#phantom/swiss

[divine-misfortune]

Swiss had reached out and playfully ruffled his sweaty hair after Phantom pulled his helmet off. He grinned broadly as he praised him for his first ritual, and like his enthusiasm was contagious, Phantom found himself smiling, smiling stupidly at that. The little chuckle Swiss spared made something warm settle in his chest. Easily warding off the pinpricks of doubt.

When he withdrew to continue on backstage, Phantom physically sagged. He almost reached out to grab Swiss by the wrist. But he didn't. He had enough self control to keep his hand at his side, even if his fingers still twitched with a pitiful need. Despite that restraint, Swiss still noticed the poor bug's face fall when he moved on from him, the flicker of disappointment from the corner of his eye was almost missable.

And later on the bus when the buzz of adrenaline in the air had seemingly died down as most of the other ghouls had either slipped off to bed or were forcibly dragged into a bunk for, as Mountain called it, mandatory cuddle time, Phantom couldn't even think of sleeping.

The quintessence ghoul was wired. He'd barely forced himself to stop pacing the length of the bus, brain far too busy for rest. Without the distraction of the others, Phantom was left in a weirdly sharp silence. There was too much room for him to think, and nothing coming to mind was remotely pleasant.

Mistakes, too many of them to be acceptable. All of his sharp notes and missed cues were digging away at him, leaving a gaping pit in his gut. He'd been warned that there were big shoes to fill, but it felt like he'd hardly even stepped into them. Disappointment itched under his skin and he busied his hands repeatedly combing through the ends of his hair in an attempt to self soothe. It barely did the job but it was something to focus on.

Padding up and down the narrow aisle between the bunks eventually earned him the attention of a very groggy multi ghoul. The thin, and honestly sorry excuse of a privacy curtain was tugged back and Swiss' head poked out. He looked just as tired as Phantom felt.

"Hey," Swiss whispered as he propped himself up on his elbow, head lolling heavily towards his pillow like he just might sink back into it at any second "Surprised you aren't sleeping, Rora straight up passed out the second we got on the bus."

"...Can't sleep." Phantom shrugged and twisted a loose strand of white hair around his index finger, "sorry if I woke you."

"Hadn't nodded off just yet..." Judging from the lazy way he blinked, he was lying. "You okay?"

Phantom opened his mouth but felt his throat unwillingly tighten before any sound could get out.

I fucked it up. I ruined the first fucking song. Copia hasn't said a word to me since before we got on stage.

He didn't trust himself to speak like this. Not while his brain felt like tearing itself apart. He bit the inside of his cheek and shrugged again, a feeble smile forced onto his face. It surely didn't meet his eyes.

Swiss frowned.

"Wanna talk about it?" He shook his head abruptly and Swiss's brow furrowed for a moment in thought before patting the edge of the bed. "Okay, we don't need to talk then, c'mere."

Phantom paused fully, even the restless way he combed through his hair stilled. He tipped his head.

"Trust me?"

For a moment Phantom rocked back on his heels. He could very well shake his head again and slink back to his own bunk. Curl up against the wall and keep his problems to himself. There were a dozen or so more rituals to get through, he couldn't just go crawling back to his pack mates like some sad kit every time he made a mistake. He needed to learn to live with it.

But Swiss looked at him kindly. He waited patiently in the silence that Phantom was allowing to drag on. Swallowing the lump in his throat, he took a step forward and felt a faint heat in his cheeks when that same grin made a reappearance. More lopsided this time, but it held the same sort of warmth to it.

It was an awkward fit, getting them both in such a narrow space when Swiss was bigger and broader than Phantom in most senses, but Swiss dutifully pressed his back to the wall and allowed him the space to get comfortable. They'd never been close like this as far as Phantom could recall, and he hoped Swiss couldn't hear the way his pulse rattled in his rib cage. Even in the dark, he could see the fine details of the older ghoul's face. Most notably, the way decades of joy had etched soft lines around his eyes and mouth. Part of him wanted to reach out, touch them delicately, and hope for the same in time. He chose to keep his hands clutched to his chest instead.

Phantom inhaled shakily as he settled under the blankets and tried not to pay much attention to the sweet musky smell that washed over him. Gentle waves of something oddly comforting pulling the tension from his shoulders.

"Hi," Swiss hummed. He seemed pleased with himself, watching the quintessence ghoul through heavily lidded eyes.

"...Thought we didn't have to talk."

The multi ghoul chuckled under his breath with a nod, "I did, didn't I? One more question and no more words, deal?"

"I guess."

"Is it okay if I touch you?"

