#the band ghost au

[profanepurity]

Mummy Dust was a huge inspiration for how Mammon works in the AU, as well as how the three demons of Greed operate, which consists of Mammon, Beelzebub, and Belphagor (who I will be introduced soon!). A little bit of their working dynamics, as well as their relationships with Secondo and Terzo are below!

There's the obvious imagery of "I was carried on a wolf's back", which to me alludes to the symbolic relationship of wolves and greed. This is why I chose to make Mammon's more demonic form a wolfish creature with eight legs and eight eyes (wolf spider lol) in the second panel. Beelzebub's form is more ambiguous and massive, and he would probably present himself on a larger scale than I have him next to Secondo in the first panel. His mouth can open absurdly wide, and he has various other mouths along his body. The Lord of Flies of course possesses some bug-like characteristics and behaviors: constantly being accompanied by glowing insects, moving on all fours legs, sometimes six, and having moth-like wings. Mammon and Beelzebub operate like "two sides of the same coin", much like how I HC Terzo and Secondo to be in a lot of ways. Secondo allows himself to enjoy the pleasures of life, often as a means to cope with internal wounds and his discontent towards the world around him. On the flip side, Terzo uses his internal conflicts and struggles to fuel his pursuit of condemning hypocrisy, injustice, and corruption in the world, finding pleasure in that act. Secondo does this too, of course, but he does it in a way that is melancholy, weary almost. Secondo's approach to "spreading the word" is to appear as this cold, intimidating old man, but who really has a soft, bruised soul inside. By contrast, Terzo appears as this charming and attractive man, spinning beautiful lyrics with hidden self- hatred and anger. When they were boys, these roles were reversed. Secondo would often lash out as a child, holding onto resentment and emotions he didn't know how to process until he eventually learned to soften with age. Once again, on the opposite side, Terzo was a very happy boy who suffered oppression and hardship repeatedly until that happiness turned into masked anger for the sake of maintaining an image. In this AU, Secondo is devoted to the three proprietors of the umbrella sin of greed, and has an especially close relationship with Beelzebub and Mammon. It wasn't until Terzo entered early adulthood did Mammon approach him. The Lord of Wealth working with someone like Terzo might seem a little confusing until you understand the way the wolf hunts. Going back to Mummy Dust for a moment, Mammon's method of obtaining and devouring sin can really be summarized with the line, "I'm the magnet for stupidity". Mammon represents rapacity, and he feeds off of intense desire for monetary profit, but he himself find it to be disgusting and stupid. Mammon likes to let his victims marinate a bit. "I'll smother you in riches, 'til you choke on sordid mirth.", is essentially Mammon tempting weak minded pigs with their desires just to lure them into their own demises. He attracts those who are dumb enough to worship money so he can devour them. He literally eats the rich. He is "... the ruler of the earth" for that reason, as money is the ultimate dictator over mankind.

Mammon himself is also someone that holds a lot of underlying self hatred because of who he is. He feels as though his existence is the reason that immorality and corruption as a result of avarice exists, and feels an intense personal responsibility to try and purge the world of it by taking as many victims as he can. This is why he strictly forbids the church from worshipping him, or giving him any kind of offerings of cash. Once Terzo understood this, he was more than happy to work with a demon that wanted to tear apart exploitative oligarchies, who also happens to have a good sense of humor. In the AU canon, he opens Mummy Dust by introducing it as a song about "one evil motherfucker" for the purpose of negatively presenting Mammon as the noun, as well as making sure the song was not worshipping the demon in anyway, despite his obvious influence when he wrote it. Terzo is "carried on a wolf's back", alluding to his partnership with Mammon. Beelzebub is one of the most worshipped infernals in the church, second only after Lucifer. He represents hedonism, and the pleasure, benefits, and freedom that gluttony can bring. We all know Secondo loves to party, and that enjoyment of self- indulgence is something he learned as a result of his relationship with Beelzebub. You have to learn to care for yourself and allow yourself enjoyment, even when you feel like you don't deserve it, or life has denied you happiness. Of course, Beelzebub had to teach Secondo the balance of discipline and intemperance, but the demon himself also struggles with this. Along with that, there is a guilt that he carries for living in excess, especially next to his brother who starves himself.

