I reblogged her late last year and my 2024 has been very satisfying work-wise and (secure enough to not stress out) money-wise so far. Money Snake is wise and good.
I wanna talk about this behind the scene picture from Era III because I love it so damn much.
It's so overly mundane for Ghost's stage presence, it's lovely. We get a great look at Terzo's under dress and I love seing the length difference in the Ghouls' jackets. You can see a pair of shoe covers just chilling on the floor next to the rack on the left. Pebble's drumsticks just chilling on the floor or half out of his bag. The bags, clothes and caps kinda just thrown everywhere. It reminds me of when I used to do theater, it's so simple for such a big show and I LOVE IT.
I have so many thoughts about the ghouls and the ministry.
So this is my take on what the abbey/ministry looks like + a lot of my own worldbuilding. (I made this in Inkarnate, which is meant for dnd maps and stuff.)
Be warned that this is like 2000+ words of what my head has come up with. So under the cut it goes.
I based it on actual abbeys. I've been to like two monk ones and a few convents where I live and abroad and this is what I came up with. I also attended a catholic nun school for a good while, so many of the things here are actually from my memories...
From what I've seen, abbeys are usually isolated and at least partially self-sufficient. Even when they happen to be in the middle of cities. The smaller ones are like a square corridor surrounding a courtyard and the bigger ones have many buildings with that pattern.
I'm not sure where this would be located, maybe Sweden, maybe the US. But since I Imagine the ministry being so old, it wouldn't fit in the US, since there aren't buildings this old or with this architecture.
I also read up on how abbeys work to bulk up the lore in this map and what goes on in the buildings.
So strap in because this will be long.
The biggest building in the abbey is the Grand Church (Ghurch), I headcannon that they have this very big beautiful sorta gothic style cathedral in the abbey grounds, since religious live does kinda go around services and all that. Them having this pretty church would also mean that there's no need for a chapel?
I also think ghouls are not summoned in the church proper but rather from a permanent circle/well. So there's the Summoning Well beside the church. They probably made it that way because it would be dangerous to have any sibling walking in there.
To the other side, there's a sacristy and a Papal Office. The sacristy is where Papa would have his ceremonial robes with his mitre and stuff. I also think it works as storage for service supplies. Things like incense, books, all the plates, cups, and things they would use.
Then the papal office would be the actual workplace for the current papa. Big ol wooden desk with lots of bookshelves, a sofa, probably one of those fancy liquor carts?
There's also a mausoleum close to the church. I mean, I needed a place to keep Nihil's corpse… But it'd be pretty useful to keep the memory of siblings that pass away in the abbey.
Under that are the Clerical buildings. I imagine that when people say “the ministry” it's the Clergy Offices they're talking about. Since most siblings/clergy spend their time within the abbey, it only seems logical to separate living spaces from working spaces to keep people moving and changing environments.
Since I also believe these buildings are super old then the most sought after and fancy offices and quarters would be on the ground floor (no elevator and all that). Which means Imperator probably has her office on the ground floor here along the past Papas and older clergy members.
The living quarters would be much the same in that Imperator, the Papas and now Copia have their rooms here. This building probably has a common room but most have their own kitchenette. Since it's such an old building, the interiors of the rooms have probably been remodelled many times. But it being built out of stone also means it's cold inside all the time.
Both buildings are inside a walled garden. I head cannon that way back, like a couple hundred years back the ministry didn't have a very good grasp of ghoul summoning, and they were sometimes more aggressive or feral than what they are now. (It's probably more of a case that in the olden times, clergy treated ghouls like shit, so they had more reasons to lash out and or kill someone) So they kept some of the abbey's buildings behind tall rock walls and wrought iron gates to add a little more protection. Since it's hardly necessary today, the gates stay open, but the walls are still there.
Then down the path there's the chapter house. What is a chapter house I hear you ask. It's the place where the people that live in the abbey talk and manage non religious things related to abbey life. So this would probably be where poor Aether get's relocated to do taxes and where other mundane office tasks are done. So accounting, admin work, grounds keeping and “housekeeping” are all located here.
Across from it is the Seminary. A seminary proper is like priest school, they go and study for a few years I think, and then they come out priests. But I imagine that in this case it's like a college/university thing, where siblings have Latin classes, horticulture, demonology etc... There's probably some teachers offices here and several classrooms raging in size from auditorium to 3 chairs and a letter sized whiteboard. It for sure has a pretty foyer thing. Imagine groups of siblings sitting around before or after classes, complaining how they thought Terzo's basic Latin class would be a breeze, but it's actual hell. This building has one of those pretty inner courtyards, fountain and all. I'd like to think some classes can be held there, like outside but not outside, you know?
