Gabriella couldn't be more average: with a brand-new college degree, a long-term job at her local music store, and an equally long-term friendship with one of her coworkers, Della. Her friend, however, is nowhere near average. Della, full name Deluge (in English, anyway), is a water ghoul in disguise, stationed at the local Satanic Church sector for the past five years to help drum up PR. Seizing the opportunity for a well-deserved break and to celebrate Gabriella's graduation, Della invites her to the Ministry of Ghost's main abbey in Sweden. Gabbie eagerly accepts, because why wouldn't she spend time with her best friend?
Who cares about how often she feels like she's being watched?
Who cares about how often she feels a crucial part of her is missing?
I’m not even a quarter of the way done with my Ghost fic, but I really want to write a PHM AU where the Astrophage crisis never happened and Grace and my self-insert OC team up for the local bar’s trivia nights while she’s in college for her Bachelor’s degree, or she could be a TA at Grace’s middle school and then it turns into a slow-burn friends-to-lovers thing.
Have I seen the movie? No. Have I read the book? Also no. But now that I’m finished with my summer semester, maybe I can start planning an outline for it making shit up as I write
I’ll be honest—before Project Hail Mary came out, I didn’t care at all for Ryan Gosling. I only knew him as Ken in Barbie, and nothing else.
But once the movie came out, and I saw some of the edits on TikTok, I finally understand the RyGos hype.
I have no idea what my type even is, but Dr. Ryland Grace is it. I don’t know what kind of crack they put in during this movie’s production, but apparently my newest fictional crush is a nerdy middle-school science teacher at least ten years older than me, with massive biceps, bedhead, glasses, massive brains, students he sees as his own kids, and a talking alien space rock-crab best friend (I would die for Rocky).
(IMO: This is not just Ryland Grace’s hottest look, I think this is Ryan Gosling’s hottest look period. Seriously, that specific outfit should be a felony)
Call me Hail Mary, the way I’d want to be full of Grace
Phantom has no idea how many tropical patterned button-ups he has in his closet. Aether and Aurora counted for him; apparently he has 84 shirts, but come on, who would seriously buy that many? Phantom also has other patterns scattered in his collection: there’s one with cutesy cartoon cats, another with different species of beetles, and a fun 80s-themed one that Copia gifted him for his birthday.
He pairs each button-up with a long-sleeved black shirt underneath, as well as a pair of ripped pants and black Chuck Taylors. No, he’s not copying Dewdrop, why would you think that? Does Dewdrop wear a shirt with sand castles and beach balls on it? Yeah, he didn’t think so.
Sunshine is an avid reader, and she’s never seen anywhere without her reading tablet. No disrespect to physical books, but they take up a lot of space, and you have to buy another copy if the first one gets damaged in any way. She doesn’t mind audiobooks, either, but she prefers to read the words herself. Yes, she’s aware of the risks that come with a tablet—the battery dies, she can drop it, the screen could crack—but that’s why she’s extremely careful with it and always takes the best care of it.
Sunny mainly loves romance novels, especially the trashy ones. You name it, chances are she’s already added it to her digital ‘Finished’ shelf. Her go-to sub-genres are romcoms, small-town, and cowboy romance. And, yes, she will give each character in the cowboy romance book the most horrendous Southern drawl you will ever have the misfortune of hearing.
Here’s my headcanon for Dewdrop’s backstory! I’m still working on Chapter 8 of my fanfic, and this reveal is supposed to happen much later on in the story, but the majority vote says to post it anyway.
Spoilers below the cutoff!! I’m also adding trigger warnings just to be safe.
TW: Cancer, death
Dewdrop. Hates. Hospitals. Don’t ask him why; he doesn’t like talking about it. Even the abbey’s infirmary is enough to make him nervous. When he woke up there after his element changed, he was so scared that he tried to rip his IVs out and bolt—he thought his cancer came back, he would have to go through chemo again, his sister would put her life on hold to look after him, the same way she ran herself ragged during World War II. Della, Omega, and Aether had to stay with him the whole time to calm him down.
Same thing with cars. Dewdrop doesn’t get motion sickness, but anytime he’s inside a car, whether driving or a passenger, he is constantly on edge and watching the roads. He doesn’t want another accident, another collision to send him into the water, where he won’t be able to breathe and he won’t see Della again. He already didn’t like his water ghoul form, the one thing that reminded him of his death that night. It seemed like a cruel joke, like the universe was punishing him and his sister; the asshole demon who tricked Della thought it was hilarious, especially when he made a joke about giving Dew his hair back. So while Dew was terrified and in pure agony during his elemental transition, the self-loathing inside him actually started to burn away little by little. Gone was the one thing he despised about himself, the visual reminder of the price his sister paid out of sheer desperation to finally cure his leukemia. The memory would always be there, but now, he almost looks like his original human self again.
In some screwed-up way, almost seventy years later, Dew finally beat his cancer. And the homecooked dinner he promised his sister, but never got to make? It’s long overdue.
Okay, so while I was jotting down more headcanons for the ghouls, I also wrote down something really sad and heavy for Dew. I want to post it, but it does lean into slight spoilers for my fic, especially with Dew’s backstory.
Update: The people have spoken! I will post the sad headcanon for Dew!!
What should I do?
Wait until I finish my story
Post the sad parts anyway (I will add a spoiler tag)
Phantom has a huge interest in entomology. A self-proclaimed insect and spider extraordinaire, he’s fascinated by how different they are on the surface compared to the Pits. It’s terrifying how much information he can cram in the span of half an hour, and he’ll sometimes spout off little facts and tidbits at the most random times. He even has a pet tarantula he lovingly calls ‘Bruce Wayne,’ who he trained to do a double high-five. (It’s not really a high-five if it’s only your index fingers, but, really, who cares?)
He sometimes gets a bit controlling over Bruce’s enclosure, micromanaging the lighting and temperature, as well as whatever bugs and decorations are put inside the tank. He means well, and just wants the best for his little eight-legged buddy. If someone else is considering a tarantula for a pet, they always go to Phantom for advice on how to care for it. He also has a huge Minecraft tarantula plushie in his room.
Ironically, Phantom is deathly terrified of lizards. Especially the species that shoots blood out of its eyes as a defense mechanism; he nearly vomited when he saw a clip of it in a nature documentary. He outwardly cringes at the sight of a newt or salamander, and can’t even be in the same room as one of those giant iguanas. A tiny lizard snuck into the ghoul common room one time, and Phantom, letting out the stupidest shriek known to man-or-ghoulkind, scrambled on top of the couch and bared his fangs at the intruder until Mountain caught it and took it outside.
Dewdrop loves spicy food to an extremely unhealthy degree. He can, and will, stuff wasabi into his mouth and not even flinch; it doesn’t taste good—it’s actually one of his least favorite condiments—but it’s his ability to endure the spiciness that he mostly cares about. He’ll even sprinkle some chili flakes on it as a treat, the absolute madman, and act borderline smug about it as others gawk at him in pure horror. Phantom nearly fainted when Dew chowed down on a Carolina Reaper like it was nothing, and Aether almost suffered a full-on panic attack waiting for the inevitable death by hot pepper.
If he’s feeling extra mischievous, Dew will make up some BS about spicy food enhancing his elemental power. The most he can actually do is puff smoke out of his nose or mouth, and his body temperature runs a little bit higher for the next few hours. Knowing this, some of the other ghouls will give him spicy food on purpose just so they can snuggle up next to him afterwards.
Haven’t posted here in a while, but I’m thinking about posting my headcanons for the ghouls, both official and my OCs. I’ll post each ghoul one at a time, and I’ll try not to include potential spoilers for my fic.
I finally drew one of my ghoul OCs from my fanfic!
This is Deluge, or Della. She’s way more mellowed out now compared to when Primo first summoned her back in the early 90s, but be warned: She can, and will, kick your ass if you piss her off enough. Despite that, she is fiercely loyal and protective towards the people closest to her like Primo, her twin brother, and her best friend Gabriella. She also looks out for not just her coworkers at the music store, but also for Quinn, Frost, and Father Paul at the local Satanic church sector.
(Also, don’t mind the unfinished Swiss Ghoul in the corner.)
AU where the emeritus brothers are not papas. Instead, they work in a mall in separate stores. Secondo was originally gonna be a mall cop but I thought it’d be funnier if he worked at a Claire’s.
Primo works at a Bath & Bodywork’s.
He’s a pro at being able to tell what kinds of products you’d like or need just by vibes only.
Can immediately distinguish scents from each other, can tell what a scent is just with one whiff.
He demonstrates a lotion for you, and when your hands touch it’s like it’s meant to be. His hand feels so right in yours.
You swing by often after that, and he always seems to have a new sample for you to try each time— a gift, he says.
When no one is looking he’ll oh so gently hold your hand and press a soft kiss to the back of it.
Secondo works at a Claire’s.
He’s the manager and he hates it.
God to honest tried to get himself fired but only ended up being promoted— Terzo makes fun of him for it all the time and it drives him nuts.
He has a soft spot for children, but unfortunately the mothers that shop there are horrendous.
Spends all his breaks smoking in the back and taking shots from a water bottle of straight vodka.
Okay, maybe the job isn’t so bad— because he meets you. You just like to look at the cute hair accessories and earrings, you didn’t expect for a huge scary Italian man to ask you if you needed assistance.
He actually recommends a few items and you beam when he shows you one that you absolutely adore.
Fuck, you’re adorable when you smile. Yeah, okay. Maybe the job isn’t too bad.
Terzo works at a Sephora or Ulta.
Everyone’s favorite makeup artist; can sell almost any product with enough sweet talk and flirting.
He’s a popular amongst customers and there’s almost always a line for his consultation.
There’s always at least one co-worker who has a crush on him— and you are no exception.
You intrigue him with your wit and humor and how much you tease him back.
The two of you end up making out in front of the Claire’s during break much to Secondo’s disgust.
Yes, you get lots of good deals on makeup and products from him.
Copia works at one of those weeby anime/k-pop stores.
One of those people who have only seen or heard of Naruto and One Piece. If you ask him what k-pop band he likes, he’s only heard of BTS.
Get’s super addicted to pocky after the first time he tries it— it’s very accessible to him because it’s always in stock. He buys a pack or two before going home after each shift. His brothers joke that it’s like a bad smoking habit.
You can always find him re-arranging the stuffed animals, he likes to rotate them so they get turns to sit together and chat. He tells you this when you ask one day and you find it adorable and charming. He looks a little embarrassed but you tell him it’s cute and he gets flustered.
You think it would be funny so you when you confess to Copia, you tell him you have the doki-dokis and he just looks at you all confused and makes Copia Noises as he tries to decipher your meaning. In the end you sigh out: “it means I like you, you idiot.”
He kisses you and Sakura Kiss from Ouran High School Host Club starts playing and you make eye contact with one of his co-workers who ‘eeps’ and ducks behind the counter. “KISS KISS FALL IN LOVE” begins to blast.
Fully obsessed with the concept of Copia. He's over fifty years old. He's a gamer. His arrival coincides with the death of every previous Papa like he's the bringer of the bubonic plague. He rides little tricycles around the Ministry. He's apparently a professional dancer as well as being the vocalist for a metal band but has a Charisma of 8. He's pathetic (canon). He's literally the Satanic Pope. He loves his mom. He's kind of a bitch. He wears tracksuits with dress shoes. Tobias hates him but is chronically incapable of killing him off because he serves so much cunt. I really can't decide if I want to be this man or be inside him
