Summary: Gerard Argent escapes. Scott McCall lets him go. Chris Argent catches up to him but only to stick him in a nursing home.

Twenty-four hours after that, a mysterious localized disease has infected everyone in the building. Around the same time, Stiles arrives in Beacon Hills.

Tags: The Four Horsemen, Pre-Apocalypse, War Stiles, Pestilence Gerard, Post-Season 2, Canon Divergence AU, Ambiguous/Open Ending

We dont talk about emily enough. I am in love with that song. Like something about the opening line "it was the worst thing that I'd ever done" makes me weirdly emotional and the sound of the song reminds me a LITTLE bit of ride the wings of pestilence by fftl especially the little guitar solo. Im not saying they are super similar but certain elements are similar to me. Anyways the way gerard screams "you're far from home" and "if I could figure it out" is insane so fuckinf beautiful. Sorry had to share

I am feeling DANGEROUS so let’s get into it here are my predictions for the upcoming album (based on absolutely nothing at all except intuition and vibes)

- There is going to be a tour documentary (we already know this/pretty much confirmed)

- This is going to be a long album. Like maybe around an hour.

- Weird smaller tracks between songs. Intros and outros. Talking parts. Samples, even.

- Higher production value and a more grandiose sort of sound. More major key parts, possibly some new instrumentals we haven’t heard before, possibly some more choral parts/harmonies

- Crazy screaming/growling vocals from Gerard. Like shit we have not heard before or have not heard in a very long time

- Themes of illness, plague, pestilence- heavy on the plague theme, a song titled something like “sick”

- Themes of insects/vermin, rats, roaches, rat king imagery

- Genderfuck lyrics. Possibly more overtly genderfucked lyrics than we have ever heard before.

- a heavier or more “metal” sound than we’re used to may come into play in some songs.

- themes of climate change, apocalypse, and global warming

- FUN. Fun fun in the studio fun in the recordings fun in the music. An element of playfulness and a message of hope.

- “sick” is a big recurring theme. We have probably already seen some hints at concepts or song titles on the drumhead

old bad writing warning

Hi my name is Thanthonos Dark'ness Pestilence and Rot and I have short white hair (that's why all the ladies swoon) with bangs I never cut and dark black eyes like voids of ash and a lot of people tell me I look like Edward Cullen (AN: if u don't know who he is get da hell out of here!). I'm not related to Gerard Way but I wish I was because he's a major fucking hottie. I'm the grim reaper but my scythe is clean and white. I have pale white skin. I'm also a dude, and I go to a normal school called School in America where I'm in the twelfth year (I'm immortal). I'm a goth (in case you couldn't tell) and I wear mostly black. I love Hot Topic and I buy all my clothes from there. For example today I was wearing a black hoodie with edgy text on it and dark jeans, short socks and black sneakers. I was wearing plain lip gloss, white foundation, black eyeliner and dark eye shadow. I was walking around town. There had been a murder on the road, which I was not happy about. A lot of bystanders stared at me. I put up my middle finger at them.

P.3. AND SO HE GETS TO DIE A SAINT

Catholicism always was a part of MCR. “I was raised Catholic, which turned me off from religion because I had a very bad experience”, as Gerard once said. But we can still see a lot of religious things through the years and even now in the new era. 

Let’s start with angels that have been mentioned earlier. The first angel we saw was the one at the Shrine show and also we had them in tour promo materials.

The total number of these angels is at least 7 (including the broken ones in promo videos). So here’s some thoughts.

The Book of Revelations in the Bible is especially important in general because it focuses on the idea of the Apocalypse, linking together the themes of catholicism and the apocalyptic one.

Let’s consider some key elements of the Book of Revelation that can be linked to the mcr tour:

·       The important number in the BoR is seven (this book begins with the prophet John addressing the book to the Seven Churches of Asia, mentions a seven-headed dragon, seven seals that need to be opened, seven angelic trumpets, seven Spiritual Figures, seven bowls poured onto Earth) à it can be linked to the 7 statues of angels we can find in MCR merch, posters and other promotional items.

·       In Chapter 4 of Revelation the Four living creatures (Angels) are described. Couldn’t it be the potential link to four members of the band?

·       Seven seals:

  o 1st – 4th seals: it brings Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse down on Earth:

             1st – on a white horse, carries a bow and a crown – Conquest, ivoking Pestilence (plague from Foundations lyrics, pandemic)

             2nd – on a red horse, carries a sword – War

             3rd – on a black horse, carries the scales – Famine

             4th – on a pale horse – Death (Foundations lyrics again)

o   5th seal : “when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God […] How long  dost thou not judge and avenge our blood?” (Foundations lyrics: You must fix your heart and you must build an altar where it swells)

o   6th seal: the sixth seal will be the literal cosmic disturbances caused by nuclear war or a global earthquake that causes volcanic debris to pollute the atmosphere, which turns the moon blood red and the sun dark – link to A

o   7th seal: the final judgement which will determine who is worthy of Heaven and who isn’t (Foundations lyrics: and so he gets to die a saint but she will always be a whore)

·       In Chapter 12 of Revelations there is a War in Heaven – led by Archangel Michael against the serpent/Satan

o   The image of the Woman of the Apocalypse (who gives birth to a child who the dragon = Satan wants to kill) is important in this interpretation.

o   The Woman of the Apocalypse can also be translated as The Woman Clothed With the Sun and is considered to be Virgin Mary (C).

o   One of the best-known paintings of this woman is William’s Blake “The Great Red Dragon and the Woman Clothed with the Sun”:

This creature ow William Blake is very similar to the monster appeared in Watchmen comic (where Blake’s quote from Tyger poem appears too) :  

William Blake is the painter & author, who links The Watchmen war & the Catholicism themes.