Beside the Seminary, there's a school/nursery. I think couples that have children within the ministry can have the option to move into a bigger space together within the siblings quarters and their children will have a regular secular education until they are old enough to choose satanism or something else. The nursery part takes care of the babies and ghoul kits during the day or while the parents are busy.
I think joining the ministry and becoming a sibling is not something that happens easily or quickly. The same way, nuns spend a few years being novices before actually dressing and having the same responsibilities as their elders. Hence, the Novices Quarters. They are still part of the abbey's daily life, but they have to attend more classes at the seminary and are just a bit more separated from ghouls than regular siblings. Since they probably want to make sure they are really devout and prepared before seeing and interacting with an actual demon. Out of all the siblings and clergy, Novices would probably be closer to being actually “recluse” since in my head there's no way they can freely explore the abbey without accidentally running into a ghoul or walking in to a ritual or seeing things that shouldn't just yet.
In front of it are the workshops. I've seen some people headcannon that the ghouls not only have “jobs” in their downtime and retirement but also hobbies. Like fire, ghouls probably frequent the forge in the workshops or blow glass. Earth ghouls can maybe take the prettiest wood here to be turned into furniture. Ghouls and siblings would work together here to repair and maintain the abbey's physical structure.
Down the path there's the main storehouse. Pretty central in relation to the other buldings. It has 2 floors and a basement. That way they can keep everything, from ageing cheeses and wines to office supplies and staples.
Across the path there's the sibling's Infirmary. I definitely wanted to keep the ghouls and siblings apart in this case. Mainly, because if the building are so old, and they were protected by walls and gates, ghouls would most likely not be trusted to be left in the same building as sick and defenseless siblings. But I think that nowadays ghoul medical staff like Omega, Aether and Phantom work in between the “sibling” infirmary and the “ghoul” infirmary with no trouble. But ghouls do prefer to stay in their own infirmary, since it's closer to the dens.
The siblings quarters surround “Mother's garden” or “Lilith's garden”, both wings share a common room but since the buildings are so old they were built to segregate women from men. Hence, the two quarters wings, two office building and two distinct baths. This separation is ignored nowadays. One, people can have other genders. Two, the “sisters” side has been remodelled to accommodate families.
Like I mentioned when describing the siblings infirmary, there's also a ghoul infirmary. Much smaller and closer to the dens, this infirmary does not have much regarding sophisticated equipment. But it's rather used for minor injuries and easy to fix things. Although the second floor does have Omega's office and private rooms for ghouls. Like Dew (not me making a whole building to be able to imagine @littlemoon-beam fics and headcannons about Dewdrop) who's a frequent flyer of the infirmary.
Of course there has to be an outdoor space of recreation, so I made a “central” plaza with benches and a fountain in the middle (Is this where a high, zooted of his ass Rain has been seen naked? naaaah. Surely not). I called it “All hedonist's fountain” because I can and because it's a nice mirror to things called “All saints whatever”.
Behind the ghoul's infirmary, there's a huge stone wall and gate. That would be the dens. Since I headcannon that there are more ghouls than just the band ghouls, they also need a place to live. Hence, the “General quarters” of the dens, there's also the “band quarters” separated from it. They both share a common room, but they're not directly connected to it, and both buildings have their own little common room. I think the band quarters was the first building made to house ghouls and that's why it has it's own kitchen.
There's also the ghouls workrooms. I think this is where they would have a rehearsal room and other offices.
“Father's gardens”, “Lucifer's gardens” or more recently “Primo's gardens” are within the den's stone walls. (I like to think Primo keeps them all pretty for the ghouls). It has a little pond in it too, no fish though. Blame hungry water ghouls for that.
Across the dens there's the Library. When I was in school, that was the biggest, grandest, most secular place there was and I loved it. So I made this library huge. I separated it into two wings connected by a hall. The only difference between both wings is that the east wing houses all the older books, and it probably has a “restricted” section that only higher clergy members have access to. Maybe for the better, since they wouldn't want a curious sibling trying to summon lord Leviathan and pissing him off.
In the middle of the wings there's the scribes hall. I'd like to think that when people write ghouls working in the library this would be the place. They would probably have book binding equipment, scribes tables, the whole thing. All to maintain the old books in a usable state and register new information the clergy learns from hell.
By the library's east wing, there's "The observatory". Again included because my head needed a scenario and location for the quints to watch the stars. I'd say its a fairly tall tower with a glass dome, some furniture, some books, maybe a desk and telescopes.
There is of course a mess hall. I imagne a big kitchen on one side and a cafeteria like thing where most have their meals, or at least they can go get them to take to another place in the abbey.
Beside it there's a pretty herb garden, animal pastures, some crops, a barn, granary , mill and the greenhouses. I think it was @mac-and-thefox who came up with the idea of there being a farm like think within the abbey and my mind just ran with it. (Do correct me if I'm worng there).
Now there's only one more man made bulding in the map and that would be "Mountain's greenhouse". A true staple for ghost fanfics. It probably was a run down space abandoned by groundskeeping but Mountain wanted privacy + plants and everyone agreed he could do whatever with the little building. Not that Imperator needs to know that Mountain grows weed and hellish plants inside...
The whole eastern side of the abbey is flaked by a forest (ghouls need to have hunting grounds people.) In it there's Mountain's greenhouse, a small rocky hill "Starry hill" and under it a small grotto. More like a hole the water made within the stone, so it's now a tiny cave.
Of course I had to have "The Lake", or else this map would not fit any fanfic involving Rain and Dew. There's a small stream that crosses the abbey and ends up at the lake. Most siblings know to stay away.
The "Southern Clearing". A little clearing full of clover and flowers, a nice place for siblings to celebrate the solstices and equinoxes.
Finally, just beside the Summoning well there's a rocky hill with an old wrought iron door closing it off. I headcannon there are indeed tunnels and crypts running under the abbey but they're closed off now since they're dangerous. Doesn't mean the ghouls don't have a way to go in and out but it's still dangerous for humans. I think the more elusive ghouls, like Special and Cowbell stay here because they want the isolation. There absolutely are old abbandoned torture and sacrifice rooms down here. But modern siblings don't need to know that. (Also, I very much think old ghouls before Nihil and way back were not only not treated nicely or fairly but straight up chained or tortured sometimes. (I'm still in the air on the fact that Imperator knows this and threatens misbehaving ghouls with that along with banishment.)
Impera military jackets, let's talk about them! Yes, I've already made a post about the ghouls' jackets and Copia's Kaisarion black and gold jacket. But! This time we're comparing the ghouls' jackets to Copia's Watcher in the Sky one, because they look so similar.
(This entire post steams from someone on Tiktok saying that the top left picture is Copia's costume and me having to be right about everything, all of the time btw)
OKAY SO!! First difference and most obvious!
The ghouls' jackets have epaulettes while Copia's doesnt. To be noted that the epaulettes are removable and are held in place with either magnets or velcro. I'm more inclined to believe velcro since it's already used on the shoulder patches of the vest.
Second difference!
The arm zippers are bronze or gold for the ghouls but black for Copia. I'm not 100% sure if Copia's are metal or if they're heavy dury plastic, but the ghouls' are absolutely metal zippers.
Next detail, one of my favourite and the reason why I know the very first picture is not Copia's!
The ghouls all have an Impera patch on their left arm, which is absent on Copia's costume! This picture is a great reminder of just how small Dewdrop is. Lolk at him, he looks as wide as a paper sheet.
Moving on to the last one, which I just noticed while looking for pictures to make this post!
Copia's jacket is a lot less distressed than the ghouls'! The hem of the lapel is still left raw for a bit of distressing but there's none of that white stitching that you see on Dew's costume or paint that you see on Phantom's. Which is another difference I've noticed, by the way.
All the older ghouls have white stitching on their jackets to make it look like they've been through a lot and were just stitched back together. Phantom's has a bit of visible patching up, but it was weathered instead of stitched. I'm confident the reason for this is simply because it was not made at the same time as the others, but I still thought it was worth mentioning.
"Don't bother talking back to me, I can't hear shit."
"You know, this is a song about..sex."
"Impregnate me right here, right now on this floor-"
"I remember this song...No, I don't. I was never there. Fuck that."
"Huh? Oh hey."
"I want to be yours!"
"Hello. We are Ghost."
"A nightmare have just turned into a dream, so thank you all for that."
"We like to be in heat."
"Anybody who says different is lying."
"Stay away from the Grammys."
"This is a song about a motherfucker who wears a triple sideways comb over."
"Don't fucking blame me."
"You can call me Papi."
"What!? It was a joke!"
"I have a hole in my shoe right there!"
"Without my hat being on, I'm a little bit ehh..short."
"And you sounded like a fucking asshole."
"The kazoo of destiny!"
"Are you ready to tambourine the shit outta this situation?"
"I love you too, we have something going."
"The female orgasm is looked upon as a craft of the devil! So here, we celebrate the female orgasm!"
"It is one rocking fucking song."
"Sorry for the cursing, I tend to curse. I say stupid things. Sorry about that. But basically, we are gonna do one heavy motherfucker, about one evil motherfucker. This motherfucker is so evil."
"Mwah!"
"We have a tendency to write songs that are uhh..Sort of suggestive and ehh sexual."
"He is not the fucking president!"
"He's such a fucking bastard that we've written a song about him."
"Anyway, this is a good biology lesson."
"I need to sound taller than I am."
"Are you gonna sing it really loud? Because you like singing songs about FUCKING!"
"Fuck Trump!"
"And no ass grabbing!"
"You see what his fingers can do huh? And you wish you were the one the he was doing."
"Hello, you look very concerned."
"Disown that guitar and give it all to me instead."
"You might have noticed it is a little bit windy out, some of you in the front may have seen a little bit too much of me."
"Stomp me."
"Take me right here, right now."
"Look at my-"
"So, what's wrong with a little nudity? But do you think I have somewhat great ankles?"
"My asshole of a brother."
"I didn't say cunt, and I didn't say douche."
"Little guy, hello! So happy to see you here!"
"How do you like my new suit?"
"Not bad for an asshole."
"I read on the Wikipedia page that this song was the hardest to reach."
I am slowly losing my mind over the shift towards video as the default media format.
I do not find this to be an efficient way to absorb information. I am bored and distracted by the time the largely unnecessary introduction is over. I can't use ctrl+f to find the specific information I'm looking for. If there are instructions to follow, I don't want to have to constantly pause and back up to the part I need.
Rain can often be found laying on the floor in the oddest positions in order to pop his hips and lower back, and it's always weird when he finally gets them to cooperate because he moans too whorishly for what he's doing.
The band Ghost is so fucking funny to me. Their frontman currently looks like this:
Or some version of a horny goth clown, but the guy underneath it has got the wettest saddest eyes I've ever seen. Just look at him:
This man admits to being very sensitive and cries at the drop of a hat.
He has a wife and kids.
He wears the costume because he doesn't like the way he looks on stage as a rockstar.
He treats the audience like his children. They're officially called the children of Ghost for that and also because of the play on "children of god."
The band literally fucks around on stage while riffing this badass music. They go through physical comedy skits every concert like the three stooges. For example:
Two demons throw guitar picks at each other when they get angy.
One guy grinds and licks the stage like a cat in heat.
One of them shakes their tits at goth clown man and scares him shitless.
One of them twirls goth clown man like a ballerina as he dances by them.
Several of them slap goth clown's ass when he waddles by.
He created the band to make people happy, to celebrate being a fucking weirdo because he always felt left out, and to make fun of Christianity because it makes people feel bad. He lost his older brother, and it tore him up so bad that the music he made as a result launched him into a worldwide music career.
This man ends every concert "ritual" with three things:
1. Be nice to each other
2. Help each other
3. Go fuck yourself
(Literally and figuratively)
Their music is 70% "fuck me I'm so horny", 10% "I love you so much" and 20% "ethereal badass metal".
Look at how much fun he's having, dude.
It's literally just a rock band filled with the nicest people on earth wearing costumes like a Shakespearean play. And all they do is make up funny little lore stories and serve cunt.
Cumulus, wrapping Dew up in a weighted blanket: “Angry boys go in the wrap of shame!”
Dew: -hissing, but not fighting being rolled up-
Cirrus and Sunshine, chanting: “Wrap of shame! Wrap of shame! Wrap of Shame!”
Swiss, watching this unfold: “How exactly is this a punishment? He looks cozy as hell right now.”
Cumulus, patting Dew’s chest through the blanket: “Hm? Oh, its not really a punishment, we did this once because he kept clawing the walls from overstimulation, but it turns out he likes it, so…”
Dew: -purring contentedly-
Swiss: “…I’m a little jealous.”
Cirrus, holding another blanket: “SECOND WRAP OF SHAME!”
Some picrews we made of our resident ghouls here at the Abby!
In order front left to right, top to bottom: Haze [Quintessence Multi], Umbros [Quintessence], Aspera [Air], Stratus [Water], Azura [Air], Therris [Earth], Pyre [Fire]
Feel free to ask questions about the ghouls and ghoulettes and have a lovely day darlings.