#grammarly told me my text sounded 'admiring'

[inkrabbit]

Summoning - Beta

I've had this sitting in my laptop for a bit. tossed it into grammarly, didn't skim through it after that. So enjoy what is meant to be the prologue to a fic where Nihil summons his ghouls and goes throughout life with them. this will most likely not be worked on anytime soon

Word count: 3,233

Disclaimer: I called Nihil "Damien" in this fic. I coined it as his first name since "Nihil" is meant to come from Ares later on

The book is open in front of him, his eyes scanning the old text. Okay, Sister said to do this one at a time. He takes a deep breath, staring down at the knife in his hand as his hold on the handle tightened. He could do this. Some blood and a clear mind. He brings the blade up, pressing it against his palm. Breathe in. Breathe out.

One... two... three-

He slices his palm open with a cry, the blood rushing to the service. He curls his hand closed, letting his blood coat his fingers before reopening, moving on his knees and pressing his palm against the cold stone floor. It stings so bad, tears pricking at his eyes, but he tries to focus on the summoning – tries to swallow down the rising anxiety that's choking him.

“I call upon you, my faithful ghoul,” he starts, trying desperately to keep his voice steady. His heart is hammering in his chest, threatening to break through his rib cage as it thunders in his ears. “As you listen to my every command and take care of me, view me as your master, I, too, shall see to it that you are safe and shall prosper.”

He knows he's fumbled over his words, silently cursing himself for sounding so foolish. But he feels how the air around him grows cold, a soothing scent flooding him. The smell of a crisp, autumn night with a hint of metal. The flames that lit his candles flicker before suddenly going out, smoke enveloping the room. His body shivers at the temperature drop. This... isn't what he had expected. Creatures from Hell were meant to be hot, right?

It's a strong wind that makes his eyes clamp shut, chin tucked against his collarbone as he tried in a futile attempt to shield himself from the cold.

“Excuse me? Master?” The voice is so soft as the wind finally dies down. He brings his head up, a soft squeak escaping his lips at the sight. The sketches in his book couldn't have prepared him for this.

Standing before him is a ghoul, his skin a light gray, as are his eyes, those vertical slits sending a shiver up his spine. But despite it all, he looks... human. Sure, the weird pupils, black sclera, gray skin, and curled horns were a dead giveaway that this was something entirely unearthly, but everything else was normal. That light, sandy blonde hair, curling and falling just past the end of his eyebrow. His lips – albeit a darker shade of gray, almost reminding him of a corpse's lips – were plush-looking and parted as he stared down at him, bent at the waist. The letterman jacket catches his eye; red with white sleeves and accents. He recognized that jacket. That was from the local college, right? Yeah. It was funny, in a way. The ghoul even looked familiar to him... if he looked past all of the demonic traits.

“I- uh...” He's at a loss. Truth be told, he didn't think any of this would work. He still thought everything was bullshit – that he would return to the surface and be laughed at. Tossed out on his ass and sent on his way.

But that's not the case, is it? This is all real. Everything he's been through – everything he's done. Everything he's going to do.

He fucked up.

Now's not the time, he decides. Clearing his throat, he straightens himself up, picking himself up off the floor. His bleeding hand is clenched in a tight fist as he gnaws at the inside of his bottom lip, picking the words carefully. He was supposed to be commanding; assertive. But this... creature. His mismatched eyes glance down, admiring those sharp, black claws adorning his slender fingers. How easily could they slash his throat if he was too harsh and made the ghoul snap?

“Hello... ghoul,” he starts slowly, forcing a smile to his lips. He wished it would've looked genuine, but he knows he looks terrified. “I'm Damien Emeritus, your new master.”

“It's nice to meet you.” And he bows. It's a sight to behold, one that makes Damien... a little uneasy. It's so new and foreign. The ghoul actually drops to one knee, his head hanging as he props his elbow on his knee.

“Ah... you can... stand up now.” It's a small detail, but he notices. When the ghoul picks up his head, he doesn't make eye contact. Instead, he's looking... at his cheek? Now that he thinks about it, the ghoul wasn't holding eye contact earlier either.

Maybe it's just a ghoul thing. “What's your name?”

“I'm-” But he stops abruptly. It's now that Damien sees the spade tail behind him, flicking back and forth. Is he upset?

“You don't have to answer,” he tells him quickly, the worry of having upset the ghoul having scared him.

“It's okay!” And yet, he's the one taking a more defensive position, hands up as he shrinks back just that little bit. “I-I do have a name but... masters typically name their ghouls themselves. Knowing our real name takes a lot of trust.”

