wind, how do we continue? Those are the elements, yes! And you've already met Earth and Wind –or Air, if you want– and Fire and so on, yeah. But do you know what –especially the ladies here of so-called stage left– what they are yelling most of the time? What's that, honey? [AUDIENCE: ALPHA!] That's half of the sentence. They usually yell: "Omega, why don't you drop this rock business and just come down here on the floor and impregnate me, right here, right now?" That is what they yell. So uh, can you all yell that? [AUDIENCE YELLING] Alright, that's close enough. But ladies and gentlemen, please give it up for a Nameless Ghoul called Alpha! Ladies, maybe you noticed that, uh, up until now, your ass has been shaking and wobbling like this. But now it's sort of stopped. It's because of those four strings that are not represented on stage right now, because the guy who usually makes your ass wobble is right now playing a guitar. So please give it up for the multi-talented A Nameless Ghoul called Water! So, ladies of stage right, what are you usually yelling? [AUDIENCE: OMEGA!] Again, that's just part of it. You have to learn the whole line: "Why don't you jizz all over my whoppers, Omega, right now?!" That is what they say. So say it! "Why. Don't. You. Jizz. All. Over. My. Whoppers. Right. Now. Omega?!" [EXACTLY ONE GUY IN THE AUDIENCE REPEATS IT] Right on, dude! Good work! Alright, Indianapolis, give it up for a Nameless Ghoul called Omega! Indianapolis, Indiana, USA (May 19, 2016)

[smgsyndicate]

OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG THIS IS THE FIC OF ALL TIME

The Chase

So, this is actually the first time I’ve written Cowbell! It was at the request of @nonbinarymarygoore, I hope I did them justice. I had a lot of fun with this and I hope y’all enjoy!

No warnings!

WC: 629

Stone halls echoed with the telltale sound of claws skittering across marble floors. Dew was in the middle of practicing a particularly difficult riff when his pointed ears twitched at the familiar sound. His eyes widened and the hair on the back of his neck stood on end.

"Oh no," he muttered, quickly looking around for an escape route. "Not again..."

Bursting through the door of the rehearsal room came Cowbell, all gangly limbs and excited energy. When they spotted the fire ghoul, their head tilted in that distinctly feline way that always preceded chaos.

Despite their imposing height – they stood nearly eight feet tall – they were practically vibrating with playfulness. Their thin tail swished back and forth like an oversized cat spotting a laser pointer.

"Mrrrrp?" Cowbell chirped, spotting their favorite playmate. They dropped into what they thought was a playful crouch, but given their size, it looked more like a predator about to pounce.

Dewdrop quickly set his guitar in its case. "Don't you dare—"

But it was too late. Cowbell was already wiggling, their long limbs coiled with potential energy. With surprising grace for something so lanky, they launched themselves forward.

"NOOOO!" Dewdrop shrieked, abandoning all pretense of dignity as he bolted down the corridor, his shorter legs working overtime to escape his enthusiastic pursuer.

Cowbell bounded after him, knocking over a tall candlestick in their excitement. They didn't mean to be scary – they just wanted to play! In their mind, this was the most fun game ever: chase the small angry one until he makes funny noises!

"Someone help!" Dewdrop called out as he darted past Zephyr, who was calmly reading a book. He simply stepped aside as Cowbell ran past, not even losing his spot.

The air ghoul barely looked up from his page, too used to this near daily occurrence. "Just let them catch you this time. They only want to cuddle."

"That's even worse! They’ll crush me!" Dewdrop yelled back, his voice fading as he disappeared around another corner, Cowbell hot on his heels, occasionally bumping into things, but too excited to care.

The chase continued through the Ministry's winding passages, past amused Siblings of Sin who had learned to press themselves against the walls when they heard the approaching chaos. It even took a turn through the chapel where Primo was attempting to rehearse a sermon.

Papa watched the two ghouls streak past his podium, Dewdrop still screaming and Cowbell making happy trilling sounds. He sighed and looked heavenward, though a smile played at the corners of his painted mouth.

"Belial give me strength," he muttered fondly, before continuing with his practice as if nothing had happened.

The pursuit finally ended in the kitchen when Dewdrop, in his panic, found himself cornered. He turned to face his fate, pressing himself as flat as possible against the cool stone wall.

