@blackbird5154 / blackbird5154.tumblr.com
Hey! I'm Blackbird, She/Her, and I'm a Ghost fic-writer and artist! I write texts in Russian and then translate them into English. If you are ready to use an automatic translator, here is my main account with all my works. For everyone else, I made this masterlist with my translations.
I don’t know who needs this but I never see this discussed or shared. There is an extended version of the He is music video of over 6 minutes, with more scenes during the credits.
Curiosities:
Papa Emeritus III and Brendan McGowan (the actor who sometimes portrays Papa in videoclips) are indicated as two separate actors.
“Tony Alamo's Ghost” is credited in the Extras. Tony Alamo is the cult leader who inspired the concept of the videoclip.
According to Zev Deans, the videoclip director, it was because:
Tony Alamo died this year, literally one day before we began shooting our scenes in a church in Detroit, […] and it sent an eerie chill down my crew’s spines, as we were blasting his music the entire weekend while we made this video. […] It is as if Alamo’s ghost entered the body of Papa, and we were able to channel the madness, the frenzied euphoria of belief that echoes through the Evangelical community.
Now, some gifs from the credits for our enjoyment:
What does terzology know about the overthrow of Papa III? Do we have a hypothesis about the reasons for it?
very topical question. i was just thinking about this, actually.
it's tempting to think Sister Imperator simply hated Terzo and couldn't wait to get rid of him so she could put Cardi in charge, which i think is at least a tiny bit true, but not entirely true.
i watched the Era 3 lore video series 'The Summoning' with some friends the a while ago, and it was the first time they'd watched it. one of them remarked they were surprised that Sister Imperator seemed to be genuinely hyping up Terzo.
this is true! Sister Imperator did actually hype up Terzo during his first year as Papa. at the beginning of Era 3, she was deeply disappointed with the Nameless Ghouls and The Ghost Project's failure to make significant progress in their mission to convert the world to their cult. she was initially very excited for Terzo's reign and believed that he would be extremely successful.
SISTER IMPERATOR: Brothers and Sisters, you know why you are here tonight. This Ministry is now seven years into The Ghost Project. Seven long years of work. Two Papas, two albums, one gold. These are indeed some respectable numbers, but let me give you some others. Churches opened: zero. Governments toppled: zero. World leaders converted to the cause: zero. You call yourselves salesmen? Masterminds? You have done shit! And don't blame the music. The music is the very manifestation of His Dark Majesty. And don't blame this fine merchandise! It's a disgrace! Papa 2 has been let go. He is a miserable, wounded, and bitter old man, and he is washed up! But let's look forward now. This is a new piece of music. And these are your new masks. And this is Papa 2's brother. He is a full 3 months younger. This man will take the band further than any of us could ever have imagined. I present to you now… Papa Emeritus III! The Summoning (part 1) (May 20, 2015)
Terzo did end up being very successful, even before Meliora released.
SISTER IMPERATOR: It has arrived! Some of you did not believe the new Papa would be able to cast a shadow as wide and as far as his great predecessor. Your faithlessness is now dust in my mouth. You should be on your knees humbling yourselves before what has been accomplished here! All you need to do is look outside. Look at the graffiti on the walls, look at the lights illuminated at night, where once there was only darkness. The Summoning IV: The Arrival || Unholy / Unplugged - Los Angeles, California, USA (August 21, 2015)
Sister Imperator felt she was right to have faith in Terzo. she continued to preach about Terzo's power and demanded that others respect him.
SISTER IMPERATOR: Welcome! Welcome, my faithful brothers and sisters! Your presence here is proof of your commitment. If you are unsure, cast off your doubts now. There is no turning back. The rite you're about to witness is but one small but essential movement in our spiritual revolution. We prayed, and he has arrived! But! But! He will demand more of you! He will need to hear from the abyss of your hearts that you are ready. His is a voice of the pit and the pinnacle! His Nameless Ghouls are the music of the [UNINTELLIGIBLE], but your holy noise is the key! You must cry out his name! Say it with me now: Papa Emeritus! Again! Again! Again! Very good. Shh! Shh! Shhhhhh! Listen. Do you hear it? Do you? It's the terrible sound of the ignorant– the mistrust and anger of the masses. The world is unstable and they have lost their balance. But we, here together, are the new foundation. We are the shape of things to come! There's not much time. We won't be able to do the required incantation. We must let the music do the summoning. My brethren, my brethren, bow your heads and raise your horns to pierce the veil of heaven, so the skies will be torn asunder! And Papa may fall into our midst! Now is the moment. Now, there is no other. Papa Emeritus III! Ghost! Ghost is here! Los Angeles, CA, USA (October 26, 2015)
so what was the turning point? the 2016 Grammy win.