“I'm sorry.” He stands there for a bit. Naming his ghoul? No one told him he had to name these things! He literally had a cat as a teen that he just simply named Kat. He supposed he could just name them all Ghoul and be done with it but... this all felt different. Like, in a way, he actually knew the ghoul. “What's your element?”

“Air.” Okay. He could work with this. His mind draws a blank for a second, but he remembers the old mythology books that he had on his bookshelf... somewhere. There was an air god. Four of them, if he remembered correctly.

“Notus?” The name comes tumbling from his lips, faster than he intended. Still, the ghoul gives him a bright smile, nodding his head.

“If that's what you wish to call me, master.” And again, he bows. Not as deeply this time, but his hand goes over his heart as he bends at the waist.

Notus steps out of the drawn pentacle, taking a stand in the far corner, his hands folded in front of him. Alright. So far so good. Though he felt hesitant about all of this at first, he can feel the pride and excitement well up in his chest. Maybe he was actually good at something.

He repeats the same action, summoning the next ghoul. He wonders if it'll be another air ghoul. Would they all be air ghouls? He was told they would match his energy. Would this element be his match?

The smell that envelopes the room sends his mind back. It's like he's back at the lake and, for a moment, he lets the memory wash over him; the sound of the crickets chirping as he laid on his towel. His eyes slip shut, reveling in the memory. The warm summer breeze that had washed over him; the soft music coming from the car as his friends laughed in the distance.

A shadow is cast over him and his eyes snap open, his jaw-dropping. This ghoul is a sight to behold.

“Oh.” He swallows thickly as he towers over him. “You're... big...”

The ghoul is almost a foot taller than him, his skin a desaturated blue, and his curly hair stopping just above his shoulders. Those eyes reminded him of the ocean, such beautiful orbs that could've held him in a trance. His tail is held up behind him, but he's surprised to see it's not in the shape of a spade. Instead, it's a giant, flowing, colorful fin; a beautiful coral red color starting at the base, blending into a cobalt blue before finally transitioning to a light blue. It reminded him of one of those betta fish he would see at the stores, swimming around in those small little glass bowls.

Just like Notus, this ghoul sinks down to one knee, his head bowed. His horns are curled and smooth, a light blue color that almost bordered indigo. However, he stays silent.

“It's nice to meet you,” Damien tries. The ghoul picks his head up, giving him a smile, a small chuff being sent his way. Okay? Damien glances over at Notus, seeing how he shrugs. “Ah... are you also an air ghoul?”

He shakes his head. Glancing around the room, he points at the water bottle Damien had left forgotten on the old table.

“You're a water ghoul?” A nod. Okay. He's getting somewhere. “Should I also name you as well?” Another nod. “Okay. How about... Neptune?”

It seems good enough for the ghoul. And to his surprise, the giant creature stands, taking him into his arms in a sort of hug. Really, it reminded him of a child picking up a stuffed animal and squeezing it, his face nuzzling against Damien's cheek. He's surprised none of his bones snap underneath the pressure. But still, seeing that smile on Neptune's face transferred to his. He even laughs softly as he watched him join Notus in the corner, arms open like he was inviting the other for a hug as well. It was no surprise when the smaller ghoul politely declined.

Yeah. This was gonna be okay. Everything was going to be okay.

And so he begins the next summoning with the two ghouls watching him intently. Just like Notus, the air drops considerably, shaking him to his core. This feels so much worse and he watches as his fingers turned a bright red. He could even see the other two shivering in the corner, Notus having gotten closer to Neptune for any bit of warmth.

The smell is what gets him next, hitting him like a freight train. It's sharp, suffocating. The smell of iron; rust; something sickly that makes his head spin, but there's something else. Something that makes his nose scrunch up as he coughs. It smells like a fire, that invisible, thick smoke closing in around him. But the smell of smoke isn't normal. It's not the same smell he'd get whenever he was close to a grass fire, and it's more than the burning wood one would smell from a campfire. There's something underneath it all; something that smelled like charred meat and it's making him sick.

The ghoul that appears before him is quite the sight. Though he's nowhere near as tall as Neptune, he looks like he's made of pure muscle. And despite the questionable, scary scent he had brought with him, his face was beautiful. White eyes seem to glow as they stare at him, his large horns decorated in what seemed to be lightly colored runes. His hair is shaved at the sides, the rest of it separated at the top in three braids, with the thickest being in the middle, decorated with silver beads. The face paint is beautiful, a stark white against his dark skin, those bright freckles dusting his cheeks and across the bridge of his nose. There's such symmetry in his markings, and he notices more as he looks at the ghoul's hands. His fingers are lighter than the rest of his skin, though those black claws still adorn each digit. He reminds him of those Vikings he had heard about. He never did much research on them, save for the one project his old professor had the class do. Did he even finish that project?

“Master.” The title is bitter as it escapes the ghoul's lips, sending a chill up his spine. He missed the silence he got from Neptune. Still, the ghoul looks around, eyes lingering on the other ghouls when he sees them. “What is my purpose?”

“I would like to go over that when everyone is here.” Oh, if looks could kill. There was a dangerous fire in his eyes, but he just lets out a low and menacing hum. Still, he takes the same position as the others.

“What shall my name be?” He picks his head up. A part of Damien feels bad as he stares at him. The ghoul looks... tired; irritated and, in a way, unnerved. “I will be your quintessence ghoul for as long as you'll have me.”

“Quintessence?” he parrots softly. That wasn't a word you hear every day, but he could work with it. His eyes flick over to Notus. “Astraeus.” He turns his gaze to the ghoul bowing before him. “Is that okay?”

“Whatever you see fit.” He stands, not even sparing a second glance as he joins the others. Damien watches him carefully, seeing the way he hesitates a bit as he gets closer. He even shrinks back when Neptune opens his arms. Hopefully he would find peace with the group. 

The next summon fills the room with a smell that reminded him of the woods. But this ghoul is different from the others. The antlers catch his eye first, dark tips transitioning to a light color. Sharp teeth also hang past his lips, reminiscent of an oni devil. The scar on his neck looks nasty, but he decides questions like that should be saved for a later date. The ghoul is about the same height as Astraeus, but he's a bit thinner. His hair is a dark brown, almost black in the dim light, wavy and stopping above his shoulders just like Neptune. And like Astraeus, he has freckles that decorate his cheeks, along with red-orange markings on his cheeks and underneath his eyebrows. He also notes the dull fingernails that would normally adorn human hands.

The ghoul doesn't bow, either. Instead, he slowly walks around the small room, eyes trailing over everything and everyone. Damien stays kneeling on the ground, intimidated by the ghoul that stands before him now, a smirk on his face.

“You should be loyal to your ghouls,” he tells Damien. His voice is the scariest thing about him. It's like multiple low and raspy voices overlap each other and the only word he can think to describe it is: demonic. “they could turn on you.”

Okay. Good to know. “What element are you?”

“Earth.”

He wracks his brain for a bit. An earth ghoul. If his memory served correct, he remembered reading about a god who protected the forest, or something similar to that. “May I call you Silvanus?”

A scoff. “Sure. Why not?” His eyes linger on him for a moment longer before he finally turns. His tail is tipped with dark fur. How odd.

Damien's heart breaks a bit when he sees Neptune, again, open his arms for the ghoul, only to have Silvanus growl out, “Don't touch me.” He hoped they would all get used to each other soon. He didn't know how to stop demons from fighting if it came to that point.

Okay. One more. He had enough energy to summon one last ghoul. And he only had enough blood seeping from his palm for one last ghoul. So he presses his hand to the cold stone floor one last time, calling out into the night. He's tired. He's intimidated. He's regretting every decision he's ever made in life that has led him up to this point. He's just over it.

This time, the temperature rises, and quickly. He sees the ghouls in the corner move, spreading out and looking uncomfortable. Silvanus is even removing the leather jacket he wore, his face upturned in a scowl. The smell of gunpowder is strong, along with that faint smell of charred meat. Just like Astraeus. 

Sweat is beading on his forehead as the last ghoul appears in front of him; the shortest of them all, he assumes, but the most aggressive looking. His jaw is clenched, hands curled in tight fists as those violet-blue eyes glare down at him, his lips curled up into a sneer. His horns are black and rigid, curled high and intimidating. 

“Hello, ghoul,” Damien starts slowly, finally standing up, his knees aching. He's only a couple inches shorter than the last summon. So why does he still feel so small compared to him? “I'm-”

“I don't care.” Okay. That was quick. “I'm a fire ghoul. Just name me and tell me my purpose.”

Perfect. He already knows what to call this one. “Would Ares work?”

“Yeah,” he scoffs, his tail flicking behind him. But the second he looks around, that rage seems to get worse. “More ghouls?” He turns his attention back to Damien. “Just what the hell do you want with all of us?”