Cowbell approached slowly now, panting, but immensely pleased with themselves. They flopped onto their side in front of Dewdrop with a resounding thud that made the nearby pots and pans rattle. Looking up at the smaller ghoul with bright, friendly eyes, they began to purr – a sound that, coming from something their size, was more like a motorcycle engine.

"I hate you," Dewdrop grumbled, but there was no real venom in it. Especially not when Cowbell reached out one long arm and ever-so-gently patted at him with their paw.

"Mrrp!" Cowbell responded happily, continuing to pat.

And that's how the kitchen staff found them later. The fearsome fire ghoul sitting cross-legged on the floor, resignedly letting Cowbell curl around him. They contentedly groomed his hair with their tongue, much to his disdain.

Some said they could even hear Dewdrop purring too, though he would vehemently deny it later.

[smgsyndicate]

Some Things Lost CH.2

Chapt 1:

Chapt 2 babeyeyyyy. I wasn't planning on a chapter 2, let alone 3, but here we are. Enjoy :)

No tws to my knowledge besides general amnesia and some eh . Light angst.

Rain doesn't know how he got here. Well- actually- that's a lie. That is one of the things he actually DOES remember. Waking up in a hospital bed, a guy he doesn't know telling him stuff about his supposed life, his old teacher, his teacher's teacher...

The water ghoul chuckles at the irony, the taller ghoul carrying him looking down at him with a fond smile. "What's got you all giggly, hm? Want to share with the class, waterlily?" Rain's face heats up at that, mumbling out a "nothing!" and burying his face in the earth ghoul's neck in embarrassment.

Mountain laughs at that, making sure his hold on the bassist is secure. Dew flicks his tail and lightly hits Rain's leg with it. "Hey loverboy, we're here." The water ghoul huff's in disdain at that. "M not a loverboy. I just- ... I don't know. The nickname seemed so ... Familiar... Wait, where is 'here'?" He lifts his head from Mountain's shoulder, confusion laced in his tone. Unfortunately, that seems to be a common occurrence nowadays for him.

Blue eyes scan the surroundings, noting the many doors with nameplates and decorations on them. The door they're outside has an ocean mural with various sea creatures and marine life painted on it, the name Rain etched in a pristine marble name tag and small doodles clearly not done by the original artist around it. The bassist blinks in confusion, not sure when the blinding white linoleum rooms changed into the comfortingly familiar halls of the ghoul wing.

A small jolt of pain shoots through his brain, but he bites his lip and tries to hide the wince. The tightened hold on him tells him he failed at hiding it. Mountain looks at him with such a soft, gentle, concerned expression... It makes Rain frustrated. He tries to calm down, slowly trying to detangle himself from the drummer to be put down.

Dew is the one to protest first, a concerned noise leaving him despite his best efforts. He quickly moves over and places his hands on Rain's back, trying to support him and make sure he doesn't fall out of Mountain's arms. The earth ghoul holds him tighter in response. "Put me down!" The bassist whines, pushing weakly (despite his best efforts) at the taller ghoul.

Mountain sets him down with a look of concern, arms still circled around his waist for support. Rain hisses at that, biting at the air in the direction of the arms supporting him. Dew raises an eyebrow at that, noting to comfort the upset drummer later. "What's up, pretty boy? Too good for princess treatment?" The fire ghoul asks, his tone a bit too soft and confused for Rain's liking. Rain's tail lashes angrily, but he's careful to make sure the whipping doesn't hit his packmate's.

"No, I just need you guys to stop treating me like I'm going to break! I'm fine!" He stomps his foot angrily, biting back any signs of pain. Truthfully, his headache hasn't ever fully left, but instead died down to a constant annoying buzz as opposed to the feeling of daggers in stabbing into his mind. Mountain slowly removes his hands and backs away with his tail lowered, almost tucked, looking like a kicked puppy.

"I'm sorry, M. But you can't treat me like I'm glass! I know I don't really remember things, but that doesn't mean I can't take care of myself!" He tries to remain calm and civil, but his voice raises against his will as he vents his frustration to the drummer. He feels sorry for Mountain, sure, but the water ghoul just wants people to stop feeling sorry for him. "And YOU-"

He turns to snap at Dew, surprised to find the lead guitarist standing right in front of him. The fire ghoul grabs his wrists, stopping his upset hand gestures. "Mountain, I'll talk to you later. Rain, room." At first, both the bassist and the drummer want to object, but the stern look from the small ghoul caused Mountain to let out a sound akin to a wounded animal, turning away with and heading down the hall with trembling breaths.