 Beelzebub's alias is Reverend Martin Avarice. Avarice means to have extreme desire for money and material. Mammon's alias is Reverend Erik Lucrum. Lucrum means to profit or benefit. I gave them opposing names on purpose. In the realm of greed, Beelzebub is really the one that profits, where as Mammon is the one desiring those that possess avarice, despite despising it.  Belphagor comes into play in a lot of different ways, often bridging these two together. He works work with Terzo, Secondo, and Copia too. There will be more on him later when I get around to drawing him at some point lol.

[honimello]

The Phantom of the Opera

Chapter One: Angel of Music

Papa Emeritus iii/Terzo x afab!Reader

Summary: A darkness lurks within the walls of the Opera house. It slinks through crawlspaces and watches you through your dressing room mirror. On the night of your first showing as lead soprano, you find yourself doubting your talents. Unbeknownst to you, the Phantom is watching, and it knows your pain. (1,700-ish words, I'm sorry it's so short lol)

Story Warnings: Age-Gap (Reader is well into her twenties), Vague Stalking, Voyeurism, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, Slight Flirting, Eventual Smut, Canon Divergence for both Ghost and Phantom of the Opera, Vampirism

A/N: Phantom of the Opera AU! with (Vampire) Terzo as the Phantom, Sister Imperator (Mary Emeritus) as Madame Giry, Primo and Secondo as the owners of the Opera house, and Copia as the Opera Conductor. My Phantom!Terzo Design

The halls of the Opera house were alive with the sound of feet and bodies rushing around, with voices cutting through like a knife in butter. Shouts of stage directions and strings of curse words are the only things you can discern from the inside of your dressing room. It’s an hour before showing and you’re the lead soprano; not by choice really, you were an understudy to the previous girl but of course she had to fall ill a week before opening night. You knew the songs, as well as all the choreography, but you’ve only ever played minor parts or were a stagehand in other shows. If you were being honest, no amount of rehearsals could ever make you feel ready for this. 

No matter what Signora Mary has told you of your talent and stage-worthy looks, you just can’t quite believe her. You have always been the understudy, the minor role, the one hidden away behind rows of other more important performers. Your father had passed away, leaving you alone in this world but not without promising you a Guardian Angel. You had yet to see or even hear this supposed Angel, your patience--and quite honestly, your faith--was wavering. Despite this tragedy, you had been taught theater from a young age, after Signora Mary took you in. It wasn't until your eighteenth birthday that you started performing at the Opera house. It’s been years since then but the fear of failing continues to creep in.

Your chest rises and falls in quick succession, and it doesn't take long before hot tears are streaming down your face. There was no Angel, no guardian or even a little guidance. Without your father you felt lost; there was nothing Signora could say to help, nothing anyone could say. The pressure building in your skull doesn't help as a stagehand knocks incessantly on your door. “Signorina,” He calls out in a shrill, hurried tone. “Signorina, are you in there? We need you on the stage!” Just hearing this makes you sob harder. I’m not prepared. I can’t do this. You try to calm yourself down, to stop the onslaught of insecure thoughts but nothing seems to work. 

As you stare into your eyes in your reflection, you are unaware of the other set of eyes on you. The eyes on the other side of the mirror, the ones that seemed to be drawn to your form no matter where you were in the Opera house. He couldn’t help himself from watching, from following and longing. You were the only thing that had caught his attention within the last 30 years of his unofficial exile, rotting within the walls of this washed up Opera house. He had grown gaunt and ghastly over time, his clothes hung from his frame like sheets thrown over antique furniture. He was barely a person anymore, just a whisper of a long lost story roaming the halls. Yearning for something, anything really, that would bring him purpose again. 

He remembers the fire, the way the embers rose from around the only home he’d ever known. A group of people, who dared called themselves carriers of God's will, had set fire to the Opera house in the hopes of killing the “blood-thirsty demon” that starred in many an Opera. He remembers when they had cornered him after a show one night, he remembers the way the ropes sliced into his wrist as they left him to burn in the catacombs of the Opera house. The fire scorched his skin but it could never kill him, even the starvation couldn't kill him. Nothing could, not since he’d been assaulted in a dark hallway of the Opera house when he was just a young boy. He wasn’t quite sure what he was, but he knew he wasn’t human anymore. 