Phantom felt his stomach flip in the hollow space it seemed to exist in. There was a sudden spike in his gut, not exactly anxiety but close enough to panic for him to notice. He fidgeted with the collar of his shirt.

"Y...Yeah."

Uncertainty left a sour taste in his mouth, but the quintessence ghoul held his breath and waited. Waited for the wandering hand that was inevitably find its way past the elastic of his boxers and to where he was most vulnerable. Would that make him feel better? To let Swiss guide him towards exhaustion with a loose fist and a certain brand of filth he wasn't accustomed to? The idea did nothing to ease a swelling anxiety but Phantom was certain Swiss knew best. At least knew better than him, and he trusted the older ghoul to care for him in his stint of weakness.

In all the months Phantom had been topside, this was the first true unguarded moment he'd allowed himself in front of another ghoul. It felt like showing his belly, an uncomfortable display of submission and weakness. He couldn't keep Swiss' overly warm gaze when he slipped an arm over his waist. Large hand laid flat on the space between his shoulder blades, an almost laughable reminder of how small he was - how small he felt. What little space had been between them was closed, and suddenly Swiss was encompassing him fully. There was nothing to focus on besides Swiss. Heat pulsed in his cheeks and he opted to hide behind his eyelids.

Phantom wasn't sure what was coming. His skin prickled underneath Swiss' touch as it drifted. Even through a barrier of fabric the sensation was too vivid. Surely Swiss could feel his muscles going tought.

But Swiss didn't mention it, and his hand found a home in the little ghoul's dark hair. Unglamored claws grazed the nape of his neck before scratching lightly at the base of his skull. He braced himself for the mean grip that he'd been told Swiss liked to take but that firm hand never came.

There was something cautious in the way Swiss held him, like he was fragile. Valued, even.

He kissed the space between his horns, and Phantom realized he was shaking. Kindness was not a foreign concept to the little ghoul. It still somehow took him by surprise. Such a slow and careful display of affection. How was he supposed to react? All he could think to do was clutch onto Swiss' shirt like a lifeline.

"Oh bug..." The multi ghoul was frowning. He could hear the sad cadence in his voice. "I've got you, you're okay..."

It was like he'd given Phantom the permission to break because it hit him like a train. A sob tore out of his throat, eager to escape the confines of his vessel. Swiss only shifted closer and allowed him to bury his face into his chest.

"I can't do this-" Phantom hiccuped through his tears and Swiss gently carded his fingers further into his hair. "I can't, I can't, I'm not meant for this. I fucked up, I'm gonna keep fucking up."

"Hey, hey," Swiss squeezed him lightly. "These things aren't meant to be perfect. Nobody expects them to be."

"I ruined it from the first note, and it only got worse from there..."

"We've all made mistakes, I mean...Hell, I sang the chorus during an instrumental section during one of my first shows. And Dew? Dew once fucked up the start of ritual so bad Copia literally mocked him on stage. Little guy was damn near ready to spike his guitar into the ground."

Phantom only attempted to hide further.

"...You know why Rain's name is Rain?"

"No?"

"Because he slipped during his first show, and rain falls down."

He couldn't help the way his quiet laugh made his shoulders shake. Swiss kissed the top of his head this time.

"I'm sure Dew's shown you the video of me falling off my platform at least a dozen times by now."

"...Once or twice."

"See? Mistakes happen. It's your first time, little shadow, you did amazing...We're so proud of you."

Phantom sniffled. His eyes stung and his throat felt tight. Swiss continued the comforting and repetitive drag of his nails over his scalp, a low rumble kicking up in his chest. The quintessence ghoul felt himself truly melting into him.

"You okay?" Swiss asked and rubbed little circles into his back.

"...Tired."

"You wanna go to sleep?"

"Mhm...Can I, um, stay here?"

"Course you can, whatever you want."

Phantom breathed in shakily, peeling himself off of the multi ghoul long enough for him to wipe his eyes. Swiss still looked down at him fondly. Exhaustion present on his face, but fond nonetheless.

"Thank you," he mumbled and allowed Swiss to pull him back in with a tuneless hum. He was just as tired, and Phantom easily slotted himself back into the other ghoul. Wrapped up in his arms, legs tangled together, Phantom could finally let himself rest.

[st-danger]

Hello hello!

Penny for your thoughts on predator Aeon?

Ohhhhh here have some headcanons!

Aeon is very much a playful sort of ghoul. Likes to tease. Likes to have fun.

Likes to hunt.

