I believe you answered something semi-recently about the Papas and marriage, but what do you think their weddings would be like? And if you have the time, the ghouls as well!
Apologies for taking so long to get to you! I was not the person who wrote about marriage with the Papas. Does anyone know who that was?
But I can take a crack at their weddings (with some Era 4 Ghouls)!
*mentions of sex; animal sacrifice*
(Young) Papa Nihil: The ceremony takes place  inside a circle of lilies in a meadow thatâs surrounded by wilderness. The rest of Nihilâs followers are there as guests. Everyoneâincluding you and Nihilâwear diaphanous garments of crepe and linen in white. As the sun sets, Sister Imperator ties both your hands together and declares you both married. Someone brings a goat into the circle, and Sister Imperator hands you a ritual dagger. As one, you and Nihil bring your tied hands down and plunge the knife into the goatâs neck as an offering to Satan to bless your union. Everyone cheers, and you and Nihil strip so the orgy can start.
Papa I: A simple ceremony in the chapel, the only attendees are close friends and family (there will be a big reception for the congregation later). He wears his vestments and you wear formal ritual robes. His youngest brother performs the marriage rites and Secondo stands up as his best man. Papa III sniffles his way through the marriage scripture, and halfway through Papa I produces a cloth handkerchief to hand to him. He elects for the long service, and at some point Nihil dozes off. The two of you exchange self-written vows professing your love for each other before Papa III tips a chalice of goatâs blood over your heads as a show of asking for Satanâs favor over your marriage. Papa I has the chapel cleared for the ritual consummation, which is brief but pleasurable. After the two of you clean up and change, you join the festivities in honor of your union that are already in full swing.
Papa II: He wants to be married, but hates weddings. He has a lower-ranking officiate do the vows in private with Ghouls as witnesses. In lieu of formal attire, you both wear simple, but expensive silk robes. Instead of a ring, he collars you, then leads you to the ritual altar where anyone whoâs interested is invited to watch him consummate his bond with you. Itâs not the entire congregation, but the hall is filled, including his family and band Ghouls. Everyone cheers once youâve both completed, and he invites everyone to the quad to partake in the goat roast. The goats are trussed up shibari-style with little apple gagsâcourtesy of his youngest brother.
Papa III: Bride. Zilla. Did you think you were going to get much say? Designer everything and flowers galore. He has a list of 20 groomsmen, and you have to remind him that you donât have enough people in your own party to pair with them; you manage to negotiate down to 5. He hires a wedding planner that heâs constantly fighting with on the phone. Sheâs a stern woman with an earpiece and is probably the only reason the whole event doesnât collapse in on itself. A few days before the ceremony, Papa comes to you and has a meltdown because there was a mishap with the coolers at the florist, and now all the boutonnieres will be red instead of blush. You take him into your arms and remind him that as long as you get to marry him, your wedding will be a success. Your words and a little âŚ*ahem* ⌠comfort goes a long way to calming him down. On the day of, Papa is a mess, and you give his groomsmen a stern talking to regarding keeping him focused. He starts tearing up before Nihil even starts the ceremony, and heâs a blubbering mess by the time you get to the vows. The sacrificial blood is actually a really expensive wine that the two of you drink out of a chalice (âOur Dark Lord will know how much of a sacrifice it was to open that bottle, amoreâ). He elects to have the ritual consummation as part of your wedding night. After the two of you take leave of the reception (that has at that point devolved into drunken shenanigans with fire ghouls setting table covers on fire), Papa III leads you to the altar; heâs covered it with a warm blanket and lit many candles (âFor mood lighting, dolceâ).
Papa IV: As long as youâre happy, heâs fine with going along with whatever you want. His only request is that you follow the traditional wedding customs of The Church. When you discuss ring bearers, he suggests his rattiesâbut at your look, he laughs it off. Youâre still not sure if he was joking or not. Youâre surprised when he commissions formal robes that match his vestments, but youâre happy to color-coordinate with him. The ceremony is an understated affair otherwise, with Primo performing the vows. Nihil and Papa III doze off. Goatâs Blood? Gross, no thank you. You and Copia agreed to cut your palms over His symbol instead. There was some debate about the ritual consummation, and in the end, you compromised with the decision of a privacy screen. For the reception, Copia changes into a fresh white suit so everyone can see how much he adores you.
***
Aether: He wants to incorporate both of your traditions into the ceremony and is involved in planning the wedding every step of the way. The two of you have a traditional Church wedding, but afterwards youâll do a Run out into the woods so he can catch you and prove heâs mate material. He adorns your finger with a ring because he doesnât think biting you would be a good idea, but has you pierce the spade of his tail with a ring since you canât really bite him with your blunt teeth.
Dew: Til death do you part sounds like a long time, but if itâll make you happy, ok I guess. You do absolutely all of the planning. He goes out for his bachelor party the night before the ceremony and shows up the next day in rough shape and in a suit that is decidedly not the one you bought for him. He seems impatient throughout, perking up after his vows when he gets to put a claiming bite on you. Like Aether, he lets you pierce his tail, and smiles wickedly when he tells you to Run.
Swiss: He wants the complete experience! The two of you have the most traditional wedding, and he wears a suit so tight it could rival Copiaâs. He likes the weight of your ring on his finger, but refuses to bite you (âI donât want to hurt you or chance infection, babeâ). He absolutely smashes cake into your face (he grabs a fistful before itâs even brought out and creams you as youâre accepting congratulations from the Clergy). Heâs the first on the dancefloor screaming  for âThat Shout songâ. A Run? Arenât you exhausted from dancing? Letâs save the rest of your energy for the wedding night.
Rain: Is a little smushy about marrying you, but isnât really interested in a Church wedding. The closet thing he can think of to a water ghoul wedding is a baptism. Officiated by Mountain, the two of you exchange vows standing waist-deep in a pool of water in the forest. You dunk each other in turn after your vows, then submerge yourself when you seal it with a kiss. Heâs happy to wear your ring on a chain around his neck, and he likes the idea of his bite mark on youâbut doesnât want to scar your skinâso he has Mountain tattoo the pattern of his teeth on your shoulder. He hadnât even considered a Run, but heyâif youâre offering.
Mountain: He takes you deep into the forest aloneâthis is something thatâs just for the two of you. He finds a shady canopy and instructs you to ruminate on your love and commitment to him while he takes your hands. Youâre not sure how long you both stand there, but when you open your eyes, the sun has moved considerably and Mountain is smiling a secret smile at you. Heâs mixed up a natural ink, and the two of you tattoo his clanâs symbol for ownership on each other. Afterwards, he has you consummate your union on a patch of soft dirt. A little indignant at being left out, the two of you come back to the dorms to find the other Band Ghouls have thrown you an impromptu reception.
Cirrus & Cumulus: Our girls are a package deal! The three of you have a beach wedding, and they wear versions of white dressesâthey love this human custom, but donât quite get what makes a wedding dress a wedding dress. Theyâre happy to exchange rings if they come with a jewel, but if you want something pierced, theyâre happy to give your ear a new hole for a little bauble. Copia officiates, and the Band Ghouls are there as the wedding party. Dew complains about the sand the whole time, and Cumulus finally threatens to dunk him into the ocean if he doesnât shut up (Swiss and Mountain end up tossing him in later just to be assholes). Thereâs a buffet full of goodies, and everyone sits on beach blankets eating and laughing until the sun goes down. If you want to do a Run, theyâll happily chase you ⌠but wouldnât you rather get back to the bungalow where you can have some fun in front of the fire?