listen. Sister Imperator hated that Grammy so fucking much. this seems weird because she wanted the band to be successful, but here's the thing: Sister Imperator is a zealot. a real religious freak. as shown by her words in The Summoning part 1, she fully believes that the true mission and purpose of The Ghost Project is to serve satan and convert the world to his church. she was happy that Ghost's success meant more people were hearing their message, but she was very, very mad that Terzo and the Nameless Ghouls seemed to be enjoying their success a little too much. she felt like they had lost focus, forgetting their mission for satan and instead focusing on their commercial success. and to her, the Grammy was representative of the establishment / mainstream society, something they should avoid as the leaders of satan's flock of black sheep.
SISTER IMPERATOR: The industry has noted our good works with their trinket. And as a result, our message is carried further and wider. But do we take such trinkets as sacrament and the measure of true accomplishment? No! We don't need their approval. The truth of our work is not measured by awards and nods from the establishment. [...] I have here letters from your followers, demanding that we explain why nothing has changed. They have made their own sacrifices. But what have you done? How will you answer them? By holding up your golden gramophone? Is this the change you promised? Is this the sign of a new age? It is nothing! It is another false idol. The Summoning V: The Square And Hammer (September 13, 2016)
notably, she never said anything negative about Terzo while verbally abusing the Ghouls. she still demanded respect for him and his position.
SISTER IMPERATOR: You are supposed to lead. It is your task. Your task! To lead! I think you're afraid of real change. Let's take a breath. I think I understand the problem. You think Papa's words should be enough. But then you misunderstand the nature of true power. Papa is not a mouthpiece for the Dark Divinity. He is not a pawn. He is a mediator. He is the path. His way is the truth and the darkness! And you– you are his apostles. And yet, you deny, you deny! The Summoning VI: The Proceedings Intensify (Oct 17, 2016)
... but that doesn't mean she wasn't also mad at him, too. we just didn't see it.
Terzo was very proud of his Grammy, and he did like to brag about it a little bit. Sister Imperator would have definitely been mad about that.
PAPA EMERITUS III: Alright! How are you feeling now? Quite good, right? Yeah! Alright, I know you like your hard-rocking shit here in Skåne, right? Enough of those ballads– award-winning ballad, actually. AUDIENCE: [APPLAUSE] PAPA EMERITUS III: Oh, thank you. Malmö, Sweden (February 25, 2016)
PAPA EMERITUS III: Yes! A Grammy award winning song! Right here, right now! That doesn't happen every day. Acoustic performance at 93X Radio - Minneapolis, Minnesota (July 28, 2016)
Sister Imperator had respect for Terzo's position as Papa, but she didn't respect him.
it's not like Terzo didn't care! Terzo is actually described as "less rebellious". and we know from the words of Bishop Necropolitus Cracoviensis II that Terzo had always been very dedicated to his church and the people in it. Terzo was a believer in the dark lord, and he was a very hard worker. the problem is that Terzo genuinely wanted a better and brighter future for the world, while Sister hoped to hasten its demise. (don't forget the original explicitly stated mission statement of Ghost was to promote the apocalypse + human extinction). i think they both knew his vision for the future of the church / the world was not in alignment with hers. i think Sister Imperator turned on Terzo when he started acting too confident in himself.
Sister Imperator started making plans to replace Terzo as early as November 2016, almost an entire year before he was dragged off the stage at his last concert. while i do think Sister Imperator disliked Terzo and was happy to get rid of him, i don't think she felt her decision had anything to do with her personal feelings. Sister Imperator talks directly to satan (as shown in Chapter 5) and receives visions (as stated in The Summoning part 5 and part 7). she had a vision that indicated it would soon be time to replace Papa 3 with Papa 4. she started making arrangements accordingly, and Nihil went along with it.