Aether doesn't enjoy being chased. Mountain would rather do the chasing. Rain gets nervous, always, makes too many mistakes trying to get away and hide, so it's not as much of a challenge as Aeon would like.

Dew's a slippery one. Fast, incredibly graceful. Whereas Rain is almost guaranteed to trip on a tree branch or some detritus in the forest, Dew doesn't have that issue. What he does have, however, is a shocking lack of awareness when it comes to the feeling of quintessence; you'd think that for as often as he and Aether use that for the most unwholesome of purposes, he'd be a little more attuned to the feeling of magick prickling his skin. Aeon chalks it up to the way the adrenaline from being chased takes centre stage.

Regardless of why he's caught of guard by it every time, he is, and Aeon finds few things more delicious than getting into Dew's head. Rearranging what he sees. What he feels. Just enough warping of reality to confuse. Easy enough to make the forest seem darker. Easy enough to make it sound like there are footsteps from many directions. So easy to make him feel a phantom breath on the back of his neck to make him whip around to face nothing at all. Dew considers it cheating, always gets the most enticing drip of panic from his cursing when he realizes he's being toyed with.

All that adrenaline and will to fight and it never gets him anywhere for long. Sometimes he finishes the hunt quickly, other times he waits until Dew is panting and utterly exhausted, holds the back of his neck and fucks him into the forest floor with little ceremony. Shoves his face into Dew's armpit and smells him when he's sweaty.

Swiss is the other favourite.

Swiss feels the quintessence, and given that he's got a bit of his own threaded through him, it's easier for him to recognize and parse through what's real and what's simply being suggested. He's not immune, but it evens the playing field more.

To Aeon's delight, Swiss is a fighter. Aeon has to work hard to keep up with him, and work even harder to take him down. It's less playing with his victim and more of an actual struggle. Swiss is a lot stronger than he is, and there are only so many shadows for Aeon to hide in before he has to step out of them to finish the job.

The best thing he can do is draw it out.

Create a sense of dread. Wait. Get close enough to him, and give him an out because the sight of Swiss running from him, trying to escape him, gets him blindingly hard. Swiss is good about smelling like fear, too. It might be a game, but he can't stop the natural reaction being hunted elicits. Dew smells of panic, Swiss smells like fear. Aeon could asphyxiate himself on both.

Swiss fights. Aeon laughs and claws and shoves and bites, and Swiss will grab his hair. Slap him if he can.

The thing about hunting Swiss that Aeon likes best is that he doesn't always win.

It's a toss up if Swiss throws him down hard, pins him under thick thighs and wraps a hand around his throat, squeezing just enough to make his eyes grow big, make him struggle. Grinding down onto him, making sure Aeon can feel how hard he is. Demands Aeon open his mouth and show him that little pink tongue so he can spit on it and laugh at him with his legs kick uselessly under him. Tells him in a low, dangerous voice, better luck next time, kiddo.

[dewdrops-whammy-bar]

I found this screenshot on Pinterest and instantly thought of Phantom

They’re a little confused but they’ve got the spirit!

(I’m picturing Swiss going at it from behind and dirty talking them, then Phantom looking over their shoulder with the most confused and slightly concerned expression and going “Mine??????” Needless to say, they had to take a break for a bit while Swiss finished laughing.)

[ghoulangerlee]

I wish you’d write a fic where someone gets a little distracted by someone else at dinner, but they have to keep it lowkey of course

anon please accept this offer of Swiss/Aeon

aeon's misusing his magic again to mess with swiss, but swiss isn't complaining much :) mildly mean dom aeon my beloved. this is a game to the two of them even if swiss is like "behave you fiend"

it's mostly suggestive as to what exactly is happening, no actual sex but lowkey Swiss is getting the railing of his life after dinner

-

Pack dinners were always few and far in between on tour, either they were too tired to do more than order room service or raid the vending machines of whatever hotel they were staying in or they were shuffled onto the bus to travel to the next city.

In the rarer times, they were able to order takeout to have delivered to their room or bus and they'd sit around and eat together before settling in for the night.

Tonight, however, they were able to find the time to settle down for a proper dinner tonight, a little hole in the wall place somewhere in the south of the US; Swiss didn't really know the name of it, nor did he really care.

It wasn't the best, the table they were at was located back near the entrance to the kitchen, two smaller ones shoved together and the lights sort of flickered and cast a shadow over the entire area, but there were drinks and food and his pack surrounding him, all buzzing from the adrenaline of a good show so he was happy. He was content.

Down the table a bit, Copia was talking loudly with Dew and Cumulus, sharing a tidbit about something he'd seen before the show that the others had missed and Cirrus, who was leaned tiredly against Cumulus's shoulder kept interjecting to ask him questions to rile him up, his face going a bit pink as adrenaline and the cheap wine started to get to him.

It was pretty cute and Swiss wouldn't be surprised if Copia cut the dinner short to duke it out with Cirrus somewhere more private.

He picks his drink up and takes a long sip of it, he's alternating between a coke and a glass of water, trying to hydrate himself properly after sweating so much for the last several hours; as he places it down, there's a gust of something cold against his ankle.

Swiss glances around the restaurant, the air conditioning in this place wasn't the best, and it definitely wasn't blowing under the table, and maybe just maybe he was just tired and ready to sleep off the exhaustion of a full day, maybe he was just imagining the curl of something cold around his ankle.

It happens again when he goes to pick up his fork, this time higher, curling around his calf oh so carefully, tickling the skin there for a moment as it travels higher, becomes almost tangible against his skin.

He presses his lips together and looks around the table, his eyes flitting between each of his packmates, none of them really paying attention to him and he frowns a little, wondering what could be causing the—

Aeon's grinning at him from across the table, his chin resting on his palm, in his other hand he holds a fork, casually twirling some spaghetti around it and when he notices Swiss looking at him, he winks.

Swiss narrows his eyes at Aeon, bares his teeth at him as that cold, creeping magic works its way further up his leg, settling against his inner thigh and he clenches his hand around the fork, mouthing a behave at him.

Aeon raises an eyebrow at him, a defiant look on his face as he watches Swiss, lifting his fork up to his mouth to take a bite of his spaghetti.

When Aeon tilts his head, Swiss feels the magic squeeze tight around his thigh—it's cold enough to make him shiver, his own hand shaking just a little bit as he tries to ignore it, scooping up a small amount of mashed potatoes on his fork. He's not really too interested in the food right now, not when Aeon's giving him that look the one that promises things later on once they're alone.

"Hey Swiss, you okay?" Mountain's voice pulls him from his thoughts and he startles a bit, looking away from the maddening swirl of violet in Aeon's eyes.

"Wh-huh?" Swiss asks, already feeling a little light headed as Aeon's magic settles around him, "Yeah, I'm fine, just a little tired. I think after we leave here I'm gonna turn in for the night."

Mountain gives him a look, one that says he's not buying it, but he doesn't push and goes back to eating, drawn back into a conversation with Aurora and Rain.

Swiss's eyes cut over to Aeon again and he glares at him, bares his teeth once more before chewing through an overcooked piece of steak, trying his best to ignore the way the magic seems to cover him like a blanket, a cold and stinging sensation teasing both of his nipples—the touch feeling like fingers plucking at them until they're both sore and overstimulated.

Sometime between the magic settling against his chest and it teasing and touching across his skin oh so carelessly, Swiss forgets that he's supposed to be putting up a fight, hunching a bit as he leans into the touch, burying his face in both of his hands, muffling a moan into a fake yawn that doesn't sound very convincing even to his own ears.

Careful baby, you might let on what's happening to you Aeon's voice echoes in his mind, teasing and warm, We can't have them knowing that I'm playing with you like this, can we?

Swiss doesn't deem that good enough to reply to, he just focuses on keeping his breathing even enough to look as if he's taking a short nap, closing his eyes for a bit to rest them while the rest of the pack finish up their meals.

He thinks he hears Dew say something about dessert and briefly wonders if he could just shift into his more demonic true form now to ruin the dinner and get them out of here faster.

"I think dessert is a lovely idea," Copia says, his voice a little slurred from too much wine, "Something sweet to end the night, we've got time, we're not due to our next location for a few days anyway."

Swiss chances a glance up to where Copia's seated, leaning heavily against Dew as the two of them share a menu, perusing over the desserts and he has to bite his tongue hard when the magic teasing at his nipples twists around them, pinching hard enough to make him jump.

"Let's have a nice night together," Copia continues, completely oblivious to Swiss's current predicament, "It's not often we're able to enjoy a meal together like this while traveling, so let's make the most of it, yeah?"

Around the table, there's cheering coming from the rest of the ghouls, even Aeon sticks two fingers into his mouth and blows out a whistle loud enough to make a few of the other tables look at them.

Looks like you'll have to be good for a bit longer, baby, Aeon coos softly into his mind, oh so sweet and saccharine. There's a hint of steel in his voice and something in Swiss yearns for it, to be good, to do good for Aeon.

Yes sir, Swiss finally answers back, though he feels every single nerve in his body is alight. I'll be good.

[bonncy]

photocards of the demon cats

[xruiiii-blog]

Pookieees🦇🖤🦷

[ghoulymadge]

A moment between Nameless Ghouls

[huntersghouls]

In Which The Ghang Would Like To Remind You That All Colors Are Beautiful

[genderlessghoul]

I've been wanting to do this post for a while now so here is EVERYTHING I CAN TELL YOU ABOUT THE GHOULS' IMPERA COSTUMES.

Buckle up because I have a LOT to say about those, this is gonna be a very long one.

The costumes were designed by B Åkerlund, a Swedish costume designer who's worked with Ghost since at least Meliora (that's as far back as I was willing to scroll on her Instagram page lol). B Åkerlund has also worked for many other musical artists such as Lady Gaga, Beyoncé, Madonna, the Rolling Stones, Ozzy Osborne, Blink 182 and Hollywood Undead (information from her own website)

The masks were made by Bob Basset, a visual artists who works a lot with leather. I find his work fascinating, you can look him up on Instagram (nsfw warning, there's a few naked ladies).

Fun fact! The horns are real cow horns. That's the reason some of them have gold tips, to hide the imperfections that come with working with actual horns.

He does have a shop where he sells his items, there's a mask there very similar to the Impera ones. You can also buy Papa's batwings if you happen to have 2500$ lying around!

The jackets are made on the same model as one of Papa's. The back is decorated with a spine-like design made from leather and cording. It's adorned with a few of our classic Impera buttons. Some of the hems were left raw and some deliberate weathering was done to make it look old and worn.

Fun fact! The shoulder pieces are not sewn into the garment, I would assume for easier cleaning. I don't know if they're held by strong magnets or snap buttons.

The vest (my beloved 😩) is made from flocked velvet in a paisley pattern, the front hems embellished with satin piping. It closes in the front with custom metal clasps that are riveted into the garment. The D parts are attached with what seems to me like wide elastic, which would lessen the pression on the clasps when moving around a lot. The back is made from two different types of fabric, I'd have to touch it to be able to tell you what they are. I assume the panels closer to the sides have some mild stretch to them. The top of the shoulders are decorated with Impera grucifix patches.

The shirts were not custom made for the ghouls, altho they were altered. The original shirt in the vintage painter linen shirt from Punk Rave and it is still being sold. Some of the cuffs were altered, removing the ruffles for some of the ghouls, but not all. They were removed for Dew, Mountain and Phantom, Aether's didn't have them either. As far as I can tell, all the ghoulettes still have them.

An unfinished piece of linen serves as an ascot, that piece is decorated with a metal devil skull. The colour of the skull doesn't appear to be consistent between each ghoul, Dew's looks gold almost bronze while Phantom's is a silver-like colour.

Another modification is the buttons, a small portion of them were removed in favor of our Impera buttons. Some of the ghouls have more buttons replaced than others, which is still a mystery to me.

The pants are called Jodhpurs, they were invented in the 1800s as horse riding pants. The wide part at the hips and thighs allowing for better movement. The ones the ghouls wear don't reach all the way to their ankles, they stop a bit past the calf muscle, hidden by the boots. (Yes, the ghouls are effectively wearing capri pants)

The boots are motorcycle riding boots, decorated by a grucifix. Like the shirt, they can still be bought online through the All American Boots website, altho the price tag is... Headache inducing to say the least.

The cape is a piece of costume that was only briefly worn on stage by the ghouls, Aurora being the only one who still wears one. I would assume it gets in the way of playing very easily. The cape itself is made of two fabrics, a light blue satin and a dark grey suede. The two pieces are not sewn together at the bottom, they move freely from each other. The cape is attached on the left shoulder with a harness piece that has one strap across the chest, decorated with a metal buckle, and one under the armpit.

Aight that's it for me, have a nice day byyyyye!!

[saintmisu]

this has been rotting in my wips but anyways my take on the ghouls please accept it hehe

[deadskink]

Slapping a sign on Swiss and Phantom that says CAUTION: DO NOT SEPARATE

[ghuleh-recs]

i’m just gonna leave this here.

video by ghoulf4ngz

[hira492]

GHOULS! 🔥🔥

[wolves333]

Ifrit♥️

cr:@stupefyslytherin(Tik Tok)

Them Ifritties!!👁️👄👁️

The unholiest urge to squish those honkers!

[bonncy]

The cats playground

Sorry, it's my headcanon, they're like cats... demon-cats, nothing more to say, bye

[xruiiii-blog]

*walk of shame* *leaves*