#Bishop Emeritus

[mbamarianmim]

[cityofmeliora]

notes / thoughts on Terzo's characterization (Terzo is so disappointed and depressed and i love him)

a few weeks ago i saw this post from slavghoul which has snippets of TF describing the Papas. it includes this quote:

“He represents this frustrated old guy who hates everyone, especially himself. But despite his wounds and his darkness, he has a sense of humour and is endearing, like most of my heroes. The late actor Christopher Lee was an inspiration to me. In many ways, he is Papa.” (Metallian 7/2015)

i thought this quote was really interesting because i'd never seen anyone talking about that side of Terzo before. Terzo hating "everyone, especially himself" felt at odds with the charming personality he typically displayed. i wanted to know how that developed and where his "wounds and darkness" came from. so i did some digging for quotes on Terzo's history and characterization. here are my notes + thoughts:

something that came up again and again in my research is that he is actually quite antisocial when he's not performing. it seems like he didn't want people to know anything about him past his stage persona.

TOUR MANAGER: No one in the crew really gets to see or speak to Papa, ever. Only Anna and myself have access. He is not in the building and then he'll just be there, just for show time. The only thing you really need to know about Papa is what you see of him on stage. Ghost - The Devil's Hands (Documentary) (2017)

he almost never interacted with any of the nameless ghouls or the tour crew. in fact, he really went out of his way to avoid them. he traveled separately, would appear right before the start of a show, and then he would disappear as soon as it ended. in "The Devil's Hands", it showed they sometimes had trouble locating him when he was needed.

With this new era, can you introduce Papa Emeritus III? NAMELESS GHOUL: I don't know him very well yet. We haven't really done our mileage with him, so I am sure that we will find out. But he seems nice. He seems okay. Obviously, he's very close relatives with Papa number two, who was a little bit of a hmm. I'm sure that he isn't like, completely different, but we'll find out. He's a bit of a recluse, and he sort of travels on his own. And he sort of appears when we're due onstage and then he disappears when we're offstage. So yeah, I guess we have a little bit of a social disconnect there, but I don't see a big problem with that. I mean he seems to be doing well on his own, and I don't know if he has a little harem somewhere that occupies his time offstage, I guess. I'm assuming that. Loud TV (July 2015)

INTERVIEWER: How has it been working with the third Papa? How is he fitting into the group? NAMELESS GHOUL: We like him, actually. He seems to be quite nice. Obviously, we haven't really done our "miles" with him yet, so we don't know him that well. And he doesn't travel with us- he sort of goes separately everywhere, and he appears just before the show and then he just disappears. So we haven't really had the time to sort of fully get to know him. But overall, he seems quite a joyful chap. Metal Injection (September 2015)

predictably, his bandmates did not know him very well. but they always remarked that they liked him and that he seemed like a nice, chill guy. (they also assumed he had a harem that he spent time with when he wasn't performing, which is probably not true, considering how much effort he put into avoiding people whenever possible.)

NAMELESS GHOUL: We don't really socialize with Papa, so… But he seems nice! But he's very occupied in his harem. [...] He's a little bit cooler. He seems to be the nicer of the two brothers --I don't know if there are two-- but he seems to have, I don't know, a kinder mother, probably, or something that makes him slightly.. INTERVIEWER: A little different. NAMELESS GHOUL: Yeah, he's a little bit different. AMBY (October 2015)

i don't think his charming, pleasant demeanor was just an act, though. i think it did come from a genuine part of himself... he wasn't always an antisocial recluse.

before he became Papa, he was a cardinal in Krakow, Poland. Bishop Necropolitus Cracoviensis (the character representing Zbigniew Bielak, the artist who does the album art for Ghost) characterized younger Terzo as having enthusiasm in all his endeavors. he was always a very devoted member of the clergy who had big dreams of progress and modernization for the Ministry and the world. he had a strong interest in Futurist art and philosophy.