“That's what I'd like to go over with you all now.” He gives him a smile, opening his arms a bit. “I'm Damien Emeritus. I've summoned you all for a project this church is working on.”

“Church?” Silvanus parrots, rolling his eyes as his arms cross his chest. “If the only thing you want us for is to show off, I'd rather go back right now. I don't have time for this.”

“It's not to 'show off!'” When he was summoning these ghouls, he didn't think any of them would have such an attitude. “Look, I'm still new to all of this-”

“That much is obvious,” Ares sneers. Was it too late to send them back? At least him and the earth ghoul. 

“But I'd like to make all of this work.” They're looking at him curiously. The unease on Astraeus has only worsened and he watches as he scoots further to the back. “Our project is called Ghost. Sister Imperator, Mr. Salturion, and I wish to spread the word of Satan through music.”

“And you just... assume that we all know how to play instruments?” Silvanus asks. He had a point.

“I can only play the piano,” Notus chimes in.

“You fucking would!” 

“Enough!” Notus had moved further behind Neptune when Silvanus snapped, shooting Damien a thankful look. “Whether or not you guys know how to play doesn't matter. We can always practice.” He smiles at Notus. “The fact that you can already play the piano is great. We need a keyboardist.” He turns his attention to the others. “Can any of you play any instruments?”

“I think I remember how to play the guitar,” Ares responds. “I'll probably need a bit to... get used to it again.”

“I used to play the drums for a small band in my town,” Silvanus says next. “Before...” It's the first time he pauses, a distant look in those mossy-green eyes. “Well, before I had to stop.”

“Perfect!” He looks at Astraeus with a smile. “Can you play anything?”

“I doubt I'd be any help,” he scoffs. “Back when I was alive, I only played a lyre.”

“Alive?” He forgets all about the whole project,now focused on the information the ghoul just gave him. “You were... wait, were you a human before?”

“A Viking,” Astraeus clarifies. “We didn't have anything too fancy back then.”

“You, too?” Silvanus is finally showing interest. A thought crosses Damien's mind.

“Raise your hand if you were human before becoming a ghoul.” There's a moment of stillness. Finally, they all raise their hands.

[undercoverangell]

hello stranger whom i've never spoken to before!! let me ask you this- who are your favorite FH parents?? and beyond that, what do you think their backstories are like?? thanks for humoring an unfamiliar stranger who you don't know like me <3

OKAY OKAY UH,

obviously, pok is my number one! hes my man! just a guy! he loves his wife, he loves his son, everything he has ever done and will ever do is out of love for them. I would unpack his whole backstory, however that'd take forever!! He's got a single father, 3 siblings (2 older brothers and a younger sister) and would do just about anything for money in college! Horrendous adhd, pansexual. sklonda is also number one but thats a rant ill explore later <33

number two, is also pok gukgak! he is--- ok i lied its gilear. honestly we as a society do not talk about gilear and the bullshit sandralynn put that man through AND THEN WE BLAME HIM??? gilear has literally always been the second pick (despite the fact that he was probably fine as hell in his youth shoutout hot gilear <33) , literally can we talk abt how sandralynn only asked him to fuck AFTER SHE BROKE UP W JAWBONE?? and she was messing around w gorthalax when they were dating presumably!! what the fuck girl!! I can honestly see gilear as a pretty confident young man, with a nice stable government job maybe some more hair and like. he gives me salutatorian energy. i think thatd add even more hurt that like he genuinely has always been close to first, but never fully there. I can see him doing something geeky as hell like chess club back in the day but after the divorce things went downhill,

also, he still loves fig?? even after all that. I think people rlly beat him up for yelling at her but. fig was literally refusing to call him her dad and like. actively treating him like shit. every parent makes mistakes and i think we shouldn't jump to demonizing him for lashing out sometimes when things get hard. should he have called a "fucking demon"? no. had fig just pretended to be his very recently divorced ex wife and try and skip school very first day?? yes. also he calls her "dearest daughter" in s2 a lot and that makes me very happy

sklonda luv her my little girlboss my beloved my most cherished prized woman *heart locket opens w her picture in it* how i love her she treats riz so well she handles him so well she is a trans ally she is an adaine ally she loves her asexual son she loves her late horny husband she loves her 8 foot tall boyfriend and she hates angus aderbant or whatever the fuck that guys name is. no losses, all wins.

ok ok jawbone isnt a parent technically but hes also on here. i love him. hes lived a wild life and i think hes pansexual poly. i love him. maybe had a fling w pok in his youth. good for him. what a boyboss.