He could hear the blood pumping in your veins as he watched you from the other side of your dressing room mirror. He could smell that sweet aroma, the one that was unique to you and you only. The little breaths escaping your painted mouth were loud in the small, quiet space between your mirror and the walls he now stood in. He could see the desperation on your face, there were tears building in the corners of your eyes and you kept running your hands over the top of your hair- careful not to ruin its pristine style. He watches you with a wistful expression, remembering his first show as the leading man. He wonders if he should call out to you, what would you do? Would you scream and run like so many others before you, or would you listen to him? He knows the stories everyone spreads about him, the Phantom that haunts the Opera’s halls. A feeling of jealousy and anger settles into the pit of his stomach, people used to come from far and wide to listen to him sing! How could it be that now people are so afraid of him… Ah, yes, he had died.

He watches your little sniffling visage for a few more seconds before he silently clears his throat, it has been a very long time since he's spoken to anyone. A whisper leaves his full lips before he can stop it. “Oh, il mia tesorina…” He cannot quite recognize the voice that flows from his own mouth and it makes him sad for all the years that have been stolen from him, but not for long because the expression of surprise--perhaps, even wonder?-- that crosses your face at the sound of his voice takes his own breath away.

“A-angel?” Your pitiful little voice squeaks out, and it makes him chuckle.

“Heh, no, tesorina mia, an angel I am not.” He lets his hand come up to rest on the one-way mirror, just over where yours has now laid itself. You can't possibly see him, can you? Despite this fact, your eyes meet his almost eerily, and he begins to question if maybe it's himself who should be scared. For who could meet this Phantom's eyes if they were not an Angel themselves? “Why would you think such a thing, piccolina?”

--

You stare into the mirror, only meeting your own eyes but an underlying feeling of being watched by someone other than yourself permeates. When the voice calls out to you, you practically jump out of your own skin. The voice was heavy like lead but glided through the air like silk, it sent shivers down your body and made a home deep in the pit of your belly. Its resonance reminded you of your late fathers dying words, An Angel of Music… But when you call out to it, it dismisses your original thoughts. 

“Why would you think such a thing, piccolina?” It calls out in question and you suddenly understand… Could this be The Phantom of the Opera? This realization makes your blood run cold. The same Phantom that has been appearing in front of performers and scaring the wits out of them just before a show, a telling omen of bad luck. The Phantom must notice the sudden strike of fear in your expression because he sighs behind the mirror, seemingly disappointed in your reaction. “I will leave if you wish, tesorina mia…”

You stay silent, unsure of what to say, and for a second you think he may have left already but his rumbling voice calls out once more. “I have heard you sing, and watched you perform, piccolina… You will do wonderfully tonight.” A new set of tears build up in your eyes, never before has a stranger complimented you so, it makes you wonder how long he’s seen you perform. Before you can ask just that, you hear him mumble something else in his mother tongue. 

“Temo che tu sai l’angelo di noi, piccolina.” You are still learning Italian, as you and your father were not Italian, but you can pick out some of the things he said. It sounds like he's comparing you to an angel. Before you can thank him or even ask for his name, another sharp knock resounds from your dressing room door. This one is different though, one that is much more familiar to you.

“Ragazza! Esci subito, farai tardi!” The voice of Signora Mary reaches your ears from beyond the thick oak door that separates you. You can picture her pretty face scrunching up in that familiar scowl, age has done nothing but good for her looks. You have always admired her, for her presence and beauty, she is like no other you have realized as you've grown. While she can be shrill and tough, she has taken care of you and loved you like her own even though she didn't need to. 

“Ah, Signora Mary…Vai avanti ora, piccolina.” The Phantom whispers to you, urging you to go to Signora. You stand up in a rush and hurriedly make your way to the door, heaving it open with one swing. As you predicted, she is scowling down at you but you can tell she's not really mad, just worried for the show and you, of course. 

She holds your hand as you both jog through halls of stagehands, understudies, side characters and the like. You were the first to be on stage as rehearsed, but now there is no dread. Somehow, your interaction with the Phantom had quelled your insecurities and you felt more prepared than ever. As you stand, upstage and proud, the thick velvet curtains pull aside slowly and bright, warm lights shine down on you… There is no fear in your voice as the music quietly begins to drift in, you take a deep breath and begin to sing.

Think of me, Think of me fondly…

When we’ve said goodbye…

Remember me, Once in awhile

Please, Promise me you’ll try…

--

Poorly Translated Italian

Signora/Signorina: Madam, Miss

Il mia tesorina/Tesorina mia: My little darling

Piccolina: little one

Temo che tu sai l’angelo di noi, piccolina: I’m afraid you are the angel out of the two of us, little one.