Bp. Necropolitus Cracoviensis remembers: "...our relationship goes a long way back to the times before his papacy, that is when he was still a cardinal in my hometown, in Cracovia...(...) Although we had our share of juvenile recklessness - be it indulging his beloved cream pies - allegedly verging on six hundred sixty six portions a year but that must be a rumor I believe, or wild parties at the attic of seminary school (laughs) - even in his formative years, he remained a focused man of vision, looking far into the future, always addressing his people's needs and longings to keep our church together in those turbulent, rapidly changing times (...) there were so many temptations to syndicate among our good people (...) (...) We would sit down to studying exciting Futurist manifestos, sketched the blueprints of utopian metropoles, spiked with shiny skyscrapers stabbing at the heavens belly... Wantonly swollen zeppelins would to carry our gospel of indulgence to the farthest corners of the globe to summon and enslave. (...) Forged in nostalgia of steam and fire, this brave new world of ambition, vice, lust and greed - all so inherent to the enlightened modernity, was always with him through all these years. And it is now - when our church continues to grow stronger and wealthier under wise reign of Papa Emeritus III - that these visions may finally be witnessed and embraced in the preachings of 'Meliora' - his most contemporary and humane Encyclical." (https://www.facebook.com/thebandghost/posts/994031900615606)

those core values of ambition, vice, lust, and greed stayed with him when he became Papa. though he had a revolutionary spirit, he's actually described as "less rebellious" in Metal Myths. Terzo took his job as Papa very seriously, and he cared about being successful and achieving his goals. while he and Secondo certainly had vice, lust, and greed in common, it was Terzo's ambition that truly set him apart.

"It felt like the goal was to take Papa II's sense of modernity and remove the recklessness." Metal Myths: Ghost Pt. 2 (April 2022)

How would you describe the personality of Papa Emeritus III compared to his predecessors? NAMELESS GHOUL: "First of all, Papa Emeritus III is an entertainer! He loves projectors, he loves the public, and he loves success. The first Papa Emeritus was someone very rigid, very strict, and very solemn. A real son of a bitch! (laughs) To be honest, we don’t miss him at all! Papa Emeritus II was a pervert a little bit sadistic, and, in hindsight, I think he wasn’t very at ease on stage. He wasn’t a showman, unlike Papa Emeritus III! Him, he’s the guide we missed to rise up the quality of our shows, to reach the step above and communicate with our fans." (MyRock #44 (2017) translated from French by @ a-wandering-ghoulette)

unfortunately, his ambition eventually led him to become disillusioned and depressed.

Terzo looked forward to becoming Papa. he worked so hard for it his whole life, only to be confronted with the realization that his time as Papa --and therefore his achievements-- would be limited.

he was a nice guy, but he was also was egotistical. he was a showman and an intellectual, and he thought very highly of himself.

NAMELESS GHOUL: He's a little bit more chill. But obviously, all the Papas are definitely pompous assholes. INTERVIEWER: That's part of the job. SPECIAL GHOUL: That's one of the criterias, the prerequisites, that you have to be this sort of flamboyant diva, know-all, show-off. Metal Injection (September 2015)

his self-hatred came from his inability to be the person he wanted to be. it's not that he felt like he couldn't measure up, it's that he felt like he wasn't allowed to express his full potential. Terzo's mindset was "i know i'm good enough. and i could prove it if they would just let me." but he wasn't really in charge, and his vision was at odds with the goals of Sister Imperator.

Terzo felt so stifled, it makes sense that he became a "frustrated old guy who hates everyone, especially himself."

and i think this is the reason for the paradox of him having a kind, charming personality onstage and being unsociable offstage. he still gave it his all. he did the best he could with the time and resources he was allowed. that zealous man of the people was still in there somewhere. but he felt betrayed by the clergy, the organization he dedicated his life to. his career ended up being unfulfilling and he was ultimately really bitter about the way things turned out.

he was good. he never got to be great.

[ragequeen94]

Some art for CHAPTER 3 of Inferno.

Ch 2 art

Ill be honest. I love how these boys turned out. Drawing them all casual with no paint was probably the most daunting thing. However…. Every time I draw secondo he looks more and more like my very Italian very bald father. We will not be dissecting that specific issue any further.

[osiiiris]

I barely know anything about Necropolitus! Would like to know more about another actual canon character

Please, have a seat *prepares two cups of tea*.

Now, unfortunately we don’t know very much about the character of Bishop Necropolitus Cracoviensis II himself, we only know that he is the official Ministry’s artist, and he took care of the Ghost’s albums artworks since Infestissumam. 

We know from him that he knew Terzo since he was a cardinal in Krakow, that they studied Futurism together and liked to party, as he himself reveals in the following FB post. Plus,  we have some pics of him working on Meliora in his sacristy:

Among his Facebook posts, there’s also this presentation of the back cover for Prequelle, which I find interesting:

He signed also the Ghost-inspired cover of Noise magazine in 2015.

We also know that Terzo helped him sketch the cover for Popestar (since Tobias IS the Papas and the album is Terzo’s, I’m considering it part of the canon).

But most importantly, we can see a certain dedication from the Bishop to Terzo’s equipment…

Now, while he’s worked with almost all the Papas, he’s only spoken openly about Terzo. The main elements we have are:

The yearly 666 creampies Terzo used to “eat”.

Wild parties in the seminary attic.

Futurism manifestos study.

A shared passion for architecture/city planning. 

His admiration (or devotion…) for Terzo.

His Terzo’s nsfw fanarts.

TO ME, IT IS ENOUGH.

We have the artist and the muse, two clergymen bound by a shared passion for art, the life of the party, a power couple with aligned visions, who shared long and passionate conversations about art and most likely they used to hang out at cabarets and literary cafés together.

Necropolitus admired Terzo’s ambition, and Terzo admired his artistic talent.

Necropolitus loved hearing Terzo speak about his plans for the Papacy and trusted in his work completely.

To this day, Necropolitus still remembers him, remains devoted to him… he still holds on to his portraits, never letting the memory of him fade.

[aweisz]

the them.... gay........

[mercurysketches]

terzopolitus enjoyers come and get y’all juice!!!! 🗣️

[spect-era]

The silly sleepers :)

[sillyandquiteawkward]

im playing favorites surely. but to me. secondo and copia are friends. esp later in life. like terzo move tf over for a sec.

also friends in the way your boss/coworker is like your weird half brother but you both have that same flavor of neurodivergence and love love love paperwork and clerical duties and you just click. like secondo used to be scared to interact with copia bc he saw himself in copia so he was just mean nasty awful to him instead. emotions? no. violence.

this was not good for anyone involved and copia holds a grudge about it but they end up settling things. like brothers. observe.

[anamelessfool]

Goodbye horses…I’m flying over you…

“You have lots of time, Terzo. You can start whenever you want. And you can start over again at any time after that. As many times as you want.” Fic Link

[profanepurity]

I made an AO3 and some sketches to go along with the fic! For those of you who want more Sister Eliza and Primo content, Watchers in the Sky is out now! Given the season, it felt right to introduce the first angel into the mix of this au. I'll probably move my other silly little fics onto AO3 as well. 🖤

[ryuzatodraws-archive]

Sometimes when you’re not feeling it, you need to draw some Ocs

[cityofmeliora]

Terzo did WHAT in Poland? 😳

as we know from Bishop Necropolitus Cracoviensis II's post, before Terzo became Papa, he served as a cardinal in Kraków, Poland. in his younger days, Terzo was known to have engaged in "juvenile recklessness" including "indulging his beloved cream pies - allegedly verging on six hundred sixty six portions a year" and "wild parties at the attic of seminary school".

Terzo had fun in Poland.

i didn't think this would ever come up again in my Terzo research, but then i heard him say this at a show in Poland:

PAPA EMERITUS III: LADIES OF POLAND, YOU'RE KNOWN FOR YOUR SCREAMING, SO SCREAM!! Warsaw, Poland (May 30, 2016)

this was such a crazy insane thing to hear him yelling at the audience LOL. i was like "TERZO WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT?"

sounds like Terzo really had a lot of fun in Poland.

[ragequeen94]

Bishop Copia in chapter 8 of my fic Inferno.

There is something about this man driving a car….

I’m gonna do more images soon. This chapter has smut in it. 😏😏

[osiiiris]

Perfect.

I know, I know, the Cardinal!Terzo x Bishop!Necropolitus Cracoviensis pairing still seems strange to you, but shhh… don’t say anything. Just let me hold your hand and guide you to a room where Bishop Necropolitus Cracoviensis’ hands are moving swiftly as he sketches Cardinal Terzo's form on his paper.