·       In Chapter 15: John writes of seven angels with seven plagues, the last plagues ever to occur. He states that until the plagues are complete no one can enter the Temple of God (plagues à link to Foundations lyrics)

·       The seven bowls judgement in Chapter 16 are plagues brought on Earth, punishing those who went against God:

o   Noisome and grievous sores (“scabs” t-shirt from Sacramento AFTERSHOCK festival)

o   Sea turns to blood (blood, everywhere is blood when it comes to MCR :))

o   Rivers & Springs turn to blood

o   A major heatwave causes the Sun to burn with intense heat and to scorch people with fire: burning man from the merch truck as well as Foundations lyrics (Will you welcome your extinction in the morning rays)

o   The kingdom of the beast is plunged into darkness

o   The Euphrates River dries up to facilitate the crossing of the armies from the east, on their way to Israel for the battle of Armageddon - war reference

o   Earthquakes & hailstones: link to the apocalypse again

·       Chapter 17 – the Whore of Babylon is introduced (but she will always be a whore lyrics). She is described as the "Mother of Harlots" and is drunk with the blood of the saints - link to he gets to die a saint lyrics and to Vampires (blood drinking).

Another link to catholicism is Gerard praying before various songs. He says the Lord’s Prayer during shows: “Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name...”

There is also a religious reference in the Offering video: the cross the character is wearing on their back is the same cross worn by Templars during crusades (that links to the Foundations lyrics: and as you stumble through your last crusade)

Another cross, used during Crusades time, is the Jerusalem cross which is meant to represent either:

·       Five wounds of Christ

·       Christ and the four evangelists (number 4 again – as the number of members of the band)

·       Christ and the four quarters of the world

The cross bears a striking resemblence to the MCRX logo:

And to add some fun here.

To follow with the Jerusalem cross, the symbol very similar to it is the Alchemy sign which means Vinegar, linking the cross to the t-shirt from MK3:

Gerard’s vinegar shirt was paired with Frank’s shirt “Piss”. The expression “piss and vinegar” means aggressive energy.

So, the conclusion #2: we have connections to the religious side of the MCR, the otherworldy things and some connections to crusaders times where plague (”we are all plagued”) was very common. 

PS: just for funsies, we could also consider the movie Priest (2011) and the manhwa (Korean comic) of the same title to play a part in this. There were no direct references to the movie during the tour, other than that the cross the main character of the movie has tattooed on his forehead resembles the Living With Ghosts logo, but as I (Cathy) watched the movie, I couldn’t help noticing some very strange and very obvious connections.

So:

o   Priest tells the story of humanity's battle against 12 fallen angels - connection to the tour posters (angels again) + reference to catholicism 

o   The plot says about a Holy Knight named Vascar De Gullion who 'loses faith' and wanders the earth in a 'blood rage.' - references to both vampires and catholicism

o   The comic mentions order of St. Vertinez – their real name is Michael’s Sword (references to catholicism) and consists of four members (number of MCR members).

o   One of the priests of the Michael’s Sword Order first appears praying at a ruined shrine (the 2019 reunion concert took place at the Shrine)

o   Priest named Anthony loses his hand and replaces is with a hook (possible connection to Frank’s injury? that is a stretch but hey, we’re just having fun here)

o   It is important to notice that both the manhwa and the movie join all themes of the concept together - vampires, priests (Catholic references to prayers, God etc.), the war (between vampires and humans, mentioned at the very beginning of the movie) and the apocalypse (after the war). 

The universe of the movie strongly resembles Danger Days universe – there is a main Company (Church) that commands a City and expects perfect obedience from its citizens. Everything outside the City is called Wastelands and everyone living there is considered by the Church to be a disease ridden vermin. The movie mentions the War that caused the Apocalypse - a war between humans and vampires.

gender envy but it gets randomly concerning gonna be updated occasionally !!

   + ravens    + it’s the end of the world as we know it by r.e.m.    + the snail bomb from half dead 3    + the creatures from gtfo    + black cats with solid white eyes    + mothman    + forget-me-nots    + facial scars & piercings    + stick n poke tattoos    + early 2000s band rubber bracelets    + gloomy bear    + the russian sleep experiment     + the vibes of a city after dark    + pitbulls    + anthrax [the disease , not the band]    + pink & green plushys    + bags covered in pins & keychains & patches    + weird really specific vintage pins/graphic tees/etc    + dermestid beetles     + turkey vultures     + banshees    + teeth    + wet specimen hearts    + bible accurate angels    + kandi accessories    + “i am made of memories” from the song of achilles    + like , the entirety of cemetery boys    + crona from soul eater    + get cool by stray kids    + also god’s menu by stray kids    + also also back door by stray kids     + guts    + hanahaki disease     + the bandsintown logo    + samsara room    + endermen     + cherries    + lord death from soul eater    + dr stein from soul eater    + grell from black butler    + undertaker from black butler    + the word boom    + infections    + ankou    + the like ,,, apple spice candle scent    + the word swarm    + “history , huh ?” from red , white , & royal blue    + baz grimm-pitch    + full body stims    + magpies    + the black dahlia [esp the mouth cuts]    + semi-sweet chocolate chips    + scott pilgrim vs the world ruined a whole generation of women by negative xp    + rosaries & straight razors     + existential crises     + the word queue     + frog skeletons     + dandelions    + crocuses     + the moon from soul eater    + the word hollyhock    + scourge from warrior cats    + the horseman of pestilence     + bloody noses    + oogie boogie & boogie’s boys from the nightmare before christmas    + the scary teddy from the nightmare before christmas    + spraypaint    + steel-toe docs    + sour candies    + scars on your knees from skinning them alot    + buttercups    + smoking     + the word heretic    + shane madej’s vibes    + there is no game : wrong dimension    + my oversize walking dead tshirt    + izze blackberry soda    + plushtrap from fnaf4    + this one bunny plushy i have with really long limbs    + toothfaeries    + swamp creatures    + birds that look like they know everything and then some    + red lights by stray kids     + the pretender by foo fighters    + beat up old notebooks crammed with sketches    + collarbone piercings    + the blood eagle [i suggest not googling this]    + ballora’s voice    + the bonnie song    + the word skitter    + coils of wire    + wooden boxes filled with little random trinkets n things    + necrosis of the flesh [another thing i suggest not googling]    + basement gerard    + picking up nightcrawlers and having a religious moment    + lilypads     + alternates from the mandela catalogue     + the heaven’s gate away team patches    + polaris & yildun from star crossed lovers    + aaron from dear , door    + my kitten’s 3am zoomies    + venus flytrap genderbend art    + corpse flowers    + tons of rings    + hands covered in plasters    + creepy plushys    + button eyes    + the other wybie from coraline & regular wybie too    + beetles ,,, just as a concept ,,, beetles    + femboys ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,    + hipbone piercings    + beppi the clown from cuphead     + many many many eyes    + balljoint dolls    + haunted toys

The meme we’ve been awaiting.