To where? Dew doesn't know. He does know that he needs to get the idiot brain trauma patient into his room and calmed down before he does something drastic. ... Okay, rephrase. Before he does something MORE drastic. Dew opens the door, nudging the bassist to walk in. Once the door is closed behind them, the fire ghoul locks it, watching Rain stumble to sit on the much comfier bed.

The water ghoul lets out an agitated sigh. "I know! I know, I was rough... But you guys keep treating me like I'm fragile! I'm not weak! I'm not-" "No one said you are." Rain looks up at him, brows furrowed. "No one said you were weak. You're not. You're one of the strongest ghouls I know." Dewdrop said with complete confidence in his own words, walking over to the bed and sitting next to Rain.

He wraps his tail around the other's, hand slowly taking his the other's hand into his own as well. "I mean it. You're so strong." He repeated, a vulnerable smile on his face. Heterochromatic eyes meet cerulean, fire meets water. "Everyone is just worried. We just care. We worry we may lose you. Not just you, but anyone in the back. Mountain loses his waterlily, Aether loses his firefly.."

He pauses, making sure the bassist is listening. "I almost lost my raindrop." Dew's voice is soft, a stark contrast to what he usually is. Snarky and passive aggressive? Yes. Very. Cruel? No. Never. ... Well, not never, but not usually. "We just... We love you, Rain." He hesitates. "I love you." Rain's eyes widen. He's not entirely surprised by the information, having suspected some sort of polycule situation, but not expecting the full confession.

Dew continues. "I know, I know. You don't really remember, that's fine. I'll wait for you to remember or I can teach you to love me again. But you can't push us away. We just want what's best for you..." The fire ghoul takes a deep breath, trying to stop his eyes from tearing up. His tone shifts, clearly done with the topic for now. "And what's best for you is getting you into some nicer clothes, yeah?" The bassist laughs wetly at that, sniffling and wiping away a stray tear.

"Yeah I- I guess. Thank you.. I'm sorry I was just so upset and-" Dew silences him with an obnoxious "Ah ah ah! None of that, my prince." He smiles, clearly happy that his words helped the amnesiac. "Now!" He stands up, clapping his hands once as he looks around. His tail untangles from Rain's, flicking in triumph as he spots what he's looking for. He moves the full length mirror over to where the water ghoul watches with amusement, holding it and peeking around from the side.

The bassist's eyes widen as he takes in his appearance. He takes in the fins and gills on his body, the bioluminescent markings seeming familiar but so very strange. He blinks, cringing. "Oh, you're right. This outfit is just... Not great. And.. are these many bandages really nessecary?" He asks sheepishly, talking about the several wraps of white bandages around his horns and head, small tufts of his wavy hair peeking through the cracks.

Dew cackles at that, propping the mirror up against a wall and moving over to help the water ghoul remove the medical tape. "Nope! But that's Aeth for ya. He's a sweetheart, but oh so mother hen." Rain giggles, the description clearly lining up with what little he remebers and has observed. He hisses in pain as Dew starts to unravel them, making the lead guitarist freeze and look in concern.

Rain whines and looks away, face hot with embarrassment. "It doesn't hurt... The bandages, I mean! My scalp is just sensitive I think." Dew hums, noting that and moving slower. The process is quick and easy, the taller ghoul sighing in relief when it's off and trying to comb his hair into place with his hands without putting too much pressure on his roots. "Merci." He mumbles without much thought.

"De rien." The fire ghoul instantly replies, familiar with Rains habit of using French in place of random words, even if Rain himself can't quite remember at the moment. Rain blinks, letting out s breathless laugh of surprise. "Where did I start that habit from?" He asks with amusement, but also with a hint of genuine curiosity. Not knowing everything around you while others do starts to get draining after a while, but it's almost fun sometimes rediscovering what makes you happy.

Dew grabs a small brush from one of the drawers nearby and starts to gently brush out the messy black hair. "Unsure!" He chirps out, tone too light and happy for it to be a normal response, probably another inside joke if Rain had to guess. "You liked the French language a lot, you thought it was pretty. That might be where you got it from? But I just picked up small bits and pieces from you."

"Does anyone else speak another language? Or just me?" The fire ghoul hummed quietly, barely audible at all as he finishes brushing out the tangled hair. He takes a few moments to style it like normal before stepping out of the way of the mirror so Rain can inspect his tidied appearance. "Well... The Papa's speak Italian and Mountain speaks a bit of German... But that's pretty much it."

The bassist lightly touches his hair, staring in the mirror as if he's never seen his reflection stare back. The drawback of the mirror is he watched in real time his own expression fall with guilt at the earth ghoul's name. "Oh... Right... Mountain..." He mumbles, a sad whine leaving him. His tail curls around his leg and he looks at Dewdrop with vulnerability. "Do you think he'll forgive me...?"

Dew knows the answer is yes. Of course it's yes. Mountain would destroy cities, ruin nations, never do anything fun again in his life if it mean his packmates were safe and happy. However, that's not a good reason to apologize. He can't give Rain an easy out. So instead, he smiles reassuringly. Taking the taller ghoul by the hand and helping him to his feet. Dew grabs an outfit from the dresser drawers and shoves it at Rain, pushing him to change into the clothes instead to go visit Mountain.

"You'll never know unless you try."

[smgsyndicate]

Can I request a fic about the ghouls and Copia? Perhaps about the first time the pack kidnapped him for a cuddle pile. Copia was going through a tough day, and maybe he was feeling lonely and down. And the ghouls sensed it. So they literally straight up kidnap him from his room and take him to the den where he experiences his first cuddle pile

Stressed out

Characters: dewdrop, aether, mountain, swiss, rain, cirrus, cumulus, copia

tags:

words: 1360

read below the cut! (coming to a03 shortly)

It was a few days after the pack arrived back at the Ministry from the Copia's first tour as Papa. The pack was just at that stage where they emerge from their rooms and want the touch of the others.

Now, the whole pack was scattered across the den. Dewdrop and Aether occupied the love seat, the mated pair tied up in each other. It was hard to see where one started and one ended. Mountain was laying across the couch, his ankles dangling off the ends. His arms were bent behind his head, arms and biceps a delectable view for his pack. Swiss and Rain immediately gravitated towards him, sitting delicately on his lap, Rain leaning into Swiss, neck bared for him. Cirrus and Cumulus sat on the huge bean bag, the ghoulettes sinking into it, only their tails were seen under the large blanket they pulled over them. The den was filled with the sounds of purring and chuffing, the ghouls relishing in the touch of each other.

Aether was first to pull away and stretch out, bones cracking as he pulled his arms above his head, a small groan escaping him. Dew laughed at his mate. "Good stretch, big guy?"

The quintessence ghoul just smirked, his tail coming to swat at his mate's leg. "I'm gonna get some food, any requests?"

"Oh! I want pizza!" Swiss said, jumping up a bit, causing Mountain to let out a punched breath as Swiss' knee made contact with his stomach.

"Calm down, puppy. You'll get your pizza," Mountain laughed out, pulling Swiss down and moving his knee away.

Aether grabbed his shoes, intent on making his way to the kitchen. "Alright, Pizza it is, you bossy ghoul!"

Dew laughed, throwing his mate a jacket. "Love you."

Aether chuffed, smiling. He shut the door to the den and started the cold walk to the kitchen, the abbey being so old that heating was something they didn't feel was necessary to add in. Sister said that it took away from the atmosphere. Aether didn't make it to the kitchen, though, as he got hit with a terrible smell. He followed it to the Papa wing, slowly walking down the hallway.

When he hit Copia's room, he recoiled. Just from outside, Aether could feel extreme bouts of loneliness and depression. The ghoul let out a sad sound, hand itching to just open up his Papa's door and figure out what was wrong. If Aether learned anything on tour, it was that his Papa was a private man, he wouldn't appreciate someone bargaining into his room, no matter if they had good intentions.

"Papa?" Aether knocked, feet shuffling softly. "Is everything alright?"

He hears a weird noise, almost like a ton of books and papers landing on the desk. "Eh, My ghoul! Yes, I'm okay."

"Are you sure?" Aether muttered, "You don't...can I come in?"

When Papa didn't answer, Aether shrugged, deciding it was better to ask for forgiveness than permission. "Alright, I'm coming in."

When he opened the door, his frown worsened as he saw the state his Papa was in. Copia was dressed in his sweatpants and a hoodie, Mountain's old one by the looks of it. He was hunched over his desk, piling of papers almost as high as him. His hair was out of place, eye's red and sore. It was like he didn't even hear Aether come into his room.

"Oh, Papa, are you okay?" Aether said, bounding over to the man, hands shaking at the rush of emotions his quintessence picks up.

Copia looked up at his ghoul beneath his paperwork. Aether couldn't keep the sad sound from erupting, heart breaking at the mere sight of despair and tiredness coming from him. "I'm alright, just lots of work to catch up on after the tour, you know?"

Aether came up and placed a hand on Copia's cheek, the man sagging into his hold pitifully. "Oh papa," He said sadly, his quintessence reaching out and working on undoing his stress. "Come on with me and the pack. We miss you."

He watched how his Papa pulled away and glanced at his paperwork, grumbling about some tax form. "I wish, my ghoul, but Sister demands the paperwork be done."

Aether tsked, "Forget what Sister says, she can't work you to the bone for months and then expect you to bounce back and do paperwork. We all had time to relax, and you need time too."

When Copia didn't make a move, Aether made the decision for him. He bent down and picked up his Papa, slinging him over his shoulder.

"Gah! Aether! What are you doing?!" Copia yelled, quickly grabbing onto his shirt for security.

"I told you, you need to relax, and we miss you."

Copia grumbled but went limp anyway, legs resting and head bobbing as Aether carried him down the hall to the den. He shut his eyes, enjoying the feel of his ghoul and the warmness and comfort he began to feel. He yelped when he was moved, Aether pulling him down and plopping him on the couch, grabbing hold of the couch cushion. Before he could even scan his eyes across the room, he heard the loud purrs of a ghoul underneath him.

Mountain's hand came up to his Papa's hip, securing him on his lap. "Hi Papa," he mumbled out, smiling up at him. "Finally came to your senses, hm?"

Copia laughed, looking at Aether. "I wish, but no. Aether dragged me away from my paperwork."

"Good," Mountain chuffed, pulling on his element to release a soothing lavender smell.

He held onto his Papa as the rest of the pack started to assemble a nest of pillows and blankets on the floor. Rain and Swiss ventured into the dorms, arms overflowing with everyone's personal furs and laundry, stuffing them into the gaps. The girls started to braid their hair, the ghouls always ended up laying on it and pulling it. Dew and Aether prepared snacks and brought some water bottles and lined it all up on the outside of the nest, just close enough so that no one would have to leave.

Copia poked Mountain, grabbing his attention. "Erm, what are they doing?"

"They are making a nest." He answered, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"What for?"

Mountain laughed a bit, before realizing his Papa was serious. "It's for us, all of us. Ghouls will make big nests for their entire pack, it's meant for bonding and re-establishing a connection, or just simple comfort."

Copia moved his head like a cat watching a goldfish in a bowl. "So," he paused, watching at how Dewdrop started building up a two pillow wall, "We lay in it, together?"

The earth ghoul hummed. "We are comfort creatures, you know this. This is how we provide comfort."

"And I'm...pack?"

At that, everyone stopped and looked at him. "Of course you are, Papa. You've always been pack." Rain said, coming up to the pair.

Soon enough, they were all cuddled up in the nest. Copia remained on Mountain's lap, now laying down with his head in the crook of his neck, the ghouls long arms wrapped around his waist. Rain laid on one of Mountain's shoulders, a hand thumbing over the bit of Papa's hip exposed from his shirt. Swiss was on the other side, already conked out and drooling down Mountain's arm. Bracketed in Rain's legs sat Dewdrop and Cumulus, cuddled up closely while the ghoulette braided Dew's hair. Sitting next to Swiss was Aether, his arm extended around both the multi ghoul and Mountain. On his lap sat Cirrus, who was nodding off and mumbling something Aether couldn't understand.

Eventually, everyone was purring again, Copia completely engulfed by his ghouls. His scent mellowed out, smelling more like his usual oak and flowers. He felt relaxed for the first time since they came home from tour, and by looking at his ghouls, they were happier with him around. He tucks that thought away for later, promising himself to spend more time with them. They loved him, and he loved them too.

[smgsyndicate]

Some Things Lost CH.2

Chapt 1:

Chapt 2 babeyeyyyy. I wasn't planning on a chapter 2, let alone 3, but here we are. Enjoy :)

No tws to my knowledge besides general amnesia and some eh . Light angst.

Rain doesn't know how he got here. Well- actually- that's a lie. That is one of the things he actually DOES remember. Waking up in a hospital bed, a guy he doesn't know telling him stuff about his supposed life, his old teacher, his teacher's teacher...