Think about Bishop Necropolitus, who cannot help but admire the cardinal’s body, the way the candlelight, the only source of illumination, plays across his skin, how it highlights the veins in his arms, the sharp lines of his collarbones, then down through his contracted torso to the subtle V just above the red cloth that barely manages to cover his most precious parts. Just enough muscle to suggest strength, but not so much that he appears overly muscular, it expresses vitality even while sitting on a chair, evoking in the Bishop the image of a resting wrestler, a subject he has seen many times in ancient sculptures.

Terzo’s face is turned toward the wall on his right, giving Necropolitus his Roman profile, but he peers at him from the corner of his eye through the black locks of his hair from time to time.

“Maybe we should have had a bit of music…” the Cardinal suggests.

An amused smile almost escapes Necropolitus’ lips as he realizes how unquiet Terzo seems, and how all that immobility and silence must feel like a sweet torture to him.

“Maybe next time, yes,” the Bishop agrees. “Now, please, don’t move your head.”

Satisfied with being the one giving orders today, the Bishop focuses back on the sketch. 

You can understand how he’s entranced by the way Terzo’s muscles tense and relax as he shifts his pose, how his chest rises and falls with each breath. He can feel life coursing through his veins, that unrestrained energy, impatience for action. Terzo is clearly not made to stand still. Also, he’s probably used to being naked in front of people, proud and comfortable as someone who has forgotten the meaning of shame.

A pair of clinking goblets and a joke, a “You could pose for me,” had been all it took to convince Terzo to sit on that chair in his studio. “Yeah, why not. I could pose for you.” 

Not that he needed much persuasion to undress and be admired.

“Is the pose okay?” the Cardinal asks. “Do you want me to-”

“No.” Necropolitus looks up from his work, a split second enough for their eyes to meet. That sounds like an excuse to finally move. “You’re perfect,” he reassures between one stroke of charcoal and the next. His gaze has now fallen on the trail of hair starting from Terzo's navel and disappearing under the cloth on his lap. “Perfect,” he then repeats, this time almost whispering to himself.

Imagine they have been working together for weeks now, preparing for Terzo’s rise as the leader of the satanic church, even though the road is still a long one. But Terzo does not want to sit on that throne unprepared: he is planning a revolution. Under the dim light of candles or golden sun rays in the afternoon, Necropolitus could only focus on Terzo’s moving lips while he explained his plans, those plump lips - often painted black - dancing around his words of renovation dreams, the music he will play, the art he will bring, and how everything will be different when he takes the lead. And Necropolitus believes him -oh, Sathanas, if he does… picturing him sitting on his throne, majestic and powerful, is the image that often accompanies him in his dreams at night where he can only dream of kneeling at his feet... Maybe he should start to draw those visions.

“Is this everything you need, Necropolitus?” Terzo’s voice is smooth, but you can feel a hint of provocation in his tone.

“What do you mean?”

And now you can see Terzo, returning the artist’s lingering gaze, allows a small, knowing smile to play at the corners of his lips: Necropolitus is no exception. There is power in this, being the object of such intense desire, and he thrives in it, feeling the energy around him shift and thicken with every passing moment.

Very naive of Necropolitus to think he was the one in charge the whole time.

“This project is important. I need you to capture all of it. Every detail, every shadow, every… part.” Terzo’s smile becomes sly as he breaks his position. The light dances on his moving body.

The more Necropolitus looks at Terzo, the harder it becomes to keep his thoughts pure. His breath hitches as Terzo’s hand reaches the sheer cloth covering his nudity and, to the Bishop’s surprise, he not only changes position but stands and steps closer until he stands just inches away from him.

“I want you to take everything.”

And in a swift yet graceful movement of his hand, the cloth finally falls to the floor...

[aweisz]

im not immune to terzopolitus propaganda

[nocturnal-bishop]

A Bishop and His Pope~

Uhm so I have major Ghost brainrot rn and I've been developing my OC Bishop and then suddenly this happened and I don't mind. Bishop is *very* loyal to his Papa.