The Beginning of a Symphony - Chapter 9

Summary: after a mishap in Defence Against the Dark Arts class, Ethel finds herself the witness to an exciting turn of events.

Warnings: Shakespearean insults.

OCs featured: Selene Fraser @lifeofkaze, Atticus Grimsley @cursebreakerfarrier, Cledwyn Ironwood @that-scouse-wizard

OCs mentioned: Victoria Summer @whatwouldvalerydo, Lottie Gallagher @slytherindisaster, Oliver Gerard @kc-and-co

January 1896

“Here’s a skull now,” said Selene, holding a skull aloft. “This skull hath lain in the earth three and twenty years.”

Ethel closed the textbook that lay open on the desk in front of her, and tilted her head at her friend.

“Who’s was it?” she asked.

“A whoreson mad fellow’s it was, who do you think it was?”

“Nay, I know not.”

“A pestilence on him for a mad rogue!” Selene slammed her fist into the table. “A poured a flagon of Rhenish on my head once. This same skull-”

“Miss Fraser and Miss Hexley!” Professor Grimsley called out across the classroom, his voice more weary than angry. “I do hope that you are assessing the skulls for signs of curse damage as you are supposed to.”

“Of course, Sir,” the girls echoed.

“Good. These skulls are not toys to be played with.”

“What about props?”

“I’m sorry?” Grimsley frowned.

“Nothing, Professor,” Ethel said, smiling innocently. “We shall simply continue with our work.”

Grimsley nodded, and bent down to help Victoria and Lottie examine their skull. With the Defence Against the Dark Arts instructor’s attention elsewhere, the girls returned to their private performance.

“This same skull, sir,” continued Selene, sotto voice, “was Yorick's skull, the king's jester.”

“This?”

“E’en that.”

“Let me see,” Ethel said. She took the skull from Selene, regarded it closely, then clasped one hand to her mouth. She drew the hand from her mouth to her hair, anguished, and exclaimed: “Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio! A fellow of infinite-”

“Miss Hexley!” Professor Grimsley interrupted Ethel mid-soliloquy. “How many times do I need to tell you? You can recite Elizabethan literature outside of lesson time.”

“But, sir-”

“This is a classroom, Miss Hexley. It is not a stage.”

“That’s simply not true, Professor,” Selene told him, matter-of-factly. “I think you’ll find that all the world is a stage.”

“Yes, and we are merely players.”

“That’s it,” Professor Grimsley held up one hand. “The two of you shall not be permitted to sit together from now on.”

“No!”

“You cannot mean to part us!”

“I do mean to part you.”

“You mustn’t!”

“Miss Fraser, please exchange seats with” - Grimsley paused as he looked around the room, ignoring the girls’ protests - “Mr Ironwood.”

Reluctantly, Selene and Cledwyn exchanged seats. Ethel’s indignant frown split into a wide grin as she turned to her new work partner.

“Ah, just the person,” she said. “Now, I was thinking that you and I might-”

“No.”

“Cled, you haven’t even heard my suggestion.”

“I don’t need to,” Cledwyn replied, his eyes firmly forward. “The answer is no.”

“You know, you should not be so negative. I simply wish to discuss Quidditch strategy.”

“Oliver is the captain. Discuss the matter with him.”

“Ah, but Oliver is not here, and Oliver is not as dear of a friend to me as-”

“We are not friends.”

“-you. Yes we are,” Ethel corrected Cledwyn. “So, I am thinking that perhaps we should try a new tactic. Think laterally, you see?”

“I don’t see,” Cledwyn shook his head, still avoiding meeting Ethel’s eye.

“Well, look at it this way,” she said, picking up the skull formerly known as Yorick, and juggling it between her hands as she spoke. “Ivy - you know my cousin Ivy, surely - she told me about this great technique that we might use in the next game against Slytherin. You see, the Ballycastle Bats used it in their Boxing Day match. Rather than keeping hold of the Quaffle, we throw it to one another quickly, really quickly. Like a burning hot potato.”

“What?”

“Well, think about it. We pass it between ourselves so fast that the Slytherins can’t tell who is holding it at any one time.”

“That won’t work,” Cledwyn muttered.

“It will, see. Catch!”

Cledwyn’s stubborn refusal to so much as look at his friend - for that is what Ethel was to him, of course - meant that he was unprepared to catch the skull as she threw it at him. He fumbled, and the skull fell to the floor, and rolled to a stop at Professor Grimsley’s feet.

“Move to the seat by the window,” he said, a strain in his voice as he stared at Ethel. He pointed to a desk in the back corner of the room, one far away from any of the other students. “If you cannot work sensibly with a partner, you will work alone.”

Scowling, Ethel picked up her possessions and moved to her new seat, where she leant with her chin on her arms, crossed on the table in front of her. Working alone was so incredibly dull.

After a few minutes of sulking, Ethel quickly wrote the bare minimum needed to complete the exercise, before turning her attention to the window next to her desk. Outside, the courtyard below the window was still covered in a thick layer of snow. Ethel grinned to herself as she weighed up her and Selene’s options for lunchtime. Should they make snow angels, or throw snowballs at Jim? She would let Selene decide.

A shadow appeared on the snowy ground, and Ethel turned her face upwards to look at the pale blue sky above. Her jaw dropped.

“LOOK!” she shouted.

“Now, Miss Hexley-”

“No, Professor Grimsley, look!” she repeated standing up now and pressing her face and the tip of her forefinger to the window. “It’s a carriage! A flying carriage!”

The sound of chairs scraping the floor and footsteps echoed across the classroom, as every single one of Ethel’s peers got out of their seats and ran to the window.

For once, Ethel was not exaggerating. Passing through the sky above the castle was a carriage, pulled by no less than four winged horses.

“It’s going to land! It’s coming here!”

Barely a minute after the observation had been made, the carriage did just that. The four horses landed in the courtyard outside, and trotted to a stop, their dappled grey bodies blending perfectly with the snow that reached to the level of their fetlocks. Their manes were jet black and impossibly shiny, as was the carriage that they pulled.

“They’re beautiful horses,” Victoria remarked. “The carriage is very nice, too. Who do you owns it?”

“The Minister for Magic, perhaps?”

“Or someone who wishes to donate money to the school.”

“Might it be a new headmaster?”

“Look, someone is getting out!”

A house elf - much tidier-looking than the ones that sometimes were seen around the castle - climbed out of the driver’s seat of the carriage and opened the door of the carriage. The house elf raised his bare hand, and a gloved one reached out of the carriage to take it.

Out of the carriage stepped an elderly witch in robes of the deepest and darkest purple, her grey hair pulled neatly into a chignon bun underneath her matching hat. She was not tall, and she walked with a dark-coloured wooden stick, but she still exuded a sort of presence and native dignity. Ethel was impressed.

As the witch started to make her way across the snow-covered courtyard, the house elf raised his hand once more. This time, the hand that took it was smaller, and so was the second figure that emerged from the carriage.

“Who is she?”

She was a girl around Ethel’s age, though she was far smaller in stature, and more daintily built. She wore a smart winter cloak of pale pinkish-lilac, and her hair was almost as dark as the manes of the winged horses. Unlike the older woman, who had walked towards the entrance to the castle with so little hesitation that she looked as if she had done so a thousand times before, the girl stood stock still in the snow, looking around at her surroundings. She was too far away for her facial expression to be completely readable, but if anything, Ethel thought that she looked apprehensive.

The older witch called out over her shoulder, and the girl hurried to follow her. She turned back as they reached the entrance and looked out at the snow one final time, before both of the newcomers disappeared from view entirely.

Ethel met Selene’s eye across the classroom. Forget snow angels and snowballs. They had an investigation to undertake.

Bon fet St Gerard Majella! Gede walks beside many saints, and St Gerard is one of the more well-known ones. I’m not cooking for Gede today (he eats soon enough..), but the Dead Man has some fresh flowers next to his seat.

It’s been BUSY over here at kay Bonkira; September and October are packed on my personal calendar and it usually catches me by surprise after a summer full of ceremony down in Haiti. Things were different this summer--we postponed ceremony until January, but I did go to Haiti in August--and so I had a little more brain space to plan.

September is often a month where folks hold a fet Metrès over several days (or one really long day), which is a fet for many of the feminine lwa and most often for Metrès Ezili Freda, Metrès Danto, and sometimes Metrès LaSiren as well. Several feast days for these ladies fall within that month, so it’s a good time for them to be celebrated.

While I didn’t hold a fet, I certainly spent a lot of time with those ladies. I try to keep at the front a message that LaSiren had for me and that has come up in a leson more than once: I am male-spirit heavy by default, in that my closest relationships with the lwa are with masculine ones, and so I need to make sure I am balanced out. This means conscious effort to keep the ladies at the front as much as I keep the masculine spirits, and that’s not nearly as easy as I wish it was. It’s been a long, LOOOONG process of digging in deep to being more comfortable with femininity and finding how I can connect with that in ways that don’t feel too out of character. 

The ladies are patient with me and probably more patient than I really earn, so that’s a grace I don’t take lightly.

Then, it was time for Marassa, the divine twins and multiple births. I have previously been a person who has not really enjoyed children, but taking care of my pack of Marassa and my own twin who did not make it to life has changed things. The happy, playful energy lightens my household; I am a fairly quiet and reserved person (really) and so my household tends towards quiet and perhaps kind of serious...but children shake that up and remind me to be looser and more playful. We hold our Marassa in a set of special purpose-built clay vessels called plat Marassa, as well as utilizing some traditional wooden trays as well, and they all got bathed and refreshed, and then given an assortment of traditional snacks called manje marassa. Like all the metrès, they give me grace to understand and open up another part of myself and I think that’s pretty great.

A few days later was Michaelmas, which is Agaou’s feast day. Agaou has always been what is honestly a sort of gleeful surprise for me. He wasn’t a spirit I knew well at all until after my kanzo, when I started dreaming with him regularly. As I prepped for my maryaj lwa, he began presenting me with rings in dreams and asked to be included in the wedding. When he came down to marry me, the first thing he told me was that the choice for maryaj had been his, and that he would have pursued me until I said yes if I had fought him. 

How I have come to know him is unique and he is a huge presence in my day-to-day, so when his feast day rolled around you know I was making some of his favorites. He eats turkey, so there was sòs kodenn (heavy on the sòs), diri ak pwa wouj, a few kinds of labouyi, and kafe ayisyen. Something small to hold him over until fet Agaou this January in Haiti(!!!). I have never been to a fet Agaou before, so I am really REALLY excited.

And each year that I celebrate Agaou’s feast day, he gives me a gift in an area that I don’t have a lot of knowledge in: somehow, he is invested in my family and family history. Last year, he clarified a really significant dream I had about my family while in the djevo, and that was a personal and spiritual bomb going of, and this year he chose to answer a long-standing lifelong question about my parentage, complete with some namedropping of someone who actually exists. It’s like spiritual Jerry Springer and I sit with all of this in a mixture of gratitude and ‘you have got to be fucking kidding me’. Agaou holds his cards close when he wants, so the pieces he gives me are important. Mapping out my ancestors and family--a hugely difficult area for me--has become it’s own small act of devotion.

October 2 was for my girl Thérèse de Lisieux and, if it was Before Plague Time, I’d have gone to mass at one of the local Carmelite monasteries and brought her some flowers but the majority of the churches here are still closed and Thérèse knows I love her without me needing to go to church. And, as a saint who died of a respiratory illness (TB), pretty sure she doesn’t need me getting sick just to prove a point. 

What’s next? November brings Gede and time to feed ancestors, as well as a special time for Simbi right before Petwo season kicks off full force in September. January bring fet Twa Wa/Three Kings, and unless things burn down even worse than they are now, I’ll be in Haiti celebrating and enjoying all the ceremony we postponed from this summer.

In between those things, I am working on a contribution for a book on folks who are converts to African and African-descended religions which will be out in early 2021, pumping out art (pestilence has been good for my creativity), and celebrating some career milestones and successes. 2020 has been an absolute bitch of a year, but I’m glad there are some positives to hang onto.

Today, on a day for Gede, celebrate that you are still alive even in the most difficult of situations. Eat something delicious and try to find an opportunity to laugh. If you drink alcohol, have a favorite drink and remember the Dead Man (and Woman) that live in death with the fullness of life. 

cursed youtube links

some are random; all are less than 5 mins

sqworm

wow

is that the bi

is cyberpunk worth it?

im a tire

pestilence

gerard ways summons satan

cold water boils faster

pro-crastinator

bass

an 80s classic

it wont take u long i pwomise uwu

The End Is Nigh: A Conversation With OFFICIUM TRISTE Frontman Pim Blankenstein

~By Shawn Gibson~

I was first introduced to OFFICIUM TRISTE when Mors Viri came out in 2013 and I have been a fan ever since! At the time, I had a radio show and got an email from HammerHeart Records with promo and played some songs off of that album.

The Dutch band's music has also pushed me through tough times, mentally and emotionally. There is sadness in their songs, as there is great beauty. Each song has its own dynamic sound with piano, organs, violins, cellos, etc. Officium Triste's albums are heavy as mountains, but have parts within that soar like eagles!

Recently, I had the privilege of longtime singer Pim Blankenstein, who has been with the band since 1994.

Mors Viri by Officium Triste

Officium Triste has been making music since 1994! How does that feel to be with this band now and the current state of affairs?

It feels as exciting as it was when we started out. Of course, a lot has changed in 25 years, but for us as a band our values are still the same. We love slow, heavy and melodic music and we still write this kind of music. Over the years we of course have grown as a band and you keep learning. After the last couple of line-up changes I totally feel this is the best line-up we've had. We're all on the same page and actually things couldn't be better.

What does the name Officium Triste mean?

If you put it in Google translate, it says it means the baleful. Back when we started out our then guitarist Johan Kwakernaak came up with the name, which he got from a Latin dictionary. The combination of words means something like a "sad gathering," such as a funeral.

You are from the Netherlands right? What are some other bands from the Netherlands you guys love?

Yeah, we are from the Netherlands and when we started out there were quite some doom bands we dug like early The Gathering, Celestial Season, Castle or Beyond Belief. Having said that, the doom scene never was that big but we always had killer bands. Just think of Deinonychus or newer acts like Facade, Treurwilg or Beyond Our Ruins.

In other genres we have (and had) great bands, too. Death metal was especially huge. Pestilence, Pentacle, Asphyx, Sinister, Thanatos, Severe Torture, Bodyfarm, Gorefest. I could go on and on. Bottomline is that the Dutch scene always has been and still is great. We know quite a lot of bands personally and we get along real fine.

We are all Doomed! Are you Stoned?

Nope. Used to smoke a lot. Not anymore though. But that doesn't change the fact we indeed are doomed!

The Death of Gaia (Atmospheric Death/Doom Metal) by OFFICIUM TRISTE (Netherlands)

Your latest album 'The Death Of Gaia' came out December 13 2019. What has influenced the writing of this album?

As far as the music is concerned, our core values are still present, which is writing slow, heavy, melodic and melancholic music. I like to say we are still inspired by the bands that showed us the way in the '90s, like Paradise Lost, Anathema, Katatonia or Type O Negative. Along the way, also a band such as Shape Of Despair inspired a bit but also film scores, shoegaze or dream pop.

Lyrics are about subjects such as the decline of our planet, loneliness, insomnia, guilt, and stuff like that -- basically what is happening around us. So the reality of life inspired us in that department.

Throughout the years of your albums there is always great range and depth of song with varied instruments. Are there any instruments you haven't used yet, but would love to include in a song?

From a personal perspective, I'd like to include some percussive elements. I can totally imagine us using some proper timpani for that ultimate heavy sound.

Who did the artwork for 'The Death Of Gaia'?

When we figured out we wanted something different as artwork on this album and moved away from our earlier art, we got in touch with Chris Smith of Grey Aria Design from the US. We liked what he had done for Solstice from the UK and we really wanted that Art Nouveau-type art. Chris totally delivered what we were after.

Art by Chris Smith/Grey Aria Design

What makes you guys laugh?

We actually laugh a lot. We get along really well and joke around a lot making fun of each other. Other than that we are totally into dark, sarcastic humour. Or stand-up comedians like Steve Hughes of Jim Jefferies. Writers like Bukowski or Brusselmans (a Belgian writer). Ren & Stimpy, Pinky & The Brain, Invader Zim. There's plenty of stuff that makes us laugh.

What has been an awkward moment for Officium Triste?

Probably being too drunk on stage in our early years could be considered as awkward. Other than that, not much. Maybe some awkward moments on behalf of our previous bass player, but I won't get into details on that because it's better to let that rest.

You have a long history of making death doom and are in the same boat as other established bands such as My Dying Bride, Katatonia, Paradise Lost. What is in the future for Officium Triste? Will there be another 25 years?

Well, we take it as it is. Our current label Transcending Obscurity is quite happy with us it seems and has been asking if we want to do another album for them. We are gathering new song ideas as we speak, so you can expect another album in the future. Not sure if we'll last another 25 years, as we will be considered as elderly people by then. As long as we're having fun we keep doing what we like to do.

Who is in the band Officium Triste and what do they do in the band?

Right now it is the founding members Martin Kwakernaak on keyboards. He used to be our drummer, too. Gerard de Jong on lead guitars and I (Pim Blankenstein) on vocals. We have Niels Jordaan on drums, William van Dijk on rhythm guitars and Theo Plaisier on bass.

With the varied sounds in your music do you have several session players to record? Sometimes it sounds like you have a symphony accompanying your music!

Actually, this time around we used some session musicians. We decided to record some real string instruments, as opposed to using the sounds from the keyboard, so we asked Chris Davies to record violins. We knew Chris from Eye Of Solitude where he used to play bass and he played violins with Clouds, in which I am involved, too, in a way. He did a great job. On cello we asked Eliane Anemaat. She is quite known for her work with bands, such as Celestial Season, Mayan or Delain. She also did an outstanding job.

What are some bands from the beginning that have influenced Officium Triste? Who are some current bands that catch your attention?

I more or less mentioned some bands in an earlier answer, but we initially were heavily influenced by Paradise Lost, Anathema, Celestial Season, My Dying Bride, Katatonia, and Type O Negative. But also Metallica, Edge Of Sanity, Dismember or Winter influenced us to some extent. Later on, also bands such as Evoken, Mournful Congregation or Shape Of Despair impressed us. Currently, there's not a lot of bands that caught our attention and actually had an impact on us, but we do like bands that mix things up like what In Solitude, Tribulation, Alcest or Chapel Of Disease are doing, to name just a couple.

Film by Buzau Live Music

Beyond doom and death, what other music styles do you like and listen to?

We listen to quite a lot of varied stuff. Like heavy metal, classic rock, shoegaze, indie rock, new wave, movie scores, retro wave. As long as it is good music we listen to it.

Will you ever tour in the states?

Hopefully. If we ever get a proper invitation and stuff is sorted out, well we definitely would like to come. We are crossing the Atlantic in a couple of months to play a one-off in Mexico.

For me, I have felt positive things from the lyrics and the heavy music amidst the doom. I guess its nice to be able to relate to songs and feel the music with your soul. The balance of heavy and almost symphonic and atmospheric music still blows my mind! Officium Triste is one of very few with clean vocals accompanying death growls I love. Most clean vocals fuck me up.

Cheers for that!

"Burning all Boats and Bridges" is my jam! Fuck it all and starting clean! My life has to take another turn! A fresh start is what I yearn for! Please tell me a little about this song.

Actually, this song is basically the only one where we could use music provided by our previous bass player. But since he fucked things up I have a hard time listening to this particular track. I did write the lyrics, though, and I usually start with a song title. I'm not sure where I got it from, but the lyrics are about having a fresh start and cut all ties with your past. It's not something that happened to any of us personally. But I guess everyone can relate to the subject, so I wrote lyrics about this.

"The End Is Nigh." Do you think this song is relevant to current world events?

That's what inspired it. But to be honest, this world has been a shithole for centuries. So, when I wrote the lyrics I did think about the current state of affairs, as well as stuff from the past. I think everyone can decide for themselves what we talk about, whether it is politics, the environment or overpopulation. It all goes hand in hand, in a way. For the lyrics, I took the Four Horsemen of The Apocalypse as a metaphor. And the second song on the album World In Flames continues with the subject.

Pim, thank you very much for your time! It is a pleasure and an honor!

Thank you, Shawn, for the interview. Much appreciated. Hope your readers will check us out if they haven't done so yet.

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tagged by @shakespeareanqueer thank u very much these questions were difficult >:(

Rules: pick 5 shows, then answer the questions. Don’t cheat. Tag 10 (or however many) people.

1. Good Omens

2. Psych

3. Umbrella Academy

4. What's Wrong with Secretary Kim?

5. Hwarang

Who’s your favorite character from 1? Crowley!

Who’s your least favorite character in 2? mm probably that one guy who had "multiple personality disorder" and they really portrayed him very inaccurately and it made me upset lol

What’s your favorite episode of 4?

the one where the young-joon brought mi-so to the empty park to try and convince her to stay but it was lowkey highkey a confession????

What is your favorite season of 5? there's only one season so that one !!

What’s your favorite couple of 3? i didn't like any of the couples in Umbrella Academy, they're all a mess. i guess if i had to pick it would be hazel and the waitress.

What’s your favorite couple in 2? juliet and shawn bc who else

What’s your favorite episode in 1? i love the episode when they introduced pestilence bc i'm in love with that enby garbage entity

What’s your favorite episode in 5? i love the one where they're in the school session and they have to dance and taehyung's character (han sung) is just KILLING IT and it cuts to seo joon (moo myung) and he's like..... not

What’s your favorite season in 2? hm first one is a classic

How long have you been watching 1? there's only one season so as long as it's been out.

How did you get into 3? gerard way wrote the comics back in the day!! i loved the Umbrella Academy comics so when i found out there was a show coming out, i was stoked.

Favorite actor in 4? listen,,,, i love seo joon, but the real heartthrob in this show is park min-young. i love her

Which do you prefer? 1, 2 or 5? good omens always !! but hwarang is a close second

Which show have you seen more of, 1 or 3? tbh umbrella academy wins this one bc i knew it from the comics

If you could be anyone from 4, who would you be? secretary ji-ah bc she's cute and responsible, and she's kinda like a second in command to mi-so?

Would a crossover of 3 and 4 work? not really because anti-superheros and top business don't really mix, i do not want to see it lol (also two different countries, two different languages)

Pair two characters in 1 who would make an unlikely but strangely okay couple? adam and warlock, i think it would be cute

Overall, which show has the better storyline, 3 or 5? why did u ASK ME!!!!! umbrella academy is beautifully written but never before have i watched a historical drama and been this invigorated.