SISTER IMPERATOR: Despite your weakness, and your cowardliness, your failures, I still believe in you. And I believe in you because I have seen the future! I have already been witness to three transfigurations, and each time I can see that we are closer to the final glory, and I have seen you rise to the occasion each time. So can you do it again? [...] After all we have been through in these past few days, all the shames laid bare, are you ready to start anew? The new coming is about to begin. Will you take up your instruments? Will you be able to commit to the utter annihilation of all this is false? All that is greed? All that is staid and conformist and empty? Hm? Then rise. RISE!!!! Now! I give you another chance at transformation. But you must beg. You must demand to be sacrificed! You must prostrate your hearts while you stand tall in the dark, for the fourth incarnation of Papa will guide us. The Summoning VII: Believe This (Nov 14, 2016)
i don't know why Sister Imperator and Papa Nihil decided Terzo's reign would end on September 30th, 2017. and i can't fully explain why they chose to humiliate him by having him dragged off the stage. (even Secondo, who they thought was terrible at his job, was allowed a dignified ending.) and i can't explain why they desecrated his body by using his severed head as a prop for a photoshoot. but idk, it kinda seems like maybe they just hated him.
TLDR: Sister Imperator genuinely believed in Terzo, but she turned on him when he started acting in a way she didn't like. Terzo died as he lived– being used and betrayed by the people he dedicated his life to.
Great analysis, as always!
I'm amazed every time at how fiery and furious Sister's monologues are. I always thought she and Terzo played "good cop/bad cop" in public.
I would also like to add two observations.
First is Terzo's threatening actions during the Sister's speech in Summoning IV. There seems to have been tension between these two as early as in August 2015. I don't know what Tobias meant by that scene, perhaps he just wanted to advertise the Majesty Black gloves... Either way, that scene happened.
The second is a note from the game Escape the Ministry. Here, Terzo is actually declared a heretic. We know that this is a political term for those who are not convenient to the ruling party, and it makes the confrontation between Terzo and the Clergy even more heated.
I have always wondered whether being carried away by the fame and 'awards from the establishment' is enough to get the Clergy to arrest you on stage, kill you, declare you a heretic and practically consign your memory to oblivion. What should one do that his portrait, crossed out with two red lines, should not even be hung among the portraits of the other Papas? Or covered with a cupboard? "We don't talk about Terzo."
The Metropolis of Tomorrow - art by Hugh Ferriss (1929)
I need to suck his soul out through his cock
PAPA EMERITUS III: We have a new gramophonic album out– a phonograph, I think, is the word. It's titled Me-li-o-ra, NOT "Me-lo-i-ra". Me-li-ora. Can you say Meliora? Denver, Colorado, USA (October 17, 2015)
PAPA EMERITUS III: Can you say Meliora? Yes, not "Me-lo-i-ra". San Francisco, California, USA (October, 23, 2015)
PAPA EMERITUS III: We have a new album out! It is entitled Me-li-o-ra. Not "Me-lo-i-ra". Me-li-o-ra! Yes. Los Angeles, CA, USA (October 26, 2015)
PAPA EMERITUS III: Not "Me-lo-i-ra"! Very important. Las Vegas, NV, USA (October 31, 2015)
PAPA EMERITUS III: Can you say Meliora? It's not "Me-lo-i-ra". Oslo, Norway (November 12, 2015)
scored this guitar world magazine from my fave local thirft store for only 50 cents with an old 2015 ghost interview and pics!! I tried to take decent enough pics so ur able to read it lol but I'll def be scanning this later for better quality :3c
1, 18, 29 ✍🏻
Thank you!
1. the last sentence you wrote
"He knew this feeling."
18. if you keep them, share a deleted sentence or paragraph from a published fic
Well, I had to recover a draft of the last (alternate) chapter of 'Messionary Men'. In the first draft, this chapter was much calmer, less dramatic. This is a paragraph from the end of the scene.
“Will you tell me where I should bite you this time?” Terzo grinned. He ran his tongue along the top row of his teeth, looking at Copia in the eye from under his bushy eyebrows. It was hard to believe that this conversation had gone so easily, that they were still here, that the truth hadn't broken and separated them. Perhaps that was Copia's nature after all - for all his hidden insolence and aggressiveness, he needed someone to lead him, needed a guiding star. Like every human being.
Terzo was in some ways grateful to him for his persistence in questioning him, for not giving up in his desire to bring him out into the open - in other circumstances Papa would hardly have dared to express what he feared would make the Cardinal his enemy forever. But, apparently, the ties that bound them together this month were stronger - they did not let them finally fall into disappointment. And Papa didn't like to disappoint. He did not like to admit his doubts, his fears, and the fact that his actions could be based on simple weakness, the need for someone's help, rather than cunning and calculation. But it's never too late to make a new decision, right?