The water ghoul chuckles at the irony, the taller ghoul carrying him looking down at him with a fond smile. "What's got you all giggly, hm? Want to share with the class, waterlily?" Rain's face heats up at that, mumbling out a "nothing!" and burying his face in the earth ghoul's neck in embarrassment.

Mountain laughs at that, making sure his hold on the bassist is secure. Dew flicks his tail and lightly hits Rain's leg with it. "Hey loverboy, we're here." The water ghoul huff's in disdain at that. "M not a loverboy. I just- ... I don't know. The nickname seemed so ... Familiar... Wait, where is 'here'?" He lifts his head from Mountain's shoulder, confusion laced in his tone. Unfortunately, that seems to be a common occurrence nowadays for him.

Blue eyes scan the surroundings, noting the many doors with nameplates and decorations on them. The door they're outside has an ocean mural with various sea creatures and marine life painted on it, the name Rain etched in a pristine marble name tag and small doodles clearly not done by the original artist around it. The bassist blinks in confusion, not sure when the blinding white linoleum rooms changed into the comfortingly familiar halls of the ghoul wing.

A small jolt of pain shoots through his brain, but he bites his lip and tries to hide the wince. The tightened hold on him tells him he failed at hiding it. Mountain looks at him with such a soft, gentle, concerned expression... It makes Rain frustrated. He tries to calm down, slowly trying to detangle himself from the drummer to be put down.

Dew is the one to protest first, a concerned noise leaving him despite his best efforts. He quickly moves over and places his hands on Rain's back, trying to support him and make sure he doesn't fall out of Mountain's arms. The earth ghoul holds him tighter in response. "Put me down!" The bassist whines, pushing weakly (despite his best efforts) at the taller ghoul.

Mountain sets him down with a look of concern, arms still circled around his waist for support. Rain hisses at that, biting at the air in the direction of the arms supporting him. Dew raises an eyebrow at that, noting to comfort the upset drummer later. "What's up, pretty boy? Too good for princess treatment?" The fire ghoul asks, his tone a bit too soft and confused for Rain's liking. Rain's tail lashes angrily, but he's careful to make sure the whipping doesn't hit his packmate's.

"No, I just need you guys to stop treating me like I'm going to break! I'm fine!" He stomps his foot angrily, biting back any signs of pain. Truthfully, his headache hasn't ever fully left, but instead died down to a constant annoying buzz as opposed to the feeling of daggers in stabbing into his mind. Mountain slowly removes his hands and backs away with his tail lowered, almost tucked, looking like a kicked puppy.

"I'm sorry, M. But you can't treat me like I'm glass! I know I don't really remember things, but that doesn't mean I can't take care of myself!" He tries to remain calm and civil, but his voice raises against his will as he vents his frustration to the drummer. He feels sorry for Mountain, sure, but the water ghoul just wants people to stop feeling sorry for him. "And YOU-"

He turns to snap at Dew, surprised to find the lead guitarist standing right in front of him. The fire ghoul grabs his wrists, stopping his upset hand gestures. "Mountain, I'll talk to you later. Rain, room." At first, both the bassist and the drummer want to object, but the stern look from the small ghoul caused Mountain to let out a sound akin to a wounded animal, turning away with and heading down the hall with trembling breaths.

To where? Dew doesn't know. He does know that he needs to get the idiot brain trauma patient into his room and calmed down before he does something drastic. ... Okay, rephrase. Before he does something MORE drastic. Dew opens the door, nudging the bassist to walk in. Once the door is closed behind them, the fire ghoul locks it, watching Rain stumble to sit on the much comfier bed.

The water ghoul lets out an agitated sigh. "I know! I know, I was rough... But you guys keep treating me like I'm fragile! I'm not weak! I'm not-" "No one said you are." Rain looks up at him, brows furrowed. "No one said you were weak. You're not. You're one of the strongest ghouls I know." Dewdrop said with complete confidence in his own words, walking over to the bed and sitting next to Rain.

He wraps his tail around the other's, hand slowly taking his the other's hand into his own as well. "I mean it. You're so strong." He repeated, a vulnerable smile on his face. Heterochromatic eyes meet cerulean, fire meets water. "Everyone is just worried. We just care. We worry we may lose you. Not just you, but anyone in the back. Mountain loses his waterlily, Aether loses his firefly.."