Which has better theme music, 2 or 4? definitely What's Wrong with Secretary Kim? bc i vibed and sang along with the songs the entire show

tagging: @etherealacademia @humanbee-ing @carmaen @hannybstudies and anyone else who wants to do it

permanent starter call masterlist.

exclusive muses & most secondary muses do not have starter calls but you can subscribe to them by either subscribing to the masterpost or by commenting on this post for them. 

creed

donnie creed

the secret history

henry winter

six of crows duology

matthias helvar kaz brekker jesper fahey

the raven cycle

richard gansey iii the gray man ronan lynch niall lynch adam parrish

shades of magic

darius hastra isra ogwumike lenos

the maze runner

thomas

the vampire diaries / the originals / twilight

elijah mikaelson damon salvatore jules guerrera jeremy gilbert edward cullen emmett cullen vincent griffith marcel gerard

teen wolf

scott mccall stiles stilinski

how to get away with murder

wes gibbins eve rothlo nate lahey frank delfino

scandal

jake ballard huck finn harrison wright

nikita

owen elliott michael bishop sean pierce seymour birkhoff

the fosters

aaron baker aj hensdale jesus adams foster stef adams foster

orphan black

art bell cal morrison cosima niehaus felix dawkins donnie hendrix

criminal minds

spencer reid tara lewis luke alvez

the seven deadly sins / the four horsemen

death war famine pestilence pride lust greed gluttony wrath sloth envy

egyptian myth

osiris anubis thoth apophis

greek myth

erebus phobetor hades deimos phobos morpheus dionysus ares zeus poseidon hephaestos

dc comics

oliver queen — green arrow bruce wayne — batman luke fox — batwing

to all the boys i’ve loved before

peter kavinsky lucas james

black panther

t'challa m'baku

ocean’s 8

debbie ocean

gone girl

nick dunne

the proposal

andrew paxton

thief

garrett

assassin’s creed: black flag

edward kenway

An incomplete, spoilery list of entities, factions, domains, people & beings

Mostly making this as a note for myself to keep track of everyone during my next relisten. Long post! LOTS OF SPOILERS AHEAD !

The Beholding/the Eye/Ceaseless Watcher (feelings of being watched; the need to collect and document information; the ability to recognize, see and hear things of a supernatural nature)    Associated factions/domains: The Magnus Institute, the Lukas family (provides funds)    Associated people/beings: Jonathan Sims (referred to as the Archivist), Michael Blackwood, Sasha James, Tim Blackwood, Elias Bouchard (referred to as the “beating heart” of the institute), Gertrude Robinson, (possibly)Graham(MAG3), Michael(MAG99), Jonah Magnus(founder of the institute) (Loosely connected: Mary Keay, her mother who worked for the institute  and Gerard Keay)

The Flesh Hive (hosting parasites, wasp nests and worms)    Associated people/beings: Jane Prentiss, Harriet Li(MAG6), Timothy Hodge(MAG6, MAG26)

(Possibly connected with the Flesh Hive) Infection/Filth/Pestilence/Contamination    Associated factions/domains:  The book 'The Tale of a Field Hospital' by Sir Frederick Treves, Ivy Meadows Nursing Home(MAG36), a house in Bromley(MAG55)    Associated people: John Amhurst

The Stranger/I-Do-Not-Know-You/Not-Them (replaces people with imperfect replicas; mannequins and taxidermy)    Associated factions: The Circus of the Other/Another Circus (seems to host a number of objects and people associated with different domains), Breekon & Hope delivery    Associated people/beings: Sarah Baldwin, Not!Sasha, Rose Cooper(MAG77), Graham(MAG3), Nikola Orsinov, Gregor Orsinov(†), the two men that calls themselves “Breekon” and “Hope”

The Distortion, The Spiral"/"It Is Lies"/"Es Mentiares (fractals, fooling the senses, making you doubt your own sanity, insomnia)    Associated factions/domains: Breekon & Hope (transporting a coffin that opens to stone stairs leading into the ground), (possibly)the state of mind between being awake and being asleep    Associated people/beings: “Michael”, a moving Lichtenberg Figure (marked and hunted Michael Crew)

The Hunt (the thrill of chasing prey; hunting and killing supernatural beings)    Associated factions/domains: North America (MAG31: the Appalachian Trail in Virginia)    Associated people/beings: Trevor "The Tramp" Herbert, Alice “Daisy” Tonner, (possibly)Robert Montorque

The End (the inevitability of all things ending/death, leaving death behind)    Associated factions/domains: A book in Sanskrit that, if you kill someone, skin them and write on the skin/turn it into a page, can revive the person; a medical science building at Georgie’s former university(MAG94), (possibly) a tomb complex between Cairo and the Red Sea in the middle of the Eastern Desert    Associated people/beings: Georgie Barker, (possibly)Mary Keay, (possibly)Nathaniel Thorp

The Desolation (burning and destruction, despair)    Associated factions/domains: The Cult of the Lightless Flame, the house on Hill Top Road (once Agnes came)     Associated people: Agnes Montague, Diego Melina, Jude Perry, Arthur Nolan(MAG55)

The Buried/the earth (being buried alive, being crushed from all sides, no space to move or breathe, claustrophobia)    Associated factions/domains: The Pit in Bucoda and the entire town population (Washington), the Victoria and Northern lines in London, Lost John’s cave

The Vast (the sky; an empty, fog filled ocean or field; the void of space; the sense of falling; endlessness)    Associated factions/domains: The Fairchild family, the Tundra, Open Skydiving, the book “Ex Altiora“      Associated people: Michael Crew, Simon Fairchild

The Web/Spiders (entrapment; people hollowed out and filled with cobwebs)    Associated factions/domains: The house on Hill Top Road, the Web Table    Associated people/beings:  Raymond Fielding

Meat (cannibalism)    Associated factions/domains: a meat processing plant owned by  AVA Meats, a takeaway shop at Higham Hill Road in Walthamstow, the book “A Boneturner’s Tale”    Associated people/factions: Toby Carlisle(MAG18), Tom Han(MAG30),   John Han(Hun Yung)(MAG72), Jared Hopworth, Father Burroughs, Eustace Wick

Darkness (muddy water, light bulbs blowing out, the dark taking physical shape)    Associated factions/domains: The People's Church of the Divine Host, later on the Hither Green Dissenters, Ny-Ålesund      Associated people/beings: Maxwell Raynor, Natalie Ennis(MAG25), (possibly)Robert Montorque

The Frenzy, the Piper (music that drives to violence, war and blood)    Associated factions/domains: Battlefields (Hindenburg Line near Savy Wood), the band “Grifter’s Bone”    Associated people/beings: Wilfred Owen

Unassociated/undesignated people: - The Lukas family (Have worked together with the Fairchild family - the Vast-, provide funds for the Magnus institute - the Beholding. Generally associated with loneliness.) - Jurgen Leitner (Simply collected books and attempted to contain/study them.) - Mary and Gerard Keay (Connected to Beholding, but not claimed by it. Seem to generally be involved with the supernatural because of personal reasons.)

Fam, please?

Just want to give a short explanation before this: picture some nerds sitting together at lunch. One of them, a FUCKING MEMELORD, says, after a moment of silence, “Hey guys, AU where we’re all the four horsemen of the apocalypse.” And so, because I am so prone to skipping meals, my character became Famine, the memelord friend got War, the germ-loving friend got Pestilence, and the friend who killed our souls with her writing got Death. 

Full Name: FamineGender and Sexuality: seems to flip-flop between “pansexual woman who can and will hit on everyone she meets” and “useless blob with no interest in anything, least of all sex or romance”Pronouns: she/herEthnicity/Species: …does “horseman of the apocalypse” count as a species?Birthplace and Birthdate: This is a little complicated in the narrative we created… so, a young girl is born in Moravia in like 900AD, but soon succumbs to starvation and is forgotten by the world. But then, for whatever reason, she’s chosen to become one of the incarnations of the horsemen, and, appropriate to her death, she becomes Famine, and the person who claws her way out of the grave goes from monster to vaguely human (thanks to her adoptive family) back to monster (after disaster strikes). Not sure when this rebirth thing happens exactly though… maybe in like the 1500s or so?Guilty Pleasures: Famine has no sense of guilt, but if she did, it would probably be getting blackout drunk from really shitty wine with the other horsemen and then driving to random places and dropping them off to find their way home later. Something shitty like that. Famine isn’t a good person.Phobias: Abandonment. The “reborn” version of Famine before she really actually becomes the monster she is now is fucking terrified of being alone, of losing herself in the hunger she senses is going to engulf her eventually. Once it does, I don’t think she’s afraid of much, which is honestly kind of a problem? She needs to Calm Down. What They Would Be Famous For: causing the literal actual end of the world.What They Would Get Arrested For: causing the literal actual end of the world.OC You Ship Them With: used to be Death since I was dating the person Death was based on but we broke up so now maybe one of the counter-horseman characters, whose name is Vivian. Viv is a sweet angel who likes plants a lot.OC Most Likely To Murder Them: definitely 1000% War. Famine antagonizes War for no reason other than that she finds it funny. War is determined to find out if there is a way to kill horsemen just to shut Fam up for a half second, except for the brief moments when Famine is also a memelord and they’re bonding via shitty memes.Favorite Movie/Book Genre: I feel like probably horror, but the kind of horror where it’s all amateur looking and shit and then it gets super fucking real super quick and then everyone dies. Least Favorite Movie/Book Cliche: Any romance trope between heterosexuals.Talents and/or Powers: Horseman powers: can basically evacuate moisture from anything, and the amount/range is determined by how much energy Fam puts into it. This can range from drawing the liquid out of a bottle of wine as a prank, to grabbing some fuckboy by the arm and having the arm wither away to bone in an instant, to (at one point when she has a HUGE breakdown and really loses control) turning basically a 10km radius circle into a desert. Mostly it’s smaller stuff though, and it’s frequently for self amusement. Talents include having extreme levels of charisma, and (don’t tell anyone) a proclivity for Italian cuisine. Viv’s the only one who knows.Why Someone Might Love Them: man I don’t know, honestly no one should. She’s very problematic. HOWEVER, that being said, the person she used to be was very sweet, and anyone who knew her then might still see that in her and love her for that. The original storyline focused on Death sort of bringing Fam back to herself with the power of GAY LOVE. Why Someone Might Hate Them: she’s a serial killer from the depths of hell and currently has no redeemable qualities.How They Change: she becomes more and more irredeemable over time, losing any semblance of a conscience, embracing the hand dealt to her… but wait! As she meets up with the other horsemen, she finds herself in a sort of fucked up family. Playing the role of… I don’t know, I guess the eldest sibling, softens her in some ways. After the climax of the story (an epic battle with a demon horse named Gerard Way who shoots emo music out of every pore in his body), it is revealed that there must have been some mistake, the apocalypse isn’t today after all, blah blah blah, and the anti-horsemen characters (the two angels Vivian and Benjamin, aka Plangel and Dad) sort of join the friend group. This leads to many shenanigans, and further smooths Famine’s sharp character into something more semblable to a person. Why You Love Them: I think “love” might be a strong word but as far as self-insert characters go, this has been really interesting. Famine is such a violent, reactive character, which is very directly in contrast with my own personality, so exploring that can be interesting. It’s like, what would I do, then come up with the most twisted version of that possible. More in terms of the character itself, I love her because underneath the monstrous exterior, she really is doing her best, and she is trying as hard as she can to resist what she has become. She’s just exhausted, and ashamed of herself, and terrified she’s going to hurt people around her, and (while obviously it isn’t going super well for her) she’s trying her best to be better.

The flower of beauty, fleece of beauty, too too apt to, ah! to fleet. - Gerard Manley Hopkins, “The Leaden Echo and the Golden Echo” The pestilence of selfie has its hold the world over and anyone who has a smartphone mostly suffers from this disease. While capturing a moment is beautiful, where and when you do it is very important. The pageantry, the pride, the pomp that comes with participants in the art of taking selfies is incomparable. But sadly, people tend to use this art as a measure of enhancing their corporeal beauty — with filters that span from the weird to the utterly ridiculous — and gain acceptance from a largely virtual audience. ____________ #shortstoriesof50 #50words #becausethisisnotprosepoetry #foreverjongbloed #jongbloed #poetsofinstagram #poetsofig #writersofinstagram #writersofig #writer #poet #writing #writingcommunity https://www.instagram.com/p/Bwfs5cnlzOo/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=otuazhyzf9i5