29. how easy is it for you to come up with titles?
They usually come on their own during the writing process, and I consider that a good sign. It can be a phrase that pops into my head, a quote, a reference, or just a reflection of a concept.
AND VOILA ! My lil'comic with Lucifer's Hand as a guest star !
For the writer's ask game. If question 19 is very popular, I choose 17!
I'll take both 19 and 17, thanks! : D
17. talk about your writing and editing process
Well, it works approximately like this. Nurturing an idea is like a background process on a computer: an idea appears, but it doesn't become concrete for a long time. Then, at some point, a door opens in my head and I'm allowed to enter a particular scene. I would say that it's like a movie being shown to me in my head: I see the movements, hear the replicas, see the looks, and so on. I start writing or taking notes. I know that after a while, hours or months, the door will close and I will no longer be able to get inside the scene or the whole story. Then, front of a closed door, the most I can do is make edits, add facts or embellish the text with details. And, of course, correct the wording. The most important thing is not to miss the moment when I am shown a movie. The chapters written at that moment are the best.
One day I was shown a chapter that was next to the one I was writing at that moment. I said to myself: I need to keep the sequence and write the current chapter first, then the next. Then I regretted it. The door didn't open again, and I still consider this chapter as the weakest in the cycle.
For the writer's ask: 14 and 19! 👀
14. where do you get your inspiration?
Not a simple question if you approach it thoughtfully.
I think inspiration arises where my impressions of an original character connect with my need for something. I mean, there are so many interesting themes embedded in Terzo and the Age of Meliora that can be explored and developed. Philosophical, social, spiritual, psychological themes. On the other hand, there are a lot of things I'm missing and a lot of questions I'm looking for answers to in the imaginary world. I guess somewhere at the intersection of supply and demand, inspiration is born.
19. the most interesting topic you’ve researched for a fic
Since I've already answered this question, I'll give another example. For a while, I had a file on my computer called “rules for good blowjobs”. Also, Google probably still remembers my search query “dick torture” for one role-playing game that no one will ever see X ))
that outfit terzo wears in the He Is MV but make it SLUTTIER ✨🤍
11, 12 and 19!
Thank you so much!
11. a WIP you’d like to finish someday
I think I'm a pretty responsible author, and I finish almost everything I start. But there's one thing I've never been able to get to. It's called “Zombie Queen.” In it, young Terzo and Secondo make a pact with the Devil. According to the rules, you submit a petition and the demonic party returns it to you with an adjustment. There's a catch in that adjustment. Terzo wishes to never age, and gets an adjustment: your body won't age, except your head. Secondo wishes to be able to raise the dead, but the Devil makes a change: only once. Secondo chose this wish with a specific intent: his lover recently died. Both brothers have yet to face the ambiguous consequences of their wishes…
12. a trope you’re really into right now
I can't name a specific trope right now, but I definitely enjoy pushing contrasting characters together and watching them swirl around each other and interpenetrate like yin and yang.
19. the most interesting topic you’ve researched for a fic
Haha, I guess searching for “how to hide a corpse?” and “types of torture” won't surprise anyone anymore?
In fact, I'm currently writing about the experience of long-term imprisonment and absorbing a lot of material about concentration camp inmates and political prisoners. I wouldn't say I'm specifically looking for material for the current fic, rather the current fic is a continuation of my thoughts on the subject. Last year I read the book “The Choice: Embrace the Possible” by Edith Eva Eger. It's the memoirs of a woman who was imprisoned at a young age in the Auschwitz camp and others; when the American army arrived, she was found half alive in the middle of a mountain of prisoner corpses that the Nazis had left for dead. The rest of the book describes her journey of coping with her trauma.
I've also read "Man's Search for Meaning" by Viktor Frankl, which was also published under the title "Nevertheless Say Yes to Life". This title attracted me because it suddenly echoed Terzo's speeches on stage. Frankl published this book in 1946, almost immediately after his release from the camp, so it contains the freshest and most first-hand recollections of death camp life. That's where I got the phrase “unbreakable optimism” from, which now runs through my head all the time.
I also spend a lot of time watching interviews with political prisoners released from jail. Some of the things they say coincide, and that gives me a lot of material to think about. And of course, I can put that into my current writing to make it even more authentic.
Sorry for the long text, haha, it's really catching me up.
reblog & your followers can send asks with the questions they’d like you to answer!