He pauses, making sure the bassist is listening. "I almost lost my raindrop." Dew's voice is soft, a stark contrast to what he usually is. Snarky and passive aggressive? Yes. Very. Cruel? No. Never. ... Well, not never, but not usually. "We just... We love you, Rain." He hesitates. "I love you." Rain's eyes widen. He's not entirely surprised by the information, having suspected some sort of polycule situation, but not expecting the full confession.

Dew continues. "I know, I know. You don't really remember, that's fine. I'll wait for you to remember or I can teach you to love me again. But you can't push us away. We just want what's best for you..." The fire ghoul takes a deep breath, trying to stop his eyes from tearing up. His tone shifts, clearly done with the topic for now. "And what's best for you is getting you into some nicer clothes, yeah?" The bassist laughs wetly at that, sniffling and wiping away a stray tear.

"Yeah I- I guess. Thank you.. I'm sorry I was just so upset and-" Dew silences him with an obnoxious "Ah ah ah! None of that, my prince." He smiles, clearly happy that his words helped the amnesiac. "Now!" He stands up, clapping his hands once as he looks around. His tail untangles from Rain's, flicking in triumph as he spots what he's looking for. He moves the full length mirror over to where the water ghoul watches with amusement, holding it and peeking around from the side.

The bassist's eyes widen as he takes in his appearance. He takes in the fins and gills on his body, the bioluminescent markings seeming familiar but so very strange. He blinks, cringing. "Oh, you're right. This outfit is just... Not great. And.. are these many bandages really nessecary?" He asks sheepishly, talking about the several wraps of white bandages around his horns and head, small tufts of his wavy hair peeking through the cracks.

Dew cackles at that, propping the mirror up against a wall and moving over to help the water ghoul remove the medical tape. "Nope! But that's Aeth for ya. He's a sweetheart, but oh so mother hen." Rain giggles, the description clearly lining up with what little he remebers and has observed. He hisses in pain as Dew starts to unravel them, making the lead guitarist freeze and look in concern.

Rain whines and looks away, face hot with embarrassment. "It doesn't hurt... The bandages, I mean! My scalp is just sensitive I think." Dew hums, noting that and moving slower. The process is quick and easy, the taller ghoul sighing in relief when it's off and trying to comb his hair into place with his hands without putting too much pressure on his roots. "Merci." He mumbles without much thought.

"De rien." The fire ghoul instantly replies, familiar with Rains habit of using French in place of random words, even if Rain himself can't quite remember at the moment. Rain blinks, letting out s breathless laugh of surprise. "Where did I start that habit from?" He asks with amusement, but also with a hint of genuine curiosity. Not knowing everything around you while others do starts to get draining after a while, but it's almost fun sometimes rediscovering what makes you happy.

Dew grabs a small brush from one of the drawers nearby and starts to gently brush out the messy black hair. "Unsure!" He chirps out, tone too light and happy for it to be a normal response, probably another inside joke if Rain had to guess. "You liked the French language a lot, you thought it was pretty. That might be where you got it from? But I just picked up small bits and pieces from you."

"Does anyone else speak another language? Or just me?" The fire ghoul hummed quietly, barely audible at all as he finishes brushing out the tangled hair. He takes a few moments to style it like normal before stepping out of the way of the mirror so Rain can inspect his tidied appearance. "Well... The Papa's speak Italian and Mountain speaks a bit of German... But that's pretty much it."

The bassist lightly touches his hair, staring in the mirror as if he's never seen his reflection stare back. The drawback of the mirror is he watched in real time his own expression fall with guilt at the earth ghoul's name. "Oh... Right... Mountain..." He mumbles, a sad whine leaving him. His tail curls around his leg and he looks at Dewdrop with vulnerability. "Do you think he'll forgive me...?"

Dew knows the answer is yes. Of course it's yes. Mountain would destroy cities, ruin nations, never do anything fun again in his life if it mean his packmates were safe and happy. However, that's not a good reason to apologize. He can't give Rain an easy out. So instead, he smiles reassuringly. Taking the taller ghoul by the hand and helping him to his feet. Dew grabs an outfit from the dresser drawers and shoves it at Rain, pushing him to change into the clothes instead to go visit Mountain.

"You'll never know unless you try."

[smgsyndicate]

I'm so obsessed

And my little altar 🤭