Ragazza! Esci subito, farai tardi!: Girl! Come out now, you are going to be late!

Vai avanti ora: Run along now

[missygoesmeow]

The music swells and your hand holds your partner's a little tighter, the skirts of your dress spinning as you do. You don't look at the man you dance with though; your eyes are too busy watching him watch you. playlist

[cowgremlin]

ghost bc au meme 

(au is why cumulus has a cardi outfit, terzo has no facepaint and is in pink, and the more humany designs of the ghouls)

[satanicbarrymanilow]

I read a great x reader fic when I first joined the fandom, where III was disguising himself as a Ghoul [Special Ghoul] to talk to the reader and... I want to use that in the Warriors of Light AU. But no one knows what he's doing except Copia. So he just shows up randomly and the Ghouls are like "Oh, him? That's Special Ghoul. He's... Special."

"Very busy, too, because he's never around when we need him." - Dewdrop

"You're just jealous because he distracts Copia from you."

"Fuck off!"

[lynbaccha]

I think I'll try to activate my blog again. TRY.

So, have my OC's from a new-ish Ghost band AU me and my friend have been talking about.

Umbra is a quientessense ghoul with corrupted healing powers (ofc), and Lux is his human companion/partner in crime, getting corrupted by those powers.

They are bad guys of the story/AU, and I love them already so much.

[kabukiaku]

Those weird Satanists who live next door. 𖤐

bonus stuff:

[nanite-city]

John Dory for the Ghost Hunters AU ! he kinda just looks like this in canon tho lmao. He's their ride to different haunt locations and sets up cameras and such. He's terrified of ghosts but tries to play it cool yknow. idk if any of this is ooc I havent seen the movie yet but. i'm having fun so i dont care lol

[krscblw]

iv. copia

[sunnycalzone]

Nov- 💥💥💥💥❗❗❗

(GITM by @venomous-qwille, Band au design by @jaybirdhitman!)

[romaincrisis]

Ghostflower comic, part 2

just a bad dream...

OKAY YALL LISTEN, I WANNA DO MORE COMICS LIKE THESE, shorts and sad with this kinda style lol let me know if u like it (im also gonna post it on tiktok follow me there!) (also gonna open commissions soooooonnnn) @kierancaz

[profanepurity]

assuming that having a single white eye is a trait exclusive to the emeritus bloodline, did anybody question why Copia had it when he first came to the church or did everyone assume he was just another one of Nihil’s bastards

The following is AU content! While the white eye is a trait that is found in the Emeritus bloodline, it's not actually exclusive, at least not technically. Because the white eye is so common in the Emeritus family, it's now assumed to be an exclusive feature. It's as if the bloodline has been eternally blessed by Hell. Even those that marry into the family, such as Prime Movers, will receive the white eye during the wedding ritual. However, there has been a few cases, documented and undocumented, in the past of the white eye appearing on those that are not part of the bloodline. The origin of the white eye is said to be a mark that Lucifer will give to his chosen few that serve a special purpose in his plan. The Devil's own eyes are also mismatched and pale, so to share a trait with him marks those with the white eye as blessed and special. In fact, when Sister Imperator brought Copia to the church as an "orphan", one of her justifications for it was because she found him with the, "Blessed Eye". When Copia was a child, the fact that he had this feature was enough for the clergy to accept him. They permitted him to rise in the ranks and become a cardinal. Obviously, Lucifer has some kind of purpose for this... "unremarkable man". With that information in mind, it's painfully ironic that Copia is the only clergy member to have never heard Lucifer's voice...

[honimello]

“The Phantom of the Opera is there… inside my mind.”

[keegansgf]

bassist mizu fanart inspired by that one time sodo bled on his guitar

Bonus!!!

[klaart]

BAND AU JOHN SOAP MACTAVISH🎤🧼

Alt eyeshadow ver:

BAND AU JOHN SOAP MACTAVISH🎤🧼

Took a small break and finished this piece up🫶🏻

If y’all want more band au I highly recommend markie’s fic⬇️‼️❤️

[ghoulymadge]

losing my mind over plushia being ejected from one of the canons at the melbourne ritual (x)

bonus: